Some food-related (mostly) things we enjoyed this past week:

We found a new (to us) Thai place last weekend that we really like. Â Malai Kitchen is probably still our favorite, but Thai Star is much closer to our house, and the food, service and atmosphere were good enough to warrant many subsequent visits. Â The homemade dumplings were amazing, and both soups we tried were delicious, but the Tom Kha (coconut soup with lemongrass, herbs and chicken) was by far the best. Â For our main courses, Dan had a gorgeous and delicious tilapia dish with tons of fresh veggies and a spicy tamarind sauce, and I had the spicy, savory sukiyaki noodle dish. Â The menu is huge and there are many more dishes we look forward to trying. Â We dined on their cute and cozy patio that was surprisingly quiet and relaxing, given that it overlooks the parking lot of the strip mall where the restaurant is located. Â All the wait staff we encountered were attentive and knowledgeable. Â I thought it was a particularly nice touch when the (I assume) manager brought out a vase with flowers for the table next to us that was clearly a group of women gathered for a girls’ night out. Â Well done, Thai Star — we’ll be back!

Speaking of being back, one of our all-time favorite shows has returned! Â Mad Men Season 6 started on Sunday, and we’re excited for another season filled with 1960s debauchery in the cut-throat world of Madison Avenue advertising.

In Crazy Cat Lady news, we found 3 kittens trapped near a vent for the crawl space under our house. Â Somehow we will resist the cuteness, and will be working with an organization that has a cat “rescue and re-home program” to find them suitable forever homes, somewhere other than our own house. Â I repeat: Â We. Will. Resist. The. Cuteness.

We attended a surprise birthday gathering for a friend last night at, of all places, the Bon Jovi “Because We Can” concert. Â Whether you’re a fan or not, the dude puts on an entertaining show, and it was a really fun evening.

We celebrated another birthday this week as well — Happy Birthday to our newest nephew A!! Â He was born a little earlier than ideal, but he and his mom are thankfully doing well, and the world is a better place sooner, now that he is here.