Xochitl10

Fortunately, Harry Buffalo (2120 E. 4th Street, Cleveland) has more to recommend it than Harry's Steak House does. I had a delicious brisket quesadilla on a whole-wheat tortilla and Great Lakes Dortmunder, and my friend had boneless wings (?) and fries, all for a very reasonable $24. The brisket was thinly sliced and deliciously beefy. I would've liked more heat in the accompanying salsa. We also made a stop at Colossal Cupcakes (530 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland), which is not lying. $3.75 for an easily shareable gigundo cupcake. My friend had a carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and I had a chocolate with vanilla buttercream. Really delicious -- moist, dark chocolate cake and buttery vanilla icing (more dense than fluffy) that had a flavor reminiscent of French vanilla ice cream. I would easily put this ahead of Hello Cupcake's chocolate cupcake and any of the offerings I've had from Red Velvet (which are tasty, but not as good as some others), but behind everything except the strawberry from Georgetown Cupcake.

I got a surprisingly good cappuccino from the Starbucks at the westbound Somerset travel plaza on I-76.

Ramen-ya at home: shio ramen with a side of homemade pork gyoza

Roasted pork tenderloin, simply seasoned with evoo, salt, and pepper Red chile grits Salad of romaine, walnuts, blue cheese and red Anjou pear with balsamic vinaigrette We were supposed to have potato-chive bread with dinner, but I got started late after a 10-mile run, so it's still in the oven.

Scrambled egg and provolone on toasted banana bread

Yes, huge thanks! She was fabulous, and it was great to meet the others on the 11:00 tour.

Nigella Lawson's sausage and lentils Romaine salad with dried cranberries, chopped almonds, crumbled Parmigiano-Reggiano, and vinaigrette

I'm happy to switch from 2:00 to 11:00.

Okayu (Japanese rice porridge) with yuan (sweetened cooked adzuki beans)

I'd like to be added to the wait list as well. As an executive branch sausage-maker, I'd love to see the legislative factory.

We had a shinnenkai (New Year's party) with some friends last night. No drinking, but we made a ton of takoyaki (octopus fritters) and taiyaki (sweet filled pastry in the shape of a sea bream).

Grilled pig uteri are surprisingly tasty. Like especially taut little sausages. I will not eat eyeballs or feet. I don't know why, but feet creep me out. Maybe it's because Azami pointed out that pig feet look like large dog paws, and we have large dogs whose feet we can't imagine eating.

The cherry blossom cupcake from Hello Cupcake Tuna handroll at Masa 14 Quebecois cheese plate at Restaurant Holder (Montreal) Tiramisu at Mangiafoco (Montreal) My friend Hiroko's ika nattou (raw squid, nattou, shiso leaf) (Kitakami, Japan) Karaage at Funabatei (Kitakami, Japan) Smoked steelhead trout at La Posada (Winslow, AZ) Green chile sauce from Virgie's (Gallup, NM) Azami's tortillas Calamari and tagliatelle bolognese at 8407 My last batch of kinpira gobou (burdock root julienned and simmered in soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar)

We had Christmas dinner yesterday because some of the family had to leave this morning. Mom always makes a traditional turkey dinner, but this being New Mexico, we have both gravy and a dish of red chile.

Making a variation on Ann Amernick's cookie plate for a retirement party later this week: gingersnaps, orange sables, and either Brussels or Vanilla Nuts. I'm also craving a Japanese-style Christmas cake (sponge cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries, iced with either chocolate icing or whipped cream and decorated with sugar holiday things), so I may make one for the office holiday party.

Leftover yudofu with some stray bits of leftover turkey tossed in

I made yudofu (simmered tofu and vegetables) and steamed rice for dinner on Thursday. I used Twin Oaks organic extra-firm tofu, farmers' market napa cabbage and daikon, burdock root, fresh shiitake, and some dried wakame seaweed. The bottle in back is yuzu ponzu from Ando Shoyu in Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture. I carried it back with me from Japan this past winter. It's totally delicious, and was our dipping sauce for the yudofu.

Azami and I stopped by for an early dinner on a perfect night for ramen. We each got an order of pan-fried gyoza, which were fabulous -- nice and crisp on the outside, filled with juicy pork and chive goodness on the inside. The dipping sauce was a bit sweeter than we're used to (shoyu, vinegar, and as much chili oil as you care to add is typical in Japan), but was nice nonetheless. Azami had the tonkotsu ramen with spiciness at level 3, and I had the Gojiramen. His tonkotsu looked great; it was cloudy with a sheen of red, and was spicy enough to make him weep. I liked the Gojiramen well enough, finding the chashu, crisp sprouts, and flavorful noodles to be the best parts. The chicken broth grew on me, but I think I prefer a pork-based broth. If we find ourselves in Adams Morgan again, we'd likely go back and I'd try one of the miso-ramen or tonkotsu options. As a peanut allergy sufferer who has encountered ramen with a finish of peanut oil and miso ramen with peanut butter-enriched miso, I had to ask whether they used peanut ingredients. Thankfully, they do not.

We had lazy second Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Azami had bought a package of turkey thighs for the takikomi gohan that we took to his family's dinner, so I roasted what I hadn't used with a compound butter of sage, thyme, and parsley. Dark meat poultry doesn't sit well with Azami, so he'd taken some white meat and a few slices of ham during the great leftover packing after the family dinner. He'd also secured some dressing, gravy, and green bean casserole, which we had as sides. I made cornbread, cranberry sauce with ginger and Bosc pear, and maple-pumpkin custards, in addition to the roast turkey thighs.

Thanksgiving with Azami's family is always a "traditional" feast, with various family members contributing apps, sides, and desserts. This year, we were encouraged to be "exotic" (or "spicy," I don't remember which) with our contributions. Azami reminded me that, plain language of encouragement aside, his family is not super adventurous. There's also a bit of a thing for us to have something Japanese at Thanksgiving (one year, a Japanese friend brought sushi to our traditional turkey feast, and it was fabulous). So, we're taking our favorite takikomi gohan -- rice, carrots, shiitake, burdock root, aburaage (deep-fried tofu sheet), and substituting turkey thigh for chicken.

Last night: Mushroom risotto Arugula, Concorde pear, walnut, and Roaring 40s blue cheese salad with balsamic vinaigrette Tonight: Pork curry rice

In preparation for the storm, I made a focaccia heavily seasoned with black pepper on Sunday night. Yesterday, I made cinnamon rolls using the "Baking Illustrated" recipe and used up milk, butter, eggs, and sour cream that I figured I'd otherwise lose, being a Pepco customer and all. I didn't have cream cheese for the icing, so I swapped in sour cream instead and skipped the corn syrup. Also, I didn't have brown sugar (man, I'm a crappy baker), so I subbed granulated sugar with a healthy dose of dark rum for moistness and flavor. They're delightful.

Fresh coffee, a couple of mandarins, and homemade cinnamon rolls

Wonder of wonders, we haven't lost power just north of downtown Silver Spring (Woodside). Azami and I have a boatload of ice (16-lb. bag, 7-lb. bag, plus various frozen jugs full of water), if anyone needs ice or knows someone who needs it. PM me.