Season Three, Episode Nine: I'm thirsty for some Paella! Thirsty Bear review

--this article first appeared in UCSF Synapse on January 27th, 2011--

Thirsty Bear

661 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 974-0905

Four out of Five Stars

I haven’t seen my classmates Judy and Ashley in forever, and so this past Friday, we decided to take advantage of living in one of the gastronomically advanced cities in the US and explore restaurants that we haven’t been to; as deliciously delectable as the dried chicken wings at San Tung are, I’m afraid I should try to expand my horizons. Luckily, living in such a wonderfully bustling city like San Francisco, there’s always something going on, and right now (from January 15 – 31) is Dine About Town. At participating restaurant $17.50, gets you a two-course lunch meal, and for $35, you can get a three-course meal. For a starving poor graduate student (with a discerning taste for good food), that’s a pretty good deal in this city.

Thirsty Bear has that Bostonian feel to it, with the exposed brick walls and tall ceilings. They also serve beers that they brew on site, so that’s a plus. And unlike other Dine About Town restaurants, Thirsty Bear has their ENTIRE menu as part of the deal. AND you actually get a four-course meal (salad, tapas, paella, then dessert), so that’s another plus!

In a rare occurrence (and keeping in line with my I-want-to-be-more-punctual New Year’s Resolution), I arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes before our 8:30pm reservations. Look at me, I’m all grown up. Ashley and Judy showed up a bit later, and as I greeted them, the big boisterous group next to us stole one of the chairs from our table. Really? That’s just rude. At least have the decency to ask BEFORE you take a chair off our table.

After we got our pitcher of sangria (which was delicious), we got to ordering dinner. For our salads, we all got the frisée salad (mixed greens, pear, dried cranberries, walnuts & pomegranate vinaigrette). The dressing was on the lighter side, which was a definite plus. I never really got the American fascination with drowning their salad with dressing; it defeats the whole healthy aspect of eating a salad.

I was a bit bummed, because by the time that we ordered, the bocadillos (house made mini-burgers of niman ranch pork, lamb, and wagyu beef) were all out. Our server explained that they only have limited amount of buns everyday (delivered daily from a local bakery), and so once they’re out, they’re out. Bummer! Next time! So instead, for our tapas, we ordered albondigas (pork & beef meatballs, creamy polenta, queso fresco & fried shallots), seared duck breast with bosch pear, dried cherry sauce & toasted hazelnuts, and chorizo soria flatbread, romesco, broccolini, manchego & pepperocini with quail eggs. Before we ordered the flatbread, I thought that the quail eggs were going to be boiled (because that’s the only way that I’ve had it). But when it came out, it was done sunny side up (which was a pleasant surprise). The polenta that came with the albondigas was actually quite tasty, and the flat bread was surprisingly delectable; I was afraid that it was going to be a bit salty, but it was just right.

I would say that the portion sizes for their tapas are smaller compared to restaurants in Spain. Nonetheless, I would have to give it up for this restaurant (and others like it) for taking advantage of serving smaller portions, calling it “tapas” and charging a higher price for it. Though really, we as Americans can certainly benefit from this insidious practice. Really, we don’t need to eat everything “Super Sized”.

For our main course, we all had paellas. Judy and I got the Paella Valenciana (saffron, chicken, chorizo, clams, mussels, shrimp, red peppers, and peas) and Ashley ordered the Paella of the Day. The paellas were actually quite good! The paellas were just the right balance of dryness and wetness (unlike Filipino paellas which are a bit on the wet side). Though the way they do it in Spain, they usually have a minimum 2-person to get an order of paella (since they cook it to order) because the servings are usually pretty big (they cook it in a pretty big pan). Even with the smaller portions, we still ended up taking most of the paellas home because we got so full!

For desserts, we all ordered the churros with the Spanish hot chocolate. The churros were bite-sized (which was perfect since we didn’t even finish our paellas because we were so full). nd the Spanish hot chocolate was so rich; basically we were drinking melted chocolate!

Final Verdict? Ever since I had bacalao (dried and salted cod) in Lisbon, I’ve been craving them, and now I’ve finally found a place that serves them here in the US. So that’s something to come back to. Locally brewed beer available? That’s another plus! Good atmosphere and good mix of people, so that’s another plus. It’s too bad they don’t really have a good happy hour (they have drink specials but no food specials), otherwise, I can definitely see myself going to this place more often.

Season Three, Episode Eight: New Years Resolution, Revisited

--this article appeared in UCSF Synapse on January 6, 2011--

Yes, it is that time of the year again, and no, I’m not talking about the National “Return Unwanted Christmas Presents” Day. It is that time of the year when gym membership sign-ups are probably at their highest (and gyms reaching its fullest capacity), nicotine gum and patch sales are brisk, and lots of broken promises are initiated. With the new year, some people are reenergized and motivated to change what they feel like is an area in their lives that they can improve upon, and thus make New Year’s resolutions.

Last year, I made such a plunge, and now, let’s look back and see how successful (or in some cases = EPIC fail) I was in maintaining those resolutions.

Spend more time with Family and Friends
Overall, I’d say I did fairly well in this department. In the past, I called home MAYBE once or twice a month; this past year, I probably called once or twice a week. I have made time for the BFFs, and reconnected with friends that I’ve been meaning to catch up with.

Fit in Fitness
I think I held my end of the bargain, considering the circumstances. Rotations (and HP&M classes) did take a toll on my body, but I made it a point to work out at least 2-3 times a week. Otherwise, I would’ve not had the energy to do work I had to do when I got home.

Tame the bulge
This one I’m not so sure how I did. Considering that I’m still carrying a little extra “holiday weight” (no thanks to my mother!), I have gained about 15 pounds as compared to the beginning of last year. The hopeful person in me would like to say that the weight gain is mostly from muscle weight, though the realist in me would partially attribute it to my mom’s devilishly delectable desserts she made for the holidays.

Get out of debt
Well, this one was NEVER going to happen; as I’ve mentioned previously, I just took on a mortgage last year, and unless there is a substantial trust fund that’s set to mature under my name, I don’t see my mortgage being paid off. And staring at me like a barrel of a gun is my ever-increasing student loan debt; though if I get into a residency, I get to postpone the joy of paying back these loans for another year. But as far as unsecured debt, I’m actually doing pretty well; no outstanding credit card debts, no car payments, etc.

Learn something new
So, last year, my friend and I threw around the idea of sharing a Rosetta Stone CD and learning Chinese. Yeah, that DIDN’T happen. She and I were just too darn busy with school and work stuff that we didn’t really have time to fully get something out of the experience. There’s always next year.

Help others
Still making good on this promise. MHC is going strong, and we just celebrated our one-year anniversary this past December (though I did miss the festivities!).

Get organized
Definite improvements in this department. For starters, it’s been awhile since I was able to finish things way BEFORE a deadline; I guess I’m one of those late-starters… But my residency applications were all finished before New Years’ Eve, which is impressive since most of them are due the second week of January. I’d call that progress. AND I’ve made a serious dent in organizing my house, that it was actually presentable enough to have my first overnight guests, my college best friends Maiti (currently doing her third year of medical school in Cuba) and Michelle (works in LA, in town for a wedding in Berkeley). We’ll see about that housewarming party (it might actually happen BEFORE graduation! Lol).

No new shoes in 2010
I am actually really proud of this one! A resolution that saved me hundreds of dollars! It’s amazing how much money I spend on shoes, and even more amazingly, how strongly I resisted breaking this resolution, in spite of many temptations.

