Bloem 'n Sugar in San Francisco

Since I rely on BART to get me into the city, I'm quite familiar with the Powell Street station. Recently when I was in San Francisco, I got off at the station and noticed a waffle shop in a tiny corner shop at the entrance of the Westfield San Francisco Centre.

The spot used to be a magazine shop, so it's not a very big space. But when making waffles, all you need is room for the waffle irons and the topping station. This new waffle store is called Bloem 'n Sugar, and it touts that it's the only people selling Brussels and Liege waffles. I can't tell you what's the difference between these two types of Belgian waffles, but I can tell you Bloem has a lot of waffle dishes to choose from (think of them as sundaes).

It was a bit overwhelming trying to decide which waffle dish to choose, so I just went with the "classic," which was described on the menu as waffles topped with strawberries, bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and Belgian-style chocolate sauce ($7).

This isn't the kind of treat that I typically have (I'm not a big sundae person), so you know I'm doing this just for the blog. I was a bit scared when I got my waffles, because anything with all that whipped cream looked larger than it was. But I can't lie, I totally scarfed this baby down. The waffles were freshly made and warm, and tasted light and airy. The whipped cream was just as light, so I didn't feel like I was eating a lot of calories. And the strawberries and bananas were fresh, not like strawberries that's soaking in sugar sauce like some yogurt shops.

I got the Brussels waffles on this first visit, so now I'm tempted to go back to see what the Liege waffles are like. And to maybe try the "Bananutella" (bananas with Nutella). I just have to wait till I've jogged a few more miles.

Bloem 'n Sugar, Westfield San Francisco Centre (Concourse Level near Abercrombie & Fitch), 865 Market St., San Francisco. PH: 415.615.0064. Open daily. www.bloemnsugar.com

If You're in Virginia, Say Hi to Cafe Stella

One of my best friends in the world is Stella, who used to live in the Bay Area and we'd bake together sometimes. But when she moved a few years ago to Virginia, it was a sad, sad day.

But she and her husband, Mariusz, had a dream, and that was to own their own place. And when they landed in Norfolk, Virginia, they knew right away they had to bring a little bit of California to the area. And that has now percolated into their own cafe, where Mariusz roasts fresh coffee beans every morning and Stella wakes up early to make her baked goods.

Cafe Stella just opened in a neighborhood called Ghent Norfolk. So if you're reading this and live nearby, you should drop by. Stella has amazing taste (it's kind of shabby chic) so you'll probably find a comfortable spot that's bohemian and fun. I still have to plan my trip to check it out myself, but until then, drop on in and tell them The Single Guy sent you. (Who knows? Maybe you'll get a free scone. :)

Cafe Stella, 1907 Colonial Ave., Norfolk, Virginia. Open weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PH: 757.625.0461. Visit them on Facebook.




Photos courtesy of Cafe Stella

What is US Debt Ceiling And How Does it Impact Me?

By now you know that there is a big political/economic debate over the “Debt Ceiling” in the United States.

Every News TV channel, radio stations, and publication is full of coverage on the potential of United States of America going bankrupt if this Debt Ceiling thing is not raised thus impacting the US economy and in turn the global economy.

If you are an average person like me you will understand the news, the impact, and implications that these news outlets are talking about but you might be scratching your head and asking yourself “So what is this debt ceiling”? And “How will it impact me?”

Well I decided to take this evening before the long weekend and try to answer both of your questions to the best of my abilities.

Simply put the Debt Ceiling is a cap on how much money the US federal government can borrow.
As of May 2011, approximately 40 percent of U.S. government spending relied on borrowed money to run its day to day operations/services.

To give you a basic analogy let’s say you are self-employed and 40% of your household expenses are on your credit card month over month – since your business doesn’t make enough money to pay for all your house hold expenses. And because you are only making your minimum payments you are now reaching the credit limit on your Visa or Mastercard.

At this point you have three choices:
1. Call your Credit Card company, in agreement with your family, and request for a credit limit increase – short term fix
2. Charge more for your goods and services or find other sources of revenue – midterm fix
3. Cut down on your monthly household expenses so you are not dependent on your Visa or Mastercard – long term fix
What’s going on in America over the last few weeks is that the current administration wants to call their Credit Card company to increase the credit limit (ie debt ceiling) but some members of the family, members of House of Representatives & Senate – which is an equivalent of lower and upper house of parliament in most countries – are not in agreement, and instead wants the current US administration to work on point 3 first, before asking for a credit limit increase. These members of the family are mostly Republicans while the current US administration is Democrats.

