Health with Grace and More Food Reviews

Sorry for the long time in between updates, for the past few weeks there have been a couple snags between our insurance and getting some of the testing done. I went down to Stanford a few weeks ago ready to get a PET Scan and after waiting in the reception area for a little while I found out that my insurance had cancelled the procedure because they deemed it unnecessary. While I could have been fuming, I thought of the little girl with leukemia sitting next to me who I was making faces at earlier and thought, “if she can handle this with grace, so can I”. After saying a quick prayer for her in my heart, I left the hospital, hoped on my motorcycle and rode home enjoying the warm California winter. I think I’ve got more than enough to be thankful for than to be angry. I got home and found out there was a misunderstanding with the insurance, they approved a CT scan of my abdomen, but not a full body CT. Long story short, last week I was able to get a CT scan and now I’m awaiting the results and a call from my surgeon to schedule my date.

Time is going by so quickly. At first I thought March seemed a long way off, but as people are inviting us to dinner and I’m ticking away at my 100 miles of running, the weeks are passing by like nothing.

A couple weeks ago the Farewell Stomach Tour went on a little bit of a hiatus because I ended up coming down with a one day stomach flu which made the thought of eating anything rough. Which did make me wonder, after surgery, will I still get the stomach flu? Things the ponder in my heart. This did give me an opportunity to catch up on a few restaurants that I forgot to write about on the food tour so here goes:

Let me introduce you to a souvlaki place that will rock your face off. We started with freshly seasoned and toasted pita with a spicy feta dipping sauce (also good for dipping fries), and then a souvlaki filled with your choice of perfectly cooked lamb, chicken or beef with peppers and a delicious tzatziki sauce, with a side of seasoned fries all for about $10, amazing! I’ve been to other Greek restaurants where you would pay at least twice that amount for the same thing! Do your taste buds a favor and check this place out, Souvlaki Greek Skewers.

Do you like pub food? Who doesn’t… well, unless you are a vegetarian, or gluten free… perhaps not that many options for you, but if you aren’t watching your diet and you don’t mind eating meat products, Britannia Arms has a “bangers and mash” dish that you need to try. Two mild pork sausages topped with grilled onions served with a side of mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, gravy and a spicy mustard sauce. Make sure you tell them to “butterfly” the sausage, which means that they will spit the sausage in half and grill it on both sides leaving a nice “crunch” to the sausage, you’re welcome. Eat that, run later.

Breakfast is my jam, I’m a classic bacon and eggs guy and my favorite has to be Los Gatos Cafe (Uptown) in Los Gatos. Reasonably priced, easy seating, great staff and awesome food makes this place a winner. I recommend getting the eggs over easy with their potatoes which are life changing. If you need to get your diabetes on, then get the coffee cake as your bakery item.

Don’t worry, the Farewell Stomach Tour is extending past San Jose and Los Gatos, so let me introduce you to Surf Rider Cafe. Only in Santa Cruz can you get avocado fries… no, not fried potatoes with avocado, but battered and deep friend slices of avocado. I got fish tacos which came with a slice on top and let me tell you, it was amazing. My friend Andy got a hamburger with fried ramen noodle as a bun that made me feel like I chose poorly. Both dishes were delicious, but his was better.

Top off your trip to Santa Cruz with a little trip to Verve Coffee Roasters. Coffee is a passion of mine and deserves its own blog post, so I’ll just let the picture speak for itself until I blog again! 

Now go eat something, cheers!

-Steve Dang