Cold Weather Food – Nabé (Hotpot)

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Nabé Dinner” Cedar Park, 2019

Austin got hit by an Arctic wind today, which started out at 70 ° F, but dropped to the 40s by the evening. But that means the nabé (hotpot) dinner is even yummier! Tonight’s nabé was a simple kombu broth with noodles, hakusai, tofu, and ground pork. The dipping sauce was a crisp ponzu with chili flakes and green onion. It was super! After we ate most of the nabé, the tradition is to put some leftover rice into the broth, cook a bit and then add beaten egg to make a yummy hot porridge. Topped with some nori, it’s the perfect way to finish the meal.

I have to mention that we also opened a bottle of this special saké, which complemented the hotpot nicely. 🍶

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.6, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
“Yummy Saké” Cedar Park, 2019

I usually dislike cold weather, but having hotpot on a chilly evening makes it worth it! 😌

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Dough Pizzeria Napoletana

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 23.3mm, f/3.2, 1/250 sec, ISO400
“Pork Love” San Antonio, 2019

While in San Antonio this past weekend, we went to have an early dinner at Dough Pizzeria Napoletana. I’ve eaten at a different location of Dough before but not at the one close to the Alamodome. This one had a nice patio and the weather was perfect for a meal outside (and the photos turned out much better because of the natural light). We ordered the Buratta Tre Colore and the Signature “Pork Love” pizza. Both were delicious! Of course since the name of the restaurant is Dough, they better have a good one, and it is in fact an excellent dough. A little chewy, but crispy and bubble as well. Just as I like it. 😊

If you’re looking for a great pizza in San Antonio, I definitely recommend a visit to Dough!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO400
“Burrata Tre Colore” San Antonio, 2019

Birthday Brunch at the Queen Mary

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Family Photo” Long Beach, 2019

こんにちは! My family loves to eat! So, for my mom’s birthday, our original plan was to take her to brunch at the Queen Mary, but we started the birthday weekend a day early with the barbecue. However, we still wanted to treat her to a nice brunch so all loaded ourselves up in the minivan and headed to Long Beach for the Queen Mary Royal Brunch.

We started off with coffee and mimosas, then dug into the extensive spread which ranged from tradition breakfast items, to sushi, seafood, Mexican food, barbecue, prime rib, salads, crepes, ice cream and sweets. I had my fill of oysters on the half shell (just ok), crab legs, sushi, eggs benedict, prime rib, and even tried the “Texas Brisket” which was surprisingly good!

There was even a live band and they wished my mom happy birthday twice. The first time, my brother told them it was Linnette’s birthday, but they said “Rosette”. My dad and I (we were at the buffet and didn’t realize the mistaken name) told the band that there’s another birthday girl, whose name is Lee (my mom’s nickname). So she got to hear two versions of Happy Birthday, just for her. 😆

I hope you had a great day!

またね~

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/17 sec, ISO6400
“Crab Legs Galore” Long Beach, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/25 sec, ISO6400
“Sushi Spread” Long Beach, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/25 sec, ISO6400
“Live Music” Long Beach, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Silly Family Photo” Long Beach, 2019

Surprise Birthday Celebration

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/150 sec, ISO200
“Parents and Sons” Redondo Beach, 2019

こんばんは。For my mom’s 80th birthday, we decided to surprise her by having me fly to California to join the rest of the family for a birthday dinner. We had to coax her to come to my brother’s house for a barbecue because she wasn’t feeling 100%, but when she arrived, it was fun surprising her since she was not expecting me to be there. (She thought I was home in Texas)

After the surprise, we settled in for a nice dinner of ribs, sweet potatoes, beans, salads, and of course birthday cake! And we also enjoyed the beautiful sunset, which was unfortunately extra-colorful because of the wildfires in the state. 😕

I wasn’t sure if my mom would be happy to be surprised by me flying over, or if she would have preferred we save the airfare money, but she said she was very happy to see me. So, yay, it was a success! 😄 I have to say, it was nice for us three sons to be with my mom and dad on her birthday, just like old times.

またね~

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Dinner Spread” Redondo Beach, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/300 sec, ISO200
“California Sunset” Redondo Beach, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/25 sec, ISO3200
“Wildfire Sky” Redondo Beach, 2019

Our Go-To Burrito Place

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
“Flying Liberty” Cedar Park, 2019

Since we have guests in town and Mariko has been joining them for evening activities (classes and sightseeing), Koa and I have been having leftovers or picking food up for dinner. One of our go-to places is Freebirds World Burrito. Not only do we love the food, but we have fun observing how each employee makes the burrito – how much protein they add, how liberal they are with the other ingredients, how adept they are at rolling the huge tortilla, etc.

For several months, there was a woman who worked there who would build the biggest burritos, but unfortunately, we haven’t seen her for a while now. The previous visit, Koa got unlucky and his server was a trainee who skimped on the ingredients a bit, whereas the luck of the draw had me served by someone who did a better job. Regardless, the burritos are always pretty huge. But it’s fun to be in line and recognize an employee who we know treats us well, and then try to jockey for position so that you’re matched with that particular employee.

Speaking of matches, Koa and I matched our burritos more than usual, both of us opting for carnitas, both kinds of rice, refried beans, onions, lettuce, pico de gallo, creamy jalapeño, cilantro, and sour cream. Koa also added lime juice, while I added fresh jalapeño and habañero sauce. They were both yummy! I only ate half my burrito for dinner, so I’m looking forward to the other half for lunch tomorrow! Yay! ❤️🌯

I didn’t take a photo of tonight’s burrito, but here’s one I took from a previous visit to Freebirds World Burrito:

"Monster Burrito" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Monster Burrito” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a good day!

またね~