Try to be punctual
Hmmm… let’s see, how should I put it? Work in progress? Hahaha… Though I’d say, I was better this year. Last year, I was supposed to meet up with high school friends for dinner at 5:30 and I didn’t show up until 7:15. This year, meeting up with the same high school friends for Free Museum Tuesday at the Museum of Art in Balboa Park in San Diego (which if I may add, is quite impressive and makes me wish that I went to it more often while I was living there) to see the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, I was only late by 45 minutes! Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

So by my count, I have five fulfilled resolutions, one unresolved resolution, and three epic fail resolutions; that’s not too terrible. What’s my new year’s resolution this year? Redo the ones that I wasn’t able to accomplish? While that may be the logical one, I probably didn’t fulfill them for a reason. Turn in my SITC columns to my managing editor BEFORE 5pm on Mondays? Hahaha… So, let’s try for something in the middle: A dear friend of mine (who is an avid reader of my column) has suggested that I should write more about being single, given the title of my column. Touché. So I guess I’ll try doing that, but after I’ve talked about my European/Moroccan adventures! Stay tuned for that one, folks!

Season Three, Episode Season Seven: Day at the Museum, Part Deux: Impressionist and the beyond at the de Young

The impressionism movement was important in many respects, and in particular, it serves as an important intermediary between the "Romantic –style classical painting" and the "modern art". The artists at this time experimented with different techniques, vantage points, and subject matter. We are fortunate to have some of Musée d'Orsay's collection on display at de Young Museum until January 18^th.

Cezanne

I admit, when I was first studying art, I didn't have that big of an appreciation for still-life art; but after studying Cezanne's techniques, I grew a greater appreciation for them. Instead of using shading to represent form and volume, he uses subtle modulation of colors. Instead of using the traditional depiction of perspective, he uses multiple viewpoints to assemble various "everyday objects" in a discordant fashion, and uses repetition of similar shapes and the harmonious use of palettes to bring the composition into a perfect balance. Cezanne has painted over 200 still-life paintings (he wanted to harness the "power and poetry of everyday objects), and some are display here at the de Young. Be sure to check out "Still Life with Onions" and "Kitchen Table" to appreciate some of Cezanne's brilliance.

Gauguin

Gauguin's life experiences have certainly shaped his artistic endeavors. His life in Paris, living on rue de Chaillot at the heart of the seizième arrondissement, not too far from the Seine,
influenced his earlier works of representing a sort of
rural bonhomie. His time at Arles with Vincent Van Gogh was two-months filled with intense collaboration, and each artist had a contrasting orientation (Van Gogh – more expressionistic, Gauguin more contemplative) that allowed for some "healthy competition" between the two artists, propelling each other to push the limits of color and imagery to the extreme, resulting in 15 Gauguin masterpieces in such a short time span. "Les Alyscamps" in particular was quite striking; he uses abstraction of natural forms and arbitrary use of color (the "flaming red bush" and the "blue tree trunks") to exemplify a certain level of expressive quality that represent his "Synthesist style".

Not to miss paintings: "Tahitian Women", "Portrait of the Artist with the Yellow Christ", "Les Alyscamps", "Arearea".

The Pont-Aven School

In contrast to Georges Seurat and Paul Signac's Neo-Impressionists style (ripipoint or "pointillism"), which they considered to be too rational and progressive, the "Pont-Aven School" (Emile Bernard, Charles Laval, Paul Sérusier, and to a lesser extent, Paul Gauguin) advanced the aesthetics and iconography as advocated by Gauguin's artistic circle and the Synthesism movement. These artists sought to further push the limits (previously successfully established by the Impressionism movement) of Realism. In particular, these artists drew on the Romantic notion of reconnecting with one's origin and found a certain inspiration in the peasant life of the inhabitants of Brittany to represent the "primitiveness of province life", perpetrating the Celtic piety, the political independence, and the poetic nature that is ingrained in Brittany's culture.

