Casual Atmosphere, Good Sushi

With their slick décor and stark color schemes, most sushi places in Temecula make great places to take a date. But Gin Japanese Cuisine’s laid-back atmosphere makes it better for lunch with a friend or a meeting with colleagues.

The restaurant sits on Ynez Road south of Winchester Road across the street from the mall. Eleven tables fill the dining room with 11 seats at the bar, though it had no outside seating. It also lacked background music, and the sound of the evening news from the two televisions over the bar did little to set a nice mood.

Luckily, the décor is nice. The windows around the room next to the booths had wooden shutters and paper lamps hung over each table. Some of the windows were covered in Japanese-style paper walls, which was a nice touch.

Otherwise, the restaurant has more of a contemporary American feel, with light colors and modern art on the walls.

The prices are pretty standard and the all-you-can-eat menu is a little fancier than most places, serving up such dishes as my favorite, baked lobster rolls.

The food was excellent – well worth the $19 for the all-you-can-eat lunch. Though all-you-can-eat dinner is $25, the lunch prices are good all day from Monday to Thursday, making it a great deal for dinner. As with many sushi restaurants, the food was served less ornately than they may have for a la carte items, though.

The owner served me, and she was sweet. This must be the usual for her because I overheard her chatting with the family at the next table, asking about how various family members are doing.

For a mellow neighborhood-diner atmosphere with excellent sushi, Gin Japanese Cuisine is a great choice.

table lamps

Big Style for Small Balconies

With spring upon us and summer mere months away, it’s time to rethink outdoor spaces, especially balconies, those under utilitized rooms suspended from high-rise apartment buildings all over Arlington.

Even if  your balcony is barely big enough to wave to neighbors, you can create a stylish outdoor living area.

First determine the purpose and function of the room.  Yes, that tiny space just beyond the sliding doors of your apartment is a room. 

Are you a foodie?  Transform your balcony into an elegant dining room with a pair of bistro chairs and table.  The Alfresco collection from Crate and Barrel offers folding bistro table and chairs with several options for cushions.   The Pottery Barn Potrero bistro chair was inspired by classic folding chairs found outside cafes in Paris.  Charming, this chair easily folds away and Pottery Barn carries cushions in the spectacular Sunbrella, outdoor fabric that retains its color for years.

Need more lounge space? Consider creating an outdoor den.  A small rectangular dining table can serve as a desk for your wireless laptop.  You can use it as a dining space when not working.   Lounge chairs with a colorful accent table, like the rustproof pedestal tables at Crate and Barrel, make a great space to read or relax.  Pile on the pillows, and add an outdoor jute or sisal rug for texture.

Go big in your small space.  Try an oversized love seat on a small balcony instead of two tiny chairs.  Just make sure you leave three feet of space to maneuver.   Get instant impact with a tall baker’s rack against one wall that runs from the floor to the ceiling.  Fill the rack with various plants to give your balcony that English courtyard atmosphere.

Avoid the drug store plastic chairs.  Spend a few extra bucks on wood-grain or wrought iron chairs at places like World Market, IKea or even Kmart.   Or splurge on stylish and colorful chairs like the Surf chairs from Crate and Barrel that come in neon green, magenta and caliente red.

Remember to accessorize.  Include lighting options such as candles, lanterns or lamps.  And don’t forget art.   Mount colorful tiles, wrought iron pieces or distressed outdoor clocks on a wall or wreath holder.

Be careful when purchasing pillows, tablecloths, cushions and other items with fabric.  There is a difference between indoor/outdoor fabric, outdoor fabric or just normal fabric.    If you purchase an indoor fabric or even some indoor/outdoor fabrics, mold and mildew may develop.  True outdoor fabrics, such as those made by Sunbrella, have an extra weather-resistant membrane.

Finally, use the space.   How sad it is to sit at Market Common in Clarendon and see all those balconies, most with two nondescript chairs with nobody in them.  N

Antique Table Lamps- Free Interrelated Roadmap For Network Hu

If your major interest is info related to antique table lamps or any other like secure wireless network,online computer help, windows orinternational symposium on mobile ad hoc networking and computing, this essay can prove favourable.

A network is a set of linkages among a defined set of folks in which the personality of the linkages is cited. Therefore, a network may be built around job needs or how best to get things done. It could be structured by social interactions or how folk interact informally.

