text:
Sorry, but Elite isn't all that
- b
- buttermarblepopcorn May 30, 2010 06:16 PM
I went with my parents and grandma to Elite today for dim sum. I have to say, it wasn't mindblowing or spectacular. Yes, it was very very good, don't get me wrong. The only dish I actively disliked was the shao mai, because there was some really strong fishy flavor going on within the center of it, which isn't to my liking.
No, nothing was even close to bad -- but my point is, with the way everyone on Chowhound just raves about Elite, or at the very least kneejerk-lists Elite as the number one or two dim sum restaurant in the LA area (or top five, but you get what I'm talking about), I was really expecting like.. something *something* good! Like, amazing taste, flavors...
There was one mindblowing dish: the egg custard (dan ta). Wow. It was piping hot out of the oven, with a buttery, flakey crust that just collapsed upon touch and the most silken, delicate, nearly liquid hot custard in the center, this dish made me, my mom, and my grandma stop mid-chew and proclaim to the others how good it was.
But everything else, the chicken feet, the taro cake, the xia jao (har gow), and a few others, were just as good as most dim sum places we've been to. My parents and grandmother are all Chinese immigrants from Taiwan and my grandma lives in Monterey Park, just as a bit of background info for reference -- and yes, I'm pointing that out because my parents had been telling me they'd eaten at Elite once before and while it was good, it wasn't better than anything else they've eaten, and I just refused to believe them because of the multitudes of positive comments on Chowhound.
Now I've decided always to trust my parents when it comes to Chinese food in LA. Chowhound will still be my go-to for non-Chinese cuisine, but I've been disappointed by every Chinese-recommended place on this board. I'm not blaming anybody, and I do realize we should all remember these are just opinions being put forth here, so it's not like anybody's actually *wrong* about a single thing; I just realize now that my parents are better and more reliable sources for Chinese chow than anybody on this board. (Also, I'm biased because I love them.)
But anyway, with food quality being equal to that of other dim sums my family and I have been to, and considering the hour-long wait and the extremely high prices at Elite, I won't bother eating there again.
I just want to reiterate: this is not a negative review of Elite; it's a great dim sum restaurant but simply not worth the price. And if my parents saw me write that previous sentence, they'd say "that's exactly what we kept trying to tell you!"
P.S. Another observation is that dim sum cuisine is such that the range of quality generally isn't too great; I mean, you know, the difference between the "worst" and the "best" dim sum is pretty small, in my opinion. For one thing, it's kind of hard to seriously mess up most of the classic dishes, and conversely, I believe there is a ceiling to their deliciousness as well. Does this make sense? I feel that it's not difficult or rare to achieve extremely tasty, well-made dim sum, which is why so many dim sum places taste so equally good. And this is why I think Elite's "greatness" simply cannot be head and shoulders above the competition. Okay, I'll shut up now.
Elite Restaurant
700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754
Having tried just about every dim sum joint in SGV, I can say that Elite's offerings are not only appreciably better than most, but also qualitatively more inventive. (As an aside, I still prefer Sea Harbour as having the best dim sum in SGV, but that's another thread).
Is it worth the supposed price premium? That's really a personal thing. I mean, is it worth the extra $$ for a hamburger at Golden State (for example) versus what you can get at say In-N-Out? On some days, certainly. On others? Not so much.
re: ipsedixit
You know, I can't help consider another factor: the build-up and expectation within *me* after observing extremely positive Chowhound comment after comment over a period of several months. I can't un-taste today's meal, but I wonder what I would've thought about it if I had never read a single thing about Elite?
Granted, my parents never read Chowhound and had already eaten there once before, and when I mentioned Elite they just sort of shrugged it off as not bad but not special, either.
Maybe it's nature + nuture and I just like what my parents like. I'm not trying to backpedal from my original post (and there's really nothing to back away from anyway, since it was just my honest impression of my meal), but I do feel a mob of polite defenders of Elite hovering over my shoulder now, heh, and I'm just trying to understand out loud why my (and my parents') feelings are so radically different from you guys'.
re: mc michael
Gary Coleman, RIP.
We had dim sum at 888 yesterday. We walked in and were immediately seated for a table of three. I mean no sooner did I sit down, the carts descended upon our table. Literally, within two minutes, our table was maxxed out with all sorts of standard dim sum items. After having almost nothing but Elite and Sea Harbour (which I prefer) for the past few years, I was awestruck. I'd forgotten how efficient the cart system was. Full table of dim sum dishes, steamers, and bowls, tea for three, and we were off and running. Everything was good - I repeat good. I'll even give some of the items we had a very good. But the more delicate items showed their age - skins a bit dry and coming apart at the edges; some a bit flabby, etc. - but I found little to complain about otherwise. many of the items where whole shrimp were found in Elite and Sea Harbour had shrimp paste at 888. No big deal - they still tasted good, just no snap of fresh shrimp. And what's amazing is, we just by instinct averaged about $15 before tip. We ate more dishes - I estimate four more dishes - but we always average about $15 before tip at Elite an Sea Harbour for dim sum as well. 888 is probably one of the better if not best cart-driven dim sum places in SGV. Did it blow me away? I was sated but not impressed. We wanted quick and we got quick. The flavors were more than acceptable, but not as fresh as Elite, and definitely not up there with my experiences at Sea Harbour - the textures were definitely a couple of tiers below Elite and definitely below Sea Harbour.
Your parents I cannot disrespect. They are our elders and I respect their feelings and opinions. In my very humble opinion, what is perceived as taste, may be one or two factors to some, it may be a multitude factors to others. A 96-point Cabernet Sauvignon which we polished last night was superb to me, while passing the lips with no awe to our dear friend who prefers cabs, but might not be looking for some of things that I do when putting a bottle like this down. Those nuances that I picked up on, those qualities that I prefer, aren't usually all present in other examples. That's okay though. everyone has their preferences, thresholds, perceptions and standards. But I'd urge you to do as much of a side-by-side comparison between one of the better cart places versus Elite and give it another ponder.
re: bulavinaka
bulavinka, I am impressed! We have gorged ourselves senseless in parties of from three to ten at 888, and have never been able to go much over $10 per gullet; I think we hit $12 once, but that was because I insisted on one or two more things than usual off the expensive side.
I agree that many of their offerings show signs of economizing, but we've never had anything bad, which is one reason of several why 888 has remained our default dim sum destination. We are also addicted to cart service. It's like turkey on Thanksgiving: whether you really like it or not, it's hardwired into the program for most of us.
re: Will Owen
Hi Will,
I told my wife that once our table was full in the first two minutes of arrival, not to order anything else unless it was something she considered to be "special." As fate would have it, she seemed to consider just about everything coming afterwards on the carts to be special...?! Now that I think about it, we actually picked up about six more dishes than normal. The dessert cart came by and we picked up a gelatin dessert (translucent gold with bits of tiny flowers and goji berries) and a sesame custard which was really good.
888 is a great place to go when considering all of the factors. If friends insist on a cart place, it's tops on our list.
Elite is as good as it gets in Los Angeles, and therefore by definition, is also among the tops in the US. But if your standard is what you can get in Vancouver or Hong Kong, then you are absolutely right.
re: Chandavkl
I must've missed it, but was the OP really trying to compare Elite to dim sum in Vancouver (or heaven forbid) Hong Kong?
That would be sort of like comparing Chinese food in Phoenix to that of SGV ...
re: ipsedixit
Wow - Chinese food in Phoenix is that good? ;)
re: ipsedixit
Okay, I must meekly pipe up since ipsedixit has called this out; I was originally going to let slide Chandavkl's left-field defense/justification of my opinion because it was nice of him and also it would've made me seem less crazy.
But ipsedixit is right: I wasn't making any such comparison to Vancouver or HK. Maybe I threw Chandavkl off a bit with my slightly tangential remark about my parents' country of origin, which, to clarify, I was stating as a pre-emptive defensive move, lest anyone try to discredit their Elite's-just-okay tastebuds with a reason having to do with their not "knowing" their Chinese cuisine. Anyway...
re: buttermarblepopcorn
I ain't trying to call you out nor attack your opinions of Elite.
All I was trying to say in my original reply is that what people consider "good" or "great" is all a matter of personal taste -- esp. when you factor in price and the supposed "worth it" factor.
Also, now that I think about it, might I suggest another hypothesis (as flawed as it might be) as to why you and your parents were less than enthralled with Elite? Perhaps because your parents were from Taiwan and immigrated here to the States they were never part of the Hong Kong/Vancouver dim sum evolution where the pedestrian and traditional dim sum offerings were transformed into a form of Chinese haute cuisine.
For people who grew up eating Pizza Hut and Dominos, selling them on a pie from Mozza for $20 would not only seem foolish, but distasteful in more ways than one.
Just a thought.
re: ipsedixit
ipse, I know you were neither calling me out nor attacking me. I never took it that way. I was trying to exhibit sheepishness and not defensiveness over the funny and sweet "excuse" chandave was offering up.
But... now you're comparing my parents to Pizza Hut and Dominos? Don't worry, I'm not mad in the least, just deeply amused. I do think it's a worthy analogy in theory, but I don't believe it applies. (Actually, I don't think it's a fair analogy because you're sort of equating Pizza Hut/Dominos with Taiwanese cuisine and Mozza with HK cuisine, but that's not too important at the moment.) For one thing, they've eaten a lot of authentic Chinese food of many regions and have been to the mainland and HK. And they've had plenty of dim sum right here in the SGV so it's not like Elite was, like, just the tenth dim sum restaurant they've ever tried.
So yes, everyone's got a different idea of what's tasty, and yes, some people used to a certain style of bastardized food may not ever appreciate the authentic version, but I believe my parents have an extensive enough range of Chinese food experiences to overcome the limits of just "liking what you know." I think they know what they like, but they can also appreciate good flavors that hit their tastebuds.
P.S. Oh, and even though they were raised in Taiwan, my parents were actually born in China -- my dad's parents are from Beijing and Shanghai, and my mom's from Fuzhou -- and Taiwanese is *not* actually their favorite Chinese cuisine.
re: buttermarblepopcorn
This is a fascinating thread. It might be helpful as a point of reference to know what restaurants (dim sum or otherwise) your parents like best. Or do they think that nothing in SoCal is better than just okay? I have a friend from Hong Kong who subscribes to that opinion, so this is an understandable answer.
