Trick or Hawaiian Treat

Any kid growing up in Hawaii will tell you about the trick of tossing Japanese rice crackers (mochi crackers with a soy sauce coating) with popcorn, getting your own special Hawaiian trail mix.

It’s the mix of savory crunch of the mochi crackers (which we called “kaki mochi” as a kid but I forget why; some kids call it “arare” because of the major brand that produced them) with the buttery popcorn that kids love. Meh, I thought it was all right. (Again, proof that I wasn’t a normal Hawaiian kid.)

Anywho, recently my friend David went to Hawaii for a vacation, and he brought me back this box of treat called “Mochi Pop,” and it turns out it’s the childhood trick of mixing the rice crackers with popcorn, except they took it up a notch by mixing it with caramel popcorn instead of just plain popcorn.

Eating this brought back memories of going to the movies and snacking on this mix, but it was different with the sweet caramel. If you try the mochi crackers, though, I’m giving you fair warning that your breath will give Dracula’s garlic breath a run for the money. You Hawaii people know what I mean. ;-)

The First And Last Time I Guest Blog For Anyone

(heavy sigh)

I don’t understand it. I really don’t. Maybe one of you can explain it to me. First, you need to read my guest post 9/23/09 - We Prefer Lazy Love to fully grasp what I'm about to say...

Last month I guest blogged for freelance writer Melissa Blake. I took my time on writing the post, partially because I was extremely busy with work when she asked me to write and partially because I wanted to get the words just right. I wanted to give it some thought. Although at the same time, not so much thought that I was no longer speaking from the heart. I wanted to be clear and to be perfectly honest with her. And I was. I answered the question she proposed to me. "Why do guys run the other way when they see me, especially in my wheelchair?"

Now anyone would find some degree of difficulty in answering a question like that! And I have to admit, I was a bit nervous in doing so. Still, I did it. Then I worried how readers would receive it. But decided my work was done and to let the chips fall where they may. However, to my pleasant surprise, everyone seem to love the post! Even Melissa Blake herself called it, and I quote, "great!" Then suddenly she had a change of heart. It turned black when she wrote this very insulting response to my post...

Girl Talk: Why Are Men Reluctant To Date A Woman With A Disability?
by Melissa Blake

I recently met David through my blog. He was charming, witty and funny. After a bit of friendly Twirting (flirting via Twitter, the equivalent of computer footsie), he said he thought I was pretty funny too and even admitted to being a bit intimidated when I told him how strong my physical disability, Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, had made my arms. This bone and muscular disorder has resulted in more than 26 surgeries to correct joint contractures, scoliosis and to straighten my leg muscles. You’d be amazed how strong my arms could get just from using a walker for 20+ years. They’re like giant muscles of steel, only smaller and dotted with cute freckles.
Well, this was a first, so feeling a bit bold, I asked him to guest-post from the male perspective on a question that has nagged me since my days in high school when I’d look at other girls and how the guys easily flocked to them. The question: Why are guys so reluctant to date – at the very least, approach – a woman with a disability?

His response: “Men are lazy.”

I thought his honesty was refreshing (heck, sexy even) at first. Here was a guy with enough decency to be open and honest with me instead of placating me and treating me like a breakable, fragile China doll. It seemed too good to be true, which is probably why the feeling didn’t last long.

You see, honesty is only attractive if it’s true. The more I thought about his “laziness” explanation (which was quite a lazy one at that; irony, anyone?), the more it started to seem like one of those Warhead candies I used to love as a child. They’re sweet on the outside, but suck on that candy long enough and you eventually find yourself at its sour center.

Insults sugar-coated as compliments aren’t honesty. They’re cop-outs. Big time. David wasn’t trying to let me down gently. He was just trying to let himself off the hook.

If you didn't agree with what I had to say, that’s fine and you’re welcome to engage in a friendly debate with me. But talking shit on someone behind their back, especially after you lied to their face with an insincere "great" compliment, isn't cool. It's deceitful, cowardly and down right cruel. You posted that on the pages of some minuscule website probably hoping I wouldn't notice it, but I did. Hey, the least you could have done is link back to my original post to let the readers of that website decide whether or not I was feeding you "insults sugar-coated as compliments."

From now on, I have 3 rules that apply to everyone:

1. Don’t ask my opinion on something if you don’t want to hear my answer. And if you can’t handle the truth or think what I’m saying isn’t the truth, that’s not my problem. It’s yours.
2. Don’t ask me to do you a favor if you can’t be gracious or courteous to me in return.
3. Don’t ask me to guest blog. I’ll no longer do it for anyone.

If you think society automatically labels you incorrectly because you have a disability, well society will also automatically label me incorrectly as an asshole because I'm not sitting back and allowing outrageous behavior from someone to slide simply because they are in a wheelchair. Everyone deserves to be treated with a little kindness in this world, including you...and even including me.

***NOTE***
For newcomers to my blog, I know this post doesn’t make a good first impression, neither did my Manwhore Relapse post. Still, I ask for you to forgive. I swear I don’t make a habit of arguing with disabled girls and sleeping around. For the most part, I’m a nice guy...with occasional bad behavior that probably deserves a spanking.

My apologies to my Mother.

Dish on Dining: La Furia Chalaca

Offering Up Homey and Authentic Peruvian Cuisine
310 Broadway (at 3rd), Oakland
Jack London Square neighborhood
PH: 510.451.4206
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Major credit cards, reservations accepted
www.lafuriachalaca.com

When I was wrapping up my post about my search for the best pisco sour drink in the Bay Area, I made one last stop at this Peruvian restaurant in Oakland because I figured where else would I find an authentic version of the national drink of Peru?

You can check out my post to see how La Furia Chalaca’s pisco sour ranked (sorry to say it wasn’t so authentic), but this post is all about the food at this tiny, almost divey seafood restaurant just north of Jack London Square.

Opened for a few years, La Furia can be easily missed on Broadway, with most people probably heading to Soizic next door. And from the outside, you can’t really tell it’s a restaurant so it’s a good thing they had an “Open!” sandwich board in front.

Unfortunately, in this quiet area of the neighborhood—which is seeing a rebirth with new condos and new restaurants opening—there are still a lot of street elements, like homeless people coming into the restaurant trying to ask for money. So these are some of the challenges La Furia faces, as well as for their diners.

The room has quite an old world feel with the dark wooden furnishings. I sat at the bar, which didn’t have a bartender on duty, and surveyed the menu. It offers up some interesting dishes, including Peruvian classics like ceviche, causa (mashed potato cakes) and lomo saltado (stir-fried beef, except they make it with chicken). There are also quite a few seafood options.

I decided to start with the ceviche ($14), even though it was listed under the entrées, my server told me it was small enough to be a starter. It arrived with all the classic Peruvian ceviche condiments, such as thinly sliced red onions, yucca, sweet potatoes and the corn-like kernels called choclo.

The fish chunks marinated in lime juice was nicely balanced, not very tart. And I liked how they were in chunky pieces. There was a slight heat from the chili, but that’s what the sweet potatoes were for to soothe my mouth. I wasn’t a big fan of the yucca, but I liked that it was there to make it seem very authentic.

For my main dish, I ordered something called Arroz con Pollo ($12) because of the description of a “whole chicken leg” served on rice. When the dish arrived, the chicken leg was buried under this mound of rice, speckled with peas and corn and some tomatoes.

Here’s a picture of the chicken inside the rice after I dug in looking for it. For some reason when I read “whole chicken leg” I was thinking like a turkey leg size, but it really is just a chicken leg, and when you think about it, a chicken drumstick isn’t very big. I felt a bit disappointed at the size of the chicken in the dish, but I did enjoy the jasmine rice, which was cooked perfectly and accented with cilantro. As for the other ingredients, they felt almost pedestrian, like they were from a bag of frozen vegetables. (It didn’t taste frozen; it just looked like they came out of a bag.)

I ended my dinner with dessert, which was helado ($6)—the amazing South American ice cream that’s similar to gelato. The flavor was lucuma, which is a popular fruit from Peru. The flavor and look is very similar to caramel, and this helado was super thick and creamy. I enjoyed it although I wished it was a bit colder.

Overall, La Furia seems to offer you a nice glimpse at authentic Peruvian dishes, but in a simple presentation like you were visiting a friend’s home in Lima. You won’t be amazed by the presentation but you’ll appreciate the informality.

Single guy rating: 2.75 stars (Simple and straight-forward)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner



Related Peruvian reviews:
La Mar Cebicheria: “A Continuing Lesson in Peruvian Cuisine”
Pisco Latin Lounge: “Trying to Shake Up the Neighborhood”
Limon Peruvian Rotisserie: “Classy Take on Home-style Peruvian Food”

The Happy Act - Rewarding Pet Owners With $3,500

The simplest concepts in life tend to be the most beautiful. I do things for and with my dog for one simple reason - it makes me happy to see him happy. Really, that’s love in its purest form, completely unconditional. I’m not looking for a payback, even though I get one. You see, loving a pet is like performing a random act of kindness everyday, one that goes full circle and never ends. The happiness I give to him, he gives right back to me. That is my payback. But let’s be honest, caring for a pet has a price tag, there is a payout. If you read my post titled "Love Don’t Cost A Thing" you know just how pricey loving my pooch can sometimes be! The pet industry is a staggering $43 billion business! That’s $43 billion a year! So I know I’m not the only one shelling out big bucks for food, treats, toys, health care and swanky pet resorts in lieu of standard outdoor cement kenneling.

It’s no surprise that 63% of United States households own a pet. The human-animal bond has been shown to have a positive effect upon people's emotional and physical well being. In families with children, pets help to create a nurturing environment and provide ample educational opportunities. For people in later stages of life, pets offer important companionship. No matter the age of the owner, pets have been shown to reduce stress, safeguard against depression, improve social skills, and even ease loss.

Dogs are known to be man’s best friend. But they are so much more than just your four-legged BFF. Just the other day I read about a dog that served alongside his owner/fellow soldier in the Iraq war. Then when his master became injured and returned home, the dog didn’t stop working. The loyal canine not only became a service dog to the injured soldier, but his therapy dog as well, helping him cope with the anxiety and panic attacks brought on by post traumatic stress disorder. You tell me that isn’t a duo that deserves a break in life! So when I heard about a new bill being proposed called the Happy Act, I started to wag my tail!

(HR 3501 IH) The Happy Act, which stands for Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years, is a bill that would allow pet owners to deduct up to $3,500 off their yearly taxes for qualified pet care expenses. And in today's crappy economy, who couldn’t use an extra $3,500 in their pocket? Although the best part of all is that this will actually save pet’s lives! How you ask? Well think about it. Money is tight for everyone these days and the sad truth is that many people who are struggling to stay afloat look at their pet as an extra "unneeded" (ouch, that word makes me cringe) expense. They see their beloved pet as disposable income and simply dispose of them. That is why so many animal shelters are becoming overrun with unwanted, or rather unaffordable, pets. Pets are being put to sleep everyday and it’s simply heartbreaking. So if the Happy Act can’t help struggling pet owners deal with the cost associated with properly caring for a pet, I’m all for it!

I honestly think this will help keep our four-legged friends in our families where they belong. Where they can be properly cared for, live long and be loved like the perfect furry companions that they are. Because everyone deserves to be happy, even a dog.

***NOTE***
Please ReTweet this post to help spread the word about the Happy Act and join me in helping congress pass this bill.

Behind the Scenes at Hodo Soy Beanery

Hodo Soy is a testament to what one guy will do for good tofu.

The fresh organic tofu products can be found under the bright yellow-and-white canopies at Bay Area farmers’ markets. Since 2004, the small company has tried to cast tofu as a cool and tasty product in the Bay Area’s food scene; its workers offer up free samples or gladly spend time talking to you about the wonders of soy.

The company was started by Minh Tsai, who grew up in Vietnam but came to the United States when he was 11. Working in finance, Tsai and his friends would get together for home-cooked meals, but often felt frustrated at the lack of good, fresh tofu like he remembered eating as a child in Vietnam. Long story short, he connected with some tofu-making relatives and Hodo Soy was born.

In just five years, Hodo Soy has established itself as a high-end organic tofu maker and this month opened a new 10,000-square-foot production plant in West Oakland. The new facility will be open to public tours in December to continue Hodo Soy’s mission of tofu education.

Growing up Asian, I already understood the benefits and beauty of fresh tofu. So I jumped at the chance to go on a preview tour of the new plant to see first hand how beans turned into tofu.

Hodo Soy renovated the former candy factory and bakery into a beanery, installing equipment from one of the oldest tofu-equipment makers in Asia. In the visitors’ room, Hodo Soy plans to show a video about the tofu-making process and give you a peek at the production through a glass window. Above, Dean Ku, a co-founder and marketing director, gives the lay of the land as one guest looks on. (We then donned the requisite hairnets and plastic booties to enter the production floor, which is something the public tours won’t be able to do.)

Here’s the founder Minh Tsai, who also has the title of tofu master. A charming and affable guy, Tsai explained how Hodo Soy uses dried soybeans from a supplier in the Midwest as the starting point for their tofu products.

