Boston

Blizzard 2013: Nemo

February 10, 2013

snow snow snow and some more snow. That is what the blizzard named Nemo dumped on the northeast this Friday and Saturday. It was the 5th largest snow storm in Boston’s recorded history dumping 24.9 inches of snow at Logan Airport.

What does that snow look like?

Before:

Pricer took these pictures at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon

After:

Pictures taken on Saturday starting at 11.15am

Our front door on the left, our kitchen door to back steps on the right. Since we couldn’t get out the front door and didn’t want to dump snow on the hardwood floors we went out the basement.

Which still had a lot of snow in front of it.

Looking up and then down our street.

Kemper was not too thrilled by the snow since he coudn’t get to the yard where he has been going to the bathroom. (Sure to take a back step in house-training him. Oh well, just gotta deal with it)

Sunday:

We spent some time shoveling more snow to the car could get out of the driveway now. We did have Kemper out with us for a bit and I got home pictures of him running on our front walkway. SQUEE!!!

Can’t wait for it to thaw!!!

Stuffed on Steak: Fogo De Chao- Boston, MA

December 14, 2012

Are you looking for a new restaurant to try this weekend? Do you deserve a really great night out? Do you love steak?

If you think that you fulfill any of those things then you need to check out Fogo De Chao, a churrascaria, in Copley Square as soon as you can!!

Last month I attended the grand opening of Fogo de Chao, the new Brazilian Steakhouse located at the Westin Hotel that has your mouth-watering once you walk in the door. The smell of freshly seared steak, chicken, sausage, and lamb was the perfect perfume hanging in the air.

The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail. I had the pleasure of enjoying the combination of cachaça (a sugar cane rum), sugar, and lime that make up this cocktail. The cocktail goes down easily as it is so sweet so you better watch out that you don’t have too many.

As soon as we walked in Price and I remarked how amazing the space is. We have been to other Brazilian Barbecue restaurants before but this was the first one that was really stunning. I was quiet enamored with the lights.

Centrally located, the salad bar is packed full of fresh greens, smoked meats, a variety of cheeses, and much, much more. I wish I took more photos of the 30 plus options available but I didn’t want to hold up the line as everyone was dying to dig right in. But I could not miss taking a picture of a bowl full of bacon!

In addition to the salad bar there is an adjacent hot food bar that served things like rice and beans that would pare perfectly with your meal.

I tried to only select a few things from the salad bar that I would really enjoy so I would not fill up but the options seemed endless. I really enjoyed everything I picked from the fresh mozzarella, steamed asparagus, hot peppers, and prosciutto. My favorite things were the sun-dried tomatoes since they were so flavorful and soft. I had the best intentions of going back to the hot bar to sample the rice and beans there but I ended up getting too full to go back.

As small as they were the pão de queijos were one of my favorite things about the meal. Small puffs of cheesy bread were served to accompany the meal. They were light and airy, with a crunchy exterior, and, of course, packed with cheese. I might have been tempted to throw a few in my purse, but I didn’t. I swear!

The only thing that I didn’t think was stunning were the plate of fried bananas, fried polenta, and mashed potatoes that the servers, which are known as Passadores in Brazil and called meat gauchos at Fogo De Chao, brought to the table. The bananas were delicious but the polenta and mashed potatoes were a little too plain for my preference. Also since we were so distracted by all of the meat available we ignored these for a bit and they all got cold. I just didn’t feel these were necessary to enjoy the meal.

Once we were seated after our trip to the salad bar we were ready for the gauchos to come around and start delivering a variety of different meats to us. The service was top notch and very knowledgeable on all of the different cuts of suculant meats you could enjoy. Fogo De Chao offers different cuts of beef, chicken, and lamb. The signature meat is the Picanha, which is a top sirloin cut of meat that is very popular in the churrascarias of Southern Brazil. This was available in a traditional light seasoning or a garlicky seasoning.

True love. The gauchos would ask you how you would prefer the meat to done and based upon where the meat was located along the skewer you would have a different degree of done-ness. I prefer rare to medium rare so they would rotate the skewer until they had the right piece in front of them to slice off and I would grab it with my little tong to enjoy.

This plate is true love to me.

My favorite cuts were the garlicky Picanha, Filet Mignon, Fraldinha, and Linguica. The Filet was an easy favorite as it was so tender it just about melted in your mouth. I prefered the Fraldinha, the bottom cut of the sirloin, over the Beef Ancho, the rib eye, only because I tend to like less marbled pieces of meat. I loved the Linguica as it was so flavorful and the exterior was very crisp from the rotisserie, which helped seal in the juices.

