Binkomonster!

New Food Finds. And Drinks.

One can never underestimate the pleasure that discovering a new food haunt brings (at least in our case). Since our return from points far away, we've been doing some additional exploring in our own backyard, with wondrous additions to what has now become our top 20. Up first? A glorious little gem in the Sunset, Namu.
Hot diggity cat. This one rated a good 7 out of 8 paws on our scale. The downer? The out of the way location (but then, anything we can't walk to in glorious SOMA is considered out of the way). The uppers? Oh, where to begin? The awesome space, the chi chi bathrooms, but the food... oh the food! Between the oysters, the dumplings, and the daikon medallion in oxtail broth, we felt as though we had awoken our culinary senses from a long slumber. The continued beauty is that this restaurant is consistent all the way through the dessert course.  The fruit tart (warm fuji apple with a yummy pine nut crust) came with not only the coconut, but ginger ice cream as a topping. And what a combination!  No liquor license as of yet, so for now, BYOW (and hey, being able to grab something out of the Binkomonster wine cellar is a treat in and of itself). However, the wonderful hostess gave us a tip of the cards on their alcohol plan: sakes, local/boutique wines, maybe some Korean beers, and Soju. Sweet. And they do an awesome brunch as well.  Next up? The Presidio Social Club.  Sounds kind of pretentious doesn't it? But so far from it. Located just inside the Presidio (of course), the former Letterman hospital is a beautiful space. The long marble bar feels wonderful to the touch (and fabulous to rest one's cocktail upon), and we have a suspicion that the stainless steel cabinets which now hold all of the precious alcoholic elixirs are simply a clever re-use of fixtures that once held gauze, bandages and antiseptic. Er, we tried not too hard to comprehend the juju that comes about from such a karmic re-appropriation (safety in your drinking?) But we digress. The cocktails? Consistent, but hitting the mark. The Gunpowder is a clever take on a standard Gimlet (with a dash of cayenne pepper on top to give the appearance of the mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal, and with a pleasant *bite* as well). The food was absolutely comfort/nostalgia inducing. Pork with oyster hash yielded a dish with a cut of meat so thinly sliced as to melt in one's mouth, and the accompanying oyster/rice/herb hash was just... catnip. But the crowning triumph had to be the desserts. We are still in complete awe and drooling worship over the banana cream pie. A thin puff pastry disc, with a layer of light/fresh bananas, crowned by fresh whip-cream and chocolate shavings. Must. Resist. Temptation. The brioche beignets were just as seductive. Light, fluffy, and served with warm maple syrup. And we haven't even sampled the warm chocolate cupcakes either! Suffice to say, we're busy on Open Table right now making reservations for next week. Hee.  Drink-side, apart from a fantastic foray to the Binkomonster satellite office (also affectionately known as Bourbon and Branch), we've been sticking to the mixology lab at Binko-Centrale. After all, with all the interesting ingredients we've brought back from Europa, experimentation is the order of the day, no?

WhirlCessPool, and Life BETTER be Good

So it finally happened. The demise of the Binkomonster laundromat.  Many years ago, when the castle was completed, and we its denizens began moving in, the decision was made to splurge on the fanciest washer and dryer we could find. Long story short; lots of research for big appliance, no extra insurance policy (gee, washers and dryers are supposed to last 20 years right?), leading to the self-assurance that we would be good to go for the foreseeable future. Right? WRONG. Three years into the life of our appliances and between the SEVERAL repairs done to replace broken latches (wha,  you mean we can't wash more than 2 towels?) and the *ahem* "skid marks" being left by a dryer with some kind of intestinal ailment that requires frequent voiding, and the executive decision was made. Get rid of the darn things. No more Whirlpool fancy-shmancy do-hickies for us. Nope. Different vendor, *and* simpler. We chose to try our luck with the LG folks. And we conscientiously chose a mid-range model (offering enough wash cycles, but not all the bells and whistles of leaking silver onto your garments or the choice of a 'steamwash').  After much wrangling, rearranging, leveling, disconnecting/reconnecting, removal of doors and whatnot, the new setup is finally installed. Pictures to follow of course. When we are assured that it is working to our satisfaction. Initial observations are positive (it is a relief not to hear the constant clacking/teetering), but we shall see if they hold out for the longer duration.