I know, right? I remember when they had the 15 mile limit in from NH or RI, and that included North Reading. When I lived in Woburn, you can be damned sure if I needed wine on a Sunday I was driving up to North Reading (there’s a Home Goods store there, so it wasn’t JUST for alcohol. 
)
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We had some sad xtian folk protest the opening of our state liquor stores on Sundays when it was about to become implemented 
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PA liquor laws are crazy. Or were when I was there - beer barns were new to me where you had to go to get more than two 6-packs; bars to get up to two 6-packs, and State stores for hard liquor and wine. Sheesh.
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Yes! I recall one Sunday after I finished with some extracurricular advisor responsibility or another driving to Ipswich on the recommendation of a coworker (we were in Reading at the time for work). I’m not sure we found a liquor store, but at least we had a story!
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I really liked Grand Budapest, but I’m a big Wes Anderson fan (except for his latest). But I’ve found that a lot of people aren’t fans of his quirky style. 
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It me! 
I actually enjoyed a few of his earlier works, i.e. The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (no cap the DB soundtrack really helped ), The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Dogs.
I tried with the new stuff. A bit too precious for me 
I used to work part time, aka casual labor, at the LCBO and it was probably the shittiest job I’ve ever had, I was lucky enough to be able to retire right when the big YKW hit.
Low pay, high stress(angry customers, rampant theft underage kids) and the union benefits don’t really kick in until you reach full time status, which takes forever(unless you speak French, the you go to the top of the list). I totally understand why they’re striking and back them 100%,. I have 6 beers in the fridge and plenty of liquor to get me through this. 
#fukdougford
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I use my state owned liquor store for things like vermouth, triple sec etc. For the hard stuff I make the 20 mile rt to California. And I too enjoyed Grand Budapest Hotel.
Went to a neighborhood ‘Latin American’ restaurant called Maya (Portsmouth, United Kingdom). Nice vibe and service. Small plates concept.
Seabass ceviche. I’m not a fan of raw/cured fish. My teenage son wiped the plate clean and pronounced it excellent.
Patatas bravas?!? This presentation was entirely unexpected. I had seen it at a neighboring table and presumed it was a dessert. A compressed cake of perfectly cooked finely sliced potato with a crunchy golden exterior. Topped with blobs of crema.
Tacos pork pibil. These were just OK. A bit too loaded to eat by hand and the tortillas got soggy. Would have been better to distribute the filling between 3 tortillas.
We also had a watermelon spritzer to drink, which was refreshing. And two other small plates - quesadillas and sliced steak. I forgot to take photos of those.
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Kanpachi poached in a ginger-scallion nage, adapted from the Le Bernardin cookbook. We also had a jasmine rice and pea pilaf. This was a nice light meal on yet another 90F+ day! Once you knock the nage out, the rest of it comes together pretty quickly. The fish comes out lightly poached, which is what I wanted for the kanpachi.
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Happy, happy birthday to you! That all looks very fun and delicious. Glad you were able to celebrate with your nearest and dearest.
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I figured something was amiss since the staff at the two LCBOs I shop at have a really high turnover. They have always provided excellent customer service and the staff was always pleasant. It was a tip off to me something was going on behind scenes like toxic managers or poor working conditions. One of the LCBOs I shop at is at the corner of Rideau and King Edward (in Ottawa) and they probably have the highest theft rate in town since there are three homeless shelters in the area and a lot of sketchy characters in the neighbourhood. I wish I had your foresight to stock up. I don’t really miss a libation with my meal but I really miss my nightcap 
I might cave in and cross the bridge to Gatineau over the weekend.
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Chicken-pesto meatballs with zucchini and parm. Spaghetti sauced with a garlicky, roasted tomato puree.
Basil, zuccs, and toms from the garden.
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We lived in Harvard for about 12 years, and Ayer was within the 15 mile limit so we could drive a few miles and buy booze on Sunday. Then the limit started creeping south. It was so strange, but not as strange as CT. I don’t know what’s up with that state anymore - haven’t been there for years. Saw an article recently that showed a vending machine in Alabama that sold ammunition - WTF?
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Wes Anderson film - I blame it on the fact that I’ve been watching too many foreign films these days 
I loved the Grand Budapest Hotel though - the quirkiness is what I liked most about it.
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Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! The Darjeeling Limited!
