We ate well in New England and I'd like to share some of the places we ate ate. Before we left, I searched the net and asked around for suggestions. I got on the plane armed with my list of places I wanted to go to, and I was not disapointed.

The first place we stopped at was The Spice Root Modern Indian Cuisine in Williamstown, MA. I had planned on a different restaurant, but it was closed so we quickly changed our minds and dropped in here. It was full when we dropped in, and we were lucky to get the last table. I can't say too much about the restaurant as I was falling off my chair due to jet lag, but I do remember the food being very good. It was nice to have Indian food again.

The next memorable meal, and probaly one of the best we had during the trip, was dinner at the White Mountain Cider Company in Glen, NH. Again we just walked in and asked for a table. They were full, but if we wanted, we could eat at the bar. We said yes. The most exciting part about that was that I had actually never sat at a bar! The bar keeper was very nice and the perfect person for the job. Knowledgeable and not too talkative. We actually felt like we were sitting at our own table. We had a hard time deciding what to eat, everything looked to good!

I started with the Cider Mill salad, perfect down to the last pecan and then had the delicious Butternut Squash Ravioli. My husband skipped the starters and had the Porcini Dusted Chicken and Pasta, which was excelent. We looked at the dessert menu without actually wanting to order anything, but ended up asking for the warm apple cider doughnuts with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I'm glad we did as they were the best apple cider doughnuts I have ever eaten.

We ate very well in Maine and I have three recommendations. The first is the place that serves the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor. The Side Street Café has won the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor three years in a row, ever since they opened three years ago. The lobster roll actually has a lot of lobster in it and very little mayo. It was my first lobster roll ever and served with a large side of thickly cut potato chips and a dill pickle, it was a perfect lunch. The service and atmosphere was friendly and we were lucky we got there when we did. It filled up within minutes. The other items on the menu looked equally inviting and if I didn't live so far away, I'd be a regular!

The second restaurant I'd recommend, is called Havana in Bar Harbor. We originally wanted to go to a french restaurant which we were told was good, but it was booked and the waiter there recommended Havana. Again we got lucky. The restaurant was full, but we got a table out on the covered terrace. What a explosion of flavors! We were totally blown off our seats. We each got something else and tasted eachothers. I was totally happy with my crab cake appetizer and the chile relleno main. The pumpkin corn bread served in the bread basket was amazing and was perfect for breakfast the next morning.

The third restaurant is also the hotel where we stayed in Blue Hill. The Barncastle makes fabulous pizzas using a wood-fired pizza oven and great crab cakes. It is extremely popular with the locals, so be sure to call ahead. The rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated, and I didn't want to leave after spending 3 nights there! The breakfast is the only downside. Unless you like eating overly sweet cereal, you'd be better off having something at a café.

Out last stop was Boston, and I have a few more recommendations for that city.

Flour Bakery
I saw raving reviews about this bakery on various blogs that I read and decided I needed to try it. I'm glad I did. It was a sunny, but chilly day in Boston and the soup of the day, a white bean and kale soup hit the spot. I shared it which my aunt who had the grilled portobello melt, also very good. When my stepmom saw the soup I had in front of me, she ordered it too while my dad went for a sandwich. We decided to treat ourselves to a cookie after lunch: double chocolate and one called Lulu's cookie (I think) which was filled with nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips. Wow!


Henrietta's Table in Cambridge
I first read about Henrietta's Table on the Fresh New England website. Then I forgot about it until I saw it again in Edible Boston. We booked a table there for dinner one night. The dining area was horrible. It was extremely loud and instead of talking to eachother, we ended up being silent. But the good food made up for that. Henrietta's Table specialises in local and seasonal foods and it's hard to pick from the menu. Everything we tried was very good, right down to the cheese platter with chutney and toasted bread chips.

L.A. Burdick, a chocolate café and shop, was a lucky find, and was so good, we went twice. The first time we had a piece of the hazelnut-orange cake with gianduja, the second time, the chocolate mousse cake. I stood in front of the display for what seemed like hours trying to decide. The little café in Cambridge is a very popluar place and be prepared to fight for your table during the afternoon rush hour.

"Let's meet at Tatte", my friend Nadia said, "it's a wonderful little place". It is a gem and while Nadia, her mother, my husband and I got to know eachother, we munched on delicious goodies. My husband, ever the fruit lover enjoyed a plum tart while I chose a warm cinnamon roll, something that is hard to get here. If your looking for a small, special place, this is it. My husband also decided on a grilled veggie sandwich which was spectacular.

I frequent the La Tartine Groumande blog and dared ask Béa for a restaurant recommendation in Cambridge/Boston. She gave me a list and we chose Chez Henri for our last dinner before returning home. There isn't much to say about the delicous food; the salmon my husband had was outstanding and I have fond memories of the pumpkin cheesecake with cranberry coulis. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

As not to leave you without a recipe, I've adapted a recipe from Rebar to recreate the soup I had at Flour. Enjoy!

Borlotti Bean Soup with Cime di Rapa

• 2 cups dried borlotti beans (soaked overnight)
• 2 liters cold water
• 1 sage leaf
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 Tbs minced rosemary
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 ripe tomates, diced
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 small bunch cime di rapa (or kale)

Drain the beans and place them in a pot with the sage and 2 tsp rosemary. Add the water, bring to a boil and then let the beans simmer until tender, about 2 hours. During the last 15 min, add 2 tsp salt.

When the beans are tender, heat the olive oil in a pot, add the onion and remaining salt. Cook until golden, then add the garlic and the remaining rosemary. Sauté lightly and add beans and their cooking liquid. Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.

Roughly chop the cime di rapa (or kale) and add to the soup. Cook until wilted. Add the balsamic vinegar and a few grinds of black pepper.