Dude, I can’t believe it’s been over a month since we got back from Hawaii and I’m JUST getting through processing all the photos I took from our long weekend there in June. Brother and Joy are there right now having a Lava Flow for me on the same exact beach we were one a month ago. Here are the photos from the trip. Can’t wait to go back. I’ll just have to stare at this photo for a bit longer in the meantime. Enjoy!
This is a little late but here’s the recap of last weekend with Brother and Joy.
As soon as I picked them up from the airport, we dropped off their stuff and headed out for a bite to eat. We initially went to Orson for some duckfat fries but then ended up eating at the Korean taco truck out in front of Bar Basic. It was a tasty $2 taco filled with spicy pork, a thinly sliced pickled dikon, and kimchi. On top of that, there was a red sauce that gave it a good kick in the mouth.
On Saturday morning, Koa greeted them with a few sniffs and tugs of the pillow. After a long walk and some coffee, my uncle came up to pick up Brother for a game of golf in Vallejo.
It was good to see him and Johnny got to play golf on a nice, quiet course.
While they were away, Joy and I went to the race expo and did some shopping at Sports Basement. Afterward, I took Joy to Sausalito to buy some teeny tiny Totoros.
On our way there, we got stuck in traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was unusually heavy and I was wondering what was going on until we find the far right lane blocked and cops hovering over the rail. Someone was threatening to jump the bridge! Joy even saw the guy on the other side of the rail talking to the cops. Sorry guys, no photo this time. We were too distracted by the incident to think of snapping a photo. Too bad though…she had a front row view of it all.
For dinner, we carbo-loaded at La Briciola on risotto, mussels, ravioli, tagliatelle, and veal.
On Sunday afternoon (after the Half Marathon), we showered and rested up before heading out again for ice cream.
We went to Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous in Dog Patch and tasted a variety of interesting flavors ranging from Candied Violet to Candied Ginger.
For dinner, we went to La Mar where Brother almost got tricked by a sauce that contained peanuts. Heh heh.
Here are the rest of the photos. It was good to see you guys again. Hope you’re having a great time in Hawaii right now!!!
Saturday was Scotchfest 2010 at our place and we had a great turnout. Friends from all over came to partake in the festivities – including Dayantha and Krissy!! We had a total of 11 different whiskeys to taste and some were much better than others. Here’s the lineup:
Each participant got a shotglass labeled with his or her name and the different whiskeys were poured and tasted one by one with some food in between.
Meanwhile, Jack was snackin’ on cheese and crackers, watching “Up”, and feeding carrots to his pal Koa.
We served salami and cheese as well as smoked salmon with creme fraiche as appetizers. Then the main item was the prime rib sandwiches with sauteed onion, horseradish aioli, and arugula on an Acme roll. When eaten with some salty Kettle potato chips, it was perfect.
Everyone had their favorite Scotch of the night and pretty much everyone did not appreciate Talisker, which most said tasted like Band-Aid. Nice. By the end of the night, some were drinking more of their favorite while others broke open the 100-proof Captain Morgan and Coke. I think everyone had a good time. Most left before 12 am but some of us were still going until 4 am…including me. Good times…
OK…let’s try this again. Click here for photos.
On Saturday, we drove up to Napa for Nickel & Nickel’s Barrel Tasting Event. It was basically a preview of all the reds that they will be bottling next March and we got to taste quite a few. They also had cheese and meats out for us to taste as well. We found a really cool cheese that basically tasted like a Philly Cheesesteak. Who knew that you could somehow get the taste of meat in a cheese?!
The four of us had a pretty good time sippy and snacking until our lips and teeth turned purple. I’d have to say that out of all the ones we tasted (about 10 different wines), I liked Dragonfly, C.C. Ranch, and Sullenger the best. I’ll just have to wait until next year to taste the real deal to see if they’re still my favorites.
On our way down the road, we stopped at Opus One for a $30 glass of wine that was just as mediocre as I had remembered about 10 years ago. I thought I’d have a greater appreciation for it now but I don’t think we’ll be returning there.
Afterward, we did a little outlet shopping and then headed over to FARM at the Carneros Inn. We were a bit early so we lounged in their outdoor patio area, which was a really nice relaxing place to rest up before dinner.
For dinner, we were seated outdoors and the weather was perfect. We all shared a bunch of dishes including the scallops (above), hamachi crudo, lamb, lobster, and beef. We stuffed ourselves silly, finished off two bottles of wine, and even ordered two desserts at the end of the meal. We pretty much had to roll ourselves back to the car.
Here are photos from our afternoon in wine country.
Last Sunday it was Mother’s Day but many of us at work didn’t have their mom’s nearby. However, our dear friend Mai was in town and she wanted to have a picnic. So, the girls at work and I planned a pool party at my place. We all gathered outside by the BBQ and Jes fired up the grill for the skirt steak, kabobs, corn, and chicken wings. It had rained that morning but the sun came out just in time for the guests to arrive. Unfortunately, the sun was in and out all day and no one actually went into the pool that day.
Instead, we hung out on the patio chairs while the food cooked and then took a short break inside to eat, and then all came back outside for more sun. We had a fun time chatting, laughing, and making fun of each other, as usual.
Mai also got to meet Koa and they spent some quality time together. I knew they would hit it off and Koa was like butter in Mai’s hands. Here are the rest of the photos.
That was the theme for Jimmy’s 35th Birthday Party last Saturday and it was at their house.
When I first arrived, I asked Jimmy if the Lakers were going to win and he said “Of course. They always win on my birthday!” Well, it was a close one but they did win after all. Thank goodness because I was afraid the party would turn sour if they didn’t.
Eleen ordered a full spread of J’s Filipino favorites and we stuffed ourselves silly.
Olivia and Kevin also brought a chocolate cake that said “We Love J and the Lakers”.
We all had a good time and I think the birthday boy did too…especially because he didn’t have to do any push-ups this year. Here are the rest of the photos.
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