Good Luck Deluxe

Turn up your speakers for this one. A total RIOT!

Mango salsa is always a good idea.

I found this great recipe on Food TV in Canada. I love its pairing of Cajun blackening seasoning with a fresh, fruity, Caribbean salsa. Your mouth will grow more pleased
with each forkful!

If halibut is too dry of a fish selection for you, I would certainly substitute it with Chilean sea bass or any other moist, light fish. Yum!

Blackened Halibut With Mango Salsa

For the Fish

* 4 x 7 ounce portions of halibut or cod filets with skin on
* 1 1/2 tbsp blackening spice
* 1 tbsp olive oil

Mango Salsa

* 2 x mangoes cubed into ½ inch pieces
* 2 x green onions sliced thinly
* 2 tbsp red onion, chopped fine
* 1 x Thai chili, finely chopped
* 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped roughly
* 2 tbsp red pepper, chopped into ¼ inch cubes
* Juice of 2 limes
* Salt and pepper to taste

Fish Directions
1. Place a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Allow pan to preheat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile pat fish dry with paper towels and sprinkle with spice rub.

2. Place oil into preheated pan then fish flesh side down. Allow to cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until a nice dark crust has formed on the fish. Carefully flip fish over and place into preheated oven for a further 7 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from oven and serve with mango salsa.

Mango Salsa Directions
1. Combined all ingredients in a bowl and add season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.

This fish would go perfectly served with coconut rice and a carafe of chilled Riesling.

I recently took a look at the web sites and have read numerous reviews of the über-swank dining meccas, The Fat Duck in the U.K. by proprietor Heston Blumenthal, and El Bulli on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain, by proprietor Ferran Adrià.
Both are notorious for their gastronomic appeal, of combining the art of food with science.

Although El Bulli has been named “World’s Best Restaurant” by Restaurant Magazine three times over (including this year), The Fat Duck is a close second on the list, including in terms of public hype.

Everyone’s been puffing up both El Bulli and The Fat Duck, and I thought I may as well throw my hat into the ring.

But there’s one problem: I don’t do trends. Ever. When magazines tell me a restaurant is all the rage, my brain’s amygdala shuts all systems down and I just freeze.

I. Can’t. Move. I. Can’t. Go. I can’t even consider going. This, of course, isn’t always the case. But usually it is.

I worked on babystepping it by at least allowing myself to peek at each of their web sites. No full-on commitment, nothing too intense, just a peek…

The Fat Duck’s tasting menu seems, oh I don’t know…kinda annoyingly la-di-da.
With culinary experiments such as Pommery grain mustard ice cream, snail porridge, salmon poached with licorice, Nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream, and blackcurrant and green peppercorn jelly, you better put that contrived mess in a Petri dish, NOT ON MY PLATE.

El Bulli boasts its “Kellogg’s paella,” a concoction of Rice Krispies puffed rice cereal with a sprinkling of seafood added for good measure. Or how about vanilla-flavored mashed potatoes? Frozen whiskey sour candy, anyone? Cocoa butter with crispy rabbit ears?

Call me unsophisticated, a Neanderthal, or unrefined if you want, but kitschy foodie stuff just doesn’t sell me. Neither do foodie awards, celebrity spottings, or hefty food bills.

Look, I fully understand the dining public’s insatiable craving for the nouveau, unusual, and exquisite, but I think I may be the only one who isn’t fascinated by either establishment.

I know I’m supposed to want to dine at both because of the big fanfare, but I’m not budging. I have my nerve commenting on restaurants that I haven’t even frequented, but whatever. Their menus and the foodie press made me do it!

Oh go ahead and say it - “Your palate just isn’t that refined yet…that’s all, dear.”
Oh, I’m so hurt.

I know my palate well enough to determine immediately if something is going to work for me taste-wise or not. I’ve dined at enough trendy-Wendy restaurants to know better. “Best” can be found in any city, in any neighborhood, cuisine, or price range.

In Anaheim: In terms of the “WOW” factor, my vote is still for the Anaheim White House Restaurant…and they just so happen to serve white chocolate-laced mashed potatoes. So NAH!

In Los Angeles: If you’re looking for a truly sophisticated Northern Italian Gastrobar experience (creative pairing of food with wines), I highly recommend my favorite in the area - Il Moro Ristorante. The owner, Elio De Santo, runs an excellent operation.
Every Tuesday from 6-8pm, Il Moro hosts a lovely wine tasting. You can also enjoy
live jazz (not the cheesy-sounding stuff!) at Il Moro every Thursday and Friday beginning at 8pm. Definitely worth checking out. Il Moro serves awesome salads,
and even better desserts!

Il Moro’s attentive, personalized service (but don’t be a Diva about it!) is the best I’ve had thus far dining in L.A.

Enjoy!

Now THIS is some serious Nuevo Latino eatin’ right here! Sabrosura Restaurant in the Bronx does not play around. I have only heard excellent things about this establishment.

Just another great restaurant to add to my MUST VISIT list.

Check it out!

Shrimp Skewers with Mofongo (mashed sweet plantains with bacon)

Bourbon BBQ Boneless Ribs

Stuffed Salmon with Tostones (flattened, fried plantains)

Mojito-Grilled Chicken with Rice and Beans and Veggies

Caramel Flan

…and my favorite dessert…Tres Leches (three milk cake)

’nuff said.

Sabrosura Restaurant
1200 Castle Hill Avenue
Bronx, NY 10462
(718) 597-1344

Catherine Zeta-Jones is my kind of celebrity.

We never hear about Cath passing out drunk in public, or otherwise making a spectacle of herself and the industry. She is a woman in control of her image and her career, and this is to be applauded.

Catherine’s dignity, refinement, and elegance command the very best. Some young Hollywood tarts wonder why they aren’t considered for Oscar-worthy roles, or why no matter how good their acting is, they can’t seem to court ol’ Oscar’s attention.

Uh, I would imagine that behaving like an Oscar-worthy individual who has some sense certainly has something to do with it!

Even when Catherine was in her twenties, she was graceful, confident, and mature. What is it with this new breed of celebrities these days?!

In this video, I love Cath’s response to how she responds to nosy reporters’ questions about the terms of her prenuptial agreement. She truly owns herself.

Aspiring actresses - TAKE NOTES.

You want an Oscar and some respect in Hollywood? Catherine has shown you
how it’s done. Straighten up and fly right!

Venture capitalists, private investors, angel investors, and the like…

If the following list of words and terms mean anything to you, or if perhaps you are just starting out in the world of venture capitalism and would like to become more acquainted with the lingo of your industry, check out VC Experts.

VC Experts is a great resource for all of you venture capitalists and investors, whether you’re brand new to the industry, or an ace. Check out the VC Experts Glossary, their online Encyclopedia, bookstore, community forum, and more!

Since I have quite a knack for sleuthing stuff out, this post is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my venture capital finds. I can help you get an edge over your competitors! Stay tuned here, because I’m just warming up.

“A” Round
Accredited Investor
Accrued Interest
Acquisition
ACRS
Adjustment Condition
ADR
Advisory Board
Allocation
Alternative Assets
Amortization
AMT
Angel Financing
Angel Groups
Angel Investor
Antidilution provisions
Appraisal
Archangel
Asset
Asset-backed loan
Automatic conversion
Average IRR
“B” Round
Balance Sheet
Bankruptcy
Barbell Strategy
BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement)
Bear Hug
Benchmarking
Best Efforts
Blue Sky Laws
Book Value
Bootstrapping
Bridge Financing
Broad-Based Weighted Average Ratchet
Brokers
Burn Out / Cram Down
Burn Rate
Business Development Company (BDC)
Business Plan
Business valuation
CAGR
Call Option
Capital (or Assets) Under Management
Capital Call
Capital Gains
Capitalization Table
Capitalize
Captive funds
Carried Interest
Cash Position
Catch-up
Chapter 11
Chapter 7
Chinese wall
Clawback
Closed-end Fund
Closing
Co-investment
Co-Sale Provisions or Rights
Collar Agreement
Committed Capital
Committed Funds or Raised Funds
Commodities Exchange Act
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Common Stock
Company buy-back
Consolidation
Conversion Ratio
Conversion Rights
Convertible Security
Corporate Bond
Corporate Charter
Corporate Venturing
Corporation
Covenant
Cumulative Dividends
Cumulative Preferred Stock
Cumulative Voting Rights
Deal Flow
Deal Structure
Deficiency Letter
Demand Rights
Depreciation
Dilution
Dilution Protection
Director
Disbursement
Disclosure Document
Dissolution
Distressed debt
Distribution
Diversification
Dividend
Down Round
Drag-Along Rights
Due Diligence
Early Stage
EBITDA
Economies of Scale
Elevator Pitch
Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP)
Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Equity
Equity Kicker
ERISA
ERISA Significant Participation Test
Evergreen Promise
Exercise price
Exit Strategy
Exiting climates
Exits (AKA divestments or realizations)
Factoring
Final Regulation
Finder
First Close
First Refusal Rights
Flipping
Flotation
Follow-on funding
Forced Buyback
Form 10-K
Form 10-KSB
Form S-1
Form S-2
Form SB-2
Founder Vesting
Founders’ Shares
Free cash flow
Full Ratchet Antidilution
Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share
Fully Diluted Outstanding Shares
Fund age
Fund Focus
Fund of funds
Fund Size
GAAP
Gatekeeper
GDR’s
General Partner (GP)
General partner clawback
General Partner Contribution
Golden Handcuffs
Golden Parachute
Harvest
Hockey Stick Projections
Holding Company
Holding Period
Hot Issue
Hurdle Rate
Incubator
Information Rights
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Institutional Investors
Intellectual property
Investment Bankers
Investment Company Act of 1940
Investment Letter
IRA Rollover
IRR
ISO
Issue Price
Issued Shares
Issuer
J-Curve Effect
Key Employees
Key man clause
Later Stage
Lead Investor
Lemon
Leveraged Buyout (LBO)
Lifestyle firms
Limited Partner (LP)
Limited partner clawback
Limited Partnerships
Liquidation
Liquidation Preference
Liquidity Event
LLC - Limited liability company
Lock-up Period
Lower quartile
Management buy-out (MBO)
Management Fee
Management Team
Mandatory Redemption
Market Capitalization
Market Standoff Agreement
Merchant banking
Merger
Mezzanine Financing
Middle-Market Firms
Mutual Fund
Narrow-based weighted average ratchet
NASD
NASDAQ
NDA (Non-disclosure agreement)
Net Asset Value (NAV)
Net Financing Cost
Net income
Net IRR
Net Present Value
Net present value (NPV)
New Issue
Newco
No Shop, No Solicitation Clauses
No-fault divorce
Non-Compete Clause
Non-Compete Covenant
Non-accredited
NYSE
Open-end Fund
Option Pool
Original Issue Discount
OTC
Outstanding Stock
Oversubscription
Oversubscription Privilege
Paid-in Capital
Pari Passu
Participating Preferred
Participation
Partnership
Partnership agreement
Pay to Play
Penny Stocks
Piggyback Registration
PIK Debt Securities
PIV
Placement Agent
Plain English Handbook
Plum
Poison Pill
Pooled IRR
Portfolio Companies
Post-Money Valuation
Pre-Money Valuation
Preemptive Right
Preference shares
Preferred Dividend
Preferred return (AKA Hurdle Rate)
Preferred Stock
Private Equity
Private investment in public equities (PIPES)
Private Placement
Private Placement Memorandum
Private Securities
Profit and Loss Statement
Prospectus
Put option
QPAM
Ratchet
Recapitalization
Reconfirmation
Red Herring
Redeemable Preferred Stock
Redemption
Registration
Registration Rights
Regulation A
Regulation C
Regulation D
Regulation D Offering
Regulation S
Regulation S-B
Regulation S-K
Regulation S-X
Reorganization or Corporate Reorganization
Restricted Securities
Restricted Shares
Revlon Duties
Right of First Refusal
Rights Offering
Risk
Rule 144
Rule 144A
Rule 147
Rule 501
Rule 504
Rule 505
Rule 506
S Corporation
SBIC
SBIR
Secondary funds
Secondary Market
Secondary Sale
Securities Act of 1933
Securities Act of 1934
Securities and Exchange Commission
Seed Money
Seed Stage Financing
Senior Securities
Series A Preferred Stock
Shell Corporation
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982
Special purpose vehicle
Spin out
Staggered Board
Statutory Voting
Stock Market
Stock Options
Strategic Investors
Structured Note
Subordinated Debt
Subscription Agreement
Sweat Equity
Syndicate
Syndication
Tag-Along Rights / Rights of Co-Sale
Takedown Schedule
Target Multiples
Tax-free reorganizations
Tender offer
Term Sheet
Time Value of Money
Trade sale
Tranche
Treasury Stock
UBTI
ULPA
Upper quartile
Variable Cost
Venture Capital
Venture Capital Financing
Venture Capitalist
Vesting schedules
Vintage Year
Voluntary Redemption
Voting Right
Wall Street
Warrant
Wash-Out Round
Weighted Average Antidilution
Williams Act of 1968
Workout
Write-off
Write-up/Write-down

Information is golden. It’s sweet!

Guys, you now have my undivided attention!

Do remember that if you ever feel neglected on my blog, you can always feel free to
surf my Men’s Category to peruse all of the excellent content I’ve stuffed into that category just for you, as well as my blog’s other categories (Hollywood, travel,
real estate, technology, health, etc.).

Now gentlemen, as for today’s lucky men’s find…let’s explore fine French men’s grooming products by François Rancé!

As for the seller of these essentials, L’aile des Anges has everything you need to get to know François Rancé better!

Per their site…

In 1795, François Rancé, heir to a family of glovemakers-perfumers that were well-known since early 1600, dedicated himself strictly to perfumery. He founded the François Rancé Company in Grasse, France. François soon became the favorite perfumer of Napoleon the Great, the Vanquisher.

Rancé Le Vainqueur For Men

This great fragrance encapsulates a man’s very being - manly, sophisticated, yet elegant. The lady in your life will love it! Rancé Le Vainqueur For Men comes in Spray, Shower Gel, and Boxed Soap - set of six. Imagine citrus combined with the lively scents of ginger and nutmeg…including the sensuousness of jasmine, leather, and iriswood with embracing tones of ambergris. Samples available.

Rancé L’Homme Soap

L’Homme is an anti-stress soap derived from orange leaves. The rich, soft lather gently caresses and cleanses the skin. These handmade, hand-wrapped soaps hold their scent for the lifetime of the soap, and are suitable for even the most sensitive skin types. Rancé has proudly produced fine soaps since 1795. The family’s guarded methods and formulas remain unchanged.

Rancé’s triple-milled, handmade soaps are enriched with pure, natural extracts and cosmetic oils. After the impurities are cooked out of the soap for six days, the formula is pure, and no preservatives are used. The fragrance is then infused into the formula of these long-lasting soaps.

Elegant Grooming for Men Grande Gift Basket

A handsome, crocodile-embossed leather chest holds this distinguished collection of grooming essentials for men. Our Grande size holds everything you need and more to get a good start for the day.

This chest includes: Rancé Energie aftershave balms, hair and body gel, terry-nylon soap pouch with soap, toothbrush, pumice, nail brush, everlasting nail file, massager, net sponge and bath brush, foot cream, Energie aftershave balm, and a zippered travel shoe kit.

Guys, you’d be wise to hop on this one!

GOOD GRAVY - is the Vanquish S by Aston Martin ever a bewitchingly motor-licious creature! This post isn’t meant to be all that deep and profound. All I have to say is…

You got room in there for one more?

For all of you new Aston Martin groupies, here is the best resource I’ve unearthed thus far for connecting with other Aston Martin owners and fans…

The Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC) says on its site, “You do not need to be an owner - we welcome anyone with a keen interest in Aston Martins.”

The operative word, though, is “keen.” This means don’t go over there actin’ a fool calling the vehicle an Aston Martini.

Oh ASHton…I mean, Aston… Oh, how I adore you!

Soon we’ll be together and no one will separate us, my love!

I deserve some sort of reward for sleuthing this one out for all of you cupcake enthusiasts. I have finally found a bakery that ships frosted cupcakes!

Yes, I’m a genius, I know.

You’d think this would be a simple proposition: You like cupcakes. You see some
frosted ones that you’d like to inhale. You order. They’re shipped to you. BUT NO!
Not even Sprinkles cupcakes will ship!

Introducing Mrs. Beasley’s Shippable Cupcakes!

Per the Mrs. Beasley’s site:
“Each Beasley shippable cupcake is handmade, weighs approximately 4.5 ounces, and has ½ inch of frosting evenly distributed on the cupcake. Each Beasley shippable cupcake is topped with a special goody or ornament.

The Beasley shippable cupcakes are available in special 6 or 12 packs and in a variety of seasonal and themed boxes and towers. They are packed in dry ice so that the frosting arrives cold and firm. The cupcakes should be refrigerated upon receipt and brought to room temperature for consumption. For a special treat, place the cupcake in the microwave for 5-7 seconds and you’ll have a restaurant quality dessert.

Please note that this product is shipped with dry ice and therefore special shipping rules apply. Due to the hot weather, Overnight Shipping is only available. Overnight shipping can be done anytime Monday through Thursday. Please see our disclaimer for more details. Cupcakes cannot be shipped to P.O. Boxes.”

But it’s THESE unshippable mamma-jammas that I want!

Sorry Strawberry Colossal cupcake with bits of strawberry, perhaps in another lifetime…

Some of you might think I’m being facetious, but this was a REAL problem for a lot of us. The answer to the age-old question of, “Who ships cupcakes?” has been found, right here, on my wonderful blog. I told you I’m a wealth of information!

In other cupcake news…
Many of you cupcake addicts already know about CUP-A-CAKE, the revolutionary plastic cupcake shipping device. From reading various reviews online, CUP-A-CAKE actually works without smooshing the cupcakes’ frosting. Your cupcakes arrive intact!

But you can’t withhold vital information such as this. E-mail this article to all of your friends!

I’ve had a bit of a quandary since I last posted.

I was enormously perplexed as to what in the world I could possibly blog about that wouldn’t look like mud next to my post on the Anaheim White House Restaurant. Anything else might pale in comparison.

I had considered seguing into revealing a hot venture capital tip I just discovered,
but nah.

The only thing I could think of that can hang tough with that divine eatery is my experience at Bliss Spa. Sorry venture capitalists, but beauty and pleasure come first!

Guys, you might want to liken this post akin to being out shopping with your woman. Ask the receptionist if there’s a place where you can have a seat or if she can recommend a good spa for men, because we’re gonna be a while…

The best thing about living in Los Angeles is the overindulgence factor. Everybody wants to give you champagne and a massage. Well, maybe not in that exact order…

If it’s your birthday and you live in L.A., you’re going to get either a bottle of your favorite bubbly or a gift certificate to a spa. Guaranteed. At least if you’re a girl.
But wait, this is L.A. I’m talking about…so I suppose it applies to both genders!

I’m too sheepish to admit how many spas I have frequented in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Only my family knows. I went spa crazy at one point, and the entire staffs at the more swank-a-dank, chi-chi spas knew me by name more than they did their celebrity clientele. So yeah, I’ve been to a spa or two in my time.

But I must say that I always have a thoroughly enjoyable experience every time I set foot into Bliss Spa. My favorite is the one inside of the W Hotel in Westwood, although they have locations nationwide that I’m sure are equally groovy.

I love everything about Bliss: the layout, the squeaky clean and sterile interior, the brownie buffet and lemon water in the lounge, the lemony-zesty aromatherapy wafting overhead continually, slipping into a luxe lounging robe with a dippy grin on my face, the sauna, the warm steam shower…and oh, the massages are pretty good, too.

See, I’m one of those intensely-deep-tissue massage lovers; so the Bliss massage therapists, although they try, can never dig deep enough for me. But that’s OK.
They get a million points for everything else they do to utter perfection.

I’m not saying those ladies don’t give a good massage, because they do. I just know that if I want a black-and-blue massage, I have to see my Armenian masseuse.

But let’s speak of Bliss, not relishable torture!

I call this piece “Anticipation”

Where are my brownies?!

Grabbing that robe I mentioned…

Oh yeah, sister. Show my muscles no mercy!

You’re gonna have to light a stick of dynamite to get me out of here…

And that, my friends, is a typical experience for me at Bliss Spa.

But wait, there’s more! I can’t leave without buying some of their lemon-sage soap,
their dreamy hand cream, and 10,000 other favorite Bliss products!

Now where is my man?! I know he didn’t leave me here!