Bye Bye NYC (for now anyway)

Tonight is my last night in my favorite City in the World.  New York.  I’ve lived here off and on the past 7 years, and the last year I’ve been between here and SF (mostly here) due to work reasons.  Now that my project in NYC is ending, I’m heading back “home” to San Francico tomorrow and will have that as my base for a while.

So, to say goodbye to my apartment, I’m posting a pic of the view outside my window.   Absolutely gorgeous.

Governor's Island, Battery Park, Castle Clinton, Verazzano Bridge way in the background

A Going Away

My sister and part-time roomate Diana left for Germany last week.  She’ll be gone for 3.5 months and I’ll have our Mission apartment all to myself (and 3 dogs) for the entire summer.  I missed her going away party at the Phoenix since I was in NYC, but flew back to SF a couple of days before she left.  One of the things Diana is weary about for her trip to Germany is the food.  She typically eats pretty healthfully, and is not a major fan of heavy food we stereotypically think of when we think of Germany.

To send her off properly, Christina and I took Diana out to a going away dinner at Delfina.  Listed as one of the top 100 resturants in 2008 in the Bay Area, I’m surprised I’d never been there, since I live on the same street and enjoy good food.  We showed up for our  5:30 reservation (My NY readers / friends, please don’t judge – my sister goes to bed at 10 pm every night for work at 6 AM).  The place was already lively and packed, as Californians like to eat early.

The Golden Gate

Last week (Sunday/Monday/Tuesday) to be exact, San Francisco suffered a HEAT WAVE.  It was 90 degrees in the City which is virtually unheard of.  Most San Francisco homes do not have air conditioning so it was almost unbearable.  To cool things down, my friend Ray, my pup Sammy, and I went to Baker Beach - 10 minutes from my apartment for some relief.  Here is the view from where we sat, perfect pic of the Golden Gate Bridge:

Beautiful!

Red, Red Wine

I’m still doing pretty bad at Project 365.  No bother – I’m doing the best I can, and as long as I can say that… then I’m happy

Here is a photo of 3 goblets of red wine.  50% Montepulciano 50% Sangiovese – 100% tasty.  My sisters Diana and Christina and I had 2 bottles with dinner.

My new favorite wine combination

Kati Rolls Made it to San Francisco!

Ok, ok.  I admit it could be unfair to think that San Francisco wouldn’t have a Kati Roll, after all, San Francisco is a melting pot of cultures and cuisine.  But I was super surprised that while walking on 18th street last week, I walked by the restaurant Kasa, and saw the sandwich board out front advertising their Kati Roll special.

This is what caught my eye...

Maybe it was my own ignorance, I’d walked by Kasa 100 times before and always ignored it, thinking this storefront was doomed (I remember 2 other restaurants here prior to Kasa that went out of business).  But given the fact that I was 1) hungry and 2) thought 2 Kati Rolls for 7.95 was a great deal, decided to try it.  I ended up ordering a paneer kati roll and a chicken one.  The chicken tikka was marinated in fresh Indian spices and chutney.  Toward the back of the kitchen, I saw a Caucasian fellow rolling the dough for the fresh Roti made in house.

I sat outside to savor my Kati Rolls and masala chai tea (black tea with milk, sugar, and Indian spices).  And boy was everything delicious!  Served with Raita, the two Kati Rolls were little bites of heaven. 

Chicken Tikka and Paneer Kati Rolls, Raita

The best things about the Kati Rolls were that the bread and fillings were not greasy at all.  The Kati Rolls I wrote about in a previous post were delicious, yes, but they tasted like fast food and you can see the grease glowing off of them.  These actually felt (somewhat) healthy.  I’d definitely go back here again, and soon.  Kasa will be a new go-to for me, instead of the neighborhood taqueria.