While im in Chicago working long hours I realize I have to make Mother’s Day Brunch reservations and have no idea how im going to make this happen with 4 days until the day.  I didn’t want the same old buffet and was luckily surprised to get us a table at Bluacre Seafood.  I have been wanting to hit it up for a while now and was quite excited to see whats up there.  So my lady and I meet mom and dad and we get started putting foods in our mouths.  The menu states “Crab and Shrimp Tater Tots..” no question, we will eat these, and we did, and I want more of them.  Then the menu whispered in my ear “Duck and Sausage Gumbo” yes I am eating this, and no I am not sharing.  My entrée did not contain eggs, but it did have a nice slab of Halibut topped with and artichoke crust, cauliflower puree, and olive-oil.  Popeye couldn’t make it.  I don’t usually put pictures of people on these posts besides Eliana, but how could I resist this cute excited face?  My Pops is stoked to devour his Cioppino.

One thing i noticed while posting these pictures... Doilies!  Doilies are still a thing?!



Im back from Chicago and looking for a long awaited NomNom meetup with my culinary school gangster partner.  It has been way too long since we met up, a couple years, so we decided it has just been too damn long.  So to make it convenient we decide to meet halfway between our abodes and end up in Bellevue.  Even more fitting, we choose Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, as I will soon be popping a RATIONAL Self Cooking Center in the event space, and our past culinary instructor is chef at the helm.  I purposely arrive early so I can get a tasty beverage at Lot no. 3, and build my own manhattan with chocolate bitters.  We were sat in our own semi private room either because we are so cool, or because we are so loud, or whatever.  I love when the server says "are you sure?  That is a lot of food" duh, whatever, lets eat!  Cheese plate please!  If you have met me, you know I cannot resist a golden crust on a duck leg confit.  Shortrib Rizzo Gnocchi with nommer shrooms and butt hair nut squash

The decision was made that culinary school gangster alumni must not wait so long to hang again.  Chef type people rule.



I find myself in Chicago for work.  Luckily, I have been tasked with actually cooking during the National Restaurant  Show this year and am in Illinois for 9 days.  The first 4 days are where our company headquarters is, in Schaumburg Illinois.  So my food intake was pretty much bar grub for a bit.  But during prep, I did manage to cure a load of pork bellies.  Aren’t they cute?  These little bastards would then get an overnight wet roast and then at will, they would then be crackled until the lovely little logs reach a bubbly, golden crust.  I invented this log of meat, and im quite proud of it.

The show starts and because I was cooking I didn’t get time to wander the show and see what was in the spot, but I did happen to find a potato the size of a semi-truck.  I was quite exhausted so I left dinner reservations up to home-girl Brown.   Homegirl Brown did not disappoint and we were on a long one block walk commute to Aria where Chef Beverly Kim from last season’s Top Chef leads the menu. I got to meet Beverly and she is the cutest little sweetheart of a chef and all the shit that the other chefs talked about her on the show can get shove back in their asses.  Yes, she does cook Asian, but hey guess what dumbshits… she IS Asian!  And her damn food is good!  So we begin our meal with an amuse delivered by Chef spicy tuna roll, rolled in a nice knife skills lesson of cucumber.  I went for some  Sweet Pea Chawanmushi and tuna tartare.  I fucking love peas!  Here’s a shot of everyone at the table staring with open drooling mouths at their entrees.  I opted for the scallops with hazelnut polenta and wait for it… fresh peas!  How do you make Brussels sprouts even better?  Mix it with pork belly and top it with a runny egg!  Beverly was so cool, she wouldn’t take a pic with me flipping off the camera cuz she is such a sweetheart, but I did get a pic with her with our fists up.  I like her.

The next evening Homegirl Brown gets us a large table rezzy at Carnivale.   Good thing because my lottery pick of a rezzy at Aviary didn’t come to fruition.  Carnicvale boasts Nuevo Latino Cuisine and im very happy with the leg that greeted me on the way to our table.  I cant describe everything we ate because there was a lot, and I had exceeded the recommended amount of Caipirinhas one should consume in an evening.  We ate piles of appetizers and samplers of cheese, charcuterie, and sashimi.  Homegirl Brown gets the winner dish of the evening, Skirt Steak. Oh, theres a dessert menu that’s kinda ridiculous.  Anyone for a Doctor Suess type Cotton Candy?  Or Maybe a slice of cake for a family?  As I tried to pay for some pictures in a photo booth, I authorized my credit card to buy some shoes?  This is real and I have never seen this.  Ladies acutally buy shoes from a vending machine?

