a spicy turn

I love love LOVE the coppa sandwich at Sentinel... it's got that delicious cured pork, some sort of sauce they call pesto but tastes much more savory, mustard greens, and supersoft and fresh mozzarella, all piled on one of their buttery sesame buns.

However, Sentinel likes to change their menu to reflect the ingredients of the season... I think the only "permanent" item is their corned beef sandwich. So though I shall miss their coppa sandwich with it's slightly salty taste and pillowy texture, I will rest contentedly knowing that I have had the opportunity to enjoy that creation for over a year.

Besides, I am very happy with what I presume is the coppa's replacement:

lunch is served!

The bread is the same but in place of coppa we have tasso, another incarnation of Italian cured pork. Instead of the pesto mash we have a saucy salad of roasted peppers. And in lieu of mozzarella we have the utterly delicious provolone. It all adds up to a pleasantly spicy and firmer version of the coppa, sort of like your saucy uncle who likes to remind you that you're Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I declare the tasso a huge success!

is it opposite day?

I'm not surprised we won both games in the double-header. I'm surprised that we notched 30 hits in two games!

Game 1: Giants win 13-7!

Game 2: Giants win 6-3!

Good job from the whole team... as I discussed with a co-worker earlier today, it's not about having home run stars, it's about having an entire team where everyone can hit okay. Today's on-base percentage is phenomenal!

Lots of pats on the back for everybody and a big welcome back to the much-battered Barry Zito!

I think I can, I think I can!

totally unnecessary

Though I enjoy pork once in a while but I've definitely lowered my consumption of this meat ever since watching Babe as a little girl. And now it might go drop even more.

Saw this disturbing report from ABC News on the treatment of pigs bred for pork in Iowa... as if the "standard industry practices" weren't bad enough, these ingrates think it's okay to "thump" piglets... totally sickening.

Unfortunately the bacon-maple whoopie pies I began making tonight will have to wait... I don't feel like serving these treats right away, even though the bacon from Trader Joe's does not come from this hellhole called Iowa Select Farms.

Scroll to the end of the I-Team's blog post and check your pork. Mine is safe:

way off of "3W" and "3S"

People are going to eat pork, so there's a job to be done raising pigs for food. But surely the method doesn't call for tossing live animals around like phone bills or manhandling infants. There is definitely a way to get the resources you want while respecting the pig and - most importantly - your own human species.

Christmas comes early...

my new Chucks were delivered a day early. Thanks UPS!

rhymes with orange

Look how bright the new sneakers are! Can't wait to change the laces to the orange and gray ones I snatched... oh hell!

fresh new kicks

Now... who will I get to sign these new shoes?

safety first!

Muni does not offer seat belts for passengers - that would be too much trouble and just another surface on which to accumulate germs. However, riding one of these newer, stripped-down buses has disclosed the driver's seat... and look! There's a safety belt buckle!

So why isn't it secured? The driver doesn't get up as often as the passengers...

click it or ticket!

something worth fighting for

Happy Gay Pride Weekend! And a big fat high-five to New York for legalizing gay marriage - which by the way is something that should not have to be passed into law.

I was talking to my landlord earlier today and we agreed that it's a shame how California really doesn't set breakthrough precedents anymore... not in green lifestyles (see my posts on Seattle or Condé Nast Traveler's "How Green is My Berlin") or civil rights (New York joins the prestigious list of states that have legalized gay marriage... other honorees include Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Vermont.) The evening news reports that people around the world are celebrating Pride a little more enthusiastically this year because of the strides we've made... from New York to repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell to other countries recognizing same-sex unions.

Not to be a party pooper but all I can think is where the hell is California in all of this?

a penny saved is a penny earned... a penny spent is a penny invested

Spent a good deal of time in stores this weekend, exercising restraint just where I needed to!

More shoe browsing at Nordstrom with my girl, Cabbage...

stunning shoes from Poetic License... look at the colors!

adorable chiffon-embellished sandals from Nordstrom's in-house brand B.P.

I love the design of the fantastic purple rosette T-straps but the upper and soles are pretty thin for $100... not worth it if I'll wear them out in a few wears. As for the blush chiffon babies, they are very comfortable and worth the $70 - in a different color. I think shoes this delicate can skirt the telltale red shoe conundrum...

looks like this saucy geranium color is only available online at Nordstrom's website

When Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was the hot program to watch, I remember Carson Kressley extending some advice to the girlfriend of a straight guy... "my mother told me that the only people who wear red shoes are children and whores." Add the Pope and you've rounded them all up!

Anyways, ended up not buying a thing at Nordstrom... not yet!

I did pick up a few things for Q-Tip, like a new water bowl so he doesn't have to lap water out of a highball glass. Also got a little food mat to define the eating area and switched up his dry food to some organic stuff. Merrick seems to be a really good organic brand... I've bought their sausage treats before and I love giving the New Zealand rack of lamb flavor to Q-Tip because it actually smells like lamb and not some mystery meal mix! Thought it was high time to find a new dog food since he really doesn't like Chef Michael's (not Michael Mina as we originally thought) filet mignon dinner... you know something's wrong with your dog food if the dog eats the potatoes and green beans bits but leaves the filet mignon pieces alone!

Q-Tip's rolling deep in fanciness!

Man, I've never had turducken but now my pooch gets it everyday! What can I say, I love spoiling my pets. You know where I get it from?

JohnnyCat gets a buffet line of cat treats, compliments of Mumsy

Also dropped by Target at Serramonte to get some CDs for little Oddjob (she turns eleven tomorrow.) While there, could not resist picking up some books that were a few dollars cheaper than the copies at Borders... got Water for Elephants and The Help, because you know a book is really good when they make a movie out of it!

Wandered out of Target into the mall to browse the GameStop and came across a little pop-up of stalls selling action figures and paraphernalia for Star Wars, Marvel and DC Comics, and a touch of those blind-packaged Tokidoki and Kid Robot dolls.

Does this happen every Sunday? This could be dangerously addictive!

I've always been afraid of buying one of these blind-packaged figures just in case I got one I really didn't like but I just had to try when I saw the Futurama-Kid Robot collection.

I got Fry!

Maybe next time (next time being in a few months since I don't want to turn this into a habit) I'll get Bender or Nibbler!

it's a pic-a-nic!

It is said (somewhere) that papá a la huancaína is the perfect picnic food because it's good hot and cold. Well when my lovely co-worker suggested a picnic, guess what I brought!?

It shouldn't be too hard to double the amount of what I usually make, right? Halve the recipe if you're cooking for yourself and you'll have plenty for 3 hefty meals!

hardboil your eggs, 4 for the sauce and at least 1 for each person you plan to serve.
Cool in ice water for easy peeling.

boil your peppers for a while (10 minutes?) This makes it easy to blend into the sauce.
This also makes them less spicy, which is important since
the sauce should be mostly creamy and is not meant to overpower everything.
There's 4-5 green jalapeños and 1 red habañero/jalapeño in the pot -
I'm not sure if Safeway knew what they were selling this morning!

boil your potatoes! Here I've dumped an old bag of Trader Joe's golden potatoes into the pot

wash your lettuce... well!

cube your queso fresco (remember to use just one block if you're cooking for yourself!)

dump everything except the potatoes and lettuce into a blender.
Add 2-3 tablespoons each of milk and canola oil, and a dash of salt.

whee!

I usually don't fill the blender to the top - after all, it is a $16 bargain blender from Target. Unless there's a lot of liquid, ingredients don't like to integrate themselves very well. So use a spoon to push the peppers down towards the blades (while it's off, of course!)

After packing everything up - including a few pitted Kalamata olives, I headed over to Dolores Park. It was pretty easy to find my friends since 1. we had already picked out a place on the edge, and 2. we arrived shortly after 1 PM, and Dolores Park doesn't really fill up until 3PM... then it looks like ants milling around a fallen lollipop.

I was thrilled that everyone loved papá a la huancaína so much:

layer cake: lettuce under potatoes and hardboiled eggs under "ají" sauce under a sprinkling of olives

My co-workers did not disappoint with the bountiful spread:

snap peas, divine gouda, hummus and pita bread, and a paperweight (skittles) for the napkins.
Later, a 5-layer dip joined us

salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery
on the corner of Dolores at 18th Street...
instead of waiting in line for individual scoops,
my genius associate walked up to the counter and bought pints.
No wait for more ice cream!

A view of the ants, some taking part in SFPride...

the later you stay, the more that gather

And now we'll end on a delightfully awkward note...

would you rent these for your wedding?

noche de chicas

I was wishing for Friday two days ago, and it didn't help that a friendly co-worker found a deal on miniature drumsticks at Walgreens...

"chocolatey" is a word!

afternoon break is looking really good

Between the ball game on Wednesday and all this great weather we've been having, it was difficult to sit still - especially because I couldn't wait to dine at Aziza!

This Moroccan-with-a-dash-of-Californian eatery consistently makes top places lists around town for being the best Moroccan place to go in San Francisco... well how many Moroccan places do you know? This is maybe the only one that's not in some seedy bit between the Tenderloin and Union Square, and doesn't feature belly-dancing distractions.

I remember taking Mumsy here for her birthday a few years ago... my mom fell in love with everything, from the cucumbers in the water to the meatballs skewered with roasted grapes. In fact, the meatballs and grapes dish is one of her favorites to recreate! Even better was that after the sublime meal, we returned home to see the executive chef Mourad Lahlou defeat Cat Cora on Iron Chef America! We were smitten!

The second time I took my family there, the food was still top-notch but the service was slower than the N-Judah leaving Duboce Triangle. We waited half an hour just to get our drinks, and the food took longer still. It was so bad that the waiter acknowledged the delay and apologized profusely... perhaps the food tasted even better because we were so hungry?

So it had been quite a while since I had last visited Aziza but I was determined to show my friends this neighborhood gem. We settled down and the drinks came relatively quickly... it was quite a dilemma to choose what to eat as everything sounded delicious as usual.

these drinks came in small glasses, much smaller than I would've liked.
But my tarragon-cardamom-cachaça drink (center) was quite the potent potion so I probably didn't need a bigger size

I swear that the portions used to be much larger... I remember the spreads squiggling down to touch the flatbread.

spreads with flatbread...
L to R: piquillo-almond (slightly sweet,) yogurt (tangy,) & paprika-white bean (savory.)
Cabbage loved the savory spread.

Dinner!

halibut crusted with sea urchin... this sea urchin must've been a couch potato because it tasted like cheddar cheese!

braised short ribs... very tender

lamb shank... no knife required when the meat falls off at the touch of your fork and melts in your mouth

I was a bit disappointed in what seemed to be a big downsize from the portions I had enjoyed in past visits, so I had to order another appetizer... one that I would've ordered anyways once I remembered!

meatballs with roasted grapes, sittin' pretty in a bed of jicama

I always save room for dessert!

strawberries with goat cheese cream and hazelnut-bourbon ice cream chillin' on a bed of pralines

On the plus side, Aziza has added these adorable little after-dinner sweets!

choco-bits that seem to have a taste of toffee... someone just couldn't wait!

Overall, this place is still unarguably tasty but be prepared for the seemingly smaller portions.

Also, this visit completes my cycle through the three dining rooms in Aziza... I personally think the best is the small one between the bar and the bathroom because it really feels like you're eating under the stars. The back room - the locale for my most recent visit - is nice because of the banquettes and the golden glow of the huge window. The front dining room might be nice if you can get one of the booths draped in sheer swathes of silkiness but I've always gotten a table smack dab in the middle of the room. The ambiance in the front is ruined everytime someone opens the blue-tinted door and lets in a whiff of Geary Boulevard.

Worked off our dinner by bowling at Yerba Buena Center... no boys, no competition, and no rush... just laughing and screaming and hurling the balls as hard as we could towards those pins.

show-off!

There are days when Timmy gets free bratwurst for everyone in the park (almost, notched 12 Ks today) and days when Brian Wilson closes it easy as 1-2-3... and then there are Panda days!

Today, everyone's favorite panda decided to steal the spotlight with a nail-biting dive...

Someone really wants you to know he is ready for action!

you've got to love a face this adorable!

snap the streak

We just snapped our 5-game losing streak!

We knew it would be good when Vogelsong and the team got the first batter out. We knew it would be great when we scored on Whiteside's triple in the second inning!

run!

The K's were a bit more rare this time around but Ryan Vogelsong kept the Twins hitless for at least five innings. Save for a couple of errors, our defense was tight. And we were hitting! Everyone was getting on base and driving batters in. Hero of the night was Eli Whiteside, who smacked in 3 runs on 2 hits.

Finished 5 to 1, with 3 Ks from Vogelsong, 1 from lefty Javier Lopez, and 1 from Sergio Romo.

And as if in response to yesterday's heat, the bay cooled down to a properly chilly night - though I could've done without the wind.

it's gray at AT&T Park but you can see the sun shining over the San Mateo Bridge...
almost looks like a gate into another world (Twilight Princess flash)

Typical weather does not mean typical fans... here a fan in a luchador mask leads the top deck in cheering...

apology for the blurriness... it was a night game

striking a hulk-like pose

Did I mention the bobblehead? This night's promotion was to raise awareness for several Bay Area charities that focus on helping youth and homeless people, which anyone in San Francisco will tell you is our biggest and fattest blemish on the face of our city. As thanks for attending, those who bought the special tickets (and thereby donated a few bucks to the charities) received a bobble of Freddy Sanchez making his all-important back at the World Series in Texas.

his glove is golden!

Hella awesome.

summer solstice

I feel like something should be going on at Stonehenge...

The weather here has been getting pretty weird these past few years, and by weird I mean that the climate in San Francisco is changing ever so slightly to mimic the seasons felt in the rest of the world. Last year in June I remember chugging hot chocolate at AT&T Park; last May we were seat-jumping to find cover from the rain. I usually don't go without tights until mid-August and September is the unofficial month for unintentional tanning citywide. Otherwise, we're at a steady 56-68 degrees Fahrenheit with a healthy blanket of fog hanging around, usually in my corner of the city.

These hot days during the proper spring and summer used to be uncommon phenomena in San Francisco but now seem to be increasing in number, like cyclists on Market Street during Critical Mass. It was a welcome surprise to go to work in nothing but a silk shirtdress - cotton jacket unnecessary. However, it also felt like I should be on vacation and made going to work that much harder.

The air was still plenty warm when I left downtown on the newly inducted Nx bus line but I knew that the western bit of the city - also known as home - wouldn't let me down. As I stepped off the coach I was greeted by light gray skies, a flippy breeze, and the weak warmth of refracted sunlight.

still warm, even with the comforting cloud cover

No one here expects it to actually be warm on the summer solstice... what is the world coming to!?

mishmash of a weekend

It's been really warm lately...

turning mangoes...

...into mango sorbet!

I love this ice cream maker!

Also...

spotted a fan who likes to flaunt it

revisited the Deku Baba at night, en route to a party...
just like the game!

ahh!

enjoyed jajangmeon - noodles in black bean sauce - at My Tofu House on Irving at 20th Avenue

We usually get the hot tofu soup at My Tofu House - my favorite is kimchichigae or kimchi stew - but it was so warm on Sunday I wanted to try something different. As you can tell by the steam, it was still hot temperature-wise but I didn't have to combat the innate spiciness of kimchi. A nice decent bowl, and huge, too!