Buongiorno!

Allow me to preface this post by saying that I had forgotten how much I miss living in California, not just because of the wonderful weather, normal people and great produce, but also because of the restaurants! Just the range and quality (if you know where to look) is fabulous.
Lately Brandon and I have been spending time in Little Italy. We have fallen in love with this cute San Diego treasure, it's dog friendly, so Maggie gets to come and they have some yummy food. The best part is that you hear jolly Italians speaking Italian as you walk down the street, so you know you've stumbled into Oz. Let us elaborate.

Pappalecco: Best gelato since we came back from Italy. I took my friend there that just came back from a mission in Italy and she agrees. Pappalecco is the real deal. If you are lucky enough to roll by during the day hours, eat lunch, then eat gelato. The lunch (paninis, and giant burschettas) is fresh, unpretentious and just plain yummy. Comfort food if you will. Then get some of the fragola or frutti di bosqo and be prepared to taste bliss.

Vincenzo: This place is more northern Italy, which means HEAVY. We took like two bites and were done, the leftovers made a great lunch the next day. Just like Pappalecco's this place is run by actual Italians (imagine that) so you get the sense that a Don is going to walk in at any time. Not exaggeration. Good pasta. And it's intimate, only about 17 tables, which means you know the food is fresh.

Mimmo's Italian Village: This is probably the most 'commercialized' but it's still good. The bread, caprese, and prusciutto pomodoro were great. Nice light pesto. Yummy tomato soup. And the prices are really reasonable, we were surprised. The only problem I had was that they gave me a cup with ice for my sparkling water. Negative brownie point. Other than that the service was quite nice. I would go there again on day when I didn't want to think about dinner or lunch.

Fillipi's Pizza Grotto: I take it back, this is the most commercialized as this is a chain. That being said it's still fun. Not necessarily authentic, despite the authentic owners but still good. You go here mostly for atmosphere and fun food. Go with friends as you're going to need someone to talk to when you're standing in line for 1.5 hours. My favorite part is the store where you can get real Italian groceries including mozzarella, pancetta, oils and vinegars. We took my parents there and my dad just about cleaned out their olives supply. Capers at great prices.

New Fave

Listen to this:

I really like her.

Toxic.

I have to admit. This was one of the few songs I could handle from Britney Spears just because it was so bad you had to like it. But Yael works it and makes it sexy. How hot is that? (Sorry the picture is never great)

Costco Tango

This past Monday I braved the holiday lines and went to Costco. We were low on eggs, paper towels, and dish-washing detergent. Then there was the age old question, "Do I buy 20 lbs of flour or do I just buy the bread." I just didn't feel like carrying 20 lbs of flour.

So there I was maneuvering my way through the warehouse sized aisles. Dodging my way through indecisive milk buyers and sample ladies. Then it hit me. We were all doing a very well coordinated age-old dance. Imagine, there are what, 300 people in a Costco at any given time. How do we all make it out of there alive? Instinct.
Just like those nature shows where bees filter in and out of the hive all with a predestined purpose and they all keep the hive going. Such is the Costco Tango. Except the difference at Costco is that every bee is looking out for himself.


You start out following the crowd, slow and steady. Then the dish-washing detergent creeps up on you and you have to make a hard left. The person coming the opposite way momentarily stops but quickly recovers and dashes forward. You forget the bread isn't this way so you double back and nearly miss the old lady on a scooter but definitely hit the scooter. Finally you make it across the wide expanse of warehouse to the eggs. You think you're out of the woods when a toddler waddles by, almost disrupting your concentration, you shoot a smile at the kid and a dirty look at the mom. When you get there the eggs are all picked over and you have to climb into the freezer to get a good batch. You climb out, make your way to the register only to ask God for forgiveness while pushing an old Asian man out of the way. Then you and this young guy catch each other's eye and race for a spot in the check-out line. Through a miracle you beat him. You don't ask for forgiveness on this one, he's young, he can handle it. You hope to everything your cashier knows what they're doing, you pay, you make it to your car. You pack up your car, climb in the driver's seat and sigh.
Another trip survived, another day conquered.

Good Food

If I were smarter I would take pictures of the food I make, like my fab friend Archie. Check out her blog at: http://saucyandthensome.blogspot.com/

Then again, if I were smarter I wouldn't have eaten Lean Cuisine. Sigh...

In any case, I'd like to think I am the left-over queen. True, only in my head do I hear the worship of my masses, but something is something. At least I have a healthy self-esteem.

Brandon went deep sea fishing with his dad and came back with a culinary challenge.
I was to cook this thing.

This thing is called a scorpion fish and to boot their spikes are highly poisonous. Thankfully they cleaned it for Brandon and all I got were fillets to work with. No threat of being poisoned before we had eaten the fish - although that would have made a fab story.

So we have A LOT of fish to work with and only so many days to do it in. What to do.
We had a great Sunday dinner by grilling the fish and adding stuff to it. By stuff I mean orange infused olive oil, garlic, honey, herbes de provance. You know, the uss.
Now that our culinary minds had been stretched we were at a loss and we had about 2 lbs. of fish to go and 2 missionaries to feed.
Enter Ceviche! Mexican-ness fixes everything. When culinary disaster knocks at your door - make a taco. So my idea was to Mexicanize the fish and make it into ceviche. Yes, purists will tell you that ceviche needs to start out with raw fish being cooked by the citrus in the lime. ::Cricket Cricket::

The nice thing about fish is that its versatile. Maybe now that we only have 1 lb left, I'll make fish tacos.

Cheaters Ceviche

All ingredients should be equal in proportions.
White fish of some sort, cooked until flaky
Tomatoes, chopped
Onions, diced
Cilantro, chopped
Carrot, thinly grated
Lemon/Lime juice
Salt to taste

Mix together and you're done! Serve with white rice, tostadas and yummy horchata. Another left-over disaster prevented! Thanks Mexican-ness!

Bad Food

Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, and Applebee's. I spit on you.

It's really my own fault. I should have known better than to listen to the TV, but being a student of advertising I was drawn in by the Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice ads and gave them the benefit of the doubt, same with Applebee's. Most of the time companies take great care in living up to their ads, but I was wrong this time.
Oh. The Horror.

What was I thinking? Why would I go against my gut, you ask? Well, out of desperation. A lot of our leftovers go to Brandon's lunch and I was caught lunch-less two days in a row on my way to work. So I hopped over to Von's for a frozen lunch special of 2/$3. I got pasta both days since I thought pasta would be hard to mess up, and I was wrong! The pasta was overcooked, the chicken was dry, the sauce was slimy. I, a representative of the ever-hungry-minded, had to force them down with a water shooter and an orange.

And! If that wasn't enough we went to Applebee's this weekend. That was no one's fault, we had a gift card and decided to use it.
I'm not trying to be a snob, I'm really not. I will eat anywhere and anything as long as it's good. Ask Brandon. We've cruised downtown Salt Lake looking for authentic tacos braving the cold and salmonella. We've braved scary neighborhoods, microbes, unsafe restaurant structures, and language barriers. One time we feared for our lives at the hands of a mentally distressed vagabond that sauntered into a restaurant. But the food was good! It made us feel warm and fuzzy. Applebee's made us feel depressed and I left there with a headache. The food tasted fattening (one thing is to "taste" and another thing is to "be". "Being" fattening is acceptable as long as you don't "taste" it.) and drab. Bleak, if you will. If the food we ate at Applebee's had a color it would be tan. I hate tan. I forever denounce tan.

I do have to say that something good has come out of this hideous experience. Brandon has crossed over to the light. He too kept ranting about the food at Applebee's and how dare they disguise themselves as an eating establishment.

I guess what I'm getting at is a word to the wise: Do not go Applebee's and do not eat frozen lunches (I don't care what brand). Take time to make something or take time to research a Mom 'n' Pop place. You'll be glad you did, even if you're nursing an aching tummy later.

Feelin' de love

Allow me to embarrass my in-laws for but a brief moment. The Jacobsen side women have decided to start a book club. We read a book and discuss it the next time we're together. The inaugural meeting of Le Book Club was the same weekend Brandon and I were in San Francisco - sadly I could not attend. The girlies went to dinner to discus Catcher in the Rye. Ever the thoughtful women, they send this pic to show their love and longing for me at the Club. And although I appreciate the gesture let me interpret the true meanings here.


Left to Right: Alyssa, Crystal, Erin, Susan (matriarch), Anne

Alyssa's mood: Sassy. "Are you kidding me? I don't do kisses."
Crystal's mood: Confident. "Love me dahling, I am fierce."
Erin's mood: Frightened. "Ok... I don't love this...is he going to throw that camera at us?"
Susan's mood: Defeated. "I hate Natalia, but I'm still posing for this picture."
Anne's mood: Hammy. "Jazz-kiss!"

I really did luck out with a great mother-in-law and great sisters-in-law. Thanks girls!!!

We left our hearts (and monies) in San Francisco...

"...If you're going to San Francisco, be sure and wear a flower in your hair..."

As some of you know, Brandon and I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco this past weekend. All of the California division of Kimley-Horn got together for a conference and it is tradition that wives come and everyone makes a trip out of it. Enter me. I was offered by another wife to spend the day with them (since the employees were going to be at the conference all of Friday) but I decided not to. I had never been to San Francisco and the last thing I wanted was women I don't really know, dictating what I was going to do all day. So I explored solo. I wish we would have taken more pictures but oh well. Here are a few to serve as a guide for a 'Frisco trip.
Disclaimer: We're not terribly touristy, so if you're looking for pics of the Golden Gate bridge, you won't find them here.
Disclaimer 2: Our plan of attack when confronted with an unknown city is to eat our way through it.

