100th Post!

Congrats to all the people who make the Steve's Bar & Grille blog happen. To celebrate the 100th post of this blog, I want to present to you all a photo that I think encapsulates the spirit of this institution.



Well, I'd be smiling, too.

Okie doke...it's the start of the college football season, thankfully, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers open up strong, slaughtering Florida Atlantic. Oklahoma lost in a big upset, beaten by that mormon mainstay BYU. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

What else...Iowa barely beats national powerhouse...*snicker* Northern Iowa.

I am going to stop typing now.

Iowa State Fair

Some dude took this pic and I swiped it off of the interweb.

All righty, it's August, it's humid, and it's time for food on a stick. Ladies and germs, I present to you the Iowa State Fair.

In the week or 10 days the fair is going on, well over a million people attend. they can see a life size cow made of butter, 4H exhibits, tons of animals/people from Des Moines' east side (same thing, really), and they can eat TONS of crap.

I personally like the pork tenderloins and any other pork product.

I will be at the fair this week, and plan on taking some pictures. If there are some high-larious ones, I will post them. Otherwise, chances are high I will wait another 73 years to update this blog. Probably not that long, but you know.

If you are ever in Iowa, and God help you if you are, go to the Iowa State Fair. It actually can be a good time. However, on the day I decide to go, the heat is like Satan's breath, with humidity so thick it's like diving into a pool full of melting vaseline.

Yay!!

Whew!

Well, I know it won't get a lot press, but I was the third prisoner released from North Korea. That's why there hasn't been any updates. Thank God for Bill Clinton. As I was boarding the plane, the two asian gals were greeting the former President, and I was excited to shake the hand that cigar'd Lewinski! Unfortunately, after the two journalists were on board, Clinton followed them in, saying something about the mile high threesome club.

Can't win 'em all.

While I was in North Korea, I had a great time serving in a labor camp where I got the crap beat out of me 2 times a day, had a pinky cut off (that's why I am typing slower, I knew you would notice), and was forced to eat nothing but nail polish.

In the meantime, enjoy this...

Flight of the Conchords

Funny.

Guilty: Two Counts of Blog Neglect

My good friend Ryan has reminded me that I suck. He did so in a tactful, sensitive manner as to not force me to go off the deep end, climb the clock tower, pour gasoline over my entire person and dive into a crowd of smokers, or watch Oprah.

That said, I am serving time for blog neglect. In Iowa, it's a 2-strike rule. Fortunately, they allow me to repent for 23 minutes per day as I wait for my lethal injection.

So what the hell? Good question.

The Office: Hilarious, as always. I still have never missed an episode. If I don't catch it when it is on, I watch that sucker later. It's a tough show to jump into unless you've seen 'em all. So if you try this show on my suggestion, and dive into it late, and have no idea what is going on, then screw you. I mean that nicely, in a loving "screw you" sort of way. One that isn't followed up with me shoving you down a flight of stairs.

Heroes: I enjoyed this show very much until this season. I am trying to enjoy it still. This last week's episode was a step in the right direction. SPOILER SPACE: (that's all the spoiler space you get, please refer to the aforementioned "screw you" scenario). Anyway, Hiro has gone from being naive, yet noble to an idiot. Peter Petrelli? Naive and noble and also now an idiot. Suresh? One of the best characters on the show, now also an idiot. The only redeeming quality in the season is Sylar. Pretty bad when your show's indiscriminate psychopath is the most reasonable, and least apt to fly off the handle. Harsh review? Maybe. I just expect great things from this show, and hope they turn it around.

Chuck: Best hour on TV.

My Own Worst Enemy: This Christian Slater vehicle is auto-biographical, apparently. Just kidding. It's actually surprisingly good so far (2 shows in). I have yet had the desire to launch anything or anyone valuable at the TV while watching it.

MotoGP: Thank God for Valentino Rossi. He is the 2008 champ, and deservedly so.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers: Missouri kills us at home. Ouch. What was worse was Virginia Tech, for me, as that was a game we were in, and should have won. Texas Tech beating us in OT is another one I can accept (I mean, come on, it's not like I have a choice, sitting here in cell block 2814). Baylor Saturday could be tricky, as Baylor isn't a great team, but they are not exactly the junior high team they used to be. We need to beat Baylor, K-State, and Colorado. Absolutely need to.

Lindsay Lohan: Not hot, never was hot, never will be hot. Her being with another chick doesn't make her hot. Salma Hayek and Kate Beckinsale? I'm on board.

