Midori Fa So La Te Do

Where: Midori Sushi

When: March 10, 2011

Who: [starting clockwise] Reeg, Nick, Dennis, Tiff, Trish, Dan, Anthony, Benjamin, Stephanie, Mike, Kevin, Kathy, Jeff K

What: Sushi [duh]

How Much: $30 with tip and drinks

It was a drizzling day but definitely not as bad as the prior foodie edition. But that didn't deter us from having the best foodie ever! Just browsing the menu was enticing, as for some reason we ordered a Crazy Horse roll and a G-Spot roll, the latter that Kingsbury couldn't locate haha. And we already consumed an armada of sushi boats by this time.

I didn't try anything else besides the sushi. [FYI side-story: Whenever my old co-worker wanted sushi, she always asked us "is anyone down for soosh?" Like who abbreviates that?! Lol I told her never to say that again, but apparently it didn't register.]

The dinner was going as planned, and since Ant [the chooser] was flirting with the owner, we were able to get free Sake and ice cream! Because Jeff was the only other guy with hair on his chest, just me and him did a Sake Bomb. I think I beat him too!

We were such gracious diners they wanted to capture our meal for perpetuity and asked to take a picture of us. We now have our Foodie Christmas card, so toodles if you weren't there!
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Dinner for Schmucks

Schmucks in this case being myself, Jeff and Michelle. This past weekend we decided to test out our cooking chops and came up with the following menu: braised short ribs, mushroom risotto and a green apple crisp. I would say it was a rousing success. And we celebrated afterward if you catch my drift. And that's not the only thing drifting.

Anyway I wanted to super-slow cook the ribs, but I only had 4 hours instead of 8 hours, so I used this recipe instead. I used farm-raised short ribs from the best grocery store in the east bay - Berkeley Bowl! And nope, it's not a bowling alley as I initially thought. More legit than the Savage [a reference only Bay Area hip-hop heads would get]. About to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight!

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Sushi Bay-Bay

So I went to my usual fast and cheap Japanese spot on Kearny called Sushi Bay, but ironically I wouldn't ever order sushi from here haha. I keep it simple with the ___katsus for like $6 flat. Not even an upchage for brown rice! Anyway I was like "yo give me the curry tonkatsu special" and proceed to bring it back to my desk.

To my surprise, I see a side of spaghetti! Look, it's in the lower right hand side! It's mediocre, but I thought Flips had the exclusive rights to serving this with their dishes? But what can I say...we're trend-setters. Next thing you know they'll cook it with some ketchup too.

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Kufuya, Kufuya Roll Call

Where: Kufuya

When: December 16, 2010

Who: [starting clockwise] Reeg, Tiff, Nick, Dennis, Sarah, Sarah's BF, Trish, Amy, Dan, Annora, Mike, Jaxson, Rach, Mark, Anthony, Stephanie, Benjamin, Alan

What: Shabu Shabu

How Much: $30

So from Brazillian barbeque to Shabu Shabu, I guess the prevailing themes for year-end foodies is all you could eat! 2K10 was no different, as the crew headed to this establishment to celebrate the holiday in addition to having our gift exchange there.  Mike ended up the big winner [or is it big weiner? dadadum!]  But Shabu Shabu to me is Japanese comfort food.  Comfortable setting, good folks and ideal food considering the weather.

Out of all the Shabu^2 places I've been to, this spot is P&G's shampoo above the rest, as it is Head & Shoulders above the competition.  Okay fine, I've only been to like 2 other ones, and the broth and Gatorade and sauce at their price point [$23 per person and $6 for AYCE sushi, but we opted against that option] make this better than Shabu House or Shabuan or Shabba Ranks [just kidding! making sure you're still with me].  Plus it has Trish's co-sign, and once you get a Japanese person to approve it, then it's definitely legit.

This foodie also marked Benjamin's debut, sp welcome to the club lil B!

So not only did I enjoy a good dinner, I also won a preparty! As in 10 of Dan's K-Townphilly's for whenever I choose.  Too bad I didn't get Agent's Zero signed shoe.  Well it was an Adidas one anyway.  He better be open for Christmas mwhaha.
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Brokestarr

I know I’m in a blog rut, but that doesn’t mean I needed a wake-up call like this! So a week and a half ago, Blackstarr got his window smashed and I had my backpack taken from the backseat. I was a victim of a hate-crime – they be hating on savs! Hahahaha jp. I know that it’s not wise to leave items exposed, but really, I have a black interior and tinted windows, so you had to peer inside to see what’s in there. You gotta stare into the window and practice looking hard [E-40 reference if anyone got it.]  And it happened on West Portal and Vicente, in front of a Starbucks where there’s usually mad cops and there was still sunlight out.

I guess it could’ve been worse…I had my Beats right under my backpack, but those remained [but my neoprene case was in my backpack grrrrrr]. I also had my golf set in the trunk [since it was a quick smash and dash, they didn’t have time to explore. The actual frame of the door was unharmed, as “only” my window was smashed. And no one got hurt blah blah.  Then my coworker told me she got her windows smashed 2wice in a weekend, but that didn’t make me feel better. The motto here kids is it could always be worse.

However the stuff I’ve accumulated in and had in my backpack is staggering [exaggeration for emphasis]:

- Prada Sunglasses [ughhh had to buy them again…if I lose this pair, I’ma just go sunglass shopping at gas stations]
- ReegPod [ughhh all my Ne-Yo play counts – POOF!]
- Brooks Brothers Collar Stays [in my dope lil casing too…oh well time to upgrade to metal ones!]
- Book of Forever stamps [forever my ass…damn false advertising]
- Resumes [I keep them handy, more on this later]
- Address labels [I *unheart* writing out my return address]
- Beats case [I know I mentioned it, but I’m saying it again]
- Credit Cards [cancelled them within 2 hours of the incident, and charges already came through at Colma Bart and Shell]
- $15 iTunes Gift Card [that’s what I get for bootlegging all my music in 2010]
- Stonetree Gift Card [I haven’t even played at this course yet! Hope Play Around the Bay will honor a replacement]
- $75 Acuvue Rebate Card [ughhh if they just sent me a rebate check, I would’ve cashed it already!]
- Prayer of St. Ignatius card [I had that since Freshman orientation back in 1993!]
- Citrix Access Reader [oh well, work was able to replace it the following day]
- iPod Shuffle charger [I have 10 other iPod chargers but they’re all for the normal sized ports =/]

Shoot that’s all I can remember for now. Oh yeah it occurred during foodie, making this the 2nd foodie casualty I think? We went to Bursa, which was Mediterranean Food. They messed up our order, and we scored a free halibut entrée that we turned into an appetizer. I ordered the spicy beef kebabs, which was sufficient for 2 meals.  It was delightful.  But I'm just sticking to the foodies we have in Bayview and the T-Loin, while avoiding hood spots like West Portal and the Marina.

So on the following Saturday as I was taking my frustrations out at the Rancho Solano Golf Course, I received a voicemail from the San Mateo Police Department, who mentioned they have some personal items belonging to me. Stoked, I called them [but not before our meal at Chick-Fil-A!] and was like ‘you have my backpack?!’ They’re like no – we have a Macy’s credit card and a stack of resumes in a file folder. Me: =|

I get my window fixed and I think I’m finished with this whole ordeal, then I see this appear on my online Bank Account:

Bastards hit me where it hurts!  If this was like 2003, then it would’ve been a legit charge. But it’s the year of the Double-Dime Dime [2010 - I just made that up], and I don’t spend my cheese like that anymore. Wack dudes probably ordered some Spiz'ikes or something. Ugghhh. I talked to my bank’s fraud protection, and there were several other attempts to use my card - $200 at Lids, $1200 for some paintball place, $xxx at another online retailer. Luckily none of them went through for whatever reason. Maybe because it wasn’t their card!

I didn’t cancel my debit card because it was in my possession at the time of the break-in. But the other lesson here guys is just to CANCEL everything.  I was actually waiting for my new car back luck to happen - it just happened when it wasn't new anymore lol.  The yellow tape indicates the scene of the crime:

Le Bien, Le Mal

Where: Gamine

When: May 20, 2010

Who: [starting clockwise] HappyHaplo, theuglystick, JmKingsbury, Methodmik, F171615, SuperliciousSherylism, UCDLax5, kram, NYCRachelli, tifflam1799, Dimpulse78, reegsta

What: Francais Food

How Much: $23-$35 [no dessert, included a glass of Rose]

After much deliberation of when to have her foodie, Rach finally settled on this date. I still don’t know if it was her original pick, or if it was meant to be for someone else. Before we rarely ventured into the Marina for dinner, but after the last experience, it was a welcome change. Maybe except for Mike, who might still be looking for a parking spot haha. So our reservation was upstairs in a private room meant for probably 8 diners, but since we all apparently don’t mind intimacy, 12 of us squeezed onto the table. We're in the middle of discussing everyone’s diets, so we naturally ordered some rich appetizers: the baked cambozola, which is a fancy fromage, and the French fries [isn’t that redundant? I was totally expecting to see les frites on the menu] with aioli. Bad joke time: What did the challenger say to the flamboyantly dressed Bruce? Aioli! [reads "Ayo Lee!" harhar]. But yeah, both apps were delish and we looked forward to receiving our entrees.

Reading off our receipt, you would’ve thought there were only like 3 dishes to choose from. 4 people ordered the Tilapia, including 2 pinays, which prompted the following comment from Mike – “damn you really are Filipino!” Oh yeah Jeff did too, but he’s white anyway. Ugly and Method got the special, which was a lamb stew brined for 2 days or something, or what I just call leftovers. Tiff apparently has been eyeing the spaghetti carbonara with prosciutto, which I was fortunate enough to taste. It wasn’t too rich, but then again I only had a bite. And I couldn’t wait for her to write her review because I’m tryna step up my taste bud game. I haven’t even talked about the Pork Chop, which is what me and Trish ordered. It was tender and grilled well, and I don’t know how else to describe it haha. The mustard sauce was a perfect complement, as it wasn’t overly [*insert term for mustardy*]. And if you just hide the veggies underneath the slab of meat, they'll be sure to get eaten.

