Adventures in Gastronomy

With Randy out getting liquored up wine-tasting in California, I invited the usual gang of friends over Friday night for what I had expected to be take-out food, board games, and wine. Only two different have previous engagement so they arrived around 7:30 and we brain-stormed what to do for dinner.

Being the spontaneous lot that we are (sarcasm) we decided to try eating out. Unable to come up with a local option nobody had tried before, I suggested a restaurant I pass by every day on my way to work: Prose.

A coworker had told me that the food was quite good, but the owner quite eccentric. I relayed that information to Chris and Zach and after a quick look at reviews on Yelp (most said food was good, but service was peculiar, to say the least) I called to make a reservation and we walked on over.

The first words to greet us upon entering were “Are you pressed for time?”. Um, as a matter of fact, no. The woman, dressed in rolled up pants (or very long striped shorts), a white shirt, and doo-rag covering her wavy salt-n-pepper hair, led us to a table in the corner.

I must admit the space isn’t much to write home about. But I loved that nothing really matched. Our table had the most fun salt and pepper shakers; one shaped like a retro refrigerator, the other shaped like an old stove.

There were two other couples in the restaurant, but it still took a while for the waitress to drop off menus and water. It was about this time that we realized that the hostess, waitress, busboy, bartender, dishwashwer, cleaning crew, and chef were all the same person. Yep, this restaurant was run by one single person. There was no staff.

We looked at the menus (a single sheet of standard copy paper slid into one of those transparent plastic report covers with holes for a 3-ring binder) and, I must admit, I got scared and wondered if we should sneak out. There was not a single item on there that I would have ordinarily ordered. Every single item had at least one ingredient that I didn’t like (or, didn’t THINK I’d like).

I was wrong.

So, the menu was filled with things like rabbit and octopus and kim chi. She serves everything in small plates so you get to sample numerous things. I can’t recall everything we ordered, but the meal started off with the most delicious home made bread. It looked like Wonder Bread, yet was heavy and dense. It had the most amazing taste, not quite sour dough, and at times bitter yet sweet. I couldn’t get enough of it.

We started with a pear and spinach salad with pecans and raw milk Roquefort cheese (I should mention that she only uses locally grown produce). I think the dressing was a plum-vinegar. It was delicious.

We also had the rabbit and chicken liver pate (which was amazingly tasty on the mini pickles it came with (and the bread). Then there was some dandelion stem (leaf?) salad with heirloom tomatos and the fattest, tastiest bacon I’d seen in my entire life (seriously, the pieces were 1/3 of an inch thick).

Then came the spicy beef with kim chee. Although not a spicy food fan, I did try it and liked it (but in very small amounts since it was quite potent for my tastes). We finished off the meal with an anchovie, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomato pizza that was quite tasty (albeit salty…as anchovies are known to be). The home made dough was great.

Chris also got a surprisingly good (very dark “stoudt”) beer from Belgium (she has a surprisingly good beer menu).

All in all, we were there over two hours. The food came very gradually, one little plate at a time. But all of the food was good. Best of all, dinner for three people, including Chris’s beer, was only $55.

I find that amazing. I mean, you’d spend that much for two people in a chain restaurant that essentially mass-produces it’s food in an assembly line. Here, everything is made from scratch, by one single person. Every menu item is unique and unusual (to most Americans who tend to eat rather safely).

The menu changes daily, I believe, so I’m very curious to return and try other things I normally wouldn’t.

As I said, the reviews online almost unanimously praised the food but considered the owner rude. I didn’t find her rude at all. Quirky? yes. Eccentric? yes. But that was half the charm. Actually, that was probably the only charm since the decor, as I said, was minimal. But she was more than friendly and is extremely talented. The food seemed like the sort you’d find at an extremely fancy restaurant (probably French), yet without any of the pretension or exorbitant prices.

So, if you’re sick of Not Your Average Joe’s or the Cheesecake Factory and want to have some truly inspired food, check out Prose, in Arlington. As the restaurant’s FaceBook page says, you can expect: “Poetry-Level Cuisine at a restaurant named Prose”.

Just be sure you’re not pressed for time.

August 16th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

A week and two days? Seriously? It’s been that long since I’ve posted? It truly does feel like I just blogged.