As an aside, I love Sea Harbour and Elite, but I believe the best dim sum I've ever had in the US was at Crystal Garden in Flushing in the late 1980's. It's possible that, were I to have it today, it wouldn't stand the test of time, but I'm pretty sure I've never had char siu bao or shiu mai nearly as good as theirs, even in Hong Kong.
re: Peripatetic
Hmm, very good question (and kind of obvious that I should've thought of it myself). I'll ask them! And depending on how they reply, I may or may not report back hehehehe...
re: buttermarblepopcorn
Was it Sea Harbour that they liked?
re: Peripatetic
memories of traveling can often overshine facts and realty. I often have great recollections of Hong Kong food having lived there for a few months while studying.
Although I admit most things were not incredible I remember them as being great, especially the dim sum. In general as long as you went to a nice and busy dim sum restaurant you couldn't go wrong.
re: Johnny L
I lived in NYC at the time, so it wasn't that. On the other hand, I've had a lot of dim sum since then so it's hard to know whether I'd still be as impressed. But at the time, nothing in NYC came close. Not 20 Mott, East Lake, 888 Palace, Golden Unicorn, etc.
re: buttermarblepopcorn
Actually, Mrs. Chandavkl agrees with you 100 percent on Elite. In her case, she has a single standard and gives no slack for location, be it Vancouver, San Francisco or Phoenix (the latter which does have some pretty good Chinese food).
re: Chandavkl
Thank god I'm not alone! I stand firmly behind my opinion but it's always nice not to feel like a COMPLETE freak.
I too understand what you are saying. I've read so many high reviews of Elite and for me personally, cannot understand what makes them so much better than most places in SGV. For me, I haven't come across any which were considered "inferior" in the many years I've had dim sum all over LA. I keep saying that taste is purely subjective. My tastes may differ from many others and vice versa. As a matter of fact, I was at Ocean Star last week and thought that experience was one of the best I've had in a long time. Before that, I was at NBC which I thought was just OK but nothing fantastic (like many people rave about) even though I believe they bought out Ocean Star or have a connection with them? I do also like Top Island which many people consider mediocre. So all I say is to each their own. I'm a happy person eating any dim sum.
re: Clinton
>> I'm a happy person eating any dim sum.<<
Me too - just happier at Elite, then happiest at Sea Harbour! :)
re: bulavinaka
Ah yeah...if you're happy, then I'm happy! Let's eat...
re: bulavinaka
bulavinaka -- We went to Sea Harbour this morning for dim sum. I was happy...
but I am always happier and happiest at Elite. :)))
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
re: bulavinaka
Yes! I thought their vegetable-shrimp steamed dumplings (with cilantro, I think) were really delicious...a flavor I really like!
But I prefer Elite's sticky rice.
Service at Sea Harbour was quite attentive and friendly.
re: ipsedixit
Oh! That sounds wonderful...now we will HAVE to go back!
ipsedixit -- Is it a special, or do they always have it?
We did have their yellow almond sponge cake which was quite good!
re: ipsedixit
Thank you for this information.
I will be sure to ask for it during our next visit!
We arrived this past Saturday morning about 10:50am and were surprised to walk right to our table. There were several empty tables during our stay.
Hi buttermarblepopcorn,
Thank you for your honest, heartfelt post. :) I think ipsedixit, bulavinaka and others have brought up some good points, and ultimately only you alone can attest to what "tastes good" or is "worth it" for you on a personal level. (^_~)
I would say you are blessed to have never had truly *bad* Dim Sum. I have experienced this nightmare too many times to count. One example:
* Some "Chinese" Restaurant my friend took me to in Santa Ana 4 years ago (I have since erased the name from my memory (no joke) :) - This was home of THE worst Dim Sum I've ever had. Imagine:
*** Hsia Ren Chang Fen (Steamed Rice Noodle with Shrimp) - The Rice Noodles had all stuck together, were dryish and sort of like dried-out Elmer's Glue. It was *disgusting* (and I don't use that term lightly :(.
*** Hsia Jiao (Har Gow) (Shrimp Dumplings) - Really fishy and briny and pungent, and the wrapping was HARD (dried out). :(
Basically everything we had there was around that level of failed execution.
I've also had some pretty mediocre Dim Sum at a few other places that I don't want to name right now. Trust me when I say there are some really bad Dim Sum restaurants in Southern California. :(
Note I'm not defending Elite. I've actually had some great, some average, some hiccups, but mostly good-to-very-good dishes there. I, like ipse and bulavinaka, prefer Sea Harbour. ;)
But I just wanted to say after having suffered what I never knew Dim Sum could sink to, I'm appreciative of places like Elite and especially Sea Harbour. :)
One last note (something ipse brought up): I think price is definitely a factor for many people. For some, the pursuit of greatness will cause them to overlook almost any markup. For others, value is the biggest factor.
I know people who are perfectly happy eating a steak at Outback Steakhouse and they shake their head when they hear about Wolfgang Puck's CUT and paying ~$135 for a Steak.
I agree that prices at Elite can fluctuate depending on what you order: I've been able to get out of there averaging ~$15 per person (total), but it can also go higher (my last visit, we ended up averaging ~$23 per person).
At Sea Harbour, we usually average ~$13 - $19 per person total. As an FYI, when I used to go to the old NBC or Ocean Star, we'd average ~$12 - $16 per person (and that was years ago).
Overall, I'm not disagreeing with you, just rambling. :)
re: exilekiss
Hi Exilekiss,
Thanks for your kind and thoughtful response. I just wanted to address the price issue -- yeah, my parents and I did recognize Elite was more expensive than most dim sums, but for me, at least, it was not a determining factor in my final "judgment." What I mean is, my overall impression is that Elite's food is just as good as many other great dim sum restaurants, price be damned.
So, then, why is it so expensive? (That's rhetorical; we totally understand why it costs more and don't feel it's outrageous or inexplicable.) On a similar note, they felt Elite was kind of like Din Tai Fung -- overrated/overhyped and needlessly expensive. I know I'm just opening a whole new can of worms with that admission!
Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
re: buttermarblepopcorn
Hi buttermarblepopcorn,
Wakarimashita. :)
Re: Din Tai Fung - No not at all. One of my SGV Hounds' parents refuse to eat at Din Tai Fung after going once. They were "outraged" by the prices and had a similar reaction your parents had to Elite: That the markup in price was not worth the quality they received (i.e., they felt they could enjoy similar quality XLBs and various Dumplings at cheaper prices around town, without having to fight crowds and wait for ~30 min - 1 hour for a table).
re: buttermarblepopcorn
DTF is just plain overrated. XLBs there are truly not good IMO.
re: Sgee
DTF does a really good job (and I mean really good job) of marketing their supposed uber-deliciousness, which for some reason tends to really appeal to American diners.
That's the key to DTF's success. They don't make XLB that much appreciably better than many of the other places in SGV (heck, I would even say some of the Taiwanese tea houses have better XLB). But because they are able to create this faux sense of superiority in their products, DTF can charge a premium and create hordes of crowds on the weekends.
It's marketing acumen, not cooking acumen that's behind DTF's immense success -- and sometimes that's all a restaurant needs.
re: ipsedixit
Absolutely, absolutely -- you took the words straight out of my parents' mouths on DTF, ipse.
re: buttermarblepopcorn
Maybe the same rationale applies to Elite ... and we've all been duped (except you and your family, of course!)
re: ipsedixit
Obviously I can't say (since I'm not omniscient nor objective), but I know my parents sure would agree with that, heheh. They kept pointing out how so many of the customers were young people or "Americans" (Chinese immigrant parent code for "non-Chinese"), which, most of you can probably infer, lessens a Chinese restaurant's legitimacy to them, heheh.
P.S. (I gotta stop doing this) They kept saying "those are probably all your Chowhound friends, right?" I think they were mocking me, now that I'm reflecting upon that moment.
P.P.S. They didn't diss Elite, though, the way they still diss DTF whenever DTF comes up in conversation. They readily agreed Elite was quite good. But they'll never come close to saying that about DTF; exilekiss and sgee's previous comments (and yours, ipse) on DTF definitely echo my parents' actively negative sentiments.
re: buttermarblepopcorn
DTF is for Americans and ABC's ... :-)
re: ipsedixit
Since this thread's already been bumped... I'm always wary of admitting I like DTF (I'm nearly an ABC, having moved from Taiwan to the States when I was barely 7). I kinda feel like DTF's the Starbucks of XLB, a place to get a consistent product that isn't the best but also isn't the worst, but I've definitely wanted to branch out, and in fact searching for other XLB places was one of the first things I did on CH a long while ago (before I became a poster), so thank you all for the recs over the years.
(My dad, who fits the frugal older generation Chinese archetype (or stereotype), also prefers DTF XLB, despite the prices, to others that he's had in other places (a few in SGV, but also in Boston, Taiwan, Montreal, HK, mainland, etc). I don't think considered himself a "foodie" (no negative connotations), but hey, it's personal taste and he's not trying to claim it's the best, just what he likes the best.)
re: PeterCC
I wouldn't be too wary about liking DTF. Ipse was much more anti-DTF back in the day. I've even seen him recommend it a few times recently. ;)
It's a more stylized form of XLB. I do find myself liking J&J's and Shanghai No 1 Seafood Village's version more these days.
I sure do miss that chicken soup though and their shrimp fried rice with pork chop...
re: Porthos
I need to do a XLB crawl sometime. I couldn't make it to either Dean Sin or Mama Lu's during my June SGV crawl. I'll add the two you mentioned to my list. :-) Thanks.
I thought ipsedixit was a she?
re: PeterCC
J&J for the crab roe version.
Shanghai No. 1 for the regular XLB. But you have to try the pan fried buns.
XLB crawl sounds perfect for this Labor Day weekend ;)
re: Porthos
I am still very anti-DTF XLB.
