Deft Praise

Describing the extraordinary to encourage others to feel as we do, share our enthusiasms. It rewards deserving objects of admiration. Deft Praises for food and travel!

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Where you movin?

onto better things...

4-years of not posting, but continually grateful for all that I have...it has been a 4-year rollercoaster of amazing things and fun with my colleagues. Felt so much like we could conquer the world, changing one light bulb at a time (literally).

DP to Silicon Valley start ups! I found 3 in my career. When you find good ones with great people, you just want to do more (always). I so appreciate what has been imparted on me. Now to take the great knowledge and vibe elsewhere to bring a little bit of Silicon Valley to other places, to other people. #domore

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MIA

I was just notified by tumblr that Deft Praise was started one year ago – Happy Anniversary DP! I remember clearly that I needed a vehicle to share my thoughts around how grateful I am for food, friends, experiences and more.

I certainly don’t deserve any DPs, as I have been MIA for the past several months. My last post was on Szechwan chicken, which means it was around the summer of 2012 that I last blogged. How do I know? My Szechwan chicken is a weekly staple in our household during the summer months. In fact, I have made twice in the last two weeks, which is an indication that summer is here again – 2013. [Noted, my kids started raving about this dish and it’s very nice to be appreciated by the little ones.]

So I have been MIA for good reasons…another opportunity in life, in which I am very grateful. I’ve been quietly working on the launch of Sensity Systems, a new company that uses energy-efficient LED lighting as the foundation for a high-speed, sensor-based Light Sensory Network (LSN). We launched on April 17, 2013. Check out the Website that we developed – I just love the overall look, the education content, and the videos. Lots of great news coverage – Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, etc. I had SO MUCH FUN building all of this.

Although, this is a new company, what isn’t new for me is the team. I’ve heard my team members call it as “getting the band back together again.” My incredible executive team from my very first start up called ONI Systems from 1999 – the start up that kick-started my personal and professional life – got back together to form Sensity, and I was one of several that they called to join them. All the positive words in the world cannot express how I felt with the proposed job opportunity and how I continue to feel about this today.

In the process of telling our company story and how this team came together, I found some old photos from the past 14-years. Here’s one from 2000 where I was my manager’s (CEO) stand-in for a Forbes magazine photo shoot. I helped start this ONI Systems hockey team, in which we got a lot of news coverage. New recruits would read the human-interest articles and say, “I want to work for this company.” Some of them still play together today. And I still have my #8 Jersey keepsake.

ONI and now Sensity is what Silicon Valley is all about. They hire the best-of-the-best and allow each of us to help shape the culture of the company and have a sense of ownership with 100% visibility/transparency about the business. During my younger, naive days, I used to think it was about the potential financial gain that made working at a start up so great, but I can honestly say that after two IPOs and a few multi-$M acquisitions, it’s about the opportunity to work with the talented teams you find in a start up and the relationships you make/keep for life. Simply…THANK YOU!

Wow…I look young…I found my security badge mug shot from 1999.

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Bringing friends together with szechwan chicken

"For our Neighborhood Night Out, I made your marinade. Yummy! Note to self, I’ll have to co-op more Amy recipe mainstays!" -- my Good Friend sent me this note last week.

Everything about food can bring families, couples, partners, and neighbors, whoever it may be together. Maybe this is why I love food so much. There is some sort of camaraderie and a relationship that is built when you share a meal with others, and better yet, when you find that one great food together.

So I’m going to try to extend this and share my summer mainstay recipe, as my Good Friend said, in hopes that others that I know can continue to forge deeper relationships and generate great conversations around the table.

Since 2000, every summer, I have made Spicy (or not Spicy, if you omit the chili) Szechwan Chicken for my parties and potlucks. I found the recipe in the

“Hot Barbecue” cookbook by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Their recipes offer a lot of flavor that can be used on a variety of meats. In fact, I’ve used the Spicy Szechwan marinade on pork tenderloin and vegetable dishes.

Here’s a photo of the recipe.

The rice wine is not rice wine vinegar. You will have to visit your local Asian grocery store for rice wine, which will cost you about $1.09 for a bottle. Watching my mom cook Chinese food, it appears rice wine is used often. You can omit the chili sauce if kids will be joining you, and instead keep a side of Asian hot sauce as a condiment like Sriracha, which is one of my favorites. Also, if you don’t have green onions and cilantro or are not a fan of those, you can omit them. The recipe is still great without the greens. If you make it as much as I do, I began to purchase chopped ginger in a jar by Christopher Ranch, which you could find at your local grocery store.

