I am one of those people who has always loved traditions. Call it boring, call it routine, but there's something very human and emotional about creating, keeping, and sharing traditions. Being back in SF reminds me of a lot of traditions that are now a part of my not-too-distant past, and how much life has changed even though I'm literally back here every other week. I may be physically here, but the traditions and routines that I've associated with this place have mostly been severed, and new ones are starting to form in NYC. I guess that's just another sign that SF is no longer "home"...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Reminiscing: 2009 in Food
I may not have traveled to too many places this year, but I sure as hell ate a lot. There were a lot of heavy hitters this year, and I'm always grateful that friends and family are there to share the bounty with me. Here are highlights of some of the restaurants I hit up there past year:
Momofuku Ssam Blue Hill at Stone Barn Cookshop L20 Pazzia Aziza
Fuki Sushi Dynasty The Jade The Spotted Pig dbBistro Moderne Santa Ramen
Spruce Ad Hoc Hog Island Oyster Company Commis SGD Tofu House GreensIno Sushi Alinea Out the Door Home Spruce Morimoto Chow Matsugen Le Bernadin
Fuki Sushi Dynasty The Jade The Spotted Pig dbBistro Moderne Santa Ramen
Spruce Ad Hoc Hog Island Oyster Company Commis SGD Tofu House GreensIno Sushi Alinea Out the Door Home Spruce Morimoto Chow Matsugen Le Bernadin
Cafe Boulud Tipsy Parson Kaygetsu A16 Barbuto La Mar Ubuntu
Most elaborate meal - That would be, of course, Alinea. Did I mention it took 4 hours?
Best food with a view - Outstanding in the Field's meal at Half Moon Bay by Aziza chef Mourad Lahlou. Where else would your dinner be interrupted because the tide soaked a few guests and one woman "fell" in the water with her purse?
Best meal for watching food porn - Grab a seat at the Chef's Counter at Commis. You will never see tweezers the same way again.
Most overused protein - Pork belly
And there you have it. Coming in 2010...Momofuku Ko (gotta get my act together), Momofuku chicken dinner, Manresa, Quince redux, modern, and maybe it's time to hit up Daniel?
And here are some other food-related fun facts
Most consumed beverage - Quad soy lattes. Ack.
Longest meal - 4-hour dinner at Alinea. It started at 10 and wrapped up around 2 in the morning. Damn, I get tired just thinking about it.
Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - For the second year in a row, there have been no winners in this formerly-favourite category of mine. Domestic carriers suck.
Most consumed beverage - Quad soy lattes. Ack.
Longest meal - 4-hour dinner at Alinea. It started at 10 and wrapped up around 2 in the morning. Damn, I get tired just thinking about it.
Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - For the second year in a row, there have been no winners in this formerly-favourite category of mine. Domestic carriers suck.
Best dish - (3-way tie) "Deconstructed" pork belly at The Spotted Pig; Kobe Steak with "A1 steak sauce" powder at Alinea; "Off-menu" sea urchin pasta with caviar at Le Bernadin.
Best meal, period. - Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Nevermind that there was no menu. Nevermind that you order wine before you know what the heck you're going to eat. Flawless execution and fresher-than-fresh product makes the meal the best one I had all year.
Best meal, period. - Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Nevermind that there was no menu. Nevermind that you order wine before you know what the heck you're going to eat. Flawless execution and fresher-than-fresh product makes the meal the best one I had all year.
Best "I'm surprised I'm full" meal - Dinner at Ubuntu, where everything was vegetarian. I still dream about their gnocchi "carbonara". Fake bacon never tasted so good.
Most elaborate meal - That would be, of course, Alinea. Did I mention it took 4 hours?Best food with a view - Outstanding in the Field's meal at Half Moon Bay by Aziza chef Mourad Lahlou. Where else would your dinner be interrupted because the tide soaked a few guests and one woman "fell" in the water with her purse?
Best meal for watching food porn - Grab a seat at the Chef's Counter at Commis. You will never see tweezers the same way again.
Most overwhelming dining experience - My first-ever American Thanksgiving meal. Y'all are hardcore. There were 7 pies at the dinner I went to, which only had 14 guests.
