Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Holiday. Slept in. I helped Patrick make breakfast: French toast with butter and maple syrup, maple-pecan sausage, hot Earl Grey tea. Washed dishes. Installed a CAT6 ethernet cable to Patrick's laptop to improve Internet speed and troubleshoot a problem with slow web page loading. Earthquakeproofed Patrick's reproduction of Brian Kershisnik's Red Horse and Rider by inserting two eye hooks into the frame and using picture wire and a QuakeHOLD! A-Maze-Ing Picture Hook. Rode UberX with Patrick to dinner at L'Ardoise (151 Noe Street): to drink we shared a half bottle of Sancerre. Appetizers: tiger prawn ravioli with sauce vierge and fresh mixed herbs for Patrick, appetizer special for me: mushrooms and puff pastry. Entrees: filet mignon with applewood-smoked bacon, pommes landaises, and white truffle oil; crispy skin chicken breast with potato puree, spinach, and roasted garlic jus. For dessert, we shared an apple tarte tatin. Food and drink were both perfect. Service by Alexandre L was excellent. $141.81 before a $25 tip. Afterwards we walked to the Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street) for Holigays Are Here by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. All three shows tonight were sold out. There was no assigned seating. We caught the 7:00 pm show, paying $45 each for priority admission tickets, failed to get in line very early, and found seats in the center near the back moments before the general admission ticketholders were admitted. The event was festive, fun, and moving. I was impressed. My favorite piece: Silent Night.