Food

I think I forgot to blog before about how I've started biking. My bf has biked to work for a year now, and is a huge advocate of biking everywhere and forgoing the bus or car. Not b/c he's super-green or anything, but b/c he doesn't have to wait for buses or deal with all the people on buses, and cars are too annoying to park in the city. He's been trying to get me to do it too, but I've been resisting b/c the last time I rode a bike, I was maybe 8, with a hand-me down bike with a banana seat, no gears, and no brakes. I tried riding his bike a couple years ago and almost slid into the bay (we were in Foster City on the trail, and yes that's an exaggeration) so I was very uncertain of the whole idea.

He finally talked me into it, though, and to make sure I stuck with it, bought me a bike for Christmas. The first weekend after getting the bike, we rode through Golden Gate Park both days of the weekend (after riding back and forth down the Panhandle for a while). The second weekend, we hit the streets and ended up biking to Sports Basement and to get ice cream in the Mission...and to get dinner all the way up at the Helmand Palace at Van Ness and Green... Totally wiped me out but made me a lot more confident of riding on the street. So, the next week (I think, I don't *think* I'm skipping a week) I found myself biking to work.

Except for one day last week where I was trying to follow my bf past two buses and a truck, the first bus started to pull out but stopped when she saw us, I shied away from the bus, and ended up getting caught in a cable car track and took a big spill on Market St, it's actually gone fairly smoothly. I ride with my bf always, which is good b/c 1) he knows where he's going and 2) he can signal while I'm not yet comfortable taking a hand off the handlebars. We've started taking Mission St to work the last couple days so I don't have to deal with dodging buses while cable car tracks loom to my left and freak me out. And I feel good that I'm getting some cardio in every day, whether I go to the gym or not.

Tonight, we were trying to find somewhere to eat dinner we could bike to. Being as how I don't bike uphill well at all, I was trying to keep it somewhere relatively unhilly to get to, which rules out most of SF =P. The Mission is flat from SOMA, though, so I found us Poc Chuc, a Mexican/Mayan place on 16th between Shotwell and S Van Ness that gets great reviews on Yelp. It was quite good! The food isn't presented in a way that seems in accordance with the prices and description in the menu - more like a plate of home-cooked food that doesn't look that elegant - but it was very tasty. By mentioning we found the place on Yelp, we got free fried plantains (yes!) which were yummy, though served with sour cream for some reason. So not necessary with the sweetness of the plantains. I got a duck dish served on a bed of Napa cabbage with tasty rice on the side, while my bf got a pork chop dish. In both cases, the dishes were just very yummy. It's funny,b/c the menu makes it sound like it's going to be another one of those midrange fancy-ish restaurants where the food looks pretty and might taste good, but it's not. I also got a really yummy huge horchata for $2, while my bf got a watermelon agua fresca he said was ok but didn't taste as fresh as the horchata. I think we'd very likely go back. Not the cheapest dinner but one of the better dinners we've had. There's some good food in the Mission.

2009!

Egads, I haven't posted in a long time. And it's 2009 already! Hm.

Well, some quick updates. Life since October, is it?

- First time ever I spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years at home. As in, my own home, not my parents' home. I guess it makes it seem less like a holiday, but it sure beats going to work!

- Thanksgiving with the bf's parents in SF. Had the Four Seasons Thanksgiving buffet, which was fine, though I didn't eat any main courses. All appetizers and desserts for me. Also ate at Delfina in the Mission, which IMO is good but possibly overrated given how hard it is to get a reservation. The people in our party actually had trouble finding things they wanted to eat off the menu. Also ate at The House in North Beach again. I like the food there - the bf only likes the specials, evidently.

- When we weren't with the bf's parents, we stopped by the Bi-Rite Creamery at 18th and Dolores and discovered their ice cream is really really good. Very interesting flavors (my favorite is probably the Salted Caramel, though it combined with the Mexican Chocolate with salted peanuts was excellent), very interesting toppings (I love the caramelized graham crackers, though the peanut toffee was quite good if a little hard to chew after a while), and just downright yummy ice cream. Ended up having it for dinner the second time we went - and they remembered us from the night before! Gave us two stamps on our "buy 10 get 1 scoop free" card for the night before b/c they remembered us.

- We've gone out to eat a whole lot in the last 2 months, of course, but I can't remember where =P.

