Paragon Mania

Prior to its opening, I had heard whispers about some outlet going up somewhere close by. Since I'm not a shop-a-holic, I wasn't interested in hearing more about it. Then, the whisper became louder until it became irritatingly noisy. This outlet finally had a name and an exact location. Everyone was talking about it. No way to avoid it. Even covering your ears didn't help.

Dang !! Another outlet. Expect mayhem and grid lock. And an excuse to shop.

On November 8th, Paragon Outlets in Livermore Valley, CA opened its doors to a herd of hungry shoppers, eager to avail of the bargains and discounts these stores had to offer on opening day. From what I've gathered in the news, the place was packed. The atmosphere was merry yet chaotic. Shoppers had to wait 45 minutes to an hour at the cash registers. That's just crazy. And traffic was backed up on the 580 freeway (by the El Charro exit), and facility's management had to use the wide open dirt spaces around the complex for parking. It was that many.

The smarter shoppers decided to stay home for days and waited till the crowd thinned out. When the novelty of being one of the first shoppers has died down, things became more manageable. On Thanksgiving Sunday, my family and I went to Paragon to check out what the fuss was all about. We  walked around to see what stores they had. My son and I stopped by the Nike store hoping to find something for him, but we were disappointed. My wife peeked inside one store and got some apparel, then off we were.

As you know, outlets do not carry the premium stuff. They're what I call "discards" of these retail stores. The outlet stores sell items that don't sell at their regular stores, and pass them off as "sale" items. So, if you're looking for a nice black Prada man-purse, like I was, you won't find it at Paragon. Instead, go to the Prada store in Union Square in San Francisco if you want a better selection. But if you aren't too picky, then an outlet should be OK.

For me, I don't need to travel far for an outlet experience. There are many near where I live. Whether its Gilroy, Great Mall in Milpitas, Napa, Cabazon, Orlando, or Woodbury Common in New York, an outlet is an outlet. They are all the same. For the experience, it wouldn't hurt if you paid Paragon a visit. Maybe you'll find something you like.

Author's Note:  For more information about Paragon Outlets, visit their website at www.paragonoutletslv.com.

Another Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn't a traditional festivity I am accustomed to. Growing up in the Philippines, there was no thanksgiving to speak of. The most festive of all occasions, which I would equate to as a Thanksgiving equivalent, is Christmas. It is a time to be with family and friends, to be thankful, and to share. It is probably the longest celebration ever observed. It begins with the start of the "ber" months, which is September, and ends in January. As soon as the clock strikes 12 midnight of September 1st, you'll hear the first Christmas carol being played over the radio. But since the US has become my home for so many years, I have adapted and have partaken in its own rich heritage and tradition.

I am not particularly fond of turkey. I think it's the driest bird ever cooked. It is only during Thanksgiving that I even eat turkey, but I don't think I am missing out on anything. Many moons ago, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for some friends. We did away with the usual dishes of a Thanksgiving meal. We didn't have turkey. We had chicken instead (TWO, as a matter of fact), plus some other special treats typical of any Filipino feast.

The days that led up to Thanksgiving was quick and full of activity. The workweek was shorter than normal, and I was able to leave work early on Wednesday since there was hardly anyone in the office. Later that evening, my family and I had dinner at our favorite Szechwan/Hunan restaurant, Jing Jing, in Palo Alto, before we watched the Stanford Women's volleyball team play their last home game of the season (they won against Colorado, 3-1).

I knew it was going to be a long day, and there will be a lot of eating. So it was important to pace ourselves. Our Thanksgiving day started with a mass at. St. Joseph. I was a bit surprised to see that there weren't many parishioners that morning. Quite unusual.

As a family, we started some sort of a tradition for ourselves. For the last 3 or 4 years, we celebrated Thanksgiving lunch at Maggiano's in Santana Row in San Jose. They had a prix fixe family-style menu that included traditional Thanksgiving fare and all the fixings, plus some other Italian favorites. There was just a lot of food. If you have been to Maggiano's, you know what I mean. Obviously, we had tons of leftovers, some of which we barely touched.

