Headed over to the Iron Cactus for dinner. Third floor seating, outside, nice views. Fixing to be a good dinner. Food was good, service sucked.
Maybe it was his first night. I highly doubt it. Either way, he was brutal.
AB 1: Sat down for over 10 minutes before he came over to the table. No silverware, no napkins, no menu, no drink menu. "Can I get you a drink?" I peered over to the bar, 45' away. Lucky for him, I got pretty good eyes. Lindsay got a water, I got a Negra Modelo and a Diet Pepsi. Order taken, waiter gone to get it. (Lindsay went to get a drink menu at the bar) Comes back with a water and "What did you want to drink again?" Told him the order plus a Bud Light Lime for the lady and five minutes later the drinks came. 0-1
AB 2: Drinks were there, chips and salsa came out, still no menus. Eventually (5 or 6 minutes) the doofus brought us out some menus. Took a peek at it, and within the blink of an eye he was there to take an order. We got the Gulf Coast Crab Cakes - probably not the best choice given the whole BP situation. He left. 0-1 with a BB
AB 3: Came back to us after a few minutes, and we told him our meal orders (Yucatan Fish Tacos for me, Spinach Artichoke and Grilled Portobello Enchiladas for Linds), assuming that's why he was back. It wasn't. He wanted to see if the chips and salsa were OK. The drinks were empty, but he wasn't all that concerned with this. Had he knows that I've been sucking them back pretty quickly lately, he woulda brought me out a bucket. We had to tell him we wanted another round, even though it was blatently evident based on the two empty bottles on the table. 0-2, BB
AB 4: He came back and asked us our orders again, after not having written them down to begin with. Then he brought out the appetizer. The jícama slaw was pretty damn good though (even though it was spelled "jicima" on the menu). 0-3, BB
AB 5: Again with the drinks. Saw empties, didn't collect them. I thought we were able to turn them in for a cash refund applied directly to the principal of our bill. This wasn't the case. Food came out, it was good, a little too close to the appetizer, but at least it came out. Then he asked if we wanted another drink after staring at our empties on the table. Duh! 0-4, BB
AB 6: He got benched. We got the check and left him a 14% tip because he sucked. He wished us a great evening, and we were out. Man I hope that guy gets fired, he sucked. But given what the manager looked like, his job is safe. It was like the town of Dorkville up there.
Post Game: Back at the hotel, meeting an old colleague at Draft for a quick drink.
In MLB news, the Cardinals are taking it to the M's. Seattle put up 2 in the top of the first, but St. Louis answered with three of their own, and added six more en route to a 9-3 win. Luke French and Ian Snell both pitched like crap. Adam Wainright settled in after a rocky start, and the Cardinals are now 1 game back of the Reds in the NL Central. For once, it isn't a one-team race in that division.
Draft time.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday in Dallas
Today there were no celebrity sightings. I took plenty of photos, but I feel as if they are of the same damn buildings. Whatever, it's a good way to remember a trip - I try to find some good perspectives, good shots, and see how they turn out when I get them printed.
Went to lunch today at the Twisted Root Burger Co. - hey, Guy Fieri, if you're reading, I suggest you come here for Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives - it's the freakin' coolest burger joint I've ever been in. You walk up to the counter, order whatever you want, and get a name card. I was Sean Connery and Lindsay was Uma Thurman. The guy behind the counter calls your "name" over the mic, and you get your food. I had some of their Twisted Pineapple Root Beer, pretty damn good. Lindsay had a peanut butter milkshake.
We then walked around for a while (2 hours) and stumbled upon the Dallas Farmer's Market - nothing as I had envisioned. I figured it'd be more or less an outdoor flea market, but I was wrong. It was a snooze fest. We passed "The Petropolitan" on S. Harwood and went in. There was a little short-haired dachshund there with very long fingernails, but damn that thing made me want to buy it. Problem was, we're in Dallas, we have to take a flight home, and it was someone elses dog. 0-3, no deal. I think it was a doggy day care kind of place.
