I'm in Bat Heaven!

Yesterday, I got to drive the original Batmobile. Having grown up on the TV series, it was a thrill I will not soon forget. What a car! What a day! What an experience. In case, you aren't familiar with the history behind the Batmobile, here is a short item that I took from Wikipedia:

The Batmobile is the fictional personal automobile of comic book superhero Batman. The car has followed the evolution of the character from comic books to television to films.
The standard features of the vehicle include a laser beam, chassis with heavy armor plating, a nuclear bomb strapped to the back, a button for calling in Superman for backup, a high performance engine, sometimes with rocket boosts for increased speed, special devices to improve maneuverability, and mounted weapons to disable vehicles and remove obstacles. In addition, the vehicle typically carries the highly intelligent computer that is remotely linked to the Batcave's main computer, a remote control function, a field forensic kit and a personal small helicopter held in the trunk called a whirlybat.
The vehicle has changed frequently over the decades. In the early stages of Batman's career, the Batmobile was a modified sedan with armor but it has evolved into a technologically advanced custom-built automobile.
The Batmobile has sometimes been described as being powered by nuclear generation of electricity. It was part of the launch checklist from the 1966 television show ("Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed!"). And, in Batman Returns, one of the Penguin’s schemes to kill Batman is to turn the Batmobile into "a H-bomb on wheels."
In addition to riding in the Batmobile, Batman's partners Robin (Tim Drake) and Nightwing (Dick Grayson) have had their own customised cars, the Redbird and Nightbird, respectively.

Gemstone Jewelry

I was looking for some gemstone jewelry for my lovely fiancee Angelina and I was so amazed out what's out there that I wrote a little song about it.

Have you seen what's going on with gemstone jewelry?
Have you seen all the great new styles and designs?
Have you checked into the latest in gemstone jewelry?
Take a quick look online and it will blow your mind.

The quality is really something to behold.
It doesn't matter if you're young or old.
All the different colors will make you smile.
'Cause gemstone jewelry goes the extra mile!

4 Mini-Restaurant Reviews

Here are 4 mini-reviews I wrote for www.chowbaby.com recently:

Rivoli (1539 Solano Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707/Phone: (510) 526-2542) is a great place in the East Bay that serves California/Mediterranean cuisine that is really outstanding. They specialize in using only seasonal, local and fresh, mostly organic ingredients, including naturally raised meats and poultry. The Chef/Owner is Wendy Brucker, and she is a really well-known chef who is described by many as being very creative and highly skilled. We were there during the holidays, and we had a great experience. The highlights of the evening were the Warm Goat Cheese Souffle, with proscuitto di parma, black mission figs and ambrosia melon; the Sonoma Liberty Duck cooked two ways with Roast Nectarine Jus, with polenta, pecorino and ricotta sformatino and braise Tuscan kale; and a Warm Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with orange caramel sauce, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. We eat out a lot (obviously) and we're always looking for unique flavors. Ravioli has a ton of them. Prices are moderate, they have a quality wine list and kids are welcome. It gets loud when it's busy, but the food helps you forget about the added decibels.

Straits (San Francisco Centre, 4th Floor, 845 Market Street, Suite 597, SF 94103/Phone: (415) 668-1783 www.straitsrestaurants.com) features food from Singapore expertly prepared and presented by renowned Chef/Owner Chris Yen. With a full menu of delights and an amazing Raw Bar, Straits is a cornucopia of incredible dishes that are pleasing to both the eyes and the palate as well. When we were there last month, we had their Hay Tuna Tower (sashimi jewels tosses with a ginger, kefir lime leaf and served for cassava chips -- $14); the Chow Kay Tow (wide rice noodles wok-tossed with prawns, fish cake, Chinese sausage and bean sprouts -- $12); the Banana Blossom Salad (banana flowers, grilled chicken and seasonal fruits with Asian herbs in a Vietnamese vinaigrette -- $9); the Origami Sea bass (baked in parchment with ginger, long an, shiitake mushrooms and rice wine -- $19); and the Tamarind Beef (wok-fired filet mignon and watercress with black pepper oyster sauce.) Everything was absolutely marvelous, with new exciting flavors and inspiring colors. One of the really great things about Straits is that they are open until 2 am every day, so that you can eat late after a night out on the town. They have a full bar and dancing as well. The decor can best be described as contemporary cool and hip. This is not the kind of place I would take young children to. Reservations are strongly suggested.

