I Thought I Smelled Cabbage

Slumbrew - Somerville, MA
http://www.slumbrew.com/

Nachos, tots, pretzel

     Months and months ago, I was part of the crew that moved Slumbrew into their new location right around the corner from Gentle Giant. I'm not going to go into the details about the move, but they gave us beer as a tip and let us hang out for a bit. After a day of moving and minimal eating/drinking, one beer hit hard. Slumbrew has some really unique beers; a lot of which are pretty high on the alcohol content and quite bitter, which is not quite my style. However, after Rolando and I finished a different job a few weeks ago, we decided to head over and grab some foods. Plus, he was aching to get in on one of their sour beers called Gose Revolution, which is a German style ale with hibiscus, sea salt and citrus. It was delicious! I had never even heard of a sour beer before, but this was easily my favorite beer of theirs. It felt a little bit lighter but had a citrus taste. I don't know how to describe beer, so I'll get to the food.
     As David finished up his job that day, he came over and joined our Connect Four game at Slumbrew (Ro and I tied 2-2 but I think I would've beaten him on that 5th game). Everyone was starving, so we ordered a plate of their nachos. Unfortunately, they were out of the pulled pork which was supposed to come on top, but I had seen their little mini kitchen before and the place was packed, so I understood how the kitchen itself probably was having a hard time keeping up. Instead they threw a cup of chili on top, which was a nice, simple meat and bean chili. The chips were the best part though. They were the perfect thickness, didn't get soggy under the toppings and had a great lime flavor. Something was different about these though, and I honestly couldn't figure it out. They had a richer flavor than most tortilla chips. As if they had a brown buttery flavor maybe? Can't be. Seems like way too much work for tortilla chips. I'm not even sure they were homemade or not, but I'd guess so. Either way, I could eat those chips until I die. The nachos also had jack cheese, pico de gallo, and a lime sour cream. While they weren't the best I've had, and I wished for more toppings, those chips made them great. That and the sour cream. The lime sour cream was new to me, and it had double the bite of normal sour cream. Very cool.
     We also got some of the tater tots which were.... tater tots. It's practically impossible to screw those up or make them super crazy awesome. They were served with a chipotle ketchup, which was good, but they were better with Rolando's warm beer cheese that came with his soft pretzel. I love the bite that beer cheese has, especially as it cools. The soft pretzel was fabulous too with the perfect slightly stiff shell and the soft, squishy dough inside. I definitely have to go back and get my own pretzel which should be real tough considering it's a rough 1 minute walk from the warehouse. Bummer.

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Amelia's Taqueria - Allston, MA

http://ameliastaqueria.com/

Tacos al pastor

     Last Sunday I convinced Eric to go do some winter hiking with me in the Fells. After a short hour and a half through the snow and the hills, it was lunch time. We came back to Allston and decided to try out Amelia's Taqueria on Brighton Ave. It seems like there are hundreds of restaurants on Brighton Ave in Allston, and I haven't been to nearly enough. I feel like they are so easily overlooked when comparing to Cambridge and Boston restaurants, but they really shouldn't be. Amelia's was great. For 3.75 I got the largest taco I've ever seen. The woman warmed up two small corn tortillas and loaded on the ingredients. Their selection was incredible. They had maybe 7 kinds of meats to choose from (including cow tongue... which I've had before with my grandpa), tons of different vegetables cut up different ways, cooked different ways and seasoned different ways. For example, I got purple cabbage on my taco. Who does that? Who offers that? I was thrilled to be presented with so many options. Anyway, I got the al pastor, which is apparently pork marinated in a mixture of chilis and other spices. Supposedly they generally cut it into thin strips, put them together and rotate over a fire, but the chunks of meat I had were more like larger, thick chunks. I'm ok with that. 

     I also got pice de gallo, sour cream and Oaxaca cheese which is a semi-soft Mexican stringy cheese. The cheese is known to be a good melting cheese and has a mellow buttery flavor.  Throw in that purple cabbage and some pork, and you've got a recipe for the strangest taco. It was delicious though. I loved all the different flavors and the crunch that the cabbage added to the taco. I was astounded by how much meat they gave me. Totally worth the money. Their chips and guac was spot on too. They stuffed a ton of the salty, lime chips in the bag and the guac was the perfect mix of smooth with some small avocado, onion and tomato chunks inside.

     If you're looking for a burrito or Mexican food in Allston, definitely stop by Amelia's. They have great portions, they're quick and fairly priced. I want to go back and try other things!

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Espresso Chocolate Shortbreads - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Espresso chocolate shortbreads

     You can never go wrong with Smitten Kitchen.... well, unless you're on a time crunch. While most of her recipes are fairly involved and complicated, this one was relatively simple (I don't mean to take away from her recipes because they're complex and intricate for a reason and that's because they're incredible). But, finding a nut free cookie recipe that's safe for David is hard for me because all the best ones I save have nuts in them because they generally trump all others. Luckily, I stumbled upon her collection of cookie recipes and found these espresso shortbreads. I don't know if I've ever even made shortbreads before. 

What I thought was so cool about this recipe was the bag method she introduced. Once the dough was made, you put it in a plastic bag and roll it out inside the bag. Then you chill it, cut open the bag and cut these perfect little adorable squares. It's beautiful. What was also beautiful was the dough. Lord have mercy this cookie dough was delicious... and raw egg free so I felt slightly less guilty about eating half of it. I loved the subtle coffee flavor and the crumbly-ness of the cookie so much. So so much.

Espresso Chocolate Shortbreads

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (or instant coffee)
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse, sea or kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla, dissolved espresso and salt, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour. Try not to work the dough to much. Just mix it until it's incorporated and fold in the chopped chocolate. 

Dough in a bag

3. Using a spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving it unzipped and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Sweet potato gnocchi

     Sweet Potato Gnocchi is one of those recipes I was eager to make yet dreading it at the same time. I just pictured them coming out like little gooey dough balls with the consistency of tapioca balls or something. I hoped I wouldn't get them that wrong, but you never know. I finally mustered up the energy to try them and they were fabulous! I take that back. They were decent. What was fabulous was the dish I made with them. 

Sweet potato gnocchi, brussel sprouts, goat cheese, pepitas, and dried cranberries

     So the gnocchi themselves came from Oh My Veggies. They were relatively easy to make, but you just have to prepare your roasted sweet potatoes far enough in advance so you're not dealing with hot sweet potatoes mush when trying to form your dough. If you check out her recipe, it tells you to add brown sugar. I simply neglected to do so because I got distracted, but do as you please. 

