memorial day weekend highlights

// Willa had her last day of her first season of soccer. She did great with all the drills and practice, but had trouble with the scrimmages against other teams. Glad she tried it, but don't think we'll be signing her up for another season for awhile.

// We got bánh mì at Vinh Xuong Bakery 2. So good. I love the spicy tofu with added avocado. I think they're the best in Denver, but please correct me if you know better! Last time we were there the kids didn't love their sandwich, so this time we got them pork egg rolls and sesame balls, which were both a hit. Willa even asked us to order her a second egg roll! Dan also got a quail egg and pork bao from their refrigerator case to eat a couple days later and reported it was delicious. Also, if you go for lunch get their coffee! The best. 

// After Vinh Xuong, we walked across the parking lot to the Pacific Ocean International Marketplace. I was delighted to find frozen radish cake so I can make Char Kuih Kak soon, and then we bought way too many sweet treats. The best thing about Asian cookies, let me tell you, is that even though they have plenty of crap in them, they don't taste super sweet. They're just the right amount of sweet. The kids also loved looking at the live sea creatures for sale. Cam was squealing as he watched the crabs scramble overtop one another.

// On Sunday, we made a cherry galette and lots of other deliciousness for a BBQ with my sister. Dan grilled Colorado trout and corn, and Alison made a fantastic salad. Willa set the table and was very proud of her (plastic) flower arrangement centerpiece. We also made delicious cocktails and mocktails with cherry juice. The kids were floored when I rimmed their mini martini glasses with sugar. Livin' large! 

// On Monday morning we hit up a newish playground which was a ton of fun for all. Then in the afternoon I drove wayyyyy too far to get Willa a bike for her birthday (shhhhhh don't tell!) at REI. 

// 20.5 weeks! Told ya I was ready for maxi dress season ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! 

mother's day weekend

So many things about parenting have surprised me over the past five years. Stages have come way earlier than I expected them to, both in good ways and in bad ways. Willa's ability to express her appreciation and love for me completely caught me off guard this year. I, perhaps, might have expected that when she's 10, but not at 4. However, when she's 10 I might be sorely disappointed, eh? Parenting is unpredictable, that's for sure. 

I truly love being a mother. I always like a good challenge, and parenting is the greatest challenge I've found in life so far. I also love how my experience in this role has helped deepen my own appreciation for my mother. So often, I realize how my mother must have felt when I did or said something to her. Or I ponder how she might have parented in a certain situation. Or I just ask her! 

I wasn't able to spend time with my mom this Mother's Day, but otherwise it was a fantastic weekend:
The kids were delightful. We had family in town visiting. I got a massage. I ate lots of good food. I drank a smidgen of wine. Willa made me tons of artwork. I slept in until 7am on Sunday. Dan got me a completely unexpected and absolutely fantastic present. The weather was great. 

^^fancy family dinner @ north in cherry creek with grandpa and cuppy. willa filled up on calamari and didn't eat too much else until dessert. cam loved the tortelloni. and dessert. i liked everything.^^

^^"M" pancakes for first breakfast on mother's day. and brunch with friends at abejas for second breakfast. both delicious and highly enjoyable.^^

summer in denver :: highlights

The weather recently has still been too hot for my liking, but there are sure signs of fall all around. Leaves are changing, and the mornings are full of crisp air. I did a terrible job blogging about our summer adventures...I probably have one more post to do about our trip to Vermont, but until I can get around to doing that, I wanted to post some miscellaneous pictures from the summer months.

^^homemade ice cream; delicious.^^

^^many of our summer days looked like this.^^

^^bocce and pizza in the park!^^

^^summer haircut + pizza afterwards.^^

^^denver chalk art festival.^^

^^few things are more fun than the fountains at union station.^^

^^willa's 4th birthday!^^

^^bbqs at my sister's house are always fun + yay for a rare family photo!^^

^^willa asked for a kite for her birthday. windy days aren't frequent, but we've gotten it up in the air a few times!^^

^^fun with nana!^^

^^we hit the pools pretty hard this summer.^^

^^summer nights.^^

^^friends. thank goodness for friends. and park picnic playdates.^^

^^the color run. super fun.^^

^^the day we biked to cherry creek to buy a deep fryer.^^

^^the donuts we made with the fryer.^^

^^and just like that, summer was over. back to school!^^

while i was snapping...

