PAX East 2010 and Boston!

Let the peasants rejoice…I have returned from my journey northward! PAX East was, as expected, incredibly fun and I have ostensibly increased my geek credibility by an exponential factor of at least 5. /flex It’s ok if you’re a little bit jealous because it really was just that much fun and awesome!

The inaugural opening of PAX East was held at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, located in downtown Boston. The balmy March weather notwithstanding, after we got our geek and games on, we found ourselves situated in the heart of a veritable panoramic landscape of different foods and experiences…all within reasonable walking distance or a short train ride away.

It’s one of the reasons that I love Boston. The history and architecture aside, the rich and diverse offerings of cuisine here is amazing and…affordable. The first gem we encountered was a Japanese bakery in Porter Square called the Japanaise Bakery which graced us with such treasures as this Azuki cream puff. A tender, flaky, almost croissant like shell filled with a small layer of red bean paste and the most divine cream ever. It was probably the best cream puff I’ve ever had, hands down. I’d show you a picture of the inside, but alas, after the first bite, I wasn’t stopping for a moment, not even to take a picture for you guys…

Another great find there was onigiri. My sister had told me about this from her semester abroad in Japan, how it was a staple found in convenience stores and that it was quite tasty, if being decidedly simple. White rice made into a particular shape, here a triangle, and mixed with some sort of filling, here with some spicy tuna, than wrapped with nori and served. Trust me, it’s really darn good and, after 8 hours of trying to conquer the latest console games, it makes the BEST snack in the world. True story…

Last but not least from Japanaise, green tea mousse cake. Yes, it totally was as good as it looks…

We also stopped by a few Thai places. I tried an amazingly clever interpretation of “Drunken Noodles” or Pad Khee Mao. Instead of the traditional wide, flat rice noodles, they employed Japanese udon here and I have to say, it was a superb and inspired dish. Spicy with just the right amount of bite to make its presence known, this dish will be something that I will dream about and, as soon as I get my hands on some bulk udon, will be attempting to recreate in my kitchen and in a future blog near you…

What would a trip to Boston be without visiting the local Chinatown and partaking of some dim sum? It’s true, dim sum is probably one of my most favorite type of foodie experience. I mean, how can you not be delighted by carts wheeling by with all manner of different, delicious, and exotic foods? I know I totally giggle with delight when I go!

Shrimp Har Kow (crystal shrimp dumplings topped with a pea for prettiness)

Bean Curd Roll (sheet of bean curd wrapped around a filling of shrimp wrapped around some chinese celery)

Zhaliang (You Tiao, or chinese donut, wrapped in rice noodles with a sweet soy sauce dressing)

Steamed Pork Buns

Last but not least, Boston pizza…We tried out some pizza with bling from Top Speed Pizza and opted for the southwestern pie. A white pizza topped with an alfredo sauce, corn, grilled chicken, bacon and mozzarella cheese, it was truly a pie to behold.

In summary…

We came, We gamed, We ate like Kings, kthx!

~ by tastydesu on March 31, 2010.