Round of 16, Day 1 - Germany - World Cup Eating Challenge 2015

I kind of love how things don't always play out the way you want. I was really hoping for an easy day Saturday. Instead I was choosing between Germany and Cameroon - a county I had really ambitious plans for and one I knew nothing about it. Saturday Dan and I were going to be at the County Fair since we were doing a race there so I was really hoping to get USA. On top of all of that, I had to take an unexpected trip out of town the two days before and couldn't plan any shopping.

All of that really just took it out of me. Part of me kind of wanted to skip this day or round or maybe just quit the challenge all together. But that's the thing about challenges - when things are the most challenging, that's when you need to keep going. 

So I decided to go with an easy option that would allow me to get this done without causing anymore trouble than I could handle. I knew I had some brats in the freezer. While Dan drove us home from the fair, I looked up pretzel recipes. I found one that used ingredients I already had. I already had bought a German beer so I knew I had enough to make a basic Bavarian meal.

I also have a paleo bread cookbook that I knew would have a pretzel recipe. The book is amazing for making breads that taste like the real thing. The only problem is this usually requires a crazy mix of flours. I have A LOT of paleo ingredients in my pantry but I just didn't have all of the flours needed for the pretzels.

I'm going to be totally honest here. I did not like the pretzels at all. Dan liked them but admitted they didn't taste at all like pretzels. I think we agreed they were more like pretzel shaped coconut flour poop. Sounds awesome, right? But yea - I'm not a huge fan of the coconut flour texture. These just seemed to take all of the extra dry and graininess of the coconut flour and magnify it. 

The brats and beer were great though! I really like Johnsonville brats and we get the big box of them from Costco. I'm not sure if they are actually Paleo but they make a great breakfast or dinner in a pinch.

I really wanted to get a nice German wine but I didn't see any Reisling or Gewurztraminer from Germany at Bevmo. These wines are pretty common but the style is really different in the US and Germany so I didn't think it would be authentic to get an alternative one. 

I opted instead for beer. 

There are tons of German beers but I decided to go with the Hacker-Pschorr because that was the most fun tent when I went to Oktoberfest. Speaking of - it wouldn't be German beer if I didn't enjoy it in my Oktoberfest mug!!

Mmmm beeerrrrr

Wine Wednesday - Livermore Wine Tasting

I have some friends who live out in Livermore and have been constantly talking up visiting the wineries out there. It's definitely something I'd been wanting to do and with my recent series of "Lesser Known Wine Countries" I figured I could visit my friends, see some new wineries, and report back on one more county where you can try some amazing wines.

Fenestra Winery

I could probably right this whole post on Fenestra Winery. If Jackie didn't take me to so many amazing wineries, I probably would write this whole post on Fenestra. I might have to come back just to write a whole post on Fenestra. The fact of the matter is - they have amazing wines and a lot to choose from. I really love exploring wines that are unique varietals and made well. Fenestra excels on both fronts, offering a lot of Spanish and Portuguese grapes as well as a few Rhone varietals. There are few things I didn't like in their vast portfolio so I'm just going to mention a few of my favorites.

The 2010 Infared is the Fenestra GSM (43% Grenache, 39% Syrah, 18% Mourvedere). It was extremely well balanced and fruit forward. The wine also comes in a magnum size and they let you taste both. The magnum will develop slower and you can taste some more of the robust flavor since it hasn't settled as quickly. The magnum would definitely be what you would want to purchase if you are planning on aging the wine for a long time. 

The Dolce Francesca was another really interesting wine. This was a dessert wine but wasn't as syrupy as many I've seen. Instead the flavor was light and peachy with a hint of honey. 

And if you don't believe me in regards to Fenestra... they won an award or two!

Tenuta Vineyards

Well, it just wouldn't be a fun post without a gif. I really do love when Dan takes a bunch of pictures and Google gifs them for me because if a picture is worth a thousand words, a gif is worth a million. I'm sure there's some science behind that... yea... science!!!

Now that we're all happy about gifs, let's talk about wine! Tenuta has a wide portfolio of wines but they really excel in their blends. I always think blends are where wine makers have a chance to shine. Since you never know exactly how the grapes will turn out, a blend is a great way to bring together different varietals and a good wine maker will make the whole better than the sum of its parts. This was definitely the case at Tenuta and I suggest tasting straight to the blends if you visit. 

Tenuta was also the only winery that had a TV and sports playing in the background. This made the boys very happy. The owner's boyfriend even showed them to a room with a projector TV and beer tasting. It was definitely a great way for everyone to be happy!

Eight Bridges Brewery

I don't drink beer very often anymore. I used to go to beer tastings a ton but I noticed that it never sat well with me so I basically cut it out. However, Jackie planned a fun trip to a brewery so I thought I'd have a tasting as well. I loved the Twisted Red and the O’Beardsley’s Stout. The Stout especially had a wonderful chocolate and coffee flavor that was amazing.

We had a great trip to Livermore and I'd love to go back and check out even more of the great wineries out there.

Week of July 18th 2011: Social Eatz

There was one more Top Chef restaurant that I had to check out and that was Angelo Sosa's Social Eatz. His food always looked so good on TV and on the show they had said he worked in a sandwich shop so that felt very accessible. However, just before going to New York, I found out that the sandwich shop closed. Luckily, worry turned to excitement when I found out that instead he had opened up his own wider menu (but still relatively affordable and accessible) Asian-fusion type shop.

I know Asian fusion sounds a little played out but Angelo really attacked it in a new way. Almost of all the dishes seemed like American comfort food on the surface (burgers, hot dogs, etc) but it was easy to see that they were layered with unique Asian flavors. I got tacos and chicken wings and they were very tasty. I can't remember what Elissa ordered or which drinks we got (they have an extensive, original cocktail menu) but I do remember that we were both raving about it. She was trying to find out if they delivered to her neighborhood or office. It turned out that both were just out of their delivery radius and yes, she considered a few wacky, Seinfeld-esque ways to work around that.

The most important thing you should know about Social Eatz though - neither of us mentioned that it was my first time in New York and guess how much free stuff we got? None.

I actually got to meet Angelo a few weeks ago when he was in SF for a book signing. I literally chased him about half a block down a busy SF touristy area before I caught up and was able to ask him for a picture. Even though I seemed like a crazy stalker, him and his wife were very nice and understanding. It's also really nice to be able to tell a chef to his face that you liked his food.

Week of June 6th 2011: Bay Area Brew Fest

The Bay Area Brew Fest is one of many Bay Area beer festivals. The good thing about this brew fest is that it always seems to fly a little under the radar compared to the annual Beer Fest. The tickets for this event were only about $25 for 4 hours of beer tasting. It's really a great deal and I recommend keeping your eyes peeled for it.

Do not buy this beer. It tasted as pink as the label.

We were particularly lucky because the deal that my friends and I purchased allowed us to enter the event an hour earlier. Our group and a couple hundred other people basically had free range of the event before the masses were allowed to enter. I do have to admit that the lines were a little crazy once the regular portion of the event opened but that hour head start gave us enough beer fuel to power through it.

Honestly, I don't have a ton to write about the Brew Fest. It was a good time with good friends. The highlight of the day for me was definitely the beef jerky booth. There were a variety of flavors that paired nicely with our beers. Rumor has it they are developing a bacon jerky... I think it's worth keeping an eye on.

Mmm Jerky....

Cheaper (than the big SF Beer Fest) beer festivals are always popping up around the Bay Area and tend to run for about $20-$30 (compared to the $70 of the big one). It's a great way to get out and try new beers while having a fun afternoon with your friends.

Week of May 2nd 2011: Kennedy's

I am already failing at my resolutions. An early January trip to Las Vegas is not helpful for reading, gyming, blogging, and not going out.... We all get one week off though, right? I promise I'll make it up to you. Anyways, here's your post!

At my last job, I had a coworker that loved Kennedy's. His weekend plans often included a trip there with his friends and his love for the place was so well known that whenever a deal came through Groupon or any other deal site, he would get tons of people forwarding it to him. Clearly, this was a place I had to check out. Since Kennedy's is a combination Indian restaurant and Irish pub located conveniently in the middle of North Beach, it seemed like an ideal place to start my birthday celebration.

Kennedy's was a fun environment. They allowed me to reserve a table big enough for all of my party guests and the food was reasonably priced. Food and beer had to be ordered at the counter, but for the price and space, it was worth the inconvenience. I think the only other qualm I had was that it only served beer. In most circumstances, this would be fine, but after a really filling meal, I didn't feel like a filling beverage either.

Kennedy's seems to constantly show up on deal websites though so keep your eyes peeled for one before you go!

Week of March 21st 2011: Euston Tap (London)

My last night in London, we decided to go check out a bar that Kevin’s roommate had recently read about in a magazine. With about 30 beers on tap and over 100 bottles, we knew we’d be able to find something for each of our pallets.

Euston Tap is located in a very small building near the Euston tube station. We actually walked past it a couple of times before we realized where it was. Kevin ran off to an ATM and told his roommate and I to order his first beer. Since neither of us had really seen Kevin too drunk, we decided to order him a pint of Brew Dog Hardcore IPA – the strongest beer they had. When he asked what it was, the roommate made up a genius story about how he just asked for three random beers… even though the two of us managed to get the same one.

Since Kevin loves a challenge, we spent the whole first drink saying that he should try the 9.2% beer to see if he could handle it (little did he know that’s what he already had…). Of course he took us up on it, but he accidentally ordered a half pint so it came in a different glass. He then started telling us how much better his second beer was. It got even better when he got his 3^rd beer, another full pint and then told us how he knew the whole time that it was the same beer all along.

Anyways, without going into a ton of detail, we succeeded in our mission of getting Kevin drunk and we definitely pulled one over on him. Even though I didn’t get to go to the ice bar and we just spent the night telling jokes in a local pub, I couldn’t think of a better way to round out my trip.

Week of Febrauary 14th, 2011: Artopia

We're two weeks away from my test - you know what that means, right? Soon I'll have no excuse for not posting! It also means, you'll probably see a few posts this weekend because we all know what happens when you need to buckle down and study - everything else. Procrastination is amazing.

Artopia is an event that I found out about through my SF Weekly deals. If you're in SF, I suggest looking into their Voice Deals of the Day. This isn't a shameless plug (I get nothing from them). While some of their deals are the typical restaurant ones, they also have a lot of events that are usually $10 or so and have open bars. I've been to a few already and it's a good deal. So when I saw a $10 deal for an open bar art event a few blocks away from my apartment, I grabbed my friend, Oleg, and decided to check it out.

Now when most people go to an even that is clearly marketed as an "open bar" event, they tend to go inside and head straight to the bar to capitalize on this. Of course, we followed suit but upon arriving at the bar, I noticed someone paying for their drink. Since Oleg and I each had less than $10 on us and the place didn't take card, we decided to hold off and go check out the exhibits.

We walked around and quickly noticed that the "ARTopia" event, didn't really have a ton of art and we were able to see most of it rather quickly. There was an upstairs area that had a couple large pieces, and a hallway that had an interesting rope piece (which I immediately took pictures of and sent to a climbing friend). There were also some fun, Clue-esque bird pictures that I really liked although the concept seemed lost on a lot of people that were walking by.

Around that time, an announcement was made that the open bar was closing in 30 minutes. That announcement was immediately followed by some intense glaring from my friend. Turns out the "paying" that I had seen were people ordering complicated drinks, but beers and normal beverages were still free. Oops...

At least, we didn't have to pay too much for my mistake as we quickly learned that the bar had no problem giving you a few drinks "for friends." 4 beers apiece later, we were happily standing at a table, appreciating some art and talking about life.

All in all, it's always fun to go to a random event and enjoy a few drinks on a Wednesday with a good friend. This event was a little more crowded and less organized that some that I had been to before, and we didn't stay too long after we finished our drinks.

Week of November 29th 2010: SF Weekly's Holiday Benefit at the Academy of Science

This was actually a week of deals since I found out about this event through a deal site as well. For $10, we got admission to this open bar benefit at the Academy of Science and how could I say no to that? So Eddy, Try and myself all bought tickets for it and on the first Wednesday in December, we were on our way to the event.

We got there and were instantly greeted by a table full of mini cupcakes and glowing drink mixers. We each grabbed a cupcake and mixing stick and headed to the bar. Eddy got an acai vodka flavored drink while Try and I got some apple cider with rum. We then found another mini cupcake table. I took a picture of the cupcake tower with my rum cider but I was trying to be discrete so the picture wasn't framed well.. oops!

From there we decided it was time to find some food. We walked around and found tables with pizza, mini quiches, chips and salsa, etc. While that may seem like a lot of food, the portions were tiny and we quickly realized the food to beverage ratio was quite small.

So why fight it? We gave up on many of the food booths and started checking out the alcohol sponsored tables. We found it almost impossible to not be holding two drinks at once. The acai vodka had a stand where they were making acai vodka lemonade drinks. They were dangerously sweet.

Eddy also found a booth with whiskey and tequila shot samples. I may have made some man friends at that table when I told them about my prior experiences with Bourbon Whiskey. We both tried one of each although he had to help me finish mine.

After wandering around a little bit more, I found the wine sponsor. They only had two kinds but of course they were Chardonnay and Cabernet which are my two favorites. I ended up just standing around that table for a while enjoying the wines.

At that point, we were definitely feeling the effects of an open bar, alcohol sponsored event so we switched over to beer. Luckily for us, the event was also sponsored by Blue Moon. We ran into my friend Jeremy at the event (who happens to ALWAYS be at the same things as me, but that's another story) and he pointed out that they let you grab two beers at once - so we did and headed down to the aquarium.

I had come straight from work so my feet had started to hurt from my heels so we found a place to sit in the aquarium where we could watch the fish swimming over head. It was nice to rest a little bit and chat with my friends. But too much rest isn't good for anyone so we grabbed our beers and walked around the aquarium until the event ended. Honestly, I would go back to the Academy just to walk around the aquarium. Both times that I went, I didn't go to the aquarium until just before closing so I don't think I've ever gotten to look through it in as much detail as I would have liked. Guess we have to go back?

Week of August 23rd 2010: Night Life at the Academy of Sciences & La Trappe

Here's my first two in one post! I haven't decided if in general, I want to go chronologically or by order of magnitude (more exciting activity first) but it doesn't make a difference this week.

Thursday nights at the Academy of Sciences, they have this little event called Night Life where they open up the museum to over 21-ers only, serve alcohol and let you drink in the whole museum. And by the whole museum, I mean everywhere except the exhibits. Of course, we found that out after we had already gotten our first round. This was pretty frustrating because most of the exhibits didn't have a line at that time but by the time that we finished our drinks, they did. Since we had to wait in line, we only got to see a couple of things. So.. check where you can bring your drinks before you buy if you actually care about seeing museum exhibits and things.

Anyways... since we needed to occupy a bit of time until we finished our drinks, we went up to the living roof. I had really wanted to check this out since I could see it from my Arguello apartment and it took me a while to realize what it was. The roof was cool - it's definitely an awesome concept but there really isn't too much to see once you're up there and it was pretty chilly.

We finally finished our drinks and went to check out the Extreme Mammals exhibit. Don't let the name fool you, it was a little boring. I love animals and was hoping to, you know, see some. However it was just a lot of facts about different features different animals have. Anyway I describe it, it sounds more interesting than it was... the museum managed to take a great concept and arrange it as boring as possible...

I wanted to check out the rain-forest next but it had closed already (stupid drink rule) so we went to the aquarium. Nightlife and the Academy of Sciences is worth the visit even if this is the only thing you see. Like I said, I love animals and it was great seeing all the fish and snakes. They have some really amazing species there and it was amazing. Also, you can take drinks into the aquarium. Of course by this point we had decided to cut our losses and the chances of not being able to see an exhibit.

Overall it was really fun, just figure out where you can drink and where you can't. Roof and aquarium are ok, Rainforest and Extreme Mammals (now closed) are not... and everyone knows science is way cooler with a drink.


Next up is La Trappe. This one will be short - mostly because I was only there for a drink. Basicallly, if you love Trappist monk beers, this is a great place to get them in the city (I'm looking at you Eddy!). They have a wide variety of selections both from bottles and on tap, including the all famous Chimay.
Told you it would be short...

Until next time!