Sweet and Sour in Boston

A few quick bullets and a recipe of Ca Ri (Vietnamese Chicken Curry).

- After our disappointing dinner at Sel De Terre we went and had a quick beer at Tia's on the waterfront, then met our friends Issac and Meghan at 4 Winds. 4 Winds is a great bar in the North End near the waterfront. They didn't have the "tan" portion of Black and Tan, but instead, had "blue", which was Blue Moon. A pretty good combo actually. A couple of shots of soco and lime and watching Phelps win by .01 seconds really made up for the poor dinner.

- Saturday we went around killing time and trying to not spend too much on tax-free weekend. After being roped in with 0% for 12 months for the home theater system I really don't need, we drove to Dorchester to find some good Vietnamese food. Abby was feening for some curry and the place we ended up going to didn't have it on the menu. She got pho tai instead and I got Bo Luc Lac (cube cut beef tenderloin and rice) at a very good price.

- Because we didn't get curry on Saturday night, I promised Abby I'd cook it for her on Sunday. The recipe is as follows:

1. Get 2-3 lbs of chicken. We normally use drumsticks, but traditionally it's a whole chicken cut up.

2. Rub Ca Ri powder, some salt and pepper over the chicken and let it rest.

3. Put a large pot over high heat and saute some diced onion until translucent.

4. Add in some garlic and some Ca Ri powder and saute for a minute or two.

5. Add in the chicken and try to get as much of the chicken in contact with the bottom of the pot to get a great sear.

6. After searing both sides of the chicken, add 2 cans of coconut milk and 2 cans of water. Taste and add as much Ca Ri powder as you like to get the correct flavor.

7. Add cubed potatoes and sliced carrots and halved cherry tomatoes.

8. Bring to a boil and then lower temperature to medium-low for 45 minutes.

9. Serve in a large bowl with toasted bread or over rice.