Locke-Ober, Locke-Ober, send Lobster right over

Our last visit for this season's Restaurant Week was the venerable Locke-Ober for luncheon. Having received the reminder call from the hostess the day before which included the dress code, there was a minor crisis - was farmer Louise and her overalls up to the challenge? Well, yes, but the dressing up was of very short duration and involved stuffing my surgically repaired foot into a pair of Cici's shoes (which very luckily were a size or two too big!) We (I) shuffled over to Winter Place (off of Winter Street, which turns into Summer Street - you have to love Boston geography!) trying not to leave the shoes behind. It must be noted that le TomTom got a tad confused in the little alleys surrounding Locke-Ober and led us into a dead end - but ever intrepid in search of a good meal, we forged on.

Walking into Locke-Ober was like entering a worm hole or time warp. One is transported into an era gone by. Once Jaime had joined us from her office a few blocks away, we were ushered into a cave-like chamber deep within featuring dark red walls and mahogany fittings.

Although the special Restaurant Week menu did not include Locke-Ober's famous Lobster bisque, I managed to get some lobster in by ordering an entree which included lobster and corn fritters. The food was really excellent and despite the very staid surroundings somewhat creative in scope and presentation. It was not (still) a restaurant for the vegetarians and vegans among us!

Dessert featured molten chocolate cake with perfect raspberries (Jaime refused to share these!) and perfect strawberries with lemon sorbet. Delicious!

Cici and I were vastly entertained by the ladies' restroom, which took womb-like to a new level! While the anachronistic fainting couch and vanities remain (with suitably muted lighting for the years-challenged among us) there was a sop to modernity - paper towels (while good quality) instead of cloth to dry one's hands!

Oh Dem 'Bones

Last night, I went to Underbones for a Murder Tuesday.

It was a wildly diverse crowd, standing room only, in for free "Killer Apps" (nope, not the software kind!) and book signings by two local (and famous) authors. I was excited because one of the authors was Linda Barnes, who writes a series featuring a feisty female private investigator named Carlotta Carlyle who lives in Cambridge.

I was happy to get my copy of Lie Down with the Devil signed, and then to have Jim, Jared, Cici and Jaime join me for dinner at Redbones upstairs.

Of course by that time I was stuffed with free appetizers! Still, we all enjoyed dem bones.

Too Close to the Sun - Icarus, Daedalus and Persephone

Icarus' father, Daedalus, a talented craftsman, attempted to escape from his exile in Crete, where he and his son were imprisoned at the hands of King Minos, the king for whom he had built the Labyrinth. Daedalus, the master craftsman, was exiled because he gave Minos' Daughter, Ariadne, a clew of string in order to help Theseus survive the Labyrinth.
Daedalus fashioned a pair of wax wings for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea. Overcome by the sublime feeling that flying gave him, Icarus soared through the sky joyfully, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted his wings. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos.

In Greek mythology, Persephone (Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld, the korē (or young maiden), and the parthenogenic daughter of Demeter—and, in later Classical myths, a daughter of Demeter and Zeus. In the Olympian version she also becomes the consort of Hades when he becomes the deity that governs the underworld.
The figure of Persephone is well-known today. Her story has great emotional power: an innocent maiden, a mother's grief over her abduction, and subsequent joy after the return of her daughter. It is also cited frequently as a paradigm of myths that explain natural processes, with the descent and return of the goddess bringing about the change of seasons.

By a strange coincidence, we have been to three restaurants in the past year whose names are derived from Greek mythology: Daedalus (near Harvard Square) for a brunch, Persephone's for Ciel's birthday, and last night (more restaurant week), Icarus.

After a lovely meal, we trekked to South Boston to begin Jaime's big move - to her new apartment near Davis Square.

Restaurant Week @ Home

Inspired by the visits to trendy eateries, I've been exploring a few culinary creations of my own.

I was recently aided and abetted by Dad and Barbara, who sent me footed french onion soup bowls for my birthday.

Again, inspired by Dad and Alex, I also embarked on the creation of a peach tarte tatin. This was necessitated by the abundance of peaches provided by http://www.bostonorganics.com/. Along with strange and esoteric veggies, Boston Organics also delivers wonderful fresh, organic fruit. One must take care, however, to use the little darlings quickly, or into the compost pail they will go.

I'm grateful to both my parents for their contribution to my "foodiness!" Off to Icarus!

Oh Canada! Le TomTom, World Traveler

Le TomTom recently returned from a vacation in Ottawa and Montreal (I was sharing the love with a good friend and her family.) He very much enjoyed the Old Port, and did just fine reading all those French street signs after his travels in Burgundy in May!

Le TomTom will be busy navigating in Cincinnati in early September for my mother's memorial service, and then in Pittsburgh for the big NESUG conference. . . .

Restaurant Week Adventures - Part 1

The "girls" have a full slate of Restaurant Week activities planned. Well, it's actually Restaurant WEEKS, in which numerous area restaurants offer a low prix fixe lunch and/or dinner to attempt to increase "eatership." This week, we traveled over the river and through the square (Kenmore) to Petit Robert Bistro. As it turned out, the regular menu was less expensive than the hyped "Restaurant Week" menu, so we went wild. When at a French bistro, eat (and drink) as the French I always say.... and so we did. I indulged in my garlicky friends l'escargots, which Jaime bravely tried (not Cici though, who made rude comments about slugs in shells!) Leek and Potato soup, Coq au Vin, Boeuf Bourgoine, and more completed our meal, accompanied by a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir from (where else?) Burgundy.


Next week, we have Icarus (South End) for dinner on Monday, and the famous and venerable Locke-Ober for lunch on Thursday. Tuesday night, we head to Underbones (beneath Redbones) for a local mystery writer reading and signing (free appetizers!) sponsored by Redbones and Kate's Mystery Books and then a birthday dinner en famille. I'm excited because the writer is Linda Barnes, whose funky PI heroine is Carlotta Carlyle of Cambridge. The last 'bones mystery night author was Gary Braver and his new novel Skin Deep. Afterwards, we'll start moving some of Jaime's stuff into her new house in Davis Square!

The Last Birthday Card

This arrived the day my mom died, bringing tears to my eyes. One of the last things she said to me was that she "was glad she birthed me." A mother never forgets her children's birthdays, kind of like Horton - faithful 100%.