I’ve already mentioned a couple of happenings tonight.
Let me add to the list, San Francisco’s Inferno of Joy. The band will be playing tonight at Tokyo Garden with Blake Jones and the Trike Shop. It’s one of those after-Arthop parties that happen at Tokyo and can be quite fun.
The real reason you’ll want to be there though, is to pick up a just-arrived-via-UPS-copy of Blake Jone’s new EP,”Teasers from the Whispermaphone.” Heard told it’s a good one.
Also: Inferno of Joy seems like a band I’d like. So, if you’re taste run akin to mine … Here’s a video so you can decide.
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Hey, did you hear that the San Francisco Giants won the World Series? Oh yeah, totally happened. I’m sure you didn’t hear ANYTHING about it on Facebook or Twitter. Here’s one fun Fresno fact that you and your sarcasm detector might not know, though: 17 of the 25 players on the Giants’ World Series roster played for the AAA affiliate Fresno Grizzlies at some point.
Some players we saw a lot of — catcher and clutch home-run-hitter Buster Posey, Game 2 winning pitcher Madison Bumgarner and Game 4 tripler Brandon Belt, for instance. Others, like MVP Pablo Sandoval and unlikely Game 1 winner Barry Zito, we only saw briefly.
It’s hard to argue with the Grizzlies current “Farmgrown” marketing campaign. Just look at the pics below. In some cases these Grizzlies look quite different than the guys you saw soaked in champagne last night.
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Since food trucks were a hot topic here not too long ago, I was very interested to check out “Off the Grid,” the popular San Francisco gathering of food trucks. Last week, I went to its weekly Friday night “market” at Fort Mason.
As you can see, this no small event. If you think the Thursday night line for our very own Dusty Buns Bistro is too long, you wouldn’t want to see the line for the Chairman Bao truck. The crowd at “Off the Grid” was as diverse as it was large — parents with the kids, young professionals, folks with their dogs, etc. The day before, the SF Chronicle had written a piece about the best food truck eats, so I’m sure that helped bring the people.
More than the food, I was curious to see how a food truck gathering worked logistically. This had a number of other booths, live entertainment and seating. It sure would be neat to have something like this in Fresno to complement our great farmers markets and fruit stands. Ya know, if we end up with more gourmet food trucks.
Here are more pics from my journey. If you’re hankering for some food truck grub afterward, you can catch Dusty Buns at 6 p.m. today outside Cafe Corazon on Wishon Row.
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I spent last weekend in San Francisco and thanks to our friends my husband and I ended up dining at the much raved about Gary Danko restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf.
I can see why it’s so highly rated. Hands down, it was the best meal and dining experience i have ever had. The menu is unbelievable (I chose four courses: lobster salad, risotto with lobster and rock shrimp, salmon and soufflé). The service was amazing. The atmosphere is perfect. We spend more than two hours there enjoying every moment with our friends.
Of course, this experience got me thinking about restaurants around here. What is the best meal I have ever had in the Valley and what restaurants would I tell an out-of-towner are musts? My most memorable, and enjoyable, local fine-dining experience was at Parma Restaurant on Marks Avenue. The food is great and the owners are really sweet. I also had brunch at Oakhurst’s Erna’s Elderberry House. It was a lovely birthday gift from my parents that I won’t forget.
I haven’t been to either restaurant in a long time and I really want to go back. But I’m also interested in finding a few others gems to try out. So what about you? Where have you had the best overall dining experience? Do share.
I’ve already mentioned a couple of happenings tonight. 
