an evening in the CLINK.

Six years of togetherness seemed like an important thing to celebrate, so last Saturday, August 21, Ian and I went to jail. But just for dinner.

After 139 years housing Boston's dangerous and infamous, a court order citing unfit conditions closed the doors to the Charles Street Jail. In 2007, those doors opened once again, welcoming a different sort of guest to the Liberty Hotel. Striking a balance between luxury style and stark history, the site has garnered awards and accolades as a stunning preservation and reuse project.

So you can imagine its allure to designers, i.e. Ian, who in turn hooked me with a mouthwatering menu and opportunity to wear a pretty dress.

Since we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Paris (this one, not this one) and a free hour of Wii Sports Resort at Best Buy, we decided to splurge a little on our 6 year dating anniversary, and Ian made dinner reservations at CLINK.

Remnants of jail cells are scattered around the restaurant. Cell doors and brick walls serve as the canvas for a simple, modern style.

Our waiter was pleasant, prompt, and helpful. He suggested the yellowtail sashimi with powdered lobster butter and fennel pollen. Which could sound pretentious, but was a deliciously indescribable combination of flavors. It felt like we were judges on Top Chef, or learning to appreciate food with Remy.

We moved on to entrees — the dry aged striploin steak with ricotta and pea cannelloni and pappardelle pasta with lamb ragu. The steak was delicious and the pasta was comfort food, but better. We were stuffed, but knew we couldn't pass up dessert. We turned once again to our waiter, who came back carrying a dish of blueberry basil sorbet with rhubarb soup and lime shortbreads. Tangy, sweet, and refreshing.

I don't think I've ever walked out of a restaurant so content.

Given the caliber of the food, the prices aren't exorbitant and you could easily save a little cash by ordering just appetizers and dessert (we skipped lunch to indulge).

Moral of the story: when you're looking for a little swank in your life, head to CLINK.

isang bagay tungkol kay Nathan

When Nathan's summer project finished up in Indianapolis, he hitched a ride to Boston with a friend and spent a couple days with us before flying home just in time to move into a new place before school started. He's a busy guy.

Thursday, I took the day off to wander around Boston with him, and we covered a lot of ground, from Boston Common to the Freedom Trail.

Nathan slept in (his first day to catch up from a long summer), then we headed to the green line. His first MBTA experience was an eventful one, as we witnessed a medical emergency on our train. I was blown away by the overwhelming kindness of passengers in taking care of the lady until help arrived, but also by the irritation and voyeurism of other passengers, when a woman's life could be at stake.

We finally arrived at Boston Common and took some great photos at Frog Pond.

We wandered down the Freedom Trail, but took a break for lunch at the Barking Crab. Nathan, like Caleb, had a hankering for seafood.

He conquered the shellfish platter with ease.

While Nathan was cracking into the last of his crab claws, a 10-pound lobster made a special appearance in the dining room.

He was very stately. I named him Henry.

On our way back to the Freedom Trail, we saw the Northern Avenue swing bridge in action. Built in 1908, it's one of the oldest operable bridges of it's kind in the world.

Roughly following the Freedom Trail, we proceeded to wander around the North End, working off our large lunch. And the pastries we picked up at Mike's.

Friday, Nathan borrowed Ian's bike for a nice ride around the Emerald Necklace. We met up with him later in the afternoon and picked up a Mini Cooper convertible, courtesy of ZipCar.

Destination? JnJ Turo Turo. Mom was thrilled we were taking Nathan there and called him while we were driving, just to make sure we were on our way.

Nathan loved the barbecue, kare kare, and Filipino television programming, and portrayed his appreciation through his Asian photo face (dot com!). Also note, he wore his Pinoy shirt just for the occasion.

We had a great time together, and gave him strict instructions to come back soon!

For more photos, click here.

Harley Snugglebones

Our week of house sitting a 1700s Lexington farm was full of cats (one of which we nicknamed Harley Snugglebones), chickens, garden produce, and breakfasts outside.

Scott & Bekah on the Freedom Trail

Two days after my family left, Scott and Bekah arrived to spend a few days with us as part of their East Coast vacation.

While we were at work, they relaxed and explored on their own, managing to squeeze a Fenway tour, Boston College, a Sam Adams Brewery tour and lots of downtown wandering, all into just a day and a half.

Friday evening, they had a nice romantic dinner at FuGaKyu, then came back to our apartment and we created an undead fly.

