Aloha, Oy!
Kate and Brad are honeymooning in Maui, so Gail and I are going along for the party.
Oakland airport was pretty empty at 6:10 this morning, so getting through the security theater was quick and painless. They are being formal about checking the names on ID’s, though not formal enough to call people mister or ma’am. The security drones address everyone by their first names to remind you that they don’t need to be courteous, just rude and familiar. Then they wonder why people despise the TSA.
The good news is we’re sitting in the front of the alaska air plane. Kate found that you can buy upgrade coupons on craigslist for about $100. We have all of row two in which to be rowdy. Gail wants to sit across the aisle from Brad, somi e en get the window seat for a rare change.
They’re getting ready to button this bird up for the flight, so I’ll be back when we’re on Maui time.
The best freeway eats ever
The evil twins haunting Hap-pea and Pea-wee
Driving in I-5 is no fun. It straight and boring, but it’s the only reasonable way to get home from Fresburg (which is what the locals call Fresno) so there you have it.
There is one bright, shining value to I-5–Pea Soup Andersens. I remember go to their facility in Buellton with my family half a century ago (now there’s a scary phrase to type), and I still think it’s the greatest roadside food in the universe. Naturally, I try to time all trips so we are flying past at mealtimes, and today was just one of many, many meals I’ve enjoyed there.
They have a large menu, but you don’t need it. Just ask for the “Travellers special” You get fresh baked onion rolls; soda, coffee, ice tea or a milkshake and all the pea soup you can enjoy. It’s the very best pea soup your mother didn’t make. Completely vegetarian, low fat, hearty, filling and tasty. Nine and a half bucks, plus $2.50 for a plate of the ‘mix-ins’–one ounce cups of croutons, bacon bits, cheese, green onion and ham. It’s the best bargain since Peter Minuet went looking for acreage.
The perfect lunch--rolls, soup, mix-ins and iced tea.
Just the soup, properly dressed with the mix-ins
This is the 'after' photo. The staff always puts the bowls down with the printing in the right direction.
Pea Soup Andersens is a well-oiled machine. The service is excellent and swift–the customers want to get back on the road, the staff wants to turn the tables over to new diners. It all works together. There is a large gift store selling everything from cheapo souvenir junk to gourmet cooking oils. There is a bar, and a motel if you spend too much time in the bar. There is a plain dining room and a fancy dining room–although they both use the same menu. Restrooms are large and clean.
It’s just the perfect roadside stop. If life forces you onto I-5, the Santa Nella exit is just about exactly 100 miles from the bay area, a great time for your first break. You’ll love it, I’m certain.
Who says spelling counts?
We’re staying at the la Quinta Inn in Fresno because Gail’s daughter Kate is getting married here today. I hope their fire prevention plans are better than their spelling.
Too good to miss
This is a 5 minute video of the photography of Steve McCurry. I posted about him before, when he shot the last ever roll of Kodachrome, now he has won the Leica Hall of Fame Award.
The photographs in here just astound me; you will be awed, I should hope.
Brace yourselves
The evil twins are loose on northern California this week. No one is safe.
Susan and Karl are here to celebrate Gail’s daughter getting married this weekend in Fresno.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
The good and bad of customer service
Yes, more of the trials and tribulations of trying to do business in the modern age. First up, a big loser.
Mike Bandler is telling the story of getting a postcard from Southwest that he had won 2 free round trip tickets because he filled out some survey and they chose him to get the prize. So he called them up to make a reservation, and they needed some “demographic” information–was he between 18 and 72. Now, remember that Southwest already knows this answer because they have all that information in his Rapid Rewards account, and because the keep asking it for “security”. Nonetheless, he told them he was 73. So they said he didn’t qualify for the prize he had already won, and there would be no tickets!!
What could possibly be the point of this? If you stayed up late thinking of a way to needlessly alienate customers, you couldn’t come up with anything better than to tell them they won something then take it back. The corporate stupidity here is astonishing.
My old friends, Enterprise
Constant readers will recall that the last time I rented a vehicle from Enterprise, it wasn’t ready and they lied to me outrageously. So I called their customer service line, and complained. They said the manager of the Walnut Creek office would be in touch by the end of the week. Hah.
