Redemption Island

The beginning of the episode is very explosive at Redemption Island. First, Galang got a glimpse of the person voted off from the Tadhana tribe last episode, Rachel. Tyson is not shocked at the vote as he figured Tadhana would try to get him to switch to weaken Galang. As expected, Tyson offers to switch places with Rachel if she wants. However, she realizes that Tyson is in a great position in his tribe and has the advantage of previous experience in the game. He has a great chance to get deep into the game. As the goal is for one of them to win, she wisely declines the offer. It is a decision I greatly respect. It is selfless as it is her first time playing and I would not blame her if she wanted to see how far she could get in the game. Nevertheless, Tyson is furious with Tadhana for voting out his girlfriend and warns them that they have no chance if they face him at Redemption Island. Specifically, he lashes out at Brad Culpepper. Moreover, Marissa curses at Brad for his role in getting her voted out. She correctly points out that the votes have been questionable as Tadhana has been voting out strong players. As a result, the tribe will continue to lose challenges because of that strategy. Rachel piles on and throws Brad under the bus for running the show on the tribe. This scene illustrates how Brad’s alliance is brilliant in allowing him to take the role of leader. He is not actually in charge. As I noted before, he is the figure head that is taking the bullets.

Next, there is no redemption for Colton on Redemption Island. He came into the show trying to show everyone that he has matured as a human being and not the bad person he appeared to be in Survivor: One World. He failed in every way possible. First, he did not adapt to the veteran players he is playing with in the current season. Colton was able to control and intimidate the players on his first season. However, the returning players in Blood vs. Water are too smart to allow Colton to get his way. Like a spoiled brat, Colton has temper tantrums and whines when things do not go his way. When his whining makes things worse for him, he outright quits rather than accepting responsibility for his shortcomings and get voted out. He does not even try to redeem himself by trying to convince his tribe mates that he is a better person and fighting to the end. It speaks very poorly of his character. Instead of showing that he is a better person than he is perceived, he hurts his image even further by also showing that he has no intestinal fortitude and toughness. With so many people waiting in line to play Survivor, it is disgraceful that he quits when he was given a second chance to play. Jeff Probst is infuriated with Colton quitting and calls him out. First, he mentions that Colton feigned appendicitis in Survivor: One World. As such, Jeff suggests that Colton quit in that season rather than being medically evacuated. Jeff completely piles on by calling Colton selfish. Next, Jeff suggests Colton is a quitter in life when things do not goes his way and a person who is better suited to stay on his couch to watch the show rather than get off it to play. As a final insult, Jeff says Colton can keep his buff instead of putting it in the urn to burn as that right is only reserved for players who compete. I agree with everything Jeff said about Colton.

In the duel, the players have to create a stack of blocks that will fall like dominoes to reach the end of the course to release a ball that will break the plate. Again, Candice has razor sharp focus and finishes quickly. As a returning player, she has a huge advantage in experience and staying calm. She is also very athletic, competitive, and intelligent. She will get more and more confidence each week and will be an extremely tough person to eliminate at Redemption Island. The new players, Marissa and Rachel, have a much more difficult time as it takes them awhile to finish the duel. Eventually, Marissa is able to complete it before Rachel. Tyson embraces Rachel before she leaves the game. He asks is she had fun in the game and she responds that she did.

Aftermath

Brad definitely has a huge target on his back as Galang holds him responsible for voting out its loved ones. It also hurts his wife’s position in her tribe and alliance. Monica worked her way into the majority alliance. However, Brad is being blamed for voting out the loved ones of two members of her alliance. As a result, her alliance could turn on her for retribution. Brad does make an excellent point when he notes that “In the past, you vote someone off and their dirty laundry goes with them. Now, you vote someone off and the dirty laundry comes back at you”. With loved ones in the game, voting out a player also results in her loved ones coming back at you and potentially making your loved on a target. The Blood vs Water twist also adds a lot of emotion to the game. Tyson has tears in his confessional when he speaks about Rachel being voted off. Tyson is a pretty care free guy and would never cry in the game if his girlfriend is not in the game. It makes Survivor more personal for every player and helps the viewer get emotionally attached to the game.

Caleb and Tyson are in better strategic positions with their loved ones leaving. When Colton leaves the game, Caleb is completely calm, understanding, and remains unnerved and ready to continue to compete. Both Caleb and Tyson are likeable people and in the majority alliance in their tribes. Without their loved ones in the game, their alliance has no reason to vote them out anytime soon. As Candice wins the duel again, she gets to give another clue to whoever she wants. Of course, she chooses her husband again. It is a gift and a curse.

Immunity Challenge

The immunity challenge is a one on one battle between players. The players are given pads and need to knock the other player off the platform. The first tribe with five individual match victories wins immunity. There are some interesting matchups. The first is between Gervase and Brad who have been trash talking to each other. Gervase puts up a good fight at the beginning. However, Brad is a former, NFL player and it is no surprise that he wins. Gervase did well to keep it competitive. John distinguishes himself for Tadhana as he quickly beats Aras. However, Aras redeems himself later when he faces his brother Vytas. Despite Vytas getting in a cheap shot in a move that Jeff calls “one of the biggest unsportsmanlike moves”, Aras still wins the matchup. Tadhana loses immunity because their two women, Ciera and Katie, go 0-4 in their matchups including losses to their mothers. The ineptitude of Ciera and Katie supports the opinion that Tadhana foolishly voted out their stronger women because of their loved ones on Galang.

Five Guys?

With a third consecutive loss in the immunity challenge and the women to blame, it appeared certain that the five guy alliance would stick together and vote out one of the women. However, Brad sees that Candice is doing very well and is concerned about her reentering the game as John’s allegiance would definitely be to his wife. Another factor in targeting John is that he has both clues to the hidden immunity idol and everyone knows it. As the idol is always a threat, John is a natural target. John completely mishandled the clues. Everyone knows he has it. As such, he should have just shared the clue with his alliance to keep their trust. Even when he tries to gain Brad’s trust by telling him the second clue, John messes up the situation by seeming suspicious by telling Brad he does not need him to help find the idol as he wants to find it himself. Brad gets the support from his tribe to vote out John. However, I do not agree with the decision. It is overplaying too early. It is way too early to be worried about Candice reentering the game. Voting out one of your strongest players in the challenges when the tribe has yet to win an immunity challenge makes no sense. Moreover, his alliance begins to distrust Brad as he showed he can turn on his allies quickly. Nevertheless, Brad’s alliance would be foolish to vote him out before the merge. Brad has taken the blame for all the decisions of Tadhana. As such, him and his wife would be targets for everyone near the merge and keep the attention off the other players in his alliance and their loved ones.

The post Survivor: Blood vs Water Episode 3 Notes appeared first on Rookerville.

