Goodbye Harvard Seniors....

The Harvard Crimson

A watercolor painting I did for a graduating friend. My favorite campus newspaper building!

Dragonfruit + Berryline

Yes, I did bring my own dragonfruit to Berryline today. And yes, I received many strange looks from the patrons in the packed establishment, but it was totally worth it. The cool mild flavor of the dragonfruit complemented the tart creamy yogurt well and the soft slippery texture of the fruit blended into the silky froyo while the seeds added a bit of crunchy contrast. Yum

Random Internet Thing of the Day

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/alae8/warning_potentially_disturbing_question_sexy/c0i6kuh

6 Days....

Unti Shanghai....stay tuned, my posts will get more interesting!

Dante

Dante is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. The contemporary Italian restaurant on the Charles river strikes a balance perfect for a college-aged foodie; the dishes and atmosphere are refined and creative without being overly stuffy, pretentious or expensive, and the wait staff is attentive and, of course, the food is delicious! Dante isn’t particularly renowned like No. 9 Park, nor does it have a cult following on Chowhound or Yelp. But it still has a special place in my heart.

When I was in middle school and high school, I was like most other kids—my dinners out were split between the mall food court and The Cheesecake Factory. Then, in 10^th grade, my boyfriend at the time took me to Dante for Valentines day and I had my first Prix Fixe meal. I can still see and taste every element of that meal, from the amuse bouche of a kumamoto oyster with persimmon granite and wasabi fish roe to the pear and rubarb finish. From that meal on, I no longer viewed dishes as just sustenance, I saw them as an art; the chef is the artist and with the plate as his canvas and with flavors as his medium, he creates dishes that can dazzle all 5 senses. Dante brings back memories of happiness. Of young love.

My last visit to Dante:

Arancini- porcini risotto, scamorza cheese, truffle honey.

I’ve actually never had arancini before, but these are fantastic. The crisp, deeply golden fried shell gives way to a soft creamy risotto center, speckled with earthy porcini mushrooms. The center of the arancini is a chunk of sacamora cheese, which is mild but adds a bit of acidity to the risotto and a satisfying pull, like mozz sticks right out of the fryer. The piece de resistance for this dish is the truffle honey. Complexly sweet and a perfect balance the salty elements of the dish. The hint of truffle flavor accents the earthy flavor of the porcini mushrooms.

Fries!

Freshly cut fries, covered in Parm, with garlicky aioli...what's not to love?

Sole with lemon pistachio butter sauce and asparagus.

The fish melted in my mouth like silken tofu, and the pistachios added a satisfying crunch and a subtle floral flavor. The butter and lemon in the sauce added not only a brightness to the dish but also a richness that made the experience of eating the sole almost like eating a creamy custard. This dish reminded me of Ming Tsai's butterfish at Blue Ginger, but it wasn't quite as, well, buttery.

Did I mention my dining companion and I finished off an entire bottle of German Riesling? More fond memories for the collection...

Flowers for Michael

Flowers for Algernon was the first book that ever made me cry. It is the story of Charlie, a mentally disable man who undergoes surgery to raise his IQ. But as his intelligence rises above that of the people around him, so does his loneliness and unhappiness. Algernon is a lab mouse that had undergone the same procedure, so his condition served as a sole indicator for Charlie’s own. Algernon’s condition deteriorates and so does Charlie’s.

This week, when Lisa Marie Presley urged fans to send sunflowers to Michael Jackson’s grave, saying “he would have wanted and deserved more,” I was reminded of Charlie and Algernon. We lifted Michael, a musical genius, into the limelight, and into a world of loneliness and isolation. Like Algernon, he was locked in a gilded cage where the world would scrutinize his every word, his every move, and every change on his face. As the most famous person on the planet, he was left with no peers and few friends. “I am one of the loneliest people on this earth” he once said.

I will send a flower to Michael not only because I feel partially responsible for the construction of his gilded cage, but also because in his tragic story, in all his flaws and eccentricities, I see my (and our) own flaws reflected and magnified. The final sentence in Flowers for Algernon was “please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard.” Through it all, Charlie never forgot Algernon. And I hope we will never forget Michael.

Send a silk sunflower to:

The Holy Terrace At Forest Lawn

1712 South Glendale Avenue

Glendale Calif, 91205