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The Seafood Grille at The Waterford Inn, Provincetown

Sometimes, we don't feel like leaving the East End of Provincetown, where we usually stay– even for a meal. Then, we're happy to have a place like the Seafood Grille at the Waterford Inn open for lunch.

We had the fish tacos and loved them.

They have tables inside, in the courtyard, and on a small sidewalk patio out front. There is also a second floor, covered deck that will often have live music. This is also a quieter part of town if you want to take a break from the busy center of town.

They do a good job with fried scallops too!

These photos are from our spring vacation. By now, both the town and the restaurant will be bustling and the perfect spot for people watching as you dine. We couldn't find a website for the restaurant, so we linked to the reviews over on Trip Advisor. As you'll see, we are not the only ones who like the newest menu options in this spot.

Related Posts: Here's a link to the rest of our Provincetown posts.

The Seafood Grille at The Waterford Inn

‪386 Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA 02657-2319‬ (map)

508-487-6400

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 19, 2012
Wine Cork as Chopstick Rest

I walked into the kitchen to find my favorite wooden chopsticks drying on the counter. Ed had them resting on the cork from the wine we had with dinner. Brilliant! From now on, I'll grab a cork every time I grab chopsticks!

Do you save wine corks? Do you recycle them? Have secret uses for them? Please share in the comment section below!

A Champagne cork has a built-in groove for the chopsticks.

But, you can use any cork!

And, if you want to make a lasting set, you could trim a sliver off each cork with a serrated knife (watch your fingers) so the corks have a flat side. That would work even better. You might also choose corks from bottles of wine you've opened on special occasions to remember those events.

We've also cut corks in half on the diagonal to use as wedges to keep doors open at rental homes or to prevent tables from wobbling. I still recall the amazed look on a waiter's face the time we asked for a cork and a steak knife to solve their tippy table issue.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 18, 2012
Smooth Top Cooktop Tips

We have an all electric kitchen. So when we replaced our range, we opted for a smooth top cooktop. These are far easier to clean and add usable surface to a small kitchen.

I’ve figured out a few tricks to have even less cleanup to do after I cook. When what I’m sautéing will spatter and make a mess, (like the Irish black & white pudding above), I put a half sheet pan over the unused burners. This keeps them clean so they are ready to use without grease around them that might burn.

You can see how much mess stayed off the area that was covered by the sheet pan.

That sheet pan, covered by a piece of parchment or waxed paper, also serves as counterspace as I cook.

One more tip is to use a larger pot than you think you need. Especially if you’re making one of those items the owners’ manuals warn about. My Bosch manual says, “Remove dry sugar, sugar syrup, tomato products and milk immediately with the razor blade scraper.” I use a big pan to try to keep those items in the pan and off the cooktop.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 17, 2012
Twig Farm Square Cheese Is Back!

If I were really pressed to name my favorite cheese, I'd still have a list. But near the top of that list would be Twig Farm Square. It's near the top of the list for other cheese lovers too. The small supply sometimes disappears quickly and you have to wait until the next batch is ready.

It's ready!

And, it's now available in a few of my favorite cheese shops. The piece above came from South End Formaggio. But, it's also at Central Bottle in Central Square and Formaggio Kitchen.

We've already provided you with a full post on this cheese so I won't go into all the delicious details here, except to say that the current batch is great with a dab of honey.

Ed and I usually have a cheese for a few days and often have a small cheese plate with three or four selections. But one taste of this Twig Farm Square, and we decided it was an evening for "one perfect cheese."

Related Posts: Here's more about Cheese from BostonZest

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 16, 2012
Toto the Tornado Kitten, Our Pick this Sunday!

This week, our pick for a Sunday Critter is Toto the Tornado Kitten. We usually reserve this spot for a dog but love to include a great cat when we meet one. Toto says he loves dogs but thinks that cats don't get the credit they deserve.

Look at that face. Who could resist this little charmer?

But, there is more to Toto than charm. This is one strong and amazing cat. As a tiny six-ounce kitten, Toto had a great adventure when a tornado hit central Massachusetts last year. After the storm, a clean-up worker found him in a tree and brought him to the Brimfield fire station where EMT Jonathan Hall cared for Toto until he was able to turn him over to experts from the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

ARLBoston nursed him until he was ready for his perfect, forever home back with Jonathan Hall. Jonathan not only adopted Toto, but also helped him write a book about the great adventure. And, to really put a smile on this tail-twitching story, that book is raising much needed funds for ARLBoston. As of this report, they've sent more than $20,000 to Toto's favorite cause.

We follow @ARLBostonRescue on Twitter and are aware of some of the wonderful work they do on-the-road taking care of all kinds of critters every day. You can hear more about what they did for the animal victims of that June 1, 2011 tornado in this Greater Boston appearance with Jonathan & Toto.

Natually, we hope you'll buy a copy of the book. You can do that right here. You can also make a donation in Toto's name directly to the ARLBoston.

Of course, as every author knows, there is much to do after your book is published. Toto and his special assistants make personal appearances and maintain a website. His facebook page is full of requests from places like libraries that would love to have this special cat and his book for story hour.

ARLBoston is both proud & grateful

"We are proud of the work that the men and women on our team do everyday," said Jennifer Wooliscroft, Director of Communications, "and to have a special book like this makes our continued effort to helping animals even better."

Jonathan says he is grateful for the team helping out his community and looks forward to giving something back. "Without the help from the great people at the ARL, Toto's story wouldn't be possible," he notes.

Related Post: In our own neighborhood, we watched ARLBoston's professional and caring staff at a 9-alarm fire in a pet friendly building. They were amazing and won our hearts and support. We wrote about it here.

In place of an ad in this space today, we hope you'll buy or donate a copy of the book and/or make your own contribution to ARLBoston so they'll be funded when someone else needs help.

You can buy or donate a book right here. Or, Donate directly to the ARLBoston.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography & Art: Courtesy of Toto the Tornado Kitten, Jonathan Hall, and the very talented illustrator Carol Ruzicka.

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 15, 2012
Framing the Square

Copley Square seen through the frame of the doors at the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library.

Here are a few of the books on Boston architecture that Penny relies on to research her newspaper columns on architecture. Remember, when you Shop Amazon Gold Box with New Deals Every Day from here, you support this site and keep the Zest coming your way.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 14, 2012
Step On It – Boston’s Sidewalk Scavenger Hunt

Today we're linking to a WalkBoston event coming up on July 21st. You have one week to sign up and get ready.

Step On It – Boston's Sidewalk Scavenger Hunt is an opportunity for turning a walk with friends into an adventure in how much you really know about Boston.

You put together a team, check in at 2:20 pm on the 21st at the designated location, pick up your sheet of sidewalk clues, and set out to find 15 secret objects. By 4 pm, you return to the starting point to see if you've won and enjoy sharing hunt stories with other teams.

Full details here, then sign up here.

It sounds like a great way to enjoy a summer afternoon with friends in the city while becoming better acquainted with a great organization. WalkBoston is the one group that stands up for walkers, first and foremost, in this city.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 13, 2012
No Passengers Allowed…

Or possible, for that matter!

There was room for a driver and almost room to see out too!

And, you thought your car was messy.

One more great thing about driving Zipcars. You never have to declutter them.

(Click on the Zipcar box over on the left to get some free driving credit when you join! You'll put some credits to use a nice, clean car in our account too!)

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 12, 2012
Small Rice Bowls Let Flavors Shine

We love our collection of rice bowls. They fill the dishwasher at night because we find uses for them all day long.

When we order take-out from a place like Pho Basil (where the chef really works to develop a specific flavor for each dish), we can use small rice bowls to savor each item without mixing.

In the photo, there's a portion of rice in each bowl with tangerine pork (on the left), and yellow curry with vegetables topped by crispy chicken (on the right). You can savor the sauce exactly as intended by its creator. No mixing sweet and sour with red curry!

We like white dishes but rice bowls let you go as tame or as inspired as you wish.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 11, 2012
Bon Chon Chicken: Add a Favorite to the List

Our friend Mick was the first one to recommend Bon Chon chicken in Allston. With his descripiton, we added it to the "must try list." Then, praise for this spicy version of fried chicken began popping up over on Chowhound's Boston Board and Bon Chon moved to the top of our minds.

Bon Chon spicy chicken! (There's a soy/garlic version too.)

During a recent hot spell, we decided to try and make a Packard's Corner triple play. Lunch at Bon Chon, then a quick move to the Super 88 to resupply our Asian staples, and finally a slow stroll to Clear Flour to satisfy our bread lovers' souls. And, the Green Line home.

We began with a basic order: a bit of each style of chicken with sides of pickled radish, fries, rice, and coleslaw. We have since refined our orders, especially for take-out or delivery, to the chicken and radishes. The fries are very good if you're eating in, but they distract from the chicken and are not great take out.

Tiny bottles of a good cava were perfect with the chicken. Beer is highly recommended.

We should warn you that Bon Chon Chicken is an addictive substance. Two days after a visit to Allston, you'll find yourself ordering a big box of spicy hot wings and drumsticks delivered to your hungry hands!

It would also make perfect party food the next time you want to have friends over without the work. The folks at Bon Chon are ready for that with 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 piece selections of wings or drumsticks all prepriced on their site.

A second franchise has opened in Harvard Square. We haven't tried this one yet, but we'll update when we do.

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Bon Chon

123 Brighton Avenue #300‬, ‪Allston, MA 02134‬ (map & reviews)

‪(617) 254-8888‬

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 10, 2012