Boston 2013 - evolving travel styles

Ever since I moved back to Chicago, travel seems to have fallen from the top of my list of favorite activities. Maybe it's because O'Hare is so tough to get to from where I live (either spend over 1 hr on bus/El, or 1/2 hr driving + crazy parking fees at the airport). Nonetheless, this year I'm determined to pick up my love for travel again. So, Boston it is for Easter weekend.

My first visit to Boston was back in 2009, Labor day weekend. The weather then was spectacular: sunny & cool, perfect respite from humid Philly summers. I fell in love with Boston on that trip. It's compact, old, kinda like Philly, but so much cleaner, more refined. I thought to myself: if Philly could clean itself up, this is how glorious it'd be. My favorite part of that trip was sitting on the grass in a park near the North End, watching Bostonians enjoy the beautiful weather with their kids & dogs. Of course, the food was no slouch too. Boston introduced me to the lovely world of raw oysters.



 

Takashi kaiseki: where marriage of French and Japanese is a match made in heaven

I gotta say: I was a bit disappointed after trying Slurping Turtle. So much so I lost confidence in Chef Takashi. So much so I dragged my feet about redeeming my Groupon, until it was the week before it expires, and, you guessed it: they were all booked. Fortunately, the hostess told me they decided to extend the Groupon for the Sunday Kaiseki dinners into January, so here I am, in Takashi, on the first Sunday of 2013.

Perhaps due to the Kaiseki craze stirred up by Next's most recent menu, Takashi decided to start offering this on Sundays around the same time. There are two options: 7 courses for $73 or 11 courses for $100. Given that I'm not feeling ravenous and the Groupon's only good for $80, I opted for the 7 courses option. Thank GOD for that. They'd have to carry me out in an ambulance if I had the 11 courses, because I was SO full after at the end of my meal, I could barely squeeze through the tiny space between tables.

 

Amuse Bouche: house-made black sesame tofu, braised duck breast, nori, soy sauce