A week in Boston…

I’m behind and have a million things to blog about. I may blog less, but I certainly don’t eat any less… ;D So I was back in Boston for the past week, er well last week…. but I’ve been busy chowing down….

There was O Sushi at Copley with mommy :] One of our fav quickie lunch stops when we go on shopping sprees [and we DID spree... Jimmy Choo specifically]..

[L-R Top to Bottom]
Sake Kinutamaki – Sake, Avocado, Cucumber, Scallions & Tobiko wrapped in Daikon
Edamame
Soft Shell Crab served Tempura Style w/ Ponzu Sauce [for mommy]
Salmon Sashimi, Unagi Sashimi, Tako [octopus] Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi, Hotate [Scallop] Sashimi
Scorpian Roll [for mommy]

And then having a groupon certificate helped too :D We have 2 more to go ;D

AND THEN…. there was more birthday chowing down, at Oishii Too specifically… with two friends

Kin Zan Sake

salmon, truffle oil, chives, sesame seeds, yuzu wasabi, thinly sliced truffle
topped with caviar and 24k gold flake

Can’t find the name on the website but it’s crab salad in ponzu sauce in a tomato :] SO YUM!

Baby Hamachi Sashimi, White Tuna Sashimi, Hotate [scallop] Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi, Salmon Sashimi, Unagi Sashimi, Tako [octopus] Sashimi

There was also Hamachi Kama, Seaweed Salad, Edamame, Eggplant and other snackies :]

And then there was using another one of my Groupon certificates [I'm obsessed] for Sel De La Terre… one of my fav places to go, outside of Boston, when I’m at home.

Apple Street Farms heirloom tomato salad with Boston bibb lettuce, crumbled feta; harissa vinaigrette

Hearts of romaine with bosc pears, shaved red onion, Fourme D’ambert, candied nuts; sherry vinaigrette

Pan seared East Coast halibut, sweet corn grits, romaine fondue, confit cherry tomatoes

Grilled rainbow trout, eggplant caponata, wilted baby arugula; bacon vinaigrette

And then there was brunch before watching Eat, Pray, Love on Sunday :] Everyone should know by now that Brunch is my favorite meal of the day. We ate at Met Bar.

I had the L.A. Avocado / Tomato / Sprouts / Roasted Garlic Egg White Scramble

MEXICO Jack Cheese / Jalapenos / Guacamole / Cilantro Scramble

Daddy got the HAND-DIPPED BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST
Strawberry Jam Filling / Maple Glazed Bananas

..and mommy went hardcore and got the huge COWBOY STEAK & EGG BURRITO
Sliced Skirt Steak / Scrambled Egg / Poblano Peppers / Pepper Jack / Charred Onions / Red Chimi Hollandaise / Extra Large Flour Tortilla

The movie, by the way, was sooo great. I’ve read the book before and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well. Is it just me or is Julia Roberts getting more and more gorgeous as she gets older?!… Not only that, it made me LONG for a trip back to La Bella Roma…. the pasta… the fresh food, the smells, the wines, the views, SIGH* Someone take me, please?!

That nite before I went back to the City, my mommy made a plethera of dishes, again, including spicy marinated cold seaweed salad… Halibut,, Ketchup Shrimp.. these things were as big as LOBSTER tails!!!… some Crispy Duck and of course lots of veggies :] NOM!
Tonite?!… I made a zesty blanced asparagus, heirloom tomato, vidalia onion balsamic dressed salad with garlicky baked potaters and a filet mignon for me [rare] and a nice big ribeye. I have onion breath, so you better find it sexy. If not. Too bad :D

BTW, I realize now that I STILL haven’t blogged about Yakitori Totto… *fail* tomorrow will be the day… as will my blogging about Agua Dulce, a few dishes I cooked at home and of course, the fantabulous LE BERNARDIN <3

happy birthday part trois – east meets west style

My lunar year birthday was August 9, 2010 – Which is also the Chinese Valentine’s Day ;] – so it makes sense that I like to keep on celebrating… my latest dinner celebration for my 26th was in Boston…. well, Wellesley, back home with my parents. Every year I like to go to to Blue Ginger, sort of like tradition, so of course, I was there…

Blue Ginger, is of course, the baby of Chef Ming Tsai – Mr East Meets West himself. I’ve been watching him cook on tv since I was a kiddie and he was still on the Food Network…  now I watch him and his weekly pairings on Simply Ming..still awesome – does this guy ever age?…

We started off with a yummy complimentary bread basket…

The most delicious buttery bread with a soft pillowy middle and even butterier crust… and then garlicky crisps :D Yum – those were my fav

And one of the few sparkling Roses that I enjoy ;D Delicious… my dad absolutely loved it.

Then we continued to order many many appetizers….

Fragrant Thai Mussels with Lime Leaf & Green Papaya

Super fresh, even my mother enjoyed them and mussels usually freak her out because she thinks they look dirty hahahaha…. slightly tangy green papaya with amazing lemongrass and lime leaf flavors.. yum yum… there were some jalapenos in it but it wasn’t spicy at all.. the broth was very light and clean… so refreshing.

Ming’s Tea-Smoked Salmon & Beef Carpaccio* with Avocado-Jicama Salad & Fresh Wasabi Emulsion

I always get this dish… delicious beef carpaccio with amazing smoked salmon underneath it. Tons of avocado and jicama are under the yummy toasts.. delish! I love good smoked salmon that isn’t too salty.

Hawaiian Bigeye Tuna Poke* with Crispy Sushi Rice Cake & Peppercress-Tosaka Salad

This was perfect because I had been totally craving poke since I watched it a few nights ago on Food Network… I think it was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives… some Hawaiian place, the name/location escapes me

Foie Gras-Shiitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth

I didn’t tell my dad it was foie gras until after he ate it and he still freaked out. He’s not into foie.. and I must admit, it was a bit gamier than usual but just as custardy and happy and delicious. Definitely needed the shallot broth tho to ease the gaminess – well for me.

my sweet six-twen part duex

I woke up to flowers, balloons and pancakes & crepes w/eggs and bacon in bed… well.. in couch, while watching the Ren&Stimpy marathon all day.

The second chosen Birthday Dress :]

Elizabeth & James Dress, YSL Shoes and my new Chanel Bag

amuse bouche

creamy chickpea puree with pickled melon
We were sitting around looking at the menus when this delicious and creamy concoction came to us… smooth rich chickpeas emulsified into the creamiest I’ve ever had… with the surprising crunch of the pickled melon with a drizzle of fruity evoo on top.

The best bread and butter I’ve ever had… I literally ate more than 20 pieces of this… apparently NO one has eaten this much bread and butter before and they ended up serving us huge baskets – instead of pails of it :]

happy birthday part UN – piggie/clown style

I’m all about birthdays, especially when it’s mine…as a child I HATED having my birthday in the summer. Everyone else got punch and cupcakes during class and I would be one of the few that couldn’t. Sometimes I would celebrate it in June before school let out. I felt left out :[ But it's been awhile since the days of ABC, eating playdoh and finger puppets. I LOVE having my birthday in the summer. Sunshine, great tans, and August is the easiest month to get out of work - slowest month of the year.

I abuse the fact that it's my birthday and I tend to celebrate for the whole month of August. Thankfully all my friends and family are down with it and just go along with me. This year I decided to start early and have my first party on July 31 :]

What can I say, I’m addicted to birthday parties.. and finding the perfect bday dresses ;D — of course good food is a must… Remember last year?!

I have a HUGE crush on David Chang and his food and of course, pork… so it only seemed appropriate to go to Momofuku Ssam Bar

We got the 6-Course Prixe Fix Menu… but then added on a lot of other items.. because I’m a fatty like that ;D I’ll star * the items that we added on…

* greek sardine -

arugula, strawberry, toasted rice
Amazing. I don’t get why anyone would not like sardines.. it’s fishy, because it’s supposed to be. Salty, fresh and delicious. The strawberries and the arugula just added so much to it.

spanish mackerel -

melon, mustard
Not fishy at all.. super tender and I loved the sweetness that balanced off the slight savory to it.

bread + butter -

sea salt butter (vt) + whipped lardo
Apparently I’m the only one that was super excited about having whipped lardo ;D Pork fat is an amazing thing…. we had a few plates of the bread and it was demolished asap. We were all starved… we got to the place at 545 but we probably didn’t really start eating til way after 630. What can I say, my friends always roll late – haha LAME. But we had gotten our drink on by then.. especially with the help of Matt’s White Dog.. one sip and I was done…. except.. I kept going…

White dog is what distillers call whiskey when it comes off the still, but before it goes into the barrel. It is, in other words, raw whiskey, without the mellow flavors and rich hue that the barrel brings. It is as clear as water and if it is destined for the barrel, as opposed to the bottle, is strong.

Source

country hams tasting  –



finville ham (finchville, ky)
broadbent ham (kuttawa, ky)
edward’s wigwam ham (surry, va)
Delicious!!! I don’t know which was which and they didn’t have the smoked ones – boo – but they were delish!