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 Don't Want You to Think I'm a Gluten"

Boston Burger Company - Boston, MA
http://www.bostonburgerco.com/

The Green Monstuh

       Some people eat food for the nourishment, some for the energy, some because it tastes good, and some become they're in a emotionally committed relationship with it. I eat for all of the above. It's not everyday that a you get a visitor that shares the same affinity for such substance. Jake arrived on Saturday and immediately we were planning dinner. There were so many options. To celebrate his arrival, we headed over to Boston Burger Company on Boylston Street to meet up with some of his friends. There is a Boston Burger Company location right in Davis Square, but I'd never been (and now that I think about it, I don't understand why my coworkers don't go there, because this was an incredible experience). It seemed like a relatively classy-casual burger joint with a hosting staff (which isn't standard I'd say) and the beautiful aromas of freshly pressed beef patties. BEEF. It's what was for dinner.

Cajun Fries

          There reached a point after we both sat down where we both had to set the menu down and come up for air. There were so many types of burgers, all very different, and it was nearly impossible to decide. I was real tempted to try out their conch burger, but I was so scared. Maybe next time. Finally I settled on the "Green Monstah" with their homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, and "cheddah jack cheese." Woah buddy. This thing so plump and juicy and was loaded with the guac. The combo of the guac and the pico de gallo gave it this awesome southwest flavor with a little heat from the cheese. It was incredible. At first I told myself I wouldn't eat the whole thing... but I was just being dumb. The burger also came with their homemade potato chips that were also the bomb. Super simple and lightly browned, like the chips they probably throw away at most potato chip factories because they're "burnt." Well... those are my favorite... and these were my favorite.
     We made the right choice when it came to ordering only one side of fries. These fries weren't normal fries. Oh no. These were deee-lux fries. Choosing between the Greek Fries, Pizza Fries, Nacho Fries, Cajun Fries, and Buffalo Cheese Fries was no easy feat. Finally we decided on the cajun, and man oh man was it a pure stroke of genius. They weren't your standard french fries with cajun seasoning though. They were more like potato wedges sunked in this mildly spicy cajun sauce with sauteed onions and peppers. It was absolutely incredible. They were the best ones on the table.

Raising Cane's - Boston, MA 
http://raisingcanes.com/

Smash Box Boss

     I know I'll probably get some lightweight hate for these couple of posts, but I don't care. Life is a celebration! And when you rage your face off at a concert, I'm sure you burn a few cals. So Jake and I stopped in at Raising Cane's after the show. He was ecstatic that there was a Boston location, and I was ecstatic that I was finally going to try it after being tortured by the Raisin Cane's smell billions of people would bring into City Sports. Raisin Cane's seems to me like a pretty standard fried chicken "fast food" joint but up a notch or two. The smash box was apparently the best. Needless to say, we smashed it. It came to the table piping hot and consisted of something like 4 or 6 chicken strips, coleslaw, fries, texas toast, 2 tubs of special sauce and a large drink. Why is it that every "special sauce" ever created is impossible to figure out? What in the world makes it so tasty? And why is it so delicious when paired with super hot fried chicken? The chicken was just the best and the breading was nice and light and not too greasy. This really hit the spot... especially for a Tuesday night. I felt like a rebel.

Jacob Wirth - Boston, MA
http://www.jacobwirth.com/index.html

     The night had finally arrived. We had been waiting months, but it felt like years. After being a total moron and showing up late, Jake and I dove head first into this beast of a menu at Jacob Wirth. This restaurant is a German restaurant downtown nestled around Chinatown and the theater district.downtown. I had a groupon that was good for one appetizer, two entrées, and a dessert. As a "True Boston Classic," Jacob Wirth looks just like what I would picture a big German bar to look like, where people would be dancing in traditional German garb. The ceilings were super high and there were simple white christmas lights hung from the ceiling. It was perfect.

     After obliterating 2 baskets of cornbread, the appetizer we went with was Jake's Nibbler which included samplings of grilled knockwurst and brats, served over saurkraut, red cabbage, and german potato salad with a side of bittersweet red beer sauce. The knockwurst and brats were incredible. They were so juicy and had a distinct smoky flavor. Some people may think it's gross, but I absolutely loved the way the casing snapped when you bit into it. That's the real stuff for sure. The red beer sauce didn't have much of a beer flavor, but brought a coolness (like that of salsa) to the brat/saurkraut combo. The saurkraut was unlike any other saurkraut I've ever had. It seemed bubbly. I'm guessing the way they ferment the saurkraut made it still seem a little zing-y, or like if you made it into a drink it's be fizzy like soda. Weird description, I know. It was delicious.

     For my entrée I went with the Jaeger Schnitzel, which was two breaded fresh veal tenderloins served over mushroom and sweet pea handmade spaetzel with a Jagermeister sauce. I might as well stop with my description here because I have no idea how to explain how amazing this was. I don't eat veal often, but I wanted to try it again. The tenderloin seemed so delicate and was perfectly fried to a crisp only on the outside. Inside the meat was juicy and so tender. The spaetzel (tiny German dumplings) it was served over was all savory flavors with the mushrooms and peas in addition to the sauce it was resting in. I was a little nervous about the Jagermeister sauce tasting a lot like Jager, but I truthfully couldn't find the Jager flavor at all (I really wasn't that upset because whatever they did to give it flavor was spot on). Filing a fork with a piece of the veal, a mushroom, the spaetzel and a little sauce was as if you had personally aligned all of the planets. All was right in the world.
     There's no way we could've decided on one dessert... so we naturally got two. The first one was a German Chocolate Whoopie pie with a pecan coconut icing in between the two cakes. Unbelievable. The cakes were slightly warm and light, and the pecan coconut icing was so sweet but was hands down the best frosting I've ever had with a German chocolate cake. The second dessert were these two warm apple pastries served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They were like mini apple pies in a light crisp pastry dough.  On top of the pastries and the ice cream these drizzled this delicious dark cherry sauce. It brought a totally different flavor to each bite when you'd get a little of the sauce. It was like adding peppermint to a chocolate shake. Completely different.

Carrot Cake Granola - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     When you know you probably shouldn't actually be eating real carrot cake, you have to make some sacrifices and make incredibly delicious carrot cake granola instead. I was on the hunt for granola recipes without oils or added sugar and found this one, which ended up being only about 75 cals per 1/4 cup. That's pretty good for granola. I was extremely impressed. It really does taste like carrot cake and is super easy. I found this recipe on a blog called iheartwellness and modified the nuts and fruits quantities to make it better (I think). However, I do think that this granola is deceptive. It doesn't seem crunchy at all when you pull it out of the oven, but it'll harden up if you let it cool out in the open air. However, if you put it in a sealed jar, I think the moisture of the banana softens it up a little bit. If I was looking for the crunchy granola in yogurt idea, I'd just pop it in the toaster for a minute or two to toast it up and let it cool again before using it. Either way, it's delicious crunchy or not.

Carrot Cake Granola

2 cups oats
1 medium carrot, grated
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs shredded coconut
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 raw walnuts, chopped
1/4 raw almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1 banana mashed
2 tbs honey
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

2) Mix together the dry ingredients (except the raisins) in a large mixing bowl along with the shredded carrot. 

3) In a separate mixing bowl, mash the banana and stir in the remaining liquid. Add the dry incredients.

4) On a parchment lined cookie sheet spread the mixture out evenly and bake for 30 minutes or so. Rotate and stir every 10 minutes or so. 

5) Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Add the raisins. 

Cachaca Camaraderie

Deep Ellum - Allston, MA
http://www.deepellum-boston.com/ 



     After the 2x(5x5min) erg workout plus standard 4 mile run and weights, I was feeling pretty pooped. But, chicken tenders had been appearing in my life throughout the week. The smell of them, the thought of them... everything. I needed them. I wish I was exaggerating when I say I spent and hour and a half researching restaurants online. I was debating between three and wasn't really sold on either of them. Then the smoke cleared and I remembered Deep Ellum. Supposedly it was good. The moment I set eyes on the menu, I knew I had hit the jackpot.

     The place was skinny and dark. It was modern, yet gave off a rustic and authentic vibe. But this wasn't your typical bar and didn't have the typical bar menu. Every item on the menu was unique. The pairings of flavors sparked my interest. I figured I'd take a look at their drink menu just for kicks. I knew I had to get it as soon as I saw it. The Sao Paulo was Germana aged cachaca (a sugar cane rum), honey ginger syrup, mint and lime. It was a rarity to see cachaca in anything in the states, as far as I've seen. I first experience cachaca in all its glory in a drink called a caipirinha. I first had this drink in Ecuador but it is Brazil's national cocktail. It's made with cachaca, sugar and lime. It was the very first drink I ever learned to make and the second one I had ever tried. I was super excited to finally try something else with cachaca in it, especially in the states. The drink... was amazing. It was sweet but sour because of the lime and the muddled mint was a great addition. I can't say I tasted the ginger honey, but the whole thing was a palatte pleaser. Very happy with my choice.

     As I had planned I ordered the chicken tenders. They were perfect and exactly what I wanted. I wanted huge chunks of meat that didn't make me feel like crap after I ate them. The batter was light and not greasy in the least. The chicken was clean. You know what I mean by clean? I just mean that it wasn't fatty or oily but it was juicy and just... clean. It came with two really unique sauces. One was their own homemade buffalo sauce that was thinner than any buffalo sauce I've had before. I wasn't a huge fan, BUT I was a huge fan of their Maple Hapanero BBQ. It was phenomenal. You could taste both the maple flavor but also the unique spice of the habanero. I'd like to say I could drink it... but that would be weird.

     Karl and I also decided to get their soft pretzel with beer cheese. Have you ever had beer cheese? Me neither, and I can't believe I've gone so long without it. Our 2 pretzels arrived warm with a little salt and nice sized bowl of this cheese. It was a little more thin than your standard fake nacho cheese and a million times more delicious. Initially you got a hit of the beer and a really sharp bite. As the temperature of the cheese dropped, you could feel a mildly gritty texture and it began to thicken. Small chunks began to form at the bottom. I think it got even more delicious the thicker it got. Ultimate pairing with the salt pretzels.

    Karl got their Best Wurst appetizer with one house-made sausage, whole grain mustard and "seasonal pickles." However, I think they were pickled vegetables. The sausage was fabulous! Definitely homemade. It didn't hold together as well as most sausages that were stuffed with fillers. Once you cut this one up, it had a tendency to break apart. Maybe you could call it dry, but it didn't taste dry. Dry makes it sound unappetizing but it was anything but that. So much flavor and again, perfectly paired with the mustard. I was SO HAPPY with my choice. It was perfect in every way. Drink, food, atmosphere, price. A return visit is definitely in order.



Abbott's Custard - Brighton, MA
http://abbottscustard.com/ 

     The perfect meal must be topped off with something sweet. It was time to finally use my $1.00 off a single scoop coupon for Abbott's. I have passed by it multiple times a day for the last 7 months and have yet to go. We caught them at the door just as they went to lock up. Almost perfect timing. They let us in anyway. I wanted the chocolate almond custard, but she "already cleaned the scooper for that one" so I just got plain chocolate. Bummed, but I couldn't complain. So sweet and smooth. Perfect ending.

Sunset Cantina - Boston, MA
http://www.allstonsfinest.com/allstonsfinest/sunsetcantina/sunsetcantina.swf 

     Post City Sports, Kelly, Patrick and I are famished. We were feeling Mexico. This experience was familiar. Another 3000 page menu. Cheesecake Factory? You got it. I thought about being healthy and I had eaten tacos twice that week. So, I went with their South of the Border Fiesta Nachos. A half order, because I was "watching my weight." Boy was it a fiesta. Thank the lord I went with the half order. It was massive. But boy oh boy did they do it right. There wasn't any of that dump one load of cheese on a huge heap of chips business. They knew how to layer at Sunset. I went with the cajun chicken. Great choice. Chips, chicken, cheese, scallions, jalapenos, black olives, lettuce, salsa, guacamole (AMAZING GUAC) and sour cream and repeat. Over and over. But really, the guacamole was some of the best I've ever had. Not sure how they do it. It was just smooth with a little lime-y bite. Very simple. I feel like there were beans in my nachos too. Maybe some chili was included. Such a great combo. I'd have to say... if any nachos have even come close in deliciousness to those my dad and I used to make at home, it was these. Still not just as good but they were amazing. Again, I don't know why I try to fool myself, but I thought, I won't eat this whole thing. Lies. All lies. I demolished it. And attacked half of Kelly's taco salad bowl. Big cow. Moooo so good. So delicious for a late Sunday night. I rarely have anything negative to say about restaurants do I? Hmm.