NEWS: Sudbury/Framingham, MA

November 8, 2012 -- Once again, like Willie Nelson sings, I'm on the road again!  This time I'll be spending some time in the Sudbury/Framingham, MA area.  I'll be sure to gather my knowledge on hotels, restaurants, fitness centers, and the social scene while I'm in the area.  Stay tuned for updates, they'll be sure to come!

Food: The Venus De Milo, Swansea, MA

October 9, 2012 -- Oh boy, where do I begin.  OK, let me start by saying that my wife and I have frequented the Venus De Milo many times in the past and it's one of the restaurants in our "rotation", you might say.  However, that might all change.  We visited the Venus this past Saturday night and when we got there the main dining room was under construction for remodeling.  I'm perfectly fine with a restaurant closing parts of its main dining area and kitchen to perform upgrades.  I'm also fine with a limited menu, decor, furnishings, staff, you name it, while the place readies itself for a re-opening.  I blame myself for not checking before I left for dinner.

This was the case on Saturday.  However, after being seated we were handed "new" menus.  As I just stated, I'm fine with limited offerings during a renovation.  Sadly, this wasn't the case; this was their new menu.  You know when you go to a specific restaurant to order that specific dish you can't get anywhere else?  The Venus De Milo just blew themselves up!  My wife and I went specifically for their signature Seafood Alfredo dish only to find it's no longer offered.  Furthermore, they have downsized their menu so much, nothing looked appealing.  Seriously.

Thoroughly disappointed to the point where I had to talk my wife into not getting up and leaving -- it would have been rude -- we decided to stay and choose something else.  After a long debate, we both settled on the Shrimp Scampi.  In the past, the entree came with a choice of soup or salad, and vegetable.  Not anymore.  Now let me say that I felt the meal was very good, but my wife was able to finish her whole plate then and there.  This is the same woman who takes home restaurant food in a doggy bag and eats it for three more meals.  What I'm saying is, the prices went up but the portions are smaller.  Furthermore, the new menu is a major step backwards in my opinion.

The Venus is also famous for their three-pound baked stuffed lobster.  The old menu prominently boasted this fact and that Emiril Lagasse gives it a big thumbs up.  The new menu has this listed inconspicuously on the bottom of the first page.  I hate to say this, but we're most likely not going back to the Venus.  Way too many signature dishes are gone -- signature dishes for crying out loud! -- and the new menu is lacking in quantity, variety, and portion size.  Very sad indeed.

Food: Sushi Restaurants, Andover, MA

August 30, 2012 -- If you had read any of my San Diego posts, you know that I love sushi.  With that in mind, I set out to find sushi restaurants that can compete with their West Coast brothers.  Not an easy task to live up to, since sushi arrived and thrived on the other coast before coming here.

My first sushi bar I visited was Mootone Fine Japanese Cuisine.  I went with two co-workers, Donna and Sue, and we had a great time.  I still believe that sushi places in La Jolla and San Diego were better, but I did like the California rolls and rainbow rolls, as well the Beef Negima.  Not bad, but still below SD.

The next week I visited Kyoto Japanese Restaurant.  This place had sushi and traditional Japanese and Chinese food.  It also had a hibachi area if you wanted to partake in that arena.  My coworker enjoyed the beef teriyaki and I had my traditional rainbow rolls.  I liked this place better than Mootone, just because of their wider menu.  Still nothing compared to La Jolla!

The last place I've tried is Thyme Japanese Cuisine and I really like this place! From what I gather it's a new place in town with a sushi bar, restaurant, and hibachi.  The sushi is fantastic, the atmosphere nice, and the wait staff very attentive.  Plus, it's just around the corner from the Merrimack Valley YMCA, so I can easily get there after my workouts.  And, don't let this get around, it rivals my West Coast sushi joints!

Be sure to check out these places if you're in the Andover area and are looking for good sushi.  Enjoy!

Food: Yummy Maki Yummy Box, La Jolla, San Diego, Day 25

July 12, 2012 -- It's the second to the last night in San Diego.  I've chosen to lay low, get my final load of laundry done before flying home (a suitcase full of dirty clothes is not a good thing) and get some sushi.  I called Enrique, he comes out to dinner every night and he's NOT on per diem, and we went to Yummy Maki Yummy Box.  I found this little hole in the wall last time in La Jolla and I make sure I stop by for Rainbow and California rolls all the time.  Enrique didn't know about the place and he lives in La Jolla!  Not to sound like a broken record, but I needed to come here one last time.  Now, I head to bed and await my last night downtown ...

