CHEAP BITES IN CHINATOWN
Last week I activated a free one week membership at the SportClub LA. I have no idea how I got invited to join this club, since I am not in the income bracket of someone who could afford this place (the most basic membership comes out to $200/mo.) but whatever. They were inviting me to try it for free and I got to bring a long a friend! So Leah and I headed down there on a Fri night to figure out what all the hype was about.
To be honest, the LA Sports Club is not all that great. Leah made a great point that it looked and felt like the fitness/spa deck of a cruise ship. Sure, it had lots of space. And I got to watch a thunderstorm take place while sitting on an exercise bike overlooking the Commons (and watching cable on my own flatscreen tv), but as far as the amenities went, it wasn't that much greater than my own gym. We did fall in love with the locker room, though, with it's lovely sauna, showers, plentiful towels and sheer cleansliness.
After the gym, we were starving and we wanted to eat fast, so I suggested we visit Pho Vietnam.
It's not the best Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, but it certainly is cheap. When we arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty. I ordered the chicken bun while Leah ordered some summer spring rolls and the beef bun. I ordered a chicken bun.
Ok, so i gotta say, I always get the bun at Pho Pasteur and Pho Vietnam mixed up. But once I got my order, I remembered that I didn't like the chicken bun at Pho Vietname as much as the one at Pho Pasteur. It's true that as I kept digging down in my bowl, I'd find more and more veggies, and that kept me happy. But the chicken here is always a bit dry, tough and kinda disappointing. At least it was an inexpensive dinner, though, costing me less than $7 for my bowl of bun, but we should've gone across the street to Pho Vietnam, which I will remember next time.
Friday, July 28, 2006
NY DINING DAY 3: HAVANA CHELSEA
I'm going to be blaming Tom for my lack of blogging during the last 2 days. He was nice enough to lend me his brand new Nintendo Lite and I've been playing Tetris ever since, trying to top one score after the next. Right now I'm at level 11 with 107 lines. Maybe that'll change in an hour, though.
At any rate, I did want to finish posting about our trip in NY. Our last day there was a Monday, which we spent touring Tumbador Chocolates in Brooklyn and then s walking the floor of the Fancy Food Show for hours. Needless to say, it was a long, tiring day and the heat didn't help at all. By the time I'd finished up the show, it was rush hour in NY. So we decided to wait out the traffic and grab some food before heading back in Boston.
As I said in an earlier post, we were really going for hold in the wall places on this trip. So I took Tom to my favorite Cuban restaurant in my old neighborhood, Chelsea. I stumbled upon Havana Chelsea a few years back. It's just around the corner from my old pottery studio on 18th and W. 8th. Actually, there is (or was) a large Cuban population in Chelsea. Chelsea Havana actually reminds me a lot of the neighborhood Cuban restaurants in Miami, and the number of Spanish speakers and locals is a sign of its quality and authenticity. In case you don't know where Cuba is located, here's the placemat to help you out.
When Tom and I arrived, it was still pretty early, and the restaurant was fairly empty. I ordered my usual, the Yellow Rice with Chicken (arroz con pollo). When it's colder, I also love to order the chicken stew, but it was a hot day. Tom got some sort of chicken sandwich.
Here's my dish below. It's really a huge portion, with green olives and a red pepper. There's like half a chicken buried under all the rice. I've never finished a plate of this stuff, I always end up taking it home, which is also what I did this time.
Simple, tasty and cheap. That's what I loved about this place. I think Tom also enjoyed his sandwich. So if you're ever in Chelsea and you want to skip some of those trendier restaurants that I've noticed popping up all over, try Havana Chelsea for some truly authentic Cuban American food.
I'm going to be blaming Tom for my lack of blogging during the last 2 days. He was nice enough to lend me his brand new Nintendo Lite and I've been playing Tetris ever since, trying to top one score after the next. Right now I'm at level 11 with 107 lines. Maybe that'll change in an hour, though.
At any rate, I did want to finish posting about our trip in NY. Our last day there was a Monday, which we spent touring Tumbador Chocolates in Brooklyn and then s walking the floor of the Fancy Food Show for hours. Needless to say, it was a long, tiring day and the heat didn't help at all. By the time I'd finished up the show, it was rush hour in NY. So we decided to wait out the traffic and grab some food before heading back in Boston.
As I said in an earlier post, we were really going for hold in the wall places on this trip. So I took Tom to my favorite Cuban restaurant in my old neighborhood, Chelsea. I stumbled upon Havana Chelsea a few years back. It's just around the corner from my old pottery studio on 18th and W. 8th. Actually, there is (or was) a large Cuban population in Chelsea. Chelsea Havana actually reminds me a lot of the neighborhood Cuban restaurants in Miami, and the number of Spanish speakers and locals is a sign of its quality and authenticity. In case you don't know where Cuba is located, here's the placemat to help you out.
When Tom and I arrived, it was still pretty early, and the restaurant was fairly empty. I ordered my usual, the Yellow Rice with Chicken (arroz con pollo). When it's colder, I also love to order the chicken stew, but it was a hot day. Tom got some sort of chicken sandwich.Here's my dish below. It's really a huge portion, with green olives and a red pepper. There's like half a chicken buried under all the rice. I've never finished a plate of this stuff, I always end up taking it home, which is also what I did this time.
Simple, tasty and cheap. That's what I loved about this place. I think Tom also enjoyed his sandwich. So if you're ever in Chelsea and you want to skip some of those trendier restaurants that I've noticed popping up all over, try Havana Chelsea for some truly authentic Cuban American food.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
NY DINING DAY 2: PIPA
Day 2 in New York was not a huge dining day for us. It was more a working day for me. I spent the morning walking the bottom floor of the Fancy Food Show (the smaller floor) and then met up with Tom, his brother and the brother's gf for a casual lunch in Cobble Hill. We went to a cute local French restaurant to eat and afterwards, checked out a couple of chocolate cafes in Park Slope.
For the evening, we went to a reception at the Michel Cluizel chocolate shop in ABC Home and Carpet in the Flatiron district. I hadn't been to Michel Cluizel's only outpost in the U.S. because when they opened last year, it was during the NYC Chocolate Show and I just hadn't had time. So the reception was a great time to check the place out, have some free drinks and free chocolates (of course). The store was actually much smaller than I thought it'd be. I thought there would be more seating and more of a cafe setting. And I will admit, it was a bit of an odd setup since it was right inside ABC Home and Carpet, so it didn't have real walls and it was sandwiched between two restaurants. In some ways, it reminded me of my own store. It was nice to see though, and I certainly enjoyed the drinks.
For dinner, since we were inside ABC Home and Carpet anyway, I had told my buddy Moses to meet us at Pipa, a tapas restaurant that was immediately adjacent to Michel Cluizel. This would be the fancy dinner for our trip. My friends had all gone to Pipa before, but I'd never visited, preferring Craftbar which used to be immediately across the street (it's now moved a few blocks away). The setting is dark and filled with these crazy chandeliers. Lots and lots of chandeliers that are all available at ABC. They each have a price tag on them and they are super expensive (in the price range of thousands), but they help set the mood.
