All that glitters is good.....

All that glitters is good.....

Sunday, December 25, 2011

How to eat like a Superstar!

Ever since I moved to San Francisco, I've been hearing about Burma Superstar. When you drive down Clement in the Inner Richmond, it doesn't look like anything special, but drive by it around dinner time any evening and you'll see the crowd waiting outside to get in. Before this experience, I'd never thought about Burma, or what they eat in there (sorry Burma). I had no idea what they're style of food was going to be like. When you think about the location of Burma, you start to get a better idea of what they're food is going to taste like. Burma (click the link, learn something!) shares borders with India, China, Laos and Thailand. All of these food cultures influence Burmese food, which combines their dishes and spices in unique ways.


I went with a couple girl friends a few Monday nights ago. Now, on a Monday, right before the holidays, we still had to wait almost an hour for a table. Tip: You can call ahead when en route and put your name on the list. The restaurant isn't very big, but it's nice that they keep the vibe they have going instead of expanding into some giant space. The dishes are pretty big sized, so keeping it family style will fill you up and let you try multiple things on the menu. We started with the salt and pepper calamari, which is mixed up with scallions and jalapeno peppers. The dipping sauce is a balanced combination of spicy and sweet. Next we got the rainbow salad, which was my favorite dish of the evening. It's been featured on the Food Network before and deserves all the hype. The salad is made from 22 ingredients and the server will mix all of the up in front of you. This may not be all 22, but the salad contains papaya, cabbage, cilantro, carrot, tomato, shrimp, onion, vermicelli noodles, potato, string beans, tofu, red chili flakes and garlic. It's topped off with a tamarind dressing. The chefs are actually cool enough to share out the recipe, so if you're a good cook, this may be a good way to impress guests. We also ordered the pumpkin shrimp stew, with shrimp, squash and ginger, and the Burmese style curry, which is pretty mild and comes with you choice of meat and potato. One of my other favorite things that we tried was the side of the coconut rice. The rice has been cooked in coconut juice and is topped with fried onion. I'm not a huge white rice fan but the flavors this rice soaked up are amazing. So if this place worth the hype, most definitely. The flavor combinations are like nothing else. Just make sure to call when you're on your way! They also opened a sister restaurant down the street, B Star, that has shorter wait times and is great for carryout.


Friday, December 23, 2011

Caturday iz on Xmas! Happy holidayz :)





Tastes around town

Last weekend my friend from Boston came to San Francisco, so I gave the whirlwind 48 hour tour. I'm getting pretty good at this. We hit multiple neighborhoods, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and down the curvy part of Lombard Street, saw the Full House house, took in the city skyline from Dolores Park and ate some really good food.

Saturday night we went to this Mediterranean restaurant I had a Groupon for, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The restaurant is called Taste by Paul K, named after it's Armenian owner, which cleared up a bunch of things for me as I couldn't think up any famous chefs by the name of Paul K. The place in near the Civic Center, on Gough and Oak. The interior is warm, with lots of vibrant colors and art. The menu features a lot of traditional Mediterranean fare, with everything from Greek to North African dishes. we started out with salads. I got their iceberg wedge salad, which was drenched in my very favorite green goddess dressing and topped with shaved pecorino cheese. For dinner I got a Greek sampler platter of sorts, the mezza with lamb riblets and kebabs, baba ganoush, pickled cucumber, olives, rosemary and yogurt. It was nice to get to try a little bit of everything. The kebabs and baba ganoush stood out amongst the rest of the plate. My friend got the pappardelle, which usually comes with duck but the evening special was with wild boar. She said it was good but complained that it was too "meat heavy," which a lot of other people I know would consider a definite plus. We tried some fun cocktails from the list as well, which were good but nothing to write home about. Overall, a good experience but not amazing enough to draw me back. In a city like San Francisco where there's so many amazing restaurants, you really have to be good to garner repeat visits!
We went to Mas Sake on Lombard for dinner on Sunday night, and I will be going back here! We stumbled across this place on accident. Everyone always recommends Zushi Puzzle, which is also right there in the Cow Hollow/Marina area of Lombard. Turns out they're closed on Sunday, but we were determined to track down sushi, so we kept walking. We were drawn into Mas Sake by its tagline, "freestyle sushi." After eating there, I'm still not sure what that means but you have to admit, it does sound fun.This isn't your typical Japanese sushi restaurant. They actually boast themselves as a Japanese/Mexican fusion, which is two cultures I never thought I'd see on a menu together. While options like the ahi tacos sounded delicious, we stuck to the rolls. We tried the You're Hot, I'm Scot (yellowtail in spicy cream sauce, with avocado and cucumber), the Spice Marisa Roll (my friend visiting is Marisa, so this tempura spicy tuna roll topped with seaweed salad was a must!), the Crazy Courtney roll (tempura shrimp, mango, avocado, sirracha and cilantro) and a standard spicy tuna roll. The prices weren't too bad but if you're looking for affordable sushi, this place has all-you-can-eat every weekday from 6-7p and all day on Sundays. There's also all-you-can-drink hot sake, which is irresistible. My only minor complaint, the ambiance is that more of a club scene that a restaurant and I feel like that's overdone in sushi restaurants. regardless, it's a great place to eat. I can't wait to compare it to Zushi Puzzle.


Monday, December 19, 2011

Horrible Bosses is not so horrible

A couple weeks ago I Netflixed the movie "Horrible Bosses," which ended up being much funnier than I thought it would be. The movie centers around three friends who have very different but equally uncomfortable work situations that involving have a truly horrible boss. Charlie Day's (from "Always Sunny In Philadelphia") situation made me laugh the most. He's a dental hygienist who's boss (played by the surprisingly hilarious Jennifer Aniston) is sexually harassing him and the unconscious patients. Jason Bateman's character is has an egomaniac boss (played by the always amazing and intense Kevin Spacey) who seems to have a rage problem. Last but not least, Jason Sudeikis's character has a great job until the owner of his company dies and his new boss becomes the son of the owner, a womanizing, politically insensitive coke-addict (played by the almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell). These three friends come to the realization that the only way they can get out of their current work situations is to kill there bosses (clearly this realization came to them while at a bar multiple drinks in). Since none of them have an experience in this area, they ask their On-Star representative to take them to a crime-ridden area of town, where they ask the advice of "Motherfucker Jones" (played by Jamie Foxx). Basically, none of them are very good killers and hilarity ensues. It's an easy watch at a relatively short 98 minutes length. IMDB ranks is 7.1/10 and 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a surprise hit at the box office, accruing over $28 million in the first three days to make it the number two film in the US during its opening weekend, and going on to become the highest grossing black comedy film of all time in unadjusted dollars, breaking the record previously set by "The War of Roses" in 1990. The film has grossed over $209 million worldwide to-date.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Iz tired, is it Caturday yet?



 *The above two I have fellow lolcat fan Christine to thank for, who stole them from the very awesome blog iowagirleats.com.

SF Underground

Earlier this week I met a friend in North Beach at the La Trappe Cafe. I'd never heard about it but my friend said it was one of her favorite places in the city, so I wanted to check it out. They advertise themselves as a Belgian Bistro & Trappist Lounge, which just sounds fun (albeit obscure/mysterious). When you walk into the restaurant at street level, it looks like you're walking into a small, cheesy, generic Italian restaurant. The scene completely changes once you walk downstairs. The lower level underground feels like you're walking into a Belgian grotto. All the walls are brick, it's dark and there's an old-world European feel. There's a seating area for people eating meals and a dark lounge area in back for those who prefer to drink their dinner. We sat at the bar because to quote my friend's mom, "you never know who you'll meet when you sit at the bar."


Here's the part of the review where I explain their beer offering seven though I don't drink beer, so bear with me on this. Since it's Belgian, they're know for their beer selection. The feature a lot of Belgian/Trappist brews (which cracks me up because I just visualize drunk monks). They also feature a lot of local reviews and actually host events for microbreweries in the area. Outside of the beer, the wine list is pretty good and they have cider. The bar staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They want to share their knowledge in a way that's approachable and not as snobby/aloof as a place like The Monk's Kettle.  


My favorite things about the cafe, outside of the unique ambiance, is the food. It's a mix of bar snacks, American comfort and Belgian specialties. I was immediately drawn to the mussels and fries dinners. Who could resist such a combination? With the mussels, you can pick from three different options: Mariniere (the most popular, white wine and beer reduction with lemon, shallots and herbs), Konkan (East Indian style, with Serrano chiles, turmeric, cumin, ginger and coconut milk) and Spicy Tomato (slow roasted tomato puree with rosemary and dried chili). I tried the Spicy Tomato, which had just the right amount of kick to it without overwhelming the mussels themselves and you get a giant kettle full of them. The Belgian fries are twice cooked, which means they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, which is my absolute favorite. With the fries you get to pick two of their ten special dipping sauces. I went with the chipotle and garlic mayos, both of which were flavorful and went quite nicely with the fries. Overall, a great experience and I will definitely be back, either for drinks or dinner.


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Delicious Delarosa

Friday night I went to dinner with a friend in the Marina/Cow Hollow area. She recommended we try Delarosa on Chestnut, which was a good recommendation. This restaurant is owned by the same group that owns Beretta. They do Roman style pizzas, pasta and small plates. They also feature a great wine list. I tried the Barbera (an Italian wine) that went down easy and complemented all the food.


To start off, we ordered a couple small plates. The first was fried pickles with a spicy marinara sauce to dip it in. I mean, who could resist fried pickles?? I don't know if I've ever even seen them offered outside of a state fair. They were quite tasty, although the frying made the pickles a little less crispy that I would have liked. We also got the burrata brushetta. Burrata (meaning "buttered" in Italian) is my new cheese obsession. It's a fresh, smooth cheese from Italy, with a mozzarella shell and a mix of mozzarella and cream on the inside. It was served on break with hazelnuts and honey drizzled on top. With the sweetness from the honey, I could have eaten it for dessert (and probably will have to make it as such one of these days). For the main course we tried one of their pizzas, with fennel sausage, onion, tomato and scamorza. We also added extra burrata on top, which made it super cheesy. The pizza was the perfect size to share and the crust and balanced enough to not take over the toppings.


The only negative thing I could say about the restaurant is one of the things that also sets it apart. The seating is all long tables, so if it's busy (which it usually is) you can easily get sandwiched between other dinner parties. It definitely gets little hard to hear the people you're with sometimes, but also makes it possible to strike up camaraderie if you're seated by friendly parties. The price is pretty good for a Marina restuarant and the food is enjoyable, so I would definitely recommend this if you find yourself out on Chestnut or wanting a tasty pizza.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

Holiday movie season begins - The most wonderful time of the year

I love love love the holiday movie season! If I didn’t have a job, I could spend all day every day going to movies and predicting which will be nominated for the upcoming awards season. Over Thanksgiving vacation, I was able to see two which I think we receive multiple nominations.

The first one I saw is “The Descendants,” with George Clooney. It’s by the same writers that did “Sideways” and “About Schmidt.” They are able to bring humor and life to middle aged men characters going through change. In this one, Clooney’s character must reconnect with his two daughters after his wife has a terrible boating accident. As he says, he was always the “substitute parent” to his wife. His daughters are quite the characters. The younger one is bullying girls at school and has quite the mouth. They have to go pick up the teenager daughter from a rehab facility. She decides to bring a guy friend along on the emotional journey the family has to go on during the film. It’s a realilstic story of family and is really heartwarming. I feel like the actors who play children in these indie movies that go on to win awards usually end up having great careers afterward and I think that will be the case for the two daughters and the male friend in this movie. The entire movie takes place on the various islands of Hawaii, which has made me really want to travel there now. The backdrops are gorgeous, the beaches look like screensavers and the water is that special shade of blue that apparently only the Hawaiian Islands get to enjoy. The only bad thing I have to say about this movie is that I think I am a little younger than the target demographic and at some parents when it was delving into the 50 year old male psyche, it dragged a bit for me. Regardless, this movie will definitely be getting a lot of buzz come awards season.


The other big movie I saw was “My Week With Marilyn,” starring Michelle Williams. This movie is based off a non-fiction book written by a guy who was in his younger 20s in England and worked on the set of a Marilyn Monroe movie that never got made. This was right before her big hit, "Some Like It Hot" and during her tempestuous marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. I was a little skeptical of this one, as Michelle Williams did not seem like a good casting for Marilyn to me. Williams seemed to wispy and not charismatic enough. I totally take this back because she transformed in Marilyn and it was amazing. I will be shocked if her acting in this does not get some form of nomination. Eddie Redmayne plays the boy who gets to work on the set with Marilyn and ends up becoming her friend. He does a fantastic job, coming off as lovably naïve and caring. Emma Watson (HP, woohoo) has a small role. Kenneth Branagh and Julia Ormond also embodied their roles as famous screen icons Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier. I would recommend either of these movies to theater-goers this holiday season!


Monday, November 21, 2011

An Educational (?) Movie

This past Sunday I watched the historical movie "The Conspirator." This flick centers around the trial of Mary Surratt, the one female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Robert Redford directed this movie for The American Film company, so I'm not quite sure how many historic liberties they took with the film (I will never claim to be a history buff). I hope it was fairly accurate because I feel like I actually learned something by watching it. Robin Wright stars as Surratt, with James McAvoy and Tom Wilkinson as her lawyers. This is definitely an example of Redford's power in Hollywood, as the entire supporting cast is star studded. Supporting roles include Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, Justin Long, Alexis Bledel and Danny Huston. I think everyone did amazing in this, with the breakouts being Wright and McAvoy. It's definitely an interesting film and if you like history I would recommend it. The one downside is that the movie clocks in at a little over two hours, so it can get a little lengthy and drag on for some.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Ohai Caturday, I see you around the corner





I officially believe in celebrity chefs.

I've always wondered if celebrity chefs are really that amazing of cooks. They seem to be on TV because of their looks, personality, cooking flair or the fact that they make pretty looking food. But we viewers can't taste the food on TV (here's hoping for that technological advancement by 2030!), so how do we really know their qualifications as cooks. Well, I went to my first celebrity chef-owned restuarant and I eat my words.

A couple weekends ago was my two year anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend. We wanted to check out an amazing restaurant for this special occasion but there's so many options in San Francisco. Based off others recommendations, we decided to go to Wayfare Tavern. It's owned and operated by Tyler Florence, know for host "The Great Food Truck Race" and his many specials on the Food Network. The kitchen in the restaurant is open to the floor, so I took a peek as soon as we got there. Unfortunately he was not cooking when we were there but I've heard from others that he does make appearances there to cook.


Wayfare Tavern is located in the Financial District near the heart of downtown, at 558 Sacramento Street. There's a valet out front if you want to drive and are worried about finding parking. The restaurant itself is warm and inviting. There's a big fireplace in the back with deer heads mounted to the wall above. It's two levels but still feels cozy. The chic country-esque interior, with warm brown undertones makes it feel less fancy and stuck-up, and more charming and quaint. They serve Victorian-era cocktails and rustic American food, which pretty much sums up the entire vibe of the restaurant.


Before I get into the meal, let me just say that one of the best part of Wayfare is that a server comes around to each table with a basket of warm popovers, which beat any kind of break I've ever found in a restaurant's bread basket. So, for the decision on actual food, I read a copious amount of Yelp reviews before we went and they repeatedly touted the following foods I'm about to describe. And I agree with all the reviews about how delicious each of these items are. We started with the steak tartare, which was probably my favorite part of the meal. The organic steak is served fresh, with French mustard dressing, egg yolk, and garlic popovers to scoop it on. I'm amazed how much flavor the got the steak to adsorb and the garlic popovers added the perfect amount of crunch. We also tried the deviled eggs, with mustard yolks, capers, celery, and crisp shallots. Outside of my mother's (which I am partial and biased to), these are the best deviled eggs I've ever had. It was the perfect amount of mustard in the mix. Florence is known for his organic fried chicken, breaded in buttermilk brine, roasted garlic, crisp woody herbs and lemon so we had to give that a try. I can honestly say its the most amazing fired chicken I've ever had. I can't even think of anyone that even comes close! The other entree we tried was the steak frites (Santa Maria tri-tip with truffle butter, watercress and French fried potatoes). This was probably the least exciting thing we got. The steak was juicy and a perfect medium rare. The truffle butter did step it up a bit in flavor, but the French fries were just French fries, the kind you can find in any non-chain restaurant.


The dessert deserves its own paragraph. We had the Wayfare chocolate creme pie. Everyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. I know, it's weird, but what's even weirder is that I had chocolate creme pie and liked it! The pie is Scharffenberger chocolate pudding, salted caramel ganache, and devil’s food cake, topped with a pie helping of whipped cream. I read online and am not quite sure if this is true or not, but that Florence makes him pie crust with pork fat. If that is true, that is amazing. So what have we learned from all this? While Wayfare Tavern may be expensive and owned by a celebrity chef, it is worth every penny. Tyler Florence knows what he is doing and had really brought traditional rustic American dishes to a a whole new level.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Johnny Depp is back!

Johnny Depp has always been great. He'll probably go down as one of the best actors of this era. However, recently, he's strayed away from the Johnny we all fell in love with and made questionable movie decisions, like "The Tourist" and all those "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (Jack Sparrow was a great character in the first couple, but then it just got old). I miss the days of the Johnny Depp who did "Edward Scissorhands" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Well, after seeing "The Rum Diary," I can happily say the old Depp is back.