- Went to Jamaica the first week of January (Jan. 6-13). Had flight issues with US Air when they canceled our first flight from SF to Charlotte, rebooked the 6 people who were on one itinerary through Vegas 3 hours early, and rebooked me onto a SF->ORD->CLT->MBJ itinerary that would have gotten me in like 3 hours after originally planned. Because I didn't want to miss the pre-arranged shuttles from airport to villa, I rebooked onto a SF->ORD->CLT->MBJ itinerary that gave me a 41 minute layover in CLT. Oops. The ORD->CLT flight was supposedly leaving early and then sat on the runway for like 40 minutes and I ended up with a 20 minute layover in CLT. By booking it, I made my flight but of course my suitcase didn't. And my suitcase didn't arrive until late the next day. Luckily, my friends lent me spare shorts and short-sleeve shirt so I didn't have to wear my SF-winter jeans and long-sleeve shirt the whole time.

The trip itself was nice, though. We went for some friends' wedding - a low key affair without about 20 friends and family, total. They rented two villas at the Silver Sands resort, one of which slept 14 and was right on the ocean, the other only a door away. The villas came with house staff who cleaned and cooked for us, and would cook whatever we requested provided we provided them with ingredients. So thanks to some plotting by another friend, and a lot of leg work from my friends going to the fish market next door and going into Duncans, the nearby town, we were able to sample a whole range of Jamaican food. Jerk chicken and pork, of course, but also curried goat (which I liked a hell of a lot more than I expected given I hate lamb and gamy meats), oxtail, escovitch fish (red snapper, i think, prepared with vinegar and onions), another type of fish prepared with filets, lobster, conch fritters, corn festivals, johnnycakes, meat patties, and more that I probably have forgotten by now. They also made us desserts every night, so we had some delicious key lime pie, a lightly sweet coconut cream pie, rum cake, brownies, and chocolate cake. We even got to dine outdoors one night on tables they set up in the back yard, along with tiki torches and the beautiful full moon lighting everything up.

The villa also had a small pool off the main living area which our resident 18-month old loved splashing in, and a nearby swimming beach that stayed shallow very far out, with wonderfully warm, clear water to frolic in. We ended up not doing much of anything most of the time, sitting around the villa on our laptops, reading books, playing board games, watching movies, etc. I also spent a good bit of time becoming aforementioned 18-month-old's "enabler," the one he knew he could count on to pick him up and let him play with the light switches and electric fans endlessly. I guess I really am quite inclined to spoil children. I have to say though - he is really cute! Sigh... Anyway, on the Wednesday, we did go to Falmouth for their weekly flea market, reportedly the biggest market on the island. It was an interesting experience - not the least bit touristy at all, but instead clearly where the locals shopped for clothing, household goods, etc. There were aisles upon aisles of booths set up with all sorts of merchandise. Kind of like an open-air run-down mall. On Friday, I set up a trip to Ocho Rios and Dunn's River Falls via Silver Sands (having chosen Friday since there was no cruise ship in port that day). Ocho Rios itself was less than fascinating, especially since all we did there was walk to a Mother's Patties, have lunch, and walk back to the shuttle. The fern gully we drove through was more interesting though, having driven through the Pacific Northwest, not all that interesting. Though there were a lot of craft booths there, and I got a super-cute wooden crab with removable limbs there. Dunn's River Falls, though, was totally worth the trip. It was an activity entirely up my alley - don water shoes and start climbing up a series of falls in a river that spilled straight into the ocean. Playing in water, clambering up rocks, getting to slide down a natural waterslide or do a trust fall backwards into a deep pool of cool water... I loved every minute of it. Didn't even think the water was that cold, though others would definitely disagree. My only complaint is it was too short! 45 minutes flew by and we were at the top of the climbing area. Also a plus was that the guide we got didn't make us hold hands in a daisy chain like they typically do, so we were able to hold onto the rocks and climb at our own pace, more or less. All in all, it was a good trip. Very relaxing. And having the ocean right outside our window was beautiful. Oh, and the wedding was really nice too! =)

- For Christmas, my parents visited SF. My bf cooked Christmas dinner - delicious tenderloin roast with chimichurri sauce, green beans with walnuts in a maple/citrus glaze, baby arugula salad with roasted pears, cheese, and nuts, and a very dense, yummy chocolate cake. It was a huge hit, even with my parents who tend to prefer Asian cuisine. We opened a slew of presents (which quite overwhelmed my bf), played Lips, the new Xbox360 karaoke game, and just had a nice time together. While they were here, we also ate at R&G Lounge, which is one of the few places I'll go through the effort of eating crab b/c their salt and pepper crab is so delicious, Dragonfly, the Vietnamese restaurant my bf has declared just an overall good find b/c we've liked every dish we've tried there, it's not too crowded, and it's not too expensive, Kiji, the sushi restaurant in the Mission with quite yummy fish and rolls, and Esperpento, a tapas place in the Mission that turned out to be super-yummy. My bf said it was like a good, home-style tapas place - nothing too fancy or pretentious, just yummy comfort food, Spanish-style, which was all very tasty.

- Saw the Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum. I used to listen to the soundtrack incessantly when I was like 8 or 10, but I'd only seen the actual stage show once, from stools behind the back row in Toronto. I'd forgotten how incredibly melodramatic that musical is. The Phantom I saw had a wonderful voice, but was a terrible overactor so it was hard to watch him (as opposed to listen to him). The Christine had a good voice and was quite pretty, but she was a little too Cosette-like in the quality of her voice at times, and I don't like Cosette. Plus, it's such a thankless role playing the head-in-the-clouds, terrified-half-the-time character of Christine. Raoul was fine, Carlotta was fine, Piangi had a weak voice but good comic form. I did like the Madame Giry, and Mssrs Andre and Firmin quite a lot though. We were sitting close enough for the chandelier to be right above our heads before it got pulled into the stage when it came down, but the effect was less than impressive, IMO. Too jerky, too obviously on ropes. Ah well. Now I know I don't need to see Phantom again - some good songs but far too melodramatic for my taste, no characters I can sympathize with, and several songs where you can't tell what the hell is going on...oh and several songs that go on too long. My childhood obsession with Les Miz has held up over time. Not so much the Phantom.

- New Years was a low key affair at a friends' house. Hot pot, good company, playing with aforementioned 18-month-old, Speed Racer, and catching the ball drop 10 seconds before it dropped. Oh and super yummy, way too rich dulce de leche cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

- Doctor Who Christmas Special - yay! New Doctor...er...yay? Sad to see old Doctor go. Warily giving new Doctor room for doubt...

And now I'm back at work. =)

Good restaurant

Discovered a really tasty, cool new restaurant last night. La Mar Cebicheria Peruana at Pier 1 1/2 on Embarcadero. Sometimes I actually do get good recommendations from Yelp. It's a Peruvian restaurant that specializes in cebiche (which I guess is how they spell the Peruvian version of ceviche). I was wrong in thinking that on a Wednesday night we didn't need a reservation - despite the fact that the restaurant's dining room seemed to be quite large, they were already fully booked for the evening. However, they sat us at the relatively sparsely populated cebiche bar, which worked just fine for us (we also had the option of taking a table in the front bar section, but it was quieter by the cebiche bar). Service was quite prompt and attentive. Food was yummy. We got the cebiche tasting which was a sampler of the mixto, the chifa, the clasico, and the nikei, which were all quite yummy. The only odd thing is that they seem to cut the pieces of raw fish really large - like sashimi - while I'm used to the smaller pieces in Mexican ceviche. In fact, it almost felt more like sashimi with accompaniments than how I usually think of ceviche, but still good (actually there was a lot of Asian influence all around - evidently Chinese-Peruvian food is a whole subgenre). For entrees, I got the duo de pato, which was two different types of duck - a duck confit on a bed of risotto and a few slices of duck breast on a tasty potato base with some sort of Asian-influenced sauce. They were both good, though I found the duck breast a bit more to my taste. My bf got the atun, or ahi tuna, which was crusted and seared in 3 chunks, each on top of a different base. Also good. For dessert, even though we were stuffed, I tried the fried pumpkin and sweet potato fritters which came with a kind of syrup to dip them in (I think it was passionfruit infused syrup, but the dessert menu isn't on their website so I can't be sure). They were different, and good, but not incredibly interesting (they sounded more unique on the menu). Kind of a light, airy, fried dough, basically. Oh, and instead of bread, they gave us a huge basket of plantain, yam, and potato chips which we started off by dipping in the 3 sauces they gave us, and then ended up using to scoop up the cebiche. Good stuff. All in all definitely not a cheap meal, but one of the better restaurants we've tried.

Updating

This blog is *supposed* to more or less be a record of stuff I do so I can remember it later, so of course it's totally useless that I haven't been updating.

So, a quick recap, for my own gratification.

We've been to plenty of restaurants that were indifferent or disappointing. Stuff that sounded good but just didn't taste that good. Or wasn't as interesting as it should have been. Places like Zare at Fly Trap, a Mediterranean place with an interesting sounding menu but eh food, or Oola, which is just disappointing.

Some highlights that we tried and very much enjoyed:
Isa (3324 Steiner btwn Chestnut and Lombard in Marina). Cute little restaurant, super-tasty food. A nice surprise, worth the trip up to Marina.