Last dinner play date.  Homegirl Brown hooks it up again with the Chef’s Table at Telegraph. With an award winning chef and somellier, I was in as soon as I saw “whipped Foie Gras” on the menu offerings.  And you know me likey runny eggs, and they put one on top of a beef tongue.  And I ate it.  Here Fishy Fishy.  My favorite dish of the evening, squid ink papardelle with fresh peas.  Did I mention I like fresh peas?  Now we ate a load of other foods, but I was a bit caught up with eating to take pictures.  Im not a big dessert freak, but they got it going on here for dessert.  I grabbed a glass of sauternes and munched on a chocolate cake with a fresh mint puree on top, that redefined mint chocolate chip cake.  Finish the evening off with a smoked cheesecake, sweet at first taste, then savory like a mofo at the end. Nom.

9 Days in Chicago, im ready for home.  But thanks Homegirl brown for showing all of the team some grub that chefs can be happy to have enjoyed!



I have never eaten at Castagna, I have only heard stories of the exciting meals. I have eaten in the Cafe, but that is like a regular restaurant. I look back on the history of my friendship, I recall a time before we were friends and I have only heard things about this mysterious culinary instructor. I remember sitting at the bar in Cafe Castagna with the Baldschwabs and spotting Schmank running around in the kitchen of Castagna. "Fucking stage." Eventually my Lawyer and I have become buddies and I have learned that not only has he staged at Castagna but he also spent a period of his life staging at WD-50 in NYC under Wylie Dufresne, and alongside the chef of Castagna, Justin Woodward. I was half dead (dyingfrom death week 2012) but excited to indulge in the tasting menu, along with the insider knowledge I would get from my lawyer. So again, as directed by my lawyer, I got somewhat dressed up, and met up with Schmank, who was looking dapper himself with a tie, blazer, and fur covered shoes, and we were off to our last supper of Death Week 2012.

We have the dining room to ourselves, for now, and after we finish our first bourbon beverage I am back to life and ready to be killed again with food. Chef Justin comes out and greets us and I watch as he and MiddleGeorge make funnies. We will have the 10 course tasting menu with wine parings please. Then the snacks begin. A ball of buttermilk puff filled with grapefruit roe arrives on a piece of slate. Oh shit this is going to be fun! This little poof ball was stuffed with little caviar like balls of grapefruit juice. Then came a couple pieces of smoked guanciale placed into a serving vessel of a charred log. We agreed that we could both sit on the couch and eat these all day erryday. Next we were presented with a bowl of translucent potato chips (I assumed to be potato starch) and a squirt of BBQ purée sitting atop a stone. This stone may or may not have been licked clean by somebody. But we also may or may not have scratched the rock with a butter knife to make it look like nobody actually licked it. Snacks keep arriving, and we get to munch on crispy puffed beef tendons dusted in vinegar powder and topped with rosemary flowers. These delicious little chicharone type tendons almost melt as they touch your tongue. I am having a lot of fun right now. More food comes out on slates, not plates. Next course lands and is apple infused with parsley water with lemon balm and yogurt. Now in most restaurants, people don't take pictures of the rolls. But you kinda have to when you taste the texture of these house rye rolls with lardo, churns butter, and sprinkled with brown butter solids. As I use the restroom, I am instructed my my advisor to glance at the lights in the bathroom. Legend has it that the lights pulse as the immersion circulators pump in the kithchen. And the lights are pulsing! Now we are actually finished with snacks and beginning our courses. Schmank is excited by the incoming green almonds, and we dive into them with bay shrimp, eucalyptus and lime. I have never had green almonds before, and they are mom and crazy interesting as their insides are a translucent jelly of goodness. Next up is dungeness crab with crab head gelee. So I grew up in Hawaii in a Filipino family, and when we eat crab, we dump rice into the yellow guts of the crap to sop up all the goodness. At first bite, I decided that this dish needed to be eaten slowly and savor every last bit of culinary boner this gelee of crab brains and guts was giving me. As I took my second bite, I looked over as Schmank frowned with sadness that he had inhaled his crab course. Eat your veggies! Three textures of cauliflower with a hidden gem of an oyster. As we dove into our next culinary delight of spring vegetables with cured beef my lawyer exclaims "this dish is like eating a forest". Then came another mind blowing mouth experience in the shape of the most perfectly cooked piece of halibut ever to enter my mouth hole... along with potatoes in the shape of cylinders and the bright color of saffron (which I told chef I am definitely going to steal).  Oh, hey, theres a meat course! Ribeye with Beets a la Plancha.  Thank Jeebus, its time for desserts... Lemon Curd with meringue and Hefeweizen.  More dessert, Goat Milk Ice Cream, Caramel, and Dried Cream.  Last course arrives and its a chocolate Hockey puck that oozes when your fork touches it.  Nom.  oh, then there were gummy bears made of fruits and chocolate dusty balls. "I need a break, i want to run a marathon"  Im Sooooo Fuuulll"

