Christmas Day back in Raleigh

With so much work to complete I made the mistake again by not scheduling to visit family and loved ones but I am thankful to be invited to a few gatherings...

At the Reynolds we prepared the traditional turducken and shucked raw oysters as it was cooking. 

 In a misguided attempt to make jan pong with pig skin noodles last night I bought baby octopus and scallops but decided to convert them into a warm app medley....  To pinch and swallow as the monster roasts in the oven. 

I can't believe this is only hour 1.

Empire State South

The start of a great meal in midtown Atlanta with some incredible company and laughs to boot.  Empire State South where the bartenders serve "classic cocktails" and are willing to fight you about what you think is classic but will end up makin what you want anyway....

Below is the ravioli with black truffle shavings.  Soooo good

Their version which was pretty darn good... Crispy rice with kim chi mixed with a soft boiled farm egg. 

A must go....

Dixie's Tavern...Will be missed

One of my favorite spots when I first moved to Charlotte after law school.  A few blocks from my condo... Back in the day there were only a few spots to play and live for young professionals...  

Cambodian foods at its finest

 

Traditional Cambodian amok... Fish in a curry stew served in a banana leaf.  

Vietnamese Oysters served raw... With famous Cambodian ground pepper corn

Squid... One of the many street dishes available all over siem reap.... Fresh food, fresh fun, unbelievable times.  

BEEF TARTARE MEATBALLS. KING WEST, TORONTO

Enjoyed a great pre-dinner snack at Gusto 101 during a trip to Niagara and Toronto while performing my duties as Chief Legal Officer of the North American Association of Asian Professionals.  Its been almost a year since I challenged myself to load up experiences on this site and it took a member of the organization to show me how easy the app is to use...

The feature of the snack was Beef Tartare which to my pleasant surprise was in the form of, at its base, raw meatballs...with an incredible fruit compote I could not identify specifically but possibly fig with an incredible creme fraiche or ricotta creme.  

A kale salad comprised of marinated kale with shards of Parmesan and pinenuts seems to be the new salad of choice for great restaurants...

A great snack indeed and a must when visiting Toronto's trend King West.