Powers of Two

One thousand and twenty-four (1,024) is a power of two - 2^10.  

October 24th (10/24) also happens to be my friend Jeff's birthday.  On Tuesday, I went to dinner with him at Comstock Saloon with his boyfriend Sam (the inspiration for my blog) and my roommate Mitra Lohrasbpour (whose full name I am using so that when she's googled, "Powers of Two" will pop up).  Mitra and Sam (not relevant, but both are MIT alums) were the ones that pointed out the power of two correlation to Jeff's birthday, and for that, this blog post is dedicated to them. 

In a group of 23 people, at least two will have the same birthday with a probability greater than 1/2.

When you walk into Comstock Saloon, on Columbus and Pacific, the restored 1907 building musters up feelings of being transformed to Prohibition-era times, complete with dim lighting, dark-wood decor and a leather booklet detailing the fanciful cocktails. Our waiter, a kind, whimsical man from Virginia with tortoise-shell glasses and a jovial laugh, was incredibly friendly, overly attentive and bounced to and from our table quite often, checking up on us and taking new orders.  

12+3-4+5+67+8+9=100

The restaurant, opened by the same guys who opened Absinthe in Hayes Valley, was the only San Francisco bar to make it to Esquire's "Best Bars in America 2011" list, and so of course, we had to order some cocktails.  From Jeff's Sazerac, with rye, sugar and Absinthe, to Mitra's "Blood and Sand" with scotch, vermouth and cherry liquor, the Powers of Two conversation became exponentially more interesting. 

Among all shapes with the same perimeter, a circle has the largest area.

For small plates, we shared the Hangtown Toast with pickled eggs, bacon and oyster dressing a 7x7 Big Eat 2011 Pick, and the jalapeno corn fritters, which we devoured quickly.  The toast was one of the most unusual things I've eaten: the toast was crisp, the pickled eggs had a subtle tartness to them and the dressing gave the toast some moistness.  The toast was surprisingly light, considering the ingredients on it, and the compact pieces were perfect as small bites. 

   111,111,111

x 111,111,111

12,345,678,987,654,321 (it's a palindrome)

(1 + 2 + 3 + ... n)^2 = 1^3 + 2^3 + ... +n^3.

As entrees, Jeff and I shared the beef shank and bone marrow pot-pie and the fried oyster and ham po' boy with cole slaw and potato chips.  The pot-pie was my favorite - when we smashed into the crispy, crumbly crust with our forks, the aromas of beef steamed up and the shank pieces were tender and juicy.  

The sum of the squares of the first 7 primes is 666:

2^2 + 3^2 + 5^2 + 7^2 + 11^2 + 13^2 + 17 ^2 = 666.

The po- boy was well done as well - the fried oyster and ham pieces were substantial and fried foods always make my heart flutter.  The potato chips that came on the side were amazing as well: spicy, oily and crisp, like an upgraded Kettle's barbeque chip. 

The sum of the first 144 digits of pi is 666.

Overall, we had some great American fare, punctuated by cocktails worthy of the 7x7 list.  The highlight, however, and definitely a reason to make a visit, was our kind waiter, who appeared frequently with a twinkle in his eyes, hunched down eagerly when listening to our questions and humored us when we asked him personal questions.  

For the finale:

6x7=42

66x67=4422

666x667=444222

6666x6667=44442222

66666x66667=4444422222

666666x666667=444444222222

6666666x6666667=44444442222222

Enjoy your meal!

Restaurant:	Comstock Saloon
Location:	155 Columbus Ave, SF, CA
Items ordered:	Hangtown Toast with Pickled Eggs; Jalapeno Corn Fritters, Beef Shank and Bone Marrow Pot-Piel Fried Oyster and Ham Po' Boy
Pricing:	$10-$30
Grades:	Taste: B+; Cleanliness: A-; Service: A+

Pictures of the Remains

At Santana Row this weekend, I took about five thousand pictures of my almost-bride friend, Frances Sun, as she tried on her wedding dress and Joyce and I learned how to help her put it on.  But all the white taffeta and invisible mini-buttons and small, tricky strings that are impossible to find seemed to muddle my brain because I forgot to take pictures of our delicious dinner after, only remembering when the food was almost gone.  Hopefully pictures of empty plates will do justice to our meal at Village California Bistro & Wine Bar.  But first, a picture of the beautiful setting:

We went family style, ordering a halibut ceviche, the seafood risotto and one order of the "Sunset 3 course dinner" for $29, which included the seasonal soup, Twice Cooked Cubano pork, and a peach cobbler dessert.

We started with the seasonal soup, a creamy corn soup with plenty of spices, topped with a medley of garnishes.  It was warm and full-bodied and delicious to sop up with the sides of bread.  Along with the soup, we ate a halibut ceviche with thick, generous pieces of halibut, The ceviche wasn't too amazing - I like mine with lots more acidic juices and more spices, but the purple potato chips, that accompanied the ceviche, stole the show.  The crispy, salty purple potato chips prompted Fran to ask if we thought the chips came from potatoes that were actually purple.

The question was too loaded for Joyce and I to respond to at the time, and Frances probably cared more about the fact that purple potatoes would go well with her purple wedding colors and our purple bridesmaids dresses.  But to answer Fran's question, the purple potato chips did in fact come from purple potatoes.  Purple potatoes have a dry, starchy and nutty flavor, are believed to have originated in Peru, and are high in antioxidants - similar to berries and pomegranates.  Hopefully, they will appear on Fran's wedding menu :)

Next, we shared the seafood risotto and the Cubano pork.  The pork was great - it was tender and aggressively spiced with sweet potato hash and pickled vegetables complementing it.  The risotto was my favorite - it was creamy, smooth, and cheesy, and you can never go wrong with mussels, clams and a variety of fish thrown in.  I somehow managed to take a picture before every morsel was eaten:

We ended with peach cobbler dessert - the peaches were plump and juicy and the cobbler crust was sweet and crunchy.  Every bite was warm and complemented by thick peach juices and the cobbler bits were buttery and chewy.  The scoop of ice cream on top provided a welcome, contrasting coolness.  It was refreshing and evocative and left us serene and stuffed and Joyce may have drifted into temporary unconsciousness afterwards.  Have I described the dessert well enough?  Hopefully so, because this is all you'll get in the way of a picture:

Bangers and Mash and Little Beers

So, the other day, Kevin Fisher finally agreed to hang out with me after I told him he could be in my blog. Yay!

We went to Jasper's Corner Tap and Kitchen on the corner of Taylor and O'Farrell (formerly the location of Ponzu), which just opened a week ago.  The restaurant serves upscale pub food, (a "gastropub") and a variety of cocktails and beers from around the world. I had sort of forgotten to make a reservation, and the website didn't have any availability, but when we got there, they were able to seat us immediately.  The decor was great - plenty of space, simply decorated and was packed without seeming too crowded.  There are a total of 137 seats in the restaurant, including the bar, a lounge area and two communal tables.

We decided to forgo the cocktail list, aptly named "The Beverage Book" at 16 pages and started with a couple of beers.  I got the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, which was great - it tasted like a Guinness but was much smoother - and Kevin got an ale.

The waitress brought them over in these glasses and explained that the restaurant gave smaller pours because the beers had a higher alcohol content and they wanted the clientele to be able to enjoy multiple drinks.  Which basically was her way of telling us we were getting ripped off.  KF of course told her he wouldn't mind a bigger glass of beer and he would still be able to enjoy multiple drinks and then she fake laughed and walked away.

While recovering from the $7 mini-beer slap in the face we'd just been blown, we enjoyed the following appetizers: berkshire pork ribs with a scallion citrus rub and a salted warm soft pretzel with a side of smoked gouda and cheddar fondue. The fondue was incredible - it was warm and viscous without being too sharp and cheesy, and its mellow flavor complemented the soft pretzel well.  The riblettes were my favorite of the entire meal: the meat fell off the bone and the scallion citrus rub was tangy and zesty.

After appetizers, Kevin ordered another beer, hoping to get in at least a full pint of beer for the night and we settled in for the entrees: fish & chips and bangers & mash.  The fish & chips were decent - the fish was tender and crispy (made with a polenta crust) and came with a tart dipping sauce.  The bangers and mash were pretty amazing: spicy pork and beef sausage with an onion sauce, mashed potatoes with chives mixed in, and peas and fancy mini carrots.  The sausage had a surprising kick and the assertive taste was balanced by the smoothness and richness of the potato puree.

Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience - I would go back.  Jasper's fulfilled my expectations of an "upscale" gastropub, particularly when we received the check. (Kevin started crying when he saw it and then remembered he wasn't on a KPMG salary anymore)  Although the meal fell on the pricey side, any place that can bring me back to memories of being a 20-year old study abroad college student in a seedy London pub on a foggy night gets my approval.

Restaurant:	Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen
Location:	401 Taylor Street, SF, CA
Items ordered:	Berkshire Pork Ribs, Soft Pretzel with Fondue, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Pricing:	$10-$30
Grades:	Taste: A; Cleanliness: A-; Service: B+

The Missing Avocado

On Friday night, our friend Michael Flanagan, who was crashing on our couch, and I went down to Polkers Gourmet Burgers on Polk Street for some burgers.  Polkers is one of my neighborhood favorites as it was the place my roommate and I had our first dinner in San Francisco four years ago.  Their burgers come with fun, unique variations and their satisfying brunches draw long waits on the weekends.  I still remember eating huevos rancheros here one New Year's day in a state of bliss.

Friday, however, the fog must have settled in a little too thickly over Russian Hill.  We both ordered the Habanero Burger "Extremely Spicy" because the extremely spicy moniker seemed like a good challenge.  The burger came with jack cheese, avocado aioli, and a habanero salsa on the side, which appeared to be a mixture of tomato paste, chopped up habanero peppers and onions.

We both selectively had overlooked the word "aioli" in the description and spent about two minutes looking for some avocado, before realizing that it was in fact a very thinly spread aioli on one bun which did not contribute to the taste of the burger.  I was disappointed because I love avocados and Michael was disappointed because avocados are green and that is one of Notre Dame's colors.

In addition, applying the salsa separately seemed like a smart idea, but the clumpy nature of the salsa caused the burger bites to vary from no salsa bites to fiery hot bites.  The patty itself was cooked well and was perfectly medium.  The side salad that came with it wasn't amazing but that's what you get for ordering a side of salad with a hamburger.  Overall, we left feeling satisfied but not too impressed with the meal.  I would still go back to Polkers but will change up my order.

On another note, I ordered an Arnold Palmer, my non-alcoholic beverage of choice, at dinner.  An Arnold Palmer is a drink made up of half lemonade and half iced tea and is named after a famous golfer.  It can also be called a half and half and the alcoholic version (using vodka or sweet tea) is called a John Daly.

When I ordered it, Michael was Super impressed.  He used words like "wow" and "bold choice" and almost switched his drink order as well.  I think he was being sincere.  I would have found it strange, but I've faced similar reactions when I order the drink with a group.  I don't know why - it's lemonade and iced tea mixed together and it's really quite simple.  Anyways, the point of this sidenote is that if you'd like an easy way to impress a table at a meal, order an Arnold Palmer and you will be a hero and I cannot give you a good reason why.

Restaurant:	Polker's Gourmet Burgers
Location:	2226 Polk Street, SF, CA
Items ordered:	Habanero Burger "Extremely Spicy"; Arnold Palmer
Pricing:	$10-$30
Grades:	Taste: B-; Cleanliness: A-; Service: A