Just Keepin' It Classy

A couple weeks ago we went to Bix for a work dinner and were totally unprepared. Yes, it's in the Financial District but it's only three $$$ on Yelp and San Francisco restaurants tend to be a little more laid back. This smaller, alleyway restaurant however is definitely working hard to keep it's classic feel (think piano and jazz singer in the corner, fluted columns and a whole lot of mahogany). I'll be honest, while most of the restaurant customers were in suits, we were rocking a collection of ripped jeans, fleece jackets and plaid. Great apparel for SF, not for Bix. Thankfully the bar area is right near the entrance and their martinis are quite superb.

However, it was hard to feel uncomfortable for long as the friendly hosts and servers chatted us up. We slipped into a comfy half booth, half table situation and assess the wine list, which is quite lengthy. After ordering a pinot noir we had a go at the starters menu. First must have on the list, potato pillows. How can you go wrong with something called potato pillows? These bite sized morsels were almost like gnocchi but a little more mashed potato-like. Topped with creme fraiche and caviar, they were decadent but strangely homey in a way. If you're going with a second appetizer (or you have no desire to try something called potato pillows which is just silly), go with the steak tartare. It's prepared table-side, so you get to watch them break up the running egg yoke into the steak, along with shallots, capers (a great addition to any tartare!), parsley and mustard. I also tried the pork belly banh mi (a Vietnamese style sandwich), which comes out in little bite-sized sandwiches and was surprisingly good for an American restaurant with no clear ties to anything Vietnamese. The deviled eggs were good (aren't they always?) but I think you can get better ones elsewhere. I can't recall what the oyster selection was that day but they were pretty gritty and I got a piece of shell in my mouth, so I'd pass on those.

After the little banh mi sandwich bites, I was in the mood for pork belly so I went with the pork loin and belly entree. The pork is served atop a warm potato salad with a mustard seed aioli, which gives the dish a punch of flavor. The pork was cooked perfectly. The belly was a good balance of soft and crisp and loin was moist. In retrospect though I wish I had ordered the Bix Club Burger, a black truffle cheeseburger. A couple people at the table ordered it and it looked amazing. It has a thick grilled onion on it that's almost as thich as the burger itself. I found out afterward's it's on 7x7's "2013 Big Eats" list.  I did manage to snag a couple truffle fries from their places, which were of course delicious.

After that you'd think we'd be ridiculously full, but what sane minded person passes on dessert? Especially when you have the opportunity to say "I'll have one of everything." After trying a bite of everything and it all being amazing, I can still recommend without hesitation the  bananas foster with dark rum and vanilla ice cream. While it didn't have the fancy flambe presentation, it melted into this creamy soup substance that we were literally trying to scrap the bowl for. To summarize, I'd recommend Bix just don't wear jeans. It's listed on Zagat as a top place for a date, so get dressed up and go with someone special.

As an appendix of sorts (it seems fitting for this review), I have to address this perfect article that I was recently told about. I live in a studio apartment and on nights when I'm not out at dinners like this I'm at home making scrambled eggs. People read my blog and incredulously ask me exactly how much I spend eating out. As I recently found out, being in advertising (and especially media), I'm lucky enough to be included in a special category called the "poverty elite." While I'm far enough in my career now where poverty might be extreme, I fondly remember the days as an assistant planner in Chicago, making $25,000 annually, living above a drug addicted landlord, buying all my clothes from Target yet having martinis at the newest, hottest restaurants in town. There's nothing more surreal. 

Musical May

I was worried after April, and all of its Fauxchella fun, was over. What will I do on the weekends? How will I keep disintegrating my ear drums bit by bit? What if I get too much sleep on weeknights? Never fear, May was chalk full with great acts coming through town.

The month kicked off with Bottle Rock 5/8-5/12. I'll admit, I'm getting told old for a four day music festival so I went with the 3 day pass. This was the very first year of Bottle Rock, which takes place in Napa. A music festival in wine country? Yes please! Word on the street is that they got a 10 year contract, so this festival will be around for many more years to come. There was a little shadiness, as the fest got approval from the Expo board without consulting the city. The verdict is still out on if Bottle Rock hurt or helped Napa, but overall it sounds like the 35-40,000 attendees made most business happy. The lineup was pretty solid. I'd have to say my favorites were The Flaming Lips. Wayne puts on a crazy show with plenty of lights and lasers. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros were pretty good too. I unfortunately missed Allen Stone, a soul and R&B musician from Washington, who's on the cusp of blowing up. I'll probably go next year, although I hope it's less hot next time. The lineup will hopefully be just as solid and the food/wine selection was one of the best I've seen in a while. Hopefully they'll finesse all the first year issues (namely the disastrous parking situation and the dust). Tip: Book your place to stay up there as soon as dates are announced, all hotels/airbnbs will fill up fast!

Next up I caught Dragonette and The Presets at the Fox Theater in Oakland. When you look out into the crowd and it's just women, gay men, glow sticks and sparkles, you know it's going to be damn good party. I've seen Dragonette live before and love them. Martina Sorbara, the lead singer, knows how to get the dance party started. She's energetic and gives her all no matter the size or enthusiasm of the crowd. I liked them better than The Presets, although they were good too. It's just with The Presets (a two man Australian electro duo with vocals, drums and keyboards), they're stuck behind their instruments which can limit the stage energy unless you're someone like Justice.

After that, we hit Tame Impala, which was also at the Fox but had a completely different feel. Walking into the Tame Impala show was like walking into the 70s, completely with psychedelic lights and weed. When bands play slow jams these days, everyone usually holds up their cell phone lights. At this how everyone actually held up legit lighters! I forgot how beautiful that looks. Tame Impala is a rock band that reminds me almost of the Australian version of someone like Dinosaur Jr, which more funk thrown in. Elephant is probably their most well know song but my favorite is Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.

Last weekend I went to Mumford & Sons at the Greek Theater, a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater in the hills of the UC Berkeley campus (seriously, we parked at a frat house). I love Mumford and these days it's hard to find people who don't, they've gotten so big. They played three nights straight at the Greek, which sold out in minutes. For those of you living in a cave, this four man English folk band formed in 2007 hit the scene big in 2009 with their release of "Sign No More," which won them the Grammy for "Best New Artist." In 2012, they release their second album "Babel," which in my opinion is just as good as their earlier stuff. Seeing them live is great because they really put their all into it and interact with the crowd. They were able to get the entire Greek Theater (8,500 seats + the lawn) to be completely silent while they played a couple acoustic songs, which was amazing to behold. While you never really know if artists are telling the truth, they said this was the most silent they've ever gotten a large crowd to be and a memory they would treasure. Regardless, it was a pretty great show.

Last Saturday (and technically in June), we went back to the Greek (should have just slept there, is this an option??) for the xx. Again, another English band, who started as an indie duo and added on 2 more once they started touring. Their sound is hard to explain. It's a little electro, a little instrumental, with almost eerie whispering vocals. They hit it big with Crystalised in 2009. They release "Coexist" in 2012. The lead duo is a introverted, so it's a totally different experience and while I love them, I could take them or leave them live. They did have a pretty decent light show with some cool lasers (you can't go wrong with lasers). When at the Greek though I hate being up in the seats because you can't stand up and dance.

After a short week, it's almost Caturday!

Has anyone notice that Cheezburger is seriously starting to lack lolcat memes? What are all these videos and other animals??

 And yes, it's not a lolcat but who doesn't love Shark Week? Awesome.

Oops I Did It Again (For the 3rd and 6th Time)!

No, this blog post will not be a nostalgic look back into Britney Spear's career. Although perhaps that would be less embarrassing than what I'm about to admit. Over Memorial Day weekend, I went to the movies alone. Twice. Because I didn't want to tell anyone what I wanted to see. And this is why.

Last Sunday I went to see "The Hangover Part III." I liked the first one a lot. It was hilarious, there weren't any other movies quite like it. Then the second came along with pretty much the exact same plot line, except in Bangkok instead of Vegas. I wanted to see the 3rd as they promised it would be the last one (please keep this promise!), so I wanted to see how it all ended. You could tell they were applying learnings from the first two. Zach Galifianakas and Ken Jeong are clearly the best characters. Jeong as Mr. Chow got a pretty substantial amount of time in this one, as Justin Bartha (boring) got about 10 minutes. Ed Helms as Stu is a fun guy to beat up on. Bradley Cooper is there to be pretty. Funny female roles have been lacking in the first two, although I didn't mind Heather Graham as the happy-go-lucky stripper (who get a cameo in this final installment, as does baby Carlos). This one brought in Melissa McCarthy, the perfect love interest for Alan. And the Wolfpack is back in Vegas, which is how it should be. There's an extra scene that plays shortly into the credits, so don't leave your seats too fast because it is pretty stellar. 

It gets more awkward. And honestly I was more excited for this one. Monday I went to see "Fast & Furious 6" and it was awesome. I can't explain it but I really like these movies. I'd say I was a street racer in a previous life but it would have to be horse and buggy racing. Rowdy. Anyway, outside of the original one, this one was by far my favorite. These movies are so purposefully absurd that it had the audience laughing at multiple times. The one complaint I have about this one is that The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson because he's a "serious" actor now) has a larger role. As special agent Hobbs, he gets the gang back together to catch a gang of mercenaries in exchange for full pardons. He gets them to do this not out of the goodness of their hearts but because he also shows Dom proof that Letty is alive and rolling with this group. I'm so glad they brought Michelle Rodriguez (Letty) back. The movie needs that female badass that provides us women with someone to root for and provides girl fight opportunities for the male viewers. And guess what? There is going to be a seventh!! I know you were concerned, I definitely was. Stay through the credits for a teaser. Spoiler alert: Jason Statham is in the 7th!! I am so excited. And no I'm not being sarcastic.

