I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Exploring

Monday Munchies: The Tip Tap Room- Boston, MA

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

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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Brimfield Finds

Yesterday I went to Brimfield for my 4th time. It was such a great day- the weather was fantastic and the best part was getting a great deal on the things we purchased. Finding deals and cool things is just too much fun!

Here are some pics of the treasures we left with

4 chairs- $10 each

Got these from some guy named Bob. He was a real sweet heart and was so nice about setting the chairs aside. I think we crushed him a bit when he asked what we were doing with the chairs and I said painting them and putting new upholstery on them. 

typewriter- $40

I saw this early on and told myself not to get it. I have always wanted one but really??? Well I went back before heading to the van and it was still there calling out to me so i caved and I am so glad that I did get it. I can’t wait to use this for scrapbooking! too much fun!

milk bottles- $4 each

Byrne Dairy originated from central New York so these are so cool since Pricer is from there.

 

copper pots and pans set- 13 pieces + hanging rack- $100

I don’t really believe that things that happen for a reason but this is one of those things that does make me believe that things happen for a reason. Long story short…while the seller was wrapping up the milk bottles I just remarked how beautiful the pots were hanging in the back of the tent. He simply replied ‘oh yeah they’re $100.’ I nearly fainted. I had to gather my jaw off the dusty field and pull out my checkbook fast! 

Brownie Camera- $23

Such a steal since these can go from $25-$40. Saw a few others selling just the camera for $25 but this vendor had the whole set up – box, 6 flashes, and a roll of film- and for $25. Talked him down a bit. win!!

3 coffee sacks- $5 each

These were a steal since we saw them from another vendor for $15 each. A good lesson in looking around before buying something at first glance. The guy told us that he got these from Houston as coffee is imported there. We are going to use the 1 on the left to hide an electrical panel in our finished basement & the ones on the right for our revamped chairs.

jewelry factory boxes- $5 each

Also, got these from the coffee sack guy. I am going to use these for organizing craft/scrapbooking projects.

creamery metal basket- $15

 Also from the same coffee bag guy. This is going in the basement bathroom to hold towels for when people visit. 

post cards- $13

Loved the seller. He was so fantastic and funny. His passion for post card art is incredible. He knew so much about them and it was fun to see what

old picture- $5

I loved this photo of these rabbits. It actually is a goof as it is a negative print. The rabbits are white but they came out black and everything else (cage, trees) came out white. So cool! I picked up a  frame from Ikea for this.

Silverware- $1 each

Going to use these for props for food photos.

P & T typewriter keys- $1 total

Planning on making cufflinks for Pricer with these

insulators– $2 each

Another reason to browse all around when you see something cool. Saw these for $8 in one area and got these elsewhere for $2 each. sweet!

Brimfield is going on until Sunday the 15th so you should swing by since it is just over an hour west of Boston. It is also held Sept 4th-9th this year. They also announced their 2013 dates so get to planning your visit!

Read more about my past Brimfield trips:

Brimfield Visit #3

Brimfield Visit #2

Brimfield Visit #1

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Best Pancakes Ever- Polly’s Pancake Parlor

We don’t typically have pancakes at home. I tend to burn them or ruin them in the flip. Plus I tend to enjoy waffles more. Mitch Hedberg and I would have been best brunch friends as we share similar views on pancakes and waffles.

That being said Polly’s Pancake Parlor is the only place that I LOVE for pancakes. We typically only go there when we are camping in the Whites, as a 2 1/2 hour drive just for breakfast is a little tough. So while we were in the area to see the sunrise at Mt. Washington, Price planned on us going there to have breakfast. sweet!

While they have a large menu we each go to the pancake sampler when we are there. Price went with plain blueberry, whole wheat walnut, and cornmeal coconut with a side of bacon.

 

I had cornmeal (no add-in’s), whole wheat blueberry, and plain chocolate chip with a side of sausage. nom nom nom!!!

