Kaffiyeh me

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Good And Bad Aspects Of The Road Trip

Just got back from a weekend trip to the Santa Barbara area. I'll blog a bit about it in future posts. For now, just wanted to say that I love taking trips...the best part is the prep and the beginning...there possibility of experiencing something new is so cool. The downer is that sometimes (many times) things don't go the way you plan...one key thing for me that the wifi in a motel we stayed at didn't work at all...the aggravation of being without the internet...it was like not having air to breathe...could be worst I know...and I should "tune in, turn on and drop out" but I can't live without my internet...so thus, you have a pic of mad me...luckily, things were better at the second motel...whew!

Pink Pants Thursday

This is my trad "look at me" outfit. Pretty snazzy, huh? I got a bunch of responses to it. All positive mixed with the quizzical. One guy said I was totally "Kanye West"ing it...I'll take it as a compliment.

Wharf to Wharf 2009

So I've been training for about 6 weeks straight...more or less for the Wharf to Wharf run in Santa Cruz. I took it seriously since Sid's godfather laid down the gauntlet early on. With my manhood on the line (not really), I was ready to go on that Sunday. Unfortunately, Sid's godfather opted out due to extenuating circumstances...while legit, it still left me with enough desire to see how well I could run the race. We got there late to the start (of course) and I spent the entire race trying to catch up to the 7-8 minute milers. I never got there and finished in like 48-49 minutes...I was hoping for like 40-42 minutes. I swear, half the time I was ducking and dodging all the slower runners there. I got positive and negative responses from the onlookers...Santa Cruz...what do you expect?! Anyways, it wasn't until the race was finished that I realized I did the race all wrong. This was not a competitve race. It was meant to be a fun race where one did a decent run with fellow runners listening to live bands that played along the route. Damn...I missed out this. Next year...I'll know and do better...

The Road From Mama's leads to...Il Cane Rosso

Sorry faithful readers for the lack of postings recently. Blog lazy is what it's called and I had a bad case of it. Try as I might to be diligent with this duty, I've been lax to say the least. Thanks in advance for still clicking on this site to read about my musings! Haha. Anyways, Wifey and I went to Il Cane Rosso recently when Roli Roti was queued up like crazy. Il Cane Rosso is runned by the guy who does Coi...one of those chic places to eat in the City. The food here is suppose to be like an Italian rotisserie. We both ordered the porchetta sandwich. It was about 9 bones and it came with table side service. The server we had was pretty nice. She even made a point of telling the people behind that they had to leave because they didn't purchase any food from the establishment. Nice to see...there's been many a times in the weekend Ferry Building rush where people will take seats that are not rightfully theirs. When the interlopers said they didn't see a sign that said they couldn't be there, the server pointed to the main awning and said 'the sign's right there!' Touche! I wish I could say the food came with the same zing...unfortunately, it did not...boo hoo. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent porchetta sandwich but it suuurrrre was skimpy...they were making a killing on these sandwiches...I felt ripped off cuz I was still hungry afterwards...flavor wise, the porchetta was roasted decently but it didn't have the intense flavor/aroma as the one found at Roli Roti...in the future: Roli Roti for porchetta but if the line's too long then I may consider Il Cane Rosso...second place is better than none sometimes...

Freemasons on 19th Avenue

I've been passing by this particular for years as a kid in the backseat of my parents' car. The architecture of the building always impressed. Later as I got older, I read up a bit on the Masons. I like the mystery stuff. One day, I'd love to get invited to tour the place. Maybe get initiated...

A bottle love affair

Sid is the proud owner of a St. Bernardus. My favourite beer in the world. Of course, it's Belgian. As a beerguzzlingdad acolyte, I have to train the boy young. From the looks of things, he seems to take the bottle with the swagger of a pro. Does the old man proud.

