January 31st 2015: Badminton and Movies

I started out today with breakfast at Jake's Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Marlborough, getting a Hot Chocolate

and Jake's Benedict (English muffins topped with hash,  Poached eggs and cheddar cheese sauce), a twist on the usual hollandaise sauce.

Not bad, and the hash was Crispy as well.

I played badminton with my friends as always,  then headed to Mulan in Waltham for lunch with them.

Sauteed Crispy Chicken

Fish Filet with Chili Pepper

Stir Fried Rice Cakes with Pork

Stir Fried Pea Pod Stems with Minced Garlic

Beef with Leek Wrapped in Pancakes

Sago Dessert

We got a few new Dishes this time around,  namely the Honey Spare Ribs,

The Pork Belly with Salted Vegetables

And the Shredded Beef, Peking Style.

Not too bad, Although today something seemed a little off with the food.

I originally had plans with my friends to go to a concert tonight, but as they cancelled at the last moment,  and I had time on my hands,  I decided to head into Quincy to get some takeout Pizza from Balducci's House of Pizza, getting the Zoe (bacon and French Fries),

the Hawaiian Pizza (Ham and pineapple)

And the Egg and Cheese with Bacon Sub.

Other than the French Fries which were an interesting ingredient for pizza,  the other two things I got were just so so.

From here,  I visited a few places in Hingham

Public Library

Hingham Congregational Church

Old First Church of Christ, Scientist

Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central Street

Veterans Memorial, 210 Central Street

South Shore Baptist Church

Second Parish in Hingham Unitarian Universalist

South Fire Station, 847 Main Street

South Elementary School

Notre Dame Academy

Church of the Resurrection

National Guard, 96 Central Street

Until it got dark,

Then headed into Weymouth for dinner at Kelly's Landing, a pretty small bar restaurant in town.

The only interesting thing on the menu was the Steak and Beans (cut Sirloin with baked beans and brown bread), which is exactly what I got.

Not bad, mainly because of the bean sauce.

After dinner,  I headed back into Hingham to watch "Strange Magic" and "Whiplash" at the Patriot Cinemas.

Not one of the better theaters around,  and I can't believe I was able to sit through the animated film, which was ridiculously outrageous and cringingly awkward at times.

The story about a drummer was also very bizarre, not sure why it's nominated for Oscars. Oh well. Looking forward to watching the Super Bowl tomorrow with friends.

January 30th 2015: Fast Food from Chick Fil-A, Westborough

I wasn't too hungry after work today, so I decided to just try out Chick-Fil-A close to home in Westborough. I got the Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich (A boneless breast of chicken seasoned with a spicy blend of peppers, hand-breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips, Green Leaf lettuce, tomato and Pepper Jack cheese), which came with Waffle Fries as well.

The meat was a little dry and not that crispy. A real disappointment to say the least. McDonald's is way better.

January 29th 2015: A Night in Salem

I drove all the way to Salem after work to check out the Salem Athenaeum,  which was pretty much a library for really old books.

I then headed downtown to Ristorante Gioia, a small but decently decorated place for some Italian food.

I got the Cozze San Silvestro (fresh mussels sautéed with fresh tomatoes,  onions and Garlic in spicy white wine sauce) for appetizers,

And the Salmone Picasso (Salmon topped with shrimp in an Artichoke,  caper and lemon butter sage sauce) for my main dish.

The mussels were delicious with the sauce,  while the Salmon was perfectly cooked, not dry at all.

It wasn't filling though,  so I decided to head nearby to Opus, a pretty chic bar restaurant for more food.

 The menu here was way more interesting,  and I was a little spoilt for choice with the $20 deal I had. I went with the Wild Mushrooms Tart (corn meal tart shells,  wild mushrooms,  sour cream,  lemon,  chives,  Fried Duck egg and Parmesan cheese)

And the Tropical Sashimi (tuna, salmon, mango, Blueberry,  orange, pineapple and white miso glaze).

The tart was absolutely amazing because of the rich Mushroom sauce. The Sashimi was really well presented, and at first I thought I had wasted my order on typical Japanese fare, but the combination of fruits and white miso went really well with the fresh Fish.

2 really good meals in one night, although Opus was way better in all aspects.

January 28th 2015: Dinner at Saffron Pizza and Grill, Framingham

Today after work, I had a meetup dinner to go to at Saffron Grill and Pizza, an Indian restaurant on Route 9 in Framingham.

Before that, I decided to grab some pizza takeout from Sam - Way and Pizza at 67 Pond Street in Ashland, getting a Meat Lovers Pizza,

A Hawaiian Pizza,

And a Pastrami Hot Sub.

The pizzas were so so, although the sandwich was pretty good.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the place was still totally empty,

Thankfully, my friends arrived soon after. For food, my friend got the Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza,

while I got the Rasam (South Indian Lentil Delicacy, spiced with mustard seed and tamarind) soup

and the Goat Mussallam (pieces of goat cooked in rich almond and brown onion sauce).

My friend said the pizza needed more curry sauce, although my soup and curry was delicious with a bit of spice to it, so good my other friend decided to take the leftover curry home to eat with her rice. Not a bad Indian food place to go to.