Woke up with a cruddy chest (perfect timing, as I have a gig tonight 
) this AM and am desperately trying to knock out the congestion with a super-spicy Sichuan noodle soup. Guess I’ll be drinking a lot of hot lemon tea w/honey this PM
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I hope the remedies work and your gig goes well @linguafood , and you throw off this cruddy feeling.
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Is this the mushroom khachapuri from Saami Somi in the Reading Terminal? I really like that place, I’ve been several times since it opened a few months ago.
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the soup looks great - I hope it does it job!
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Thank you! I’ve been pretty lucky since the pandemic started, save for a brief & mild Covid stint in January, so I really shouldn’t complain.
But I will anyway 
Yes! It’s so good!!!
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Zinc lozenge, asap!
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I found Iranian red pistachios! There’s a “Christmas market” happening in the national square, with many stalls selling food products and everthing else. $13 a kilo/2,5 lbs .
I bought a kilo. Couldn’t stop eating. Going back to buy 2 more kilos to snack on every day.
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Get well in time for your gig today! 
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Unfortunately, that is not happening. I have a more important one on Thursday, and am saving my energy for that one. IF I’m better by then.
Rats.
Drove our guests for a scenic drive thru Napa Valley and Sonoma. First stop, Bouchon bakery.
Onto Buster’s, at the very end of Napa Valley in Calistoga.
We had Buster’s excellent brisket. First time for beef ribs, very beefy, tasty!! Aunt and uncle are from Plano Texas, and proclaimed today’s BBQ worthy of a Texan.
My wife couldn’t wait and snuck in her favorite cheese bread from Bouchon.
Tried to keep lunch “light”, as we have a good dinner planned in a few hours.
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Very envious - looks delish, and brisket is my fave. Cheese bread looks excellent as well. I love Calistoga 
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Today we had… Paella with peppers, tomatoes, scallions with some duck confit hiding in there. Dessert was an eggnog crème caramel but with a brûlée top…crispy, crunchy! The eggnog was just a gentle note.
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You know you’re at a legit dim sum house:
Yum Cha at Hong Kong Lounge on Geary blvd in SF.
First round. Two types of Fun, Shrimp and Youtiao.
Yuba (bean curd skin) stuffed with assorted ingredients. Small Baos pork stuffing.
The requisite Ha Gow. The shrimp (ha) in the ha gow and cheung fun were shrimpy with a satisfying snap. Almost Hong Kong level goodness.
Pork Spareribs with negligible amount of black bean paste. I actually prefer this cleaner porky flavor.
Stewed Beef and Tendon over fun rolls. Always good.
A third round of Cheong Fun, with Fish stuffing.
Two rounds of Egg Rolls. Mushroom and ??
Quite satisfied with the quality and service. Only two misses. Pork Blood Cubes and Pork Cracklings. I enjoy blood, but not this rendition.
Multi-colored Fried Rice. More bland clay pot rice than fried rice with wok hei.
By now, the four of us were pretty stuffed. Didn’t stop the FOMO queen (wife) from ordering three more dishes. These ended up in to go boxes, untouched. I’ll know what what items broke the camel’s back at the home reveal later.
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Today’s driving, cold rain calls for something sunny - Rajasthani Palak Dal (from October 2022 COTM Thali, by Maunika Gowardhan). Served over brown rice with a little chile oil. Leftovers too, for 3 more meals.
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Northern beans, smoked turkey leg, ham broth, seasonings, hush puppies, green onion
Tomatoes, onions, okra, catfish pieces, scallion garnish.
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And today we had…porchetta sandwiches, with thinly sliced fennel and arugula. Spritzed the crusty roll with vinaigrette . Dessert was an espresso custard.
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That’s it. I’m moving in. I don’t need a lot of space, I promise 
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