Note to GOOGLERS: Brief reviews of Boston area restaurants can be found here and here.
THURSDAY, OCT 31, 2002 - Shout Outs
Though my readership is small, I see a few of you are almost daily visitors. You know who you are with your girly-man lurking. Drop me a line, or better yet, be a guest blogger.
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WEDNESDAY, OCT 30, 2002 - Weekend Review
New Jang Su, Burlington, MA - Hands down, the best Korean BBQ in Boston metro. The only place where it's better is back in the homeland. We got there thirty minutes before closing, so they hovered around our table until we finished. If you didn't already know this, Koreans can be quite rude.
This should be your last destination before hitting the bars because they don't serve alcohol and your clothes are going to stink like Kalbi.
Green Dragon Tavern, Faneuil Hall - This famed pub claims to have been the meeting house before the Boston Tea Party. It has a better atmosphere, and more importantly, a better clam chowder than its famous neighbor The Union Oyster House around the corner.
[Web site]
Cuchi Cuchi, Cambridge, MA - Though it was my third visit to this tapas restaurant, I can't say enough great things about it. What distinguishes it from its older, more traditional cousin, Dali, down the street, is its international (not fusion) dishes. The servers a very knowledgeable of the food being served and exceedingly kind. If you take the "surprise me" menu approach, tip them well because they're worth it. Relax at the bar with a full pitcher of the white sangria because you'll wait at least an hour. Reservations are not taken.
[Web site] [past entry]
The Burren, Davis Square - This Irish pub was the meeting place of Hope Davis' character in Next Stop Wonderland. On a cold and rainy afternoon it turned out to be the perfect place to eat. Try the fish and chips, and if there's room, the Guinness stew.
On the weekends, there's traditional Irish folk music and endless Guinness pints.
[link]
Punch Drunk Love - Slow moving, at first, building to a crescendo scene between Adam Sandler and Phillip Seymour Hoffman that will have you scraping cold spoons on your teeth to dull the edge. There's a lot going on, so I'll have to see it again before I can comment.
[Web site]
The Good Life, Downtown - It's not nearly as velvety-lounge as its Cambridge counterpart, but the martinis are still good. Stop here to take shelter from the rain. It's only a three minute walk to the Boston Common theater. Try a melon crush.
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Montien, Theater District - The Thai restaurant for when you're sick of Thai. Notable dishes include Drunken Noodles and Masaman Curry.
Johnny D's, Davis Square - If you like live jazz and a greasy American breakfast, by all means, it's worth the wait. Come plenty hung over, foregoing a shower for fifteen more minutes of sleep. Start off with a Bloody Mary and you'll be in good company.
[Web site]
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MONDAY, OCT 21, 2002 - Cotton or China?
I was married two years ago today. That's heavy, daddio.
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SATURDAY, OCT 19, 2002 - Letters
I am cursed. I hear people talk about the most inane things, and I must count myself among the guilty. I find myself not having many meaningful conversations at all.
Instead we talk about our jobs, our possessions, or our general malaise. What happened to talking about intellectual and spiritual growth, or the things that challenge us, or the exploration of an idea; when it's a kernel so fragile, it could blow away. To nurture it until it first buds, then blooms.
Because we can speak--through all our innovative gadgets--does it mean that we should, at every possible opportunity? I often speak without thinking, as if words were mildly interesting hyperlinks from which I can make back-button retreats.
Jen and I received a letter today: a bonafide letter with a postmarked stamp from Kenya. The letter was beautifully written, outlining emotions like the happiness of being newly wed, the nervous uncertainty of an unfamiliar environment, and re-enforcement of friendship bonds. It was written unedited, complete with smudges and scratch-out, in her own hand.
At the beginning of the summer I wanted to write one letter to each of my good friends, but ultimately abandoned the project because I was unable to stay focused on the task at hand. Too many distractions, mostly occupied by various screens and monitors.
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SUNDAY, OCT 13, 2002 - Dinner and a Movie: Weekend Review
Fajita's &
Rita's, Boston - Even though the seating was prompt and the servers
were very friendly, I just couldn't get past the blandness of the food.
Only about three blocks from the Boston Common theater, it'll do as quick
eats before a flick. But if you're out for cheap and good Mexican,
stick with Anna's Taqueria
in Porter or Davis Squares.
[link out]
[map]
Red Dragon - Director Brad Ratner did justice to my favorite Tom Harris book in the Hannibal series. Even so, this film seemed oddly paced. Character development chugged along nicely until a somewhat rushed climactic ending; a sometimes unfortunate shortcoming when transferring books to film.
