I really enjoy a great TV show.  It’s amazing the cult like factor that a really great and creative show can have for us as a society.  I remember just after college I lived in a great old old apartment.  This was a turn of the century old 4 unit antique building with hardwood floors, french doors, a shoebox kitchen, and one killer walkout to the roof above the deck.  It was surrounded by a streets full of the same style, turn of the century, small brick apartment buildings along with my favorite dark and cozy Irish pub, a few eclectic restaurants, some old school pub restaurants, and of course a ton of people just starting out and loved our little neighborhood.  Entry level accountants, beginner phone reps, waiters, chefs, first year residents, and grad students alike seemed to all flock together on one night or another for a favorite show.  Many brought beer, some might have made or picked up food, and no one was late.

Back then, and I’ll be dating myself, the biggest night was the X-files.  Never knowing what would happen next we watched, we harrased each other, we all screamed “no way” or “gross” or “that looks like the person you kissed in the bar last night”.  But we loved it.  There was a great book about Urban Tribes and how the culture of the U.S. is changing such that our family network becomes our friends or certain “tribes” we create around activites, hobbies, and interests.  No doubt our behavior proved the books point.  We lived simply and laughed alot, somehow no matter what craziness we were getting into, what new job, new relationship, new crisis, or new funk we were in it could always be counted on that we would get together on that certain night and swap stories and be entertained together.  When I packed my bags to move to Colorado one of the girls in our crew even went and picked up an X-Files copy mug and Fox Mulder ID badge.  I have no idea where she found this stuff, but the mug would change it’s message on the side when you filled it with hot water to say “Trust No One”.  The funny thing was these folks werent’ geeks, well maybe just me.  But it was a bond.

Of course today that happens a little less often.  Or at least there are more opportunities for people not to have a ritual around a show.  First, you can tivo/DVR it and there is no need to be at a certain place at a certain time.  Why rush to meet up with the group at 8 PM when you can record it and watch it whenever you want… alone.  Or maybe you can buy it on Itunes and just follow it on your ipod on the train, at the gym while riding the bike, or flying out on that vacation.  Life sure is convenient, but I still fell some nostalgia for our 21st century version of theatre and sharing it with friends.  Give me old school any day.

So now the question for this poll is about what are the shows that have hooked Denver.  Is it Heroes with the superpowerer characters dealing with an upcoming fight with multiple villians?  Is it 30 Rock or the Office with a focus on making us laugh?  Is it any number of the CSI style style shows that have the whodunit style of detective suspense?  Or is it some drama geared around relationships, love and all that gooey stuff?

I don’t know.  But here is your chance to share what shows you will be, or are, watching this fall.  You can pick as many as you want or watch and comment away. I really did try to get as many of the shows coming out this fall as I could but may have missed some. What am I saying, of course I missed some… there are a boatload. These are shows that involve sketch, screen, and other creative writers who want to keep you entertained with stories, characters and/or satire. Sorry, folks, now straight up news reporting. I was even going to exclude reality shows but that would miss out on a HUGE cult following. I have been amazed at how many folks love their reality TV shows. If I missed your favorite, let me know.

To learn more about this fall’s lineup, the station it’s on, or the premier date check out the following Links:

For Dramas http://tvdramas.about.com/od/tvshowsaz/a/fallpremiere07.htm. 

For Animated: http://animatedtv.about.com/od/showsaz/a/fallpremiere.htm

For Comedies: http://tvcomedies.about.com/od/tvcomediesbytitle/a/premiere_dates.htm

I don’t know all these shows so it will be interesting to see the results.
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Today feels like Fall. It’s cold, gloomy and a constant mist seems to fall from the sky. I could swear I was back in Ohio but if that was true the weather would stay this way through March.

What the weather is doing to me is a different story. It is making me crave a sit down breakfast, a hot cup of coffee, and my newspaper. This is the kind of day that just begs for warm and cozy comforts. So I ponder… where should I go. I love Snooze and eat there almost every time I get a breakfast craving. I also love the Gallop Cafe where the warm atmosphere and huge windows make enjoying food a delight. Of course the Gallop also has my absolute favorite early morning bloody mary… and it is a Friday. Nah.

