#63 Meatballs with grapes at Aziza

April was a difficult month for me in the ICU at the county hospital. Little sleep, lots of overnight call in the hospital, sick patients. To celebrate the end of the month (and a return to normalcy for the month of May), B and I had dinner at Aziza at the end of last week. We'd been there once before with my parents, and remembered having a good meal. This time, however, we had a truly excellent meal.

We started with the flatbreads, seasoned and artistically served with three dips (roasted eggplant, tzaziki, and roasted pepper). Then we moved on to the signature dish, which A had warned me ahead of time wasn't always on the menu. Thankfully, the meatballs with grapes were available when we dined last week. Succulent roasted purple grapes alternated space on each skewer with similarly-sized, harissa-spiced meatballs. They were fantastic! B also had a burrata, avocado, and beet salad to round out our appetizers.

For mains, B had Wagyu beef, and I had delicious scallops. I don't think either was quite as good as our appetizers, but we enjoyed both. We finished with a banana dessert: banana crepe, banana-date fritters, and a creme anglaise.

Chef Lahlou definitely meets his goal of combining Moroccan-inspired cuisine with sustainable, local ingredients. Aziza is worth its Michelin star in my book!

#80 Apple fritter at Bob's Donuts

I have one more catch-up entry before I move on! It'll be short. Sometime in the last few months, B brought home #80 Apple fritter at Bob's Donuts. (Actually, I also ate #46 Chips and salsa at Papalote, but since B wasn't there, it doesn't count for the purposes of this blog.) His office is on the same block of Polk Street, so I figured it was time for us to sample their wares. The reason this post will be short is because I really don't have much else to say. The fritter was fine—good, even. But it was simply an apple fritter, nothing more and nothing less. I didn't think it was list-worthy.

Before I dismiss Bob's outright, I should point out that A&K say there are specific times, usually in the wee hours of the morning, that the donuts come out piping hot and are particularly fresh and delicious. I will have to plan a follow-up expedition for apple fritter, take two.