Sunday, May 22, 2011
Farewell
I started this blog thinking it would be a fun way to post about the various adventures on which Captain America and I embark. However, I discovered that while I enjoyed setting up the blog, and I enjoyed the activities, blogging about them after the fact just became another thing on my to-do list. Therefore, I have decided that I am no longer going to continue with 52 Saturday Nights. There is just no sense in having a hobby you don't enjoy. But you can still follow me over at Virginia's Rants.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A hauntingly Egyptian weekend
This is another post that I began over a month ago and never moved forward with. I'm posting it as is.
Earlier this month, Captain America and I took a weekend trip to LA to participate in Tea with Amelia Peabody. For those of you who don't know, Amelia Peabody is the narrator of a series of books that take place in the Victorian era in England and Egypt.
I must admit, I had to trick Captain America a little bit to get him to go to this, but I think he ended up having a jolly good time. First, I told him that we were going to meet the Professor and the Professoress in LA. That was fine. Then I told him that we were going to tea. He thought that was a little unmanly, but agreed. Then I told him it was Egyptian-themed, and was put on my ARCE, the same group that organized our Oasis trip. He was okay with that. The the Porfessoress bought the tickets, I sent her a check, and informed Captain America that it was a costume event. He declared, in his most Emerson-esque voice, that he was NOT going to a costume event. I could go alone and waste the money we spent, AND that I had better not spend too much on the costumes, either. It's a good thing I have my own bank account!
The website promised a skit, and that never really materialized, but we did get pictures with Peabody and Emerson. Everyone at our table won something in the raffle, so that was fun. There was a ton of food and tea, and little games on the table, including Amelia Peabody mad libs. Here is an example:
Amelia peered over her husband's shoulder at the papyrus he was unrolling. It seemed a _____ specimen, possibly dating from the reign of _____. She could see finely painted figures of _____, _____, and _____. The hieroglyphs seemed to have been written in a _____ hand. Her _____ son, Ramses, cleared his throat. "Excuse me Mother, your _____ hat impedes my view." Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand from her husband's _____ chest, went to the mirror, unpinned and removed the offending hat, decorated with ever fashionable _____. Really, she thought, they might have washed up after coming in from the railway station at _____, which everyone knew was _____.
It was good fun that became even better fun when we stared making up our own words instead of using the set we had been given.
Did you know that Amelia Peabody loves donkeys? I knew she liked them to be clean (or as clean as possible) and that she abhorred the mistreatment of animals, but I did not know of Animal Welfare of Luxor (AWOL--no, I did not pick that acronym). You can check out their site and make a donation at http://www.awol-egypt.org/.
Earlier this month, Captain America and I took a weekend trip to LA to participate in Tea with Amelia Peabody. For those of you who don't know, Amelia Peabody is the narrator of a series of books that take place in the Victorian era in England and Egypt.
I must admit, I had to trick Captain America a little bit to get him to go to this, but I think he ended up having a jolly good time. First, I told him that we were going to meet the Professor and the Professoress in LA. That was fine. Then I told him that we were going to tea. He thought that was a little unmanly, but agreed. Then I told him it was Egyptian-themed, and was put on my ARCE, the same group that organized our Oasis trip. He was okay with that. The the Porfessoress bought the tickets, I sent her a check, and informed Captain America that it was a costume event. He declared, in his most Emerson-esque voice, that he was NOT going to a costume event. I could go alone and waste the money we spent, AND that I had better not spend too much on the costumes, either. It's a good thing I have my own bank account!
The website promised a skit, and that never really materialized, but we did get pictures with Peabody and Emerson. Everyone at our table won something in the raffle, so that was fun. There was a ton of food and tea, and little games on the table, including Amelia Peabody mad libs. Here is an example:
Amelia peered over her husband's shoulder at the papyrus he was unrolling. It seemed a _____ specimen, possibly dating from the reign of _____. She could see finely painted figures of _____, _____, and _____. The hieroglyphs seemed to have been written in a _____ hand. Her _____ son, Ramses, cleared his throat. "Excuse me Mother, your _____ hat impedes my view." Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand from her husband's _____ chest, went to the mirror, unpinned and removed the offending hat, decorated with ever fashionable _____. Really, she thought, they might have washed up after coming in from the railway station at _____, which everyone knew was _____.
It was good fun that became even better fun when we stared making up our own words instead of using the set we had been given.
Did you know that Amelia Peabody loves donkeys? I knew she liked them to be clean (or as clean as possible) and that she abhorred the mistreatment of animals, but I did not know of Animal Welfare of Luxor (AWOL--no, I did not pick that acronym). You can check out their site and make a donation at http://www.awol-egypt.org/.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
A heartfelt weekend of eating
So I started this post back in February, when all of this was relevant, but somehow I've lost interest, and now I'm just going to publish it the way it is.
This was supposed to be a blog about all sorts of things to do in California, San Diego, specifically. And yet, all I seem to do is eat on my weekends. This is, actually, mostly true because a) I don't like to cook, 2) all of my friends have to eat, too, and d) (you're welcome, Kiddo, for that Home Alone reference) wait, I'm not sure there was a "d." But I promise some exciting events are in the works, so stay tuned.
In the mean time, this weekend I went to Pappa Lecco on 5th Ave. in Hillcrest with two friends from work. Captain America decided to go to some sort of airshow on Coronado and had to sit in a lot of traffic while I enjoyed an Italian soda, a latte, and a margarita pizza.
Sunday, some other friends flew into town and we met them at a Hawaiian breakfast place, then we went to the zoo, then we went to Hash House a Go Go for dinner.
Monday, Captain America took Voracious, T kayaking while the Professor went to his conference or whatever it was (someone has to work around here). Voracious, T, Captain America, and I went to Lei Lounge for dinner, which would have been quite nice except it took us over an hour to get there because traffic was atrocious, and we were all a little irate upon arrival.
This was supposed to be a blog about all sorts of things to do in California, San Diego, specifically. And yet, all I seem to do is eat on my weekends. This is, actually, mostly true because a) I don't like to cook, 2) all of my friends have to eat, too, and d) (you're welcome, Kiddo, for that Home Alone reference) wait, I'm not sure there was a "d." But I promise some exciting events are in the works, so stay tuned.