rnm (pictured above) (598 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117/Phone: (415) 551-7900 www.rnmrestaurant.com) is a American/French Bistro that really goes above and beyond when it comes to serving inventive, inspired food. They walk the walk when it comes to their passion for this cuisine, featuring vegetarian meals, seasonal menus, chef's tasting menus and prix fixe menus. There are a lot of fine dining establishments out there that have the same things on their menu every time you go there, but not rnm. Each experience there is different and unique, which makes eating there exciting. Last time we went there, we ordered items exclusively from the small plates section of the menu. We sampled the Brentwood white corn chowder with chanterelle mushrooms, house smoked bacon and truffle oil ($9): What an amazing blending of deep flavors. The bacon with the mushrooms created a really unique taste; the Parisian style steak tartar with sweet baguette crostini, micro greens and a quail egg ($13): Wow! The soft texture of the hyper-fresh tartare complemented the crunchy baguette perfectly; and the Charcuterie plate with pate, duck rillettes, smoked prosciutto, coppa salami, house made andouille, marinated olives, Dijon and upland cress ($11): a filling and completely satisfying array of wonderful meats and a real value at just $11. rnm also features pizzas, larger plates and from what I have heard, a great selection of desserts. Chef/Owner Justine Minor has put together a great space here. In 2005, the San Francisco Weekly named rnm the "Best Unsung Restaurant" in the Bay Area. But, good news travels fast -- rnm is crowded most nights and reservations are strongly recommended.

Cyrus (29 North Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 433-3311; www.cyrusrestaurant.com) is a two-star Michelin Guide recipient, and one of Gourmet Magazine's "Top 50 Restaurants in America". It also received a 4-star rating from the San Francisco Chronicle. The place features world-class dining in the vineyards of Healdsburg. The Executive Chef/Owner is Douglas Keane, who was chosen as Food & Wine magazine's "Best Chef 2006," offers a very flexible prix fixe format that makes the place a little more affordable. They also have some wonderful wine pairings that are quite reasonably priced. Some of the signature dishes at Cyrus include the Thai Marinated Lobster with Avocado, Melon and Hearts of Palm; the Duck Breast with Tamarind Glazed Eggplant and Edamame with Keffir Lime-Kecap Manis; Bacon Wrapped Pork with Sweet Corn and Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and the Truffled Red Wine Risotto with Parmesan Broth. Reservations are always suggested here; the place is usually booked a month in advance. Cyrus describes their food as "contemporary luxury," and that probably capsulizes it best. It's food people who really care about food.

Come closer. Over here. I have a very important question for you. (whisper)....how's your colon?

It's New Years Eve and in a few hours it will be 2008. I know this isn't the best time to talk about heavy, serious issues, but I have to. As a responsible blogger, I sometimes need to ask the really tough questions, so here goes. How is your colon? When was the last time you thought about it? When was the last time that a medical professional looked at it? As we get older, guys (post-45) our colon becomes more important. That's why the first quarter of 2008 might be an ideal time to consider a colon cleanse. I'm doing one right around midnight. Care to join me?

This Week's Restaurant Review: Ristorante Venticello in SF

I am half Italian and half Irish, which means I can never be in the Mafia. It also means that I love great Italian food. I don’t want to diss Irish food, but let’s put it this way. Comparing the two cuisines is like comparing the Italian Painter Da Vinci to his Irish counterpart, a guy named Paul Henry. Paul who, you ask? Exactly.

And as I have written in many of my past reviews, I truly believe that Italy has produced the finest cuisine in the history of mankind. People can make arguments for each and every culture’s food -- Asian, Spanish, Mexican, German, British, American, Portuguese, Russian -- every country has some amazing traditional dishes that they have been passed down through the ages and each is arguably superior to the next.

