Fire on the Mountain

I was driving down Burnside on the way home last night and saw a sign for Fire on the Mountain (they have opened a second location). I've heard from several people that the wings there are great, so I stopped and got an order to go. In short the wings were great. The biggest issue is picking a sauce. They have many to choose from: Mild, Medium, Hot, X-Hot, El-Jefe (crazy hot), Bourbon Chipoltle, Raspberry Habanero, Sweet BBQ, Jamaican Jerk, Spicy Peanut and two flavors of the month. Since this was my first ride, I tried Medium which had a little after bite and was pleasant. I will step up to Hot next time or maybe do half Hot, half Spicy Peanut. I also over ordered, which was not an issue as the wings heat up well and taste just as good the second day and the prices seem really reasonable for the amount of food you get. If for some reason you don't feel like eating wings, they have sandwiches and other stuff, but let's be clear -- you come here for the wings.

Fire on the Mountain
4225 N Interstate Ave
17th @ Burnside Ave
503.280.WINGS (9464)

http://www.portlandwings.com/

Radiohead - OK Computer

It is very hard to pick just one Radiohead record to put in this collection, because you really should own at least four: The Bends, Kid A, OK Computer and In Rainbows. So, I choose OK Computer as the one must have. It is really hard to say what is so great about Radiohead. I can't remember the names of any songs, or anything that stands out about the music, I just really enjoy listening to them. In fact they are one of the few bands that I can load up on the iPod and listen to a few records all the way through.

In-N-Out Burger

If you ever see this sign, turn in immediately and prepare to enjoy the best fast food burger in America. In-N-Out Burger is a simple place; they make burgers, fries and shakes. The trick is they make really good burgers, fries and shakes. You just need to figure out how much you need of each. The standard order for a hungry person is the double double. This is a double cheese burger with fries and a soft drink. For desert you should add a strawberry, vanilla or chocolate shake made with real ice cream. If you want to get creative, and you are really hungry, you can order the Elephant -- a triple triple.

Unfortunately In-N-Out is only in California, Nevada and Arizona, so I personally do not get to enjoy them as much as I would like. However, on a recent trip to San Diego we made the In-N-Out our first stop on the way to the hotel and our last stop on the way to the airport (we risked missing the flight to fit this in). There is also a location on the main street into Los Angeles International airport that is a must visit on your way in and out of LA. In Vegas there is one perfectly located on Tropicana Blvd. that is easy to get in and out of on the way to your hotel on the strip. If you see a long line at the drive thru do not fret, because the menu is so simple they move really fast.

Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas

It was hard to pick which Cocteau Twins record to include on this list, as I really like them all. But at the end of the day, this is the one I would grab if the house was burning.

The Cocteau Twins formed in 1981 in Scotland and stayed together until 1998. Essentially they were a three person band, adding other musicians for live shows. Liz Fraser is the vocalist and lyricist for Cocteau Twins. Her vocals are mostly unintelligible and her voice essentially serves as another instrument in the amazing sound that this band produces. The first time I saw them in concert I was stunned at how Liz was able to overwhelm a pretty large venue with her voice.

Heaven or Las Vegas is the last record the Cocteau Twins released on the seminal 4AD label. In the 1980's I would buy any record this label released, they were that good -- Clan of Xymox, Colourbox, The Wolfgang Press, This Mortal Coil, Throwing Muses, etc.

Quik Chek

Quik Chek is a small package store in Metairie, Louisiana that only sells the following products: beer, soft drinks, chips, cigarettes, lottery tickets and most importantly really good po'boys. In fact some of the best po'boys I have ever tasted.

What you are looking at here is a fully dressed roast beef po'boy with extra pickles. It is accompanied by some Doritos, which makes me very sad. I don't know if Zap's chips went out of business, but they didn't have any at the QC.

In the background you see another New Orleans original, Barq's root beer -- I woosed out and got a diet. There are many different kinds of po'boys, I recommend the shrimp and oyster po'boys. They also have some good sides as well as a decent gumbo. Don't let the grungy appearance worry you. This place is awesome.

