October 31st 2015: Meals in Harvard Square, Cambridge

We headed into Worcester today, past the newly constructed Kevin Burns Memorial Bridge,

getting a Banh Mi from Anh Thu Restaurant.

The last time I was here,  the layout of the place was totally different.  Now,  they only serve Banh Mi and Vietnamese dessert. Pretty good sandwich at that.

Dinner was in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge. Our first stop was at Charlie's Kitchen, a small dive bar decorated for Halloween.

With my deal,  we got the Jalapeno Poppers,

The Fresh Boiled Lobster (single,  served with French fries and coleslaw)

and the Hawaiian Double Cheeseburger (With Grilled Pineapple, Homemade Ginger Dressing, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles And French Fries).

The jalapenos were a little on the strong side, but the lobster was fresh and the cheeseburger was really tasty. Not too sure I would want to come back though because of the ambience, but the burger was really good.

Our next meal was nearby at Tanjore, an Indian restaurant with pretty decent decor.

We got the Rose Lassi

and Mango Lassi for drinks,

the Shrimp Peri Peri (shrimp tossed in exotic spices)

and the Fajjeta (a savory yogurt and mango soup).

I really liked the Rose Lassi, something I have not had before, while the Mango Lassi was just alright but still good. The shrimp was a little on the salty side, although I liked it, especially with the spices present, and the Fajjeta was a little sour as well, but not too much to turn me off it, just getting a little too intense after a while.

October 30th 2015: Checking Out Places in Leicester, Worcester and West Boylston

I checked out 3 different places in the area today after work, starting off with a BBQ Dog with all the fix ins from Hot Dog Annie's in Leicester.

Not sure what all the hype is about from this small Shack in the middle of nowhere. It was good,  but nothing amazing.

Next, it was Bennie's Cafe, a small bar restaurant in Worcester, which was really packed when I got there.  I was just lucky there was even a seat at the bar.  I decided to just get Franks and Beans, which were not bad especially for the cheap price.

Finally, it was on to dessert at the Dairy Queen in West Boylston. I have tried Orange Julius before, but never Dairy Queen. I decided to get the Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzard (salted caramel truffles, toffee pieces, cocoa fudge and choco chunks), which was not bad, with all the toffee sinfulness,

but way too sweet after a while.

October 27th 2015: Meals in Millbury

Today after work,  I decided to grab dinner from Wheelock Inn, a dive bar with a mostly elderly clientele, getting the Escargot.

Pretty good actually, especially with the lemon.

It was not filling of course, so my next meal was at another dive bar in town, the Mill Towne Tavern at 49 Elm Street. The menu was on a tissue box though, from which I just got Fried Mushrooms.

Not bad, though nothing special.

Dessert was at Christopher's Homemade Ice Cream in town, where I got a Strawberry Frappe.

Once again, nothing special.

October 26th 2015: Lunch in Grafton, Dinner in Shrewsbury

For lunch today, I got Pumpkin Chili Cheese Hot Dogs from Breakfast at Stephanie's,  a small town diner in Grafton.

I have to say the Chili itself was pretty tasty, making an otherwise ordinary dish much better.

For dinner we went to Willy's Steakhouse in Shrewsbury. This time, we got the Lobster Bomb (spicy lobster meat, wrapped in avocado slices and field greens)

and the Petite Filet and Grilled Jumbo Shrimp (6 oz. pan seared tenderloin, marinated jumbo shrimp and striped lobster raviolis served in a rich brandy cream sauce).

The lobster was really good with the sauce, as were the shrimp and raviolis, although the steak was a little dry, but expected as it was cooked medium well.

For dessert, we got the Toffee Candy Crunch (four layers of toffee cake filled with coffee flavored whipped cream and sprinkles of heath candy then topped with even more candy).

I was wondering how it would be done with all that hard toffee, but it was actually pulled off pretty well. Great meal to say the least.

October 25th 2015: Lunch at Chinese Mirch, Framingham

Today we decided to get Lunch at Chinese Mirch in Framingham. I had an excellent dining experience the last time I was here,  and we were not disappointed this time either. For drinks, we got the Virgin Lychee - Tini (lychee Juice,  grenadine and Ginger ale)

And the Masala Coke (with blended spices).

The Lychee was delicious,  while the coke was really interesting,  the spices somehow going really well with the Coke itself.

For food, we got the Mumbai Gobi (Crispy Cauliflower florets in smoky Spicy sauce),

The Pao Bhaji Sliders

And the Lamb Chops (rack of Lamb Marinated in spices cooked to perfection).

Everything was really delicious,  especially the Sliders,  even though it had onions.

For dessert, We got the Mango Mousse Shooter. I was expecting a small shot glass of cream,  but it actually turned out to be a cake.

Although it looked pretty simplistic, the cake itself tasted really good.

In the evening, we were in the Malden area, and decided to take a stroll on the Northern Strand Community Trail,

ending it near Kung Fu Tea in the town Center.  We were about to go in for a drink when I noticed a new dessert place, Sweet Kingdom, across the road.

