Excellent Eats: T-Bonz in Enumclaw

Today was one of those days where after work I just needed to get out for a drive to clear my head, so I changed out of my work clothes and in to a T-shirt and jeans then hopped in the truck and took off. I also needed a change from the local diner that I frequent, so I decided to head off to Issaquah and see what wondrous eats I could find there. As I drove down Front Street I noticed a local grill and thought I would try it, so I parked my truck and walked over to the place. I opened the door, took one look at the crowd, and all I could say to the hostess was "Nope".

I trundled back to my truck, got in, started it up, said "The Hell with Issaquah", and took off to parts unknown (or at least infrequently explored in the recent decade). After twisting and turning, and flying though places such as Hobart, Ravensdale, and Black Diamond I ended up in Enumclaw. I thought at least here in Enumclaw I might find a nice quiet little "eats" sort of place, and as I drove through the town I noticed a sign for "T-Bonz Steak and Prime Rib House", and thought to myself "Yeah, that's the place to try tonight".

Now I have to admit that I was looking for an "eats" sort of place, and I figured being in a small town such as Enumclaw I might make a really good find. So I parked my truck and walked across the street and walked in to a big surprise. I walked in to T-Bonz, took a look around at the nicely placed napkins and silverware, and thought to myself "T-shirts and jeans aren't going to cut it here", then I was greeted by a waiter (who turns out to be the co-owner of the place) and his Hawaiian shirt and jeans made me feel right at home.

It turns out that T-Bonz is owned by Gary and Sarina Zesiger, with Gary working the front, and Sarina working the kitchen. Gary recommended I try the open faced prime rib sandwich with garlic mashed potatoes, so that's what I got, and it made my day.

The prime rib has got to be some of the best I ever had, and the garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli were excellent. I spoke with Gary a little and it turns out that he and Sarina started T-Bonz about a year ago. It takes courage to pursue a dream such as a restaurant and Gary and Sarina deserve a lot of credit for doing so, and if the quality of their food along with their friendliness towards customers are any indication then they are on the right track. Unfortunately due to the slow economy they are temporarily discontinuing lunch and only serving dinner, but hopefully this will only be for a short time.

Seriously, the prime rib on the sandwich was excellent, so much so that I am definitely making the trip out to Enumclaw in the next week or so to try one of their steaks. Yeah, it is a long drive from Bellevue, but was worth it, and after having a great meal I also got a special treat of a beautiful sunset as I headed back to Bellevue the long way along Highway 410.

If you live in the Enumclaw area, or just happen to be passing through, or you're a stressed out geek like me who needs to go for a drive then consider having your eats at T-Bonz Steak and Prime Rib House in Enumclaw.

T-Bonz Steak and Prime Rib House
1239 Griffin Ave.
Enumclaw, WA.
360-825-2445
(Reservations preferred, though I got in fine :)

Psst! If you think this is an add or a shill piece it isn't. T-Bonz is a great little find, and I really want to support small business people like Gary and Sarina who are doing a great job in a tough economy, plus I really want to share this fantastic find with those who read my blogs.

Friday fun: Gopher Broke!

Yeah, this can pretty much sum up my week :-)



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Zombies in Plain English

After all that went on this week this video seemed appropriate:



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Computer surplus

Check out this video of some creative ways of using old computer components:



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Hammer time!

While it takes a little time for this video to get going, I think you will enjoy this clip from the San Juan de la Vega exploding sledgehammer festival. It ends with a real bang!:



Thanks to Michael Citrak for sending me the link. Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Majority of the world's spam traced to a single source

This is one busy cat:



Have a great weekend ~ Jim
PS: I am sure at least one other person has thought of this gag :)

Friday fun: Random Funny Crashes - How did they do that?

I felt today's video clip was perfect considering what happened to me on Wednesday



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Rough day

In a nutshell, I was injured in a car accident tonight while taking an alternate route home due to the I-90 construction, and after a harrowing cab ride home from the hospital, I found out my mom has had another heart attack (three small ones in the last two weeks.)

I am a sore from the accident, though my little Ford Ranger seems to have gotten through with a minor scrape or two on the rear fender. The other driver's Accura had a mashed up hood from rear-ending me. What pisses me is that the three guys in the other car were laughing after the accident, that is until the State Trooper showed up. I don't know what was scarier, the accident or the cab ride home. I didn't have anyone to take me home, so I had to take a cab, and it was like an E Ticket ride at Disneyland.

When I got home there were a couple of calls from family stating that my mom was back in the hospital. She has had three minor heart attacks in the last two weeks, and it doesn't look good. I have to arrange some sort of care for her which is hard since she lives far away from me.

Not to sound selfish, but I am worried about how this all will impact my new job, since I am on a 90 day probation as a new employee. What's scary is that I have to deal with all this on my own. That kind of hit me when I was laying in the ER and wondering how I got home, and then it really hit me after I got home at 10:00 PM and talked to my relatives. I am hoping things will turn around, but I won't be blogging for a few days until the dust settles.

Friday Fun: Steve Jobs Prank Calls Starbucks

Here's a little somethign for all you Mac geeks and Starbuckers out there:



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday Fun: Obama the Nerd President

I love this video of humorist John Hodgman roasting President Obama, and referring to him as the “Nerd President”. While it's true that President Obama doesn't know the three different types of Hobbits (neither do I), he did collect comics, knows the Vulcan "salute", and he loves tech. It's a long video, but it's worth a watch.



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday Fun: Want a new PC? Just add water

Here's another creative way to get a new PC.



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday Fun: A couple of laughs for the end of the week

As these two clips show some tools that shouldn't be allowed at work.





Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday Fun: Funny Computer Cats

I don't know what it is about this video, but I love it!



Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday Fun: Loituma - Leva's Polka

Today I found out I have a new job, so in celebration of my being un-unemployed I decided to post a "happy" song for today's Friday Fun. The two songs that instantly came to mind were "Leva's Polka" by Loituma, or the Renn and Stimpy classic "Happy Happy Joy Joy". I decided on "Leva's Polka" because I have alway found it an up beat and cheery song.



If you are currently unemployed then try listening to this song when ever you're a feeling down. Hopefully it will cheer you up, and remember to keep on plugging on. I'll post more about my new job in a later post. Take care, and have a great weekend ~ Jim

SF Weekly.com: Funemployment

While trundling around Digg.com today I came across an entry for "Funemployment" from SF Weekly.com, and I have to say that I found the article very engrossing.

Recently I've been dealing with a lot of "inertia" due to the extended length time that I have been unemployed, and reading this article helped me refocus my view of the situation.

The article is primarily focused on Twenty and Thirty Somethings in the San Francisco area, and how they are coping with their extended unemployment, and while the title of the article does imply these Twenty and Thirty Somethings are having fun while being unemployed there is more to the it than that. Many of those interviewed in the article are using their free time to rediscover their goals and the paths that they really want to follow, or at least that is the impression I got from the article.

One line from the article that really hit home for me was this "More psychologically significant than the income loss, she says, is the morbid condition of "feeling ineffectual in the world."

Without a doubt that has been the biggest hit for me, and reading this article helped me recognize that the feeling of being ineffectual in the world has led to inertia that I have been struggling with. While the feeling of inertia is still there, I now have clearer view of the situation and I believe I can get past it and move forward.

If you are in a situation similar then I strongly suggest you give this article a read. Also be sure to check out the blogs Funemployment Blog and Unemploymentality for more interesting reading on the subject..

Cheers ~ Jim