All Dogs Go To Heaven 2

All dogs go to heaven was a great movie. It's about a dog who died and went to heaven, but gets a second chance. his second chance is a colar that let's him walk earth longer. The only problem is that if he takes off the colar, he goes back to heaven without ever being able to walk the earth, and that's just what the dog who originnaly killed him wants. he'll try everything to succed. The movie has a special twist at the end, so will he succed, or will his plan backfire in a way never known before...; I give all dogs go to heaven two thumbs up!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

A couple of weekends ago, I went to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The Lightning Thief, rated PG. The book was so well-written, and was such a page turner, that I was compelled to see the movie. Overall, the movie was okay, but I would have to give it one thumb down. I gave it one thumb down because if you haven't read the books, you would still be disappointed in the film. The movie was cheesy, with bad special effects, and plastic, fake-looking props.

I know this sounds a little harsh, but the unsophisticated special effects, put together with poorly designed props made it did not look phony not even convincing. If you have seen the movie Avatar, you will notice, that Jake Sully is disabled. His legs even look like he has atrophy. That means he is paralyzed, and the muscles can't move voluntarily. It looks really convincing. In this movie, there are satyrs ( half human, half goat creatures), and centaurs ( half human, half horse creatures). They used computers to make the mythological creatures , but it looks so disjointed. There are so many other things in the movie, that had special effects, like Luke's flying shoes, the giant gods and goddesses, and Mount Olympus, which were disappointing. The only exception is Medusa's hair of snakes, which was pretty cool.

In the movie, many of the scenes take place in magical places. I know in most movies the props are fake, but these are not very professional-looking! If you have ever seen the Harry Potter series movies, the props appear realistic. The candies, food, wands, furniture, decor, cars, and every detail looked like it was real. When I went to the Harry Potter museum in Chicago, I saw all these things in person. I was surprised that they appeared so boring in the museum display when I thought they looked so real in the movie! Whereas in Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief, the swords, shields, campsite, costumes, all looked no-convincing in the movie. The swords, I would have to say looked the most fake, like it could be purchased at any old costume store during Halloween.

The main reason I gave this movie one thumb down, was because the movie did not follow the book, which was such a good read. The movie left out some interesting characters, and twisted the plot around. In the book, as Percy discovers his powers, he realizes he can control water. So small details like water emerging from toilets and water fountains are not included in the movie version. Another thing was Annabeth is supposed to have blond hair, not black, while Poseidon has black hair, and not light brown, Hades is supposed to be bald, and not have mid-length curly black hair, and so many other little things like that. These things kind of bothered me, but in most movies, which are based on books, they usually leave out side plots, or minor characters. The biggest thing that bothered me, though, was the fact that Annabeth, in the book fights with a dagger. In the movie, she was fighting with a sword. Another really big aspect the movie makers changed was that, they made Percy older than he was, in the book. Percy was supposed to be twelve, Logan Lerman, who plays Percy is seventeen... This changed the whole perspective of the movie, because as he gets older, you would think he would start noticing his demigod abilities, and he would be a little more scared and confused, about his dad being Poseidon, and knowing he is a demigod.

I saw this movie with a friend, who also read the books too, but all it seemed like we were doing was criticizing the movie. It was especially disappointing because the book was wonderful, full of action, and myths. To conclude, I would definitely say the book was much better than the movie.

The Aristocats

The original Disney movie, The Aristocats, is definitely one of my all time favorite movies. It's an animated movie about a family of wealthy cats that live in a mansion with Madame Bonfamille, a quite rich widow that adores her four cats. But soon a mysterious event happens, leaving the 3 kittens and their mother to themselves, as they struggle to survive in the world alone.

One of the reasons I love this movie so much, is because the everyone talks with a different accent. These kittens talk with a light English or maybe a little French accent, but some friends they meet along the way talk with a smooth jazz, kind of tone. It always made me smile as a little girl, when I heard their friends talk, because it was so cool, sounding, and calming.

I also loved the singing parts, and the little cute romance. My favorite part of this movie is when all the cats are singing, dancing, and playing instruments with their friends! It is the best part! The music is so jazzy and fun, I always enjoyed it the most! I also like the cute romance between Duchess, momma cat, and a surprise rescuer, Thomas 'o Malley. It was touching, as touching as cat love can be I guess!

I really love this movie, and I definitely give it 2 thumbs up! An excellent movie, fantastic. I hope you take my word for it, and watch this wonderful movie. In case you think this is a little kids movie, it's not, it is perfect for all ages.

The Lightning Thief

A lot of people have been reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. And I finished the whole series. So I figured that I would see the movie. I was so excited and all, even though I heard that Annabeth's hair is black. And in the book its blond. But that's the only thing I was bummed about (before I saw the movie). Now, when The Lightning Thief did start, I was not happy. Every thing was different from the book. I kept muttering to myself throughout the whole movie, ''That's not right, that is totally different.'' One thing that bugged me the most was that Annabeth fought with a knife that Luke gave her, in the book. But in the movie, she fought with a sword. There are plenty more examples but I don't want to give the movie away. I would give this movie two thumbs down. It was a real bummer and I do not recommend it.