I've been given a hard time lately for a dearth of Instagram photos. I used to post at least once a day, but in recent months I've waned. Mostly, my aging phone has been to blame. Every picture I took was blurry and not Instagram-able. But, also, I must admit, Snapchat has been dominating my social media time. I really like Snapchat. It's fun. And quick. However, Snaps do indeed disappear unless manually saved, so I best post some pictures on this here blog lest we forget everything we've been up to lately. Here's a roundup of pictures from the past month or so!

^^spring has been coming and going, but i think the nice weather is finally here to stay!^^

^^biker cam! we've been biking a lot more, but the two kids are pretty heavy in the trailer, so when the whole family bikes, we put one of them on the back of dan's bike.^^

^^one of those bad shots i referenced from a roller-skating birthday party!^^

^^flowers on our cherry tree!^^

^^that montage is called: "eating out with kids is fun..."^^

^^so much magna tile fun with grandpa!^^

^^yay for backyard time!^^^^celebrating A&J's birthday!^^

^^girls' spa day in boulder for our dear friend sara's baby sprinkle!^^

^^mother's day lunch at taste of thailand. SOOOOO GOOD!^^

^^her "celebration of learning" at school. she was so excited to show us what they'd been working on but mostly she was thrilled to "be in charge" all night. ;)^^

^^pizza delivery race at her school's field day!^^

january highlights

So far, 2016 has been go go go. Great great great. That's cheesy way to summarize, but it's totally accurate. We've had a lot going on so far this year, but it's been all good things. No better way to summarize than in pictures:

^^fancy clothes + family pizza night to ring in 2016.^^

^^new year's day walk around sloan's lake. it was COLD. cam had a busted lip from falling on our shoe bin.^^

^^my parents came to visit mid-month. we went to the western stock show. willa had new boots from texas thanks to her aunt and uncle. she got a light-up hat courtesy of her grandparents. she was thrilled about all of the above.^^

^^lunch at osaka ramen. i was sick and probably shouldn't have even been there, but willa was full of energy!^^

^^i'm not sure i've expressed my love for it on here yet, but the chariot is an absolutely fantastic piece of baby/life equipment. we bought it previously-loved from another family and even though it was far from retail price, it was still an investment. but it's been worth every penny. i like to fully maximize it's capacity on the regular. on this day, after a trip to the grocery with my parents, cameron had to ride home in the ergo on my back.^^

^^lunch with my mom at sushi rama. conveyer belt sushi is always fun. not the best sushi ever, but the speed, options, and portion size make it worth the visit. they did, notably, NOT have highchairs, which to me makes a certain statement. however, willa didn't notice the vibe and happily selected a few choice sushi plates off the belt.^^

^^our family needs, conservatively, 5 slices of pizza for dinner. the price of a whole pizza at atomic cowboy is roughly the same as 5 slices. so you're basically getting 8 for the price of 5. plus the staring eyes of everyone sitting around you. what can i say, we like pizza?^^

Happy February, folks! I have more January pictures to come though...always a bit behind these days.

how to see santa at union station

The most anticipated event of our advent activities last month was to take the train to Union Station to see Santa. Willa had been asking to take the light rail for a long time, and while driving to a station outside the city to ride downtown didn't make tons of logistical sense, it still sounded like a fun family adventure. So. That's what we did. Only, it wasn't that simple. Here's how it went down:

^^step 1: buy tickets.^^

^^step 2: ride the train. arrive downtown.^^

^^step 3: realize the "real" santa isn't there on the sunday before christmas. WHAT!?^^

^^step 4: have lunch while you try to regroup. mercantile dining & provision.^^ 

^^step 5: try to make up for your parenting fail by buying your children sugary treats. throw in some adult holiday drinks as well. wreak havoc in the middle of union station when hot cocoa is spilled (why is the "kid's size" so damn big!?).^^

^^step 6: check the santa's schedule online, and then go to union station again. this time, by car. observe santa and families in action for several minutes. try not to feel too weird that you're just watching.^^

^^step 7: go eat lunch at zoe mama. because, the best. and what else would you want to eat on christmas eve?^^

^^step 8: ice cream. because the line for that is much shorter than the line to see santa.^^

Hurray! That's our story! Live and learn, friends.

wish list + wise purchases

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

(Actually that was in October when we had friends visiting and went hiking above the snow line. But still. It's currently snowy in Denver. Promise.)

Christmas is about so many things: Making memories with my family. Remembering memories of past holidays. Hugging. Eating. Eggnog. Spinach Balls. Joy. Surprise. LOVE.

But it's a little bit about gifts too. Try as I might (and honestly I'm not able to try that hard) you can't completely eliminate materialism from Christmas. And I'm not sure we should. Exchanging gifts is part of the spirit of Christmas. Reciprocity is an important part of our culture. And desire is human nature, no?

That said, here's my Christmas list. Things I've been lusting over. And after my desires, I'm listing some of my favorite products. Things I've been given or bought in the past couple years that have literally changed my life. If you need gift ideas, they'd make someone very happy. Promise.

DESIRES //

A new Patagonia fleece. I had this one in brown for a few years, but I made a mistake and got the wrong size. So I never really enjoyed wearing it. It was always too small. I finally accepted the reality, and passed it along to a friend, but I've been missing it. It's so warm and perfect for those not-super-cold winter days that Denver has a lot of. I'm not loving the options Patagonia has on their site right now, but perhaps REI or another retailer has some other options. Also, investing in a brand like Patagonia that prioritizes repairing products (that are already made to last in the first place) instead of buying new ones, has my vote. Great company that truly values sustainability.

Slip-on sorta-winter boots. Not very specific, I know, but I'm not sure exactly what I want. Maybe someone can suggest some for me? I have a pair of Sorels that I love for real snow boots, but I need want some that I can slip on when it's just a little bit snowy or slippery. I suppose my Uggs from 2002 fit this purpose...but they're Uggs. So 2002.

"Get to Work Book" planner.Here's a very specific one. I want this exact planner to get my life in order in 2016. I've thought a lot about my goals, big and small, and researched books. This one is what I want. If you don't buy it for me, I'm buying it for myself. You might want to buy it for yourself too?

My Mom's gold star necklace. My mom has a beautiful star necklace. It looks a lot like this one. Ever since the first time I trolled through her jewelry box, I've wanted it. Now I'm making it public. Mom, fork over your necklace! Kidding. But think about it? I love you!

Frame Jeans - Flares. Flared jeans are finally back in style. Hallelujah! I like these. Now I just also need sewing lessons so I can hem them myself. Therein lies the problem with non-skinny jeans...

Something from Kit + Ace. Technical cashmere seems like something I should probably have in my life.

LOVES//

Minnetonka Fringe Boots.I got these in black a year or two ago, and there are not words to express how much I love them. They are so comfortable. It's basically like wearing slippers. They also have the effect of making me feel like a youthful teenager and a hip thirtysomething simultaneously. That shouldn't even be possible, but it is and it's a good feeling. Get them.

Casio Watch.This is the ultimate parenting watch. The top right button sets an alarm for 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes (one press is 1 minute, press twice for 3 minutes, etc.). I use it about 75 times per day. "Willa, we're leaving in 3 minutes." Or, I set it for myself: "When the alarm goes off I better be putting on my shoes or we're f-ed." It's good for cooking too. It has a stopwatch and alarm function too. It does not, however, have Indiglo, so it's not so good for night wakings with babes. Thankfully, that is very recently no longer an issue for me.

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine. We saved and saved for this and finally splurged right before my birthday last year. That was also right after Cameron was born. It perhaps sounds ridiculous, but this machine has seriously improved the quality of my life. It's easier to wake up in the morning knowing I have a coffee shop quality latte in my near future. The built-in grinder feature is key.

Cuppow drinking lids. Make any Mason jar a travel cup. Ditch plastic and single-use cups.

Car phone mount.I'm all kinds of against using your phone while driving. But let's face it, no one's buying a new Garmin when their iPhone has the capability of providing directions. This mount makes your phone easy to view while driving and it's nice and small for travel too. Just set up an app to block messages, and you're good to go!

Alex and Ani earrings. I wear these almost every day. Love their bangles too!

a skunky halloween

Halloween is old news, so I'm not going to bore anyone with a long synopsis of events, but here's the bullet point version!

