I Can't Believe We Made It!

A somewhat belated post-New Year's "Happy New Year!" post to my fellow blogospherians. Some highlights from spending the final night of '08 and early days of '09 in the Empire and Garden states:

• Driving down during the Great Blizzard of '08 in Dunndee's Trans Am, AKA the Car with No Traction, Wiper Fluid, Functioning Wiper Blades, Rear Windshield Heating Element, or Headlights. At one point I thought we were going to be stuck in a rest area parking lot on 84 until 2009.
  
• Great New Year's Eve party "in the village," as they say, replete with bottomless Strong Islands, lots of A-side peeps, and vaulting bartenders
• 24 hours on Dunndee's couch on Jan 1st. Quite literally.
• Seeing the outside of an old law school building at Rutgers Law, Newark, AKA "City Law University," the law school Mike McD attends in Rounders, a film I watched approximately 146 times in college. Damon, Norton, Malkovich, and Turturro at their absolute peaks.
  
• Getting serenaded a cappella by five cheerful gentlemen in the wee hours of 2009 on the PATH train from World Trade Center back to Penn Station, Newark, NJ. A brief but comical Hall & Oates stint - "Hey, what you wanna listen to? White people music? What do white people listen to? Hall and Oates!" - was followed up by a little Sam Cooke at my request. A few bars of "A Change Is Gonna Come" were all too appropriate at that point.
• Calamari pizza. Don't knock it 'til you try it.
• Sauerbraten, AKA the "best thing on the menu" over at Cafe Steinhof in Crooklyn, NY. Nothing but steins, schnitzels, and spaetzle over there.
  

Covers Night

Last night I went to see Covers Night at Club Passim along with Rhode and Pickin' Baines Johnston. The act was packed with the star power of Jake Armerding, Zachariah Hickman, Mark Erelli, and Lori McKenna. For the last several years this group of artists has delighted the patrons of Passim with an annual show of covers of music from a myriad of genres and time periods. The musicians themselves come out of the bluegrass/folk/country tradition, and incorporate these flavors in their own renditions. Armerding, Erelli, and McKenna took turns singing lead vocals on their choice songs while Hickman provided upright bass, pump organ, backup vocals, witty one liners and inspired yelps throughout.



The show was fantastic. Not only was the music excellent, but it was an entertaining couple hours with the performers cracking jokes, playing off each other, and demonstrating a comfort with each other that made for a fun show.



Regular readers know that I've been a fan of Armerding and Hickman for the last couple years. I think I saw Erelli play at one of many shows at the Cantab - probably with those two. Very talented, great voice.



McKenna was a complete unknown to me, but she's a Commonwealth native with several folk albums who's toured with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, among others. Erelli toured with her as well. She was incredible - a tiny woman who has some shockingly serious pipes. Beautiful, powerful voice that worked wonderfully on her selections. She has a wistful sound. One of the best female voices I've heard, up there with the likes of Krauss.



The set list, from what I remember:

• "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago (Armerding)
  
• "Black Market Baby" by Tom Waits (awesome version sung by Erelli)
• "Deep Red Bells" by Neko Case (cool tune; haunting - Erelli)
• "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot* (Armerding did the late Canuck proud. This one was probably the highlight of the evening. For my table, anyway.)
• "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (Cheesy pop sung elegantly by McKenna with humorous backup vocals from the gents)
• "Take a Bow" by Rihanna (McKenna)
  
• "White Horse" by Taylor Swift (McKenna - brought a maturity and respectability to youthful pop)
  
• "Purple Rain" by Prince (Incredible performance from Erelli on this. Got the whole crowd singing along.)
  