1. Catch fly — don't squish.
2. Put live fly in water until it's legs curl up.

3. Place dead fly on paper towel and cover completely with salt.

4. Wait until the fly starts wiggling.
5. Watch the fly emerge from the salt pile and fly away (preferably outside).

Bekah and I thought the guys were just torturing a fly to death, but sure enough, it flew away after spending a little time in the salt pile. PETA probably wouldn't approve, but it was a fascinating experiment.

Saturday, we served as tour guides for the Freedom Trail, hitting the highlights and adding a few locations of our own.

Ian and I also took them across the Charlestown Bridge for a closer look at the U.S.S. Constitution and a trip up the Bunker Hill Memorial.

We conquered the 294 steps. While the photo captures the sweat, the camera misses the shortness of breath and Anna wobbling around after getting back to the ground... Life at sea level must be getting to me.

And now I can officially say I've completed the Freedom Trail in it's entirety.

We finished up their final evening with a sunset cruise. Which we almost missed because of a light dinner at the Chart House. Their chowder is good, but the service has been extremely slow both times we ate here (we had 1.5 hours for an appetizer, chowder and dessert, and we ran out of time for dessert) and it's not cheap. If you have somewhere to be, eat somewhere else.

The cruise wasn't as great as when we went with Ian's family — much more crowded, and instead of highlighting Boston Light before turning back to the city, the crew spent the whole time getting a volunteer to fire a miniature cannon, which didn't work, and the sun had set by the time we headed back. (The difference could be weeknight vs. weekend, so if you have a choice, go on a weeknight.)

It was still beautiful in the Harbor!

We finished the evening at a fried dough stand to make up for the dessert we didn't have time for at the Chart House.

Scott and Bekah — it was so much fun to catch up with you and enjoy the city together!

For more photos, click here.

standing by for medical emergency

Her ebony hand clutches his pale arm as she whispers to him.

"I'll tell the driver." But he doesn't leave her side. Instead, he enlists a fellow passenger, in an unmistakable Boston accent, to communicate to the driver a passenger is in trouble.

An unassuming woman with neat blonde hair turns around. "Have you eaten anything recently? Are you diabetic?" Her bedside manner reveals her as a nurse, even if her attire does not.

The train pulls into the stop and the doors open. Only after making sure the nurse will remain with the woman does the man in the Red Sox t-shirt step off to continue with his day.

"This train is standing by for a medical emergency," the loudspeakers announce, as the nurse holds the woman's hand. "Will you go to Mass Gen? Yeah, they'll take really good care of you there!"

A woman at the back of the train mutters "I could get there faster if I walked," shaking her head to the man standing next to her.

A man leans in for video footage with his camera phone as the medical officials arrive and have the woman lay down in the car. The nurse offers an update as they begin to take out equipment and ask the passengers to exit the train so they have room to work.

The man with the camera phone takes photos as he steps down the stairs. Photos of the woman. Photos of the EMTs.

"DON'T DO THAT. I'm trying to do my job. Get outta here with that!"

"Chill out man." And he walks away in his sneakers and fedora, scrolling through his shots.

The nurse remains on the train car, holding the woman's hand as she's gently lifted onto the special seat they will use to take her up the stairs to the waiting ambulance.

Soon the trains resume. New passengers board, unaware that moments before, a woman's crisis distilled the heroes from the villains.

they're not in Kansas anymore.

Six days after sending Ian's family home, we trekked back to the airport to meet my family (plus Grandma, minus Nathan). For their first evening in Boston, we took them to Zaftig's, which is becoming our "thing" for visitors — the potato knish, kugel, and banana stuffed french toast are irresistible. (It's impossible to live in Brookline and not like Jewish food.)

They enjoyed the next few days via Old Town Trolley Tours while we did the work thing, then met up in the evenings for great food and neighborhood exploration. Which included a visit to the Regal Beagle for Dad's birthday dinner.

Ian took off Friday to show them around Harvard, MIT, and the MIT Museum, which Caleb and Dad found fascinating. The museum displays everything from robots to kinetic sculptures, all created at the school.

And we hit the weekend running. We wandered through the Holocaust Memorial and the Saturday market on our way to the Aquarium.

After waiting in line for 15 minutes, we bailed for the guy promoting aquarium membership — no line and Ian and I only have to go back once for it to pay off.

And we'll definitely go back. The aquarium isn't huge, but it's good. The penguins are there to meet you and then you slowly spiral up three floors of jellyfish, piranhas, sea dragons, salmon, sea turtles and a 200,000 gallon ocean tank.

After the aquarium, we headed to the Barking Crab so Caleb could try lobster. It's a less touristy option for seafood and a good price, especially given how large the portions are. The relaxed crab-shack atmosphere is memorable — the lighting design is Christmas lights stuffed into crab and lobster pots hanging from the ceiling, and giant lobster claws, nets, and lobster buoys are scattered across the walls.

After lunch, it was off to the Mapparium at the Christian Science Center. Standing in a glowing globe circa 1935 (the Philippines was a U.S. Commonwealth) is a unique experience and relatively cheap at six bucks, but the show wasn't very informative, we didn't get to spend much time inside, AND they don't let you take photos. If you're only here a weekend, it's not a priority.

Sunday, my family experienced Reunion — our new home church, then we headed to Quincy for JnJ Turo Turo. After the Filipino restaurant fiasco in Philly, we were hoping for a win, i.e. authentic food.

And what a win it was.

Mom gave it two thumbs up for authenticity, and the pork bbq skewers alone were worth the trip. We finished our feast with halo halo — a parfait-esque dessert with shaved ice, sweet beans, fruit, gelatin and ice cream. Halo halo means mix mix, which is what you do before you eat.

We then ventured next door to the Filipino grocery store and picked up lots of buko juice and dried mangoes, because nothing holds a candle to Philippine brand.

On Monday while Ian went to work, I showed them around our final can't-miss Boston sights — the Public Garden and the Boston Public Library. Through October 17, BPL has an exhibit featuring vintage travel posters, which is such a romantic period of history.

We made a pit stop at the Apple Store so Mom and Dad could learn about macs and make an informed decision on their next computer purchase (Caleb has a new Windows 7 laptop, so they're covered on the PC end).

We picked up b.good and headed to the Public Garden for lunch with a view.

The green line took us back to Coolidge Corner and Ten Thousand Villages. Mom and Dad were missionaries in Africa/Indonesia with the Mennonite Central Committee, which helped establish the store. They wanted to be sure and shop there before heading home.

Later that afternoon, we rode the bus to Watertown to tour the office (Caleb discovered the juggler they saw at Faneuil Hall is a Sasaki summer intern) and enjoy a final dinner together.

The week was bursting at the seams, but we had so much fun being a part of my family's first visit to Boston. And I think we have them converted — we sent Dad home with a Sox hat. Mission accomplished.

tomato bread salad

We slightly adapted this recipe from the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It's great on a hot summer night, but I have a feeling this will still be tasty in the dead of winter next to a piping hot chicken breast.

tomato bread salad
6-8 servings
prep: 35 minutes, chill: overnight

4 medium roma tomatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
1/2 of a medium red onion, cut in thin wedges (1/2 cup)
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning, crushed (or whatever italian-ish dried herbs you have — we used oregano)
8 oz. ciabatta or focaccia bread, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup small fresh basil leaves
16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in 1-inch cubes

Toss together the tomatoes, red onion, yellow sweet pepper and mozzarella in a large serving bowl.

In a screw-top container, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper (a reused salad dressing bottle comes in handy here). Cover and shake well. Pour over the veggies and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a shallow baking pan, toss bread cubes with 1 tbsp. olive oil to coat. Bake for about 10 minutes or until toasted (see photo below), stirring once. Allow the cubes to cool on the pan. Snacking on the bread cubes is recommended — just save some for the salad!

Add the bread cubes and basil to the salad bowl and toss it all together.

If you know you'll have leftovers, it would be optimal to keep the bread cubes separate so they don't get soggy. But really, it's tasty even if the bread isn't crunchy.

This would be a great way to savor some of the final bits of fresh garden produce from the summer. Hope you enjoy!

exploring our mint jungle: mint infused water

There are a lot of drink recipes, cocktails and otherwise, that call for mint. But quite frankly, when it's hot and humid, I'm not really motivated to go to the store for the rest of the ingredients. Then I saw an ad in Real Simple magazine for "Metromint" water and I knew that instead of paying for refreshing mint water, I'd do a little at-home experiment.

And it was successful! I threw three large sprigs of peppermint and chocolate mint in a pitcher of ice water. The hint of mint adds extra cooling refreshment — perfect for a hot summer day. And the mint sprigs can be reused for a couple refills.

I'm definitely more motivated to get my 6 glasses a day when it tastes like this!