turn-down service

The mint my husband left on my pillow. It's a mint M&M.

formerly recent eats

I've had these pictures in a draft post for a long time, but am only now posting them. I'll try my best to recap:

Here we have a home test that I imagine is almost as exciting as a pregnancy test: a beer taste test! From left to right Coors Light, Yuengling Light and Rolling Rock. Coors Light won. 

This is the most refreshing dessert G and I had in a while. It's coconut jelly in a coconut, with a generous amount of coconut flesh still present. When chilled, it's especially outstanding.

This was a spread of coconut porter and kolsh, with two styles of wings from Hmart. The wings weren't bad, but as a stand-in for BonChon, they don't compare.

This is one of our home-cooked weekday meals: Shanghai bok choi tips chowed with scallions and red catfish curry (and some limes). Thanks - we think we eat like kings too.

...another home-cooked meal: jalapeno pesto with fresh basil and parmesan on linguini fini. It's a new fave; you can make a whole container of the pesto, pour a layer of olive oil on the top and it'll be good in the fridge for weeks. Instant meal!

I enjoyed this cheese a lot. I generally like Swiss cheeses, but this was very different. It reminded me of Dubliner cheese; it had a slight yellowy color and it's texture was not as smooth as regular traditional swiss cheese.

i have happy tears

"Moments later, players brought bottles of champagne onto the field and began spraying them into the stands. Outside the aging Coliseum, car horns honked as this blue-collar city enjoyed its big moment on the baseball stage. " (from this article)

(photo cred: from here/by Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)

trying out my new phone

Publishing from my phone! (That's a root beer float.)

farmer's blow

I'd still rather blow my nose into my shirt (or sleeve).

midweek treat

because it's monday...

the perfect shade of green...

...on the perfect pump.

The Crilo Pump by Jerome C. Rousseau

(photo cred: GILT)

outside our window

...because it's monday

tacos and izakaya fare

Note: This is a super old post that has been long in the making. All this happened about two weeks ago. Enjoy.

An empty fridge and a long week were hints for us to have an easy night out on a steamy Thursday. We started at the brand new brick-n-mortar location of our favorite taco truck, Tacos El Chilango!

(photo cred: Eater, who got it from Yelp)

The place looks great and while I was waiting for G and after ordering a cup of horchata to start, Juan, the co-owner (who ran the truck and opened the eatery with his brother Jesus) gave me a complimentary al pastor taco. It was delicious - good amount of meat, cilantro, and onion, which I topped with a little of both of their homemade sauces (verde and spicier red salsa), but there wasn't enough room on the taco for the pickled veggie mix that was also offered on the condiments table. When G arrived, we ordered: two chorizo tacos, one carne asada taco, one mixto taco (pork mixed with sausage), and one more al pastor taco. All excellent and adequately filled with fillins'.

After happily shoving tacos into our mouths, we went next door to Izakaya Seki, a, well, izakaya that just opened a couple weeks ago right above U St.

(photo cred: by Molly W, posted on Yelp)

We ordered the following:

ankimo (monkfish liver) with yuzo miso vinaigrette 

the Kyona salad with arugula, bonito shavings, mizuna and "onsen" egg

Tarako (salted cod roe) rice ball

What you hear is true - it is pricey for what you get. However, everything was tasty and it was a pleasant dining experience (aside from the very few cheap napkins and over-dressing of the ankimo). Oh - I forgot to mention the 2 complimentary soy and sesame chicken wings they give you as an appetizer; tasty, but the skin was still chewy. All in all, a nice addition to the dining scene and a great place to meet a friend for some heavy gabbing (both first and second floors are nice spaces, but I'd recommend the first floor).

for all married couples

...but especially for G :)

(photo cred: here)

olympic volleyball

Does anyone else think it's funny that this song is played at every set and match point of an Olympics beach volleyball match?

Party of the Games!

because it's monday: special edition

"...you should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a crip though..."

Despite the controversy over the origin of the dance, I think it was an acceptable celebratory dance and don't think Serena meant anything by it other than to celebrate her gold medal win.

because it's monday...

olympics lightening round

• Why are there cheerleaders at the women's indoor volleyball game?
• Why are men's swimming bottoms so low rise?
• Why is equestrian even an Olympic sport (or even a sport?)?
• Why are all tennis matches best of 3 sets, but the gold medal men's match is best of 5?
• Why isn't there men's (team) synchronized swimming? (Duet synchronized swimming is just weird. Actually the whole sport is just bizarre, but mad difficult.)
• Why don't men water polo players wear what swimmers wear (longer boxer brief-type shorts), instead of Speedos?

(photo cred: here)

i love the olympics

Where do I begin? The Olympics, the A's' ride to the top of the wild card race, my trip to Steelers' training camp, my new fav cheese, rosemary fish... too much to write about!

I'll start with focusing this post on the Olympics and will begin with sharing my long-held theory that reflects my hopes of still one day becoming an Olympian. I believe everyone can become an Olympian! Given all the Olympic sports - both winter and summer (I bet you can't name every single one) - not everyone is going to pursue or even try every single sport. Hence, we all don't know what we're really good at, and alas, may never know. You could be the world's greatest shooter, rhythmic gymnast, handballer, or trampolinist! I've missed my chance to be an Olympian in badminton, but love that it's an event and love that it's televised (though not enough).  It's big day is yet to come - it'll catch on someday, and I'll be ecstatic when it's the cool thing to do.

(photo cred: BBC)

...and lo and behold, badminton's day in the limelight came today!...but not in a good way.

I wish all the news reporters would stop saying "...and of all sports, badminton." Hopefully this unfortunate story will pique people's interest in the sport and hopefully facilitates educating people about the sport; it pains me whenever I see birdies made for indoor play placed by backyard badminton equipment in sporting goods stores. There's a difference.

subway shuffle

This video and its narration are excellent. I often did that exact same shuffle when passing through the 34th St station.

because it's monday...

M.I.A. ... yet again...

Bojangles, Captain D's Seafood, Waffle Houses, Super Fast Drive Thru, tattoo parlors, II MEF Marines... guess where I am this week!

(photo cred: here)