I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Dining Out

The Jack Benny @ Doo Wop Diner, Malden MA

When Price and I started our adventure of looking for a place to buy we took the adventurous approach and starting blindly guess where we would want to live and looked on the web for listings. Just kidding!!! We thoroughly researched areas where we could live around Boston and that brought us to Malden one day. We set out to look around neighborhoods within walking distance of the train stations there and in the process we came across the Doo Wop Diner.

 

The Doo Wop Diner is your quintessential greasy spoon. There are old posters on the wall of classic cars and movie stars from the 50’s. You never see the bottom of your mug as servers are constantly buzzing around tending to the customers. As soon as you walk in you know who the regulars are as they are perched at the counter leisurely bent over a paper listening to the woman behind the counter chatting while they fill orders. I love places like this.

Places like this always make great comfort food. The Doo Wop Diner has a great variety of menu options and they playfully section the menu into different categories and are labeled such things as break it to me gently | build me up buttercup |every egg beat of my heart| hot rod sandwiches | the chubby checker double decker | a family affair | all shook up. Since we were wandering around Malden early one Saturday morning we decided to stick with the breakfast dishes. While I toyed around with some different menu options I decided on The Jack Benny.

 

2 Poached Eggs with Ham served on English Muffins and topped with Hollandaise Sauce

My love affair with Eggs Benedict runs deep. Eggs Benedict compelety satisfies me, and just like the real Jack Benny, this was a hit. For just $6.99 I had a plate piled high with Eggs Benedict and homefries. The English muffin was gently toasted providing a nice sturdy base for the eggs. They were toasted enough to give a nice flavor was well as texture to hold up again the Hollandaise sauce. There was 1 slice of lean ham that was draped over the English muffins. And on top of that sat 2 perfectly poached eggs. The eggs were cooked well to set up up the albumin (white part) while keeping the yoke very runny. The eggs looked nice as well as they were neatly trimmed. Lusciously coating it all was a silky Hollandaise sauce. The sauce was mellow as it was a light flavored sauce without too much lemon. All together the perfect bite of English muffin, ham, egg, and Hollandaise sauce.

To go along with The Jack Benny I substituted their regular homefries with their Larry’s Special homefries for an extra $1.25. Price and I shared the homefries from his meal and mine. I suggest the Larry’s Special as I felt the regular fries where a bit plain. I prefer my homefries to have pieces of peppers and onions mixed in and the regular order did not. The Larry’s Special had pieces of onion, as well as melted cheese and some finely chopped pieces of bacon. The amped up homefries were very good but I suggest eating them quickly before the slice of cheese on top firms up again.

Such a beauty.

While we decided that Malden wasn’t for us, we did discover the Doo Wop Diner. If you happen to be in the area I suggest stopping in to enjoy a great meal.

Rating

English muffin– 15 pts

Canadian Bacon– 15 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 20 pts

Side– 7 points

Total: 82/100

Doo Wop Diner

269 Main Street

Malden, MA 02148

(781) 324-9441

{Product Review} Foodler- Online Delivery Service

Let’s be honest here.

By the end of most weeks I don’t want to cook, I just want to get some beer or wine, some take out, and lounge around. I’m so burnt out from the week that the thought of making anything more than boxed mac and cheese is out of the question. Falling asleep on the sofa around 9 is not even all that unrealistic. (How is Price still with me after 7 years?!?)

So the point of all of that is how I’ve been relying on Foodler recently. Foodler is an online food delivery service that connects you to restaurant menus for quick ordering. Foodler is a national company that has a growing network in such cities as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington. Plus is has a quick search for campuses so if you are a college student this would be perfect for you as well.

Once you pick your location you will see that the options are divided into several cateegories for sorting. First, Foodler sorts by what is available right now for delivery and what is not currently opened but is accepting orders for a later scheduled delivery. In addition to that you can sort by Cost, Rating, Distance, and Delivery Fee. Plus you can sort by cuisine to make your search efficient.

