Big Apple Bites

No trip to New York City would be complete without a thorough partaking of local eateries. Its the only other city that could rival the Foodie Paradise that is San Francisco.

Here now some highlights (in no particular order):
Lever House. Located on the ground floor of the mid-century jewel of the same name. I was excited enough to just walk by and marvel at the architecture of the building; so eating there too was a real treat. From the NY Times, "In a reckless gamble, Marc Newson, the designer, more or less thumbs his nose at the severely elegant architecture around him, leading diners down a glowing enclosed walkway into a tubelike dining room decorated with a hexagon pattern on the floor and walls, like an Op Art painting." With the repeated hexagon motif, I felt like a bee cocooned in the hive; but in a good way. For lunch, the place filled up mainly with Power Players in Suits; I decided to forgoe the Power Martini and opted for the fresh lime soda($8). My seared arctic char came with a riesling foam, which I found really intriguing. (That damn Top Chef piqued my curiosity.) This place was uber pricey and at $100 a person(lunch!), it certainly is not a place I could ever afford without an expense account. But the ingredients were fresh and the flavors subtle, if not necessarily memorable.

Perilla. Yes. Cheesy. But I decided to throw caution to the wind and try Harold Dieterle's restaurant in the Village. (I always had a soft spot for the no-nonsense approach that led to his ultimate win on the first season of Top Chef. I know, 2nd reference.) Turns out his place carries out his no-nonsense approach. Small, unassuming, and reasonably priced, I had a great dinner. The highlight here was his signature appetizer, the duck meatballs. OMG. I could've eaten a whole BOWL of this! Spicy duck meatballs on a small bed of spinach and cavatelli pasta(infused with mint!); topped with a quail egg that you break open and mix in. Truly, this dish is a standout that I will remember for a long time.


Rare Bar and Grill. New York is a great city for burgers. I have already been to hall of famer Burger Joint(at the Parker Meridian hotel) and so decided to try something new at R.A.R.E Bar & Gril's 2nd location in Greenwich Village. I had the M&M Burger which was flambeed in whiskey. Nice. I thought it was delicious and juicy and flavorful. But the real deal of the night was the $10 trough of fried goodies: shoestring fries, waffle fries, and sweet potato fries. Said trough was also accompanied by 5 dippings sauces: basic BBQ , chile ketchup(bland), garlic mayo, chipotle aioli, and a honey maple syrup mayo dippy thing. To my surprise, and chagrin, I could not stop eating the sweet potato fries with the maple syrup dip. It was just so weird that my taste buds couldn't get enough. Try at your own risk.

Gizmodo sighting

In other news, I guess my bro is on gizmodo via valleywag. And no, his job did not actually make Tech's 10 worst. Although it just looks like it.

Onward New York

Being a cosmetics buyer is not all fun and glamour. But so far on this market trip to NYC, it has been at the very least, Fun. A definite respite from the daily grind that occurs while stuck in the Office. One of the highlights today was meeting with this guy. I've been using his products for years and to actually sit in a room and discuss retail strategies with him, wow. Its sort of mind boggling..

He's one of those ADD geniuses at work. A wonderful spokesperson for his company and absolutely passionate about his business. While I discussed some details with the VP of sales, he kept saying, "is it ok if I interrupt for a second?". No Peter. You can't. Its only your name on all the product. "I'm making this up here, but..." No problem. Always happy to hear a genius at work. All in all, quite a character. Can't wait to make his business a success for us all.... Bonus baby.. bonus.

After two days of meetings, the pile of goodies to take home is building up. I convinced these people to just ship their generous samples to the office because I can't deal with 70lbs to lug to/from airport. Ladies, go check out the Quinc3 Body Butt3r. YUMMALICIOUS. I usually don't like to request anything specific from my vendors.. but I had to get my hands on this!

Today I have to say, my Product Whoriness served me well...
Onward....

West 55th, Midtown

NYC.
"Business" Hotel. Free Wifi! w00t! A coffeemaker, microwave, and room in mini-fridge for leftovers! Double w00t!

Fat mirror in the bathroom. This place sucks.

Four Barrels, One Dog

After months of seeming hibernation, I got the chance recently to step out and explore my neighborhood again. And My Beloved City did not disappoint.

Down a quiet little alley in the Mission there was rumored to be an amazing cup of joe to be had. So the intrepid Sake and I ventured forth to find the mythical Four Barrel Coffee.

