The theory of a regularly scheduled “Date Night” has quickly dissolved in the last year — as moola has been tight since I quit my job in September and the economy is still in the crapper. But, we’ve been lucky enough to take advantage of the “Kid’s Night” our gym hosts every Friday night… and this past Friday night we actually went on a ‘date’! Dan (the Husband) booked us for a reservation (through Open Table) at Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain (JP). I have wanted to hit Ten Tables for YEARS. Pretty much since it opened in 2002. Located at at 597 Centre Street in JP, Ten Tables has been a quaint and popular neighborhood jaunt since it’s inception. We had early reservations… at 6:15pm and had no issues with finding a spot on the street very close by. Ten tables was originally just that… TEN TABLES. That was it! Then about a year ago, they acquired the space next door and opened TT Bar. You can sit on either side,...

Who doesn’t  love sky-high fire, flaming up right in front of you while you watch your food cooked?? Knowing that the boy would just love this, we decided on a night of “Japanese Hibachi” at Kiku Yama Steak House in Dedham this past weekend. While the picture below is not from Kiku Yama, it is a great representation of what we experienced (silly me forgot to snap a photo during the big fire show). If you’ve never experienced this type of cooking, you must give it a try. It’s a fun evening, kids love it and the food is delicious. And actually, “hibachi” is not the correct term… Teppanyaki is. In fact, according to wikipedia: “Hibachi-style” is often confused in the U.S. as a term for Japanese teppanyaki cooking, in which gas-heated hotplates are integrated into tables around which many people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once. The chef performs the cooking in front of the diners, typically with theatrical flair—such...

It’s the Year of the Rabbit, and to celebrate we decided to hit Chinatown last weekend for some Dim Sum with friends! We played it by ear, walked around a bit and settled on a sure deal… China Pearl. If you know Chinatown and you like Dim Sum… then you’ve been to China Pearl. The place was bustling… I think we got there around 11am-ish on Sunday. We were seated immediately and before we could even get settled, the food started coming! So, what is Dim Sum? According to Wikipedia: Dim sum is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu baau, dumplings and rice noodle rolls (cheong fun), which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee...