So...whats for dinner?

Nail-biter of a game, eh, Lacey? Good thing it turned out fine.

Greetings from Boston (Back Bay). Day 2. Last night we went to Summer Shack. Forgot to take food pix. But we had fried belly clams, garlic-grilled kale, and a lobster clambake (steamed 1.5-pounder, chorizo, corn on the cob, potatoes, steamers & mussels). Today Bob started his echocardio course, so I was on my own. Nice weather, so I headed to Downtown Crossing. Luke's Lobster has moved, so I decided on Clover Food Lab (vegan) for lunch: a Bridgewater Sandwich (deep-fried cremini mushrooms, pickled red onion slaw, kale, and a hummus-based dressing on a house made whole wheat pita). Would have photographed it, but I was afraid to put it down lest it messily fall apart. Tonight we went to Island Creek Oyster Bar (shout-out to Lacey). I’ve wanted to eat there ever since reading Shucked (memoir of an unpaid intern at the Island Creek Oyster farm); I was not disappointed.

First up were Island Creek and Aunt Dotty oysters on the half shell, followed by oyster sliders (wonderful and huge for the price). Next, field green salad with walnuts. Then the entree: Atlantic halibut with Maine scallop, shrimp-pork sausage, garbanzos & peas:

Also, grilled asparagus in bagna cauda with almonds & pecorino:

(Yes, Bob is the hand model). Not shown: classic baked beans. Then, a biscuit bigger than my head, dripping with local honey:

Bob had half of it. The other half will be my breakfast. Finally, cappuccino and deconstructed Boston cream donuts:

Breakfast today was leftover “donut” (munchkin size), the other half of an apple fritter, and a third of the leftover half-biscuit.

My post, with all my pix from last night on the drinking thread has been deleted—dunno by whom or why. It was up last night. BCO can be quirky that way

Tonight is Broccoli Beef and Cashew Chicken. I did not cook it, our friend who is a chef did and it was delicious.

Sandy, nice to see all of your restaurant reviews! I have actually not even been to Eataly, tho have received gifts from my local DIL from there. Since MB’s falling “from grace”, I’ve kind of crossed it off my list....tho I’ll probably go have a look some day when cruising around Prudential Center. Things have really changed there these past few years....like most areas of Boston. The development is head spinning!

As far as tonight, I’m pretty sure L’Espalier is open on Mondays, and I always think of it as more pricey than formal...but maybe people feel compelled to gussy it up when going to dine there.

Other recommendations for you from my DH (who frequents more restaurants in town than I with his professional groups) if you have not fulfilled your seafood quota are Ostra, Oceanaire, and the old standby that people love, Oleana (Cambridge). The first two Os are downtown, not far from you. But Oleana is not that far...esp if you go right after rush hour. And there are no major sports events in town tonight contributing to our horrible traffic.

Will look forward to your “review” of wherever you land!

I was feeling lousy this weekend with a stomach bug, so we decided to bag the trip to Philly.

Life is pretty busy with spring/family activities this week, so I need to rest and pull myself together, organize some Spring clothes (finally Spring is here!) and get set for family graduations, out of town relatives visiting, celebration dinners, etc.

I hope everyone has a good week!

Tonight and tomorrow night we'll be eating out. Tonight it's back to Crabby Shack with our next door neighbors. Tomorrow night we're going to a restaurant in a neighboring town whose Tuesday night special is char oysters. We'll be meeting another couple there.

I was down another lb. at WW weigh in this morning. Total of 7.2 lbs. It's slow-w-w-w coming off and a challenge to keep it off. I was at a slightly lower weight last May when we headed north to the land of brats and burgers. It will be a challenge not to gain back whatever lbs I've lost.

illimae - I want your dinner! It looks so good!

illimae - I lived on them, and potatoes in any form, during chemo. I know some say don't eat stuff you love during chemo so that you don't form an aversion and hate those things later, but that hasn't been a problem for me - still love them!

Anyone else here get taken to BCO's “new articles" page when they hit “submit?" This is the third time it's happening. Having enough trouble getting online from the hotel lobby as it is. Checked out at noon (no extensions), Bob is busy till 3:30 and our flight boards at 6:45. Ate leftovers (pork chop, sourdough bread, berries) in the room for breakfast about 10:30 am, so too early for lunch. (Thinking of walking to Luke's Lobster). Regretting having bought the wi-fi-only iPad Pro—Settings has me connected to named networks but the little wi-fi icon doesn't appear in the upper left corner. Burning through cell data, tethered to my iPhone via Bluetooth as a hotspot. (One charger, two devices, so burning through my phone battery as well).

Took the Duck tour yesterday—would take the double-decker bus tour today but I can't get up those steep steps. (Duck's steps weren't much easier). Have exhausted the affordable & portable possibilities of both malls (Copley & Pru)—have enough to schlep home as it is, and my bags are with the valet. Wish there were a nearby day spa—but then I'd have to get dressed, shower, etc. all over again. No TV to watch—except for a gazillion ESPN screens in the hotel restaurant, which is a sports bar. Don't get me wrong—the Marriot's a good hotel if all you want to do is stay in your room or venture afield (even to the malls). But the public spaces aren't conducive to killing time pleasantly. Heck, I'd even rent a nap-pod for a couple of hours if there were one.

Carole, sheephead is the new bluefish—tasty & economical and not yet overfished. It’s a species of drum, so it can sub for redfish. In the Midwest, it hasn’t shown up on menus the way corvina or Zander has—so it’s sports-fishermen’s dirty little secret. I do miss bluefish, though—nobody seems to have it except perhaps as a smoked pate. (No accent menu on this iPad)

I, too, love potatoes. Just plain, or with some lemon-pepper, or a tiny bit of butter...or... :-)

Patsy, hope you are back up to full speed soon.

I'll see if I get taken "elsewhere" when I click submit. Until I click it, I can't say. I'll come back and edit the post ...nope went right to seeing my post added to the end of the thread, just like normal.

No problems being whisked elsewhere.

minus - how great - the whole thing! I am totally jealous!

patsy - take it easy! Hope you heal quickly!

Dinner tonight - pork roast (didn't cook it the other night), new potatoes with parsley and butter, a kale salad with sliced carrot, goat cheese, and a creamy vinaigrette.

Hello to you, Moon! You sound happy. is you dh talking about retiring any time soon? I have a hybrid, too, and I love it. Gas mileage is great.

Patsy, I second the hope that you heal fast. I like white chili, but usually make it only in cold weather.

Minus, so glad you had such a great trip. Your description was so vivid that I wished I was there with you. Especially when you were eating Dungeness crab. Your DIL's vegetarian meals sound good. Does your son eat mostly vegetarian?

When we arrived at Bourre about 6 pm last night, there was a notice on the door that the restaurant was closed to regular customers until 6:15 because of a private party. Our friends arrived and we decided to sit on a bench in the entry and wait. Seated at a table in the bar, we each had a dozen grilled oysters and each couple split a remoulade salad. No, the oysters were not as good as Drago's but a good price at $11 a dozen. The usual price is $11 for half a dozen. The remoulade dressing was tasty and so were the shrimp, but the shrimp were small. Company was enjoyable. All in all, a good dining experience. I had a light beer in an ice cold glass with the oysters and a glass of house chardonnay with the salad.

Tonight it's back to ... cooking? I think tonight will be chicken breast. I need to go to the supermarket today to replenish my supply of healthy snacks (also yogurt toppings) like strawberries and pineapple and bananas.

Don't be fooled, MinusTwo...my chili wasn't nearly as ambitious as you might think. I made it a few weeks ago and all I had to do last night was to thaw it! Your San Francisco food-tales had me salivating.

Ooooh, Minus---it's been forever since I was in SF (2001, and had to turn around after only 2 days to attend my aunt's funeral in NYC). Hilton Grand Vacations just secured a few floors in a small hotel in Union Sq., and we have points to burn. Only wish Bob had the time to pick up & go whenever we want.

Monica, glad to see you check in, but bummer about the light-assembly cover. I loved traveling in our Fusion Hybrid--one tank of gas for the round-trip to & from Iowa City, and only one fill-up on the round-trip to & from Sparta, IL (rural countryside outside the St. Louis suburbs). But Bob has it now, due to having to commute down to 3 hospitals & 2 offices on the SW side & suburbs; and trying to squeeze as many mpg as he can (and make more "leaves" sprout on the dashboard eco-display) is blood sport for him. He doesn't even fill up the tank more than halfway, as he claims it weighs too much and impairs mileage; he also coasts as much as he can, which drives others crazy. He claims the angry honking, passing, and occasional flipping-of-birds are because of the bumper stickers I put on the car when I owned it. Yeah, right. I'm driving an Outback, and though my mileage isn't as spectacular, it's pretty darn good for a pseudo-SUV. And I can put twice as much musical gear & luggage in there due to no hybrid battery hogging the trunk space.

