Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Top 10 Restaurants in America You’ve Never Eaten At

10. Standard Diner (American)

Address: 320 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: (505) 243-1440
Website: www.standarddiner.com

This place is like a roadside diner turned upscale. They take traditional American cuisine and bring it up just a notch. From their burgers and fries to their mashed potatoes & gravy with meatloaf you are sure to leave here a happy camper. That’s not even mentioning their lobster Caesar salad, country fried tuna with a wasabi guacamole, green chile turkey melt or mac & cheese with a Guinness and Irish cheddar sauce. One of their specialties is their butter bourbon burger that will be one of the best burgers you’ll ever eat. The meat is of the highest quality and seasoned perfectly. Topped with a generous dab of bourbon infused butter and sandwiched between a delicious bun, you’ll be wanting to come back here every day for lunch. The added bonus to the burger are their amazing sweet potato fries. You may just have to come back later in the day though for home-made desserts, from five flavors of ice cream, four of sorbet, a Tiramisu cheesecake, a chocolate cake, an apple pie with butterscotch and fig, amongst others.

9. Arcaro & Genell’s (Italian)
Address: 443 S Main Street, Old Forge, PA 18518-1608
Phone: (570) 457-4262
Website: www.arcaroandgenell.com

They serve a very nontraditional version of pizza here known as Old Forge-Style but rest assured you won’t be disappointed. You can get it with red sauce or white sauce and single layered or double layered (almost like a gourmet Hot Pocket) with the perfect amount of Parmesan and rosemary sprinkled on top. Any way you decide to get it will leave your tastebuds singing. They have all of your traditional Italian options as well starting with their antipasti (they serve everyone a delicious bean salad) and fabulous versions of veal parmigiano to linguine with a White Clams sauce. Make sure to stick around for their home-made cannoli.
 
8. Mary Mac’s Tea Room (Mom’s Home-made)
Address: 224 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308-1938
Phone: (404) 876-1800
Website: www.marymacs.com

The moment you sit down you’ll be in heaven from their bread basket of cornbread, yeast rolls & cinnamon rolls. You literally could eat these all night long and be fully satisfied. That is unless the rest of their food wasn’t equally impressive. From their fried chicken to their chicken fried steaks and their mashed potatoes or mac & cheese, there is not a single person that won’t be able to find something they truly love here. You’ll need to pace yourself though as they also bring it home in the dessert category. The home-made pecan pie and peach cobbler are absolutely to die for.

7. Harry’s Roadhouse (All-Around)
Address: 96B Old Las Vegas Highway, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: 505-989-4629
Website: N/A

They have several dining areas and they’ll let you choose where you’d like to sit. Chose the front room near a window and you’ll have a nice breeze coming in. They have all of your New Mexican breakfast staples (Huevos Rancheros, Chile Omelets, etc) but also delicious pancakes including their Lemon Ricotta pancakes. They are also known for their barbecue, burgers and steaks. There is not any time of day that is not a good time to eat at Harry’s Roadhouse. Just make sure you save room for their chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich.

6. Blue Moon Cafe (Breakfast)
Address: 1621 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD 21231-2925
Phone: (410) 522-3940
Website: N/A

If you’re looking for a delicious and filling breakfast this place will do you good. Serving all of your typical breakfast items you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. But the real secret is what’s off the menu. You’ll have to ask the fantastic staff what their secret menu consists of but I’ll let you in on the best item. It’s Cap’n Crunch French Toast. It looks like a piece or art and tastes as good. The Cap’n Crunch “breading” is the perfect amount of sweetness and the fruit adds a nice touch (bananas, strawberries and blueberries) with the whipped cream being home-made and extremely fresh. This is the perfect way to start the day.

5. Iggy’s Doughboys & Chowder House (Chowder)
Address: 889 Oakland Beach Ave, Warwick, RI 02889-9616
Phone: (401) 737-9459
Website: www.iggysdoughboys.com
This place is absolutely phenomenal. From the view, to the food, to the prices. They’re known for their doughboys (basically fried dough with sugar), clam cakes & clam chowder. The clam cakes are delicious, not overly greasy and not too heavy. The doughboys are amazing too (sugar, cinnamon sugar & powdered sugar). But if that weren’t enough, where they really shine is their chowder. It is so simple, cream, potatoes and clams but my goodness is it delicious. It will be the best bowl of chowder you’ve ever experienced.

4. Juan in a Million (Breakfast Taco)
Address: 2300 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX‎, 78702
Phone: (512) 472-3872‎
Website: www.juaninamillion.com

You may have to wait a little to get a seat but it will be worth it. Make sure to order the Juan in a Million breakfast taco. It is loaded with the perfect blend of eggs, cheese, bacon and potatoes all piled high on a warm flour tortilla. The quality and freshness is unrivaled. Word to the wise, order a few extra tortillas as the filling from one taco can actually make three. The chips and salsa served beforehand are extremely delicious as well. Be sure to come here with an empty stomach as you will leave with it filled to the brim.

3. Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles (Southern Food)

Address: 10 W Yuma St, Phoenix, AZ‎ 85003
Phone: (602) 340-1304
Website: www.loloschickenandwaffles.com

Lo-Lo’s is a Phoenix institution. It was started by Mrs. White and is currently run by her son Larry White. They are known mainly for their chicken & waffles and this is what you should be going there for. Their list of sides is daunting but you can’t go wrong with anything here, whether it be the mac & cheese, the fried okra, the mashed potatoes & gravy or their cornbread. And the same goes for the desserts especially the red velvet cake (if they’re still got any left for the day). Don’t forget to get a glass of their endless Red Kool-Aid too.

2. Al’s Place (Burger & Fries)
Address: 13943 Main St, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
Phone: (916) 776-1800‎
Website: N/A

Walking in here you’ll have to let your eyes adjust, it’s dark and dingy, almost like a cave but don’t let that stop you. They’re known for a few things here, their steak, burgers, peanut butter & marmalade. The menu doesn’t stretch much beyond that but that’s all you need at Al’s as they make those few items as good as anyone. The portions are huge and the tasty as all get out. Each table is set with a jar of peanut butter & marmalade to be applied to the thick slab of gridded toast they’ll serve you. This is a treat you won’t find anywhere else and something that sets Al’s apart.

1. Hoover’s Cooking & Catering (Comfort Food)
Address: 2002 Manor Road, Austin, TX 78722
Phone: (512) 479-0889
Website: www.hooverscooking.com

From the Cajun coleslaw to the garlic grits, home-made French fries and mac & cheese to the fried catfish or the pulled pork sandwiches, not to mention the jalapeno cornbread or sweet potato rolls served at every table, there is something here to please everyone. The only thing you’ll wish for here is that you had a bigger stomach, because they give you so much food you’ll be bringing home a doggy bag. Be sure to ask for their home-made Jerk BBQ sauce and try it on all their delicious entrees.

Monday, 29 March 2010

10 Most Alien and Weird Places on Earth

1. Aurora Borealis (North Pole)

Aurora Borealis
Auroras sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae are natural beautiful light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. The Cree people call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits. Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia.

2. Spain Rio Tinto

Spain Rio Tinto
Image Source: Unknown
The vast mines of Rio Tinto give a hypnagogic, almost martian landscape. Its growth has consumed not only mountains and valleys but even entire villages. This river has gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water.The extreme conditions in the river are analogous to other locations in the solar system thought to contain liquid water, such as subterranean Mars. Río Tinto is notable for being very acidic (pH 2) and its deep reddish hue. It is metal soluble and surely not human-friendly!

3. McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica)

McMurdo Dry Valleys
Image Source: Unknown
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica’s longest river. The valley’s floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. It is also one of the world’s most extreme deserts Under the ice, in the extremely salty water, live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.

4. The Richat Structure, near Ouadane, Mauritania

Richat Structure
The Richat Structure is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane. It has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull’s-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. The structure, which has a diameter of almost 50 kilometres (30 miles), has become a landmark for space shuttle crews.

5. Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. Rotorua city is renowned for its unique “rotten eggs” aroma, which is caused by the geothermal activity releasing sulphur compounds into the atmosphere. Geothermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua’s tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) – are within easy reach of the city.This thermal activity owes itself to the Rotorua caldera on which the city lies. Waters of ivid colors, from yellow to orange to green which is partially possible to visit it.

6. Fly Geyser, Reno

Socotra Island
Fly Ranch features two geysers, one of which is dormant. The other, Fly Geyser, was accidentally formed by a water well drill that hit a geothermal source, and continuously sprays hot water. Fly Ranch is private property and does not allow visitors.

7. Spotted Lake, Osoyoos, British Columbia

Spotted Lake
Spotted Lake is a saline endorheic alkali lake located northwest of Osoyoos in British Columbia. In the summer, most of the water in the lake evaporates leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. Since in the summer, only the minerals in the lake remain, they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots.

8. The Bermuda Triangle

Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings. Apparently it doesn’t seem alien but it is really scary!

9. Kauai, Hawaii

Kauai, Hawaii
Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, it is the fourth largest of the main islands. Seaside lava ledges make for otherworldly experiences on this often-overlooked Hawaiian island.

10. Mount Roraima (Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana)

Mount Roraima
Since long before the arrival of European explorers, the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region, and it is central to many of their myths and legends It is a pretty remarkable place. It is a tabletop mountain with sheer 400-metre high cliffs on all sides. There is only one ‘easy’ way up, on a natural staircase-like ramp on the Venezuelan side – to get up any other way takes and experienced rock climber. On the top of the mountain it rains almost every day, washing away most of the nutrients for plants to grow and creating a unique landscape on the bare sandstone surface.

Sunday, 28 March 2010

10 richest cities in world

A list of the richest and most influential cities in the world in 2010 was released by British real estate agent Knight Frank and Citibank of U.S. on Wednesday.

The ranking is based on the comprehensive analysis of four indexes: Economic vitality, political influence, research ability and living standard.

New York, London and Paris occupy the top 3 positions. Beijing is listed in the ninth place.

However, no city is the all-rounder. For instance, New York took the lead at the ranking of indexes of "economic vitality" and "research ability", but its political influence came in second place and living standard even No. 8!

Meanwhile, some metropolises have had markedly progress, such as Beijing,whose political influence advanced to No. 4, and Berlin, which is the runner-up in the ranking of living standard.


No. 1 New York

No. 2 London

No. 3 Paris

No. 4 Tokyo

No. 5 Los Angeles

No. 6 Brussels


No. 6 Brussels

No. 8 Berlin

No. 9 Beijing
No. 10 Toronto