Meat and vegetables

On Wednesday, I had a post-work hair appointment on Newbury Street, so The Boy decided to meet me afterward for dinner. When I mentioned to my lovely and talented stylist, Kristen Lee, that we were thinking of eating across the street at Tapeo, she reached into her purse and pulled out a coupon for a free tapa. I emerged from Emerge with fantastically shiny hair, found The Boy, and we went to eat.

We always over-order at Tapeo. It's unavoidable. First, there are the must-haves:

• Boquerones, white anchovies marinated in olive oil


• Goat cheese baked with fresh tomato and basil


• The absolutely necessary pork sausage, served in a deep, intense fig reduction

Then we need to try a couple of new items:

• A mini shepherd's pie topped with mashed sweet potato


• Fabada asturiana, a rustic, cassoulet-like stew of beans and sausage, slow-cooked until eveything started to dissolve together

And then, because veggies are important:

• Bunuelos: fluffy, deep-fried battered cauliflower puffs

For dessert, The Boy ordered ubiquitous flan and I had the special: a compote of dried fruit (apricots, plums, dates) in a red wine sauce. The sauce was very similar to one I've used for poached pears a few times, with notes of orange and cinnamon; it made me think of Christmas. It was also slightly more than I could manage, so we brought the remainder home and stirred it into our breakfast oatmeal the next day. Now that was a smart idea.

On Thursday, we did the usual Thursday thing, topped off with overloaded plates of pizza and pasta and parmo (of sorts) at Bertucci's.

On Friday, we met up with Jerry and Heidi and Ethan and managed to snag a table at Redbones, which was loud and lively and crowded, as usual, for pulled pork and rosemary sausage and succotash and corn fritters in maple syrup.

Tonight, we're headed to Café Polonia to celebrate Huge's birthday with traditional Polish food.

All of which explains why today's lunch was grilled vegetable tacos from Anna's Taqueria.



Today's words of wisdom: avoid eating at one of Davis Square's healthier fast-food restaurants just as the kid-friendly (and apparently hunger-inducing) Dan Zanes show is finishing up at the Somerville theater. Bedlam and guacamole do not mix.