Mony came up on Thursday night for Valentine's weekend so we can have an extra day together. It was nice having him for another night. I know lots of people have it worse, and I should be thankful I even have someone, but I still don't think I see him enough. That's just me being selfish I suppose, but he would agree that we both want to see each other more, and that's just the nature of the things.
We both decided to not do anything too special because we're both trying to save money for our Thailand trip some time in April or May. And even so, we both should be saving our money anyway, considering the amount of flights we've been making back and forth to see one another. And so instead of buying gifts for each other, we just relished the fact that we can see each other at all. But that isn't to say we didn't make the days together special.
Thursday night, after I picked him up from the airport, we went to a small Japanese sushi place down the street from my apartment. I like the fact that it's real Japanese operated and owned. The menu was simple, sushi and sashimi along with some cooked fish dishes. Nothing fried, grilled, no ramen, none of your typical Americanized Japanese joints. So nothing glazed on teriyaki, or dunked in tempura. The prices were a few dollars per item over my usual range, but when it comes to food, I love being adventurous, so price was of no matter. The flavors were definitely there, but portions were small (this is probably closer to Japanese portions than what Americans are used to anyhow), some were definitely more experimental, but I give them props for being creative. This restaurant definitely is meant for the locals with acquired tastes. Not the best I've had, but I would give it another chance.
I had work Friday, so I left the house keys and the rental to Mony. He had lunch with some ex-colleagues and errands to run. The feeling of knowing he's here, locally, readily available to me, is comforting. That I can go home and see him there, that he can come pick me up after work, makes me feel warm. He drove by after I left work and headed home together. There's a sense of belonging in the act of going home with someone. Not something people think about or lament over, but it puts a smile on my face to be able to do that. I just hope we can do that soon, for good.
I wanted to take him to another local joint near my apartment that night, since there are so many good eats and known places in the foodie world around my place. No reservations were necessary for Park Chow, so we just walked right up. The restaurant itself was situated in what used to be a residential house with wooden panel floors and molding on the walls and ceiling still intact. The upper level was the roof deck converted into an extra floor by a retractable fitted roof awning. Heat lamps kept the upstairs nice and cozy, and in the front nook, there was a fireplace that we sat near. The vibe was homey, easy-going, and casual. The clientele ranged from families to intimate lovers, a rather mixed group. I've had their food before at another one of their four restaurants in the San Francisco area and can vouch for their quality. So I ordered the dish I knew I personally loved: Slow stewed beef short ribs with mashed potatoes and watercrest. Mony ordered a Thai-styled salad (which was incredible, though he said he can make one even better), and a Winter Chanterelle Mushroom Pizza. We had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant afterwards and the food definitely hit the spot. To top off the dinner with dessert, we hopped into a Greek cafe on the way back for a bite of baklava, and it was exactly just that: a bite-- and what perfect a bite it was!
We met up with the guys afterwards at my pad and had some wine and cocktails before heading off to the club for the rest of the night. How I managed to drive home I have no idea. hahaa. Apparently I'm an aggressive driver. *shrug* who knew?!
Saturday we went to a Greek cafe in Cambell for brunch, and visited the bakery that Mony's friend worked at. Running out of things to do, we ended up watching Benjamin Button. While the film itself was well shot, with really great post-production, the pace was just too slow for me. And it being over two hours really tried my patience. It isn't to say I didn't enjoy the film, I just thought it was rather predictable, and it took away the emotionality of what it was intending to do. Quite honestly, I got more emotional at the preview of DisneyEarth movie for Earth Day than the entire Button film. Something about animals and nature gets me really really really emotional. No idea why, at least I haven't psychoanalyzed myself on that yet. We then drove over to Newark for a dinner party at my buddy Eugene's place. Our friends from New York were visiting, so it was a triple date of sorts. We brought some wine and starters with McManis 2006 and a Ménage à trois Merlot and herb and spiced brie spread on mini toast. Eugene's bf Paul was the chef for the night. He served raw oysters, baked oysters topped with chutney, bacon, cheese, with a lite Panco sprinkle, mussels with white wine lemongrass broth, strip steak with spring greens salad drizzled with pomegranate vinaigrette with five spice risotto. And to end with dessert, we brought red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting with toffee nut crunch sprinkles. Dinner was spectacular to say the least.
I drove back to SF while Mony slept soundly in the passenger seat.
Sunday was a bit of a mess with the rain, traffic, and piece-meal plans. Those combined with a tight time schedule makes me a bit grumpy. So I'd rather not get into that. It was just unfortunate that we didn't get a chance to spend more time with my friends that were visiting, with Mony as well. I drove Mony to the airport around seven, returned the rental, and waited with him for his departure. He went into the terminal past security to get some food, then brought it out to eat with me, because there were no food places on the outside of the terminal (a flaw in the design of the airport). But the sandwich and chicken strips, no matter how expensive and how bland they tasted, just that we shared it was good enough for me. Like the many times I've done so, I watched him go through the security line, onward to his gate, blew him a kiss, and exited the airport to go home. And I felt the heartstrings pulled tightly until we see each other again.
++
I should really start remembering to take photos of the food I eat...
Labels: airports, food, love, valentine's