Let the Summer Blockbusters Begin

The season for summer movies is upon us! While I no longer live in a place where I need to retreat to movie theaters to escape the blistering summer heat and hair curling humidity, I still think there's nothing better than ducking into a cold and dark theater when you need to unwind for a bit.

The first big blockbuster to check out on my list was "42," the biopic of Jackie Robinson. Now, I'm not of fan of sappy, inspirational things and I don't really like sports but I have a huge, unexplainable love of inspiration sports movies. I went in with high hopes and was unfortunately a little let down. Robinson was played the relatively unknown Chadwick Boseman (right? who?). I'm not sure if they just picked him because he looked like Robinson but he lacked the charisma and intensity you need for a lead role like that. He was easily eclipsed by Harrison Ford, looking old but still amazing as raspy owner Branch Rickey. Outside of Ford, the cast was B-list and below. For a movie willing to spend so much on advertising, they should have shelled out a little more for casting. The story of Robinson's success in the game of baseball, which was hailed as the white man's sport in the late 1940s after WWII, is of course a great tale. But the movie lacked an exciting climax and left me wanting some kind of emotion when the credits started rolling. You know these rights are going to be gobbled up by some cable network, so I would just wait until then to see it.

The next big blockbuster on my queue was "Iron Man 3." I loved the first two movies and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man brought some comic relief to "The Avengers." If you're expecting anything different than the first two, don't. Blur the details and it's the exact same story line (or same story line as any comic book turned action movie). But if you enjoy the genre, then you'll like it. My one warning is to make sure you not only see the first two Iron Man movies, but also "The Avengers." Stark is haunted by the giant wormhole and aliens from that movie, so if you haven't seen it you'll just think he's cracking up all together. Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau get more screen time in this one as Stark's unintentional sidekicks. The amazing Ben Kingsley brings intensity and steals any scene he's in. Spoiler alert: Guy Pearce plays the bad guy role perfectly. Even since "The Count of Monte Cristo," I think he's destined to join the bad guys hall of fame with the like of Javier Bordem in "No Country for Old Men" or "Skyfall" or Joaquin Phoenix in "Gladiator." It's hard to forget a bad guy that act gives you chills. And since it's Marvel, there is a clip at the end of the credits if you want to stick around. It's nothing pivotal  just a humorous moment with another favorite character from "The Avengers." If you enjoy comic book movies, I say go see this one but if you have to wait until rental it's not the end of the world.

A couple weeks ago I went to see Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby." It seems to be getting bad reviews across the board but I really liked it. First off, it's a Luhrmann movie so you have to expect the ridiculous, the flair, the sparkle. Of course the movie is going to be raucous and absurd, but isn't that why we love Baz Luhrmann? It's a gorgeous and flashy spectacle. I also read several complaints that the soundtrack was too modern and that it changed the feel. Personally, I think a highway cruise in a couple 1920s cars set to Jay-Z is awesome juxtaposition of the times, but some people don't. As a side note for all you music lovers out there, check out the soundtrack. It features Florence + the Machine, Jay Z, the xx, Lana del Rey, Jack White, Sia, Nero and many more. Definitely an eclectic mix but a lot of fun for any music lover. The one negative in the reviews that I do agree with (and I wish I didn't) was that Carey Mulligan's performance as Daisy Buchanan feel flat. She was too wispy for a Daisy and lacked chemistry with Leo. And how does one lack chemistry with Leo? His blue eyes were piercing in every scene as the intense, elusive Gatsby. I didn't think I'd like Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway but he had a certain naiveness that fit with the role. And no, the movie doesn't hit all the plot points of the book but it gets damn close so give them some credit for adapting a novel that has been tried time and time again. I would definitely recommend going to see this in theaters, although maybe avoid the 3D headache that should only be meant for movies like "Avatar."

Even Artichokes Have Hearts

Earlier this week I went to dinner at Locanda, a restaurant that despite its high profile location (16^th and Valencia) I hadn't heard much about. It opened in April 2011 and is run by the same owners as Delfina. I knew I’d like it right off the bat since its logo is an artichoke. I had decided to go there for dinner after scanning 7X7’s list of “100 Things to Eat Before You Die” and the Jewish style artichokes at Locanda popped out to me. How does one make Jewish style artichokes? And why had I not heard of this before?

