June 30th 2015: Dinner at CBS Scene, Foxborough

Today after work, I headed toward Foxborough for dinner at CBS Scene in Foxborough. Before that, I stopped by Tangerini's Spring Street Farm in Millis for some ice cream. Raspberry picking was available today, but as I am going to do it with my friend a few days from now, I decided to ignore the temptation, going with just a scoop of Monster Mash Ice Cream.

Not bad.

I headed to Patriot Place next where CBS Scene is located,

choosing to make a detour for some froyo at Berry Yogurt,

But it was just so -so.

Finally at the sports bar itself,

I decided to just get the Duck Bacon Flatbread ( house cured Duck bacon, mozzarella, goat cheese, dried cherries, Caramelized shallots, pomegranate drizzle, micro basil)

And the Ahi Tuna "Nachos" (Marinated tuna, wakame seaweed salad, sweet soy sauce, sriracha and wasabi aioli on Wonton chips).

The flatbread was not bad, though a little sour at times, while the wasabi got to me a little for the tuna. Overall, with good restaurants right next door, this place is definitely not at the top of my list.

June 29th 2015: Meals in Wayland and Framingham

Today after work, I headed into Wayland for a Chinese dinner at China Rose,

getting the Scallops with Garlic Sauce

and the Crispy and Spicy Aromatic Shrimp (lightly coated with lotus flour, stir fried in special aromatic sauce).

Both dishes were pretty good, but not enough to fill me up, so I decided to go check out another place in Framingham, Joa Take Out, a small cafeteria style Brazilian hole in the wall. Here, I got the X-Joa Sandwich (chicken sandwich with cheese, ham, egg, bacon, pineapple)

and the Cacarola (flour, milk, eggs, coconut, sugar) dessert.

Not bad, but definitely not worth the extremely long time I had to wait for my order, with people even coming in and leaving with their order before I got mine. Not coming back for sure.

June 28th 2015: Lunch in Peabody, Dinner in Cambridge

This rainy day, we went to the Northshore Mall in Peabody to do some shopping, heading to Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill for lunch.

We got the Tot Tini (martini glass filled with tots + Smokey Joe beef and pork + queso + sour cream + green onions) for appetizers

and the Double Trouble (1/3 rack of baby back + 1/3 rack of house-smoked, St. Louis-style ribs + served with garlic bread, with BBQ Baked Beans, Fire-Roasted Corn) for our main dish.

The ribs were really delicious, especially with the sides, while the tots were a little intense at times though still good. Glad we decided to check this place out.

For dinner, we headed into Cambridge for dinner at the Grafton Street Pub and Grill, which I have been to in the past but never for food.

With my deal, we got 2 appetizers, namely the Moules Frites (PEI Mussels, sauvignon blanc, hand cut fries, garlic aioli)

And the Point Judith Fried Calamari (Sweet Chili, peanuts, bean sprouts and mint).

Both were delicious, but the portions were so big I was forced to bag the mussels to go, with more to come.

For our entrees, my friend got the George's Bank Scallops and Pork Belly (pea puree, barley, frisee radish salad),

while I got the Seared Scottish Salmon (tomato puree, grilled fennel, chive oil, olive-anchovy tapenade).

Pretty well presented, and somewhat tasty too, although I did not like the salty tapenade on the salmon.

For dessert, we got the Molten Chocolate Cake (raspberry puree, vanilla ice cream).

Not bad, especially with the ice cream. Glad I finally came back to this place.

June 27th 2015: Misery Island, Salem

I started out this morning with breakfast at the Melrose Diner in Melrose, getting a Hot Chocolate

And the Eggs Timothy (Corned Beef Hash)

Not a bad meal, but nothing special.

My next destination was Marblehead,

Post Office

where I visited Evan's New York Style Deli in Marblehead, where I got a Pastrami Knish.

Interesting mix of spices, but overall, not my thing.

Next, Jodi Bee Bakes, a Vegetarian bakery in Salem. I got the Quiche, which came with sundried tomatoes and spinach,

And the Orange Hibiscus Tea.

The quiche was not bad, although the tea was a little too sour for my liking.

After the meal, I headed to Salem Willows Park in town, where I had some time to kill before going on the Sea Shuttle for a tour of Salem Sound.

We were a little concerned when the boat was not docked where it was supposed to be, but thankfully it arrived on time.

After everyone boarded, we were off.

It was cool that they had imaging of the sea floor below us, with the various spots being fish.

Other pictures I took on the way to the Misery Islands follow,

including Baker's Island Light

Hospital Point Light in Beverly

and the Tower House in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

We approached the Great Misery Island,

landing between it and Little Misery Island

on the South Beach area.

The boat then left us to our own devices for the next 2 hours before the next tour arrived.

upon which I started my exploration of the island. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

Pictures I took of the beautiful views follow,

including the creatures in the tidal pools

and on the beach itself

where I waited after exploring the island for the boat to come pick me up.

Back on the boat, we approached closer to the Tower House

and Baker's Island,

and visited a rock where the seals were basking in the sun.

Next, we went to check if there were any lobsters in their lobster trap.

Using a pole hook,

the line was pulled out,

along with the cage itself,

which had a one clawed lobster

which we promptly banded.

We also learned how to tell the sex of a lobster, from the type of swimmerets they have,

and they were able to right themselves after landing upside down.

After we were finally done, they placed the trap back into the water,

and we headed back to Salem Willows Park.

From here, I headed to Beverly to check out the Historical Society Museum, where the curators gave me a tour of the place. Pictures I took here follow.

After leaving the museum, I headed into Somerville to get some food, visiting Blessing Caribbean Restaurant, a cafeteria style place which took part in the East Somerville Foodie Crawl I went to a long time ago. This time, I got Rice and Beans and Pork.

Nothing special though.

Nearby was Rincon Mexicano, where I got the Chorizo Tacos (spicy sausage),

the Lengua Tacos (Beef Tongue)

and the Al Pastor Tacos (marinated pork with pineapples).

Not bad, although I've had better.

I then went to pick my friend up from work, and went to a friend's place for the rest of the night. Not looking forward to the rain tomorrow.