25th Anniversary Season Begins

It's a big one - 25 years - our Silver Anniversary.  Balloons, flowers, cards, gifts, and splurging on a nice dinner are in order for this celebration. I actually count our time together from 10 years earlier, when we decided to move from Kansas City to San Francisco. But I digress.

The official anniversary of our wedding was 25 years ago on September 25, 1992. We had just recently moved into our new condo on Green Street, and renovation work was continuing on our wedding day:

Found this picture of me with my dad, brother and the workmen putting the finishing touches on the wall covering in the same spot as the picture on the top of this post, shortly before heading to the wedding venue.

We've had a lot of anniversary toasts since, some in more exotic locations than others....

This year, we celebrated at Restaurant Gary Danko, one of the finest eateries in The City, and one we have managed to miss before tonight.

We'll be back...

Martini, lobster appetizer, a fine wine...

... seared foie gras (yes - available again while the batshit insane California ban is appealed yet again).  I had the bison, Sigrid had the lamb, we enjoyed a selection of celebratory sweets, and went home with morning breakfast cakes.

Suffice it to say we pretty much floated out of the place on a gastronomic cloud. 

It was a great way to celebrate 25 (35?) years of our life, love, and adventures together...

25th Anniversary present.

... not to mention visiting 45 countries together.

Looking forward to another 25 (35?) more years, and another 45 countries or so.

24th (or 33rd) Anniversary Dinner

24 roses - 24 years

Not sure whether my blogging is slowing down or life is moving too fast, but September was a lost month for the blog. There were a number of events I intended to post but never quite got around to it. Some conferences, some golf, some museums and art. Good stuff, but not on the blog. Perhaps we'll backfill them at some point. Perhaps not. In any case, this is one I cannot miss. Our 24th wedding anniversary.

Our official wedding was on September 25, 1992, but I start the count 9 years earlier. Sigrid and I moved to San Francisco in January 1983 in the middle of an El Nino year. That's when our journey together began and it's been a great adventure with my lover and best friend ever since.

We celebrated with dinner at Chapeau!, a French Bistro in the Inner Richmond.  We've heard about the  restaurant, but this was our first visit. Won't be our last. The Zagat blurb:

"Known for emerging from the kitchen to “greet his guests”, chef Philippe Gardelle demonstrates “equal parts charm and culinary skill” at this “welcoming” Inner Richmond “date spot”, serving “classic French bistro fare” in all its “bold, savory and creamy” “perfection” alongside “wonderful regional wines”; most consider it a “great value” (the early-bird special in particular is “a steal”)"

We got the full Chapeau experience as soon as we arrived. Chef Gardelle was having a smoke on the curb. We introduced ourselves and discussed the sun setting on Clement before he escorted us into the restaurant.  The food and service were superb.

Seared Foie Gras was on the menu as an appetizer. It's one of our favorites, and after the idiotic ban was struck down, we make a point of seeking out foie gras and the restaurants that serve it. It was delicious, beautifully prepared and presented.

I had a rack of lamb, Sigrid had the filet,accompanied by an excellent 2011 Rhone at a surprisingly reasonable price.  We finished with a cheese plate and creme brulee.

We were very happy.

On to the next 24. Or 33. Or hopefully, even more.

A Random Celebration

There was no reason for the gifts, balloons, cards or flowers on this day. None whatsoever.

Nor was there any reason for champagne on our way out for the evening.

Nor was there any reason to go out for dinner and enjoy our recently re-legalized  favorite - foie gras at L'ardoise - a French Bistro we wanted to try...
.

No reason at all. This was just a random Thursday celebration and absolutely no one involved was celebrating a birthday.  I just wanted to clear that up.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Bix Birthday Bash

 It's been a week for great meals and big "zero" celebrations. Sigrid and I celebrated our 20th anniversary on Tuesday, and tonight we celebrate Lee's big birthday with Joanne, JJ, and Rod. It would be indiscreet of me to say which birthday he is celebrating. But it does end in zero. And he is older than me. So... do the math.

Dinner was at Bix, another of our favorites. We've got a lot of history here. We've patronized the restaurant since it opened in 1988 when Joanne and I worked in the Oracle San Francisco office.

 Here Lee is inspecting his wine glass in front of the iconic Mark Stock painting:

 Scenes from the dinner table:

steak tartare

lobster spaghetti

"Faux" Gras

duck breast

The appetizer is "faux gras" instead of foie gras since foie gras is now illegal in California. This due to one of the most phenomenally batshit stupid pieces of legislation ever passed in the history of mankind. It's the same duck liver, same dead ducks, but it takes more of them to make the "faux gras" since it is a pate' and not individual livers. I guess the veganoids like it that way. I hope they are happy. The blood of all those additional dead ducks are on their hands. In any case - it was pretty damn tasty, and a pretty good substitute.  But I digress....

It was all good.

Happy birthday Lee