But like you, I do dig their chicken soup. Only thing worth getting on the menu.
re: ipsedixit
I still like the XLB @ DTF, but the prices make me hurt a little bit on the inside (when compared to say, DSW)
re: ipsedixit
I like DTF for their non-dumpling stuff. The pork chop, fried rice, and cold "appetizer" I think are much better than their dumpling offerings
I agree with you whole heartedly. It's quite oily - good not great. Sea Harbour is better.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Terrific thread. Yes, everyone's taste differs and thank goodness really. For example, Exile Kiss recently wrote a so-so review of JTYH saying the skins were generally too thick, whereas those thick skins are what keeps bringing me back to the restaurant.
For dim sum I'm with some others here who rate Sea Harbour slightly above Elite and Lunasia. But I've had some terrific (and not so terrific) meals at each. But each shines a little differently too IMO. I love the rice noodle dishes at Lunasia, the braised dishes at Sea Harbour. Elite's egg custard is hands-down the best I think. So, really no matter where you go, you'll find something to order 3 of the next time :)
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Elite is one of the better restaurants by LA/US standards; but can't compare to what you find in HK.
When I go for dim sum locally it's usually Sea Harbor or Elite. For a period after returning from HK, I had absolutely no interest in either until my cravings got the better of me several monthly later.. my experience in HK was that good.
re: Chandavkl
"Walking into random places there merely gets you Monterey Park quality food."
That might be one of the best lines for the entire month of May ...
re: Chandavkl
did you try Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok? so fresh and incredibly tasty, plus had 9 plates for a total of $15. pretty unbelievable and a different class altogether. elite though is really good for its class, and much better than dim sum in the bay area, in my opinion.
With all due respect to your parents, I don't think they are the best gauge for good vs. best dim sum. Asian parents tend to be very frugal and value-minded. Especially the Asians of the previous generation(s) who didn't have as much money as we do now (relatively speaking). Sorry, don't mean to play the race card. Maybe all immigrant parents are this way. The point is that they may not care if Elite is better or not, it's simply not worth the extra money Elite charges.
But, to say that Elite is not much better than any other dim sum place, or that the margin between best and worst dim sum is very narrow, is just . . . wrong. Try venturing out to any dim sum place in OC and you will cry yourself to sleep before noon. And they won't be tears of joy either.
re: Tkn
No, no, you're not playing the race card at all and my parents and I would wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that Chinese immigrant parents are very frugal. I mean I like to joke with my close Jewish friends that what we have in common is we're both cheap and we delight in playing pissing games to see who can be cheaper.
But that was my defense of Elite (and Chowhounders who praised Elite so much) to my parents, when they brought up the high prices. I just thought they were being cheap Chinese and they really need to look at Chinese food a different way and accept that high quality begets higher prices...before I went yesterday and tasted it myself and, in my admittedly more relatively limited experience of dim sum, agreed with their original take.
It's not about the price tag, it's about the wow factor, which is what I'm assuming many Chowies perceive time and again from dining at Elite -- the wow factor that was missing from my meal there. I'll reiterate the one exception, which was the egg custard, which upon nanoseconds of entering my mouth and the mouths of my mom and grandma (my dad tends to be laconic) was immediately proclaimed to be godly and ungodly good. That is what I'd expected but didn't get from the other dishes. That super-extra wowness that people talk about. They were all delicious and well-made, but not earth-shaking.
So it was only after this taste assessment that the higher prices seem unjustified. Well, at least unjustified for future visits, that is. I kept thinking afterward, the higher-than-usual prices would not be an issue if the food was proportionally more fantastic than usual.
P.S. (I keep adding these because I realize I'd forgotten something, so I come back to edit) Yeah, I've never had dim sum in Orange County and I suspect neither have my parents (though I can't say for sure, because it's not like I live with them and keep tabs on every place they eat on the weekends). So what I claim to be "usual" dim sum for me and my parents -- the quality of the pool of dim sum restaurants from which to draw comparisons to Elite may in fact be above-average to begin with. I mean, my parents know a lot about places to eat from word of mouth among the Chinese immigrant community -- it's like their version of Chowhound heh -- so they've probably managed to avoid going to the worst places and tend to focus on going to the best ones. And they do trash talk most of what they experience, but that's part of being Chinese parents, who trash talk EVERYTHING IN LIFE. But even within that trash talk, there is still a clear hierarchy of good versus bad (or pretty good versus never again), since everything is relative.
re: buttermarblepopcorn
>>No, no, you're not playing the race card at all and my parents and I would wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that Chinese immigrant parents are very frugal. I mean I like to joke with my close Jewish friends that what we have in common is we're both cheap and we delight in playing pissing games to see who can be cheaper.<<
If my mom was included in the pissing match, she'd give your parents and everyone else a run for their pennies She's probably from the same generation, or at least went through similar times back in the old country (Japan WWII for her), and scrounging, skimping and scraping every little tidbit in order to hedge for uncertain days ahead is her excuse (her family was doing well during the war though - I think she's just naturally cheap!). She's the type who when she heads into Trader Joe's, she not only grabs enough free samples to make a meal, she also grabs paper plates, utensils, napkins and paper cups "to go." So. Frickin'. Embarrassing. And don't even let her into Costco...
I think Elite gets high points from many Hounds for style. They offer some whimsical dishes that no one else has - that to me is their forté. They do excel in some of the standards as well. The quality is still better to me than most, but again, I'm in the camp that believes that Sea Harbour is the king when it comes to quality.
re: Tkn
Things have changed a lot the last two decades. The denizens of major Asian cities are no longer as frugal as they are often portrayed; in fact in cities like HK, Singapore, Shanghai restaurants are pushing the envelope on the high end dining experience. Tokyo is just on a whole different playing field in my book... Many of my friends when they visit, (outside of NYC) tend to regard US cities as being a bit backwards these days...
Sadly in SGV; restaurants seem to be competing for who can offer the cheapest compromised dining experience, talk about lack of progress...
re: Sgee
>>Sadly in SGV; restaurants seem to be be competing on who can offer the cheapest compromised dining experience, talk about lack of progress...<<
I agree. Not that I don't appreciate the more-than reasonable eats around SGV, but it seems that for the most part, the area is littered with places in serious competition with others to offer the cheapest eats, a small number of mid-priced eats, and a small handful of nice higher-end options, those of which can be pushing up toward Urasawa if one wants to be a big-baller.
With so many immigrants who fit the profile of the OP's parents as well as my mom, the price-point issue is deeply imbedded in their psyches. There's no doubt that there are many prosperous ones from the old country as well, but even they can be very frugal and only lay out the big bucks when they want to confirm a little bit of respect. But as the old guard has done well in raising children who have become multitudes wealthier than them, those ABCs will and are demanding something more than buy-two, get-one-free deals. They want more mid- and upper level eats. I think it's not much of a stretch to predict that a shift toward quality and more diversity will come.
re: bulavinaka
Agree, love the affordability of dining options in SGV, but has generally not been accompanied by quality irregardless of price point.
The shift seems to be happening in what they drive, maseratis, ferraris, porsches, bentleys... but sadly has not made a meaningful dent in the food scene. Hopefully the increased wealth will eventually translate to more disriminating diners.
re: lapizzamaven
I tried asking my mom today what her favorite dim sum is in SGV and it *might* be Sea Harbour, but I'm not sure because she doesn't know the English name and the Chinese name seems like it might translate to Sea Harbour.
My dad was busy helping me transplant my heirloom tomatoes, so I didn't even think to ask him while he was covered in sweat and compost. I'll try again later...
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
re: buttermarblepopcorn
Was it "海港"? Or "海港大酒樓"?
re: ipsedixit
hee hee, let me copy/paste and email to my parents...thanks
i'm glad to know that the egg custard still knocked all of your socks off. Your reactions are very similar to what my reaction was the first time i had it there. It's really amazing.
I would love it if they had carts instead of the menu... it's so much easier to try new things that way.
Also, i tried Sea Harbour for the first time about a month ago. Very good. Also, I liked the vibe of the room. It's a lot more festive and relaxed feeling than Elite.
But for some reason we just weren't in a dessert mood that day so i can't compare the egg custard.
[A bit of a tangent to the original post: might anyone be able to identify something we saw at SH on a mainly-sweets cart? It was a large and unwieldy-looking fried thing, kind of like a funnel cake that received so many steroids that it got mad and tried to jump out of itself. Do you know what I am talking about?
Heh. We asked the woman [wo-]manning the cart, and though she was clearly thinking hard about how best to explain it to us, the only thing she could come up with was, "Meat."
For the rest of the meal we would both intermittently wonder aloud what kind of meat could be fried in the shape of the ball on a medieval flail. Anyone? :) ]
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
re: hpsquared
Deep fried durian rolls, maybe?
re: ipsedixit
I don't think so, if only because it was such a large thing. Not small at all.
re: hpsquared
Pork floss?
re: hpsquared
@Hpsquared: Did it look like a ridiculously gigantic deep fried wonton skin? Like about ten inches long and five inches wide, twisty and pock-marked (from being deep-fried) and glistening all over with clear syrup?
(God, that sounds kinda dirty...)
re: buttermarblepopcorn
it didn't seem to be glistening. nor did it remind me of a wonton skin. but it was twisty. i wish i'd taken a pic, but i only had my iphone with me and figured it wouldn't really come out.
re: hpsquared
I think what buttermarblepopcorn is asking is whether you saw "egg shatters" or not, aka "daan saan". or 蛋散
here's an example:
Elite restaurant your'e too kind about Elite I won't go back,too salty and overrated
especially by the cilque on chowhound. Seafood Harbour is as good as it gets for me.I'm
told they are part of an international group of restaurants based in China with branches
all over including Vancouver.
Elite Restaurant
700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754
re: smiling ed
Yes, Sea Harbour is one of the better Chinese restaurants in the Vancouver area, which is saying a lot. They also have a branch in Las Vegas inside Caesar's Palace which surprisingly has received the Chowhound thumbs down. Wish more Vancouver places would open up south of the border.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Las Vegas Bar
2343 S Bristol St, Santa Ana, CA 92704
We went to elite for brunch/lunch today because I was craving dim sum and wanted to try Elite. There were 5 adults and 3 kids (2 were mine who both love dim sum offerings).
