Evil Penevil

And for anyone looking to celebrate the Glorious 4th, you have a few options. Coop will be kicking off his annual July 4th BBQ and party at ChikNCoop Bar 4 p.m. Offshore Bar and Sexy in the City are holding a joint July 4th party that begins at 3 p.m. The All American Restaurant in the Avenue Mall starts its festivities at 2 p.m. Have fun and stay safe whatever you choose! Evil

The arcade which runs parallel to Soi Diana and diagonally across from Mike's Mall on 2nd Road includes some notable Pattaya restaurants: Kiss Foods, Beefeater, Patrick's, My Way and Little India. This week I decided to try a relative newcomer to the arcade, Calles Grill & Bar. It's not brand new as it opened in October last year, but I had never had occasion to try it before. It occupies the premises of the defunct Big Horn Steakhouse. Basically it's a grill restaurant specializing in steaks and Swedish meat dishes, but with some international favorites on the menu as well. It's bright and cheerful inside; not fancy but comfortable and welcoming. If you get a window seat, you can keep an eye on the goings-on at Papagayo coyote club across the walkway. The menu serves as the placemat (or vice versa, I guess). It's a moderately priced (but not cheap) restaurant with a number of dishes under 300 baht. The first dish I ordered was listed on the menu as "Butt Naked Cordon Bleu," or an unbreaded escalope of pork loin stuffed with ham and cheese and thick-cut "steakhouse fries" and gorgonzola sauce on the side. However, what I got was an "ordinary," fully breaded cordon bleu, It looked pretty good and I was in a bit of a hurry, so I decided not to complain. It was indeed a good cordon bleu, properly cooked with plenty of flavor. The only thing I thought a bit odd was the gorgonzola sauce along with it. Absolutely nothing wrong with the sauce, but it tended to overwhelm the cheese that stuffed the schnitzel. I used the sauce on the steak fries instead, It cost 295 baht and a SML was 100 baht. Despite the order mix up, I was happy with the meal. Yesterday I tried the daily special at 299 baht (pic from Calles' Facebook page). This time, what I got corresponded to the description: two pieces of pork filet served Scandinavian plank-style with mashed potatoes, mushroom sauce and a grilled tomato. Again, the pork was properly seasoned and cooked, were the mashed potatoes. The sauce had a real mushroom flavor. It came with carrots and snap peas which were hidden by the meat. Bottom line: I really liked the pork plank steak and thought it good value for money at 299 baht. I enjoy Swedish food and will be back to try a few more dishes. Evil

Some decent specials at Dicey Reilly's on 2nd Road in front of the Marriott. Evil

Time for an update on Dicey Reilly's Sunday carvery at 399 baht. Not much has changed since my first review a couple of years ago. It remains one of the better carveries in Pattaya and well worth the 399 baht. It's a comfortable restaurant with good A/C. It's also rather quiet and seldom has a lot of customers, which makes it a good place both to have Sunday dinner and to watch sports events. In terms of the food at the Sunday carvery, it's still as good as ever. In fact, I could simply repeat the comments I made in 2014 and 2015. The buffet offers roast beef, turkey and pork, as well as Yorkshire pudding, gravy and veggies (roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, roast pumpkin, cauliflower gratin, peas), plus cottage pie, fried chicken, soup, a salad bar, small cakes, fruit and my favorite, bread pudding with custard sauce. The food was fresh, prepared well and kept hot while the buffet bowls were topped up regularly. The only new addition to the buffet was a station where dessert crepes were prepared. Drinks were a bit expensive, with a SML costing 149 baht and a bottle of water 80 baht. Like all buffets, it's best to get there as early as possible and Dicey Reilly's carvery runs between noon and 4 p.m. on Sundays. The meat carving station. Cottage pie. Fried chicken. Mashed potatoes. Roast potatoes. The cauliflower gratin and peas proved popular ... but the dishes were topped up quickly. The cauliflower gratin was very good. The salad bar, which has a large wooden bowl in which you can mix and dress your own salad. My first plate, heavy on the turkey. I love turkey with cranberry sauce and there aren't too many places in Pattaya where you can get it on a regular basis. My second plate: I tried the pumpkin soup, also a favorite, but it wasn't that tasty. The dessert station, with the afternoon's entertainers in the background. Bottom line: I've been to Dicey Reilly's Sunday carvery many times and I'll keep going back, more for the roast turkey than anything else. Evil :

Woman accidentally kills self adjusting bra holster Michael Winter, USA TODAY9:11 p.m. EST February 18, 2015 (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images) A Michigan woman accidentally shot herself to death last month while adjusting the .22-caliber revolver in her bra holster, police said Wednesday. Christina Bond, 55, was struck in an eye in her St. Joseph home on New Year's Day. She died the next day in a Kalamazoo hospital, where she had been airlifted. "She was having trouble adjusting her bra holster, couldn't get it to fit the way she wanted it to," St. Joseph Public Safety Director Mark Clapp told the Kalamazoo Gazette. "She was looking down at it and accidentally discharged the weapon." No other details were released. Police are awaiting the full autopsy report. Bond, a mother of two sons, was a bookkeeper and officer administrator for the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, and had previously had run the office for the Road to Life Church, The Herald-Palladium reported. She also ministered to inmates at the Berrien County Jail. St. Joseph is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, north of the Indiana line.

At least five Americans accidentally shot off their penises since 2010 In News by Brian Abrams / January 23, 2013 The Internet is abuzz this week with the unfortunate mishap of one security guard in Trinidad who accidentally shot his dick off with a .38 firearm. That sucks, but this isn’t the first time that a potential Darwin Award nominee robbed himself of manhood. At least five similar incidents have been reported in the United States within the last three years. If these cases don’t sway macho man constitutionalists to support gun control, then I don’t know what. 1. September 2012: Michael Smeriglio, while cleaning his pistol The 18-year old Floridian shot a bullet through his penis and left testicle while he was attempting to clean a gun he bought at a party the month prior. (via) 2. July 2012: Tavares Colbert, while testing out a firearm Colbert, 36, was charged with illegal firearms possession after he admitted to the cops that he had intentions to sell the gun to another man outside a 7-Eleven in Oklahoma. On the way to make the sale, Colbert tested the gun in the car and shot himself in the nads. (via) 3. August 2011: Joshua Seto, walking into store with girlfriend 27-year old Seto was walking into a store with his girlfriend in Chandler, Arizona, when a pink pistol went off in his pants. Putz. (via) 4. May 2010: Unidentified man, shopping at Lowe’s A lone shopper blew away his testicles on a Sunday afternoon while walking the aisles at Lowe’s Home Improvement in Washington state. The gun was kept not-so-safely in his waistband. (via) 5. March 2010: Unidentified teenager, walking into medical center A 17-year old in Vallejo, California, was spotted holding his wounded crotch while walking into the emergency room. At the time of the report, the kid didn’t tell anyone what happened. (via) http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/193576/at-least-five-americans-accidentally-shot-off-their-penises-since-2010/

I'm a bad one to ask about wine because I can't drink it due to a food allergy. However, according to what was written on another board, the Big Fish does have a "free flow" wine option for an extra 350 baht. I can't confirm whether that is accurate. You can just ride the elevator up to the sixth floor. No card is needed. But the buffet does get busy and a reservation is probably safest. Evil

This was a good meal (smoked salmon on a bagel) at a rather interesting restaurant: Vanguard Kitchen, located in Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, NJ. Newark Liberty is one of the three big airports that serves the New York metro area and a hub for United Airlines. The pics of the restaurant I lifted off the Net. The restaurant is associated with UA, as you can pay for meals using frequent flyer miles. Each table has a tablet (IPad) from which you both order and pay. You can also surf the Net while you eat. I didn't try any porno sites- I'd imagine they are blocked- but I had no problem logging into Pattaya Talk. The food itself was good but expensive. The smoked salmon and bagel, which came with capers, raw onion and tomato as well as salad and a generous dollop of cream cheese, was fresh and fine. You can opt out of any of the toppings when you order on the IPad. The meal cost a total of USD 20.00 (700 baht), including an 18% service charge and a bottomless glass of soda water. I paid with 6,000 FF miles. It's a bit strange the service charge is so high because the waitress does little more than carry out your food, although I did see them helping some less computer-oriented customers to order. Anyway, it's not a bad place to kill some time while waiting for a flight. Evil

