Weekly A to Z, November 25th.

I’ve got to work on balancing my weeks a bit better. After K9 on Monday, I was out to the absolutely bustling Time Out Market Dubai to experience the new local restaurant additions — Odeon, Little June’s, and Onda by Alici. Come for the food, stay for the festive tunes of Salt & Pepper, and don’t forget to book the editor’s table. #invited

For Tuesday, I was covering COYA for Eurocave and then decided to stop by the new Carnsitore HQ at Al Serkal. From my walk-through in August to now, it’s incredible to see the transformation, and I can’t wait for future activations at the location (also, it was good to stock up on flank steak).

On Wednesday, I was on set with Dubai byFood at the Pullman Downtown for our Girl’s Night Out episode. With Lindsay, we visited Couqley, Honeycomb HiFi, and Samer’s newest, Citadelle!

On Thursday, I once again made my way to the DED Cafe to get my trade license renewed. While others seem to luck out every year, my renewal is a forever struggle that is time I can never get back. Fortunately, I was rewarded with a trip to Lila Taqueria to try some of the new menu items and chat with Chef Shaw. You want the wood-fired veggies and the eggplant tostada — the AED100 lunch special is also absolutely worth stopping in for. #invited

And finally, on Friday, I was back in front of the camera at Bolthole, a dog-friendly restaurant that I’d only heard great things about (and all the rumors are true, it’s a fab local spot with a menu that is 70% locally sourced). Stay tuned!

Links, please.

• Lots of familiar faces here — both local and abroad! Extra congratulations to Chef Gregoire and the Ossiano team for their additional commendation of best restaurant experience 2023. Best Chef AwardsAnd while we’re at it, Ossiano was top 10 on La Liste.
• No, I don’t want to join your book club. WSJ
• What emojis tell us about the history of tea. Smithsonian
• Who really benefits from Thanksgiving ($$$)? Forbes
• Seriously, why do ALL chefs cross their arms in photos? Eater
• The frontline of food. Ambrook Research
• Feeling thankful this time of year? Consider donating to hunger relief charities. Eater
• I am really good at finding housewarming gifts for myself. I’d love to order a few custom restaurants from Dubai for our place. All the Restaurants
• Is there anything better than (gold) buttered toast? MociunAnd while I’m on the site…these all feel very on-trend for what I do.
• No one should pick you up at the airport, T/F? WSJ
• What are the most overrated Sauvignon Blancs? VinePair
• Ready to ride this (literal) gravy train. Twitter
• Nobody wants these food-related gifts. The Takeout
• Something to consider — what kinds of seafood are morally ethical to eat? LA Times
• Invisible pie labor. The Everywhereist
• I’ll try anything to avoid a hangover. Prepear
• Talk to me about vodka butter. News AU
• What do food pantries actually need in terms of donations? BonAppetit
• What off-beat thing goes on your snack board? Ask
• Have you tried a sandwich-flavored cocktail? Grub Street
• Now, THIS is an advent calendar. Vosges Chocolate
• Could the most accurate product reviews come from Reddit? Vox
• What was your funniest cooking debacle? GFY
• Some ultra-processed foods are actually good for us? The Guardian
• Can influencers de-influence? Vox
• Delighted to have one of these prints in my kitchen (from an inebriated purchase over the summer). Inciardi
• Yes, to this order of Jose Andres tapas. Goldbelly

Best dishes of November? (Yes, this is the last post for November). Although I didn’t go out as much, the chefs of Dubai put up some delicious dishes to choose from. I was really in the mood for the roasted veggie salad at Lila Taqueria, similarly, the Bang Bang Cauliflower from Little Jun’s was something I kept going back for. Niguiri XO Croquette with sea urchin from the StreetXO Dubai team from the La Mar collab finishes out my delicious plates for the month. As ever, I would love to hear some of your favorites.

This weekend? Villa stuff (legit, I am excited about shower curtains), and I’m still hoping the ticket fairy visits me with an invite to F1 for Foo Fighters.

Next week? Dinner with Jose Andres at Jaleo (!). Also, excited to film our next episode of Dubai byFood, supper club edition.

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C.