Best of What's Around

Trippin

2010-07-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go??

2010-05-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Another photo album by Smilebox

Always hungry...never satisfied

2010-05-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

So I've either been super irresponsible or super overwhelmed. I'm going to go with overwhelmed, because that doesn't sound as bad.

Just an update: I've graduated from my culinary program and I'm currently interning at the Center for Culinary Development. Developing and testing recipes for Fortune 500 companies is a whole new world, filled with modified food starches and nutritional requirements, a far cry from my boutique cooking school, which was typically filled with butter and heavy cream.

Apparently my BA in Media Studies and professional chef's certificate are not enough, because more school is in the near future. Come September I'll be leaving SF and trekking across the country to Boston, where I will study Gastronomy at Boston University Metropolitan College. I am hopeful that the new location will inspire writing, photography, cooking, and most importantly eating. And even though I've been pampered by San Francisco's progressive culinary world for the past 5 years, I'm looking forward to new farmer's markets and corner stores, stocked with East Coast produce and other delicious locally crafted concoctions.

And lastly, in 2 weeks I will be leaving for quite the European Vacation, while I cant promise to write very much, I'll post photos as frequently as possible, as I eat my way through Spain, France, and Italy!!

Penelope packed big flavors and personality!!

2009-11-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

another photo montage... week 3

2009-10-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

Fish & Shellfish w/ Steve

2009-10-25T19:28:00.001-07:00

Two Weeks @ Tante Marie's

2009-10-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

At this point I’m pretty sure I don’t have many faithful readers, and if I exclude family members and past professors/classmates, maybe no one else is reading this but me. Anyway, it’s been a little more than two weeks since my last legitimate post—the one claiming I would post daily— and clearly that just isn’t a possibility right now. Between cooking school, work, a demanding GRE prep course, physical therapy, and going to the gym (only to off-set my twice daily serving of delicious things poached in butter or smothered in cream), I barely sleep or shower. Hopefully, as the course goes on and I get used to my rigorous schedule I will be much more diligent about posting.

It’s only been two weeks and I’ve learned (using that term loosely) upwards of 60 recipes. Week one was relatively basic. I spent hours working on knife-skills, chopping what seemed like every fruit and vegetable under the sun, in every shape and size. For example— rough chop, fine dice, mince, slice, julienne, chiffonade, top and tail, etc. I also learned a handful of classic French soups including, French Onion, Cream of Lettuce, Butternut Squash, and Garlic Potato.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, our class cooks a complete menu, which we eat for lunch. Each student is assigned an appetizer, entrée, side dish, or dessert; and with fourteen of us cooking it’s an incredible amount of food. The dishes on these days are created by a few people, this way we are able to taste and discuss how slight differences in method or ingredients can make a huge difference in the end result. Much of the day is spent tasting dishes and ingredients and layers of flavor. I’ve realized very quickly that knowing how a dish is supposed to taste as opposed to just liking the way it tastes, is much more important in learning about and understanding food.

Monday and Friday are workshop days, on these days all the students work on the same thing for example, breads, soups, preserves, custards and caramels, mother sauces and so on. Before each workshop Frances, instructor and head chef, gives an afternoon demo on the steps for each recipe and tricks on how to not f*ck it up, providing us with the knowledge we need in order complete the task ourselves. Fridays are also wine tasting days, and although we were spoiled with a trip to the Wine Country our first Friday, the remainder of our tastings will be done at school. Each Friday we taste two different wines made from the same grape, usually a California label and always a French label, last weeks grape was the Gamay. Amazing!

This post doesn’t even begin to shed light on how much I’ve learned and all the things I’ve experienced, in the few short weeks since school began. Over the next six months, between photos and text, I’ll do the best I can to brighten the picture for you.

Tante Marie's Cooking School

2009-10-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

And so it begins... culinary school that is!!

2009-09-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day of culinary school and much like the first day of anything, it consisted mostly of explanations and orientation type proceedings. First, Mary Risley, owner and founder of Tante Marie Cooking School, shed light on the basics—what time to arrive, that we should wear street clothes to school and change once we are there, hair must be pulled back, work shoes and real socks must be worn, etc. Mary also made a point to sign each student’s textbook, which happens to be a cookbook she wrote.

Next, Frances Wilson, our instructor for the six-month course, introduced herself and gave us a little tour to explain where everything we would need could be found in the school’s two kitchens. Before there was even time to use the loo, Frances was giving a quick chopping and slicing demonstration with a few classic vegetables including onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and potatoes. Each of these ingredients would be used in our very first recipe: Soupe au Pistou.

Our class was split into two groups and each group created their own pot of soup, which would ultimately be our lunch. Each person in the group was assigned a vegetable or two to add and before I knew it I was dicing potatoes and slicing carrots to be added to the wonderfully simple soup. After adding our assigned ingredient to the pot, we spent the next hour practicing our knife skills with the various vegetables. I only cut my left index finger a tiny bit, not even enough for a band-aid, which boosted my confidence a bit, since my abilities with a knife aren’t exactly up to snuff.

The afternoon class today was a demonstration by Frances on how to make chicken stock and dark beef or veal stock. The idea of making stock seems relatively elementary, but given the four pages of notes I took, my instructor proved otherwise. Both types of stocks require a mirepoix—carrots, celery, and onion, as well as, a bouquet garni—parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf—tied up in a leek. No technical French knife skills required here, as all the vegetables just roughly chopped. Frances made it clear that while making perfect stock doesn’t take a lot of labor, what it does need is patience and care. Stocks are simmered for hours, all the while “scum” (white foam like substance that rises to the top) must be skimmed often, more water must be added, and temperature is crucial, as the stock must be simmering, but not boiling wildly.

I had been waiting impatiently for this day to come for months and it definitely lived up to all of my expectations. The school is warm and friendly, with a serious and professional undertone. My classmates come from all different walks of life, with a wide range of what they intend to do with the education. The progression of the course moves from simple soups and sauces to choux pastry and advanced cake decorating, please check back for daily posts as I make my way through this personally uncharted territory.

ESF's Final Feast. Best Meal of the Year!

2009-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Your delicious dish must be made from local, seasonal ingredients.

Document the process.

Your project must rest upon a platform that: a) supports multimedia, b) is open to the public, and c) allows visitors the opportunity to comment on your work.
When finished, thick tweet your project.

After days of flipping through a plethora of cooking magazines and more websites than I have fingers and toes, I finally decided to prepare two delicious sandwiches, with my partner-in-crime Austin.

The recipes:

Double-Decker Strawberry Chicken Club Sandwiches
Serves: 4 Prep: 20 Min Cook: 15 Min

12 ounces thick-cut bacon
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halvesSalt and pepper
1 avocado2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
12 slices whole-wheat toast
2 cups romaine lettuce1 ½ cups hulled and sliced strawberries (10 ounces)

Open-Face Chimichurri Skirt Steak Sandwiches
Serves: 4 Prep: 25 Min Grill: 15 Min

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled1 Serrano chile, seeded if desired
1 packed cup parsley sprigs1 packed cup cilantro sprigs
Grated peel of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
One 16-ounce loaf ciabatta bread, sliced on an angle in 12 pieces
2 pounds skirt steak¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

As I explained in my previous post, on Tuesday, Austin and I ventured to the Ferry Building, where we hit up a few of the amazing specialty shops for local and seasonal bread and meat. We also took advantage of the weekly outdoor Farmer’s Market for all of our fruit and vegetable needs. The recipes called for three types of meat and an array of produce. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a California certified farmers market operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), and is open two days a week—Tuesdays and Saturdays. The market’s produce and flowers are from small regional farms and ranches, many of which are certified organic, and also pass the criteria for my assignment.

“Started as a one-time event in 1992, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market's popularity led to the opening of a year-round market in May 1993. On Saturdays, 10 - 15,000 faithful shoppers attend the market because it reconnects them with their food sources. Shopping at a farmers market provides a forum for learning how food is grown, who grew it, and why it tastes so good. “ Ferry Building

The Prather Ranch Meat Company, where we purchased the skirt steak, bacon, and chicken, offers a wide selection of organic, sustainable, humane and pasture-raised meats. The company regularly carries beef, buffalo, pork, lamb and vitellone, a meat that is tender like veal and often found on menus in Tuscany. Raised on the 11,000 acre Prather Ranch, just north of Mt. Shasta, the beef is certified humane and organic. The Prather Ranch Meat Co. also raises pigs on pasture in Capay Valley, California. The pigs diet includes only organic fruits and vegetables from many nearby farms, which is comforting, especially after reading Omnivore’s Dilemma, and thinking much more critically about the idea—you are what you eat. These humanely and organically raised cattle and pigs, whose meat became the star of the sandwiches, rivaled some of the best I’ve ever had. There is just something about knowing that the food you’re eating wasn’t fed petroleum, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals during its short-lived miserable life.

Purchasing the ingredients is only half the battle when making a delicious meal; however, I thought that colorful and descriptive photographs were better suited to showcase the delicious sandwiches and ESF’s Final Feast.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Goodbye ESF, I will honestly miss spending Wednesday nights with 17 incredibly creative and inspiring people. But this is not the end of my food blogging, so stay tuned.

Mmm mmm delicious!

2009-05-13T17:29:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, I spent $36.96 on two pounds of organic grass-fed skirt steak. I purchased this top-notch beef to be the star for the dish I am going to prepare for ESF’s Final Celebration. Austin and I ventured down Market St. toward our destination dodging buses, Benz’s, and bicyclists, and luckily we snagged a metered parking spot just around the corner.

As the assignment required that all ingredients be local and seasonal, the Ferry Building’s Farmer’s Market and specialty shops provided the perfect spot to grab everything I needed. The Golden Gate Meat Company at the Ferry Building in San Francisco proudly boasts: our cattle are pasture-graze with plenty of room to roam, fresh air, and sunshine. Their feed is 100% organic, with no animal byproducts.

I included this little story to point out just how expensive organic groceries can cost. While I wish I could shop at the Ferry Building everyday, my minimal student funds don’t always allow it. Cooking and documenting the meal will follow in my next post.

Eating San Francisco’s final excursion to Zazie in Cole Valley for dinner and McDonald’s on Haight Street for dessert most definitely brought the course full circle. The original plan was to pig out at McDonald’s; an outing inspired by the Bay Area’s very own Michael Pollan and his book Omnivore’s Dilemma, which was required class reading. Pollan’s manifesto provides readers with a complete natural history of four meals, requiring them to think about the moral and ethical ramifications of America’s eating habits. More simply, Pollan followed food from its inception all the way to his plate or lap, as was the case for his first meal, Industrial Corn, in the form of an American staple—namely, McDonald’s.

Realizing the class bank account could afford to fund a classier (and healthier) outing we decided to enjoy our last meal together at a quaint French Bistro in the heart of Cole Valley. Zazie is everything that McDonald’s isn’t.

The 17-year-old establishment sits on a tiny lot on Cole Street, which is typical for the neighborhood; however, the cozy garden patio and carefully arranged tables for two, makes dinners feel like they are dining in an artsy Parisian café.

Open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner Zazie proudly serves only organic milk and free range, antibiotic and hormone-free eggs from local farms. In addition to using organic dairy products the menu at the bistro features seasonal and regional fare, dishes depend on what produce is available from local farmers. I feasted on a 21 dollar grilled hanger steak, served with portobello mushrooms, a brandy cream sauce, and grilled asparagus. The perfect medium-rare steak I devoured came from “Happy drug-free animals with an ocean view!”—according to a blub on the menu. In complete contrast, the Big Mac I might have eaten at Mickey D’s that night, would have sported “beef” patty that Michael Pollan explained came from a corn-fed cow raised in a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), Three glasses of wine later our delightful waitress, thankfully, began bringing out each of the 17 main courses. The salmon, shrimp ravioli, and steak dishes looked almost to pretty to eat, as each element was placed meticulously on the plate and chopped parsley adorned the stark white rim. The fresh ingredients including, pea pods, tomatoes, and asparagus were brightly colored and smelled delicious; this meal was not only satisfying to eat, but was also a feast for the eyes and nose.

After two hours of witty conversation and culinary excellence we headed to McDonald’s for a sweet treat. Runaways and transients are the typical clientele at the Haight Street McDonald’s; however, the McDonald’s employees were graced with the presence of seventeen college students and their professor. Most of my classmates decided to top their nights off with ice cream treats including McFlurries, ice cream cones, and classic sundaes complete with chocolate syrup and peanuts. I ordered medium French fries, which were as greasy and salty as I expected them to be, but satisfying nonetheless.

