Spotlight: B&G Oysters

Close your eyes.
No, really close your eyes.
Ok, that won't work cause you have to read. Imagine you are at a small seafood restaurant on some unheard island off the coast of Italy. 4 chefs bustle around a cramped kitchen serving 60 or so guests. Only 10 items on the menu. Everyone is only interested in who they are sitting with and of course the food. It's all about sharing great food with someone you love.
This place exists 500 yards from Nemo.
For starters 6 fried oysters served back in their shell.
For an entree I had a BLT, that's house smoked bacon with fresh lobster and tomatoes on a piece of crusty French bread. Cindy had salmon over a bed of ratatouille.

Fun for all ages

Remembering at the Common

We came upon these 33,000 flags on the Common placed in memory of the
Massachusetts residents who lost their lives from the Civil War to the
present serving their country.

Shining Memorial Day

A heart felt thanks to all those who have served and still serve our great country. #Cole

Finally I can see all my mistakes

New light! From the recommendation of a neighbor we ventured down to the industrial section of town and found Light Power, a warehouse of period lights. This is an original gas and electric light that has been converted into pure electric.

Silver line : BAD

A comedy of errors last night, trying to avoid monsoon rains to get to the sox game. I could not retrace my steps if I had to, all I know is that we left, went on 4 trains, and returned 1 hr later soaked.
We will take a rain check on the game, but a great visit with sue.

Gifts from sue

Don't know where you get your mac&cheese

But does yours have sprigs of rosemary and thyme ?

Update and reminder

We were asked for the street that Formaggios is on, it's Shawmut, if you don't stop for ice cream and a slice of pizza along the way, it's a five minute walk. It's just next door to the Syrian market, which is interesting as well.

Also the crowd sourcing grocery store prices experiment is still running, and we have a few prizes left. Get your data in quickly, otherwise your opinions will be ignored. 2 weeks left!!!!

Spotlight: Formaggios

A dear friend gave us a gift card to our local cheese shop. Today we walked in and were overwhelmed by the amount of food in such a small place. Cheese, wine, bread, spices, oils, and solutions to problems I didn't know I had. We brought home some interesting soft cows milk cheese from Italy, a fresh baguette and some pink salt, oh and a pound of fresh pasta.

No clue

I suspect the owner has no clue that masi was once the best bike money could buy.

Can't beat these prices

Just walking down the street for pancakes, and came across boxes of beautiful free fennel, sweet taters and red cabbage. Dinner plans have changed!

Checking out winners t shirt

Crowd Sourcing Grocery Prices

Now that you have been entertained by this blog, its time for payback. I'd like to compare grocery store prices around the globe, and I would like each of you to contribute. Here is a random list of stuff we frequently buy and I think is generally accessible around the country. If you could be so kind to check the prices in your neck of the woods and report back, I will gather the data and push the report out to everyone. Boys and Girls this is Science!

I don't want to burden you with this, so if you cant find an item thats, ok, just skip that one, and don't go running around to find the cheapest, just let me know what it is where you normally shop. You can email me back with your findings, and informal is fine.

5 lbs. King Author all purpose unbleached flour
12 oz Starbucks ground coffee (any roast)
Bananas per pound
Short Ribs with bone per pound
3 Pack of Romaine lettuce
15 oz Can of Goya cannellini Beans
Fresh tuna steak per pound
750 ml Makers Mark Bourbon
12 pack of local craft beer

Thats it. I've linked to examples online for some of the items just to make sure we are talking about the same thing. First person back receives a free t shirt.

Update: I have been contacted by the law firm of Low, Ball & Lynch that our rules are at best vague, and we are opening ourselves up to litigation. Hah! we have more lawyers than you! Having said that, we will offer free t shirts to those that hand in a price list for all 9 items. (quantities are limited). 

Thanks
T&C&b&j&b

Government Control

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. - WC

I always have my eye out for little social experiments. Anyway I was taking French when my friends were busy taking important things like political science. I assume in classes like this you would learn about the different forms of government, but that would be just a guess. 

You see for heat, our building has only one thermostat. What is even more interesting is that the thermostat is in our unit. So the rest of the building has allowed us to vote for them. There is an unwritten rule that the temperature during winter months will be 71 degrees during the day, and a bit cooler at night. Amazing, right?, I mean at first glance you would think no way would this work. We live on the top floor, so our unit is generally warmer, thus I would assume lower units would be generally cooler. Again this would be a guess, as I know the french word for warm, but I read that warm air rises, or was it that cool air falls. So confusing.

I had a thought experiment of the following. Imagine we could give each person access through the internet to the thermostat. So if unit #3 wants it warmer they turn it up, then if unit #7 wants it cooler they turn it down. Which reality do you think most people are actually happier? The current one in which the King rules and there is an understanding of how the King will rule, or one in which each person gets a say and gets to change the thermostat. Wait only those people with internet access get to change the thermostat. 

Long live the King.

The doctor will see you now

Quack quack

Home brew

A small batch whiskey made right around the corners here in Boston, and some orange bitters made by Fee brothers of Rochester NY. A great tour for those interested in cocktails

Thinking of Kevin

Watched coffee pot never perks

Not sure why this statue is here

Must of left here to settle in Huron

What a mess

Review from brewmaster Cindy

One brewery tour and now an expert.
"Yum! The way a pale ale is supposed to be"

More fixed gear beauty

Ready for N&B

Weather beacon

This city loves to announce stuff by light signals. Invading British or cloudy weather, there is a flashing light somewhere. Just down the street and visible from our window is the Berkeley Building, an old Hancock structure. It has a set of lights on the top that announce the weather. 
I have been told that the red blinking light in the summer does not mean snow is coming, but rather the red sox game is rained out. 

Steady blue, clear view.

Flashing blue, clouds due.

Steady red, rain ahead.

Flashing red, snow instead.

What was I thinking?

Really expensive, really bad. Still looking for a better beer than a Cream Ale.

Battery backup wifi router and modem

All hidden out of site

Our corner chapel

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
We hope to attend a service soon.

Welcome to the lumpkin room

I got this end

Front row seating for the hanging of the chandelier...

Belly up to the bar

Cooks night off

House made lamb pastrami sliders with an order of fries cooked in duck fat. Why have it any other way?

Checking out every nook and cranny

That's a lot of cat

Walk to the grocery store

Big day! Walked to two different grocery stores. Foodies, small urban grocery store that has everything especially nice produce. Unfortunately they are right next door to a fish market, so the don't sell seafood. The other grocery store is like publics. Both are civilized in that they sell wine, beer and liquor.

It didn't take long for Bruisey to find the sink

All moved it

The boys find familiar spots to hang out

Move in now complete!

Gray St and our empty flower pots

More Mom Art

Bathroom Daoud

Priorities

39 pictures have been hung.
Underwear and wooden kitchen spoons are still missing.

The Butcher Shop

Just around the corner is a restaurant called The Butcher Shop. Link is here. A small place just across the street from B&G Oysters. Anyway not only is it a restaurant but also a nice butcher shop that sells every sort of meat or meat product (pate, sausages...) you can think of. I told the butcher I wanted something I could could cook slow all day. He suggested beef shanks. 

I also picked up some spicy salami. 

I noticed a chef from next door coming in to pick up a some supplies and headed back to B&G. Turns out they are all owned by the same girl. 

Never gets old

Dave, what kind of tree is this?

An American classic