How the Mighty Have Fallen

Heroes are people who you trust, look up to, admire and want your kids to grow up emulating. As children grow older, they lose sight of the fact that their parents are real heroes, working to help them grow into young adults. Their minds instead wander to athletes, movie stars and musicians who they idolize and seemingly, would do anything to meet. With the recent “tabloid fodder” surrounding Tiger Woods, the definition of hero can now be more clearly defined than ever before.

Tiger Woods is an amazing figure, an icon in the world of sports. He has defined the golf world for over a decade, winning tournaments in a manner which has never been seen before. Changes to his swing, instructors and injuries have failed to derail the “Tiger Express.” Working in the golf industry when he declared “Hello World,” I saw firsthand the change in the sport, for both the good and bad. He brought new faces and people into the game that may never have thought of golf as a sport. His popularity and the global marketing of the Tiger Brand brought golf to a new level of popularity. It was suddenly cool to play the game. As his dominance on the PGA Tour grew and endorsement dollars continues to roll in, some wondered if he would join the likes of former greats Muhammed Ali and Jim Brown and take a stand on social issues in the world. To the disappointment of many, he kept to his guns and rarely let the public into his world, his private life.

Over the last few years, TIger has continued creating unbelievable memories for sports fans, seemingly doing the impossible. And his popularity continued to grow by leaps and bounds But on a fateful Thanksgiving night, his world has seemingly come crashing down before our very own eyes. Tiger crashed his car the day after Thanksgiving and the rumors started to fly about what happened. Then, came stories of infidelity, his wife, Elin attacking him with a golf club and the possible use of painkillers and alcohol that night. Most of the stories were reported by tabloids, like the National Enquirer, TMZ and US Weekly. But, the mainstream media soon ran with the story and it became a headline in ever newspaper, magazine and TV show across the country and around the world. His legacy and name was tarnished, possibly forever.

The reporting of the incident has been salacious at best, as the media both new and old gobbled it up immediately. Rumors were reported as fact and outlets wanted to scoop each other and be the first to report each and every breaking piece in the fiasco. And while many took the side of Tiger, saying he has every right to lead his own private life, without the media butting in, the main part of the story has quickly been forgotten. Tiger’s wife and two children are the real victims in this whole ordeal. Whether they stay with him or leave doesn’t matter. They will be scarred, hounded by media and never be able to live this down.

What Charles Barkley said was right: athletes are not role models, no matter how great they are on the field. Many have been given everything from a time when they were young because of their athletic ability. As they go off to college and professional sports, they are continually pampered and adjust to living a lavish lifestyle. But, many times, their demons off the court come front and center for the world to see. Sure, there are athletes that can be treated as role models for their work in the community, charitable donations and their general attitude off the playing field. Those are the ones that know they are blessed and have been give a great opportunity and platform to make a difference in people's lives. But as a whole, I would not classify the professional athlete as someone to look up to. Kids should look up to their parents, or those that raised them. They should look up to firefighters, police officers and veterans of the armed forces who risk their lives everyday to make this a safer place to live in. Friends who give them a helping hand or are there for advice and words of wisdom. Those are the people we should place on those pedestals and see in commercials on our television screens.

Now, the problem becomes, how do we explain this to our kids. Just like when actors get arrested or musicians OD on drugs, it’s a fine line parents have to walk. But that’s what makes them even more heroic; they can say, this is not how you should act as a person. You should really be more like me.

Tiger will be fine. I laugh at the critics who say he will completely quit golf or won’t eclipse Jack Nicklaus’ majors. If anything, this will motivate him to win even more than before, to cement his golfing legacy while his personal life has taken a hit. Michael Jordan went through similar controversies with extramarital affairs, gambling problems, yet still achieved greatness on the court. Ray Lewis was accused of murder, yet won a Super Bowl soon thereafter. Kobe Bryant was accused of rape, but still won MVP’s and a ring. No one is perfect. But let’s as society stop putting these people on a pedestal when we know that all that will happen is being disappointed in one way or another. The role of celebrities should be seen in the light of entertainment; that is what they are here to do and we should enjoy every minute of that. But the hero worship needs to go.