When Moses arrived, we were quickly seated at a table. He wasn't very hungry, so Tom and I ordered a number of tapas to share. Here is my order of wild mushrooms. (ok, I've blogged about a few tapas restaurants now. Have you noticed that I tend to order the same things?)
The mushrooms were pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. And then I ordered my typical gambas al ajillo.
I did like the crispy garlic. But I didn't find the shrimp to be really fresh and they were kinda bland.
I also ordered this Scallops a la Mancha seared diver scallops with caramelized onions, Manchego cheese & crispy Serrano ham. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to the ham part, because then I wouldn't have ordered these had i noticed that. Anyway, here are the scallops below.
I really do prefer seared scallops. And all the toppings on the scallops made them soggy and pretty unappealing to me. I think Tom ate most of it.
And lastly, Tom ordered the Champinones mushroom croquettes served with a frisse salad dressing with truffle trumpet vinaigrette. I didn't end up eating any of these cause I'd already had enough mushrooms.
Overall, I enjoyed the setting of Pipa much more than the food. Although, I must say that the service was pretty horrendous. We were generally ignored. It took forever to order and when we finally wanted to pay and leave, it took quite a lot to find a waiter. I expect more out of NYC restaurants. I think they were bit off because the resturant was quite empty and quiet for a Saturday night, tho not surprising considering it's summer season in NY. However, in the future, I would rather stick to my cheaper, more enjoyable hole in the walls than visit a place like this.
Day 2 in New York was not a huge dining day for us. It was more a working day for me. I spent the morning walking the bottom floor of the Fancy Food Show (the smaller floor) and then met up with Tom, his brother and the brother's gf for a casual lunch in Cobble Hill. We went to a cute local French restaurant to eat and afterwards, checked out a couple of chocolate cafes in Park Slope.
For the evening, we went to a reception at the Michel Cluizel chocolate shop in ABC Home and Carpet in the Flatiron district. I hadn't been to Michel Cluizel's only outpost in the U.S. because when they opened last year, it was during the NYC Chocolate Show and I just hadn't had time. So the reception was a great time to check the place out, have some free drinks and free chocolates (of course). The store was actually much smaller than I thought it'd be. I thought there would be more seating and more of a cafe setting. And I will admit, it was a bit of an odd setup since it was right inside ABC Home and Carpet, so it didn't have real walls and it was sandwiched between two restaurants. In some ways, it reminded me of my own store. It was nice to see though, and I certainly enjoyed the drinks.
For dinner, since we were inside ABC Home and Carpet anyway, I had told my buddy Moses to meet us at Pipa, a tapas restaurant that was immediately adjacent to Michel Cluizel. This would be the fancy dinner for our trip. My friends had all gone to Pipa before, but I'd never visited, preferring Craftbar which used to be immediately across the street (it's now moved a few blocks away). The setting is dark and filled with these crazy chandeliers. Lots and lots of chandeliers that are all available at ABC. They each have a price tag on them and they are super expensive (in the price range of thousands), but they help set the mood.
When Moses arrived, we were quickly seated at a table. He wasn't very hungry, so Tom and I ordered a number of tapas to share. Here is my order of wild mushrooms. (ok, I've blogged about a few tapas restaurants now. Have you noticed that I tend to order the same things?)
The mushrooms were pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. And then I ordered my typical gambas al ajillo.
I did like the crispy garlic. But I didn't find the shrimp to be really fresh and they were kinda bland.I also ordered this Scallops a la Mancha seared diver scallops with caramelized onions, Manchego cheese & crispy Serrano ham. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to the ham part, because then I wouldn't have ordered these had i noticed that. Anyway, here are the scallops below.
I really do prefer seared scallops. And all the toppings on the scallops made them soggy and pretty unappealing to me. I think Tom ate most of it.And lastly, Tom ordered the Champinones mushroom croquettes served with a frisse salad dressing with truffle trumpet vinaigrette. I didn't end up eating any of these cause I'd already had enough mushrooms.
Overall, I enjoyed the setting of Pipa much more than the food. Although, I must say that the service was pretty horrendous. We were generally ignored. It took forever to order and when we finally wanted to pay and leave, it took quite a lot to find a waiter. I expect more out of NYC restaurants. I think they were bit off because the resturant was quite empty and quiet for a Saturday night, tho not surprising considering it's summer season in NY. However, in the future, I would rather stick to my cheaper, more enjoyable hole in the walls than visit a place like this.
Friday, July 21, 2006
NY DINING DAY 1: AMANDINE AND EXCELLENT PORKCHOP
For me, there are two ways of dining in NY. Either super high end or hole in the wall excellence. On my most recent trip to NY, we engaged in the latter more than the former, and I was just fine with that. So I was in NY for work, attending the annual Fancy Food Show, the largest gourmet food show in the country. And it was also an opportunity to see my cousins and check out their awesome new pad in DUMBO. (I dream of having 12 foot ceilings, a subzero fridge, a wolf range and a great roof garden).
By the time we arrived at my cousin's place, it was post lunch. But the perfect time for a pre-dinner snack. We first checked out Jacque Torres' chocolate shop, I always want to see what new stuff he's got going on and then we went over to their neighborhood bakery, just across the street from J. Torres, Amandine. It seems to me that bakeries named Amandine tend to be excellent, since there's also one in LA that I've blogged about (but they are unrelated). And really, if we had a bakery like this in Boston, i would be driving to it all the time, even if it wasn't in my neighborhood.
The pastry case at Amandine is filled with all sorts of freshly made pastries.
The also sell freshly made breads and sandwiches. Yeah, we don't have a place like this in Boston. Believe me, I've looked. Though Truly Jorg's comes close (of course his new location in Boston hasn't opened yet.) After perusing the case I decided to get this strawberry tart.
Doesn't it just look lovely? Of course, when you have something this simple, all the components need to be great. And in this case they were. The two things that people tend to screw up the most are the tart shell and the pastry cream (and I'll admit, good pastry cream is hard to make). But in this case, they were great.
My cousin, Jeany, got this mixed berry eclair. She says it's her favorite thing there.
and I didn't photograph it, but my cousin's husband got a chocolate mousse cup. Post snack, we strolled around the park a bit, checked out the awesome views of Manhattan and made an attempt to get ice cream (but the place had run out of ice cream for the day!) Afterwards, we went home and watched a movie.
Then it was time for dinner. We thought about various places to go, but the final consensus was the Excellent Pork Chop House (yes, that is actually the name of the place) in Manhattan. Years ago, before I had lived in NY, one of my cousins (not the one I was visiting this time) had taken me there, but just for shaved ice. Then, when I finally moved to NY, I had to track it down for myself and was very please to introduce it to my cousin, Jeany, who had lived in NY for over 10 years. My only problem with the place is that it closes by 9pm, which is unheard of for NY.
So the Excellent Porkchop serves very authentic Taiwanese cuisine. It's located on Doyers street, which is this little alleyway between Mott and Bowery, right across from the Post Office . I've heard that it actually has a secret underground tunnel hidden below it, which had been used by various Chinatown gangs, but I've never been able to find it for myself. I will admit that this is not the greatest, most romantic setting in the world. But that's why it's a hole in the wall.
