Honestly, I Maine-ly Go For The Food

Bronwyn - Somerville, MA

http://bronwynrestaurant.com/

Beer 'n Bretzel

     Before heading to Maine, we had one other food stop to make. Bronwyn in Union Square up in Somerville. I'm a sucker for German food, my Mom is German, David is German, and it's October (>>> Oktoberfest activities).      

     We headed up to Bronwyn a little later than planned and ended up waiting quite some time for a table, but it was ok because that made time to relax and take in all the Oktoberfest festivities they had going on. I'm not sure if this is commonplace or not, but all the waitstaff were running around in lederhosen and other traditional German garb. For their Oktoberfest event they also had a live band playing in the main dining area. They were awesome and really helped set the mood. The bar area was rather dimly lit, but seemed very authentic and typical of a German bar. 

       

     While we waited we ordered one of their Bronwyn Bretzel with spicy mustard and a large glass mug of beer. How could you not? I could eat pretzels until I explode. I could eat Bronwyn Bretzels until I explode. It was delicious. Kind of a crispy outside and a hot and soft inside. Moderate course grained salt. So so tasty!

   

Haxe - Braised pork shank, riesling sauerkraut,
roasted apples and potatoes.

     They finally sat us at our table, which was just a section of a much longer table (kind of like community style seating). Each of the chairs were an older style and unique. They reminded me of King's and Queen's chairs. By the time we had sat down, David and I had already decided to split the Haxe, which was a beer braised pork shank, riesling sauerkraut, roasted apples & potatoes. Beautiful presentation and a beautiful taste. The pork shank came to the table piping hot and was presented in a way that kind of looked like a teepee and kept all of the other ingredients in the dish warm. The sauerkraut, apples and purple potatoes were all full of the pork flavor as if the pork shank was cooked on top, as to let the juices flow out and cook into the fruit and veggies. I absolutely loved the addition of the sweet, roasted apples to the salty, savory pork (similar to the ham - pineapple combo). 

German Chocolate Cake

    

     They had one dessert on the menu, and lord have mercy was that ok. It was their version of a German Chocolate Cake, but it was in no way like any german chocolate cake I've ever had. I asked the waitress and guessed that it was made with oats instead of flour and was right. It wasn't a layered cake, and it didn't come with the gooey, mysterious caramel/nutty layer that turns me off sometimes. This was just like a regular slice of cake, but still had that rich caramel and walnut/pecan flavor throughout the oaty texture. It was all sitting in a light pool of sweet icing. By far the best and most appealing german chocolate cake that has ever graced my tongue. I hope it's not only an Oktoberfest special :/

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Boothbay Lobster Wharf - Boothbay Harbor, ME

http://www.boothbaylobsterwharf.com/

     When my mom comes to Boston, I think half the reason she visits is for the lobster, and I don't blame her one bit for that. Jay is apparently the same way. They both had wanted lobster all week, but I didn't take them any place with lobster because I knew it would be fresher and cheaper in Maine. 

     Saturday evening we scurried up the coast to Boothbay Harbor to get our first lobster meal of their trip. We made it just in time. Just in time to experience a Maine country show... and lobster. Lobsters and I... we are friends (minus the fact that they're dead). I dissect every ounce of that creature, and 9 times out of 10, I'll tear apart other people's lobsters when they run out of stamina. It's a challenge and I like a challenge... and lobster meat. 

     I'm not sure how to describe a steamed lobster. You've got to try it for yourself. You can always tell when they're fresh. They've got a more rich flavor. And the restaurant is doing it right if they're serving it with real butter. Boothbay Lobster Wharf had the experience and the unique waterfront cooking station to boot. It was a beautiful nighttime landscape. 

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Eventide Specialties - Boothbay Harbor, ME

http://www.eventidespecialties.com/

Pastries and sunshine :]

     Sometimes I'm impressed by my own sniffer. We were walking down the street around all the little shops in Boothbay Harbor when I got a whif of what I thought was apple pie, but I saw no bakeries around. I was perplexed. Perplexed until we walked in a little specialties store called Eventide Specialties. This little shop featured a bakery bustling with a bunch of cute older women who do nothing but bake and take in a gorgeous view of the harbor all day. What a dream. Low and behold, they were just pulling out baked apples in a cinnamon sugar dusted puff pastry. This was a need. The scone was a need too. My mom bought me one of each and we walked to the water to enjoy them in the sun. The puff pastry was golden brown and sprinkled with sugar to compliment the perfectly baked and tender apple inside. I'm not quite sure how they were able to bake the apple long enough to let it soften without burning the puff pastry. Maybe some pre-baking was necessary. The apple itself was also stuffed with butter and walnuts. Does it get any better? The scone was pretty good too. Moist and full of fruits.

Baked apple inside of puff pastry. 

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Shannon's Unshelled - Boothbay Harbor, ME

Look how pretty

     Another day, another lobster. We worked up a little of an appetite as we walked around the town, and there was honestly no way we were leaving Maine without a lobster roll. We walked by a little one room shop called Shannon's Unshelled that sold one thing. Lobster Rolls. It was their last open day of the season, so we thought it was meant to be. This lobster roll was different than any other roll I've ever had in that instead of tossing the lobster meat in a type of creamy sauce or mayo, it was just tossed in melted butter. I reeeeeeeeeally liked it. It helped isolate just the lobster flavor. I would've liked to have some lettuce on there, because the last lobster roll I had from The Pier Patio Pub. But this roll was still fabulous. I believe the conversation went something like this:

"I wish it wasn't over." - Me

"What?" - Jay

"My lobster roll." - Me

"Haha it is an event!" - Jay

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Gilbert's Chowder House - Portland, ME

http://www.gilbertschowderhouse.com/

Garlic and Onion Steamed Mussels

     One seafood item they hadn't had yet was chowder, so on our drive back to Boston we stopped in at Gilbert's Chowder House right on the water for chowder... or so I thought. As soon as we sat down though, they became subject to the spell of lobster and next thing I know I'm elbow deep in all their lobster parts. I wasn't upset. I, myself, got their mussels which looked and smelled great. They must've cooked these mussels in loads of garlic because there was minced garlic everywhere. Again... not displeased. They were steamed with some onions as well which I've never seen before, and were served with an awesome lemony, garlic butter. It was simple, but delicious nonetheless. When I think of the best mussels I've had during my time out here on the east coast, I'm still taken back to The Fat Cat in Quincy. Mussel heaven. 

Found: Boston's Best Nachos

@Union - Allston, MA
http://www.unionallston.com/

Carbohyrates please...

     I love being able to say yes to spur of the moment brunch outings. Even when it comes to a $4 glass of fresh squeezed OJ. Seriously... fresh squeezed is the way to go. The other stuff shouldn't even be called orange juice. Anyway, I met Kevin for brunch at @Union one Saturday because I hadn't seen him yet since he moved to Boston. I've heard this place was good and it seemed decently priced and close to home. Right in the heart of hipster Allston, this place boasted big open windows, a bunch of tables, and a bright and colorful atmosphere. Their menu was pretty extensive too and they had a decent selection of specials. I ordered the orange blossom french toast, which was very simple and actually rather light. It didn't have much of an orange flavor other than from the orange wedges I squeezed onto it. However, the mix of the orange and a little syrup was delicious.
     I also ordered their homefries because yelpers said they were awesome. They were right. Nice big hunks of potatoes that were grilled, not fried, with some veggies. All great things.

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Joe's American Grill - Braintree, MA
http://www.joesamerican.com/
   

Spinach and artichoke dip

     Joe's exists many places throughout the city, but I had never been. After some siiiiick F1 racing for David's sister's birthday, we headed over to Joe's for dinner. It kind of had a similar fancy but casual feel to places like Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs. We sat outside on their beautiful patio as the sun mutated my ghostly skin. As an appetizer we ordered their spinach and artichoke dip which was amazing x 1000. Super creamy and salty (in a good way) and cheesy. They served it with tortilla chips and these crisp parmesan cheese chips. So good. I could've eaten just that for dinner. We also got their chips, guac and salsa, but it was pretty standard. The salsa was strange though.

Turkey burger

     For the meal I ordered a turkey burger. Big, fat juicy guy with fresh greens, tomato and onion on a buttery toasted bun. It was super satisfying, as was the salad that came with. The dressing on the salad was stellar too. It was a sort of lemon vinaigrette but was a little sweet.  I wanted some in a to-go bottle.

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Wolfe's Tavern - Wolfeboro, NH
http://www.wolfestavern.com/


 
  I'm going to write about this little place a) because I'll probably never be in this area again, and b)
because this french onion soup was delicious. It was super loaded with cheese that poured off the sides and melted to the edges of the pot. Crispy cheese always wins in my book. That is all.

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Pavlova - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

My pretty pavlova :]

     Frances told me a long time ago that Pavlova was her favorite dessert. So naturally, I wrote it down, lost it, and had to ask Melanie what the name was again when her birthday finally came around. This was my first attempt at a type of meringue and it was incredibly difficult. First of all, I didn't have white wine vinegar, and the only white vinegar that Trader Joe's had what white balsamic, I figured it would do, until I added it to the egg/sugar mixture and the whole thing smelled and tasted strangely like mushrooms. I thought I had ruined the whole thing, but put it in the oven anyway, hoping that the vinegar taste would cook out. 

     The kicker I think was that you're supposed to let it cool over night in the oven WITH the oven door cracked. I didn't know that the oven door was supposed to be cracked, and therefore when I got to my pavlova in the morning it was sticky. I attempted to bake it a little longer, but as you know that baking is all chemistry, that didn't really help me achieve the ideal texture... but I decided it would do. Honestly, it seemed to work out quite well. The sweet, melt-in-your mouth flavor of a meringue was there, and you really couldn't go wrong with the homemade whipped cream and fruit on top. It was a big hit, and Frances loved it. That was all I wanted :]

Pavlova

4 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar (I put mine in a food processor for a few minutes)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whipped
Mixed fruits, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, bananas or whatever your heart desires.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a tall bowl, beat egg whites and salt together until glossy peaks form. With mixer running, add sugar in three additions, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. Sprinkle in cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla. Fold to combine.

3. Mound the meringue in the center of a cookie sheet liked with parchment paper. Using a spatula, evenly spread meringue out towards the edges, forming a circle. Transfer baking sheet to oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Turn off oven and let meringue cool completely in oven with the door cracked. When meringue is cool and completely dry (overnight is preferable), top with whipped cream and desired fruits.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

     Hayley mentioned the idea of a roasted butternut squash pasta sauce a long time ago, so when Meagan had extra leftover squash, I offered to make some sauce with it. I found this recipe on a blog called Teeny Tiny Foodie. I was really excited because roasted squash is great, and I could only imagine what would happen when you add in a bunch of herbs and some creamy ricotta cheese. It was just as good as I had expected, and then some! The only thing I would've done differently is I would've added a little bit more of the noodle water to thin it out a bit. It was pretty starchy the first time around. In my second serving though, I added some water to thing it out and it become a little easier to eat. While it may seem a little complicated, this was a great way to use up some butternut squash when you get a big one. Super tasty too. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

½ roasted squash bulb, peeled and cubed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 small onion, diced
1½ cups arugula
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
¾ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 lb pasta of choice
½ cup reserved cooking liquid from the pasta
Olive oil, shaved parmesan or romano cheese and red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Over medium heat, sauté the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt until the onions are golden. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the arugula, another pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

3. In a food processor/blender/with an immersion blender blend the ricotta, squash, onion-arugula mixture, salt and pepper. Process on high for 1 minute or until it is smooth.

