ikea, testino, and toro

On our way home from Fall River, M and I see a sign for Ikea.  Neither of us has ever been, so we stop in.  The place is huge, the designs great, and the quality more impressive than we would have thought.  We even grab a bite to eat in their modern, inexpensive cafeteria. We finish lunch and spend 45 minutes looking for the exit.   We must walk at least a mile before finding our way out.

We meet V at the Museum of Fine Arts to see the Mario Testino exhibit.  Neither V nor M will let me take a photo, though they happen to be in the frame when I snap one of the museum.

The exhibit is in two parts:  one of models and celebs and one of the royals.  We get the head phones, but are frustrated that the audio is actually video (too hard to look and listen at the same time) and the photos are not grouped in sync with it.  But still, Testino’s work is bold and mesmerizing.  He often pushes the limits of good taste.

We have dinner at a “multiple award-winning tapas restaurant” called Toro in the South End.  The place is tiny and they don’t take reservations. They open at 5:30; we arrive at 5:15. It is packed.  Fortunately, we get a table.  We order exotic-sounding things:

• Cow’s Milk Cheese from menorca
• Tuna Tartare with coconut milk, calamansi lime, mint, cilantro and grilled ficelle
• Dates filled with marcona almonds and cabrales blue cheese, wrapped in jamon serrano
• Anna's Empanadas* with chicken, potato and salsa roja and aiolo
• Grilled Carrots 
• Fried Potatoes with aioli and spicy tomato sauce  (excellent)
• Grilled Corn with aioli, lime, espalette pepper and aged cheese (amazing) 
• Grilled Garlic Shrimp with cascabel chiles 
• Glazed Beef Short Ribs with chilled farro, cucumbers, radish and hazelnuts

The grilled corn and dates are both amazing;  everything else, less so.  We have dessert at a great little bakery nearby called Flour.  The non-exotic, basic chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting is excellent.  There is something to be said for the familiar.