The second dinner is the one in the picture. Tofurkey roast with stuffing inside, mashed potatoes, different stuffing, creamed corn, salad with Seitan and faux blue cheese, homemade cranberry sauce, red wine (sangiovese), and a cranberry apple crisp for desert. All vegan. All tasty!

Hope you had some good dinners too

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Any questions, just ask. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

San Francisco 2011 photos

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

And yes, there will be pictures here soon. But not yet!

We decided to take a short trip to San Francisco for our anniversary. We left Friday early afternoon and arrived a couple hours later at our first destination, a reuse/recycle store called Scrap. We found a few things there but not much, but it was still fun to look. Then we made our way through the traffic and rain to our hotel, the Galleria Park. It’s in a great location and close to a lot of things. We checked in, just in time for the free daily wine reception (translate: free wine). We were getting pretty hungry and luckily we had brought with us  a 24-page list of vegetarian/vegan friendly places. Good luck, there was a pizza place five blocks down the street that offered vegan cheese as an option so we walked in the drizzle, looking forward to the meal. Alas, they no longer offered the option so we left, a bit disappointed. But after checking on our phones, we found an all-vegan chinese food  restaurant less than half a mile away, just into Chinatown. We walked there, to the Lucky Creation. The rice was just ok, but the other two dishes were really good. Then back to the hotel and we called it a day.

Saturday we had a full day planned. We starting walking and stopped for a few minutes to watch people skate at the outdoor skating rink near Macy’s. Then we took a ride on the famous cable car system to the North Beach area. We had lunch at Cafe Sapora, with a number of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. It was a tasty sandwich. Next we stopped at XOX Chocolates, a very small shop that also offered four types of vegan truffles. Dessert! Then we hopped a bus to the touristy area. We breezed through Ghirardelli Square, not finding much to see there, on past some street vendors, through the Fisherman’s Wharf area, and then to Pier 39. All tourist stuff but still fun and a nice way to spend the afternoon. We rode the cable car back and, lo and behold, at the turnaround end of the line there just happened to be a five-story record store, Rasputin Music! Yes, we spend a while there and our wallets got a little lighter too. So we walked back, pausing again briefly at the ice rink. But we were hungry again! We found a little place called California Golden Cookies and Cafe (really!). It was cold and damp outside but this place had the best vegan lentil soup I have ever had. So good. Then back to the hotel, just in time for the free wine reception! It was time for more shopping though, this time to Amoeba Music. Their three locations are huge, and this one is a former bowling alley and truly massive. Two and a half hours later they were getting ready to close so we grabbed our purchases and left. We headed a couple miles down Haight Street and had a vegan sandwich at Love and Haight. It was pretty good and at after 10:00 it was fine. And that was Saturday.

On Sunday we took the BART train over to the Mission District to go to a vegan restaurant (a chain of three actually) that we had been to a few years back, called Herbivore. We had a great brunch and we were ready for the day. We stopped at a nearby shoe store, the Bonita Trading Company, because Petra wanted some rain boots (yes, it was raining again) and she found some. We took the BART train back to the hotel and then went to spend the afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art. It was my first time there but I will be back. It was large and full of interesting art, all modern, which is what I like for the most part. Next, it was back to the hotel for that free wine reception again. Afterwards, we had dinner at a mall food court. Say what? Well, this was actually a vegan place in the food court, one of the worldwide Loving Hut locations. We thought we were going to see the play Hair in the evening but due to a scheduling mixup it didn’t happen. We were bummed about that but went back to the hotel and had a couple glasses of wine and got a decent night’s rest.

Then it was Monday, the day to go home. We took a brief walk at the third floor garden area and then checked out. We went back to Herbivore and had brunch again. And it was really good again, maybe even better than the day before. Instead of going home, though, we took a side trip to Santa Cruz, about an hour and a half southward. Our friends Larry and Robin live there and we always like to see them. But the draw that day for Petra was that former American Idol finalist James Durbin was at Streetlight Records signing copies of his first CD, released that very day. We stood in the cold for a couple hours and then got to talk to James and he signed her CD and t-shirt. He seems to be a really nice and genuine person. More power to him. We had dinner with Larry at Cafe Gratitude, a local vegan restaurant, which was very good. Then we said our goodbyes and drove home. It was a good trip!

Note: These photos came from my cell phone camera. There may be other pictures posted later.