We planned on taking a quick nap before we headed off to the evening's activities. On our way home, we stopped by a local Safeway. At the door, a homeless man on a wheelchair was soliciting. My wife (with my son) gave the man some money, then went inside to shop. As we left, the man was still by the door. I looked at him, and felt that he was tired and hungry. When we got back to the car, we sorted out the leftovers we had at lunch, and gave the man something we thought he would enjoy. My wife made sure my son was around to see her hand over the bag of food so he understood what he needed to be thankful for and to share what you have.

For as long as I can remember, we've always been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner. Since we don't have any family close by, we are fortunate to have really good friends who treat us as their own. They are OUR family. This year was no different. We had multiple invitations, but it was just impossible to say yes to all of them. Somehow, we managed to do so for a couple. It was on a first come, first serve basis (or was it more like first invite, first go?). The only thing I didn't like about it was that we had to eat at both places we went to. You certainly didn't want to upset your hosts by not having a bite or two of the food they tirelessly prepared for hours. We barely had digested the HUGE lunch we had, and here we were, having dinner, TWICE !!!

As much as we wanted to stay on, the body had given up. All the eating had taken its toll. It was time to raise the white flag. Another Thanksgiving had ended, as we paused to acknowledge all the graces and to be grateful for all the blessings.

A Long Day At Galt

I have never been to Galt, CA. Never heard of it either. But we went there for the Boy's Volleyball Power League tournament #3.

Google Map said it was an hour and 35 minute trip. With some luck, that's about an hour and fifteen trip for me. This meant we had to be up by 5:00am and on the road by 6:00am, in order to make it to the 7:45am call time, with some time to spare. We were on the road at 6:00 alright, but we weren't hoping on the 680 freeway. We still had to get coffee and something to eat. It was 6:35 when we entered 680N. We arrived 7:44.

The drive was uneventful, as in the previous trip to Sacramento 4 weeks earlier, except that there was rain in the forecast. The rain came in spurts and it didn't slow us down. But it poured as we arrived at the venue. Galt is a small town, and it didn't seem like there was much to do there. Volleyball is probably a favorite sport in this town because the tournament venue belongs to a local volleyball club. It has 4 courts and a little food counter.

What I didn't understand was that the facility charged a $4.00 entrance fee (except coaches and players), and you couldn't bring in any outside food or beverage. Since the facility was located in a business complex, the team "stations" had to be erected around the perimeter of the building under the cold rain. Our team's tent was located at the back of the building, right next to the warehouse shipping dock. And I would think that this volleyball club also charged the tournament organizers for using their facility. What a way to make money!!!

Our boys played 3 games and officiated 2 games in their pool. The games were close, but they lost all 3. After a quick lunch, there were 3 more games to play in the bracket. The last 2 games were critical because it determined whether the team stayed in their division or would move down. Although the 4th game was not crucial, a win was a win. It would give the players the needed boost. Unfortunately, they lost another close one. That was 4:00 in the afternoon.

Our club's director was concerned that all the games were behind schedule. With 2 more games to play and 1-2 more games to officiate, we would be up there all night. After some discussions with tournament officials and team coaches, it was agreed that games, goingforward, would be played with one set, to 25 points. For teams whose outcome would determine their eventual standing in the division, they would play best of 3 sets.

Realizing that there was work that needed to be done, the boys went on overdrive. With renewed vigor and energy, they won game #5. It was after 6:00pm. Somehow, there was confusion in the scheduling because the next team we had to play was still officiating. More discussions with tournament organizers resulted in some of our parents volunteering to officiate, so the team we were suppose to play next could warm up and be ready to play sooner than later.

It was after 7:00pm and we started our last game. I guess the long day had taken its toll, particularly for our opponent, that the game ended quite quickly. Our boys won game #6, and stayed within the division. As a matter of fact, they moved up a couple of notches in the standings. It was past 7:30 in the evening.

It surely was a (very) long day, and I didn't even play. And I never expected to be in such a "remote" town this late at night either. By the time we hit the road, it was almost 8:00pm, headed to Lodi for some Moo Moo burger (see related post).

Playing With The Bigger Boys

Since my son has learned to (truly) love volleyball, I have been a much happier camper. He's played CYO basketball since he was in 3rd grade and still does so as an 8th grader. I introduced him to volleyball in 5th grade (start of CYO boys volleyball program), and has begun playing competitively this year since he joined Endline Volleyball Club. I told him that he has a much better chance of playing high school volleyball than basketball, so he needs to hone his skills this early.