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics

Detroit Tigers (93-69)

Overview:

The Detroit Tigers swept the New York Yankees in last year’s ALCS to get to the World Series then got swept themselves at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. In the Jim Leyland era, the Tigers have been to the World Series twice but are 1-8 in 9 games. The Tigers are hoping to get another chance and win it this time. They took care of business in the regular season by winning the division and have another very good shot at going deep into the playoffs. However, the injury to superstar Miguel Cabrera is a major issue for that quest.

Hitting:

R: 796 (2^nd) AVG: .283 (1^st) OBP: .346 (2^nd) HR: 176 (7^th)

Despite the injury late in the season, Miguel Cabrera had another monster season. The 1-5 hitters in the Tigers lineup is the best in baseball with Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Victor Martinez. Hunter has been a great offseason acquisition. However, if Cabrera is compromised in the playoffs, it is a different lineup. He is the best hitter in baseball and they need him to carry them to another World Series. Because of the injury, Cabrera is a wild card.

Pitching:

ERA: 3.61 (9^th) WHIP: 1.25 (9^th) K: 1,428 (1^st) BB: 462 (10^th)

Justin Verlander is no longer the best pitcher in baseball. His velocity has decreased and his walks are up. Nevertheless, a 3.46 ERA in the American league is more than respectable and he is still a presence. More importantly, he finished up very strong with a 2.27 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 48 Ks compared to 10 walks in September. He is pitching his best baseball heading into the postseason. The best pitcher in the American League this year has been Verlander’s teammate, Max Scherzer. After years of inconsistency, Scherzer finally put it all together going 21-3 with a 2.57 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 240 Ks compared to 56 walks. Anibal Sanchez also had a great season with a 2.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 202 Ks compared to 54 walks. Doug Fister is also an excellent number 4 starter. The Tiger pitchers struck out the most men in baseball. Their rotation can win them a World Series. While they had a closer problem last year when Jose Valverde imploded in the playoffs, Joaquin Benoit has pitched great this season in the role.

Oakland As (96-66)

Overview:

For a few years, it appeared that GM Billy Beane lost the advantage he needed with a small market team when he revealed his tricks in Moneyball as the big market teams adopted his analytical strategies for building a team and the As had bad teams. Nevertheless, Beane has done it again and rebuilt the As on a low budget. They were ahead of schedule last year and ended up losing in 5 games in the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers last year. They proved that season was no fluke as they backed it up with another division title, pulling away from the Texas Rangers in a close race going into September. They are looking for revenge against the Tigers in this series.

Hitting:

R: 767 (4^th) AVG: .254 (14^th) OBP: .327 (8^th) HR: 186 (3^rd)

The As really took a step forward offensively this season and had one of the best offenses in baseball. They get it done with the Moneyball way: get on base and hit a lot of homeruns. Third basemen Josh Donaldson had a breakout season hitting .301 with a .384 OBP, 24 homeruns, and 93 RBIs. However, the As have built their lineup by having a deep lineup with a lot of good hitters rather than having a couple of big sluggers. The wild card for them is Yoenis Cespedes. He had a sophomore slump batting only .240. However, he still had 26 homeruns. As he showed in the homerun derby this year when he won it despite the fact that he was not an All-Star, he has as much power as anyone and it can change a series.

Pitching:

R: 3.56 (7^th) WHIP: 1.22 (3^rd) K: 1,183 (23^rd) BB: 428 (3^rd)

The As have done it with veteran Bartolo Colon rejuvenating his career and being the ace of the staff while surrounding him with young, promising pitchers. While Colon cheated with PEDs, an 18-6 season with a 2.65 ERA and 1.15 WHIP is still impressive at his age. They have an army of young and improving pitchers in Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, Dan Straily, and A.J. Griffin. I really like that they attack the strike zone and do not walk too many batters. Their weakness is that they are relying on an older Colon as their ace and the young pitcher are not top pitchers yet despite their continued improvement. On the other hand, the As also have a deep and effective bullpen.

Regular Seasons Series:

It was very competitive with the As winning it 4-3.

The Matchup:

Last year’s playoff series went the full five games and the As edged the Tigers in the regular season series. I expect another close series this season. Statistically, these two teams are even in every way. However, stars shine in the playoffs and the Tigers have Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder. Moreover, the Tigers four starters are clearly better than the As starting pitching.  However, the health of Cabrera can change things drastically.

Prediction:

Toss Up. Tigers in 5 if Miguel Cabrera is healthy and provides a presence even if he does not have a monster series.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

Tampa Bay Rays (92-71)

Overview:

It was a close race for the AL East until the Rays went into a swoon at the beginning of September and the Red Sox pulled away from them. However, the Rays have rebounded and is one of the hottest teams in baseball winning 15 of their last 20 games and beating a team that was on a 7 game win streak, Texas Rangers, and another team on a 10 game win streak, Cleveland Indians, in back to back elimination games en route to the ALCS. The Rays have top starters and a much improved offense. They are legitimate contenders to win it all.

Hitting:

R: 700 (11^th) BA: .257 (12^th) OBP: .329 (4^th) HR: 165 (11^th)

The Rays are a different offense when Evan Longoria is healthy and a presence in the middle of the lineup. Rookie Wil Myers was a great acquisition in the offseason and has made a significant impact forming a 1-2 punch with Longoria. Ben Zobrist is underrated and continues to be an excellent hitter year over year. The wild card in this offense is Delmon Young. He raises his game in the playoffs. I have seen him destroy the Yankees in the last two postseasons. In the Wild Card game against the Indians, Young put the Rays ahead with another postseason homerun.

Pitching:

ERA: 3.74 (12^th) WHIP: 1.23 (5^th) K: 1,310 (3^rd) BB: 482 (15^th)

Ace and reigning Cy Young winner David Price struggled mightily at beginning of the season. However, he rebounded in a big way to have another big season. He was completely dominant against the Texas Rangers in the elimination game to break the tie for the second wild card. Alex Cobb broke out this season and established himself as the second best pitcher on the staff and a rising ace. Matt Moore and Chris Archer are also a couple of rising aces that pitched great this season. Moore is the Game 1 starter and can be as dominant as anyone. His one negative is too many walks. Nevertheless, the Rays already have a rotation that is ready to win them a World Series. While closer Fernando Rodney struggled at the beginning of the season after a historic 2012, he rebounded nicely. Rodney and setup man Joel Peralta form an excellent back of the pen.

Boston Red Sox (97-65)

Overview:

The Red Sox went from last to first within a season. They cleaned up the atmosphere in their clubhouse by getting rid of the problems and bringing in character guys like Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster, and Mike Napoli to go with their core of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Jacoby Ellsbury. The return of former pitching coach John Farrell to manage the team has been a great hire as he has completely turned the pitching staff around.

