In between home-cooked meals this past Memorial Day weekend, we made a couple of excursions with my parents in tow.
The gorgeous weather on Saturday drew us up north, to Ipswich. After a very nice visit to the Ipswich River Audubon center, we had lunch at an old stand-by, Ipswich Ale Brewery. It was surprisingly quiet, but enough people on the patio and inside to still feel lively. Mom and dad loved it - we all shared the mustard-forward mussels and they split the LBGT sandwich (lobster, bacon, gouda, tomato) which is a favorite of mine and B’s. They were glad they got it and that they split it. I saw chickpea soup and had to get that (and it was exactly what I wanted), while B barely made a dent in his short rib nachos. He finished the leftovers off last night accompanied by my veggie black bean chili. Spring onion was happy enough with very good french fries and cheese pizza. We ended the day with a visit to ultra low-key Pavillion Beach and the pirate playground on Little Neck.
On Sunday, B, spring onion, and I headed to Mighty Squirrel before going to opening day at Beaver Brook spray park. Mom and dad stayed home due to the heat (and I just don’t think the taproom would be comfortable for them). However, this has become a favorite 1-2 punch for the 3 of us. And especially now since the spray park is open for the season. Good beer, yummy and greasy fluffly pretzels, handpies, board games (spring onion especially likes Monopoly), ping-pong. A win-win in so many ways. (BTW, they partner with Waltham Pizza for delivery which we haven’t tried or you can bring in your own food.)
On Memorial Day Monday, we visited the ICA Watershed (the current exhibit, a 6-channel film by John Akomfrah is pretty intense; I see now that it is closed due to technical difficulties). The 5 of us managed to watch for quite some time before hunger overtook us. Sadly, KO Pies in the shipyard is usually not open on Mondays and was closed. I didn’t want to do Belle Isle or Santarpio. B and I struggled a little to figure out a nearby place and out of left field, I thought of Tavern at the End of the World, which is another old favorite. It was open and except for a few regulars at the bar, it was empty. I worried a little because the area is a bit rough-and-tumble, but mom and dad can surprisingly go with the flow. And we got taken care of very well by the bartender/owner. I got my usual Nepali fish curry (fish was a bit dried out but it still hit the spot), dad got enormous fish and chips, mom had a chicken salad sandwich on properly griddled Iggy’s bread, and B had the fried chicken sandwich. Everything was declared delicious. The great soundtrack and flowing drinks made for a relaxing lunch. It was as good as B and I remembered it. It’s firmly back on our radar.
