Group Picture from Senzala

Senzala: Brazillian Buffet

This turned out to be one of the greatest foodie missions up to date. Although bittersweet as we celebrated Dennis' last day, Senzala proved to have the largest turn-out from the Ops Center up to date.

The food also proved to be a smash hit. Giving enormous proportions (we think they used a snow shovel to scoop the rice). Beef Stroganoff, Shrimp in tomato sauce (Bobo de Camarao), Carne de Panela Panela were some of the favorite dishes, each coming with a rich, very well seasoned sauce. The sides were also spectacular, with fried bananas, fried Yuccas, french fries, steamed vegetables and collared greens. Irwin gets the gold medal for being the only one to finish his plate. Trust us, these portions would fill up any appetite!

There was even a Bossa Nova band playing in the middle if the day, making this a memorable lunch break for all. Senzala definately gets five stars, a smash hit and extra kudos to Dennis for picking the perfect place for his last stand.

We miss you dennis!

Steven's Cheesteaks

Our last destination turned out to be our swan-song for the legendary foodie member, Dennis. Dennis apparently chose to keep his sanity and not attempt a career at Cisco while pursuing his Masters simultaneously. If Dennis doesn't return in five years he will most likely be our first member of the Cisco Foodie Hall of Fame.

Steven's is a near legendary establishment located right by the 49er training camp, feeding 300 pound linemen with relatively authentic philly cheesteaks. The menu is simple, Cheesteaks is what they do... however they also make superb sides, such as deep fried onion rings, garlic fries, and crispy curly fries. The cheesteaks come out piping hot, with the meat/cheese blended so well it's as if they are one!

A Taste of EuroAsia: The Armenian Gourmet

The White Elephant Game

Winter Pot Luck

Coming back from the Holidays, the foodies wasted no time in partaking in a shared meal of thanks. On Wednesday January 2, 2008, the foodies broke bread at Cisco's Galapagos Conference Room. It was a successfull event attended by many luminaries of the Sales Crediting department who each brought a dish/dessert. We were even graced with the appearance of Vincent and Caitlin Ho, who came far and wide and passed on their afternoon nap!!! just to experience this momentous occasion.

Gia brought beef stew and french bread. David, Irwin, and Aaron T each brought whole chickens, grilled to perfection. Dennis brought adobo. Yeelo brought crab dip made with a secret recipe than can never be divulged--only one other person in the galaxy has this. Laureano brought Lumpia, complete with sweet and sour sauce. Aaron D brought some wraps for all the vegetarians in the group. And finally, Christina brought some spicy enchiladas. But that's not all, a whole train of desserts came our way. Saba brought brownies, Aaron S brought flan and Laureano brought banana turon. One phrase expressed all our sentiments. We were stuffed.

The event ended with a racuous game of White Elephant with the winning prizes being DVD's, Saki drinking cups, wine, etc. Each player put on their game face. The atmosphere was very tense and competitive, but in the end everyone came out a winner with loot in hand. The team staggered back to their desks full, suffering from a serious case of the food coma. The Winter Pot Luck was very successful indeed. Special thanks to all that participated!

Please stay tuned for our Eurasian adventure on Thursday...