Taquerias Mercy Pupuseria in Vallejo

That's by far the best Pupusa I've ever had. Made from scratch, no doubt.

Place here in the neighborhood that I've never tried, but I'm generally not that keen on Salvadoran & Guatamalan cuisine, too starchy and bland for my taste. Near Marin & Tennessee in Vallejo.

Decided to go with Plato Tipico 1. Con Jarritos Naranja.

Empanada with beef, pork and cheese empanadas, & fried yuca with chicharons. And what's in that styrofoam cup?

Slightly pickled carrot, onion and cabbage, sort of like Escabeche. Nice!

OK, so here's the deal. The Pupusas here are amazing. Home cooking style. Looking forward to trying the Nopales and Zucchini versions.

Noodle 21 in San Pablo

Gai-Lan with Beef. Basically a variant of Beef with Broccoli, but using Gai-Lan. Superb version, Gai Lan cooked just right, beef tender, great flavor. Served with wide flat noodles with some nice char on them.

This place is hitting on all cylinders. Dumplings in Chili Oil.

And for the Coup De Grace, Smoked Chicken, similar to Tea Smoked Duck. One of the most exalted chicken dishes we've had. Don't forget the mild chile relish, and there's some great spicy chiles in oil on the table

Hyderabad Biryani in San Ramon

Great place in San Ramon we've been hearing about. Suddenly, it seems like a lot of the great cuisine is showing up in the Bay Area suburbs like Concord, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Fremont, Milpitas and elsewhere.

I should have gotten a closeup of that Naan, all glistening with butter (probably Ghee).

Raita on the right, on the left the most amazing spicy Dal I've ever consumed, exploding with ginger and spices!

Tender, succulent Goat Curry, extremely spicy. We noticed they didn't ask us how spicy we wanted our food, which to me I take as a sign of respect which goes both ways. I'm guessing this restaurant has enough happy customers that they don't have to worry about a few spice-challenged punters.

Mango Lassi. Exceptional ending to a meal.

Mutton Biryani. Guess what this lucky bastard's having for lunch tomorrow?

Okra. Fabulously spicy and over the top. This is the best Indian food we've ever had.

http://hyderabadbiryanihouseca.com

Great China in Berkeley

Shrimp & Pork Dumplings at Great China.

Finally got around to Great China, and should have been sooner, due to all the raves which turn out to be completely justified. Below is one of the best Hot & Sour Soups I've ever had.

As you can tell from above, the Shrimp & Pork Dumplings were very hot when they arrived at our table. Absolutely sublime.

Haven't had Chow Mein since...the Carter Administration? The version we had was Seafood Chow Mein with scallops, shrimp and calamari which tasted like they were very fresh, not from a frozem mixed seafood bag. The pasta, sauce and thinly sliced vegetables made this an unforgettable dish.

Walnut Prawns.

Probably the best eggroll I've ever had, a far cry from the eggroll stands that used to surround my college, which were super deep-fried. Here the cabbage & carrots tasted so fresh they were practically raw. 

Aroma Indian Restaurant in Benicia

Folks from Aroma opened Mirchi, so you gotta check it out. Sublime.

Lamb Curry.

Saag Paneer.

San Francisco Anti-Trump Protest @ Market & Powell

Monday, November 15th, 2:20pm. Protestors were in front of Westfield Mall, and they were really loud! Since they were sticking to sidewalks, they were stretched way out, and walking pretty quickly. No violence associated with this protest reported.

Cooter's Gulch

Booger Blister begged Cooter for a drag on his Amsterdam shag. Booger Blister's crusty beard parted ways like the Red Sea on Judgment Day as he imbibed the hand-rolled cigarette, right eye closed, shut tight like an Ironwood burl, left eye wide open, Wotan hanging from the World Tree, glimpsing wisdom from Starfire jewel blazing forth, inside Amber chalice, the God of Thunder echoing down a succession of cloud-wracked ridges, each fainter and more obscured in Tribulation mists, lumbering northwards to the Great Sea.

St. John the Revelator, Sixty-Six GTO, smoked hawg leg, scenic kudzu highways, she dropped a dime to CPS, Thanksgiving turkey teeming with germs and emotional context, clawhammer gack picked bourbon fifths and fourths, narrative mmph scuttled, mucous mouth, homeless hoarder stash syringed from sidewalk well breached the right turn lane. Flummoxed pontoons meandered on Bigfoot Bay, bass played out.