In terms of meat, I find boneless and skinless chicken thighs are the easiest and fastest for a group of hungry people. I love using my gas grill, but in the winter, I’ve also used my oven.

If you have time, try (skin-on) chicken drumsticks with this recipe – the crispness of the skin and the juiciness of the drumstick is truly heaven on a stick. Here's my last batch - perfect crisp skin on some, burnt on others! Note, grilling with skin on the meat is not easy.

Just don’t forget to brush on more marinade as you cook. After I plate it, I also drizzle a little bit of the marinade on the chicken for presentation.

This recipe has received Deft Praises from many of my friends over the past 12-years.

Enjoy!

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We’ve all had it…those moments where we see something familiar and it sparks an entire chain of memories as if it was just yesterday. In my case, it starts with my most favorite wine from Gevrey-Chambertin. If you read my earlier blog on The Village Pub, you may remember I mentioned wines from this area - they are the only local SF Bay Area restaurant that I know sells it by the glass.

Gevrey-Chambertin, a small town in Cote de Nuits producing some of Burgundy's most famous red wine from Pinot Noir grapes. Their wines are dubbed the king of wines and wine of kings, even though it was said that it was the Emperor Napolean's favorite wine.

Gevrey-Chambertin wines are deep in color with intense aromas and flavors evoking blackcurrant, cherry and liquorice, among others. Even with such a powerful punch in flavor, I found them to be silky in texture. They say these wines are a perfect accompaniment to stews, grilled red meat and strong cheeses. I say if you love red wine, it can go with anything.

I first discovered Gevrey-Chambertin in New York. We landed around 6 p.m. with just enough time to spare for our hotel check-in and then a late dinner at Thomas Keller's Per Se.

My colleague picked the location, as we knew it was only appropriate to have a small pre-celebration before all our festivities leading up to and at the NYSE – we were days away from ringing the bell in front of millions of people - Per Se was our treat and so was the wine we discovered.

We described our taste to the Sommelier, who ended up recommending a Gevrey-Chambertin. I gulped when he told us the price - $250 – but in honor of the upcoming big day, our little dinner party of four agreed to order a bottle. I’m so glad we did. It opened a whole new world of wines for me and since then I have been hooked.

I recently hit up a private sale at the Vintage Wine Merchants and stocked up…as you can see below. Off-the-shelf prices range from $75-$110 per bottle.

Every sip I take, just brings back wonderful memories of New York, our dinner at Per Se, the team outing to see Jersey Boys and dinner at Nobu, and then the all memorable NYSE morning Bell Ringing Ceremony. I know people who wait nearly a lifetime to do it just once and some never reach that point. Here, I was 35 years old and my third time at the podium. I am so grateful for it all!

If you watch the video, I was caught on National TV in front of millions, taking a FaceBook photo of the Floor. And worse, I've got this look on my face like "hey, why are you guys clapping already?" Doh...we were live on air. LOL. It felt like the longest 30 seconds of clapping and smiling of my life. 

Here's the photo that I had taken on my iPhone moments before the clapping. 

Since I was responsible for all the Marketing aspects, the evening before our Bell Ringing Ceremony, I sat outside of the NYSE waiting for our 60-ft banner to be hung on the NYSE building. It was a cool experience to sit on the steps of a historic building and “listen” to the city. I can still hear it, when I close my eyes...I hear the NYSE workers clipping their safety belts to the iron rods, yelling to one another to check in "ready?" as they prepared to hang the banner. Sunday-Friday those men put their lives in danger to hang and remove a 60-ft banner each day.

[The angle of the photos can be deceiving - just know that these buildings and the banners were huge and up high!]

Here’s the evening photo:

Here’s the next morning.

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Being grateful works!

I ran across this Inc. magazine article that embodies a lot of why I started Deft Praise, so I had to share. Life is about showing gratitude and being grateful for everything around you!

Deft Praise to the writer Geoffrey James for summing it up...read on...

And btw...I'm grateful to all those that take the time to read my blog. I've got the gratitude part down - I'm still waiting for the success part to come. LOL

True Secret to Success (It's Not What You Think)

If you're not exercising this emotional muscle, you're probably setting yourself up for failure.

I'm utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude.

People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what's wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don't go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective.

By contrast, people who lack gratitude are never truly happy. If they succeed at a task, they don't enjoy it. For them, a string of successes is like trying to fill a bucket with a huge leak in the bottom. And failure invariably makes them bitter, angry, and discouraged.

Therefore, if you want to be successful, you need to feel more gratitude. Fortunately, gratitude, like most emotions, is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes.

Practice Nightly

The best time to exercise gratitude is just before bed. Take out your tablet (electronic or otherwise) and record the events of the day that created positive emotions, either in you or in those around you.

Did you help somebody solve a problem? Write it down. Did you connect with a colleague or friend? Write it down. Did you make somebody smile? Write it down.

What you're doing is "programming your brain" to view your day more positively. You're throwing mental focus on what worked well, and shrugging off what didn't. As a result, you'll sleep better, and you'll wake up more refreshed.

Reprogramming Your Brain

More important, you're also programming your brain to notice even more reasons to feel gratitude. You'll quickly discover that even a "bad day" is full of moments that are worthy of gratitude. Success becomes sweeter; failure, less sour.

The more regularly you practice this exercise, the stronger its effects.

Over time, your "gratitude muscle" will become so strong that you'll attract more success into your life, not to mention greater numbers of successful (i.e., grateful) people. You'll also find yourself thanking people more often. That's good for you and for them, too.

This method works. If you don't believe me, try it for at least a week. You'll be amazed at what a huge difference it makes.

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Jubba, what?

At 9:00 p.m. on a Thursday night, desperate to try something different for dinner, we came across a Nigerian restaurant that had a lot of great online reviews. Although, folks raved about the place, I was a bit skeptical about the food type and location.

Jubba Restaurant is located in the corner of an apartment complex and (I believe) the second to last Light Rail stop in south San Jose (Ohlone Chynoweth Station). It's named after a river in East Africa that rises in central Ethiopia and flows south through Somalia to the Indian Ocean.

Late at night, in trying to find the place, you’ll drive through an apartment complex questioning if you made the correct turn, and once you get there, you ask yourself if you should get out of the car to dine at a Bus-Stop-like diner…then you ask the ultimate question, is it worth it? [Safety?]

It is, especially at Jubba!

We were greeted by some of the nicest restaurant staffers that were wearing traditional African attire. They were very helpful in not only describing the food, but also describing the portion sizes. Come hungry because the portions are huge. Prices were extremely reasonable too and all $12.00 entrees came with a drink of your choice.

We ordered the beef chapatti wrap and chicken entrée with chapatti and a salad on the side. The chapati is the bread – it’s like a big round thin pancake or crepe – I loved it. The food also comes with a lime and spicy-hot green sauce. Some described the sauce as a concoction of Wasabi, jalapenos and lime juice.

[Notice in the photo above the red plate - it's a traditional Chinese design; and they serve Mexican sodas...a melting pot of influences.]

We were hoping to try Goat, as that was the specialty everyone raved about in the reviews, but they had run out of it that evening. We weren’t disappointed though with the beef or chicken, as both of them were very tender and flavorful. I would describe the flavors to be similar to Indian food, except milder in spice…it doesn’t burn your tongue, lips…they just have a little kick to them.

I’m so glad I tried something new and took a chance. I didn’t know what to expect. Now after my first try, I crave it! I can’t wait to go back and experience more new things. I read that their sweet tea is a ‘must try’ too!

Thank you to the Jubba owners and staff for opening up a great restaurant. I noticed the hard work put into keeping the place running smoothly from high-quality customer service to cleanliness. And I enjoyed looking at the photos of what looked like family members scattered by the register and other walls. There was a sense of pride in the establishment that reminded me of when my family owned a restaurant. Something about this place exudes the “American Dream”.

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Fwah Grah bender

I've been indulging in Foie Gras (pronounced Fwah Grah) for the past month, ordering it every time I saw it on a menu, and getting my fill. Foie Gras is rich, buttery in flavor. It's in a a league of its own, held in the same regard as caviar and truffles in my book.  

California legislation that was written and signed in 2004 making the sale of the French delicacy, Foie Gras, against the law went into effect a few days ago (on July 1, 2012). It is so sad that I have to post photos of the tasty duck and goose livers in their most beautiful, legal form - plated. 

