A July of Lobster

What can I say?

I love lobster, particularly lobster from New England. I didn't always love lobster. As a kid growing up in Massachusetts, there were certain times during the summer that lobster would be abundant and my parents would rush to the supermarket to buy lobster when it went on sale at ridiculously low prices...69 cents a pound is stuck in my memory.

In those days, they'd buy the lobsters live, drop them in a large pot of boiling water, head first (because, as my father pointed out, if you put them in tail first, they would jump out of the pot), and cook them until their color went from black to bright red. Then, they'd sit down at the table and methodically tear their lobsters apart and pick out every morsel of goodness.

To me, this was simply disgusting and I didn't even want to take a taste.

Fast forward about 20 years when my sister married a man from Maine and moved there.  One Sunday, after spending a day in Maine, on our drive back to Boston, I suggested to Jim that, just for the fun of it, we stop for dinner at one of the many Lobster in Rough places along the road.  At such roadside restaurants, you were served your boiled lobster on a wooden picnic table covered with newspaper. You had a nutcracker to crack the shells, your fingers, and maybe a lobster fork and you went at it.

On that fateful Sunday, my life turned around...From years of watching my parents eat lobster, I knew exactly how to "attack" a boiled lobster.  And, surprise of surprises, I LOVED the lobster.  Of course, by this time, lobster had become something of a delicacy and was never on sale for 69 cents a pound.

Since that day, many a year ago, I indulge in lobster only for special occasions and when some of my favorite restaurants have special lobster meals.

This month, July, I managed to enjoy 4 meals that featured lobster.


It started in early July when Il Fornaio's monthly regional menu, which featured the foods of Sicily, included half a lobster on spaghetti.  Of course, I was there to enjoy it.


Then, for my birthday, Dixie and Mary Ann took me to Yankee Pier for a lobster roll lunch. Yankee Pier always has the lobster roll on its menu and they make the lobster salad fresh from lobsters that they boil each day.  We all had lobster rolls at this lunch.  And, I think it was my best lobster meal of July...even their chips and cole slaw, which accompany the lobster roll, are better than those anywhere else that I know.



In mid-July, Jim and I headed to Las Vegas for a 4-day celebration of my birthday.  Each summer (through August 31), The Palm, who have one of their restaurants in Caesar's Palace, offers a lobster dinner for two for $79.95.  The Palm is known for its large lobsters (the smallest they serve weighs 3 pounds).  Their summer lobster dinner for two includes two appetizers and a 4-pound lobster to share, along with two side dishes of your choice.  As soon as I could, I reserved for the lobster dinner for two.




Our appetizer choices were Caesar Salad for Jim and Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad for me.



Sorry that this half lobster looks so pathetic...I had already eaten most of it when I realized I'd forgotten to take a picture.



Our shared sides were Fried Asparagus and Sauteed Mushrooms.


Three days before we headed to Las Vegas, I got an email from The Palm, announcing that Monday, July 15, the day we had our dinner reservation, was a special lobster day. All day long, in the bar, lobster sliders were being offered at $1 each and, in the dining room, a 3-pound lobster was going to be $45. At first, I panicked, fearing that they would sell out of lobster before we got there for dinner...The Palm is also known for its steaks, but I don't eat steak.  I called them to see if they would "save" a lobster for us and was assured that there would be plenty for us.

Once in Las Vegas, on Monday, July 15, after spending the morning at the pool at our hotel, I told Jim that I wanted to go have lobster sliders for lunch at The Palm.

So, off we went, got ourselves seated at the bar, ordered an iced tea for me and a Coke for him, and ordered 4 lobster sliders for our lunch.  Yum!!! Each slider was on a tasty mini bun and was filled with a delicious lobster salad, a slice of pickle, and a piece of lettuce.  Bar patrons could order as many lobster sliders as they wanted, all with just one drink. The two men sitting next to us, each had a beer and ate a dozen (!!!) sliders between them.

Nothing wrong with two lobster meals in one day; I'd do it again, if the chance presented itself.

And, as if by coincidence, at the Bellagio Hotel's Botanical Garden, part of the July floral theme included a working model of a New England lighthouse...just like I remember from my summers on Cape Cod.

Paris Breakfasts

For at least the last 6 months, I've subscribed to a blog called "Paris Breakfasts."

I was introduced to it by my cousin Mary Jo who, like me, loves all things French.

Despite having my own blog, I'm a bit dubious about subscribing to blogs because I don't want to be overwhelmed with a lot of reading, as well as a lot of emails.

But, after taking a look at Paris Breakfasts, I decided to give it a try.  And, I'm hooked on it.

Five times a week, author, Carol Gillot, posts her photos, watercolors, and brief comments about her experiences living in Paris.  Carol is an artist/photo journalist from New York whose passion for France inspired her to actually move to Paris.  While she spends most of her time in Paris, she does travel a bit around France and, even recently, made a jaunt to England.

Where ever she goes, she blogs about it.  Each post includes lots of photos, brief commentary, and, often, her own sketches and watercolors of what she's observed.

Since Paris Breakfasts is a quick read, and my guilty pleasure, I avidly read each post, imagining that I'm there in France with her...also, she keeps me up on trends in France, which is always fun.

A few weeks ago she offered some of her watercolors for sale on Etsy.  Several of her pictures were of the French macarons, a sandwich cookie of two round pastel-colored meringue cookies with a frosting filling. The color of the macaron relates to its flavor...yes, they do come in green which usually is a pistachio macaron. They are nothing like, and should not be confused with, the coconut macaroons that we Americans are accustomed to eating.  The macaron is catching on in the United States and several San Francisco area bakeries are now making and selling them. My favorite local places for macarons are Miette in the San Francisco Ferry Building and Tout Sweet in Macy's on Union Square in San Francisco.

This watercolor of macaroons being weighed on scales is the picture that I purchased. I just got it back from my framer (Clayton Valley Frameworks), who creatively picked up the colors of some of the macarons with a pink mat and a green frame. Now I have a happy and tasty bit of Paris in my home.

DINNER AT GREEN'S AND, THEN, "SYLVIA"

We had tickets last night to see "Sylvia," at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco's Fort Mason. Since there are few dining options at Fort Mason, we splurged on dinner at Green's before the play.

"Sylvia" is a play by A.R. Gurney (whose work includes"Love Letters"). This production is by Shakespeare at Stinson and Independent Cabaret Productions.  There will be two more performances at Fort Mason, on June 27 and June 28, and one more in Mill Valley at the Sweetwater Music Hall on June 30.

When I heard the story line of "Sylvia" in a radio review, I knew it was a "must-see:" an empty-nester couple adopt a poodle-mix dog named Sylvia. This opens up a tale of midlife crisis, love, marriage, and jealousy.  Oh, and Sylvia's persona is that of an attractive young woman. As parents of a poodle, and with an otherwise empty nest, how could we resist?

"Sylvia" is wonderful, insightful, and often funny. Both Jim and I recommend it. Even before the show started, everyone in the audience with whom we talked, immediately pulled out photos of their dog to show us...an amusing start to a satisfying evening of theatre.

It's been awhile since we last dined at Green's but we've loved this restaurant since it first opened in 1979.  Greens was, and still is, a pioneer in establishing vegetarian cuisine in the United States.  Green's elevated vegetarian cuisine from the heavy, grainy, bland dishes offered in small "niche" cafés in remote neighborhoods to the level of the best of fine dining in the United States. The restaurant is open every day except Monday for lunch (or weekend brunch) and dinner.  The menu is à la carte except on Saturday nights, when they serve a Prix Fixe 4-Course Dinner, priced at $56 per person.


The dining room looks out on San Francisco Bay, with a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge and, if you dine at the right time, a San Francisco sunset.


Our dinner started with a Cucumber salad served with wedges of cheese, olives, and herbs from Green Gulch Farm, the San Francisco Zen Center's farm in Marin County, which provides the restaurant with much of its organic produce.

From the selection of five Appetizers,

Jim chose the Ricotta Corn Cakes served with a herb salad, Romesco sauce and Crème Fraîche.

My appetizer choice was the Warm Artichoke, Spring Pea, and Fresh Garbanzo Bean Salad.

Between us, we tasted two of the three main courses.

For Jim, it was the Sweet Pea Ravioli with Morel Mushrooms, Spring Peas, Savoy Spinach, Spring Onions, Herb Butter, and Grana Padano cheese.

My Eggplant and Summer Squash Gratin was topped with a Fromage Blanc Custard. A Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sauce, Grilled Polenta, and Broccoli di Ciccio were among the garnishes for my dish.

Our dessert choices were


Flourless Chocolate Torte with Sea Salt Caramel Gelato for Jim


and Sorbets with Mexican Wedding Cookies for me (sorbet flavors were Strawberry, Raspberry, and Chocolate).

This wonderful meal, while a bit more than I could comfortably eat, was delicious, creative, and beautiful to look at, from start to finish. It was the perfect start to a lovely night out.

BACK TO NORMAL...ALMOST

When I was in Boston a few weeks ago, I spent most of a day in and around Copley Square.  I was curious to see what evidence of the Boston Marathon bombings remained as well as to revisit one of my favorite parts of Boston.

Historic buildings surrounding Copley Square include the Boston Public Library (1895; the first public library in the United States to allow people to borrow books), Trinity Church (1877), the Old South Church (1874), the John Hancock Tower (1976), and the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel (1912).

Copley Square, and the surrounding several blocks, known as Back Bay, was where my father worked most of his career. Summers I worked at his office and spent many a happy lunch hour browsing in the exclusive shops that lined Boylston and Newbury Streets from Arlington Street all the way up to Massachusetts Avenue.  Jim and I bought most of our art from galleries on Newbury Street.  I did research for many a high school and college paper at the Boston Public Library.

Today, this area is the main "nice" shopping area of downtown Boston, but it is not as exclusive as it used to be.

A bit to my surprise, in the short time since the Marathon bombings, there was little sign of damage or destruction. There are scattered memorials to the Marathon victims, but, nothing very organized...all very impromptu.

Frankly, I was surprised at how "normal" the area looked.



The biggest memorial is right in Copley Square.



On a warm May day, it was attracting many; a sobering reminder of what had so recently occurred just a block away.



What impressed me most was the "wall" of running shoes.



The most moving Marathon memorial for me was that on the wrought iron fence around the Arlington First Church.


Visitors were invited to write a mesage on a ribbon and tie it on the fence.



A few shops had memorials in front as well.


This is the Lord & Taylor whose surveillance cameras videos helped establish the identity of the bombers.


And, the Marathon finish line is still painted on Boylston Street.  Some locals have told me that it is always there but this is the first time I've ever noticed it.




But, for the most part, life in Back Bay was going on as it always has, particularly on a balmy spring day.