Two Great Meals, Two Fun Nights

Over the past two weekends I have been able to dine at two new (to me) restaurants. These restaurants are at opposite ends of the spectrum on atmosphere, price, and just about everything else. But, I enjoyed great meals and conversation at both places. I am no food critic, but if you're interested in my opinion, read on.

Pazo, Baltimore, MD - Lance and I experienced Pazo on a Friday night with Ross and Julie. They love this place, and now we do too. Pazo is a tapas restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine. Tapas means small plate. The plates may be small, but they just keep coming, and each is filled with unbelievable food. Pazo is pretty pricey, but we saved a little money on the bill by taking advantage of Baltimore Restaurant Week. Because we had four in our party, it worked out for us to order each item on the restaurant week menu and taste many different dishes. It was all around amazing. Lance loves bread, and the "rustic bread of purgatory" did not disappoint. Definitely some of the best food I have ever eaten, at one of the coolest locations.

Mari Luna, Pikesville, MD - If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know of my love for Mexican food and my search for good Mexican restaurants in Maryland. Jason and Rachel found this restaurant a while back and recommended it. I finally got to try it on a girls' night out with Rachel last Friday. I ordered a favorite of mine, cheese enchiladas, and they were great. And, if the enchilada dinner is that good, I think the other menu options must be good as well. Usually Mexican restaurants don't put too much into food presentation, but Mari Luna does. You can't do a whole lot with enchiladas, but I saw some plates that were very impressive. I'm looking forward to eating here again soon with Lance. This is by far the best Mexican food I have eaten in Maryland.

Last Comedy Update

Lance didn't get a call back, but he had a great time yesterday. I now have a little more info on how NBC did the auditions.

The "known comics," (those who have performed at Gotham or other big clubs) were given a time to audition, they didn't have to wait in line to try to make it through the first cut. These are the people that will most likely go right on to the next phase of the competition. By the time Lance's group got in, there wasn't even much serious consideration going on, if any. They had already met their quota from the day's auditions. Lance went on in a group of 6, and they waited to be pointed at in random order to speak. He says that a production assistant was doing the pointing and he didn't even let them finish a joke before he pointed at someone else.

Lance did get to meet a few stars like Bill Bellamy and a guy from The Sopranos, and another one or two that I don't remember. He also met a professional comic who is blind and Lance helped him get around during his audition. He got to hang out in Time's Square for the day. He got to see how shows like this are made. And, he may be seen on tv for a few seconds when the New York audition episode is aired. All in all a great experience. I'm glad he tried it.

Comedy Update

Lance is now headed home, and should be here in a few hours [see previous post]. I have a million questions about how this whole audition process works and what his day was like. He is not much of a phone talker and is exhausted, so my curiosity will have to wait. For now I'll give you the condensed version I got during our last conversation.

Over 300 people showed up to the audition today. It was a very long day of waiting around to get your time before the "judges" (I don't know what these people are called). He thinks he did well, but does not expect a call back. They were told that those called back would need to be there tomorrow for a 2nd audition.

Comedy

Right now Lance is waiting in line at Gotham Comedy Club in New York City to try out for Last Comic Standing. He is number 208. And, he just told a joke on a radio show doing a broadcast there.

I'll update more later.

Super Bowl

We enjoyed watching the Super Bowl at our house this year with a few friends. This may seem like a lame party to you, but for me it was a first, and it was perfect.

Lance has worked in student ministry for 20 years now. He has spent the last 17 years hosting Super Bowl parties at churches for students.

These parties have been great fun, and I have attended almost every one. But, this year I actually got to sit on my couch next to Lance and watch the game. It was a great game and a great, relaxing time for both of us.