A client requested this painting as a birthday gift for her husband, who, having grown up in Delaware, has very fond childhood memories of crab feasts. Her only instructions were to include some kind of warning about filling up on the non-crab items, and including a reference to the beach somehow. At 18X24, it's one of the larger scaled watercolors I've made.
A scrapbook of sketches and miscellaneous memorabilia from Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon, Siem Reap—and a little Seoul, too.
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Good food on Asiana Airlines!
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Stopover • Incheon, Korea
Friendly staff and great breakfasts.
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Vietnamese folk tales reenacted with puppets on water,
traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides background music.
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Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi—from Cafe Pho Co.
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My favorite meal in Hanoi! Now on to Halong Bay...
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I spent two nights in this cozy little cabin.
Good food, good kayaking, too.
Hue, Vietnam
Hue, Vietnam—I discover I've lost my credit card. I imagine I left it back on the Dragon Pearl. I find it two days later in my carry-on bag.
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It looked like a cafe. A great example of Vietnamese hospitality.
This was the place I was looking for. Bun thit nu'ong was a little too spicy for me.
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Torrential downpour. Refuge under a tented stall with some pho. Hoi An tomorrow.
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Hoi An, Vietnam— I've got my sights set on a banh mi.
(I will have three in as many days.)
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Once again, a really nice hotel with a helpful staff.
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Q-Bar, Hoi An
Next stop: Saigon.
Wasn't enough space for that guy.
Saigon, Vietnam—A lot hotter down here in the south.
A great museum.
Had a really nice lunch here.
Day trip to the Mekong Delta. Now on to Cambodia...
Siem Reap, Cambodia—Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom, Bayond Temple
The pilgrims of Angkor Wat.
Ta Prum
Beng Mealia—My favorite temple.
Siem Reap, Cambodia—Frangipani Hotel
Wonderful hotel!
Loved the coconut shakes!
But first a nine hour layover in Korea.
Seoul, Korea—It was nice to get out of the airport for a few hours. Ok...one last flight now!
I packed very lightly for this trip—carry on only. I would wash my clothes in the hotel sink and
they would dry in a couple hours.
I brought more Tom Bihn bags with me than underwear. The Tri-Star, Smart Alec, the Field Journal
and Cafe bag all were put to good use.
Tuesday night at Tacolicious is make-your-own-taco night. Old school hard shell taco replaces the the usual soft shell, and it's accompanied by fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese—all for you to administer as you like. A tasty (and fun) change of pace!
Offering a wide selection of sandwiches and gyros, Captain Submarine is a great option for a delicious and inexpensive lunch in Pacific Heights. The super friendly family owned shop is just off the hustle and bustle of Fillmore street on Sacramento, and you may just walk right past it if you're not paying attention. Its price point, considering the neighborhood, is incredibly reasonable—a crab sandwich, soda, and a bag of chips set me back only $8. And the great thing is you don't need permission to come aboard this vessel. Anchors aweigh!
Captain Submarine • 2486 Sacramento St (at Fillmore St) San Francisco, CA 94115
Just a block from the hustle and bustle of Fillmore street, Sweet Maple makes an excellent addition to your Saturday/Sunday brunch rotation. The free coffee in the foyer helps temper the long wait ahead of you, and once seated, the service is friendly and efficient. The menu is extensive, offering gigantic pancakes, hearty scrambles, and deep fried french toast. But the main attraction here is the millionaire bacon—which is more like thinly sliced pork chops glazed in brown sugar. It takes bacon to a new dimension—the z-axis, to be exact. The wait can be a bit tedious for sure—but when the colorful plate of bacon-chops, potatoes, and fluffy scrambled eggs arrived, it made it all worthwhile.
• Sweet Maple 2101 Sutter St (between Steiner St & Pierce St) (415) 655-9169 •
Long retired as the Giant's mascot, The Crazy Crab now serves up sandwiches in the shack behind the scoreboard at AT&T Park—crab sandwiches, to be exact. Which is pretty morbid when you start to think about it. But if I could make $15.50 a sandwich, and have people lining up in droves for the toasted, buttery, crabby goodness, I'd turn on my own kind too, I suppose. The line might be look a bit daunting but it moves along steadily, so don't be deterred. After finishing my delicious sandwich, I almost wanted to get back in line for another. Now who's the crazy one?
When discussing Chicago pizza, it's usually the deep dish that gets all the press. But the thing is, there are so many other choices the city offers. One of the more interesting selections is the pizza pot pie from Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. That's right, a pizza pot pie.
Upon arriving at your table, it doesn't really resemble anything like a pizza.
But then your server deftly flips the doughy shape over and carefully removes the pot.
And behold! Here is your pizza pot pie. Made from scratch with triple-raised Sicilian bread-type dough; a homemade sauce consisting of olive oil, fresh garlic onions, green peppers, whole plum tomatoes and a blend of cheeses; sausage made from prime boston butts (?) and giant mushrooms. Depicted above is the half-pounder. There is also an unthinkable one-pound pot pie on the menu. And I thought restaurant's name was a mouthful.
I'm finally getting around to posting about my visit to Japan last October. Having never been there before, I really didn't know what to expect, but eagerly anticipated the adventure. I had, however, two slight concerns: #1— that I would get lost a lot, and #2—as an historically non adventurous eater—I would have a difficult time finding meals. Well, I'm happy to report only one of the fears came true. And that wasn't so bad, because the good people of Japan were very nice in helping me find my way again.
Kyoto—I wish I made better note of the location these restaurants. Off Shijo Dori, this place served up some very filling ramen. It took me forever to get halfway through, while the salarymen next to me slurped theirs down in minutes. I couldn't finish the bowl—but it was amazing.
Arashiyama — Looked like chicken. Smelled like fish. Tasted like pork. I'm still not sure what this was, but I sure ate it. And for 350 Yen not bad!
I think okonomiyaki is the most fun meals I've had. It's interactive, social, and if you don't like it, it's probably your own damned fault. It's also the closest thing I've done to cooking.
You'll never go thirsty in Japan. There's a vending machine of some kind every twenty feet ready to dispense a coke or a pocari sweat—my favorite.
Ginza—More Ramen! So good. I think I had chicken this time.
Tokyo— Taiyaki: A waffle filled with red bean, or in this case, custard. Once again, wish I made note of where I got this. Maybe somebody out there knows? Next time I will have have to be more diligent about the details. It's a great excuse to go back. I now know eating won't be a problem—in fact it'll be an absolute delight. I'll still get lost, probably. One issue at a time.
The salarymen are sleepy. Maybe they had too much ramen?
If I were to tell you there exists a cafe where you can sip your coffee or Hitachino White Ale on an outdoor parklet while waiting for your bicycle to be fixed, and enjoy a meal from a pop-up cafe, you must think you've died and gone to hipster heaven. Well the rumors of your demise are greatly exaggerated, my skinny jeaned friend. Welcome to the Mojo Bicycle Cafe. The delightfully named Rice Paper Scissors (aforementioned pop-up cafe) was providing Banh Mi Sandwiches Thursday night for the hungry patrons. Depicted above is their very delicious Pork Belly sandwich.
This brunch had been on my short list for some time. I had enjoyed their dinner immensely, and looked forward to trying out their morning fare. I finally made it down to Beast and the Hare this past Sunday and was not disappointed. You'll be met by a friendly staff in a relaxed atmosphere with no pretensions. Vacillating between the eggs benedict and the duck hash, my server recommended the duck hash—without hesitating. I was glad my choice, ahem, migrated towards the duck—it was delicious!