Mean Girls

I love the movie Mean Girls, because it is really funny and full of action. Another thing I really about this movie is that it has a good message, I think that the message is be careful of what you say about other people because it could come back and get you in huge trouble. I think that almost everybody in fifth grade can relate to this movie,weather you are a girl or not. Note:

I would give this movie two thumbs up!

Aquamarine

Aquamarine, 2006, is a fun movie to watch. I will not tell you the what happens, or how it ends.

Aquamarine is a fun tail about a mermaid stranded in the human world. I think this movie is really funny and adventurous! This is a movie where love meets fantasy in this film.
I give this movie a rating of 2 thumbs up! If anyone has read this, the decision is clear, watch this movie!

Its a Wonderful Life

I have seen the movie Its a Wonderful Life, It is a happy sad movie you will probably cry. It is about a man named George, and he planed to go to college and when he came back from college he planned to go take a tour around the world to all these places, but none of that works out for him and he works at the bank and all the money gets stolen. I really liked it and thought that I should recommend it to people who like classic movies. I would give it two thumbs up. It is rated PG. If you watch it I hope you like it.

Alice In Wonderland

Alice In Wonderland was a phenomenal movie. The plot was just like the one in animation. It waqs a great movie to see with the family. This movie had great speacial effects and was funny at some parts and very serious at sometimes.

This movie has action and comedy, wich is a great combination. I saw this movie in 3-D and it was great. It was a lot better in 3-D than it would be in 2-D. Some movies are in 3-D but they would be just as good normally, that is not one of those movies.

Overall this movie was great and I give it 2 thumbs up.

I went to see Avatar with Henry it was so cool the picture was awesome the people in the movie looked so realistic. I wouldn't recommend seeing tis movie in 3-D the glass get all fogged up and it gets really annoying, but other then that this movie is get.

A good movie

A couple of months ago I saw the movie Valentines Day. Best movie ever! I would so recommend it. Why? Because it is an romantic comedy with a lot of famous people in it, not just one. I did not think it was predicable, I saw it with my mom, and she thought it was so predicable, but she is a grown up thats why. Its rated PG-13, I would not recommend it to little kids. What I liked about the movie is, how each character had a boyfriend or girlfriend that it would show every ten minuted I thought that was pretty awesome! it made me laugh a lot sometimes, it was sad for the characters, but not for me.

It made me laugh, blush and more. So on a rainy d

ay, if someone has nothing to do and there mom says "lets go to the movies", but if you are not sure what one to see, see Valentines Day.

THE BLIND SIDE

The Blind Side is a compelling and exciting trip to the movie theaters. This is a family fun movie to go see including Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock. She does an amazing job capturing the part of Leanne Tuey. This movie really shows what horrible lives some high-schoolers go through. I enjoyed this movie, and I would probably put it in the folder for my top 3 movies, a 5 star picture for sure. This movie is good for sport lovers, wow, a great football story, but also this story can touch movie fans and critics everywhere, as it has touched me. As I already said, this is a family friendly movie, although PG-13, I would advise parents to let their kids see this decade-changing picture. Only a few disturbing parts in the movie, would maybe scare smaller kids but overall, I would say anyone from 10 and up who would want to see it, could. This Best-Picture nominated movie does great picturing the times of Michael Oher, a senior in High School, and the heroic deeds of Leanne Tuey and her family. Overall, 2 thumbs up for sure.

Royal Thai

A very high rated place, and one of my favorite places to go on my favorite place list, is Royal Thai. It's located at 610 3rd St San Rafael, CA 94901-3309. I like this restaurant because they have a selection of spicy and non spicy foods. I choose the spicy foods of the menu. They do have big platters so my family and I got three platters to pass around. We got catfish that was fluffy, meaty, and good, beef that was fantastic, and a soup that was spiced just right. There are many more platters but those were the ones I got. Over all I give it 3 forks up. I defiantly recommend it. Have fun if you go there.

The Proposal

I recently saw the movie called The Proposal. I have to say that it was one of my FAVORITE MOVIES EVER! I like that it was a romantic comedy. Comedy is my favorite genre but this movie totally changed it to romantic comedy because of it's wildly hilarious humor and it's very talented actor Sandra Bullock. She is very unpredictable and she is excellent at faking stuff. Also very recently Sandra Bullock won a Oscar award for best actress. She also stared in another movie called The Blind Side, that movie was another big hit like the Proposal.

In my opinion this movie is a 2 thumbs up movie. I would definitely encourage people who have not seen this movie to go out and watch it, this movie was also rated PG-13. It was a great movie.

The Blind Side

The Blind Side is funny/sad. The reason I liked the Blind Side was about sports and I like sports but it was funny and sad at the same time. The reason it is sad is there is this boy who is a orphan and he dose not know that he is a major football player so as soon as he knows all these colleges come including Mississippi AKA "old miss" and Tennessee. The foster mom and dad both went to Mississippi "old miss" so they try to talk him out of going to Tennessee. But eventually he ends up going to -----------------. Cole Jordan rates five stars. Or 2 thumbs up.

