St. Bernardus abt12

This is my all time favourite beer. Some have derided it's high sugar flava but that's what I like about it...it's a combo of the sugar and the malt that makes this a winner for me. It's suppose to be like a Westvleteren...until the day I can sample a Westie, St. Bernie's is the closest thing for me. One day, my goal is to go to all the 6 Trappist beer making abbeys in Belgium... Koningshoeven is in the Netherlands so I don't think Wifey and I will ever journey there...but who knows? Speaking of brews, the other day, Wifey and I passed by a tree trimming group. The passing smell of the fresh cut trees reminded me of that carbonated scent you get when you pop open a can of cold Pepsi....it's that sugary carbonization that hits you right you open it...I haven't had that sensation in years...passing by it made me want a Pepsi...I suppose the makers of Pepsi had this purpose in made when they came up with the Pepsi formula...I feel so manipulated...welcome to capitalism...haha...

Saturday in an East Bay Daze

A bit warm this weekend. We almost spent an entire day in the East Bay! A rarity indeed for this blogger. We started out the day with going to Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley. I've been on an Indian kick lately. This place definitely satisfies the craving while being easy on the wallet. Like most of the descriptors written about this place, it is one big noisy warehouse! The place comprises of a cafeteria style restaurant on one side and a grocery store on the other. I think most people are there for the restaurant cuz the store was virtually a ghost town. Wifey and I both ordered a masala dosa and we shared the samosas. What can I say about the food here that hasn't already been said. It was delissh and satisfying in a soul food sorta way. Savory! You can't ever imagine that veggies can be so filling. It may not be the most heatlhiest things I've eaten but it sure does fill your tastebuds with all sorts of yummy sensations. I declare that Vik's is now my second favorite Indian place after Dosa in the Fillmore. Next time, I'm thinking about trying the bhatura cholle along with the masala. I'll let you all know how that goes...I'm positive I'll be raving about it as well. After finishing our meals and taking a short hot trek back to our car, we drove over to the check out the J. Crew in Emeryville. I think the store opened this March or so. It's nice. Very spacious and it reminds me of the store in Los Gatos. The selection is very decent. They have a rather large sales section for the ladies. The men's section is decent and better than some of their other stores. The only drawback for me is that I'm not a fan of J.Crew's current choices. The colors and patterns are so blah...oh well, I'm hoping that the fall will bring some nicer items to lust over. Boy, do I sound like a fashion dandy or what. This was also the first time Wifey and I ever been the outdoor mall at Emeryville. Check out that huge-normous horsie! Yao Ming's steed indeed. The whole place reminded us of Santana Row in San Jose but not as posh. I don't think I would ever want to lease an apartment here though...or at Santana Row...who would want to live at a mall? Weird but I guess this is a housing trend. I wanted to hit up the lowlands in Oaktown to fully get a feel for the East Bay but this proposal was nixed by Wifey. Oh well, I suppose the flea markets and rib joints will have to wait for another time. On the way home, we saw the above motorcyclist on her way to to the City. Bet you a Lincoln she was heading to Dolores Park.

Bowtie Wednesday

Hello faithful reader(s)!! Today is Wednesday. Here's a pic of my navy blue tie with red strips taken against the backdrop my immaculate workspace. I'm a hoarder, I know. Recently, Ebenezer came by and asked me about a certain form. Without fail, I pulled the correct form from my piles. He was stunned, impressed and in awe of my uncanny ability to know where everything is at in my cubicle. Actually, it was just pure luck, haha. Still, given the state of my office space, I can appreciate people who are hoarders and says they know where everything's at. Maybe they really do know? Hmmm...

Duvel

This is the beer that started it all. I first had this little quaffer at the Slanted Door. Funny, I discover a Belgian brew in a Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. Where else in the world can that happen?! I still recall my first few sips of this brew. It was tasty and the refinement/technique needed to make this drink was apparent to me. Till then, I never experience a beer that was so well done. There must be something in the water there in Belgium. When I try the small craft breweries in the US, it does not compare to the high end Belgium stuff. Prolly Stella Artois is the one brand I don't lust for. Happy drinking!

