It's Hard To Hold Back When You Know

Frank's Suffolk Diner - Revere, MA
http://www.frankssuffolkdiner.com/ordereze/default.aspx

FEAST

     Go to Frank's Suffolk Diner. This is the cutest, nicest, most delicious diner I've been to in Boston. Maybe ever? David and I were on a quest to use up my free coupon (yes another coupon) for a stack of Ihop pancakes but the line was so far out the door and we didn't have time for that (literally... I had a plane to catch). So we headed back to Frank's Suffolk Diner, which we had passed on the way. Frank's is in this little tin box with red accented windows. It's adorable. Inside, it's your standard red, white and black diner colors and is kind of shaped like the inside of a train car. The kitchen was right behind the counter, so you could see them prepare all of your food, which I thought made it feel extra home-y. The staff was also super friendly right off the bat, and our waiter was actually the owner. She wasn't Frank, but she bought the place and fixed it up, as it had been closed for 4 years or something.

Banana chocolate chip pancakes

     Anyway, they had an incredible breakfast menu with some really unique things. I ordered the Airport Special... well... partly because I was going to the airport and partly because it sounded great. It was two eggs any style with bacon, homefries and a "short" stack of banana chocolate chip pancakes. First of all, the bacon was great. It was meaty, thin, and crispy just like I like it. The homefries smelled so good and really were HOMEfries. By that I mean that they were cut there (as opposed to coming frozen in a bag), they had the skins on them, and they were cooked on their grill. Some places deep fry them and I think that's just silly. I think my favorite part was the stack of pancakes. They were not "short" as described. They were fat and fluffy (but not too dense like a buckwheat pancake), full of freshly sliced bananas, and had the perfect amount of chocolate chips in them. Sometimes too many chips make it feel too much like dessert, but these were still light, sweet and didn't even need syrup.
     David got some tasty items he let me try too. His Tex-Mex omelette was HUGE and full of beans and ground beef. Uh. Yum. Protein. His s'mores stuffed french toast was insane. They took two slices of bread, dipped in egg and GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS, stuffed chocolate and marshmallow between the two and cooked it. Simply madness. It was delicious, but super sweet. A few bites was plenty. I wanted to put peanut butter in it.
     As I said, go to Frank's. Even though it's not owned by Frank. This lady knows what she's doing.

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Earl of Sandwich - Boston, MA
http://stores.earlofsandwichusa.com/massachusetts/boston/boston-common.html

     Right after finishing the Walk for Hunger (my first walk for hunger) I thought... eh, 20 miles wasn't that bad. Within a few hours of stopping however, I realized I was in for more pain than anticipated. Regardless, once we finished, the Gentle Giant gang broke up and I headed straight for Earl of Sandwich to use my free sandwich coupon (love the coups) I got for signing up for their email list. I went through a newsletter binge a couple months ago and signed up for all the different restaurants that give you things on your birthday, but many of them require you sign up well before the actual day.

The Full Montagu

     Earl of Sandwich sits in the middle of the Boston Common (America's first public park) in a octagonal concrete building. It's odd. I wonder who Earl is. Anyway, you just walk up to the window to order and can go watch the goofballs play Quiddich is the field behind it (I DO NOT UNDERSTAND). To get the full bang for my lack of bucks, I got their Full Montagu which had roast beef, turkey, swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and mustard sauce (not sure what that really means). Now I figured this sammie would be pretty standard. Maybe like a step up from Subway, but not as good as the mom and pop deli down the street. It was much better than I expected though! They did something genius I've never seen before. So I have two meats and two cheeses right? They put one type of cheese on one side of the bread and topped it with the meat. Then did the same thing on the other side with the second meat and cheese. In the middle the put all the veggies. Why was this great thinking? Because then when they went to grill it, the cheeses were the closest to the heat source (whether flipped or not), while the veggies were in the middle just chillin' and staying cool. So smart! I could tell the deli meats weren't super high quality, but the construction of the sandwich was just so impressive.

