Who run Viet Town?

I don't know but the waitress was really friendly.

A friend and I stopped in at this fairly new restaurant over by East Towne the other day. Flagging your server down is easy peasy as they have a button above the generously filled condiment basket to get their attention. Being able to summon someone to serve me made me feel like something of an aristocrat.

My companion ordered wings and when asked how spicy she wanted them replied, "White people hot."

I went with a bánh mì. Upon asking for extra jalapenos, our server said, "Oh, you like it brown people spicy."

"I am white on the outside but brown on the inside," I replied.

"You're funny. I like you." I am glad she had a good sense of humor in addition to being very friendly. The spring rolls were tasty. 

I appreciated the crunchy thing inside which provided a nice contrast in texture.

Speaking of things crunchy, the toasted baguette that hosted the grilled beef of my bánh mì was perfectly toasted.

Those Maillard reactions lent the perfect, well, toastiness to complement the beef and pate just right. A most toothsome sandwich.

The chicken wings look extremely appetizing. 

The sauce was too sweet but I very much enjoyed the punch of umami from a nice dose of fish sauce.

Before going to see Sisu: Road to Revenge, which was great - I hadn't laughed at the movies like that in ages - my friends and I stopped at Gus's Diner for dinner. The chicken noodle soup was delicious.

I haven't been totally remiss in cooking at home. However, I haven't cooked anything particularly grandiose or labor intensive. The chicken curry was good despite the sauce coming from a jar.

Also from a jar was the jerk paste. Still, the jerk chicken was good. I fried up some cole slaw mix to got with it. This reminds me that I should go check out David's Jamaican at their new location.

Despite not everything being made from scratch, I am at least throwing some ingredients together and seasoning things instead of simply heating up TV dinners. Life is oddly busy at the moment.

A friend and I made our inaugural visits to El Sabor De Puebla - the one on Northport. A former Benvenuto's, the place is ginormous. It was sadly under populated but hope that this was simply because we were taking our dinner at an early hour.

Our table was adorned with flowers painted on the top. The backs of the benches were similarly decorated so get a booth by the windows if you go.

My dining companion ordered a sope with chicken that was simple yet tasty.

I had fajitas with poblanos, corn, and cheese. A gooey, sticky mess but delicious. The portion was, as you can see, most generous so it made for a couple meals.

Their salsas were very good and distinguished themselves from those of other Mexican joints around town with their seasoning. Less cumin, maybe? The red stuff had less of a smoky taste while the green tasted less verde than expected.

A friend and I took lunch at the Tip Top Tavern yesterday. He lives just a couple blocks from me and so we hoofed it over there in the cold and driving snow. He raved about his mac & cheese. Not only was the sauce delicious but it also came in the perfect proportion to the pasta.

"Their sandwiches are mediocre but this is excellent," he opined with a rare burst of éclat. 

My fried walleye really hit the spot on that chilly, snowy afternoon. They also get bonus points for including three lemon wedges thus obviating the need for me to ask for more.

Lastly I'll note that I am making cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving at a friend's place. I'll be using orange juice and sugar but want to try including maple syrup someday.