4. Add the reserved water from the cooked pasta, ¼ cup at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

5. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, mix and top with grated parmesan or romano cheese and enjo

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21st Amendment - Boston, MA

http://21stboston.com/

I give you Boston's best nachos!

     Knocked another one of Boston's best nacho places off my list! My mom and Jay came to visit a couple weeks ago and I met them downtown to walk around and show them the sights. I'll say... I wasn't upset when they asked if there was a pub around. They were thirsty and hungry, and I was (as always)... hungry. We were up by the state house, so immediately I thought of 21st Amendment and their nachos. IT WAS TIME. The moment had come and I'd get to try them. The inside of the 21st Amendment is very dark and old style pub-y. It reminded me of a place politicians downtown would come to. The local watering hole. The building itself was constructed in 1899, and the pub has been through a few different names, but it was a local hangout for some of the state workers.

Momma and I!

     So for the nachos. These were definitely THE best nachos I've had in Boston. Let me explain... The winning factors here were the mile high piles of guac and sour cream. I kid you not that had to be 3 avocados worth of guacamole and an entire tub of sour cream. It was amazing. The chips were great too. As I learned from a previous experience (I called them a couple years ago to see if they made their own chips), they were hand cut and fried corn tortilla chips. This made all the difference. The chips stayed nice and crisp regardless of the fact that these loaded nachos were piled high with melted cheese, grilled chicken, jalapenos, scallions and another generous helping of their fresh tomato salsa. Sometimes I don't like when salsa is added to nachos because it's generally pretty juicy and put the integrity of the chips at risk. But this salsa wasn't juicy, and had some great fresh flavors adding to the nachos. 5 star nachos. No doubt. 

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Russell House Tavern - Cambridge, MA

http://russellhousecambridge.com/

     Russell House Tavern is one of those restaurants I think about going to every time I think about going out to a restaurant. But then I remember I'm poor, and I choose someplace else. Honestly, Russell House Tavern won't completely break the bank, but I'm on a student budget. It's one of those restaurants you let your parents take you to when they come to visit. So that's exactly what I did. 

     It was too bad it wasn't warmer out because Russell House Tavern has a beautiful patio in an alleyway next to their restaurant. The downstairs definitely has a classy tavern vibe, with a lot of large incandescent light bulbs, bricks, and black and red accents. Very swanky looking place. We were seated upstairs near the bar, which kind of stunk because it was really loud. Either way, I was too excited about the food to care. 

     For an appetizer, we ordered their charcuterie board that had chicken liver pate (my favorite... love liver...so smooth),  smoked pork fillete (came cold under a layer of fat... a little strange), smoked fish rillette (my least favorite... too fishy), a sweet berry jam, and a few of their house-cured meats. All of these came with crispy, thin slices of bread (they have a technical term, but it evades me at the moments). While it was fun to sample all the different cuts of meat, a lot of them seemed to blend together, in that I couldn't tell the difference between them and couldn't recall the descriptions the waiter gave.

Charcuterie Board

     It was national pierogi day, and I was dead set on their wild mushroom pierogi, but they were out. Boo. Instead, I ordered their Smoked Lamb Belly Meatballs. These two precious meatballs came soaking in a roasted tomato sauce and topped with taleggio cheese and crispy sage. I always love the lamb-sage combo. They just compliment one another to well. The meatballs were super juicy, and the taleggio cheese was new to me. It had a mild, but almost fruity tang to it. It was delicious with the savory flavors of the meatballs.

Beet salad on the left, smoked lamb meatballs on the right.

 

     

    

     I also ordered their beet salad, which was another winner. It was very different than I anticipated, in that they had cut up the beets and mixed it with Vermont chevre (goat cheese as a binder) that allowed it to be formed into a patty. It came topped with candied pistachios, sprouts, dried cherries and stringy greens. I love goat cheese and beets together. Add a little sweetness from the cherries, and it's a winning salad. The whole thing was resting in a pool of a clear, bright green sauce, but I can't remember what it was (these are the moments I kick myself for not having written about places like this until weeks after my visit). Oh! They also served some sort of bread basket too and I hate that I can't remember what it was like. I do recall that they offered it with a small cup of what Jay and I swore was truffle oil. But the waiter said it was just garlic olive oil. I don't believe him. It had a different flavor, almost like that of oysters. Super interesting and delicious. I could've drank it (that's a lie). 

     I surprisingly said no to dessert, but I am glad Jay persuaded me out of that silly decision. We got the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, a toffee sauce, and "bruleed fig", which apparently is burnt fig. I can't say I pinpointed that flavor when I was eating it, but I also don't think I was aware of its presence. The toffee pudding was great though. It was served warm, and had a very rich and sweet toffee flavor. I was glad we split it. Great choice  :]

My mom and Jay with our Sticky Toffee Pudding  :]

We Serve Breakfast All Day!