They bring the pancakes out in 2 batches so that by the time you are nearing the finish line your pancakes are not cold!! The pancakes are so good and are such a treat but they still got the best of me and I left defeated- ha!

 

This cat found Price and had some fun running around after him as he was making a call. Clearly the cat knew Price is highly allergic and knew it would be much appreciated to rub its body all over him.

Well, obviously…

Polly’s Pancake Parlor

672 Route 117 (Sugar Hill Rd.)

Sugar Hill, NH 03586

603.823.8849

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Our Sunrise on Mt. Washington Adventure

If you’ve caught on by now, Price and I do a surprise date for each other every month. It was Price’s turn for June so he teased and tormented me with little clues about what he had planned. When he said I would need a heavy coat I started to have my suspicious about what we would be doing. I started to think it would involve the mountains, and possibly even Mt. Washington but didn’t want to guess in 1) sounding really foolish and 2) getting it correct and ruining the surprise. So I waited and waited until that weekend when he revealed that we were in fact going to Mt. Washington, highest mountain in New England at 6,288 ft. But this would be no orginary trip as we would be driving up through the night and getting there for one of the few times a year the auto-road opens up super duper early for sunrise. You read that correctly… sunrise.

So on Saturday, June 23rd we went to bed at 9pm and got up at midnight to get ready to start the drive up to Mt. Washington for the 4.56 sunrise. We were pulling out of our drive way at 12.28am, and after a quick stop at Sonic for a midnight snack (I am addicted to the limeades) we were on our way! We took turns driving up through the White Mountains while the other on the look out for moose (their eyes aren’t reflective like deer so they are much harder to spot). After a wrong turn and going the wrong way for a bit we did make our way, thanks so some friendly gas station attendants, to Mt. Washington Auto Road!

 

4.43am- entering the auto road

The types of vegetation changed as we made our way up. We also started to get more enveloped in the clouds.

  

5.09am- we stopped at this point because it was a clear area from cars. The eastern pull off areas were packed with people so we decided to just keep going up as we passed. This area was so scary at first as it was completely enveloped in clouds and so windy but waiting 30 seconds changed it all. It cleared up and we could see the clouds coming up the western side of the mountain and rushing up along the face and breaking right in front of us.

 

5.24am- We made it to the top! These stairs take you from the parking area up to the buildings summit. Man these steps were wet and it was so windy… I was holding on tight!! I really have no idea how the men built the road 150 years ago or even the new buildings on the top. The weather is super crazy up there! There is a building that is actually chained down to the ground! Did you know that the world’s fastest surface wind was recorded here at 1:21 pm on April 12, 1934? 231 mph!!!

 

Frank did it!!! Price is such an excellent driver so we had no problem taking our time to carefully get Frank up the auto road. (It was not actually this bright- it’s just the actions I used – it was cold and grey but still so fantastic to experience the summit.

 

6.12am- Coming back down and we get out of the clouds! We made 2 stops on the way down. The first one was still pretty foggy and as much as we waited it didn’t seem to clear up well for some good photos of the view. Our second stop was more on the eastern site (other was like northeastern side) so we were blocked from the wind and clouds at this point. The view was the most beautiful and unbelievable thing I have ever seen. We could see really far into the valley below while watching the clouds blast around the mountain on the northern and southern faces. Stunning.

7.03am- heading back down

All done. Once we got down to the bottom we could see the summit was clear (dang!) but we just figured we would have to come back another time to see the sunrise again and experience a clear summit.

After leaving Mt. Washington we…

had breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor

 

saw family friends and enjoyed the view of Cannon Mountain

lost our minds seeing a Reliant Robin in person!!

It was such a great adventure up to Mt Washington! It was such an incredible date day. We had so much fun and got to do something that was unique. The views are really breathtaking and unforgettable. We were exhausted the rest of the day (passed out while watching the NASCAR race) and for Monday as well but it was all worth it!!

