Gloucester Day Trip
Apr. 22nd, 2011 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bex77I took a vacation day today - the first one since October! And I made good use of it. N. and I went up to Gloucester!
We stopped at Karl's Sausage Kitchen on Rte. 1 so N. could get his annual taste of londjaeger.
http://www.karlssausage.com/
We drove around the new mall on the hill. There's a Five Guys burger joint there! And over a dozen other stores. Quite the development.
We cruised Bass Rocks Road. Something about the rocks and the ocean... ahhhh.
We stopped briefly at Niles Beach - you can see Boston from there!
I cheerfully ignored the signs that Eastern Point Road is ONLY FOR RESIDENTS! POLICE TAKE NOTICE! and cruised to the lighthouse. The houses along that road are incredible if you're into real estate porn. I'm not sure why they are so snotty about their street. But I guess if I paid beaucoup bucks for my house and tourists flocked there all summer, I might be exclusive about it. But probably not.
We parked at Good Harbor Beach and strolled out to the surf. It was brilliantly sunny, but too windy and cold to be out there. Did not let that stop me! Great light for photos and only a few dog walkers around. Hard to believe it's less than 30 miles from Cambridge! This made for a shiny memory to pull out when I need it.
We went on to lunch at Lobsta Land.
http://www.lobstalandrestaurant.com/home.html
They opened for the season April 14. This place continues to provide the MOST AMAZING MEALS ever. I can't believe I had not been there since July! Their lunch menu is less extensive than at night. I only looked at the things with "lobster" in the description. :)
For the uninitiated, Lobsta Land sounds like a dive, a fish shack etc. but it is NOT. It is an amazing restaurant, with a real chef. Sure, they have fried shrimp and clam chowder. But they also have a HUGE menu with items like seafood risotto, scallops satay, Szechuan Peppercorn Crusted Ahi Tuna With Ponzu-Lime Vinaigrette, and amazing specials that combine elements of Italian, Asian and modern cooking with the freshest seafood around. It is definitely the kind of place where you should not make up your mind on what to order before looking at the specials.
Starters
Lobster chowder - a light, brothy buttery concoction with potatoes and lots of big lobster bits. Good, but not worth the $9.95 a cup to me. Even a bowl-sized cup. But I say that every time and still order it the next time.
N. had the clam chowder, which is pricy but has lots of clams. It's the brothy kind also. Had a lovely taste, but I prefer mine thicker. $5.50
Coconut shrimp - standard flattened crisp shrimp with an outstanding ginger mustard dipping sauce, served with a cool Thai cucumber salad - $10.95
Entrees
Teriyaki Grilled Sirloin Tips - marinated Black Angus sirloin tips fire-grilled, served over island rice pilaf. $12.95
Paella - Shrimp, scallops, mussels, littlenecks and lobster in a SPICY saffron and chorizo risotto with scallions, plum tomato, garlic, peas and cilantro. $15.95
I am not usually a fan of mussels or littlenecks but there were perfectly cooked and delicious!
They have a full bar, if that's your thing.
We finished up with an incredible dessert - the chocolate mousse w/raspberry puree, whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle. There was raspberry puree mentioned as a part of another dessert, and I asked for it and they did it! The combination was about as close to the divine as food gets - very light, slightly bitter and smooth.
The service today was amazing! Zoe was pleasant, came back often and arranged for the special dessert.
I say this every time, but this may have been one of the best meals I've ever eaten...
We zoomed down Rte 128 to the Union Jack British Food & Gifts store in Peabody.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.195713570920.165682.195703435920
N. got jelly babies to honor the new season of "Doctor Who" that starts tomorrow.
Traffic was backed up on Rte 1, so we came home cross lots on Rte 99.
It really felt like a vacation day! Definitely a good Good Friday!
We stopped at Karl's Sausage Kitchen on Rte. 1 so N. could get his annual taste of londjaeger.
http://www.karlssausage.com/
We drove around the new mall on the hill. There's a Five Guys burger joint there! And over a dozen other stores. Quite the development.
We cruised Bass Rocks Road. Something about the rocks and the ocean... ahhhh.
We stopped briefly at Niles Beach - you can see Boston from there!
I cheerfully ignored the signs that Eastern Point Road is ONLY FOR RESIDENTS! POLICE TAKE NOTICE! and cruised to the lighthouse. The houses along that road are incredible if you're into real estate porn. I'm not sure why they are so snotty about their street. But I guess if I paid beaucoup bucks for my house and tourists flocked there all summer, I might be exclusive about it. But probably not.
We parked at Good Harbor Beach and strolled out to the surf. It was brilliantly sunny, but too windy and cold to be out there. Did not let that stop me! Great light for photos and only a few dog walkers around. Hard to believe it's less than 30 miles from Cambridge! This made for a shiny memory to pull out when I need it.
We went on to lunch at Lobsta Land.
http://www.lobstalandrestaurant.com/home.html
They opened for the season April 14. This place continues to provide the MOST AMAZING MEALS ever. I can't believe I had not been there since July! Their lunch menu is less extensive than at night. I only looked at the things with "lobster" in the description. :)
For the uninitiated, Lobsta Land sounds like a dive, a fish shack etc. but it is NOT. It is an amazing restaurant, with a real chef. Sure, they have fried shrimp and clam chowder. But they also have a HUGE menu with items like seafood risotto, scallops satay, Szechuan Peppercorn Crusted Ahi Tuna With Ponzu-Lime Vinaigrette, and amazing specials that combine elements of Italian, Asian and modern cooking with the freshest seafood around. It is definitely the kind of place where you should not make up your mind on what to order before looking at the specials.
Starters
Lobster chowder - a light, brothy buttery concoction with potatoes and lots of big lobster bits. Good, but not worth the $9.95 a cup to me. Even a bowl-sized cup. But I say that every time and still order it the next time.
N. had the clam chowder, which is pricy but has lots of clams. It's the brothy kind also. Had a lovely taste, but I prefer mine thicker. $5.50
Coconut shrimp - standard flattened crisp shrimp with an outstanding ginger mustard dipping sauce, served with a cool Thai cucumber salad - $10.95
Entrees
Teriyaki Grilled Sirloin Tips - marinated Black Angus sirloin tips fire-grilled, served over island rice pilaf. $12.95
Paella - Shrimp, scallops, mussels, littlenecks and lobster in a SPICY saffron and chorizo risotto with scallions, plum tomato, garlic, peas and cilantro. $15.95
I am not usually a fan of mussels or littlenecks but there were perfectly cooked and delicious!
They have a full bar, if that's your thing.
We finished up with an incredible dessert - the chocolate mousse w/raspberry puree, whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle. There was raspberry puree mentioned as a part of another dessert, and I asked for it and they did it! The combination was about as close to the divine as food gets - very light, slightly bitter and smooth.
The service today was amazing! Zoe was pleasant, came back often and arranged for the special dessert.
I say this every time, but this may have been one of the best meals I've ever eaten...
We zoomed down Rte 128 to the Union Jack British Food & Gifts store in Peabody.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.195713570920.165682.195703435920
N. got jelly babies to honor the new season of "Doctor Who" that starts tomorrow.
Traffic was backed up on Rte 1, so we came home cross lots on Rte 99.
It really felt like a vacation day! Definitely a good Good Friday!
