i have a serious brain disease. please bring me a cat.
Our last visit to Hankook Taqueria, I was craving more vegetables than the tofu tacos were going to provide, so I got the Bibim Bap instead. Fried tofu and various veggie piles over steamed rice with spicy sauce all over. I wasn’t feeling mushrooms that day, but downed everything else. And through some miracle of self restraint, I only pilfered a couple of Kevin’s sesame fries.
My last day in Virginia, after dragging my mom around Maymont Park, I made her eat vegetarian food at Ipanema Cafe. Kevin and I went last time we were in Richmond and had a lovely brunch. Tofu or tempeh benedict, I think. And pie, glorious pie!
Now it was lunch time. And there was a BBQ Jackfruit sandwich on the specials board. I’ll take it! Even my mom liked the jackfruit. Which reminds me, I need to send her some cans. They topped it with tangy slaw, with sides of sweet potato fries and salad. Perfect!
My mom had a hummus wrap which she really liked, and then strawberry rhubarb pie which was outstanding. Since I’d had their pie before, I decided to try the Coconut Creme Brûlée. Because how often does a vegan get that chance?
It did not disappoint. But I did find myself with pie envy and kind of wished I’d order a slice to carry away. What was I thinking?
Afterwards, I walked over to Harrison Street Coffee Shop for a coffee. Because they’re awesome.
So, I packed up the dog and my bike and drove to my mom’s in Virginia for Passover/Easter weekend. Tak is pretty good in the car, once I get her off of me and into the passenger seat. She still won’t lay down and sleep. She tries for a second then gets right back up and sits. Exhausting for a little dog! At least she did lay down on the way home. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t know where we’re going on the way there, but knows we’re bound home on the way back. Who knows.
My mom’s cat, Smokey, is 21. He’s a frail old man but still gets around okay, eats, purrs, uses his box and is an all-around sweetie.
When I first got to Atlanta, I thought Piedmont Park was a shithole. I thought maybe it was just the whole “everything is inferior to San Francisco” problem. But having been to a few cities I’ve come to realize that pretty much everyone has nicer parks than Atlanta. This is the Japanese garden at Maymont Park in Richmond. I remember hopping across those rocks on a school field trip in elementary school.
A waterfall by the Japanese garden. See what I mean? Don’t get me wrong, we do have some nice little parks in Atlanta, and if you drive a little bit outside the city you’ll find lovely places like Sweetwater Creek State Park, but nothing like this. I will say that Piedmont Park has improved quite a bit since I first got here in ’98 so I would no longer classify it as a shithole. Oh, and Maymont Park is free. More pics here.
Oh, I also got in a nice bike ride, but I already posted about that.
For the season opener of Game of Thrones, the Gunns kindly hosted a watching party. And Jeff made his famous lasagna. Delicious! So we didn’t have to feel too bad about it, I brought roasted broccoli. Why haven’t I roasted broccoli before? It’s amazing. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. Because, cookies. Look, we had salad too and nommy garlic bread. There may have been adult beverages too.
Well, crap. I can’t remember why I made this. Maybe it was Lord of the Rings Risk night at Star & Simon’s. I make variations of this all the time, so I can’t remember what exactly is in it. Maybe fake chicken sautéed with bell peppers and onions with a layer of refried beans in there somewhere. Kind of like a Mexican lasagna with tortillas instead of pasta. Oh yeah, and everything is better with tater tots, right? The sauce is the Doña Maria mole sauce that I’ve written about before. Kroger is now carrying it. W00t!
