Day One: We were exploring Martha's Vineyard. We wanted ice cream after walking a great length all over one part of the island plus a jaunt on the beach. I quickly searched on Google for the best ice cream on the island and found one- Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium. Their selections were out of this world. But I caught glimpse of one INTERESTING flavor and exclaimed, "Amy!!! This is for you!" She walked up to look at what I was pointing at and made a face. I insisted, "You said you really wanted lobster so... this is for you." Of course, she was not willing to try that flavor.
Yes... you saw that right... lobster ice cream. Ew. The very idea! I wonder who actually orders this flavor. How often? Privately, I do sincerely hope that Amy doesn't ever regret her decision for not trying this one. After all, she dreamt of nothing but lobsters before this trip. From the looks of it, she seemed to enjoy the flavor she settled on. I know I did. It was Kahula brownie- dark chocolate ice cream.
Day Two: We explored Newport, Rhode Island. Amy was still hopeful for lobster. I studied the menus in the area and saw lobster quesadilla, lobster pasta, lobster bisque, lobster pizza, lobster ravioli, lobster-stuffed salmon, etc etc. Not a lobster plate. I keep on looking anyway. I was a bit concerned that I might end up seeing something weird like maybe lobster creme brulee or lobster chunks dipped in dark chocolate to appease those who are craving for lobster! I saw neither. WHEW. Martha Vineyard won the honors of being the only place to serve lobster in dessert. We did however feast on delicious lobster salad BLT sandwich for lunch at the American's oldest tavern, the White Horse Tavern (est. 1673). Later on, we wanted dinner. Amy was still holding on to her hope to eat a lobster meal. We agreed to look for a place on the marina. When we got to the marina, it was clearly impossible to find a good parking spot and the whole place was crazy crowded. We decided to make our way towards our next stop: Concord, Massachusetts.
While driving north, I was looking for places to eat along the way. It appeared that Providence, Rhode Island had some good options. There was an Italian restaurant with lobster options but not a full lobster. There was an eclectic place with vegan options but not a lobster. Then there was a Peruvian restaurant- no lobster on their menu. We decided to go with the Peruvian place, Los Andes. Upon arrival, I saw they were serving lobster paella for their special. This place was a classic reminder of how we should not judge a book by its cover. Their outdoor presence was not impressive. When we walked in, we saw it was a gem. It was a beautiful place, well-decorated. We were led outside to the garden where there was a fire pit in the middle. How lovely. We saw all the plates on our way outside. We were literally drooling. We agreed to try three different dishes so we could share. I loved the juiciness of their steak and chicken with spices oozing into the fries and rice. It was an amazing meal. We ended the meal with tres leches cake. It was my first time to try this cake. I'm not a cake person but I found this moist, flavorful cake pleasing.
That meal was so memorable that I text Amy and Cindy from time to time saying that I was really craving Peruvian food. I doubted that my small town of Rochester had something decent. I did look it up but when I found a website of a supposedly local Peruvian restaurant, the page was full of Chinese symbols. They assured me that when I come back to DC to visit, we'll get Peruvian food.
Day Three: Concord. No lobster. I am pretty sure Amy really enjoyed our dinner at Bondir Concord. Many restaurants are closed on Sunday evenings in Concord which was baffling to us. Luckily for us, Bondir was a great find. We shared a couple of appetizers: tuna carpaccio with avocado and grapefruit and duck egg with lentils. We shared three different pasta dishes. Then we shared two desserts: dark chocolate mousse and citrus tart with olive oil tarragon gelato. The gelato... wow.
We had to go home the next morning. Bummer. Amy didn't get to wear a humongous plastic bib nor crack apart a lobster. Nonetheless, our lobster quest was filled with many scrumptious pleasures.
The morals of this story: 1. If you have Amy over, be sure to serve her a full lobster. She'll be one happy gal. 2. Expect the unexpected because you'll be surprised whatever pleasures await you!
