Food, books, wine, more food...

Good food, good books, good wine and good times with good friends is all good in this 'hood o mine. I started my weekend with Friday dinner at Koh Samui and the Monkey with Lee and Su. This may just be my new favorite Thai restaurant. It's nicer than most, without being uber-trendily upscale and overpriced; and they have a great, unique pumpkin curry! The service wasn't exactly spectacular, but everything else was so good - including the drinks - I'd deal with the slow wait staff again to partake in the rest of the dining experience.

Saturday morning, Tina, Lee and I hit the Billion Dollar Babes sample sale, where I picked up my second goldenbleu bag. The leather is so soft and buttery. This is also where I discovered Allison Burns, which I carry as my default weekender; I want a second bag of hers too. And a third, and a fourth... ooh, that's my weakness. I'm such a bag lady.

Gallant joined us after shopping for brunch at the Ferry Building, and then we tried to hit the opening of the De Young Museum. The line was WAY too long (I heard someone near the front mention they'd been waiting for three hours!), so we left. For their public opening weekend, they were going to stay open all night through Sunday, so we decided to try again later.

Before embarking on our evening activities, Lee let me give her nighttime smoky eyes. We did fake lashes and everything!

I think she's feeling bad for me because I found out I've been fired from my wedding makeup gig. Maybe fired isn't exactly the right word. The bride has very sensitive eyes, which have been acting up, so she's decided to not do any makeup at all based on her opthamalogist's recommendation. Sad! Oh, well. I'll have to update my portfolio and keep trying. In the meantime, I'll just keep "attacking" my friends with makeup brushes in hand.

Lee and I decided to join Lit Crawl, which wrapped up the week of Litquake. It was basically a pub crawl in the Mission, with readings in bookstores and bars. We popped in and out of several venues, but I particularly enjoyed Michelle Richmond at the Make-Out Room and Marianna Cherry at 12 Galaxies. Their pieces were a bit more risque, but I was laughing out loud.

Between the Make-Out Room and 12 Galaxies, we got really hungry. We needed a snack. We needed Popeye's.

Popeye's has the best biscuits! I never would've known this but for the fact that Popeye's was everywhere in Korea. Lee, Camilla, Yun and I were at Yonsei the summer of '95, and we devoured this stuff - and we still lost weight. Mmm, I like mine with honey. So ghetto. So good.

We then met up with D.Lao (which led to his eventual makeover). We all tried to go to the De Young again at 3 in the morning, but there was still a long line! Alas.

On Sunday, we had brunch at Rigolo. The pulled-pork sandwich was amazing! And then we had to have coffee at Cafe Lo Cubano afterwards.

We then joined One City One Book, the City's first ever citywide book club! "What if all San Franciscans read the same book?" Books Inc. was selling the first book, China Boy, so Lee and I each bought a copy. I don't know if all of San Francisco will be reading the same book, but they've got two of us signed up. I think it's an interesting concept, and I'm curious to see where this goes. I told myself that I have to stop buying books, though, until I get through at least one of the ten or so I've got sitting on my nightstand. Maybe books are my weakness too.

And I've definitely also got a weakness for wine. I'm just a weak, weak girl. Oh, well!

I just got back from dinner with Seong, a friend from law school who moved back to the City about a year ago. We ate at Baraka, which was DEEElicious! Their pistachio-crusted goat cheese with onion jam and honey was divine, and so was their lamb tagine specialty, with prunes, marcona almonds, chick peas and couscous.

I really don't know Spanish wines very well at all, but our waitress recommended this '96 Bodegas Montecillo Gran Reserva, and I LOVED it! I'll definitely have to try to remember this one. Or keep the picture on my camera phone.

The waitress was laughing and telling us about a previous patron who busted out her phone to show which wine they wanted. That's totally me. Thank goodness for modern technology! I'm willing to geek out for good wine.