Turns out they’re fried, herb-seasoned and delicious. But let me start from the beginning. Walking into Locanda, it has the similar atmosphere of its neighbors in the Mission.  It was darker, primarily candlelit and had bar and open kitchen spanning the length of the restaurant. After assessing the menu, we settled on calling it an Italian Roman fusion. Pretty much every antipasti on the menu looked delicious so we went for a wide variety. On top of the Jewish style artichokes, which were an obvious must, we also went with the king salmon crudo, shaved artichoke salad, egg and asparagus, grilled pizza bianca and peas and shoots. Let’s start with the last. We ordered the peas and shoots as we’d heard the owner requires the wait staff to say one of his favorite jokes, “peas shoot, peas score” whenever serving the pea shoots. Sadly our server did not, but with the spring onion and straus yogurt mixed in, they were still the most flavorful pea side dish I've ever had. My least favorite starter (and let me caveat that this just means it was the least amazing) was the king salmon crudo. I liked that it was topped with salted capers and kept simple with a little xvoo. Unfortunately it lacked the acidity that really makes a crudo sing. The asparagus was not lacking in flavor, as it was topped with a poached egg, bottarga (cured fish roe) and burro nero (butter), finished off with crunchy breadcrumbs. Outside of the Jewish style artichoke, my favorite was the pizza Bianca, while was charred bread topped with an amazing amount of burrata, herbs and oil. It sounds so simple on paper but if you saw it in person you would understand. Even the basic bread brought for the table was anything but basic. It was fresh out of the grill, doused in olive oil and topped with sea salt.

But back to the artichokes. The shaved artichoke salad was mixed with arugula and avocado but what really brought it a step above other shaved salads I've had was the grilled ricotta. Usually when I have ricotta it’s in its softer form but this was the hard cheese. And grilling it added this great smoky flavor to the cheese. It turns out Jewish style artichokes (carciofi all giudia) are a delicacy from the olden Roman days. The artichokes are fried in oil with their leaves out-turned, making them look like sunflower. The whole, fried artichokes is seasoned with herbs, lemon, salt and pepper. They're crunchy, flavorful and another fun way to enjoy artichokes.

For my main dish I ordered the chicken, which could be perceived as boring, but it was wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with some form of herbs. It was some of the most perfectly cooked chicken I've ever had and the pancetta really held in the flavor and moistness. After checking out everyone else’s dishes, I’d also recommend the pork spareribs based off looks and that that person’s satisfaction level. I ducked out before dessert but was more than satisfied. I highly recommend this spot and plan to go back soon.

Mmmmmmmeat

Vegans: Don't read this post.

I will never be a vegan, or even a vegetarian for that matter. First off, I'm very impressed by anyone from the Midwest who has attempted this. What do you eat in the land of meat and potatoes? My parents mainly stuck with fish and chicken for a period of my childhood and even that was tricky (I was totally buying happy meals on the side with my allowance money). While fish and chicken are great, sometimes a girl just needs a big, juicy steak. Medium rare, still slightly bloody. I don't understand well done. Is there any flavor left on that charred brick of meat? Anyway, the reason I'm rambling about meat is that I ate at a pretty amazing place last week.

Anyone who's a steak lover in SF knows, you have to visit the House of Prime Rib. I mean, doesn't the name itself speak volumes? Take away the 1950s decor, throw in some jousting and it's basically Medieval Times (this is a flattering comparison for any meat lover who hasn't experience eating there). The ambiance is classic steak house, cut right out of the Mad Men era. And what do you know, they're know for their martinis. I had the lemon drop, which was not too shabby.

The menu is pretty simple. You get steak or you get fish. If you get fish, there's one fish of the day and that's that. If you get the beef, there are 4 different cuts you can choose from. I got the English cut, which is thin layers of prime rib, which is supposed to be most flavorful. There's the smaller City Cut for those who haven't fully owned up to their meat eating potential yet. Then there's the House of Prime Rib cut and King Henry VIII cuts, which are basically just giant slabs of prime rib (King Henry still has the bone in). They carve all the prime rib right at your table, so it's juicy fresh. As for everything outside of the meat, the meal begins with a salad. On their menu they describe the salad as "a colorful mixture of healthy, crisp, seasonal greens prepared at your table, tossed in our unique house dressing." Ha, pardon me while I laugh. It's iceberg lettuce, doused in some kind of 100 Island, mayo-based dressing. It's far from healthy but I love it anyway. With the meal you get to choose two sides from a short list: mashed potatoes, baked potato, Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach or creamed corn. The mashed potatoes are buttery and fluffy. I wasn't a fan of the creamed spinach. The Yorkshire pudding is a good try for anyone who hasn't had it before. For dessert we sampled pretty much everything on the menu. The standout was the pecan pie, which tasted homemade. I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a good steak, but don't head here if you want anything outside of prime rib. And under no means should you go if you are in any way not completely starving.