Showing Our Age: A Young Team and Frogs Getting Older

Pre-game festivities

Well, unfortunately we've just signaled the end of another Frog football season, and it didn't quite have the ending that Frog fans had hoped for: we lost the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to Michigan State (17-16).  Everyone says we're a young team, so we're moving on and looking forward to what next season brings!  This season was exciting...our first one in the Big XII, with many of our old Southwest Conference opponents making a reappearance in Amon Carter Stadium; a remodeled stadium; a sold out stadium; and more support than ever from the community (i.e. purple EVERYWHERE).  BK and I were also proud of ourselves for attending more away games...Baylor and Texas in addition to the Bowl game. It helps that our games are not scattered all over the country. We've decided that we're going to try and go the games in Oklahoma in the future too.

AH and Sam on Christmas

Being the avid Frog fans that we are, BK and I travelled to Scottsdale, Arizona to cheer on our favorite team.  This year was a bit different for us in traveling to the bowl game- for the first time in the 10 years we've been together BK and I did not go with my parents.  Surprising, I'm sure, considering that we're in our "early-ish" thirties, but it's just what we've done.  This year a new baby arrived right before Christmas and the other one had her first birthday right after- a busy time for the grandparents.  I couldn't resist adding a pic of AH here, as she's pretty much the cutest thing ever!

Drinks at Citizen Public House

Back to the Bowl game!  We had a number of friends who were going, so there were about 10 of us that hung out for the weekend.  We went in on Friday afternoon, hung out in Old Town Scottsdale, then went to the TCU pep rally.  The pep rally needs more pep to say the least- it was by far one of the worst that I've attended.  I get why the TCU team can't be there, but give the fans who have travelled so far SOMETHING to cheer about besides an awkward radio host who did not not know how to get fans into it.  The highlight of the night was definitely dinner at Citizen Public House (Surprise...One of my favorite events was around a meal!).  We dined with close friends and had lots of good laughs at one an other's expense late into the night.

Arizona Biltmore

Saturday was fun, but where we really showed our age.  Bowl games have changed some since the early 20s when we wanted to party the entire time.  We all met in the lobby then headed to the Arizona Biltmore for lunch.  They have an amazing brunch/lunch menu and the food and drinks were really good.  Duck fat poached fries, chicken salad sandwich and tortilla soup were some of the highlights.  After lunch we walked around for a bit, then all agreed that we should head back to the hotel for a NAP.  You read right, we all needed a mid-afternoon nap after our day drinking.  That would have never happened before, and we probably would have powered through (not the best idea either).  We'll call it a rebound; most felt that it would be "clutch" later in the night.  This theory proved to be somewhat true.

ASU Stadium

As we journeyed to the stadium, I can see why ASU is the biggest party school in the US. There are bars surrounding the stadium, making it quite the party atmosphere.  We enjoyed some beverages at Gordon Biersch then headed into the game.  Apparently pretty much everyone in Fort Worth fell asleep by half time since it started so much later than normal.  They missed the painful part of the game.  After the game was pretty much a fail, and I've decided that Big 10 fans might be some of the worst I've seen.  Wisconsin fans were absolutely terrible before and after TCU beat them in the Rose Bowl and Michigan State fans weren't much different.  Constantly yelling, cursing, shoving and pretty much just acting like jerks the entire time.  No clue about southern hospitality or manners!

That pretty much ended the Bowl journey 2012 for us, as we headed home the next morning.  A couple of other random things I learned on this trip: Hertz NeverLost navigation system is great for our relationship, and it is surprisingly cold in Arizona in December- take a coat if you go.  

One of my new year's resolutions is to blog on a more regular basis.  BK and I got exciting news about our move abroad at the end of December, so I see that being pretty easy! More to come on that soon!

BK's Home Away From Home

So as you all know, BK and I love to travel.  What you may not know is that BK actually has a home away from home that I typically don't get to visit: Basel, Switzerland.  This month things changed...I got to visit Basel with BK for about a week.  It was a bit of a whirlwind considering that we were home for approximately 36 hours between two trips, but I really can't complain.  There are many worse things in life than being in Napa for five days then turning around and going to Switzerland for a week.

The Old Bridge over Rhine River

BK lives in Basel for about 10 days a month when his company closes their books.  Sometimes it's a little longer if it's a quarter-end month, or could be shorter if he just has meetings.  Basel was really fun. Of course as BK was here for work, so for a couple of days that I was here I spent a lot of time exploring around town by myself.  Basel (and Switzerland in general) is incredibly safe, so there were no worries about me wandering around.  

The Rhine River runs through Basel, but everyone says that instead of dividing the city, it actually unites two halves.  I like that thinking.  The Old Bridge is a landmark in the city and is a major thoroughfare, but not too busy.  People walk everywhere and Basel has a great tram system that you can jump on at any point, and if you're staying in a hotel they give you a free mobility pass so it's free to ride for the duration of your stay.

Thursday I spent about four hours walking around the city I did this great walking tour they have around the city.  People who live here don't seem to know about it, but I stopped in the tourism office and they told me about it.  It is also not a serious tour, so you're not bogged down by tons of history, you just get to enjoy the sites.  It gives you a route to follow; for me, it gave me a plan...and we all know how I love to have a plan.  

To do the tour you just follow these guys around the city.

Basel has lots of great little squares, which I think in German are called "platz."  Yes, German, and specifically Swiss-German, is the language spoken here.  A good majority of people speak English, but I feel bad expecting them to speak my language and not having a clue about theirs.  If you haven't ever looked into German, it seems completely foreign to me, and I can't really decipher anything without some serious context clues.  

Markeplatz is where city hall is and is at the city center.  During the summer they have open air markets and lots of people gather here.  It is where I started for my tour.  The city is great and incredibly pleasant to walk around in.  Switzerland has done a wonderful job of preserving old architecture and mixing it with new, modern buildings.  BK joined me on Friday for the afternoon and we did some exploring together, including me showing him what I had learned the day before.  

City Hall in Marktplatz

We explored many parts of the city, including the side that is not considered "Old Town."  There are so many nice neighborhoods that are a little off the beaten path, but are well worth the walk.  There is lots of green space tucked away throughout the city and you can pretty much walk along the river as long as it stretches.  After BK and I walked around for quite a while, we ended up in Munsterplatz which contains Basel's main landmark, the Cathedral.  It is a beautiful church with great views of the river behind it and another square in front of it.  There are many restaurants tucked in corners throughout the city, including in old, repurposed buildings.  We ended Friday with dinner and drinks at a little restaurant in the Cathedral square, and then watched the Ryder Cup late into the night.  

Cathedral in Munsterplatz

Saturday took us to Zurich, about an hour's train ride away. More about that later. Now it's back to American life to watch the Frogs take on SMU.  Game time this week: 1am.

Napa 2012: Dining

This area is serious about good food and you can have some great dining experiences here.  Nothing about it will be cheap, but you'll definitely have some great grub.

Goose and Gander- We hit Goose & Gander after we went to Sullivan Vineyards for a quick and casual dinner.  They have a number of different areas that you can dine at the restaurant: outside patio area, inside cozy feel and downstairs grotto bar.  The food was such a pleasant surprise.  We started with the Cheviche of Halibut with Avocado and Taro Chips; extremely fresh and taro chips were a different twist.  I had the Seared Day Boat Sea Scallops which were excellent and BK had The G&G Burger which has gruyere cheese, house smoked bacon and is served with duck fat fries (YUM!).  It was exactly what we needed after a day of traveling and wine.

