"When I Grow Up"

"I will eat sweets every day on the way to work and I will go to bed late every night."

- from Matilda the Musical

And so, Friday night Tai and I have a dinner and a show kind of night. It's a beautiful evening, we're walking around Downtown and pop into Legal Crossing and have a seat at the bar. It's crazy and amazing, the resurgence of Downtown. And I guess it's fitting that the Legal there takes the Legal concept and went trendier. The interior is nice, but dark. Really dark. At least where we were sitting.

The menu here has small plates, shared plates, sides, and entree options. I was really sad that the watermelon crush was not on the menu. Especially since some of the drinks on the menu were really vague (at least list the liquor you're using, please).

Cherrystones - sorry for the super dark picture.

Korean short ribs (good, but a tad dry), pommes frites (really good, with two dipping choices), rosemary braised kale (good, could use a bit more garlic).








Legal Crossing definitely represents the change that has been occurring Downtown. Like the area, I think Legal has a bit of an identity crisis going on here. Duck baos and butter poached lobster. Crab and pepperoni pizza and scallion pancake. Sure, you're situated between Chinatown and the Financial District. But must your menu have both? I'm not sure.

It's not a bad pre-theatre option. Or after-work option. But I don't think it'll be a go-to for me.

Saturday, after fighting traffic and then crowds at Wrentham (why was it so busy today?!), Tai and I stopped by Oishii Chestnut Hill. It has been a while since I've been here, so everything is foreign yet familiar, like a much faded memory. What hasn't changed - the place is still tiny; the menu is still laminated so you can write on it; service is more efficiency than friendliness. Oh but it's still as good as I remember.

Seaweed salad - cold and crisp and just the right amount of sesame.

Salmon sashimi - really big pieces. Were they always this big? Solid though.

Caterpillar and spicy tuna - these rolls are bigger than I remember. This is the very hungry caterpillar aaaafter he ate the salami, the ice cream, the cherry pie, etc. (or, as I was calling it, the chubby caterpillar).

Tokyo style soft shell crab maki - this has soft shell crab tempura, tamago, unagi, cucumber, tobika and rice, which is then wrapped with seaweed and then daikon. I didn't think I'd like the daikon here, but I really did.

Jeffrey's maki - always my favorite. Spicy scallop and imitation crab make for the topping. And it's served warm. And so good.









What has changed - the plating. Or perhaps we just didn't order enough. But the plating used to be more artistic, with a flower on the plate. The food is still delicious though. Also nice that we weren't there during super busy hours, so we didn't feel rushed, which happens. Definitely will be back. Go here! Just don't go during busy hours. Seriously, it's tiny and they don't take reservations and it can get packed.

BONUS:

Outside the Opera House.

Matilda - super entertaining and fun and funny. But yes, there will be kids. Lots of kids. In the show and in the audience.

Tai's face when he realized we were sitting in the mezzanine instead of front orchestra. Relegating him to balcony next.