Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Breakfast from The View Cafe: egg and cheddar on english muffin, small coffee with cream: about $4. Standup meeting. Listserv management: pharmacy residency specialities. Drupal work: reported problem paste does nothing in asana. Followup with Kamran H, new project coordinator on Shuvo's team. Listserv management. Met with Susie and Paula to review Office of the Dean and other pages. Forgot to eat lunch. Drupal issue followup: magnifying glass icon on gallery thumbs. More listserv management. Surprise birthday party for Michelle: I ate two pieces of chocolate cake. More listserv management. Posted updated fall draft schedules for Lucia. Pharmchem current web edits for Alma and Millo. Jazzee followup. Dinner at Cupola with Danny, Drew, and Phil. Patrick canceled earlier today, Romy canceled 15 minutes before the dinner time, Richard L never showed and never declined the invitation, and everyone else was 10 minutes late. We had a bottle of prosecco and, separately, two purees to pour in: prickly pear and blood orange (prosecco per la tavola, $38.00). Phil and Drew both liked the prosecco on its own. We ordered La Festa Di Tutte Le Feste (the feast of all feasts) for the table: $32 per person. Antipasti: grilled peaches with pickled red onions and hazelnuts ($4.75); zucchini, almonds, basil, mint, lemon ($4.50); marinated olives, garlic, rosemary ($4.75); seasoned corn off the cob (not on the online menu, so I don't have a price, but it would be in the area of $5); warm pulled-to-order mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil ($13.00); salad of baby kale, currants, toasted pistachios, ricotta salata, orange ($9.75); cavatelli with grilled lamb, artichoke hearts, and mint ($18.00); torn pasta handkerchiefs: simple tomato sauce, basil, garlic crumbs ($17.00); italian fried chicken "pollo fritto": mary’s herb-marinated half chicken, fennel, meyer lemon, fried onions ($22.00); 2 halves of pizza: mortadella (mozzarella, grana padano, pistachio, $17.50) and margherita (san marzano tomatoes, housemade fior di latte, basil, olive oil, $15.50). Dessert: tiramisu with espresso anglaise sauce, rum, cocoa ($7.50); housemade spumoni with claret sauce ($6.75). If we had ordered the food a la carte instead of with La Festa, it would have been $128 (not including the prosecco). With La Festa, it was $128 (not including the prosecco). The total (including the prosecco) before tax and tip was about $166. My favorites were the warm mozzarella, fried chicken, handkerchiefs, both pizzas, and the tiramisu. I tasted everything except the olives. Most plates were pretty salty but not unbearably so. I really enjoyed the cherries in the spumoni, but overall this dessert was too sweet. The fried chicken was particularly perfect. If I had to pick one best dish, it would be the fried chicken because it was moist and tender inside while perfectly crunchy outside. In second: the handkerchiefs because I don't know anyplace else that has it. My phone had strangely stopped working, so I couldn't order Uber. Rode Muni F and L home: so unpleasant because of smelly and scary-looking people. After getting home I troubleshot my phone, and it was working again. Finished packing. Listserv management. Calendar management.