This Week's Restaurant Review: Aqua in SF

People ask me if there are any restaurants I don’t like and I tell them of course. It’s just that I do my homework and really scout these places before I eat there. That way I have a good time and enjoy a great meal. Believe me, when I do find a place that I don’t like, I will not hesitate to write a bad review. In the meantime, here’s a review of another restaurant that is absolutely incredible.

AQUA

I have never been a huge fan of really expensive, high-end cuisine. For one, I’m a big eater who likes hefty portions. Two sprigs of parsley and a couple of slices of cucumber with a speck of pate or whatever doesn’t excite me. Plus, I’m not wealthy, so to spend $200 or $300 on a meal for two (which is not unusual in San Francisco) doesn’t really appeal to me either. So, when a close friend invited Angelina and I to a place called Aqua, I was skeptical. I looked at the menu online and saw a lot of expensive-sounding, very fancy entrees, and I thought, uh-oh – this is just the kind of restaurant I have attempted to avoid. Well, first impressions can be wrong, and I’m happy to say I had nothing to worry about. Aqua is amazing! The food, the atmosphere, the service, the whole package – all the way from the table cloths to the glassware to the plates – this place offers a five-star dining experience that is unsurpassed. I felt like royalty from the minute I walked in the door, like I was a guest at some really rich gourmet’s palatial home. The chef’s name at Aqua is Laurent Manrique, who several years ago was chosen Chef of the Year by Bon Apetit magazine. I can see why. His food is flawless in every way. The dishes we sampled on the evening we were there can best be described as innovative, unique and world-class. Nothing escapes this guy’s attention to detail. They say that genius is in the details, and in this case it couldn’t have been more appropriate. First, there was the service. Our waiter was one of the most professional, knowledgeable and just plain genuine servers I have probably ever had serve me. At a lot of these higher-end places, the waiters walk around with a large implement up their derriere, and heaven forbid if you ask them something they don’t feel like answering. I can’t stand that whole scene – when they roll their eyes or talk down to you or act superior just because they have the privilege of working at a nice establishment. There was none of this from our waiter. He was such a nice person that I really wanted to invite him to go out with us later and have a drink. But, obviously, he was busy. Then, there is the menu at Aqua. It doesn’t have a ton of items on it, which is always a good sign. I’m tired of those places that have 100 items on their menu. When I see that, I figure the place does a lot of things in a really mediocre way. It’s better, in my opinion, to concentrate on doing a few really special entrees correctly. I don’t want to diss Greek restaurants, but I’ve actually been to a few that try to offer their patrons every single dish ever created by the human race. I don’t trust a menu that features gyros, eggplant parmesan and sushi on the same page. But, I also don’t like the cheeseburger, cheeseburger, Pepsi, Pepsi thing were there aren’t enough items on the menu. So, it’s a fine line and Aqua walked it perfectly, featuring 10 appetizers, nine entrees and six desserts, each one sounding like a little slice of heaven. For $68, you can have one from each category, which is very reasonable. There are certain items, however, where there is an additional charge. For instance, if you decide you want to try the Osetra Select Caviar, it will set up back an additional $70. But, let me tell you – we tried it and it was worth every added penny. Accompanied with a caramelized onion tart and smoked sturgeon Crème Fraiche, the caviar was superb and came with toast, potato pancakes and a cornucopia of incredible condiments, like chopped egg, chopped scallions and more. It was a journey into gourmet nirvana and an experience I will not soon forget. We also tried the Trio of Cold Artisan Foie Gras (an additional $5), which features Smoked Torchon, Au Poive Terrine and Syrah poached Foie Gras. I know it’s not pretty what they do to the ducks to make the foie gras, but in this case, the poor little birds did not die in vain. It was incredible! We also had the Select Seasonal Oysters with a Red Wine Mignonette sauce. The only word I can use to describe this dish is not really a word. It’s more like a really satisfied grunt. After the appetizers, the culinary bandwagon of bliss just kept rolling down the track. We had the Ahi Tuna, which came with Sausalito Watercress, Yucca, and an incredible “au Poivre” Coconut Rum Sauce. It was excellent – the tuna was cooked just right and I would have been content to just drink a big vat of the sauce, maybe even bathe in it. We also tried the Scottish Salmon, which came with a Vidalia Onion Soubise, Cucumber and Radish Salad with a Turmeric Vinaigrette. Salmon isn’t normally my favorite fish, but this piece was so fresh I imagined that it had been pulled out of the bay just minutes before hitting the plate. To top of this trilogy of magnificence, we had the Brioche Crusted Halibut, with English peas, bacon and lettuce served with a Poultry Jus. The fish was expertly prepared, crispy and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. For dessert, we all had the Coconut Souffle with exotic fruit and chocolate pearls. It takes an extra 15 minutes to prepare, but who cares? It was the best soufflé I have ever had, not too sweet and just the right texture. If I had one small criticism about Aqua, it might be that the tables are right on top of each other. I leaned back a couple of times and actually elbowed the guy sitting at the next table. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, but I like to at least find one negative thing to say in my reviews, because otherwise I look like a total pushover. Aqua is located at 252 California Street in San Francisco and is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and for dinner on Saturday. To go there without a reservation would just be silly. If you are looking for a complete dining experience with all the little things that will make it memorable, Aqua is more than worth it. When I left the place, I almost felt guilty that I had had such an amazing time there. As Wayne and Garth of “Wayne’s World” used to say, “We’re not worthy.”

You can see this review and many others on a great web site called: www.bayareacritic.com.

My Interview with Jim Davenport

Jim Davenport

Jim Davenport played third base and shortstop for the San Francisco Giants from 1959 to 1970, and finished with a total of 77 HRs, 456 RBIs and a career batting average of .258. His best season was in 1962, when he hit .297, won a Golden Glove and was chosen to play in the all-star game. He played with greats like Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey, but got to the World Series only once, in 1962, and batted .136 in the Fall Classic while SF lost to the New York Yankees in 7 games. Davenport never really intended to play in the major leagues. He went to Southern Mississippi on a college football scholarship and wanted to be a high school football coach, but ended up playing baseball. Davenport managed one year at the MLB level, in 1985 with the Giants, piloting a team that finished 56-88 and six games out of first place in the NL West. He was also a third base coach for many years, with San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland and San Diego.

Willie Mays: The first time I saw Willie Mays play was when I was about 15 years old. Willie was from Birmingham, of course. My dad took me up to Birmingham to see the Black Barons play and Willie must have been about 16, and there he was, playing for the Black Barons. At that time I didn’t know how great he was going to be. Then, years later when we played together on the Giants when I first came up, I didn’t have a lot, and Willie many times gave me the jacket or sweater off his back. He was like that. And we’re still great friends. Willie got along with everybody on the team. We were a very close-knit club at that time. He was the greatest ball player I ever saw. I got to see the things he did day in, day out, so I can say that without a doubt.

Juan Marichal: The greatest pitcher I ever saw. It didn’t matter what the count was, he could get the ball over the plate. I don’t know how in the world he ever had such great control with that high leg kick, but he had outstanding control. He was a very, very smart pitcher. When we went over the hitters in the opposition’s lineup, he knew exactly how to pitch these guys. It helped us in the field, too, because it you knew that he was going to pitch a guy a certain way, you could position yourself in a particular spot and they’d hit it there.

Gaylord Perry: He was the most intense pitchers I think I’ve ever seen. That man came out to beat you any way he could. Of course, they talk a lot about his spitball and all that, but hey – he mastered it, I’ll say that. He could throw it for strikes. It got him into the Hall of Fame. But, I think he would have had pretty good stuff even without the spitter.
He was so intense that a lot of rookies were scared to death to play behind Gaylord, because if they made an error when he was pitching, he was liable to chew them out.

Playing in Candlestick Park: It was a tough park to play in, no question about it. The wind really affected the balls. As the home club, I think we had an advantage over the visiting teams, because, of course, we had played there every day in the wind, and if a team had good players and they wanted a day off, they would take it when they came to play us in Candlestick Park, because it could get cold there and be very uncomfortable to play there. We never thought about it much, because back then you couldn’t play out your option and go somewhere else. So you did the best you could. That wind could do some really funny things to the baseball when it got up there. We could handle it better, I think, than a lot of the visiting clubs could. The wind blew from left to right there and there is no question it took a lot of home runs away from guys like Willie Mays. I have to think that if Willie played in the same park Henry Aaron played in, he would have had just as many home runs as Hank got. The infield was lousy too, and they changed it all the time. They tried Astro turf on it and one time they used that kind of pea gravel on it for awhile, but nothing helped.

Managing the Giants in 1985: The year I managed everything that was bad happened with the Giants. We had those silly spandex orange uniforms that looked like pajamas. We had that Crazy Crab mascot, and we played about the same way he performed. They booed him and they booed us. It was quite an experience. I really thought that team in ’85 was going to hit better than we did. I knew we didn’t have any pitching, but I thought we would have hit better. In the outfield, we had Jeff Leonard, Dan Gladden and Chili Davis, which were three outstanding players. But, it was just one of those years when nobody hit. I think the leading RBI man knocked in 60-some RBI, which now a lot of guys have that before the all-star break. And, of course, our pitching was awful. And then Mike Krukow got hurt. I thought I was going to have a pretty decent bullpen, but then, Greg Minton did not have a good year. Scott Garrelts pitched well for me, but we lost a lot of 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 ballgames. But, it was a good experience. I wish I would have waited a little later to manage, maybe I would have had a little more experience and maybe I would have had a little better team. You know, things might have turned out better. But, when you get a chance to manage in the big leagues, you better take it because it might not happen again.

Bad moves and bad players at SF in 1985: I was mad that they traded Jack Clark and got a kid named David Green, who didn’t turn out well. By the time we got Manny Trillo he was about through at second base. Then, a kid we got at shortstop, Uribe didn’t do all that well. Chris Brown was another youngster who had some ability and who I thought would do better, but he just didn’t want to play, for some reason. I tried everything I could think of to try and motivate the boy, but I don’t know what his deal was.

Incidents with Jeffrey Leonard: We butted heads a few times. I recall one situation we had when Leonard got into it with our third base coach Rocky Bridges in Cincinnati and Jeff came in the dugout all unhappy with Rocky, telling me, “You have to get rid of him.” And I told Jeff, “Whoa, there, son. All of us need to look at ourselves in the mirror. You can’t blame this one man for all the ball club’s problems. We all need to look in the mirror and say – hey, we can do better.” It was just one of those things. I think it all kind of started because Leonard had been very good friends with Frank Robinson. And, of course, I replaced Robinson. And I don’t think that set well with Jeff to start with. And I think he always held it against me for taking Frank’s job. Jeff was a good player, but he did not do well in 1985.

Pranks in Chi-town: Yes, it’s true. There was a statue of a horse in downtown Chicago that the team bus would pass every time we went from the hotel to play at Wrigley. And the older players used to make the rookies paint a certain part of the horse’s body Giants orange. It was always the rookies. The vets would tell them, “This is what you gotta do if you want to stay on the ball club.” So, the rookies would get some paint and paint this statue of a horse on his you-know-what, and it was kind of funny, you know.

Germaine Greer is Way Out of Line!

(I must admit I had never heard this woman's name before yesterday when a good friend of mine (David Declue) told me about her. Germaine Greer is the Australian version of Matt Drudge or maybe Howard Stern. The remarks she made about the death of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, were completley insensitive and uncalled for. Irwin was so much more than just a guy who got on TV to mess with wild animals in their own environment. He was also a conservationist and a real benefit to animal lovers everywhere. I believe in Greer's freedom of speech, and I realize she has the right to say what she did, but I also have the right to blast her for doing it! I was going to do a Douche Bag of the Month column for my blog, and I already gave the award out for September, but the way things are going, I think I will have to come up with a Douche Bag of the Week. There are just so many deserving candidates out there. F-you Germaine Greer, you dried up old bag of foul air. I hope a crocodile gets a shot at you and bites your head off. Oh wait a minute, even crocodiles have taste. He'd probably spit you out!)

Here is an excerpt from Greer's article that appeared on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald:

"There was no habitat, no matter how fragile or finely balanced, that Irwin hesitated to barge into, trumpeting his wonder and amazement to the skies. There was not an animal he was not prepared to manhandle. Every creature he brandished at the camera was in distress. Every snake badgered by Irwin was at a huge disadvantage, with only a single possible reaction to its terrifying situation, which was to strike."

Yesterday, I read this article from the Daily Telegraph in Australia when I googled this waste of human life:

THE backlash against expatriate academic Germaine Greer over her comments about Steve Irwin has reached new heights, with The Daily Telegraph newspaper sending the outspoken feminist a muzzle.
The Daily Telegraph today called on all Crocodile Hunter fans to tell the controversial academic exactly how they feel.
Greer raised the ire of a nation this week when she said in a British newspaper column that the animal world had taken "revenge" on Irwin when he was killed in a stingray attack in northern Queensland on Monday.
A furious Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said Greer should "back off" and keep her "stupid" comments to herself.
"Germaine Greer is just wrong and I just can't imagine anyone being more insensitive and, frankly, stupid. This argument is just extreme radical rubbish from Germaine Greer," he said.
Readers flooded The Daily Telegraph website yesterday to express their outrage.
"Steve Irwin has made the world aware of the animal conservation and opened our eyes to the many beauties of the animal kingdom," web reader Brad Chong said.
"These comments by Germaine Greer are pathetic and tasteless and I think its quite sad that you can even call yourself Australian when you are merely gaining publicity from the death of such a much-loved Australian."
Donna Renee of Cornell wrote: "Why is she allowed to write such rubbish? I believe her words are born of jealousy. Steve Irwin won the love and respect of millions of people worldwide, myself included. Yes, she will die a sad, lonely old woman and who will care when she does bite the dust?"
It was also revealed yesterday that Greer had never requested permission from Aboriginal elders to enter Sydney - despite claiming she always asked traditional owners before setting foot in her home country.
Greer bragged to a gathering of Australian writers in London six years ago that she never returned to her home country without getting permission from Aboriginal elders.
"Whenever I arrive the traditional owners of the land come to meet me and I won't leave the airport until they allow me in," she said.
"They are always there - one would be enough, but I get nine, 12 or 15."
NSW Aboriginal Land Council spokesman Paul Molloy said yesterday Greer had never asked permission despite visiting Sydney several times in the past six years.
"We debunked that myth some time ago. I know she made that claim but it was a lot of hooey. There is no one group of elders or traditional owners you can seek permission from to enter Australia," he said.
Greer followed up her Irwin claim by mocking Australians who mourned his death, saying they were "idiots".

My Sept. Article for the Haight-Ashbury Beat

(Here is an article I wrote for the Haight-Ashbury Beat newspaper for their September issue. This gal is fascinating and a real inspiration. You can just feel a real positive vibe when you talk to her. If you're not doing anything on Sunday, Sept. 24th, The Heart of Cole Festival sounds like it will be a blast! To read more stuff about the Haight, visit: www.haightashburybeat.com)

Lori Elder: Artist, Organizer, and Inventor with a Love Haight Relationship
By Ed Attanasio

Lori Elder does more in one day than most of us accomplish in an entire month. After speaking with her for just a little over an hour, I came away with the impression that she’s highly creative, intensely focused, community conscious and extremely driven in everything she does. If she wanted to, I’m quite confident that Lori could be the CEO of a major corporation. Cole Valley and the Lower Haight should be happy that she’s chosen another path, and has decided instead to use her incredible abilities to organize events in our communities, while still pursuing her passions for the arts, as well as creating and marketing her own inventions.

With help and guidance from fellow organizer and local merchant Mario Mogannam from Postal Chase, Elder is once again organizing the Heart of Cole Festival in Cole Valley, an event she helped create in 2003 and has developed into a major local event.

The Cole Valley Merchants Association is hosting its fourth annual Heart of Cole Festival, on Sunday September 24, from 9 am to 6:30 pm on Cole Street between Carl and Grattan. The festival will promote local community art, culture, entertainment and cuisine, according to Elder, whose official title for the event is Arts & Crafts Coordinator.

Other than an impressive assemblage of area artists, musicians and various performers, this year’s the Heart of Cole Festival will also feature a vintage car exhibit, as well as a photographic display of the history of San Francisco firehouses, sponsored by the Cole Valley Neighborhood Improvement Association.

“We’ve had consistent support from the very beginning with major sponsors who have jumped onboard,” Elder said. “Without them, the Heart of Cole Festival probably never would have happened.” Some of these sponsoring companies include Craigslist, Wells Fargo, and Walgreens, just to name a few.

Then, in October, Lori is putting on the first annual Lower Haight Block Party, a similar event focusing on the Lower Haight and its unique flavor. The Lower Haight Merchants Association is hosting this event on Sunday October 15 from 11 am to 6 pm on Haight Street between Fillmore and Pierce. The block party will feature live music, events for children, and reasonably-priced booth spaces to accommodate local and emerging artists.

“This is a totally unique event unlike anything else in San Francisco,” Elder said. “It’s not Union Square, it’s not Cole Valley and it’s not Fillmore Jazz -- it’s the Lower Haight. There’s been a lot more work involved with this event, because of the fact that we’re basically starting from scratch. Festivals like these should be about the community and reflect the people and the neighborhood.”

For this reason, neither the Lower Haight Block Party nor the Heart of Cole Festival allows alcohol booths. Local bars and food merchants can sell their wares, but no outside vendors have been invited to participate, making these truly unadulterated community events, Elder said.

Tentatively scheduled to appear at the Lower Haight Block Party are the Rumblers Car Club, with a hot rod and choppers display on Steiner Street; a skateboarding demonstration by the Delux Skateboard Company; performances by the San Francisco Mime Troupe; the Western Addition Steppers Dance Team; five DJ’s, local rappers and a full schedule of local bands.

Another aspect of these events that makes them special is that all the artists who participate are invited and must be selected by a jury of their artisan peers, of which Elder is surely a member.

“I’ve pretty much been an artist all my life,” Elder said. “I have always been into metal smithing, working with precious metals and making custom jewelry.” Elder has made some amazing pieces for some well-known major musicians and performers, and although she doesn’t want to drop any names, what I can tell that she’s done custom jewelry for the most well-known metal band from the Bay Area, and for a diminutive musician/songwriter/producer who several years back changed his one-word moniker to a symbol.
Then in 2002, Lori came up with a unique idea that has blossomed into a burgeoning business. While watching the third game of the major league baseball World Series at AT&T Park, Lori observed all of the fans floating in the body of water beyond the right field fence known as McCovey Cove.
“I saw people floating around on rafts that looked like putting greens and all kinds of other stuff,” Elder said. “And the idea just suddenly hit me -- the thing to be sitting in that cove with is a big inflatable baseball glove!” Elder’s friends all agreed with her, and after calling Major League Baseball and finding out that nothing like it existed, Lori started her own business and began coming up with plans and prototypes for the floating mitts.
In July of 2003, Lori’s designs were officially licensed by MLB Properties. In January of 2004, Left Field Enterprises was formed and began working with Sevylor, Inc., a top manufacturer in the business of sports-related inflatables. Left Field Enterprises makes mitts with the logos and colors of every major league team. They come in two sizes – a large one for floating in and a smaller one to put on your hand – and both have met with great success and awesome reviews.
If you want to get involved in the Heart of Cole Festival, contact:
Heart of Cole Festival
912 Cole Street, PMB #2954+
San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: (415) 621-5033
Fax: (415) 566-9776
E-mail: colevalleyfestival@gmail.com
If you want to be a part of the Lower Haight Block Party, contact:

Lower Haight Merchants Association
597 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117 Fax : (415) 738-7905
E-mail: lowerhaightblockparty@gmail.com

To find out more about Lori’s dirigible mitts, visit her Web site at:
www.leftfieldenterrpises.com.

My NFL Playoff/Super Bowl Predictions

I already selected my NFC/AFC playoff teams earlier this week. Here are my Division and Super Bowl picks:

In the NFC, I see the Seahawks and the Giants in the Final. I think the NYG will win it all in this one. I believe Eli Manning will improve as the season progresses, and I also think the Giants' D will jell over time. So, I'm picking the New York Giants to win the NFC.

In the AFC Final, I see the Bengals and the Colts. I love Pittsburgh, but I just think teams will be gunning for them all year long and they'll probably run into some injuries. NFL teams really get psyched when they play the Super Bowl Champs, and I just believe that over the course of an entire season, the Steel Curtain will develop holes. I then see Indianapolis beating Cincy, primarily due to the fact that they've been there more.

So, it's the Giants and the Colts in the Super Bowl, a replay of tonight's game. It will be a really fun matchup, the press will have a major field day with the matchup of Eli vs. Peyton, and I think little brother beats his big bro in a tight contest.

Final score: New York: 34 Indy: 28

If I'm right about this stuff (which is doubtful) New York Giants' fans will be smiling from ear-to-ear, just like in the above photo.

The Terminator is Now a Geneticist

(For the most part, I like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even though he's really just a puppet, tell me one politician who isn't. But, when someone makes stupid remarks like this about someone's race, they are asking for it. Arnold should know about mixed genes. He himself is a volatile combination of Austrian blood and steroids, which makes him prone to saying stupid sh-- like this and prevents him from being a good actor. Arnold apologized for the comments. While you're at it, Arnie, why not also apologize for "Kindergarten Cop"?)

This was on www.msn.com today:

SANTA MONICA -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger apologized Friday for saying during a closed-door meeting that Cubans and Puerto Ricans are naturally feisty and temperamental because of their combination of "black blood" and "Latino blood."
He said the tape-recorded comments "made me cringe" when he read them in Friday's Los Angeles Times.
"Anyone out there that feels offended by those comments, I just want to say I'm sorry, I apologize," Schwarzenegger said. He added that if he heard his children make similar comments, "I would be upset."
The furor comes amid a re-election campaign in which the Republican has tried to mend fences with Democrats and moderates and look more statesmanlike and less like the swaggering action hero he played on screen. Schwarzenegger has a history of making off-the-cuff remarks that get him in trouble. He called California legislators "girlie men" and "losers" and talked of kicking nurses' butts.
During California's 2003 recall election, he was accused of groping or otherwise mistreating women on movie sets and other locations. He apologized for having "behaved badly sometimes."
The statements about Hispanics and blacks were captured on a six-minute tape made during a March 3 speechwriting session between Schwarzenegger and his advisers. On it, Schwarzenegger and chief of staff Susan Kennedy speak affectionately of state Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia and speculate about her nationality.
"I mean Cuban, Puerto-Rican, they are all very hot," the governor says on the recording. "They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it."
Garcia, who is Puerto Rican, appeared with Schwarzenegger on Friday and said she was not offended by the governor's comments. Garcia earlier told the Times that she often calls herself a "hot-blooded Latina."
Schwarzenegger also said he called leaders from ethnic groups, who he said were not upset.
"All of them understood it was an off-the-record conversation," Schwarzenegger said. "It was not meant to be in any negative way."
A spokesman for Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez declined to comment directly on the remark but said the governor "has always been very respectful toward Latinos."
"These are hardly Nixon's Watergate tapes," Nunez spokesman Richard Stapler said.
However, Schwarzenegger's Democratic challenger, Phil Angelides, said the governor should "conduct himself with dignity."
"Once again, Gov. Schwarzenegger has used language that is deeply offensive to all Californians and embarrassed our state," Angelides said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger aides routinely tape his speechwriting sessions so the writers can keep a record of his thoughts and speaking patterns.
The newspaper did not say how the tape was obtained. The participants suggest during the meeting that they know they are being recorded.

