Pizzeria in the City - Gialina

Gialina is becoming our default restaurant whenever Mijo and I have an evening show to go to.  It is not a secret that Gialina is one of our favorite pizzerias. 

We went to see a couple of Broadway shows within the past three weeks and guess where we went to get a quick bite to eat? Gialina!

Park in the City - Glen Park Recreational Center

The past weekend, we had glorious sunshine in the city and the temperature hovered around mid-70s.  This is what I call a perfect tennis weather. So my friend Edward and I met up and played tennis for 2 hours.

An added bonus was that the tennis courts are newly renovated. A playground was also added for the neighborhood kids. I totally love the park's new look!

Juicing in the City - Grapefruit gift in the neighborhood

The other week, I finally found time to take care of the crate full of ruby red grapefruit that one of our neighbors gave us. Thank you so much!  

The fruits were so plump and huge. I didn't know a faster way to consume these fresh goodies other than to juice them. I have to admit that I had an enjoyable time juicing.

Dinner in the City - Manzoni

For Valentine's, Mijo and I went to Manzoni once again.  I wrote once again because we went there for Valentine's last year. Aside from the fact that this is a neighborhood restaurant, we really like the food they serve there and we do enjoy dining in there. 

I've included in this blog select pictures of the four course prix fixe dinner that evening plus the other pictures I've taken before.

Landmark in the City - Sunnyside Conservatory and Mini park

You've probably not seen nor heard of this San Francisco landmark located in the Sunnyside neighborhood of the city. It is called the Sunnyside Conservatory.

It is a landmark slash conservatory slash venue. I've compiled a few photos of this hidden gem and "botanic jewel" since its renovation in 2009.  

Check it out here and maybe dropby the conservatory the next time you're in the neighborhood.

Cafe in the City - Cafe XO on Church St.

We've been wanting to go to Cafe XO on Church St. but somehow either we forget or we haven't found time. We always pass by this cafe whenever we go to Pomelo  or Toast for breakfast and we always see a line of people waiting to order coffee at this cafe.

Before the New Year's, we decided to give this coffee place a try and we liked it!

Cafe in the City - Pebble's Cafe in Glen Park

It is time to feature another one of my favorite cafes in the city. This cafe is called Pebbles Cafe in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood. It is very close to the Glen Park BART station so if you take BART to work, this cafe is worth a stop in the morning.

This is where we Mijo and I go to share a nice warm and toasted bagel and coffee whenever we have time to spare before we go to work. The service is warm and super friendly.

Christmas in the City - Christmas street scenes

I feel truly fortunate that the San Francisco Bay Area is not only deeply rooted in the Christmas and holiday traditions and events, it is also fully decked out this time of the year. This is the epitome of what a song tells us... it is Christmas time in the city! 

I included in this blog pictures of street scenes in the city I've taken so far. I'll be updating it with more pictures in the following days.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 

Sustainable Sushi in the City - Tataki Canyon

We just tried a new sushi place in our sleepy neighborhood Glen Park called Tataki Canyon. It is in the old Red and White and Sel et Vin location on Chenery St. While the food was super delicious and bordering on noveau sushi, I was absolutely touched by their focus on sustainable seafood use.

Dessert Crawl in the City - The January List

The binge eating that started in December didn't stop on New Year's eve and continued on to January. For this blog entry, I am not going to bore you with all the dinners, fabulous or not, that I've had in restaurants in the city. What I will do though, is tell you all about the desserts I've sampled for the entire month. I think that is more interesting.

When I say dessert, it is something sweet and eaten after a meal. More often than not, dessert, more than the main meal, is something I totally look forward to when dining out.

Bakery in the City - Destination Baking Company

I love our sleepy neighborhood Glen Park. I'd like to think it is San Francisco's hidden gem. If you want to witness SF locals in action, this is one of the places where it happens. I always chuckle when I see tourists by the Glen Park subway station totting cameras and spreading open their maps and looking like they're lost. 

Farmers Market in the City - Glen Park Farmers Market

Finally, Glen Park has its own farmers market. Though the farmers markets at the Ferry Building and the one in Noe Valley are within minutes from Glen Park, there is something better about getting our own neighborhood farmers market. Fresh produce, fresh flowers, freshly baked breads, locally made cheeses, honey, hand made soaps, dips and sauces just steps outside our door. When we got there this morning, there were not a lot of people. Since it just opened last sunday, I expect there will be more local shoppers in the coming weeks.



