Restaurant Review: Canyon Grill

Take the drive up Lookout Mountain (going thru Trenton, GA) to visit Canyon Grill Restaurant. I've bene there four times now, and have never been disappointed.

I'm going to do a longer review at a later date, but for the moment, suffice it to say that this place is worth the drive. It's about 45 minutes from Ringgold, GA (take I-24, then I-59 and the second exit is Trenton, turn left.... go a 1/2 mile or so... turn right at dead end... make a left again in 1/4 mile following brown signs to Lookout Mountain... put the car in a mountain-climbing gear and drive for a while. You'll end up on Hwy 136, and when you come to a flashing red/yellow light -- just after entrance to Cloudland Canyon State Park -- turn left and you're there!).

This is a BYOB restaurant. They'll charge a nominal corking fee.

They are probably best known for their woodfire grilled entres. The portions are very generous, so don't worry that you'll leave hungry. You won't! They have fresh fish FedEx'ed in daily, and this night, the halibut was apparently the hit, because it was gone by the time we got there! One in our party had lobster tail, which looked very good. She had the 6-oz appetizer portion as her entree; but there was a 12-oz version for the hungrier. One of their regular entree items, pork medallions with a Cuban mojo sauce was ordered by one in our party. It was very good! I've had this one before.

Let's see... crab cakes were ordered as well, and also grilled chicken. Both were very good. With any entree, you order the main meat and then two sides.

I'm not usually a dessert type, I shared a coconut cake that was very good! Many times, you get coconut cake that's either too dry (generic layer cake style) or just down right mushy with too much coconut juice added. The cake part of this was wonder... moist, but with a little crunch to the outside.

Anyway... I'll write more later, and remind me to tell the story about the couple who (apparently) had French Press coffee for the first time!

CB

Movie Review: Madagascar

I saw Madagascar on Saturday night. When mothers and fathers started filing in with two, three, four kids in tow, I should have recognized the warning signs.....

I thought, erroneously, that with Chris Rock adding his comic talent, this movie would, at the worst, contain a lot of profanity (not that that's a good thing), at the very best, would contain some biting social sarcasm (not that that's a bad thing).

Once I got my mind around the fact that "This is a Kids Movie," and can appraise it accordingly, it still wasn't very good.

There's just no real storyline that's of any interest. But, back to the main message, "This is a Kids Movie..." kids don't need storylines! They want animation, music, colorful prat falls and the like.

The kids seemed to enjoy it.

I didn't. (And, I'm a die-hard kid at heart!)

CB

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

OK. I went to see the movie tonight.

Compared to the last two films, this was was a supreme improvement (because the last two reeked). This film was much more about the action... sort of back to the roots of what made "Empire Strikes Back" the best of the earlier three.

Up to this point, though, George Lucas has not been known for his dialogue....... he's still not. The vocal interaction between characters either when they're fighting or emoting is weak at best, laughable at times. But, Lucas isn't exactly thinking of any acting or screenwriting Oscars, I'm sure.

I think the weirdest part of this film was that they spent so much time animating Yoda... so much in fact that at times it looked like this was some other-worldly "Bay Watch," with Yoda pushing back his hair in slow motion. Granted, the quality of animation this time around was significantly better -- seriously.

So, what's good about this film? Well, despite the fact that Lucas claims that he never actually wrote these scripts/stories before (he only had character bio sketches), he's done an admirable job in connecting the dots between this trilogy and its Sithy conclusion and the more famously known beginning of the original Star Wars storyline. I mean, in this film, Lucas had to:

* turn Anakin to the dark side
* turn Palpatine into the croaking Emperor / Darth Sidious
* get with birthin' some babies (to be Luke and Leah)
* kill off almost all of the Jedi (not a loss in Samuel Jackson's case)
* make the Empire look like Nazis
* start building the Death Star

and several other more minor plot points... minor to some, an entire life to others (mostly those who saw the film at midnight last Thursday, bless their hearts!).

Anyway, even if you're not totally into these films, but only know them from your earlier memories of the original films, you still have to see these newer three, if for no other reason than to see how Lucas managed to build the world that we all remember...

CB

New Theater in Ft. Oglethorpe

With great fanfare, the new Carmike Cinema on Battlefield Parkway had a VIP, Invitation Only event last night.

Btw, judging by the size and diversity of the crowd, I think their invitation list consisted of A thru Z in the phone book...

