What's better after a sushi dinner than ice cream? Correction: What's better after ANY dinner than ice cream? Answer: Nothing.

J.P. Licks is an eclectic ice cream & frozen yogurt shop found in 13 stores - all within 15 miles of the "Jamaica Plain" neighborhood homebase. I love that the owner, when just getting into the business, said "I knew what I was really serving wasn’t just a treat, it was love in a cone."

They do a fresh peach ice cream in the summer and a Wild Turkey Bourbon ice cream in November to a tomato basil flavor. Pumpkin custard, caramel apple, extreme chocolate, carrot cake, apple cider sorbet, pistachio - and many more. They have a lot of creative flavors, in a number of treats (sundaes, splits and more), with lots of toppings.

I ordered a salted caramel cone, but they said they it was too soft to be a cone. That's odd - I've never heard that before. But, OK, give me a cup instead. Once I got it, I realized what they were talking about. There were so many ribbons of caramel throughout, that it turned it almost gloopy. A little bit more firm ice cream would've made the texture more palatable. Having it be a little too runny was odd. Luckily, it's super sweet and delicious. I just wish it had been a litttttle more firm.

Cafe Sushi is the most unique sushi place I've ever been to. Not only is it fresh with a menu changing daily to reflect a selection of seasonal fish, but it has an artistic take on classic sushi plates. It's truly a fun experience.



I actually ate here with Josh, because Kaitlynn had prior commitments. So, we took the T to Cambridge and luckily were seated without any wait at all.




The menu features signature maki, entrees, makimono and signature creations. The signature creations along the right side of the menu are single pieces of sushi or sashimi. There are items like "Salmon Aburi," which is seared salmon belly / aburi ponzu / negi. There's also "Maguro Tataki," which is seared tuna / truffle oil / lemon juice / kizami wasabli / black salt. So, there are some really interesting, unique flavor combinations here.


I started with a piece of the Hamachi Crudo: yellowtail / aged balsamic / basil oil / grape tomato. One piece of sushi was $3, but wow, was it worth it! That one small bite had so much flavor. The freshness is unrivaled - no gumminess or fleshiness. It was supple, the right balance of firm and soft. And, the taste was great - the balsamic really complemented the gentle flavor of the fish. Seriously good.



I also ordered the Crispy Toban Jan Roll, which is tempura shrimp and avocado, topped with a spicy mix of tuna with cilantro and lime. I also liked this a lot, though it was more on the traditional side of what I'd expect, and after having that one bite, I was wanting more of the unique rolls. It was quite delicious, and the cilantro added a uniqueness.

Josh ordered a Crunch Roll, which had eel, avocado, topped with spicy snow crab, tobiko, tempura flakes and eel sauce. I stole one of his rolls, which was very, very good.

Grade: A

While I took two weeks off (for the first time ever!) to visit Boston, my friend Kaitlynn still had to work for a portion of my visit. So, while I went to all ends of the city exploring, I made time to come back and join her for lunch near her workplace. For our Monday lunch, we headed to Boston Beer Works.

It was pretty empty when we arrived, which was nice. I first looked over the beer menu, which is large. They had a few seasonals, in addition to their "trademarks" and specialty beers. I had a hard time deciding. Pumpkin works? Boston Red ale? Oh, Bunker Hill Blueberry - that's the one!

Something light with fruity notes was so perfect for lunch. For my meal, I figured a burger would be a smart way to go. Beer and burgers = heaven. I went with the Beer Works Classic Burger, which came with lettuce, tomato, and I added cheddar cheese.

This was a solid burger - not the best burger (there's a lot of competition in that arena). But, it was a solid, flavorful burger. The bread could have been a touch fluffier - I felt like it may have been going stale, and the meat could have used a bit more herbs/spices. But I'm truly splitting hairs here. It was better than average - but not the best ever. Solid B territory.




Grade: B

I went to a lot of breweries while in Boston during this past trip (which you'll read all about), and it reminded me that I also had gone to Sam Adams, but I never wrote about it. So, these photos are a couple years old at this point, but I wanted to put them on here just for funsies.

The coolest thing about this tour is that it's free AND you get free beer. Yes, please.

We took a tour around the facility, learned a little bit about the history and had a good bit of beer at the end.

Max Brenner is known for incredible chocolate. Like, really decadent, indulgent chocolate desserts.

Max Brenner has two chocolate bars located in New Jersey and Maryland, and an additional three locations - Boston, New York and Philadelphia - also have the Max Brenner restaurant.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we found quite a lengthy wait. This was no surprise at this point ... everywhere in Boston you have to wait. Fortunately, the chocolate store is right in front, so I perused the chocolate offerings. Praline cream mixed with caramelized pecan? Yes, please.

When we were seated, it was fairly uncomfortable, to be honest. We were squeezed on this end when I was kind of hanging out in the walkway and would be brushed each time someone walked around that way - which was often. But, I tried to squeeze in as close as I could and hope I wasn't in the way too much.


For my meal, I ordered the Really-Cheesy Crispy Chicken Mac & Cheese. The waffle sandwiches and pizza also looked tasty, but it's hard to pass up a macaroni and cheese. This was pretty good. It is a huge portion, which is nice, and the additional sauce and tomatoes on the side was necessary to punch up the flavor a bit. As long as you got a nice combo of each ingredient in each bite, it was good.

Then, of course, it was dessert time. Kaitlynn went with a crepe of some sort, and I went for the "S'more Concoction," which had milk chocolate mousse, topped with grahama crackers and marshmallow fluff and white chocolate. It was served with a flask of warm toffee sauce, caramelized bananas and a single graham cracker covered in milk chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

Decadent is one word that sums this all up. Sooo good. That giant bowl in the upper right corner is just milk chocolate mouse, marshmallow fluff and graham cracker. Spoonful after spoonful after spoonful ... a possible coma later, my tummy was very, very happy.

Grade: A