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I love Food. Cooking it. Eating it. Experiencing it. As a result, that's what this blog has evolved into: A journal of my gastronomical journeys abroad, as well as my culinary creativity at home. I hope you enjoy what I have to say, and I'd love to hear your comments... Cheers!

Friday, August 7, 2009

I'm back (barely)...


Holy Crap!! Time really flies when you have 3 kids and it's summertime! I cannot believe it's been nearly a month since my last post. I was in Georgia visiting with relatives for over 2 weeks, and then embarked on the inaugural Boys Weekend to Boston at the end of the month. Let's start there...

The trip had been a long time coming. Dutch, Jazo, Yosh, and myself finally set it in stone that Boston would be the destination, in part because geographically it made sense, but also because of fabled Fenway. What better way to reconvene, reminisce, and rouse some rabble than at a Sawx game in Beantown??

Of course, I would never leave out some great eats, and what I found in Boston was a revelation...

The North End is a mecca to Old World (or at very least, Old School) Italian. The setting, the neighborhood, the people, and, of course, the food. The congested hamlet is jam-packed with eateries of all kinds, but with one thing in common: its ancestry.

North End holds its own and then some with Little Italy in NYC, and dare I say with better views (Boston Harbor is within shouting distance). We decided on Mother Anna's (http://www.motherannas.com/), a comfortable-looking joint right out of central casting. The food didn't disappoint, despite not being the main focus, what with the laughs, snorts, and guffaws emanating from our al fresco setting. Our order was typical, if not ordained: calamari, gnochhi, and chicken parm... classico, all of them, served family style. I would've preferred the chicken dish not be as submerged in the marinara sauce as it was, but the sauce itself was so deliciously balanced between the sweet tomatoes, savory garlic, and the like, that I hardly minded. It was all rich, decadent, and filling as hell! (The sangria wasn't too shabby either!). Mama Mia!


The next day's lunch get a mention, too, if for no other reason that I was determined to partake in an authentic lobster roll while in Boston. And I did just that, with Dutch, at Tia's (http://www.tiaswaterfront.com/), overlooking the Harbor. I was pleased to see they used a plain hot dog bun, which was dwarfed by the generous amount of fresh, chunky, lobster meat piled in -- and on -- it. Delicious.


The Red Sox game that night was predictable memorable. Sitting in the bleachers with 3 of my closest mates from college. Priceless. Tons of laughs, high 5's, and hugs. Can't wait to do it again next year... can anyone say, Wrigley??...


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