Father's Day

This was my first official Father's Day. I got an Ergo Baby Carrier from my son. How cute...yet self serving, haha. Nah, I love it. I've been wanting one for some time now. We now have the Ergo and the Bjorn. They both have their positives and negatives. I love the weight distribution on the Ergo but the Bjorn allows Patchy to see more things when he's being carried. Given that he's such a visual kid, it's a feature that I miss having him in the Ergo. I think the Ergo is best for long treks and the Bjorn can be used for outings where there's a lot of sights and sounds involved. Either way, the baby carrier has been a lifesaver for me. No way I could've managed some of those days alone with Patchy! We didn't do too much on Father's Day...mostly ate. We had lunch at Delfina with Patchy's godmother (Catherine aka Cathy aka Not Her Government Name) and her hubby. They've never been to Delfina and it was quite a drive for them. Luckily, they loved the pizzas. Score one again for Delfina! So far, everyone we've taken to Delfina loves it. I'll make the stand that you've never had a good pizza till you eat one at Delfina! For appetizers, Cathy got the fried pig's ear and I got some fried stuffed squash blossoms (must be in season right now). All pretty decent cuz they were fried...it's a money maker for Delfina though cuz the portions are SKIMPY. Wifey and I got two Salsiccias per our usual order. Didn't disappoint. Afterwards, Cathy and her hubby took off for their drive home. The fam and I went to Union Square. We spied upon a wedding party taking place at the Mark Hopkins. And people said there's a recession...ha! We met up with my inlaws for Daddy's Day's Din Din at South Seas Village in the Sunset later that day. The food was decent and, as always, we had the ubiquitous glazed sea bass dish. Tasty the first few times but it gets generic after awhile. On the way home, we were privy to an accident on the Peninsula Autobahn. Wifey said she saw blood on the ground. Eww...so that was my first Father's Day...looking forward to more of these...next year, I want a helicopter...

Mini Me

Help! Someone shrunk me! My mini trad me.

A day at grandma's crib

Marin County has always been an "other" county for me. That is, I never took the time to explore the area outside of the usual suspects. To this day, I still don't have a true grasp or sense of the area. I never really had a reason to go up there until I met Wifey. Wifey's family lives up there and since taking up with Wifey, I've been crossing the Golden Gate Bridge more than I can remember in recently memory. The more I go across the GGB, the more I appreciate the aesthetics of the design. Classic. I never knew there were so many little points of interests just past the bridge. We recently went to an old light house that's really close by and to Cataract Falls. Living is good up in Marin County to say the least. Anyways, Wifey's sister, Katherine aka Kitty aka Not Her Government Name was visitng from NYC. Kitty just got engaged...congrats to her. Anyways, she totally adores her lil nephew. He's a lucky kid. She'll be making a return appear to see Patchy soon. Above is a pic of the aunt and nephew. Patchy was banging away at the screen door and Kitty was checking her camera. No, they were not interacting in this pic. Haha. We all went to Thai Smile for lunch. I had the jungle curry fried rice. Not good. It was edible...that's pretty much all I can say for it. Wifey felt the same way about her pad thai. We did hear the waitress yelling Thai-glish to a relative of hers to get the egg roll order right. Funny. The beer I had with this particularly lovely meal is a Chang beer. Never had it before. 5% alcohol which is a bit high for an Asian beer. Tasted okay since it was chilled cold. A slight malty aftertaste but nothing that I get again. It did not transport to a beach in Phuket. Overall, a good day to say the least. Weekends are fun, aren't they?

A baby shower at work

Pre-baby me would've said no thanks to baby showers. Post-baby me is saying, ahh, how cute. Having a child will totally change your perspective on thing. This was one was for a fellow co-worker. Wifey brought Patchy along and we all had a good time. The miracle of life doesn't get more real than this. Sounds trite, but every child is a blessing. Good day readers!

A Wednesday Entry

Hello fellow readers,

Not much to blog about today. My opinions on life is a bit muted this morning. Hope you all have a great day! That tie I'm wearing is becoming my fave.

