Bill Watt’s Blog

OK… what a funny day.

New toy (the good):

Rob pinged me with info of a new bluetooth headset from Jawbone. Check out this demo. Based on the demo I went out and bought one today so I’ll either let you know if it works like that demo shows or I’ll call you and describe the background noise you’re not hearing.

Warcraft (both good and bad):

Tonight is the the launch of the first Warcraft expansion and I’m thinking I may head out and pick up a copy at midnight. Tough call though… it is kinda cold and I’m starting to get sleepy at 10:40. I do have work tomorrow (why couldn’t they have launched this before the holiday weekend?) and if I wait till tomorrow there won’t be a line. My friends on the East Coast have already picked up the game and said Best Buy had giant lines (around the building) but the gamestop was a breeze to get in and out. So, knowing that Fry’s will have 4,500 copies per store (seriously- they said so here) I tried calling gamestop to see if they will be open.

Now, here’s a bad thing. While I’m on the phone the guys at the store are having a conversation about their ability to sell to someone who hasn’t pre-ordered. So I ask you- isn’t this a simple matter of math? How many copies do you have and how many are pre-ordered? And really, shouldn’t you already have answers to questions like this before you answer the phone at 10PM the night of the launch? Hard to believe retail is having a rough time this year.

New shows launch (the silly):

OK, all the silly MTV shows are ramping up this week starting with “The Hills” and another fascinating study of So Cal kids with too much money and way too much drama. One of my friends always points me to this site to keep up with the drama.

Last night we went to Vin Santo (website / OpenTable) in Willow Glen with Sravanthi and Nirav. I’d been there once before and wasn’t overly impressed and I remember thinking it was expensive for what we got but last night was a different experience. Food was great and the price was in line with other places we go. (Maybe I’ve just become used to paying higher prices now that Alice is out here full time? ) Service was also really good without being intrusive. The hostess was nice and got us setup in the bar while we waited for our table. One of the owners took and delivered our wine order so we didn’t have to do anything but chat while we waited. During the meal the server was in and out, getting drink orders and delivering food and the dishes were removed without ever breaking our conversation so that’s a plus. Everyone liked their meals. One person got a soup starter that they liked, I got a steak with some type of cheese sauce while the rest of the table got different pasta dishes, and everyone had some form of dessert. I tried to look up the exact dish I got but the menu page of their site (here) isn’t very helpful. Don’t let that lack of detail on the site scare you off… I’d recommend this place for a nice night out.

This morning we went to Bill’s for breakfast and it was pretty good. The menu is certainly similar to most diners but it is different like friends have told me. Still, I could get my pancakes so I was happy.

Tonight we’re headed to The Basin (website / OpenTable) in Saratoga with Hima and Matt. I’ve been there a few times with Alice and like it for the relaxed atmosphere and good food. All the food is fresh and organic so you pay for the organic label but it does taste good. In browsing the site I see they have meeting facilities. I had no clue that they had a room with a DSL connection and projector. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that tonight and see where that’s hidden. One never knows when a DSL connection can come in handy.

So, every morning I get up and while getting ready I listen to the iPod I have in the bathroom. No big deal right? My wife would disagree. She really isn’t a fan of my morning get up and go music selection:

• The Way You Move                           OutKast & Sleepy Brown
• SOS                                                Rihanna
• Ride Wit Me                                      Nelly & City Spud
• Pon de Replay                                   Rihanna
• Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems                    The Notorious B.I.G., Mase & P. Diddy
• Gold Digger (Featuring Jamie Foxx)     Kanye West
• Get Busy                                          Sean Paul
• #1                                                   Nelly

I think she really cringes when I listen to “#1″ because she thinks I have an inflated sense of self already.

Well, I was able to get a full refund because I bought the package travel insurance so that’s a good deal. I kinda wish I was going but then again… I’ll be happy to get a weekend of rest instead. Plus- the World of Warcraft expansion comes out on Tuesday the 15th so there is always that to keep me busy.

I booked a trip to Japan to visit a friend who was supposed to go over for work but his trip isn’t going to happen now. Well, my trip is paid for so I’m still heading to Asia. This should make for some funny blog posts.

Remember at college when you’d get back after winter break and see everyone? That’s kinda what it felt like at work today. So many folks were gone here and there over the holidays it was nice to see the campus full again. I think it also helped that today was awesome weather at 52 today and predicted 67 tomorrow. Hard to feel anything but excited with sunshine outside. That said… it also means all those deadlines are back but that was energizing in it’s own way.