A cool thing about Foodler is that is keeps a record of all your orders making repeat ordering very easy. You can see what you order previously with the little green arrow next to the item.

We typically schedule our delivery since I will feel the crash around Friday mid morning so at lunch I will pick some things and then have Pricer finish the rest of the order. I love knowing that we will have delivery arriving shortly after getting home. Or you can plan ahead an order for a few days in advance or weeks.

My favorite things about Foodler is that they five out Frequent Foodler Points. These are points that you earn with each order. 3pts per dollar!

What do you do with these points? Well you can save them up to redeem them for Foodlerbucks or other great things such as Amazon gift cards.

One thing I think is lacking from the site is that it provides you sorting options for several different criteria, however estimated delivery time is not one of them. As I said before, we typically schedule our delivery so this is not a specific thing that inhibits me but I could see that this would be hard to deal with on a busy Friday night. Only when you have selected your items and are about to check out is when you get the ETA.

Also, the first time that I ordered my order arrived incorrectly. I think this was based upon how Foodler relays the order to the restaurant, based upon the print out I received with my order. We were ordering Chinese and after selecting the entree it asked us if we would like to add rice to the order. We did, so we added that option. Well no rice came because the print out that the restaurant received was just the entree, however the price was adjusted to reflect the addition of rice, which I doubt most people would notice. I did notify Foodler about this so maybe this have been update, I just have avoided bundling items since then.

Whether you are like me, so burnt out and in need of take out or having people over to watch a movie, Foodler is a great online food delivery service option. The next time you feel like ordering in give Foodler a try!

*I received a $15 Foodler credit to try the Foodler service and write a honest review. These opinions are entirely my own and are not influenced by my compensation

Maximo’s with Boston Brunchers

When a place says they are a family run restaurant I will wonder how they compare to the crew that runs Maximo’s in Watertown, MA. This is a TRUE family restaurant. While Maximo’s is run by husband wife team, Phil and Betsy, it is a big family affair with their kids and parents’ help. Don’t be surprised if you order take out and Phil delivers it to you! That is hand’s on service.

For a recent Boston Brunchers outing, things were changed up a bit and we went to a dinner. I enjoyed the change of pace from our ‘typical’ brunches to have a dinner out together. Plus, I don’t typically go to Watertown for dinner from work in Boston since it takes so long to get back home without a car (1 hr 40 min trip back home thankyouverymuch) so it was nice to learn about a new place. I’ll just have to drive next time! (And bring my camera & camera SD card, as I just used my iphone for these shots- please don’t judge too harshly.)

 

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta: This was a fantastic start to our meal. The crostini were toasted providing a crisp surface for the moist bruschetta that did not get soggy as we prepared the and photographed these little beauties. The bruschetta itself was very oniony and garlicy, which I love (says the girl who sweats garlic) but someone else could think it is a little strong. I think the fact that the tomatoes were roasted was what really sets this dish apart from other restaurants.

Betsy, one half of the power couple, sat with us while we dined and explained the story behind she and Phil and the creation of Maximo’s. The name comes from the family’s kids- Max and Mo. Of course Mo is ticked that everyone thinks that the places is named after Max only, but that is to be expected from teenagers 🙂  Betsy explained that the menu is still in development and will be trying new things out for the season. In all honesty, the menu is a bit of a mash up of things, but it is a reflection of what they like to eat. And I think that makes perfect sense.

Mediterranean Turkey Burger: Turkey burgers are such a hard thing to make well. They are typically too dry and bland but these turkey burgers are none of that. The burger is so flavorful from the spice mix that is added to it as well as the tabbouleh that is mixed in. The tabbouleh makes the burger moist as well.

The roasted potatoes that were served with the turkey burger were also really good. I could see enjoying these with the Slamin’ BLT (more on the later!).