I'll be outside Thailand for the next two weeks, but when I get back, I'll definitely send you a PM. Maybe we can put together a small group for an FLB Memorial Fondue Evening. It's been a while since I've had fondue, but within the past decade. There's a small restaurant in NYC called Raclette that specializes in melted cheese dishes. At The Bistro, the dish raclette is done with a table-top grill that looks like this: Anyway, I definitely look forward to it, fondue or raclette! And wine white is the drink of choice with fondue. Evil

Latitude: 12.900173 | Longitude: 100.86862 Evil

Another really tasty meal I had at The Bistro was also simple but delicious. The amuse-bouche that day was black olives with diced onions. I'm not a big fan of olives, but these were good ... ... as was the light rye bread topped with the spread. I followed up with an open-faced tomato and sausage sandwich with dill pickles at 110 baht. There's not much skill required to make a sandwich, so it all comes down to the ingredients; otherwise, you might as well slap some salami and tomatoes on a piece of bread at home. Every component of The Bistro's sandwich was high-quality and fresh. The toppings were placed on a section of a sliced baguette. Of course, if you have access to top-quality ingredients make such a sandwich at home. But he salami was light years above the sliced package sort you get at the Friendship Store or Villa Market. Next I had fried eggs on rösti for 120 baht. Again, a simple dish that began as a breakfast meal on Swiss farms several hundred years ago. The only ingredients in traditional rösti are shredded potatoes and butter and that's what you get at The Bistro, but cooked perfectly. The eggs were fresh and fried exactly as they should be. I'd eat breakfast in The Bistro on a regular basis for the rösti and eggs, but unfortunately it doesn't open until 2 p.m. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a few items on The Bistro's menu that I haven't tried yet. It features Swiss hallmarks like fondue and raclette, but those are dishes best enjoyed with friends and few of my acquaintances have wanted to try them, perhaps because of the fondue craze in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s? Anyway, the fondue and raclette at The Bistro are on my list. The other aspect of The Bistro's menu that deserves mention is its wine list. I don't drink wine due to a weird food allergy, so I can't comment on wine choices, but The Bistro's list is extensive. Bottom line: The Bistro serves great Swiss food, but you have to appreciate cheese. It's premium food at a premium price, although several of its dishes fall into the "reasonable" category. Evil

