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

Akureyri + Beyond

After our third day of driving from East Iceland to the North and exploring Dettifoss, Mývatn and Goðafoss along the way, we reached our home for the night in the village of Svalbarðseyri.

Stay: This Airbnb at Sunnuhlíð farmland - 12km from Akureyri. I was obsessed with this tiny house. I wanted to move in. It was perfect.

Dinner - Rub 23 in Akureyri is a refined Icelandic restaurant that highlights ingredients from local fisherman and farmers. We loved our meal here. Notably - the arctic char sushi, creative maki, and the bento box with reindeer carpaccio, duck salad, seared scallops and langoustine tempura. I also had a really good coffee/Frangelico/Baileys drink for dessert that came in a fancy chalice.

Northern Lights - I was so disappointed. On the 1-9 point scale we were at a 5. We came home from dinner, set up shop in front of the big window...and....nothing. We stayed up late, too. Considering our wild show the night before, I shouldn't have been too disappointed, but I couldn't help it! This time we were ready with a Northern Lights iphone app and my camera with the correct (?) settings. Ah well. 

Breakfast - The city center is home to a number of sophisticated coffee shops; we wandered into Bláa Kannan and grabbed a caramelized onion and red pepper quiche with croissants, cheese, and jam for the road.

The drive on day four showed off an enchanting landscape with farms and small towns nestled in between handsome mountains. It was drizzling on and off, and out of nowhere appeared a huge rainbow. I didn't pull over, but I'll never forget how it sprawled all majestic alongside us. 

Everything is so different now from what we've seen in the south and the east and even yesterdays northern points. I know I keep saying that. It is one of the best things about Iceland. You're ready for what's next and what's next never disappoints. 

Our route to Stykkishólmur lead us off Ring Road - which was a welcome change of pace. We took 61 to 59 to 60 to 54 to 58! These routes are not all paved, but most are well sealed so you can keep your speed. At the crossroads of 60 and 54 we detoured two miles to the sleepy little town of Búðardalur for gas plus an exciting lunch of gas station hot dogs at N1. I had read all about them as a popular Icelandic meal, so it was finally time to try one. The soft bun is loaded up with ketchup, mustard, raw onions, crispy fried onions and cradles a fresh dog topped with an earthy sweet remoulade. It was good!  Aside from the hot dogs, Búðardalur was also special because I bought my wool sweater here. We came upon the cutest little shop run by a sweet older woman. I tried on about eight sweaters and finally found the one.

Where to Eat in Newport, Oregon

Oregon landscapes have been taking center stage and now I'm excited to share some terrific food and drink finds from our third road trip destination, Newport!

We arrived to our hotel Hallmark Resort around 7:30 pm on a Wednesday evening and quickly headed out to dinner; no longer strangers to the early restaurant closing times in these parts! After a fulfilling but long day hiking, beach combing and driving I was craving comfort food. Noodle Café in the well known Newport Bayfront turned out to be a perfect choice. A no-frills space serving affordable Pan-Asian fare with local seafood, hand tossed noodles and made from scratch soup stocks, I felt like we tapped into a local haunt.

 Crab Wontons made with local Dungeness crab meat + cream cheese were an excellent prelude to Ramen Noodle Soup featuring a miso Japanese broth with shrimp tempura. This bowl offered just the comfort and warmth I craved. The House Special Wok Tossed Udon showcased the bounty of Newport Bay with shrimp and scallops, plus calamari and vegetables in a garlic soy sauce.

While at Noodle Café Bob and I were discussing our plans for breakfast. At my mention of heading to La Maison the woman next to us chimed in to sing its praises. She turned out to be Celeste of the family that owns local Mo's Seafood restaurants. We got to talking about the blog and before she left, Celeste slipped me a note to text her if we wanted to visit Mo's for a bowl of their famous Clam Chowder and Marionberry Cobbler on her. How sweet!

