okay, okay...new post

My partner-in-crime tells me I need to keep blogging. Whatever....

We were in NYC last weekend for mom's 65th birthday. Dinner Sat night at Don's Bogam, a rather haute place on the edge of K-Town. Trendy look to the place (it's a Korean wine bar after all!). Long sake list. 6 of us shared kimchee pajun (tasty, but not as crispy as we like), fried mandoo, galbi (the favorite of the table), bulgogi jim (a bit sweet for everyone...I had a taste...yep, it was on the sweet side), lots of the requisite banchan and some more unusual ones, like the horseradish-laced turnip or radish?. I had spicy tuna dolsot bibimbap. It was good, but self-defeating, since the rare tuna cooked way too much in the hot bowl. We had a couple of bottles of soju and a bottle of red. We left happy and full. Mom and dad thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The young folks moved onto 3rd Floor Cafe down the block.

Next day, was Rue 57 for brunch (eh). A fun dinner at Spitzer's Corner (mac and cheese, fries, Kobe burger, angel hair pasta, pork belly, A to Z pinot gris, Southampton Double Whites, Bear Republic IPAs...what the?!...We were disappointed that the beers were on the flat side. Oh well, the Bostonians enjoyed the convivial, frat party-like atmosphere on a Sunday, pre-holiday! Lots of happily spilled beer going on around us.

Thanks NYC!


http://www.spitzerscorner.com/home.html

(All photos courtesy of Bill Lester...thanks Bill!)

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.

Bikes!

By the way, it's bike to work week in MA (actually May is Bike Month). Happy and safe biking (this week and all year 'round)!
Mass Bike

Fenway Food

Some places to get some pre-Fenway food:

Lower Depths Tap Room - Yay! Beer!
476 Comm Ave, Boston

Other Side Cafe - Yay! Bike messengers drinking beer!
407 Newbury Street, Boston (don't roll your eyes - not THAT side of Newbury!)

Audubon Circle - Unprententious yet fancy bar food with well-edited wine and beer selection; bamboo-enclosed, jewel box of a back patio that we LOVE. 838 Beacon Street, Boston

Eastern Standard Kitchen - For those nights you're fed up with dives and want fancy-ass cocktails and food to match (fantastic bar led by the incomparable Jackson Cannon).
Tends to attract the bridge-and-tunnel (or the equivalent in Boston) type crowds on game nights. 528 Comm Ave, Boston

dinner and snack

Had miyuk guk (Korean seaweed soup) with some white rice tonight. I put bulgogi (thanks mom!) in B's, tofu in mine. Delicious light dinner. For a snack, I made veggie bean chili but I guess it won't get eaten until tomorrow night. For now, a couple of glasses of rough red wine, new episode of "24" and there's our Monday.

Deep Ellum, Allston, MA

Snack at Deep Ellum, Allston, MA late afternoon today. Split a steamed pretzel with tasty, grainy mustard side. B had the *Hot Damn Wings* (nice crumbly coating, decent heat level). I had the veggie lentil stew, spooned over jasmine rice which was (subtly) redolent of coconut. Couple of Dogfish Head 90 minute Ales, BBC Coffeehaus, and Smuttynose IPA. Good snack.

Rock Lobster! Or maybe I should say Rawk Lab-stah!

When I look back at my childhood growing up in the Ocean State, I have fond memories of summer: The crack of the bat, the sound of the rolling waves and the taste of summer -- New England Lobster