SIMON LA: PART II



It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. Yesterday, I brought you a review of several appetizers and classics from SIMON LA, the latest venture from celebrity chef Kerry Simon. Today, I bring you a review of a few main courses that I had the opportunity to try.

Truffled macaroni and cheese

This isn’t your typical Kraft mac and cheese or even your mama’s macaroni and cheese. This is mac and cheese, Kerry Simon style.
The top layer of the dish is a delectable conglomeration of various cheeses. As you break into the mac and cheese, your taste buds are delighted by a creamy, but not too rich, cheese-based sauce and plenty elbow noodles. You can smell the aroma of truffle and it is the first flavour that hits your tongue. The truffle aroma slowly fades each bite and is followed by the wonderful texture of the rest of the dish.

If you are a mac and cheese fan, you absolutely have to try this!

Roasted prime new york strip l fava puree, tomato-olive sauce
A nine ounce cut of prime new York steak that is roasted and served in two slices over fava puree with a tomato basil olive sauce (garlic, shallots, roasted tomatoes, mixed olives, chile flakes and fresh basil)

I am really big on steak. I think that if you can cook a steak appropriately with proper garnish and complimentary side dishes, you really have it made. Of course, I had to try the New York Strip at Simon LA. However, I was severely disappointed. Their were two medallion cuts of meat that were cooked appropriately, but I couldn’t get over the fava puree with tomato basil olive sauce. It was extreeemeelly over seasoned to the point where I couldn’t enjoy the dish or the steak. What a bummer!

Bamboo steamed fish l lemon grass, ginger, kaffir lime, bok choy

The Bamboo steamed fish this particular evening was halibut, which I absolutely love and was excited to try. The halibut and complimentary vegetables was served in a bamboo hot pot. I lifted the cover to reveal an amazing aroma of fresh halibut and various spicy seasonings. The dish was simple, the Halibut was extremely fresh and flakey and it was seasoned with the most amazing combination of what I think was paprika, black pepper and chile flakes. The portion was rather small which was disappointing considering I could have eaten it all night!

What’s coming next? A review of Simon LA’s most infamous dessert! 
READ MORE...




To You Becoming A Billionaire


 Hey everyone,

So Egor emailed me this cool write-up on Forbes about a study on Billionaire traits. Forbes “studied” 657 self-made billionaires to come up with commonalities between them. The article can be found here: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106866/Billionaire-Clusters Here’s my take on the article:

“First, a significant percentage of billionaires had parents with a high aptitude for math. The ability to crunch numbers is crucial to becoming a billionaire, and mathematical prowess is hereditary”

Yes, usually being able to count is important, so is being able to spell and read. It’s also great to be able to actually count the money you roll around in.

“Consistent with the rest of the population, more American billionaires were born in the fall than in any other season. However, relatively few billionaires were born in December, traditionally the month with the eighth highest birth rate. This anomaly holds true among billionaires in the U.S. and abroad.”

All of you born in December, might as well give up now. Don’t complete high school and don’t even try going to college. It’s all over for you. Don’t’ worry, Billionaires always need people to pick up after their children and mow their lawn.

“More than 20% of the 292 of the self-made American billionaires on the most recent list of the World’s Billionaires have either never started or never completed college. This is especially true of those destined for careers as technology entrepreneurs: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, and Theodore Waitt.”

Just like we said! College? Psh, who needs it? A B.A. isn’t even worth it’s weight anymore, everyone has one! Plus, the debt you end up being in is RIDICULOUS! Might as well just go on walfare, be a bum and live off the system (ie the Billionares).

“Billionaires who derive their fortunes from finance make up one of the most highly educated sub-groups: More than 55% of them have graduate degrees. Nearly 90% of those with M.B.A.s obtained their master’s degree from one of three Ivy League schools: Harvard, Columbia or U. Penn’s Wharton School of Business.”

Didn’t you just say that most Billionaires never started or completed college? We are confused, please be consistent.. This is important! We are education the masses here!

“Several billionaires suffered a bitter professional setback early in their careers that heightened their fear of failer.”

If your money making schemes fail and you get banned from Ebay, pick yourself up and try again!

“Several current and former billionaires rounded out their Yale careers as members of Skull and Bones, the secret society portrayed with enigmatic relish by Hollywood in movies like The Skulls and W. Among those who were inducted: investor Edward Lampert, Blackstone co-founder Steven Schwarzman, and FedEx founder Frederick Smith.”

That’s right, you heard it! Gangs are the way to making big money, no wonder police are trying to crack down.. Not everyone can be a Billionaire, of course! Forget the gang crackdown.. Join ‘dem gangs

To you becoming a Billionaire
Salute
Or shall I say
Absolutely
Makeaquick.com

READ MORE...




The Tate gets a much-needed facelift



It’s Dani from http://www.makeaquick.com here. Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with museums and art galleries. My favourite was the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The building was always very conservative, with a massive grand entrance and fantastic mosaic on the ceiling. It had, and still has a really cool massive Native American totem pole that stretched at least 4 floors.

For the last two years of my undergrad at the University of Toronto, I had the pleasure of witnessing an architectural feat that blew my mind on a daily basis; the new Crystal gallery extension to the Royal Ontario Museum. I got to watch the entire construction process while walking to class, on my lunch, or out library windows, from the massive steel frame, to the panels that enveloped the old, conservative design of the building.
The result of the new extension? An amazing juxtaposition between the conservative original building and the dynamic modern “Crystal” which looks as if it has landed and crashed the museum.

That being said, I was very surprised and excited to hear the Tate museum has just unveiled it’s new Egyptian-modern inspired extension. This is fantastic news considering the Tate is a massive concrete construction, and not in the flattering way. Check it out!

READ MORE...