• I made Willa's skunk costume with a borrowed glue gun and the creative advice of a good friend. Overall it turned out well. (There was a small hiccup when Willa realized skunks are indeed black and not pink, but she overcame that relatively quickly.)
• We first hit up the neighborhood's trick or treet street, and then later regained our focus for a few block of after-dark trick-or-treating. Willa was all about it this year, even venturing up to a few doors all by herself.
• Cam was a lion. He wasn't that into keep his mane on, but he was cute nonetheless.
• Bryna was a "dog-tor." Credit to a child on the street who named her that.
• I did not dress up. Some year I'll feel inspired?
• We played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity after the trick-or-treaters went to bed. We should consider making that a tradition.
• There was some unfortunate illness in the aftermath of Halloween. It was more than just too much candy and whiskey. The count of GI bugs since having kids is absurd.
• Willa wants to be a skunk again next year. That sentiment probably won't last, but I take it as a sign that Halloween was a success!

more donut complaining

We are leaving in the morning to fly east. My sister is getting MARRIED! And we're making a vacation of it; spending time in Boston before heading out Cape Cod for the festivities. But to distract myself from our inability to pack light (that'll be another post), I'm going to write about donuts. And how Denver is still failing on that front.

Ok. Failing is a blatant overstatement. The multiple donut establishments in the area are providing totally servicable donuts. But no one is hitting it out of the ballpark. New places keep opening but they are not satisfying my intense need for a donut exactly like one from Seattle's Mighty-O (Side note: It expanded recently! In Ballard now! And Capitol Hill!).

We recently biked down to Lohi on a Saturday morning to check out Habit Doughnut Dispensary. I had high hopes. Probably much too high. Definitely much too high. But Lohi! Old brick building! Donuts! Donuts.

Let's be positive. Here's what they had going for themselves:

• Solid yeasted donuts. The dough was the right amount of puffy and held its shape when you took a bite. And it wasn't too sweet.
• Decent varieties. I'm a bit of a purist. I don't want fruit loops on my donut. Don't you dare give me an artificial flavor. I just want some thoughtful flavors with an appropriate amount of sugar. Habit was okay in this regard. They delivered on some, but others were a bit over the top.
• Good hours. A donut place has to be open early. Period. End of sentence.
• Friendly staff. Welcoming, knowledgable, efficient.

Positives are boring. I like to complain. Here are my gripes:

• No cake donuts. Wtf? Is it an altitude thing?
• Whiskey? Huh? They advertise alcohol to go with the donuts. I'm pretty sure that's a silly idea, but even if I were to go with it, I'd expect some high-quality bourbon. But no. They have little plastic shots by the cash register. Not enticing.
• Free coffee. Habit is right next door to Carbon and both businesses are under the same owner. But they're not really connected. Two different outside doors. Habit offers free drip coffee when you buy donuts. I've never been to business school, but that seems like a terrible idea. If you weren't giving me free coffee, I'd go buy a $4 latte next door. I would have enjoyed the latte more than the drip coffee too, but I'm a sucker for free things. But now all I remember is bad coffee.
• Candy store? The also sell other "necessities" like candy and laundry detergent. An interesting concept, but it's not so much corner store-y as it is gimmicky. I just don't imagine they'll sell much of that stuff. But again, I am no business expert so maybe it's me who's missing something.
• Atmosphere. The space Habit occupies is primo. But they obviously weren't aiming to make it a comfortable café. Most of the space is devoted to baking (I assume?) with just a small counter and limited indoor seating. Even though the donuts were good, it didn't feel like a place I'd want to linger.

Can't wait to go donut hunting in Boston! And no, I will not be eating any Dunkin'. I'm surprised you'd even ask.

fathers' days

It's been a busy month. A festive month. A really good month. My mom was here on her birthday. Then came Willa's birthday! And then, last weekend, thanks to a variety of forces coming together, my family was all in town for Father's Day. We did it up on Saturday and Sunday with a baseball game, a brewery trip, dinner at our favorite Malaysian restaurant, and lots of laughs.

When you don't live in the same place as family, the time they take to come visit is so special. It can sometimes be overwhelming to pack a lot in to a short time, but the memories we make are something I truly cherish. As Willa's getting older and understanding more, I hope she, too, forms her own memories that she can hang on to. I know she will. (It seems unlikely this blog will be around for her to look back on...but who knows where the future internet will go?) She has such a wonderful time with the family and friends who come to visit, but she's just now starting to to comprehend that they have to leave. It's hard when good times come to an end. Life lessons, I suppose?