Range (842 Valencia St, btwn 19th and Cunningham Pl in Mission). Went there recently and just thought the food tasted really good. Got a pork chop (very large, very tender and juicy) with squash puree (I love butternut squash soup, very close to that) and swiss chard (yummy and done way better than how Oola did it). My bf got the hangar steak which was tender and good, though we didn't quite like the side as much (mostly b/c kale is more bitter than chard). His appetizer salad was also good. Very yummy, I'd go back.

Can't remember much else except that I'm not so keen to return to Siam Thai - just not that good quality - and I'm annoyed because Koh Samui and the Monkey decided to give themselves an additional $2 in tip (good thing I check my credit card bill pretty closely).

Went to see A Bronx Tale - a one man play written by and starring Chazz Palmintieri that was the basis of a Robert De Niro movie several years ago. It was surprisingly good, surprising mostly because I'm not familiar with one man shows and wasn't sure at first about this one guy up there for an hour and a half talking, but Chazz Palmintieri was very good. Very compelling, very amusing, very touching, and very energetic.

Also went to see Spring Awakening. Not sure what I think about that show. The music was nice, I quite liked it, but lyrically I had no idea what was going on. I kept trying to listen as closely as possible but missed a lot of lyrics. The stuff I did catch, about 80% of the time, didn't seem directly related to what was going on. Or it was related, but in that more abstract pop kind of way. Not as direct or obvious as typical musical lyrics. Plotwise, it seemed like "what are all the bad things we can throw at these teenagers al at once?" and only worked as a function of the time period. It's a show I don't know if I'd recommend, to be honest, even though the cast were talented and energetic and young, and the music sounded good. Though maybe others would like it.

No skating shows for me this fall, since Kurt Browning pulled out of the two Disson shows he'd been in, due to his father's illness (luckily he's better), and I pulled out of the one show I did have a trip planned to due to a cold.

A number of weddings, though, including one I was in. Big, beautiful affair at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay where I was in the wedding party (strapless dresses don't stay on! makeup doesn't come off! hair looked weird! still lots of fun!), and a more low key, but still nice, affair the next day at the Marriott San Mateo. Lots of weddings this year, got another one coming up in November, and another in December...

Otherwise, still indulging my Doctor Who obsession by watching every special feature there is on the DVDs and all the Doctor Who Confidentials I downloaded (since the DVDs only have the "cutdown" version).

Enough of an update for now, I can't remember anything else =).

David Tennant

Evidently my last blog post was a collection of YouTube links for Neil Patrick Harris. Well my newest actor interest is David Tennant, aka the 10th Doctor Who, who's currently winning critical acclaim onstage with the RSC as Hamlet and Berowne (Love's Labour Lost). Aside from being an excellent Doctor in the new Doctor Who, and possessing an incredibly charming Scottish accent and personality in interviews (and DVD commentaries - he's a total Doctor Who geek/fanboy), he's been in quite a number of things on British TV over the years. YouTube is a treasure trove of links to his past performances, so I figured I'd use this blog as a place to keep track of the various things I've found, some of which I haven't even watched yet, for easy future reference.

This is obviously a post basically for me.

People Like Us - a mockumentary about acting, featuring David as a struggling young actor, being followed by a camera crew for a day. Very dry, absurd sense of humor played totally straight.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Takin' Over the Asylum - one of David's first professional roles, and apparently recently released on DVD due to its popularity on YouTube. About an aspiring (but failing) Scottish DJ who tries to restart a radio station at a mental asylum. Features David as a young manic-depressive in the institution, and lets us get to know a number of patients over the course of six episodes. This is actually a really touching series that presents mental disorders quite seriously.
Episode 1, Part 1
Episode 1, Part 2
Episode 1, Part 3
Episode 1, Part 4
Episode 1, Part 5
Episode 2, Part 1
Episode 2, Part 2
...this is taking too long since there are 30 parts. Follow the "related" links to find the rest.

Recovery - one of his best roles, IMO. About a regular man - a husband, father of two, and supervisor of a construction site - who is struck by a truck one day, sustaining serious head trauma and waking up completely different. He has trouble with his memory, has lost all his inhibitions, and is quite unable to function as an independent adult. His wife struggles to deal with this new man, and his children don't know how to react to him. He filmed this between seasons of Doctor Who, I think, and there's not a trace of the Doctor in his performance.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Sweet Night, Good Heart - short film, with David's character completely screwing up his attempt to break up with his girlfriend.

Nine and a half minutes - another short film, this one evidently a couple playing out a relationship in 9.5 minutes, though there are some puzzling things about it I haven't quite figured out.

Measure for Measure - a scene from Measure for Measure, from a Shakespeare documentary.

