I love New England in the Fall

I was fortunate enough to have Columbus Day off this past weekend and the timing of the long weekend was perfect as I really needed sometime to recharge the 'ol batteries. While a relaxing weekend, the Mrs. and I were able to partake in the great New England Fall tradition of apple picking. Besides getting a huge bagful of apples from Bolton Spring Farm, we were recommended this tasty treat:

Pulled pork over a cider donut! This photo stirred quite a reaction when I initially posted it on Facebook :) While a bit sweet for my tastes, it was a clever pairing and also prompted me to buy a half dozen cider donuts for the ride.

I also have to plug the movie Looper which I saw Monday at the Somerville Theater. I was blown away with their prices: $6 for any movie before 6PM! I am definitely catching more movies here in the future.

Anyhow, I'm terrible at movie reviews, but I have to say it is one of my favorites of the year. Dealing with a plot that includes time travel can often be headache-inducing, however the way Looper handles the plot device is both clever and tongue-in-cheek, encouraging viewers to not think about it too much and just enjoy the ride. On top of a great story, the movie is also beautifully shot and I think you get some great performances from the entire cast, both major and minor characters. Bottom line: Looper is a smart sci-fi film that is definitely worth checking out.

Lastly, it's almost time for Halloween, and I stumbled upon these lovelies:

If any old school Transformers is willing to shell out $60 for these hoodies, then you too can play out your Optimus Prime or Grimlock fantasies this Halloween.

hsiehdy on Pinterest

Hello readers,
I signed up for Pinterest back in the Spring on a whim...and have actually continued to use it. It's eclectic (just like this blog), but some of you might get a kick out of it:

http://pinterest.com/hsiehdy/

If you do check it out, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my Pinterest cultivating skills, or lack thereof.

Adventure at Boston Burger Company

Photo taken with instagram.

I had been hearing about the nearby Boston Burger Company for awhile and finally roped in a friend to try this place. Upon opening the menu, before even deciding on what burger to try, we quickly agreed that we had to try the fried rocky mountain oysters (aka bull testicles). Said friend is a fan of offal and other weird foods and was the perfect companion to try this exotic treat.

Photo taken with instragram.

So what did they taste like? Flavor-wise they had a regular beef taste. The novelty lies in the chewy/spongy texture, similar what you'd find with beef tongue. The "oysters" were  served with the traditional fried seafood condiments of cocktail and tartar sauce. I would definitely order them again.

I believe the fun of trying the rocky mountain oysters totally overshadowed what was a really tasty and filling burger! While the burger comes with delicious homemade chips, many Yelpers recommend the fries, which I will definitely try on a future visit...unless the oysters are still available on the menu.

Icy treats

Back in November, we visited Snopo in the New World Mall Food Court in Flushing, NY. What you see above is the "Snow White" found under the header "Romantic Snowy". Looking at the rest of the menu, we quickly encounter the "Engrish" you would usually find at an Asian stationary store. Really, all that was missing from our dessert was a Hello Kitty drawn with syrup to complete this insane dessert. My wife said the look of the dish was like letting Buddy the Elf loose in the kitchen with the task of creating a cold dessert. While kettle corn and multi-colored cereal with shaved ice might be your thing, I just couldn't get over the resulting texture, which I can call "sticky" at best. Although this was not really what I was expecting, it was fun to try, but I would definitely order something else should we return on our next trip to NY.

Photos: Christmas vacation to Hawaii

We had the lovely opportunity to spend a week in Hawaii visiting my wife's family for the last week of December and through New Year's Day! A few quick highlights:

• A lot of quality time with immediate and extended family (we had parties both New Year's Eve AND Day)
• Although the winter is the rainy season for the islands, we had a beautiful weather the whole week we were visiting.
• Got better with the family dog, Mia. I never grew up with pets, but I definitely learned what great companions they are and what fun a simple walk into town could be with her. Needless to say, Mia doesn't get out much and she really enjoyed the new scenery and people, but was pretty tired afterwards.
• Explored a new beach we never went to before, that was a super-popular spot for local surfers. We went in the late afternoon which made for some beautiful photos you'll see below. Reminded me that God sure is a talented artist.
• Checked "experience omakase at a nice Japanese restaurant" off my bucket list. Best nigiri sushi I've had, ever, and such a great culinary adventure to share with my wife.. Note to self: formalize the rest of my mental bucket list.
• I love izakaya restaurants...kinda gleamed this from our trip to Hawaii two years ago. But when we were catching up with an old college roommate this trip, I had ama-ebi nigiri for the first time, and to my delight, when you order this, you also get the head of the prawns deep fried so that you can just eat the whole thing like a big 'ol shrimp chip. DELICIOUS.

And now, here are a few snapshots:

Panda pastries

Katsu curry

Horse lamp at the restaurant Stage

The Mrs. with the family dog Mia

Pancakes with a delicious macadamia nut sauce at Boots and Kimo's

Dessert @ Snow Factory

Last night in Hawaii, down by the tourists in Waikiki

Last activity before flying? Why a hike up Diamond Head National Park w/ family friend Jeremy.

So sad to say "Goodbye" :( See you again soon Hawaii!

The secret is bacon fat

The wife and I have been trying harder to cook more regularly, not only as a means to save some money but to keep our culinary skills sharpened. We decided to get back in the swing of things with some meat and potatoes:

First crack at cooking a porterhouse. Turns out, not that much different than cooking any other steak with a cast iron skillet. Unfortunately my pictures of the final product didn't come out great and I achieved more of a medium as opposed to the intended medium-rare. It was still tasty and discovered that Taryn share's my love of A1 Steak Sauce.

We got a great crust on these roasted potatoes with garlic. I credit the residual bacon fat I left on the baking sheet.

Once upon an Advent, in a galaxy far, far away...

Spotted at Target: Star Wars 2011 Advent Calendar! Gotta love Santa Yoda.

Photos: Los Angeles/Santa Barbara, CA

The Mrs. and I had the opportunity recently to fly out to California for a wedding earlier November. Here is a photo dump of that excellent trip of food, friends, and festivities. Congratulations again Rob & Stephanie!

Touchdown LAX. First stop? In 'n Out! A modest 1x1, animal style of course.

Lilly's Tacos: beef head, tongue, cheek, eye, and adobada pork

 

 

A stellar venue and menu

October

Taken with instagram

Photos: Martha's Vineyard

Took a trip for the first time to Martha's Vineyard this past weekend with the wife and are good friends H & C. What a great way to spend a beautiful Fall New England day! Here are some photos (thanks instagram) from our recent adventure:

 

Soulfire's sampler platter

Photo taken with instragram.

Urban jungle

Photo taken with Instagram

Waffles

Photo taken with Instagram

Mini DD

Photo taken with Instagram

No Puffin

Photo taken with Instagram

Batman on evil...

Photo taken with Instagram

Photo: Desk friends

Photo taken with instagram.

Photo: Obnoxiously Red

Photo taken with instragram.

Photo: Glouchester, MA

Photo taken with instragram.

Photo: The Paramount

Photo taken with instagram