Today's Lunch: December 7, 2012

Today was our long awaited Holiday Party.  I've come to learn that company holiday parties and sending out holiday cards are never as easy as you would think.  We all headed out to Forbes Island at Pier 39, which is actually not an island, for our 2012 Webfortis holiday party.  All of our resources from around the country came in so that we could convene and share new products and projects that we were working on.  The venue was nice, but since it was actually a boat that was turned into an "island" it rocked whenever a larger boat went by.  This was not fun in the beginning for a few of us as we were getting motion sick.  As we spent more time on the boat, we acclimated and started feeling better by the time food was served.  It was a nice experience but I don't think I'll go back.  The food was inconsistently cooked and the motion of the boat didn't go well with my stomach.  Imagine eating at the Blue Bayou while actually being on one of the Pirates of the Caribbean boats.  All in all it was a pretty good day and nice to see resources who we normally only talk to online.  It's also just nice to get out of the office.

Beef Satay

There was a large cheese platter put out in the morning.  Once we sat down
for meetings, they put out the remaining cheeses on our tables. 

Tuna tartar tartlet, mushroom crostini, and caprese on a stick.

Chicken Satay

Fresh salad with a light vinaigrette.

One of the options was filet mignon with tiger prawns.  I debated on this, but
decided to go with the lamb because I don't get lamb as often as filet mignon.

My lamb came on top of an edamame-corn salad. I thought this was an odd
combination.  The mealiness of the edamame didn't go with the fresh crunch
of the corn.  I can see what they were trying to do, but though I love edamame,
it didn't work with the corn in my opinion.  The first few bites of the potato
puff were quite good.  It was super garlicy, cheesy, and rich.  Normally something
that I don't complain about, but after a few bites it also started to get extremely
salty.  I didn't end up finishing my fried ball of cheesy-garlic mashed potatoes.
The lamb, though fresh, was a disappointment.  Usually, I ask for my lamb to be
prepared rare.  I asked for it to be medium rare today.  I guess it's a good thing too.
It was so rare that the centers were still that purply-red shade of practically being alive.
There was a nice sear on the edges, but not enough seasoning to make it stand
out.  If I was a picky diner, I would have definitely sent this back because of the
doneness.  Last but not least, I must watch too many cooking shows because I
don't like when restaurants put garnish on top that isn't meant to be eaten.  Yes,
you can argue that lamb goes well with mint jelly.  Mint leaves is not mint jelly
and I don't like to eat straight up leaves of mint.  So to me, the mint shouldn't
have been put on the plate. 

Mushroom risotto

Berry Napoleon

After the lunch portion was over, we walked down to Pier 42 to see the USS O'Brien.  I love this kind of stuff.  Little did we know (until now) that the Titanic was filmed in the engine room.  Remember that scene when Jack and Rose are frolicking in the burning red engine room post coitus?  This is the engine room where it was filmed.  The O'Brien actually went to Normandy 11 times and is still operating.  Pretty impressive if you ask me.  It was the only US ship that made it back to Normandy for the 50 year anniversary.  

The docent in the engine room said that it only takes three people to man the engine room and they would work in four hour shifts. The main floor gets to be 85 degrees, but the second and third levels where the engine actually moves can get to 130-140 degrees.  There is one engine room person who constantly monitors the parts to make sure they are well oiled and don't over heat. I wouldn't want to be that guy running around on the second and third levels.  But, his hard earned work doesn't go unrecognized.  The engine has never completely broken down.

Bang Bang!

After sitting in two hours of traffic on the way home, Nick and I rushed back
out to Oakland to have dinner with Genna and her husband James.  We had
been meaning to get together for a while, but we finally were able to fit it into
our schedules.  We took them to Legendary Palace and they enjoyed it!  I didn't
take pictures because we order all of the things that we like to eat and have
taken pictures of many times before.