By Wendy Monro

In three days I ate three lobster rolls, two whole lobsters, a seabass, five oysters, one clam, and two cups of clam chowder. I am not going to apologize for this gluttony because I think I deserved it. Allow me to explain.

Claud travels a lot for business. Pretty much throughout our eighteen-year marriage, he has traveled all over the world while I stayed at home with our children. I remember him calling me from Las Vegas, when I lived in Minnesota, telling me he just finished a meal, which consisted of fois gras, lobster, steak, and fine wines. Meanwhile, I had just finished a meal of chicken nuggets with the kids. I don’t think I had a glass of wine with that dish. Another time, he called me from New Orleans and told me about the best gumbo he ever had the pleasure to taste. This sort of thing has been going on for so many years.

Recently, times have changed. Jack is living in England with Archie and Ella and Daphne is eighteen. Claud and I have been spending a lot of time in our big empty house. So, last week when he told me had had to fly out to Boston for a few days, I said, “I can go!”

We landed at 8:30 p.m. and Claud told me not to be fussy about where we ate for dinner because by the time we got near our hotel, most places would be shut. I told him that was okay, but was a little disappointed. Once we pulled into the town where we would stay for the first two days, we parked at the very first restaurant we saw that was open. We walked in to find out it was a steak and seafood restaurant and more elegant than we were dressed. As I took a sip of our delicious red wine and finished a bite of my hot piece of fresh, warm, crusty bread smeared with butter, I smiled and said, “See, I am not fussy at all. This place is perfect.” When my sea bass and spinach arrived, I said, “There is no way I will finish this.” I was wrong.

We checked into the oldest hotel in the United States, “Longfellow’s Wayside Inn.” This place is amazing. Everyone is so friendly. The hotel sits on a large piece of land and includes a garden, a pond, an ice house, a root cellar, and a mill, which is still used to produce flour for their fresh bread. The next day, while Claud worked, I went to their restaurant and ate my first lobster roll of the trip. What a delight. I savored each bite.

That night, Claud’s client and his wife took us out to dinner. They took us to the same restaurant we went to when we came into town the night before. We didn’t mind because it was so perfect. The night before, I had a hard time deciding between the sea bass and the lobster, which you could get stuffed with crab. I chose sea bass the night before and knew lobster would be my meal on this night. Oh my goodness was this good! Claud and I split a Caesar salad first, then a half dozen oysters, and finally I ate my whole lobster. Talk about a delicious meal. I felt like I was in heaven.

The next day, we headed into downtown Boston and I had to try more lobster rolls. I ended up having two because I wasn’t sure if I wanted the type that is warm with butter or cold with mayonnaise. I couldn’t choose. So, I ate both. I still can’t choose because they were both perfect. Later that night, after we shopped and visited Fenway Park to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox, Claud took me to the oldest restaurant in the United States. It is called the Union Oyster Bar. I ordered oysters, clams, a whole lobster and a cup of clam chowder. After I finished the cup of clam chowder, I ordered another one. It was that good. I realize I was out of control.

Like I said, it was my first time on a business trip and I was making up for so many nights eating kids food and listening to stories of Claud’s delicious meals. I will probably tone it down on the next trip. If I keep this up, I won’t fit in an airplane seat. Now, we are back in Las Vegas and yesterday, I made Pad Thai because Claud loves Thai food. I figured, boiling a lobster for a recipe would be too boring and I already wrote an article on lobster rolls. Pad Thai is easy to make. It has absolutely nothing to do with lobster but you could add lobster if you are so inclined.

Pad Thai:

Time:

Serves: 5

10 ounces Thai rice noodles

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

cup packed brown sugar

cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 cloves garlic

4 green onions, sliced into small pieces

1 cup bean sprouts

3 eggs

Red pepper flakes to taste

Prepare the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. In a medium sized bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and lime juice. Whisk together. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and saut until cooked, about five minutes. Place chicken into a bowl. Add garlic, green onions and sprouts into the skillet. Remove garlic, onions and sprouts and set aside. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked. Add in noodles and the sauce. Mix together and cook about two minutes. Serve warm and top with red pepper flakes. You could also add chopped peanuts and cilantro.