Monday: Lunch at Cafe Europa: Somehow, we’d avoided Cafe Europa for lunch for the last few months. That was definitely a mistake. I had the Majorca, again, which I’ve blogged about several times before . I also added in a side of their Chickpea salad: chickpeas, zucchini, barley, and onions tossed in a vinaigrette. It was a nice cool compliment to the spicy Majorca.
Monday: Dinner at Mono Loco: I loved my last visit to Mono Loco where I got the Pork Tamale. Since it was so recent, I decided I’d try something new and got the Braised Pork on Rice and Beans with the optional fried egg. What came out was a HUGE bowl of rice, beans, and pork topped with a fried egg and a little salad. It was pretty good but much less interesting than the pork tamale. If I’d paid $10-$12 for it, I’d have loved it, but for $18, I believe, it was way overpriced. Next time I’m getting the tamale.
Tuesday: Lunch at Take It Away: In an attempt to change things up, I got the Slicked Chicken on Ciabatta with sprouts, mustard, and house dressing. One again, Take It Away can do no wrong. I’ll be really surprised if I ever have something I don’t like here.
Thursday: Lunch at Bodo’s: The change in weather has been wreaking havoc on my throat, so I decided I’d go out and have a nice bowl of soup. We were in a hurry, so Bodo’s seemed like the best option. I got my usual avocado sandwich on a wheat everything bagel with onions, mustard, and horseradish. I added a bowl of their vegan chili. The sandwich was exactly what you’d expect, and I didn’t really know what to make of the chili. Unfortunately my travel Tabasco was on empty, so I didn’t really couldn’t give it the kick I’m used to. It was still fairly spicy, and tasted like a spicy tomato soup with kidney beans. Overall, not very chili-like, but still pretty good.
Thursday: Dinner at Szechuan: I’d heard about this restaurant next to Aberdeen Barn awhile back, and had been told it was good. We were pretty much the only people there, and the service was still pretty slow. I ordered the Orange Chicken. It tasted like “fresh mall chinese” if that makes any sense at all. I’d much rather go to First Wok in pretty much any situation. At one point, our server, who I think is the owner, asked me if I was Indian. I told him my parents were from India, but I was born here. He then put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You are very smart people.” Next time he came around, he asked lpk if she was Indian, to which she replied, “no”. He had a flash of disappointment on his face, just said, “oh,” and walked off. Good thing he’s not running for governor.
Friday: Dinner at Baja Bean: As I’ve mentioned before , I really don’t like Baja Bean. This time around, I did manage to actually enjoy my meal, but that could have to do with the pitcher of Baja Gold (aka Pabst Blue Ribbon), I had beforehand. I ordered the Burro del Fuego: a large burrito stuffed with chicken, jalapeno sausage, batter-fried jalapenos, black beans, and rice topped with a avocado crema and served with lettuce and tomatos. I asked for the extra hot and green salsas, poured some of that on there, and it was pretty damn tasty. If I ever go back there, I’ll have to order it sober, and see if it stands up.
