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This was an off-menu chap-chae at the Kang Nam Tofu House that Emily and I frequent. There's good reason why it's not on the menu, it's not that great. Seems like a a Chinese chap-chae which makes sense since it's run by Chinese people...good thing they make decent small dishes and soft tofu stew.

I'm moving down to Fremont near the Hub! Still in the East Bay but closer to my special someone. :-P After a bunch of apartment shopping, I decided that the rest of my bachelor days would be spent at this pad. It's not the best looking place (back to white walls again...) but for the square footage (750), there's a lot of room for my stuff.

The living room...soon to be a theatre with Bose surround sound. I'll be selling tickets. This in no way can compare with my dad's setup. He got a new sound system which from what I hear is incredible. It's imported from Deutchland. So, to revise my earlier statement, I'll be selling cheap tickets. This has an air conditioner...finally! I'll probably end up being cheap and running a fan instead though. haha

Love the counter space...it has a breakfast bar which is totally cool. Don't have high chairs for them though. The kitchen is immaculate and I was really impressed with how clean the appliances were...almost like noone had used them.

No more walk-in closets but there's 1 hallway closet, 1 wall-length closet, and an actual storage closet from the patio so I SHOULD be ok. It's funny how I have/need more closet space than Emily does.

The windows face east so I'll be getting lots of natural sunlight during the mornings. Good to wake up to.

It must be cool to be a part of such a large community.

Lake Elizabeth has plum blossoms around it as well.

Ahhh...so beautiful yet so fleeting...

Emily looks good in most anything! Maybe even a clown suit!

Went to the CPK down in San Jose to get some grub. My usual is the Jambalaya but this time it was really too salty.

The new Milan Neopolitan pizza...pretty good, apparently a lot of people are ordering it as well. Wonder how it stacks up compared to the Mushroom Pepperoni Chicken. Here's the description..."A combination of grilled Italian sausage and sweet Italian sausage with sautéed wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Topped with fresh herbs. "

Wild Mushroom is just like the Milan except it doesn't have sausage in it. "Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello and white mushrooms, Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses with a wild mushroom pesto. Garnished with chopped Italian parsley. Also available with chicken."

Emily believes that this is the only way you can enjoy eating a pizza.

Angela takes a more primal approach to eating.

Well, at least she used a fork. hahahaha

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The company I work for had a company lunch a few weeks ago at a place called rnm. It's out of my normal dining sphere so I was glad to try something new. Liked it a lot as the pics will show...

rnm restaurant
598 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Tel:(415) 551-7900

Let's go inside...

First things first...open bar so a lemondrop is in order. I'm one of those with the Asian Flush so a couple drinks and I look like I just ran a marathon in the Sahara or something. Doesn't affect my mental acuity though. Except that one time in Miami.

grilled hearts of romaine with pink lady apples, saint agur, toasted hazelnuts and a champagne vinaigrette...the people who ordered this said it was good but I was sooo glad that I choose the bisque instead. I think they were saying that because they didn't want to feel bad about picking a salad over a bisque.

dungeness crag bisque with mini crab cakes and herb oil...it was incredibly tasty. No cream but then again it didn't really need it. I thought that the thin film of the soup on the sides were a cool artistic touch until I realized that it was probably due to the plate being tilted to 1 side during serving that caused it. The herb oil was cool though.

Just had to have a closeup of the crabcake...it was sooo delicious. I don't know why they don't have this on their regular menu.

Overhead modern chandelier.

Open kitchen, so I watched a little of the preparation. I want to be able to make stuff like this!!!

More truffles please!!!

maine lobster tail "mac and cheese" with mascarpone enriched orzo, gremolata and shaved himalayan truffles...the soup and this dish ended being my favorite of the day. The orzo was so creamy and rich...soooooo good. Each bite was sinful with calories but who cares?!!!

sauteed artctic char on dungeness crab risotto, with meyer lemon, goat cheese and fines herbes...I would have liked to tried the dungeness crab risotto. I'm not that into char though.

grilled rack of lamb on morrocan couscous with huckleberry gastrique and sauteed brussels sprout leaves...from what I heard this was an ok dish...I'm not a fan of couscous though.

pan roasted filet mignon on grilled pain levain with mountain gorgonzola, caramelized pearl onions and cabernet demi glace...the filet mignon was good but this dish didn't taste much different from what you can get at any other french restaurant.

Scott congratulates me on my engagement in his own special way. I told him he waited too long. Hahahaha

meyer lemon tart with huckleberry gastrique and fresh cream...I liked it but I'm no dessert-aficionado. Just enough sweet which is good because I don't like my desserts overly sweet. The huckleberry was nice to mix with the tart.

warm bioche bread pudding with dried apricots, pecans and brandy-caramel sauce...I dunno to me this doesn't scream tasty but to other people, it was positively salivation-deserving.

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I saw this when I was down in Orange County last month. A very beautiful kimono.

Kitayama, a Japanese place in Newport Beach, has some neat decor. Reminds me of the fisherman huts in Rurouni Kenshin.

Restaurant-grade uni and amaebi!!! YUMM!!!

The sashimi lunch was very tasty...

Even came with yummy carbs...

This was on a decorational plate in the lobby. Is the guy with the flaming stick saying,"Hold your hand out, I'm going to use it as a wok!"

Porsche GT2...MSRP $192,000.

When I was down in Orange County, my family went to this Chinese restaurant in Lake Forest that I hadn't been in ages. Had a lot of great dishes including the Walnut Prawns which is a favorite of mine. No Pig Blood/Intesting Hot Pot though, my dad had veto power on that one. :-P Towards the end of the meal though a HUGE cockroach (the kind you see in Asia) fell from the ceiling inlaid light fixture and right into the remains of the walnut prawn with a rather loud sound. Since the sauce is all gooey, it couldn't do anything and got stuck there. We all sat in stunned silence but couldn't help but laugh at the bad luck of the cockroach. The owners blamed asian tourists in the hotel. hehehehe...it's a good thing they have good food...perhaps "flavored" with "special" ingredients?

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Dick's Salmon dish...the vegetables weren't sauteed...the salmon was a little dry and hard...probably the best thing was the potato salad. LOOKS good though...

Crag was watery with not much meat...almost like a blue crab without the sweetness.

Wonder if Emily would mind me putting pictures of pinups on the side of my car. Hehehe...just to clarify things, the Gaslamp Strip Club is a steak place.

Anita stayed at the Omni San Diego...nice interior design.

People fleeing the United States for Mexico. We took the trolley down to the the border which I thought would only take 15 minutes but was actually more like 40 minutes.

Your last chance! Make sure you have documentation! They still take just a driver's license but if you have a passport, you get through much faster.

Lots of people going back to Mexico after work.

On the Border...not just a restaurant anymore.

These are illegals being sent back to Mexico.

Ready for a night in Mexico!

We took the Azul e Blanco (Blue and White) Bus where apparently safety isn't an issue. We even got an onboard singer/musician combo.

Got off at La Revolucion...probably the 2nd or 3rd stop. Lots of liquor stores along the street...here we see a mini beer bong.

They didn't have any Pisco-sours which was disappointing...

After going down La Revolucion, we finally decided on this small place on one of the street corners. Since it was pretty packed (with locals and not tourists), we thought it'd be a good place. We were right! The cheese was good here...smelly but good.

Chiki Jai
Av. Revolución #1388 Zona Centro
Tijuana, B.C. México.
Tel:(664) 685.49.55 y (664)630.03.45
From U.S.: (011-52-664)

Ensalada Chiki Jai

I don't know what the official name of this soup...it's got potatoes and was tasty. How about Sopa Chiki Jai?

Yohanna and I got a Sangria. My first Sangria was in Peru...love them. Sangria is derived from the Spanish word for blood (sangre)...Sangria is made with red wine, fruit juices, soda water, fruit and sometimes liqueurs like brandy or cognac.

Lamb pieces...

Marinated Salmon...Matt said it was the best he's had.

Calamares en su Tinta (Stuffed Calamari in Ink Sauce)

Filete de Pescado al Ajillo (Fish Fillet with Olive Oil and Garlic)

It's a Spanish restaurant so it has a lot of bullfight motifs...apparently a lot of the jai alai players from the stadium next door come over to eat afterwards.

Flan Casero...Flan. Yumm!!!

I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it. Not too sweet which I kinda expected flan in mexico to taste however this was supposed to be spanish flan instead of mexican flan.

A very satisfied group!

Pretty hole in the wall but a nice place nonetheless. Quality cuisine!

Tlaloc "He Who Makes Things Sprout" is the Aztec god of rain, agriculture, fire, and the south. In his kingdom he receives those killed by thunderbolts, water, leprosy, and contagious diseases. Tlaloc was pictured as a man wearing a net of clouds, a crown of heron feathers, foam sandals and carrying rattles to make thunder. Not the most friendly god.

Anita makes a purchase. Those are Mexican cigars. Trust me.

Reminds me of the stands in Peru...these are not as pretty though.

I took this picture and immediately a Border officer nearby came over and told me to not take anymore cause it was federal property. I would have retorted that so were national parks but I didn't want to provoke a full body cavity search. No one looks dignified hobbling around.

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Ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant called Blue Ginger based on a suggestion from Marjo and Yohanna. Here is the expensive but definitely hard Mango-tini. More vodka than usual fruit-tinis. Here's the 411...

Blue Ginger
715 Fourth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 888-0007

Wow...a 888 prefix? So lucky! The number 8 is considered lucky in Chinese culture because it rhymes with the word for fortune. Many people would pay top dollar for cell phone numbers with a lot of 8's in them.