The Hen House - Boston, MA

http://www.henhouseboston.com/

     Sometimes as I'm biking to school I get too into my music and miss the turns I need to make. On

Chicken and Waffles!

this particular day, it was an acceptable mistake because it resulted in me biking past a place called The Hen House down near the industrial area by Dorchester. As soon as I saw it I thought of Zack because he's been craving chicken and waffles for 3 years apparently. So one Wednesday we met up there for lunch. The Hen House is a little restaurant specializing in soul food. Yup... fried chicken, waffles, mac n cheese, collards. They've got a bunch of other sandwiches, pizzas, wraps and such if you're not into the artery clogging business.
     They've got a cool menu where you can choose 1) the type of waffle (cornbread, buttermilk, banana) 2) the type of chicken 3) type of sauce and 4) type of butter. I went with the cornbread waffle, chicken tenders, their honey bbq sauce and the regular whipped butter. The waffle I got didn't really taste like cornbread at all so I'm wondering if it was actually their buttermilk waffle. Either way, it was tasty, but a little more soggy than I would prefer. In the end I decided it was ok because the chicken had that little bit of a crunch that I was looking for. The chicken was really juicy too and on the darker side. I love dark meat, and I was surprised that it didn't seem like completely white meat. As far as the sauce, I ended up getting little cups of all of them and sampling them. I was a big fan of the honey bbq and the regular syrup. It's important to construct each bite appropriately when eating chicken and waffles. You need a little chicken, a little waffle, and a little sauce and butter. With so many sweet and savory flavors, I wonder why this isn't more of a staple. Oh yea... because we'd all be 5,000 pounds.
    After Zack and I finished our first waffles, we were still a little hungry so we got two fried chicken legs and a breast. Such a fabulous idea. This chicken was actually better than the tenders I think because it wasn't breaded. It was just fried with the skin on. Again, super moist inside and that crispy skin just killed me.
     I also got a side of collard greens which were great. There was some sort of shaved ham in them too which added a little saltyness. They were simple though and were actually a great palette cleanser after the chicken and waffles. 

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Amrheins - Boston, MA
http://www.amrheinsboston.com/

     So, my first impression of Amrheins is not a very good one and it bums me out! Mary has always raved about this place. She goes goo goo over their pumpkin risotto (which is literally cooked in a pumpkin) and loves their pretzel rolls they serve in their bread basket. So when Andrew came in town from the Netherlands and I had a Groupon that was expiring, I thought it'd be the best place to go. A) They didn't serve any pretzels rolls (big bummer) and B) it was about 2 weeks too early (seasonally) for the pumpkin risotto. Shoot.
     I really did like the atmosphere, however. It was very simple inside. Beautiful old style banisters and booths. They first opened their doors in South Boston in 1890 and boast the city's oldest hand carved wooden bar and the cities first draft beer pump. So they've got a great reputation and history backing them up, which makes me hesitant to be unimpressed.

     Either way, the rolls and olive oil/parmesan cheese dipping oil was delicious. They were soft and fresh just as expected. The appetizer we ordered was probably my favorite part of the meal, but this poutine was very different than the standard Canadian poutine (fries, gravy, cheese curds). These hand-cut fries were topped with pieces of braised short ribs, short rib gravy, Vermont cheddar cheese, and horseradish cream. I loved the big hunks of meat, the saltyness of the gravy and the sharp bite of the horseradish to balance it all out.

Shepherd's Pie

     For my main course I went with the shepherds pie and was rather unimpressed. It was served in a circular dish and was basically a mush of really small gritty beef, peas, green beans, corn and gravy and was topped with mashed potatoes. I thought the insides were a little too salty and really rich. But Jimmy said it needed salt, so either I'm crazy and can't identify salt or the powerful flavor I was tasting was coming from something else. The mashed potatoes on top were less than lack-luster too. They were clearly homemade (with the skins on which I like) which is good, but they were rather bland. Nothing special.
     I tried Jimmy's seafood alfredo and Meagan's seafood fettuccini and both were just meh. Andrew's lobster pie was tasty, but he was dissatisfied. So all in all, just a mediocre experience and not worth the money spent. But I'm still hesitant to say that. I'm not ready to give it a thumbs down yet. Maybe going back for that pumpkin risotto will change my mind.

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Revere Center Cafe - Revere, MA

http://reverecentercafe.com/

   

The Denver omelette 

    After hours and hours of dreaming of Ihop, David and I slipped in to a minor depression when we pulled up and the place had been torched and was closed. There's nothing worse than breakfast plans falling through (except dinner plans falling through when you're trying to get one last meal at Veggie Planet before they close their doors for good. I'm still reliving that nightmare). Luckily, thanks to my hawk eyes, I had spotted a small sign a ways down the street that said "We serve breakfast all day!" David has lived here for years and has never seen the sign or head of the place. Sometimes it pays to be constantly on the lookout for food. So we headed back to Revere Center Cafe to get our breakfast fix. 

     Revere Center Cafe is just a tiny, cute diner with a pretty intense menu. I ordered the Denver omelette and it was totally the best omelet I've ever gotten in a restaurant. Why? Because it so closely resembled the kind of omelet I'd make at home, but on a higher level. I say this namely because a lot of restaurants tend to serve greasy omelets with terrible cheese. It's a sad, sad story. I was so happy with this omelette because it had small pieces of bacon it, so you'd get the bacon flavor in every bite, but it wasn't greasy at all. Inside it had melted, shredded cheese and was chocked full of red, green and hot peppers and onions. It really wasn't spicy at all, it was super fresh, hearty and filling. It was so great. I couldn't get over it. They served it with their big hunky homefries, and I chose the marble toast. Both were great. The homefries were perfectly done, not deep fried and not overly salty. My only complaint was that it took a pretty long time to get the food, but it was well worth it. Return trips are definitely in order. 

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The Very Best Brownies - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

This is far from appetizing looking, so don't judge
taste by my photo skills.

     How can you NOT try making a "Very Best Brownies" recipe when you see it? Beats me. I found these on Cookie+Kate, and at first I didn't really know what would classify them as the best brownies. It wasn't until I tasted that batter that I was beginning to be convinced that this would be a life changing evebt. She really just uses standard ingredients and a touch of coffee. But I think it's browning the butter that really makes the difference. That's a key step if you do it right. 

     Also I used pastry flour for my first batch (yes... they were so good that my roommates demanded another batch two days later) which gave them an awesome and thicker consistency. What I mean by that is that when you'd stir the batter it held together quite nicely, almost more like a dough rather than batter. Maybe like a sugar cookie dough. When I used all-purpose flour for the second batch, that more closely resembled a batter. These aren't cake-y brownies, but are rather dense, fudgey and incredible. When I baked them, a nice thin crust formed on the top. That was something I have never experienced before in my own homemade brownie. These were really the best brownies I've ever made you should probably make them right now. 

The Very Best Brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
1¼ cups pure cane sugar
¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon espresso powder or very finely ground coffee
2 cold large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup pastry flour (or flour of choice)
2 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (or ⅓ cup chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two criss-crossed pieces of parchment paper, making sure that the paper is long enough to go up the sides a couple of inches. Grease the parchment paper.

2. Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, while whisking constantly, until it’s a pale golden brown and the particles suspended in it are reddish brown. This usually takes about 10 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Then add the cocoa powder, sea salt, baking powder and espresso powder. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula after each one. When the mixture looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the vanilla extract and the flour. Stir until you no longer see streaks of flour. Then beat vigorously for 50 strokes with the wooden spoon or spatula.

5. At this point, the mixture should be no more than slightly warm (if not, let it cool for a few more minutes). Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips.

6. Spread the batter in the lined pan, then use a knife to make light swirls in the top of the batter. Bake on the lower rack for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool the brownies in the pan on a baking rack.

7. Once the brownies are completely cool, lift the edges of the parchment paper and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the brownies into 16 or 25 squares.

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Al's - Boston

http://www.alscafes.com/

 
   We did it. Joan and I met for lunch at Al's. We have been planning this for months because people
at her work rave about it all the time and apparently it's cheap. Well... we found out why they're all raving about it.

     First of all, the bread they serve their sandwiches on is super soft and lightly crisp on the outside. Second, it's all just amazing. We got the meatball parm sub and the hot pastrami. Their meatballs were enormous and juicy, and the marinara sauce they were bathed in was light but sweet. The hot pastrami was my favorite. I'm a sucker for pastrami. Especially when it's hot and is covered in melted swiss cheese and a little spicy mustard. I wouldn't say it quite reaches the same level as the pastrami sandwich from Katz Deli in NYC, but it came damn close

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Carrot Salad with Lemon and Tahini - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

    Smitten Kitchen has so many good ideas. Some of her recipes are really complex and I just don't
have the energy. But sometimes they're simple and fresh and I love them. Like this one! Other than shredding the carrots, this is super easy and really delicious. It has a couple different parts (roasting the chic peas, shredding the carrots, making the dressing), but it's a really flavorful and filling salad. I found that when I shredded the carrots they got really juicy and were maybe a little too thinly shredded to eat like a salad. But if you bought them pre-shredded or found a way to cut them differently I'd say you can eat it as a salad. I really enjoyed putting it into a leaf of lettuce and making a lettuce wrap or throwing it into a tortilla. The toasted chic peas and pistachios added a great crunch to the rather soft salad. I found that if I let my chicpeas sit a few days, they got a little moist, so I'd have to re-toast them if I wanted them crunchy each time. 

Carrot Salad with Lemon and Tahini

Chickpeas
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-ounce can, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salad
1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

Dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Roast chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss chickpeas with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and cumin until they’re all coated. Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until they’re browned and crisp. This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your chickpeas. Toss them occasionally to make sure they’re toasting evenly. Set aside until needed.

Make dressing: Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Assemble salad: Place grated carrots in large bowl and toss with parsley. Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with a large handful of chickpeas and pistachios.

I Wish Every Week Was Restaurant Week

Osaka - Brookline, MA

http://brooklineosaka.com/

    

The Money Bag

     I wish every week was restaurant week. What does that mean? During restaurant week (or technically “Dine out Boston,” various restaurants around Boston offer a price fixe menu where you get a specific number of courses and options. I’ve never participated in restaurant week before, so this trip to Osaka with Jimmy and Coree was a new one. Osaka is a Japanese sushi / hibachi style restaurant in Brookline. For restaurant week they offered you one appetizer, a choice of an entree, and a dessert for $23 dollars or something. Not too shabby! 

     We all ordered a different appetizer so we could sample each others. Coree ordered what seemed like deconstructed sushi. It was a bed of ice topped with various raw fishes. It was interesting to sample the flavors of these fish minus all the other ingredients of sushi. Jimmy ordered these raw tuna sacks. They were literally raw tuna slabs wrapping up avocado and surrounded by swirls of various spicy, sweet, and herb-y sauces. 

    My appetizer was my favorite. It was called the Money Bag. Instead of triangular shaped rangoon, they were crab meat and cheese wrapped up in a wonton wrapper, fried and tied. Kind of like a little baggie. They were incredible. The crab cream cheese mix inside was slightly sweet and was served with plum sauce.  

    For my meal I ordered the sushi plate. The first sushi was called the Hot Lover roll and was served in the shape of a heart. It was very unique in that each piece was in the shape of a tear drop and was wrapped in a pink soybean paper. Inside was shredded spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and avocado. This sushi roll was light and a good contrast to the other roll. I don't remember the name, but the second roll was stunningly gorgeous and was served on a big leaf. Inside there were tempura flakes, grilled avocado, all wrapped in seaweed, tuna, and topped with roe (my favorite), a couple different types of sauces, sprouts, and some sort of little white balls. With 10,000 components, it was hard to identify all the flavors, so I found myself taking little bites to find them all. All the flavors. I know this is a sushi faux pas, but I do not care. It was incredible. I loved the flavor of the slightly charred, grilled avocado. That was a new experience for me. 

    

    For dessert, they served vanilla mocchi balls with smears of chocolate sauce on a larger than life plate. There wasn’t anything outrageously delicious in the mocchi dish, but I do love that gooey, chewy rice coating that the balls are coated with. I’d like just a dish of that goop please and thank you.

