August 31st 2015: Meals in Shrewsbury and Westborough

Today after work, I decided to check out Three Gorges III, a small Chinese restaurant in Westborough which used to be Chef Sun, which i patronised once a long time ago.

Before that,  I stopped by Blue Coast Coffee in Shrewsbury, which used to be Shelly's Cafe and Deli when I last visited it. It definitely looks much better than before,  and I got the North End Panini (grilled chicken,  sundried tomatoes,  artichokes,  spinach,  mozzarella cheese and basil Pesto sauce).

Pretty good sandwich actually.

With respect to the restaurant itself,  it was Perry much the same as before, although the menu now has Thai food as well,  of which I decided to get the Chilli Duck.

Definitely not what I was expecting, and nothing special at all.

August 30th 2015: Sunset at Marginal Way Walkway, Ogunquit ME

My friend and I had lunch at Yong Yong in Malden today, getting dim sum, namely Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai,

Ginger Tofu Pudding,

Steamed Beef Honeycomb Tripe,

Shrimp Dumplings

and the Fresh Shrimp Noodle Rolls.

Delicious as always.

In the evening, we headed all the way to Ogunquit ME to catch the sunset at the Ogunquit Beach area. The weather was perfect as we walked along the Marginal Way Walkway,

Even more so that it was low tide as well and we could walk down to the uncovered beach below.

Of course, we could not leave without trying some food here, getting the Rullo Dell Aragosta (fresh picked Maine Lobster in a Lemon Chive Aioli on a Toasted Roll)

from Caffe Prego, a small but nice cafe with outdoor seating,

and the Lobster Roll (served on lightly grilled roll with potato chips)

and the Steak Tips & Maine Shrimp (Bessie’s Famous Marinade Steak Tips with Tender Fried Maine Shrimp) from Bessie's,

which is more like a diner. The food was all really fresh and good, although I liked the ambience at Caffe Prego better.

Overall, I'm glad the conditions were so perfect for our trip up to Ogunquit.

August 29th 2015: Meals in Lexington and Burlington

Lunch today was at Taipei Gourmet,  a small Taiwanese restaurant in Lexington.

We got the Oyster Pancake,

The Steamed Mini Juicy Buns

And the Braised Lion Heads.

Pretty tasty food to say the least, especially the lion heads which weren't too big and had bits of ginger in them.  Good to know there is good Chinese food in this area.

Dinner was at Seasons 52, a pretty nice upscale chain restaurant in Burlington.

For food, we got the Duck Wing Lollipops (Korean gochujang Red chilli glaze,  sesame seeds),

The Fig and Bacon Flatbread (Applewood smoked bacon,  Goat cheese,  sweet cipollini,  Arugula,  15 year Balsamic)

And the Asian Glazed Chilean Sea Bass (Organic Black Rice,  snap peas,  Shitake mushrooms, micro wasabi).

The duck was just so so, And the Pizza had hardly any bacon to speak of on it. The fish was fresh,  but really bland.

Dessert choices were presented to us on a nice tray,

 of which we could only pick one, unfortunately.

Pretty good, but overall, we were really disappointed with the standard of food in this nice restaurant. Not coming back again.

August 28th 2015: Dinner at Da Vinci Ristorante, Boston

Today after work,  my friend and I had dinner at Da Vinci Ristorante,  an upscale Italian restaurant in the South End area of Boston with pretty nice decor,

and even lighted menus.

For food, we got the Insalata di Rucola (Baby arugula mixed with red onion and balsamic vinaigrette, finished with Shaved Parmigiano reggiano and Candied pecans ),

The Sirloin (Center cut Sirloin Steak,  Grilled to perfection and finished with a Chianti Veal demi glaze reduction,  served With roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach),

And the Indian Fusion Masala Ravioli (Homemade Italian Indian fusion Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, ginger and English peas then coated in a spicy tomato cream sauce, finished with a curry leaf Pistachio Pesto).

The salad was just exactly that,  nothing special,  while the Steak was a little on the bland side.  The Ravioli were amazing though,  the sauce and the Ravioli filling coming together really well.

Thankfully,  the desserts we got,  namely the Vanilla Creme Brulee

And the Peach Crostata (puff pastry Baked until golden brown and topped with thinly sliced peaches, served with fresh berries and Vanilla Gelato),

We're really good as well, especially the Peach which was Crispy and flavorful.

Overall, a pretty good meal,  especially with the nice ambience.

After dinner,  we went to check out the Whole Foods in the South End nearby,

Getting an Apple, Orange and Carrot Juice

Which was pretty good in my opinion,  but not too fresh according to my friend.

August 27th 2015: Dinner at Birkbeck's Waterfront, Worcester

Dinner was at Birkbeck's Waterfront, a new bar restaurant in Worcester. I decided to get the Chicken Delicious (sauteed chicken filets, hot capicola, salami, pepperoni, spinach, parmesan cream sauce, linguini),

which was pretty appropriately named. Pretty good stuff. The ambience was just okay though, with only one or 2 interesting things on the menu, including what I ate.

August 26th 2015: Dinner at Marliave, Boston

Today after work, I had dinner with my friend at The Marliave, an upscale restaurant in Boston. Before that, I got some takeout from Bachata Rosa, a cafeteria style Latin American place at 13 5th Street in Chelsea,

Which was just so so,

And the Chilaquiles Campechanos (a hearty Casserole topped with layers of tortilla chips,  Shrimp and Cheese)

From Tijuana Mexican Food in town,  which was actually a pretty decent restaurant for a sketchy City like Chelsea.

The food though interesting being a mix between Lasagna and a Nachos salad, was just alright though.

I did not like the narrow stairways needed to get to Marliave, and as we were early, we went nearby to Sweet Cupcakes and got a Pink Lemonade Mini Cupcake (with a hint of cherry juice), which was a pretty good start.

Back at the restaurant, we went up to the second floor to our seats, where there was already quite a crowd.

We got the Insalata di Mare (GRILLED LOBSTER, CALAMARI, SHRIMP, WHITE BEANS, PEPPERS, LEMON)

and the Escargot (GARLIC, SHALLOTS, BUTTER, PARSLEY, COGNAC, PARMESAN, TOASTED BREAD) for appetizers.

The snails were not bad, although the lobster salad was much tastier, especially with the white bean sauce.

For our entrees, we got the Sunday Gravy (GNOCCHI, SAN MARZANO TOMATOES, LAMB, PORK, BEEF)

and the Scallops (SEARED, SWEET POTATO RAVIOLI, WILD MUSHROOMS, SAGE).

The scallops were simply amazing, what with the mushrooms and the most delicious ravioli I have ever had. The gnocchi was not bad either, the meat being really tender, but definitely could not compare.

Finally, for dessert, we got the Box of Truffles (four house  prepared chocolates)

and the Cake and Ice Cream (MELTING CHOCOLATE CAKE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM).

The truffles were definitely not worth the cost being really small, although the ice was really good with the cake.

Overall, a pretty good meal, and I'm going to overlook the narrow stairways to say I would come back here again.