Even though Gamine literally translates into childish, there’s nothing immature about this bistrot. So what if I had to look that up.  But if you can’t tell already, I did take trois annies of French. I would totally comeback just to try their burgers, as our server was raving about them, sans ketchup though.  Oh yeah as an added bonus, they didn't include a fixed gratuity despite our party size. Lastly, "Le Bien, Le Mal" has no significance regarding the restaurant, but it's the only French hip-hop song I know.  Oui Oui.
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Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?

Where: Auntie April's Chicken 'n' Waffles

When: May 7, 2010
Who: Tiff, Louise, Sheryl, Jeff, Nick, Reeg
What: Fried Chicken & Waffles
How Much: $14 [but we over ordered on the dessert]

As with Nick’s typical Foodie selections, restaurant goers risk life and limb to venture into the less-frequented parts of town [how’s that for a euphemism?]. Yesterday’s choice was no different, since we dined on 3rd and Newcomb, home of Lil Fly’s legendary Playaz Club in the heart of HP. Despite the historical significance of the geographic location, the location was pretty no frills. I walked in and it felt like a sauna, as they apparently didn’t realize you need ventilation when your primary item is FRIED CHICKEN. Also it was ominous as we were the only diner’s there. Was this a popular drive-by spot? Did Sheryl really see some guy urinating out the window? Were these two guys really pushing a car where I parked on Oakdale Ave? Despite these little hiccups, we sauntered the longest one block walk ever to the destination. After finally settling in, we browsed the menu and ordered the following:

- Fried Chicken, which was PIPING HOT. It had a nice crunch too it, but wasn’t overly battered. I had the darkness, and thoroughly enjoyed it even without gravy.
- Waffles, which were solid. Whomever thought about this pairing should get a Cupid award.
- Cornbead, ehhh…it was pretty underwhelming due to the dryness and blandness. I think I’ve had too much jalapeno cornbread from Farmer Browns prior.
- Oxtail, and whenever a menu has oxtail, I often try to order it. Wasn’t as tender as Hard Knox’s or my mom’s Kare Kare, but it was decent. The sauce was good but I could’ve gone with their version of white rice. And I didn’t even want to touch that elbow pasta doused in mayo they called macaroni salad that came with it. Who ordered that?
- Sides: Cinnamon with dose of Yams, [funky on the mic like an old batch of] Collard Greens, and Mac-n-Cheese, which was the best out of the 3 but they sold out like Air Yeezy’s.
- Desserts: Peach Cobbler, as this was warm and gooey, just as I like it! [I’m talking about the dessert here] They also had some Red Velvet Cake, but I hold RVCs up against my Sister-in-Law’s and they usually aren’t up to par.

All in all, we received an abundance of food for a bargain.  Maybe I'm just comparing it to my experiences at Roscoe's, but April's chicken tasted a lot better and I didn't have food poisoning after eating.  I guess their rent mustn't be that high.  I definitely would go back, but only in broad daylight haha.  True foodie-goers will venture anywhere regardless of locale, or maybe we might just be a little off-kilter.
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Who's the Mac?

I don't like it when people say they can't cook. If you can read and follow instructions, then it's pretty simple. It's like if you could talk you could sing and if you could walk you could dance [word to Kweli via an ancient African saying]. Anyway since our Thanksgivings are generally potluck, I wanted to contribute the Mac-n-Cheese. After skimming through countless recipes and recommendations [sorry Tiff I opted for something else!], I decided on this one courtesy of Ina:

Grown Up Mac-n-Cheese

After seeing the title you might think it's a little too foo-foo [not sure of that spelling, but just say it phonetically], but it's not after making a couple adjustments. I didn’t follow the recipe to a T, as I didn't add bleu cheese [too stinky] and just used gruyere and extra sharp cheddar. And I substituted Panko instead of white bread crumbs. After incorporating my renditions, I've renamed it Grown Folk Crac-n-Cheese, and when combined with my Super Smashed Potatoes, makes for a lethal 1-2 punch. I can't lie, it was probably the best mac-n-cheese I've made, and I've made a few. And despite it's name, the kids loved it as well. Just a warning - gruyere is like $16/lb and the sharper the cheddar, the most pricey it is too! And when you got to feed an army, this was one costly dish! I spent more on this than the deep fried turkey I got last year haha. It was definitely worth it, as it complemented the other great dishes we had.

As a segue, I want to introduce my sister-in-law's and her friend's food blog:

It's So Yummi

Pay them a visit!
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___silog Appreciation

I haven't concocted a list in awhile, and I figured one about food can help me escape my blog rut. Anyways I've eaten a lot of [fill-in-the-blank]-silog dishes in my lifetime, so I can consider myself an authority on the subject. For those in the dark, Silog is a hybrid term to mean fried rice and fried eggs [at least that's how I understand it.] And my ideal combination is garlic fried rice [typically from the prior day], over-medium eggs, tomato [with them pink salted eggs as a bonus] and with vinegar as a condiment. After you have all that, you could plug in any type of meat or fish and you can enjoy a meal! These dishes are typically meant to be had for breakfast, but thanks to places like Lucky Chances, we can enjoy them 24 hours a day.

Here are Reeg's favs in order:

01. Longsilog - Served with Longanisa, which is a sweet [duh] Filipino sausage. This stuff is potent. You could brush your teeth 3 times and exhale a burp the next day which would smell like longanisa still.
02. Tapsilog - Seved with Tapa, which is a dried cured beef. When I want a somewhat healthly, protein laced meal, I'll opted for this. Avoid if you don't like chewy meat and beware of extra sticking in-between the pearlies.
03. Bangsilog - Served with Milkfish, which translates into bangus, which is not to be confused with BangBus. If I prefer a seafood version, I'll choose this, and I prefer the one near Lake Merced that we had during that one fantasy draft. I didn't eat for 24 hours after that!
04. Spamsilog - Served with Spam. I'll never order this at a restaurant but best believe I'll make it once in awhile haha. I'll include grilled onions and substitute ketchup for vinegar, then I'll mash it all up so I can enjoy a cornucopia of edible delights with each bite.
05. Tosilog - Served with Tocino, which is usually a sweetened cured pork meat. If I'm not worried about my cholestoral count for the day, then I'll order this up. It's reddish in color but it's not red meat. Beware though, since often times pieces could be more fat than meat, but at least you get to enjoy the juiciness of it!

And as a bonus, here are Reeg-approved Silog spots:
- Lucky Chances
- Sinugba
- Ongpin
- that aforementioned spot around Lake Merced

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think right now since I'm pretty hungry. Note to self: don't write about food whilst thinking about dinner.
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The Birthday Recap

Now I'ma 30 year old blogger. Anyway this past week of birthday festivities was pretty fun and enjoyable. Let's hit rewind to see what happened:

Monday - My old manager and my favorite auditor treated me to lunch at Manhattan Cafe. I didn't even know there was a Cheesesteak spot that was walkable from work! Anyway I didn't have high hopes for this place, but it gets bonus points for serving Coke Zero out of the fountain. To recap: I got a Philly Cheesesteak in San Francisco named after a burrough in New York. Good stuff.

Tuesday - Happy Mardi Gras guys. While trying to enjoy my final day of being in my twomps, I also needed to figure out what to sacrifice for lent. G took me to BIX, where my indecisive self ordered the Prix Fixe menu and G ordered the Kobe Beef. We flanked our order with Truffle Cheese "Croques," which isn't your ordinary grilled cheese! Anyway I had my last Diet Coke to wash it all down while enjoying a fine dinner. It was kind of weird though, since the dude put my jacket on me as we were leaving, like he was Fansworth Bentley to my Puff. Anyway I just slid him a couple Washy's.

So we proceeded towards G's whip and that's where I received my gift. So big THANKS G for getting me an 8GB iPhone and for Jeff for upgrading it to a 16GB! I'm picking it up this weekend guys, so hope these blogs will be more frequent haha.

Wednesday - The Big 3-0 arrived. Honestly it felt kinda weird. The age gap between me and my siblings went away like Keyshia Cole's gap in her grill. We're all in our 30s now! Yikes.

So starting in 2009, our work went away with celebrating birthdays because that $20 cake is killer on the P&L. But since I'm special and all they decided to get one for me haha. It was a mocha-chocolate one from Andersen's [not Arthur] Bakery. I requested to leave early so I could make it to the most crowded mass ever, which would be Ash Wednesday at Saint Augustine. You would think the Pope was there, but nope, it was only me.

G then cooked my dinner that I requested - blackened catfish with grilled asparagus. It was really good and I probably still have crap in my teeth from the seasoning [j/p kids - believe I stay flossin'].

Thursday/Friday - I don't remember doing anything different so I guess it's back to the ordinary!

Saturday Morning- Woohoo time for the real celebrations to start! Thinking about wanting to do something physical for my birthday, I just said screw it and let's book a tee-time. Sorry non-golfers but I'm a grown man now, no need to climb walls and stuff haha. So myself, Francis, UglyStick, MosJef, Down with the Kingsbury, Pan Jr, MethodMik and Team Seabass ventured down to Burlingame to play 18. It was a rough start, as I started in the rough on the first few holes. My score ballooned to a 48 at the turn, but I calmed down a bit and sunk a couple putts in the back, posting a 48-39 for an 87. Guess I'll take it.

But the highlight of the day had to be MosJef jumping out of a haywire cart, slipping on a slope and soiling his pants haha. Damn you had to be there. Luckily Eric had a pair of jeans in his cart so he was able to change. OMG probably the funniest thing I've seen on a golf course.

Another warning: Make sure Mike doesn't drive the golf cart in the parking lot, otherwise he'll run into your parked car.

Saturday Afternoon - Gorrilla BBQ. Hands down the best BBQ place in the Bay Area. It even has G's stamp of approval. Just know that 45 minutes really means 1.5 hours. Go and order the ribs, brisket, chicken and hot links. And even the Mac N Cheese was hella good.

Saturday Night - I wanted to go somewhere simple and nearby, and thanks to Rach's swaying we went to Tropisuneo in Yerba Buena Lane. The food was pretty flavorful and the prices were fair [well what do I know, I didn't pay]. The drinks were good and they even had one named the Duende, which I totally forgot to try haha. Their dessert too was good, and their giant Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces and Fondue stuff fulfilled me, or maybe it was just the BBQ from the afternoon?

Afterwards we proceeded to Azul, and I don't remember much. Thanks to the pics though, it helped me vaguely remember the evening. I do remember seeing Mike in the bathroom line, and I gave him that "I'ma yack and you hit my whip earlier so let me cut" look. And thanks dude, I think I couldn't hold it much longer. So big thanks to everyone that came out and shared a drink with me. I guess Arv is the only brother who loves me haha.

So we hopped into MosJef's whip and headed out to G's, where we crashed. And I think I got up every hour to go suka. Then G started to frequently suka too! Just like in Stand By Me when they all yacked after the pie-eating contest, but we actaully made it to the toilet at least. So each time we went Jeff had to hear it since he crashed on the sofa haha.

Sunday Morning - My family scheduled brunch at Park Chow's, and I was crazy hungover like a drunk horse. I don't know how I drove there, but I managed since G couldn't make it due to her being gone too. I mean who's birthday was it?! Anyway I get there, can't really eat abut I managed to get some calories in. Ryan gives me a bottle of Grey Goose for my present and I almost yacked upon sight, but I held it in. I also received more Apple money since my Apple fanboy transformation is now complete!

Whew, so that's my 30th celebration thus far. It isn't over until we have a DSK night as the capper.

So thanks guys for the 100 Facebook messages, thanks for coming out to Azul, thanks for breaking bread and sharing a drink with me, thanks for organizing everything for venues to restuarants to invitations, thanks for answering my questions, thanks for making it out to the golf course and the 2 course BBQ meal, thanks to the fam for your presents, thanks for being a homeboy and homegirl, and thanks for making my 30th a memorable one!

Enjoy the pictures! Hopefully they'll be up on FB this weekend.


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Stackin' Dishes

So G and I had made some sinagang na baboy last week sometime. If you're on FB then you probably knew when I wrote about having some leftovers. It turned out pretty good I might add. I remember first making it during college and having to use a knife to piece the meat hahaha. But now I think I have it down pat, as the meat is tender and the gulay complements well and it has an extra kick of sourness. Really I think eating at Tribu made me realize Filipino food is easy to make, hence the number of dishes I've subsequently made. So if anyone wants to sinagang battle then I'm down!

Here's a pic of the food. I actually prefer it in a bowl, but G likes to drink soup off a plate apparently:


So we're all done eating and she brings her dishes to the sink then I bring mine. Apparently it's a big deal how I placed it in the sink vs. how she did. Who cares when it'll end up in the dishwasher anyway! But it bugged her so much she had to take a snap and send it to her folks. I guess I don't have to tell you what side is mine.


Is it really a fault if her side looks like an actual setting still and mine looks like a rendition of Jenga? Now it makes me want to jack up my dishes because it annoys her hahaha.
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Boo-Yaa TRIBU

Where: Tribu Grill
When: January 8, 2009
Who: [deep breath] Reeg, Rach, Tiff B, Steph, Ant, G, Tiff L, Alex, Dennis, Trish, Jeff K, Jeff L, Nick, Louise, Tim, Alan & Arlene [whew!]
What: Filipino Food!
How Much: $20 [but a chance to win a free dinner if you come back!]

Considering the line-up of 17, either people were anxious for the first foodie of 2009 or I made such an inviting evite or maybe they were just plain hongry. Looking at that lineup and we have a set of Tiffs, a set of Jeffs, a set of Zohrs and a set of Ajostes. So if you want people to go to your selection, make sure they have a partner of some sort.

Anyway I guess I've been pigeon-holed to select Pinoy themed restaurants, and since I've never been here, I thought it would be a good choice. And I was right! Eating here inspired me to make hella Filipino food lately.

This was almost 2 weeks ago so I'm going off memory of what table 1 ordered [ed's note: I just looked at the menu online - mucho easier]
- Calamari [thanks to Ant, we endured ridicule from table 2]
- Lumpia Shanghai [yes, China named their city after our variation of the eggroll - go figure]
- TFC [their variation of San Tung chicken wings, which was only okay, but would be good if I never had San Tung haha]
- Pork Sisig [the real ish, with the meat from the pig's face]
- California Sisig [more traditional american parts of the pig]
- Sinagang [Tiff L's only request]
- Ribeye salpicao [their version of bistek, which was aaaaight]
- Crispy Pata [uhhh….dennis was at our table]
- Lechon Kawali [my fav, I could eat this like popcorn]
- Adobo Rice [they didn't have adobo just a la carte, go figure again!]
- Binagoogan Fried Rice [wow this was on point! mangoes and bagaoong on fried rice - nuff said]
- Frozen Brazo [never had it, but it was the only thing Rach ate]
- Turon [okay I'm hungry again]

And that was all washed down with a Mango slushie.

I just realized I really like typing [brackets], since that wasn't really necessary. However I'm lazy to edit it. Anyway, we pretty much ordered the whole menu! Table 2 ordered similarly, except they ordered some kare^2, which looked pretty good.

So Tribu leapfrogged past Patio as my favorite Filipino restaurant on the peninsula. Their prices are fairer, they have more creativity with their dishes and it just tastes better. It felt like your Tita's were in the back prepping all the food. I would definitely come back and recommend this spot for sure.

Personally I'm just glad to see more Filipino restaurants sprouting up. I mean I remember back in the day when it was just Goldilocks, where I try not to eat at until they change that blond chick as their logo. I mean that's like Panda Express since an image of the Little Red Riding Hood to promote their food. Change it to a Pinay chick, and she doesn't even have to be full! Anyway as a note to self, I won't make a foodie post right before its time to eat dinner.
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Good Pho Real Hard to Find

I was fiending for some Pho today, since its mad cold and Pho hits the spot. I yelped it since my default spot down in The Dungeon has been closed for "renovation" seemingly forever. But really I bet that place was rat-infested or something. If you been down there, you know what I mean. For some reason that ish doesn't phase me too much haha. Anyway, I didn't want to walk 500 miles so naturally a spot that served Pho was a Chinese-owned donut shop called Happy Donuts. Yep, I bought my Pho at a donut shop, just for re-emphasis. I ventured down there [well all of 3 blocks] while their Pho was decent. I just don't like it when they give you 3 options - beef, beef ball and house special haha. Naturally I opted for the beef ball.

Pho real though, I can only find decent sandwich, burrito and Pho places in the FiDi. Edible, but not good. Like if they weren't convenient places to go, then I wouldn't even bother eating there again. Hmm I probably should just be brown-bagging my lunch anyway.
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Few-dee? More like A Lot-dee!

Where: Cleo's Brazillian Steakhouse
When: December 4, 2008
Who: Tiff, Amy, G, Rach, Trish, Dennis, Jeff K, Amelyn, Ed, Victor +2, Mike, Nick, Ant & Reeg
What:Brazillian Buffet
How Much: $29

Ah yes, you know the year is winding down with the year-end foodie arrives. In '06 we had Morton's, and I think it was like $75 a person. Last year we went to Asbestos [okay its really called Espetus] and that was aorund $50. And this year it was under $30 haha. At this rate, we might have to go to Costco's food court for the '09 edition.

Anyway I was just glad this place was open, considering we tried going during a Friday night a couple months back. It was pretty good though, relative for price. Except that they charged $3 for soda! That is more than Boulevard charges for real. So best believe I got like 4 refills of my Diet Coke hehe.

Dishes served on spears [no Britney]: Steak, Beef, Meat, Lamb, Spiced Sausage, more Meat, Chicken Wings, Bacon-wrapped Chicken, Beef Hearts and paprika/cinnamon flavored Pineapple. Burp. I didn't really mess with the other food on the buffet line except for the rice, since all Asians need that white stuff to complement the meat.

I'm usually not an instant deucer. But I went as soon as I made it to a toilet. That is a good sign believe it or not. I really liked it, especially since I prepped myself for like 24 hours. Almost like how boxers put on the pounds after the final weigh-in. I didn't eat dinner the night before, skipped out on breakfast, and had a JITB 2 taco lunch [shoot is it $1.49 everywhere now?]. I was ready, set match for whatever they were willing to bring out. I strategically sat closest to when the meat first came out [well, Tiff was closest, but she deserved that spot.]

Stuff I learned last night: Amy went to Brazil in '04 [but probably not to Mike's Apartment]; a Nike Nazi rocks a Swooshtika; the hierarchy of a trim dude from first to worst is: svelte, slim, slender, skinny, scrawny, skin and bones, skinny as sh!t [word to Ant in grade school]; this Alpha Pan battle will last forever, but they should both bow down to Peter; and Dennis is the man for solving one-side of a Rubix cube.

Okay I have over a month to think about my choice...hmmmmmm.
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Top 5 Burrito Spots - Burp

Aight here it is - Reeg's Top 5 Burrito spots in the city. I feel like I'ma Burrito connoisseur. Shoot, I just had a Carnitas one for lunch today. As Rol would also say, this is my go to food when I can't think of anything else to eat. Comfort food just doesn't have to be from the South! So starting in reverse order:

5. La Morena - Yeah, how much credibility can this list have if the first place listed is in South City? At least the area is surrounded by Mexicans, making the place legit. But its my blog, my rules, and thus it makes the list. They probably make my favorite Al Pastor ever.

4. Pancho Villa Taqueria - Yikes, at least this place has a city locale in addition to the original spot in San Mateo. They have a grander menu and their churros are on point, well more than **insert amusement park**, Costco, and that dude on the corner slanging lukewarm ones.

3. Gordo's - Gordo's is that spot, I'm sure you Richmond/Sunset/Parkside people will admit. Their burritos are dense and girthy [pause], but I guess that's what happens when your order has a "super" prefix in front of it. Plus I never usually order Quesedillas but wouldn't hesitate here.

2. Papalote's - Okay this isn't a surprise if you read my previous entry. I know no authentic taqueria's should have tofu as an option or have wheat tortillas, but I'll make an exception. Order a Carne Asada and they'll cook it on the spot, so you have to wait a lil longer but it's well worth it. And their house Orange House Salsa puree is mad official. I could eat tortilla chips and wash it down with that stuff.

1. La Taqueria - Okay, despite many Best Burrito of the City accolades, this is my fav joint. On half days back at MIssion Dolores, dad would swoop us up and pick up burritos here for lunch. So I always will have a soft spot for it. Shoot even nowadays I'll take PT down there during slow times at work and enjoy a tasty one! Think about it - its the OG Taqueria that it doesn't even need a second name - its simply La Taqueria.

There you have it. If I missed any, then maybe they're ranked 6th through 10th haha.
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Golf Is My Medicine

Course: Chuck Corica Golf Complex, Jack Clark Course

So I was reeeeaaallyy sick a couple Fridays ago, and to feel better I ventured out to Alameda to play a round of golf with MosJef. Plus since it was a belated birthday gift I wanted to play on a weekday so I could save some loot hahaha. Anyway a couple weeks prior to this round, I felt a part of me missing. It turns out it was my golf bag, since Arvin borrowed my sticks as he's looking to get some Mizuno's too. So I got my clubs back, all clean and all, so everything should've been back to normal. I actually bought a new sand wedge to complement my 'zuno's and haven't even used it at the range, so I was pretty excited to play.

I like Chuck Corica since if its not busy they'll let you go out in twosomes, which is what happened that day. You could shag balls if you want, just be on the lookout for the Marshall. So on the first hole, I pierced a drive down the middle. Only thing is the middle of the fairway contained a sloped bunker! Anyway the 1st Hole pretty much dictates your round, and I double-bogeyed it eeek. The ensuing holes weren't much better, as my score ballooned and I didn't have a par or better in the front 9! Meanwhile MosJef was competitive in his time to shine, and he was playing solid golf, even birdieing a hole. Back 9 started out similarly to the front, and after 13 holes I find myself trailing him. WTF?? I can confidently say I'm undefeated against all the 3rd Floor peeps since 1996, and I've never collected a penny on all the monetary bets we've had.

Realizing I might lose, I was thinking of excuses [I was sick remember, well its his b-day, bro cursed clubs, etc]. However I just turned on the Eldrick Juice and finished bogey-par-bogey-birdie-par. I finally knocked in a birdie putt on 17 and had another snake on 18, pulling out the pin for a crazy save. My last two holed putts covered like 75 feet, so I was even impressed with myself. Breaking it down, I was +23 over 13 holes and +1 over 5 hahaha. My 95 beat his 98, but congrats to him for breaking 100 for the 1st time! I thought I wasn't even gon break the Century Club that day whew.

Since I was victorious, I enjoyed a burrito with Rol at Papalote's afterward, which is probably the 2nd best burrito spot in the Sucka Free.

Hopefully I'll have at least 2 rounds left in me for December!
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One Crabby Saturday

So on Saturday Anthony [sous-sous chef] and myself [head chef] cooked for Steph and G, doing you know, that crap older people do, liking hosting dinners and stuff. Anyway initially it was a competition since they cooked for us a couple weeks ago, but really there wasn't a competition and I think they would admit that haha. I'm glad they came too since that kick-started me cleaning my condo.

The menu was as follows:

Appetizer:
Lori's Brie and Apple Appetizers
Entrees:
Green Beans & Oyster Sauce
Dungeness Garlic Crab Butter Noodles
Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab
Dessert:
Tiramisu Affogato

Music:
Jamie Cullum - twentysomething

Lastly there was White Wine for the girls while Any and me had San Mig Lights haha.

I was responsible for the noodles and crab and ambiance while Ant handled the appetizer, veggie and dessert. And I'm usually a humble dude but our dinner was on point. Granted there was some initial issues [thinking that Pacific Sales was a grocery store when in actuality it is an appliance store lol, not knowing how to get to Ranch 99 in Rich-town, finding the Mirin, almost mincing my finger while mincing the garlic, etc]. Yeah, I honestly felt like we were in the kitchen stadium on The Iron Chef, since we wanted to get everything done in an hour. [Whereas the girls took 2 hours to make chicken hahaaha].

First I had to steam the crabs, and its pretty fun dealing with live crabs. They get all active tryna escape the pot but then they quickly perish. Sad but we gotta preserve the food chain. Then as I was making this sauce I had to preheat my oven to 500 degrees, and no joke I didn't even know it could get that high. Ish was mad hot though when we had to open it. The noodle dish was proper, but next time I wanna use thicker noodles. We saw some dude at the grocery store, and we were all loud looking for a specific type of egg noodle. Then he chimes in "oh like the ones at Thanh Long?" and we're like "yeah!" So we jacked his noodles since he was making the same thing! But really, those dishes weren't similar at all haha.

Oh yeah, 3 of the four crabs were fully limbed, but one crab had his whole left side amputated. However his one claw was gigantic, like the size of a lobster. I wonder if he grew up like that, and his arm got bigger since he just had to rely on that? Hmmm.

Afterwards we were mad stuffed and my place probably still smells like garlic lol. But it definitely helped my cooking swagger in preparation of the sides we need to prepare for this upcoming holiday. So if anyone else wants to battle, me and Ant will take you on!*

* except for Tiff L
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Pan-demoniom!

Oh yeah I never wrote about Amelyn and Ed's wedding. While they already celebrated their ceremony in the Great White North known as Banff, Canada, they also had a dinner celebration at Dynasty Something for the family and friends up in the Bay. Well Cupertino was mad far from my crib, so it felt like I was driving to Santa Cruz or something. But that town gets a pass since its home to Apple HQ. But anyway I had to coordinate with Jeff, Rol and Ant to make sure we weren't goin to wear the same colors haha. I just knew already I wasn't gonna match anything Al was gonna rock lol. I opted for a brown pinstripe, which doesn't really fit me like it did when I bought it. Maybe I need to re-alter it I dunno.