• "Orange Juice Blues" by Bob Dylan & Richard Manuel (Erelli)
  
• "Greenbacks" by Ray Charles (awesome uptempo number by Erelli)
• "He's a Tramp" by Peggy Lee (eclectic, smoky number from Armerding)
• "More Than Words" by Extreme (the duo of Armerding and Erelli performed this in amusing, uncomfortable homoerotic fashion while Hickman and McKenna mock danced in the arm-length, no-hip contact middle school style offstage)
• "Carol of the Bells" by Leontovych (Armerding, Erelli, Hickman)
• "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry (amazing rendition by McKenna)
  
• "All Apologies" by Nirvana (perhaps the oddest selection from McKenna but it worked as a closing piece)
  

Erelli probably had the best selections of the night for quality, variety, and performance.

What am I forgetting here? Erin? Scojo?

---

*

JERRY: Hey. How's the new place?!

GEORGE: Gone. (Moves over to a chair in the living room. Kramer takes the carton of food to the table, and begins eating) The tenant association made me give it

to this guy because he was an Andrea Doria survivor..

ELAINE: Andrea Doria? Isn't that the one they did the song about?

JERRY: (Correcting her) Edmund Fitzgerald.

ELIANE: I love Edmund Fitzgerald's voice.

JERRY: (Gives Elaine a look) No, Gordon Lightfoot was the singer. Edmund Fitzgerald was the ship.

GEORGE: (Talking about his would-be apartment) You could fit 15 people in that bathroom..

ELAINE: I think Gordon Lightfoot was the boat.

JERRY: (Sarcastic) Yeah, and it was rammed by the Cat Stevens.

KRAMER: (Like a teacher) The Andrea Doria collided with the Stockholm in dense fog 21 miles off the coast of Nantucket. (Makes a clicking sound with his tongue)

The Amazing Armerdings: Pickin' Ain't Just on Tuesdays Anymore

Last night I saw Jake Armerding perform at Club Passim in Harvard Square. Passim is a Folk Music and Cultural Center celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Passim is also home to Veggie Planet, a haven for vegetarians, vegans, and everything else non-animal and non-alcoholic (a disturbing, if not altogether unexpected, revelation upon glancing at the menu upon sitting down). The crowd leans perhaps a bit too left/crunchy/psyched-about-soy for me (the opening act, Seth Glier, waxed disdainfully about his 98 year-old Republican grandma and played an unflattering emo-ish tune written from the perspective of George W. Bush - "I Just Want to Make My Daddy Proud"), but the venue is actually pretty cool. About twenty or so small four-seat tables, additional chairs lining the walls, and a decent sized stage up front. Low ceiling, intimate setting, very friendly staff, great sound system, and a much-appreciated quiet, respectful (read: sober) audience.

I attended with Pickin' Baines Johnston, Lydia, Amanda, Josh, and Laura. We had all seen Jake play at the infamous Cantab Lounge on several occasions. This evening, as he often does, Jake was playing with his father, Taylor, the "Old Lonely Train," the "Ol' High & Lonesome," who plays a mean mandolin and has an ethereal high croon the likes of which are rarely heard in the northeastern metropolises. Zack Hickman, he of the three-piece cream suit and waxed 'stache, plays the stand-up bass like nobody I've ever seen. It's impossible to describe effectively, but he simply jams on it, dancing around it, strumming and plucking with frenetic energy, slapping it viciously at times, occasionally yelping out an emphatic "Yeah!" or "Come on!" when the group is playing an up-tempo instrumental bluegrass number. Quite the talented character. This trio forms the core of Jake Armerding's band, but he often cycles in other people - an additional fiddler, banjo or guitar player. Last night he had Kevin Barry - evidently somewhat of a local Boston pro - on the lap steel and electric guitar. A truly amazing sound. The mellisonant, smooth twang of the lap steel is simply mesmerizing and Barry had a few stellar solos. Jake himself is a tremendous fiddle player, but also plays the guitar and mandolin and has an excellent voice. His sound is hard to qualify - inspired by traditional bluegrass, folk, and country but very bluesy with a touch of rock.

They played half the tracks off Jake's 2007 album Walking on the World, including "Hole In The Sky (Mandolin Man)," "The Fleece," "Keep The River On Your Right," "Assassination Blues," "Critical Eye," and "My House." I have this excellent album, and hearing these tracks performed live with certain elements changed or added was great. Jake played some of his older songs and threw in a few classic bluegrass tunes, including a "Hallelujah"-type song in which he and his dad held looooong notes and produced beautiful harmony.

