5.22.2008
5.21.2008
5.20.2008
BOSTON. monday, may 19.
the moral of this story is...why jess is NOT allowed to be turned loose on newbury street without appropriate adult supervision. the amusing thing about this story is...jess doesn't even KNOW anyone who could fill that bill, so the moral is somewhat pointless.
but, honestly, while some girls would dig the designer boutiques, the opportunity to stick their freshly pedi'd tootsies through the overpriced straps of the latest misogynistic torture devices manolo blahnik whipped up, and sipping on some high-maintenance tall soy latte with nonfat and a sprinkle of madagascar cinnamon...not so much this girl. however. THIS girl loses most all of her ability to exercise restraint when confronted with life is good, patagonia, and the north face all within one block of each other. i mean, really...what's a girl to do??
shop.
and so this girl did!
mostly for myself, naturally. ha! but i did come across a few things for some friends - some human, some canine. i'll tell you what, though...i could have bought up every last thing in all three of those stores. sheesh. oh, and yeah, this girl does not DO starbucks and coffees that require a minor oral dissertation defense to order. yeah, i did my shopping while sipping on that quintessential new england favorite that america runs on: plain old dunkin' donuts. best there is, if you ask me. k.i.s.s. philosophy...my favorite, after all.
granted this shopping trip had to be fueled, after all, since i had slept right through breakfast. so i met ed for lunch at my favorite back bay pizza joint, the upper crust. now, we all know i am a big fan of the thin crust because i am NOT a fan of the carbs. but few places actually get the thin crust right - it's either not thin enough, or it's so thin it's like eating pizza on a saltine. not at the upper crust. there's a reason it has been repeatedly voted the best of boston - they do it right. we had a fantastic white pie with great globs of ricotta and what tasted (and i'm sure smelled later) like zillions of pieces of fresh garlic. delicious! and a bargain for back bay, too - small pie, which is more than enough for two people, and a couple of sodas for less than twenty bucks. you won't find that too many places. fantastic lunch, even in the very crowded confines of their tiny newbury street location.
after the unsupervised shopping trip, ed and i bundled up as best we could - which is not saying much, since i am seriously doubting my appropriate packing for this new england summer - and hopped on the green line over to fenway. first stop, naturally...FENWAY FRANKS!! world's best hot dogs, and we should know, since we have sampled ballpark fare all over the place and consider ourselves somewhat of a couple of conissieurs. after loading up on food, though i'm sure a grain of sand in what would have been j's ballpark feast, we headed up to our seats in right field. yep, that's right - we sat right on the field in right field! wow. how many times can i use the word "right" in one sentence? anyway - it was blowing like mad, and more than a little chilly. in fact, it was so uncomfortably cold, that i had a hard time actually enjoying the fenway frank, since my teeth chattering made chewing somewhat of a challenge!
but like good true fans, we sucked it up. sort of. i'll let the pictures tell the story of our attempts to bundle up further...it gave me an interesting hat/hood look: like a smurfy eskimo! thankfully i remembered that some credit card company was downstairs giving away blankets if you filled out an application, so you know i hit that up, with as little of my true information as possible. whoo-hoo, freebie! and in case you haven't seen sportscenter...let me just tell you, WHAT. A. GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the freezing temps and bitter wind were 110% worth it - it was amazing! lester threw a no-hitter, only the 18th in red sox history in fenway, and the 1st of his career. it was awesome! it had been almost 3 years since i had been to a game, and i am determined not to go that long again - so great to be back in fenway again! especially sharing space with BIG PAPI!!
word to the wise: do not try to take the green line back after a sox game. i'm a walker, so i was not opposed to strolling back to jury's, but ed likes the t and is, uh, how shall i say...not exactly inclined to be active. we skipped the kenmore station, where the lines were out the door and into the street, and instead hiked up to the hynes center station, where i amused myself by watching a homeless dude pick mardi gras beads out of the trash and put them on, whilst simultaneously thanking the stars above that he didn't flash us to get them. we managed to get a sardine can, er, i mean, train, but i barely got through the crowd to get off at arlington to head back to the hotel. ah, always an adventure!
i'll close by mentioning that the beds in a five-star hotel feel best after a freezing cold night at a great baseball game...
thoughts for the day:
"a hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the ritz."
