June 7th 2016: Cheese Puff from B Sisters Cafe, Framingham

My other half got me a Cheese Puff from B Sisters Cafe in Framingham today.

Interesting spongy texture, but nothing to spark my fancy otherwise. I will check out the cafe itself someday though.

June 5th 2016: Dimsum in Boston, Chessecake in Natick

We had dimsum this morning at Chau Chow Restaurant in the Dorchester area of Boston. I have been here before for dinner, but never for dimsum.

We got several dishes,

all of which were nothing special in my opinion. Not one of the better dimsum places around for sure.

Later in the day, we decided to check out the Cheesecake Factory in Natick, which I have been to before as well.

This time, we got the Peach Smoothie (Crushed Peaches and Juice All Blended with Ice and Swirled with Raspberry) for a drink,

the Steak Diane (Medallions of Certified Angus Beef Steak Covered with Black Peppercorns and a Rich Mushroom Wine Sauce. Served with Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Onions) for food,

and the Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake (The Original Topped with Glazed Fresh Strawberries)

and the Chris' Outrageous Cheesecake (Layers of Moist Chocolate Cake, Chewy Brownie, Toasted Coconut-Pecan Frosting and Creamy Chocolate Chip Coconut Cheesecake) for dessert.

The steak was not bad, but nothing special. The drink was pretty good, though a little too sweet at times. The strawberry cake was delicious. but I did not like the coconut in the other cake. Simple is better in this case I guess.

June 4th 2016: Lunch at Rice Violet, Worcester

Lunch today was at Rice Violet, a new Thai place in downtown Worcester.

We got the Trio Madness (combination of chicken, beef and pork with onions, celery, scallions, mushrooms and cashew nut, sauteed in spicy sriracha sauce)

and the Veggie Nice Sampler (Vegetarian Combinations of corn cake (Fresh corn with flour mixed chili paste, deep fried, served with sweet and sour sauce), chive dumpling (fried, served with ginger soy sauce, 2 pcs), veggie dumpling (fried, served with ginger soy sauce, 2 pcs), samosa bag (Crispy wonton wrapper stuffed with potato and curry powder. Served with sweet and sour sauce, 3 pcs), kale crispy roll (Crispy spring roll stuffed with kale, taro and tofu. Served with sweet and sour sauce, 3 pcs) and tofu triangle (Deep fried tofu served with sweet and sour sauce. Topped with ground peanut, 4 pcs). Served with sweet and sour sauce, and ginger sauce).

for food, and the Sticky Rice with Mango

and Banana Rolls for dessert.

Of all the food, only the corn cakes and samosa bags were really good. Everything else was just average. Not coming back again, I think.

June 1st 2016: Takeout Lunch from Nu Cafe, Worcester

Today, my wife got me a Turkey Avocado Panini (roast turkey, fresh sliced avocado, caramelized onions, melted provolone, baby spinach and chipotle mayo on crisp flatbread) from Nu Cafe in Worcester while I was at work.

Not too bad actually, although it would have been better without the onions.

May 30th 2016: Lunch at Shaanxi Gourmet, Natick

We had lunch today at Shaanxi Gourmet in Natick, which we visited a while back.

This time, we got the Plum Hawthorn Juice,

the Braised Beef Brisket

and the Sweet and Sour Pork Filet.

The drink wasn't what we were expecting in terms of taste, but it was not bad actually. The beef was delicious, but the pork was a little disgusting in taste, with us having to dip the pork in the sauce for the beef to make it palatable. Overall, this place is worth coming back for the authentic Chinese stuff, but not the Americanized dishes.

May 29th 2016: Lunch at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, Northborough

We had lunch today at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, a new bar restaurant in Northborough. This place sounds exactly like Angela's Coal Fired Pizza in Saugus which we went to recently, with similar stuff on the menu as well, although Anthony's is much more established, making us all wonder if Angela's was the result of a former disgruntled employee or an ex-wife.

For food, we got the Anthony's Original Coal Fired Roasted Chicken Wings (Served with Caramelized Onions & Focaccia bread),

the Pork Ribs with Vinegar Peppers (Roasted in Coal Oven with Garlic, Rosemary, Spicy Vinegar Peppers and White Wine)

and the Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese (Large Meatballs slowly cooked in Tomato Sauce).

The wings were exactly like those we had at Angela's though less sour and better as a result. The ribs were surprisingly good, while the meatballs were just so-so. Overall, like Angela's not our cup of tea.

May 28th 2016: Breakfast in Northborough, Lunch in Quincy, Dinner in Wrentham

We had brunch this morning at C'est La Vie Bistro in Northborough.

This time, we got the Zinnekens Wafel (from belgium),

the Duck Hash Browns,

the Gougeres (baked cheese puffs, with pear, fig jam, prosciutto)

and the Steak and Eggs (marinated and grilled flank steak, 2 eggs as you like and homefries).

The waffle had an interesting but delicious texture,as were the cheese puffs, the duck was a little fatty but sinful, while the steak and eggs were cooked just right. Yet another amazing meal here. Definitely the best breakfast place in the area.

Later in the day, we had lunch at Little Duck Thai Restaurant in Quincy, a Thai cafe which literally had little ducks all over the restaurant.

For food, we got the Thai Iced Coffee,

the Steamed Mussel (mussels steamed in hot pot with lemongrass, basil, pepper and onion served with spicy garlic sauce),

the Crispy Pad Thai with Shrimp and Chicken (stir fried crispy egg noodles with egg, bean sprouts, scallions and ground peanut)

and the Crispy Duck Basil (battered duck topped with sweet spicy sauce and pepper, onion and crispy basil).

The coffee was sweet, but not enough to cover the bitterness I dislike,The noodles tasted a little burnt at times, although there was flavor infused into the otherwise dry noodles. The duck was only crispy because of the batter, but nothing special otherwise. Only the mussels were really large and fresh, being the best mussels I have had to date. Overall though, an average meal not worth coming back for.

Dinner was at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Wrentham. I came here more than half a decade ago, although I remember almost nothing of it.

This time, they have an interesting but simple board game on the table that we spent half the time trying to solve, and actually eventually did.

For food, we got the Country Fried Shrimp Platter (A half-pound of buttermilk-breaded shrimp served with cocktail sauce and hushpuppies) and the Chicken N Rice (chicken tenderloins are simmered in a hearty chicken mushroom gravy and are served on top of brown rice pilaf) with Fried Apples, Cole Slaw, Breaded Fried Okra, Cheese Grits, Hashbrown Casserole.

The shrimp was a little on the salty side, and the chicken was a little dry. Of the sides. only the apples, coleslaw and hashbrowns were any good. Definitely not coming back again, even decades later. It was a pretty cheap meal though.