In the mean time, this weekend I went to Pappa Lecco on 5th Ave. in Hillcrest with two friends from work. Captain America decided to go to some sort of airshow on Coronado and had to sit in a lot of traffic while I enjoyed an Italian soda, a latte, and a margarita pizza.
Sunday, some other friends flew into town and we met them at a Hawaiian breakfast place, then we went to the zoo, then we went to Hash House a Go Go for dinner.
Monday, Captain America took Voracious, T kayaking while the Professor went to his conference or whatever it was (someone has to work around here). Voracious, T, Captain America, and I went to Lei Lounge for dinner, which would have been quite nice except it took us over an hour to get there because traffic was atrocious, and we were all a little irate upon arrival.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Triple D
For those of you who thought you'd be getting a post about gigantic boobs, I'm sorry to disappoint you.
As luck would have it, Wednesday is the food day for section E in the local San Diego Tribune. Section E is that human interest section that features a different theme each day of the week. I think Monday is science, Tuesday is health, Thursday is sort of funny because there's a section called Night and Day to gear readers up for the weekend, and then Friday is another Night and Day, and Saturday is Home and Garden. I have no idea if there is a section E on Sunday because all I read (from the paper) on Sunday are the comics and Parade.
The last Wednesday that my mother was here, the food section had an article on that guy, Guy Fieri (really, that was not an intended pun), and the Triple D restaurants in San Diego. My mom picked out Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill for dinner. I had the clam chowder, which was more pepper-y than I like it, and two different fish tacos. They were fantastic and huge! Next time I'll only order one. Mom and her friend had the fish plate. Both of them enjoyed their meal, too.
If you're going to meet friends there, make sure you all arrive at the same time, because you order before you get a table. The restaurant does take reservations for parties of seven or more.
As luck would have it, Wednesday is the food day for section E in the local San Diego Tribune. Section E is that human interest section that features a different theme each day of the week. I think Monday is science, Tuesday is health, Thursday is sort of funny because there's a section called Night and Day to gear readers up for the weekend, and then Friday is another Night and Day, and Saturday is Home and Garden. I have no idea if there is a section E on Sunday because all I read (from the paper) on Sunday are the comics and Parade.
The last Wednesday that my mother was here, the food section had an article on that guy, Guy Fieri (really, that was not an intended pun), and the Triple D restaurants in San Diego. My mom picked out Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill for dinner. I had the clam chowder, which was more pepper-y than I like it, and two different fish tacos. They were fantastic and huge! Next time I'll only order one. Mom and her friend had the fish plate. Both of them enjoyed their meal, too.
If you're going to meet friends there, make sure you all arrive at the same time, because you order before you get a table. The restaurant does take reservations for parties of seven or more.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Mom's birthday
My mother was able to celebrate her birthday in San Diego this year. For fun, she got to run errands and take care of her post-op daughter (me). But we did manage to get in some fun things, which I thought were on the list, but as it turns out, were not. But I'll add them anyway.
After running a few errands, we headed over to Extraordinary Desserts for lunch. We each ordered a pot of tea, Mom had a salad, but unfortunately I can't remember which one. I had the aged cheddar grilled cheese sandwich and I added avocado. It was fabulous. For dessert, Mom had a lemon bar and I had a strawberry shortcake. The "cake" part of both of these desserts was not what we expected, but I guess that's what makes them extraordinary, and we both LOVED our desserts.
Next stop, the Wangenheim Room at San Diego's Central Library. The Wangenheim Room houses the San Diego Library's rare book collection. The collection includes media dating back 4000 years and even includes Babylonian clay tablets from 2300BCE. There is also a substantial collection of miniature books. The room is named after Julius Wangenheim who donated much of the collection. As a bibliophile, many of the books relate to the history of writing and bookmaking.
One interesting thing I learned was the origins of the term pulp fiction. Early written documents were made of animal products or linen, but when a technique for incorporating wood pulp into the paper making (or perhaps page making) process, it created a cheaper, easier to mass produce, surface on which to write. This surface was especially popular with a particular niche of fiction writers, thus the term.
And I learned a new vocabulary word: incunabula, or items printed before 1500AD.
Then we moved on to Balboa Park, where I took a nap and Mom enjoyed the artist's village. We even signed her up for a glass class when she's back next week. Balboa Park has a lot to offer, including gardens, museums, a carousel, the Zoo, and theaters, in addition to the artist's village.
Finally, we picked up Sister and took Mom to The Merk for dinner.
Also while Mom was here helping me convalesce, Captain America took us to La Jolla Cove, where I sat on the beach and read while Mom and Captain America went kayaking. They had a blast, and although Mom got soaking wet, she did not fall into the ocean.
All in all, I think she had a pretty good visit, and as bizarre as it is to say, it's definitely better when the visit begins with general anesthesia, than when it ends with it.
After running a few errands, we headed over to Extraordinary Desserts for lunch. We each ordered a pot of tea, Mom had a salad, but unfortunately I can't remember which one. I had the aged cheddar grilled cheese sandwich and I added avocado. It was fabulous. For dessert, Mom had a lemon bar and I had a strawberry shortcake. The "cake" part of both of these desserts was not what we expected, but I guess that's what makes them extraordinary, and we both LOVED our desserts.
Next stop, the Wangenheim Room at San Diego's Central Library. The Wangenheim Room houses the San Diego Library's rare book collection. The collection includes media dating back 4000 years and even includes Babylonian clay tablets from 2300BCE. There is also a substantial collection of miniature books. The room is named after Julius Wangenheim who donated much of the collection. As a bibliophile, many of the books relate to the history of writing and bookmaking.
One interesting thing I learned was the origins of the term pulp fiction. Early written documents were made of animal products or linen, but when a technique for incorporating wood pulp into the paper making (or perhaps page making) process, it created a cheaper, easier to mass produce, surface on which to write. This surface was especially popular with a particular niche of fiction writers, thus the term.
And I learned a new vocabulary word: incunabula, or items printed before 1500AD.
Then we moved on to Balboa Park, where I took a nap and Mom enjoyed the artist's village. We even signed her up for a glass class when she's back next week. Balboa Park has a lot to offer, including gardens, museums, a carousel, the Zoo, and theaters, in addition to the artist's village.
