I'm going to change my rule about not reviewing restaurant chains. It was meant to avoid reviewing places that have been reproduced so often they've lost any character they might have had. Now I'm going to include chains provided they haven't been overdone. If I pass by more than one restaurant during normal driving, then forget it. No Chilis, no TGIFridays, no fast food, etc. But if it's a place where I have to go out of my way and make it a special trip, then I'm all for it even if there are a few hundred other locations in this country.

Also since I'll most likely be reviewing places I went to over my lunch hour at work, you can assume the "time of visit" will be about noon. If I feel the date is important, I'll include that too.

Cracker Barrel
1295 Lakeview Drive, Romeoville

This location follows the Cracker Barrel "tradition" of 1) being next to the interstate and 2) being hard to actually get to through a virtual maze of parkinglots and the like. This one you have to go through a Wendy's parking lot and a "street" next to a hotel to get there. The inside looked so much like the one in my home town it was creepy. It's like an attempt to manufacter character and country charm. Nonetheless it was still the closest thing to Iowa Machine Shed I could expect out here in Chicago.

For a change I went with fish, lemon pepper grilled speckeled trout to be percise. There were other alternatives of course but I didn't want anything too heavy and to at least try to eat healthier. The entree had 2 filets and choice of 3 sides. I picked green beans, red potatoes, and fried okra. The okra was tasteless and the beans were a bit soaked. It came with 2 cornbread muffins which tasted dry and there wasn't enough butter. The fish was good though. The service was good and it was a fair value for the price.

Would I go back? I'm not sure.I was slightly disappointed in the food and there was this sense of "sameness" in the restaurant. I probably will when the mood hits me and I'll go with something different.

Golden Corral
381 Brookview Lane, Bolingbrook - (630) 771-1777
Day of visit: Tuesdays

Brookview Lane is next to highway 53. I approach it from the side so I don't really see how visible it is from the main road. This is a buffet restaurant. You pay $10.50 up front for your meal and a drink. The variety is pretty decent and good for the price. I enjoy myself when I'm there. But I think the grill can be better manned. It was empty on my first visit so I thought it was a dinner only thing. Second time it was there and had good mini cheese burgers. I wanted to do the "I can haz cheezburger" joke, but I didn't think the griller would have understood. He didn't look like he saw an LOL cat before.

I've been back once already and plan to go again. It's not the greatest place but it's very good from what I've seen here out in Bolingbrook. One day I should drive out to 53 and take a drive around and include Boughton. Just so I can see what's out there.G

I finished the first week of work yesterday. I think it went well. I'm readjusting to waking up early. The longer commute means I have to leave about 20 minutes earlier than at my previous job. I discovered on Friday that oversleeping doesn't give me much leeway. My usual morning routine includes breakfast and reading comics on the internet. Before I could oversleep a bit and it would only mean I have to hurry through things. Now I have to skip over them. Unfortunately my sleep cycle reaches the dreaming stage late so if I'm dreaming I have to wake up and go to work. That stinks. Maybe I can change things so I work 8:15 to 5:15 to give me a little extra time in the morning. It would mean getting home later though.

I've been working on how to duplicate the files sent to online price shoppers which contain our products. I have a lot of it down, just a few things left to do. One of those things include the price which I was told to leave for last since it has its own set of special rules. Not sure what will happen after that but they say there's a lot to do. I've already had to take more initiate than usual to get things started. That's part of why I took this job. I wanted to expand my horizons and work on some of those things which caused me to get poor performance reviews earlier. (Actually I now wonder if part of the problem wasn't resentment for how I thought I was being treated and the stress of a long commute.)

I'm still trying to fit in. It takes time but the IT department is small. I'll see about going out to lunch with someone next week. Maybe talk more with the art department and try socializing with them some. It is interesting though. I haven't worked in this kind of environment before since they actually sell physical products. There's a "blue collar" section, a help desk section, administration, art section, and IT which pretty much does all the electronic things here. My boss yesterday was talking about the security cameras.

Jobs aren't forever. I wanted it to be so, or at least long term. But now I'm not so sure. I expect to be here a few years then when things start picking up again maybe move on to some place closer. The drive is OK and I'm going to try to get in the habit of listing to audio books more (but sometimes just having the silence is enough). It's too soon to say if there are or aren't any good places for lunch there, but doing a google search has brought up a lack of good ethnic food apart from minor Mexican and Chinese places. I was hoping for something more exotic. Still it's not forever and I don't think I'm going to move to be closer. It will mess with the rest of my life too much and I'm sick of moving anyway.

So I'm hoping this will work out. The start seems pretty promising and I hope it stays that way.

I got an offer today! It was verbal through a recruiter (so nothing is completely official yet), but it's an offer. I'll be going home for Christmas knowing that come the new year I'll be working again. I didn't do as much as I should have while unemployed but that's OK. Maybe now without the jobless pressure I can do a few things. Right now I'm just happy.

Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse
3008 Finley Road, Downers Grove (630) 324-6002
http://www.chamagaucha.com
December 16th, 2009 noon

This is the third incarnation of a Brazilian Steakhouse at this location. The other two were Salvo Carvo (I think) and Zen 451. The decor has not changed since the last time. There is warm varnished wood everywhere, an area for wines, a oval salad bar in the center. For those who don't know, a Brazilian Steakhouse is where they cook the meat on skewers and bring them around to you. You get a whole lot of fire roasted meat.

I was greeted at the door by a friendly waiter and took to my table. I asked if they had lamb chops (and dropped a not-so-subtle hit it was my birthday) which they had. This reason, above all others, is why I love this place. I don't get lamb chops very often. This is the first time in a while that I got to enjoy them and CG did a great job. I devoured 9 of those things in addition to the other meats I sampled. The salad bar (or garnish bar as I like to think of it) was OK. Actually a little less than OK. I wouldn't mind seeing more things that could go with the meat, but for what they had, it was very well done. Lunch came with extras, loaded mashed potatoes, puff pastry rolls, this baked cheese thing (forgot what it was called), and candied bananas. All of which were very good. I read a review which recommended the lemonade. It's more of a limeade, but who cares it was excellent and worth the $4.

The service and food were excellent. I sent an email to the company expressing my gratitude and made sure to give a very generous tip. They were very inexpensive for lunch when compared to similar places, $20.

Final grade: A+ I would love to go back if my waistline would allow it. Definitely worth the money for lunch and even dinner. I hope they stay around.

Well one month ago today I was laid off. It's been an interesting 30 days broken up by Thanksgiving. Fortunately it looks like I have a strong prospect. Friday they asked for references which I had plenty of. I'm hoping for the best (and to be honest it's hard not to be overconfident). I'd like to return home for Christmas with my head held high and a job offer in my pocket.

But this past month I've been bored bored bored. The only highlights have been the interviews which have mostly been with recruiters. The good news is that everyone says I have a strong resume and that I interview well. Since I'm not asking for a huge salary, it should make me an attractive prospect to companies provided I have the right skills.

I've progressed my City of Villains character to the point where she has done all the story arcs and missions and now I just have to do busy work to get her to max level. I also published my own story arc, but no one has played it yet. It may need more work to make it attractive. In the mean time I've been working on my City of Heroes character. But it's becoming less and less fun and more and more of a way to fill up the day. I don't go out much and some days I spent the whole time indoors. I think I'm at risk for cabin fever.

My cats seem to like it that I'm around more. Lena demands to be brushed more and Pepi is more willing to be petted in one spot. Both the girls love to chase the laser dot around. Pepi's ears perk up to attention when she hears the jingle of the laser pointer key chain. Sarge, always the buddy kitty, still loves to be held and will wait until I let him climb up on me. I feel lucky to have them and I'm sure the feelings mutual.

Times like this emphasize what's important. It's your family and friends that help you when you need it. I just wish I could see them more often. I get so lonely this time of year. This will be my first birthday unemployed. The closest before now was a now defunct company that at least waited until the Monday after my birthday to let me go. I don't blame my former employer, it happened a month ago and it wasn't his fault. But my family is a hundred miles away and my gaming friends only get together once every two weeks. I don't know if my gaming friends really understand my situation. They have family and friends they can see whenever. I just have them.

There's the sci-fi club but lately it feels like it's been getting harder for me to enjoy myself there. There's a sub group that talks politics and I'm on the opposing side. Worse is one guy is rude, insulting, arrogant, and seems to live for pissing other people off. They're loud which makes it hard to listen to other people and join other cliches to find something fun to talk about without having to listen to the crap the politic-ers are going on about. I thought it was a sci-fi club, not political debate.

It's hard for me to make friends. Most of the time I'm happier by myself. During the work week I don't have that much human contact. I haven't hard a birthday party since high school, haven't had balloons on my desk at work, never had a surprise party. Most of my celebrations have been done by myself. Sometimes that gets to me and I don't know what to do about it.

Well being laid off certainly put a damper on my spirits for the con. I did go into the dealers room to look. Fortunately I wasn't too tempted by anything. I skimmed over the filk table. I think I pretty much exhausted what I want from them. If I want more filk I'd have to buy from an online store or go to a con in another state (which I'd like to do one day). I attended some panels. Most of them were fun. I thought one was going to be about characters with non-religious moral codes. Turned out to be dominated by Firefly and if a popular character should have been killed when he betrayed the others. I go with the panelist who said that if the spaceship captain was acting in character, the traitor would have been killed. But since the traitor in question was very popular with the fans, he wasn't.

Went to two concerts. The McNalley one was OK. Tom Smith was great. He's a great performer. There was a third concert by The Great Lukeski, but he doesn't really perform, just sing along to his CDs. He's a good artist and I like his stuff, but when I go to a concert I want people to play their instruments, not a CD.

I was getting hungry and the consuite didn't have much beyond munchies. Hunger combined with anxiety doesn't go well. I was tempted to visit a restaurant, but 1) it's a luxury I can't really afford 2) I want to see if I could attend a con and not spend any money period.

I got laid off tonight. I think I'm still in shock and the reality of it is still sinking in. I was employed continuously for 8 years. Last time I was out of work it was for four months back in 2001 which overlapped when 9/11 happened. At least I know it wasn't about anything I did or did poorly. If my former employers may want me back if work comes up. If it does, they know I don't bear a grudge. I just wish it didn't happen now. No, to be accurate I wish it didn't happen period. But it happening now is pretty bad too. I have a few months of money saved up but I don't want to count on that. Savings never last as long as you think they'll do.

I just got back from the Wheaton Chili Cook-off. It was a fun event to get me out of the house for a few hours. I got to visit some places I haven't been to in months/years and I got a good amount of walking done. There were 6 restaurants involved all within a 2 block radius with the added bonus that it was easy to visit each one without backtracking or getting lost. I'll rank the chili in order from worst to best. Let me just say first that I enjoyed all the chilis and even the worst was average. There were no bad chilis, just ones that were OK and went up from there.

Bank Restaurant 121 W. Front St.
I'm very disappointed in this chili. First, the restaurant itself is great; food, service, beer selection, all great. So I had high hopes going in. But then their chili was in someone's crock-pot, there was corn it in (a cardinal sin in my book), and I don't know if I'd call it a chili since it was a Latin American version of the beer can chicken soup. Not sure if I'd even call it a chili. This is the kind of thing I'd expect from Front Street Cocina, not a steakhouse.

Front Street Cocina 112 N. Hale
This one came with the extras (jalapeno peppers, sour cream, onion, cheese, etc) already added and was very very spicy. Almost too spicy to eat. I usually like spicy foods, but this was overbearing without having a rounded out flavor you find in Indian or Thai food.

Muldoon's 133 W. Front St.
This also committed the sin of having corn. But it did have steak in it.

Ivy 120 N. Hale
I've never been in the restaurant itself, but I've passed by it countless times on the way home from work. It's a steakhouse that has been closed and reopened several times and as such was a curiosity for me. They had outdoor seating, but I snuck inside to see what it looked like. My neighbor said it was once a funeral home and the main dining area looks like it could be one. Their chili was good. They used several different kinds of beans, but it was watery. They could have used a thickening agent. That would have pushed them a place or two higher in my ranking.

Suzette's Creperie 211 W. Front St.
A good solid chili with more meat than beans. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing that really stands out either.

Genghis Grill, The Mongolian Stir Fry 106 N. Hale
First I'm surprised a chain would take the #1 spot. I was honestly hoping for a locally owned place, but that's not how it worked out. The chili was spicy without being overpowering. Solid without being plain. They cooked it on their big circular griddle and they were cooking meats on it too (it could have been for the customers, but I like to think it was for the chili). What made it stand out was they had bacon as an extra you can sprinkle on. I think that added the most to a chili. In fact next time I make chili, I'll make some crispy bacon and throw it in.

I'm looking forward to next year's contest. I hope everyone learned something from this year (I'm looking at YOU, Bank) and that more will participate.

I found out that my former foster cat's mom god adopted last year. That was great news. It does mean a blinded and abused adult cat got adopted faster than her kitten offspring. But I attribute that to sympathy for her momma and just how poorly Pepi did at the adoption shows. Pepi hates strange cats. At the vet she was perfectly happy and hardly complained. She even purred for the vet. Then she saw the clinic cat on the way out and turned into a little angry devil. Last month a local stray came up to sun himself on the patio and Pepi went crazy trying to make him go away. Fortunately she gets along with my other cats and is pretty happy here. I'm just relieved a loving family took her in and how quickly she adapted to home life. I curse the people who abused Pepi's momma in the first place. They deserve no pity. And I praise the family who took her into their home and loves her. I would like to meet you one day and compare notes.

My copy of Windows 7 arrived on Friday so yesterday I went out and got the parts from Micro-center and had them put together the harder parts while I installed the drives and OS. So far it's pretty good. But I have to go through all the boring stuff of a new computer (installing programs again, remembering passwords, etc). Meanwhile my old computer is still working fine so the transistion will likely be slow and I'll have to put this one into reserve. It will stay active for a while in case there's anything I forgot about.

In the meantime, the new computer is hooked up to my TV so I can use both at once. Well I could use both at once if I had more than one good USB keyboard/mouse. Right now I have to switch between the two. Annoying but acceptable. At least I don't have to worry about switching monitors.