I hope everyone had a fun and safe July 4th.  I sat at home and watched a lot of baseball, perfect way to just chill on a very hot day.  On a jumpier note, my neighbors decided that 11 PM last night was a great time to light off a couple of M-80s.  Nothing like nearly a quarter stick of dynamite to get you going around 11 PM.  Let's just say I'm glad I know what a gunshot sounds like, don't scare easily, don't have any pets, own a security system or have a sensitive car alarm.  Crazy, especially since fireworks are technically illegal to possess and use in Arizona.  Why?  Just imagine the desert flora that has been baking in the 110 degree heat for a few weeks now mated with sparks.  Sounds like a great combination, huh?

Enough about the unfortunate fact that the 4th fell on a Wednesday, pretty much precluding me from taking any extended time off.  Let's talk about SF and all the wonderful food I ate with friends in that delectable city on the bay.  Tuesday night started with Fior D'Italia, supposedly the oldest Italian restaurant in America.  I'd believe it if I didn't know that the original one burnt down a few years back and the current location is new.  I can't believe that they were up and running the day after the fire, so I'd clarify by saying they are the oldest established Italian restaurant, but I digress. The wine was wonderful, mostly California Pinot, Melot and Cabernet, I skipped the white as it was already getting chilly outside by the time we arrived for dinner.  The tri-colore pasta was excellent as a starter.  With the pre-arranged menu, we were given a fish, chicken and beef option.  I chose the filet medallion and when asked how I wanted it, asked for it rare, knowing that most places tend to overcook to be on the safe side.  Server gave me a double take, but eventually wrote it down as rare.  Surprise, surprise, my "rare" order came out cooked medium-rare and my table companions that went medium-rare ended up with medium to medium-well steaks.  Live and learn.  Dessert was passable tiramisu in a nice cocktail glass, but other than the fancy stemware, nothing that great.  I'm sure some of the mediocrity I experienced in the food had to do with the large, corporate group we brought in, so I'll withhold judgement until I go again in a smaller party.  But suffice it to say that I was unimpressed enough that it may not make the short list the next time I'm in town.

Wednesday was a bit better on the cuisine front.  Heavy appetizers and great bubbly at the Bubble Lounge, which was closed for a few hours for our private event.  Exterior has the requisite roping and security to attract the upscale clientele.  Interior very dimly lit, lounge style furniture that looks more comfortable than it really  is, and attractive servers dressed all in black.  Nice place, appetizers were pretty good as were the random cheeses and fruits that were served on a very large platter.  After a few too many shrimp cocktails, five of us decided we needed some real food - which means Chinese food.  Went to Great Eastern on Jackson Street in China Town, just a few blocks away from Bubble Lounge.  For a few of the folks it was their first time in a "real" Chinese restaurant.  By real, I mean not PF Chang's or Panda Express.  Kind of sad.  Overall the food was good, what kept it from great was probably me making sure that we ordered "safe", i.e. nothing with heads, eyes or innards.

Thursday afternoon was a great lunch at Plouf, one of those alley restaurants that set-up for lunch and dinner in the financial district.  Excellent seafood including a filet of sole and bowls of mussels and clams.  Delicious and the company was great, would definitely go back again.

Thursday night we did Cambodian in the Mission area, near where Clarissa lives.  Food was good and the price was reasonable.  Both of us were hungry, so we appreciated the quick and attentive service.

Friday I was on my own while Clarissa headed into town for work.  Hit-up Toast in Noe Valley.  Best described as cute and hip meet urban diner.  Sidewalk seating is what drew me there as well as the promise of hashbrowns.  I had a scramble and the hash browns were nice and crisp and definitely browned in butter.  The scramble with meat and veggies was average.  Loved the hash browns though.  Not bad for under $10.

Friday evening Clarissa took me to a great Korean restaurant in Richmond, I think it was Korean Village Restaurant.  We ordered spicy pork and beef short ribs.  They brought out real wood charcoal and grilled at the table.  It was definitely hot and warm, but the food was very good and we had enough leftovers to feed us the next day.  Would definitely recommend this place and I get the feeling I'll be going back with my brother Jon who just matched his fellowship at UCSF in Cardiology.  Congrats Jon!

Saturday we both slept in until nearly noon and when we finally got up, we started with all intentions of going to a French bakery for some wonderful croque monsieurs that Clarissa was raving about, but the line was way too long and we were way too hungry.  Happily we strode over to Pizzeria Delfina and had a couple of delicious pies.  We started with the tri-colore salad, tri-colore becoming a mini-theme of this trip, which was delightfully light and tasty.  Spinach, endive and red cabbage with lovely long slivers of parmesan on top.  We had two pizzas, one with salt cod, potatoes and parma, another one with sweet fennel sausage and cheese.  Absolutely amazing thin crust pizza.  Probably the best pizza I've had since I left my heart in Boston's North End and Pizzeria Regina.  Spent the afternoon in the ferry building buying cheeses and breads that really made me miss great bakeries and cheeseries.

Saturday night we cooked at Clarissa's and made a wonderful dinner with another houseguest, Francesco.  Afterwards Francesco and I ended the whirlwind culinary tour with dessert (ice cream) Mitchell's Ice Cream.  It was 10:15 PM when we arrived and got our number (91).  They were serving # 67.  Went back to the house, had another glass of wine, came back 25 minutes later and they were on #87.  Got two delicious scoops of Peanut Butter Indulgence and slept very fitfully before leaving on Sunday morning from SFO.  US Airways was a mess that morning and I managed to get onto the 7:20 AM flight even though I was scheduled for the 9:00 AM because the lines for check-in and checking luggage were so long that I just skipped it all and was very glad I only had a carry-on!  The 7:20 flight didn't leave until 8:20, so I only saved myself 45 minutes, but it beat waiting around the airport.

All in all a wonderful time in SF.  And thanks to Clarissa for being such a great host and wonderful food tour guide.

For those of you who may not have heard, I've spent the past week in Taiwan with family mourning the loss of my grandmother (mom's side).  She passed away Memorial Day weekend before my mom or I was able to make it to Taipei.  She'd had lung cancer for the last 18 months and finally succumbed to it last week.  She will be missed as she was a pacifier and unifier of that side of the family.  She often visited the US when I was younger along with my grandfather, who passed two years earlier.  My grandma missed him dearly and I'm positive they are both elated to be reunited in heaven.

We had a wonderful service and it was interesting seeing the more traditional types of funeral arrangements in Taiwan, very different than my experiences here in the US.  A little more dramatic, hierarchical and formal, but nonetheless very appropriate for the gravity of the situation and celebrating the life while still mourning the loss. 

I'll save you all the family drama and just say that it was nice to see some cousins and be back in Taiwan again, but the jet lag combined with the missed work is really starting to rack up.  I'm tired after a 24 hour journey and still have the last leg to go to Phoenix.  I'll be in Minneapolis next weekend for a wedding, then in the office for a week, followed by a work trip to San Francisco.  I'll stay a little later to catch up with some friends, including Clarissa, and probably do the solo thing in Phoenix for July 4th since it's on a Wednesday.  July is going to be pretty busy too and there are a lot of changes going on at work that I'll fill you all in on at a later date.  Suffice it to say that General Mills had a great fiscal year and I'm looking forward to seeing the final financial results for me and the company.

Hope all is well with you and your families!