Hitting:

R: 853 (1^st) AVG: .277 AVG (2^nd) OBP: .349 (1^st) HR: 178 (6^th)

The Red Sox have built a deep lineup. Each hitter gives a tough at bat and works the pitcher. It is an unrelenting lineup and there are no easy outs. Accordingly, they have the highest team on base percentage in baseball. Additionally, they cash in on those runners on base as they hit a lot of homeruns. Especially in Fenway Park, this lineup is devastating. The one weakness is that it strikes out a lot which could be a problem in the playoffs against the top pitchers in the league. The wild card is Mike Napoli. He strikes out a lot (187 Ks this season) but is a game breaker with a ton of power.

Pitching:

ERA: 3.79 (14^th) WHIP: 1.30 (15^th) K: 1,294 (7^th) BB: 524 (7^th)

John Farrell really made his presence felt. Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and even John Lackey had rebound seasons. Buchholz was limited to 108.1 innings due to injury but pitched like an ace when he was healthy going 12-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Jake Peavy was also a very good midseason trade for the Red Sox. However, I do not think the Red Sox have a sure ace that other teams do. In addition, their pitching staff walks too many batters. Their offense can slug them through a series but they will need Buchholz and Lester to come up big in the playoffs if they want to win the World Series. Offseason acquisition Koji Uehara had a monster season taking over as closer after both Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan were lost for the season. Uehara’s stats are ridiculous with a 1.09 ERA and 0.57 WHIP. The playoffs are always a different animal with amplified pressre. It should be interesting to see if Uehara can continue his dominance.

Regular Seasons Series:

The Red Sox won decisively 12-7.

The Matchup:

Despite the regular season series, I will always take the better pitching in a short playoff series. The Rays have the much better starting pitching. While the Red Sox beat up Alex Cobb and Chris Archer, Matt Moore and David Price dominated the Red Sox lineup this season and could pitch in at least 3 out of the 5 games. On the other hand, Lester, Lackey, and Peavy were not great against the Rays. Buchholz dominated the Rays and did not give up a single run to them this season. However, he is still recovering from his latest injury and is only pitching in one game this series.

Prediction:

Rays in 4. However, I think Lester will pitch the Red Sox to the next round if it comes down to a Game 5 in Boston.

The post ALDS Preview appeared first on Rookerville.

Score: 9.5/10

“Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.” – Mary Margaret Blanchard/ Snow White

I believe that a good story is a good story regardless of genre (e.g. action, love story, etc.). Once Upon A Time is one of my favorite shows on television. When my cousin’s wife recommended the series to me during its first season, I wrongly judged a book by its cover and was hesitant to watch it as I believed I had outgrown fairy tales. Once Upon A Time is not just a good story. It is a great story. The pilot episode does an excellent job at laying out the premise of the show. The Evil Queen (Lana Parilla) has a grudge against Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin). Accordingly, she crashes the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and threatens to enact a curse that will send everyone to a place that will take away their happy endings. Where is this place? Of course, it is the real world, our world. After the Evil Queen’s threat, Snow White and Prince Charming consult with their kingdom on how to prevent the evil plot. Eventually, they seek the guidance of the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). He notes that the curse will happen but that their unborn daughter, Emma, will return when she is 28 years old and break the curse. As such, they commission a magical wardrobe to be constructed that will protect the baby from the curse. When the curse consumes the kingdom, the cabinet safely sends Emma into our world where she is found on a highway. Everyone else in the Enchanted Forest is separately sent to Storybrooke, Maine with no recollection of who they were in their previous life.

When Emma (Jennifer Morrison) turns 28, a young boy Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) shows up at her apartment in Boston. Henry tells Emma that he is her biological son that she gave up for adoption at birth. While she still does not want anything to do with Henry, he is crafty and persuasive in convincing Emma to drive him back to Storybrooke. Moreover, he shows Emma the book he has that contains all the fairy tale stories. He tells his mother all the stories are real and that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and destined to end the curse in Storybrooke as foretold in the book. He also knows that his adoptive mother, Regina Mills who is the mayor of Storybrooke, is the Evil Queen. Naturally, Emma does not believe him and disregards it off as a kid with a wild imagination. Although she decides to return to Boston after dropping Henry off, she swerves off the road and hits a sign to avoid hitting a wolf before she can leave the town. As such, the accident keeps her in Storybrooke. She begins to build a relationship with Henry and becomes a willing mother instead of a reluctant one. Moreover, time begins to move again in Storybrooke as the hands on the clock tower begin to move for the first time in 28 years. She also meets the different people in the town as she becomes a part of the community. The show is brilliant in developing the stories of each individual character. Each episode features a reimagining of the fairy tale stories along with the story of the real life counterpart in Storybrooke. While it does still feature the surreal aspects of magic and true love, the strength of the show is that it does it in a realistic and believable way.

Another great aspect of the show are great characters that you fall in love with and build an emotional connection to as you watch them develop during the series.  The main protagonist of the series is Emma Swan. Jennifer Morrison does a solid job portraying the character. Although she is the prophesized savior who will break the curse, she has strayed far from that destiny and is far from being a hero. She has a history of being a thief and has been to prison. Moreover, she abandoned her baby because she knew she could not handle the responsibility and wanted a better life for her child. As such, she is a reluctant mother and a reluctant hero at the beginning of the series. Nevertheless, the love and belief from Henry transforms her into a loving mother and responsible, brave hero. Jared S. Gilmore does a very good job playing Henry Mills. He is an innocent child who is a true believer in fairy tales and happy endings. However, his belief is mistaken for a lonely child with an unhealthy imagination who needs to see a psychiatrist. Consequently, he has a difficult time convincing adults about the curse in the first season. In particular, Emma is completely skeptical and only plays along at the beginning to not hurt Henry’s feelings. She does not fully believe until the end of the first season when she is forced to break the curse to save Henry’s life.

The best performance in the series is Ginnifer Goodwin’s portrayal of Mary Margaret Blanchard/ Snow White. Ginnifer is brilliant in playing the pure hearted, adorable Snow White. She has a knack for making a viewer fall in love with her characters. As a young girl, Snow White inadvertently divulges information that causes the death of Regina’s true love. Consequently, it is the push that begins Regina’s path to becoming the Evil Queen. Of course, she also holds Snow responsible for the death of her true love. As the Evil Queen, she attempts to have Snow killed similar to the fairy tale. When she is unable to kill Snow, she enacts the curse to take away Snow’s happy ending. In Storybrooke, Snow is Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry’s teacher. She also visits a John Doe who is in a coma in the hospital. She unknowingly gravitates to him because he is actually Prince Charming and her true love. Regina delights in the fact that Snow is so close to her true love but does not know it. From Regina’s perspective, it is the ultimate payback for Snow’s role in killing her happiness. When Joe Doe wakes up, it is revealed that he is David Nolan. Josh Dallas does an excellent job playing David and Prince Charming. He is confident, brave, and the quintessential knight in shining armor. As David in Storybrooke, he has a wife. In the Enchanted Forest, she was his fiancée in a forced, arranged marriage that he never went through with when he fell in love with Snow. As a result, the first season features a complicated love triangle where Mary Margaret and David are unable to stay away from each other due to true love. On the other hand, they have to deal with the moral dilemma that David is married and their being together is adultery. It is a fact that Regina tries to use to keep them apart and torment them. However, their relationship is the show’s signature love story. In the words of Prince Charming, “You [Snow White] will always find me and I will always find you”. The flashbacks to their love story in the Enchanted Forest are superbly done. While true love is a cliché concept, the series delivers it well without being too sappy or cheesy.

No story is complete without great villains. Lana Parilla is excellent as the Evil Queen and Regina Mills. At the beginning of the series, she is completely cold and merciless as both personas. Regina wants Henry all to herself and wants Emma out of town as soon as possible. Emma and Regina is the main conflict in the first season as they fight for Henry’s love and the support of the town. Without magic in Storybrooke in the first season, Regina resorts to abusing her power as mayor to try to intimidate Emma into staying away from Henry and leaving Storybrooke. However, Emma is defiant and stubborn. Regina’s actions only make Emma more determined to fight her and beat her. Although Regina is depicted as nothing but scheming and evil at the beginning of the series, her character is complex. She was not always evil. She was a good person until she lost the man she loved. At that point, she replaced love with her lust for power and revenge. As she is developed in the series, I come to appreciate Regina as a sympathetic, tragic character who was an inherently good person that was a victim and forced to be evil. Although she still had a decision to resist being the Evil Queen, you can empathize with the traumatic events that led to her fall from grace. Her redeeming factor is that she yearns to love, which is the reason she adopts and raises Henry. As the show progresses, the viewer can understand the reason she does not want to share Henry as she has only known loss in her life so she fears losing her adoptive son. Her love for Henry starts to bring her back to being a good person. In the second season, she performs some very heroic and selfless acts. However, she struggles with wanting to be a just person again and being the villain she has been for so long. It is a struggle that she continues to try to deal with in the series.

The other major villain in the series is Rumplestiltskin or the Dark One. Robert Carlyle is fantastic as the psychopathic, purely evil Rumplestiltskin. He is more powerful than Regina. He was also her mentor that seduced her to evil and magic. He is known for making deals with people and asking for a high price for favors. In his words, “magic comes at a price”. In Storybrooke, he is Mr. Gold and a pawn shop owner. Similar to his alter ego in the Enchanted Forest, he makes deals with the people of Storybrooke that always come at a price. However, he has a complete memory of who he was in the Enchanted Forest. In fact, it was his idea for Regina to use the curse. His reasons are revealed over the first two seasons. Similar to Regina, Rumplestiltskin is much more complex than he originally appears. Before he became the Dark One, he was a modest man. When he is called to war, he intentionally cripples himself to avoid fighting and dying in order to return to his family. As expected, he is deemed a coward and despised by his peers.  Although his wife abandons him out of shame for his actions, his son Baelfire loves him unconditionally. He is desperate when soldiers come to conscript Baelfire into the army. As such, he kills the Dark One to take his powers. While he originally uses the magic to protect his son, the absolute power corrupts him. As Baelfire is distraught with the evil person Rumplestiltskin becomes, he begs his father to leave with him to a world without magic, our world, so that Rumplestiltskin can be a good man again. However, Rumplestiltskin is unable to let go of his power and magic. He allows Baelfire to come to our world without him and he regrets it immediately. Another person that Rumplestiltskin comes to love is Belle (Emilie de Ravin). Their relationship is an example of how the series is great at reimagining a classic fairy tale as the two is the series’ version of Beauty and the Beast. He falls in love with her and she falls in love with him as she begins to see the person he used to be. Despite the corruption of his soul caused by magic and power, Belle inspires him to be a better person. Rumplestiltskin’s love for his son and Belle are factors that push him into trying to be a good person. However, he struggles with overcoming his lust for power. Similar to Regina, he still struggles with balancing good and evil within himself.

While those individuals are the main characters, Once Upon a Time does an excellent job reimagining other classic stories. Some of my other favorites during the series are Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Captain Hook. The first season is about Emma breaking the curse. The second season has multiple great storylines. First, Emma and Snow White fall through a portal that transports them into the Enchanted Forest. We discover that the Enchanted Forest was not destroyed by the curse. In addition, and there are some characters who were shielded from the curse and stayed in the forest. Emma and Snow befriend Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Prince Aurora/ Sleeping Beauty (Sarah Bolger) who help them find their way back to Storybrooke. Along the way, they meet up with Captain Hook. Colin O’Donoghue is fantastic as the Captain. He is a scoundrel and a true pirate. However, he does have redeeming qualities. I am still struggling on deciding whether he is a good guy or bad guy. At this point, he seems like an anti-hero. In the second season, he is motivated by revenge against Rumplestiltskin. Hook is trying to find a way to Storybrooke so he can kill Rumplestiltskin. On the other hand, Hook wronged Rumplestiltskin first to begin the cycle of revenge. In the pursuit of vengeance, Hook makes a deal with the devil as he teams up with the person in Regina’s past who turned her to evil. That same person looks for a way to return to Regina and is the main antagonist in the second season. Another threat in the second season is people from the real world that discover Storybrooke. They hate magic and want to destroy Storybrooke.  As such, rivals have to band together to foil the plot.

The third season picks up at the end of the second season. The people from the real world that want to destroy magic also kidnap Henry and use a magic bean to escape to another world. The show has taken us to Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest, and Wonderland already. It will now bring us to Neverland. As developed in the second season, Henry binds six people together for different reasons. The six people are Emma, Snow White, Prince Charming, Regina, Rumplestiltskin, and Hook. Although it is an alliance that seemed unlikely earlier in the series, Henry is a unifying factor that sets the uneasy alliance on a quest to save him in Neverland. After the first episode, the season already looks promising. The creators of the show have reinvented Peter Pan as a villain in Neverland and I cannot wait to see where they go with the storylines.

The post Once Upon A Time Series Review appeared first on Rookerville.

Score: 6/10

Episode 2 is titled “0-8-4”. The episode begins with agents Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) and Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) voicing their concerns about the other members of the team to the leader of the squad, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Their concerns about Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are that they have no combat experience and would be liabilities in the field. However, Fitz and Simmons are S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists whose expertise is valuable for the team. Ward’s and May’s biggest issue is the recruitment of Skye (Chloe Bennet). While Fitz and Simmons are certified S.H.I.E.L.D scientists, Skye has no training. The more concerning fact is that she is a member of the Rising Tide. While Ward views her hacking abilities as dangerous when amplified by the technology of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson believes he can assimilate Skye into the team and harness her abilities to be an asset for his team. Coulson’s vision is to have a diverse team with each individual bringing unique skills to the table. If it works, he will have a great team. However, very different people will clash at first similar to the way the Avengers initially fight among themselves in “the Avengers movie” until they unite against a common enemy. The second episode focuses on the natural rift and team building between the brawn, Ward and May, and the brains, Fitz, Simmons, and Skye.