New Year Resolutions (I’m making these up right now):

• #1: get stuff done
• #2: get ahead of the curve
• #3: get in shape (before I hit 40 anyway )
• #4: take Alice on some of the trips she’s been thinking about taking. So far we’ve narrowed down 3 trips including Vegas, Paris and Germany. We’ve booked trip #1 and are working on booking trip #2. (Since this is a public blog I’ll reserve commentary on the when of the trip until after we’ve come back.)

I’m pretty pumped about work. Now that we have a team and not just me it feels like it is going to be a less reactive year or at least we can be forward looking and address the things that come up last minute without letting everything else drop. It’s been >3 years since there was a 2nd PM on the team and now we’ll have 3. For those of you who knew us back during the FAIM period, the newest member of the team would have fit in well with the Amelia, Jen, Merel crowd. God help me if she ever meets those three.

A Bellagio (website) is now on OpenTable… now I can get points for a place I eat all the time anyway.

Note to LVH: you promised we’re getting together for dinner in early Feb. Feel better, grab “him” and let’s go already.

In case you want to try it yourself:

A Bellagio
33 S Central Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
T: (408) 370-7705
W: www.abellagio.com

Yes, I know many people already know about it and it certainly isn’t Web 2.0 but I like it.

When I want to makes plans for the night the last thing I want to do is call a restaurant, sit on hold, fight to be heard over the background noise and then be told there is a 2 hour wait. With OpenTable I can log on, look at restaurants of interest to me (assuming they’re on OpenTable) and check availability. I don’t need to talk to anyone, no need to make a call, and I’m generally near a computer anyway so it is pretty easy.

The concept is so simple. The company that runs the site sells restaurant reservation software and extended the software to have a web interface. So I can log in, look at the places that use the software and see the actual reservations slots that are open. And for the privledge of using a very easy system I’m also rewarded with points that eventually accumulate to $$ off a meal at any of the restaurants that use the software. Simple.

Here are some examples of restaurants I’ve mentioned in previous posts that use OpenTable:

• Forbes Mill Steakhouse
• Crimson
• Alexander’s Steakhouse

The one other thing I love about the system is that the system can use the reward mechanism to fill seats at off peak times. For instance, there are times we’ll browse places to eat for dinner and the site will show us that is we opt for an early dinner then we ‘ll get 1,000 points instead of the standard 100 points. Sure, 2,000 points = $20 off a meal but if that time works for us (like if we’re trying to eat before a movie) and we get the added benefit then that is an easy win.

There are a few nice restaurants I tried in CA before Alice moved out and from time to time she comments that I haven’t taken her here or there yet. Please, don’t feel bad for her. We go out to eat all the time and this is just one example of how we’re dealing with the very tip top portion of Maslow’s Hierarchy. But one of the places that we drive past all the time and haven’t tried together is Forbes Mill. So, to start off the New Years right I took her there tonight for dinner.

So, the first time I went there was for my bachelor party with BC, Gersh, Chad, and Hikade and the second time was for one of the weekly dinners with Jason, Jason, and Joon-soo. All three times have been consistently starting with the appetizers, wine and main course. It was less pricy than Alexander’s and there was a lot less upsell but Forbes Mill also felt like it had less going on. With Alexander’s you had a ton of options going all the way from shot glasses filled with some fish (don’t ask me but the guys thought it was great) to cigars. I think they’re serving similar but different groups but both places are great. Alice got the filet per usual and loved it while I ordered the aged New York.
In case you want to try it yourself:

Forbes Mill Steakhouse, Los Gatos
206 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
T: (408) 395-6434
W: http://forbesmillsteakhouse.com

Each week I go out to dinner with 3 friends and since we try different places each week, most of them places I’ve never been before, I thought it might be good to start keeping track. This week we went to Alexander’s and had amazing steaks. 2 of the guys got this 2lb ribeye that looked amazing and both took about a pound home with them. I got the porterhouse and it was great and cooked exactly the way I like it.

The funny thing about this place was the level of upsell. You could seriously go broke just by saying “yes” each time you’re offered an $80 truffle add-on. They also have a Kobe steak for $250.

The meat case / display by the door was pretty impressive. I personally don’t like to think about where that awesome steak started… no food with a face (that I can see)… but it all looked good waiting to be prepared.

In case you want to try it yourself:

Alexander’s Steak House
10330 N. Wolfe Road
(corner of Wolfe & Hwy 280)
Cupertino, CA 95014

T: 408.446.2222
W: http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com/

Rating:

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 9 relative to other places I’ve been. The food was awesome and the service great. The only down side is that it was pretty $$$ but we did eat like kings so there is that.