“Eat, our Pop Up restaurant, is opened in various locations around the city just about once a month. Our goal is to create a fine dining restaurant experience in a non-restaurant environment. As these experiences happen most often in thriving businesses, our challenge is to make this change in a matter of an hour.”

So they had their first one on foreign soil at the British Consulate (which is also in the same building as Brendan’s job).  And since it was my last day at work, it seemed like a good night to go.

The menu and commentary

First
Seared foie gras and crumpets. Maple gel, HP powder, pickled berries, lemon butter

OMG – the foie gras melted in my mouth and the lemon butter on the crumpet was delectable.  A true Brit at the table wanted the crumpet to be crispier.  I didn’t know any better and it was delicious.

Second
Chicken korma soup with curry leaves, green garlic and fiddleheads
I do not like curry but I liked this.  I didn’t love it but it was tasty.

Third
“English breakfast”
Earl grey tea smoked duck bangers with bubble and squeak, griddled tomato and fried local egg
This was one of the tastiest meals I have had in a long time.  The duck sausage with brussel sprouts and potato mixed with egg was sooooo good.  Really good.

Main
“Fish and Chips”
Local Dayboat Cod, brik batter, crispy fried parsnips, leek cream, citrus and basil tartar sauce
This fish was amazing in some sort of flaky paper-like encasement.  The fish melted in my mouth.  And I don’t care for white fish usualy.

Dessert
Sticky Toffee pudding

Like a spice cake – not sticky at all.

From the website the dinner : “Also featuring Greylock Gin cocktails from Berkshire Mountain Distillers, lovely beer from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, wine from Bear Flag Wine, and flowers from Bittersweet Gardens. Cocktail hour performance by musicians from A Far Cry, with support from Opus Affair.”

I really cannot wait for the next one.

As we always do on Valentine’s Day, we will be having fondue.  This year we will also be watching the Beanpot.

Go Eagles!

Going to dinner at Hungry Mother.

For the past year, we have been donating through Kiva.org.  It is a micro-finance site that allows for direct person-to-person lending.  (And since it is non-profit, you don’t make money on the loans, it is charity people.)  According to the website, “Microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor.  As the financial services of microfinance usually involve small amounts of money – small loans, small savings etc. – the term “microfinance” helps to differentiate these services from those which formal banks provide.”

We found out about Kiva through a gift.  Jody and Katie gave us a Kiva gift certificate for our wedding and we have taken that giift and helped out four people (in Kenya, Ghana, Peru, and Tajikistan).   The premise being tht you take the money and as you get repaid, you loan it right abck out.  The one thing I wish is that they would post stories after the loan is repaid so you can check in and see how these people are doing.   

Which leads us to wanting to help out more in our own backyard and we plan to work with BostonCares, Somerville Homeless Coalition or some other organization. We have the applications, just need to feel them out and send them in.

“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”
Albert Einstein

We ended up going to Erbaluce for dinner and it was awesome.  Our server was very friendly and knowledgable and the food was great.  We were adventurous as I had rabbit and B had boar.  Not our usual fare.

Avenue Q turned out to be hysterical and politically incorrect in every way.

I think the piece de resistance was the butternut squash with sausage and kale. So easy and yet so tasty.  I saw a recipe for roasted winter squash on this web site called Kalyn’s Kitchen and decided to give it try.  Brendan and I adapted it somewhat.

First we used a butternut squash and added kale.

Recipe as we cooked it.

1 medium sized butternut squash (just enough to cover the bottom of a glass 9 by 13 pan)
4 links of spinach and feta chicken sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Sprinkle of salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 bunch of kale
2 cloves of garlic

Which reminds me that we have to get the cake to have on our anniversary.  Maybe I will bring it with us to Georgia.  Kristen and Jonathan seem down with eating year old cake.

Saturday I went for a ride to the vet with B and Eli (who is now good in the car compared to when we first got him).

Sunday B and I went to John’s and Caroline’s to watch the Giants game (Go Big Blue!) and while I was still in my pajamas and riding in the back of the car, it was a nice outing.

Today I met Larry and one half of the 2-H club for lunch at my favorite place: Eat at Jumbo’s.

This is all good since I will probably be returning to work soon.

Erica brought Crumbs cupcakes for me to try. Now I have never had these cupcakes and have heard great things about them. Hopefully they live up to the reputation.

It made me think that I should create a cupcake score card and begin to rate and dissect all the cupcakes I eat.  I think I eat too many of them.  Whatever.