The Bistro Wine & Cheese is a Swiss restaurant on Soi 13/1, aka Soi Yamato, about halfway between Beach Road and 2nd Road. It is a small restaurant, with about 20 seats in the enclosed air-conditioned part of the restaurant and a few more seats outside. It serves delicious food prepared from quality ingredients with meticulous attention to detail. The menu is focused on dishes which are popular in Switzerland and many of its customers are not surprisingly Swiss ex-pats and tourists in Pattaya. It's been full or close to it the nights I've eaten there, so reservations are recommended if you plan on eating around 7 p.m. It opens at 2 p.m. and closes at midnight. There are some Thai dishes on the menu as well as Swiss specialties, but it's not a place where you'll find cheeseburgers or beans on toast. Prices are premium for Pattaya, but so is the food. It's becoming one of my personal favorites in central Pattaya as I very much like cheese-heavy dishes. The decor is elegant but unpretentious and the service is extremely friendly and attentive. The meals at The Bistro begin with an amuse-bouche, or complimentary bite-sized portion of food selected by the chef and generally not on the menu. On a recent visit, I got a mini-portion of breaded fish with tartar sauce. Yum! There's also a spread to put on the warm, freshly baked bread. The spread reminded me of what we call Amish egg salad in the U.S. Because of its national and linguistic diversity, French, German and Italian dishes are popular in Switzerland as well as dishes that developed locally from traditional Alpine farm products like meat, sausage, potatoes and above all, cheese. I began with a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad at 240 baht. It was large enough that it could have been split among two people as a starter. I don't know why, but tomatoes in Thailand often seem flavorless to me. Not so with the tomatoes in my salad, which were bursting with real tomato taste. The salad comes with bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar so diners can dress it according to their own preferences. I didn't think it needed anything extra. I choose macaroni with gruyere cheese at 190 baht as my main course. I love the nutty flavor of gruyere and it goes perfectly with pasta. The generous portion of gruyere was mixed evenly through out the pasta and wasn't just a top layer. You can't get much simpler that cheese, pasta and a sprinkling of parsley, but due to the quality of the ingredients and flawless execution, it was a pleasure to eat. I also had a recent meal at the Bistro with a friend. He's a fanatic for margaritas and ordered one. I told him The Bistro probably wasn't a natural place for a margarita, but he said it was both strong and excellent. He had the tomato and mozzarella salad as his starter and I picked the French onion soup at 120 baht as mine . It was great, among the best I've had anywhere. The beef broth was wonderfully rich and wasn't overwhelmed by too much wine or sherry. The onions were cooked perfectly and the gratinated slice of bread atop the soup was great. My friend ordered spaghetti carbonara at 240 baht, which he ate to the last strand of spaghetti. I ordered the German-style spareribs with potatoes rösti at 380 baht. Remember, these are Swiss-sized ribs, not Texas. The pork ribs were high-quality and roasted as they should be. The rösti did justice to its name ("crisp and golden"). It was crispy on the outside but the shredded potatoes were fluffy inside. However, I feel spareribs cooked in that fashion need a bit of acidity to perk up the flavor. Maybe this isn't part of the Swiss tradition, but I felt some sauerkraut or pickled red cabbage would have gone very well with the ribs. The Bistro was fully booked from 7 p.m. that night, so we had gotten there at 6 p.m. That gave us a chance to follow the preparation of the evening's offerings in the kitchen. The owner was very active, supervision and discussing the food with his chef as he tasted it. That's a very good sign, one that smacks of real professionalism. You can see the cheese and sausage the restaurant uses in its dishes. Top ingredients! I'm running out of time, but I have more pics and comments about the food at The Bistro. I'll post the second installment ASAP. Evil

There were bowls and trays of grilled shrimp and crab for those who don't want to wait for a custom-grilled portion. The dessert table offered the usual assortment of cakes, tarts, pudding, fruit, etc. The tiny cups of egg custard were the best. Some plates from out table: Because of food allergies, I alas cannot eat much seafood other than shrimp. I had a couple of lamb chops and a piece of grilled beef to fill me up. The lamb chop was grilled nicely, but had a lot of untrimmed fat. It was a big chop; however, only a small part of it was edible. You'd need to take five or six to get a full portion of lamb. The beef was local, fatty and not really grill quality. Bottomline: the buffet at Big Fish could stand as a monument to "OK but not great." It offers average food in surroundings that are both cool in terms of decor and air conditioning. The staff is friendly and service is attentive. However, if you judge solely on culinary grounds, Big Fish doesn't come within a mile of the Friday noon seafood buffet at the Hilton on 2nd Road. It's like comparing the Toledo Mud Hens with the New York Yankees. The prices are similar, but the Hilton charges much more for beverages. Unfortunately, the Big Fish has a singer who belts out Western songs in Spanish and Italian as well as English. The only thing he added to the evening was extra noise. On the ground floor, Siam Siam has a very cool Car Bar. Some of the booths are done up as the interiors of cars. This is a great place for drinks with a TG, but the cocktails are expensive, in the 300-baht range. There's a 2-for-1 offer between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. The seafood and BBQ buffet at the Big Fish is certainly an option, but not the best one. Evil

