Tater Tots with crack in them to make you want to eat more and more.
Oyster Po’Boy – Remoulade, spicy slaw. Favorite!
Scallops were on special. It was fall. I think that might be some kind of squash sauce.
Eastern Belly Clams – Tarter sauce.
Sara somehow had a bunch of free oyster shooter vouchers. Couldn’t let those go to waste!
Oyster shooters
Mindy Segal’s Key Lime Pie
A couple months ago Sara and Jessica introduced me to Fish Bar, a place where Sara is a bonafied regular. And. I loved it! It’s this tiny little place and the inside reminds me of something I’ve seen on The Cape. Or somewhere in Boston. Some old place that’s been there for a million years serving fresh seafood. And not fancying it up. Just serving it simple, how it should be. I know they’re doing this on purpose, manufacturing this look on the inside, but I didn’t care. I loved it. Maybe that is just a hint that I’m due for an East Coast visit, but I was all for it. Not to mention that the food was fantastic. I especially loved the fried oyster po’boy. Jess, Sara and I split everything, so I only had a third of it, but I swear, I could have eaten two full ones. It was so delicious. Also, where else in Chicago can you get clam strips WITH the bellies? Nowhere, I think. This is something I really only associate with Mass. and there it was on the menu! The desserts are done by Mindy Segal, so you know they’re good. They change regularly, according to Sara, the regular. We tried a slice of key lime pie. Not totally “my thing” but very tasty. Can’t wait to go back to Fish Bar… at least until my next trip to the East Coast!
Dallas and I were out on the East Coast for the long holiday weekend. We planned to catch a flight to Boston after work on Thursday, meet up with Matt, Molly and Lucy, and drive up to Ross’s lake house in New Hampshire that night. Sure, it would be late, but it would be worth it to get there around midnight and be there, rather than waste time on Friday driving. Of course, since we had this timeline in place, that means that our flight had to be delayed. We sat on the runway for hours wondering how this was throwing all of our plans off. Still, in the end, we drove up to New Hampshire that night, not arriving until almost 2:30 a.m.! Luckily Lucy just slept the whole time and made the ride easy.
Ross rents in Boston, but bought a house on Lake Wentworth, near Wolfeboro, New Hampshire last year. I’d never been to New Hampshire and wasn’t sure what to expect. When we woke up in the morning, the views were so gorgeous. And it smelled great. I couldn’t get over it. The water, and woods, and evergreens, and grass. YUM.
Also, we couldn’t see it at night, but when the sun came up? Ross’s house is beautiful. I’m used to people’s lake houses being cottages or older second homes, but this being Ross’s only house… and this being Ross…. the place was gorgeous. The four bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 pullouts, lake, laundry, sun room, yard, hot tub.. perfect for hosting a bunch of friends. Over the course of the weekend, Ross comfortably hosted Chelsea, Matt, Molly, Lucy, George, Tommy, Marinella, Colleen, John, Adam, Sarah, Dallas and I. So, 14 people! Plus 3 dogs: Koukla, Nookie and Buddy.
Ross’s new toy this year was a water trampoline. On Friday morning, after Matt made us a big breakfast, we all helped assemble the water trampoline.
Ross and Dallas carried it over to the lake, being careful not to drag it on anything.
Then a bunch of the guys helped get it onto the dock and into the water and secured with a rope to the dock and a rope to a weight. Chelsea and I supervised.
Ross had the first go on it.
And then Dallas had a turn. I think it was not as bouncy as people expected, but we still had fun on it over the course of the weekend. I liked swimming out to it and just laying on it like it was a raft.
One day we decided to go for a hike on Mount Major, a short drive away.
I’m not sure if this is a very strenuous hike or whether it was just because I wasn’t feeling well that day and also drink 5 beers right before going on the hike, but I took a rest just below the summit and did not motivate to make it to the top.
Lucy, Molly, Adam, Dallas, Ross, Chelsea, Tommy, Marinella, Matt
Still, the views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the surrounding areas were pretty great.
I set the timer to get in a group photo and even the dogs made it into that photo!
Matt, Chelsea, John
Over the course of the weekend we spent a lot of time in the lake, playing games in the yard, relaxing, sitting in the hot tub, canoeing, kayaking and even had one crazy night of charades that got pretty intense.
Matt, Colleen, Ross, Chelsea
We, of course, spent a lot of time playing the frisbee, cup, pole game. Ross also got us into a lively game of beer die. I only watched, but Ross and Chelsea won 4 games in a row against Matt and Dallas and Tommy and George. The thing is, winning means you keep playing, and spending all day winning may not always be a good thing. Let me just say that the 5th game was not finished and that some people disappeared until the next morning!
While all the beer die craziness was going on, I was hanging out on the sidelines with Lucy, 10 months, and Koukla, Tommy and Marinella’s dog.
Lucy has grown so much from the last time I saw her. She is such a great baby. Matt and Molly keep her on a pretty strict schedule and it works. She hardly cries and is always so happy. Her thing now is to do a twisty wrist wave at everyone. She loves it!
I also formed a soft spot in my heart for Koukla, who always listens and is such a sweetheart dog. So cute, too!
During the beer die game, this unnamed Adonis did a straight-armed beer chug. Said person may have then disappeared for half the night. Such things cannot be confirmed or denied and should not be discussed in the public forum.
Koukla, George, Matt, Sarah, Marinella, Tommy
The sunsets on Lake Wentworth were breathtaking. One night we all just gathered on the two docks to take it in.
Matt & Adam
Koukla & Adam
Koukla spent the weekend walking down the rocks or the dock steps til she was ankle-deep and then drinking the water. She loved it. And the water was so clean and clear. Not muddy or gross at all, like some lakes can be.
Dallas trying his hand at fishing. All he did was lose lures. The next morning, though, Adam and Sarah took the canoe out and caught some fish.
Koukla, Nookie, Marinella, Matt, Molly, Adam, Tommy, George, Ross
Sarah & Dallas Fishing
What a fun and relaxing extended weekend we had at Lake Wentworth! Big, huge thanks to Ross for being such a gracious host! Can’t wait to come back for another visit!
Thought I should share a few of the photos that I took at UI15. I mostly don’t get into work on this site, and I’ve posted all of my notes and materials on an internal Roundarch site, but thought you’d get a feel for the conference in a few photos.
Right next to the Boston Renaissance Waterfront was LTK, or Legal Test Kitchen. This restaurant is a part of the famous Legal Sea Foods chain, but at LTK there’s a new menu every six weeks.
On my last day in Boston I decided to check it out for lunch. Around noontime they were pretty packed so I just sat at the bar. The waitress gave me a menu and I ordered Legal Sea Foods’ clam chowder, of course. She also told me about something that wasn’t on the menu. It was a Caesar salad with lobster on it. SIX OUNCES of lobster. It was so much lobster…. as much as was on their lobster roll, but instead of in bread, it topped a salad. Here’s what it looked like:
Awesome, right? So awesome that the guy who sat down on my right and the lady who came in and sat on my right were both like “holey moley! what is that!?” and ordered it themselves! I should have gotten a commission on that salad. It was not a cheap salad, by any means, but it was so delicious!
One night in Boston I got take out dinner at Yankee Lobster. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this place but the prices were really reasonable. I just wanted something quick and casual to take out back to my hotel room. Yankee Lobster was nearby, on the waterfront, so I headed over.
Perfect. You order at the counter and there’s a small dining room. When I was there only one other person was in the restaurant. I asked the guy at the counter what their specialties were and he said the lobster roll and the fried full-bellied clams. I wasn’t really feeling either of those.
I ended up getting a small lobster bisque and the fried haddock. The bisque was really good, but SO rich. After I finished my soup I didn’t really eat a ton of the rest. A rich bisque plus a fried platter was just too much! Still, it was all very good. If you’re looking for a no-frills, casual, fresh from the boat restaurant on the waterfront, check it out.