     As for the recipe I used for the whole dish, I found it on Empowered Sustenance. It basically tossed the gnocchi together with brussel sprouts, crumbled goat cheese, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and dried cranberries. I made a few tweaks to it like not adding bacon or therefore frying the gnocchi in the residual bacon fat. I also didn't add any dressing. I didn't want to mask my gnocchi flavors or the brussel sprout and goat cheese flavors. One thing that really kicked this recipe into gear was opting to cook the sprouts in coconut oil. Literally everything coconut oil touches turns to gold. It's magical. After I had boiled the gnocchi like the recipe from Oh My Veggies called for, I crisped up their edges by sautéing them in a little coconut oil alongside my sprouts. When I was assembling the salad, I waited until the end to add the goat cheese and pumpkin seeds so that if I needed to reheat some at a later date, I wouldn't worry about cooking the cheese and seeds. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi 

1 1/2 c. mashed roasted sweet potato, drained in fine mesh sieve for about 2 hours
6 oz. ricotta cheese, drained in fine mesh sieve for about 2 hours < don't use fat free! My mistake :/
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour + more for rolling and shaping gnocchi


1. Combine sweet potato and ricotta in a large bowl and add parmesan cheese, and salt. 

2. Stir until well-combined. Fold in flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until a dough is formed. Add as little dough as possible. The dough should be slightly sticky but not so sticky that you can't work with it.

3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Divide into 3 pieces. Using your palms, roll and stretch each piece into a 20-inch rope. You may end up dividing the dough even further if your rope gets unruly. Add more flour as needed.

4. Cut each rope into 20 one-inch pieces. Place gnocchi on fork and gently press the center with your thumb, rocking back and forth.

5. Boil finished gnocchi one or two handfuls at a time in a large pot of salted water for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet to cool.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts

6 cups brussels sprouts, halved
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 batch sweet potato gnocchi (see above)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1-2tbs coconut oil. Once hot, add in brussels sprouts and cook until crisp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove and place in a bowl. 

2. In the same skillet, heat another tbs of coconut oil and add sweet potato gnocchi in batches cooking until crisp on all sides, rotating with tongs.

3. Continue adding additional butter/coconut oil and gnocchi until all has been cooked. Add to brussels sprouts along with dried cranberries. When ready to serve, add pumpkin seeds and goat cheese crumbles. Serve warm. 

Shup Up. I'm Food Drunk!

Rosebud - Somerville, MA
http://rosebudkitchen.com/

      Finally! I got to go to Rosebud in Davis Square. I've been wanting to since before their remodel last year? The year before maybe? I can't remember. Jimmy asked me on Sunday if we could go to Rosebud someday. I said, "how about tomorrow?" Deal.

    From the outside, Rosebud looks like a cute little diner with the silver dining car exterior. lnside, however, it's actually very big and extends pretty far back from the street. I was surprised. The decor is not the sunflowers, roosters and pie I anticipated (they are known for their pies), but instead it was super rustic, hipster chic. They had so many different types of lightbulbs, mason jar candle holders and animal sculls and farm tools on the walls, yet these beautiful red leather booths. It had a really relaxing feel, but seemed out of place in the dining car.

Lobster Hush Puppies

     To start our meal, I wanted the lobster hush puppies because hush puppies are about the 10th best thing ever on a menu and lobster is the 11th. The hush puppies hit the spot on a cold day. They were big, which I liked, and had a slight lobster flavor but there weren't any chunks. That part was sad. I liked that they added whole kernels of sweet corn to them. I love when people do that. I wanted more corn and lobster though and less oil infiltrating into the hush puppy itself. I like them when they're a little less oil soaked. They also apparently had bacon in them, but I didn't get that flavor at all. They were served with a smoked paprika aioli which was delicious. It had a really subtle smokey flavor which was really nice. These were good, but didn't compare to those from Hyman's Seafood in Charleston.

Texas Rachel in a Skirt

     For dinner, I went with the Texas Rachel in a Skirt which was smoked brisket, BBQ onions, horseradish sauce, and creamy slaw on rye. AND it was in a cheese skirt. Neither of us knew what a cheese skirt was, but it was just what it sounds like. It was a ring of crispy cheese surrounding the whole sandwich, and it was pretty close to my favorite part of the sandwich. The sandwich itself had incredible flavor. The meat was delicious but it wasn't as tender as I had hoped. It was broken into some bigger chunks and not tender enough to rip apart when I took a bite, resulting in pulling half of the meat off the sandwich with each bite. That could've been mediated by just shredding the brisket a little bit more. The BBQ onions seemed more like just really caramelized onions. They were really sweet, and I loved the way they paired with the creamy slaw. The slaw added a good crunch to each bite too. I'm bummed about the horseradish sauce though. I didn't taste it at all, and I was really excited about it. Admittedly I forgot about it when eating it, but the flavor wasn't enough to stand out to me either. Lastly, the bread was a little too crispy and oily for my liking. It was just pretty greasy, and I would've loved a slightly toasted piece of bread instead, especially because there was plenty of juice from the meat and slaw. Overall a great flavor, but the textures were not where they needed to be.
     Jimmy went with the hanger steak, which was delicious. It felt like a really clean cut of meat, and it was cooked perfectly medium rare. It was paired with potato, pablano, and onion hash with swiss chard. I really would've liked more swiss chard and pablano, but the hash was fabulous. A little salty but super savory.

The chocolate cream pie and Dutch apple pie. 

     Rosebud's is known for their pies. Apparently they're "world famous," but I wouldn't say that were the best I've ever had. I got the Dutch apple pie which was tasty, not too sweet, and the apples maintained a perfect texture. Not too overdone and not too hard. I think they used some more lemon for the insides of the pie than I'm used to, so that slightly sour flavor was different but interesting. I was hoping for more crumbles on top, which is obviously the best part of a Dutch apple pie. I also wished it came warm. The top of the pie was a little warm, as if they they stuck it in the oven for a minute, but the inside was pretty cold. We also tried the chocolate cream pie which was decent, and the dark chocolatey cream was rich and beautiful like a more dense chocolate mousse. The crust wasn't that great though. Sadness. I'm love crust.

These Are My People

Playska - Somerville, MA
http://playska.com/

The Cvapi and the Balkan Chicken Boudin

     I'll always argue that the best way to get to know a city is by running it. Even when it's the city you live in, you'll see things you've never seen before. This is especially helpful when you're looking for new restaurants to go to. During a run a few weeks ago, I came across a new restaurant near Inman Square called Playska. I had never seen or heard of this place before but was intrigued by the letters on the window that said "Balkan inspired sandwiches." The Balkans consist of a bunch of countries in southeastern Europe including Albania, Croatia, Serbia and a few others, and since I have connections to eastern Europe and the middle east (and because I know it has the same as the German restaurant Bronwyn) I was eager to go. Stumbling across this place happened at the perfect time because Jake was coming in town and he left me with the task of choosing a place for lunch. I obliged... as I always do. To Playska!
     The restaurant was really tiny, hot and full of random antiques and art boasting the eastern European and Russian vibe. It had a relaxed atmosphere, like a small coffee shop, and only a few small tables. We agreed to split two sandwiches because it was far too difficult to pick. I chose the Cvapi, which had Bosnian style pork sausages, challah bread, feta, butter lettuce, red onion, cucumber pickle and yoghurt remoulade. The little pork sausages were my favorite. They weren't like the typical sausages you'd expect with a casing and the feeling of fillers and fat. They were more along the lines of a homemade sausage or ground meat formed into a tubular shape and chocked full of spices. These sausages tasted very clean, and similar to kofta, which is a middle eastern meatball type dish that my great grandma used to make with pepper, mint, allspice and other spices. They were savory but light and had a subtle freshness that went with the yoghurt remoulade that gets its flavor from yogurt, lemon, and dill. The sausages went perfectly with the feta, pickled cucumbers and particularly the thin, and stringy red onion. The bread was the second best part. It was a fat, wide and short challah bread bun with a slightly floury outside and a sprinkle of herbs on top. It was chewy and a tad bit sweet. All the different players in this sandwich were critical, and the added pickled potato wrapped in an aluminum foil ball was an added, peculiar treat.
     Jake's sandwich (that we split) was the Balkan Chicken Boudin, which had lemon and sumac chicken sausage, cucumber pickles, butter lettuce and a yoghurt remoulade. This sandwich had very similar flavors to mine, aside from the meat, which was a bit more mild with more of a lemon flavor. It still was delicious with the feta, but I wished it had the red onions as well.
     I couldn't leave without dessert, so I opted to try their danish-like pastries with tasty toppings on top. The pastry with the peanut butter in the middle was a little odd because the flavor of the peanut butter was different than I anticipated and it was crumbly, like cooked peanut butter. The other pastry was much better, thanks to marzipan, which is almond paste. Topped with little slivers of almonds, this pastry was light and sweet.
     I'd definitely recommend Playska to anyone passing through Inman, as it's quick, delicious, light and different! I've also read that they're considering rolling out a breakfast menu which is thrilling. Ooo!

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Jerk - Dorchester, MA
http://www.jerkdining.com/

Jerk chicken, collards and rice

     After Thanksgiving, I headed straight to school with all my baggage because I needed to get to class. Part of me was annoyed with the situation, but the other half of me was excited because it meant David would pick me up and we would probably go get food. We chose this random Jamaican place down in Dorchester called Jerk. I had been to a Caribbean place once before back in Lansing with Marc and it was delicious, so I was excited about this being similarly good. The restaurant was very plain inside with a handful or two of dark wooden tables, only a few decorations and a playlist that played a mix of Frank Sinatra, Jamaican music and the occasional pop song. The waiter was incredibly sweet, but it was next to impossible to understand what he was saying because his accent was so thick (which is totally fine... I'm not saying that was a bad thing).
     For the meal I got the jerk chicken which was basically 3 or 4 big hunks of chicken that had been completely infused and coated with the caribbean jerk sauce and flavor. So far in my experience with Caribbean food, it seems as though their approach isn't so much about getting the perfect chicken cutlet. Instead it comes off more as a cut the chicken into pieces, bones and all, and cook it as is approach. While I like the simplistic approach, it makes eating it a bit difficult because you're on the continual lookout for bones that'll puncture your gullet. Anyway, the chicken was incredibly tender, fell off the bones and had a delicious and delayed, subtly spicy flavor. As my sides, I got rice and the collard greens, which made the presentation quite lovely. The collard greens were fantastic too, primarily because the chunks of ham were abundant and it wasn't as sweet as some collard greens can be. I'm not a big fan of the sweeter collards. David's stewed chicken was very similar in taste with more bones, and his mac and cheese had an incredible crust. Definitely homemade. I can't say I'm jumping to go back, but it was a fun and delicious experience if you're looking for Jamaican food in Boston.

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Al Wadi - West Roxbury, MA
http://www.alwadiboston.com/

The best dipping oil on the left, grape leaves and hummus with a Lebanese beer that tasted like... beer.

     This was an impulse buy. Admittedly, not a bad impulse buy because food adventures are rarely
bad.  I saw a groupon for a Lebanese restaurant called Al Wadi and had to have it. I generally like to seize any opportunity I can to compare my great grandma and grandma's Lebanese cooking to anyone and everyone else's. Literal years after I purchased the groupon, I finally convinced someone (Jimmy) to come with me, since it was a little bit of a hike down to West Roxbury.
     We went pretty early (like a couple of old people), and we were one of 3 or 4 tables that were seated the whole time we were there. The restaurant was huge and beautifully decorated. There were a lot of reds, oranges, and tan colors, synonymous with desert hues I'd guess. There were also really beautiful, sparkling light fixtures and chandeliers, really putting me back into my great grandma's old house.
     Unfortunately, the food didn't live up to the atmosphere. We ordered the hummus with ground meat on top but the hummus was relatively unflavorful as well as the tablespoon of ground beef on top. It definitely was not as garlicy as grandma's and she uses ground lamb instead of beef, which is much much better. I was hoping for some warm, fresh baked pita, but they served microwaved cut up pita triangles. Yes I can tell.  I'd honestly rather have had them room temperature because then half of them wouldn't be crisp while the other is still soft.
     The grape leaves were probably the closest to grandma's grape leaves out of all other grape leaves I've ever tried (outside of those made by my family members). Generally when you get them from other restaurants. from hot bars in grocery stores, or in a can, they're soaked in oil and there's no meat. It's just rice stuffed in a grape leaf swimming in oil. Ew. My family has always steamed them so I was delighted to discover that Al Wadi had steamed their grape leaves AND stuffed them with ground lamb. Thank you thank you! They were delicious and served with an unnecessary cucumber yogurt sauce.... but still undoubtably delicious.