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Met Back Bay - Boston, MA
http://metbackbay.com/

Short Rib tacos, Pork Carnitas taco, and chips & salsa

     Every now and then Malcolm and I like to get together and catch up since we don't live together anymore...which is sad. It was a Tuesday, and apparently he's a big fan of the Taco Tuesday special Met offers. So I headed down to this swanky, dark joint at the corner of Darmouth and Newbury St, felt really out of place and just all around not fancy enough for an evening on Newbury. Either way, the inside of Met was really unique. In the downstairs area, there were two bars. Hanging from the ceiling around each bar was a glass case with goodies inside. The larger bar had bottles of liquor sitting inside the glass, and the smaller bar had mason jars full of veggies and other pickled things. Also hanging near the smaller bar was an enormous leg of meat that looked like it was aged. I have no idea if it was real or not, but it sure was strange. This second bar was definitely meant to give off a sort of butcher/wine & cheese/farm vibe but in a classy way. I dug it.
     For Taco Tuesdays they do 3 tacos for $6, so we got two different kinds and split them up for maximum flavor experience. I ordered the pork carnitas tacos which came in a grilled, soft shell and had a pleasantly surprising amount of carnitas in them. This meat was very different than other carnitas I've had before in that it was much more juicy and stuck together, rather than being moist to dry but fibrous and breaking apart. This also had a slightly smokey flavor from the chipotles. The best part was the roasted pineapple chunks they threw in. The caramelized edges added a sweetness that went perfectly with the spicy meat. Malcolm ordered the short rib tacos, which were served in a larger than normal crunchy taco shell. Inside, they stuffed their short rib meat that was apparently braised or marinated in coca-cola. Yes. Coke. I've never heard of that before, but it makes sense! It probably tenderizes the meat and breaks it down. I knew there was a slightly sweet taste I couldn't pin point when I was eating them. I also loved the charred onions they added in this one. They lent a nice roasted flavor that went well with the jalapeños.
     We also ordered chips and salsa which was excellent. The chips were definitely homemade and if you've read any of my nonsense about chips before, you know that gets a restaurant a big high five from me. I was also in love with the salsa. The chunks of tomatoes and onions were on the bigger side and roasted, but the tomatoes had the consistency and texture of stewed tomatoes which was different. This salsa didn't have the fresh, cilantro lime flavors you'd normally experience in a salsa. Instead it had a darker, roasted and rich flavor that was really excellent.
     Not only were our tacos $6, but they have a meatball bar on Sundays and $4.99 burgers on Mondays. So obviously that needs to happen because their burgs and fries looked deadly. Can't wait.

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BurgerFi - Boston, MA
http://burgerfi.com/

BurgerFi build your own burger :]

     BurgerFi went in on Comm Ave last summer maybe? I'm not sure, but I've wanted to go since I first laid eyes on it, regardless of the fact that it's a chain. David made a good point that it's very similar in look and feel to Shake Shack. They both serve burgers, dogs, custard and brews, and use the same color palette and look. Also, they both are focused on the principle of revolutionizing the world of fast food, cooking from scratch, using fresh and quality products, and instituting sustainable practices within their businesses. How can you not support that?
     Anyway, Meagan and I had planned to go together, but it never happened, so one day on my way home from work I called Eric and asked if he wanted to meet me there. The inside of BurgerFi kind of has that clean, modern industrial feel with a lot of wood, metal and simple light fixtures. It's pleasing to me. I decided to build my own burger with 2 patties, lettuce, tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and pickles. As I ate the burger, I was comparing it to the Shake Shack burger and came to many conclusions. 1) The veggies on the Shake Shack burger were much fresher and more crisp, which is huge for me. 2) The burger patty at BurgerFi was much less greasy and more satisfying. 3) The pickles were a big deal sealer, leading me to conclude that the BurgerFi burger was better. Shake Shack's fries were better though, in that they were more crispy and salty. I like the hand cut, real potato look of the BurgerFi fries, which made me think I'd like them more (that's generally how that works), but they weren't done enough and needed some more salt. Kind of just ... meh.

The concrete was pretty solid

     For dessert (never forget), we got a concrete which is custard mixed with a ton of stuff. This economically makes so much sense rather than that self serve froyo because you pick your custard flavor (chocolate... duh) and can mix in as many toppings as you want. We got a bunch: oreos, brownies, chocolate chips, reeses pieces and whipped cream on top. It was overkill, but incredible. I just wished it didn't melt so fast. You can't screw something like this up. It was spot on.