He tried out last year, also with Endline. He got accepted. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough players to form a 14 & under team, so they had to dissolve the team. This year, he tried again, hoping that there would be enough players. To our surprise, he was offered to play for the 16 & under team. Of course, he accepted. He is the only 13-year old and 8th grader in the team, composed mainly of high school freshmen and sophomores (and even a junior). Endline did form a 14 & under team for training and development purposes, and not for any competition. I guess the coaches have seen my son's potential and felt he was ready to play with the bigger boys.

During summer, he attended a volleyball camp at James Logan high school, which ran for 2.5 hours a day, 4 days a week, for 7 weeks. This was actually a good preparation for my son when he tried out for Endline. The club volleyball season for boys starts August and ends in December. Beginning February, the CYO boys volleyball season starts until late May. Then, the cycle begins again with the volleyball summer camps from late June to early August.

With my son's acceptance at Endline, I had mixed feelings. I am happy that his skills are recognized and that he will gain more experience playing with older players and be taught by seasoned coaches. On the flip side, I hate the road trips to what I consider distant tournament locations. We were briefed at the start of the season to expect travel to as far north as Sacramento, and as far south as Fresno. So far, we have been to Sacramento twice, with at least one more next weekend. For now, we're also looking at the Regional tournament (a 2-day event) also in Sacramento. Venues have changed in the last minute, so we're hoping it's closer, like San Mateo. For now, the team in planning to drive up Friday night, and spend the weekend up there.

Being in club volleyball means spending all day at a tournament. For the qualifying rounds and regionals, these are 2-day events. Teams play at least 5-6 games, and officiate 2-3 games each tournament day. That's a lot of volleyball. Even I get tired watching (and waiting). This also means the team needs to be fed and be well hydrated. Sandwiches and lots of fruits are what keep the boys going all day. In between, they snack on crackers, cheese, and chips. What makes things a little bit complicated is that there are no lunch breaks. Everything is dependent on when they play and officiate.

On tournament day, each team sets up their own "station", typically, just outside the playing venue. Teams jockey for the closest spot to the court entrance so there is less time getting to and from the station in between games. Just imagine a (very) scaled down version of a tailgate, minus the cooking, grilling, and drinking.

Club volleyball is a commitment. For us, it is a new process different from CYO. It is fun as it is tiring. But, at the end of the day, I think it is all worthwhile.

Author's Note:  For more information about Endline Volleyball Club, visit their website at www.endlinevolleyballclub.com.

What's a Moo Moo?

I never thought that I could find myself exploring the local flavors of an unknown town or city. But if you're looking at the prospect of totally missing dinner because everything would be closing for the night very soon, then there aren't too many options. This brings us to a town called Lodi in California.

We were coming from an all-day volleyball tournament at the nearby town of Galt, and it was running pretty late (That experience deserves a separate post). Finding a place to eat somewhere closer to home would be next to impossible because everyone sleeps early in our neck of the woods (including weekends) and doors close at 9pm. For those not familiar with Galt, this town is about 88 miles north of Fremont, south of Sacramento. And there's nothing interesting there either.

Using the reliable Yelp, our team parent found a non-fast food burger joint in Lodi, some 11 miles south, which was open till 9pm. As we neared the place, I was a bit concerned as we turned into a fairly long residential street. The next thing we knew, we were in downtown Lodi -- right along the main drag. The establishment is called Moo Moo Burger Barn. It's fairly small and narrow, with glass windows along its facade. If you aren't looking hard enough, you will miss it, as we did, because the sign was quite small, too.

Looking at the menu, you would need a few minutes to go over the various types of burgers they offered. Descriptions are short and crisp, but you'd still need sometime to figure out what you want. Typical sides, such as fries, onion rings, and jalapeno poppers, where aplenty. If burgers aren't your cup of tea, they offered other kinds of sandwiches as well. There are salads, too. And their milk shakes are sinfully delicious. But what struck me the most were their prices. I didn't see any burger that was more than $6.00.

I had the Ole' Moo, with Pepper Jack cheese, bacon, green chile, grilled red onions, and their Moo sauce. My son had a Classic Moo (your traditional burger with the usual fixings), while my wife had the BMS Moo, which had bacon, Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and their Moo sauce, plus a rich-flavored chocolate milk shake on the side. We also shared a basket of beer battered fries and onion rings. Everything was great. Burgers were fantastic, especially for the price. It was a steal.

