Taiwan Café | Chinatown

We took engagement photos in Chinatown and one of those photos happened to be on the front stoop of Taiwan Café. Very early on in our relationship Bob and I had a late-night dinner here. The year was 2013. I recall it as the moment I knew. When you know, you know. Right? We got engaged 4 years later but the point is how good those 4 years have been! And the other point is how good Taiwan Café is. 

I did not take these photos on that night, but we certainly have been back a time or two since. We appear to be eating: Pork Dumplings with Chive, Crab Rangoon, and Sautéed Chicken with veggies and peanut. Nothing like a late night in Chinatown for figuring it all out. Taiwan Café is open until 1 am.

Taiwan Café

34 Oxford St

Boston, MA 02111

Saltie Girl

You guys!! I'm finally getting around to sharing my dinner at Saltie Girl - where one of the most talked about food trends - tinned seafood! reigns supreme. This was an impromptu dinner on a memorable summer night. We had just taken our engagement photos. I was wearing my late grandmother Julia Fenton's vintage party dress and feeling like a 1960's goddess as we gallivanted about our final shoot location on the Esplanade. 

We celebrated with fancy martini service at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen before Saltie Girl coaxed us in. Serving seasonally-inspired, fresh and tinned iterations of seafood, the intimate restaurant set in a regal brownstone at Dartmouth + Newbury affirmed one of my favorite evenings of the summer with fantastic food and wine. The Smoked Salmon Toast with Greek yogurt, truffle wildflower honey, and cured yolk on potato bread was a revelation. From the hyped, exceptionally curated menu of tinned fish the Tuna Filets in olive oil come with piquillo peppers, artisan bread, and hand churned butter on a handsome slate board. Tinned fish is much more expensive than I expected; it was very good though! We also shared Toasted Handmade Gnocchi with caviar, and absolutely could not pass up Saltie Girl's Fried Lobsters and Waffles with sweet corn butter and spicy maple syrup!

Saltie Girl

28 Dartmouth Street

Boston, MA 02116

Primo | Rockland, Maine

Primo is the best of the best. I unknowingly had this place on my bucket list ever since Anthony Bourdain / No Reservations / Season 6 / 2010. I say unknowingly because I forgot the name entirely for years, but, traveling up here sparked my memory of the show - and an elusive restaurant - a white farmhouse on a hill - in Rockland, Maine....

Surprise! That's where Bob scored reservations for our engagement dinner (obviously having not discussed any plans with me, definitely having no idea about my memories from watching the show many years prior.) Fun how things work out like that. Very serendipitous!

The experience was unforgettable and the staff treated us like royalty! Seriously, I had never felt so special, post engagement glow and all that.

Seared Husdon Valley Foie Gras ($22) | chive biscuit, seared strawberries, madeira jus
Oysters Rockefeller ($17) | baked in the wood oven w bacon butter, spinach + parmesan
Cabernet Franc, Chateau du Hureau ($48) | “Saumur~Champigny” 2010 France
Pan Roasted Halibut ($38) | Maine shrimp + corn, asparagus, fiddleheads, spoonbread
Pork Saltimbocca ($33) | roast garlic mash, garden spinach, prosciutto + mushroom, madeira jus
Banana Pudding Parfait | house made Nilla wafers and baked meringue

Also check out Eater New England's 38 Essential Restaurants. I was glad to see Primo on that list.

Primo

2 Main Street

Rockland, ME 04841

Islesboro Island + Camden | Maine

Maine....

The Way Life Should Be

Vacationland

A beautiful state to get engaged!

What a whirlwind this summer has been so far! I tend to get pulled away from the computer + blog the most in warmer months - more so than I would like even though I'm off enjoying life! Weekends have been filled with the unbeatable summer in New England routine - beach, lake, camping, hiking - then pile on extremely busy work weeks (and even a work weekend), add in weeknight blog events, a dash of planning for my sisters wedding shower and bachelorette party and it all adds up to less time for this little hobby!

June went by in a blink - we celebrated a lot - really soaked it all in and enjoyed telling friends and family about our engagement in person. We had a lot of home time and city time - cookouts, gardening, drinks and dinners. Simultaneously, I mourned the loss of a dear friend I've had since childhood, an unexpected death that really shook me and the entire Yarmouth/Dennis/Cape crew/community I grew up with. A reminder for sure to live it all to the fullest.

We spent 4th of July at the (sister in law + brother in law's) house on Lake Winnipesauke followed by a camping + hiking weekend in Crawford Notch. Back to back New Hampshire weekends in the Lakes Region and the White Mountain National Forest, respectively, reminded me of how much I love that state.

And how each New England state now holds a really special place! MA - everything! my forever home! // VT - my winter home! skiing! // NH - UNH! college! // CT - where both my parents grew up, endless family gatherings // and now ME - engaged! (Sorry, Rhode Island, I've got nothing of importance!) 

I digress. I wanted to share more Maine photos! Hope you enjoy!

1-5 | Maine State Ferry - Lincolnville --> Islesboro

6-11 | Exploring the charming, tiny Islesboro town center: Dark Harbor Shop / Antiques / Williams Bros. Plus a little engagement lunch from the Dark Harbor Shop counter - melted ham and swiss w tomato + onion on an English muffin.

12 - 18 | Our memorable Friday night dinner in downtown Camden at the distinctive + precious Harstone Inn. My stuffed lobster tail with parmesan risotto and zucchini + summer squash ribbons and that lemon poppy seed soufflé were so, so good. (Saturday night dinner coming in a separate post.)

19 - 24 | Camden Hills State Park: Camden Harbor views from Mount Battie Tower + a hike to the summit of Mount Megunticook.