We were then at a crossroads - go back to the hotel or keep trekking. We chose the latter, and went back to Sol Irlandes to have a few afternoon cocktails. I moved on from the Modelo Especial's from yesterday (#3 imported beer in the USA) to the Negra Modelo today. That is basically what my Monday afternoon consisted of - walking around downtown Dallas and throwing back some short, fat bottles of beer. Lindsay had a few sangria's. We were sick to our stomach looking at real estate prices for the apartments/lofts located on Main St. in downtown. It's sickening - $900 for a loft in the heart of the city. If I lived here, I'd go to Sol Irlandes every day for a drink at lunch. It's a pretty cool town, I assume I'd get used to the heat. As it stands now, I sweat my ass off.
We are now back at the hotel, relaxing for a while before choosing a dinner spot for the evening. Time for an afternoon, vacation nap. There is no other time I can actually take a nap but on vacation. There's really no other time I can actually have beers in the afternoon, either. I feel like I am in a foreign country. Minus the foreigners, plus hundreds of homeless dudes. I tell you what, Dallas has an abundance of homeless people. There was a guy wearing corduroy pants and a parka - it's 97° out man, lose the parka.
Nap time. Spirit Airlines pilots are probably taking a nap too. They sure ain't flying planes.
Went to lunch today at the Twisted Root Burger Co. - hey, Guy Fieri, if you're reading, I suggest you come here for Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives - it's the freakin' coolest burger joint I've ever been in. You walk up to the counter, order whatever you want, and get a name card. I was Sean Connery and Lindsay was Uma Thurman. The guy behind the counter calls your "name" over the mic, and you get your food. I had some of their Twisted Pineapple Root Beer, pretty damn good. Lindsay had a peanut butter milkshake.
We then walked around for a while (2 hours) and stumbled upon the Dallas Farmer's Market - nothing as I had envisioned. I figured it'd be more or less an outdoor flea market, but I was wrong. It was a snooze fest. We passed "The Petropolitan" on S. Harwood and went in. There was a little short-haired dachshund there with very long fingernails, but damn that thing made me want to buy it. Problem was, we're in Dallas, we have to take a flight home, and it was someone elses dog. 0-3, no deal. I think it was a doggy day care kind of place.
We are now back at the hotel, relaxing for a while before choosing a dinner spot for the evening. Time for an afternoon, vacation nap. There is no other time I can actually take a nap but on vacation. There's really no other time I can actually have beers in the afternoon, either. I feel like I am in a foreign country. Minus the foreigners, plus hundreds of homeless dudes. I tell you what, Dallas has an abundance of homeless people. There was a guy wearing corduroy pants and a parka - it's 97° out man, lose the parka.
Nap time. Spirit Airlines pilots are probably taking a nap too. They sure ain't flying planes.
Hello, Newman.
Sorry for the lack of material this weekend - it's been pretty hectic - Saturday I was recruiting all day, Sunday was spent traveling. Now it's Monday and I'm raring to go. Got a lot of material to cover so let's hope you're ready to listen.
Saturday started with an 8:13am alarm clock, NIN's "Discipline" was the song of choice, as it is most days. Some days, it's The Gaslight Anthem's "Boomboxes and Dictionaries", both solid choices to ease me into my day.
Let's start with the backbone of this blog - sports.
1. Strasburg was dominant again, although he did walk as many guys (5) as he had in his previous 5 starts (1 MLB, 4 AAA). He improved to 2-0 (Pirates and Indians) but let up his 2nd HR in as many starts, both to lefties, and both on a change up. Either way, he's got 22 K in 12.1 IP. The Nationals may make some noise after all.
2. The Yankees completed a sweep of the Astros and in the process, moved into a tie atop the AL Beast with the Rays. There's a World Series rematch series, beginning tonight in the Bronx, as CC Sabathia takes on Roy Halladay. The Phillies are looking to regain their mo-jo (4-6 in their last 10 games) and crawl back into the NL Least race (3.5 behind 1st place Atlanta) while the Yanks look to distance themselves from the rest of baseball. I hope I get a good pitching match up Thursday when I go with Lindsay and our fathers - I think it's looking like Moyer vs. Pettitte.
