In Anticipation:

Last night found six girlfriends in the corner booth of the newly opened Burma Superstar, Oakland Edition! They're new to the neighborhood, but they're well known far and wide around here. We put ourselves to the arduous task of sampling what they had to offer. I plopped myself down at the bar a few minutes till 6:30, made friends with the bartender (I'm good that way) and asked for his recommendations. We can vouch for the following:

• Mango Mojitos, sangria and the mint/lime/beer concoction
• Coconut rice, indian rice with cardamom
• Vegetarian Noodles
• Spicy Shrimp Curry
• Pork Belly

If only we'd had room for more! The coconut fritters on the dessert menu looked very tempting as well. The place was packed when we left, and it's a welcome addition to the Temescal neighborhood, which just seems to get better and better week by week. I'm happy to add this one to my regular rotation over there.

And finally, things on the docket for this weekend:

• A Carmel Pear Trifle with Vanilla Bean Pound Cake (to be made with the Lovely Lesley on a quick weekend jaunt to Roseville)
• Swedish Cardamom Bread - I've had a craving for this. My favorite bakery in Sea Ranch makes the ultimate version, but it's so far away! This will be my first "bread" attempt...watch out.
• Rhubarb Almond Scones - I made baked rhubarb the other evening and ate it with a dollop of fresh ricotta. Heaven in a spoon. I've never seen rhubarb in scone form, so this will be another culinary experiment. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday!