Dining Out

The New Bonefish Grill {and a Gift Card Giveaway!}

October 9, 2015

Bang Bang into the room!!!

Bang Bang Shrimp all for you!!!

Okay, I’ll stop now…

But honestly I had that dang song stuck in my head last week while I was checking out the newly opened Bonefish Grill in Waltham, a suburb of Boston. I’m such a dork!

It was just such a great night so I was in a fun, silly mood. That’s what happens when you are enjoying fantastic food and drinks. (Plus, a solo night our it hard to juggle at times so this felt extra special that we worked it out on a night when Price had a Conservation Committee meeting with the city.)

Ultimately, you really can’t go wrong having a delicious dinner in brand spankin’ new restaurant. The best yet is that the Waltham location features their brand new design concept. It’s stunningly beautiful with rich woods, cool lights, and fun decorative features.

Prominently featured at the entry of the restaurant is their elegant wood backed bar. And opposite that is a feature wall that divides the bar area from the dining area that serves as wine bottle storage and display. Flanking the central wine storage section are fun lighting features that are reminiscent to the mangroves in their previous design style.

And the best yet is that the bar creates fantastic cocktails that can kick off and end your meals. I highly suggest the espresso martini to end your meal, like how we rounded out our dinner. (more on that later!)

Our group had the pleasure of sitting in one of their private function rooms that can accommodate a variety of seating arrangements to seat 12 people at a large table all the way up to having 80 people at a party.

It was a great space with a Westerly view that is fantastic for sunset watching. Just ignore the Costco in the foreground. Luckily from my seat I couldn’t see it, only the vibrant pinks and purples that streaked the sky.

Dinner started with Bang Bang Shrimp and Lobster Flatbread served as passed hors d’oeuvres. These were accompanied with a glass of sparkling wine. The perfect way to kick off our evening. Or you could visit yourself to share some apps with some friends while sitting at the bar enjoying a glass of wine.

Bang Bang Shrimp is their most popular dish. It outsells everything else. It wasn’t one of the menu staples when they first started but over time it was created and people became hooked. The numbers magically averages to 3 orders per table. That’s insane, but I can totally understand.

The addicted shrimp is coated with a seasoned breading mixture, and then are deep fried, before being served to you they are tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce. The sauce is killer. It’s like a spicy mayo that is served in sushi, but that isn’t even the best way to describe it as it’s way more than that. But the heat of the sauce grabs your attention and the crunch of the breading has you grabbing one after another after another!!

The Lobster Flatbread is another one of their Signature Starters.

It’s a wood-grilled flatbread that is topped off with pieces of cold water lobster, mozzarella, and red peppers. That is then drizzled with a with lobster-infused sour cream and a generous sprinkling of chopped green onions is tossed on top. Lobster on lobster goodness. It’s not overpowering but well-balanced.

Next we enjoyed their fish taco. Their Blackened Baja Fish Tacos is a hearty dish composed of three fish tacos and a side of greens. The filets of blackened fish are nestled in warm tortillas and then finished with shredded fresh romaine and mango salsa. Drizzles of lime crema + fresh herb pesto finish the dish.

I felt my taco had a teeny bit too much herb pesto so it was a bit drippy and messy, but the flavors from the salsa were great, so it was an acceptable ‘issue’. The blackened fish had so much flavor, a spicy, smokey flavor, which went well with sweetness of the mango salsa.

The thing that really impressed me with Bonefish Grill was their history and their approach to dinning. They really try to make the night out feel like a night out, and not like you are dining at a chain, it just so happens that they have over 200 locations. Even then, the organization has a limit of how many restaurants they will open in a year allowing for attention to really be paid to each location, making it perfect for that community.

While we enjoyed our different courses we enjoyed 2 different wines that were paired with them. We first started with Masi Masianco, a Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo from Italy, then went to Conundrum, a red blend from California, as the dishes got heartier with spices and sauces.

The next small plate was a mini version of their Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad (full sized featured above). The mix of greens with roasted corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese goes really well with the cilantro lime vinaigrette that lightly dresses the salad. The whole thing is topped off with 5 grilled shrimp.

The salad was great but the real show stopper is how it’s platted, brought to your table, and then presented. They put a clear open bottom cylinder in the bowl, layer all of the salad ingredients into it, and, of course, topping off with the fanned out shrimp. This is then brought to your table and when it’s presented to you the server removes the cylinder and your salad perfectly spills out into the bowl. Loved watching that presentation.

The Surf and Turf was the main for the evening.

While some people might overlook poultry, pork, and beef options, but they really need to consider them as great options for dinner as Bonefish Grill does such an amazing job wood-grilling their fish that they put that very same effort and skill set into their other meat options.

The Surf and Turf plate came with Ahi Tuna served with their Pan-Asian Sauce, Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Salsa and Filet Mignon. Each were utterly amazing in their own right, but my hands down favorite was the Ahi Tuni. The doneness of the tuna was spot on with a muted violet center and charred grill marks on the sides. There are several sauce options but I think that Pan-Asian Sauce was paired perfectly with it. The thing that I loved most was the buttery texture of the fish, it flaked apart so I didn’t even need a knife and it was buttery and tender. A real winner and something that I would order again.

The dinner ended with a Pumpkin Creme Brule. It was perfectly fall themed. It was a great way to celebrate the season with the rich pumpkin and spices mixed into the creme brule.

And they use freshly whipped whip cream. That is one of those minor things I judge a restaurant on. I just appreciate the extra effort they put into it than using a canister system. It’s inconsequential, but I always take note of it.

One of the diners has an allergy to cinnamon so they substituted her Creme Brule with their plain one, which is a menu staple. As well, there were 2 other guests with different allergies and the staff easily accommodated for their meals. There is an area of the kitchen and grill that is reserved for preparing and cooking for people, whatever their dietary needs may be.

The Creme Brule was incredible, but the real star of the show was the Espresso Martini.

An espresso is brewed for each martini order so it is really fresh. So fresh that I didn’t experience any bitter old coffee flavor that I sometimes get when I order an espresso martini. They also infuse their own vanilla vodka. It all was just wonderful and the best way to end the meal. A sip of the cocktail and then a bite of the creme brule, repeat.

It was a wonderful night out allowing me to meet new people, check out a new restaurant, and have a wonderful meal.

I know I’ll be back for the Bang Bang Shrimp!!! Especially on a Wednesday night when you can get the appetizer for just $6. yyyyyeeeeeeeessssssss!!!!

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While I was invited to attend this event to experience the new Bonefish Grill and share about the dinner, all opinions are my own.

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And now let’s get to the fun stuff…. THE GIVEAWAY!!!!

Bonefish Grill is giving away a $50 gift card so you can have a great meal out at one of their 215+ locations.

JUST ENTER HERE!!!!!

open to US residents. giveaway runs until 10/17/15 @ 12am

Crab Eggs Benedict: Millbrook Company- Sedgwick, ME

September 26, 2015

Eggs Benedict is my favorite brunch dish. I love to try it everywhere we go from greasy spoons to top rated restaurants. I love the classic version, but I also love trying other fun variations. I share my experiences and personal ratings in my Eggs Benedict Reviews in my Dining Out Section. Check them all out!

While we were visiting Price’s mom, Elaine, in Maine earlier this summer, we were on a mission to get a new grill for her house there. Since her house is on a itty bitty island it’s a decent drive into the closest town containing big box stores, like 45 minutes.

So we needed some strength to make such a journey (ha!), so we stopped for breakfast on the way at Millbrook Company in Segwick, Maine.

Of course, as soon as I saw an Eggs Benedict on the Specials Board, I was immediately interested. Not just you’re typical Eggs Benedict, but a Crab Benedict, and for just $12.95. It sounded like a delicious deal!

In the unassuming building on the side of Rt 15, sits Millbook Company. A breakfast and lunch place opened Wednesday- Sunday from 7.30am to 2.00pm. They have the basics, and they serve them well. When you serve a limited menu, you better do it right, and it seems like they really do with the nice crowds in there and the food we all enjoyed, from the standard breakfast favorites to the delicious specials.

Millbrook Company has a great bakery that creates fantastic breads, cookies, bars, sticky buns, and much, much more. They serve there delicious baked goods at the restaurant, as well as sell them at area farmer’s markets.

While I didn’t get a breakfast that had a side of toast I did get a bite from Elaine just so I could try their house made jam. I love that they pay so close attention to their products that they make their own breads and jams.

We ordered the Blueberry Buckle for Autumn, figuring it is similar to a muffin, which she enjoys. She did thoroughly enjoyed it, as did we, when we snagged bites ourselves. It was moist, rich, and packed with blueberries. I loved the crumb on top too.

I’ve had plenty of Crab Cake Eggs Benedicts before, which are always enjoyable, but I enjoyed the similar approach with just serving crab on the English muffin. It didn’t muddle things, it kept it all perfectly simple, allowing the crab to shine through.

I would have loved some bigger lumps of crab, but the crab itself was delicious and overall I appreciated that it was affordable.

The eggs were poached perfectly. I just love watching when velvety soft warm yolks start to trickle down when the eggs when cut. It blends really well with rich Hollandaise sauce.

The side of potatoes was a little bland, but I I didn’t mind that much as I do appreciate getting to season the potatoes myself as I often find they are under-salted or over-salted. The crust on the potatoes certainly made up for any deficiencies in the amount of salt used when preparing the potatoes. I love the good crust on homefries.

If you are in the area I suggest stopping by this charming small breakfast and lunch spot. The simple home-cooked meals for affordable prices make for a great place to visit. Be sure to check out the beautiful views from the pavilion too!

Rating

English Muffin– 17/20 pts

Crab– 16/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Hollandaise- 23/25 pts

Homefries– 8/10 pts

Total: 87/100 pts

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Millbrook Company

160 Snows Cove Road

Sedgwick, Maine 04676

207.359.8344

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Farm Feedery Lunch Delivery: Review

August 18, 2015

What do you do when you are so completely bored with your typical lunches at work? Is the sub down the road feeling plain? Or is the big burrito just too heavy?

What Blue Apron is doing for dinners, Farm Feedery is doing for lunches here in Boston!!! But the best part is that you don’t have to dirty any dishes as they deliver your prepared meal right to you at work. And they are in compostable containers. I freaking love that.

I had the pleasure of trying out Farm Feedery a few months ago for some lunches. I am a big, big fan of bringing my own lunches to work. It helps me save money, but the reality is that I quickly fall into the same ruts of making the salads and eating leftovers. So boring. And then I start skipping making lunch at home so I have to go out to lunch. Pretty soon spending $8-11 for a sandwich, burrito, burger, or salad gets annoying. And boring. I’ve worked in the same office for the past 8 years so I even get tired of the restaurants and cafes around there.

I completely loved the meals that I sampled from Farm Feedery!

The first one that I dove into was the Orecchiette with Asparagus and Goat Cheese. Fresh vegetables with a mellow sauce and pieces of tangy goat cheese… bliss!! The asparagus was cooked perfectly, even holding up to reheating. Similarly, I felt the pasta held up well to being reheated, which can sometimes get chewy, but not this.

I found that this meal was rather large(for me, for lunch). It could easily have been split into 2 lunches, and supplemented with a piece of fruit. It felt like such a great deal for the portion and the quality of the lunch.

They serve their meals in compostable containers with clear instructions on how to properly reheat each meal. Also, I love how they calculate the nutrition facts for all of their meals.

While they can’t promise to be allergy (nut, gluten, diary) free, they do they include all of the ingredients in their meals, which I find helpful.

Side note: You might notice that all the packaging sayings ‘Farmavore’, well I received my lunches when they were just starting out, and since they recently just changed their name then. But don’t fret it’s the same company, and you be getting great meals like these if you signed up for Farm Feedery!

Farm Feedery was founded with the idea of creating nutritious, delicious, affordable food from local, sustainable agriculture. They are passionate about supporting local agriculture whenever possible. As well, much of the food comes out of their own farm! With so much experience with growing their own foods they are able to plan fresh seasonal meals.

They are a subscription based service so you can customize your preferences to have 1, 3 or 5 meals a week delivered to your office. Rates vary from $10- $14 dollars a meal, depending on the plan, with the best deal being the 5 meal plan. The chef, who has over a decade of hospitality and catering experience from running her own catering shop, works to create meals are developed and prepared based upon your preferences, like if you prefer meat or not, or any other dietary restrictions. (I’d be putting in big bold letters that I hate, hate, hate olives!)

The other meal that I tried was the Asian Chicken over Rice Noodles.

I actually brought this home for dinner as my day was so hectic. I had planned on eating this while giving Autumn a bath (multitask-er for life!) but things got hectic and after a few bites I had to immediately return to work for a mini crisis. Lucky Price now had a delicious dinner.

While I enjoyed a few bites, Price really was able to dive in and savor every bite. So not fair! Right off the bat, he thought the chicken was seasoned really well and was cooked perfectly. The veggies had a nice crunch which provided a nice contrast in texture from the soft, tender rice noodles. The sauce is what really tied the dish together. The fish sauce in the dressing really packed a flavorful umami punch.

You know when you order a salad with some toppings and you get a bunch of greens and an intensely small amount of topping? You can forget all that with this salad. Price said nearly ever bit had peanuts, basil, carrot, onion, and shaved carrots along with rice noodles and the lovely chicken.

Just look at this salad. It looks light, fresh, and tasty.

I highly suggest checking out Farm Feedery if you work in the Boston and Cambridge areas. Their sample menus are really impressive, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your lunch and lunch break.

Now just step away from that computer, take a walk outside, grab some grass (I suggest PO Sq!), and enjoy every bite.

DISCOUNT CODE!!!!

Enter in “HONEYBEE” for $25 of you first week you sign up!!

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While I received complimentary Farm Feedery meals to sample, all opinions are honest.

Monday Munchies: Tasty Burger Food Truck

August 17, 2015

I love Tasty Burger!

I love food trucks!

Tasty Burger Food Truck = LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE!!!

Tasty Burger is a Boston area burger joint that has damn good burgers. They have juicy, flavorful, hearty burgers that are paired so perfectly well with fries, onion rings, or their tots. Or skip the burger and grab a chicken sandwich or hot dog. No matter, it will be wonderful. A cold beer washing it all down doesn’t hurt either. It’s just that kind of place with that kind of food.

They have 5 locations in Boston and Cambridge, in neighborhoods like Fenway, Back Bay, and Harvard Square. Each location is great. Their Fenway location, which we frequent most often, was an old gas station that was reworked and redesigned so it went from changing oil to frying in oil.

But what happens if you work downtown and you start craving a burger? Well, have no fear! They have a food truck that you can visit or even rent out for events. Cool!

Thankfully, the truck stops at City Hall plaza on Thursdays. So just a short walk and I am in burger nirvana! Sometimes Price and I have burger lunch dates so we can split tots ($6+) and a drink ($2.75) while we munch on burgers. The City has new summertime seating which makes kicking back for lunch a real treat.

On a recent trip, Price had the Bacon Cheeseburger ($5.85), that he thought was a great combination of a perfectly cooked burger (medium is standard) with salty, crunchy bacon, and fresh lettuce and tomato.

Tasty Burger prides itself on the products they produce and sell as they strive to source their ingredients from the best places. They create 1/3 pounds burger patties from steers that eat a “100-percent vegetarian grass and grain diet.” They visit the pastures where the cows are grass fed, purchase their hot dogs from local butchers, and get their buns from local bakers. They are hands on with sourcing their products and produce and in the end the quality shines through.

They have the best eco-friendly packaging for their burgers. I love peeling back to wrapper to reveal the burger.

I love their Spicy Jalapeno ($5.75). It has just the right amount of kick with burger that is topped off with a spicy cheese sauce and then roasted jalapenos.

Besides their delicious burgers, they also serve vegan & gluten free veggie burgers ($5.75), Fenway Park Sausages ($6), bowls of chili ($3.95+) that you can load up with toppings. And lastly, they have 1/4 pound hot dogs ($3.95) that can get piled high with toppings like bacon, chili, sauerkraut, or their cheese sauces. Such epic food.

I’ll be honest, their lunch can set you back pretty well as their burgers average $5 and then a plain tot is $6 and a soda is ($1.75 or $2.75). And if you get loaded tots it is now $9, but that is exactly why Price and I make this our special lunch date. Great large portions to share and it saves on getting a sitter!!

Grab a friend, grab a chair, and grab some Tasty Burger for a great lunch. Then head back to work with a naughty food coma! ha!

Be sure to try the Official Burger of the Boston Red Sox’s at one of their food truck stops or at one of their 5 brick and mortar locations, which has much more elaborate menus that include chicken sandwiches, the most addicted thinly sliced onion rings, and brain freeze inducing milkshakes.

Tasty Burger

Food Truck Menu (check for schedule HERE)

Fresh from the Market: Davio’s Lynnfield Market Menu

August 13, 2015

I don’t think you can get any fresher than the meal that Price and I had on Monday night from Davio’s in Lynnfield.

Seriously, besides eating directly in the garden, you can’t get any fresher than this. I dare you to prove me wrong!

MarketStreet, located in Lynnfield, MA, is an adorable shopping complex that has cute stores, play areas, and great restaurants. We often go there for shopping at Gymboree and so Autumn can play at the sculpture garden at the Market Square. She loves the frogs and turtles there. ha!

The Whole Foods, located at the main entry of the complex, has a 17,000 square feet roof top garden. It is largest rooftop farm in New England and the first supermarket farm in the country.

Davio’s is a Northern Italian Steakhouse that has an incredible reputation for elevated Italian cuisine. You can get your classics like chicken parm (and gnocchi, but even those dishes have a speical homemade touch from housemade pasta and fresh sauces. They make brick oven pizza in variety of flavors like, Prosciutto Pizza, Fig Jam, Arugula, Caramelized Onions ($18). But their sweet spot is their steaks that range from 8 oz. Prime Flat Iron, 10 oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon, and 16 oz. Prime Natural Aged Ribeye.

They have a summer time prix fixe Monday Market Menu will change weekly based on that Monday’s harvest available from the Whole Foods’ Rooftop Farm. This is great for the diners and for the chef, as it really allows him to create some fun dishes. This specialty menu is running through the month of August, so hurry to check it out!

On Monday night we kicked off our dinner with some cocktails!

Their extensive cocktail list feature classics and innovative cocktails that will compliment your meal and your mood. Their wine list will also be able to satisfy your desires for whites, reds, roses, and sparkling wines. They really do have it all.

Our wonderful server, Nick, then brought over some of Davio’s classic popovers. Man, you would have thought it was Christmas morning with my extremely excited reaction. They were massive, airy, eggy delights. And they were served with nice soft butter. It just kicked your typical bread basket in the butt.

While we were browsing the menu and sipping our drinks we saw an unique looking dish pass by our table. We grabbed the attention of the server who brought it out to ask him what it was. He said it was one the most popular appetizers on the menu, the Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls ($11). They are spring rolls filled with shaved steak and melty cheese. They are served along side a spicy homemade ketchup and a spicy homemade mayo and topped off with fried onion strings. Delicious and delightful!!!!

Can’t make up your mind about which of the 5 spring roll options you would like? Well, then just get the sampler ($15) which gives you 1 of each of their spring rolls, like the Reuben and Chicken Parm ones.

The Market Menu salad served this past Monday featured fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers radishes, peppers, and goat cheese feta that was tossed with a red wine vinaigrette. Nick suggested that we split a salad so he brought it out on 2 plates for us. Brillant idea! The salad was simple, but allowed all of the fresh ingredients to really shine in this dish. Every bite allowed the summer time flavors to really pop in your mouth. I couldn’t get over how crisp and really flavorful the cucumbers were. They were not mellow like store-bought cucumbers, they packed a little pop of extra flavor.

Price and I enjoyed the patio and beautiful evening weather, but I stopped off inside to check out the restaurant and the kitchen. They feature an open kitchen allowing you to watch the food prep action. They have a long chef’s table that runs along the kitchen so if you’d like to watch all that buzz and action that that would be a wonderful spot for you. They also have a large bar (and bar menu!) and other typical seating options at tables and booths.

The entree was the shining star of our dinner.

The Market Menu featured entree was a pair of 4 ounce petite filets served with dressed arugula roasted asparagus and portabella mushrooms. Each filet had an accompanying sauce, one was a Great Hill Blue Cheese and the other was a shallot and sage sauce. Both were to die for. The melted blue cheese, which was sourced from Marion, MA, and provided a robust, salty sauce that draped each bite of the perfectly cooked steak. The other sauce was as equally as delicious with caramelized shallots and fresh sage.

I swear that the asparagus was the best tasting asparagus I had ever had. It was tender and so flavorful. I feel that people often don’t like asparagus from the rough texture and lack luster flavor, but anyone would be a fan after trying this.

Both of us were in complete awe with how wonderful the Market Menu was. The salad and the entree were both so incredible. There where moments during the dinner where we just kept saying ‘wow’ to each other bite after bite. The beauty of it all was that the produce was all hyper local and fresh.

Nick brought out the dessert cart that was loaded of classic Italian specialties, like tiramisu and affogato, and other classics like, flan and creme brule. We decided to be really indulgent and split the molten chocolate cake.

It was chocolately, lucious, and oh so naughty. The cake was springy and light in texture and then you break into the center and the lava like chocolately center oozes out. It’s super rich and basically, worth every calorie!

Price and I enjoyed every sip and bite of our meal. We saying how everything was incredible. I said that I couldn’t think of anything that was a slip or a miss. I did joke around saying that I finally figured out the flaw in the dinner and it was that my cocktail had a seed in it… after I squeezed the garnish. dang! We seriously were so, so impressed with every aspect of our meal.

We definitely plan on going back to Davio’s. The meal can get pretty pricey as some of the entrees can average around $30, and up to $59 for their massive, incredible 24 oz. Prime Natural Aged Bone-in Ribeye Chop. Don’t fret as there really are plenty of affordable options as well, but a meal could set you back. However, we think that it would really be worth it as we experienced the most incredible service, atmosphere, and food. It is the kind of place where you take a bite and think some naughty things to yourself before diving in for another incredible bite, and then another and another. It would be perfect to really go all out for a wonderful birthday or anniversary dinner… hey Price, hint, hint.

Thank you Davio’s Lynnfield for inviting me to enjoy this wonderful meal. See you at brunch real soon! There is a Tenderloin Eggs Benedict that is served with a popover and a Black Truffle Hollandaise sauce that has my name all over it.

Davio’s Lynnfield

1250 Market Street

Lynnfield, MA 01940

781.944.4810

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While I received this complimentary dinner in exchange for a honest review, all opinions expressed are completely my own.

Enjoying Summertime Burgers and Cocktails at The Hard Rock Cafe- Boston, MA

July 23, 2015

Without a doubt, Summer is my favorite season. It makes me insanely happy. I’m so thankful that it has finally really arrived here in Boston.

One of the best way to spend Summer’s hot, humid days and cooler nights is outside on a patio. You can’t beat great company, food, drinks, and atmosphere on a wonderful summer day. There are so many restaurants in Boston with patios and extra large windows that open up allowing you to soak up that summer sun, it’s easy to over look some. For a very long time I overlooked The Hard Rock Cafe here in Boston.

Located next to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, it’s perfectly located for you to grab a bite and a drink while you are sight seeing or meeting friends after work. You can grab a seat outside, along the windows, or up at the bar. You can enjoy live music outside or TV’s with music videos inside. The musically themed memorabilia pepper the walls to make the space come alive.

Price and I kicked off a recent date night at The Hard Rock Cafe with some of their new Summer Cocktails. Their five new cocktails provide you with plenty of options to help you beat the heat! Options like the Hard Rockin’ Mai Tai and Summertime Blues are really enticing with their blends of muddled herbs, sweet juices, and hard liquor. The cocktails are served in fun souvenir mason jars that you can take home too! (They apologized profusely to us for being out of the mason jars, which why our drinks were served in hurricane glasses.)

Price ordered the Summer Splash Daiquiri as he felt the layered frozen drink made it the perfect summer time bevie. It was a perfect “kick off the weekend” type drink too. The fruity mango and strawberry flavor was enhanced with a lot of rum and a splash of amaretto. Even the pretty color looks like a nice Summer Sunset in a glass, and who doesn’t want that.

I’m telling you, that the Back Porch Tea is something special as well. I took one sip and my eyes lit up, I slid my glass across the table to Price while telling him “You HAVE to try this!”. After his own sip he began nodding back in approval. We quickly began talking about how we will have to make it ourselves one day. It’s an experience in a glass.

We enjoyed our drinks and recapping our days and week together until the food came, and then all focus fell on our big, beefy burgers. Be still my heart!

As I am always on the hunt for fresh New England seafood and lobsters it felt like it was a no brainer to get Hard Rock’s recently launched “Local Legendary” burgers. It is one of their classic burgers topped with a scoop of fresh lobster salad. While the burger is typically served with cole slaw and seasoned fries, I opted just for the fries. I like cole slaw, but I knew I wanted to focus my attention on the burger and the seasoned fries. And my stomach is only so big!

This was such a delicious Summer-time meal! The large burger was well seasoned and the large scoop of lobster salad on top was lightly dressed allowing the flavors of the meat and lobster to shine on their own and together. The lobster salad was filled with large chunks of lobster claws and tails. I was really impressed. The accompanying sriracha mayo was served on the side, which I think was a smart choice and I don’t think the burger really needed it. I added it to a few bites but was more and satisfied with the burger as it was prepared.

My burger was slightly under-cooked by a minute or so from my requested medium-rare, but I wasn’t mad about it as I like my burgers under done (aka… ‘mooing’). However, Price’s was a perfect medium.

The current Hard Rock burger and beer pairing caught Price’s eye. Hard Rock worked with Goose Island to create a Tropical Bacon Burger to pair with their IPA.

Price’s burger was a beer glazed 8 oz. patty of Certified Angus Beef atop a pile of lettuce and tomato. It then had a layer of cheddar cheese and Cajun Spiced bacon and to top it off, a slice of grilled pineapple and mango salsa. When he thinks of Summer dishes, it’s always burgers. The sweetness of the pineapple with the savory beef and fresh produce made for wonderful mouthfuls bite after bite. The burger comes with a side of teriyaki sauce which is fitting with the pineapple and meat. The burger is so big that Price had to cover each bite with a little sauce because the massive burger was messy enough on its own.

His original plan was to order the beer pairing as well when his burger arrived, but the Summer Splash Daiquiri packed such a wonderful rum punch that he decided to stick with ‘just’ that.

Just like the choices and attention to detail that was put into the burgers, the fries had their own unique taste and sauce. For an additional $1, you can upgrade to their Savory Artisan Fries. They offer 3 different kinds of fries that are jazzed up with seasonings and are paired with their own dipping sauces. I picked out the Parmesan Romano Fries with the Garlic Aioli and Price got the Herb and Garlic Fries. I loved my fries so much that I am tempted to just go back one day and order a side of fries to munch on at lunch while sitting on the nearby Rose Kennedy Greenway.

We enjoyed our first date night out since getting married at The Hard Rock because they serve awesome food and drinks with a smile in a fun, lively music filled venue.

Hard Rock Cafe Boston

22-24 Clinton St

Boston, MA 02109

(617) 424-7625

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While I received this complimentary meal (minus tip) in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed are my own.

It would be a big bummer if you couldn’t make it to a Hard Rock soon to try their summery burgers and drinks, but at least you can make yourself your own cocktail home by using these recipes below!

Back Porch Tea

Muddle the following:

4 each Basil leaves
2 each Mint sprigs
1 each Lemon wedge
1 oz Cucumber syrup

Combine with:

1 oz Light rum
½ oz Gin
½ oz Elderflower liqueur
1 oz Lemonade

Summer Fizz

Muddle the Following:

1 oz Black cherry infused syrup
½ oz Lime juice
4 each Fresh raspberries

Combine with:

1 ½ oz Light rum
½ oz Orange liqueur

Monday Munchies: Zo – Boston, MA

July 20, 2015

When I was in college I took an Architectural Preservation class that involved a 10 day trip to Greece. It was one of the best experiences I could have asked for. It was the perfect combination of a bunch of relative strangers in a foreign country touring world heritage sites, eating amazing food, and drinking great wine. There was no debauchery at all… nope, none…

Well, when I came back I was really missing the food I had in Greece. Freshly made salads, great sandwiches, and of course awesome juicy gyros.

Zo in Boston has filled that void in my heart and stomach. I was giddy when they opened their first location just outside my office building. And I was twice as excited when I took my first bite of a gyro.

Let’s take a moment to talk about how to properly say ‘GYRO’. It is NOT like the spinning top gyroscope. I hear this the majority of the time it it makes my hair get prickly. You correctly say gyro as if you are saying ‘year-o’.

Anyway, they have authentic, fresh food.

I enjoy everything from Zo, but my hands-down favorite is their Chicken Gyro ($8). I always order it with extra tzatziki sauce on it.

I’m pretty sure that their tzatziki sauce is the only thing that I eat with dill. I really, really dislike dill, but their tzatziki sauce is so luscious and incredible I completely forget my hatred of dill when I’m eating it. Really, I love it so much that I ask for extra sauce on my gryo. Incredible!

They also make their gyros with lean pork ($8) that has been roasted on the traditional rotisserie, which is how the gyro got it’s name as it translates to mean ‘turn’.

You can get their chicken or pork on their salads too. I love that they make them fresh to order as I don’t like olives, but I love their Greek salads, so I just ask for it without olives. Their different salads ($6 – 7.50) are made with fresh greens, vegetables, and cheese. You can add meat for $2.

I also really enjoy their Spanakopitas ($5). The spinach pies are tender, flaky, and stuffed full with spinach and feta. They shape their pies in squares which I think is awesome as so many places make them triangular and then you end up with 2 points that are just phylo and no filling. This way you get the spinach filling in every bite.

They also serve up several soups ($5 for 12 ounces, $6 for 16 ounces). I love the Greek classic Avgolemono, which is a lemony chicken and rich soup. It’s very, very salty but very very rich and good. It’s so comforting in the long brutal winters up here. My friend swears by their lamb chili and vegetable lentil soup. All of their soups and stews are served with a side of their fluffy pita.

And don’t then you can treat yourself to some Baklava! You can get a sweet Greek dessert for just $3. Sometimes I just skip lunch and get some to have for tea when I’m having ‘just one of those days!’

Both of their locations are small so it’s best to get your order to go. In the summer their are tables set up outside their Center Plaza location. I really suggest that if you stop by their State Street location that you grab your lunch to go and take a short walk over to the Rose Kennedy Greenway to grab a seat on a bench or just grab some grass.

If you’re in Boston I strongly suggest that you visit Zo for lunch. It will transport you to Greece for your lunch break. Enjoy!

Zo – Authentic Gyros

Government Center Location

3 Center Plaza

Boston, MA 02109

617.227.0101

Faneuil Hall Location

92 State Street

Boston, MA 02108

617.227.0707

Monday Munchies: Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe- Great Barrington, MA

June 15, 2015

This is an extra special edition of Monday Munchies! All because Price and I are now married! Ha! Well, the last 48 hours have been wonderful, but it’s extra special because we served doughnuts, stuffed croissants, quick breads, and breakfast sandwiches from Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe at our Post-Wedding Breakfast.

Back in early March we went to a luncheon at Crissey Farm, our venue, which allowed us to check out different shops in the area. Almost across the street from the hotel we would be staying at during the wedding weekend, we noticed the Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe. We stopped in there to check them out as an option for our Post-Wedding Breakfast.

We enjoyed our doughnuts that we grabbed that day that we decided that they would be a great fit for the Post-Wedding Breakfast. So I began the process of working with John, the owner, on creating a wonderful Post-Wedding Breakfast.

Through an exchange of emails we settled on 3 dozen donuts, a dozen of their stuffed croissants, 4 quick breads, and 40 breakfast sandwiches. I was so excited for the breakfast!

Autumn and I stopped by the morning of the wedding to confirm and pay for our order. She was treated to some doughnut holes. Such a treat!

