My January Barometer

It's already the day before the last day of January 2010, a month that has flown by the way this year is sure to fly by. But I'm happy to report that it has been a great month for me, full of fun and good things, and with that, if I am to predict how this year will go based on how this first month has gone, I would have to say, it's gonna be a great year.

January was a busy month for me, but it didn't have any of the hectic feeling of an overwhelming month. It was full of good things, well timed, and well executed. Among them:

1. Our friends' wedding. As pictured above, aren't they a gorgeous, happy couple? To protect their identity, I won't mention names, but they were married this month in our city, and it was a beautiful affair.

2. Work trip to Northern California. As I mentioned in the previous post, that was a highlight for me this month. While it was unfortunate that it was rainy, I felt good that I was unstoppable, and still made the most of it. That gave me some of the good feelings I used to have when I was super adventurous, like when I drove to Los Angeles from Vancouver back in the old days (the late 90s) and had to endure rain and all sorts of precipitation, especially though the wetter states of Washington and Oregon (they aren't green for no reason).

3. Johan's birthday. We celebrated on the Saturday evening after his birthday at a restaurant somewhat new to us - Bistro LQ. We had been to the French restaurant that used to be at this location, and I'm not sure but I think that the owners are actually the same, but the concept changed. Bistro LQ is still French, but more modern and adventurous. We loved our meal there. In particular, we were impressed by my main dish, the Lamb Composition. First off, what a great name. Second, it was basically lamb in all its glory - a lamb chop, lamb tongue, lamb sweetbreads, lamb kidneys, and some braised lamb. Yum! All done expertly in a delicious brown sauce (not heavy), served with a side of fennel or some vegetable - what fun. My appetizer was almost equally impressive - foie gras three ways - seared, on a French toast; and two cold preparations, one with truffles, the other, a terrine. Johan had for his appetizer venison tartar, and for his main dish, veal sweetbreads and kidneys - I had a taste of the kidney and it was good - a nice crunch in the texture and a delicate flavor.

If you are an adventurous foodie and love French cuisine, you have to try Bistro LQ!

4. We also celebrated the evening before that dinner on Friday - the plan was Champagne but unfortunately our bottle was corked - we ended up having 2006 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir which was more terrific than I remembered it, as well as 2006 Deux Montille Pouilly-Fuisse which of course was also delicious, along with some dried salami I brought back from Sacramento, and some cheeses Johan bought and some pate..... we stayed up late and watched Julie and Julia, and it was a great deal of fun.

5. Work has been good. I predict good economic recovery this year. Much better than 2009. Based on what I have seen so far in 2010.

All in all, good things. I hope you all have been having a good to great January as well.