Monday, August 28, 2017

I was in Plymouth MA and was looking for a place to eat. I came across a pier with a few restaurants. I decided on The Tavern On The Wharf. It looked very inviting and it seemed to have a nice view of the boats at the pier. There was lots of seating. I saw where I could look out at the fishing boats, tour boats and a tiny pirate ship (a row boat with an outboard motor. It was made to look like a pirate ship). 

The Tavern On The Wharf has a nice menu. There was a variety of items on it. It is a seafood restaurant but they also had lots of non-seafood items for those who don't want or care for seafood. The price was a little above average but not too costly. 

It has a warm and inviting atmosphere to it. The staff was warm, friendly and attentive.  The view was nice. One could seat where one could watch the televisions or seat where one can watch the activity on the pier. 



This the fish and chips. I think the fish was well done and delicious. The Cole slaw was delicious and not too vinegary (some places seem to have way too much vinegar in their Cole slaw). The dip was pretty good. I just wish there was more of it since it went quickly. I asked for mayonnaise for my fries but I had them with malt vinegar and some ketchup since there wasn't a lot of mayonnaise. 

I like how the presented it. It wasn't just tossed on the plate. The breading on the fish wasn't too thick. It was cooked just right. The fish was flaky and easy to break apart to eat. The fries wasn't over cooked. 

I had the lobster cake for an appetizer. It was delicious. One got two of them. It was just the right size for an appetizer. It also came with a small salad and the cakes were on what looks like salsa of some kind. It was delicious. I like the dressing that the salsa and cakes were resting on.

One can see the dressing and the small salad. There was a crunchy onions on top of the cakes. It was an excellent appetizer.  Usually the menu has crab cakes and not lobster cakes. I think this was a pleasant variation of cake. 

I dislike it when an appetizer is too big. When it is as big as an entry, it should be listed as an entree. In my opinion, an appetizer should only be the size that would 'whet' one's appetite and not eliminate it. Appetizers that are too big is one of my 'pet peeves'. 

Here is the cheesecake that was listed on the menu. Usually the food does not look as good in person as they do in the menu. This was just the opposite. It looked way better in person than it did in the menu. Even the photo above does not do it real justice. 

Here is another view of the cheesecake. It has a whipped topping, sits on swirled vanilla pudding (I think it was pudding, it tasted great) with a sliced strawberry on the side. It was really good. This views was better than the view just above this one. 



Plymouth MASS





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Wings and a Shooter at Hooters in Woburn MA

I have been to a Hooters at Mercer Mall in Lawrence NJ and really enjoyed it. I have found a Hooters in Saugus MA. It is a nice place. It was bright inside. It was in a good location with a nice amount of parking. I found it while going home after having eaten at a different restaurant. I went back. This blog was the result of going back. I am glad I did. 

This Hooters was nice. It was a bit on the noisy side. This could be due to all the televisions that were on. It could be due to being on the crowded side. There were more coming in when I was going out. It was busy. The service was friendly and attentive. It did not take long before my food arrived. The eating area was clean. It was comfortable seating. It was not easy deciding which television to watch. 

The menu has a variety of items. I think of wings when I think of Hooters but they have more than just wings. They have something for (almost) everyone. 
This was the boneless chicken wings. It chose ranch dressing for the dip. One could chose either ranch or Blu cheese dressing.  I tried it by itself and dipped. The taste was good either way. 

These were the Hooters Daytona style wings. It was really good. I tried it by itself and dipped. It was good both ways.


These are the naked wings. I assume without sauce since they were not 'naked' from flavor. 

I had tried two different sauces that went onto the wings. One was Gen Tso and the other spicy flavor (forgot what it was but it was definitely tasty). I ordered the minimum for each type / style of wings so I would not fill up with any one style. The wings came on separate plates. This helped keep the flavors from mixing, not that I would mind if they did. 

Eating the wings was a little messy but it was a good kind of messy. One has a roll of paper towels to help clean up and a moist towel to clean ones hand. 
There was a desert tray. I chose the strawberry cheesecake shooter. It was just the right size for desert. It wasn't too big or too sweet. It was delicious I like the little spoon that came with it. I kept the container and tiny spoon. They had a variety of these shooters to chose from. 