Autumn enjoyed the doughnut holes, running around the adorable shop, and checking out their doughnut themed books. Totally adorable. She loved it all.

And just as much, everyone loved the Post-Wedding Breakfast too!

I added some fruit and yogurt to the mix as well, but the shining stars of the breakfast were the goodies from Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe.

As Price and I were doing our final visits with family and friends, we didn’t get to really sit down to enjoy breakfast then so we took the bit of extras home with us to munch on Sunday and Monday. It was perfect how we didn’t have to stop for lunch on the ride home or worry about dinner. Donuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! HA!!

They had a wide selection of donuts including the classics like Glazed, Boston Creme, Chocolate Glazed with Sprinkles, but that’s just scratching the surface of their flavors as they also have a Salted Caramel, Key Lime, and Blueberry Sour Cream. From the plain cake donuts to the stuffed ones to the bite sized doughnut holes, they have it all!

Everything that we had was really awesome. The texture of the different kinds of doughnuts from the yeast based ones to the cake ones. The flavors were just as awesome. The Salted Maple was my favorite as it was a light doughnut that was covered in a generous layer of maple glaze and topped off with a sprinkling of salt.

The sweet and savory stuffed croissants really incredible too. I was really blow away with how stuffed they actually were. I’ve had stuffed croissants before when there is some chocolate in them but these were jam packed full with chocolate in them. Plus, there was a chocolate drizzle on top. OMG, can’t beat it!

And the Zucchini Walnut and the Triple Berry quick breads got rave reviews at our breakfast too. I loved the fresh flavors in both but the crumble on the Triple Berry Bread was what made it my favorite.

I love places like Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe. Cute, down home places that create amazing products. Doughnuts are simple, but it means that you can’t hide behind anything. What you see is what you get! And when you shop here you get yummy donuts at an affordable price!

While they don’t have a website, you can like them on Facebook or check them out on Yelp. They have some really great reviews!

When you’re visiting the Berkshires be sure to stop by for a doughnut. You’ll love it!!

Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe

258 Stockbridge Rd

Great Barrington, Massachusetts

(413) 717-4144

Monday Munchies: Cocobeet- Boston, MA

May 18, 2015

Guys!! Let’s embrace healthy eating!

It’s spring!! (Finally)

One of my favorite places in Boston for some healthy eats is Cocobeet. They nail the food, but their specialty is their cold-pressed juices. The store is simple, clean, and modern so the brightly colored juices lined up in the open coolers really make the store pop. It’s quenches your appetite while visually fulfilling your soul.

Cocobeet is a Boston based juice bar that offers over 30 fresh cold-pressed juices and vegan food that is focused on overall health and wellness of their clients. They offer unprocessed, GMO-free, organic, and locally-sourced juices and foods. They craft their products on-site daily in their store located right next to the Government Center T-Stop. They specialize in raw, vegan, and gluten-free juices and foods.

Their wonderful selection of pure foods includes fresh salads and sandwiches. The flavors are creative with sandwiches ($5.95- 7.95) like their Chickpea, Walnut, & Apple Sandwich, Sunflower Butter, Berry Jam, & Banana Sandwich, and Sundried Tomato, Kale, & Almond Hummus Sandwich.

While I was doing Whole30 I would get their Watercress and Fig salad as it was complaint and so delicious. I like the mix of tart watercress and sweet figs. Plus, there is half of an avocado. It’s healthy and hearty.

I make plenty of chia pudding at home, and it’s good, but it doesn’t event compare their Vanilla Berry Chia Pudding ($7.95). It’s so super creamy and silky. It doesn’t have a gel- like consistency, nor is it super thick. It reminds me of the consistency and texture of tapioca pudding, but even better.

They also have other sweet treats like Key Lime Tarts, Chocolate Coconut Truffles, Raw Brownie Bites. All of these as well are vegan. They use natural sweeteners like agave and maple syrup. As they have sweeteners they are not Whole30 complaint, but they are great options for a dessert or afternoon pick me up if you are vegan or following a Paleo diet.

I joking say that Cocobeet is great for your “Free” diet… Gluten Free, Diary Free, and Nut Free, Soy Free, etc. There are so many options for you to fulfill your dietary needs.

Are you unsure about that juice will taste? Well grab a sample!

Their juices are cold-pressed on site in the store daily. They strive to use organic fruits and vegetables for their juices and pure foods. They are great for a boost or for a cleanse. They offer custom cleanses in 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 day packages.

Aside from the Vanilla Chia Pudding, I like to treat myself with a Mocha Espresso ($9.50) or with their Kale Chips ($9.25). The Mocha Espresso has replaced my occasional Starbucks treat with this treat as it’s healthier and has more substance than just a Frappachino.

Would you mind if I wrote a love poem to their Kale Chips? Oh you would… never mind then. But I really do love their kale chips. They are ridiculously crispy. I love that crunch. Now, to be honest, I was nervous the first time I bought them as they have nutritional yeast on them and I had never it before. My nerves were put as ease as soon as I took a bite as it was

You can start your day off on a great note by getting one of the quinoa bowls or by picking up some granola. I highly suggest their Warm Quinoa Breakfast Bowl ($6.95 – 9.50), which is served with warm quinoa, maple syrup, cinnamon. Then you pick from a selection of nuts, fresh fruit, sauce, and nut or seed mylk.

If you are in the Financial District area then be sure to visit Cocobeet. You’ll find something that refreshes you from the inside out!

Cocobeet

100 City Hall Plaza

Boston, MA 02108

857.263.8598

mon – fri 7am – 8pm

sat 9am – 8pm

sun 10am – 8pm

Eggs Hussarde Benedict: Toulouse Petit- Seattle

May 1, 2015

I practically jumped out of my seat when my best friend emailed me some suggestions for places to eat and I saw all of the Eggs Benedict options that Toulouse Petit.

EIGHT DIFFERENT EGGS BENEDICTS TO CHOOSE FROM!!!

I was blown away by their options for Eggs Bendict, but also from the brunch menu as a whole. They had so many offerings that all sounded so good. I knew I would get an Eggs Benedict dish, but I have to admit that I was temped with the Bananas Foster Pancakes ($12) and the Croque Madame ($14).

One of the coolest things about Toulouse Petit is that they have a “Breakfast Happy Hour” that runs Monday through Friday from 8am to 11am. While we didn’t visit Toulouse Petit during those hours, it’s a very cool offering as the majority of their menu is $9.

We started out brunch with some great drinks. The selection of drinks included the classics, like Bloody Mary’s and a Sazeracs, and ones that were Toulouse Petit creations like the kahula and coffee based Mud Bug and the grapefruit vodka and sparkling wine Madame Toulouse. No matter what drink you pick, they are all $8.50 before 4pm.

Emily got the Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Scramble ($18). In addition to the crab and asparagus, there were tender shallots in the scramble. It was then topped off with chervil, chives,and a light mornay sauce. This scramble is served with a side of potatoes. She really enjoyed the scramble, with the exception of the shallots, which she just prefer to typically omit.

I decided to get the Eggs Hussarde Benedict as it sounded just so very good with its artisanal ingredients. The ‘Eggs Hussarde’ ($18/$15 during ‘Breakfast Happy Hour’) consists of a toasted split English Muffin, Snake River Farms Ham, poached eggs, the Veal Shallot Pan Sauce, and a Hollandaise Sauce.

Snack River Farms is an Idaho based farm so it’s not quite local but it’s in the region. And it’s well known for their meats. The ham was sliced thinly and was lean. The quality was top notch.

One of the reasons that I love Eggs Benedict so much is its saucy goodness. So I was in utter bliss considering that this had not one, but 2 sauces. Both were incredibly flavorful, smooth, creamy, and rich. Both sauces added so much to the dish from the creamy Hollandaise to the salty, rich pan sauce.

And of course one of the best things about the english muffin base of eggs benedict is that soaks up the Hollandaise so well. And in this case there were two delicious sauces!

The poached eggs were cooked nicely. Slightly cooked more than I prefer as the yolks were a bit firmer than I prefer but they were still pretty runny. Thankfully.