Hong Kong Lounge Restaurant

This is a relatively new dim sum joint in the City on Geary and 17th. Check out that spread...we have to doggy bag a bunch of stuff. The dim sum was decent. They use a good amount of shrimp in their stuffing. The beef noodle rolls were unique in that they use the beef balls meat as a stuffing. D.S. aficionados should understand the last sentence. This was our second time here. The first time was for dinner with Wifey's side of the relatives and this time it was my side of the fam. Funny thing for Wifey, every time she eats here she has a hard time sleeping. This is true even when she doesn't imbibe the strong tea. Hmm...what flavoring agent could cause that I suppose? Maybe the dim sum maker sprinkles meth on the food? Me, I slept well on both occassions. I'll definitely go back here again...a nice change of pace from our usual Joy Luck haunt. Advice from one in the know: You have to get here before they open and queue up early. Once they opened up, there was already a crowd there. The last few people in line didn't get a table...sucks...20 minutes in, the crowds were lining out the door! Hate to be a server here on the weekends....

Shoes with toes!

Check out these shoes. Yes, they are actually shoes a la Teva sandals except they have toe articulation! Funny, huh? I'd be tempted to get some if only it didn't look like I was wearing black socks!

Pizza Monday!

A typical summer Monday for this little family. We decided to get lunch at Delfina again...our go to pizza joint. The day was bit dreary aka foggy in the City. Given the recent mini heatwave, this was a chilly but welcomed relief. What more can I say about Delfina that hasn't already been written or expounded on before by writers more gifted than yours truly? Well, I can say that we were the first patron that afternoon and the first pizzas made were ours! Hands down, these were the best pies Wifey and I have ever eaten at Delfina. They came out PERFECT! Lookit the charring. The flavas were spot on. The best part was that the crust was still a stiffy until the end...see pic for evidence. Mmmm. Very satisfying to eat something so well done. My boy Sid just got his first taste of charry goodness...I think he likes it. It was cute seeing him eat pizza dough for the first time. He's been wanting to eat more "adult" food items now. He even gets a kick out of "feeding" me and Wifey. So funny...kids...

The Road to Mama's leads to...Mama's...Finally!

It was Sid's actual burffday day on Wednesday. To celebrate on a more private level, Wifey and I had the day off. So what to do..what to do...ooh, I know, let's try and hit up Mama's. There shouldn't be anyone there since it's the middle of the week. The plan was for the three of us to get out of the door by 7:30 am and be at Mama's by 8 am. As with the best laid plans, we didn't get out to the crib until 11 am. We arrived upon Mama's around 11:30 am on and the pic above is what you see. Amazing, huh? A line out the door on a weekday. God bless 'em, I say. Wifey was not feeling the same sentiment. I've seen that crestfallen look before. Anyways, I suggested that she wait in line first whilst I parked the car. When I got the care park and Sid strollered up, I find that the line has not budged. Wifey looked perturbed to put it mildly. It was her master plan to go on a weekday and this is the result...my kingdom for a horse a la Richard III...I tried to tell her that it's just eggs but that might've been the wrong thing to say. She was in her own little of RAGE. Funny to see. Some people look so beautiful when they are angry. ;) I tried holding her hand but she drew it away quickly. Later, Wifey said she didn't even remember doing that. It turns out the wait was not as bad as we thought. Within half an hour, we were seated at our table. The place is nice...brightly lit and buzzing. The egg master is the dude with the bandanna on his nogging. They have everything ready...tells me that they did a lot of prep work to get it so...not easy...I know with two decades in the biz...keep track readers...soon, I'll say I was born underneath the broiler. I ordered the eggies benedict , Wifey got the omelet with no cheese (for shame to not appreciate cheese) and Sid had his usual mush. MMMMMMM with all caps. The food was definitely worth the wait. This was by far one of the better brekkie joints I've been to. The hollandaise sauce on the eggies benny was tasty with just a kick of spice from the paprika (I'm assuming) sprinkling. It made me almost...almost like eggs. Wifey's omelet was said to fluffy and not laden with butter to make it taste better. I can't say what Sid thought of his meal...I'll assume he enjoyed his time there since he was flirting with all the ladies in the house...that kid. Anyways, we've come to the conclusion that the wait was well worth it. As you can tell from the pic, Wifey was happy in the end. Isn't that all we want out of life? To get what we want? Nice feeling to have when it does happen on those rare occasions. We went to the Ferry Building after brunch. Pretty deserted but with enuff people. The new place Cane Il Rosso (hope I got that right) just opened this week. Y'alls know I'll be blogging 'bout it 'bout it soon...

