Best of the Best 2015

At the end of 2015, I would like to take the inventory of things I consider to be the best in their class:

Restaurants: 

1. Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
2. Manresa, Los Gatos 
3. The Plumed Horse, Saratoga 
4. Solbar, Calistoga 
5. Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
6. Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
7. Humuhumunukunuku'apua, Maui Hawaii 
8. La Foret, San Jose 

Dishes: 

• Apple Strudel: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Bread: "Country Bread," Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, CA 
• Cakes: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Croissants: "Pistachio Croissants", Thes Comptoirs Richard, Metz, France 
• Flammkuchen: Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
• Gelato: Bella Gelateria, Vancouver, BC 
• Gnocchi: Osteria Nonna Gina, Siena, Italy 
• Opah, Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
• Pancakes: "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes," Solbar, Calistoga 
• Patisserie: Gerard Mulot Patisserie, Paris, France 
• Sandwiches: Small World Sandwich Shop, Amsterdam 
• Tafelspitz: Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
• Tapas: El Pinton, Seville, Spain 

Spas

1. Friedrichsbad Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
2. Caracalla Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
3. Solage, Calistoga 

Rock Concerts

1. Elton John's Made in England Tour, Tacoma Dome, Washington on 9/9/1995 
2. Leonard Cohen, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 11/7/2012. 
3. The History of the Eagles, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 1/29/2013 
4. Postmodern Jukebox, The Warfield, San Francisco, 12/13/2015 
5. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, 5/30/2015 
6. The Gipsy Kings, Mountain Winery, 8/27/2014. 

Rock Albums (2015)

1. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Selfies on Kodachrome" 
2. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Top Hat On Fleek" 
3. Adele, "25" 
4. Sam Smith, "In the Lonely Hour" 
5. Of Monsters and Men, "Beneath the Skin" 
6. Don Henley, "Cass County" 
7. George Strait, "Cold Beer Conversation" 
8. Joe Bonamassa, "Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks" 
9. Mumford & Sons, "Wilder Mind" 
10. Lana Del Rey, "Honeymoon" 

Musicals 

1. Chicago, Albemarle of London, London, UK, 6/1/2000 
2. Cabaret
3. Anything Goes
4. Grease 
5. Monty Python's Spamalot
6. Saturday Night Fever 
7. Showboat, San Francisco, 6/13/2014 
8. Mathilda, Orpheum, San Francisco, 7/23/2015. 
9. Phantom of the Opera, Orpheum, San Francisco, 8/21/2015 
10. The Book of Mormon, San Francisco, 1/7/2014 

Theater

1. Emma, TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, 12/4/2015. 
2. Disgraced, Berkeley Rep, 
3. Cyrano, TheatreWorks, Mountain View 

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Dirt Biking Metcalf

After purchasing my 2013 Honda CRF250R off-road motorcycle (and having it repaired), I finally found some time today to ride it at the nearby Metcalf Motorcycle Park.

This was my first time at Metcalf and on my new-to-me dirt bike.

My past motorcycles were street-oriented, so this was a bit different. (outside my comfort zone). This Honda has a kickstart and no electric start, so it took me a while to get it started. The bike is very tall, so kickstarting it is a challenge.

Luckily, I had some friendly bikers to help me get it started. The trick is to sit on the bike (not stand up) and push down the kick starter until it stops. Then let it go back up and kick it hard.

After starting it up, I rode the beginner's oval track, followed by Trail 1 - the most accessible trail at Metcalf.

The trails were all very muddy (due to rain last week), but they were a lot of fun. I was taking it easy, this being my first day at Metcalf and on my Honda.

It was a lot of fun, but my bike and riding gear got very muddy. It took me 45 minutes to clean up the bike afterward.

Here is a GoPro Herio4 Silver video I recorded while riding on Trail 1:

It took me over an hour to clean the bike after the ride. It was so muddy!

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Review: Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens

The first Star Wars movie I saw was "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" in the early 1980s in Shillington, Pennsylvania. This occurred before VCRs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and Netflix existed.

Back then, the only way to see a movie was to see it playing in the movie theater. That is until I discovered that my local Radio Shack had a laser disk player (these played large, LP-sized disks), and one day, I saw parts of Star Wars playing in the store. I was fascinated by the story but never saw the whole movie completely.

Since then, I have seen all of the other Star Wars movies, but for some inexplicable reason, "The Empire Strikes Back" remained my favorite.

I wondered what would happen when George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. With director J.J. Abrams, I was expecting something like his last Star Trek film - Into Darkness. His television series (Alias, Lost) and movies (Into Darkness) focus more on the action and less on dialogue.

Now that I have watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I have comments about the movie.

The script was an engaging copy of the original Star Wars. The similarities were obvious: Luke's original role (as the Jedi in training) is played by Rey; Luke, who will train Rey (will do the same role as Yoda). Darth Vader is replaced by the sinister Kylo Ren, who happens to be Han Solo's son. In place of the Deathstar, we now have the Starkiller base. In place of R2D2 and C3PO, the new rolling ball robot BB8 serves a similar purpose.

It is known that Darth Vader wore his black mask because of the injuries sustained from previous combat. However, why Kylo Ren wears a mask is not known. Is it a show of respect to Darth Vader, whom he idolizes?

It looks like Kylo Ren kills his father (Han Solo) in one scene (though perhaps Han Solo survives?)

I don't know what to make of the character Finn, who seems more of a sidekick.

The movie was certainly entertaining, with incredible special effects. However, it wasn't as good as the original Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back.

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Chubby Noodle in San Francisco

After the Potted Potter show, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. However, finding parking was a struggle, and I drove round and round. Eventually, we settled on Chubby Noodle at 2205 Lombard Street - a quirky little place that serves exciting dishes.

We ordered a "Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken" entree, "Korean Pork Tacos," a "Duck Wrap," and a "Green Papaya Salad."

We liked the "Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken," and Inna liked the Pork Tacos.

We liked Chubby Noodle and hope to eat there again (when we're in the neighborhood). Food is served family-style (for easy sharing). The entrees were well prepared and very reasonably priced.

After dinner, we decided to get dessert at Ghirardelli Square. The lines were very long, as usual, but we enjoyed our sundaes! Ghirardelli changed their menu, so we ordered some new sundaes.

Alex ordered a sundae with brownies, but the brownies were not the most appealing.

After our sugar fix, we headed back home.

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Review: Potted Potter

Today, we went to see the performance of Potted Potter at San Francisco's Fine Art Museum.

Potted Potter is a parody by Daniel Clarkson (Dan) and Jefferson Turner (Jeff), taking on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into seventy amusing minutes.

Dan and Jeff try to cover one Harry Potter book in ten minutes. Jeff plays the role of Harry Potter, and Dan plays all other roles. It's amusing at times.

I enjoyed the show, but I wouldn't call it a must-see.

The show's highlight was asking the audience to play Quidditch with the ball. It was amusing!

After the show, we decided to get dinner at a nearby restaurant. However, finding parking was a struggle, and I drove round and round. Eventually, we settled on Chubby Noodle at 2205 Lombard Street - a quirky little place that serves exciting dishes.

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Relaxing in Grand Wailea, Maui

Back to Maui!

Having scheduled a very early 7:20 a.m. departure from San Jose (SJC) airport (bound for Kahului, Maui, we woke up groggy at 4:30 a.m. We decided to try using Uber to avoid parking at the airport, and I had a driver at my house in 10 minutes! We arrived at the terminal by 5:30 a.m. and had plenty of time to check-in. I liked using Uber - as it avoided the costly airport parking fees.

Our Hawaiian Airlines flight 45 departed on time at 7:20 a.m., and we were excited to revisit Maui again. The flight was uneventful (Hawaiian Airlines even served us breakfast for free!) After landing in Kahului, we quickly packed our bags and headed to Alamo Car Rental. I got a full-size car (just in case I needed additional room for Windsurfing gear). The Alamo rental was costly (as it is during holidays). I ended up with a Chrysler 200, though I preferred a Toyota or Honda. I suggest using Lyft or Uber on Maui next time (to avoid the additional car rental expense). We rarely use the car on the island.