Quik Chek

2018 Clearview Pkwy,

Metairie, LA

(504) 456-6362

Otto's Restaurant

There is one thing that George H. W. Bush and I have in common and that is the love of Otto's BBQ. This place has been a Houston institution for many years. In fact, they sent BBQ to the White House when Bush 1 was in office. However there is some sad news, Otto's is closing in April.

This was probably the last time I will eat at Otto's so I went all out and got the two meat platter: brisket and sausage with slaw and potato salad on the side. The food was as good as I remembered; they have one of the best sauces in the state.

If you are in Houston before it closes, you might want to plan a couple of visits. Not only is Otto's one of the best BBQ places in town, there is also a great burger place on the other side of the building.


Otto's BBQ
5502 Memorial Dr.
Houston, TX
(713) 864-2573

BCS Championship Game

As a special bonus we got to attend the BCS Championship game in New Orleans this year. Here is the proud LSU graduate with her beer, beads and LSU Santa hat, ready to cheer the team on to victory.We took a stroll down Bourbon St. before the game started to see people getting warmed up. The crowd was larger at 4:00 p.m. than it was at midnight on New Year's eve.

Needless to say, there were people throwing beads from balconies and all the bars were segregated, either purple and gold or red.

There were also some very interesting characters out and about. The LSU fans were much better dressed than the Ohio State fans.

A special thank you to our brother-in-law Shea for getting us the tickets. We had great seats and access to the hospitality suite -- read free food and drinks.

But most importantly the Ohio State fans went home sad.

Drago's Seafood Restaurant

Drago's may be a haul if you are staying downtown or in the French Quarter when you visit New Orleans, however it is worth the trip to try the charbroiled oysters. The oysters are cooked in butter and garlic and the sauce alone is worth sopping up with the big loaf of french bread that comes with them. If you don't like or don't want to try charbroiled oysters, then you can give Drago's a miss. While the rest of the menu is fine, this is the main attraction.

Drago's Seafood Restaurant

3232 N Arnoult Rd.
Metairie, LA 70002

504-888-9254

Charlie Wilson's War

Unfortunately I read the book. This movie does not even qualify as the Reader's Digest version of the book. If you took the first two sentences of each chapter that is about as much as is brought to life. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are both interesting choices for their roles, but both were probably over cast. Someone a little more smarmy would have been better as Charlie Wilson and America's darling was probably not a great choice for a power hungry woman who sleeps with anyone who can help her get her way.

The movie spends a lot of time on the salacious stuff and not much time on the what Charlie Wilson really had to do to single handedly fund the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Also, the ending is a Hollywood lie. Since we all the know how it turns out, I won't ruin it when I say, no one really knew "we f---ed up the end game" until much later. The movie give Wilson too much credit.

So what works? Phillip Seymour Hoffman. As the Greek, outcast, street smart CIA agent caught in a world of preppy Bush, Sr. agents he carries this film. He has the best lines and strangely is the only really likable character in the movie.

In short, read the book. The story was so made for Hollywood they dropped the ball.

The Gumbo Shop

The most important thing you can do when looking for a great place to eat lunch in New Orleans' French Quarter is not confuse the Gumbo Shop with the Gumbo Pot. They are both on St. Peters just down from Pat O'Brian's and one is great and one is not so great. The Gumbo Shop is the great one.

We have been eating here for many years and I have to say I have never had a bad meal. The food here is the standard Cajun/New Orleans fare, they just do it all really well. If you want, you can order just from the appetizers: the Boudan sausage is spicy and delicious, the Shrimp Remulaud is very good, the Gumbo -- both seafood and chicken/sausage -- is one of the best in town. They all come with a huge loaf of French bread that is brought in daily from a local bakery.