Food: The Spot, La Jolla, San Diego, Day 24

July 11, 2012 -- The days are winding down ... sadly.  Knowing that the last night in San Diego will in the Gaslamp District, I needed to go to La Jolla Cove one last time and check on my seals.  But before checking up on my flippered friends, I called Enrique and we went down Prospect St. to The Spot.  I've been to The Spot a few times and it's a reasonably priced, sports bar-like restaurant.  I had a nice meal and a ridiculous slab of five layer chocolate cake.  Enrique once again picked a wonderful dessert -- he's never seen a flambe he didn't like! -- then we left to check up on the seals.

I love downtown La Jolla, Prospect Street with all the eclectic shops and boutiques, the perfect sunny weather, palm trees, and exquisite views.  We strolled along the Ellen Browning Scripps Park, taking in the rolling waves ...

 until we came up to the Cove's main attraction -- the seals!

Though it was my last time here on this trip, I won't be my last time ever.  I fell in love with La Jolla and the next time I come I'll be bringing the family.  Bye for now seals, take care and watch out for Great Whites!

Lodging: Residence Inn, La Jolla, San Diego, Day 22

July 9, 2012 -- The end is near!  I checked out of the Manchester Grand Hyatt for the last time this morning and after work I checked in to my home-away-from-home, the Residence Inn in La Jolla.  I really do enjoy staying here; it's quiet, central to everything in the San Diego area, next to the La Jolla YMCA, and not as noisy as being downtown.  Don't get me wrong, being in the Gaslamp District has its advantages, but when you realize that most people at the hotel are on vacation and you need to get up at 5:15 AM to get ready for work, it makes for a difficult combination.

Sadly, this is my last week in San Diego, so I need to see my spots one last time before I go.  I called Enrique, who lives in La Jolla, and we went to the Rock Bottom restaurant to catch the Home Run Derby at the 2012 MLB All-Star game.  I frequented this place many times since it's walking distance from my hotel.  They serve a great spicy shrimp and chicken jambalaya, which I had to have, and washed it down with some local brews.  The Home Run Derby was entertaining, but we made it an early evening; 5:15 AM comes pretty quick!!!

Food: KC BBQ, San Diego, Day 21

July 8, 2012 -- After spending almost three hours at Point Loma, I was starving!  Right across the street from the Manchester Grand Hyatt is the Kansas City Barbecue.  This place serves the best barbecue ribs and pull pork sandwiches in the city.  However, the establishment's claim to fame is that the dive bar scene filled in Top Gun was shot here!  The decor hasn't changed since the '80's and it's a quaint place to visit.

With lunch taken care of, I needed to hit the laundromat again.  Get It Clean was the spot once again, and I was able to reach Enrique for a drink afterwards.  With my belly still full of pulled pork, Enrique and I found a local watering hole called True North.  Not a bad place if I do say so myself!  Alas, it was a Sunday and I needed to pack since I would be leaving downtown San Diego for La Jolla once again ...

Food: Gaslamp District, San Diego, Day 20

July 7, 2012 -- It was nice to sleep in this morning, especially after such a fun night!  I didn't want breakfast food, but didn't feel like fajitas or hamburgers either.  Whenever I'm feeling that way, shellfish is usually the answer.  Luckily, down the boardwalk of Seaport Village rests my destiny -- Joe's Crab Shack!  You really can't go wrong with steamed crabs, now can you!

Having my fill of seafood, I took a stroll along the harbor.  Get a load this, for lack of a better word, yacht.  That's a helicopter sitting on the helo pad on the back of the vessel.  The picture doesn't do it justice; that boat was big!

Later in the day, I met up with Rocco for dinner before heading out to the Padres game.  We ate at Henry's Pub on 5th Avenue.  The food was great, I had a chicken dinner, and we were able to sit outside in the nice, warm San Diego air.  After dinner, it was game time!

Food: The Yard House, San Diego, Day 18

July 5, 2012 -- Man, are we tired!  Ever since AP left we kind of ran out of steam during the week, but that doesn't mean we sit in our hotel room!  Enrique took the rest of the holiday weekend to visit friends and relatives in San Francisco, leaving me and Rocco to fend for ourselves.  Rocco was a bit tired still, so I looked for food solo.  The first night sans Enrique found me heading to one of my favorite restaurants, The Yard House.  Again, with tons of beer on tap, how can you really go wrong?  As with my other visits to the Yard House, the Jambalaya was excellent and the beer was cold.  If you're in San Diego, get here if you can at least once, it's worth it.

Being a Thursday, and without Rocco to hang with, I decided to call it an early night, for the weekend was right around the corner ...

Food: Rockin Baja, Nicky Rotten's Bar & Grill, San Diego, Day 16

July 3, 2012 -- Rocco was STILL tired from his cross country endeavor and early morning lab shift, so we decided to make it an early night the day before the Fourth of July.  We went to the Rockin Baja to start the night, as usual, and Brooke was tending bar with a smile on her face!  I'm really starting to like her!!!  After a few beers and shrimp fajitas, which are awesome if I might say, Rocco and I left our favorite place behind and trekked up 5th Avenue of the Gaslamp District.

