Well, not really. But after this experience, I might have to seriously consider it.
There are a few things that I love about my job. Traveling is at the top of the list. I spent the past few days in Boston for several meetings that lasted from 4PM-10PM each day. What is a girl to do with the rest of the time? Explore, of course!
My just-as-adventurous coworker, Jackie, and I flew into Boston Sunday afternoon to spend some time in a city teeming with history, cosmopolitan shopping, and great eats. We hit a seafood joint for lunch right away. Lucky for us, Sunday JAZZ brunch was taking place at SkipJack's. Great music with stellar catches of the sea. The lobster bisque is pointedly exceptional. Large lumps of lobster meat have a lightly grilled and buttery flavor. They're left at the bottom of a clean white porcelain bowl, with a carafe of lobster bisque beside it. When it's brought to your table, you get to ogle the delicious morsels before your server pours all that creamy, smooth goodness on top of everything. The creamy bisque is incredible - touch of sherry, not overwhelmed with the cream, smooth as satin. Delicious! I can't say the rest of the dishes we had were as phenomenal, but at the gastronomic pace we would ultimately display, one dish that was decidedly pure love at one place was quite enough.
We walked around the public garden, Newbury St., shopped at select stores that provided infinite home beautifying ideas, and soaked in the amazing architecture. There was already so much to take in, that had we not been distracted by the sheer stimulation, we would have realized that it was Sunday - a real estate open house day! I don't know about you, but sometimes I am just plain nosy about other people's homes. I like to see how the person decorated their certain space. I like to see what kind of style that person displays. I like to think about what that person's personality is. I like seeing other people's homes.
By mid-afternoon, we were feeling a bit weary from all the walking and giddiness we felt about being in a big city. I mean, it's been a while since I've been to a large city where people watching is a show in and of itself, where the streets are filled with people loitering about on a Sunday afternoon, where all the activity of the city culminates into a unified personality that seems to come to life.
Wanting to feel at least a bit peckish after our rather late lunch, we sat in our hotel bar by the window, which afforded us a view of the public garden, sipped at our wine, debated politics, and mused philosophy. Okay, okay, we drank wine and chatted. We were enjoying conversation, yes, but mainly, we were waiting for dinner to roll around. The concierge recommended Lucca, an Italian restaurant in the North End, the Italian neighborhood. We asked her what time they closed, and would they still be open if we decided to have a later dinner, like at 8:30PM, perhaps even 9PM? She looked at us with a bit of amusement. "They're open until midnight. Every night," she said. Jackie and I looked at each other incredulously. "On a Sunday night?" we asked. "Yes, I think you should be fine," she said. Country bumpkins, we are...
We got to Lucca's just past 9PM. The place was positively jumping. People all around, the bar was filled with folks jovially chatting. We managed to get a table without a reservation because for them, this was down time. Now this place requires me to describe every dish we had. You know why? Because to leave one of them out is to rob you of the total Lucca experience. And it's a majestic experience. This place is so clearly Italian, and yet, all the dishes scream of innovation and creativity. We started with a whole wheat crepe, filled with sauteed wild mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese. It was topped with a black truffle oil sauce. How do I describe the eat on this? Sheer ecstasy. If licking the plate wouldn't have made me look like a deprived lunatic, I would have. Absolutely.
I got the night's special. Seared scallops on a bed of red beet risotto, garnished with grilled asparagus. The scallops were masterfully seared - just the right texture. They almost melted in my mouth. The flaming red beet risotto was equally masterful. It was the perfect consistency--creamy and al dente. If you like beets as much as I do, then you would love this.
Jackie got the Orecchiette al Formaggio--Orecchiette pasta baked with fontina cheese, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and roasted grape tomatoes, finished with truffle oil. If that description off their menu sounds good, it doesn't even begin to describe the experience of eating this. It's a creamy explosion of art that changes depending on the combination of ingredients that your fork just happened to pick up at that moment. Jackie, fortunately, doesn't eat much, so I got to help her out. If it weren't so rude to so brazenly switch plates with your dining partner at a fairly nice restaurant, I would do it anyway. So I did.
Rounding out these incredible flavors was the Eroica Riesling. I'm told that the wine master behind this is Dr. Loosen himself. What Dr. L makes, I'll drink. And this Riesling did not disappoint. The subtle sweetness with a balanced acidity is just enough to cut through the cream of Jackie's dish, and complement the delicateness of mine.
All this, my friends, in the first evening of our trip. We're moving to Boston, Part II coming soon...
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
We're moving to Boston
There are a few things that I love about my job. Traveling is at the top of the list. I spent the past few days in Boston for several meetings that lasted from 4PM-10PM each day. What is a girl to do with the rest of the time? Explore, of course!
My just-as-adventurous coworker, Jackie, and I flew into Boston Sunday afternoon to spend some time in a city teeming with history, cosmopolitan shopping, and great eats. We hit a seafood joint for lunch right away. Lucky for us, Sunday JAZZ brunch was taking place at SkipJack's. Great music with stellar catches of the sea. The lobster bisque is pointedly exceptional. Large lumps of lobster meat have a lightly grilled and buttery flavor. They're left at the bottom of a clean white porcelain bowl, with a carafe of lobster bisque beside it. When it's brought to your table, you get to ogle the delicious morsels before your server pours all that creamy, smooth goodness on top of everything. The creamy bisque is incredible - touch of sherry, not overwhelmed with the cream, smooth as satin. Delicious! I can't say the rest of the dishes we had were as phenomenal, but at the gastronomic pace we would ultimately display, one dish that was decidedly pure love at one place was quite enough.
We walked around the public garden, Newbury St., shopped at select stores that provided infinite home beautifying ideas, and soaked in the amazing architecture. There was already so much to take in, that had we not been distracted by the sheer stimulation, we would have realized that it was Sunday - a real estate open house day! I don't know about you, but sometimes I am just plain nosy about other people's homes. I like to see how the person decorated their certain space. I like to see what kind of style that person displays. I like to think about what that person's personality is. I like seeing other people's homes.
By mid-afternoon, we were feeling a bit weary from all the walking and giddiness we felt about being in a big city. I mean, it's been a while since I've been to a large city where people watching is a show in and of itself, where the streets are filled with people loitering about on a Sunday afternoon, where all the activity of the city culminates into a unified personality that seems to come to life.
Wanting to feel at least a bit peckish after our rather late lunch, we sat in our hotel bar by the window, which afforded us a view of the public garden, sipped at our wine, debated politics, and mused philosophy. Okay, okay, we drank wine and chatted. We were enjoying conversation, yes, but mainly, we were waiting for dinner to roll around. The concierge recommended Lucca, an Italian restaurant in the North End, the Italian neighborhood. We asked her what time they closed, and would they still be open if we decided to have a later dinner, like at 8:30PM, perhaps even 9PM? She looked at us with a bit of amusement. "They're open until midnight. Every night," she said. Jackie and I looked at each other incredulously. "On a Sunday night?" we asked. "Yes, I think you should be fine," she said. Country bumpkins, we are...
We got to Lucca's just past 9PM. The place was positively jumping. People all around, the bar was filled with folks jovially chatting. We managed to get a table without a reservation because for them, this was down time. Now this place requires me to describe every dish we had. You know why? Because to leave one of them out is to rob you of the total Lucca experience. And it's a majestic experience.
This place is so clearly Italian, and yet, all the dishes scream of innovation and creativity. We started with a whole wheat crepe, filled with sauteed wild mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese. It was topped with a black truffle oil sauce. How do I describe the eat on this? Sheer ecstasy. If licking the plate wouldn't have made me look like a deprived lunatic, I would have. Absolutely.
I got the night's special. Seared scallops on a bed of red beet risotto, garnished with grilled asparagus. The scallops were masterfully seared - just the right texture. They almost melted in my mouth. The flaming red beet risotto was equally masterful. It was the perfect consistency--creamy and al dente. If you like beets as much as I do, then you would love this.
Jackie got the Orecchiette al Formaggio--Orecchiette pasta baked with fontina cheese, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and roasted grape tomatoes, finished with truffle oil. If that description off their menu sounds good, it doesn't even begin to describe the experience of eating this. It's a creamy explosion of art that changes depending on the combination of ingredients that your fork just happened to pick up at that moment. Jackie, fortunately, doesn't eat much, so I got to help her out. If it weren't so rude to so brazenly switch plates with your dining partner at a fairly nice restaurant, I would do it anyway. So I did.
