Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish that is a kitchen sink of sorts.  This particular example is from the restaurant within the supermarket Kukje in Daly City.  Aside from the rice, there is alot going on within this bowl.  You see the fried egg on top and some slices of beef underneath it.  The rest of it is a fairly healthy mix of  several pickled, cooked, or boiled vegetables.  Some sesame seed oil is sprinkled about and you can add as much bibimbap sauce as you like.  You cuold probably throw in extra items such as kimchi or other side dishes that are usually served with a Korean meal.  Using the long metal spoon provided, all is mixed together and eaten by the spoonful.  For vegetarians, the meat can be left out.  The egg can be served raw or omitted as well.  The other ingredients can vary with the season or vary from cook to cook to suit their own tastes.

One variation is to have this served in a scalding hot stone bowl.  The heat from the bowl burns the kernels of rice that are in contact with it.  The resulting crispy scorched rice is a delightful way to finish off the meal.  However, some places will charge you extra for this addition.  Admittedly, I was not a big fan of this cuisine, except for the barbecue, when I was younger.  Exposing myself to ever increasing amounts of the culture through TV and music, I began to broaden my palette.  I began to have their tangs and chiges(soups), kimchis and banchans(side dishes), jajangmyun(black bean noodles), mandu(dumplings), pajeon(savory pancakes), etc. and enjoyed them very much.  Granted the jajangmyun is a chinese dish and usually found in chinese restaurants in Korea, I equate them with the Koreans and usually have them in Korean restaurants here at home

On The Job-Lombard St (west side)

When you pair the city and Lombard St, people invariably think of crooked, as in the most crookedest street.  But, that is just one in a series of blocks that make up Lombard.  It continues eastward to the bay but that will be another story/post.  We will focus, this time, on the western portion.  On the other side of that far peak is where the winding portion makes it way down towards the North Beach/Northpoint area.  As it leads westward, its a major artery that connects to Doyle Dr in the Presidio and eventually connecting to the Golden Gate Bridge.  All this cuts through the Marina district.  There used to be more restaurants along this section.  many have closed but one would not starved or be at a lack of choices if one were to stqy in the area.  Nowadays, the hotels/motels outnumber eating establishments.

In the distance, the fog shrouds Doyle Dr and the GG Bridge.  In the foreground, you would have seen the remnants of the buildings constructed for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition that the city played host to decades and decades ago.

Aside from Lombard itself, Chestnut St parallels to the north and Union St follows in the same direction a few blocks to the south.  Both these streets host their own variety of eating establishments and shopping boutiqes.  Union having more bars can draw a few more revelers but pale in comparison when you begin to count the number of places to eat.  All three provide a lively area that many tourists wouldnt know to experience

Movie Review-Captain America

So, this movie had to be made in order for all the characters to be ready to assemble for the upcoming Avengers movie.  The Hulk was done, twice before no less.  Iron Man has already had his sequel.  Thor made his appearance earlier in the year.  I wonder who else needs to be introduced before they can begin on the eventuality.

I cant say that I cared much for this movie.  Its over 2 hours long and feels like it.  For some reason, the last few Marvel superhero tales had taken a very serious tone.  This includes X-men First Class.  Thor tried to vary from this template.  I found more humourous moments in Thor than I have in any other fish out of the water story, But I could not find myself liking that.  The cameo appearance of Hugh Jackman as Logan in X-men First Class was one of a handfull of instances of chuckles that I could muster.  What little gags there is is found sprinkled sparingly here and there.  Not enough to lift the mood in any substantial way.The first Iron Man had a nice pace to it.  It felt like a fun romp.  The actions scenes were fun to watch and the visuals added to the airy feeling.  After all, these were derived from comic books and comic books were what I used to read for fun.  I wished Capt America could have been fun.

We are introduced to the proverbial 90 pound weakling in Steve Rogers.  A scrawny Brooklynite who strives to fulfill his duty by enlisting during the war and failing at it 5 times.  His appearance on screen is that of the comic book ad where he is representative of the guy who gets sand kicked in his face.  He attracts the attention of a special division of the Army and is inducted.  More exposition before Rogers gets experimented on and emerges taller, faster, stronger.  Initially, he is trotted out to sell war bonds and advance the war effort at home.  While on tour in Europe, he defies regulations to save his best friend Bucky who is being held captive, along with other allied prisoners. by the Red Skull.  The Red Skull is amassing an army and advanced weapons to aid, or usurp, Hitler.  Rogers and his hand-picked group succeed in thwarting the Skulls plans and staying one step ahead him.  In the end, the good guys win and the bad guys lose.

If this telling sounds boring, we thats how I found the movie.  If you have to watch this, wait to stream or rent.  Most people know the sotry of Captain America so I dont think you would be missing much if you dont see this before the whole Avengers come together

At Dinner-The Old Clam House

The Old Clam House is located in an industrial area of the city. Warehouses, the produce market and auto junkyards are situated near the Bayshore Blvd address of this seafood restaurant. The structure survived the 1906 earthquake and fire that swept through the city. Thusly, it remains in its original location.

On this recent visit, there have been alot of changes since my last visit. The interior used to me much darker, very similar to a steakhouse. They have brightened up the walls and overall atmosphere of the dining area. The menu had been revamped as well. Some old favorites are gone and some meat options were added. Of most note, they now offer 3 sizes of prime rib. On this outing, I ordered the venerable city creation of Cioppino. A melange of seafood in a rich tomato broth. Upon service, it was noticed that the portions of previously ordered dishes have shrunken down quite a bit. Much to my dismay as I was hoping to take some home. With the downsizing, it seems the quality of the food has been improved. The seafood in my dish seemed fresher and cooked just right as compared to earlier times. The tomato broth was full of flavor and had a certain smokiness to it.

Friends that I was dining with ordered the crab cocktail, paella, and prime rib. The cocktail certainly had a large lump of meat and was big enough to share. They commented on how light the paella was as it used an orzo like ancini pasta instead of the expected rice. The large size prime rib is roughly 16oz and was accompanied by mashed potatoes. The ordered medium rare steak looked more pink I thought it was actually medium. But it was to the liking of the consumer.

A Day At The Races-Videoes

This first clip is a sweeping panoramic of the main portion of the racetrack. At the beginning of the clip, the drivers are coming away from the Rainey Curve and cornering turn 10 towards the pit/finish line area in the background. We lose them after coming around turn 11. After panning past pit row, they head to turns 1 and 2. Afterwhich, they are faced with 2 lefts at 3 and 4 before turn 5 which takes them to the back of the course.






This next clip was taken at the Corkscrew. You can see the cars coming out of turn 8 and diving into turn 8A. Its on to turn 9 then continues to the previous clip.