J://Jookwarrior Revisited/Archive/April 2005

April 15th, 2005 - 6:08PM - Around Miami/Sushi Samba/Cafe Nuvo/Aquatica/Beach

Ehhhh...so I'm coming out of the funky restroom in the convention center and in walks this guy who's already starting to pull down his fly...like what the heck...you couldn't wait till you got to the urinal?...sheesh...this falls within the category of weird bathroom habits such as putting your hand on the wall while you pee and grunting/sighing with satisfaction. urghhh nasty.

After having spent more than a week in Miami, you get a feel for the people that hang around South Beach. There are defintiely people watchers everywhere and then also people who want to be watched wearing all sorts of scandalous clothes. I wouldn't be surprised if South Beach was the birthplace of the impossibly short shorts.

I was watching Lemony Snicket last night, and there's this one part where the kids make puttanesca and the guy kid says that it means "little ingredients". Although this kid is supposedly the mega-bookworm, he's got it wrong. Puttanesca is a variant of the Italian word for "prostitute". There are different explanations for why the pasta sauce is called that but 2 explanations stand out. One is that prostitutes would cook this sauce and the smell would draw in men and kinda act as a signal that prostitution was around. The other is that the smell is very similar to the smell of whorehouses. Well, there's your Italian lesson for the day.

Omigosh, this guy has taken the new Google Maps and figured out some kind of interface to it. He's mashed Craiglist's Rental Page with Google Maps and in so doing, has created a very compelling web application. Even Google is surprised because they haven't released an API yet. I'm going to have to look more carefully at this guy's code.

Popcorn Shrimp from Big Pink...eh...Cheesecake Factory is much better.

Cool BR Store...they even have a large black flag at the top of the store

Cool Sunset

Went to Sushi Samba (Review) on Lincoln Ave. Here we have Edamame with Seaweed Salad (Hijiki, Red Tosaka, Wakame & Goma Wakame)

2 Samba Rolls...A Rock and Roll and a Dragon...except they called them something else.

All of us had Sea Bass

Best Chilean Sea Bass...Miso-Marinated Chilean Sea Bass...sea bean, palmito, white asparagus & drizzle of yuzu... The asparagus were so good, I ate them without hesitation even though I'm usually not a big fan.

Damn...that was good Chilean Sea Bass

Tres Leite...sponge cake soaked in three milk syrup & cachaca-flamed mango

My first chinese meal in Miami...we got takeout from this place called "Sum Yum Gai". Got the vegetarian Mabo Tofu. Pretty good...although it was pretty sweet.

Espanola Way...this is such a quaint alley. Too bad its so short...only a couple blocks long.

Went to Cafe Nuvo on Tuesday night. Mojitos are a big thing there. Got me a Pino mojito...this was still more mojito than pina colada.

Tomato Bruscetta...I liked this one a lot...I think it was because of the black pepper.

Chilean Sea Bass again...this time it was panko crusted. The noodles had a VERY rich and creamy sauce on it. Almost borderline Mac & Cheese-ish.

On Wednesday night, we all went to Aquatica at the Eden Roc. This is a great shot of the troublemakers Megan and Scott.

My Strawberry Daiquiri. This and the one that Matt ordered pretty much did me in. I had ordered it thinking it was a margarita (my usual fruity choice).

First steak in Miami

Getting red slowly...

The group

Cheesecake Slice

Scott choking Megan...pretty much a recurring theme. hehehe

Walking on the beach

Unfortunately no one fell into the water

Just chillin standing in the ocean...

April 14th, 2005 - 7:17PM - Around Miami/Nemo/Ocean Ave.

The Miami Beach convention center because its got a lot of interesting colors in the hallway area. I'll have to put up some photos later. Here's the interesting escalator area near Registration.

Big Pink's Buffalo Wings

There was a street fair on Lincoln street last weekend. Here's this neat French Lawn Bowling poster that Megan pointed out. It's supposed to be something like bocce ball.

Saw this on Lincoln Ave...reminds me of San Antonio

I love Palm Trees

Outside the Jackie Gleason Theater...another grove of palm trees

Dinner with the guys at Nemo

Love outdoor seating...one of the great things about Miami is that many places here have outdoor seating and its not an afterthought like many of the places in San Francisco.

Spicy Basil Octopus Appetizer and a Tomato Appetizer

Shrimp Appetizer...I loved this...reminded me of Todai and those awesome jumbo shrimp they have there.

Richard's Pork Chops over a bed of ?

Dave's Mahi Mahi

Chilean Sea Bass....hmm mmm mmm...the first of many Chilean Sea Basses. The Nemo version was a stand out though. The procini mushrooms were awesome and the flavor of the fish was great. Steve got this as well.

Dessert...ice creams

Drove up Ocean Ave. on the way back from dinner. Passed by a lot of neon hotels.

Colony Hotel...one of the other hotels had changing lights kinda like how the Irvine Spectrum has that obelisk outside which changes colors.

Gianni Versace's House

Look at those colors Emily!!! :-P

April 9th, 2005 - 12:42AM - Rumi/Big Pink/Carnevale

Went to a place called Rumi (Review) a few nights ago. When we got out of the cab, I was like thinking in my mind..."Oh no...I've chosen a dump"...but the inside looks totally different from the entrance.

