First Friday Fellowship at Custom House Maritime Museum for March of 2018

There is an event that happens at the Custom House Maritime Museum on the first Friday of the month. It is called the First Friday Fellowship. It consists of theme food based on one of the ports of call for Newburyport MA and a lecture or presentation. 

The March 2018 food them was New Orleans. The food was prepared by the CHMM member Sheila Kataria Mullins who also does a personal chef catering too. Normally Cajun / New Orleans food has some bite to it but she adapted it so that New England taste buds could eat it. 

Sheila Kataria Mullins bought the food the day before and started preparing the food early the day of the FFF. It usually an all day of preparation, cooking and presentation (in the photos below). The effort has great results as the members and guests enjoy what was done. 

This is the Cajun artichoke balls. It was really good. It is vegetarian. It did not have any heat but just flavorful. It is Cajun food adapted for the New England taste bud. 

This Cajun corn Maque Chou. It was really good. One thinks of Cajun being spicy hot but it wasn't. It was made for those in the New England area who don't really care for much (if any) heat in their food.

This is the Cajun deviled eggs. These were delicious. Despite being Cajun, it was toned down for New England tastes buds. It was more spicy flavorful than spicy heat. 

This is the chocolate bourbon pie. This was rich and chocolaty. I tried a little bit of it. Not much was leftover since many came back for seconds and thirds. 

This is the marinated shrimp. There was leftover of this and I was able to have some. It was really good. People really enjoyed it. 

This is the muffulettas. It was simple yet tasty. It went well with the members and guests who attended FFF. 

After members and guests were able to sample the food, there was a performance.

It was a recreation of a discussion from a diary. 

It was lively. It was well done. 

Custom House Maritime Museum of Newburyport MA.

Calendar of Events at the CCMM. 

Big Goofy Guy

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Kowloon Chinese Restaurant; Gen Tso Chicken and Kung Pao Chicken

My brother and I went to the Kowloon restaurant for supper. It was a places I always wanted to try. The outside is really fancy and inside is really nice. There is a lot of room but it was still crowded from a lot of people being there. Just after one enters, there is a fish pond under the stairs. There is a big television screen near where one eats.

Here is the fancy cover of the restaurant. 

I had an appetizer. It was really good. I did not take a photo of it. It was the crab Rangoon. It was delicious with the sauce it came with. It had a nice crunch to it.

This is the Kung Pao Chicken that I had. It was really good. It was more than what I could eat at the restaurant. I am glad they let me take the rest home. I had it for the next days lunch. It reheated quite well. It is listed as spicy hot but there was no heat. I did have a lot of flavor. 

This is the General Tso chicken. My brother had  it. He finished it all at the restaurant. I was able to try some. It was good. It was listed as spicy but it was New England spicy; which means little or no bite to it.

This is the pork friend rice that we had thee. It was shared between me and my brother. It was good and there was a lot of it. We took half it home. 

I would definitely recommend it to everyone. They have a great variety at their restaurant. I think they (almost) have something for everyone. It has a great atmosphere and friendly services with competitive prices. 

Big Goofy Guy

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Ipswich Chowder Festival in Ipswich MA

I went to the Ipswich Chowder Festival in Ipswich MA. It is near the Ebsco building (which has some nice art on some of the walls of the building). 

It is in a nice little town of Ipswich MA. It is a quaint little town. It is a nice place to explore. 

Here is the photo of the main tent that had the different restaurants giving samples of their chowders. I tasted everyone of them. Most were good. There was a couple that I did not really consider to be chowders but they were also good. One chose which one that you liked best and voted for that one. 

I did not think I would be full when I tried the samples. There were many places giving samples. It is easy to fill up on them. 

I liked the variety of styles. There was a variety of flavors. It was fun trying them all. 

Below are photos of each of the 'stations' that gave out samples of their chowder. One can barely see the name of the company / restaurant that made the chowder. Perhaps one could enlarge each to read the name. 

There were other tents / parts of the festival. One crossed the bridge and there were crafts and such in a small park. There was a historic house that had an art gallery show. There were a couple of classic cars at a garage (seemed sad few saw the cars, probably more interested in the chowder than anything else). There was a martial arts demonstration too. There was food for those not really interested in chowders. 

Ipswich Chowderfest at Facebook

Ipswich MA.

Big Goofy Guy

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Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Steak Tips and Sweet Potato Fries at Starboard Galley in Newburyport MA

I had supper at the Starboard Galley in Newburyport MA. It is a nice place that has a view of the Merrimack River. There is seating on the inside and the outside (weather permitting). There is parking in the back of the restaurant. There is a sign that directs you to the parking area. The parking area has a nice view of boats (when in summer), and of the Merrimack River.

Here is the plate of bacon wrapped scallops, steak tips, and sweet potato fries. It was really good. I think it was just the right portion without it giving a feeling of being stuffed.

The bacon was not overdone. There are some who like it crispy. At times so do I but this was cooked so it wasn't too crispy or work against the flavor of the scallops. It is a great combo.

The steak tips were cooked just right. One has a steak knife to cut it with but the tips weren't so big that one would have to use the knife to cut them with. I did anyway.

The sweet potato fries were very well done. Once one east sweet potato fries, one would be reluctant to go back to regular fries. In stead of ketchup or mayonnaise (I prefer mayonnaise instead of ketchup), they had honey mustard sauce to dip the fries into. I think it was better than ketchup or even mayonnaise.  

This is what one sees from the road. It does not look like it would have any parking but the parking is in back. It does not look like it would have a lot of space inside but it is very roomy. One passes through the bar to the dining area. 

Starboard Galley.

Big Goofy Guy

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Seafood Lasagna at Century House in Peabody MA

I went with a friend to the Century House in Peabody MA. It is a nice place. It felt warm and comfortable. The staff was friendly and courteous. 

It was crowded when I was there. There is a lot of parking but it was not easy to get a parking space since it was almost filled to capacity. I dropped the person off at the door and found a spot farther away from the entrance. 

I like decor of the restaurant. It was very nice. It was very comfortable. The decor was not in excess in any way (at least the part of it that I saw). Next time I go there, I hope I can see a different part of the restaurant. 

It did not take long to get seated or get our menu's. Even though there was a crowd, seating was still available (or at least our timing was good - there was two of us).

Here is the seafood lasagna that I had. For some reason it only covers half the plate. It does not seem like a lot of food but it was enough for lunch. 

It was really delicious. The seafood did not overwhelm the dish. The lasagna was cooked just right. There was a lot of sauce but it did not overwhelm it. It did not have any fishy taste to it all. I would definitely consider getting it again the next time I am there. 

I did not photograph it but I also had a salad. The lettuce was crisp. The salad dressing was good. It was something that one would enjoy before a meal but won't fill you up to the point where one could not eat the main entree. 

Big Goofy Guy

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Wilbur's Down East French Toast and Orange Pineapple Muffin

I sometimes like to go to Wilbur's. It is near my doctors office. If I have to fast to get some blood work done, I go there to eat breakfast. I like the variety of specials that they have on their menu board. One could order from their menu. 

It is a small place. The entrance is just to the right of this photo.

Here is the down east French toast that I had. It had bacon on top of it. There was syrup to put on it but it tasted too good to put the syrup on it. It came with a small cup of butter. I used it on the toast. It was really delicious. It seems they used 'Texas toast' which is thick bread. It seemed to have a filling that I could not recognize but really enjoyed. 

Here is the orange pineapple muffin. It was toasted. I think it made it even better. It came with a small cup of butter. I put it on and it melted into the muffin. 

The dining area has a lot of tables to chose from. It is not a huge place but it does have that down home feel to it. It is not smug or arrogant. 

The staff are friendly. Every time I have been there, they have treated me well. 

Big Goofy Guy

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Eggnog Ice Cream at Harbor Creamer in Newburyport MA

There is an ice cream store that has not been opened for very long. It is the Harbor Creamery. It is located on Pleasant Street in Newburyport MA. I read that they make the ice cream in small batches. The quality of the ice cream reflects this since - the ones that I have tried so far - are very good. 

They have a reward card that one gets stamped each time one makes a purchase there. After the card has its squares all stamped, one can get an ice cream for free. I completed my card and this purchase was free. 

They have seating inside and a couple of benches outside. It is not a huge place and they don't have a lot of seats but they are comfortable. 

The ice cream I bought was the eggnog flavored one. I tried it before buying it. They have small spoons that one can get a taste of the ice cream so one isn't wasting ones money buying ice cream one might not like. 

I think the price is very reasonable for ice cream of this quality.  

Here is the eggnog ice cream with whipped topping. It is the small cup but one still gets a lot of ice cream. One cannot really see the ice cream because of the whipped topping.

Here is the eggnog ice cream with part of it eaten away. It was delicious. One could taste the eggnog. One can see the ice cream.

Even though it is cold out, I still like to get ice cream. It is my reward for exercising. I think eating something cold triggers the body to produce more heat; which keeps me warmer during the cold. At least this is my reasoning for having some during the colder months. 

Big Goofy Guy

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