i didnt die, but i was nearly killed by food fun.  after 4 years of having this job of traveling, this was my first time experienceing the adventure through a tasting menu at Castagna.  It only happened because i was under the wise advise of a wise, wise, attorney.  if you are ever in portland and have a few hundred bucks to blow on food adventures that your work WILL NOT pay for... you need to eat this.  Since Matt Lightner left as the chef, all we read about Castagna is that Justin Woodward is continuing and filling Matt's shoes... I have to say that Chef Justin is ballin outta contro with skills and passion that shine through in amazing perfection.

Im So Full

Thanks Schmanks.  Bee Tee Dubs... what is your favorite island?

For reasons undisclosed, Shmank Middlegeorge names my weeklong visit to Portland, Deathweek 2012.  He gave  himself a goal of killing me by the end of the week, by means of food, drink, and fun.  In the style of “Fear and Loathing” (in Portvegas), I agreed to follow any advice my lawyer had in store for me.  Along many of our stops for food was a new gem of food an beverage, Shovin an Acre… I mean Oven and Shaker. The joint is so conveniently placed footsteps from our home base, Teardrop Lounge, we popped in for some grub.  Our visit began with a tequila based manhattan topped with a salami wrapped cherry.  Me like this.  Fried balls of various fillings; Arancini  Pork Belly Pizza Kale Salad, and a plate of various meats opened our eyes and tastebuds to a new fave spot.  We ended up revisiting the spot again later this week.  Middlegeorge actually logged in a hat trick of visiting this week! 

As if there was a theme to our eating habits this week, we arrive for my virgin adventure at Park Kitchen and begin with a plate of fried balls of salt cod. Park Kitchen has been on the list of places to go for a while, but something else always came up.  I cannot believe I haven’t been here before.  The spot has been open for ten years or so and they are not fucking around with food… its really damn good and I am going again, soon.  Then Chef Scott gifted us with a salad of mung bean sprouts, carrot puree and pimento vinaigrette with whole grain mustard.  Holy freaking damn delicious salad.  Something I would probably never order blew our taste-buds out of this world.  Then came the most tender octopus I have ever put in my mouth= love this octopus  Top off the meal with beautifully prepared lamb. 

Im dying… need sustenance.  Hey, I know what will bring us back to life!  After an actual work meeting, we stop for lunch at Little Big Burger for some healing in the form of fatty goodness.   Ahhh Cheeseburger and truffle fries.  Life.

I love Octopus and I want more.  So my lawyer advises me to meet him for happy hour at Andina.  Keep in mind that the following foods are our appetizers!  My lawyer and I know Chef Hank there, so super nice guy Chef Hank sends out a gift of nom… smashed taters with shrooms and pretty sauces.  Mmmm, oysters.  Must have at Andina: Octopus Skewers with smashed taters.  Eat your veggies!  Beet Salad.  Then after chomping down some beef hearts, we are presented with another gift of caramel cookies from Chef Hank.  Thanks Chef!

The rest of death week will be continued on another post, as the last supper must be documented on its own. 

So anyway, I live through death week and my lovely wife arrives in Portland to spend a couple days with me.  I say goodbye to my lawyer and go back to normal life. But I have reservations at Paley’s Place for an exciting evening with my wife.  As we sit in the front window seat at Paley’s Place, we are presented with an amuse bouche.  Really?  Kampachi Crudo topped with Uni?  For shizz this is going inside me.  Along with our Mussels and Frites, Chef/Owner Vitaly Paley stops by and says hello with a gift of asparagus with Lardo, and frisee salad with duck egg.  I freaking LOVE presents!  Hey Gimme those sweetbreads dammit!  Did i mention that i like to spaetzle?

After Cirque Du Soleil, I need Brunch.  Irving Street Kitchen’s  menu left me stuck with 3 choices for my breakfast… I ultimately ended up with a pleasing waffle topped with braised pork belly and runny egg.  Nommeriffic. (notice in the background that i also killed a bowl o grits).  Wash that shit down with a brunch Negroni and I’m ready for whatever Mrs. Truby wants to do around PDX.  Well hey guess what?  Wifey wants to go to the Portland Farmers Market.  Guess what I found?  Spring is here and im taking fiddleheads black trufflesMorel mushrooms and Tails and Trotters Pork Chops home with me!  I turned it into this mess of loveliness to put in my face to end death week. 

