I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Dining Out

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum- Brugal Rum Tasting At The Urban Grape

I am definitely not one to turn down an outing with Price that involves cocktails and cupcakes. So when that exact opportunity presented itself last Thursday I knew that we would be heading to The Urban Grape in hopes of diving head long into some Brugal Rum.

“Brugal Rum is the Caribbean’s number 1 selling rum, to the point that it is almost a national obsession for the people of the Dominican Republic. It is the only rum produced by a large distillery that is made from molasses in the same manner that it’s been being prepared since 1793. There is even thought that rum dates back to just after the time of Christopher Columbus, when Caribbean colonists were the first to distill the juice from sugar cane.
So how is traditional rum made? Sugar cane is produced into molasses. The molasses is then diluted with water and left to ferment for 24 to 48 hours (using yeasts). The fermented juice is then sent to be distilled, where it is heated to temperatures that allow for vaporization. Brugal Rum is distilled two or more times, resulting in a smoother, more refined product. The liquid is then sealed into oak barrels and left to age.
Brugal’s Blanco Rum is the least aged of the rums, at only one to two years. The Anejo Rum is aged for five years. Brugal ages rum for up to 30 years, to produce a sipping rum more akin to an aged scotch or tequila. The Brugal family still produces all aspects of the rum, and boasts five generations of maestros roneros, or “master rum makers.””- The Urban Grape blog

Hadley and TJ, owners of the Urban Grape, partnered with Brugal Rum to host an evening of rum cocktails and rum infused cupcakes. The 2 cocktails on hand were mixed by Bill Codman. Bill can be found out the Woodward at The Ames Hotel, which is a great thing since you definitely want to have him make you another drink. There were 2 Anegjo Rum based drinks, one including some champange and the other with pineapple juice. I would love to get these recipes to make them again, especially the pineapple one.  And the cupcakes were made by Kickass Cupcakes. I have never been a huge fan of their cupcakes but this changes everything.

Price and I left with a bottle of the Brugal Anejo so we could create our own cocktails at home. Also, we left with a pass for the 2 of us to see “No Strings Attached” compliments of Mix 104.1, who were there to play some house music. Definitely a great Thursday night.

The Urban Grape

7 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

617.232.4831

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OMG Red Velvet Event- Recap

A few weeks ago my friend Jason sent me a link to a red velvet themed charity event for Lovin’ Spoonfuls and he did not have to ask me twice about going. The event was organized by Urbanspoon’s Christine Liu and was sponsored by Signpost Boston and How About We… So on Tuesday night we headed over to Flour Bakery in Fort Port to chow down on some fantastic red velvet themed treats by some of Boston’s great chefs who donated their time and food for this event.

Macaron from Sportello/ Cupcake from Flour Bakery

Participating chefs included:
The Chocolate Tarte
Flour Bakery
Hungry Mother
Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake
SoCo Creamery
Sportello
Susu Bakery
Sweet Cupcakes
Union Bar + Grille
Garden in the Cellar

Red Velvet with Jalapeño Infused Sugar from Rattlesnake/ Red Velvet Fried Chicken from Garden at the Cellar

I enjoy a good red velvet treat but I enjoy that my admittance fee went to Lovin’ Spoonfuls.

“Headquartered in Brookline, MA, Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a 501c3, non-profit organization that facilitates the recovery and distribution of perishable and unserved foods that would otherwise be thrown away and wasted. They deliver this food directly to local crisis centers, soup kitchens and other social assistance entities. Lovin’ Spoonfuls was incorporated in 2010, and is committed to do its part to help eradicate hunger in Massachusetts.”

Cupcakes with The Chocolate Tarte/ Red Velvet Donut Muffins from Susu

The red velvet desserts varied from cake, cupcakes, donut muffins, and macarons. Then coming out of left field there was a savory item that consisted of chicken coated in red velvet cake batter, fried, and then dressed in a blue cheese sauce. It was a very creative on red velvet. My two favorite items were the macaron from Sportello and the red velvet spoonfuls from Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake.

Macaron from Hungry Mother/ Red Cake with Chocolate Mouse topped with a Red Hot from Union Boston

While there we learned about another very unfortunate situation that requires some special attention. Will Gilson, chef from Garden at the Cellar, reported a tragic situation his mother is experiencing. Jodie Gilson lost all of her greenhouses under the weight of the snow, which means she has lost her lively hood. Why can’t she just go through insurance to fix it… well read about the whole situation and donate to help her get back on her feet HERE.

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

Tacos Tacos Tacos Tacos!- Boston Brunchers at Dorado Tacos and Cemitas

On Sunday morning 16 food bloggers, including myself, descended upon Dorados Tacos in Brookline, MA. We arrived an hour prior to their normal opening to feast on their brunch options. We snapped photos, discussed our blog’s point of views, talked camera settings, and what we did for work. We took video, shared plates of food, talked about events we have attended, and which restaurant offers the best{_fill in the blank_}.

Why did we do all that?

Because we are part of the community of food bloggers in Boston. But more specifically we came together through Boston Brunchers. Renee, the organizer, has put together a great schedule for people to to enjoy brunches at various places throughout Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge. Brunches vary from free to $ to $$$, limited by first come first serve sign up, or participants are selected by the restaurant based on reasons why they want to attend the brunch.

In this case Dorado limited the total # of people, while they threw in a few free meals for the people that won their approval. I was one of the first 14 people to sign up so I paid for my meal , which is no big inconvience since everything there is really affordable.

The group came together over plates of huevos rancheros,  breakfast quesadillas, patatas bravas, agua frescas, hot chocolates, and coffees. I enjoyed the house-made pork chorizo quesadilla with guacamole and a side of patatas bravas. The quesadilla was really good, without being greasy from the chorizo. The guacamole was inside th quesadilla so it was incorporated into each bite. The patatas bravas, a Spanish potato side dish that is similar to home fries, were so much more spicy than I anticipated. I really enjoyed them but I’m glad I listened to someone describe them before pouring hot sauce on them, like I typically do with home fries. I washed that down with my favorite cucumber mint agua fresca.

I’m looking forward to attending more brunch gatherings in the future with the great people I met. Plus great food doesn’t hurt!

PS- Whenever I hear about or have tacos I think of Terry on Reno 911. Any scene with Terry at Tacos Tacos Tacos Tacos cracks me up.

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

Ole! First Annual Burrito Bowl Recap

When I first saw a tweet about the First Annual Burrito Bowl at Rattlesnake Bar I knew that I would have to rush to get tickets to attend this event. Thankfully I did because the event sold out and was a blast.

It’s no secret that Rattlesnake is one of my favorite places in Boston. So I obviously could not miss a chance to go there, while enjoying this burrito battle. The premise was simple, top chefs in the Boston area “serving up an edible homage to their favorite NFL team” making burritos to be judged by a panel and by the public.

Natalie, Jason, Price and I arrived early to grab some seating for us since we knew it would be packed. Emily and Peter followed shortly thereafter to pile in the booth after us. We all took turns supervising bags and coats while roaming around taking bowls back to sample together. An afternoon as simple as sampling the various burritos and enjoyed some beers and margaritas* results in some heated debate regarding the burritos.

– The frito pie inspired one was really good, however not really a burrito!

– The one with the roasted pig was fatty and there was some idenitifiable thing in the rice that was really chewy. However, it had a good slaw on it. Also, it had a QR code on it directing you to the recipe, which is fun and creative

– The New Orleans Saint’s one was a favorite since they fried each piece of fish at the station so it was hot and crispy. I would love this as a whole dish.

-The only one that resembled a burrito was submitted by Brian Poe (host) and consisted of chicken braised in duck fat. The sauce served with that was amazing.

Seeing a packed restaurant with people buried over bowls of burritos and chefs conversing together about their recipes just proves that food is a great connector. It certainly brought us all together to enjoy a rainy Saturday afternoon.

The line up:

Jason Hutchinson of Boloco, Laura Henry-Zoubir of Church, Jason Santos of Gargoyles on the Square, Erwin Ramos of Ole, Brian Poe of Poe’s Kitchen at The Rattlesnake, Jose Duarte from Taranta,  Andy Husbands of Tremont 647.

The winners:

Judged:  The roasted pig buritto bowl from Jose Duarte (Taranta)… not my favorite

People’s Choice: Frito Pie burrito from Jason Santos (Gargoyles on the Square)… not a burrito!

UPDATE: RECIPES FROM THE EVENT! FIRST ANNUAL BURRITO BOWL RECIPES

I really enjoyed the event. It gave me the opportunity to see food bloggers Jacki and Meesh from Just Add Cheese and Bianca from Confessions of a Chocoholic.  Getting a chance to taste different plates from great restuarnts I have not been to was a great experience. Plus I can’t deny that I enjoyed the 3 margaritas I had.

*Uber excited that the Cranberry Ginger Margarita that I created and won for the 20th anniversary event is now on the newly revamped drink menu!!!*

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

Happy Hour with SeamlessWeb and Boston Food Bloggers

I absolutely love the food blogging community in Boston. While I don’t exactly consider myself a food blogger… I’m a ‘life’ blogger who writes about what I care about, which often is food… I have been meeting great people who are just as passionate about food and restaurants as me. All this is thanks to Rachel, who has organized Boston Food Bloggers.

Last night was no different. Great food, drinks and people coming together because of food. The thing that brought us all together is called SeamlessWeb. What is SeamlessWeb? It’s an online food delivery service. So hop on the site, enter your address, and then see what food can me delivered to your door. This gets rid of the guess work when it comes to delivery ETA, ratings, and getting your order taking properly since it’s all done with a few clicks of a mouse.

SeamlessWeb hosted the happy hour mixer at The Landsdowne to introduce the company to Boston. They actually had been braving the elements this week and were giving out free coffee as well in different neighborhoods in the city. I definitely welcome any sort of launch party/happy hour/raucous get together that invovles free drinks and food. So Price Tag, as he introduced himself as, and I had a great time seeing bloggers I have met before and meeting a few new ones, all while enjoying some pub food and beers.

In honor of the gift certificates we picked up last night and the mess in the kitchen I have left for too long, we ordered pizza for dinner to night. Muy Bueno. Thanks SeamlessWeb!

PS- That magic 8 ball thing is AMAZING! I snatched one up and have been having too much fun shaking the hell out of it getting different answers like Thai, Mexican, Pizza, Panini, etc.

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

Boston Food Blogger Launch Party

I love starting off the week with a party to go to. Especially as one as great as last night’s Boston Food Bloggers’ Launch.

So soon as we arrived Price and I were welcomed with bowl upon bowl of Bacon Caramel Popcorn. This is not your average caramel popcorn. Besides the addition of the bacon, which provided a light smoky flavor, there were goldfish crackers and pretzels. It was a “gangs-all-here” kinds of popcorn.

The servers at The Gallows were fast on their feet serving Cheeseburgers, poutine, vegetarian crostini, and buffalo chicken livers. I was really impressed with the variety of food that was served. Also, the quality was top notch. However, in all honesty, I was not a fan of the poutine. Maybe it was because we just came back from a trip to Montreal, but the cheesy was just not right to me. Either way, I loved the crostini with it’s pungent blue cheese kick.

In addition to the food The Gallows served, SoCo Creamery served up several kinds of ice cream. They brought ginger, esspresso cookie, vanilla, and dirty chocolate. Price and I shared the dirty chocolate which was intense, rich, and very chocolately. Also, Price enjoyed the complimentary beer provided by Pretty Things.

Besides the food, The Gallows provided an amazing setting for the launch party. The Gallows is a beautiful restaurant complete with barn wood ceiling and long fully stocked bar. You def can’t miss the opportunity to saunter up to the bar to get creative drinks like the Missionary’s Downfall and Bear Hunter (pictured).

I’m looking forward to getting to know more food bloggers in the Boston Food Blogging community. I had a great time seeing some familiar faces like Meesh and Jacki from Just Eat Cheese and Molly from Cheap Beets and meeting some new people like Ashleigh from Ashleigh’s Slice of Life and Kara from Peace Love and Food

Thanks to Rachel of Fork it Over, Boston! The party was a huge success and the goodie bag I scored was amazing. I am so excited to visit all those places where I received gift certificates for.

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

Mystery Meet #7- Hell Night at East Coast Grill

Oh Hell Night, you rocked my world.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending my first Mystery Meet event. This was the 7th event that Mystery Meet organized, and it happened to be at East Coast Grill. If you are not familiar with East Coast Grill, then I should explain that this restaurant hosts an event 2 times a year called Hell Night. What is Hell Night? It’s an excuse for you to burn your mouth, lips, fingers, etc while your man up to a plate of super spicy food.

Mystery Meet provides 5 clues about the restaurant where the event will be occurring so you have a hint of the location when you purchase your tickets, but the big reveal occurs the day before the event. After the first clue “If you can’t take the heat, get your ass outta the kitchen.” I was 90% positive that it was going to be East Coast Grill since it is known for Hell Night and that is the hottest place in the Boston area. It was even featured on Man vs. Food during it’s first season. Hell Night is a major event so it is nearly impossible to get a reservation since they sell out within hours, and this was my big chance to go! In fact, Price and I were driving back form Montreal when the tickets for Mystery Meet were released, which resulted in ridiculous amounts of swearing at the VT mountains that were messing up my 3G connection. Thankfully, AT&T pulled through, and we got tickets.:-)

Prior to attending the event, Price and I met Jacki from Just Add Cheese, her friend Darius, and Amanda from Kitchen Misfit at the neighboring bar, Bukowski Tavern. We shared stories and suggestions of beer, hot sauces, chicken and waffles, pancake places, brunch spots, etc.

The Hell Night menu for the Mystery Meet event did not disappoint. The menu offered several shared appetizers, 2 entrée choices, and dessert. There were bomb ratings after each item warning us of what pain we were going to experience. One thing you can’t prepare for is the Meatball Roulette, the first appetizer. This really is a game of chance, one in which I lost. That spicy meatball provided a deep slow burn that hit the back of my tongue and seemed to last forever. Immediately, my body did not like this sudden jolt and responded with hiccups. Yes, weird.

Next up were the Smokin’ Hot Pork Spare Ribs. These were rated 3 bombs… lie! Our table agreed that this was the hottest thing of the night. However, we did not know this was really miss rated, and were then extremely fearful of the 8 bomb rating that was going to be coming shortly. It was also that this point that we all agreed that no one would wimp out and get milk.

Just when things couldn’t get worse, the Wings of Mass Destruction arrived on our table. Happily, they not 8 bomb hot, even though they had ghost chili oil on them. I managed to eat 3 of them, however the real champ at our table was Frank who ate 5. Frank eat everything quickly and quietly suffered through the pain while the 5 of us made it really clear how much it was killing us. Frank was the champ.

The last shared appetizer was the Korean Fried Chicken Thighs. These were “caliente, not picante” as explained by Darius. I think that I enjoyed these the most because the heat was in the gochujang dipping sauce. Also, the apple kim chee helped cool things off with the contrasting cool crisp fruit.

Price and I got each entrée so we could sample them both. The Latin Spice Grilled Mahi Mahi (2 bombs) was cooked perfectly and provided enough heat without being troublesome. Price’s Jamaican Jerk Grilled Pork Chop (6 bombs) was also manageable because the heat was from a dipping sauce. However, the mashed sweet potatoes still had some kick with some curry so Price had little relief there. There was so much extra of our entrées that he got to relive the heat again today for lunch.

The Mango Berry Crisp dessert was fantastic, but put us over the top on food consumption. Thankfully, the ice cream did help cool things down.

Both Mystery Meet and East Coast Grill did a fantastic time organizing and hosting this event. I really look forward to attending another event, which occurs the second Tuesday of the month.

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


Sticky with Champagne (at The Urban Grape)

This past Sunday night, I went to a Champagne, Port and Oyster Tasting at The Urban Grape. They hosted the event for 100 customers. I was so excited to RSVP in time for this fun event.

  • NV Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs D’Ay, Grand Cru
  • NV Guy Larmandier Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru
  • NV Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Blanc de Blancs, 1er Cru
  • NV Marc Hebrart “Cuvee de Reserve,” 1er Cru
  • NV H. Goutorbe Rose, Grand Cru
  • NV Louis Roederer “Carte Blanche” Extra-Dry
  • Warre’s “Otima” 10 Year Tawny Port
  • Warre’s 2000 Late Bottle Vintage Port

I enjoyed the tasting and hearing about each champagne from owner, TJ Douglas. Of course I loved the pricest champagne ($66)… I have expensive taste like that. But really, if you are going to have champagne get something good and that you enjoy… Korbel is not Champagne, nuff said.

There was an Oyster Bar from Neptune Oyster, located in the North End of Boston. I’m not a fan of oysters, so that just ment there were more to go around to the people who love them.

The Urban Grape is a wine store located in Chestnut Hill, MA that approached wine in a creative way, by taste. They organize their wines by flavor and body, instead of region. This helps people expand their pallets and find new wines by finding a starting point they like. I like this system much more than other stores because a Chardonnay is not just Chardonnay, there can be light ones or ones that have a bit more bite, so this helps you pick a wine that you are more likely going to enjoy. Wine can be intimidating but they make the process of getting something new easily. Love them for it.

The Urban Grape
7 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

617.232.4831

Almost legal

Last night Price and I went to The Rattlesnake‘s 20th Anniversary Party. We had a blast celebrating this occasion at one of our favorite places in Boston. Oh you wonder how did we get on the list? Well I’ll tell you… I WON THE MARGARITA CONTEST!!!!!! w00t w00t!!! I won the contest with the Cranberry Ginger Margarita recipe that I previously posted about. I was so excited to get the email saying that I won. The best part was that part of the contest prize was that a donation would be put in your name to the Dana Faber Cancer Institute. But I asked Chef Brian Poe if it could be made in my mom’s name since she survived breast cancer and he agreed.

We enjoyed the food that included some of our favorite things on the menu, like Grilled Corn Bread, Prosciutto-Wrapped Blackened Tuna, Hudson Valley Duck Tacos, and Horseradish & Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib Tacos. The beef short rib tacos are only on the menu for a short period of time so I know I will have to get them again before my luck runs out. What I really appreciate about the food there is how well it all comes together, like I would never think a lavender oil would make sense with a lobster stuffed grilled avocado but it really does.

Besides the food, they had an open bar! Since I had a coughing fit the minute we walked in, I stuck with some water at the start of the night. While we were seated and enjoying the food a waitress came up to us asking if we wanted any drinks. I was planning on going with a Raspberry Margarita, one of their “Pink” drinks that was featured. BUT THEN… she went on to tell us about “another margarita that’s really good. A Cranberry Ginger Margarita.” So she is rattling on about the margarita and how it is made with a gingered sugar rim, all while I am trying to tell her that it’s ‘mine’. When she was explaining about the contest I was able to shout over the party’s noise to let her know that I was the winner. So at that point I had to get it. It was really exciting to try it there esp since I didn’t think it was going to be there since the contest said it would be on the menu from 10/20-11/20. Surprises are always good.

Chef Brian Poe and myself, while getting photographed by Stuff Magazine and Price at about the same time

Before leaving I got to chat with Chef Brian Poe for a few minutes about the contest, margarita, and how much I love The Rattlesnake. No, I was not a complete kiss ass. We had a real conversation about how the place has really improved since he started there in 2009. For example, I have tweeted and FB msg’d Poe in the past and he has msg’d me through FB and yelp about different ‘issues’. One being that they had shitastic neon paper menus and I told him how that did not properly represent the good quality of his food (he remembered that!). We also discussed the new uniforms for the waitresses there. Yay! No more tight mini black skirts!!!! In general I loved how he actaully remembered the feedback I, and others, have given him and how he has evaluated those things  in order to improve The Rattlesnake. How can you not like a place that is constantly striving to get better?

So that is why Price and I had a great night and why we will continue to go back to the Rattlesnake.

If you are in Boston stop by there, and try the Cranberry Ginger Margarita before 11/20!!!!