Back, and hungrier than ever.

Well, it's clearly been too long for an actual apology, so let's all sort of shrug our shoulders and move on. In appreciation, I offer you this: a list of the 'bests' in my dining experiences during the past few months of silence. With all of this going on, who had time to write about it?

Best meal with friends: a thai steak salad in a loft in Dalston.
Best meal with strangers: kebabs and tandoor at New Tayyab's in Whitechapel.
Best meal location: fish, chips and a pasty on a dock in Lymington.
Best meal in London: crab in butter and garlic (Bombay style) at Trishna's, with R and no crackers
Best meal with my fam: goat curry, biryani and dad's retirement in Tyson's Corner.
Best meal with B's fam: a mango mojito brunch in Leesburg
Best meal with our fam: crab fest with both sides in Oakton
Best meal in Manchester: Dim Sum and wine, with pranks.
Best meal under 50 cents: a flatbread sandwich of hardboiled eggs, laughing cow cheese and salsa in Marrakech.
Best meal on holiday: champagne for pennies with lots of chorizo and laughter in Barcelona.
Best anniversary meal: A gifted Alsatian feast in a cottage in Great Falls.
Best meal: A Bisteca Fiorentina with B in a hidden, yet wildly popular, alley in Tuscany.

* Incidentally, the worst meal was also had in our beloved Tuscany. It's too soon to tell the story, but let's just say that it involved chinese food, silly service, and very expensive napkins.

Thanks for coming back, folks. I'm ready to resume the conversation, armed with more ideas about food, less anxiety about the grad school process, and more good people in my life to invite to dinner one day. Happy fall semester!