Frank and Elizabeth are back!!!!
No, not the bridge players. Our ducks, Sir Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I.
Frank and Liz, enjoying the pool
And not our ducks, not really. Just a pair of migrating fowl who stopped in our swimming pool for a month and a half last year to swim around, mooch corn and raise a couple of ducklings, then continue on their merry, ducky way.
We’re used to birds around here, we keep chickens. Not for the eggs, most certainly not for Sunday dinner, just as living sculpture. The number of chickens fluctuates as hawks, coyotes and raccoons seem to think we are just a buffet for them. Right now we have 5 chickens, here are a couple of them.
This is the kind of weather the old timers calls ” a nice day for ducks.” Lucky for us, we have the ducks to enjoy it.
Why we should remember today
Two years ago we went on a cruise down the Mississippi with the Bandlers and the Katz’, sponsored by the Cornell Alumni Association. We started in Memphis, and one of the places we saw was the Civil Rights museum, which is housed in the Lorraine Motel, where Rev. King was killed the day after this speech.
Then we heard a speech by Rev. Billy Kyles, who was with Dr. King that fateful morning. Mike Katz told us all about traveling to march in Selma while he was in college–he got arrested and left town quickly.
We learned a lot about the civil rights movement that trip; I think it opened our eyes and our hearts. Enjoy again one of the great moment in American history.
Libby re-elected in landslide!!
First board meeting of the year this morning
Perhaps because she was running unopposed, Iris Libby was re-elected to the post of Grand Pooh-bah of Unit 499 this morning. We get to enjoy one more year of her glorious reign.
Grant Robinson is now Vice President, Brian Eisenberg remains as treasurer. Ally Whiteneck made a power fake to the position of Secretary, then doubled back into chairmanship of the mentoring program, leaving Terry Boyd confused and dizzy, but Secretary nonetheless.
Pat George and Rosalind Juo are Hospitality co-chairs. Sharon Tarpinian is in charge of membership and Judy Keilin is running new member recruitment. Bill George remains in charge of the web site.
Bruce Johnsonbaugh was left in charge of special games, and as near as I can tell Frank Concepcion and Greg Vance just skated through unscathed. Not to worry, Iris will think of something for them to do.
The unit has about $25,000 in the bank, and the board is trying to come up with sane ways to spend some of it. I wanted to order 800 matching polo shirts embroidered with everyone’s names, but nobody liked that idea. No, I’m not on the board but anybody can go to the meetings.
More seriously, I was there to present the idea of holding a Unit Memorial game once a year which would be a two session Swiss team event with a dinner between sessions. Mike Bandler and Buzz Kribs will put up a trophy for the winners in the name of Mike Katz. Years ago we had an event like this, the Flower Memorial game, which was held in November to commemorate Harry Flower and his wife, Mrs. Flower. Over time, that game seems to have just measeled away, and I would like to bring it back.
We are a community, more than just some people who like to play a card game. I think we want to work on building and maintaining that community, and an annual social event is a good way to do just that.
These things aren’t cheap, though. Two sessions and a catered dinner will cost some real money, and in the past the unit subsidized the cost considerably. Just how considerably is for the board to decide, not me. I have been charged with going out and getting some basic price estimates, and I will be doing that in the coming couple of weeks. In the past we held the Flower Memorial at the Walnut Creek Elks, the Holiday Inn, the Concord Inn and Royal Vista Country club. If you have any other ideas of where we might hold 35-40 tables of bridge please let me know.
After theater dining
Some people like to eat dinner early. They are first in line for the 4:30 early bird specials near Rossmoor. I’m not one of them. Maybe I really am descended from Francisco Pizarro, and want to eat dinner at 9 like a Spaniard.
We decided to go to the theater last night at about 6:30. I bought the tickets on the phone, but there was no time for dinner. No problem, we’d go after the show. Problem: who would be open for dinner that late?
I make dinner reservations at Opentable.com, a website that has direct links to almost all of the good restaurants, both locally and everywhere we travel. They give me a dollar for each reservation we make, and over the last 9 years that has added up to $250. Pretty nice to get paid for using a service that I really like.
I asked their system for a 10:45 reservation in the East Bay last night, and was quite surprised to see the number and variety of places open that late. Chevalier in Lafayette, COA, Maria Maria and Laurus in Danville, Scotts and 1515 in Walnut Creek, among others. I’m accustomed to being able to get a full meal at midnight in New York, I’m amazed how late I can get served in the Diablo Valley.
We settled on Marzano, on College Avenue in Oakland. Arriving, I was confused because they share a building and entrance with Garibaldi’s (as well as ownership), but they have separate kitchens, staffs and menus. Where Garibaldi’s is a more formal restaurant, Marzano is more of bar and pizzeria.
After 10, Marzano serves a “Late night happy hour” menu consisting mostly of Pizza. Since we own a pizza store of our own, that wasn’t particularly interesting (although they make their pies New York style–thin cracker-like crust, very hot wood fired oven, not at all like what we serve at Fat Slice).
Fortunately, they also offer small plates. We shared a chopped salad, meatballs (served in broth with cheese and Swiss chard, excellent), arancini (rice balls stuffed with mozzarella, served on a tomato sauce that I think should be hot, they think should be cold) and, best of all, fried friarello peppers, little peppers sauteed in oil and served with sea salt.
In true California foodie fashion, even a pizza joint has a fancy wine list–in this case all Italian wines we didn’t recognize. Gail ordered “whatever is like a Pinot Gris” and seemed to enjoy it. But we still feel that the wine list was too hip for the menu.
The tab for our late night snack was $40, including the wine and iced tea. The food was good, service was just dandy, and it’s nice to have a place to eat late.
Marzano on College
5356 College Avenue
Oakland 510 595-4058
A crisis of journalistic ethics
Currently in preview at Berkeley Rep
So here I’ve been blogging just over a month, and already I have a crisis of journalistic ethics.
Gail and I went to see Coming Home at Berkeley Rep last night. I have some things to say about it.
But it is still in previews, and it is considered bad form to review a play before its official opening, which is next Wednesday. In theory, this is to give the production time to perfect the performance and make any last minute tweaks needed. In practice, this play was performed in New York already, and they know what they are doing.
What to do, what to do? I’d hate to lose my Ted Koppel cred so early in the game. What if the New Yorker likes what I write, but can’t have a preview-reviewer in its ranks?
Well, I can tell you what is in the program, at least:
Time magazine calls Athol Fugard “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world.” Now South Africa’s master dramatist comes back to Berkeley Rep with a new show: Coming Home. Ten years after running off to the city to pursue her dreams, Veronika returns in rags. Among her meager belongings, she carries a desperate secret—and determination to plant the seeds of a new life for her son. It’s a “sad, sweet, and gently moving” show, says the New York Times, “a beautifully acted production directed by Gordon Edelstein.” In Coming Home, Fugard once again confronts the hard truths of his homeland while celebrating the power of hope.
The acting was stupendous. One comes to expect excellence from the Equity Actors of Berkeley Rep, but this performance includes two children–one of whom, Kohle Bolton, is only 5 years old. His performance was every bit as professional as that of Roslyn Ruff, the lead player with the Harvard MFA.
Athol Fulgard writes of the troubles of his home country, South Africa. His stories are all allegories, reflecting in small personal experiences the history and future of two troubled cultures clashing violently in the small townships and large cities. Gail and I both felt that while the first act was deep and captivating, the second act denouement was either too simplistic to be taken seriously, or so deep it just went right over our heads. I’m leaning on the former theory.
I hope I haven’t blown my career as a big city Mr. First Nighter, but I just had to say something. If you see it next week, leave a comment.
Crazy Heart–a movie worth a rainy afternoon
When I was a kid in Los Angeles, I never missed Lloyd Bridges on as Mike Nolan on Sea Hunt. These days, I never want to miss his son Jeff in anything.
The new Bridges movie, Crazy Heart, justifies my lifelong admiration for this acting dynasty. Bridges has been nominated for best actor 4 times, and has yet to win. Doing his own singing and guitar playing, and bringing depth and heart to a miserable bum of a character, this year may be his turn.
Like last year’s The Wrestler, it is the story of a drunken, washed up, burnt out performer, in this case a country music singer. Unlike The Wrestler, this time redemption is earned and accomplished. I always look at Rotten Tomatoes, which aggregates movie reviews from everywhere and rates on the “tomatometer” whether a movie is fresh or rotten. Crazy Heart scored an impressive 90 on the tomatometer–90% of reviews were favorable.
Bridges stars as Bad Blake, one famous, now reduced to one-nighters in bowling alleys and small town bars. He meets Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and a thunderbolt of love strikes them both. She has a 4 year old son, who evokes in Bad Blake all the paternal feelings he let go when his first wife left him, taking their 4 year old, who he has never seen again.
Life improves. Bad gets a break from his former back-up band member, who is now a star. Returning to visit Jean, there is a car wreck, and he is forced to spend a couple of weeks playing house, and things get better yet. Love deepens.
