So, after some deliberation about the menu, here’s what we ended up with:

1. Cold Platter

2. Seafood with yellow chive soup

3. Double lobsters (in the picture there’s also a tofu dish that was for non-seafood eating folks)

4. Crispy double squabs (note the look on our faces)

5. Steamed whole fish

6. Hong Kong steak

7. Sauteed pea tendrils w/ crabmeat sauce
8. Longevity noodles
Plus fresh fruit for dessert.

Somehow no one (that I know of) managed to get pictures of the last 3. Too full and lazy by then, I guess. All the food was fantastic, and exactly what I had imagined and been telling The Little Red Haired Girl about for years. Otto and his crew at Royal East also did a great job. We didn’t have to ask for much, they handled vegetarians and fish allergies easily, and service was efficient and professional. We were so impressed and grateful, if we lived there we’d be regulars at that restaurant. So freaking good.

Highlights of commencement:

• We watched the broadcast of morning exercises from a lecture hall, which was fantastic. We were out of the rain, we could see the stage, and Diana Eck and James Anderson did a great job commentating (wish I could find a picture of them)
• Sandwiches from Lee’s Sandwich Shop between Graduation and the commencement address
• J.K. Rowling’s commencement address was phenomenal. She was witty and intelligent and interesting, expounding on the benefits of failure, imagination as empathy, and the importance of acting as a result.
• Dinner at Carlo’s Cucina

Saturday was a busy day. I was recovering from many beers and glasses of champagne at the wedding, but we had 5 or 6 restaurant/bars to hit. The Little Red Haired Girl and I had made a list of all our favorite foods and places in Boston, and we were planning to get to as many as possible. On Friday afternoon before the wedding we managed to get to the Corner Mall for Jamaican Beef Patties and McDonald’s apple pies. They are fried there. Yes. We had fried apple pies. Anyway, Saturday started with dim sum. It was just me and The Little Red Haired Girl, which is a tough situation for dim sum. You want to have as many people as possible there so that you can order a ton of different things. We restrained ourselves though, and only ordered our very favorite items.

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent in Allston, where I lived for the first two years after college. A lot has changed over there, but my favorite bars and restaurants still survive, thank goodness. We started with potato skins and sweet potato fries at Sunset Grill & Tap. At Big City we were too full so we just had beer and played pool. After that we were running out of time, so we skipped Great Scott but had a bottle of wine, some fried calamari, caesar salad, and bruschetta at Carlo’s Cucina. We finished off the night with a drink at Club Cafe. Not in Allston, but close to Lady E’s home.

By Sunday we were exhausted. Lady E. made us pancakes and bacon, which was nice. Then we shopped around for a while, and sampled some oysters and fried clams at Legal. Met up for drinks with Party Girl Doctor, then off to The Burren for dinner with Fanclub Girl. and her new bride. We finished the night at Top of the Hub, Lady E. and The Little Red Haired Girl and I, discussing what The Little Red Haired Girl’s and my wedding will be like. After which we headed home and played Karaoke Revolution until we couldn’t stay awake any longer.

The next morning we got up early to walk around just a little more. I got my spinach and cheese filled croissant at ABP, and The Little Red Haired Girl and I walked from Harvard Square to Central, just remembering. We took my picture in front of City Hall where, one rainy summer afternoon in 2005, The Little Red Haired Girl and I signed for our Qualified Domestic Partnership. Very Romantic.

So, there were a couple of things that we did not get to do while in Boston, but we accomplished a heck of a lot, so I ain’t complainin’. Plus, now that there is a possibility that our wedding will be up there (that story is for another day), we may be back real soon!

We spent the afternoon looking for a jacket for my wedding outfit at Downtown Crossing. The sad news is that the original Filene’s Basement is closing. Lucky for us we got to shop there one last time, and managed to find two nice jackets for me to wear at some point in my life. The highlight of the day was our trip out to Watertown to hit our favorite sushi place, New Ginza. The place has not changed much, although there are new decorations in the main room. At least two of the servers that we remember from 2 years ago still work there, and the sushi is delicious as always. We had the agedashi tofu, sashimi entree, an extra order of cherrystone clams, and a roll with eel, tuna, cucumber, and avo. Freaking delicious. Fully satisfied, we headed out to Jamaica Plain to see the old bar, Midway Cafe. It was packed when we got ther at 9:15. Clearly Ange is doing a helluva job over there. Being too old to party, The Little Red Haired Girl and I went home around 11:30 to find Lady E home from school and already in bed. After some quick chatting and planning for the next day, we ended the day happy and glad that our visit had only just begun.

Friday is Fanclub Girl’s wedding! Which means The Little Red Haired Girl and I are heading home to Boston. We gave ourselves plenty of time to enjoy our friends, the food, the public transportation, and the gay-friendliness. We’ve already got about 9 restaurants where we want to have at least a bite during our 4.5 days there. We also have plans with people that we haven’t seen in a long time, which is good. Others are out of town, but it’s a mixed blessing, since 4.5 days is not very many. Lucky we can kill many birds with just the wedding. Anyway, I am freaking excited. Lots to do today before we’re off, but it’s all worth it.

Me and K and the munchkin:

The setup:

Representing 0Y2, 0Y1, and 0Y0:

Peaches, by the way, created that hot banner. A good time was had by all.

Mr. OGT grubs on a cinnamon spice rimmed dixie cup while Peaches feigns interest in Lady E’s story: