Sunny Pork
We had a gorgeous day in the city today. This is a photo I took in the middle of this morning’s run along Pier 14. For lunch, Jes and I took a walk to the Farmers Market and got a good dose of Vitamin D. I was actually in shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops! Jes waited in line for the porchetta sandwich at Roli Roti while I wandered around the corner for a big bowl of pork ramen from Hapa Ramen.
We slurped up the ramen while we were in line and finished it just in time for the sandwich. I ordered the ramen with a slow-cooked egg and it was extra tasty with the oozy yolk that I L-O-V-E.
With the tasty sammich in my hands, we took it over to a bench and ate our halves in silence. Jes gets to eat this for lunch on weekdays without the long line and I finally got to try it. It was delicious. Loved the crispy salty skin and sweet onion combo. Mmm…
After such a savory lunch, we picked up a bubbly drink that was like soda water with a little bit of sweetness. Not only was it refreshing but it was only 50 calories and had a really cute design on the label. I should have bought a 6-pack.
Lately, I’ve been feeling my age: I wake up with a sore neck and back every morning; my cuts heal slower; and I realized that my 18-year-old patient is half my age. Oh crap. So, I borrowed my co-worker’s ukelele and I’m teaching myself how to play. It’s a lot of fun and I can play a handful of chords now. I’ve been learning on the internet and got a few copies of different songs from another co-worker who had a book of songs. I still have some practicing to do before I can play for anyone. For now, Jes will have to just bear with me. I just wish I could sing.
Another thing that I’ve been wanting to do is improve my Conversational Spanish. I’ve had the same patient for the last 10 weeks and his mom speaks primarily Spanish. I feel like a retard speaking to her and thought I should brush up a little. So, last night I went to my first class at the City College. It’s Level One and it’s super basic but I still learned a thing or two about cultural stuff for when to use the tu and usted forms. It’s only one night a week for seven weeks. We’ll see if it’ll be worth taking Level Two.
On Saturday after lunch, we drove up to Napa and brought the dog along for the ride. We got an early check-in at the Westin, dropped off the dog, and headed out to Far Niente where they were holding their Cabernet Release Party.
We got there at about 3 pm and spent the afternoon tasting lots of wine and snacking on a variety of appetizers that were passed around. It’s a fun event since it’s in their maze-like cave system where there’s either another tasting station or a server with a platter of goodies around each corner. My favorite was their 2006. Of course at the end, we got a glass of Dolce dessert wine and an assortment of petit fours. Mm…
Afterward, we went outside to enjoy the late afternoon sunlight with a cappuccino provided by the servers at the exit. They have a nice grassy area down the hill and it was so nice to be outside in warm weather for a change.
For dinner, we went to Ad Hoc. Our reservation was at 9:30, which was perfect considering we had stuffed ourselves so late in the afternoon. We had a great time and everything was delicious! Here’s the menu for the evening:
The prime rib had a nice salty crust and the buttermilk onion rings were so yummy. Dog even got to have some when we brought back a box of meat scaps for him.
My favorite was the apple tart…it was perfect.
On Sunday morning, we went down the street to The Model Bakery, which was featured in “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Local Favorites”. The episode featured their famous English Muffins and it’s true…they’re tasty. The muffin is fluffy and chewy – different from your usual Thomas’ English Muffin. Mine was used to make a breakfast sandwich of canadian bacon, egg, and cheese. Yum.
It’s the first day of the new lunar year and we celebrated by having the gang over for hot pot. The babies took turns fussing while Jack was dealing with potty training issues and Koa was on high-alert each time a baby cried. All the activity really made me realize how things have changed for us as a group.
We couldn’t even have all the grown ups seated at the table at one time. Somehow everyone managed to eat dinner and the babies got fed too.
It was all very noisy but pretty entertaining at the same time. I felt like we were in the middle of a sitcom. Rowan needed constant bouncing and entertainment, Reese hung out on Ryan’s lap taking in all the sights and smells, Jack sat on his usual pile of Yellow Pages (with no pants on), Ryan was dropping eggshells on the floor, and Koa had dragged out his bed from the bedroom to show off his humping skills in the middle of the livingroom. Ah…good times…happy new year, everyone!
Every time I shop at 99 Ranch Market, I see the wood ear mushrooms and it makes me think of a dish that my mommy makes. It’s one of my favorite dishes from my childhood and I actually made it tonight! I made a call to the Magical House and got a rough list of ingredients and some instructions. It’s basically a combination of ginger, chicken, wood ear mushrooms, and pineapple cooked in a vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce mixture. It’s so simple yet it’s a combination of flavors that you wouldn’t imaging together in one dish. Yum Yum. Jes tried it for the first time today and he was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know why he’s so shocked every time I make something delicious. I think he forgets that I was raised in the Magical House. Some of the “magic” HAD to have rubbed off over the years. Heh heh.
Yesterday, Michelle and I met up at the coffeeshop downstairs and we had a little moment of girl time. We flipped through a magazine together and enjoyed a lazy Saturday afternoon. She also brought Reese along and she was as happy as can be to just sit on my lap and take in the sights and sounds.
I hang out with lots of babies at work and it’s really refreshing to be able to hang out with a normal, happy, healthy baby every once in a while.
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