Hairspray

For the past 4-5 years Jen and I have held season tickets for touring Broadway musicals at the Capitol Theatre. Some years we have been rather disappointed, and have come close to not renewing our tickets. Some of the shows have had leads with weak voices, and others have just been absolutely stupid (read "Cats").

Well tonight we saw Hairspray. I wasn't sure how I would like it, as it almost seemed a little too happy for me. But I went, and was glad I did. This show probably saved the season for me this year. Was it too happy? Yeah, but it didn't try to take itself seriously. It knew it was a happy, if not campy, musical and had fun with it. All of the voices were clear and strong. Each complimented the other principals well, and none seemed to overshadow or overpower the others. It was an incredibly well balanced cast. In my opinion it was one of the best I had seen (though the first act seemed a little long, with the second act ending too quickly).

The musical is about (according to wikipedia.org) a "a girl named Tracy Turnblad whose dream is to dance on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Dean Show in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She gets a chance on the show and becomes a celebrity overnight. She then launches a campaign to racially integrate the Corny Collins Show." You would think that this would be an odd premise for a musical, but it actually works.

The highlight of the show is the performance of "Timeless to Me" by Wilbur and Edna Turnblad, played by Jim J. Bullock and J. P. Dougherty. It had me nearly in tears from laughter.

If you get a chance to see it, I recommend it, and hopefully the performances will be as good as they were when I saw it.

Anthony's Fish Grotto

Restaurant:	Anthony's Fish Grotto
Cuisine:	Seafood
Rating:	Great Fish and Chips, San Diego Favorite
Price:	Kids: $4.99-$5.99, Adults: $6.50+ for Lunch, $9.50+ for dinner
Location:	Various Locations in San Diego

Jen's family has been going to Anthony's her entire life--which makes sense since Anthony's has been around for 60 years. Jen loves this place and as a result we end up eating at Anthony's every time we are in San Diego, usually multiple times. The Anthony's on Harbor Drive is the oldest and probably the best known, and is built out on piers into the San Diego Harbor. It is a really fun location, particularly when we sit right next to the floor to ceiling windows, thus allowing for an unencumbered view of the bay and Coronado Island.

Appetizer: Jen and I always start out with their Fisherman Style Clam Chowder. Jen still teases me to this day that I ordered the normal White Clam Chowder the first time we went (not that it isn't good, for it is, but because it isn't the Rozsa family norm), but I quickly changed to the "red" Clam Chowder. It is a tomato based chowder that is, well, great. Nice chunks of potato, clam, and celery, that hit the spot every time.

Main Course:Jen occasionally varies from our standard fare of Fish and Chips, but for me that is what I go for. I, in the beginning, would get their steak as I wasn't a fan of fish, but quickly realized that steak is not what you order at a seafood place (so don't order the steak here). Their Fish and Chips are very moist, and not too greasy. It's what keeps me coming back.

Atmosphere:The restaurant on the bay is a little more formal, so if your children aren't well behaved, check out their Fishettes. Our kids are very well behaved when we go out, so we have no problems taking them. In fact each time we go it never fails that those dining near us comment on how well behaved our kids are (very satisfying, every time).

Overall: Great fish and chips. Good atmosphere and if you go to the one on the bay, try to get near the windows (though every other table also has a great view of the bay).

The only negative thing I can say about Anthony's is that their bread is not great. They used to offer rolls, but over the past several years moved to bread ball, which is rather bland and tasteless. The only thing that saves the bread is their sun-dried butter spread. It makes it relatively tolerable.

Ruby River Steakhouse

Restaurant:	Ruby River
Cuisine:	Steakhouse
Rating:	Best Prime Rib, Berrett Family Favorite
Price:	Kids: $5.99-$8.99, Adults: $12.99-$25+
Location:	Salt Lake, UT, Sandy, UT, Provo, UT

As the rating states, Ruby River is one of this Berrett family's favorite restaurants. Jen and I have been going there since our first year of marriage--nearly 11 years ago. I am not sure who recommended it to me, but I am happy they did; my pocketbook, however, may not have such fondness for the recommendation.

In years gone past Ruby River was a regular monthly outing, and at times when Jen was particularly tired (pregnancy and all) it became a biweekly trip (yes I said biweekly). But alas the days of a paycheck and excess money are gone, so Ruby River is an infrequent but still favorite excursion.

The reason we went to Ruby River tonight was for Ky's 9^th birthday. It has become a family tradition to allow the kids to select a restaurant either for their birthday dinner, or for a dinner close to their birthday and more often than not they chose Ruby River, and today Ky chose it as well. Perhaps it is because of the enormous free dessert they give, or the giant foam hat they get to wear (my hunch is the hat) all the kids love going to Ruby River.

Appetizer: We always start out with the cheese fries which is a giant plate of hot fries topped with melted cheese and crumbled bacon. These go quickly as they are quite addicting, and they ALWAYS leave me disappointed that they went so quickly. Their fry sauce is also tasty. On occasion we also get their Buffalo Wings, but as I am really the only one that enjoys them, they are a limited fare (usually on my birthday). But if you like hot wings, get them at Ruby River, they are by far the best I have ever had.

Main Course: For the kids we usually get them the chicken or pasta. Neither look overly appetizing to me, and lately, the last couple times, the kids have hardly touched their chicken. We may need to look at getting them something else in the future. For Jen and I the only thing we get is the Prime Rib. It is the best I have ever had. Occasionally we will get a tougher piece, but 99% of the time the meat is tender and incredibly tasty. I have gotten the steaks in the past and they are good, but for me the only reason to go is the Prime Rib.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere is very casual, with a country theme. We have no qualms bringing the kids as the atmosphere is rather loud for a restaurant.

Overall: Good food, family friendly atmosphere. Enjoy!!

Glory Road

Title: Glory Road (2006)

Rating: 7/10

Today the wife and I took some time to ourselves and went out to eat and to see the movie Glory Road. The choice of the movie was made as a result of having free tickets, and also wanting to see it.

Overall the movie was pretty good, but not as good as a movie similar in nature--Remember the Titans. I say it was similar in that both movies address the struggles of African-American teams in overcoming social and racial stereotypes. So in that way they were similar, but I don't believe that they are the same caliber from movie making and cinematic perspectives.

Glory Road has some dull parts, most often when they sought to build the off-the-court lives of the characters in the movie. This was most likely to show that they were looked down at in every aspect of their lives, but needless to say it just caused the movie to drag at times.

The import of this move speaks volumes and has been written about on numerous ocassions at ESPN. Many people credit the real life story of this basketball team of opening up college basketball, particularly in the south and back east, to black ball players. So for that alone I believe the movie should be seen.

Would I see it again in theatres--not likely. Would I want to buy it--eventually. It was a good movie, but it is the real life story that it was based upon that makes this movie important.