July 10th 2022: Taking the Train with the Little One

 Our little one took the train for the first time today, starting out at the Newton Centre MBTA Station.

Unfortunately, we started out in the wrong direction right from the get go on the misguided advice from someone out walking his baby who clearly had not taken a train here before, going to Newton Highlands MBTA Station instead before realizing our mistake.

From here, we headed to Central MBTA Station in Cambridge,

stopping to change trains at Park Street MBTA Station in Boston.

While in Cambridge, 

Starlight Square

the restaurants or cafes were either closed or too full of people, so we ended up heading to H Mart and getting food at Sapporo Ramen, the Porter Square location of which I visited before in the past. This time, we got the Yasai Ramen (mixed vegetables, yu-choy, ground pork)

and the Spicy Maze-Men.

the flavor of the soup was pretty bland, although the dry noodles were not bad. A hit and miss here. 

We also got a Lavender Matcha Frappe

and a Blueberry Yogurt Cake

from Paris Baguette.

The drink was really powdery, although the cake was pretty tasty. Another hit and miss.

With that, we headed back to Newton, where we got a Butterfly Pea Lemonade ( brioche, butterfly pea lemonade glaze) Ice Cream Sandwich

from Blackbird Doughnuts.

The tangy flavor of the donut was not bad, complementing the ice cream, although my other half did not take to the bread texture.

Next, we stumbled upon the new Salt Patisserie, a new high end bakery in the area. 

We got the Brigadeiro Dark Chocolate,

the Pamonha Corn Muffin and Brown Butter Hazelnut,

and the Croissant.

Pretty rich flavored chocolate, with a touch of salt in it. Nice, and definitely better than the doughnuts. Should have come here first instead. Oh well, at least my son had a fun day of taking the train for the first time.

July 8th 2022: Owen O'Leary's, Westborough

 Today, after visiting the Tatnuck Magnet School in Worcester, 

we decided to have dinner at Owen O'Leary's, an Irish bar restaurant in Westborough, the Southborough branch of which I visited a while back.

This time, we got the Prime Rib au Jus (served with vegetable),

the Shrimp Scampi (plump shrimp sauteed with fresh garlic, white wine, lemon and butter. Served with Linguine),

and the Brownie Sundae for dessert.

The food was surprisingly good, and relatively cheap in this age of inflation. Glad we decided to come here after all.

July 4th 2022: A Day at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, Wrentham

 Today, while at the newly renovated Wrentham Village Premium Outlets,

we decided to have lunch at the Tavern in the Square location here.

We got the Chicken Quesadilla (cilantro, tres quesos, salsa, crema),

the Smoked Wings (honey sriracha),

the Chopped Greek (romaine, veggies, roasted chickpeas, mint, toasted pita, kalamata olives, feta, lemon tahini dressing),

the Mac + Cheese (house recipe of four cheeses)

and the Sweet Potato Fries.

Pretty good stuff, especially the sauces for the quesadilla, and the sweet spiciness of the wings. 

After lunch, we got Cinnamon Glazed Roasted Cashews from The Nutty Bavarian, a food cart in the shopping area, 

and a box of Choco Fruits 

from the Lindt Chocolatier here. 

Pretty good chocolate coated pineapples, oranges and apricots, and a good end to a day spent at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets.

July 3rd 2022: A Day of Eating in Boston

 Today, we started out in Boston with breakfast at Thornton's, a small but busy diner near Prudential Center.

we got the Eggs Oscar (Poached eggs on english muffin, and crab cake with onion, green beans, and hollandaise sauce served w/ home fries and melon),

which was really stingy on the crabcake, which was even made of fake crabmeat. The home fries were soggy too. Definitely not coming back here.

Our next stop was the Flour Bakery nearby, 

getting a Currant, Oats and Spelt Scone (with oats and spelt flour).

Not too bad for a scone I guess.

Next, after checking out the graduate exhibit at the Boston Architectural College, 

and the Capital One Cafe at 711 Boylston Street,

we headed to the Wagamama in Prudential Center, 

getting the tantanmen beef brisket (korean beef brisket. half tea-stained egg. menma. kimchi. scallions. cilantro. bok choy. chicken broth), 

the Mini Ramen (noodles in a chicken soup topped with grilled chicken breast, seasonal greens, carrots and sweet corn),

and the chicken katsu sando (katsu chicken, katsu sauce, milk bread, butter lettuce, shichimi fried egg, katsu pickles).

The tantanmen was actually pretty tasty, although the mini one was very bland, and the sandwich too. Definitely not a better experience than the one I had in Cambridge a long time ago.

July 2nd 2022: Quick Bite from Market Cafe, Northborough

 Today, while at Wegman's in Northborough, we decided to get a quick bite, getting the Spicy Tuna Volcano Roll,

the Stir Fry Broccoli and Mushrooms (broccoli and soy glazed Shiitake mushrooms stir fried with ginger and garlic), Thai Crispy Chicken (flour breaded chicken with peppers and Thai Chili sauce made with vinegar, chilies, tomato paste, fish sauce and seasonings), Vegetable Fried Rice, Vegetable Lo Mein (stir fried noodles containing wheat flour with cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, white pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce), Craft Beer BBQ Wings (seasoned chicken wings combined with craft beer, mustards and cayenne pepper sauce), Danny's Born in Buffalo Medium Chicken Wings (Meaty flavorful jumbo Chicken Wings, glazed in a traditional medium heat Buffalo Wing Sauce made with hot sauce and butter) and Fried Seasoned Potato Wedges (potato wedges seasoned with a mixture of flour and spices).

The sushi was not bad, but everything else was just so-so. Oh well. At least it was filling.

July 1st 2022: A Day of Hiking, Gymnastics and Eating

 Today, we started out with a hike in the town of Sterling, at Rocky Brook Conservation Area. the path we took from 127 Beaman Road is shown below in black.

After the dry waterfall at the start, 

the trails were pretty confusing, with us getting lost a lot, even going out to private property on Brookside Lane at one point. There was no kettle pond to be seen on trail B, and the wetland pond on Trail C was nothing much to look at either.

Definitely not worth the long hike. From here, we went to get a quick bite from two food trucks in West Boylston, getting a Agua Fresca (Jamaica, Hibiscus) from Mortar and Pestle at 110 Beaman Road

and a Lobster Roll 

from Captain Ron's Kitchen.

Not too bad for a quick bite.

After our little one's class at KidStrong in Westborough, where he had lots of fun, 

We decided to go to Doragon Ramen in Ashland for dinner, this time getting the Salty Limeade,

the Crispy Chive Dumplings (Thai Crispy Chive Dumplings made with glutinous rice flour and chinese chives. Served with Ginger Chili dipping sauce.),

the Lobster Bao (Fresh Maine lobster, scallions/celery, shallots, fresno chilli, black garlic sriracha aioli, little leaf crisp greens, steamed soft sandwich bao)

the Udon Noodle Soup (Traditional Japanese tsuyu broth | fresh udon noodles | shrimp tempura & kamaboko | baby bok choy | menma | matsutake bean sprouts and egg.)

The bao was the most expensive, though it wasn't anything special. The chive dumplings were really good, although they looked weird in a cubic form. With that, an end to a day of hiking, gymnastics and eating.