.the gpb kids.

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.

Please… call me Frog

Posted by Mike - November 20, 2007 at 09:11:18 am

The Berkeley Repertory Theatre is showing a play entitled After the Quake which is really quite excellent. A little while ago Jules bought some tickets for a pair of friends and us to go see it this past weekend. I didn’t know anything about it other than it was getting good reviews and a couple of Jules’s friends seemed to like it. But I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

I had never been to the Berkeley Rep before. It’s a small theatre in downtown Berkeley. We probably had some of the worst seats in the house. The very last row in the back left corner. That being said, I don’t think any seat is a bad seat. The last row is only maybe a dozen rows up from the front and for the most part the actors did a good job directing their dialog out to the audience so we didn’t get many back views.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil anything for you so I’ll wait until after it finishes playing to describe it in more detail. With that in mind, it closes Dec. 2 (it was extended). So get your tickets and rush over.

Pen Rev[i]ews

Posted by Jules - September 14, 2007 at 03:09:45 pm

I’ve been switching back and forth between two pens while writing in my notebooks at class and in lab to see which I liked better. In the end, the Itoya won out. While neither of these pictures are the exact size that I have, you get the idea:

The Itoya Finepoint 0.2mm writes crisply on notebook paper, with no bleeding. I like the textured grip around the, well, gripping area. I also liked the feel of the non glossy pen body. The labelling rubbed off within the first week of use, so that all I can make out is “STEM” and “0.2″.

I had high expectations for this Primacolor pen, but it failed miserably. Okay, perhaps not miserably- but there was noticeably more bleeding, which interfered when I tried to write numbers and letters in the mm range. How can I write in small letters when there is bleeding?? I might as well have bought a sharpie. I admit I’m a little obssessive.

Itoya:1 Prismacolor:0

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