- humphrey bogart
"the other sports are just sports. baseball is a love."
- bryant gumbel
hasta manana...happy travels.
more pics to follow.
but, honestly, while some girls would dig the designer boutiques, the opportunity to stick their freshly pedi'd tootsies through the overpriced straps of the latest misogynistic torture devices manolo blahnik whipped up, and sipping on some high-maintenance tall soy latte with nonfat and a sprinkle of madagascar cinnamon...not so much this girl. however. THIS girl loses most all of her ability to exercise restraint when confronted with life is good, patagonia, and the north face all within one block of each other. i mean, really...what's a girl to do??shop.
and so this girl did!
mostly for myself, naturally. ha! but i did come across a few things for some friends - some human, some canine. i'll tell you what, though...i could have bought up every last thing in all three of those stores. sheesh. oh, and yeah, this girl does not DO starbucks and coffees that require a minor oral dissertation defense to order. yeah, i did my shopping while sipping on that quintessential new england favorite that america runs on: plain old dunkin' donuts. best there is, if you ask me. k.i.s.s. philosophy...my favorite, after all.
granted this shopping trip had to be fueled, after all, since i had slept right through breakfast. so i met ed for lunch at my favorite back bay pizza joint, the upper crust. now, we all know i am a big fan of the thin crust because i am NOT a fan of the carbs. but few places actually get the thin crust right - it's either not thin enough, or it's so thin it's like eating pizza on a saltine. not at the upper crust. there's a reason it has been repeatedly voted the best of boston - they do it right. we had a fantastic white pie with great globs of ricotta and what tasted (and i'm sure smelled later) like zillions of pieces of fresh garlic. delicious! and a bargain for back bay, too - small pie, which is more than enough for two people, and a couple of sodas for less than twenty bucks. you won't find that too many places. fantastic lunch, even in the very crowded confines of their tiny newbury street location.
after the unsupervised shopping trip, ed and i bundled up as best we could - which is not saying much, since i am seriously doubting my appropriate packing for this new england summer - and hopped on the green line over to fenway. first stop, naturally...FENWAY FRANKS!! world's best hot dogs, and we should know, since we have sampled ballpark fare all over the place and consider ourselves somewhat of a couple of conissieurs. after loading up on food, though i'm sure a grain of sand in what would have been j's ballpark feast, we headed up to our seats in right field. yep, that's right - we sat right on the field in right field! wow. how many times can i use the word "right" in one sentence? anyway - it was blowing like mad, and more than a little chilly. in fact, it was so uncomfortably cold, that i had a hard time actually enjoying the fenway frank, since my teeth chattering made chewing somewhat of a challenge!
but like good true fans, we sucked it up. sort of. i'll let the pictures tell the story of our attempts to bundle up further...it gave me an interesting hat/hood look: like a smurfy eskimo! thankfully i remembered that some credit card company was downstairs giving away blankets if you filled out an application, so you know i hit that up, with as little of my true information as possible. whoo-hoo, freebie! and in case you haven't seen sportscenter...let me just tell you, WHAT. A. GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the freezing temps and bitter wind were 110% worth it - it was amazing! lester threw a no-hitter, only the 18th in red sox history in fenway, and the 1st of his career. it was awesome! it had been almost 3 years since i had been to a game, and i am determined not to go that long again - so great to be back in fenway again! especially sharing space with BIG PAPI!!
word to the wise: do not try to take the green line back after a sox game. i'm a walker, so i was not opposed to strolling back to jury's, but ed likes the t and is, uh, how shall i say...not exactly inclined to be active. we skipped the kenmore station, where the lines were out the door and into the street, and instead hiked up to the hynes center station, where i amused myself by watching a homeless dude pick mardi gras beads out of the trash and put them on, whilst simultaneously thanking the stars above that he didn't flash us to get them. we managed to get a sardine can, er, i mean, train, but i barely got through the crowd to get off at arlington to head back to the hotel. ah, always an adventure!
i'll close by mentioning that the beds in a five-star hotel feel best after a freezing cold night at a great baseball game...
thoughts for the day:
"a hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the ritz."
- humphrey bogart
"the other sports are just sports. baseball is a love."
- bryant gumbel
hasta manana...happy travels.
more pics to follow.
