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ABOUT ME: Name: Gutenberg Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.) |
the
BUNRAB blog spot |
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Do you need to answer back? You can send me comments if you want to. If I want to, I'll post 'em in this very blog. -Gutenberg |
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The vending
machines at work are boring. It's not that they don't provide
a wide variety of snack choices, it's just that they don't have entertainment
value in the delivery of your foodstuff. They just uncorkscrew them into
the retrieval trough. I was transfixed. Not only does it have the expected candy bars, it also has bread, milk, condoms, flour and all those things you want as you hustle home. This cool machine makes you feel like your are in the command. It's robot arm travels to retrieve your order and brings it back. The risk is that it makes you want to buy items that you don't need so that you can watch it do it's robot thing. Moving food is enticing. Whether it's a sushi conveyer belt, rotisserie or dim sum cart. Moving food attracts your eye and in the case of the sushi, gives you a time imperative for your monkey brain to override your generic brain, making you grab the substandard food to support your survival instinct. Motion equals emotion. Informal studies have demonstrated decreased pie and cake sales when the pastry rotation device on a cake-go-round dies. A naked lady moving around is an exotic dancer, that same lady standing perfectly still is a fine artist's model. But I digress, working through lunch like I did today makes one resort to a coin operated food event with that unromantic, hollow, semi-metallic, food thud sound as your Pavlovian bell substitute. It's a lonely, uncivilized sound, like how the slap of raw meat on concrete would sound to a zoo animal… tomorrow, I'm definitely going out for lunch.
Chubby
got some mail today: Bruce L. writes: "Don't describe the Millers deli in any way Jewish. Sturgeon is TRAIF. No Jewish deli serves traif. No Kosher deli serves anything that isn't kosher."
Dear Bruce, Thanks for pointing that out. I hope to qualify as traif one day too. Your pal, Chubby
Chubby also got a letter from Julie about the macaroon recipe (Daily Feed, August 19) that she requested and he posted:
Thank
you so much for posting that recipe!! I can't wait to get home to make
them. I'm currently in Hawaii, can I send you some chocolate covered mac
nuts to thank you for your kindness in sharing your recipe?" Chubby replies:
What a sweet offer! I'm glad you got the recipe. I'm sorry I didn't reply to your note earlier cause I'll bet you are back in the California by now. Let me know how your macaroon cooking goes. Your pal, Chubby
"Dear Gutenberg, The part I like best about those wrapped food delights? The ones that are not only wrapped in food, but then their wrapped up in celophane er somethin'? Is when they stack them up in the "cooler" up far above the line where it says, "For Health Safety Do Not Stack Food Above This Line --->" I always grab those first, especially if they've been deep fried and contain sticky rice. -Biggles" Gutenberg replies: Dear Dr. Biggles, You know, I hate to admit it, but this food would be spoiled by storing it “properly.” The sticky rice would get all petrified, the pork fat would congeal and the flavor factor would zero out. So I’m with you - above the line food rocks. -G
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... was tasty with
it’s ham, gruyere and béchamel on white
bread topped off with a sunnyside up egg. Rich and delicious this hit
the spot. One of the finer alley dining experiences of SF. Chubby wasn’t into cross-eating today and headed somewhere with more festive garb and grub. Check out this latest review of Millers East Coast West Delicatessen.
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I played refrigerator
roulette again today and headed to Wrap Delight for some of their
take out food. which consisted of
a spammy pork pate with bits of peppercorn sandwiched
between two sticky rice patties with these convenient banana leaf squares
as handles. were rice
paper encased vermicelli, lettuce, cucumber, basil and unrefrigerated
pork with a peanut chili dipping sauce. Very tasty. Wrap Delight -G
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You can't win if you don't pay
The lottery is no more a tax on the poor than bubblegum is a tax on people who chew. What they are really saying is that poor people are so dumb that we'd better stupid proof their pathetic existences for them. Instead of putting little plastic socket covers over their electrical outlets so they don't stick their butter knives in them as they amble around their subsidized housing, maybe I could help them to see my wise perspective as far as their little grimy dollar bill purchases are concerned…just so they don't go doing anything crazy. As you may have gathered, I think it's arrogant when people who aren't hurting for money instruct the poor on what to perceive as exploitive. It kind of mobius loops around in an exploitive figure 8. The dumb trying to protect people they think are too dumb to spend their money how they please. Chubby told me that I was acting like I was overtaxed as he headed out for a relaxing weekend meal. Check out his latest review of Dottie's True Blue Café.
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Chubby and
I went to Il Davide for the first time. It’s a San Rafael
Tuscan Eatery. ...was a generous
portion of deep fried squid alongside an equally abundant
serving of aioli and basil aioli. It had a shake of cayenne before being
fried to the correct level of doneness. I don’t think I’d
order it again, it was okay. ...which was large
pillows of pasta filled with butternut squash and served
with a sage cream sauce with a handful of chopped, toasted walnuts sprinkled
on top. The resulting dish was an unrelenting parade of heaviness. The
sage cream, the starch, the rich squash puree. The sweetness from the
butternut squash and the light astringency of the walnuts were not enough
to relieve the dense. heavy, tastebud numbing nature of this dish. The marsala
demiglace was sweet and masked the flavor of the thinly sliced,
overcooked veal. The potato gratin that came alongside benefited from
a shake of salt. The veggies were fine but nothing special.
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Cinq restaurant
in Corte Madera was closed after the chef hurt her back and had
to hang up her apron.
Dr. Biggles writes:
Gutenberg replies:
BTW, that wasn’t your booze and sugar grilling set up in the ‘loin earlier this week was it?
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Walking in the Tenderloin today, I spotted this little altar in front of a massage parlor: It looks like someone is making an offering of gummy bears, water in a Styrofoam cup and incense to the hooker gods. I am impressed that it was left unmolested. I guess there is respect for spiritual gummy bear hooker offerings in the ‘loin. And why shouldn't there be?
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They added
more tables to their little dining room at Mangosteen so now
the servers perform a Cirque de Soleil act to feed the hungry crowd. Luckily,
they are all slim enough to fit through the narrow gaps between the tables.
which is a big, thin,
eggy pancake with bean sprouts, shrimp, scallions alongside an
herb mountain. I really liked this a lot (but Bodega Bistro next door
has an even tastier version.) The thin
slices of pork were sprinkled with sesame seeds that failed to
perk up the flavor factor on this bland dish. I should have asked for
some cock sauce, (you know what I mean, that red sauce with the rooster
on it) but I was just too lazy. You also get a heap of dressed iceberg
lettuce and a hill of steamed rice along side.
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Vice Squad It’s not that
hard to nest the baskets properly, is it? Now I have
to fix their stinking, sloppy, inconsiderate mess before I can properly
place my basket in...
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This is your brain on spices…
They take
lambs brains and cook them in butter with onions, tomatoes and
a wonderful array of spices to make this delectable Brain Masala
($6.00.) This is so good that even people who don’t like
brain will like this. ... but I ended up
getting impatient waiting in the petrified line at Dottie’s
True Blue Café (next door.) It probably took the same amount
of time since Shalimar cooks their food to order.
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Getting over
my food hangover from French Laundry meant brunch at Bubba’s
and a movie.
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Check out these yummy Marin Oyster Company oysters with a yuzu, lemon, cucumber and chive dressing. Fabulous.
Chubby Replies: Dear Julie,
The
equipment part:
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Chubby and I went to Maharani for lunch today for the first time: Although the sign
said “open” and we came at exactly noon, (the sign indicated
that they open for lunch at 11:30) it was totally empty, like the hotel
in The Shining. I called out and went back to attract the attention
of someone in the kitchen. We approached this patty-go-round and I ordered a steak sandwich ($6.25) while Chubby ordered an Avocado Cheeseburger ($5.50) medium rare: ... and a side of
Onion rings ($2.55)
-G
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Chubby made macaroons for last weekend's San Francisco Food Blogger event - mmmm chocolate: I saw in today's news that J. Crew is filing for a $200 million IPO Hmmmm, but do people really know what they are buying? If you go into a J. Crew and ask “what does the “J” stand for?” They say “Uh, I dunno.” If you call their HQ, you find out the truth - “it doesn't stand for anything.” This shows a severe lack of imagination and a lack of follow through. If you make up “J. Crew” go ahead and make up something to answer when people ask after the “J” business. Is it laziness? Is it conspiracy?
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Tuesday, August 16, 2005 Tony, Tony, Tony…. Are you the new Darrin Stephens? Those Kellogg’s execs replaced you thinking I wouldn’t notice: But I checked out
your smooth new ears, your higher cheekbones, and you
can’t fool me.
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I was in major
pork withdrawal after yesterday’s fabulous meat fest. Even
though I wanted fish, I had to have some cracklins too. ...was just the thing
for a chilly afternoon. Sliced catfish in a sticky, salty
and mildly sweet sauce with crispy bits of pork fat sprinkled on top.
Man, is this good. You can order it during lunch even though it’s
only on the dinner menu, they will still make it for you. The rice soaks
up all those good liquids and you get a major tenderloin show when you
look out the window too. Chubby’s been hangin in the ‘loin too, at one of his favorite local restaurants. Check out his latest review of Bodega Bistro.
