great for parties

After reading my last post on an encounter with the unparalleled Frank Chu, a co-worker and friend pointed out that with the help of this website from ACME, you can make your own sign a lá Frank Chu! For instance...

be sure to leave a few blank lines so the program can fill in some of Frank Chu's gibberish

Oh yes, next time you have to say something special - from "Happy Birthday" and "Thank you" to "Sorry" and "Will you marry me?" - why not say it with Frank Chu?

And yes, apparently I misspelled the man's name in my last post. In that case, so did The Examiner.

a brush with fame

So we lost Thursday's game to the lowly Astros... enough of the usual stuff at the games. Here's something uniquely San Francisco...

A short meeting with Frank Chiu (sometimes Chu)!

12 galaxies to the person who can actually read his sign!

I've always seen this guy parading around Market and Montgomery Streets during lunchtime, and just last week The Examiner ran a short profile on him. While waiting for Sangria to show up, I decided to capitalize on this rare meeting and talk up the man. Unfortunately he did not go to City College of San Francisco so I cannot use him for a feature story. However, he is very nice and kindly answered (sort of answered) my questions about the galaxies and guilty presidents.

And HUZZAH! Madison Bumgarner led the Giants to a WIN over the Astros today!

he returns!

Back in 2008 when Josh Groban - the hottie of popera - was fresh off of the release of his third album Awake, I clinched two tickets to see him live at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. A very fabulous birthday present for my Mumsy indeed!

Unfortunately I did not accompany her... I had a very important class that same Wednesday and I didn't want to miss it. So my dear little sister (that would be Sisterfriend) went to see Josh Groban with Mumsy and they had a blast hearing his rich and heavenly voice. They also played a very mean joke on me, letting me think that they had touched him. And of course, the very scientific Love Calculator says that Sisterfriend is 12% more likely to have a successful relationship with Josh Groban than yours truly... oh that girl!

Anyways, Josh Groban returned to the HP Pavilion after the release of the new Illuminations album. His fourth effort takes a decidedly moodier turn (as evidenced by the change in producer) but after a few takes on  ye olde ipod, the songs grew on me. And so when I got tickets for the Straight to You tour, I was determined that I would be Mumsy's companion. Well it definitely helps that I'm not a full-time student anymore!

He started off a little scratchy - Mumsy the expert says that he didn't condition his voice properly before starting. But we LOVED every moment of this concert. He began on a mini-stage much closer to us and sang one of our favorites, "February Song."

He continued to run between the mini-stage and the main stage, singing with the chamber orchestra and the great drummers and guitar/vocalists. So many songs, each of them a heart-wrenching blend of words and emotions carried by a gentle baritone. I am pretty sure I drummed Mumsy's knee everytime he started a new song. And I am pretty sure she was equally engrossed.

Josh Groban was very energetic... he claims to have consumed a ton of sugar before the show began. Mumsy says he was much more humorous than the last show, and though I didn't know anything about his personality before, I'd place money on Mumsy. Josh Groban was making jokes about his security team, impersonating Stewie from Family Guy, and inviting crazy wino lady up on stage. He even fulfilled a fan's request and sang "Happy Birthday" with her to another fan! Personally I think it's risky to immerse yourself in a shark tank of adoring fans ages 14-80 but he did it, plucked out a fan or two, and came out alive. Go Josh.

Ahh, I just saw one of my greatest crushes of all time and I'm happy as a lark.

like night and day

Due to all the stuff I wanted to do this weekend, I thought it was a good idea to squeeze in two dates into one weekend.

The first was on Saturday night with a guy I shall call Sleepy. Why Sleepy? Because he didn't seem very... present. As Nigel Barker on America's Next Top Model might say, it just felt like he wasn't there. Was he bored? High? Truly sleepy? I'm not sure, all I know is that whatever we had in common, it didn't come through because he was just blank.

Nigel would know a thing or two about being present!
image from avagacser.wordpress.com

The most interesting part of the night was snapping photos of the cute sourdough critters at Boudin's on the pier...

koalas and crabs and turtles, oh my!

Oh yeah, and he didn't pay for dinner. No more Sleepy for me!

So this morning I was pleasantly surprised to meet Guy No. 3. I don't want to give away a lot since we agreed to meet up again but rest assured, Guy No. 3 is smart, humorous, witty, not too awkward, engaging, and above all PRESENT!

return of the tasty travels

Finally got the date right! Sangria and I ate a ton at the San Francisco Street Food Festival on Folsom Street yesterday. This is its 3rd year of celebrating awesome food and we had a good haul.

The pricey bite:

cebiche clásico and chicha morada from the very expensive La Mar Cebicheria

The awkward bite (very difficult to cut with a fork:)

Yect's Peruvian chicken... I must admit I picked up this plate solely because
there was no line.
Now I know why. There is no dish called Peruvian chicken.
That's not how ANYONE rolls.

The meal bite (one is savory and one is sweet:)

Empanadas from Taino's Puerto Rican Food...

the sweet is filled with roasted banana

the savory is stuffed with black beans and corn

The banana bite:

Maite Catering offered Colombian-inspired tapas.
The two on the left are patacon pisao (fried plantains.)
One is topped with ceviche, the other with sauteed mushrooms

we got the aborrajado, plantain fried with guava jam!

The mouthful bite:

Beretta's Marinara Meatball Slider
this chunky little guy was only $3!

I do love a good ginger lemonade, also from Beretta...

The surprising bites:

Sangria was smitten with the Peached Tortilla.
We decided to pick up both of the fusion tacos offered.

the pork belly banh mi taco... so rich!

the pad thai taco provided a refreshing contrast to the banh mi

The scammed bite:

anticuchos from Sabores del Sur.
Decided Sangria didn't need to know exactly what these beef bits are until
after she had eaten them.
Like Oddjob, she loved them!

The returning bite:

Lemon Cookie Ice Cream from Three Twins!
I first tasted this at last year's festival and couldn't wait for another bite!

The didn't-have-it-but-looks-good bite:

po' boys and hush puppies from Zella's Soulful Kitchen.
Looks great, we're just stuffed.

The watchout bite:

I was intrigued by the display at Azalina's Malaysian tent...

the fried peanut taco was very good, sweet and spicy and so yummy.
But watchout, there are 3 toothpicks!

The last bite:

Sweet Potato Waffles from Pinx.
We weren't totally sold on this one but a man working for the Pinx tent
totally talked them up.
We were very satisfied afterwards.
That man needs to be paid more.

Sangria and I agreed that the best foods were the fusion tacos from the Peached Tortilla and Beretta's meatball sliders... such tasty small plates that are well worth the $3 we paid for each. Beretta has its own brick-and-mortar location on Valencia Street so you can always visit. But if you see that Peached Tortilla truck ambling on, you run down and chase it!

here comes those two fat ladies

Well, not fat. Not yet.

Crawled through rush hour traffic to get to Tater's house but was rewarded by creating a delicious dinner and having a damn good time doing it! Between the two of us technologically-retarded girls, we managed to Skype Cabbage and include her in the cooking fun.

Thanks to Nordstrom Family & Friends Cookbook, we dished out a very tasty chicken pot pie (we used premade piecrust dough instead of making our own angel biscuit dough from scratch but I don't think we're ready to take steps as complicated as incorporating chilled crisco into the mix.) Maybe we added too many vegetables as we didn't use measuring cups, maybe we didn't let the sauce reduce as much but these trifles didn't hinder our quest.

our 10-inch chicken potpie, glorious in all of it's golden-brown splendor

At Tater's discretion we added two thinly sliced red potatoes in lieu of asparagus... not that we don't like asparagus, Tater just got creative. I also think that the corn she shucked and shelled added a some sweetness and crunch to the pie, not what you usually get from Marie Callender.

Couldn't find the box of 99 cent pudding at Trader Joe's to save my life so after talking to a floor rep and a friendly shopper, we picked up some of Trader Joe's brownie truffle mix. Our heavenly dessert, eaten with vanilla bean ice cream:

I guess we really like round dishes

And let's not forget our almost-forgotten side...

onion rings!
These were good but unnecessary as the chicken potpie was very filling.

Enjoyed these goodies with some wine and The Princess Bride... this delightfully random movie never gets old.

Had to cut myself a small slice for breakfast today...

I love leftovers!

... as later I will be jumping into the San Francisco Street Food Festival! A few hours of walking, eating, and the inevitable weaving through thousands of hipsters who aren't buying anything will occupy the greater part of my afternoon; this year I'm ready for the crowd. I'm hoping to try a few new vendors and get some more of that heavenly lemon cookie ice cream from Three Twins Ice Cream... I love Bi-Rite but everyone knows and goes to Bi-Rite. Three Twins is a fantastic alternative to that stinking line around Dolores Park.

