Tupelo

I had really good memories of our trip to this Southern restaurant shortly after it opened in Cambridge's Inman Square a year ago. The place was nearly empty and we stayed for a few hours, trying practically everything on the menu, most notably the jambalaya of the day and a wonderful catfish entree.

After we went to visit our new cat in his foster home near Inman a couple weeks ago, we decided to celebrate the impending adoption with a return trip to Tupelo. A year has obviously treated the place well, as we had a 30-40 minute wait for a table. We passed the time in the charming back parlor with watermelon sangria and great beer from Abita, a Louisiana brewer making a comeback after its facilities were damaged in Hurricane Katrina.

Starters were the bourbon jalapeno ribs and the awesome fried oysters with pickles and remoulade, followed by a big bowl of gumbo and the catfish over collards and cheddar grits. Sorry, catfish not pictured — went in my belly too fast.

Craigie on Main

It's evidence of how far I've fallen behind with this blog that I'm posting about John's birthday dinner two months late. For his 30th, we went to the lovely Craigie on Main in Cambridge. First up was dayboat cod cheeks with golden raisin verjus and charcuterie platter.

The mains were a luscious steak dish with marrow, corned beef cheek and sweet potatoes fries; slow-roasted salmon with Maine shrimp; and a side of duck fat Brussels sprouts.

And for dessert, peanut butter pie with banana foam.

S&I Thai

The essence of Thai food is a balance of sweet, salty, sour, spicy and, more occasionally, bitter. Unfortunately, what we get in restaurants is frequently one-dimensional — simply sweet, or "level 10 spicy." Thankfully, John and I found S&I Thai, a takeout dive in Allston that cooks just like the best of what we had in Bangkok. They don't wimp on the chilli fire — or any of the other taste elements that make Thai cuisine so wonderful.

Order off the pictures on the walls rather than the printed menu. If you don't know what something is, just point or ask. Be sure to get one of their "crispy pork" dishes, such as the pad ga pow moo krob pictured here. They expertly fry the fatty cuts of pork, leaving it crispy and savory, then stud it with chillis and basil. The Thai barbecued chicken with sticky rice is also to die for. Order it with a side of som tam (papaya salad).

Final note: S&I is very easy on the wallet. Entrees are $8 or $9, so go ahead, finish off the meal with a mango over sticky rice.

Genki ya

Genki Ya, the little organic place in Brookline, is my second favorite sushi bar in town. Rice choices include brown and multigrain, but we just go there because it's yummy. Spicy scallop roll above, nigiri dinner at right.

Happy birthday to me - Ten Tables

Although I had intended for this blog to be about restaurants as well as cooking, I have never once remembered my camera when we go to eat out. My birthday on Monday was no exception, but John managed to borrow a camera from his officemate. We went to Ten Tables, an adorable and inventive place not far from where we live. For whatever reason, we hadn't been there since John's birthday over 11 months ago. It's one of those new American, sustainable emphasis places that are all over Boston, but Ten Tables sets itself apart with value - a higher end experience at moderate prices.

Ten Tables has added a bar area to its ten-table dining room since we were there last. This caused a little mixup as John had reserved a table at the "bar," meaning the high chef's table in the dining room that overlooks the tiny kitchen. We were seated in the bar area with an apology, but no matter.

We got the four-course chef's tasting menu:

Charcuterie (pork pate, pickles, homemade chorizo) - partially eaten. Not only do I forget the camera, I can never remember to use it before taking a bite.

Scottish salmon with faro, beets and spinach

Braised short rib with duck fat fries. So rich I was glad there was only one.

Citrus sorbet palette cleanser (not pictured)

Tahitian creme brulee. Tasted like a creme brulee - I have no idea what made it Tahitian.

Lemon pudding

In all, the selections were delicious, but a bit more conventional than I recall from our previous dinner there, which had wowed me by unexpected pairings of ingredients that, upon arriving on my tongue, were obviously meant to be. I was a touch disappointed they didn't give us the chocolate terrine with sea salt and thai basil ice cream (!), but it's always on the menu.