Bikini Wax

I've always thought that a bikini wax is waxing off, um, extra hair so when you wear a bikini the extra hair doesn't become an embarrassment, but apparently it's a lot more than that!

Samson and Delilah

We saw SF Opera's production of Samson and Delilah this past week. The sets were awesomely elaborate. I thought the first act sort of hit a lull, but the second and third acts picked up. I especially enjoyed the chorus and the dancers. The singing was good but did not make a special impression on me.

Running Out of Gas

As frequently as W misses her flights, I run out of gas on my car. Today marks the third time I've ran out of gas, completely, on the road. The first time this happened, I was in high school. I didn't have a cellphone; no one "normal" did. Thank goodness my friend P was with me so he ran and got gas from a nearby gas station. When he got back the car still didn't start up. A trucker had to show us how to prime the engine to get it going again... The second time I ran out of gas I was on the freeway. I pulled to the side and AAA rescued me. I ran out of gas again today. I tried to get M to get gas for me, but it turns out it was just way cheaper to get AAA to do it. At the gas station, they were selling the portable gas storage unit for $16. M was like, um, no.

Here are some tips if you plan to run out of gas:

• Carry a cellphone so you can call AAA.
• Leave $5 in the car. That's what it costs when the AAA person gives you gas. I didn't have change once, and had to give the guy $10. :(
• Leave a book in the car, so you can read while waiting for AAA. I read Harry Potter today - not too shabby.

Julia's Kitchen

We had a very loosely planned Labor Day weekend. We wanted to meet my parents at Lassen Volcanic National Park Saturday night, but beyond that, we were just going to drive around, stop at interesting places, and in general, get out of the peninsula.

On Sunday night, we ended up in Napa. We were on the look out for good food, since good wine and food is what Napa is known for. We got a reservation at Julia's Kitchen at Copia for 9pm. We got there 30 minutes early. The bartender was new and didn't know much - he couldn't explain "semillion" to M., but he was amiable, and managed to get a sommelier to help us.

We got seated promptly at 9pm. The dining space is painted in a warm rust orange hue and the staff is dressed in black. The kitchen is completely open to the dining area, but I was amazed at how its operations is barely noticeable - the chefs are relatively quiet, the smoke is non-existent, and everything is kept clean and orderly.

I ordered the Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras, the Chef’s Specialties Oysters, and the Bouillabaisse. The foie gras was well seasoned and went very well with the house-made brioche. There were some caramelized fig garnishes on the foie gras plate. I thought maybe there were a half of a fig too much, but that was my only tiny complaint. I happily ate the caramelized fig after I finished the foie gras anyway, since they were yummy on their own.

There were four types of oysters on my oyster plate - each was garnished with something different. My favorite was the Margarita Granite Oyster. The chef made delicate ice sheets out of a subtle margarita. The sheets are placed on top of the raw oyster, so when the oyster slides into your mouth, the ice sheets do too and they melt and blend with the oyster. It was refreshing, and true to the oyster's character. My second favorite was the panko crusted oyster. That one wasn't exactly a raw oyster dish, but it was yummilicious because it was perfectly fried and its slightly-sweet sauce was perfectly crafted.



The main entree did me in. There were all sorts of seafood in the stew, but I'm convinced they were all cooked separately. Each type of seafood was cooked exactly right - each was completely tender and completely juicy. I don't think you can achieve that kind of precision if you cook everything in a single big pot... But what do I know about cooking. ;) I could have eaten the mouth-watering tomato stew all on its own, so having seafood in it was like finding pieces of treasure in a gold pot. It left me wanting more, even though I was full.



I ordered dessert anyway, because I'm a crazy glutton. I had the Summer "Fruit Cocktail". I wasn't too impressed with the mead gelée, because the fresh fruit cocktail was a little less sweet than I would liked, and I didn't like the gelatin texture too much, but the pineapple consommé and the peach sorbet were just right for a light summer dessert. M. couldn't stop stealing my honey beignets - they were like these really really really well-done donuts. The exterior is brown and sprinkled with sugar. The interior is doughy and completely warm and soft. M. asked if he could just order those, but the waitress kindly said no.



The service was attentive, friendly, and casual. They made a blunder in mixing up M. and my order at one point, but it's no big deal to us. I'd definitely come back!