Okay, I’ll admit it – I’m a hypocrite.
Back in college, HK and I used to bash on the male population that bought flowers and stuffed animals for their significant others on Valentine’s Day. One year we even [facetiously] suggested that she decapitate the stuffed bear that an admirer had gifted her since she was known to be rather selective (that’s a nice way of putting it) and often scoffed at any cliché signs of affection directed at her. I know, I know - we’re horrible and don’t deserve anyone’s adoration, but Valentine’s usually leaves a bad taste mainly because of things like this:
Lover's Lane at Safeway
Yech!
Anyway, that was until last year, when she received a bouquet of roses and sheepishly admitted how thrilled she was. And then this weekend, Reid pulled out all the stops for our first Valentine’s and one-year anniversary. Now I’m the sheepish ball of sap.
First, we celebrated Chinese New Year on Saturday night with my parents and some extended family. Yay, good food and red envelopes!
Second, Reid surprised me with all the sappy stuff that I pretend to hate and then made a delicious brunch crab and avocado omelets with hollandaise sauce, mimosas, and bacon! We went to Tartine Bakery in the late afternoon, got a fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven (7×7’s 2010 list of things-to-eat item!), slathered it in creamy, sweet brillat-savrin cheese from Bi-Rite Market, and munched on it at Dolores Park. Granted, my suspicions were correct in that we would spend the day trying to get the Foursquare Valentine’s Day badge, and Tartine was one of the Foursquare stops, it was hands-down the best bread and cheese I have ever tasted, and it was a beautiful day in the Mission to enjoy it. We did have some time to kill before our dinner reservation, so we went to Absinthe to try the Galapagos cocktail (another item off the 7×7 list). I can’t say it wow’d me, but we’ll have to come back for the house-made hot dog that’s also on the 7×7 list.
And last, Reid took me to dinner at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, which I have been excited about since he told me he made the reservation. The restaurant is hailed as the birthplace of California cuisine, was listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and was awarded a Michelin star for several years. I was particuarly impressed with the UN-pretentiousness of the restaurant and the friendliness of the wait/kitchen staff who invited us to explore their open kitchen at the end of the meal. I’m not a self-proclaimed foodie, nor can I speak with knowledge to quality of ingredients or cooking technique, but I can just say that the meal was absolutely delicious. It was definitely one of the best dining experiences I’ve had, but the caveat I must state with that proclaimation is that fine dining is only as good as the company dining with you. That said, I looked forward to making pasta with canned sauce, frozen meatballs, and leftover bread and cheese with Reid the following evening as much as I looked forward to our nice dinner out at Chez Panisse.
Okay, enough of the sap. Back to self-deprecating humor now.