America #1... still most awesome place I've ever been!

America, Heck Yeah! Without trying to sound like I'm tooting Uncle Sam's horn, or being overly patriotic, there are some things I experience that keep me believing in American Exceptionalism. Two examples will illustrate the unbridled enthusiasm we pour into our pursuit of quality. One should keep in mind the truism: you get what you pay for.

Champagne brunch. These words fill one's mind with fashionable dining in blissful tranquility. A buffet of omelettes, carved ribeye, pancakes, Belgian waffles, and the like thrown in with the standard breakfast fare of hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, fruits, cheeses, pastries, and a Mimosa to wash it down. A little backstory may be in order. My wife is due to deliver our first child in early January. So we know for a fact that there will be a solid three to five months we won't be dining out at "cloth napkin" restaurants. So we're sandbagging now and eating out a couple times a week if her schedule and nausea permit it. Our dash to soak up these last few meals took us to the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. After enjoying one of the best steaks in my life, I casually pointed out that they offer an appealing Champagne Brunch. The wife's response was "Excellent, let's eat here again on Sunday!" No argument from me :).

So that is how I found myself at noon on Sunday, in a Spanish style courtyard, indulging in hot chocolate, eggs with smoked salmon, and a Mimosa: that sweet combination of orange juice and champagne.
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Titanium AR-10: Sure, why not?

Carrying on the theme of penultimate quality, I had the chance this week to handle a rifle that costs more than a Range Rover, but the guy buying this would probably take it home in a Porsche. MSRP of above rifle: a cool $100,000. It doesn't contain any gold or platinum. Nor are any parts covered in unicorn horn or dragon scales, although it may have the very unique Hen's Tooth shell extractor. Why the six-figure price tag? One word: Titanium. The raw materials in this gun cost about $25,000. Add in labor and machining on the toughest metal extant, plus the unique designation of Serial #1 and one rises up into very rare air. I count nine specific titanium parts on the spec list below. Would it really cost more than a condo to build it on your own? No. At least not if you have access to CNC machining equipment with diamond tip cutters and are willing to plunk down the initial material costs. Word amongst some in the industry is that if this had become a "production model" gun, it would list between forty to fifty thousand. Still, at $45K each, Nemo Arms, the company who built this didn't figure demand would support the capital expenditure. I applaud their self-control.

Titanium Matched Receiver Set

416 Stainless Steel, .308 Win, 1/10 Twist, Black Nitride Finish, 16” HBAR Profile

Titanium Customizable Tube Handguard

Troy Tritium Micro Set Back Up Iron Sights

Titanium Picatinny Handguard Rails

Choate 6-position Buttstock

Titanium Low Profile Gas Block

Titanium Charging Handle with Tactical Latch

Hogue Grip with Battery Management System

Titanium DRK Compensator

KNS Anti-Rotational Pins

Timney 4lb Solid Trigger

Norgon Ambi Mag Catch

Ambi Safety Selector

Titanium Buffer Tube

Stainless Steel Buffer

Titanium Bolt Carrier, Nickel Boron Coated Bolt

Trijicon TA648RMR-308 ACOG 6×48

more to come...

I'm gonna write some more about our SF trip... we had some more delicious fun at Ghirardelli Square, saw Jimi Hendrix's house on Haight/Ashbury, and other neat stuff worth telling. Consider the first two posts as appetizers. Just ran out of energy for now... more to come.

Revised 7-6-13

So when we got off the ferry from Alcatraz at Pier 33, we proceeded up to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. I won't elaborate as it is a tourist trap like any other. We had lunch there at Boudin Bakery, famous local chain not at all unlike Panera Bread but much fresher. I enjoyed a lovely turkey sandwich as AA munched on salad, and Eliz had the tomato soup in a bread bowl. From Fisherman's Wharf, it is a short stroll up to Ghirardelli Square: best place for dessert in San Francisco.

This original chocolate manufactory is now relegated to gift and ice cream shop status as current production requires a much larger factory and corporate HQ in San Leandro. Nevertheless, a few of the old machines are set up and running to impress tourists like me and add a bit of a Willy Wonka motif to the room. The building itself is a stunning old brick structure with wrought iron and neatly manicured lawn overlooking the Bay. On a clear day I'm sure one can see Alcatraz, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Bridge quite nicely.  I digress from the main topic: chocolate. We had some intensely rich ice cream and drinking chocolate.

Ghirardelli's description of my sundae:
Two scoops of chocolate ice cream, freshly homemade dark chocolate hot fudge, dark decadent chips, whipped cream and an Intense Dark Twilight Delight® 72% chocolate.
and drink:

Decadent Drinking Chocolate with Biscotti Made with melted Chocolate Chips and packed with intense chocolate flavor in every rich, velvety sip.

The drink ordered by AA was so rich we tried cutting it with half & half creamers. It ended up being more than we could handle in one sitting, so a to-go cup was needed. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip and as evidenced by the lines out the door when we left, I encourage you to go early and soon!

