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Well, it was a fine Christmas weekend at home again this year. The first night, we hit up the bar at 310 Park South for some grub and drinks. The next day was spent mostly at Epcot. We rode Mission: Space and the GM Test Track before lunch @ Nine Dragons. Wandered around, watched China’s 360° movie, then went to the Christmas procession, which was narrated by Edward James Olmos “Famous”. Kept going and made it to France where we checked out their 360° movie, too, then went to Britain. They had a Beatles cover band, so that was pretty funny. Ate at Canada’s Le Cellier (aka Le Basemént) until it was time for fireworks. Pretty fun, I have to say.

For the rest of the weekend, we watched football, swam, and ate an epicurean feast, not unlike the Christmas Weekend Menu @ Home 2005. Ah, who could ask for anything more? Toyota.

Last night, we went to Street Attack’s holiday party at the Other Side Cafe. We were looking forward to the whole thing, but the Guitar Hero competition really had our blood up. Mini Mickey’s were a-flowin’ and after Totally Travis did his thing, the competition was on. Funny thing is, we were the only two people the contest.

So, after a heated 2-out-of-3 battle of head-to-head action, I was soundly defeated on “More Than a Feeling”. For the prizes, though, we got a sweet Crumpler backpack and a $50 gift certificate to Hootenanny. All for basically just showing up and intimidating any would-be challengers. Completely solid night.

It’s always good when you have four waiters assigned to you, and they’re not just trainees. Since we showed up for Saturday lunch around opening time, this was the case. We’ve been to Emeril’s at Universal a few times before, and it was still a surprise.

To start off, we got the calamari and andouille sausage apps, and while the ‘douille was amazing, the calamari is still the best around. For our entrees, we got the mahi mahi, bbq-sauced salmon, duck confit pizza, and grilled pork chop, which was roughly 5″ thick. I have to say, they were all really good, and we still somehow managed to leave room for two desserts.

One was the white chocolate bread pudding and the other was the (in)famous chocolate souffle, and combined, they nearly killed me. As I struggled in and out of consciousness between bites, the overwhelming deliciousness coarsed through my veins, turning my brain to sponge, and my heart to concrete. But I survived, and… would I do it all over again? (Oh yeah.)

As part of my dad’s week-long birthday celebration, we headed to Chez Vincent (Cheesy name? Oui.) It’s a small place that serves fine French cuisine, fine French wine, and is about to merge with a place next door to sell fine cocktails before you order all of that. It’s a work in progress, but so far so good.

To start off, we got the saumon fume (smoked salmon) and pate, and both kicked it off with smooth elegance. Then, we each had the goat cheese & balsamic vinaigrette salad (except for my house salad). The former had warm cheese and not-too-bitter dressing, and it was as good a goat cheese salad as I’ve ever had.

For the main course, I had the venison - the most tender, cherry-doused meat in the state, and possibly the best dish on the menu. We also got the duck breast in Grand Marnier sauce, which was nearly as good, the trout almondine, and grouper, making for one of the tastiest tables in any restaurant around that night.

For dessert, we got a chocolate souffle to warm us up for the one at Emeril’s the next day, and while it wasn’t as mind-numbing, it was impressive, and rounded out a magnificent epicurean romp through the French countryside of our minds.

Ponzu is a pretty cool place on Moody St. in Waltham that has an interesting mix of Japanese, Indian, Thai, and Malaysian dishes. It’s got a stylish modern interior, big sushi bar, and the staff is extra nice, as long as you use chopsticks. For lunch, I got the banana leaf dried curry beef, which was extremely tasty and tender. The hot ribs, however, were good, but not remotely hot. C’mon, Ponzu, step it up. For a relatively cheap lunch price, it was the best bang for the buck I’ve had in a long time. Definitely will be hitting it up again.

On Saturday, after being turned away by the old asshole @ Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe because they were closing (at 1PM???), we went to Firefly for brunch, which is across from the Back Bay T Station. Best decision ever. Immediately, I got a “Danish Mary”, which is tastier than a standard Bloody. Then we got the Farmer’s Benedict and Breakfast Quesadilla, and both were great. My benedict included great cornbread and delicious snausage. The service was really nice and the atmosphere is a cool mix of Old World and contemporary, so you don’t have too many old jerks or yuppie chumps taking over the place.

So last week, we went to Bertucci’s near Copley because some other place was closed, and it was getting late. When we got there, there were fewer patrons than staff, so we figured we’d get decent service. As it turns out, our waiter was a complete failure.

The next morning, still pissed that I blew 60 bones on that meal, I sent Bertucci’s customer service a fiery email. It included a few emphatic statements, such as this: “I’m pissed. It was the worst $60 bucks I’ve ever spent in a restaurant, and it makes me sick to think of ever going to Bertucci’s again.”, and a laundry list of homeboy’s faults. I told them I wanted it made up to me - pronto.

So the next morning, I got an apologetic email from some CS lady, and she put a $60 gift card in the mail for me. As much as the wait service sucked, their customer service pulled through, so I guess everything is even. Let’s just hope I don’t get stuck in some Groundhog Day-type scenario of using this gift card and getting such poor service that it warrants another gift card.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Mad Libs rock”. With that in mind, we took some Mad Libs to Delux with us to do while we’re waiting on our food. There were some seriously hi-larious moments that involved me laughing and I highly recommend taking them to restaurants.

As for Delux, it’s quickly becoming dear to my heart, as it’s like a 50’s-diner-on-crack in a hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Drinks are cheap, the food is good, the music is solid, and the nude painting on the wall is ace. This time around, we got a G&T, martini, merlot, veggie linguine, and the turkey sandwich, which I completely wiped out. The chips are more like quesadilla crusts, which is cool, and the salsa is runny but mind-bustingly good. Gotta try it.

Ah, man, if I wasn’t getting an awesome home-cooked meal, I’d kinda want to go back again tonight.

With perhaps the most boring name of any restaurant I’ve ever been to, Tremont 647, located @ 647 Tremont St, is a yuppie American bistro founded by some dude named Andy Husbands. It’s pretty tasty, kinda trendy, decently priced, and not too snooty that they wouldn’t let sandals in.

We waltzed in on a Saturday night, and it was pretty crowded, but we scored two seats at the bar. We got a martini and a gimlet, and for some reason, I got a short martini glass. We ordered the spicy candied nuts and thai shrimp fritters for apps. The shrimp tasted and felt more like little sausages, but were delicious. For entrees, we got the steak and the turkey meatloaf panini. The steak was decent, and truffled tater tots were on the side. While they’re no match for Grill 23’s truffled tots, they were smooth. The grilled broccolini was tasty, too. The panini was really sweet, and a good effort, just not quite there.

The bartender and hosts were cool, which is relatively important for such a small bistro. They were gracious and welcoming, and are the main reason I’d consider going back as opposed to just being one and done with the 647.

This place is crazy. Like Lewis Carroll’s crack den, the restaurant features a pink-hued checkboard dining room with a balcony, a zebra room, and a “jewel-box-like supper club”. O…k… So, we hit it on the last night of Restaurant Week. We started off with drinks, including Kir (brilliant), and my 888 Vodka martini. The waiter originally thought I was pointing to a shot of 888 on the menu (??).

For apps, we evenly split the salmon and gazpacho. Each were pretty gratifying. I got the halibut for dinner, if for nothing else, to get to say the word “succotash”. And, even though it took me about 50% longer than everyone else, I cleaned my plate, despite the waiter’s attempt to steal it from me. He also tried to convince us that the chocolate panna cotta was better than the peach tart tatin, but the first two orders immediately rejected his suggestion for the peach. Both desserts were downright ambrosial.

It’s an ethereal, snooty place with weird-shaped tables and bizarre decor, but definitely worth a visit for both the experience and menu alike.

We combined Restaurant Week and birthday action at Azure in the Lenox Hotel, and it didn’t disappoint. The mod-swank interior was dimly lit and the vibe was as cool as my martini. The appetizer was possibly the highlight of the meal, as the caramelized potato gnocchi sent our PET scans off the charts. The goat cheese butter & manchego were out of control. It’s now the standard by which I assess gnocchi.

The pork medallions weren’t the prettiest, but they tag-teamed risotto into a powerful combination. Kinda like Junkyard Dog and Haystack Calhoun. Not the Hulkster, but still dang good. The profiterole for dessert was just as solid, and all in all, well worth the $30.06. The service was nearly unintelligible, but decent enough. Probably going back for the regular fare soon.

To celebrate my new apartment in the Back Bay, we crept down W. Newton to the Sound End location of Petit Robert Bistro, the place with the illuminated Eiffel Tower. The host was cool, so it felt like we were getting into something good. He sat us at a window table so we got a cool night view of the Copley area. We started with the steak tartar, which was decent, but nowhere near that of Grill 23. The bread was good, if you’re into that sort of thing.

For entrées, we got the fromage rissoto and roasted rabbit leg. The rissoto was solid, but needed salt & pepper, and more than just mushrooms. The rabbit leg came with ginger sausage, mashed potatoes, and veggies. The rabbit was tender, the sausage was subtle, but the mashed potatoes were pretty boring. Everything went down smoothly, but perhaps too smoothly, as the spice neglect was almost criminal. And the screeching, drunk chick with the three gay dudes cut into the scene like a saw, so I don’t expect a quiet meal here.

As bistros will be bistros, Petit Robert served up genuine, purgatorial cuisine - informal but original.