La Ginestra Review

One of my all time favorite places to eat, is La Ginestra. La Ginestra is a really great Italian restaurant, that mainly has pasta dishes. They are fantastic! The noodles are just right, hey let you put on any cheese you want so you can have as little or none as you want. Also, they have some great pizza. I think the pasta is the best there, but the pizza is not far behind. I have had lots of Spaghetti and pasta there, but the dish I like, and have the most will have to be the plain old pasta with butter and cheese. Its cooked just right, and it is SO good! I like it the most because, like I said, it is cooked to perfection, the noodles, of course, and the cheese melts right in, and the butter can only add to the wonderful taste! So, if your a big pasta fan, you should for sure try LA Ginestra. You can find it down town Mill Valley. Its hours are 5:00 pm-10:00 pm on Monday through Thursday, 5:00 pm-11:00 pm on Friday and Saturday,and on Sunday's its hours are 4:00 pm-9:00 pm. SO, all around I would give it 4 out of 5! Happy tasting!

UP

I saw Up at the big theatre in Corte Madera- IN 3-D! It was tremendously mind-boggling and the way the animation just popped out at you! The technology today is now so very sensational and fascinating!

         It is so tempting to just tell you the story of Up! But I can't. I will just tell you that this movie is supremely marvelous. It is heart- warming, spectacular, and of course, hilarious.

The crowd was in an UProar when this movie was at it's end. This movie was exceedingly exhilarating. I, personally give this movie a two thumbs UP, because like I said, this movie is very heartwarming, spectacular, and of course, hilarious.

  

Tartine

Tartine has been known for a while as the best bakery in San Franscisco. A while ago I was in San Franscisco and my mum insisted we go to Tartine. When I went there it was packed! We had to wait in a line that went outside the door until we finally made it into the bakery to see the variety of ccakes, cookies, gingerbreads, tarts, and more. We ended up buying quite alot because ther were so many things we wanted to buy. I picked out a choclate eclair and so did my little sister Evie. My mum bought a banana cream pie, and a cocnut cream pie. My dad had a lemon tart. We didn't bother with any drinks because it would take too long to wait. Once we got home we had a little bit of each others treats and they were delicious! The banana cream pie's name was just like how it tasted: creamy! I didn't try the cocnut cream pie but I bet it was great. My chocolate eclair was exploding with creamy custard like my sisters so I think it was great! the lemon tart was amazing with the perfect amount of cream and a coupel of pamogranet seeds on the top. I would definetly give it a 4 1/2 forks! I would recomend it to somone who likes to treat themselves every once in a while or somone who has a big sweet tooth!
http://www.tartinebakery.com/

600 Guerrero St. (@18th Street)San Francisco, CA 94110
415.487.2600
CAFE HOURS 8am - 7pm Monday7:30am - 7pm Tuesday, Wednesday7:30am - 8pm Thursday, Friday8am - 8pm Saturday9am - 8pm Sunday

New Morning Cafe

In Tiburon there is a place that has great food but very slow service. It takes about ten minutes to order and then twenty more for them to make it. A family sitting next to us got their food 5 minutes after us and they ordered ten minutes before us. Their hamburgers are juicy, and soft. The food is just the right size not so big that you feel like your going to explode, but not so small that your still hungry afterwards. I would give the New Morning Cafe three forks up because of the great food, but take away one because of the bad service. So it gets two forks up in all. I think you should go there for the great food but be prepared to wait.

Thep Lela

Do you like Thai food? well, I sure do.

There is a place in the Strawberry village called Thep Lela and they sell Thai food. And it's really good Thai food.
I would suggest the chicken sewers, yellow chicken curry, tom ka (coconut soap), Thai ice tea, and for desert the fried banana with coconut ice cream or black rice pudding. yum, even thinking about it makes my mouth water. If your a vegetarian then I would have the green salad, tom ka (vegetarian kind), fired tofu, then for desert have anything! Really, just try anything. I'm almost positive that you will like all there food, unless your a person that doesn't like Thai food.
Here is the link to their website. So go and check it out!http://www.theplela.com/menu_appetizer.html

Indian Palace

Indian Palace is a great place to go if you want something spicy or something from India. India is in Asia. My favorite food there are samosas. They are as big as your dinner but are only appetizers. They are full of potatoes and peas. They are about a pound and are about three inches wide and two inches high. It is sometimes empty and sometimes full to the brim. You can make it really spicy or not spicy at all. It doesn't have a very good view because it is right next to the highway but it still has the best food around. I would rate this a three forks up for it's good food.

