Happy National Day, UAE! Thank you for being our home for the past 15 years. May your next 50 years be filled with peace and prosperity.
Recovering from a brilliant Thanksgiving, the Masque collab at Tresind Studio was an excellent way to start my week. You can check out highlights from the memorable meal here. #invited
As with the previous week, it seemed best to honor my introvert after the busy weekend. I got back to work on some upcoming projects (including my nearly forgotten manuscript), got to pitch on something new, and with the National Day holiday, we went on a hike, watched some terrible holiday films, dug into our advent calendars, and finally decorated the villa for Christmas. My parents arrive (!!) in less than two weeks, so I’m getting ready and preparing (what I hope) will be a fairly epic tour of Dubai.
Links, please.
The Caterer Power 50, so proud to know and call many on this list a friend (also delighted to see a good amount of diversity this time).
Ugly fruit is now available in Dubai. Eroego
A very good foodie gift guide. New Yorker
Wishing there was a volunteer database like this in the UAE. VolunteerMatch
I just signed up for Ruth Reichl’s newsletter. Substack
Cranberry…ketchup? The Takeout
Some unique food observations. BuzzFeed
The kind of traveler I want to be. Matador
Love this site, unsure how to use it. LifeAt Spaces
Kind of totally into this necklace. Thatch
Also eyeing up this hat. Katie Kimmel
A deep dive into Diners, Driver-Ins, and Dives. The Atlantic
Who is your favorite fictional chef? The Takeout
Fake food is trendy again? NYT
You had me at candy cane cookie dough. The Kitchn
What exactly are capers? The Takeout
This weekend, I’m delighted to try Celebrities by Mauro Colagreco, and look forward to reporting back. Next week, I’m excited to finally try Girl and the Goose. Having met Gigi on a number of occasions, I’m really looking forward to the experience. I’ll also be back to the One and Only to try Beach Bar & Grill by Mauro (and expect a lovely lunch). Finally, set your dials to Dubai 103.8, as I’ll be back on air on Afternoons with Helen Farmer, chatting with Troy from The Pangolin at 4 PM on Thursday.
If you enjoy this newsletter and want to support me, consider sharing this newsletter on social media, ordering from these restaurants, purchasing my books (or these novels), or buying me coffee. Archives of the Weekly A to Z can be found here.
C.