The Big Fish restaurant on the 6th floor of the Siam Siam Hotel on 2nd Road close to Soi 3 offers a daily seafood and BBQ buffet. The cost is 650 baht p p, including a 10% service charge and 7% VAT. It opens at 6.30 p.m. and runs until 10.30 p.m. I tried it last night with a farang friend and his TG. The buffet was good, but not outstanding. There are better Western-style seafood buffets in Pattaya for the same price, while the Thai-style places cost about half as much. However, Siam Siam is one of the few farang-oriented restaurants to feature a buffet on a daily and not just once a week or on weekends. As you can see in the above pic, Siam Siam is a visually striking hotel. I couldn't be bothered to take exterior pics and lifted them from the Net. The interior of the hotel is also color aggressive, but in a good sort of way. Some decorative details from the Big Fish. When we arrived at 6.30 p.m., the Big Fish was quite crowded with Chinese and other Asian guests. ] Odd thing was, not all of them were eating. I can only assume they were group tour members who had had an earlier exclusive run at the buffet, or more likely, had been fed a set meal. At 6.30 p.m., we didn't face much competition at the buffet tables. The buffet itself consisted of a main table with the appetizers, seafood, meats, warm dishes and vegetables and a separate table for desserts and fruits. Sushi was the main appetizer. Seafood (crab, shrimp, salmon, squid, oysters) was the focal point of the buffet. The seafood in the basket is raw. You make your choices, then take the plate to a "grill station" to be cooked. When ready, a waitress caries the customer's grill choices to his table. You can also choose beef, pork, lamb and chicken to be grilled. There's also roast chicken on offer. Unfortunately, Big Fish doesn't assign a staff member to slice it neatly and left to customers' carving, the roast chickens soon look like props from The Walking Dead. There are about 10 different hot dishes and vegetables as well as soups and fried rice. The ones I tried were OK, but very much standard fare. This review is picture-heavy, so I'll divide it into two parts. Stay tuned.

Next time I'm in Bangkok, I'll have to try her restaurant to see if the food is sh*tty.

Yes, they are. But remember that "refried" is a mistranslation of the Spanish word refrito, which ,means "well-fried" rather than "fried again." Evil

Steak & Co is running some specials that will put you under 300 baht on three days of the week. The early bird hours are noon to 5 pm. I;ve had the ribs at S & C and they are excellent. From S & C's Facebook page: This is another opportunity to enjoy high-end food at a low price. Evil

Yup, TR's margaritas are among the best in Pattaya. The cocktail bar outside the Areca also makes fine margaritas, as does the Horizon bar atop the Hilton. Evil

I've been using USAMail1.com for the past four years. However, it is best to use a mail forwarding company in the city you visit most often in case you want to have packages delivered prior to your arrival. If that isn't an issue and you'll have all your mail forwarded to Thailand, then a company anywhere will do. USAMail1.com clicks all the boxes for me. They can even set you up with a US telephone number. Evil

This update is in two separate parts. First part: Tequila Reef on Soi 7 has garnered mixed reviews through the years on the Pattaya boards. Some people love it, others loathe it. I don't know if it is luck or the hand of Buddha, but I've never had a bad meal there. I don't know what accounts for others' bad experiences. Maybe it's the inconsistency that haunts many Pattaya restaurant? There have also been some rather bitter discussions about the "authenticity" of the food at Tequila Reef. That's a muddled concept at best; for me, it's how the food tastes, rather than authenticity, that is important. In any case, Tequila Reef does have plenty of options on its menu under 300 baht; the daily specials, for example, although some are over 300 baht. Mexican Monday 2 Item Mexican Combo Plate 235 Baht I ordered the beef taco and cheese enchilada with Mexican rice on the side. A burrito was an option. Taco Tuesday Your Choice of Beef, Chicken or Pork Taco 60 Baht Ribs Wednesday Our Famous St. Louis Style Pork Ribs (Half Rack) 305 Baht Burrito Thursday East LA or Texas Crash and Burn Burrito 235 Baht Fajitas Friday Our House Specialty of Sizzling Fajitas 325 Baht Salmon Saturday Salmon Filet Dinner 375 Baht And there's a lot on the regular menu under 300 baht: Second part: Some more options from the Pattaya Meals delivery service: #1 Twelve Chicken Wings (Barbecue) with blue cheese dip at 170 baht ; #3 Cheese Burger Platter with bacon, fried egg and potato wedges at 245 baht (Cheeseburger's basic price is 195 baht, plus 30 baht for bacon and 20 baht for egg). It's built on a thick patty of importedAustraliam Black Angus beef. #7 Cashew Chicken at 145 baht; #20 Eggplant Parmigiana with spaghetti at 165 baht; The order was placed at about 5.00 p.m. and arrived at 5.30 p.m. Every thing was warm, properly cooked and very tasty. For me at least, it's an attractive alternative to going out in the heat and humidity. Evil