Since it was early afternoon, we headed to our nearby Costco to pick up some snacks, a case of bottled water) and a boogie board for our stay at Grand Wailea. Usually, the boogie board rental is $20/day, and Costco sells them for $26 (so it's cheaper just to buy it). Also, most resorts charge a lot for bottled water (we go through it quickly).

After visiting Costco, we were ready for lunch, so we headed to the nearby Paia Fish Market restaurant, which was well recommended on Yelp.

I ordered Fish and Chips, which were fresh and delicious (some of the best I've ever had).

Inna ordered the Sauteed Ono Lunch plate, which was also delicious and fresh!

The Paia Fish Market is relatively small, and we struggled to find a space to sit down. It offers very high-quality food at a very reasonable price, so it's popular with the locals.

Alex ordered a cheeseburger and liked it a lot!

After lunch, we headed to nearby Ho'okipa to watch surfers and windsurfers. The surf was about 4-7 feet, and many surfers rode waves.

The wind was less favorable to windsurfers, who struggled slightly in the light winds. I was told by the local shop that most windsurfers at Ho'okipa prefer a minimum-sized sail - large enough to get on a wave and no more significant. I usually like to be fully powered, especially when heading through the surf break.

I enjoyed watching the windsurfers surf the waves and wished I was out there! It didn't look too hard to me (though a bit light, as most windsurfers were barely powered up).

After a while, we returned to our Grand Wailea resort in Wailea. We have never stayed there - we usually stayed in Wailea Beach Marriott, next door. Thankfully, we did not stay in the Marriott this time, as it was undergoing much construction, and most of the pools were disabled.

Grand Wailea is a vast, beautiful resort. Once we arrived there, we were amazed by the sheer size and grandeur of the place.

Alex was eager to try out the famous water slides, and we quickly changed and ran to the nearby pools. Alex shot a video with my GoPro 4 Silver of his ride down the slide:


 

He really enjoyed the slides and proceeded to try them all. He also really liked the Tarzan Swing:



After the slides closed at 5:00 p.m., we dipped in the ocean at Wailea Beach. The water was warm, and we were surprised to learn that all beach chairs and umbrellas are free for Grand Wailea guests! No more fiddling with our own umbrella.

Grand Wailea was beautifully decorated for Christmas and New Year.

We enjoyed exploring Wailea Beach until sunset. Sunsets are stunning in Hawaii. Each one is unforgettable!

For dinner, we decided to try the nearby Pita Paradise restaurant. Trying to stay healthy, I ordered the Lamb Salad, while Inna ordered the Greek God's Platter.

Alex developed a stomach ache and did not eat much. We enjoyed our time at Pita Paradise and hoped Alex would recover quickly.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

After getting up early, Inna and I decided to go for a long morning walk to our favorite Fairmont Kea Lani resort (where we had our honeymoon). The stroll by the ocean was refreshing. Many people were out jogging already.

After breakfast at Cafe Kula (in Grand Wailea), which I did not enjoy (as it is way overpriced), we decided to go to the beach.

We spent most of our day on the beach, enjoying the warm Hawaiian waters. We decided to go to Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante in nearby Four Seasons for lunch. We have always come to lunch here, as the food quality was usually superior to all other nearby resorts (at least for lunch). However, this time, I was not as thrilled.

I usually order the fresh-squeezed lemonade, but my cranberry lemonade was too sweet this time. Alex's raspberry lemonade was a bit better but still too sweet.

Alex ordered his usual pizza, which he gobbled quickly (being hungry from all the swimming and boogie boarding).

I had a delicious Da Burger with mushrooms and fruit salad.

It was delicious but no better than my local Mo's burger in Campbell, California.

For dessert, we decided to try the blondie.

It was pretty delicious! All three of us competed for every morsel of the dessert.

After lunch, we explored the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea hotels. We played table tennis with Alex and Inna and returned to the pools and slides.

Of course, we had to watch the spectacular sunset on the Wailea beach.

The colors of the sunset are just so unreal. It's hard to believe that any sunset looks like this.

For dinner, we decided to eat at the local Monkeypod restaurant. This is our favorite reasonably-priced restaurant in Wailea. All other nearby restaurants are much more expensive or have lower food quality.

Inna ordered the Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi, which was exquisitely prepared and well garnished.

I had the standard Fish and Chips, and they were very well prepared. I can always tell when the fish is fresh!

For dessert, we shared the Strawberry Cream Pie, which was to die for (made with local Hawaiian-grown strawberries!)

When we returned to Grand Wailea, we took photos of the beautiful Christmas ornaments around the hotel.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

We decided to get up early at 7:00 a.m. to attend the free meditation/yoga session. The meditation class went well, but it was indoors, and Inna wanted to be outside in the lovely Maui sunshine.

After our meditation class, we had breakfast in Grand Wailea's grand dining room. I usually don't like buffets, but I wanted to try the breakfast fare that Grand Wailea offered.

We tried several dishes at the breakfast buffet. Inna and Alex really liked it, but I was unimpressed. The service was slow; I wanted to order off the a la carte menu, but the waitress never came over. I decided to get the buffet (to save some time).

Alex found his magical Nutella and eagerly smothered it over any piece of bread.

Inna enjoyed her breakfast, especially the omelet. She said the cook making the omelet was very impressive - as he could do 4-6 omelets simultaneously.

After breakfast, it was time to head back to the beach for relaxation, reading, and boogie boarding.

Since the weather was windy, I headed to North Shore Maui to try my luck at windsurfing. My all-time favorite memory is windsurfing off Spreckelsville, on Maui's North Shore. The weather forecast looked favorable, so I drove to the windsurfing rental shop on Hana Highway. When I arrived there, a heavy rain squall passed overhead.

Before renting gear, I decided to see the wind conditions by heading to the nearby Kanaha State Beach park. When I arrived, I saw a few kitesurfers but very few windsurfers. Talking to one of them, I was told that the wind was very gusty offshore.

I decided the wind conditions were not ideal for windsurfing today and returned to Grand Wailea. During this time, Inna scheduled a massage at the newly re-opened Grand Wailea spa. She enjoyed the massage and the spa and had a more favorable day than me.

I hoped the wind would be more favorable on another day, but it never happened.


Monday, December 21, 2015

We decided to try breakfast in the morning at Fairmont Kea Lani ( our honeymoon hotel).

I ordered the delicious pancakes from the a la carte menu. They were fantastic.

After breakfast, we explored the Fairmont Kea Lani. We found many beautiful Christmas decorations.

Returning from breakfast to our room, we saw a Hawaiian outrigger heading out.

After another delicious breakfast, we headed for the Grand Wailea pool and Wailea Beach.

We decided to spend the morning at the beach and the afternoon at the pools (doing slides).

The adult pool was very nice, but Alex didn't like that he could not use it (18+ only).

Grand Wailea's grounds are truly breathtaking.

We headed to the beach, and Inna had a message in the sand:

We stayed on the beach until sunset, which is always so memorable in Maui. The colors are so unique and unforgettable.

After the sunset, we went back to enjoy Grand Wailea's pools.

It was time to return to our room and prepare for dinner when it got dark.

We decided to eat at Cafe O'Lei - an inexpensive restaurant in Kihei.

Inna enjoyed her Mai Tai (drinks are reasonably priced at Cafe O'Lei), and I enjoyed the meal (it's not a bad deal for the price), but Monkeypod is much better.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

In the morning, we decided to try Grand Wailea's Kayaking and snorkeling tour. We kayak to the rocky beach opposite Wailea Beach Marriott and snorkel offshore.

I filmed a short video of our kayaking expedition:


We saw a couple of green Hawaiian turtles and a few schools of fish. When we returned back to Grand Wailea, we decided to get another breakfast at Fairmont Kea Lani.



As usual, we spent the rest of the day on the beach. We came back for lunch at Grand Wailea's Bistro Molokini. Having it on the beach was convenient, so we saved much time.

I ordered the standard Hana Bay Fish and Chips. They were well prepared (but not as delicious as the ones from Monkeypod).

Inna ordered some Fresh Island Tacos.

For dessert, we ordered a Maui-style banana Split Boat:

After our delicious lunch, we went to Grand Wailea's game room and played table tennis.

Here is a video of Alex and Inna playing table tennis. Inna beat Alex and me!



After playing table tennis games, we returned to the beach to enjoy another stunning sunset.

The sunset is something to be seen.

We made special reservations for dinner at Mama's Fish House - our all-time favorite restaurant in Maui (and probably the world!).

We love the fresh Polynesian-inspired entrees and the overall atmosphere there. We always try to find a way to eat dinner here.

We shared Ceviche or raw Ahi in a fresh coconut for an appetizer.

I ordered the delicious Opah caught about the Pacific Start north of the Hawaiian Islands, with caramelized Maui onion, Hawaiian chili, and avocado.

Inna ordered Mama's Stuffed Mahi Mahi. It's a Mahi-Mahi stuffed with lobster and crab and baked in a Macadamia nut crust.

Since Mama's was all out of the Black Pearl, we settled on Creme Brulee for our dessert.

We enjoyed our dinner at Mama's Fish House and hope to return soon.

We enjoyed our dinner at Mama's (as we always do!)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Inna rented some snorkeling gear and went snorkeling by the Marriot Beach Hotel, where Hawaiian green turtles are known to hide. She saw a few turtles and returned very excited. I followed up and took my GoPro Hero4 Silver for underwater photography.

I saw 5 different turtles and took a few underwater photos.

Here is a video of snorkeling with Hawaiian Green turtles (aka Honu):

After snorkeling, we toured the Grand Wailea grounds more extensively than expected.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Today, we decided to try out stand-up paddleboarding. We had a bit of practice on land, followed by our amusing antics in the water.

Here is a video of Alex, Inna, and me learning to paddle a Stand-Up paddleboard (SUP):


For dinner, we decided to go back to Mama's Fish House. We tried to make reservations in other restaurants, but availability was scarce. Inna made reservations at Mama's a month ago, so we were guaranteed space there.

We started with an Opakapaka Ceviche.

Inna ordered the delicious Opah entree that I had two days ago.

I decided to try the Ahi entree. It was very well prepared, but the Opah was better.

For dessert, we ordered the incomparable Black Pearl. It was so delicious!

Friday, December 25, 2015

It's Christmas time, and Hawaiians brought a particular canoe (fit for a king) to celebrate Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas in Hawaiian).

Here is a video of Alex and Inna boogie boarding on Wailea Beach:


We decided to try our local Grand Wailea restaurant - Humuhumunukunuku'apua, for dinner.

Alex was really looking forward to eating here - as he declined to come with us to Mama's Fish House in Paia. We really liked the entrees and the atmosphere here in Humuhumunukunuku'apua. The food was fresh, delicious, and almost at par with Mama's Fish House.

I ordered the delicious Ribs entree, and it was fantastic.

The dessert was quite delicious and shared by all.

We had a wonderful time at Humuhumunukunuku'apua and would happily dine here again!

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Being our last day on Maui, we got up really early and decided to get a quick breakfast, a swim in the warm Maui ocean, and a dip in the adult pool.

After dropping off our car at the Alamo, we proceeded to the Kahului airport and boarded our plane, bound for San Jose. Our Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767 flight 46 departed on time at 12:45 p.m. We landed four hours later in cold San Jose, around 7:30 p.m. PST.

Since I had some free rides on Lyft (Uber does not pick us up at San Jose airport), I ordered a car, and one was there in about 10 minutes to pick us up. We had a short drive home.

We really enjoyed our vacation in Maui and hope to be back again!

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