 

Steak and Onion Salad: I loved this salad! The combination of the greens, cheese, steak, and chimichurri sauce was harmonious. The grilled steak was very tender, almost-melt-in-your-mouth tender. The chimichurri sauce on it was incredible. I would like to have a bottle of that at home. Overall, I highly recommend this salad, but I think it would have been even more fantastic with a very light vinaigrette on the salad. Just my 2cents.

I loved the salad so much that I even had to Instagram it to brag about that I was enjoying.

When each dish was served, Phil came out to explain what we were about to enjoy. I could clearly understand his passion in what he does when he came out to present each dish with us. Betsy has explained to us Phil’s background and how he has lived all over the world. I really could taste how his world travels has really left a lasting imprint on his culinary point of view.

 

Slamin’ BLT: 

This Slamin’ BLT sandwich would be a perfect hangover cure, but of course enjoyable at any hour of the day. The BLT has a fried egg and slice of cheddar cheese on it that takes it to the next level and sets it apart from other BLT’s. The grill marks make this so inviting to dive into. I love details like that.

The sandwich was served with roasted corn and black bean soup. This pops up on the specials menu so be sure to look for it. Perfect soup and sandwich combination.

Go ahead… take another look at that sandwich…

Oooo that is an nice runny egg!

Cilantro Lime Grilled Tuna: I have to admit that this was the dish that I liked the least. It was perfectly fine, more than fine actually, but it did not appeal to me. I felt the tuna was seasoned and cooked nicely but I didn’t like the sides that were served with it. I liked the kale but I always prefer my wilted greens with butter, oil, or lemon. I felt it was a little flat for my palate. I liked the quinoa side but I would have preferred if it had a citrus based dressing tying it together.

Besides Betsy and Phil, we met Max and Phil’s parents, who explained that they are enjoying seeing their son’s dream come to life and are enjoying helping out as well. Getting to see toddler Max running around and stealing bites of Betsy’s meal was just too cute.

*While I did receive this complimentary meal from Maximo’s these opinions are entirely my own.

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Bakers’ Best with Boston Brunchers

Being part of Boston Brunchers has given me the opportunity to win quite a few fantastic brunches in the past year. Each one different, unique, stunning and fantastic in it’s own way. I left February’s brunch at Bakers’ Best a happy woman.

Bloody Mary Shooter and Sour Cherry Martini

To say that I was excited at winning a brunch spot at the Bakers’ Best Catering Headquarters would be an understatement. Last summer we moved to Newton and were happy to find a place that we could enjoy a leisurely brunch spot 2 blocks away, which happened to be the Bakers’ Best restaurant. Our hearts broke after a few months because it closed up shop. But why? It was always busy? Don’t they understand I need my breakfast when I can’t deal with the thought of dirtying any dishes? I wrote about my love for their sweet potato and corned beef hash previously, even trying to come up with a justifiable substitute sweet potato hash.

As we gathered upon arrival in the catering offices of Bakers’ Best we were greeted with the Bloody Mary Shooters and the Sour Cherry Martinis. I could have easily enjoyed a dozen of the shrimp topped Bloody Mary Shots, but thankfully I restrained myself so I would have room for everything to come. While we enjoyed the drinks we were introduced to some of the team behind Bakers’ Best. Specifically Michael Baker spoke about founding the company, the history, business, opening of this catering kitchen location, and the sad closure of the location that started it all. At that point I could understand his passion for food, his business and the heavy decision he had when closing the cafe. Over the course of 27 years the business shifted from the cafe to cafe with some catering to extensive catering, and in the end the cafe was only about 10% of their multi-million dollar business. While I miss our brunches at the cafe I completely understand where Michael was coming from, plus I could not help admire this savvy business and dedication to doing what is best for the company and ultimately the customers.