So my advice... look at people that have shaped your life for the good, people that have stood by and watched you grow into the person that you are today. And don't get fooled again by what you see on TV...because it might not always be the truth.

Tiger Woods

So, here's my take on the Tiger Woods car crash that has been in the news. Is this really newsworthy? He got in a crash, no major injuries that we know of, it was a solo vehicle accident, his wife got him out of the car and he went to the hospital and was later released. Those are the facts that we know; sadly, the reason this is a news story is the speculation and rumormongering that has become the news business. I am in the business and sadly, you can see it everyday in one story or another. Working on Sunday, our network headline bottom of the hour story was Tiger Woods and not the fact that four police officers were brutally shot in Washington. What I want to know is when did TMZ and the National Enquirer start becoming legitimate forms of journalism? Is there more to this story? I'm sure details will come out one way or another. The fact that this involves the world's most famous athlete makes it a story...but let's be careful and not start blowing things out of proportion. I'm not a huge fan of Tiger Woods but am an avid golf fan. I respect his golf skills and feels he's a once in a lifetime athlete that we may never see the likes of again. But I also respect his wishes to keep this private, even though he is such a recognizable public figure. He has that right as we all would if we were in his situation. But unfortunately, I don't think this story will die and it will be dragged out until something comes out, whether good or bad. It is really one of the first "scandals" he has been involved in and it will be interesting to see how he handles it. But, now people realize why he has not been very forthcoming in speaking out on issues in the past. He wants his private life to be private, no matter how big his public persona becomes. He will never be Muhammad Ali, speaking out against what he felt was wrong with society. That's just not his nature, even though he is probably a very bright, well-spoken guy who has a different worldview than others. Unfortunately, this story will probably not die because the news media won't let it. Bad journalism is journalism filled with rumors, accusations and false reporting...where are the days where reporters actually go the source of the story and try to find out the truth, rather than restating something from another, less reliable source. Reporters should be held accountable for these actions. In the end, it's just one in the line of journalistic behavior these days, a life of soap opera type stories filling our front page.

San Francisco Dining-My List

I enjoy going out to eat...A LOT!!! Marcy and I have tried a number of different cuisines, restaurants and we have found some great ones, good and less than desirable. Here is the list of most of the places we've visited. I will try to review as many as possible in the near future. By the way, I apologize ahead of time if I missed any restaurants.

Five Pencils (Instead of stars, has to be original since I'm a writer!)

1. Sebo-BEST SUSHI I'VE EVER HAD, BAR NONE!!!

2. Boulevard- Classic food, classy place, great atmosphere and service.

3. Swan Oyster Depot- An absolute lunch staple. Fresh seafood, great family staff. Remember though, cash only.

4. Bar Crudo- Haven't been to the new location on Divisadero, but the place is great for raw seafood. Underrated selection of great beers and wines too.

5. Waterbar- Probably a controversial selection, but we really liked this place. Terrific views, service was excellent and the food was outstanding. A little pricey, but what isn't in SF!

6. Good Luck Dim Sum- One of my friends advised me on this gem. Inexpensive, but very filling. You can feed an army on $30.

7. Petite Deli- Awesome, wonderful, tiny sandwich shop in North Beach. If you blink, you might miss it. Great sandwiches and not too expensive.

8. Ikes' Place- Another great sandwich shop. Has kind of a cult following on Yelp. Nice little flower stand down the street too.

9. Delica rf-1- Best place in the Ferry Building. Great Japanese food. Especially love the wasabi potato salad. Yummy.

10. Opaque Dining in the Dark- Have to experience it to believe it. Yes, you do eat in the dark!!

Four Pencils

1. Ame- I was sick for this dinner, but they have great food, drinks and a really nice decor and atmosphere.

2. Foreign Cinema- I love this place! Would like to go here again, could definitely see it move up in the rankings. What could be better than dinner with a movie?

3. Aziza- Moroccan restaurant with great food and drinks. Really cool interior as well. Kind of dark and mysterious.

4. La Ciccia- Have been twice and loved it both times. Authentic Sardinian food and the owners are really friendly.

5. Limon- Peruvian almost tapas style menu. They just reopened after a fire kept them closed for over a year. Grilled octopus is to die for!! Good sangria too.

6. A16- Good food and atmosphere. Don't think the restaurant will change much, but it will be interesting to see what comes next since their executive chef left for NY.

7. Bushi Tei- Have only been for Dine About Town, but the lunch was amazing. Really cool french/fusion restaurant with a nice atmosphere in Japantown.

8. Incanto- Great restaurant. The executive chef, Chris Cosentino is a really cool guy; he talked to us about the place while we were eating and gave us a free dessert.

9. E Tutto Qua- It's hard to differentiate between the Italian restaurants in North Beach, but this is a great one. Really good food and nice wine selection as well.

10. AsiaSF- Hmmmm...how to describe this place. It is definitely a spot for a party or fun get together. The food is actually pretty good. The entertainment is hilarious. There are incriminating pictures of me...I won't go any further!

11. New Eritrea Restaurant- Have you ever tried Ethiopian food? Well it is terrific, inexpensive and very tasty. And the Tej wine is really good as well.

12. Supper Club- Really interesting experience. Food was a little off, but environment/atmosphere was cool. Who knew you could sleep on a bed and eat in public. Definitely for those who like to people watch.

Three Pencils

1. Slanted Door- Very good food, but I don't think it's worth the hype, long wait and high prices. But what do I know, every time I pass the place, it's packed.

2. One Market- I am holding judgement on this one. We had dinner here after a long day and I think I ordered the wrong item. I was not a big fan. The wine list is huge and very expensive. Definitely bring your own bottle.

3. La Mar Cebicheria- Great Peruvian food and a wonderful setting on the pier. The drinks are awesome as well, great sangria and pisco sours. The service really lacked as it was slow, slow and slower. But really love this place.

4. Tadich Grill- The staple of San Francisco and a really cool place to eat. Have to go there once just to say you did.

5. Absinthe- Another Dine About Town lunch. Great, stiff drinks they will knock you on your butt. Good food as well. I just there's too much fuss since the Executive Chef was on Top Chef. But a nice restaurant.

6. Ozumo- Have been to both in Oakland and San Francisco. Really fresh fish, nice modern environment. Very cool design in both. Just a little off from what Sebo offers.

7. Roy's- Hawaiian-Asian Fusion cuisine. Really liked the appetizers and sushi; was less impressed with the main fish dishes.

I've been to a ton of other places both good, okay and bad. The great thing about dining in San Francisco is the fact that you can try a new place and get a great experience. It might be a hole in the wall a Michelin Award winning restaurant or a food stand. But the options are endless. I hope to try more places out in the near future!!

Poetry

So I like to write.  And now that I'm commuting from San Jose to San Francisco everyday, I get to spend an hour or more on BART or Caltrain, the perfect opportunity to get some writing done.  Over the past week, poetry has really stoked my interest.  I love haikus, but went with longer poems to start off with.  Let me know what you think

Love

What is it?

It's physical, mental, emotional

That feeling that comes over you.

You see that person you so desire

And you heart skips a beat.

It flutters, the emotions stirring within.

Is it true?

Only time will tell.

What is it?

It's almost indescribable

How overcome you can get with emotions,

You laugh and cry, smile and frown

And show your heart and soul.

What is it?

That feeling you get

When you feel so close to that special someone

Hold their hand

And whisper sweet nothings in their ear

A kiss, a hug

Any form of affection will do.

What is it?

In can come in the form

Of a letter, a phone call

Just three little words

Will speak volumes

For how you feel.

What is it?

It's love of course, that's what it is.

Boulevard-A San Francisco Classic

Words can't really describe my experience at Boulevard.  True class are the first words that come to mind as this is a restaurant that represents all that is San Francisco.  Dining alone in SF can be fun and enjoyable as there are so many places to do so.  You get to meet interesting people and can really savor what is being served  After my first week at my new job, I decided to treat myself to dinner at the Michelin Star restaurant.  My first thought: I love the building and decor.  Elegant, but not overly fancy; old-school charm and placed in the historic Audiffred Building near the Embarcadero.  I walked in and was seated at the bar seating near the open kitchen.  Boulevard tends to book well in advance, but if you get a chance to sit in this area, jump at the opportunity.  

