warren "holy Kamoli" w.'s Profile

Table for 5 guys celebrating a very good business deal.  Two staying in Boston at the Lenox and three of us driving in from the 'burbs.  Olives is easy to get to and absolutely has the best valet parking going.  Courteous and attentive valets who have been there awhile.  Parking is a big issue for me as I don't like garages and dealing with them takes away from the entire dining experience ..especially after the meal.

So in we go for our 6:00 reservations and we are seated at a table I have sat at for more than 15 years.  The sectioned off one over by the kitchen that wraps around.  Perfect.  First let me tell you our waiter was Sean and he was the best server I have ever had wait on me.  He was attentive, understood the menu cold, super well-spoken and with a great personlity.  

Olives' has made a perfect martini for all of these 15 years I've been going there back when the walls were brick and not glass! The 3 olives are kick ass and really don't overpower the flavor of the vodka with that terrible olive juice taste.

Back to Sean....this guy pours a beer with the pilsner glass and the tray attached via his thumb and forfinger to make the entire pour seem effortless and ....you can't take you eyes off the process.

We asked the chef to cook up some of his favorite appetizers for us. A true treat as the tuna tartar was so well put together so that you enjoyed the larger than normal bites of tuna and the flavor not disguised in some overpowering sauce. The Duxbury Oysters are almost on par with Wellfleets. Actually a larger oyster in a deeper shell makes for easier eating.  This comes with 3 different sauces of the typical cocktail, vinegar and pepper and finally a unique shaved ice and what I would describe as a spicy gazpacho (sp) flavor.   All just perfect but never put too much on.  I could go on about the pasta dishes.

Main courses were swordfish, Nantucket scallops, and a braised lamb shank.  From the comments, the meal and the flavors were perfect. I think the chef couldn't have added a few more scallops on the plate as it looked more of an appetizer portion to me.  Spinach side was delightful as well as some fries thrown in and damn I forgot the OR's.

Desserts were all nailed and enjoyed!  Wines were a chard and Pinot and I have since forgotten the labels but both fairly prices for the quality.

Been here many times..Never ceases to amaze and the atmosphere is once again perfect.  It is truly a well run establishment with a interesting menu.

So we moved the kid into one of the apartments at Park Lane. Took 8 of us to move two young ladies and 800 pairs of shoes.  About LTK: I am a fan of Legal's from years ago when when grandpa B was in  Cambridge. The years have changed but I have only been disappointed once at Legals. Consistencey from restaurant to another is very apparent and I have eaten, in 3 Boston locations, Kendall Square, Warwick,  Peabody and Burlington. I don't quite get the LTK concept as I really saw nothing on the menu that would have me stray from the best tuna burger of all time.  I relish this delectable combination of tuna and mucho incredients and flavors as much as I do any really fresh fish dish.  ( I have the ingredients should anyone want to give it a try!)  So we sat down at 5:30 with no reservations for the meal.  First test a very perfect Kettle One Martini v-dry and cold!  Perfect!  Next a little dissapointed with no lite chowder on the menu so shared Liz's garden/red salad. Flavorful dressing and maybe a touch too much dressing or moisture but plenty for two. Liz did the fish and chips and that order is as predictable as a Pats win.  Again very good, cripsy, really good OR's, and fries. Down the table I saw 3 orders of t-burgers with all thumbs up on my recommendation, Kobe burger for the boyfriend ..perfect; and a scrod by their auntie that was consumed in record time.  Rave reviews go for the sangria, the house malbec, sauvignon blanc  and chardonnay house.)  Waitress was wonderful, place crowded quickly at that hour and maybe a touch rushed but hey it's Boston on Saturday night and who wants to linger.  8 people dine with mucho mucho drinks and for about $400.00 with a generous tip.

So there we are in what I assume is downtown Laguna Beach.  Wondering around with the family and friends as we kill time between business meetings at the St. Regis.  I wonder off to see what type of art is on display and with the beautiful autumn day there were artists everywhere. I kept coming back to this one artist Tracey Moscaritolo and one particular painting. I like paintings of landscapes, villages and artwork that remind me of places I've been or have put on a wish list to visit.  I have this one particular area on Cape Cod and in particular Pleasant Bay that I like to short cut through in my flats boat as I fish the flats for early season stripers.  The Hog Channel pass is the meandering river-like body of water in the Bay that seems to be from the Keys but there is lies in P Bay.  So I keep looking at this painting done in brightly painted pastel-like strokes that captures the spirit of one of my favorite parts of the Cape......just a mile or two from home and 1/4 of mile from the Atlantic. The grass is colored in a late summer early fall yellow and the background somehow reminds me of the backside of Nauset Beach. Tracey and I chat and although her painting is one of somewhere near the coast of the Pacific I ask her if she has visited Pleasant Bay.  Where?  So off I go with this very cool painting of "my" special spot and now it resides in Molly's room above her bureau in the general direction of Hog Channel.  

Tracey keeps sending me mailers and I often go to her web site to see what's up.  If you are in Laguna Beach, take a ride by or catch her at one of those gatherings down town.

For those of us who remember 5 & 10 - that meant cents and not dollars. I wonder if there was ever a brand or should it have been?

Cheap stuff every where. Since Spags is gone and well I can't think of another 5 & 10 anywhere.  It's a great spot for stocking stuffers, widgets and things you might find only in a hardware store. Shelves so stocked you could never ever find it yourself. Browse and take in the smells of old wood shelves, almost as old cardboard boxes and other things that remind me of the old 5 & 10 on Mass. Ave in Cambridge just across the street from the Gulf station (not sure it's still there) --- and right next door to the old A & P.

Nana used to send me up there when you could charge anything and they would say "hello to Edith."  

Need a key...the got it....light bulb ..no problem.  That particular hanging gadget....yup.  Fly tape ...back in a minute.

Back to West Concord and the little store that has everything. If you have not been by it is probably as best described as a wanna be hardware store with the great aroma of the 50's and 60's.

Heard them once and said to myself..."I gotta get them to play at one of my business events or for my staff."  Tight, fabulously professional and incredibly nice would best describe this band of professionals.  Well,  the music starts and immediately you watch the faces of the crowd and this expression of..........."wow not your typical entertainment at a corporate event!"  They had every one up and dancing and the conga line began led by the saxophone player as he meandered through the crowd with his trail of willing dancers.  Funky, tight (said that), cover (sorry to use the expression), each song better than the last...........I can't say enough for how much fun it was to stand back and watch my guests get down.  

Their web site is awesome and as professional as they are.  The music spot on and what you hear is what you get. But then there is the "show."  These pros really now how to entertain and that is one of their many attributes.  

If you don't have fun with these guys and gals, you don't have a pulse.

This is the first time I have ever ordered Asian food over the phone or to go and was not  told "10 minutes" in a very loud voice!  They actually said "20 minute!"

Dumpling appetizer very small delicate with I believe a mixture of shrimp and something over bean sprouts.  I liked... it the kids passed.  Liz thought the very large spring rolls were the best and I did too. As a matter of fact upon ordering any Asian food, it is my practice to nail some portion of the appetizers on the way home. I have been known to leave a trail or ribs or wings from Westford to Concord past Nashaoba Hill. Yep that's me making your dogs yak the next day.

So we added to that their pad Thai made with shrimp and it had a side of peanut sauce that added more spice....very good and a lot of it.  The chicken with brocoli was a lighter meal or sauce that accompanied lots of chicken and broccoli and made Mollly very happy.  The crispy shrimp were intersting but more crispy than shrimp. Far too much white rice was offered and it went in the trash.

So now the experience.  Oh yea nailed that spring roll on the way home and left a trail of crumbs (flakes) on my fleece that gave the tell tail warning sign to my wife as I walked through the door......."ya couldn't wait?"   The inside of this very small downtown Maynard spot is very Thai decorated with the most typical of Thai fashions, memorabilia and awards. But ahhhhhhhhhh the ambience to stand there very close to the diners as you wait for your meal.  Should have stayed in the car.  Just being picky but you can see that these owners are all about quality and generally not about where you stand for "to go."  "Sit anywhere."  That was a demand and I did.

We will be back as a super alternative to the very typical Asian meal in the 'burbs.

So in honor of a great staff at one of my businesses, we all got together at Gibbet Hill for drinks and dinner.

Now, many of the reviews I have read state how beautiful the countryside is and since I know Groton fairly well I could only picture the hillside etc with the fall colors, cows, horses and freshly mowed fields. Unfortunately for me, I drove out from the otherside  of 495 in a rainstorm, the darkest roads and thank goodness for GPS.  As I get older these eyes just don't like glare.  I should do a review on my car's GPS. Bang a right on route 40 if you are in downtown Groton.

So we slowly gather by the bar and the bartenders were wonderful. Personable and they sure could shake a martini. Home made chips accompanied our drinks as we watched others join us. The building is really awesome and offers that ambience I have talked about before. The ambience of an old barn, fire burning on a rainy October night and the decorations offer up a real comfortable feeling of "where's the stew?"

Off we go upstairs to a private dining area arranged with two sid by side tables for about 30.  Appetizers were mostly seafood of standard offerings these days in a 3 tier server.  Split lobster tails and claws, shrimp, Wellfleets (the best), and little knecks. All real fresh and or perfectly cooked. Also, you must try the Cindy's crab dip that comes out in a crock, a wonderful toasted onion dip for an offering of veggies, warm brie and more.  Perfect and we just about ate it all.

Drink service was wonderful and they poured us three offerings I chose right from the start.....2007 Kistler Chardonnay from Sonoma, an R. Stuart Pinot from OR, and Veuve Cliqout (yellow) champagne.  Dinner was an offering of 4 choises with the NY sirloin 12 oz being the most popular followed by the potato crusted haddock in corn chowder, Osso Bucco with a sweet potato mousse to die for. Finally there was a free range chicken and I'm not sure anyone opted for that.  Thumbs up all around on the steak, really enjoyed the Osso Bucco but the sweet potato was a touch cool and the wedge salad was not the very best.  Others raved about their chowder and then came the desserts.  Carrot cake big success and the sorbet was as well. I passed on the final offering.

Nicely, there were two opened bottles of wine that were sealed in a plastic bag  for the ride home. I nailed one watching the news.

I understand you really need reservations close to the weekends and I 'm definitely going back to give them 5 stars. Servers were excellent!

It was reservations for 3 couples and a bit of a reunion.  How strange that we don't get together too often after moving from our cozy cul de sac from 10 years ago. Kids are grown (at least in our case) yet just a few miles away and I guess you are out of touch in the burbs.

So the review. I liked this place but for some reason I'm missing the vibe.  This Saturday night the bar was super crowded and we got there just before the 7:30 reservations. The bartender was very nice and helped us to arrange seating before the third party arrived.  

Once at our seats, I could not believe the size of the restaurant.  It is very large and we were given a corner round table that worked great.  We started with some salads and shared appetizers. I believe we shared the tuna tartar, fried calamari, and and the highly recommend glazed veal meatballs with the Mafaldine pasta.  The tuna came with two very large fried chips and a chopped tuna mixed with some sweet ingredients. It was fresh and very good and reminded me of a dish served at Chops in Naples but without the coconut flavor. The calamari super crisp and the accompanying dips (no hot).  The meat balls were good (Swedish like) and I guess I just expected more so I should order them again.  I liked the pasta it came with the marsala flavor.

Main courses consisted of a breaded chicken for Liz (predictable), and I went with the roased 1/2 duck.  I really liked the duck and didn't care so much for the pan full of diced flavors that seemed to overpower the duck. The duck was cooked perfectly and was a very large portion.  There just was too much of of the other flavors in the pan. Others in our party really liked the lobster and pasta although a touch late to the table (but perfectly communicated) and the steaks the guys had were nailed.  Our other guest really enjoyed the sword fish although I thought it was cut very thin.

No dessert for us but two bottles of wine that I tried one of and I'm sorry to say we goofed on the Zin.  Our fault not the wine.  Dinner for six was 600.00 with two bottles of wine and a few drinks. I thought very fair.

Service was A+ and the valet service as menitoned the best.  So I will be back because I really want to give this place 5 stars.

Really really good. Probably not fair to give it 4 stars but I just can't stand sitting that close to other diners.  So I have had to always order to go.  Impeccable care and quality of their fish and servings.  A very professional chef and crew who make every order special. The variety of offerings can not be found in most "sushi" restaurants in the burbs.  

They were very happy to prepare of friends fresh caught tuna from the Cape for his dining pleasure.

So don't know when the off times are but my stomach never agrees with very early dining so it's to go for me.

Ambience and I have mentioned this in many of my reviews for restaurants but can you have this factor in a retail store. Well a fly shop must have ambience.  Think there is ambience at Dick's Sporting goods....nope.  They try at Bass Pro but it is all glitz. You need professionals who fish all the time to give you the necessary advice to catch trout and stripers.  I look at supporting your local fly shop or any town store as well a responsibility to the merchant. If the quality is good the prices fair why go on-line or all the way to Foxboro.  Think of this outfitter as your local pro shop at the country club.  Fly selection is perfect for NE waters both sweet and salt.  I've purchased flies here that have saved the day in Great Exuma when the bones wanted nothing other that gold eyes and a pink pattern.  Andy knows his stuff and it shows when you ask "if he's been fishing."

I've purchased 4 fly rods, Abel reels and Christmas gifts for many.

So very cool place, the Patagonia selection is good and they will order anything you need from the catalogue.  

Parking...sneak behind the store or walk up from the Post Office.