The brothers behind Secret Congee* are up to something again. This time, they've turned Ginger & Scallion into a khao soi bar. There's only one thing on the menu, and that's the point: to do one thing, and do it well.

Their khao soi (pronounced like "cal soy") recipe comes from northern Thailand; it's a coconut curry based soup with all the fixins. Warmed us up nicely on a crisp day. The seared duck was our favorite.

Cute neighborhood spot, on 65th in Ballard, where it starts to turn into Phinney Ridge. Definitely worth checking out!

* Secret Congee is SO GOOD. We got Thai meatball, cod and beef and kimchi. Youtiao with condensed milk dipping sauce is always a good idea.

Senior moment at The Dolar Shop: I admired our server's perfect Mandarin, surprised that he'd emigrated from Taiwan when he was 1.

Me: So you came over in the '90s?

Server: How old do you think I am??! I'm 21.

Me: Huh. My SCARF is older than you.

So weird to think that someone born in the 2000s is a full-fledged adult now. My scarf was a graduation present in 2002 (!), so it could be driving, voting, drinking.

P.S. The hot pot was delicious.

I'll admit I'd walked past the Boat in Little Saigon many times but never gone in, because every time I look in the windows, the restaurant is full of white people. Nothing against white people — my kids are half white — but it's generally not a good sign in an Asian restaurant.

Well mea culpa! Their pho, at their sister shop across the parking lot, is transcendental. Pho Bac is a THREE TIME-James Beard Award finalist (hence all the white people?) which sounds fancy, but really it's comfort food at down-to-earth prices.

The owners are two sisters who are uplifting this struggling neighborhood, one $15 a bowl of pho (+$1 for the large) at a time.

I turned my soup slurping into story research. Here's a link: https://www.seattleschild.com/seattle-soups-spots-thatll-warm-you-up/