Back at the Bar

Well we’re 2 at the bar again. It’s interesting that the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine’s cover story from a few weeks ago was called “Eat At The Bar”.  We must be on to something!!

I’ve been published!  My response to the Boston Globe Magazine’s article “Caribbean on the Fly” was ridiculous and so I responded.  It’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that and last Sunday there’s my letter to the editor!

For those of you reading our travel adventures, unfortunately there’s no big trips until February when we’ll go to Mexico – Mexico City and Zihautanejo on the Pacific coast.  There’ll be lots to write about then.  We’ve been to Mexico so many times.  It’s where Roy and I were married almost 25 years ago and I have a love-hate relationship with it.  There are things that bother me, especially the stray dogs everywhere.  But it’s full of color and great folk art which is reflected all over our house; and, oh yeah, the food’s good!  So stay tuned; we’ll be ready for it.  Until then, we’re 2 at the bar in Boston.  We’ve been to some great restaurants and we’re always up to something.

Recently, we felt like little French bistro so went to a restaurant that’s been well reviewed, Cognac Bistro in Brookline, MA.  It’s located in a former gas station/garage.  It’s small, 2 rooms one for dining and one that’s the bar.  It was packed.  Luckily we made a reservation but decided the bar is where we belonged.  The bar only has only a few seats and a raw bar is the center of attraction which you can see through the large window at the front of the restaurant.

We kept it simple – a variety of oysters, briny and meaty; a couple of glasses of white wine and we shared a delicious paella.  Yes I know, paella in a French restaurant.  But it was good!

Here’s another great find.  Strip-T’s in Watertown.  It’s a glorified sandwich shop but also an outstanding little hole in the wall restaurant serving some terrific food.  The owner’s son worked for David Chang of Momofuku fame in NYC and he came home to run the kitchen.  And now, there’s another chef in the kitchen from Grammercy Tavern in NYC.  They’re turning out some great food at very reasonable prices.  It’s small, only about 25 seats and nothing fancy.  But who cares if the food’s good.  We started with an unusual cold cauliflower salad made with cojito cheese from Ecuador and red onion; the dressing was a miso-wasabi mix.  It was delicious; we practically inhaled it!  Then, Roy had a skirt steak served in a bowl over greens which was an unusual presentation.  He liked it-didn’t love it.  I had the cioppino.  It was full of seafood, fish and the soup was rich and spicy.  I loved it!  They have a good selection beers, the well known and some unusual microbrews; also, a nice selection of wines which you can drink while you’re waiting for your table.   If you’d like one of their great sandwich combinations, you have to sit on the other side.   They smoke their own pastrami and use Iggy’s  bread.  Not your average sandwich shop!

We were at a spectacular restaurant last Saturday night but I’m saving it for my next post.  So stay tuned for next week with 2 at the bar!