Old fashioned sausage gravy and biscuits sounds good to me too, but that is a dish that must be done very well or shouldn’t be done at all. After all, the price to our bodies for such a high fat high cholesterol dish means I don’t want to do it unless it is really a masterpiece. I can’t afford to be eating like that often so when I do it had better be worth it. There are some magnificent brunch menus out there, more than enough to keep lines of people waiting every Saturday and Sunday for their culinary delights. This poll and question is about where to go for the best breakfast on any given day of the week, but most importantly the Monday through Friday schedules. Here is the question, let’s hear your thoughts… and let me know if you find a magic spot for that Sausage and Gravy.
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I gotta admit that I love the whole ZOMBIE genre. Whether it is the classic Night of the Living Dead or the more modern 28 Days the stories are classic. Who knows what the magical attraction is for the whole zombie culture but in terms of total books and movies they seem to be edging out Vampires and Werewolves in the horror popularity contest. But who doesn’t love a script riddled with characters whose only lines are “Brains… need brains”.  The Zombie culture has been around for a long, long time.  While most of the original stories about how Zombies are created centered around Voodoo myths that the dead could be reanimated with black magic most of the past few decades have given the cause of Zombie outbreaks as government experiments gone bad or the occasional meteorite from space.  It seems our culture finds it more likely that the Science will be the bad guy over some spiritual cause.  I am sure you are not surprised that a top secret government screw up is still one of the top causes.  Maybe it makes the movie that much more believable.  Whether Zombies are real or not, the undead or now here in Denver, on the screen that is.

This week marked the beginning of “7 weeks of undead horror” with the Dead of Summer Zombie Film Event at the Starz theatre. The lineup includes a total of seven films. Four are classic zombie movies that have been spawned from the original Romero creation. The remaining three are going to be premiers for our Denver theater that appear to be from local creators. Go Denver

The first film in the sequence has already started playing and will continue today and tomorrow. I wouldn’t worry about this one being the scariest as it looks to be a major spoof on the Zombie idea. Titled Poultrygeist this storyline tells of the consequences of located your fast food business on an Indian Burial Ground. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and I haven’t seen it so don’t look to me for a review.

This Friday the real scares will start with the 1979 Italian take on Zombies in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie. Here is the description from the Startz Website.

After a New York harbor patrolman is murdered at the hands of a flesh-hungry ghoul aboard what was believed to be an abandoned yacht, the daughter of the ship’s missing owner teams up with a newspaper reporter named for a private investigation. With the help of a pair of sightseers, they travel to the secluded Caribbean island of Matul, where Anne’s father was last seen conducting medical research. There, they meet his colleague who frantically attempts to find a scientific explanation for a phenomenon that has plagued the island; it seems as if the dead refuse to stay dead. The locals believe a voodoo curse is at work as scores of animated corpses rise from their graves to hungrily seek out live flesh. Fulci’s zombie classic was originally intended as a sequel to Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead and is released that way abroad.

I am not sure that I will make it to see them all unless I can rally a group to make it fun.  If you are a Zombie genre fan now might be the time to join the Denver Film Society (Anytime is a good time to join this by the way) as each film is roughly $9.00 but members get the whole Zombie film event for $20.  This will also set you up for the next Denver Film Festival November 13th through the 23rd.  It will also give you some great exposure to some wonderful, and let’s face it not so wonderful but hopefully original, films that are not in the mainstream market.  With the large influx of summer box office feature films even the common few Independent films that usually make it to the big theaters are having trouble getting a spot.

Maybe I’ll see you at the movies.  :)

Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.

How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, and the overall economy is taking a hit because of some black tar stuff. But don’t forget is was up a ton yesterday as well. I am not annoyed by the economy, we’re tough. What annoys me is how dependent the market is on oil price fluctuations. Wouldn’t it be nice not be so oil dependent? Isn’t say… food, more important.

So that’s it, I am going to do my best to turn my back on oil. I already don’t drive much at all so my new goal is to let my car get dusty sitting in the garage. I’ve got all the bikes, mountain, cruiser, road, beater that no one would want to steal. I’m prepared. And of course I’ll take public transportation. Light rail rocks, the 16th street shuttle does me just fine.

For speed or when I need to get somewhere quick I’ll use my scooter, that will be my indulgence. But with an average of between 70 and 75 mpg I really don’t mind the whole $3.89 it took me to fill the tank last week. It’s still a frak of a lot better than any car.

The area that I haven’t figured out yet is the occasional dressy event out where we all jump in a cab across town. But for that I wonder if I can request specifically a hybrid cab.

And of course. My feet work just fine. Pedestrian friendly all the way. So I’ll keep a tally of how many days it has been since I drove my car. Just a simple goal really. Do my part for reducing my carbon footprint and having a little fun, getting a little healthier, along the way. The last time I drove my car was on Sunday June 1st. So I’m not doing too bad. I have even researched some options for cargo trailers to go on the back of my bike. Anyone else care to cut down on their car use or share how things are going. Look at it like an improvised support group. Do you think going cold turkey on a car is easier or tougher than smoking or heroin. Let’s find out. Here is the Forum Link…

http://www.theurbanbrain.org/viewforum.php?f=6

How much can you cut down on car use and how? Share your story there. ;-)

And if you want to listen to something interesting, but not cheerful, here you go.

And yes, for those who recognize the word Frak… It’s from Battlestar Galactica.  How clever that they created this word and it STUCK but they don’t get in trouble with the censors.

I’ll do a quick summary for those of you who are thinking about it. First of all, groups are the best. We had a group of 107 folks so we pretty much ruled a car and a half. At first I think everyone worried about seats and being right next to each other but the reality is that with train travel everyone is walking, talking, leaning, moving pretty much all the time. It’s a social scene on wheels.

The views are amazing, although again this became second place quickly to everyone being social. Yet far more scenic than a flood of taillights on I-70.

If you live downtown the Ski Train has a special appeal. We walked over the bridge in Riverfront Park right at 7:00 for our 7:15 departure. I personally set my alarm for 5:30 to take the pup for a long walk and to give me quite a bit of time cushion just in case, so it is not a good night to plan a big Friday out on the town.

Then on the train everyone greets each other, has fun, and kicks back and RELAXES all the way up. No white knuckle driving, no fighting traffic, and there is always a place to buy coffee or breakfast only a short walk away. Some slept, some read the paper, most chatted. Nice.

On the way back this gets magnified into a huge social gathering. Beverages flow throughout the car, there is laughter everywhere and no one is driving. What a great solution for downtown residents… instead of trying to balance doing apres with the drive home and fighting crowds on that sometimes painful return the ski train becomes the apres location. No risk, no worries. One person said it was just like staying in the mountains with no worries about the commute. Considering I carried my skis there and back in less than ten minutes I’d have to agree.

Some bits of advice for you…

Avoid car 2. It’s behind the engine so the front is sealed. Don’t worry, you don’t get any fumes but the lack of ventilation gets TOASTY. We had folks stripping down to the minimum so maybe chair two will be the naked car. Your choice.

There isn’t much you can do about this worry, but if you get behind a slower train your trip could take a bit longer. This happened on our way up but not on our way back. Not too bad, some folks slept longer and the train is comfy. But keep this in mind if you are making strict plans involving timing and make sure you have a puppy sitter on reserve in case your return is late.

Get your food or drink quick if you want it. They sold out of burritos pretty fast on the way up and while they had beer all the way through the trip back, the Stella was the first to go. Don’t forget they close the catering car when they think they are 30 minutes away from the station. This might be longer so if you want stock up before they close.

There is a great lounge car with scrabble and other games. Consider grabbing a spot there for awhile if you have a small group but be quick if you want a seat.

We will be doing the Ski Train again. Give it a shot for yourself. I forgot to mention that the train stopped on a cross track exactly where another train was heading at us. The folks in our car started getting a little bit nervous as it got closer.. and closer… and closer. Then we quickly moved, picture is one of others below.

In Colorado they keep talking about how much it would cost to build new tracks and we never get anything moving forward.

