From Orlando...

Police were investigating a Taco Bell robbery that happened Wednesday night and quickly realized that they were dealing with a crime spree.

When officers arrived they learned the Burger King next door had also been robbed by the same group.

What can't this guy do? The producer, director, writer, composer, editor of Sin City, Desperado, and Planet Terror has made two cooking shorts, produced as extras for his DVDs.

There are only two of these "Ten Minute Cooking School" segments in existence, at least on YouTube. On the first -- created in 2004 -- he makes puerco pibil, the dish that Johnny Depp's character lusts after in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Due the positive reaction this first one elicited, he did a second a little later where cooks something simpler: breakfast tacos. Except he does his own flour tortillas...from scratch.

Being that he is a filmmaker, the shorts are often shot with a moving camera, and edited like an action movie. You'll wish all cooking shows are done this way.

And in both he repeats his catchy mantra: "Not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck".

Please to enjoy, Chef Robert Rodriguez.

Here's somewhat encouraging news in discouraging times. Although "at least eight people were laid off this year from the company's office in Woodland Hills", according to an article in the LA Times, about a dozen Daily Grill executives -- whose annual salaries range from $100,000 to $350,000 -- are going to take a 10% pay cut, effective immediately, instead of resorting to more lay-offs.

Tim and Liza Goodell (of A Restaurant and others) has a plan for the space vacated by Ristorante Max in Newport's Westcliff Plaza. Early next year, they're going to open their third outlet of 25 Degrees there. The other two 25 Degrees already in operation are in China and L.A.

I haven't been to either. But something struck me as familiar when I took a look at their menu. Is it just me or does the "Build Your Own Burger" section, with the list of toppings and sauces, sound a lot like The Counter's concept?

Browsed through the online ads for 99 Ranch today and I noticed something I'd never noticed before. On their flier, attached to pictures of items that are look remotely Asian in origin, there are now big cartoony bubbles that proclaim "Made in Taiwan" or "Made in Japan".

I'm pretty sure that before the Chinese milk scandal, they didn't bother doing this. So obviously, someone got wise and included the country of origin, because, let's face it, everyone's a little nervous nowadays about Chinese products -- especially when you still do your shopping in a Chinese supermarket like 99 Ranch.

Since everyone's already checking the "Made In" labels anyway, to me, this doesn't seem opportunistic -- just reactionary. Though, if you look closely at the flier, you'll also notice that there are Asian items that do NOT have the "Made in Taiwan" or "Made in Japan" text bubble.

Any guesses where they are from?

Amazingly, both parties have ignored Mexicans in this election. So leave it to the animal-abusing geniuses behind the No on Proposition 2 campaign (y'know, that nefarious measure that would force farmers to treat their animals humanely) to conjure up the spectre of the Reconquista in this ominous ad. Dig the long lines!

And it's not the first time Prop. 2 opponents have bagged on Mexico:

Just made it under the wire for Oktoberfest. Total Wine, the alkie's Costco (well, that's not an apt methapor since Costco has booze too doesn't it?), has opened in at the Tustin Marketplace (next to Best Buy) in what used to be a furniture store. Now that last part should give you an idea of its enormity. Count 'em: that's 20,000 square feet of wine, spirits, and beer.

In fact, their motto is this:

8,000 wines. 2,000 spirits. 1,000 beers.

To clarify, that's 8,000 different kinds of wines. 2,000 different kinds of spirits. 1,000 different kinds of beers. Or as it's otherwise known in fraternities: "a good weekend".

Although the store has been open since the 16th, today at 6 P.M., the mayor of Tustin will be there to cut the ribbon.

The latest Mother's Market had a soft opening this past weekend, and thank God for that: The proposed mother ship of O.C.'s O.G. hippy-dippy eco-food industry has a lot of work to do.

I visited late Sunday, jonesing for some munchies. The deli portion of the place won't be finished until its grand opening in a couple of weeks--fine, but they've had over a year to open the place; why the delays? It's twice as big as Mother's' other markets, with an over-emphasis on vitamin pills--SanTana needs more produce than remedies, and the aisle for fresh veggies and fruits is shockingly small. Prices are a bit much, but such is the burden of eating healthy in this modern world.

Here's the clincher, though: I finally decided on some chili almonds for my snack. I've grabbed a bag at Mother's Costa Mesa and Irvine locations before with no problem and overworked salivary glands, so toasty and spicy and nutsy they are. In SanTana's spot, they were horrible: bland, stale, disgusting. When milady asked for a refund, not only did it take about 10 minutes for three workers to make a decision about it (while a long line formed behind us and with no other registers open), but they also made us pay $3 more when they said we could get a replacement bag of pine nuts (no cash refunds)! North and Central County: go to Mother's only for its deli, which I'll return to try. Otherwise, get your goods at farmer's markets--cheaper, and with a much-friendlier atmosphere.

Final point: the music? Salsa and merengue. Mother's: we're in SanTana, not pinche Miami. I'm not even asking for norteño or banda--play some Grateful Dead like the quasi-racist Corner Bakery across the parking lot does.

On November 4th only, come in to any of Zov's three locations showing your "I Voted" sticker, and they'll give you a free slice of, what else, American apple pie.

Of course, before you get the free slice, they require that you either dine in and purchase any menu item, or order a "Zov's Family Take-Out Dinner for 2 or 4". But what did you expect? Free food with no strings attached? This is America! And what's more American than good ol' fashioned promotional marketing and lawyer-y fine print.

From Iowa. Iowa!:

Christopher Gudex was waiting at the Taco Bell drive-through, 1501 E. Euclid, at 2:53 p.m. Thursday. The woman ahead of him was taking too long at the speaker, he told police. He got out and asked her to hurry up, according to a police report. Gaudex, 45, and the woman began exchanging words, and the woman told him she was going to have her father come and beat him up.

And then it got better:

Miner [the woman] picked up her food and circled the Taco Bell while Gaudex was getting his food. Soon after, Anthony Miner, Alisha’s father, showed up, according to police.

Gaudex told police that Anthony punched him, knocking him to the ground, and continued to hit him.