Whether training clients on new services, boosting consumer confidence, inflating sales outreach or personally connecting with their clients to meet their banking wishes - social networking is a crucial communication tool that financial establishments can exploit in a lot of their customer business interactions.

In the meantime -- I'm hoping you have been ready to get a full grasp of the main points related to antique table lamps or other related network security policy, exploit, international symposium on mobile ad hoc networking and computing, technical dictionary,and in the 1st half of this article. Whether you respond Yes or No, keep reading as there's a lot more to expose in this post which will excite you.

Networking is less about meeting new folk than having them remember you later. So how do get somebody to recollect you from the other 10 folk he met that same night? Try these three simple inquiries to make a lasting impression.

The scale of a network defines the amount of info that's shared in the network. Somebody has a much better chance to receive timely, relevant info in a big network than in a little one. The dimensions of the network is Nonetheless, not dependant simply on the amount of actors in the network, but the quantity of non-redundant actors.

We discovered that many people who were also hunting for information related to antique table lamps also searched online for related info like money network card, ethernet cable, and even revision history of list of network marketing companies,router.

Make sure you can see 2 lights on around the network wire. On the computer side follow the network wire into your network card which is usually on the back of your computer. The port seems like an oversized phone port.

Things to Consider When Buying Table Lamps

Depending on what you want table lamps for will determine the type of table lamps you actually buy. However there are a few things to consider before purchasing a product and it is not just whether it will fit your décor or look good with the rest of your furniture.

You will be buying a lamp for a specific reason, sometimes to be able to enjoy your book in bed and other times to see your pool table. When looking for your product you should always have that reason in mind so that you get the right style. It is no use in buying a lamp that looks good when you will not be able to see your book clearly enough with it.

The next thing that you need to consider is where you will be placing your lamp. Think about the size and shape of your table and buy something appropriate for that. If you’re buying something that is really more suited as a floor lamp then it will look ridiculous on your table. You also want room on your table to be able to put other things such as the remote controls for your television or your cell phone. Whatever you put on your bedside tables or side tables, make sure that your lamp base does not take up the entire area.

Of course, the style of the table lamps should come in there somewhere. After all, it should match the room and not stick out like a sore thumb. Consider all the different color and print options that are offered around the stores that you are searching. If your room is bright, then you want a lamp that will compliment it. Also look at the many different materials that are offered as brass or iron lamps could look very antique and may fit with other items or furniture around your room. However, you also want something that will match if you decide to change your home décor completely. Wooden or glass bases tend to match anything and could be a consideration while cream or brown shades tend to match most colors.

The restaurant's seasonal menu -- seafood chowder, rib-eye steak, roast chicken, seared salmon -- is safe. The chef at Eve's at the Garden, William Clifford, probably aims to please a broad clientele. It's also Maine Restaurant Week, so a few of the items from the regular menu are bundled into a three-course, prix-fixe menu. Two of the four of us opt for this. It's a bargain at $30 ($38 with two wine pairings).

A grilled quail ($13 appetizer), an exception on the conventional menu, arrives butterflied, whole figs and greens to the side. I love this delicate dish, the oregano-flecked and honeyed skin golden and crispy, the dark meat moist, with more character than chicken. Using fingers with the tiny bones and looking around at the furnishings, I momentarily imagine myself in a Jane Austen novel.

Our two soups are enjoyable, the oven-roasted French onion ($7) dark and flavor-rich and full of onion strands of good texture (not too soft). Seafood chowder ($8) seasoned with Old Bay has plenty of Maine shrimp, as well as small chunks of scallops and haddock. The accompanying focaccia, airy and anemic, needs to be swapped for something better. With all the wonderful bakers in Portland, this is an easy fix.

All this time, two servers attend to our needs but don't hover. Dishes arrive in a timely manner, with linens and trays adding a touch of ceremony.

Our entrees need a little more attention. The 10-ounce grilled rib-eye that comes with the Restaurant Week dinner (it's $27 for the 12-ounce on the regular menu) lacks the grilled crust from a good searing, even though the interior is flavorful and the requested medium-rare. Its side of garlic-seared kale is strongly seasoned and delicious, and the smoky onion steak sauce makes a nice dip.

The roasted vegetable pot pie, the only vegetarian choice on the night's menu, comes in a bowl topped with two biscuits. The "creamy gravy" dominates the small-cut vegetables as if the dish were a thick soup. Disappointing.

One of my companions enjoys his pan-roasted swordfish steak ($24), cooked perfectly and simply seasoned. It's placed over creamed spinach, and as such, the ensemble looks plainer than it tastes. A dash of a third color would help the plate.

It's hard to quarrel with the ingredients of the rustic lobster ravioli, which was the 2010 Lobster Council Chef of the Year entry and finalist ($26). In this involved entree, large chunks of lobster enrobed in a sweet butternut squash puree are sandwiched between two pasta sheets, which are themselves topped with bacon, sage, walnuts and brown butter.

This dish received praise in the contest, but for me, the briny lobster and sweet/savory squash compete with each other rather than complement. The smoky and nutty flavors of the toppings don't mingle with the filling, and a watery orange liquid surrounds the bowl -- it must have separated from the squash.

Once our table is cleared, our waiter immediately brings apple tarts, ordered at dinner's start with the prix-fixe menu, to two of the four in our party, leaving the others wondering if they've been disinvited to the dessert course. One of us has to chime in to ask about other dessert options and request coffee. It's an unfortunate communication glitch, but the only service misstep.

We fully enjoy the dessert course once it's under way. Coffee arrives strong and fresh-brewed. A flourless dark chocolate torte ($7) with a light chocolate whipped topping is dense, cacao-rich and delicious. That tart is unusual -- flaky crust surrounding a whole baked apple -- and has a nice, pronounced apple flavor.

As we depart, we notice an exquisite orchid arrangement near the restaurant entrance. Every detail of interior design -- lighting, furnishings, accents -- makes for a peaceful and attractive, if conservative, milieu. It is easy to converse and linger in these cushioned surroundings.

The valet returns our car, asks about our meal and opens all four doors for us. We feel like VIPs. If only the entrees elevated to match the atmosphere at Eve's, the restaurant would be a contender with the best of Portland. Right now, it's got some catching up to do.

Nancy Heiser is a freelance writer and editor who lives near Portland. Her work has appeared in national and regional publications.

Crown Square Shopping Center holding series of exciting events for this month

KUCHING: Crown Square Shopping Center is holding a series of exciting events for April beginning tomorrow.
A classic game of Tug of War contest will see participants drawing lots to decide which team they are on and compete in a test of strengths.
There are two categories, A for children aged seven to twelve and B for thirteen years and above.
According to the management representative Tay Kien Hong, the contest is for family members to try to beat each other in a fun game, and winning fabulous prizes.
The Best Team will take home RM100 Crown Square Cash Voucher (six winners), while consolation winners will take home RM50 Crown Square Cash Voucher (18 winners).
“The number of people per team is between three to six, depending on the turn out that day,” said Tay at a press conference yesterday.
The second event is a recycling campaign where visitors can trade in their recyclables for either 10 packages of Mee Daddy or 370g Royal-B Honey for 10kg of old newspaper or recyclable items.
It will be held on April 9 and exchange period is from 10am to 4pm and limited to the first 100 person only.
This is followed by Creative Table Lamp Making contest to encourage the public to be creative in designing table lamps from recyclable materials on April 10.
The contest is done in pairs, and there is no age limit. However, participants have to bring their own materials for the contest.
The lamp dimensions must not exceed 15cm by 15cm.
Judging is based on the theme (30 per cent), creativity (30 per cent), handmade (25 per cent) and impression (15 per cent), said Tay.
They can register at any time, with RM5 registration fee which is refundable on the contest day.
Best Artwork will take home RM300 Crown Square Cash Voucher (three winners) while consolation winners will take home RM100 Crown Square Cash Voucher (10 winners).
On the following week, Chinese Chess lovers will get an insight on how to improve their skills during a special talk by Chinese Chess East Malaysia Champion 2008, Jonathon Goh.
The talk will be held in Mandarin at 2pm on April 17. Only 50 seats are available.
Though entrance is free, participants need to register in advance by calling The Art Corner at the Crown Square, said Tay.
On the last Sunday of April (24th), kids will get to take part in Easter Day events like Easter Day Colouring Contest held from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
Group A participants, age seven to nine have to cut and paste coloured paper and stick them on the provided eggs in the most creative design, while Group B participants, age ten to twelve have to draw Easter themed drawing.
Group A participants must use the materials provided, while Group B’s drawings must include Easter eggs and egg basket.
The Best Artwork will get RM100 Crown Square Cash Voucher (five winners) while all participants who did not win will take home a box of Mee Daddy.
All events are held at the second floor of Crown Square except the recyclables exchange which is on the ground floor.
Entry forms for all contests is available at The Art Corner, first floor of Crown Square.
For further information, contact The Art Corner at 082-346699 ext 226.
Netizens can also follow up on the latest news and events at the Crown Square by typing ‘Crown Square Kuching’ in the facebook search box.

