bex77

I drove through five states today! We woke up in CT, grabbed a quick breakfast and gassed up the mini-van (note to self - DO NOT BUY GAS IN CT! Freakin' $2.99 a gallon!) and headed South. I drove through NY, NJ, DE and finally made it to our destination in Maryland 6.5 hours later. ( Read more... )
A good day all around.

The theater folks have been posting rave reviews about Eat at Jumbo's, the new hole-in-the-wall pizza place where Urban Gourmet used to be in Ball Square. They placed an ad in the Dracula program, and they have an elephant in their logo, so I had to try it. I made my third visit tonight, so it must be time to write about the place.

I've been for lunch, gotten take-out for dinner, and now eaten there for dinner. You can order online on their web site, or through Foodler. They have free wifi while you're eating. There are five tables and some stools at the window in case you want to watch the goings-on on Broadway.

http://www.eatatjumbos.com/

Their menu is HUGE. I had a hard time deciding. They have the most varied menu I've ever seen in a place like this. There's pizza, calzones, salads, sandwiches with fun names, panini, pasta dinners, burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, a big assortment of sides from garlic knots to potato salad to fried green beans, and wings with 31 different sauce choices! They even make PB&J or Fluffernutter sandwiches. And you can have fried dough, or Ben & Jerry's for dessert. Whee!

I tried the poutine - a Canadian favorite of French fries, melted cheese and roast beef gravy. Yum. It is delicious! It's not an exotic dish, as one might think, but a comfort food. Yum. I don't usually order burgers out, but I indulged in the Hollywood burger - bacon, avocado and cheese. Double-yum. They give you chips and a pickle in a basket with the burger. Hubby tried their "Beefini" panini - roast beef, grilled onions and cheese on ciabatta bread. He was impressed.

So - cheap, fast, and good with a gazillion choices and poutine that you can't get anywhere else, and willing to support the arts in Somerville? I'd say this is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

We had a great brunch in Arlington today at the Arlington Diner on Mass Ave. not too far from Rte. 16. It's not fancy, but sometimes you just need food and they have it. Cheap, fast and good. Eggs, pancakes, waffles, toast...you know. It's about 25% cheaper than our usual haunts in Cambridge and Somerville.

http://www.arlington-diner.com/

The reviews on Yelp are mixed
http://www.yelp.com/biz/arlington-restaurant-and-diner-arlington
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So this is definitely on my list of places to go when I am out that way.

We took our guests to the classic Jewish deli for brunch on Saturday morning, the S&S in Cambridge.
http://www.sandsrestaurant.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/s-and-s-restaurant-deli-cambridge

We've taken them there before, and this is one of the places they always ask to visit again. I forget how dependable and delicious this neighborhood place can be. It was interesting to go there right after having tried The Friendly Toast, as this place is different in most ways.

We had a quiet table in the middle of the three dining rooms, and I was comforted by their wood grains and uncluttered decor. They aren't as crowded on Saturdays as they are on Sundays, and we got there before 10 am, so we got a table right away.

I had another virgin Bloody Mary...this one was too bland. I start to feel like Goldilocks. I need to remember where the one is that's just right..hmmm...I think that was Highland Kitchen. Their orange juice is fresh-squeezed and delicious.

There are lots of choices. I had the eggs benedict again...their Hollandaise is perfect. The food is wonderful - they give you a fruit cup on every plate. We shared their pumpkin panckakes. Without raisins, they weren't as exciting as the ones at the Friendly Toast, but the spicing was great and they were fluffier. Friends tried the pesto omelette, petite filet mignon & eggs, and the potato pancakes.

The prices are a little more than The Friendly Toast, but you get more and I found it tastier. The service was attentive.

I need to remember this place is there and go more often!

We had our anniversary dinner at Tupelo, the new Southern style restaurant in Inman Square.
http://www.tupelo02139.com/

I had been pining to try it ever since it was a rumor when Magnolia's closed over a year ago. It's one of three new Southern places to open in the past year or so, with Highland Kitchen and Hungry Mother.

It got a glowing review in the Boston Globe.."Yum." And almost 100 reviews on Yelp.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tupelo-cambridge-3

It was great to have a quiet meal with my sweet husband.

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It was all good, but I came away feeling underwhelmed. I can't explain why it is getting glowing reviews. Nothing came across as special to me. I wouldn't mind going back, but I'm not going to pine for it.

The Hunter sisters turned into "ladies who lunch" and took my mother out for her birthday today. We motored out into the Autumn countryside to Concord, the picturesque Colonial town of Revolutionary War fame. We had lunch at the historic Colonial Inn (founded in 1716!) then toured the Presidential China exhibit at the Concord Museum.

http://www.concordscolonialinn.com/concord-ma-fine-dining-restaurants.asp
http://www.concordmuseum.org/

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A marvelous adventure for a Fall afternoon!

I was waiting for take-out from East Asia, the wonderful Chinese/Thai place in Powder House Square, and wandering down Broadway when I noticed that Spun (pronounced Spoon, I think) the new frozen yogurt shop, is open. I went in to check it out. It's very mod and trendy, with bright paint and big black leather couch and wifi!

The deal is that they have "original flavor" and another flavor every day. Today the other flavor was banana. The very nice counter guy offered me a free sample of either flavor. I picked the original, to see what the basic is about. As others have mentioned, it is frozen yogurt. As in, it tastes like yogurt that's been frozen. Unlike most other places where the frozen yogurt tastes like thin ice cream. This was like yogurt poured from a soft-serve machine. The texture is wonderful...very smooth.
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I don't think I'll pine for it, but it is a nice addition to that strip and worth a stop now and then for a treat.

You know when you watch TV, and there are commercials for restaurants that aren't around here, and it drives you slightly nuts? I'm not a big believer in chain restaurants, but I have a weak spot for Olive Garden. About once a year, I can't stand it anymore and I search out the closest Olive Garden and make a pilgrimage. I had thought the closest one was in Leominster, which is about an hour West of here. Well, when I went out to Framingham on Wednesday for the book reading, I found out that there's an Olive Garden at Shopper's World. Half an hour from here.

http://www.olivegarden.com/menus/dinner/

So tonight I talked N. and a couple of friends into indulging my urge for Italian chain food, and drove out to Framingham in the mist.
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It was definitely worth the drive!

I've been away! Overnight! Hadn't done that since last September....

N. and I saw a rare day in the schedule when we didn't have anything going on, so he convinced me that a get-away was in order. After several false starts (favorite hotel on the Cape booked, restaurant there closed, boil water orders in effect in Gloucester) we chose a return to one of our favorite places - Waterbury, CT. We haven't been there in five years.
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So great to get away and see friends and eat well!