Orem Shabu Shabu House
Posted: October 24, 2010 Filed under: James and the Giant Peach 2 CommentsLet me begin by saying that I love shabu shabu, and as such, I have high expectations for it. I was introduced to it while on my mission, and it was one of my favorite dishes in Korea. I was told at the time that it was a Mongolian dish, but most sources say it originates from Japan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with shabu shabu, here’s a quick rundown.
You start out with a broth in a large pot, and then order what type of meat you want. The protein is usually served very thinly sliced and is accompanied by another plate of vegetables. The vegetables can include cabbage, mushrooms, or whatever is in season. You bring the broth to a boil, and cook the vegetables and meat in the broth. Because the meat is paper-thin, it cooks very quickly, and by the end you’re left with a very flavorful broth. You can then add in some noodles and eat it as a soup.
Now for my more specific experiences at the Shabu Shabu House in Orem, UT.
A plateful of napa cabbage plus two carrot sticks, two mushrooms, and a chunk of tofu does not equal “a lot” vegetables. It was definitely not a substantial amount of vegetables and once everything was in the pot it was still mostly broth. To give you an idea, here was the pot once we added HALF of the vegetables and meat at the last shabu shabu place I went to in Korea.
Our pot looked VERY empty. Then there was the meat. While I was impressed with the marbling and tenderness of the kobe beef, there simply was not enough of it. Paying $21 for the “large” sized portion, you get maybe 15 slices of beef. Remember, that this beef is very thinly sliced, so 15 slices probably under a half-pound of beef. Lest you think that the high price for the portion was just because it was kobe beef, even the large portion of the regular beef or chicken was around $19.
Our service was also lackluster. We went on a Friday night, but the restaurant was not very busy. Even so, we went 15 to 20 minutes between the waiter visiting our table. We probably sat at the table for a half hour after having asked for our check.
The experience, however, was not without its impressive points. The sushi was, for example, quite good. I ordered the spider roll, which had soft-shelled crab. The couple we were with ordered the California roll and also said it was above average. Also, once the vegetables and meat were cooked, the soba noodles and broth made an excellent soup.
All in all, I cannot recommend Shabu Shabu House in Orem. All ratings are out of 5
Food Quality: 4
Portion Size: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall Experience: 3
tl;dr: good food, but high prices for the portion size, and mediocre service.
Shabu Shabu House
73 south state st
Orem, UT 84058
Martinelli’s Cashes in on Twilight Craze
Posted: June 3, 2010 Filed under: Importance of Being Earnest 3 Comments
Watsonville, CA – Early Thursday morning, Stephen C. Martinelli, president of the well-known S. Martinelli & Company, made an announcement that vast changes are are coming to the family business. S. Martinelli & Company, known for its gold medal award-winning sparkling apple cider, is changing its marketing strategy in order to target the younger generation. Martinelli announced that his company is re-branding several of their key products, including their famous sparkling apple cider.
“It really makes a lot of sense,” the president said speaking of the change, “I am surprised that we didn’t realize this earlier.” He announced that the sparkling apple cider will now be known as “Edward Apple Juice.”
Martinelli cited the significant artistic placement of the apple on the cover on the first book of immensely popular Twilight series, as well as the fact that the vampires sparkle when exposed to sunlight, as the primary reasons for the change.
“With how popular this whole Twilight thing is, we’d be stupid to not try to take advantage of it.” Martinelli said as he put on a “Team Edward” t-shirt; his daughter stood next to him wearing a shirt which read “I like boys (and apples) that SPARKLE.”
The crowd of teenage girls burst into cheers, as their forlorn boyfriends looked on with grim determination. With renewed confidence, the company’s president said that the marketing shift made sense, as the sparkling cider is often seen as an alcohol-free alternative to champagne, and most of the fans of the series are underaged women. “They’re just going to eat this stuff up!” he said with enthusiasm.
The president said that the company had recently concluded significant negotiations with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, and she seemed positive about the changes. Ms. Meyer could not be reached for direct comment, but a call to her manager confirmed that the new beverage will be featured heavily in the upcoming Twilight movie, Eclipse.
Impressive, most impressive
Posted: May 26, 2010 Filed under: Jurassic Park Leave a commentI was wrong. I take it all back. Well, almost all of it. Not that long ago, I said some disparaging things about 3D movies. Today I transcended 3D and watched How to Train Your Dragon in 4D. Let that sink in. 4. D. If there is one things that Koreans love, it is doing things bigger and better than everybody else. Especially if it involves a gimmick. When Fox announced that Avatar would be released in 3D, the Korean branch decided that its moviegoers deserved a little bit more. For about a year before the movie was released, several theaters were retrofitted to give a “4D” experience. What does this extra dimension add? Time travel? Not quite, but it was pretty awesome.
The 4D movie experience means that not only is the movie projected in 3D, but each chair is rigged with special enhancements. When the camera dips and pitches, your seat the the same. When there is wind, your chair blows air in the direction of the wind; if something jumps out of the water, you get a little splash. They have even gone so far as to coordinate smells. SMELLS! Is it a gimmick? yes. Does it work? yes.
Of course, it helped that the movie I was was absolutely magnificent. The only movie playing in 4D theaters right now is How to Train Your Dragon by DreamWorks. I knew just nothing about the movie going in, other than it was going to be played in 4D. I don’t want to ruin it for any of you, but this a movie that is worth seeing.
The story follows a young boy who is coming of age in a viking village. This village is like any other, well, except for the pests: dragons. The animation in the movie was really top notch. The vikings look as vikings ought to, big and burly. The dragons are varied and detailed. The music was also engaging and well done. Even the 4D effects were well done. When the dragons breath fire, you get a burst of air and the smell of smoke. When the characters fly through the air, you can feel the wind on your face and you dip and turn with them. Explosions cause an extra flash of light as the whole theater to shakes and rumbles.
Despite the movie’s impressive presentation, the best part about the movie is the characters. They were very easy to relate to; I think most teenage boys have felt like Hiccup, the main character, at some point: alone, awkward and like you’ll never get the girl. The dialog was delivered very well by the actors, and each one played their role convincingly. It is very hard to find anything that I don’t like about the movie.
At first I wanted to say, “this could be a Pixar movie” because it was so good. But it is distinctly different than movies such as Up, Wall-E, and Toy Story; in this case, that isn’t a bad thing. I admire DreamWorks for taking a different approach to making an animated movie. They didn’t try to copy Pixar, and instead came up with something that is altogether unique. If you enjoyed Flushed Away or Prince of Egypt (or if you have any boys), you will have a good time watching it. The movie is genuinely enjoyable; there aren’t any of the fart jokes or pop references that plague the Shrek series.
In short, How to Train Your Dragon is an excellent movie with relatable characters and stellar presentation. See it. Please. If you are in Korea and don’t mind spending more on your ticket, see it in 4D. I give this movie 4 and a half breaths of fire. It is worth seeing in the theater and buying a copy when it is released on DVD; I know it will end up on my “to buy” list very soon.
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 