This place does have picture menus (just like Duk Bua) and the waitress did give it to one of my friends once. Luckily, we've been there so often that the waitresses still remember us (even if I don't live in NY anymore, I still go here 1-2 times a year). We started off ordering two appetizers. First, i always order these little cucumbers. (translated, the name is little yellow cucumbers). They are slightly pickled and are very garlickly. Kinda sweet and sour at the same time, but always delicious.
Jeany ordered a plate of jellyfish. It's been marinated in sesame oil and garlic and along with the pickled daikon, cucumbers and carrots, it is cool, crunchy and also wonderful.
Then it was onto the main event. As you all know, I don't eat pork. (I left that up to the rest of the table and they all enjoyed their porkchops) Meanwhile, I ordered my favorite fried chicken leg noodle soup, with an extra marinated egg on the side. It arrives with a huge bowl of noodles. At the top of the pic you'll see the pickled veggies that it's served with. Again, the crunchy, saltiness of the pickles just enhances the flavors of the soup.
And of course, here's the fried chicken leg that they serve on a separate place.
It actually ends up being a massive amount of food. And of course, being in Chinatown, and not on Canal street, this entire dinner cost us around $8/person. I love NY Chinatown! So if you're ever wandering around Chinatown, looking for an excellent place to eat, try the Excellent Pork Chop House on Doyers, you won't be sorry.
For me, there are two ways of dining in NY. Either super high end or hole in the wall excellence. On my most recent trip to NY, we engaged in the latter more than the former, and I was just fine with that. So I was in NY for work, attending the annual Fancy Food Show, the largest gourmet food show in the country. And it was also an opportunity to see my cousins and check out their awesome new pad in DUMBO. (I dream of having 12 foot ceilings, a subzero fridge, a wolf range and a great roof garden).
By the time we arrived at my cousin's place, it was post lunch. But the perfect time for a pre-dinner snack. We first checked out Jacque Torres' chocolate shop, I always want to see what new stuff he's got going on and then we went over to their neighborhood bakery, just across the street from J. Torres, Amandine. It seems to me that bakeries named Amandine tend to be excellent, since there's also one in LA that I've blogged about (but they are unrelated). And really, if we had a bakery like this in Boston, i would be driving to it all the time, even if it wasn't in my neighborhood.
The pastry case at Amandine is filled with all sorts of freshly made pastries.
The also sell freshly made breads and sandwiches. Yeah, we don't have a place like this in Boston. Believe me, I've looked. Though Truly Jorg's comes close (of course his new location in Boston hasn't opened yet.) After perusing the case I decided to get this strawberry tart.
Doesn't it just look lovely? Of course, when you have something this simple, all the components need to be great. And in this case they were. The two things that people tend to screw up the most are the tart shell and the pastry cream (and I'll admit, good pastry cream is hard to make). But in this case, they were great.My cousin, Jeany, got this mixed berry eclair. She says it's her favorite thing there.
and I didn't photograph it, but my cousin's husband got a chocolate mousse cup. Post snack, we strolled around the park a bit, checked out the awesome views of Manhattan and made an attempt to get ice cream (but the place had run out of ice cream for the day!) Afterwards, we went home and watched a movie.Then it was time for dinner. We thought about various places to go, but the final consensus was the Excellent Pork Chop House (yes, that is actually the name of the place) in Manhattan. Years ago, before I had lived in NY, one of my cousins (not the one I was visiting this time) had taken me there, but just for shaved ice. Then, when I finally moved to NY, I had to track it down for myself and was very please to introduce it to my cousin, Jeany, who had lived in NY for over 10 years. My only problem with the place is that it closes by 9pm, which is unheard of for NY.
So the Excellent Porkchop serves very authentic Taiwanese cuisine. It's located on Doyers street, which is this little alleyway between Mott and Bowery, right across from the Post Office . I've heard that it actually has a secret underground tunnel hidden below it, which had been used by various Chinatown gangs, but I've never been able to find it for myself. I will admit that this is not the greatest, most romantic setting in the world. But that's why it's a hole in the wall.
This place does have picture menus (just like Duk Bua) and the waitress did give it to one of my friends once. Luckily, we've been there so often that the waitresses still remember us (even if I don't live in NY anymore, I still go here 1-2 times a year). We started off ordering two appetizers. First, i always order these little cucumbers. (translated, the name is little yellow cucumbers). They are slightly pickled and are very garlickly. Kinda sweet and sour at the same time, but always delicious.
Jeany ordered a plate of jellyfish. It's been marinated in sesame oil and garlic and along with the pickled daikon, cucumbers and carrots, it is cool, crunchy and also wonderful.
Then it was onto the main event. As you all know, I don't eat pork. (I left that up to the rest of the table and they all enjoyed their porkchops) Meanwhile, I ordered my favorite fried chicken leg noodle soup, with an extra marinated egg on the side. It arrives with a huge bowl of noodles. At the top of the pic you'll see the pickled veggies that it's served with. Again, the crunchy, saltiness of the pickles just enhances the flavors of the soup.
And of course, here's the fried chicken leg that they serve on a separate place.
It actually ends up being a massive amount of food. And of course, being in Chinatown, and not on Canal street, this entire dinner cost us around $8/person. I love NY Chinatown! So if you're ever wandering around Chinatown, looking for an excellent place to eat, try the Excellent Pork Chop House on Doyers, you won't be sorry.
FISH TACOS!
Ok, I've blogged about it before, and you all know what a big fan of El Pelon I am. So here's just a quickie pic of the fish tacos they've got.
We had no idea that they served fish tacos at El Pelon, until reading an article in Stuff at Night. But when we showed up at the restaurant, they were right there on the menu. So each of us got an order of two tacos each (under $6) and of course, you can't forget the side of chips and guac.
Turns out the 2 tacos is the perfect amount and they tasted great. The fish was lightly fried and not greasy or soggy at all. And i loved the pickled veggies that added a little tanginess to it all. The addition of a little cream sauce made it all perfect. So much so that I'm craving some right now. Maybe after the gym, as long as it doesn't rain...
Ok, I've blogged about it before, and you all know what a big fan of El Pelon I am. So here's just a quickie pic of the fish tacos they've got.
We had no idea that they served fish tacos at El Pelon, until reading an article in Stuff at Night. But when we showed up at the restaurant, they were right there on the menu. So each of us got an order of two tacos each (under $6) and of course, you can't forget the side of chips and guac.Turns out the 2 tacos is the perfect amount and they tasted great. The fish was lightly fried and not greasy or soggy at all. And i loved the pickled veggies that added a little tanginess to it all. The addition of a little cream sauce made it all perfect. So much so that I'm craving some right now. Maybe after the gym, as long as it doesn't rain...
Thursday, July 20, 2006
VELA RESTAURANT, WELLESLEY
Many of you might know that I've been searching for a place to relocate my shop. And a couple of weeks ago, that search took me to Wellesley. Unfortunately the space I saw was rather disappointing, but since we were in the area, I had planned to have dinner at Vela Restaurant. I'll let you all know right now that Vela is owned by Jayna's friends, Jess, and Jess' husband, Frank, is the chef. And Jess did get her wedding favors from my store, so this review may be a little biased.
