Friday, June 29, 2012

Let's go to Rengetsu Japanese Steak and Sushi!




hi Everyone,
Recently I went to dinner with 10 of my friends to experience Rengetsu’s Happy hour on Monday for their Nigiri Dollar special.
Upon entering Rengetsu you are welcome by the wall that changes colour with a very modern hostess station, that gives you a hint of the sophisticate experience you are about to encounter.
This is the type of vibes you will expect from New York, Miami or San Francisco, I’m excited to have such vibe here in Orlando, unfortunately as you will find out later this great vibe didn’t extend to the food.
I have to ask myself which is more important décor, atmosphere, customer service or Food?

As our hostess sits us, our waiter came in he is very young not sure if this is his first gig or not.
It was a Monday night like said before a slow night not too busy. We asked for the happy hour menu and ask a couple of questions regarding the Nigiri, our waiter had to go to the kitchen several times to get the answer which was ok, we ask him if he could repeat the answer to an item since he was on the side of the table.

He proceeds in a loud voice to say please pay attention and listen to what I have to say so y’all can understand, so I don’t have to repeat it again. what the heck? do you think you might get laryngitis or something?

Then he informed us with all of us ordering happy hour and the other patrons ordering as well it will best to order everything you might want off the menu now instead of later so he can bring all of it at once, ok sure we will refrain from ordering anything else from the menu.

30 mtes later we started on the Nigiri oh my I can tell why they are $1.00 they tasted like they had been on shelves for a week, not fresh or great either.
I had the conch I swear it tasted like it was calamari very bland no taste. We had to flag our waiter continuously to get water.

I ordered the kobi robata, I was very surprised to see how small it was , you can see it below.
Desert was fabulous, however one of my friends had a restaurant gc, and another had groupon. The waiter informed them they couldn’t use both of them, they had to sit at separate tables. He returned to let us know the mgr. will allow it, we had to wait for them to fix the bill several times.

It will have been a great experience if the food and the service matches the upscale décor, unfortunately it didn’t.
I will return more for the drinks and the ambience not for Sushi there are better spots in the Orlando area.

DailySpecials

rengetsu

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Art on the wall for sale on the way to the ladies room


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The bathroom sink changes colour as you watch your hands.

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My expensive robata for $8.00

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Have a fabulous week,
Maggie
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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Orlando Museum 1st Thursday's cocktail hour

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Every month the Orlando Museum of Art on the 1st Thursday of the month, is a great theme party, where local and national artists are invited to showcase their arts base on the monthly theme.

What is 1st Thursdays like?

  • From 6-9 pm after hours it is an amazing experience. As you enter the building after paying a nominal fee of $10.00.
  • You can purchase your drink tickets from wines to beer, base on the theme it can be wines from anywhere in the world, and craft beer from local brewery and little known craft beers.
  • Local restaurant is invited to provide from appetizers to full meal bento type of packaging.
  • Lectures and demos are provided as well as music and dance, if you are not the shy type you have a large gallery where you can shake your grooves.

Here’s what it was like last month.

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Barbara’s topology

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My friend Daphne and her boyfriend Ron

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The Artist

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My battery ran out forgot to charge it. Next month more pics…

Have a great week,

Maggie





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Monday, June 25, 2012

The ugly duckling (Lady of the night)

Hi Everyone,

 

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Imagine if you will. I’m sitting in the dining room sipping a refreshing coconut water lemon ginger drink I had just infused when my mother call, sigh.

An hesitated hello not sure what this conversation is going to bring, but somehow I know it’s going to be about something I don’t want to do.

Mom: Here it comes without any preamble I need you to come on sat to the garden meeting to take pictures.

Me: for how long and what time?

Mom: I don't know probably all day

Me: saying in my head all day with a bunch of people salivating over plants and no food but mostly edible plant cuisine, what excuse can I use to get out of it. in the 30 seconds I can’t find anything to use, but I came up with this I can do it for 2 hours only early in the day.

mmmm it went from a simple conversation to a nasty turn of event very quickly.