Kafta and kibbeh

     Strangely, my favorite part of the meal was the dip they served with the bread. It was good olive oil (you can always tell if you've got a high quality olive oil) and just za'atar I think. Za'atar is a middle eastern mix of spices including things like thyme, marjoram, oregano, sesame seeds and the most notable flavor from sumac. The sumac gives it a strong, earthy flavor I think and is unlike any other spice, in my opinion. Dipping the bread into the za'atar and oil was delightful and made me feel at home.
     For the meal I ordered the kafta kabob. Kafta is a meatball/meat log type dish that consists of ground meat (generally lamb, beef, chicken or pork) and mixed with onions and spices. These kafta were beef and lamb and were served on top of rice pilaf. The kafta were pretty tasty, but, as Jimmy pointed out, they were a little more tough and dryer that I think they should've been. I have concluded that Al Wadi wasn't making many things fresh. I understand that can be hard to do, but between the pita, my kafta and Jimmy's baked kibbeh, you could tell a lot of things had been reheated in the microwave or just reheated in an oven and dried out. The rice pilaf was ok, but I'm not a huge fan to begin with. It's just meh. I'd much rather have grandma's Syrian rice with cinnamon (sounds odd but it's fabulous).
     For dessert we ordered the baklava sampler which was decent. Sometimes baklava can be dry, and sometimes it can be too gooey. These were slightly more on the gooey side and shockingly sweet. While tasty, they could've benefited from being a little less soaked and sweet. However, they did offer both a pistachio and a cashew baklava which was different. I liked the pistachio best, but the cashew was still good.
     I think I'd pass up that Al Wadi groupon if I saw it again. It was worth the experience and worth a shot, but, at least in my case, any Lebanese restaurant has some pretty big shoes to fill in order to impress me.

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Cantina la Mexicana - Somerville, MA
http://www.cantinalamexicana.com/

Fajitas, eggs in purgatory, and a gordita from Cantina la Mexicana

     Well... this honestly wasn't the first time I've been to Cantina la Mexicana, and it won't be my last. This past year Gentle Giant did a fundraiser for the Walk for Hunger there, and I sampled their prickly pear margarita which was really unique. Definitely the best margarita I've ever had. Please try it if you can. I had a burrito then as well and was unfortunately not impressed. It's a big place up in Union Square in Somerville, but I've never seen much of a crowd. The waitstaff is super responsive and pleasant and well.... the margaritas.
     This time David, Rachel, Victor and I went after running the Somerville Jingle Bell 5k, and the food was much more exceptional that I anticipated. Admittedly, we were starving, but it was still fabulous. David and I ordered a gordita because I had no idea what that was, and he wanted to introduce me to his friend gordita. It basically came as a cornmeal tortilla (or what they called a pancake) and was topped with refried beans, chicken, melty cheese, lettuce, sour cream and a little dusting of more cheese. It was difficult to eat, but it was so delicious with the two textures of cheeses, sour cream and chicken and splash of cool fresh crunch from the lettuce.
     We also wanted to try one of their breakfast specials which was called... something. I cannot remember, their brunch menu isn't online, and no one else on the internet seems to have documented this incredible experience before. Maybe it was called swimming eggs? Either way, it was similar to eggs in purgatory. By that I mean that there is a tomato based sauce and the eggs are dropped into the sauce and cooked that way rather than frying them in a pan. This was so profoundly flavorful with a slight bit of heat. It was full of spices, peppers, onions, diced tomato and surprising chunks of chorizo while topped with cilantro and a crumbly cheese. It was served with some warm tortillas so you could wrap up some egg, sauce and the sauce treasures. Took Mexican brunch to a whole new level.
     Because 2 dishes were enough, we also got the grilled chicken fajitas. Although they didn't come to the table on one of those sizzling skillets that makes everyone else that didn't get fajitas jealous, they were still great. These fajitas were different in that you were given the grilled meat, grilled peppers and onions but also received fresh tomato, red onions, lettuce, and avocado. The mix of cold and warm fajita fillers was something I hadn't seen before and was super pumped about. Oh! And another cool addition was snap peas. They included snap peas into the vegetable mix that was grilled and they were delicious! What a pleasant surprise.
     Everything here was delicious and surprising in some way making for a really fun food experience. I'd definitely recommend Cantina la Mexicana if you're looking for unique, fresh Mexican food. I can't speak for the authenticity of it, but my taste buds sure don't lie.

Thanks For Putting Up With Me For A Year

Smith and Wollensky - Boston, MA
http://smithandwollensky.com/

Rosemary buns. Look at them. Have you ever seen something more beautiful?

     I wouldn't say we're very traditional, but for our one year anniversary, David and I wanted to go someplace nice for dinner where we could get all fancy, since that is not the normal for us. I spent hours (the day before) doing some extensive internet research and using my phone-a-friend lifeline in order to find just what we wanted. In the end, Smith and Wollensky was just the place. It is one of Boston's best steakhouses, and the location we went to was inside a castle in Back Bay. Yes... an actual castle. It was built in 1891 and served as the headquarters for the First Corps of Cadets. It honestly had a very unique, European castle feel with its intricate wood carvings along the walls and ceilings, statutes, and art. We were so out of our element it was hilarious.
     On to food. I was so excited for the complimentary bread and was ecstatic when it came because it was perfect. It was a bunch of rolls in the shape of a flower, it was fresh baked with a slightly crispy crust, and it had a hefty dose of rosemary and salt on it. Each roll was so flavorful because of the oils assisting with the crispness of the crust and the herbs that there was no need for butter (even though we still used it and it was still delicious). While a necessary element, the only thing I would change would be the coarseness of the salt. Sometimes the salt chunks were far too big that they were almost painful on your tongue.

Too quick of a picture means it smelled too good to
postpone any longer. 

     As an appetizer, we got the Wollensky salad that had a beautiful light dressing, lots of vegetables and little fried potato chunks on the sides. It was the perfect start. For our meal, the highlight was the 24oz dry-aged ribeye for 55 dollars. Yes, 55 dollars. I was so excited for David to have a steak like this because it was his first steak of this caliber. This ribeye was perfectly medium rare and was as tender as can be. Each bite just melted in your mouth but was simple in flavor. It felt clean and was beautifully marbled. It was exactly how I would've wanted him to experience a good steak. 

     We also got the salmon, which was served with garlic kale, wild mushrooms and onions. The salmon had a very unique and crispy crust which I couldn't figure out. This dish was also a tad salty for me, but on its own, the salt level would've been perfect. My favorite part was the mushrooms. They were some sort of different wild mushroom that I'm not sure I've had before. But they were soft and chewy and full of flavor.
     As a side, we got the truffled mac and cheese with the little cracker crumbs on top. It was like a big fat rich punch in the face. So rich. So delicious. Salty again, but delicious. the cheese and noodles were on the more dry side, which I like as opposed to the noodles swimming in a goopy cheese sauce.
     I'm sure dessert would've been spectacular, but there was no way. Smith and Wollensky will probably be a once in a lifetime thing (primarily because of the $$$), but it's worth it. The atmosphere is great, the people watching is fabulous and the food is even better.

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Al Dente - Boston, MA

http://www.aldenteboston.com/

The Al Dente Special

     For Head of the Charles this year, we had more alumni than ever before come into town. It was like a big happy reunion. Add rowing and it's one of the best weekend's of the year. Plus, it gives me excuses to go eat at restaurants with the nomads. This year Kevin organized a dinner at Cambridge Brewing Company (which I've written about before) and Meagan organized one to Al Dente down in the North end (Boston's little Italy). I've heard this place was good before, so I was very excited to finally true. It's a very typical north end restaurant in that its a small, family run restaurant with a dimly lit dining room and charming music playing overhead. The free bread was abundant and the dipping oil (which unfortunately showed up when I was already 4 rolls deep) took me 6+ rolls into a bread coma before the food even arrived. 

     David and I split a meal, which was smart financially and logically (especially after the bread fiasco). We ordered the Al Dente Special which was sautéed chicken, veal and shrimp tossed with broccoli, mushrooms, red and yellow peppers and artichoke hearts in a white wine vinegar butter sauce...all over pasta... obviously. Another win for wine sauces in my book. They're making a comeback with my taste buds (I'm sure the whole "butter" part of "white wine vinegar butter sauce" probably helped it out a bit). All of the meats and veggies were perfectly cooked and went so well together. I liked how many elements there were to the dish and the variety of flavors. I all tasted very fresh, with the slightly rich sauce to level it all out. I was very impressed with Al Dente and would definitely say it's one of the best restaurants I've been to in the North end so far. That gnocchi from Euno still writes my love songs.

You made cookies? Ugh wait...are they healthy cookies?

     Cooler temps mean more time spent in the kitchen, and it's my favorite! I feel like I can finally cook again after many months of living in the hot-box that is my apartment.  I kind of came out the gates running and was making many new things a week, but then I realized... that's expensive and I have way too much schoolwork to be doing that. So I toned it down a little and am here to share some of my favorites. Also, you'll have to forgive my lack of pictures. I was in this I'm-too-busy-for-anything phase where I thought I wouldn't write about the cookies and things, so I didn't make the effort.

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza with Garlicy Ricotta - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza

     This pizza recipe was surprisingly the only one on my pinterest, so when Eric agreed to making a pizza with me, this is what we went with. I was nervous it would be kind of bland, but it was far from bland thanks to the Gruyere cheese and the panchetta, which Rach from Spache the Spatula didn't use. The panchetta (Italian cured pork belly) was Eric's idea, so we cooked it up in a pan and tossed in the asparagus for a few minutes before adding it to the pizza. The gruyere cheese took the pizza to another level far beyond that which mozzarella has the capability to do. It has a very rich and nutty flavor that was just outstanding. Normally I'm not a big fan of ricotta, but once it was whipped up with some garlic and lemon, it was light and delicious. The garlic, lemon, asparagus combination is something I'm quite familiar with and am a big of. Eric approved. Also... never measure cheese when making a pizza. It's all about feel. 

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza with Garlicy Ricotta

1 cup ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1 small lemon
salt & freshly ground pepper
4-5 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. thick asparagus spears (1/2 a bunch), shaved or sliced longways
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup panchetta, cubed

1 lump of pizza dough, pre-made or homemade

1. In a food processor, combine the ricotta, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds until whipped. Season, to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture onto your pizza.

2. Top with the gruyere, the asparagus, panchetta and the mozzarella. 

3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese starts to brown, and the crust is cooked through.

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Pecan Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - My kitchen, Allston, MA

The insides of a pecan butter oatmeal chocolate
chip cookie

     These cookies by Ambitious Kitchen were honestly much better than I had expected. Last time I made a nut butter based cookie recipe, they were good, but you could tell they were mainly peanut butter; just a little heavy feeling and crumbly in a slightly dried out peanut butter way. Anyway, this time I got some pecans, roasted them, threw them in a blender (my food processor sucks) with a little maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and presto... it was gold. I wish I had roasted the pecans a little longer to get a more roasted flavor, but the pecan butter was still delicious regardless, and I wish I had made more for things other than cookies. Also, I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips and I feel like this is one of the best choices you'll ever make in your life. They're exceptional in cookies.
     What make these cookies exceptional was their texture and form. The bottom crisped up, but not from the oils in normal butter, but from the oils in the nut butter and it tasted richer. The edges had a slightly caramelized flavor and feel to them, while the insides were slightly chewy (from the oats?) and steered the cookie away from a dry nut-butter cookie (like I mentioned earlier).

Pecan Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup homemade pecan butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup gluten free oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut flakes, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat pecan butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. 

4. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by tablespoonful onto prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between. 

5. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. Makes 20ish cookies. Store in airtight container.

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Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies - My kitchen, Allston, MA

     Another cookie recipe from Ambitious Kitchen! She does good work. While I think the pecan butter cookies earned a higher grade, I couldn't stop eating these. They tasted healthy, but were by no means lacking in flavor like some other cookies that try to be healthy and tasty at the same time. I've had plenty of experience with those in my lightweight days. This was the real deal. Now I know looking at the ingredients list may be overwhelming, but it's not that bad. They're easy to make, as long as you don't mind shredded carrots all over your kitchen (or you're more graceful than me). My favorite part about this cookie was the influence of the coconut. Anytime I've ever had a dessert made with coconut oil, it's always blown my mind, and this was no exception. The cookie had a subtle coconut flavor from the oil, but you'd also catch very distinct nibs of it when you'd bite into one of the coconut shreds. It was irreplaceable. I loved the fall-like spices, the roasted and nutty pecans, and moisture that the carrots brought to the cookie. 

Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 

3. In a separate large bowl mix together coconut oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until well combined; next fold in shredded carrots. Add in flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in oats, coconut flakes, pecans, and raisins.