Background: The cofounders of Ritual Coffee Roasters are trying a new concept with Four Barrel. Its more coffee bar than café, with some seating, but it will mainly be a space to showcase their coffee to wholesale clients. So no syrups, no nonfat milk, no chai. (They WILL have soymilk, however. *whew*) There will be two La Marzocco Mistral machines and they will be sourcing single origin coffees(bye bye brokers), and doing their own espresso blend. Such dedication!

Could it be? Are we at the right place?

Maybe that guy can tell us something...
And lo,
here we are! Two guys, a dog, and a soy latte!
Seems until their front coffee bar is completed, the Four Barrel guys are serving steaming cups of coffee love out the back door.
I love My City....

They're Bringing Sex Back

Ever since the Puppy Mill episode I've been avoiding Oprah the past week or so. Too traumatic. But imagine my absolute DELIGHT to find today's episode featured the Sex and the City Reunion! I literally cheered and my heart swelled when I saw the 4 ladies strut across the stage and sit on the couch together. (And lets not forget Mr. Big!)

Its been 4 years and 8 months.. and oh how I have missed them so!
Silly, right? They're actors. Its just a tv show.

But ask any devotee of the show out there. These ladies are our friends. Our fabulous, Christian Louboutin'd friends. I've cried with them, I've nodded along in agreement with them, gotten angry with them, felt their pain, and their joy(Elisabeth Taylor GoldenBlatt!). I reckon its a testament to the superb writing and production; but above all else, its a testament to the sublime acting and chemistry of SJP, Kim, Cynthia, and Kristen (and their lovable men! Let's not forget the men!). Sure the gossip mags have had their say about behind-the-scene tensions, but the electricity is there. Sitting there on the couch, I see the love between them and I know thats what the rest of the world has fallen in love with too. They are beautiful, strong, feminine, smart, sassy, (seemingly) sincere women that I have welcomed into my home for almost 10 years(syndication...).

*sigh* And it floods my heart and mind with all the memories of my girls. The sex talks over brunch. The Friday Champagne toasts. The heart to hearts while painting toe nails. Freeflowing tears. Perfectly chilled cocktails. Ridiculous laughter. REVERTIGO! Shopping excursions. Dessert breaks. Road trips. With all of us spread throughout the far-reaches of the United States(the world1), I've missed them dearly and think of them often. It makes me appreciate the girls I have around me in the Bay Area right now.

And in 29 days, 4 of my best friends will be back in town. I can't wait to grab a Mandarin Cosmo with all the girls and have the most fabulous reunion EVER. (Barring any last minute trips to the Far East.. gulp)

"Her" Chair

Not really sure how I feel about a chair that has a nicer @ss then me....

Go Forth and Be Green

Happy Earth Day!
I am not participating in any rallies or events. But I did stock up on some "green" cleaning supplies at 30% off. MMMmmmm geranium. Anybody else want in on the discount code, leave a comment!

Lost and Found

Through my Mucinex Fog last week, I was still able to call up visualization exercises to track down lost items.
I hate losing things, especially items that I use often and cost me a penny or 2 to buy. I wasn't ready or willing to chalk these things up as a loss; but didn't want to send myself into a panic either. I just kept telling myself, "You WILL find those lost items. They will be made available to you again." out loud.

So in slow succession, I found my sunglasses.. (I left them at the office.) I would've been really bummed if I lost these. They have been my go-to pair the last year.

After some incidental cleaning, my office entry badge was found in the pocket of my navy trench. (How did it get THERE??)

And then TODAY, TODAY... I called the Bellagio's lost and found and they have my watch!! How excited am I?? I never get stuff back left in a hotel room! Oh its a great Monday! Granted, my ESQ is not a priceless timepiece, but it is mine and I have developed a fondness for its understatedness.

Now if only my cashmere Burberry muffler would show up........

Room Service

Right now I really wish my condo came with room service....

Seafood Chow Fun - Yes indeedy
Smiling Noodles with coconut curry - Heck yeah
Confit Duck Leg - Come to mama
Macaroni and cheese with broccoli and smoked ham - YEP!
Pot Roast - Me likey!

dangit....

Comfort

I am proud to say I am not the Outbreak Monkey during my recent bout of the 08 Cold; but as my weeklong hacking cough has morphed into a fever and runny nose in its second week; non-outbreak monkey status is essentially small comfort.