^^parents!^^

^^future uncle jakob is an amazing child/toddler/baby holder (jackpot!). here he is showing willa the baseball stadium.^^

^^ball parks offer overpriced beverages for everyone.^^

^^love this shot.^^

^^willa's working on her photography skillz.^^

^^waiting on the bus. <3^^

^^beer drinking is a good thing to do on father's day, no?^^

^^me and my men.^^

^^lots of fun street art near renegade.^^

^^since there wasn't a food truck at the brewery, we decided to head to one of our all-time favorite eateries: makan malaysian cafe. it's an awesome place to be any day of the week, but on sundays they have "family dinner" options that give you a sampling of several dishes. i'm always a fan of sharing, but it's also definitely the way to go for people unfamiliar with malaysian food.^^

^^willa loved the family-style dining as well. she tried more than usual, including a fish ball. this was supposed to be a fist bump to celebrate, but it turned into some kind of fist bumb cheers combo.^^

^^we rounded out the weekend by waiting in the long line at little man for way too much ice cream. always a good choice. winning! (but seriously, their "single" is about 6 scoops of ice cream. they should revisit their size names.)^^

Huge thanks to everyone involved for such a fun weekend. xo!

a week and a brunch with nana

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. We were delighted to be able to spend the day with her for the second year in a row, even though she lives across the country. She was here the past week and we had such a nice time spending time with her. And needless to say, we were overjoyed and so thankful for her help with the little ones. It's amazing what a difference it makes to have another person around. To celebrate her birthday and the end of a great week, we went to brunch at Block & Larder. The restaurant opened late last year and has become our go-to for going out without kids. It's a fun place to enjoy just a drink and a snack at the bar, but they have a very extensive menu focused on in-house butchery so you can certainly get a hearty meal.

They started offering brunch more recently, and it seemed like a place nice enough to celebrate a birthday but not too too nice to take the littles. It was indeed a great place for a family brunch. The only thing that worked against us was that when we got there at 10:45 there was only one other table filled. So any noise made by a small person echoed throughout the whole place. But once we were finishing up, closer to noon, a few more groups had come in, including 2 other babies.

The brunch menu was solid and more straightforward than their dinner fare; 12 entrée options and just a few sides. And drinks of course. We went with the Oyster Rockefeller Benedict and the Breakfast Bread Pudding. We don't go out to brunch too often, but when we do we almost always opt for one savory dish and one sweet item for our "breakfast dessert."

Cam was uncharacteristically crabby when we first sat down, but once the food arrived his mood did a 180. He was delighted to eat eggs and an English muffin. My mood improved too, actually.The bread pudding was decadent and absolutely delicious. The benedict had great flavors, but I'd say they were a bit stingy on the oysters. (We had two at the table; one had 4 oysters and the other had just 3.) I had a peach bourbon bellini which was just the right amount of sweet. It could have been a touch colder...or maybe I should have finished it faster? But all in all, it was a great brunch. Good food, company, and atmosphere. All the right ingredients.

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

auntie al. cupcakes. noodles.

happenings from life lately:

^^my sister visited last week! we were all so happy to spend time with her! and i got to help with some fun wedding prep since she's getting married in september. that's cam asleep after the excitement of bridesmaid dress shopping. plus, the future-weds share the same birthday (how cute is that!?), so we celebrated a bit early with nutella cheesecake!^^

^^while al was in town, we made a trip to the source for tacos and other fun. willa recieved flowers from her future uncle and was over the moon. she also learned where carnitas come from.^^

^^it's birthday party season! all willa's friends are turning 3, and she's enjoying lots of cupcakes. cam has been wearing his party pants.^^

^^last week i got to go to both uncle and bones. denver's asian noodle hotspots! yum. uncle reigns supreme for me...soft shell crab bun!? and that's a lamb noodle dish that basically made me feel like i was in china. but, bones is great too. a bit more happenin' i'd say, which is fun.^^

^^C is 6 months! i've been inspired by Baby-Led Weaning, so we're offering up food in the form of carrots and such...but all he really wants to do is watch his sister. the other night he ate some pizza sauce off the counter and tonight i think he had some broccoli. adventures in child rearing!^^

frikadelle + other fun

FRIKADELLE!!!! That's German for "meat patty." Apparently, during the industrial revolution, German immigrants in NYC needed a way to eat them faster and on-the-go, so they put the frikadelle between two slices of bread, and the hamburger was born. We had frikadelle a week or so ago, thanks to my friend Marret who was visiting for a few weeks last month. She's from Hamburg, Germany, and was an exchange student with my parents 10 years ago (what!? 10 years!?). It was so fun to have her here to spend time with us. We were able to reconnect, have a lot of laughs, and eat a lot of good food. And it was amazing to watch her get to know the kids. (The day we took her to the airport, as I was getting Willa ready for her nap, she suggested we take "a lot of planes" to Germany "next weekend." Melted my heart.)

