The Grand View Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine, better known as the topless coffee shop, has reopened in a tent after someone deliberately set fire to the building and  burned it down.
Reopened is not exactly accurate, though. For starters, the waitresses aren’t topless anymore they’re wearing sweatshirts. Secondly, the owner - Donald Crabtree - isn’t […]

Posted on June 13th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Restaurants | No Comments »

Of all the restaurants in Maine, why did they have to burn down the one with the grandest view? It’s true. The Grand View Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine was burned down on June 2 in what was probably an act of arson - a deliberate fire.
When the coffee shop opened earlier this year with […]

Posted on June 5th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Restaurants | 1 Comment »

When you think of 3 am diners, the image that comes to mind is of a few drifters, nutty tourists who can’t bear the room service at their $300 per night New York hotels, and some stubborn party animals who don’t want the night to end. All downing cheap beers and atrocious food which you wouldn’t touch with […]

Posted on December 22nd, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Restaurants, World | No Comments »

Did you know that NYC Restaurant Week first came into existence in 1992, the year of Bill Clinton’s election, in order to provide a culinary welcome to the delegates to the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Participating restaurants offered three course meals for $19.92.
Of course, that was way back in 1992. Since then, NYC Restaurant Week […]

Posted on December 19th, 2008 by Thomas
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I hope you don’t take this as license to be a perv, cause this is more about art and history. We’re taking about ‘appreciating’ the beauty and historcial significance of the Marquis de Sade’s castle at Lacoste, a small village 25 miles east of Avignon in Provence, France.
Tony Perrottet, writing for Slade, gives us ‘The Pervert’s Grand Tour’ of […]

Posted on December 17th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: New York, News, Restaurants | No Comments »

Now then, don’t call the ACLU, but every move you make at restaurants is being watched and observed, and the data stored so your behavior patterns can be analyzed.
Worse still, you’re being given stimuli to make you behave in a certain manner, so that the restaurant can make you like what it wants to sell to you. […]

Posted on October 18th, 2008 by Thomas
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In Washington DC, there’s a difference between the bipartisan spirit and bipartisan spirits. The former is something which allows a bunch of politicians to agree to join hands in an effort to flush the country down the loo. 
The latter can be found at swanky restaurants  tucked discreetly inside posh hotels, where lobbyists entertain politicans from both sides of the aisle. Case in […]

Posted on September 4th, 2008 by Thomas
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The best (as in most popular) food in Los Angeles isn’t found in any of the thousands of  upscale restaurants and chain diners. Instead, the unlikely source which sends LA’s foodies into raptures of culinary delight can be found on the streets - In the taco trucks and in the carts of street vendors peddling bacon hot dogs. Photo by […]

Posted on August 31st, 2008 by Thomas
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So let’s say you’re one of the 80 odd thousand people converging on Denver for Sen. Barack Obama’s coronation official nomination as Democratic Presidential candidate. Tips to find hotels in Denver are beyond use at this juncture, with the DNC Convention set to kick-off on Monday. If you already don’t have a place to stay, […]

Posted on August 24th, 2008 by Thomas
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Halloween is a huge deal at our house. On May 1st my nephew and I were already discussing our Halloween costume options. We are freaks.
So, despite the fact that it’s May, it’s not too early to begin planning a fall trip for Tomo. And what could be more fun than a […]

Posted on May 22nd, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Restaurants, San Francisco, Vacation | No Comments »