My favorite take out dim sum spot in Chinatown. I always get enough for two lunches because the line is long.

Celebrating the new year with the best fried chicken west of the Mississippi. This is Thomas Keller’s casual concept, family style restaurant and fried chicken is only served every other Monday. Skin was crisp and the meat so tender and juicy. This has been consistently good since I’ve been going here. Recommend!

Wine tasting and then a picnic with goodies from Dean & Deluca. The prosciutto, sliced fresh, was perfection.

New Year’s Eve crab boil. Forgot to take a picture of dessert, which was brownies and milk. All homemade, of course.

Good enchiladas but my recent trip to Mexico has raised the bar for mole for me. Next time I’ll order the cochinita pibil (I sampled someone else’s and it was gooooood.).

Great spot for wine tasting in Sonoma. The wine was good and so reasonably priced. If you buy a bottle of wine, then the tasting is included in the cost of the wine! I got the rosé which was dry and crisp with berry flavors and has an interestingly creamy finish.

Decent poke bowl place in the mall. Not bad for a quick bite before a movie or while shopping.

Nice Thai restaurant with homey food and a proprietress who will tell your fortune if you’re lucky and she’s in the mood.

Italian food and yummi cocktails! Recommend.

Christmas potluck with my family at my aunt’s house. I made Burmese food.

Stadium food is expensive but I wanted to treat myself while I was watching the Niners beat the playoff-bound Jags 44-33.

Kusakabe definitely deserves the Michelin Star. Food and service are top notch.

I was in the mood for Jamaican food. The meat was falling off the bone.

Homemade shrimp and grits. Couldn’t find the more traditional white Southern grits so I used polenta. The recipe is from Brenda’s French Soul Food restaurant, and while the tomato-bacon relish isn’t traditional it’s delicious!

Thai noodle soup is a nice antidote for this cold winter day.

Burritos aren’t photogenic but this is delicious. I think I prefer the tikka masala to the butter makhani though. And I prefer the paneer option to the chicken breast. It’s easy to go meatless when you’re eating Indian.

Baked cookies for the holidays... 🎄🍪

How I spent my Sunday: beer, pizza, and watching Jimmy G leading the Niners to a come-from-behind victory.

Love this place! The broth was light and flavorful and the proteins were all cooked just right.

Great seafood spot. It’s tiny so you have to wait in line, but it’s worth the wait!

Not a pretty pic, but it’s an excellent breakfast burrito. Get it grilled with chipotle sauce, you won’t regret it.

Homemade chilaquiles. I roasted the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeños to make the sauce. Topped it with crema, cotija, and avocado. Not bad for a first attempt. I’ll fine tune it next time.

One of my favorites on MealPal

So I finally got an Instant Pot. The sauté function is great; I used it to sauté the onions, mushrooms, and red bell pepper I used in the stew. Then I added the oxtails, carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, red wine, broth, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. When it was done, I drained out the solids and used the sauté mode to reduce the liquid and thickened it with butter and flour. Turned out quite good.

Catching up with an old friend. The food here is hearty and comes in generous portions.