We arrived around 1pm and were seated immediately in the back room. Right off the bat I asked for water and chilli sauce because I recalled a couple people saying they had trouble getting the waitstaff to bring them things. We ordered a number of things to try: siu mai, shrimp har gow, steamed char sui bao, potstickers, chicken wings with a sweet soy sauce glaze, japanese tofu, fried shrimp balls, sesame balls, steamed turnip cake, pork egg rolls, baked pork buns, chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, snow buns and Singapore vermicelli (mainly for my daughter who is not a big meat eater). Some of the things were ordered off the menu and others were taken from the trays the staff brought to offer.
We all loved the siu mai. It's the best siu mai I've had in the LA area, and a close second my favorite dim sum place in Singapore. The baked pork buns were so tender, and the har gow were full of large chunks of shrimp. The broccoli was good, as it is at most places. We liked the turnip cake, but I do prefer it fried instead of steamed. Still enjoyable though. The snow buns were very good -- something different. The pork egg rolls and potstickers were quickly gobbled up by the kids and we had to order more of the potstickers so we could try them too. The vermicelli was good, with sliced pork and huge shrimp and was a fairly large portion. My SIL said the chicken wings were very good (I don't care for wings so I didn't try them). The japanese tofu was very good, and would have been a great simple lunch with a bowl of rice.
Overall we were very pleased with the food and service. The waitstaff was very attentive and we had our water refilled and empty plates cleared without having to ask for it to be done. Total bill for all this food was just $90 and we had plenty of unfinished food to take home. We would definitely come back again for another great dim sum meal.
re: boogiebaby
Hey, I was there today too! I'm sorry, but in LA, Elite is "all that". I've had Dim Sum in HK, SF, Vancouver, Singapore and Denver. There are many good Dim Sum spots in LA (less than there used to be). But, to me, Elite takes it a step further. I also like Sea Harbour, but Elite is easier to deal with. They are both good.
Don't even get me started about what my parents like to eat. I"m Mexican and my grandmother likes to eat at El Torito. The rest of the family likes to eat at the Claim Jumper. I totally understand the price thing with an older generation. When we go to Vietnam, my wife's family used to think we were crazy for eating at a place that does the same thing Elite does for Dim Sum (the place is an Anthony Bourdain favorite). Once we started taking them there, changed their mind.
Places like Ocean Star or Empress Pavilion are still good 'cause I love Dim Sum, but as they used to say "How are they going to keep them down on the farm once they've seen Paris?". Same reason when we eat Korean BBQ, we avoid the AYCE places and go to Park's.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Empress Pavilion Restaurant
988 N Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
re: choctastic
Been wondering about 261 since they reopened. Thank you for your assessment.
Going to have to agree with buttermarblepopcorn here. I know it's a late post, but as a person who never liked dim sum until I went to San Francisco, I came to Chow to look for a good dim sum place. I'm from San Diego, where there is no good dim sum, so you can understand why I never liked it. I didn't know the dim sum in San Diego was subpar, I just knew I never liked it. After having it at YS I was like, ok, dim sum can actually be good!
So, with my girlfriend working in Burbank for a year, I came here at her request. Elite it was. All rave reviews. We braved the line on a super busy Saturday. This was a few months ago so I'm not 100% sure what we ordered, but all the usual suspects (I must have chicken feet, that's the one thing I've enjoyed through the years), hargow, shumai, etc. Nothing tasted bad, but the whole experience is mediocre. WE both agreed it wasn't "elite" so to speak.
Maybe we had a bad day. But when half, yes half the dishes come out cold, you get kind of turned off. Who wants to bite into a cold dim sum plate? Not I. I'm no dim sum expert at all, so please, take my anecdotal experience with a grain of salt (or maybe fish eggs), but it didn't match up to Yank sing in SF and Yes, I know some don't even consider YS that great but it's usually up there in conversations of the best in SF (Koi Palace being another).
We don't care about costs, so value wasn't even in the computation, as a matter of fact dont' even remember what we paid.
re: deeznuts
Wow, I'd never put YS in the same category as Elite. I was astonished at how pedestrian YS was in view of the effusive praise it gets. I'm sorry to hear that half of your orders at Elite came out cold, though. I actually avoid Elite and Sea Harbour on the weekends, though, so maybe it's a totally different experience.
re: Peripatetic
I am so sorry to read of your less than superb experience at Elite, deeznuts.
We enjoy dim sum at Elite almost every Saturday and everything is served very fresh and very hot. Often, we have to wait for the dish to cool before we can try it. Peripatetic, I hope you will give Elite a try on a Saturday morning.
I loved Yank Sing in San Francisco; I think it is a more refined experience than Elite, as I remember. For that reason, I find it difficult to compare the two. For dim sum, I like them both!
re: liu
"I loved Yank Sing in San Francisco; I think it is a more refined experience than Elite, as I remember."
Really? You find Yank Sing "more refined" than Elite? I actually find the opposite to be true.
I suppose Yank Sing is more fancy, but the food leaves much to be desired. It's sort of on par with, say, Mr. Chow meets Ocean Star.
And, c'mon, how annoying is it for Yank Sing to refer to dim sum as "deem sum"?? Do they also call it "freed rice"?
re: ipsedixit
Hi, ipsedixit!
It might have been that we were "on vacation" in San Francisco; I remember a very leisurely dim sum experience at Yank Sing. The tea service was quite nice and the space is very pretty, open and relaxed. But do remember that we were "vacationing," so we were able to sit and sip and enjoy our dumplings for a couple of hours! Yes, I did enjoy Yank Sing.
In contrast, we run into Elite where the service is extremely "efficient" and usually we are done in less than an hour...and on to our Saturday errands! I love Elite, too!
I wish to add a note here for those who have not been to dim sum at Elite. If you wish to sit and enjoy a more leisurely meal, then you can feel comfortable here doing that. We have never been rushed out. No matter how long we wish to linger, we are always made to feel welcome. They graciously continue to fill our tea cups, long after we have finished our food.
re: ipsedixit
Do you feel the same way about Dean Sin?
Mr Taster
(who is preparing for a meal at either Elite or Sea Harbour as he writes this)
re: Mr Taster
Are you asking for a comparison between DSW and Yank Sing? They are not the same, almost impossible to compare.
re: ipsedixit
Only referring to the creative ways in which each restaurant calls dim sum.
Mr Taster
re: Peripatetic
Funny that's exactly how I feel about YS. Different strokes. On the SF board you'll read all day about 1/2 thinking Koi Palace is all that and YS is overpriced and overhyped, and then vice versa.
It was very busy at Elite when we went, waited about an hour so we were VERY surprised the dishes came out cold. Not cold as in refridgerator cold, but cold as in lukewarm. You know when the first piece you ate is probably acceptable but you know darn well when you get to the last piece it will be too cold. It was Saturday around noon maybe a little earlier. It was a few months ago.
My lady is craving some dim sum again, so we may give Sea Harbour a try just to compare. The DEEM SUM is pretty funny. However, you cannot analogize with fried rice. Fried rice being strictly an English term. Dim sum is the anglicization of a Chinese term. I've seen dim sam as well right? It's why my buddy's last name is Tam, while his cousin's last name is Tom, even though they have the same last name. Just landed in a different line at customs in SF many years ago and therefore have two different names lol
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Koi Restaurant
730 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069
re: deeznuts
do not be afraid to send back dishes if it comes out lukewarm.
that sucks that your dishes came out lukewarm, however, in my 6 or 7 trips out to elite on sat and/or sun, i've not had a single dish come out short of piping hot.
we had to send back the steamed turnip cake dish due to it being under done on one ocassion, however, that is the extent of any boo boo i've experienced at elite.
re: wilafur
Oh trust me, it went back :) I'm the passive type, my lady is deceivingly ultra sweet until something needs to get done. Then she turns into dragon lady. So yes, all dishes that were cold went back after we asked nicely, and they obliged immediately.
re: deeznuts
Did you post about your YS meal?
re: Servorg
Post about it where, on the SF board? No not really, why>?
re: deeznuts
Interested in what you might have said about it at the time. Sometimes our memories play tricks on us and it's interesting to see the difference between the immediate recall right after you ate at YS, and what you feel/felt later after eating at Elite. Also it's interesting that, despite your clearly liking YS more than Elite you didn't write up your visit to YS.
re: Servorg
I think the reason why Deeznuts didn't write up his YS experience was that he is not a regular on the SF Bay Area board and would likely prefer to write on his home board, now San Diego. It's really that simple. I regularly read the SD board and am impressed by his postings, just as much as I am impressed by your Servorg postings on the LA board.
I also agree very much with your idea that immediate recall is particularly important for dim sum, since it is really a moving target. In San Francisco, where I spend some time regularly, the continual shift of talent at dim sum establishments clearly works against establishing regular levels of quality. I think that this may not be such a problem in the SGV area.
In any case, the postings of both of you are notable for their great information and good observational qualities. Keep on keepin' on.
The Tripel drinker...
re: Tripeler
"I think the reason why Deeznuts didn't write up his YS experience was that he is not a regular on the SF Bay Area board and would likely prefer to write on his home board, now San Diego."
Unfortunate, if true. I find outsiders reviews even more interesting (and valuable in some ways) than reading those of the local reviewers.
re: Servorg
I do agree, and would encourage Deeznuts to post on the SF Bay Area Board about his dim sum experiences at YS. Some posters like Chandavakl manage to get all over California (and beyond) with some pretty insightful observations. However, many people seem to prefer to stay in their neighborhood, so to speak.
re: Servorg
Ok I see your reasoning for the request. Part of the reason I didn't post my thoughts on YS is really, I dont' find myself chowhound worthy about dim sum. I mean, seriously, YS was the first time I left a dim sum meal thinking, wow, that was good! I mean, I guess that is quite significant in and of itself, but I just felt it probably wasn't truly worth the mention, sort of like who wants to hear this guy's opinion, it's the first time he ever had decent dim sum!
