Just got back from Lungta, at 46th and NE Sandy. It has a wonderful hole-in-the-wall ambiance (seriously, we love the casual places), with Tibetan music and many examples of the restaurant's namesake, "windhorses"--colorful flags flown outside Tibetan homes.

We ordered the Tsel Momo, a vegetable dumpling that can be ordered steamed or fried, and Tsel Balab (I think--I didn't write it down. #13), a vegetable turnover.

If you like cilantro, the Balab is for you, as it's positively packed with the demon weed stuff. We ordered the momos steamed, and they were mild and delicious. The meal also came with a lovely lentil soup, which the Spousal Unit gleefully used for dipping.

We'll definitely be back to try the rest of their vegetarian fare. Though we'll ask about cilantro next time.

I've started drinking wine again, and the Spousal Unit recommended keeping notes here so as not to lose track of what I've tried. (It takes me a month to get through a bottle, so these reviews will be sporadic at best.) Because what little I know about wine is about white wines, I thought I'd try some reds. I was originally going to stick to Oregon wines, but then I decided to go with "local" instead, mainly because it lets me include Columbia Valley WA, which contains lots of good vineyards -- including Barnard Griffin. Their 2004 Syrah is, in my terms, yummy. In winewanker terms, it's not particularly acid and it's nice and light on the tannins -- this is a good one for newbie palates like mine. It is rich though, with a nice full feeling on the tongue, and it has a fruity, slightly floral aftertaste. I'm drinking it right now with vegetable samosas, and it's coping very nicely with the spice -- though I have a feeling the combination might not be to everyone's taste. It's more than good enough to drink on its own, anyway. At about $14 it's at the upper end of my tightwad range, but worth it.

One other thing, about taking a month to get through a bottle -- I heartily recommend a Zyliss bottle stopper (I have the "bell" kind but the other one should work as well). This has also led to the discovery that I am a horrible philistine and quite enjoy some red wines cold; the BG 2004 Syrah is one of these, though I must say it's better at room temp; it gets a little thin and bitter in the cold.