Though there are more variety and entertainment at the Ferry Building farmers market, it is notorious for being touristy. I have not shopped at the Noe Valley farmers market so I am not sure about the crowd and the selections there. I didn't see any signs of out of towners at Glen Park's this morning. At least, I was the only one totting a camera today (I was hiding it inside my shopping bag). We even ran into our good friend and neighbor Dave and his two cute kids.  I think this is the best place to meet and catch up with neighbors. 

So for Glen Park villagers, see you next sunday.

The Most Charming Cat in the City

Here's our star pet. Shalimar is probably the happiest cat in Glen Park. And it shows, especially when you see him waiting by the sliding door in the morning with his head moving up and down with his silent meows. He was named after our favorite Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk St.

He goes to bed at night downstairs, he's the king of the garden during the day and then he takes his power nap upstairs inside the house in the afternoon. When we work from home, he lounges on our laps all day long.

His paw prints are all over the house, the garage and the backyard. My favorite leather chair is dotted with his artsy scratchings. He hangs out with five other cat friends in the neighborhood.

Shalimar is a creature of habit. He likes his water bowl at a certain water level, otherwise, he'll spill some of it. He expects us to unlock his cat door and let him out of the garage by 7am. He also knows that it is time for dinner by 7pm. He is like a puppy because he follows us around. He is a very sociable cat! He especially loves it when we have a barbeque at the house because he says hi to all our friends and gets their attention in return.

Here's more about him. Enjoy!

Where do you live: Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco

How old are you: 2 years old

Favorite spot in the city: our backyard garden

Necessary extravange: My comfy cat beds with a catnip pocket underneath each one

Favorite dish: Purina Friskies, both dry and canned cat food

Favorite treats: Whiskas Temptations

What is your treasured possession: Petmate Le Bistrot Automatic Pet feeder

What is your idea of perfect happiness: playtime, naptime and eating time, and belly rub time

Favorite home away from home: Mission: Cats in the Mission District.

Favorite home clinic: Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital in Diamond Heights.

What is your shampoo: Mango tango shampoo

What do you dislike about your appearance: my nose is too hairy and wide

When and where were you happiest: At home, on the leather couch.

Wine Bar in the city - Red and White

(The Red and White wine bar has a new look and has been renamed Sel et Vin. It is still serving a great variety of wines but with a new look.)


Mijo asked me what's the plan for tonight? That's his usual question on late Friday afternoons, either via text message, phone call or a face to face conversation. I heard myself answering "Nope, no plans for tonight".

We generally go out on Friday after office hours to celebrate the end of a stressful week. We start at home catching up on what happened at work over a glass of red with a light snack of cheese, olives, cured meats and crackers or whatever we have in the fridge or whatever I brought home from the market. And then we either go meet friends at a local hangout for a round of cocktail or a movie and eventually making it to a restaurant for a nice dinner.
"Really, no plans for a Friday night?", I said to myself afterward.
When I was younger, going out on a Friday night used to be a must because of a myth that cool people in the city go out especially on Friday nights. That is no longer the case now that I am older. Sometimes I just want to stay home and spend it with Mijo watching a movie or having a modest home made dinner.
"Come on, let's try something new", was Mijo's response. A few minutes later we were down the street in front of Red and White, our neighborhood wine bar. It opened over a year ago but we haven't been here.
I was relieved to find the wine bar is not at all pretentious. The place gives off an impression of a laid back ambience with a sophisticated feel. The couches placed around coffee tables looked so cozy they are perfect with a group of friends. Since it was just the two of us, we picked to seat by the bar so we can easily talk to the bartender if we have questions about the wine menu. The service was super friendly.
I noticed that they have wine tasting glasses which were very tempting. Because I was just getting over a terrible cold, I didn't want to drink more than a glass so I opted for their Chenin Blanc as an introduction to their California whites. Mijo ordered a glass of Malbec which was so predictable of him. We also ordered some herbed infused olives and some gougeres (pastry filled with gruyere cheese and thyme) which were great food pairings. We loved it here!
I liked that people were coming and going that evening. They most likely were just waiting for tables in nearby popular restaurants like Chenery Park, Le Petit or Gialina? Or maybe they are just like us who live in the neighborhood and wanted to have a glass or two?
Like a good food and wine pairings, Red and White complements the neighborhood of Glen Park. I hope they stay there for awhile. We will definitely be back and try their tasting glasses next time.
~rl
(The photo above was taken at Red and White in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood. A glass of Chenin Blanc and a plate of gougeres, olives, and dried fruits in the background.)

