Quick report while I’m helping mom and dad pack up their house in northern RI and prep our vacation house for long-term renters. 
- Black Duck Tavern in East Providence. A surprising place…nice people, huge portions of decent pub grub, and a lively Friday scene. Bowl of chili, big pretzel, salad with salmon side [not pictured] for SO, pulled pork nachos. Wine pours were sting-ily poured out by one of those annoying carafes. A place like this (with a bunch of bikers at the bar) should not be measuring out their cheap wine. Whatever. They have a very pleasant outdoor patio but we chose indoors while it wasn’t crowded. SO generally turns his nose up at al fresco dining. Very close to Sacred Cow - we didn’t have time on this trip, but we promised Spring Onion, “next time.”
- I cooked a few days. Not photogenic dishes, but they were good…We are in the throes of fridge clean-out because we are heading to Iceland on Friday for 3 weeks.
(Salmon chowder)
(A friend gifted her Cape Ann fish share this week [haddock] so I made a random pasta dish with farm broccolini, chickpeas, some languishing shiitake mushrooms, and lots of garlic, lemon and crushed red pepper, which is not obvious from the photo…I feel like I’m practicing for our Iceland trip…we are traveling with close friends, which consists of 2 adults and 4 kids [1 baby so I don’t have to deal with cooking for her]!)
- Blount, of course, as requested by B. He inexplicably got a salad with lobster. That might be the last time he does something that silly. Otherwise, the “uzsh” order…fried scallops, hot dog.
- The Guild Brewery . They are a sister brewery to Lone Pine, one of our favorites, outta Maine. Glorious day and In Your Ear record shop is right door, which is dangerous after sitting in the sun imbibing delicious beer. Mac and cheese, falafel sliders for me (needed some more acid than from the few pickled radishes), and a Cobb salad for B (lots of liberties taken there…but he loves his salads). Fun fried potato product. Our new favorite spot.
- Grabbed B from Alewife one rainy evening (he usually cycles in). The cupboard was bare and the cook was out to lunch so I suggested Summer Shack. It was ok. Empty when we arrived, around 5:30 pm but then filled in with several multi-generational (graduation?) parties. A schmancy salmon dish for B (small portion of salmon but he says otherwise, it was good), adequate rolls for me, hot dog for SO.
