My Boston Day-cation

My high school friend Sarah was in town Friday and Saturday, bringing along her friend Dominique, who had never been to Boston. The plan for Saturday, therefore, was to fit in as much touristy stuff as we could and show Dom the town.

After a trip to Regina's on Friday, we were driving along when we heard a commercial on the radio talking about "day-cations." If "stay-cations" were all the rage last year, it seems "day-cations" are this year's trend. But we soon realized that the ad was for Mobil's convenience store, On The Go, and their "day-cation" deals. Seriously? Because if I only had one day off to relax, I highly doubt I'd be hanging out at my local Mobil station...

Anyway, we crammed a lot into Saturday, and hopefully, Dom got a lot out of Boston. It's always fun to play tourist in your own town, and the weather couldn't have been better for it. We walked over 7 miles, proving that Boston really is a walking city.

After picking up our friend Kristen, we started by strolling down Charles Street, ending at the Public Gardens for a Swan Boat ride. I miss the days when everyone would be dropping bread off the sides so that the boat was just trailing ducks as it glided along.

From there, we started the Freedom Trail, making a stop at the Granary Burying Ground. There was a guy handing out pamphlets about some of the famous inhabitants of the cemetery, including Mother Goose and Samuel Adams. I had a good time photographing the tombstones - I did some research in college about the motifs on New England tombstones, and I think it's fascinating how the imagery changed over the years.

We stuck to the Freedom Trail for a while, then split off to wander through the financial district over to the waterfront. We grabbed lunch at the Barking Crab, which has fun ambiance but just ok food. It's loud and crowded, but when the weather's nice, it's always great to sit on the water and enjoy a beer and some fried food.

I hadn't been to the Barking Crab in years, though, and was surprised at how limited their menu was. I was expecting all kinds of fried food baskets, but all they offered was fish and chips and a fisherman's platter. So I ordered off the appetizer menu instead, choosing calamari and onion rings. The Rhode Island-style calamari was decent, with almost no chewy pieces, but the peppers were too wet and turned a lot of the basket soggy by the end of the meal. I always prefer when the hot peppers are battered and fried as well - the texture matches the calamari a little better. The onion rings, on the other hand, were delicious - light and ultra crisp, well-seasoned and thinly sliced. I might have been happier just eating the onion rings...

After lunch, we wandered down the Harborwalk to the aquarium, where we got on a harbor cruise. For 45 minutes, we soaked up the sun as we sailed in a big circle, viewing the coast of South Boston, East Boston, and Charlestown. I even got to wave hello to the USS Constitution, where I worked last year.

As we disembarked on Long Wharf, The Landing was right in front of us, and we were lured in by the hordes of people drinking from plastic fish bowls. The four of us shared the giant drink as we took in the surroundings and enjoyed the sun a little more. Long Wharf is always a mob scene, so it was nice to have a little piece of real estate to ourselves from which to watch everything going on. And for $25, our fish bowl wasn't outrageous - we probably would have paid more if we had each gotten our own drinks. The bowl was a little fizzy and tasted exactly like the blue ice pops that we all enjoyed as kids - mmm blue!

Slightly tipsy, we wandered through Quincy Market, over Beacon Hill, down Commonwealth Avenue, and over to Fenway. We ate at Boston Beer Works (after an earlier discussion about sweet potato fries, it seemed like an obvious choice), then headed over to the Bleacher Bar for drinks. What a cool space! The bar is at field level, looking right out onto the warning track. If you're lucky enough to snag one of the tables, you can see all the way to home plate.
The men's room even has a window at eye level so the guys don't miss one pitch. I'm looking forward to heading back to watch another game (and hopefully actually grab a table at some point).

Lunch at the Barking Crab got me thinking, though - there really aren't a lot of places to get clam shack-type food in Boston itself. Anyone have any suggestions for good (cheapish) seafood?

- Barking Crab

Game-Time Peanuts

Using my usual tactics of "just letting tickets fall into my hands," I went to the Red Sox game last night with a very nice invitation from my uncle. They were awesome seats, all the way in the top pavilion level, but sadly, we weren't seated together. Eh, it's a game, I'll take it. And my, was it an exciting one. Ellsbury and Pedroia are HOT! Plus, I found it funny that the woman in front of me kept yelling "Big Popeye!"

Foodwise, I've never been a fan of eating at the park. The food is passable, but I have a hard time paying over $10 for lukewarm chicken fingers. Plus, you can get Fenway Franks at any time at the Lower Depths! No, I grab dinner beforehand (UBurger, in this case) and munch of peanuts during the game.

Most people my age don't go for the peanuts, but for beer. I'm just not a beer drinker. But my peanut habit is something I've picked up from my dad (I think part of it is that he likes being able to throw the shells on the ground without having to worry about cleaning them up). We share a bag of peanuts every time we go to a game, and there are always nuts around when we watch or listen to the games at home. Just opening the bag up smells like summer, enough to make me forget that it was a little chilly last night. I just love the mindless action of getting them out of the shell and the dust that seems to cover everything by the end of a game. Forget those Cracker Jacks! It's just not a trip to Fenway without a bag of peanuts.

What's your must-order for ballpark snacks?

Root for the Red Sox with Free Ice Cream

To celebrate Opening Day at Fenway, JP Licks, local purveyors of some tasty ice cream (and wacky flavors), is offering free scoops at all their locations today. You can order any of their unique ice creams or yogurts, but why not use the chance to try one of the Red Sox-themed flavors?

-- Rice Dice Kream -- This tastes a lot like a frozen rice pudding, with short grain rice, lots of vanilla, and just a hint of nutmeg.

-- Green Monster Tea -- Just like the name says, this is a strong green tea-flavored ice cream.

