RECAP PART DEUX

I guess I sorta lied again. About being back. We were back ... but then we went on hiatus again. Why? I guess I didn't realize I was going to have another week vacation. I had to go back to work last week ... this much is true. But not much was going on around the office. So after spending two massively unproductive days in the building, I really couldn't help but think we were basically still on vacay.

Then came New Years and all that festive stuff. So yeah. I didn't update. Sorry!

But here's a rundown of some of the highlights we've enjoyed since the last post:

- Diana's amazing New Year's Eve Spectacular
- Zaytoons delivery returning to normal operation
- Cuban food
- Vietnamese sandwiches
- Mac & Cheese and coleslaw and sliders and heartbreak
- Chestnut

I have to say that D's spread was one of the finest she's ever presented. From the rare roasted beef to the chicken and waffles (oh yeah, I said it ... fried chicken and waffles!!) to rice cakes and guacamole and hummus and timbles, she just hit the ball right out of the park. We had a fantastic time ringing in the new year with a wonderful assortment of buddies and we most certainly left fat and full and drunk.

We had a really nice dinner at Chestnut a few nights ago as well. I had an octopus salad that was fantastic. It came with sunchokes and kumquat - spiced perfectly and cooked to perfection. I moved into a pork chop that was stuffed with fruits and again, cooked perfectly. Meena had a fois gras appetizer that was pretty amazing and then moved into a grilled hanger steak with some bleu cheese fingerlings on the side. Awesome. I need to thank Val and Scott here ... this was their wedding gift to us. You know the way to our hearts, friends.

The final note I want to make is the addition of Vietnamese sandwiches into our diet. It was a life changing experience, folks. I know they're as common as pizza in NYC, but for whatever reason, we'd never been drawn to the loving warmth of one of the finest things that exists in the culinary universe. Our worlds were turned upside down yesterday when we sunk our teeth into that roll filled with so many delicious ingredients. We finished the sandwiches new people. Reborn. We're never going to be the same now that we know such deliciousness exists. We compared this to the first time we had Saam. Or when we wandered into Zaytoons for the first time. We have a new staple. Get ready to see lots of this one.

Anyway, that's about it. We made some grub for James and D last night. They came over to watch my eternal choke artists the Indianapolis Dolts turn in another painful effort. I can't even describe the disappointment. I feel sick. But ... as a Colts fan, this is nothing new. I'm pretty accustomed to post-season failures. Hell, for about 15 years, I was pretty accustomed to perpetual failure without any hope of post-season trauma. Oh well. The food was pretty good though. Meena made some Mac & Cheese and my mom's Asian Coleslaw recipe. I made some turkey sliders with a few condiments. Most notably the red onion chutney I seem to add to nearly everything.

So that's really it. I'll be back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled programming.