Friday (Nat on the town)

This is the DeYoung concert hall/museum of American Art. And a cool statue. After dropping Brandon off at the conference hotel I high-tailed it to see the sights. A 20 min bus ride later I was at Golden Gate Park. It was really beautiful. And it reminds me a lot of Balboa Park. Historical Bonus: my in-laws got engaged there.


..... this was at Golden Gate Park...stil not quite sure what to make of it...


This is about as close as I got to the bridge. If I had it to do again, I would have rented a kayak and gone under it. Anyway, it looked cool. From Golden Gate Park I took the bus and started my pilgrimage toward Haight Ashbury to pay homage to my hippie-peace-loving ideals. Also to find the house where the Dead jammed.


Almost there!! I could sense (and smell) dissenters already.


I thought this was hilarious. An army surplus store on Haight. Big Brother hits again!


Victory!!!! Word to the wise. Don't go to Haight Ashbury. Well go, it's worth seeing. But I couldn't help but be very disapointed in my generation. The 60/70's were about change and about standing up to the establishment. It seems like those people (yes, they might have been plain lazy) really believed in what they were doing. They were there to make a change, they were involved in the politics and were knowledgeable on their issues and that's why they were taking a stand. Now most young kids at Haight Ashbury live off drugs, are homeless by choice and force and they aren't even pretending to better the world.


I left my deep thoughts at Haight Ashbury and mosied on. I heart Chinatown. This was a litte nod towards my hometown of Hacienda Heights. Easily, my favorite district in SF.


This is where I ate lunch. You enter through the kitchen and go upstairs to eat. $6! You can't beat that. The first of our culinary adventures.

(Not pictured) We went to an Italian restaurant in Little Italy that was fabulous! Best Italian food since Italy. Oh my.... and it was so small and cute and perfect. We kicked ourselves for not taking pictures. My mouth still waters for my homemade fusili with Italian sausage.


After lunch I did some shopping. I found a shirt I really liked and asked to try it on. This was my dressing room. It extened farther to my left into a dark, dirty abyss but I didn't dare go further than a few inches from the door.

Day 2 (Brandon joins the fun)

We decided to start our day at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. I would move to SF solely for the market. Sigh... I miss it already. In the back right above/right to my head is a contestant from Next Iron Chef! Doing shopping for his restaurant.


The breakfast of champions. Fresh baguette, fresh chevre, and water (I couldn't find tea for the life of me). Also this is Baguette 1. Baguette 1 was given away to a homeless woman by Brandon about 10 min after this picture was taken. Baguette 2 (pictured later) replaced Baguette 1.


The Bay Bridge. Filling our bridge picture quota.


After the market we headed over to Fisherman's Warf via the Embarcadero. Apparently Pier 15 had been colonized by short people.


Baguette 2 and I enjoy watching the sea lions fight over a place to lay at Pier 39. Stunning realization: Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf aren't as cool as they might have been back in the day. While they have cool individual things in them, as a whole Fisherman's Wharf reminded me of Santa Monica Blvd right around the dirty part of Hollywood and Pier 39 had all the stores that Universal City Walk has. I do have to say that the sea lions were super cool and I really liked all the fresh crab being sold on the street. Plus you get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, so that was pretty cool. Not all bad.


I really liked touring the Boudin factory. There was a tasting room at the end of the tour and we got to learn really cool things about how people came to be in San Francisco and cool San Franciscans. I like all the history behind San Francisco, it's much cooler than LA in that sense.


Sanity amidst the craziness of Fisherman's Wharf.


Brandon being his super cool self at the trolley stop right by Ghirardelli Square. Before we got going the driver kept saying "The San Francisco Treat!" and ringing the bell. We had a really fun crew. And got great seats.


The cable car museum was really cool. Here are all the cable lines. Who would have thunk?


Here Brandon sits among his great-grandfather's handy work. Historical bonus: Great-grandpa Soren helped rebuild the Fairmont Hotel after the earthquake of 1906. This was a much needed rest after the whole day of walking.


This was dinner! Well, we had a lot to eat before this, this was the last course of a 5 previous tapas plates. All very yummy. We found an alley in the Financial District full of restaurants and we settled for this Spanish one. After this meal we headed straight for bed.

All in all SF was a very successful treat. We had a lot of yummy food (we decided to skip the clam chowder as we had had some recently at Boudin San Diego, but I'm still kicking myself for not trying the crab) and had a good time discovering all the historical sites of San Francisco. I also learned that SF was the original cool California city before Hollywood exploded, and in it's classy understated way, it still is.