Anyway, Mrs. Randy’s visit was a complete success. During the day on Monday and Tuesday, instead of exploring the area, she decided to clean our house from top to bottom. I’ve never seen the sink look so shiny. Before you all yell, we didn’t ask her to do it…she just did it. I still can’t tell if it’s because she found our place offensively filthy, or whether she just enjoys cleaning. I’m hoing it’s the latter.

At night, we taught Mrs. Randy some poker games – which she really enjoyed. Like Randy, she possesses a healthy level of competetiveness.

Her husband, Ennis, arrived on Tuesday afternoon and we had a barbecue that night to welcome him. After work on Wednesday we brought them into Boston and went to the Christian Science Center (maparium and mother church), Top of the Hub (for drinks), Copley Square, New Old South Meething House, and dinner are Maggiano’s, near the Park Plaza.

But the real fun began the next day. We drove to the Cape where they were introduced to my parents. We chatted around the house before driving to Seafood Sam’s for lunch.  After a quick drive-through of my childhood village, Osterville (which would have been quicker if Randy didn’t make us stop to take pictures of the mansions or ocean) we drove on up to Provincetown – our final destination.

Mrs. Randy and Ennis fell in love with the place. We arrived just before some downpours (ugh). But they stopped just in time for the fireworks celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Pilgrim Monument. After that spectacle, we saw Miss Richfield 1981. Because it was the tail end of family week, and it rained, and there were fireworks 30 minutes before the show, it was damn near empty (I’d never seen it so empty…and apparently neither had Miss Richfield 1981).

As I’d hoped, Miss Richfield 1981 singled out Mrs. Randy and Ennis – ultimately pulling Mrs. Randy on stage. A great time was had by all.

The next day we brought them to Herring Cove Beach, then to dinner at the Patio, and finally to see Varla Jean Merman (a good show, but I still prefer MR 1981). Randy and I left them alone on Saturday and went to the beach by ourselves. We met back up in the afternoon, walked along Commercial Street for a while, then brought them to Highland (aka Cape Cod) Light, in Truro.

Ennis left the next morning (Sunday), and Mrs. Randy left on Monday afternoon. Then Randy up and left for a business trip to California.

Now, returning to the poker analogy, I’ve gone from a full-house (5 people) to a pair (just me and Chris). I love Mrs. Randy and Ennis, but I must admit it’s nice returning to a quiet house again. Now if only Randy would return.

OK, and so it’s not all just about my past week…can somebody please tell me what’s all the hoo-hah about the First Lady and one child going to Spain on vacation? Why isn’t she allowed to travel when she wants like any other person? Yeah, yeah, yeah – our tax money had to pay for security to travel along with her. But that’s only because we’ve elevated politicians to celebrity levels that NEED enormous 24/7 security coverage. I think they suffer a bigger threat from paparazzi than they do assasination (though they need protection from both).

Anyway, I just don’t understand why she shouldn’t be able to travel. If anybody told me I couldn’t travel, I’d be pissed. You can’t expect them to be cooped up in the White House 365 days/year.

August 11th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

Randy’s mother (who I affectionally call Mrs. Randy) arrived bright and early Saturday morning. Poor thing, her flight departed Roanoke, VA, at about 6AM. She arrived in Boston at 9:40AM, and we pretty much kept her busy straight through until today (Monday).

After giving her a quick tour of our home (which she loved…yay) we got burritos for lunch (she loved them), then explored Mount Auburn Cemetery for a few hours (she loved it). Craving her first Costco experience, we brought her there (she loved it) before returning home with just enough time for her to prepare her famous baked macaroni-and-cheese (which we all loved), then drive up to Woburn for a BBQ at our friend, Linda’s house.

The barbecue was great, and the weather was damn near perfect (nice and cool for August). We got home about 11:30PM. Rand and Chris went straight to bed and I stayed up with Mrs. Randy until about 12:30AM.

We woke up on Sunday and at about 11:20AM we drove down to Newport, RI, to show her the cottages. Unfortunately, this weekend was also the Newport Folk Festival and traffic was a complete nightmare. Thanks to GPS, we managed to take some side streets, avoiding the downtown area completely on our way to the mansions. It’s funny, as we drove through the working-class parts of Newport and Middletown Mrs. Randy kept explaiming “wow – look at that house” or “that ones beautiful”….and this was miles from the mansions. I don’t think she knew what to expect.

By the time we reached the mansions I think she was speechless. We toured three mansions yesterday (The Elms, Rosecliff, and the Breakers (of course). We also walked around a harbor for a while before popping into the Newport Grand Casino (her first experience at a casino). I lost $40 rather quickly. Mrs. Randy lost $10 even quicker. Then Randy, the bastard, put in a $20 bill, “pulled the lever” just two times then won $30. He cashed out, went to a new machine, put in $20 again, ran it down to about $5 then won another $17. Long story short, he came out $45 ahead and bought us dinner.

We didn’t end up driving back to Boston until 9:30PM and then got caught in the most hellish traffic jam I’ve seen in years. Again, thanks to GPS we pulled off at the first exit we could (which was still 30 minutes after the jam began) and took side streets from Brockton to Route 128. All said and done, we didnt’ get home until just before midnight….more than 12 hours after we left the house.

I think Mrs. Randy deserves some rest today.

August 2nd, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

Does anybody else dread getting hair cuts? It really is an irrational fear of mine. The worst hair cut experience I ever had was when I was a child and went to the local barber. It was the early/mid 1980’s and my hair was a bit, um, big at the time. But I didn’t want to look drastically different so I only had him trim it. I paid, tipped, and walked home. But my mom didn’t approve of the length and made me go back to chop more off. I was mortified.

But that’s the worse hair cut experience I ever had. Well, that same barber also used this small metal device to remove blackheads from within the ear and that damn thing hurt like a mother-hushyourmouth.

Anyway, I personally have never had a haircut that came out so bad that I was too humiliated to be seen in public. I suppose that’s the advantage to short men’s haircuts; there’s little that can go wrong. Still, I have fears.

When my cousin was 10 or so his elderly barber snipped his ear with the scissors and he had to get stitches. But it never happened to me. I’ve had friends get horrible dye jobs and bad perms. But I’ve never dyed or curled my hair.

There was one time on Newbury Street where the stylist used to intentionally rub his crotch against my arm (which was on the arm rest). But I suppose that’s not a bad thing…hell, it may have been the reason I returned numerous times.

So, I suppose you can get where I’m going with this post:

I need a haircut.

I miss the days when I used to use an electric  trimmer I’d purchased and cut my own hair (no, it wasn’t a Flowbee). But my hair would end up the same length front to back and Randy disapproved. HMM – maybe I actually have had a bad haircut, and a consistently bad one at that,  for 3 years?

July 30th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

So I was riding my scooter into Boston yesterday for a doctor’s appointment. As I was approaching the end of the Longfellow Bridge I was riding in the bike lane – a perfectly legal thing to do, especially since the Registry of Motor Vehicles considers a scooter a “motorized bike” and specifically states on the registration form that you’re allowed to use bike lanes on roads (just not on bike paths that are off-road).

Anyway, I was stopped at the light at Charles Circle behind some other bicycles when I heard what could have been Moon Unit Zappa behind me:

“You know, bike lanes aren’t meant for scooters.”

Actually, it doesn’t translate well on the screen. It’s all about the inflection. She said it as a statement versus a question, but still stressed the last word. Specifically, the last syllable of the last word: “ers.”

So, it sounded more like:

“You kno-ow, bike lanes aren’t meant for scooo-TERS?!.”

My response was simple: “Um, yes they are,”

Hers? “No they’re not.”

Mine? “Trust me. Look it up.”

Then, the classic valley response from her:

“Whatever.”

Again, it’s all about inflection. It was more:

“What – everrrrr.”

Meanwhile, my mind is thinking, “bitch, mind your own business” (spoken like a contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race).

The light turned green and I revved forward, secretly hoping I was spewing noxious fumes in her tight, bitter face.

Does that make me a bad person?

July 28th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

My life is rather simple, with small changes. This weekend was no exception.

On Friday night we got together with friends (and two new people) for take-out and card games. Though, we spiced things up this time by going “all the way” to Brookline. Now, as the crow flies Brookline is only a few miles away. But there is not a single road that goes directly to Brookline from Arlington or even Cambridge. Consequently, it takes more than 30 minutes to go what is probably only about 5 miles.

On Saturday, we had hoped to lay out on the roofdeck, but increased cloudiness botched that plan. Instead, we did a bit of shopping, then hosting a small wine-tasting party at our home.

Sunday we finally got to enjoy the sun by heading to Crane Beach. Though hot, there was enough of a sea breeze and enough hit or miss clouds to keep us cool. We arrived about an hour after high tide so the beach expanded in size by probably 10x for the few hours we were there. And the lowering tides provided many little pools of warm/comfy water to lounge in. We did that numerous times, before having to move to a new pool as the water drained to only a few inches.

