My friend Mark Ellis, owner of the Chef’s Table (one of the best caterers I know), has been asking me to go fishing with him for years.  I had never taken him up on the offer until this summer, and if asked again, there will be no hesitation, it was so much fun.

We first got caught in the fog and fished off peggoty beach in Scituate, then trolled up the north river in Marshfield, I caught a striper in the south river by Hummarock…

Friends and Fishing, the best combo eva.

quick stop for some frozen Mackerel

Mark getting us ready

it was a weird cloddy/foggy/sunny day

Mark surveying the sea.....

"I think I got one!"

Striper!!

needed to be 28" this one was only 25", Mark pulled the hook out and it lived for another day

rain coming and going, time to head home

ended the day with a rainbow!

should of started the day with sunscreen. what a fun time! Thank you Mark!

As a chef, one of the questions I get asked all the time is, “where do I eat” when I go out. My usual response is, I dine where my friends are. When you work all day, it’s hard to see your friends, except the late night drink of course, and we have many of those. So I say you’ll see me at Pigalle, Dante, Sage, Eastern Standard, Bambara, Toro, and the list goes on. And it’s true I do go to these places often. I love seeing what my friends are cooking, and hopefully we have some time to chat.

But these are not the only places I go. I am a fiend for good Chinese, sushi, Mexican, pho. I love the big flavors and subtle nuances, and head down Dot Ave and hit Pho So 1 or Pho 2000 for pho, where the dark hints of cinnamon and coriander enhance the bold and bright lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf. When I’m eating this, I feel I can live on it forever; there isn’t another meal I want. More pho, please. For sushi, I hit Gari on Harvard Street in Brookline. It has maybe 30 seats. I suggest you sit at the sushi bar and ask Gary to just cook for you. His creativity is fun, the fish is ocean-fresh, and the price is perfect. Lately I’ve been finding sushi places are charging so much – up to $9 a bite – and though that has its place, it’s not how I’m going to dine on a rainy Wednesday. If you’re looking for good Mexican, head off to East Boston, to Angela’s. The moles take me back to Oaxaca- warm, creamy, smoky spices, mellow yet hot chilis arousing the taste buds, just-ground chocolate and spices giving them a rich undertone followed by granular sweet and toasty ground nuts. Damn, I love a good mole.

For Chinese I have two favorites, for specific reasons. When I’m heading home and looking for some comfort food and want those dishes I just crave, I always go to Chef Chow’s in Brookline – nothing fancy, nothing off the beaten path, just good, consistent, American-style Chinese food. A quick call, and I am there. For my special occasion, it’s the Chinatown Café, 262 Harrison Ave. I know when people think of special occasion we think celebratory dinners followed by a big check; this is not that place. It’s not really on my way going anywhere, so I make a special trip there for some of the best Chinese food around. It’s well priced and more of a cafeteria than a sit-down, white napkin restaurant. My friend chef John Delpha turned me on to this place a few years back and I think it is just the best. I have a thing for bacon and if you go here it is the one thing you MUST have. You’ll see it hanging in the window as you walk in, alongside the roasted ducks; maybe get both, they are sooo good. Crunchy, sweet, rich, yet tender with a tablespoon of soy and ginger.

I love bacon!!!

Here are some of my greatest hits from there, but I also suggest ordering something you’ve never had before. It’s all good and worth the trip.

Wonton Congee
Roasted Duck Egg Noodle Soup
Salt & Pepper Squid
Spicy Tofu With Pork
Beef with Bitter Melon
Mixed Vegetable Chow Foon

yum