Wren can't Win

I feel bad for Frank Wren, General Manager of the Atlanta Braves. Over the past week, he received all kinds of criticism from many Braves fans and columnists for his unwillingness to make a big move before the trade deadline. The two teams that appear to be Atlanta's strongest competition in the National League, the Phillies and Giants, made trades to get arguably the two most coveted available players on the trade market. Meanwhile, the Braves showed interest in both players, Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence, but Frank Wren decided neither player was worth the asking price.

When Beltran was sent to San Francisco, some Braves fans were disappointed, but many understood the reasoning. Beltran could be an impact player down the stretch for the Giants, or he could be an expensive rental player for the last couple months of the season that continues to have bad knees. Many people believe Beltran is a gamble, and most logical minds believe he wouldn't have been worth the top prospects Atlanta would have sent to the division-rival Mets.

Frank Wren had a Bourn Supremacy

If there was grumbling when the Braves missed out on Beltran, there was uproar when Hunter Pence went to the Phillies. Pence appears to be a clutch player who works his tail off and does everything he can to help his team win. He gives the Phillies a right-handed hitter in their lineup and plays the corner outfield position, which makes Philadelphia that much more dangerous. Problem is - Philadelphia had to give up A LOT to get him. Trading two of the best prospects in baseball is a big deal, and it's something the Braves couldn't afford to do. Unlike Atlanta, Philadelphia sells out every home game, giving them a huge payroll and the ability to fill needs on their roster through free agency. So...instead of giving up the farm, Frank Wren stuck to his budget.

Then, Frank Wren made it happen. Sunday morning, the Braves made a deal with the Houston Astros to acquire former gold-glove center fielder Michael Bourn. Bourn can fill an immediate need in center field and take over the lead-off spot in a lineup that sorely needs someone at the top of the order. Not to mention, Bourn is one of the premiere base stealers in the game. On paper, this seems like a great move for the team and Frank Wren played his cards right. Even better, he didn't have to give up ANY of the team's top prospects to acquire Bourn. Well done!

"Bye! Sorry we didn't win anything!"

Yet, Wren is still receiving heat for his activity (or lack thereof) before the trade deadline. Some people are saying Wren is too attached to his prospects. Some believe allowing Pence and Beltran to get away to the two best teams in the National League will make it too difficult for the Braves to beat them in the playoffs. Some believe Bourn won't be enough for postseason success and Wren should have picked up more pieces. And those people might be right. Bourn might be the latest version of Mark Teixeira - Atlanta picks up the big name without getting much better while sending away surprising players who end up being major players for a championship contender. Who knows!?

The road to the World Series will be a very difficult one for the Braves. The Phillies look incredibly strong and the Giants pitching is ridiculous. But, if the Braves can't win the National League, I don't think it needs to be Frank Wren's fault. He didn't stay put at the trade deadline, nor did he panic. He made a calculated move that should help the team win this year without hurting the future of the franchise. He did exactly what he was hired to do - manage the organization. Now, let's hope it pays off on the field.

Fro-Go!

The pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt concept seems to be exploding across the country. I think Atlanta now has more FroYo stores than streets named Peachtree, and I've seen many other places popping up throughout the southeast. And apparently, the frozen yogurt wave has made its way to Roanoke.

Outdoor Seating

Frogurt is located beside Nawab on Campbell Avenue, and is managed/owned by the same people that run Nawab. It opened a few months ago in downtown Roanoke and didn't receive much attention with their opening. Although there didn't seem to be anything particularly grand about the opening, they are now receiving plenty of attention. They have a steady flow of customers during the day and the place is usually packed at night. They really don't have any competition in the downtown area and people flock to get frozen yogurt on these hot summer evenings.

The concept or Frogurt is simple and genius - pick what you want, build it yourself, and pay for as much as you want. If you want a giant tub of five different flavors of yogurt loaded with every sort of topping possible, help yourself. If you want to just a little bit of yogurt to cool off as you walk around, no problem. Because the price is based on weight, Frogurt gives you the chance to customize your order exactly the way you want it.

"Uhhh...What do I do?"

