A Dog's Tale

This blog is for Nikki, my wonderful pup. For nearly two years we've been battling the worst case ever of mange, ringworm and skin infections. I'm serious. He reeked and his skin was cracked, open sores, wounds, some bleeding. The poor little guy's spirits were so low, and he was so - how should I put this gently - unapproachable, that he was not getting any tender affection from anyone. Finally, we were reffered to Dr. Jenise Daigle over at the Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital and after another seven months of treatment, we got the heavenly call today that HE IS CURED! No mange, bacteria - nothing! All the hard work and dollars have paid off - glad to have you back, Nicksters!

MEXICO DF in SFO

For all of you who like Mexican food (and since most of my readers are in Texas, I know I am writing to all of  you) check out MEXICO DF in San Francisco. It is perfect for a special occasion, business dinner, or just a vacation dinner with friends. First off, they have a tamarindo margarita. That's right. Super rare and super tasty. We ordered their guacamole with chipotle salsa and (drumroll please...) mango - and it was superb! The guacamole softened the spicy kick from the chipotle pepper. My wonderful friend Orlando ordered the "pescado veracruzano" and it was nothing short of perfection. I ordered their vegetarian tamales (I know, but I had been eating all day and had to order something on the lighter side) and HOT DAMN they were delicious! Seriously, amiguitos, I highly recommend this place. Thank you, fabulous Lorenzo, for taking me there!

their place settings were absolutely colorful

guacamole con salsa chipotle y mango

pescado veracruzano

tamales riquisimos de queso

Dazzling Zebra

This blog entry is dedicated to Meghan at Ham I am. You see, Meghan and I were super college besties, and she was then completely infatuated with the zebra print. We're talking photo frames, bed sheets and bed spread, shoes, belts, shirts, earrings, the list goes on and on. I'm pretty sure we had zebra print plates as well. But don't fret, my pets - Meghan has exceptional taste and none of this was ever tacky. Anyway, on my last trip to Fredericksburg, I went into one of many ranch-style home decor stores and was greeted by this sassy, shiny, zebra. Come on, who wouldn't want to buy this?

Athens - Go!

I strongly advise everyone to visit Athens at least once in their lifetime. It's amazing, and not just from History's perspective - the people, food, even liquor... Well, not really becase I am not a fan of their Ouzo, but it definitely had its kick. It's liquorish infused, and I am not a fan -- just as I am not a fan of absinthe. Below are some pictures from my Athens trip.

At the Acropolis

View of Athens from Acropolis

Tres tragitos de Ouzo

Star Bagel - San Francisco

One of my all-time favorite "meals" is the sandwich, mainly due to its versatility. A sandwich can be hot, cold, beef, veggie, bbq, Italian, the list goes, on and on and on. And we haven't even gotten into the cheeses or breads. We arrived in San Francisco on an empty stomach and abut 40 minutes before the start of our three hour awesome city tour. So, we wandered around  Nob Hill, where out hotel was, to find some grub. We ran into Star Bagel - a local favorite spot. It was early in West Coast time, and while we were craving lunch, most were still ordering bagels and cream cheese. Their cream cheese spread was pretty extensive: 

We still ordered lunch, even after being tempted by the cream cheese factory. The result? A very well orchestrated turkey bagel sandwich on a jalapeño bagel. The best part was the great service - it really was a most gentle kick off to our trip!

Fisherman's Wharf Part Deux

In my last post I referenced the amazing crab chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin Bakery. So good. I was in San Francisco during their Dungeness Crab week. I'm not sure if the sea food stands (think puestesitos or taco stands) are up on the wharf year round, regardless my traveling partner and I went for it. We took full advantage of the fresh sea food by digging into some on-the-street eateries and munched on some fresh calamari and crab. 

 

Crab Chowder in Bread Bowl

Let's talk about this, please. At the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco lies the Boudin Bakery. Their specialty? Sourdough bread. They serve this delicious, fresh dungeness crab chowder in something more than just a bowl, a sourdough bread bowl. Yum. Good enough to scrape whatever bread is left in the bread bowl with your spoon.

Michael Jordan

Is there anyone out there who really doesn't know who Michael Jordan is? Well, except maybe Lehf, because she was still in diapers when he was hot stuff. And all the babies that followed... Ok, well, this man is so admirable the way he handled that court time after time was inspiring. I only wished I could have seen him play live. At least I got to see Brazil play the Netherlands in the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA. Remember the logo?

Anyway, I digress. MJ. Yes. Statue in Chicago... done and done. Check out my pics!

World Cup USA logo source. 

Pagoda in Japanese Tea Garden

I just returned from a fabulous vacation in San Francisco and will share many, many photos with you. The weather was absolutely perfect - no rain, not a cloud in the sky. Ok, well, maybe some... but minimal. The first photo I am posting is from a Japanese Pagoda in the Japanese Tea Garden. This place is so beautiful, serene and just picture perfect. Scenes from Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed here, that should tell you something. And as the name suggests, you can enjoy tea in this garden. We did not have time to, but locals recommend Jasmine.

I haven't been able to confirm this, but rumor has it, the pagodas in the garden were brought over from Japan! Read the link above to learn more interesting details about the garden and the SFO influence, like it being the place where the fortune cookie originated!