Food and Libations

Thanks to Yelp Elite, I can always count on something to do over the weekend. In fact, I've had to deny many opportunities as most of the activities tend to be at the same time. The best part about Yelp Elite events is that they are free! This weekend, I had to choose among free tickets to a new stage production, free food or the symphony. It was a tough decision. In the end, I went with....food! Does that surprise you? We made it through the last two weeks without eating out so I thought we needed a treat...a FREE one, that is.

The free tickets offered to events such as the symphony and what-not are more like 'freebies' for you to enjoy with a date/friend. Since I had not yet gone to a YEE (Yelp Elite Event, as the savvy Yelpers say) I decided to head on to Acqua Pazza in downtown San Mateo with Marc to check out the social scene. I was not disappointed and felt right at home with my newly-made friends. Meeting your "Yelp friends" in real life surely proves that social-networking tools do work! "Yelpers don't bite," was one of the first 'welcoming' statements I received from a fellow review-writing nazi as I made my way into the restaurant. I couldn't help but laugh out loud! I made new friends, sampled great food and participated in some wine tasting. We had to cut-out early so we didn't make it to dessert. But after 3 sampler plates of gnocchi, penne, endless bruschetta, fava bean spread and killer calamari rings, I doubt there would have been room anyway. Acqua Pazza's hospitality as well as the vibe created by a room of Yelpers made for a delightful afternoon. Not to forget, we learned how to make Gnocchi! How cool is that?

I found myself on Elite blog, doing what I do best. Haha! It felt great to know that I'm NOT the only one who does this. Everyone else was taking pics of the food! :P

Marc and I with some new friends enjoying plate after plate of authentic Naples cuisine.

To top off the weekend, our apartment management held a summer kick-off party for its residents by the pool. They had local businesses donate food which included some top-of-the-line sushi and free-flowing bubbly. It was a great way to meet the neighbors and get a sampling of the little mom-n-pop shops that I drive by but have never ordered from. That may change soon as I discovered some pretty good food all within reach.

With that said, I am STUFFED. I need to work out! In Yelp speak, SYOY! (See you on Yelp!)

Showtime!

I had no idea that the In The Heights tour would be singing into San Francisco so soon. Had I not looked up tickets for Peter Pan, I would not have known about it. I have to say that they are lacking in area of PR and advertising (hire me!). I am so used to buying but the cheapest tix for $25-$30. Either that or getting hooked-up at OCPAC. Oh how I miss it! In SF, Broadway show tix are in the $50 range. Not to forget the extra $15 each for theater restoration fee + processing fee. Ouch! It wasn't 'til we got there that I realized that Marc was a student and we could've done the rush! Next time, for sure!

Even though we were on the balcony, we could still see everything. I was very impressed with how intimate the Curran Theatre was. And the show-well, it was fantastic! Very high-energy and colorful! The only complaint I have is that Usnavi seemed a little stiff . Other than that, the cast was amazing, especially the ensemble dancers. It was such a joy to see the combo of Latin dances with hip-hop! We were the only people waiting at stage door along with an 11-year-old boy who I adored as he excitingly talked theatre to me. I love theater nerds!! We got to meet most of the cast but they were all rushing to get somewhere (a party, perhaps?) so I didn't get a chance to snag photos with them. :( Finally got my show fix! I am a happy camper!

My date and I waiting for the doors to open in the lobby.

I brought my OBC recording to be signed. :) Nerd, I know!

Waiting by the stage door as everyone else left. It was a brisk evening as always in SF.

The set with the GWB (George Washington Bridge) in the middle.

So glad I finally got to see it!

Fruits of labor

I am currently people-watching while legally stealing (read: mooching off) Internet from a coffee shop. In a way, I guess it's a good thing we didn't (and still don't) have Internet this week. I was able to finish a project that I had started last year. Took me long enough, I know! I'm surprised by how fast this Blurb order processed. I ordered it on Monday evening and it arrived on Friday. It's a photo-journal book of my trip with the girls to NYC last year. I try to make a book every year to chronicle my memories. I guess you can say that it's similar to a year-book. I also make one for each major trip that I go on. For this project, I did not use the Blurb templates as I usually do. Instead, I created each page in Photoshop, created PDF's then uploaded them onto the 'blank' pages on the Blurb tool called Booksmart. It was a tedious process and I abandoned the project for quite a while (6, 7, 8 months?) but it was all worth it in the end! Some of my bleeds are off but I know better now and can't wait to finally get working on my 2009 book as well as my Maui and Mexico books. Yay for productivity! Perhaps I can inject more creativity in the next ones. I wanted to keep this one simple and in travel-log style.

