I love dungeness crab too! I just read a couple of articles on delays to the start of the season: one in Oregon, where they don't expect to see dungeness until around Christmastime,

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111128/NEWS/111280314/-1/NEWSMAP

and one in California, where a bunch of fishermen are staying in port, holding out for a more sustainable price

http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/articles...

In past years, I have seen dungeness at the Costco in Everett, in a makeshift seafood counter.

Cuchi Cuchi!

www.cuchicuchi.cc

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Cuchi Cuchi
795 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Chinatown is often fun for kids, particularly dim sum. (Unless they've already been a bunch of times, or if you think the food will be too new for them.) A favorite is Hei La Moon.

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Hei La Moon
88 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111

Whole fish is terrific, without a doubt. But I think most people prefer filets, so I think that's what restaurants tend to offer. Diners might not want the reminder that their meal was once alive, or they don't want to deal with all the bones, or they think the skin is icky. And wheeling out a big tuna to carve out a chunk in front of the diners seems about as probable as wheeling out a beef carcass so you can see exactly what cut you are getting.

On another note, if you check out the accompanying table of the Globe's findings, it is interesting that supermarkets did a pretty good job at label accuracy. Chain restaurants did pretty well, also.

How interesting is Wegman's selection of produce? I am guessing that it doesn't have the variety of Russo's, but how does it compare to other supermarkets like whole foods or market basket?

I bet the tires were al dente....

Thanks for the report btw -- I couldn't make it to Framingham on Sunday, but it sounded like a fun idea.

It's this Sunday (Oct 9) in the Shopper's World parking lot. (Another festival will be at Suffolk Downs on Oct 22.) Soulnds like a cool idea, but I hope the trucks focus on "truck tapas" to make it easier to sample from a variety of vendors. In addition to the usual food trucks, there will also be a clothing boutique truck and a henna tattoo truck.

http://www.facebook.com/FoodTruckFestivalsofNE?sk=wall

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/f...

I was about to warn you that Kenmore Square (where ICOB is) gets mobbed during Red Sox games, but alas, that won't be an issue until next spring.

Catalyst is new and generating some positive buzz.

Perhaps Garden at the Cellar?

Lumiere comes to mind, but I am guessing that you've already been.

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Lumiere Restaurant
1293 Washington St., West Newton, MA 02465

Salts is great. I also like TW Food.

If you are up for something different and fun, I think Cuchi Cuchi would make a festive date night.

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Cuchi Cuchi
795 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Thanks for the review -- it is apparent that you are quite knowledgable about the restaurant. You've told us what dishes you like. I am wondering if you can tell us which dishes to avoid -- that is, which ones are not as successfully executed.

Every restaurant has its hits and misses. If you could tell us what you think are the misses, that would be very helpful information.

Pretty much anything you get at Formaggio will be great. Cheese, sausages, wine, jams, chocolates. Some teas and coffee beans as well.

It's a longish walk from Harvard Square, or you can take the 72 bus (stops a block away outbound, and right in front inbound).

Oga's is a great Japanese restaurant in Natick, not far from the mall. Their sushi and sashimi are terrific; they also have a nice miso cod.

My suggestion is: take a cue from your wedding registry (if you used one) and give the person a list of maybe three restaurants. Try to have a range of prices, but try to avoid the extremely expensive and inexpensive ends. Then the gift-giver can pick the restaurant and the amount.

Don't worry too much about whether a place is outlandishly expensive. If your three places cover a range of prices, then you are giving the gift-giver options. And even if all three restaurants are pricier than the gift-giver anticipated, the gift-giver can still give you a certificate for whatever amount is comfortable.

Wilson Farm in Lexington also does fruit gift baskets.

And I don't mean to hijack this into a cheese thread, but Formaggio also does baskets, mostly with (what else?) cheese.

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Wilson Farm
10 Pleasant St, Lexington, MA 02421

If you are feeling self-conscious about the table-for-one thing, you could have breakfast at Henrietta's Table. It's at the Charles Hotel (also in Harvard Square), so you might see solo hotel guests dining there. And the food is pretty good!

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Henrietta's Table
One Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 02138

What about Deep Ellum in Allston? Pretty good food in a small pub setting. Their focus is on beer, but they do have wine and champagne, and also some nice cocktails.

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Deep Ellum Bar
477 Cambridge St, Allston, MA 02134

I like ABP soups as well. Also, Legal's chowder is pretty reliable.

I actually really like the plain croissants, but if I am allowed an accompaniment, I would also bring a jar of reine claude plum jam.

There is Hong Kong supermarket in Allston, right where Commonwealth and Brighton Ave fork. (It still has the signage of the predecessor market, Super 88.) Some nice food stalls in the front of the store -- ramen, bebimbap, etc.

The biggest asian supermarket around is H-Mart, in Burlington.

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H-Mart
3 Old Concord Rd, Burlington, MA 01803

Huge power outage today from Carlsbad down to SD -- electricity is not expected to be restored until tomorrow. I'd try calling again Friday afternoon, or maybe this weekend..

I also like When Pigs Fly a lot. Their anadama bread is terrific, particularly when toasted and buttered.

I like the Pain D'Avignon bread that Formaggio sells, but it also makes me pine for a B&R baguette.

Ah, Pentimento -- used to be a great place for brunch. Their scones were so tasty!

From the clues given, my guess would be: Blue Ginger.

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Blue Ginger
583 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482

What about the Paramount, on Charles Street? Is that close enough to the T?

What about Red Inn in P-town? Or Crowne Pointe Bistro?

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Red Inn & Restaurant
15 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657

Anyone go to the Ikea all-you-can-eat crayfish buffet today? Couldn't make it today, but I plan on going soon -- I hope they are serving a la carte crayfish for a little while.

I don't even like soft serve that much, but I really like Celebrity. Had a small javaberry there recently -- totally refreshing! What's the deal with javaberry, anyway? Is it just a Boston thing? I mean, nothing about it makes sense: it looks freaky, it sounds freaky. But the taste really works! Creamy coffee cut with icy tart berry..... mmmm.

I actually prefer the tang of frozen yogurt, and my absolute favorite place to go was Luscious Licks. If there is anyone who remembers LL, do any of the nouveau fro-yo places match up?

Stone Hearth Pizza, Groupon $15 gets you $30. Valid at Cambridge, Belmont, Needham, Allston (but Allston doesn't open until September).

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Stone Hearth Pizza
57 Leonard St, Belmont, MA 02478

I've often seen figs at Formaggio. Haven't been there in a while, so I don't know if they have them now.