It’s a good thing ive been going to the gym.  Stay tuned for the next post, cause its kinda mind blowing.



   As I began looking for organic (or close to organic) pig farms, I soon realized that there are not many in the Northwest.  Two years back I read an article about a Locavore who went out to a farm to slaughter his own pig.  This article and the farmers intrigued me, and I needed to visit this farm.  I contacted Linda Burkett back then and she was so welcoming and willing to talk about what she does.  I needed to go there and meet her. Well two years pass and as I move contacts from one mobile device to another, I run across her contact.  Shit… I need to meet her.  I called and she remembered our conversations in the past and was still welcoming and invited me to come see what she has going on. 

                When I told some friends I was heading out to her farm in Sandy, Oregon, a few people asked me “Why would you go visit a pig farm?” or “what for?” or just “why?”  Well the reason is plainly because I like to know about food.  I like to know where it came from, how it was raised, and how it became food.  I am interested in all the processes, from animals, to plants that make a product something that is out living in the world, and eventually makes it into our mouth and belly.  If more people had a little bit of interest in this, we would be eating a lot less shit.  

I watched “Forks Over Knives”, ironically the night before I headed out to see a pig farm.  So I packed a vegan lunch.  Yeah, I said it… Vegan.  Anyways… I wake my butt up early and drive to Oregon to learn about lil pigs.  After a quick and enjoyable hour drive out of Portland, we are in Sandy, Oregon.  I actually was having so much fun blasting music with an open sunroof on the nicest weather this year, that I drove right past the address, and my geepus directed me to continue on my route and drive another 25 minutes.  Linda is incredibly sweet, and called to check on me.  As soon as I answered the phone she asks “Just how lost are you?”  Eventually we arrived at Linda and Dan Burkett’s Farm.  Linda informed me earlier in the day that they would be out on the farm “Tussin”.  I had never heard the term before and she let me know that she meant she would be out burning weeds, fixing fences, moving rocks, building stuff… and I said “Oh, like taking care of shit?”  As I open my car door, I meet their hilarious black lab, who can play fetch for hours on end, has a huge farm to hang out on, and basically lives it up daily.  Linda and Dan were raising Yorkshire Hogs in the past, and at some points had head counts of over a hundred pigs at a time.  About two years ago they stopped raising Yorkshires and switched to smaller Guinea Hogs.  I asked why the switch, and there were many reasons.  At the turn of the economy a few years ago, prices for butchering and processing from USDA certified mobile plants began to skyrocket, and to Linda and Dan’s terrifying discoveries, the meat they were getting back, was not the meat they raised.  They could just tell, that the pigs they sent out to processing, living a free range, natural lifestyle, would have dark and rich colored meat.  What they were getting back was standard industrialized white and bland meat.  After all the energy and effort they put into producing quality pork, I feel they were getting robbed in the end. 

The Guinea Hogs are also a lot easier to raise in Linda’s opinion.  Her two and a half year old hogs are under a hundred pounds.  These little black oinkers run and live freely on their farm, and require very little maintenance.  She basically comes out a couple times a day to feed them, and other than that, they graze on grass, bugs, and nuts, roll around in dirt and mud, and hang out.  They just need some food, a safe fenced in area with protection from coyotes, and somebody to check in on them once in a while. These little guys don’t even tear up the ground, they just dig up rocks and roll em around as they trim the grass and weeds!  This is the Link to the Guinea Hog Website if you want to learn anymore about them.  I guarantee that if I ever get a house with a large yard, im totally getting a couple of these guys to make bacon!  After running around chasing the oinkers trying to pet them without getting bitten, we ran over to the other side of the fence, where Dan and Linda are raising a dairy cow, and two young bulls.  This was even more amazing than the pigs, as the cow and bulls are basically like huge puppies!  Linda would call them over and they would walk right up, getting their heads pet and scratched.  As soon as I stopped petting their head, they would push their head into me to try to get more.  They were so big that this could easily knock a grown man over on his ass.  In addition to the pigs and cows, the barn is full of chicks and chickens of different breeds that eventually grow up to roam freely on the farm.  When it comes time to gather eggs, Linda just goes on a daily easter egg hunt!

Linda showed us examples all over the farm on how one man’s trash is another’s treasure.  On the farm , she has found uses for things people get rid of, for her to re-purpose into something with function on the farm.  An old hot tub becomes a rainwater collection system for watering the vegetable garden.  Old wood and pallets became a chicken coop.  An old kiddie pool is now a pen for the chicks. 

Linda was raising pigs and supplying some local restaurants, but with the issues with the USDA processing and such, she is now raising these pigs, cows, and chickens for “her freezer”.  She is raising these animals mainly to feed herself and her Husband Dan, along with the lucky folks that get to join her for holidays.  Remember, these pigs are smaller, so it is totally possible to roast a whole hog in your home oven!  She also sells some of her pigs as livestock, for people that are looking to breed the hogs.  She did say that she would sell me a nice oinker for when Seahawks tailgating begins!

So why would Linda and Dan Burkett take a couple hours out of their busy day to have me come to their farm, and explain how and why they do all of this?  Linda wants to share her story to inspire others to grow their own food, and re-use items to reduce our reliance on industries to provide us with food that has been pumped full of antibiotics and coloration.  I had a blast listening to her story as I toured their small farm, and am hoping to one day have a house with more land so I can as well, raise some livestock for my family to eat.  Thank you, Linda and Dan, for having me at your farm and sharing your story with me.  If anyone would like to contact Linda Burkett to meet her, or to hear about what she does, she has let me know that she is more than happy to talk to anyone to spread the news on her story on farming, energy usage, and raising pigs and cows.  If you want to reach her, just hit me up and I can pass on her contact info. 



Eating- I fucking love every thing about food. It's the reason I became a chef, the reason I started this blog, food is my passion. I think the word "diet" is fucking stupid. I don't think anyone should cut something they love to eat outta their life unless actual health issues require it. Dr. Atkins is dead. Theres no way that I'm going to cut out carbs, stop eating fried food, or anything pork for that matter. I grew up in Hawaii, where rice is served with every meal, and even though it's proven that with every serving of white rice you eat, your chances of diabetes increase, I fucking love it. Look at how much rice the Japanese culture eats, and really the only fat people out there are fat on purpose, and they are worshipped! Bread! It's freaking awesome! How can I avoid eating something with a delicious crunch on the outside and fluffy like a fucking pillow inside? Screw all that noise... I'm going to eat whatever the hell I want to. Diet is a cuss word. I have a stick of butter, and egg, and a damn pig eating himself tattooed on my body. If i continue to eat the way im eating im going to have more to worry about than a large belly and a chubby face. So here is what i have been doing on the eating tip. I decided to always leave something on my plate. I decided to get strict on portion control (i hate those words because portion control sounds in my ears like diet). I decided to make less butter, and cream based sauces. Lets take bread for an example. I used to get like a half of a baguette or a loaf of bread and slice and heat it up for my wife and I for dinner. Why? Do we need that much bread? Hell no, But because I did heat it up, mist times I would also eat it up! Protein portions in the US are fucking DUMB! I take an example of a fishmonger at a welll known store recently. I asked him for 3/4 of a pound of fish and he sliced off a pound. I told him I didnt want to waste the other 1/4 pound and I only wanted to cook for 2 portions. He then told me that a typical portion serving is 8 ounces. Dammit, I asked for 12 ounces of fish and i dont want to pay for 4 more ounces, nor do i want or need to eat 4 more ounces! Anyway, I reduced the amount of protein portinos we make at home for dinner to about 5-6 ounces and I try to cook just enough so we have nothing leftover, and nothing sitting in the pan to pick at when dinner is done. Going back to fish, I have been cooking and eating way more fish than any other protein. i have gone weeks at a time not eating beef, and actually cannot remember the last time I ate chicken (damn american overweight birds). Instead of stuffing my face with rice, I have been eating much more quinoa. Quinoa tastes and feels like rice, but it actually has a shitload of nutritionsl qualities! So the portions at our house have been adjusted. More vegetables, less starch, smaller and leaner portions of proteins, and less butter and cream based sauces. A balance of meals through the day needed to be made as well. A coffee for breakfast daily would be a standard in the past. Then lunch came around and I would eat whatever was quick, and even large (not fast food though, that shit is solely reserved for times of deathly hangovers). I needed to feed myself breakfast. Eggs and bacon were not going to be the solutions. I was extremely surprised to see the amount of sugar in the cereals considered to be "healthy for you" but I found a Fiber One cereal that doesnt taste like shit, has a great amount of fiber, and very few calories. Eating this every morning helped me to balance my 3 meals a day. The breakfast also helped me to have a smaller, healthier lunch option like a small salad, or a cup of soup instead of something like pizza. Snacking and desserts have almost completely stopped. For me, when i am eating better, and working out, my desire for shit food is much less. Arugula salad with simple lemon vinaigrette is how almost every dinner at home begins. Eat more veggies, less protein, less and better starches, and cook just enough to serve.