Fantastic show. Well worth the $15. A long set - all the better after seeing their gigs at the Cantab which always end too soon.

Jake said that he, his dad Taylor, and Zack are going to hit the studio next month to record an entire album. I am really looking forward to this one.

Jake's back playing at Passim on 12/18 with Mark Erelli and Lori McKenna - back-to-back cover shows. I think I might have to check that out.

Support local music!

---

Conversation snippets:

MRhé: "I like this place, but it doesn't quite have the same joie de vivre as the Cantab."
Lydia: "That's because there's no beer."

-----

Amanda: "How's the cake?"
MRhé: "It's pretty good but it needs something..."
Amanda: "Like animal products?"

"Take me down to the Sunset Grill..."

Props to Scottobrew Beersalot for putting together a little midweek break to kick it with Dr. Goodbeers over at the Sunset Grill & Tap on Wednesday. Pumpkin beers were the order of the evening, and I tried the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (disappointing - a little lackluster in taste although it sports a healthy 7% ABV), the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (amazing - incredibly complex, spicy, and delicious at 8% ABV), and the Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout (really nice, dark, hint of sweetness and roasted flavor at 6.75% ABV).

Seasonal beer. One of about three positives of living in an Arctic clime.

O Giacomo, mia innamorata!

Yesterday Heather and Ben came into town. As I like to do with all visitors to the Hub, I took them to my favorite restaurant in the North End - Giacomo's. They both loved it (you can't get good Italian food in D.C., evidently). I have a newfound love for Giac's after last night though. I tried a special that they always seem to have (can it really be a special then?): homemade fusilli pasta with bits big, juicy, tender, delectable chunks of lobster meat and shrimp in Giacomo's house sauce. Madonn'! Just unbelievable. The English language, with all its thousands upon thousands of adjectives, fails to do justice to the meal I had last night.

And due to Giac's huge portions, today I have the most delicious lunch of all possible lunches.

The Search for the Cantina del Ray; or How I Got a Pack of Mach 3 Razors for Three Bucks

Last night I met up with the Expat, his special lady, and a few other peeps over at Cantina del Ray in Union Square, Somerville. Food was excellent, as were the margaritas. Tough to find good Mexican in the Hub. Places are few and far between. I had some very tasty chiles rellenos with cheese and beef, smothered in salsa verde. ¡Muy caliente y bueno!

But the real story of the night was my cabbie, who spoke with the severe bronchial strain of a man who has spent the balance of his life inhaling the chemical equivalent of car exhaust. I caught the guy at the corner of Hanover and Cross in the North End. "Do you wanna buy a briefcase? Eight bucks!" the cabbie wheezed. It was a decent case - fake black leather, notepad, room for a laptop or perhaps some business papers. It was emblazoned with the seal of Capella University ("taking online education to a higher level"). Wouldn't have been the worst purchase I've ever made, but I decided against it - I was spending money on a cab on a Tuesday night, after all. "Ok," he said, and in the next (labored) breath, "Whaddya shave with? Mach 3? Schick? I got Mach 3s - three bucks!" He really got my attention with this, but I fended this pitch off only to be assaulted by further inventory for sale - hats, sweatshirts, knockoff Coach wallets. I didn't realize I had boarded the Yellow Cab Traveling Variety Store.

I have to give the guy credit, though. His sales pitch was good. Soft yet persistent. Stuck to his key differentiator. Quality goods - "I don't sell shit" - at giveaway prices - "Only problem is I don't charge enough." In a commodity business, price is king. And his audience certainly isn't going anywhere - at least not until they reach their destination.

Really nice guy, too. We drove through Union Square searching for the Cantina. He had some vague idea that he'd been there before - "My girl didn't like the food" (great) - but we didn't see it. The meter hit $13 and he cut it off. He said he'd circle back and drive me around until we found it - "I got nothin' better to do." Not like he has to pick up paying fares or anything. He's raking it in with the side business! Coolest cabbie ever.