The only thing I did not get to try that I was looking forward to was the chicken but I think everything else more than makes up for that.

The biggest thing to remember is to pace yourself so use the GO and STOP cards they give you. Flip them over to tell the servers if they should come by the table or not. While it is completely acceptable to stuff yourself silly on all the different delicious meats you should try to save room for dessert. We had to keep reminding ourselves that.

We decided on getting the signature dessert which is the Fogo de Chão Signature Papaya Cream. This is a dish that is made with ripe papayas and ice cream. They use fresh, ripe papayas to blend with ice cream to create a very rich fruity dessert. This was a really good treat as it was so rich.

Of course we had to have some Creme de Cassis on top!

South American Flan was the real winner to us. Our server told us they make it daily on site and it is one of the top desserts. We thought the texture was light, creamy and very delicate. I could not get over the amount of vanilla specks that were visible in the caramel part of the custard. I would go back just for this.

Fogo De Chao is a special place to go to when you want to really enjoy a unique steakhouse meal. Dinner is $46.50 (Salad Bar Only – $22.50) so this is not a place to go for a casual dinner. A dinner out will cost you at least $60 a person and you will be so stuffed on very rich food you might want this to be for a nice occassion. Be sure to eat light before hand so you can really enjoy everything that is twirled around your table. And be sure to save room for dessert!

Fogo De Chao – Boston

200 Dartmouth St.

Boston, MA 02116

617.585.6300

*While I did recieive a complimentary brunch from Fogo De Chao these opinions are entirely my own.

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Two if by Sea- Boston’s Waterfront

November 16, 2012

This past Tuesday night, I went on a boat tour around Boston’s Fort Point Channel & Boston Harbor. I volunteer with a group called ACE Mentor Program so I take pictures of the students in action on field trips and in the class room developing projects in the skill set of Architecture, Construction, and Engineering. We went out for an hour-long boat ride so the students could learn about the architecture designs and the structural and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) requirements for buildings and bridges around Fort Point & South Boston’s waterfront district.

It was raining but I snuck outside a few times to get some pictures of the Harbor as the sun was setting.

We took the tour on the Charles 1 from the Charles River Boat Company. They were so super generous donating their time and vessel for the group of students. How cool! They offer Charles River cruises, architectural tours, and sunset cruises on the Charles River, Boston Harbor, and Fort Point Area. As I may be bias, (I am) I think the BSA guided architectural trour sounds pretty awesome. Their tour season has closed now but I suggest checking them out in 2013, I know I will!

Monday Munchies: The Tip Tap Room- Boston, MA

July 23, 2012

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

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When I heard that Chef Brain Poe was opening a restaurant near my office I was so enthusiastic. I have loved Poe’s cuisine ever since I tried the revamped Rattlesnake menu when he took over as chef there a few years ago. Since then we have celebrated many birthdays and happy events around his food so knowing I could have it much more often was so exciting.

The concept behind The Tip Tap Room is to serve great ‘tips’ while enjoying a refreshing ‘tap’. Steak tips seem to be served in just about every pub in the Boston area, which is what inspired Chef Poe to open a restaurant that focused on innovative tips like steak, swordfish, and various game meats. And to wash it all down there are plenty of taps on hand.

Price and I went on opening day to enjoy lunch there (to celebrate the opening and his arrival back from a long weekend away in Vegas) and we have been back recently for dinner as well. Here are some of the things we’ve had at The Tip Tap Room…

Rock Shrimp- Kataifi & nori fried shrimp, cucumber salad, chile ginger sauce $11.75

This alone is the reason why I would go back again and again. The shredded phylo dough that coats the shrimp stays so crunchy, even as it is in the chile ginger sauce.

Rock Shrimp Salad – Katafi & nori fried shrimp, cucumber salad, chile ginger sauce

As I told Chef Poe during my first visit I think that the Rock Shrimp Appetizer would make a great salad, which is exactly why I had it for dinner. The chile ginger sauce made for a great dressing on the salad. I would have preferred for the cucumber in the appetizer to have been in the salad but it was still a great meal.

Steak Tips- House marinade, horseradish mashed potatoes, cherry pepper & watercress slaw, bordelaise $13.75

The thing I could do without for this dish is the watercress. I don’t like it so it just was pushed aside. Everything else about this is a perfect 10.

Steak Tip Burger – Lettuce, tomato, veal demi, A1 aioli, Russian dressing, brioche bun, served with fries $10.95

Price really enjoyed the Steak Tip Burger for dinner. Instead of having fries with his burger he had a side of creamed corn mashed potatoes. (Our friend has goat cheese mashed potatoes which I snagged a bite of and thought was luscious and addicting.) Price asked for Medium but the burger was way underdone, but was still okay for him since I serve them ‘moo-ing’ at home. We did tell Chef Poe this later on to keep him informed on what is going on in his kitchen when he is not there.

Peach Tip Cobbler –Peaches, cobbler, peach and strawberry ice cream $6.95

shhh don’t tell… I don’t like cobblers like this. I much prefer cobblers with biscuits on top. But Price and I easily shared this since the fresh fruit and ice cream made this a perfect summer time dessert.

I suggest swinging by The Tip Tap Room for a great meal and a refreshing beer. When you go it is must that you sit by the opened garage door style windows to enjoy people watching on the warm summer breeze.

The Tip Tap Room

138 Cambridge Street

Boston, MA 02134

(857) 263-7614

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A beach stroll & the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpture Festival – Revere, MA

July 16, 2012

Several years ago I went to see the Sand Sculpture Contest entries on Revere Beach with Emily after we went to Brimfield. At that time we went on a Friday and saw the artists working on their sculptures. It is really an amazing thing they do so watching while they meticulously worked was a lot of fun.

I realized that the 9th annual Revere Beach National Sand Sculpture Festival was this weekend so Price and I went over to see the completed pieces last night. We lucked out and got a spot quickly and ran over to see the pieces before the sun set. It started rain and my back was starting to hurt so we went through pretty quickly. (I missed photographing 2 sculptures :-/)

“Your Time to Fly” by Dan Belcher from St. Louis Missouri

“Heads, I Win” by Justin Gordon from Groveland, Massachusetts

First Place – “Bee or not to Be” by Jonathan “Jobi” Bouchard of Montreal, Canada

Second Place & Sculptor’s Choice – “Everyone has a Dark Side” by Sue McGrew of Tacoma, Washington

Third Place – “Illusion” by Dan Doubleday of Treasure Island, Florida

People’s Choice – “Just Skin and Bones” by Stephane “Just Bob” Robert of Montreal, Canada

“Nautical Goddess” (I think) by Steve Topazio of Tiverton, Rhode Island

“The Earth Cries” by Benjamin Probanza from Acapulco, Mexico

It was such a fun visit to the beach. The sculptures were stunning, it was fun to walk around with Price with sand around our toes, and, of course, I was in love with the plans overhead as they were coming into nearby Logan Airport.

If you have time to quickly visit then I suggest going as the town leaves the sculptures up until the elements break them down and leave them unrecognizable. If you miss them this year then I hope that you visit Revere Beach to check out the beautiful temporary works of art.

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Geotag

June 29, 2012

I took this photo last Friday. I think it is my favorite photo I have recently taken on my iphone. It makes me love living in/close to a city. Boston does not compare to ‘The City’ (New York) to me but that is okay. As much as I have been here for almost 9 years I am constantly learning to live with what it’s got. It has a lot of history, charm, rough edges*, and beautiful things to experience all over. I think that buying a house in Chelsea has opened up my eyes to the things I see around me, esp in Boston. We’re stuck with each other for a while now we we better figure out how to work together harmoniously. So I’ve been trying to do more in Boston, and New England in general, like new restaurants to try, history to learn about, adventures to take, and places to discover. So far, so good!

That being said, I’ve fled Beantown with Pricer & we are currently on a short cruise up to Canaidia. It’s nice to get away for the weekend. Right now we should be be relaxing with a drink by the pool as this scheduled post is published. Maybe watching demonstrations on how to carve ice sculptures. I’ll be missing the buns ears perk up when they see me come in to feed them, but at least they are relaxing in their AC’d room & getting good care from my coworker. I’ll be hoping that my extensive watering of the plants was enough for the 90+ heat passing through this weekend. But mostly I’ll be trying to tune off my mind and relax!

Hope you have a great weekend!

*one thing that will never change is my deep down twitching reaction to the ‘Boston’ accent. I can promise you that!