Monday night, Bob wanted to try Eataly to see how it differs from the one here--as a change of pace, we ate upstairs in Terra, its foodie restaurant. Casual, lively (including live jazz band), and every bit as delicious (more so, actually) as the now-closed formal restaurant Baffo in the Chicago Eataly (which failed, IMHO, not just because of inconsistency but too stodgy and formal an atmosphere). We had the Chef's Tasting menu--whatever he was serving that night on a whim. First course (which I ate before remembering to photograph it) was blood sausage skewers and porcini bruschetta. Next up was salad: grilled escarole, gem lettuces, cipollini, roast garlic & pickled red onion:

Those hands in the backround belong to Bob. Next, the pasta course: chicken/pesto agnolotti in cream sauce with Parmigiano-Reggiano:

Entree: grilled heritage pork rib chop with a wild mushroom agrodolce; side was wax beans & snow peas arrabiata :

Dessert: gelati (dark chocolate and, IIRC, fior di latte or tiramisu) with dark chocolate-hazelnut terrine and cookies:

We were at the Marriott Copley Place, attached to the Copley Place Mall on one side of the lobby and a skybridge to the Prudential Center on the other. (Bob marveled that this was the first time he's ever lived in an upscale shopping mall). The room was nice--had a mini-fridge but no microwave, so we were able to bring back leftovers but had to eat them cold for breakfast. The breakfast buffet was in the hotel's only restaurant (Champions sports bar), and it cost $25. Room service would have been no cheaper. Bob had continental breakfasts and salad & wraps for lunch each day. I think I got the better end of the deal. There were also luxe toiletries (Thann), but I bring my own sulfate-and-salt-free shampoos to avoid stripping the keratin and color from my hair. I think that Marriott may be contemplating discontinuing toiletries at only its lower-end hotels (e.g., Baymont, maybe Fairfield Inns). There was a pool & gym, but I didn't bring swimsuit or workout clothes.

Long day yesterday--Bob got out of his course at 3:30, and it was too early to go to the airport, so we had a late-ish lunch at Legal Sea Foods. Too chilly out for Luke's Lobster, which lacks either a liquor or even BYO license; and there are two branches of Luke's in downtown Chicago, but Legal still hasn't expanded west of I-95. We're at the age now (and perhaps in the kind of health) at which every trip we make may be our last ever to that destinaion. So Legal it was.

With my lobster roll I had a glass of Sancerre. Bob had Portuguese fish stew, which was like bouillabaisse/cioppino/zuppa di pesce but also had chorizo in it. He had a NZ Sauv. Blanc. We saved a bit on the cab to the airport by using a van-share, and traffic wasn't bad at all. Short flight to Baltimore, where our connection was 40 min. late. Even with a change of terminal we had plenty of time, and we were hungry & thirsty. So, when in Baltimore...cherchez les crab-cakes (at the only sit-down restaurant in the terminal). DOTD for that? A split of Domaine Chandon.

The BWI-Midway flight was the longer leg, and the plane wasn't even half full. So we spread out, splitting the middle seat between us. After drink service, we headed for the loo--Bob in back, I in front. Wouldn't you know just then we hit turbulence--and had to plop down & buckle up for the duration. So we each had a row to ourselves. Just as well--every time I tried to get up and propel myself out of the seat into the aisle, my wrist got sore again. It's always something.

Tonight's dinner was freezer-foraging: Thurs. night's paella and a little of Wed. night's roast chicken breast (just gnawed on the "airline" wing bone) and peas--saved the rest, including sweet potatoes, for Gordy. Tomorrow night is the Spanish winemaker dinner at Cellars. And Friday night will be whatever's still open after my gig in Madison. We'll be joined by an old high school classmate of mine (well, both of us are "old"). Probably Perkins or Denny's. Then Sat. it's back to dead animals & leaves--and a lot less wine. Not happy with my expanding midsection. Hoping to get down to my pre-diagnosis weight by the next time I visit my MO or PCP.