Not to miss paintings: Bernard's "Breton Women with Umbrellas", "Bathers with Red Cow", and "Madeleine in the Bois d'Amoir", Laval's "Landscape", Sérusier's "The Fence", and Gauguin's "Seascape with Cow (at the Edge of the Cliff)"

Season Three, Episode Six: The day at the Museum: Impressionist and Beyond at de Young, part I

I’m very grateful that Musée d’Orsay is going through major renovations in preparation for its 25^th Anniversary in 2011; it’s been long overdue. I remember when I was living in Paris, I used to go visit d’Orsay almost every week (thanks to my American University of Paris ID card, which got me in to most of the Parisians Museums (60, in total) for free); I remember that whenever I’d go, I’d only see certain sections at one time because the lighting in some sections (the Salle des Colonnes in particular) was really terrible at times, so you’d have to go at a certain time to get some good ambient lighting. Also, the current layout as it was back then was a little hard to follow, and when it got busy, I always felt a bit claustrophobic. It felt a bit disjointed, and a bit disorganized; there was not a cohesive stylistic, thematic, or chronological organization to the collection.

Another big plus (and more relevant for us who live in San Francisco) is that because of the renovation, the museum is lending out some of its collection as a part of a “traveling tour”. I missed the first exhibit “The Birth of Impressionism”, and I’m bummed because I missed some of my favorite artists’ masterpieces (Courbet, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pisarro, Renoir), and some of my favorite pieces from d’Orsay: “The Dancing Lesson” by Degas, “The Gare Saint-Lazare” by Monet, and “The Birth of Venus” by William Bouguereau (which, in my opinion, comes awfully close in matching the radiance and the astounding beauty of the original, painted by Botticelli).

Not to be amiss, I made sure that I came to see the second exhibit: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay. I was pretty stoked because Impressionism/Post-Impressionism is my FAVORITE art movement; the thing that I like about it most is that there is something for everyone: there's something to appreciate, irrespetive of the viewer's art knowledge. You don't necessarily have to know everything about the paitner, or the subject for that matter; you can always appreciate the intricate brushstrokes, the color contrast, the different techniques employed, etc.

I know the Van Gogh exhibits are getting all the press, and for good reasons. “Starry Night (La nuit étoilée” is arguably one of Van Gogh’s (and the Impressionist movement’s) best known piece. I’ve always been awestruck by the sheer brilliance of the painting. This painting represents the pinnacle of Van Gogh’s disposition in life; irrespective of his mental instability, his use of the muted blue and green palettes contrasted with the yellow palettes gives way to the illusion of dancing lights from the stars and the radiating lights from the city and with his vivid and empathic brush strokes he’s conveying a message of hope and divinity as represented by the subtle connection between the two lovers in the foreground and the constellation of yellow stars in the sky.

His use of bright colors certainly influenced other artists (Gauguin, in particular) of his time. But there’s more to see in this exhibit.

One of my favorite post-impressionist painters is George Seurat. Unfortunately, one of my all-time favorite paintings “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” was not part of the collection (this painting is located in the Art Institute of Chicago), but there are a number of his works shown in the exhibit, including his sketch study for Le Cirque: even in this sketch, you can appreciate the uplifting effects of his use of color and optics, his upward sweeping lines expressing the lively pleasures of the circus.

Also, make sure to NOT miss the other great works of the “pointillism” artists like Paul Signac (Women at the Well, Entrance to the Port of Marseille), Georges Lemmen (Plage a Heist (The Beach at Heist) and Théo van Rysselberghe (The Man at the Tiller, Sailing Boats and Estuary). I was especially impressed with van Rysselberghe’s work with “Sailing Boats and Estuary” because he utilized all the colors of the rainbow in this painting, in spite of using mostly a bluish palette to represent the sky and the water; you had to look at the painting closely to identify the other colors. And Signac’s work (especially the Women at the Well) is just phenomenal; he painted this painting after Seurat’s untimely death (he died at age 31), and perfected his mentor’s uncanny technique of juxtaposing colors to create a very intense color harmonies that evoke a very Utopian daily life at St. Tropez in the 1890s.

