Agave in Newburyport!

Graham and I both love art, so this week we headed up to Newburyport to check out some of the art galleries up there. We made it to the Churchill Gallery which is a really nice art gallery. Unfortunately, I had not listened carefully enough to the weather report, because it didn’t just rain, it poured and it was really hard to walk around . We decided to go straight to dinner – problem solved. I picked Agave because I had read some good reviews and we were not disappointed. This is great Mexican food and I can’t wait to go back!

Agave also has a Portsmouth location. Both restaurants serve slightly upscale, delicious Mexican food in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Their Newburyport location is right in the middle of town on State Street. The bar is on the first floor of what was once a three-story townhouse, and there are two more floors of cozy dining rooms. I love the atmosphere!

Dinner started with those really delicious homemade tortilla chips and salsa – God- I LOVE THOSE CHIPS!  So different from what you buy at the store.  Not too salty, light and a little greasy in a good way. Yumm. We both decided on tacos for dinner. I had the grilled shrimp tacos (blackened shrimp served with cabbage, tomatoes and a homemade habenero mayonnaise sauce) and Graham had the baja fish tacos (floured and very lightly fried served with cabbage, cheese and pico de gallo). Their vegetables are so fresh and their sauces are delicious! The tacos come in your choice of soft, medium or hard. We both had the medium and I love this  – not too soft, not too crunchy, just right. I felt like Goldilocks! I know I always say “check out their menu”, but really, check out their menu! Their website is www.agavemexicanbistro.com. There are so many great sounding dishes; I can’t wait to go back, but I can’t because I have to keep trying something new! Sometimes this is just a tiny bit of a burden:) Oh well. Also, Agave has an extensive drink menu including 70 different tequilas for you Margarita /tequila drinkers out there.

A couple more things…

I also went to Cuchi Cuchi in Cambridge this week for a very special birthday party. Sadly,  I lost the cable to download my photos, so that will have to wait for a few days. More about that soon….

Hoping to get Lauren out for a dinner this week, but that girl is sooo busy!

Heard from Charlie (finally) and all is going well in Zaragoza, Spain. The national strike hasn’t effected them too much…his Spanish is getting a little better…the best news is that his new advisor “seems to like him at the moment “- fabulous!

Bon Appetit!

Robin

The Lobster Pool in Rockport and Sugar Cane in Peabody!

Wow!  The weather has been fantastic, and here is another place you can sit outside and enjoy the sunset. The Lobster Pool is on Rt 127 in Rockport, so it’s a bit of a poke depending on where you are coming from, but it is a real New England summer experience. I went on Monday night with a group of ladies and by 7:00 there was a pretty substantial line. It’s “fast food” at a pretty slow pace, picnic tables, byob and a great view. This restaurant is a more outdoorsy alternative to Woodman’s or Farnham’s and I think the food is pretty good. My friend Ellen and I split the fried shrimp and the baked haddock. The fried shrimp is pretty much what you would expect..it tastes more like fried whatever than fried shrimp, but the baked haddock is really good. It comes with some buttery bread crumbs on top and is probably not very good for you, but is very delicious. I hadn’t been there in a while, so I was pleasantly surprised they have alternatives to fried food. It’s not health food, but it’s not ALL fried! There are some salad choices and there’s corn on the cob. Here’s the haddock (below with potato salad and some veggies)..they also have salmon, halibut and lobster of course.

I think it’s worth the trip for the view and another excuse not to cook dinner! Get directions or check out their menu at www.lobsterpoolrestaurant.com.

Sugar Cane on Main Street in Peabody!

Speaking of avoiding cooking dinner, last week I came across a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant in Peabody called Sugar Cane. I know that seems like a long way to go for take out, but if you are heading home to the North Shore from Boston, or happen to be at the North Shore Mall on an errand, this restaurant is well worth the detour off 128 to 106 Main Street in Peabody.

We got take out for the whole family, so we tried quite a few things. Eating there would be great too. It has a slightly dressed up feel to it and the food is more gourmet than your average take out, but the prices are not!! Even the presentation of the take out was nicely done.

We tried the Kho Salmon which is pan seared salmon in a spiced caramel sauce served with baby bak choy. I thought this was fantastic and very reasonably priced. We also tried something called “Banh Xeo” crepe which is a shrimp, pork, bean sprouts cooked in a blanket of mung bean crepe. This is an authentic savory Vietnamese dish. I liked it. We had the mussels and I thought the broth they were in was just okay. I got the beef teriyaki for Charlie and it was actually juicy, tender beef! Our usual expectation for this dish is more like a dog chew on a stick, but Sugar Cane’s version is really good. We also tried the shrimp Pad Thai; also good and they have a number of noodle and rice dishes on the menu. I am planning many return trips to Sugar Cane. Check out their menu at www.sugarcanepeabody.com. The menu is divided down the middle with Chinese dishes on the left and Vietnamese on the right, so all the usual favorites are there with many more choices than we are used to on the North Shore. Give this one a try if you get a chance!

Bon Appetit,

Robin