We're back!
Jack and I got back to Boulder last night after a wonderful trip to our old college town of Boston and then a few days in Camden, Maine. It should come as no surprise to any of you that our entire trip was focused on the fabulous food all along the way. We did also enjoying see old friends and great sights. Here are some of the highlights:
Our first night in Boston, we made a beeline for the North End - the great Italian neighborhood we knew and loved - it is still great but quite transformed from 40 years ago!
Dinner was at the Terramia - a tiny little place with wonderful food -
http://www.terramiaristorante.com/
I had the Ravioli Carciofi - House made artichoke and Fontina ravioli, pulled duck confit, exotic mushrooms, asparagus Truffle purée
Jack had the Risotto Con Aragosta Ed Granchio - Carnaroli rice, saffron, fresh Maine lobster and crab meat, charcoal roasted peppers
Sunday morning, we visited a small art museum - The Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum - a remarkable private collection set in a building designed to evoke a 15th-century Venetian palace. The building and the central courtyard gardens alone are worth the trip.
Sunday afternoon, we had a special visit with an old friend of my mom's, Aunt Helen. Aunt Helen and my mom were childhood friends and stayed close until my mother's death. Helen is in her 90's now and is quite remarkable. She certainly doesn't get around like she used to but she's as sharp as ever - I think her memory is better than mine! She lives in Brookline, Mass, just outside the city.
I used to live not far from there and Jack and I went to see if our favorite neighborhood pizza place, Pinos, was still there - it sure was and it was just as we remembered it. There was even a banner outside, proclaiming that it had been there for 45 years. The pizza was and is still as good as ever.
Sunday evening, we had another reunion with my friend Joyce and her husband Lloyd. Joyce and I went to both high school and college together at Boston University. Jack had been at Northeastern and Lloyd went to Brandeis. We actually fixed them up! It was wonderful to catch up and we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Davio's, a Northern Italian steakhouse in downtown Boston. Jack had a delicious steak and I had huge, succulent sauteed shrimp.
On Monday after a nice breakfast on Newbury Street in the Back Bay section of Boston - The Trident Booksellers Cafe - http://www.tridentbookscafe.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp, we headed up to the North Shore and out to Cape Ann. This was always a favorite area for us. We had lunch in Rockport at My Place By the Sea - a lovely restaurant situated at Bear Skin Neck in Rockport. I loved it because they are right on the water and had great New England Clam Chowder. http://www.myplacebythesea.com/
We took a leisurely drive back to Boston, going through charming towns like, Gloucester, Magnolia, Beverly, Prides Crossing, Swampscott and Lynn. This trip to the North Shore is a nice alternative to Cape Cod.
Dinner on Monday night was at the Turner Fisheries in the Westin Hotel at Copley Square. We had dinner there when Libby graduated from Boston College. A fairly upscale seafood restaurant, Jack and I shared more clam chowder, followed by Boston Schrod for me and Baked Stuffed Shrimp for Jack.
On Tuesday, Joyce and I spent the afternoon together - we did a nostalgic tour of the Boston University campus and after much effort, gained access to our old dorm - yikes - that building hasn't held up too well!
We had lunch together in Kenmore Square at a place called Eastern Standard. http://www.easternstandardboston.com/ES_viewer.html
By dinnertime that evening, Jack and were feeling "fine dining" fatigue so we just went to a neighborhood pizza place - not the best so I wouldn't recommend it.
On Wednesday, we ate a hearty breakfast at the Paramount in the neighborhood of Beacon HIll -
http://www.paramountboston.com/pages/home.html - their specialty is blueberry pancakes and Jack thought they were terrific.
Then we hit the road for our next few days in Camden, Maine.
In the interest of space and time, I will give you a quick run-through of our favorite places and meals along the coast of Maine.
In Wiscasset, two must stops:
The Seabasket - lobster stew and lobster roll
Red's Eats - lobster roll - all time best!
In Camden, we stayed at the gracious Hartstone Inn. The chef/owner,Michael Salmon and his wife, Mary Jo were warm and welcoming hosts. They prepared very elegant breakfasts and our dinner there on Friday night was phenomenal. Do check out the website for an overview of the inn and sample menus and recipes. http://www.hartstoneinn.com/
A couple of other very good casual restaurants in town were Cappy's for fish and chowder and the Camden Deli for a good lunch.
Down the road in Rockport, Maine, we went to the very unique Prism Gallery and Cafe. In addition to a very nice menu, they also had some spectacular artistic glass on display in the gallery.
Other highlights of our time in Maine were:
A visit to the Swan Island Blankets - http://www.swansislandblankets.com/ - they make magnificent hand-woven wool blankets.
A visit to Windsor Chairmakers - http://www.windsorchair.com/
A visit to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse - http://lighthouse.cc/pemaquid/
I'm going to save our usual "departments" for next week - its good to be home and will remember this vacation fondly.
I hope that all of you moms had a very Happy Mother's Day.
Have a great week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment