Car Accident after delicious Duck

I had quite the traumatic experience last nite.. on my way back from a delicious fun night at Harvard Sq with an old friend…..

But before I get into that…. back to my story. I got in a hit & run just like 10-15 minutes away from my house.  Witnesses behind me said they saw a hit and run… I just heard a boom, freaked out, swerved, hit the curb and mailbox.  Entire right side TOTALED.. windshield shattered… front right part of car GONE… front right tire FLEW off, back right tire flattened… and it just looks horrible.

The tire that flew off

Fucked up

Bye bye my baby…

No worries I passed all the sobriety tests [def wasn't drunk] just had to deal with insurance and police reports, ugh.  A bit sore and possibly bruised from the seatbelt… neck is sore… but other than mental distress I think I’m OKAY right now.. just want to keep on sleeping.. woke up super late today to file insurance report and then made some scrambled eggs and had it with a whole avocado with chulula hot sauce.

Bye bye my baby red Matrix XS. I did love you so.

Altho I am annoyed and kinda glad my airbags DIDN’T GO OFF.  And to the guys who came and helped me and was my witness.. thanks thanks so much for being amazing and sweet.

[https://socialcam.com/v/PoC7cW7h?autostart=true]

So I guess onto the good parts…

Old friend showed up late…..  so I had was at Chameleon myself.

I got a touch up on my ankle… and a new addition to my collection.. actually dedicated to my mother. There’s a little story behind it… my mom, when I was little, used to ask me all the time “How much d you love me?” and I’d open my arms as wide as I could and say.. “for infinity…” :]

If you ever want a tatt at Harvard Sq’s Chameleon ask for Rueben.. he’s my man!!! He’s the shit!!! :]

Anyways finally met up with my friend for a few drinks before dinner…. got him the most awesome book “How to tell if your car is plotting to kill you”… [he has two cats] thanks to Oatmeal.  A few Garden Saison beers at John Harvard’s Brewery

And then a delicious dinner at Upstairs on the Square

Dinner time… with bubbles..

He got the grilled salmon on top of pearl onions and saurkraut and broccoli….

My roast duck with blood orange and other yummy flavors…. so fatty meaty and delicious. JUICY TO THE CORE!!!

Dessert was a Napoleon… with the most amazing chocolate chip vanilla bean ice cream.  The Napoleon definitely wasn’t what I expected, more cake than flakey. No flake at all.

And then a champagned induced addition….

Jim and Tiffie Adventures Day 2 : Brunch and Wayside Inn

It’s Day 2 of our adventures…. slept in way way way way late… so we decided to push back from an hour or two…

Brunch @ my friendly neighborhood Bullfinchs

He was “boring” [his words not mine] and got the Farmers Breakfast haha

Sides of Bacon and Sausage… nom nom nom

But I was boring-er and got my usual egg white veggie omelette

Some awesome bellinis, bloody marys and COFFEE later…. we went to Wayside Inn to tour around and walk around the gorgeous estate and land.

I wanted to jump in but didn’t wanna get yelled at

Where horror movies begin

Que?

Furby Hand?

Now you don’t see the glow

Now you see the orb

Hello Zak Bagans, hire me.

Fun times :]

Drunken Adventures at Eastern Standard, Met Bar @ Back Bay, Harvard Sq. and No. 9 with Jim

J came to visit for the weekend after Thanksgiving and we decided to head out for a foodie drunken adventure.  Our first stop was Eastern Standard.  Great for drinks and snacks…

The charcuterie plate… the pate was our favorite…

Raw oysters <3

We are both super happy!!!

Cheese Plate.. yum yum

Bubbles.. so many bubbles — and beer..

CHEERS!!!!! :] You have to do an oyster cheers!!!

And even though we didn’t order dessert they gave us some nummies anyways.

Next stop was Newbury St.. where we found ourselves at the Met Bar @ Back Bay [again]

Evil Quinoa Vodka with Goji Juice that made me halucinate

The most amazing Truffle Cheddar Popcorn

Brrr it was a cold cold night…

#2. Hello Kitty.

After the quick stop at Harvard Sq. to Chameleon we headed to our reservation at No. 9 Park

It was good.. but the wine was better than the food haha

Bread & Buttaaaaa

Foie Gras Terrine

Extra duck prosciutto

Just chomping on Quail Legs… NBD

Desserts

DRUNK

Came back and I passed out watching Super 8 within a few minutes. Hahahaha, I’m a lame host when I drink too much… but drinking all day was pretty impressive…

Adventures of Serina and Tiffie Ninjas….

She got me this gorgeous Hello Kitty Swarovski Ring <3

I brought her to get her ears pierced a a Birthday present <3

Met Bar

Worst Sole EVER

Cubano

My Athens Burger

I think she got the LA Burger

Brunch at Bullfinchs

I made dinner for everyone

Fugakyu for Girls’ Nite

We wanted a boat

Szechuan Chili Beef a la Mama

I made Breakfast for me and Serina

Sisters <3

Legal Seafoods

Black Friday Shopping

Best Purchase

Love you S <3 Miss youuuuu!!!!

Legal’s with the Parents: Ordering off the Specials Menu

I love going out with my parents. We always have so much fun and being an only child and moving around all over the United States, I’m used to it.  Family vacations, dinners, etc.  Not hanging out with the fam all the time is just plain wrong and doesn’t feel right.  So after a long day of work.. it was time for some seafood.

Daddy started becoming a huge food picture-taker too… hahahah and taking goofy pictures of me.

We got a free Amuse Bouche from the chef.  Sun Dried Tomatoes with Bacon on Crostini with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinaigrette. Meh.

Two Buckets of Steamers!!!

CLEANED THEM OUT SO FAST

Not amused.

I got the Wild King Salmon with Spicy Sausage [Chorizo], a Corn/Black Bean Salsa on top of Butternut Squash.  It was sprinkled with scallions and was totally a Mexican wanna be dish.  It wasn’t bad but my salmon was overcooked and dry.  Everything else was delicious.

We also ordered a half a bottle of the red wine pairing to go with my dish to share with the table. I forgot what it was but it was good.

Daddy got a Herbed Flounder with a Slaw on top.

And mama got the Grilled Swordfish over Mashed Sweet Potato.

All of us got the specials of the night…

And then I saw this lady. CLASSY.

And since we ordered all specials we got the special dessert too.

YUM

The usual: Boston Cream Pie
Delicious as usual but I don’t remember it being COVERED in chocolate, just a thin film of it on top. Now it’s a bit too much.

The Special: Apple Pie Tart
It was okay.  The ice cream was good.

I also got a yummy Hot Toddy.

Tapas at Solea

Tapas? Tapas yes! How can you ever say no to Tapas?!.. Nothing like some Spanish Tapas.. and while I usually go to Toro for it… Solea is closer.  Since I’m so behind in posts I’m gonna be doing a lot of just plain picture posts with minimal writing….

I got some Red Sangria with some bubbbbbbbly in it… !!!
Sangria Royal, Red Sangria with Cava and Gran Marnier
a

Bread and Hummus

Always a good pair.

Pulpo a Feria, Galician Style Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil
This is a cold dish.. the octopus is tender but I thought that there was just way too much.

Gambas al Ajillo, Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

Pimiento de Piquillo, Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
This was alright.  I’ve had better in other places…

Chorizo a la Plancha, Seared Spanish Sausage

Pato Braseado, Roasted Duck with Berry Sauce

This shall always be my favorite dish to get when I get tapas. DUCK IS THE THING TO GET!

Almejas a la Marinera, Steamed Littleneck Clams with White Wine and Herb Sauce

Vieiras al Azafrán, Scallops in Saffron Cream

I’m not too big on cream sauces so I only had one.  There’s something about my palate I can taste everything but saffron. Weird.

Solomillo con Chimichurri, Beef Tenderloin with Spicy Herb Sauce

The beef was tender but by the time we got this we were so full of everything else….

Setas al Ajillo, Sautéed Wild Mushrooms

Codorniz, Braised Quail with Lentils

Almendras Marconas, Roasted Marcona Almonds

Churros con Chocolate, Cinnamon-laced Fritters with Dark Chocolate Sauce

Flan, Coconut Flan

Everything was delicious but it was super filling for just three people.

Back For Mo’ — Asiana Bistro

We had just recently visited Asiana Bistro but it was pretty good so we, my parents and I, decided to go back again.  This time we ordered completely different from the first time.

I started off with a Thai Beer, Singha.  It was slightly bitter and pretty tasty.  Not the best but not bad.. definitely tastes like an asian beer, as weird as that may sound – plus it went well with the clams we ended up ordering..

Beef Chow Foon Noodles

Tender chewy fluffy fat noodles with crunchy bean sprouts and large slices of super tender beef.  The sauce was pretty light and the dish was delicious.  As much as this is like chinese takeout, this was VERY yum!  I actually ended up having it the next day out of the fridge, for a midnight snack – teehee…

Clams in Black Bean Sauce

These were large, meaty, tender and oh so delicious.  Small slices of jalapeno to spice things up… sooo good.  And the portion was HUGE. H U G E!!!!  This, a beer and a giant bowl of white rice is the perfect meal.

Sea Bass with Mixed Veggies

This was our least favorite dish – we had hoped to get a whole steamed fresh fish but they didn’t have any that day.  This had way too much starch to make the sauce thick and the fish just didn’t taste fresh.  It was a chopped up frozen sea bass filet – and while the veggies were abundant and fresh, the over thickened up sauce just made it off-putting for me.

Garlicky Stir Fried Veggies

Minus the slightly thickened “sauce” you can’t go wrong with simp;y made greens

Pipa Tofu

There were so many!!!  Minced tofu and shrimp, fried and a light sauce added.  While I’m used to having smaller portions with a small whole shrimp on top, these oval balls of deliciousness were HUGE and addicting!!!! Flavor was fabulous and they were fluffy and tender. SO GOOD.

Fortune Cookie!!!!

I love this fortune.

Sel de la Terre: Wine Tuesday “South America”

I haven’t been to one in ages.  Or maybe it was with Kelly? I keep wanting to but end up being busy or away.  They still know me tho.. so this Tuesday I had my usual corner table waiting for me.

South America, a favorite of mine for wines… MMMMM Argentinian and Chilean wines!!!

Amuse Bouche
Smoked Salmon Crostini with Chive Creme Fraiche

Delicious bite.  I ate this in a few bites so I wished that the smoked salmon was in smaller pieces so I didn’t have to use my finger to help bite off bits of it.  It could’ve used a bit of caper and onion tho. :]  I’m OG like that.

There were only two other tables and our wine pourer remembered me so we got BIG BIG pours :D

First Course
ASF Vegetables, Jonah Crab, Citrus Vinaigrette
Paired with 2010 Torrentes, Crios de Susana Balbo, Salta, Argentina

This was delightful.  I tend to get dressings on the side so my salad doesn’t wilt or is overly dressed and soggy but this was fantastical.  A nice slightly ocean-y crab taste on top of  a nice variety of fresh greens, tomato and thin radish. YUM

Second Course
Roasted Garlic and Herb Sole, ASF Heirloom Tomatoes, Braised ASF Greens
Paired with 2010 Erraszuriz, “Wild Ferment”, Chardonnay, Chile

Pan Fried and stuffed with… stuffing? Some sort of sop. it was good, a bit salty so I ended up picking some of it out.  The Sole filet was folded over so the stuffing was cooked inside, and then set atop of raw heirloom tomatoes.  Which was nice, refreshing, but also surprising, I expected cooking tomato.  Under the tomato was braised greens, that tasted super asian-y YUM.. I’m guessing sweet potato grees?!… Anyways back t the sole: The outside was crisp and the inner was fluffy and flaked away. YUM.

Main Course
BBQ Braised Pork, Sweet Corn Relish, Apple Gastrique
Paired with 2009 Malbec, Alfredo Roca, Mendoza, Argentina

The pork was super tender and I loved the mixture of corn and apples.  It seemed like the perfect, end to Summer. hello to Autumn dish. BUT it was SO overly sweet… And the fact that I was already full on the dishes before and a ton of wine

Fromage Course
Bayley Hazen
Paired with 2006 Concha y Toro, “Lourdes Vineyard”, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley, Chile

This was a nice moldy not too stinky blue cheese… I’ve been trying not to eat too much dairy products lately since W suggested that my tummyaches may be a result of eating them.  Seems like he may be right.I still have some cheese, just not in overabundance like I usually do ;D  The plate was also filled with fruit preserves, chopped up dried figs, pecans, almond slices, pistachios, halved grapes, slices apple and some truffle honey. SOOO good.  All the contrasting textures and flavors with the fruits, nuts, cheeses were amazing, you didn’t even need the crostini.  I had my cheese with some honey on apple slices MMMMM….