Hottest new mobile radio for the Slacker



Do you like unlimited, free music? BUT are you download-conscious and feel that it’s unfair to download songs without fair compensation?

We have a wicked, new gadget for you. SLACKER is a new personal radio system for your computer or mobile device.

As far as I understand, Slacker has inked deals with all four major labels and indie labels / indie distributors to provide their users with a gigantic and almost limitless playlist of free music with album art and artist profiles. This means that you may not find that obscure new band your roommate was telling you about, but you will find something you haven’t heard before.

In addition, you can go through various songs and rate them by either marking them as your “Favourite” or by “Banning” them from your playlist. Slacker will then, based on your selections, provide you with more music that is similar to your favourites.

Slacker is totally free to use, with the exception of the purchase an optional radio player. However, if you have a computer with reliable internet or a Blackberry/ iphone, It’s not necessary. You can download the Slacker application from the web, directly to your phone. Viola! As long as you have internet, you have free mobile personal radio where you can find virtually anything you like and discover new music on the go.

Now that’s something NOT to feel guilty about! 
READ MORE...




The Joys “Unfold”: SXSW, the Mid-West and a peanut butter sandwich


 Hey everyone,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here, reporting a really cool band that are really stirring up the scene. The Joys have recently embarked on a tour to promote their new CD “Unfold”, which started in late February, consisting of an appearance on A Channel morning show in London, hitting SXSW among Canadian heavy-hitters, a gig at the legendary Cat Club in Los Angeles and forward on to the Midwest. Do they ever take time to breathe?Clearly not, the band has recently signed with Koch Entertainment to help promote the new album, a whole new facet to their team. What does the album sound like? The Joys signature classic rock sound, full of great classic riffs and the occasional ballad with vocals that will kick you in the teeth. A lot of the songs have that catchy, timeless structure that The Joys are so well known for. The difference between The Joys and most other bands out there? Their live show is absolutely phenomenal and I mean it is truly a rock ‘n’ roll performance that can rival some of the legendary bands in their genre. Lead singer Sara Smith is indefinitely dynamic, vocally and emotionally; with the ability to connect with everyone from your mom, the big dudes at the biker bar and the tween music lover.

With an endless list of accolades, among them a TIMA 2007 nomination for “Best Female-Fronted” , and extensive press coverage, it was inevitable that The Joys were to hit Gold record status with their single “Storm”. The experience has boosted them into the spot light and have made them push even harder to gain cross-national appeal.

On a stop in Los Angeles at Cat Club in West Hollywood, guitarist Mike McKyes took some time to answer a quick Q & A with us:

Q. The Joys were recently picked up by Koch Entertainment, how has the label helped? Has it become easier to manage the various components, Booking, Touring, Writing, Publishing, Management, etc?

A. Koch has a been a great door opener for us, and a great addition to our growing team. They have definitely made it easier by helping us with their expertise, efforts and contacts and put our album in stores nationwide.

Q. You were selected among some great company to represent Canada at SXSW, Bedouin Soundclash, Magneta Lane, Arkells etc. What was your experience like?

A. Aside from the fact that we were surrounded by thousands of people in downtown Austin and all the streets were closed off, I really felt like we treated it as another show… I mean, we were accepted to participate because of who we are just like all the other great acts that performed with us. I’m honoured that we got to experience SXSW, thank you!

Q. You released a brand new video for “Storm” off your latest album nationally in February, what have the responses been like?

A. Our fans love it, and it’s funny how perceptions change when it was released. I still wake up in the morning and brush my teeth the same way and people think that we’re famous now! I like it, because it makes me smile.

Q. The Joys have been touring since February, do you have any funny stories from the road?

A. Yes, Kevin made a homeless guy a peanut butter sandwich at a rest stop somewhere between El Paso and Hollywood yesterday. I don’t know why that’s funny… it just is to me.

Q.It doesn’t look like you guys are stopping anytime soon, especially with the release of your recent CD, what’s next? Will you be coming back to California anytime soon?

A. It’s a never ending process of playing live and promoting our music, and trying to balance that with writing new material, recording it and introducing it into our live musical repertoire. Oh ya, and finding some time to sleep in there.

Want to see how their tour is going? Check out their tour blog on http://www.thejoys.ca and keep up with the latest videos, reviews and pics from along the way!

Check out their new music video for their single, “Storm”:



READ MORE...




Luxury Cellphone To Be Released, www.makeaquick.com gets a sneak peak


 Hey everyone,
Its Dani from www.makeaquick.com again. So yesterday, I updated you all on some great, free cellphone applications for your Blackberry or iphone… well look at this,



The ultimate luxury cell phone.. Yes.. Throw away your Blackberrys and Iphones and check out the Ulysse Nardin, typically known for making watches. The phone has biometric fingerprint locking, wifi, email browser, 2.8 inch multitouch screen, 5 mega pixel camera and yes, it looks pimmmpp. Although this phone has a battery, it also harvests kinetic energy from a watch-like rotor on the back. The phone is on display at Baselworld and jewellery expos around the world, and it will be available for consumers soon!



Do you like creating home videos and uploading to Youtube? Well check out these absolutely tiny and extremely colourful Cisco Flip Pocket Camcorders. Obviously, you aren’t going to get pro quality but you will get high definition! The cost ranges from $130 - $230 dollars It will capture 60 minutes of video on board flash memory which can be transferred directly to a computer or you tube via a USB club. The software included allows you to edit videos in a pretty efficient manner.

We also hear that Cisco is investing in creating a new release of Flip Pocket Camcorder and will be adding 4G wireless connectivity and Wifi, no other camcorders have these features yet!

Speaking of Youtube, be sure to watch the tutorials on how www.makeaquick.com functions on www.youtube.com/makeaquick 
READ MORE...