Mt. Washington

Route 16, Pinkham Notch

Gorham, New Hampshire

(603) 466-3988

Geotag

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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The day we went zip lining: Berkshire East – Charlemont, MA

As a continuation to my post about the Bridge of Flowers and our May Surprise Date, I am sharing the rest of the afternoon adventure which took us zip lining through the trees in the Berkshires.

How did I pick that we would go zip lining for our May date? Well, in 3 short days we will be on a cruise heading up to Saint John, New Brunswick.  And… Saint John has this pretty cool thing going in that it the rapids at the mouth of the Saint John’s River at the Bay of Fundy reverse direction. You can zip line over this bay and see this phenomena occurring. Since I figured that could scare the ever living bejesus out of us me it would be great to try zip lining before we go.

I booked a tour at Berkshire East when I saw a Gilt City coupon. Regardless of the coupon their tours are affordable ranging from $30-100, I just jumped at that since we have a budget on our surprise dates. So at the end of May, in the midst of the chaos of moving, Price and I took a Sunday to spend the day out in the Berkshires.

After getting stuck at the loooongest rail road crossing, we made it to Berkshire East to begin the adventure. I signed us up for the Mountain Top Tour which has 7 zips that range from 250′ to 800′ in length. The highest platform is 45′ in the air in the canopy and at times you zip 100′ off the ground. You get to relax before and after the zips on the ski lifts that take you up/down the mountain.

 

Berkshire East has a wind turbine that generates 2.2 million kWh of electricity each year, providing 100% of the power for their facility. They even have tours of it a few times a year where you learn about the 3 year process in getting it installed and its production of sustainable energy.

 

One of our awesome guides as he was first demonstrating how to zip, the gear set up, and the lines. After he zoomed over to the first line our tour adventure began!

 

Price went off backwards. I think this was the highest platform at 45′. yikes!

 

We took a moment to wait to see some other zip liners go across the valley on Extreme Zip 1, aka X1. This is 2300′ long zip isn’t even the longest zip in the Valley Jump Tour. I imagine this would be incredibly scary (!!) and beautiful to do in the fall.

I actually took this photo mid zip line on the last zip!

gangsta

 

And back down the mountain we go.

I highly recommend zip lining with Berkshire East and this tour to everyone. It was such a blast. We loved it. It was thrilling and the views were the icing on the cake. The guides were very skilled and took safety and fun very seriously. We are already discussing our next zip to see the fall foliage!

Berkshire East

66 Thunder Mtn. Road

Charlemont, MA 01339

413.339.6617

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GIRAFFES!!!!!! {cheyenne mountain zoo}

Giraffes!!!

When I went to visit Amanda back in early May one of the only things we planned was to visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. (We did not plan Sunday night’s ER visit for a certain 2yr old who fell & but through the tip of his tongue.) I truly have a love hate relationship with zoos… I love that I get to see the amazing animals! I hate that I can’t take them home with me! So when she previously told me about the giraffes and how you can feed them I knew that I would love it. Err, I mean, I knew the kids would obviously want to go again and I would helplessly follow them around…

So armed with bubble teas, Amanda and I took the kiddos to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Saturday morning. Even for early morning in May I was shocked at how hot it was. I was really thankful we stopped for the bubble teas. Also, thankful the top was on securely when Benjamin accidentally knocked it out of the wagon. Anyway… We parked, paid the admission ($17.25 for an adult), and were on our way to having a great time.

For just $2 you get veggies to hand-feed the giraffes! This is the largest herd at any zoo with 20 giraffes, so this is the big attraction. They were eager, and yet very polite, to get fed.  They used their tongues to grab the food from our hands. Did you know that their tongues are 18-21″ long with the last 6″ of it purplish-black. Crazy! If you can’t make it to see the giraffes in person you can atleast check them out on the Giraffe Cam!!!

These are such beautiful knobby animals!

After the giraffe feeding we continued on getting to see monkeys, boa constrictor, lizards, moose, !

There was a farm area that had goats, chickens and bunnies. These 2 were an adorable pair. The small grey one was so trying to be so cuddying with the big white one (I’m assuming femal because of that massive dewlap) by wiggling under her.

We also visited the reptile house were I got to touch a boa constrictor, check out some small lizards, and several turtles.

The tiger was hard to spot at first. (Thank you zoom!)

They boys had a great time. L1 even got to ride on a little choo-choo train, B opted out. And I needed some baby fix so held L2 for most of the zoo trip resulting in jello arms but it was all worth it with him conked out in my arms under his sun hat. Of course after the zoo trip we asked the boys their favorite part & they announced seeing the hippos…. we did not see hippos that day.

There was a bear enclosure with a very sleepy bear lounging around. The fish were more entertaining to the kids.

The zoo was under construction but was still very accessible and very clean. The areas under construction were fairly limited so it did not feel like we were missing too much. We missed out on the African Elephants but at least they are getting a new home, and that is all that matters.  I was really impressed by this zoo. (Much better than when I visited Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.) If you are in Colorado Springs then I suggest that you visit the zoo and see their 550 animals representing 119 species.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

719.633.9925

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A beautiful day: Bridge of Flowers- Shelburne Falls, Ma

As part of my June surprise date we went to see the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA. (After that we went zip-lining but more on that later!) If you have not heard of the Bridge of Flowers it is an old 400′ trolley bridge that has been filled with beautiful plantings that are a favorite to everyone who sees it. Quickly after it was taken out of service in 1927 it began to be overrun with weeds. In 1929 the bridge began it’s full transformation the eyesore to become a ‘thing of beauty’, as it was envisioned by resident Antoinette Burnham. Since then the bridge has been voluntarily taken care of by the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club. The bridge, and it’s 500+ varieties of flowers, is such a great spot to visit in New England.

of course my favorites…

I highly suggest visiting the Bridge of Flowers (April 1st – October 30th). Wander around aimlessly while taking tons of beautiful pictures. Then grab some lunch at McCusker’s Market (on the western side of the bridge) and enjoy it siting along the Deerfield River.

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Whale Watching in Massachusetts Bay (April Date)

As we are now in June, I figure I better catch up with things on my to-do list and post about the fantastic April date that Price planned for us. (Quick recap: we alternate months and plan surprise dates for us to go on.) In the midst of packing for a move and buying a house we took some time for some fun together and off went went on April 15th for our special date day.

Depending on the activity we either tell each other the night before or the morning of our adventurous date. Well, Pricer waited until the last minute and told me the morning off that we were going on a whale watch!!!! He had originally planned on us going up to Gloucester and embarking from there but when he called to confirm they said the whale watches were canceled because of the weather causing rough seas. Well, crap!!! He kept calling to see what other options we had for the day and magically we were good to go for whale watches out of Plymouth, some 45 miles or so (crow flies) South from Gloucester. yay!!!

We took our tour with Capt. John’s, who provided a great whale watching experience. The ride out to the whale watching area seemed endless but it only dragged on because of the  anticipation. Once we go to the area where whales feed we saw a real show from the Humpback, Minke, and Finback whales  and the Atlantic white sided dolphins  we saw. I learned so much about whales that day from the staff on the boat. The guides were able to identify the whales that we saw becuase of the markings on their tails, flukes.

The day was so great!! I only wish that I had remmebered to put the charged camera battery IN the camera before leaving the house. (I might have cried in the parking lot when I realized my mistake… might have…)

I suggest that when you go on a whale watching tour you:

  1. bring a fully charged camera
  2. attach a tether to your camera- you don’t want that going overboard!
  3. dress warmly- the wind will chill you
  4. bring a book or a game (cards) for the rides to and from the whale watching area
  5. wear sensible shoes- it will make hopping from side to side to see the whales easier
  6. be prepared to have a lot of fun!!!

Also check out Price’s recap of our day for some great pictures and videos as well.

Quack Quack Quack- Boston Duck Boat Tour

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

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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