So, today: lunch, library, and knitting.
Lemongrass Pork
Beef Pho
So, we grabbed some lunch, then some books (knitting for men) and a couple DVDs (Disney), and headed home to try out some of the knitting stuff. Mostly a lazy day.
[Girlfriend edit: Lunch was at a sweet little place on Barrington Street in Halifax called Star Anise. I'd been meaning to check them out for awhile, mostly to see how their pho holds up. The sign specified Vietnamese food, but it actually had some Thai choices on the menu as well, putting it into direct comparison with Gingergrass Thai and Vietnamese, also on Barrington. We started out with a really nice chicken satay served on vermicelli with peanut sauce drizzled over it and a nice little salad on the side. Then Des had the Lemongrass Pork and Vermicelli dish, which came with a delicious pork spring roll and some nice vegetables. I had the Rare Beef Pho, which came with a little plate with bean sprouts and an very small piece of lime, with hot sauce and tamarind sauce on the table as condiments, so I could spice it to my liking quite nicely. We finished off by splitting a banana spring roll which was TREMENDOUS. My personal verdict based on only one experience at Star Anise and one at Gingergrass (but having got the beef pho both times): Star Anise wins for price (on average everything was a couple of bucks cheaper) and spring rolls (Desire's pork spring roll was the best I've ever had). They are currently tied as far as desert goes (fried banana vs. banana spring roll - never make me choose!), and tied also for the pho (I liked that Star Anise brought the plate of sprouts and lime, but I liked the noodles better at Gingergrass), and Gingergrass coming out the winner in terms of ambience (better lighting, no inoffensive bland contemporary music, more attractive decor), presentation (I LOVED Gingergrass' flatware, Star Anise's was unremarkable) and menu choice (though that could be attributed to simply the more fleshed out Thai portion of the menu). In any case, both with be getting repeat visits, but I'll probably choose Gingergrass in the future unless I'm specifically craving spring rolls, or low on cash.
Also, Desire is doing great at knitting! To keep him company, I'm teaching myself continental style, since I've heard it's a more efficient method that allows for greater speed. So far, yeah, it does, though it's still a little uncomfortable. After all I've been knitting American-style (the most common style in Canada) for about fifteen years. I'm trying to decide whether to make Des a sweater. Knitter lore says that if I do, we'll break up before I finish it! Oh no! But he really needs some sweaters! The dilemmas!]
Updated the DBAF project page, still waiting on translations for the last couple pages. Sangofe’s Nippon Ijin Taisho fansub is out (check an earlier post for the torrent) and it’s fantastic.