My AFC Predictions

AFC

New England Patriots: Will the Pats make it back to the big one? I don’t think so. Will they even win the AFC East? Maybe. QB Tom Brady can take himself to Joe Montana/Terry Bradshaw levels if he can do it again, but this year will be tougher than ever because the talent surrounding him just isn’t as good as it’s been in the past. Coach Belichick reminds me a lot of Lorne Michaels, the creator and director of Saturday Night Live, because nothing seems to phase him or get him upset. This could be the year. Their best wide receiver, David Givens, is gone. WR Deion Branch held out and rookie WR Chad Jackson was injured, so both of them missed most of training camp. The O line is older and the D line is a little beat up, so the Pats will need some revolutionary game plans to make it happen in ’06.

Miami Dophins: These fish are as raw as fresh sushi, but with one of the best head coaches in the business (Saban), new QB Daunte Culpepper, who looks healed after an injury many people predicted might be a career-ender, and an exciting second-year RB in Ronnie Brown, the Dolphins look poised to dive into the playoff tank. After winning the last six games of the season this year, they’re ready to jump through some hoops to get there. Despite a lot of off-season moves designed to upgrade their suspect defense, including the addition of rookie S Jason Allen, CB’s Will Allen, and Andre Goodman, as well as FS Renaldo Hill – Miami is hoping to stop pass-happy teams from turning them into stinky chum.

Kansas City Chiefs: With the emergence of RB Larry Johnson during the second half of the season last year, QB Trent Green will be able to hand the ball off a minimum of 35 times per game, which will take the pressure off of him arm and other susceptible parts of his anatomy. New coach Herm Edwards is a superb motivator and puts his heart and soul into every team he coaches – kind of like former KC coach Dick Vermeil. On defense MLB Kawika Mitchell and OLB Derrick Johnson will cause more havoc than Paris Hilton at Studio 54. Of course, the offensive line lost two of its biggest pieces – OT’s Willie Roaf and John Welbourn, so it will be interesting to see if Johnson will still be a star or just another little Indian.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Most of the Steel Curtain is back to pull the drapes shut on the rest of the AFC, They’ll miss WR Antwaan Randle El, but the team is counting on rookie Santonio Holmes to fill that hole. Ben Roethlisberger is smart in the pocket and had one of the most impressive seasons a rookie quarterback has ever had, but he’s a complete idiot for ever getting on a motorcycle and he paid the price. RB Willie Parker should be able to get through some big holes created by guys like LG Alan Faneca and RT Max Starks. And the defense, led by SS Troy Polamalu and loudmouth but hard-hitting OLB Joey Porter, should keep opponents out of the end zone long enough for Steelers' fans to once again begin chanting, “We got a feeling…”

Indianapolis Colts: With Peyton Manning about as frustrated in the postseason as the Buffalo Bills are in the history of the Super Bowl, the pressure is on these horses to gallop all the way to the finish line. Edgerrin James is gone, but RB’s Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai should be able to eat up enough yards on the ground to take the Colts to the promised pasture known as the Super Bowl. WR’s Marvin Harrision and Reggie Wayne are great targets for the man with the golden arm, and with behemoths like LT Tarik Glenn and C Jeff Saturday knocking opposing defenses back, this team can play on Sundays. On defense, RE Dwight Feeney, FS Mike Doss and OLB Cato June should all help this team be there in late January. This herd of studs isn’t going to be happy to place or show, so watch out AFC!

Cincinnati Bengals: This team revolves 100% around QB Carson Palmer. If he’s healthy, the tigers have more than enough in their tank to take it all. If the rest of the Bengals can keep up with their Johnson’s they will be back in the playoff picture in ’06. They’ve got RB Rudi Johnson, who is fast and tough; they’ve got WR Chad Johnson who is loud and clutch, and they have OLB Landon Johnson who is all of the above. The only problem they could run into is if Palmer can’t play, because backup QB Anthony Wright is really, really wrong. I can’t believe they didn’t spend some serious cash on a more capable backup. If the parts of this striped puzzle can emerge from the jungle in one piece, Cincy may finally be able to stop chasing its own tail.

Censorship of the Worst Kind!