After what seemed like a few dollars' worth of driving around, we finally located the fictitious "Cantina del Ray," which was actually called Cantina La Mexicana (attached to the Taqueria La Mexicana). I gave the guy a twenty and told him if he threw in a pack of Mach 3s we'd be even. So he did - and we were. Those things are like eight or nine beans at CVS!

The Cantina was excellent. This coming Monday they are having a live mariachi band along with a promotion for Blue Moon tequila, complete with free samples from its attendant brand ambassadors, the Blue Moon Girls. Get there early!

I might have to go back for the party. Maybe I'll get Willy Loman to drive me again.

A Taste of the [adopted] Old Country

For the last three years I've lived directly above Piccolo Nido, located on the corner of North & Lewis Streets in Boston's North End. Last night was the first time I tried it. This visit was spurred in part because I met the owner, Pino Irano, last Friday evening. The building management for my office are good friends with Pino, and they were hanging out on North Street on Friday evening as I returned to my apt. I was introduced and they implored me to come in. For a long time they've been giving me the business about how I hadn't gone yet, they always rave about how good the food is, how great Pino is, and the celebs who pass through the doors of the place (unbenownst to me until recently, such glitterati as Doc Rivers, the Red Sox owners, Dave Matthews, Tim Russert, and many others). I've been sleeping on this place for far too long!

Excellent food. I tried the crespelle ai funghi - crepes stuffed with wild mushrooms served in a flavorful Medeira sauce - for an appetizer and the vitello valdostana - escalope of veal with prosciutto and fontina cheese served with an incredible demi-glace sauce. I had the crème brûlée for dessert.

Very tasty, nice atmosphere - away from the hustle and bustle of Hanover Street. A limited wine list was really my only complaint. Pino's an excellent host. No celebs last night but I'll be keeping my eyes open.

Salud!

Bona Fortuna!

I just finished Billy Tse's chinese for lunch today. Check out my fortune:

You will soon take a very pleasant and successful trip.

How awesome is that? You can't make this stuff up!

Cold Calamari

Leftover Giacomo's. Yum City, USA.

A Couple Awesome Things: Giacomo's and Beirut.

A bunch of people that I hang out with for some reason and I are having dinner at Giac's tonight. Should be good. Then we are going to break in the schtonky new beirut table that 45 sent me for my birthday. Hopefully we'll get some good pics for the interwebs.

Although I haven't heard from a single one of these so-called "friends" today...

Notes on an A-side Weekend

• Mean Rachel came to visit the Hub!
  
• I was fortunate enough to meet the entire Mean Rachel clan, including her mom, dad, sister (Congrats again on the MD and engagement, Grace! And happy birthday!) and aunts - one of whom has a blog. There's quite a bit of Farris presence on the internets.
  
• Everyone should go check out RumBa at the new InterContinental Boston hotel. There is a nice patio area out back overlooking the water and you can drink cocktails out there. More importantly, Kevin the bartender brought me out some free chocolate cake for my birthday. This was delicious gourmet cake with "Happy Birthday" scrawled in chocolate sauce on the plate. We were enjoying some champers out on the patio and then Kevin comes out of nowhere with the cake. He also made sure to top off our glasses in honor of my bday. I will definitely go back because of such excellent service - looks like they have a cool sushi place as well as a $$$$ restaurant.
• Giacomo's maintains its perfect record of making first-timers absolutely love it.
• Veuve makes an excellent mimosa.
• Drinking champagne three days out of four is really the way to live the high life. (Note: not that high life).
• The Blue Blood Express is a wild ride!
• Walking around Boston on a hot day really makes you appreciate the nice breeze coming off the water.
• We really need to make Pickin' Tuesdays a regular thing again.
• From the Obvious Department.
  
• Being inebricated and exhaustired = recipe for successful verbal brainstorming.
• Glazed bacon has yet another convert.
  
