Into the Sunset...

The eminent political oracle of MSNBC, Chuck Todd, reported a curious factoid today that might not be of interest to anyone but me. In his words:

"An unfamiliar sight will greet Texas voters this year. There’s no Bush on the ballot. The last time there wasn't a Bush on the Texas ballot -- or in Texas office -- was 1976. And if you exclude ’71 to ’77, there has been a Bush on the Texas ballot or in office since ’64."

When you think about the stranglehold the Bush family has had at various levels of state and national politics for the last 40-plus years, it is astounding (and frankly a welcome sundown if you ask me). But, this tale might not be over; watch out for Jeb.

Everyone's a Critic..

So, we're enjoying a late dinner last evening at Lolita, and relishing every morsel. Taking advantage of the happy hour deals after 9:30, we perched ourselves at bar stools just far enough from the draft of the front door and tucked into the goat cheese and chicken macaroni and the bacon, egg, onion and cheese-burger. Quietly congratulating ourselves for our dinner choices, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the woman seated next to me was sending back an order of mussels. Odd, I thought. If you like mussels, wouldn't these probably fit the bill?

A little later on, she spied us finishing up our mac & cheese, and ordered herself a plate. This too was sent back, barely touched. By now, my curiosity was piqued, as was my rancor, as I have somewhat of an 'attachment' to the place and couldn't understand what the deal was with this wine swilling harlot. When, a moment later, she turned to me, and with a look of disgust on her face told me, "I can't believe you just ate that", I was momentarily stunned. Was this petulant creature actually disdaining of my choice of meals, and moreso, my enjoyment of it?!?

Ever the kindhearted soul, I asked what the hell she was talking about, and revealed that She, with proper affectation, was a food critic for Food & Wine magazine, and the menu was appalling. I replied that I've never heard anyone not enjoy the dish, and that personally, I love it. But hey, I'm no food critic. She proceeded to play the critic card and disembowel the restaurant, the staff, the cooks, the wine, and the owner in general. I was disappointed, but skeptical, as she had been putting down glasses of wine like a whino with Thunderbird since we arrived, and was starting to slur.

So, no real clincher for this story, just a bit of anticipation to see whether in the coming months an absolute hot coal raking is laid on Lolita by Food & Wine, or whether this was just some crazy, smashed weirdo looking for some attention. Either way, WTF?

Cento Turns Uno

I had to heap praise on the already rapidly growing pile of Bar Cento and Jonathon Sawyer for their fabulously inexpensive recent anniversary celebration. Hard to believe it's been a year hence from the first waft of frites and pizzas drawing Bier Markt customers like lemmings over a cliff to the new establishment. Even harder to believe is that we're so lucky to have a place like this on the near West Side. I can remember peering through the windos at Bier Markt with Katie, fogging up the glass as we spoke with anticipation about what exactly we thought they might do with the space. Our ideas and expectations have been exceeded.

The hot and happening kitchet at Bar Cento makes some wicked grub.

Last Thursday, Cento offered a fabulous deal: buy a bottle of wine, get a pizza for free. With some subconscious level of disbelief we stepped through the doors and were almost instantly whisked to a cozy two-top just outside of the open kitchen. We ordered the house red (sorry, beer's my bag, not the vino), and the Sunnyside, the utterly delectable crispy melange of pancetta, fried (or in this case, baked) egg, and plenty of cheese and black pepper. End result; delicious dinner, slight buzz, wallet only $20 lighter. Not bad for one of the best restaurants in Cleveland. If you haven't been, do yourself a favor and go, right this minute... seriously, close your browser, log off, and get in your car.

Don't Bail!

I came across a fascinating bit of info on the NYTimes website this morning. With the gut wrenching drops in the financial markets of the past (what feels like an eternity) couple of weeks, there has been a concerted movement by many to pull out their investments and sit on cash as a sort of 'mattress money account'. Understandable, but not smart. As Ron Lieber of the Times points out:

"From 1963 to 2004, the index of American stocks tested gained 10.84 percent annually in a geometric average, which avoided overstating the true performance. For people who missed the 90 biggest-gaining days in that period, however, the annual return fell to just 3.2 percent. Less than 1 percent of the trading days accounted for 96 percent of the market gains."

So, at some point in the (we're all hoping not too distant) future, there is going to be a rebound, and portfolios, or what's left of them, will bounce. Until then, remember to save burlap sacks, which can serve as a shirt or pants in a pinch, and tin cans and string to use when that cell phone bill comes in the mail.