Tuesday, December 26, 2006

christmas vacation 2006: it's the food, stupid.

i'm realizing right now that our trip back to massachusetts for christmas this year has been dominated by food. i mean, the holidays often are, but this year was above and beyond. because in addition to the big spread of food put out at the family gathering on christmas eve AND the big christmas dinner at my parents' house, there was boston food.

ahhhh, boston food.

last year while we were home for christmas, BoyCat and i entertained the idea of making a pilgrimage out to allston to eat (and drink) at Our House, the bar that sucked up much of our money and time during two years of grad school. this place had 2-1 burgers and appetizers from 4-7 pm every weekday, two dollar brubaker beers, and a grilled cheese with tomato and avocado for which i would go to the ends of the earth. oh, and waffle fries. oh, and - it was a block from my first-year apartment.

so last year, all the best intentions didn't translate into us making it out to allston. this year, with SisterCat living much closer to commonwealth avenue, we swore we would get there. we met SisterCat after we got in from the airport, hopped on the T, and headed out on the B line. by the time we got off at the Long Ave. stop, i was literally giddy with excitement. we walked up the block, descended a few concrete steps to the door, and i grabbed the doorknob and pulled.

it was locked, the place was closed.

apparently, it's never been open before 4 pm on weekdays. hee hee, sure, i remember that. now.

luckily, SisterCat is a master planner and we did end up getting there for grilled cheeses, waffle fries, and beer on christmas eve day. and if that weren't good enough, today she is delivering anna's taqueria burritos to our door! BoyCat might be even more excited about the burritos than he was about the grilled cheese. so, even though i will probably have put on five pounds in five days over this vacation, it's been well worth it.

it's back to the real world (and the gym) tomorrow, when we hop on a plane back to DC. i can't wait for that pile of paperwork and the treadmill awaiting me when i get there!

edited to add: how did i forget to mention the lobster? my god. lobster at brown's that was every bit as good as i remembered and hoped it to be. i would have some for breakfast right now if i could.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope the anna's is all your remember it to be.

(and it was nice to meet you IRL and stuff)

Anonymous said...

So what do you consider signature Boston Food items? I'd have to go with baked beans, haddock, and clam chowder.

I definitely think more of places than I do of food items, though. Hilltop Steakhouse. Kelly's Roast Beef. The very underrated Bill & Bob's Roast Beef on Rt. 1. Jimmy's Harborside.

kate.d. said...

oh my gosh, we just drove by kelly's on the way to logan today! love kelly's.

and for me, it's lobster. lobster lobster lobster. i know it's perceived as more of a maine thing, but i sill think of it in boston too :)

and then, for me, it's odd particular things, like the grilled cheese at our house, the roma sandwich at angora cafe, the buffalo chicken calzone from inbound pizza.