For the Wife I

This isn't really for the wife, but ME DOING THIS is for her.

We went to Mel's diner today for breakfast. Haven't been there in years, but the sister wanted to go there and it's across the stret from her hotel and 4 blocks from our house so seemed to make perfect sense.

It wasn't as crowded as I though it would be, oh, I forgot to mention that today is Easter, so I was expecting busier.

I'll assume you've been to Mel's or have seen American Grafitti and know the deal, but just in case, it's a kitschy re-creation of a 50's diner.

I had French toast and a side of corned beef hash. It's a large portion of bread, a little dry on edges but good overall and pretty good for the 'hood. The hash was nice, with good onion flavor but no pieces of onions nor bell peppers, and a some nice bigger chunks of the corned beef.

All in all, much better than I expected.

Another day, another start!

I, all of a sudden, got quite motivated to jot some stuff down...hmmm, what's different about this morning than most 'day off' mornings? I got an early night's rest and slept in, and didn't feel guilty about it. I also had a LOT of energy when I finally rolled out of bed.

So, a couple of things...
First, on my day off yesterday, I did a thing that I was planning on doing. This is a big accomplishment. I'm full of grandiose plans (for me, getting out of the neighborhood is grandiose) that many times transform, or morph into something else.
Ok, back up. I'm not talking Target runs, or Home Depot or actual necessary things, but the "day off go have fun" stuff. Plans change, buses arrive late, places are closed Tuesdays (grrrrr!) but I almost always end up having a good time.

So, back to yesterday.
The Haight, Lower walking to the Upper. The goal, Memphis Minnie's BBQ. We just saw a bit on Check Please Bay Area, the PBS show.
Hopped on the 22 Fillmore and it was packed, packed I tell you. I got off at Haight and walked to the BBQ place.

Loud, lively, full and a photographer was taking pics of the cashiers and cooks. T shirts from other BBQ places adorned the walls and the blues was playing. Just the blues, unidentified.
I ordered the BBQ Brisket sandwich, side of mac 'n cheese and a corn bread muffin, paid my bill and waited. Luckily the tables turned quite quickly so I was able to sit.
Got my sandwich fast and took a seat.

The brisket certainly looked good; fatty, red, meaty on a hard sub roll. The mac was fine, cheesy salty with fusilli, but nothing special. Good cornbread though.
The brisket itself was good,not quite moan factor, but pretty good.
Needed a little more salt, or more uniform salt. Some pieces were saltier than others.
Good smoke, good mix of spices. I really liked the Texas BBQ sauce best.

Oh, moan factor. Um, well it's a non-scientific scale do determine the amount of ecstatic moaning during the eating of food. Not all places qualify. Actually, most places don't. Great restaurants can have no moan factor. Places we go to all the time usually don't,
Good example of moan factor is Zero Zero, for the fried chicken and byo dessert.
Also, there is NO scale in moan factor. It either is or isn't.

Anyway, I'm still looking for moan factor BBQ in SF. I'll go back to Minnie's to try a few a couple more items (pulled pork, ribs)

"Vacation" Fall 2010

So I took 9 days off from work, went down to SD to see Dad and Sis, and hung around SF when I got back...
For my memory's sake, here's what I did...

Day 1 Tues 10/12

am scone at Cnut bakery,
I decided to do the mission AND Union Square (in the same day!!!!)
Bus, Bart...Off at 16th st and cruised around looking for a taqueria. Craving carne asada and carnitas. I've been to most of them so far (la taqueria, el toro, farolito are my faves)
Tried pancho villa today. Not bad not better than those above. The salsas really stood out.

Headed over to union square for shaving needs and coffee for wife (nespresso).
Grabbed some mini cupcakes from Kara's for snacks.
Home for dinner, boring (nothing out of the ordinary, not actually boring) night

Day 2 Wed
Am Joey trip to the vet (8:20) Uneventful, but fun being out with the cat. Home for shower and dressed, got to get ready for lunch.
Bus to Marlowe, met the wife right at 11:30
Fried Brussels Sprouts were moan factor 4 (of five)
Burger with bacon and cheese was very juicy and flavorful, great fries,crispy yet meat inside.
Lisa's egg salad was very good too.

