September 30th 2013: Lunch with Mom at Thai Place, Shrewsbury

Today, my mom and I went out to do some errands, stopping by the Thai Place in Shrewsbury for lunch, where she has not been for more than a year.

This time, I decided to get their special, the Mango Infused Chicken (boneless chicken infused with mango, marinated in Thai Spices and herbs then deep fried, topped with homemade mango flavored sauce),

while my mom got the Sweet and Sour Shrimp.

I got the Paradise Beef (Thinly sliced beef steak marinated with honey and soy sauce, coated with freshly crushed coriander seeds. Then fried to perfection) for appetizers as well. 

The shrimp were just alright, while the chicken was definitely not infused with mango, being dry, only tasting okay with the mango sauce drizzled on it. Only the beef was pretty interesting, being spiced and textured to be like beef jerky. It was a little weird at first, the meat being so tough, but after changing my frame of mind, it became much more palatable. Overall, not one of my better meals here.

September 29th 2013: Dinner with Mom at Pho Dakao, Worcester

My mom wanted to have Vietnamese soup today for dinner as she was feeling cold, so I decided to bring her to Pho Dakao in Worcester, where she has not been for over a year. We got the Crispy Spring Rolls (Cha Gio) and the beef stew (Bo Kho) as always, and I decided to try something different, the Bun Ca Ry (Curry Chicken Noodles Soup).

While the other dishes were still pretty good, the curry itself was just alright, with the chicken not being too fresh. The curry wasn't too bad though, so I lapped it up with the noodles on the side. Overall, still not too bad a meal. Not ordering the curry any more though.

September 28th 2013: Touring a Chocolate Factory in Somerville

This morning, my mom and I headed to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in the town of Wrentham to do some discount shopping for my baby niece.

After we were done shopping for the day, we decided to grab lunch at the Ruby Tuesday restaurant located within the outlet. My mom decided to get the Lobster Topped Tilapia (Cajun seasoned Tilapia in creamy three cheese sauce with bacon, tomato and succulent lobster),

while I got the Ribs and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (half rack of baby back ribs, paired with bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp, both brushed with peach bourbon barbecue sauce). 

The dishes weren't too bad, though not amazing either, as can be expected of franchise restaurants.

From here, we headed to Somerville, where we were scheduled to attend a tour of a chocolate factory at Taza Chocolate. We were a little early, so we were able to walk around the small stall front for the manufacturing facility and sample some of the chocolate,

which is all dark chocolate, with interesting flavors like Cacao Puro, Orange and Cinnamon, Chipotle Chilli, Coffee and Salted Almond.

Soon after everyone arrived, the tour started, firstly with a description of the cacao plant, and that the fruit is harvested not based on color, but on size.

It was interesting to see how creamy the fruit itself is, and it is actually eaten as well.

For the chocolate making process, the fruit is fermented together with the beans in wooden boxes, after which the beans are allowed to dry at optimal conditions to prevent fungal growth while not drying out the beans too much. The dried beans are then packed and shipped over to the facility in Somerville, where the chocolate making starts.

The beans are first roasted, causing the shells

to detach from the nibs,

with the heavier nibs being separated from the lighter shells in the winnower by use of powered air.

The nibs themselves are edible, with the chocolate coated ones tasting much better of course.

The nibs are then ground by millstones (which is what makes the chocolate made here unique), to extract the cocoa butter, whereupon sugar is added, and the chocolate is either ground finer or left as it is to be poured into moulds and left under the right conditions to set and solidify.

The solidified chocolate is then sent for packaging in the packaging room,

where some of the chocolate is even hand packaged.

At the end of the tour, we were allowed to sample all the different flavors,

 of which I liked vanilla the best, only because it was the sweetest. We got that for free as part of the groupon for the tour.

Overall, learning how chocolate is made was a pretty enriching experience, and I'm glad I was able to bring my mom to see it as well.

September 23rd 2013: Dinner with my Mom at the Fireplace, Brookline

After renting a car for the day, I left work early to go pick my mom up from the airport. I did not have my GPS with me, but somehow I managed to drive around without much problems, although it was peak hour traffic. I decided to wait out the traffic and bring my mom to a pretty upscale place in Brookline for dinner, at The Fireplace.