Vela is in a bit of an unusual location. It's actually located in the basement of an apartment building. And even though the actual size of the restaurant is surprisingly large (taking up the entire basement), it is a little hard to find initially. And you enter the buildling like any other resident of the building. Luckily, they have outdoor seating, which is very nice in the summer. But we opted to stay indoors. Outdoor seating is wonderful and all, but service can sometimes be quite slow and I was hungry and tired.
The decor of Vela is also pretty nice. It has a modern feel to it, but you can certainly tell that they did a lot of the work themselves. It wasn't as finished and polished as some other restaurants, but I kinda liked the idea of the owners working on the build out and design (Jess goes to the GSD with Jayna). The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived (it was a weekday evening), so we were seated quickly and given menus. I found our waiter to be kinda too casual and friendly, but Tom thinks i'm just being weird.
At any rate, I ended up ordering an appetizer of seared scallops over fava beans, peas, cherry tomatoes and shitake mushrooms, with truffle zabaglione.
I really really liked my scallop appetizer. The scallops were seared perfectly and the accompanying veggies were all exceedingly tasty and well cooked. Meanwhile, Tom ordered the mushroom lasagna crispy layers of potato with spinach and wild mushrooms, balsamic reduction.
I had seriously considered ordering this appetizer above my scallop one. (So i was glad when Tom chose it). And i did enjoy the mushrooms a lot. However, I didn't really detect the layers of crispy potatoes and the appetizer was so huge and packed with so many mushrooms that we ended up not finishing eat. A smaller portion would've been more ideal.
Tom also got the baby spinach with beets and crumbled gorgonzola, which I also think he liked.
For my entree, I got a half portion of the homemade fettucine with cockle clams and crab meat, garlic, white wine and chili flakes just because i wanted some homemade pasta. And I was happy to see that you can get all the pastas in a half portion, cause then I don't have to eat too much.
The pasta ended up being just ok. I thought it was a bit too watery, the crab meat was overcooked and there were way too many clams. Actually the entire thing tasted very clammy. So I wasn't a huge fan and wished I'd just gotten the entree portion of the scallop appetizer.
Meanwhile, Tom was enjoying a huge piece of meat, the veal chop milanese style with italian slaw. (ok, don't ask me while he orders so much food and ends up not finishing most of it. And then he complains about my making him fat. If only I could press upon him the need for a bit of moderation.)
He really liked the veal chop. And I actually liked the coleslaw on the side. I wish I could figure out how to make it at home for myself.
By this point, we were stuffed, so we passed on the desserts. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable experience, though a bit on the pricier side. The prices of appetizers and pastas were all pretty reasonable, but once you got to the meats, it jumped into the high 20s-mid 30s, which is quite a lot for a causal night out. But if you're celebrating a special occasion and want to get off the beaten track, I certainly suggest taking a nice drive out to Vela and enjoying a lovely meal.
Many of you might know that I've been searching for a place to relocate my shop. And a couple of weeks ago, that search took me to Wellesley. Unfortunately the space I saw was rather disappointing, but since we were in the area, I had planned to have dinner at Vela Restaurant. I'll let you all know right now that Vela is owned by Jayna's friends, Jess, and Jess' husband, Frank, is the chef. And Jess did get her wedding favors from my store, so this review may be a little biased.
Vela is in a bit of an unusual location. It's actually located in the basement of an apartment building. And even though the actual size of the restaurant is surprisingly large (taking up the entire basement), it is a little hard to find initially. And you enter the buildling like any other resident of the building. Luckily, they have outdoor seating, which is very nice in the summer. But we opted to stay indoors. Outdoor seating is wonderful and all, but service can sometimes be quite slow and I was hungry and tired.
The decor of Vela is also pretty nice. It has a modern feel to it, but you can certainly tell that they did a lot of the work themselves. It wasn't as finished and polished as some other restaurants, but I kinda liked the idea of the owners working on the build out and design (Jess goes to the GSD with Jayna). The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived (it was a weekday evening), so we were seated quickly and given menus. I found our waiter to be kinda too casual and friendly, but Tom thinks i'm just being weird.
At any rate, I ended up ordering an appetizer of seared scallops over fava beans, peas, cherry tomatoes and shitake mushrooms, with truffle zabaglione.
I really really liked my scallop appetizer. The scallops were seared perfectly and the accompanying veggies were all exceedingly tasty and well cooked. Meanwhile, Tom ordered the mushroom lasagna crispy layers of potato with spinach and wild mushrooms, balsamic reduction.I had seriously considered ordering this appetizer above my scallop one. (So i was glad when Tom chose it). And i did enjoy the mushrooms a lot. However, I didn't really detect the layers of crispy potatoes and the appetizer was so huge and packed with so many mushrooms that we ended up not finishing eat. A smaller portion would've been more ideal.
Tom also got the baby spinach with beets and crumbled gorgonzola, which I also think he liked.
For my entree, I got a half portion of the homemade fettucine with cockle clams and crab meat, garlic, white wine and chili flakes just because i wanted some homemade pasta. And I was happy to see that you can get all the pastas in a half portion, cause then I don't have to eat too much.
The pasta ended up being just ok. I thought it was a bit too watery, the crab meat was overcooked and there were way too many clams. Actually the entire thing tasted very clammy. So I wasn't a huge fan and wished I'd just gotten the entree portion of the scallop appetizer.Meanwhile, Tom was enjoying a huge piece of meat, the veal chop milanese style with italian slaw. (ok, don't ask me while he orders so much food and ends up not finishing most of it. And then he complains about my making him fat. If only I could press upon him the need for a bit of moderation.)
He really liked the veal chop. And I actually liked the coleslaw on the side. I wish I could figure out how to make it at home for myself.By this point, we were stuffed, so we passed on the desserts. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable experience, though a bit on the pricier side. The prices of appetizers and pastas were all pretty reasonable, but once you got to the meats, it jumped into the high 20s-mid 30s, which is quite a lot for a causal night out. But if you're celebrating a special occasion and want to get off the beaten track, I certainly suggest taking a nice drive out to Vela and enjoying a lovely meal.
DUK BUA, COOLIDGE CORNER
I'll spare you all my feeble attempts at coming up with a title for this post. A few weeks ago I finally decided to check out Duk Bua, which is located just north of Coolidge Corner. (and right next door to Shabu Village, which I blogged about previously). Looking at the pics on their website right now is making me really hungry. I should eat my lunch. Anyway, Leah had recommended Duk Bua as a great place to grab cheap Thai food. Apparently it used to be a Thai grocery store that happened to have a small food counter, but it later expanded into a full blown restaurant. (There is an area where you can still purchase a small number of Thai groceries).
The setting is super casual and they serve drinks in little mason jars that have handles. And you could tell that the entire place was filled with locals. We were seated very quickly and given 2 massive menus. (oh and they were so helpful by giving us the picture menu. I just love the picture menus cause i find them hilarious. They're ostensibly for those non-natives who just have no idea what to order).
Tom was super hungry that day. So he ordered a bunch of food. (And let me start off by apologizing for the crappiness of these pics now that I'm looking at them). He started with the chicken satay
Which was a very generous portion. And I do love the peanut sauce. I just found the meat a little dry (but they did use all white meat after all)
He also ordered these fish cakes.