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Kowloon - Saugus, MA

http://kowloonrestaurant.com/

     So then I went to Kowloon. I went to Kowloon, and I was sad. It looks so cool on the outside though, and actually really cool on the inside too with fountains, volcanoes, and boats everywhere. But the food was definitely some of the worst asian food I've ever had. We went after Catherine's graduation with David's family, so at least the company was good. 

"Who ordered the Pu Pu Platter?"

     Now, I love some good mediocre asian food, but this didn't even hit that mark. For starters we ordered two platters of meat. One was the Pu Pu platter (haha) including things like ribs, chicken fingers, egg rolls, crispy wontons and fried shrimp. But really it was all nearly fried... and all made you feel awful. The best part was the flame in the middle. The ribs were actually decent (they were the only thing that wasn't fried), but I'm curious as to what they were marinated in or what the sauce was. Tasted like applesauce. I'm doubtful that it was. 

     For the rest of the meal we got a couple different combinations of chicken, shrimp, rice, lo mein and other random meats like SLICED DELI HAM or hard dry peas. I don't understand what was happening. Things were covered in some sort of slime. The flavors were partly blah, partly awful. However, the sesame chicken was good. I will say that. It was just intensely fried chicken strips coated in a tasty sauce and sesame seeds. That's the kind of mediocre asian food I like. Thank goodness Catherine ordered that, or else it would've been nearly a complete failure. 

      On their website, they have tons of awards listed for "New England's Best Chinese Food" and such and the hallways within the restaurant were lined with celebrity photos. I do not understand. What was I missing?!

Like Normal People Do...

Atwood's Tavern - Somerville, MA
http://www.atwoodstavern.com/

     Someone said to me the other day, "You only blog about restaurants if they're good, right?" I had to take a moment to think about that one. On one hand, yes, but on the other, no. It's a real rarity that I go some place I don't like, or that I eat something that is bad. I like all things... and I really don't have super high expectations, so I'm generally pleased. If there is an aspect of the meal I'm not fond of, then sure... I'll say so. Also, if I go to a restaurant and order something like a house salad or some roasted veggies, I'm not going to blog about it. No one wants to read that. There's only so much excitement one can derive from 5 grill asparagus spears. I also won't blog about a place if I go and just sample someone else's food. That's not my food, and I don't have a full plate's worth of experience and knowledge about it to write about it. Which brings me to my point.

Don't be fooled. They're not as good as they look.

     I went to Atwood's in Somerville with Melanie and Frances a couple months ago, but I brought my pb&j that I had packed for lunch with me because A) I was in weight cutting mode and B) Well... pbj is pretty much the best thing ever. I did, however, sample their salads and their sweet potato fries, which were one bajillion times better than the sweet potato fries I had there most recently. No joke.  I went to Atwood's again with a bunch of people from work, and we got some sweet potato fries for the table to share. They were absolutely the worst sweet potato fries I've ever had. I haven't a clue why they changed how they made them because they were incredible before. Lord knows what they covered them in, but they had been dipped in some sort of batter that looked like paste (the kind you used in grade school). The only thing good about them was their texture. They were a good level of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But the "batter" was flavorless, the sweet potatoes were flavorless, and I found myself eating them just because they were a vehicle for the garlic aioli that came with them. That's the wrong reason to eat fries... for many sad reasons.

Mediterranean Plate

     Aside from the fries, I ordered their Mediterranean plate and was very happy with it! It was a
combination of a "cucumber salad" (basically marinated or pickled cucumbers), marinated mushrooms, olives, pita triangles, hummus and a roasted eggplant goat cheese. Gosh, let me explain that cheese first. At first I had forgotten what the menu said was on this dish, so I kind of assumed it was baba ganoush based on the color and texture. However, this had a much more rich flavor and was creamier. It was delectable. I was confused because it was much much finer than the hummus, but I hadn't even thought of it being goat cheese because it didn't have that bite and was softer. Regardless, it was the best part of the dish...even if it looked like poo.
     Their hummus was great too, and more along the lines of homemade hummus because of its grittiness, unlike the smoother stuff you buy in the store. It was fun to just pick and choose your spread on the pita and throw in some of the cucumbers or mushrooms. Finger food. I love it. Of course I'm still working on liking olives, so I still ate them. I'm not fully to the point of enjoying them yet, but I'm on my way there. Trying hard. Real hard.
   

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The Bent Spoon - Princeton, NJ

http://www.thebentspoon.net/BENTSPOON/home.html

Coconut and Mint Chocolate Nib Ice Cream
from the Bent Spoon

     Sometimes one serving of ice cream just isn't enough... even if it's frozen yogurt. After our last race at trials, Joan and I scouted out a place for frozen yogurt. It was called Fruity and was in downtown Princeton. They had a lot of different fruity flavors I'd say it was a little bit below your standard frozen yogurt, and therefore I'm not going to write about it. I am going to write about The Bent Spoon however. Alyse raves about this place all the time, and every time I go to Princeton, I intend to find it and try it out. This was my moment. While meandering around the city, we turned down a small street, and I saw the simple sign for The Bent Spoon. It was a very tiny little shop with a wide variety of unique and pretty expensive ice creams. I went with the small and got one scoop of coconut ice cream and one scoop of their fresh mint nib. The coconut ice cream was probably the smoothest ice cream I've ever eaten. I tried comparing the texture to something else, and the closest thing I could come up with was like a chocolate mousse but without all the air (which I realize is why mousse is mousse). It had a lightly sweet coconut flavor and was absolutely delicious.

     The fresh mint nib was definitely my favorite,  however. Never have I ever tasted a mint ice cream like this. It had a completely different flavor than any other mint ice cream. This tasted like actual peppermint. Like they took peppermint leaves fresh from the garden and infused an ice cream with them. It was so refreshing, light and only mildly sweet. Instead of chocolate chips, they used cocoa nibs which, if you're unfamiliar, are pieces of cocoa beans that have been removed from their husks and roasted. The nibs have a mild chocolate flavor, but are not sweet. Regular chocolate is made by combining these nibs with sugar (and in some cases a bunch of other stuff). Anyway, the fresh mint ice cream had a bunch of the crunchy nibs throughout, giving it a really unique texture. The small scoop I got wasn't nearly enough. If you're ever in Princeton, you must go to The Bent Spoon. Alyse was right!

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Peach Yogurt Muffins - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

Peach Yogurt Muffins

     I hadn't been in the door ten minutes after returning from trials before I had preheated the oven. My excuse to make a batch of muffins was that I wanted to make something for Natassya for letting me borrow her boat cover. I mean... truthfully, I really did want to do that. I also wanted to try these muffins for myself. They were super simple to make, very moist and I loved the hunks of fresh peaches inside. They weren't overly sweet either, so I'd say they were definitely healthy muffins. I found this recipe on a blog called Savory Simple. Totally worth a try!

Peach Yogurt Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup plain greek yogurt
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
¼ cup nonfat milk
1½ cup frozen or fresh peaches, chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large muffin pan or line with paper liners.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. 

3) In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, coconut oil and milk.
Immediately pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the chopped peaches and mix together with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.

4) Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes and then gently move to a cooling rack.

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Ole Mexican Grill - Somerville, MA

http://www.olerestaurantgroup.com/olecito

Not the most elegant of photos, but it's still worthy
of display. The taco on the top was the carnitas,
the middle was the arrachera and the bottom was the baja.

     I love how much my coworkers delight in getting lunch for me when I can eat. They seem to get almost as excited about it as I do. Right after trials they wanted to get food with me, so I chose Ole in Inman Square because I had been craving Mexican food for months. Ole is a larger restaurant that is part of the Ole Restaurant Group. They have another location in Brookline too called Olecito. We ended up getting it delivered because people were busy, and that was just fine with me. I still wanted to try all the tacos (and the world cup was on). They may not have looked as appealing, but they tasted great. 

     All of the tacos were served in 2 corn tortillas. I loved the corn tortillas so much more than I had anticipated. I had only had them once before and it was some random brand in the grocery store. They were awful. But these tasted like real corn and were soft because they were warmed. Stacking two on top of each other made eating the taco much easier because your contents weren't busting through the tortilla. Smart. The carnitas taco was braised pork with salsa verde, pineapple salsa and pickled cabbage. Aside from the pork being a little dry, I loved the combination of the savory and salty pork with the sweetness of the pineapple salsa. And they sure didn't skimp out on the meat. That thing was loaded. 