Emily Watson and the very despisable Ralph Fiennes turned in nice performances, both individually and together. However, Anthony Hopkins and Ed Norton need to show us more than "good"; they need to show us something new.
Shabu-Zen, Boston - This Japanese-style Shabu-Shabu restaurant sits in the heart of Chinatown, in the vicinity of the renowned Peach Farm and China Pearl restaurants. This kind of eating marked an "event", in which raw ingredients were brought to the table for guests to cook themselves in boiling hotpots of broth. It was a good bet that the lack of non-native guests indicated a high degree of authenticity. Other than a few tables, gaijin were in short supply.
Even during the bustling late dinner rush, service was fast, polite,
and competent. Eating here was a nice change from the usual.
[website] [link
out ] [map]
Spirited Away - In a word: weird. What I liked about this director was his refusal to use computer graphics. Like Princess Mononoke it was full of Japanese mysticism and rich animation. The story was a bit convuluted, but the characters were unapologetically Japanese. I think that multiple viewings will be necessary to appreciate this film, which probably won't happen from this hombre.
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THURSDAY, OCT 10, 2002 - Potty Talk
My office is shaped somewhat like a ranch-style house turned sideways. This is significant because those of us on the second floor share a common restroom: four men and three women. We're all considerate. Each man is married and quite used to putting down the seat. Each woman has at least a significant other, so it's no crisis if someone forgets.
There are two things that bother me about this arrangement, however. The first is when the top lid is left closed, universally signaling that someone's left a streaker that needs to soften up to be fully flushed. Sometimes I refer to it as the doufler. You know what I'm talking about. This is often the result of a breacher.
The second is that infernal PHS disposal unit shaped like the Alien's curved head. When I tinkle, there's really nothing to do but stare at the unit's ominous instructions "... to render blood-born pathogens harmless." I wince as I read those words, bracing myself, waiting for the sinister beast's mouth to open, shooting blood-born worms with razor sharp pincers at my head. As I do battle with the beast, I must take special care not to dribble on the porcelain rim. Girls don't like that. Not one bit.
I'll bet you had no idea we were gonna "go there" today, did you? Well it seems that every blogger has to have a poo/pee entry and today seemed as good a day as any.
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Today is Taiwan's Independence Day. Do with that information what you will.
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SUNDAY, OCT 6, 2002 - Big Orange Boxes
I once heard a carpenter say, "The worst thing to happen to my line of work is Home Depot. I have to fix everyone's fuck-ups; then they blame me because it costs more."
It's true. During weekdays, HD is filled with scruffy men wearing paint splattered tee shirts. On the weekends, by contrast, you will find handsome couples with designer strollers, or perhaps a Daschund under arm. This is not a judgment. I'm just sayin'...
What is it about Home Depot that falsely empowers the do-it-yourselfer to give it a go with things that require a professional tradesman an apprenticeship period?
Today upon entry, the sudden smell of sawdust and adhesive definitely gave me that feeling; like it would be a good idea to start a home improvement project. The trouble is, I don't own a home. Ah ha! The selling venue is part of the marketing device.
I've heard, and so have you-- less inventory-- it only costs a $1 million to build one of these "Orange Boxes", equalling less than one day's receipts. Carenter's legend or not, it certainly underscores the point that there are a lot of us out there that believe ourselves to be handy.
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SATURDAY, OCT 5, 2002 - 10 years
Today marks the 10th anniversary of our first (blind) date. What started out as a disaster continues well. It just goes to show that if you dream hard enough and really, REALLY believe, it can happen for you.
Uppp... excuse me. My eyes have rolled clear out of my head.
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Kudos to the folks at The Helmand, an Afghan restaurant in Cambridge, MA. Great eats in the $12-20 range. Choizilla happily recommends the rack of lamb. One bite and you're done for.
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THURSDAY, OCT 3, 2002 - I don't play that, yo... I got nothin'...
Yoplait's Save Lids to Save Lives campaign seems like a pretty good idea. The yogurt giant donates ten cents to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for every pink lid that's mailed in. Two things come to mind:
1. Yoplait has a trademark pending on the phrase Save Lids to Save Lives to protect itself from other companies that might profit from asking its customers to save lids for breast cancer.
2. There's a guy somewhere in some mailing house that's counting the lids you licked clean. That's pretty beat.
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Here are some pictures from my recent climbing trek to New Hampshire. Me likey!
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