Occasionally, we made it out past the sandbar into the actual ocen water…which was probably at least 10 degrees cooler than the tidal pools. BRRR. Still, it was relaxing and fun…and my arm hair is turning blonde.

And I’m rather excited since Randy’s mother is arriving in 5 days (this will be her first visit northward since I’ve known Randy). We’ve got lots planned for her so I hope she doesn’t expect to get some rest while she’s up here. Between Newport, Ptown, DeCordova Musem/Sculpture Garden, a dinner party and various meals out and about, this is going to be one hectic week for her (and us).

So much to see, so little time.

July 26th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Wine, Beach, Whine

Randy’s work schedule is quite peculiar. He’ll go half a year wtihout a single business trip, then suddenly he gets bombarded with work-related travel engagements. In the past, it seems this has been predictable in the months of October, November, and early December. Add in his personal trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving and our vacation between Christmas and New Years and he’s barely home in autumn.

For some reason, it seems like it’s starting early this year. In August, we’ll have Randy’s mom and Ennis visit for up to 10 days, then Randy flies to California the next day for 3-5 days. He just found out yesterday that he has to go to new York for a few days after that. In early September we’re flying to Europe (business/pleasure for him, total pleasure for me). A week after we return, he’ll be going to Asia.

I wonder if I’ll recognize him anymore?

Oh, but we did have a great time in Ptown over the weekend. The weather was great until the very last day so we enjoyed lots of time at the beach and in the sun (yay sea breezes). And food has come a long way in Ptown over the years so we had some pretty tasty meals to boot.

We’re planning to bring Randy’s mother there in two weeks, too. It’s such a unique place that I think she’ll really enjoy it. If anything, she’ll surely enjoy the eye candy.

OK, and now for my political diatribe. I just read that Massachusetts was considering a transition from participating in the electoral college and joining a movement using the national popular vote model. Now, I’m 100% for presidential elections being based on the national popular vote. But I don’t believe it will work if only some states participate. It needs to be done nationally, not locally.

Basically, this measure would give Massachusetts’ 12 electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote – even if Massachusetts voters selected a different candidate. Think about this…if Sarah Palin won the national popular vote with 51% of votes, yet lost in Massachusetts by garnering only 4% of the vote, Massachusetts would still give her our 12 electoral votes.

Hell no! I detest the electoral college system but think only a national popular vote system is the way to go. If only a select few states participate, this sounds like a recipe for disaster.

July 21st, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

It feels like we just returned from Virginia last week (oh wait, we did just return from Virginia last week), but we’re already heading away for another long weekend later today. This time, there will be no planes – but it will involve automobiles and perhaps a boat.

Provincetown – here we come!

We’ve got nothing officially planned yet, but it will likely include three or four days at the beach, attendance at Friday night’s Varla Jean Merman performance, strolling the East End gallery openings on Friday, endless people watching, and lots and lots of over-priced unhealthy foods.

In other news, VERY Roman Catholic Argentina legalized same-sex marriage today. Go South America!

And finally, there is some good news about the BP oil fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico (the new cap). Now, I’m probably going to get lectured (and by all means share your perspective and educate me if you think I’m wrong)…but I don’t understand why everybody is hating on BP. I mean, yes, this is a catastrophic disaster to that region. But it’s not like BP caused this mess intentionally. This could just as easily have happened to Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, or any other company.

Yeah, you could say they should have implemented those added safety features that I read about in the news shortly after the disaster, but our country didn’t have requirements to do so (apparently, other countries do). You can’t blame BP for that…it wasn’t required of them. Blame big oil lobbyists.

I also don’t understand how you can blame Obama (which many are doing). He’s not an oil well specialist. He can’t be expected to know the immediate solution. Hell, even the experts can’t figure out a quicker solution..how could he?  All he can do is push BP to pay for their mistake (which they have agreed to do) and push for a solution (which, from what I can tell, he and BP have been doing).

But perhaps now is the time to implement stricter regulations for those back-up safety precautions (which I read cost about $1M per rig). Of course, I’m sure big-business politicans and lobbyists (typically, Republican, but not exclusively) will say that’s bad for businesses and unfair.

But more unfair is what the residents, small businesses, and sea animals are having to deal with now – and for the forseeable future.