Coolest fan-girl moment - meeting David Chang with George at work :)
Most overused protein - Pork belly
Most underrated protein - Tripe
Next protein to become overexposed in 2010: Beef cheek
And there you have it. Coming in 2010...Momofuku Ko (gotta get my act together), Momofuku chicken dinner, Manresa, Quince redux, modern, and maybe it's time to hit up Daniel?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Reminiscing: 2009 in travel
2009 was a decidedly aggressive year in travel for me -- not like the multi-country-hopping-in-5-days-esque craziness of yesteryear (oh yes, good ol' 2006) -- but in the sheer volume and repetitiveness of where I flew and how often I flew. If you watched Up in the Air, well, that was my life in 2009, minus the George Clooney and the sad middle American destinations. It's also the first year in probably a decade (!?) that I did not leave the continental North America. At all. And I still made it to 1K. Yes, that's how much I flew.
San Francisco Park City New York City Chicago Sacramento
Napa Los Angeles Beacon Vancouver
Napa Los Angeles Beacon Vancouver
Miles flown - 113,570
Other ways to think about that how far that is - It's about halfway to the moon. Or 10 roundtrips to Hong Kong from the west coast. Or driving from SF to Mountain View and back, 1,419 times.
Most frequented route - No brainer on this one. JFK-SFO. And then in reverse. Every week for 6 months straight.
Shortest trip - 8 hours in LA. Took the 8pm flight from SFO, came back on the 6am flight the next morning. I didn't even touch the bed in my hotel room. The things we do for work.
Best frequent traveler perks - I get the same room at the Four Seasons every time, stocked with a fridge, humidifier, and all of the luggage & George's stuff that we store there permanently. They also give George bottles of Fiji Water. I get the same white Camry (not just the car type, but the actual car) from Hertz, even though I only paid for a Corolla.
Most frequented route - No brainer on this one. JFK-SFO. And then in reverse. Every week for 6 months straight.
Shortest trip - 8 hours in LA. Took the 8pm flight from SFO, came back on the 6am flight the next morning. I didn't even touch the bed in my hotel room. The things we do for work.
Best frequent traveler perks - I get the same room at the Four Seasons every time, stocked with a fridge, humidifier, and all of the luggage & George's stuff that we store there permanently. They also give George bottles of Fiji Water. I get the same white Camry (not just the car type, but the actual car) from Hertz, even though I only paid for a Corolla.
Best frequent traveler perk that went away this year - Westin Heavenly Quilts on United's Premium Service flights in Biz & First Class. Apparently Westin ended the partnership. So now we're back to crappy blankets. Or bringing my own.
Weirdest thing I learned about airport security - They'll pat you down, and turn your stuff inside out, but they will never, ever touch your dog.
Worst travel experience - (Tied) Flying post-shoulder surgery with a giant sling that you can't take off or move. Dealing with the Canadian airport security post-Christmas terrorism attempt.
Weirdest thing I learned about airport security - They'll pat you down, and turn your stuff inside out, but they will never, ever touch your dog.
Worst travel experience - (Tied) Flying post-shoulder surgery with a giant sling that you can't take off or move. Dealing with the Canadian airport security post-Christmas terrorism attempt.
Coolest place I visited - The town of Beacon in the Hudson River Valley, home to awesome art galleries, and the DIA:Beacon.
Cool places I was supposed to visit but didn't because of work - Japan, Helsinki, Stockholm, Madrid, Copenhagen, and Lisbon.
Best room service experience - Judy came over to the FS Palo Alto for a sleepover and we ordered some fries. They came cold (okay, lukewarm) so we asked for replacements, and the manager brought them up himself, on a silver platter, naturally.
Worst excuse for a hotel - Crown Cabana in Mountain View. The curtains had a binder clip on them to keep them closed, and the sink was about a foot too short for me, even though I'm only 5'4".
Coolest thing I did on a plane (or many planes) - Launched the first-ever inflight online scavenger hunt, Day in the Cloud, with Virgin America, and gave everyone free wifi for the day.
The first half of 2010 is looking a lot like a repeat of the last six months, but there are some exciting events ahead including Sundance and the 2010 Winter Olympics! Here's to friendlier skies and safe travels!
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