4. Drop by tablespoonful on prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten with your hand. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Quinoa Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash - My kitchen, Allston, MA

(insert beautiful picture here)

     OH boy. These are so pretty looking. Go check them out on Daily Garnish. I feel like I made a meal for the first time in forever. I say that only because this dish seemed like it was more than just a side dish that I've turned into dinner, which is normally the case. However, I took this over to David's family's house for dinner and it was indeed eaten as a side dish, David thought it was dessert, and most of his siblings were too afraid to try it. Hmph. However, it inspired his mom, and I was super happy with it and would definitely make it again. This dish was on the fence trying to decide if it wanted to be savory or sweet. The quinoa, squash and onions brought the savory, and the apples, cinnamon and cranberries brought the sweet. It was a beautiful blend. It was very easy to make too, as long as you have a couple hours. According to Daily Garnish, this makes two large servings, but I used acorn squash the size of my head so it made many more. Also, I used apple cider vinegar instead of the orange champagne vinegar because I felt like it was a better idea (and because I wasn't going to spend the $ on the fancy stuff). My only other alteration was that I screwed up the balsamic glaze and turned it into glue practically, so that part of my recipe was omitted. She includes it in her recipe, but I feel like there are already so many flavors going on, that adding another may make it more complex than it needs to be. 

Quinoa Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 large acorn squash
1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Cut a slice off the bottom of each squash so that it can stand up on its own. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds (I roasted the seeds separately - like pumpkin seeds - and they were fabulous!). Drizzle a bit of olive oil and salt into each squash, and then place face-down in a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until fork tender inside. 

3. While the squash bakes, prepare the filling. Rinse and cook. Set quinoa aside.

4. In a large saute pan, cook one diced onion on medium heat until brown and softening. Once the onion has cooked 10-15 minutes, add the diced apple and cook until soft. Add the cranberries and the cooked quinoa, and turn heat down to low.

5. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, cinnamon, and salt together into a dressing. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture, and continue to stir over low heat.

6. Once the acorn squash has cooked, flip them right side up and fill the squash with the quinoa mixture. Pack tightly!

7. Bake 10-15 additional minutes, until the tops of the quinoa is golden and starting to get crispy.

A Total KO

KO Catering and Pies - East Boston, MA
http://kocateringandpies.com/

Boston skyline from Piers Park
+ pies from KO Pies

     It's becoming apparent to me that David and I are forming this tradition of going out to eat whenever he takes me to the airport or after he picks me up, and I like it, because we don't eat out often and he lets me choose some place new every time. This time, I was on my way home for my little summer trip, and we stopped at KO Pies on the way there. Mary and I have been talking about this place for a while (sorry for going without you Mary!!), but I had never actually seen the East Boston location. It's honestly much nicer than the one in South Boston in that it's situated in a very low traffic area down by an industrial marina. I was so surprised how much art was down there too. There were beautiful, enormous murals all over buildings and sculptures scattered around in an effort to bring in some culture to an otherwise industrial/run down area. It was actually quite beautiful.
     Anyway, back to the restaurant. KO Pies had a cute little patio area with background music and outdoor seating that looked out (through the marina) over the harbor, with the Boston skyline in the distance. Inside it was a tiny little place with Australian flags, banners, artwork and clocks hung from the walls. It was was a very fast-paced environment where you ordered from one counter, picked it up from another and had to quickly scurry out to make room for everyone else. I didn't mind though, because it made me happy that this little place off the beaten path seemed to be doing so well.

   

Oh pie-lease...

     The food served at KO Pies mostly consists of these little handheld savory pies that are typical of Australian cuisine. To my surprise, they were very easy to pickup and held their shape without spilling all over you. We ordered 3 and the special of the day, which was a sausage roll. I would love if they could tell me what kind of sausage this was because it was incredible. It was basically a sausage like shape of meat surrounded by their golden brown, buttery, flakey crust. Now this crust was the same crust that came on all of the pies and rolls, and it was perfection. Probably the most delicious pie crust I've ever tasted, and I'm a pie crust fiend. It was definitely butter laden, and you could feel it. Amazing. Anyway, the sausage itself was salty and savory, but it didn't seem to have a casing, which made me wonder if they had used some sort of ground meat, threw in a bunch of spices and formed it into a little log. Either way, it was incredible. Pigs in a blanket has nothing on these rolls. No way.
     Among the actual pies, my favorite one that we got was the braised lamb shank. Duh. I love lamb. Anything to do with lamb will always be my favorite (thanks grandma). This pie had chunks of very tender lamb meat, carrots, peas and rosemary. So much rosemary, which is the bomb with lamb. I really liked that these pies didn't have a cream base inside, like a lot of chicken pot pies and things. This made them a) easier to eat and b) feel more satisfying since they filled the space with meat and veggies.

Braised lamb shank pie

      My second favorite was probably the Irish beef stew. It had tender chunks of beef with celery, carrots and a very light brown sauce. It tasted just like Irish beef stew. More rich, savory, herb flavors snuggled inside the golden, flaky crust. The third and final pie was the curried vegetable. I wasn't exactly expecting to see curry in an Aussie pie, but it was delicious. It had carrots, potatoes and some other veggies (maybe squashes?). Everything was just so tender, and I loved having a curry dish inside that pie crust. It was a way I hadn't experienced curry before.
     I would definitely recommend making a trip out to KO Pies if you haven't been before. It has a great atmosphere, a beautiful view and food unlike anyplace else in Boston. Do it. Do it now.

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Lithuanian Kitchen - Boston, MA
http://www.sblca.org/index.php/lithuanian-restaurant-bar

Pink Soup

      I finally got to go to the Lithuanian Kitchen, and it was amazing!! Last year, when I started at Gentle Giant, I met a bunch of Lithuanians and they used to tell me about the Lithuanian Kitchen down in South Boston. I had heard that it was a quiet little place in the basement of a building where Lithuanian woman cooked some of their home cooked favorites on the weekends only. I needed to experience it. Finally, this year I asked Mantas if he could take me along one day, and he happily obliged.
    There's no sign and no open door. Just a Lithuanian flag outside and a doorbell to ring to have someone let you in. I love it. I love these hidden gems. It was just like everyone had described inside; a no frills dining room with older women doing what they do best.
     To start, I had what they call "pink soup" that was pink thanks to the beets. It was a cold, kefir based soup that was perfect on a summer day (kefir is kind of a cross between cream and buttermilk). It also had chopped up hard boiled eggs, green onions, pickles, and dill. Everything had dill. The soup was refreshing and had many different unique flavors. It was also served with a small dish with some boiled potatoes topped with bacon bits (real slices of bacon... not those stupid red nubs) and... more dill. But the deal was, you have this side dish of potatoes so that you can grab a small spoonful of them, dip them into the soup and then eat them. This way, the potatoes didn't heat up the cold soup. Genius. I love that someone came up with this. It was delicious, and I can't wait to try making it on my own.

