Golf Course Review: Aviara Golf Club!

Cesar, Brian and Kristi after an amazing day at the Aviara Golf Club!

 The last time I was at Aviara Golf Club it was as a spectator of a LPGA tournament.  I did a review the last time but only as a spectator but not after playing the course.   I felt that in order to give readers a better picture that I would need to play this course to see if I would like it.  But with green fees that are $240 dollars a round that I would not have a chance.  But thanks to a friend I was able to get to play this course. 

 Aviara is a par 72, 7007 yard course set in the canyons overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad, Ca.  Designed by Arnold Palmer, each hole is set up to challenge you from start to finish.  This is target golf at its finest.  You really need to stay focused and place your golf ball in the right place so your next shot is easy.  If you make a mistake on this course it will bite you.  And this is what makes me come back to play because I love a challenge. 

Brian cannot wait to get out on the course!

 Last Friday 3 friends and I were able to play Aviara as guests Renny Brown, the Director of Golf.  Two of us have played the game but have not played in a few years and one was playing for the first time.  My friend Jason was able to make arrangements for us to play and he did all the photography.  Now that we have gotten through the introductions let us get down to the particulars.

Cesar and Kristi are ready to go!

When we arrived at the course we were greeted warmly by an attendant who took my clubs over to the golf carts and greeted us by name.  He knew who we were and that we had 2 sets of rental clubs.  One of the things I noticed was the staff’s excellent customer service skills.  It made you feel that we were in good hands.  Even the pro shop staff was excellent.  They had everything ready for us when we arrived.  They even cleaned my clubs after the round.   Now that is customer service.

Practicing on the putting green before our tee time

I also found that this place is ready for hi-tech.  Each golf cart has a touch screen with GPS and an electronic scorecard to keep track of your score.  The GPS is the best feature.  Not only does it show you how many yards you have left to the green but it also can show you if the next group ahead of you is too close.  This is very helpful in preventing someone hitting into the next group.  I like this feature.  

After getting a rundown of the electronic GPS by the knowledgeable starter, we were off.  The course itself was in very good condition.  Fairways were nicely cut so that when your ball hit it would roll farther and give you more distance.  Greens were in very good condition but were fast than I was used to.  Because we were near a large body of water (IE the Pacific Ocean) the grain was toward the water.  This makes your puts very hard to read.  Some holes you have to play downhill puts as uphill   and right to left puts are opposite of what you think.  That’s what makes for great golf.  It challenges you to play your best.

I have to say that my favorite hole is the 3rd hole.  This is 122 yard par 3 from the regular tees.  This hole is like being in a garden.  It is beautifully landscape with flora that is natural for the canyons and surrounded by two streams that feed into a pond that fronts the green.  Because the flag is was over on the right this day I try to keep it on the left so as to have more green to play with.  I ended up short of the green but dry and was able to make a bogey.   

Typical golf shot!

Cesar even had time for a little air guitar!

Done with the front nine! Time for lunch!

     I have to say that I enjoyed my day at Aviara Golf Club.  The staff was friendly, helpful and was just on top of their game when it came to customer service (they even had cookies and water waiting for us at the end of the round).  Now the green fees are about $240 on the weekends and about $215 during the week.  But it is worth it.  I say this even though I was a guest of the Director of Golf.  I want to thank him and his staffs for letting us play without charge and treating us so well.  And thank you to Jason for making the arrangements.  It was a wonderful day of golf and camaraderie.                                             

Restaurant Review: Asiana Grill Yoshinoya (by Brian Hayes)

Review of Asiana Grill in Fullerton

On Thursday December 13^th my friend Kevin Wolfe and I were invited to try Asiana Grill, a new asian style grill. This new restaurant is near Cal State Fullerton. According to the people who put on the event they were trying to bring fresh high end restaurant recipes at a fast food price. And after going there I have to say they are on their way.

The first thing that I noticed was how bright and clean everything was. The ambiance had bright colors and the staff was very welcoming. When you walk in the door there is a sign on the wall explaining what to do. First you pick what type of style you want. There are four styles: Big Platter, Lots of Soup (basically a soup bowl), salad bowl, and the Yellow Bun (sandwich platter). I chose the Big Platter. Then you pick your protein from among seven different items. I chose the shrimp. Then you choose the sauce you want so I chose teriyaki. Kevin chose the Yellow Bun with grilled chicken and sweet potato fries but I will let him talk about that in his review. My big platter came with white rice ( though you can substitute for brown rice or udon noodles at no charge), fresh vegetables, and a salad with a sesame miso dressing

I have to say the food was really good. The shrimp was cooked just right, not over cooked but not under cooked. With the teriyaki sauce it gave it a sweet taste that really hit the spot. The fresh vegetables were really good and had not been sitting around all day which is one thing I look for. The salad with the miso dressing was excellent with me kind of Italian taste which is what I like about any miso dressing. And the rice was perfectly cooked and great top off to the meal. The whole plate presentation was well done.