Mom: No I need you there until 11:30 pm

Me: Why I can’t spend 10 hours at that place.

Mom: I need you to capture the lady of the night I feel like I’m going to win in this category.

Me: oh my god do u know how boring that will be for me 10 hours of listening to nothing but plants and pretending I ‘m enjoying it.

Mom: Why is this so much for you to do for me? it’s one day of your life, it’s very important to me and I also want you to ride with the movers when they come in to pick up the plant, I have insurance on it but I want to make sure it’s not damage.

Me: what the heck u have that kind of $ to insure a plant what in the world. How much did this insurance cost?

Mom:$50.00

Me: What you have $50.00 to insure an ugly plant.

Mom: it’s not an ugly plant it’s the lady of the night, I will have you know Coco Chanel use that plant in Chanel #5.

Me: I don’t care who use that plant this is crazy I have to sit in a truck babysitting a plant.Sheesh, I will do it this time but don’t ask me again.

Saturday I rode in the truck staring at the ugly plant, thinking of how I could have spent a better sat.

This is the part I need to apologize for acting like a teenager, lord and behold the ugly plant turned into the most amazing flower I’ve ever seen and the perfume oh my, I can see why Chanel used it in #5… the smell is intoxicating.

All in all I was very proud of my mom she won in the exotic category $100.00 that paid for the transport and insurance.

Want to see what the fuss was about?

 

budding flower, doesn’t it look like a fallopian tube?

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Starting to open

 

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opening

 

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more opening, looks like spider right?

 

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90% open

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A little history of this plant, what makes this plant so amazing, is the fact it only opens up at night time only for 1 night, by morning all the glorious blooms have close-up and the amazing smell is gone. If you to see this plant you need to make a date with it and stay up all night to admire it and bask into it’s fragrance cause you only have that 1 night.

What made my mom’s plant so amazing is the fact she had over 61 blooms from that 1 plant which is unheard of, next year she is going for the Guinness world record, hopefully with more than 61 blooms. It requires no care outside of watering once a week fertilize once a year.

The scientific name is night bloom cereus, it is native to the western hemisphere and will bloom from mid summer to autumn. They are heat resistant up to 100 degrees.

What do you think of the plant, gorgeous right?

 

Here’s a video on you tube how it opens up.





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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sizzling Summer Salad recipe!

 

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Hi Everyone,

It’s Summer , it’s hot and sticky the last thing I want to do is spend too much time in the kitchen, today I’m going to share an easy salad recipe that will only take less than 15 mtes. The best part about this salad it can be made in a day ahead and it makes a perfect picnic dish, or for the beach.

 

Ingredients:

  • Brie/blue cheese
  • Spring Salad mix
  • Strawberries slice
  • Cherry tomatoes dice
  • 2 tbsp. Pecans
  • Boiled eggs slice
  • Cooked green beans
  • Roasted pork tenderloin slice
  • Honey Dijon mustard
  • Baguette bread slice

 

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Let’s begin!

  • Slice the baguette, Add the chopped Brie/Blue cheese and toast.
  • Arrange the greens on the plate add the slice tenderloin, eggs,green beans, strawberries

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  • Add the slice baguette
  • Drizzle the honey Dijon dressing
  • Add the pecans

Voila done !

Scrumptious salad for any occasion.

Have a fabulous day,

Maggie


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Thursday, June 14, 2012

My list of things of Joseph Walsh collection when I win the lottery!

 

Hi everyone,

Sometimes I fantasize I’ve won the lottery and I can afford certain things like this bed for instance, I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I saw it on a site somewhere.

Who am I kidding I would get all the things you see below, I know I will need the type of house that can showcase this type of furniture.

Joseph Walsh Collection

 

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What do you think? what would you get?

Have a fabulous week,

Maggie


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