5.19.2008
BOSTON. sunday, may 18.
there are few ways as interesting and hilarious to start off your day other than being hit on by an appalachian redneck wearing salmon-colored denim shorts in a burger king in boone, nc. and believe me, i couldn't make that up if i tried. if my keyboard and phonetic-typing ability allowed, i would attempt to communicate what he said to me, but replicating that twang is beyond my scope!
as would be replicating the absolutely adorable asian woman who staffs the dunkin donuts in the greensboro airport. the best i can do is to compare her to miss swan on mad tv - no exaggeration! this woman looked and sounded JUST like her! positively precious and hysterical. i told ed i wanted to go back after i got my coffee and have my picture taken with her! (not to mention, you KNOW i wanted to keep her for a pet...) she cracked us up from a distance the entire time we waited to board. what a hoot! next time you're passing through greensboro, trust me it is worth the trip over to get a coffee from her. what a riot.
however...on a very NOT amusing note...on the flight from dc to boston we were seated across for this week's nominee for the most annoying person in the world. for starters, as we boarded and took our seats, he was busy loudly telling the girl sitting next to him how if the plane crashed, it would just come apart in pieces. no, he said, there isn't any other option, it's coming to pieces. poor girl. i almost wish i had photographed her face to truly communicate the expression of horror dancing across it. fortunately for her, and unfortunately for lucas' dad, lucas and padre showed up about then and due to some mix-up had scared girl moved up to first class so they would have the two seats they had been assigned. here's where annoying guy became really creepy guy. he was immediately smitten with lucas and talked nonstop to him. well, at least nonstop until i was able to plug my ears with the ipod and block him out. i'll just say this - no way in hell i would have let that dude be talking to my kid. freaky. so finally we land and i am sitting there absent-mindedly staring at the seat back in front of me when i hear freaky guy telling lucas' now-seemingly-exhausted-and-annoyed dad that he bet he didn't know he was going up in a flying coffin when he got on here. yessss, sir, it's nothing but a flyin' coffin...said freaky guy to now anyone in earshot. yeah. you meet all kinds on a plane...
a word to the wise...NEVER trust ed's sense of direction. in fact, do not trust EITHER of my parents' senses, or lack there of, of direction. i don't know where i got my superb navigational skills, but i know where i didn't! and that's really all i can say about that...lol.
however, it should go without saying that sometimes sticking with something old is a tried and true way of guaranteeing success. and this is by far the case with the long-time boston favorite of legal sea foods. old standby implies devotion and loyalty, which i will certainly admit i have, but it should not imply the same old, same old. we visited the copley place location, which is one i hadn't eaten at before, and had a fantastic table with a great view. and the world's perkiest waitress, i kid you not. hey, hey, jo-jo! lol.
we started with the calamari, of course - hey, like i said, sometimes same old, same old is a good thing! we had half regular, fried and served with their PERFECT homemade tartar sauce, and half thai style, served with a light thai red chili glaze, pineapple, and peanuts. since ed doesn't eat the legs but i giggle at the thought of eating a mini-octopus, i had some of both. absolutely PERFECT. the regular fried style was lightly breaded and not greasy, accompanied by exquisite tartar sauce, actually made CORRECTLY, which is a feat here in yankee-land. my thai style was foodgasmic. delightfully sweet and tangy at first, blended inauspiciously with the crunchy, meaty peanuts, followed by tender roasted pineapple, and finishing with that KICK that makes thai chilis so damn good. it was the perfect match for the delicate sweetness of the calamari. incredible.
while i debated for over half an hour, ed decided on wood-fire grilled haddock with a lemon chive butter sauce, accompanied by mashed potatoes and cole slaw. i finally chose the lobster and crab ravioli, dressed with a vodka sauce, and accompanied by crustini and mixed greens. now, while ed would have totally flunked home ec for his blandly colored plate, he was not wrong in his choices, by far! the fish was delicate and fell off the skin. mildly seasoned, it held on to the smoky grilled flavor and was accented perfectly by the delicate but tangy lemon chive butter. and the mashed potatoes? oh. my. god. don't even GET me started. i thought the calamari was foodgasmic, but i quickly committed blatant adultery with the potatoes. judging by their buttery smoothness and faintly yellow tint, we both felt they had been made with yukon gold potatoes - the hands-down first choice for good mashed potatoes. furthermore, there was a deliciously subtle hint of sharp cheddar, giving just a tiny bite of cheese. INCREDIBLE. my much more colorful plate danced with faintly yellow ravioli dressed with the orangey-red vodka sauce, accented by the bright white crustini and the bowl of vibrant mixed greens. and first bite? DIVINE. the pasta was very light and delicate, filled with a smooth mixture of ricotta, crab, and lobster. more chunks of crab and lobster were admixed in the sauce. deliciously sweet with a slight tang of tomato. the mixed greens were drizzled with a homemade vinaigrette whose ingredients beseech me, but were delicious nonetheless. perfect. plus, i get extra points for use of color. :)
because we had actually been served and eaten appropriate size portions, we were able to kick it a little unusual and order dessert. we decided to share the special - a blueberry lemon mousse cake. sounded wicked cool and refreshing. little did we know, it would also be so pretty i had to take a picture of it! i realize my photographing of food is really nothing new, but i'm telling you - this cake really was a piece of patisserie artwork. and at first bite, love. it was the most complimentary blend of flavors - the light, tangy lemon with the sweet bite of blueberry. the cake itself was very light, almost a sponge cake. it was lightly iced with a smooth lemon mousse, and further filled with a blend of blueberry and lemon mousse. topped with fresh whipped cream and accompanied by fresh blueberries, it was worth writing home, or writing blog, i should say, about.
one of those perfect meal experiences. very hungry when you arrive, perfect meal, perfect dessert...heaven. and a surefire sign of a good gaither dining experience: we weren't sleepy when we left! biggest compliment to the chef, i think.
after dinner we were magnetically drawn by the bad man to the borders on the corner of clarendon and boylston. it stretches over a block between boylston and newbury and reaches up two stories. full of bad, bad men. i managed to experience some sort of restraint, sort of...but i did buy the new jimmy buffett book, of course. after returning to jury's for the night, i tried to read it, but the swine couldn't keep my eyes open and along with captain edward of the directionally and key challenged knights of the borders, we passed out to the tune of a law & order: best of detective green marathon.
thoughts for the day:
"when I get a little money, i buy books. and if there is any left over, i buy food."
- deciderius erasmus
"he who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton."
- henry david thoreau
hasta manana...happy travels.
more pics to follow.
as would be replicating the absolutely adorable asian woman who staffs the dunkin donuts in the greensboro airport. the best i can do is to compare her to miss swan on mad tv - no exaggeration! this woman looked and sounded JUST like her! positively precious and hysterical. i told ed i wanted to go back after i got my coffee and have my picture taken with her! (not to mention, you KNOW i wanted to keep her for a pet...) she cracked us up from a distance the entire time we waited to board. what a hoot! next time you're passing through greensboro, trust me it is worth the trip over to get a coffee from her. what a riot.
however...on a very NOT amusing note...on the flight from dc to boston we were seated across for this week's nominee for the most annoying person in the world. for starters, as we boarded and took our seats, he was busy loudly telling the girl sitting next to him how if the plane crashed, it would just come apart in pieces. no, he said, there isn't any other option, it's coming to pieces. poor girl. i almost wish i had photographed her face to truly communicate the expression of horror dancing across it. fortunately for her, and unfortunately for lucas' dad, lucas and padre showed up about then and due to some mix-up had scared girl moved up to first class so they would have the two seats they had been assigned. here's where annoying guy became really creepy guy. he was immediately smitten with lucas and talked nonstop to him. well, at least nonstop until i was able to plug my ears with the ipod and block him out. i'll just say this - no way in hell i would have let that dude be talking to my kid. freaky. so finally we land and i am sitting there absent-mindedly staring at the seat back in front of me when i hear freaky guy telling lucas' now-seemingly-exhausted-and-annoyed dad that he bet he didn't know he was going up in a flying coffin when he got on here. yessss, sir, it's nothing but a flyin' coffin...said freaky guy to now anyone in earshot. yeah. you meet all kinds on a plane...
a word to the wise...NEVER trust ed's sense of direction. in fact, do not trust EITHER of my parents' senses, or lack there of, of direction. i don't know where i got my superb navigational skills, but i know where i didn't! and that's really all i can say about that...lol.
however, it should go without saying that sometimes sticking with something old is a tried and true way of guaranteeing success. and this is by far the case with the long-time boston favorite of legal sea foods. old standby implies devotion and loyalty, which i will certainly admit i have, but it should not imply the same old, same old. we visited the copley place location, which is one i hadn't eaten at before, and had a fantastic table with a great view. and the world's perkiest waitress, i kid you not. hey, hey, jo-jo! lol.
we started with the calamari, of course - hey, like i said, sometimes same old, same old is a good thing! we had half regular, fried and served with their PERFECT homemade tartar sauce, and half thai style, served with a light thai red chili glaze, pineapple, and peanuts. since ed doesn't eat the legs but i giggle at the thought of eating a mini-octopus, i had some of both. absolutely PERFECT. the regular fried style was lightly breaded and not greasy, accompanied by exquisite tartar sauce, actually made CORRECTLY, which is a feat here in yankee-land. my thai style was foodgasmic. delightfully sweet and tangy at first, blended inauspiciously with the crunchy, meaty peanuts, followed by tender roasted pineapple, and finishing with that KICK that makes thai chilis so damn good. it was the perfect match for the delicate sweetness of the calamari. incredible.
while i debated for over half an hour, ed decided on wood-fire grilled haddock with a lemon chive butter sauce, accompanied by mashed potatoes and cole slaw. i finally chose the lobster and crab ravioli, dressed with a vodka sauce, and accompanied by crustini and mixed greens. now, while ed would have totally flunked home ec for his blandly colored plate, he was not wrong in his choices, by far! the fish was delicate and fell off the skin. mildly seasoned, it held on to the smoky grilled flavor and was accented perfectly by the delicate but tangy lemon chive butter. and the mashed potatoes? oh. my. god. don't even GET me started. i thought the calamari was foodgasmic, but i quickly committed blatant adultery with the potatoes. judging by their buttery smoothness and faintly yellow tint, we both felt they had been made with yukon gold potatoes - the hands-down first choice for good mashed potatoes. furthermore, there was a deliciously subtle hint of sharp cheddar, giving just a tiny bite of cheese. INCREDIBLE. my much more colorful plate danced with faintly yellow ravioli dressed with the orangey-red vodka sauce, accented by the bright white crustini and the bowl of vibrant mixed greens. and first bite? DIVINE. the pasta was very light and delicate, filled with a smooth mixture of ricotta, crab, and lobster. more chunks of crab and lobster were admixed in the sauce. deliciously sweet with a slight tang of tomato. the mixed greens were drizzled with a homemade vinaigrette whose ingredients beseech me, but were delicious nonetheless. perfect. plus, i get extra points for use of color. :)
because we had actually been served and eaten appropriate size portions, we were able to kick it a little unusual and order dessert. we decided to share the special - a blueberry lemon mousse cake. sounded wicked cool and refreshing. little did we know, it would also be so pretty i had to take a picture of it! i realize my photographing of food is really nothing new, but i'm telling you - this cake really was a piece of patisserie artwork. and at first bite, love. it was the most complimentary blend of flavors - the light, tangy lemon with the sweet bite of blueberry. the cake itself was very light, almost a sponge cake. it was lightly iced with a smooth lemon mousse, and further filled with a blend of blueberry and lemon mousse. topped with fresh whipped cream and accompanied by fresh blueberries, it was worth writing home, or writing blog, i should say, about.
one of those perfect meal experiences. very hungry when you arrive, perfect meal, perfect dessert...heaven. and a surefire sign of a good gaither dining experience: we weren't sleepy when we left! biggest compliment to the chef, i think.
after dinner we were magnetically drawn by the bad man to the borders on the corner of clarendon and boylston. it stretches over a block between boylston and newbury and reaches up two stories. full of bad, bad men. i managed to experience some sort of restraint, sort of...but i did buy the new jimmy buffett book, of course. after returning to jury's for the night, i tried to read it, but the swine couldn't keep my eyes open and along with captain edward of the directionally and key challenged knights of the borders, we passed out to the tune of a law & order: best of detective green marathon.
thoughts for the day:
"when I get a little money, i buy books. and if there is any left over, i buy food."
- deciderius erasmus
"he who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton."
- henry david thoreau
hasta manana...happy travels.
more pics to follow.
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