Where to begin...

So.. I've been asked by Big Brother Glen to contribute to his project. Over the following week or ... month, I plan to review most if not all of the restaurants I've tried around here (and it's been quite a few places) and the movies that I've seen. If I check out anything else, like art exhibits or concerts or what have you, I'll consider tossing those up on here as well. I don't have pics for most of the stuff I've eaten but I'll try to be descriptive enough that you can imaginate the dishes in all their fantastical glory.

First up, Food. I currently work/live somewhere in the center of several areas of Brooklyn; Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, DUMBO, and Downtown Brooklyn. Because of this, there's a lot going on. Lots of great restaurants of all types of food in all price ranges. I'll start with Smith st. where most of the places I've been have been on.

Things get interesting once you hop off Atlantic ave. and get onto Smith. From a fish shack, to italian ice, to Peruvian, French Bistros, Middle Eastern markets, Japanese, whatever. Smith is full of great places to eat, drink and be merry. This street, for many blocks, is filled with deliciousness until fairly late in the night.

Trout - on the corner of Smith and Pacific. It's got an indoor and outdoor area, both of with separate entrances. I believe the outdoor area used to be a different establishment but they now share the same owners (as does the restaurant next door, Pacifico). The outdoor area is very different in scenery from most anything else you will find in the city. It's like a cross between a fisherman's shack and a tin-roof shack you'd find in a Havana. It's a very welcoming space. Not pretentious like many Manhattan bars, but not exactly homey, unless of course your family had to build their own shack to live in.
The drinks are what you would expect in a place like this. Mojitos, Margaritas, LI Ice Teas ("Brooklyn Ice Tea"). Beers. Their drinks are pretty well constructed. Taste good. Perhaps a bit strong for some. I personally tried the Mojito. Very minty, a bit on the sweet side, lots of liquor. My friend told me that the Brooklyn Ice Tea was too strong, but hey, who the hell gets an LI Ice Tea for the ice tea taste?
The food leans towards the marine side, but with a name like 'Trout' would you really expect anything else? I had the catfish po'boy and Old Bay fries. The po'boy was delicious. But it must have been constructed by a retard. The individual parts were good. Well-seasoned, perfectly fried, and tender catfish. Crisp sour pickles. Fresh veggies. Good bread. But it was like eating an open-faced sandwich, and one that needed the mouth of a horse to get a good bite in. On the side were hushpuppies and slaw. The hushpuppies had bits of jalepeno pepper and cheddar in them. And let me tell you... that is fucking genius! Delicious little things, if I could, I'd order a basket of just those hush puppies. The slaw was a bit more lackluster. But it wasn't bad. Crisp, tart, and drenched with sauce. Too bad there wasn't much flavor to it compared to the rest of the basket. The Old Bay fries are exactly what they sound like, fries seasoned with Old Bay. Well-seasoned and crispy. But some of it was a bit too crispy and I think the oil might've been a bit old.
Overall, the place left a very good first impression on me. Nice atmosphere. Good drinks. Decent food. 7/10

Louie G's - on Smith b/w Atlantic and Pacfic (oh haha, I get it now). From what I hear, this is a chain Italian ice place. Whatever, first time for me. Very good to have around especially during the Summer. Very simple idea. Serve italian ice and ice cream in many many flavors and have cute girls (mostly) serve them. I've only had the ice but that's kept me busy. Flavors like kiwi, strawberry, lime, chocolate mousse, orange, blue raz, etc. etc. etc. Some flavors are awesome, like the lime, others miss the mark, like the kiwi. But it's a good place to go to cool off on a hot day. Overall - 6/10

I'll continue with the food next time. Gonna move onto movies for now. In the past month I've seen (aside from older movies) Kung Fu Panda, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted, and Wall-E. I'm not going to review all of them, mainly because I don't have much to say about the former two. Neither was spectacular, but both were fun movies, just... not worth $10.

Wanted - action. Pure action. That's all this movie is about. That's all this movie needs to be about. And goddamn, Bekmambetov did it right. If you're looking for an oscar-winning story-driven masterpiece, go watch Sex and the City. But if you're looking for THE next summer action blockbuster, Wanted does it right. What little story the director tries to present is It's bloody as hell. The hits are so visceral you can feel each punch, you cringe at each slash, and don't blink, cause you'll wanna see every bullet leave the gun and eventually leave its target. As for the "story," it was fine. It held the movie together. A lot of it was pretty inconceivable, but the main character's narration acknoweledges the ridiculosity of it all. The story wouldn't win any pulitzers and it strays from the actual comic quite a bit, but I suppose the creators of the movie felt that there needed to be SOME dialogue. As critical as I may sound, it really isn't all that bad. And Angelina. What can I say about Angelina... she's what gets the people who don't like violence to watch this movie. One word, three syllables, one hyphon... booty-shot. Don't go in expecting a masterpiece and you might just find yourself with 1 hr 40 min of pure genius. Overall - 9/10

More to come when I feel less lazy...