Tips for all of you who’d like to see it: See it on a weekday preferably after lunch (2-3pm is good)! Also, just as an FYI, they are normally closed on Mondays, except for December 27^th, and MLK Jr Day (January 17, 2011). They also have extended hours during the holiday season (Sunday December 26^th – Thursday, December 30^th and from Thursday January 6th – Sunday January 9^th, 2011 it’s open from 9:30am – 9pm) . Ticket information: Students are $16 w/ ID and adults are $20. Although I would suggest for students to get the annual FAMSF membership for $55/year; it’ll totally pay for itself. As a member, you receive 4 free tickets (+4 companion tickets) to see the exhibit (though only 1+1 companion ticket at a time), and other special exhibits, plus, you get into the Legion of Honor for free too! Other enticing upcoming exhibits at the de Young include “Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico” from February 19 – May 8 2011, “Balenciaga and Spain” from March 26 – July 4 2011, and “Picasso from Musée National Picasso, Paris” from June 11 – September 25 2011.

There’s too much to talk about in one sitting (I haven’t even discussed Cezanne, Gauguin, the Pont-Aven School, and the Nabi yet), so we’ll pick it up where we left off at the next column!

Season Three, Episode Five: Restaurant Review: Nopalito

Nopalito
306 Broderick Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-2275
(415) 437-0303
Four out of five stars

NOPA (North of the Panhandle) has a lot of things going for itself. Officially part of Western Addition, NOPA was coined by the real estate smarties that wanted to push gentrification (and real estate value), and as a result, what was once an unassuming area of San Francisco, is now home to a bustling hipster mecca, with plenty of activities that cater to the hipster crowd (live shows at the Independent, 90s clubbing at Madrone’s), as well as a diverse selection of fine dining establishments that cater to different tastes and palates.

One of the many fine restaurants in the area is Nopalito, which means “little cactus (nopal)” in Spanish. It prides itself as a “vibrant neighborhood Mexican kitchen” that celebrates the “traditional cookery of Mexico”.

Being from SoCal, I consider myself not necessarily a “Mexican food connoisseur”, but I’d like to think that I know “authentic” Mexican food when I eat one. And this place isn’t quite it; and I think that’s the charm of it all. Nopalito is like the Mexican version of what an organic PF Chang’s would be like.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit insulting to Nopalito, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is not your El Farolito-type of a restaurant. By any means, I’m not trying to degrade Nopalito; The food is prepared fresh with local, organic, and sustainable ingredients, and the presentation is quite pleasing.

Speaking of food, some things to try while you are here: First and foremost, the Totopas con Chile (Tortilla chips, salsa de arbol, cotija cheese); they are to die for! As in literally, you’d feel that your artery is slowly clogging as you bite into the spicy chips dipped in sour cream. And then when you’re done, you feel like you’ve just lost a few years off your life (and you rationalize this by saying, “Eh! But those are the Depends years anyway”) but gained a few QALYs (and weight). That’s when you know that you’ve gotten to the good part.

And I know 7x7 has the Carnitas (long braised pork) in their list of the “100 Things to Try Before You Die”. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they were yummy, but if it were me, I’d put the Totopas in the list before their Carnitas. And there’s something about their Enchiladas de Mole con Pollo (Sauce of chiles, chocolate and nuts, shredded chicken, onion, queso fresco) that draws me to them; I get it almost every time that I go there. And recently, I had a taste of their Torta de Chilorio (Sandwich of shredded pork in adobo, jack cheese, onion and avocado), and it was pretty good (minus the avocado part). I know, I’m part of the 0.001% of Californians who do NOT like avocados, so sue me.

Another not-to-miss item: Margaritas! I know they’re not technically a “food item”, but they do make them really well here. A pitcher or two will come in handy while you’re waiting for the ridiculous line during the dinner rush, so I would suggest calling ahead of time to get on the “waiting list”.

Keeping up with the “gentrified” neighborhood of NOPA, the clientele is what you’d normally expect in a “hip and cool” San Francisco restaurant: San Francisco foodies, people that have the website “Stuff White People Like” as their homepage in their Safari browser, Quarterlife Crisis sufferers, and the like. On the other extreme, there are plenty of businessfolks who frequent this place, I’d assume because of the ease of parking (there’s a parking structure next to the restaurant), and the fact that the space itself is quite relaxed. And quite a few tourists too! Not Fisherman’s Wharf in magnitude, but I swear, every single time that I’ve been here, there’s always a contingency of tourists eating there. Maybe they have a coupon on the Visitor Guide?

