Random eats [Arlington and Natick MA, Warren and Bristol RI]

[digga]

Quick rundown from the last couple of weeks through this weekend.

Had some tasty takeout from Prep Neighborhood Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. These guys are so earnest and likable. Got a huge chicken cutlet dinner to bring down to my parents. The pasta was homemade and well-made but the sauce was a little bland. Also got bunch of sides for us and them — bok choy, mustardy vinegary potatoes, really nice salad with watermelon radish. Also got a couple of pizzas to snack on with our neighbors for happy hour in their garden. Pizza was tasty as usual but rolled out too thin (?) Very floppy in the center.

I went down to RI solo this time because Spring Onion had a bunch of activities that weekend. So, I had dinner with a friend at [Saint Martha ](https://stmarthari.com/ in Warren, which was fabulously fun. We shared the soft-shell crab and we both went for pasta. I had the nettle pesto and asparagus spaghetti (I could’ve easily eaten a second bowl) and she had the artichoke fettuccine. She wanted dessert, which I never get, but after a few bites of the fluffy meringue-y confection was, I was sold. I had a white varietal from the Loire, folle blanche, that was new-to-me and a nice accompaniment. Before dinner, I had arrived early to check out arc{hive} a couple of doors down. It’s a bookshop, art space, and snack and wine bar. Somehow, it works. I had a glass of wine at their browsing books. The bar is really a lovely spot at night.

Lunch the next day at Quito’s in Bristol with mom and dad. They wanted seafood. My last experience there last year was only so-so but it was better this time. RI clear chowder for me (photo is yucky), white and red chowders for the 'rents. They split a crab cake sandwich which was smaller than expected but they said it tasted good. I had the littlenecks in white wine garlic sauce which we all enjoyed. I reported on the. WFD thread I took home the leftover sauce and repurposed it into a delicious canned chopped clam bucatini dish.

Lunch at Nightshift Brewing at Level 99 in the Natick Mall one Saturday. Reliably good pub food. We skipped the Detroit pizza this time, went for bacon cheeseburger for Spring Onion, birria tacos for B, and the falafel sandwich for me.

Back in RI this weekend for Fathers Day. Had dinner on the outside deck at The Guild in Warren. We’ve never been wowed by the food but we like it well enough, staff and the location are both awesome, decent beers, too. Mom and I each had a flatbread (margherita for her, an eggplant one for me – too much balsamic but it was ok). Fish and chips for SO, fried chicken sliders for B, cheeseburger sliders for dad. Everyone but SO likes their take on fries.

Plus WTF

[GretchenS]

Sounds like a fun and tasty run of eating and visiting!!

[digga]

Forgot to post photos from my Saint Martha dinner. My friend is a published food writer. Guess which photo she art directed?

We’re doing our usual today, an early lunch at Blount Clam Shack for B’s lobster roll fix. I won’t post since I’ve posted about our meals there ad nauseum.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads here. I hope it’s a peaceful one.

[MaxEntropy]

I’ll go with the last one as the handiwork of an art director. Love the lighting.

Wishing for a peaceful Father’s Day too, but it’s not in the cards. Just had our first daylight wave of missiles here in TLV. Nights have been long.

[Madrid]

Wow. So scary. Hoping for end to this craziness soon.

[sciaccagirl]

Take care, Max. Wishing you and your family well. My dear friend is in Beit Shamesh, reacquainted with her mamad. Posted yesterday “forget the food budget eat and enjoy”. Difficult time for all.

[MaxEntropy]

Thanks @sciaccagirl. I’ve resisted posting detailed updates. One thing for sure, without mamads the casualty count would be much higher. I’m not aware of a single fatality involving someone in a protected space. Safety has sometimes been a matter of the seconds of warning from the air raid alarms and Home Front Command app.

[sciaccagirl]

Simply checking in, wondering how you are faring Max.

[MaxEntropy]

@sciaccagirl Thanks for checking…we made it out via land from Eilat to Aqaba. It was pretty harrowing but the important thing is we made it safely back to Boston. Many thousands still trying to exit, and the US attack on Fordow etc. has complicated things further.

[tomatotomato (Denise)]

@MaxEntropy, so relieved and thankful
to hear that you and your family are here with us.

[MaxEntropy]

Thanks Denise @tomatotomato . So grateful to be home, though worried about family and friends in Israel.

This wasn’t the trip to do much food exploring, but we did try Pastel at the Tel Aviv Museum/Opera complex (reported on in the Middle East section) and I managed to have shakshuka at the Tel Baruch beach once before the bombs started flying. During the trek home we had a late dinner in Cyprus at an otherwise random place in Larnaca, close to the holiday apartment that we booked for our layover in Cyprus. It turned out to be very nice, a few moments respite from the stress of getting home. If I can reconstruct our meal I’ll post about it…

[sciaccagirl]

Likewise, Max I am relieved you made it home. Can only imagine the land route journey. Harrowing would be an apt description certainly. My dear friend and her family, well they are doing their best given the situation.

[MaxEntropy]

Thanks @sciaccagirl . I have a new found appreciation for what residents of Israel have been going through for years, as well as residents of Kiev. Enough.

[fooddabbler]

This is veering from our relief that a respected member of our community has returned safely into a possible discussion of which innocent people are suffering the greatest bombardment. I urge that we not go there.