The Simpler Things in Life

Bub and I were walking out of Westfield Shopping Center this evening while indulging in some gelato we copped from Melt.

Pumpkin for him.

Mascarpone caramel pistachio for me.

There WAS a blackberry Cabernet gelato, which was great, but I stuck with my usual. Creamy goodness with a ribbon on sweetness and little nuggets of tender nuts.

We were a few feet from Bloomingdales when I stopped and said, "oh my god! I didn't take a picture!"

I was ready to park up next to one of the giant potted plants and take a picture...until I saw the look on Bub's face.

"I'm being OA, aren't I?" I asked.

Bub nodded and continued walking. I sucked it up and proceeded to walk beside him...abandoning my chance of posting a picture on TwitPic.

We walked through the home decor department, up the stairs to street level, and opened the doors to the cold San Francisco air on Mission Street.

What on earth were we doing eating gelato in 50-degree weather? I didn't know exactly why, but all I knew is that it felt right at that very moment.

We paid for parking, and got in the elevator where he asked me if I wanted another taste of his pumpkin gelato.

"I'm pumpkined out." I replied.

Foolish. I should know better than to deny free food.

We arrived to the 4th floor, got in the car, and finished eating the gelato there. We didn't speak to each other. We just enjoyed the intimacy of the close quarters of the Audi TT and relished in the flavors hitting our tastebuds.

After a few short minutes, we were done. That was damn good gelato.

In retrospect, the blogger in me regrets not snapping that picture when I had the chance; however, the romantic in me says, "screw the picture. It's the moment with bub that counts."

I'm slowly learning how to enjoy food again and to appreciate moments ad they come. For a long time, I stopped perfect moments to capture one second in time with my camera...in the meanwhile losing what led up to that second.

Sure they say, "a picture says a thousand words," but tonight, my words seem to outshine the picture I wanted to capture.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Total Eclipse of the Blog?

Warning and disclaimer: I'm in bed and I do a lot of thinking in bed. This is a freewrite composed on my handheld device. I am going to blurt out ideas, so if I sound like rambling, most likely I am. Carry on.

I started blogging 3 years ago as a way to document what I had eaten in a day. It started off small. I'd blog about the great cupcake I ate or the awesome burger I inhaled. Then I started blogging on multiple-course meals complete with straight from the menu descriptions and doctored+watermarked photos to match. Then I blogged about events I went to and people I met. That was fine and dandy, until now.

I'm bored.

I'm bored with how I write. I'm tired of writing "the chicken's breast meat was so tender!" and "there was a nice balance of flavors - the acidity to counteract the richness of the whatever whatever..."

Now that I've built my network, sometimes for me, it feels like I'm just preaching to the choir. People KNOW Chef FillInTheBlank's prix fixe is great. People KNOW Chef WhatsTheirFace uses the freshest ingredients from the farmers market.

I've written quite a few restaurant reports and overtime, some have become obsolete whether due to closures, chef changes, morphing food trends...etc...etc...

Y'all know I cook, but I don't write recipes. I eat, I post on Twitter and Tumblr, but that's all I've been doing for the last few months.

I've hit a glass ceiling.

I know there is more to reach for, and I have to figure out how to get there before I bore myself.

I suppose the next thing to do is put all the components of my foodie life together and make SOMETHING happen. Something big. Something memorable. There was a reason why I'm where I am in this food blogging world.

It's about knowing food and networking. Like I said on one of my status updates, "the power of networking paired with creativity will result in big thangs."

I'm the type who likes to work and come up with a finished product. Gaddamit, I want to see the fruits of my labor!

What is this SOMETHING I'm trying to produce? I don't know yet. My goal right now is to not only sit and eat, then sit and write, I want to get people to experience what I did. I guess I was doing that with my reviews, but I want to be there when people do. I want to be part of their experience.

I'm just rambling now. Anywho, I'm kinda abandoning my blog while I get my thinkcap on. My friends out there know I have my fingers dipped in a few projects. I am "brainstorm-silogging!" i've come to a point that it's more than just writing. I feel sometimes im having a one-sided conversation. I write and you read. Now...It is about making shit HAPPEN. Let's experience stuff together. Now let's see if they truly become real.

Stay tuned, yo!

Jo

Going on Hiatus AND Great Food Event

Hey loves,

I feel ashamed with myself that I haven't updated this blog in two weeks, but best believe I've been doing a lot of eating. Don't believe me? Click here. 2010 is going by super fast, and I don't know how to handle it. Where did the time go? Thanksgiving is this week! The holidays have crept up on me this year!

I regret to say that I will be on hiatus for the next month as I prepare for #JK1218. I have weighed my priorities: 1) food writing 2) #JK1218 3) what is left of my social life 4) my sanity and I have decided that the food writing can wait.

HOWEVER! I do want to tell you about a great food event happening on December 2, 2010! It's a mEAT up/twEAT up/dish crawl hosted by Tracy of dishcrawl.com and myself (I swear, it's the last one I am doing).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
Essentially, it's a prix fixe dinner at Bistro Luneta in San Mateo. It's a great time to meet other food lovers and enjoy delicious Filipino food. Tracy and I want to "promote the hell out of it." Yes, I've said that a lot because it's true!

I hope you guys come to this dinner since this dinner is probably the last time you'll see me as a single woman! Ahhhhhh!

Speaking of dinner, what is everyone cooking for Thanksgiving? =)

xoxo,
Joanne

PS: It's official. Bub and I are officially the corniest couple ev-ar. We took couples holiday pictures.

At Sears!

See, I told you.

Officially the corniest.

And we love it.

My Foodbuzz Festival Weekend - #fbzfest 2010

Event: 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Food Blogger Festival Weekend
Location: San Francisco, CA
Dates: November 5 & 6
Dining Partners: Hella Food Bloggers

Foodbuzz Food Blogger Festival finally came! I can’t believe that it has already been a year since the last one! I was looking forward to tons of eating with new friends and hanging out with my favorite people.

Today is now Sunday, the last day of the fest and I am at home…and it’s raining in San Francisco. You might have noticed in my previous post, I called myself a #fbzfest failure. Because of my health, I chose to skip on last night’s Gala Dinner at the Ferry Building (I know, I should have gone! I am kicking myself for not sucking it up and going.) and this morning’s brunch at the Sir Francis Drake. I am beginning to think my health is directly correlated with the weather. It’s raining outside, so I am crying on the inside. I even skipped out on two of the morning sessions because my throat was bothering me. Oy, the worst possible time to be sick. HOWEVER! I did manage to have some quality time with the food bloggers I love the most in the few hours I had with them. Let’s begin!

********************

- Day 1: Friday, November 5, 2010 -
My #fbzfest weekend started at Noon on Friday. My awesome manager let me have half of the day off so that I can enjoy the gorgeous afternoon. I met up with the Lin Sisters at A16, an Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s Marina District.

Restaurant: A16
Address: 2355 Chestnut at Divisadero, SF, The Marina
Phone Number: (415) 771-2216
Cuisine: Italian

*please note this lunch was not affiliated with the #fbzfest*

Fresh Burrata
with Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Crostini and Prosciutto

Trippa Napoletana
with Onions, Tomato, White Wine and Breadcrumbs

House-Cured Salumi with Pickles

Pork and Beef Meatballs

Tonnarelli
with Calamari Braised in its Own Ink, Basil and Garlic

Salsiccia
Fennel Sausage, Rapini, Mozzarella, Tomato, Grana, Garlic, Onions, Chiles, Olive Oil
Everything we had was great. Some more saltier than others, but overall very satisfying. This is the first time I have been back since Nate left for NYC, and I must say, it is still very delicious. Thank you to Kat for inviting me! Some people asked me why I even ate because we were going to do some major noshing at the Opening Reception. What can I say? We like to eat good. A few hours later, I was on a bus leaving the Sir Francis Drake Hotel (where we checked-in with Foodbuzz) and headed to Fort Mason. Thank you Annalies for talking "wedding" with me!

********************

Foodbuzz Welcome Reception and Street Food Fare
Fort Mason, Herbst Pavillion

The Gates of Heaven
well, almost…
There was a food fare at last year’s festival, so I was familiar with almost all of the vendors. Some I frequent whenever I head over to the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building. This year, we had some repeats from 2009 - Spencer on the Go, Tacolicious, Roli Roti, but there were newcomers such as Curry Up Now.


Fruit and Cheese Platter
provided by Frog Hollow Farms

Sweet Treats
Cupcakes from Mission Minis
Pear Tart from Frog Hollow Farms
French Maracons from Daydreamer Desserts
At our tables, mine was #28, we exchanged gifts with other food bloggers. It was a fun way to meet new people and have fun in the process. You will see my gift at the end of this post. ;-)


Left: Wine from Bonny Doon Vineyard
Right: Korean Tacos from Namu
I skipped on the wine, but I was so glad to see Namu there! Dan, who hooked us up with introducing the Namu team at LAST YEAR’S Festival Dinner, recognized me AND addressed me by name! Oh, I love him. Here is a post I did on Namu’s street food at the Ferry Building Market. They are a MUST HAVE every time I go there.


The Makings of a Fabulous Sandwich
Last year, everyone was inFATuated with the porchetta sandwich and of course, they made their 2nd appearance.


Porchetta Sandwich on ACME Ciabatta and Roasted Potatoes
From RoliRoti
C’mon, how could you resist? Great stuff! Tender meat, crunchy skin...so good...


Chef Ryan Farr and the menu for the night

Pork Loin Sandwich
from 4505 Meats
Have you ever wondered how it would feel if pork can melt in your mouth? We got to experience that tonight. The pork and the buttery-as-can-be bun were a bit rich, but the pickled beans inside cut through that and made for a phenomenal sandwich. The look on Bon Vivant’s face when she took her first bite was priceless.

It’s not like I was expecting anything less than fantastic from Chef Farr - his cheeseburger is one of my favorites…from forever.

PS: Thank you Chef Farr for hooking it up with a bag of porky pieces of heaven…

I didn’t get to try Spencer on the Go…boo, but since John Desmond wasn’t there, I am choosing to hold off and go to their truck when he is. I also didn’t eat at the other trucks. I figured since they are here in SF, I can try them out anytime. Of course, for any out of towner, this would have been the prime time to check them out. I was so full by the end of the night. Great eating day.

********************

- Day 2: Friday, November 6, 2010 -
I woke up Saturday morning with a migraine starting and a sore throat, so I missed my first two seminars at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. I did attend the breakout session at 11:00 am called “Food Blogging Guide to Success (Whatever That Is!)” - my girl Lick My Spoon was one of the panelists and I wanted to show my support! Once that session was done, we (LMS, BV, and myself) headed over to SOMA for a special lunch with other food bloggers!

Restaurant: Zero Zero
Address: 826 Folsom at 4th, SF, SOMA
Phone Number: (415) 348-8800
Cuisine: Italian

*please note this lunch was not affiliated with the #fbzfest*
Ever since I went to Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur last month, I had always wanted to try Zero Zero. Chef Bruce Hill, the chef and owner of both Zero Zero and Picco, came to our table before the meal and told us to “make some noise.” Make some noise we did!


Delicata Squash Bruschetta
Manodori Balsamic, Bellweather Pepato Cheese, Sage

Avocado Bruschetta
Pickled Onion, House Cured Lardo

Left: Fried Brussel Sprouts with Pickled Burdock, Pear, Pancetta
Right: Chickpea Bruschetta with Rosemary, Burrata

Geary
Manila Clams, Tomato Sauce, Garlic, Bacon, Pecorino, Parsley, and Calabrian Chile

Margherita
Tomato Sauce, Basil, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and De Padova Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fillmore
Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Leeks, Mozzarella, Parmesan,
Pecorino, Fontina, Garlic and Thyme

Mission
Broccoli Rabe, Olive, Calabrian Chile, Roasted Garlic, Crescenza and Mozzarella

Townsend
Roasted Garlic, Young Organic Potato, Prosciutto Cotto, Mozzarella,
Parmesan and Rosemary Oil

Skillet Fried Chicken Thighs
with Semolina Waffle and Chestnut Honey
What a great variety of pizzas and apps. I adored how the pies were named after different streets in the City. You should have seen the look of horror on the faces of the other diners in the restaurants. Imagine a table of food bloggers out of their seats to capture pictures of the pizzas. Yes…

On our way to the Tasting Pavillion, I expressed to LMS that the simplest of all the pizzas, the Margherita, was my favorite. The flavors were so pure. I loved it. I didn’t get my soft serve as I was hoping I would, but considering all the tastings we would do at the Metreon, I thought it would be a good idea to pass until next time. Thank you Elaine for organizing lunch!

********************

Tasting Pavillion
City View at the Metreon


Fries Tasting From Alexia Foods

Mini Cupcakes from Mission Minis

INNA JAM Jalapeno Jelly
I had this for the first time at SF Food Wars Amuse Brunch. I thought INNAJam deserved to win! When I saw her here, I was so stoked. Let’s just say I had three of those little servings of toast, cream cheese, and jalapeno goodness.


P.O.P. Candy Butter Crunch Treats

Ghirardelli Chocolate S’Mores

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes Topped with Ticings
I don’t even know how I ate so much. Trust me, I tried a lot more than I posted here. I went home took a nap, and when it was time to get up and get ready for dinner at the Ferry Building, I couldn’t. I started to feel a migraine coming on and I couldn’t move. Exhaustion was starting to set in. It broke my heart to see the awesome pics course-by-course and tweets between my foodie friends Twitter. =‘( Like I said before, I am totally regretting it, but hey, my health comes first. I suppose with the stress from work, thinking of the wedding, and having to socialize with so many people, I just got tired. Oh yeah, I was still SO FULL. I also skipped on this morning’s brunch. I’m not a breakfast person anyway. At least, I got to come home with tons of great stuff!


The SWAG

Great Free Gifts for the Kusina
To the left is my gift from Jackie at Peaces of Earth! Pumpkin Butter, Lime Sea Salt Almonds, and Chocolate Nut Clusters (not pictured). I ate so many almonds today! They are SO addicting!

Thank you so much, Jackie!

Though I didn’t attend as many of the activities, I think I had my fair share of face-to-face time with my old friends as well as some new friends. I would like to send some shout outs to my dearests who I got to hang with. Be sure to check out their awesome blogs:


Elaine of Virgo Blue
Danielle of Bon Vivant
Stephanie of Lick My Spoon
Annaliesz of La Vie En Route
Kat of Kat’s 9 Lives
Elizabeth of The Ms. Lin Guide
Jun of Jun Blog
Arnold of Inuyaki
Fred of I Love Sisig
Bonni of Bonni Bella
Brittany of Appeale
Lando and Rose of Spots for Dates
Chef John of Food Wishes
Joel of Six By Ten Tiny Kitchen
Beth of OMG Yummy!
Nicole who doesn’t blog =)
I stayed home all Sunday…and I am still feeling under the weather, but I figure this laziness will be good since the next few weeks are going to be intense. Thank you to all the ladies who lent an ear and a shoulder when it came to my wedding woes. =‘) I can’t wait to see what Foodbuzz comes up with for next year’s festival! To all the bloggers who I met this weekend: see you next year!

I’m stuffed.

xoxo,
Jo

P.S. I don't want to eat, see, taste, smell another pizza in a LONG time. Oh yeah, guess what Bub ordered for his dinner when I got home from the Tasting Pavillion...pizza.

I'm a #FBZFest Failure

So this morning, I missed the first 2 workshops because I was so tired.

At this moment, I am missing the Gala Dinner because I am so tired.

Most likely, I will miss tomorrow's brunch because I am still so tired.

What is wrong with me?

Fbzfest starts tomorrow!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've been waiting for this since last year!

Here's a bulleted list of the festivities:

Friday:
- lunch at A16 with the Lin Sisters
- Street Food Fare at Herbst Pavillion in Fort Mason

Saturday:
- attending all 3 breakout blogging sessions at the Sir Francis Drake hotel: 1) food photography 2) seafood tasting 3) blogging success
- lunch at Zero Zero with my Foodinistas
- tasting pavilion/sampling at City View at the Metreon
- dinner at the Ferry Building's Grand Hall

Sunday:
- brunch at Sir Francis Drake Hotel
- sleep from the food coma

Gonna be soooo busy and I'm most likely gonna gain 10 lbs after this weekend. Looking forward to it!

If you are going to be there, hit me up on Twitter - @joanneisafoodie

Joanneisafoodie for Twitter
Jobostonisafoodie for the blog

See you lovely food bloggers tomorrow!

xoxo,
Jo

PS: I'm a picture whore, let's make pictures together!!

Proud to be Born and Raised In SF!!

There are no words...just pure emotion...so proud of you, Giants!










So who's crying right now?

I LOVE SAN FRANCISCO!

xoxo,
Jo

Insecurities - Vent Session

< vent >

Hey everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween weekend! I am writing this blog post from the comfort of my bed. I situated my computer on a “desk” made of two pillows and Sunshine Corazon backpack. My wedding is less than two months away and I have done lots of self-reflection in the last month. Insecurities emerged - whether or not I will be a good wife and a good mother, and whether or not I will remain a blogger as I become a wife and a mother. The problem with me is that I always give myself “projects” - a twEAT-up, an event…“something” to look forward to…Another problem with me is that when I come up with an idea, that light bulb in my noggin’ stays on and I won’t be able to sleep until I do something to make that idea into a reality. I’ve even started brainstorming on how I can start a collaboration with Nor Cal and So Cal street food trucks. I must be crazy to even consider planning this just 6 weeks before my wedding.

Saturday, a friend brought me down to earth and told me that I should focus on what he said is “the most important day” of my life. As much as I want to blog everyday or twEAT-up every week, I just can’t. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m disappointing someone. I don’t who, but someone.

I was looking through my camera of all the things I took pictures of in the past month and it scared me that I forgot some of the events even happened. I’ve been so caught up with work, the World Series, my own health issues, and foodie events that there hasn’t been any “breathe” time - which is something we all need. Yesterday was Halloween. For me, partying started Saturday as I attended a friend’s costume party. Bub and I didn’t know anyone besides maybe two or three others. We got to be anyone we wanted and no one cared who we were before today…but how about the week after Halloween when we are faced with reality?


GMA, “Gumbo” Jumbo Gumby, Sunshine Corazon
Photo provided by Filipeanut
Do we really know who we are once the make-up is taken off and the masks are removed? That’s when I got insecure and started free-writing this very post from my bed. Who am I as a blogger?

Phase 1: When I first started this blog in 2007, it was more of a journal of what I ate. It was simple. I took a few pictures and wrote a few sentences of what I thought. I was a college student and it was just a fun hobby.

Phase 2: Soon after I started my career and earned a respectable income, my blog became a checklist of the most elite restaurants in SF. I had to be here, here, here, and here. Why? They’re the best. I had to add them to my foodie “resume.”

Phase 3: Soon after experiencing SF fine dining, people in marketing and PR recognized me as someone who can distinguish “outstanding” food from just “great” food. My blog became a record of the greatest food events in town. I met people in the industry. I clinked glasses with chefs, consultants, and mixologists. I was even asked by CBS to compile pieces for their online publication.

Phase 4: Then my blog went in another direction. It became more personal. I started to become friends with other foodies and it was more than just networking. It was about sharing our lives with each other, even for that one evening. With the help of my foodie friends, we began hosting dinners, schooling people on Foodspotting, having fun girl talks over dessert, or just hanging out at the local farmer’s market. This “hobby” became a lifestyle in the course of 3 years.

When people ask what I blog about, I have to stop and think because my “thesis” or platform or whatever you want to call it keeps changing. I went to BlogHer Food earlier this month and, boy, was it intimidating. I was surrounded by women who had been blogging for years. Each blogger had a strong focus on “something” and they knew how to promote it. They also all knew each other and I felt like the new girl in school. I was experiencing the 4th grade all over again. A loner. I don’t have a cooking blog. I don’t have a photography blog. I don’t do too many restaurant reviews anymore. Wait. What kind of blog do I have again?

Maybe that was one reason why I didn’t go up to as many people as I should have - I seemed to have lost myself over the years. Or should I word it as, my fingers have been dipped in too many bowls? Being painfully shy didn’t help the situation either. I guess I didn’t know how to market myself. Then again, do I WANT to market myself? Still debating that. It’s hard for me to be a writer with an assignment and deadlines because I feel forced, but I want to do more than just blog about what I cooked for breakfast.

*shrugs*

However, just because I don’t know what I’m doing doesn’t mean I was going to sit on my ass. This past October, I did tons of cool things:


planned out my Halloween costume - Sunshine Corazon from GLEE / attended the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure Party / went to BlogHer Food / went to the Pinoy Street Food fest / co-hosted a dinner for 24 food lovers at ATTIC restaurant in San Mateo / participated in a great photo shoot for dishcrawl.com / etc. etc. etc.


Photo By Sandra of Amethystlune
all the while trying to plan “the most important day of my life” and struggling to keep my day job. There IS something called reality, ya know.


Photo By Ivan Marcin
The next few weeks are going to be really tough on my psyche. I have so many roles to fill and I have to figure out how to succeed at all those roles - without having a nervous breakdown. Next weekend is the 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Food Blogger Festival and I can’t wait to see my #Foodinistas and meet new foodie friends. Call it my “last hurrah” as once that weekend is done with, I will be focusing on the “most important day of my life.”

I guess once I am officially a Mrs., I’ll have more time to blog and do more foodie things. Who knows, maybe my whole mantra will change (again)! As far as these insecurities go...I don't know how to deal with them yet. Someone told me to "embrace" them. If only I were that strong. All I know is that I am grateful that I have the opportunity to share with the community. I can be hard on myself at times, but my friends, Foodinistas, kasamas, and tweethearts keep me going. You guys are the best and thank you for hanging in there with me…even though I don’t know what I am talking about most of the time.

xoxo,
Jo

P.S. If anyone wants to help me with that NorCal/SoCal Collabo - lemme know. Okay, I’ll stop now. =) The more I think about food, the less I will be able to fit in my dress anyhow.

< /vent >