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Food Bloggers Picnic: Wow, I lived one of my dreams today. After spending months drooling over the photos on Guy’s blog:
bacon wrapped beef:
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Taqueria Weekend: In the world of Mexican Restaurants, the weekend means menudo:
... topped off my stomachs. Just right on a chilly Bay Area morning at Taqueria San Jose.
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I picked up some food from the Vietnamese deli today. Chubby told me that I was nuts to eat a pork product that did not have the benefit of refrigeration. Normally, I wouldn’t touch something like this. It’s just that I’ve been eyeing them for weeks and wondering about them. I figured if I got one at about noon and carried my Blue Cross card with me all day, I’d be fine. These pork buns ($1.25) consisted of pounded, glutinous rice that encased porky flavored beans and eggy bits: A quick bath in the
slightly sweet, chili dipping sauce and the game of stomach
roulette begins. I think the flecks on top were shaved bonito, they tasted
like dried fish of some sort and there were little bits of scallion too.
I actually really liked this and it didn’t make me heave. Bonus. that was imbedded
with coconut and filled with sweetened, yellow bean puree. It wasn’t
bad actually. Black pounded rice
with sweet mung bean filling. I liked this yellow bean filling better
than the green jello one since it was chunkier, drier and less sweet…beanier.
I embraced the dark side. It had that sort
of dense, gelatinous texture that makes me want to take it into outer
space and wash it down with some Tang. The sesame seeds were a nice touch.
...was sweetened
pounded rice around sweetened mung beans and rolled in pulverized
coconut. Very tasty.
Thursday, August 11, 2005 Watched one of my favorite DVDs again for the zillionth time: It’s not my
favorite because my friends made it, it’s my favorite because who
doesn’t like to watch Joan Chen kick serious ass
to get a dog skull on a spike?? If you haven’t seen The
Blood of Heroes, you are missing the best post-apocalyptic sports
movie that has ever been made.. It is my firm
belief is that even “bad” ice cream is still good,
but the best rude people are still jerky. -G
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 I don’t know what it is, but when I come across people with interesting footwear: I have to pick
up the pace and keep up. Chubby got some more of those little sliders and a mojito and I got a margarita and some squash blossoms stuffed with Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc, battered and deep fried. This hit the spot, (of course, you can batter and deep fry a cardboard box and it’d be fine by me.)
It's here. My machine washable lunchbox arrived in the mail: I used it for the first time today. It unzips to turn into a placemat (or M&M counting mat if you prefer.) It's made out of wetsuit material so I can slip it on if I want to take a dip in the Bay on a hot afternoon. Today's M&M count was: 5 - orange This is the second time I've gotten 6 browns BUT I have two more M&Ms in this package than in the last 2 counts (so this may have skewed my results.) Chubby couldn't be bothered packing a lunch today, or any day for that matter... he drove down the great big freeway to Taqueria San Jose, in of all places, San Rafael. Check out his latest review.
Today’s Bahn Mi from Wrap Delight was with BBQ pork and pork pate: It was okay, but
I should have gone for the straight BBQ pork. But for
$2.25, who can complain? I was like ingesting one of those Halloween blindfold-the-kids-and-make-them-feel-creepy-stuff extravaganzas. Floating in a slightly sweetened milky, vanilla flavored, liquid, there are strips of agar agar, kidney and mung beans and water chestnuts. Don’t get me wrong, there were good things about it, but it’s not the thing to get when you actually really want a chocolate chip cookie.
-G
My memory failed me today. I went to Lucinda’s in Marin after about a decade of driving by. Ordered a chicken tostada: and a burrito and realized that it will be at least another decade before my memory dulls enough for me to give it another go. Chubby asked what the deal was and I had to say that it just wasn’t fresh or tasty. And it wasn’t even cheap... I would have been MUCH better off going to Taco Bell, not to mention a proper taqueria like the ones in the Mission, or Taqueria San Jose in nearby San Rafael, which would have been cheaper and is VERY yummy.
They just aren’t as good as the original size. I don’t know if the ratio of coating to “chocolate” is the same, but somehow the mouthfeel is wrong. The colors are muted in comparison with the standard issue ones.
Lucinda’s
Sigh...
