Those are Edlund tongs. I've got a 9", 12" and 16" which I bought about 20 years ago.

12" is my workhorse, 16" for grilling, and 9" tends to get used for salad.

I'm surprised and disappointed by your experience. I've been getting lobster rolls for many years at Bob Lobster, including twice this season. I've never had celery mixed in, nor has the lettuce ever been shredded.

I agree 100% about celery in a lobster roll - it really does ruin it! And I'd rather see lettuce omitted than added as shredded pieces. In fact, I don't really see the need for the single piece.

I'm sure I'll be back at Bob Lobster within the next month. I'm hoping your experience was a fluke - I'd hate to lose my goto place for lobster rolls.

"And I could swear I've seen them at Barista in Arlington, also on Mass Ave."

I assume you mean *Barismo*? What you probably saw was the somewhat similar looking Hario Woodneck. I don't believe they carry Chemex.

You must have the wild boar meatball appetizer. They're on the bar menu, not the dining room menu, but they will serve them in the dining room if you ask.

+1 for A & J King. If you go on Saturday, they have Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Bread, in loaves and rolls. It's not to be missed!

It's different. Marini Farm is on LInebrook Road, which intersects Route 1.

http://www.marinifarm.com/

I like Connors, too. They grown their own peaches, which are absolutely amazing.

In season, Marini Farm in Ipswich is one of my favorites. I won't eat corn from anywhere else. Greenhouse opens on Saturday, Farm stand proper opens May 30.

If you're willing to travel up to Portsmouth NH, Black Trumpet Bistro has it on the menu:

"Coconut Haupia with almond macaroon crust, nut crisp and pineapple sauce"

http://www.blacktrumpetbistro.com/pag...

I've had it there and liked it a lot, though I've no basis for comparison, having never had it before.

We went to Bob Lobster in Newbury for lobster rolls last night. The roll was about 3 - 4 ounces of knuckle and claws with little (maybe no) mayonnaise, and a small piece of green leaf lettuce at the bottom of the small toasted bun. (They now toast their buns without being asked - since I forgot!) The roll was heaped with as much lobster as it could possibly hold without some of it falling off.

Given the small roll, it was necessary to eat most of the lobster with a fork - but I didn't consider that a problem. It was my fist lobster roll since last summer, and a true pleasure on a sad day.

The price: $11.99 with choice of chips or cole slaw. We got two lobster rolls, a cup of clam chowder, a bowl of fish chowder, and two bottles of soda for $38.

I assume, by the price, these are burr grinders, not whirlyblades.

By "burnt out", do you mean you've literally burned out the motors? How often do you use a coffee grinder? How much coffee do you grind at a time, and how finely?

Those $50 burr grinders aren't really meant for much use. I seem to recall they are all the same grinder, made in a Chinese factory and rebadged for the customer.

A Capresso Infinity or a better Baratza, as already suggested, are both significant improvements over those $50 cheapos.

And, if you're really hard on grinders, a commercial grinder, though expensive at the outset, actually may be your least expensive choice over time. I got a Mazzer Mini almost ten years ago, and it shows little, if any, signs of wear, despite daily use.

Have you checked with Simon's Coffee Shop right there in Porter Square? They would be a massive improvement over DD.

Are they willing to travel in to Boston? If so, that opens up a much wider range of possibilities.

I've gotten small bunches of mint from Farmer Brown's in Middleton. Perhaps smaller than you want, but certainly much bigger than those little plastic containers.

Have you checked out Henry's Market in Beverly? They seem a likely spot.

me three!

Luther, you are correct about air-chilled, which is a *good* thing.

headmaster, you are confusing "air-chilled" with "hard-chilled". Hard-chilling is is the practice of rapidly cooling poultry to 26 degrees F., essentially freezing it.

Agree about the wild boar meatballs. They will serve them on the dining room side if you ask. We always do.

+1 for the Amesbury Ale House. Good beer list, pretty good food. I especially like the tuna entree (hold the chili sauce).

There is also a very good, long beer list at "The Grill Next Door" on Route 97 in Haverhill (just off of Route 495). Unfortunately, I find their food, which is mainly pub grub, only fair to middlin'.

And, as to Armsby Abbey, which somebody mentioned - that actually *is* worth a trip to Worcester. Great beer and cocktail list, and some very good, locally oriented food. Unfortunately, they're quite small, so they are best visited on a weekday afternoon, if you can swing it.

Agree with almost all of your post, Ipso (as usual), but disagree about Ithaki. After a very bad year (maybe two) after their remodeling- they're back to their old form. Their pasta with clams is to die for - my favorite dish before the remodel, and my favorite dish now. I do refuse to sit on the noisy bar side.

In Newburyport, my new favorite restaurant is Enzo's in the Tannery.
http://www.enzo-restaurant.com/
They are about the fourth restaurant in that spot in the past ten years, and the first one worth a second visit. Locavore oriented Italian menu - small list but well-executed. Their chicken under a brick is excellent, as is their free-form lasagne. Not cheap ($25 - $30 an entree), but high prices seem typical for Newburyport.

Not quite as good, but worth mentioning, is Loretta's on State Street in Newburyport
http://www.lorettarestaurant.com/
Lower prices than comparable Newburyport restaurants, featuring (mostly) good food with some Cajun and southern influences. Very friendly staff with the owner usually on-premise. They're a small storefront (maybe 15 tables), and sometimes a little too crowded for my taste.

DItto on the recommendation for the Kool-Tek mitts (I love mine), but are those current prices?

Periwinkles is more upscale than the Village, and has a better view. As long as you stick to the seafood and fish dishes, I think both of you will enjoy it.

I recommend the Bernzomatic TS3000 torch, which any hardware store or Walmart type discount store will have for $25 - $30, including a 1 lb tank of propane. It's got a self-lighting trigger mechanism and a pressure regulator.
The pressure regulator is an important feature for culinary use. It allows you to invert the torch (as you'll want to do for creme brulee) without putting out the flame.

http://www.bernzomatic.com/PRODUCTS/K...

Yes, yes, yes!

Sit upstairs by the windows, if you can, overlooking the harbor.

-----
Black Trumpet Bistro
29 Ceres Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801

Legal Sea Foods at the North Shore Mall has the advantage that you don't have to go out on the street to get there from the Lahey - the mall access road is adjacent. (Traffic in that area can be quite bad at 5 - 6 PM.)
And, after having had bad experiences at the Legal at both Burlington and Chestnut Hill, I'm still happy with the NS Mall branch.

Although Sweet Maria's is an excellent source of information, they buy their Technivorm Brewers from Boyd's, who are indeed the only US distributor.

I was in Seattle a year ago, and Victrola was absolutely the best I've ever had - straight shot, brewed coffee, or cappuccino. And Zoka was pretty darned close. (Vivace, or the other hand, was a bitter disappointment (pun intended). Given their reputation, I must assume I hit them on a bad day.)

Though I haven't tried some of the newer places (Voltage, et al), no place I've tried in the Boston area has hit the mark as well as the better places in Seattle. Almost to my surprise, the best I've had locally is at Atomic Cafe in Beverly.

-----
Atomic Cafe
265 Cabot St, Beverly, MA

"Sold Out"

I've read in several forums that the Bunn commercial coffeemakers have a full stainless path, but I cannot easily find an authoritative web page on their site (www.bunn.com). I'd suggest you call them:

BUNN Corporate Headquarters
Operators are available from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm CT. Monday - Friday
Phone: 217-529-6601
Phone: 800-637-8606

You didn't mention your price range. Bunn commercial coffee makers have a stainless steel tank, and either come with a stainless steel funnel (most don't), or one can be purchased separately. $225+ for the coffee maker, $50 for the funnel if you choose a model that doesn't include it.

Bunn coffee makers also store a tank of water and keep it at brewing temperature. This allows the brewer to brew a pot of coffee in three minutes. This is useful in a commercial environment, but wasteful in most home environments, unless you're brewing multiple pots of coffee a day.

The Atomic Cafe Roastery in Salem, MA sells a large variety of green beans at very reasonable prices - about 40 - 60% of roasted prices. You can pick up at the roastery in Salem, or their retail cafes in Beverly or Marblehead.

http://www.atomicafe.com/pages/websto...
and select "pickup" as your shipping method

Terroir used to be a good source of green, but they seem to be phasing that out. Their web site now shows only three coffees available green.