Michael Music Monday - 11/07/011

Today in a Los Angeles courtroom, a guilty verdict was delivered in the Michael Jackson involuntary manslaughter case. Its been over two years since we lost one of the most iconic Pop entertainers that has ever walked this Earth. While today's events will not change the past, it will hopefully give much needed relief that justice has been served and the closure will come to the Jackson family for their loss.

So today I want to share a Michael Jackson video. It only seems apprppriate. The world misses you Michael Jackson. Long live the TRUE KING OF POP.

Michael Jackson - Gone Too Soon / Heal the World - Live



John

La Hacienda de San Angel - A Photo Essay

La Hacienda de San Angel, a set on Flickr.

Enjoying a great meal at the new restaurant in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot...

La Hacienda de San Angel - A Review

This past July when I visited Walt Disney World, I made a point to visit new eateries or restaurants I hadn't visited in a long time. A couple of new restaurants have recently opened at Disney World. One of the new restaurants is located in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. La Hacienda de San Angel sits on the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon, next to to the re-built Cantina de San Angel.

La Hacienda is a 267-seat, full-service, table restaurant. It's a re-creation of the famous La Hacienda restaurant in Mexico City. It's a beautifully designed restaurant. As soon as you enter La Hacienda, you do feel like you have stepped back in time, into another part of the world. There are beautiful accents, decorations and paintings located thru-out the place.

We had a 6pm reservation for dinner. Before getting to Epcot, I was afraid that La Hacienda would be an open-air restaurant. On this trip, the weather had been so hot and humid. This was the 5th day of our trip. By this time, I was not in the mood to sit out-doors for dinner. To my great relief, La Hacienda is an in-door restaurant. I was getting it confused with La Cantina, which is the open-air, quick service, carry-out eatery that is located adjacent to La Hacienda.

We were greeted by a Host and Hostess. After a few minutes, the Host lead us to our table, a huge booth and table that could have easily seated  4 or 5 people. Our booth was located in the center of the restaurant, which is great for people watching. After sitting down, we met our server, Sergio, and a server in training, Miguel. Both servers are originally from Mexico, working for Disney on a one-year contract.

After sitting, Sergio handed us menus. I have to say, I have never seen such beautiful menus. They are huge, hard cover menus that are covered in etched green leather. Take a look at the menus:

After reviewing the menu, I informed the server that we were on the Disney Plan. I wanted to make sure what that entitled. On the Dining Plan, I was entitled to an entree, dessert and a non-alcoholic drink. But since I was really hungry, I wanted an appetizer. And since it was hot, I wanted a drink. A Real Drink. On the table there were displays for drink specials. One of the specials was a Blood Orange Margarita. It looked so tasty, so I ordered one. YUMMY!!!

After taking a sip of my drink, I needed to order some food. When we sat down, our server Sergio brought us a bowl of tri-colored tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa is really good, not too spicy. I love the tri-color chips. Then I ordered queso fundido, which is warm cheese with poblano pepper and chorizo that is accompanied by homemade tortillas. The cheese is warm and tasty with a little heat. This was so good!!

So for dinner, I ordered the Puerco en Salsa de Mole Negro, which is roasted pork tender loin with mole sauce, served with roasted corn, sweet potato mash, beans and vegetables. My nephew ordered the chicken tender plate, Mexican style. I also ordered a side of black beans and rice. When the food was delivered, I was amazed by how beautiful the food looked. They say you eat with your eyes first, before with your mouth. I totally understand that now.

Everything about our meal was great. The pork was well cooked. The mole was tasty. The beans and rice were yummy. My nephew loved his chicken tenders. And the table service by Sergio and the trainee were spot on. They made the time go by so fast. As a matter of fact, when dinner was done and I looked at my watch, I realized we had spent almost two hours at dinner. So if you want a quick meal, this is NOT the place for you. This is where you take your time, enjoy a drink, have a great meal and relax and enjoy the view.

I highly recommend La Hacienda de San Angel for a great dinning experience. The food is great, the service is top notch and the setting & atmosphere is beautiful. And using the Dining Plan to eat at this restaurant is a great bargain. I felt I would have gotten my money's worth had I paid for the meal myself. So if you're looking for a great Mexican meal while visiting Epcot, I suggest you stop by La Hacienda. Enjoy!

John

Madonna Music Monday - 10/31/2011

Happy Halloween!!! Well it time to put on your scary outfits and scare people and collect treats from your neighbors.

For today's selection, I picked a song that has no video attached to it. That's because its a song that was not officially released. That song is SUPERNATURAL. It's a song that comes from the Like A Payer era of music. The song is about a woman who is in love with a ghost. Its a funny song.

The video I picked combines the song with video from a Steven Klein art installation that Madonna took part of. The song, combined with the video, delivers a very eerie effect. Perfect for Halloween!!

So here is Madonna performing Supernatural. Booo!!!



John

Boo To You Halloween Parade - 2008

Boo To You - 2008, a set on Flickr.

Pics from the Boo To You Halloween Parade at the Magic Kingdom in 2008...!!!