-- Manny's Mocha Chip -- Chocolate coffee ice cream shares the batter's box with big chunks of chocolate.

-- One Sweet World Series -- Bostonist's favorite, and not just because of the name. This one features a really strong coffee ice cream with swirls of caramel and chunks of heath bar for crunch.

-- Cherry Garciaparra Ortiz -- This one is clearly not new, but just like Big Papi, cherries and chocolate are always magic.

Bostonist thinks a few more Red Sox flavors should be added to the board. How about some BoysenBeckett, or Coco's Choco Crisp (chocolate ice cream with chunks of Crunch bars)? And of course, Cherry Ortiz should be renamed Cherry Remy, since that's just a name that rolls off the tongue of any local sports fan.

And if the ice cream doesn't fill you up, visit any of the local Chipotle Mexican Grills for free chips and guacamole throughout the day as well!

Originally posted at Bostonist. Victoria Welch and Jocelyn Noyes contributed.

Cheap Eats: The Lower Depths

Don't have tickets to opening day at Fenway? Well, Bostonist can't help with tickets, but we can definitely help with the food.

The Lower Depths Tap Room is located on Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square, only a few short blocks from where all the action will be tomorrow. No matter how busy it gets in the neighborhood, though, this bar and restaurant stays relatively peaceful. It's no sports bar - while there are two small TVs over the bar, they're definitely not the best place to catch the action. Where the Lower Depths shines is with their cheap eats.

When was the last time you got a hot dog at Fenway for $1? The Lower Depths offers $1 Fenway Franks year-round - plump, grilled dogs served on buttered and toasted New England-style rolls. They also offer a Tokyo dog (aka the Dice K Dog) ($2), a panko-crusted hot dog that serves its time in the deep fryer. The coating isn't thick like on a corndog, but is instead light and extra crunchy. In addition, there is a housemade, hot pretzel on the menu ($2.50) that blows away the premade pretzels at the park. It is warm and yeasty and slightly greasy, topped with sea salt and served with a fantastic chunky ale mustard, perfect for dipping.

With prices like that, you might be able to affort a ticket to the park (ok, maybe not). Be careful if you eat there before a game, though, as service can be very slow. Also, be forewarned that they are cash-only.

Originally posted on Bostonist.

Yum in the Sun

I just got back from a long weekend in Florida, spending time with some of my best friends, watching the Red Sox, enjoying the beach, getting my ass kicked in mini-golf, shopping up a storm... and drinking the best damn orange juice ever.

I'm done with the crappy stuff from the supermarket.

I Don't Understand... Kowloon

First off, a big thank you to Kristen at Basegirl for hosting Doug Mirabelli Appreciation Night last Saturday at Kowloon in Saugus. It was a very surreal night, mostly because there was a cut-out of Dougie's head on a stick that managed to make its way around the whole table... and onto the dance floor. To put it simply, it was a blast.

Since this blog is about food, though, I feel the need to comment on the food at Kowloon. Quite frankly, I don't get it. The food is pretty horrible, and yet the 1200-seat place is always packed. It took roughly 3 minutes for our food to arrive after we ordered, and it tasted... generic. It can't be that their prices are good, because they're just as, if not more, pricy as most Chinese places around. Is it the kitsch factor? 'Cause I'm all for kitsch, but even this place is a little too much for me. I mean, as a setting for Mirabelli Night, it was perfect, but for dinner with friends or family on a Saturday night?

Please, someone explain it to me.

And yes, that's Dougie's head on a stick in that picture, wearing a lei and enjoying a plate of chicken fingers.

On Religion and Cupcakes

I'm not a religious person in the conventional sense. I don't believe in a specific god, but I'm all for a higher power. And yet, growing up in Boston, I knew the meaning of faith.

Baseball is an out and out religion in this town. Out-of-towners or people who "just don't care for sports" don't understand it, but that's fine by us - just let us watch our games in peace. And it's not about how many home runs one guy can hit (although it's nice to count those up too). It's about believing.

So why have I bothered with three Red Sox-related food posts in 2 weeks? Well, most traditional holidays have foods that symbolize them and are meaningful - pomegranates at Christmas, eggs (and Peeps - wait a minute...) at Easter, apples and honey at Rosh Hashanah, etc. And so, a Red Sox holiday should have some celebratory foods as well... cake, rally cookies, and cupcakes!


My boys, the Boston Red Sox, are World Champs for the second time in 4 years.... 82 years earlier than some people cynically believed. As Sunday rolled into Monday and my heart thumped away with each pitch, I was already dreaming of what I could make and share with my friends in celebration.


True, they're not the prettiest cupcakes ever, but I was working on short notice with few ingredients. I mean, I didn't want to jinx anything by buying the ingredients ahead of time!


The cake is vanilla, tinted an insane red shade. A coworker asked what I used to get them that color. My response? "Ground-up Cleveland Indians. My next batch will use purple Rockies dust."


And how did those cupcakes taste? So good!! So good!! So good!!

Rosewater Rally Cookies

I don't think much has to be said. One more night, boys.


Rosewater Rally Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. rosewater
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and rosewater. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Form dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat over to 400 degrees. Roll dough to 1/4 inch tick on lightly floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and bake 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Let's Go, Red Sox!

My brother turns 40 this month, and his wife threw him a fantastic surprise party this weekend. Any guess what the theme was? And yes, there was plenty of peanuts and Cracker Jacks, as well as a popcorn machine and a hot dog steamer.

The cake (fantastic, by the way) was from Rise Bakery in Ashland. I hope to be able to try more of their cakes in the future :)

As a side note, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I'm so busy, I can't watch the games. I want to know what's going on, but I like having fingernails. But I feel clueless wandering from work to my internship or class and not knowing the score...