Unfortunately, I was only able to take one picture. I guess we were all so hungry and tired that, as soon as the food came, we all just jumped in and started eating. We stayed way past the joint's closing time, but they were gracious enough to let us stay till we were all ready to go.

If you ever find yourself in Lodi or Stockton (where their 2 other locations are) or anywhere close by, on any of your trips, do stop by Moo Moo Burger Barn. I certainly will.

Author's Note:  Moo Moo Burger Barn is located at 113 N School Street, Lodi, CA 95240, at 10940 Trinity Parkway, Stockton, CA 95219, and at 222 N El Dorado Street, Suite H, Stockton, CA 95202.

Double Fire Drill

With all the natural calamities and man-made disasters happening everywhere, it's always important to be prepared. And for some establishments and organizations, it is their primary responsibility to ensure none of these tragedies occur. I work in a 27-storey building in downtown Oakland, and this was exactly what the building management did. We had a fire drill.

Early part of this week, an email was sent out by the building management informing all its tenants of a planned fire drill. I've been working in the same building for over 6 years so I know the routine. I got the email, but the date never registered in my head. It's one of those things that you brush aside.

Wednesday. A normal day. Except that it was probably the busiest day in my workweek. Wednesdays are always busy because of our weekly 2-hour staff meetings. With about 20 minutes into the meeting, the siren went off, emergency lights started blinking, and a voice came through the speakers asking everyone to vacate their offices. All were surprised (that the drill was that Wednesday). We all looked at each other and sighed. At least, I was not the only one with the same sentiment.

The procedure was for "evacuees" to go 4 floors down from wherever they were, using the stairs, of course. The fire drill wasn't conducted simultaneously on all 27 floors. I could not imagine how that would look. It would have been chaotic. As far as I know, the drill was performed a few floors at a time. And even that was a bit comical. People were following others as they went down the stairs without counting the number of floors.

Since the siren was loud enough to be heard from adjacent floors (up and down), some tenants thought it was their turn to evacuate, even if the emergency lights weren't blinking. This added to the confusion. You had more people moving around than was necessary. The biggest problem is always at the end when everyone had to go back to their offices. Just imagine how congested the elevators were. For the impatient ones, they took the stairs, 4 floors up.

My department was special, at least, on that day. We didn't do the fire drill once, but TWICE !!!

That Wednesday, our meeting was held at a 13th floor conference room. When the alarm sounded, we proceeded to the 9th, as instructed. While we waited for the "all clear" signal, we decided to continue our meeting at my boss' office on the 17th floor. Then, the unexpected. Barely 5 minutes into the meeting, the siren sounded for the 17th floor !!! We had to go, AGAIN. We tried to talk our way out of doing it since we already did it, but to no avail. Off we went, 4 floors down. How lucky can we be?

At least, we can brag that we've mastered the art of evacuating a high-rise building in Oakland.

My Veteran's Day Off

Last Monday was Veteran's Day. While most in this country honored veterans of all wars, it was just a regular day for me. I do not mean any disrespect, but since I personally do not know any veteran (at least, I don't remember), it's quite hard to relate. In the same manner that people might sympathize with families of 9/11 victims during anniversaries, that day each year has a far deeper, more special meaning to me and my family because my cousin was in one of those planes.

It was a holiday for my son, as well as with all government (federal & local) agencies. Most private companies were not, like mine. But I took the day off to chill with my son, and to give myself a little break. As in most cases, whenever I do take off during a workweek, I end up doing more work than I had wanted to. Often, I wished that I had gone to the office instead, and I won't be as tired. But why complain? At least, I was able to sleep in a little bit, did not have to be all dressed up, and have a decent lunch other than a sandwich or salad.

It was a blessing in disguise that I was off, and so was my son. He wasn't feeling well. The day before, he had a basketball game in the afternoon and club volleyball practice in the evening. In between, he was snacking with his buddies as they watched other CYO games at Moreau. I guess one of those, or a combination of, contributed to his icky feeling. For the rest of the day, he was sluggish and just wanted to sleep. But we had chores to do and errands to run.

First, we drove down to Milpitas for our 11:00 am appointment with our favorite hair stylist (a.ka. haircutter). My son had wanted to have his hair cut last Saturday, but I convinced him to do it yesterday instead because I wanted to have mine done as well. We've tried many different barbershops, salons, and parlors, but none of them did a good job consistently except for this lady. So, we make our monthly trek to Milpitas to get our buzz.