Anyway, Ft. O's Fire Dept Finest were out in force adding to the show. Some Civil War-garbed individuals, along with artillery, were on hand to add the historical context.

I'm pretty sure Goetz Catering did the food (I saw one of their vans outside), and as usual, did it well -- especially for the amount and variety of food presented.

The theater itself is a nice structure. I think there were ten screens, all "new style" with stadium seating, bucket seats with armrests and cup holders. Very posh, indeed!

Many on hand were expecting... nay, hoping!... that Star Wars would be screen for the group. Alas, that didn't happen.

This was certainly the social event of the season! It was a lively crowd in a comfortable and casual atmosphere.

Our hosts at Carmike Cinema have done themselves proud! And, as an avid moviegoer, I'm very pleased to have them in our community!

CB

New Hotel in Atlanta

OK. So I went to Atlanta this weekend. Have a friend whose wife was out of play this weekend, so he decides to surprise his two teenage kids with a weekend in a suite in the new Hotel Intercontinental - Buckhead. Just opened this year, this new hotel is very nice. Don't know the exact ratings, but shouldn't be five star as are several Intercontinental properties around the world.

Restaurant: Au Pied du Cuchon, or "Pig's Foot" as we might say in Georgia, is a French brasserie restaurant, both elegant and casual at the same time. I had two meals there over the course of the weekend. For dinner, I started with Kumamoto oysters from Washington state. Then had Lemon Dover Sole for my main course. The oysters were very good (despite the month without an "r"). The sole was a little lacking. The main attribute of sole is its delicacy -- any heavy- or even mild-handedness with this white fish is too much. Simply broil it or pan sear it and plate it. A little lemon to garnish. That's it. They went a little too far with it; but it was still good. Others at the table had the signature dish, Trotters with Fois Gras. This dish was good, but was so over-the-top rich that those who ordered it, even with sharing out bites, could not begin to finish it. For dessert, we retired to the Club Level (Floor 21) for champagne and sweets.

Now the second meal the next night was much better, mainly because I had just finished playing golf, got cleaned up and was wanting some "comfort food." We sat outside on the patio and had Croque Monsieur with pomme frites -- basically grilled ham and cheese with fries. The California Viognier wine was a perfect match for the casual patio evening.

BTW, if you like summer white wines, but don't really care much for the over-oaked style of many California Chardonnays, then check out Viognier. Here's a quick website with some information about this grape varietal.

Back to the hotel... it's a very nice place. There was a fairly trashy conference going on which had many people rummaging around the lobby at odd hours (as we were as well, obviously). But, up on the Club Level, things are more quiet and acceptable. Especially in the suite!

My friend's 17-yr old son got a kick out of calling room service, ordering some desserts one night and just randomly asking them to bring up some playing cards. Like any good-quality hotel striving for those all-important "star" ratings, they obliged, without even batting an eye. I'm sure they batted something onto the room charge, but hey! It's all about the service.

Enough about this hotel. Suffice it to say that it's a very nice place with a wide range of accomodations -- standard rooms up to penthouse suites. As with any upper-level hotel, however, I'd highly advise checking yourself into the Club or Concierge level -- it's well worth the extra bucks you'll pay because of all the free gnoshing that you'll get.

So, next time you come to Atlanta, do what George and Weezy did and "move on up" to a higher level hotel like the Hotel Intercontinental - Buckhead.

Cheers!

CB

North Vancouver Politics.com

Here's an example of fun, yet annoyingly random blogging:

North Vancouver Politics.com

Now, random for you; not random for me. I travel to Vancouver about once a year, so there are some interesting comments on the site. Even if you know absolutely nothing about Vancouver (you should visit, btw), random is good!

:)

Chic-fil-a and iced tea

If someone were to draft a law to make Chic-fil-a and iced tea (the Champagne of the South) illegal...

...I would have to leave the country.

Movie Review: Crash

I saw this movie having previously heard only reviews saying it was "very good." But, I didn't really know anything about the movie...

After the movie ended, I still didn't really know! except that it was an amazing film. Wonderfully directed, a great cast but no real "star" of the movie, and a plotline with overlapping stories.

Robert Altman meets Spike Lee...

This film is about racism... in all its forms, and against all different people. The film directly challenges you to face some of the most crass stereotypes and the harsh -- and at times tragic -- consequences of humankind's seemingly unavoidable distrust/dislike of others "not like us."

Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillipe, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Ludacris (yes, the rapper, who does an admirable job in this role) all assemble to portray various aspects of racism.

I can't really even try to explain the plot of the movie...

Suffice it to say: See this movie.

Star Wars

OK. I'm surfing blogs, and I'm also a Star Wars fan. (This, btw, might be an actual definition of "geek.")

This musical spoof of Star Wars is very funny. The arm-waving Storm Troopers had me laughing!

Movie Review: Kingdom of Heaven

OK, OK. I'm a sucker for big budget, Summer blockbusters. But, I have to say, the amount of time spent watching this movie was "epic," not the film itself!

Now, not that this movie was bad. But, it certainly was not good. And it had much of what was needed to make a good movie: an epic story (the defense of Jerusalem by the Christians from the Sarazens); some good actors (Jeremy Irons; Liam Neeson; Orlando Bloom). Orlando Bloom, bless his heart, just couldn't carry this film.

One of the problems is when we, as an audience, already know how the story ends. So, we have to be treated to what we don't already know -- usually the psychology of the characters. What this film did was to focus more on the action, and less on the emotions and relationships of the characters. In the end, I really didn't care much for anyone -- except perhaps Saladin, the Sarazen Sultan, who showed much honor and civility during warfare.

When Bloom made his motivational speech to his followers to convince them that fighting the overwhelming odds was worth the trouble, I just knew that this was the tear-jerking moment that we've all been manipulated towards... and then it just fell flat.

Perhaps it was that by this point, we're 2-hours plus into the film, with no end in near sight. Does tend to taint the judgment a bit...

Anyway, if you absolutely must see this film, go to a matinee... you'll be far less disappointed. Oh, and don't drink a large soda -- not only are they outrageous rip-offs, but also, you'll be in utter pain unless you're willing to leave the theater to use the restroom.

Cheers!

Golf in Catoosa County

I played golf this afternoon at Battlefield Golf & Country Club in a charity event sponsored by the local Kiwanis club. It was a beautiful late Spring / early Summer day. Our team excelled only in our mediocrity, despite our talent. :) Although we'd like to blame the course conditions (see below), the fault was our own -- we simply didn't execute.

Now for those who play golf, I thought that I'd share with you some thoughts about the golfing opportunities in Catoosa County.

Battlefield Golf & Country Club is a private club located just outside of the Chickamauga Battlefield, a federal military park. The park is beautiful; the course is not. It's a good layout; but the course conditions leave quite a bit to be desired. But, it's early season... so, maybe they'll get out the equipment, cut the fairways, level the tee boxes, kill off the poiana, etc.

Windstone Golf Club, in Ringgold, Georgia, is a semi-private course. It's a nice track, although a bit short for my taste. What makes this course worthwhile is that is generally (meaning, most of the time) in good condition. I'll take good greens and average fairways over the reverse anyday. This course has been host to the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic, an AJGA-sanctioned event in its third year. Windstone's owners, the brother team of Tim and Wes Gilbert, do a fine job in managing and caring for this gem of a public course.

There are other courses out and about from Catoosa. I'll tackle them in later posts at later dates. But, this gives a quick overview of the two major courses in the county.

BTW, and this is a total aside, there was a long-drive competition after the Kiwanis event today. (I didn't disgrace myself by entering.) Conditions were wet -- meaning, little or no roll on the fairways. The long drive was measured at 364 yards! Not bad for a little Georgia county!

TTFN!

The Adventure Begins

Greetings World... from Catoosa County, Georgia.

For those of you who don't know, Catoosa County is located in northwest Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, TN. It's a beautiful part of the country, with rolling hills, a relaxed pace of living, and many exciting opportunities for adventure within a short distance.

I've been thinking of starting this blog for quite some time. I get out quite a bit to restaurants, theater (movies and live performances), cultural events and attractions. Also, I read constantly, see movies far too frequently and watch way too much TV. With this blog, I hope to share some my experiences with anyone who's interested.

I will try to make my posts as brief as possible, when appropriate. I will also try to keep each post on-topic, and use separate posts for distinct topics. This will make it easier for you to post your comments on each topic.

I'm open to suggestions about places to visit, things to do, books to read, etc.

That's enough for now. I appreciate your eyes and your comments. I look forward to us sharing our adventures from our base in Catoosa County, Georgia!

Cheers!