We’re in the tenth season of Project Runway. After dedicating myself to this show for so many years, I thought I might take a break for a season. Then I saw a preview of the candy challenge and I was sucked right back in. I can’t resist watching designers cry over trying to make clothing out of licorice.

This season features all the requisite character types that we’ve come to expect.

The Arrogant One: Ven Budhu is undeniably talented and he knows it. Offering little in the way of personality, Ven is there to win not to make friends. He’ll likely be in the final three.

Most Likable: Buffi Jashanmal has her own funky style and a charming accent. Her self-deprecating humor won over the other designers, but sadly her talent wasn’t up to par. She’s already gone.

Bitchiest Gay: Gunnar Deatherage is the youngest contestant and has ridden the waves of bitchiness further than I thought he could.

The Weirdo: Kooan Kosuke is as weird as his hair. Sadly, he decided the competition wasn’t for him and he quit. I don’t think he had a shot of winning, but I would have liked to see him stick around longer.

Laughably Bad: Andrea Katz. Every season there’s a designer so terrible that you wonder how they made it on the show. Andrea earned the title this season. She also quit the show by stealing away in the middle of the night. That made for some good drama.

Fun Gay: Christopher Palu. The cast is filled with fun gays, but Christopher won me over with his Cher impersonation. He and Gunnar lock horns which provides some nice drama.

My choices for top three designers: In addition to Ven, I like Sonjia Williams and the oft overlooked Dmitry Sholokhov. All three are incredibly talented and I’d love to see a fashion week showdown. Sonjia’s personal style is my favorite on the show. Girlfriend rocks that blue hair with class.

The judges have really settled in a place of unified harmony.

After doing this for so many years they seem calm and all-knowing. It takes little banter to get to a place where they agree on winners and losers. Of course they only show a few minutes of the discussion, but in Tim Gunn’s book Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making it Work, he reveals that the judging usually takes four to five hours. He also dishes dirt on former contestants, people in the fashion world, and random celebrities. While at times a little preachy about etiquette, the gossip is good and makes the book worth reading.

Are you watching the show this season? What do you think?

After four years with Maci, Farrah, Caitlyn, and Amber, last night we said goodbye. I know they were the subject of great ridicule, as reality TV stars often are. But the fact remains that this show was groundbreaking in its authenticity and uncharted territory. What was originally a series about being 16 and pregnant spun off into this series where we were able to follow these young girls lives for years.

Amber, Maci, Farrah, and Caitlyn

We saw them struggle with the embarrassment of pregnancy in high school. And relationships gone wrong. Maci and Amber got engaged to their baby daddies, only to break up with them. In Amber’s case, her breakups with Gary were the most consistent thing in her life.

They all moved into different apartments and houses, some of them several times. Farrah relocated to Florida from Nebraska, mostly to get away from her overbearing mother. They all went through phases of body modification with different piercings, tattoos and a boob job. Amber was the worst offender and now has to live with this horrible tattoo of Leah on her torso.

All of the girls have sad stories, but Caitlyn’s takes the cake. We watched as she and Tyler questioned their decision to put their daughter up for adoption. And we watched as their dysfunctional families circled the drain, never getting better. Surrounded by chronic poverty, alcohol, drug addiction and domestic violence, it was clear that they absolutely made the right decision. But it was nonetheless painful for them to say goodbye to their daughter. The guilt and lack of support from their parents was heartbreaking to watch.

The girls struggled with school and jobs and the normal teenage insecurities. Only they did it all on camera. With babies. I reject the criticisms that these young lives were exploited. And they certainly weren’t glamorized. The bit of fame and the paychecks from MTV made their lives more difficult and easier in ways, but those lives were already going to be difficult.

I look forward to following their stories as much as they allow in the years to come. Will their children remember the experience of camera crews following them? Will Amber change much in prison? Maybe Tyler and Caitlyn will escape the patterns of dysfunction passed down undoubtedly for many generations in their families. Will Farrah ever grow up, finish school and repair her relationship with her mother? I don’t know what will happen. But I hope for the best for these girls.

This was gritty reality television at its finest.

Holla! New ramen shop opening in Austin. You guys know I’m a big fan of authentic ramen. I even tried to make my own last month and when I recover from the PTSD it caused, I will blog about it. Luckily, I won’t have to attempt it again any time soon since Tatsu-ya is filling the void. Mr. Betty and I high-tailed it to the soft opening over the weekend and had a delicious preview of how lucky our city is about to be.

Located at 8557 Research Blvd, right by Din Ho, Ramen Tatsu-ya is sure to be a hit. I love that this area boasts some of the best Chinese and Vietnamese in the area…and now Japanese. And Mr. Tramps is within walking distance. So, you know: win, win, win, win.

The soft opening was a blast and I was so impressed. I’ve been to authentic ramen shops that offered little in the way of ambiance and no one ever minded. People stared into their bowls and concentrated on slurping their noodles. Ramen Tatsu-ya gives you more to look at than your noodles. This place is so cool! The clean, modern decor and communal seating made me feel right at home. The red, white, and black theme is carried throughout, even to the bathrooms. But more on that in a minute.

We ordered two bowls of ramen. Both were tonkotsu broth based with various other ingredients. Both were divine. They plan on expanding their offerings to include vegetarian options and I’ll be excited to try those, too.

The Tonkotsu Original was rich and velvety. Satisfied with the normal toppings, we opted not to add any of the many additional ones offered. We did add a Spicy Bomb, which came in the form of a thick red paste and spiced up the broth. They have a Mexican Bomb, too, which I was told gives the soup a tortilla soup-like warmth. I will definitely be checking that out.

The Miso came in two versions, Mi-So-Hot or Mi-So-Not. Naturally, we got the hot. Look at how amazing that looks! It tasted just as good. Can’t wait to have this again.

We also had an order of gyoza and the succulent dumplings were light and delicious. Really, really good.

Even though this was a soft opening and they were working out the kinks, I could detect none. Service was perfect, food was fast and delicious. I anticipate a line out the door as soon as people realize what a gem this is. So hurry up and go. Ramen Tatsu-ya aims to open in the beginning of September. Check out their website and keep up with the news and updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Bonus, you can pick up some other fun Japanese treats at the counter like Hi-Chew, Pocky, and various sodas and drinks.

And now, as promised, here are some shots of the restrooms. How amazing is this?! I foresee some Chronicle Awards in their future.

Ramen Tatsu-ya will warm your heart and belly with its delicious ramen that truly is a labor of love to make. If you are uninitiated into the world of ramen, this is the place to get started. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The first half of the season is winding down. It looks like we will be left with some resolution, although I anticipate some major cliff hangers, too.

Jesse and Mike still plan on taking their cuts and getting out of the meth business. Continuing his plan to build his empire, Walt attempts to get the Phoenix meth guys to join him. He offers them 35% if they will stop cooking and distribute for him, essentially taking Mike’s place. It will be lucrative for all of them, but they seem reluctant. It appears no one is crazy about Heisenberg’s massive ego.

Mike is steadily paying his guys, all of whom are still in prison. It’s interesting to watch the lawyer (not Saul Goodman) place stacks of money in multiple safety deposit boxes. The largest sum is reserved for Mike’s granddaughter’s box, with a note saying it’s for her 18th birthday. We don’t know how much is in that box, but it appears to be millions. That’s going to be a kickass birthday.

Walt pays Hank another visit and cries over Skyler again. This ruse is wearing thin on all of us, including Hank. But Walt manages to remove the office bugs and overhear a little useful info, too. That non-Saul-Goodman lawyer is about to flip and give them Mike. When tailing him and searching his home yielded nothing, Hank’s boss put the kibash on the DEA office spending another cent on his case. So this a stroke of great luck. We saw Mike toss his laptop and giant bag of guns into a well. I hope that isn’t someone’s drinking water.

Jesse is feeling the pressure. Mostly because Walt is not accepting his resignation. They finally have the battle that’s been building up. Accusations fly, words are said, and our boys break up. Jesse storms out without receiving his cut. Oh, Walter White. You are such a bastard. Walt replaces Jesse immediately. We are treated to a jazzy montage where he gives kid-killer-Todd a lengthy meth cooking lesson. Todd seems unsure of himself and you know this partnership is not going to last. The tarantula does not make an appearance and I am grateful.

Mike needs to leave town since the cops are up in his grill. Walt brings him his emergency getaway bag and they fight. Mike won’t turn over the names of his nine guys in jail and Walt knows that without their regular payments, their silence and loyalty will end.

And then Walt freaking shoots Mike! He makes his way to a grassy riverbank to die in peace.

And just like that, we’re down another cast member. Only one episode left before we break for a year. It’s barely enough time to grieve this loss. I imagine Jesse is going to lose his mind when he finds out. Maybe we’ll deal with that next week. And there are still those nine prisoners looming…

Have you watched this video from Psy? It is the greatest thing that has happened to me in 2012. The South Korean rapper’s song has taken the world by storm, earning over 58 million hits in just six weeks on YouTube. And he has stolen my heart.

The song is as infectious as the colorful video. I hope you enjoy his funny horsey choreography as much as I do. This is how I dance now. Forever.

Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite part.

Lance Armstrong’s fall from grace happened years ago, when the doping allegations started. Year after year he won the Tour de France and the suspicions grew stronger. He went from a hero in the public eye to a flawed individual, perhaps a cheater. And after years of defending himself, he’s no longer championing his cause. He will be stripped of his wins and banned from cycling forever. A lifelong punishment doled out in his retirement.

