Elvis M.'s Profile

A colleague and I decided to order out as we had to work after hours on a project. Pizza arrived late. Tasted good going down, but not so much coming up. Two hours later I was hunched over the porcelain alter clutching my abdomen. Any joy I experienced expelling the wretched pie from my gullet subsided quickly as I heaved again. And again. Ten times, I remember counting. For a short while I curled up next to the commode in a fetal position while waiting for number eleven... fortunately it never came, my innards abused but finished for the evening. The next day my colleague described a similar but slightly less harrowing experience, and neither of us were even remotely recovered. We both stayed home. And now, three days later, I'm still dealing with the aftermath of the pepperoni and sausage assault. I'll spare you the gastronomic and scatological details as there are even less palatable than the bits of mushroom and onions that made waves around the toilet bowl that first night.

Sergio's should not only reimburse us for the pizza, but for the lost productivity. Whether it's poor food handling or bad meat, its simply not cool to pass "botched" pies around the holidays. Not cool.

A long time, die hard Apple fan, it's hard for me to rate anything Apple less than 5 stars (excluding the mouse that came with the first iMac of course)... until now.

After I encountered some difficulty swapping out an optical drive in my Mac Pro, I made a reservation with the Genius bar for them to take a look. I was in a bit of a panic and didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was.

I brought it in, they took it in the back and came back and said sorry, can't fix it. They suggested I take it to a some mac repair shop to have it looked at. I said that's why I brought it to them, because don't they fix macs? He replied they might break it if they tried to fix it... What?!  When I asked if I could use one of their tools in the store to provide enough leverage to push the optical drive back into position... nada, nope, sorry. You'll have to go some where else. As much as I have spent on Apple products, I got the sense they didn't really try to help or even care about my situation. I even offered for them to take the Mac and ship it to a repair facility to get fixed... no dice.

Frustrated and angry I left. I was able to cool off on the ride home, but was still bound and determined to give it one more try. I purchased a long screw driver from home depot and was able to push the optical drive down (now sitting at 30 degree angle inside the case) and pop everything out. Wow... and it didn't take a "genius."

Next time I have a problem, I'll try a different Apple Store.

I was expecting a lot when I took my husband here for his birthday and we weren't disappointed.

We started with Carmine's stuffed mushrooms which were simply scrumptious, and then segued over to Francis's Favorites. My hubby ordered  the Rack... (of lamb that is) and I Mrs. Scorsese's Lemon Chicken, which I had been craving for weeks since I saw it on the menu.

Before I knew it the Rack was picked clean, the lamb melting in your mouth. As for my dish I was expecting a freight train of lemons and that's exactly what I got, but not so lemony as to diminish the bath of garlic and olive oil the bird had been swimming in. A portion clearly made for two found its way on to my plate where it failed to last long.

We later learned that the lemonness of the dish had been toned down much to the objections of Mr. Coppola himself as folks were sending it back. Too bad... that would have been something to try.

We rounded out the dinner with a rustic tart and the chocolate mousse. Both were delicious without being overly sweet and not nearly as kinky as they sound.

We will definitely be stopping in again on next trip, particularly once the surrounding winery and complex are complete.

If you are up around Healdsburg be sure to give Rustic a try. And don't skip the stuffed mushrooms. They are simply not to be missed.

In desperate need of a re-charge, my husband and I decided to stay at this lovely little B&B just north of Healdsburg only 90 minutes outside of San Francisco.

We stayed in the newly-renovated Echezeaux guest room which we picked for it's more hip, masculine look and its private deck overlooking the Sonoma valley. And we weren't disappointed. The quality of the room was only exceeded by its amazing views.

The staff at the Auberge was warm and gracious and immediately made us feel right at home. The breakfasts (served promptly at 9am) were scrumptious and the wine-tastings at 5pm were refreshing and like sitting down with old friends. They were also most helpful in what to see... what to do... and most importantly... where to drink... :)

While our visit was far to short, the warm hospitality coupled with the spectacular views and our modern, doily-free room made this a weekend-getaway to remember.