To be honest, a trip to Frogurt can be a bit overwhelming. They have at least eight different flavors of yogurt at all times, and these flavors are changed on a daily basis (or whenever they run out). Combine the different flavors of yogurt with the insane amount of toppings (fruit, nuts, candy, cereal, etc), and you can stand there for ten minutes wondering about what to get. Fortunately, they offer you free sample cups to try different flavors to see which one you're in the mood for.

We have been multiple times and tried many of the flavors, and I like most of them. It all depends on your tastes, but I'd recommend the Snickerdoodle, New Orleans Praline, Strawberry, & Birthday Cake flavors. For my favorite, the Vanilla Silk. I've only had it once because they always seem to have different types of vanilla, but this one was amazing. Incredibly smooth and creamy without being too sweet. A cup of the vanilla silk topped with some fresh fruit = perfect.

I think the value of Frogurt is great. You get what you pay for. If you think it's too expensive, then you probably got too much. Be smart about the toppings you want and considering how much they weigh. My total is usually around $3, and I think it's plenty of yogurt for that price. I just laugh at the amateurs when I see them shocked at their heaping bowl that cost them $9.

Frogurt appears to have the downtown area covered for Roanoke and I've heard rumors about other frozen yogurt shops opening in different parts of the city, which is exciting. I was worried when they first opened and weren't busy at all, but the word is out about this downtown yogurt shop. A big thanks to Frogurt for blazing the trail and for bringing the frozen yogurt trend to the valley.

Add the Wasabi

I love good sushi and sashimi. I'm not talking about the ridiculous sorts of maki rolls you can find all over the place. I'm talking about varieties of fresh, raw fish. To me, finding a good sushi restaurant is an opportunity to try an exotic type of food that is presented in a way that highlights the natural flavor. In my opinion, Wasabi's meets the bill of a great sushi restaurant (despite their bad website).

Wasabi's is located on Market Street in downtown Roanoke, right beside the city's Historic Farmers Market. The Farmers Market serves fresh fruits and vegetables on one side of the street while Wasabi's serves fresh fish on the other side. And although I don't consider Roanoke to be a city that is crazy about sushi, it is tough to get a table at this popular Japanese spot during the weekday lunch hour.

I wasn't the first one in my family to discover Wasabi's. As is the case with most sushi restaurants, my dad beat me to the punch. He has been eating sushi and sashimi on a weekly basis for the past 15 years and has tried restaurants all over the country. He ranks Wasabi's near the top. He has reached that level where he is able to walk in to the restaurant and they know his name and what he'll be ordering without even asking him. In my limited experiences, I'd agree with him.

The key to great sushi is the freshness of the fish. Not only can old fish make you very ill, it just doesn't taste very good. For something that typically isn't cheap, no one wants to have a meal that doesn't taste good and has a chance of making them sick. Fortunately, I've never had a problem with anything being less than fresh from Wasabi's.

Wasabi Special

I normally go for lunch (usually joining my dad and his group of friends) and now order the same thing every time. The Wasabi Special features a Spicy Tuna Roll, Salmon Maki, California Roll, and four pieces of nigiri from the chef. Usually, the four pieces are some variety of eel, snapper, tuna, and salmon. The special also comes with your choice of a soup or salad, and I always opt for the salad. In terms of the fish that is served, I don't think I could pick a favorite. The rolls and selections of nigiri are both excellent, and the portions are generous without being overwhelming. The presentation is simple but elegant, and there aren't any bizarre sauces or other random ingredients smeared around the plate. As mentioned earlier, everything tastes very fresh and the chef allows the flavors of the fish to shine. And at around $9, I think it's the best value for sushi in the entire city.

In my work, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to people about restaurants in the Roanoke area, especially downtown. I recommend all sorts of places all over the city and hope I direct people to an enjoyable dining experience. Whenever they ask me my favorite place to eat downtown, I tell them Wasabi's.

No Player Left Behind

I haven't followed the NFL lockout that closely over the past few months. Not being a hardcore pro football fan and this being the offseason, I don't think it's a big deal. I'm more interested in what's been happening in Major League Baseball and the PGA Tour to care about what public park NFL players are holding fake practices in. Add in the fact that ESPN has a horrible habit of reporting non-stories and trying to generate attention for ridiculous issues - I find it all boring. Everyone talks about the general public choosing to side with the owners or players, and I think that's an ignorant view to take. Similar to politics, both sides can take major responsibility for the problems the league is facing and neither can point the finger solely at the other party. That said, my opinion has been swayed a bit due to some unexpected comments.

