Weekend Update

Adam's mom, sister and plasticmom flew in from sunny California last weekend for the plasticann bridal shower. MGDub and her team of BMs did an awesome job planning a really fun and thoughful afternoon tea shower. Here are the culinary updates from last week and weekend.

Solas - plasticmom and I tried Solas on Tuesday mostly because it was in her hotel. We shared the fried calamari appetizer and the mac & cheese. The calamari was tasty, but the cheese sauce for the mac & cheese was over processed...like cheese product cheese whiz. Grade: C

Flour Bakery - We took a cab down to the South End on Wednesday to run some wedding related errands and stopped by Flour Bakery for a tasty snack. Fruit tart and raspberry seltzer made for a refreshing mid-afternoon snack. Only downside...it's "tooooo faaaaaah." Grade: A-

Via Matta - Service was immaculate and discreet, the supply of chewy rustic bread was constant and my leftovers were tied up with a raffia bow to boot. plasticmom and I enjoyed the Crunchy Eggplant, basil, marinated tomatoes and reggiano, Pollo al Mattone--”chicken under brick” with sauteed swiss chard and Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. Unfortunately, even I didn't love my surprisingly hefty Vanilla Panna Cotta with Local Cranberries and Pistachios parfait enough to finish it. Grade for Value: B/Grade for Yumminess: A-

Wisteria House - We checked out Wisteria House on Newbury Street on Thursday night. The decor is best described as cramped, greasy and oddly unsettling. The pork chop plate was undermarinated and bland. The rice stick noodles and the scallion pancakes were tasty. The pan fried raviolis were oddly elongated and underwhelming. I could take or leave the honeydew shake, but the kiwi shake made the evening with its intense kiwi flavor. Adam, plasticmom and I unanimously agreed to stick with Taiwan Cafe. Grade: B-

Similans - Brown Sugar Cafe's new Cambridge outpost is near the Cambridgeside Galleria on First Street. I walked in knowing I wanted an order of my beloved Mango Curry and I walked out even more devoted to my beloved Mango Curry. The Drunken Noodles were way too spicy, prompting me to order a thai iced tea to cool down my taste buds. An exciting new find now that I have a conveniently located source for that lovely Mango Curry. Grade: A-

Tealuxe - MGDub and I were famished so we stopped by Tealuxe on Saturday afternoon for some pressed egg/bacon/cheese sandwiches. Even though the sandwiches bore the obvious grill marks of a "sandwich maker" contraption, MGDub and I enjoyed our crispy snacks. My red bliss potato salad was way too gloppy with mayo and therefore unappetizing. MGDub's crisp looking side salad was a better bet. A bit pricey for a high quality Egg McMuffin, but delicious nonetheless. Grade: B+

Stay tuned for thoughts on The Bristol Lounge, Penang and Orleans.