Take 27 - Rocky Horror Show - The Musical in San Jose

Take 27 - Rocky Horror Show - The Musical in San Jose

Last Friday we attended a showing of The Rocky Horror Show (The Musical) at City Lights Theater in downtown San Jose. I have written about this venue before and will surely write about it again in the future because it an ideal place to see a play or a musical. The space is small, intimate, cozy and comfy. The acoustic is amazingly good for such a small space and yet despite its size you do not feel cramped or suffocated. Its half moon and auditorium shape is wonderful. Ok, so enough on the space let's talk about the show.

In Rocky Horror Show speak, we were virgins. Neither of us had ever seen the movie and its many cult responses or reactions to the dialogue and what is going on on stage. To say this Musical is the utmost in ridicule would an understatement, naturally, but the actors are so good and the voices so great, you tend to forget the silly dialogue. I once heard someone say it is much harder to play stupid than serious so it has to be much harder for good singers/actors/performers to sing in an off key way, at times, and act the fool.

For those who have never seen nor heard of Rocky Horror Show, here is a quick recap of the story and if you want the whole history behind this phenomenon, you will have to do your own research. The story begins on a country road where a couple becomes stranded in their car during a rain storm and decide to go ask for help at a castle nearby. The couple is met by a wacky group of individuals living at the castle who will lead them into an even wackier adventure, changing their lives forever.

Of course, the best known song is the Time Warp tune which almost everyone knew, including yours truly and her hubby. We just did not know the moves that went with it. Now, imagine our surprise, when at the end of the show, actors come out into the audience and take you by the hand to bring you on stage, the whole audience that is, to reprise the Time Warp song, this time with moves and all. I was standing next to Dr. Scott (the character) and when the music started again and they said you take two step to the left, I took two steps to the right and ended up bumping into Dr. Scott. How did I forget where was my left was? David and I both looked like deer in a headlight. Kind of a stage fright ? I am sure, looking back, we were not alone up there on that stage.

 I would also like to mention how good the live band was and how I enjoyed the voices of the character called Riff Raff played by Matty Gregg and Rocky, played by Michael Welland. Both quite accomplished singers in their own right.

So, in closing, despite or because all of the above, we had a great time and I urge you, if you have not seen this show, and there are still dates left in San Jose or it comes to your town one day, go see it and leave your attitude and stiffness at home.

On a different matter, my next post will be by a guest blogger. I will reveal his or her identity then, when I turn over the controls to that person.

In the meantime, I invite your comments, questions or suggestions about this post or any other past posts.

Thanks for reading !

Take 25 - The Hotel - Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas

Take 25 - The Hotel - Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas

There is a gazillion and one hotels in the world, some of them 'run of the mill" and some of them that really stand out and cause you to talk about them for a long time, even  after you have checked out and returned home.

I mentioned in my previous post that I would tell you about the hotel we stayed at in Cabo San Lucas. Before I say anything about it, please understand that I was not paid nor offered any incentives to say what I am about to say about this hotel. I am simply sharing because my husband and I were  very impressed by the location, the service, the decor, the food, etc.

The first thing I must say is that the Riu Palace in Cabo San Lucas is part of a chain of hotels that originated in Spain in the 1950s and still, to this day, is a family owned company, with its headquarters in Majorca.  Of all the places where they have resorts,  here are a few locations I remember reading about : Varadero, Cuba, 5 locations + in Dominican Republic, Palm Beach, Florida, ........ and so many more.

At the Riu Palace, Cabo San Lucas, rooms are large, comfortable and well appointed with a sunken mini living room and a large balcony. The bathrooms are large with a double sink vanity. The water is plentiful, very hot and with great pressure. The floors are tiled and the air conditioning is very efficient. There is a small fridge filled with drinks (alcoholic and non) and something I had never seen before in a hotel, a contraption with  four bottles of hard liquor installed upside down above the mini-fridge (for those who wish to enjoy them) where you simply press your glass upward and your liquid of choice is dispensed (we tried the gadget for fun).

There are several beautiful swimming pools, large and small, all with plenty of seating possibilities and at certain times of day, activities for everyone. There is a grill and chef poolside at lunchtime for those who wish to tan and eat uninterrupted. 


There are several restaurants on the premises, some requiring reservations and some that don't. The food is mostly outstanding and more than plentiful. Several bars are also there, each with a different look and every one of them with excellent service. There is even a stage at one of them and at night there are shows with a different theme each evening.

One restaurant charmed us beyond all others; so much so that we frequented it three times during our 5-day stay. I am talking about the Japanese one. Having lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, David and I have a certain knowledge of Japanese food. The food at the Misaki was truly outstanding. I will include photos of several dishes.  The desserts were out of this world. The decor of the restaurant was truly authentic including a pond with a gurgling fountain. Even some shamisen music was softly piped in through the hidden speakers. The only thing missing ? A few koi to complete the Japanese illusion. You could have easily sworn you were in Japan. (Photos to come in a couple of days)

Another wonderful place to eat breakfast and dinner was ............ This was a huge room decorated in the style of an elegant French dining room with chandeliers, high ceilings, tall windows dressed with beautiful plein jour curtains and lovely drapes. The food there was also delicious and the choices were endless. The desserts were also quite impressive including a chocolate fountain, a huge selection of ice cream and all of the ingredients to make a fine sundae creation, if that is your thing. There were also lots of petits fours to make your mouth drool as well as flan, panna cotta and chocolate truffles.

There are too many amenities at that resort to list them all here and I apologize for the one I may have omitted, but suffice it to say that it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy life with an incredible view of the Sea of Cortes to boot.  However,  one thing I must tell you about is the quality of the service. Anytime you ask a staff member a question, you are given a quick, polite and efficient response. Your requests for a product or service are met quickly and efficiently and personnel will go beyond the call to satisfy you. We even experienced a totally awesome event. We had gone to one of the bars to get a pre-dinner drink. When our waiter approached us to take our order, I asked if he had something bubbly and explained we were celebrating some news we had just received via email. He seemed genuinely delighted for us and told us he had champagne if we wanted it. We immediately agreed to one glass each. He then asked us if we would like to have a bottle sent to our room ? We were stunned by his offer and immediately agreed. Then, when we offered him a tip, he politely declined and said it was a pleasure for him to do his job and make us happy. How cool is that ? Ok, so the champagne turned out to be Portuguese bubbly wine but it was a very good bubbly. Also, everything is included at that resort, even a bottle sent to your room, but the mere fact that he suggested having a bottle sent to our room was of the utmost kindness to us.

This resort does not quality as cheap tourism and is worth every dollar you will spend there. Personally, we  can only say good things about this place and we will most certainly try and experience another of their resorts in another part of the world, some day soon.




Thank you for visiting my blog. I invite you to post comments, suggestions and questions.

Take 26 - A quick shout-out to Alaska Airlines

Take 26 - A quick shout-out to Alaska Airlines

Usually, we tend to want to talk about bad experiences we encounter during air travel. Bad service, rude employees, lousy airline food, dirty washrooms, etc. In this post, I will make a point of telling you about the positive side of an airline.

On our trip  from California to Cabo San Lucas and back, we flew with Alaska Airlines. Full disclosure, Alaska is not always the first airline that comes to  my mind when thinking of traveling somewhere along the coast but I promise you, this experience will change my way of doing things in the future.

We had such great service and pleasant flight going and returning that I just had to say BRAVO. Alaska has a policy that if their First Class is not full, they offer the available seats at $50 extra, each way. Way to go Alaska ! The food was amazing each way, including on the way back a Moroccan Chicken I would be proud to serve to any guest who came to my house.

One special note to an outstanding flight attendant. Her name is Michele Balthazar and she made our flight back the best I have ever experienced. Thank you Michele ! Thanks also to Alaska for having the foresight of hiring great employees.

Take 24 - A Little Trip Down South - Cabo San Lucas way

Take 24 - A little trip down South - Cabo San Lucas way

I might have mentioned this before, but my husband David works for Google and at that company, when employees meet deadlines, reach milestones or do something extraordinary the company generously rewards them, usually per department, because of the size of the company. The rewards can be different things or events and this time, it was a three-day trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Yeah, airfare, hotel and all the bells and whistles ! And not just any hotel, an all exclusive top of the line vacation resort.

