The New McDonald's Experience

My kids first noticed the new construction next to our neighborhood on the way to school one day. I first dismissed the stand alone building as another strip mall anchor but I soon realized from the rubble of concrete and metal emerged the "Golden Arches". The school daze frown were turned upside down.



Almost three months later, the newly redesigned McDonald's unlocked their doors for their soft opening. My kids were there with open arms to embrace the yummy food and the new look of the fast food giant. Gone are the overbearing primary colors, cafeteria style seating and florescent light banks of the 1980's. They are replaced with LED wide screen menus, upscale furniture with decorative lamps and muted interior wall colors that welcome customers. The look is very familiar nowadays in the very competitive food industry. Panera Bread and especially Starbucks come to mind.



My first impression was positive with the new look and feel of McDonald's. There was a strong "IKEA" presence but with an aroma of french fries. To be honest, my kids could care less about the new modern design of McDonald's. Kids are kids. They want good food hot and fast. I have to agree with their demands and simplicity.



McDonald's can renovate and change the iconic look of a traditional fast food restaurant but the menu still lures the customers. My new "Daily Double" tasted as good as it looks in this picture. I still miss the "hot side hot and the cold side cold" of the McDLT of yesteryear but the "Daily Double" will suffice for now. My kids as usual got the "Happy Meal" with the included "marketing ploy toy". Now for the real question. Is the "Hot Apple Pie" fried or baked at this new location?



Memories of my childhood past are filled with Star Wars action figures and the crunch of McDonald's Hot Apple Pie. At one point in the history of McDonald's menus, the Hot Apple Pie turned from crispy to a dry and stale like "Pop Tart". Maybe it was a budget cut or a marketing survey that changed history, but the fried apple pie became a baked apple pie. Who would do such a thing? Fortunately, our newly redesigned neighborhood McDonald's blessed my family with fried apple pie dreams. Rejoice!



If I can wake my kids up early from their summer vacation sleep, I should have a review of the McDonald's breakfast menu coming soon. Just like the pictures above shot with the new Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens, I will soon have Hot Cakes and Hash Browns filling the pages of my PhotoBlog.



Follow me to Happy Meal heaven by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter! for more HD DSLR gear reviews.

Happy 1st Birthday Serena !

A whole one year has passed since I held you for the first time in the delivery room. Wrapped tightly in linens, you barely opened your newborn eyes to a strange world and the parents who unconditionally love you. The sleepless nights waking to your cries for formula, soiled diapers, runny nose, high temperature fevers and projectile vomiting are slowly waning each day. 12 months later, parental anxiety takes over with baby crawling hazards and potential chokables in the household. Ahh...parenthood!



Happy first birthday, Serena! You are now one year old with many accomplished baby milestones and much more to conquer in the upcoming months ahead. Soon you will be walking with confidence and marching to a different tune. The tune of the next generation Apple iPhone with all the bells and whistles. You can never start them too early!



A pink frosted cake and your very own personal side of roasted meat are the perfect accompaniment for any birthday celebrant. With emerging four baby teeth, Serena's feral instinct kicks in to devour any rotisserie prey.



Call it a celebration of life and the carnivorous consumption of red meat at Texas De Brazil, a Brazilian Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. Serena's family and friends gathered for the big one year birthday and to bathe in Churrascaria delicacies. I will take my flank steak rare and bloody but charred on the outside please...



You definitely have your mother's beautiful genes, quite literally. The eyes, face and even your infant lips are almost clone like. Yikes! I will soon have two bosses in the household.



Singing "Happy Birthday" can never get old, especially to children. Maybe by next year, Serena can figure out the candle blowing by then. If you are new to my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog, here is a recap of my baby daughter over the year in a "George Lucas" video trilogy. Enjoy!







Show me the babies! These videos are only the tip of the iceberg for this year. More birthdays and milestones to document and capture with my Canon HD DSLR's. My computer hard drives are bursting at the seams just thinking about all the upcoming photos and video footage. Newegg.com to the rescue...



"Count my five pudgy fingers...each one for a gift without an iPhone 4S." There is always next year. My Vera Bradley Hipster will have to suffice for the moment.



Happy Wedding Anniversary to my beautiful wife! I am blessed to have three wonderful children from her and a gorgeous view of the pay here-parking lot at the Plant City, Florida Strawberry Festival in the trunk of our family minivan. Mahal Kita, Kathleen!



Bonds hold strong in my family. Weakness is spelled baby p-o-o-p and v-o-m-i-t. My will power is not that strong...



You can view more photos and videos in my Serena's First Birthday 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D.



Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

You may have noticed rarely seen and unheard portraits of me. I have to give thanks to my son's God Father for a helping hand at Getawaymoments.

Yummy House China Bistro Experience

A family favorite has spread its wings and landed further east to nurture and feed hungry souls in Tampa, Florida. A wonderful addition to the already famous Yummy House on west Waters Avenue, the new and upscale Yummy House China Bistro on east Hillsborough Avenue opened its glorious doors this week to fans of Hong Kong style Chinese cuisine.



Yummy House China Bistro has a challenge to live up to the outstanding reputation of the original Yummy House Chinese restaurant in west Tampa. I have a lengthy history of family events held at this culinary establishment. Birthdays, Father's and Mother's Day, Anniversaries and everything in the Hallmark calendar catered to Yummy House believers. The crowd gathering at the Waters Ave strip mall signified convinced stomachs coming back for more.



Will upscale expansion hurt my Asian taste buds? The mouths of many converged at Yummy House China Bistro across the street from the Sanwa Farmer's Market to find out.



Wipe the drool off your face now. Remember this Sizzling Pork dish along with other Yummy House classic plates like Salt and Pepper Calamari. Yummy House China Bistro has unique entrees on the menu to make your eyeballs big. The family devoured the Sweet and Sour Fried Grouper chased down with the Hong Kong Sirloin with stir fried vegetables including Mango slices. Yummy!



Meet my fellow food critics. Eating is their number one specialty. Consumer electronics and every Apple Computer device are secondary. Whining is a close third. The food items on the menu we ordered were just splendid. My kids agree wholeheartedly. Equivalent or better than the original Yummy House on Waters Ave in my opinion.



All this Chinese goodness comes at a higher price on the wallet. Not an outrageous increase but only a slight contrast to the value priced original Yummy House on Waters Ave. You pay for the ambiance. The new building, the increased staff and the new Asian contemporary Darren White interior design of just a bigger restaurant. I think you can fit three original Yummy Houses just in the main dining area. Ultimately, you have a financial dining choice of either the value priced Yummy House or the more upscale Yummy House China Bistro. You will not be disappointed either way.



The fabulous cuisine comes from chefs and food staff transplanted from San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas. Attention to detail is seen by the custom made kitchen equipment from Hong Kong.



The masterminds and owners of Yummy House China Bistro are John Zhao and Executive Chef Tommy Tang. They have their hands full quite literally. The original Yummy House on Waters Ave will remain open to West Tampa. Yummy House China Bistro welcomes the new fan base north of Ybor City and Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel down the street.



The good news Yummy House China Bistro has Dim Sum. The bad news is the Cantonese style Dim Sum is traditionally only for lunch and not dinner. The plates of steamed goodness in metal baskets will tempt you as they are pushed in rolling carts next to your table. From the familiar Shu Mai and Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Buns to sweet Crispy Fried Sesame Balls and Hong Kong Style Egg Tart, you will go Dim Sum crazy with the selection.



I could barely eat all the delicious food and shoot HD DSLR video with my Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D at the same time. I managed to shoot a quick look inside Yummy House China Bistro handheld with the T3i paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens. The 1080p video was shot at 29.97fps and edited with iMovie'11. I used Quicktime to compress a 499mb H264mb video file. My shutter was at 1/60th, aperture at f/2.8 and my ISO was all the way up to 3200 at times.



You can view more Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D pictures and videos in my Yummy House China Bistro Experience Gallery.

Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Page and following me on Twitter.

A Father's Day to Remember

I have many loves in my life. They come in many forms and there is no photoblog big enough to list them all. I will spare the details and just give you the highlights this fabulous Father's Day. My first love is my family. Through thick and thin and even at the lowest points of my life, the wife and kids including extended family have always been there for me. Constantly overlooked and usually taken for granted, keeping the family unit together is the hardest and most enjoyable task in my entire life.



I have to admit food comes as a personal favorite. Just the lure of fried chicken or Spinach,Ricotta and Garlic Pizza from Angelina's Fine Italian Cuisine makes my mouth water. The Soriano family has traveled many miles for a good meal. From Jolibee Chicken Joy in Manila, Philippines to fried Calamari at Covo Dei Saraceni in Positano, Italy, culinary delights are beautiful to consume and photograph. My appetite for Italian was satisfied on Father's Day just in Brandon, Fl at Angelina's with no long airplane travel, currency conversion or even a long wait.



My 2000 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic is just a faded memory but a love I will never forget. Some other lucky owner will cherish this semi-retirement motorbike. Riding on two wheels is an experience but not safe and practical for this father of three children.



I think shooting guns for sport is in my Filipino blood. The gunpowder flows through my veins with an unusual desire for 1911's in 45ACP. I actually had a brief moment at the gun range on Father's Day with a fellow Filipino father with the shared desire. Shooting pictures of shooting guns. Do I have to explain?



Sharing the love for Carvel Ice Cream with my children is priceless. The chocolate crunchies in their ice cream cake, dipped in soft serve in a cake cone and sprinkled on top of a Banana Barge is just plain heaven. You do not have to be middle aged to appreciate the simple things in life.



The ultimate love for photography and everything related to image making fuels my passion as well as my career in life. I am pretty much never without multiple cameras at any given time. I document my life with photographs because they will last longer than me and gives my children a chance to look back into their childhood. The good memories and the bad memories. It is all there.