Another amazing meal.  Thanks SDLT see you next time when I’m back in town!

It’s a Bling Bling at Jimmy’s….

… where everyone knows Mike’s name :]

I headed over to Katy’s and even though it was storming I was determined to see my bestie and her hubby.  Mike’s good friend Matt was in town so we chilled and watched a scary movie while we waited for the storm to die down a bit.  We headed over to Jimmy’s and chitchatted for a bit while we waited for a table.  Stormy and rainy, yes, but still busy busy busy!

It all started out with the drink special from the chalkboard.. a BLING BLING… it had some prosecco, vodka and framboise.. YUM!!! And I got a cute little bottle of prosecco to go along with it.  It was on the sweet side so extra prosecco please!

We all got a nice salad.  Only I got feta on mine, but it was the first time I  was offered feta.. LOVE feta. YUM!

Matt got this.

Katy got this.

And then Mike and I both got the special Argentinian steak with Chimichurri sauce.

Mike got it cut.

I got mine whole and rare. YUM

The steak actually wasn’t as thin as I thought it’d be and my steak was a bit overcooked, but still tender and well flavored…. the veggies were fresh and the chimichurri sauce was good. YUM.

But then I got two knives and no fork :[ POUT

After demolishing our food.. obviously DESSERT!!!

Mississipi Mud pie for me and Katy to share…

DEEEEEELICIOUS!!!!!  It was so good and the crust was SOOO thick and buttery and delicious. YUM

… and Strawberry Cheesecake for the boys.

I love a good Bromance.

Another wonderful night. <3 I love my extended family.

SDLT Family Brunch

I love my brunch, as does my parents. We LIVE for brunch.  We try to eat out at least a brunch or dinner every week, as a family.  We headed to SDLT since I had to get some stuff at Sephora and my mom wanted to shop around.  I was feeling SO sick and just couldn’t get up AT ALL.  So reservation for 1pm changed to 2pm and we barely made it.  I can’t tell if it’s allergies or something else but appetite was low, as was energy. Must. Keep. Going.

Bread Basket
Foccacia, Whole Grain & French Bread
… delicious, fresh baked and super creamy butter. MMMM….

Kelly loves her bread basket from SDLT ;D

Soup Du Jour –
White Bean & Kale Soup

It was filled with corn, squash, carrots, celery, other veggies, and obviously white beans and kale… altho not very much of the kale, SIGH. and a yummy garlic crostini YUM.  This was SUCH a good soup and I devoured it!  I reluctantly shared with my parents, not cuz I didn’t want them to try it, but cuz I wanted to swim in a TUB of it. It was super filling too since I got full real fast after. YUMMMMMM… Totally making this on my own next time I make soup. Hurry up and come fall.

Chock full of sexy goodness…

My FREE Rosemary Pommes Frites that I get everytime I sign into Foursquare there. BAD. ASS. Thin, crispy, some were overfried – which I LOVE, and of course a yummy herb-y taste NOM. Salty happiness!!!!

Mesclun mixed greens, soft boiled egg, smoked bacon, toasted focaccia, apple cider vinaigrette with Grilled Shrimp and Grilled Chicken

I usually ask for dressing on the side and a side of hot sauce. They gave me a smidgen of hot sauce on the side, and mixed in the dressing.  Good thing it was a pretty light apple-y one :] YUM.  I was hesitant at first but it turned out to be delish.  I demoished the whole entire thing.

Poached Egg Perfection = SEX

Mommy got this: Mushroom and gruyere cheese omelette and Applewood smoked bacon

It comes with home fries but mommy opted for bacon instead – with my suggestion.. :] She loved it, and she’s not a huge cheese fan.. she’s never had gruyere so I’m glad she liked… daddy like it too, WOOT.

Daddy got the special of the day… Why? HE LOVES THE PIG – he and bf are gonna get along FINELY

Peach Glazed Pulled Pork Shoulder with Grilled Watermelon and Potato Salad

First time my parents had GRILLED watermelon. YUM.  The pork was tender, and altho not really pulled, it’s fell apart easily.  The potato salad was chunky and lightly mayo’d YUM. Also came with flowers.

Leg legs leggs