Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Boston Photographs Are Ready
The Boston photographs have been posted on Picasa. Please click on the New Statehouse photograph in the right sidebar to view the album.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Animals in Boston
I am almost ready to post the Boston photographs on Picasa with a link to them from this blog. But until all is ready here are a couple of animal pictures from the trip.
I must give credit to Frank for the photographs from Boston. He took almost all of the photographs on this trip. Good job, my friend.
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| The Famous Swan Boat in the Boston Public Garden |
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| Make Way for Ducklings Boston Public Gardens |
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Weekend Restaurants
Weekends are a good time to meet friends and try new restaurants. This past weekend was no different as we dined at two restaurants we had not dined at before.
On Saturday, we joined Shane and Sue for dinner in Safety Harbor at a cute old house turned Green Springs Bistro. Amazingly it has been in existence for 10 years, and we had never been there. Sue and Shane have talked it up for many months, and we were finally able to schedule and reschedule a date for dinner.
To start, the four of us shared two Blue Crab Cake appetizers. They were very good with lots of crab meat and limited amount of filler. For our main courses we had; Sausage, Shrimp & Grits (Frank); Sesame-crusted Mahi-Mahi (Sue); and Pesto-seared Shrimp and Scallop Risotto. (Shane and me). The food was very good all around. For dessert, Shane and Sue shared a sinfully large chocolate cake and Frank and I shared their specialty, a Raspberry and Blue Berry Cobbler, a much more manageable portion size.
My only minor quibble (and this is my personal taste), the risotto could have used a little more salt or seasoning. The shrimp and scallops were fine, just the pesto risotto needed another pinch.
The service was good, the place is cute and a little on the funky side. We enjoyed the company, the food, and Green Springs Bistro and we will return.
Sunday found us with "15 minutes of fame" Bob G and friends to celebrate Bob's birthday. We all met at Rib City, a national chain (9 states) which started in Fort Myers Florida. I believe that most of us ordered the baby back ribs (1/2 or full rack), except Frank who had a pulled pork sandwich. I must say the ribs were very tasty and fall-off-the-bone tender. Service was good here too.
We had two nice evenings with small groups of friends sharing good food and conversation.
By the way: Happy Birthday Bob !!!
On Saturday, we joined Shane and Sue for dinner in Safety Harbor at a cute old house turned Green Springs Bistro. Amazingly it has been in existence for 10 years, and we had never been there. Sue and Shane have talked it up for many months, and we were finally able to schedule and reschedule a date for dinner.
To start, the four of us shared two Blue Crab Cake appetizers. They were very good with lots of crab meat and limited amount of filler. For our main courses we had; Sausage, Shrimp & Grits (Frank); Sesame-crusted Mahi-Mahi (Sue); and Pesto-seared Shrimp and Scallop Risotto. (Shane and me). The food was very good all around. For dessert, Shane and Sue shared a sinfully large chocolate cake and Frank and I shared their specialty, a Raspberry and Blue Berry Cobbler, a much more manageable portion size.
My only minor quibble (and this is my personal taste), the risotto could have used a little more salt or seasoning. The shrimp and scallops were fine, just the pesto risotto needed another pinch.
The service was good, the place is cute and a little on the funky side. We enjoyed the company, the food, and Green Springs Bistro and we will return.
Sunday found us with "15 minutes of fame" Bob G and friends to celebrate Bob's birthday. We all met at Rib City, a national chain (9 states) which started in Fort Myers Florida. I believe that most of us ordered the baby back ribs (1/2 or full rack), except Frank who had a pulled pork sandwich. I must say the ribs were very tasty and fall-off-the-bone tender. Service was good here too.
We had two nice evenings with small groups of friends sharing good food and conversation.
By the way: Happy Birthday Bob !!!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Boston - Hits and Misses
Back by popular demand, our wrap up of the highlights and lowlights of our latest trip. This time, hits and misses of Boston.
Sights
Hit (Frank) - The Trolley Tour of the Freedom Trail. We got to cover a lot of ground, see a lot of things (comfortably), and the guide was informative and funny.
Hit (Dick) - Trinity Church. I loved the Tiffany era stained glass, and the Romanesque-style architecture.
Miss (Frank) - Quincy Market. It may have been a historic market place at one time, but is not much more than a glorified shopping mall now.
Miss (Dick) - I agree 100%. Unless you are a history buff, skip it.
Food
Hit (Frank) - Everyplace we went was good, but nothing was great. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed the tuna tartare and the cosmopolitans at the Top of the Hub. Yes, tuna tartare and cosmos are cliches, and yes, high altitude dining spots can be long on atmosphere and low on dining points, but this place hit it right on all notes, and gets a thumbs up from me.
Hit (Dick) - I agree on Top of the Hub, but overall, my fave is Brasserie Jo. My rotisserie chicken crepe with a creme sauce was very good, flavorful, and satisfied a jones I had on for chicken pot pie for weeks!
Miss (Frank) - Ristorante Fiore on Hanover Street. It was a nice place, food (Italian) was ok. But it seemed like one of those places that didn't have to try very hard, and it showed.
Miss (Dick) - Sam Snead's. This is actually at the Tampa Airport, but STILL was the WORST hamburger I probably have ever had. They will only cook it medium or well done.
Frank - Actually, there is only one option...cremated.
Moments
Hit (Frank) - For me, it was the moment I ran into a mother and her grown daughter in the Public Garden. I was taking a picture of the Make Way for Ducklings statue. The adult daughter sheepishly walked over to the mother duck statue, and sat on top of it. Her mother explained to me, as she was taking a photo, that she had taken that same shot of her daughter when she was five, and wanted one of her all grown up . I thought it was kind of neat.
Hit (Dick) - Being awed about how clean and impressive a city Boston is. It's historic, modern, and full of interesting neighborhoods. I couldn't believe the lack of grafitti (downtown at least).
Miss (Frank) - Being in Boston knowing that the Lightning lost to the Bruins the night we arrived.
Miss (Dick) - Not having enough time to walk around the North End. I want to go back and explore all my peeps in this Italian neighborhood.
Last minute comments:
*Sheraton Boston Hotel is a nice option in the Back Bay.
*Comments about how rude Bostonians are (cab drivers in particular) are way off base. People seemed friendly and helpful in general.
*Service in restaurants tended to be slower than what we usually are accustomed to.
*May is a good time to go to Boston. City is just lovely.
That's all we are sayin'
Sights
Hit (Frank) - The Trolley Tour of the Freedom Trail. We got to cover a lot of ground, see a lot of things (comfortably), and the guide was informative and funny.
Hit (Dick) - Trinity Church. I loved the Tiffany era stained glass, and the Romanesque-style architecture.
Miss (Frank) - Quincy Market. It may have been a historic market place at one time, but is not much more than a glorified shopping mall now.
Miss (Dick) - I agree 100%. Unless you are a history buff, skip it.
Food
Hit (Frank) - Everyplace we went was good, but nothing was great. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed the tuna tartare and the cosmopolitans at the Top of the Hub. Yes, tuna tartare and cosmos are cliches, and yes, high altitude dining spots can be long on atmosphere and low on dining points, but this place hit it right on all notes, and gets a thumbs up from me.
Hit (Dick) - I agree on Top of the Hub, but overall, my fave is Brasserie Jo. My rotisserie chicken crepe with a creme sauce was very good, flavorful, and satisfied a jones I had on for chicken pot pie for weeks!
Miss (Frank) - Ristorante Fiore on Hanover Street. It was a nice place, food (Italian) was ok. But it seemed like one of those places that didn't have to try very hard, and it showed.
Miss (Dick) - Sam Snead's. This is actually at the Tampa Airport, but STILL was the WORST hamburger I probably have ever had. They will only cook it medium or well done.
Frank - Actually, there is only one option...cremated.
Moments
Hit (Frank) - For me, it was the moment I ran into a mother and her grown daughter in the Public Garden. I was taking a picture of the Make Way for Ducklings statue. The adult daughter sheepishly walked over to the mother duck statue, and sat on top of it. Her mother explained to me, as she was taking a photo, that she had taken that same shot of her daughter when she was five, and wanted one of her all grown up . I thought it was kind of neat.
Hit (Dick) - Being awed about how clean and impressive a city Boston is. It's historic, modern, and full of interesting neighborhoods. I couldn't believe the lack of grafitti (downtown at least).
Miss (Frank) - Being in Boston knowing that the Lightning lost to the Bruins the night we arrived.
Miss (Dick) - Not having enough time to walk around the North End. I want to go back and explore all my peeps in this Italian neighborhood.
Last minute comments:
*Sheraton Boston Hotel is a nice option in the Back Bay.
*Comments about how rude Bostonians are (cab drivers in particular) are way off base. People seemed friendly and helpful in general.
*Service in restaurants tended to be slower than what we usually are accustomed to.
*May is a good time to go to Boston. City is just lovely.
That's all we are sayin'
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