     A lot about this place was about presentation. From the food to the modernistic and artistic decor, these really aren’t the kinds of places I frequent often, so it was fun to experiment with all the tiny flavors hidden on each plate.

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Trina’s Starlight Lounge - Somerville, MA

http://www.trinastarlitelounge.com/

My dog of the day!

     It was my last day at Gentle Giant (tear :’[) and Frances and I decided we were going to head out to Trina’s Starlight Lounge because I’ve been talking about wanting to go forever. Trina’s is Rob’s favorite bar, so it wasn’t hard to convince him to come. And it was a bar so… Victor was in (haha). David and his sister, Rachel, showed up too along with a couple other GG fellas. It was a small but casual get together/send off, and I was just so grateful to spend the last couple months with this family. 

     From the website, Trina’s seems like a colorful but “riskay” 1920s kind of bar, but I was still confused as to what it might look like. In all actuality though, Trina’s seems like quite a few other bars. It’s nothing like your standard dark wooden Irish bar, but isn’t quite the modern douchey downtown bar. It’s got a relaxed and casual yet refined feel to it. 

     Trina’s does a “dog of the day” so… being the adventurous soul that I am… I went with it. I applauded myself later for this decision. So they must’ve taken the hot dog itself and split it down the center… hot dog style… and grilled it. I’ve never had a dog cooked this way and initially I would’ve guessed I wouldn’t enjoy it as much because it doesn’t allow for the dog to explode from all the hot juices inside. But I was delightfully surprised by this splitting action because it made for 4 different surfaces all with a crisp outer texture. The toppings on this bad boy were fried chunks of ham, melted white cheddar cheese, sour cream and chives. It was like a loaded baked potato on steroids. Obviously minus the potato and plus meat. In my opinion, 100 times better. I could’ve eaten 10. Frances agreed. Hands down one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever eaten… ever. Must try more hot dogs of the day. 

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Midwest Grill - Somerville, MA

http://www.midwestgrillrestaurant.com/

     Karl eats very few things. I don’t know how he survives. One thing he does eat is meat. So

naturally, we opted for a meat filled birthday dinner for him. Jimmy, Meagan, Dave, Karl, Kate, Ellis and I headed to Saloon in Davis Square for some drinks (AND INCREDIBLE PRETZELS AND QUESO) before heading to Midwest for Brazilian BBQ. The moment you walk in you’re overcome with the mind-numbing smell of roasting animals over a fire. That’s what it is. Don’t hate the verbage. The place wasn’t fancy, but made me feel Brazilian. The live bossa-nova-esque music set the mood (even though the woman playing the tambourine was texting at the same time), along with the Brazilian flags scattered among every foot of the building.

     So if you’ve never been to a Brazilian barbecue place before, how it works is you pay a flat fee and you have access to a full “salad bar” and waiters come around to your table with meat on big long sticks. You can either accept or decline the meat, and they’ll move on. I’ll start with the salad bar. I didn’t touch the salad. How could I? There were a ton of other delicious options like a pork hock stew and a bunch of other types of meat + beans + rice concoctions/stews. It was tough not to load up on those things though when you knew what was coming on the long sticks. My favorite part of the bar was the scoop your own ice cream. 

    The first meat to the table was a well done sirloin. I was hoping a medium or a more rare sirloin was coming, but it never showed. Regardless, I got one of the crispy edges of the hunk of meat which takes on that sought after grilled and partially charred flavor around the marbled fat,

     My favorite meat by far was the lamb (no surprise here). Roasting lamb over a fire is the number

So much birthday hatred

one way to prepare it. It’s just the best. It’s simple and the fire gives it a primal flavor. I just love it. Their garlicy buttered rolls were cooked over the fire too and came out piping hot and crisp. The bacon wrapped chicken was mediocre, the pork loin was a little dry, the chicken hearts were tasty little nuggets but a little over cooked. The kielbasa was nothing to write home about and the Portuguese sausage was delicious but super salty. The beef and lamb stole the show for sure for me. 

     Since I was at a Brazilian place, I had to order my favorite drink: the caipirinha. This is the same one I raved about from Muay Queca when I went with Zack. I think I liked the previous one better than this one because it was less sweet and tasted a little bit more fresh and less sweet. These were cool though because they had a glowing green ice cube in them. So fancy. 

     The second best part of the night was when a large portion of the staff came out signing happy birthday to Karl, the lights flickered along with the music, and the band switched over to happy birthday and played 2 variations of the song. If you know Karl, you know that he HATED every second of it and made sure to tell us all how much he hated us after it was over. It was one of the finer moments of my life:]

     

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Tilt’n Diner - Tilton, NH

http://www.thecman.com/restaurants-and-menus/tilt-n-diner.aspx

Liver and Onions

     Nature is my favorite. Food is my second favorite. So the appropriate reward after summiting a 4,135ft mountain is a delicious meal. Zack mentioned that this diner had some great home-cooked soul food. He had me at home-cooked… and soul food. Tilt’n Diner has the look of your standard diner. Lots of silver, lots of pink and teal. Lots of great long-term waitstaff and a home-y feel. 

     I don’t know if I have ever seen liver and onions on a menu at a restaurant before, so I was all about it. This dish is always reminiscent for me of afternoons spent at my grandpa’s house. He always had a wheel/roll (or whatever you call it) of liver and I loved it. We didn’t have the full liver and onions meal often, but I knew I loved liver, so it was worth a shot. The liver came (probably) lightly grilled and in thin sheets/shavings and was topped with bacon and onions. It’s really hard to describe the flavor of liver. It’s not like anything else. It’s not like any other meat, and the texture turns almost pasty once you start chewing it. This had the same flavor I remember from my childhood (and from the stellar liver patte my Aunt Joanne makes every year for Chirstmas Eve). The sautéed onions and the homemade mashed potatoes WITH THE SKINS STILL ON made for a delicious, savory, rustic home-cooked meal. There were no frills. It was just simple, hearty flavors. 