I will note that I've been back to YS 4 times (me and my lady always end up back in Nor Cal for some reason, and we always make it a point to visit). Also note, I didn't write up my elite visit either, but only because I found this thread that echoe'd my thoughts about elite. The reason I found this thread was I was actually looking for an alternative to Elite to eat this weekend, saw it, and just threw in my two cents.
I'll note that YS was recommended by my friend who stayed extensively and ate extensively in HK, and she felt it was the best she's had in California. Of course, we can all find someone who has stayed in HK/VC and prefers X over Y.
And finally, me and my girlfriend visited Sea Harbour this morning and it was pretty much ... awesome. Every single dish we ordered was hot, fresh, cooked perfectly and thoroughly enjoyed. If Elite is as good as or comparable to Sea Harbour, I am 100% sure we just had bad luck that day. With so many people raving about it, I'm sure it's good, it's just that, impressions are just that, and with a great one at Sea Harbour and a so so one at Elite, SH may be our go to spot for now. We dont' eat dim sum up here enough to "experiment."
I want to add that Elite wasn't bad by any means. As pointed out earlier, great to decent dim sum isn't that far of a drop off. And it was good, just with the bad luck it got knocked down a bit. Did not have that experience today at sea harbor, and the rave reviews for that place definitely was well deserved.
Thanks for the kind words Tripeler!
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
re: deeznuts
Hi deeznuts,
I'm glad to hear you had a great time at Sea Harbour. :) It's been my favorite Dim Sum locally for a while now for many of the reasons you mention.
re: exilekiss
It really was good. Much deserved praised for sure. The sugarcane shrimp balls were our first dish and wow, perfectly cooked, not greasy even when we let it get cold. And my gf loved the egg custard and especially the fluffy cake dish (don't know what it's called it's really tall).
Now I need to find the best peking duck and XLB in LA ....
re: deeznuts
Try Duck House on Atlantic Blvd in Monterey Park for duck. Xlb can be far more contentious, but J&J in San Gabriel is great, Mei Long Village in the same shopping center can be great when they are on, and Din Tai Fung is xlb 101 in a good kinda way, but IMHO lacks the soul of the previous two places mentioned.
I know Elite has a huge following. I consider them very good - they score high points in the "whimsical" category. Elite has a knack for creating some fun and innovative dim sum items that put them into another category unto themselves. And when Elite is firing on all cylinders, they're very enjoyable. I have to say that my last visit to Elite on Mother's Day was so-so. Some of the dishes seemed to have been prepared ahead of time, which was a shocker to me for a place with kind of reputation. I can rationalize this since they did open extra early for the Mother's Day crowd.
But as far as execution, you'll see in my previous posts on this thread that while I really like Elite, I am also in the school that feels Sea Harbour is the master of dim sum around these parts. There's just something really crisp and clean about the dining room, the professionalism of the maitré d and staff, and the food just clicks with me and all else who we have taken there.
re: bulavinaka
Thanks for the recs. I'll definitely check them out. Been craving both for a while now.
As a recent discoverer of dim sum(cant believe i never had it before 2 years ago) i first must ask that my comments be taken w/ a grain of salt...Gold Mountain in SF's Chinatown was my first experience 2 years ago. I went with a veteran dimmer summer who'd eaten in HK, Shanghai, LA,NY and we both concluded that the dishes were superb in this large Broadway restaurant that is as regularly mocked on the SF board as LA Chnatown is poo pooed here. The shrimp har gow were plump,juicy and delicious as were the shu mai, veggies, sticky rice etc...We also "dimmed" at Empress Pavillion here in LA with similarly excellent results. We made it to Elite a couple of months ago and again, were quite delighted but the dishes did not remotely seem any better than the more traditional Chinatown meals we had. I took another friend to Sea Harbour a couple of weeks ago and, though the har gow were luke warm, generally, it was an excellent meal. The service,on a weekday morning,around 11am was excellent. When i was having some difficulty explaining to a non English speaking waitress that i wanted chili sauce, a waiter came by and helped out. I have to thank exilekiss for informing me prior to the visit that they had a fried squid dish. It was very good but not as fresh and crispy tasting as my fave up in SF(Yuet Lee). the happy surprise for me was the rice noodles w/green beans. I luv rice noodles(chow fun) but id never seen it prepared in the tube style that it came in at Sea Harbour. Im salivating as i remember it right now. I honestly must admit that i couldnt really separate any of these dim sum emporiums in terms of quality. Maybe Ive been lucky but they were all great. By the way, does Elite also serve fried squid and similar rice noodles and are these dishes available during regular dinner hours? thanks CHers!
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Our most recent visit to Elite last weekend was not "all that" as said by the original poster here. It was not bad...it just was not great. A few items were not hot and some items were off-tasting from previous times.
I think we LA Hounds NOW have other good choices for dim sum: King Hua, Sea Harbour and Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village. There are others, too: Lunasia, 888. Sure, some are better than others and we can talk and talk and talk, but my point is that we have lots of choices now that we did not have just a year or two ago. Each has its own personality and attributes and flavors, but we do have many choices for good-to-very-good dim sum. How great that is!
re: ipsedixit
We have observed the same.
Generally, we arrive at King Hua just before 11:00am on a Saturday and never have we had a problem getting a table immediately. We had a 30-45 minute wait at Elite this past weekend when we arrived at 10:40am. Elite had crowds waiting out the door.
Yes, ipsedixit, "odd."
But it is the hot egg tartlets at Shaghai No. 1 that currently are calling my name!!
re: ipsedixit
liu and ipse,
Any thoughts on Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village?
re: bulavinaka
Hey, bulavinaka!
As you know, I am not the expert, so I must defer to ipsedixit to give you specifics about what to order.
I like to have Shanghai No. 1 in my rotation. Most things are very good, and some things more-very good than others! (I know that sounds confusing, but that's how I look at it.)
Shanghai No. 1 is a nice place to visit, although I might not want to live there permanently. If you haven't been, definitely do give it a try. You may spend a little more there, but in my opinion, for such labor intensive food, I still think the prices are reasonable.
Oh, and don't forget to order their egg tartlets, bula~
re: liu
>>As you know, I am not the expert...<<
I beg to differ; otherwise, I wouldn't have asked both you and ipse in the same breath. My Chow cred cowers in ipse's shadow, but your tastes I highly respect as well...
I've been out of the SGV rotation due to a busy summer, but hopefully will be back at it soon. Are Shanghai No. 1's menu and methods for dim sum similar to the Elite, Sea Harbour et al? I'm guessing they do a face-change for their PM service as well?
re: bulavinaka
"...you and ipse in the same breath."
You made my day! Thanks, bulavinaka, for such kind words.
My only qualification is, perhaps, that I have just been eating longer than you and ipse!
re: ipsedixit
We wound up going to Sea Harbour. This was my first time back in upwards of 8 years or so. (historically I haven't been a big dim sum/Cantonese guy, but I've been educating myself in an attempt to establish my taste for it.)
I've made two visits to Elite within the past couple of months, so it is with the memory of those experiences in mind that I compare our experience at Sea Harbour.
Overall impressions-- Sea Harbor's food seemed to be generally lighter, and generally sweeter than dishes at Elite.
Sea Harbour's equivalent of Elite's snow bun (the "low fat milk bun" (which is filled with a mild milky custard versus the almond filling in the snow bun) was very good, but didn't quite reach the ethereal airiness of the snow bun.
The House BBQ Pork bun (the baked one with a light glaze brushed over the top-- pretty much equivalent to Elite's house BBQ bun-- was a step above; it was a beautiful thing. After taking a bite, the corners of my bite mark crimped up into these gorgeous, perfect ripples. I just had to stop and admire the lovely shape of the thing, lights glistening off the domed surface and the beautiful, perfectly diced squares of charsiu pork winking at me from inside the bun.
I missed not having the Macao pork. I *really* missed not having the Macao pork.
The fried rice with dried scallops and egg was simply spectacular. Again, impossibly light, fresh rice, soft and airy, lightly tossed with minced vegetables and infused with a mellow, fishy, umami flavor, which somehow managed to come together relatively easily on the chopsticks. I understand an equivalent of this dish is available at Elite-- I'll need to try it on our next visit. But this was just an extraordinary dish.
The sticky rice steamed in lotus leaf-- beautiful, perfect little packets of sticky rice & minced pork, with a bean or peanut or something stuck in there for good measure. Must order again.
The cold diced beef reminded us of the cold dishes we order at places like 101 Noodle Express. Large cubes of beef, some all tended, some all beef, most a combination of the two. Strong five spice flavor. Be prepared for crunchy tendon if you order this.
Tofo skin wrapped seafood-- great dish, about on par with Elite's version.
Fried tofu in chicken sauce(?) - that's more or less what the menu says (in English). It's really little fat cylinders custardy silken tofu deep fried and topped with a sweet & sour sauce. Not bad-- the outer skin was not crispy enough.
Marinated seaweed-- Chicago neon relish green marinated seaweed in vinegar, sugar, etc. Too sweet for my liking.
What else did we order? Hell, I can't remember. These were the dishes what jumped to the front of me brain Overall, very good, but I think I'll be returning to Elite for my regular dim summery. We wound up paying $15.50/person including tax & tip.
I would like to return to Sea Harbour for dinner, though. I got a feeling in my gut that it would be a spectacular meal.
Mr Taster
re: Mr Taster
Nice write-up on your take of Sea Harbour. We've done dinner a couple times there and yes, they do know how to put their evening dress on. It's all about the live seafood dishes for the most part. Many like Elite's dinner service as well...
re: bulavinaka
Dinner makes dim sum look like PF Changs.
re: ns1
Yes, do go to King Hua if you haven't been, ns1.
The space is quite pretty, and everything about King Hua is very clean. Check out the size of the shrimp in your shrimp dumplings or other shrimp items! If you deconstruct one of your dumplings, you will see each ingredient...very, very clean. There are no "glumpy" fillings and no mystery ingredients.
re: liu
Recently visited King Hua for the first time in a couple of years (live a lot closer to Elite these days), and man, were you right about the quality of the room. It's just so much CALMER and relaxed.