Rounding out these incredible flavors was the Eroica Riesling. I'm told that the wine master behind this is Dr. Loosen himself. What Dr. L makes, I'll drink. And this Riesling did not disappoint. The subtle sweetness with a balanced acidity is just enough to cut through the cream of Jackie's dish, and complement the delicateness of mine.
All this, my friends, in the first evening of our trip. We're moving to Boston, Part II coming soon...
My just-as-adventurous coworker, Jackie, and I flew into Boston Sunday afternoon to spend some time in a city teeming with history, cosmopolitan shopping, and great eats. We hit a seafood joint for lunch right away. Lucky for us, Sunday JAZZ brunch was taking place at SkipJack's. Great music with stellar catches of the sea. The lobster bisque is pointedly exceptional. Large lumps of lobster meat have a lightly grilled and buttery flavor. They're left at the bottom of a clean white porcelain bowl, with a carafe of lobster bisque beside it. When it's brought to your table, you get to ogle the delicious morsels before your server pours all that creamy, smooth goodness on top of everything. The creamy bisque is incredible - touch of sherry, not overwhelmed with the cream, smooth as satin. Delicious! I can't say the rest of the dishes we had were as phenomenal, but at the gastronomic pace we would ultimately display, one dish that was decidedly pure love at one place was quite enough.
We walked around the public garden, Newbury St., shopped at select stores that provided infinite home beautifying ideas, and soaked in the amazing architecture. There was already so much to take in, that had we not been distracted by the sheer stimulation, we would have realized that it was Sunday - a real estate open house day! I don't know about you, but sometimes I am just plain nosy about other people's homes. I like to see how the person decorated their certain space. I like to see what kind of style that person displays. I like to think about what that person's personality is. I like seeing other people's homes.
By mid-afternoon, we were feeling a bit weary from all the walking and giddiness we felt about being in a big city. I mean, it's been a while since I've been to a large city where people watching is a show in and of itself, where the streets are filled with people loitering about on a Sunday afternoon, where all the activity of the city culminates into a unified personality that seems to come to life.
Wanting to feel at least a bit peckish after our rather late lunch, we sat in our hotel bar by the window, which afforded us a view of the public garden, sipped at our wine, debated politics, and mused philosophy. Okay, okay, we drank wine and chatted. We were enjoying conversation, yes, but mainly, we were waiting for dinner to roll around. The concierge recommended Lucca, an Italian restaurant in the North End, the Italian neighborhood. We asked her what time they closed, and would they still be open if we decided to have a later dinner, like at 8:30PM, perhaps even 9PM? She looked at us with a bit of amusement. "They're open until midnight. Every night," she said. Jackie and I looked at each other incredulously. "On a Sunday night?" we asked. "Yes, I think you should be fine," she said. Country bumpkins, we are...
We got to Lucca's just past 9PM. The place was positively jumping. People all around, the bar was filled with folks jovially chatting. We managed to get a table without a reservation because for them, this was down time. Now this place requires me to describe every dish we had. You know why? Because to leave one of them out is to rob you of the total Lucca experience. And it's a majestic experience.
This place is so clearly Italian, and yet, all the dishes scream of innovation and creativity. We started with a whole wheat crepe, filled with sauteed wild mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese. It was topped with a black truffle oil sauce. How do I describe the eat on this? Sheer ecstasy. If licking the plate wouldn't have made me look like a deprived lunatic, I would have. Absolutely.
I got the night's special. Seared scallops on a bed of red beet risotto, garnished with grilled asparagus. The scallops were masterfully seared - just the right texture. They almost melted in my mouth. The flaming red beet risotto was equally masterful. It was the perfect consistency--creamy and al dente. If you like beets as much as I do, then you would love this.
Jackie got the Orecchiette al Formaggio--Orecchiette pasta baked with fontina cheese, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and roasted grape tomatoes, finished with truffle oil. If that description off their menu sounds good, it doesn't even begin to describe the experience of eating this. It's a creamy explosion of art that changes depending on the combination of ingredients that your fork just happened to pick up at that moment. Jackie, fortunately, doesn't eat much, so I got to help her out. If it weren't so rude to so brazenly switch plates with your dining partner at a fairly nice restaurant, I would do it anyway. So I did.
Rounding out these incredible flavors was the Eroica Riesling. I'm told that the wine master behind this is Dr. Loosen himself. What Dr. L makes, I'll drink. And this Riesling did not disappoint. The subtle sweetness with a balanced acidity is just enough to cut through the cream of Jackie's dish, and complement the delicateness of mine.
All this, my friends, in the first evening of our trip. We're moving to Boston, Part II coming soon...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Disintegration of Society
Earlier this week, I saw the vestiges of the complete erosion of our future generation when watching several teenage girls pound the hell out of their "friend." I could barely stand watching the footage as it continually looped to provide visual background as the news anchor broke the story.
What is our society coming to? The fact that there is no remnant of remorse from these individuals who are old enough to know what they are doing is a frightening prospect. The fact that they were more concerned about whether their social calendars were in jeopardy than about the girl they just landed in the hospital is loathsome. The fact that they actually video taped the assault to put it on YouTube is unfathomable. The LEAST they can do is try them as adults.
Where is the future generation learning their morals? Their character? Clearly not from their parents. As the story unfolds, I will be very attentive to what their parents do. My immediate reaction was, I bet their wealthy parents are doing all they can to get their kids out on bond, then do their darndest to keep them out of jail. I'm concerned that they will actually lash out to blame someone, anyone, other than themselves. I expect that they might have the audacity to sue the school system, or even the victim and her family for "defamation" or some other hideous and equally ridiculous claim. Is it unrealistic to think this could actually happen?
As I think about it, the children of today are the evidence of the disintegration that began with their parents' generation. It must be; because how else could we have created such monsters?
What is our society coming to? The fact that there is no remnant of remorse from these individuals who are old enough to know what they are doing is a frightening prospect. The fact that they were more concerned about whether their social calendars were in jeopardy than about the girl they just landed in the hospital is loathsome. The fact that they actually video taped the assault to put it on YouTube is unfathomable. The LEAST they can do is try them as adults.
Where is the future generation learning their morals? Their character? Clearly not from their parents. As the story unfolds, I will be very attentive to what their parents do. My immediate reaction was, I bet their wealthy parents are doing all they can to get their kids out on bond, then do their darndest to keep them out of jail. I'm concerned that they will actually lash out to blame someone, anyone, other than themselves. I expect that they might have the audacity to sue the school system, or even the victim and her family for "defamation" or some other hideous and equally ridiculous claim. Is it unrealistic to think this could actually happen?
As I think about it, the children of today are the evidence of the disintegration that began with their parents' generation. It must be; because how else could we have created such monsters?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Hit or Miss the Carr's
I like Carr’s. I like that it’s located just across the alleyway from Central Market – it gives it a local down-home feel. And in fact, Carr’s does use local suppliers. I like that, too. I like that its corner store that has interesting eats and bonsai trees in the window. I like that one has to walk down to the basement, and then is transported into a hip dining area that is warm and inviting, with their gold color-washed walls and their fantastic wine cellar. And I like their food. Most of the time.
I’ve had the pleasure of eating at Carr’s several times now. The first time was when I had just moved here. My husband was giving me a walking tour of downtown Lancaster. We roamed through Central Market, ambled down Queen St., and Carr’s had set up an outdoor café in the alley. We stopped in for a quick bite to eat and I had one of the best salmon salads I’ve had in a very, very long time. Moist, yet flaky, good balance of flavors, and I knew I had found a place that I would visit again.
On another occasion, I had a lunch meeting at Carr’s and went comfort with his meatloaf. It was a masterful display of how home cooking could be so wonderfully sophisticated. Delicious medallions of meatloaf were settled on great slices of hearty bread and served with a gravy that just pulls it all together harmoniously. I had visions of being at home with the family around the dining room table…while using the best China, donning the latest Spring fashion of Dolce & Gabbana and laughing heartily at my brother’s jokes. And my mom never even served meat loaf, so just imagine what the experience is like if your mom did!
Just recently, we visited again. The service was virtually impeccable. Efficient and friendly, the server was a true resource in assisting us on making the right menu choices. I started with the Grapefruit Martini, an item on their Seasonal Sippers drinks menu. As part of Carr’s inventiveness, they make their signature liquors for their seasonal drinks on the premises for their themed drinks menu. I like that, too. The martini, though, wasn’t as balanced as I would have liked. The base flavor was good and refreshing, but there was too much of an alcohol punch.
