Banya with Boss Lady

You have to try it PERIOD

Dinner at Purple in Seattle

Before I go any further, I feel that I must, based on all the other somewhat interesting but mostly uninspired reviews about Purple, mention that their chairs are heavy. I know it's weird, but apparently you have to say something about it, so there... the chairs are heavy.

Moving on...

Eric, our diligent server helped us along with wine pairings for each item (app, entree, dessert). I recommend you leave it in their hands to pair wine with food since at no point did Eric (1) make anything less than an exceptional pairing or (2) use the situation to get me into a $40 glass of wine or $150 bottle.

Here's what we all mowed down and thoughts:

• artichoke parmesan spread - good
• duck confit, lentil salad and pickled red onions - really good, even though I found a bone
• bruschetta (pomodoraccio tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and aged balsamic) - before you judge, this isn't Olive Garden Bruschetta.. it's real-deal exceptional bruschet.... and if you don't like, email me with your number and I'll talk you through it
• pan roasted steelhead (basil infused israeli cous cous and curried onion emulsion) - very good. I could eat mounds of this cous cous
• lobster baked mac and cheese (campanelle noodles and lobster baked in a creamy gruyere sauce) - this had meth in it. I've never had meth, but it feels like the right thing to say. Amazingly good.
• whiskey brined grilled pork tenderloin (caramelized cippolinis, fingerling potatoes and poached pears.) - good solid dish
• dessert.... just go truffles, caramels and some tawny and you'll be fine

Overall, I'm glad I came here again. I used to think of this place as a novelty.. seen, be seen, but in reality, they really do have some inspired, exceptional food and the perfect wine to go with everything. Purple is officially a Seattle staple.

Times Square on Election Night

Pretty cool but doesn't raise a candle to Grant Park I'm sure

How Fast Is GoGo Internet from American Airlines?

That's what I was asking myself when I found out my SFO-JFK flight had inflight internet. For 12.95 I thought the connection would be mediocre, but based on speedtest.net, this is a solid connection (with VPN access). Nice work AA. JetBlue... que pasa?

Ultimate test - Hulu.com. GoGo inflight works better than my Verizon card... go figure. Was able to watch It's Alway Sunny in Philadelphia with only a couple buffering hiccups)

Update..... Honeymoon is over... GoGo has gone down and when it came back up it was slower: