Sir Byron's Bachelor Party
OK Sir Byron you can hop on the back of this rice burner cause we're heading off to North Beach.
Relax, I do know how to drive this even if it has been a few years and besides have you ever tried to park a car in North Beach?
No, we aren't there yet. We'll park here at the Art Institute
and then walk a few blocks.
So let's duck into Vesuvio's for a glass of red while we wait for the others to arrive.
Yeap, that's City Light's book store next door.
It looks like the gang has arrived already and they have saved us some seats.
(Later the group walks down the street to Pasha a local Moroccan restaurant).
Check this place out Sir Byron! (navigate to the virtual tour at the top of the screen).
Well I've already ordered a finger foods, actually they only serve finger foods and there are no forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks, nada. Its hands on, hands only, hands to mouth. By the way did you wash your hands?
Well you could always ask Amani to feed you. She'll be here shortly.
Pick out a few things to try dude.
Appetizers
Harira | |
Classic Moroccan lentil soup |
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Hummus |
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Chickpea puree w/ sesame paste lemon juice & garlic |
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Zalouk |
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Baked eggplant puree w/ tomato cilantro sauce |
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Falafel | |
House made blend of chickpeas & fava beans w/ spices |
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Merguez en Croute |
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Spicy lamb sausage wrapped in puff pastry w/ chilled tomato cumin vinaigrette |
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Small Plates
Chakchuka |
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Grilled peppers and tomato salad |
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Khizu Mrqued |
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Carrot salad w/ chili & cumin |
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Bakoula |
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Spinach w/ garlic, cilantro, preserved lemons & olives |
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Barba |
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Oven roasted beets & goat cheese salad |
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Chicken Satay (our way) |
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Moroccan essence w/ cumin peanut sauce |
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Casa Blanca Roll |
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Choice of marinated chicken, fish or ground lamb wrapped in rice paper |
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Merguez ala Marocain |
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Grilled spicy lamb sausage w/ Moroccan salad greens |
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Bastilla |
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Choice of savory chicken or fish |
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Mussels |
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Sauteed w/ garlic saffron consomme |
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Tuna Tartar |
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Ahi tuna w/ harissa mix over pita triangles |
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Pasha Sampler |
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Hummus, Chicken Satay, Casa Blanca Roll & Prawn Brochette |
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From the Grill
Brochettes |
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Choice of highly seasoned kefta, chicken, lamb or jumbo prawns w/ saffron rice & seasonal vegetables |
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Grilled Rack of Lamb |
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w/ lavender honey & sesame crust served w/ Ras el Hanout reduction, cumin mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables |
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Entrees
Garden Napoleon |
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Mixed grilled peppers, zucchini & mushrooms over saffron rice w/ cilantro cream drizzle (vegetarian) |
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Seasonal Fish |
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Pan seared w/ creamy charmoula sauce & saffron rice |
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Prawn Tagine |
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Braised jumbo prawns and seasonal vegetables in highly flavored sauce |
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Tagine del Coqley |
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Cornish hen w/ preserved lemons & olives |
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Tagine Rabati |
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Savory lamb shank w/ dried fruits & almonds |
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Tagine Kefta |
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Minced beef and lamb meatballs w/ tomato sauce and eggs (eggs optional) |
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Authentic Moroccan Couscous |
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Choice of vegetable, chicken, jumbo prawns, merguez or lamb |
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Dessert
Pistachio Pastry |
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w/ rose water syrup & saffron ice cream |
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Turkish Coffee Creme Brulee |
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Traditional Moroccan Gateaux |
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Combination of traditional Moroccan cookies & Moroccan mint tea |
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Tasting Menu
Family style for parties of 6 or more |
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Harira |
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Salad Variees (Combination of Barba, Bakoula, Chakchuka, Zalouk & Khizu Mrqued) |
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Combination of Brochettes, Tagine Rabati, Tagine del Coqley & Vegetable Couscous |
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Traditional Moroccan Gateaux |
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Moroccan Mint Tea |
Is anyone else as full as I am?
Sir Byron the ideal was to sample stuff off of the menu, not order everything!
No thin wafers even but I could go for some tea.
Here comes Amani. She tells me her name means desire, wishes and when you see her dance you'll believe her.
Amani steps through the back door where Sir Byron and Doug disappeared through, during the dance. The sign over the door reads Hookah Lounge.
Sir Byron, wake up man! I think the party is moving now.
Hey Peri! How the shower going?
I think we'd better just tuck Sir Byron in for the night and I'll circle back in the morning to collect him. Where next?
SMILEY WEDDING at Play Pod: Come visit!!! http://pods.gaia.com/play_pod/discussions/board/8104







Oh okay now I know where I am at. I've been here before, I went to the City Lights Bookstore, such history. I love that bookshop. Though I have never tried that Moroccan Restaurant. And they do not have that vegetarian restaurant/bakery in Chinatown anymore. I go over to the East Wind Bookstore too and buy books and videos of Chinese culture. Hey wake up B, he should be seeing this. This is his last hours of bachelorhood. lol
Hey, stop that nudging, Samme, I'm awake! Wow, thank you Doug, quite the party here :) Everything looks so good and they are so accomodating here, they just keep bringing more dishes out!!! Oh, here comes some more, heehee, I forgot what I ordered!
Wowzers, Amani is incredibly lovely, though not as lovely as my sweet, beautiful Heart-Eyes!
