So, I wrote awhile back about Fresh & Easy shops, the US branch of the Tesco invasion. One opened at 19th Avenue and Baseline not long ago. It's a bit far out of my way, but Brian and I went this morning to check it out.

Not bad. Prices are decent, but not insanely low. There were a few things that you wouldn't usually see in a typical American supermarket, like frozen Shepherd's Pie, Indian curries, vegetable samosas, and ready-to-heat potstickers with siu mai. Things that remind me of shops in London. I bought a few things to try.

I probably won't go out of my way to shop there, but I'd probably choose it over a larger supermarket when one is more convenient.

And that concludes blogging about supermarkets.

Labels: food, phoenix, shopping

In San Francisco, sitting out on the back patio stealing WiFi from one of the neighbors. Quite fast.

Flew in late last night and headed to the Castro for a couple of drinks. Moby Dick was entirely too crowded, so we made it for one and then left. I don't know how anyone hooks up at a bar like that. It's pretty much impossible to do anything except stand in one place. Getting a drink took ages.

Walked around Hayes Valley this morning taking a few pictures. None of which turned out very well, unfortunately. We had breakfast at Stacks. Sort of an upscale Good Egg, but the food is good. There must be a rule that all breakfast food joints must serve their eggs in those ceramic skillets. Wierd.

And a coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Now I'm wired.

Not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day. Maybe more pictures and shopping. Something fun tonight, I hope.

Labels: food, sanfrancisco

After a quick drive (4.5 hours...zoom), we're here in San Diego. It's overcast and a bit gloomy, but I don't care. It's not nine million degrees outside.

After a quick stop at Brian and DJ's last night, we went out for happy hour at Top of the Park. Wall to wall homos, and a great view of Balboa Park. Then we knocked on the door of the condo shared by our favorite Phoenix boys and went up for another couple of cocktails.

Afterward, we hit Phil's BBQ. I gotta say that was the best barbecue meal I've had in awhile. A bit more upscale than the hole-in-the-wall ambiance of our favorite Phoenix place: Honey Bear's. This was stylish and busy, and the food was excellent. We each had ribs. I had ribs and chicken, which was served in pieces as opposed to the usual pulled-style meat I'm used to. Plus we shared a pile of onion rings: beer-battered thick cut onion rings piled high, with a side of ranch dressing. Perfect.

Labels: bbq, food, sandiego, vacation