Three Latest and Best

One with Everything: Earlier in the week, had light supper at Cairo Cafe at 30th and Lafayette Road. I'd forgotten how great this place was! We had one of everything on the appetizer menu and I couldn't get enough of the chunky, thick eggplant baba ganoush, the fresh hummas with a generous pour of olive oil, and the crunchy olives and pickles with sweet grated carrot. We finished our feast out with garbanzo beans, a tangy salad, creamy tatzichi and, of course, lots of warm pita bread.

Downtown Wins: I'm not one to take sides, especially when it comes to my favorite India Garden lunch buffet, but these days, the downtown location has the edge. The crispy fried nan, ever present chicken tikka masala, and my favorite paneer masala loaded with cheese, onions, and the sweet sauce all helped tip the scales. Broad Ripple, I still love you. You may have my heart, but downtown has my taste buds.

Best Black-Eyed Peas I Ever Made: Let's say that due to this cold weather I was on a beans and soup kick. And let's just say that I had half of a good sized chunk of duck ham left in the fridge. Just say, you know, for the sake of argument, that I trimmed off some funky bits, then cubed it, fat and all, and threw the pieces in with black-eyed peas, shallots, chives, and smoked salt. Duck fat is never a bad thing. And cured duck bits cooked in fat-loaded black-eyed peas cooked down to a perfect creamy consistency are not bad at all.