Two weeks later, I called again. Same old story. They said the manager would be in touch by the end of the week.
That was 2 months ago. Great silence from the Walnut Creek office. I’ll never know if customer service actually contacts the local office or not, although I suppose it doesn’t really matter–the company clearly doesn’t give a damn about their service or their customers.
They still manage to send me spam email regularly offering me an upgrade. If only their customer service was as good as their internet advertising department.
Now for something good. Lunch today at Metro, a delightful place dead center in downtown Lafayette. We ate on the patio, where they had all the umbrellas open to give maximum shade while still enjoying the outdoors. I had a rock shrimp salad, with green goddess dressing.
Rock shrimp, little gem lettuce, avocado, radish, green goddess dressing.
I don’t really know what green goddess dressing is; it sounds like something my mother would have used in the ’70’s, not what you’d expect in an upscale, chi-chi foodie boite, but there you have it. The salad was great.
A couple of points about good customer service here. First, I like the way the bus boy asks “Are you still enjoying that?” before he clears a plate. Much better than “you still working on that?” Of such small notes are great symphonies of service composed. (okay, so I’m in love with metaphor tonight}
The second, and larger, point: I spoke with the manager, and told him that as much as I enjoy Metro, the last time we ate there they failed to click whatever they should click and tell Opentable.com that I had kept the reservation I made on their service. Opentable is pretty picky about that, and they don’t like “no shows”. Further, you don’t get the credit, and the dollar, if you don’t show.
Not only did he apologize for the error, but he suggested that I make a reservation for anytime tonight and he would click it as “arrived” so I would get my points and my dollar. It’s a small thing, of course, but I appreciated his consideration.
And I got my dollar.
So that’s good service for you–and the reason we keep going back to Metro, and have so little respect for Enterprise and Southwest.
That Bar
Jack and Lisa have been telling us about this joint in Danville with duelling pianos where you have to get there 3 hours early to get a seat.
We don’t get anywhere that early. Period.
Fortunately, tonight Jack, Lisa and Sheryl Nagy went to That Bar and secured a table early, while Gail and I slipped in as the music started. I was cooking dinner for Toby and Molly and Toby’s dad, (the kids are going back to college soon) so we weren’t able to join them for dinner. We had pasta with brie and fresh tomatoes, instead of burgers and fries at the bar.
And what a bar!! Just a plain old bar, sports-themed, too many TV’s, tall tables and stools, and a tiny stage area with two pianos. It’s a restaurant, too; I saw lots of fried things coming out of the kitchen. If you have to get there at 5:30 to get a table they have to feed you.
What everyone is waiting for are the piano guys, who start at 8:00. They seem to be able to play everything, and for $3 will do any song you like. Bad jokes and ad libs are free. Audience participation is expected.
I don't know **why** Jack looks like that, but I think it's funny.
This is more like him.
One of the piano guys.
The other piano guy
After a while, Chuck Wong came in. He can really sing, which should have embarrassed the rest of us. But it didn’t. The whole room sings along with most of the songs, and my total lack of talent is no handicap.
Chuck. Tennis player, singer, bridge player. Man of many diversions.
Here’s what it sounds and feels like:
The piano guys are there Wednesday thru Saturday nights. We had a great time, and we’ll be going back. But only if Jack and Lisa get there at 5:30 to save a table for the 8 pm music. I’m still not waiting that long.
Candidly, I didn’t like it
We go the Cal Shakes a couple of times a summer, with Mike and Linda. Last Sunday, we saw Candida, which has gotten great reviews, but not from me.
Julia Eccles as Candida. Cal Shakes photo.
The Chronicle says:
Moscone and his cast deliver a “Candida” that is not only candid, funny and smart, but surprisingly sexy as well.
Candid? About what? Occasionally funny, not smart and not sexy. Maybe I just don’t get these things.
Candida is the story of a minister, James Morell (Anthony Fusco), and his wife, Candida (Julie Eccles). Her young friend/compatriot/protege Eugene Marchbanks (Nick Gabriel) (a mooney 18-year-old afraid of his own shadow) decides that not only is he in love with Candida, but that she is in love with him and stays with her husband only because of the beauty of his preaching, and so informs the husband. Morell is stunned at this declaration, afraid that his wife loves him not for himself but for his works. He leaves the two alone, then forces her to make a choice. Not surprisingly, she chooses the mature, successful man she married, but only by first disparaging him as the weaker and needier of the two. Shaw was an early feminist; man-bashing was as topical then as it is now.