Anyway we had the grand ballroom in the restaurant, when there seemed to be like 10 other celebrations going on. Ed probably was the tallest dude, so he probably got first dibs. You know, tall folks get everything. Anyway, maybe I should stop mentioning height when I talk about Ed. I swear he has other redeeming qualities too. He has dimples, and not on his ass [not that I know of at least]. Did you know if Ed and I went to UC-Santa Cruz we were gonna be roommates? Yeah I don't know how he leapfrogged the rest of the UC's and ended up at Berkeley. Well I wasn't gonna go to UCSC anyway, regardless of how much I like Pulp Fiction.

Ant played the MC, and he did a good job, except he never advertised Stergeron Enterprises, so I'm a tad disappointed. So there was the Filipinos at our table [less Nick] and some other random people. You know you're at a Chinese wedding when the person sitting next to you neither knows the Bridge or Groom hahaha. Luckily we were placed with a dude who didn't like seafood, and seafood comprised bout 75% of the dishes. More for me! Dish du Jour was probably the SeaBass. Ish was good. They tried to fool us 2wice though, as the crab soup wasn't shark-fin soup and the roasted chicken wasn't duck. I guess 2008 is the year of the cupcakes since that was the dessert, and I think I had one of all 4 flavors haha.

2008 is also the year of the Photobooth, and we did a few No on 8 poses. Blame Roland for that. Another 3rd Floor alumnus got wedded, so we did that pose too. Now that I think of it, I don't think I was in the one for Steph's wedding? Hmmm. Anyway the liquor kept flowing and Jeff and Nick ended up being impromptu bartenders. And I was gone after one of Luna's concoctions. The night was winding down and there was excess beer left, so naturally with the ShotGun Kings in the house [shouts out to Man G holding down the East Coast], we had to take it to the dome. And it was refreshing.

The ride home was mad long. G drove Black-Starr and we followed Jeff home to make sure he arrived safely. Then we made it back. All in all another one bites the dust. But congrats guys!

Attached are some pics, and really the Bride was there somewhere although you won't see her hahaha:


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Regan and Himself Go To Best-O Burger

So obviously we don't have a White Castle in Northern Cali [them frozen ones they sell at grocery stores don't count]. My coworker told me about this place nearby work that sold sliders. And I was like for real, I gotta peep this. I ventured up Kearny and swung a right on Pine, and I could smell the patties being fried as I was approaching the establishment. They're menu was pretty limited, as I believe they're going after the In-N-Out approach for simplicity. So then I just decided to order the 2 slider with fries and frings bag for like $6.

First the good: the patties were like 10x the width of White Castle…shoot it shouldn't even be a comparison. The frings were good too. Oh yeah and they have a gelato selection. Then that's about it! So homie asked me if I wanted lettuce and tomato on them, and I was like sure. Didn't know that cost an extra 25 cents for each! Ordering the combo meal didn't save me one penny - I hate when they do that! The bread was decent, but got soggy from all the grease. And the biggest crime was using their thousand island dressing on it - ew. Loyal readers know how much I don't like that sauce on my burger [well actually you don't have to be loyal, you could've just read last week]. Oh yeah the fries were overfried too, which I generally like, but not if they have a pretzel-like crunch.

So I'll probably only go back to sample the gelato, even though they too have a secret menu. Its kinda wack though when they advertise their secret menu on their website. Lame!
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Andele Andele Mami, E.I., E.I., E&Ohhhhh!

So last night I had a pseudo happy hour [started at 7:30p] and a pseudo dinner [just appetizers really] with my old manager FM and my cool auditor [yeah I know, oxymoron] AS, who is battling for Tiff’s current title of FCG. Usually clients shouldn’t mix with their audit team so ssshhh don’t tell! Anyway we went to E&O, and I’ve been here countless times for work-related functions, so it was kinda weird when we had to pay for the bill out-of-pocket! AS probably just billed it back to us anyway…have you seen their invoices for engagement fees?! But anyway, the food we ordered was pretty tasty: chicken satay, duck rolls and corn fritters, while being washed down by a couple Stellas. AS and I were both drinking that, so I’m thinking I need to man up and drink something darker? I didn’t want a piece of FM’s Guiness though, since there was no Bailey’s to be found.

FM was telling me the story about my hiring process…pretty much I was their 2nd choice and was only hired because their 1st choice took another offer! The ego was momentarily bruised, but luckily I’m a quick healer [think Superman right when the Kryptonite disappears]. Last time we got together if was for like a 45 min lunch, but before you know it 3 hours elapsed and it was already 10:30p and I had to trek back to Villa Emery, which would mean I need to get off at MacArthur around 11ish haha.

I ain’t soft, but I really didn’t want to wait on MacArthur Blvd 30 minutes for my bus to come, since the Shuttle service ends at 10p. Last time I did that some crackhead looking chick asked me if I wanted a ride home lol. I actually contemplated jumping in the car to see if she would actually bring me, but using better judgment I passed. And I hate taking taxis, but that seemed to be the best alternative last night, so spending the extra 10 bones was worth it for peace of mind and a savings of time.
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