Of course it has to be Hunter S. Thompson who brought Depp back to his glory. Depp befriended the eccentric gonzo journalist when he played him in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." While Thompson died in 2005 (suicide after battling multiple health problems), Depp has given multiple interviews that he knew he had to make Thompson proud with his portrayal of an early Thompson-inspired journalist in "The Rum Diary." First off, if you haven't read up on Hunter S. Thompson, you need to. The man is one of the most unique characters in media to date. Read his biography "Gonzo" or check out his Wiki page if you're feeling lazy or time-deprived.

"The Rum Diary" is based off one of Thompson's books, q fictionalized story inspired by Thompson's experiencing writing down in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. While the 50s were a crazy time in America, they were just as crazy and revolutionary down in Puerto Rico. This movie deals with politics, race, religion, drugs ad greed. It avoids being heavy-handed and ends up fascinating. Depp plays journalist Paul Kemp, an alcoholic journalist who thinks he's all about making a quick buck but then comes across some morals. He finds his morals after he starts working for a smooth talking businessman, played by the wonderful Aaron Eckhart. Eckhart plays his two-faced character so well, that's he's not outshined by Depp, but instead their characters feed off of each others energy. Amber Heard plays the love interest. I'm not usually a fan of her's, but her waspy naive seductress act works for this role. Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Rispoli aren't outshined either and lend their talents to amazing supporting actor roles. I didn't even recognize Ribisi at first, as his character is a crazy wreck with a propensity for 100 proof liquor and any drug he can get his hands on.

Outside of the superb acting, the Puerto Rico backdrop is stunning. The story moves along quickly, is fairly true to the book, and gets the viewer invested in the characters. There's funny and sad parts and mostly it's just crazy. I would definitely recommend catching this one in theaters, especially if you became a fan of Depp in his Fear and Loathing days.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Caturday is just around the corner!!





And thanks to fellow cat fan Jessica W. for finidng this awesome video that combines two awesome things, cats and advertising!

KTHXBAI

Saturday, October 29, 2011

French food on Fillmore

Last weekend we tried one of what feels like the only places on Fillmore we have yet to eat at, Florio. Florio serves both French and Italian food, which sounds little off but the French dishes are where they really shine. The restuarant is very cute and cozy, so make sure to make a reservation in advance. The dim lighting and candles also make it a good place to go for a date.There's also a small bar area up front where you can try to get a stool if possible.

The bar offers a variety of 1920s inspired cocktails. They also have a great wine list and pay particular attention to what is local and in season. I tried one of the Rosés they were featuring and it was delicious. Their menu also pays particular attention to what is in season. To start, I tried the butternut squash soup, which was creamy, flavorful and that perfect autumn spice level. For dinner, I had the Poulet Rôti, which is roasted chicken with Chicory Aux Lardons (warm diced chicory with bacon), roasted pears, crispy shallots and poultry jus. It was a classic French dish and just the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Chris had the "le Hamburge Tartine" with Manchego cheese and caramelized onion, which he said was a pretty juicy and flavor-filled burger. One of the friends we were with got the Butternut Squash ravioli, which also looked pretty amazing. I think that everyone should eat as much squash and pumpkin as possible every Autumn. It's definitely one of the best seasons for food, it is the harvest after all!

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Florio. It's not SPQR prices, but it's close. So while it looks like a cute cafe/bar on the outside, be prepared to spend if you want a good meal with a couple drinks.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Oh Netflix, why do I continue to love you?

After finding out that Netflix lost 800,000 subscribers in 2011 due to price increases and that dumb "Qwikster"idea, I'm really hoping this is the last of the fee increases for a while. If it isn't, I need to start getting my money's worth and renting better quality films. Here are my thoughts on the two latest duds.

Monday night we watch "Limitless," with Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Basically Bradley Cooper is a deadbeat with writers block when he comes across this magical pill that let's him tap into his full brain instead of just the 20% science says a normal person accesses. The twist? Gasp, you'd never believe it, this miracle drug has horrible side effects and ends up resulting in death. And somehow a bunch of financial whiz CEO guys are also on this pill. If this pill existed, more people would definitely know about it. It would probably be sold on the street like every other illegal drug with deadly side effects. De Niro is great as usual, which at least made his scenes more enjoyable to watch. Cooper's performance wasn't bad, but this whole movie is not that memorable. And the plot was a stretch feasibility-wise and fairly predictable when it's supposed to be a suspenseful thriller. Definitely wait for cable, I'm sure it will be on there soon enough.


The other movie I watched last weekend was "The Bounty Hunter" with Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston. Deep down, I knew this movie wasn't going to be good but for some reason I had blind faith that it wouldn't be awful. It was pretty awful. And boring. And predictable. Butler plays a down on this luck ex-cop turned bounty hunter who finds out he gets to hunt down his journalist ex-wife (Aniston) after she skips her court date to follow a story lead. It's hard to envision these two people being married. And they just don't have much chemistry on-screen despite rumors that they were hooking up during filming. Their on-screen shenanigans quickly get less cute and more annoying. Any viewer could clearly tell that they're going to end up back together. Jason Sudeikis plays a mildly funny character madly in love with Aniston. That was about all the movie had to offer. It's at a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes because one person watch it and gave it 4 stars. I'd stick with the majority on this one and just avoid watching all together.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Working on my cooking skillz

Most people who know me know that I'm a little challenged in the kitchen. Let's be honest, I'm a little "domestically challenged" in general. I used to think I hated cooking, but I think that's because I always tried to bake, which involves a lot of precise measuring. I have started to really get into cooking, as I've found that I can freestyle a little more, throwing in different herbs and spices and adjusting as I like. I took a cooking class a couple years ago with my mom, where I melted a cutting board, got burns from boiling oil and food sickness from eating a raw piece of bacon (which I though was some exotic type of prosciutto). I've been a little weary of cooking classes since then, but I feel like my skills have improved slightly so I decided to give it another try.

I found Chef Anna, who runs Simmer and Sear, via Groupon and decided to give it a try. She teaches all kinds of cooking classes, including Italian, Spanish, Indian and Moroccan. I took the Italian class since I figured that would be one of the easiest. The classes are either over lunch or dinner and are held in her apartment in North Beach. Class sizes sound like they can range from 3-5 people, which is a great size. You get to try a little bit of every stage of the process. Chef Anna is full blown Italian, so it was great learning from someone who clearly had  a lot of experience in traditional Italian food. She also teaches my style of cooking, not really measuring and basing seasoning off of taste. We started out making Italian Bruschetta. She taught us tricks to cutting onion, dicing garlic in less than a minute and chopping tomatoes. Add in some balsamic, olive oil and other seasonings (I can't give the recipes away, you'll have to take the class), slab some on top of a crostini and it was amazing! And totally something I will be able to make again. We also made Chicken Parmesan with a basil pancetta tomato sauce. I learned how to bread chicken, how to make sure your Chicken Parmesan ends up crispy and not soggy and how to make a good red sauce from basically scratch. This is definitely another recipe I will be easily able to make again at home.

You can bring wine to drink while you learn how to cook (necessary!) and Chef Anna is very easy to learn from. I left this class not feeling embarrassed by my cooking skills, but proud and excited to recreate these recipes. I would definitely recommend taking one of her small classes, especially if you're a beginner. For those with already developed skills, you can schedule a private lesson that's more advanced. Class schedules can be found here.



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Haven't seen too many movies lately...

October has been a pretty crazy month and I'm getting behind on my movies and Netflix queue, which is no good. I have seen one flick in theaters this month, "The Ides of March." This political film stars some heavy hitters, like George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. The female lead is played by Rachel Evan Wood. The movie was really good. While the story is not true, it is clear that inspiration for the two presidential candidates is pulled from a lot of the political scandals that have happened in the last few years. Clooney's campaign poster is very reminiscent of Obama's "Hope" poster. While I left this movie feeling a little depressed about the state of politics, I do recommend this movie. Everyone in it did an amazing job. It seems like Clooney is gunning to be this generation's Robert Redford, as he not only starred but helped write a direct.


The last movie I rented was "Source Code," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. I do have to say one quick thing about Vera. She's Ukrainian and is you enjoy borscht, my mom said the way Vera makes it with beef is pretty tasty. So anyway, I'm normally not into the sci-fi types of movies. The premise is that Gyllenhall is a solider that keeps getting sent to the scene of a train explosion to find the terrorist. When he's sent there, he somehow takes over this guy on the train's mind and body. You find out later what technology the military is using to make this possible. I won't run it, but let's just say its a bit of a stretch and would never be approved in real life. The ending really bothered me, as a lot of the movie has to do with time travel. If you have a plot like this, take some time to wrap up the ending and at least make it semi-believable. This movie ends so abruptly and the ending doesn't make any sense if you take two seconds to think about how that would actually work. This seems like the type of movie that will definitely be running on cable a lot in the future, so I would just wait for that.