Farmstead Table + Parish Café x Baby Camden

Dining out with baby Camden has been a success. He's pretty chill. Above we are enjoying a night out at Legal on the Mystic in Assembly Row. I didn't take any photos of that meal but him enjoying a rare bottle and the fact that I had the photo below ;)

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Farmstead Table in Newton Center is always a wonderful choice. In their clean intimate space we dined early and Camden mostly slept. 

A classic American country kitchen presents innovative plates with the freshest of the season. It looks like I ate a gorgeous crab and avocado dish topped with radish plated to resemble a tartare, plus grilled corn & cabbage tacos with avocado, cotija cheese, a spicy aioli and dusted with fresh chives.

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Parish Café escaped the blog all these years! I love it here for sure. Camden has a backup daycare in Back Bay so we will take a stroll and find somewhere to pop in for a bite. 

Their thing is gourmet sandwiches crafted by local chefs. The Bravas from Chef Cassie Piuma of Sarma Restaurant it INSANE. A grilled sesame torta bun is slathered with sweet onion butter, then layered with prosciutto, chorizo, manchego, crispy brussels sprouts, drizzled in a grand finale of hot sauce and garlic aioli. There are some notable Boston chefs on the menu - you can't go wrong as long as you get a sandwich. The tomato bisque with a deep fried grilled cheese crouton and basil is also next level. When Camden was first old enough to eat, the Baked Mac n Cheese with gruyere, romano, monterey jack and a Ritz cracker crumble got the job done!

Legal on the Mystic

301 Great River Road

Somerville, MA 02145

Farmstead Table

71 Union St

Newton Centre, MA 02459

Parish Café

361 Boylston St

Boston, MA

Fuji | Assembly Row

 January 25th, 2018 was the last day working in Downtown Boston at Lafayette City Center. We are at a shiny new building in Assembly Row, Somerville. It's no DTX / Chinatown / Theater District corner, but it will have to do. 

Fuji at Assembly is here! I will miss my beloved Avana but Fuji is contemporary and fun. I stopped in for a carafe of hot sake at the bar with impressive makimono and nigiri to follow. Spicy Tempura Katsu ($13.50) w. Katsu style shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo and sesame seeds and some Toro Nigiri ($8) and I'm settling right into the new neighborhood.

Fuji at Assembly

320 Canal St

Somerville, MA 02145

Earls | Assembly Row

After a lazy day in Charlestown (on a weekend we were finally home!) it dawned on us that it was time to pay our new Somerville neighbor a visit. Assembly Row is pretty cool with a good vibe and a happy bustle of shoppers plus restaurant and movie goers. We ate dinner at Earls Kitchen + Bar and saw Unbroken at the AMC Theater. Earl's was PACKED with a two hour wait for the dining room. We did a lap around the bar and were about to leave before we inquired with the hostess and learned the entire bar area is first come first serve. We scored a comfy raised picnic table bench within five minutes; definitely a lucky move + a result of hovering. I couldn't believe how insanely busy this place was. 

Earl's features a global menu with modern versions of ethnic cuisine staples. Our food and cocktails were really good, and service was friendly, if not slightly absent minded. The waitress had forgot to put in our order - but at least owned up to it. We let her know we had to make a movie and she was quick with round two of drinks and to settle the check. After this excursion, I can't wait to check out more of the restaurants at Assembly!

Kung Pao Noodle Bowl ($15) | wok vegetables, garlic ginger soy, roasted peanuts, mama wong's hot sauce (terrific flavors and it was wonderfully, amazingly, SPICY!)

Dynamite Shrimp + Mango Roll ($13) | sriracha mayo, unagi maple (this was awesome.)

Bees Knees ($10) | Aviation Gin, Cointreau, honey, fresh lemon, angostura bitters (a tasty cocktail and the presentation can not be beat!)

Earls Kitchen + Bar

698 Assembly Row Unit 102

Somerville, MA 02145