So, I have determined that I have been a terrible blogger in the last few months...I have had lots of adventure, ate at a myriad of delicious places and cooked some dishes. But, I figure it's better late than never to share some restaurant loves and places that I ate at and can't quite say the same about.
Loves:
The Night Kitchen, Montague, MA
Nestled in the same mill that houses the Book Mill and the Lady Killigrew Cafe, is this quaint late week/weekend restaurant. With an open kitchen to compliment it's high beamed ceilings, it was a delight to eat alongside a window open to let in the mid summer breeze and the soothing sound of the rushing river. The dining began with lobster cobb salad, with just a little bit of lobster to enhance to sweet and tangy flavors that usually define cobb salad. The meal was a delicately cut pork with a fig center, highlighted with cherries. The dining joy ended with the Heart of Darkness Flourless Chocolate torte...with a swirl of mango puree. A wonderful place to have lovely conversation and enjoy a relaxed yet scintillating meal.
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| Heart of Darkness Flourless Chocolate Torte |
It wasn't until I went to figure out the name of the delicious Thai food place we wandered into while sauntering along the streets of Keene, that I realized it's part of the same group as my favorite place in Northampton, MA that has the same name. I chose the pad thai as usual, but opted for the vegetarian option and I'm so glad I did. Bright with colors and freshness, it was by far the best pad thai I've tasted since my Chicago neighborhood favorite (The Spice). If I recall correctly, Kurt ate scallops with mango curry, and not only was his not too spicy or sweet to the taste, it came with a little flame. Who can argue with that?
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| Vegetarian Pad Thai |
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| What especially amuses me about this picture is the lanternesque quality of this dish contrasting with the slightly obscured Green Lantern shirt of its consumer :). |
I had the delight of eating in this local gathering place in my friend Amy's neighborhood in Boston. If life were actually a movie, then I think subtle piano tinklings of "where everybody knows your name" would have begun playing as small groups of friends would stand gathered mid-dining room and chat away. We went in shortly before the dinner rush, and we both ordered the seared scallops with grilled local corn risotto, summer vegetables, and bacon buerre blanc. To be honest, I don't know what that all means but I do know that it was amazing. I actually think about this meal about once a week and wish that I could eat it all over again. There is something about a seared scallop (done well) that transports the senses. Paired with creamy risotto and crunchy corn, it was a perfect meal to catch up over.
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of my most recent savoring joy as there were pumpkins lining the ramp, adding fallish fun to the already adorable exterior. The place was busy as places tend to be on Saturday evenings, but I loved that the set-up was open enough that it never felt crowded. I ate tequilla lime chicken, which was a pleasant combination of textures with the chicken, soft doughy arepa (which I believe is a polenta-like mix made from chick-peas), soft tomatillo salsa, crispy corn chips and just right black beans. The staff was wonderful, kind and accommodating. I am looking forward to another trip in the near future.
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Really Wanted to Love but Didn't:
I was so looking forward to eating at this restaurant owned by the same chefs as Arrows, which is absolutely phenomenal as restaurants go. I finally convinced my mom to give it a try regardless of the price and so we headed inside to what I was sure would be a culinary treat. Since we had no reservation, we sat further away from the window, but pretty much anywhere you sit in the restaurant lets you look out beautiful windows designed to look like modern picture frames that overlook the backside of the harbor. Aside from the serene setting, I began to feel uncomfortable pretty early on into the experience. The waitstaff in their efforts to be attentive to all their customers, wait directly behind the table so that you can hardly pull out your chair without hitting them. I have spacial issues anyway, so that made for an awkward experience. I said as much to my mother, and shortly thereafter the waitstaff magically moved to the stairs a little further back. I was thankful at this move, but I felt it a case-in-point move. You would not hear my softly stated comment if you were not in my "space bubble" as it were...just sayin'. My appetizer was lovely-- a watermelon salad, delightful to the eye and the tongue. It was the main meal where I felt a disappointment plummet. I ordered bacon wrapped cod. In order to have a vegetable side, one has to pay $5 or more, and so you have a choice of list of starches. Since my waitress didn't really have a clear understanding of what was gluten free aside from the white rice, I went with that from lack of options. I ordered Chef Mark's tarragon sauce ( although the waitress recommended the aioli), and it turned out to be the saving grace of the meal itself. The thing about bacon wrapped fish is this--bacon is greasy and fish absorbs moisture. When the moisture happens to be grease, what you are left with is an extremely oily fish that tastes like not much else. The little worm I found in there didn't help either. :( So, I had tasteless oil, with tasteless white rice, although the tarragon sauce was just tangy enough to drown the other things in. I still love Arrows and want to someday visit the Summer Winter restaurant but I don't think I'll be returning to MC Perkins anytime soon.
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| It's pretty and geometric...that's an upside...:) |
The curiosity began one day last Spring when my cousin claimed she saw a large foot in the back of a building while driving up Rt. 9 in Amherst. I was driving at the time so I didn't think much else about it besides it being a perfect reason to tease her about "seeing things". Later, that same building had a large barrel placed out front, and I could feel my winery loving self growing excited. After all-- what do feet and barrels have in common? Wine! 
