The weekend is almost here, and the first Happy Hour post this week will cover an inexpensive cigar you can light up to kick off the weekend.

Of course, you’ll have to find a place to smoke it, and enjoying a good cigar is getting tougher these days, as Bob Hritsko learned when he traveled to Hawaii.

A couple of informational items regarding the allowance of cigar smoking recently came to my attention and again, I cannot help but point out the irony and just how topsy-turvy this world can sometimes be. The first, a reader responding in a recent issue of “Cigar Aficionado” commented on the fact that he could not help but notice the freedom that smokers had in a certain country that has little freedom, both personally and politically. The reader, in his commentary, could not help but wonder at the irony that the United States of America, the self-proclaimed land of the free and certainly one of the most personal and politically free countries in the world, does not grant a man more freedom when it comes time to light up his favorite cigar!

I recently suffered this same irony when I traveled to Hawaii for the first time. Knowing that I would be in an ideal climate and frame of mind for some good cigar smoking, I thought that I would do some research in advance to ensure that my cigar smoking would be in compliance with Hawaiian laws. To my surprise, the laid back, “hang loose” Hawaiian culture is pretty uptight when it comes to cigar smoking. In sum, there is virtually nowhere indoors to smoke. You are limited to designated outdoor smoking areas, often in far off corners in the many open-air venues in Hawaii. I now know how lepers must have felt a century ago. However, my research led me to marvel at one exception in particular where it was okay to smoke indoors in the state of Hawaii — you are allowed to light up in jails and penitentiaries! Yes, you are reading this correctly! Here in America we have at least one state that grants more smoking freedoms to an incarcerated criminal than the law-abiding good citizen, who is on vacation, spending his money and keeping the economy going. Go figure!

So, if you want to enjoy a good cigar when kicking off your weekend festivities, make sure you check around and find a spot that let’s you enjoy it.

As for the cigar, Bob reviews the Omar Ortez Belicoso:

RATING: 8.7 (on a scale of 1 to 10) – I like this cigar and it is a very good value. If you like Rocky Patel’s Edge, I would suspect that you will enjoy the Omar Ortez cigar, and you ought to give it a try. My only complaint, and it is the primary reason I cannot rate this cigar higher, is the burn on the first two cigars I smoked was inadequate. The cigar would often need to be relit, because it went out quite quickly, numerous times. I rested the last of the three sticks I bought for three months in my humidor, thinking that the cigars might have been brought to market a little too early. The last of my Omar Ortez cigars was smoked recently and it burned perfectly! I don’t recall ever having to do this with an Edge. Given the similar taste profiles and similar price point, I still prefer the Edge. Like the Edge, it is an excellent smoke to pair with smoky bourbon or an earthy scotch.

If you’re a “30 Rock” fan, then you’re probably familiar with Liz Lemon’s gorgeous assistant, Cerie, played by the equally gorgeous Katrina Bowden. No one would ever claim that Cerie has a brilliant mind, but she’s a shining example of the female form, and the way that form fits into her tight, skimpy wardrobe is…it’s, uh…

Wait, where was I?

Sorry, I started thinking about Cerie’s wardrobe, and my train of thought kind of jumped the track for a minute there. But as you can see from Cherie’s first video blog (or “vlog,” if you will), which we’re proud to offer you exclusively here at Bullz-Eye, it’s clear that she has that kind of effect on pretty much everybody.

Oh, what the heck: let’s offer up another one, shall we? This time, Cerie tackles a bit of viewer mail. My God, this woman is a national treasure…

When I first heard about Doritos’ Burn flavor chips, I thought it was a promotional stunt or something to sell more Pepsi, which was the focus of the radio commercial I heard.  But being a snack food junkie and a lover of all things spicy, I kept looking for this stuff in stores.  Finally, I found it, at a Walgreens here in Madison, Wisconsin no less.  And let me tell you, the First and Second Degree Burn flavors are positively awesome, and spicier than any snack food I’ve ever tasted.  Frito-Lay tells me Third Degree Burn was only available for a short time, and sadly I didn’t get to try it.  But here are the ones I did try….

First Degree Burn (Blazing Jalapeno)–These chips are hot and also have a strong jalapeno flavor.  And the heat, which I’d rate as an 8 out of 10, is subtle and somewhat pleasant, like a spicy food drug.

Second Degree Burn (Flaming Buffalo)--This chip has a tangier flavor, just like, well, Buffalo wing sauce.  And like first degree, the heat sneaks up on you, but this one is more like an unexpected kick to the groin, a 9 out of 10 on the heat index.  What’s more, they get hotter and hotter the more you eat.  But if you like spicy food, that’s one of the best parts.

Late Night Cheeseburger–Not spicy at all, but part of the new Late Night lines from Doritos.  These taste like a McDonald’s cheeseburger, but you taste onions first and foremost, and, like with all Doritos, the ones coated in cheese powder are the best tasting ones.  That’s especially true here, because otherwise the onion overwhelms the cheese.

As far as caffeinated beverages go, Mountain Dew and its neon green color have always appealed to those in need of a boost, and to those who want something different than cola or less potent than Red Bull.  Well this year, Mountain Dew has launched its DEWMocracy 2, a 12-month consumer driven campaign to choose its new flavor.  We had the chance to taste those three flavors and offer an opinion.

Mountain Dew Typhoon—This flavor was like a turbo-charged fruit punch.  If you’re old enough to remember Tahitian Treat Soda, that’s what this tastes like, only with caffeine.  It’s decent, but there is something inherently odd about fruit punch being carbonated.

Mountain Dew Distortion—A regular Mountain Dew, complete with the neon green color, but blasted with lime.  This was our least favorite, as it just tasted like, well, regular Mountain Dew with a lime twist.

Mountain Dew White Out—This was the best of the bunch, as the citrus infusion here tasted more authentic, like a combination of orange and lemon.  It was more like a cross between regular Dew and lemon-lime soda, and overall it left us wanting more.

Also, check out the contest we’re running on DEWMocracy

We’ve been hearing and seeing a lot lately about the all new pizza at Domino’s. Well since we love pizza it was time to check it out for ourselves and give you our feedback.

I ordered a pepperoni, onion and roasted red pepper. When I opened the box it already looked better than the old Domino’s before I even took a bite!

For me the sauce and crust are equally important so I was curious as to all of the hype around both. First the sauce: Domino’s billed the new sauce as bolder and I have to say it is clearly better. There’s much more flavor and a it’s a bit spicy and sweet, so they made a big improvement here. As for the crust, it has a garlic seasoning and there is no doubt the flavor went up a few notches, but if you’re not crazy about garlic you could get turned off on this pie pretty quick. On the other hand a lot of folks love the garlic flavoring and combined with the new sauce it garnered my attention in a good way. I thought the crust was very good.

Finally, regarding the cheese, it was very tasty and the hint of provolone is right on the mark!

Overall I feel that Domino’s improved on a pizza that was middle of the road at best and now has a pizza that can compete with the more expensive chains and the local joints. The improvement is huge with the sauce, crust and cheese all scoring high, so for that I say “all new” means “much better” for Domino’s!