     The arrachera taco was marinated steak, pinto bean spread, jack cheese, avocado sauce and lettuce. This one was my second favorite. The bean spread together with the jack cheese was a deadly combination. Everything was so warm and melty. The avocado sauce was basically guacamole, and it added the formulaic cool component to the warm taco. 

     My favorite was the baja taco. This one had battered shrimp, picked cabbage, chipotle mayo and cilantro pesto. I love shrimp. I love cabbage. I love mayo. I love cilatro. This one had all the best things. The shrimp were battered nice and lightly and I think they had a mild lemony taste. However, that bite may have been the pickled cabbage. I am unsure. The chipotle mayo added a very mild heat, and when it blended with that cilantro pesto it was just incredible. There were so many different flavors, but they all complimented each other so well. 

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Georgetown Cupcakes - Boston, MA

https://www.georgetowncupcake.com/index.html

Chocolate² and Peanut Butter

     Talk to any cupcake connoisseur in Georgetown, Bethesda, New York, Boston or LA or Atlanta, and they'll say that Georgetown Cupcakes has some of the best cupcakes in the country. And now...I can confidently say that I agree. It was Joan's birthday, and she wanted some form of cake. I had to work all day, so when I got out we decided to go try out Georgetown Cupcakes because neither of us had been there before but had heard so much about it. We wanted to get cupcakes and go eat them at the park (where I proceeded to look like a fool and skin my arm trying to climb a tree... but that's irrelevant). If you know me, you know I love chocolate. I love chocolate, and I love peanut butter. So what did I get? First I got the Chocolate² which is "Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting topped with a fondant flower." Valrhona and Callebaut are both different brands of chocolate, and I think this made all the difference. You could taste the quality. The cake part was so moist, and full of a rich chocolate flavor. But the frosting was a noticeably different chocolate flavor. It was a little deeper. The frosting was so smooth but very thick. Not as tough as a ganache, but not airy like a mouse. It wasn't buttery, and I'm guessing it's made similar to a ganche though. I'm not sure how they make it, but that really was just "the icing on the cake."
     My second cupcake was the peanut butter banana. This was a completely different experience than the Chocolate². The texture of the banana cake itself was similar to the chocolate cake; moist, fluffy, and held it's shape nicely. But the frosting was much lighter. It had almost a whipped texture. It was very airy and was more sweet but less rich (if that makes sense). Peanut butter and banana is one of my all time favorite combinations, so this cupcake was out of control delicious.
     I really liked the ratio of cake to frosting at Georgetown too. Sometimes specialty cupcakes stack the frosting so high that it makes it nearly impossible to eat effectively or cleanly. Also, Georgetown posts a secret flavor of the day everyday on their facebook and twitter, and it's free if you ask for it by name! Can't wait to go back for more... especially if they're free :]

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Grendel's Den - Cambridge, MA

http://www.grendelsden.com/

   

Nachos Supreme

     Well... I've been to Grendel's Den before but didn't write about it because the food memories are rather non-existent. I'll leave it at that. This time, after a trip downtown (and post cupcakes), Joan and I headed back to Cambridge and went to Grendel's to sit outside on their patio. It's a pretty small area, but it runs along a tiny little park which facilitates some great people watching and a great atmosphere. For her birthday, she just wanted to sit and have some drinks and food... like normal people do (we could debate what normal means here, but we won't). It was a beautiful evening and felt so nice to just sit and relax. Before Lauren and Joan's friend Austin showed up, we ordered some nachos to start, and they were great. I'd say some of the best I've had here in Boston. Definitely better than Hill Tavern in Beacon Hill. Not as loaded as Cambridge Brewing Company or Coolidge Corner Clubhouse. Anyway, what I liked about them was that they threw on four huge globs of guacamole, sour cream, their meatless chili and house-made salsa. The cheese was distributed nicely, but other than that, I liked that there were plenty of the toppings to go around, so you could find a chip and dip it until it satisfied your topping needs. These weren't the kind of nachos where things are falling off your chips constantly and you struggle to get all the flavors in one bite. They were simple and a unique approach to presenting nachos.

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Mass Ave Diner - Cambridge, MA

http://www.massavediner.com/

   

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Pancakes

     If you've been reading my blog for long, you know I'm not the kind of person to just see a place I want to eat and walk in. Only in my dreams would I and could I do that. I put a lot of thought into what I eat, where I eat, and when I eat because of my lightweight rowing status. I realize that it's all part of the package, but sometimes, I long for the freedom to just grab an ice cream cone while out and about just because it sounds good. Well... a couple of days after trials I was walking towards Central Square in the morning, and I passed by a tiny little diner I had never seen before. As soon as I saw it, my tummy rumbled, and I shamelessly bee-lined for the door. Mass Ave Diner is a very small diner with your standard (but not so standard) breakfast fare. They make their own homemade corned beef hash (which I'll have to go back and try sometime), and they have some of the BEST pancakes I've ever had at a restaurant. I'd have to say PJ's pancakes in Princeton takes the cake on that one (haha... that was a pun). I ordered their chocolate chip cranberry pancakes, and they were ... perfection. Perfectly golden on the outside, these pancakes boasted a stellar flavor combination of the fresh tart cranberries and sweet mini chocolate chips. I had assumed they would use dried cranberries, but these were fresh and insurmountably better. I also really liked that they used mini chocolate chips. Sometimes chocolate chips in pancakes can start to get overwhelmingly sweet if you're sitting down and attempting to demolish a hefty stack. These mini ones provided just enough sweetness and chocolate flavor to contrast the cherries and make for a very flavorful pancake not needing any butter or syrup. Mmm mmm!

An Out of Body Tot Experience

The Lower Depths Tap Room - Boston, MA

http://thelowerdepths.com/

     I had an out of body experience with tater tots. After making average at Senior Trials and working on weight for months on end, it was to be expected... in my opinion. 

Heaven's Food. Really. Chili Cheese Tots

What?

      I've been wanting to go to the Lower Depths Tap Room forever. It's this little semi-subterranean restaurant on Comm Ave just past Kenmore. Jim and Audrey were in town visiting, so Meldrim and I got them together with Audrey's friend Libby, Jimmy and Karl and we headed out. The Lower Depths is a tiny little place with an absolutely hilarious menu. It's rather rude and mildly vulgar, but hilarious. They have a section dedicated to tater tots. I was so glad Jimmy was on board. We ordered the Chili Cheese Tots: Coffeehouse Porter Chili, beer cheese and scallions. I think I weird-ed Audrey and Libby out with the moment I had with these tots. The chili had big hunks of meat in it and was chunkier than most chilis. A lot of chili you get on things like nachos and chili cheese fries is a bit more liquidy and ends up making everything soggy. This didn't. I would almost not qualify it as chili. It was more hunks of meat and sweet black beans. It was incredible. The tots themselves were absolutely perfect. Lightly crispy on the outside, piping hot and soft on the inside. Then the beer cheese wasn't really all that beer-y, but it was so melty and delicious. It was a real cheese sauce with pieces of peppers in it. Not that fake nacho cheese. This was on a whole other level. Jimmy and I made a deal to make sure we come back and try all of the varieties. I can't wait.

 

Tropical Steakhouse Burger

For my meal I ordered the Tropical Steakhouse Burger with bacon, cheddar, mango chutney, habanero aioli, lettuce, tomato and onion on a toasted bun. There are many things to note. On the downside, you couldn't really taste the mango chutney (I think there just needed to be more) and the slice of tomato and onion needed to be bigger. They just kept sliding off and weren't nearly large enough for the burg itself. These are minor issues however. On the plus side, the burger was perfectly plump and cooked just as I like it. I love when you can tell a burger patty is homemade because it plumps up in a way that makes it almost impossible to eat. Oh and the melty cheese and bacon? Shoot me. The habanero aioli (basically a spicy mayo) was very light and thin but really added an awesome flavor to the whole burger. I didn't really notice the heat in the mayo until after I killed the burger and my mouth was burning o-so lightly. OH and it's worth mentioning... the lettuce. I don't care how insignificant it may seem, but this lettuce was great. It was perfect. It was one big, darkly colored romaine leaf and was full of flavor. And it was the fatter part of the leaf, so you didn't have to deal with the stiffer core part of the leaf. Yes I notice these things.