What if… we just utilize our commercial lines for transport. We have inactive lines going through Minturn that would make a perfect skier stop. And I found an old train map showing the lines running around. Let’s work out something with Union Pacific or someone start a business that rents from them. Design a car that fits the rail and is comfortable. Serve some drinks, food, and fun.

What if we did it?

How do we do it?

It’s been done elsewhere. Here is an article about how New Mexico converted a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) track that runs from Belen in the south to Sandoval City.The ten double-decker passenger cars are built by Bombardier in Quebec and can carry up to 200 passengers each.

My early morning flight out of DIA took off a little after 8 am. With little sleep from the night before, either from nervousness or excitement, it was an easy crash on the plane. I slept the entire way to my midway stop in Vancouver.

Vancouver, by the way, has a fantastic airport. It is beautiful and the views out the windows make it an addition to my “places to see” list. I was transferring to Air Canada (I know, United Mileage plus points… but really) and spent most of my 3 hour layover traveling from gate to gate trying to find an active one to switch my upcoming seat assignment from a middle seat to a window. I could not imagine anything more painful than taking my longest flight to date squished in a coach middle seat. I was dreading it. The airlines had the flight set at completely booked so my chance, my only chance, was that brief window an hour before flight time or close to it when those folks who cancel their flights give up tickets. With the knowledge that there were about a hundred other potential candidates for a window seat I knew my chances were slim. But with only time to kill in Vancouver it was worth it.

It was in the Air Canada private club entrance that salvation came my way. A kind lady heard my request and since mine was probably the easiest request of the pampered and coddled elite who pass her way she quickly pulled up an access screen (I should have thought of this first as the club probably can do changes anytime for their members) and announced that she saw one and only one alternative. It was an aisle seat on the window side and she said “I’m grabbing it before its gone” before I could respond. My thanks went out to her then and today for saving me from another experience.

I boarded and met my seat mate who was a Canadian model named Cory traveling for a multi month agency post in Tokyo. A lot of single guys might be excited but since I am very happily married man it just meant it was someone who spoke English. I always feel so embarrassed that I haven’t taken the time to learn other languages. I can do pretty well with French, I can get by with a touch of German, but I am totally lost in any Asian language.

Her story about the crazy modeling industry in Tokyo was interesting. Apparently the Tokyo market loves to use Canadian, American, and European models for their products. There is a draw to their audience and a created endorsement with the images. I would see evidence of this later in the Tokyo subways with advertisements featuring Tommy Lee Jones and a myriad of other American personalities. The requirements were to look young, cute, and dainty. Her words, they want you to be cute and she works it. Cory’s agency knew her age in the mid 20′s but would pass her off as an older teen for the casting calls. I was amazed to hear that girls as young as young as 14 were going to be living over the next few months in Tokyo as part of this model agency project on their own. I can’t imagine what I would do as a 14 year old in Tokyo for months on my own but the only answer seems to be to get in trouble. And this, Cory stated, is exactly what happens. Her stories, the few I heard before crashing out as we crossed forward from Monday to Tuesday over the international date line, indicated that all the hype about the safety of Tokyo were true. Outside of a few incidents with drunk Japanese businessmen following her home after clubbing until she screamed at them her stays over the past 8 years have been without problems. Cory gave me some tips on places to go and squashed a few myths that I had either read or researched before my trip, shared a cab to the city (cabs are expensive but she said the bus and subway are a nightmare) and then I was on my own upon arriving at the Park Hyatt Tokyo at 3:45 in the afternoon. One final comment on the flight, the food on Air Canada is terrible. Wonderful team members and very friendly but if there is a next time I’m packing some snacks.

Now keep in mind that while it was 3:45 in the afternoon I felt like I had been up for over a day. The combination of a lack of sleep before I left and the poor sleep on the flight meant I was a bit tired. My goal was a quick walking tour of my area, some Sushi for dinner, and then a good nights sleep to wake up the following day for the consistently recommended Fish Market that starts at 5:30 a.m.

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is surrounded by huge and towering office towers and Luxury Hotels. The site of the movie “Lost in Translation” it truly does have the panoramic views of Tokyo that are breathtaking. I had gone for an upper tower room and upon check in I found myself in a wonderful corner city view room on the 46th floor. My representative upon check in had indicated there was one available on the 51st floor a bit higher but she confided that my room would offer her favorite view. She was right and WOW what a skyline. Tokyo seems to go on and on forever. It is like a sea of buildings that stretches farther than I can see.

I quickly cleaned up and heading out. After landing, customs, and over an hour of cab ride plus just checking in it was now past 6 pm. I shot up to the famous New York Grill restaurant at the top and took in that spectacular view with a quick cocktail and a bit of a “whew, I made it” moment. Then it was off for dinner.

I asked at the front desk and concierge about recommendations for Sushi and they kept recommending the first floor restaurant. I poked my head inside and found your typical New York Style casual style eatery with plastic boxes of prepared sushi similar to anything you might find at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. This was going to be an ongoing challenge during my trip, the assumption that as an American my sushi tolerance was tuna and California Rolls. Since the local team didn’t seem to be much assistance in this I was going to have to set out by foot (which I prefer actually).

I started out on the main strip and found a flurry of neon glow, vending machines for every easy food or drink you would want, bicycles parked everywhere and tons, and tons of people. I had hit the beginning of the post work day and salarymen and salarywomen (term for the white collar workers) were getting their groove on. After cruising the main stretch in Shinjuku without any great prospects I drifted into the side streets where the restaurants magically appeared, along with a number of shops and bars. The neon still and signs were everywhere and so where the people. I circled a few times, taking in the different prospects and then found just what I was looking for. It was a small Sushi restaurant with perhaps 20 chairs. Inside at least half the seats were taken and nothing about it looked tourist. I figured if it was totally empty and this was where there were locals were going then there must be a reason. Inside three sushi chefs worked busily center stage of the u shaped sushi bar and a conveyor belt circled them carrying all sorts of delicious items.

I walked in and their was a cheer from the staff as a greeting and I quickly took a seat at the bar. The cheer, of course, was not just for me as they did this to every person who came in while I was there. My choice of restaurants was a great pick for a number of reasons. First, since other than my phrase book and dictionary I spoke virtually no Japanese this allowed me to just look and grab any dish that cruised by on that awesome conveyor belt without ordering. Second, since I was picking for myself there was no worry that the chef would assume I was intimidated by sushi and give me only the basics. And third, since the folks around me were the locals I could watch their picks and maybe try a favorite or two.

The sushi, for the record, was amazing. I had items in colors and with some light sauces that I had never had before. And talk about fresh, I almost couldn’t pick up the toro because it fell apart like butter in my chopsticks. I had the most amazing white almost translucent squiggle things and some amazing fish I didn’t recognize. The problem of course was that I didn’t know how to say “what is this” and even though I could have looked it up in my phrase book I also didn’t want to interrupt the chefs who were slaving away to keep the conveyor belt full.

And these guys eat FAST. Piles of empty plates soon filled up in front of the other diners at the bar and it didn’t take me long to follow suit. They leave those in front of you as they are your bill, so to speak. Different items cost different amounts (darned if I knew which was which) so the stack in front of you gave them a total when you were done. They had a special powder that you put in a cup and then in the bar every couple seats was a hot water spout to make your own tea. They showed me this when I sat down just to make sure I didn’t mess it up, which of course I would have because I thought the spouts might be for soy. I am not sure if Tokyo has liquor licenses but this place might not of had one since everyone drank only tea, no sake or beer. So on my big splash first night not a drop of sake, only a gallon of green tea. The salaryman to my right was loading up on the raw shrimp, clearly his favorite as it was his bite every other time while the salaryman to my left seemed focused as I was on the variety plan. One of the chefs smiled a few times and checked in to see if I was okay and it was clear that I was not their usual customer and they were enjoying it. The comments I repeatedly heard about how friendly everyone is in Tokyo were totally true.

After creating a respectable pile of mini plates and trying every different item I could find I finally hit my max. I pulled out my phrase book to say “that was delicious” (oy-shi-kat-ta) and one of the ladies circling added up my plates and gave me my bill. I walked to the corner cash register and paid what for dinner something close to the cost of my Hyatt cocktail. No surprise there and certainly an awesome experience.