Happy New Year! in the City

I can't believe that I am back to work tomorrow. It is a bummer that the holidays are over. I waited for a long time, and it came and then it was over fairly quickly. Mijo explained that spending Thanksgiving in Australia maybe the reason why the Holiday season felt so short? He's maybe right.

However short it felt, I did enjoy Christmas. For one thing, I got to see the Nutcracker once again and I discovered that the views from the balcony seats were not as bad as I thought it would be. I've attended the festive Grace Cathedral's Men and Boy's choir caroling tradition which I am including in my Christmas to-do in San Francisco list from now on. I never though I'd enjoy trimming our Christmas tree and found some unique ornaments. I also took so many good pictures of friends and photos of the holiday scenes in the city especially the Christmas trees on street corners. Here are my favorites:

This is the tree in Union Square and is undoubtedly the mother of all trees in the city. Thousands of twinkling LED lights illuminate this giant Shasta fir. where the lighting ceremony happens on Friday after Thankgiving. Locals and tourists alike, dressed in their holiday gear, flock around this tree to have their photos taken. According to the UCSF Beniof f Children's Hospital, this tree has raised almost $900k the past years for the hospital's Compass Care. So it is not only the most festive tree in the city, it is also a good fundraiser. This tree is equally stunning during the day as it is at night.

This one can be seen around the Ghirardelli Square plaza. I was showing an out of town friend around the Fisherman's Wharf area when I chanced upon this scene.

We were walking from the Opera house to the train station when I noticed a a bunch of people were congregating in front of the cityhall. That's when I saw this tree. Luckily, I had my handy camera with me.

This one can be seen on California and Kearny Sts. around the A.P. Gianini plaza infront of the former Bank of America building. The tree has a warm orange color that shimmers and can be noticed from within a three block radius.

I saw this angle from Kearny St using my iPhone.

This is my modest tree at home. Since I am staying in town for Christmas, I thought getting a real tree would be a great addition inside the house for the holidays. I trimmed this tree using a variety of hand painted ornaments, candy canes, LED lights and greeting cards from friends and loved ones.

Happy New Year everyone.

~ rl

Ceviche tostada in the City

This weekend is one of those rare weekends where I am pager-free, errand-free, and Salvadoran-free. Mijo had to go across the Bay to visit his mom so after our short trip to the farmers market to have breakfast and shop for the week's essentials early in the morning, I had the entire day to myself. I went to the tennis courts to practice serving for half an hour, took a shower, and went to the library to pick up the photography books I requested online.
Since the man of the kitchen is gone for the day, I thought of preparing a little something something for my snack slash late lunch that is light but doesn't require a lot of cooking. I made something close to what is called a ceviche tostada, something that I learned from the Salvadoran. The good thing about being with someone from a different background, that is, from a Latin American heritage, I not only immerse myself with the Spanish language, I also get to adapt my taste buds to their rich cuisine.
At least, this is how my version went.

Corn tortilla. Start by toasting this thin shell made of corn. This is commonly called corn tortilla or plainly a tostada. It usually comes in several varieties depending on the corn used to make the tortilla.
I used the yellow corn variety that is already crunchy so all I have to do is lightly toast it in the convection oven.



Ceviche. Put the ceviche on top of the tostada. Ceviche is a dish generally served in coastal Latin American restaurants, is made of raw fish marinated in lime juice.

For this snack, I used sea bass since I needed a white fish meat that does not smell too fishy. The meat of this fish gets silky as it cooks in lime which is perfect for ceviche.



Tomato Salsa. For Latin American food connoisseurs, this is called pico de gallo. In California, this is plainly called salsa.
For this dish, I diced two medium sized ripe tomatoes that I bought from the farmers market. One small onion, diced. Sprigs of cilantro or chinese parsley, chopped. One small lemon, juiced. Salt and pepper to taste.


Guacamole. This is just another name for avocado. This fruit adds that creamy texture to Latin American food.
For this recipe, I used a medium sized ripe avocado. The one I got from the farmers market is a variety that stays green even when ripe. Serve it mashed, squeeze a small lemon and add two tablespoons of the tomato salsa to add color.



Viola!
Add tabasco hot sauce, salt and pepper as condiment. For this one, I used a Chili oil made of sesame seed to add that Asian twist into this Latin American comfort food.
Buen provecho!



~rl

Empty apartment in the city

Our tenant has vacated the apartment downstairs to move in with her sister who lives a block from us. So we spent the entire weekend tidying up the apartment for the next renter. After two days, a full recycling bin, and two pails of paint later, the place downstairs is looking pristine. Shalimar seems he approves the look of the inlaw. Yes, I am delighted to announce that our former tenant decided to leave Shalimar with us.

