Thursday, February 11, 2010

Tastyness Pause

So sorry for the brief pause of the The Blog of Tasty, but a few things needed to get done.  And of course I will be sure to write and discuss all things that have happened since that last wonderful Tasty Blog.  So onward.

Here comes the first installment of tasty treats.  My wife and I just visited the main land for a couple of days and ventured into the know Sierras for North Lake Tahoe.  Upon arrival at the cozy lake house that we were renting with 13 other people we were very happy to have driven from San Fransico to Lake Tahoe safely and unharmed and hungry.  Since there were so many of us it was much more effective if we bought and made most of our food.  So we made a loose menu and went to costco in Reno, NV to gather supplies. It was not amazing that we spent most of our money on Beer and Spirits but for the most part the food we made was quite good.  Julia and I went on a side trip and visited my Grandfather and Aunt right outside of Reno for a couple of days and enjoyed family and some of the best wine that my aunt has been collecting.  They live in the middle of nowhere and it was really refreshing to see such vast emptiness but still have a warm family feeling.  Once Julia and I returned to Tahoe we were ready for some fun with the friends that were waiting for us.  The whole group had a lot of fun skiing and snowboarding during the day and eating and drinking in a hot tub that was almost sub-warm temps the whole week we were there.  We ate mostly home made food to save money but we had some food at the slopes and at some happy hour places.  Besides the outdoor stuff I was really interested in the known northern country style of cooking.  The Sierras and most of that foothillsy areas and the northern part of CA/NV are well known for the very famous cooking techniques.  The masterful skill to make everything with some sort of greasy fat and make everything unbelievable unhealthy is an art for that I long to learn.  I have some background in the art of B&G and country style cooking but I want to learn more.  Unfortunately we were unable to eat all of these wonderful tastys because we were trying to save money on the trip, but we made it to one awesome spot called THE OLD POST OFFICE. Link to This Review. This is the review that I wrote in Yelp!  It was the last day of Tahoe and I really needed to have a good hearty breakfast before the long ass drive to SF.  It was truely what I want to eat everyday I am alive but in hawaii we don't have places to eat like that. But all in all I loved the beauty of the area.  I feel like Lake Tahoe might be the only other place that I would live besides Hawaii.

Soon it was time to leave the high country so we started our 5hr decent to San Fransico.  It was sad to leave but I was drooling over the idea of Cioppino, crab, mussels, bread and beer. It makes a man almost cry of the sound of cracked crab and the suds popping in the neck of a good beer.  But before we got to the crying we had to stop halfway and visit a known shop and market call Ikedas.  Don't ask about the name its not really that important, the place says it all.  its a little market in Foothills and this place makes everything from candy to hot sauce.  They have pies, beer, burgers, veggies, fruit, pies, bread, coffee, it is insane how much stuff they have.  Julia and I couldn't help but to buy tons of coffee (that was gone in a couple of days), and everyone else had armfuls of stuff ready to take with them to hawaii.  After a good thorough walk through we had to be on our way and head into SF.  The drive into SF was a very refreshing feeling, being from the Bay area I could remember almost everything that ever happened to me while going up there.  Nostalgia only hit for a second, after that all I could think, smell, and dream of was bread, beer, and some tasty sea-creatures. Once we checked in to the hotel and before we were settled we had to figure out where and how we were gonna eat and drink as soon as possible.  We all agreed that for the only night we were gonna be there we would focus on eating as much good food and drinking as much good drink as we could, a food and beverage pilgrimage if you will, in the city that has everything, Mecca if you will of food and beverage.  The first location for happy hour was Nonna Rose's at #7 Fishermans Wharf.  Pupus and beer were pretty dang good, the real "happy" part of the hour was the fresh sourdough bread and the house ale.  The atmosphere was very nice, the smell of the bay was sweet and the outside seating was just awesome.  The rest of the food was pretty dang good too, the clams were killer and the oysters were fresh and tasty.  After more friends came to help us out with our mission to eat and drink good tasty stuff trough San Fransico we took a walk down to the Pier 39 to try and find a good place to have entrees.  After making a fool of myself by calling up a french restaurant on an island and asking how much dinner was and realizing that it would have taking all of our money to have one crab and a napkin, we walked to the Fog Harbor Fish House.  The FHFH was a pretty darn good place to eat, the food was pretty enjoyable and the beers were served cold but 20+ bucks for each entree was a bit pricey.  Everyone enjoyed their meal but I was a bit disappointed, my cioppino was too pasta saucy and over all was not what I had expected.  I know, I know, that some cioppinos do have the tendency to be that way but I prefer mine to be on the soupy side.  It's mostly a preference and thats how I make mine at home but it was still satisfactory.  Julia had some of the best Fish & Chips I have ever had and would really appreciate some right now just thinking about them.  All in all, the bread and beer was my favorite part of the eating of San Fransico.  I must say that Anchor Steam Beer is now one of my favorites, a must try for anyone who likes beer. And the sourdough bread is by far the best bread on earth and I hope that everyone might one day eat really good sourdough bread.  Onward, we decided that the night was young and we needed to part take in the night life of SF, cause we like to boogie. All references aside the Fog City Diner was closed and the only other option was to go drink.  We skipped to the Trolly and was pulled by cable car up to Union Square where conveniently the Sir Francis Drake Hotel was the first stop.  The trolly man told us that the Starlight Lounge was on the 21st floor and it was a good place to hang.  I looked it up on Yelp just recently and noticed that its kind of a touristy place to go but locals love to go there too, it was fun so no regrets.  Its a pretty fancy pantsy place and I felt as though I should be wearing a tux or something.  The Drinks are very tasty, I had a Macallan 30 and it was so delightful.  I just wish I had a wonderful cigar to compliment it.  We danced the night away and and headed back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep for the butt early flight back home.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip!  Going to see family and hangin with friends was very nice.  I just wish Julia and I could do that more often.

Notes and Sidenotes

  • Four-wheel drive vehicles are very important in snowy mountain areas.(Ask for a four-wheel drive and double check if you rent one)
  • Do not bring/drink beer on the cable cars in SF. You will be asked to waste your beverage
  • You will freeze if your hot tub is not hotter than 80 degrees
  • Always go for a walk after happy hour so you can digest and enjoy the next meal
  • If you love food, food will love you back
Until I blog again

The Blogger of Tasty