The Best Lobster Roll in New England

That's my assignment: To find the best one. I'm hitting the road on Thursday, heading up the coast of MA, NH, and ME. Any suggestions?

*note: I am now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

Road warrior

Back in 2004, Scott and I took an ill-fated foliage tour of the Maine coast in a massive luxury RV. This was back in my Yankee days, where one of the biggest challenges was thinking of new ways to cover foliage season each year. I'm happy to see that the story has finally been published in the September issue.

p.s. I finally got my car back on September 1, which is 35 days after it was dropped off at the auto body shop. And 48 days after we first shipped it from California.

*I'm not blogging at http://www.newenglandeating.com.

Restaurant week, cont'd

A quick note: Ate last night at Boston Public (formerly Boston Public Meat) at Louis Boston. They've continued their Restaurant Week menu, even though the official promotion ended last week. Three courses for $33.07, offer expires Monday.

*I'm not blogging at newenglandeating.com.

Gaslight

Had a great meal last night at one of their preview dinners. Especially enjoyed the pissaladière, the steak frites, and the almond cake. Parking is free, decor is lovely, very French, and prices are low enough to make this a regular haunt. Good wine list, too, with plenty of bottles that cost less than $40. Also, lots of wines by the glass and carafe, mostly French, bless 'em.

I fear crowds of fabu scene-stealers, but if that keeps the place in business, so be it.

p.s. Car is still in the shop, but it's finally being worked on. Maybe next week...

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

Car update

In case you were wondering about my ongoing battle with the evil powers at Dependable Auto Shippers, also known as DAS, or DAS Auto Shippers, here's the rundown:

The bad news

1) Number of days my car has been sitting in the lot of the Honda Dealership, smashed and unfixed: 25.

2) Though DAS did finally approve the estimate submitted by their "independent" adjuster, I just got a call from my mechanic telling me that the approved estimate doesn't include such essentials as, say, the bracket that attaches the bumper to the car. It is, as he said, "garbage." Therefore, he has to go back to DAS, get them to send out the "independent" adjuster AGAIN, wait for them to approve the new estimate, and then get them to send it to him so he can start the work. I'm currently accepting bets about how long this will take. Winner gets the jar of bile that I'll need to have drained by the time this is over.

The good news

1) In their great generosity, Dependable Auto Shippers decided to waive the $250 deductible.

2) We figured out that we can get our own insurance to reimburse us for rental car expenses, so now we have a car.

3) McPolack linked to my earlier post. My goal is to have these entries pop up with every Google search associated with the company.

Dinner and a Doozy

We missed our friends' wedding last fall, so we thought, hey, let's take you two lovebirds out for dinner when we get back. They were kind enough to say "Great!" and not, "But isn't that really giving yourselves...uh, a gift?" They were also too polite to remind me that the groom isn't really that much of a foodie and maybe tickets to a Sox game would have been better? So off we went to T.W. Foods, which I've been anxious to try ever since I heard reports of inventive, ingredient-driven, oh just say it, California-sounding food.

Ingredient-driven food is exactly what we found, which was lovely. Very clean and uncluttered. Food with a point of view. Not, I'm going to load up this plate with foie gras and truffle oil and call it classy. Or, I'll sedate you with my deep-fried short ribs until you're too stupid to know better. Or Look! 30 ingredients on a plate! And I'm on a unicycle! This was more like, Eggs and fresh corn are amazing together, especially if you cook the eggs so they set into little curdles. And Did you ever try chocolate with basil? I did, and it works. See? And since our entire meal was locally sourced, there was a subtext about local agriculture and food with sense of place. It was about paying attention to your sense of taste, playing one flavor against another, experiencing ingredients in a new way. And living in Cambridge, and thinking how nice it is to be named Amy and listen to NPR and muse about your sense of taste and your sense of place, and la-la-la farmer's markets, and what a sucker Alice Waters has made you.

Anyhoo, this is the sort of restaurant that goes straight to my heart: Young couple, one working the front of the house, the other in the kitchen. Shoestring budget, long, long hours, high ambition, clear inspiration.

Sadly, there was a downside to all that inspiration and vision, which is that ambition requires infrastructure, and with just a hostess and server and two cooks (that I could see) in the kitchen, waits between courses are looong. And service happens sloooowly. And we were getting tiiired before it was all over. Stepping back out onto Walden Street felt a bit too much like liberation.

Also, I'll take clear flavors over comfort food any day, but what about filling us up just a bit? Bread comes as two very thin slices per person (with good butter). My $30 scallop and lobster entree was pretty much exactly that, with some very demure swirls of sauce here and there and a sprinkle of edible flowers (basil?). It was cooked perfectly, but I would've gladly paid $34 for a nice corn puree or some tiny potatoes on the side.

These are kinks to be worked out. But at least the essentials are there, which is more than you can say about many places. And some of my complaints have more to do with the location, which is far enough from Harvard Square to confuse expectations and make the price point seem high. Then again, it's in Huron Village, so perhaps $30 entrees are everyday fare.

After dinner was over, it was time for me to return my dear friend McPolack's car, which she had so kindly lent me while we're waiting for Dependable Auto Shippers to approve the repair of my car, which, you may remember, Dependable Auto Shippers read-ended with their very own Dependable Auto Shippers truck. On the way to McPolack's house, I stopped to fill up the tank, left my wallet on top of the car, and drove off. Very bad. Especially since I still have a CA driver's license and no current identifying information at all in there.

But this morning, there was a message on my cell phone: "Amy? This is Detective Bahnad. Somebody found yuh wallet in Davis Squayah and they brut it here. It's gut all the money and all yuh credit cahds in it. So give me a call, okay? Bye, Amy." Oh, I love Boston. I really do.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

Burgermeister

I'm eating at as many restaurants as possible these days, trying to catch up on all the news I've missed in the past couple of years. So I fear that a lot of my recent discoveries won't seem so recent to some. But still, I want to give a plug to Uburger in Kenmore Square. Because...wow, this is hard. How can I say this? I liked it better than In-n-Out.

Look, taste is subjective. I know many, many people love In-n-Out. It's their first stop from SFO or LAX. They pray for an East Coast franchise. Eric Schlosser approves. I just never fell in love it the place. The fries always seemed too dry. The burgers are fresh and tasty, but a bit weak on the bun-to-meat ratio.

But the fries at Uburger are fantastic. As are the onion rings. The buns are compact, and meat is ground fresh on the premesis. The toppings are tasty, and it's easy to customize your favorite burger. Even the chicken sandwiches are good.

And thus I complete my fall from grace in the eyes of Californians everywhere.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

A face made for radio

Looks like I'm going to be recording some regular radio spots for WBZ's "Connoisseur's Corner" with Jordan Rich. He's such a nice guy, it's impossible to be nervous (plus, it's taped, which takes the pressure off). My first piece aired on July 23, so click over there if you want to have a listen.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

First fruit

I couldn't believe it: Local apples for sale at Somerville's Union Square Farmers Market. In July! These Vistabelles came from Nicewicz Family Farm in Bolton and they were sold right next to the just-picked blueberries and the fresh corn.
I've never heard of this variety and the farmer was coy. I can't find much information about it online, either, so I'll have to do some digging. In appearance and flavor, they seem most closely related to McIntosh, which means they'd probably make a great applesauce, especially with some fresh raspberries stirred in.

I also had my first taste of B&R Artisan Bread's fantastic levain. Big sigh of relief here. Most of the bakeries in San Francisco sell their own version of this crusty, naturally leavened bread made with a blend of white and whole wheat flours. But after trips to Hi-Rise and Iggy's, I couldn't find anything like the loaves we'd grown to love. All praises, then, to B&R's Michael Rhodes, formerly head baker of Sel de la Terre and L'Espalier, for his perfect, slightly tart, toasty, gray-brown loaves. The bakery is in Framingham, but Rhodes says he's eyeing a Boston location. Meantime, the loaves are also sold at Formaggio Kitchen, Savenor's, Lionette's, and Salumeria Italiana.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

A reminder...

...not to head to Harvard Square for a "quick bite" on the night that the last Harry Potter book is about to drop.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.

Welcome back

There's an lot to say about moving back home after two years in San Francisco. But first, I just want to note how nice it is to be able to walk to dinner on a summer evening without a fleece jacket and a scarf.

*I'm now blogging at newenglandeating.com.