Cepelinai

     For the meal, Mantas had called ahead and ordered us some Zeppelins, or "Cepelinai." These are the most traditional and most loved dish from Lithuania, so I was pumped to be able to try it. It was a ball of mincemeat, surrounded in a very thick layer of shredded potatoes. But these potatoes were sticky, like sticky rice rather than like shredded potatoes in hashbrowns. You know what I mean? It was a very solid ball. A heavy ball. The cepelinai were served with.... more bacon bits, dill, sour cream and a very light broth/sauce. OH boy were these huge and incredibly filling. I felt like exploding, but it was worth it because they were so delicious. So very simple, but full of starchy, savory flavor.
    Everything here was meat and potatoes, as I had expected from Mantas' description. A lot of mincemeat, wrapped in different shapes of potatoes, different cuts of potatoes, or mincemeat inside of natural casing like a sausage. So much meat and potatoes... and dill... and bacon bits... and everything was served with sour cream. Watching these guys eat was entertainment in itself because they'd order one course... and then an hour later order another... and then maybe some time later order another form of potatoes. Precious.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Semifreddo - Boston, MA

Bittersweet chocolate orange semifreddo

     I just tried out something called bittersweet chocolate and orange semifreddo that I found on Food52. This was appealing to me because it seemed like a cross between a chocolate mousse and ice cream that you cut like a cake. Huh? Semifreddo is Italian for 'half cold" and is a common type of dessert in Italy. I feel so cultured.
     Honestly, it was more difficult than I expected simply because I don't have 8 hands... oh and because I don't have a stand mixer. I wasn't able to multi-task while making this, which is kind of essential because of the time sensitivity of the sugar syrup that has to get to a certain temp, whipping of the eggs, whipping of the cream, and melting of the chocolate. But I managed... and I managed without a thermometer and with the help of youtube.
      In the end, I think I liked the idea of it more than the actual end result, and I got mixed reviews from Eric, David and Mary. Eric loved it. I thought it was too salty. That was the first flavor I noticed (even though most people said they wouldn't have noticed the salt if I hadn't mentioned it. The second flavor that was almost too overpowering was the orange, and I didn't actually add the full two tablespoons. Mary put it a good way when she said that she felt like the orange and the salty flavors were definitely strong, but not too much. Instead, the chocolate flavor needed to be more prominent, perhaps with more cocoa powder or something. I agree, but I'd also suggest maybe doing less salt.  However, I loved the soft, almost airy texture of the semifreddo. It was lighter than ice cream and fun to eat it in slices. I'd definitely try it again, messing around with the salt and orange zest.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Orange Semifreddo 

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange zest
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1. Line 9x5 loaf pan with plastic wrap

2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer if you're feeling daring) , whip yolks for 3-4 minutes till light and frothy.

3. While yolks are whipping, combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook sugar syrup over high heat until it reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees on a candy thermometer). This took me maybe 8 minutes without a thermometer? But I was stirring it a lot, and I'm not sure if that's right. Youtube "soft ball stage" if you don't know what that means. 

4. With mixer on medium speed drizzle sugar syrup down the side of the bowl slowly. Add cocoa powder and salt and whip for 5-6 minutes until mixture cools and thickens.

5. In a separate bowl whip cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in orange zest.

6. Fold whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture.  Spoon about 1/4 of chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Use a spoon to drizzle about 1/3 of the melted chocolate evenly over the chocolate mixture. Carefully spoon another 1/4 of the chocolate mixture into the pan. Drizzle with another 1/3 of the melted chocolate. Repeat another layer of chocolate mixture, the last of the melted chocolate, and finish with the last of the chocolate mixture (or add a little chocolatey swirl on top for funsies). 

7. Cover the pan with plastic and place in freezer for at least 8 hours or up to a week. When ready to serve remove the semifreddo from pan and peel off plastic. Slice into 8 slices and serve with a little whipped cream and orange supremes. 

But It's Complimentary...

Tupelo - Cambridge, MA
http://tupelo02139.com/

Southern fried chicken with collard greens and jalapeno mac and cheese.

     Inman square is so full of restaurants I want to write about and places I want to do well. So many of them are small, have great food and inspiring stories. Tupelo is one of these places. They opened in 2009 and served southern food that has a New England influence. Their menu changes seasonally, and they locally source a lot of their products (yay!). Damon (one of my CREST REU kids I'm working with this summer) got a few people together one weekend and invited me along, which was pretty cool a) because they must think I'm ok and b) because I've been wanting to go to Tupelo forever. After a "45 minute wait" (that was more like 20 minutes) they were pouring our waters into mason jars. I drink out of mason jars not because it's hip nowadays, but because I have since I was little, so when it happens at restaurants it makes me feel all nice and fuzzy inside.

     Jackie (another REU student) is too cute because every restaurant she goes to she asks what their best seller is. That's a really great idea. I think I might start doing that. She asked and the waiter listed off all 4 things I was trying to choose from which was especially unhelpful because their menu is so small (not that that's a bad thing). I ended up going with the southern fried chicken because people at all the tables around me were eating it, and there really was no other option once I saw it. Great choice. Go me. It was incredible. I'm going to go ahead and make the bold statement that it may have been the best fried chicken I've ever had. For real. The breading was solid and crunchy but flaky at the same time, in that when it broke apart some would flake off like oatmeal or in oatmeal sized pieces (but I don't think there actually was oatmeal in it). The chicken was also super moist and hot. But it stayed hot, which isn't always the case. It was perfect, and I was upset that it had to come to an end.
     The chicken was served on top a pile of the best collard greens I've ever had too. Sometimes restaurants make collards too sweet perhaps because most people don't like them so adding sugar helps? I don't know. But Tupelo got them just slightly sweet with a little zing (which Austin and I decided was apple cider vinegar) without the vinegar punch. You know what I mean? They were so good and perfectly steamed. Sometimes collard greens are more limp and steamed to much making them stick together and be wilty, but these were more stiff and hung out around each other more like shaved parmesan cheese does sitting in a tub (don't hate on my analogies).
     The second best part of the meal though was the jalapeno mac and cheese. I like spicy sometimes, so I was a little worried this may be too much, but it wasn't at all. The mac and cheese had a jalapeno flavor throughout without the heat of jalapenos. Not to mention, they mastered the cheese sauce to noodle ratio meaning that it wasn't too runny or too gooey to the point that you're practically eating cheese noodle soup. Each noodle was coated in just enough cheese so that you could get all the flavors and ingredients on a fork without scooping.
     I highly recommend Tupelo for southern food in Boston, for a nice meal out, or for their free complimentary cornbread (which they gave us three servings of because Damon wouldn't stop asking). Sometimes southern food can leave me feeling fat, salty and in general relatively unhealthy but this didn't. Incredible food engineering.