We all have differing opinions based on what we grew up eating. But, when you talk about Italian food, you’re talking about the whole package – the passion, the preparation, the stories behind the cuisine – I have always said that there is only one thing Italians like to do as much as eat. And that’s talking about eating.

With that diatribe complete, I want to tell you about an Italian restaurant in San Francisco that represents everything that makes the food from this little boot-shaped peninsula the King of Cuisine. It’s called Venticello Ristorante (1257 Taylor Street @ Washington, SF, CA 94108; Phone: (415) 922-2545. Web site: http://www.venticello.com/) We were there the other night and I’m still salivating.

Tucked away atop Nob Hill, Venticello Ristorante is a quaint little spot with a wood burning oven and fantastic views of the bay. The look that they’re going for, according to the server we talked to, is Tuscan farmhouse. And since I’ve never been to Tuscany, I’ll have to take their word for it. You’ll get a warm, intimate feeling from the minute you walk through the door. If you’re looking for a romantic place, Venticello fits the bill.

The menu is varied and features primarily Northern Italian cuisine. For our antipasti, we had the Melanzane Ripiene ($9), two grilled eggplant rolls with ricotta and mascarpone in a marinara sauce; and the Portobello Con Polenta ($7), a wood oven roasted whole Italian field mushroom over soft polenta. The eggplant rolls were fresh and rich while the Portobello mushroom was earthy and hearty. Both were highly memorable and kicked off our meal magnificently.

For our main courses we ordered Gnocchi Ai Funghi ($17), potato dumplings in a mushroom sauce with gorgonzola; and the Maiale E Balsamico ($23), grilled pork tenderloin medallions with balsamic rum syrup. The gnocchi was homemade and divine and the sauce that accompanied the pork was like nothing we’d ever had. Unbelievable!

Other items we want to try the next time we visit Venticello include the Fettucine Con Salsiccia ($17), fettucine in a creamy fennel seed and sausage meat sauce; Agnello Ai Ferri Con Salsa Di Funghi ($25), rosemary marinated grilled lamb tenderloins with a sweet mushroom Chianti sauce; and Risotto Alla Zafferano Con Scampi ($19), a saffron risotto with basil and tiger shrimp.

Venticello has an extensive wine list. They know their vino, so ask them what will go well with your meal and they’ll be happy suggest wines from different price ranges. Speaking of prices, the food here is very reasonably priced, when compared to other great restaurants in San Francisco offering comparable faire. And the staff at Venticello is professional and the service is excellent.

I love everything about Italian food and Venticello has some of the best in town. Go there soon and you won’t be disappointed. That I can guarantee.

The Tiger That Stole Christmas

We were going to visit the San Francisco Zoo yesterday. I’m not kidding. We’re members of the zoo and pay an annual membership fee so that we can go there whenever we want. Christmas is normally a perfect day to go there, because the place is usually empty.
San Francisco has a great zoo, not as good as the Central Park Zoo in New York City or the San Diego Zoo, but it’s still a decent zoo that has been improving its appearance and adding new exhibits over the last decade.
Well, I am happy we decided to stay home yesterday. Otherwise, I could have ended up as Christmas dinner for a Tiger. What a way to go.
Here’s the story, compliments of SFgate.com:
The same tiger that attacked and mauled a trainer at the San Francisco Zoo last year, attacked and killed one man and seriously injured two more after escaping its pen on Christmas Day.
“Tatiana,” the 350-pound Siberian tiger, managed to escape its cage shortly after 5:00 p.m. and then attacked a man in his 20s who was standing near the tiger exhibit.
The tiger then attacked at least two other visitors to the San Francisco Zoo before being shot and killed by police.
The zoo is closed today as officials try to figure out what went wrong. They also want to conduct a thorough sweep of the grounds during daylight. They said additional victims aren’t likely. They are still uncertain how long the tiger was loose before she was killed by police.
The zoo had five tigers at the zoo – three Sumatrans and two Siberians. Officials initially worried that four tigers had escaped, but found out quickly that Tatiana was the only tiger on the loose.
The three men who were attacked by Tatiana suffered “pretty aggressive marks” SF Police spokesman Steve Mannina said. The two injured men are in critical but stable condition at San Francisco General Hospital after undergoing surgery to have their wounds cleaned and closed, authorities said. They suffered deep bites and claw cuts on their heads, necks, arms and legs.
The zoo’s director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, could not explain how Tatiana escaped. The tiger’s enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foor-wide and 20-foot-high-walls, and the big cat did not exit through an open door, he said.
“There is no way out through the door,” Jenkins said. “The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure.”
This incident opens up a whole controversial can of worms. Many people are mourning more for the tiger than for the man who was killed. The whole moral dilemma surrounding the entire concept of keeping animals captive in zoos is up for discussion.
My take on it is this – we risk incidents like these when we take animals out of the wild and put them in a zoo. I feel equally bad for both Tatiana and for the man who was killed. It is a horrific incident, especially on Christmas.
But, I don’t think zoos are to blame here. The San Francisco Zoo, for instance, does an enormous amount of conservation work and raises tons of money for the protection of endangered species and for helping to save their environments. When people see these animals in zoos, they’re more likely to become involved in efforts to save and protect them. Where else can they go to see these exotic animals? Last time I was in the Castro, I didn’t see any tigers. (I did spot a couple of bears, but that’s a whole different story.)
So, don’t blame the zoo. And you surely can’t blame the tiger. It’s just a very unfortunate incident that ruined Christmas for a lot of people.