And now for those of you who are hearty eaters: Nicky's on Soi Bukhao has really big portions for 250 baht. I ate there with two friends last night. I had the 1/2 roast chicken with stuffing, roast potatoes and garden peas. That's a substantial portion of chicken, backed up by big helpings of potatoes and peas. It was roasted properly, with the meat very moist. Best chicken I've had for awhile in Pattaya. A bit stingy on the stuffing, though, but that's a minor point. I would have preferred more stuffing and less potatoes. One friend had the pork chops, mashed potatoes and garden peas. Again, very generous portions for 250 baht. I'm not sure about the price of the fish 'n chips, but I believe it was around 200 baht. You can see the size of roast chicken in the photo below. The fish 'n chips came with two large slices of freshly baked bread. If you're really hungry and don't favor a buffet, Nicky's is a good option under 300 baht. All three of us were pleased with the meals we had. Evil

I know there is a separate thread on Pattaya Meals in this section, but it deserves more mention in this thread ass it is an excellent option for those seeking good farang food under 300 baht. And now for something different: Pattaya Meals is a food preparation and delivery service that brings affordable and tasty farang and Thai food to your door. I tried Pattaya Meals for the first time on Tuesday and was very happy with the experience. We ordered five dishes for three people, with four to be shared among us as a late lunch and one to be taken home by a guest as his supper. Total cost was 820 baht (no tip, no delivery change as per PattayaMeals.com). Just about all the 30 or so items on the Pattaya Meals' menu are priced between 150 and 175 baht. I placed the order below at 2.35 pm and it was delivered at 3.25 pm. The food was delicious and arrived hot. i won't hesitate to order from them again. Here's what we ordered: #2 Chicken cutlet Parmigiana 165 baht #5 Caesar Salad with shrimp 180 baht #15 Pepper and Garlic Chicken 150 baht #24 Salmon with corn relish 150 baht #26 Bacon carbonara Pasta with fettuccini 175 They deliver to parts of Jomtien and central Pattaya: Check out their Web site at pattayameals.com for more info. Pattaya Meals has about 30 items for delivery, with 20 farang dishes and 10 Thai. Great food, cheap price, fast delivery. What more can you ask for? Evil

I tried Pattaya Meals on Tuesday afternoon. We ordered five dishes for three people, with four to be shared among us as a late lunch and one to be taken home by a guest as his supper. Total cost was 820 baht (no tip no delivery change as per PattayaMeals.com. I placed the order at 2.35 pm and it was delivered at 3.25 pm. The food was delicious and arrived hot. i won't hesitate to order from them again. #2 Chicken cutlet Parmigiana 165 baht #5 Caesar Salad with shrimp 180 baht #15 Pepper and garlic chicken 150 baht #26 Bacon carbonara Pasta (fettuccini) 175 baht #24 Salmon with corn relish 150 baht ]

The Peter Luger sauce works well on hamburgers and as a salad dressing or on vegetables. It isn't used as an actual steak sauce in the restaurant. Evil