Back cover

One of the content pages.

Another content page.

Front cover

The new book joins the others!

All things Matcha

Marc has had a crazy week in the world of academia. In fact, he is in school today and yes, it's Saturday. To make things better, I decided to go on a scavenger hunt for all things matcha-his favorite. Check out what I surprised him with:

There really is green tea Kit Kat....in Japan! It reminds of this green tea wafer that my twin used to send me when she lived in China. I scoured the Asian markets for it 'round the area and couldn't find it. I know for a fact that they have in San Gabriel though.

Green tea caramel corn-weird and sweet.

Then, one morning, I decided to experiment which turned out to be a success. Marc loved them and so did I! You should definitely try making them especially if you're into green tea.

They only look green when they are cooking.

After they are cooked, you can't tell but if you slice it open (as photographed) you can see the matcha goodness oozing out!

Matcha-Cinnamon Pancakes

3 T Unsalted Butter

2 T Lemon juice

2 C Milk

1 3/4 C All purpose flour

1.5 T Matcha powder (this stuff is pretty expensive)

2 T Sugar

2 t Baking powder

1/2 t Baking soda

1/2 t Salt

1 Egg

1 T Vanilla

1 T Ground cinnamon

Pam Cooking spray

-Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix with electric mixer (or by hand ).

-Don't mix too well or your cakes will end up rather flat.

-Scoop 1/2 cup of the batter into the pan.

-Brown on both sides.

-Serve with butter and maple syrup OR plain vanilla yogurt and fresh berries...whatever you wish! The possibilities are endless!

The Sweet Life

The Internet didn't last as long as I had hoped for. After cable-man Mike left yesterday, it stayed on for all of two hours before shifting in and out of consciousness once again. Marc was so fed-up that he tried to figure it out himself. A few unsuccessful attempts later, he was on the phone with cable-man Mike. We spent the entire day waiting for him before deciding to run to Ikea to pick up a small dining table which I learned was on sale. Yes! We can now finally eat somewhere other than in front of the TV. While I wanted to browse more, Mike called just as we got there and told us that he was at our apartment. What?! We grabbed the table on Aisle 22 Bin 41 (I seriously love Ikea) and literally rushed back home. Our entire wiring had to be replaced. Why couldn't he figure that out the first time? Oh sweet life!

The creepy crawl space in Marc's closet that houses our cable line. No, this isn't the cable guy. This is Marc attempting to revive our life source-the Internet.

Moving on to sweeter things, literally. Think chocolates, cakes and pastries galore! Thanks to Silicon Valley's Yelp Elite team, we were granted free admission to the first ever Sweet Shoppe Festival. On Sunday, Missy and I headed to Oakland to indulge in all things sweet.

Caramels!

Creme Brulee demo. This chef was so nervous! I was waiting on him to spill something but he did good!

Missy and I sampling creme brulee after the demo. We both want those torches now so we can make our own. : )

Sweet tamales were quite a hit!

I fasted the day before thinking that we'd be headed to a large auditorium overflowing with sugar. Thankfully, the event was much smaller than I had anticipated. In fact, we left with enough room (or maybe it was just my imagination) to partake in some chicken and waffles across the street.

Home of Chicken and Waffles in Oakland. It should really be called "Home of Greasy Goodness."

Prior to this, I had never experienced the chicken + waffle combo. The Asian in me still prefers to eat chicken with rice! Nonetheless, it was a great experience!

Thanks to Missy for joining me on this adventure!

Resurrected Connection? Let's hope so!

Last week, one of my G-Mail accounts was hacked but I didn't find out until Monday when an angry friend called me to tell me to stop spamming her. Oopps...sorry! It wasn't me, I swear! In addition to that, my Internet has been faulty (as in, DEAD) for the last 4 days. Yesterday, Comcast FINALLY decided to send someone over. That is, after having to speak with them over the phone 3 times a day and do as they say. "Unplug this, plug this, switch that, press this button..." Blah blah blah! It was getting old and nothing was happening. We requested they send someone over and that didn't happen 'til yesterday afternoon when cable-man Mike came to the rescue. He was here for quite some time and we discovered a freaky little crawl space underneath our apartment that can be accessed via Marc's closet. I don't know why but it was so Harry Potter-ish and you can fit a few humans down there. Don't get any ideas now. I'm sure it will be awhile before we have to harbor any fugitives in our humble abode. Well, that space was where cable-man Mike found the faulty splitter which was replaced and now....voila! We're back on the Web...for now. It has gone out three times since the replacement which is still good compared to not having access at all. Although, I have a feeling that this will continue. Oh dear, problem still not solved.

In addition to my tech problems, my convectional oven blew out yesterday as I tried to warm up a piece of pan de sal. I seriously think that it was trying to tell me something. "Alli, you eat too much bread." It's the truth.

On to the updates! I've got tons to share but will have to stagger it and post as I have time.

Last week, I went to the California Academy of Sciences with Marc. It was a random, spur-of-the-moment decision. We drove to SF with no plans and magically ended up at the beautiful Golden Gate Park. We parked the car, walked around and ended up in the museum. Just like that!

This makeshift rainforest mimics a real one-even the temperature is disgustingly humid!

Below the rainforest is an amazing aquarium. They have one of those 'tubes' where you can walk through while fish swim above you.

This little fella landed right in front of me as I saw down to admire the gardens in the rainforest as Marc went to view the snakes....on his own. I fear those slithery creatures!

I just love butterflies!

Vertical hanging wall inside the rainforest. Can someone please build me one right now?

This is the main reason we went-the Albino Alligator (aka: Marc's new best friend).

What does this remind you of? This is a living roof. I like how they made use of the space there!

Visiting the living roof! I'm not gonna lie, that thing is cool x 10! We should all plant stuff on our roof-tops!

Marc is a big fan of museums, zoos, and aquariums. I'm sure that once he finds all of the one's in our surrounding area, we'll be visiting each one. After visiting tons of aquariums, they start to look the same to me. LOL!

Happy Mother's Day

This morning at church, all the mothers were requested to stand as children went around to pass out little gifts. I remained sitting as I am not a mother. A little boy approached me and handed me a gift which I returned as I told him I wasn't a mother. He looked at me in confusion and walked away muttering under his breath. Apparently, I look like a Mom! Marc and I had a good laugh!

Last weekend, I surprised my Mom for her birthday. She is a hard one to surprise so when I showed up at the door while talking to her on the phone, she was so confused. She literally stood in front of the door, phone in ear as she talked to me and told me that "someone was at the door." She was looking directly at me. It was hilarious! We celebrated her birthday as well as mother's day. My 2nd mother (Marc's Mom) came out to celebrate. Also, my 3rd and 4th Mom's (my dear aunt's) never fail to show up for such an occasion.

Mom blowing out her mis-matching candles.

Happy Mother's Day to the beautiful Mom's in my life.

{With my sweet aunts and loving mothers}

Saturday family gatherings always start with lunch which turns into coffee/tea break then eventually turns into dinner. It's an 8-hour ordeal of non-stop eating. I'm not even joking! The menu for the day is designed to cover all 3 bases!

I've been homesick in the past few weeks so the trip home was definitely needed an worth the long drive. At least I had Marc to keep me company and sing tunes with! :) When we got back to the apartment, we discovered a few bags in the trunk that I don't remember bringing. Turns out, both mom's managed to sneak in some home-cooked food and fruits for us. I couldn't help but smile. I love my Mothers and can't wait to see them again very soon!

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful moms out there!!!

Cinco de Mayo

Hola! I hope you all are having a magnificent Cinco de Mayo so far. I just returned from a fun lunch with dear Missy at Dia de Pesca. My halibut and tuna tacos were pleasantly satisfying to my taste buds. In fact, they are begging for more!

Slacker Marc taking a break from paper writing to indulge in Dia de Pesca goodness.

I think I found my taco place in San Jose. :)

I have an exciting Yelp Elite event to go to this weekend that I must share with you. If you're in the area and would like to go, please let me know and I will try to get you complimentary admission!

I've plagued you with enough picture updates in the last week and since then, I've been pretty busy. Paperwork has temporarily taken over but as soon as that's done, I hope to be back regularly.

Enjoy the rest of your "5 de Mayo!"