This is a blow him, for the city of Austin, and for the LIVESTRONG Foundation. It is the foundation that most people are drawn to. In some way, shape, or form, all our lives are touched by cancer. The $500M raised in the name of aid and cancer research cannot be besmirched by controversy. It hurts us all to see a hero disgraced, especially one that overcame cancer and reached great feats of physical strength. He’s not a perfect man but we wore those yellow bracelets and felt proud of him. I hope we are able to shift that pride into a collective show of continued support for LIVESTRONG. I can imagine their heads are spinning with scandal and damage control.

I, for one, will donate a few dollars today in the hope of countering the inevitable drop in funds they will experience. Whatever your feelings are towards Lance Armstrong or doping, I hope you will not let it mar your willingness to support an important mission.

Click here for Lance Armstrong’s statement.

Before I start this review, let me just say that I am no stranger to delis. I estimate that I spent 90% of my childhood either standing in line at the deli counter or the fish market. My family does not mess around with sandwiches. I am a sandwich expert. And I am picky. If the meat isn’t fresh or the bread falls apart, I’ll be calling for the chef’s head on a silver platter. I don’t need crazy ingredients. Sometimes the simplest sandwich can be a work of art.

I’d been waiting for the hype to die down before checking out Noble Pig. Adam Richman and Guy Fieri love this place, as does everyone else. Despite my patience, and giving it a few months, this place is still hot, hot, hot. When we arrived on a recent late Sunday afternoon, every seat was full and there was a line out the door. It gave us a chance to really examine the menu.

The place itself is small and unassuming. Tables line the mirrored walls, leaving the center area free for the ever-present line. The decor is minimal with cute piggy accents.

I chose the Knuckle Sandwich and Mr. Betty opted for the namesake sandwich, The Noble Pig. For sides we tried the Country Potato Salad and Jalapeño Slaw. Then we snagged a tiny table outside and waited for our food, which came rather quickly considering the crowd. The service was very friendly and personable.

The Knuckle Sandwich was beautifully presented. It was unnecessarily served with au jus, since it was covered with a sauce. I couldn’t have dipped the roast beef even if I wanted to, as the bread fell apart before I even took a bite. Was it my fault for choosing the wheat over the white? Maybe. While tasty, I wish I could have detected the horseradish it claimed to have. That was the draw of the sandwich and I was disappointed that it had either been forgotten or completely masked by something else. But the biggest issue was the size. It was so small. An adorably overpriced finger sandwich.

The Jalapeño Slaw was awesome. I didn’t see any jalapeño pieces or seeds, but the heat was there. I don’t know how they did it. But it was really, really good. An improvement on regular coleslaw.

We couldn’t wait to try the eponymous sandwich. The Noble Pig is comprised of bacon, spicy ham and pulled pork. And provolone. All of Mr. Betty’s favorite things. The picture really doesn’t do it justice, but there was almost no meat on it. One skinny slice of each. For a triple-meat sandwich this was unbelievably weak. What. The. Hell. Did I mention that like the small Knuckle Sandwich it was eight bucks? Ten, if you count the tiny scoop of potato salad. How is this the signature sandwich? It tasted delicious, but that was outweighed by the cheapness of the experience.

The most baffling question is WHY? Why serve such meager sandwiches at an inflated price? I’m absolutely willing to pay twelve bucks for a sandwich, side and an iced tea. But I expect the portions to be moderate if not large. This place is a raging success and there’s no reason to be so cheap. We’re just talking sandwiches here, people. Not caviar.

We left feeling a little sad. We were really hoping to have found a great sandwich place in Austin, a place we could call ours. I have to think that if these were served in any respectable NJ deli, they’d be sent back with a “You gotta be kidding me, pal.”

We just want a good sandwich sans weak bread and pretention. So we’ll have to keep looking. Austin isn’t a sandwich city. Yet. For now, there’s always tacos.

Mother Betty sent me the New York Times review of Queen of Versailles and I had to see it immediately. Do you know about this documentary? Watch the trailer:

I really loved this! A riches-to-rags story that tugged at my heartstrings and made me laugh, it was not what I expected. First of all, when times were good, they were freaking great. I was devastated by not seeing this mansion finished, because the plans were so over-the-top. The glimpse of the five million they spent on the marble alone had me reeling for a few days.

But more than the jaw dropping wealth, this film is a story of real-life characters you just love to love. After years of watching Real Housewives, I anticipated vulgar, unlikeable people with no personalities and haughty arrogance. What I saw was just the opposite. With eight kids and seemingly endless pets, they are just like every other crazy family. The mother shows warmth and love and occasional exasperation. The teens are awkward and gross, just like normal teens. The dad is cranky and works too much. The dogs poop everywhere. The staff is an extended part of the family.