I initially thought this place was affiliated with the place of the same name in Allston, but apparently not, with this place having a pretty different menu. We got the Soy Pudding #1 (with mung bean and lotus seed and tapioca pearl),

Not too bad presentation, though after a while we realized it was way too much for 2 of us, and it became a little unappetizing after a while. Maybe we should have added the sugar syrup on the side. Maybe we will try something else next time, but Yocha is still the best, an the other place is Allston as well.

October 24th 2015: Hibachi Lunch at Sawa Asian Bistro, Shewsbury

Lunch today was at Sawa Asian Bistro in Shrewsbury. This time, we went to the Hibachi side,

where we got an Apple Cider,

the Steak and Scallop Hibachi Lunch (with clear soup, green salad with ginger dressing, vegetable and fried rice),

the Spicy Tartar Tower (spicy tuna, spicy salmon, spicy crabmeat, avocado and almond)

and the Mini Beijing Duck (served with 3 mini buns).

The guy serving us hibachi was actually surprisingly good at his handiwork, showing off some stuff that I have not seen most hibachi chefs do. The hibachi was pretty good too, although the sushi tower was a little bland. The duck was crispy and tasty with the bun and sauce, thankfully.

We got the Green Tea Tiramisu for dessert, which was a little on the frozen side, though not too bad.

Overall, still not too bad a meal.

October 22nd 2015: Lunch from Brisas Restaurant and Bakery, Worcester

Today during lunch,  I went out to Brisas Restaurant and Bakery, a cafeteria style Latin American place in Worcester.

I got the Camarones Mofongo, which was actually really tasty, especially because of the shrimp.

October 21st 2015: Paninis and Wings in Worcester

Having a late lunch today,  I went to check out Big Al's Sandwich Shop, a small takeout sandwich place in Worcester, getting the Malden (Cuban Panini: Pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles),

which was actually pretty good.

I could not say the same for the Maple Bacon Bourbon Wings I got from Wicked Wings Company, a bar restaurant that has taken the place of Snow's in Worcester, after work though.

Really dry and not crispy at all.

October 18th 2015: Pizza Takeout from Gloria's Pizzeria, Winchester

We got some pizza takeout from Gloria's Pizzeria in Winchester, getting the Meat Lovers Pizza (Sauce, Mozzarella, Pepperoni, Meatball, Sausage, Salami, Ham and Bacon)

 and the Steak Tip Pizza.

The meat lovers was nothing special, although the steak tips were actually pretty good, and it was with some special sweet sauce that we could not figure out.

For dinner, we went to the Olive Garden in Worcester. This time, we got the Baked Tilapia with Shrimp (Delicate white fish and shrimp baked with a white wine sauce and served with parmesan-garlic broccoli.)

with the Zuppa Toscana (Spicy sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth)

and the Chicken and Gnocchi (with roasted chicken, traditional Italian potato dumplings, onion, celery, carrots and spinach) soup.

The fish was and shrimp were perfectly cooked, going well with the sauce, and the soup were good as always.

For dessert, we got the Dolcini (Piccoli Dolci "little dessert treats", layered with cake, mousse, pastry creams and berries. Amaretto Tiramisu, Strawberry White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Caramel).

Really delicious, although I'm not a fan of the almond flavor. Excellent meal at Olive Garden as always.

October 17th 2015: Checking Out Places on Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

This morning, we went to the Northshore Mall in Peabody,

where I decided to get a Cookies and Cream Ice Storm from eBar at Nordstrom.

Pretty tasty, and filling as well.

From here, we headed to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston for the day to check out the foliage, which was beautiful,

before heading to Cambridge for lunch/dinner at Flame Hot Pot, the newest hot pot place in town. After parking, we stopped by Paris Baguette for a Tiramisu Cream Puff,

which was not bad but I still prefer the regular cream puffs.

This place is located in the basement, and is pretty small.

For food, we got the Mala Crab

and the Surf and Turf (flounder filet, scallops, shrimp, mussels, squid, beef and lamb, Shandong Noodles)

in Double Broth (mushroom and Mala (piled with spices and herbs)).

The interesting thing about this place is the sauce bar, which allows you to customize your own sauce.

The crab was pretty good, but the portion for the hot pot was really small. Don't think I'm coming back again.

As we weren't feeling full at all, we decided to head next door to an Indian place, Harvest of India, where I had another deal. We got the Tandoori Duck Masala (twin boneless breast of duck marinated and barbecued in tandoor with exotic masala gravy),

which unfortunately was a little dry, and I thought the duck did not go well with the masala curry.

For dessert, we got the Carrot Halwa (shredded carrot cooked with milk, nuts, raisin, cardamom), 

which was okay, if only it did not feel like we were eating baby food. Once again, not a good experience.

On the way back to our car, in order to tolerate the freezing cold, we decided to stop by the 1369 Coffee House, a small cafe where we got the Mulled Cider (made with cinnamon cardamom tea) and Blood Cider (made with crimson berry tea).

I initially could not tell the difference between the two, thinking the server had made a mistake with our order. Only on opening the covers could I tell that they were definitely different.

Way too sour for my liking though.