blah blah Boston (day 1)

To me going to Boston is like going to a bridal shower. It's not like bridal showers are that much fun, you just go for the bride. The 3 times I’ve been to Boston, it was to check out a college with my sister, visit a friend at BU, and this past time for a good friend’s wedding.

Growing up in ny, I’ve seen my share of angry, but Boston takes the cake when it comes to down right rude. And I’m not just talking about their fans. In our short weekend there my friend got pushed into a stroller by a homeless lady, I got yelled in a crowded store for picking up something that someone else dropped, among other outburst of rage from random drivers. Well despite their ppl and awful accent, I enjoyed Boston this time around and especially liked seeing all my college friends again.

Hei La Moon: TL- Hubby's favorite "furry hamsters", TR- Har gow, BL- Cheung fun, Shumai, Tofu

The bride and groom brought us here for rehearsal brunch. Honestly I was so tired from waking up for our 6am flight, I can't remember the details about the food, but I don't believe I had any complaints.

88 Beach St, Boston, MA • 617.338.8813 • www.heilamoon.com


After brunch and some rest at the hotel we decided to explore Boston a bit. We followed the red brick road along the freedom trail and I visited Quincy Market for the first time. I'm a sucker for markets and fairs so +1 for Boston.

Ice cream break!

Quincy's Place: Pistachio Ice Cream

Pistachio ice cream always reminds me of my cousin mikey. We used to walk to carvel all the time and I never understood why he never got any other flavor, ever. haha these days i'm quite fond of pistachio. Ice cream here was good, but too many pistachios for me. I know it doesn't look like it from the picture but there was a lot!

254 Faneuil Hall Market Pl, Boston, MA • 617.723.3635

For lunch we got to choose from an overwhelming selection in the indoor market. After some samples we landed at Boston Chowder.

Boston Chowda Co: lobster roll & cream of corn soup

mmm mmm good! big chunky lobster pieces on a sweet roll. A little more mayo than I prefer but I was able to overlook that.

Faneuil Hall Market Place, Boston, MA • 617.742.4441 • http://www.bostonchowda.com

On our way home we were too tired for walking. Look! The platform is flush to the rails. I was very amused.

Timbuktu

For Father's Day and my mom's birthday (yup, they steal each other's thunder... but it's great for me!!), I let my parents pick where to go for dinner. Surprisingly, they chose Timbuktu after hearing from friends about the crab cakes! Previous dinner choices included Red Lobster and Long John Silver... so we're definitely branching out!

Maryland Crab Soup

I love Maryland Crab Soup and this soup had ridiculously large chunks of crab meat in it! But I didn't enjoyed the soup flavor as much as other versions I've had in the past.

Crab Cake

Chunks of crab! Not too much breading! Pretty good crab cake... definitely better than Market Lunch's. But perhaps because I was a little crabcaked out, I didn't think it was as awesome as I remembered.

Pro tip: The menu has a crab cake sandwich and a crab cake platter that is available as either a single or double with 2 sides. The crab cakes themselves are the same size regardless of which entree you order. So if you go by yourself and think you'll only have enough tummy space for a crab cake and a side, the sandwich is your best bet. If you go as a party of two, splitting a double entree instead of ordering 2 singles can save you $7!

1726 Dorsey Road, Hanover, MD • 410.796.0733 • http://www.timbukturestaurant.com/

Jumbo Jumbo

There's something to be said about finding a favorite haunt where everybody knows your name, like Cheers. For me, it's finding a place where they know my order (who cares if they don't know my name?!) and make it exactly the way I like it. Jumbo Jumbo is one of those places for me. (Thai by Thai being the other)

My typical order:

Beef Noodle Soup

Tender beef, pickled veggies (where Jumbo Jumbo stands out versus other beef noodle soups), and not too salty/soy sauce-ish. Probably my favorite non-homemade beef noodle soup! You can also request extra spicyness to be added.

Taiwan Chicken

Spicy deep fried chicken morsels. A lot of NYC/CA bubble tea shops have similar chicken snacks, but not too many DC shops have them... why? I do not know.

I usually pair this with a large Jasmine Green Milk Tea with tapioca balls. Sorry, no pictures of the bubble tea. But Jumbo Jumbo has some of the best bubble tea in the area if you ask me!!

Warning: Jumbo Jumbo also goes by Bubble Express. In fact, that is the name that will appear outside on the shopping plaza.

765 E Rockville Pike, Rockville MD • 301.545.1708

my dear Yuraku,

Please don't ever go away. This is the best value sushi I've found anywhere.   This was roll night, but usually we order a sashimi deluxe boat as well.  Here are some of my favorite rolls!

Spider Roll (top), Punk Rock & Roll (bottom)

eek. I'm getting so hungry posting this.  If you like tobiko, there's a mouthful for ya!

Alligator Roll (top most), Spicy Tuna Roll, (middle), Salmon Roll (bottom left)

Sorry, don't have a good picture for the alligator roll, but it's shrimp tempura topped with eel and avocado.
I'm not usually crazy about spicy tuna, but look at the generous portions!
Also why you can't go wrong with the salmon roll if you like salmon like we do.

Nabeyaki Udon

We've made it a habit to end our meal with a bowl of tasty udon here.  mm. satisfaction.

Some kind of lobster roll? (on the house, after our meal)

Salmon Head (freebie appetizer)

oh yeah, did i mention the awesome value here?  you get salmon head, some veggie sticks and dip, salad w/ ginger dressing, steamed egg and miso soup (see below).  I think what you get for free is supposed to depend on how much you order.

Steamed Egg, Miso soup (freebie appetizer)

this reminds me of one of my favorite steamed egg dishes my mom used to make.
i must request this next time i go home..

19773 Frederick Road, Germantown, MD • 301.515.7448 • www.yuraku.com