I left the restaurant and spent a good hour getting lost trying to find my way back to my hotel. Fortunately I spotted the tower and weaved my way to it through the streets. They say Tokyo grew without any plan, buildings popping up wherever they might and streets organically growing in no set order. Plus street addresses are pretty much worthless as they indicate a sector in a grid, then a sector within that grid, and then another sub sector. From there you have to wing it to find your final destination as the actual street numbers don’t go in order. They say that the street numbers in some places indicate the construction year so you can see how that doesn’t help unless you can pick the architecture out specifically. Either way I finally found it, went to my room, and crashed hard. It was a long day and my next days log will start with my jet lag waking me up around 4 am which works perfectly for attending the fish market. I’ll tell that story in the next post as I am about one day behind and now need to set out for some sights.

By the way, sorry for the lack of photos today. I had my camera on me in the cab but left it when my ravenous nature carried me out for my sushi dinner. Many, many more tomorrow.

This is old news. But people still don’t listen so it is worth repeating. Go by a Nalgene for Pete’s sake. Buy two or three and keep rotating them in the dishwasher so you never have an excuse. I’ll even think of a fun logo for this site and make my own if it helps…. hmmmmm not a bad idea. But anyway, the point is about the Air Grocery Bag.
The New News (redundant) that I wanted to focus on is about a great environmentally friendly solution to grocery bags. If you thought that water bottles were an issue just think of how many plastic grocery bags walk out of Whole Foods and every other grocery store every day. The answer is FAR TOO MANY.

This past weekend I bought a solution for me. A company called Granite Gear is selling a product called an Air Grocery Bag. Awesome and compact this is a wonderful solution that you can use over, and over, and over, and over. And it fits in my scooter or glove box with almost no space taken up. Cool.
So go buy one. Now. Stop using throw away bags.

Actually, every little bit helps so I just like to share with everyone all the ideas out there. Do what you can, maybe even a bit more. You don’t have to be perfect (I certainly am not) but every little bit does make a difference.

I heard the most interesting argument on the radio today and wanted to pass it on.

We all are in love with Organics, at least most of us are. Count me as one of them. Not only are organics something I would prefer to put in my body they just taste better.

The question is whether Organics are good for the environment. Of course they don’t have pesticides or other nasty sprays that go on the vegetables and into the ground. But that is not the issue.

The issue is that because organics have gotten so popular they are now being shipped across the country, via big exhaust spewing trucks, from where they are grown to where they are sold. The impact means that there are alot of fossil fuels being thrown into the atmosphere to get those tasty organic melons from Arizona to your local market. Think about that.

Shipped in organics may be more harmful to our environment than buying local, regardless of whether it is organic or not. Or simply put, you might be supporting sustainable growth to a greater extent if you just pick up some local Colorado grown items no matter what.

Of course the best case scenario is both locally grown and organic. So ask where items come from, learn about how things arrive. If it is important to you keep in mind that there are many, many, many impacts to our world that happen in every choice we make.

It was a surprising idea to me and something I had not yet thought of. So we need more organic farms spread across the country supporting local communities and neighborhoods. Sounds good to me.
I googled and found an article from Scientific Blogging if you want to learn more.

One thing you will learn very quickly about living in the city. You can’t grill out the way you used to. No more big propane tank feeding a gas fired fury of heat to sear up a delicious steak or to toast up a salmon plank. Nope, the fire code for Denver says that you cannot put your mega grill on your balcony.

So if you love the Downtown lifestyle and live in a multi dwelling unit (and don’t think that is a high rise only, that is three or more units) you will not be allowed to grill out unless you work within the rules. So lets cover the rules first…

“In the past five years, barbeque grills are directly attributable to causing over 150 deck fires in the greater Denver area.

In response to the large number of deck and patio fires, most Denver metropolitan fire districts have adopted the 2006 International Fire Code. Provisions of this Code relating to the use of barbeque grills directly impact owners, residents and managers of multiple family dwellings which include any structure that contains three or more living units. Therefore, this ban essentially encompasses everything but single family and duplex type homes. However, it’s important to note that some of the fire districts have excluded townhomes from the definition of multiple family dwellings.