Same Cantonese diners/Cantonese managers and same Mainland servers as other dim sum houses in the area but... just... dare I say, tranquil?
Still, I don't think the dimsum itself is any better than say, Elite -- the cheong fun was ridiculously overcooked and unmanageable with chopsticks -- but hey, I didn't want to cut myself afterwards.
re: TonyC
I completely agree with you, TonyC, about the feel of King Hua.
Sometimes I like to go to a carnival, and sometimes I like to walk through a peaceful garden. Mostly, when I eat, I like the surroundings to be serene. There is something about King Hua that is genteel and refined over most of the other dim sum places.
Don't hurl stones! I do like the cart action, too! It's just that dim sum and serenity are not the usual combination -- and King Hua is nice.


text:
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At MSNBC.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Which qualities has Lata ji ' voice ? desribre your feelings
Tags: relationships, music, entertainment
Asked by Shan Real, 28 Sep '09 04:44 pm
Earn 10 points for answering
Answers (5)
She was never besuri in any of her songsAnswered by krish, 28 Sep '09 06:10 pm
She is a nightingale............................really very heart touching voice...............................Answered by Kalyani Sawant, 28 Sep '09 05:09 pm
Maduur awaaz .... jise sab buss sunte hi jayen.Answered by ivylourenco, 28 Sep '09 05:05 pm
She can sing the toughest compositions very easily . Many music directors like Anil Biswas and naushad made good compositions specially keeping her in mind.Also she can give the playback for any actress. She has given the playback for Shobhna Samarth , Tanuja and Nutan ( daughters of Shobhna Samarth) and also for Kajol ( daughter of Tanuja and grand daughter of Shobhna Samarth). This is really amazing that she has sung for three generations of the same family.Answered by HEMANT MEHTA, 28 Sep '09 04:53 pm
Her simplicity, and her quality of song a gift of bhagwanji to make ius mad and touch our heart.Answered by Ramesh Agarwal, 28 Sep '09 04:51 pm


text:
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text:
Lulu - Lou Reed
- Band Name: Lou Reed
- Record Label: Warner Bros.
- Release Date: Nov 1, 2011
User Score
Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 159 Ratings
User score distribution:
Positive: 20 out of 159
Mixed: 18 out of 159
Negative: 121 out of 159
Review this album
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Nov 1, 2011I've seen several comments online where bloggers say we "don't get it". Anyone who says this is avant garde music has little experience with that genre. Dangerous, abrasive and compelling are all hallmarks of avant rock. This is just an embarrassment made by two creatively bankrupt artists. Please stop your Metallica hero worship and hear this album for what it is: Crap.
Nov 1, 2011The only saving grace for this album may be that it is not the worst album of 2011; Theory of a Deadman already clinched that honor back in the summer. But Lou Reed's nasally delivery just doesn't fit, it comes off as some uninspired old fart recording his voice in the living room while a metal riff plays in the background. As Allmusic wrote, this would have worked far better with an ambient band such as Sunn 0))) than with Metallica.… Expand
Nov 1, 2011If this album was listened to without knowing who the artists were you would think it was a 4th rate garage band made up of 17 year old high school students spewing forth really bad teenage poetry!
I am all for trying new things and pushing the boundaries but sometimes you have to know when to pull back and review your art objectively.....this i'm afraid is just an exercise in self indulgent narcissism by musicians who are obviously bored.....probably shouldn't have been released because i can only see it hurting their brand!… Expand
Mar 26, 2012I remember listening to this album for the first time and literally laughing. I thought it was a joke, I hope it is, because if Lou Reed and Metallica seriously thought this was a good album then they BOTH need to hang it up. Terrible lyrics, horrible vocals, flat melodies, uninspired riffs, just about every misfire in the book is present on Lulu. I am giving it a 1 because, as I mentioned, it made me laugh, and that has to count for something.… Expand
Nov 1, 2011As I've gotten older I've found my tastes and .. acceptance of things outside my comfort zone (music, philosophy, etc) growing as my views of the world in which we live change. The key to getting enjoyment (or understanding?) out of Lulu, for me, is to accept that I have to listen to it on it's own terms. Listening to it as a Metallica fan, a metal fan, a music fan, will lead to listening to something that on the face may seem unlistenable. My impression of this album has grown considerably since first listen. Last night was the first time I actually sat down, and listened to it cover to cover. Honestly, I was kind of dreading its darkness and it felt like I had to do a homework assignment. So, I grabbed my best headphones, and set into it. I think a key thing I did was I pulled up the lyrics to each song online as I listened and followed closely along. I think that really helped put me into the music. They've always said the lyrics are the key, the music augmentation and manifestation of the feeling of those lyrics. Lyrics aren't really the correct term, it's more spoken word poetry than anything. As far as Lou's voice: As one review I read put it, it's like "an oil slick sitting on top of an ocean of metal". I agree, I think the discordance is all a part of the art. This is supposed to be uncomfortable, a difficult listen, I think that's a part of it. Once you get acclimated to the voice, and really listen, word for word, song to song, there is true dark art there. Eventually you become a victim of the flow of the moment, as Lou and Metallica became in the 10 days they put this together. If you've ever been in an emotionally violent, destructive relationship, or loved someone who took everything you could give, and returned only their emptiness back to you: this can make you identify with it to an extent. To listen with any expectation from Metallica's past or future is a mistake. Lulu is outside of that, and to listen influenced by those expectations, you won't appreciate it. You'll probably hate it. Lou Reed has been interested for some time with expanding narrative work to build music around it and create kind of a literary fusion of long form story and music. Lulu is exploring that. It's as much narrative as it is music, if not more. The words he brought in to this project are brilliant. They're real. They paint a devastating portrait of two amoral and destructive people. They are at the darkest end of the spectrum of humanity. If you can dive down into your own emotional blackness without losing your equilibrium and knowing when to come back up to draw breath, you can appreciate this fully, I think. Provocative art always has a way of polarizing people to either love or hate it. Lulu is not a metal album, not just a story, but it's own fusion of provocative, violent art. It is brilliant to that end. People complain about a lack of musicality, and that only means you cite a lack of musicality within your own comfort zones and constricted definitions of what musicality can mean. You have to allow yourself to experience this on it's own terms. Not on your terms. I'm not saying you need to remove subjectivity and just blindly accept it. But listen to it on it's terms, if you can, and then judge it. If you're unable or unwilling to listen that way, with more than just your ears and expectations, then you shouldn't judge it either. You should just ignore its existence. Lou Reed and Metallica are both artists that have earned the privilege of doing things on their own terms, and it's a sign of respect to view their collaborative art on those terms. You can then choose to accept or reject it. I happen to accept it, and I'll take from it what I can. This will probably get me more into avante-garde type music and further my own horizons of music and understanding, and to me that's a beautiful thing. I accept the terms. Thanks for reading.… Expand
Nov 1, 2011Why Lou? Why would you choose to work with Metallica? I could think of 100 better artists you could have chosen to work with. This is just a terrible album on all accounts. Fans of both Lou Reed and Metallica need to be honest with themselves and admit that NEITHER artist is relevant anymore. They are not changing the music scene or doing anything of significance. They are OLD artist trying desperately to change the landscape of music like they did earlier in their careers. I have no problem saying I love a particular artist for the influence they originally had, but that I hate their current desperate pretentious career.… Collapse
Nov 1, 2011to give it a 0 is to say it hasn't any artistic merit, which it has. still, it hasn't got enough to score a 1. listen to it as a Metallica fan, a Reed fan, or not a fan at all, everything in this album sucks the same
Nov 1, 2011The worst thing is that Metallica can pull the whole 'it's different so THAT'S why people don't like it' thing yet again. I understand wanting to do something different musically. But the band also needs to understand that sometimes doing something different means that it can still suck. And suck this album does. Lou Reed and Metallica don't match. I don't care how poetic or progressive or deep this album is. In the end, it's about the music. And the music tends to sound stupendously bad.… Expand
Nov 3, 2011Aweful. Just absolute tripe from start to finish. Now, I understand that some artists like to try and experiment every now and then and end up with remarkable results. But the only think that's remarkable about this album is just how unlistenable it is. Repetitive riffs, moronic lyrics and non-existant progression simply proves that spaghetti and chocolate just dosen't mix.
Nov 14, 2011The worst piece of **** I've ever heard! Sometimes Metallica (the best band in the world) surprises me with its stupidity! They don't think rationally that's for sure!
Dec 5, 2011I dont know what to say of this album. Lou Reed and Metallica, separately, are both awesome. But this album left me confused. The music is without doubt very good. But the singing part (or the speaking part actually) is what i dont get. It confuses me.. Creeps Me out. I tried to expand my taste in music and hear this album but its not what i want!
Nov 2, 2011Metallica, what happened? The snare drum experiment in the st anger now this?! mediocre would give credit to this garbage.
the brand and name of both lou reed and metallica and everyone involved will be forever scarred.
Nov 6, 2011Honestly, it's not as horrible as people make it out to be. I feel like the user score has been artificially deflated thanks to the scores of disappointed Metallica/Lou Reed fans. Don't get me wrong, it's an aggressively taxing listen, but if you make an effort to pay attention to the story, and give the album a fair chance, you'll find it does have some redeeming qualities. That said, there is a major disjunction between Lou's vocals and Metallica's instrumentals, that could have been repaired with some studio workshopping. This album was made quickly and it shows.… Expand
Nov 8, 2011Metallica and Lou Reed have created in this album a complete masterpiece destined to become a cult album. I'm not saying this is the best album ever, but sure one of the greatest CDs in the last 5 years. The main reason is because they have created something new mixing their own styles in a conceptual way. Lulu is not only an album, it's something more and it's hard to explain it. Is when yo have listened all the CD, read its lyrics and watched all the art-work when you realize it's something special. Talking about Lulu's music, I think is awesome, specially Metallica's work, that explores new kinds of music with a great sensibility. It's true that in the beginning Lou's voice can seem strange in that melodies, but listening to it you see that this is a part of his poetry, of the sense of Lulu.
