Simple Gifts 03/12/14

Simple Gifts
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Girl Time with my sister-in-law

Thanks for a great Spa Day, V!

Da Plane! Da Plane!

We now live in a world where this has happened:

That's right, my friends.  My mid-life crisis is in full swing, and I've acquired a tattoo.  Call me a rebel, call me brave, call me insane;  I've already done that to myself.  But let's talk some background, shall we?


A month or so ago, my best co-worker friend, June, said that she was thinking of getting a tattoo in honor of her wedding anniversary, because her husband has asked her to get one on multiple occasions.  She's still not sure if he was joking all of those times, but now it's too late.  Anyway, I think that she mentioned it to me because I'm the only one of her friends that would come close to even consider joining her.  It didn't take me more than 30 seconds to say, "I would get one with you!"  Um, Sher?  Where are you, lost in all of that spontaneity?  Well, I was still there, because we thought about it, thought about our designs, thought about when to do it, and decided to invite another friend of ours to get one to celebrate her upcoming retirement.  We went to dinner with her and she was apprehensive, but did start to think about getting a monkey on her back.  Yes, I'm aware that most people try to get monkeys *off* of their backs, but Marilee is not most people.  


As time passed, I decided that my design would be something about music, and so did the friends who offered suggestions, not really knowing whether or not I'd actually do this.  I wanted to make sure of the design I wanted before actually getting drunk and then choosing something insane.  The only real block for me was the whole church gig thing.  I had originally thought of getting inked on my ankle, but when I was in church one weekend, I figured that I wouldn't be able to hide the tattoo from anyone that might possibly be offended, because I walk back and forth in front of the altar as part of my cantor duties.  So I decided to get it done in a place that's hidden. 


Time grew closer.  June asked her daughter where she had hers done.  I checked Yelp for reviews, and they had good ratings.  We had decided to make it a whole Girls' Weekend so that I could get drunk beforehand, and we could take a taxi back and forth to the hotel or whatever.  So we booked a hotel, June told her husband she'd be out of town (it's still a surprise until their actual anniversary -- her challenge is to hide the thing from him), and then...Marilee realized that she was scheduled to be out of state this weekend.  I'm pretty sure that she also chickened out.  But that's OK.  All this past week, June and I asked each other if we were chickening out, and replied "No."  I was actually psyched for it.  This tends to happen a lot to me:  think of trying something new, get excited about it, realize the actual implications, chicken out or flake, and disappointment (from others and myself) ensues.  


Not this time, baby! 


June arrived at my house after I got home from church, and we drove to Pasadena.  I was so psyched up that I decided that I wouldn't even need to drink beforehand.  What?!  We decided to go check out In The Skin, just to see if we could talk to whomever first, and get ideas.  We both had prints of a few images for ourselves, and showed them to the guy who greeted us.  I told him that it was the first time for both of us, and I asked him which of my images he thought would be the least painful.  He said that it would be a max of 45 more seconds of pain if I had the portion of my image filled in.  He consulted the artist that would be working on us, and she told us that she'd be available in about 90 minutes.  So he said that he would work on our designs and we said we'd see him later.  "OK, June.  We've committed to it.  It's happening."  We both looked at each other in disbelief and amazement.


We checked into the hotel, had dinner (June's with wine, mine without), and returned to In The Skin.  The dude had done 2 designs for me, one a combination of the 2 designs I had narrowed my choices down to, and the other a little more like one of the choices.  I chose the combination one.   We signed contracts that included agreeing to not being intoxicated by alcohol or drugs at the moment.  I pointed it out to June and smiled.  It also has a line where you state the image and placement of the tattoo.  We signed.  We breathed.  We looked at each other and smiled.  I had already agreed to go first, back when it was the Tattoo Trio, and I fulfilled my commitment.  


First, I sat down with my back to artist Alisa, and felt rude that I was talking with my back to her.  We told her the reasons for our first tattoos, and she liked both of them.  She said that she went through her mid-life crisis when she was young and got her tattoo at that time.  I told her it was her mid-mid-life crisis.  She laughed and positioned the stencil onto my shoulder where I had shown her that I wanted it to be.  The stencil was kind of like a temporary tattoo from thermal paper.  It was her outline for the work she'd eventually do.  She asked me to look at it with a mirror behind me and a hand mirror in front of me.  All of a sudden, I didn't know how to look in a mirror to see my back.  Have I told you that when I'm nervous, I become an idiot?  So they helped out the idiot in me, and I liked the positioning and everything.  Then I laid down on my stomach on the table, wth a pillow propping up my head.  My body was in kind of diagonal position on the bench, so that the shoulder was closest to her.  Then she got her equipment ready.  Then she was on her cell phone for what seemed like an eternity.  Then she asked if I was ready.

Alisa working on Sher

Deep breath.  OK.  She cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol, then rubbed some kind of gel on the area. She did the linework first.  The feeling is like getting shot with a needle and having the needle scrape across your skin.  You're cringing now, aren't you?  I am.  Anyway, so it's not just one continuous scrape.  She did it in sections, brushing away extra ink between the sections.  She said that the filling-in would be less painful.  I couldn't wait until that happened.  I didn't cry.  I smiled when June came over to check on my face.  All this time, June took pictures, as I had requested.  I just don't want y'all to think that the above shot is a henna tattoo that I'd be touching up for months until the joke got old.  No, no.  This is quite real.  Finally, Alisa was done with the outline, and started to fill in.  The sensation was more like she was rocking an instrument back and forth between the outlines, so it wasn't as scrape-y, but still hurt a little bit.  She also added some white highlights to accentuate the outlined portion a little bit.  Every once in awhile, she would ask if I was OK.  She was very gentle with everything, so much so that even during the process, I thought, "I can see why people keep getting this done, because it doesn't hurt *that* much."  Seriously, that's what I thought.  Alisa finally finished, then June took the picture shown above before Alisa taped the bandage onto me.  

How does this work?!

Then they changed the furniture so that June could be in the position needed for her Tramp Stamp.  Yes, that's where she had it done.  I promised her no pictures on the blog of her for this process, but here's the contraption that had us confused until she was told to sit down.  I watched as Alisa changed the needle out to a new sterilized one (like in the dentist office), and I was glad that I had gone first so that I couldn't imagine with all of the knowledge of what was being done to me.  


Once June was done, Alisa gave us instructions for after-care, and we paid, making sure to give her a nice tip for being so good to us old fogies.  We had 2 hours to kill before taking off our bandages, and I needed a drink.  We drove back to the hotel, and tried to get a drink there, too, but "Mr. Magoo", as June calls him, didn't acknowledge us, so we walked to the Yardhouse for dessert and drinks.  I had a Southern Rum Punch.  It was yummy.  So was the Kona Coffee Sundae.  