Looking for a new sports bar to catch the Red Sox game, we found Nicky Rotten's Bar and Grill a few blocks up the street.  Even though we had just eaten, the smell of buffalo wings clinging in the air got our stomachs going again.  Yup, they were good!  I just wish the Red Sox could have played as well.  Either way it was a nice evening and we got to sleep in with the holiday tomorrow.  Ah, tomorrow ...

Food: Bencotto, Little Italy, San Diego, Day 13

June 30, 2012 -- After a long afternoon at the Safari Park, Enrique and I figured a nice relaxing dinner in Little Italy would do the trick.  Since we had visited to Little Italy before, we remembered a chic restaurant called Bencotto that we knew we needed to try.  Bencotto specializes in home made pasta that they cook on the premises.  Let me tell you, that was the freshest pasta I ever had!  I had the traditional pasta and meatballs, and the meatballs were to die for!  Even the salads were made with hand-picked tomatoes and vegetables.  A must see place if you're ever in the Little Italy section of San Diego.  However, be prepared to wait a long time if you don't call for reservations.  Me and Enrique ate at the bar instead of waiting two hours for a table!!!

With full bellies and a stop for some chocolate gelato, we called it a night by 9:30 PM.  On a Saturday.  In San Diego.  I know, lame, but when you're tired, you're tired!

Food: Restaurants and Bars, San Diego, Day 12

June 29, 2012 -- Enter Enrique!  And where else would we be, along the Pacific Beach boardwalk and Crystal Pier?  The Pacific Beach Shore Club of course!  Pacificos and appetizers at happy hour while watching the sun sink into the ocean can't be a bad thing, right?

Well, how does sushi sound?  Since they don't serve that at the PB Shore Club, me and Enrique made the short drive to La Jolla.

One of my favorite places on Prospect St. is Sushi on the Rock, and what better dish than a Rainbow Roll.

Sadly, Enrique needed more excitement ...

Nightlife: Gaslamp District, San Diego, Day 6

June 23, 2012 -- Right around the corner from Petco Park is a little place called the Corner Spot.  Even after the game it was a little dead, though we did meet a huge mountain of man who caught me yawning in the bar.  He came over and informed me, in a light-hearted way, that there's no yawning allowed in the club.  He was right.  No matter how tired I got, I didn't yawn again.  To give you a visual, he was about six-foot five, bald, wide as a house, and played rugby.  Enough said.

Having enough of our fill at the Corner, our bartender Ryan from the Barley Mash was kind enough to put us on the VIP list so that we could come in for free after the game.  We took full advantage of that, and AP led us past the long line of hopefuls, approached the bouncer, and proclaimed, "We're on the list."  After a cursory check, we were allowed through.  Though the place was hopping, we figured that we had had our fill of the Barley Mash for the day and decided to venture elsewhere.

We wandered down to F St. and found ourselves at the Double Deuce.  AP worked his magic again, distracting the bouncer and hostess out of the $10 cover charge for all of us.  Good ol'AP!  The bar is a bit tight and always packed, and has a country western feel to it with its biggest selling point being their mechanical bull.

Oh, he might look friendly, but as soon as a bachelorette party wanders in, and they do very often, the poor bride-to-be is bucked around in a most suggestive manner.  And I stress, most suggestive.  If you're female and you find yourself at the Double Deuce, be prepared to lose and article of clothing or two.  Oh, and wear some sort of underwear.  AP and Enrique will attest that one fine young lady, who failed to wear under garments, showed everyone in the bar what she was made of!  Sorry, can't post THAT picture!  However, feat your eyes on a few beauties here.  I only wish that I had a better camera!

We left with the masses at around 2 AM, and though we were tired, Enrique led us through the throngs of people in search for pizza slices.  The paper plate tasted as good as the pizza, but then again it was really late.  AP even found a second place to satisfy his late night munchies.  All in all, the long day and night was a whole lot of fun!

Food: Barley Mash, San Diego, Day 6

June 23, 2012 -- Believe it or not, I WORKED Saturday so I don't want to hear that everything is all fun and games for me.  Well, maybe after working hours!  Me, AP, and Enrique knew that today was going to be a long day since we planned on going to a Padres game that night.  Since the game started at 7:05 PM we needed to get some good food and drink.  The last time we were in town, back in March, we strolled by a corner establishment that was in the process of being upgraded.  By the looks of the half-done work, we could tell that it had great potential.  Fast forward a couple of months and the Barley Mash didn't disappoint.

AP and Enrique figured a good start to the afternoon would be a cold beer, which they had many.  As you can see, both boys were having a good time.  

That's Stella, a meteorologist, giving us the peace sign!  She's a blog follower now -- as well as a fantasy lover.  Yup, she got one of my Overlords business cards!  AP inquired about the top shelf tequilas and Ryan, our bartender, asked him if wanted one finger or two.  We were all speechless ...