If there is one criticism that both Kevin and I found was that the sweet potato fries did not come with some kind of sweet dipping sauce. The only thing you can get with them was ketchup. When we mentioned this to the executive chef he actually agreed with us and said that he had been pushing for this and was glad to hear our suggestion.

Overall I have to say that I had a very great experience at Asiana Grill. The food, ambiance, and staff made for a great time. Asiana Grill has two restaurants, the Fullerton store on State College BLVD. near Cal State Fullerton, and one in Los Angeles near USC. I would like to thank the staff at Asiana Grill Fullerton for their hospitality and I plan to go there again.

Check out their site:
http://asianagrillyoshinoya.com/

NOW OPEN
Address:
450 N State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831
Phone:
(714) 871-8442
Hours:
10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Mon – Sun)

Review of Ben-Hur on blu-ray by Brian Hayes

Here is a review of the new Ben-Hur blu-ray by Brian Hayes, the newest writer of the Sasaki Time family, and our local film historian:

   Ben-Hur is seen as the gold standard when it comes to epic movies.  Every epic is always measured against this movie to see if it does measure up.  And why not.  Winner of 11 Academy Awards plus numerous other accolades, every time it is released or seen on television Ben-Hur is always the most watched film.  And now it has come out in a Special Edition Blue-ray set from Warner Home Entertainment.  And this edition is worthy of the film.
    When you first get the box you know you are in for something special.  It is beautifully designed with the picture of Charlton Heston on the front.  Take off the cover and you will see a box cover with the centerpiece of the Roman Circus in the movie.  In the box you get 3 items:  a book about the movie, A copy of Charlton Heston’s journal covering the making of the film, and the three disk set of the movie.  You may think that is not enough but I always feel when somebody puts too much stuff into collectors edition set then they are trying to hide something.  I believe less is better.

    Now lets talk about what everyone wants to know about and that is the movie itself and the bonus features.  That’s why we all buy this for, RIGHT!?
    Well here goes;  The movie is fantastic.  Talk about a classic this is the gold standard.  Granted it is a long film (3 Hrs 42 Min) but you always want to keep watching to see what happens next.  You get immersed into the film thanks to the direction of William Wyler and some of the best writing of a bygone age.  They don’t make movies like this anymore (unfortunately). 
    In Blue-ray it just looks so much better.  The colors just stands out and the detail is just mind boggling.  The opening scene of all the citizens moving through Jerusalem is just breathtaking.  The colors and the detail is exquisite.  And the Chariot Race is rally enhanced in Blue-ray. The whole movie just pops with vibrant colors and detail.  And compared with the old DVD version you will really see a difference.

 

   Now for the special features on the third disk.  They do not disappoint.  There are 3 documentaries.  The first is a new documentary Charlton Heston  & Ben-Hur:  A Personal Journey which is about Heston and his families’ experiences filming Ben-Hur.  Lots of great interviews with family, friends and coworkers interspersed with pictures, clips, and home movies from the period.  A really well done documentary.
   The other 2 documentaries titled Ben-Hur:  The Epic That Changed Cinema and Ben-Hur:  The Making of an Epic are both earlier pieces that have been included with the set.  The former is really a class on making an epic 101 with writers, directors, cinematographers, production people, and composers breaking down Ben-Hur and showing the audience why this film is so great.  Really top notch.  The latter is good look at how the film came to be.  The fourth piece is a slide program set to Miklos Rozsa’s stirring score with pictures, sketches, drawings, score sheets, clips and dialogue from the film.  I like this better the usual treatments of these artifacts because you do not have to keep clicking away to get through all of it.
   Also added to this collection are trailers, newsreels, clips from the 1960 Academy Awards telecast, and the 1925 silent version produced by Cecil B. DeMille, fully restored with a new score by Carl Davis.  A really nice treat to see both films together.  The bonus features are real quality bonus features.
   Overall I have to say that The Ben-Hur collection is a must have for your video library.  The quality is excellent and does not disappoint.  You need to see this movie to see how a really great movie is made.