Exercise- I hate the gym.  I cant stand the fact that the dudes in there have an algorithm to correlate the level of their fitness to the size of their shirts and the amount of trips needed to hydration stations. Extra medium shirts are fucking dumb.  There are actually guys that wear the 50 Cent wife beaters in the gym.  Hey dumbass, do you know that that is an "under"shirt"?  Then the more buff you get at the gym, apparently the more water fountain walks you need to make, because then you get the opportunity to flex your muscles in the walls of mirrors on the way to get a sip.  Hey dumbass, bring a damn water bottle with you and stoip looking at yourself.  Anyway, no matter how much I hate the gym, I have to go.  I go to the gym now an average of 5 days a week.  If i run out of time in a day and cant hit the gym, i do Jillian Michaels workout video at home.  She is an evil bitch and I hate her with might, but she makes me sweat and makes my muscles hurt so eff off.  When I travel, im finding it is actually pretty easy to hit the hotel gym, or take advantage of the all gym access in most cities.  It has just been a matter of commitiing to put the damn workout stuff into the suitcase.  My gym visits are like this: 25 minutes of weights.  But instead of rest between sets of reps I run off to kettlebell exercises.  So basically between lifting excercises, im doing evil bitch Jillian core stuff (god i fucking hate her).  Then lifting weights is followed by 40 minutes of cardio.  Elliptical, rowing, or thanks to Schmank, spin class even.   I'm really ready for the sun to start warming up this godforsaken drenched city of Seattle so I can take my paddleboard out of storage and actually do some excercise that is really fun for me.

Supplements- I did a lot of research on a supplement called PGX.  These horse pills are extremely high in fiber, are all natural plant extracts, and is supposed to help you balance your blood sugar levels.  In addition, it claims to help you lose weight with a good exercise regimen. So I read as much as I could find on the inter webs and the only negative I could find was that the formula is patent protected, so it's basically impossible to know the complete list of ingredients.  So i began taking these massive pills with every meal.  You are supposed to take 2-4 with every meal, I take 2 at breakfast and lunch and 3 at dinner.  Now it is high in fiber so the first week taking these things, prepare to poop like crazy.  But after the first week, things get pretty normal in the butt region.  Also because PGX is high in fiber, it is virtually impossible to over eat.   I am not able to eat as much as I used to when I take my horse pills.  I'm convinced that PGX is helping me to lose the weight.  As far as balancing my blood sugar levels, I will get back to that later. 

Drinking- I used to drink every day.  I have slowly cut back over the last few years.  It used to start with a bourbon, then wine while cooking, then beer with dinner, then maybe more wine.  Too damn much.  A year or so ago I stopped stocking bourbon in the house.  Maybe eight months ago I stopped stocking the beer fridge.  In January I reduced my drinking to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.   No drinking during the week (traveling weeks are a bit different, just cause they are).  Now I only have wine on the weekends, and trying not to drink so much of it.   A beer with dinner on the weekends is a must sometimes as well.

Results- I remember telling a coworker in January my commitment to losing 20 pounds in the first quarter of the year.   Her reaction was "Ha! Ya! Good luck with that!".  Hearing that was discouraging. Am I going to be able to do this?  Is it going to be possible?  I felt that if I actually made it to the gym, and ate better, and all the other stuff I said above, and still couldnt lose the weight, then fuck it, I will just get fat.  Well I did stick to all those eating, drinking, and exercise commitments above, and the weight began to come off.  It started with 5 pounds.  Then I returned from a weeklong work trip to find that the total loss was 11 pounds.  Then 15.  I started to feel better, I gained another belt hole. Once I saw the 5 pound, and the 10 pound loss, I was even more motivated during workouts to work harder at the gym.  It got easier to go to the gym and to do my workouts.  Shitty food began to sound disgusting to me.  It was becoming easier and easier to turn down desserts and snacks.  People I haven't seen for a while noticed a change.  I noticed a change.  In March, three weeks before my target weight loss date, I lost my goal of 20 pounds.   Hey look... Yet another belt loop.  I feel better.  My clothes fit better (except all the jeans that are now too big!).  Ok, so April arrives and what is the first quarter total? 25 pounds mo fo's!!   I feel great!  No longer do I have that uncomfortable feeling.  My belly is not completely gone, but it's kind of normal, and doesn't stick out like crazy, even with a tucked in shirt. My cheeks and neck fat have shrunk.  I'm starting to feel like the dude in the mirror is actually what I "think" I look like.   My confidence has risen.  I feel like I am myself again.  It feels awesome to set a goal for myself that I knew would be difficult, and to not only achieve it, but also to exceed my target! Weighing in at 174 pounds, I am 4 pounds away from the weight I was at my most active lifestyle, 10 years ago. It's hard to imagine that in 10 years I piled on 31 pounds. I won't let it happen again. but i found out, it IS possible to lose 20+ pounds whhile eating foie gras, pig parts, and animal fats! (I'm writing this on Easter weekend, where Saturday we are going to moms house for dinner which is always a gorging night of local Hawaiian grinds, and Sunday is Easter brunch at palisades.. So it is possible that on monday morning I gain 5 of these pounds back.)  I am very proud of myself and i fucking feel good!
Where does my goal go from here? Well at this point I don't want to set a number target.  I am excited and surprised I was able to hit my first quarter number target. For the next quarter of the year my objectives are as follows.

Eating, Exercise, Booze- continue to do what i have been doing.  Eat what I want, with better judgment on how much.  Dont drink so much, and go to the damn gym, or paddelboard, or do whatever it takes to exercise 5 times a week. 

Go to the Doctor- I am going to go to the doctor to get some bloodwork done.  A few years ago my doctor told me that I was "pre-diabetic" and had "elevated" cholesterol levels.  Well no shit buddy!  have you seen the things i was eating and the size of my belly?  The last time I went to the doctor (last year) he told me i wasnt pre diabetic anymore, but i still needed to watch the cholesterol levels.  I have to believe that the changes in lifestyle have to be making some afffect on how I am really doing with my health.  You will know the results (if you give a shit) when I get them.  then I will continually go to the doctor to monitor the state of my health so that I can meet the goals of being around longer to enjoy more of life. 

Life is fucking fun!  I live my life trying to find the fun in every situation.  So im going to eat, and play, and enjoy it... I hope you enjoyed my long frickin story if you have actually read this far. 

That was honest "Middle George"

You want to eat my Gnocchi? Well then make it! its not hard. I will tell you what i did for the rest of the dish as far as sauce and veggies and such, but you can really use whatever sauce you want, even crappy pasta sauce out of a jar if you want. anyway, gnocchi is cheap, has few ingredients, and who doesn't like fresh pasta (or pasta-ish stuff)? So if you have a regular type of a pantry, the few ingredients you would need to procure is minimal. Heres your list:

- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 16 oz tub of ricotta
- 1 cup flour (more flour for rolling gnocchi)
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino
- zest of a lemon
- fat pinch of nutmeg (fresh if possible)
- salt and pepper

To make the gnocchi, whisk the egg yolk and egg in a little bowl. On rolling surface, dump the cup of flour and then dump your tub of ricotta on top. Use a bench scraper to fold the flour and ricotta together, Once evenly mixed, sprinkle with the zest, salt and pepper, cheese, and nutmeg. Make a well in the middle and pour in the eggs. Mix and knead it with your hands to just get it evenly mixed to a dough. now dust the surface again lightly with flour and cut your ball o dough into four pieces. Take each quarter of dough and roll it into a snakes about a 1/2 inch thick. Chop each snake into nuggets about 1 inch in length. Lightly flour a cookie sheet and lay out the nuggets of goodness in one layer, then throw them in the fridge to chill out for like 15 minutes or so. This recipe makes about enough for 4 people, so usually i make this and cook half of the gnocchi and freeze the other half for another time.
When you're ready to cook the gnocchi, get a pot of salted boiling water and gently dump in your nuggets. Once they come to float, let them boil for about 3 minutes. Then lift the nuggets out with a strainer.
There, you made gnocchi. Now just treat it like pasta and mix it with your sauce or whatever. But heres what i like to do with them. I get a handful of bacon lardons (if you don't know wtf that is, its like bacon cut into little matchstick like pieces) and sauté them til they are nice and browned. Dump out most of the bacon fat and add a quarter stick of butter and let the butter start to brown it. Once the butter foams and starts to brown, then add a handful of sage leaves. now in this case, as soon as i yanked the little pillows of heaven outta the water, i dumped a handful of fresh peas into the boiling water to cook for about 2 minutes. The gnocchi then went into the pan of bacon, brown butter and sage. Sauté the gnocchi so the nuggets start to brown a little, then throw in the peas. At the last minute, squeeze in a wedge of lemon, season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, plate it, grate more freaking cheese on it, and eat it.
now go make it dammit. Its freaking good and its pretty easy.

