Vampire Penguin--Cupertino, CA

The Vampire Penguin in Cupertino sits in a mall in the midst of renovation. As such, it was largely empty when we went there last weekend and there wasn't a line. We got a couple of shaved snow desserts including the Green Snow Thaiger shown here and the S'Mored, which features marshmallows and chocolate-flavored snow. The large version here is $10; the small is $8 at about half the size.  I enjoyed the tea flavoring of the Thaiger, my son thought the best part was the crushed Oreos with condensed milk.

Perhaps due to the size of the dessert and the presentation--thick, honest-to-goodness ceramic plates--we liked the snow here more than at Teaspoon.

Joy Dumpling--Cupertino, CA

At the site of the former Shanghai Dumpling and then Rasa Sarang, Joy Dumpling is in the midst of a soft opening right now. The xiao long bao are good, but not great. The flavor is there, but not the soup and the skin is a bit thick. Still, the loofah xiao long bao (pictured) was a hit with everyone.

I liked the Mongolian Cumin Lamb, but it came with too many red peppers for our table to be comfortable. 

The beef roll was popular and it's the one dish we ordered again.

Tan Cha---Cupertino, CA

We waited 20 minutes for the Japanese Fluffy Pancake last night. We're still debating whether it was worth the wait. (By the way, you can add upwards of 10 minutes waiting in line just to order.) This dessert is certainly fluffy and eggy, and it's this texture that really stands out. We tried the strawberry version of this, too, and don't recommend one versus the other.

What is worth the wait (about five minutes) is their Royal Ceylon Milk Tea with Tiramisu Puff Foam. My goodness, that smooth, rich, coffee-flavored foam might be reason alone to come back.

Bare Bones Broth

I got a bag of 16 Bare Bones Broth "sticks" at Costco on sale for $11. You mix each stick, which has 50 calories and 20% of your sodium RDA, with eight ounces of hot water. My family found the flavor a bit bland. However, I did find the drink staved off hunger pretty well. Overall, though, this is a drink we got excited about to begin with (it's packaged well) but now no longer want.

Daeho Kalbe Jjim & Beef Soup--Milpitas, CA

Monday the four of us went to Daeho for the express purpose of getting their braised short rib with extra meat. The pot shown here is about eight inches in diameter and priced at $62. We also got a beef rib soup for $16. Though we left full, eating ribs in both dishes was a labor-intensive, messy affair using chopsticks. Be prepared for a lot of splatter.

The beef rib soup was in many ways the greater pleasure, though not the featured event. We liked the flavorful broth, as it helped complement the heavy sauce in the Galbijjim, and the meat was just as tender.

We got there when it opened at 11:00. By about 11:20 the restaurant was full.

Kreuz Market--Lockhart, TX

What made our trip to Kreuz Market special was two things: The sausage links and the live music. We had the brisket there also but it was dry, even for a lean cut, and certainly not as enjoyable as that found at la Barbecue or Black's BBQ nearby. Both the regular and jalapeno sausage, though, were perfectly spiced with a fine texture. I'll never find their equal here in the Bay Area. But, what made the experience most memorable was the live string music featuring the Hot Pickin 57s. Look them up.

The Pigpen--San Antonio, TX

I can't think of a better value than The Pigpen Sunday brunch. For $16, you'll get your fill of delectables such as mac and cheese (my kids are the harshest critics when it comes to this dish and they say The Pigpen serves some of the best), brisket (lean and fatty), fried fish (my favorite of the bunch) and other staples (fried chicken, sausage, scrambled eggs, delicious watermelon).

One bit of advice: Get there within half an hour of opening (buffet starts at 10:00 am). There's picnic bench style seating. So, after about 10:30 seating four together becomes a challenge.