Outdoor fixtures let homeowners enjoy yards after sun sets

Outdoor fixtures let homeowners enjoy yards after sun sets
A trend toward creating “outdoor rooms” has dramatically increased lighting options for homeowners who want to extend their time outside.
Most indoor lighting fixtures — chandeliers, pendant lights, table lamps — now have a counterpart designed for patios or decks.
“We have seen outdoor lights absolutely replicating indoor designs,” said Anne Robert of theoutdoorstylist.com, a website that focuses on home trends.
“Outdoor lighting is a mood setter. It can make or break a design just like it can indoors.”
The abundance of products lets you make outdoor spaces more functional, said Rich Young of Outdoor Living Brands in Richmond, Va. “It allows families to extend the square footage of their home,” he said. “With the right light, you can extend the evening for dining or reading or other activities outdoors.”
When choosing fixtures for outdoor entertaining areas, consider how much light is necessary, said Alene Workman, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Interior Designers. A table needs to have sufficient light so diners can eat, whereas a conversation area may need only soft mood lighting.
Be creative with table lighting, recommends Krissa Rossbund, a senior style editor at Traditional Home Magazine.
“Gone are the days when people hang a chandelier over a table and call it lit,” she said.
She suggests hanging two small chandeliers instead of one large one, or buying a chandelier at a flea market and painting it a bright color.
Outdoor chandeliers come in a variety of styles, from mission to modern. Manufacturers also offer many candle chandeliers for outdoor areas that don’t have electricity.
For seating areas, choose a weighted outdoor floor lamp, said Workman, who owns an interior design firm in Hollywood, Fla. “There are wonderful new outdoor lights that are almost art pieces themselves,” she said.
Get colorful
Colored lights, illuminated furniture and subtle fixtures designed to blend with nature will be popular this year, according to design professionals.
Workman expects to see the use of color increase, and “I don’t mean Christmas lights,” she said. Landscapers are starting to incorporate subtle red, blue and pink lights into their work, she said.
Color is particularly appropriate if you are planning a party, Rossbund added. It’s “a fun way to change things up,” she said.
Some homeowners are adding a bright pop of color with light-up patio furniture, Robert said. The battery-powered chairs and tables are available in a variety of colors.
International designers like Modoluce and Neoz have created lines of plastic tables and chairs that are lit from within.
Avanzini has a line of wood furniture made with glowing light strips. It helps create a lounge look that Robert thinks will be popular this summer.
“With the rise of staycations, we will see a lot of designs adopting a real bar-type lounge attitude, with perhaps more extravagant and festive pieces,” she said.
Moonlight USA sells decorative outdoor illuminated globes, which can glow white like the moon or cast light in a rainbow of colors. The company also makes a tabletop for the globes. The clear acrylic disc has a cut-out center that allows it to rest on top of the globe so it can function as a table.
“The color is very robust,” said owner Anke Kondek. “It’s a wow effect.”
Homeowners wanting to light a more natural setting may go for a softer look, said Beth Webb, an interior designer in Atlanta. She favors custom copper-and-wood pieces made by The Outdoor Lights in Cumming, Ga.
Company president Chris Wakefield has created lights that cast a warm glow around fire pits, dining areas or outdoor living rooms. Some of his more popular items include punctured copper cylinders that create a firefly effect, stamped copper lanterns and illuminated, artificial birdhouses. The lanterns can hang from a shepherd’s hook or a tree branch.
Before buying lights for reading, lounging or dining, the professionals recommend making sure that pathways and steps are properly lit for safety.
“You want light to help you navigate spaces near or around steps,” said Jeff Dross, director of education and industry trends for Kichler Lighting.
He and the other experts warned against making outdoor spaces too bright. They suggest using subtle light that is aimed toward the ground wherever possible.
“For most tasks you only need low light,” Dross said. “Avoid that glare. Glare forces you to think you need more light than you do.”