Yogurt Bar**

Better than Pinkberry - less icy, creamier, and more generous servings. Octavia at Union, closed on Mondays.

TOFU VILLAGE**

Heading over to have dinner at Kevin's Noodle House on Irving near 19th, I saw that the old Taiwanese snack place has now changed from a jook house to a Korean tofu place. I had to try it. Tofu House has the usual assortment of soon tofu chige and a pretty good menu of combos which enables you to have tofu chige and some bbq. I opted for spicy pork bbq and tofu and ordered it 'very very spicy' -- First off, it came very very spicy, thank you tofu house for not shying away from giving me some heat. The tofu was a very small pot, appropriate for the combo, but chock full of shrimp and clams and tofu. Though it did not include a raw egg. Accompanying the tofu was a plate of spicy pork, which was at least 6 ounces -- a lot of sweet slightly spicy and very tender pork on a bed of onions. The panchan was decent and they included jap chae as a panchan, so I got two servings of that. For $15 it's a pretty good deal considering it's enough food for two people, or one gluttonous person such as myself. Next time: the kalbi and tofu combo.

PLAYA AZUL*** & THE LIME TREE*'

Met up with A for a lunch of Caldo de Siete Mares and a Tostada de Ceviche de Pulpo at Playa Azul, and then we went over the top with a double at Mitchell's. The soup was very hearty and tomato based full of vegetables and seafood. We were smart enough to split the soup as I think it would be just too much for any one person. The ceviche is a very good deal and I would definitely go for the pulpo again. Next time try the Filete Relleno (fish stuffed with crab and shrimp), taco salad cancun and the tostada de ceviche de camarones. Also the blood orange sorbet at Mitchell's was excellent.

After that hearty lunch, I really wasn't in the mood for a big dinner, but I had to catch up on all of J's news. We settled on The Lime Tree as I read that they had a good cheap Roti Pratha. It is indeed a good deal for only $2.50, but a bit too buttery for my tastes. So moist it was like a flattened croissant. Delicious, but the dipping sauce had too much curry powder and wasn't that flavorful. We also enjoyed the Martabak which is the same roti wrapped around some ground beef and onions. This would be a good lunch, solid and more tasty than eating a hamburger. The beef rendang and roasted chicken with sweet chili sauce were subpar. The rendang had no depth of flavor, no spiciness whatsoever. It could just have easily been an Irish beef stew as a Indonesian curry. The roasted chicken was nothing special, not bad tasting, but I think I could do better at home. Still, all this food with soft drinks for only $20 with very warm and friendly service. Nice neighborhood lunch stop. Next time stick with the Murtabak.

Ginger Cake

Park Chow is the city's version of a diner, long menu with a lot of pedestrian items and the food is just o.k. The prices don't seem high, yet the bill always manages to get up there. If it weren't for the Ginger Cake with Pumpkin Ice Cream, I wouldn't eat here. Tonight's cake was great. J and I both enjoyed the salad, but it was nothing special and service was lacking. Next time: just get the cake or find out where they are getting it.

Very nice lunch today at Banana Island with E. For some reason they still won't make the food spicy even when I said 'please extra extra spicy'. Next time just get the Roti.

Ice Cream Rankings

Tried Creme Fraiche and Malted Vanilla with Peanut Brittle at Bi-Rite today. Creme Fraiche is clean with a slight yogurt tang, good as a palate cleanser, malted vanilla is decent - the peanut brittle is great the malted vanilla is a little too sweet. Ended up with a Strawberry Balsamic and Lemon combo. This is a lot better than pairing the salted caramel with the strawberry.

New Rankings:
Lacuma and Ube (tie) - Mitchell's
Salted Caramel - Bi-Rite
Macapuno - Mitchell's
Coppa Mista - Gelato Classico
Strawberry Balsamic - Bi-Rite
Pistachio - Baskin Robbins
Butter Pecan - Baskin Robbins
Lemon - Bi-Rite
Cheesecake w/mixed berries - Cold Stone