Don’t ask me why, but we’ll start with fried Twinkies. No typo.
Honest, it’s on the menu at Quickly, the
”
new generation Asian fusion style cafe
”
on First Street which has very interesting and extensive
offerings from the traditional, like kung pao chicken to a whole
series of snow (champagne grape snow) and slush (winter melon
slush) drinks. Katherine at the counter is a gem. Was there at
lunch so I didn’t try the fried twinkies, or the fried Oreos
…
Don’t ask me why, but we’ll start with fried Twinkies. No typo. Honest, it’s on the menu at Quickly, the “new generation Asian fusion style cafe” on First Street which has very interesting and extensive offerings from the traditional, like kung pao chicken to a whole series of snow (champagne grape snow) and slush (winter melon slush) drinks. Katherine at the counter is a gem. Was there at lunch so I didn’t try the fried twinkies, or the fried Oreos …
No fried chocolate at the new restaurant that will take the place of Happy Dog Pizza Company downtown. Dan Craig, the former Morgan Hill Downtown Association director, has leased the place and on the menu will be cajun and creole steak and seafood delights. The pizza oven will stay and the new will be old again – soft opening soon for Firehouse 55 in the historic fire station. How about a pre-Garlic Festival media/community event – an Iron Chef Charity Cook-off competition featuring Gilroy firefighter firehouse cooks and emceed by the always gracious Sam Bozzo and Gene Sakahara? Bet we could even get some bonus TV and radio coverage on that one … calling Mr. Peter Ciccarelli … How about Greg Kihn, 98.5 KFOX DJ and musician as a Firehouse 55 judge and featured performer at the fest? …
Speaking of PR, it might as well stand for Paso Robles. Visited San Luis Obispo County two weekends ago while taking daughter Cayla down to college. Hadn’t been there in a while, but many moons ago I worked while in college at Hoffman Mountain Ranch Winery in Paso for a year on the bottling line. Paso is a place transformed – more than 180 wineries, many of the boutique variety. And, honestly, northern SLO County doesn’t have a thing on South County. Someone repeated an economic saying to me this week: “It’s better to build an economy with 500 chipmunks than it is to build one with two gorillas.” My point is that SLO County incubated the boutique wine industry that now fuels an incredibly robust economy – and the place is literally hundreds of miles from a major population center. Here in South County we’re 35 minutes to an hour away from a major metropolitan area of 7.2 million people. Rather than chase after some “major technology or bio-tech” firm with “clean jobs” – which we’ve been doing for 20 years – why not begin a major effort to capitalize on our assets? Ag tourism, with wineries as the base, fills hotels, spawns restaurants, adds to outlet mall traffic, puts tasting rooms in downtown areas and on and on … We’re missing the boat in our own backyard. How do we incubate, support and nurture such an industry? SLO County knows … note to the City Council, Gilroy’s EDC Director Larry Cope and Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage …
Jess Castillo, owner of the new Castillo’s Hillside Shire Winery, at 2215 Liberata Dr. in Morgan Hill and Stephen Dorcich, co-owner with Jason Goelz of the new Jason-Stephens Winery at 11775 Watsonville Road in Gilroy, should be on any incubation committee. Both know how incredibly difficult it is to get winery-associated businesses like tasting rooms through the overbearing county planning process.
Planning I am a Stanley Cup Sharks party over the vociferous objections of my favorite bartendress, Teresa at Westside Grill, who texted me this after the Sharks scored six beauties and devoured the Red Wings Saturday night: “U suck! 11 cups!” … Geez and all I said was “Take your squid and go home. :)” Remember “T” the first cup is the sweetest … and yes I think that was the best hockey game I’ve ever seen …
Seeing is believing and I couldn’t believe it when Chief Justice John Roberts and President Barack Obama flubbed the oath of office at the center of such a momentous occasion in American history Tuesday … Thought Obama took the right down-to-business tone in his speech given the nation’s deep economic ills. While a million flags were waving in glorious dissymmetry, the howling wolves of dissatisfaction were waiting at the door of the Capitol Mall, thus tempering the joy that accompanied the affirmation of a plain truth: Our nation is indeed the land of opportunity. Now it will be Barack Obama’s deeds, not his words, that define him. American’s are a people of hope, and regardless of political persuasion, he has our best wishes and prayers for success …
In the sea of all things Obama, I came across these tidbits:
■ At age six, Obama moved to Indonesia, where he lived for a few years. During that time, he ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper.
■ He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
■ He has read every Harry Potter book
■ He was one of 22 Senate Democrats to vote against Chief Justice John Roberts’ confirmation in 2005. Tuesday marked the first time a Supreme Court justice has sworn in a president who voted against him.
■ His favorite book is “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville
■ His favorite films are “Casablanca” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
■ He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.
■ He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside
■ He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal
