Karl works at a hedge fund and is a professional poker player on the side. To put it simply: he’s loaded.
If he hadn’t told me about his job during our 30 minute walk around the West Village, as he tried to find a restaurant he had said was “just around the corner,” I would’ve never figured it out. He had wanted to meet me on a random street corner. Although I might’ve resembled a prostitute the night he’d met me (I was a bit drunk and dancing on a table in 6-inch heels)- I’m not the type of girl who meets men on street corners. In my experience with rich guys, they usually know exactly where they want to eat and will dictate where they’re taking you to BEFORE the date. At least he praised my new black boots on our walk and quickly added, “I’m not gay, I promise. They’re just really nice.”
He ordered one of the cheapest entrées on the menu, and our wine tasted SOUR, but he insisted on drinking it anyway because he didn’t want to make a fuss with the waiter. Two glasses of sour wine later… I asked him how he spends his free time, besides dropping $50K a night at the poker table. “I hang out at home a lot with my roommate. I’m not gay or anything haha, we’re just good friends!”
By his 4th “I’m not gay” comment, I was really starting to think that this guy was indeed gay. I imagined him at a faggy poker orgy, with guys placing poker chips up his ***…my attraction to him took a dive from a 6 to a 0. The more we talked, it became apparent that this guy didn’t travel nor go out a lot. I asked him if all the money he won through poker just went straight into his savings account. Karl grinned and leaned in as if he were about to tell me a secret. Then…as if being confused about my date’s sexuality weren’t already enough, he confessed, “I love to shop!”
The rest of our conversation went like this:
Karl: Don’t you just love Prada’s Fall collection? Me: I haven’t seen it. Karl: One of my favorite men’s designers is Antonio Marras. You know him? Me: Nope, haven’t heard of him. So, have you done a lot of shopping lately? Karl: Yes, I just bought 40 pairs of jeans this month! I LOVE jeans.
This almost made me fall off my chair, literally. “40 pairs of jeans?!” I repeated loud enough that the couple next to us turned. I searched his face to see if he was joking- but he was dead serious about it. WTF. As I tried to wrestle with the fact that I was on a date with a weirdo who owns 10x more jeans that I do, I pictured my 4 lonely pairs dangling in my closet. I wanted to ask him if he wore a different pair every day of the year, but I had heard enough. Whether Karl was straight or gay- I decided right there- that I could never date a guy who owns more clothes than I do. Can you please send a manly-man my way?
*Disclaimer: The owner of Branford Wine and Spirits gave this wine to my dad for me to try. I’m not sure that even counts as a sample but whatever, here’s the disclosure.
Jay of Branford Wine & Spirits must have been reading my mind when he picked out this bottle to give to my dad for my visit. I have really just been in such a Sauvigon Blanc mood lately and fresh off the Wines of Argentina Twitter Taste Lives, I was happy to try yet another Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc. We opened the 2007 Altosur Sauvignon Blanc after dinner. It had a screw cap closure, clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume, and I see it retails for around $11.
On the nose I got grapefruit, flowers, banana, lemon, and tart citrus. In the mouth more citrus, lemon, grapefruit, spice, and tropical notes. While the wine was crisp, I find the style to be different than New Zealand and it would probably appeal to those who think New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is too tart.
So it’s Friday Date Night (which is really a “make up” for Thursday Date Night that we missed because of Thanksgiving), and the Two Guys find themselves craving a good burger. Not just any burger – but a juicy, charred sirloin burger. So they do what any two guys do who are craving a good homemade burger – they head to Whole Foods to find some ground sirloin.
So after scoring some sirloin and a giant sweet potato, we headed to the house to whip up a dinner.
First things first, Nick pulled out the wine. From the home cellar, he picked a Gallo Sonoma Reserve 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet.
The Gallo Sonoma Reserve 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet
This was a gift from Auntie Jennifer and Uncle Michael. We’ve had it here for a few months, and what better excuse than a burger to command this wine?Then we laid out the giant sweet potato:
Giant Sweet Potato from Whole Foods Market
And sliced it up into matchsticks:
Sweet Potato Sliced into Matchsticks
Meanwhile, Nick created some breadcrumbs:
Rub Two Pieces of Bread Together to Get . . . Fresh Breadcrumbs
Sirloin is no more than 7% fat, so it’s important to have a bit of breadcrumbs and other stuff added into the meat.We put the sweet potatoes on ice:
Sweet Potato Matchsticks on Ice
Then used a mandolin to slice up a bit of white onion:
Slivers of White Onion from a Mandolin
And added to the breadcrumbs, along with crushed black pepper, salt and parsley:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Sea Salt, Crushed Black Pepper, Parsley
As well as Worcestershire:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Crushed Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Parsley, and Worcestershire
And a bit of butter:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Sea Salt, Crushed Black Pepper, Parsley, Worcestershire and Butter
Nick gently combined the beef with the mixture:
Mixing the Ground Beef
You can’t mix it all “too well” or it will turn out like a meatloaf. One of the “secrets” to a good burger is to blend the mixture loosely so that it’s light and airy.
While the mixture rests, we drained the sweet potatoes and dried them:
Sweet Potato Matchsticks Drying, Before Frying
Then formed the patties:
Patties Ready for the Grill
There are only two patties, because it’s just the Two Guys tonight, and they are “oblong” on shape, because we are using special buns (see below).
So while all this was going on, the oil (corn oil or peanut oil are good choices, as they have high flash points) was heating up. We put in half of the sweet potatoes:
Sweet Potato Fries in the Oil
And let them fry in the oil for about 15 minutes, then pulled them out and sprinkled sea salt and cinnamon on them:
First Batch of Sweet Potato Fries
While the second batch of sweet potatoes was cooking, we sliced up the special (way too expensive) onion French rolls from the bakery at Whole Foods:
Slicing up the Way Too Expensive (But Far Worth it) Onion French Rolls From Whole Foods Market
Grated up some sharp cheddar:
Grating Sharp Cheddar for the Burgers
And threw the patties on a very, very hot pan until just seared. After the patties were turned and let sit for a minute, we pulled them off and put onto the buns:
Plating Up the Burgers
Then added the potatoes:
With Sweet Potato Fries
And the tomatoes:
Add the Tomatoes
The tomatoes were beefsteak.
Then we added the thinly-sliced white onions:
Add the Wafer Thin White Onions
And John added Alfalfa sprouts to his (“yuck” says Nick):
John says Alfalfa Sprouts Remind Him of His Pet Rabbits When He Was Eight Years Old. Nick Thinks They Are Just Gross.
And mustard (also “yuck” says Nick):
John Loves Mustard on Burgers. Nick Cannot Imagine a Better Way to Ruin a Burger.
And relish:
No Burger Is Complete Without Relish, Right?
While Nick added only some Spring greens:
Adding Spring Greens to Nick's Burger
And ketchup:
Nick Says No Burger Is Complete Without Ketchup
Here’s the “voila” for John:
The "Perfect Burger" as Envisioned by John
And the “voila” for Nick:
The "Perfect Burger" as Envisioned by Nick
Seriously, what more could a guy want?
<< sigh >>
Let’s talk wine. The Gallo did not disappoint. Now don’t go thinking that this was you typical jug Gallo that you snuck out back of your parents’ house. This is Gallo’s “second label,” the “good stuff.” Auntie Jennifer scored this bottle for us, and we saved it for a special occasion, such as this. Granted, we don’t drink Merlot that often, but this was a classic match to a charred, juicy burger with sharp cheddar.
The nose was a bit empty, a tad metallic, and with just a hint of berry fruit, but the palate was classic Merlot, with dust and dirt, licorice, raspberries and blackberries, and a finish that was chocolate and cocoa. On the Two Guys’ scale, it was a 89, losing out to the classic 90+ only because of the nose.
In a word, it went perfectly with our burgers, which disappeared almost as fast as the wine.
A lovely town. One you must visit, although it’s still not my favorite Italian city. That spot (so far) is reserved for Verona, just an hour up the autostrada towards Milan. But other than speeding through Verona, Goddess and I didn’t make it there this trip. But we will. Plus, there’s a lot Italy we have to explore.
And a lot of great wine.
So anyway, Goddess and I arrived on a Saturday evening. After checking into the hotel to find our hotel room very cramped and reeking of cigarette smoke (both typical Italian hotel experiences), we headed off to find some dinner. We got a recommendation from the lady working the hotel’s front desk and off we went. We think we found the place that she recommended, mainly because there really weren’t any other options in the small downtown area of Mogliano Veneto. We arrived “American early”, meaning around 7pm, which is at least an hour or so earlier than anyone else in Europe shows up for dinner. So we had the place to ourselves.
The food was good and the wine was better. Apparently everyone else knew too, because the place filled up quickly after 8pm. We enjoyed taking our time, but apparently not as much as the wait staff. Once we were done, we asked three separate people and waited 25 minutes for our bill, even though they kept walking by not very busy. It actually took us getting up to walk out before they moved. Funny how that works.
So the next morning we headed off into the city. Visiting Venice by train is the way to go, since parking VERY expensive (more later) and once you’re in the city, you can’t drive anyway. So it’s better to get delivered directly to the grand canal with no traffic hassles. And here’s the welcome:
As you can see, it’s pretty busy, even though it’s only 9am. The tourists are already bustling around, making the walkways quite crowded. But not unbearably so.
Goddess and I had rushed out of the house and had left behind my Venice maps from my last visit, which was just over ten years ago. The beauty of the city is that it couldn’t change that much in ten years. Sure, the shops may change owners, but the cathedrals, squares and markets would be in the same place. So we had to buy another map. At tourist prices. And that became a recurring theme over the next two days.
Once we got walking, we noticed that there were people running down the alleys, each wearing a race number. Very odd, considering the large number of tourists. But these folks were clearly in hurry to get places, so they were definitely racing. We watched a few and realized that it was an orienteering race. The folks had their map and compass and would have to pause to get their bearings before taking off again. It was fun to watch them weave their way through the crowds. Some even at a pretty brisk run. And I’m sure they enjoyed the ramps from the Venice Marathon, which was held just two weeks before. I know those ramps made it easier to get over some of the bridges than actually running up the steps. Hell, it made it easier for us to walk.
We worked our way to Piazza San Marco, passing canal after canal after canal. One thing I found interesting was how green the water appeared. It almost didn’t seem natural. But it certainly was. Even out in the open water, it was a different shade of green, but nowhere as bright as within the small canals, framed by the pastel colored buildings.
Once we arrived at the Piazza, we decided it was time to sit down and watch the world go by. We sat at one of the cafés and ordered our coffees – me a Doppio (double espresso) and Goddess a cappuccino. The total was €18, which works out to about $27. Tourist prices.
At least we got water and a chocolate with it.
But it wasn’t all bad. We sat for the better part of an hour watching people go by, taking in the view of St Mark’s Basilica and clock tower. We did what we do best – people watch. One nice surprise was to see a young Asian couple, newly married, parade out and get their pictures taken in front of many of the buildings.
Lovely couple.
After a while, we decided to head down along the waterfront. Outside of the canals, this to me is the best view in Venice.
That’s the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in the background. A phenomenal complex that I’ve yet to visit.
So, being the tourists that we are, we decided to do the gondola ride. If you go, beware that it is not cheap. Bring the suitcase. But it’s worth every second. I’ve spent many hours roaming down side alleys, through doorways and into hidden courtyards. But this is a completely different view of the city. At one point our gondolier actually apologized for a jet flying overhead on its approach into the airport; he was upset that it shattered the calm.
But unlike the movies, he never sang for us.
Again, worth every penny.
And those of you who’ve traveled with me know how much I hate doing the touristy things. I’d rather explore the back alleys.
Which is what Goddess and I did the rest of Sunday, well into the evening.
And we returned Monday.
Monday was definitely different. The city shifted energies, away from a tourist-focused city to a living, breathing city on Monday. The markets burst to life, the canals were packed with boat traffic as deliveries were made, and children filled the streets on their way to/from school. And the tourists were still everywhere.
So we went the other direction. To the point that the locals were looking at us funny, because it’s pretty obvious when two blonde folks are walking down a back alley in Venice that they aren’t locals.
And we’re better for the experience.
If you subscribe to National Geographic, then you saw this past Augusts’ article “Vanishing Venice”. A wonderfully well-written, well photographed article (as you’d expect from NG) that delves into the disappearing native Venetian population. But we caught glimpses of them at every turn.
Plus we got away from the tourist prices.
Believe it or not, this lunch (wine included) cost less than our two coffees in Piazza San Marco.
And we had it the tables all to ourselves along the side of a canal.
It was too cold for the Venetians to come out to take our order. It was in the mid 60s (Fahrenheit for you snarky comments [you know who you are]). But we sat out, sans jackets, and enjoyed the lovely day.
Soon it was time to make our way back across the city to look at carnivale masks.
When I was here in 1999, I found one that I wanted to get Goddess. We were dating at the time and I wanted to bring her a bit of this part of the world. So I found the one I wanted to get her, then decided to go out and do some comparison shopping. When I returned to buy it, the owner had taken her lunch siesta, but had hung the sign that she’d return at 2pm. Well, 2pm came and went. By 330pm I had to leave for the airport to catch my flight, which I did without the mask.
So ten years later we were in the store, picking out the ones that she wanted. She walked out with a few. All beautiful, including one that’s freaky (to me) when she puts it on. But those will remain invisible to y’all until we find an opportunity to wear them.
But here’s one that was on the wall.
After that, we headed back to the garage to pick up our car.
Where we needed a suitcase of money to spring it free.