The soybeans are soaked overnight in filtered water and then ground into a pulp. One of the first products extracted from the puree through a steam-injection process is the soymilk, which is the basis for the tofu Hodo Soy makes. We got to try a cup of fresh soymilk that was unsweetened. In its natural state, the milk had a nice nuttiness to it that gave it lots of body. We also tried fresh yuba, which is also known as “tofu skin” because it’s made by steaming the soymilk and pulling off the thin top layer, or skin, that forms.

Fresh yuba is an expensive ingredient in Asia because of the labor involved in making it. Hodo Soy is the only U.S. manufacturer making and selling it fresh. (Most Asian stores sell it in dried form.) The yuba on this day was so fresh that we could still see the milk around the edges. Of course, when you buy the yuba at the farmers market stand, the yuba has been allowed to air out a bit and then sealed in its packaging.

Here are the yuba sheets being drip dried at the plant. Hodo Soy’s yuba is served in such restaurants as Coi, Greens and The Slanted Door.

Making tofu actually is very similar to cheese-making because it involves curds. In one section of the plant, workers laid out cheesecloth-lined molds that are filled with the soy curds, which are then pressed by this huge assembly line machine. The amount of pressure determines the texture of the resulting tofu—medium or firm. (Soft tofu, or silken tofu, is so delicate to make that Tsai says he has to do that by hand.)

The tofu blocks are then cut up and stored in water so it can be sold at the farmers markets. Tsai says that all the employees who work at the plant also spend time at the farmers market selling the products. So you really do meet the people who make what you buy. It also gives the workers a chance to hear feedback about their tofu.

In the back of the plant is a kitchen, and it’s not just where the workers take their lunch break. Hodo Soy has a chef who develops recipes and creates cooked products that are packaged and sold at the farmers market.

At the end of the tour, we got to sample a table full of tofu dishes, including some sautéed tofu pockets, poached tofu, tofu croquettes and stir-fry tofu noodles. I especially liked the croquettes, which tasted surprisingly light and not at all dense.

With this new and bigger plant, Hodo Soy can now extend its reach beyond the farmers markets. But because Tsai and his team are so focused on quality and freshness, they’re carefully negotiating with retailers and distributors, working out issues such as shelf life, etc. For now, Hodo Soy can be found at Rainbow Grocery and possibly down the road at the Berkeley Bowl.

If you’re interested in tofu and want to talk to people who love it, then I’d suggest you stop by one of the Hodo Soy stands at the farmers markets (you can check where they are on their Web site). And if you want to take a tour of the West Oakland plant, check back at their Web site later this year for more information.

Hodo Soy Beanery, 2923 Adeline St., Oakland. www.hodosoy.com

Get your tofu on:
Yuba Salad with Broccoli and Red Bellpepper
Spicy Blue Lake Bean Salad with Tofu
Rainbow Tofu Soup

Test Kitchen: Smoky Shrimp and Chorizo Soup

This month's Single Guy Test Kitchen featuring the recipes from Food and Wine Magazine was a first. There was a tie in the poll to decide which recipe to test from the magazine's October edition: 40% voted for the White Bean Stew with Swiss Chard and another 40% voted for the Smoky Shrimp and Chorizo Soup. Of course, only a few voted for the dish that I really wanted to try, which was the Lamb Skewers with Salsa Verde because that recipe is from Chef Seamus Mullen, whose New York restaurant Boqueria Soho I love when I was there recently and who's currently a leading contender in "The Next Iron Chef."

Anywho, I did the simple pull the recipe from the hat trick and the shrimp soup came out on top. So that's what I made recently, which turned out great for the cool fall weather we were experiencing in the Bay Area when I made the dish. (Of course, you're probably reading this now when we're experiencing a warm spell this weekend.)

The recipe was from the section of the magazine that was dedicated to wine pairings. The soup was in the section about "old world wines" and how old world wines from Italy and Spain should be paired with food from the area as they've matured together. So they suggested you pair this Spanish soup with a red Rioja wine. Easy choice.

It's been awhile I've made soup, so it was nice getting back into the soup groove. As usual, I cut the recipe in half because I'm the Single Guy and I don't need that much soup. Here's how the cooking went. You can get the full recipe from the Food and Wine Web site here.

I started out shelling and deveining the medium-size shrimp that I got from my local grocer. I kept the shell and used it to make a stock according to the recipe. But it was a simple stock where I simply infuse the shrimp shell flavor into already made chicken stock for just 10 minutes.

