Out of the Kitchen

A view of the Port and Skyline

 Busy season is over in the Napa Valley giving me more time off work. I have started spending my weekends venturing through Northern California before my time is up here. My latest excursion was to San  Francisco. A few friends and I started the day at the Sea Aquarium at Pier 39. A little known fact about me is that until now I had never been to an aquarium. I have always wanted to visit the Chicago aquarium, but never got the chance (A certain mother decided my fourth grade trip to the aquarium would be the perfect time to schedule my adenoids to be taken out...thanks mom!). We spent a good hour at the aquarium where I was able to pet a shark, star fish, and a string ray. The fish were beautiful, but it was a bit of a tourist attraction.

I found Nemo

Continuing on with being tourists, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. Its nice to say I have been, but it probably was not the smartest lunch destination for a person with a fear of birds. Sitting on a bench outside with hundreds of seagulls is not my idea of a stress free lunch. These persistent birds went as far as removing a piece of fish from my friends hand mid-sauce dunk, causing a horrific trickle down effect of bites, bird attacks, spillage, squawking, and running. We escaped, no thanks to the boat driver watching the entire show with a look of disgust on his face. Apparently he thought it was important to yell at us for feeding the birds as though we did it on purpose. As for the fish, it did not make it out as un-harmed as us. What the birds did not get to we threw in the trash for lack of flavor and loss of appetite.
 The best part of my day came when we headed to China Town. I was in the market for a new sharpening stone. At a store, our Cuisines of Asia instructor informed us of, I found the one I wanted for a fraction of the price. I was also able to complete my Holiday gift list to myself by purchasing a chinois and mortar and pestle. China town is a blessing for a chef's wallet, but it is important to be a conscious shopper there. A lot of trash is mixed in with the treasures.