Finally I want to say that the main problem for me is that this album should have been far away from mainstream and be a little work, but nothing that is done by Metallica nowadays will go unnoticed for their main audience, and specially his "purists" and detractors fans. But no matter what they say. Lulu is a GREAT album.… Expand
Nov 12, 2011one of the most disgusting things i have ever encountered in my life, bad riffs, bad vocals, lyrics "appears" to be sophisticated while they are mostly crap. definitely not for Metallica fans, or music fans i general. the only good thing about this is last couple of minutes in "The View" where James Insists that HE IS A TABLE, works every time i feel down and want to have a good laugh.
Nov 1, 2011I gave this rating a star because Metallica does have some good riffs in here, some of them with a bit of variety/progression could make good Metallica songs. The issue here is Lou Reed ruining any potential here. I like a lot of Lou Reed solo work (Blue Mask, Transformer, Coney Island Baby) but his lyrics here are awful, to the point that they distract from any musical flow. Worse yet, his "singing" has no consistent pattern, melody, nothing of redeeming value. This was a struggle to get through, a total vanity project for Reed, maybe wanting to put out a metal machine music for the new decade. It's funny, because Reed has now been responsible for some of the best works of rock/pop music with Velvet Underground, and now the worst as well. Metallica does not help matters here, the music is too repetitive to be enjoyable. If they could work with a stronger producer like Danger Mouse or Rick Rubin, they could do something interesting again. Ever since Bob Rock reared his ugly head into their careers, they've gone downhill.… Expand
Nov 16, 2011After first hearing some of this album some months ago, I first thought that it was weak, not fitting and generally painful to listen to. Despite this, I decided to try out the whole album regardless. And the end result was just as bad as my prior opinion. The main problem with the album is that Lou Reed does not go with Metallica in any way. It's like a 12-year-old kid mish-mashing two songs together and calling it a 'remix'. As much as I don't like saying this, this is an album deserving of it's criticism. Metallica fans won't like it, Lou Reed fans won't like it and anyone with the gift of ears won't like it either.… Expand
Dec 18, 2011Unintentionally kitsch, laughably awful, and more than just a little misguided; I'm honestly in shock that album was allowed to exist. In a normal review I might detail each track one by one, but in this case that is very unnecessary. Simply put, Lulu is Lou Reed reading pretentious poetry over some of the most forgettable music Metallica has crafted. Attempting something new should be applauded, however, I hope all parties involved are embarrassed with this effort and never produce anything like it again.… Expand
Nov 2, 2011Soo i bought this album being a long time fan of Metallica. Do not make that mistake! I haven't really had much Lou Reed experience but im sure he was better off on his own, same with Metallica. The whole album feels like poetry being read to you with some guys playing metal in the background. It just doesn't work. Maybe i didnt give this enough time to sink in, but i only listened halfway through the album before i had to shut it off. It was that bad.… Expand
Nov 3, 2011The emperor has no clothes. There are people who want to like this because they think it's "avant-garde", or "artistic", or "challenging". I don't criticise Lou Reed or Metallica for attempting this project, but I think they failed quite badly. There are many problems with this album, but perhaps the most fundamental is the general lack of connection between Reed's vocals and Metallica's backing music, something that, in combination with the monotone delivery, robs the lyrical storyline of any possible impact (not that some of the lyrics aren't downright laughable in their own right) and the entire album of any coherence.
Many of the songs are excessively long, stretched out with mindless repetition or pointlessly tacked on sections. Incidentally, there's absolutely no justification for the length of the album, it could have only been improved by trimming it to fit on a single CD. The heavy parts which some fellow-Metallica fans probably enjoy are often... just there... sounding ok for what they are, but contributing little. (Who thought it was a good idea to take the already average speed/thrash riff of Mistress Dread and repeat it for 5+ monotonous minutes? Incredible).
This could have been an outstanding project. All it needed was a different singer (one able to convey the twisted emotions and inner workings of the character rather than drone on witlessly, relying on the tired shock value of lyrics about vulvas, tampons and various forms of degradation to create any impact) and a different band (one able to consistently display the subtlety and creativity required to make the soundtrack fit the storyline).
I was tempted to give it less than 3, as when I think of this project as a whole, it's pretty dire. But there are some good moments, and even a few songs that come close to working, though spoiled to some extent by the failings I've mentioned.… Expand
Nov 5, 2011Yep, I fully agree with JeffWrubel. Can't say it better than he did. The only reason I registered at Metacritic is to support his view.
LISTEN to the CD and read the lyrics with your headphone on. Lulu in my opinion is a good symbiosis of the dark voice of Lou (which I have liked ever since Velvet Underground) and Metallica (that I didn't like that much). Perhaps I am gonna try and listen to Metallica as well, now that I am out of my comfort zone!
That's what music is all about: enjoying and bringing you further down the road. You're right: I'm older as well, though Lou is a bit older.… Expand
Nov 7, 2011Worst album in the world. Metallica has been a great band since the 80's but since then it seems like it's been losing their magic to make music. What happened to Metallica?
Nov 8, 2011I laughed at times. Specifically at Reed's vocal efforts. He sounds like a confused old man without any muscial abilities.
Summary: Metallica wasted riffs on this album. Lou Reed's poetry would be better off in text form.
Nov 10, 2011HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, what a joke for an album, the sound on this album does not work or fit together at all.
Sounds like Metallica were keen to make an album that would be remember through time. But they have grabbed Lou Reed who isnt a very successful singer with music that isnt appealing to the mainstream market or metallica fans and try and failed very very badly, more dissapointing the st anger lol.… Expand
Nov 16, 2011Listening to this record is like witnessing your middle-aged parents performing sexual act for an hour. They certainly enjoy it themselves, and you respect them both, but that performance is not intended for anyone else to see. You wish you never saw it and want to flush the scene from your memory. There's something unnatural in that from your perspective.
I get it - it's not 100% Metallica album, but who are you kidding ? If not for Metallica fans, nobody would pay attention to this dreck. I couldn't care less about Lou Reed, but I am not sure if I can take Metallica seriously after this.… Expand
Dec 10, 2011Lou Reed SUCKS!!! You think i'll buy it?? Hell NO! I would just download it and hear em all and delete it eventually! It sucks!! F#CK THAT! I know its a collaboration album.. Well it sucks! and TH1RT3EN was like 10 times better! And i Just hope their new album like they promised will be better and also better than Death Magnetic.. Possible similiarly to their 80s album! I JUST HOPE!!! And their fans will keep in touch with Metallica back like before back in the 80s! The "THRASHING" stops right after The Black Album! Load was Nonsence! ReLoad was ReNonsence! St. Anger... hmm.. The most worst album ever heard by the Heavy Metal Legends! As for Death Magnetic.. I Like it! Cause it kinda bring back their rocking! But could be better! What bothers me the most is that James voice is dead.. :( But well He's old now.. But if you look at Bruce Dickinson.. He's voice just stays the same! Well why can't James?!?!?! I just hope! I JUST HOPE! that their next album would bring back to the 80s! I really want that alot! Come on! We also wants this guy back....... JASON NEWSTED!!!! What i'm trying to say is that we all WANT THE OLD METALLICA FOR GOD SAKE!! Like the time when they were in Moscow (1991)!! That really blows me away! 100 over 100!!! I still love Metallica!! That is because they mae songs that reminds me of the memories you know! m/ Metallica m/ LULU'S CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
Dec 18, 2011Once I heard the first line from the first song, which was "I would cut my legs and **** off", I immediately turned it off! Worst collaboration in the history of rock! Rob Zombie and Lionel Richie can breathe a sigh of relief! Like come on, "I'm Am the Table" What the hell does that mean??? And no I would not like "Iced Honey" its disgusting!!!
Dec 30, 2011NO METALLICA NO NO NO YOU WERE THE BEST METAL BAND IN THE WORLD AND YOU WENT AND RELEASED PURE GARBAGE LIKE THIS! LOU REED DOESN'T EVEN SINGS HE TALKS AND COMPLAINS LIKE AN OLD MAN!
Jun 20, 2012Personally, the instruments sound awesome (because it's Metallica). They always sound good. It's the singing/talking that drives me wild. I mean, it's ok, but it just gets creepy after you listen to it for a while. So basically, the 5 comes from the Metallica part of the album, where as the other 5 that aren't there come from the Lou Reed part of the album.
Nov 2, 2011This album have some great riffs, but they are overexploided. For example, Junior Dad is composed basically with 1 riff. 19 minutes for 1 riff is very bad. Lou Reed voice sucks, and sometimes just destroy the songs. For example, the Pumping Blood intro. It's a horrible album, Lou Reed and Metallica doesn't combine, so please don't try to do more albums together. Worst album in Metallica's History.
Jan 10, 2012The shock in this collaboration is that it sounds savagely natural. [Dec. 2011, p.93]
Dec 13, 2011Occasionally it's so insane that you can't help but be swept along with it. Mostly, however, it's so over the top the more likely reaction is to run it off and make sure you don't hear it again in a hurry. [Dec. 2011 p. 122]
Dec 8, 2011Metallica's unrelenting sledgehammer style works as the perfect complement to Reed's vision of compassionless love, with monolithic chords deployed with almost surgical precision wile he dissects relationships w of masochism and power. [Dec 2011, p.63]


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The Middle East Channel
Syrian Government and Opposition Trade Blame Over Gas Attacks
The Syrian government and opposition are trading blame over two alleged gas attacks on Friday and Saturday in the rebel-held Hama province village of Kafr Zeita. Syrian opposition activists have posted video, which they say provides evidence that regime forces used chemical weapons. Both the opposition and the government said that chlorine gas had been used, however, Syrian State TV blamed al-Nusra Front for the attacks. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said reports of a gas attack were so far "unsubstantiated" but continued that the United States would work to establish what had happened. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported that Syria transferred another shipment of chemical weapons to the port of Latakia on Sunday. With the latest delivery, Syria has handed over slightly more than 65 percent of its chemical agents for destruction. Meanwhile, pro-government forces have seized control of two villages near the border with Lebanon -- Sarkha and the historic Christian village of Maaloula. The gains came after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed the crisis had hit a "turning point" and his forces were winning the conflict.