• "Bluegrass? What's that, like banjos and shit?"
• Despite their phonetic proximity, Boston and Austin are geographically far too distant. And that's very unfortunate.
  

¿Donde esta los catfish tacos?

Making a run for the Border tonight. Catfish tacos and blue margaritas. Unreasonably psyched. My life will be complete about 9 hours from now.

Fattening Up at the Fat Cat

On Saturday I took my Mom out for an early birthday lunch. She wanted to try a relatively new spot in Quincy called the Fat Cat. Evidently she had read glowing reviews and was tempted by their signature dish, lobster mac 'n' cheese.

The Fat Cat is excellent. It's a small, casual spot a bit outside the main Quincy Center area. It's reminiscent, in my Mom's accurate words, of a "place in Cambridge...like somewhere in Inman Square." Sort of hard to describe if you aren't familiar with it, but it has a laid-back, friendly vibe, a nice decor, and quality food. A bar with several flat-screen TVs was separated from a small dining area by an opaque glass partition. The menu was pretty extensive for a smaller place, with gourmet takes on some classics - fries, calamari, and fried pickles; burgers, pulled pork and fried turkey sandwiches; pasta and fish 'n' chips. It's the kind of place where Buffalo wings and lobster and crab lavash go hand-in-hand.

We had the fried calamari for an appetizer. Delicious - lightly fried in a well-seasoned batter, replete with big slices of several types of hot peppers and black olives (the latter a nice addition to the standard calamari and hot peppers app).

I opted for the fish 'n' chips (inspired by a recent viewing of Bobby Flay's Showdown featuring this dish). Three big, beautiful pieces of fish in a golden batter (a tad on the thick side but very tasty) resting on a gigantic bed of awesome hand-cut fries. Golden-brown with the skin still on them. Really fantastic fries. (The Cat also has several different seasonings and dipping sauces to go with the fries - next time I go I will have to try these out.)

Mom's lobster mac 'n' cheese was heavenly. Big chunks of lobster and cavatappi pasta swimming in a rich, creamy four-cheese sauce, topped with tomato slices and browned panko breadcrumbs.

Although we didn't partake, I noticed a good beer menu, reasonable wine selection and featured $8 cocktails (practically free drinks compared to Hub prices).

I liked the Fat Cat quite a bit. Time to heat up my leftover fries...

24 Chestnut St
Quincy, MA 02169

UBURGER

UBURGER is awesome. Everything's made to order; tons of toppings for delicious burgers; golden-brown french fries with bits of skin still on 'em; light, crispy onion rings; thick, creamy frappes - next time you're in Kenmore square, check it out.

Santarpio's

Last night I went to Santarpio's Pizza in East Boston. This is a legendary joint in Hub lore, with its loyal patrons shouting its supremacy far and wide. I've heard endlessly how amazing their pizza is. There were on the Phantom Gourmet a few weeks back as one of the top pizza places in Boston. So did the local Eastie pizza joint live up to the hype?

No. Not really.

It was good pizza, yes, but far from the ethereal experience I had come to expect. The pizza was shockingly salty - I'm not sure if this was more due to the stacks of pepperoni slices or overseasoned sauce, but either way it was a bit much. I ordered a pepperoni and green pepper pie for myself (each of us ordered our own; they are close to a typical medium pizza size). The crust also left something to be desired; the texture was off. It was very tasty but it could not fail to disappoint considering all I've heard about the place. That said, I still look forward to my leftovers for lunch today.

The atmosphere was fun, though - a real down-home rough-and-tumble Eastie establishment, with nary an "r" to be heard in the patrons' patois. An unpretentious place, to be sure.

It's worth going to if you're in the area, or would like to experience a Boston culinary landmark. Oh, but don't ask for a menu. Evidently that's verboten.

Another plus is that I got an entire pizza and two Rolling Rocks for $17 (including tip). Not half bad.

Still, give me Bertucci's any day of the week.