Any questions, just ask. Besides Petra and me, you might even notice a couple pictures of our friends Mama O and Liz. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

Seattle/Bumbershoot 2011 photos

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Monday September 5

Last day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival and the routine is familiar. A bit of food in the room and then we took the monorail over to the festival. Once there, we snacked at the hospitality room and pondered the myriad of possibilities for the day. At one of the booths we watched a song or two by Lemolo, which I didn’t really like. It was very low-key female vocal but much too low-key. Today we had decided to see some comedy too, not just music. Our VIP passes got us to the front of all the comedy lines so we wanted to take advantage of that. The comedy show we went to had a short funny introduction by Baron somebody (I think), didn’t catch the last name. But the main show was two fairly well-known comedians, Amy Shumer and Eugene Mirman. Seriously, Amy was so funny I barely stopped laughing for her whole set. Politically incorrect. Yep. Funny? Hilarious! And Mr. Mirman was very funny too. Great show. After that, we watched a four-person panel discussion about being vegan, featuring the Black Metal Vegan Chef. He is so cool, check out his videos on YouTube. The panel was humorous at times and informative.

Petra headed out to see more comedy, including some she really liked (Hari Kandaboly, Kyle Kinane) and one guy that she didn’t like (Anthony Jeselnik). I went into the basement stage (aka “the pit”) to see Eisley, a family band (three sisters up front, plus a brother and cousin) who do alternative rock but with hooks and really nice harmonies. They were very good and I stayed for the whole set. Afterward I bought their newest CD and they signed it for me and chatted with me for a minute or two. Awesome! (side note, I saw this band again a few days ago in Sacramento, you can read about that here). We hooked back up at the hospitality area. Larry and Robin had been there earlier and offered to save us some seats (thanks!) in the Mainstage for the evenings blue-eyed soul double bill. First up was Fitz and the Tantrums, a newer band who had a minor hit with “Moneygrabber”. They were entertaining if not exactly innovative. It was soulful rock that was good but, like I said, felt awful familiar and didn’t challenge the listener at all. Still, the audience was on their feet and loving it! Next up (and I would use the same compliments and criticisms) were veteran rockers Hall and Oates. Yes, that Hall and Oates. They have had a ton of hits and ran through most of them. They put on a good show and did just what people expected. There was not one new song and nothing that hadn’t been heard before. But they have their stuff down and put on a very entertaining show. And that was it, Bumbershoot 2011 was over. Sigh. How many days until next year?

Tuesday September 6

We had today free before we had to fly home tomorrow so we took the chance to see more of Seattle. We took a free bus down to near the Seattle Ferry docks and caught a ferry boat (I’m on a boat! - watch at your own risk) to nearby Bainbridge Island. There are plenty of shops and stuff there so we looked around a bit then had lunch at Emmy’s VegeHouse, an all vegan asian mini-restaurant. It was delicious! The we looked around a bit more and found Doc’s Marina Grill, a nice and friendly place with a big patio area looking out on the harbor. We had a drink and relaxed for a bit there. Then we took the ferry back to the mainland, what a pleasant ride. We caught a bus up to the Capitol Hill area, in search of dinner at the Sage Cafe, another vegan place but with sandwich and burger type selections. Good stuff again. We bussed back but stopped at Everyday Music, a big record store, and Elliot Bay Books, a huge place too. Then a bus back to the hotel. After that day, we went up to the eleventh floor Cloud Room for a glass of wine or two. Not a bad day, huh?

Wednesday September 7

The last day. And this makes stevenology sad. Sigh. So we packed our luggage. Sigh. But it was NOT over! We walked over to Cyber-Dog for an awesome vegetarian dog with plenty of toppings. I love this place! The owner (Tatiana) actually left us in charge of the place when she went to move and park her car. If you go to Seattle then GO THERE. Even if you are not vegetarian, you will like it. Then we checked out of the hotel, caught the light rail to the airport, had a margarita with some chips and salsa at the airport, and then flew Southwest (my favorite airline) back to Sacramento. That wraps it up for 2011. See you in 2012, Seattle! Wait for me!

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

First off, the road (I-80) is terrible, at least on the California side! It needs paving really badly, especially through the Sierra Nevada mountains. But we made it to Reno, arriving in the late afternoon. We got a free room upgrade, to a pretty nice and roomy room, because they didn’t have exactly what we reserved. Sweet. So I got some much needed coffee and we decide to gamble a little since we had a few hours until the show. Petra had some luck. Me, well, not so much. Easy come easy go?

We had some dinner at a very ordinary casino cafe. On the plus side, free or cheap drinks were easy to find.

As I mentioned, I’ll blog more about the Elvis show soon so be patient! After the show we gambled a little more and quench our wicked thirst too. Then sleep. Crisp white hotel sheets and zzzzzzz…..

And then it was morning. Mother’s Day too! So we went in search of the only all vegetarian restaurant in Reno. You guessed it, closed. We wandered into a nearby casino for a few minutes to ponder. Then we went to a nearby pizza place that offers vegan pizza options. We had a really good vegan pizza (dead serious) at Pie Face Pizza. They do regular pizzas too. And then we hit the road, full and happy. On our way home after a heck of a nice weekend.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Two slices. Twice the possibilities.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Why cut it the normal way?