The Obama administration is counter proposing that they will work on point 2 but would still require the original increased limit request so they could continue to run the country, and in long run get to point 3.

The reason that all this debate and drama is going on every day in Washington DC is because the family – US House of Representatives and US Senate – needs to work together and reach a compromise. And because it’s one political party against the other there has been a lot of politicking over the last two weeks with no side willing to compromise hence all this intrigue and drama.

Ultimately each side has to meet half way and try to reach a compromise for this crisis to be averted.

Now let me try to answer the 2nd part of your question: “How will this potential crisis affect me?”

The United States of America is the largest economy in the world, and every country is either directly or indirectly dependent on it through trades, investments, financial aid, or local companies dependent on business with their American counterparts.

If the debt ceiling is not raised the American Treasury (equivalent of finance ministry in most other countries) will run out of money for the day to day operations of the United States, and the American economy will collapse.

The first impact, if you live in United States, would be that some of the services could get affected including paying Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the debt and many other items.

Not raising the debt ceiling will further devalue the American dollar which will have a direct negative impact on private companies hence impacting your job and ultimately your paycheck.
If you live in one of the countries that is a big US trading partner due to the above reason you could feel a lot of heat also.

If you live in one of the countries that is dependent on US for financial aid, your country could kiss that aid goodbye which will have a severe impact on you also.

In short the entire world is so much dependent on the US economy that if it fails, we will all see the effects. Most of the countries which sustained a huge economic crisis in 2008 – with the exception of China, India, and Brazil – are just standing back up on their feet, and cannot afford another economic recession this soon.

Now if I have scared you enough let me also tell you that I don’t believe there will be a crisis and the United States of America will be able to reach a solution before Tuesday August 2nd 2011 – may in the 11th hour but on this July 29th 2011 with all the doom and gloom about the US economy rest assured that the deal will be reached.

Why do you I think like this? Well I would keep it to myself as this is not a forum where I discuss my political opinions. If you really want to know give me a call and we discuss my opinions over a coffee.

Thanks for reading.

For more information please visit:
http://www.musthafaebadi.com

Life Is Made Of Mud, Sweat, And Beer

Warrior: A person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness.

If you've ever run a full marathon (26.2 miles), you know about The Wall. The Wall is that point around the 20 mile mark where your body physically shuts down on you, making the last 6 miles excruciatingly challenging. It's the body's natural safety mechanism. A way to keep you from harming yourself. So to muscle through the remaining 6 miles you need mental toughness. Your mind has to tell your body don't quit! And isn't that the same for anything in life?

Life is about mental toughness. Perseverance. Being a warrior.



I signed up for a race called Warrior Dash. Warrior Dash is a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme run from hell. This fierce running series is held on the most challenging and rugged terrain across the globe. Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate with kick-ass music, beer and warrior helmets.

It's been dubbed, "The Craziest Frickin' Day Of Your Life!"

Mud. Sweat. Beer. Competition. Fire. Did I mention FIRE? Naturally, I'm all in!

Although this post isn't about Warrior Dash. It's about life. Or rather how competing in events like Warrior Dash are filled with metaphors that transfer over to life.

So I present to you...

10 Obstacles You Will Face In Life
(And In Warrior Dash)

1. Run Uphill
If you can't run uphill in life (and in Warrior Dash), you might as well roll over and die now. Life is challenging. That's the point of living! To overcome obstacles and bask in the glory that follows after conquering whatever life throws at you. It's about eating it up and spitting it back in life's face. Saying..."Is that the best you got?" Bring it, Life!"

2. Hurdle Over Walls
"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!" - Randy Pausch

I don't care how you do it. Get your ass over that wall! It doesn't matter if you have a broken arm or a broken heart. You WILL overcome! You MUST hurdle over life's brick walls.

3. Enter Dark Tunnels
Not being able to see where you are going in life. Not knowing when, or how, you will come out on the other side. It's scary! In life you must take risks. And you must trust in yourself enough that no matter what the outcome of that risk is, that you'll find a way to be ok. To say, "hey at least I tried."

4. Walk The Plank
The only thing scarier than venturing down dark tunnels is seeing disaster in plain daylight! Similar to walking tight ropes, use extra caution when crossing life's planks.

5. Sidestep Holes
Few things in life are as easy and as smooth as they appear. Whoever coined the phrase "smooth sailing" obviously didn't sail much. Needless to say, if someone says life is easy, they obviously don't live much.

6. Untangle Yourself
From financial messes to relationships messes. Chances are you got yourself into this mess. Now it's up to you to get yourself out! So start untangling.