Finally, we picked up Sister and took Mom to The Merk for dinner.
Also while Mom was here helping me convalesce, Captain America took us to La Jolla Cove, where I sat on the beach and read while Mom and Captain America went kayaking. They had a blast, and although Mom got soaking wet, she did not fall into the ocean.
All in all, I think she had a pretty good visit, and as bizarre as it is to say, it's definitely better when the visit begins with general anesthesia, than when it ends with it.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Party Time!
Tonight, Barbie and I are throwing Ken and Captain America a joint birthday party. Ken and Captain America both have birthdays in March, and since they work together, they know a lot of the same people. And from a practical standpoint, this way there's only one keg, and one mess to clean up.
Barbie and I are rockstars at this sort of thing. The only thing the men were in charge of were hanging lights and getting the keg.
We're going to have homemade mac and cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, spinach and artichoke dip, Pubcakes, brownies, and the ubiquitous fruit and veggie platters. We're going to have a beer pong tournament, with official beer pong rules. We have sleeping arrangements for out-of-town-guests, contingency plans if it rains, and fun non-alcoholic drinks for the designated drivers. We've even arranged for the maid for tomorrow. Yup, we should do this for a living!
Barbie and I are rockstars at this sort of thing. The only thing the men were in charge of were hanging lights and getting the keg.
We're going to have homemade mac and cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, spinach and artichoke dip, Pubcakes, brownies, and the ubiquitous fruit and veggie platters. We're going to have a beer pong tournament, with official beer pong rules. We have sleeping arrangements for out-of-town-guests, contingency plans if it rains, and fun non-alcoholic drinks for the designated drivers. We've even arranged for the maid for tomorrow. Yup, we should do this for a living!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The best tortellini soup ever!
I really thought I had "host a dinner party" on my list of Saturday Night activities, but the closest I could find was "invite friends over," and that's exactly what happened this weekend. When I had surgery in February, my mom made tortellini soup, and it was easy, tasty, and a 1-dish meal. So, I thought, I'll invite some girlfriends over (since Captain America was spending the weekend watching the Big Dance), and I'll make soup and we'll have some wine and chit-chat, and it'll be good fun. This is a great soup to serve a bunch of people because it makes a lot, but it doesn't keep quite so well because the tortellinis continue to retain water (I'm not sure that's the best culinary wording) and start to expand and get soggy and fall apart if you keep it in the fridge too long. So all of my girlfriends were sent home with lunch for the next day! Everybody wins!
Here's the recipe:
1 can chick peas, drained
2 small cans stewed tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
32 oz chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
5 cups water
1 package fresh baby spinach
1 package cheese tortellini
minced garlic
1 package sweet and 1 package hot sausage (or, 32oz sausage)
Method:
Here's the recipe:
1 can chick peas, drained
2 small cans stewed tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
32 oz chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
5 cups water
1 package fresh baby spinach
1 package cheese tortellini
minced garlic
1 package sweet and 1 package hot sausage (or, 32oz sausage)
Method:
- Cook sausage out of casing with garlic in large stockpot, crumbling the sausage while cooking. Drain the sausage.
- Add stewed tomatoes, chick peas, mustard, chicken broth, and water to stock pot.
- Add tortellini and baby spinach to stock pot, and cook until spinach is wilted and tortellini is done (don't bring to a boil).
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Some weekends just are...
...less exciting than others. I had big plans for February 18-20. BIG plans. (Men in skirts BIG!) But then Captain America and I both had to work on Saturday, and something was happening on Sunday morning. Maybe sleeping. I don't even remember any more, and somehow about all that happened is that we went to Ethan Allen and picked out a sleeper chair.
Which is about as different from a sleeper cell as things can get. This is what I call a cuddle chair. Y'know, you and your sweetie can cuddle just fine, but your sweetie and his buddy won't go near it. Ethan Allen sells these cool ones that are like sofa beds, except they are twin-sized, and you can order them with an air mattress on top, which decidedly makes a sofa bed more comfortable.
So instead of having an exciting weekend, we had a domestic one. These things happen sometimes.
Which is about as different from a sleeper cell as things can get. This is what I call a cuddle chair. Y'know, you and your sweetie can cuddle just fine, but your sweetie and his buddy won't go near it. Ethan Allen sells these cool ones that are like sofa beds, except they are twin-sized, and you can order them with an air mattress on top, which decidedly makes a sofa bed more comfortable.
So instead of having an exciting weekend, we had a domestic one. These things happen sometimes.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
A weekend off
Captain America and I both had the weekend before my surgery off. This shouldn't be surprising because we both work Monday-Friday, but between my work being crazy and the way he can re-arrange his weekends, somehow it hasn't felt like we've had a weekend to be together in a while.
So what did we do? He went to a bar to watch the Aztecs game with some friends and I went to the gym with Barbie. Hey, at least we had the option of spending time together. On the other hand, I would have hated watching the game (I don't even know which sport it was), and going to the gym with Barbie killed two birds. We got to spend time together, and we both have to fit into bikinis in about 10 minutes because Easter is the official start to summer here in San Diego.
In other news, I had a week off from work to recover from my surgery, and Mom can't sit still, so we did a number of slow-moving activities. But you'll have to check back to read about them because I'm supposed to be drinking champagne with my husband in celebration of paying off my car, a successful surgery, and buying art for the living room!
So what did we do? He went to a bar to watch the Aztecs game with some friends and I went to the gym with Barbie. Hey, at least we had the option of spending time together. On the other hand, I would have hated watching the game (I don't even know which sport it was), and going to the gym with Barbie killed two birds. We got to spend time together, and we both have to fit into bikinis in about 10 minutes because Easter is the official start to summer here in San Diego.
In other news, I had a week off from work to recover from my surgery, and Mom can't sit still, so we did a number of slow-moving activities. But you'll have to check back to read about them because I'm supposed to be drinking champagne with my husband in celebration of paying off my car, a successful surgery, and buying art for the living room!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Dinner at The Merk
On Monday, Captain America and I had dinner with my cousin, two of his friends, my sister, and one of her friends at The Merk. I had the most glorious plate of fettuccine alfredo. The sauce was nice and thick with none of those gross pools of oil that cheap alfredo sauces have. When I figure out how to get all savvy with this whole technology thing, I'll illustrate the word "glorious" with halos an angel wings. Because it was that good.
My sister and cousin had the scallops, which they said was also wonderful. Captain America had the chicken parmigiana, which he tried to say with a Spanish accent, so that was special, but he ate all of it so I can only assume that he was either nearly dead from lack of sustenance, or that it was fabulous. (Although he probably wouldn't have used the word "fabulous".) I was too absorbed by my alfredo, that by the time I thought of asking to taste his dish, it was all gone.
I don't think any of us ordered any wine, but we did try a number of their speciality drinks. I, of course, ordered a lemon drop martini and it was good, but not quite as good as the ones at Jayne's Gastropub, but I also didn't have to wait 20 minutes for it. In fact, my second one came so quickly that I didn't even realize it had been placed in front of me.
For dessert, I ordered the cannolis. Sister commented that they were small, but in fact, they were the perfect size. I also tried the espresso martini (don't worry, Mom, Captain America was driving!), and it was very coffee-y without being bitter.
As for the conversation and company, it was all delightful (and yes, AC, I did tell your son to wear a bike helmet, but I don't think he's going to listen to me any more than he listens to you).
This is a restaurant I would definitely go back to!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Pubcakes and Charisma!!
Oh man, I've become way behind on this blog!
Last Saturday, Captain America, some of my girlfriends, and I went to the grand opening of Pubcakes, a new cupcake shop that uses beer in their recipes. The grand opening included a beer garden, but that is not a permanent fixture. I ordered the "beer for breakfast" which has maple cream cheese frosting and bacon bits in the cupcake. The frosting was better than the cake, but the cake was pretty good, too. It wasn't too beer-y. Captain America ordered the "Irish car bomb", which was very good and very chocolaty.
I've already pre-ordered a dozen of the minis for Valentine's day (I ordered two of each variety). Also, there was a coffee shop. The special was a mango iced tea, which was pretty good. I had a hot chocolate, which was very good. The only downside to Pubcakes is that it is located waaayy east on El Cajon Blvd., which is not a part of town that I frequent that often.
For dinner, we joined another set of our friends and headed to Hillcrest for Italian. Coming from the east coast, I have very definite opinions on Italian food. We went to Charisma Cucina Italiana. One of our friends had the green linguine special, which was very good, another friend had the eggplant Parmesan, Captain America had a black spaghetti with shrimp, and I had the clams and white wine sauce. I found my meal to be very salty, which sometimes happens with clam dishes.
We also had all four desserts, including a tiramisu, cannolis, a custard dish (the waiter was off-the-boat-from-Italy, and we couldn't figure out what he called it, but it was very good), and a peach tart. The desserts were very good, but the tiramisu was different. If I thought I was ordering a cake, I would say it was moist and lemony, which is a strange description for tiramisu. The service, atmosphere, and prices were great, and some of the food was fantastic, but not everything.
I am definitely going to go back to Pubcakes, I can't say the same of Charisma, but it won't be off the list, either.
Last Saturday, Captain America, some of my girlfriends, and I went to the grand opening of Pubcakes, a new cupcake shop that uses beer in their recipes. The grand opening included a beer garden, but that is not a permanent fixture. I ordered the "beer for breakfast" which has maple cream cheese frosting and bacon bits in the cupcake. The frosting was better than the cake, but the cake was pretty good, too. It wasn't too beer-y. Captain America ordered the "Irish car bomb", which was very good and very chocolaty.
I've already pre-ordered a dozen of the minis for Valentine's day (I ordered two of each variety). Also, there was a coffee shop. The special was a mango iced tea, which was pretty good. I had a hot chocolate, which was very good. The only downside to Pubcakes is that it is located waaayy east on El Cajon Blvd., which is not a part of town that I frequent that often.
For dinner, we joined another set of our friends and headed to Hillcrest for Italian. Coming from the east coast, I have very definite opinions on Italian food. We went to Charisma Cucina Italiana. One of our friends had the green linguine special, which was very good, another friend had the eggplant Parmesan, Captain America had a black spaghetti with shrimp, and I had the clams and white wine sauce. I found my meal to be very salty, which sometimes happens with clam dishes.
We also had all four desserts, including a tiramisu, cannolis, a custard dish (the waiter was off-the-boat-from-Italy, and we couldn't figure out what he called it, but it was very good), and a peach tart. The desserts were very good, but the tiramisu was different. If I thought I was ordering a cake, I would say it was moist and lemony, which is a strange description for tiramisu. The service, atmosphere, and prices were great, and some of the food was fantastic, but not everything.
I am definitely going to go back to Pubcakes, I can't say the same of Charisma, but it won't be off the list, either.
Monday, January 31, 2011
A British Pub
This weekend, Captain America and I went to Jayne's Gastropub with Barbie and Ken, Hispanic Barbie and Ken, and some friends of Hispanic Barbie and Ken.
Captain America had read about how Jayne's was supposed to be an authentic British Pub, and we were excited to try it with our friends. We were seated at a large wooden picnic table on the back patio, which was adorned with lights, and potted plants, and was really quite a lovely setting. And then we gave our drink orders and waited. And waited. And waited.
We got our drinks and our other friends showed up. And they ordered their drinks and waited. And then we ordered dinner and waited.
There was a lot of waiting. The food was very good; the drinks were fantastic. Hands down, they made the best lemon drop martinis I've ever had, but I would have been just as happy if they were 80% as good and served faster.
The one other problem was that because we were at a large table we couldn't really chat with the people at the other end of the table. That sort of defeats the purpose of going out with friends.
So, sadly this post is short. Because there is no way for me to convey that the food was good, the beverages were wonderful, our friends are even better, without getting bogged down with how slow the service was. If everything had happened about 5 minutes faster it would have been perfect, but, alas, this was not the case.
In a nut shell, don't bother going.
Captain America had read about how Jayne's was supposed to be an authentic British Pub, and we were excited to try it with our friends. We were seated at a large wooden picnic table on the back patio, which was adorned with lights, and potted plants, and was really quite a lovely setting. And then we gave our drink orders and waited. And waited. And waited.