Just as a tour was beginning we were halted with the passing around of these to-die-for “everything” bagel gravlax bites. Michael soon learned the food bloggers take a lot of photos of their food and was a good sport about the frequent breaks. It is hard to not photograph great food! As well, I enjoyed Michael’s tour of the kitchen because of how well it was design and maintained. They moved in 5 years prior and you would not have known it was 5 years to 5 weeks… Spotless. Being in the design profession, I thought the design of the catering kitchen was done well, and was really impressed with it.

full rack oven and work space

dry ingredients and storage of kitchen supplies

produce and prepared food

preparation of chicken skewers at one station and miso sesame cups at another

The staff was hard at work preparing food for Oscar parties

Sweet Potato Corned Beef and Asian Tuna Tartare bites

The ‘eye openers’ we enjoyed while on the tour were really eye openers! They were 1 or 2 bites each, making for the perfect food to enjoy while on tour, or at a catered party. I obviously loved the sweet potato hash cups because of my love for the hash I used to get, but what made this appetizer more incredible was bacon… The cup shell itself was made with the maple bacon. Details like that really set Bakers’ Best above the competition. Similarly, they made the shell of the gravlax bite with everything bagels and the tuna tartare was made with a miso and sesame paste. From crunchy bacon to crispy miso the flavor spectrum was hit with the 3 passed hor’ d’oeuvres we had.

beautiful place settings and the fresh pastry basket

After the tour we sat down at a few tables to enjoy the main part of the brunch. As we chatted, drank mimosas, and swooned over the youngest bruncher… Tessa who was just 12 days old! We were so glad to see Jessica and her new daughter doing well. A quick hush came over the group when the bite sized waffle egg sandwich was placed in front of us. A flurry of tweets and photos were taken and then enjoyed dug into waffle sandwich. The waffle was warm, sausage perfectly seasoned and the quail egg was still runny. The accompanying Camembert and tomato jam added perfect level of saltiness and sweetness to the sandwich.

brunchers taking photos of the buffet

quiches and beet ravioli

challah french toast and the accompanying bananas foster topping

Shortly after we enjoyed our amuse plate, the buffet was ‘opened’. The staff at Bakers’ Best commented on how we all stood around taking photos at every angle of the food. We only began making our plates once we made sure everyone was satisfied with their photos. It was interesting to see the world of catering as well as enlighten them on the world of blogging.

I stuck with a savory brunch with the salad, beet raviolis, and quiches. The beet ravioli were nothing like I had ever had before with their thin slices creating the pasta portion of the ravioli. They were unique but the salad pair with them really tied the whole thing together. The fennel and the citrus really brought the beets to life. The trio of quiches was my favorite part of the buffet. I love quiches but these were out of this world with their filling combination and their pastry shell. I have never had such a buttery, flaky crust like that before. Each quiche was better than the last.

A huge thank you to everyone at the Baker’s Best for welcoming us for such a great brunch. We really appreciated the warm welcome and the amazing food. I highly suggest Bakers’ Brunch Catering for your corporate or personal events.

*While I did recieive a complimentary brunch from Bakers’ Best Catering these opinions are entirely my own.

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Burrito Bowl Numero Dos

I had such a great time at the first Burrito Bowl last year that when this year’s event was announced I knew I had to go. Emily and I ended up buying tickets for the Feb 4th event right after they went on sale, which was a good thing since this was a sell out event. As with last year we arrived nice an early and still had to wait in long line to get into The Rattlesnake Bar and Grill, the hosting restaurant. It was clear that people were amped to attend the Burrito Bowl 2, and rightfully so!

Like the first year, there were several stations set up around the restaurant for people to chat with the chef and grab a burrito. There were 9 stations set up featuring places such as Boloco to Taranta.

Great Presentation for the Texas “7 Layer Dip” Burrito from Chef Jon Gilman from Church.

 

It was really obvious that this burrito was themed around Seattle because it had a spicy seafood mixture in there and was accompanied by a salsa roja. Andy Husbands (Tremont 647) is from Seattle so maybe he had unfair advantage getting a city that he knows so well, but in the end I am glad because it was so good. And I was not the only one to think so being that Andy’s burrito won Judge’s pick! Congrats!

 

Since The Rattlesnake is one of our favorte places to eat it was no surprise that Brian Poe made a great burrito. This had Velveeta in it! ha!