(I've really made it a point to stay as non-political as possible with this blog, and so I've been writing primarily fun stuff like sports columns, interviews, things about San Francisco, restaurant reviews and celebrity-bashing pieces. But, when I read this today I got so pissed I just had to comment. A group of former Clinton staffers are upset because they say there are portions of a miniseries by ABC about 9/11 that aren't accurate and they're demanding that changes be made. Demanding? Since when can politicians demand that something in the media be changed? How can they be so arrogant? Haven't they ever heard of a little thing called Freedom of Speech? When former White House officials (they're not even currently in office!) start telling people what can and cannot be on TV, on the Internet, in newspapers or on the radio, well, folks, it's time to change our name to the U.S.S.R. (United States with Shady Rules). How dare they demand anything! There's no doubt that to some degree Clinton and his administration blew it with the Bin Laden situation, but I guess old Bill wants to re-write history and avoid taking any of the blame for 9/11. What these people fail to realize is that they are inadvertently providing some amazing publicity for this miniseries. I didn't even know about it, but now I wouldn't miss it for the world! In fact, I just Tivo'ed it. If these washed-up bureaucrats are upset over it, I figure it's a must-see!!)

This was on www.aol.com this morning:

(Sept. 7) - A "terribly wrong" miniseries about events leading to the Sept. 11 attacks blame President Clinton's policies, former Clinton administration officials said in letters demanding that ABC correct it or not air it.
But in a statement released Thursday afternoon in apparent response to the growing uproar, ABC said, "No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible."
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Clinton Foundation head Bruce Lindsey and Clinton adviser Douglas Band wrote in the past week to Robert Iger, CEO of ABC's parent The Walt Disney Co., to express concern over "The Path to 9/11."
The two-part miniseries, scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday and Monday, is drawn from interviews and documents including the report of the Sept. 11 commission. ABC has described it as a "dramatization" as opposed to a documentary.
"For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, and time compression," ABC said in its statement. "We hope viewers will watch the entire broadcast of the finished film before forming an opinion about it."

My NFC Predictions

NFL Predictions

With the 2006 NFL season starting tonight, football fever is in the air.
Today I'm doing my NFC predictions and tomorrow I'll have my AFC predictions. Then, on Sunday, I'll give you my division winners and my Super Bowl Champion.

NY Giants: With a seasoned QB Eli Manning, a much improved defense and RB Tiki Barber rolling up the yardage, the Gigantes will play so well that even Jimmy Hoffa will dig his way out from under the 50-yard line to watch this team win. People are calling their defense highly questionable, but with great new additions like LaVar Harrington and Sam Madison, I believe the Big Apple has a core they can be proud of.

Seattle Seahawks: QB Hasselback is better, RB Alexander will thrive again and the seagulls from the Northwest will play just enough defense to rain supreme. They lost LG Steve Hutchinson and WR Joe Jervicius during the off-season, which will hurt, but they also picked up OLB Juilan Peterson and WR Nate Burleson, and have improved their overall depth in many places. Take away a few questionable calls last year, and we'd be calling them World Champs. The Seahawks are well-coached and one year smarter, so they'll be even tougher to beat this year.

Minnesota Vikings: I can hear the groans from here. A lot of you must be asking, "What is this clown smoking?" Well, nothing anymore. I just believe that if this team can stay away from the stripper boat excursions, they should win because they're loaded with talent on both sides of the line. I'm confident that a new coach and a new attitude will help the Vikes do right. C Matt Birk is supposedly healthy again, which will help their O-line in a big way, and their defense is stronger than its been in a long time with DT's Erasmus James and Kenechi Udeze, who are tough to block and whose names are even tougher to pronounce. Brad Johnson is a very capable, experienced QB and with RB Chester Taylor running behind the great blocking of FB Tony Richardson, this team will surprise a lot of people. Besides, the NFC North is weaker than the coffee at I-HOP!

St. Louis Rams: Less passing, more running and a much-improved offense will help the horned ones get into the playoffs in 2006. With Bulger at QB, RB Steven Jackson power running through an experienced offensive line and WR Torry Holt leading a strong receiving corps, the Rams will make a run and butt a few heads. If their totally revamped defense can hold up, they may even go deep into the playoffs. The best thing that happened to this team was when they said goodbye to former head coach Mike Martz, who started to display the brains of Paula Abdul coupled with the arrogance of Simon Cowell.

Carolina Panthers: They’re well-coached, experienced in the right places and should excel in 2006 with a tough D and just enough O to make it to the postseason. I predict right here that DeAngelo Williams will win rookie of the year honors and have people asking “Reggie Who?” QB Jake Delhomme is only getting better; the addition of a humble WR Keyshawn Johnson gives the receiving corps much-needed depth, and with names like Peppers, Jenkins, Morgan, and Ricker, the Panthers have the best defense in football. There, I said it.

Atlanta Falcons: If Mora can control Michael Vick, the team should soar into the playoffs with a team that is young and cocky and can back up the swagger. This team made a ton of off-season moves in order to shore up their weakest link – their run defense, by picking up RE John Abraham, SS Lawyer Molloy, FS Chris Crocker and DT Grady Jackson. MLB Ed Hartwell is back from injury and LE Pat Kerney and DT Rod Coleman round out a really solid group. On the other side of the ball, TE Alge Crumpler is amazing at getting open and he has clutch hands, and RB Warrick Dunn will run just well enough to keep opposing defensive squads off Vick’s expensive back.

Restaurant Review: Pane e Vino: A Whole Lot More than Bread & Wine

Pane e Vino
There is a restaurant on Union Street in San Francisco that is so good the first time I went there I returned two days later. Since then I have gone there many times and I have never been even remotely disappointed. The name of the place is Pane e Vino. I guess there are several other restaurants throughout the United States with the same name, and I don’t know if they are in any way connected to this location, but it really doesn’t matter. Pane e Vino in SF is multo bene. The food is authentic Italian; the portions are generous; the service is prompt and professional, and the menu has a little something for everyone. From fresh fish and meats to great thin-crust pizzas, all the way to some of the best pasta dishes you’ll find anywhere – Pane e Vino is a whole lot more than just bread and wine. I met one of the owners, Bruno, down on Union Street several times before I tried the place. He wasn’t bragging about it or anything – he’s a nice, very humble and rather soft spoken guy – but he kept telling me I need to stop in sometime. Well, it took me a couple months to get around to it, but when I finally ate there, I said to myself, “What the hell took me so long? Man, have I ever been missing out!” The place has a great atmosphere. The people – both the staff and the patrons – just all really seem like they’re in a good mood. Good food and fine wine will do that to you! What should you try when you visit Pane e Vino? To be honest, I don’t think you can go wrong ordering anything on the menu. If there’s a bad item on that menu, we haven’t found it. Nor have any of the many people who we’ve recommended the place to. (I put that in there because I’m always lobbying for a free meal. Why else do you think I do these reviews, for my health?) To kick off the meal right, we always get the best appetizer they offer at Pane e Vino, which in our humble opinion is the Antipasto Della Casa ($14). I am so tired of restaurants that throw a couple pieces of salami and some peppers on a plate and call it antipasto. This is the true version – with a cornucopia of things like bruschetta, cured meats and house-marinated vegetables that will have you racing your dinner guests for the last little piece of proscuitto. They also have a seafood salad called the Insalata Mista ($8) that consists of bay lettuce, tomatoes, leeks, oil and vinegar with an assortment of marinated squid, shrimp, mussels and clams that will make you feel like you’re at a seafood grotto on the coast of Italy. For your main course, I would definitely try one of the magnifico pasta selections. I’ve had the Pappardelle alla Contadina ($14), wide egg pasta with chicken and porcini mushrooms in a light tomato cream sauce. The pasta is homemade, cooked al dente the way the experts who know what they’re doing make it, and the sauce is not weighted down with too much cream like in many Italian restaurants. Or sample the Pennette Rigate con Salsiccia e Cipolle ($14), which is a great combination of penne pasta with sausage, onions, tomatoes and Romano cheese. This is truly a penne you will not forget. Or should I say it’s a penne for your thoughts? (sorry.) I was really surprised when we went there the other night and Angelina ordered the Bisteca alla Fiorentina ($28). Whenever I’ve ordered steak at an Italian restaurant, I have been disappointed, to say the least. Italians aren’t known for their steaks, at least not in this country. But, let me tell you – it was one of the biggest, juiciest pieces of prime-quality meat that I have ever seen or tasted – right up there with Ruth's Chris or Morton’s or any of your so-called great American steakhouses. A carnivore’s dream come true! Fan-tas-tic!! They also have an awesome selection of fish dishes at Pane e Vino. Order the Pesce Fresco del Giorno Aq (Fresh fish of the day – price varies) and you will not ever be unhappy. The thin-crust pizza is also outstanding. They have a big brick oven which I guess is the only way to go, because the texture is light and crispy and right on target. We like the Napoletana ($12), with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, anchovies and oregano. Sweet and simple. We have also had the Diavola ($14), with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spicy salami, hot pepper flakes and oregano. Sweet and spicy. For dessert, maybe you’d like the tiramisu ($6), which is better than a lot I’ve tasted. My personal favorite are the Profilteroles ($6), which are white chocolate gelato filled cream puffs topped with hot chocolate sauce. Pane e Vino has an extensive and somewhat expensive wine list, and they even have those Italian sodas I love so much. They remind me of my days in New York when my grandma owned and operated an Italian family restaurant in the Bronx right down the street from Yankee Stadium. Pane e Vino is located at 1715 Union Street in SF, just far enough away from the yuppies and the drunks. There is never any parking, so walk there or take a cab. On the weekends, be sure to make a reservation, because the place gets packed. If you can, request to be seated on the patio in the back. It’s less noisy and it’s got a roof and heaters, so you won’t catch pneumonia. For more information about Pane e Vino, visit their web site at: http://www.paneevinotrattoria.com/.