Inside Ad Hoc

Ad Hoc Restaurant- Ad Hoc is one of Thomas Keller's restaurants; he also does The French Laundry, per se and Bouchon.  We haven't been to any of the other restaurants, but we had mixed reviews on Ad Hoc.  We were really looking forward to this, and I had to make reservations about six months ago.  It's a unique place because there is a set menu every night, as in, there's only one choice- what the chef chooses to craft that night.  

The food was very well done...it was the atmosphere that was surprisingly lacking.  Our menu that night was spinach salad with apples and blue cheese, NY strip (ordered rare), au gratin potatoes with mushroom cream, and fresh onions and tomatoes from The French Laundry garden.  The steak was cooked exactly the way we wanted and was full of flavor.  I also appreciate that they don't put salt and pepper on the table, as to say, "don't mess with the flavors, we have them the way we want them."  For desert we had peanut butter and chocolate panna cotta, which was decadent and delicious.  Back to the atmosphere, the problem was we were seated at a table for two and were practically on top of the tables next to us.  We could hear their conversations and I'm sure they could hear ours.  I'm sure no one was talking about anything groundbreaking, but they couldn't even if they tried.  It just wasn't the intimate atmosphere that you usually get in high end restaurants.  I honestly can't decide if I would recommend it or not...BK wouldn't, I might. 

Famous Pork Chop

Mustards Grill-  Best. Pork Chop. Ever.  That's pretty much all I need to say about Mustards.  We went last year and were wowed by the pork chop.  We learned that we had been overcooking pork chops and they should actually be a little pink when cooked.  This year was just as good, if not better.  The atmosphere is cozy and even if you're sitting at a table for two you still have privacy and can enjoy dinner together.  We started with Ahi Tuna Crackers with wasabi creme fraiche and soy vinaigrette, then I had the Mongolian Pork Chop and BK had the Grilled Rabbit with vegetable succotash. We also added the 3-cheese macaroni and cheese, which was also great.  For dessert we topped it off with creme brulee for me and a scoop of ice cream for BK.  It was all delicious and I'm sure we'll go back as soon as possible.  

Gott's Roadside- We started Saturday out by watching the Frogs take on UVA. After driving around Napa trying to find something, I cam upon Oxbow Public Market on First Street in Napa.  We had passed it the day before wandering around Napa, and I was pleased to see they were open for breakfast.  I don't know about anything else on the menu, but the breakfast was awesome!  We had a potato and egg taco, which is much more than it sounds and includes jalapeño scrambled eggs, crispy potatoes, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo and avocado.  The other one was a smoked chicken taco with scrambled eggs, smoked chicken, cheese, crispy potatoes and pico de gallo.  They went great with the watching the frogs and held us over almost all day.  The rest of their menu looks great as well. 

Silverado Brewing Company- This was also a repeat from last year, but is a good casual place to grab a bite at the end of the day.  It's a little out of the element in Napa, with lots of beers on tap and sports on every TV in the place (last year it was the World Series).  If you want something a little different from the usual upscale restaurant or wine bar and are up past St. Helena this is a good place to make a stop.

Brix Restaurant and Gardens- This was our very last place to eat in Napa and we headed there for Sunday brunch before going back to San Francisco.  They have a buffet for brunch, which I am typically leery of.  This is not because of anything having to do with sanitation, but mostly because BK and I NEVER get the value from them.  We typically split dishes when we eat out, so when you consider that you're paying to have multiple dishes, we just don't get there.  We came pretty close to getting the $40/per person out of it, mostly because of the gourmet food offered.  The spread included a seafood bar with raw oysters, grilled shrimp, smoked salmon and fire-roasted mussels; a bread, fruit and cheese bar; main dishes such as flatbread pizza, beef tenderloin and lots of fresh salads; breakfast dishes such as eggs benedict, the best breakfast potatoes I've ever had, pancakes and french toast; and best of all a dessert bar with lots of miniature sweets.  The restaurant had a great view of gardens and vineyards  and was a great way to end our culinary journey in Napa.