We got our drinks and our other friends showed up. And they ordered their drinks and waited. And then we ordered dinner and waited.
There was a lot of waiting. The food was very good; the drinks were fantastic. Hands down, they made the best lemon drop martinis I've ever had, but I would have been just as happy if they were 80% as good and served faster.
The one other problem was that because we were at a large table we couldn't really chat with the people at the other end of the table. That sort of defeats the purpose of going out with friends.
So, sadly this post is short. Because there is no way for me to convey that the food was good, the beverages were wonderful, our friends are even better, without getting bogged down with how slow the service was. If everything had happened about 5 minutes faster it would have been perfect, but, alas, this was not the case.
In a nut shell, don't bother going.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A busy Sunday
Today I ran the Carlsbad half marathon with my running buddy. By her watch, we finished in 1:56, but I haven't been able to confirm the official results on the website yet. The peak elevation of this race is 75', but that's deceptive--it's very hilly. Obviously no BIG hills, but an ongoing series of rolling hills. The flip side is, the course is along the coast, so it is very scenic and the views are excellent enough that you may even forget how far you're running for a minute or two.
My running buddy and I were well prepared for this race, having already run 12 and 13 miles as part of our training. We didn't even stop to walk through the aid stations, except once, where I got in her way and there was some general confusion going on. There is nearly always general confusion going on at aid stations, between the volunteers yelling out what's in their cups, the runners yelling what they'd like to drink, and people throwing the cups on the ground, along with their GU packets, etc. (not to worry, this is expected behavior and there are clean up crews at the aid stations as well), and the cheerleaders, and bands, and random men in hula-girl aprons and grass skirts.
I'm listing this as "Things to do in San Diego," although technically the race was north of San Diego, in Carlsbad (in case you missed that in the race title), home to Lego Land. (As an aside, I've never been to Lego Land because it is ridiculously expensive, especially if you're not bringing along a kid to get the full experience of the place).
If you are a runner, or a walker, and want a good reason to escape the winter, come to San Diego, complete this race, and then vacation for the next few days. The race started out cool, in the 50s, but by the time we made it to brunch, it was in the 70s. Not bad for January. And because the race is in January, you'll have to train through the holidays, which is helpful if you're not looking to gain 10 pounds in November and December.
And the race was well organized. I've run races where aid stations have been un-staffed, races started late, there was no food at the finish line, and there were moose on the course (okay, that was actually pretty cool). I would like to take a moment to offer a big e-shout out to all of the volunteers who were instrumental in making my race a success. Seriously, there was an aid station at mile 1. There were first aid volunteers cycling on the course. There were lots of local bands and people playing music. At one point there was a stream of surfers running across the course. It was fantastic. Oh, and did I mention that because it's an out-and-back, you'll see the Kenyans zoom past you on thier way in?
One risk I will warn you of, just to present a balanced perspective, is that if you don't normally run in the 70s, or haven't had time to acclimate, it will feel hot. So dress appropriately, shed layers, and don't feel bad about stopping to walk and admire the view.
Then we went to brunch at The Ocean House Restaurant, which is housed in a building from the 1880s. I love buffet brunch. There was an omelet bar, where my aunt actually just ordered scrambled eggs, but I ordered an omelet with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, and cheddar cheese. They also had meat and shrimp, but I'm weird about putting meat in eggs, unless it's a quiche. I guess, more accurately, I'm inconsistent about putting meat in eggs. There were many other breakfast items, including waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, sausages, bacon, and fruit, along with a salad bar, a soup bar, a seafood bar (which my uncle took full advantage of, but something about shrimp and crab legs after running 13.1 miles was totally unappetizing to me), a meat station, and a variety of potatoes and vegetables. And did I mention bottomless mimosas?
Sold!
My running buddy and I were well prepared for this race, having already run 12 and 13 miles as part of our training. We didn't even stop to walk through the aid stations, except once, where I got in her way and there was some general confusion going on. There is nearly always general confusion going on at aid stations, between the volunteers yelling out what's in their cups, the runners yelling what they'd like to drink, and people throwing the cups on the ground, along with their GU packets, etc. (not to worry, this is expected behavior and there are clean up crews at the aid stations as well), and the cheerleaders, and bands, and random men in hula-girl aprons and grass skirts.
I'm listing this as "Things to do in San Diego," although technically the race was north of San Diego, in Carlsbad (in case you missed that in the race title), home to Lego Land. (As an aside, I've never been to Lego Land because it is ridiculously expensive, especially if you're not bringing along a kid to get the full experience of the place).
If you are a runner, or a walker, and want a good reason to escape the winter, come to San Diego, complete this race, and then vacation for the next few days. The race started out cool, in the 50s, but by the time we made it to brunch, it was in the 70s. Not bad for January. And because the race is in January, you'll have to train through the holidays, which is helpful if you're not looking to gain 10 pounds in November and December.
And the race was well organized. I've run races where aid stations have been un-staffed, races started late, there was no food at the finish line, and there were moose on the course (okay, that was actually pretty cool). I would like to take a moment to offer a big e-shout out to all of the volunteers who were instrumental in making my race a success. Seriously, there was an aid station at mile 1. There were first aid volunteers cycling on the course. There were lots of local bands and people playing music. At one point there was a stream of surfers running across the course. It was fantastic. Oh, and did I mention that because it's an out-and-back, you'll see the Kenyans zoom past you on thier way in?
One risk I will warn you of, just to present a balanced perspective, is that if you don't normally run in the 70s, or haven't had time to acclimate, it will feel hot. So dress appropriately, shed layers, and don't feel bad about stopping to walk and admire the view.
Then we went to brunch at The Ocean House Restaurant, which is housed in a building from the 1880s. I love buffet brunch. There was an omelet bar, where my aunt actually just ordered scrambled eggs, but I ordered an omelet with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, and cheddar cheese. They also had meat and shrimp, but I'm weird about putting meat in eggs, unless it's a quiche. I guess, more accurately, I'm inconsistent about putting meat in eggs. There were many other breakfast items, including waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, sausages, bacon, and fruit, along with a salad bar, a soup bar, a seafood bar (which my uncle took full advantage of, but something about shrimp and crab legs after running 13.1 miles was totally unappetizing to me), a meat station, and a variety of potatoes and vegetables. And did I mention bottomless mimosas?