And this week I got the date of the festival right!

burgers for Ker-Ker

To celebrate Kermit's birthday on a day where more people would be present at work, a group of us treated Kermit to burgers at Bistro Burger in the alley on Bush Street. This place is pretty mediocre... the novelty of eating here derives from all of the toppings. Burger Bistro is nothing special... I'd eat at Red Robin for lunch if it were closer!

Now I've only been here three times: the first was a very long time ago and these people couldn't put the right fries together with my burger to save their life. The second time was about a year ago, when we celebrated Kermit's birthday at the same darn place.

This year they got my order right, though the food is still overpriced and the patties could benefit from grilling over an open flame...

pineapple cheddar burger with garlic fries

The pineapple cheddar burger was less flavorful this time around but I do like the garlic fries. I'd say they're just as good as the ballpark's, maybe a little better because they weren't covered in oil.

Don't bother with the combo deal. It costs over $3 to add fries and a drink, and they're pretty stingy with the fries.

school is in session

For some reason, the SFUSD and surrounding school districts and programs like to begin the Fall semester in mid-August. My school year has always cut short my summer , even if that summer is full of gray fog obscuring your neighbors across the street. Oddjob started middle school this Monday and I renewed my taste for CCSF last night.

It feels like everyone else starts school after Labor Day. But I'm probably just thinking of those TV shows and movies where the streets are lined with maple trees and kids actually take a school bus to school.

For the first time in five years I'm back in a legitimate classroom. In Feature Writing, I'll be learning how to properly create, research and interview for, polish, and publish a feature story. Hopefully my blog will get better along the way, too.

anonymity garners no respect

So as many people working in San Francisco know, an internet-based group called Anonymous called for a protest on BART's Civic Center Station today because of the BART's decision to cut cellular service last week in order to head off another demonstration. The original demonstrations were in response to the fatal shooting of an armed and inebriated homeless man wandering the same station.

Of course, this wasn't the best incident for BART, especially since it practically followed on the heels of the verdict on the Oscar Grant-Johannes Mehserle case. And no, it wasn't the greatest idea to cut cellular reception last week. But it's a little sad that a demonstration for free speech attracts more supporters than a demonstration/memorial for a human being.

Of course the site hacking and the subsequent protest did plenty to spread Anonymous's message, whatever they claim it to be. It also worked well to turn many moderates away from their cause as passwords and names were published and people were stranded until nearly 8 o'clock tonight.

And the Guy Fawkes masks? I honestly believe that if you have something to say, you shouldn't hide your face or who you are. What sort of retaliation are you so afraid of that you need to hide your identity? There may have been a lapse in judgement when cellular service was cut but by no means are we near a closed-off military dictatorship. Also, ripping a mask from the iconic film V for Vendetta really takes away from the originality and seriousness of Anonymous.

the game-changing movie
image from movieposter.com

the uninspiring copycats: Anonymous in San Francisco.
How original.
from bigcellshop.com

baby Buster and Busterette!

What's better than keeping tabs on the Giants baby contest? Finding out that Buster Posey and adorable wifey Kristen have welcomed twins! The cuties - one boy and one girl - are named Lee Dempsey and Addison Lynn Posey. Since both high school sweethearts barely look sixteen, the kids are bound to be adorable.

okay, so Kristen doesn't look as young as Buster.
from sanfranciscosentinel.com

Congratulations!

No photos have been posted yet and as much as I'd love to see pictures of the tykes, I must commend the couple for not pandering to the usual celebrity behavior and for keeping such a lovely family moment private.

But dare I say they might make an appearance in this week's episode of The Franchise?

is it sunny in the Sunset?

because I just got sunburnt.

Went to Stern Grove in a hurry and had no idea that it would be sunny and nearly cloudless by 2PM. Otherwise I would've toted along a hat and some sunblock. Instead, I made hats out of paper towels for Peanut and myself and bummed sunscreen from my next-blanket neighbor. But I am very happy with today's show!

Up first was the very sultry and jazzy Luisa Maita, who has traded in the typical samba sounds of Brazil for something a little more moody and sophisticated. Also love the juxtaposition of her look-at-me neon top and slightly grungy ankle boots and skirt.

she's like a little fairy crooning away in Portuguese!

My only complaint is that Luisa was done in forty-five minutes. More please!

Up next was essentially salsa and reggaeton in brass and percussion from Wil Campa y su Orchestra. This was definitely the more uptempo and family-friendly set as evidenced by Wil's proclamations of loving everyone in Stern Grove and the slightly theatrical dancing interludes.

Wil Campa lets the band set him up with a little trumpet solo and fancy footwork

getting the crowd up!

I'm definitely going to be looking into these groups later but first I need to tend to my pronounced neckline suntan, which grows ever more abrupt with each outing.

Had dinner at Mumsy's in honor of Sisterfriend coming up to visit us. Brought over a fruit salad from Martha Stewart Living and though I didn't take the time to chronicle the process today, I liked it so much that I'm sure to make it again - and show you how in the process.

in the next cooking post of I hella live here!...

I like the nightlife baby!

So after that delicious lunch I paced back and forth on Valencia Street until 6PM. Had a date last night... and I didn't take pictures. I just think it'd be weird if someone started snapping photos on a first date and I don't want to inflict that sort of awkwardness with my camera. I can do that all by myself!

My date - let's call him Stripes because his shirt and cardigan were striped - suggested Esperpento on 22nd Street. We ordered jamón Iberico, grilled artichokes, mussels, and good ol' patatas bravas (essentially fried potato chunks with a spicy sauce.) Again, I'm sorry I have no photos but if you like food, you will like the tapas here. You might not enjoy the musical troupe that strolled around in Inquisition robes but the food is solid.

As for the conversation... it came easy enough. No red flags like another date but it wasn't anything special. I felt like I was giving updates to a long-lost friend, or better yet an amiable stranger... sometimes I talk a lot around strange people. It happens. It's easy to see why Stripes has a lot of friends as he is a friendly, cool, and nice guy. This is not the "nice" I drop when I truly have nothing to say about a person, this is the real "nice" you encounter when you come across a genuine human being. Unfortunately, I don't feel any connection beyond friendship, so I guess that's that.

Met up with Taters and her friends afterwards to unwind and dance a little. Found the bar Casanova on Valencia to be pleasant (i.e., not too crowded that you can't get to the bathroom for love or money) but found a disappointing lack of Italian men (it is called Casanova, no?) Danced a bit at Delirium on 16th Street and thanks to the Jesus look-alike, we got a spot on the dance floor by the fan. The fan pretty much saved us because it is hot inside Delirium! All that hot air inside a narrow little bar crammed with bootyshakers is a formula for air that makes you melt.

When we could take no more, we left to search for food. After a change of footwear...

those socks will never be the same again

...we headed to the nearest taqueria. And instead of El Farolito (a good eight blocks away) or Taqueria Cancun (five-six blocks away) we headed into El Castillito.

They seem to have missed the concept of the Wet Burrito because the food is resting
atop the sauce, not drowning in it.

The nicest thing I can say about El Castillito is that it was cheap and it was easy to get a seat. But if it's easy to get a seat, that tells you something about the food. Is this really carne asada, A.K.A. steak, or am I eating cheap ground beef? The sauce was pretty lackluster. And the tempting avocados you see here? Not even ripe.

But hey, I had a feeling that it wouldn't be the greatest burrito ever when I walked in to silence instead of a healthy murmur of conversation. I still ate it, about 30% of it. And overall the night was good... met a hijacked Interceptor (those little carts in which the parking police ride) and a group of angry kids circling their passed-out friend before we even made it to the car. All in the Mission on a Saturday night.

the theme of this weekend is...

avoiding Outside Lands! Yes, it's that time of the year when all the cool kids say "oh hey, let's go to that part of the city we otherwise never step foot in." This does not affect the parking around my house in the way that the Bay to Breakers did but I know I wasn't the only one who felt the traffic since most thoroughfares through Golden Gate Park were closed. And for what? An overpriced cocktail party - because you know that most people do not go there to listen to those new and independent artists.

All this craziness did hit me somehow because I thought the San Francisco Street Food Festival - which is free of charge by the way - was yesterday, August 13. It is next week. Oops.

Ended up in the Mission with Sangria and friends and we decided to have lunch today and do the Street Food thing next week. Walked down Mission for some Goood Frikin' Chicken!

All this - a whole chicken, salad for 2, a side dish of your choosing, garlic dip
and the best olive oil pita bread ever - for $20!