The interior of Rumi has these really cool lights. They're tiered...

Like this...

Lights and glasses at an adjacent table...

Benton Lane Pinot Noir

Best Calamari I've ever had...they must have been individually breaded and seasoned. No kidding. I even ate some of the flower petals. :-)

I had a Salmon...first time a server asked me how I wanted it. I said Medium cause it's my opinion that if they ask, then they have pretty good quality salmon. And it totally was. I loved my dish. It had this sweet/spicy glaze on it that was just superb. The spinach/potato chips were also really good too but I'd attribute that to the great cream sauce. Little bits of tomato and mango really accentuated the different flavors.

The group...all of us seemed pretty happy with what we had. Great place...all in all.

We've been eating a lot of Big Pink (Review) Delivery for lunch since it's convenient. Here's my Bacon Burger with Avocado. Tasted really good although the grease did make the bread get a little mooshy. Patty was extra extra thick.

Instead of researching where to go on Sat night, we ended up just walking to the Lincoln Rd area and checking places out. Settled on Carnevale (Review). We had a Danzante Sangiovese for dinner. I LOVE outdoor dining since you get to people watch while you eat.

Here's my Salmon with Lobster Sauce...of course, it couldn't compare with Rumi's Salmon but it was bigger and for me, that's not bad at all. Plus I liked the mixture of lobster bisque and salmon. The distinct flavors really complement each other well. If anything, presentation was a bit lacking.

Matt's desert was interesting looking to say the least...

I like Palm Trees...reminds me of Newport Beach.

April 9th, 2005 - 12:42AM - Yuca/Barton G

Went to this place called Yuca (Review)...Supposedly Yuca stands for Young Urban Cuban American. It's a pretty hip spot apparently that a lot of famous people go to. Anyways, I had the "Chef Andy's Plantain Coated Dolphin". No, its not actually dolphin...dolphin tuna. The description goes "The!!! original plantain coated dolphin served on sweet plantain fufu with seasonal vegetable-roast pepper pistou and tamarind tartar sauce"

Last night, we went to this place called Barton G (Review). This place's presentation and ambience was amazing. Food was good too but for the price, you're paying more for the other things for sure.

Popcorn Shrimp - Tossed Lightly with Sweet Chili Sauce....it was pretty good.

Seafood Martini - One of their specials that night...had snow crab legs, huge shrimp, crab cocktail, green caviar. Hmmmmm...the crab legs were so sweet and the cocktail was most excellent.

Rare Sesame Tuna - With Crispy Sushi Rice Cake, Kim Chee Bok Choy, Yellow Pepper Sauce and Japanese Red Ginger

Good Ol' Southern Fried Chicken - Cream Corn and Cowboy Mash Potatoes

Mousetrap Mac & Cheese - A New Take on a Barton G. Standard the Cheesiest Ever

Zen Tuna Trio - Achieve Perfect Balance with Tuna Tataki, Tuna Carpaccio & Tuna Tartare Taco, Peaceful Ponzu Waterfall...this was just amazing. When I read it in the beginning, I thought that the waterfall meant that they sprinkled ponzu on the tuna beforehand. I just couldn't believe that they actually had a waterfall of ponzu.

Veg-G-licious - Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage with Tofu & Basmati Rice, Buttermilk Mashed Stuffed Mini Potatoes and Fresh Steamed Veggies

Atlantic Salmon and Caviar Pie - Served with Classic Caviar Accompaniments, Dill & Caper Mashed and Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce

Paddle-Away Sea Bass - Baked Papillote Style with Vegetable Oar-zo Salad...this is what I ordered. The Sea Bass came prepared in this paper bag that they cut open at the table. Pretty neat. I had a Mojito with this as well. Good stuff. Although the drinks were definitely LA-Sunset Blvd. prices.

Big Top Cotton Candy - And Over-The-Top Popcorn Surprise...this was brought in with sparklers going on top.

B'Oreo Cheesecake - Oreo Cheesecake Sandwiched between Giant Chocolate Cookies...this also had sparklers.

Cody's Freedom Chimpcakes - Vanilla, Chocolate and Marble Cupcakes. A Variety of Frostings & Toppings. And the freedom to design them yourself.

All in all, this was definitely a great place to have a birthday or whatever. Not for everyday consumption though...first time I looked at a dessert menu that had everything $20+.

April 8th, 2005 - 4:23PM - Emily's Pink Mini Ipod/Miami/Coconut Willies/Bleau View

I don't know how this event got lost but I went with Emily to Studio 8 in San Jose last Friday. It was a huge place. It started off slow but they got some good music up later on. Had a shot of Belvedere and Emily tried the strawberry lemon drop. Both did nothing for us. lol Still I had a great time (amazing for a San Jose club). We're definitely going to try to go to Ruby Skye next time.

There was an annoying old woman in the laundry last Sunday morning. She was incredibly paranoid about the machines and whether they worked or not. Asked me if I thought the machines worked simply because she thought it weird that no one was using them. I was like "Uh....I think they work." Why else would I do my laundry if I didn't think they worked? *Insert a Napoleon Dynamite-esqe "Idiot!"* Anyways, I took over 4 laundry machines and started sorting my stuff into them while she looked at me. Apparently she wanted me to use the machines first before putting in her own stuff. She tried to hurry me on by saying "Why don't you just start 1 of the machines?" I found this to be incredibly rude...telling me how to do my laundry for her own selfish ends. I guess I might have been a bit mean back cause I just gave her this hard stare and said "I think it'll be fine." And it was fine. After I got all 4 of my machines working, she wanted to talk to me some more or something but I was just too tired to stand there and listen to her story. I guess I can get somewhat cranky in the morning.

I understand the need and urge to eulogize Pope John Paul II, but sometimes people are taking it a bit far. How many people have I heard being interviewed on NPR who say stuff like "He was the most caring and open man..." or "He was generous to all" or "He loved everyone and was fair to everybody". Has everyone forgotten that although he was liberal in social issues, he was also incredibly conservative regarding church matters? Being a pretty anti-gay guy doesn't make him a friend to all or that he loves everyone. Some people...so blind.

On Tuesday, Emily and I went driving along Calaveras Rd. where we drove alongside the Calaveras Reservoir. Afterwards, we went to Baker's Square where I surprised Emily with a pink mini Ipod. Got her the 6GB model so it's extra nifty. She was totally surprised cause I put it inside a BR bag...sneaky me. I have this video that I took of her opening the bag but I think she'd be very very embarassed if I put it up. hehe :-P

So I flew out to Miami Beach (Webcam/Radar) on Wednesday. Had an interesting conversation with a telecommunications engineer about the US telecom infrastructure and then gaming. hehehe...took a taxi over to the Fontainebleau Hilton where I'm staying till the 17th. After getting settled in, I went around exploring the grounds and just taking in the ocean. Got this seafood medley thing from a place called Coconut Willies...

...and had lunch in this chair right at the water's edge. A lot better than my usual SF lunches. :-P The key thing is that I was just wearing a shirt and khakis and I wasn't freezing my butt off.

The main pool at the Hilton. There's actually another pool for the kids with a huge octopus on top.

View of the ocean from my room.

Daytime view from hotel room...as I was getting there, the taxi driver would be like "That's Jay-Lo's house....That's so and so's house" I did pass a lot of places that looked like it was straight out of Cribs.

Nightview from hotel room...

The first night I ended up having dinner with Megan, Aimee, and Aimee's sister at one of the hotel restaurants (Bleau View). Had the prix fixe menu. Lobster bisque, lamb shank orzo (shown here), and then a fruit compote. Love orzo. But I think the lamb shank orzo I had in SF was better.

So this was Wednesday night. Thursday night we had a spectacular dinner. One of THE most memorable dining experiences I've ever had. But it deserves its own post so I'll leave it at that.

Here's an interesting image related to the PSP. This was at the Japanese launch. Apparently, they had the models walk around with PSPs strapped to their waist so that people couldn't run off with them. Interesting...in order to play the PSP, guys had to walk over to a girl and ask to play. Might be an innovative way for guys to learn social skills. hahahahaha.

April 6th, 2005 - 8:38PM - Shoes/Macaroni Grill/Stow Lake/Mission Peak/Lake Elizabeth

Hmm...here are my old Skechers...have to toss this pair out cause its getting really tattered. These shoes have been almost everywhere with me. If they would have lasted for the Peru trip, they would have traveled 3 continents. My Timbuk2 bag (which I got in like 1998) has REALLY been everywhere with me since I almost never leave home without it. Peru will probably not be an exception. To replace this pair, I went to the Skecher outlet and got 3 different kinds of shoes. One is almost a direct replacement, the second a brown business shoe, and the third, what I would call the not quite formal, not quite casual tan shoe. I wore that one to work one day, and the gardener person walked by and said "Cool shoes!". And then today Anita said the same thing. I knew I made a good choice. :-P I forget to mention that a few weeks ago, right before I got my haircut, I accidentally stepped into wet cement. Both feet. Felt so sheepish. The thing is someone had already signed the square of wet cement so it wasn't like I had ruined a perfectly good piece of sidewalk...arrggh...still feel bad about it.

We had a fire drill at the apartment complex. Apparently someone set off the alarm when they overcooked something. Hahahha...reminds me of college. 3 firetrucks came to our rescue...that's what happens when you live right next to the fire station I guess.

Macaroni Grill doodles...I drew the princess...the dwarf fat person is from Emily. hehehe actually that was a collaborative effort.

Doesn't this picture look like it was taken in the Deep South? It's actually Stow Lake in the middle of Golden Gate Park.

Pretty blue flowers...

Action shot...taken inside the pagoda on the island in Stow Lake.

On Sunday, I went on the Stanford Ave. trail up Mission Peak. I need to break my boots in and wanted to get a feel for hauling a pack around. Filled my pack with 20 lbs of stuff (laptop/clothes/shoes/tripod/cans of soda). First, I had lunch at Finchi Cafe for the chinese breakfast brunch. Pretty good stuff! Here's the first pic I took. (11:40AM)