Lucky Fins (Meridian)

Seafood in the Treasure Valley is kind of hit and miss, which results in a lot of imported, previously frozen fish on local menus.  Now I love fish and chips and sushi as much as the next guy, but I love a good piece of simply prepared fish just as much.  So, when I heard all the buzz about Lucky Fins, I put them on my to-do list.  Not to overuse a phrase, but my experience was kind of hit and miss as well.



Sakana Japanese Sushi & Steak House

If you were to ask me why I've never written about Sakana before, I would have to say that's a good question.  And I wish I had an answer.  I've been eating there longer than I've been doing this website.  I think sometimes it's more difficult with a place you've been to many times, because you're just used to going and eating there, and you don't really analyze it any longer.  Sakana has long been one of my favorite sushi joints.  My family goes there for special occasions.  I've taken several first dates there.  I've been there so many times that I don't even have a particular anecdote to frame a review around.  Instead, I think I'll just share some of the pictures I've taken over the past year or so...




Sun Ray Cafe

Well, this should show you just how far behind I am on my reviews:  I actually visited Sun Ray Cafe on a lovely Autumn afternoon just before Halloween.  To be honest, I was kind of putting off writing it up in hopes that I would get to go back first but, as so often happens, it seems to be taking me a long time to accomplish that.  Ah well, it doesn't matter.  Everything I need to convey about that place, I learned on that first visit.  Now, I pass it on to you...



Putting their money where my mouth is...

For a while now, some of Marie Callender's public relations people have been contacting me once a month or so.  Inevitably, it goes like this: I get an e-mail telling me about some sale, new item or or promotion that Marie Callender's is running.  The tone is very "hey pal, just thought you might want to share this info with your readers", along with a press release and an offer to provide me with professionally shot pictures.  Oh hell, I'll just show you the most recent one as an example...

Hi ,

I thought your readers would love to know Marie Callender’s is celebrating National Pie Day on January 23 with their Perfect Pie Trio offer starting at $9.99.  Marie Callender’s also introduces its NEWEST pie, the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Pie available for a limited time.  

Is this something you are interested in covering in your stories or round-ups?

Additional information is available online at mariecallenders.com, but please let me know if I can provide you with high-res images.

The first couple of times this happened, I replied to say that I have no desire to provide unpaid advertising for a national chain, and that I wasn't going to make any special effort to try whatever their new deal is on my own dime, unless of course it was something I'd be really interested in anyway.  Plus I take my own pictures, horrible though they may be at times.  Either they don't read the replies or they don't care, because I continue to receive these exciting offers for opportunities to shill for them.  Frankly, I'd find the whole thing a little insulting if it wasn't for the fact that it's obvious they've never even looked at my website.  In discussing it with my roommate, I said something to the effect that if they would provide me with a gift card sufficient to cover the expense of whatever they're trying to get me to push, I would at least try it myself and write about it.  Though of course I would make it clear that I was compensated  for doing so.

The Universe, it seems, is not without a sense of humor...



Another serving of "meh"...

I swear to you, I didn't want to kick off the new year with another bunch of these, but I've been having a lot of mediocre experiences lately and I'm burying myself with them because I can't get enthused about writing them up.  Bear with me, and consider yourself warned...

Stagecoach Inn's Fried Chicken