Oh yeah, I’ll definitely be back. It’s around my neighborhood, the prices are reasonable, the margaritas are excellent, and it’s a nice spot to people watch.

Season Three, Episode Four: Daniel Kessler, my Lover: my night @ the Fox Theater with Interpol

I've been listening to Interpol for a few years now, ever since my friend from I-House lent me her Antics CD, and ever since then, I was hooked. There was something about their sound that was hauntingly beautiful, and emotionally gut-wrenching, all wrapped in an otherwise other-worldly amalgamation of poetic lyrics and distinct patterns of guitar riffs and drums. There was something about that album that spoke to my inner indie emo punk self.

I've never seen Interpol live before, and in my desire to see them in concert, let's just say that I paid a handsome amount of monies to get a pair of tickets to the sold-out show. But it was all worth it. And then some.

Before the concert, Karmela and I decided to have dinner at Pica Pica, a Venezuelan restaurant in the "Valencia district" part of Mission. We used to live together a couple of years ago, and have not seen each other for a few years. Over a Pabellon (Shredded Skirt Steak, Sweet Plantains, Black Beans, Cheese) Arepa and Cachapa, Guiso and Tilapia empanadas, and Pasapalos (Sweet Plantains) (what can I say, we're the kind of people that eat, and eat well), we caught up with each other's lives, swapped life stories, man issues, professional endeavors, and the like.

This is the second show that I've seen in the Fox Theater. Over the summer, I saw The New Pornographers with a couple of my friends, and since we bought our tickets too late, we were not able to get General Admission tickets, and instead, we ended up sitting up in the boonies. I still had a great time listening to them live, but I've made a resolution that I will only watch concerts via General Admission; at least while I'm still young and the jumping around and the other stuff that crazy kids do while in concerts haven't gotten old to me yet.

Once we got to Fox Theater, a funny thing happened after we got our beverages; we were about to check in our coats in the coat check area, and as we were paying, the guy manning the booth thanked me and called me by name. I thought for a second, trying to place him in my memory. Did I meet him from somewhere already and just don't remember him? Not that I would put that past me, I definitely have done that in the past. As it turns out, my old pal from college, Julianne, was back there; we were in Student Council @ UCSD, and we haven't seen each other since then. Apparently, she's in Sacramento, and just finished law school. It is such a small world, indeed.

The set list was a mix of their old and new stuff. They opened with "Success", one of the songs off their self-titled fourth studio album. They played all of my favorite songs (C'mere, Summer Well, Rest my Chemistry, Evil, Barricade, Narc, Take You on a Cruise, PDA, Not Even Jail), so I have no complaints there. They sound amazing live! They sound very similar to how they sound on their records, which for them is a particularly good thing. 'Mela and I danced, grooved, bounced, and reveled in their music, and at times, I felt like I was 21 again.

And Daniel Kessler is just amazing on guitars. 'Mela must've snapped over 200 photos, and more than half of it was all Daniel. It's been decided: Me and 'Mela are going to have his kids. I'm still trying to figure out how that's going to be biologically (and logically) possible, but as soon as I figure it out, I'll report on my progress.

A couple of things just got on my nerves. The "Oh, excuse me, coming through, I'm just trying to find my friend" routine is just a nuisance; just go through and stop making lame excuses. At least have the cojones to own up to your actions. And oh, tall guys (and girls), can you all do us a favor? Please try not to be so close to the stage, because you are blocking precious real estate. Thanks!

The encore was more of the same awesomeness. They opened their encore with "Untitled" (a song that was used in the Friends season 9 finale), and then they followed it with "Stella was a Diver and She was Always Down". Throughout the concert, I was wondering when they were going to play "Slow Hands", one of my all-time favorite songs, and they played it as their last song; a fitting end to the night.

I walked away from that concert not just with a $30 Interpol shirt (which I wore to school the next day, by the way), but also with a deeper appreciation for Interpol. Until the next concert! And this time, I'm getting those tickets as soon as they're released!