December 20, 2013

November 7, 2013

  • A Case of You

    Just before our love got lost you said,
    “I am as constant as a northern star”
    And I said “Constantly in the darkness
    Where the hell’s that at?
    If you want me I’ll be in the bar”

    On the back of a cartoon coaster
    In the blue TV screen light
    I, drew a map of Canada
    Oh Canada….
    With your face sketched on it twice
    You’re in my blood like holy wine
    You taste so bitter and so sweet

    Oh I could drink a case of you darling
    And I would, still be on my feet
    I’d still be on my feet

    Oh I am a lonely painter
    I live in a box of paints
    And I’m, frightened by the devil
    And I’m drawn to those ones who ain’t afraid

    Remember that time you told me that
    “Love is touching souls”
    Clearly you touched mine Cause, part of you pours out in me
    In these lines from time to time
    You’re in my blood like holy wine
    You taste so bitter and, and so sweet

    Oh I could drink a case of you, darling
    And I would, still be on my feet
    I’d still be on my feet

    Met a man
    who had a mouth like yours
    He knew your life
    He knew your devils and your deeds
    And he said
    “Go to her, and stay with her if you can
    But be, be prepared to bleed”

    You’re in my blood
    Like holy wine
    And you taste so bitter and so sweet

    And, I could drink a case of you, oh darling
    And I would still be on my feet
    I would still be on my feet
    Still be on my feet

October 31, 2013

September 14, 2013

  • Alexander’s

    I haven’t had real Japanese Wagyu beef since my first trip to Japan in 2006. It’s simply the best meat you can possibly devour. For those who think there’s no difference between Australian or American Wagyu from Japanese Wagyu, you’re simply wrong. Even Japanese Wagyu from different regions have varying taste and texture profiles.

    My friend wanted to have some good eats. I asked, “how good do you want?” Off to Alexander’s we went.

    We start with a few appetizers:
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    Niman Ranch Pork Belly and Hamachi Shots. The pork belly was fried to a crisp on the outside. As I was cutting through, it almost felt overcooked. However, once it hit your mouth, you realize that the fat had been rendered nicely throughout the meat. The Hamachi (yellow tail tuna) shots were served with a yuzu soy sauce, serrano chile, radish, cilantro, garlic and avocado. Hits your mouth with a great burst of flavor. $24 dollars for 6 shots, not cheap, but not highway robbery. I can see myself coming here on a whim, going to the bar, ordering a drink and 6 pack.

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    Next was the Cold English Pea Soup with Fried Soft Shell Crab. I’m “ok” with pea soup, but I love soft shell crab. At first the pea soup tasted weird, and bland. However, after taking a few bites of the crab, and then having a few spoonfuls of the soup, it worked nicely to cleans the palate. It was quite refreshing, however, I still felt it could have used an extra pinch of salt.

    The accompanying sides:
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    Truffled Fries with a sprinkling of sundried tomatoes. Nothing too spectacular about this. You can add truffle to just about anything and take it to the next level. Would have preferred some duck fat fries to be honest.

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    Rainbow Carrots cooked in a sauce of chorizo, orange and red onion. The sauce was nice and savory thanks to the chorizo.

    And then here comes the beef:
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    First they bring out a tray of various salts. Some of these salts are straight up weird. The Kala Namak salt from India tastes like ham and eggs. No Joke. Did I want that on my steak, no. Still interesting nonetheless.

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    This (poorly photographed picture) is my Ohmi Takara Ranch A5 Japanese Wagyu, cooked rare. Google Ohmi Takara and you will find that it is one of the most sought after Japanese Wagyu’s out there. First thing I noticed was how tender it felt when I pressed down on it gently with my fork. I started to smile and laugh.

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    This slice of beef is simply one of the, if not the most amazing pieces of animal protein you can possibly consume. It is so tender that you can eat it without teeth. You want to chew it just to extract as much of the flavor as you possibly can. This is the essence of umami.

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    This (wonderfully photographed picture) is my friend’s Kagoshima A5 Japanese Wagyu, cooked rare. His was not as melt in your mouth as the Ohmi. However, it did have a stronger flavor profile.

    It’s very interesting to compare and contrast two Japanese A5 Wagyus, both rib eye cuts, cooked by the same chef. Both were excellent, but distinctly different.

    What’s not shown was the 2010 Williams Selyem Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that I brought. This pinot is made by Bob Cabral, Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Maker of the Year, and it was completely overshadowed by the beef. Does not happen often.

    The extras:
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    Later we were presented with these incredibly aromatic rolls baked with bacon. Whats not better with bacon? The hollowed out shank was filled with Wagyu butter. Who knew plain butter can be kicked up another notch?

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    This was the freebie dessert, some kinda of pana cotta. I’m not a dessert guy so it was “eh”, nothing spectacular.

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    Finally, we were given this pina colata cotton candy. It was very interesting, as it tasted just like pina colata. As I mentioned before, I don’t like desserts, but I like this for some reason. Maybe for the novelty of it all.

    This was an excellent meal. An expensive meal, but excellent regardless.

August 22, 2013

  • Sanraku

    friend of mine took me to his favorite sushi joint in sf.  sanraku. sushi was amazing.  incredibly fresh fish.  we did the omakase (chef’s choice), and was very happy with everything.

    started off with some cold silken tofu with cold dashi.  a couple of strips of fried fish.  fresh raw octopus. and grilled soba.  this was the “appetizer” portion.

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    then 17 types of seafood came out.  fresh prawn, uni, goeduck, salmon belly, chu toro, anago (fresh water eel) and a bunch of other stuff i can’t remember.

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    with 1 large beer, bill came out to 160.  200 with tip.  definitely will be back.

    now my all time favorite place was and still is zushi puzzle on lombard, however, going to zushi puzzle takes weeks to get a seat at the chef’s counter.  sanraku, same day reservation.  i can make a reservation the day of at sanraku, and spend less.  doesn’t have the selection as zushi puzzle, but very happy overall.  this will probably be my go to sushi spot.

     

August 14, 2013

  • fred

    i must have been 15 or 16 when i first met fred.  he was the father of my friend from hs.  he was arab.  he was christian, go figure. his ex-wife took their daughter and married another man.  he raised his two boys on his own. he worked 13 hours a day, 7 days a week.  i don’t think he ever took a vacation.  he was blatant and never without an opinion. if you didn’t know any better, you’d think he hated everybody.  he could tell you something wrong with every race, including his own. he’ll tell you all jew’s were the devil.  his best friend was a jew. he didn’t cook, but when ever anyone was over, he always ordered food, because he said, guests should always have food available to them. old school. 
     
    when i got to the house yesterday, i saw some people from hs.  i ran into a guy that used to pick on me because i was a scrawny 100 lb kid.  he didn’t even recognize me, but of course, i recognized my aggressor. he said i looked familiar.  i said “motherfucker, you used to pick on me all the damn time.”  i’m a lot bigger and stronger now, and could have easily punked him the way he used to punk me. he apologized for being a bully. we man-hugged it out.  i think my ability to speak openly, is something i picked up from fred.
     
    fred was 68.  i’ve been told that in the recent years, he made peace with his ex-wife, and were on good terms. his grand daughter is a beautiful teenager now.  as i stood there with old friends and acquaintances, i said, “man, i hate that every time i see you guys, its because of something like this.”  i hate the fact that i’m only a few blocks away, but haven’t seen fred in over 10 years.  i hate that i never got to say goodbye. 
     
    r.i.p. fred.