Holiday 2010

Comical Vanity Plate

CANNOLI!

Not the prettiest but the most delicious cannoli that I have ever hard courtesy of Shepherd University's dining hall.

King's New York Pizza

This local restaurant chain is more than likely no secret to the residents of the area. Considering that this is a New York style pizza place in West Virginia, it is not far from authentic New York pizza. King's is owned by a group of brothers from the New Jersey/New York area with five locations locally: four in Berkeley County West Virginia and one in Hagerstown, Maryland.

I myself have only been to the Inwood, Martinsburg, and Shepherdstown locations but they are all comparable. In the area just over a decade, they have found their niche and taken off well. There are "New York Pizza" joints all over the place but this local chain is the most authentic you will find in the area, speaking from experience in having pizza in New York.

Aside from having excellent food, they run a very strong and quality operation, which can be contributed to their success. The Berkeley County area has changed dramatically over the past decade, becoming a large bedroom community for Washington, D.C. For life long residents of the area, it was most likely a newer experience for them to have authentic New York pizza but as time elapsed, it has become a favorite. For the newer and the more cultured residents, it became local restaurant serving good Italian food.

I frequent the Martinsburg location as it has a nice pizza parlor feel for grabbing a quick slice for lunch, whereas the the local Inwood location is more of a sit down restaurant. Aside from just the pizza, they have excellent subs and pasta dishes (may I recommend the chicken parmesan?).

Don't Do It

I have never liked the idea of a pizza buffet and have always wisely stayed away from them until recently. Against my better judgment, I went to this place for dinner. To sum it up, don't bother. Yes, it is cheap but also bear in mind that you get what you pay for.

Belly Kiss Photos

Is it me or is it hilarious when a pregnant women gets a photo done of their young child posing next to their belly? I cannot help but to see a young child's face up against an ass. Tell me that doesn't look like an ass!?

Hulk Hogan: Amazon Shopping

Is it me or does it appear as if Hulk Hogan has been doing some shopping on Amazon?

DC Improv - Norm MacDonald

I have completed yet another enjoyable trip to the DC Improv. This time, Norm MacDonald was the special guest from such movies as Dirty Work and Billy Madison and television shows Saturday Night Live and self titled sitcom Norm.

I had the opportunity to meet Norm after the show and like the other Improv comedians I have met, he was very nice and down to earth. It is refreshing to meet people that are well known that are actually nice people. I currently do not have any plans to return to the Improv but I intend on it once future guests are named.

Again, I urge taking the trip out to your local Improv location for a good and relatively inexpensive experience.

My Cousin = Michael Phelps Look-a-Like

Shoe Humor

What do you call it when your girlfriend obsesses about a pair of shoes?......

Panera (Bread Overload)

Don't me wrong, I really enjoy Panera Bread but it has occurred to me that by doing bread to THAT extent is dangerous.

As you can see in this picture, a baguette, a bread bowl, the top of a bread bowl, and a pannini.

I heard in the future they intend on introducing bread covered apples:

Robert De Niro Look-a-like

Carlo's Bakery - Hoboken, NJ

On Columbus Day weekend I went to the famous Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ. It is perhaps better known as the location of the show Cake Boss on TLC. I am a fan of the show and was planning a trip to New York City so I thought it would be a good opportunity to stop in. It is an easy ride to Hoboken via the PATH train from the 33rd street subway station under the Manhattan Mall.

Before going, I read a ton of reviews on both good and bad experiences. Most of the negative reviews were geared toward long waiting times so I went into it expecting to wait a while. I arrived around 11 AM and was there a total of about an hour and half as there were quite a few people. There was a staff member acting as crowd control as patrons lined the sidewalks out front. Once inside, there were many people waiting for their number to be called. You are given a number on your entry so when we got there it was on 28 and we were 53.

Once you get in, you just sort of stand around until your number is called. I was able to get glimpses of some of the show's regulars, which was kind of neat. In fact, they were taping an episode upstairs while we were there.

While a bit pricey but also very good, I would not recommend coming here unless you are a fan of the show. To just get baked goods would certainly not be worth your wait. With all the fame and publicity that the show has, I am sure that this kind of wait is normal. Sadly, this place has become a tourist trap for regular patrons from the neighborhood from what I gather.

PS We got lobster tails, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and some sort of strawberry shortcake cookies.

Vulgar Places

Here is a list of real town names from around the world (sorry for the vulgarity of the post but they are being used in proper context):

Anus, France

Shitterton, England

Tittybong, Victoria

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Pussy, France

Condom, France

Dildo, Newfoundland and Labrador

Fucking, Austria

Blogging From Mobile

Wow.....technology these days. I am planning a blog featuring funny names of places around the world. Stay tuned!