July 15th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

So, because of my mixed feedback lately (some requesting more food pics, others requesting more “all about Karl” text), I shall incorporate both.

First: a photo of last night’s dinner. MMMMM – dinner on the barbecue.

Second, all about my weekend.

Friday night was typical Friday night, with take-out (Thai), wine, and card games. Randy and I had hoped to go to the beach on Saturday, but the unpredictability of the weather kept us local. To be honest, I’m rather glad we did. We spent the first half of the day laying out on the roof deck, talking, listening to my music on my iPhone, and enjoying the frequent shade that passing clouds provided. But when the sun was out, damn was it hot. We were using a watering can and pouring water on ourselves fairly frequently to cool off.

Then the afternoon came with a few drops of drizzle so we headed inside. Which was a good thing considering the Cambridge/Arlington area received 3.3 inches of rain within an hour or two right after that.

At the last minute, we invited a few of Randy’s co-workers over so we got dinner at a Turkish restaurant down the street, then came back for board games. And wine, of course.

We had hoped, again, to go to the beach on Sunday but the weather forecast showed that it was predominantly cloudy along the coast so we ran some errands, then played tennis. After tennis is when that yummy burger and ear of corn were consumed.

All in all, a great weekend.

And now for some media stupidity. I saw on the news this morning that a Minnesota restaurant started having it’s waitstaff carry little handheld devices to enter orders so they can spend more time in the dining area and less running back and forth to the kitchen. They can also use the devices to pay for meals with credit cards instead of having to run back to a cash register. The news acted as if this was some technological breakthrough, but I’ve been seeing it happen in Europe for 5 years (and it was probably being used there years before that).

Is our country a) that technologically disadvantaged; b) that insulated from the rest of the world that even reporters/editors/producers haven’t traveled overseas and seen what goes on in other parts of the world; c) or that starved for stories that this constitutes news?

Sad.

July 12th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

So yesterday I wrote about the activities that took place in Virginia (swimming, boating)…essentially stuff that you could do in any part of the country. What I didn’t mention were the distinctly southern aspects of the trip.

First…the food. Seriously, it doesn’t end. Randy’s mother takes southern hospitality to the extreme and is constantly offering you food.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was trying to kill me slowly with all of the carbs and oils and artery-clogging goodness being presented to me.

In just 5 days of our trip she baked me two cakes (both triple cream or something….truly decadent), baked macaroni and cheese, burgers, and grilled steak. When she wasn’t preparing food for me, she was offering me food (M&M’s, cookies, chips, cheesecake, lemon pound cake). In fact, I don’t think 5 minutes would pass while we were inside the house where she didn’t offer me something. I could be in the middle of eating the cake and she’d say “Can I get you something else? Do you want some cookies?”. 

And it doesn’t stop with her. Her sister, Enid, offered to bring me a piece of caked as I was still eating lunch. She came back with two pieces (one cheescake, the other that triple cream thing).  Did I mention daily mac-and-cheese?

Then there’s Randy’s father – who prepared home-made London Broil beef jerky. Since he saw that I liked it  he presented us with a whole new batch to bring home with us on our last day.

Then there are the guns. Yes, plural. Within minutes of picking us up, Randy’s father told us about a shoot-out that took place at the end of his street a few nights earlier (just what I need to hear). But since guns seem to be such a day-to-day thing down there, he didn’t bother calling the police until the next morning when he found the casings on the street. Seriously? If I heard a gun up here I’d be on the phone before the smoke could clear (don’t guns produce smoke?)

And there was the ever-present gun over the sink in the kitchen (a revolver? I don’t know the terminology). But the most unsettling part took place on the last day. The previous year, his father pulled out a rifle and sat by the kitchen window waiting for ground hogs. This year, as Randy and I packed up on the last day, his father pulled out the rifle, opened the kitchen window, and shot a groundhog strolling around the back yard.

I think it was only the second time in my life where I heard a gun go off. And I don’t like it. It seriously, seriously, seriuosly is unsettling to me to be in such close proximity to guns. And I find it even more disturbing that this all takes place in a dense residential neighborhood (think Quincy or Swampscott).  But it seems to unphase everybody else. Then again, Randy’s father’s neighbor was murdered last summer just after my last visit. And the other neighbor’s kids are in jail. I guess it’s just what they know (and expect?).

I think I prefer living in what Randy calls my “little bubble” up here in Massachusetts. Let’s just hope gunfire never pops that bubble.

July 7th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments