lemniscate

I had the exact same experience staying at Keio Plaze, wrong turn out of the Station, kind expats noticed lost travelers, guided us back to the right place. The Izakaya's around there were so great, and Shinjuku was beautiful chaos. I can still hear the Pachinko sounds if I concentrate.

Just a note on another interesting item Misfits had: Garleeks . I love green onions, I bought these out of curiosity. I should have bought 1 bundle, but I didn't know the size and got 2. It's a large bundle of garleeks. Been using them as I would green onions, they are a bit sweeter and not as "hot" on the tongue. The greens I used in Emerald sauce, a local creation by Chino Bandito restaurant. A very simple recipe. 3 cups minced green onion 1 cup minced fresh ginger root 2 teaspoons salt About 2 cups vegetable oil

I've gravitated back to Misfits recently. Mainly for fruits and cheeses. They are carrying a type of kiwi called red transitional and they are great, I'v bought multiples because we eat them so quickly. Jam grapes are a real find, I dislike most commercial seedless grapes because they just taste like sugar water to me. Jam grapes are so close to the vintage concord grapes I loved when I lived where they grow. Buying multiples of those too. Hope their in season for a while. They have cold pressed juices that are a great quality. The cheeses have included Midnight Moon gouda, and Ragged Point brie, aged guyere, whipped feta. Smaller portions to try more styles in nice, usually I buy the Costco cheese hunks and it takes a while to work through them They carry sofrito paste in a tube, grabbed a few for the pantry. Brown calrose, broken jasmine rice, some Heyday canned soups, canned pumpkin (a very low price) for the diy dog food. Some sliced salami, and coppa. There's still a order window to work within, but for some reason it seems easier to deal with than before. I think it's been well over a year since I last used Misfits. Seriously, Jam grapes, they are that good.

Yeah, I noticed that the price really didn't change that much in the last 4-5 years. It was always the premium tap.

Chimay White is $14 for a tulip glass around these parts.

Dumb Oster French door oven has a recall for potential burn injuries. US and Canada. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Sunbeam-Products-Recalls-More-than-One-Million-Oster-French-Door-Countertop-Ovens-Due-to-Burn-Hazard

I tried this new to me Blond Ale which came in a 750ml at a very surprising low price. I found it delicious, my tastes run primarily to strong Belgian styles.

That's effing brilliant use of that pan. I've done egg bites and meatballs. Never occurred to me to try cake things.

The bananas used make a huge difference. I no longer buy any Cavendish variety. I use the finger bananas or the Thai varieties that the local Asian markets stock. Night and day difference in flavor depth. I will set a reminder for this bread when baking season is here again. Too ruddy hot here at the moment. Mini-loaves for the win.

I would put the A4 on the high setting and not cover for crispness. Or you could slight cock the lid a bit to allow steam to come out and keep most heat in. The lid really works well to keep the steam in, to the detriment of crispiness.

One of the most unusual snack foods I've purchased from Costco, Quail eggs prepared 2 ways. So far I've used them on ramen. The flavors are really not too intense, the texture is a bit rubbery. Each individual egg is packaged in something like a food service jam package. Shelf stable. No one else in the house is a fan.

Very, very interesting situation for basically the entire published recipe industry.

Bison burgers with green chile, wild rice (unfortunately I overcooked it a bit, with mushrooms), green beans, apple/pecan tart (purchased). Prickly pear/pomegranate,vodka spritzers. Soaking in the outdoor tub and naps.

@Steve IrbyAre you doing fresh dills with the pickles? It's rare I can find small pickles here and they're usually over the hill, but I love a half-sour out of the jar/crock. Can't even seem to find the commercial half-sours here anymore, tastes are changing it seems.

Wow. The Violet Hour closes permanently in Wicker Park after 18 years