Lunch: We went to Get Sum Dim Sum to try their dim sum. We ordered an assortment of various dim sum items and found all of them extremely underwhelming. Previously, we had stated that Shanghai's dim sum was mediocre, but many in Austin consider Shanghai one of the best at dim sum. Given the quality of dim sum at Get Sum Dim Sum (which the Chronicle had called "great"), I can imagine how Shanghai could be considered excellent. Our Chinese broccoli was overcooked (gone from the bright green of perfectly steamed to the dark yellowish green of soft, soggy, and flavorless), dumplings all had chewy skins (especially the potstickers which was like eating a lump of dough), and vegetable fillings were gooey and gummy. The only things passable are the shrimp dumplings and the shao mai, but even those are a pale imitation of the real thing. Drive ten more minutes to Fortune or Shanghai for your dim sum and avoid Get Sum Dim Sum. You won't be catching us there again. What I would give Get Sum Dim Sum on a scale of 0-10: 5.5

"Siu Mai" Pork - Steamed Pork & Shrimp Open-Faced Dumpling.

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What I Ate: April 23, 2010 (Get Sum Dim Sum, Sous vide rack of lamb)

Lunch: Tina's mom brought over dumplings which Tina pan-fried and we had for lunch.

Dinner: We ate at Azul Tequila (4211 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 416-9667‎) where I ordered the Antojitos Mexicanos (Combination of sope, quesadilla, tostada, taco crudo and chile manzano, garnished with lettuce, radish, avocado sauce and cream) which was very tasty.

Dinner: After my HOA meeting, I drove over to KFC to try their new sandwich - the Double Down. The Double Down has two pieces of fried chicken breast (also available with grilled chicken) instead of buns and sandwiched in between is a slice of cheese, a couple of thin strips of bacon, and some secret sauce of some sort. The sandwich was pretty decent but I didn't much care for the sauce. I felt the fried chicken went well with the bacon (although I would have preferred some tastier bacon instead of the super thin yet limp bacon that fast food places always seem to serve) and cheese, but the sauce was a bit too salty and I didn't much care for the slight sourness to it.

There's been a lot of stuff written about the burger and how it's a "heart attack" waiting to happen, but it is my belief that most of these "articles" have been written because it's low hanging fruit. I mean, if you describe this sandwich to anyone, it has to sound like it's the most unhealthy thing in the world, right? So, these reporters jump on this since it's an easy story to write. Unfortunately, it's a bit misleading. The Double Down is no more worse for you than a bacon cheeseburger or a Big Mac or your typical restaurant ordered Chicken Caesar Salad. I put together a quick and dirty comparison chart of some of the published nutrition information for your comparison.

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What I Ate: April 21, 2010 (KFC's Double Down)

Hairy likes to sleep in what seems like awkward positions. This particular one from this afternoon is the strangest of them all. I think I'm going to call it "The Dead Deer".

Dinner: We had creamed chicken again (apparently, I made enough for 3 meals), and I had to made new biscuits because I wasn't happy with yesterday's. I made sure I didn't roll it out to thin this time and and they came out great.

We also tried three different kinds of yams and sweet potatoes. I baked a (from left to right) Garnet Yam, Jersey Sweet Potato, and Japanese Sweet Potato. The Jersey was Tina's favorite (I thought it had the cleanest sweet flavor) while the Japanese was mine (sweet, but with a hint of natural saltiness - it was also very dry and dense compared to the other two). The Garnet Yam was very watery (but not watered down - it was just wet, but strongly flavored) and the taste was sweet but with some acidity.

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What I Ate: April 20, 2010 (Central Market Cafe)

Lunch: Tina made egg fried rice and sauteed some collard greens for lunch.

Dinner: I made creamed chicken with carrots and peas and served it over fresh baked biscuits. I rolled out the biscuits a little too thin, so they came out mostly flat. Pretty good if you like crust, but I like a balance of crust and fluffy interior.

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What I Ate: April 19, 2010

We had our first restaurant meal with Hairy on Sunday. Hairy got to have lunch at Red Robin in Northeast San Antonio.

We ate our lunch first (as befits our status as pack leaders).

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Hairy Eats at Red Robin

Lunch: We drove down to Northeast San Antonio to have Hairy meet a couple of dogs up for adoption (to see if he wants to have a friend) and, after meeting a bunch of dogs (and getting lots of praise and petting from humans), we walked him over to Red Robin (8227 Agora Parkway, Selma, TX‎ - (210) 659-9229‎) where they were extremely accommodating. We sat outside in the covered patio area where I ate the Shrimp and Cod Duo. The restaurant provided Hairy with a bowl of water and I ordered him a ground beef patty (which they couldn't provide raw, so we had them cook it without seasoning as rare as possible - which was more along the lines of medium-well).

Dinner: We had leftover pork, broccoli, and eggs over rice for dinner.

Lunch: Our local supermarket had live crawfish, so I picked up a couple of pounds and I boiled them in seasoning. Then I finished them off on the grill to dry off the shells and give it a little of that grilled shellfish smell (that smell that shrimp shells get when you grill them and they get all crisp).

Dinner: Tina cooked some soy sauce pork with bamboo shoots, broccoli, and eggs scrambled with scallions.

Tina stands next to Hairy as they watch the rain start from our backyard patio.