I have always liked clementines, but hate getting the 5 pound boxes that they are sold in, as I can never use them in time. Why are they sold in these crates anyways?

Clementines have long been packaged in wooden boxes for the European holiday gift market, according to Juan Calvo, president of Ibertrade, the Manhattan-based importer that was one of the first to introduce clementines and has a 20 percent share of the market, second only to LGS.

It would seem that no one has ever bothered to separate the box from the clementines…still not sure why.

ANYWAYS, this weekend at the Shaws in Allston, I came across a new fruit called a Citrine, that looked a lot like the clementine, but was sold individually.

Citrines offer the superior qualities that research indicates citrus consumers desire. They are larger, virtually seedless, have a sweeter taste and are easier to peel. There really is no other fruit quite like Citrines (more).

Long story short, I just had my first Citrine, and I was impressed. Slightly larger than a clementine, “virtually seedless” (I had one seed in mine), nice and sweet, and overall a good piece of fruit.

Read more about Citrine’s here, and be sure and look for them in your local supermarket.

I go out to eat a lot. Probably too much. So as 2007 wound down, I was thinking about all of the restaurants that I had eaten at over the past year. As I put together the list, I tried to think of every place where I had eaten a sit-down meal, not take out. I was able to come up with slightly more than sixty spots that fit this criteria, using my credit card statements, yelp lists, and just general recall. I know I am missing probably 10-15 more.

Some of the highlights of 2007 included a meal at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in Las Vegas that far exceeded my expectations, dining on a lovely surf and turf at the Bayside Restaurant (at Sandals resort) overlooking the Caribbean Sea in Jamaica, and flat out amazing meal at Nobu in NYC this fall. Oh, and I can’t forget a pretty awesome dim sum experience that Julie and I had at Empire Garden here in Boston with my friend Kyle and his girlfriend Ashley.

Bamboo – Brighton, MA
Bar Lola – Boston, MA
Bayside Restaurant – Montego Bay, Jamaica
Beacon Street Tavern – Brookline, MA
Betty’s Wok And Noodle – Boston, MA
Blackstone Grill – Boston, MA
Blue Ribbon BBQ – Newton, MA
Boston Beer Works – Boston, MA
Brown Sugar Cafe – Boston, MA
Bucky’s Grill – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Butcher Shop – Boston, MA
Cafenation – Brighton, MA
Capital Grille – Boston, MA
Casa Romero – Boston, MA
Charlie’s Kitchen – Cambridge, MA
Chau Chau City – Boston, MA
Daedalus – Cambridge, MA
Dali – Somerville, MA
Dok Bua – Brookline, MA
East coast Grill – Cambridge, MA
El Oriental De Cuba – Jamaica Plain, MA
Empire Garden – Boston, MA
Excelsior – Boston, MA
Finale – Brookline, MA
Fireplace – Brookline, MA
Fugakyu – Brookline, MA
Gari – Brookline, MA
Golden Temple – Brookline, MA
Great Bay – Boston, MA
Hana Zen – San Francisco, CA
Harry’s Bar and Grill – Brighton, MA
Haru – Boston, MA
Henrietta’s Table – Brookline, MA
Jake’s Dixie Roadhouse – Waltham, MA
Joshua Tree – Brighton, MA
Kupel’s Bagel – Brookline, MA
Mesa Grill – Las Vegas, NV
Michael’s Deli – Brookline, MA
Moogy’s – Brighton, MA
Mr. Bartleys Burger Cottage – Cambridge, MA
New Ginza – Watertown, MA
Nobu – New York, NY
Not Your Average Joe’s – Watertown, MA
Petit Robert Bistro – Boston, MA
Rosie O’Grady’s Saloon – New York, NY
Ruth’s Chris – Boston, MA
Sabur – Somerville, MA
Seiyo – Boston, MA
Sel De La Terre – Boston, MA
Shabu Village – Brookline, MA
Solea – Waltham, MA
Sunset Grill and Tap – Allston, MA
Tasca – Brighton, MA
Ten Tables – Jamaica Plain, MA
Ted’s Montana Grill – New York, NY
Teryaki House – Boston, MA
The OtherSide Cafe – Boston, MA
Trescas – Watertown, MA
Tokyo Joe’s – Montego Bay, Jamaica
Tsunami – Brookline, MA
Union Oyster House – Boston, MA
Washington Square Tavern, Brookline, MA
Woody’s Tap – Boston, MA
Zaftigs – Brookline, MA
Zocalo – Brighton, MA
Zon’s – Jamaica Plain, MA

So there it is, every place that I can recall dining at in 2007. The list is definitely long, and pretty varied, but it was interesting to list them all like this (to me anyways). In 2008, I plan to record these places as I go, so as to have a more accurate list.