Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Non-Tech : RAINFOREST CAFE -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mel Boreham who wrote (3548)	11/27/1997 10:37:00 AM
From: Dennis Vail	Respond to of 4704

Hi Mel, Here's a very nice review out of Grapevine from the 11/26 Forth Worth Star-Telelgraph: GRAPEVINE - Is it worth the wait? by Gaile Robinson That's all they ask. Can the food at Rainforest Cafe possibly be worth the incredibly long lines? The answer: It hardly matters. After you have invested two hours waiting, having denied your children all manner of little goodies in the Rainforest Retail Village, you'll feel as if you made a pact with the devil for a plate of pasta. You'll say you liked it no matter what transpired. You surrender your surname at the reservations desk - the time was 6:15 on a Tuesday night - where they only accept walk-up traffic, no phoners. There, you are given a small paper passport, a new name (Hummingbird in our case), and a departure time (7:26 p.m.) for your "adventure." They tell you to meet your party by the elephant at least 10 minutes before your scheduled adventure time. You can dally, though; our adventure was launched 40 minutes late. At this point, because you have willingly agreed to their terms, you either tough out the wait or bail and head for the food court. A lot of people aren't Rainforest material. If you stick it out, you are eventually shown to your table, deep inside the dark, cavernous jungle, where you screech at your tablemates over recorded animal roars. The animatronic gorillas are interesting the first three or four times they launch into a group hissy fit. But will the food never arrive? Against all odds, it does - and it's surprisingly good. We over-ordered, beginning with two appetizers. Bimini Wings were dry chicken wings served with slender twirls of crispy fried onions, cucumber slices instead of celery and blue-cheese dressing. The Pieces of Ate - chicken, corn, black beans, peppers and cheeses in a won ton wrapper with a salsa side - were much better. The main course was hustled to the table by the efficient and thankfully nontalkative waitress. A pizza called Paradise Flatbread ($9.95) was delivered to the youngest. She picked off the fresh basil leaves. Linguine with marinara, fresh mozzarella and sausage, called Planet Earth Pasta ($9.95), was put before the eldest child. He needed help identifying the soft lumps of delectable fresh cheese. Once he tasted it, however, he hoarded the rest and refused to share. The grilled salmon and vegetable dish called Islands in the Stream ($12.95) was difficult to share as well. The salmon was grilled to perfection, as were the mushrooms, red peppers and carrots. The daily special, grilled mahi-mahi, was equally as good. We were loath to give up our hard-won table, so we ordered dessert. Skeleton Key Lime Pie ($4.95) and Chocolate Diablo ($4.95) arrived and were sent back to the kitchen to be put in to-go boxes. We strutted out of that restaurant like we'd gone 10 rounds and won. We survived. We waited an hour and 50 minutes, and we still made it to the table. Later that night, the desserts were attacked. The Key lime pie was exactly that, which is remarkable because a Key lime pie found north of Tampa rarely tastes like it should. The Diablo, two layers of tender chocolate cake sandwiched between thick, chocolate mousse-like pudding, was good, but the forks kept battling over the rapidly shrinking pie. Rainforest Cafe Food: New American, with excellent pasta dishes and Key lime pie Service: Busy but attentive Atmosphere: Extravagant setting designed to suggest a rain forest 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine, (972) 539-5001. 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Wheelchair accessible, major credit cards, smoke-free environment. (end repost) Thanks for the warm wishes from the South! Regards, Dennis

To: Mel Boreham who wrote (3548)	12/1/1997 2:37:00 AM
From: Dennis Vail	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4704

Hi Mel, Some odds and ends: At around 2:30 PM Friday AM Radio 780 was claiming the traffic coming and going to Gurnee Mills was causing traffic jams on Rte 94. This station was also reporting Woodfield's parking lot to be 86% full (whereas I doubt I've ever seen it 50% full) and Woodfield Mall to be the busiest mall in the state. Earlier in the week I also heard some minute long radio ads on one of Chicago's sports radio chanels (AM 1160) announcing the opening of ther Gurnee Mills Bass Pro Outdoor World. I think we're going to see much better 4Q revenues here in Chicago than the analysts expect. Here's an article on MOA on Friday: Mega mall packs in diverse group By Chris Tolimson Associated Press BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Lines were the order of the day at shopping malls across the state Friday, with Minnesotans joining in the post-Thanksgiving binge of holiday shopping. Young and old, rich and poor, people of all races and creeds were at the Mall of America early to participate in the uniquely American ritual of the busiest shopping day of the year. Even before stores opened at the nation's largest shopping and entertainment complex at 8 a.m., there was a 15 minute wait at the Cinnabon shop, where customers tanked up on coffee and cinnamon rolls before a hard day of buying. ''We got up at 5:30. It's a tradition for us every year to come early and then spend the day here,'' said Bev Haze, a mother of two. ''We'll be here until about 3:30 this afternoon.'' Perhaps nowhere else in Minnesota could such a diverse group of people be found sharing a single pursuit. Inner-city teens, dressed in hip-hop regalia, mixed with wrinkled farmers in western shirts, both groups wearing baseball caps. Immigrant families and yuppie couples searched store shelves for the toys that every child seems to want this year. Traditional baby dolls and tool sets have been forsaken for dinosaurs and characters from movies and television. The shoppers also shared another common quarry: the bargain. ''I'm shopping early, so I haven't bought anything that wasn't on sale,'' said Jane Hagert, who was standing in line at Kay-Bee Toys holding boxes stacked to her chin. Hagert, from Granite Falls, is expecting her third child early next year. But not everyone at the mall was consuming. Demonstrators, waving banners and handing out leaflets, awaited the earliest shoppers, trying to persuade them not to buy anything. ''We are asking people to take a look at their spending habits to ask them if they can go one full day without shopping,'' said Whitney Fink, one of 17 protesters. ''Buy Nothing Day is a global campaign designed to promote a move toward voluntary simplicity and away from the excesses of American consumer culture,'' said Bob Greenberg. Some shoppers laughed and smiled at the protesters, but headed inside anyway. For many, a trip to the mall was a family event. Mike Jewson's family of four was shopping, but he spent the first part of the morning playing at Legoland with his 4-year-old daughter, Sara. ''I put money away and that way we don't have to pay interest,'' Jewson said, explaining why he is paying cash for everything. He said he planned to spend about $900 dollars total this year, the same as last year. Lego store manager Maggie Keady said not everyone was showing Jewson's restraint, but added that shoppers this year are well informed. ''Sales are very good, people are shopping early. We started getting busy with people mentioning Christmas shopping in early October,'' Keady said. ''There's lots of products kids are asking for.'' By mid-morning, there was no way to avoid the crush. Grandparents clutching gift lists written in a child's hand on notebook paper fought for attention in checkout lines with mothers trying to carry purchases and screaming babies at the same time. Lines began forming under an 18-foot high Christmas wreath made of Snoopy dolls at 10 a.m. for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. But for many, the day was an annual rite of passage. ''I do it every year and I'd never miss it,'' said Haze. (end repost) Finally and off-topic, this weeks Barrons (Eric J Savitz, Plugged In, Pg 63) writes on this years Comdex Trade Show and claims that a new 3 1/2 " drive from Sony and Fuji Photo called HiFD for high capacity floppy drive is 100% backwards compatible to the current floppy and has twice the capacity and a much faster transfer rate than a Zip drive. Savitz is calling it an Iomega Killer. You probably heard about it on the Iomega thread already but if not it sounds like you better research it. Hope all's well around the equator! Greeting to Cathy and the Spark. Regards, Dennis