7. Wade In Murky Water
Ever been knee-high, waist-high, chest-high in shit? Of course you have! The key is keeping it from reaching neck-high. Keeping your head afloat. Chin up. You can make it through.

8. Crawl Through Mud
Before you can learn to run, you have to learn to crawl. There is no shame in crawling. I've watched Ironman competitors crawl to the finish line on all fours! It's about wanting something bad enough that you'll do whatever it takes to get there. Pay your dues. Nothing is beneath you. Dirt work are stepping stones to something greater.

9. Jump Fire
Sometimes in life you will get burned. It happens to the best of us. Learn to put out the flames, wrap your wounds and leap higher next time.

10. Avoid Getting Trampled
Basically, survive. If you fall and you're lucky, someone will lend a hand. But don't count on it. It's really up to you stay on your feet. However if you do slip, brush yourself off and get up quickly like a warrior!

Because you are a fucking warrior! Now get out there and kick life in the ass! And I'll see you at the finish line for beer, dancing, and a big fat turkey leg. I think that is what heaven is suppose to entail, right?

Life is made of mud, sweat, and beer.

Get dirty. Be strong. Find happy. Live!

Casserole House in Oakland

Korean Soup for a Chilly Night
4301 Telegraph Ave. (at 43rd), Oakland
Temescal neighborhood
PH: 510.601.6001
Open Mon.-–Sat., 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun., 4–10 p.m.
Reservations, major credit cards accepted

So I’ve mentioned how I live near a lot of Korean restaurants, and I’ve been slowly educating myself about Korean cuisine.

One restaurant in my neighborhood is simply called Casserole House, which doesn’t really sound Korean but I’m sure the Korean characters in the sign probably calls it something else. And Casserole House is on the same block as the popular Sahn Maru, which I reviewed earlier this year.

I remember walking past Casserole House on my way to Sahn Maru and noticing how it was more busy. But when I visited Casserole House, I realized it was because it’s half the size of Sahn Maru. Still, it has a cozier feel with décor that’s more homey and stylish than the open utilitarian feel of Sahn Maru.

Casserole House also seems like it’s run by only two women because they’re the only two I see when I’ve dined there. I mention it only because that means the service can sometimes feel lacking when the restaurant fills up. The women aren’t as engaging because they’re just busy bussing the tables.

As for the menu, you definitely find more casseroles than any other place, along with a nice variety of hot and cold dishes, noodles dishes, and Korean BBQ. Because this is called the Casserole House, I wanted to order a casserole. But my waitress wouldn’t let me, discouraging me from ordering from the dozen of choices because she said they’re designed for two. Drats! Discrimination against the Single Guy once again.

The waitress recommended I try the tofu soups, or soon, which she says is the same as the casseroles except more suitable for one. So basically the “casseroles” are just the Korean soups.

Disappointed, I defaulted to my typical Korean food choice, which is BBQ. So I ordered the daeji bulgogi ($14.95), which is thinly sliced pork but it’s actually broiled instead of barbequed.

Before my bulgogi arrived, the parade of panchan of Korean side dishes started to arrive. What I find unique about Casserole House is they start with an egg pancake that totally blew my mind. It was the texture of this simple pancake that I totally enjoyed, a crispy edge that made me ignore the slight shimmer of oil. I think the ingredients included potatoes and scallions, but I can’t say for sure. Anyone know what it’s called? Because this is my favorite Korean food to eat.

Then came other small dishes, but I felt the other panchan at Casserole House was pretty pedestrian. They were the typical bean sprouts, kim chee, steamed broccoli, marinated potatoes, and dried tiny fish. There were a lot of plates, just nothing exciting like the pancake.

When my daeji bulgogi arrived, it was a large platter of thinly sliced pork, but the texture looked weird, like it was covered with powder. But it was just the house spicy sauce. The flavor was just OK, nothing spectacular, but I appreciated how the pork was so thinly sliced. I just wish the sauce was more juicy than fuzzy. (Hey, that’s a new word for dining reviews, fuzzy food!)

Because this is called Casserole House, I still felt like I needed to try the casseroles, even if they’re just like soon soup. So I recruited my friends Vera and Ray to come with me for dinner, especially since they also live in the neighborhood.

We arrived for dinner and ended up ordering the black goat casserole ($29). They had a lot of other interesting casseroles, like octopus and beef, and pig’s feet. There’s even a vegetarian options. All casseroles, however, do start with the base of a lot of vegetables that’s stewed together with the other specialty items.

(Note: We got the same type of panchan that I got when I came on my own, and the Korean pancake was still amazing even though the shape wasn’t as pretty as my first time. I guess things can never live up to your first love.)

Our waitress set up the tableside hot plate, which will keep our casserole hot as we eat. Then a few minutes later she brought out the huge casserole (I can see why you can’t eat it by yourself) in a large metal casserole pan. The soup was still bubbling.

The casserole also came with this sauce, but the waitress didn’t say how we were supposed to use it. It looked like a mixture of hot mustard and ketchup with some kind of black sauce that had a lot of grain. I just mixed them all up and poured a little into my individual bowl of black goat stew.

The sauce was actually light and slightly sweet and tart, not spicy at all. In a way, it helped cut into the richness of the goat meat.

I had black goat meat at Sahn Maru and didn’t enjoy it, but Casserole House’s version was way better because of the tenderness of the strips of goat meat. The soup flavor was also nice and full-bodied, and all the other ingredients were nicely cooked, not overcooked at all. Eating the casserole with a side of rice was a very complete and satisfying dinner.

Korean casseroles are really just huge soups with lots of ingredients in them to add depth of flavor. With the chilly summer we’ve been having in the Bay Area, I’m sure I’ll be back to try them again at Casserole House.

Single guy rating: 3 stars (enjoy the pancake)

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

Porchetta Sandwich Taste Off

Awhile back I started seeing restaurants offering porchetta sandwiches as a lunch option, so I thought it would be a good time to do a taste comparison to see who offered the best porky goodness on a roll.

Porchetta (I only recently learned that it’s pronounced por-KET-ta) is an Italian delicacy, often found sold from food carts on the streets of Italy. It’s made from a whole pig that’s been deboned and then stuffed with offal parts and herbs and then slowly roasted, traditionally over a wood oven. It’s then sliced up and served as is or as a sandwich.

I feel the signs of good porchetta (and granted, I’m not a porchetta expert) are moist, tender meat with a bit of fat and crispy, crackling skin. The flavor also should have a nice saltiness and flavor of herbs.

When I started looking for porchetta sandwiches, I was surprised to find many of them right around my Oakland neighborhood. And places that I would expect to find a porchetta sandwich, such as Il Cane Russo at the San Francisco Ferry Building, actually stopped offering porchetta. So it turned out harder to find this fatty pork sandwich than I thought. (If you know of a place I missed, be sure to let me know in the comments section.)

So here’s the results of my recent tour of porchetta sandwiches in San Francisco and Oakland. I start with the bottom and end with my favorite.

Plum Restaurant’s Porky Food Cart, Oakland

The sandwich: Porchetta with arugula and shaved fennel, pickled radish, and garlic aioli. ($9)

How to get it: Sold outside the Plum restaurant at 2214 Broadway (near Grand) for weekday lunch. Also available: lemonade and cookies

The popular Plum Restaurant, opened by Oakland resident and Chef Daniel Patterson, who also owns San Francisco’s COI restaurant, started selling porchetta sandwiches from a cart outside the restaurant. Since I work in the area, it was easy for me to pick up sandwich and bring it back to my office.

Because it’s pre-made, the sandwich suffers from the fact that it’s served cold (or at least room temperature). The meat looked almost shredded, and looked primarily white with not much fat. I wasn’t a fan of the bun (maybe ciabatta?) because it was chewy and difficult to eat. The sandwich was filled with baby arugula and thinly sliced fennel (which seems to be the classic accompaniment for porchetta sandwiches) and some pickled radish. I didn’t taste much of the garlic aioli until maybe near the end of the sandwich. It’s a fancier sandwich than what I’d typically get at other nearby sandwich shops, but it didn’t make me crave to go back to get one. It was good but not spectacular.

Barbacco Eno Trattoria, San Francisco

The sandwich: Slow-roasted shoulder porchetta with roasted peach rucola and red onion alla piastra, served with arugula and fennel salad and pickled vegetables. ($11)

How to get it: Served for lunch at the San Francisco restaurant at 220 California St. You can order it online so it’s ready for pick up as early as 11:30 a.m.

Barbacco is the wine bar next door to Perbacco, and it has this convenient service where you can order food online for pick up. That worked out for me because I wanted to try its porchetta sandwich but it’s only offered during weekday lunch. Since I work in Oakland, I had to catch BART to pick up the sandwich and bring it back to work within my lunch hour. So having the ability to pre-order online helped a lot because my sandwich was waiting for me when I arrived at 11:30 a.m. to pick it up.

