The Local - Wayland, MA

★★★★

I'm afraid my experience with this restaurant has been a bit inconsistent...

First I went for drinks with some other moms in my neighborhood. All I had was a glass of white wine, but I did look longingly at some of the appetizers the other women ordered. I took a bite of the Brussels sprouts, and thought they were very good, but I politely refrained from eating off anyone else's plates, as this was the first time I was meeting some of them.

The next time I went, it was for coffee and dessert. The coffee was quite good, but the desserts, I'm afraid, were surprisingly lackluster. One of them was bread pudding, of which I'm not really a fan, so maybe it's not fair for me to judge that one. But the other dessert was a kind of chocolate cake, and I LOVE chocolate in all forms! But... I don't know. I was unimpressed. At the time, I remember thinking it wasn't sweet or chocolatey enough.

Soon after the dessert visit, I went for lunch with my good friend Sarah. I ordered a fruity cocktail - I believe it was the Raspberry Fizz - but was disappointed. It was fine, but it wasn't delicious. Sarah said her drink had much too much ice in it. We both enjoyed the homemade potato chips, and I had shrimp & grits for an appetizer, which was by far the best part of my meal. I loved it, even if the chorizo pieces were cut a bit large for my taste. My entree was fish tacos, which was remarkably bland, and the soft tortilla shell was mostly malleable, but unpleasantly hardened to a crisp in places.

Then, Ken and I went for dinner, and we actually had an impressive meal. The mussels we had for an appetizer were flavorful and plenty, and my short ribs with Brussels sprouts and grits was delicious - though a bit more sauce would have been nice. The only down side was that my ginger margarita was not very gingery. This meal alone would have been 4 1/2 stars.

Altogether, considering the multiple experiences, I guess I give them 4 stars.

Lago - Meredith, NH

★★★★

We drove from Weirs Beach to Meredith, looking for a place to eat. Our first two choices had closed their doors for the season, so we literally just drove around looking for a place that was actually open. Lago turned out to be quite a good find!

We were seated in an area that appeared to be a closed-in porch. I imagine the view must be beautiful during the day, but it was night time during our visit, so we didn't really get to enjoy it. Despite the potential view, our table wasn't really that great. There was a draft coming in from the windows so that I had to wear my jacket throughout the meal, and the space was awfully cramped so that the people sitting in the aisle had to consciously sit close to the table, or else they would block off the traffic behind them.

I ordered "balsamic and brown sugar braised short ribs" with risotto. It was delicious! The meat was amazingly tender and flavorful. The risotto, however, was a bit on the mushy side.

Ken ordered spaghetti with "shrimp, scallops, tomatoes and spinach sautéed with a garlic butter sauce". We each ate half of our dishes, and then switched plates, so we both got to enjoy two orders. This seafood scampi was light yet well-flavored, with a generous amount of shrimp and scallops.

My dad ordered "pan-seared Atlantic salmon with a garden-fresh radish relish", and he said it was cooked perfectly.

Isabelle and Sebastien shared a flatbread cheese pizza - not on the menu, but a request they were able to accommodate. (They offer various flatbread pizzas, but the ones on the menu were all fancier than plain cheese.) Sebastien enjoyed the 3+ pieces that he ate, though when I tried it myself, I thought the flatbread crust was kind of chewy. Isabelle ate a piece or two as well, but she actually much preferred the bites of salmon, beef, and shrimp that she ate off of the adult plates. Maybe it's time for Isabelle to move away from kids' menus!

The Jordan Pond House Restaurant - Acadia National Park, ME

★★★★

After battling the overflowing parking lot on a super hot day, we were dismayed to find out that our 3 PM reservation for 10 people was lost! Completely non-existent! Thankfully, the hostess - who remained calm and composed while juggling the high demands of the crowd that day - handled the situation wonderfully. She put us into the pager line just as if we did have reservations, and we ended up getting a perfect outdoor table with a gorgeous view of the pond at pretty much our original reservation time.

We all had desserts, most of us opting for the popovers a la mode. Yum! Even Sebastien had ice cream because it's made by the restaurant, and while they do have one flavor with Heath Bar (which contains almonds), the super friendly waitress said that because they serve 2,000 people a day, they are well-versed in allergies, and she assured us they could serve Sebastien safe, un-cross-contaminated vanilla ice cream.

The unsweetened lemonade came with sugar water. I put just enough in for my drink to be satisfyingly refreshing, but there just wasn't enough sugar water to satisfy the kids. I'm sure the waitress would have brought more if we asked, but we didn't bother asking.

Portside Grill - Bar Harbor, ME

★★★★

Our party of 10 arrived around 6 PM on a Thursday evening, and they were able to seat us immediately.

Friendly service. When I mentioned Sebastien's allergies and asked about the bread, the waitress seemed knowledgeable and advised against Sebastien eating it.

My steamers appetizer was big and plentiful, and I loved my fish and chips entree - lightly battered, well-cooked. The watermelon cocktail, however, was not as interesting as it sounded on paper. The kids meals must have been good because both my kids polished off their plates - Sebastien ate all his mac 'n cheese, and Isabelle ate a whole hamburger.

Muddy Moose Restaurant and Pub - North Conway, NH

★★★★

We picked this place completely by random and had no idea it was so popular! It's definitely a find, and a place I would recommend if you happen to be in the North Conway area.

We arrived on a Tuesday just when it opened for lunch at 11:30 AM. We didn't know how lucky we were to be shown a table right away until we left and saw the long line of waiting customers. Apparently, it's the type of place that sells its own souvenirs, and their decor had a fun lodge theme, with a moose head and bear skin on the wall, and light fixtures made of antlers.

The menu is very broad, with a couple specialty items, and they seem to do everything well. Our Maine Mussels appetizer was delicious, and everyone was happy with their entrees. My dad got Trapper Dale’s Venison Pasta, made with blueberry venison sausage; my mom got Shrimp Scampi, which had a generous portion of large shrimp; Ken got Wild Bill’s Buffalo Enchilada, made with buffalo meat; and I got the River Run Fish Melt, probably the most boring plate, but I just felt like having a fish sandwich today.

Our waitress was nice, too. She saw that the kids were fussy, and she brought over more bread before we had to ask. Sebastien was being difficult because he wanted macaroni and cheese, which wasn't on the menu, and the waitress suggested a pasta with alfredo sauce as a substitute. As it turned out, Sebastien wanted grilled cheese as soon as he saw Isabelle's plate, and the waitress changed the order for us.

Ezmè - Washington, DC

★★★★

We had a fantastic tasting menu and a very enjoyable bottle of wine that was chosen by our server. (It was a grenache from Spain.) Portions seemed appropriate for a tasting menu, but even so, I was bursting at the end of our meal, I was so full! The restaurant is Turkish, though none of the dishes seemed particularly interesting or new - they were a familiar mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare. There was one shrimp dish, and all the other meat dishes (three or four, I can't remember exactly!) had lamb. Dessert was not especially noteworthy, but the service was great.

Los Hermanos - Tucker, GA

★★★★

Authentic Mexican fare with a fun and casual ambiance. I've only ever had their fish tacos (with tartar sauce and spicy roasted banana peppers) and asada tacos (shredded steak with onions, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa), and I love them both. I stopped short of giving them 5 stars, though, because I felt it wouldn't be entirely accurate if I don't know how their other Mexican standards - like burritos and quesadillas - are. Their margaritas are weak, but that's because they make them with white wine, because they don't have a hard liquor license.

Summer Winter - Burlington, MA

★★★★

I heard about Summer Winter a while ago, but since it's on the pricey side, we decided to wait until Ken's birthday to go. Thanks to Facebook, I found out that a high school classmate of mine is a server there, and when I told her about our reservations, she managed to pick up the shift and put us in her section. Needless to say, our service was excellent! The food was wonderful, from the "Strange Flavored" Eggplant (on the "Small Bites" menu, which is kind of like pre-appetizer tapas) to my avocado and polenta appetizer with goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil (a unique dish, I think), to Ken's crab cakes appetizer. My ginger and coconut fried chicken with curry sauce was tasty, and the chicken was especially juicy. Ken says his rib-eye steak was cooked perfectly. For dessert we had a nut tartlet - Ken's birthday choice. I'm not a fan of nuts, so I guess it wouldn't be fair for me to judge this dessert. I wanted to give this dining experience 5 stars, but Ken said it wasn't perfect because his sangria had too much ice in it. Ah, well.

Papa Razzi - Burlington, MA

★★★★

Absolutely loved my risotto with chicken, asparagus, and plum tomatoes. As far as Italian chain restaurants go, it's all relative to the Macaroni Grill, my favorite. Papa Razzi seems to have better quality food, but it's more expensive, too.

Tryst - Arlington, MA

★★★★



Went for brunch and had the Hot Pressed Turkey Sandwich. It was fabulous! Chocolate cake for dessert was good, but not so fabulous. Just a couple blocks away from a convenient parking lot. The wait staff was attentive and friendly, but perhaps a bit TOO friendly, in my opinion.

Blue Stove - Burlington, MA

★★★★

Small plates meant for sharing, like tapas, but not Spanish. Offers a wide variety of dishes. Scallops, pork medallions, and calamari all cooked perfectly, but calamari too salty. Waiter was nice, but seemed inexperienced. Some reviews say "kid-friendly" - kid menu, coloring page, and crayons are provided, but the decor is sophisticated, and seating area is not stroller-friendly. Interestingly (but irrelevantly), clientele mostly women.

Flatbread Company - Bedford, MA

★★★★



Very kid-friendly! Wait staff kind of flaky. Not a lot of choices, but not surprising since the toppings are limited to organic options. Awesome crust - and I usually don't like crust. Isabelle approved.