Thursday, July 16, 2009

Deep Ellum, Allston


Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone. After standing on the Green Line train for an interminably long time, I finally got to a T stop somewhat close to Deep Ellum (Cambridge Street, Allston). Then walked for a bit. So I was ready to think that this was just not one of those times to get out of my comfort zone (i.e., Red Line). I walk into a pretty dimly lit place, thinking it's one or two steps up from a dive bar. Don't see my friend. Quick call to her and head out to the tiny but oh, so pleasant patio with 8-10 tables, where she is patiently waiting. Or maybe not so patiently, she is three-quarters of the way finished with her drink but quickly points out a crucial section of the drink menu. Down in the bottom, right corner is a heading called "Manhattans - 8 ways." Yes, folks, you heard it correctly. Half with rye, a couple with bourbon and a couple with blends



I inquire to the very competent waitress about the Brooklyn. It is made with Old Overholt Rye and a housemade vermouth. We take a minute or two to look at the menu while she gets my drink. It arrives promptly. My only gripe is that the drink is not sufficiently chilled but it is just about the most perfect drink I have experienced. Second only to and maybe not even second to the Southern Manhattan from Jurys in Boston. It is obviously stirred and the taste is perfect. Smooth as can be with just a hint of bitter orange vermouth.

Cheese plate? OK, it's Bastille Day so we get that and ask them to split the summer vegetable pasta.



Cheese plate arrives and is quite nice. The blue cheese and the stilton with mango are the winners. The harder cheese...meh. There are candied almonds, pitted olives and a dried citrusy fruit combination and several slices of good bread. The summer vegetable pasta has yellow squash, peas, asparagus, cherry tomotoes and penne with a cream sauce. Vegetables are all crispy, sauce has been, perhaps, a bit too heavily seasoned with pepper.

My friend gets a coffee which she reports to be weaker than she would like (Deep Ellum serves no tea or decaf) and a brownie with a strawberry banana concoction that is more like a thick smoothie than an ice cream. My one bite was tasty enough.

This is definitely what I would call a low key crowd, kind of hippy-ish. Does anyone besides me still use that term? Boys with long hair, girls with no make up. Mix of ages but my friend and I are probably the oldest (and best dressed having both just come from work) two there. Bill for all came to $53. My drink was $9; the cheese plate and the pasta were $12 each. Didn't pay too much attention to the rest.

Result is that I will have to suffer the Green Line 7 more times while I work my way through the eight manhattans.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

23


This is Bishop, my 23rd foster cat from the Animal Rescue League of Boston. I picked him up this morning and will have him for 4 weeks while he recovers from a urinary track infection. He's 2-3 years old and was found wandering the streets of Dorchester about one month ago.


He hid behind the couch for a while this morning but is now resting comfortably in my bed.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Alibi, Hotel Liberty, Boston

I was dreading going here.  Original plan was to go to Drink but they were closed Saturday and Sunday of July 4th weekend.  My company from NYC wanted to see the fireworks and I really wanted to avoid the crowds.  The train was crowded with revelers, I kept saying that I didn't want to go to Charles Street but that's where we ended up.  Not horribly crowded at the hotel but they were doing a brisk business and there were bouncers outside inquiring where we were going.  We ended up at Alibi, the downstairs bar with the outside patio.  Bar inside was empty so we ordered in there.

Unblended rye?  Sazerac.  So that's what this manhattan was made with.  Decent enough but two issues.  The first: this is not a lemon twist in this drink.  For the thing pictured here, it would have to be in a cocktail the size of a milk carton to be proportional.  It did effect the taste of the drink.  The second issue (and I have experienced this in a couple of places lately) is the size of the glass.  No matter what size you decide to make your cocktails, you should serve them in glasses that size.     

We snagged a couple of coasters with Frank Sinatra's mug shot (mug shots of celebrities adorn the walls of this place).
We headed outside.  It's filled with lots and lots of 20-somethings.  But we get a nice spot on the couch and see the entire fireworks show.  Good times.  

Lucca, North End, Boston

Do you have unblended rye?  
I don't know what that is?
Then you probably don't have it?  What kind of bourbon do you have?
Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, Rittenhouse Rye.

Yes, that was the exact conversation.  But they had unblended rye so I guess I should just be happy and shut up, right?

Very good.  The bar at Lucca has been very good every time I've been there.  

Rabia, North End, Boston

This appetizer from Rabia might just have been a perfect food item - prosciutto stuffed fig.  Entree I got was gnocchi with spinach - so much better than Orleans.  Took the leftovers home and they were just as good two days later.  

The service at this place was pretty bad.  After I tasted my friend's Proseco (and how could I have attained my age without ever having this!), I decided to get one.  

Looked around for the waiter, caught his eye and signaled him.  Nothing.  This was repeated several times.  The older gentleman in this picture and his wife were laughing and he even tried to get the waiter's attention and got the same result; i.e., nothing.  Finally got the drink.


Orleans, Somerville

I keep forgetting to take pictures of the drinks until I'm almost done with them but wanted to write a post about this. No, it's not because it was so great. It wasn't. My manhattan with Maker's Mark was OK. Deer in the headlights look from the bartender when I inquired about unblended rye. General feeling I got: inexperience. My friend said her mojito was made with sugar instead of simple syrup. The food was mediocre at best. Oh, who am I kidding, the food was pretty close to dreadful. We got the scallops appetizer. They were the only good thing we got. Nicely carmelized but the puree that came with them. I thought it was squash or sweet potato because it was orange but it tasted so dreadful, I couldn't decide what it was. We split the gnocchi and didn't finish it or take the leftovers home. So sad.

They do have very comfy big couches and the windows were open (it was actually one of the nice nights in June) which we retired to after we finished eating.