.the gpb kids.

I took it! And so should you

Posted by Mike - July 29, 2008 at 08:07:16 am

That is all.

The Great Outdoors

Posted by Mike - July 26, 2008 at 09:07:21 pm

Went with the Cho siblings today to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. The redwoods were as grand as ever, except one which fell recently. It was a big one too. It fell over one of the trails near the entrance so I wonder what they’re going to do with it.

We were pretty touristy and took lots of pictures of the hollowed out redwoods that you can stand in. After the redwoods we traveled north to the Hog Island Oyster Farm where we picked up 50 fresh oysters of various sizes. With seafood in tow we traveled back down to Stinson Beach and spent the rest of the afternoon scarfing down grilled oysters, corn, veggies, potatoes and cheesecake.

After the eats we bore witness to the most people I’ve ever seen on Stinson Beach. But… lame-o me didn’t take a picture of the masses. So this crazy Cho picture will have to suffice.

After all of that we drove back to Oakland, freshened up, and then went out to Mangia Bene out in Martinez for some delicious eats. Now I think it’s time for a nap.

MotoGP at Laguna Seca 2008

Posted by Mike - July 21, 2008 at 11:07:55 am

I traveled down to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca again this year with Dylan, Dan and Laura to watch the MotoGP race. We camped from Thursday through Sunday again. The weather changes so much from year to year. Last year it was sunny and warm/hot the whole time. The year before was a scorcher with temps in the 100s. This year it was cold and foggy in the morning and then would clear up a bit after noon. But I still wore my sweatshirt for most of the time.

Rossi won and Stoner came in second after a lot of battling. What’s amazing is that Rossi and Stoner were so far ahead of everyone else that Stoner was able to fall off his bike and still get second. Crazy I tell you.

Here’s a video of them going back and forth throughout the race.

We sat outside of turn 9 for the main race and qualifying. It wasn’t too exciting for the race, there weren’t any passes on that turn and turn 10, but we saw two riders slide out during qualifying.

MAG

Posted by Mike - July 16, 2008 at 08:07:30 am

Another game that looks good if they get it right. Looks like Battlefield 2 but on a much larger scale.

Oops…

Posted by Mike - July 15, 2008 at 10:07:18 pm

Accidentally wiped out all media content of the site including pictures and theme.

Guess I should write a script to back up the site. *sigh*

Dawn of War II

Posted by Mike - July 15, 2008 at 03:07:41 pm

Can’t wait!!

Chez Panisse, Part II

Posted by Jules - July 4, 2008 at 02:07:03 pm

As mike is a man of few words when it comes to posts, it’s up to me to fill in the gaps. I was lucky enough to score a reservation for Chez Panisse downstairs on the day of Mike’s bday. It was interesting to note that there were subtle differences in cooking techniques and listed ingredients in the online menu (posted days in advance) and the printed menu at the table when we arrived. These differences appeared to depend on how the chef wanted to showcase the local vegetables and fish that actually arrived that day. For example, a substitution of sockeye salmon in place of king salmon occurred because that was what their fisherperson happened to catch. Same with the vegetables. I like this fluid kind of dinner planning. It ensures that the ensuing meal will always be created from the freshest and tastiest items on hand, even if it isn’t what you were expecting. I guess that might be hard if you are a picky eater. But I am a lover of all vegetables~ even the bitter ones. As long as they are prepared properly. Ehehehe…

The courses that were served (my additions are in [brackets]):

Tuesday, July 1
Raw Sockeye salmon salad with spicy cucumbers, green beans [haricots verts] and [cherry] tomatoes
Steamed pork dumplings with scallions and new garlic broth
Grilled Sonoma Liberty duck breast with cherries, mustard greens, [yellow carrots], turnips and fried ginger +[delicious breaded? potatoes! WHAT did they do to those potatoes?! So good d(^_^)b]
Frog Hollow Farm apricot tart with cardamom ice cream

Mike and I really enjoyed the meal. Each course was executed beautifully. We both agreed that the highlight of the meal was the raw sockeye salad. The thinly sliced sheets of salmon were deliciously buttery and flavorful, and the crisp salad and sprigs of anise like coriander provided interesting texture and flavor contrasts. In addition, the dressing was amazing. Some combination of shallots, finely minced ginger, olive oil, and mysterious spices lent additional depth. The dressing actually reminds me of the ginger/green onion/oil dice that you dip chicken into in chinese cuisine, but taken up a few notches and polished to a sophisticated sheen.

We also had a glass of whatever the sommelier decided to make the glass of the day. It was some type of red wine that I can’t remember the name of, but even mike declared it “tasty”. And he doesn’t even like wine And the apricots on that tart were the most intensely apricot-ty apricots I have ever eaten. They were what all apricots should strive to be. And I don’t usually like to eat apricots. Ahem.

The service was excellent and attentive, without being obtrusive. And our glasses were refilled constantly. And they timed our courses properly. And they let us sit there for 3 hours. A short meal it was not, but I thought it was well worth it. Now time to save up my pocket change so I can go again.

Chez Panisse

Posted by Mike - July 2, 2008 at 08:07:55 am

Jules decided to go to Chez Panisse for my birthday yesterday. It was delicious! Here are some pictures:

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