Day Fourteen

I overslept. :/

So no Docent Tour at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library for me today and I shifted my Friday plans to Thursday: walk along the Alameda. I took a slightly longer way over there, passing through Diridon Station so that I knew where the Santa Cruz bus would be picking me up on Saturday and also to gauge time to walk over there.

There are a lot of law offices and a few restaurants and shops; I ceased my walk a few blocks before Naglee. My main stop was Recycle Book Store, a used book store that seems to be extremely popular here in San Jose. The shop itself is packed to the brim--in fact there are carts of more books sitting in the narrow aisles and stacks sitting on the corners. A small display case shows some of their rare finds, such as a first edition of Of Mice and Men with the lovely price tag of $1,449.95. Sure, let me just write a check...

The organization is lacking and makes it feel more like a thrift store than a book store, but I may just be spoiled by Powells. I walked the place twice before deciding on what I wanted to look for: a book on basic Wicca. My best guyfriend became a Witch a few years ago and I just don't know anything about it. I found what is actually an excellent book titled "Witch: A Magical Journey--A Hip Guide to Modern Witchcraft". It's witty, down-to-earth, and so good that I read through about half of it just that afternoon. I don't know how much of it applies to my guyfriend, but at least I now have some understanding overall on the matter. I also found a copy of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", a classic that I have heard rave reviews on but had not yet managed to read. That shall be the weekend's beach material.

I wandered a bit further, stopping in to Greenlee's Bakery and then Starbucks before heading back home.

The evening plan was a trip to A Perfect Finish for a tasting event. The night was truly perfect; even the insanity of people mobbing into the light rail that evening didn't phase me much.

Reviews
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Greenlee's Bakery
Baked Goods
$
I stopped in and found a barely-lit shop with two women working behind the counter. There was very little selection and almost none of it was marked with the item or the price. I found their lemon bars and purchased one as well as a bottle of water.

I honestly can't say whether I liked the lemon bar or not because I couldn't taste it. The bar was coated with at least 1/3 cup of powdered sugar. I scraped off as much as I could, but the bar was still covered in it and it was pretty much all I could taste. I also noticed that I received an edge piece which was mostly crust. I was crestfallen.

Of interest is the antique mixer with a letter home to Mom written on it; very cute. I would not suggest getting lemon bars here unless you'd like an instant cavity.


A Perfect Finish
Wine and Spirits
$$
I'm not a big wine person. I love dessert wines because they're sweet but am pretty ambivalent about anything else. My girlfriend is the wine aficionado and we have always sampled wines while visiting each other. While it may not have been with her, I am visiting so I decided a wine tasting was in order.

I'm honestly not sure what to think of this place. It's in downtown and has the noise of the light rail and cruisers/gang-bangers. The setting itself is very classy, however. A portion of the space houses couches, chairs, and coffee tables for lounging in addition to the standard table/chair and bar setup. Baseball was playing on the television when I first entered, however at 7p it was changed to Jeopardy!. The owner is also the grill-master and was wearing a t-shirt and jeans while the barman was nicely dressed. Tim, the man I learned was their publicist, was wearing a suit with the jacket unbuttoned, displaying his "No War" t-shirt proudly beneath. The entire experience was one huge contrast and I'm quite unsure what dimension I was temporarily inhabiting.

I was early and needed some substance before the tastings began, so I indulged in their Sautéed Mushroom Crostini and paired it with a half glass of the Flying Winemaker Ancient Vine Lodi ’07 Zinfandel at the suggestion of the barman. Magnifique! The bread had a small amount of crisp but the oils from the butter and mushrooms caused it to soften for a lovely contrast and the zinfandel was lovely and firm, contrasting (I'm beginning to notice a pattern here...) the softness of the mushrooms.

The tasting itself was performed by a lovely gentleman who worked for a local wine distribution company. The tasting was not only for customers but also for the bar itself. I was the only individual initially but in the end my count was six individuals, not including Tim and the barman who were also enjoying tastes. One of my companions this evening was a gentleman from German who currently lives in Scotland and was visiting the U.S. He was very pleasant and his accent was a rather interesting composite that almost lent in a way toward French--quite fascinating to listen to.

The flight consisted of:
Tangent Grenache Blanc 2009 (Edna Valley, CA)
Meerlust Chardonnay 2007 (South Africa)
RolfBinder Halliwell 2006 (70% Shiraz, 30% Grenache) (Australia)
LaPlaya 2007 Claret (35% Carmenere, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot, 21% Syrah) (Chile)
Peach Canyon 2006 Petit Sirah (California)
Casta Diva Bodegas Muscat 2007 (Spain)


To finish the night, I enjoyed the most delicious cheesecake topped with lemon curd I believe I have ever tasted accompanied by a glass of Thomas Fogarty L. H. Gewurztraminer.

Tim, you were an amazing host, intentional or not, and I do hope I'll have a chance to stop in again before I leave. I can't wait to see your next t-shirt.