Sold!
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Marble Room
On Wednesday, a girlfriend (who as of yet does not have a character profile) and I went to The Marble Room for Restaurant Week. I have eaten there several times already, because it is my go-to place when I want to take guests someplace for a nice meal, good drinks, live music, in an atmosphere that isn't a club or a lounge where everyone else is about 70 years our senior. And they have really good tapas, which I love. And the prices are reasonable (okay, for everyone who doesn't live in SoCal, you have to interpret "reasonable" here to mean "not exorbitant considering you're in a trendy area of San Diego").
And I realize that Wednesday does not equal Saturday (is there a way to type that sign in blogger?). But Sunday I'm running the Carlsbad half marathon (there will be more on that later), and so my Saturday is going to consist of going to work (don't get me started on this), picking up my race packet and bib, and resting. Not exactly riveting reading material.
I used to really love restaurant week because I felt like I could try out places I don't normally go. And then Captain America started this schedule where he is at work until 10pm, and so any time we're both home at night seems like a good reason to go out and celebrate. And I have enough friends. I'm going to put a full stop there. But what I really mean is that I have enough friends who like going out that I could probably suggest something new every weekend and at least one person would like to join me. So, while the gimmick of restaurant week is losing its charm for me, dining out is not.
The Marble Room did what many restaurants do, which is they kept their regular menu for restaurant week and basically told you that you could have any appetizer, any entree, and a choice of a signature cocktail or a dessert.
My girlfriend ordered the calamari, which was wonderful. It is perfectly battered and fried, not too chewy and not too crispy, and it comes with three dipping sauces. I had the Caprese salad, which I love, to begin with, and to which The Marble Room adds avocado, making it even better. I have read that something magical happens when tomatoes and avocados are eaten together. Somehow they compliment each other and some chemistry goes on and your body actually absorbs more nutrients than it would if you had eaten avocado and tomato at separate times in the day. Not that I need an excuse to eat avocado.
My girlfriend had the steak as her entree. She ordered it medium-well, and it came out more like medium-rare. I guess she didn't mind too much, since she didn't send it back. She wasn't sure she'd like the sauce it came with, and our waitress told her she could have a different sauce, and so she ordered a side of all three. One was spicy and I didn't try it. One was a blue cheese reduction, and was very good, but was the least blue-cheesy looking sauce I have ever seen. The third sauce was our favorite and was a brandy mushroom sauce.
I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, which I have also had before. They are fantastic. They come in almost a teriyaki sauce. It has a little of that sweet/sour flavor but is thicker and darker. Yum!
For dessert, we ordered the whoopie pies and the chocolate peanut butter decadence. The desserts were also very good, but I have to say, the more time I spend baking, the pickier I become about restaurant desserts. I don't know if I could have made the exact same thing, and my presentation skills still leave something to be desired, but I definitely could have made something that tasted as good as the chocolate peanut butter decadence (although I couldn't have made the hazelnut gelato that accompanied it. Which is fine because I don't like hazelnut anyway), and my whoopie pies were a little dry, although to be fair, I've never had a whoopie pie before and so maybe they were supposed to be that way. I wanted to try them because I've been thinking about making some. Depending on the size, they look just like the macarons we had in Switzerland, but absolutely are not. So, I might not be making them.
The singer they had on Wednesday had a very Cheryl Crow-like sound, which was nice.
In conclusion I'd still recommend The Marble Room for tapas, dinner, drinks, and live music, but for dessert, come to my house!
And I realize that Wednesday does not equal Saturday (is there a way to type that sign in blogger?). But Sunday I'm running the Carlsbad half marathon (there will be more on that later), and so my Saturday is going to consist of going to work (don't get me started on this), picking up my race packet and bib, and resting. Not exactly riveting reading material.
I used to really love restaurant week because I felt like I could try out places I don't normally go. And then Captain America started this schedule where he is at work until 10pm, and so any time we're both home at night seems like a good reason to go out and celebrate. And I have enough friends. I'm going to put a full stop there. But what I really mean is that I have enough friends who like going out that I could probably suggest something new every weekend and at least one person would like to join me. So, while the gimmick of restaurant week is losing its charm for me, dining out is not.
The Marble Room did what many restaurants do, which is they kept their regular menu for restaurant week and basically told you that you could have any appetizer, any entree, and a choice of a signature cocktail or a dessert.
My girlfriend ordered the calamari, which was wonderful. It is perfectly battered and fried, not too chewy and not too crispy, and it comes with three dipping sauces. I had the Caprese salad, which I love, to begin with, and to which The Marble Room adds avocado, making it even better. I have read that something magical happens when tomatoes and avocados are eaten together. Somehow they compliment each other and some chemistry goes on and your body actually absorbs more nutrients than it would if you had eaten avocado and tomato at separate times in the day. Not that I need an excuse to eat avocado.
My girlfriend had the steak as her entree. She ordered it medium-well, and it came out more like medium-rare. I guess she didn't mind too much, since she didn't send it back. She wasn't sure she'd like the sauce it came with, and our waitress told her she could have a different sauce, and so she ordered a side of all three. One was spicy and I didn't try it. One was a blue cheese reduction, and was very good, but was the least blue-cheesy looking sauce I have ever seen. The third sauce was our favorite and was a brandy mushroom sauce.
I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, which I have also had before. They are fantastic. They come in almost a teriyaki sauce. It has a little of that sweet/sour flavor but is thicker and darker. Yum!
(These cookies are NOT whoopie pies)
The singer they had on Wednesday had a very Cheryl Crow-like sound, which was nice.
In conclusion I'd still recommend The Marble Room for tapas, dinner, drinks, and live music, but for dessert, come to my house!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
It's 80 degrees here in January!
As much as it's been raining here lately (and coming from Oregon, I feel like I am an acceptable judge of what is a reasonable amount of rain and what is the amount that makes you want to crawl back under the covers until May), the fact that it has been 80 this weekend has boosted this from a good weekend to a fantastic weekend.