By the time we got back to the hotel, it was time to remove our bandages, which did have a couple of spots of blood on them.  As instructed, I gently washed the area with warm water and soft soap and patted it dry.  The area stung just a little bit, and the skin was raised.  It felt like kind of a burn.  


We watched "You've Got Mail" on TNT because it's a chick flick, laughed ourselves to sleep, which wasn't very restful because our room was right next to the elevators.  This morning, we had a yummy breakfast at Green Street and went to Target to buy the Curel lotion recommended for us, which is to be applied twice a day for the next 10 days.  The tattoo is not to be exposed to sun for a month, so I'll be fine wearing my tank tops for all of the DCI and other summer events.  The area is still a little bit sore, in an irritated-skin kind of way.


I'm quite happy with the design.  It shows my devotion to both God and the music He brought to my life.  I just talked the BFF, because I couldn't wait until I saw her to tell her about it.  She already has one, but is going to get another one within a year.  I will not be getting a second one so soon, but we'll see what craziness I feel after that.  Stay tuned.  

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is my mom's (ahem)th birthday.  Not that she won't tell you her age, but just in case she doesn't want it posted on the 'net, I'll keep that to myself for now.


Anyway, there was a time when I worried that I wouldn't have her around by now, due to her being diagnosed with lung cancer.  Thankfully, she was one of those patients that marveled doctors with her resilience and her treatment went quite well.  She just told me last week that she doesn't have to see the oncologist for 6 months, showing that the doctors are confident about her health at this point.  But back then, it was scary for all of us.   I mean, that's my MOM, you know?  After all of the years that she worked for places dedicated to cancer research and treatment, she was on the other side of the laboratory. 


This past year, I've been growing my hair very long, in plans to donate it through Pantene's Beautiful Lengths.  Unlike other organizations that focus on children, this one focuses on free wigs for adult men and women.  You know me, I just need to be different from all of the other people that I know that have generously donated their hair.  Some of them have done it twice, these generous people that I know.  (Love you, V!)


So I called up my hairdresser and she asked where I'd been.  I told her about the donation, and she was excited that she'd get to cut my hair off.  I picked this very date on purpose, as this gesture is a dedication to my wonderful mother.  She lost her hair, wore a wig (except when the weather was too warm because it made her head too hot), wore a head scarf, and has subsequently given a family friend her paraphernalia and advice when she was recently diagnosed.  She's had a full head of hair for quite a while now, so she doesn't need it for herself, but I hope that some other woman like my mom can use it.  Besides, Mom often used to tell me to cut my hair.  I think she just kept having flashbacks of taking tangles out of my hair as a child, but whatever. 


Happy Birthday, Mom.  I'm proud of your strength, your courage, and your optimism.  If I could be even half of what you always are when faced with adversity, I'd be an honorable woman, indeed.  I love you.

Sher's Back Before

Sher's Front After
(and her 14 inches of hair donation)

Already Missing Sonoma

Girls Trip to Napa

Days 4 & 5: June 22-23, 2009

Monday morning was kind of sad, because it was time to leave. We checked out of the Fairmont, and they printed our boarding passes for us at the front desk (Thanks, Kevin!). We drove to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge/Hwy 101 then got lost a little bit before getting back on track. It was a nice little detour, as Mo explained to us how her father worked in San Francisco when he first immigrated to the USA, at Fisherman's Wharf.

View of Golden Gate from our car

We arrived in Burlingame at our friend Charlie’s house, and said hi to wife Jackie and his kids, Ryan and Jessica. Their house has a cool atrium in the middle, and a nice kitchen with flat grill. Jessica was playing with a doll that another Apache alumnus gave her, Masa, who had just visited them last week. Masa lives in Japan, and arrived in San Francisco without an Asian doll, which is what Charlie & Jackie had been asking him to bring. APPARENTLY, dolls in Japan are mostly white, and the closest he could come to was a French/Japanese mixture. The Barbie clothes fit her, though, so at least she can change clothes, unlike the Disney dolls, which are bigger than Barbie and therefore do not fit into her clothes. If anyone out there finds an Asian doll that is NOT Mulan, let me know, OK?

Lo, Sher, Charlie, Ryan, Jessica & Mo

Jackie stayed behind to watch the kids, and Charlie brought us to lunch at Bay Watch Café, where I had to have breakfast, of course: a nice scramble of spinach and sausage and cheese with eggs. Yummy! Chao waxed philosophical, just like old times. You know how people don't change that much once they find themselves? I have a feeling that Charlie found himself in a past life or something. He just doesn't change, and we love him all the more for it. Of course, if he had never changed from being a jerk, we probably wouldn't be so appreciative of the not-changing, but, thankfully, Charlie is as great and funny a guy as always, and I'm really glad that we got to spend time with him. Of course, it's kind of weird now. Instead of talking about high school crushes or whatever class we were talking about, Charlie and Mo talked about being anesthesiologists and they talked with Lo about being parents. It's not weird that they talk about it as much as it's weird that it's THEM that are talking about stuff, and not some strangers that I don't know. I can't believe how much we've grown up (well, at least THEY all have), and that we can still be such good friends that we can open up about our lives even after not seeing each other for a very long time. Are these the same wacky people that I went to Magic Mountain with back in high school, running around like wacky teenagers? Are these actually the same people in that group prom picture senior year? Wow. We had no idea back then what it would be like a couple of decades later. So different, yet still the same. Like the way Charlie still drives cars the same way he did back then. ;)

After going back to Charlie's house and saying our goodbyes, we drove to downtown Burlingame to meet up with Mo’s cousin Ashok and his wife Ani at their cigar shop. I met a nice old man who didn’t want me to smoke. But the Moonterrace cigar that Ashok recommended, with bourbon & vanilla flavors, was perfect. I just can’t have one for a really long time.

We shopped in Burlingame and I bought clothes on sale at Ann Taylor Loft, and a wooden Hippo bead from Potpourri. After walking out of Potpourri, we almost got caught jaywalking as we took a couple of steps right in front of a police car. Luckily, though, we saw him before actually going into the actual street. The police were present everywhere, giving parking tickets and such, so if you're ever in Burlingame, don't forget to feed the meters!

We drove back to Sunnyvale to meet Krina at her place, where she stated that she discovered that her 9 bottles of wine were equal to all of the rest of us combined. Well, if she hadn't already had 3 waiting for her when she got to Chateau St. Jean, then she and I might have been pretty even. Geez, I don't know when I'm drinking all of this wine, but it will be fun and tasty!

We went back to SJC and said our goodbyes and thanks to Krina. I continued my streak of pulling an Eremita all day with the spilling of corn nuts in the airport. (I had spilled coffee in the room in the morning and water at lunch). KLUTZ! While we were up in the air, we looked in the SkyMall catalog for the crazy garden sculptures that we discussed with Morgan, and I showed the gals my pics from trip.

Lo and I said our goodbyes to Mo, and picked up some Quizno’s for our drive down to Wildomar to extend her vacay away a little bit. My parents were happy to see Lori and catch up with her, since it had been quite a long time since they were able to talk. After a good night's rest, we went to the casinos in Temecula on Tuesday morning.

Our first stop was at Pala, where they are doing a lot of construction, and had just opened a new buffet restaurant, which had a great selection (King crab legs! Big ones!), and we played there a little while, too. Afterward, we tried our luck at Pechanga, where I did have better luck, but didn't win all of the $ back that I had lost at Pala. Oh well.

Since I had a flight the next morning, I needed to get back home, so I brought Lo back to the reality at her house with all of those boys (William included), and finally got back to change out my luggage and sleep in my own bed. For one night. At least I was home!

Next up: Tempe, AZ

From Bathing to Bodega to Biscotti

Girls' Trip to Napa

Day 3: Sunday, June 21, 2009

It's SPA DAY! Lo & I brought our robes from the hotel because I was confused about the whole robe situation. We ended up using the ones at the spa, which were different because they had hoods. We had arrived early for our appointments, so we took a look around, placed our belongings in our lockers, and sat in the jacuzzi outside. A water aerobics class was taking place in the pool, and we couldn't go into the special Watsu pools because somebody was receiving their Watsu massage there. We were glad that we didn't choose that particular treatment, because anyone in the spa could watch you since it's outside.

When it was about time for our massage appointments, we slipped out of our bathing suits and went into the bath house. When we got there, we were advised that do the Bathing Ritual, which included a scrub shower, then sit in the jacuzzi, then the mineral pool, then the steam room, then the sauna before our massage. Well, we didn't allow time for that, nor did we have our bathing suits anymore because they were in our lockers. I wish that we had been told about the Bathing Ritual timing when we made our appointments, but I guess we were asking way too many questions anyway and perhaps our receptionist got distracted. Anyway, this was not the place for us to walk around nude, since this spa, unlike the one I'm used to, was co-ed. So we opted to just sit for awhile & munch on a little snack so that we wouldn't starve until lunch time.

My masseuse was Soledad. Lo & I had both chosen the Personalized Aromatherapy Massage, which was on special this month. Soledad had me complete a questionnaire while my feet were soaking. The questionnaire asks how I'm feeling at the moment, as well as what I'd like to feel like after the massage. I ended up choosing "Restorative," and Soledad blended together scents of Sage, Rose & Lavender. We then went upstairs and I received my massage and aromatherapy. Aaaaahhhh. The only problem I had was that my nasal passages were acting up, and when I was lying on my stomach with my face in the face cradle, I kept thinking I needed to sneeze or something, but the feeling always went away whenever there was a break in the massage process. Otherwise, it was very, very nice. When Soledad was finished, she advised me to be careful when getting off the table, and I'm glad she did, because my legs were kinda jelly-like, and I could have really fallen down hard if I had just gotten up without thinking about it.

As I was walking down the stairs, Krina was walking up the stairs with her masseur. Mo was already in the mineral spring. Soledad had recommended that I sit in the steam room for awhile, so I went in there and almost suffocated when the lavender-scented steam rushed in. Then I was hungry and went for the snacks again, which were baked veggie snacks, and had some tea. Later on, when Mo, Lo and I went into the steam room together, and Mo had the idea of placing our faces in the chilled washcloths, which really did help me breathe better, although it was awkward to talk to each other through the washcloths. Eventually, though, I couldn't take the steam anymore, and sat in the dry sauna for awhile. Mo & Lo joined me for a moment, but I think that I enjoyed it more than they did. I then went back to my locker to put my bathing suit back on, and joined Mo & Lo in the jacuzzi and pool. I did try the grapeseed scrub shower for a bit with my bathing suit on, which was awkward. Mo left, but Lo and I stayed until K came down to join us, and we marveled at our wonderful time. We figured that Mo was probably hungry, as were we, so Lo & I went back to the lockers to shower and get dressed for the day. I should not have used whatever gloss stuff they had available for the hair. Or I shouldn't have used so much of it, because my hair was just blech for the rest of the day.

We had lunch at Big 3, and Lo gave me the evil eye. I can't remember why she did that, but I'm sure I said something wrong, as usual. Funny thing is that Mo, Lo and I all had some kind of eye problem during the day after that. Mo had allergies, Lo's eye was really red (we think it was the pressure on her face during the massage, but who knows?), and I had a stye or something on my eyelid. OK, maybe it wasn't so funny as it was a little bit eerie. Lo cursed us, man! K & I both had the All-day breakfast (of course, because this is Sherry we're talking about, here) and I had some iced tea with lemon-flavored syrup. That was interesting-tasting.

After gulping up all of our food, we were ready for more wine tasting. K belongs to the wine club at Chateau St. Jean, so we needed to go there anyway to pick up her wine club selections.

*2007 Pinot Blanc Robert Young Vineyard (honeydew melon, toasty vanilla)

*2007 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard – I convinced Mo to buy this so I could come over & have it with her. Yes, I actually liked a chardonnay! Not enough to buy it myself, but enough to want it again.

2007 Pinot Noir Sonoma County

2005 Merlot Sonoma County

2005 Syrah Durell Vineyard

I didn't buy any wine here for myself. Something was wrong with me! Krina talked me out of coaster thong wine holders, which I thought were cute, but she just couldn't see them working for me. She felt bad that she talked me out of buying something, but friends don't let friends buy things that they'll regret as soon as they unpack them at home. :)

The courtyard had pretty arches, and we took lots of pictures under them.

Sher in her favorite pose

We then went to St. Francis winery, mostly because we were kinda feeling the Franciscan theme.

Our server, Augustine, was entertaining and handsome, so we were happy to stay there for awhile. :) Augustine joked that he built the building, painted the grape painting, started drinking at age 4, but doesn’t till the fields because he doesn’t want to work too hard. I don't think he was telling us the truth that whole time, though. ;)

Augustine & his painting

The Meat & Cheese pairing was not available that day due to private event held earlier in the day, so, of course, Mo would not stop talking about the cheese plate that we couldn't have. Mo loooovvveees cheese.

I opted for the Classic Tasting (free with Visa Signature) which had all wines available through retailers.

*2007 Rose Sonoma County (crisp acidity, honeysuckle)

*2008 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County (nice summertime wine with notes of cut grass, citrus rind & grapefruit pulp)

2005 Merlot Sonoma County (spicy herb & vanilla, black fruit) Winemaker Tom Mackey was named Master of Merlot

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County (black cherries, dark chocolate, spicy oak)

2005 Claret Sonoma County (Richness, backbone, cassis)

* Free tasting of 2003 Reserve Kings Ridge Vineyard Sonoma County (bought) YUMMMM! K bought a bottle for herself as well.

After making our purchases, we went outside on the back patio and enjoyed the scenery of our last full day in Sonoma.

K & Sher at St. Francis Winery

You can't see them very well here, but in the gardens were some Metal alloy oscillating pinwheels. I wondered if they were daisies. It was just so pretty there that I took a picture with my cell phone and it is now my new wallpaper on my phone. As we sat around and chatted, I arrived at my new pickup line: “I’ve decided there’s only one thing wrong about you. You don’t have me yet.” (Yeah, like I actually talk to people).

Out in front of the winery was a really pretty tree, which K climbed. I thought of doing the same, but chickened out. Perhaps if I had been as drunk as yesterday, I would have done it...and been in the hospital by dark.

K drove us around a little bit, and we saw signs leading to Bodega Bay, site of Hitchcock's movie “The Birds”. So we decided to check out some more scenery. APPARENTLY, Tippi Hedren is going to make a personal appearance on July 4 weekend. Darn. Missed it by *that* much.

Sher scaring away birds at Bodega Bay

Not actually by the bay, but inland, we took pics of the church & the schoolhouse shown in “The Birds”. Here is the church and the steeple, but there were no people. Except us.

After taking our pictures, we drove back toward St. Francis winery and decided to go to a nearby restaurant that was recommended to us: Café Citti Italian Trattoria. (Yes, we had thought of Sante for just one more time, but we needed a break). It was like a deli, where you order up front, and they bring the food to your table.

We all ordered Luca’s Garlicky Caesar (Slice of anchovy, lots of garlic bits). Mmmmm....garlic.

Our entrees were as follows.

Krina: Gnocchi with garlic cream sauce

Lo: Gnocchi w/Bolognese sauce

Sher: Linguini with White Clam Sauce made with wine, garlic & lemon

Mo: Mattagliati alla Citti -- Homemade Mattagliati pasta served with a tomato cream sauce w/sauteed pancetta and garlic (Mo ordered extra garlic, which I think she loves more than she loves cheese). Lo & I giggled as soon as she asked if they could add garlic to the dish when we were ordering our food.

Afterward, K and I ordered Homemade Almond Biscotti, which I had with Decaf House Blend. Mo & Lo had the Chocolate-dipped biscotti. Yes, they had chocolate, and I didn't order it. What the heck? Anyway, this was the BEST BISCOTTI I've ever had in my LIFE. I'm serious. I contemplated bringing some home to keep in the freezer, but then I'd actually eat it all, and that's just not good for me. It was soft, but not crumbly, full of almond goodness, and the perfect level of sweetness.

Y.U.M. SERIOUSLY.

We closed the place down. The busboy noticed that it was Father’s Day and only women were at the table, & wondered aloud to us what happened. We told him that the fathers were spending the day with their kids.

We went back to the hotel and packed up Krina’s stuff with the wine. Lots of wine. The trunk was drunk. Since K had to work in the morning, we said our goodbyes to her and she went home. Mo hung out in our room for awhile before going back to hers.

What a strange day. I liked a chardonnay, I didn’t buy wine everywhere, I turned down chocolate, and I wasn’t drunk by 5:00. WTF? I guess that means that our vacation was winding down. Sadness. But at least my last taste of the evening was that wonderful biscotti.

Next up: Spending the day in Burlingame

Give that Girl a Cigar -- she had 18 wines today!

Girls' Trip to Napa

Day 2: June 20, 2009

The nice thing about a leisurely vacation is that you can sleep in as long as you haven't made any appointments. Lo & I pretty much made breakfast out of our yummy sweets from last night's dinner at Sante, along with the coffee from the room. Lo was unhappy that there wasn't any cream, but the sweets pretty much made up for that. We got ready for our day and met Mo & K in the lobby, and decided to also make our spa appointments for Sunday. The spa lobby was quite interesting acoustically, as the ceiling was domed, and we could hear people's conversations from the other side of the room, almost like they were wearing microphones. At first, we thought that there was some talk going on in a conference room, but it turned out to just be a guy talking to his companions across the room.

We took a winding road in to Napa due to a NASCAR race taking place in Sonoma this weekend. On our way, I called our friend Charlie from high school to try to set an appointment with him on our way back to San Jose on Monday. Happily, he was available!

Our only set appointment for the weekend was at the Culinary Institute of America / Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant in Napa. Jenn had taken me here for my birthday a few years ago, and I really wanted to return last February, but wasn't able to do so because I was ill. So this was my chance!

The Gals in front of CIA

On our way up the steps to CIA, Mona said that she heard that there were bats there, then pointed to something flying around, claiming that it was a bat. I thought bats were nocturnal. The other gals were kinda skeptic, too, and we realized as we got closer to the building that it was actually one of the swallows that made their nests on the building. Had it been a bat, I would have been way more excited about it.

We decided to sit outside so that we could take advantage of the beautiful weather. We agreed to have the Today's Temptations for hors d'oeuvres – Beer Battered Smelt, Carnitas Tostadas, Scallions wrapped with Rib Eye, Foie Gras on Crostino, and Vichysois w/potato chip garnish

Krina with the Tasting Tray

I enjoyed everything on the tray, but I was the only one that enjoyed the foie gras, so I pretty much ate at least half of everyone else's portion along with my own. The smelt was too fishy for the other two gals, but just right for Mo and me. We all enjoyed the other dishes, especially the vicchysois.

I wasn't quite ready to drink yet, due to the winding drive, so I had a non-alcoholic Navarro Gewurztraminer Grape Juice, which was quite yummy.

I had the Crab Lump Salad on Paprika reduction sauce for my entree, with a Side of Haricorts Verts in Browned Butter w/Hazelnuts. It was quite delicious, and everyone shared in my enjoyment of the haricorts verts. Lori had the Lamb Kefta platter, which had lamb kebabs on baba ghanoush, falafel w/ tzatziki, & toasted pita bread. Mo & K shared the Free Form Ravioli w/cheese & greens. Everything was wonderful.