After perusing the menu for a while, my mom finally decided to get the Pan Seared Scallops (Lobster Hash, Pomegranate-Sparkling Wine Glaze and Micro Green Salad),

while I got the Chilled Melon Soup (Drizzled Honey, Diced Strawberries and Crispy Fried Leeks),

the Fresh Black Mission Figs (Blue Cheese Pomegranate Honey, Chopped Walnuts and Toasted Garlic),

and the Fireplace Burger (Shelburne Farms Cheddar Stuffed Grass Fed New England Burger with Thick Cut Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Lettuce, Tomato and Garlic Dill Pickle, on a Homemade English Muffin with Hand Cut Fries and Kale Chips), which apparently won the Best Burger award in 2012.

The soup was more like a dessert, being cold and more sweet than savory, though pretty good, while the figs were excellent as well. I'm glad my mom enjoyed her dish thoroughly, and I liked it as well, especially the lobster hash. My burger was a little disappointing though, as it was just average, although the kale chips were an interesting touch as I have never had them before.

Overall, I will give this place a recommend for the originality in cuisine and the ambience as well as the service, with the waiter waiting outside in the cold with my mom while I got the car to pick her up, although I have no idea how they won the best burger last year.

September 22nd 2013: Another Brunch at Gaslight, Boston

This morning, after setting up the food truck, we decided to grab some brunch at Gaslight next door. This time, my friends got the Vanilla French Toast (with caramel apple and maple syrup)

and the Scrambled Eggs (with smoked salmon, fromage blanc, capers and toast),

while I got the Croque Madame (tasso ham and gruyere sandwich with beschamel, fried eggs and frites).

Once again, the presentation of the food was pretty good, as was the food, although I did not like how the smoked salmon got a little cooked in the process of scrambling the eggs with it. My tasso ham was delicious though.

September 21st 2013: Doing Anna's Walqueria

Today, I had an appointment with my friend to do the Anna's Walqueria, hosted by the Anna's Taqueria chain of Mexican fast food outlets to raise money for the Home for Little Wanderers, in which people walk from one Taqueria branch to the next, reaching all 6 branches, getting free food or drink at each branch.

I arrived in the area really early to find a parking spot, so I decided to head to the Galley Diner at 11 P Street in South Boston for breakfast first. This small, dingy looking diner provided me with the Southie Omelette (Hash and Cheese) for breakfast, which was just alright I guess, with the potatoes not being very appetizing and soft.

From here, I went to the seaside to explore the beautiful M Street Beach,

and the L Street Beach, a private beach adjacent to the M Street Beach,

owned by the Curley Community Center.

Other places I visited before taking the train to Brookline follow.

Reverend Joseph E Laporte,
L Street and William J Day Boulevard

South Baptist Church, 80 L Street

When I finally reached the Anna's Taqueria branch at 1412 Beacon Street in Brookline, I was still early, so I waited a little before donating all the change I got in my wallet to the event, and getting my card that would be marked off as I went to all 6 branches.

There was also a free breakfast burrito to be gotten here. It was just alright though, especially because I had just eaten a heavy breakfast.

Soon after my friends arrived and registered, the owner of the chain came and started the walk officially.

Our next stop was the branch near the Massachusetts General Hospital in the West End area of Boston, where I got to try their watermelon juice and their Horchata, both of which were pretty good.

From here, we headed to the MIT branch, located inside the Stratton Center at 84 Massachusetts Avenue. Here, we had a choice between the El Paso Taco and the Cheese Taco. I went with the El Paso Taco because it sounded more interesting than the vegetarian option, and it turned out to be better as well, as I got to taste the Cheese taco from my friend.

Next up on the list was the Porter Square location at 822 Somerville Avenue which was a pretty long walk away, where we got free Nacho Chips.

The Davis Square location wasn't that far away at 236 Elm Street, and I got a Hibiscus Tea here.

The final stop was back in Brookline at 446 Harvard Street, which was the longest stretch, but somehow we managed to make it back, and get our Beef Burrito as our reward.

Unfortunately, the day was still not over for me, as I had to go get my car and do some food truck stuff. When i was finally done for the day, I decided to head to dinner at Quincy Dynasty, a decent looking Chinese restaurant in Quincy.

