September 5th 2022: Joyful Garden, Watertown

 Today, we decided to try out Joyful Garden, a new dimsum place located in the Watertown Mall in Watertown. 

We got there just as it opened, before it filled up with people. Pretty nice inside.

We got the Pork & Shrimp Dumplings, Braised Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce, Shrimp Rice Flour Roll, Deep-fried Bean Curd Skin Roll, Juicy Pork Dumplings,

the Baked Egg Custard Tart,

the Silky Sweet Tofu Pudding and Pan-fried Turnip Cake.

Overall, pretty good food here in my opinion. No wonder the crowds.

June 19th 2022: Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, Watertown

 Today, we decided to try our luck again at Kura Sushi in Watertown, this time securing a place shortly after arriving. This place has a revolving sushi conveyor belt,

and robots going around delivering your drinks in a relatively tight space.

We immediately got to eating, getting the Kazunoko (Herring Roe),

the Golden Crunchy Roll,

the Seared Salmon Japanese Mayo,

the Umami Oil Seared Beef,

the Spicy Popcorn Shrimp Roll,

the Edamame, Premium American Beef,

the Tonkotsu Ramen,

the Tiger Roll, Aburi Salmon with Miso Cream Cheese*

the Spicy Garlic Tempura Philadelphia Roll,

the Harajuku Summer Salad, Caterpillar Roll, Philadelphia Roll,

Hokkaido Scallop,

the Tuna Yukhoe,

the Ikura Norimaki,

the Sea Urchin,

the Fried Takoyaki

the Shishito Salmon Skin,

and the Inari.

Every 15 plates, we placed in the slot at our table, we got a free toy.

We ended with dessert, getting the Hokkaido Milk Creamy Tart,

the Warabimochi,

and the Japanese Style Soy Milk Donuts.

Overall, I thought the food was pretty good, but perhaps a little overhyped and not worth the wait. My other half thought the meat was not that fresh either.

June 1st 2022: Checking Out Water Bodies in Waltham and Newton

 Today, we started out in Waltham,

Howard Clock Building,
260 Charles Street

Logan Park, 120 Woerd Avenue

Purgatory Cove,
2 Forest Grove Road

then went to Newton,

Blue Heron Bridge,
End of Albemarle Road

going on a short hike at Dolan Pond Conservation Area, where the path we took to try to find the water body I missed out on the last time I was here is shown below in pink.

The last water body was too swampy to get to though.

Finally, we called it a day, going to get my other half's purse, then getting some takeout from What Da Chick, a sorta hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant in Watertown specializing in Thai style chicken rice.

We got the Roasted Chick Rice ( Ginger Rice - Grilled Chicken - Daikon Soup - Tamarind Sauce)

and the Spicy Chick Rice (Ginger Rice - Fried Chicken Mixed With Spicy Lime Seasoning - Daikon Soup - Sweet Chili Sauce).

I have to say the flavors for both dishes were so good that I will actually recommend this place, especially the lime flavored crispy chicken. With that, an end of a day of looking for water bodies in Waltham and Newton.

Recommended Places to Visit: Watertown

Recreation

Museums

Armenian Library and Museum of America

65 Main Street

Magic Art Studio
137 Spring Street

Watertown Historical Society
28 Marshall Street 

Cemeteries
Mount Auburn Cemetery
580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge


Parks

Arsenal Park

485 Arsenal Street

Shopping Malls

Watertown Mall

550 Arsenal Street

Arsenal Yards

130 Arsenal Yards Boulevard

Events
HarvestFest


Arts Performances

Arsenal Center for the Arts

321 Arsenal Street

Architecture

Monuments

NESN
480 Arsenal Street

Saltonstall Park

~149 Main Street

Watertown Square
Main Street and Mount Auburn Street

Sir Richard Saltonstall Statue
Riverside Street and Wheeler Lane

Bridges

Watertown Bridge
Galen Street between California Street and Mount Auburn Street

Places of Worship

Grace Chapel
525 Main Street

Church of St. Patrick
212 Main Street

St. John's United Methodist Church
80 Mount Auburn Street

Redeemer Fellowship Church
111 Mount Auburn Street

First Parish Unitarian Universalist
35 Church Street

The Church of the Good Shepherd
9 Russell Avenue

St. James Armenian Apostolic Church
465 Mount Auburn Street

St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church
Artsakh Street

Taxiarchae/Archangels Greek Orthodox Church
25 Bigelow Avenue

Sacred Heart Church
770 Mount Auburn Street

Armenian Memorial Church
32 Bigelow Avenue


Belmont Street Baptist Church
126 Templeton Parkway

Schools
Watertown Creative Start
26 Chestnut Street

Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street

Lowell Elementary

175 Orchard Street

Town Facilities
Police
552 Main Street

Fire Department
99 Main Street

Free Public Library
123 Main Street

Private Charles J. Shutt Detachment Marine Corps League 139
215 Mount Auburn Street

Dams
Watertown Dam
Pleasant Street between Conant Road and Brook Street


Historical Buildings
Aetna Mills
Bridge Street and Pleasant Street

Mount Auburn Village
134 Mount Auburn Street

Bell Tower Place
444 Mount Auburn Street

Brigham House
341 Mount Auburn Street

Morton A. Madoff Center
705 Mount Auburn Street

The Commander's Mansion

440 Talcott Avenue

Watertown Savings Bank East Watertown
10 Bigelow Avenue

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Breakfast
Uncommon Grounds
575 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Hot Chocolate
Very Berry Pancrepe

Western
The Talk
116 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Warm Apple Blossom
Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Shrimp Fantasia

Buttermilk and Bourbon (chain)

100 Arsenal Yards Boulevard

Recommended Dishes:

Soft Serve Mimosa

Pork Belly Cracklings

HOUSE SPECIAL BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

GOLDEN BEET SALAD

Crawfish and Dumplings

Soft Serve of the Day

Mediterranean
Shiraz Persian Cuisine
72 Bigelow Avenue
Recommended Dishes:
Mirza Ghassemi
Shiraz Soltani
Cream Puffs
House Doogh


Italian
Stellina
47 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Baked Cabbage and Onion Soup

Kobe and Boar Bolognese

Mexican
La Casa de Pedro
343 Arsenal Street
Recommended Dishes:
Caraotas Blancas
Yolanda's Seafood Mix
La Falda de Yayi

Tequeños

Pedro’s old times with Vargas

Milk Quesillo

Chinese
Joyful Garden

550 Arsenal Street

Recommended Dishes:

Pork & Shrimp Dumplings

Braised Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce

Shrimp Rice Flour Roll

Deep-fried Bean Curd Skin Roll

Juicy Pork Dumplings

Baked Egg Custard Tart

Silky Sweet Tofu Pudding

Pan-fried Turnip Cake 

Sichuan Cuisine
30 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Scallion Pancake
Shredded Beef with Chili Pepper
Chengdu Spicy Chicken

Thai

What Da Chick
1 Crawford Street
Recommended Dishes:
Spicy Chick Rice

Roasted Chick Rice

Japanese
Super Fusion Cuisine II
54 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Beni Toro Banana
Sea Rainbow Papaya
Wonton Mango Maki


Tried:
Western
Old Country Buffet (closed)
550 Arsenal Street

East Side Wings and Grill
613 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Sweet Thai Chili Wings
The Coolidge Burger

Donohue's Bar and Grill
87 Bigelow Avenue
Recommended Dishes:
Beef Barley Soup
Steak Tips
Snickers Pie

Breakfast
Spot Cafe
385 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Luba's Omelet
Hot Chocolate
Blueberry Crumb Cake

Diner at 11 North Beacon
11 North Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Belgian Waffle with strawberries, blueberries and bananas
Steak and Eggs
Corned Beef Hash

Deluxe Town Diner
627 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Southwestern Omelette
Hot Chocolate
Sweet Potato Flapjack

New Yorker Diner
39 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Hot Chocolate
Kielbasa and Eggs

Tresca's Eating Place
25 Church Street
Recommended Dishes:
Steak and Cheese Omelet
Hot Chocolate

Crown Cafe
106 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Pancake  

Kefi's Kitchen and Coffee
142 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
White Chocolate Hot Chocolate

Power Cafe
45 Lexington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Hot Chocolate
Hot Cider


Japanese

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar (chain)
101 Bond Square
Recommended Dishes:
Kazunoko

Golden Crunchy Roll

Seared Salmon Japanese Mayo

Edamame

Umami Oil Seared Beef

Spicy Popcorn Shrimp Roll

Premium American Beef

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tiger Roll

Aburi Salmon with Miso Cream Cheese

Spicy Garlic Tempura Philadelphia Roll

Harajuku Summer Salad

Caterpillar Roll

Philadelphia Roll

Hokkaido Scallop

Tuna Yukhoe

Ikura Norimaki

Sea Urchin

Inari

Hokkaido Milk Creamy Tart

Fried Takoyaki

Warabimochi

Shishito Salmon Skin

Japanese Style Soy Milk Donuts

Deli
The Meat Spot
28 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Prosciutto Lovers Sandwich
Roast Beef Sandwich
Corned Beef Sandwich

Red Leaf Cafe
123 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Smoked Turkey, Swiss Cheese Sandwich

Big Sky Bread Bakery and Cafe
142 Main Street
Recommended Dishes:
Lithuanian Dark Rye Bread
Garlic Basil Parmesan Bread
Snack Granola
Ham and Cheese Croissant

Joe's Variety Deli and Sub Shop
278 Orchard Street
Recommended Dishes:
Corned Beef Bulkie

Japanese
Edamame
171 Watertown Street
Recommended Dishes:
Age Tofu
Tuna Dumpling
Edamame Special Salad
Shrimp Mango Roll
Spicy Tuna Sandwich

Mediterranean
Molana
5 Spring Street
Recommended Dishes:
Jubeh Kebobs
Pomegranate Juice
Zoulbia and Bamieh


Italian
Grappa Restaurant
71 Elm Street
Recommended Dishes:
Rolled Eggplant
Grilled Hake Special (if available)

Andrea's House of Pizza
620 Mount Auburn Street
Recommended Dishes:
Meat Lover's Pizza
Ziti Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Baklava
Kataifa

Pizza Hut Express (chain)
550 Arsenal Street
Recommended Dishes:
Hot Wings
Cheese Pizza

May 31st 2022: Buttermilk and Bourbon, Watertown

Today, while at the new Arsenal Yards shopping area in Watertown,

we were originally deciding to check out Kura Sushi, but due to the long wait time, we decided to go to the Watertown location of Buttermilk and Bourbon right next door instead. Really nice decor inside.

We got the Soft Serve Mimosa (blueberry pomegranate sorbet, prosecco),

the PORK BELLY CRACKLINGS (cheddar salt, honey-mustard),

the HOUSE SPECIAL BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN (Chicken wings, white BBQ sauce)

the GOLDEN BEET SALAD (preserved kumquats, smoked yogurt, pistachio & pumpkin seed granola, Banyuls vinaigrette),

the Crawfish and Dumplings (celery root, sassafras, black pepper, white wine),

and the Soft Serve of the Day (Mango) for dessert.

Of all the dishes, only the dumplings, which was more of a casserole with bits of crawfish in it, was a little underwhelming in terms of flavor. Other than that, the beet salad had an interesting combination of sweet and tangy, while the chicken was crispy without too much breading, and the pork fat was oozing in a delicious way. The drink was an interesting concept too, although the ice cream would have been enough, as was the mango flavor, creamy yet not too sweet. Overall, a pretty good meal here. Unfortunately, my other half left her purse here, so I have to come back tomorrow.

January 20th 2020: Sichuan Cuisine, Watertown

Today, we decided to check out Sichuan Cuisine, an authentic Chinese restaurant in Watertown. Small and plain decor, but still nice looking.

Pretty good cabbage in chili oil for starters as well.

For food, we decided to get the Scallion Pancake,

the Shredded Beef with Chili Pepper

and the Chengdu Spicy Chicken.

The pancake was nothing special, but the other two dishes were actually pretty tasty, not being too spicy either. A place worth revisiting in future.