Meg also got one...we usually see eye to eye on food matters.

I got a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup. USUALLY, a bowl at a fancy restaurant is pretty much a 1 person portion. Happily, a bowl at Blue Ginger is closer to traditional chinese places where you can split it with 3 other people.

Pretty aquarium however it was partitioned into 3 sections which kind of ruined the whole long aquarium idea (ie. Mirage lobby aquarium).

Poo Poo Platter...spring rolls, crab/cream cheese wontons, fried shrimp, bbq ribs, beef on a stick. The ribs were pretty tasty and the mustard sauce was bangin'.

Curry Beef...not bad not bad at all. The sauce was good and the beef slices were thin and tender. :-P

Last Emperor's Cashew Chicken...pretty standard.

Sauteed Spinach with Black Mushrooms...my favorite dish at Blue Ginger, and surprise! It's vegetarian. Blue Ginger had a somewhat extensive vegetarian menu.

Cispy Duck (that's how it was spelled in the menu). The vegetables ended up being better than the duck itself.

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I watched "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" a few weeks ago. Didn't affect me as much as the other two in the vengeance trilogy but I still enjoyed it. Apparently, my parents have seen some series with the main actress in it. She's pretty good in the movie.

While listening to NPR, I found out that the Royal Sonesta (where I would have stayed had I gone to New Orleans last year) is now the New Orleans Police Station. They setup a command center in one of the ballrooms or something.

I had passed by Dick's Last Resort in San Diego the last time I was there but after Richard O and Richard G, both recommended it as a lunch place, I had to go along. Dick's is a very college bar type place where the burgers and the drinks are big. At night, they get large crowds probably due to the many drinks they have on hand. Here, Richard O is prepared as you can be to eat. There was a firefighter convention at this time, so the wait was kinda long. The bib says "I got crabs at Dick's". Emily didn't get it. So innocent! :-P

An All-American meal...

See what I mean about college bar? This is so much like the Bear's Lair back at UC Berkeley.

Trains go by the Gaslamp at night so it can be a little noisy.

Went back to Rei de Gado, which I had been to already. This time though we ate in the north side of the restaurant which is much better than the south side. It doesn't have the projection screen but the ambience is much nicer. Plus you end up closer to the grill!

Yes, I'll have another!

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The engagement pics are now up!!! I've put a link up at the top but here it is for completeness. Enjoy!!!

I stayed at the Sheraton Suites again although this time I faced the Balboa Park area.

It's cool because you can see the planes land at the airport. They just fly by in front of you...it's much more exciting than the view I had the last time.

So, there won't be an album of San Diego this time around cause I'm pretty much going to only concentrate on new things in San Diego...mainly food. The first night we went out to a restaurant that Scott had tried out during ACR. Very good recommendation. The restaurant is very health-oriented using only organic ingredients and a "slow food" culture. It's called Region and I'm going to most definitely go visit again. Here's the 411.

Region Restaurant
3671 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: (619) 299-6499

This "Vegetable Minestra" was just delightful. Not overly salty at all which is what you usually get in a minestrone. Since it was a Tuesday, it was "Big Night" at Region which means that they only offer a prix fixe menu on those days. So what's the difference between a minestra and a minestrone? Well, minestra is Italian for soup. Minestrone merely means "big soup". Minestrina is "little soup". In any case, the difference is the thickness of the soup. The grated cheese on top is a good touch that is often overlooked in restaurant chain minestrone.

"Roasted Niman Ranch Beef Loin, Chard Panade"...hmm mmm mmm....tasty and juicy. I'm not a huge fan of chard since usually it's not cooked enough but it was done just right at Region. The panade itself however was somewhat dry instead of slightly moist which is how I like it. A panade is a thick paste made by mixing bread crumbs, flour, rice, etc. with water, milk, stock, butter or sometimes egg yolks.

"Cutlet of Swordfish, Grilled Asparagus, Red Onion Vinaigrette"...that's some nice plating there.

"Hand Rolled Pasta Noodles, Pork Sausage, Greens, Tomato"...Meg was a little uncertain about getting a pasta dish but thankfully, the pasta was light and not heavy at all. I had some of this and it was definitely tasty. The sausage was juicy and had just the right amount of spices. I'm definitely all for the "slow food" movement if it produces food like this.

The "Lemon-Blueberry Pudding Cake" was delightful. I'm not really into sweets so you know it's a winner when I have it all. And I had IT ALL. No remorse when it's that good.

Region's interior had some interesting art pieces all around. There was one wall with the word "TRUST" in big letters presumably to show that we should trust the chef or something. After such an enjoyable evening at Region, I'd trust the chefs with my firstborn. hehehe I'll try and get more pictures of the interesting decor the next time around.

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