Tommy's Wok

A few words to start it off are I love Tommy's Wok. It is a restaurant that serves authentic Chinese food. You can find it in Sausalito, California and the food is fantastic. As soon as you walk into the door two things hit you, one your eyes feast on the colorful exotic fish tank that is right along the door. And two, the sweet, tangy, aroma that fills the air. Then you hear the crackeling and sizzling of the kitchen you can see into. That is three of your five senses and you can't wait to fulfill the other two, feel and taste. Those are some of the reasons why I love Tommy's Wok but we haven't even gotten to the menu yet. On the menu there are a lot of assorted things that all seem good. Underneath the name it tells you what it is like in lemon chicken (oh yum that sounds good!) it says deep fried chicken in sweet, tangy lemon sauce. You see them make it and it looks so fantastic! Then a few minutes later they bring it to you and you see it and you just stare, at the mouth watering goodness. Then you take a bite into it and you feel the breaded outside in your mouth and then you taste the warm chicken along with the sweet and tangy lemon sauce. Tommy's Wok has fulfilled your five senses and if you go there I hope it fulfilled your senses and I hope you enjoy!

Lemon Bars

These are my brother's favorite dessert.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
1/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sifted powdered sugar

Directions:
Beat butter until soft. Add 1/2 powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in 2 cups of flour until crumbly. Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13"x9"x2" baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown.

Beat together eggs, granulated sugar and lemon juice. Combine 1/4 cup flour and the baking powder, stir into egg mixture. Pour over baked crust.

Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned around edges and center appears set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Cut into squares or diamonds.

Makes approximately 24 bars.

I like the tangy lemony taste and the way there is a lot of the lemon part. The way it melts in your mouth is delicious too.

Spectacular Banana Bread!!

This recipe is delish. Its a must try. Its...its...SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!

BANANA BREAD 

Mix Together: 

2/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup butter

2 eggs

Stir In: 

3 table spoons buttermilk or milk 

1 cup mashed bananas  

Sift Together & add: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tea spoon baking powder

1/2 tea spoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend In: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips(optional)

Bake at 350 degrees in a loaf pan for 60 min.

Enjoy!! 

Tommy's Wok

Tommy's Wok is in Sausalito, it is a Chinese restaurant and it has fantastic food. I like the lemon chicken but I like everything there because it is all so tasty. I like eating there more then taking it home but it is good either way. When you go to Tommy's Wok I like all of the delicious (warm) food because it just makes your mouth water. And when you go there and smell all the different things you just stand there in a sort of trans type of thing that you love. I just can't wait to go there again and you want to eat a lot of the food because it tastes so good so you eat a lot and you just love it. I would give this restaurant three forks up. I like eating here because the food is always hot and always tasty I love the authentic chinese taste that just makes my tongue tickle (the good feeling) and I can't say anything more than I love it! It is so tasty and I hope if you go there you like it too!

Avatar's Punjab Burritos

Want to try something really different? Then how about a curried lamb...burrito? This is the kind of food you will find at Avatar's Punjab Burritos, which serves Indian food, Mexican style.

Here, instead of refried beans, spanish rice, salsa, guacamole and sour cream, burritos are filled with curried garbanzo beans, basmati rice, seasonal fruit chutney, homemade tamarind sauce and yogurt.

Varieties include curry chicken, jamaican drunk chicken, blackened rock shrimp or salmon and several vegetarian choices such as smoked egg plant and curried pumpkin.

All burrito fillings are also available as rice plates and they sell several salads as well.

Everything I've tried here is quite good. If you've never had Indian food, this is a good place to start. The ingredients seem very fresh and homemade. My vegetarian friends really enjoy coming here because of the large variety of choices available to them.

The Mill Valley Avatar's is a take out version of a larger, and very popular, full service restaurant, named Avatar's, in Sausalito. The Mill Valley place is the owner's (named Avatar, in case you haven't guessed) way of providing customers with a fast, portable, healthy meal.

Three forks.

Avatar's Punjab Burritos, 15 Madrona St., a couple of blocks away from downtown Mill Valley.

Happy Bakery

Happy Bakery I'd have to say I'd give four forks because there is refreshing foods, and there is greasey foods :). These chinese foods are so tasty that I don't know how your alive with out it. They have cusards, chicken (very good), spring rolls, egg rolls, chowmain, and, chowfun.There are other things, but these are the best. But there is one bad thing, and one another good thing. The bad thing is that the foods aren't the healthiest foods, but the good thing is that it is in San Fransisco so you probebly won't get fat because it's far away so you probebly won't go that often.

The custards (down) is a verry yummy choice. They are a jello-y creamy, yummy tart with bread around it. The chicken is wonderfly yummy, and would be discribed: scrumcias-tasty-yummy. The spring rolls and egg rolls are delishish, tasty and the spring roll is also refrshing (sometimes). The chow mian and fun are supream. I hope you will agree with me if you go some time.

Yummy!

