Weekly A to Z, Nov 12th.

The accidentally busy one.

Having had one of those special Dubai weeks where someone has been fixing something in the villa for the better part of a week. Concentration level, zero. Somehow, I still managed to write almost 5,000 words on a new book…?

Fortunately, the week started on a high note, as we were one of the first to visit the latest version of Katsuya. Check out our visit here. #invited

On Tuesday, I went to the Marina (long-time readers will understand my total dislike of this part of Dubai). I was tempted out by the Lombardy region in Italy, where I drank prosecco and met some wonderful industry people. Best of all? I was home by 9! #invited

On Wednesday, I double-dipped and went to both the launch of Aura Sky Pool, which is an absolute showstopper of a location. I (highly) encourage you to check out a quick video here. I was then over to Orfali Brothers for the Parmigiano Reggiano collab dinner. Have a peek at the menu here. #invited

On Thursday, I accepted an invite on a little private cruise, courtesy of Tamoka, who will be opening soon in JBR. We got a preview of some of the menu, and really, what better way to spend a Thursday afternoon in November than on a yacht? I’ve still got the stories up, if you want to see. #invited

Looking ahead, with only two weeks until we host Thanksgiving (our favorite holiday), I’ve reached out to a number of my favorite local vendors to collab for our guests. I’m delighted to announce the turkey will be from (who else?) Carnistore. We’ll have delicious pork cold cuts and caviar (!) from Maison Duffour, and wine courtesy of California Wines (American holiday = must be American wines). In full transparency, these items are part of a barter for social media coverage, but they were all my first choice for who I wanted to work with, and the best food possible for my guests.

Have you started ordering or making plans for the festive season? Do you have any local favorites I should consider?

Finally, can someone tell me how to get tickets to the Foo Fighters post-race concert on December 12th?!?!?!?

Links, please.

• How restaurants have been winning back customers. WSJ

• An ode to bad photos. The Atlantic

• Magical forest Happy Meal. Dieline

• The only advent calendar I want. Food and Wine

• A 20,000 person waitlist. Variety

• Write 100,000 words a day. McSweeney’s

• Tacos in space. LA Taco

• Wondering what my secret restaurant name is. Twitter

• Gross (or amazing?). The Takeout

• When you need to style your charcuterie. Food52

• Say it with me: “gravy fountain.” Food and Wine

• Really into this water bottle design. Dieline

• For the title: horny cheese. The Takeout

• Need this for my tree, my office, and my life. Bauble Bar

• My Atlanta Braves are World Series champions…and they also have a wine club. ESPN

• Would you want to be a time millionaire? The Guardian

• Low key obsessed with this food choice test (and not surprised with my results).

• Do you pair drinks at home? The Takeout

• Wear kaftans this holiday season. Food and Wine

• Needed: how to get energy. New Yorker

This weekend I’ll be packing (j/k, I’m already packed), getting yet another PCR test, hiking, and trying to keep things low-key before a long day of travel on Sunday (DXB - MAD - BIO, before traveling by car/bus to San Sebastian).

Next week, I’ll be posting from the Gastronomika conference. If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be most active on my Instagram Stories, but you’ll get a full lineup in next week’s newsletter. The level of chefs is exceptional, and I’m super excited to attend dinners at the Basque Culinary Center, Elkano (!!!), and Asador Narru. Send me energy.

If you enjoy this newsletter and want to support me, consider sharing this 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.