I now work for the #1 lender, or so they claim, my insurance costs me twice as much now (thanks "O" mighty One), I apparently lost 3lbs since last year (I think the scale was tipped), I renewed my TB test so I can start chopping away at soup kitchens (hey, I have to start somewhere if I ever want to become the next Top Chef...ha ha...I kid...I kid... I love to eat so I'll leave the cooking to someone else) and my high blood pressure and cholesterol is now within tolerance. Meaning, I won't drop dead while walking down the street, which is such a big relief!
Why was I 3lbs heavier last year? Not that I'm obssessing about it, believe me after dating a personal trainer for 2 years, the last thing I want to think about now is my body mass index and how it all relates to my daily caloric intake! Ugh, talk about being hungry all the time :) So, I did a mental jog as to what I was doing last year and here's what I came up with...
A year ago, I was driving my little heiny to Napa Valley everyday to train the newly hired loan agents by my former company. I was wining and dining out for lunch and dinner everyday. Napa Valley is a dangerous place for a food lover such as myself. No, is not in my vocabulary when it comes to food with the exception of cilantro...yuck! There's a specific restaurant that is hands down, my bestest, favoritest (yes, I'm making up words now...follow along), greatest restaurant ever in my book. And it happens to be an organic/vegan, pure goodness and delight in your mouth, restaurant. They serve the kind of food that will leave you speechless because you'll be too busy eating and licking your fork long after you've polished off the last morsel of their out of this world beet salad and heavenly organic cheesecake served in an old fashion mason jar.
I know right! Let's see, wasn't I bagging on Cafe Gratitude just a few month's back?
You see, this restaurant is not like Cafe Gratitude, although I know deep down inside that CG will someday want to grow up to be just like Ubuntu but it will never happen. Cafe Gratitude will always be the red headed step child...ha ha ha! Cafe Gratitude is a pseudo, feel good about yourself because what you're eating is supposed to be good type of joint. Anyhow, we all know how I feel about their food so no need to elaborate (see: Live. Organic. Vegan.)
Ubuntu is a complete departure from Cafe Gratitude. First off, it has a Yoga studio on the second floor of the restaurant which you can actually see from the dining area below. Secondly, almost all of the furnitures came from salvaged materials, tastefully re-designed to create the eco- friendly, look and feel of the restaurant. My favorite piece is definitely the long community table. Their version is the kind that I someday want to be gracing my home, the long kind versus the circular one that Snowball and I sat on at CG.
So what? Big deal, it's a table!
Well, what makes this table so unique is that it's made out of 2 different types of trees - a redwood and a fir tree that were blown down by the wind back in 2002 in a little town in Occidental, CA. The artisan took these two windfallen trees and created a long table out of it. If that does not impress you then you're in the wrong blog page.
Who are you and what are you doing reading my blogs?
Aaaanyhow, it would have been easier to just purchase a long table at some Scandinavian design furniture store somewhere, but to actually take the time go out to nature to salvage these two fallen trees, milled it, and gave it a second chance in life to be enjoyed, and admired in a whole new way is pretty impressive, don't you think? Talk about the ultimate "want not, waste not"
So Ubuntu is this type of restaurant, you can't help but feel good about eating there. Not only are they environmentally conscious, the food is a complete feast for the senses. Not for one second did it ever crossed my mind that I was only eating a variety of amazing garden grown fruits and veggies. No meat or deep fried evil stuffings of some sort to be had. From the first day I was introduced to this place, I pretty much ate there every chance I got. Since then I have taken friends and told as many people as I can about the place because I love it so much, I don't ever want it to close down.
My last dining experience at Ubuntu was late last year. It was a great meal shared over a bottle of Merlot, if my memory serves me well. I drove up there with Tiesto's, Adagio for Strings playing in the background and my mind filled with excitement and anticipation to be able to share this gem of a restaurant with someone new. I just hope that he continues the cycle and keep sharing. Because you know what they say..."Sharing is Caring" Go Care Bears!
So Ubuntu is this type of restaurant, you can't help but feel good about eating there. Not only are they environmentally conscious, the food is a complete feast for the senses. Not for one second did it ever crossed my mind that I was only eating a variety of amazing garden grown fruits and veggies. No meat or deep fried evil stuffings of some sort to be had. From the first day I was introduced to this place, I pretty much ate there every chance I got. Since then I have taken friends and told as many people as I can about the place because I love it so much, I don't ever want it to close down.
My last dining experience at Ubuntu was late last year. It was a great meal shared over a bottle of Merlot, if my memory serves me well. I drove up there with Tiesto's, Adagio for Strings playing in the background and my mind filled with excitement and anticipation to be able to share this gem of a restaurant with someone new. I just hope that he continues the cycle and keep sharing. Because you know what they say..."Sharing is Caring" Go Care Bears!
www.ubuntunapa.com
So I just remembered a story I have about the town of Occidental. I attended a wedding there last September at a family owned vineyard. The wedding was perfect, 75-80 attendees. Just enough people to have a rowdy, fun time but small enough that it still felt very intimate. I met the happy couple once before at a Rock Band party (geeky, I know). They are both SF lawyers. So my best guy friend who I refer to as George (as in George from My Best Friend's Wedding but he's the straight version) is best friend's with the groom and that's how I came in the picture. I was the Wedding Date (another movie reference, but no I didn't get paid. I should have asked for some kind of compensation though for being so patient when we got lost for over an hour driving by the same narrow street 4 times! It was like an episode from The Twilight Zone :) So the wedding was really nice and I was all caught up in fantasy land until I heard the groom talking to George which quickly brought me back to reality.
Groom: Thanks so much for coming and doing the reading.
George: No problem. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Glad to be here.
Groom: Yeah, I'm so tired. I was up until 2:00 in the morning finishing up on a deposition.
Stage left - that would be me with a giant screaming thought bubble!
"Wow, really?!?! I'd hate to be married to that one. How sad! Call me old fashion but the only thing I want to do on the night before my wedding day is sleep, or see my fiance or finish up on some last minute detail. Anything but work! Oh well, to each his own...
By the way, if you ever find yourself in the Occidental area, the town before it is Sebastopol which happens to be the location of this awesome bakery that makes the world's best sticky buns aka cinnamon rolls. We happened upon this place right before we went into our wild goose chase of finding the vineyard.
Check it out...
www.wildflourbread.com
Then last night, Marge and I went to go see the San Jose Sharks get their ass whooped by the Minnesota Wild. It was totally in the bag - Sharks had a 2-0 lead at the end of 1st period and then out of dumb luck or sleepiness of the goalie, by the end of the 2nd period they were tied by 3-3! The two points that were scored by Minnesota were rolling pucks! Aarrgghh! where's Nabokov when you need him! Third period ended with a tie so it went into overtime and that's when the crowd grew "Wild" in anger because the other team scored the first goal :( Oh well, another day in a life of a sports fan.
Half time show. Ridonculously Funny!
Jakey
So I just remembered a story I have about the town of Occidental. I attended a wedding there last September at a family owned vineyard. The wedding was perfect, 75-80 attendees. Just enough people to have a rowdy, fun time but small enough that it still felt very intimate. I met the happy couple once before at a Rock Band party (geeky, I know). They are both SF lawyers. So my best guy friend who I refer to as George (as in George from My Best Friend's Wedding but he's the straight version) is best friend's with the groom and that's how I came in the picture. I was the Wedding Date (another movie reference, but no I didn't get paid. I should have asked for some kind of compensation though for being so patient when we got lost for over an hour driving by the same narrow street 4 times! It was like an episode from The Twilight Zone :) So the wedding was really nice and I was all caught up in fantasy land until I heard the groom talking to George which quickly brought me back to reality.
Groom: Thanks so much for coming and doing the reading.
George: No problem. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Glad to be here.
Groom: Yeah, I'm so tired. I was up until 2:00 in the morning finishing up on a deposition.
Stage left - that would be me with a giant screaming thought bubble!
"Wow, really?!?! I'd hate to be married to that one. How sad! Call me old fashion but the only thing I want to do on the night before my wedding day is sleep, or see my fiance or finish up on some last minute detail. Anything but work! Oh well, to each his own...
By the way, if you ever find yourself in the Occidental area, the town before it is Sebastopol which happens to be the location of this awesome bakery that makes the world's best sticky buns aka cinnamon rolls. We happened upon this place right before we went into our wild goose chase of finding the vineyard.
Check it out...
www.wildflourbread.com
Then last night, Marge and I went to go see the San Jose Sharks get their ass whooped by the Minnesota Wild. It was totally in the bag - Sharks had a 2-0 lead at the end of 1st period and then out of dumb luck or sleepiness of the goalie, by the end of the 2nd period they were tied by 3-3! The two points that were scored by Minnesota were rolling pucks! Aarrgghh! where's Nabokov when you need him! Third period ended with a tie so it went into overtime and that's when the crowd grew "Wild" in anger because the other team scored the first goal :( Oh well, another day in a life of a sports fan.
Half time show. Ridonculously Funny!
Jakey
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