My Favorite Pizza

My favorite pizza is from a resturaunt called Tony Tutto's. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I also like Amicis for its pizza. Those are my two favorite pizza resturaunts by far. Stefano's is pretty good to. Sometimes it's too greasy though. I like Tony Tutto's the most because their cheese pizza has different types of cheese on it, and doesn't have tomato sauce. It might sound kind of weird, but it's actually really good. They have two types of cheese pizza. One is called a whiter shade of pale which is the one that has different types of cheese on it, and is tomato sauce free. The other type is called a love supreme, and has tomato sauce and basil leaves. They are both extremely delicious. I like Amicis pizza because the pieces are small and easy to eat. I especially like the peperoni pizza because the peperonies are shaped like bowls, and I like them that way. Overall, if I could describe the pizza from Tony Tutto's and Amicis with two words, I'd say it was extrordinarilly delicious. For more information;

Tony Tutto Pizza
www.tonytuttopizza.com

246 E Blithedale Ave
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 383-8646

Ambrosia Pizza and Pasta

This restaurant is great. It is a bit fancy but you can dress it up or down. I like this restaurant because there is a variety of  Italian foods. For instance, pizza, design your own pizza, salads, pasta, and many, many more. It is on 1159 Magnolia in Larkspur. I would give it tree forks up. The owner is always there and sits down and talks or if he doesn't know you he does quickly. They also have excellent desserts. I would know because I LOVE DESSERT! What my parents would say they like about the place is the wine. They have many rare wines and lots to taste. There is even a wine that a guy my dad knows made. Anyway, this is a great restaurant and I hope you try it. Enjoy!!

Samurai

My favorite restaurant that I have been to is Samurai the Japanese place across the street from Whole Foods. When I go there I love to order, the special soda. It is like a 7up but it is in a cool shaped bottle with a marble that sometimes clogs up up the drinking hole. When we go there we order A LOT. My favorite dishes here are the vegetable tempura, terriyaki chicken and sticky rice, though I like a lot of food here. After you eat your amazing dinner you can have a dessert there or you can go to the conveniently located Lollipop, the candy, ice cream and cupcake shop. This is such a good restaurant if you like seafood, vegetables, or chicken. I recommend sitting at the "bar," which is not even really a bar at all. You can watch the workers make the food. It is really cool!!!
When you're there you see many people, and every time we go we see a couple that my parents call "buddies." Sometimes I even see friends of mine there including Courtney.
I give this restaurant 3 forks for its really yummy food.

MMM Pizza

One of my favorite restaurants is Pizza Hut. Okay, maybe the closest one is in San Francisco, but it's worth the drive.

If you like cheese pizza, like me, I would recommend the cheese lovers with extra (double) cheese and stuffed crust, I can't resist it. That's what I normally order.  If you would like something else, you could order the Pizza Hut P'zone it's like a pizza sandwich with meat and melted cheese, it weighs over one pound. Or you could order the great breadsticks.

I would recommend Pizza Hut to anybody who likes pizza, breadsticks, or of course, dessert. I would definitely give Pizza Hut a three forks, and if you're deciding where to go for dinner or lunch choose Pizza Hut

The San Francisco Yacht Club

My favorite restaurant that I have ever been to is The San Fransisco Yacht Club. It is a great place to hang out, and you meet lots of people there. It also has a great view of the San Fransisco bay, with lots of boats in it. It is a club for sailing.

As for my favorite dish there, well, that's very hard to choose from. Since they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there are a lot of choices. But out of them all, I would have to say that my favorite dish there is their macaroni and cheese casseraole. It's the best macaroni and cheese that I've ever tasted. I have tasted a lot of macaroni and cheese, but theirs is creamy, hearty, cheesy, and just all around delicios! I would give their restaurant a whole three forks! They also make a mean Shirley Temple........

The Cheesecake Factory (this is my assignment)

I'm not saying that this is a bad restaurant but it would probably win the award for the restaurant that has the most waste! You see this restaurant gives huge portions, I mean really big! Most people cannot eat this amount of food so its all get thrown away. I can't eat this much food but I love the cheesecake factory, because even though there is a lot of it its all delicious to me! The favorite things I like in the cheesecake factory are: the nachos, the tamale cakes, the 30th anniversary cheesecake, the chicken sliders, the Godiva cheesecake, the birthday Sunday ( you can have it when its not your birthday though), which is quite small, but good for when you don't want much, and of course their bread is amazing! Its warm and they have two kinds that I really do like. I would recommend all these things if you went and a couple others. This is a great reastaurant and I hope you go!

McDonald's

I really like one of the restaurants near my house in Mill Valley, Strawberry. I pick McDonald's and I think it is the best restaurant in my life. The hamburgers are juicy, tasty and makes your mouth water. This restaurant has always been and will stay my favorite restaurant, until I grow out of it. My favorite food there are cheeseburgers and don't forget the fries and ketchup. You should go to McDonald's if you like hamburgers and desserts they even sell salad you don't see that every day at McDonald's. You can just get your size of hamburger, pay and then eat in peace with friends or family and enjoy. And if the kids don't want a hamburger then McDonald's has extra for the kids chicken nuggets in a kids meal. You should taste the food and when you go in to the place, you can smell the sweet smell of good food and it is delicious, that's one of the things I like about McDonald's.