While my shrimp stock stewed at a low simmer, I prepped my other ingredients, including the other star, which was the chorizo. Be sure to buy the dry Spanish chorizo and not the Mexican version or fresh version, which can be too soft and mushy inside. I get my Spanish chorizo from the nearby Piedmont Grocer on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. You can also find them at the Spanish Table in Berkeley.

This recipe had very basic ingredients. Along with the shrimp and chorizo, I just needed a sweet onion, one carrot, a clove of garlic and a can of diced tomatoes.

Here's the chorizo after I've quickly browned it in a large soup pot. They look tasty to eat just like that, but I had to restrain and keep it to the side as I get working on the other ingredients.

In the same pot, I started off sweating the vegetables, starting with the onion, garlic and carrots. That sprinkling of red you see is the teaspoon of smoked paprika or pimenton, which is a basic spice for a lot of Spanish dishes. I love it. It gives off a really nice smell as you're cooking your vegetables. After the vegetables softened, after about five minutes, I add the can of tomatoes and let everything cook for another five minutes until some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate.

Then you start building your soup with the shrimp stock and chorizo, and finishing it off by throwing in the shrimp, which cooks really quickly. Then you add a tablespoon of flour to thicken your soup a bit, but I didn't have flour in my kitchen so I just used cornstarch, which is the Asian way to thicken soup. Same thing.

And that was it. I garnished my soup with slices of avocados, which is suggested in the recipe, and then I was ready to eat. Here's my final bowl. How do you think it looks from the Food and Wine photo above?



My tips and warnings about this recipe:

1. Even though I halved the recipe, I didn't skimp on the pimenton. The recipe called for 1 teaspoon and that's what I added, even though I halved the other ingredients. The smoky part of the recipe comes from the smoked pimenton, and I felt it could have needed more smokiness. So you could add more if you like, I feel. (Maybe 2 teaspoons.)
2. If you want to make this a hearty soup, especially for dinner or leftovers, add some cooked white rice.
3. The recipe says to cut the carrot into thin matchsticks. But I felt it was weird eating soup with carrot sticks, so I would have liked to pureed the onions and carrots before adding the chorizo and shrimp, so the soup would be more smooth. But it's up to you want kind of texture you like when you're drinking your soup.

Ease of cooking: This was another super simple soup recipe. Soup is always so easy to make. And it was quick, so I think anyone can do it. It makes a nice quick weeknight dinner.

Taste: I really liked the flavor of the soup when everything was said and done. The slight smokiness from the pimenton was really overpowered more by the chorizo, which like any meat ingredient dominates the dish. But since I love chorizo, I didn't mind. Plus, the meatiness of the tomatoes was a nice support for the chorizo. And there were a lot of shrimp in the soup, and I love shrimp, so again, it just had all the flavors that I love. Good job.

Overall Grade: A for easy to find ingredients, simple steps and full body flavor.

Don't forget to vote in my latest poll on the upper right corner. It's the Thanksgiving edition of Food and Wine. (BTW, aren't you glad I didn't start with Gourmet magazine? Because this feature would be dead by now.)

Previous test kitchens:
Rabbit Ragout with Soppressata and Pappardelle
Puff-pastry Tomato Tarts
Bucatini Carbonara
Mini Corn Cakes with Seared Salmon

Got Apples?

While I was at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market last Saturday, I noticed that it was definitely apple season. I spotted several stands with crates of apples, from luscious pink ladies to petite cinnamons to green grannies.

I never really liked apples growing up in Hawaii because they were all shipped in from the Mainland and were often the huge, highly waxed Red Delicious. (Do you still eat those?) While an apple is a great carry-along snack because you can take it anywhere, I never really liked the chewy skin.

But now I can find all sorts of apples of different shapes and colors. One of my favorites from the stores is the macintosh variety (maybe because I’m a Mac guy) because of its crunchiness and sweet-tart flavor. I mostly just eat them as a snack or toss them in a salad. What do you like to do with apples?

Food Paparazzi

Last weekend at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, I spotted Chef Brett Emerson looking over some fresh vegetables. (There he is with a big bunch of baby carrots.)

Emerson’s face may not be that recognizable by many people (even I took the picture and thought, hmmm, where have I seen him before?) but his restaurant, Contigo, is one of the few hot spots in the city creating a lot of buzz right now. I haven’t been able to check it out yet, but I’m dying to try his take on Catalan-inspired dishes using fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Emerson also pens the blog, In Praise of Sardines, which partly talked about his adventures in opening his restaurant. Not surprisingly, he hasn’t posted any new entries since Contigo opened in March. But from what I hear about the food, it sounds like it’s worth keeping him busy in the kitchen than in front of the computer.

Previous sightings:
Elizabeth Falkner
Chris Cosentino
Daniel Patterson

Women Never Cease To Amaze Me

Women never cease to amaze me. I just never know how you will react. For instance, the post titled A Letter To My Future Girlfriend, which I thought was rather warm and fuzzy, somehow promoted one of the angriest hate mails (Love Me Some Hate Mail) my blog has ever received! So when I wrote The Manwhore Relapse post, I was bracing myself to be flooded with hate mail. In that post I basically bashed women and made a bunch of crass statements while vowing to return to my manwhoring ways. However, to my pleasant surprise, I didn’t receive a single hateful e-mail on it! Not a one! In fact, what I did receive were letters of understanding, support, praise and even encouragement! Now of course there were those advocating against it, but even then it was expressed in a very sweet and sympathetic way. Thank you for that. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for seeing pass this ugly phase of mine and seeing who I really am, or rather who I have potential to once again be.

What’s even more shocking is that his new "fuck it" (I swear no pun was intended) attitude that I have seems to actually attract girls. For example, in the past week I’ve been asked out twice, by two different girls. Baffled by this sudden turn of events, I had a little talk with my buddies to get their thoughts...

Mike: "Most guys don’t get asked out once in their life, let alone twice and in the same week!"
Chad: "I’m lucky if a girl will go out with me twice."

While their comments made me laugh, they weren't very helpful in determining why girls are looking my way when my head is clearly turned in the opposite direction. I hate women, remember? I said it just days ago here on my blog. Of course they most likely don't know I have a blog so that explains that. Still, I have to believe that I'm giving off a rather cold and unwelcoming vibe. No?

Before I go out with either of these girls, they will have to pass a slew of tests! I just refuse to get involved with any more shady chicks. First I would check to see if she is mentally stable, psychiatric evaluation. Then I would see if she is a dirty whore, STD test. Next determine if she is a liar, lie detector test. Are you married? Engaged? Have a boyfriend? Are you an illegal alien? Are you an actual alien? Were you born a woman? I'll need to know all of that too. Next comes the examination of her criminal record, making sure one doesn't exist. I’ll discover whether or not she is a gold digger - maybe hide my car keys, tell her I drive a bucket and wait for her facial expression? Lastly, I would need to do a drug test on her and check to see that she isn't already preggers...I'm not being some baby's Daddy that isn't even mine!

Although necessary, that probably sounds a little excessive, which is exactly why manwhoring sounds so good right now! Manwhoring is simple and fun. Two things I love - simplicity and funnery. And while I may have updated my booty call list, no one is on speed dial just yet. Although it’s nice to know that at a push of a button that can be arranged. That safe, uncomplicated, meaningless sex is just a phone call away. Oddly enough, that gives me comfort. And because it does, that tells me that I’m in no way ready to dive into any type of real relationship anytime soon. Love is overrated anyways, said the bitter boy.

For now, I leave you all with some advice that was dispensed upon me just last night.

"We settle for far too much in this life...love should absolutely positively without a doubt NOT be one of those things."

Back for Seconds: Ubuntu

This is an occasional report on return visits to restaurants that I’ve already reviewed.

What’s Growing this Fall in Jeremy Fox’s Garden
1140 Main St., Napa
Downtown Napa
PH: 707.251.5656
Open Mon.–Fri., 5:30–9 p.m. (until 10 p.m. Fridays), Sat.–Sun., 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5:30–10 p.m. (until 9 p.m. Sundays)
Major credit cards, reservations accepted
www.ubuntunapa.com

Original visit: September 2008

NAPA, Calif.
During the Columbus Day weekend, my older sister was visiting from Hawaii. She travels a lot for work and often complains about the heavy business dinners she finds herself eating on the road. So when she suggested we spend the day in Napa Valley, I thought she might enjoy the lighter, vegetarian fare at the celebrated Ubuntu restaurant in downtown.

Joining us was my college-aged nephew and two of his friends. I don’t think they were as thrilled to be eating an all-vegetables menu. So to prep them for dinner, I took them for hamburgers earlier in the day at Taylor’s Refresher. ;-)

I was spellbound when I first visited Ubuntu for lunch last year. Chef Jeremy Fox’s magic with vegetables was showcased in beautifully plated dishes crisp in flavor and freshness. Since then, the restaurant and Chef Fox have received a multitude of national praise, and just this week received its very first Michelin star.

The menu changes regularly, although stays primarily the same throughout a season. Again, the mode was small plates shared around the table. I did notice that the dinner tasting menu was no longer offered, and the popular pizzas from lunch aren’t available at dinner (although our server says it may be added to dinner soon).

Here’s what we ate. I should say that I wasn’t as good with my note-taking this time around, so I don’t have the precise name and prices for the dishes (most dishes were in the $9-$15 range). So I’m working off memory right now.

First up was the house specialty Carta da Catalan, which was a flat bread topped with all the ingredients from the restaurant’s organic garden just up the street. It came on a pig-shaped wooden platter, which my nephew noted was probably the chef’s play on irony.

All the ingredients blended beautifully together, rounded off with dehydrated beet bits that were supposed to represent dirt from the garden. Although simple and clean in flavor, it was a challenge to pick up and eat. The flat bread hidden under the huge pile of greens is almost paper-thin, so it was more like a cracker.

This is a dish of crispy potatoes, which you can’t go wrong for college students. It was mixed with a succulent plant, which I think was called “ice plant,” and sat on a puree. This was one of my favorite dishes for its unusual ingredients (the succulent, not the potatoes) and expert preparation.

This is an example of how the dishes at Ubuntu seems to be shrinking. Although a wonderful display of fall colors, this puree of kohlrabi seemed lacking in substance and the tastes components didn't seem to be enticing. Although the crispy beans were popular with the college kids.

We got a double order of this dish, which was broccoli with padron peppers. When brought to our table, our server finished it off with a light sauce that was more a broth. Most of the college kids at the table weren’t turned on to the Spanish flavors of the roasted padron peppers, so I ended up eating most of it. While I liked the peppers, I don’t know if there was anything special in the preparation.

I was hoping the pasta dish would be substantive like the pizza to satisfy the young appetites at the table. My sister ordered it with a fried egg on top just to give my nephew some added protein. But when it arrived, it was beautiful but quite a small serving. We all got just a spoonful of taste.

I forgot what kind of pasta it was, but they were small kernels almost like a grain and served with roasted tomatoes. I enjoyed the flavors of the tomatoes and the egg did help, but it wasn’t that filling.

This is the braised sunchokes, which again came out beautifully plated. But there was a tartness to the sunchokes that I didn’t enjoy, so this was the least popular dish of the night.

These dishes represented a bit more than half of the menu, and all the other items didn’t necessarily appeal to us. My sister, probably feeling a bit guilty about not feeding her son enough to eat, suggested we move on to dessert instead of eating more orders of what we already had.

We ended up ordering almost every item on the dessert menu. Probably the most beautiful dessert was this apple, which I think was called a “Claudette.” (Again, sorry, I didn’t take notes.) This was an ingenious dessert of thinly sliced green apples layered around a filling to recreate the shape of the apple. Inside were two types of filling; we all agreed that one of the filling was an apple sorbet. What was so interesting was the apple sorbet was hard like a crunchy apple, but melted when you ate it. This was my favorite dish of the night for the presentation, creativity and taste.

Other desserts we had was the classic cheesecake in a jar (which I had last time). My nephew loves cheesecake so he got a kick out of the idea of eating it straight out of a jar. We also ordered the cornbread pain de perdu with figs. The dish looked rustic and pretty, but all the components didn’t seem to blend well together.

We also had the saffron rice pudding, which came in a clear glass boat. The pudding texture wasn’t as creamy as I liked but it was pretty.

Overall, I felt the dishes were as creative as I remembered, but I did feel the portion sizes seemed smaller, which makes it hard IMHO to have a filling meal. One of my nephew’s friends did say he was impressed by the complexity of flavors in each dish, so I was glad that the experience opened his eyes to something new.

The service was just as proficient and friendly as before. Although I found only a few things to be thrilled about in Fox’s current fall menu, I am still impressed by his creativity and details in presentation. But for a better value, it might be worth checking out Ubuntu for lunch when you can order the white pizza.

Update experience (previous 4.5 stars): Holding steady at 4.5 even though plates seem smaller

The Manwhore Relapse

***WARNING!***
The following post is extremely offensive in nature, mostly to women. I won't deny it, it's crass and it's vulgar. Upon reading it, you may find yourself appalled, disgusted and angry. More than likely you’ll completely disagree with what I have to say and strongly discourage my future actions. But...I hope you understand. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll forgive.

Never putting yourself out there, never caring, always safe. It makes for a very easy life. I think I want to take that road. No twists. No turns. No blindsided corners to navigate through. Eyes always open. Always conscious of your surroundings. No risks. No mistakes. Always safe.

It’s official. I'm returning to my manwhoring ways. Why shouldn't I? There are no reaping of the benefits for putting your heart out there, trusting in another to the point of complete vulnerability. You just get shit on. So from now on, I'll be the first to do the shitting. I'll fuck them over before they even have a chance to fuck me over. Turnabout is only fair play. And no, I won't feel bad for doing it in the least. I've learned the hard way that this is a part of life, so I might as well start playing.

My new outlook is I don't give a fuck about women because they don't give a fuck about me. From now on, in my mind, they are only good for one thing - getting me off. They can fuck me and then get the fuck out. I don't want to get to know you and I don't want you to get to know me. I'm not your boyfriend. I'm not even your friend. I'm just some guy you're fucking. A guy that uses you just like you use him. Afterall, you're going to fuck me over in the end anyways, so let's just cut to the chase and do the fucking up front. Then the rules here are clear. There will never be anything between us other than a physical relationship. I don't have feelings for you and I may not even like you. You're simply in my life because you're a good lay. You’re the equivalent of a booty call. That's it. And that's all. Now lock the door behind you on your way out.

Romantic, isn’t it? Hey, the truth hurts. And it’s time people start speaking the truth, start being honest. I’m being brutally honest here. I'm not using sex as a weapon. In fact it's the total opposite. I'm using it more as a defense mechanism, for my heart. I'm capable of having meaningless sex and feeling zero emotion or attachment after. That's the beauty of being a guy. Not a lot of girls can do that. Besides, I deal better being mad rather than sad. So it should be no surprise that I’ve turned ugly and mean. Documenting the sexcapades would make for very interesting blog fodder. Maybe I’ll write about it, or maybe not. I couldn’t even stomach reading that myself. Honestly, I’m hoping this is just a filthy phase and this too shall pass. Only time will tell. Although I can’t see myself being a manwhore for very long. It's not who I am anymore, nor who I want to be. But right now, I have to do what is right for me. And as odd as it sounds, this feels like my need?

Years ago when my "almost fiancee" and I broke up, it took me forever to get over her! I moped around for months, until my friends couldn’t take it anymore and forced me to go out with someone new. It’s standard guy advice, "the best way to get over someone is to get under someone new." So I tried that. It failed. It was the only time in my life where I could barely get it up. Her attractiveness wasn’t the problem. I simply wanted my ex-girlfriend, only her. And the only way I could even perform was to picture her face. To pretend for just one hour that she wanted me the way I wanted her. Needless to say, the sex was awful.

Although this time around, it’s not like that. I was not in love, just heavily in-like. When girls have boy troubles, they sit around and eat pints of ice-cream. When guys have girl troubles, they go on a fuck fest. I know what the remedy is. So I’ll just jump right into it. Because I don’t have space in my heart to be sad.

La Farine French Bakery is Inching Closer

Earlier this year, I finally shopped at La Farine French Bakery and fell in love with their fruit tartlets, among other things. But the threat of carb overloaded was kept at bay because: 1) I’m lazy and 2) the original La Farine location on College Avenue on the edge of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood would require a very long walk or a bus ride to get to from my apartment.

But curses! (I sound like a cartoon, huh?) Now La Farine has opened a new location on Piedmont Avenue, which is just a 10-minute walk from my place. I will now be forever tested on how often I can avoid the buttery goodness of La Farine’s baked French breads and pastries.

I couldn’t resist checking out the new location this past weekend when I was doing some grocery shopping. The store lacks some of the charm of the original location, but it definitely is roomier. There are several small tabletops along one side so you can sip on some coffee and munch on some pastries.

I noticed some pretty purple frosting cupcakes in the counter and there were tons of fruit tarts for sale. I picked up a whole grain baguette and one of the last two fruit tartlets.

What’s amazing about their tarts and tartlets are the colorful designs on top created by the carefully placed patterns of the fruit pieces. This one was a tartlet with some kind of yellow fruit thinly sliced and then made into a fan design. I couldn’t tell what it was but it reminded me of unripened mango, topped off with a few tiny raspberries. It was delicious!

If you’re ever wondering where I am on a weekend afternoon, chances are high I’ll be munching on a fruit tartlet at La Farine’s Piedmont Avenue location.

La Farine, 4094 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. (Other locations in Rockridge and Fruitvale in Oakland and Solano Avenue in Berkeley.) www.lafarine.com

Related posts:
My Apology and Thanks to La Farine