This ‘burrito’ was made to represent Pittsburg. hmm this? Pittsburg? Well, the Steeler’s heavenly locked Troy Polamalu is Samoan, which is what inspired this burrito. It was not my favorite because the pineapple pork was a bit hard to eat without cutting, however itw as vary flavorful.

Both Emily and I voted that the Korean-inspired burrito from Marc Orfaly of Pigalle was our favorite. We enjoyed the kimchi and soy aioli that topped the pork burrito. I have not had much kimchi before but really liked the flavor it added to the burrito. It was clearly Asian but still very subtle.

Brian Roche of Lolita Cocina and Tequila Bar made a San Francisco-inspired burrito, which was voted by the crowd as the favorite securing his win for Burrito Bowl II! Congrats!

I already can’t wait to attend next year’s event.

BTW… here I am (with my Heidi braids) on the Boston.com website 🙂

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The Lansdowne Pub with Boston Brunchers

Irish pubs are synonymous with Boston. Just as much as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. So it’s no surprise that Boston Brunchers was able to put together an Irish brunch at The Lansdowne Pub near Fenway Park last month. The brunch as paired with a fundraising effort for Amanda, who is raising money to run the Boston Marathon. I secured 1 of 3 spots available to be purchased by donating $25 to Amanda, the rest of the spots were raffled off from the rest of the brunchers who entered to go.

As the group arrived one by one we began to order the usual coffee and juice. But what is a brunch without a cocktail?!? While brunching I enjoyed a Muddy River and a Liquid Caramel Coffee. I loved the Muddy River was a lovely concoction of coffee brandy and half & half over crushed ice. It was very heavy and rich.

While the Irish Breakfast sounded good, I ordered the crab cake eggs benedict which did not disappoint. I try to order Eggs Benedict ever where I go because it is my favorite brunch dish and I love to compare it from place to place. The crab cake was very flavorful and did not include very much filler. Tender pieces of crab were gently held together with a flavorful binder. On top of the crab cakes sat poached eggs that were covered in a lovely lemony Hollandaise sauce. I love a lemony Hollandaise sauce and this was perfect. The intense lemon flavor paired nicely with the crab cake as well. One of my poached eggs was over cooked a bit but I will take an over cooked egg over an under cooked egg any day. They Eggs Benedict was served with home fries, which always act as a great medium to scoop up Hollandaise sauce.

Shortly before we were leaving the musicians started to practice for their afternoon performance. Live music begins every Sunday for brunch at 1pm. We were lucky to experience a little bit of it as our meal winded down.

I highly suggest going to The Lansdowne Pub for brunch to enjoy some live Irish music, amazing food, fun drinks, and great service. Head over there for their brunch from 10am- 4pm and you will enjoy yourself and get lost in the Irish feel of your meal.

*While I did recieive a complimentary brunch from The Lansdowne Pub these opinions are entirely my own.

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

Avenue One with Boston Brunchers

I shall keep this post short and sweet so that you can focus on the pictures of this amazing food.

I had never even heard of Avenue One  before getting an email about it. It’s a hidden gem in Boston. Located at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, Avenue One offers a lot of dining options, including live music on The Terrace after-work Tuesday- Friday. While being smack dab in the City the Terrace offers a quiet outdoor setting to enjoy food and drink, which we really savored.

As soon as I heard that Avenue One was going to host a preview of new brunch menu items for Boston Brunchers, including some dishes like Lobster Eggs Benedict, I knew I would have to clear my Sunday morning and sign up. Plus, for the first time, they were going to put the brunch spread outside on The Terrace for us too!

 

The pancake and french toast station featured cooked to order french toast with stone fruit and a triple chocolate pancake.

This bread and fruit station offered fresh danishes, muffins, and croissants. The fruit was stunning with a variety of melons.

 

Executive Chef Kelly Armetta explained that he goal is to keep things fresh, local, and seasonal. The majority of the fresh fruit was local, including the freshest strawberries.

