Rob Lowe

I was never a big Rob Lowe fan. He was a bit too pretty for my tastes, but, boy, has he aged well! I digress.


I reviewed his new autobiography for AP and found it fascinating! Read more about it here.

Greek Greens with Beets

If you love to cook and don't yet subscribe to A Veggie Venture, I highly recommend you do.


Yesterday, I made this terrific beet salad. Before trying this recipe, I usually chopped the greens off the beets and tossed them in the compost bin. Egad! Now, I know better. Follow Alanna's instructions and you can't go wrong. Delicious and so healthy!

Healthy Pizza?

I love pizza, but my waistline doesn't, so I'm always looking for ways to make it healthier.

Trader Joe's sells pizza dough in the refrigerated section. I spread out the whole wheat dough in a pizza pan, then load on the toppings. The obvious key to keeping it lighter is to go heavy on the veggies and light on the cheese.

Freight and Salvage

I live in SF. I don't have a car. Hence, I don't often cross the Bay Bridge to go to the East Bay. I made an exception last night to check out the new Freight and Salvage. It moved a few years ago into a beautiful new space and it remains a great venue to see a show.


The band was called Elephant Revival - and while these talented multi-instrumentalists held a lot of promise, I left during intermission. With more time and experience, they could become pretty awesome.

Daffodils at TJs

A good indicator of spring is when Trader Joe's sells cases upon cases of fresh daffodils for $1.29 a bunch. Over the weekend, I splurged on six bunches. I put some in the hallway of my apartment building and the rest in my living room. Makes me smile just looking at them - which is a very good thing.

iDVD

It's so 2005. I know, but I'm excited about making my first DVD.


I created a pretty cool slide show of my photos from Bangladesh. After a bit of coaching from Mike, I was off and running. It was almost as exciting as creating my first mix CD way back when.

Oh, and if don't yet have a Mac, you should :)

Gussie's Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles? Uh, sure. I'll try anything. And, boy, am I glad I did! This place was awesome!


Being a fan of neither chicken nor waffles, I opted for the catfish sliders. My friend and I shared a quartet of sides - collard greens, black-eyed peas, corn and red beans and rice. We also split the fried cheese grits appetizer. Holy moly! This southern food took me back to South Carolina. But everything was cooked with turkey, rather than pork, so it all felt lighter, healthier and not at all greasy.

A few words about the service - slow, but friendly. Just like the South.

Asparagus Soup

Now that I live in the heart of the city without a car, I shop for fruits and veggies at the farmer's market. This means I pay more attention to the seasons. Well, spring is here and that means ASPARAGUS! As a kid, I hated asparagus. In fact, I was on a date in Anchorage circa 1994 the first time I experienced the joys of asparagus.


Last night, I made asparagus soup. It was so simple and so good.


The recipe stressed the importance of serving it with a splash of balsamic vinegar, which really did bump it up a notch. Delish!

2223 Restaurant

Beth and I found ourselves in the Castro last night - a somewhat unusual occurrence - and following a recommendation, we visited 2223 Restaurant.



The interior was gorgeous - perfect for what quickly became a cold and windy night - and the food looked and smelled terrific. We splurged on $12 glasses of wine and skipped the food, which was actually more moderately priced. We agreed to visit again closer to a payday.

My ride for the 10-hour excursion.


We were accompanied here by an armed guard. We saw bengal tiger tracks, but no tigers, which was fine by me.


The monkeys were scavengers. They were ignored by everyone but me.


We visited one of the many villages that goes underwater during monsoon season.


Our intrepid boat driver and umbrella-holding friend. Yes, it was HOT!

Another Monkey

When the sun sets, there's really no reason to stay at Zeitgeist - especially when their margarita prices went up to $8 - so the ladies and I went across the street to Another Monkey.


Admittedly, we were attracted to the happy hour specials and we weren't disappointed. Two glasses of wine and four tasty appetizers - $15!

Waterbar

I've always wanted to visit Waterbar. Aptly named, it's right on the bay and it's a gorgeous, but pricey restaurant. When Michelle said she had "connections" there, I was ready to go!


We enjoyed a very tasty smoked sturgeon dip with yummy potato chips and an excellent $5 "happy hour" sauvignon blanc. When the server insisted there was no bill to pay, I was even happier. Thanks, Michelle!

Heat Wave

It's been one of those weeks ...


Crystal-clear blue sky, sunshine, temperatures in the 70s. If you're visiting, you want to stay. If you're already here, you smilingly fork over a ridiculously high rent or mortgage payment.

And why the heck did it take nearly 13 years for me to have lunch in the beautiful Justin Herman Plaza?