Despite the heavy snows this winter, we decided to venture north for vacation to Portland, ME. Our goal was to find a travel destination that would allow us to relax and more importantly, to eat – and Bon Appetit’s America’s Foodiest Small Town of 2009 fits the bill. After a leisurely drive up on Monday, we checked into the cozy Inn on Carleton, a gorgeous 19th-century Victorian home in the Western Promenade, run by a cordial innkeeper / United flight attendant named Buddy. For dinner, we went to District, where we enjoyed foie gras and bone marrow before further clogging our arteries with a gigantic slab of braised short rib and monkfish medallions. The next day, Buddy fueled our morning of reading with eggs, sausage, and french toast made with homemade crossiants. For lunch, the fried fish at Susan’s Fish-n-Chips was uninspiring, although the lobster roll had a generous helping of fresh Maine lobster with just a touch of mayo. We worked off our meal in Freeport, home of L.L. Bean, where we explored the gigantic flagship store complete with a trout pond and aquarium, but made our stupendous buys at the smaller outlet shops next door. We returned in time for reservations at Hugo’s, considered a pillar of Portland’s foodie scene. Rob Evans’ 6-course “Blind Tasting Menu” was innovative and exciting, and was a fantastic steal at half-price. Notable dishes included steamed sea scallops with legumes in a truffle butter broth, and a mesmerizing chicken breast stuffed with chicken leg (say wha?) cooked sous vide with truffled stuffing, liver mousse, chicken skin crumbs, cauliflower purée, and sweet pickled kumquat. The “yeast soup” with fried brioche, raisin purée, and candied walnuts, along with the caramelized chocolate cake with coconut tapioca, cacao-coffee gelée, and coconut foam were desserts sent from heaven. After stuffing ourselves the next morning on Buddy’s eggs benedict, we roamed the shops in Old Port, snacking on poutine at Duckfat, whoopie pies from Two Fat Cats Bakery, and sticky buns from Standard Baking Co., before concluding with dinner at Fore Street. Here, the wood-burning brick oven churned out the most amazing oven-roasted mussels I have ever tasted, as well as a juicy bluefish with shirred egg and a buttery hake in mussel broth. Just 2 hours away from Boston and with the Kittery Outlets conveniently located along the way, Portland is a town we hope to visit again.

After being stuck with the same phone for 3 years, I finally decided to upgrade as a birthday present for myself. Back in 2007, I got one of the first HTC phones on the market with an unlimited-text-and-data SERO plan for just $30/month. With this amazing legacy plan, I had been reluctant to switch phones, until the recent announcement of a new SERO premium plan for just $10 more that was too hard to turn down. I stuck with HTC for their new Evo Shift which features full 4G capability and Froyo (Android 2.2) to boot. Now wherever I go, the first thing that pops into my mind is, “is there an app for that?” Too bad Netflix is not supported yet, as we finally began watching season one of the long-acclaimed ABC series Lost. The idea of an eclectic cast of diverse characters thrown together on a deserted island after an airplane crash, is prime material for interesting story-telling and will be sure to keep us occupied over dinner for the next several weeks.

The winter season was particularly harsh this year, as the seemingly relentless streak of snow storms left the city with heaps of piled snow and a thick layer of ice on most sidewalks. Although the weather made for quiet calls on Neuro-Op, it also made the commute to work trecherous – so much so that Melody and I both had to invest in new footwear. With our car in the shop and trapped by the snow, we spent my birthday weekend snuggled up at home. I got my requisite Chinatown seafood feast, but also enjoyed some Southern fare at Hungry Mother. Our Chinese New Year celebration was equally low-key. Without a vehicle to do proper groceries, we resorted to frozen and canned goods, although we did manage to make nian gao with coconut milk successfully for the first time. To celebrate a year of new beginnings, I’ve also migrated my website after almost 8 years to a new hosting company. FatCow offers unlimited hosting space and is powered 100% by wind energy. I wonder if the wind is generated by cows?