Wine Selection

On Wednesday evening I went to my favorite North End restaurant, Giacomo's, with a good friend. If you love seafood and don't feel like paying upwards of $20 an entrée, Giacomo's is the place to go.

I had a ton of leftover calamari and mussels over linguine in their house sauce (a lobster-based red with a touch of cream) - enough for dinner last night. On my way home from work I stopped at the Golden Goose and was poking around in the wine aisle for a fitting companion to my dish.

There was a woman there who - I think - is one of the distributors who comes into the Goose on a weekly basis.

Wine woman: "Can I help you?"
MRhé: "Um, yes, actually. I'm looking for...well...I have some Giacomo's."
WW: "Giacomo's?"
M: "Yes, it's a restaurant..." (I went on to explain the leftovers I had.)
WW: "Oh I have just the thing!"

She asked me my price range and handed me a decent $10 bottle of Italian wine with an unpronounceable label. I will check on it when I get home. It went with the Giacomo's perfectly. The wine was good - drinkable but not transcendent.

Ed: It was a dry red wine - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, by Umani Ronchi.

Hard Rock Boston

This morning was the grand opening of the new location of the Hard Rock Cafe Boston, literally right across from me at the intersection of Clinton and North Streets at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where The Rack used to be. It was a pleasant distraction on a Monday morning, with a few celebs and a 71-guitar smashing in place of a ribbon cutting. It's a huge new space - 15,000 square feet.

Let's check it out soon, shall we?

So This Is Why They Call It A Redeye...

Greetings - back in Beantown after a brief 5-day stint out in Orange County. It was a thoroughly awesome mini-vacation. Cali is hot for sure. To wit:

• May Gray: Unbeknownst to me, the weather out in Cali is not all sun all the time. Evidently in May and June it is overcast early, sunny in the late morning and throughout the day, and then it cools down at night. So for the most part it was cloudy in the early AM, but nice and sunny and in the low 70's from about 11 until the late afternoon. An interesting climate. On the whole, tremendous. Rocked a fair amount of poolside time.
  
• In-n-Out Burger: We hit this twice in two days. Animal style, baby. Quality burgers but still - I never eat fast food like that.
• Carl's Jr.: Twice in two days. Although I felt like my arteries were going to burst from the pressure buildup, their Loaded Breakfast Burrito and the Steak & Egg Burrito are actually quite tasty. The Breakfast Burger leaves something to be desired. Probably good health and well-being.
  
• Courtyard Marriott in Laguna Hills: Best hotel bed I think I've ever been in. Magically comfy. That goes for the pillows too. Maybe it's just because I was jetlagged and going to bed in what felt like the early morning every night. Decent breakfast buffet ($10), pool area, exercise room that I actually used a couple mornings (woke up around 8am every day - again on EST). A wonderfully cheerful, helpful staff, from the food service crew to the front desk peeps. I recommend it if you ever find yourself in the vicinity.
• JetBlue: These guys rock. I heart them. The only downside was that my planes didn't have the XM Radio like the ones I flew in to Austin and back. Perhaps this is on select routes? Getting the fleet upgraded? Something? The cool thing was on the way down, I watched an episode of Deadliest Catch, in which they talk about how the crab are offloaded onto a ship that preps them for market on board right at the pier: they are butchered, cooked, and frozen to be shipped all over the country. Next thing I knew I was at Reid's condo in Irvine, grilling Alaskan king crab legs to accompany our filet mignon wrapped in bacon - utterly delish.
• Cosmetic surgery: Even though we didn't ball too outrageous, from what I saw, the OC is ridiculous. Beautiful women (many with *certain* enhancements), expensive sports cars (one bar we went to had a parking lot filled with Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Benzes, Beamers, etc. - in stark juxtaposition to our rented Chevy Malibu). Seemed like every woman we came across was married and/or pregnant and/or blonde and for the most part, notably attractive. 40 is the new 30 over there for real. But, from what we observed and through interactions with various people who live in Cali, the OC is a very materialistic, fake, superficial place to be. Just like on TV! Still, good scenery.
• Fine dining: In addition to our high-end grill sesh, we had some fantastic food at the rehearsal dinner and at the reception itself. For the rehearsal dinner we went to Luciana's, a little spot in Dana Point near the Ritz. We had an excellent meal there: antipasto consisting of bruschetta, calamari fritti, caprese salad, fried shrimp; scalloppine genovese (veal in a white wine sauce); crème brûlée. Fantastico! At the wedding reception there were fabulous hors d'oeuvres, a potato gnocci in a pesto cream sauce app, and some delectable prime rib with a sort of sour cream sauce on the side.