For the entrée, I decided to go with the Grilled Dover Sole and Shrimp ($30). The presentation was beautiful. The caramel color of the browned butter, lemon, and caper sauce looked incredibly appetizing with the combination of squash, asparagus, and other fall vegetables. All this topped with two fillets of the sole nicely grilled and some shrimp on the side. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this dish nearly as much as my eyes were hoping. The sole had a delicately grilled flavor to it that was fantastic. The shrimp was perfectly grilled so that it was moist and flavorful. So what was the problem? The sauce was so overwhelmed with a citrusy lemon flavor that all you could taste was the tartness that goes with it. When you eat capers, it’s generally such a pungent flavor that it has the risk of dominating over the other flavors. The fact that the lemon dominated the capers? Pucker up. I kept hoping, bite after bite, that maybe I just got too much of a squirt of lemon in that one spot. But alas, it was completely lemon-fied. The shame of it all was that I knew there were all these other flavors that were just fighting to come out and play, but they just couldn’t.
My husband ordered the Grilled Medallions of Beef with Macaroni and Goat Cheese ($21). The fillet mignon was tender, juicy, and almost melted in your mouth. It was so good, that I attempted to commandeer the dish, but the hubby wasn’t having any of that. The macaroni and goat cheese was a subtle upgrade of your comfort dish, and the subtlety was just enough to give it some flair without overwhelming it with the gaminess that is usually associated with goat cheese.
So what if I didn’t like the dish I had at my latest endeavor to Carr’s. At the end of the day? I still like Carr’s.
I’ve had the pleasure of eating at Carr’s several times now. The first time was when I had just moved here. My husband was giving me a walking tour of downtown Lancaster. We roamed through Central Market, ambled down Queen St., and Carr’s had set up an outdoor café in the alley. We stopped in for a quick bite to eat and I had one of the best salmon salads I’ve had in a very, very long time. Moist, yet flaky, good balance of flavors, and I knew I had found a place that I would visit again.
On another occasion, I had a lunch meeting at Carr’s and went comfort with his meatloaf. It was a masterful display of how home cooking could be so wonderfully sophisticated. Delicious medallions of meatloaf were settled on great slices of hearty bread and served with a gravy that just pulls it all together harmoniously. I had visions of being at home with the family around the dining room table…while using the best China, donning the latest Spring fashion of Dolce & Gabbana and laughing heartily at my brother’s jokes. And my mom never even served meat loaf, so just imagine what the experience is like if your mom did!
Just recently, we visited again. The service was virtually impeccable. Efficient and friendly, the server was a true resource in assisting us on making the right menu choices. I started with the Grapefruit Martini, an item on their Seasonal Sippers drinks menu. As part of Carr’s inventiveness, they make their signature liquors for their seasonal drinks on the premises for their themed drinks menu. I like that, too. The martini, though, wasn’t as balanced as I would have liked. The base flavor was good and refreshing, but there was too much of an alcohol punch.
For the entrée, I decided to go with the Grilled Dover Sole and Shrimp ($30). The presentation was beautiful. The caramel color of the browned butter, lemon, and caper sauce looked incredibly appetizing with the combination of squash, asparagus, and other fall vegetables. All this topped with two fillets of the sole nicely grilled and some shrimp on the side. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this dish nearly as much as my eyes were hoping. The sole had a delicately grilled flavor to it that was fantastic. The shrimp was perfectly grilled so that it was moist and flavorful. So what was the problem? The sauce was so overwhelmed with a citrusy lemon flavor that all you could taste was the tartness that goes with it. When you eat capers, it’s generally such a pungent flavor that it has the risk of dominating over the other flavors. The fact that the lemon dominated the capers? Pucker up. I kept hoping, bite after bite, that maybe I just got too much of a squirt of lemon in that one spot. But alas, it was completely lemon-fied. The shame of it all was that I knew there were all these other flavors that were just fighting to come out and play, but they just couldn’t.
My husband ordered the Grilled Medallions of Beef with Macaroni and Goat Cheese ($21). The fillet mignon was tender, juicy, and almost melted in your mouth. It was so good, that I attempted to commandeer the dish, but the hubby wasn’t having any of that. The macaroni and goat cheese was a subtle upgrade of your comfort dish, and the subtlety was just enough to give it some flair without overwhelming it with the gaminess that is usually associated with goat cheese.
So what if I didn’t like the dish I had at my latest endeavor to Carr’s. At the end of the day? I still like Carr’s.
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