http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/ en sigfig2@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-09-20T05:03:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/review_opal_restaurant_and_bar_santa_barbara_ca/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/review_opal_restaurant_and_bar_santa_barbara_ca/#When:05:03:00Z I recently went to a conference in Santa Barbara, CA.  It was a nice change of scenery from the San Gabriel Valley.  Although most of my meals were hosted at the hotel, we did make it out to a trendy Santa Barbara eatery.Located on the busy and trendy State Street of Santa Barbara, Opal Restuarant and Bar is known for its eclectic California Cuisine influenced by Asian ingredients.  You can definitely count on fresh seafood on the menu considering that Santa Barbara is a beach town.  And just like a beach town, the food is pretty pricy. I ordered Marinated and Grilled "Flat Iron" Steak with Gratin Potatoes for $23.  Sorry, I didn't take a picture because it was a business dinner.  For $23, I wasn't impressed with what I ordered.  It tasted like something I could have done at home.  Please note that my cooking is not that good.  I did noticed that the vegetables that came with my order was really bitter for some reason.  But before the main course, we ordered 5 appitizers.  Again, it was a business dinner and wasn't on anyone's dime.  We had the tiger prawns, scallops, crab cakes, and 2 orders of the ahi.  Appitizers, alone, were almost $60. At an average of $12 an appitizer, we got three on a plate.  That's right, just three.  That's $4 a piece.  There wasn't enough to go around.  You basically ate what was in front of you and that's it.  The bar churned out some great drinks.  Perhaps Opal should just be a bar that served some finger foods.  In my opinion, it tries to do too much and the result is mediocre.  The atmosphere is cool and hip, but don't expect to be dazzled by the food.  It's a yawn. MenusLUnch:  http://www.opalrestaurantandbar.com/opal_menu_lunch.pdfDinner:  http://www.opalrestaurantandbar.com/opal_menu_dinner.pdfDessert:  http://www.opalrestaurantandbar.com/opal_menu_dessert.pdf Opal Restaurant and Bar1325 State StreetSanta Barbara, CA 93101P:  805.966.9676Lunch:  Monday - Satuarday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PMDinner:  Sunday - Thursday from 5:00 PM to 10 Pm and Friday - Saturday 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM View Larger Map     2008-09-20T05:03:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/stolen_lunches_bad_co_workers/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/stolen_lunches_bad_co_workers/#When:02:25:00Z You spent your precious morning making your fantastic lunch only to discover that when it's lunch time, someone has stolen your lunch out of the office fridge.  You know it happens.  I mean, they just take stuff out of the fridge knowing that it doesn't belong to them.  All I have to say is that Karma knows no mercy.  But there's something you can do to fight back.  What if your zip lock baggies can camouflage a well prepared sandwich?  What's next?  Fuzzy mold stickers for the plastic containers? 2008-09-15T02:25:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/amazing_bento_box_of_the_day_september_11_2008/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/amazing_bento_box_of_the_day_september_11_2008/#When:02:30:01Z Today's amazing bento box features cute bunny rabbits made out of rice and nori.  Please note that no real bunny rabbits were harmed in the making of the above bento box.  Again, I don't have the time or the patience in making these edible artwork, especially something that could be consumed in one bite. 2008-09-12T02:30:01-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/chinese_food_and_fortune_cookies/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/chinese_food_and_fortune_cookies/#When:02:02:00Z Nothing ends a good Chinese take out dinner like a fortune cookie.  Since I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese), I've been accustomed to fortune cookies.  For those of you living under a rock, a fortune cookie is a crispy, sweet, wafer molded into it's distinct shape with a piece of paper tucked inside that predicts your near future and lotto numbers.  The Chinese figured out a way to combine dessert and a little entertainment.  That is until I discovered that the fortune cookie was an American innovation. Here's the Wiki on fortune cookies. Check out the video clip of Chinese people eating a fortune cookie for the first time.  Youtube Clip Here 2008-09-11T02:02:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/mcrib_is_back_249/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/mcrib_is_back_249/#When:06:35:00Z Just wanted everyone to know that the Mc Rib is back!  On sale right now at a price of $2.49. The McRib consists of a boneless pork patty, barbecue sauce, onions and pickles served on a 6 inch (15.2 cm) roll. The patty is precooked, frozen and later reheated. When served, the patty is covered with sauce. When first introduced, packets of special McRib barbecue sauce called "Blazin' Hot Sauce" were available with the sandwich. This sauce was much hotter than the barbecue sauce on the prepared sandwich and was only available for a short time. When the McRib was brought back as a "specialty" sandwich the sesame seed roll was often replaced with a standard hamburger bun; this was sometimes called the McRib Jr. 2008-09-10T06:35:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/food_quality/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/food_quality/#When:02:02:00Z Packaged prepared foods are handy and speed up meal prep time considably.  Of course, you'll pay more for the convenience and put the safety of your food in other people's hand.  How much do you trust others to handle your food?  It's certainly a concern considering the recent food borne illnesses of our produce.  Considering the way our economy works, more more more cheaper cheaper cheaper, our food is handled by minimum wage workers who couldn't care less if they handled your lettuce with poopy hands.  Gross huh?  Some common bugs you might encounter in your food are salmonella, e coli, and hepititus.  But a frog in a bag of salad?  That is just unacceptable.  Whether the picture is real or not, wash and inspect your food.  You don't want to put crap in your mouth. 2008-09-10T02:02:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/papa_johns_large_one_topping_499_9_13/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/papa_johns_large_one_topping_499_9_13/#When:23:23:00Z   Customer Appreciation Day on September 13th from 11 AM to 6 PM. One large one topping pizza (carryout only) for $4.99. Original, thin, whole wheat or pan crust. Pan crust extra. papajohnscustomerappreciation.pdf 2008-09-09T23:23:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/upcoming_cold_stone_creamery_free_3_oz_ice_cream_sample/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/upcoming_cold_stone_creamery_free_3_oz_ice_cream_sample/#When:21:09:00Z On September 25 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Cold Stone Creamery will offer a free 3-oz. serving of Jack or Emily's Creation during their 7th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 2008-09-08T21:09:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/kitchen_must_haves/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/kitchen_must_haves/#When:06:30:00Z The item in the picture is quite possibly a cook's best friend.  If you're anything like, I love to cook, but hate to clean.  And you have to clean when you cook.  The item pictured above is a splatter screen.  They are available almost everywhere, but the one above is special.  It's only $2.99 at Ikea.  That's right, for 3 bucks, you don't have to scrub or wipe so much.  I highly recommend this product because you don't have grease on the floor.  This product, however, is not recommended for mop lovers.  For more information, head over to IKEA's product page, click here.  You'll be amazed at what you can find at Ikea.  They're normally useful and cheap. Here's more pictures of the splatter screen in action:   2008-09-07T06:30:00-08:00 http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/amazing_bento_box_of_the_day_september_3_2008/ http://www.foodretard.com/index.php/site/amazing_bento_box_of_the_day_september_3_2008/#When:03:04:00Z While surfing the web at work, thank god I have a job that lets me do that, I stumble upon many things throughout the day. So here's an amazing bento box.  I just don't understand why someone would spend so much time making a lunch that so complex and so intricate.  Just making my normal non-amazing lunch takes a lot of time as it is.  Feast your eyes on today's Bento Box.     2008-09-04T03:04:00-08:00