Lori with her Lamb Kefta platter

After rolling ourselves out of our seats, we walked to the gift shop for some souvenirs. The gals busied themselves by looking at little button pins w/cute rebus sayings for the kids. I bought a CIA cheese board, a real zester, and a metal plaque with an Apache blessing:

"May the sun bring you new energy by day.

May the moon softly restore you by night.

May the rain wash away your worries.

May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."

I thought that this was a nice commemoration of our trip, since our high school mascot was the Apaches. :)

We made a quick stop at Ehlers winery because Mo had a question about her wine club, but the lady kicked us out because she was busy preparing for a private tasting.

We then went to our first official winery for the trip: Castello di Amorosa

Mo & K at the Castello

I opted for the Reserve Holiday Tasting with Chocolate Tasting (8 wines including Reserves plus chocolate). Mo & Lo opted for the regular tasting. We enjoyed yummy thin breadsticks between wines, and Lo conversed with Paolo, our server, in Italian. I didn't get to taste chocolate until getting to the red wine, and I was happy. Mo & Lo got a free taste of dessert wine, thanks to Lo's knowledge of Italian and the fact that they had to wait for me to finish 3 more wines than them.

For my trip reports from the weekend, I will list all the wines that I tasted, and have placed an asterisk beside those that I enjoyed. The items after the wine name are part of the description from the winery menu.

*2007 Anderson Valley Pinot Grigio: citrus & green apple, honeydew & lemony taste, goes good w/mild cheeses and seafood

2008 Gioia Rosato Di Sangiovese: berries

2007 Dolicino Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer: lychee

2005 Napa Valley Cabernet: black cherry (Mo liked)

2005 Reserve La Castellana Napa Valley “Super Tuscan” blend: Cab, Sangiovese & Merlot (tasted with milk chocolate)

*2004 Reserve Il Barone Napa Valley Cab: 100% Cabernet (dark chocolate)

*2006 Reserve Il Passito: Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc (had with sea salt dark chocolate)

Il Raggio Del Sole (Ray of Sunshine) Muscato Cavalli

I really liked the Il Passito, so I bought a bottle of that, along with some sea salt dark chocolate. The chocolate is just the perfect balance of salty and sweet tastes. Yummmy.

Mo, Sher & Lo at Castello

K then drove us to Franciscan. Our server, Roxanne was serving up the flights pretty quickly, since they would be closing in an hour. I got tipsy there because of that, thank goodness I didn't drive for any of this trip!

*2008 Sauvignon Blanc: Lychee & Citrus (bought)

*2007 Fountain Court: Lychee (bought 1 for me, 1 for Lo’s b-day)

Cuvee Sauvage 2006 Chardonnay Reserve (As with most Chardonnays, I did not enjoy this one)

Clos Vineyard Reserve 2005: 78% Cab, 22% Malbec

Free taste of Magnificat (signature wine): Cab & Merlot

OK, so now I've bought 3 wines, and knew that I'd buy at least one more. Perhaps I should have bought the Airline Shipper carton back at Castello.

Then we went to Rubicon. The place looked familiar to me because I’d been there when it was called "Coppola." It is still owned by Francis Ford Coppola, but they changed the name to its flagship vintage. On the way into the estate building, I tried the chocolate wine sauce with a cookie: YUM. You know, I have some of this stuff at home. I should really make something with it. Or just dip everything into it. Our server, Harla, was very friendly, and didn't rush us. I decided to have the Flight of Reds.

*2006 Pinot Noir

2005 Zinfandel

2006 Merlot

*2005 CASK Cab (bought) Mo & Karina’s fave & the reason we were there

*2005 Rubicon: “Point of No Return” per Julius Caesar

By the end of this tasting period, I was way drunk, and couldn't even drink a cup of water without spilling it. I decided I wanted a cigar, which they had on sale, Coppola's brand, in their shop. I went outside for some fresh air and watched people playing Bocci & didn’t know what was going on. I also called Cindy so that she could enjoy my drunken state, but she wasn't available, so I left her a drunk message that she later stated she would keep forever & play for everyone. After the gals were done making all of our purchases (I couldn't even stand in there anymore without searching for a chair), we sat outside for a spell, so that we could rest and enjoy the nice breeze. A lady wanted to put away the table & chairs where we were sitting because they were closing. However, when Mo went inside to have my cigar clipped, she noted that the guys inside had no qualms about leaving the furniture outside for awhile. So we sat until we got our acts together and left. You just can't rush these things, lady. Sorry.

We then went back to Sonoma and drove around Sonoma Square before returning to the hotel. After Lo and I changed our clothes, we met back up with the cousins and went back for our second night at Sante. Mo hadn't asked for Morgan when she initially made the reservation, but we asked for him at the host podium anyway, and they politely obliged. We were seated in a different section, but Morgan still served us. Adam, the actual server for the section, was a little offended at first, but we didn't care much because we wanted to talk to Morgan again. Besides, he wouldn't be offended for very long. We're very nice people who sometimes deserve to be shoved in the corner for our behavior. Anyway, Morgan saw us, and told me my room number when I said hello. Oh, he DOES remember us. Quite a bit, thank you. Josh, our runner from last night, welcomed us back. We must be memorable people. Yeah, it was yesterday, but sometimes people have really short term memories.

During our talk with Morgan, we learned that he was born in Hay Fork, CA (is that enough of a hick town name for ya?), but grew up in Sonoma, so he was used to the non-city life. Adam, however, is a San Francisco boy and loves the city life. So already we had a difference in server personalities. Lo was talking about a guy named Andrew that she used to date, which was not the same guy she dated that had fuzzy dice hanging on his mirror. K didn't know what we were talking about, and interpreted it as "Lo had a crush on Andrew Dice Clay." So then Adam approached our table, and we told him about Lo's crush. Lo was mortified, and she didn't even know who Dice Clay was. She then talked about needing creamer in the room, and Adam playfully misinterpreted it as "You want me to rub creamer on you?" We just wanted creamer to go, but they didn't have that available.

We ordered our food finally, and Sommelier Eric came by, saw that we had a bottle of CASK from Rubicon, and approved of our choice.

Complimentary Amuse Bouche: Mushroom soup with crème fraiche, and sautéed mushrooms in sauce au fis on crostini

Mona had been talking about having cheese since we arrived, so she, Lo and K shared the Cheese plate with 7 different cheeses, blanched almonds, apricots, and prunes

Krina ordered the halibut again because she liked it so much last night. I wanted a lighter dinner so that I could have dessert. I had Mache Lettuces with beets and sautéed strawberries in champagne vinaigrette.