A toast my friends as I take leave of my bachelor days.
Hi Samme! Glad you could make it down 80 and across the bridge to join the party and I see you drove your smart car, knowing how impossible it is to park in North Beach. Yes, it changes here almost daily and it used to be you could come here to practice your Italian, but now you’d be better off with chopsticks. Well I do like vanilla OK and there are no Starbucks, Barnes and Noble or BorderBooks here yet and thank god for the weird and the wacky.
Hey Sprite, I mean Sir Byron, no actually I do mean you Sprite. We’re going to have to go over this carefully during the rehearsal because your voice still sounds like a girl’s voice. Also no guy about to get married is going to laugh like “heehee”. What’s up with that?
Here's looking at you kid, teehee!
Sorry, I snuck in undercover while Byron was sleeping just to keep an eye on things. Y'all caught me out. Ok, I'll head out to the bachelorette party! (and if anyone can give me pointers before the rest of the festivities on “male” lingo, I would so appreciate it!)
That would be against the make credo as I recall but here's a little peek at what might be in store for you
click here> (click)
Oh WOW, this sprite is out-o-here!!!! (((running footsteps heard as sprite hurries to find dollars and then head to the bachelorette festivites)))
Oh my, I just snuck out of my PAR-TAY to see if I could sneak a little kissy-poo from Sir Byron!!! My cousins caught me and dragged me back to MY Party
(It's My Party and I'll Cry if I want to!!! cuz I miss my darling!!!)
No! No! No! Byron would never go off with JUDY!!!! NO!!! oh yeah, she's with Johnny!!!
Heart-Eyes, I, Sprite, followed you from your party and you are missing the Chippendale's. Let the boys have their fun 'cause we gals got a lot of celebrating to do :)
Hi Larry Lol! I think we're in the wrong district. For a minute I thought I fell into a Castro leather bar. They have space reserved for us in the wrinkle room.
I think I'll take a sneak peek at what the girls are up to.
(((Byron waking up))) Where'd everybody go? Did I miss the dancing girls??? The last thing I remembered…..
Mr B I told you you should have gone to art school. I'm telling you stickers 101 was to die for! And we won't even talk about food art; gravies, and sauces, whipped cream and cherries…
Oh dear!!! Byron! You watched those scandolous women in their scanty dress!!!
“SCANTY” … (such a great word): scanty: Main Entry: scanty Pronunciation: \ˈskan-tē\ Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): scant·i·er; scant·i·est Etymology: English dialect scant scanty supply, from Middle English, from Old Norse skamt, from neuter of skammr short Date: 1600 :
limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or extent synonyms see meager - scant·i·ly \ˈskan-tə-lē\ adverb - scant·i·ness \ˈskan-tē-nəs\ noun
ah shucks Ms Peri, it was just some harmless guy fun. You know I only have eyes for Heart-Eyes!
yeahhhhh, well, I saw the drool pool that you had after that belly dancer and then the SKANtily dressed ladies … I'm just lookin' out for Princess!! (wink wink ;-)
Wow I'm not seeing the meager part or limited or less than suffient in degree, quantity. What I'm seeing is plenty, good and plenty, good and plenty, Oh yeah that's candy isn't it?
OMG it's a good thing Ms Virginia is not around or we'd be in deep doo doo!
Bellydance heals, there is no doubt! Oh I would enjoy a party like that so much! I remember San Francisco, a city that I've loved all my life. And you know, love for a city is a special kind of love! Personally, I've found it to be a dangerous city, a generous city, more beautiful than any other, and I miss her so much! Does anyone remember that one of her names is “Baghdad by the Bay”? Great choices for this party, and so glad Mr. Smiley and everyone is having such a good time! :)
Hi Martha! Thanks for stopping by and for the bit-o-history. I must have intuitively picked out the Moroccan theme and Bogie mask and North Beach? North Beach, long before the Beats, used to be known as the Barbary Coast . During the gold rush it was the place where the rich would spend their money on the things that men without women would spend their money on.
San Francisco is a great city and I love the diversity and it's crazy wackiness. It's a place for the weird to look normal, where dead ducks hung by their feet line up next to the strip joint, next to the BMW repair shop, next to the Savoy Cafe, next to the Bank of America where a man in urine stained rags sleeps in an alcove.
Yup! That sounds like my City. She shines so brilliantly in the sun, and her underbelly is so rank and dangerous. Her voice raises sweetest anthems and growls deepest death warnings. She's everything I'd aspire to, and everything I've been thankful to escape from. She is a city seductive enough to make a Lesbian of me. God! I love her! Is she really a “God” to me? I wonder. Oh, BTW, you might enjoy this picture and maybe even the blog that goes with it.
I think Johny would be deeply disappointed in you if you were to make an 11th hour switcheroony on him. Lol!
I did zip over to your blog, thank you! I'll leave a comment there.
One of my favorite memories in San Fran was the man with the bush jumping out to scare me :) Sometime later, I saw a story about him on TV. It is such a fascinating town and one I would like to visit again!
I must say playing Byron has been enlightening :) I come from a family of all women and my dad. And one knows that dads are not really guys. Sigh, I always wanted brothers and was fascinated watching my father when he was with “the guys.”
Well let me know when you come Sprite and I would be delighted to be your guide to the hidden San Francisco. While the tourists often limit themselves to the areas where the cable cars run there are lots of other worlds to explore.