Saturday On The Cape

In hindsight, we were completely unprepared for our trip to Provincetown; but then again, how were we to know that it would be pouring rain when we got off the ferry (the forecast for Cape Cod said 'sunny'), and that our intended casual "15-minute" bike excursion to the beach would end up being over 12 miles (we naively ended up doing the entire trail instead of just part of it)?

A fellow ferry passenger informed us while we took shelter under a tent on the wharf that the skies would clear around 2pm, so when the downpour turned to light rain we made a beeline for the town centre in search of food. We found Tiny's, a very small patio restaurant (made even smaller under the cordoned rain tent) with an impressive menu of local foods. The lobster corn chowder was the big winner, as was (for me) the house-made basil and grapefruit soda. 

When the rain clouds dispersed shortly after 2:30 pm out came the sun, and along with it the heat we thought we had left behind in Boston. We rented our bikes on the main street and navigated our way to Herring Cove Beach and then to Race Point Beach. The distance between the two was further than expected (and the terrain hillier than we would have liked), but both the swimming and the scenery were perfect - and made up for the post-return exhaustion we felt when we only just made it back in time to return our bikes at the end of the day.

The ferry from Boston to Provincetown is a bit pricy for a day trip, but it definitely beat not having to contend with traffic on a busy Saturday in July. Also - the 7:30pm fast ferry back to Boston was like a romantic sunset cruise (take-out seafood and lots 'o salt water taffy are highly recommended for the ride home).

In Maine

I'm already so nostalgic about our brief sojourn through Maine. It might have everything to do with the 'heat dome' and record highs in Boston (and everywhere else). We really soaked up the coastal breezes though (especially at night - it even got a bit chilly), and so we're going to the Cape tomorrow in hopes of finding some relief (and more seafood). 

morning swim at old orchard beach

beach umbrellas at old orchard beach

the lobster roll at bayley's in scarborough

Red and Gold (At Louis Vuitton)

A magical thing happened on this cold and rainy day in Paris. 

This is a story in pictures of two sweet old ladies and their umbrellas:

Aren't they just lovely? 

Fall Reminiscing: Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn

Maybe it was the wine, but last night I couldn't for the life of me remember what I had done on my trip to NYC/Brooklyn in September. Thankfully I took pictures. 

These were taken at the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory in Williamsburg. They open their doors on the weekends and provide tours through their small factory space. The girl leading our tour really knew her chocolate and taught us tons about the cacao bean before showing us how their chocolate is made.

I first heard about them on The Selby and when my friend sent me a list of potential things to do while I was in town I was very excited to see that they had tours. We sampled a lot of ridiculously good chocolate that day - including almond with sea salt (sooo good) and serrano peppers (hot and spicy!). And also took some home (the last picture is my haul).

Dreaming of Paris

Some favourite pictures from my trip to Paris last May:

Copenhagen

Winter on the East Coast makes me want to be somewhere more romantically wintry. An article in the Travel section of the Globe, "Q. How does Copenhagen taste? A. Good," has me casting a glance towards the northern part of the Continent. This wouldn't be the first time either.  About a year ago a friend was telling me all about the multitude of great museums they'd visited in Denmark, in every grand city and tiny village alike, the archaeological digs looking for Viking treasures, and the tax they've imposed on beer that goes directly into the arts.

Copenhagen is now home to the "best restaurant on Earth", Noma. This has certainly brought them lots of attention, as to be expected, but it's not Noma's molecular foods I'm after. It was such phrases as "19th century varieties of danish wheat" (or "retro" bread) and "heritage breed of pig" (and I don't even eat pork) mentioned in the article that caught my attention. I can't explain why this appeals to me, in all likelihood it's the allusion to rustic dining and the Old World. Anything 'heritage' or 'heirloom' related in food, as in heirloom tomatoes or antiquated grains. The writing of M.F.K. Fisher, her stories and descriptions of dining with famed country chefs in Italy and France and Switzerland in the 1930s and the elaborate meals they would force upon her, and the foreign foods and ceremonies that had not yet made their way to North America whose traditions were based on post-Victorian British ways of eating. Also, in general, farm tables and big wood cutting boards, cleavers, backyard herb gardens, etcetera...

In the meantime, this Toronto-based blog has (somewhat) satiated my interest in Scandinavian food, as they seek out really interesting restaurants in their travels both here in Canada and the U.S. and abroad.