Next on my list was The Haight. This neighborhood marked by the intersection of Haight & Ashbury was ground zero for 1960s Hippies, especially the 1967 "Summer of Love" that coincided with America's war in Vietnam. Notably, there were no long-haired, tie dyed, Birkenstock wearing folks smoking dope when I arrived. It felt more reminiscent of Atlanta's Little Five Points or the off campus Dead Head shops in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Historically Jerry Garcia's Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin all lived nearby. That is more than I care to know about it and we didn't stay for more than half an hour. So there it is; check The Haight off your list. 

      

Santa Barbara Birthday Fun!

So a couple of weeks ago, I made my first visit to Santa Barbara. My wife and I are big fans of a the British singer Florence + the Machine who was performing at the Santa Barbara Bowl on my birthday.  We talked my mother-in-law Kathi into joining us so we could ride up together from Santa Monica (about a 65 minute drive in light traffic). Kathi, MIL, was so kind to find the concert tickets, as well as a reservation for us at the Santa Barbara Four Seasons!

My twenty-ninth birthday celebration was a culinary delight of four meals intersected by an old mission tour, wine tasting and the long anticipated concert. I had homemade German chocolate cake (by Eliz) for breakfast in Santa Monica before riding up to Santa Barbara with Eliz and my favorite MIL. We took a quick tour of the Mission to work up an appetite for lunch on State Street at Bucatini Trattoria. I recommend the Pennette Pollo & Pomodori Secchi (pasta chicken).

If you are wanting something cooler than tiramisu for desert, State Street has plenty of options. But forget about Cold Stone or Yogurtland and don't even think about Pinkberry. Go to Rockin' Yogurt at 620 State Street, a block away from the Italian restaurant. They have the best quality organic fro yo and possibly the freshest cone (it's a crepe!) you will ever find. It is not self-serve, so you needn't worry about kids putting their filthy little hands in the toppings like at Yogurtland or any of the other DIY places. It is run by a cute older Korean couple and is a truly unique spot in an area filling up with national brands.

Later we walked down to Stearn's Wharf where I enjoyed a wine tasting at Deep Sea Wine, then we headed back to the Four Seasons for naps. Before the concert we grabbed some supper at Bella Vista, the hotel restaurant. I had a broccolini and pepperoni pizza with chocolate icecream- YUM. Now we were ready for Florence + the Machine.

I have nearly exhausted this post just talking about food, so I will give a more thorough report on the concert in a later entry. Florence + the Machine were phenomenally entertaining. All of the aforementioned businesses have positive to perfect reviews on Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Urbanspoon. For more information on these Santa Barbara gems click the links below.  

To round out my birthday, I ordered a glass of chocolate milk and chicken quesadilla with sweet potato fries after the concert back at the resort hotel. Gastronomically amazing! Thank you Kathi & Eliz for making this the best birthday ever ;o) !

Bucatini
Rockin' Yogurt
Deep Sea Wines
Four Seasons

Yummy Deliciousness

Now, the great news is there are TONS of great places to eat for just about any set of taste buds and budget.  My favorites have been Mexican and Asian. Some days I will have fish tacos for lunch and Thai curry for supper- best of both worlds!

Quality Thai restaurants are hard to find in middle America. Yes, I know they do exist here and there… but not like Southern California! Here in the Loma Linda/ Redlands area there are five, two of which are outstanding. My wife and I prefer Thai House on Redlands Blvd and Papaya Bay on Orange Street.

Just this evening we had a lovely date at Papaya Bay. I had my favorite dish on the menu: #18 Spicy Eggplant with chicken and a Thai tea (that’s a mixture of sweet tea and cream).  Eliz had Tom Kha (curry soup with tofu) and Pad Thai (standard noodle dish).  The great thing about Thai restaurants is that they always seem so much more authentic than any American Chinese place or Japanese Shogun restaurant. Not that we don’t enjoy those as well, it is just that Thai places raise the bar. Whenever we yearn for the flavors of Wuhan, we head to Papaya Bay. The ambiance is romantic with a soothing fountain, pleasant lighting, and Siamese objects d’art tastefully rounding out the décor. We like it so much that we chose it for our anniversary and Valentine’s Day this year. 

Remember to save room for yummy coconut ice cream, or deliciously fragrant mango sticky rice if it's in season!

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BONUS RECIPE


Brownies

1 1/2 cup flour 

2 cups sugar

1/2 cocoa

4 eggs

1 cup oil 

1 t salt

2 t vanilla

1 t baking powder

1 cup nuts (optional)

-Blend ingredients and beat mixture for 3 minutes.  

-Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

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I figured if I added a brownie recipe I would grab the attention of anyone who didn't already want to read a post on "Yummy Deliciousness." My gastronomical experiences in California have been mostly positive. The few bad ones are so negligible that I will go ahead and get that out of the way. If you are from the South, you will not find a satisfactory BBQ joint this side of Austin; and don't eat at Roscoe's in Los Angeles thinking it will be as good as the soul food in Atlanta, Birmingham, or Jackson. It won't be. You're welcome.

God Bless
      &
Happy Easter!