"Here I go, Here I go, Here I go again..."

"Girls, what's my weakness? Men! Blogging!"
There were two places to be last Friday night. The Salt 'n Pepa concert or Salt 'n Ipswich.

Choo-Chew opted to satisfy our '90s thirst at SALT Kitchen and Rum Bar with debates on which lunch period was better. (I mean seriously, was anyone even in B lunch??)

A Choo-Chew plan was quickly thrown together with Andy already on the train from Boston. Matt joined up in Beverly, and met up with the rest of the group in downtown Ipswich. (The restaurant is a quick jaunt from the train stop.)

Our trip down '90s memory lane continued with a Kelly Kapowski . OK fine, it's really called a Kapowski, but who else could this possibly be named after?! It was the perfect, refreshing summer cocktail.

Other recommendations are: the Haymaker, theWhiskey and the Mutineer.

We may or may not have had a few apps while waiting for Laura and Evan. A delicious cheese plate from Appleton Farms, Pierogis and Chinese Meatball Sliders. They were so yummy, all evidence was removed from the table before they showed up!

Entrees were just as mouth-watering: Fried Chicken and Bacon Waffles, Strip Steak, Barley Risotto, Seafood Puttanesca and Lobster Rueben.

Laura requested "a chocolate-chip, honey dip, can I get a scoop?", so we contemplated taking a ride in the coupe over to Benson's, but instead stayed put for the Blondie Brownie Sundae and SALTed Caramel Ice Cream.

SALT was "born with the thought that our industry should not be just about food and beverage. It is about hospitality. It is about inviting people into your home, feeling comfortable and celebrating with great food and delicious drink." They have absolutely nailed it.

Jaime and I will be visiting again soon, accompanied by sunkissed noses and salty, beach waves.


And, yes, Choo-Chew is still rolling! Stay tuned for more posts about train-accessible restaurants and we are going to push it (push it real good) into other categories that suit our fancy!

Cheers!

All aboard!

Nantucket is my favorite place in the world. Hands down. Forget Maui. Forget Dublin. Even Paris doesn’t beat Nantucket.

Ok - I can hear the gasps from here.

Disclaimer: I love all of those places as well (probably in that order behind good ole’ ACK), but nothing gives you that satisfying home-away-from-home feeling than docking at Straight Wharf as memories of adolescence come flooding in. Nothing beats letting air out of the tires, and driving on every possible sandy road with the windows down and the radio up, as you pass one gorgeous grey-shingled house after another, on the hunt for the next hidden beach. And for me, there isn’t a 5 star hotel in the world that beats renting a house with your best friends, stocking the fridge with cold ones and waking up every morning to the salty, damp Nantucket air. Ahhhh – heaven!

So we took to the Steamship Authority (the train of the sea – ehh a stretch, I know!) jeep and all, and enjoyed every minute of our week of summer freedom.

Gloucester - I hardly knew her!

Jen here!

I celebrated my birthday a couple weekends ago and it validated my appreciation for the most important things in life – family and friends! To me, there is nothing better than sitting around a table with your besties – eating, drinking and laughing. The week-long celebration was a true birthday success!

Green Land Café: A cherry on top!

Hi - Matt here!
A couple weekends back Jen and I went out to celebrate her birthday with two very special guest diners – Jack and Debbie, Jen’s parents.  We picked Green Land Café, which is located right in downtown Salem. It is very convenient from the train stop – just 200 yards down Washington Street.  Greenland takes pride in “fresh thinking”.  They have shaped their restaurant around sustainability and organic ingredients, grown and harvested locally. Their commitment to sustainability shows throughout the restaurant – including the bar constructed from the building’s original oak doors that were found in the attic when the restaurant was being built.

(photo courtesy of greenlandcafe.com)

Soma - SoMany Good Drinks!

Jen here! A few Saturday nights ago Matt and I headed to Soma to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of his 29^th birthday!

Although we didn’t arrive via choo-choo, Soma is located on Cabot Street only a quick 10 minute walk away (.5 mile) from the Beverly Depot train station. So it is easily accessible by commuter rail or car.

We reserved the overly large square table in the bar (our favorite table) and enjoyed many delicious dishes and drinks with 4 guest diners: Rich & Sarah and Chris & Keira.

Not enough North Shore restaurants have such a stylish, yet comfortable ambiance that draws you in and wraps around you. The dark wood floor, big cozy booth and perfect chillaxing music makes you feel relaxed and excited at the same time. Soma gets an A for lighting. The hanging jelly fish lights dance above you at the bar and the perfectly lit dining room creates a cool vibe. (Oh! And I think they were one of the first restaurants ever to have the Xlerator, which is my favorite invention of the 21^st century. It beats out the Dyson Airblade any day of the week.)

Beyond super cool bathroom technologies, Soma has one of the best drink menus around. The martinis range from perfect pre-dinner libations (The Strawberry Basil Martini or Bourbon Soma Smash) to perfect-ending liquid desserts (The Banana Bread martini – my fave!)

We started with a few delicious appetizers – Classic Caesar Salad for Mr. Matty, Rhode Island style fried calamari for Rich and beet salad with “zingy” dressing for Sarah. Round 1 was a success.

Entrees were the piece-de-resistance. After inquiring with our waitress “what’s the deal with the seasonal vegetable soup” and her response being “it is amazing,” I went right for it – no more questions asked. It was fresh spring vegetables, vegetable nage, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil served in a gorgeous bowl. She was right – it was amazing.

Spring Has Sprung @ 15 Walnut

Last night Matt and I grabbed a spur-of-the-moment bite out at 15 Walnut and were happily surprised to find the spring menu in all its freshness and glory.

I started with the Spring Thai Soup with fresh local spring vegetables, lemongrass and ginger broth. Delish and vegan! For my entrée I tried the Spring Panzanella Salad with asparagus, pea shoots, spring onions, arugula and croutons. I opted sans prosciutto. I still haven’t decided if I liked it or not. Give me a rustic panzanella salad any day of the week, but it didn’t quite deliver to my expectations. My latest opinion is people who like peppery arugula and green goddess dressing will sing its praises. I, however, pushed it around a bit and felt a little guilty when the server cleared our plates.

Matt of course had Caesar salad and shocked the waiter when he ordered a burger instead of his go-to roasted chicken. It was cooked perfectly and rightly paired with a few Whale’s Tale Pale Ales.

The spring menu made me forget my allergies for a couple of hours and reminded me why spring is my 2^nd favorite season – fresh produce!