I think the fish cakes at Khao Sarn are much better. These were again, a bit dry, and a little bland. But still pretty good.
And lastly, he got a noodle dish. Which looked great. Actually, I kinda wish I had ordered it.
Meawhile, I got a Masaman curry with duck. I was in a duck kind of mood. And I always get this curry from Brown Sugar.
It was actually pretty good. Filled with veggies. Though I must say, I think I like the stuff at Brown Sugar more. And a large portion too. (I ended up taking most of it home) The prices here were all pretty reasonable. Less than Brown Sugar, but more than Roh Dee. And the experience there pretty much falls in the middle too. Not as super casual as Roh Dee, but the service isn't as nice as it is at Brown Sugar either. Perfect for a casual meal out, especially if you want to sit down and have a pleasant meal. However, for my money, I think I'll continue visiting Roh Dee for my Thai food cravings. If only either location had parking...
I'll spare you all my feeble attempts at coming up with a title for this post. A few weeks ago I finally decided to check out Duk Bua, which is located just north of Coolidge Corner. (and right next door to Shabu Village, which I blogged about previously). Looking at the pics on their website right now is making me really hungry. I should eat my lunch. Anyway, Leah had recommended Duk Bua as a great place to grab cheap Thai food. Apparently it used to be a Thai grocery store that happened to have a small food counter, but it later expanded into a full blown restaurant. (There is an area where you can still purchase a small number of Thai groceries).
The setting is super casual and they serve drinks in little mason jars that have handles. And you could tell that the entire place was filled with locals. We were seated very quickly and given 2 massive menus. (oh and they were so helpful by giving us the picture menu. I just love the picture menus cause i find them hilarious. They're ostensibly for those non-natives who just have no idea what to order).
Tom was super hungry that day. So he ordered a bunch of food. (And let me start off by apologizing for the crappiness of these pics now that I'm looking at them). He started with the chicken satay
Which was a very generous portion. And I do love the peanut sauce. I just found the meat a little dry (but they did use all white meat after all)He also ordered these fish cakes.
I think the fish cakes at Khao Sarn are much better. These were again, a bit dry, and a little bland. But still pretty good.And lastly, he got a noodle dish. Which looked great. Actually, I kinda wish I had ordered it.
Meawhile, I got a Masaman curry with duck. I was in a duck kind of mood. And I always get this curry from Brown Sugar.
It was actually pretty good. Filled with veggies. Though I must say, I think I like the stuff at Brown Sugar more. And a large portion too. (I ended up taking most of it home) The prices here were all pretty reasonable. Less than Brown Sugar, but more than Roh Dee. And the experience there pretty much falls in the middle too. Not as super casual as Roh Dee, but the service isn't as nice as it is at Brown Sugar either. Perfect for a casual meal out, especially if you want to sit down and have a pleasant meal. However, for my money, I think I'll continue visiting Roh Dee for my Thai food cravings. If only either location had parking...
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I HEART STONE FRUITS
For me, summer means gorging on stone fruits(defined as anything with a pit- peaches, cherries, pluots, etc.), which is a little difficult in Boston considering that most stone fruits aren't grown in MA. Actually, there's a whole article in the Food section of today's Globe dedicated to stone fruits. Not a good article, but an article. Anyway, I digress.
In my years of living in Boston(actually, let's say the entire east coast), I've been sorely disappointed by summer stone fruits. They just taste like crap. They lack all the sweetness and flavor that stone fruits ought to have. And it makes sense. The vast majority of stone fruit is grown in CA, which means it's gotta be shipped over to us. The fruits are picked before they're ripe so they aren't damaged during shipping. Unfortunately, especially when it comes to peaches, this also means that the peaches won't ripen and sweeten further. Sure, they'll get softer, but they'll never develop the lovely sweetness. Believe me, I experienced this 2 years ago when I found white peaches at Savenor's on Charles St. I bought 2, one for myself and one for my sister, and was shocked to find that they were $3 a piece. But i paid for them, just for a taste of summer. They were the worst white peaches I'd ever had. So tasteless and almost mealy! Never again!
So when my sister told me she was coming to Boston for a wedding last weekend, and asked me what i wanted (other than a new DVD player) i quickly responded that i wanted stone fruits. And lots of them. My entire family was very generous in pulling together and packing me a bunch of fruit. And they did good. I got white peaches, white nectarines,
donut peaches, 
white cherries and
regular bing cherries.
And of course, straight from CA, they were sooooooo yummy. I started with the white peaches and donut peaches (they'd packed those into a little pizza box). Juicy and as Leah expressed it, fragrant. AHHHHHHH. It makes me so happy to have them. I still have them in my fridge at home, and am eating one a day (yes, I'm sharing) just trying to make them last longer. I also shared my favorite white cherries with Tom and Kjell, who'd never had white cherries before.
On Sunday, we're going peach picking in N. Mass. I went peach picking once in DC, and they were ok. I think it'll be a fun summer experience, and we're planning on cooking with the peaches anyway- peach pie and peach tarte tatin. So here's hoping that we get some lovely fruit this weekend.
For me, summer means gorging on stone fruits(defined as anything with a pit- peaches, cherries, pluots, etc.), which is a little difficult in Boston considering that most stone fruits aren't grown in MA. Actually, there's a whole article in the Food section of today's Globe dedicated to stone fruits. Not a good article, but an article. Anyway, I digress.
In my years of living in Boston(actually, let's say the entire east coast), I've been sorely disappointed by summer stone fruits. They just taste like crap. They lack all the sweetness and flavor that stone fruits ought to have. And it makes sense. The vast majority of stone fruit is grown in CA, which means it's gotta be shipped over to us. The fruits are picked before they're ripe so they aren't damaged during shipping. Unfortunately, especially when it comes to peaches, this also means that the peaches won't ripen and sweeten further. Sure, they'll get softer, but they'll never develop the lovely sweetness. Believe me, I experienced this 2 years ago when I found white peaches at Savenor's on Charles St. I bought 2, one for myself and one for my sister, and was shocked to find that they were $3 a piece. But i paid for them, just for a taste of summer. They were the worst white peaches I'd ever had. So tasteless and almost mealy! Never again!
So when my sister told me she was coming to Boston for a wedding last weekend, and asked me what i wanted (other than a new DVD player) i quickly responded that i wanted stone fruits. And lots of them. My entire family was very generous in pulling together and packing me a bunch of fruit. And they did good. I got white peaches, white nectarines,
donut peaches, 
white cherries and
regular bing cherries.
And of course, straight from CA, they were sooooooo yummy. I started with the white peaches and donut peaches (they'd packed those into a little pizza box). Juicy and as Leah expressed it, fragrant. AHHHHHHH. It makes me so happy to have them. I still have them in my fridge at home, and am eating one a day (yes, I'm sharing) just trying to make them last longer. I also shared my favorite white cherries with Tom and Kjell, who'd never had white cherries before.On Sunday, we're going peach picking in N. Mass. I went peach picking once in DC, and they were ok. I think it'll be a fun summer experience, and we're planning on cooking with the peaches anyway- peach pie and peach tarte tatin. So here's hoping that we get some lovely fruit this weekend.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
OUTDOOR SUMMER DINING IN BOSTON
Wow, I'm in a blogging frenzy today. It is the only thing keeping me awake at work right now, though. It's near 95F outside and I wouldn't be buying chocolate either. So of course, it's been an incredibly slow day. I just wanna get out of here and off to my yoga class. Just a few more hours to go...
Summer dining is a big thing in Boston. I mean, we only truly get 3 months that we can spend outdoors in shorts and tanks enjoying some warm weather. So we need to take advantage of it. It's probably why all the free magazines publish an annual outdoor summer dining issue. (even though they repeat the same thing every year). Leah and I had one goal in mind, having dinner outdoors. We really didn't care where. But i didn't want to take the T anywhere, so it'd also have to be somewhere with parking.
Our first shot was the newly opened Beacon Street Tavern. It's owned by the same guys who own the Washington Square Tavern and Matt's beloved Matt Murphy's. It'd opened a couple of weeks before and was just 2 blocks from my apartment. The outdoor dining area was packed, but we had hope. Until we walked into the restaurant and found that the indoor seating was also full. We were told it'd be a 20 minute wait for a table outdoors (which isn't too bad), but after checking out the menu, we decided to go elsewhere. Everything on the menu was pretty heavy and it was actually kinda expensive for a neighborhood restaurant, with prices in the high teens to low twenties.
Instead, we decided to go to Harvard Square and look around for a place with outdoor seating. We ended up waiting at Grendel's Den, which had a handful of outdoor tables.
We were kept waiting for a while, but finally got seated at a highly unstable table. But it'd work and we were just happy to be seated outdoors.
The good thing about Grendel's is that they have super casual, super cheap food. (it is on a college campus after all). I got this chicken roll up thingy. It was very tasty and it's definitely worth it considering I got to have dinner outdoors for less than $10.
While Leah ordered some garlic bread, which I also enjoyed. To be honest, I don't remember what she ordered for dinner, and I didn't photograph it.
After dinner, we decided to walk around the square a bit. I mean, we'd found a prime parking space in Harvard Square and that in itself was a rare feat. So we went off to Toscanini's and each got our beloved micro sundaes (which were topped with fresh whipped cream that'd just been made- unlike my previous experience with the spray whip cream). All in all, a great summer dining experience in Boston (or Cambridge really).
Wow, I'm in a blogging frenzy today. It is the only thing keeping me awake at work right now, though. It's near 95F outside and I wouldn't be buying chocolate either. So of course, it's been an incredibly slow day. I just wanna get out of here and off to my yoga class. Just a few more hours to go...
Summer dining is a big thing in Boston. I mean, we only truly get 3 months that we can spend outdoors in shorts and tanks enjoying some warm weather. So we need to take advantage of it. It's probably why all the free magazines publish an annual outdoor summer dining issue. (even though they repeat the same thing every year). Leah and I had one goal in mind, having dinner outdoors. We really didn't care where. But i didn't want to take the T anywhere, so it'd also have to be somewhere with parking.
Our first shot was the newly opened Beacon Street Tavern. It's owned by the same guys who own the Washington Square Tavern and Matt's beloved Matt Murphy's. It'd opened a couple of weeks before and was just 2 blocks from my apartment. The outdoor dining area was packed, but we had hope. Until we walked into the restaurant and found that the indoor seating was also full. We were told it'd be a 20 minute wait for a table outdoors (which isn't too bad), but after checking out the menu, we decided to go elsewhere. Everything on the menu was pretty heavy and it was actually kinda expensive for a neighborhood restaurant, with prices in the high teens to low twenties.
Instead, we decided to go to Harvard Square and look around for a place with outdoor seating. We ended up waiting at Grendel's Den, which had a handful of outdoor tables.
We were kept waiting for a while, but finally got seated at a highly unstable table. But it'd work and we were just happy to be seated outdoors.The good thing about Grendel's is that they have super casual, super cheap food. (it is on a college campus after all). I got this chicken roll up thingy. It was very tasty and it's definitely worth it considering I got to have dinner outdoors for less than $10.
While Leah ordered some garlic bread, which I also enjoyed. To be honest, I don't remember what she ordered for dinner, and I didn't photograph it.
After dinner, we decided to walk around the square a bit. I mean, we'd found a prime parking space in Harvard Square and that in itself was a rare feat. So we went off to Toscanini's and each got our beloved micro sundaes (which were topped with fresh whipped cream that'd just been made- unlike my previous experience with the spray whip cream). All in all, a great summer dining experience in Boston (or Cambridge really).
MY SUMMER HERB GARDEN
I've always wanted to have fresh herbs at my finger tips, so if I ever needed basil or rosemary or thyme, I could just step outside and pick some fresh. And this year, I was finally able to start my summer herb garden. It didn't start off too well, though. Tom, knowing that I wanted to start my mini garden was thoughtful enough to buy me some thyme and rosemary at the Brookline farmer's market right before I left for Europe. Unfortunately, Boston had some crazy hot and then cold weather while I was gone. And during those hot days (like right now) you gotta water the plants every day. Suffice it to say, the plants didn't survive.
So when I returned, it was time to start over. I picked up a very nice basil plant at Russo's market in Watertown. And I bought a lemon basil plant and a thai basil plant at the Central Square Farmer;s market. Then we made a little trip out to Concord in search of this farm store.
Actually, I don't remember what it's called right now. But i would always drive by it on my way to visit George Howell at Terroir Coffee. This time we were on our way there to enhance my herb garden.
It's actually a lovely place. With a ton of garden plants and a little pond with 2 ducks on it. And a turtle.
I was able to buy a thyme plant, a rosemary plant and a purple basil plant. Tom bought a not great apple pie. They're just better when you can make them yourself. So here's my lovely little garden below. They've been surviving quite well and have grown and flowered. I've already used some basil and thyme. I'm quite proud of it, so stop on by sometime and I'll show it all off to you (in case I haven't already).
I've always wanted to have fresh herbs at my finger tips, so if I ever needed basil or rosemary or thyme, I could just step outside and pick some fresh. And this year, I was finally able to start my summer herb garden. It didn't start off too well, though. Tom, knowing that I wanted to start my mini garden was thoughtful enough to buy me some thyme and rosemary at the Brookline farmer's market right before I left for Europe. Unfortunately, Boston had some crazy hot and then cold weather while I was gone. And during those hot days (like right now) you gotta water the plants every day. Suffice it to say, the plants didn't survive.
So when I returned, it was time to start over. I picked up a very nice basil plant at Russo's market in Watertown. And I bought a lemon basil plant and a thai basil plant at the Central Square Farmer;s market. Then we made a little trip out to Concord in search of this farm store.
Actually, I don't remember what it's called right now. But i would always drive by it on my way to visit George Howell at Terroir Coffee. This time we were on our way there to enhance my herb garden.It's actually a lovely place. With a ton of garden plants and a little pond with 2 ducks on it. And a turtle.
I was able to buy a thyme plant, a rosemary plant and a purple basil plant. Tom bought a not great apple pie. They're just better when you can make them yourself. So here's my lovely little garden below. They've been surviving quite well and have grown and flowered. I've already used some basil and thyme. I'm quite proud of it, so stop on by sometime and I'll show it all off to you (in case I haven't already).
A DEARTH OF FLAVOR AT SABUR
Ah finally. I am done blogging about my European adventure. Of course, it took me 3 weeks to finish blogging, which means I'm now 3 weeks behind on everything else! I actually thought of posting this review right after I had dinner at Sabur. Just because I wanted to warn the rest of you not to go there. But I never got around to it and honestly, I don't think any of you guys would have found your way over there during the last 3 weeks.
So the day after I returned from Europe, we (Tom, Leah and I) had dinner with Sue Min at Sabur. We were looking for something new to try and I'd heard that Sabur, located in Somerville, was a good place, plus I had checked out their menu online and it looked quite appealing.
We should've taken the completely empty dining room as an omen of the meal we were about to have. But I think I brushed it off, blaming it on the fact that it was a weeknight and the location of the restaurant. And as we perused the menu and waited for Sue Min, I was still hopeful for our meal. So we started off by sharing some hummus and pita. It was pretty good, though I like the hummus at the Red Fez more.
So the first bad sign was when one member of the weight staff dropped a piece of silverware. Rather than picking it up, they decided to kick it (noisly) over the stone floor to the back kitchen. Hmmmm....
I ordered the Roasted Garlic Polenta, Wood Grilled Artichokes, Tomato & Olives. Sounds great huh? Here it is below. The polenta was completely tasteless. And not all that warm. It'd clearly been prepared way in advance and just reheated. I didn't detect any roasted garlic and concluded that I made much better polenta than this, and my polenta didn't cost $15 per serving.
Leah ordered the Pan Roasted Tilapia with Grilled Artichokes, Tomatoes & Cured Olives; Served over Soft Polenta as her entree.
I had actually thought of getting this myself. And turns out we'd basically ordered the same dish anyway, but hers just had a serving of overcooked fish served on the same tasteless polenta that I had ordered, and covered with tomato sauce.
I think Tom had better luck with his Beef Sirloin with Gorgonzola Walnut Cream and Garlic Potato which he said was pretty good
And to be quite honest, I have no recollection of what Sue Min ordered, but I'm sure it was just a nonmemorable as the rest of our dinners had been.
The service here was also quite bad. You'd think that the restaurant being nearly empty would lead to some greater attention, but you'd be wrong in thinking that. Our waitress wasn't very helpful at all, and seemed to come by to check on us more out of obligation than genuinely caring about how we were doing.
In conclusion, avoid Sabur. Or any restaurant that refers to itself as offering Exotic Mediterranean cuisine. I would've preferred plain, boring Mediterranean cuisine. At least it would've tasted better than the food at Sabur.
Ah finally. I am done blogging about my European adventure. Of course, it took me 3 weeks to finish blogging, which means I'm now 3 weeks behind on everything else! I actually thought of posting this review right after I had dinner at Sabur. Just because I wanted to warn the rest of you not to go there. But I never got around to it and honestly, I don't think any of you guys would have found your way over there during the last 3 weeks.
So the day after I returned from Europe, we (Tom, Leah and I) had dinner with Sue Min at Sabur. We were looking for something new to try and I'd heard that Sabur, located in Somerville, was a good place, plus I had checked out their menu online and it looked quite appealing.
We should've taken the completely empty dining room as an omen of the meal we were about to have. But I think I brushed it off, blaming it on the fact that it was a weeknight and the location of the restaurant. And as we perused the menu and waited for Sue Min, I was still hopeful for our meal. So we started off by sharing some hummus and pita. It was pretty good, though I like the hummus at the Red Fez more.
So the first bad sign was when one member of the weight staff dropped a piece of silverware. Rather than picking it up, they decided to kick it (noisly) over the stone floor to the back kitchen. Hmmmm....I ordered the Roasted Garlic Polenta, Wood Grilled Artichokes, Tomato & Olives. Sounds great huh? Here it is below. The polenta was completely tasteless. And not all that warm. It'd clearly been prepared way in advance and just reheated. I didn't detect any roasted garlic and concluded that I made much better polenta than this, and my polenta didn't cost $15 per serving.
Leah ordered the Pan Roasted Tilapia with Grilled Artichokes, Tomatoes & Cured Olives; Served over Soft Polenta as her entree.
I had actually thought of getting this myself. And turns out we'd basically ordered the same dish anyway, but hers just had a serving of overcooked fish served on the same tasteless polenta that I had ordered, and covered with tomato sauce.I think Tom had better luck with his Beef Sirloin with Gorgonzola Walnut Cream and Garlic Potato which he said was pretty good
And to be quite honest, I have no recollection of what Sue Min ordered, but I'm sure it was just a nonmemorable as the rest of our dinners had been.
The service here was also quite bad. You'd think that the restaurant being nearly empty would lead to some greater attention, but you'd be wrong in thinking that. Our waitress wasn't very helpful at all, and seemed to come by to check on us more out of obligation than genuinely caring about how we were doing.In conclusion, avoid Sabur. Or any restaurant that refers to itself as offering Exotic Mediterranean cuisine. I would've preferred plain, boring Mediterranean cuisine. At least it would've tasted better than the food at Sabur.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
DAY 10: BARCELONA, THE LAST DAY
It was the last day of my trip, and I had a ton of chocolate shops to visit. I'm not going to detail them all here. I'm gonna stick all the pics up on flickr so my customers can also take a look. But suffice it to say, I had a great time, saw some really cool stuff and bought more chocolates than i could ever eat.
I spent the morning visiting three stores near Shirley's neighborhood in Gracia. Oriol Bagalguer (my new favorite chocolatier), Petit Plaisir and Chocolat Factory (super cool stuff). Then I was back to Las Ramblas to meet up with Greg for lunch and to finish off my Barcelona chocolate tour. On Las Ramblas (which is the main tourist drag of Barcelona, filled with sites and lots of shops), there's a famous market called Mercado Boqueria. Now, I am a huge fan of outdoor markets (have you seen my little farmer's market rant), so of course, I had to visit La Boqueria.
So here are a ton of pictures, with some captions. There were different sections for all the various types of food. Here's a meat stand:
Here are some shots of various fruit stands:
A photo of dragon fruit (i think that's what it's called, I don't particularly like it, it doesn't have much taste and has a funny texture)
Cherries! (you know how much i love cherries)
The fish stall:
Some salted fish (aka bacalao)
Candied fruit:
Dried fruits and nuts
Candy:
and of course chocolate!
Ahh so much food. I ended up buying some fruit. Like cherries and wild strawberries. (tiny and floral, I've only seem them in Europe) The other great thing about La Boqueria is that there are a handful of food stalls where you can sit down and order tapas, which is exactly what Greg and I ended up doing at this place:
We both ordered the menu of the day, which is a set menu of three courses with various options.
So we both started off with appetizers. I had this very nice salad with tuna, which i enjoyed a lot
and Greg got this slightly unusual, but very enjoyable (for him) dish of a fried egg atop white rice and all covered with tomato sauce. He said he'd had it before in Madrid.
