Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bayview Music Festival... or not

Hey now! I apologize for neglecting you. Seems I haven't written in dayz. Like most of us born under Aquarius, I have been all over the place… in my head, that is. We Aquarians do more mind traveling and task accomplishing (in our minds) than do any other astrological sign. I have no doubt. Try to get an Aquarian to stop dreaming (day or night) and you’ve really accomplished something! With so many things I want to get done, I am finding it difficult to settle and focus on a few. That’s when I have these “come to Jesus” moments with myself, and in no time I am back on track! Whew! Nothing like a good talkin’ to!
Add to this notion that if you can see it -- you can be it, this beautiful weather we’ve had. 90 degrees… seriously?! It does nothing to help keep my mind tuned in to business, but rather adventure and exploration.
On Saturday, we drove over to San Francisco. In my mind, it would serve to show my family the neighborhood I grew up in as well as to check out the Bayview Music Festival. I was hoping to sample a lot of festival food; you, know? The good stuff restaurant’s usually bring out to entice you to visit there store location. I was also interested in the shrimp and grits cook-off billed on the events schedule… thought it might good to add this idea as a breakfast menu item.
Boy, was I let down. What I found was just a wonderful, very small community gathering in the Bayview. There was a stage step up for a band, and a few people break dancing… but only one (count ‘em); one, food vendor. In addition, there was representation by Just For You – a café known for their amazing breakfasts. Just For You is a café located in Dogpatch – a gritty, blue collar neighborhood on the east side of San Francisco and I’ve heard that people line up and wait for an opportunity to dine there. Anyway, we're selling food, but were handing out samples of their beignets, which BTW were amazing. I asked if the chef was from Louisiana; the guy replied “yes”. I am not convinced. I examined the menu and although there are some Cajun and Créole dishes, I found equally as many Mexican, American and other ethnic menu items representative of the melting pot that San Francisco is. Not a bad thing, but I am looking for authentic soul food joints. I will check them out on my next visit to the Bay, however. Beignets are a planned item for my breakfast menu, and I quite honestly, I haven’t had one that good since my visit to New Orleans years ago.
With no indication that a food contest was taking place or going to take place, we moved on to the Embarcadero. There was an Arts & Crafts Fair at the foot of Market, right at Embarcadero Four. We stopped there and walked around for a bit, winding down for a late lunch at Osha (www.oshathai.com).
Overall, it was a beautiful day. I didn’t get my fix fulfilled with regard to restaurant fare today, but it was nice spending the day with my family. School ramps back up in another month, so with school and working both Chez Pannell and Johnny Broadway’s (reopening in a day or two); days like this will be few and far between.

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