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Quack Quack Quack- Boston Duck Boat Tour

May 31, 2012

What feels like a million years ago, I went on a Duck Boat Tour with my mom when she came up to visit at the end of March. In fact, on that day we accepted the seller’s counter offer on the place that we just moved into. Crazy to think of how things are so different 2 months later. Anyway…

Going on a Duck Boat ride is one of the big things to do when in Boston. Well, after 8 years in Beantown I finally got my chance to do it. We had brunch at Max Brenners and then headed over to the Pru to take the tour from there. (The other options are to depart from the Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium). The tour is 80 minutes long and zigs and zags it’s way through Boston, Cambridge, and Charlestown passing by close to 40 sights. And the coolest part is that it takes place on land and in the water as it uses DUKW’s from WWII.

Hey Mom! (email telling me to take this photo down in 3, 2, 1…)

Our tour guide M.C. History

We started off going down Boylston Street. Passed by Old South Church (my graduation ceremonies were held there.)

Old home to the New England Museum of Natural History (1863-1940’s)

Their version of Kilroy Was Here!

Boston Common on the right!

We passed by the State House, the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, and the Mary Dryer statue… whoa! I pass by her statue all the time and had no idea she was a martyr- hung because she was a Quaker, which was banned in the colony then.

A reflection of the old West End… doors and windows cast into the underside of the ramp from Storrow Drive to 1 North. You can see this if you take a drive on Red Auerbach Way.

splash!!!! Into the Charles River!

M.C. history let people take turns driving while we were on the water.

Longfellow bridge aka Salt and Pepper Bridge

Community sailing on the the Charles with the Citgo sign in the background.

See that tall rust building… I work there!

A 4-ton chunk of the Berlin Wall outside the North American Headquarters for EF, a travel, international language education, and cultural exchange company.

As we would our way thruough Charlestown, we passed by the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution, aka Old Ironsides, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. I previously went on a tour of her- a cool must see.

Boston City Hall (background) is argued to be a major eyesore in Boston, even being included in the “The World’s Top 10 Ugliest Buildings and Monuments” list. (I don’t have an issue with the building so much as the plaza and adjacent T station) The steaming kettle is a leftover advertising tool for the Oriental Tea Company.

Zooming by the Mack Way for Ducklings statues in the Public Garden before was passed by Cheers, and hooked over to Newbury Street (NO Quack Zone), before our tour ended.

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I really enjoyed the Duck Boat Tour. Even through I’ve been in Boston for years and year I learned a lot about the great history of the city. It was really informative and a lot of fun. I would suggest this for people visiting the city. Shoot! I would even take it again!

The only thing that I found really annoying was that they don’t sell tickets to take the tour at the shed where they depart. I had to run like a maniac to the the kiosk in the mall (.4 mile round trip sprint) to get tickets for us, just to run back take the tour. Dumb!

Top Chef Tour- Boston

May 22, 2012

While the weather was absolute crap today I did venture out for lunch. Normally, I would just stay inside and eat (gross-ish) basement cafe food but there are times that getting your feet soaked (because you wore sandals- let’s blame it on not being able to find anything in the move & not because you are moronic & stubborn, shall we) and have a fun lunch hour.

Well I spent my lunch hour at the Top Chef Tour!! My scrapbooking buddy Emily invited me and I jumped at the chance to do something fun. It should be noted that I have never ever seen a second of Top Chef prior to my trip to visit Amanda. So I don’t know the history, drama, or winners of the seasons but it was so much fun regardless of my cluelessness. <- let’s pretend that is a word

The chefs having involved in the tour at this stop were Tiffani Faison and Hosea Rosenberg. I knew of Tiffani (Seasons 1 & 8) because she was the hometown competitor. Also she opened a restaurant late last year called Sweet Cheeks Q by Fenway park and I have heard a lot of great things about it. While Hosea was the winner of Season 5, he was a new face too me.

NOM NOM NOM!!!

The chefs each had to create a dish using clams. They had 10 ingredients to choose from (I wish I remembered them- sorry!) to use as well as having a wild card ingredient to select. They were limited to 12 minutes as well! Umm I can’t even boil water in that time!!

Tiffani prepared her clam with peas, asparagus, and leaks with a clam broth. The clam was topped with a foam that she created with soy lecithin, which was her wildcard ingredient. Her dish was very clean, flavorful, and let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Hosea used a ‘fancy’ white bread as his wild card ingredient, which he used as a base for a polenta crusted fried clam. There was a sauce and slaw on top of the clam. It reminded me a dressed up clam roll.

