fatty fatty - boozy boozy - fun night!
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Bacon cheddar biscuits with spicy sausage gravy at Crema in Monterey.
The biscuits were a little dense, but I would drink GALLONS of that gravy.
Breaded and grilled local sand dabs at Cafe Fina in Monterey.
Cafe Fina is a little dated and touristy since itâs right on the wharf, but this dish was tasty and I like that they work with Monterey Bay Aquarium and serve sustainably caught seafood. Itâs our usual lunch spot after going whale watching up there.
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Lazy Friday afternoon snack for me and the boy. I know melons are not quite in season, but itâs okay, they are wrapped in delicious porkiness.
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Thanks for the report on this version at Toast. Definitely give the one at Kismet a try, itâs my favorite right now. 
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Smashed a tagliatelle bolognese at pasta sister Culver City last night w a glass of Chianti.
First time to the new space, itâs quite lovely and fun.
Bread great as always.
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Awesome. I did the original Pasta Sisters (Pico-Arlington). Food-wise, the taste at the original location is still just a tad better than the newer Culver City location.
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I-Naba
Sayori sashimi, very nice quality product, the technique could be better and it was slightly chewy
Shrimp tempura and renkon, nice
Scallop 
wow, perfection with a little dab in the plain salt
AsparagusâŚ
Ground shrimp shiso and chicken shiso both weâre very good, love the subtle clean flavors of both
Uni, shiso and nori 
Zucchini stuffed with eel the first piece I scalded the roof of my mouth, but it was worth it. This is really nice, again sweet zucchini and a clean eel flavor.
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Yeah, chefs counter.
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How funny; we just did the exact same thing last weekend for a party! We were surprised at how sweet the melons were (which I think we got from our local Ralphs).
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The boy: Me and my fiends are going to the mall to get something to eat.
Me: No you are not! Tell them theyre coming over for brats and watermelon, then you all go to the mall.
Happy Memorial Day! 
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Lovely
What? Never has one person mentioned - let alone given a shout out to - a chicken salad sandwich at Oinkster! As a person who growing up thought lunch meant a chicken salad sandwich, I must try this.
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Can I get a whoop whoop?
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I used to really like the Oinksterâs Chicken Salad Sandwich (though, TBH, I pretty much went for the fries and house aioli).
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May was a mixed bag for us, especially dining out (home cooked meals were much better, thankfully).
Misses:
A special order cake for a kiddo who wanted a marble cake âthe swirly kind!â with âeight roses, so everyone gets oneâ and âno words.â
What Ralphâs gave us:
A Motherâs Day cake from Lark; Mom wanted white cake with lemon curd filling and chocolate ganache. Wasnât told, when ordering, that their lemon curd is now heavily flavored with thyme. Thyme and chocolate are not a great combination.
Take out from Joeâs Falafels: 1/3 of order not included, falafels were dumped in paper bag that was then put into a plastic bag and tied off - so they sweated and crumbled. The sides - hummus, babaganoush, tabouli - were put into aluminum rounds with plastic lids on top but they didnât crimp the edges, so contents spilled and we opened that bag to a complete mess. This is the second bad experience with Joeâs so theyâre off our list. (Though I must say they do have great pita, which we did use and enjoy - with an order from Sahara.)
The very good:
Zelo Pizza came through with great pizzas, calzones, and their perfect beet salad - yay!
Namaste Spiceland is now on our regular rotation, thanks to the FTC people.
I might be addicted to the Farmerâs Market Plate from Pitfire Pizza (though am ambivalent about their pizza).
Daisy Mint was quite good for a bunch of veg curries and noodles and such. (The Daisy Noodles, with a red curry, are delightful.)
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Everything you describe about Joeâs is why I donât order anything to go from them. If you buy a plate they use one of those shitty 3 compartment plastic containers - hummus in one, cold salad in the other, hot entree in the main. Salad always wilts, hummus always overflows.
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I hope kiddo wasnât too disappointed. Ralphs report card: Reading, Fail. Math, Pass!
You get a good story to tell, at least.
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I had a strong impression no one there was particularly engaged with their work. And am still grumbly they didnât give us the falafel laffas we ordered and paid for. (I called after the mess and missing foods were discovered; was put on hold and disconnected twice - not going to try again.)
Kiddo was crestfallen, esp as had gone with to place order and drew what was desired so theyâd get it right.
BUTâŚVons to the rescue! They were able to pull and modify/decorate a marble cake (you know, with actual swirls in it!) to kiddoâs specifications and staved off further meltdown.
Mother of kiddo says kiddo wrote letter to Ralphâs about what happened and explained why it was important to pay attention to directions. Also explained that Vons was good at following directions and maybe they should go there to learn. (This is a very, very particular kiddo.) Kiddo also noted that they had two birthday cakes and said that was a good surprise and thanked the bakery for that. I would give anything to have read that letter- the mother recounted it to me and I was breathless with laughter.
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