Unfortunately my cameras were out of battery, so I had to use my worst camera to take the pictures of the food I got, namely the Fried Curry Beef Wontons,

the Seafood Udon in Satay Sauce,

and the Yuen Yang Spicy Beef (string beans topped with sliced beef in chef's special sauce), so forgive the poor picture quality.

The wontons were just so so, with hardly any spice in them, and the same could be said for the udon as well. Only the beef was good enough to be worth mentioning, and I ate so much of them forgetting there were string beans below. After all the eating I had done today though, I had to take home the leftovers.

Unfortunately, that was when the bad stuff happened. I busted my tire in the South End of Boston, and as my car was only fitted with a tire repair kit and not a spare tire, I was forced to ask for 24-hour roadside assistance, and after trying to use the kit and failing at it, they had to tow the car to the towyard nearby. To make matters worse, while they were releasing my car into the yard, their hooks accidentlly punctured my oil pan and caused oil to leak out all over the floor. Thankfully, I spotted the puddle and alerted them to it. They said they would pay for the replacement, but it might be some time before the car was up and running again, especially because the shops are closed on Sundays (tomorrow). With little choice, I was forced to ask my friend to come pick me up, and I had to stay over at his place, as we had food truck stuff to do tomorrow.

Oh what luck, and I have to pick my mom up from the airport on Monday. Looks like I might need to rent a car that day.

September 20th 2013: Dinner at Shanghai Social Club, Boston

Today after work, I had a meetup dinner at the Shanghai Social Club in the Allston area of Boston. Before that, as I was a little early, I decided to get some froyo from Dante's Frozen Yogurt nearby. This place is pretty small, although I have to say they have pretty unique flavors, like Orange Sherbet and Salted Caramel. As always I had to add a ton of stuff to my cup before I could hit $10 worth, which was what I had to spend to get the deal.

I could not finish it all though before it was tine to head to dinner. I have to say the place looks pretty upscale, with decor much like at Red Lantern, though much smaller.

After getting seated and taking a look at the menu, which was pretty short for a Chinese restaurant, I decided to avoid the Americanized Chinese food and go for the unique stuff,

getting the Firecracker Short Rib Steamed Buns, the Spicy Beef and Shiitake Steamed Buns,

and the Red Roast Pork Steaming Noodle  Bowl.

My other friends got the Crispy Chicken Skin Steamed Buns, the Lion's Head Meatball Steamed Buns, the Hoisin Scallion Duck Steamed Buns, the Ginger Braised Pork Belly Steamed Buns, the Black Pepper Shrimp and the Honey Shrimp.

Of the steamed buns, I felt the spicy beef ones were the best, being a little sweet and spicy at the same time. The crispy chicken skin was next, with the skin being especially crispy. The short ribs were just spicier without much more flavor, while the duck was too salty, the pork belly was a little too sweet and the meatball was a little bland. The black pepper shrimp was pretty good, while the honey shrimp was a little too sweet. The noodle bowl was pretty good as well, the soup being really rich in pork flavor, although by the time I got to it, I was already too full to finish all of it.

Overall, my dining experience wasn't too bad, and the company I had today was pretty fun. The long drive back home, not so much.

September 19th 2013: Dinner at Vienna Restaurant and Historic Inn, Southbridge

Today after work, I decided to head to Southbridge for dinner. Before that, I visited a few water bodies in the town of Leicester.

Lynde Brook Reservoir,

End of Reservoir Street

Kettle Brook Reservoir #1,

Mulberry Street and Chapel Street

Burncoat Pond, End of Town Beach Road

Cedar Meadow Pond, 395 Rawson Street

The Vienna Restaurant itself is located within a quaint little inn, with not much table space, but thankfully there was still a table for me.

I decided to get the Tafelspitz (Austrian slow simmered beef roast with fresh horseradish cream and Spatzle)

which came with pretty good starters with pate, biscuits and cheese,

and a house salad with a tasty raspberry vinaigrette.

My dish itself was pretty good as well, especially with mixing all the components on the plate together, although the beef was a little dry at times.

Overall, due to the quaintness of the place and the uniqueness of the cuisine, I think I shall give this place a recommend.