Had a rather relaxing weekend with the boy, running miscellaneous errands and playing a lot of Rock Band and Professor Layton. I’m starting to miss the more aggressive video games. I may just log in to Steam and launch me some TF2 … sometime. Someday!

Here are some food pics to keep your mouth watering while you read my blog

So yes, if you couldn’t tell, we had brunch at Caffe 817 in Oakland. It was rather delicious, as always. This is one of our favourite lunch time spots to frequent whenever we’re in the area, mostly because they use such fresh ingredients and because their sandwiches are so refreshingly Californian-Italian. I always used to visit Ratto’s, which is the deli/grocery store next door, especially back when I used to work in downtown Oakland. Their sandwiches were also simply amazing, but in a different way. I actually never ate at Cafe 817 before, not at least until after I’d left the office in Oakland, and the only reason why I started having my lunch at Cafe 817 was because Ratto’s was closed on one of the days Justin and I were in the area. Oops! Well, it just gave the store even more business

I usually eat sandwiches here, but we were early enough to try out their breakfast menu. I cannot resist eggs benedict, so whenever I see it on the menu I immediately go for it. I love that they used proscuitto instead of Canadian bacon. The Hollandaise sauce was ligthweight, although a bit sour for my taste (it could either be the vinegar of the poached egg or too much lemon–at times I could taste both!) They obviously use an egg poacher, but I sort of have a soft spot for places who poach eggs the old-fashion way–in a boiling pan of water. Granted, it’s the more difficult way, but it always feels like you’re getting more yolk than white. All in all, it was still a pretty good breakfast. I’m at least glad I ordered it and tried it out

Justin’s sandwich was the grilled chicken panini, pressed in between Acme rolls, stuffed with artichoke and proscuitto. That’s always the safe bet to go, and Justin sure wanted something safe Haha.

Another culinary adventure I had was on Sunday afternoon, with Justin and Chandler, at Mini Gourmet, a mom-and-pop diner that’s sure to remind you of the good ol’ days, if you’re about 70+ years old. It’s the kind of place where everyone seems to know your name, and if they don’t, they at least try to be warm and friendly with you. They serve all sorts of American goodness here, ranging from an impressive breakfast menu to a full lunch and dinner menu. It’s not so different from Country Way, although the portions are somewhat more manageable than Country Way. I may consider re-visiting this restaurant again, after I get over the caloric intake I’d had

I’m starting to realize this blog is becoming more and more like a food blog than it is an all-encompassing personal blog, but you know what? I love food! I can’t help if it I want to write about food all the time … and post really yummy pics of them … mmmmmmmmmmm.

I’m such a glutton