Since we had checked out of our hotel that morning, we couldn’t leave the car in their massive parking lot of four spots. So we drove it to Venice, full of suitcases, then parked it in one of the towering parking garages at the city entrance that had a flat rate for any amount of time for under twelve hours. The flat rate was the low, low price of €24 (that’s $36 USD).
From there we did a fine, fine job of getting lost in northern Italy. But that’s a different story that involves not updating our GPS with new maps since we bought it.
But I won’t tell that here.
Next stop, a few places in Northern Italy (once we figured out where we were).
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BTW, you can click on each of the photos above. The ones with the borders around them will just take you to a larger version of the image. The ones with the blue lined borders will take you to my website, where a few other images are loaded. I’ll be adding more in the coming days. And if you see one you like, please consider buying it. I’ve gotta pay for the parking somehow. ;^)
The Piccadilly branch of Kro is a huge glass construction, rather like Kro 2 than the original Kro. In keeping with the Scandinavian design, it’s a spacious, low-level, one-story building. There are three entrances although a couple are sealed off in the evening.There’s table service during the day when there’s always somewhere to sit, but in the evening, although they’re plentiful, the places do get taken up and people tend to order at the bar and stand around the bar area. It’s pretty much totally glass-fronted so there’s loads of natural light in the day and in the evening the lights are dimmed for atmosphere. There’s an area at one end, which is pretty and consists more of couches and comfy seating – so get there early to bag one. There are a wide range of drinks available and the Danish menu is sure to have something for everyone. They also have many sweet danish delights on hand for sweet toothed people.
We will be open Thanksgiving weekend from 11-5pm Friday – Sunday. Come taste the release of our 2007s, as well as some old favorites and a barrel tasting of our 2008s. Enjoy food pairings with the best views in the valley.
We will also be tasting at Café Uncorked next to the Lawrence Gallery on HY 18. Tasting fee $5/person. Join the Youngberg Hill Wine Club and enjoy a complimentary tasting and added discounts.
Just for a moment there I thought I might have a look into real life again… it’s a good thing I get back to ground level fast these days. An evening with potato chips, dip and red wine is cozy enough… but I hate the day after feeling of nervousness and hangover nerves of saying or doing stupid things. It’s a good thing I will never ever do that again this year at least (or ever if I manage) ’cause the feeling of being a moron is worse than drinking alone… so I’ll stick to that last part in the future. For the last part, note to self, don’t bother flirting … you’ve been out of the game for over a decade and to top it off … you can’t compete with David Berkowitz. Nope, I’ll stick to WoW ^.^ I still can enjoy the occational bottle of J.D with the usual farming (it’s amazing how fast farming goes with some whiskey at the side, not that it’s something I do often…).
Driving on the ocean by Dark shore (gotta love the water walking potions).
These last few days my night has turned into day and vice versa. I’ve been doing the Pilgrims bounty on most of my characters to level cooking. It’s by far the most interesting seasonal event cause it makes your cooking easy. I must admit i had some problems with the Turkinator achievement the first day but now I have it on 5 different characters *yay*. Also I’ve leveled cooking on 5 characters up to 300 which is good for later leveling.
Had to visit and explore Bloodmyst and Azuremyst isle with my DK.
You can catch many flies with one stone while doing the Pilgrims bounty achievements… like exploring the Islands in Ally territory (like Bloodmyst and Teldrassil)… and the achievements keeps flooding in as you do stuff you wouldn’t bother normally doin on an alt. Tho I must admit playing a deathknight is pretty fun (and I love the path of frost).
We also have raided Ulduar 10 with our casual guild last weekend… I hope to do it again the coming weekend. It’s a bit new to me and exciting since we get further each time. We have gotten Freya down and working on Hodir. The Catwoman (picture above) we oneshotted this week so we seem to progress and get to train before the 3.3 patch which will make Ulduar and TOTC absolete cause of the higher gear status on Icecrown Citadel.
I’ll just continue having fun with the old content grinding reputation on my deathknight whilest waiting for the new content. I actually also love the company of guildies on a daily bases like boosting old friends in old instances or enjoying an evening in Stratholme with new friends… it makes the game more fun…
Anyways… I guess I’ll fall asleep soon… been up since 2145 last nite and I get tired fast these days.
Karl works at a hedge fund and is a professional poker player on the side. To put it simply: he’s loaded.
At least we got water and a chocolate with it.
Lovely couple. 
Again, worth every penny.
And we had it the tables all to ourselves along the side of a canal.
After that, we headed back to the garage to pick up our car.
y a complimentary tasting and added discounts.
Driving on the ocean by Dark shore (gotta love the water walking potions).
Had to visit and explore Bloodmyst and Azuremyst isle with my DK.