You get an up close opportunity to watch your chefs in action right in front of you!!  I always think first impressions can be key to enjoying your dining experience; at Boulevard, they hit a home run right off the bat.  I asked where the restroom was and instead of pointing in the direction or vicinity, the hostess led me all the way to the back of the room and showed me what flight of stairs to take to get to the restroom.  First class!!  After settling in, I couldn't keep my eyes off the chefs; it was like an assembly line as each had a certain task to complete.  Executive chef Nancy Oakes was overseeing the whole operation, which was run like a well-oiled machine.  My waiter introduced himself, gave me the specials for the evening and let me salivate over the menu.  I always like to ask servers opinions of what they like and dislike on a menu.  It gives me a sense of not only what the specialties are, but also how well the server can navigate through the menu.  I of course went with some of his suggestions, starting with the buffalo carpaccio as an appetizer and the pork chop as a main dish.

The appetizer had pickled eggplant and mayo as an almost garnish, although the carpaccio didn't really need anything.  It had an almost smoky flavor to it, with each piece more tender and flavorful than the next.  But the mixture of a sweet, almost vinegar-like eggplant, creamy mayo and smoky beef were a wonderful combination.  Nothing really took away from the meat, it just enhanced the flavor.  After pondering, I decided to enjoy a glass of vino with my pork prime rib chop.  Like most restaurants, the wine is highly overpriced; SUGGESTION FOR ALL RESTAURANTS...BRING IN YOUR OWN BOTTLE AND PAY THE $25-30 CORKAGE FEE!!  The wine list is quite extensive and I settled for a nice cab.  The main course: WOW!  A full description from the menu: Eden Valley Pork Prime Rib Chop (Iowa)- Wood oven roasted, Farm Egg Spaetzle with Ham Hock and Herbs, Champagne Grape Relish, Fondant Red Pearl Onions, Broccoli Di Ciccio with Chilli and Garlic, Roast Pork Jus with Sage and Juniper.  I know, a mouthful.

But it turned into a great entree.  The meat was so tender and juicy, it really just fell off the bone.  It was cooked perfectly, bright pink inside.  And the mix of colors and plating was spectacular.  I ended up next to a father and daughter who were dining there.  They fell in love with the open kitchen as well and upon seeing the pork chop, the daughter said she had to order it.  I told her it was a great choice.  Every portion of the meal, from water, bread, appetizer, main entree and wine was above par and excellent.  I could not ask for a better dining experience.  Boulevard is a wonderful institution of San Francisco and really must be experienced.  Just make your reservations early!! 

Golf for a cause

Monday, June 15 was a special day at Ruby Hill Golf Club.  I was able to take part in a very unique event for a great cause.  Kurt and Beth Thompson are part of CancerCare, an organization that donates money to cancer research, with their fundraiser being a marathon golf day.  What started out as 100 holes in a day has become a passion for Kurt as he continues to top himself year after year.  

Last year, he was able to complete 301 holes in a single day, with the help of friends and family, who drove him hole-to-hole as he completed his journey before the sun set.  This year, he recruited some friends to help him out. Kurt, Jeff Newton, Tim Marchi, Joe Gile and myself all played 100 holes of golf on the front nine at Ruby Hill.  We started at 6 in the morning and amazingly completed all hundred holes by 12:30!  There was a little wager amongst the fivesome (Ahem...we won't tell them who lost KURT!), a few errant shots, lots of running, a few "pony dances" and over 85 birdies in total!  

Having driven Kurt around the last two years, it was a lot of fun to actual get to participate this time around.  And the whole event benefits cancer research, which is such an important cause to so many of us who have dealt with the disease.  Overall, we all had a great time and are all looking forward to helping Kurt and Beth again next year.

Here's some video I shot while playing.  Sorry for all the shakiness; it's hard driving a golf cart, shooting video and trying to golf at the same time!

Sushi Nirvana!!

Good sushi restaurants can be hard to come by.  It all depends on your taste, likes and dislikes.  It's difficult to stray from sushi places that you like because you know what to expect and the quality of fish you're going to receive.  But I wanted to try a new place, one I've heard a lot about recently.  So I made my way solo up to San Francisco and checked out Sebo in Hayes Valley.  The first thing you will notice is it's very difficult to find.  No sign out front, just an open door and menu on the front window.  It is a very small restaurant that seats six at the sushi bar and probably no more than 25-30 in the regular dining area.  They don't take reservations either, so if you want to sit down immediately, it's best that you get here when they first open (Tuesday-Sunday at 6:00 PM).  Another great feature of the restaurant; you can bring in your own bottle of sake with no added charge!  Not to mention that True Sake is right across the street, so you can pick up a fairly inexpensive bottle and enjoy it with the sushi.  

I was the second group in and took a seat at the sushi bar.  From what I had heard, the way to go is to order "omakase," which translates to chef's choice.  I was ready to dig in!  One of the amazing things about Sebo is that they get their fish flown in daily from three major markets in Japan.  So while fish in San Francisco is usually amazingly fresh, the quality and texture was something I have never had before.  

I started off with an interesting appetizer.  Slightly grilled nori (seaweed) seasoned with sea salt with a small slice of avocado on the side.  Sushi chef Fukashi Adachi said to eat them together and the sea salt flavored nori would match the soft texture of the avocado. He was exactly correct.  No rice needed, the textures and flavors were perfect together.  After enjoying the appetizer, it was on to the fish.  

I started with a sashimi plate which included four different fish: shimaaji (striped jack mackerel belly), hirame (fluke) mebachi maguro topped with dried nori (big eye tuna) and honmaguro (blue fin tuna).  The artistic nature of the presentation was visually delightful.  And each pice of sashimi had it's own character and flavor.  The hirame and honmaguro were especially tasty but each piece was exceptionally fresh and melt in your mouth good.

The dining adventure continued with five pieces of nigiri.  This plate included tai (sea bream), katsuo (bonito), hotegai (scallops), kohada (gizzard shad) and hotaru ika (firefly squid).  The only piece I had ever tried before was hotegai so I didn't really know what to expect.  At this point, I trusted Fukashi's expertise and knew that I would enjoy each piece.  The tai was really fresh and almost had a sweet taste to it.  The katsuo also had a really unique flavor.  I could go on and on about the fish, but it was all really tasty.  I have never had fish that was this good served in sashimi or sushi in my life!  I was able to try a piece of the maguro maki from my sushi bar neighbor, which is one of the few rolls they serve at Sebo.  It was topped with a piece of the mebachi maguro, flavored with lemon, kaiware (daikon sprouts), avocado, sea salt and sesame oil.  Absolutely delicious!  Like everything else on the night, it had exactly the right flavors and mixtures of ingredients for the perfect roll.  

The next dish was a complete surprise.  It was a warm item, a fish head soup.  Fukashi had cooked the head of a sea bream in a broth and served it in a bowl.  This was something my grandma would have cooked or enjoyed; my only complaint was that there wasn't enough meat on the fish head!  The meat would just slide off the bones and was really cooked to perfection.  The broth matched well with the fish and the whole dish was a nice break point in the entire meal.  

It was at this point that Fukashi knew I was in for the long haul and wanted to try everything he had to offer.  He served up another plate of nigiri which included baby shrimp, hiramasa (yellowtail kingfish), honmaguro chutoro (medium fatty tuna) and two pieces of kasugodai (baby sea bream).  The fatty tuna and baby sea bream were both phenomenal, especially the kasugodai.  Each piece was slightly seared with a blow torch and flavored with lemon and sea salt.  I ended my sushi journey with two more pieces of nigiri: engawa (fluke fin) and mirugai (giant clam).  Both were a great way to end the night, as fresh as the first piece of sushi I had that night.  The experience at Sebo was unforgettable; I really don't know if I'll ever be able to enjoy sushi again after my three hour dinner (Yes, three hours eating sushi and drinking sake!!).  It is expensive and the pieces are not that big, but that's what makes it great and a "true sushi" dinner.  Sushi is not meant to have sauces and creams and be covered in soy sauce.  The more minimal the presentation, the more authentic the experience.  Each piece was bite-size and perfectly flavored that I didn't even really need shoyu.  If you are a fan of sushi and sashimi, please try Sebo in Hayes Valley.  You won't be disappointed!