The episode also features more of Coulson’s plane, the Bus. It is a high tech plane given to Coulson by Director Nick Fury after the Battle of New York. His team uses it to fly to Peru to go on a “0-8-4”. The code refers to a mission to find a priority, yet unknown item. The last time Coulson went on this type of mission, he found a hammer, Thor’s hammer. In Peru, the team discovers that the item is a tesseract fueled weapon. In real life, Nazis fled to Latin America after World War II to hide. Piggybacking off the same concept, the episode notes that the scientists of the fictitious Nazi deep science division Hydra, featured in “Captain America: The First Avenger”, fled to Peru and helped its government commission the weapon. While they try to extract the item, they find themselves in the middle of a fight between rebels and the Peruvian military. Coulson is a former acquaintance of the military’s leader, Camilla Reyes (Leonor Varela). As such, they help each other and Coulson gives her troops a lift on the Bus. However, Reyes mission is to take the weapon back and use it to crush the rebels. Accordingly, the climax of the episode is the struggle between Coulson’s newly formed team and Reyes and her troops. During the battle, we learn why Melinda May is known as “the Cavalry”.

Similar to “the Avengers”, Coulson’s team rallies against a common enemy like the way the Avengers rallied against Loki after Coulson’s staged death. The group is forced to come together as a team to stop Reyes’s troops. Overall, the episode flowed well and was definitely entertaining. It also highlights the differences in background and personalities within Coulson’s team that needs to be reconciled so they can move forward as a cohesive unit. The action scenes are also good. Next, Leonor Varela played the villain well. Varela is a Chilean actress and model so she is strikingly, beautiful on screen. At the end of the episode, Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo as Director Nick Fury. The first two episodes have been excellent at linking back to the Marvel films without forcing the issue. In a comical scene, he tears Coulson apart for severely damaging the Bus within a week of receiving the plane. Nick Fury cameos are always entertaining and I like that it links the show back to the movies. In addition, Fury reiterates to Coulson that Skye is a threat. The concern is not unwarranted. Near the end of the episode, Skye receives a message from the Rising Tide and her response is “I’m in”. It will be interesting to see how this storyline is developed.

On the other hand, there are still aspects of the show to improve upon. First, the acting is good but not great. I would also like to see the character development progress and to learn more about each character’s past. For example, agent May seems to have a colorful past but it has only been alluded at so far in the show. The show also needs a unifying mission and theme. After the first two episodes, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have been doing one off missions. They ensured that a man with superpowers was a not a danger to society in the first episode. Then, they extract a weapon to keep it out of the hands of bad people in the second episode. I understand that the point of Coulson’s task force is to protect society from unusual threats. However, the first two episodes are completely standalone. I think the show needs to introduce a threat or bigger mission that each episode builds upon to keep the show compelling and viewers watching. I am curious to see if the Rising Tide is the aspect of the show that links the episodes together this season.

The post Marvel’s Agents of Shield Episode 2 appeared first on Rookerville.

As a Yankee fan, Mariano Rivera has been an institution. For the better part of 12 seasons, we knew we had the mother of all closers. He has one of the most unhittable pitches of all-time with his cut fastball, has impeccable control, has the ultimate will to win, is ridiculously athletic and can field his position as well as anyone, and is unmatched in his mental toughness. He has a smooth delivery that he was able to repeat time after time. When his velocity decreased over the years, he compensated with movement and sharpening his already incredible control. His stats are ridiculous. Overall, he has the most saves in history with 652 to go along with a 2.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 1,173 Ks in 1,283.2 innings. As a testament to his control, he only walked 286 batters and had a great 4.1 K/BB ratio. More impressively, Rivera has been able to sustain his performance at a position where dominance is short lived and turnover is high (e.g. Eric Gagne, Brad Lidge). In his 19 year career, he had 11 seasons with an ERA under 2 and 10 seasons with WHIP under 1. Outside of his rookie season in 1995, his only other season with an ERA over 3 was in 2007 (3.15). As spectacular as his regular season stats are, he turned it up in the postseason where he is 8-1 with the most saves in postseason history by a large margin (42) with a mindboggling 0.70 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. However, Mariano Rivera is much more than stats. His presence at the end of games affected how other teams looked at each game. In the postseason, the thought was that the game was over by the 8th inning if you were down as Mariano would lock down another Yankee victory. It was one of the key aspects of the mystique of the Yankees dynasty at the end of the 90s. For Yankee fans, we salivated over having an unbeatable weapon at the end of games.

Nevertheless, even the great ones get beat. It is how you deal with and respond to failure that makes you a legend. Mariano is no different and he had a few big blunders over his career. The first occurred in 1997 in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. With the Yankees up 2-1 in the 8th inning and 4 outs from advancing to ALCS, Mariano gave up a game tying homer to Sandy Alomar Jr. The Indians ended up winning Game 4 and then Game 5 to win the series. It was Mariano’s first year as a closer after the Yankees won the World Series in 1996. While giving up a big homerun in a big spot can hurt a young closer’s confidence, Mariano overcame the hurdle and built his legend in the following years by closing out three consecutive World Series from 1998 to 2000 without blowing a save. His next blown save in the postseason came in 2001. The 2001 World Series between Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks, was one of the most dramatic series, especially after the devastation of September 11th in New York. The Yankees won Game 4 and Game 5 in the World Series in dramatic fashion with 3 dramatic homeruns late in those two games. With the Yankees taking a 2-1 lead off a go ahead homerun from Alfonso Soriano in the 8th inning of Game 7, the Yankees were in great shape to win another World Series as the only decision for the Yankees to make at that time was to put Mariano in the game to close it out. After he struck out the side going through the middle of the lineup in the 8th inning, victory seemed certain going into the 9th against the bottom of the Diamondbacks offense. However, a throwing error from Mariano and third basemen Scott Brosius not throwing a double play ball to first in the ninth inning helped setup a dramatic walkoff win for the Diamondbacks. It was one of toughest losses as a Yankee fan and a New Yorker with the dramatics of that postseason and the aftermath of September 11th. While I doubt I have the fortitude to handle blowing such a significant moment, Mariano was more than equipped to deal with the loss and move on. While he started the 2002 season as dominant as ever and made the All-Star team, injuries hurt his performance in the second half and there were concerns that his dominance was beginning to end. Of course it is just another small blip in his career as he rebounded and continued to dominate after 2002.

Of course, the biggest disappointment as a Yankee fan from a purely sports perspective was the 2004 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. With the Yankees up 3-0 in the series, they handed Mariano a 4-3 lead heading into the 8th inning. Similar to Game 7 against the Diamondbacks, Mariano carved through the middle of the Red Sox quickly and faced the bottom of the lineup in the 9th inning. As we know, Mariano walked the leadoff hitter Kevin Millar, pinch runner Dave Roberts stole second, and Bill Mueller singled in the game tying run. The rest is history as the Red Sox began an epic comeback to win the series and win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. How did Mariano handle the situation? In the way only he can, he dealt with it with humility and was secure enough in himself to poke fun of the moment. When the Yankees returned to Boston for the season opener, Mariano tipped his cap to Boston fans and smiled and laughed with the Fenway Faithful. Of course, the Red Sox fans loved the gesture and it is a moment that they still remember and thank Mariano for as displayed by the celebration the Red Sox held for Mariano in his last game in Fenway Park. While I hate recalling these moments as a Yankee fan, there is much to be learned from them. While Mariano is the greatest closer of all time, even the best fall. It is how he dealt with failure that ultimately defines his legacy. Instead of allowing any of those moments to devastate and cripple his career, he went on to dominate through his final season and also closed out the 2009 World Series.

While there may be players in the future that have the talent of Mariano Rivera, there will never be another player that will combine that talent with Mariano’s mental toughness and character. He has been a gentleman and represented baseball with utmost grace. As shown by the response Mariano has received in his final season, he has the greatest respect from every team and player in baseball. We will never see another player quite like him. Since I was in elementary school, I have always slept well knowing Mariano was the closer for the Yankees. However, all good things must come to an end. I am forced to say goodbye to Mariano Rivera. Baseball will never be the same for me. The Yankees will never be the same for me.

The post This is the Greatest and Best Closer in the World…Tribute (Part I: An In Depth View) appeared first on Rookerville.

Redemption Island

Marissa joins Rupert and Candice at Redemption Island after getting voted off Tadhana in the first episode. Everyone from both tribes get to witness the duels this season as it allows for loved to deicde whether they want to switch places. When Marissa sees her tribe, she lashes out at it for voting her out as she performed well during the challenge and her tribe mates only voted for her because of her uncle, Gervase, “rubbing salt in the wound” after his tribe won the challenge. Gervase is completely undeterred and promises Tadhana that he will be rubbing more salt in the wounds going forward. I thought it was hilarious as Gervase feels no guilt for Marissa getting voted off and trash talks even more to Tadhana. When host Jeff Probst asks Gervase if he wants to switch places with Marissa, he does not even contemplate the idea and simply tells his niece to “handle your biz [business]”. Gervase is entertaining and I am glad he is back.

The challenge is a stacking competition. The players have to navigate ten wooden spools through a channel and create a stack with all ten spools that stays standing for three seconds. The structure is on a spring. As such, if you hit the structure with a spool, it will wobble and may cause the stack to fall.  The keys of the challenge are the strength of the stack and not touching the channel. If you do not stack them well, they will all fall and you will have to start from the beginning. Of course, the wind can play a role in the challenge as well. Candice and Rupert have fast starts. Candice remains poised and creates an excellent stack. As such, she wins the challenge easily. Rupert gets close but does not position the eighth spool well on the seventh spool. Of course, it causes the stack to collapse. Marissa took it slow and steady the entire time and is able to finish before Rupert can recover.

The results of the challenge are not a surprise. Candice is athletic and has experience from playing in two previous seasons. On the other hand, Rupert may be useful in camp but he has never done well in individual challenges. Similar to Candice, Marissa is athletic. Although she does not have previous experience, Rupert helped her out by rushing. Rupert is the first player eliminated without ever going to tribal council or receiving a vote. Rupert took the bullet for his wife. While I thought viewers would be tired of him after this season, he did not last long enough for us to feel like he was actually in this season. Consequently, we will probably get another season in the future with Rupert. One of the perks of Candice winning is that she gets the opportunity to give anyone in the game a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Of course, she gives it to her husband, John. While he was scared before Redemption Island that Candice resents him for not taking her place, he is relieved that his wife still supports him unconditionally. However, the clue automatically puts a target on his back as others will suspect that he has a hidden immunity idol whether he has it or not. Nevertheless, the decision is a no brainer for Candice as she was not in the game long enough to know to whom to give the clue for a strategic advantage.

Galang

Colton does not take long to revert back to his old form. While the rest of his tribe is just looking to get along, Colton just wants to play the game and start strategizing. While I agree with him that players should start strategizing as soon as possible, he should not force it if the other players are not ready for it. Colton gets frustrated as the other survivors are not trying to play the game as hard as he wants to play. However, he is missing the boat as building relationships and trust is a part of the game. You have to get a feel for the players and situation of each season and adapt. Unfortunately for Colton, he decides to force the issue by telling lies to other survivors that others are targeting them in order to try to turn people against each other. He does not realize that he is not playing with the clueless players in Survivor: One World. He is playing against savvy, experienced players that do not fall for his schemes. His tribe quickly realizes that he is still the same old Colton. He tried to be a different person for a few days before he reverts back to being the bully he was in his first season. In the words of former winner Aras, Colton is a “gay Russell Hantz”. Moreover, the returning players agree to tell each other what Colton is telling everyone so they can quickly see through his lies. He has definitely played himself on to the chopping block and is now the likely person to be voted out of Galang when they lose a challenge.

The alliance that forms in Galang is Tyson, Aras, Gervase, Tina, and Monica. I really like this alliance. Tyson is personable and is great at keeping a group together. Aras and Tina are very bright players who have won in the past. Gervase is athletic and a fun person to be in your group. Moreover, he showed no deception in the first season and appears to be straightforward and transparent in this season too. I think his alliance can count on his loyalty. Similarly, Monica is athletic and trustworthy. In any other season, I would put my money on this group of five making it to the end. However, their loved ones in the game will complicate things and force the alliance to turn on itself eventually. For this reason, the Blood vs. Water concept significantly adds to the complexity of the game and will prevent “Pagoning”, a term coined for the tribe that was systematically voted out by the only alliance in the first season, as players will try to strategize to save their loves ones. In addition, the alliance will suspect it and consider targeting its own members who still have loved ones in the game.

Immunity Challenge

The challenge begins with both tribes putting a member in a barrel. Three players will roll that barrel to different points where the person in the barrel will come out and untie bags. As one could imagine, untying the bag is more difficult after getting dizzy from being rolled in a barrel. Once they get to the end, one member of each tribe tries to roll six balls into six different holes like skee ball.  As Galang has one extra player, it decides to sit out Kat for the challenge. Katie is the person in the barrel for Tadhana and Laura M. serves the same role for Galang. Both tribes get to the bags and to the last part of the challenge around the same time. Gervase and Hayden do the skee ball finale of the challenge for Galang and Tadhana respectively. Although it is close, Gervase pulls it out for Galang. Of course, he starts showboating again and rubbing it in while shouting that the victory is for Marissa. Galang also wins fishing gear as part of the reward for the challenge.

When Tadhana gets back to its camp, Brad is furious about Gervase’s antics and threatens that he will throw Gervase down if there is a physical challenge in the future. However, I think Tadhana should have just accepted the loss and move on. It already voted out Gervase’s niece to send a message. However, Gervase clearly does not care. As such, it just needs to concentrate on winning, instead of Gervase, to shut him up.

Tadhana

Even before the immunity challenge loss, the all guy alliance was scheming. Vytas comes up with a great idea: vote out Rachel so her loved one, Tyson, will take her place on Redemption Island and weaken the Galang tribe. Vytas really showed his understanding of the game with that plan. Moreover, he proves why a lot of people liked him to do very well before the game started. While most of the guys agree with Vytas, John is hesitant to go along with the plan. He does not want Tyson going to Redemption Island as it is another strong competitor Candice has to beat to stay in the game. However, his suggestion to vote out Ciera instead of Rachel makes his alliance suspicious of him. As he also has a clue to the immunity idol, I do not think he acted wisely by objecting to Vytas’s plan.

While the first episode did not feature the women in this tribe, this episode did a much better job. They are definitely aware of the situation and know that the boys have banded together. They are also smart enough to introduce distrust among the male alliance. Ciera and Katie wisely try to infiltrate the guy clique and tell them that they believe John is aligning with Rachel. As such, they are putting the target on John and away from themselves. In addition, it adds to the guys’ distrust of John as the suggestion is a plausible explanation for why he does not want to vote out Rachel. If Ciera and Rachel can keep themselves in the game a little longer, they can definitely find cracks in the alliance as the game can change drastically in a few days. I definitely gained respect for Ciera’s and Katie’s awareness of the game. They are in this season to play and have a sound strategy to crack the majority alliance.

Vytas, Hayden, and Caleb are the brains of the guy alliance. Brad is the paper leader who they are allowing to be the face of the alliance and take any bullets. John is playing himself out of the alliance. If Vytas, Hayden, and Caleb join forces with Ciera and Katie, I think it could be a stronger alliance than the five guys.

Tribal Council

The guy alliance follows through with its plan and votes out Rachel. Although they tell Ciera and Katie to vote for Rachel, the two women vote for John. The thought process around their votes is very intelligent. First, they believe that John is close to Rachel. If he found the idol and gave it for Rachel to play, they would have voted him out. Next, it plants a seed of doubt in John’s head whether he is on the outs with his alliance. Moreover, it plants further seeds in the other guy’s minds to target John next. Again, I am impressed with Katie and Ciera this episode.

Preview for Next Episode

In the preview, Tyson appears to be willing to swap places with Rachel and tells her it is up to her. However, it could be some slick editing and he actually does not switch places. Regardless, he does threaten the Tadhana tribe by saying “None of you have a chance in hell”. Tyson’s remarks show that there are also legitimate concerns about retribution to consider before voting someone out. Again, it adds another layer of strategy to the game. On the other hand, there will be more drama with Colton. Jeff will ask him whether he wants out of the game. In response, Colton throws a fit and goes over to the Tadhana tribe to sit in Caleb’s lap. I believe it is due to frustration that he is not getting his way on his tribe and that he is not playing well. However, I doubt he pulls himself out of the game. He just likes to be melodramatic all the time. If he does get voted out, I can definitely foresee Caleb being a gentleman and taking Colton’s place

Again, I have to admit that I was not encouraged heading into this season and thought it would be a disaster. However, the first two episodes have been excellent. So far, so good.

The post Survivor: Blood vs. Water Episode 2 Notes appeared first on Rookerville.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place after Marvel’s The Avengers. The first episode does an excellent job tying the movie into the show. Cobie Smulders reprises her role as Agent Maria Hill, Nick Fury’s second in command of S.H.I.E.L.D., from the movie in the pilot. Again, Smulders is excellent as the character. Of course, the world is a lot weirder after the events of the Avengers and the Battle of New York. As noted by Agent Hill, “A little while ago, most people went to bed thinking that the craziest thing in the world was a billionaire… in a flying metal suit [Iron Man]. Then, aliens [the Chatiuri] invaded New York and we’re being backed by, among others, a giant green monster [Hulk], a costume hero from the 40s [Captain America], and a God [Thor].” While it appeared that Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) died when Loki put his spear through him, we learn that Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., faked Coulson’s death to galvanize the Avengers into becoming a team. While Coulson believes he was nursed back to health by S.H.I.E.L.D medics and spent time in Tahiti to relax and recover, Agent Hill makes a remark to S.H.I.E.L.D’s doctor that Coulson can never know the truth. The mystery around Coulson’s resurrection will definitely be something that the series will trickle bits and pieces of as it progresses. Regardless, Coulson is forming and leading a team of agents that will focus on dealing with the new world and potential threats.

The pilot introduces the key agents for the series. The first is Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton). He is great at fighting and espionage. In fact, Agent Hill gives him the “highest marks since Romanoff [Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow who is played by Scarlett Johansson)” for his espionage skills. Of course, it is high praise as we saw Agent Romanoff’s exceptional skills in action during Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. However, he lacks people skills and likes to go on missions solo. His abilities are showcased at the beginning of the episode as he goes to Paris to recover a Chatiuri neural device to keep it away from the wrong people and beats up multiple henchmen along the way. The next agent on the team is Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen). She is working a desk job and reluctant to go back in the field. Nevertheless, Coulson is able to coax her into joining his team. It is also hinted that she is a great agent but we will have to keep on watching to find out what she is known for at S.H.I.E.L.D. Next, we meet Skye (Chloe Bennett). She is a hacker that is part of the group known as the Rising Tide. While her goal is to expose the secrets S.H.I.E.L.D. is covering up, we will have to wait to learn whether there is more to the group Rising Tide. However, she is recruited by Coulson to join the team and accepts the offer.

Moreover, we are introduced to Mike Peterson. While he lost his job after suffering a serious injury, he is given a serum that grants him superpowers such as super strength. We learn that he is given Extremis, which is formula featured in Iron Man III. As shown in the movie, Extremis is unstable and eventually causes the individual to explode. It is unclear which group is responsible for experimenting with Extremis. In Iron Man III, it is A.I.M. It could be revealed that A.I.M. is still the culprit or another group could have taken over the reins. While Mike appears to be a good person, he is becoming violent due to Extremis. As such, he is a danger because of his powers and anger as well as the fact that the unstable formula could cause him to explode. The episode deals with S.H.I.E.L.D trying to contain Mike and determining whether he is friend or foe.

While it is difficult to predict how good a series will be based on the pilot episode, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is off to an good start. Clark Gregg is excellent as Agent Coulson. Consequently, I like the idea of a series centered on him as the main protagonist. Moreover, I really enjoy how the show links back to the universe created by the movies. The tone and style of the series reminds me a lot of Smallville, which is my favorite superhero television series of all time. The success of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will depend on how well they develop Agent Grant Ward, Agent Melinda May, and Skye as characters. The development of Ward is off to a good start as he appears to be a super agent in the mold of a James Bond lite. May can be a good character depending on her back story as the first episode hinted that she has a decorated past as an agent. Skye is a very beautiful woman and an enthusiastic go getter. She reminds me of Chloe Sullivan in Smallville who had her moments but also was irritating at times. I definitely think this show has a lot of potential and it is worth watching the first few episodes to see how it develops.

The post Instant Coffee: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot appeared first on Rookerville.

1. Gyu-Kaku (Multiple Locations)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.gyu-kaku.com/

It is a Japanese barbecue restaurant. I have tried a few Korean barbeque places, Gyu-Kaku is the best Asian barbecue. For anyone not familiar with the concept, you sit at a table with a grill in the middle. The servers will bring raw meat to your table and you cook your meat on the grill. If you have a large party, the Meat Lover combo for 6 people at $220 is the best deal. The meats at Gyu-Kaku are perfectly marinated. I also recommend the chicken garlic noodle as a side and the mochi ice cream for dessert.

2. Carmine’s (Multiple Locations)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.carminesnyc.com/

Carmine’s is a family style Italian restaurant. I have only been to the one in Times Square. Dinner can be a long wait as it is a popular dining spot for the Broadway theater crowd. However, you can definitely beat the crowd if you get there early around 5 PM for dinner or go for lunch. My favorite appetizer is the stuffed mushrooms with Italian sausage and hot pepper filling. Carmine’s definitely has the best stuffed mushrooms I have tasted anywhere. For entrees, I love the penne ala vodka and chicken scaloppine with lemon and butter.

3. Ichi Umi (6 East 32nd ST, New York, NY)

Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars

Website: http://www.ichiumi.com/

When I have a sushi craving, I hit up Ichi Umi as they have over 20 types of sushi. Besides the sushi, it also has a ramen and udon noodle bar, dumplings, a grill, and hot food. For dinner, it also has a crepes station and ice cream that includes green tea, mango, and red bean. I went to dinner early the last time I went and it had half lobsters included for dinner. It is also reasonably price at $24.95 for lunch and $34.95 for dinner.

4. Pio Pio (Multiple Locations)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.piopio.com/

I have been to the Pio Pio locations in Murray Hill, Manhattan and Jackson Heights, Queens. The Matador combo is the best deal at $36. It includes s rotisserie chicken served with rice, beans, tostones, salchipapa & avocado salad. The chicken is the best entrée at Pio Pio. The avocado salad is excellent and salchipapa is French fries and hot dogs. The portions are large and they more than fed my two friends and me. Pio Pio has an amazing green sauce. I love the green sauce at Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine but Pio Pio’s sauce is better.

5. Ariana Afghan Kebab Restaurant (787 9th Ave New York, NY 10019)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.ariananyc.com/

Ariana has the best chicken and rice dish and it is not even close in my opinion. I have yet to try another entrée here. If it is not broke, do not fix it. Make sure you have a bottle of its delicious white sauce before you start eating.

6. Momofuku Ssam Bar (207 2nd Ave New York, NY 10003)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://momofuku.com/new-york/ssam-bar/

I tried this restaurant as part of a team dinner at work. Everything was very good. The Momofuku Bo Ssam Lacquered Pork in Lettuce Leaves dish is something I still drool over when I think about it. The pork is so tender that you do not need a knife to cut it. You just take tongs and pull pieces of it off to put in lettuce leaves. They have multiple sauces you can put on it. The ginger sauce is amazing and my favorite.

7. L&B Spumoni Gardens (2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.spumonigardens.com/

I have almost lived in Brooklyn for two years now. L&B is my favorite restaurant in the borough. It is broken up into 4 areas: the main restaurant, takeout window with seating outside, spumoni and Italian ices, and pizza. The penne alla vodka, chicken entrees, and sandwiches are excellent. However, the best part of L&B is the spumonis and Italian ices. They are the best I have tried anywhere. It is a great place to bring your family.

8. Spice Market (West Village, Meatpacking District)

Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars

Website: http://spicemarketnewyork.com/

It is an Asian Fusion/ Thai restaurant. I tried this restaurant during Restaurant Week. I loved it so much that I went back three days later. Its pork dishes are out of this world good. The pork belly steamed buns appetizer and pork vindaloo are dishes you dream about in your sleep. I tried the skate wing entrée my second time at Spice Market. While it was good, I was thinking about the pork I could have been eating.

9. Café Mogador (101 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: www.cafemogador.com/‎

This café is great for Moroccan and Mediterranean food. I brought a group of my friends here and everyone enjoyed their food. For appetizers, the hummus and falafel are great. My lamb entrée was excellent. You can choose different sauces for the entree and the apricot sauce I chose was great.

10. Katz’s Delicatessen (205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002)

Yelp: 3 ½ Stars

Website: katzsdelicatessen.com/‎

It is the best spot in New York for pastrami. The corned beef hash is also very good. You get a ticket on the way in, get stamps on the ticket for food you order, and present your ticket to the cashier on the way out to pay. However, it is cash only. Moreover, it is a popular deli so you may run into a large crowd or a tourist group.

11. Hill Country Barbecue Market (30 W 26th St New York, NY 10010)

Yelp: 3 ½ Stars

Website: http://www.hillcountryny.com/

Hill Country is an excellent barbecue restaurant in New York. It is not a standard restaurant. Similar to Katz’s Deli, you get a card when you enter and pay on your way out. There are stations with different food and you will get stamps on your card for the food you get from each station. The moist brisket is the featured item and it is definitely amazing. I have only been disappointed by the brisket once and I attribute it to a bad night. The Kreuz sausage is also exceptional. In addition, the sides are very good. My favorite side is the green bean casserole with durkee onions. As for dessert, the pecan pie is out of this world so make sure to save room for it at the end.

12. Bon Chon (Multiple Locations)

Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars

Website: http://www.bonchon.com/

Bon Chon features Korean fried chicken. The wings are among the best I have ever had. I get the Soy Garlic sauce on them. The other sauce is hot.

13. Empanada Mama (763 9th Ave, Manhattan, NY 10019)

Yelp Rating: 4 Stars

Website: http://www.empmamanyc.com/

It has a lot of different empanadas and all the ones I have tried are great. I really enjoy all of their breakfast empanadas with eggs. The shredded beef and other meat empanadas are also very good. If you like your empanadas fried, get the corn flour ones. You can also finish your meal with dessert empanadas.

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