^^There's the frikadelle. On greens with roasted butternut squash and potatoes. It was delicious. Marret made the disclaimer that it wasn't really a "German dinner" that she made us. But, I say, she's German and she made a dinner that she would make at home, so that's pretty much a German dinner. No? Whatever you call it, it was healthy and delicious and it was so nice of her to do the cooking. (Not to mention all the dishes she did while she was visiting!)^^

^^There was a sunny hike with Willa's playschool group. And on another day, a trip to the mountains to snowboard!^^

^^Falafel was made! ^^

^^And a marzipan cake! (Willa is always game to help with baking. She loves to cook and/or knows she'll get to lick some batter.)^^

^^We went to Union Station and hit up Zoe Ma Ma for lunch.^^

^^Willa learned where Germany is. Or at least that Germany, is.^^

^^Pizza salad and gelato at Parisi!^^

^^Girls' night out at The Source. Comida tacos of course. Hold the cilantro for Marret. And the avocado thanks to my newly developed intolerance (aka the worst development ever!).^^

^^Most importantly, chocolates were exchanged.^^

THANK YOU for coming to visit Marret! We loved having you!

friends + burgers

Our neighborhood is undergoing massive changes. Store front after store front is coming up for sale, mostly being replaced by bars and restaurants. It's sad. It's exciting. It's controversial. But when it's 5pm and I haven't planned any dinner, it is quite nice to have more food options within walking distance.

Last week, we were lucky enough to have a good friend visiting, and a future family member in town as well, so we all met up and went to dinner at Royal Burger. We'd been a few times before, but I think they've finally hit their stride. We got there around 6 (a.k.a. baby hour, as shown by the baby present in every other party at the restaurant), and by 6:30 the entire place was packed. They have great burgers, solid fries, and decadent floats, as well as delicious salads. Another key to their success is that they've managed to strike a nice balance between casual and hip, making it a great place to grab a bite no matter who you are.

One thing to note: all of their burgers are cooked medium well unless you specify otherwise. Our server didn't even ask. (She was just a teeny tiny bit surly though, so perhaps it was her?)

^^"the turk" with beef instead of turkey. (i ordered the veggie, which was good, but not something i'd get again.)^^

^^i was quite pleased slash surprised that she chose edamame over fries with her kids meal!^^

^^so happy to have marret in denver!^^

great chinese food in denver?

Do you know how hard it is to find a decent Chinese dumpling in the United States? It's hard. Really hard. And once you've had a real deal dumpling, you can never go back. Don't even try to serve me your thick-skinned, meatball-y center nonsense. Obviously, there are good dumplings to be had in New York City. In California. In Seattle. There is great Chinese food all over the world. But there's a lot of really bad Chinese food too.

I'd pretty much given up on the idea that I could get really, REALLY good Chinese food in Denver. I had, however, heard there was a good place in Boulder: Zoe Ma Ma. I kept meaning to get up there to try it out...

But then, a second Zoe Ma Ma opened by Union Station. Score! Last weekend we took the bus down there (yay public transit and no carseats!) for an early dinner.

^^fun decor! and yes, it's empty. but it was also 4pm on a sunday.^^

It was good. Really good. The owner, Edwin, was welcoming and friendly. His goal with Zoe Ma Ma is to celebrate his mother's cooking (周妈妈 Zhōu māmā = Mama Zhou!). I gather they have roots in both Taiwan and northern China, and that's the food they're serving. Northern Chinese classics and some other crowd pleasers.

^^炸酱面 zhá jiàng miàn^^

^^红烧牛肉面 Hóngshāo niúròu miàn - Braised Beef Noodles^^

Zoe Ma Ma nailed it. Homestyle Chinese food with high-quality ingredients. Everything is made to order and tastes fresh and delicious. I can't wait to go back.

Oh and the dumplings? Fantastic.