The news of my chocolate snobbery quickly spread threw my office floor after I gracefully declined FREE CHOCOLATE. People found it strange that I’d turn down free chocolate. I had to explain that it’s hard to go back to regular chocolate after you’ve tasted real chocolate. I don’t push artisan chocolates on people.  Especially to the ones who really like Hershey’s dark bars. I just gracefully decline chocolates made for mainstream/daily use.

One of my favorite chocolate bars is the Almond Bar from Recchiuti. This bar is filled with toasted almond pieces. One of the first things you’ll notice about this bar is that there is a delicate touch when it came to assembly. The toasted almonds are not drenched in chocolate. After unwrapping, you’ll find areas of the bar that expose the almonds. I would have taken a picture except I was enjoying the bar too much.

Here’s the description:

Toasted almond pieces are coated in Burnt Caramel syrup and sea salt and then toasted again before being added, by hand, to our custom Semisweet Chocolate. The subtle, delicate nut is an ideal complement to the smooth and complex semisweet flavors.

Try Recchiuti! I know you won’t regret it. You can find them here:

One Ferry Building, Shop #30
San Francisco, CA 94111
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm
Phone: 415-834-9494

About Recchiuti

In 1997, after years in the test kitchen, Michael was ready to bring his creations to a larger audience and to introduce Americans to real chocolate. With his wife, Jacky, he founded Recchiuti Confections. Their idea: when you introduce people to truly exquisite chocolates they will be won over instantly and forever. Then, as now, he achieved those exquisite chocolates by painstakingly selecting each ingredient that would go into the final confection. He’d visit the San Francisco farmers’ market for bundles of fresh lavender, tarragon and lemon verbena, which he’d carefully dry for use in his signature infusions. He made frequent trips to local chocolate manufacturers, trying their latest offerings and deciding if it had the right texture, color and acidity for a new blend he was working on. And he’d meticulously see to each step that turned those fine ingredients into finer confections, using traditional European techniques and equipment. But taste and technique only tell part of the story. Michael’s life is filled with art, music and lots of friends, so the look of his chocolates act as a show and tell of his favorite things. Some feature drawings, etchings and paintings from his favorite San Francisco artists, while others are adorned with Japanese block prints.

Thanks Helen for the wonderful birthday gift of chocolate.

Since Hulk came to movie theaters I’ve always wondered, more like hoped, they would make an Avengers movie.   The superhero movies of late have been hit-or-miss, usually squashing about ten years worth of comic book content into an hour-and-a-half of *shudder* Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Personally, I prefer unknowns performing superhero roles.  I don’t need the attributes of a known actor splayed over an already infamous character.  For example, did anyone actually see Catwoman in Catwoman?  There was too much Halle Berry to watch.  That being said, I think Patrick Stewart was a good pick for Xavier, and…hmm…Robert Downey Jr. was okay too.  I worry about Scarlett Johansen as Black Widow.  Could they not find a hot Russian?  The Iron Man flicks and Hulk were good.  I didn’t even see Thor or Captain America because no one said they were worth seeing.  Whether Avengers lives up to the best of them, or even the cartoon movie, remains to be seen.

I picked up a flyer at my local Guitar Center for the free workshops that they offer and found and advertisement for TC Helicon and then on the other side some person named Clara C.

I looked her up and was amazed by the talent. There’s something about her music where I can’t stop listening. Her music reminds me of a cross between Jewel, Tori Amos, Oassis, Cranberries, Fiona Apple, and Natalie Imbruglia. Yes, put the good stuff about those artists and out come Clara C.

Her music is catchy, hypnotizing, and makes me smile. The lyrics are probably what get me sucked in. In her song Heartstrings, there’s tease of new love with a hint of reservation and does nothing but put a smile on my face and make you believe in love.