Ryan then persuaded us to get a house special -- prime rib and potato pie -- and it tasted exactly like it sounds!  

With full bellies, we strolled (or rolled) to the ballpark ...

Travel: La Jolla, San Diego, Day 5

June 22, 2012 -- If you ever visit San Diego, you MUST make a trip to La Jolla.  I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful it is over here.  Prospect St., which I equate to America's Cup Blvd/Thames St. in Newport, RI, is lined with boutiques, shops, bars, and restaurants.  And yes, it is expensive.  Some of the high end restaurants have breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean with fantastic sunsets practically every night.

AP and I had lunch at the Prospect Bar and Grill.  The food and drinks were fine, as you can see, but the view even better.

I'll be heading back to La Jolla again later in the week and will be sure to visit the La Jolla 

Cove, where my seals bask in the sun on huge rocks.  I make sure I check up on them every time I'm here!

Food: The Tilted Kilt, San Diego, Day 4

June 21, 2012 -- OK, let's get one thing straight.  Every man needs sports, food, beer, and a venue to keep himself entertained.  Enter The Tilted Kilt.  Having started to adjust to west coast time -- I'm still waking up around 4AM each night -- we needed to catch Game #5 of the NBA Finals.  LeBron and the Heat were ready to clinch their first NBA title (not two or three or four or five or six, just their first) and being a sports fan, I wanted to be sure I saw some history.

When I mention the Tilted Kilt, think Hooters except instead of wearing orange short shorts and cleavage-revealing T-shirts, the girls are wearing red plaid kilts and even more revealing shirts. Kayla, our voluptuous and perky waitress, helped us with everything we needed -- beer and wings.  She was even nice enough to take a picture with me, such the good girl!  AP and Enrique also have compromising pictures as well, but just haven't posted them!  Be sure to stop by here, even if there are no games on the big screens, if you know what I mean!

If that wan't enough, we were even more distracted by this magician, Nick Ivory.  This guy performed card trips, made money disappear and transform, even had smoke come out of his mouth.  I'm telling you, even AP and Enrique couldn't figure out the guy did it, we were all sitting right there.  I'm giving him props here, he was that good.  However, the curves of the women were much, much better!

Food: Yard House, San Diego, Day 3

June 20, 2012 -- With AP zonked and catching some Zs, Enrique and I headed into the Gaslamp District for some dinner.  On the corner of 4th and Broadway sits the Yard House, an eclectic establishment that boasts a huge selection of draft beers.  Being a little tired from long work hours and coast-to-coast travel, we skipped the brewskies (yeah, I know, a sin) and had dinner.  This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants with fresh seafood and a great jambalaya dish.  After our meals even Enrique didn't have room for dessert.

Side note: I didn't know that Enrique was such an ice cream connoisseur or any desserts for that matter.  We have scoured city streets in such of sugary treats, even after meals fit for a king.  His sweet tooth is actually killing me and AP.  Slowly.

Food: Sushi Restaurants, San Diego, Day 2

Just to let  you know, I love sushi!  And after a long work day and workout all I wanted to do was get home, eat, and watch the NBA Finals.  In the shopping plaza a mile away from my hotel is a little hole in the wall called Yummy Maki Yummy Box.  Yeah, the name is a little funny but the sushi is awesome.  I got an order of Rainbow and California rolls to go and had them while I watched the game.  I wish I had taken a photo to post, but I was too hungry!  Give this place a try if you're in the area.  They'll even deliver.

I also frequent the Tajima Japanese Restaurant for lunch often when I'm at work.  Being around the corner from my company, it's an ideal place to get my sushi fix.  I'll be sure to take some pictures when I'm there again, which will be soon.  Another place you need to visit if you like sushi and you're in the area.

Food: The Pasta House, Fairhaven, MA

Last week my wife watched an episode of The Phantom Gourmet and took an interest in one restaurant in particular, The Pasta House in Fairhaven, MA.  So this Saturday night we decided to give this place a try.  The restaurant is in a nondescript part of town, just off the main highway (Rt. 195/240 S).  We knew we were in for a long night when we saw the parking lot overflowing.  After talking to the host, we had a 1 1/2 hour wait but we had already made the trip and were committed, so we waited it out.  The bar was large, but not a seat available.  Still, we had some drinks and made the most of it.  We were not disappointed.  We started with crab cake appetizers, which were full of lush crab meat and cooked to perfection.  After salads, my wife had Seafood alla Vodka and I had Pasta Frutti di Mare.  All I can say is -- delicious!

If you're tired of the same old places and want to try something new, I'd give this restaurant a try.  Next time we go, and we will go there again, we'll be sure to call ahead and get our name on the list (they only take reservations for parties of six or more, so definitely take advantage of calling ahead.)