Sid's (nee Patchy) First Birthday Party

Faithful readers...now that there are about five yous...I'm back! Been away for a while from the blogosphere for a bit. Sorry about that. I'll try and play catch up for the next coupla of posts. For reference, I'll refer to Patchy now as Sid since he's no longer has patchy hair and Sid is more indicative of his middle name.

We recently had Sid's first birthday party at a local Chinese joint in the Peninsula. We got the cake from Carolyn Wong Cakes...a baker in Oaktown. We had about ninety people or so attend. The party went well. It was nice to see people from our various walks of life come and join us in celebrating one full year with the tyke. At times, it seems just like yesterday when Sid was born but there are days where the hours are just draaaaggging by! Overall, I love being a dad to Sid. No doubt, a highlight in my life.

Shoe designs

I was sitting in the dentist's chair the other day when I noticed the little design between my two shoes. Pretty neat, huh? Thought I share this discovery with y'all.

My Secret

My loyal and dedicated reader(s), I have a confession to make. I've been holding out on y'all. I had meant for the blog to be a constant recorder of my real life and I have fail in that end. The truth is...I've been training (somewhat) for the annual Wharf to Wharf run in Santa Cruz late July. In the course of my training, I sprained my right ankle. Kinda painful walking but I'm okay when I run. That's kinda weird. It's getting better now. Been about two weeks. I have to give a big "Thank You" to Wifey aka Nurse Nightingale for helping me massage the area. Along with tape for compression, the swelling has gone done quite a bit. I think I'm over the ruff part of the healing process. Here's to good health everyone!

The Road to Mama's leads to...Zazie and Myung Dong

It's Monday again and we all know by now that Mama's is not opened on Mondays. This day we went to Zazie in the Cole Valley area. Quaint little street that considers itself a neighborhood of sorts...only in 'Frisco. I can say 'Frisco by virtue of first seeing light on the fifth floor at Chinatown Hospital...old building...what, what. Anyways, forgive the tangent, Zazie was on the 100 things to eat before you die as dictated by 7x7 magazine. The editors wrote that you just had to try the eggs benedict. I ordered what I thought was poached eggs with hollandaise sauce and what do I get? Scrambled eggs! Oh well, I'm not one to complain. The eggs were cooked with butter so I liked it enuff. Wifey had the 1,2,3...egg, toast and bacon. It was okay too. This place just makes us want to get to Mama's even more...haha...just wait faithful readers...I'll be lambasting Mama's soon. The decor was nice and sorta Frenchy. We even had "a no reason to be snooty in these times" waitress to serve us. Aah, shall we walk along the Champ Ellyse afterwards? Non. We had to take our leave quite early since the lady in the photo above was cackling like crazy...grr. I understand a nervous laughter once in a while but everything out of her was a short sentence punctuated by a loud howl. "OMG." I felt sorry for her husband...I suppose he must have turn his hearing aides permanently to the "off" setting. A discovery: I'm cool with a cold beer and a piping hot meal on a warm/hot day...Wifey conversely would take a hot beverage and a cold meal on a warm/hot day. Who knew, huh? We found this out when we went to dinner at our local Han Kook joint. I had the tofu stew as usual and wife ordered the arrowroot noodle in cold beef broth. I've had the stew many a times over and its one of my all time favorite dish to eat. The cold noodle soup was totally new to us. I have to say, man, those Koreans sure know their seasonality. This tangy yet savory dish is perfectly suited for a hot day in Pyongyang. It was filling and refreshing. If I could ever tear myself away from my tofu stew, I'd order the cold noodle soup. Service and decor at Myung Dong is typical for most tofu joint...clean but sterile. It was a good way to cap off a great weekend for me with the family.

