Lunch at Neptune Oyster

今日は久しぶりに North End でお昼ご飯! 今回は Neptune Oyster へ行くことにしました。11時半開店なのですが、開店前から長蛇の列。2～3時間待ちはざらの超人気店です。 Today we decided to go to North End for lunch.  This time we tried Neptune Oyster, a very popular seafood restaurant.  It opens at 11:30 am, but many people lined up before its opening.   During the prime time, the wait time may often becomes 2~3 hours.

もちろん私達は早めに来て並んだので開店と同時に入店。 Of course we arrived early and waited in front of the restaurant, so we could get in as soon as it opened.

角っこのちょっと広い席をゲットできました。 Luckily, we could score the corner table, which have a little bit more space.

でも隣は知らない人。すごく小さな店なので満席になるとちょっと (というかかなり) 窮屈。パリのビストロとかと似たような雰囲気かも。 The restaurant is very small and when it is full (which is almost all the time), it feels too tight.  It has a similar atmosphere to a tiny bistro in Paris

まずは生牡蠣。かなりたくさんの種類があるのですが今回は3種類のものを2つずつ注文。カクテルソースの置いてあるところから時計回りに Wellfleet、Island Creek、Ninigret です。 First we ordered some raw oysters.   Broad range of the selections was available, but this time we chose 3 different kinds (2 each).  Clockwise from the cocktail sauce, Wellfleet, Island Creek, and Ninigret.

レモンを絞り、カクテルソースやミニョネットソースをちょこっとつけて食べるとこれが最高!やっぱり今回も私が一番好きなのは Island Creek でした。これからは Island Creek だけを注文しようかな。 We ate them with lemon juice, cocktail sauce and mignonette sauce.  Ohhh, they were so fresh and good.  Each kind had different tastes, but I still loved Island Creek the most.

メニューには日本産の生蛸があったので注文したのですが品切れとのこと。残念。その代わりに Jonah Crab という 蟹の爪を注文。 We found raw octopus (from Japan) on the menu, so we ordered it but unfortunately it was not available today.  So instead, we ordered the Jonah Crab craws.

これは冷凍してあったのを解凍したのか味がいまいち。 I think they were frozen and thawed.   Not very good to my taste.

ハマグリのフライ。身が肉厚でめちゃくちゃおいしい! タルタルソースも自家製でフライと相性ばっちり。でも夫は Clam Shack で食べたものの方が好きだそうです。私はどちらもそれぞれ違ったおいしさがあると思います。 We also ordered the fried clams. These were humongous clams – very thick bellies.   And oh, so delicious.  Not oily at all.   The home-made tartar sauce (with many pieces of pickles) were the perfect match.   But my husband said he preferred the ones we had at the Clam Shack.   I think they were both good but different.

そして、ロブスターロール。ここのロブスターロールは冷たいもの (マヨネーズ味) と温かいもの (バター味) の2種類あるのですがたいていの人は温かい方を選びます。もちろん私たちも温かい方を注文。 And also the lobster roll.  At this restaurant, two versions of the lobster rolls are available – the cold one with mayo and the hot one with butter.   Most people order the hot ones, and so did we.

たっぷりロブスターが入っていて最高。やはり人気なだけのことはあります。地元の人だけでなく観光客もかなり訪れていました。ほとんどの観光客は Mike’s Pastry の白地に青い模様の入った箱を持っているのですぐわかります。 Lots of lobster meat and it tasted very, very good.   I understand why it is so popular (but for raw oysters, I would go to Island Creek Oyster Bars as it is much more spacious, accepts reservations, and my favorite oysters (Island Creek) are cheaper there ($2.00 at ICOB vs. $2.50 at NO)).  Not only locals, but also many tourists visit this restaurant (you can easily identify tourists as most of them carry boxes of Mike’s Pastry).

その後はすぐ近くのカフェ、Caffe Vittoria へ。1929年開店の老舗です。 After the lunch, we went to the nearby cafe, Caffe Vittoria, which was the first Italian cafe opened in 1929 in Boston.

私はカフェマキアートを注文。 I ordered the Caffe macchiato.

夫はカプチーノを注文。チョコレートパウダーがたっぷりかかっています。 And my husband had the cappuccino.  A lot of chocolate powder on top of it.

そしてティラミス。私はおなかいっぱいなので一口。ほとんど夫が食べました。 And the tiramisu.  I was full, so didn't eat much.  My husband ate most of it.

カフェから出てみるとたくさんの消防車が!どうやらビルの上階で火事があった様で消防車の長～い梯子を消防士さんが上っていきました。見たところ、ホースは消火栓に繋がれていましたが、放水している様子はなく、そんなに深刻な火事ではない様です。 When we came out from the cafe, many fire trucks were on the street.  It appeared that on the top floor of one of the buildings had minor fire or something.

その後、先週に引き続き今回もまた Haymarket に立ち寄りました。 Then we stopped at Haymarket again.

ここは本当に激安です。今日はとうもろこし5本 (計 $1)、ライム8個 (計 $1)、オレンジ6個 (計 $1)、大粒のぶどう一房 (重さ1 kg、$2.50) などを購入。 Here everything is so cheap.  Today, we bought corn on the cob (5 for $1), limes (8 for $1), oranges (6 for $1), grapes ($1.50/pound), etc.

早速家に帰ってとうもろこしを食べてみると、甘くておいしかったです。このマーケットで売っている野菜や果物はオーガニックとかではありませんが (卸のお店がその週に売れ残ったものを激安で放出)、この値段なので文句は言えません。ここで買うとスーパーとかで買うのが馬鹿らしくなってきます。 We grilled corns at home, and they were very sweet and good.  Vegetables and fruits sold here are not organic or super-fresh (produce here is what the wholesalers haven't been able to sell during the week to the city's supermarkets), but at these prices, I can't complain.