The Atkins Chocolate Hazelnut Bar isn't too bad. I will say this right up front and I would hope it would be obvious to most, but if you don't like hazelnut you won't like this bar. That being said, if that taste doesn't bother you it's pretty good. Their are whole hazelnuts in this thing just hanging out waiting to be eaten so I figured it was worth the warning. The bar is close to that of a chewy granola bar so its nice and soft. There isn't a lot of chocolate on these but I would say that it's enough that you can taste it and it complements the nut taste very well. Great for a breakfast.

For me personally I probably wouldn't have these a lot because the hazelnut taste is a little strong for me, but they are nice to have on occasion. 

I love me some Root Beer. Always have. That being said the A&W fast food chain has always held a special place in my heart. Every shop makes its own root beer in house and serves it in big frosty mugs. But the question on all of us low carbers minds is how do they stack up in the world of low carb foods. I can sum it up in two words:

Shredded lettuce. 

Hard to do anything wrapped up with that. So what you get is more of a burger salad. Now I have alway said that if I had my first choice a burger should always be wrapped but a few places can pull off the burger salads. A&W is one of them. And to be honest they are saved by one thing, delicious burger patties. There is something about their meat and the patties that come off nice and fresh from the grill. Every one I have is super juicy and thats a great thing in my book. Enough to over look the pile of lettuce they sit on. The burgers are a little small, so I was still a little hungry afterwards, but there is always a second burger to help fill the hole if one wont do it. You won find many other health options at this place. No salads, yogurts, or grilled items here. Just drive-in food. So be prepared.

The last few days been kind of weird for me. Recently a friend of mine passed away and I have been attempting to deal with it. I've managed to get through my life up to this point without losing a lot of people close to me so this was a bit of a shock. It was a senseless death and I wish I could've done more to help prevent it.

My friend Dustin was a big influence on my life. We met in high school and were involved in similar Theatre activities, but it wasn't until we both decided to camp out for Star Wars: Episode I when we discovered we shared a mutual love for film and geek culture. He and I were going through a similar phase in our lives of feeling like outcasts and trying to discover our place in the world/high school and it seemed only natural to become friends.

Discovering our passion for film at the same time, we both constantly spurred the other on with new ideas and creative influences. Dustin introduced me to the Ghostbusters, my love for the Beastie Boys, bought me my first dvd, shared hurts and frustrations, and constantly challenged me creatively. His improv comedy was genius and was one of the few people I trusted completely on stage.

It's unfortunate that we sometimes don't realize the impact a person has on our life until it's too late. Dustin was one of those people I always assumed I would be friends with for years down the road. I wish I told him I loved him more, I wish we created more art together while we had the chance, and I wish we could take our kids to the next Star Wars movies together.

Dustin was never afraid to be sensitive, and I always loved that about him. He had a quote he always shared from Winnie the Pooh.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you.” -Winnie the Pooh

I will miss you Dustin.

Breakfast today was at a resturant downtown near our hotel. They had a great Latin Scramble of eggs, chorizo, cheese, some veggies, and other goodies. I substituted fruit for the potatoes and it was plenty of food.

I love Chorizo!!! I will do what I have to do to get my wife to go here again tomorrow. Very good food. We both were happy.

Just some quick pics from the sweet city of San Jose.

I've heard a lot of people talk about Quest Bars online as a great low carb bar and meal substitute. I had always had a hard time finding them in my area so never had a chance to try them. I was walking through the mall the other day with my wife and we saw a health store and decided to pop in and take a look around. Low and behold they had QuestBars. I picked up a few so I could share with you my thoughts. 

The first bar I decided to try is obvious. I love Cinnamon Rolls so thats the flavor I was drawn to. I was also drawn to it because of the nutrition facts about it. With all the fiber these bars have after you do the math on the carbs you really only get one carb per bar. Thats pretty unbeatable. I haven't seen a single other bar that has such a low count. 

But how does it taste? Well, its tastes sweet and cinnamon, but it is first and foremost a protein bar so it doesn't have the same constancy that a granola bar would have. It's very chewy and it has a very grainy taste to it probably from all the protein pressed into it. Its not a bad bar but for me it wasn't delicious enough to seek it out. I guess the other problem was the price. These bars are almost $3 bucks a piece. Thats half the cost of a box of bars at Wal-mart. So unless I find a place that sells them cheaper, this one didn't really get me to jazzed up. 

Carbs 24g
D Fiber 17g
Sugar Alcohol 6g
Net Carbs 1g

Yesterday I took a nice hearty bus ride to San Jose, CA for our next city. Today we set up and get to work again. Life on tour can be kind of nonstop sometimes. Just when you think you finish a city and get some down time you pack up, hit the road, and start setting up the next one. It's a pretty cool chance to see the US though. Anyway, I will probably have a couple local spots here in the next few days. 

Anyone know any cool spots to see or eat at in San Jose?

Another little brunch spot we found on our San Siego journey. This place was a block from our hotel and had amazing ratings on Yelp. We walked over and checked it out. Oddly enough this place was the same spot we had a little cast party late two nights before. Then it was filled with appitizers and wine, now it was a hopping little bistro. 

I got a Ham and Swiss omelette which was really filling. Good size to make me feel full. It came with potatoes and fruit. I will admit I tried a potato and they were really flavorful. Usually potatoes aren't as tasty to me since I have switched to low carb. These were yummy though. Still, better watch yourself. :P

One thing to watch out here is for the baked goods. They look amazing. Obviously, I didn't partake, but it may be hard for some of you. We actually came back here the next day for another breakfast we like it that much. So go check it out if you are near the place.

Yesterday we had an amazing lunch at a little cafe downtown near our hotel. Cafe 21 isn't very cheap but they make up for it with the extra little touches they make in their food.

For lunch I got the goat sausage omelette with goat cheese and peppers. I had an order of fresh fruit to come with it. What's great about this place is that everything tastes very fresh with thought put into it. A lot of flavor too. My wife had the short rib omelette and it was also great. Great low carb choices here.

And if you have non low carb friends they will probably love the pancakes or the Monte Cristo sandwich.

They have an awesome selection of teas too. My wife got a chai tea which was outstanding. And if you're a fan of sangria they make six homemade kinds daily.

If your downtown looking for a good breakfast hit this place up.

Our first stop on the second leg of our tour is San Diego. I love this city. It has such a relaxed vibe to it and plenty of cool thing to do. There are lots of great food choices here too. Yesterday when we finished with our work and setup of the show we searched on Yelp to see what was nearby and if there was anything that looked good to eat. One of the places that popped up was called The Burger Lounge. My wife and I love a good burger so we thought we would check it out.

They know how to do lettuce wrapped. Just say you want the burger protein style and they will set you up with some nice leafy greens. The burger was nice and flavorful and had a little saltiness to it which I liked. They didn't overload it with sauce either which is great since a lot of other places do. Great burger even without the bun. 

For a burger joint, their salads are pretty on point too. We got a side vegetable salad with the lemon vinaigrette to share. It was very yummy. Lots of good flavor and nothing too overpowering in the salad. A good blend. 

We liked this place. Good food and the service was great too. The guy at the counter was very friendly and helpful in making sure we got just what we wanted. It's a nice little place.