My favorite was Hosea’s dish because of the texture, flavors, and it I am a sucker for a great sauce.

After they cooked they answered audience questions about the show including judging, competitions, and canoodling with other competitors. They shared stories and it was a lot of fun. It was really refreshing that they were to laid back and really honest about their experiences.

Prior to the start of the cooking competition, Chef Jasper White of Summer Shack fame and two selected audience members to judge the food the competitors would make. They sat between the 2 cooking stations. They tried the food that they chefs prepared right there while the rest of the audience was provided with food that was made behind the scenes. They selected a winner… Hosea!

The tour is still in Boston tomorrow so be sure to swing by Fanieul Hall to see if you can get a walk-in spot! Have fun!!

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It was hot standing in the shade!! {Boston Marathon 2012}

April 17, 2012

I don’t get Patriots’ Day off at work, but I occasionally take the day off to see the runners instead of just crowding around the TV to see the top finishers and to watch a bit during lunch. I took yesterday off because some awesome Boston food bloggers, such as Amanda and Meghan, were running and I was hoping to cheer them on. Or at least the rest of the thousands of runners.

When the weather reports were shifting the temperatures from the 60’s to the 80’s I was ecstatic. I love hot weather and I was getting a special treat on my day off! Ah, a real shorts and tank top day!! While I might have been so excited about it, the thousands of runners making their way on the 26.2 mile course were not. This was going to be safety issue for a lot of people because their bodies have not trained for this sort of heat before. It resulted in some people deferring to race next year.

I’m really glad that I was able to cheer on the runners as it is always so much fun. Sure the city is a zoo and it is horrible to get around but it’s still a lot of fun to experience something that is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication for a lot of people. Like Ashley of Hither and Thither in her post about the NYC maration I get a little “verklempt” watching the runners. There is something so special about the day watching these runners accomplish something so great. They are tired, hot, weary, but they push on and you can see it in their eyes how happy, exhausted, and proud they are when they continue on to pass the finish line.

Alright, here is a little recap of my day…

Got off at Arlington T stop and walked up the Pru side. I had to get as far over at Huntington to continue my making my way up. When I was in the Copely area the women’s top finishers were starting to cross.

I continue up and crossed through the Prudential Mall and exited on Boylston St. This area was pack of people and tents giving out food and drinks = mad house (Why must you grab 6 10-pack boxes of energy drink mix? WHY?)

I ended up stationing myself right against the fence right in front of Hynes Convention Center- intersection of Gloucester and Boylston Streets. This put me right about at the 26 mile mark.

When these 3 soldiers were approaching in full gear the crowds cheering picked up and it was deafening. These were the first of many soldiers to be in full gear. I can’t imagine that because was so hot (hot even in the shade) and so heavy.

The Syracuse ROTC also made an appearance marching along.

This guy was in support of USA as well, but in his own unique way.

This moment was so sweet. This guy was running by and his cheering family caught his attention so he ran over and was hugging his son and talking to him about doing it. Just a few seconds but totally unforgettable.

I’m impressed he didn’t loose his Minnie Mouse ears.

Patriotism on Patriots Day.

High-five!

The women around me were tracking and cheering on their husbands. When they were approaching I just starting snapping pics. Good job #6634 and #1859!!!!!

Shortly after the husbands of the wives standing next to me ran by, I decided to move on to another area to get another vantage point. I walked up to Mass Ave, turned down on Newbury and then found a spot on the West side of Hereford Street. (The big concrete building on the right edge of the photo was my college) I ended up being next to a group of guys who were so loud cheering everyone on. They would read the names written on their arms, text on their shirt, or just start screaming “GO BLUE SHIRT GUY!!!! ALMOST THERE!!!!!!” It was awesome. I don’t think they’ll have voices today.

This guy was running barefoot! Crazy!

Amanda… this one’s for you!

This little guy stole the show at this point because he was running along side his mom(?) and was going crazy getting the crowd to cheer.

At around 3.15 I left to head into work for a brief 4pm meeting. The T was crazy. The MBTA did a good job (at least from what I saw) of handling the influx of passengers. There was a lot of traffic underground because of all the trains so my ride took so long but it was still very orderly and all the instructions were very clear.

Although I didn’t get to meet up with my friends as planned because of the crowds, road closures, and timing it was a perfect day.

Maximo’s with Boston Brunchers

March 21, 2012

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

March 7, 2012

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

February 24, 2012

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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