The Road to Mama's leads to...Vik's again

We had contemplated going to Mama's but we decided against it and went to Vik's again for masala dosa and a cholle bathura. Actually, I was totally craving Vik's so we ended up in the East Bay this past Sunday. From the line we saw last Friday, we didn't even attempt to go to Mama's this day. As usual, the food was great and, as usual, I ate the bathura before taking a good pic of it...hey, at least the masala dosa wasn't devoured before I took the pic! Mmmm...nuff said, huh? Later we decided to stroll down Fourth Street in Berzerkly. Not too many people out in the street so it made it the right amount of crowd. We stopped into that Whole Foodie type store, Sur La Table and a toy store. The toy store was my favorite...wished I went there as a kid...well, I guess I can go there now to get toys for Patchy (nudge, nudge, wink) that's he'll totally enjoy.

Patchy's First Giants Game

Fourth of July...let's take in a baseball game! As luck would have it, we found ourselves with Giants tickets again this year for the Fourth. This was a special game for us because it's Patchy's first time to the ballpark. We took CalTrain in to save on gas and the hassle of parking. Good call I think. In a day of firsts, this was Patchy first CalTrain ride...the pic there is an homage to the King of Pop (RIP Mickie) sans the dangling over the balcony. The game was great...we won (yay!)...Lincecum pitched a killer game (I think he had 8 K's) and the Giants had a hit parade in the sixth inning. I can't think of a better way to spend the holiday. The best part for us was that Patchy was really well behaved. We were dreading it at first since we didn't know how he would act in the game. A good first showing from the boy. A lot of stimulations for him...the downside was that he cried for a long time before going to bed. I guess it's to be expected since it was such an exciting day for him. Go Gigantes!

The Road to Mama's leads to...Tony's Pizza

Wifey and I recently saw an episode of Check Please! Bay Area and it featured a greasy spoon joint that's been in North Beach forever. It's called Mama's Cafe and it's next to the SS. Peter and Paul Church. The reviewers on CPBA raved about the breakfast food there...I seriously have never been to one breakfast place that I thought would transport me to brekkie heaven...but I'm always gamed to try someplace new. Who knows, maybe Mama's is all that it's (egg) cracked up to be. So about a week ago, we attempted to go have breakfast on a Monday. Unfortunately, it's CLOSED on Mondays...that's why we were at Rose's Cafe last week. With the long Fourth of July Weekend in front of us, we decided to give Mama's another try...no luck...the line was out the door, yo! Fuggeaboutit we said. Crestfallen again, we decided to try Tony's Pizza...a newly opened joint (less than one week!) that's home to a certified pizzaiolo and pizza champ aptly named Tony. Did I mention that Tony is a pizza tossing champ and not a pizza making champ? I left out that one little detail when I sold Wifey on the idea of dining there in lieu of Mama's. Cutting to the chase here, the pizza was okay. It wasn't the best or the worst pizza I've had. It should be a winner in North Beach since most of the pizza there sucks. The irony is that you can't get good pizza in North Beach much the same way you can't get good Chinese food anymore in Chinatown. We thought the service was decent and you can see that they are still trying to grow into the business. FYI-Tony has another place in Castro Valley. His partner, Bruno, is a character and seems like a good guy. He was busy helping out with serving the customers...easy to tell who has more of a stake in the business success: owners vs. employees. Ah well, the quest for a table at Mama's continues... (I apologize for not having a full pizza pie pic...you know me and food...I need it hot and fresh...like my woman...haha...).