The sandwich is the most expensive one around, and the fanciest, definitely a sign of a restaurant sandwich. Along with the tender shoulder pork, there was the red onion alla piastra, which is basically caramelized onions. The peach rucola offers bits of sweetness to counter the savory pork. It was like an accent to the eating experience. But the peach and onion seemed to be the only thing offering moisture in the sandwich because there wasn’t any type of aioli or spread. The bread was also a bit chewy to eat (starting to think Italian bread is always chewy) and because it sat in the container on the BART ride back, it was a bit wet around the edges, probably from the red onion alla piastra. The huge side salad filled out the lunch, and I’m always a fan of Barbacco’s pickled vegetables, which helps to cut into the richness of the porchetta. I liked the added ingredients to the classic porchetta sandwich, but the high price doesn’t make it much of a value.

Adesso, Oakland

The sandwich: Porchetta served up in a toasted baguette with wilted arugula. ($9)

How to get it: Served at the butcher counter for lunch at Adesso, the wine bar at 4395 Piedmont Ave. (at Pleasant Valley).

I literally can walk down the street to Adesso, and while this is often a place to hang out for happy hour, it also serves up a porchetta sandwich for lunch. Living so close, I can pick up a sandwich and bring it back home and still eat it warm.

While the earlier sandwiches I tried were served cold or room temperature, Adesso’s porchetta sandwich has the advantage of being made-to-order on toasted bread. I love any sandwich that’s grilled or toasted, so that gave the edge to Adesso’s porchetta sandwich even though the porchetta meat, while tender, seemed a bit shredded instead of being thick. There was a bit of oil from the fat, which helped moisten the meat and the arugula. I don’t think there were any additional sauce, so it was mostly just the natural flavors of the porchetta. It was simple but satisfying.

Marin Sun Farms Butcher Shop, Rockridge Market Hall, Oakland

The sandwich: Thinly sliced porchetta served with arugula and fennel and crispy skin bits. ($9.50)

How to get it: Served for lunch, typically on Saturdays in front of the butcher counter in Rockridge’s Market Hall in Oakland.

Marin Sun sets up a table on Saturdays to sell its porchetta sandwiches. I can’t say for sure if it’s sold any other time because I once dropped by on a Sunday and I didn’t see any porchetta sandwiches. The sandwich itself is huge. When I bought mine, I had to take it back home so I could get a knife to cut it in half.

The thin slices of the porchetta makes me feel like I’m eating a roast beef sandwich, and because the sandwiches are pre-made, it also is served cold or room temperature. The bun was the typical chewy Italian bread that I’m not a fan of, and the sandwich tastes a bit dry at times because there doesn’t seem to be any type of spread to moisten it. But what makes this sandwich a winner in my eyes, along with the huge size of it all, are all the crispy skin bits mixed in to give you a surprising crunch now and then when eating. A lot of other porchetta sandwiches shy on giving the crispy skin, but not Marin Sun’s version, which definitely has a lot of it for an amazing crunch.

Roli Roti Gourmet Rotisserie, San Francisco

The sandwich: Thick slices of porchetta with caramelized onions, fresh arugula and relish. ($8.50)

How to get it: Served up from the food stand parked every Saturday for lunch at the farmers market in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

There’s a reason why there’s always a line forming from the Roli Roti truck at the Ferry Plaza farmers market. The porchetta sandwich is legendary here, and it’s no surprise that it’s my No. 1 pick.

I’ve eaten the sandwich several times before, and it definitely benefits from the fact that it’s made-to-order, so the porchetta is nice and warm. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also tasty, and comes with tender caramelized onions and some kind of relish that adds a nice contrasting flavor to cut into the richness of the porchetta. Again, not a big fan of the Italian bread, but the shape makes it easier to eat than other porchetta sandwiches I ate elsewhere. Along with the bits of salt that you sometimes bite into when eating the pork, you also get some bits of the crispy skin (not as much as Marin Sun’s but still definitely present). The only hassle about Roli Roti’s prochetta sandwich is the sometimes long wait, but I typically go early and my wait sometimes is only 15 minutes. Either way, this sandwich is definitely worth the wait and is the standard I compare all porchetta sandwiches to.

Food Paparazzi

It was a beautiful day to be out in San Francisco, so I went to a baseball game with a friend. But before the game, I picked up some bombolonis for a gametime snack at the Ferry Building. While I was there I noticed a familiar face also out enjoying the good weather.

Richard Blais is a chef that competed on Top Chef, and recently won the Top Chef All-Stars special. It's typically quiet at the Ferry Building and surrounding areas on a Sunday (not as crazy packed as Saturdays), so Blais could walk around freely with his family. But I wasn't the only one taking a double take because I saw a few other people turned their heads and thinking, "Is that ....?"
My Twitter friends reminded me that Blais was in town for a special dinner put on by the Frog Hollow Farm people on Saturday night. So I guess Sunday was his chance to enjoy the city. I wonder if his daughter is going to grow up to be a little Top Chef as well? :-)

Blais lucked out on the weather, but what's the deal with the scarf Blais? Yeah, this is San Francisco but we get sun sometimes too.

Peppers at the Farmers Market

I was at the Grand Lake Farmers Market this morning in Oakland, and one of the farmers' stand had a table filled with these peppers. One side of the table were padron peppers and the other side were shishito peppers.



I fell in love with both varieties last year. They're best when just simply blistered in a pan with some oil and then just eaten warm. The Spanish Padron peppers are famous for being mildly sweet and then you get hit by a f-bomb when you bite into one that's super spicy.



Shishito peppers are the Japanese cousins of the Padron peppers, and I find them fairly similar in taste, except I feel their skins are a bit more waxy. I love them both so I would buy one basket of each one, mix them up in the pan as I blister them and just munch away.



Now, can you tell which ones are the Padron and which ones are the Shishito? Top or bottom? Find the answer in the comments section.

Underground Eats at the San Francisco Giants Ballpark

So earlier this week I talked about eating around AT&T Park, the home of the 2010 World Series Champions Giants. But today I go back into the ballpark to give you guys another look at more eats found in tucked away places.

I’m not talking about secret food menus. That’s not what I mean about underground. I literally mean you find these food on the lower levels of the ballpark.

I start with the Field Clubhouse, which is limited to ticketholders who sit on the field level behind home plate. I kind of hate how certain areas of the ballpark are off limits to everyone, like the Giants are creating its on little caste system. (Another area that’s off limits only to particular ticketholders is the “club level” that’s above “field” but below “view reserve.”)

But one game this summer I ended up spending the bucks to buy a field clubhouse seat because it was the only one available. (Thank you Visa.) So during the fourth inning, I went behind home plate, walking through the same corridors the players go through to get to the locker rooms, and made a left into the Clubhouse.

The Field Clubhouse definitely has a restaurant feel because of its ambient lighting and baseball mural on a giant wall. Looking around, there was the basic ballpark fare like hot dogs and hamburgers, but there were also stations for roast beef sandwiches, one station selling Mexican food, and a few beer stations.

They also have a sweet section selling these cute Giants themed cupcakes.

The Field Clubhouse is also where the Edsel Fong’s Chinese food station can be found. They used to have a stand up on the promenade level but I haven’t seen it there lately. I noticed they had a pad thai dish, so I ordered it. It actually wasn’t that bad, and a lot of noodles for $8.50. It might not have that authentic pad thai flavors, but at least the ingredients seemed fresh.

Another time I went to check out what was a new food stand this season, and it was the BBQ counter under the bleachers. It’s so new they don’t even have the permanent sign up yet. (I guess the former BBQ vendor lost his lease.)

The offerings seemed pretty typical of BBQ items, such as pulled pork sandwiches and tri-tip. But it also had a BBQ turkey sandwich, which I’ve never heard of so I thought I’d try that just because turkey also sounded healthier being a lean meat. I also got a side of potato salad.

The sandwich looked so sad when it arrived. It was basically turkey slices on a roll with BBQ sauce poured on top. And the BBQ sauce wasn’t even any more distinctive than store-bought BBQ sauce. The turkey was what you’d expect from a deli, and the bun wasn’t anything spectacular. I felt kind of cheated. (The potato salad was OK, not a lot of mayonnaise but it had bits of raw red onion, which I’m not a fan of.)

I still have a few more games to go to now that we’re in the second half. (In fact, I’ll be at the Sunday game.) I can’t say I’ve found anything exciting this season at the ballpark in terms of food, so I’ll probably just stick with my Hebrew National dogs.

One of Basic Lessons of Management - Trust But Verify

One of the top news stories over the last few weeks in the world of media business has been the Phone Hacking Scandal at the News of the World Corporation. I decided to post this article and give you my reasons why I think Rupert Murdoch is ultimately responsible for the criminal activities in his firm.

But before I do that let me take you through an interesting experience that thought me something valuable in life.

Back in early 2000s when I transitioned from frontline manager to a senior management role I was blessed to have three good mentors who took me under their wings and transformed me to a leader I am today. One of them – Mike McAra – my director at the time thought a very valuable lesson that perhaps Mr. Rupert Mordoch had missed.