It's hot today. Home for a while, waiting for cuz mark to call.
We meet downtown and ended up at Barbacco. Damn good. Nice place. Ipad wine list. Sat at bar.
Got bruschetta, crudo (moan factor 4.5) penne with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, more fried brussels sprouts (really good, but preferred Marlowe's, too strong vinaigrette) I had a pork thing, arancini, but I was too full at that point so I didn't enjoy them as much.

Day 3 Thursday.
Up early, cab to bart, bart to airbart, airbart to airplane, airplane to dad's car, dad's car to family home. In San Diego. We stopped at Old Town for lunch. Cosmopolitan Hotel. Nice, fully restored old wild-west san diego style. Like the Hotel American in Sharon Springs. Good restaurant, had the grilled fish tacos, with sauteed yam, squash, and black beans.
Checked out old town and then headed to fashion valley. Shopping with dad!!!
Macys didn't do it for me so I got nothing there. Got a small Keihls purchase and poking in WS.
Big store, nice. They have a lot of stuff that we don't have.

Got home, hung out for a bit and met andi for dinner at Linlee's in Spring Valley.
Ok, nothing exciting Chinese food. Enjoyed the company.

Day 4 Fri
Net morning we get to go pick up the wife at airport. She's sick! Bummer. Get back home and rally the troops and we end up in Hillcrest. 5th ave Pho for lunch. Dad and sis go exotic!!!
Good warming pho. Walked around hillcrest for a bit. Took long drive home (lemon grove, spring valley) and made it back to watch yanks/rangers game 1. Yanks came back in 8th with 5 runs.

Early night to sleep. Gave Lisa codeine cough meds to help her sleep. Almost slept for 11 hours!!!

Day 5 Saturday

We've got a 340 flight but we want to head to PL seafoods for lunch. As were in the car, heading out there, about noon, Lisa checks her texts...Flight has been cancelled. WHAT?!?!?!?
Lisa gets on the phone and tries to figure out whats up and what do we do. Maybe we can get on the earlier flight, and maybe we wont have to pay more, or maybe we'll bet to go on the 530 flight.
We have a game to watch at 5:00 EXACTLY in SF!!!!!
Luckily PL seafoods is just past the airport, so we decide at the last sec to turn into the airport and see whats up.
Long story short: got on the earlier flight. Only 2/3 full. No extra charge. Looks like they had one too many flights scheduled and not enough people.
Good experience with the parking people at oak.

Anyway, we made it!!! Got parking eventually and missed a couple of outs.
Timmy beat the Doc 4-3 Giants up 1-0 in NLCS!!!

Day 6 Sunday
Lisa's got a bad cold. I've got sports on all day. I let her have the TV for most of morning.
Niner's beat the Raiders!!! Good game too.
My USFL team won!!!
Giants lost to Philly. Oswalt beat us.
Watched Amazing Race at night. Did Chinese food for dinner. Hai sun.

Day 7 Monday
Lisa home with conference calls so I flee.. I had breakfast at Sears Fine Foods.
Quite good. Quite surprised too. Good corned beef hash, good hash browns and good pancakes.
Cool little place. Got a zagat guide to read. Walked down to mint plaze and had the kyoto iced coffee at Blue Bottle. ZING!!!!!!!! Walked down Market St. Stopped at Fog City News for chocolate and the Tablehopper book. Kept walking to ferry building. Did my walk and walked up Broadway to Stockton and back on the bus home. Got coldbusters for Lisa and myself.
MSuper for dinner stuff.


Day 8 Tuesday
Let's Go Giants!!!!!
Went to the game. Cain vs Hamels
WE WIN 3-0!!!!!
Good time, fun crowd (sheik!!), no stress for a playoff game easy in and out...and...
Boobies!!!!!!!!!
Barneys for turkey burgers and sweet potato fries!!!!!


Day 9 Wednesday
Today is my day...
I did laundry. Walked hill. Got disappointed with C'nut bakery 'cuz they stopped making blueberry muffins (!!!!????)
Got Irish scones, soups for dinner/lunch and bunkered in for the day. Got Yanks/Rangers game 5 and Giants tonight.
Back to work tomorrow.........................

Birthday Wrap-Up and Post Game Notes

Well I just had another birthday, 40-something and pretty much spent the whole time eating.
For record, here's what we had---------
Friday, Parma Italian Restaurant, Lasagna Bolognese and Fettucini Carbonara
Pretty good, nothing special, hearty meals...took entrees home.
Saturday was the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, Jack London Square. Here's the list:

Chairman Bao Pork Belly Buns, best thing we had
Senor Sissig Pork and Chicken Sissig tacos, second best thing
Fatface (fig/creme fraiche and blueberry/lemon/yogurt) and Cranky Boots (banana/salted caramel and strawberry/lemonaide) Popcicles Liked Fatface much better.
Pulled Pork Buns from Phat Matts, were just ok.
BBq Brisket Sliders from Good Foods Catering, were really good!
Fried Chinese Chicken Drumsticks from Iz It? Truck were salty but addictive.
Pork Belly Ramen from Where's Buta. Good noodles, bland pork belly, rich and complex broth.
An average mole tamale from buen comer and a gob from gabba gabba hey was ok.

Sunday:
Canteen for brunch.
Lemon ricotta pancake with blueberries and creme anglaise (like a dessert)
Eggs Bene for the wife (tasty and crunchy but still just eggs bene)

Walked to ferry building and had a salumi cone from Boccalone
Walked to Ghiradelli sq and cabbed home.

Dinner at A16:
Burrata with Olive Oil/Crostini
Pizza Margherita
Maccoronara with Ricotta Salata (on the list!!! now with extra cheesecloth!)
and free dessert: olive oil cake with ricotta cream and blackberry compote


Oh yea, Kara's Coconut Cupcake and a Whoope Pie from Susie Cakes rounded out the day...
most pictures are available for viewing on foodspotting under Ken2.0

It's Been How Long?!

Yep, It's my usual checking in, shocked (again) that I've failed to keep up on a daily, nay, weekly basis.
Employed again, not satisfied again, but I could do good here.
Gotta work today thru Saturday, then down to San Diego to see Dad and Sis.
I'm starting slowly, no grandiose plans/goals, just bit here and there and hope that this leads somewhere interesting, or at least satisfying to me.

IJ

the guy in the coffee house

Hey, it's me, the guy in the coffee house in the middle of the day typing away at his computer. You see me all the time, every day, maybe not exactly me, but a different guy, sometimes a bunch of us...girls too, so it's not just guys, typing away, surfing the web, checking out craigslist and re-re-formatting my resume.

Yes, I have a job. It's my day off. I work in retail as a store manager, so my work schedule changes from week to week. And today, for a couple of hours, I'm the guy in the coffee house.


I keep saying (here and other places) that I'm going to start writing my restaurant reviews and stuff, starting in my 'hood, the Marina district of San Francisco, starting with Chestnut St. (because I'm a foodie, addicted to the local/organic/gourmet/artisan/etc... foodstuffs of the Bay Area...I thought you already knew this about me )



Chestnut Street, between Scott and Divisadero, has become, and quite recently, a new gourmet gulch, foodie funhouse, restaurant row, you pick. We have Marina Meats and Seafood, Meze's Greek restaurant, A16 ( james beard award winner),Asa Sushi (an ok sushi place, one of many in the area) Chestnut St Bakery (best blueberry muffins ever...so far), Marina Market (our grocery store with a great selection of Italian products), Coffee Roastery (where a guy, me, sits with his computer and types), and Mamacita (great Mexican food, if you can get by all the pretty people that crowd the bar, and entrance, and dining room...).

Whew! That's just one side of the street. So I guess I could include Bechellis Coffee Shop (a great diner with huge breakfasts and the best blueberry pancakes I've found), or Emporio Rulli (the Italian bakery/coffee roaster/restaurant) and heck, I'll even throw in Karas Cupcakes right around the corner.

That's our little block.


Last 5 restaurants visited:
Fuzio (ok, nothing special)
Barneys Hamburgers ( barneys good, mmmmm)
Plutos (an old marina favorite, cheap and simple)
Zushi Puzzle (some of the best sushi in the city)
Home Plate (greasy spoon breakfast, highly recommended)

Oh, and to all my readers, I'm heading to Vegas in September and would like an amazing dinner. $$$ is not an issue, but the 2 star (via michelin) restaurants don't really interest me. Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions...

until later,
Its joey

it's joey 2.0

(yawn)
Is this thing on?
Test, one, two, test...

Time to announce the re-birth of Itsjoey (2.0)

This will be my good taste guide to food and stuff in the SF Bay area.
Plus a few random things that catch my fancy.
Nothing too deep or important.
I may even throw in some horror stories from my job as a manager at a major kitchen-cooking retailer.