Dosa on Fillmore

Last night, the family and I went to Dosa in our continuing attempt to complete the 7x7 magazine's "100 things to eat and drink before you die" quest. Dosa serves mainly south Indian cuisine...I guess that means "spicy." Man, I declare this is my favorite Indian resto. I'm sure there are purist/detractors who will state that the food at Dosa is derivative but I like it. We had the samosas and the paper masala for appetizers. Very nicely done. The samosas were nothing too special and bit a of a rip off for the price. The masala was another story. True to its advertisement, it was paper thin and crisp. It came with a tomato and coconut chutneys, curried potatoes and sambar(a tastey lentil dipping soup!). This could be a meal in itself. By the time our main courses came, we were full but carry on we must wayward son. I had the Goan prawns with dahi rice (rice with yoghurt) and Wifey had the chicken korma. In my palate, this place can do no wrong. The Goan prawns were spicy as they stated but the yoghurt helped to soothe the tongue. What a killer balance. This is the one time where you don't have to ask for extra hot sauce. Wifey said I should get it "Indian spicy" next time....er, we'll see if the life insurance policy is paid up during our next visit. The chicken korma was mildly spicy and full on savory. The pic you see is what is left over from the dinner. Fortunately for me, Wifey was too full so I got to eat the rest of her dish for lunch today. Good today as it was yesterday. If you're in the mood for some good (probably Americanized) Indian food, you can't go wrong with Dosa. See you there!

Sunday in the park

It was a nice sunny day...perfect for playdates! Here's the fams chowing down. Once you become a parent, have an undisturbed meal is a blessing. I've been friends with two of the ladies in the pic since high school! Can you imagine. The sentimental side of me wished that all of our children will be friends too. I'm sure it'll happen...whether they like it or not! Haha.

North Beach Festival

The family and I spend Saturday at the North Beach Festival. Parking was not too bad. We found parking about a few blocks away. Thank you Parking God...you knew we are with a kid. So as we are walking towards the heart of the gathering, we hear this ongoing chant: "Less gas, more ass!" At first, I didn't know what was going on until this litany of nude cyclists started pasting me by. As quick as I can, I busted out the Iphone...here is the naked truth, dear readers! It was mostly dicks on the drag strip (pun intended). A few ladies were there...I counted maybe about 5 or so in a pack of 30. A gal on the street was utterly revolted. She turned to her s.o. and said, "This is too much information." As more of the cyclist went by, she remarked that the whole scene was "disgusting!" Too bad for her, I'm all for public nudity. Now, don't I feel smug for being so liberal about things...haha. Anyways, I think live and let live is the philosophy to adbide by in my book. So as the cyclists zoomed by, we randomly came across some guy that I work with it. I recognize him facial but not by name or rank. We said our hellos and we went on our way. The last time we were out to this festival was maybe 2-3 years ago. It didn't seem as big or as crowded as this time. It was a fun time. As we got to leave, we passed by a dude who was playing the nyckelharpa. Wifey really liked the soothing sound and she let Patchy listen as the dude plyed his trade. The nyckelharpa (pronounced nickel harpa) is pretty funky looking. It's sorta like a homemade violin thing but plays like a harp. It's a traditional Swedish instrument from what I've briefly read. Anyways, a customer says to the n.h. dude that he liked his playing and inquired if he does events. The n.h. dude looks up from his seat and understatedly responded, "I don't do events anymore...I'm solely a recording artist now." The inquiring guy said, "That's not the right response!" The inquiring guy seemed nice and asked again about doing events, specifically for a wedding. The n.h. dude said something to the effect that he made most of his money from his cd sales ($15 bucks a pop!). After a bit more prodding, the n.h. dude said he charged about $800-900 per event. That's not too bad, I thought. Pretty reasonable. But can you believe the cahones this dude has? We are in a bad economy and music is one thing we can do without (for most people) and he's all up in here spraying attitude? Uh, hello, you're playing in a street festival; trying to hawk your wares?! The capper was that the inquiring dude said he may contact him. The n.h. dude smugly replied, "That's fine...I'm much nicer on the phone." Can you believe that? A funny thing to observe. The n.h. dude was conversation fodder me and wifey the rest of the weekend. We later hit up Chestnut Street and Wifey went to Miette for their macaroons. According to her, they are the best in the City.

Damnation Batch 23

I had this 750 ml on Friday night. The back label had all this miscellaneous info on the number 23. Pretty interesting. Unfortunately, I found the info more appealing than the beer itself. This was a rather forgettable brew. It had a good head...but that's all I can say for it. It seems pretty typical of American beers that try to mimic a Belgian one. They just miss that something...a certain je ne sais quoi (my attempt at French as a ploy to come across as a world sophisticate) that I find in the lowest (if such a word can be ascribed to those lovely quaffers!) Belgians. Oh well, at least I know, again, that there is nothing that can beat authenticity...in beers and in life.

Tan lines

Man, look at the tan line on my ring finger. I've always wanted one of those. I like this look. Yesterday, I forgot my watch and I just felt naked. It's feels like I don't have pants on. I feel the same way about my ring. I need it to complete me.

Bowtie Friday

Here's is my purple bowtie with a pink gingham shirt. Dunno if you can make out the details of the shirt. This is my favorite bowtie because I got married in this one. It's a sentimental thing, I suppose, in that everytime I wear it, it naturally reminds me of the day I got married to Wifey. The vows were transformative indeed. The phrase, "say what you mean and mean what you say" never rang so true. Boy, do I look tired in this pic or what? I had a good night's sleep but sometimes the old body cells don't recharge like they use to. Wouldn't it be nice if we can just swap out our aging cells for new ones. Nanotechnology! Hopefully one day soon...maybe when I'm like 75, I'll have a clone of myself whom I can transfer all of my memories into. Some would call that heaven and other would think that having to live another lifetime would be torture. Wouldn't it be great to live your life again knowing all that you know now? I wouldn't change anything so maybe doing again for a second time won't make that much of a difference. Just a few musings on Friday morning. God, I am so deep...haha...

J. Crew madras cotton tie

To commemorate the day we first met, Wifey bought me this killer new tie. It's advertised as a madras print but I think it's more of a tartan pattern. Nonetheless, I think it's a great tie to wear in the spring/summer time. Enlivens up a dreary work day. Hope you are all having a good work day. One more day till the weekend!

Update: The head honcho at my gig said I looked really preppy today. What a compliment! Hee hee.

Kisaku Japanese Restaurant

Ever since a debacle at another local Japanese joint (which will go unmentioned for now), we have been coming to Kisaku for our Nippon cuisine fix. The quality of the fish here is great. I've never had a bad slice here either in the nigiri or sashimi form. Wifey really likes their teriyaki dishes. I had the beef teriyaki last night for the first time last night. It exceeded my expectations. The beef was done medium well, moist and with no gristle! The beef was tender enough to swallow with one to two chews. Much impressed. Wifey usually gets the chicken teriyaki and it's pretty much the same thing. I like the way the staff prepares the meat. They sear it first on a grill and then broil it. Sorta like doing a steak. It gives it a nice carbony taste to it that's missing in a lot of grilled dishes. The staff is very nice but a bit shorthanded. At peak times, it can be hard to get the attention of a waitstaff. Still, the people are very accomodating. They have no problem with having Patchy sit, yell, feed and coo all the whilst we eat. The above pic is with Wifey and my pops who's been helping with caring for Patchy. The lower picture is the kitchen staff (of course). The guy on the far right is prolly the owner. He's always standing there like a sentry barking orders. A memorable middle of the week dinner for me.

