Hibachis and Dragons

*imitates a certain Shakespearian actor wannabe brought to you by Starburst*

Japanese food! Japanese food! I'm a crazy geek who loves Japanese food!

JAPANESE FOOD! JAPANESE FOOD! I'M A CRAZY GEEK WHO LOVES JAPANESE FOOD!!!*

THAT, my friends, totally sums up how I feel after a meal at Kimono. Yes, I got to eat at Kimono tonight, and it RAWKED my socks.

It was so freakin' good that I'm left thinking "Kanki? What Kanki?". Really and seriously...Kimono was not just better than Kanki, it completely obliterated it. Just let me name thy ways it did/does so...

- They offer HOT GREEN TEA. Yes, HOT GREEN TEA. The closest thing to tea Kanki ever offered, at least when my family and I were frequenters there, was the standard fare iced tea.

- Kimono's menu's variety is phenomenal...from the top of my head, the meats are: Steak (which looked to be Ribeye), Filet Mignon, Chicken, Shrimp, Scallops, and Salmon. Yes, SALMON. I know Kanki never had Salmon (just the boring trinity of steak, chicken, and shrimp), and I cannot recall Teppenyaki and Benihana in Orlando, FL ever having Salmon. As a matter of fact, one of those places is the only other Japanese eatery I know of that serves/ed Scallops.

In addition to the meat, you can not only get it prepared in the standard tempura and hibachi styles, but also teriyaki (done on the hibachi)!!

- The food is just SO. FREAKIN'. MUCH. BETTER. THAN. KANKI. PERIOD. As I was eating my more-than-just-scrumptious Filet Mignon, Scallops, and Fried Rice (along with two shrimp, courtesy of the chef being generous), it dawned on me that the said food is not as "greasy" like Kanki's now seemed to be. One thing I noticed is that they don't used globs upon globs of butter at Kimono like they do/did at Kanki...leading me to believe that just because it may be up Paula Deen's alley doesn't mean it will actually make for better food.

So overall...I think I am in love with Kimono, to the point that it just might be my most favorite restaurant in the Bluefield/Princeton area, even more-so than Macado's. It far surpassed my expectations. And who da thunk that little old Princeton, WV would get such a dynamite restaurant?! Incredible.

You know that saying about the best things in life are free? Well, for those of you who make gaming practically their life, it don't get better than free online RPGs...such as Adventure Quest and DragonFable. I'll probably end up paying the $20 fee somewhere down the road (I already like the AQ game enough that I am willing to do that), but for now, I find the free portion fine...I'm up to Level 20 and STILL have a ways to go to be battle-ready and off on the missions they provide. I love a challenge...

Current Music: "Sunshine Moonlight" - Sailor Moon

* - Thank goodness everything cannot be put into four syllables...advertising/marketing is already going to hell enough as it is. o_O

A Long Overdue Miscellany Post

I hate when I go through a phrase of not feeling like writing much...especially when I've been in a good mood for the most part lately. Oh well...maybe this will get my fingers a'tappin' on the keys again...

- I got to eat at THE MOST AWESOME PLACE this past Saturday...The Log House in Wytheville, VA. It reminded me a lot of a restaurant outside of Chapel Hill, NC called The Farmhouse. BUT, I think The Log House is better. As much as I liked The Farmhouse and their steak and cheese spread and crackers, The Log House MURDERS them on the variety/menu front. In addition to the usual steak, seafood, salads, and desserts, The Log House menu features sandwiches, Italian, and Southwestern dishes. As a matter of fact, I had the Black Bean Quesadillas for lunch...and they were FANTASTIC. The quesadillas were as tightly wrapped as could be in the tortillas, with a nice amount of hot and spicy in the flavor. And not to mention how I had the best damn Kentucky Derby Pie that I've ever had for dessert, along with a great cup of coffee.

Another way that The Log House KILLS The Farmhouse is that TLH has a really nifty gift shop, which is located in the back of the building, where there is a garden. There, I found and got three neat Greco-Roman column decorations...which go nicely with a Tuscan wine bottle nightlight I got from a friend of my mom's not too long ago.

- Speaking of eateries...someone or something has finally answered my silent cries of "A Japanese Restaurant...MY KINGDOM FOR A JAPANESE RESTAURANT!!". Not too long ago, such an establishment called "Kimono" opened up in nearby Princeton, WV. And much to my further delight, Kimono is a hibachi restaurant JUST LIKE KANKI (in Raleigh, for you non-NCers)!! I'll so need to try Kimono ASAP...most likely on a weeknight, since I heard that the waits during the weekends can be up to four hours long!! O_O

If Kimono somehow ends up not being good, something I highly doubt with those four hour waits, there's another option in Fujiyama in Beckley, about thirty to forty-five minutes away.

- Between Wild Hogs somehow doing so well at the movies to the concept of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? actually being allowed on television, I highly fear for the state of good taste in this world.

While I'm at it...the marketing geek in moi cannot help but also bring up...

The Burger King "Spongebob No-Pants" Ad - Who the HELL greenlighted this idea?! I honestly don't know what kills me more...the highly squicksome ad itself, or the fact that it's actually being shown during children's shows and such!! That said, believe it or not, I am not a prude...but at the same time, I just don't think a man's bubbly neither regions would make anyone crave chicken tenders. Then again, what do I know since I am not one of Madison Avenue's finest...

The Checkers/Rallys "Rap Cat" - OK...I'll admit that I chuckled at this the first time I ever saw it during the Canes @ Tampa Bay game on TV not long ago. But after further delving, I can understand why one or two posters at Television Without Pity are ripping on the Cat. Bags for your cat to wear* AND the stuffed karaoke performer getting ITS OWN MUSIC VIDEO (AND POSSIBLY ALBUM TOO)?! And I thought the BK King getting his own X-Box 360 video games was going a bit far... o_O

- Last, but certainly not least...I've gotten an IMVU account. This will be the closest I'll ever come to having something similar to MySpace. What drew me to IMVU is the fact that the chat software acts a lot like a RPG video game...right down to creating your own characters and giving them their own weapons and powers AND their own lair of sorts.

Here's my character/avatar's page...feel free to add me back as a Buddy if you have an IMVU account or decide you want one.

Current Music: "Somebody's Out There" by Triumph

* - For that video's commentors' information...it's not about people not having a sense of humor about "Rap Cat", it's the fact that dressing cats in fast food doggy bags to look like a pathetic gimmick *is* a stupid idea. Get over yourselves.