Each employee could invite a Plus One as long as this Plus One paid for her or his flight.  Well, naturally, I tagged along (who wouldn't?)  and we were given the option to add a couple of days' stay before or after the three-day event, which we did. We opted to add two days at the end of the week. Additionally, we were provided will all shuttle services. Living here in San Jose, California  and visiting Mexico is not such a  big stretch since we are surrounded by people of Mexican descent in all spheres of life. We hear people speaking Spanish every day here. Who knew there were still so many Mexicans in Mexico. We thought they all had moved to California, particularly to San Jose. :-)))

 Our hotel was the Rui Palace, an All Inclusive -24 hour type of resort. Man have all-inclusives ever changed since the last time I stayed at one ! Mine had been the cheap tourism type. Not in this case. How do I put this? So many things are  included in the package, you forget to use them all. An orgy of food and alcoholic beverages as well as all types of bottled water. What ???  Let's just say that us Paleo (ers)  had plenty of things to chose from and did not have to worry about our next meal.  Cabo, means Cape and there are two of them. Namely, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. This area of Mexico is high end tourism. Nothing cheap here. 

We had a main event on the night of our arrival with all employees (about 100) and their Plus One invited to dinner on the beach as well as a karaoke where several employees showed off their pipes.After watching and listening in pain to a few employees, we walked away and sat on the side of the pool, dangling our feet in the water and chatted while listening to the waves crashing nearby. Ahhhhh, so romantic and relaxing too.

 The rest of the week had several activities and lots of free time. We had booked an excursion called A taste of Cabo which turned out to be, an excursion on a glass bottomed boat that enabled us to observe angel fish and clown fish as well as granite rocks while seriously rocking on waves on the Sea of Cortes. During this activity we also had a visit to a Tequila factory with tasting, a visit to a Glass blowing studio, lunch in the  beautiful courtyard of a San Jose de Cabo restaurant, a visit of a Mission and a short shopping session,  all of this on  a very very hot day. In conclusion, those five days were filled with walks, great meals, restorative naps and even a visit from a beautiful cat, which had probably escaped from a nearby villa to come and beg a few morsels of fish from resort guests enjoying dinner outside. A smart cat indeed !

No recipe in this post.  In my next blog, I will tell you about the Riu Palace in greater detail.

Hasta Luego !

Take 23 - Bunless Hamburgers .... what's not to love !

Take 23 - Bunless Hamburgers .... what's not to love !

Who does not love a hamburger ? Here in California, three providers come to mind, namely:

In n Out
Carl's Jr.
Five Guys

Although my husband and I are on a Paleo (ish) diet, we eat hamburgers with a small tweak every week or a couple of times a week. I can almost hear you gasp, OMG ..... well we have not gained any weight and are feeling great.

In-N-Out Burger is a regional chain of restaurants founded in 1948 with locations in five Western states, the first one in Baldwin Park, California. The regular menu at In-n-Out is very short. Nothing fancy. You either get a single burger or a double burger, with or without cheese. However, there is a secret and a super secret menu which is no where to be seen in the restaurants. If you are curious about those you can Google them. In this blog, I will not go down the many variations of the secret and super secret menu but will tell you about the variation we have tried. If you want to keep it Paleo, ask for Protein Style. The burger of your choice, Protein Style. If you choose to get fries, ask for well done fries. Their regular fries tend to be pale and under-cooked. Ok, if you prefer it that way.

Carl's Jr. is a chain predominantly operated in Southern and Western states. In the Eastern states, they are called Hardee's. Their menu features most hamburger variations, in large or small format and with the garnishes of your choice. Here, if you want to go Paleo, ask for Low Carb. The burger of your choice with your chosen fixings will arrive wrapped in lettuce.

 Five Guys
The Five Guys' menu is mainly composed of hamburgers available with American cheese and/or bacon, kosher style hot dogs, grilled cheese and vegetable sandwiches. All garnishes including (onions, sauteed onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, etc.) are free and you can pick your favorites to be added to your burger. Their fries are also very good and too generous to get one per person. Believe me ! To get a Paleo acceptable burger at Five Guys you either ask for a no bun burger which will come wrapped in lettuce or burger  in a bowl which will be your chosen burger and your fixings in a bowl. They also provide a fork and a knife. So your choice of burger, large or small and either in a sandwich style (the lettuce playing the role of the bun) or in the bowl. Both options are delicious !

My point here is not to tell you which one is the best burger as we think they are all great and different at the same time. The important thing for us is that they are all available in Paleo style and allow us to enjoy a quick and nourishing meal. In case you are curious about the Paleo diet, there is a gazillion number of recipe books available on Amazon or at the bookstore of your choice. If you Google the words "Paleo Diet", you will also find a number of websites providing information on the subject. I particularly recommend the following:

thepaleodiet.com/dr-loren-cordain/ where you will get the basic information on the Paleo Diet.

One more thing, all three chains we have visited in California have outdoor terraces where you can eat with your dog. 

Here is a Paleo recipe you can try. Switch your mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower. See what you think. This recipe was inspired from one in the Paleo Comfort Foods book written by Julie and Charles Mayfield. A wonderful book.
Enjoy !

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head fresh cauliflower
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender and easy to mash. Add a little more stock is too dry or drain some liquid into a bowl if the mix is too wet. Pour mixture into the bowl of a food processor or use a hand blender to obtain the desired texture, either very smooth or slightly chunky.

Bon appetit !

Take 22 - A trip Up-North (kind of !)

A few weeks ago, David took a day off. We left San Jose late on that sunny Friday morning and headed North. A short drive later and minutes after checking into our hotel, we were enjoying lunch in Japantown (but more on that later). Yes, I am talking about San Francisco again, located North of San Jose and a mere 45 minute drive, traffic cooperating. Very accessible either by car or by train (see a previous post). The trick is to rid yourself of your car as soon as possible to enjoy the city on foot. The reason for this comment is that parking in San Francisco can be a nightmare and spaces are at a premium. So if you decide to visit, plan your day or days carefully.

For us, this time, things were truly different. We felt like two teenagers out on the town with some money in our pockets. The difference ? No pooch. We had not spent a night away from Taylor since ..... 18 months. Last time we were away from him overnight was when he flew from Vancouver to San Francisco via Toronto. (See the details of that trip in Take 2 of my blog.) We have hired a trainer for our Goldie and this wonderful person also does occasional dog boarding for her clients, freeing us and enabling us to take trips sans chien.

Japantown is a neighbourhood which is amazing to visit. The architecture is authentic and surprising and looking upwards can often make you discover little gems like shops or simply a beautiful building. Speaking of shops, they are numerous and can be terribly inexpensive such as (Daiso) where almost all items cost $1.50 or very expensive if you go to antique shops or jewelry stores. In the main mall, not to be missed because of its Japanese decor, Japanese lunch can be had for a few dollars and everything is fresh and tasty. Of course, having lived in Vancouver for more than a decade makes me a fussy customer when it comes to Japanese food but the food is worth the detour.

The weather up there was typical for San Fran. Every morning was gray with a marine layer (looks like thick clouds), then the sun broke through for a few hours warming our bones as we walked beneath wall-to-wall blue skies. By late afternoon, the fog would dramatically rolled in with a fierce cool wind blowing and marking the end of the clement weather for that day. The expression used for this weather phenomenon is May Grays and later in the season, June Gloom.

When we go to San Francisco, we generally do not like to make plans. We like to meander. Going up one street and down another. This is how we discover little shops and restaurants. One of these shops is Utsuwa on Polk Street at Bush Street. It is a magical tiny store specializing in bonsais and terrariums. There are large ones but there are lots of small and very affordable specimens beautifully displayed in a space full of light. the owner is friendly and helpful and, should you decide to adopt a bonsai or terrarium, he will patiently explain the ins and outs of taking care of it. He will even evaluate online or in person, your adoptee's health. I urge you to go visit, even if you are not planning on purchasing. We fell for the charm of the place and their plants and brought home a bonsai and a terrarium. One sits in my kitchen window, the other outdoor on our upstairs deck. Here are photos of my newly adopted specimens.







During that weekend, we had lunch in North Beach (where there is no beach and which is also known as Little Italy) at Trattoria Pinocchio. The Fettucine Puttanesca were outstanding. David raved about the Calzone too. We sat outside at a sidewalk table. Very casual but also very romantic. The service was friendly, relaxed and efficient. We would go back there in a heartbeat. The restaurant is located on Columbus Street At Vallejo Street. Prices are also quite reasonable for San Francisco and for such good quality food.

On another day we took a cable car (my first time, despite all of my previous visits to San Francisco) on California street and headed downtown. We walked to the wharf, which is usually rather crowded but on that Sunday, Mother's Day, the streets were less busy and we took our time to enjoy the walk. We decided to go visit Tcho chocolate. Tcho is an American high end chocolate company based in San Francisco. Their headquarters, shop and factory are at Pier 17 on the Embarcadero. You can purchase chocolate there and you can even tour their factory. Their products come in white, milk and dark and are amazing and original. Not your usual flavors. Go try a sample !