The Fire Code bans the use and operation of barbeque grills fueled by propane, natural gas, charcoal or any other open flame cooking device from any deck or balcony constructed with combustible material. Additionally, the ban extends to the use and operation of a barbeque grill within 10 feet of any combustible material. So, even if a homeowner is using a barbeque grill on a concrete patio, if the grill is within 10 feet of any combustible material – for example, a structure made of wood, siding or plastic – the owner may not use the barbeque. This ban also includes prohibiting the storage of propane tanks on a deck, balcony or patio.

The only exceptions to this rule are if the patio or balcony is protected by an automatic sprinkler system or if the barbeque grill’s gas source is smaller than 2.5 pounds, which is approximately a small camping style grill.”

Now that we know the rules lets talk about what this post is about. This is about how to have an awesome grilling experience, make that savory food you will love, and enjoy your evenings with the smell of sizzling steak and more.

The answer, from hunting around on the internet and asking around turns out to be a great little company called Electri-Chef located out of Temple Texas. They make serious style electric grills going up to 600 btu’s. From what I can tell these beauties were originally designed for Yachts and other fancy bout outings where you might not keep a fleet of propane tanks. In talking with the owner I have found out that they are also growing in demand from all of the MDU (Multi Dwelling Unit) buildings going up under the new fire code.

They aren’t the cheapest things in the world, going over two thousand for the bigger grills. But then again I love my steak and don’t want the cheapest thing. I want a great grill to prepare some great food.

Order from them direct and get the best deal. I ended up going through a reseller and paid more, but when I had the first service question they had me go direct to Electri Chef anyway so there doesn’t seem to be any benefit. And I learned when I called them the money I could have saved (bummer, but my mistake can be your benefit).

For the record, the problem I had involved a timer switch not working and a weak roller wheel weld giving way. I called and spoke with the owner, a super nice guy, and that was when I found out I could have saved money by going direct. Even though I didn’t buy through them they first made arrangements to send out new parts to switch and then surprised me with a call that they were going to send me a brand new grill. Awesome! They were so nice and so great at their customer service that I was impressed.

And true to their word a brand new grill showed up days later. Not a single thing wrong with it. I shipped the other one back and we were in business.

Now let me tell you about these grills. They are just as big as the mega buck gas grills. They have two timers on the front, one for each side and a heat indicator to let you know if its getting juice. The temperature gauge lets you set the heat you want and the timer tells it to activate. This way if you forget to turn your grill off and leave a temperature gauge on it will automatically get shut off when the timer hits zero. I certainly know a few folks who this will be a great benefit to. Especially if they are hosting a party and get absent minded.

Now these grills require a 220 or 230 Volt outlet, just like your washer and dryer or hot tub. Some buildings today, like ours, are being built and wired with these outlets automatically. But don’t despair if your home isn’t set up this way. Any electrician worth his dirt can convert an outlet or even run a new one.

With our new grill plugged in and a recent trip to the Marczyk’s completed I gave the new grill its first trial using a delicious Pedro Steak. Don’t try to google that term by the way, the folks at Marcyzk’s made it up. It is a sirloin steak or tri tip section. In addition to the steak was a great selection of vegies for roasting.

With the grill plugged in we turned the burners all the way up and dialed the timers on. Within seconds you could feel the heat start rising off of the grill face and within minutes they burned bright red. The cover offers two thermometers, one for each side, which showed the steady temperature increase. This was the first time we had used the grill and a little bit of that electric radiator smell kicked out and then quickly disappeared.

Everything got thrown on the grill and started sizzling. Ah.. such wonderful aromas filled our balcony and the grill was awesome. It rocked and did everything my best gas grill ever did. Except now I don’t have to go and swap tanks anymore. And now I am legal and in compliance with the Fire Code.

Not much more to say that that. Great food, great results, and its an electric fully compliant grill solution.

Expect to see more of these in Denver. And I can already envision a cool night, leaves changing, Monday night football, a cold beer and some great grilling. Very cool!