Hal Heinze

Just tried the Bad Waitress Coffee Shop and had great food and a great time. I especially liked the old sci-fi & horror film posters on the walls and ceiling. You fill out your own order ticket and take it to the register to pay, but after that the wait-staff take pretty darn good care of you, even if they are “Bad”.

Daniel Spils took me to see the Robot Co-op office and when we got there all the Robots were out to lunch. My mental image of the Robots slaving away 24/7 having to order in pizza and sodas so that they could keep the websites going was shattered in an instant. Guess things run pretty well without the Robots monitoring constantly.

The office is clean and has a great view. I am glad to see that the Robots do not waste huge dollars with an over-the-top corporate office (receptionist, artwork, coffee mugs with the company logo, etc). I guess they survive on their brains and rugged good looks.

A little later walking through the local park with Daniel I met Laurel, Josh and Buster. It appears that Robots need the occasional coffee/tea boost to keep them going before returning to the office for their “power” meetings. Keep up the good work Robots !!!

Although Caribou Coffee is a chain, it is a Minnesota based company and they roast and serve some excellent coffees. While I am always on the lookout for an independent coffee house to sample I will on purpose go past numberous outlets of that “Seattle-based-chain” to get to a Caribou for my latte.

This particular Caribou on Cty Road 101 is my favorite due to being close to my house and the friendly staff that works there.

I recently visited Boca’s with family and it was one of the better meal experiences I have had in my life. The Empanadas basket (with a sampling of all 4 empanadas on the menu) was a perfect start to a meal or could be a meal for one all by itself. Before the main course we were given pickles with jalapeno and a basket of sourdough rolls and had to be careful to leave room for more to come.

The main course should include one of the fine steaks (grass or grain fed beef with a selection of cuts) cooked no more than medium. My selection was the hanger steak. At the table are 4 sauces to try with the meat and include two Argentinean inspired chimichurris. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to try all four sauces and not have to select one when ordering. For a side dish I recommend the creamed corn with jalapeno.

For those of you who like wine they offer wine flights (short pours of three different wines) for red, white, port and dessert wines.

As a bonus the patio seating is a must for those nice warm California evenings.

that’s what the sign out front says. I had the 18 Swedish Pancakes for breakfast (with lingonberries, of course) and sampled the broiled grapefruit. A hearty meal all around. Given the number of locals there on a Sunday morning and the line out the door that quickly formed about 9:00 a.m. I think the rest of the menu is probably just as good.

My visit to Fog City News was just as I had hoped. I did not spend all day there, but did find a few magazines and interesting chocolates. The selection in both categories is broad enough to appeal to anyone’s tastes. My selection was some magazines on the topic of music and some dark chocolates with spices added: one with Earl Grey tea, one with cumin and one with pepper…all to be savored S L O W L Y.

I was visiting San Francisco and went to the old Ferry Building on a Saturday morning. It was great. The building has been nicely remodeled and the market is great. There were local merchants set up outside with all types of organic food as well as the shops inside the building (with more wonderful stuff). It is feast for the senses and a wonderful use of an old building.

Some of the locals told me that the clock on the clock tower was just repaired and so it shows the correct time now !!!

While I have been to the Bay Area a number of times the past few years it has been about 14 years since I spent any time in San Francisco itself. In a few weeks I will be visiting with my wife and look forward to seeing the city again and seeing what’s new, like this place

As the website says “Thousands of magazines” and “hundreds of premium chocolate bars” from all over the world…I could spend ALL day there. I am going to try and stop by on an upcoming trip to San Fran.

Brix Bistro has a great atmosphere, wonderful food and an extensive wine/beer menu. It is also pricey compared to other dinning alternatives (highly recommend going when someone else is paying).