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Basics
Restaurant: Vientiane Palace
Visit Date: Feb 4, 2012
In Depth
Total Bill: $45.00
Total Paid: $57.00
Regulars: Al Joranlien; Don Elmer; Jack Keel; Joe Farrenkopf; Oliver Eng;
Number of QSC Regulars: 5
Number of Guests: 0
Total Attendees: 5
Cane Free
Posted: Feb 5, 2012; 6:17 AM
Reuben at the Fountain
Who cares whether the groundhog sees his shadow with a winter this mild? Temperatures climbed into the 40's, melting snow, creating fog, and making the sidewalks less of a risky proposition for Jack, who is now cane free!

Jack was able to do laundry on his own. He slept on his side for the first time. He is still in pain, but things are improving to the point where he is less reliant on his boys.

Before QSC, Oliver made a bee line for the Currywurst from the new Rathskeller. The appetizer boasts slices of wurst with fries and a ketchup-curry dipping sauce. He shared the treat with Jack and Al. Jack likes that the fries are made-to-order, but he dismissed the wurst as a glorified hot dog.

Oliver shared old physical photos of his parents in Madison and baby pictures of himself after QSC. Joe lingered a long time on the picture of McArdle Lab. Jack shared digital photos of his youthful days, and Joe made a game of guessing each decade.

James's kitchen is essentially done, and he is planning a party to celebrate one week after his birthday. (Happy Birthday, James!) Jack used iPhone/Facebook smarts to show off pictures of James's completed kitchen. The group was amazed and compared the new kitchen to a space ship and a museum.

Oliver himself is in kitchen design mode, but is not 100% committed to a project yet. He took some rough measurements and watched as a designer mapped things out in some CAD software, which impressed him with its perspective views.

Oliver has been reading a massive space opera of a novel, Surface Detail, by Iain Banks. Don asked Oliver about the book because Don likes his writing, especially his short novel, The Wasp Factory. The mere mention of The Wasp Factory made Oliver wince. "Disturbing is good!" Don declared.

Oliver went to the Fountain Friday night and wrote a review.

Foodie Tip: The cara cara orange is a delicious variety of navel orange (seedless) that boasts pink flesh. A toned down version of the bold taste of a regular orange, the color and flavor reminded Oliver of a mild sweet grapefruit.