Hello, Boston!

[At JP Licks. Steph snapped this photo of me pouring on the oh-so-delicious hot fudge]

It's been a year since I last visited. In 2009, we took my sister on a college preview tour...and this year we're back to move her into her new freshman dorm at Boston College! She and my parents have been in orientation sessions all week...leaving me with lots of free time. And what did I do with that time?

EAT ICE CREAM. Goodness this is a glorious ice cream town. Thank you to Steph for accompanying me on a full day of sugar-high in 90F+ weather. More details to come next week ;)

When not spooning up ice cream, I was eating cupcakes from the newest location of Sweet on Newbury, a cupcake-only affair. That's the "Organic Carrot" pictured above, $3.25 apiece. The verdict? TOO MUCH frosting! Or...not enough cake. Two ways to view it.
The cake itself boasted a abundance of crushed pineapple bits, along with shredded carrots, keeping it quite moist, but not mushy. Just wish they had chopped walnuts in the batter! A literal tower of cream cheese frosting and the tiniest gold leaf. The cupcake satisfied my craving with little complaint, but isn't one I'd go out of my way for again. They do some fun summer flavors here, including shocking pink-coloured Pink-Lemonade Cupcakes (with a tiny straw poking out of the frosting), and oh-so-cute Ice Cream Cake Cupcakes.

We also took a family day trip out to Cape Cod, stopping in Chatham for lunch at Chatham Pier Fish Market. Most people inside were purchasing fresh lobsters and fish to take home and cook, but they also have a short menu of chowders, bisques and fried seafood. It's takeout only, but we found nearby benches close to the fishing boats...and had front row views of all the fishermen catching fish and lobsters, as well as a whole pod of seals in the water...no need for all those seal watching tours advertised everywhere!

On the menu: Fried Clam Bellies and Fries...
...and a quart of Clam Chowder to share! It was a short two-hour drive each way from Boston, and we made it back in time for an early dinner at Sichuan Garden later that evening. Hope everyone is having a great week! We plan to go out to Nantucket this weekend, but let's see where Hurricane Earl heads...most of the beaches and ferries out to the island are closed at the moment. Maybe better to take it safe and stay in the city!

Sweet
225 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-2253

Chatham Pier Fish Market
45 Barcliff Avenue
Chatham, MA 02633
(508) 945-3474