Sacramento
Tasty Pot is a chain that isn't as anywhere as good as Boiling Point or even Northern Cafe. Their Taiwanese Spicy Pot lacked the complexity of their competitors, and in this case, the main spice was Sichuan pepper and not much else. Ingredients used were okay, they didn't quite seem up to par either... plus the pile of instant noodles dead-center of the pot was a bit odd (and made it overly carb-heavy). Rest of the experience was pretty good, with a spacious restaurant with enough atmosphere to feel homey, and the service was solid.
Dinner with the Fratrick that night; they tolerated my planning (or lackthereof) with grace, and was good to see them and their son Colin as always. Tasty Dumpling is pretty good, nothing fancy, but solid xiao long bao and pan fried dumplings. Broccoli was good too. Stopped by SomiSomi after, where Colin showed off how much he enjoys ice cream. Always good to see them, and of course, their cat, Bumble. *grins*