I would give it a three forks up. Go there it is so good!

Chevy's

Chevy's is one of my favorite restaurants. It not the absolute best restaurant in the world, but it's one of the best places I've gone since the beginning of the school year. They serve Mexican food, and I am pretty sure they have salad also. My favorite thing to get there are their burritos, and to help that go down, I like to get a coke. There are burritos that are so hot when you get them, that they sizzle, burritos with anything you want in them(okay, maybe not anything), and there are more kinds of burritos too. 

Chevy's has a very excellent selection of taco's too. In my opinion. They make the tacos taste yummy in my tummy by having different kinds of meats, cheeses, spices, and vegetables. Some people will put hot sauce on their taco, but I prefer not to have any hot sauce. Hot sauce is way too spicy for me! Even pepper will be a bit to spicy for me every once in a while.

My favorite Chevy's is located in San Ramon, because there is a good place to play outside, right next to the Chevy's, there is a hotel, and there is a huge minimart, Whole Foods, and Jamba Juice not too far away.

 The first time I went to the Chevy's in San Ramon, I was with my soccer team, and after we ate there, we played really well in our soccer championship and got second place. Now my whole entire soccer team including me, thinks that Chevy's is our good luck charm. I think we should eat at Chevy's more often before a game. I would give Chevy's three forks up!

Chili's

Chili's is a fabulous restaurant with great food, desserts, and more. I didn't know about Chili's until Daisy Colburn took me to it before we watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Daisy's family had already gone to Chili's a bunch but this was my very first time. When we walked into Chili's I could just feel the cool air conditioning on my skin. Brr. Daisy's mom, Jacqueline, asked the waitress for a booth for four. (Daisy's brother, Franklin, was also there). When the waitress sat us down at a smooth table with three lights hanging down low, she handed the three children, Daisy, Franklin, and me, a cool coloring book. The ones that come with little crayons in a box that has the restaurant's logo on it.

After me and Daisy colored, we started choosing what we wanted. I chose a grilled cheese sandwich.  She did to. I had to wait such a long time for our food-but it made since, it was crowded.

When our food finally came I gobbled it up. The grilled cheese was fantastic! After the delicious meal, we had desert. The desert was so good! Then, because it was my birthday, they sang:

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday from Chili's!

Happy Birthday to you! 

It was so much fun! I think I give Chili's two forks because it was good and all, but the side potatoes were cold, mushy, and didn't taste that great. Also, it took a really long time to make our food. But other than that, it was delicious! 

Ocean

My all time 5 star restaurant is called Ocean, in San Francisco it's seafood kind of restaurant.

I'm always crazy for the dumplings, they are called ha gow, it has shrimp in the middle and a rice

coding. to tell the truth they had closed up a few weeks ago I'm still very devastated but, on the other hand there is much more then one place that will serve the dim sum in the city, so when me Courtney my mom Diane my sister Trisha and finally my dad Gary, we go to my mom's mom AKA grandma and grandpa's House also to be in the city, so we all go to their house for brunch. Since your supposed to have a restaurant that hasn't closed there is another place that is just as good ( it's take out) It's called Wing Lee on Clement Street in San Francisco easy enough for me because Clement Street is the same street as Ocean.

Outback Steak House

Is a chain restaurant. There is a Outback Steak House in Marin City it has a selection of American food it says it is Australian but tons of the food is American. It has tons of options like for younger children the Mac and Cheese . For your Dad you would want Ribs the barbecue sauce on the steak. They have Cesar Salad and if you like normal Salad your going to like this one the dressing is creamy and pale. For a appetisers there are the onion ring ball it is a lot of Small onion rings in a pit in the middle there is sauce of any choice. Now the Dessert there are allot of Cheesecakes like strawberry's and Cinnamon topped. There is also a cake as in Chocolate and the thunder from down under it is a big brownie with Ice Cream, Wiped Cream and hot sauce.
This is Two forks up.

AMBER JACK sushi

        Amber Jack Sushi is my all time favorite restaurant. It only has four tables, but that doesn't matter. It's the food that counts. Amber Jack Sushi is this hole in the wall sushi store that also sells rice, fish, seaweed salad, and tons of other Japanese food. It is in Mill Valley Here is a picture of it:

     One of the best things about Amber Jack is that it's so warm in there. All of the tables are snug and cozy. It is also very nicely decorated in there. It seems more like a kitchen than a restaurant. As soon as you walk through the door your nose gets flooded with these great smells of sushi and miso soup. Another great thing about Amber Jack is that they have really great waiter service. If it's because they only have four tables I'm not sure, but all in all you get your food in about eight minuets instead of fifteen.

