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liamsaunt

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Everything posted by liamsaunt

  1. We moved to Provincetown yesterday. There are a LOT of people here, and no one is wearing masks. I do not think we will be spending much time in town. The house we are renting is completely off by itself, with no neighbors in sight. It's quite overcast right now but I will share some pictures of the setting at some point. We were not smart enough to make dinner reservations for last night (I quickly wised up and booked tables for our remaining nights), so we tried walking in to Mac's Fish House at 5PM, figuring the earlier we got there, the better our chances. They seated us at an outdoor table all by itself over in a far corner. It was perfect for our paranoid selves haha. Drinks. My delicious sparkling water 😉, a gin spin for my sister, and both guys got a special drink of the evening that I forget the name of. I do know it was tequila based. Bad drink reporting again. Second drink for husband's brother. This was a sweet heat margarita. Basically a margarita with chiles. For appetizers we shared a couple of things. Shrimp and grits. I liked the grits, they were very creamy. Steamer clams The biggest hit was the halibut and striped bass seveche. This was terrific. Husband's brother got lobster gnocchi. He really liked this. I got a special of blackened scallops over pea congee. This was really nice. The scallops were so sweet and tender. My sister got a plate of fried clams. This was huge. Husband's brother helped her eat it. My husband got the fisherman's platter. I could not believe he ordered this. It was gargantuan. It had shrimp, scallops, whole bellied clams, and cod. He managed to eat all of the fish, but most of the fries and the slaw was left behind. After dinner we decided to drive to town. The plan was to walk around for a bit while the car charged at the pier, but it was just too crowded for our comfort level as there is no way to keep your distance from others in town the way you can at the beach. I guess I am just not ready to fully reenter society yet haha. We did find a section of Commercial Street that was not too bad, so we walked down here a block or so before turning back. We walked over to the town beach to look at the boats for a few minutes.
  2. This morning my sister and I woke up early and decided to walk to breakfast. There are two places in easy walking distance, and she chose the Fox and Crow. She wanted the same egg sandwich she had there earlier in the summer. I was hopeful that they would have the mezze plate I wanted to try that they were out of back in June. Success on both fronts. Egg sandwich Jerusalem mezze plate. It came with toum, goat cheese, mustard, roasted pepper spread, and cucumbers. My husband was still asleep when we got back so I woke him up by breathing my toum breath all over his head hahaha. That's what you get for sleeping late! I made up for it by bringing him back an egg sandwich. Dinner was at Winslow's Tavern again. Drinks. Crush and blush (sparkling rose and pampelmousse), Summer in a glass (lemonade, vodka, basil), Porch swing (St. Germaine, limoncello...and that is all that my husband's brother remembers from it. It must have vodka or gin or something, like that too). No photo of my boring sparkling water. Tabasco lime roasted oysters Lobster croquetas Tomato and burrata plate with bacon jam My husband's brother got the same swordfish I had the other night, so I did not take a picture. My sister had cod with clams, a bouillabaisse sauce, olive relish and roasted fennel. Husband chose tuna with roasted cherry tomatoes, fregeola, and pepper relish Nothing was really appealing to me, so I went for the restaurant's vegetarian choice: braised zucchini and summer squash pasta with toasted pine nuts, golden raisins and parmesan cheese. It was tasty. We had to skip dessert in order to make the sunset So, of course, gelato. Tonight's flavors were mostly repeats, except for me. I chose blackberry. Other people chose salted caramel, coffee, and dark chocolate. That's it for the gelato. We decided to move to Provincetown tomorrow since Sunday's weather looks a bit iffy, so new restaurants and sunset locations start then.
  3. Yes, we are fine. The tornado was minor, and in a town about 10 miles from us. It is my understanding that no one was injured from it. The big tree in front of the house lost a large limb from the wind, but it landed in the lawn, right next to the house and adjacent to the driveway, but not on either. The saltwater creek behind the house was very high but did not flood. Your state took much more of the damage from this storm than MA did. I saw some of the tornado images from NJ and they were truly frightening. I hope that you are OK as well. After a rainy morning, the sun came out and we got in a good long walk. We had dinner at the Wicked Oyster. They built a nice al fresco area next to the restaurant in answer to covid, so that's where we sat. Cocktails. The pink one is a watermelon margarita and I am unsure what the other one is. I guess my cocktail reporting has gotten kind of spotty since I stopped drinking any of them 🙃 Oysters Shrimp egg rolls Fried calamari Husband's brother got a seafood stew with clams, mussels, flounder, and shrimp I had a lemon herb risotto with a sun dried tomato pesto topped with shrimp My sister had blackened swordfish with coconut rice and a canteloupe salsa Husband ordered lobster gnocchi We skipped dessert at the restaurant because....gelato! Tonight's flavors: coffee, chocolate hazelnut (my sister insisted on ordering that one instead of choosing a new flavor, sigh), and sweet cream. Husband's brother skipped gelato in favor of having a beer later. Tonight's sunset
  4. Breakfast was more tomatoes from home. Extra napkins required. The day was pretty overcast with showers off and on, so other than a walk along the harbor, we just spent most of the day at the house. Here is the backyard. It's pretty relaxing back there. My sister and husband's brother came out this evening, and wanted to go back to Mac's Shack, even though we were just there last night. Twist my arm. Oysters Shrimp toast Fried clams My husband and his brother both got tonight's special: seared striped bass on polenta with confit tomato My sister and I both wanted the seared scallops, served with quinoa and corn puree Everything was delicious.
  5. We rent from different sources. Not VRBO/AirB+B because you can usually find the same places on other sites without the fees. It just takes some poking around online. Once we rent a place, if we like it and want to rent again, we typically rent direct from the owner, as usually the owners will reach out after your stay and ask if you want to lock in again for the following year. We rented this house from a realty company in town that reps vacation rentals as well as offering the usual realtor services. I made breakfast from stuff I brought from home. An omelet stuffed with sautéed summer squash, zucchini and swiss cheese, a tomato from the farm box, and some bread that I baked to bring for toasting. We spent the morning at Indian Neck. This is a sticker beach on the harbor side, so not crowded. It's a good walking beach because a lot of it is firmer sand. We spent the afternoon at Lecount Hollow on the ocean side. You can see the clouds starting to move in. We are expecting weather from the remnants of Ida tomorrow evening into Thursday. Dinner was at Mac's Shack. Halibut turadito and jalepeno yellowtail Husband chose a seafood stew with calamari, monkfish, shrimp, mussels, and razor clams I had grilled monkfish skewers on a farro, tomato and cucumber salad with a stone fruit compote. We finished dinner in time to catch the sunset at Duck Harbor And then went back for more gelato. Tonight we tried the chocolate hazelnut and the coconut. Both were very tasty, but we gave the edge to the chocolate hazelnut.
  6. We are back in Wellfleet. Since my last posting, my nephew has moved to Montana to do a service year on the Crow reservation and my niece has returned to college (fingers crossed that they stay in for the whole semester, we will see), so this will be an adults only visit. My husband and I came out yesterday and will be in Wellfleet through the weekend, after which we will move to Provincetown for a few days. We have an accommodation overlap on Saturday, so I am not sure if we are moving to Provincetown on Saturday or Sunday. I guess it will depend on the weather. We are still sticking to outside dining only. My sister and my husband's brother are joining us later this week. My brother is out of vacation time at work, so can't come. Here is where we are staying this time. It's an old house that is walkable to town and the beach. I like it a lot. Last night we walked to the Pearl for dinner Husband's Cape Cod margarita (it has cranberry juice in it) We split an order of bang bang shrimp I got grilled swordfish with jerked pineapple salsa. I was pleasantly surprised. The fish was very fresh and perfectly cooked. The serving was too large, so I shared. Husband had scampi with shrimp and scallops (and the swordfish I gave him from my plate). He was very hungry so this was a good choice. I am against cheese on fish dishes, but he voiced no complaints. We sprung for a beach sticker for the week, and headed to one of the town's beaches this morning. As you can see, it's still awfully crowded on the Cape! We walked down a ways, and found a spot to ourselves. This is as far in to the water as we get. For real swimming (for us, anyway), Wellfleet has a series of kettle ponds. We visited one later in the day. Dinner was at old standby Winslow's Tavern. We shared a tuna tartare taco appetizer. I had swordfish again, grilled and served with braised red peppers, roasted summer squash, and sauce vierge Husband wanted pasta again, so he had crab strozzapreti with ginger, scallions, and chiles. We found a new to us gelato place at the far end of town after dinner I had toasted almond and husband chose salted caramel. They were both very good. Award for funniest bumper sticker found at the beach today goes to this car
  7. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Rigatoni with raw tomato sauce, chopped up arugula and parmesean
  8. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Happy Anniversary @Ann_T! Chicken katsu, rice and a cucumber salad made with salt and pepper cucumbers from my farm share. I think the salt and pepper cucumbers are a bit crisper and juicier than a standard cucumber.
  9. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Vegetable coconut curry with carrots, yellow bell peppers, and summer squash, plus Thai basil/cilantro/lime.garlic/ginger. I added mushrooms to all but my niece's bowl. It would have been better with peas and/or green beans, but my niece dislikes those too, and according to her they flavor the entire dish. She goes back to college Sunday and then I will be back to cooking only one type of dinner in the evening for a while, so I do not mind catering to her tastes this week.
  10. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    We just had sandwiches last night. Arugula, tomato, parmesan and some leftover steak from the weekend for my husband My sister and I had bacon, arugula, and tomato
  11. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Big salad with burrata and tomatoes. My CSA box was three boxes this week, plus a bunch of sunflowers. One box was entirely tomatoes. I love this time of year for vegetables, and wish some of the bounty could be spread out to the winter months when all we get are potatoes and onions.
  12. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Farfalle with broccoli and pine nuts.
  13. liamsaunt

    Breakfast 2021

    Whole Foods sells a popular prepared cranberry tuna salad. Back when I was still working, I bought it for lunch once in a while. It was actually pretty good. It just had tuna, diced red onion, dried cranberries, some mayo and salt and pepper. I am the only person in my house that likes tuna salad, so I never make it at home.
  14. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    My husband had dental work done yesterday and wanted soft food for dinner. I had a 3 lb. eggplant in my fridge to use up (another large vegetable that my Mom stuck in my fridge while I was on vacation), so I made baingan bharta. I served it with rice with lemon, black mustard seeds, and curry leaves (the rice recipe called for peanuts too but I left them out to keep the meal soft), and some flatbread. This meal finished up the stealth vegetable delivery from my Mom...until the next time she sneaks stuff in here when I am not looking 🤣
  15. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Miso salmon on a mix of udon noodles and squash zoodles that I made from a large summer squash that came in my CSA box, with the last of the huge cabbage my Mom stuck in my fridge while I was on vacation (this was meal #3 using that cabbage), mushrooms, baby bok choy, spinach, cilantro/ginger/garlic/lime, and fresno chiles.
  16. Here is the wheat bread. The recipe uses 1/2 cup of wheat germ for two loaves. The second loaf came out kind of wonky because I was not patient enough to shape it correctly but I am sure it will be fine toasted for breakfast.
  17. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Crunchy haddock with curried mango dipping sauce, plantains, seasoned rice and a slaw made with cabbage, cilantro, coconut and golden raisins in a lime dressing.
  18. I use it in my whole wheat sandwich bread. This reminds me I need to bake some! I store it in the freezer to stop it from going rancid.
  19. liamsaunt

    Dinner 2021

    Rice noodles with cabbage, cucumbers, assorted peppers, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil in a nuoc cham dressing with grilled chicken
  20. Final update. Our fancy dinner last night ended up being cancelled. The restaurant’s hood vent broke and they could not get it fixed in time to open. We ended up just grilling burgers and veggie burgers that I brought from home at the house. We are at the airport now. The entire island lost power right after we left (I guess the power is out here on St. Thomas too but the airport has generators). There is a tropical storm coming tomorrow also, so we timed leaving well. My farm box is waiting for me at home filled with tomatoes and salad greens. I’m looking forward to it.
  21. Plans yesterday got derailed when we heard that one of our favorite restaurants, Miss Lucy's, was going to be open for lunch. They have the best conch fritters on island. We drove over to the far side of the island (opposite from where we were planning to go snorkeling). It turned out that it was their last service before closing for hurricane season, so they were out of a lot of stuff, including the conch fritters. We stayed anyway. Their bay was filled with sargassum from the recent storm The restaurant is just tables set on the rocky beach next to the water, and there are always animals roaming around. We saw the usual goats, cats, and ducks wandering about. These guys, however, were a new addition to the scene. With no conch fritters, and the fact that the place was filled to capacity with only two servers, we skipped appetizers. Half of us got the grouper reuben The best dish yesterday was the West Indian fish fry, which came with plantains, rice and beans, and vegetables I stopped for the obligatory scenic overlook photos yesterday. I've been kind of remiss about taking pictures this trip, probably because we have been here so many times (I am not sure exactly how many, but more than 30 and less than 50). Maho (closest) and Francis (furthest) Bays. Maho used to be our favorite snorkeling beach but we do not go there anymore, ever since a roadside beach bar opened up and basically ruined it. Francis is still terrific. Trunk Bay, with all of the tourists enjoying the soft sand. This is the most popular beach on island by far. If you wait until 3 or so, it is not crowded. I took this picture around noon. The sad remains of what was Caneel Bay Resort and their seven beaches. The National Park finally gave up on the current leaseholders, who are refusing to fix anything unless they are given a no bid 70 year lease, and are putting the rebuild out to public bid. Construction is not estimated to start until 2024. Most locals are hoping that the beaches will be opened to the public under new ownership. You had to be staying there to access them in the past when the report was operating. Right now land access is closed off, though you can still swim in from a boat. Bonus snorkeling picture, a queen triggerfish. And dessert picture, toasted coconut and chai latte ice cream cones from St. John Scoops in town.
  22. Yesterday we checked out a new to us restaurant, 18°64° (those are the coordinates for St. John). Their lunch menu is sushi, and dinner is standard seafood stuff. We went to lunch. Cocktails. Left to right, a passionfruit margarita, a regular margarita, and my sister's drink, which I forget the name of. It was something with aperol. My husband just got sake. My niece requested two of the three appetizers that we shared. A vegetable tempura plate And (fake) crab rangoons We also got a plate of firecrackers (spicy tuna w/siriracha aioli) For mains my niece wanted a teriyaki bowl with hangar steak My brother was not hungry and just got some tuna nigiri (no picture). The other four of us shared five of the 12 available speciality rolls. This plate has the Island Dragon (tempura shrimp+ cucumber with tobiko and avocado with citrus mango aioli) and the Negihama Mama (hamachi, scallion, cucumber, avocado, tempura fried with spicy mayo) And this plate has a teriyaki salmon roll, the Dynamite (lump crab, spicy tuna, yellowtail, tobiko, avocado w/spicy mayo and citrus mango aioli) and the North Shore (tempura lobster, avocado, citrus mango aioli topped with salmon poke and ginger teriyaki) The rolls were all fine, but I thought the sauces and toppings were a bit heavy handed and repetitive. Everyone else liked the food better than I did. I am still missing the sushi restaurant that was at Caneel Bay before the hurricanes, I think. After lunch we headed to the beach until sunset We are headed to the furthest side of the island for snorkeling today. I'm not sure what (if anything) is over there for food at lunchtime these days, so dining plans are up in the air for today. We have reservations tomorrow night for the top rated restaurant on the island, and then we head home on Saturday.
  23. We ended up getting some wind and rain but nothing too bad. The bands are still moving through bringing some pretty hefty thunder and lightning, but I have seen worse. We never lost power (the other side of the island did, but I actually do not think it was storm related). Here is last night's home cooking. The local greens are so good--snappy and peppery. Steak for the red meat eaters Chicken for the non-red meat eaters Now we are waiting out the rain. The cloud that is in this photo keeps moving closer and closer. It's at the very edge of the bay now. We will see if it dumps more rain on us. We're going out to a new to us sushi place for a late lunch around 2. Hopefully the weather will be past us by then. I hope Fred does not cause much damage to places further north.
  24. Yeah it is really sad. People do stupid stuff to get good pictures. The donkeys are cute but they can be aggressive too. I saw one kick somebody once. I keep my distance. A funny story about an island donkey: we were staying at an island resort (destroyed in the 2017 hurricanes and not yet rebuilt). While there we saw an obnoxious kid harassing a donkey on the beach, much to the amusement of his parents. The donkey waited until the family went in to the water and then went over to their stuff and peed all over it! Don't mess with the donkeys 🤣 We are under a tropical storm warning now. I'm cooking here tonight: local greens, tomatoes and peppers that I picked up yesterday in a big salad topped with grilled chicken and steak that I brought from home (if it is not too windy to grill). The house is concrete and has a generator so we should be OK unless the forecast changes dramatically. The wind and thunder started a few minutes ago.
  25. I did not taste the jalapeño salsa, but my brother said it tasted very similar to a candied jalapeño that was in the most recent issue of Cook's Country magazine, if that helps. I get that magazine, but have not read that recipe yet so cannot say exactly what is in it. They keep their recipes behind a paywall and I refuse to pay for both online and print access. It's one or the other! Yes, the metal thing is a palm sculpture. The people that own this house are from South Carolina so we are assuming it is the palmetto that is their state's symbol, though maybe it is supposed to be a local palm. Not sure. Here is a better picture of the house and pool. This photo shows half of the house. The other half is a similar size. The pod closest to the pool has a covered lounging patio and TV area that we have not used, plus laundry, a closet of pool toys and a half bath. The upstairs is an owner's suite that is locked off to us. The far pod contains four en suite bedrooms. The other half of the house is the covered kitchen and dining area I already showed, the great room, another bath, some balconies, and two more en suite bedrooms. The owner REALLY likes color. Everything is so bright. The kitchen has purple granite! I have never seen that before, and in fact did not even know it existed! I had to google it. Yesterday we got a late start thanks to the bachelor brothers, who seem to be shaping this trip to their style (stay up late, sleep late), which is not my style (get up early and go to bed early). I was mad for a while but have just let it go and am now going with the flow. They are not invited on our next four planned vacations, so I will get to do what I want then. We went back to Francis because all of the other beaches had no parking (the island is crazy crowded). We found an isolated spot but had to set up in a rocky area. I went looking for sea glass with some success. We met some island donkeys on the way back to the Jeeps. See those lumpy deposits on the donkey's neck and back? That's fat from tourists feeding them junk food. This donkey is not too bad but some of them are really misshapen. There are notices everywhere not to feed them, but people do it anyway to get good photos for instagram. Grumble. After the beach we went to a late lunch at High Tide. A lot of places are closed on Mondays so we had to repeat. We got more conch fritters, and my niece had a sandwich with brie and mango chutney. No pictures of those. My sister and brother both chose the fish and chips made with mahi mahi I had the shrimp tacos My husband got the mahi mahi tacos and then we swapped out with each other so we each had one of each. My brother in law chose the blackened mahi mahi sandwich. It was a huge portion. Today we were supposed to head over to the far side of the island to have lunch at my favorite island restaurant, Miss ouch's. They have the best conch fritters and grouper reubens. However, weather is interfering with our plans. It is actually really nice outside right now, albeit a bit cloudy, but a tropical depression is supposed to hit here in a couple of hours. There are torrential rains, potential mudslides and rockslides predicted, so we are staying put, unless by some miracle the forecast changes. My husband and I have been on island for tropical depressions before, and it is usually not pretty. We will see.
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