Chouffe IPA Tripel

A really tastey beer from Ardennes, Belgium. It's Belgium version of the India Pale Ale style that's made in the US. As a Belgium afficionado, I prefer this one over some of the US made ones. For me, it's comes down to the fact that this beer is not so hoppy (or bitter aftertaste). I think I have a pretty middle of the road palate in terms of beers. I like something that's not to bitter but not too smooth either. I recently had a Weihenstephaner Original and it was just too mellow for me. It tasted good but the feel of the beer felt like fizzed out soda water. Speaking of Ardennes, Wifey and I are finally getting around to watching Band of Brothers-the HBO tv series that was out like almost a decade ago. What a great series! You really feel for the men who had to serve over there. War has no winner. That's a novel thought, right? Don't blame me people. I'm an intellectual genius...is that an oxymoron? Haha. Anyways, Ardennes has been associated with the Battle of the Bulge but I'm happy that, at least a part of me, will always associate Ardennes with the great beers they produce there nowadays.

Driving home

I was going along at a good clip when the traffic suddenly came to halt yesterday. I wondered what was the matter now. Turns out there was an accident on both sides of the freeway. This pic is the more dramatic of the two. Couldn't get a better shot....no zoom on the Iphone.

KF(aux)C Wings

My version of the famous KFC hot wings. Still not right. These were moist and tasty though (like most fried things). I dipped them in a buffalo wings sauce that I kicked up a few notches with some habanero sauce. Tasty but my tummy pays the price for the pleasure at times.

Ancient Kung Fu Breathing Technique

Unlike like Caine, I am training the boy young so when he's 72 y.o., he'll have this skill down pat. Fear not faithful readers, I just place the baggie in front. His head was never in the bag. Please put the phone down and cease with calling CPS. I know some people there anyways. Haha. Hope you all had a great Monday. The work week starts for me now tomorrow. Gonna get my grind on soon.

A Lagunitas beer review

A limited release from Lagunitas. This was a mildly hoppy beer. I can't wait to try this with fried chicken. A good summer time brew. I like the name of this one too: little sumpin' sumpin' ale.

Julius Caesar's 35th

This was dinner at Maggiano's to celebrate J.C.'s 35th (Not his government name). An all around good guy. The food portion was huge. So much for the recession, it was packed here on a regular Saturday night. I haven't been to Santana Row at night. Had no idea that it turns into a gigantic fern bar at night. The crowd was mostly filled with your typical youngster in their de rigueur get ups. No trads to be found.

A store on Clement Street

On Clement Street, there's is one store that doubles as a fish marekt and a supermarket. If you've ever stepped foot on the street, y'all know which store I'm talking about. This is a shot of some huge clams and conch. They have a pretty decent selection of fish here; seems fresh. Most of the fish were on the low end...mostly tilapia and catfish. Too bad they didn't have any black cod on sale. One time, we walked by this store and we saw a car getting a traffic ticket in front. The guy who got ticketed said in Chinese, the cop gave him a ticket because he was "stopping the world from turning (translated)." It's much more dramatic and funny when the comment is hear in it's native tongue. Hilarious, the guy was mad cuz he was double parked and felt that the officer shouldn't have ticketed him. I assume the justification is that everyone double parks on this street. Normally, people will bitch about the ticket and leave. This guy kept his car there and was whining the whole time; causing a scene. The cop had to yell at him to move his car. The officer was Chinese and the guy accused the Chinese cop of showing up for his white colleagues. Ridiculous. We later saw the cop have a late lunch with his two girls. Some people feel so entitled.

Crow with rat carcass

A random city sight: As we were walking past the street, I spied on a crow with a half eaten rat. Sorry for the poor shot. Wish I had a better camera. Ah, the circle of life. It flew away after this shot. Maybe the click of the Iphone scared it away.

Flowers by La Mar

Step less than 500 feet away from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market and you are in a tranquil/semi-secluded area. La Mar is to the left even though you can't see. Haven't been to the joint yet but we will one day. It was pretty packed in the main dining room. On the far side of the building, you can see the cooks do their thang.

Another FB trek

We got here late this Saturday so the crowd was dying down. We got to chat a bit with Thomas from Roli Roti. He said business was good that day. Very nice to hear. Wifey and I are pulling for all the vendors here to succeed.

Whole Foods in Cupertino

This is the Whole Foods in Cupertino. Man, this place is huge and has sweet beer collection. Whenever I'm near the store, I make a point of stopping just to look at the massiveness of the store. Makes the one I frequent feel like a country store.