So LeVaur and I, as co-Best Men, rocked the speech together and performed our duties admirably (acceptably?). It was a fantastic time. Congratulations to Reid and Eunice and thanks for having a splendid affair to usher in the next umpteen years of marital bliss!

The Wine Room

One of my aunts had her 50th birthday celebration this afternoon at the Wine Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. It's a small, private function room attached to the Oak Room. It was a really nice affair for the ~25 people who were there. It's got a classic feel to it, a certain old-school charm.

The hors d'oeuvres were superb. There were lobster nachos, with pieces of lobster atop potato chips dabbed with an aioli-type sauce. There were crab cakes with a spicy red sauce. There was kobe beef on toast triangles and a sour cream topping. There were scallops cooked in white wine and butter on garlic toast.

My favorite part of the experience was when I ordered a martini - Hendrick's dry with nothing to pollute the taste of that oh-so-delicious of gins - the waiter brought over a martini glass and a big jar of ice water with a little bottle of martini floating in it. He filled my glass and left another glassful in the ice bath to chill until I wanted it. First time I'd ever seen such a brilliant idea in action!

I chose the clam chowder over the mixed greens to start. Good - it had a very smoky, bacony flavor to it. Not the greatest, but a respectable bowl. I had the New York strip steak as an entrée - a huge piece that was excellent, the best I've had in a long time. Buttery mashed, huge stalks of asparagus and an incredible gravy accompanied the meat. For dessert was a Boston Cream Pie that wasn't in the traditional style. It was a huge custardy slice, but it wasn't as heavy and creamy as the more standard versions. I'm not a big dessert guy at all, but this thing was out of control good. Melted dark chocolate was poured all over, with shaved white chocolate on top. Decadent. I could only muster a few bites because I was absolutely stuffed.

This place was great. The wait staff was excellent as well - very polite, attentive, and cheerful for the most part. Granted, it's the Fairmont Copley, but it's refreshing to experience people in the service industry who at least act like they don't want to kill themselves. They were, to a man, foreign, which might explain the earnestness.

Jams

I've been to a few decent places over the last few months and thought I'd mention them FYI:

Cibo: This is a nice little spot on Hanover Street in the North End. It's actually a decent-sized dining room for the area, with a pretty big menu. Very reasonably priced, including the wine list. I had the prosciutto-stuffed tortellini in a creamy white wine sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Delectable. An appetizer of some sautéed broccoli rabe, garlic and mozzarella over a big crostini hit the spot before the main course. Oddly enough they don't have any coffee or dessert, as was emphatically pointed out to us by our server. But really, you want to hit up Mike's or Vittorio's for that anyway, right?

Trani: This is a relatively new pastry shop on Salem Street. The other night my roommates went to dinner (without me!) but brought me back a Bust-Out. This is a chocolate cupcake injected with vanilla or chocolate ice cream and run under a chocolate waterfall. The frozen concoction then forms a hard chocolate crust on top. I'm not a big dessert guy, but these things are mad tasty.

Red Sky: This place has been around for about a year or so - in the spot where the Naked Fish was on North St. - in between McDonald's and Dunkies over by Faneuil Hall. It's kind of a swank spot, good for an after-work cocktail and some apps. I didn't try any entrees there, but the tuna tartare and chicken pizza apps were delectable. Also, they make a mean Manhattan - "My aunt drinks those!"

Border Cafe: Catfish tacos, baby. Cat-fish-tac-os. Doesn't get any better.