Wow! Wetpaint is Wiki Wonderful!

There is a new cutting edge web site that I recently discovered that allows users to create and contribute to a wiki. It’s called www.wetpaint.com, and it is gaining huge attention from the media and online users alike. Created in 2005, this Seattle-based company is backed by big names – Trinity Ventures and Frazier Technology Ventures – so you know that there must be some viable reason for all the big-time buzz. In three easy steps, anyone with even limited tech knowledge can create a wiki in no time. The service has a lot of the identical features that you’ll find on message boards, social networks and blogs. The idea is that blogs are good (and extremely popular right now), but they’re limiting, primarily because they’re too hard to search. And wikis are proven to be great, but the problem with them is that even though the reader can become the editor, writer and fact-checker, the cold hard truth is that they’re too technical and involved for the non-high-tech people of the world. Let’s say you want to find out everything you can about Koi. You know, the beautiful gold fish-looking carp who reside in beautiful Japanese ponds? Sure, there are a ton of different blogs with information about Koi, but unless you can effectively do a search of blogs (which is tough), you are not going to be able to access the information you need. If you have a lot of very specific questions, like what is the best food to feed Koi during the Winter, or where can the very finest Koi be found, you’re going to have a hard time navigating through the world wide web and accessing the appropriate information that you are in need of in order to answer your very targeted and specific questions. But, with a wiki, you can get those specific answers and with Wetpaint you can find those wikis that will take you where you need to be. There’s nothing like Wetpaint! Wetpaint allows anyone with a hobby or interest – whether it be the arts, entertainment, education, gaming, hobbyist, games, lifestyles, music – you name it and you can do a wiki for it, and Wetpaint will help take you exactly where you want to be. You can build a brand new web site and tap into the Wikipedia universe with Wetpaint. Adding to a Wetpaint site is as easy as clicking and typing. It makes it simpler than ever to share ideas, solve problems and find individuals out three who share your passions and interests in a wide variety of different subjects.

The Amazing New World of Condos

You would not believe all of the offers that are out there right now for condos for sale. There is a web site that I found called http://www.prodigynetwork.com/. They feature condo hotels, regular condos, resales and purchases of some of the finest condos in places like New York, Panama, Mexico and Florida. These are great investments because they will always be coveted. They're also ideal for people who don't want to have large yards and big houses to take care of. With spectacular views, all of the finest luxuries and amenities in the world, condos are HOTTER than ever!

It's His Birthday, for Christ's Sake!

Santa Claus has stolen the limelight from Jesus on his birthday and it's just not cool!
Christmas is all about gift giving, Santa Claus and caroling; overeating and sleeping in; egg nog and mistletoe; wild office parties and designated drivers.

It’s about getting together with relatives you can’t stand and sitting in airports for hours on end; driving around mall parking lots and dealing with screaming brats and teetering seniors.

It’s about putting lights on the house without falling off the roof; killing a perfectly nice evergreen tree and keeping it alive in your living room with sugar water until December 26th, when you dump it on the corner like an unwanted stepchild.

It’s your Aunt Irene’s terrible Jello fruit mold and Grandma Victoria's “Armageddon survivor’s” fruitcake.

My question is -- before we get totally lost in all the hoopla -- what the heck happened to Jesus? I mean, isn’t Christmas supposed to His birthday? How and why did Santa Claus and his entourage push Our Savior to the back pages of the newspaper, across from the Suduko, Word Jumble and obituaries? How on earth did the Big Guy from Heaven fall so fast? And how can He make a comeback? I mean, if John Travolta and Mariah Carey did it, surely Jesus can figure out how to get back on the front page, without killing someone or entering rehab.

There’s no doubt about it -- Jesus needs a complete makeover. My advice to Our Lord is to hire a new, hip publicist and start appealing to the teenagers and 20-somethings of the world. Change water into Red Bull. Get a newer robe with a higher thread count. Put pictures in the Bible. Better yet, make it a pop-up book. Did you know that they have Grecian Formula for beards now? Do some 8-minute abs. Get on myspace or facebook. Write for BrooWaha. Go on Springer or Ellen. Get your own video game.

And Jeez, change your back story. The whole part about the crucifixion needs to be spun a little differently. No one likes to hear about a guy getting strung up on a cross and being left to die. It’s not warm and fuzzy. It’s dark and bloody. It scares kids and grosses people out. Tell folks you got hit by a chariot or abducted by aliens or snatched up by some cult, I don’t know.

I do like the swaddling clothes in the manger part of the story, however. Stick with that and maybe expand on it a little. Everyone’s encountered an overbooked hotel and people will always gravitate toward the “local kid makes good” /”rags to riches” type of thing.

And spruce up the three wise men bearing gifts concept. Alter the story to where they’re the three “baby daddy’s” -- it’s more contemporary. Maybe change their presents to an iPhone, a Nintendo Wii and some Viagra. I mean, who evens knows what frankincense and myrrh are anyway? No one from this century, that’s for sure.

I’m not trying to be sacrilegious here. I believe in God and I’m a big fan of Jesus. I was raised Catholic. I saw “Hair” twice and actually sat through "The Passion” even though I knew the ending. People will be upset over this article, because religion is a very sensitive subject. I know enough to avoid the topic at parties, believe me.

Many of my friends are Jews, Scientologists, Atheists, Buddhists, Amway Sales People, Members of the Raider Nation -- even Ignostics (that’s the religion where you think there’s a higher power but are too ignorant or apathetic to bother figuring out what you believe).

I respect your religion, whatever it is. I have no problem with your God, whoever he or she may be. Just don’t try to convert me or ask me to go to bake sales or buy raffle tickets.

I just feel like The Most Holy One deserves more press than He’s getting, especially on His birthday. If it weren’t for Jesus, we’d be spending the holiday season waiting for "Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Special" and watching over-hyped college bowl games.

Without Jesus, there would be no Santa. There would be no Christmas tree. There would be no Uncle Jack to fall asleep after dinner and drool all over your parent’s loveseat. There would be no teeth shattering fruit cake. And there would surely be no reason to run up your credit card bill buying useless stuff that will all eventually end up as ancient landfill long after mankind is a painful afterthought.

So, let’s put Christ back in Christmas and put a big “X” over Xmas. Let’s throw Him the 34th birthday bash he never resurrected Himself in time to enjoy. For Christ’s sake – it’s the right thing to do. After all, He did die for our sins. (Question: Does that include the ones we haven’t committed yet?)

Mr. & Mrs. Joker

This photo of the new Joker was revealed recently. The Joker is my favorite villain. Jack Nicholsen was the best Joker, with Cesar Romero finishing a close second. The newest Joker is being played by Heath Ledger. He looks really strange -- and mean.

Too bad Leona Helmsley isn't around anymore, because she would have made a great Mrs. Joker.