Today's M&M count was a bit of a shock. Here are the stats: 3 - Blue Blue in the minority? How strange. And when did they get rid of the light brown ones? Those used to be one of the most plentiful varieties. The green ones used to have a premium placed on them not only for their rumored benefits, but also for their scarcity. It must be so easy to cater for rock stars now. Picco Pizzeria wasn't at all crowded today and there were no service snafus. They had the Maldon salt in stock for ice cream topping and all pizzas were very tasty. It appears that those guys are hitting their stride. There's a new graffito showin' up all over town, drawn with chalk: I must say, I approve of the design. Kinda cute. Watched the cool streetcars roll by on Market Street over a nightcap: A good end to a busy Saturday.
Okay, what is up with a party in an SF club: that will not
allow you to take an alcoholic beverage purchased at a bar in
one room to another room (and visa versa?) Don’t they understand
that you shouldn’t mess with people that have been drinking? contained a total
of 6 browns. This reduction of brown M&M’s
and the increase of the lighter M&M’s is suspicious. Is this
racialist? Is this “the man” trying to keep the brown M&M’s
down? I wish Ali G were here to help get to the bottom of this.
Chubby missed out today. I think he would have liked Turtle Tower a lot. Not only do they make a mighty fine bowl of Pho ga (chicken noodle soup Vietnamese style): ... but it's cool to hear everyone speaking and slurping in their native language. If you are dining solo, they ask you to share a table. No problem. You get to see what other people's noodle slurping techniques are up close. They give you a bowl of sliced jalapenos and lime (but no basil and bean sprouts.) The noodles are delish, the white meat chicken is moist and flavorful and the clear, light broth is pepped up with cilantro and scallions. Not bad for $4.60. There is an “employees only” sign as you pass the kitchen but it really looks like some sort of secret dining room. Unfortunately, a blue rabbit doesn't blend in well enough to sneak in the back to find out. It gets crowed so earlier is better. Turtle Tower
I started eating a bag of M&Ms from a vending machine today. As I pulled them out I noticed that I wasn't getting any brown ones (they used to be the predominant color, back in the day) so I upended the bag to see what the deal was. I counted exactly 4 for the whole bag. Weird. Breakdown of the laws of probability? Naaah. Conspiracy? Absolutely!
So I asked
for them to put one of those stickers on my large black coffee today,
and the baristo (if it’s a dude, shouldn’t it be baristo?)
says “oh, you want me to put it here?” as he takes his filthy,
hand and presses his bacteria encrusted finger on the sip top opening.
“that’s disgusting. New top please.” I said immediately
without thinking. I really should have left off the “that’s
disgusting” part in retrospect, but my internal monologue leapt
forth. Bacteria dude was cool though and he got me another top without
losing his smile. What Bacteria dude lacks in hygiene, he makes up for
in pleasant demeanor. I asked BD what the
deal is with the numbers (since Starbucks HQ never emailed
me back with an answer.) Turns out, they are date stickers that they use
to track freshness of foodstuffs. Hmmm…That means that they aren’t
designed to be in contact with hot beverages and may leach out some deadly
toxin into my coffee…that makes BD’s hands look like distilled
water (or rainwater) in comparison.
It was chilly enough to go for a bowl of Pho for lunch: Bodega Bistro’s version with chicken, rice noodles and scallions was just the thing. Tear up fresh basil leaves and plunk them in with bean sprouts, hot pepper slices and a squeeze of lime. Not bad for $5.85. The light broth, the crisp spouts, the basil and lime giving a dimension to this bowl of comfort. Yum. The place itself is a little nondescript: Bodega Bistro Everyday, I have to walk about 5 blocks with a 20 ounce, black coffee. Because of those “sip” lids, I splash my hand every time. BUT today I learned about the stickers that they put on your lid at Starbucks: I emailed Starbucks Consumer Services to see what the deal is with these sticky splash guards. What does the number mean? Is it a “6” or a “9”? If you got three drinks would you have the cappuccinos of the beast? I’ll let you know what they say… Chubby doesn’t think it matters if they are “food safe” or what number it is. He cares about pizza, and he scooted across the Bay Bridge to Berkeley to get some at CheeseBoard Pizza. Read his review.
I’d always been curious about Tommy’s Joynt: Every time I walked past the little neon sigh touting their famous Corned Beef sandwich beckoned. So today I gave in. I got in line at the counter. They are a serious old style San Francisco cafeteria. Big food, no frills. I got the Corned Beef sandwich ($4.95): I comes on a roll with bright yellow mustard and mayo. They carve the meat to order and plunk it on the roll. It didn’t qualify as craveable, but it was fine (Banh Mi are more my thing and you can get two of them for $4.95.) Chubby wanted something
a little more exotic and he headed down the street to
a new Vietnamese Restaurant. Check out his latest review
of Mangosteen. -G |
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2005 by BunRabCo. All rights reserved. |