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Sunday September 5

Day three of the festival and I am loving it! No surprise there. Same routine, we took the monorail to the Bumbershoot Festival and grabbed a snack at the hospitality area. Our first show to see was David Bazan at the KEXP secret lounge. While we waited, we heard a few songs from a nearby stage by The Tripwires which were ok but nothing special. Then we went in to see David. He’s the former singer-songwriter behind Pedro The Lion, now with a new band. We were really close up to see and hear his new songs mixed with PTL songs too. Good stuff. After that, Petra wanted to see Art Corps Presents so she went to that. I wandered a different direction to see a couple songs by Crash Kings, who I didn’t really like too much, and then The Redwood Plan at the cool Sky Church venue. They were quite a bit better. I also watched part of David Bazan’s “real” (public) set and then part of regional act Slender Means. David was good again. I like his literate and smart lyrics and the songs are catchy too.

I met back up with Petra to chat and have some food, then she headed out to a modern dance show, the 605 Collective, and I watched some of Motion City Soundtrack, a recently popular band whose first song was fast and loud but the ones after that got better. I watched about four or five songs then Petra and I met back up and went into the Main Stage to see Hole. Yes, Courtney Love’s band, back together with her and some new members. Everyone was expecting her to be a total train wreck, after all the crazy things she’s been in the papers for. But amazingly enough, she looked great and sounded good too. No train wreck, just a really entertaining show. And afterwards she walked along the rail and shook hands with people, including both of us! Wow! Then it was time for the day’s headliner Weezer. Thousands of people filled the venue and it seemed like everyone there was singing along with every lyric from every song! I have to say that Weezer was great! I didn’t realize they had so many hits but I recognized almost all the songs and they were all good. The singer and leader, Rivers Cuomo, was all over the stage and off too. He came within about 5-6 feet of us at one point and then at another point he came right next to Petra, who was next to me. She touched his arm, that’s how close he was. And the crowd was wild! People were crowd surfing left and right. We thought we were out of that area since we were on the side, on the rail. But since we kept seeing people crowd-surfing very close to us, we wondered if we were really out. And then a person was passed right over us. I helped pass him and kept him from falling onto Petra (or me). Wow, craziness! But it was all fine and fun. And Weezer was a high point of the Festival.

Then it was back to the hotel to study the schedule for tomorrow and to get some sleep.

Monday September 6

Day three of the Festival. Last day, I wish it would last forever!  Anyway, it was off on the monorail to the Festival. We had a “secret stage” show to start the day (after some food of course), featuring New York band Ra Ra Riot. We had great seats and we both liked them quite a bit. Next up  was a comedy show featuring Tig Nataro, Marc Mahon, and Doug Benson. All three were funny, this was a good show. Then we headed back to the secret stage for a show by The Thermals. We had never heard them before but they were pretty good. Kind of a punk-pop threesome, catchy but not overly smooth. After that we watched a few songs by a twosome called Lay Low, but it was v-e-r-y low-key and we both lost interest fast. More food, that will fix anything! Then back for our last secret stage show, featuring the 80′s band The English Beat. They still had the leader and main singer and did most of their hits from that period. Good stuff if mostly nostalgic. I would have liked at least a couple new songs.

Then it was time for Jenny and Johnnie. I liked Jenny Lewis’ work with Rilo Kiley and also her solo stuff, but this new material didn’t do much for me. A few songs were enough. After that, Petra went to see the Axis Dance Company and I checked out a few songs from Surfer Blood on another stage. Not bad but I wandered over to yet another stage to see Wild Orchid Children. Noisy but good and they didn’t sound like everyone else. Then we watched part of The Thermal’s “real” set. Did I mention that it rained off and on today? We had to pull out our bumbershoots   And that was it for the 201o Festival. We’ll be back for the 2011 version, you can bet on it!!

Tuesday September 7

We took the light rail to the airport to catch the plane home. There was a two hour plane delay but we made it. I’m already ready to go back to Seattle…

BTW, we bought some new CDs because of bands we saw this year at Bumbershoot: The Raveonettes, Ra Ra Riot, Bob Schneider, and Hole. We will probably be getting more Weezer one of these days too.

Pictures from the trip coming soon. Why not leave me a comment?

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Well, to start off, I’m full and happy after a lunch at Curry Corner. It’s a great Indian Food lunch buffet here in the Natomas area. All you can eat and all gooooood.

Last night we saw an advance screening of a new movie, City Island (web site, more info, even more info). It’s a very funny comedy with heart. We were laughing out loud and so was everyone else in the theater. Great writing, brisk pace, and funny! Go see it!

And let’s be sure to add some April birthday wishes for my sister Steph, my ex-sister-in-law Connie, and our friend Jared (the big 30).

And talking about Jared, he just started up a food-related blog over at JaredEatsWorld. Go visit and tell him stevenology sent you!

Last Friday night we went to see the Sacramento Rivercats baseball game. It was fun, always is, but they lost. They choked at the end. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

OK, faithful readers, what do you think of all THAT?