I generally loathe and abhor shopping at Shaw's for the following reasons:
1. People walk like they drive. With 4 senior citizen complexes within a stone's throw of Cobb's Corner, this is obviously not a good thing.
2. Nobody in the entire shopping center (except me, of course) has any idea how to navigate a parking lot or how to stay in the lines. You get one parking spot, you greedy fuck, not two.
3. They never have enough cashiers on duty, which makes getting out there a nightmare. On top of that, they're all unionized and act as such. Just remember buddy, you're getting paid by the hour, not by the number of items you scan.
4. They have even less baggers. Why should I bag my own groceries? My sister is a bagger at Roche Bros and she has the paper or plastic thing down to a science. I don't enjoy doing it and tend to overload it with large, glass objects. My attitude is let a professional do it.
I'm having my grandfather and his girlfriend over for dinner tonight. I stopped off at Shaw's to get three small items: salmon, salad dressing, and sugar-free Klondike bars. The 10 item or less line (aka: the single people line) looked a drive thru McDonald's at 3am so I opted for the regular cashier. It took me 15 minutes to get out of there and I only had ONE person in front of me. Aside from being slower than shit, the old lady insisted on paying with a check! WTF!!!! Who in this century uses checks at the grocery store? And by the way, does the term "ice cream" mean anything to you? As in, it melts if you're stuck waiting for some shithead in front of you to balance their social security check against their Shaw's bill, minus the four billion coupons of course. Rant over....
Monday, July 2, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Restaurant Review #3 - Birch Street Bistro
Restaurant: Birch Street Bistro
Address: 14 Birch St, Roslindale, MA
Website: www.birchstbistro.com
Rating: C+
The up-and-coming Roslindale Center has a dizzying amount of new dining options. Last night my friend Josh suggested the Birch Street Bistro, as he is friendly with their new executive chef, Marcelo de Oliveira. Juggling three jobs, Marcelo may be one of Boston's hardest working chefs. Birch Street features "new American" cuisine via a generic and slightly overpriced menu offering. Generally when I dine out I expect an amazing experience. While the service was impeccable and Marcelo obviously went out of his way to treat us like royalty, this experience just simply didn't measure up.
The three of us started off by splitting a bottle of grossly marked-up Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. I was kind of surprised that a restaurant attempting to be of a higher caliber not only served Kendall Jackson, but that it was in fact that only chardonnay they had available. I expect that a bottle of wine in a restaurant would be more expensive than it would in a regular package store. I don't, however, expect to be charged $33 for a $7 bottle of wine.
Moving on to dinner.....
The waiter promptly brought us all waters and a basket of remarkably fresh Italian bread. Josh and I ordered caesar salads ($6) which featured croutons made from that remarkably fresh Italian bread. For my main entree I chose the chicken piccata ($14) which was garnished with capers (I love capers!) and served over penne. Though it was a very good pasta dish, it had obvioulsy been under a heat lamp for a little bit which lead to a slightly crusty top layer.
Because Josh and Hallie were friendly with the chef and are regular customers, Marcelo brought us all free desserts which was nice of him and very unexpected. Incidentally, the desserts were the best part of the meal. Marcelo brought us out two of my absolute favorite desserts - creme brulee and a brownie sundae. He also brought us each a dish of sorbet with fresh berries on top - it was the perfect way to end a nice evening.
In my humble opinion, the new American cuisine thing is a bit overdone. The Birch Street menu features everything from fish and scallops to burgers and brick oven pizza. I think that they need to have a clearer vision of which direction they want to head in as far cuisine offering and stick with it.
Birch Street would be the ideal place to meet up with a couple of friends for desserts and drinks, especially on a Thursday night when the Birch St brings in live jazz musicians.
The Birch Street Bistro is located across from the commuter rail station in Roslindale Center. Parking is available on street as well as the MBTA parking lot.
Address: 14 Birch St, Roslindale, MA
Website: www.birchstbistro.com
Rating: C+
The up-and-coming Roslindale Center has a dizzying amount of new dining options. Last night my friend Josh suggested the Birch Street Bistro, as he is friendly with their new executive chef, Marcelo de Oliveira. Juggling three jobs, Marcelo may be one of Boston's hardest working chefs. Birch Street features "new American" cuisine via a generic and slightly overpriced menu offering. Generally when I dine out I expect an amazing experience. While the service was impeccable and Marcelo obviously went out of his way to treat us like royalty, this experience just simply didn't measure up.
The three of us started off by splitting a bottle of grossly marked-up Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. I was kind of surprised that a restaurant attempting to be of a higher caliber not only served Kendall Jackson, but that it was in fact that only chardonnay they had available. I expect that a bottle of wine in a restaurant would be more expensive than it would in a regular package store. I don't, however, expect to be charged $33 for a $7 bottle of wine.
Moving on to dinner.....
The waiter promptly brought us all waters and a basket of remarkably fresh Italian bread. Josh and I ordered caesar salads ($6) which featured croutons made from that remarkably fresh Italian bread. For my main entree I chose the chicken piccata ($14) which was garnished with capers (I love capers!) and served over penne. Though it was a very good pasta dish, it had obvioulsy been under a heat lamp for a little bit which lead to a slightly crusty top layer.
Because Josh and Hallie were friendly with the chef and are regular customers, Marcelo brought us all free desserts which was nice of him and very unexpected. Incidentally, the desserts were the best part of the meal. Marcelo brought us out two of my absolute favorite desserts - creme brulee and a brownie sundae. He also brought us each a dish of sorbet with fresh berries on top - it was the perfect way to end a nice evening.
In my humble opinion, the new American cuisine thing is a bit overdone. The Birch Street menu features everything from fish and scallops to burgers and brick oven pizza. I think that they need to have a clearer vision of which direction they want to head in as far cuisine offering and stick with it.
Birch Street would be the ideal place to meet up with a couple of friends for desserts and drinks, especially on a Thursday night when the Birch St brings in live jazz musicians.
The Birch Street Bistro is located across from the commuter rail station in Roslindale Center. Parking is available on street as well as the MBTA parking lot.
Hooray for Summer!
Can I tell you how blessed we are to be living in New England? After spending some time in the mid-west, our summers are by far the best from sea to shining sea. When the temp soars in Chicago, people go off to Lake Michigan in droves. That's right - a lake. How lame is that?
After avoiding it for a decade and a half, I went down to Nantasket Beach yesterday in Hull. When my parents were growing up in the 60's and 70's, Nantasket was the beach to be and be seen. Years of poor MDC funding, erosion, and lack of community support lead to the downfall of a once New England treasure. The Herald did an expose on "Trashbasket" beach a few years ago and things have actually improved. While there are obviously nicer beaches, Nantasket is not a bad option, especially considering that it's only 20 minutes from the South Shore Plaza and parking is only $3.
I honestly don't know why I don't take advantage of the beach more. People across the world come to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore by the tens of thousands and I have never even spent a single weekend there. Newport, RI has beautiful beaches by day and Thames Street by night. Mystic, CT is a hop, skip, and a jump off I-95 and Ogunquit, ME is about the same distance going northbound.
For the first time ever, I am off to the Cape this July 4th. Naturally I am bringing a Cape Cod native with me for guidance and protection. We've already got plans to go back down for the weekend of my birthday and we want to squeeze more beach weekends in as well. Even with the price of gas and parking, I challenge anyone to come up with a better way to spend a glorious weekend afternoon than at one of our beaches. Summer is here - might as well take advantage of it!
After avoiding it for a decade and a half, I went down to Nantasket Beach yesterday in Hull. When my parents were growing up in the 60's and 70's, Nantasket was the beach to be and be seen. Years of poor MDC funding, erosion, and lack of community support lead to the downfall of a once New England treasure. The Herald did an expose on "Trashbasket" beach a few years ago and things have actually improved. While there are obviously nicer beaches, Nantasket is not a bad option, especially considering that it's only 20 minutes from the South Shore Plaza and parking is only $3.
I honestly don't know why I don't take advantage of the beach more. People across the world come to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore by the tens of thousands and I have never even spent a single weekend there. Newport, RI has beautiful beaches by day and Thames Street by night. Mystic, CT is a hop, skip, and a jump off I-95 and Ogunquit, ME is about the same distance going northbound.
For the first time ever, I am off to the Cape this July 4th. Naturally I am bringing a Cape Cod native with me for guidance and protection. We've already got plans to go back down for the weekend of my birthday and we want to squeeze more beach weekends in as well. Even with the price of gas and parking, I challenge anyone to come up with a better way to spend a glorious weekend afternoon than at one of our beaches. Summer is here - might as well take advantage of it!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Minnesota - You betcha!
Minneapolis may be one of the top cities I've ever been to. Yeah - no kidding. Though obviously not as big as NY, as exciting as London, or as bustling as Tel Aviv, for a combined Twin Cities populuation that's roughly equivalent to Boston, it certainly offers a whole heck of a lot when you're there on business a couple of days.
I think that there's something about living in a harsh climate that makes people friendly, especially when the temps soar above 60 degrees. While a lot of them have no love for the East Coast (or the people who live there for that matter), for the most part they lived up to their "Minnesota Nice" stereo-type in a Rose Nyland sort of way.
Much like Montreal, the buildings downtown are linked through climate controlled corridors with shops and restaurants on either side. The shopping in the Cities alone is amazing, though a pit stop at the Mall of America in nearby Bloomington was obviously on the agenda. The Twins were in town this week and though I wasn't able to catch a game, I am sad to report that the MetroDome may be the ugliest, nastiest ball park in all of major league baseball. It looks like the Bridgewater Sports Dome BEFORE it collapsed. Rumor has it that there are plans to tear down and build a new stadium in the near future.
If you're looking for a Red Sox road trip, I would put Minneapolis at the top of your list. The street car transit system (called the T - circle around the "T" and all!) makes it fairly easy to get around and there's lot of water activities you can do on nearby Lake Minnetonka. While you will likely be shocked at how little you'll have to spend to entertain yourself, there is one caveat - the lack of direct routes from Boston will jack up your airfare.
I think that there's something about living in a harsh climate that makes people friendly, especially when the temps soar above 60 degrees. While a lot of them have no love for the East Coast (or the people who live there for that matter), for the most part they lived up to their "Minnesota Nice" stereo-type in a Rose Nyland sort of way.
Much like Montreal, the buildings downtown are linked through climate controlled corridors with shops and restaurants on either side. The shopping in the Cities alone is amazing, though a pit stop at the Mall of America in nearby Bloomington was obviously on the agenda. The Twins were in town this week and though I wasn't able to catch a game, I am sad to report that the MetroDome may be the ugliest, nastiest ball park in all of major league baseball. It looks like the Bridgewater Sports Dome BEFORE it collapsed. Rumor has it that there are plans to tear down and build a new stadium in the near future.
If you're looking for a Red Sox road trip, I would put Minneapolis at the top of your list. The street car transit system (called the T - circle around the "T" and all!) makes it fairly easy to get around and there's lot of water activities you can do on nearby Lake Minnetonka. While you will likely be shocked at how little you'll have to spend to entertain yourself, there is one caveat - the lack of direct routes from Boston will jack up your airfare.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
At least someone prefers me....
I just got a call from the Coach store at the South Shore Plaza. Apparently I've dropped enough money in their store over the years to be considered a "preferred customer" and as such am entitled to 25% off their entire stock between now and the 30th. If you're jonesing for Coach, let me know and I'll meet you at the Plaza for the discount.
It's all taking a toll on me
Knickers are in a twist out in metro-west after the Turnpike Authority announced their intentions of raising the Mass Pike tolls during rush hour this week. Hey Framingham, you should've voted for Muffy while you had the chance.
I understand the frustration of Metro-west commuters who are stuck paying for a road that was paid for in full 2 decades ago. While I don't think that we should raise tolls on the Pike, I certainly don't think that we should eliminate them either. In fact, while we're doing all of these fancy road improvement projects, we should erect toll booths on Route 24 at 140 as well as on US Route 3 on the North Shore.
I seriously don't feel bad for people who live way outside the boundaries of greater Boston who get stuck paying a toll to get to and from work. NH doesn't have a problem forcing me to pay a toll to drive on the DW Highway so I don't see why we should give our brethern from southern NH to Worcester to Fall River a free ride on our dime.
