We took the subway, the T, across the Charles River to Cambridge getting off at the Harvard stop. The Harvard Square area feels much more small town and of course, is crawling with young people going to Harvard University, MIT or one of the many other post secondary institutions in the area.  I think there are something like 16 universities or colleges in the greater Boston area.

We took a stroll through Harvard Yard.

 

 

Not much to see other than buildings.

We went to Legal Seafood, a local chain seafood restaurant for lunch.

cesaer slad with crab

 

lite clam chowder i.e. no cream just clam juice

We had to try the Boston Cream Pie which the waitress said was very authentic. My mother’s Boston Cream Pie had the cake and custard layers but never had the chocolate on top or all the chocolate sauce!

We returned to Boston and walked around rather aimlessly.  We thought we would look for some stores for shopping but did not end up buying anything other than wine — an important purchase for us.

Federal Wine and Spirits, a good place to note if you want some wine.  The store does not advertise well.  I didn’t see the shop name anywhere on the exterior.

We went for dinner at Menton, named after a town in France on the Mediterranean coast, part of the Barbara Lynch restaurant group. We had the chef’s tasting menu served in 7 courses, or so they said.  It added up to more as far as we could count, especially because Scott and I got similar but different dishes.  Here’s what I can remember:

salmon tartare with caviar

carrot macaroon

 

corn bread with creme fraiche and caviar

 

potato chip

 

gazpacho with cucumber

 

scallops

 

another rendition of scallop

 

unbelievably good croissant

 

ahi tuna with chicken of the woods mushrooms, scallion and pine nuts

 

matsutake mushroom, caviar, salsify

 

matsutake mushroom, uni, taco and daikon

 

mini baguette

 

garganelle pasta with pesto and zucchini

 

garganelle pasta with pork

 

wines

 

seared foie gras with cherries

 

confit foie gras

 

confit foie gras on the plate

 

duck, confit, walnut, onion and peach

 

pork loin and another pork variation

 

another pork dish of pork loin and pork belly

 

huckleberry, coconut and ice cream

 

chocolate dessert

 

another chocolate dessert

Notice how my powers of detail recall diminish as the courses progress? Most of the dishes were paired with wine.  I wonder if that had something to do with my failing memory?

Below are the extra desserts of watermelon wrapped in something like raspberry fruit leather, chocolate and something I can’t recall at all.

Three and a half hours for dinner, then we walked back to our hotel to pack.