To give you a bit of background on the situation, part of my responsibility as the contact center operations manager was to ensure that different queues were staffed with different resources depending on the time of the day. It was an easy but complex process and over time we had mastered it and knew the queues, resources to be on each queue, and switchover like the back of our hands.

Throughout my career I have also been known to be someone who has career developed a lot of people reporting to me. In this position also I had someone whom I had taken under my wings and was grooming him to be the next contact center operations manager. He was very excited about the new opportunity and challenges that it will bring and as part of his growth after training him and shadowing him few times I decided to delegate this queuing process to him.

On the first day that he was doing it on his own he did it flawlessly. He continued to do this for the next day or two and I was confident to a point where I stopped worrying about it. The next day I ran into Mike on the floor, and oddly enough he asked me if all my queues were appropriately staffed, to which I replied yes since my protégé was taking care of it.

Mike asked me a very profound, “How do you know you have the right resources for this time of the day?” I honestly didn’t know so he made me go check, and to my unpleasant surprise because my manager had a rough day, he had totally forgotten about it. While we managed to get all the right resources on the queue at the right time and minimize the impact to our customers within few quick minutes, that day Mike thought me a very valuable lesson later in his office. He said that it’s good that I trust my people when I delegate but I should always verify to make sure they are doing it and doing it right.

As I have studied the timelines of the News of the World Phone Hacking Scandal I can honestly think that Mr. Rupert Murdoch could have greatly benefited by this tip from Mike McAra.

If you look at the timelines of this Phone Hacking Scandal you will notice that back in early 2000s there were allegations that News of the World was involved in inappropriate practices. Later in 2003 Rebekah Brooks, ex-editor of News of the World and at the time editor of its sister paper, The Sun, and Andy Coulson the then editor of News of the World appeared before a British parliamentary committee, where Ms Brooks admitted to paying police for information leading into phone hacking.

Then in August 2006, Clive Goodman, royal editor at the News of the World, and his associates Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, and Davy Craig, editor of the Weekly News, were arrested over allegations of phone hacking made by the British Royal Family in 2005.

In January 2007 Clive Goodman was jailed for four months and Glenn Mulcaire is given a six-month prison term. Goodman and Mulcaire admitted conspiring to intercept communications while Mulcaire also pleaded guilty to five other charges of intercepting voicemail messages. After the two were sentenced, News of the World editor Coulson resigned, saying he took "ultimate responsibility” for this scandal.

In 2009 and 2010, further revelations emerged regarding the extent of the phone hacking and the number of News of the World employees who may have been aware of the practices. By March 2010, the paper had spent over £2 million settling court cases with victims of phone hacking.

In July 2009, The Guardian made a series of allegations of wider phone hacking activities at the News of the World newspaper, that were aimed at other individuals, including television presenter Chris Tarrant.

What remains unclear is that while all these revelations were made how come Mr. Rupert Murdoch wasn’t aware of what was going on in his company? He claims that after Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire were jailed, and Andy Coulson resigned he thought that these practices at his company were stopped.

On July 19^th 2011 while testifying before The Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee of British Parliament Mr. Rupert Murdoch said he cannot be held responsible for the scandal at the News of the World, because he was let down by "people I trusted". He continued to say "I was absolutely shocked, appalled and ashamed when I heard about this case two weeks ago.” When asked who was responsible, he said: "The people I trusted to run it and maybe the people they trusted."

While there is a big debate and discussion going on whether Mr. Murdoch really knew about the extent of criminal practices in his company or not I would take him on his word and say he really didn’t know the extent of these practices. This however doesn’t excuse him to be responsible and accountable for the irregularities. While he did trust the people under him – who according to him let him down – he missed to verify, and in my books as the captain of the ship he is ultimately responsible for what goes on the ship.

Do you agree with me or think he is ultimately not responsible for this disaster?

Thanks for Reading!

For more information please visit:

http://www.musthafaebadi.com/

90% Of This Blog Will Be Gone Forever

I haven't written here in 2 weeks. Instead I've spent that time wondering if bloggers have a shelf life? Or perhaps I've simply outgrown this side project I once loved. People change. People grow. People move on. And it's ok.

I started this blog over 6 years ago and there was a time when I posted daily, including weekends! I knew I couldn't keep up with that pace and eventually went for quality over quantity. Needless to say, there is a lot of garbage I've written. So I've done the math. I've written over 1,000 posts and at least 90% of them are complete shit...in my humble opinion. That means I will be deleting the shit ones, roughly 900 posts! Maybe more.