This was one of the best Eggs Benedict dishes that I’ve ever had!

Plus, there were 2 sauces! Not just your typical Hollandaise Sauce, but there was a Veal and Shallot Pan Sauce.

We both really enjoyed out breakfast so much that I can easily see why it’s consistently voted one of the best brunch places in the United States.

Rating

English Muffin– 18/20 pts

Snack River Farms Ham– 20/20 pts

Poached Egg– 22/25 pts

Veal Pan Sauce and Hollandaise- 25/25 pts

Homefries– 9/10 pts

Total: 93/100 pts

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Toulouse Petit

601 Queen Anne Ave N

Seattle, WA 98109

(206) 432-9069

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Monday Munchies: Piroshky Piroshky & Rachel’s Ginger Beer

April 20, 2015

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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I had the amazing opportunity to visit my best friend in Seattle last month. It was so great to see her, see Seattle, and eat so much great food during that long weekend.

We really enjoyed some amazing meals, like our dinner at Revel in Freemont. Oh boy, that was so good. I can’t stop thinking about their short rib dumplings!

But at the same time I can’t stop thinking about the wonderful lunch we had from Piroshky Piroshky and Rachel’s Ginger Beer. Yep, you read that correctly, 2 places!

We got our food from Piroshky Piroshky and brought it over to Rachel’s Ginger Beer for some drinks and seats. It was a perfect marriage of things as Piroshky Piroshky does not have tables and Rachel’s is BYOF… Bring Your Own Food! They supply the drinks and the tables. Thankfully, they are fairly close to each other so it made for a great lunch.

Piroshky Piroshky (pi-rawsh-kee) has been servings Russian hand pies since they opened at Pike Place Market in 1992. They blend traditional recipes with local flavors and ingredients. They have both sweet and savory pies that will satisfy your every craving.

The different piroshkies are pictured on their menu that is posted to the wall that you wait along making it easier to be prepared to order when you arrive to the register. Plus, there are always the once you can check out in the display case.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the piroshkies getting made by hand as well. There was such a nice rhythm to their movements as they worked the layered doughs or while they stuffed the pockets.

I grabbed 2 piroshkies as I couldn’t make up my mind as the Beef and Cheese piroshky and Mushroom, Onion, and Celery piroshky both sounded so good.

I could easily see why the Beef and Cheese is their top seller! It was a packed full of a juicy mix of seasoned ground beef and Columbia Valley Sharp Cheddar. I thought it was a great combination of flavors and textures. Plus, whenever you can see oozey cheese on the top you know it’s just going to be great.

How cute is it that the Mushroom, Onion, and Celery piroshky was shaped like a purse!?!?! I thought it was a great vegetarian offering. It didn’t feel plain and flat for just being vegetables, it was nicely filling.

Emily enjoyed the Smoked Salmon Pate piroshky. It thought that it was adorable that it was shaped like a fish!

We also grabbed a Marrionberry Cream Cheese Vatrushka to share later for dessert. It was a great sweet piroshky made of a sweet pastry base with a beautifully piped topping and then topped off with the marionberries. I had never had a marionberry before so it was nice to be able to try something new, and local to the Pacific Northwest.

We brought out lunch to Rachel’s Ginger Beer, just a short walk away from Piroshky Piroshky. They create

Rachel’s is a pretty large space filled with various sized tables to accommodate all sizes of parties enjoying food that they brought in to enjoyed with their drinks.

Rachel’s makes artisanal ginger beer from locally sourced ingredients from Washington State farmers whenever possible. They have an Original (plain) Ginger Beer and then they have a lot of other varieties of flavors, even some that rotate with the seasons. I enjoyed the drink I got but I was so torn prior to ordering as they have such cool flavors like Blood Orange, White Peach, and Guava.

I really enjoyed how the ginger beer is sweet but not too sweet and still has some bite from the tart ginger. It all worked together so well. I really admire companies that work hard to achieve a well crafted product.

I enjoyed their seasonal cocktail special, the Peppermin- Pear Moskow Mule. I was in love. It was really bright and refreshing. It did pack some punch, or I would have ordered another. I just didn’t want to be stumbling around the rest of Pike Place Market and Seattle for the rest of the afternoon.

The thing that I most admired about Rachel’s Ginger Beer was how just beautiful the place was. The subtle palette and full wall of windows makes it bright and welcoming. Plus, it makes the fun, happy colors of the different varieties of ginger beer stand out. They really make the place pop! It pops with pop! <<< I’m corny.

I loved every bit about lunch. The food was wonder, the drink was refreshing, and my company was great as always. I couldn’t have asked for more!

As you can order and ship from both places, I am already scheming about making orders to both Piroshky Piroshky and Rachel’s Ginger Beer. I need some awesome hand pies and some ginger beer by the jug!!

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Piroshky Piroshky

1908 Pike Place

Seattle, WA 98101

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

1530 Post Alley

Seattle, WA 98101

Our 2015 Vision of the Seas Cruise: What We Ate

April 10, 2015

We took a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise on the Vision of the Seas to visit the Western Caribbean for my 30th birthday/pre-wedding honeymoon. We visited Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico, Georgetown in Grand Cayman, and Belize City in Belize, sandwiched between 2 days at sea cruising.

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{Saturday: Embarkation Day}

Lunch

We got on the boat right around the time that Autumn eats lunch (12-13.30) so we immediately went up to the 9^th deck to grab food in the Windjammer restaurant. Plus, we couldn’t get into our room until after 1pm anyway. So we grabbed some food and some chairs by the pool for lunch. They offered a lot of options but we just grabbed some burgers, fries, and fruit. Plus, on a whim I grabbed a hot dog which Autumn actually enjoyed, which was a big win and a first. As well, she ate almost a whole Kiwi. Where does she put it? I wish I had her secret.

Autumn had her first taste of ice cream!

Dinner

We selected My Time Dining which allowed flexibility in dining time. We weren’t too sure how Autumn would do at the end of long days full of activities. Ultimately, we always picked the 5.30pm seating since it was the closest to the time that Autumn normally eats dinner and allows us to eat at an adult time.

We arrived right at 5.30 for our My Time dinner reservation at the Aquarius dining room. We were seated pretty quickly and from there our waiters, menus, and bread arrived shortly after that in succession. Our server Peamkait and his assistant Shandy were great the whole dinner, and every subsequent dinner. Quick, friendly, and really sweet to Autumn, youngest of 4 infants on board and therefore youngest person on the entire cruise 🙂

I wasn’t too sure what the policy was for ordering dinner for a baby, but Peamkait reminded me that we did pay for her and to order whatever we thought she would like. We took advantage of his generosity and went for yogurt and fruit. So that worked that night and from then on.

Each dinner is a three course experience with mainstay entrees and special menu items for each course that changes from one day to the next. Our first course begin with their coconut soup with seafood in it while Price got the shrimp cocktail, and we ordered the fresh seasonal fruit for Autumn. I think that because she ate so much fruit at lunch she didn’t want it for dinner but we tried and it was really good with the lime syrup. As for my soup, both Autumn and I loved it. She probably had more than me! It was creamy, with the exception of the pieces of seafood in there and the thin vegetable garnishes on top. Price’s shrimp cocktail was simple but really good with 6 fairly large shrimp. Once served to you they quickly follow up with the cocktail sauce, serving you how much you would like.

The theme for the first night dinner was ‘Mojo’, in reference to the seasoning. While the pork, using mojo sounded great, we stuck with some ‘classics’ and ordered chicken and prime rib. I loved the chicken breast with the gravy and steamed veggies and backed potato. The chicken was very juicy and the sauce seasoned perfectly (I often find that sauces tend to be too salty but it wasn’t). The side of vegetables were steamed perfectly, not soggy at all which quickly. I shared my dinner with Autumn, who wasn’t into it as much as getting it on my phone (youtube!) and eating ice cubes (I think she learned that from the dog…)

Price’s prime rib was a hit as well. It was cooked a perfect medium rare with enough sauce for each bite but not swimming in sauce to overwhelm the steak. The baked potato was a wonderful side along with the same side vegetables as me. Excellent!

Autumn was antsy (to be expected) so I took her out of the restaurant to help her walk loops around the main atrium (this was a constant occurrence throughout dinner each night and many people stopped by to comment on how cute she was). She loved to watch everyone and listen to the live music being played below.

Dessert took the longest to arrive, but I don’t fault our servers or the kitchen, everyone hustles. Had we not had Autumn we probably wouldn’t have minded or even noticed.

I got the BB crème brule and Price got a berry cobbler. The crème brule was fantastic but Price’s was the clear winner of the night. The cobbler was full of fresh berries with warm cobbler topping and vanilla ice cream.

{Sunday: Day at Sea Cruising}

It was my Birthday!!!

Breakfast

We headed up to the Windjammer (9^th deck) to grab breakfast.

There are several large stations to give you plenty of options ranging from deli meat and cheeses, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, French toast, beans, fritatas, cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and yogurt. Plus, there is an omelette station which usually has the longest line but moves quickly.

I enjoyed a veggie omelette with some potato tots and fruit.

The best thing about having a lot of things to select from is that it gave us plenty of options for Autumn to enjoy. It’s tough to know what she wants to eat so making one thing at home then have her not eat one bite compared to an entire buffet of choices so she can find something is a huge relief!

Lunch

We had lunch at the Park Cafe, which is in the area were the adult only serenity pool (9th deck) is located. The cafe is very small, similar to a concession stand, in size, section, and food preparation.

We tried Park Cafe as the lines were long at the Windjammer and I was interested in the salads that they freshly prepare for you. While in line we saw that they had sandwiches as well. In trying to pick something that Autumn would like we got a grilled cheese, a quesadilla to go along with the salad that was assembled from the things we picked, similar to ordering a sandwich at a Subway restaurant.

To say that this meal was a disappointment was an understatement. It was just a bad meal. The salad was good but the grilled cheese and quesadilla were tepid, if that. Both were prepared in advanced and then microwaved, and not well at that. The items on display made it appear that they were assembled and then put in an panini press to warm/cook, but looks were deceiving as the grilled cheese wasn’t grilled or melted fully.

Price ran to get us more food from the Windjammer, which was much appreciated.

Dinner

With Autumn at the nursery we were able to enjoy dinner at Izumi, the Asian restaurant on board. It was my 30^th birthday so we decided to change things up and go out to dinner at one of their specialty restaurants instead of dining in the main dinner room. Royal Caribbean has amazing dinning services in their main dining room but does offer other specialty dinning areas. Izumi was new to Visions and had an excellent selection of Asian cuisine.

We started with some complimentary edamame and cocktails. The Lychee martini was very strong but a welcome pour for a birthday drink. Plus, the loveliest hue of pink!

Complementary miso soup soon followed to entice our paletes. We perused the menus and settled on a few rolls, sushi, and a hot rock entree.

All of the food was tasty and fresh. The delivery and presentation was quick and pleasing to the eyes. Once we finished our sushi and rolls when started with the hot rock.

The hot rock is just what it sounds like. It is a 575 degree square rock (not toddler complant!) used to cook meat and veggies. We chose chicken and steak and had fun with the interactive experience for dinner. It was similar to a shabu dinner but with really hot stones instead.

We ordered the Dorayaki Pancake for our dessert. It was a pancake, but the flavors and textures were elevated so it wasn’t your normal breakfast pancake. Plus, it had some red bean paste in the center of it. So good! It was served with large wedges of caramelized banana and ice cream.

The restaurant sent of their Asian-Inspired Caramel Flan to celebrate my birthday. I loved the pancake but the flan was good too. It was a ginger infused caramel flan set atop a banana leaf. It was a lovely simple presentation.

{Monday: George Town, Grand Cayman}

Breakfast

In addition to dinner and lunch in the Aquarius dining room, they also serve breakfast.

We opted to try the Aquarius dining room for breakfast to see if they offered anything different than the Windjammer. Generally, it was the same, but the food was served to you. We did notice that they had the most amazing airy sugary donuts there that were not served in the Windjammer. I couldn’t have eaten 6 of those little buggers!

Lunch

We were at the public beach along Seven Mile beach in Grand Cayman at lunch time. I debated getting some freshly made conch salad ($7) but wasn’t too sure if Price would like it and we had limited cash for plan B. So I just got some fries sprinkled with a seasoned salt ($4). They were made to order from the Native Delight food truck, which was run by 2 very serious women. They were efficient in the small space, like they were on a mission to make your food. It was pretty cool to see them in sync.

We did grab some food from the Windjammer once we were back on board as we had only split the fries.

Dinner

We did a 5.30pm My Time dinner reservation again. This time we arrived a bit before 5.30 to get in line and get in quickly. We quickly figured out what we wanted for dinner to keep things moving along- important with a fidgety 14 month old!

I started with the BLT Salad with Blue Cheese dressing and Price had the escargot. We both loved out starters. Price especially loved how buttery, garlicky, and cheesy the escargot was.

Normally Price and I don’t order the same thing for dinner so we can share/split, but we were both craving steak so we broke our rule and ordered the same thing. It was worth it to both order the NY Skirt Steak. The steak that was served with sautéed mushrooms, wilted spinach, a roasted tomato half, steak fries, and a sauce made with Portobello mushrooms, which was the ingredient theme for dinner.

I will always love roasted tomatoes. And steak fries dipped in a pan sauce never hurts.

And Autumn thoroughly enjoyed the yogurt that our servers brought for her!

Of course by then Autumn had to stretch her legs so we took turns walking her around the Centrum and outside while our plates were cleared and out desserts were brought over. Price had the Drunken Kahlua Cake and I had the Honey Walnut Tart, which was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I think that we both thought that we ‘won’ that round of dessert since both were great in their own ways and both were exactly what we wanted.

Oh damn, these photos melt my heart!!

Side note- If you happen to not want to eat in the main dinner room but prefer the flexibility of dinner at the Windjammer, don’t worry about missing out on the amazing desserts featured in the main dinner room as they are served there as well. I noticed on a trip to get some tea later on at night that they had the Drunken Kahlua Cake and Honey Walnut Tart as well. Of course, the presentation is different but just as good.

{Tuesday: Cozumel, Mexico}

Breakfast

Since Autumn had gotten up so, so early we had to wait for the Windjammer Café (9^th Deck) to open at 7am with a crowd of people. There was some confusion as to what side of the Windjammer would open up so whole queue had to move to the other side. I think some better signage would have helped.

We just grabbed a bunch of stuff since we had been up for a few hours already. We grabbed some of the same things we had before, like the eggs, bacon sausage, bran muffin, tater tots, etc, with a few new things. The almond pancakes were good but I don’t suggest the biscuits and gravy at all- way, way too dry and bland on the biscuit front.

Lunch

We were off the ship in Cozumel when it was time for lunch so we went to Palmeras Restaurant, which was along the main street that hugged the coast. It was on our walk from the Forum Shops towards the boat.

I don’t really like to spend money on food while in port as we have already paid for our meals on the ship, but when it’s lunch time, it’s lunch time! Thankfully, lunch was good and affordable. We shared some chips and salsa, fish tacos, and a chicken Caesar salad.

Everything was really good. The tacos were seasoned nicely and stuffed full as well. It was served with some guacamole, which Autumn ate up. I was craving a Caesar Salad and the salad we had satisfied that craving. The lean chicken breast was juicy and the salad was dressed perfectly.

Dinner

The ingredient theme for the dinner tonight was ‘shitake mushrooms’. They used the ingredient in a few dishes,including the entree that I ordered, in different cuisines.

Both Price and I ordered seafood appetizers; he ordered the shrimp cocktail and I ordered the ceviche. This was the second time he ordered it and felt it was just as good this time. I really enjoyed the ceviche, I only wished the portion was larger.

We ordered the chilled peach based soup for Autumn to try. She did but was more satisfied with her basket of bread. I enjoyed the soup that I stole from her. It was smooth, silky, and enjoyably sweet.

For the entree I ordered the Asian Dumplings and the featured ingredient was used in them and in the sauce that was served with them. While the flavor was good, this was my least favorite dinner on the cruise. It sorta reminded me of the dumplings I get from Trader Joe’s, but with a fancy sauce. Plus, the portion was small, I could have eaten another whole plate of these.

Price had the lamb chops with mashed potatoes and vegetables. A side of mint jelly was offered for this dish. The lamb was cooked a prefect medium rare and with the salty pan sauce and sweet jelly made for delicious bites around the plate. The portion was huge and along with the mashed potatoes and vegetables made for a satisfying dinner.

We don’t often have dessert at home so the desserts on the cruise were a real treat. A lovely treat. Price went for the chocolate and I went for the fruit. Both were so good in their own ways. While I was drawn to his Chocolate Lava Cake, I loved my pavlova. Thankfully both are easy to make so I can recreate them at home.

{Wednesday: Costa Maya, Mexico}

Breakfast

Breakfast at the Windjammer in the same area; bow of the boat right at the windows. It feels like we are regulars and it’s enjoyable.

Generally, the options served at the different meals tried to appeal to cultures and palettes of all kinds. Amazingly, they served a really, really good fried rice with breakfast. I really liked it as it soaked up the runny egg yolk from the over-easy eggs I ordered at the omelette station.

Lunch

A cool beer while sitting on the beach will always been enjoyable.

We spent most of our day at the beach in Costa Maya. We took the trolley to the beach and got off at the first stop which stationed us right in front of Senor Frogs. There were 3 servers there that served the beach goers in the area in front of the restaurant. Carina and Chico both did a great job taking care of us with quick deliveries of beer, water, and food.

The beer was really cheap with 4 beers for $5, but the food was $$$ so we only grabbed a plate of chips and guacamole ($10). It was satisfying but very overpriced, which is why we opted to go back to the boat in time for Autumn to take a proper afternoon nap while we took turns getting food from the Windjammer.

Dinner

Each dinner had a welcome change from night to night but always had regular bu also very good options. We both ordered salads as our appetizers along with the usual bread basket.

Price went back to the prime rib that he had for our first dinner. Sometimes old habit are tough to break! This time it was served with a fried mashed potato- like a kick butt tater tot!- and roasted tomato. The whole plate was covered in the delicious au jus.

I wasn’t feeling that great (the dreaded cruise stomach curse!) so I ordered the lighter fare being the roasted chicken on rice. While I would love to write raves reviews for this, my own illness prevented me from fully enjoying it. It was a beautiful presentation and smelled terrific. I slowly picked at the chicken and rice which settled me for the time being.

Oh man, she is the best!!!!

{Thursday: Belize City, Belize}

Breakfast

Oh boy, oh boy, it was PACKED at breakfast today!! Plus, they opened up breakfast a half hour earlier (6.30am) than normal as the time in Belize City was limited from 7.30-2.15, so people were up early to maximize their time in Belize.

The Windjammer dining room was too full so we took our food outside and took a table along the windows to enjoy the view.

Price made a triple meat breakfast sandwich with bacon, sausage, and ham. Men… ha! It should be called the pig sandwich or pig plate, patent pending!

There always was plentiful fruit, which worked out well as it gave us plenty of options for Autumn to eat at a meal, or to take later for a snack. The fruit was very fresh and flavorful.

Lunch

Belize City was just too hot to hang around in for lunch so we headed back to the ship early so we made it back to have lunch at the Windjammer.

I still wasn’t feeling that great so I ate plain pasta with some grated cheese.

Price enjoyed a fun mix of fried chicken, a ham and cheese slider, pork tenderloin, and corn salad. They were all really good but what a mix. Sometimes I have no idea what he is thinking…

Autumn had her first taste of jello and she loved it!

Dinner

We took the opportunity to have another ‘date night’ while on the cruise by having Autumn go to the Nursery for a few hours. It was nice that the amazing waiters didn’t have to shove all the plates and glasses to one side of the table and out of Autumn’s reach as soon as she was seated in her high chair. Ahhh a civilized dinner!!

Royal Caribbean allows two 750ml bottles per stateroom so we took a red and white with us for the cruise (it’s x-ray’d when you get on the ship when you board on your ). They used to have a corking fee but at some point the recently removed that fee. Hooray for us! Another glass? Yes, please!

We enjoyed the caprese salad and aranchini appetizers. Great mix to go with the Italian theme for the evening.

I enjoyed the chicken entree since it was pretty ‘mellow’. I was just starting to feel better again, I tried to keep things simple without tons of spice so this was a good fit. The mashed potatoes were soft and creamy, the asparagus was crisp and yet tender. The chicken and its sauce were comforting.

Price had the pork tenderloin with baked mashed potatoes and vegetables. Reading the description above, how can you pass it up! He wished there was more tenderloin but after his pig plate and pork tenderloin from the previous meals what more could he want?!? Oh well, we were on vacation 🙂

Of course I couldn’t resist dessert no matter how I was feeling. Plus look how fancy and pretty this is. Little petit fours with a chocolate stick as an edible garnish, a little taste of heaven if there ever were three heavens on one plate. That chocolate cake on the right was the BEST dessert I had all cruise.

Price got the tiramisu. We both thought it was flat. The lady fingers were dry and there was not much booze. Considering all the wonderful meals and other desserts we had perhaps our standards were sky high but this was by far the most disappointing of one of the courses for dinner.

{Friday: Day at Sea Cruising}

Breakfast

As what had become the morning routine on the cruise, Autumn was up early so Price took her up to the 9^th deck to allow our neighboring rooms a bit more sleep. While I got dressed to meet them up there, Autumn ate a yogurt.

Price has quickly solidified his love of grapefruit and I was feeling better so I got an omelette.

The best part is the overall attentiveness of the Windjammer staff related to refilling juices, getting a highchair, clearing tables, or saying ‘hi’ to Autumn. Especially Kenny (from India), he is always so sweet to Autumn.

Lunch

To avoid the big crowds at lunch in the Windjammer, we opted to go to the Aquarius dining room.

She loved the olive studded rolls that were delivered to our table. So adorable!

We relaxed on our overindulgence of ever meal and got salads for lunch from the salad bar. You walk around the bar and point to everything you would like for the guys working there to chop together. This salad was loaded with chickpeas, walnuts, onions, special greens, and a nice vinaigrette.

I also ordered chicken sliders that I had on Wednesday afternoon from the Windjammer. They were much better at the Windjammer as they were served with a garlicky aioli, but the sliders in the Aquarius dining room were very bland without it. Autumn was not really interested in any of those options and stuck with a banana and bread roll.

Dinner

Wah! Our last dinner!! So sad to leave the cruise, our amazing waiters, and all the great food behind.

How ever will we go back to normal life with out multiple dinner courses!?!?

Just looking at the picture above definitely screams MAN! The bone-in beef shank looked like it was cooked over an open pit and huge flames surrounding it. Price’s eyes lit up when this was put in front of him. Good thing we had those lunch salads! The always good mashed potatoes and vegetables completed the plate but the star was the shank. Price noted it might be the best entree of all the dinners which is saying a lot since he had so many great entrees.

I enjoyed the featured pasta entree. It was a generous plate of pasta in a cream sauce that was topped off with a crispy, crunchy slice of pancetta. The pancetta made the dish as it provided a nice salty flavor and fun textural contrast from the pasta. I think that the sauce could have been a bit thicker, but the flavor was really good.

Price and I had some great Key Lime Pie while we were on our Babymoon in the Florida Keys so I feel pretty confident saying that this was really good Key Lime Pie. What a nice way to end our wonderful cruise.

{Saturday: Disembark}

Breakfast

We were up early as usual. But extra, extra early. Autumn’s sleep was rocky the whole cruise but the last night was even worse as the time changed back to Eastern Standard Time. It was a mess!! But we got to be some of the first people in line to get into The Windjammer when it opened.

The day is super hectic for the staff as they have to unload and then reload the ship just a few short hours later so they try to streamline things so they don’t offer as many things for breakfast on the last day. I was happily surprised that they still offered the omelette station though.

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We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and the food we ate on the cruise. The food and the service we experienced were both very enjoyable.

Amazingly, I managed to lose weight on the cruise. No joke. It was magic. Most people gain a few pounds but I lost about 3 pounds. And I got to eat dessert. That right there was a great birthday present. ha!