I have not even started on September yet. That’s right. I got so behind last month that I’m just wrapping up August as October starts. I’m going to try to keep up, but I’m going to be brief.
October 1
Steak and cheese with peppers, onions, and extra cheese from DeNo’s, toasted. Decent.
Carnitas Uruapan from Bandoleros. Michoacan recipe, braised pork, guacamole, pico, frijoles, jalapenos & salsa verde. Good dish but service was terrible tonight.
October 2
CSA pickup day at Verrill Farm. I made pork chops with pan roasted carrots and onions and corn on the cob.
October 3
We tried Love at First Bite for the first time: brussels sprouts, larb moo, spicy pad thai, mai tai, all good.
October 5
For breakfast: bacon, egg, & cheese taco, homemade hot sauce, cilantro. For dinner: the first dinner at Michael’s new house. I gave a cooking lesson: celery root puree with wine braised leeks, pork tenderloin, carrot-apple slaw, scallion.
Michael gifted me a bottle of gin from his recent trip to New York, no 104 Downbound from Saint Lawrence Spirits.
October 7
Tonight I made Mexican chicken and rice with peppers, onions, and homemade hot sauce – a tortilla on the side.
October 8
Dinner at Karma in Concord. We tried the calamari last month and really liked it so we got it again, highly recommended. We also got sushi: shrimp tempura maki, spicy tuna maki, and ebi, yellowtail, and saba nigiri.
October 10
New dish at Alexander’s Pizza in Lexington: cheeseburger club. The sandwich was good, fries are just ok.
October 11
Mom is visiting. We had lunch at The Druid: bangers and mash, excellent. Dinner was at Karma: shumai, beef teriyaki, happy family, sushi.
October 12
I made soup with tomato, potato, and leek for my mom. I garnished it with parsley and balsamic. For dinner, Kelly and I went to Moona. The food was fine, but not worth a return. There were issues dealing with nut allergies. We got lamb sliders, carrot salad, feta fritters, and a trio of dips.
October 13
We celebrated Oktoberfest at Bronwyn. They had a live oompah band, great food, and lots of drink. We started with a pretzel with spicy mustard. Then we had their venison sausage, breaded chicken “weisswurst”, sauerbraten, schnitzel, and sauerkraut. Everything was excellent. For dessert, chocolate pudding.
October 14
I took my mom and son to Mario’s for lunch. We split the meatball sub and shared a pizza. For dinner I made celeriac root puree with wine braised leeks again. I topped it with lamb loin and a olive-sun dried tomato tapenade. For dessert my wife made a carrot cake to celebrate mom’s birthday.
October 15
Simple dinner: spaghetti with chicken, onions, sundried and fresh tomatoes, and kale.
October 16
I took my son bowling at King’s. Dinner was pizza and fries.
October 18
The burger at The Bancroft has been one of my favorites, but today it was just ok. The fries were great.
October 19
I took my son to lunch at Omar’s Bistro and tried the BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese for the first time. It was really good. Still not a fan of their ketchup.
October 20
We went to a sushi place, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, with some friends of ours because the drinks are delivered by robot and our kids think that is cool. The sushi was ok but Kura is a chain so you get what you get. They did have a beef sushi that was pretty good and I can’t complain about their $5 house sake.
October 23
I’ve got a new recipe: collards and rice. Fry a few strips of bacon, slice an onion and cook it in the fat. Add strips of collards and cook covered until soft. Stir in vinegar, add a pat of butter, and grind in black pepper. Mix in a third of a cup of cooked rice. It’s delicious. Tonight I made it with a pork chop and a tomato salad.
October 25
Michael and I went to Moon Bar for dinner. I had my first Vietnamese gin – Song Cai. We also had: tuna crudo, mahi mahi ceviche, fried plantains, tres leches.
October 27
I made my carnitas tonight. I also finally cut up this tiny pepper we grew in a cup on the widow sill. It was really spicy.
October 30
We have been eating carnitas every night for the past four nights. I’m not complaining. Tonight I finished it off. I made tostadas with some fresh Mexican slaw and fried eggs.
Best of the month
One of my new favorite recipes is celeriac puree with leeks another is collards with bacon and rice. I made both of them this month. I also made a fantastic batch of carnitas which I used for four dinners in a row. My wife also made her carrot cake which was fantastic as always. My best meal out was at Moon Bar or maybe Oktoberfest at BRONWYN.
Overall my three best meals were:
Oktoberfest at BRONWYN
Carnitas at CCL
Crudo and Ceviche at Moon Bar
hungrytommy links:
DeNo’s Pizza & Subs
Bandoleros
gin no 104 – the collection (new)
Karma
Bronwyn
Mario’s
The Bancroft
Omar’s Bistro
Carnitas
Return to the Roundups
Concord Culinary Lyceum 
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