Heartstrings
Hey baby, it’s easy
to believe in you and me
The smiling, the laughing
It’s comin’ so easily

It’s a funny thing, this love thing
It only falls into my arms
When I’m not looking for it at all

Hey baby, you’re doing
All the things that make me
Sing sing sing sing sing sing
Untying these heartstrings
That I’ve been triple knotting

I wanna take it slow and that’s okay with you
See I’m finished making the same old mistakes
I won’t let us fall

You put a smile
You put a smile on my heart
You put a smile
You put a smile on my heart
They’re coming all undone
My heartstrings

Hey darling, see these wings?
They’re not clipped anymore
I’m singing and shaking off
My silence with this voice

It’s a funny thing, this love thing
You’re always on the
Same page, same line, same letter
We’re gonna go far

Then there’s The Camel Song and the intro lines:

running through the forest hand in hand
jumping over streams talking bout our dreams
we laugh we smile we dance
would you give it one more chance
please don’t let me leave this place
i really really don’t want to wake up

There’s a cute sense of innocence in her lyrics that most mainstream artists neglect to use or have forgotten about. While simple, you can hear the emotion and start reminiscing about untainted love, joy, and happiness.

References:
http://claracmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/claracmusic

Upcoming workshops in the Bay Area:
Friday, May 4, 2012 at 7PM
Guitar Center San Jose
3677 Stevens Creek BLVD
Santa Clara, CA 95051

Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 2PM
Guitar Center San Francisco
1645 Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94109

Pi, Greek letter (?), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th and geeks like me.

My family celebrated Pi Day by going to The Cravery in San Francisco. The Cravery specializes in pot pies…pi…pie. I’m sure you get it. We all ordered different pies: Traditional Beef, Classic Chicken, Chicken/Mushroom, and Pepper Beef.

Here’s a quick review:
Traditional Beef – Really good and hearty. Big chunks of beef.
Classic Chicken – Was the best out of the 4 and was one of the best one of us ever had.
Chicken/Mushroom – Had a strong taste of sage and had a lot of potatoes in it.
Pepper Beef – No complaints.

Over dinner we discussed the concept of Pi and then I brought up the concept of Tau. Tau is…well, I couldn’t really explain it after stuffing my face with pie. So visit Tau Day to learn more about it.

Pi is 3.1415926535897932384…
Tau is 6.2831853071795864769…
The Cravery is located at:
829 Mission St
(between 4th St & 5th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103

References:
Tau Day
The Cravery

I was inspired by the guys at Epic Meal to make a bacon weave. Not sure if’ you’ve watched their show but they go through mounds of bacon. I used to take pride in the amount of bacon I could eat in a seating but after seeing a few of their shows I don’t even come close.

Back to the weave. A bacon weave is bacon that is woven like a mat…kind of like the paper mats you used to make back in grade school.

This round I used hand cut bacon from a butcher because I found a great deal. I recommend using the thin cut store bought brand. Here are some pics.

References:
Epic Meal

Someone Like You by Adele

I heard that you’re settled down.
That you found a girl and you’re married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn’t give to you.

Old friend why are you so shy?
It ain’t like you to hold back or hide from the lie.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited.
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it.
I’d hoped you’d see my face and that you’d be reminded
That for me it isn’t over.

Nevermind I’ll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don’t forget me I beg I remember you said:
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead yeah.

You’d know how the time flies.
Only yesterday was the time of our lives.
We were born and raised in a summery haze.
Bound by the surprise of our glory days.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away I couldn’t fight it.
I’d hoped you’d see my face and that you’d be reminded
That for me it isn’t over yet.

Nevermind I’ll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don’t forget me I beg I remember you said:
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead yeah.

Nothing compares no worries or cares.
Regret’s and mistakes they’re memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Nevermind I’ll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don’t forget me I beg I remembered you said:
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.

Nevermind I’ll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don’t forget me I beg I remembered you said:
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead yay yeh yeah.

References:
Adele.tv

Everything Green (lyrics)

You gave me the first love
That I ever knew
And I folded open
Like wings on a warm day

No one ever tamed you
You made your own rules
When you ran beside me
Your freedom was mine too

I wish you everything peaceful and everything green
Growing lazy and tangled in your long hair
Everything joyful and everything blue
Water crashing around your waist laughing
When I give to you
Everything peaceful and everything green

When they tried to cage you
You ran even more wild
Dark tide water splashing
Bright snow at the tree line
I saw the aurora
Reflect in your eye
And fear melted in me
Like streams in the spring time

I wish you everything peaceful and everything green
Growing lazy and tangled in your long hair
Everything joyful and everything blue
Water crashing round your waist laughing
When I give to you
Everything peaceful and everything green

Everything peaceful and everything green
I want to bring you all the numberless summers and sunrises
I want sing you all the songs I heard from you
Stories I learned from you
Everything left in the world I can give back to you

You gave me the first love
That I ever knew
And I folded open
Like wings on a warm day

I wish you everything peaceful and everything green
Growing lazy and tangled in your long hair
Everything joyful and everything blue
Water crashing around your waist laughing

I wish you everything peaceful and everything green
Growing lazy and tangled in your long hair
Everything joyful and everything blue
Water crashing around your waist laughing

When I give to you
I’ll give to you
Everything peaceful and everything green

I’m prepping for NSSN (Not So Silent Night). My Chemical Romance is one of the highlighted bands next to Smashing Pumpkins. I might be getting old but I think the Smashing Pumpkins should try a new style of music.

I’ll admit I was not a fan of My Chemical Romance when they first started. It took two whole albums until I started paying attention: “The Black Parade”.

Not So Silent night is coming up on December 12, 2010 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

See you there!

Just saw Gwyneth Paltrow on CMA Awards. Her performance was amazing and it totally beats Cruisin’ with Huey Lewis. You can see a hint of nervousness but around midway she starts having fun with it. However, is her guitar even plugged in? It’s understandable if it’s not because her voice rocks!

Country Strong Lyrics:

I know you see me
Like some wide eyed dreamer
That just rolled in off a dusty mid west bus
Yeah, on the outside I look fragile
But on the inside is something you can’t crush

Cause I’m country strong
Hard to break
Like the ground I grew up on
You may fool me
And I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long
Cause I’m country strong

I have weathered
Colder winters; Longer summers
Without a drop of rain
Push me in a corner
And I’ll come out fighting
I may lose but I ‘ll always keep my faith

Cause I’m country strong
Hard to break
Like the ground I grew up on
You may fool me
And I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long
Cause I’m country strong

Cause I’m country strong
Hard to break
Like the ground I grew up on
You may fool me
And I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long
Cause I’m country strong

I’m country strong
Yeah, I’m country strong
I’m country strong
I’m country strong
I’m country strong

Props to Waikiki! There’s something to the lyrics but I think I’m just a little more excited knowing he’s Filipino/Puerto Rican. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have Nathalie Kelley in the video. It makes me smile knowing that he uses a “breakdown” in organizing the song. You’re smiling too if you know what I’m talking about or have been in the entertainment business as long as he has.

Intro
Ahh, Ahh, Ahh, Ahh

Verse 1
Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shining Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying She’s so beautiful, and I tell her everyday Yea, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won’t believe me And it’s so, it’s so sad to think that she don’t see what I see But every time she asks me, do I look okay, I say

Chorus
When I see your face, there is not a thing that I would change Cause you’re amazing, just the way you are And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are, hey

Verse 2
Her lips, her lips I could kiss them all day if she’d let me Her laugh, her laugh she hates but I think it’s so sexy She’s so beautiful, and I tell her everyday Oh, you know, you know, you know I’d never ask you to change If perfect’s what you’re searching for then just stay the same So don’t even bother asking if you look okay, you know I’ll say

Chorus
When I see your face, there is not a thing that I would change Cause you’re amazing, just the way you are And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are

Breakdown
The way you are, the way you are
Girl you’re amazing, just the way you are When I see your face there’s not a thing I would change Cause you’re amazing just the way you are And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are, yea