We are having a potluck on Friday at work for two people who are leaving my company. They are both vegetarians. Usually, I bring dessert to this sort of thing, but I really haven't been in the mood to bake lately, so I thought I'd bring something vegetarian in a crock pot. I found a mac and cheese recipe, courtesy of a friend who LOVES her crock pot. But the recipe says it's intense, so I figured I'd better try it out on some friends (I was offering wine in the bargain, so, really, how bad could the evening be?). I invited some girlfriends over on Friday, and we had a great time catching up, drinking sangria, and eating mac and cheese and bread pudding. The only "intense" thing about the recipe is that every 20 minutes or so you have to stir it. You are using a bunch of dairy products, and you don't want them to curdle. I doubled the pasta and left the rest of the recipe as is, and everyone loved it. I loved that it was a homemade meal, but I really didn't do a whole lot of work, so I got to enjoy having guests over, too.
On Saturday, I got up bright and early because I had a running club to attend in Carlsbad. I ran 9 miles as my taper for the Carlsbad half marathon next weekend, which meant, as far as I am concerned, that I was completely entitled to my burger and margarita at Rock Bottom with a girlfriend. Then we went to Nails 2000 in UTC and had gel manicures. Somehow, the process involves UV light and to harden the polish, so it doesn't chip. My girlfriend had it done two weeks ago and had no chips, only her nails had grown. So far I've washed dishes without gloves, and zipped my fly (you know how damaging a metal zipper can be to a good mani). The real test will be weight lifting with my trainer on Tuesday. The reviews I read of the place were actually not so good, but I trusted my friend, and I had no issues. This is a more expensive mani than I usually go for (especially considering I have a friend who will do it for free), but I am REALLY hard on my hands, so if it lasts, it will be money well spent.
I am slightly concerned about the UV light, but I wear hand lotion with sunscreen, and I live in California, so on the one hand I try to be pretty careful, and on the other, I'm bound to get some sort of skin cancer at some point, so I seriously doubt that my occasional manicure is really what's going to tip that scale.
This same girlfriend is, sadly, leaving my company. She found a position in a totally different field, and we are all really excited for her, and we're going to miss her, but ever the optimists, we thought this would be the perfect excuse for a "boozy brunch" at Gringo's in PB. They are apparently updating their website, so I've linked it to the yelp site, but they have a $16 brunch, and $4 bottomless mimosas, which may be cause for celebration by itself. Including tax and tip, it works out to about $25 per person. I had never been to Gringo's before, and was a little concerned when a friend described it as "Mexican breakfast," but they had normal breakfast items and some Mexican choices. I was going to try my first tamale, but Mexican food is not my favorite, and when I opened the lid on the buffet line the overwhelming scent of corn stopped me in my tracks. As far as I can tell, a tamale is stuff wrapped in a leaf. It was probably good, but this was just a culinary adventure for which I was unprepared to embark. However, everything I did eat was fantastic. We were there three hours, so I think we totally go our money's worth of mimosas, too.
We are having a potluck on Friday at work for two people who are leaving my company. They are both vegetarians. Usually, I bring dessert to this sort of thing, but I really haven't been in the mood to bake lately, so I thought I'd bring something vegetarian in a crock pot. I found a mac and cheese recipe, courtesy of a friend who LOVES her crock pot. But the recipe says it's intense, so I figured I'd better try it out on some friends (I was offering wine in the bargain, so, really, how bad could the evening be?). I invited some girlfriends over on Friday, and we had a great time catching up, drinking sangria, and eating mac and cheese and bread pudding. The only "intense" thing about the recipe is that every 20 minutes or so you have to stir it. You are using a bunch of dairy products, and you don't want them to curdle. I doubled the pasta and left the rest of the recipe as is, and everyone loved it. I loved that it was a homemade meal, but I really didn't do a whole lot of work, so I got to enjoy having guests over, too.On Saturday, I got up bright and early because I had a running club to attend in Carlsbad. I ran 9 miles as my taper for the Carlsbad half marathon next weekend, which meant, as far as I am concerned, that I was completely entitled to my burger and margarita at Rock Bottom with a girlfriend. Then we went to Nails 2000 in UTC and had gel manicures. Somehow, the process involves UV light and to harden the polish, so it doesn't chip. My girlfriend had it done two weeks ago and had no chips, only her nails had grown. So far I've washed dishes without gloves, and zipped my fly (you know how damaging a metal zipper can be to a good mani). The real test will be weight lifting with my trainer on Tuesday. The reviews I read of the place were actually not so good, but I trusted my friend, and I had no issues. This is a more expensive mani than I usually go for (especially considering I have a friend who will do it for free), but I am REALLY hard on my hands, so if it lasts, it will be money well spent.
I am slightly concerned about the UV light, but I wear hand lotion with sunscreen, and I live in California, so on the one hand I try to be pretty careful, and on the other, I'm bound to get some sort of skin cancer at some point, so I seriously doubt that my occasional manicure is really what's going to tip that scale.
This same girlfriend is, sadly, leaving my company. She found a position in a totally different field, and we are all really excited for her, and we're going to miss her, but ever the optimists, we thought this would be the perfect excuse for a "boozy brunch" at Gringo's in PB. They are apparently updating their website, so I've linked it to the yelp site, but they have a $16 brunch, and $4 bottomless mimosas, which may be cause for celebration by itself. Including tax and tip, it works out to about $25 per person. I had never been to Gringo's before, and was a little concerned when a friend described it as "Mexican breakfast," but they had normal breakfast items and some Mexican choices. I was going to try my first tamale, but Mexican food is not my favorite, and when I opened the lid on the buffet line the overwhelming scent of corn stopped me in my tracks. As far as I can tell, a tamale is stuff wrapped in a leaf. It was probably good, but this was just a culinary adventure for which I was unprepared to embark. However, everything I did eat was fantastic. We were there three hours, so I think we totally go our money's worth of mimosas, too.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Black Swan and fondue
This weekend, some girlfriends and I went and saw Black Swan. I don't know what to make of the movie. I didn't like it, but I didn't dislike it. At first, I thought Nina was schizophrenic, but then one of my girlfriends thought maybe she had continued doing drugs, which makes sense after the costume manager comments that she'd lost weight (how that is possible, I don't know). We also weren't sure if every time Nina saw Lily and it morphed into herself, if she was really seeing Lily and imagining she was that person, or if she was hallucinating herself. (Wow, and after re-reading that paragraph, I'm sure I just confused all of you.)
