Bad Ass Coffee, Makuhari, Chiba

Bad Ass Coffee...  From the name, who would know that Bad Ass Coffee is a chain of Hawaiian-themed coffee shops?  While the name of the shop is funny because it is based on the asses used to climb mountains that coffee grows on, most people don't get the connection between the name and Hawaii.  As a result, perhaps the theming aspect of the coffee shop might fail to attract customers with an interest in Hawaii.  The name even caused some controversy as I remember reading a story about how the city of West Dundee initially opposed the name of the shop when a West Dundee shop opened in the mid-2000's (it folded pretty quickly from my understanding).  However, the name is unforgettable and might help it stand out.  The theming is pretty good with palm trees, Hawaiian motif furniture and Hawaiian music.  No tikis though...
Unlike Honolulu Coffee Company, Bad Ass does not originally hail from Hawaii.

I visited Bad Ass on a Saturday a little after 2pm, and people were still eating lunch.  The place was absolutely packed as along with the coffee, it serves Hawaiian-style food.

 To get an idea of what is on the menu, please refer to the following picture.  Don't you love the Japanese-English with "The dish of legend" and "Pan Cake"?  At least they tried though; I can't imagine House of Kobe (a Japanese restaurant in Merrillville owned by a Taiwanese American family) trying to create a Japanese menu.

Here is one of the legendary bad asses:

They have a good variety of coffee blends such as Hawaiian Pie and Coconut Macadamia, but I was interested in the 100% Kona.  A large ice 100% Kona set me back 530 yen, which is about 6 bucks.  They had malasadas too, and I couldn't resist getting one.

 My meal looked like this:

The malasada was the bomb.  For a second, I thought it was fresh out of the deep fryer.  Maybe it was...  My little golden puff of joy was warm, slightly firm but soft on the inside, and had just the right amount of sugar.  The coffee was, well great.  You can't lose with 100% Kona, the king of coffees.  I definitely recommend that you make it out to Makuhari for this place.  Although the website still lists the Jimbocho location, it closed about 2 years ago.  The closure is a shame as I have some good memories of the Jimbocho location- I spent one of my birthdays there with a buddy and also it was the place where I learned of some great news.  For all of you Chicago people, there is a Bad Ass somewhere in the city.  Please try it and let me know what you think.

The bottom line- for the malasada, Kona and theming, I give Bad Ass Coffee five coconuts out of five coconuts.

Games Day 2012, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois

Nuff said.  Time to dork it up!!!

I never did get around to having a skirmish though.  After 25 years of painting the miniatures, you'd think at some point I'd learn how to play the game...  Well, after that Warhammer horrorfest in the basement of the games club in Champaign, I never made it to another game.  The dudes seriously wanted to bludgeon each other over a toy tank.  

Just waiting for the day when they make a big screen adaptation of that 3rd Armageddon battle. Robert Deniro as Commissar Yarrick?

 

Royal Buffet in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

I love buffets.  Nothing like being able to pick out whatever you want to eat and eat as much of it as you can.  My first buffet experience was at a place called Bill Wong's near Orlando and then around the age of 11, Old Country Buffet invaded the suburbs where I grew up in.  My college, University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana, had buffet-style dining at every dorm, and I'm proud to say that I worked as a buffet worker for around two years.

I was in Chicago this month and had the luck of finding Royal Buffet on Golf and Roselle Roads in Hoffman Estates.  Amongst sushi, dim sum, Mongolian BBQ, Korean food and of course, Chinese food, they had all-you-can-eat lobster for USD 22.95!  Everything tasted great here.  I just couldn't believe the selection.  The buffet actually felt like a Las Vegas-type buffet with the choices available.

Once a batch of lobsters was cooked, dinners eagerly waited in line for a worker to put one on their plate with the tongs.  Here is a picture of one of my friends that I dined on. 

As an update, I actually had a chance to cook my own live lobsters.  The post is here.

My little red friend!

Cotton candy, lychee and grapes too!!!

So where does Royal Buffet rank in the hierarchy of the many buffets that I've eaten at?  Well, I'd have to say at least in the top 10.  Here are my favorites:

1. Bellagio, Las Vegas- Nothing beats the selection and quality here.
2. Paris, Las Vegas- Crepes and regional French fare with a French theme, awesome!!!
3. Carnival Buffet, Rio, Las Vegas- Biggest selection of food hands down, from ramen to spaghetti to prime rib to tacos to hamburgers, this one has it all.
4. Kushiya Monogatari, Minami Funabashi, Japan- All-you-can-eat battered and deep-fried sticks of meat! You pick out the meat sticks, batter them yourself and then cook them at your table! 
5. Hollywood Hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland- Well, the Disney fanatic in me has this one near the top, great shourompo (dumplings) and Mickey-shaped pizzas.
6. Royal Buffet, Hoffman Estates, Illinois- See the above.
7.  Carne Station, Ginza/Shimbashi, Japan- 焼肉食べ放題!!! Affordable, and a great selection of drinks to go along with your meat.
8. Biergarten, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida- Great brauts, kraut and spetzle.  Lots of fun watching the yoddlers and performers on stage.
9. Blue Chip Casino, Michigan City- Well back in the day studying for the bar examination, I had quite a run on the 5 Timer slot machine.  Good memories bumped this one to the top.  The big BBQ beef ribs are delicious here.
10. Oceanarium, Pacific Beach Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii- All you can eat king crab legs and a three-story aquarium.  Doesn't get better than watching what you are eating while it is swimming around.

The above being said, I give Royal Buffet five out of five lobsters.