Gadding About In Boston

Group ready to leave for airport. (L to R: Gail, Sally, me, Ann, Peggy, Pat W.)

Five friends from Shelby, three of whom I've known since first grade, and I celebrated our 80th birthdays by taking A Rails and Sails trip through New England. While flying from Charlotte to Boston, American Airlines served us champagne when they learned we were celebrating turning 80. Dinner shortly after our arrival at the hotel was at Legal Seafood where we enjoyed different dishes of seafood.

Champagne on the plane courtesy of American Airlines. 

 

Dining at Legal Seafood.  (L to R: Gail, Pat W. , Ann)

My choice was steamed mussels.

The six of us shared one piece of birthday cake courtesy of Legal Seafood.

The following day we had a bus tour of Boston in the morning stopping at The Old North Church of Paul Revere fame and the ship The Constitution.  We lunched at the popular Quincy Market.  We sailed around Boston Harbor and dined at Cheers Bar, "where everybody knew our name".

The Old North Church with group in foreground. 

Paul Revere statute. 

Cheers Bar and Restaurant.

Cheers at Cheers. 

Sitting at the Bar where the TV show Cheers was filmed. 

Boston done, Maine here we come.

Thai Mussels

I had lunch with Michealette the other day and she prepared mussels using this recipe from McKelvies in Halifax.  I liked it so much, I made some for us the other day.

                                                            Red Curry Mussels
                               (From McKelvies in Halifax via Michealette Barrington)

2 tbs butter
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 small tomato peeled and diced
1 tbs mild red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
4 lbs mussels rinsed
2 tbs fresh chives finely chopped

Melt butter over medium heat in large pot. Add ginger, garlic and tomato and cook for about 4 minutes while stirring. Add curry, mashing into mixture, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk.  Bring to a boil while whisking.  Add mussels, cover and cook for 7 minutes stirring occasionally until mussels fully open.  Ladle mussel and broth into four shallow soup bowls.  Sprinkle with chives.  Serve with French bread.  Broth is great for sopping with bread.

Grated ginger and minced garlic.

Dice a small tomato.

Coconut milk and mild curry paste.

Add the coconut milk and  curry paste.

Add coconut milk and curry paste and bring to boil.

 After adding coconut milk bring to boil and then add mussels.

 Steam mussels for about 7 minutes.

Steam mussels.

Serve in bowl with broth and French bread.

Nice plump mussels in broth.

Mussels in Maine

I like scallops, oysters, and clams, but my favorite mollusk is mussels.  The best mussels I ever had were in Brussels, but if I can't go back to Belgium, then the second best is at the Broad Arrow Tavern in Freeport, Maine.where we stop every year on our way north.  The mussels are wood roasted in a broth with garlic and hazelnuts and they are delicious.

Dan had a cup of clam chowder followed with a serving of mussels.

Dan's clam chowder.

I had just the mussels.  So, so good.

Ready to eat.

Finished.

We saw our first moose of the year here too.

The moose at the Broad Arrow Tavern.