You can view all the food, family and guns in my Father's Day 2011 Gallery.

Stay updated on my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Page and following me on Twitter.

A St. Augustine Thanksgiving

The Conquistadors first brought disease and religion to the native people of northeast Florida. The British followed suit with even more pestilence and "Redcoat" rule. The United States brought a Super Walmart. Finally, ChadSorianoPhotoBlog arrived to this east coast community of St. Augustine, Florida with meat. Lots of carne. Raw muscle from almost every meat group for a holiday Thanksgiving.



Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed his trade ships near the same shores of our beach house rental. He journeyed long and far in search of gold and new land. My family had sandy pursuits and St. Augustine tourist traps.



The Spaniards had their own weapon of mass destruction to ward off hostile invaders at the Castillo de San Marcos. More potent than gunpowder was hormonal rage complete with Gucci purse and Coach sandals.



We trekked into the Old City via St. George street with eyes wide open. From the oldest wooden schoolhouse to the plethora of "Tourist Trains" encapsulated by Spanish Colonial architecture. I soon discovered the former Spanish buildings now housed a Kilwin's of St. Augustine with my favorite toasted coconut ice cream.



Off to Anastasia Island to see the St. Augustine Lighthouse with it's spectacular topside view. 219 steps later, we made it to the top.



With a quick view of the bay and the inner workings of the Fresnel lens, we descended the 219 steps again in search of lunch. I Googled "fried chicken" which pointed me in the direction of an Anastasia legend called O'Steen's Restaurant.



I ordered the signature Fried Chicken while my family ordered the Fried Catfish, Clams, Liver and Gizzards. Fantastic describes the experience. Topped off with their special "Datil" cocktail sauce and accompanied with their seasoned hush puppies, O'Steen's Restaurant is definitely on my "must do" list while in St. Augustine.



Christmas in November came upon us with ice skating and sledding along with an Elf Village with no elves at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. My kids blasted through the overpriced carnival games and their cousin ice skated for the very first time at the WinterWonderland.



Thanksgiving is behind us with more meat filled photos approaching the New Year. I used a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV with an EF 35mm f/2, EF 50mm f/1.2L and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens.



You can view more pictures and videos in my St. Augustine Thanksgiving 2010 Gallery.

Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante Experience

I would like to introduce the Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante. It is the latest restaurant addition at the Italy Pavilion in EPCOT's World Showcase located in Walt Disney World. Like I said before in my Canon Rebel T2i Verdict, I am not a Food Blog or claim to be a food critic. The temptation overwhelmed my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog because of fond memories of my recent Italian family vacation.



"Pizza Heaven" describes the wood fired Italian pies at Via Napoli. The Prosciutto e Melone Pizza gave a pleasant taste of a ever so salty cured ham balanced with a sugary cantaloupe aftertaste. Fantastico !



The atmosphere was a mix of southern Italy and Disney contemporary. I was impressed by Via Napoli's creators, the Patina Restaurant Group, restrained the Walt Disney World "cookie cutter" mentality. Kudos to Patina and its CEO Nick Valenti.



Did I forget to mention the outdoor seating? The fall season gave Orlando, Fl a sneak preview and my PhotoBlog soldiers weathered on through imported mozzarella and Calamari Fritti with honor.



The Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante Experience was exclusively shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T2i attached to the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.



If wood fired pizza and fried calamari did not satisfy your Italian cravings, this video of Positano, Italy will appease your soul. It is one of many Italian videos from my Youtube Channel. You can view more videos and Via Napoli images shot with the T2i/550D in my Canon EOS Rebel T2i Gallery.

Welcome Holy Communicants!

I thought all hope was lost when I missed the photograph of my daughter receiving her first blessed host. I can only describe the situation as communicant chaos. My longtime family friend from Los Angeles, California was the only one who noticed me bothered by the mayhem. He offered me a solution that turned my frown upside down.



You will notice the above picture has my daughter receiving the host. That host in the picture is very special. So special, it is made of a simple paper dinner napkin. Yes, the entire shot of my daughter receiving holy communion was completely staged. I am now complete.



No, the fake host is not a precursor to a staged mission to Mars landing like in the movie "Capricorn One" with O.J. Simpson and Eliot Gould. It is a celebration of turning something negative into a positive with a dinner napkin. The negative was overshadowed by all the gleeful recipients in their beautiful dresses and handsome suits.



My daughter was proudly escorted by her oldest cousin up to the altar for this special day. My oldest niece will be graduating this year and going to high school next year. How time flies!



A once in a lifetime event had to be followed by a memorable celebration. Enter the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City , FL. The oldest restaurant in Florida became the ideal backdrop to my daughter's Communion gala. Fabulous food and flamenco dancers filled the festive atmosphere.



The entire event was shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV,the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS version 1 and the Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L. You can view more photos and videos in my Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Gallery.



You can view more photos in my First Communion Gallery.