May's Mutterings

Month: July 2015

  • Book review: Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

    Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second in my newest mystery series discovery, the Maisie Dobbs series. This time, Maisie is looking for a woman who has disappeared on behalf of the woman’s father. She discovers that the daughter’s disappearance is somehow linked to the…

  • Book review: Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

    Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoy the Stephanie Plum mystery series. The books are perfect beach reads (regardless of whether you are actually at the beach or not). I enjoyed “Notorious Nineteen” immensely, and it’s one of the stronger entrants in the series of late. The plot…

  • Restaurant review: Minibar by José Andrés

    We dined at Minibar the other night, which is most accurately described as “better food through chemistry.” Seriously, dining at Minibar is a gastronomical experience (rather than simply dining) and a seriously impressive (and delicious) look at molecular gastronomy in cooking. We started off with a series of appetizers, which included: Yogurt carnation (not pictured)…

  • Movie review: Inside Out

    Once again, Pixar hits it out of the ballpark with a movie alternately funny and touching that appeals equally to kids and adults. The nominal story is about an 11 year old girl, Riley, whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, and how she copes with this move. (Without detracting from the trauma of…

  • Restaurant review: Peter Chang (Arlington, Virginia)

    Peter Chang is a Chinese chef who has owned and operated pop up restaurants throughout the mid-Atlantic region over the years. He has established a cult following of fans who have traveled enormous distances to have his food. He recently opened up a place in Arlington, Virginia, and we paid a visit last week with…

  • Movie review: Jurassic World

    If what you’re looking for is a roller coaster thrill ride of a movie (especially one that contains dinosaurs), “Jurassic World” is the movie for you. For those of you who have seen “Jurassic Park,” the plot will seem hauntingly familiar, but this time, the dinosaurs are bigger, badder, and as one of the characters…