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The Asgard - Cambridge, MA
http://www.classicirish.com/asgard-home.php

The world's saddest potato skins.

    So Jimmy and I set a date to go get sushi to use my birthday coupon. However, we realized that day that it was actually his birthday, and we should/could do something else for his actual celebration. The sushi place I had a coupon for was downtown, we were hungry and transportation down there just made me want to throw up, so we opted for some place with better parking. Plus Karl came along, and he doesn't like sushi.
    I walked into the Asguard a couple years ago while on a run because I wanted to check out the menu. It sounded so good with a bunch of different Irish foods and the interior was a big open, dark bar/restaurant. This had a different feel than most Irish pubs because of its size, and that was slightly intriguing. Jimmy went to Ireland once, so I thought this might be a great place to go.
     For a lack of better words, it was disappointing. Not awful, but just nothing exciting, and almost irritating. For example, the service was not good. The man seemed really rushed and tried to take our menus before we even ordered. It was confusing. What was also confusing was that they only offered their 25 cent wing deal if you ate inside verses on the patio. What? Why? Who thought that made sense? Either way, we ordered the wings anyways, and Jimmy asked for them to come naked with the sauce on the side. A pretty standard request I'd say. So how did they come? Not naked with the sauce on the side. Of course. And as far as the taste, they were just your standard wings. Nothing crazy.

Chicken Pot Pie

     For the other appetizer we had to have the potato skins which were stuffed with bacon, beef, lamb, melted cheddar jack cheese, and guiness gravy. There were 2 issues. One potato skin and the other. Yea ... 2 tiny potato skins made from the world's smallest potato to split between 3 people. They had minimal amounts of all those things in them, and I couldn't really taste the lamb. Lamb has a lot of flavor. What the heck? The gravy was good, but I don't want super delicious gravy to cover up my lack-luster potato half-skin. I want good potato skins. Oh... AND they came out cold. Clearly cold because the melted cheese had already started to solidify. The worst part? $10. Blew my mind.
     Finally for dinner, I ordered the chicken pot pie; Something I'm not going to make myself (especially in this heat). This was served like most chicken pot pies in restaurants in that it's a bowl with the pie ingredients and a puffy piece of dough on top. It wasn't bad, but I'd say it was 75% cream. There were not enough peas, carrots, celery or chicken. So (75% of the time) I found myself just taking scoops of cream as I worked my way through. Waste of time. I didn't order a cream pie. The puffy dough on top was great though. The only thing that really required no skill to cook. Congratulations.

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Haru Sushi - Boston, MA

http://www.harusushi.com/

     Two days later, we actually got sushi, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Haru Sushi is a swanky place downtown with a delightful waitstaff that doesn't laugh at me when I'm overwhelmed by sushi menus and terms I don't know. This place was very clean, crisp and dark, making their sushi chefs who were illuminated by bright lights seem like they were angels. I mean... they pretty much were angels because the food was delicious. 

Chicken dumplings (after we ate one).

     As an appetizer, Jimmy and I got the chicken dumplings. They had chicken and shredded veggies in them and were topped with thin green onions and served with a spicy soy sauce which was something new for me. I really liked it. They were so flavorful and salty. 

Spicy Tuna (front left), Kamikaze (front right) and the Lobster roll (back)

     For our rolls, we ordered a spicy tuna (you can never go wrong with a spicy tuna), the kamikaze, the Super Dynamite, and the Lobster roll. The kamikaze is similar to the spicy tuna except that it has yellowtail and tempura flakes in it and the little red roe on top. That's my favorite part. It was good and served as one of the simpler rolls that I like to have to help balance out the special rolls. The Lobster roll was something I had never heard of or tried before, and I thought it was fabulous. It had lobster, boston lettuce, spicy mayo, avocado, cucumber, mango and tobiko (the same red roe). My favorite combination was the mango, lobster and avocado together. The mango added an awesome sweetness. The whole concoction was a great idea. The Super Dynamite roll was my favorite. It had tempura style tuna, freshwater eel and asparagus with sriracha, spicy mayo and eel sauces. Any sushi I've ever had with eel I've loved. When looking at the sushi, however, I can never tell which fish is which, but it's all delicious. The asparagus was really good in the sushi too because it added a crunchy texture. Overall everything was delicious, fresh and quick. Plus... they give you a $20 coupon for your birthday if you sign up for their email list. It got me in the door!

The Super Dynamite roll

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Red Mango - Boston, MA

http://www.redmangousa.com/

     

Froyo from Red Mango

     After sushi, Jimmy and I naturally gravitate towards the nearest place with sugary treats. I wanted to try this froyo place I haven't been to before called Red Mango. They have locations all over the country, so I feel a little odd writing about them, but whatever. It's a sushi/smoothie place with a crepe bar (which is totally awesome) down on Mass Ave near Northeastern. I ordered their small cup which they charge you two something for, and then they charge you for each additional topping. I'm not about that because most of the time I just want a couple of each topping because I like variety. They didn't have as many options as Yogurtland or 16 Handles, so that was a bummer. But the froyo itself was good, if you like more ice-like froyo. My ideal consistency is a little bit more creamy.... ie more like ice cream. Yogurtland has this down pat, so whenever I try other froyos like this one from Red Mango, it turns me off. Especially when it comes to things like chocolate, which in my mind shouldn't be so icey. Their mango froyo, however, was really tasty and the texture/consistency fit the flavor. It was ok, but not worth the $$ I'd say. Why don't they have self serve ice cream bars with unlimited toppings? I mean... that's what most people go to froyo place for, right?

 CANDY