Going to San Francisco is a constant surprise because the city keeps evolving and changing. It is a city, very much like Paris, that you discover bit by bit while walking its streets and people watching. When we go there, we leave the rushing around to others and savor all that is San Francisco. Here are a few photos including a couple of Chinatown streets, the inside of the a Cable Car and a few buildings.









Here is a refreshing salad:

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
2 large cucumbers
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cups Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped mint

Peel the cucumbers. Cut them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Slice very thinly. (I use a vegetable peeler). Place the cucumber slices in a colander. Sprinkle with salt (a pinch or two) and let drain 15-20 minutes. Mix the garlic, lemon juice, yogurt and dill in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the cucumber slices. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the mint. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving and enjoy.

Bon Appétit !

Lori

Take 21 - Day Trip to Livermore

Day Trip to Livermore

Livermore is a wonderful little town part of the California Tri-Valley area. The Tri-Valley area includes the cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon and is located 33 miles east of San Francisco and 27 miles north of San Jose. For the purpose of this post, we will concentrate on Livermore. The route to Livermore from San Jose via  highway 680 is truly a visual pleasure. It's the type of scenery where you wish you had someone to chauffeur you around so everyone could enjoy the beauty.The rollings hills are greener than green and look like large balls under a blanket of Kelly green velvet. They give a brand new meaning to the topographical term "rolling hills". We arrived in Livermore and parked downtown. This area was renovated 7 years ago and although we never saw the old downtown, I think we can safely say that they did a wonderful job. It has received the National American Main Street Award. It is truly beautiful with public places, sidewalk dining and lots of interesting stores. It also has one of the best comic book store, my husband has ever seen! :-) As well, Livermore has a Premium Outlet Mall with over 120 stores for us ladies to enjoy.

After visiting downtown and having lunch at a cute Japanese sidewalk terrace, we headed out to wine country, about a 10 minute drive. Livermore has over 50 wineries where you can visit, taste and purchase the local wines. We were looking to send a case of California wine to a well deserving Real Estate agent in Vancouver, British Columbia so I picked two wineries at random. One large and one small. After visiting both I can now safely say small is not always better. At the small one,  which shall remain nameless, the wine tasting was rushed, the price of the tasting was not deductible from your purchase and the personnel was unsure when questioned about their wines and the region. At the larger winery (Wente) ,the experience was much better. Of course, you will assume that after tasting 6 different wines at the first one, any other visit would be great, right ? Well you could but despite what you may think, I was not drunk, nor impaired and not driving. At Wente the personnel was knowledgeable, attentive and interested in my comments on their products. The tastings were generous and the wines were outstanding. I could go on and on about the wineries but I would rather inform you of shipping wine to Canada. Shipping wine to Canada or even to another U.S. state from Livermore or from anywhere in California appears to be a very tedious operation. Now if you are a Canadian visiting California and wishing to ship wine from California to Canada, be informed that the only province you cannot ship to is British Columbia. A competition clause due to the important wine industry in that province prevents you from shipping to BC. That news forced us to make alternate plans for our favorite real estate agent.  To ship wine anywhere else in Canada, you buy the wine and call Fedex who will ship it for you and provide you with all of the customs fees and details. The wineries will not handle that transaction for you. Of course you can drive it back to Canada, if you are so inclined but that would be a long ride and I don`t know what the  added cost per bottle would be at Border. It's better to find out before and avoid the surprise of the surcharge.

We really enjoyed our time there and it is at the top of our list of contenders as a place to buy a house.  People there are nice and friendly and love their town. Finally, Livermore is also a great place to spend the day. Bring a picnic, bring your bicycle but beware, the Summer days can be quite hot in that area so bring lots of water and sunscreen. And don't forget your camera !

P.S. I will add photos when I figure out how to transfer my photos from my new camera to my computer. Stay tuned !

Here's a quick and easy meatball and tomato sauce recipe you can freeze and use on a night when extra time is a luxury.

Meatballs with tomato sauce
(Serve it over rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous or just as is)


32oz/ 1kg canned tomatoes
4 Tb extra virgin olive oil
7 oz/200 g crusty white bread
1 lb/500 g ground lean beef
1 cup/125 g grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste

Cook the tomatoes with the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes stirring often. Grate the bread into a large bowl. Mix in the beef, parmesan and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in 4 Tb of the tomatoes. Shape the mixture into balls about the size of large plums. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through, shaking the pan very gently from time ti time. Serve the meatballs hot with the sauce.

Enjoy !

Lori