Hidden Treat

This unsuspecting place in Martinsburg, West Virginia is home to some of the best authentic Mexican "street" food you can find around. With a simplified menu and reasonable prices, it proves to be an excellent lunch choice. While the former Hardee's location isn't the most up kept dining spot, what it lacks in appearance, it makes up for in deliciousness. You cannot go inside as you must order from the window. However, they do have tables you can sit at to eat (tagged with the names of previous Spanish patrons).

Alaska

Halibut


Sockeye Salmon

I'm no fisherman but I must say that Alaska is home to some of the best fishing in the world. I had the opportunity to travel there in the summer of 2009 and enjoyed my stay. Above you will see some of the fish that were caught during my stay (not all by me of course).

McMullet

Once again, the title says it all.

Yogurt

If you are looking for good yogurt (but actually is like ice cream) check out Yogurtland in California.



Subsequently, check out Fro Zen Yo in Washington, D.C. for your east coast yogurt representation.

Both are awesome places including a wide variety of flavors that you serve yourself followed by a buffet of toppings.

My Girlfriend on Conan!

This is a screen capture of my girlfriend in the audience at Conan O'Brien's old show Late Night in New York. I was actually sitting to her right but the camera didn't pan over. DAMN!

Little John

WHAT?! YEAH!? A picture of a tombstone that made me think of the Lil' Jon the rapper in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Google Earth

This a picture of my cousin on Google Earth.

$16.00 Crab Leg

These are images of a single crab leg that I ate in February of 2008 that cost $16.00. It was certainly delicious and filled with an abundance of meat. Keep in mind, this wasn't even a front claw. What are the odds the crab was caught by one of the crab boats on Deadliest Catch? Great show!

Andy Dick

This is a screen shot of when Andy Dick was featured on the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority website.

FYI, I plan to debut a new feature where I discuss local eating spots that may or may not be well known but have great food. This may also apply for any place that is fun, I am not sure yet.

CANNOLI!

Taking Pictures of Random People

We were on the Potomac Eagle Train ride in Romney, WV several years ago and thought it would be fun to take pictures of unsuspecting people. The lady in the background actually decided to smile and pose.

Tribute to Tiger

It is what it is

You know that saying "it is what it is"? Well, of course it is what it is because if it wasn't what it is, it wouldn't be what it is.

Just food for thought....

Tom Green

Last night I went to the Improv once again. This time, it was to see Tom Green perform. I wasn't really sure what to expect but it was a good show. He mixed a lot of his off the wall, wacky humor with some real life observations and it made for a fun night. I got the opportunity to meet him after the show. Please excuse the bad quality but at least you can tell what is going on.

The next scheduled trip to the Improv is for Norm MacDonald in October.

Just Google It

Do me a favor, don't inconvenience others with simple questions of how to do something that is common knowledge, computer issues, addresses, or further information in general; JUST GOOGLE IT! You'd be surprised the power that Google has to your advantage with it's vast information available.

Maybe that would make for a good t-shirt idea: Just F'N Google It!

The Self-Conscious Lion

Worst. Haircut. Ever.

(see title)

Pimp

Apparently, I was a pimp when I was a kid.

School Lunch

Fortunately, this was a meal that I did not have to consume.

Tapicta?

Tapicta is a made up word that I created about nine years ago as a joke to a friend. After that, he and I would post it randomly online for fun to confuse people. In school I would write on chalkboards/dry erase boards, once confusing a teacher who attempted to pronounced it like the word tapioca (she was a history teacher and not an English teacher needless to say).

Rob Schneider

Last month, I took my second journey to the D.C. Improv. This time the featured comedian was Rob Schneider. I had a great time once again and enjoyed getting to meet him after the show. For anyone who has never been to an Improv location, I would highly recommend it. It isn't very costly and will prove to be a night of fun. On July 31 I will be going once again, this time to see Tom Green perform. That should make for an interesting evening.

Speaking of comedy shows, I just got tickets to see Demetri Martin at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore for September 10. If you are unfamiliar with him, he has a show on Comedy Central called "Important Things with Demetri Martin" which is a sketch comedy show mixed with some stand-up routines. I enjoy his humor as it is more intelligent and observational as opposed to someone like Harland Williams who has a very outlandish and wacky style.

Harland Williams

This past March I had the pleasure of seeing Harland Williams perform his stand-up comedy at the Improv in Washington, D.C. Aside from an excellent show, he was very nice to meet.