I love this rotisserie chicken. I wish it wasn't so far away from my house but I'm also grateful because I'd probably eat it at least three times a week if it was convenient. And then my heart would fail.

The chicken is juicy, the salad is finished with a light and fresh dressing, the mac'n'cheese is very cheesy (whenever I show someone this place, they always want mac'n'cheese!) And the pita bread! It's like eating the richest piece of ciabatta ever, but without the super-dry texture. The garlic dip is pretty strong and absolutely sublime... I love it but I think they dole out small cups for a reason.

on the corner of Mission and 29th... yes, it's good enough to warrant all of those O's

Lovely, fantastic food strikes again!

time to get macho

as my new workout DVD idol says.

So after learning that I use Dancing with the Stars cardio DVDs when I want to exercise, Bunny lent me a few of the many DVDs in her house. She chose Core Rhythms, an exercise program that also uses Latin dancing to trim the waistline. Now this is what Dancing with the Stars could have been!

Julia and Anna... almost every Russian or Ukrainian girl I've ever known is named Julia
(sometimes Yulia) or Anna. The others are all Olgas.

After getting over the gaudy workout gear I grew to really appreciate Core Rhythms. I like the different camera angles - you can change it to view the workout from the front, the back (so you don't have to think too hard when they say left but move their right knee,) the "core" or the ab cam, and a split view of the front and core. I also like how they explain how you should be moving because it really helps with the form and technique. And I love their exclamations: "Flex that muscle! Show me your macho muscles!"

I'll try!

I found the first DVD, the quickstart, to be very easy. They taught you the 3 main moves of the entire program and helped you move around while doing hip flexions or lateral movements. But then I popped in the next DVD, the quick workout, and phew! I was sweating in almost no time. I know the challenge and change of workout is good as I am pretty accustomed to my other DVDs. But let me tell you, when Julia and Anna say that this is a quick workout, they mean that they move very quickly.

4 DVDs, 4 times the difficulty!

Something to watch: the "o" in Core Rhythms pulses to the beat of the music. Helps you stay on tempo.

tomato crazy

This beautiful pasta is so striking that not only did it get the front page of the summer pasta article in Martha Stewart Living, it also landed the cover of the magazine! Yes, only here is a food item treated like a supermodel.

My results look more like the cover page - it's really just a difference of pasta. Here's the interesting new shape I have yet to encounter...

Croxetti? I must get my hands on this newfangled coin-shaped pasta!

But with a few tweaks, I don't have to wait to make my version of the sauce. Martha lists heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors, torn basil, lemon zest, garlic chips, capers, red pepper flakes, and your standard extra virgin olive oil for the delicious topper but I have plans of my own...

hmm, I probably should be drinking a little wine while I cook!

My substitutions:

• Regular red tomatoes instead of heirloom tomatoes because they're cheaper and my neighborhood greengrocer doesn't sell that yuppie crap. I do have two shapes (roma and beefsteak) to give a little variety in size and shape!
• Minced garlic instead of whole garlic cloves to be turned into garlic chips. They'll taste the same and pre-cut garlic is just easier!
• Kalamata olives instead of capers... I'm not against capers, I just prefer olives. Since they're both salty, I find the olives to be an ingenious alternate. Also, they were already in my refrigerator, so why not!

The basil, lemon zest, and extra virgin olive oil remain unchanged. And that red onion? That was included in the photo by accident but it is not in the recipe. The red onion will be used in another Martha Stewart recipe, to be executed later this week. And I forgot about the red pepper flakes until it was time to add them, but here they are!

Brown garlic in the extra virgin olive oil over LOW heat.
You do not want to be burning yourself with oil splatter.
Add red pepper flakes mid-way through (my idea!)

Delicious!

Chop the tomatoes into little wedges, tear up your basil, and halve the olives.
Toss!

see, not using the red onion!

Add lemon zest...

... and the browned garlic.
Toss again!

Boil water and cook your pasta.
I'm using pappardelle, a long flat noodle.
Follow the directions on the package for al dente...
the instructions are usually spot-on about that.

Toss pasta with the tomato mix...

et voila! Dinner is served!

Delicious and nutritious, and best of all, it tastes so FRESH!
Artichoke heart and Parmesan cheese optional.

Gazpacho, marinated tomato pasta... Mumsy bought a huge box of tomatoes and we need to come up with more ways to use 'em!