Here is the wings section of the Hooters menu. One can see the variety of wings and sauces that go with them. They had more than just wings. They had a variety of items on the menu. 

Here is Hooters ketchup. It has a 'skimpy' label on it. A little bit of my humor. Hooters are known for their waitresses having on 'skimpy' outfits. I have seen men worth there too but not usually in 'skimpy' outfits. One would think they would wear 'skimpy' outfits (or dressed like they work for Chippendale's?) for the ladies who eat there. When I was there, it was mostly male patrons. 





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Crab Rangoon and Spicy Eggplant with Chicken at the Brown Sugar by the Sea in Newburyport MA

There is a really nice Thai restaurant in Newburyport MA called Brown Sugar by the Sea. It is across from the Tannery. It is located in a nice building. They have parking in back of the building. There is a nice view of the river and boats from the back of the restaurant. 

The place is clean and inviting. The service is friendly. The prices are reasonable. The decor is comfortable. The items on the menu are listed from non-spicy hot to spicy hot; depending on how many peppers are listed for it. They have a nice variety of items listed. 

Thai is known - if I remember correctly - for being spicy hot. This is true with some of the food. There are levels of spicy hot but all are spicy flavorful. One can get food with no heat to ones with a lot of heat. I have tried some foods that had no heat and some with a little bit of heat. I will be trying some with a lot of heat in the future. They have a nice variety of foods. 


This is the crab Rangoon. It was very delicious. I had it with and without the sauce. The Rangoon was crunchy but not too hard. The inside was warm and delicious. I like the sauce. One can either dip it in the sauce or use the spoon to pour the sauce on the Rangoon. I did both. 

I am one for appetizers that are not too big. I think the appetizer should be just big enough to try it but not so big that it looks like a main entree. Some places have the appetizer that is so big that one is too filled to eat the entree one ordered. At one place, I had to take half the main entree home since the appetizer was so big and so filling. Appetizers that are too big are one of my pet peeves. 

The is the spicy eggplant dish. I had it with chicken. There were two other choices. It was really good. I liked the sauce that came with it. I used the rice to absorb the remaining sauce. It was not too big. Usually when one gets a meal in the evening, the dish would be rather big. This wasn't and it meant I could have an appetizer or desert since I was not feeling stuffed with the main dish. 

The long green things seemed under cooked and a little tough. They were okay. I think they were either green beans or wax beans. I am not one for either. It did not take away from the rest of the dish, which I really liked. 




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French Toast Bagel and Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Abraham's Bagels in Newburyport MA

I went to the newly re-opened Abraham's Bagels in Newburyport MA. They had shut down due to a fire in the kitchen. They rebuilt it and it was re-opened.  It seemed like forever for them to re-open. 

Abraham's Bagels is a small place next to Buttermilk Bakery and not far from Fig Tree Kitchen. They have seating on the outside and on the inside. They had more than one person taking orders and a person taking payment for the items. One can see where they are working / preparing the food. It is a cozy place. The people who work there are friendly. I can see why it is so popular. 



It is not a huge place. This is the working area of Abraham's Bagels. One can see the different coffees that they have. 

This is one of the menu's. The sign indicates pizza but I saw nothing on the menu's about pizza. I might have missed that part or it wasn't listed that day. The other items more than make up for the lack of pizza. 

Here is another of their menu's. They have a nice variety of items. It was crowded the day I went. It was soon after they had re-opened. 

They have a nice variety of bagels. This is the French toast bagel. I had them put cream cheese on it. They toasted it for me. The cream cheese was warm and tasty. It was delicious. I think it was the right size for breakfast / lunch. 

I ordered the grilled cheese. I had the whole wheat bread. I had them put bacon on it. It came with a pickle. It was delicious. The pickle was good. The sandwich was the right size for breakfast / lunch. It was not over cooked or under cooked. 

There are times a local place is better than a big chain. A local place is more personal and they work harder to make going there worth it. I find they are usually more in tune with what the local residents like. This is just my opinion and there are exemptions to this rule; both local and big chains. 



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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Macaroni and Cheese Plus? part one

I like macaroni and cheese. I like different kinds of macaroni and cheese. I like to add things to my macaroni and cheese. This blog is about things I add to my macaroni and cheese.

I like Kraft macaroni and cheese. I like to get the single serving. If I make a whole box of it, I am likely to eat it all and not save it some for later. I also like the Velveeta macaroni and cheese. Cheese in powder or soft cheese, I like both kinds.

I have tried adding a small can of peas and carrots to my macaroni and cheese. I drain the water from the can. I add it to the macaroni and cheese after I have cooked the macaroni and cheese. I reheat it after adding it to the macaroni and cheese. The peas and carrots add color and makes it a tasty way to eat ones vegetables.

There are times I add a little bit of ketchup to my macaroni and cheese. The brand - Heinz or other brands - add flavor. The flavor depends on the brand of ketchup. I like trying the different flavors of Heinz - sriracha, hot and spicy, jalapeno, etc - to macaroni and cheese.

I like mushrooms. I have added a small can of mushrooms to macaroni and cheese. I reheated it. It was good but did not really add much flavor to it but the cheese added flavor to the mushrooms.

I found a bottle of Kraft sweet and sauce. I have added it to other foods. I added it to my macaroni and cheese. It was pretty good. I added the sauce to mayonnaise then the macaroni and cheese. It was even better.

I like cocktail franks. They are good when mixed in with macaroni and cheese. Vienna sausage is good with it too. I like to heat up hot dogs - usually meat franks but also turkey or chicken hot dogs - before adding it to the macaroni and cheese. There are times I add ketchup to the macaroni and cheese after adding the heated hot dogs.

I like imitation crab meat. it is less expensive than real crab meat. There are times I add the real stuff but not very often. I also like the imitation lobster meat too. There are in the seafood section of grocery stores. I would add them to the cooked macaroni and cheese and heat them up again. It is very good.

There are times I would add duck sauce. It is good with the macaroni and cheese. I would add it after adding some of the above; peas and carats, imitation crab meat, or mushrooms.

I like Lawry's seasoned salt. It adds extra flavor to the macaroni and cheese. I have to be careful not to add too much; otherwise, it would overwhelm the macaroni and cheese flavor.

One time I added spaghetti sauce with my macaroni and cheese. It was pretty good. I tried different brands and flavors. There is so many varieties to chose from. I get the ones in jars since I can use a little and save the rest. With cans, one has to store it in another container.

I have even tried it with different soups. I like the tomato soup or other tomato varieties. Each adds its own special flavor to the macaroni and cheese. I like adding cream of mushroom soup. It has a special flavor to mac and cheese.



This is part one. I will be trying different things with my macaroni and cheese and will be blogging about it.





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Experimenting with Pancake Mixes; Part One

I like to use the Bisquick Complete to make pancakes. I also use - on occasion - other brand like Maple Grove Farms of Vermont complete. This is not about the pancake mixes themselves, there is another blog for that. This is blog about things I like to mix in with the pancake batter to see what they would taste like when cooked.

I was told to make my pancakes healthier, to add both flax seed meal and bran meal. I find it does not really affect the taste of the pancake, no matter what brand I use. I like pancakes and making them. Making it healthier gives me a reason to make them since I want to eat healthier (if only to please my doctor).

I like spinach. I like to buy the small cans of spinach. It is just enough for one person. I like to add it to the pancake mix. One would think it would taste weird but it doesn't. It was pretty good. It would be great for St Patrick day since it gives the pancakes a greenish tint to it.

There are times I use a bag of baby spinach. I crumble it up / tear it up in small pieces and mix it in the batter. The texture is a little different but still pretty good. The downside of using fresh baby spinach is that one has to use it right away otherwise it would go bad in a short time.

I also like getting small can of peas and carrots. They have cans of mixed vegetables but I don't care for green beans. I drain the can of peas and carrots before adding it to the pancake mix. It might be a little lumpy but still good. I like the texture it gives the pancakes.

I like mushrooms. I like all kinds of mushrooms. I prefer the ones that comes in cans. I like the small cans since I can use it up and have them dry out. It gives the pancakes a lumpy look to it but it is really good. At first I had poured the pancake mix and laid the mushrooms on top as it cooked. Now I just add it to the mix before making the pancakes. It is a little easier that way. I don't have to worry about the pancake cooking too soon before adding it to the batter.

I also like banana's. I also like peanut butter. I have (or had since I used them up) PBFit - chocolate and peanut butter, and peanut butter (both in powder form which made it easier to mix in with the pancake mix but I will try the low fat peanut butter or whipped peanut butter in the future). I have tried it with both the chocolate and peanut butter powder, and with peanut butter powder. I tried both powders with a banana mixed in. It wasn't difficult to mix in, especially when the banana is on the ripe side. It tastes great great of the four ways I tried it; banana with chocolate peanut butter powder, banana with peanut butter banana, just chocolate peanut butter powder, and just peanut butter powder.

I tried mixing in the PBFit peanut butter powder with the pancake mix. As above, it was tried before but this time I would make the pancake mix and cook it up but add marshmallow fluff instead of pancake syrup. It was a pancake version of the fluffer rnutter I tried when I was younger and still eat with peanut butter / marshmallow on bread but this was the breakfast version.

There is  blueberry bush along side my driveway. I would pick some and put them into the pancake mix. It gave the pancake blue dots. It tasted great. The blue berries were fresh since I just picked them. I also bought blue berry syrup to go with it. It was tasty and good for me. I was told that blue berries is considered a 'super food'.

This is part one. I will be trying different things / foods to mix in with my pancake mix. Since I am in a 'seafood area', I might try different sea foods next. I might add diced tomatoes. Any future mixtures will be in part 2 of pancake experiments.



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Thursday, August 3, 2017

Port City Cuban returns to Port City Sandwich in Newburyport MA

There was a return of the delicious Port City Cuban sandwich to the Port City Sandwich shop in Newburyport MA. I am glad. I am glad since it was good when they had it before.
This is the chicken and rice soup. It is better than anything one can get in a can. It tastes fresh and home made. It has nice carrots in it.

Here is the Port City Cuban sandwich. It is cut for you and comes with a delicious pickle.

One can see the layers in the sandwich. It is not huge but is the perfect size for lunch. It is filling but won't leave you feeling stuffed. It is really good. 
They have a variety of these chips. They are good. I have tried different ones and they are good.

They have a variety of beverages. Here are ones I chose. I like them. The Coca Cola cherry Zero was good and so was the diet Coke


Port City Sandwich is my favorite sandwich shop. It is not far from the boardwalk. One can get ones sandwich the way one wants. They also have great soups and muffins. They serve breakfast and lunch. When I am downtown, this is high on my list of lunch places (there are quite a few on my list to chose from). 


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Mini Scoops Ice Cream at Harbor Creamery in Newburyport MA.

There is a new ice cream store in Newburyport MA. It is called Harbor Creamery. It is not a big place but it is cozy and comfortable. There is seating on the inside and benches on the outside. They have a variety of flavors, toppings and sizes of cups and cones. The people there are friendly. It does not take long to get ones ice cream.

They have an incentive to return to their store; other than just having good ice cream. It is a card that one of the employees stamp. After so many purchases, one is rewarded with free ice cream (IIRC).

They had taken over a store that had gone out of business. While it is sad that one store has closed, I am glad there is another one that took its place. It is on Pleasant street. There is a parking area nearby and it is easy to get to in the downtown area. One could eat at a different location and have desert there.
This is the black raspberry ice cream. It was really good. It has a very nice texture. It was very creamy. One can taste the black raspberry but it isn't so strong that it is overwhelming. 

Here is the caramel crunch ice cream. It was really good. I like the small bits of caramel crunch. It really added to the flavor. They were not too hard yet crunchy. 

This is the chocolate milk ice cream with chocolate chips. It has whipped topping on it. It was very chocolaty and very good. 

Since I bought this during Yankee Homecoming Week, they had this. It is named Yankee Homecoming Fireworks; the sprinkles being the fireworks. I had them add the whipped topping. 

I chose the mini scoops since I am a diabetic. I rewarded myself with these since I walked to and from the store from my home. It is a great way to get exercise and an incentive to get there and back. The cost is $4.50 for the mini. For what one gets, it is quite affordable. 





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