Actually, this whole blogspot address will be gone forever. What little content I do choose to save will be moved over to a self-hosted WordPress/Thesis blog with a new domain name, new title, new design, and a whole new message. I've been really excited building it and I'm eager to introduce everyone to it! It's been a slow work in progress, but I feel will be worth the wait to readers. A change/move that is long overdue!

I need this fresh start if I'm going to continue writing, to feel inspired again.

I'm sure there will be people screaming "NO, LEAVE THE ARCHIVE UP HERE!" And they will try reasoning with me that it's nice to see where I've started and how long I've come. While I appreciate your loyalty and the love, I respond with "I simply can't." I can't change and grow if I cling to the past. And that's exactly what keeping all these old, stagnant posts around feels like - creative clutter. When I look back at them, I don't even feel like I'm reading me. I'm not that same person anymore. And those old posts simply don't help move me in the direction I am moving. But most importantly, they don't provide value to you - the reader.

Over the last few years I've realized something that every blogger could benefit from knowing...

No one really cares about me. No one really cares about any blogger. What people care about is what the blogger can do for them. What can this blogger teach me? How will reading this blog benefit me? In short, a good blog should be less about YOU and more about THEM.

Therefore this blog will be moving in a new direction. A better direction. A direction I'm sure you're going to love because it will be less about me and more about YOU!

After all, I already know me. What I don't know a lot about is you. Let's change that.

xoxo,
David



PS (For those still heartbroken by the news, look at my "virtual spring cleaning" this way. Things are only going to be improving. The writing will be better. Content will properly organized and easy to find. I'll be interacting with every reader on a more personal level. And I'll be giving away an UNBELIEVABLE prize to celebrate launch day, TBA. It's just my way of saying thanks, to you the reader, for sticking with me through the growing pains.)

Marlowe in San Francisco

Clever California Bistro
330 Townsend St., San Francisco
SOMA/China Basin
PH: 415.974.5599
Lunch, weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner, Monday to Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. (till 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday)
Major credit cards, reservations accepted
marlowesf.com

When I head to a Giants baseball game at AT&T Park, I typically eat at the stadium since I like to go to day games. But occasionally I hit a night game, and that means dinner.

So awhile back when I went to a night game with my friend David, we decided to get dinner first at a nearby restaurant. I couldn’t think of a place near the stadium that I’ve been dying to try, and that’s when David suggested the restaurant Marlowe.

Marlowe, formerly known as South Food and Bar, is the bistro by restaurateur Anna Weinberg. I never realized that it was so close to the stadium, about three blocks away close to the Caltrain station. When approaching the restaurant, the quotes painted on the window reminded me of another more famous bistro in New York.

Another thing that struck me about Marlowe is that it’s a pretty tiny space, although with a sophisticated décor with rich dark wood furnishings. The space felt even more tight when David and I were squeeze along the wall with other diners when the rest of the room was open.

The menu by Chef Jennifer Puccio is a mix of French bistro with California seasonal ingredients. David started with the baby beets and burrata salad ($9), which was a beautiful array of colorful beets and bits of burrata dressed with dill, basil, mint and Aleppo chili oil.

I ordered one of the “potted” starters, which are dishes served in little jars. The one I got was the warm marinated mussels and Monterey calamari ($12). The minced mussels and calamari were served with grilled bread and green garlic aioli. I would put a little of the mussels and calamari mixture on the bread, almost like making my own croistini. While the seafood tasted good, it lacked any real punch in flavor.

For the entrees, both David and I went for Marlowe’s famous burger ($13), touted as the city’s best by a few local reviewers. The burger looked beautiful when it arrived, and quite tall in its bun. It’s typically served with horseradish aioli and fries, but I got a green salad instead. David got the fries, but he’s not a fan of aioli since it’s just a fancy name for mayonnaise.

My burger was cooked perfectly medium like I requested, tasting cooked but still a bit juicy. I like the sprinkle of salt that I could taste as I ate the burger, which is also topped with caramelized onions, cheddar, and shredded greens. It was a satisfying burger, but I have to admit that I don’t eat enough burgers to declare this the best in town.

Side note: There are a few daily specials, and David and I kept eyeing the table next to us who ordered the lamb special. We promised ourselves we would come back for that, but I’m not sure if it’s still on the menu.

We didn’t stay for dessert since we had to run over to the stadium for first pitch, but Marlowe is a nice option for a pre-baseball game dinner, and it wasn’t packed like other bars across the street from the ballpark. Marlowe is a sophisticated but quaint restaurant that’s great for a meal, whether there’s a baseball game or not.

Single guy rating: 3.5 stars (Cozy and Creative)

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