when life gives you a stalled crabbing season, make it a weekend trip

well, thank goodness the actually significant lock out has been resolved. most every year, there seems to be some sort of posturing done between the crabbers and the wholesaler but they usually stamp out the details before the very important local san francisco crab meal night, thanksgiving.

this year they didnt. talks stalled till just this week. we finally have some commercially caught dungeness crab in our markets!

of course, stalled talks didnt stop us from having some of these ill fated tasty creatures....

some of our buddies LOVE the outdoors. we love to hang out with these guys because theyre always doing something, whether its racing around local racetracks on motorcycles, fishing in the bay or like this particular trip, crabbing and having a little picnic.

we were supposed to go up with them when the recreational crabbing season started, but we didnt make it our.

we missed out. they pulled limits. but we did get to share in the bounty. fresh crab right when the recreational season starts... thats a good beginning to the dungeness crab season.

we wanted to make sure we were there for next visit. and we were.

a little bit north of the oyster farms in tomales bay is lawsons landing. its a recreational area with rv/camping, fishing and crabbing. clam digging is very popular out here also. we will most definitely be here when the clam digging gets good.... geoduck (mirugai) hiding out? yeah, we are there.

you couldnt ask for a more picturesque view. kids playing in the sand. calm clear water in front of you. dungeness crab being pulled from the pier and boats coming in setting traps or bringing the latest haul in....

unfortunately, i must have brought some bad luck with me because our haul wasnt as good as our buddies last trip, but you really cant go wrong here. a bad day at lawsons landing is better than any day behind a desk. and no fear, cause the oyster farms are right down the highway. a little past nicks cove, you hit hogs island. grab a bag of oysters or two, and youre just fine again...but who really cares. how often do you get to be a crabber?

maybe it wasnt all my bad luck. the fishing reports out of lawsons landing says the crab haul was great in the beginning of the season, but since tapered off.

stuck sitting on the couch, watching tv on a sunday afternoon wishing there was some fresh dungeness crab around or out on the water on tomales bay? no brainer.


and i got an idea.... setup a camp sight, bring bikes to get you from one spot to another, bring the caja china, throw in a whole pig, toss in crab traps, catch a halibut, dig out some mirugai..... FIND SOME SEABEANS!!.... cook up a storm and enjoy the night.

man, the busy season kicked my butt

so my day jobs busy season is just about to start to wrap up. it really did kick my ass. of course i did make sure to take time out to enjoy life and tried a bunch of new things, but i cant believe more than a month past without a blog post. i gotta keep this thing up and running. more effort stat!

so im excited about thanksgiving. im finally deep frying a turkey... actually two! of all the times ive used my turkey fryer for all sorts of reasons, ive never used it to fry a turkey.

excited.

dude, seriously, i almost died on that mountain!

ok maybe not, but i thought i was dying. lack of oxygen. altitude sickness... hurry call in the helicopters.

at one point in my life i was in shape. now the only shape im in is round.

but as im quickly approaching the mid 30s, i decided its up to me to get back in shape.... everything is up to me. if i want to succeed, i need to chose to succeed. if i want to get into shape, i need to go out and do it.

someone told me recently during a conversation about starting a new business, if you strip down everything to its basics, the only reason people dont start their own business is fear. if you want to do, theres no other real reason anything will hold you back.

so i went hiking.

koreans love hiking. i had no idea until i started working in korea back in 2000. went on a couple hikes. i went in shorts, some airmax 95s, a tshirt.... them natives came all out, hiking boots, collapsible sticks, backpacks.... they looked like swedish koreans. i think i now understand why they like it so much. its not just a faddy exercise. its not just another reason to eat and drink somewhere cool.... its the mental challenge at any level you set for yourself.

and playing dress up is fun, no?

mission peak in fremont ca isnt something that should "kill" anyone. but when you havent done much training wise, it can be a bit challenging. i wasn't really prepared for it, drinking the night before probably wasnt a good idea either. i didnt bring enough water... mentally, i was there though. kinda. just needed a push.

the hike up wasnt that bad... well at least until you reach that rocky trail that leads you to the summit. then i started to feel the 2500 feet altitude change! i was almost completely spent. the last 500 feet or so were the hardest of the hike. i took a few steps, then a minute to breathe. rinse lather repeat.

on the way down, i had even more trouble breathing,  got extremely light headed, started seeing stars..... i wanted to sit there and just sleep.... good thing i had my trusty trainer aka better half with me. now i want to be able to say she was comforting me, asking me if i was ok, if i needed help...... but that just wouldnt be true. she did what she was supposed to. she got me off my ass and forced me to start hiking down. the altitude WAS getting to me. a few hundred feet down, i started to feel much better. then a few miles later, when i got winded again, she pushed me down more.

i swear, close to the bottom of the hike, i started to do some serious lamas breathing. little kids, seniors.. all doing this hike were looking at me like WTF did that poor guy just go through.

i LITERALLY had to force each and every step.

i had to ask some random older gentlemen for some water. he took one look at me and hes all have it all!

after the hike, i had this complete content feeling. sure it was a "moderate" hike, but its something i wouldnt normally do and it was something i really had to push my out of shape self to complete. its something to be very proud of.... (i redeemed myself somewhat the following weekend with a 9 mile hike (no elevation change), where i did just fine... )

it didnt matter that many of the people around me finished the hike faster and without all the drama.

i did it.

ive come to realize this is very key in life.

it doesnt matter some 25yr kid made 100million dollars with his totally useless internet company and youre still stuck at your 9-5. the important fact is that you are doing your 9-5 the best you can.

it doesnt matter if a new business idea fails or succeed, the important thing is that i do it.

(insert 100 more cliches here)

you really cant get more homemade than this

nice laquered tray of love from mom

you really cant get more homemade than this.

the peppers were grown on the "buh ran dah" or veranda or patio for you that dont speak engrish, in korea.

the daeng jjang was made by my mom. she cooked the soybeans, made meji and tada, homemade daeng jjang.

these peppers and kaen neep were preserved in this homemade daeng jjang for seven months.

now i know you can find ban chan at the local korean market.... but this? like comparing local organic milk with powdered milk.... like dominoes artisanal thin crust pizza.

i just had to share this.

i like visiting my mom.

another year another beer, but SUPRISE!

i remember i used to make a huge deal about birthdays. whether it was my own or someone elses, i would make sure theres some celebrating.

i used to think you had to do this.

one of the main reasons was because you never know if you were going to be around for another one.

well, ive been around for about a dozen more birthdays. maybe ill be sticking around for a bit longer.

i started making less and less a big deal about myself for my birthdays and focused on others. i started a short lived (maybe renewed next year) tradition where i would gather up about 100 or so friends and hold a fund raiser centered around food, benefitting our local food bank.

this year, i kinda wanted to keep things quite. i actually just wanted to spend a nice quite weekend with my lovely girlfriend, maybe go out of town. have a nice little dinner...

as you can imagine, i was pretty happy when she told me we were going to have a nice quite little birthday celebration, something during the day then dinner at TFL.

first off, she totally was feeling the vibe i was giving off, i wanted to do something a bit quite. secondly... she got a reservation at TFL!?!?!?! wow.  how the hell did she pull that off and right on my birthday too! this is looking real good!

well, even though i was very curious about the day time activity and how she managed to score a TFL reservation, i didnt snoop around for more information. i trusted her. and i wanted things to happen organically. she said the day time activity will be fun, then a nice dinner. simple. done and done.

the morning of, we wake up and drive to napa. maybe i shouldnt have drank so much at home the night before. im praying the day time activity isnt something active. please god, no mountain biking, horseback riding. the drive up alone, i felt like digusting yellow bile was swilling around in my stomach like a toilet flushing, just waiting to explode. at times, i felt like the inside of a magic eight ball.

we make it to our destination. we drive into what seems like an office park.

wtf?!?!

OH!!!!

OHHHH!!!!!

the meritage resort and spa! dude. score!

ive never been here. im excited... oh wait, whats this? a spa in a cave? ok this is getting very interesting.

we proceed into what is perhaps the coolest spa i have ever been to. yes, its in a cave. we check in. relax. then we are escorted into a room for our couples massage. almost instantly, im off into pampered lala land. man this couldnt get any better. no active crap. stomach is settling in. its been forever since i got pampered.... im thinking. man, this woman is just a little pint size full of amazing.

after a super relaxing couples massage, we decide to relax by the pool, grab a small bite, grab a glass of wine.... im telling you. at this point, there is not a care in the world. got an amazing woman by my side, hella relaxed, nibbling on some shrimp cocktails, having some wine....

everyday should be like this

we relax poolside for a couple hours.
im told there is one more thing we need to do before our dinner at TFL.... WOOHOO DINNER AT TFL!!!

we drive into yountville because she informs me there is something to pick up at ad hoc.... im thinking wtf?!?! pick up something at ad hoc?... are we eating a small bite before dinner at tfl? does she know its going to be like 7 courses of full on food awesomeness in yo mouth?

we walk into ad hoc.... did i mention i love ad hoc? i love the concept. i love the food. i love the atmosphere. i had the pleasure of dining here since they opened up and during the fours years ive been eating here, i have NEVER had anything close to a bad meal. everything has been great to amazing.

i love that ad hoc takes any dish and make it the best they can possibly make it. the thomas keller lineage shows through.

anyways, we check in with the front desk. i see a packed house... its always packed here. its so popular now i had a tough time making reservations the last few times... damn stupid yelpers.

she escorts us outside to the back for some reason... oooh, thinking maybe we are going to addendum. i havent seen the take out window in action, ooo we are picking up some world famous ad hoc fried chicken to go!




nope.

damn you

SURPRISE!!!!!!

there is a giant table set up in their garden.

