Netflix Finally Does Something Right

Don't get me wrong, I've had a Netflix account for years. Back when I had actually free time I organized my queue on an almost daily basis. The hardest step in my last serious relationship was giving the boyfriend at the time access to my queue. I finally had to create a separate queue for him because I just couldn't take all the rearranging. That being said, whoever is in charge of business over there should be fired if they haven't been already. Netflix in 2011 will forever be a case study for poor business making decisions, just like what New Coke will forever been seen as in the marketing world. In 2011, Netflix raised prices and had a very blase reaction to the backlash, then split the streaming and mail offerings into two separate things to pay for. The last straw was that they then invented Qwikster, everyone is like WTF is Qwikster, then in the blink of an eye Qwikster was gone and consumers were confused. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Well, Netflix has just done something to keep them in the game in terms of streaming video sites. I just got some watching their original series "House of Cards," which was released as a full 13-episode season on February 1st. The buzz and press they've gotten for this is all rave reviews but their reaction is hilarious. Basically they're like yeah, it's great but don't think of us as a producer of original content, we're still focused on showing licensed content. Reading between the lines, this is basically Netflix not wanting to be seen as a content producing competitor in case that messes up their licensing deals.

Enough about Netflix, let's talk about "House of Cards." This show is a brilliant remake of a UK government drama, moved to take place on Capital Hill. A lot of the show's success can be attributed to the amazing acting of Kevin Spacey. Spacey hasn't been in anything notable since 2011's "Casino Jack" (except for a great supporting roll in "Horrible Bosses"). This is just another reminder of his acting chops and the fact that he will always be a force to be reckoned with. In the series he plays Senator Francis Underwood, the majority whip and a formidable character not to be reckoned with. His public asides with the viewing audience give us insights into his plotting. Francis has a power marriage (and open marriage) with Claire, played by the beautiful Robin Wright. While she'll always be Princess Buttercup to me, the lady has aged well and is perfectly cast as Claire, the seemingly cold and manipulative congressman's wife and CEO of a clean water NPO. Kate Mara (real-life sister to Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Rooney Mara), plays inquisitive journalist Zoe Barnes. Since this is a Netflix production, they probably used up their money getting these 3, but the remaining B-list actors are all pretty good too. Corey Stoll plays Senator Peter Russo, a congressman with a propensity for cocaine and hookers. Michael Kelly plays Doug Stamper, Underwood's right hand man. Beau Williamson, who did Ides of March, is the co-creator and executive producer. The series gets a variety of different but well-know directors including the genius David Fincher of "Fight Club" and  "The Social Network." People doubted Netflix for releasing all the episodes at once, saying it wouldn't have the chance to become addictive for views. Untrue. I, like many others I know, became instantly obsessed and watched the whole season in one week. Now I'm scouring the news wondering when Season 2 will come out (filming is expected to start this spring).

Netflix is premiering an original horror series, Hemlock Grove, in April. They're releasing the resurrected Arrested Development in May, which should be a big success.

Can I Be Couture?

My favorite clothing site, Spool No 72, just came out with a new couture dress line. Not sure if I would classify these as true couture (unless couture means overpriced) but they are damn pretty. Now I just have to figure out where I would where any of these and why I don't have more occasions to dress like this.

My favorite:

Other highlights from the collection:

Shop here: Spool No 72 Couture

Eats Near Union Square

I’m always impressed when I find hole-in-the-wall restaurants with quality food, tucked away in the Union Square area. I live in Nob Hill, right above Union Square and am constantly navigating my way through hordes of tourists. I don’t understand, when one goes on vacation do you automatically forget how to walk normally and extend common decency to other pedestrians and drivers? When tourists come to Union Square they either flock to the familiar chain they love so dearly, like the Cheesecake Factory, CPK or Burger Bar, or they head to the over-hyped, San Francisco branded restaurant where you have to wait in line (which must mean the food is good) like Sears Fine Food or Cable Car City Pub. I've lived in this neighborhood for over a year now so when a friend suggested dinner at Ryokos Japanese Restaurant & Bar I was like isn't that the sketchy looking sushi place I head by when going to Owl Bar (a good place for drinks)?

Ryokos is on Taylor St, near Post. The restaurant front is small. You basically duck under some low-hanging Japanese banners and walk down a staircase. Once you’re at the bottom things come alive. We went there on a Monday night and the place was hopping. We had to wait 15 minutes for a table. Once seated you’re bombarded  by different sake handouts and menus. After deciding that reading all of these descriptions was just too much after a long day at work, I opted for the plain hot sake. Nothing special about it but a large bottle is $7, which is a pretty good price.  The food menu is pretty extensive with a lot of Japanese cuisine options, even for those crazy people who don’t like sushi. The sushi selection is pretty good, with one full page for nigiri/sashimi selections, one for standard maki rolls and one for specialty maki rolls. They automatically give you an order of edamame on the house when you sit down. We ordered the miso soup, which was nothing out of the ordinary. We also ordered a house salad to split. Usually house salads are served in the same small bowl size as miso soup but this one was gigantic, a great deal for $5. The table next two us had the gyoza, which smelled delicious so we got an order of that. It comes with this spicy dipping sauce instead of the standard soy, which was a nice change. For sushi, we for the spice scallop which was listed as a standard roll when a lot of places charge premium prices. And it wasn't a weak spice, it was actually so spicy that the friend I was with couldn't eat it (which means more for me!). We also ordered the rainbow roll, which is a choice you can’t really go wrong with as long as the fish quality is up to snuff. I would definitely recommend checking out Ryokos if you want good sushi near Union Square (although my favorite will always be Sushi Toni).

On another note, I went to dinner with a couple girlfriends on Valentine’s Day. We went to Jasper’s Corner Tap on Taylor, also in the Union Square area. It’s a pretty sizable place, nothing too special about the ambiance. Surprisingly they have a pretty extensive cocktail list, although they were supposed to have special anti-Valentine’s cocktails, which they ended up not having. Don’t plan on being healthy here. When you sit down there’s a French fry menu on the table, where you can pick the type of fries, seasoning sprinkles and if you’d like to make it poutine. If you don’t know what poutine is, you need to make friends with a Canadian ASAP. Poutine is one of their national dishes where they take a plate of French fries, douse it in gravy and melt cheese curds on top of that. A complete heart attack but worth it! Anyway, nothing too special to report about the food. It was your average, run of the mill appetizers that you’d find at any American bar. I didn't order it, but Yelp overwhelmingly recommends the grilled cheese with pork belly sandwich. The prices do reflect the proximity to Union Square and I most likely will not be back again.