The Cheese Steak Shop

The Cheese Steak Shop

http://www.cheesesteakshop.com/

(336 words)

I had made plans to eat a sandwich for lunch on saturday because sandwiches are:

1.) Delicious

2.) American

3.) Make me feel Good

However, the place I wanted to go(Kerri's Kafe) to wasn't open on Saturday. Neither were the 3 other delis that I searched yelp for. Disaster. So what to do? Cheese Steak Shop to the rescue!

I drove downtown to check the place out. After parking I had to walk a couple blocks to get there. I stopped outside of "Philly Style Cheese Steaks". The place looked derelict and rather unappetizing. Then I recalled thinking that the cheesesteak place I found on yelp didn't mention anything about Philadelphia. So this crappy looking place couldn't be correct.

Indeed it wasn't, The Cheese Steak Shop was across the street. It was crowded, a good sign.

My roommate locked himself out of the apartment so I had to get my sandwich to go.

I got the 10" classic cheesesteak with hot and sweet peppers. I also got a large side of curly fries. The sandwich was super tasty. The meat was tender and flavorful without being overly greasy or drippy. The cheese was nice and melted and there wasn't so much as to make a mess while biting the sandwich. The bun was soft yet firm (al dente I suppose) and sturdy enough to keep everything together.

The curly fries looked better than they tasted. I wouldn't call them gross however. Their texture was excellent, crispy on the outside and soft and dense on the inside. The issue was their lack of flavor. They needed a good shake of salt. I was glad they provided ranch to dip fries in.

All in all my meal was tasty. I found out there's a Cheese Steak House much closer to where I live so I'll be dropping by there sometime. I'd rather eat there than bring it back home.

Casa Azteca

Casa Azteca

http://www.casaazteca.com/

(459 words)

So I was feeling some Mexican food and seeing that I'm in San Jose California, it should be an easy find. Let me clarify, I'm seeking American Mexican food (tex mex I suppose). So I'm looking for the loco, north of the border specialties.

I found this place on yelp called Casa Azteca that had good reviews. I decided to give them a call and order takeout. I arrived to pick up my food and noticed the friendly service that I have come to expect in the states. Excellent. I did also notice the restaurant was attractively decorated and made a mental note that I should eat here sometime.

Got back home and eagerly opened my takeout boxes. I had ordered the Enchiladas Suizas. I immediately noticed that it didn't look like much. But to be fair, it was takeout. The pictures on yelp probably looked shinier because of the brightly colored plates and decor. I decided not to dwell too much on how my food looked. Also, I was very hungry.

Food was tasty. Tortillas were soft, cheese was nice and melty, and sauces were on point. Refried beans were tasty as well. I wonder of they were made the traditional way (with lard)? The mexican rice was a tad bit stale. Not enough to not eat it, but it could have been better. The meal came with a "salad" which I thought would be shredded lettuce and tomatoes. But instead it came with an actual salad, which I thought was weird. I would have preferred to have lettuce and tomates to scoop up with bites of my enchiladas, but the menu did say "salad" which is what I got. So I really can't complain. The salad had one slice of beets. Now, I like beets, but it seems strange that there was only one slice. Whatever.

There was a good selection of foods on the menu. I actually had to sit for a while and decide what I wanted to get. I decided on enchiladas and had to fight myself again since there were six different enchiladas plates. I was tempted to try the crab enchiladas, but I was in a more "comfort food" sort of mood.

Overall, Casa Azteca was good, but not astounding. I mentioned the food was tasty, but it wasn't good enough to be at the very top of my mexican food choices for the area. To be fair though, I didn't eat in. I feel like dining in at a restaurant is a different experience that ordering takeout. The food was definitely tasty and the portions were generous (I had to lay down after I finished eating). Bring some friends, get drinks from the full bar and have a tasty meal.

Just Do It

Just Do It. Advertising Age called it one of the five best slogans of the 20th century. But what does it mean? Nike will more than likely tell you "blah, blah, blah buy our shit, blah, blah, blah" I think we can get far more out of it than merchandise. All my life I've had issues with starting and finishing projects. "Projects" meaning goals, relationships, music production, work and causes that I believe in. I tend to get caught up over-thinking my project or hemming and hawing over minuscule details. Either I don't get started or I have a very strong, exuberant start and steeply decline afterwards.

Nike would tell me to "Just Do It" What they're really saying is, "Shut the Fuck Up, and Just Do It."

It is the fear of making mistakes or not succeeding 100% that tends to keep one back from putting forth true effort. If you think about it, doing something 75% is far better than 0%.

Whenever you're having doubts, remember:

Just Do It.