Anthony Fusco and Nick Gabriel in Candida. Cal Shakes photo.
There are a few minor characters, who play mostly for comic relief. Nicholas Pelzcar and Alexandria Henrikson depict Morell’s assistant and secretary ably. Jarion Monroe is Mr. Burgess, Candida’s father, in an over-broad and scenery chewing portrayal that left me questioning the skills of both actor and director.
I don’t know how long the play was originally, but as presented in Orinda it consists of 3 relatively short acts (≈40 minutes) separated by what are called in the program “10 minute intermissions” which seemed more like 20 minutes to me. This is good for the concession stand, but it means we spent a long time at the theater for not much play.
As one has come to expect from Cal Shakes, the set was sumptuous and the costuming divine. I was confused by one corner, downstage left, which had children’s toys and furniture although there was no mention or indication of children in the play.
When you spend the time and money to go to the theater, navigate the too-crowded parking situation and stagger up the hill to your seat in the blazing sun, you want, really want, to like the play. You can even convince yourself, often, that it was good. Sadly, not this time.
How lazy can you get?
Pancake batter for those who can't or won't crack an egg
Back in grandmother’s day, pancakes were a chore to make. You needed flour, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, egg, baking powder and elbow grease to make a great batter.
Then Bisquick came along and made everyone’s life easier–just measure out a couple of cups of the magic powder, add an egg and a cup of milk and you were in business. Not just pancakes, either. You could make waffles, biscuits, cobblers, lots of good things from the oven with very little work or hassle.
Now I see this new product in the store–a small jar of pre-measured Bisquick. Just add a cup of “cool water”, shake it up and pour, and you have pancakes. On sale this week for $1.29, it makes 6-8 hotcakes for your breakfast pleasure.
A box of Bisquick is $4.29, and makes 50 pancakes, but you have to add that pesky egg and milk. Although it’s still cheaper by a mile, I guess to some people time is more important.
Since the invention of the wheel, each new time/labor saving creation has been greeted with catcalls of “how lazy can you be?” I guess this is no different, but it sure seems silly to me.
The best burger joint I won’t eat in.
By that I mean inside, I love the place as long as we can enjoy our meal al fresco.
I’m talking about The Counter, in Walnut Creek on California. It’s an absolutely fabulous spot to get a burger, but it’s interior design is all concrete and metal and glass, making it painfully loud and unpleasant. Outside, on a balmy evening, it’s wonderful.
The way a restaurant sounds, like everything else, is a design choice. Flooring, wall covering, china, silver, glassware and table linens all have distinct sound qualities that can be chosen to make the establishment quiet and soothing or loud, brassy and excited. Sadly for me, loud is the current fashion. So, we eat outdoors or go somewhere else.
1/3 of a pound of beef, gruyere cheese, roasted garlic aioli, avocado and an onion bun. The perfect burger.
The Counter gives you a checklist, and you create your own burger. Beef, turkey, chicken, veggie pattie to start. Many kinds of cheese. Your choice of dozens of possible toppings and additions. This is the Burger King “have it your way” concept on steroids.
Some places will only cook their ground meat well done–I guess that they know the quality of their meat. The Counter gives you what you ask for, including beef so rare it’s darned near still walking. They also know the quality of their meat, and have nothing to fear. I like that.
A fifty-fifty order of sweet potato fries and onion strings.
A burger by itself is just food. It takes a side of fries, and maybe a chocolate malt, to make it a meal. And The Counter delivers. I get the fifty-fifty of sweet potato and onion string. It’s really too much for two of us, you need four people to do it justice. Nonetheless, I dig in and do what I can and leave the rest.
Sometimes, I’ll splurge on the chocolate malt, too. More calories than anyone really needs, but sooooo good. They have wine and beer, too, if that’s what floats your boat. It must be OK wine, since Gail is willing to go there repeatedly.
Fine dining this isn’t, but it’s a scientifically proven fact that the body needs burgers, and The Counter is the place to get a great one. Just be sure to sit outside.
Totally Unauthorized 