Grammy classical

This is part 2 of my coverage of Grammy on this blog and it's about another "minority" genre: classical music (read part 1 for jazz here) I bet few of my classical music loving friends cared about the awards. In fact, someone wrote an article about why classical Grammys don't matter. His main point was that most fans are not familiar with the recordings and tracks being nominated, unlike their pop music counterparts. I guess he has a point.

However, his numbers aren't quite right: he wrote that a recording with a 2000 sales figure would be "gigantic." According to this, Billboard reported that, for the second year in a row, the top-selling classical artists were the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a community of nuns from rural Missouri. The sisters’ "Lent at Ephesus" and "Angels and Saints at Ephesus" – collections of ancient chants and hymns – were the first- and second-best selling traditional classical albums of 2014 (the traditional classical category excludes crossover releases, according to Billboard). "Lent at Ephesus," which was released on Feb. 11 by Decca, sold about 34,000 copies this year and spent 38 weeks on the chart.

Anyway, I think fans should use Grammy as a way to check out what recordings are critically acclaimed and try something new (compositions or interpretations of warhorse pieces) instead of listening to the personal favorites over and over. For example, I checked out the best contemporary classical composition winning piece: Become Ocean by John Luther Adams. I think minimalism lovers would enjoy this dynamic piece. And classical guitar fans shouldn't miss the best instrumental solo winning album: Play by Jason Vieaux. (I saw him live years ago at the SF conservatory performing his own arrangements of Pat Metheny's music. Very talented player) One could hear more new compositions on In 27 pieces - The Hilary Hahn Encores, which were commissioned by the award-winning violinist.

Condemning racists/soccer hooligans

With so many conflicts happening in the world these days (including the near-weekly HKer vs mainlander/smuggler protests) it's easy to forget racism is still an issue in Europe. This just happened yesterday when Chelsea played PSG in a Champions League match: a group of Chelsea fan pushed away a black man who was trying to get on a train in Paris. And they actually chanted "We're racist" No shame indeed. I'm sure Chelsea wouldn't want its image to be tarnished by these thugs.

The President's day vacation

It's actually my sister's vacation.  Her 1 week visit included the President's day long weekend.  My plans for her has become kinda predictable:

Food
Home: I made her the now-famous (among our friends and family) "So Steak" of which the recipe came from my good friend.
Chipotle: she has never tried burrito-in-a-bowl (less carb) before! I suggested the new flavor: tofu (which Chipotle introduce in response to shortage of meat last time I heard) It tasted no bad. Just kinda feel like lack of substance though.
Cafe Epi: this will forever be known by our family members as the restaurant that charges $12 for 3 eggs and ham and bacon that I ordered for my son! Maybe I shouldn't have assumed that they would charge it for the same price as a 3-egg ham and bacon omelette. The restaurant did provide a justification: they use less ham and bacon in an omelette than having them as a side order. I don't necessarily disagree but I think the kids will remind us to avoid going there.
The Counter: this restaurant is probably famous for the burger-in-a-bowl style. I also enjoyed coming up with strange combinations of toppings.
Archetype: we went there for dinner in Napa, which we seldom do (usually leave before 4 to come back to the bay area for dinner for some reason. The traffic condition actually seemed better after leaving Napa after dinner) To be honest, this restaurant was not our top choice: we got recommendations for other places but they were all fully booked on the Sunday night of the President's day long weekend, except this place. We like the food there a lot actually, especially the duck. 
The Sea: my buddies celebrated their anniversary at this nearby restaurant recently. We went there for our year of the ram/daughter b-day celebration dinner. My buddy recommended lobster risotto, which was very good. The dessert (Souffle + macaroon) was awesome too.
Five Guys Burger: she's a fan of the In-and-Out. So I took her to its "rivalry" IMO Five Guys' burgers are a bit better than In-and-Out's and thus justified its slightly higher prices.

Wine
Domaine Caneros: this winery is known for its good sparkling wine (and pinot) and more importantly, great for taking photo. It looks like a chateau in France. We had a great time tasting outdoor, enjoying the wine and the great scenery.
Dariousch: this is another winery perfect for photo-op. It's as if we traveled to ancient Greece/Rome with all those columns. 
Girard: we left Dariousch ~4. That's when most other wineries (e.g. Joseph Phelps, Inglenook were about to close for the day) Thanks to Yelp and Google we found this winery which was close enough and didn't close until 7. Their $25 tasting was not cheap (and the portions were not big) but the quality was pretty high.

Napa Valley Distillery: this is not exactly a winery. Compared to wineries, it's a rarity in Napa. In fact, it's the first distillery opened in the city of Napa since Prohibition! The distillery and its retail shop in the Oxbow market are actually fairly new. Spirit tasting was only allowed after the required law passed recently. I like their Brandy Cordial and the East India cocktail a lot.

Coffee
Philz Coffee: by now she's familiar enough with the neighborhood that she could drove there herself :) This brand is expanding quickly. I guess it's only "rival" would be the equally ambitious Blue Bottle.
Fraiche Yogurt: last time she visited we took her to the Blue Bottle stand inside the AOL building but sadly that's gone. Rumor has it that the old Borders book store location on U Ave will become a new Blue Bottle retail store. For now, Palo Alto folks could go to Fraiche Yogurt for their cup of Blue Bottle (and of course fresh yogurt)
Cafe Venetia: it's still voted #1 (at least by me) for the best cafe in Palo Alto. Can't beat the setting. And according to my sis who actually drank coffee, it's high quality.
Coupa Cafe: it's still the #1 place to pretend you're an up-and-coming Silicon Valley high-tech startup entrepreneur. Well, the cafe itself does utilize one "high-tech gadget" that sits on every table to sense your smartphone/tablet and allows customers to place order without leaving their seat. 

Shopping
Ferry Building: I seldom go on a Saturday and it's indeed very busy. Long lines for Blue Bottle coffee, frozen yogurt and ice cream. My sis bought her Scharffen Berger chocolate as well as coffee beans. 
TCHO: This chocolate maker used to have their big store at the current location of Exploratorium between Pier 39 and the Ferry Building but they moved across the bay. Their SF presence has reduced to a stand inside SF Shopping Center. Still, we bought what we wanted :)
Livermore Premium Outlet: This is relatively new and this was the first time I've been there. Strongly not recommended because of how hard it was to park! I actually parked way outside and rode my bike in. That said, there are plenty of bargains even for a guy like me. I bought a pair of New Balance. There were also an Under Armour and a Columbia for your athletics/outdoor adventure needs.
Chinatown: it was New Year (Ram) Street Fair. First time I've been to one. It's a popular event!

Music
Keiko Matsui at Yoshi's: my sis is a big fan of piano and I figured this is her type of music: smooth jazz/new age-ish that was neither too watered-down nor too hard-core. Even for a guy who is mostly into modern or traditional jazz like me, it's very enjoyable performance: good playing and good melodies. I especially like the saxophone player who played soprano on 2 tunes. Matsui was a classy lady which also showed her sincere and friendly side. No wonder her career lasted so long with so many albums released!