Though my back is sore, it was mission accomplished this weekend. One done and twenty-four items left in my to-do list.

~rl

(The photo above is a picture of Chloe's Cafe on 26th St @ Church in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, Ca.)

Sleepless in the city

I woke up way too early.

It was 3:52a when I glanced at the alarm clock. The heater was on so it must have been freezing cold inside. We've set it to automatic so that it will only go off when the thermostat registers 36F (approx 2 Celsius) and only at dawn so it would be warm and toasty when we get up.

I decided to pray all over again hoping that it will lull me to sleep. Surprisingly, I was wide awake as if I just had a couple of shots of espresso. This is not a battle that is easy to win, I thought, so I gave up and decided to make this time worthwhile. As I get older, getting over a jet lag seems even harder.

The wood floor was freezing as I walked into the living room. I leafed through last week's magazines to catch up on what's happening in the city and the country. I could sense a mixed feeling of optimism, because of the new administration, and caution because of the shaky economy.

The house was so quiet. It was so quiet I could hear a minute ringing sound, almost deafening. This is so different from where I was two weeks earlier. No more roosters crowing, no more dogs yapping, no more children laughing.

Finally, a faint dark-blue hue started to appear on the horizon. It is almost 7oclock on a saturday morning. I decided to make what would be our first home cooked meal of the year.

~ral

(The photo above was taken around the Embarcadero area of San Francisco.)

Herb Garden in the City

My herb garden upclose.


It is almost mid-summer and all my herbs have fully grown. With the exception of thyme or maybe sage, they will have run their natural course and wilt by the first frost of late fall or early winter. So I decided to frame them while they're at the peak of their growth. I didn't include the rosemary and lavender because, eventhough they are part of the garden, they are not part of that little corner called my 'herb garden'.


Here they are... drum roll please...



I planted them in my strawberry-pot a year ago and then I added some more herbs like savory and marjoram to make the pot look fuller. Thyme is good for seasoning blend for poultry, fish sauces and soups. It is often paired with tomatoes.



I think I have three varieties of tomatoes this year. Unfortunately, Cherry Red is the only one I remember. I love adding tomatoes in my salad, and is the main ingriedient in salsa. It is also great for making home made sauces for pasta dishes.





Sage has a fragrant aroma and a warm flavor.
I usually sprinkle a small amount of chopped sage in my focaccia bread dough just before baking. Sometimes I use this when grilling meats, poultry or fish. Use this sparringly as its flavor can overwhelm the foods' taste.




This is the first time I planted chamomille. I haven't experimented with the uses of this herb but I heard it is good for making teas. I am supposed to trim the flowers to encourage leaf growth but I decided to leave the flowers. They're pretty, I think.





I use Parsley mainly as a garnish. It has that sour, tangy flavor just like green mangoes. It mostly used in Greek salads.
Chopped parsley also enhances the flavor of garlic fries and herb pasta.





Cilantro is popular in Mexican and Asian dishes. Its pungent taste and smell spread quickly inside the kitchen you can almost always tell someone is chopping cilantro.
I use it for making salsa and for shrimp or chicken soup.




Mint is also popular in Asian dishes especially in Vietnamese cuisine. Personally, I think crushed mint leaves are perfect for making a cocktail called mojito.






Oregano is best used with vinegar for pickling onions, cucumbers, lettuce, etc. Mijo uses this for a Salvorian condiment called 'cortido' which is similar in taste as kimchi.






I have seen Chives used to tie crepes or to decorate wraps. Since I don't have savvy culinary skills, I basically use Chives as a garnish to dishes where onions and garlic are used.




~ral


(These photos were taken in my backyard I call Herbs in the City.)

Familiar scenes

Someone has been in the house.

I can tell by the smell that lingered in the living room. A familiar scent.

A work bag, folded newspapers and a pair of worn out black shoes all placed directly under the cityscape wall art. This is a familiar scene.

The backdoor is ajar.

The flower pots by the stairs, the jasmine planter, the spanish lavender, all newly hosed down. Another familiar scene.

Today's mail on the coffee table. Someone came home early, perhaps?

I tip toed my way through our abode and saw mijo, still in his work clothes, taking his treasured nap in the bedroom.

How I wish I had a camera handy to capture this picturesque, fleeting moment.

~ral

(The picture above is the inverted cube of the newly opened Contemporary Jewish Museum on Yerba Buena lane in San Francisco.)