There is still one thing I haven't talked about, and it's the most important thing. THE FOOD! Amber Jack has some of the best food I have ever tasted.They have all the classics in the sushi department, and then plus some. My two favorite kinds of sushi there are called the California roll, and the cherry blossom roll. The California is a normal roll filled with shrimp, avocado, and cucumber. The cherry blossom roll has two kinds of raw fish on the outside, and has avocado, carrot and cucumber in the inside. If you're not in the mood for sushi they have tons of other stuff. Like vegetable tempura which is grilled vegetables. You could also get a teriyaki dinner which is fried chicken cut into strips with sauce on the side. It also comes with rice, salad, and soup. There is another kind of salad I like called seaweed salad it is basically a bowl of seaweed. My favorite thing at Amber Jack is called Beef Negi Magi. It is thin strips of beef wrapped around green onion, and boy is it good.

Amber Jack Sushi is one of the best sushi places I have ever been to, and I hope you will like it too.   

Molasses Sugar Cookies

This is the irresistible recipe of my mom's mouthwatering molasses sugar cookies:

Molasses Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:

3/4 c. shortening or butter 2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. sugar 2 c. sifted flour
1/4 c. molasses 1/2 tsp. ginger
1 egg 1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Melt shortening/butter in saucepan. Remove and cool. Add sugar,molasses and egg. Beat well. Add combined flour, spices and salt. Mix well. Chill dough. Form into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Bake @ 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. For extra chewy cookies, remove from oven when almost done and let set on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes.


If you decide to make these cookies I hope you enjoy them and I hope they appeal to your liking. I heard a lot of people liked them and I hope you do too!

The November Restaurant Assignment -- Due 11-10

Write about your favorite restaurant that you have visited since the beginning of 5th grade.  Tell what you like about eating there what your favorite dish is, and where the restaurant is located. Be sure to use the rating scale found on the blog to rate it.  The restaurant does not need to be in Mill Valley, but it needs to be in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Proofread your work before posting it.  If there is already a first post for the restaurant, please make a major comment.  It would be great to have many different restaurants reviewed, instead of only a few.

If you haven't gone to a restaurant since the beginning of the school year, please see the blog editors for an alternative assignment.

About A Boy

Will, played by Hugh Grant, is a self-centered, immature man in his 30's who lives off money his dad made for writing a famous song. He is a bachelor with no intention of getting married, yet his sole goal in life is to meet single women. During one of these quests, he meets an eccentric, lonely 12 year old boy named Marcus, played by Nicholas Hoult.

Beautifully acted with a great soundtrack, this film explores the relationship between Will, who wants relationships without strings attached, and Marcus, who just wants a friend. The relationships are all believably handled and the movie manages to be touching without being cloying. It is also very, very funny.

As you might expect, Will is very reluctant to get involved with Marcus, but slowly warms up. It is the way the film gradually unfolds this relationship, with its comic, sometimes cringe inducing turns that makes it so enjoyable. It's a story about how inspiration takes many forms and how a young person can make an older person take a long, hard look at himself.

Two thumbs up

note: This film is rated PG-13 for language and adult situations

Miss Potter

I recently learned that two of Park School's students are a distant relatives of Beatrix Potter, the author "The Tale of Peter Rabbit".

Reminded me of a very good movie I saw a couple of years ago called "Miss Potter" which is based on the author's life.

Potter was a headstrong independent woman who grew up in a time when such women were not looked upon very favorably. In fact, when an uncle tried to enroll her as a student in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, she was rejected simply because she was female. Not dissuaded, Potter became an amateur mycologist (the study of fungi and lichens) and was soon regarded as an expert in the field. She was rarely able to present her work, however, because she was a woman.

In her spare time, Potter wrote "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" for the son of her governess. She was encouraged to publish it, but had difficulty finding someone willing to do so. Finally, a small publishing company decided to publish 8000 copies of the book. That was in 1902. By year's end the book sold 28,000 copies, and was the company's best seller. It has sold millions and millions of copies since.

This is a good film about a person following her heart's desire despite many many obstacles, including her own mother, in her path.

The film is well acted, with Rene Zellwegger as Potter and Ewan MacGregor (young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the second Star Wars trilogy) as her publisher. The film does a nice job of showing the creative process, too.

The dvd version includes a biography of Potter that covers her life after the events in the movie, her legacy in today's world and photos of her and the people in her life.

Two thumbs up.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a great, but sad, movie.  It's about a white chihuahua, Chloe, that is pampered by her famous owner, Aunt Viv. But then Chloe's Aunt Viv, has to leave. She put her friend in charge.  Chloe's "substitute" owner decides to go on a trip to Mexico with her friends.  During the trip Chloe doesn't get treated very well and while she is tyring to find her watcher she gets taken to a "dog fighting" place.  A "dog fighting" place is were these mean men collect stray dogs and take them to fight other dogs.  But then she gets saved by a police dog that got stolen.  Chloe goes on a lot of adventures with her used-to-be police dog partner.  You see, Chloe's partner, the police dog, USED to be a police dog but there's a miserable story behind it of how he lost his police (human) partner and, sadly, his sense of smell.  And while this is happening, Chloe's watcher is looking for her miserably with Aunt Viv's gardener and his dog, Pappi.  In the end of this movie Chloe [ending deleted by administrator]. 