Next, we did the groceries -- one for cooking, and another for everything else. Since I cook dinner most weekday nights, my dishes are simple, traditional Filipino comfort food. And for this, I went to an Asian market store, where I found most (if not all) of the ingredients that I needed, including special cuts of meat that are only available in these places. For regular meats, like steaks and even chicken, I went across the street to the regular grocery store to make my purchase. Other "regular" items like milk, cooking oil, bottled water, and cereal were also on my list.

With groceries all packed in the trunk, we rendezvoused with the wife at a favorite Mediterranean cafe in Fremont for a quick lunch. We then went home to unload our goods, before we headed 2 miles to Mission Blvd for my son's dentist appointment. When I dropped him off, I went straight home. And for the next 1.5 hours,  I was able to rest and relax.

The dental office called and it was time to pick up my son. He still wasn't feeling any better and his energy was almost zapped. So I told him to take a nap while I prepared to do my next chore -- to cook dinner. That evening's menu was pan-seared salmon with light lemon cream sauce and steamed baby bok choy in sesame oil with garlic and oyster sauce (I'll probably have to do a separate post for this recipe).

By the time the scented candle was extinguished and was able to raise my feet on the reclining Lazy Boy, I was dead tired and ready for bed. But I never let the day pass without catching the latest news, locally and back home in the Philippines. As I flipped channels and scanned recorded shows, I didn't realize that I had already dozed off. I knew then that it was time to hit the sack.

Falling Into Place

Have you ever had an experience wherein things just seem to fall into place at the right time when you least expect it?

Since the move, we've been trying to put the final touches on the house by putting up some wall art and other stuff. Looking at what we have (or are able to take out of storage boxes), we needed a few more items. Foremost on the list are a couple of BIG pieces. We have 2 fairly large walls to fill, plus a third. For the latter, we decided on a mirror that will hang above a console table.

As you know, decorating a house has endless possibilities. It becomes restrictive if you have a specific budget to work with. This also reduces the list of sources from which to choose your pieces from. Personally, I don't believe that you have to spend buco bucks to make a place nice. As a matter of fact, the challenge is to furnish a space with expensive-looking items without necessarily breaking the bank. You just have to be resourceful and creative.

Now, back to the 2 walls.

About a month ago, we dropped by a design/furnishing store in our neighborhood to look around and to see what they have. We liked a few wall art pieces and the prices we just about right. But we wanted to look at other options. Off went to a few more similar stores to browse around. By the end of the day, we decided against making any purchase. The plan was set aside without any definite course of action.

As the weeks went by, we realized that we needed to get this whole decoration thing done sooner than later. We are hosting a dinner at our home early part of December, so we wanted to make sure everything's completed by then. To complicate things a little bit, we would be asking a friend of ours to help hang these pieces (and some more) since he's a much (much) better handyman than me. We will have to work around his weekend availability, but there's not too many weekends left till the dinner.

Yesterday, we headed back to the first store we went to. When we got there, we saw a friend of ours (a parishioner and former school parent) who works there part-time. After exchanging pleasantries, we went on our task of narrowing down our selection. We were deliberating on a number of large wall art pieces, and liked a particular one. But I wasn't prepared to spend that much money on it. We asked if the store would give us a discount if we got more pieces. Unfortunately, no deal. Our friend offered various scenarios and possible workarounds, but none appealed to us. Besides, not getting the piece we wanted wasn't a deal-breaker. We had other options.

After a while, we decided on 2 colorful art pieces, plus a mirror. We knew that we had to make the purchase that day. But then, another dilemma. We didn't know how we would be bringing the pieces home. It would have fit in an SUV, but we no longer owned one. We thought of asking a friend with an SUV, or borrowing someone's pick up truck, or shoving the items inside the car's trunk and leaving parts of it hanging. We could have had them delivered, but $65 for a 4 mile trip was a bit too much.

As our friend was ringing up our stuff, she asked the same question -- "how will you take these items home?" It was like deja vu. We shrugged our shoulders and gave her the we-don't-know-either look. Then, she said that she had her SUV with her and that she can take the items to our house after her shift. And, that she was getting off in half an hour. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief, and said "sure!!!" What a coincidence???

Here's another twist of fate. Both wall pieces we selected were hanging on display and were tagged $20 off. As both were being brought down, another sales associate said that one of the pieces was incorrectly tagged, but the store would honor the $20 off nonetheless because it was their mistake. Good deal. As the same piece was being rung up, it registered a $55 discount. An even better deal !!! What else could we ask for?

In just over half an hour, we were off on our merry little way, with 3 choice pieces on board a white SUV, driven by a kindhearted friend, with my wife riding shotgun.

Now, how often do you have things falling into place?

Away At Camp

When I hear friends talk about how their lives have been when their kids move out of the house for college, I couldn't relate. I say to myself that it'll be a few more years before it happens, so I shouldn't be thinking about it just yet. But when it happens, it hits you, and the feeling is different.

For five days, my wife and I were empty-nesters, if you can call it that. It was weird.

Our son went to a science camp somewhere in the North Bay. Along with 8th graders from two other Catholic schools, they ventured off in the wilderness near Sonoma. Although our son has gone to a similar camp when he was in 6th grade, I felt different this time around. And so did my wife. Somehow, this hit us more.

For a few days, the house was quiet. No one slouching on the coach, with a laptop across the lap. No one with an ipod and an earphone while watching TV. No one to remind of to drink milk or to take a quick shower. No one to wake up in the morning to go to school or to pick up from school. No one to take to basketball practice or to check the homework with. No one to have a conversation with about school during dinner time. Just me and the wife.

It really felt different.

I normally cook dinner during weekdays. The past five days, we dined out. I guess, for a change of atmosphere. To drown out the silence. To keep our minds preoccupied with other things. We even slept earlier than usual.

Is this a preview of what is to come? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Culturally, the Filipino family is tight-knit, more than its Western counterparts. I went to college and worked, and still lived with my parents. And there are  those who remained even after marriage. But as we live in this country, we have to adapt. And that reality may, at times, be quite difficult to accept, at least, initially.

I know my son is still in 8th grade, and there are a few more years before he really leaves for college. That's probably enough time to prepare and to get used to this eventuality. But will I really be prepared? Will my wife be able to let go? In the meantime, there is still another phase of adolescent life that he has yet to experience -- high school. I know he will enjoy it, like most of us did.

The five days seemed like an eternity. But we're glad he's back. And so is the routine.

"How was school today?"

An Evening with Earl Klugh

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of watching Grammy Award winning artist and legendary jazz guitarist, Earl Klugh, up close at Yoshi's in Oakland. As expected, it was sold out and the place was packed. I was with a friend and fellow SJS dad, Louie A (our kids are classmates at St. Joseph).

Anticipating that we will be enjoying the evening at its fullest, we decided to take public transportation. We made sure that we timed our trip well. Fortunately, both BART and the free green shuttle bus were all on time. After walking a couple of blocks, we were at Yoshi's. We weren't planning on dining at the restaurant. Instead, we opted for either the lounge or bar. Louie immediately dashed to the bar, as both places were filling up quickly, as I headed to the box office counter (a.k.a. will call booth) to get our tickets.

As a Yoshi's house rule, if you wanted to get good seats, you have to dine at their establishment at least an hour before show time. Otherwise, you'll find yourself standing in line outside, waiting for the doors to open, and scrambling to find ANY decent seat available. As a diner, you have an opportunity to tell your server where you want to sit, if available. And that's what we did.

After a couple of ice cold beers and some Japanese treats, we proceeded to the jazz club to take our reserve seats. Perched on the upper portion of the club, we had a panoramic view of the entire hall. Together with us at the table were Mr. and Mrs. Woods (she was celebrating her birthday that evening).

8:00pm. It was show time.

Earl Klugh performed some of his popular tunes, including some of his very early compositions. His back up band included David Lee Spradley on keyboards, Al Turner on bass, Ron Otis on drums, and special guest Nelson Rangell on saxophone and flute. For those not familiar with Earl Klugh, he rose to popularity in the late 1970s, through the 1980s and early 1990s, as one of finest acoustic jazz guitarist. He has recorded over 30 albums and has collaborated with alot of musical greats of our times.

I was excited that I would get a chance to see Earl Klugh live and had hoped to hear the music that made him popular back in the days. Unfortunately, as the evening progressed, I felt some disappointment. I expected to see Earl Klugh as the star of the show. But it appeared like he was the back up musician because I felt that he was upstaged by the equally talented Nelson Rangell, himself a jazz recording artist.

The musical arrangements on some of the pieces allowed for both the saxophone player and keyboard player to do solos (lengthy ones at times), which had gotten loud applauses, and occasional standing ovations from the audience, more than the star of the show himself. When Earl's signature song "Living Inside Your Love" was played, I knew HE was going to be the main attraction. WRONG !!! The arrangement allowed for Rangell to do a solo, to the delight of the crowd. But not me. My dissatisfaction continued.

Then, Earl performed a Nelson Rangell hit, "Sonora." I thought it was all him till Rangell chimed in. Instead of playing the saxophone, he whistled the tune. What is going on?????? I felt even worse. I could not imagine hearing "Sonora" played any other way than with a saxophone. If you're not familiar with this song, search for it in You Tube and you'll know what I mean.

The performance continued with other Earl Klugh classics (whose titles escaped me), but the solos went on as well. There was even one number where in keyboardist David Lee Spradley went on, and on, and on, and on. He was good. No doubt about it. But he wasn't what I came to Yoshi's for !!!! I wanted to hear the soft sound of a (nylon string) classical acoustic guitar and witness the finger dexterity of one of the greatest jazz musicians of our time, and not some ivory-tapping session player making a fool of himself while making faces during his solo runs.

Despite all my gripes, it was a fun night. And for $38, it wasn't all that bad. As the curtain closed, Mr. Earl Klugh deserved the applauses and standing ovation from an appreciative crowd.

Author's Note:  Yoshi's Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant is located at 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA 94607 and 1330 Fillmore Street, San Francsco, CA 94115.

Brunch at Nonni's Bistro

One of the luxuries of a weekend is the opportunity to have a good, relaxing brunch. And last Saturday was one of those. The biggest hurdle, though, is deciding on where to go.

We've tried most of the decent brunch places in and around Fremont (at least those that we know of), so we wanted something else. We've gone as far as Oakland and tried Aunt Mary's (made popular by Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives"), but that was a miss (maybe we ordered the wrong dishes).

My wife suggested Nonni's Bistro, which she has tried once with her friend. So, off we went to Pleasanton.

Nonni's is a relatively small restaurant located on Main Street. The atmosphere was bright and airy as the front windows and doors were wide open, as it welcomed diners to partake. There were also sitting in the front  and side patio for al fresco dining.

The host that greeted us was pleasant and cheerful, as she escorted us to our table. Servers were attentive and constantly checked on you if you needed anything else. Tables had white linen clothes, and the interior had clean, simple lines.

Now, for the food.

My wife ordered Traditional Benedict served with crispy country potatoes ($14.95), while my son had The Valley omelette ($13.95), which consisted of sauteed greens, bacon, mushrooms, and cheese, plus assorted fruit and sour dough on the side. I tried to be adventurous so I chose the Huevos Rancheros ($14.95). It was made of eggs, chorizo, and black beans over a flour tortilla, topped with cheese, fresh salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

The portions seemed to be just right because my son and my wife managed to finish their dishes. I guess they liked it, too. Visually, the Benedicts really looked delectable. However, I couldn't say the same for mine. Honestly, I've never had Huevos Rancheros anywhere so it's quite difficult to compare.

If all Huevos Rancheros were like Nonni's, I probably won't order it again. My dish was a heaping mound of black beans with melted cheese over 2 eggs. If you weren't looking hard enough, you might miss the thin slices of chorizo sauteed with some diced onions. If you love black beans, this one's for you. Otherwise, stay away.

One consolation though, the coffee wasn't bad. And if you like Mimosa to wash down your meal, they offer a bottomless option for $10. Good deal. Otherwise, a single glass will run you $8 (not so good deal).

For the food they served, I find it a little overpriced. I don't mind paying this much if flavor came a little close to Left Bank's (Santana Row). But then again, I'm probably comparing apples to oranges.

Would I come back? Maybe I will give it another try. This time I will stick to the traditional brunch treats, like french toasts, pancakes, and maybe even omelettes. Who knows, I might like it this time.

Author's Note: Nonni's Bistro is located at 425 Main Street, Pleasanton, CA 94566.