Sher's salad

Krina noticed that a couple sitting nearby was unhappy with everything that Adam served. It was never the right temperature, and they kept sending stuff back. Now, I'm all for people having their food done the right way, but I can't imagine that ALL of their dishes were not prepared properly. Especially in this restaurant. Anyway, so Adam asked us how we were doing, and Krina teased him that everything was just not the right temperature. He picked up on the sarcasm and enjoyed our table more than he did the others, of course. Especially with us single gals flirting with him and Morgan the whole time. Hey, it got K a free glass of wine so that she could catch up with the drunk people at her table, as well as a friendly good night greeting at the end of the evening.

Sher, Morgan and Krina

For dessert, I ordered the Chocolate Soufflé with chocolate sauce, which was nice and warm and gooey on the inside. Mo ordered the Raspberry soufflé with Pistachio sauce. We actually renamed it Shrek sauce because it was green.

Raspberry Souffle with Shrek Sauce

This time, we all got our OWN boxes of chocolates. They love us. We said our goodbyes to Morgan, and he had Adam escort Krina out, so that she could take her glass of wine with her.

Krina and Adam

It was too smoky at the fire pit, so we brought our cigars to Mo & K’s balcony to enjoy. Since it was my first cigar, Mo had to tell me, "Suck it Hard" while trying to light it. Lo mentioned later on that she didn't think I ever needed anyone to tell me that. Lo cracks me up.

Some Drunk Girl

After getting my fill of cigar smoking, I went inside to join the gals and we watched "CSI Miami" to understand why Mo likes the colors of the set. We eventually turned it to "Get Smart" and watched before we decided to go back to our own room.

I just kept thinking that I had cigar smoke in my hair. Thank goodness we'd be going to the spa tomorrow, so that I could have nice things for my olfactory senses to enjoy.

Next Up: Spa & Sonoma Day

Let the Wining & Dining Commence!

Girls' Trip to Napa

Day 1 -- Friday, June 19, 2009

About a year ago, Mona, Lori and I decided that we needed a Girls' Trip to commemorate our 40th birthdays. Our first idea was to take a culinary cruise in the Mediterranean, but life got in the way, and we ended up planning a trip to Napa instead. Mo invited her cousin Krina to join us, too.

I picked up Lo in the morning, and we met up with Mo at the airport gate. Much to our surprise, Mo was wearing braces! APPARENTLY, we hadn't seen her since March, because that's how long they've been on her teeth. Oh. Our plane was delayed about a half-hour due to a scratch on the door of the plane. Southwest needed to confirm with their corporate office that it was still OK to fly, and we were on our way. Krina picked us up at SJC.

While in San Jose, we visited the Winchester Mystery House. The structure was incredible, and Mary Winchester, we were told numerous times by tour guide Wayne, was quite the genius and Bill Gates of her time.

View from 4th Floor

She had the house designed with central air/heating, she had a bathroom with a shower that would spray water on all parts of her body at once, and she had plenty of money for all of the beautiful stained-glass windows that were situated throughout her house. Her favorite number was 13, as evidenced by that shower room with 13 windows, and by her penchant for daisies. Did you know that a daisy usually has 12 petals, but a Perfect Daisy has 13? You do now. :)

My favorite: The Daisy Window

Wayne was a fun tour guide, although he freaked me out when he laughed, especially when we were about to enter the seance room. Lo had a little bit of trouble understanding him due to a slight speech impediment, mixed with an Eastern US accent.

Wayne in one of the bathrooms

I was impressed with Mo's knowledge of history, as she asked him intelligent questions that were also interesting. The tour that we took was a mile long, including steps, which were mostly only a quarter of an inch high, due to Mrs. Winchester's arthritis. We really enjoyed our tour. I would have bought earrings if they had made any with the daisy design, but they didn't. Why don't marketers consult me before they put out souvenirs that nobody is going to use?

We met up with Mo's stepson, Kenneth, for lunch at Le Jardin. The restaurant served mostly tapas, and it was outside, between 2 street blocks. I had some sangria, which was refreshing, but still didn't beat the sangria we made at my house on Sangria Night. Kenneth pulled what Mo calls an "Eremita" and dropped food on floor. This actually became a point of humor several times this weekend, as we pulled many Eremitas throughout the trip. No, Kenneth had not been drinking at all, unlike the rest of us. We talked about celebrating Kenneth’s 21^st birthday, with different options of entertainment. I don't know about y'all, but I never planned my 21st birthday with my parents and their friends. Kenneth was being quite the sport.

Mo, Lo and Sher at Le Jardin, Happy to finally be on Vacation!

We went to Krina’s house to split to 2 Hondas, because Krina would need to leave our trip earlier than the rest of us. Krina & I took a detour to San Francisco to pick up something from her cousin, and during the ride, the "hot DA" called to tell her that she had helped him to get a guilty verdict. We're proud of you, Krina! You definitely need to go out for drinks with him to celebrate. :)

We drove up to Sonoma, checked in to the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Lo and I checked into our room, where there was a bottle of Kenwood table wine, which Lo opened with expertise, although she had never opened a bottle of wine before.

Look how perfectly she opened that bottle with a corkscrew!

Sherry starts with the Wine drinking -- Thanks, Lo!

After unpacking our bags, we walked down to the lobby to confer with Mo & K about dinner. After speaking with a couple of hotel staff workers, and checking out the menu, we decided to have dinner at Sante, a restaurant inside the hotel. Sante boasts to be the only AAA 4-diamond restaurant in Sonoma, whose Chef Andrew Cain was formerly the sous-chef at the well-known restaurant French Laundry. When we arrived at our table, we saw beautiful chargers, which, we learned, were hand-blown in Colorado and custom made for the restaurant. Our server for the evening was Morgan, who pretended to remember Krina from when she was there with another friend & had lobster mac and cheese and stayed until they closed. At least I think he pretended. I don't know. Morgan was very friendly, and when we mentioned our flight, he said that he wanted a Zombie for his backyard, and not a Yeti, from the SkyMall catalog.

Sommelier Eric Henson approached our table, and we asked for his advice. All of us except Lo are red wine drinkers, but Lo hadn't yet met a red that she enjoyed. So we asked Lo to be our taster for the evening. Eric brought over a pinot noir, and Lo thought that it was bitter. Eric was doubting her because she had previously said that all red wine was bitter to her, but he really thought that this wine should have been OK for her. He tasted it himself, and AGREED! It had been corked or something, because he also made that "eew, it's bitter" face. Lo ROCKS! Then he brought over a nice, smooth 2007 Rochiole Pinot Noir from Russian River. All of us at the table enjoyed the wine, including Lo, who did the tasting this time also. Have I told you that Lo ROCKS!?