I am still dreaming of this bowl of granola, fresh yogurt, and jam. The granola was amazing. Plus gluten free!!! Chef Armetta explained that he makes the granola gluten free to have something for people with Celiac or a gluten sensitivity. The dried fruit, including apricots, textually played well with the crunchy oats and nuts. I wish I could by this buy the pound to take home. Maybe I’ll have to work something out with the Chef

 

The new take on a carving station. Tired of typical roast beef and ham? This charcuterie spread put a big spin on the typical meats offered at brunches.

Out of every amazing thing I tried at brunch, I have to say that this poached egg salad was my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing particularly awful about it. It was down right amazing with it’s poached egg, fresh greens, and fresh fruit. I did not like it because of the dressing. I felt it was unnecessary and made the salad soggy.

 

I was in awe of the teeny tiny fresh strawberries.

 

Standing tall… the Bloody Mary and the muesli shots. The Bloody Mary was enjoyable with a bit of a kick from horseradish. The muesli shots were a bit hit because they were super rich from the addition of heavy cream to the muesli.

I highly suggest Avenue One to travelers, as well as Boston locals. You are going to leave full, happy, and grateful that you spent your morning at Avenue One because of such a fanastic experience.

*These opinions are my own. While I won a $25 gift certificate for future use, I paid for my brunch.*

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

Ashmont Grill with Boston Brunchers

Last month, I attended a fantastic brunch at Ashmont Grill with Boston Brunchers. I was so happy to be able to attend this brunch since Ashmont Grill was a new place to me. I love getting to try a new place, as well as doing so with a group of passionate people about food and blogging.

Veronica, our server, was very attentive from drinks to the complimentary dessert. She graciously saw to our large groups needs, especially our drinks. Although I had just come from a massage and I told myself I wouldn’t drink, I still got a peartini. At least I followed it up with 5 glasses of water. The peartini was light, refreshing, bubbly, sweet- all the prefect elements in a brunch beverage.

My last brunch outting was pretty bad, especially my Eggs Benedict. Since I order Benny 95% of the time and I had such a bad one last time, I ordered it again at Ashmont Grill. The eggs benedict ($12)

The kitchen sent out a complimentary dessert of sticky toffee pudding. I’m sure it was great but I passed mine up since I had already outdone myself with the eggs benedict. Looked sooo good.

I’d like to clarify that my photos are extra crappy since it was acting up that day. Some days are good and I get great photos. Other days are like this. It was having one of those days when it was really struggling. So much so that when we took the group photo it actually smoked a bit. Occasionally, the camera will send up a puff a smoke when the flash is used. So when I heard ‘did that camera just smoke?!’ I knew mine had just gone off. < awkward turtle >

#Burritup

Last Thursday Price and I went on a burrito crawl call Burritup. I had seen some tweets, using the hash-tag #burritup, about the event so we RSVP’d to chow down on some burritos.

The first stop was Boloco at 2 Park Plaza. They had a deal for the group of us- 2 mini burritos and a fountain drink for $5. Great deal. While there they also passed around a sampling of a smoothie with nutella and marshmallow fluff. It was intense. Once our orders were done we headed outside to eat out mini’s. I got bowls to avoid the flour tortillas (gluten).

 

The next stop was Anna’s Taqueria. We walked along the Common and through Beacon Hill to get there. I can’t lie, I don’t like Anna’s burritos. At all. I have an issue with their meat, actually chopped meat in general, at least with the Boloco bowls I can look at it before taking a bite. So I passed my complimentary free burrito pass on to Price so he could save it for another day. He used his free burrito pass happily. I ended up getting some chips and guac and a horchata. I will pass on burritos at Anna’s but I will never pass up on their horchata since it was so good.

After both burritos at both locations, Price had a food baby. We named him Jesus seeing fitting that it was a Spanish name.