Every medium-large company has an HR department that specificially calculates the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for a particular area. For example, someone working in Worcester/Springfield will likely get paid less than someone doing their same exact job in downtown Boston. COLA is calculated strictly on which zip code the business resides in - not on where that particular employee chooses to reside. In other words, someone can be making a Boston salary but living for a heck of a lot less in Nashua should they choose to do so.
So let me get this right you metro-west cry babies: you want to have your cake and eat it too. Rather than suck it up and buy a smaller home in greater Boston you choose to take your inflated Boston salary back to your large home in Fall River/NH/central MA. You contribute nothing to our community, clog our highways, refuse to give up your Boston salary in favor of a shorter commute, and then want to stick us with the bill. Not to mention that commuters from NH drive on our roads to collect their Boston salary and then don't even turn around to pay state income taxes to Massachusetts, yet folks out in Worcester do. How is THAT fair?
Let's face it: people don't commute to Boston from the corners of the earth to make LESS than what they would make by working closer to home. Those of us in greater Boston use our Boston COLA for what it was intended for: to off-set the cost of living and working in our community. We may have to live in smaller houses and cut back a bit more, but in the end this is a decision that we choose to make - everyone else can pay a toll in order to live out their lifestyle.
I understand the frustration of Metro-west commuters who are stuck paying for a road that was paid for in full 2 decades ago. While I don't think that we should raise tolls on the Pike, I certainly don't think that we should eliminate them either. In fact, while we're doing all of these fancy road improvement projects, we should erect toll booths on Route 24 at 140 as well as on US Route 3 on the North Shore.
I seriously don't feel bad for people who live way outside the boundaries of greater Boston who get stuck paying a toll to get to and from work. NH doesn't have a problem forcing me to pay a toll to drive on the DW Highway so I don't see why we should give our brethern from southern NH to Worcester to Fall River a free ride on our dime.
Every medium-large company has an HR department that specificially calculates the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for a particular area. For example, someone working in Worcester/Springfield will likely get paid less than someone doing their same exact job in downtown Boston. COLA is calculated strictly on which zip code the business resides in - not on where that particular employee chooses to reside. In other words, someone can be making a Boston salary but living for a heck of a lot less in Nashua should they choose to do so.
So let me get this right you metro-west cry babies: you want to have your cake and eat it too. Rather than suck it up and buy a smaller home in greater Boston you choose to take your inflated Boston salary back to your large home in Fall River/NH/central MA. You contribute nothing to our community, clog our highways, refuse to give up your Boston salary in favor of a shorter commute, and then want to stick us with the bill. Not to mention that commuters from NH drive on our roads to collect their Boston salary and then don't even turn around to pay state income taxes to Massachusetts, yet folks out in Worcester do. How is THAT fair?
Let's face it: people don't commute to Boston from the corners of the earth to make LESS than what they would make by working closer to home. Those of us in greater Boston use our Boston COLA for what it was intended for: to off-set the cost of living and working in our community. We may have to live in smaller houses and cut back a bit more, but in the end this is a decision that we choose to make - everyone else can pay a toll in order to live out their lifestyle.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Happy Juneteenth
Earlier this week, Governor Deval Patrick made Massachusetts the 25th state on the country to officially commemorate the end of slavery.
On January 1, 1863 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively ending slavery in the United States. As Union troops entered Confederate territory they enforced the executive order. While the Confederacy officially fell during January of 1865, the stretched Union army didn't make it to Texas until June of that year. On June 19, 1865 the Union army entered Galveston, Texas where General Gordon Granger publically announced the Proclamation. Reactions ranged from shock to celebration. The annual anniversary of Juneteenth has since spread from Galveston across the southern US all the way up to the Bay State.
On January 1, 1863 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively ending slavery in the United States. As Union troops entered Confederate territory they enforced the executive order. While the Confederacy officially fell during January of 1865, the stretched Union army didn't make it to Texas until June of that year. On June 19, 1865 the Union army entered Galveston, Texas where General Gordon Granger publically announced the Proclamation. Reactions ranged from shock to celebration. The annual anniversary of Juneteenth has since spread from Galveston across the southern US all the way up to the Bay State.
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