I am no stranger to this wicked viral infection, but I had hoped I would somehow escape its grips this year. Stuck at home, unable to take advantage of the situation by catching up on DVD's(can't focus), I am somehow just flat out pissed off. Pissed off at my body's inability to kick this. Pissed off that no one is here to take care of me; but happy that no one is around to witness the feverish, cranky, speechless, gimpy, snotty, hacking entity that is me. ...

The Hello Kitty humidifier is now cranked up, and I can feel the slow lull of Nyquil dreams. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz... *cough* *cough* snot* zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Olympic Torch Melee

At home sick today but it has allowed me to stay tuned to the Olympic Torch brouhaha unfolding on tv. Actually if I go out on my deck, I can see the media helicopters in the sky. Its so crazy seeing those familiar San Francisco streets being aired on CNN! I mean, sheesh! Who knew the torch would be running through the Marina??

What a brilliant move to completely reroute! I am all for the protesters and believe in a Free Tibet. But I have also always been a big supporter of the Olympics and have been so excited to have the torch relay come through my Fair City. So glad that the torchbearers have been given their moment to shine.. All these runners with such amazing stories, it always brings a tear to my eye.



Mayor Newsom looking oh so official and concerned with his hair.


Nothing like a bunch of Chinese folks gettin' all kinds of crazy.


All in all, great to know everyeone had their say with no serious acts of violeance and no arrests. If I weren't sick, I'd be down there amongst all this chaos fun!

Hawaii Highlights

It was a mere 3-hour difference, but coming back from Hawaii screwed me up something fierce. I came back the first night only to stay up till 5am before having to head to work on 3 hours sleep. Ggggaaa. I'm still trying to catch up with my life. Boy, am I a business travel newbie or what??

Well, before moving on to some other topics, here some highlights from my week-long stay in the Aloha State. The week-long stay part is deceiving as I really only had one full day off to enjoy the island so really there's not a whole lot to say.

First Up: Makapu'u Point. Following a paved 2 mile trail up the hill, you can find the Makapu'u Lighthouse, one of Hawaii's most familiar landmarks with a spectacular view of the Windward side of O'ahu. It was a hazy Saturday but allegedly on a clear day you can see the entire coastline and the island of Molokai in the distance. I took the road less travelled(off to the right) and found myself in a scarsely populated cove where it seemed a bunch of local kids hung out. Coolio! Always nice to have a brief respite from pesky tourists, yours truly notwithstanding of course...

Next it was onward to the lighthouse point. Despite the wind whipping the crapola out of my face, I had an amazing view of some of the bluest waters I've ever laid eyes on. And the Makapu'u Lighthouse with its red roof made for the perfect contrast. I was on a bit of a time crunch that day, so didn't actually make it down to the structure itself. This way I've saved something for my next trip!

I was getting hungry and the North Shore beckoned. So I hopped back into the Rental and proceeded to continue my drive north along the coast. I had been told by some folks in the office that no trip to the North Shore would be complete without a stop at Matsumoto's Grocery Store for shaved ice. I'm not a big shaved ice freak but who was I to argue? Not knowing when I'd ever be back, I opted for all the fixin's. So here's my shaved ice: The Hawaiian (coconut, pineapple, and I forget what) with red beans AND condensed milk. Despite D's proclamation that my concoction was "gross", I found it strangely tasty. Nonetheless, once left with a heap of melted ice, syrup, and red beans.. I was ready to toss the last 1/3 of it out. I got the gist of it.

After that it was a 40min drive back to Honolulu and a dinner of Linguini & Clams in a restaurant called Ciao Mein (surprisingly good!).

Day of Fools

Has anyone noticed Google's new feature prank today? They've launched Google Custom Time!
Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox. You can opt for it to show up read or unread by selecting the appropriate option.

By God, Gmail has harnessed the power of an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality!

But be warned: you only get ten emails to use per year. Researchers have concluded that allowing each person more than ten pre-dated emails per year would cause people to lose faith in the accuracy of time, thus rendering the feature useless.

Their findings:

N = Total emails sent
P = Probability that user believes the time stamp
φ = The Golden Ratio
L = Average life expectancy

Anybody else see something good today???

Corned Beef and Spam?

Aloha and Happy St. Patrick's Day from Waikiki!
Seems a bit odd as Corned Beef and Cabbage doesn't seem particularly Hawaiian, but they're giving the spirit of things a great go!

I am curious to see if anyone comes up with a green Maitai. But I'm actually working pretty much all day (well into the evening), don't know if I'll make it to a bar. We shall see...

Island Style

After 3 days of work here in Waikiki, I was truly looking forward to a weekend of rest and relaxation Island Style. I have a great team I work with; but 3 days and nights with my VP, new boss, old boss, and 2 others over the age of 50 is enough to make me start longing for frathouse keggers and tequila shots.

So I reserved a rental car and planned to hit Makapu'u Point and the North Shore. But gadzooks! Not 10 minutes after I put on my bathing suit this morning, the phone in my room rings. Its my VP. "Yada yada.. did you have plans for today?" I tell her I do. "Yada yada how about tomorrow? I'm sorry I have to ruin your day tomorrow. Blah blah. Yada urgent, yada yada Bernard Arnault."

So no weekend for me. By no means did I give up my North Shore drive today, but ugh, I'll have the project looming over my head. But like the R&R, I'm hoping to work on Sunday Island Style: poolside with a Mai Tai in hand. Dang... I'm so howlie, I don't even know I'm howlie......

Cat's Meow

Did I ever tell you about the time my knee started to fill "twingy" each time I went to Step Class?
Yeah, you're right. I didn't.
THATS BECAUSE IT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!

Granted, my knee has been acting up during my weekly runs but lately I get that "twinge" a lot more often. You know the one. The twinge that makes you suck in your breath like the time you got your ear pierced. Or like the time you got your flu shot. Yeah, like that.

I got that feeling about 45 minutes into my class today. Crapola. Is this how it starts? I've been denying it the last half a year, but I just may have to make one of those "Doctor it hurts when I do this"-visits soon. Will I start sliding into the "my body is falling apart"-phase the morning after?

Will I start complaining about my sciatica next? Prefer my peas mashed? Crave Hometown Buffett? Will I want to start watching movies like The Bucket List? .. Oh goodness, will I start to believe Jack Nicholson is the Cat's Meow????? Say it isn't so....

Hop and a Skip

So, I am now 39-years-old. I'm at peace enough with it to say it out loud to the world.
I'm no longer a hop, skip, and step to the Big 4.0; I'm now a mere step away.

And yet although I suppose I'm at peace with it, I'm really not sure. I'm certainly not holding a ticker-tape parade; but I suppose overall, I'm pretty happy with things.

Pisces in the Hizzouse!!

It's Lano's birthday today.
And for his birthday, I googled him. And BAM! Look! The first result!

Whoa.. Our Lan-o is a celebrity! He's got 2 google images on the first page alone!


This is the second result. .. Which may be what he'll look like in 30 years.....
Nice 'stache Dude!!!!

Happy Birthday my dear fellow Pisces. Can't wait to celebrate!

Canine Competition

I find it difficult to sit through all 4 quarters of the Super Bowl, but parade a bunch of fancy schmancy dogs on the green and I am captivated for hours.

And every year I look forward to all 6 hours of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, length be damned. Sure, the other channels broadcast the Eukanuba dog show, etc, but they're always abbreviated, only winning dogs get airtime. Boo. I want to see them all!

I also enjoy watching the special segments showing therapy dogs, this year the first time ever welcomed to the Sloan-Kettering Center. Hey, you don't have to convince me that dogs really do help you to feel better. And lets not forget that Westminster is a benched dog show. The dogs stay at Madison Square Garden all day and you can educate yourself on the different breeds. After all, retardos like P@ris Hilton are not doing anyone any favors treating dogs like an accessory. Each day the San Francisco Humane Society is now getting little Chihuahuas dropped off by owners who had no idea what it took to raise a dog; their daughters just wanted a little furry thing to carry around in their Hannah Montana tote bags. *sigh* *Happy thoughts* *Happy thoughts*

First up? The Hound Group!
The Whippet! Whip it good!
For 2008, Uno, the 15" Beagle, takes the Hound Group.
"Heeeyyy.... you work out??"

(OK, is it me or is that David Duchovy's voice in the Pedigree dog commercials? Can anyone confirm?)

Up next, my favorite group! May we have the Terrier Group in the ring please...
The Dandie Dinmont is quite Dandy!!
Meet Smudgie, a Miniature Bull Terrier. Looks like he's searching for a Valentine's!

"This breed possesses no small amount of self-esteem"...You think?? And here's Champion Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, also known as Charmin. No surprise, the #1 terrier in the country(ssshhhh.. don't tell Sasa...) takes the Terrier Group. He is a beauty!
Alrighty, I keep finding spoilers on the internet so time for me to just relax and watch these cuties. ADOPT A DOG!