Got food got soup got spice.

My taste buds are goofy. As I've gotten older, I've come to like most stuff, but I still have my quirks. One of them is my love/hate relationship with Asian food. I love sushi. I love crab cheese. But I hate soy sauce. And I hate ginger (in savory dishes, at least). I didn't even eat Chinese food until college when Jess introduced me to almond chicken. It's still very very rare for me to crave any sort of Asian dish, but last night, the craving hit, and it hit hard. Brad and I were downtown looking for somewhere to eat (with the other million people down there; stupid football season!), and all our regular spots were crawling with peeps. We walked down to the ATM, which happens to be across from Kai Garden, and I just HAD to have it. (Side note: This whole not eating meat thing certainly makes eating out a little trickier. You can only have so many veggie sandwiches.) Brad wasn't immediately convinced, but once the idea got in his head, it quickly took hold.

I tend to go through phases with Chinese, and when I was in grad school, Brad and I used to go to Kai Garden (on Main, just over Liberty) all the time. Before last night, we hadn't been in years. As soon as we walked in, I knew we'd made the right choice. The dining room was modestly full, and not overrun with yahoos in Michigan sweatshirts. The waitstaff was beyond charming and nice. And they serve beer, so Brad was pleased. Brad was also excited to order an actual egg roll, and we were surprised by how delicious our respective rolls were (spring for me). Brad got the chicken lo-mein and I got the rainbow shrimp. And it totally hit the spot. I don't eat enough Chinese to be any sort of Chinese connoisseur, so it mostly all tastes pretty similar to me--and those were clearly frozen mix veggies with my shrimp--but I really like Kai Garden. I remember now why we used to go there so often. And if I wasn't already sold:

Can't beat that now can I? (AND... our anniversary is one of my lucky numbers. It's like it was meant to be!) To top off our Friday night out, we popped into the Chocolate House, or whatever it's called now (the little shop in between Middle Kingdom and Prickly Pear on Main). For $1.80, Brad got a peanut butter meltaway and I got a milk chocolate swirl covered graham cracker. Num num num.

On a less woohoo note, Fresh Seasons, the little market down the street from me, is closing. I've written about it a few times over the years, and it is definitely a great little shop. Unfortunately, it's always been a pricey little shop and, as it's small, it doesn't have the selection that the bigger specialty shops have (all of which have mostly been dropped out of the budget during no-job-status). Either way, I'm sad to see it go. But I am glad I at least caught wind of it on what I think is its last day open, today -- when everything in the store was 20% off. Score! They still had a decent grocery selection, so I was able to pick up some regular stuff I needed, like carrots and apples and veggie broth, for a discount. I, of course, got some cheese, too (they have quite the cheese selection), and couldn't resist the apple cider, which was actually pretty affordable even pre-sale (and from a local mill). Then, there were the irresistible items I probably wouldn't have died without... :) A bottle of M. Lawrence Fizz (no Sex, boo!), some fancy ice cream, locally made fresh cheese-stuffed mezzaluna pastas, and, you know, I cannot pass up Halloween stuff (hello, gummy fangs!).

So long, Fresh Seasons. I'm sad to see you go. But thanks for the sweet stuff. :)

And just a quick peek into the ready-to-party Church House of Horrors!

One week from today! Yeah for Halloween!