 

While there they made us The Cubio. They pitch this as a 3′ long burrito but I have to say it’s much smaller than that. It’s 3 12″ tortillas overlapped and stuffed full, but def not 3′ long. Do the math- it’s not possible. Regardless of the exact size of it, was entertaining to watch it being made. Also entertaining to watch 2 guys have a lady and the tramp moment with it as they took a bite from each end.

      

Sel De La Terre with Boston Brunchers

Two weeks ago I got together with a handful of people who participate in the Boston Brunchers group. The website is organized by Renee, who picks various places for us ‘foodies’ to brunch. I previously attended brunch at Dorado Tacos and had a great time so jumped at RSVP-ing to this brunch. Why not attend a brunch this month?

One of the April brunches was going to be held at Sel De La Terre. There are several locations in and around Boston. I hoped on the train and headed down to the Long Wharf. Of course it was raining, and I didn’t take my umbrella so I arrived looking like a wet dog. Awesome.

The $30 prefix brunch started at 11. Well, the restaurant opens then but they were not ready for us right away so we saddled up to the bar. I ordered a bloody mary. I hate to say but I have high standards for bloody marys and this didn’t live up to it. It had may too much horseradish. It would have been more enjoyable with shrimp than with vodka. Coco, fellow food blogger, and I asked for lemon wedges, which helped cut the taste a bit.

After drinks at the bar, the 11 of us were seated at a large table. We had a few options for our first course, entree and dessert. I picked a salad with a warmed slice of goat cheese, crab cake eggs Benedict, and banana cake.

I loved the salad starter. The salad was lightly, evenly dressed with a balsamic vinegrate. The goat cheese was warm, melty, and salty. The combination of textures, temperatures, and flavors went so well together.

The crab cake eggs benedict was less than spectacular. The egg was perfectly poached. The quality and size of the egg were impressive. The crab cake was a pretty standard, being that I thought it was a little bready. The biggest disappointment was related to my english muffin. Mine was really burnt. It would have been nice to have been able to have eaten it after it soaked up some of that amazing hollandaise sauce. (I didn’t ask for a new english muffin only because the service was so spotty until then that I figured I would have gotten a new one on my 27th birthday… next January)

The dessert course was delightful. The cake was accompanied with a caramel
sauce and a little price of popcorn. The banana flavor really shown through the cake. The texture was light and airy. I would love a whole sheet cake of that. Yes, please.

Aside from the burned english muffin, the meal was really good. Unfortunately, our service was awful. It took a long time, about 30 minutes, to be initially seated. Taking our order took a long time as well, plus each course took time to bring out. For SDLT, I thought this was strange since I’ve have wonderfully attentive lunches and dinners at both locations in Boston. Additionally, we are a group of people who frequent places for brunch, a group of people who often blog about our dining experiences. So why not treat us properly and get some nice write ups? Ah maybe it was just an off day, the rain gets to us all.

PS- I just wrote this entire blog post on my iPhone while watching Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball on HBO. Yeah, be impressed. (I’ll insert links later)

Mystery Meet #10: Tres Gatos

I have no idea how I did not guess this location for Mystery Meet sooner. The 5 clues were dead on. I didn’t get it until I had talked to Meesh and Jackie of Just Add Cheese, organizers for MM#10 , and worked on the clues with 2 other people. I admit I can be dumb sometimes.

But low and behold we guessed correctly with Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plain.

Tres Gatos is a new Tapas restaurant in a book and record store. This is a 3 trick pony! The bar is set up under 4 old doors- I totally loved the look. Winding yourself past the bar and small seating area you arrive at the small kitchen, which is open to some high tables. Just past the kitchen is the store section. I didn’t wander around the store much since I was interested in meeting other bloggers and enjoying a glass of rosé.

So two weeks ago, Price and I got settled at another table with another couple, who had come up from Rhode Island. I think they win the prize for the people who traveled the furthest. Ilesha makes elaborate costume head dresses, but also sells handmade evil sock monkeys in her etsy store. I love going to these events to be able to have great good food, drinks, and meet new people.

