Xmas gift!

Can't wait to start trying recipes from here!

Review: Highland Kitchen, Somerville, MA

We went on Dec 20, ~8pm. We were barely able to grab two seats at the bar to catch some of the football game (for the sports-adverse, do not worry, there is no audio; this is NOT a sports bar, nor is it a pub in the traditional sense...anyone sick of the term gastropub yet? Well, that's the most apt descriptor.). The place was absolutely PACKED. I was stunned and so were the sweet staff. The space is comfortable...a nod to Green Street circa, 2007. Modern but cozy (think sage green walls + pressed tin ceilinged bar, modern-ish lighting fixtures, painted brick walls). Bartender James was terrific (we admired him as he poured a beautiful take on a French 75 martini + a lovely blackberry in the bottom of the glass - it was good-looking drink). I stuck with the capable by-the-glass French red selection and he had Smuttynose draft. We started with RI style calamari, body rings and tentacles ($7; don't groan...it was delicious served with spicy peppers and a red pepper coulis). I had the mahi-mahi special ($16), a la Green Street - served on Scotch bonnet pepper salsa+ roasted half-potatoes. James worried about my red wine pairing so he brought me a taste of a sweet-ish white (sorry, I didn't note the varietal), which cut the spiciness, but honestly, I could have used more spice in my dish and I could have dispensed with the potatoes. He had the Cuban Reuben ($8), which he deemed delicious+ handcut fries. I stole a few fries - yum (some sweet potato in there)! Isn't this the kind of place that all of us crave, particularly for those bleak weeknight evenings when you don't want to cook? Our bill totaled ~$65 (3 glasses of wine+2 beers+app+2 entrees).

http://highlandkitchen.com/

Back from the UK

Visited with B's sister who lives with her English husband in Orrell near Wigan (some 40 minutes outside Manchester, UK). Small town with its' fill of convivial pubs.

-Ate a a generic place called Berkeley's in Wigan proper. It was adequate - we were starved and cold. B had steak and Guinness pie and I a veggie burger.

-White Lion, actually located in Upholland, overlooking the church, proving the old Wigan adage that to find the nearest pub, just look up for a church steeple. We drank Guinness, sat by a fire, and watched Man U lose to West Ham.
http://southportbooze.wordpress.com/category/white-lion-upholland/

-The Delph. Packed to the gills on a Sunday night before New Year's Eve. Drank Boddington's, at which the men present were all impressed. Why? I don't know.

-The Stag Inn. Rather sterile "pub," but it was nearby. As a nice surprise, the veggie bean burgers we both had were really delicious. It was the first spicy food we had in a few days.

-Baby Elephant. I think this was in Wigan? Rather upscale Indian. We had onion bhaji, pappadum with the chutney plate, and veggie samosas for apps. Who doesn't like anything deep-fried? Entrees included spicy chili chicken (according to the carnivores, it was the winner of the night), mild tandoori chicken for mom, and mushroom and eggplant dapreezi (sp?) for me, which was suitable but I could have used more spice. Pricey (75 pounds, or about $150 for 4 with 2 glasses of wine and 2 of beer), but we didn't care. We were satiated.