Next, we got our main courses. Ok, I admit I didn't really know what type of fish I was ordering when I got this, but I thought it'd be safe knowing it was some type of white fish. It was actually a simply grilled swordfish steak. I have no idea why it was served with these odd french fries, but I didn't eat them.
I was more jealous of Greg for ordering this whole bass. Which was also simply grilled. (he also had no idea what he was ordering other than some type of fish, and I don't think he was expecting a whole fish, but he enjoyed it none the less.)
Of course, we had dessert left. I went for something very simple. Just a slice of fresh pineapple. (it was a big slice)
While Greg had some type of bread pudding?
Post lunch, we were both quite full. and it was super hot out. Luckily, Jayna was able to join us during her lunch break and we went off to explore some chocolate shops.
I eventually made my way back to Shirley's house and for dinner, we decided to go to one last tapas restaurant, one that Shirley particularly liked called Ciutat Comtal.
It was super busy when we got there and was a much fancier restaurant than the casual bar that we'd been at the day before. But they also had a very long bar with many of their cold tapas set out (like the ones on slices of bread.) They also had fresh veggies and seafood at the bar, which you could order, and then it was sent off to the kitchen to be cooked.
We sat in a room at the back of the restaurant which had this cool wall of beer bottles.
I must admit that service at this place sucked. First, it was kinda weird that all the servers here were Asian(which isn't a bad thing, it's just an odd thing in noticed). We couldn't figure out why. And even though we were asking for things in Spanish, the waitress still brought us English menus. Which is a little off putting when you're trying to order something you're accustomed to ordering in Spanish (like gambas al ajillo) and you have to look for the English translation to find out the price or if they've even got it. Plus everything was hurried and not super pleasant.
At any rate, I began my order, and since it was my last night, I decided to try a number of dishes and of course, ordered way too much. I enjoyed this grilled shrimp skewer (sorry for the blurriness)
and I had to order my favorites, grilled pimientos with sea salt. I love these things and i order them everytime i go to Toro in Boston. And it was nice to see that Toro had gotten it right. These were delicious as usual.
I also got some mushrooms
and an order of small fried anchovies. I was actually expecting them to best crispier, but they were still tasty.
In fact, everything was cooked well. And it wasn't terribly expensive. I did enjoy the simplicity and casualness of the previous evening's meal more, though. And dare i say it, but i think I like the tapas at Toro in Boston more. Just for its sheer innovation and how well the tapas are prepared there.
and to finish off the whole meal, Shirls and i shared this nice slice of stawberry tart.
Of course, I'd had a a fabulous trip and all my foodie cravings fulfilled in Barcelona. So i leave you with a last picture of me and my girls in front of a bull statue in Barcelona.
It was the last day of my trip, and I had a ton of chocolate shops to visit. I'm not going to detail them all here. I'm gonna stick all the pics up on flickr so my customers can also take a look. But suffice it to say, I had a great time, saw some really cool stuff and bought more chocolates than i could ever eat.
I spent the morning visiting three stores near Shirley's neighborhood in Gracia. Oriol Bagalguer (my new favorite chocolatier), Petit Plaisir and Chocolat Factory (super cool stuff). Then I was back to Las Ramblas to meet up with Greg for lunch and to finish off my Barcelona chocolate tour. On Las Ramblas (which is the main tourist drag of Barcelona, filled with sites and lots of shops), there's a famous market called Mercado Boqueria. Now, I am a huge fan of outdoor markets (have you seen my little farmer's market rant), so of course, I had to visit La Boqueria.
So here are a ton of pictures, with some captions. There were different sections for all the various types of food. Here's a meat stand:
Here are some shots of various fruit stands:
A photo of dragon fruit (i think that's what it's called, I don't particularly like it, it doesn't have much taste and has a funny texture)
Cherries! (you know how much i love cherries)
The fish stall:
Some salted fish (aka bacalao)
Candied fruit:
Dried fruits and nuts
Candy:
and of course chocolate!
Ahh so much food. I ended up buying some fruit. Like cherries and wild strawberries. (tiny and floral, I've only seem them in Europe) The other great thing about La Boqueria is that there are a handful of food stalls where you can sit down and order tapas, which is exactly what Greg and I ended up doing at this place:
We both ordered the menu of the day, which is a set menu of three courses with various options.So we both started off with appetizers. I had this very nice salad with tuna, which i enjoyed a lot
and Greg got this slightly unusual, but very enjoyable (for him) dish of a fried egg atop white rice and all covered with tomato sauce. He said he'd had it before in Madrid.
Next, we got our main courses. Ok, I admit I didn't really know what type of fish I was ordering when I got this, but I thought it'd be safe knowing it was some type of white fish. It was actually a simply grilled swordfish steak. I have no idea why it was served with these odd french fries, but I didn't eat them.
I was more jealous of Greg for ordering this whole bass. Which was also simply grilled. (he also had no idea what he was ordering other than some type of fish, and I don't think he was expecting a whole fish, but he enjoyed it none the less.)
Of course, we had dessert left. I went for something very simple. Just a slice of fresh pineapple. (it was a big slice)
While Greg had some type of bread pudding?
Post lunch, we were both quite full. and it was super hot out. Luckily, Jayna was able to join us during her lunch break and we went off to explore some chocolate shops.I eventually made my way back to Shirley's house and for dinner, we decided to go to one last tapas restaurant, one that Shirley particularly liked called Ciutat Comtal.
It was super busy when we got there and was a much fancier restaurant than the casual bar that we'd been at the day before. But they also had a very long bar with many of their cold tapas set out (like the ones on slices of bread.) They also had fresh veggies and seafood at the bar, which you could order, and then it was sent off to the kitchen to be cooked.
We sat in a room at the back of the restaurant which had this cool wall of beer bottles.
I must admit that service at this place sucked. First, it was kinda weird that all the servers here were Asian(which isn't a bad thing, it's just an odd thing in noticed). We couldn't figure out why. And even though we were asking for things in Spanish, the waitress still brought us English menus. Which is a little off putting when you're trying to order something you're accustomed to ordering in Spanish (like gambas al ajillo) and you have to look for the English translation to find out the price or if they've even got it. Plus everything was hurried and not super pleasant.At any rate, I began my order, and since it was my last night, I decided to try a number of dishes and of course, ordered way too much. I enjoyed this grilled shrimp skewer (sorry for the blurriness)
and I had to order my favorites, grilled pimientos with sea salt. I love these things and i order them everytime i go to Toro in Boston. And it was nice to see that Toro had gotten it right. These were delicious as usual.
I also got some mushrooms
and an order of small fried anchovies. I was actually expecting them to best crispier, but they were still tasty.
In fact, everything was cooked well. And it wasn't terribly expensive. I did enjoy the simplicity and casualness of the previous evening's meal more, though. And dare i say it, but i think I like the tapas at Toro in Boston more. Just for its sheer innovation and how well the tapas are prepared there.and to finish off the whole meal, Shirls and i shared this nice slice of stawberry tart.
Of course, I'd had a a fabulous trip and all my foodie cravings fulfilled in Barcelona. So i leave you with a last picture of me and my girls in front of a bull statue in Barcelona.
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