But then, the inevitable dramatic moment, when Blake is truly bad, and the relationship founders. He gets mightily drunk, then calls for help and gets sober in rehab. You’ll have to see the movie to find out what happens next, but I think it’s worth your time to do just that. At the Cinearts in Pleasant Hill.
New board, old board
Incoming secretary Ally and outgoing secretary Millie
January is the month we install the new board. The first board meeting, when officers will be elected and jobs doled out, is next Sunday. Iris had an open house tonight to say hello to the new members and goodbye to the departing ones.
Since I’m neither joining nor leaving the board, I’m not particularly certain why I was invited, but Iris has wonderful hospitality and a full bottle of Baileys, so there Gail and I were.
It’s always interesting at these things–who knew that Brian Eisenberg had a pretty wife, or that Ally Whiteneck has a husband who stays sleeping while she is playing Bridge Base at 6:00 a.m.? Bruce Johnsonbaugh’s wife Gretchen teaches pre-school and knows every 4-year-old in Lafayette, but will only play bridge for fun, not masterpoints. Terry Sherman (Millie’s husband) remembers playing lunchtime bridge at Chevron with Manfred Michlmayr 25 years ago. He’s still debating playing bridge again.
Here’s a gallery of the famous and infamous:
It’s no secret that Gail and I love a party, and this one was certainly no exception. Thanks, Iris.
Weight Watchers clinic floor collapses under dieters – Telegraph
Okay, if I was a grown-up, this wouldn’t amuse me so much. But I’m not…..
Weight Watchers clinic floor collapses under dieters – Telegraph.
Artisan Bistro
Gail and I went out last night to Artisan Bistro, a marvelous place in Lafayette where the Kaffee Barbara was for so many years–where Jaimie and Collette had breakfast every Friday before bridge. In between was the short-lived Gigi, but I think Artisan will stay with us for a while.
Their chef, John Marquez, has an interesting background. He is a local boy, from Danville, and started his career at Bridges. From there, he went on the Las Vegas, then to The French Laundry in Yountville, then Chef Thomas Keller sent him to be part of the opening crew at Per Se in New York (where the prix fixe dinner is $235, plus wine. I’m taking donations). Then back to San Francisco and both Coi and Fringale. If I was concerned about anything regarding this restaurant, it is that their chef is too good and too well known to stay buried in Lafayette for long.
In any event, there we were. We split a spinach salad, and were intrigued by the addition of anchovy fillets. I liked it more than I thought I would–perhaps influenced by the goodly amount of bacon involved.
Gail’s entree was the John Dory–a relatively bland white fish which she felt was overcooked and pretty tasteless. The setup it came on, though, was spectacular. Adzuki beans, which I know nothing about, and sunchokes, (also known as Jerusalem artichokes, though they are not artichokes and don’t come from Jerusalem). She pushed the fish around her plate, but finished every last bean.
I had the Tasmanian Salmon, also possibly somewhat overcooked (or maybe the chef just likes well done fish?), sitting on a bed of forbidden rice. This is a black rice once the strict property of the emperor–hence “forbidden” to the hoi polloi. It is a whole grain rice, very rich and nutty in both flavor and texture. Served in a mushroom-dashi broth, which fortunately didn’t taste like mushrooms at all.
I like these even if Mike doesn't
Did you like Brussels Sprouts when you were a kid? I did, but most people didn’t. I think it’s because most mothers just boiled the darned things until they were mush, and they weren’t really very good. Mike Bandler lived in a frat house at Cornell where they served overcooked sprouts so often that he refuses to ever touch another one so long as he lives.
Fortunately, those days are long gone. There are always trends and fashions in food, and this year Brussels Sprouts are in, in, in. Artisan does a great job with them, too. They seem to be quickly steamed, then sauteed in brown butter and pine nuts. We loved them.
The service was fine, which for me means that they quickly and frequently re-filled my iced tea glass. This was our third or fourth time dining there, so we must like it. Just be careful and perhaps order the fish a shade more rare than you ordinarily would.
ARTISAN BISTRO
1005 Brown Avenue
Lafayette, CA 94549
925-962-0882
Pat Robertson is an idiot
The Haiti earthquake is a disaster, but it sure as hell isn’t because Haitians made a pact with the devil 200 years ago.
Apparently, Robertson’s “all loving” God is:
- Petty
- Vindictive
- A lousy shot (He sure got a lot of utterly innocent people)
- Very slow on the draw (the “pact” was in the 1800’s)
Totally Unauthorized 