    To compliment this masterpiece, Zack and I split a side of sweet potato fries and he introduced me to the magic that is sweet potato fries and maple syrup. Holy mother of mercy I don’t know how I’ve gone 26 years before dipping my sweet potato fries in this sensual syrup. You might think that’d be too sweet, but you’d be wrong. Gotta give it a try. 

Sweet potato fries

    To end it all, we split a black and white milkshake which was just magical. Food and sugar comas ensued on the drive back. Struggle city. For me at least. Zack was an all-star alert driver. 

Wing It - Allston, MA

http://wing-it.com/

Honey bbq chicken tenders

     After eating our weight in froyo, Ian and I decided to walk it out… and found ourselves walking in to Wing It off Comm Ave. I’m helpless when someone asks me if I want to get additional food. There's always an empty pocket in my stomach where I can fit something else. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve run by Wing It and been overwhelmed by the sensual aromas. It was finally time. We got 6 regular honey bbq chicken tenders to split. After sweet froyo, it hit the spot. Absolutely nailed it. The chicken was so moist and lean. 

    Ok so here's my moronic analogy...You know how each individual orange slice is made up of small, fleshy, juice-filled capsules? I want to say polyps, but that’s not it. Either way, this chicken broke apart into thick, moist fibers that reminded me of each one of those little pockets of juice that comprise an orange slice. I really like the honey barbecue sauce because it was only lightly sweet. Oftentimes I think honey barbecue can be too sweet for me and takes away from the savory experience of the wings. I also really enjoyed the breading because it was thick and meaty. By that I mean that it stuck heartily to the chicken and wasn’t uniform all around the strip, so there were thicker crispy corners (just like when you get an apple fritter donut).Those are my fave. That’s my kind of night cap. 

The Ice Creamsmith - Dorchester, MA

http://theicecreamsmith.com/

     I have found my new favorite ice cream shop in Boston. After a short but sweaty hike, David and I went on the hunt for some ice creams… of course. Since we were down by the Blue Hills, I had no idea where anything was so we headed straight for the first ice cream shop that came up on google maps. The Ice Creamsmith is this tiny little shop on the border of Dorchester and Mattapan. They opened their doors in 1976 and have been serving up their homemade ice cream on hot days ever since. I loved the feel of this place. They had antiques hung on the wall and everything was simple, as ice cream shops should be. They were the hometown version of a Coldstone Creamery if you’ve been to one of those before. 

     For my two scoops, I went with chocolate and chocolate chip. Deciding on a mix-in was proving to be quite challenging. The the woman behind the counter heard me murmur that I wanted a cookie too, and she said the magic works “I can mix the cookie in if you’d like.” The glow of my smile started to melt all the ice creams. So… in went a big chocolate chip cookie all mixed up and mashing into my ice cream. It. Was. Amazing. And not only because it was a super hot day. The ice cream was delicious and simple, and the addition of the cookie pieces was 10x better than cookie dough ice cream (crazy, right?). Way better than Coldstone and way better than Ben & Jerry’s Cookies and Milk. Definitely the best ice cream experience I’ve had here in Boston. 

Chocolate and chocolate chip with a cookie :]

A Donut A Day

Life Alive Cafe - Cambridge, MA

http://www.lifealive.com/index.html

     Life Alive is a place that is totally up my alley, and it really shouldn’t have taken me this long to get there. Joan and I met there one evening to catch up and the line was out the door from the moment we got there. Behind the counter, the shelves were lined with herbs, spices, and teas, and all of the workers totally gave off the hippy vibe. I loved it. It was awesome to see such a focus on health from their menu, hear the fresh juices being pressed and watch people enjoy whole, healthy foods. Life Alive strives to "renew your energy and connection to life by soulfully serving you the most fantastic, vibrant, organic, therapeutic, whole food you could ever imagine in an inspiring environment that honors local artisans, the community, and our global ecology." That might sound a little lofty to some, but it touches on a lot of things I have a passion for. 

The Swami

   For my meal I ordered The Swami. As a base, they served brown rice unlike any rice I've seen before. It was more round and sticky than normal rice. Much like little footballs. Tossed on top was a mix of tamari almonds, raisins, shredded carrots, broccoli, dark greens, & pearl onions all saturated with their sweet curry miso sauce. All of those ingredients fall within my list of favorite things. I loved the sweetness that the carrots and raisins brought (especially mixed with the sweet curry), but I also enjoyed the balance the rich greens and broccoli brought to the dish. As an added bonus, they sprinkled the dish with some nutritional yeast which I have only had once before on some kale chips Joan had one time. I really like the flavor of nutritional yeast! If you haven't tried it, don't be afraid. It's got a little bit of a cheesy flavor, even with the slight sharpness that some cheeses have. I enjoy it.

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Brandano’s - Everett, MA

Don't judge me for my half eaten ice cream photo

     After an hour of some serious bounce time at Skyzone, I suggested ice cream to David and Michael, and they were all in. We headed to some place in Everett called Brandano’s. They had it all. Ice cream, soft serve, slush, sundaes, Spanish flavored things. It was crazy. Now one of my favorite cereals ever is Grape Nuts, so when I saw a Grape Nut custard, I had to have it, and it was fabulous! It had the rich and smooth flavors of custard, but also had these literal grape nut nuggets dispersed throughout. The nuggets had softened up a bit, so it wasn’t the stark contrast in texture between smooth custard and crunchy nuts. Ya know? Those things are normally super hard. After experiencing Grape Nut custard at this place, I’ve since seen it at one or two other places. How did I not know this was a thing?!

