Gen. Applewhite

I went to Squaw for Spring Break in '08. Only place I ate on the south side was Burger Lounge, and it was excellent. If you find yourself in the vicinity of Truckee, and have a sweet tooth, the Treat Box Bakery on Donner Pass Rd. may have the best "donut" I've ever had, and I've had a lot of donuts. They are the things shaped like plump bars of soap on the left side of this picture underneath where it says "Apple pockets." Perfect balance of crunchy crust and cake interior.

Me too. Thundercloud chicken salad on wheat is one of my favorites.

Torta Al Pastor: 1) buttered and griddled bolillo with chipotle mayo on one side and refried beans on the other 2) guacamole and pastor meat, which has itself been griddled with onions and pineapple 3) lettuce and cotija 4) pickled jalapenos and red onions

Scott 1000 is the best toilet paper.

My 3 yo had a fever and barfed twice on Saturday night but felt fine on Sunday during the day. His fever spiked again Sunday night before breaking early Monday morning. By the time we got him into the pediatrician on Monday afternoon, there was no indication he was sick, but he did test positive for the flu. Nobody else in the house has come down with it, despite being pretty lax about germs. This includes a 1 yo and a 66 yo grandmother with a compromised immune system. I credit that, and the 3 yo's relatively mild symptoms, to the fact that we all got the vaccine. So, yay.

Ruby Tuesday and The Royal Tenenbaums

I can't believe I wasted the last week's good weather in Central Texas without getting a single round in.

Great pics. Big Sur is a fantastic trip. I was struck by how isolated everything was with no other road in and out but the PCH. Imagine your life being completely upended by a bridge being out of order.

Pho Kim Long in SA used to be my go-to when I worked downtown, but now I work way up north and have been exploring other options.

Gas it.

The brown butter drop on the bottom row of your pick was delicious.

If you finely dice all the veggies, you won't need to blend it. But, if I may ask, without electricity to power a blender, how to you plan to make your strawberry margaritas?

Doesn't get any easier than this if you have a pressure cooker. I prefer to trim aggressively and give the pork steaks a good sear in a separate pan, then cut into large cubes. I also add a smoked hack hock. The fish sauce is entirely unnecessary. Without the pressure cooker, I use the same ingredients, but sauté the veggies like you would building a chili. While they cook down I boil the ham hock in a separate pot of water to make a couple cups of concentrated stock (a step you can do days in advance). Simmer everything over low heat or in the oven until the pork is tender, then blend as in the recipe. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/03/easy-pressure-cooker-pork-chile-verde-recipe.html

Do crawfish count as meat?

I just went from six to midnight.

No wait at the walk-up window for Cafe du Monde. Not sure why anybody would wait for a table in that massive corral. Even if you ended up on the perimeter you're going to have a nice view of the line and/or panhandlers. Do they have anything other than beignets and coffee that might require a sit-down?

Recommended: Turkey and the Wolf - Chicken salad torta was unique and delicious. Less of a chicken salad than a spread made of refried red beans mixed with a spicy peanut salsa. Molly's Rise and Shine - This is the breakfast offshoot of Turkey and the Wolf. I ordered the breakfast chalupa because it featured the refried red beans and peanut salsa that I enjoyed so much in the torta. Base layer on the chalupa was like an egg salad spread with cotija cheese. Outstanding. Pontchartrain Hotel - Andouille and duck gumbo and pimento cheese spread were both excellent. Eggs benedict variation was top notch. Rooftop bar was vibing. Carousel Bar - I could drink a bucket of their pineapple rum cocktail, and the shrimp and oyster poboy sliders were on point. Popeye's - After several drinks at the Carousel Bar and a hand grenade on Bourbon Street, the 2 piece and biscuit with a side of red beans was the perfect meal. District Donuts and Sliders - Brown butter cake donut ball was near perfect variation of a traditional old fashioned donut. Ambivalent: Maypop - Interesting SE Asian / Italian / Creole fusion place, but ultimately not my cup of tea. Peche - We tried all the apps and the Brussels sprouts, but I was not overly impressed with any of them. Fish entrees were decent. Cafe du Monde - Beignets at the to-go counter were hot and crispy, but they probably would have been anywhere. Wife's first time in New Orleans, so she needed to cross it off her list. Disappointing: Commander's Palace - Shrimp and tasso hennican saved this meal. Everything else was a big disappointment. Joey K's - Debris poboy was okay but the red beans and jambalaya were crap. Should have pushed for Coop's or Willie Mae's. Shaya - Good pita and hummus, but the sandwiches were bland and the fries were total dogshit. Crispy halloumi salad was flavorless. Pho Kang - We picked the nearest pho place within walking distance. I was hopeful that the Vietnamese scene would be as good as it is in Houston. Maybe it is, but this place was not.

Christmas Eve: fried oyster/shrimp poboys and hopefully my aunt makes her gumbo Christmas Day: tenderloin with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts Your pappy's posole sounds good. I might make a batch to have around for the weekend before.

Here through Monday. We have reservations at Maypop, Peche and Commander's Palace for brunch on Saturday. Looking to fill in the gaps with old standbys (Drago's, Mother's, Coop's, etc...). Just had two delicious sandwiches at Turkey and the Wolf (chicken salad torta and grilled cheese with collard greens).

Got out on Friday for the first time since September and shot 48/37 with a couple short putts missed on both sides. Hit 10 of 13 fairways, but did not card a single 4 the whole round. Weird game.

Leftover jambalaya fritter:

When they do cut me, I will bleed grease, because my dressing has lots of crumbled sausage in it, which is what makes it better. If you really want to get whack, form your wet dressing mix into balls and fry them for a few minutes in the deep fryer after you take the turkey out.

Red beans with Buc-ee's "sizzlin' saltines"

Well, I was picking a chicken and peeling shrimp, so a stock was getting made no matter what. Probably should have thrown a smoked hock in there as well, but you gotta leave room for improvement I guess.