With her glowing recommendation we headed to La Maison Bakery & Café the next morning where superb three egg omelets come with giant flaky croissants, creamy butter and sticky-sweet jams from France. This was an absolutely phenomenal breakfast and one we won't soon forget. No matter what dish you choose, the Bananas & Cream to start are a must. La Maison also serves lunch. 

Fresh Bananas and Cream ($5) with toasted hazelnuts and brown sugar / Loire Valley Omelet ($10.25) grilled artichokes, mushrooms, Gruyere cheese and artichoke sauce / Paris Omelet ($10) French brie wrapped in prosciutto dusted with fresh chives.

Our second night in the beautiful Bayfront community brought us to Local Ocean Seafoods, a casual yet sophisticated fish market and grill. The bright industrial space is defined by an open kitchen and large windows with garage style glass doors. This was the first restaurant we visited that was truly bustling with clientele. We spent our half-hour wait admiring the massive fishing boats docked in the harbor across the street. 

We started with a creamy Roasted Garlic & Dungeness Crab Soup. I sipped on a local red wine Rubio Syrah-Pinot Noir from Penner Ash Vineyards in Willamette Valley. For our entrees, the Grilled Halibut comes over a heaping portion of swiss chard, edamame and bacon mingling with Udon noodles in a ponzu sauce. Pan Fried Yaquina Bay Oysters are panko buttermilk crusted, served with fennel slaw and fries. For creatively prepared, super fresh dock-to-table seafood, I would highly recommend Local Ocean. 

Consecutive nights after dinner we hit up the only bar and only spot open late (until midnight) on Bay Boulevard The Rogue Bayfront Public House. We were happy campers here, mingling with the upbeat bartenders and making friends with like minded travelers. 

We met a couple from Chicago who was staying at the same hotel, in the room directly above us. What are the chances? We got bottles of beer to-go and continued the party on their balcony! For some reason I always remember this conversation with them when comparing notes on where we ate in town. "Why would you come all the way here and go to a noodle joint?!" 

Because person I just met who is calling me out: they have comforting Asian cuisine (score) with LOCAL SEAFOOD (win) overlooking the Bayfront and no one knows about it. Sometimes the goal is to follow your instincts/cravings and eat where the locals do. After all, this is where the owner of Mo's Seafood eats on her night off!

And speaking of. Finally, Mo's. These family owned seafood restaurants are a local institution, so I knew we had to take Celeste up on her offer. We headed to the original Bayfront location for an early lunch before departing to Willamette Valley. Our cheerful waitress Debbie was in-the-know and promptly served us our chowder and cobbler at no charge. The New England style chowder offered smooth, velvety, medium-thick broth loaded with small chunks of potatoes, bits of bacon, and briny clams, dusted with paprika and parsley. Mo's has truly perfected NE Clam chowder out here on the Oregon Coast. It was THAT GOOD. And I can easily see why the cobbler is a must order. Vanilla ice cream pools into plump, sweet, tart and juicy berries overflowing from a homemade flaky crust. Heaven!

 Mo's Claim Chowder ($5.50) - what made them famous! / Fried Calamari ($9.95)
lightly breaded tubes and tentacles served with cocktail and tartar sauce / Rogue "Mo" Ale Hefeweizen ($5.25) / Marion Berry Cobbler ($5.25) - Mo's signature homemade dessert.

[Recap - all are fondly recommended!]

Breakfast: La Maison / 315 SW 9th St 

Carl's Coffee @ Nye Beach / 715 NW Beach Drive

Lunch: Mo's Seafood / The Original Mo's: 622 SW Bay Blvd

Dinner: Noodle Café / 837 SW Bay Blvd 

Local Ocean Seafoods / 213 SE Bay Blvd

Drinks: Rogue Bayfront Public House / 784 SW Bay Blvd 

Rogue Brewer's on The Bay / 2320 OSU Drive

second beer photo source