Boston in a (boiled pea)nut shell

This is a bourbon milkshake.
I died.

Just died and went straight to heaven.

It was served for dessert at Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I sort of expected to see Mark Twain shuffling out of the men’s room.

It’s witty and down-home but dusted with sophistication.

My pre-dinner cocktail from the bar alone was genius – Maker's Mark bourbon, sorghum syrup and amaretto with a boiled peanut dropped in as garnish.

Chef/owner Barry Maiden grew up in Virginia, then got himself a fancy French-style culinary degree. He blends his experiences with fab style, and named the place after Hungry Mother State Park near his home in Marion.

French technique...coming out of the walls.

I loved seeing simple Southern favorites on the menu – pimiento cheese, collard greens, catfish pate. Even the crispy-coated pork boudin balls are inspired by sausage that Cajuns have been known to eat at gas stations while perched on the hoods of their cars. 

And boiled peanuts! I’ve only eaten them out of paper sacks from black cauldrons along the sides of backroads. I liked seeing them celebrated in tiny white dishes with nuggets of Maine sea salt.

Overhead from the couple sitting at the next table...

Gentleman (looking at menu): "That's a good idea. Gourmet country. People in the North don't know good country."

Turns out the couple spend their time between Boston and Miami, but the gentleman was Kentucky-bred. After speaking with him, it seemed he might have been out of the Bluegrass State for some time? (Insert intellectual-throat-clearing here). Nice couple though!

Games of chess in Harvard Square.

The lemonade cupcake at a shop called Sweet on Mass Ave.

His name is Dylan.

From Exhale, a yoga studio and spa.
(All it takes is the push of a button, yo.)

The Public Garden.

Lunch from Flour Bakery + Cafe. Asparagus chicken soup with jasmine rice and a curried tuna salad sandwich. I'm going to try a similar version mixing tuna, mayo, a teaspoon or so of curry powder, golden raisins, carrots and chopped apple pieces.  

This is the view from the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), a new-ish space for the art museum on the South Boston waterfront.
Oh Boston…you cold, cranky, scrappy, loveable old town. I miss you…and your baseball team…and your restaurants…and culture…

The ICA hosted a listening party for the new Sonic Youth album over the weekend. And I loved the Shepard Fairey exhibit. Most people know him for the Obama HOPE posters. He’s also been called (and criticized as) the Warhol of our day for appropriating -- some say stealing -- familiar images. But isn't it his interpretation that makes it fresh? I like that he encourages us to rethink the familiar as propaganda, or the negative in messages of peace like this one...

He got his start as a skater dude and street artist (arrested more than 13 times) with the Andre the Giant has a Posse stickers.

Boston playlist: (inspired by Shepard Fairey who once said, “I may not play an instrument, but I'm gonna rock it hard as nails anyway.”)

Andre the Giant – Sic & Mad

Andre the Giant - Sic & Mad

Brothers and Sisters! – Public Enemy
EMI - Sex Pistols
Get Up/Stand Up - Bob Marley
Rise Above - Black Flag
I Fought the Law - The Clash

Plane talk

I say it always pays to request a vegetarian meal on flights. Here's my dinner from a flight to London. I love how it says Pure Veg on the wrapper.


Granted, I'm not entirely sure what kind of veg...but I'd rather eat mystery jicama (?) than mystery meat.

Right now, I’m on a plane bound for Boston (no meals, just nuts). I can’t wait to eat at Neptune Oyster, my favorite restaurant when I lived there, and then Hungry Mother, a newer spot in Cambridge with Southern American and French influence. Update coming soon (along with my Texas-inspired adventure in mole-making over Memorial Day weekend).

Meanwhile…

Things I learned from a man on his cell phone while waiting for the plane to leave for Atlanta:

1. He loves his girlfriend. Or at least he tells her that he does (a lot), even though he phones her when he’s “bored."

2. He’s about to have a birthday! But his girlfriend needs to cancel the plans for the big party. That’s when he’ll be in Japan. His friends just get together and argue anyway. Bummer.

3. He likes to refer to planes parked on the tarmac as tuna cans.

4. He usually avoids the Atlanta airport “like the plague,” but, “you can’t avoid the Atlanta airport when you’re flying TO the Atlanta airport. HAHHAHAHHAAA!!”

5. The girlfriend has a son named Benjamin. She’s totally stressed out. She’s studying for a test that will qualify her to sell beer at Titans games. She’s got lots of reasons why she might not pass, b/c the cell phone guy stays quiet while listening to her. Then he says, ”Would you let Benjamin by on those excuses?”