Due to alleged "progress" that has been made in negotiations over the past week, a number of current NFL players and team representatives have been interviewed on major media outlets and asked about the state of affairs with the league. These interviews have been some of the most entertaining things I've seen in a while. It's amazing how many NFL players have the ability to make up words when trying to sound like they know what they are talking about. They call more audibles on proper vocabulary than Peyton Manning calls against a Rex Ryan defense. When asked questions about negotiations and expectations the union has, we get to hear players use words like "fairestness" and "maximumest." Thank you for your profound thoughts Takeo Spikes & Ray Rice. Next, said players talk about not receiving any respect from the owners. Maybe the owners don't respect them because they don't understand what they are saying? I love that we have men arguing over billions of dollars while many of them are unable to use correct grammar and put a complete sentence together.

"I didn't understand anything he said!"

I'm not making the all too common argument that football players are dumb. I hear that all the time and I think it's ridiculous. These guys spend countless hours studying film, playbooks, and schemes and many of them are very complicated. As much as I think I understand reading a zone blitz or a blocking scheme because of what I've seen from playing Xbox, it's probably a little different in the NFL. Most of these players have a tremendous work ethic and push themselves to physically unhealthy levels for the sake of competition. Whether or not that is intelligent is an entirely different discussion. I think they simply live in a world where academics are secondary. Unlike most of us, academics haven't served a purpose for them in terms of income or success, and they have been able to use their athletic abilities, which is perfectly fine. Doesn't mean they don't sound like idiots in an interview.

As part of the new CBA, I think NFL owners should require players to take some sort of basic English/grammar class. We're not talking about anything too complex. No need to register them at the local community college during the offseason for a May-mester session. I'm thinking a couple weeks in a 1st or 2nd grade class will do the trick. Please learn how to use the correct tense of a verb. Please learn how to use a proper pronoun. Please play each other in Words with Friends.

It's what the NFL needs. No Player Left Behind!

Best Thing I Ever Ate: Fogo de Chao

It's time for another installment of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." I don't think I have a category for this one, although "Overall Restaurant" might be a good one. Fogo de Chao is the gold standard of a dining experience for me. The atmosphere, service, variety, flavors, etc. are all excellent and it is truly unique. It's the type of restaurant where you can be dressed up for a fancy occasion and it's perfectly appropriate, or you can be in a polo shirt and khaki shorts and no one will look at you weird. Unlike some fancy/high class restaurants that care more about making everything pretty on a plate or using bizarre ingredients, Fogo focuses on the food and providing the best flavors possible. The Brazilian churrascaria has a limited number of locations around the country and in Brazil, and you are in for a treat if you ever get to visit one.

The concept behind the churrascaria, which means "barbeque" in Portuguese, is that trained gauchos prepare a variety of meats over an open fire and serve the meats fresh off the fire. Fogo has this down to an art. You sit at a table with a card - one side is green and the other is red. When you turn your card so it's facing green, gauchos come to your table with different meats and offer you cuts of whatever they have. When you have everything you want, simply flip your card to red and enjoy what's on your plate. Ready for more? Flip it back to green to start the entire process over. This continues for as long as you like. The amazing part of this is...the chefs aren't bringing little pieces of grilled chicken, flank steak, and grissly pork chops to your table. It's gourmet in every way. You have the oh-so-difficult responsibility of enjoying garlic seasoned prime sirloin, bacon wrapped filets, prime ribeye, beef ribs, leg of lamb, bacon wrapped chicken, and more. It's a carnivore's delight! Wait, did I mention this is the second part of the meal?

For people who have always thought Fogo de Chao is all about the meat...you're right. But it's also all about amazing vegetables. Prior to your feast of grilled meats, there is a salad bar that I'm pretty sure features vegetables from the Garden of Eden. The salad bar has over 30 items including: fresh mozzarella, artichoke bottoms, roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, aged parmesan, jumbo asparagus, smoked salmon, and prosciutto. I'm partial to fresh vegetables, but I don't know if I have ever enjoyed a salad bar as much as this one. I'm the one at the salad bar piling so many things on my plate that it becomes a balancing act to see if I can carry it all back to the table. I don't know why I do this since you can return for as many trips as you like, but I never learn. I could talk about the fresh crunch of the peppers, the juiciness of the sliced tomatoes, or the rich flavor of the fresh mozzarella but you really have to experience it for yourself. Last time Nicole and I went to Fogo de Chao for dinner, we skipped the meat portion of the meal and only had the salad bar and ate non-stop for 2 hours. I think the wait staff was in awe.

If the salad bar and meat courses aren't enough, you also receive side dishes that are served to your table. Polenta, garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas, & cheese rolls (pao de queijo) are all served as you enjoy your meal. I think the polenta, mashed potatoes, & bananas are all pretty pedestrian and not worth the space in your stomach, but the cheese rolls...OH MY WORD! These warm little pillows of goodness are magical. They appear to be a pop-over (we found a recipe and will be attempting to make them) that have a perfect texture on the outside and an airy, soft inside. When these are hot, they are unbeatable. Seriously...speechless.

The entire experience at Fogo de Chao can be overwhelming. There are so many different foods to enjoy and only so much room in your stomach. It's not cheap (Dinner: $50 for meat/salad bar, $25 for salad bar), but I think it's completely worth it. You have to pace yourself and remember the most important thing is to enjoy your meal and not leave feeling completely miserable. And if you think about it, $50 for as many gourmet meats and vegetables you want isn't THAT bad. It's not something I'd pay on a regular basis, but it's great for a special occasion or want to do something different. So for the best thing I ever ate, Fogo de Chao takes a number of different spots: Best Salad Bar, Best Bread (or whatever the cheese rolls should be considered), Best Meat, Best Restaurant. Simply put...it's just the best.

 

iDay

I've thought a great deal about what to say of my time in Annapolis last week, and it's very difficult to put into words. Last Thursday, my brother was inducted into the United States Naval Academy, and he's now a week into the horrible experience known as Plebe Summer. It was tough to see him go, but I don't think any of us could be more proud of him.

People that know Brent usually have some very strong words to describe him. Adjectives such as driven, motivated, competitive, committed, and leader usually come to mind and they don't really tell the entire story. I have never seen anyone work harder at reaching a goal and do whatever it takes to be the very best at everything he participates in. Going to the Naval Academy has been Brent's goal for the past 3 years and it's incredible to see everything he did to make sure he accomplished that goal. 

At one point, his schedule included waking before 6:00am to drive to school to catch the bus to go to Governor's School, spending all day in the most difficult classes possible until 3pm, going to cross country practice until 5pm, driving all the way across town to soccer practice with his travel team until 8pm, and coming home to study and work on homework until 1 or 2am. He was also extremely involved with church youth activities and helped out in numerous ways with his Senior class. Actually, it's possible going to the Naval Academy might help Brent slow down a bit.

The funny part about all the stuff he did to get to Annapolis...it doesn't mean a thing now. As a plebe at the academy, he is treated like dirt. Within his first few hours of being there (when he checks in with nothing but the clothes he's wearing), he had his head shaved, received a hideous uniform, and was already being yelled at along with the other 1300 members of his freshmen class. Plebe summer is one of the challenges and processes of joining the academy that breaks you down and helps shape you into becoming a naval officer. It is physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding in every way. The program lasts until the second week of August, which is the first time we can come see him at the academy for "Parent's Weekend." At the Induction Ceremony, the plebes take an oath to do everything asked of them to protect our country, and that oath is taken with the utmost seriousness. Plebe summer is the first step in those individuals becoming the leaders of our Navy. 

While it was unbelievable to see Brent take his spot in the formation line to march off following the induction ceremony, I know he is in the right place. He went to a place where excellence is required and where anything but your best is unacceptable. He went to a place where they take the best and make them even better. He earned a spot at the United States Naval Academy. He went where he belongs.

The Charm City

We are not in a position to be able to travel a lot, but it's usually a lot of fun when we do. Nicole and I joined the rest of my family last week and took my brother to Annapolis, MD for his induction into the U.S. Naval Academy. We had a great time in Annapolis and I'll have another post about that entire experience, but Nicole and I decided to spend a couple extra days in Maryland and head up to Baltimore, the Charm City.

Baltimore was a quick 30 minute drive north of Annapolis and we spent most of the day Friday and Saturday there. We booked a room through HI Hostels and stayed in their hostel, which was downtown and not too far from the Inner Harbor area. The accommodations were decent (although hot) and provided the basics we needed: a bed to sleep in, a bathroom to shower, and a place to park our car. We didn't spend much time in the hostel but they seem to do a good job of providing resources and things to do for guests and I'd definitely consider using them again when we travel to other cities where H.I. offers accomodations.

When we weren't sleeping, we tried to do as much exploring as we could. We visited the campus of Johns Hopkins University and checked out some of the local highlights around that area, including an ice cream shop that served veggie ice cream and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The woman working in the ice cream shop was very rude and their ice cream was nothing special (a hint of vegetable in vanilla ice cream) but the art museum was really cool (and it happened to be free). I know very little about art and find most of it boring, but it's fun to see things from other perspectives and it's usually good people watching to say the least.

Baltimore seems to be divided into multiple neighborhoods/communities and many of them have their own unique culture and identity. We weren't able to spend much time in many of the communities, but we definitely wanted to visit the area known as Little Italy. It was one of the coolest city neighborhoods I've seen. As we walked down the streets, we were hit with the amazing smells of Italian food cooking in numerous restaurants that sit in nearly every street corner. There were benches where people could sit by the street and hang out for an afternoon and a public bocce ball court where elderly Italian men challenged each other in some very competitive games. We even saw people gathering in a parking lot for what appears to be a Friday night tradition in Little Italy - there is a large sheet on the side of a building that serves as a movie screen and hundreds of people set up their chairs to have a spot for movie night right in the middle of the neighborhood. The movie night also sits between a local pizza shop on one side and a pastry shop on the other - classic. Everything about the place promoted community and family.

Bocce Ball!

Movie Night!

Along with hanging out in Little Italy, we tried to hit the other major spots in Baltimore. We took a water taxi to Fells Point, the historic neighborhood that still has cobblestone streets. We went through the World Famous Lexington Market, a market full of food vendors, profanity, and Baltimore character. We walked around Camden Yards, the beautiful baseball stadium that is worthy of a much better team. And we took in the sites of the Inner Harbor, which is the most obvious tourist spot in the city but still cool. The Barnes & Noble on the harbor is the coolest B&N I've seen, featuring a warehouse design and patios where you can sit and look out over the water.

We can't go somewhere without trying lots of food, and Baltimore was no different. Aside from the ice cream we had at Dominion Ice Cream, we had some excellent food. We decided to be crazy on Friday night and have dinner at Fogo de Chao, the famous Brazilian churrascaria. We took the healthy(er) option of the salad bar and skipped the meat portion of the meal, which saved us a lot of money and allowed us to gorge ourselves on their amazing salad bar. I'm pretty sure Fogo will receive a few "Best Thing I Ever Ate" posts in the coming weeks. And when I previously mentioned the cool pizza and pastry shops in Little Italy, I forgot to mention we visited both. I had an awesome meatball sub from Isabella's, the pizza and sandwich shop, and we tried the cannoli (which I thought was the best), cream puffs, and napoleons from Vaccaro's, the pastry shop. We could spend years trying all the other restaurants that looked good and I hope to be able to get back to Baltimore to see what other great food they're serving.

One thing that made our two days in Baltimore so enjoyable was the ability to use public transportation. The city offers bus service to the main neighborhoods and attractions on a service called the Charm City Circulator. There are three routes running through the main parts of the city with multiple stops and you usually don't have to wait more than 10 minutes for a pick up from any of the locations. The stops are well marked, the buses are clean, and the drivers are friendly. And the best part...using the Charm City Circulator is FREE! It made getting around the city very easy and it enabled us to see more of the unique things Baltimore had to offer. Being able to ride the bus kept us from worrying about walking everywhere and figuring out if we'd need to take our car and then find a place to park.  I was extremely impressed with this service and I hope many other cities will work to offer something similar to this. 

   

In all, it was a great getaway for us. The weather ended up being nice and we were able to see many different things. We hope to get back sometime and see even more! Here are a few additional pictures: