It’s been a while since I’ve gone out to eat and why not do so before a ghost hunt at the Lizzie Borden Inn? Such was the case when we wound up at McGovern’s.
The parking lot was pretty empty but I guess we were there near closing so that was probably why. Inside it was warm and cozy and had all the usual decore – and a random swordfish taxidermied on the wall which I think gave it character.
The menu was quite large and had a lot of sea food. Most was very recognizable but I was at a loss of what “Sea Legs” were, perhaps the tender loins of a shipwrecked pirate? Why does my brain always jump to cannibalism? I asked my companion and he said he had no idea what sea legs or the appetizer named potato pillows were. I wondered if they were anything like the soapy pillows I once ordered because I can’t speak or read Spanish and phonetics are all I got. I decided to ask about the sea legs, he decided to just order the potato pillows and see.
Apparently sea legs were not from a pirate but rather a crab. Pity, no long pork for me. However, I do like crab… so that’s what I ordered. My companion had the chicken parm with stuffed shells and we both shared the potatoe pillows which were baked potato skins with bacon, green onion, an impressive amount of cheese, and a side of sour cream for dipping. I learned a few years ago I have Irish ancestry which might explain why I’m never ever going to complain about potatoes. They are the food of the gods and this was no exception.
Of course our entrees were nothing to sneeze at either. I got mine with mashed potatoes with gravy and some very sweet butternut squash that seemed heavy on the brown sugar. Again, not complaining, sometimes diabetic comas are just the natural consequence of living. My crab was nestled on a plate of buttery cracker crumbs with a side of dipping butter. My ancestry also has a lot of poor farmers in it so my probably unhealthy affection for butter can also be easily explained. FOOD COMA!
My companion was also enjoying his dish with some crazy over stuffed shells and a generous heap of tomato sauce. We were both too stuffed for dessert. All and all it was a damn good meal with a very friendly staff.
A few days ago a friend invited me to meet him at the Deerfield Fair. I said sure, I could use a day out, and we planned to meet each other at noon. Sounds good! Until I almost got to the exit into Deerfield, there were cars lined up for a mile in the break down lane. Oh shit… So I swung aside with them and twenty minutes later I found myself in Deerfield but just barely. I was five and a half miles from the destination and it was complete gridlock. Since I was at a standstill anyway I texted my friend who then called me and decided to come pick me up at the used car place I happened to be slinking by. I didn’t know why…. but I guess he and his friend were out on their motorcycles earlier and they wanted to come pick me up, drop off the cycles and my car at this other guy’s house and wander to the fair together as a group…. This is highly unusual for me. I don’t do vehicle hopping and I’m a shit passenger besides but seeing the traffic it just made sense to go as a group and use only one parking space.
My friend’s friend was an older guy who had clearly spent all of his youth living hard and hoping to die young. I hate seeing people like that old… their bodies completely spent, creaking at every joint, seemingly miserable at their lack of mobility… SIGH. But still! What he couldn’t do walking he sure made up for in driving. Ever wonder what it’s like to drive with Hunter S Thompson? AHHHHH HOLY ASS CRACKERS CHRIST! SLOW DOWN! A DEAD MAN’S CURVE! OH MY FUCKING GOD ANOTHER ONE! I imagine it would be a little like that. Also I want to take this moment to apologize to any passengers who may have been in my car while I was driving in a similarly terrifying manner. Know that I love each and every one of you and it’s out of my system now. Sorry.
To make a long story short we turned around and drove to Portsmouth, probably another 45 minutes or hour away, where I took a few lovely snaps of sea gulls and learned that lobsters have compound eyes. Ah, the things you learn when your food is staring at you! But really, we got some sort of sale and it was 4 lobsters for $32. They also got a combo plate to share between us filled with fried marine miscellany. I think there were steamers, scallops, and fries. And you know what I also learned? That fresh seafood, no matter the shape, all tastes the same when it’s fresh – like nothing. It’s really a texture thing or perhaps a “I need an excuse to eat tartar sauce” thing. Either way I am not complaining! And I was STUFFED TO THE GILLS. This place was really nice as it had a porch outside right on the ocean you could watch or feed the sea gulls from. It was quite relaxing! And here’s a few snaps of boats and seas shore when we parked down the street to check out their beach.
