It's Patrick's birthday today! We made aram sandwiches for Kristina's baby shower tomorrow. We drove to Golden Gate Park and got a hot dog and Icee snack at the boat house. The sky was mostly clear and the weather was warmish in the sun, cold in the shade. The water level of Stow Lake was currently too low for the paddle boats and rowboats to operate. For some reason, an elderly man sat with a handwritten sign which said as much at the boat house counter -- we couldn't figure out why he had to hold the sign. (I thought he wanted to feel helpful.) We hiked to the top of Strawberry Hill, a small mountain in the middle of Stow Lake. The view was disappointing because of all the trees. Why doesn't someone chop them down to make paper? (Just kidding about the chopping but not kidding about the view.) The artificial waterfall wasn't running, either. If you're thinking about doing this same short hike, I recommend Buena Vista Park or Twin Peaks instead of Strawberry Hill. The other not-so-nice thing was that we smelled poop a whole lot while walking through GG Park. I could only hope that it was from a dog and not from human animals. After the park, we drove to Divisadero Car Wash, then we stopped in the Castro. Patrick wanted some new jeans but we went from shop to shop, saying hi to Adrian (we saw his new double-phoenix tattoo -- cool! sexy!) and Jesse and Hussein. Stopped at Safeway on the way home. Snack: ham sandwich on a bagel from Safeway. I sang Happy Birthday for Patrick and we ate slices of the birthday cake we bought yesterday at Ambrosia. The cake is chocolate cake on the bottom layer (dark brown), chocolate mousse in the middle layer (light brown), and white chocolate mousse on the top layer (white). Deeeelicious! Patrick napped while I did laptop maintenance. Dinner at Aziza (415-752-2222, 5800 Geary Blvd) with Patrick. We really like this Moroccan restaurant whose dark but enchanting interiors reminded us of Tantra in Silverlake. (See 2002/08/01.) There is lots to like about Aziza: the staff is friendly, accommodating, and efficient. The seating (padded, colorful chairs and benches) is comfortable, even luxurious. The walls and ceiling are artful -- painted tiles, patterned and stained woods, exposed wooden beams. After we ordered, the first item to arrive (not counting water glasses) was a pot of hot Moroccan mint tea (sweetened traditional moroccan tea, packed with fresh mint & a splash of orange blossom water), pre-sweetened but not too sweet -- just the perfect amount. We also ordered a side of moroccan spiced mission almonds -- these were coated in something sweet and slightly spicy; I was able to tolerate about a dozen given a proper pacing. They put a smile on our faces; maybe we are easily pleased, but it's not often we taste something so unique as these nuts. We also received a bowl of slightly sweet (honeyed?) anise bread encrusted with sesame seed as well as a small bowl of marinated olives and almonds. Our first course arrived: Patrick had tricolor, steamed Coke Farm beets with goat cheese pearls and balsamic vinaigrette, and I had seafood triangles (prawns & alaskan halibut tucked into phyllo, parslied couscous with pine nuts, saffron essence). Patrick wants me to mention specifically the artful arrangement of the beets dish. The plate was square with the beets and goat cheese in one corner and clover sprouts and dots of balsamic in the other then an empty space in the middle. "It was like looking at a piece of art," he says. We thought the tea was so good that we ordered a second pot. Main courses: Patrick had saffron-infused Hoffman Ranch cornish hen (capped with house-preserved meyer lemons, purple potato mash), and I had grilled Hoffman Ranch thyme chicken brochettes (with steamed saffron couscous and something they called "vegetable stew" but it's not a stew -- it might be stewed vegetables, but it's not a stew). Patrick's braised cornish hen was pre-sliced and arranged like duck, and it tasted like duck, too, with a crispy skin and a rich, thick, flavorful sauce. My chicken brochettes were well marinated and grilled perfectly -- they remained astoundingly juicy throughout. No dry corners or edges. Patrick had a glass of Cairanne (grenache / syrah / mourv