Also, there was a lot of crotch-touching in the movie. To me, that's a really non-subtle way of expressing sexuality, which is what the black swan is supposed to embody. However, I don't really think of ballerinas as "sexy." For one, they have no curves. Secondly, they move with a precision I just don't equate with sexuality.
Also, there was a lot of crotch-touching in the movie. To me, that's a really non-subtle way of expressing sexuality, which is what the black swan is supposed to embody. However, I don't really think of ballerinas as "sexy." For one, they have no curves. Secondly, they move with a precision I just don't equate with sexuality.
Okay, and one more thing about the movie: is anyone else floored by how little ballerinas eat and still have energy to do anything? Half a grapefruit and one poached egg does not equal a meal in my world, let alone enough to sustain someone for a day of dancing! Good Lord! Maybe ballerinas wouldn't be so catty if they had a little more food in them. I know I'm less pleasant to be around when I'm hungry.
Which brings me to the next part of the evening! The Melting Pot! After the movie, we figured the best way to recover from the horrors of watching Natalie Portman turn into a swan would be to consume an excessive amount of cheese and chocolate!
We had a reservation for 7:30, but we arrived early, so we headed to the bar, where I had a Yin & Yang martini, which comes with chocolate shavings and is fabulous, one girlfriend had a glass of the "red" wine, which was some sort of Spanish table wine, and another girlfriend had the espresso martini with a double shot. It tasted like an iced coffee.
We started our meal with the spinach and artichoke cheese blend, which comes with three types of cubed bread, green apples, and some mixed veggies. The cheese usually comes in an amount to serve two, and then you can add on people, which is what we did. I think the bread/veggies/apples are pre-portioned amounts, but the staff will gladly bring you more if you run out.
My girlfriends both ordered salads. I do not like salads. I just can't get into them. There's always so much lettuce and I don't know, so little of what I'd actually like to be eating. One girlfriend had the California salad, which she seemed to enjoy, and the other had the salad nicoise. The only complaint she made was that her olives were mushy.
And then, of course, we moved on to dessert. We had "the original," which is milk chocolate with a spoonful of peanut butter. But we were feeling bold and daring, and had half milk, half dark chocolate, which was great, because it was less sweet than the milk chocolate, but not as bitter as dark chocolate would have been.
The evening proved to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, between the intensity of the movie, followed by the deliciousness of cheese and the decadence of chocolate. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The first weekend of 2011: #3, 12, 13, 24, 28
I was planning on making this weekend mellow, but mellow for me is apparently pretty busy. On the one hand, I thought it might be kind of lame if I said I was going to sit around reading, but the reality was, this was the first weekend where I didn't have to bake something, or be somewhere, or entertain a guest, or attend a party, or get dressed for that matter, in a while. So I was looking forward to sitting around.Anyway, Running Buddy and I met up at the Target in Mission Valley, and headed over to Cabrillo. Cabrillo is a national monument at the very southern tip of Point Loma. It has bathrooms with the best view ever. Of course, you can get the same view when you're not in the bathrooms, too. The monument has some very nice tidal pools, which we didn't actually get to play in because apparently Cabrillo is the place to go on New Year's day, and EVERYONE was there, so it was crowded. Not crowded by Sea World standards, just crowded for an out-of-the-way national monument.
We did get to go up in the lighthouse, which I love. It's this tiny little old light house and it's completely cramped inside, and I LOVE IT. And, it has a basement! You can't go in the basement, but you can see that it's there. Not a lot of houses in California have basements, which means everything that is basement-y is in your garage. I would say there are no basements because the ground shakes, but that's pretty dumb considering that parking garages and the like are located underground.
One thing I should inform you about going to Cabrillo is that you'll be driving along the road to get there, and it looks like you've come to a gate, and you might worry that they won't let you in. BUT IT'S ALL A LIE! There is no one at the gate, and you are totally allowed in. I promise. Then, you will drive through the naval base located on Point Loma, and really, you're still allowed to do this. And then you'll drive through the military cemetery, and this is okay, too. And then you'll come to the entrance to the national monument. It's bizarre, yes, but Point Loma is exactly that--a long, skinny point, so there's no civilian road and military road. There's just one road. Relax. You'll be fine, and the views are totally worth it.
On our drive out of Point Loma, we were treated to a lovely sunset. Unfortunately, the park closed before the sun actually set, but it's still lovely from the drive.
We decided to head over to Old Town for dinner. Old Town is a historic section of San Diego with a lot of Mexican restaurants and funky shops, as well as a state historic park. It's great for wandering around during the day, and is located on the trolley line, so it's easy to get to from down town.
We opted for dinner at Miguel's, which just recently changed its name from Zocalo. In fact, I think the web address still has Zocalo in it. They served us these fabulous warm, salty chips, and I ordered some guacamole to go with it. Because we were there during happy hour, I took advantage of those savings and also ordered two fish tacos and a strawberry margarita. My total came to just about as much as Running Buddy's, who only ordered the fajitas. She got a TON of food, though. Unlike many other establishments in Old Town, Miguel's has its own parking lot. Old Town does have many free parking lots, but they usually fill up quickly.
It was a fabulous Saturday afternoon, and next time, the only things we'd do differently is we'd start earlier and we'd bring a camera!
Captain America and I finally had a day off together on Sunday, so after puttering around the house and watching football (I'm pretty sure you can figure out which one of us did which of those things) we decided to go on what Captain America calls a spontaneous date.
We went over to Pickup Stix, which may sound like a ghetto date, but I LOVE their noodles, and they are located close to the movie theater that's closest to our house (and yes, the movie theater is a little ghetto, too). We went and saw True Grit. I am not a Jeff Bridges fan, but the movie was quite good. He plays a drunk, like always, but Matt Damon is very good (when isn't he good?), and Haylee Steinfeld was fantastic. There were some funny bits, and I actually cried at the end. (Spoiler alert: the horse dies. I'm a sucker for that sort of thing).
All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing, but not dull weekend.
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