After a brief wait at a “Secret” bar in NW Portland, a friend from California was visiting and we were seated at a Portland Favorite, Toro Bravo.    Amongst other delicious offerings, here is the Spicy Pork and Octopus Stew.  **No Joke… this is Saa Pie Seee**  Another standard that is always guaranteed to satisfy, the Paella Toro

The PDX Crew gets together again, and after realizing that it was Chef Ben Bettinger’s last night at the helm, we hit up Beaker and Flask  We sat at the bar and asked the Bartender to feed us beverages based on our booze preferences, which he took care of for the rest of the evening.  As we sipped our beverage, I told Ben that we wanted him to Omakase us… feed us whatever you want to chef!  He said “Hell Yeah” and sent out a pile of perfect Pig Ears! We were then sat at the table next to the kitchen where we were fed so much goodness, we had to ask chef to “stop feeding us”!  Thank you Ben, I am looking forward to you feeding me at your next career adventure!

My favorite bar and home base in Portland, Teardrop Lounge (where everybody knows your name) is full of Crafted Cocktails by talented Barfrienders.  One of many stops there through my visit entailed a bowl of punch called “Crimean Cup” off the “Classics” page of their menu.  Also, if you happened to see my last post about hot dogs, Teardrop also has a bomb ass hot dog topped with bacon relish!  Eat it! Baldschwab likey hot dog too! Thank you Teardrop family for making me feel at home and always taking such great care of me!

Mmm, I know what would be good for lunch… some damn Gumbo at Eat Oyster Bar! Just look at it!   Word on the street is that the boys over there are about to pop up another spot!

Hey, I get to have some beers and meat with Mr. Willischwab at Prost! If you haven’t been here, you get a punch card for all the beers you have here.  Today Willischwab reached a new level of Beer Drinky-ness that earned him a new piece of attire, so close to ultimate beer drinky royalty!

Sometimes at Teardop, I wonder when my barfrienders will ask for my order, and just when I think they are going to ask, im delivered a surpise drink and this one had a little tiki man garnish made of pineapple and a lime skin skirt… his was named Wilson.  Thanks Arturo. 

On an adventure to scope out the excitement that Portland has to offer, a stroll through the Kennedy School (a McMenamin’s hotel that is in an old elementary school).  Kennedy School offers a number of bars that are school themed; like the Detention Bar, Honor Bar, and the Boiler Room.     during my stroll, I find the art that I offered many monies to purchase when I stayed here on a past visit.  They still wouldn’t let me buy it.  Dammitt

Oh, hey, howabouts a little lunch snack of poutine, Clams, Mac n Cheese and some bubbles at Jo Bar? Jo Bar is connected to Papa Haydn on NW 23^rd.  just a few blocks from my Portland Home Away From Home.

Big Thanks to Sous Chef Jane who led the charge of another gorging at Wafu!  where again, amongst a load of other noms, Inari Hot Pockets and Roasted Crab Hand Roll jump into my belly area. 

Whoa.. its Sunday and my suggestions of food and drink spots are showing up closed.  But I end up at The Urban Farmer for a little Happy Hour Action.  I have never been here before but definitely enjoyed myself in the atrium of the former Meier and Frank Building with some Rizzo, Oysters, and fries.  Another event of the evening was a long conversation with one of Portland’s house-less peoples, who seemed to have more knowledge of Star Wars, The Lone Ranger, R2D2, and had the most amazing Chewbakka Growl to date.  

Hey Look!  Schmank made some Bomb-Ass Bread Pudding with Brandied Cherries and some food scientist Brown Butter Ice Cream.  He is awesome. 

Hey.. that’s what those rings on the curbs are for, to tie up your horse… or your little pony.

Last meal in Portland.  A few steps from my Home Away From Home is Paley’s Place. Every time I have eaten here, I feel at home in the Bar dining room.  And surprisingly, every time I have eaten here, the bar dining room is eventually left to just my table… weird, but cool.  Vitaly was gracious enough to come and chat for a bit, and even after a load of food including Scallops Crab Rissotto, Golden Beet Soup he delivered gifts of Cheese Plate, Loire Valley Sauterne that about blew my mind.  Also sent out a gift of an apricot turnover (no pic).  Thaank you Chef Vitaly for an amazing last meal in Portland, and making me feel like a special guest, again!

Thanks Portland Peeps, unitl next time!