‘Durgin Park’, Boston — Last Day, Last Meal, January 12, 2019 — Yes, We Were THERE!
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The usual benu (being sold as a souvenir for $5) and the photocopied menu used today.
Yes, we were there and it was SPECIAL. Glad I made an effort to get down to ‘Quincy Market‘ for the DAY. Yes, it was poignant too. There are folks losing JOBS! The kind of elderly (i.e., MY AGE) waitress who served us, with aplomb, ‘Allison’, had been there for 20-years. She wasn’t too happy. I took care of her with my TIP. {Smile} And she smiled too when she saw it. There were hugs all over the place.
We got there early. It was likely to get MOBBED later in the day. We heard from folks that THEY (i.e., Durgin Park) ran out of food at 5pm last Sunday!
I knew they opened at 11:30am. So, I planned to be there for that. I expected a LINE and there was one, BUT it wasn’t as long as I had expected.
We left home at 8am! It was bitterly cold. We parked at the Boston ‘Museum of Science‘ (where we get discounted parking because we are members) by 9:40am. We took the MBTA to ‘Quincy Market’. We were there by around 10:15am. There was NO LINE. So, we ‘did’ the ‘Market’. ‘Faneuil Hall‘ was closed because of Trump’s Shutdown.
By 11am there was a line forming. We joined it at 11:15am. There were about 30 people ahead of us. Around 11:25 they opened the doors. They felt sorry for us. IT WAS COLD. They let 50 folks in. We were in that batch. The kitchen was not as yet open but you could start with drinks.
It was GOOD. Great atmosphere. Everybody was reminiscing.
It was WAY TOO early for I. I don’t normally have my first meal of the day till 1:40pm. So, I just ordered a few appetizers and even then we brought much of it home. But, no matter. What counted was that we were THERE.
I was never a regular patron. So, I can’t claim to have a special relationship with ‘Durgin Park’. But, I did go there, for dinner, for the first time 32-years ago. September 1986. I remember that. I have eaten there AT LEAST 10-times. Most likely more. So, I am not a total stranger either.
Well … another bit of history gone. But, I can say, with PRIDE, that I was THERE.
Flag flying upside down in the wind! Symbolic.
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Boston’s ‘Durgin Park’ Restaurant Is Closing Down, This Saturday, January 12, 2019, After 192-Years!
WOW!
Click to ENLARGE and read here. From ‘boston.com’. Google for more.
Click to access their impressive, photo-rich Website.
Click to ENLARGE and read here. Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgin-Park
I stumbled upon this sad news accidently. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Had to Google it myself.
Wow. Talk about the sad end to a legendary property. A true part of Boston’s colorful history.
I first went to ‘Durgin Park‘ 32-years ago, in September of 1986. I am sure I was told that it was Boston’s OLDEST restaurant. Well, they have modified that claim.
I am surprised that they are struggling. They always looked full. Yes, I haven’t eaten there in some years. I confess to that.
It was such a fun place. Great atmosphere.
I am sad. I can’t believe that they couldn’t have kept it going.
Oh, dear.
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Flowers Of ‘China Palace’, Rochester, NH — Thanksgiving 2018.
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Taken with my Google Pixel 2 Phone.
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Our tradition of having Chinese on all major holidays — Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas — has been fairly well documented in this blog.
The last two years we have ended up going to ‘China Palace’ in Rochester at Thanksgiving — because it is the ONLY Chinese place open locally! That is the only two times we have been there — which is ironic. It is NOT a bad place. Decent food, very nice staff (albeit all ‘white’ with no Chinese in sight), interesting decor with a fair amount of flowers — real and fake.
I had to take some pictures of the flowers and share them with you.
Honestly NOT a bad place. Decent, competitively priced food and cocktails. Will recommend it. I am going to make a point of trying to go there outside of Thanksgiving.
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‘Eastern Paradise’ Asian Cuisine, Rochester (NH) — Sure Lives Up To Its Name.
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Click to access their Website.
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They have been open for a few months. This, however, was our first time there, and it sure will not be the last. Very good, positive experience. Good buzz. Busy (but, it was Friday night). Good food, upscale menu, decently-priced cocktails (with cute, topless ‘scorpion bowls’), engaging staff and modern, airy & bright interior (with some very fancy LED lights).
A bit fancy for Rochester! But, I am glad. It will help Rochester reinvent its image.
Interesting menu with items that I have not seen on other Chinese menus — and as any reader of this blog knows we are no strangers to Chinese eateries.
I had the ‘Honey Walnut Chicken‘. They were RIGHT about it on the menu. You had to try it. It was different and appetizing. Something different, plus I am a sucker fort nuts. Deanna had the ‘Sizzling Seafood Festival‘ and it was pretty spectacular with even a lobster tail. Spicy, but just so. It was much appreciated. Teischan had her usual chicken fried rice and was sated. There was a lot of it and, of course, we brought the remainder home.
As always, we also had a (small) Pu Pu Platter, Scallion Pancakes & Peking Ravioli. We are Scallion Pancake connoisseurs — and these were GOOD. Yes, the right amount of scallion and crisp to the bite.
We all agreed that it was good and that this was a keeper.
Leaving the restaurant, around 8pm, heard a boy (of about 11) tell his mother how good it was! So, that was confirmation.
You should definitely give it a try. I doubt whether you will be disappointed. I gather that it is busy most nights, but I assume it is a tad less busy on a Monday or a Tuesday. And yes, they are over 7-days a week, till at least 10pm.
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Another Excellent Birthday At Giuseppe’s Pizzeria & Ristorante (In Meredith, NH) — October 10, 2018.
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Last Year — at Giuseppe’s.
12th Birthday — at Giuseppe’s.
2013 — Annual JTG Music Extravaganza at Giuseppe’s.
Click to access 2012 post.
Search on ‘JTG‘ for my annual JTG posts.
Today, 10/10/2018, was Devanee’s 18th birthday.
As has been HER custom for as long as we can remember there was only one, and only one place she wanted to go for her birthday dinner — Giuseppe’s in Meredith. It is her all time favorite place and has been basically all her life. A great testament to the wonderful owner of Giuseppe’s, Julie Gnerre Bourgeois — a good and dear friend to us all.
We started taking Devanee to Giuseppe’s in 2003, if not 2002. She would have been 3 (or 2). She has loved it ever since.
We know that AT LEAST for the last 8-years, if not more, we have been taking her to Giuseppe’s on October 10 for her birthday.
It has always been a fabulous experience. They go ALL out and Julie makes sure we get a really scrumptious, memorable cake. (Thanks, Julie.)
No different this year. Another great experience — with an added BONUS. Our favorite local musician, Paul Warnick, was playing. That was the icing on the cake. We think Paul is the cat’s whiskers. So, it could not have been better.
The staff, as ever, was outstanding. Thanks Giuseppe’s. Thanks Paul. Thanks Julie.
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“Mint Bistro”, Manchester, NH — Most Expensive SALT In The World.
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We went to the ‘Mint Bistro‘, in Manchester, New Hampshire, for dinner on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. I had never heard of the place. My two older kids, who live in Manchester, were familiar with it and wanted to meet us there for dinner. Two of the kids wanted sushi and that appears to have been the draw. That they served lamb was supposed to be my enticement. Well, I never tasted any lamb that night. Just salt. Salt on skewers for $13 — and I don’t like salt and don’t add salt to my food. So, this salt did a real job on me. I hated that place.
So, it was for the 4 kids and I am always happy to indulge and pick-up the tab.
I am desperately trying to lose weight after my disastrous annual physical in August. So, had a v. light lunch and thought I would be all set if I ordered two tapas dishes. Well, the lamb skewers was a HUGE mistake. Just salt. Nothing else. SALT. SALT. SALT. Luckily the Lobster Rangoons were OK. On a par with what I am used to at “Warren’s” — our new favorite eating place. Tesichan (12), a chicken tenders connoisseur, was utterly unimpressed with her chicken tenders. So much so that she went on strike and would not even order dessert. That truly means that she is disgusted and wants to just go home. I felt real bad for her! I was hungry so I ate one of her chicken tenders.
I guess the sushi was OK. They didn’t complain.
But, I am NOT going back there again, even if somebody offered to buy me lunch or dinner. I do NOT like salt. Took me 2-days to flush all that damn salt out of the system — and you know how that works!
IF you like salt YOU will LOVE this place. The salt capital of New Hampshire.
P.S., They had a real clean, well lit men’s room with a great mirror — for selfies-my-way.
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Dim Sum At ‘China Pearl’, Chinatown, Boston — Sunday, August 26, 2018.
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I have been going to ‘China Pearl‘, in Chinatown, Boston, for over 25-years, on a regular basis, for Dim Sum — and the various posts on this blog will attest to the visits in recent years.
This surprisingly was but just our 2nd trip for Dim Sum in 2018. Usually, we would have gone earlier in the Summer too. Not this year. We did go to Boston in late April but did not have time for Dim Sum.
We got to ‘China Pearl’ an hour later than usual, at noon rather than 11am. We tried a new route into Boston and that was a bust.
They were crowded. Wow. But, it was good.
Glad we went. Beautiful day. Walked from China Pearl to Boston Common & the ‘Public Park‘ and in the process got to see the incredible ‘Professor World Music‘.
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