Only Human - evidently a BBC pilot that was never picked up. Kind of an odd concept - David as a private eye or something who suddenly gets an AI helper
Part 1
Part 2

Love in the 21st Century - I don't know anything about the series but David was in one episode. A woman just turning 30 is pressured by her mom and everyone around her into thinking she wants to have a baby, and so she starts resorting to rather unconventional measures to get one... David is the doctor who catches her eye as a potential father of her baby.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Chatterly Affair - just David's scene, playing a professor who testified at the trials surrounding the banning of Lady Chatterly's Affair.

Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - haven't seen this yet. David and Peter Davison (one of the previous Doctors) in a shortish clip from one episode of this series.

The Deputy - someone just uploaded this. David doesn't have a huge role, and given it's about the Deputy Prime Minister of Britain, it's not terribly fascinating to me, but I do kind of enjoy his part, particularly his interactions with the Deputy PM (he's an aide).
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

There's definitely a lot more - for instance, I haven't linked to anything from Blackpool, or Casanova (neither of which I've seen, both of which I've heard a lot of good about), and there are a number of other roles with clips on YouTube. But I'm kind of tired now and must do other things =).

What a crazy random happenstance!

Forgot to blog about it earlier, but luckily, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" is still up and available to watch for free on Hulu, or download on iTunes.

It's an Internet musical about a wannabe low-rent supervillain, Dr. Horrible (played by Neil Patrick Harris, who is awesome), his arch-nemesis, the smarmy Captain Hammer (played by Nathan Fillion), and Penny, the girl at the laundromat he can't work up the courage to talk to (played by Felicia Day). Co-written, directed, and produced by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly), it's got great songs, great humor, some awesome lines, and that priceless mix of cheese and unexpected emotion. Check it out!

Speaking of the awesome Neil Patrick Harris, some YouTube goodness (and evidently Doogie Howser seasons 1 & 2 are up on Hulu):

NPH and Jason Segal singing "Confrontation" from Les Miz on the Megan Mullally show. It's hysterical and awesome, all at once.

Telly's New Shoes - NPH on Sesame Street next season as the "Shoe Fairy". The guy can sing!

NPH's Old Spice commercial - just fun

NPH as Tobias in Sweeney Todd with Patti LuPone

NPH and Christian Menna sing "What You Own" from Rent on the Rosie O'Donnell show, circa 1997. Finally get to hear NPH as Mark! I'm not entirely sure I like how he sings this - he's kind of doing the Anthony Rapp but pinching his voice *just* a little too much for my taste. Sure sounds different than his later singing... Still, really neat.

Take Me Or Leave Me 1/2
Take Me Or Leave Me 2/2
This is just fun - Neil and his boyfriend David Burtka performing "Take Me or Leave Me" from "Rent" at "Broadway Backwards" which is evidently where women sing the men's parts and men sing the women's... from the "Kiss, Doogie" to NPH doing his best Joanne, it puts a smile on my face.

OK I should go to bed. But there's more!

Quick updates

I never have time to blog anymore.

Quick bits, hopefully to be filled in later:

El Farolito at Mission & 24th - didn't like. Mystery bits of meat, odd chile sauce mixed with meat, badly balanced burrito (huge chunk of rice, then a bunch of meat in middle, then a lot of beans at bottom). Supposed to be good, but disappointment. The strawberry agua fresca was yummy.

Le Charm French Bistro at 5th and Folsom - not bad. Cute restaurant, nice service (though the waitress forgot she hadn't given us the dessert). Good onion soup, duck leg confit was way too salty, apple tarte tartin dessert was delicious.

Schitzelhaus at 8th, I think? Went a while ago, didn't have the schnitzel, but what I did have, which slips my mind at the moment was very yummy. I liked. Would go back.

Muracci's at Kearny and Bush - Japanese curry - chicken katsu curry, specifically - for lunch. Bit of a wait. Quite yummy. Ended up super-full b/c of eating every bit of rice with sauce on it.

Cabo - fun! great view! yummy mangoes! sea kayaking and snorkeling is fun! Hopefully will write more later.

A Chorus Line - opening song very familiar. Overall show was ok. I think the cast were picked more for their dance skills (which were impressive) than their singing skills, so some of the women, in particular, seemed to have somewhat shrill, very musical-theater-esque voices. The songs weren't particularly memorable, though funny at times and touching at times. Honestly, overall didn't particularly like it. Didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't see it again and I wouldn't buy the soundtrack. At least now I've finally seen this very famous show, though, so I don't have to be curious anymore =).

I know I've gone to other restaurants, and done other stuff, but it's slipping my mind for now...