To be honest, I would have been just as satisfied eating a #10 (McNuggets, fries, and a pop) as I was with my steak dinner from Zazie. So that’s just what I did. A few days after our outing and an in-depth discussion of Omnivore’s Dilemma, my boyfriend and I decided to take a trip to Marin and eat at the very McDonald’s where Pollan and his family ate. We got it to go, and just like Pollan ate it in a moving car driving 65 on the freeway. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

ESF Does Dim Sum!

2009-04-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

On any given day, Chinatown is the last place I want to be at 10 o’clock in the morning. It tends to be busy, crowded, and to be honest it’s just a bit overwhelming for my taste. I was never a huge fan of Chinese food growing up. White rice and soy sauce—yep, that pretty much sums up what I ate before moving to San Francisco. It wasn’t the large population of Asian people or restaurants that finally persuaded me to indulge it was just healthy curiosity.

Anyway, on this particular Saturday morning in April, my ESF class was traveling to Chinatown to immerse ourselves into this incredible culture. After the 1906 earthquake Chinatown, like most neighborhoods in San Francisco, was rebuilt and became what Anthony Lee, author of Another View of Chinatown, called “a glittering ghetto.” The newly asphalted streets and shiny streetlamps were meant to attract tourists, which it certainly did. The class met up at the corner of Bush and Grant, where there is an enormous gate into Chinatown. As we moseyed toward our first stop the Tin How Temple, I couldn’t help but notice the insanely cluttered and overcrowded shops along Grant Street. Oriental merchandise was spilling out onto the sidewalks, which I’m convinced is just another marketing scheme to temp the tourists. (Walking inside would just be too much to ask!) The Tin How Temple was incredible, and we learned that it is the oldest Chinese temple in the United States. The tiny temple is located on the third floor of a typical San Francisco building and the seventeen of us barely fit inside, not to mention the place had enough incense to make you faint (or high).

By 10:45 a.m. we had finally made it to New Asia, where we would enjoy Dim Sum (literally “touching heart), and everything that entails. The restaurant was a mad house, and it seemed like every seat in the place was taken, not to mention another 30 people waiting. The hostess was shouting inaudibly into a microphone, I think she was letting waiting patrons know their tables were ready. The staff was running around, pushing carts filled with tons of different Dim Sum dishes. After waiting about 25 minutes our class was sat at two large round tables, where jasmine tea, which is said to aid digestion, was waiting to be consumed. It wasn’t long before food started appearing on the spinning circle in the middle of the table. Most of the dishes were made with shrimp, pork, rice, and noodles. Prepared in various ways, just a simple sauce switch or different noodle choice, dramatically changes the taste and texture of the dishes. The Northern Chinese inspired pork pot stickers, filled with meat and cabbage, were my absolute favorite, even though they aren’t considered traditional dim sum. Because of a pretty serious allergy to shellfish, I couldn’t chow down on any of the shrimp options, including classic steamed shrimp dumpling. Dumplings, known as Gow, are made by wrapping ingredients in a rice flour or wheat starch skin; the beautifully translucent skin showcases the delicious ingredients inside.

The Dim Sum or Yum Cha experience is like no other. While dining at New Asia I noticed many of the things typically found in a restaurant were missing, for example, menus were nowhere in sight. Instead as the cart pushers delivered us our Dim Sum treats, served on small white plates and in small steamer baskets, they also stamped the purchase onto a ticket, using various symbols. The white ticket, adorned with many stamps from our feast would ultimately become the receipt, which compared to other foreign fares dim sum is a steal.

After brunch the class splintered, as many had made previous engagements, and a handful of us headed to Ross Alley, to find an itsy bitsy fortune cookie “factory” that opened its doors in 1962. Upon entering I could barely navigate myself around the barrels and barrels of fortune cookies of all different shapes and sizes and flavors. Within ten feet of the entrance sits the first of a handful of women pulling circular cookies off a hot press. The women repeatedly fold the circular cookies into their famous “fortune” shape and inserting the wonderful fortunes. I asked the woman sitting in the front how she avoided being burnt pulling the steamy little cookies from the press, since the safety precautions didn’t exactly seem up to snuff. She simply responded by handing me one of the cookies straight off the press, which I learned was a bit toasty but not scolding hot by any means. I could go on and on about this wonderful experience on a beautiful Saturday morning in San Francisco’s famed Chinatown, but I wont. Check out more pictures from the trip on flick'r!

ESF: Pancakes for Brunch

2009-04-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Document A Delicious Meal

I have been a huge advocate of breakfast for dinner for my entire life. Growing up my sisters and I were always allowed to choose what meal would be served to the family on our birthdays, and throughout my entire childhood (and maybe adult life) I choose pancakes or waffles and bacon. Mmmm breakfast for dinner. I’m not sure who decided what should be eaten at various points throughout the day, but I totally disagree. I absolutely support pizza for breakfast and waffles for dinner.

I took this opportunity of cooking and documenting a delicious meal to create a mind-blowing breakfast feast complete with my grandfather’s pancake recipe, a spring inspired organically grown fruit salad and organic bacon.

Family Traditions

My mom always baked our bacon in the oven, as opposed to in a frying pan, because my dad has high blood pressure and his sodium intake is out of this world. A lot of the fat and grease is released in the oven, so it’s healthier and crispier!

On the other hand, molasses is the ultimate ingredient and completely underrated or underused, as the case may be. When making pancakes many people substitute Bisquick with oatmeal, or milk with fat free yogurt, attempting to makes these delicious little treats healthier. My Grandpa Mason not only didn’t remove these ingredients he added a few of his own—namely, molasses and melted butter.

Unfortunately this breakfast for dinner scenario fell through. My roommate Jacob wasn’t feeling well so he headed to bed around 6:30 and I didn’t want to bang around cooking above his head. Instead I prepped the fruit salad in the morning, and then made a delicious Thursday brunch for Ryan, Jacob, and I. Check it out on flick’r!

Earth Day 2009

2009-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Check out what St. Anthony's, where I have been interning since August 08, does everyday to protect our Mother Earth. St. Anthony's is located in San Francisco's "notoriously rough" neighborhood the Tenderloin, and is most widely known for its incredible food service, which serves over 2500 meals to the cities poor and homeless 365 days a year. Impressive!! Don't you think...

RECYCLE

ð Aluminum cans, glass & plastic bottles

ð Paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail

ð Donated cell phones get sent to an agency that distributes them to people in shelters or are low income

ð Cardboard boxes

ð 30 % recycled white copy paper is purchased

ð 30 % recycled color paper purchased

ð Toilet paper and paper towels are made from recycled paper

ð effort to purchase office supplies made of recycled material

RENEW

ð Donated shoes that are not distributed to our clients are sent to Africa for resale

ð Torn donated clothing is given to rag vendors

ð Donated nick-nacks are given to junk collectors

REUSE

ð Staff is encouraged to bring lunches in reusable plastic containers

ð Staff is encouraged to use their own drink containers instead of paper cups

ð Staff brings in paper & plastic grocery bags to be used by clients who shop in the food pantry

ð Staff sends out emails when used office furniture or office supplies are available or wanted

ð One side printed paper is used for drafts in the copy machines

ð Free “Green Team Library” for guests, volunteers and staff –used books, magazines, CD’s DVD’s, VCR cassettes

ð Water pitchers and compostable cups are placed on tables at meeting instead of plastic water bottles. At staff meetings members are reminded to bring their own drink containers

ROT

ð Dining Room composts all food scraps

ð All staff lunch rooms compost food scraps

ð Paper cups and plates used for coffee and other events are compostable

ð FARM composts their own food scraps and uses compost in their organic fruit and vegetable gardens *

WASTE MANAGEMENT – PROPER DISPOSAL

ð Batteries

ð Computers, monitors, electronics, printers

ð Printer cartridges, toners

ð Florescent light bulbs

ENERGY AND CONSERVATION

ð Energy efficient light bulbs are used in all common areas

ð Motion sensor light switches are used in some restrooms and common areas

ð Most major appliances are Energy Efficient

ð Bike racks are installed for staff who bike to work

ð Commuter check program is implemented to encourage mass transit

MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS

ð No harsh cleaning products are used, e.g. ammonias, lye

ð Most cleaning products are environmentally friendly

ð Drain cleaners are non-acid based

ð Painting products are not oil based

ð No lead products or materials are used

** 150 Golden Gate Ave is a Green Building.***

W e are anticipating a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) soon.

St. Anthony Foundation's Integrity of Creation

Our effort to move toward sustainable community will include support for balance in work and life style, for family life, for spiritual development as well as for conservation, local circulation of resources, toxin-free environment, and use of environmentally sensitive matter.

Well now it's April 22nd--Earth Day! What are you

going to do??

Sunset over Chicago

2009-04-19T21:48:00.001-07:00

Sunset over Chicago
Originally uploaded by skblackburn

Check out this shot from the pier in our Grand Beach Community, near New Buffalo, Michigan. Across the lake is my hometown Chicago!

ESF: I ate and drank the following today...

2009-03-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Between school, work, and an internship, I find it pretty difficult to find the time for food. Even though I love to eat and spend the majority of my “free time” watching the Food Network, my daily routine tends to stray far from the nutritious side of things, and I rely on caffeine and nicotine to get me through the day. The assignment this week in my ESF class, was to document what I ate and drank for one day. Being the procrastinating college student that I am, I waited until the last day to complete the assignment. However, I thought today would fit the bill of “being real and honest” about what I typically consume, given that on Wednesday’s I have class, a weekly doctor appointment, and work (I coach 5th grade girls basketball). If I had chosen to document the weekend or a day off, my eating habits would definitely stray from the usual, as I would have more time and energy to find something scrumptious.

Today, March 18th, is shaping up to be no different, from what I expected. I began my day with a French Vanilla coffee from USF’s Caf and a cigarette. I hate to admit that I enjoy this morning ritual, and as I sat in the morning sun reading my extremely dense Environmental Science textbook, it provided me with just the 'buzz' I needed to get me through.

After class, I headed straight for Starbucks to get my daily Grande Chai Tea Latte, which I skipped this morning because I was running late, thanks to the ridiculous bike-riders on Market St, who think the entire road is theirs. News flash—it’s not! Before heading out to conquer the rest of my day, I grabbed a banana, for some much needed potassium and electrolytes, since the rest of my diet isn’t exactly nutritious. So anyway, just in case you’re keeping track, that’s 1 banana, 2 caffeinated drinks, and 2 cigarettes.

A third of a bag of Planter’s Trail Mix and a few Snyder’s pretzel sticks were lunch for the day. I love trail mix so much, it’s easy to snack on while I’m running frantically around the city trying not to be late for whatever’s next on my crazy schedule. Why these carb-filled salty snacks you might wonder? Well, I absolutely love salt, thanks in part to my father, who salts everything, literally!

Dinner tonight will be simple, because after a twelve-hour day, the last thing I want is to come home and cook a feast. Thankfully supermarkets in the states are filled with an overwhelming amount of quick fix ingredients, including the shredded Mexican cheese, tortillas, and salsa I will use to make a few stovetop quesadillas. No Wednesday night would be complete without a glass (or bottle, depending on how the day went) of wine. Tonight’s selection is Cambria, a 2006 Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley. Mmmm mmm yummy!

Well I hope you enjoyed hearing about my ridiculous, yet delicious, culinary lifestyle. As I am planning to attend culinary school in the fall, and ultimately go into food writing, my eating habits are about to change dramatically, so stay tuned. I promise, the food discussed here will only get better.

Sexual Harassment Article Link

2009-03-17T22:44:00.001-07:00

This post is simply to provide the link to an article I wrote for my school newspaper, the University of San Francisco Foghorn, for my technologically challenged relatives. I love you, even if you don't know what Twitter or Wordpress are.

Sexual Harassment Rampant Among Students, Victims Fear Social Repercussions

Click the link above and read.

Mission District Phase 3: Final Edition

2009-03-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Mission District of San Francisco, is just one of many cultural neighborhoods. It is economically and ethnically diverse; however, nearly half of the population is Latino. Complete with shops, cafés, restaurants, murals, culture, and nightlife—this ever-changing neighborhood is one not to be missed. In the 1950’s Central American and Mexican families began moving to the Mission, and there presence can be seen all over.

My most recent “Mission” experience began at 24th and Mission, or the heart of the Mission, where I parked my car and began the trek to Balmy Alley. Along the seven-block stroll there are hundreds of taquerias, check-cash centers, and produce markets with their signs written in Spanish. An elderly Latino man can often be seen pushing his portable cart offering Mexican ice cream treats and even tacos.

Balmy alley is tucked away just off 24th street. When I arrived the alley was bustling with my classmates, fervently taking photographs and taking in every ounce of the incredible murals possible. The community murals movement began in the mid 1960’s, Balmy Alley is a product of this movement, and one of the few projects that was finished and preserved. The murals were meant to “educate the masses”, and portrayed images of influential Spanish people and messages. Balmy Alley was particularly effective because the murals were painted in one location. Moreover, murals are scattered through the entire Mission district, however, because they are spaced out, the message isn’t as strong. In 1972, the Mujeres muralists painted their first mural, which was followed up by three-dozen mural activists in 1984, who worked together to paint a mural on every fence, garage, and building in the alley.

After taking what seemed like 1000 pictures, we headed to Taqueria Vallarta for the food part of our field trip. The menu boasted many Mexican favorites like Chimichangas and tacos, and a few Americanized choices including the classic Super Burrito. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling great, so I opted for quesadillas and Mexican rice. Much to my surprise and satisfaction Taqueria Vallarta uses Chihuahua cheese, as opposed to the imposter Jack or Cheddar cheese, that tend to creep into Mexican dishes when they are made in the states. Literally meaning “little cheesy thing”, the cheese is the star in this simple dish.

The traditional Mexican quesadilla is a circle of uncooked corn masa folded in half and filled with cheese, and then warmed up until the cheese has melted. This process varies in different parts of Mexico, for example El Salvador has its own version of the quesadilla that unlike the Mexican version is served with coffee. The Salvadoran quesadilla, also popular in Guatemala and southern Mexico, is a dense bread dessert made with flour, milk, eggs, butter, sour cream, sugar, and Parmesan cheese; these ingredients are mixed together and baked for 30 minutes. I’ve never had a dessert style quesadilla like the one I described; however, I am stoked to try it as soon as I get my hands on one, because it sounds delicious.

After finishing up at Taqueria Vallarta, we began the walk back to Mission St. and our final stop—Mission Pie. This café and pie shop serves a plethora of freshly made organic pies, including the most popular option, banana cream, as well as pumpkin, vegan apple with brandied raisins, and pear raspberry. Many of the ingredients in Mission Pie’s pies are grown at their very own Pie Ranch; the remainder of the ingredients are bought from local farmers and at local markets. The pumpkin pie was pretty amazing; however, after tasting a classmate’s banana cream, that is the clear choice here!

Every excursion to the Mission is bound to be different, from the taquerias to the trendy new restaurants, there is always something new to eat and new to see in this cultural haven.

Mission District Phase 2

2009-03-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey ESF check out my Balmy Alley collage, phase 2 of the Mission Project. Using a new program, Picasa, this is my test-run. Enjoy!

Mission District Phase I

2009-03-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Just the first taste of my Mission Project.

Team: ESF
Destination: Balmy Alley

Enjoy!

Saturday Morning 8:30 AM

2009-03-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

on saturday,february 28th, at 8:30 am I boarded a bus (for the first time in 5 years) and headed to mt. tamalpais for an 11 mile hike with ninety classmates four daring usf faculty. it was an amazing hike, though tough on my thrice operated knee. i hope you enjoy the photos an i would love your comments.

Obama: Food Banks

2009-03-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

President Obama talks about Food Banks. Interesting. I am so satisfied with my going on 8 month internship at the St. Anthony Foundation, it has really opened my eyes to issues like poverty and hunger. Watch this. Learn.

North Beach Extravaganza!

2009-02-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday my ESF class embarked on our first of six planned field trips, destination—North Beach. Our group, 18 in all, met at City Lights Bookstore, a haven for tourists and city dwellers alike. City Lights is not only one of the most famous bookstores and publishers in the country, but it is also home to the poets of the Beat generation.

Drawn by the bohemian atmosphere, the beat generation began around 1950 with Jack Karouac, Alan Ginsberg, Neil Cassady, and Willian S. Burroughs in New York but the beat movement really took root in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood which provided inexpensive housing and beat hangouts like Vesuvio Café. The literary epicenter of the Beat movement was City Lights Booksellers and Publications who published Alan Ginsberg’s famous poem “Howl.” The beat author reading at the Six Gallery in San Francisco, along with an article, written by Karouac’s friend John Clellon Homes for the New York Times Magazine, dubbed “This is the Beat Generation” and by the late 1950s beats were flocking to San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood.

We strolled down Broadway Street, the main drag in North Beach, toward the chosen restaurant, Bocce Café. Cameras and notebooks in hand, I don’t doubt we looked like a bunch of tourists, which we most definitely are not. As we approached the restaurant hundreds of tiny flashes illuminated the storefront from the cameras of excited media students searching for the best angle.
An Italian flag door and enchanting walkway, lined with beautifully groomed trees and tiny white lights, led up to what we hoped would be the authentic North Beach destination we were looking for. The wooden sign, decorated with grapes and vines, should have served as an early warning to the inauthenticity of the meal, as there is a shocking resemblance to the sign at Olive Garden.

Our gaping table lined the far wall of a nearly empty restaurant. The ambiance of Bocce far outweighed the taste of the penne I ordered, but maybe I’m being unfair. Beautiful mirrors, old bottles of wine, dried garlic and peppers, and wood beams created a wonderful atmosphere. The table was buzzing with conversation as we ordered, ate delicious Italian bread, drank some cheap white wine, and waited in anticipation for the meal we were about to dissect.

When my penne with fresh tomatoes and roasted garlic arrived, I was thrilled, as I had fasted all day in preparation for my Italian feast. Maybe it’s an American thing (which the movie our class watched, Big Night, suggested cheese is), but as soon as my plate was set in front of me, I began searching for the fresh Parmesan cheese. Much to my dismay, the cheese was not fresh my any means, but was crumbled processed cheese, most likely from a nearby supermarket.

Although my meal wasn't as satisfying as I had anticipated, the wonderful service and conversation more than made up for it. North Beach is full of restaurants trying to be Italian, while also trying to please American customers. American customers who tend to like their food fast and familiar. Maybe it's time for us to slow down and really look at what we're eating, whether it's at a hokey Italian restaurant or at home. Stay tuned.

seven months of silence

2009-02-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

okay, let's just get past it, i haven't blogged in nine months. there i said it, and i'm not trying to ignore it. a lot has happened you'll learn if you stay posted. stories along the way will explain why i've been on a blogging hiatus. but anyway, i'm back and ready to get down to business via ESF assignments and adventures. i am beyond stoked, as in case you were wondering what ESF is, it means eating san francisco. in my final semester at the university of san francisco, in order to satisfy my cultural diversity requirement i am enrolled in a course where i paid fifty extra bucks for tuition to spend a semester with 16 other students eating our way through san francisco. with eight-hundred and fifty dollars the next sixteen weeks are going to be a frenzy of bus rides and hustling for coupons and deals for some of the most eager classmates i've ever had. we are headed to areas like north beach, the mission, haight ashbury, and china town. everyone totally brings a different quality or angle to our ideas. whether they were raised on a farm, worked in a restaurant, love to garden, are obsessed with food network, or aspire to be a food writer...each characteristic just adds to the possibilities this class has to do a kick ass job eating our way across san francisco. one of the most diverse and coveted cities in the country, quite possibly in the world. i hope you stay tuned and follow what 17 students and one engaging professor find out, also check in for twitter.com class updates.

oh yeah i also coach nine months a year, summers off, at katherine delmar burkes school (kdbs). i coach two seasons of basketball and one season of volleyball for 5-8th grade girls. it's a blast but a lot of hard work. i have also been interning at the st. anthony foundation in san francisco for seven months in the communications and media department.

rmc. can of coke. cabo san lucas. picture perfect sunset. love is a funny thing.

Frjzt Fries, Not French Fries

2008-05-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

In the heat of finals, I have barely been able to find the time to shower or sleep, much less a night out to discover a great new restaurant or relax with my friends. Before last night, Coke, caffeine, and water, were the only things running through my veins and attempting to fill my stomach over the past 13 days (not that I’m counting). My sleeping habits at the moment are also far from healthy; and I’m honestly shocked that my body isn’t trying to shut itself down, due to my blatant disregard for its needs. Realizing that I had also been ignoring my duties as a blogger, I knew I at least had to grab some grub from a new eatery in town (new to me that is, not necessarily new as an establishment). I only had about a half an hour, because studying for two final exams and writing a fifteen-page analysis of a television show, doesn’t exactly give me a lot of time to enjoy anything except the occasional (and necessary) nicotine fix.Although I didn’t have time to dine-in, I was more than satisfied with my take-out selection from Frjtz, a Belgian Art Teahouse. And no, not just because I haven’t eaten a decent meal in a few weeks. For less than twenty-five bucks, my boyfriend and I were able to enjoy every last bite of the savory crepes and perfectly delicious fries from this Hayes-Valley establishment (note: there is also another Frjtz located on Valencia, in the Mission). Located on Hayes Street in the sassy Hayes-Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, Frjtz’s menu features fries, huge salads, and sweet/savory crepes. The Belgian fries, which are clearly the most sought after menu choice, are available in two sizes (small or large) and accompanied by your choice of any of the 20 original dips.

At this point, you’re probably wondering what would differentiate Belgian fries from the more classic French fries. According to Frjtz Belgian fries are: washed cut potatoes that are blanched in a lower temperature oil, then fried in a much higher temperature to achieve natural crispness without adding extra starches. Traditionally served in paper cones with a variety of dipping sauces!

The dipping sauces at Frjtz cover quite a range of flavors including: pesto mayonnaise, curry ketchup, Thai chili ketchup, ginger orange mayo, and creamy wasabi mayo. The list clearly goes on; however, instead of listing the other fifteen flavors for you, I simply request that you head to Frjtzs yourself, and find the dipping sauce that excites your taste-buds.

Frjtz also offers a variety of Belgian beers, wines, and cocktails. My absolute favorite beer is Stella Artois, which they even serve in the Stella glass. The ambiance of this fried potato haven is laid back, and you can even watch the crepes being made. The items on the menu are also named after famous artists, places, and such; which are great fun to read and try things solely based on the name. The Da Vinci crepe is my and is filled with mozzerella cheese, pesto, and tomato.

Anyway, I strongly suggest taking a trip to Hayes-Valley to enjoy great fries and yummy crepes. Even if you only have twenty minutes or so to spare, you can order to go and be back to work or school or wherever before you know it!

Are You a Sports Fanatic?

2008-05-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

I think I started playing basketball before I could even walk. See I was my Dad’s last hope. I have two older sisters, neither of which were necessarily blessed with the athletic gene my dad was praying for. My oldest sister Elizabeth is the artsy type, not to mention that she has a 140 IQ! Meghan, the middle, was as athletic as she could have been considering she never rose above 5’2”. I’ll give it to her though; she was aggressive as hell, and way better than I was at soccer.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was my dad’s last hope for a basketball star, since having a son was kind of out of the question. Even though my sisters weren’t necessarily great at basketball, my dad sent them to Doug Collins a basketball summer camp every year. Don’t feel too bad for them though, on their camp evaluations they always scored very high on coachability and sportsmanship (haha, sorry Meg and Liz). My dad talked the camp director into letting me come, even though I was three years younger than the youngest age group, because my two older sisters were there. I may have been little, but I definitely held my ground, and lucky for my father I fell in love with basketball.

I spent my summers at basketball camp, my weekends playing pick-up games with the neighborhood boys, every day after school I watched Pistol Pete, an instructional video on dribbling skills, and the every winter at Chicago Bulls games with my dad. I played year-round on three different teams, and probably played more basketball games in a year than most people play in a lifetime. I think I spent more time in my driveway (see photo) and in gyms than anywhere else in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. However, by my junior year of high school, I had undergone two major reconstructive knee surgeries and dislocated my kneecaps on countless occasions. My love for the game was becoming overshadowed the realization that if I kept playing, I most likely wouldn’t be able to walk by the time I was thirty. And the next step, knee replacement surgery wasn’t something I was ready for at seventeen. Bottom line…I quit. Yes, my father was devastated, my whole family was, even more so—I was devastated.

I shut basketball out of my life for a while, all my dreams of playing in the WNBA or even college for that matter were destroyed. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I didn’t have to be playing to still enjoy the sport. Basketball was such a huge part of my life for so long and it was hard to forget. I couldn’t play anymore, at least not competitively (and if you know me, you know that’s the only way I do things), so I started coaching grammar school girls. I now coach two teams, a seventh grade varsity team in the winter and a fifth grade club team in the spring. It’s fun, it’s hard, and it’s frustrating as hell, which sure gives me a lot of respect for every coach I ever had. It doesn’t completely fill the void of all the amazing years I spent on the court; however, it’s a pretty good replacement.

Last weekend, I found myself at Jillian’s, a huge sports bar in the Metreon down on 4th Street in San Francisco. In the heat of the NBA Playoffs, the jumbo screens made Kobe and Shaq feel like they were in the same room. Above the bar is a floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall television, with over ten different screens. Each one featuring a different sport, the playoffs were smack in the middle on an enormous screen. Outside of ten and twelve year old girls, I hadn’t watched many basketball games in the past year. I was just watching the Lakers take on the Jazz, entranced by the jumbo-screen, and suddenly all the memories of state championship games and national tournaments come rushing back.

The food at Jillian’s is basic bar food, but a bit more upscale. The menu includes items like buffalo wings (which were delicious, and not too spicy), calamari, burgers, and even a philly-style cheese-steak. Jillian’s is a bit pricy, considering they are serving bar food, not upscale cuisine. The bar is enormous, I am certain they could make you any drink you requested. The enormous dining room has hardwood floors and velvet booths, a large mirror covers the entire wall of one side of the room. (Great for undercover people watching!) There is also a billiards room, which is great if you have no interest in watching sports. And Jillian’s transforms into a full-on club at night.

All in all, I guess I am trying to say that if you have any interest in sports that Jillian’s is a great place to watch any number of games, tournaments, and other competitions. The NBA playoffs are always exciting, regardless of if you are supporting one of the teams or not, and Jillian’s is a great place to hang. If you’re looking for a place to chill and indulge yourself in the playoffs over the next few weeks, this place is great. After the playoffs don’t write off Jillian’s because there are always a great games to watch, between baseball season, football season, and basketball season there is never a dull moment in sports. Bottom line: I love food, I love basketball, and I love watching sports. Jillian’s…job well done.

Eddie's Cafe: Cheap and Fast

2008-05-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Eddie’s Café is a great, fast, and super cheap little diner located in the heart of NOPA, a neighborhood in San Francisco. Perfect for that greasy food you crave after a long night of drinking and partying. Eddie’s is not exactly gourmet, actually, it’s not gourmet at all, but they serve breakfast all day (always a plus) and service is beyond friendly (no, not in a creepy way).

Eddie’s is located on the corner of Fulton and Divisadero, and from the outside, I’ll admit it looks a little run-down. Once inside however, Eddie’s has great charm. The ambiance is set by a little jukebox in the corner playing great soul music; including, classics by Etta James, Ray Charles, James Brown, Carole King, and Little Richard. There are also bouquets of beautiful flowers set on random tables. And Eddie’s has hundreds of collected coffee mugs from all over, which they serve coffee and tea in. Eddie’s is small, there are only six booths and about that many stools at the counter, so you might have to wait.As the food goes, like I said it is nothing special, just classic breakfast food: pancakes, eggs, hash browns, biscuits, bacon, omelets…the usual. The menu is pretty limited, but everything on the menu is cheap! Eddie’s also offers the following classic sandwiches: BLT, grilled cheese, bacon egg and cheese.

My boyfriend (Ryan) and I often head to Eddie’s on the weekend to both recover from the previous night and because we know the two of us can eat for about $15. On my most recent adventure to Eddie’s I ordered a grilled cheese and French fries, which were both piping hot and cooked to perfection. Ryan ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy considering there was nothing left of it within minutes.
All in all, Eddie’s isn’t where you want to take someone your trying to impress or somewhere to expect a five-star meal. However, Eddie’s is fast, comfortable, friendly, and best of all cheap. I would absolutely recommend Eddie’s to anyone I know, especially after a rough night.

Which coffee mug will you get?

One-Minute Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008-04-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Reasons why you should see Forgetting Sarah Marshall:

The Plot…
Hilarious
Great one-liners
Sarcastic
Romantic
Ridiculous
Raunchy
Original
Full Frontal Male Nudity (enough said)

The People…
Beautiful women: Mila Kunis & Kristen Bell
Jason Segel, who wrote the screenplay and starred in the film
Great cameos: Bill Hader

In San Francisco, about a month before FSM was even running commercials or trailers on television; billboards, taxi cabs, buses, and so on were plastered (literally) with ads for the movie. However, the signs read like this “I always hated Sarah Marshall” and “You do look fat in those jeans Sarah Marshall”. At first I had no idea who Sarah Marshall was, all I know is that by the time I saw the fifth or sixth advertisement—I just had to find out! I searched the web for Sarah Marshall and found out it was a movie, written and starring one of my favorite actors! I was stoked. You might be wondering the reason for this little anecdote. I just think that the marketing team for FSM did a phenomenal job to say the least. They had me wanting to see the movie before I even saw a trailer, that’s impressive!

Trust me it is absolutely worth the $10.50 to see it in theaters, I might even see it again!

Even Rotten Tomatoes rated FSM: 85%

Scrumptous Crispy Chicken Recipe!

2008-04-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

Another school year is quickly ending. Final exams are approaching, and it is time to finally do everything that I had been putting off all semester. After a long week of endless hours in the library, the last thing I wanted to do was get dolled-up and go out to a restaurant. Friday was spent lounging on the couch, watching the Food Network, and attempting to both recover from the previous week and prepare for the next. By about 6 p.m., I think I had seen just about every Food Network star doing what they do best—cook. It was ideal. I had no energy to dine out, but after watching hours and hours of cooking, I had more than a few ideas for a delicious meal!

The recipe is extremely basic and easy. The entire meal only takes about 30 minutes to make, complete with an appetizer.

Ingredients: Boneless/skinless chicken tenders
All purpose flour
Garlic & herb seasonings
Butter
Plain potato chips
Asparagus
*Optional: Grand’s Flaky biscuits

Steps
(CHICKEN & BISCUITS)
1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Melt 1/2 stick of butter, pour into bowl
3. Combine 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of seasonings into large serving dish
4. Crush potato chips into a separate serving dish (fun for kids and boyfriends!)

*For the above ingredients, you will only need enough to cover the chicken tenders, so you are welcome to eyeball the amounts. Also, make sure to keep them in separate dishes.

5. Take chicken tenders and dip them first in the flour
6. Next in the melted butter
7. Last, completely cover the tenders with crushed potato chips8. Place the tenders into the oven on an un-greased cooking sheet for 20 minutes, or until
the chips are golden brown.
*If you are also making the biscuits, place them in the oven with the chicken.

(ASPARAGUS)
1. Preheat a griddle, with the burners on high.
2. Wash the asparagus and lightly coat it with olive oil or butter
3. Place the asparagus horizontally on the griddle and season them with garlic salt
4. Cook time is about 8 minutes, 4 minutes on each side

Well you are basically done! Just place the asparagus on a plate and top it with fresh Parmesan cheese. Grab the chicken and biscuits out of the oven, and you have yourself an amazing and quick dinner. Next time you don’t feel like dealing with the masses and would rather have dinner alone or spend some time at home with a loved one, try out this recipe!

Hope you love it!

A Holiday for the Hippies!

2008-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Voicemail: Hey darling, it’s your father. I am with your sisters and they wanted me to call and make sure you were celebrating 4/20 in Golden Gate Park. (Laughing) They said San Francisco was probably a big cloud of smoke today. Well I hope you’re having a great day and I guess…be careful.Well that was by far one of the most ridiculous and funniest voicemails I have ever received, especially because it was from my dad. I cannot believe my dad called to make sure I was celebrating 4/20…does he not understand what that is? I mean he couldn’t possibly have been calling to make sure I was getting high? But I tried to look at it from his point of view: his baby daughter (me) went off to college and she is no longer that sweet little girl who tells daddy everything. The result: dad will bring up just about anything he thinks will spark a conversation. I guess it makes sense.

Anyway, yes I was in fact at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park with the other thousands of people who were celebrating 4/20. If you are not familiar with 4/20, it is a (discreet) term used to reference the use of cannabis or marijuana. On April 20 (4/20) thousands of people gathered in GGP and I am sure many many other places to celebrate! Do not think that the only people who showed up to Hippie Hill on 4/20 were a bunch of stoners and pot-heads, while that is mostly correct…other people, from all walks of life came to enjoy and observe cannabis day. It was a beautiful day in San Francisco, a little windy but otherwise sunny and nice. Even if you are not a smoker, 4/20 in Golden Gate Park is a great place for people watching and relaxing.

At 4:20 on 4/20 everyone that had gathered in the park stood up and cheered, and of course smoked: a joint, a blunt, a spliff, a piece, a bong…you get the idea. A huge cloud of smoke hovered over the dancing, singing, cheering hippies. However now it is 4/21, the holiday is over and it is back to reality!

There is no place like Home!

2008-04-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Most people can probably agree that nothing compares to a great home cooked meal. That is exactly the concept that Home Restaurant, in San Francisco’s Castro district, has built their menu around. Home is open until midnight, seven days a week and its menu, which is full of home-cooked inspired favorites is sure to satisfy any craving.

Everything from the menu to the ambiance at Home is extremely comforting. The inside of Home features a full bar, complete with a dinning counter, a main dining room with big red booths (classy though, not tacky), and an enclosed patio with another bar and a wood burning fireplace. The staff is super friendly, almost as if your mom was actually delivering the food to your table!

The menu is made up of comfort food with a gourmet twist. For example, the Duck and vegetable spring rolls with spicy chili dipping sauce; which by the way is delicious. Other options include: Sloppy Joe dip with sour cream, red onions, and corn chips, Niman Ranch meatloaf with potato puree, gravy, and brown sugar carrots, and Wild mushroom ravioli, with zucchini, truffle oil, mushroom reduction, and parmesan. Those are just a few of Home’s menu choices, they also have macaroni and cheese, that is too die for, and decadent honey corn bread.

I suggest you share! Although a few of the entrees do sound (and taste) super delicious, there are a bunch of appetizers and sides that are perfect for sharing with friends or family. While dining at Home, my friends and I ordered about six of these different small plates, and were more than satisfied and stuffed.

If you insist on ordering your own thing, I know some people don’t like to do the whole sharing thing…at least order the Mac’n’cheese for everyone to taste. The pasta is always cooked perfectly, the cheese is hot and stringy, and there are little breadcrumbs on top that make this dish Amazing!

Christmas lights year round, magnetic walls and letters, 200 different bottles of wine...What's Not to Love?

2008-04-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

Q is a fabulous inner-Richmond restaurant that serves American comfort food with a twist and features an expansive wine list with over 200 hand-selected California favorites. Q is located on Clement Street, and the people dining there are as eclectic as the restaurant. The staff is friendly and helpful. As for ambiance, Q is on the loud side. The great food brings in large crowds, which means a ton of people talking; and the kitchen is out in the open, so you have all the noise of cooking. All of that noise is topped off with music; however, the tunes are very recognizable and classic, you know… songs that everyone seems to love. Etta James…At Last, enough said.

The interior decorations are a cross between a child’s playroom and an industrial plant. The bottom half of the walls are magnetic, and come fully equipped with magnet letters for your enjoyment and sheer amusement. The daily specials and desserts are written on a huge section of a chalkboard wall. Christmas and chili pepper light-strands hang from the ceiling and on the booths; there is even a tree in the middle of the big table in the back, which is of course covered in lights.

Don’t think the decorations stop there. One half of the ceiling is painted midnight blue and a huge moon, craters and all, completes the illusion of a night sky…inside! All of these things may seem overwhelming, but they actually give the place a quirky and comfortable feel. Once you get over the embellished interior and focus on the food and wine, I know you will be satisfied! One suggestion, come hungry because the portions are pretty big.

The extensive and versatile wine list, of over 200 different wines as I mentioned earlier, was created by Q’s chef/owner Andrew Gillen. He has even taken the time to pair his favorite wine selections with specific menu options.

The lunch and dinner menus focus on classic American favorites. A few examples: Macaroni and Cheezy with Tate R Tots, Grilled Harris Ranch Angus Meatloaf on Mashed Potatoes with Country Gravy and Braised Vegetables, and Ultimate Vegan Grill-Grilled Squashes, Corn On The Cob, Yams, Portobello Mushrooms, Carrots and Onions with Marinated Beets, Black Beans, and Wild Rice Pilaf. My absolute favorite dish at Q is the Potato Croquettes appetizer, which is served with asiago cheese, rosemary, and smoked tomato salsa. No exaggeration I order it every time I am there! It’s just that delicious.

Q is more than worth venturing out to. The food is great, and comforting. The wine will never stop flowing. And I promise, the magnetic wall and letters are always great entertainment!

Stories From The Throne Room (a.k.a. the bathroom)

2008-04-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I am currently writing an article about bathroom idiosyncrasies and other anecdotal stories you may or may not have about a bathroom experience, especially public restrooms. To give you an idea of what I am looking for, here are a few questions to consider.

Do you always go to the bathroom with friends or do you always go alone?

Do you always use the same stall or sink?

Do you have any sort of bathroom ritual?

Are there bathrooms you avoid or prefer for any reason?

The story subject is pretty open, and will essentially be as creative and interesting as the stories/anecdotes people are willing to tell me! If you have a great story, please comment. If you aren’t comfortable commenting in this public forum, please e-mail me at genieegrl22@aol.com. Thanks so much, can’t wait to hear your stories.

Parent's Pick: Piperade

2008-04-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Dining out with my parents and their friends always proves to be an interesting experience. The conversation is that much more educated and the wine that much more expensive. On Saturday night my boyfriend Ryan and I, met my parents and four of their friends at Piperade, for (as expected) a spectacular meal and intriguing dialogue. My mother’s directions to this restaurant were shaky at best, she told me it was on Green Street between Union and Battery. Basically Green and Union run parallel, so that was impossible, and because I trusted an out-of-towner with the directions, I drove around for an extra half and hour trying to find this hidden gem. Piperade is actually located on Battery between Green and Union, at the base of Telegraph Hill and on the edge of the Financial District.

Piperade is not only the name of a fabulous restaurant it is also the name of a dish from the Basque regi on, which borders France and Spain. This signature dish combines tomatoes, pepper, onion, garlic, and eggs. Unfortunately, no one in our party of eight ordered it; however, we did try just about everything else on the menu—all of which were amazing. The menu offers small plates that are great for sharing, and entrée size meals. A few of the small plates include: warm sheep’s milk cheese and ham terrine, piquillo peppers with goat cheese, California raisins and moscatel vinaigrette, and whole prawns with garlic, parsley and lemon. The bigger plate options featured: marinated lamb chops with thyme and aged sherry vinegar, bistro steak with caramelized shallots, gascon fries and portobellos, and (of course) Pipérade with sautéed Serrana ham and a poached egg.

The wine list at Piperade is not at all overshadowed by the delectable food. There are nearly 200 wines on the extensive list, and they are proud to feature Basque wines from France, Spain, and California. Emmauel Kemiji, Master Sommelier at Piperade, seems very passionate about the wine and is proud to serve wines from boutique wineries and artisans. The wine at our table never stopped flowing, between the reds and whites, Roses and Pinots, each sip was as refreshing as the last.

The ambiance at Piperade was fabulous. A huge chandelier, made from wine bottles, lit the restaurant perfectly. The wooden chairs and tables gave it a comfortable feel, while still being upscale. The bar was bustling and the service was great. Piperade is open for lunch and dinner, and there is also a sheltered outdoor patio! I have nothing but great things to say about this place, which as you know isn’t always the case.

Life is a Beach.

2008-04-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

The beautiful beach. The blazing sun. The dreaded bikini. All of these things are so familiar to us. I can’t think of anywhere I would rather be than on a beach, or anything that I would rather do than lay on it. And that’s exactly what I did this weekend; yes, all weekend. As finals creep closer and work gets stressful, a relaxing weekend at the beach was the perfect medicine. If you have ever spent any time in San Francisco, you know that the weather is unpredictable at best. The temperature has been known to drop 30° degrees and the fog rolls in so heavy, the city seems to disappear. And anytime the temperature is above 60, people crowd the parks and beaches as if they haven’t seen the sun in years. This weekend it felt more like the Bahamas than San Francisco, the wretched fog and wind were no where to be found for three entire days! A few of my favorite beaches in San Francisco are Ocean and Baker beach. Baker beach has the feel of a local’s beach, just a bit bigger. It is about a half-mile long and at the North end, there is a well-known nudist beach. It has an amazing view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The parking at Baker however, is quite a hassle. Whenever we go to the beach during the day we tend to head to Baker, it seems less windy. The beach is the perfect place to do just about anything: relax, hang out with friends, play football or volleyball, read a book.
Ocean beach, however is the clear choice for a late night bonfire. Ocean beach is a lot bigger and the ocean seems almost endless as it collides miles away into the sky. On a warm night, like Saturday for example, people flock to the beach for fires, live music, and s’mores. The night scene at the beach in San Francisco is probably exactly how you would imagine it…sort of an extension of the sixties.
Fires were raging all up and down the beach Saturday night, and as my friends and I wandered from one to the next, three things remained constant. A fire (obviously), food, and music. Some of the fires were huge, and others were much smaller. Some of the food was gourmet, and of it…not at all. Some of the music was live, with guitars and drums and dancers; and other music blared out of boomboxes. All of it was great.

This weekend was perfect. Between the weather and the company, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. And it was all so simple…a blanket, a ball, a few beers, and you’re golden. Next time the weather is good, where ever you live, I suggest you hit the beach!

Less than Impressed!

2008-04-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Going to a new restaurant is always great fun, but sometimes it is nice to go to a place where you already know what to expect. That way you know the menu, you know the prices, and you can assume your experience will be as satisfactory as it was in the past. Rose Pistola, an Italian-style restaurant located in the San Francisco neighborhood North Beach, was one of the first places I dined in after moving here…almost three years ago (wow time flies!). Over the years, I have been there many times, with family and friends alike, and each time was as enjoyable as the last. My mom was coming into town for a Wallace Foundation conference, and I found no better excuse than to dine out at this old favorite.

Unfortunately, the service and the food were mediocre at best. Thankfully, we had 3 (or was it 4) bottles of wine to cushion the blow of what this place had become. The service was the first hint that our Rose Pistola experience was not going to be a good one. The waiter (lets call him Joe), a younger guy—about 30 or so, had more attitude that I think even he knew what to do with, and his indifference was blatant. Joe was less than amused by my mother’s witty banter (if you know her, you know exactly what I’m talking about), and he seemed bored while taking our order. Even when my mom asked for his wine recommendations, he was not only unhelpful, but he seemed annoyed. Our first two bottles of wine sat in the middle of the table, luckily we drank them fast or else they would have gotten very warm. And after pouring us refills from our fourth bottle, it disappeared and we were never offered its remains. Past the terrible wine etiquette, we never saw Joe again throughout the course of the meal—he never checked to see if we needed anything or made sure our meals were satisfactory. In regards to the food, two things stick out in my memory. My ($36) steak was extremely fatty and rare, which was not how I ordered it, and the peas in my boyfriends pasta Carbonara, were still frozen.

In the past however, I have had much more enjoyable experiences and much better food at Rose Pistola. Their rustic Italian style food satisfies all kinds of cravings. The menu has everything from wood-fired pizza and pasta to steak and whole roasted fish. In addition to that, Rose Pistola also has a full-bar and an extensive wine menu. Although, my most recent experience was not top-notch, I am not going to write this place off completely. Maybe Joe (our waiter) was having a bad night, and maybe I did not make it clear that I wanted my steak medium-well. Rose Pistola let me down this time, and my mom swore she would never dine there again. But lets face it, everyone is allowed to have a bad day…right?

A Cheap and Spicy Treat!

2008-04-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

When my parents told me they were coming to San Francisco for the weekend, I was stoked. I was obviously happy to spend some quality time with my parents, but I was more excited knowing that we would be dining out all weekend! My parents had spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco long before I moved here, so they know their way around and know some great restaurants. My dad has had clients in San Francisco for more than twenty year and after spending so much time here, has lots of favorite restaurants, especially in the financial district. Although I am not a huge fan of any Asian cuisine, I agreed to step out on my comfort zone and join my parents and a family friend at Henry’s Hunan.

Henry’s Hunan has four San Francisco locations, which are all located in and around the financial district. My family and I dined at the Sacramento Street location in the heart of the financial district, which is obvious because the majority of the customers were middle-aged men in suits. The food at Henry’s runs circles around the décor, but do not let it deter you from enjoying the delicious food, the New Yorker Magazine boldly said it is “the best Chinese restaurant in the world.” Not only does Henry’s offer a huge selection of Chinese cuisine, it is super inexpensive. Our party of four dined for $38 dollars! As for the ambiance: the walls are stark white, it is busy and loud, and the tables and chairs could have easily been ransacked from an old convention center. However, once you get past the lack of décor, Henry’s will have you filled to the brim with fabulous food. The menu has a lot to offer, so it is best to share, that way you can sample a variety of different selections. A few suggestions: Marty’s Special, Kung Pao Beef (very spicy!), dumplings, and Diana’s Special Meat Pie (the most popular menu item).

This place is great; not fancy, but great. It is cheap, the white rice is perfect, and the traditional Chinese tea is delicious and hot. As I said earlier, I am not a big fan of Chinese food, but Henry’s Hunan stepped up—I loved it! Touché.

Search and Find: a great new restaurant!

2008-04-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, by reading my most recent blog posts, I love to eat out. But hey, what is not to love? Somebody else does the cooking, and more importantly, somebody else does the cleaning. Eating out also lets me experience new cuisines and new neighborhoods. I currently live in San Francisco, where I have quickly learned that each neighborhood seems to have its very own specialty. For example, the Mission District focuses on their amazing Mexican food, North Beach is an Italian’s haven, and China Town…. well, that’s a bit obvious.

To make sure I am not constantly eating at the same restaurants, I rely on things like Yelp.com and the Zagat Survey. Yelp.com is a great site where customers review restaurants, hotels, spas, and so on. The site has thousands of reviews for all types of restaurants in many cities including—San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, and Miami. There are over 4,100 San Francisco restaurants alone! The restaurants are split into different categories, which makes the site easy to navigate and find exactly what you are looking for. A few of the categories include: neighborhood, cuisine, and different restaurant features like romantic, delivery, or outside seating. The great thing about the Yelp website is, it is constantly updated, and the reviews are from real people. It also has photographs and a place to ask other reviewers questions about anything you might need to know for your perfect dining experience. If you are not into street reviews, Zagat is another option. The downside to Zagat is whether you want to book or want to be a member of their online survey—it costs money. The upside, I think, is the book and website are made up of professional reviews, so you avoid people ranting or raving and you just get the info you came for: price, taste, décor, and service. Those are just a few suggestions if you are dying to find a great new restaurant!Other options: the restaurant reviews in your local newspaper, citysearch.com, or even try watching the Food Network! Good luck on your quest, hope this helps.

The Grove- great for eating, studying, and people watching!

2008-04-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

The Grove is an eclectic café on Fillmore Street, in San Francisco. If you do not know much about San Francisco, Fillmore Street is where you go if you are— about 30 years old, trendy, and (probably) wealthy. The boutiques, restaurants, bars, and specialty shops are all high-end; or at least they act as if they are.

The Grove is no different. The food at The Grove covers quite a range. The breakfast options are delightful. A few of the delicious bagel combinations include: Raul’s Bagel (scrambled eggs, melted American cheese, and thick-sliced bacon), Derek’s Bagel (hummus, avocado, sprouts, red onion, and tomato), and The New Yorker Bagel (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and sliced red onions). The bagels however, pale in comparison to the rest of the Grove’s extensive menu. Other breakfast options include—granola, oatmeal, French toast, breakfast burrito, waffles, and crab cakes. If you are more of a lunch person, the Grove offers hot pressed sandwich platters, salads, and a full entrée menu. For example, the Berkeley Bowl is an amazing (and huge) salad that features sweet tomatoes, carrots, English cucumbers, red onions, ripe avocado, roasted peppers, alfalfa sprouts, and garbanzo beans with homemade ranch dressing.

Although the menu has endless options for any craving at any time of the day, it is not the food that keeps the Grove packed from open to close. Looking around the café, food is not what covers the tables—it is laptops, books, and briefcases. It seems like since the invention of laptops and wireless Internet access, people have started to leave the comfort of their homes and head to a café or anywhere else they can find. I know getting out of the house to do work, helps me focus much more on the task at hand, instead of the dishes, laundry, and even the television. The Grove’s laid back atmosphere makes it easy to study and get loads of work done. They have an ample amount of outlets to plug in laptops, and they offer an Internet service with daily or monthly rate options. Most importantly, no one will hassle you if you sit and do work for endless hours and only order a white chocolate mocha.

The Grove opens early and closes late. I love this place. It has everything I need—a ‘homey’ feel, Internet access, and great food. Just a warning…the Grove is no secret so it tends to get really packed. But hey, who doesn’t love a little people watching?

Macbook Air Ad

2008-03-31T14:41:00.001-07:00

The MacBook Air ad. I can't lie, the catchy song makes me want that computer so bad! (In case you were wondering, the song is called New Soul, by new artist Yael Naim)

Great Stuff on TV

2008-03-31T14:16:00.004-07:00

For the most part commercials on television are mediocre at best. Sans Superbowl commercials, which for the $2.5 million per thirty-second slot, they better be! However, a few businesses are breaking past the slump and have gotten pretty creative. Here are a few commercials I absolutely love!

First: The Dunkin Donuts ad that bashes 'starbucks talk'. Its hilarious!

Second: posted below....the Macbook Air ad...I love it!

Third: The new Band-Aid brand commercial, it has a little boy and girl singing the classic "I'm stuck on band-aid, because band-aid's stuck one me!" song. I couldn't find the video on-line, but watch for it on TV, its adorable!

Un, Dues, Trois: 1 buttermilk pancake, 2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon

2008-03-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

Zazie: a quaint French bistro in Cole Valley. Cole Valley: a quaint neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Now that we have the location pinpointed, let me tell you why Zazie is the perfect place for Sunday bunch—despite the list you will inevitably put your name on, and the twenty minutes (give or take) you will wait to get a table. Plus, the way I see it…the short time you will wait, just gives you some extra time to relax and enjoy your outing, considering the extraordinarily busy lives we all lead. And a line outside a restaurant tends to be a good sign. Lets face it, who wants to eat in an empty restaurant…it is empty for a reason people.

Zazie is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; however, we will be focusing here on Zazie’s amazing brunch! Menu options at this tiny bistro cover quite a range from delicious Gingerbread pancakes and French Toast Tahiti (with caramelized walnuts and bananas) to Dungeness Crab Benedict and Eggs Monaco (prosciutto and tomatoes provencales). The brunch is technically the breakfast menu with a handful of extra items, including eight different sandwiches. Trust me each one is as delightful as the next.

This bistro is perfect for a date or catching up with family and friends. If you are not a talker or you are on an awkward date and need something distracting there are a few tables out in front of the restaurant. This will give you a great view of the ever-bustling Cole Street, and inevitably something to talk about or at least look at. The tables inside are squished together a bit; I guess they are trying to make the best of their cozy little space. The best place to sit is on their deck outside in the back. Drenched with sun (if it decided to come out that day) and toasted up be electric heaters—you get a bit more space and who doesn’t love to eat outside. (I obviously do!) As I mentioned before Zazie is also open for lunch and dinner, and their menu options are no less extravagant or wonderful than their breakfast/brunch menu. Next time you are looking for a delicious place to go for brunch head to Cole Valley and eat at Zazie—it will blow you away.

A Little Note: Zazie is closing for the month of April. The restaurant is getting a little tune up with a new kitchen, and new plumbing and electrical. Don’t worry when they re-open, Zazie will still feature the same delicious menu and the same friendly staff will be back!

Tattoo Mania!

2008-03-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

What: Body Art Expo
Where: Cow Palace (Daly City, just outside San Francisco)
When: March 28-30
Who: Anyone and Everyone that loves body ink!

The Body Art Expo may not be in San Francisco anymore; however, it is traveling around the states over the next couple of months. There will be shows in Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles!

The Body Art Expo is the largest tattoo show in the world, so if you happen to live in any of the aforementioned cities...don't miss it!

A few thoughts/warnings: It's pricey ($22 a head, plus $8 parking), and if you don't like the buzzing sound of a tattoo gun: Stay Away...because there are about 500 of them tattooing at the same time!

Celebrity Chef & Cosmopolitan Cuisine

2008-03-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Citizen Cake is a scrumptious restaurant, bar, and patisserie, located on the edge of Hayes Valley in San Francisco. San Francisco has droves of delicious restaurants; however, the chef at Citizen Cake is what sets Citizen Cake apart. Elizabeth Falkner, the executive chef at Citizen Cake, is no stranger to awards and media attention. During her early years, Falkner focused on ‘the pastry kitchen’, but her imaginative cooking style lead to greater things…like her own restaurant. Magazines including: Food & Wine, Gourmet, and San Francisco Magazine, have praised Citizen Cake’s modern and innovative approach to food.

I came across Citizen Cake while watching the Food Network about a year ago. Elizabeth Falkner was on Iron Chef America challenging Cat Cora, in Battle: Honey. Although Falkner lost to Iron Chef Cora, she blew me away with her creativity and delicious food. I was ecstatic to learn that Falkner had her own restaurant in San Francisco (where I live). That next weekend, I drove down to Hayes Valley with my boyfriend to divulge in her creations…unfortunately, it was closed for remodeling.

After seeing a re-run of Rachel Rays $40 a Day that featured Falkner’s restaurant, I knew I had to go there! So after about a year, I was finally able to eat at Citizen Cake…and let me tell you, it was pretty delicious. The menu at Citizen Cake has so many delicious items, which are all reasonably priced, the least expensive item is six dollars and the priciest meal is thirteen. The menu options are not typical by any means…in a good way. A few examples include: “What that boy could do with brisket hash a sunny side up egg and balsamic”, “crispy cream is too sweet move on to these donut balls with our glaze and jam”, and “a souffléed pancake betty’s and apparently the Dutch style with garnish”. I ordered the pancake, which was garnished with a cranberry compote. To be completely honest, I was not blown away. The pancake was a little “eggy” and the tartness of cranberry topping overwhelmed the dish. However, my date ordered the brisket hash and it was amazing!

The ambiance of Citizen Cake was interesting; between the bar, the restaurant, and the pastry shop, there was a lot to take in—but on a positive note, there was something for everyone! The bar is great for drinkers (obviously), the restaurant is perfect for trying an exciting new meal, and the pastry shop is great for kids. Even though I did not love my meal, I cannot wait to go back and try one of Falkner’s new creations!

Taylors: All American...All Amazing

2008-03-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. Enough said, but let me explain. This place is perfect in almost every possible way—the location, the food, the ambiance. Taylor’s is a delicious burger joint located in the Ferry Building (Spot 6) in San Francisco. Location wise it could not be any better, not only it is on the bay with gorgeous views of the Bay Bridge, it is also only a few blocks from AT&T Park and Market Street shopping. Taylor’s serves classic American food including burgers, French fries, and milkshakes—but it does not stop at that. There are eight different burgers including the Western Bacon Blue Ring (WBBR), which is as much of a mouthful to eat, as it is to say. The WBBR is a burger topped with an onion ring, crumbled blue cheese, bacon, pickles, red onion, and BBQ sauce; and that monstrosity is only $8.99.

Taylor’s also offers a variety of sides like garlic fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and chili cheese fries. And as I said before don’t think the options at Taylor’s stops with burgers and fries; they also serve chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, soups and salads.

To top it all off the beverage menu has treats for adults and kids alike. If you enjoy a beer or glass of wine with your burger and fries Taylor’s has a wonderful selection including: Fat Tire, Blue Star Wheat, Boont Amber Ale, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet. However, if you are keeping it PG (or you are not 21) Taylor’s also has seven different milkshakes, root beer floats, and mix-ins (malt, Butterfinger, Heath, and Oreo). If I have not convinced you yet that Taylor’s is the perfect placed to go for an ‘automatic refresher’…well then you are a tough sell! But seriously go there.

Leibovitz Exhibit...Don't Miss It!

2008-03-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

Annie Leibovitz is one of the most influential photographers of our time. Photographs of nude pregnant Demi Moore and Queen Elizabeth are incredible works of art, which have put Leibovitz on the map. Leibovitz has photographed just about every celebrity who is anyone, including Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Chris Rock, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the list goes on. Leibovitz has worked for extremely large magazines that include Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone. Her amazing collection of works does not solely focused on famous people. In her exhibition at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor, some of the most beautiful photographs are of her family and friends, including author Susan Sontag. The exhibit features 175 of Leibovitzs’ photographs from 1990-2005. From her smiling baby daughter to her best friends dead body, each picture has something to offer.

I have been a huge fan of Leibovitz for as long as I can remember. When I saw the nude of Demi Moore photo, I was hooked. Not because Moore was beautiful or sexy, but because the composition and angle and everything about the photograph was perfect. Leibovitz is constantly taking photographs of beautiful people; however, when I look at the pictures the famous people seem to fade into the background and it is so much more about the photo itself.

If you love Leibovitz’s amazing photography as much as I do, you cannot miss the Legion Of Honor exhibition. It gives you the chance to see an amazing collection of work by one of the most influential photographer’s of our time. The exhibit will only be at the museum in San Francisco through May 25st…so hurry!

Bridge Toll $4, Bar Cover $15, Cold Beer $4.75... Getting thrown from a Mechanical Bull PRICELESS

2008-03-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Every night out is bound to have some ups and downs. However, the ups of heading out to Saddlerack, a country western bar in Fremont, CA, far outweigh the downs. San Francisco is not exactly known for its killer nightlife but areas like the Marina, the Mission, and Union Square have some pretty decent bars and clubs. Most of the bars in the city tend to be filled with thirty-somethings or old men; neither group is particularly appealing to a girl in her twenty’s (i.e. me). Saddlerack is exactly the solution for someone longing to escape the San Francisco bar scene.

At first, Saddlerack doesn’t exactly add up considering the fourty-five mile drive, a four-dollar toll on the Dumbarton Bridge, and having a DD (designated driver) is critical because it is quite a hike out there. Looking past the aforementioned facts this country western themed bar has so much to offer. As you walk inside within the first three and a half steps is a huge table of ice-cold beer, if beer isn’t your forte take about ten more steps ahead and you will have one of three full bars. Looking for a quicker less painful way to get liquored up? Lucky for you they have the Pit Stop, which is a barber chair that you pay six dollars to sit in while someone pours alcohol down your throat. Still not satisfied? Saddlerack also has a game room with pool tables and darts, an oxygen bar, a mechanical bull, and fresh made nachos, tri-tip sandwiches, and other delicious treats in Mom’s Corner. The food table is worth noting because it is basically a picnic table run by a bitter old woman, and it even has a sassy sign that warns customers Don’t Mess With Mom. For anyone that has been yearning to country line dance Saddlerack is the perfect place. Between the DJ and live-band, this bar plays non-stop country music with a few pop songs mixed in. This crowd does not need the Electric Slide or Achy-Breaky Heart to line dance, on the upper dance-floor people had a different line dance for just about any song.

I hope I have convinced you that the 45-minute drive is worth it to have some country western fun! Oh and just one more thing…I am not sure if Saddlerack thinks it is in Vegas or something but the bars are cash only and their ATM fee is $4.75, so I strongly suggest you bring your own wad of cash.

9th Annual Chicago Irish Film Festival

2008-03-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

“The Wednesdays”, a quick 13 minute film directed by Conor Ferguson, opened the 9th Annual Chicago Film Festival on February 29 at the Beverly Art Center. This hilarious movie is about an elderly couple Mr. and Mrs. O’Leary, who get caught up with the law after taking advantage of having access to ecstasy, and make their Wednesday’s worth while again by indulging in the drug. When the law comes knocking sweet (and very old) Mrs. O’leary doesn’t think it’s a big deal even though the two are discovered to have more than 125 pills. The sweet couple and the ridiculous plot line set the stage for an amazing film fest organized by Jude Blackburn.

Blackburn has spent the last nine years doing everything in her power to bring culture and opportunities to the Beverly Art Center, which she was President of for 8 years, by bringing amazing Irish films, directors, and actors to the south side of Chicago. She even travels to Ireland for two weeks every October to attend film festivals in Cork and Dublin, to find the perfect films and guests for the festival. The 9th CIFF began February 29th and ends March 5th, the fest will include thirty-three screenings and two live concerts. Blackburn has worked hard to put the Beverly Art Center on the map of Irish Film screenings, a few of the films will even be the premiers in the US and or the Midwest including Front Line, Dot.Com, and Garage.

The CIFF brings much needed business and publicity to the Beverly Art Center, which is a non-for-profit state of the art multi-disciplinary cultural center. Many companies including Bushmills, Baileys, and Guiness sponsor the fest and also home of the Chicago White Sox, US Cellular Field. Because of the importance of the festival, the Beverly Art Center has also snagged the Special Honoree title in the neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which brings in hundreds of thousands of people to the south side of Chicago. Special guests of the CIFF this year include musician and film director Nick Kelly, The Cloonans a 3rd generation Irish family band, and film directors Ross Whitaker and James Kelly.

The Chicago Irish Film Festival has grown so much since its first festival in 2000, and it does not show any signs of slowing down. Thanks to Jude Blackburn and many volunteers at the Beverly Art Center who work wonders to put this thing together, the predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood has a world class festival to be very proud of!

(The photographs feature festival director Jude Blackburn, film director James Kelly, and myself)

Sunday Ritual: Fajitas & Family

2008-03-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

As the third largest city in the United States, Chicago is no stranger to world-class museums, shopping malls, architecture, and most importantly restaurants. However, as a Chicago native I have found that restaurants off the beaten path and sans the celebrity chefs tend to be the best choice. I am not sure if your family has a favorite place to eat, you know the place you go for every birthday and holiday and any other excuse you have to dine out. Well my family does and this past weekend with my godson in tow, we ate at our favorite restaurant for the first time with four-generations of Blackburns!

Walking into Mario’s Tacos, a tiny authentic Mexican restaurant on Old Western Ave on Chicago’s far south side, is overwhelming in the best way possible. I know the menu by heart the staff by name, and that I am with my family (a.k.a. the people I love most in the world!) Mario’s became a staple in our family when I was about six and at twenty-one it shows no sign of fading. Society today is hard to keep up with because everyone seems to be busy 24/7, whether it is school or work, piano lessons or basketball practice—trust me it is always something. Finding time to spend with family seems to only get harder, thankfully our family found Mario’s a place we went to enjoy each others company and some bomb Mexican food.

In my family as my two sisters and I got older (and busier) it seemed like we hardly saw each other and Mario’s came to the rescue. For 4 years, our family (mom, dad, two-sisters, and grandma) went there every Sunday and the delicious house made chips, salsa, and guacamole never got old. In the winter the steaming and spicy Carne de Puerco covered in melted chihuahua cheese could warm you up better than any hot chocolate around. And in the summer there is no better place to enjoy the hot Chicago sun than on Mario’s patio while sipping a Gold Margarita on the rocks with salt and eating a fresh taco salad.

Maybe it seems like it was more about the company than the food, but to this very day Mario’s Tacos is my favorite Mexican restaurant; and trust me I have been to my fair share, factoring in that my family takes a yearly trip to Mexico. Regardless of whether it is the food or the people I would strongly suggest your family, or even a close group of friends, find a great restaurant where you know will always bring a smile to your face.

Best Barista: Centrally Located

2008-03-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

In a city like San Francisco, it is hard for independent coffee shops to compete with the usual suspect like Starbucks and Peets. Thankfully, some do survive including Central Coffee, which is located on the Northeast corner of Central and Hayes, right next to a Hayes bus stop which is great for the business and the businessmen alike. Central Coffee has managed to thrive by staying true to themselves and providing a cozy, laidback, and eclectic atmosphere for their customers. Central Coffee seems to break every rule that Starbucks and Peets stick to: none of the furniture matches, the music is anything but mainstream, and most importantly the Internet access is FREE! When you walk into Central Coffee you instantly feel comfortable, the music is relaxing and everyone inside are extraordinarily nice (customers and employees alike).

Ali, the owner of twelve years, has clearly worked very hard to set Central Coffee apart from the coffee industries moguls. It is a very “neighborhoody” place explained Michael, who has been a Central Coffee employee for six years. “We have a lot of regulars. We know their names and what they want. I think that is important…something you would not find at most Starbucks,” said Michael. Central Coffee offers a full menu, and Ali is adamant that everything they serve is made of all natural and fresh ingredients. Central Coffee has at least ten different types of bagels at any given time including jalapeño, plain, egg, blueberry, onion, combination, garlic, and pumpernickel! In addition to the wide variety of bagels that CC offers, they also have savory cream cheeses that will leave your mouth watering. The delicious cream cheese flavors include: roasted garlic with fresh herbs (my personal favorite!), smoked mozzarella with slow roasted tomatoes, smoked salmon with dill, and habanero jack with roasted peppers.

The cozy coffee shop has everything you need when it comes to the perfect cup of Joe experience. A random mix of tables and chairs are great for reading the Chronicle, getting work done on your laptop (using CC’s free wireless internet), grabbing one of the obscure books that fill up the bookcases in the shop, or just relaxing with a cup of coffee or a spinach pesto quiche. To be honest I have been a Starbucks fanatic for as long as I can remember and I even drank the same Venti Chai Tea Latte every single day. However, since moving 1/2 a block from CC I have ended my long-term relationship with Starbucks and always find myself at Central Coffee ordering a large (much sweeter) Oregon Chai Tea!

Yummy Yummy Haight Street

2008-02-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

All You Knead. I guess it’s all right there in the title, but this Haight street jewel is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It’s the kind of place where everything on the menu is delicious, and they even serve breakfast all day! The huge booths are broken in and comfortable and there is always something interesting to look at on the walls. The extensive menu offers everything from breakfast to sandwiches to pizza-the best part is it’s cheap! Two people can easily dine for less than 20 dollars. I have spent much of my life eating BLT’s (bacon, lettuce, tomato-just incase), and for that reason I might even call myself a BLT connoisseur. All You Knead has one of the most amazing BLT sandwiches I have ever tasted, and I even bring my friends and family to AYK and make them order this delightful treat. It is served on fresh baked 7-grain toast with just the right amount of perfectly sliced tomato’s and crunchy lettuce, and they never skimp on the bacon, which is cooked just right! All You Knead also cuts their own French fries and season them with a secret red spicy powder. Although the place can get a bit crowded for breakfast and lunch on the weekends, don’t be discouraged, the service is relatively quick and orderly. Bottom line if you are ever on Haight street and wondering where to stop in for a quick bite, look no further that All You Knead! Oh and if you want my advice, order a BLT, I promise you will be satisfied.

Art Gallery: Intimidation

2008-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Art tends to be inherently intimidating. Thanks to my Father, I have never felt that intimidation. Between the home I grew up in and the one my parents live in now, there was always enough art hanging on the walls and on bookshelves to have filled the Art Institute of Chicago. Anyway, when it comes to art galleries and museums, bring ‘em on! Pretentious art brokers and zany artists don’t intimidate me, they intrigue me. That is until I walked into “Off the Wall Art”, a gallery on Haight Street that sells posters and reprints of famous paintings. The first time I went into the shop it seemed like there was no one else in there, including anyone working. My friends and I walked around for five minutes or so but got annoyed that no one was there to help that we left unsatisfied.
Months later I saw a sign in the window of “Off the Wall” that said ‘Lost Our Lease Closing in 3 Days.’ I decided to give the place another chance, figuring that at least there would be a decent sale. Well I wish I hadn’t gone back in because the sales woman/ owner of the shop who had failed to help us the first time, was snippy and a tad feisty. My boyfriend and I found the one poster in the place that wasn’t on sale and the woman was short with us as she rang up the purchase. The poster is a pretty awesome map of the Haight-Ashbury area, with a key telling you where all the musical people of the 60’s and 70’s lived. I walked out of “Off the Wall” with 150 dollars less than when I walked in, and a new intimidation of art (one that I had so fortunately avoided for 21 years). After 23 years, “Off the Wall Art” a store full of posters and reprints has lost its lease and is moving to Ninth and Folsom. Haight Street in San Francisco is one of the friendliest places on earth, between the hippies and tourists; I guess there just is not room for pretentious art.

A Little Taste of Chicago...in Hayes Valley

2008-02-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

Moving to a new city comes with its fair amount of pros and cons. Pros for example may include an exciting new job or school, new friends, and new adventures. And the cons…well they seem more obvious, being far away from family and the life we were used too. When I moved to San Francisco from Chicago, almost three years ago the two big struggles were trying to make a long distance relationship work and trying to find some decent Chicago style deep dish pizza. My long distance relationship ended quickly; however, I met the love of my life! Now it seemed all there was left to do was find some delicious pizza (those two things may not be on the same level for the average person, but Chicagoans are pretty hard-core about pizza)!

After diligently searching I found the answer to my prayers in Hayes Valley, a quaint neighborhood in San Francisco. Patxi’s Chicago Pizza was just the place I had been searching for. The menu isn’t huge but with pizza’s including, The Favorite (Pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives) and Hawaiian (Canadian bacon, pineapple and onions), I promise no one will leave hungry. Colleen Jackson, a Patxi’s regular, said “I try to come at least twice a month, and my favorite pizza is Chicago style with sausage and green peppers.” Patxi’s serves both Chicago style and thin crust pizza and with a large selection of salads this place always hits the spot.

Although it is not exactly like home, heading down to Hayes Valley for some deep dish pizza is a lot cheaper than jumping on a plane back to Chicago. So, next time you move to a new city and you are a little homesick, find yourself the stuff that makes you happy. Which apparently for me were a new love and some awesome pizza?

Worth a thousand words!

2007-12-20T23:45:00.000-08:00

Photography plays a huge role in the world of journalism. Politicians, athletes, religious figures, celebrities, and everyday people grace the pages of our newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. Their faces are often filled with emotion— whether it joy, pain, disgust, confusion, or otherwise. It may seem simple: take a picture, write a caption, and publish it! However, many photojournalists have made some seriously unethical decisions regarding photography. You may be wondering what I am talking about, let me explain. The creation of the computer program Photoshop has led many people to alter their photographs from their original state…to pretty much anything they want, without explaining that it has been altered. With a program like Photoshop, a person can change the exposure, colors, and insert or delete objects. Another unethical thing photojournalists do is set up shots. A photographer’s job is to capture life, people, and real situations—in order to show society things that are going on in the world. However, when a photographer says ‘stand there’ or ‘hold this’ or ‘cry’, they are altering the situation and creating a moment that did not in fact ever happen, but was set up! Over time, many photographers have made this unethical decision, and paid the price by losing their jobs. Pictures are worth a thousand words…something we have all heard a million times…photojournalists should just make sure the thousand words, are the right ones!

2007-12-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ethically Speaking: Celebrity Obsessions

Tabloids & Paparazzi: two things that A-list celebrities can’t seem to avoid and society can’t seem to get enough of! When ‘tabloids’ first started the term referred to the format not the content; however, magazines such as The Star, OK!, and The Enquirer have since changed the term ‘tabloid’ and everything that it entails. Today the “tabloids” are focused around celebrity news, gossip, sports stars—the stories emphasize and sensationalize these people and the things they do. The stories that headline these magazines are basically ridiculous and unethical to say the least, and the pictures that go along with them are no better. The stories and pictures cover every angle of these people’s personal and private life; the stories and pictures are more often than not, defamatory and libelous. Paparazzi are another huge ethical issue; these people’s lives are spent chasing celebrities around everywhere to snap candid shots of celebs. The celebrities are often caught off guard and doing things they probably do not want to be photographed doing. Paparazzi, however, are relentless and like journalists who will do anything to ‘get a story’; they will do anything to ‘get a photo.’ Whether it is climbing a tree, sitting outside of Tom Cruise’s house at 3 a.m., or chasing Paris Hilton in her Lambo down the 5 in L.A.—paparazzi will stop at nothing. If these stories and photographs are so unethical then why will writers risk being sued for libel and photographers will risk crashing into a wall or falling out of a tree? In short, these people will risk their own lives because society loves to see celebrities at their best and especially their worst. Stories about Lindsay Lohan’s drug problems and pictures of Britney Spears sans underwear makes these people normal, and I think it makes people feel better about themselves. Our society has come to envy celebrities and look up to them (unfortunately above almost any other job), and so these magazines will continue to fly off supermarket shelves regardless of their lack of ethics.

Ethically Speaking

2007-11-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

American Journalism Ethics (AJE)…wow, that is quite a mouthful. I have quickly learned in Dr. Robertson’s class that the ethics of journalism are insanely complex. Protecting sources, privacy, stereotyping, yellow/public/new journalism, Photoshop, Fox News (enough said)—the issues that encompass journalism are basically never-ending. Although I have not blogged in six months (my bad), I am back in full swing and ready to talk about many of these ethical issues. Stay tuned for the first installment of Ethically Speaking.

"Is this your first time? You look nervous."

2007-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

The first memory I have of being at church is amusing to say the least. I was about 2 ½ years old; in addition, for visual purposes (or laughs) I was pudgy with a pretty legit mullet and had my bag of Cheerios clenched tightly in my little hand. Neither the priest’s captivating sermon nor the choir’s angel-like voices hold any significance in my vivid memory. However, I distinctly remember the look of mortification on my mothers face when she finally snatched me off the floor, after I had crawled under 25 pews and was only feet from the alter (the final destination).

Apparently, she got over the embarrassment caused by her turbo-charged tubby toddler, because from that day on I attended church every Sunday with my mom and two sisters. For a solid 18 years, I woke up each week and headed to 10 o’clock mass; not necessarily, because I wanted to or was I forced—just because that is what I did. Religion quickly became a huge part of my life.

For me being a Catholic was pretty much the inevitable: my mother was a devout Catholic, I was to be raised in a 100% Irish Catholic neighborhood, and I was baptized as an infant. At the budding age of four, I began preschool at a private catholic school and as you can see, things have not changed much. Ok, unfortunately that might be a bit of an exaggeration, a lot has changed since I was four. Two years ago I moved halfway across the country and was far far away from the conservative Midwest setting I was so used to. Because of my new self-ruling lifestyle, I found myself waking up at 3 p.m. and eating ice cream for breakfast. However, my sleeping and eating habits were not the only things that changed. I could have never expected this to happen but I stopped going to church—completely!

The last nine months of my life have been nothing short of a roller-coaster, sometime in August ‘06, everything began spiraling downward and I had totally lost control. The once comforting relationships with my parents, friends, and boyfriend were frustrating, I was struggling with school, I was constantly stressed with work, and even my health was suffering. I tried everything in my power to fix it, yet it seemed the harder I tried the worse it all got (such is life I suppose).

Last Thursday morning (May 3, 2007), as I sat on Lone Mountain watching the sunrise, the sun’s rays seemed to almost be pointing at USF’s St. Ignatius church. There it was—the light at the end of the dark tunnel, the dark tunnel that had become my life. At 12:05 p.m., I stood hesitantly in the doors of St. Ignatius, one of San Francisco’s most beautiful churches. A Christian church is a place of worship, a place where everyone is welcome, and most importantly where everyone is accepted—yet I was instantly overcome with feelings of guilt and regret, as though I had let someone down (God, my mom, myself).

The priest greeted the people and spoke the words I had heard a million times before “The Lord be with you,” as the congregation rose and replied, “And also with you.” My heart had slowed down and I apprehensively made my way to a pew in the back. Jim Thompson, an 81-year-old St.Ignatius regular, slid in next to me in a near empty church, which seemed odd, but I was glad he did. “This your first time or something? You look nervous,” said Thompson, as he winked at me then smirked. I was so caught of guard, my thoughts were all over the place—who does this guy think he is, oh no…he knows I’m a bad person. “Um…um…no,” I began stuttering, and then quickly interrupted my stammering self. “No, this is not my first time in church. Yes, this is my first mass at St.Ignatius,” I said in a firm tone.

Mass continued on as it always does: stand up, sit down, stand up, kneel…ect. The congregation recited the usual prayers (the Our Father and Nicene Creed), said their Prayers of the Faithful, and offered the sign of peace to one another. I followed along and participated as I had so many times before, and it felt good. However, because of my current state of life and the fragile old man’s comment, I sat consumed and distracted by the profusion of thoughts in my head. Mass had come and gone, and I was shocked when I read the time on my cell phone—it was 3:23 p.m. As I moseyed my way towards the door, I was mesmerized by my first experience at St. Ignatius almost as though a huge weight had been lifted.

Unfortunately, church & religion do not have magical powers so my life was not instantly made perfect. However, reintroducing the sense of faith and spirituality into my life and remembering that I am always welcome in the house of the Lord, I believe are lessons essential not only for me but for everyone.

Check This Out!

2007-05-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Most of the major cities in the United States or the world for that matter seem to have one thing they are famous for. Paris has the Eiffel Tower with its 1665 steps while Chicago’s Sears Tower stands strong as the tallest skyscraper in the world. The Taj Mahal in India was completed almost 400 years ago and it is impossible to make the guards laugh at London’s Buckingham Palace. San Francisco has so many amazing attractions it is hard to pick the one that stands out the most. However, the Golden Gate Bridge easily trumps candidates such as the Trans America building and Golden Gate Park.

The Golden Gate Bridge has become an international icon for San Francisco as well as the United States. It was painted orange vermilion which is known as "International Orange." As opposed to painting the bridge a more standard black or grey, it was painted orange to heighten visibility for sailors coming into the bay. The bridge opened to traffic on May 28, 1937, and as of June 2005, 1,779,032,891 vehicles had crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

The facts and data about the GG bridge go on and on, but numbers and dates are not whats important. Maybe it is because I am from Chicago that I get so excited about the bridge. However, regardless of whether I am heading to Stinson beach for a day of fun or Marin Country Day School to coach a volleyball team, every time I am on that bridge a wave of excitement comes over me. Rusty Smith, who has been a toll booth worker for eleven years, said “I don’t know what it is about that bridge but the smiles on the faces that drive through here everyday are what keep me going.”

The 6,450 foot suspension bridge is absolutely breathtaking, whether it is glimmering in the hot summer sun or the towers are poking through dense San Francisco fog. If you have never been to San Francisco or never driven on the bridge…I strongly suggest you do.

Fun Golden Gate Bridge Facts:

1. Eleven men died during the construction of the bridge.
2. The “Half-Way-to-Hell-Club” is a group of 19 men, whose lives were saved by a safety net,
which was used as a precaution during the construction.
3. The bridge cost $35,000,000.
4. The two towers stand 746 feet above the water.
5. The bridge was originally named "Chrysopylae," meaning "golden gate," by Captain John
C. Fremont in 1846. (Thank God they rethought that one!)

Herb Haven

2007-05-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

San Francisco became something of a safe haven for hippies, hemp, and herb almost forty years ago when the members of the Grateful Dead, who would ultimately become one of the greatest bands of all time, bought a house on Ashbury St. The Grateful Dead basically created the framework for what we call the ‘hippie counterculture’ of the late 1960’s. A lifestyle based on the ideology of “peace, love, and personal freedom.” To this very day one would not have to look far to find a hippie, whether they are 17 or 75, snacking on ‘special brownies’ in Golden Gate Park or the nearby neighborhood known as Haight Ashbury.

Glorious Golden Gate Park is known for a million different things: beautiful lakes and waterfalls, gardens, museums, endless trails, and even a herd of buffalo. However, if you know where to look, somewhere in the midst of the 1017 acres you can find your one-stop cannabis super shop—hippie hill. Hippie Hill earned its name during halcyon days in the 1960’s when George Harrison could be found playing his guitar and free-thinkers and drum circles called it home.

An unsuspecting tourist may be caught of guard by the cloud of smoke that lingers above the grassy rise or the man dressed-up like Darth Vader drinking a 40 at noon on a Monday afternoon. However, locals find hippie hill an “amazing place to get away from the city and there is never a shortage of ganja” said the man in the Vader get-up, who wished to remain anonymous.

The days of the Grateful Dead and deadheads are long past, so one might wonder what they would find if they stumbled upon hippie hill today?

An average day on hippie hill--On the sun-swept hillside there would be an abundance of people playing bongos, guitars, frisbee, and soccer. Free-spirited homeless people lay relaxing burning some fern along with long lost hippies and misplaced business men. Cowboy hats, skateboards, dread locks, and boom boxes are just a few of the odd things a person might see on this holy hill. Fresh baked ganja cookies and treats can be purchased from fifty year old men, who are missing their four front teeth and their left shoe. A homeless man rocking a Cubs batting helmet might be throwing tennis balls into the 'crowd', like a spirit squad at an NBA game. And a plethora of people can be found merely enjoying the sun and the contact high they can experience on this city-park hideaway!

Want to relax? Want to get high? Want to experience a day like you did back in the 60's? Want to see homeless people heckling each other? If you answered yes to any of these questions then hippie hill in Golden Gate Park is the place for you!

Hope Gala JDRF

2007-04-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I moved from sweet home Chicago (chi-town) to beautiful foggy San Francisco. I was 18, moving to California and starting college, that meant no parents, no curfews, no rules…I was pretty certain I was on top of the world. Sooner than later I got a big reality check! I was lonely in a big city, I didn’t know anyone and had no where to go. Enter Philip Stapleton a.k.a. Phil, who has become something of a second dad to me over the last few years. Phil has been a very close friend and colleague of my father for over 30 years. As a result, he instantly gave me a job at his securities firm in the Ferry Building, Conifer Securities. Before I knew it I had a job working with amazing people who ‘took me under their wing’ so to speak. I was going on company trips to Lake Tahoe and Palm Springs and attending ritzy parties with San Francisco ‘A’ lister's.

Hence the reason I received an invite to the Hope Gala 2007, at the Fairmont Hotel atop beautiful Nob Hill where Pinot Grigio, Grey Goose, and money was flowing. More than 20 years ago Phil (and Conifer Securities) began donating an enormous amount of time and money to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) whose sole “mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications.” The Hope Gala is a huge fundraiser which includes a cocktail reception, silent/live auction, dinner, and dancing. All the proceeds from the gala benefit JDRF’s search for a cure.

Nancy Cook, a women who has battled with Diabetes for over 50 years, took the stage to tell her story and promote the 12th live auction item titled Find A Cure. “I think my blood sugar is low” said Cook, who then giggled nervously and leaned on the podium. A champagne glass of Orange Juice was instantly rushed to the stage as Cook went on with her speech. Although light laughter filled the room when Cook joked about her blood sugar level, there was a real sense of humanity brought out in the crowd almost like a wake up call. It wasn’t about the black-tie party at the four-star hotel anymore, it was about a real disease that real people are suffering from that everyone in the room had the chance to help (right there, right then). The Hope Gala 2007 raised nearly $500,000 in the live auction, and along with the price value on each of the 300+ seats and the money from the silent auction the night was nothing short of successful.

Philip C. Stapleton was this years recipient of the Living And Giving Award, as recognition for the dedication and generosity that Phil and Conifer Securities has given JDRF. Phil is an inspiration not only to me, but to anyone who knows him! From helping out an old friends daughter (a.k.a. me) to his commitment to the JDRF, Phil always seems to be searching for another way to ‘give back.’ Phil got involved with the JDRF when Will Wienstien, his partner and dear friend, daughter was diagnosed with the disease. Somewhere over the course of the night, between bidding, drinking, and dinner Phil told me about when Will first came to him and asked for his support regarding the foundation. “ I was a little confused…help the JDF (before it was the JDRF)…I am a good Irish Catholic kid from Brooklyn, why would I support the Jewish Defense Foundation?” explained Phil.

Dressing up, mingling with strangers, drinking and dancing till sunrise: that sounds like an amazing night. But that night becomes so much more special when the party is for a good cause, and you are surrounded by people who want to make a difference. The Hope Gala 2007 could easily be described in two words—Absolutely Fabulous!

The Duke

2007-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is ridiculous and pretty unnecessary, but I wanted to test out uploading YouTube to my blog!

John Wayne: The Duke

2007-04-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

John Wayne Linzy...aka Jack, is my 1st nephew and my Godson! If you know anything about me I am obsessed with babies and little kids, probably because I still am one!

Jack is the most fantastically amazing baby and I am for sure the proudest Aunt & Godmother...Ever! Unfortunately my sister, her husband, and the Duke live across the country in Norfolk, Virginia but thanks to technology (webcams, camera phones, and the Internet) I can watch him grow from 2970.63 miles away!

Haha, this picture pretty much sums up my family! The Duke is only a week old and can hardly even open his eyes...but lets be honest, he is definitely getting his point across.

"F*@$ You...i'm trying to sleep!"
(Or something like that)

Dave Matthews well...says it best!

2007-04-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hey my friend
It seems your eyes are troubled
Care to share your time with me
Would you say you’re feeling low and so
A good idea would be to get it off your mind

See you and me
Have a better time than most can dream
Have it better than the best
So we can pull on through
Whatever tears at us
Whatever holds us down
And if nothing can be done
We’ll make the best of what’s around

Turns out not where but who you’re with
That really matters
And hurts not much when you’re around
And if you hold on tight
To what you think is your thing
You may find you’re missing all the rest

Well she ran up into the light surprised
Her arms are open
Her mind’s eye is

Seeing things from a
Better side than most can dream
On a clearer road I feel
Oh you could say she’s safe
Whatever tears at her
Whatever holds her down
And if nothing can be done
She’ll make the best of what’s around

Turns out not where but what you think
That really matters
We’ll make the best of what’s around
*DMB*

Best of What’s Around is my first personal blog and I could not be more excited! The name is song by the Dave Matthews Band (who I am obsessed with) and I thought it was perfect, because the song explains how sometimes there is stuff people need to talk about it and although it might be hard it is just better to get it out. My blog does not have a specific focus but I plan on discussing topics and issues that are important to me as a US Citizen, a student, a woman, a daughter, a friend, a music and fashion enthusiast, ect. I hope that my posts will be interesting and ultimately spark some awesome conversations!

Thanks, here goes….