Martini glasses (a little bit of heaven)

Glass on the left if a nice, properly sized 4 ounce glass. I got two at a little store called Re Enhabit at 112 State Street in Portsmouth, NH. They were only $4 each.

I have quite a few of the big gulp sized glasses so why do I need more? Notice the line about one inch below the top of the larger glass. (Notice Wendy and Ayman in front of the Eiffel Tower in the photo. They just had a baby girl, Lilah.) This glass might just be the greatest invention ever. This is a double thick plastic glass with ice between the plastic so you can stick the glass in the freezer. It's supposed to keep your drink cold and let me tell you, this really works. My friends compliment me (at least I take it as a compliment) that I can nurse a drink longer than anyone. So in bars and restaurant my drinks tend to get room temperature long before I am finished. So when I saw these last summer, I didn't buy them. I couldn't remember the name of the store I saw them in so was quite relieved when I saw LeRoux Kitchen at 23 Market Street within 10 minutes of hitting downtown Portsmouth (site is under construction at time of this entry). These are 5.99 each and so worth the price. Look how frosty this glass looks.

Don't forget - New Hampshire is tax free!

Food from Ikea (or Ikeatini the easy way)

I'm on a bit of a retail binge (no more underemployment for me: technically, I am still underemployed; the definition being that you have a job but they are not using you to your full potential. You can get the work done in about 2 or 3 hours instead of 8. Pay is not quite what I wanted but it's not unemployment). So here we have the food items I bought on my last trip to Ikea - cinnamon buns (always delicious), candy bars (ditto), a couple of cheeses - Swedish fontina and some baby swiss-ish type cheese that had no English name on the wrapper, crackers (meh, had some odd taste to them so won't be buying them again) and les pieces de resistance. Two bottle of drink concentrate. The first is fladersaft (elderberry flower) and the second is, yes, you guessed it, lingonsaft (lingonberry). I have been experimenting with both of these. Ikeatini, you already know. But I have tried the fladersaft in martinis and manhattans. I need a little more experimentation with amount for a martini. The first resulted in a barely discernible flavor and the second in a bit too tart flavor. Now a little dash of fladersaft in a Maker's Mark manhattan was a revelation; resulting in a manhattan that was as potent as I like them but light and clean tasting.

New for me from Trader Joe's

These might be the best new thing I've gotten at TJ's in a while and are definitely worth buying again. They are bake only; not microwaveable. I put a little marinara sauce on the plate and was very happy.

Starlite Lounge, Cambridge

This riff on a manhattan is from Trina's Starlite Lounge in Cambridge. I went there a few weeks ago and must report that this place might just be perfect except for the fact that it is a short half block or so from the back door of work. The drink is called The Gentleman (Buffalo Trace Bourbon according to the menu, Belle de Brillet and lemon juice). I think the oh so charming bartender, Dan, made mine with Maker's Mark. The pear flavor and the lemon flavor are very distinct and occur one at a time, pear first, then the tartness of lemon. I didn't taste the bourbon at all. The way I found out the drink was made with Maker's Mark was when Dan asked me how I liked the drink. I must have given a lukewarm, "Interesting," and asked what type of bourbon he used. Did I want more bourbon? Seriously, has a bartender ever asked you that? I hadn't quite made up my mind when my drink was whisked away and returned with no discernible flavor other than the Maker's Mark. More like what I typically want and I am not complaining. I did wish he hadn't taken that drink away so quickly so just I could have more time to decide if I really liked it. My friend got a mojito and didn't have a complaint. Now this place has been reported to have upscale picnic-like food and we obliged by ordering the $4.00 burger. Yup, you read that right. $4.00. Granted, it might not be much to look at...yes, kind of what you get at the back yard barbeque. But it was very good.

We split this order of onion rings. I have mixed feelings about these. They are light and thin with no greasy look or taste, almost like eating onion flavored air. The problem is that they are all connected and when you pick up just a bit you get quite a bit.

The bathroom is filled with with posters and there they were - Manny, Moe and Jack aka Pep Boys (for those who don't know, they are an auto supply chain store in California.

Service was great: hostess was very welcoming - pretended she knew what we were talking about when we started going on about the Rolling Stones Some Girls while she escorted us to the back bar past all the record albums that decorate the walls. Bartender - just lovely.

Fall in Boston and environs

Ode to Pink - the finale (or what to do when you're really bored)

What's better than Ikea? What's better than a martini? It's a little item I call the Ikeatini. I microwaved a tablespoon or so of Ikea's lingonberry preserves until it was in liquid form and added it to a Bombay (plain, not Sapphire) martini. First couple of sips, meh. Why'd I bother? But the longer it sat, the better it tasted. If you try this at home, you might want to let the jam infuse the gin. Warning: there will be sediment in your glass so if you are not into that, do not try this at home.

More pink

Did these chairs just appear in Harvard Yard a few weeks ago? Or have I just not been seeing them. People were still enjoying them in October but now it's just another reminder that summer is over.