2011 October 11 - Student Chef

2011 October 11 and 18 - Student Chef
Stockton, CA

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Today just three of Gobo's Lunch Bunch are headed to the Student Chef located on the campus of San Joaquin Delta College, the Community College in Stockton, CA. The Lunch Bunch usually makes at least one visit every semester but somehow managed to miss the Spring term of 2011.

Kenny and Elsa headed from the parking lot to the Student Chef


The first page of this term's Menu


The second page


The head of the Culinary Arts Department is Mark Berkner who also owns and operates two restaurants in the nearby foothills.
Mark Berkner is the person in the center of the photo


The rustic Italian bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Now Elsa has the Butternut Squash Soup and Kenny and I have the Duck Tacos for starters. But I was too anxious to try the tacos and forgot to take photos. :-(
Both items were excellent.

I did take a picture of a Delta Burger from the next table.
Half pound fresh patty with fries


Elsa and I have the Eggplant Cannoli as our Main
grilled eggplant, aged goat cheese, herbs, tomato caper sauce


Kenny has the Grilled Pork Chop.
rye bread pudding, red cabbage, sauce robert


Another neighboring table has the Marinated Flank Steak.
potato scallion cake, grilled mushroom salsa


And then for dessert Elsa and Kenny had the Lemon Eclairs.
whipped cream and raspberries


While I had the Roasted Apple Creme Brulée.
local organic apples and vanilla bean

Another wonderful lunch at the Student Chef.

~end of October 11th


October 18, 2011
Three of us head back to the Student Chef to purchase Winter Buffet tickets, but the Printer does not have them ready yet. :-(
Elsa and Patti entering the side entrance to Danner Hall


We get there early enough to be seated without a Reservation

It is a nice day in the mid 70's as a group is eating on the Patio.
I will be taking photos of some of their dishes

The Menu has a few minor changes since last week,

Pumpkin cheesecake has replaced the eclairs

All of the salad ingredients are grown locally.
This is a wonderful Delta Pear Salad from the Patio Table


The Mushroom Bruschetta also from the Patio Table


Elsa and I have the Duck Tacos which today had Napa cabbage instead of cabbage

Elsa and I skipped the Main and had a bunch of Starters and dessert.
Elsa and I both have the Polish Stuffed Cabbage

Here the girls are eating the wonderful bread.

Patti has the Salmon which she said was delicious


The Eggplant Cannoli which today is served on top of sliced squash

Now we are eating the Main course.

A photo of our server working a Patio Table.

Inside there is a display of the three dessert choices.

The Apple Bread Pudding from the Patio Table


We all had some Pumpkin Cheescake

As I was paying my check the cashier pointed to the Shrimp Po' Boy which was on the Menu at the Student Chef take-out. You can also order anything from the take-out inside the restaurant.

Well it looks like we will have to make another return trip in about two weeks to buy our Winter Buffet tickets.
Elsa and Patti in Shima 1 parking lot heading to my car


~end
.

2011 October 10 - Mi Ranchito

2011 October 10 - Mi Ranchito
Stockton, CA

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Today Gobo, Miles and I are having lunch with Dickie and his wife Chris from Honolulu, HI and Gobo's wife Sandra and her brother Walt. Dickie and Chris are staying at Walt's home during their visit to attend our 50 Year High School Class Reunion.

Dickie and Walt went through school together from Kindergarten through High School. Gobo started a year later but then skipped the Third Grade and joined the other two. Meanwhile it was not until the Seventh Grade that I went to the same school as the other three. Although Dickie and I were both born in Rohwer War Relocation Center, AR some eight days apart.

Since Honolulu has a lack of any decent Mexican restaurants we are meeting at Mi Ranchito. Walt and Sandra grew up in a home less than a block from Mi Ranchito. Dickie grew up in a home just over a block away. Gobo's home was a more distant 6 blocks from Mi Ranchito and I grew up a distant mile and a half from here.
Gobo walking to the entrance

Actually Gobo and I have breakfast here at irregular intervals.
They used to be closed on Tuesdays but now are open for half a day

From the back of restaurant toward the front

The Lunch Bunch has not had a lot of recent events so Gobo has to reacquaint himself with Miles as Chris smiles

Miles, Gobo, Walt, Sandra, Chris (hidden) and Dickie

Sandra, Chris and Dickie

Our waiter volunteers to take a Group photo.
That's me in the center rear

Miles, Gobo and Walt

Dickie, Miles and I were all in the College of Engineering at the University of California back in the Fall of 1961. In fact it was at Berkeley where Dickie and I met Miles most likely in the Game Room of the Student Union.

Of the three only Miles graduated from UC with a degree in Engineering. Dickie after two years at Cal joined the Air Force for four years. He eventually returned to get his degree in Accounting from UC and has a successful Accounting firm in Honolulu. I did not graduate from UC but went back to junior college and then to San Francisco State to get my BS.
Dickie, Don and Miles

Okay. Now to the Food Photos:
My Mexican scramble - eggs, onions, tomatoes and Jalepeños with rice and fries

Miles and Sandra had the taco and enchilada lunch plate

Gobo had his usual bacon and eggs with a side of Ranchero sauce.
Breakfast is served all day.

Dickie and Chris had the chile verde with rice and whole beans

Walt had the Chorizo and eggs with diced potatoes and whole beans

After a bunch of after lunch chit chat we left the restaurant. Dickie was going around the block to show Chris the lot of the home where he grew up.
Sandra pans for the camera

The group minus Walt who was the last one out

Gobo stopped around the block so I could snap a photo of the lot where Dickie's home once stood.
The home was razed by eminent domain when an overpass over the railroad tracks was being erected.


~end .

2011 October 9 - Dinner at Hunan Gardens

2011 October 9 - Dinner at Hunan Gardens
Elk Grove, CA

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Tonight is a Sunday and our High School class of 1961 has just had our 50 Year Reunion on Friday Night and Saturday afternoon.

But four classmates, Gobo and Walt and Dickie and I are having dinner with Gobo's wife Sandra, his mother-in-law Rose and Dickie's wife Chris. Sandra and Walt are siblings making Rose the mother of both of them.

We are meeting in Elk Grove, CA at the Hunan Garden Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is in a strip mall along Elk Grove Blvd.
8527 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95624


One specialty of the house is their Peanut Duck, which is a steamed and pressed duck which is then flash deep fried placed on a bed of lettuce then covered in a sauce and garnished on top with crushed peanuts.

The gai-lan (Chinese broccoli) with oyster sauce.

The shrimp with asparagus.

The Chinese roast chicken.

We also had two additional dishes but my photos were not fit to post.

On to the people pics.
Chris and Dickie

Gobo and Sandra

Walt and his mother Rose

The whole table

The graduates of Edison High School, Stockton, CA - Class of 1961


~end .