Sushi, Eggnog, and Ezra
I love having weekend-like nights during the work week. For some reason, they just make the occasion that much more special. It’s almost like going out and having fun on a school night. Well, I guess it was a school night for Mal.
Tonight, Mal and I enjoyed a lovely evening out on the town, which started with a sushi dinner at Ma Soba in Beacon Hill.
As an appetizer, we ordered the pork gyoza to share.
I ate two of the gyoza and Mal ate four.
And then we ordered three maki rolls to share between us.
T.N.T. ROLL
Shrimp Tempura, Tobiko, Special Sauce
I LOVED this roll! It was definitely my favorite of the night. I have no idea what was in the “special sauce,” but it was delicious. Luckily, Mal let me have a couple extra pieces of this one. 
SUNDROP ROLL
Mango, Shrimp, Cucumber, Avocado
This roll was great, too. The shrimp + cucumber was cool and refreshing while the mango + avocado added a unique and interesting flavor combination. My taste-buds loved it! 
SPICY TUNA TEMPURA
Tobiko, Spicy Sauce, Spicy Tuna Tempura
Unfortunately, this roll wasn’t nearly as amazing as the others. The tuna was ground up and mushy– sort of like cat food. Ick. Why do sushi places do that? 
Oh well. Mal and I loved 2 out of 3!
After dinner, Mal and I jumped in a cab and headed to a special event at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE): Eggnog with Ezra Dyer. (Thanks, Jenny!!!)
Mal and I are HUGE fans of Improper Bostonian columnist, Ezra Dyer. We both think he’s hilarious and never miss his column. In fact, we immediately flip to it as soon as we get a hold of the next issue of the Improper. Basically, we’re sort of obsessed with him.
Before Ezra spoke, guests gathered in the lobby of the BCAE for a bake sale to support the scholarship fund.
Everything at the bake sale looked so delicious!
After checking out the bake sale, Mal and I stopped by the bar for a cocktail. He enjoyed a Sam Adams while I sipped some rum-spiked eggnog. Tis the season!
Mal and I sported Ezra stickers on our shirts.
The event also included a drop-in gingerbread house decorating with James Nye, who is a baking instructor at the BCAE.
Mal and I did a little gingerbread house decorating, but we mostly just watched other people’s design skills.
After about an hour of mingling, it was time for the main event. Ezra shared his witty observations on the absurdities of everyday life from his upcoming, soon-to-be-published memoir. He read two hilarious stories: one about being arrested and the other about Cabbage Patch Kids. Ezra also read a few of his old Improper Bostonian columns.
What a fantastic Wednesday night! One of the best I’ve had in awhile! 
Good night, blog friends!
Posted by: Tina 50 comments
Posted in: restaurant
Tags: BCAE, Eggnog with Ezra Dyer, Ma Soba
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I love those kind of “special” weeknights. Helps the week go a little faster, don’t you think?
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Sounds like a great night! I love make weeknights fun too.
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I love date nights – they’re so much fun!
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
What a fun evening!
Sushi, gingerbread and funny things! What could be better?
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
your blog makes me miss boston! i never could find a restaurant i liked in beacon hill… although i loved running through it! anyway, i somehow missed ma soba and it looks delicious. have you ever tried orinoco in the south end? it’s latin american food. yum. a few of my other favs (sorry if you’ve already been i did a quick search on your website and nothing came up) baraka cafe in central sq. it’s homemade n. african food, very tiny, they don’t serve or let you bring alcohol but have their very sweet rose petal lemonade . oleana in inman sq. and YoMa it’s burmese in alston… can you tell i miss boston? yes i do.
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
What fun!! Oh, the joys of living in a big city and having tons of things to do!
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
My husband and I used to have Ma Soba delivered to our North End apartment all the time because it was so much better than Billy Tse’s! Fugakyu is another one of our favorite sushi places. Oh how I miss Boston!
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I’ll be honest – I’ve never read his column! I will definitely check him out.
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
P.S. Fugakyu is awesome! But there’s also another fave of mine in Washington Sq in Brookline which has FRESH sushi for the best value! It’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of place but it’s sooo good. It’s called Minato Sushi and it’s on Washington Street, off Beacon in Brookline. On Tuesday’s, they also have 20% off!
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Sounds like a lovely date night
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
I love nights like those! Looks like a great time!
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
That looks like such a fun night! I love eggnog
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
What a scrumptious dinner! And nice to hear you are
cavorting with other writers. Like yourself. Go Tina.
Dawn
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
that sushi restaurant looks fab!
jenna
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Tina, Your photos always make me drool (and hungry!)… in a good way! Half the time I don’t even like the foods you are talking about (like bananas… yuck), but yet when I see your pictures I suddenly seem to crave whatever it is that you’re writing about! These sushi pics take the cake though! They look DELICIOUS!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I love going out on a weeknight, it always does feel like you’re getting away with something though
Looks like fun!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Your sushi looks SO good!!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:52 am
That sundrop roll sounds amazing – similar to one of my favorites at a local place, the “Sunrise Roll”. What a fun Wednesday night!!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 1:03 am
i’ve spent my annual income on odwalla and naked premade juice beverages.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 1:46 am
i had sushi tonight too. except i probably ate the entire amount you and mal split by myself.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 4:49 am
that is such an awesome little house! Looks like you had really good fun!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Looks like a total blast Tina. And is that not the cutest picture of you two or what? Hope you’re doing well up in Boston
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 8:28 am
That sushi looks amazing! Presentation can make it 100x better!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Looks like your night was so much fun. I love the sushi! Also those brownie pops are showing up everywhere!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 9:01 am
i was going to get sushi tonight anyways but your pictures reaffirmed that decision.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Looks like so much fun. I always see that place on TV Diner when Jenny does her learning segment. I’m motivated to check out some classes. Too bad I missed the gingerbread class
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Ma Soba is great. I went for the first time a little over a year ago and really liked it. Fugakyu is also really really good if you’re ever in Brookline. Sounds like a nice night!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Wow, it looks like a fun event and delicious food! I love seeing and decorating gingerbread houses — and eating gingerbread, too!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I hate when sushi places do that with the tuna… I feel like you can’t taste the quality of the fish that way. It seems to be the standard for spicy rolls though, for some inexplicable reason…
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Here’s my story: I REALLY wanted to go to this event because I’m also a bit obsessed with Ezra. Loved him when I interned at the Improper. I tried to get tickets but they were sold out. Yesterday someone from the BCAE called my boyfriend and told him there were 2 tix available but he declined since we were meeting my family for dinner. I could’ve killed him, haha. I’d ditch my family for Ezra any day.
Glad you had fun!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Love Ma Soba! So good. I had sushi last night too. Anyone in the Southern NH area should def try San Francisco Kitchen on Main Street in Nashua. Love it. They have a Maui roll that’s shrimp and pineapple with a sweet sauce. Highly recommended.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 10:57 am
That looked like so much fun! Did I really see brownie pops?! YUM.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 11:16 am
That sushi looked amazing!!!!!!!! Yummy!! What a fun night!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 11:17 am
OMG I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the comparison of that last sushi roll to cat food. I hope I don’t recall that the next time I am eating Spicy Tuna Roll.
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 11:19 am
How fun! The sushi looks really yummy. I love Boston, I really need to come visit soon!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 11:55 am
aw, that night looks like so much fun!! i love “weekend” nights on weeknight too :O). having something to look fwd to mid-week is always a treat!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
that sushi looks AH-mazing! i love the thought of the mango and avocado on that one roll. aaaaaand i might have been a little jealous of your eggnog
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Fun event. You have me craving sushi now!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Looks like a really fun event. I have never read his columns, I will have to check him out, I always looking for a good laugh.
That sushi looks amazing! I just realized I have no has sushi in MONTHS!!! I will have to make sure I get some soon!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Ah I love Ma Soba!! I was just in Boston and didn’t go there…now I’m going to be craving it until I go back!
It looks like the event was tons of fun, I’m so jealous!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
All look yummy but mostly the Spicy Tuna Tempura
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
It was a sushi night! I had it too!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
That gingerbread house looks fun! I think my husband and I are going to build one this weekend! I love the holidays!!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
What a FUN nigh tout. I totally LOVE the sushi date (if only I could get The Husband to share sushi). He always gets teriyaki beef or chicken *sigh*. How fun is the gingerbread house decoratinig – LOVE the idea. It would be totally fun to do that as a home party too
Thanks for sharing T!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
looks like such a wonderful night! I haven’t had sushi in ages and those gingerbread houses look like such fun
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Ahhh I looooooove when places have “specialty” rolls that dont include spicy tuna or any kind of mayo (I have a freak-out problem w/ mayo) and I LOVE when mango is included!!
Ma Soba is so great too–have you ever been to Fugakyu in Brookline??
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I’m so with you about places that grind up their tuna–WHY??? In Japan usually they just chop it into small chunks and mix it with the spicy sauce…SO MUCH BETTER!
on Dec 17th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
@Megan M. (Bites of the Apple): Yep! I used to live in Coolidge Corner!
on Dec 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
That’s hilarious. My friend just gave me this site as a blog she follow and so I’m scrolling through and BOOM there’s my brownie pops!!!
on Dec 21st, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Hey- glad you had so much fun! I had fun planning it- our next one is on Thursday, March 4th; Bollywood at the BCAE…hope you can make it. Our indian cooking class teacher will be whipping up some pretty tasty dishes for sampling. Happy holidays!