It was great while it lasted in Cali!

Foie Gras Mache and Frisée Salad with Vanilla Poached Apricots

Seared Foie Gras with Muscat Grapes, Almonds and Brioche Toast

Foie Gras Stuffed Duck with Chanterells, Pommes Maxim

Foie Gras Crème Brûlée with Bing Cherries and Black Pepper Tuile

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The village people and their pub

No, I’m not talking about the disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes - sing it now: “Y-M-C-A!” I’m referencing something different – The Village Pub (VP) in Woodside, California, and their people.

Here’s their description of their restaurant on their Website:

The Village Pub opened its doors in 2001 and has quickly secured its reputation as one of the top restaurants in the Bay Area. Veteran San Francisco restaurateurs - Tim Stannard, Mark Sullivan, and Andrew Green - set out to create a dining experience that offers guests a relaxed and inviting environment to enjoy innovative fare prepared with the finest ingredients available. In addition to being recognized both locally and nationally for its award-winning cuisine, The Village Pub has also received consistent praise for its unparalleled wine and spirits program.

It says it all and is true to their words. Their entrees are tasty and I love their Pub Burger and Fries…and they serve Gevrey-Chambertin wine by the glass (wow!). The Gevrey-Chambertin area is said to have the oldest vines dating back to the 1st Century BC. Gevrey-Chambertin wines are exclusively red and made predominantly from Pinot Noir grapes. Widely regarded as being the most full-bodied and masculine of the region, these wines have a particular intensity of color and rich, deep flavors that have earned Gevrey the title, “King of Burgundy!” To get it by the glass is such a treat.

You wouldn’t think you should order a burger and fries at a Michelin Star restaurant, instead you think you need to order the Poached Alaskan Halibut w/Sherry Morels or Braised Veal, w/Vegetable Jardinière – you know the complicated stuff to go with your Gevrey – but I’d recommend at your first visit, you or someone at your table should order the Pub Burger and Fries. Or better yet, order it as an appetizer and cut it into minis for a taste test.

It comes with your choice of American Cheddar or Blue Cheese, a wonderful aioli that can be used on the burger or as a dip for your fries, and homemade bread (brioche, I think). I had it with the Roquefort Blue Cheese, which is a sheep’s milk blue cheese from the South of France. If you’ve never had Roquefort, the cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mold that provides a sharp tang. The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then waxes sweet, then smoky, and fades to a salty finish – a perfect complement to a juicy, free range, medium-rare patty with all the fix ‘ins.

[I’m sorry, I devoured my Pub Burger before I realized I should have taken a photo. Just imagine the best burger ever!]

Something that is missing from their Website description is SERVICE. I can’t believe they don’t praise themselves. I received the ultimate service experience from the kitchen to the table and vice versa.

Here’s an example: I exchanged friendly feedback with Andy O’Day, the general manager, via e-mail weeks before another visit at The VP. He kept a record of our exchange and upon my arrival at my next visit, he was quick to greet us, personally introduce our server (Michael Alafriz), and bring out the sous chef (Matt Seiger), if we had questions about our food. Their service-oriented environment makes them really standout, and I’m sure this contributed to their Michelin Star win.

It’s an outstanding restaurant overall – great food, great service, great value. DP to The VP!

Who wants to come with me on my next visit?

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Heaven in the spoonful

Although, I say to others "live like it's your birthday every day (eat what you want)," it's not till I am celebrating my special day that I realize how grateful I am for this one treasured item in my pantry: The Stonewall Kitchen Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Sauce. I enjoy this as part of my dessert nearly every day, but somehow today was different - I found a new sense of appreciation.

When I received my first jar as a gift (yrs ago), my friend said it is "life changing sauce." That line could be interpreted in many funny ways, but now I understand…it is just heavenly on top of my favorite Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (I like Clover Stornetta the best). So yeah, life changing…deliciousness!

I forget how nutty I am over this sauce – it's not easy to find and when I do find it, I stock up! Last Christmas, I searched every store in Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. I found only ONE! Let's just say all my holiday gift plans were ruined.

If you want to try some…to the South Bay (Cali) folks, I'm sorry if you can't find it in your local Sur La Table store. I purchased all of them with the help of a co-worker the other day, and I'm still buying up more. It's so DP worthy, I'm not sure I can share.

Here's my scoop tonight.

Who needs a birthday cake when you have this bit of heaven in the spoonful!

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I tasted it like just yesterday

I am literally doing a brisk walk on my treadmill as I create this blog entry – weight loss program #2 – yeah, multi-tasking, which is my weakness, but I have to work off the food that consumes my every thought and somehow lands in my belly (and then my thighs). 

Today's food that I am working off got me to reflect about my childhood and the pure awesomeness of being a child – PINWHEELS! Do you remember those?

This is the problem with one's development into a foodie. You continue to experience the new, search for an item, dish or meal that can "one-up" the last…and you forget about the old. So today, I vowed I will always take time to remember the extraordinary in the past.

There are others out there that feel the same as I do for the Pure Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies. They have their own FaceBook page, a 5-star rating on Amazon and other blogs raving about these little chocolate cake-like cookies topped with a ring of marshmallow and covered in chocolate.

120 calories each, but very DP worthy! I'd get on the treadmill and sweat it out for those any day, anytime. 

Thank you to my close friends for the gift of the past, tonight! Pinwheels topped off this evening's wonderful dinner. [And thank goodness, they really do taste as good as I had remembered them.]

What was your DP worthy childhood cookie?

For the record, I wasn't kidding. Here's my blogging station this evening.

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Sparkling tap - you know you want some

Going back to the naming of this blog, I was looking for something that represented new meaning to ordinary, but with a certain je ne sais quoi. So…what could be more ordinary than tap water?

Water, aside from being an essential of life one cannot go without for very long, it symbolizes life, growth. Now let's transition abruptly from its symbolization to what you can do with it…you purchase a SodaStream…and Voilà, you've got yourself some carbonated tap.

In today's foodie world, it cracks me up at how quickly tap water has been made fancy. Restaurants are now eager to offer sparkling tap water, marketing their reverse osmosis filtration process and carbonation technique, and some charge you for it (like Parcel 104). But at the end of the day, isn't it still tap water, but infused with bubbles?

I chuckle at this now – potentially naming my blog "Sparkling Tap" to embody the ordinary with a little bit of "I don't know what (je ne sais quoi)". It makes me laugh, but all kidding aside, I love sparkling tap water! No more Pellegrino bottles to recycle (I'm being green), saves a ton on cost (I'm being frugal) and gives me the fizz without the guilt of soda (I'm being health conscious) – all pretty awesome factors, right? So can I say, Deft Praise to the inventors of the home carbonation system? I think they are DP worthy. 

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French Culinary Institute led me here

Even being in the communications field, it took me years to embrace the most popular social media applications: LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogging and Twitter. And the funny thing is that I get paid to do this, but it wasn't my day-to-day job that led me to want to share more thoughts with the world - it was my love for food! [And travel.]

I have always dined at some great establishments (Michelin Star(s) and hole-in-the-walls). However, it was my first professional amateur class in Culinary Arts at the International Culinary Center (home of the French Culinary Institute) (ICC/FCI) [and my iPhone camera] that sparked new life in me to want to encourage my passion and share my enthusiasm with my family and friends.

A shout out...Deft Praise to the ICC/FCI for a wonderful experience (so far) that has begun to change my life and has given me a new appreciation for all things culinary. Thank you!

At the time of this photo (July 2011), my ICC/FCI instructor (Chef Bruno) told us that we will remember this moment forever, as it is the first time I will have cooked on the stove as a chef. Whether I become a certified professional chef or not, IT IS a memory I will cherish...you'll also see my tourné cut potatoes that looked more like Stonehenge formations as Chef Bruno stated, which still makes me laugh today - Grade: A for effort; D for looks - but they were delish! I'll have to blog on tourné in the future. Lots to say around this topic.

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Deft Praise - Describing the Extraordinary

Deft Praise (DP): Encourages others to feel as we do, share our enthusiasms. It rewards deserving objects of admiration. It persuades people to take certain actions. 

After a period of searching for just the right words to describe my blog, I now understand why people can so quickly jump into social media and then so quickly drop it all together. The 100+ words I wanted to use were taken. We came up with some silly names too.

At long last, Deft Praise (DP) sums it up for me! We need to do it more for each other, so here's my food and travel blog to describe the extraordinary in my life and express my gratitude to have encountered the experience. Hopefully, this becomes infectious with those around me!

DP worthy? Read on...