We were served a choice of slices of Sourdough Bread or Fig & Walnut Bread with Organic Butter, French Butter and Sea Salt. Some of us opted for both, but I stuck with the Fig & Walnut bread. It was delicious. I had never put sea salt on top of my buttered bread before, but it was quite nice.

We then received a Complimentary Amuse Bouche from the tasting menu: Chilled Asparagus Soup with Crème Fraiche, and Maine Lobster Remoulade. It was quite tasty. I'm not usually a fan of asparagus, but I liked this soup, and the chilled factor made it very refreshing. The remoulade was wonderful. I could have had just this stuff all night, but that wasn't the point.

Amuse Bouche

Our appetizers were Mac & Cheese with Maine Lobster & Truffles, and Escargots with Sweetbreads. Since we had forgotten what was actually described in the menu, Mo thought that she had tasted corn, but they were actually the Sweetbreads. Now, all of my foodie friends, don't be alarmed, but a couple of us didn't know what sweetbreads were, and I didn't want to describe them incorrectly. Morgan advised us that they were actually the Thymus gland from veal. Whatever it was, it was delicious. As was the Mac & Cheese. Y.U.M.

My main dish was a Filet of Red Snapper with Dungeness Crab wontons, sugar snap peas, baby bok choy, in lemongrass sauce, or soup, or something. (I can't remember what it was called). The Snapper was delicious, the wontons were tasty, and I ate all of my vegetables, and wanted to slurp up the soup. It was wonderful.

For dessert, I asked Morgan, "What is a Financier, besides an Accountant?" He explained that it was a type of cake, and this one was made of almond flour. Being a fan of almonds, I ordered the Almond Financier with Lemon & Thyme Ice Cream and Blueberry Reduction. It was beautiful, although my picture didn't do it justice, and on top of it was a sugared lemon slice as garnish. Yummy.

This is a picture of Mo's dessert: I don't remember what it is, but doesn't it look scrumptious?

Afterward, we were given a yummy box of sweets for us to share in each of our rooms. It contained a truffle, jelly candy, meringue cookie with filling & a lavender-flavored marshmallow. We were too full to eat it before we went to bed, though.

We said our goodbyes to Morgan, after making sure that he would be working the next evening, in case we ended up there for dinner again. When he asked if he should have it charged to a room, I blurted out my room number before realizing that I just needed to write it down on the bill. Oops. REALLY! OOPS! Morgan laughed, and said that he'd see us all for Lobster Mac N Cheese tomorrow.

We parted ways with Mo & K, took a gander at the firepit at the hotel entrance, and went back up to our room. It actually took a little longer that it should have because our elevator door takes FOREVER to close. I mean, what if someone was chasing us? Oh, that's right. We're in Wine Country. If anything, people would be stumbling after us, and we could just walk over their bodies to speed up the stairs. :) Of course, if we were stumbling, too, that would be a different story. Perhaps there will be stumbling tomorrow.

Next Up: Wine Tasting in Napa (Told ya -- stumbling)

A Wedding Carol

A couple of co-workers and I went out on Saturday night to celebrate a birthday.  Since they both live in the La Crescenta/Montrose area, we decided to go out somewhere near their houses.

Dinner was at Cafe Sole in La Canada Flintridge.  The restaurant is in a little strip mall next to the Regal Cinemas, where we were going to see a movie.

The restaurant is small, but they also have seating outside, which is where we dined.  Bread with olive oil/balsamic vinegar is placed on the table, as well as some tomato & basil topping.  I did like the tomato & basil (bruschetta-like) topping, and ate way too much of it. ;)  I ordered a glass of wine, and the Pappardelle dish, which was the ribbon pasta with Italian sausage, artichokes, and marinara sauce.  I liked the taste of the dish, but felt that there was too much sauce or too much of a taste in the sauce that I didn't want to have all over my pasta.  My companions enjoyed the salmon special, which was on top of vegetables, and had capers; and the shrimp linguine special, which had asparagus.  I prefer other Italian restaurants in the area, which are also close to the theater, but this is really, really close to the theater, so if you'd rather have the convenience, then it's fine.  I don't really recommend the red sauce, though.

We had decided to see "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" due to the timing of the movie, and the fact that the birthday girl is not into sci-fi/action stuff.  This is why I wanted to see Wolverine the night before, since I knew that I wouldn't get to see it on Saturday.  I figured that I'd probably see this movie on HBO or whatever later on, but it was Girls Night, so I dealt with the whole Chick Flick decision. 

• People are rude at that theater.  One gal ANSWERED her cell phone & talked to whomever from her seat instead of leaving the room.  I was so busy being distracted by the people in back of me to talk to her, though.  The woman and the man with her gave commentary, which was funny when I thought it was just during the previews.  But no.  She kept going, and it was LOUD.  She got shushed by one of my friends, but didn't stop.  Then I turned around and asked her to please be quiet, and my friend reinforced it, but still they continued.  I couldn't take it anymore, so I picked up my stuff, apologized to my friends, and moved up several rows.  Mind you, I could still hear their laughter from there, but at least I didn't have to hear EVERYTHING, and could actually pay attention to the movie.  My friends joined me, so we were still all together.  Had the theater been full, I would have gone out and talked to an usher, but I don't know how helpful that would have been.  They were pretty busy that night.
• The film was a cute twist on "A Christmas Carol," with the main Connor Mead being not so Scrooge-y with his, um, assets.
• Jennifer Garner's dimples are too cute for words.  
• Matthew McConaughey played quite the cad, but I enjoyed seeing (through the girlfriend ghosts) why he was that way.
• Michael Douglas looked like a creepy lech in those sunglasses, but I guess that's what he was supposed to look like.
• Lacey Chabert's bridezillaness made me wonder why the brother was marrying her in the first place.  I saw no chemistry there, but they weren't the center of the story anyway.
• The Ghost of Girlfriend Past was hilarious, as well as the vehicle they used for traveling through time.
• I've been a bridesmaid/maid of honor several times.  At none of those ceremonies did I expect the bride to set me up with someone for wedding weekend sex, or whatever they called it.  Were my friends just not doing their job, or is this a new thing?  
• Fun chick flick, predictable of course, but most rom-coms should be.

All in all, I had a fun evening with my friends. I think I'll suggest another theater next time, though, especially if it's on a weekend.  Ugh.

Spring is Here, and so is the Sangria

For most people, Friday evenings are a day to unwind after a hard week at work.  I'm no exception to that.  In fact, when the weather is warmer, I like to open a bottle of wine when I get home, get my newest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" that arrives on Fridays, and sit in my backyard to enjoy the outdoors.

I'm glad that Spring is here!  

Linda came over a couple of Fridays ago, and I ordered pizza and pasta.  I had designated the night to be Sangria Friday, so we made Sangria and lemon bars.  Jenn called while we were baking, saying that she would be in the neighborhood, so I invited her to join in on the fun.  Being the generous person that she is, Jenn is unable to show up at a gathering empty-handed, so she decided to make Kahlua Chocolate Chip Cookies and brought ingredients along with her.

I had never made Sangria before.  I knew that the recipes call for the mixture to be chilled for awhile, and found one that didn't need overnight chilling (because I was just too tired to go to the grocery store and make the stuff on Thursday night).  I bought some Tortuga Bay spiced rum and Turning Leaf Merlot, as was suggested (not the brands, but the types of liquor -- the wine was suggested to be Blackberry Merlot) on allrecipes.com, where I obtained the recipe.  I'm not necessarily a fan of Merlot, but when I tasted it, it was very smooth and yummy.  That's a good thing, because it took me a while in the store to find a merlot that specifically contained blackberries, and then when I found some of them, I couldn't remember which ones actually l wanted to choose from.  

My first taste of Sangria was when I was in Spain on a choir tour.  I like the fruitiness of the drink.  This particular Sangria was deliciously smooth.  It just tastes like a sweet wine at first, and then a little bit into the second glass, the alcohol hits.  Whoa.  It was gooooood, though.

Cheers, Ladies!

So we enjoyed our meal, our lemon bars, and our chocolate cookies, accompanied by the scrumdiliumptious Sangria.  Jenn showed us some funny as well as inspiring links on YouTube.  Then we decided to take a walk, and ended up at the shopping center near my house.  Most of the stores were closed, but Marshalls was still open, so we went inside.  Since I was the only one who had brought her wallet, I offered to buy whatever if we found stuff we liked, and they could just reimburse me.  Not yet 2 minutes had passed, and I hear from Jenn: "Sher?"  She had found a cute set of patio furniture.  I agreed that it was cute, and asked if she wanted to buy it, not thinking that maybe we'd need to carry it home (we walked, remember?).  Then I thought, "Well, how are we going to fit that into her little sports car?"  Jenn decided that she'd just come back to buy it on another day.  While Linda looked through the plethora of purses, I tried on a dress and decided to buy it. 

We walked home with me happy about my new dress.  I had more Sangria while the other gals rested a little bit before going home.  

Thanks for the great time, gals!  I wonder if Jenn went back to Marshalls for that table.  I wonder when I'll get to finish the last of the Sangria.  I know I'll be making it again.  Linda has requested it for Margarita Friday, in case she decides that she doesn't like margaritas.  What?!  Oh, OK.  Twist my arm. ;)

Mo Better Bluezz

Sunday, December 28, 2008

We were supposed to celebrate Mo's birthday by seeing "Wicked" on December 21st until I realized that it was the day that Rockapella was performing in Rrrrrancho Cucamonga.  We all know how that became R:EF, though, don't we?  Instead, we ended up with tickets to no "Wicked" show, because by the time we looked at alternate dates, none of the available seats were seated next to each other.  This isn't usually that big of a deal to me, but since Mo was bringing her daughter, it just wasn't feasible.  I felt awful about it.  I felt even more awful when R:EF happened.  Do you see now why I was so depressed that day?  

Anyway, Mo chose to celebrate dinner out with the girls at Red, White & Bluezz in Old Town Pasadena, a place that she had been to a few times with her husband.  I wasn't really that excited about it when she mentioned it as a "wine & cheese tasting place".  Now y'all know that I love the wine, but I usually end up driving to our gatherings, so I couldn't do the wine part, and I don't love cheese as much as many of my friends do.  This was Mo's birthday celebration, however, so I refrained from vetoing it a second time.  Mo told us the name of the place and when I looked it up on the website, I saw items that I could eat that wouldn't involve too much cheese or wine.  Actually, I thought to myself, "Why didn't she just send me the website address the first time, so that we could have gone sooner?"  But that's OK.

Red, White & Bluezz is more than a wine & cheese tasting place.  Sure, one side of the menu is nothing but wine flights and cheese flights (oh, and a chocolate flight).  But there is also a regular menu, and live jazz.  You would think that Mo would have mentioned the live music to me as well, but no.  I think I need to teach her how to get my buy-in. :)

Mo got there before us because I was running late as usual.  She had some difficulty acquiring us a table that was not right next to the jazz combo (I wanted to hear the music, but not have it drown out our conversation), because one person said that the table toward the back of the restaurant was reserved, and another one said that it wasn't.  They seated her at the table in the back, and we noticed that throughout the evening, there was a table near us that they never filled.  We assumed that this was the actual table that was reserved, but either those people decided not to come, or they were going to get there really late.  Our server was OK, but it took awhile for one of the courses to be served, and he never did apologize to us.  I also don't like the question, "How are we enjoying our food?"  First of all, who are you, the Queen of England?  What's this "we" business?  Did you snack on our food before bringing it to our table, and that's why it took you so long?  And if we aren't enjoying our food at all, what are we supposed to say?  "We're not enjoying it, thanks for asking why I've spit it into my napkin"?  I' m much better with "Is the food prepared to your liking?" or some such thing.  The whole presumed enjoyment thing is, well, presumptuous.  

We started with an appetizer of Saffron Tempura Stuffed Prawns, which were tasty, and the vinaigrette tasted like the sweet chili sauce found in Asian restaurants.  I ordered the Kobe Beef Burger, and it was wonderful.  Yeah, I paid $16 for a burger, but it was gooooooood, not only because the beef was so flavorful, but also because it came with a huge serving of sweet potato fries.  All I can say is, "Hello, with the YUM!"  Mo & Lo shared an order of 5 items from the Cheese & Charcuterie List.  I will say this about our presumptuous server: he sure did know his cheeses.  They also split a burger for themselves, since they weren't quite full after the meat and cheese plate.  The desserts on the menu were different than those on the website.  I probably would have gone for some sweet potato pie for myself if the menu had been the same at the restaurant, but we ended up sharing a sampler platter, which had more cheese, and they were pretty much tired of having cheese by that point.  We didn't think that the menu mentioned that the sampler included cheese, but it did say "triple creme," so maybe we should have known better.  The truffles were nice, though, and the carrot cake had interesting carrot crunchies on top of it.  

We enjoyed our meal,  due to the food, the atmosphere, and especially our always-lively conversation and each other's company.  I would like to go there again, maybe when I'm not driving, so that I can do one of the wine flights, a chocolate flight, and maybe have that burger again.  Seriously.

Happy Birthday, Mo!