For your main course the Ettouffee, Red Beans and Rice, and Jambalaya are all great. In fact you can get them all on one sampler plate. The best deal on the entire menu is the fixed price lunch for $20. All the favorites are available as options and you get a desert -- your chance to try the Praline Sunday, it's paid for.

The Gumbo Shop

630 St. Peter

New Orleans, LA

877-525-1486

http://www.gumboshop.com/

Drive Through Daiquiri Stands

Most people do not believe this when you first tell them, so here is the proof: in New Orleans you can get frozen daiquiri's at a drive through stand. Usually this is the first stop we make when we drive into town or as we are coming from the airport. You can get about 30 different flavors and they come in 20 oz cups for around $5 or a gallon jug for around $20 -- the latest addition to the family is a 24 oz squeeze bottle that costs $10 for the first one, but you can fill it up for $5 each time after that.

My favorite flavors are strawberry and pina colada, and around Christmas time they have the very popular egg nogg daiquiri. If you have a lot of people it is a good idea to bring home a few different flavors and they also keep well in the freezer for a long time so you really can't buy too much.

The trick is to not get caught drinking the daiquiri in the car -- wait until you get home.

Felix's Oyster Bar

Felix's is a classic New Orleans Oyster bar. If you walk all the way down Bourbon Street heading towards downtown then take a left onto Iberville you will see the entrance on the left. If there is a big event going on in New Orleans you are likely to see a line there and across the street at the equally good Acme Oyster Bar.

The restaurant opened again in April after being closed for almost two years after Katrina. They have lost the large dining room on Bourbon Street, so it is a lot smaller than before, however the downsized rooms seem to work better. Also the new wait staff seem a lot better than the old group who were notorious for running a small scam -- they told you the cash you paid was stolen when they put it down by the register, trying to get you to pay twice, or give them a bigger tip --ah, New Orleans.

On to the reason you came here in the first place, the oysters. As long as you stick by the old rule, only eat oysters in months that contain an "r," and you will have a good experience. There are several great local beer selections to go with your oysters -- Dixie, Abita -- and you can also branch out and try any of the New Orleans favorites: the Red Beans and Rice, Crawfish Etouffee, and Jambalya are all good and they make a good Shrimp Remulaude -- shrimp salad with a spicy Cajun sauce. I would not recommend going too far away from the seafood choices. All in all, it is good to see this New Orleans favorite back in business.

Felix's Oyster Bar
739 Iberville Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504.522.4440

931 St. Peter's, New Orleans

We rented a house in the French Quarter in New Orleans for New Year's 2008. The location could not have been better, on St. Peter's street about three blocks down from our favorite hang out Pat O'Brian's. The house is a classic Creole style cottage with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It had high ceilings and classic shutters in front -- in New Orleans, shutters are not ornamental, they help protect against the weather and offer a little sound proofing which may be the more important function during heavy tourist influxes. The dormers on the second floor of the house are two very small apartments -- basically studios -- that can be rented separately. There is also a great patio, that we used to host a couple of get togethers with the family. The patio is backed by another small apartment that has a kitchen and sitting room downstairs and a nice large bedroom upstairs.

Inside the house was very comfortable for four people. The sitting room was big but the TV was a little undersized for important viewing, i.e., the Holiday Bowl. The dining room was very elegant, but we ended up using it as a computer station. The kitchen was small, but we didn't do any cooking so it was fine.

The one disappointment was that the house was not clean when we arrived; the cleaning lady had gotten the dates mixed up. However, she did come early the next day and everything turned out OK.

If you are going to stay in the French Quarter you should know that there are a few drawbacks. It can be very loud if you are too close to Bourbon Street, and it is not unlikely that you will find strangers -- possibly drunk strangers -- sitting on your stoop discussing life's issues at 4:00 a.m. In the summer the Quarter is very hot and the smell can be a little overwhelming. There is so much garbage left in the streets that they have trash pick up every day. This also leads to a small rat and roach problem.

All that said, it is a really fun place. There are dozens of great restaurants, bars, galleries, street performers and other interesting sights all within walking distance.