Dream Theater released a new 3 CD set along with a couple of DVD's...unbelievable as always.

Okay, it's nighty night time. There is a line behind me of other people waiting to use this computer. Besides, if I am not back in the cell by a certain time, my bunkmate starts trading me for a carton of cigs, and that isn't fun the first 13 times, I doubt it gets more fun from here on out.

Bad Pizza

Hello. It's time for a sad story. A very sad story. A very, very sad...ok, sorry.

If you also live in the Des Moines area, (judging from the readership on this blog, you live in Cuba, Jordan, Chile, and Spain) you may agree with me that there aren't a lot of good pizza places in this town. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple bright spots, but central Iowa bites in this regard.

I understand that this is completely subjective, and one man's Paradise Cafe is another man's Pizza Hut. It is also important to note that I have not tried every single pizza place in the phone book.

So let's get started...using the CitySearch pages.

Before I get started, there is a restaurant in the Des Moines yellow pages called "A Dong Restaurant". Pardon me while I snicker like an 8th grader. Part of me wants to call them to see what's on the menu. The other part of me doesn't want to know. And neither do you.

1.) Adriatic Pizza. Never even heard of it. Not in the paper or TV. No review available on CitySearch, but the CitySearch pages lists 3.5 stars. Anything below 4 stars is not going to cut it, folks. My crack research team found these reviews. Funny how the first guy said it was "too bad they closed", and the guy who writes a review the next month comes off like someone in dire need of refilling the bong water.

2.) American Pizza Pie Company. It's in Grimes, and I've never been there. Grimes is a decent drive for me...maybe 20 minutes. That's crazy talk. The same site featuring Cheech and Chong reviewing the Adriatic did not have reviews listed for this place.

3.) Angelo's Pizza. Another place that has a couple locations, but I have not heard of it. No reviews I could dig up. CitySearch also gives it 3.5 stars. Of course, there's always a contrarion out there trying to ruin everyone's ratings. :)

4.) Baratta's Trattoria & Pizzarea. 4.5 stars with some reviews! Let's see...

One disgruntled individual writes: "Great service, lousy food. Really very disappointing. Italian specialties were mediocre, bland and poorly prepared, particularly the homemade raviloi that was too large, doughy, and tasteless. We drive thru Des Moines regularly and always stop for dinner; not at Bratta's again, though."

Wow! That's cold! A gruntled man writes "My wife and our families first went to Baratta's for our wedding reception and every year we make it our place to go for our anniversary.Our two young children even love the food there. I've been to every Italian restaurant in town and no one compares to Baratta's.The wait staff are quick,personable and attentive.The chef's cook the best steak DeBurgo in town and I have lots of other favorites there such as their delicious seafood Genovese,calamari linguini, and their succulent pizza.If you're looking for great,normally expensive food for inexpensive price and people who honestly care that their customers are both satisfied and that they'll return then Baratta's is just what you're looking for!"

He said "succulent". Sounds like I will be making a visit.

Update: I did the aforementioned piece about 2 months ago, and got bored with it. I may continue it if I become bed-ridden or unemployed.

Searchin'

Hey, no really, great to see you.

This evening's blog is going to run through some of the hits this blog gets from people who type in certain phrases or "keywords", as the kids call them, into the preferred search engines. I find it interesting that may people are searching for "Wal-Mart Racism". I also Googled it, and my entry was in the top ten searches that came back!! SCREW YOU WAL-MART! Yeah, I said it.

Personally, I thought the picture sold that blog entry. Speaking of that picture, another hit I get frequently is for "BigRedBoard". Those guys are completely irrelevant, they know it, and so do any of us nerds who hang out at Husker message boards. I said it from the beginning, their desire for conflict is so great, that eventually that board would see people leave in droves and it will turn into a small little club. At least a good board spawned from them.

Not a common hit on the blog, but I recently saw one for "Elizabeth Klinge". She is a news anchor here in Des Moines. She joins Brooke Bouma and the lady from the local FOX affiliate as being quite pleasing to the eye (in a non-stalker, no restraining order needed sort of way).

Let's see, what else do we have here...ah! Lots of hits the last couple of years for various Moto GP bits of information. Also hits from people searching for Flight of the Conchords. IT'S BUSINESS TIME.

Finally, Eminem and Britney Spears get quite a few. Sadly enough.

I should have ended this blog with the link from the FOX chick.