- Libya's newly appointed interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani said he will resign over an attack against him and his family and "to protect the interests of the country."
- Libya has begun the trial of dozens of ex-Qaddafi officials as well as his sons, Sail al-Islam and Saadi, who did not appear in the courtroom.
- Responding to the U.S. move to block Iran's selected U.N. envoy, an Iranian official said Tehran would "pursue the matter via legal mechanisms."
- A series of bombings in Iraq Sunday killed an estimated 20 people mainly in the city of Mosul and near Kirkuk.
Arguments and Analysis
'Syria's Lost Generation' (Khaled Hosseini, The New York Times)
"I am a father of two children. I cannot imagine what it would do to them, to see such grisly things. Yet that is happening every day in Syria. A whole generation of children, witness to the unfolding catastrophe, is unable to attend school, their lives shaped by violence, grief and displacement.
At some point this year, Syria will overtake my native country, Afghanistan, as the world's largest refugee-producing state. There are now 2.5 million refugees from Syria, 1.2 million of them children. Two-thirds of Syrian refugee children, and nearly three million children inside the country, are out of school.
They face a broken future. Syria is on the verge of losing a generation. This is perhaps the most dooming consequence of this terrible war."
'Tartus in the Present Crisis: A Mirror of the Syrian Regime' (Kheder Khaddour, Jadaliyya)
"Tartus has not experienced fighting or attacks during the current conflict. Behind its image of a quiet, pro-regime city, however, lies a more complicated situation with social and spatial disconnects. Unwritten rules are common, as is suspicion-mainly of newcomers and displaced people. Relations between the latter groups and the city's long-time inhabitants (Tartusis) are primarily a modus vivendi, punctuated by genuine moments of sharing. Rather than a novelty, however, this mélange of interests echoes the way the Syrian state and society have functioned for many years. Nevertheless, numerous changes have taken place in contemporary Tartus. Paramount among them is an increased affirmation of religion for purposes of group cohesion."
'The decline of Iran's Blogestan' (Fred Petrossian, Arash Abadpour, and Mahsa Alimardani, The Washington Post)
"State intervention, from filtering to repression, is a big part of the story. The Iranian regime introduced a wide mix of repressive techniques, from domain and keyword "blacklists" to deep packet inspection, bandwidth throttling and filtering of virtual private networks (VPNs). Many bloggers cite personal reasons for abandoning their efforts. They noted the most important reasons for starting a blog as "saying things that cannot be said in public" and "sharing news not covered by mass media," while the key reasons for no longer blogging are "fear of censorship" and "too many blogs filtered." But the fading of Blogestan does not mean that online engagement has disappeared: One crucial reason for the decline of blogging has been the increase in time spent on other social media platforms."
-- Mary Casey
Nigel Treblin/Getty Images


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My adventures in and near Deep Canyon, located near Palm Desert, CA and the pinyon mountains near it.
Friday, January 10, 2014
So, I grabbed my keys, locked the house, locked the front gate, and hit the car button to unlock it...NOTHING. NO response...hmmmm...I tried it 3x before I realized that I had grabbed hubby's set of car keys (no house keys on them). And, I was locked out of the yard.
Fortunately, the workers arrived across the street. They are tearing up the beautiful tiles and putting in wood laminate flooring, so I figured they might have a screwdriver and I could unscrew the screws on the front gate latch. Nope. The latch covered the screws...no way. So, back I went to ask one of them and bring a crowbar to pry off the latch, which he graciously did. I was able to get into the house, grab my keys, and get to the bank to have them print me out a new debit card. And, I had an extra gate latch, which I was able to install myself :-)
3 comments:
Talk about Murphy's Law. :)ReplyDelete
I have this "Jack Benny's vault" style of a way of getting back into the house if I lock myself out. Just have to know where to look, and which key opens which door. Best not to be needing to go to the washroom though, 'cause it involves a few steps.ReplyDelete
Had to drive a neighbour to his wife's place of work a few weeks ago as he had locked himself out. Good way to get to know the neighbour a bit.
Talk about good timing. You must've been relieved to find the workers across the street. Glad their crowbar managed to help you out in that kind of situation. When all else fails, crowbars are the way to go, after all. Just like in the movies. Hahaha! Take care! :)ReplyDelete
Joyce Roberson @ LockedOut-LockSmiths


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Hello. Welcome to the practice...
Psychodynamic Yoga is an integrated approach to healing the existential sense of painful separation in the body and the mind. It is a gently revolutionary way of challenging beliefs and ideas about reality and the mind. And, above all, it's what happens when smart, life-experienced people begin to realize that there is a reality beyond the ego...
"Because there is suffering" (-Buddha).
In response to suffering, there is Yoga practice which opens potential solutions and basically gives the mind a chance to rest. The intention here is to go beyond the ego to bring awareness into the body and mind in a revolutionary way that transforms pain into freedom, life, and love.
In my practice, I listen. At my office, you will find a quiet, safe space where your voice, your words, and your silences are heard with fundamental respect. I work with people for whom internal and/or social pressure have become too much. By combining meditation, yoga, and nondual self-inquiry, blocks can be overcome.
Psychodynamic Yoga
304 Park Ave. South (917) 855-3411 email@example.com
Psychodynamic Yoga Therapy © 2013 | All Rights Reserved


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Surround Sound
Bose virtual surround sound home theatre system
Bose have released a new audio system for home theatre that it claims can deliver a surround-sound experience that is extraordinarily close to a full five-speaker system using just two visible speakers. Read More
New Surround Sound System by the
A new spatial, immersive sound system called IOSONO, which creates an unparalleled listening experience, has been previewed by Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg, the often called "father of MP3". Developed by a team at the Fraunhofer IDMT (part of Europe's largest applied research group) under the lead of Brandenburg, IOSONO is the first system to project sounds as if they are coming from a specific spot inside or outside the listening area. It provides a perfectly balanced "sweet spot" for every spectator, no matter where they are positioned in the audience. Read More
MP3 goes 5.1 surround sound with backwards compatibility
Another major CeBIT premiere was the next generation of MP3 technology demonstrated by the Fraunhofer Institute - MP3 Surround technology, which provides a multi-channel listening experience with minimum effort and maximum compatibility. Read More
First true 5.1 Surround Sound headphones
Gizmo tries out Mentor's sensational new headphones which offer true 5.1 Surround Sound by surrounding each ear with six independent chambers, creating the sensation that each sound is coming from a particular direction. The result is extraordinary. Read More
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Sick, Sad Little World Lyrics - Incubus
Review The Song (7)
No, You're not the first to fall apart
But always the first one to complain
You better get careful or you'll compromise
Everything you are
The world is a drought when out of love
Please come back to us
You're all of the above
"I'm making a choice to be out of touch.
Leave me be," He said, He said, He said,
"Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!
Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!"
I've never had unpaid confidantes
It's more than I would care to explain
But I have an open door policy
When it comes to blame.
The world is a joke when out of love
Please come back to us
You're all of the above
"I'm making a choice to be out of touch.
Leave me be," He said, He said, He said,
"Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!
Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!"
"Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!
Leave me here in my stark raving sick sad little world!"
Click here to submit the Corrections of Sick, Sad Little World Lyrics
Please Click Here to Print Sick, Sad Little World Lyrics
Thanks to firstname.lastname@example.com for submitting Sick, Sad Little World Lyrics.
thanks | Reviewer: Anonymous | 6/22/11
thank u brandon, and the rest of the crew, for making every minute of your songs make me feel like a better, deeper, wiser, person. thanks for everything your music has brought me through in my life <3
One of my personal favorites! | Reviewer: Brennen M. | 5/29/11
This song is truly amazing; it is powerful and amazingly chill at the same time. Starting at about 3 minutes, there is an instrumental bit that is just amazing. The drumming is just flawless, Jose manages to rock the kit while keeping it zen. Most drummers would do a simple beat, but Jose is all over the place. Although it's a shame that this song was too long to be a hit, it is also the reason it is awesome; they use those 6 minutes to take the song all over the place. This song is the best of Incubus; it rocks like they did in the old days and it is also incredibly melodic and zen like their new stuff. Not to mention, it is an all around phenomenal song that deserves much more exposure.
Definitely one of the best | Reviewer: Anonymous | 11/10/10
I am of the mind that these guys have the Midas touch. I honestly enjoy almost everything they do. Great musicians and artists. this song is definitely one of my favorites though. Its truly epic. Mikes solo is amazing, Ben and Jose really get their rocks off and Brandon.... well... si Brandon. Check out the version on the Look Alive DVD. They extend the solo a bit, its amazing!!!!
Amazing song | Reviewer: Anonymous | 7/6/09
It's a postively amazing song.
Although, I can get why the band didn't release it as a single, it's simply too amazing to be cut for radio.
The guitar solo is frantic yet soothing, and Ben's cool basslines make you feel like you're a drop of water.
And Brandon's lyrics... they touch you deeply.
Jose keeps perfect tapping rythym, it's just an amazing song.
It wouldn't matter if these guys made songs where they sang without a beat or if they just played instrumentals.
Whatever music these guys make, they sing, and they sing with a powerful voice, even when their mouths aren't open.
One of Incubus' best | Reviewer: Anonymous | 6/27/09
Everyone in the band gets to shine in this incredible song. Brandon shows amazing range, Mike has a catchy chorus and a wicked solo, Ben has a cool bass grove throughout and Jose more than hold his own with some intricate drumming (especially at 5:05). Epic in length, brilliant in sound.
Catchy Chorus | Reviewer: Wargamer | 5/1/09
YES! I agree. The wavering bass line is what first caught my interest in this song. But the Chorus had me hook line and sinker. Leeeave meeee heaaar in myyyy....Stark raving sick sad little woooooorrrrllld. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!?
I think the length of the song is PERFECT. The song takes you everywhere you WANT to go.
the best solo in the album | Reviewer: Anonymous | 1/5/08
sick sad little world has probably the best solo in the album! it seems a little long maybe, but maybe that's just because we are forced to wait for the insanely catchy chorus.
The following area is only for review, if you want to submit the lyrics or the corrections of the lyrics, please click the link at the end of Sick, Sad Little World Lyrics.