Small stories are woven throughout, painting a bleak economic picture of struggle. The limo driver who was once a millionaire himself, the thousands of employees who were laid off, the chaos that ensues when a family has outgrown its space, and a strained marriage. If watching an extremely rich family fall from grace doesn’t exactly break your heart, the life story of the nanny certainly will.

This was so well done. It made us want to know more about the Siegel family, and I’m inclined to believe everyone in the theater felt the same way. Not one person in the theater got up to leave until the credits had finished rolling, just in case there was an extra scene. (There wasn’t.) We all wanted more.

I highly recommend watching it.

There must have been a bumper crop of red bell peppers this summer. They’ve been so cheap and I am definitely taking advantage. One of my old standby recipes is stuffed peppers. My low-fat version is satisfying, delicious, and freezes really well. They are time consuming but easy, so I make huge batches at a time so we can live off them for a few weeks.

Before you start prepping your peppers make some brown rice. Gauge accordingly to your pepper quantity. (One cup of rice for about eight peppers.) Next, take your red bell peppers and carefully cut out the stems.

Cut the peppers in half and then remove the ribs and seeds. Handle the peppers gently. If you tear them, you won’t be able to stuff them. Rinse them clean and set aside.

Saute a large diced onion for 5-6 minutes.

Next add minced garlic and lean ground turkey to the onions and cook through. (Use a pound of turkey for every eight peppers. And as much garlic as you like.) If you are so inclined, you can use beef. Or tofu crumbles. Whatever you want. Combine with cooked rice and season well with salt, pepper, organo, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes.

Now use a spoon to gently fill peppers to the very top. Tightly pack in a baking dish.

Cover each pepper with tomato sauce. Pour water into pan, filling halfway. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

After cooking, top each pepper with a some grated cheese. Use something that browns wells like mozzarella or Monterey Jack.

Place under broiler for two minutes or under cheese starts to brown. Serve immediately.

These hold up really well in the freezer and can be heated in the microwave for an easy, satisfying lunch. Enjoy!

Ugh. Breaking Bad starts off in a very dark place this week. They have to dispose of the little boy Todd shot and killed last week. We watch as they dismantle his dirt bike and put it in a plastic drum to dissolve it in acid. Fortunately, we are spared seeing them stuff the little boy into the drum.

Todd explains himself to the guys and does have solid reasons why he killed the kid. But still…he killed a kid. Jesse just can’t deal, but Walt and Mike vote to keep Todd on staff. The other options are to kill him or fire him. Firing him will be more trouble than it’s worth. I vote to kill Todd because he kept that tarantula in a jar.

Mike’s constantly being tailed by the DEA. Eventually he gets fed up and brings in everybody’s favorite lawyer, Saul, to intervene. At the mentions of stalking charges, the DEA agrees to back off…but only for a day.

Jesse and Walt are back to cooking in a tented house. When a news broadcast about the missing boy comes on, Jesse breaks down and Walt gives him a pep talk. He commiserates, telling him he hasn’t slept well since the incident happened and tells Jesse he will finish up alone and to go home. Jesse is disturbed to witness Walt happily whistling a merry tune the minute his back is turned. Not sleeping, my arse.

Mike and Jesse ambush Walt back at headquarters. They tell him they are both quitting the business and selling off their thirds of the big methylamine haul. They suggest he sell his third as well, since it will yield them each five million dollars. Walt knows that if they hold onto the methylamine and cook it themselves, it will be worth $300 million. So he’s not down with taking the $5M and walking away. And he’s not cool with the guys selling their shares off to his competitors, even if they are all the way in Phoenix.

Mike and Jesse meet the rival competitors and give them a free sample. The Phoenix guys are happy for the ingredient and even happier that the blue stuff will be off the market. When they realize Walt will still be cooking they pull the deal off the table. Once again, Walt holds all the cards.

Jesse makes a personal plea to try to get Walt on board with the sale. He gets roped into having an awkward dinner with Walt and Skyler. Jesse tries to keep conversation afloat and Skyler tries to finish a bottle of wine in five minutes flat. She is more successful than he is. Watching Jesse flounder through the dinner was the highlight of the episode. Walt tells Jesse that their business is all he has left. He isn’t in the meth business or the money business. He’s in the empire business. He is power-hungry. I think he should run for POTUS.

Mike takes matters into his own hands and tells Walt they are going to sell his share anyway. He handcuffs Walt to a radiator, but Walt McGyver’s his way out. Before Mike kills him, Jesse says Walt has a new plan and it’s a good one. But we’ll have to wait till next week to hear what that plan is. Damn.