-Tapas-

Salsa Negro, Piparras, and Manchego– This was a small bite that you definetly smelled before tasting. The cheese was pungent, but is a nice way.

Breakfast Radish, Moses Sleeper Cheese and Chervil– Keep is simple stupid. Really the chef kept this simple and is was amazing. The salty cheese helped bring out the subtle crisp flavors of the spring radish.

Pork Stuffed Cerignolas and Boquerones– I skipped this entirely because I don’t like olives

-Gambas A La Plancha-

Grilled Prawns with Spicy Garlic and Cilantro Coulis– 2 prawns were not enough! I could have eaten a bucket of these. The prawns were garlicky and grilled perfectly. The sauce was flavorful. I wish that we ere served more prawns and a slice a bread to sop up all that amazing sauce.

– Fideos-

Chorizo, Chicken Liver, P.E.I. Mussels and Piquillo Pepper-

While I spoke to the chef about a gluten free option for this plate, I decided to have it normally since he explained the quanity of pasta given. I figured that I would be fine with that amount, and I was, but it was nice that he said he would substitute a rice/risotto for me. I really enjoyed the flavors of this dish. I’m not a fan of chicken livers because of their texture but I had some anyway, further cementing my opinion of them. I loved the PEI mussels in the sauce. Unfortunately, I did not get any chorizo on my plate.

-Queso-

Torta De La Serne, Sheep’s Milk, Spain

Chevrin Goat’s Milk, Belgium

Machego Curado, Sheep’s Milk, Spain

As much as I enjoy cheese, I really wished that we has something sweet to end the meal, especially since we already had 2 bites of cheese with the Tapas plate. That being said I liked the cheese plate with the accompaniments, which were quince paste, fig, and honey. The Chevrin was my least favorite cheese since it had an after taste, and as our table mate said, was ‘borderline offensive’.

I certainly enjoyed the meal at Tres Gatos because I loved the whole experience. I think that the food was fantastic because it was well planned, balanced, and well executed. That being said, I was disappointed with the portions of meal for the price that we paid. Each of our meals were $40, including tax and tip. Price bought drinks in addition to this. Sure, argue that quality costs, but I have had plenty of really nice meals for that amount of money with much  larger portions. I am interested in going back to see how their regular menu prices and portions compare to the dinner we had, as well as comparing it to Tasca, another Tapas places I’ve been to in Boston.

Tres Gatos
470 Centre Street 
Jamacia Plain, MA 02130
Tapas Bar: 617-477-4851
Book & Record Store: 617-477-9209

The Circus is Coming to Towne- Yelp Event Recap

On Monday night Price and I went to Yelp Boston’s Elite event. This was the first non Elite only event of the new year, the first event to introduce the new Elite’s to the community. So there was no holding back!

The theme was “The Circus Comes to Towne”. Why TownE? Well it was held at te restaurant called Towne. This is a place I have been dying to get to but have been pushing it off since it’s really out of my price range… hello $25-40+ dinner entrées. Well, the chef owners, Lydia Shire and Jasper White, provided a fantastic venue, as well as the best food I have ever had at a Yelp event. Things ranged from tenderloin, curried cauliflower turnovers, caramel ice cream in pizzelle cookie cones, fried shrimp appetizers, hot dogs with a sweet pepper relish, Peking chicken tacos, and much, much more.

Plus, how can we talk about a Yelp Event without talking booze. I had one of the signature drinks, I believe it was called the bearded lady. They did not have a typical menu of specialty drinks, like usual, so I just had that one. Price, on the other hand, made it his mission to try all of the flavored vodkas that Hanger One supplied. In the end we think he rounded out the night with 8 vodka tonics. Hello Tuesday headache!

And of course, you can’t have a Circus themed event without cotton candy, popcorn and entertainers! I was head over heels in love that they had cotton candy!!! There were entertainers from The Boston Circus Guild that walked on stilts, did acrobatics, and some skillful hula hoop routines. There was also a guy doing magic! Lots of fun everywhere we looked!

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