August 3rd 2014: Meals in the Boston Area

For the second day in a row, I started my day in Westford, heading to the trails at the end of Lyberty Way. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

There wasn't anything to see here though, the water bodies all being pretty dried up.

Next, it was on to the town of Concord, passing by the Massachusetts Correctional Institute,

 for a hike at the Old Rifle Range. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

There were okay views of Kennedy Pond,

and on the other side of the road, it took me a while to figure out how each target worked,

but other than that, there wasn't much else to see.

I headed next to the Wright Woods, which I have been to in the past, to try to find the Andromeda Ponds here. The path I took is shown below in pink.

The ponds themselves were more wetland like than anything else though. From here, it was on to Boston, where I decided to stop by the Boston Common Coffee Company. A pretty nice coffee place, to say the least, although the Hot Chocolate I got was pretty pricey at 3 bucks.

The Hanover (Black Forest Ham, Bacon, Cheddar, Apple Chutney) sandwich I got was pretty good too.

After a day of food truck stuff, I decided to go grab some food from Pollo Royal, a fast food fried chicken store in Revere.

I got the Junior Royal (1 piece chicken, French Fries, soda),

which was not too bad, but I still prefer KFC.

we decided to have dinner at Sarma, a Mediterranean tapas restaurant in Somerville that I have been to in the past.

For a drink, I went with the Ace Cider, which was actually comparable to Downeast.

The first thing we got was a Fried Chicken special with a yogurt sauce.

Pretty good, like KFC stuff, and definitely much better than the one I had earlier.

After that, the Fava Bean Pate (capers, red onion, summer wax beans, dill) was okay, especially with the bread provided, but not one of the better dishes I have had here.

Our Tunisian Steak Tartare (radishes, soft cooked egg, harissa chips) was awesome as always,

The Fairytale Eggplant Fries (za’atar, fig ketchup, spicy feta) were delicious as well, although the ones I got in Syracuse, NY at King David's Restaurant.

I especially liked the Corn Cakes (salty date butter, goat cheese, harissa), the peanut butter like sauce perfecting the dish.

The Scallop Katayifi (basturma brown butter, corn, summer wax beans) was next, an interesting twist in the usual dessert form, excellent with the curry like sauce.

The Bluefish Falafel (peach pickle, jalapeño labne, bibb lettuce) wasn't too bad either.

Even better were the Crab and Red Lentil Kibbeh (coconut-curry, green papaya, zhoug).

The other ingredients made the Shish Octopus (grilled avocado, grapefruit charmoula, Israeli couscous) dish, especially the couscous embedded into the avocado.

The Rainbow Carrots (crystallized honey, ginger, cilantro) were simply presented, yet scrumptious.

Finally, it was time for dessert. My friends got Frozen Yogurt (Greek-style, cow’s milk), while I chose to go with the Loukamades (ricotta doughnut), with toppings of Blueberry Cobbler and Lime Curd with Blackberries.

I was glad that the toppings were separate from the main dessert itself, as it allowed us to try each one, but that meant the yogurt was pretty plain, but the doughnuts were fresh and crispy.

With that, another fun weekend of doing food truck stuff with my friends came to an end.

August 2nd 2014: Hiking in Westford and Food and Drink in Boston

This morning, I had a meetup brunch to go to at The Salty Pig in Boston, so I decided to start my day in Westford, going for my first hike at the Greystone Pond area. The paths I took to find the water bodies I missed out on the last time I was here is shown below in pink.

The first water body on the top left looked more like a quarry pond,

and I could not even reach the water bodies on the top right, as it is on private property, and the trails here were pretty overgrown. The last water body involved passing by wetland areas,

glimpses of Greystone Pond itself,

and finally the quarry pond, which was fenced off.

Nothing much to look at, overall.

Next, it was the Veterans Memorial Complex, located next to the Stony Brook School, which I have visited in the past. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

The views from the top of the hill near the beginning of the trail were pretty good,

but I got a little disoriented soon after, having to head down the steep eroded hillside to get to the bottom. Trying to figure out where the original trail led to where I got lost, I realized it was a little too overgrown to traverse anyway.

Heading to Stony Brook, I passed by the stone chamber,

then decided to cut through the Old Highway Garage, where there were actually people here, and I realized that the gate I had to get through on the other side would not have been open if they had not been present.

At the brook itself, there were only okay views of it.

From here, it was back to my car via the other route, which was much easier this time.

Next, it was on to the Cider Mill Pond area, where the path I took to get to the old cider mill is shown below in pink.

There wasn't much to see at the site itself though.

Next, it was on to the part of the Tom Paul Trail I have not yet seen. The paths I took here is shown below in pink.

The only water body worth viewing was Smith Pond, and I did not even need to hike it, but it is on private property.

From here, it was on to the Beaver Brook area, where I could not even find the paths to the water bodies I wanted to see.

Pretty disappointing day for hiking to say the least.

Finally, it was time to head into Boston for brunch.

As its name suggests, pretty much everything on the menu was a pork dish. For food, I decided to go for the Coppa di Testa (Pork Head, Nutmeg, Orange Peel)

and the Corned Beef Tongue Reuben (SP Russian Dressing, Sauerkraut, Swiss),

while my friends got the Pork Belly Hash (Two Eggs Over Easy, Bacon-Braised Greens),

the Copley Market Summer Frittata (This Week’s Vegetables, Scamorza), 

the Prosciutto di Parma (Aged 1 Year ) with Fig Jam and Bonne Bouche cheese

and the Porchetta (Roasted Pork Shoulder, Rosemary) with Fig Jam and Valdeon cheese.

The cold cuts were delicious, along with the sweet pickles and fig jam, while the hash and sandwich were excellent as well. Only the frittata was a little disappointing, tasting a little bland and spongy in texture. Otherwise, it was a great time to meet new friends and pig out. The most interesting part of the meal was actually the bill, which came sandiwched within a small notebook, where customers are at liberty to doodle or write comments inside. 

After lunch, I headed to the Charlestown area to check out the Downeast Cider House for a brewery tour, which starts every hour on the hour. This place is pretty hard to find, being in the middle of an industrial area, with few signs to point one in the right direction.

It is pretty small, having started from humble beginnings a few years ago. During the tour, we were shown the various equipment used in the making of the cider,

and it was interesting to learn that the orientation of the lid with respect to the can is not kept consistent. We also got to try all 4 of their products, namely the Original, Cranberry, Lemonade and Hard Honey,

all of which were really good, especially for a non alcohol drinker like me.

After leaving the place, I decided to check out a few monuments in the East Cambridge area,

Cambridgeside Galleria

East Cambridge 1852,

Spring Street and Second Street

Costa Lopez Park

especially at Lechmere Canal Park.

Tower of East Cambridge Faces

Never Green Tree

Beach Fragments

From here, I headed to the Copley Square Hotel to pick up my friends who had come from New York City for the weekend. 

We headed to do some food truck stuff, and when we were done, we decided to go get dinner at Estragon, a Spanish tapas place in the South End area of Boston that I have been to in the past. Besides a jug of Sangria (Spanish red wine, brandy, orange, clove & cardamom) to go around, 

and the Piquillos Rellenos (Braised Goat-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers)

and the Pringá (Beef Shank, Pork Belly, Chorizo, Bone Marrow)

we got the last time we were here, we also got the Ostras Fritas (Fried Oysters, Kale and Pickled Pear Slaw, Bacon),

the Calamares Fritos (Fried Calamari, Alioli, Salsa Brava),

the Coles de Bruselas (Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chorizo, Golden Raisins),

the Pulpito a la Parilla (Marinated, Grilled Baby Octopus)

and the Paella Mixta (Seafood, Chicken and Vegetable Paella).

All were pretty good, but I have to single out the octopus, the brussel sprouts and the calamari as being particularly good, the octopus being perfectly seasoned, the calamari being extremely crispy and going really well with the dipping sauce provided, while the brussel sprouts were delicious despite the slight bitter taste associated with it. Even the slaw for the oysters was tangy and decadent.

With that, we called it a day, as we would have more food truck stuff to deal with tomorrow.

August 1st 2014: Grabbing a Sandwich from Harvard Market, Cambridge

Today after work, I had to do some food truck stuff in Somerville with the Aeronaut Brewing Company. Before that, I tried to use my deal at Harvard Market at 1627 Cambridge Street in Cambridge, but all the employees in this mini mart were inadequately trained, they refused to honor my deal. In frustration, I ended up just getting the Sicilian Panini (Pavilion or muenster cheese, mortadella, salami with pepperoni, tomatoes, pickles, olive oil, oregano on a sub roll).

Nothing special really. Really pissed that I could not use my deal though. Definitely refunding it.

The brewery itself is pretty small, and I did not really like the beers they provided us. Even business wasn't that good because people were not allowed to come out with their beers due to complaints in the past. Oh well.