We will definitely be back.

Thai restaurants are in short supply here in San Leandro but at least there's one finally worth going back to. The relatively new Mai Thai serves up tasty, fresh food, nicely presented at reasonable price.  My companion loved her green curry chicken and my spicy breaded catfish with brown rice was flavorful without being overwhelming. The atmosphere is pleasant thought the space a bit small, and the staff very friendly. I would definitely go back.

The last time we took our Ragdoll Zoe out to be groomed she caught flees so we've been reluctant to take her out ever since. But with a Christmas party looming and her voluminous fur out of control, we decided to try out a mobile grooming service instead (who even knew they existed) and gave Shear Pets a call.

After disappearing into grooming van for about an hour, Zoe reappeared properly primped and coiffed and looking like a million bucks. It also looked like she had lost a bit of weight -- if you have a Ragdoll or similar breed you know what I mean!

And unlike our past experiences, Zoe came out relaxed and stress free. No sitting in a cage waiting her turn while dogs barked and cats cried around her. And perhaps that's the best thing of all.

Shear Pets did a fantastic job grooming  Zoe, and will not hesitate to call them again the next time she needs a makeover or to lose a bit of weight. :)

Normally the food is pretty good and of consistent quality, which is why we decided to have dinner here after catching "Nine" at the Castro Theatre on Christmas Day. But unfortunately the food was even more mediocre than the film. Half way through the meal I asked my husband if he thought the food was as bad as I thought it was and he nodded his head.

The Pla Saam Ros (Three Taste Fish), was more like One Taste Fish, so downed in sweet sauce as to hide the fact it was way overcooked and  rubbery. The Pad Ga Praw (Spicy Basil) with pork instead of chicken seemed stale to the taste, reminding me of week-old left overs. The disappointing meal was made complete with dried out brown rice and watered down Thai Ice Teas.

We frequent many Thai restaurants here and on the peninsula and this is the worst we've had in some time. Perhaps they had a substitute chef that night... or they served us microwaved leftovers from the previous night. Whatever the case we won't be back at least for a while.

Elise of Sweet Penelope was wonderful to work with. Her designs are simple yet elegant, and great for folks on a bit of a budget like us. She was also very accommodating as when putting together a wedding on such short notice sometimes things change day to day, sometimes hour to hour. On one particular day we must have been on the phone with her 3-4 times in the span of an hour and she was always gracious, and helpful, providing tremendous guidance on the colors and fonts we would be using. And since sending them out last week we've received nothing but praise from our guests.

I would recommend Sweet Penelope in a heartbeat... Thank again Elise, for all your help and getting our special day off to a great start.

I knew when I started working out again I wanted to compliment my routine with therapeutic massage, to manage any physical issues that might surface over the course of my training.

I've now seen Michael-Ji at the The Better Body Center twice, and both times I've left incredibly relaxed and with greatly reduced stress (can any one ever really be stress free?), while simultaneously feeling like my body had been put through the ringer (but in a totally good way). The Better Body Center is located just a block off of busy Castro street, but you'd never know it, as its soft lighting and soothing audio spirit you away from hubbub outside.

As for the massage, Michael-Ji has a very strong but soothing touch, always mindful of any limits you may have (and I have plenty). His professionalism and demeanor put me quickly at ease, and he is very knowledgeable, providing valuable advice on how to make future therapy sessions more effective, including adding more stretching exercises to my workout routine, etc... Believe me, I need all the help I can get.

I will definitely continue my sessions with Michael-Ji at the Better Body Center. I am sure they will play an important role in my ongoing battle of getting into better shape while  improving my mental and physical health.

This place is simply amazing.

After sampling the cupcakes from a number of cupcakeries in the bay area for our upcoming wedding, this one literally took the cake! Over a dozen scrumptious flavors that tingle the taste buds, our favs  were the Bunny Bites, the Hella Nutellas and the Elvis's in the Buildings.

While we are currently "cupcaked" out from all the tasting, we can't until for the big day to arrive, and the sea of cupcakes that will greet us after we say "I do!"