We -- Audrey and Kate -- think this movie is a "two thumbs up" type of movie because it has really cool adventures and it has a lot of humor.  If you're not afraid of dogs, then we highly recommend this movie to you.

p.s. this post was posted by Audrey and Kate Wagner      

City of Ember

Now, I haven't read the book but, after seeing this movie, I really want to read it.  I love movies where a whole new world and way of thinking and living are created, and the City of Ember fills the bill.  While there are some very talented, famous actors in this film (Bill Murray, Tim Robbins), it is the two child actors, Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway that make this film. This movie offers mystery, action, hope, fear, and complicated relationships all wrapped up in an underground world. 

Two thumbs way up for the City of Ember!

My Hunt for the Perfect Chicken Taco

Okay, this isn't really a restaurant review, but I need your help locating the perfect chicken taco.  I've had them at Joe's Taco Lounge, Grilly's, High Tech Burrito, and Sonoma Taco.  Theirs were all pretty good, but I'm looking for the most fantastic chicken taco on the planet.  Now, I'm not talking about one of those Americanized crispy chicken tacos; I'm looking for the real deal: soft corn tortillas, scrumptious chicken, pico de gallo, cilantro...

So, give me some extra homework: recommendations for the best chicken tacos.  I'll give them a try.  [Okay, I have to be able to get them here in the Bay Area.  Going to Mexico isn't in my plans, at the moment.]

Vascos

This restaurant has lots of Italian food and yummy deserts I go there a lot and its a really nice place to just have some food it has a bar- which of course i don't go to, lots of tables, two kitchens one where the main meals are made and one up front opposite of the bar where you can see the pizzas being made. My family goes to Vascos a lot and we enjoy it every time! What is my rating do you ask?  I would probably give it 2 and a half forks, so go to Vascos!

The Devil Wears Prada

This is advertised a a fish out of water comedy in which an innocent young woman with no fashion sense gets a job at the most famous fashion magazine in the country.

I am in no way a fashionista, but I liked this movie because it is more than a comedy. It is a good movie about how the woman, Andi, played by Anne Hathaway, is able to overcome disrespectful and snobby treatment to develop meaningful relationships with the very people who mistreat her.

In the movie, Andi applies for a job at a magazine run by a ruthless, insensitive and very powerful woman named Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep.

The first time Miranda meets Andi, at Andi's job interview, Miranda immediately decides that Andi isn't right for the job simply because of the way Andi is dressed. Most job applicants, after being dismissed in this offhanded, arbitrary way, would have been embarrassed or angry, but Andi isn't. Instead, she insistently but respectfully details to Miranda why she would be a good person for the job.

Miranda hires her.

Once on the job, Andi runs into resistance from many of her co-workers, who don't believe she deserves the position she got. The core of the movie is about how Andi slowly, tactfully, and respectfully breaks down all of these barriers and wins her co-workers over. At one point, Andi gets to see another side of Miranda, and understands why she is so mean. Instead of hating her for it, she begins to feel compassion for Miranda.

All in all, this movie shows how treating others with respect, while treating yourself with respect, along with strong doses of honestly and compassion, can break down the most difficult interpersonal barriers and result in meaningful relationships.

Two thumbs up.

Remember the Titans

As mentioned in PE, this is a great movie about how putting aside personal differences can result in a group which achieves great things. It is about respect, responsibility, friendship and loyalty. It is also a whale of a true story.

In this movie, two Virginia high schools combine into one, after one school, whose students are all African-American, closes. These displaced students move to another school where every student is Caucasian-American. Before this merger, each school had its own football team with its own popular and famous coach. After the merger, there would be only one team. In a surprise decision, the school board announces that the African-American coach, played by Denzel Washington, would be the head coach instead of the more experienced and successful white coach, played by Will Patton.

This, of course, creates an immediate conflict between the two coaches. One of the subplots in the movie is how these two men go from being rivals to friends. It isn't an easy transition, and is handled in a realistic way.

There are also many conflicts between the players; about who should start, music, girls and of course, race. And, just as the players start to get along, the get a new player; a long-haired "surfer" from California.

The variety of reasons over which these boys clash and the way they resolve them through their common desire to become a good football team makes this a must see film.

Two big thumbs up.

Kung Fu Panda (rated PG)

When I sat down in the theater, I had no idea what this movie was about.  I didn't even know that it was animated!  But, for the next hour and a half, I was in heaven.  I clapped, laughed out loud, and almost cried!  This is one of the best animated movies I've ever seen, and I highly recommend seeing it!  Two thumbs up!

--Maggie

27 Dresses

The movie 27 dresses is about a lady named Jane and her sister. Her sister comes and she likes Jane's boss that Jane likes. And Jane is always the Brides maid for her friends weddings, but then at the end she finally got married. I really liked this movie because it has really good actors and actresses. It is good because it teaches people a lesson on just tell your feelings and people can help.

I would give this movie a 2 thumbs up for the fabulous film.