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Union Square Donuts - Somerville, MA

http://unionsquaredonuts.com/

They're bigger than they look

     Anytime you see an article for Best Doughnuts in America, Union Square Donuts is bound to be on that list. Everyone and their mother in Boston raves about them, and I’ve been meaning to try them

Oh how convenient... 

someday. Well… one day I needed to make a Post Office run from work, so I went to where I the Post Office used to be in Somerville. At first I was so mad when I discovered it had moved. However, when I arrived at the new location, I was no longer mad. Why? Directly next door to Union Square Donuts. It was a message from the universe. It was time. I went in and immediately consumed 3 donut holes. Best donut holes I’ve ever had. How can one perfect a donut hole? Not a clue. But the rich buttery nugget melted in your mouth, and the slightly thicker than normal glaze caressing the fried outer shell sealed the deal... literally.

See... enormous

    The actual donuts themselves are literally twice the size of your average Dunkin’ Donuts donut. They’re wider, taller and fatter. I went with the toasted coconut, and it rocked my world. I swear I sat wide-eyed at my desk for 15 minutes in shock. The flavor in these donuts was powerful. I’m not sure how to describe it. But in comparison to Donuts with a Difference in Medford, the flavors were on another level. Much stronger and richer. The texture of these donuts were lighter and more airy than Donuts with a Difference, so they squished down a bit more. I think I truthfully like when my donut holds it’s shape a little more, so in that respect I favored Donuts with a Difference. However, taste always trumps texture, so in that case USD takes the cake (or the donut for that matter). 

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The Druid - Somerville, MA

http://www.druidpub.com/

Toasted cheese sandwich and the best fries ever

     Ok, I’ve been to The Druid in Inman Square a couple times but never really blogged about it because I’ve never ordered a meal. I’ve always just picked at other people’s plates. It was my last payroll, and Frances and I had a post payroll date. It was time for my formal introduction to the famous Druid (it’s an authentic Irish pub and half of the people at Gentle Giant are Irish). The inside is pretty dark, with dark woods surrounding the bar and a creepy celtic light statue that hung from the ceiling. It’s all very mysterious and fairytale like. Something that needs to be experienced rather than explained. 

     We started with some Old Fashioned drinks which I have never had before. It was really tasty, but I wasn’t even 3/4 of the way through it before my face started to feel a little tingly. Frances said they may have a heavy hand when it comes to pouring her and her party's drinks (she’s good friends with the bar tenders there). 

     I think The Druid may have won two titles for Best of Boston in my opinion. One… is their fries. They’re incredible. They’re the perfect texture (you know, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside), but it’s their flavor that takes them to a new level. Rosemary is the key ingredient here. Rosemary and pepper I believe. The spices just make them so fragrant and savory. It’s outrageous. I can’t believe that the fries from Saus keep getting named as the best fries in Boston when you’ve got these babies kicking around. 

     The second title I think The Druid should get is the Best Bread Basket (I know that's not an actual title, but it should be). They serve some sort of darker Irish soda bread. It’s incredibly moist and chewy inside, but the outside has the texture like that of a scone. It seems dry, but the inside is such a treasure and treat. It’s not sweet or rich as though there’s butter in it. It’s just hearty yet simple. Plus they serve their bread with room temperature butter, which always earns a gold star in my book. 

     For my meal I went with the toasted cheese sandwich WITH bacon (Frances said it was a necessity). It was melted Dubliner cheese (which is the best), tomato and bacon on simple white bread toast. I did wish the cheese was a little bit more melted, but they dropped my first sandwich, so I think they felt bad that I had to wait and tried to rush the second one along a little. Either way, you can never go wrong with a grilled cheese, especially from an irish pub. Best Irish place in Boston I say :]

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Sunset Cafe - Somerville

http://thesunsetcafe.net/

     This was date number two for Frances and I my last week at GG. I was ok with getting food, but sad that it was my last week. Sunset Cafe is a decent sized place on Cambridge Street that literally never has anyone in it. The entire time we were there, no other customers came in. Sunset is a Portuguese and Mediterranean restaurant that is fairly fancy inside with a creepy painting of a man that seems to stare at you no matter what angle you look at him from. Shortly after we sat down, the one waiter brought over this beautiful plate of olives, pickled vegetables, butter and an oil and balsamic dip for this basket of what seemed like fresh baked rolls. Considering they probably get one customer every other day, I’m sure it couldn’t have been freshly baked, but I was still impressed at how delicious it was.   

Fried calamari

     As an appetizer we ordered the fried calamari. I’d say it was just mediocre. It was overcooked, making it difficult to chew and there was a bit too much breading for me. It kind of took away from the flavor of the calamari. Overpowering if you know what I mean. 

     For the meal I ordered a sandwich (that I can't remember the name of) which was literally marinated and grilled pork on a french baguette. The pork was delicious, the baguette was delicious, but the two together seemed a little silly. I think maybe the addition of some veggies, some sort of sauce or some other completing component would’ve made the sandwich more substantial. Like I said, the parts had great flavors. The pork was moist and rich and the bread was fresh with crisp edges, but together they made nothing splendid. Regardless, it all came at a great price. For five dollars, I got the delicious bread basket, the plate of olives, dips, and veggies, and an enormous sandwich that I had to take home to finish. Frances got a huge sandwich called the steak bomb with steak, prosciutto, mushrooms and cheese on a baguette all for eight dollars. You really can’t beat that. I’d definitely recommend Sunset Cafe if you’re looking for a decent amount of food for your money, but as far as an authentic Portuguese experience, I’m not sure if this is the place. That being said, we didn't order the standard authentic Portuguese dishes. Nah I'm sayin'?