3. Ted Lilly had a no-hit bid into the 9th against the White Sox, but settled for a 1-hitter and a 1-0 Cubs win. We were in a bar here in Dallas, and there were a few Chicago fans - one guy, who everyone else refused to give pounds to regardless of how many times he tried - was the epitome of what a White Sox fan is (as told to me by another patron from Chicago). Obnoxious. A total jackass. He was whining when they pinch-hit Juan Pierre to lead off the ninth, then after he broke up the no-no, he said he knew he was going to get a hit - douche. This guy was shouting all night, almost fell off his stool several times, and was almost forcing his girlfriend (so it seemed) into making out with him - sloppy.
On Saturday, I was up at Blind Brook HS for a game after a showcase at Pace. BBHS has quite possibly the nicest facilities for a high school I've ever seen. Field turf abounds - football field, baseball field, soccer field, softball field - they might even have field turf in the hallways. Almost like VCP. Anyway, the thing that stuck out was a parent who was chirping the whole game. Similar to a major league game, every pop up was a HR (or so he reacted), every ground ball was "just missed", and every strikeout looking was outside. Anyway, same game, same guy - the 7 hitter snuck a dribbler between the first- and second-baseman, to which Super-Dad blurted out, "He squecked that one through there!" Now, I'm no English major, but "squeaked" is a word. Squecked, not a word. #1 Dad.
Sunday was filled with air travel and ground transportation. LaGuardia to Charlotte, Charlotte to Dallas-Ft. Worth. The tail end of the trip was turbulent, to put it lightly. I started getting sick from bouncing around in my seat. Once we got below the clouds (all 3 minutes of it) and landed, it was great. The landing was the smoothest part of the flights. Got off the plane, went to find some "Shared Transportation" and got in. There were 5 others in there, all going to right near where we were going. The van was full, but the driver was convinced he may be able to pick up another passenger, so he drove around the airport (to every terminal) trying to find someone else to cram in. Once he realized he had wasted over 25 minutes worth of gas, he decided to take to the roads, and eventually dropped us off at the hotel. It was like riding on a wooden roller coaster with no seat belt - pretty scary. Not quite sure if he was legal.
We strolled around Downtown Dallas a little, I of course snapped some photos, and then we went into CVS - the biggest CVS I have ever seen (I guess everything really is bigger in Texas). While meandering through the aisles, Lindsay saw a guy and said "He looks like the guy from Jurassic Park" so I looked. Wasn't sure who she meant, I mean it has been over ten years since I've seen the movie. We were looking through the "Trial Size" stuff, and I saw the man again - NEWMAN!! I wanted to be sure, so creepily stared at him for a few seconds. Then I went up and asked if he was Wayne Knight, and that I was a huge fan (which is an exaggeration) but he is freakin' NEWMAN. If you've never seen Seinfeld and are reading this, welcome to Earth. Turns out he's in town shooting a show for FOX, The Good Guys. I got him to take a picture with me - CVS was empty, so I didn't care. Had it been full of patrons, I probably would have just taken a sneaky photo of him. I will publish the photo when I get back to the BX. How cool is that?
FACT: Dallas's Downtown shuts down on Sunday. We found a neat little Mexican restaurant for lunch - Sol Irlandes - we didn't stay for the karaoke at night though.
Passed out several times after getting back from lunch, but managed to stay awake long enough to grab a bite at Press Box Grill. That's where we were blessed with the Chicago fans. Ate, had a drink, left as soon as Lilly let up the lone hit in the game, and came back to the hotel to pass out.
Today I will venture out and try to find a place to eat some breakfast. Lindsay is at the conference so I will explore, maybe I'll bump into another celeb. Probably not, but I can care less. NEWMAN!
Hello Big D!
Saturday started with an 8:13am alarm clock, NIN's "Discipline" was the song of choice, as it is most days. Some days, it's The Gaslight Anthem's "Boomboxes and Dictionaries", both solid choices to ease me into my day.
Let's start with the backbone of this blog - sports.
1. Strasburg was dominant again, although he did walk as many guys (5) as he had in his previous 5 starts (1 MLB, 4 AAA). He improved to 2-0 (Pirates and Indians) but let up his 2nd HR in as many starts, both to lefties, and both on a change up. Either way, he's got 22 K in 12.1 IP. The Nationals may make some noise after all.
2. The Yankees completed a sweep of the Astros and in the process, moved into a tie atop the AL Beast with the Rays. There's a World Series rematch series, beginning tonight in the Bronx, as CC Sabathia takes on Roy Halladay. The Phillies are looking to regain their mo-jo (4-6 in their last 10 games) and crawl back into the NL Least race (3.5 behind 1st place Atlanta) while the Yanks look to distance themselves from the rest of baseball. I hope I get a good pitching match up Thursday when I go with Lindsay and our fathers - I think it's looking like Moyer vs. Pettitte.
3. Ted Lilly had a no-hit bid into the 9th against the White Sox, but settled for a 1-hitter and a 1-0 Cubs win. We were in a bar here in Dallas, and there were a few Chicago fans - one guy, who everyone else refused to give pounds to regardless of how many times he tried - was the epitome of what a White Sox fan is (as told to me by another patron from Chicago). Obnoxious. A total jackass. He was whining when they pinch-hit Juan Pierre to lead off the ninth, then after he broke up the no-no, he said he knew he was going to get a hit - douche. This guy was shouting all night, almost fell off his stool several times, and was almost forcing his girlfriend (so it seemed) into making out with him - sloppy.
On Saturday, I was up at Blind Brook HS for a game after a showcase at Pace. BBHS has quite possibly the nicest facilities for a high school I've ever seen. Field turf abounds - football field, baseball field, soccer field, softball field - they might even have field turf in the hallways. Almost like VCP. Anyway, the thing that stuck out was a parent who was chirping the whole game. Similar to a major league game, every pop up was a HR (or so he reacted), every ground ball was "just missed", and every strikeout looking was outside. Anyway, same game, same guy - the 7 hitter snuck a dribbler between the first- and second-baseman, to which Super-Dad blurted out, "He squecked that one through there!" Now, I'm no English major, but "squeaked" is a word. Squecked, not a word. #1 Dad.
Sunday was filled with air travel and ground transportation. LaGuardia to Charlotte, Charlotte to Dallas-Ft. Worth. The tail end of the trip was turbulent, to put it lightly. I started getting sick from bouncing around in my seat. Once we got below the clouds (all 3 minutes of it) and landed, it was great. The landing was the smoothest part of the flights. Got off the plane, went to find some "Shared Transportation" and got in. There were 5 others in there, all going to right near where we were going. The van was full, but the driver was convinced he may be able to pick up another passenger, so he drove around the airport (to every terminal) trying to find someone else to cram in. Once he realized he had wasted over 25 minutes worth of gas, he decided to take to the roads, and eventually dropped us off at the hotel. It was like riding on a wooden roller coaster with no seat belt - pretty scary. Not quite sure if he was legal.
We strolled around Downtown Dallas a little, I of course snapped some photos, and then we went into CVS - the biggest CVS I have ever seen (I guess everything really is bigger in Texas). While meandering through the aisles, Lindsay saw a guy and said "He looks like the guy from Jurassic Park" so I looked. Wasn't sure who she meant, I mean it has been over ten years since I've seen the movie. We were looking through the "Trial Size" stuff, and I saw the man again - NEWMAN!! I wanted to be sure, so creepily stared at him for a few seconds. Then I went up and asked if he was Wayne Knight, and that I was a huge fan (which is an exaggeration) but he is freakin' NEWMAN. If you've never seen Seinfeld and are reading this, welcome to Earth. Turns out he's in town shooting a show for FOX, The Good Guys. I got him to take a picture with me - CVS was empty, so I didn't care. Had it been full of patrons, I probably would have just taken a sneaky photo of him. I will publish the photo when I get back to the BX. How cool is that?
Passed out several times after getting back from lunch, but managed to stay awake long enough to grab a bite at Press Box Grill. That's where we were blessed with the Chicago fans. Ate, had a drink, left as soon as Lilly let up the lone hit in the game, and came back to the hotel to pass out.
Today I will venture out and try to find a place to eat some breakfast. Lindsay is at the conference so I will explore, maybe I'll bump into another celeb. Probably not, but I can care less. NEWMAN!
Hello Big D!
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