30 or so of my closest friends old and new. all here. on my birthday. surprise birthday dinner for me. at ad hoc. one of my favorite places in the world.

it was more than i could handle. seriously. im already not great at accepting simple compliments and even though i may seem like the type to be loud and very much the center of attention, when it comes to true attention, i get all flustered and weird. it took me a good 30 minutes or so to let it all absorb in.

my girlfriend planned and organized a surprise dinner for me, in yountville, at ad hoc, special dinning area and all, with a gang load of my closest friends..... i know how hard it is to get a dinner set up in the same city for a handful of people. how the hell do you get hella mofos up into the napa valley, keep it all a surprise and pull this off?

words escaped me most of the night.

 i went around to talked to these amazing people that came up to do all this, all the while an amazing meal being presented by the wonderful staff at ad hoc. chef david came up with a few special things here and there for our dinner and i have to say, yes, it was good. really good. i loved hearing some of the things people were saying about the food. some of the most simplest things were the highlights for people. we forget how good a bean can actually be, not just because it was cooked and prepared perfectly, but because it started from when that bean was growing.

pole bean and potato salad

tomato gazpacho

beef carpaccio with porcini mouse

fried soft shell crab.... OMFG GOOD

world famous ad hoc fried chicken

saffron risotto

grilled short ribs

no dinner is complete without cheese

a couple from the selection

dinner was amazing. obviously. the drinks were equally amazing. paired up wonderfully with the meal. i was so happy to see my friends enjoy a meal with me at one of my absolute favorite places in the world.

two hours or so into dinner, i began to think of some things that almost made me tear up.

i lived a long three decades or so. not particularly a hard life by any means, but a long one nonetheless. and through all the transformations ive had in my life, i always held on to the notion that i am a good person. i always thought of myself as the type that tries to leave every place slightly better then when i arrived. there have been many hardships as of late and no matter how strong you are inside, they do wear you down.

this night, it made me feel as though i had lived a good life. i may not have my name in forbes, i may not be a famous chef, i may not be particularly rich, but as stupid as it may sound, i am rich in life. i have an amazing woman that organized all this for me. i have amazing friends that helped with the organization and took time out of their busy lives to come out and be here for this.

it really made me truly happy. one of those rare moments in life where everything makes sense.

it was getting a bit dark now and it was about time to go home. dinner was amazing. my friends are amazing. my woman? well im sure you know how i feel by now.

oooooh whats this? a seperate dessert from what ad hoc is serving? OOOOOOO LOOK AT THAT! dude, my woman is hella funny. she knows i dont really do cakes, sweets, desserts. my idea of dessert is coffee, sambvca, a late harvest (fill in the blank).....

she got a whole suckling pig for dessert!! score!!!!!

wait what.... thats not a suckling pig.... wait what?!?!!? THAT IS A CAKE?!?!?!

holy crap me!

YES this is a cake! the evening was settling down, then this bad boy pops out. the table was again buzzing with life. my girlfriend had some how found a cake that could impress a group of people that are not easily impressed. everyone had to take a second look. even the staff at ad hoc had to take a second look.

this whole thing is edible. its a red velvet cream cheese cake. those apples are rice crispies.

incredible. absolutely stunning. just look at the stupid doofy grin i have on my face. i couldnt believe it. now course if you want one of your own, well, the girlfriend did her homework finding the right person to do this. obviously she found someone with amazing talent. debbie does cake .debbie does amazing. im still shocked when i see this picture. just look at that!

what a way to end the evening.

its pretty obvious, i had an amazing birthday, a birthday i wont ever forget. its truly one of those events in your life that you will recall on your deathbed.

life should be full of these types of memories.

surrounding myself with good people, doing what i need to do in my life and most importantly finding someone that shares that goal with me, i think i am well on my way to ensuring my life will be full of these types of memories.

chef david cruz, thank you for an amazing meal

special thanks to seb and simone of s + s gastro pub for helping out with everything. even cooking me a seperate special bday dinner the week before to throw me off. you guys are great friends.

special thanks to chef david cruz and all the amazing staff at ad hoc for an amazing meal with patient and attentive care.

thanks to all my amazing friends for making the drive out and celebrating with us- sammy, aycin and averie, chum, will and jocelyn, jason, hendizzle, tom, tiffany and jeff, thai guy mike, dave, cheryl, kristen and aaron, elaine and dave, arnold and christel, aaron and jennifer, kevo... thank you for taking time out to come be part of this.

and to my special little pint size woman of awesomeness. words can not express my gratitude. if i can make you feel half of what i felt that evening, you will never have a bad day. thank you for all that you have done, for who you are and what we will do.

oh wait, did i mention there were party favors?

bacon marmalade anyone?

wait so were NOT going to the french laundry?

i dont want no sunshine rainbow catepillar out my ass rolls

i was asked by a reader to write a post about my thoughts on fusion cuisine.

oh lordy. people that know me well would say dont ask me to talk about ANYTHING because i will ramble on for hours.

hours.

ill try not to ramble too much.

ive said some contradictory things about this subject.

i have been quoted saying exactly what this title says. but let me explain why i said it. when im going for a nigiri experience with a well seasoned sushi chef, dont give me a sunshine roll.

but theres nothing wrong with rolls in of itself. when done properly, they are some damn tasty rolls. one of the best tasty sushi treats ive ever had was a spicy tuna roll. no joke. it wasnt bad tuna masked with mayo and spicy seasoning, it was good tuna, spicy, rolled up with some rice. it had a purpose. to be a tasty roll.

some restaurant owners think "fusion" is a gimmick to bring people in.

that is the wrong approach.

the blending of food and cultures is a good thing. the first time i bit into a chicken tikki masala burrito, it blew my mind. why didnt i think of this? this is brilliant!

ive also been to places that throw down a white table cloth, serve wine and smear some sriracha on a plate, serve mediocore (fill in the blank) asian dishes... all done by an white chef and call it fusion. not to mention a $30 a plate price tag.

wrong approach.

ive also been to places that take traditional japanese dishes, use what is considered to be western cooking techniques and make beautiful music.

i walk out stuffed and amazed with what people can do with food.

"fusion" is a term thrown around too much, usually referring to really craptastic food.

but as a category of food, theres nothing wrong with it. much like the term "foodie", i kinda hate it. foodie usually refers to someone who thinks they know food, who uses their limited knowledge of food to make themselves feel superior to someone who doesnt. thats not a foodie. thats an asshole. its sad that so many people adopted the term in the wrong way, that it became the n word.

food, like everything important in life, should have a purpose. the purpose will define what you are.

i feel so parental. adopted an olive tree.

so for christmas, my amazing woman and bibimblog cofounder got me something way outside the box.

i like outside the box.

through this company nudo, she adpoted an olive tree somewhere in italy, on some small farming collectives grove... a tree is being adpoted, or more accurately put, sponsored by me. this also get me a couple shipments of the olive oil produced from olives grown in that grove.

first reaction was like, whoa, thats freaking cool! i never heard of that. what a cool gift to find someone really into supporting local small businesses and has a love of cooking...

then, the dark side of me peeps out and i started to think, what a scam! sell "adoption" papers to people all over the world, saying youre helping sustain a small farm... then bail out to some sunny tropical island!

well, i fight off all thoughts that this is a scam and i focus more on the idea that this is a brilliant way for to help subsidize costs for small farms trying to fight back big corporate farms.

its been about six months since i received those first adoption papers and i finally received my first shipment of olive oil. it included a small note stating what i was thinking before.

apparently the olive oil industry is plagued by big corporate farming also. they get companies that come in, suck every penny out of the land, take every short cut possible and maximize profits. hell, olive oil "made in italy" doesnt even have to be made from olives from italy, just bottled there. high quality olive oil should be cold pressed.... big corporate farms use heat to extract more oil, ending up with an inferior product.

well, i had my doubts about this adoption program and even though im no olive oil expert, having tasted some good locally made products, (did you know that theres a restaurant in mill valley that has a olive oil press in use right IN the restaurant?) i was quite impressed with this olive oil.

i have to be honest, this is probably some of the best olive oil ive ever tasted. bright, complex, interesting... its really good stuff.

worth the price of adoption? yes. of course you end up paying a bit more than you should for good olive oil, but knowing that you helped a small local farmer stay in business just a bit longer, fighting off evil corporate farms? thats worth the premium.

if you want good food, you need support small farmers who dedicate their lives to producing quality ingredients.

good job homie, good job

damn, i use super frou frou cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. im so hella san francisco.