   

Red Skies at Night

Another added bonus: The Lower Depths has 160-180 different bottles and 17 rotating drafts. I had one called Red Skies at Night by Heavy Seas. Upon further investigation, it has hints of banana, apricot, clove, allspice and honey making it a slightly herbaceous beer. It was cask conditioned, which I learned means that it is unfiltered and unpasteurized and served from a barrel without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure. Neat. It was delicious. I feel educated.












PJ's Pancake House - Princeton, NJ
http://pancakes.com/

Blueberry, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, S'mores

     Mary and I had another "maybe they haven't eaten in a while" caliber eating event post trials. The
moment is generally filled with extended silence, followed by laughter and repeated "oh my gosh it's so delicious" comments, followed by more laughter, silence, shock and awe, shock and awe, heavy eyelids and elation. We finally made it to PJ's Pancake House in the heart of Princeton and it may have been the best decision we had ever made in our lives. It's a cute little place, and we sat outside on their little patio. It was lovely. We decided we wanted to split a savory dish and a sweet dish. We work so well together when we eat out. We really maximize our exposure to what restaurants have to offer. Anyway...pancakes were on the menu and making a decision on which kind we wanted was a chore. I feel like writing about this is useless because it is absolutely impossible to describe just how incredible and different these pancakes were. Ok.... I'm just going to write it as I'm thinking about it in my head. They were more dense than normal pancakes. But not an uncomfortable I-feel-like-I'm-eating-bricks dense (like buckwheat pancakes seem like sometimes). Like a this is a hearty pancake that can't possibly be just empty calories. They were also more yellow than normal pancakes. Maybe they use cornmeal? I'm so confused. I don't care. The consistence, texture and bounce-back was just unlike anything I have ever had before in my 25 years of existence.

So much happy

     Ok, now that I've done a terrible job explaining the texture... the flavors. We got the sampler and got 3 different kinds. One was a blueberry pancake; classic but above and beyond your standard blueberry pancake based on their pancake mix recipe I just explained. Soaked in syrup with a little

    The savory dish we got was just an english muffin, 2 eggs, 2 sausage links and a glob of their homemade hash browns. I know these things seem insignificant and standard, but the hash browns were chocked full of pieces of peppers and onions and were just delicious. The best part was the sausage. Being on the lightweight diet, you forget was such a flavor punch a sausage link packs. Meat. Salt. Spices. Mmmmmm.

    PJ's trumped the Princetonian a gazillion times over. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the other pancake varieties. Oreo pancakes? Yes please.
whipped butter? Woah. The second one we got was a peanut butter chocolate chip pancake. It had chocolate chips AND peanut butter chips. The combination of the two melty chips was to die for. And PJ didn't skimp out on the chips. Those cakes were loaded. The third kind that we got was s'mores. I know. I know. Hunks of chocolate, melty marshmallow, and graham cracker crumbles. This may be the best invention anyone has ever had... ever. Tasted like the world's best s'more infused in the world's best pancake.

(Pan)Cakes On Cakes On Cakes

Pecan Chocolate Granola - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

Picture made complete with greek yogurt, berries, apples,
granola and grandma's homemade caramel sauce of course

     One of the many benefits of coaching high school kids, is at the end of the season you get gifts! Now, I truthfully hadn't even thought about this until our banquet approached last year. From one of the moms, I got a jar of THE BEST granola I have ever eaten. I am not kidding. I sat in the grass outside the school and nearly ate the entire jar. I had to get the recipe. I have made granola 2 times before and it is NOT easy, but I will perfect this... someday. In my third attempt, I still think I cooked it a little too long. I did it ask long as the recipe called for, but next time I think I'll do a little less. My granola also wasn't as good as hers because I modified the recipe to use 1/2 of the required oil and replaced the other 1/2 with applesauce. Anyway, it still turned out really delicious. The toasted pecans are just the best. 




Pecan Chocolate Granola

5 cups rolled oats (I used my multigrain oat mix including oats, barley, wheat and rye)
2 cups nuts and seeds of choice

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbs cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
1 or 2 tbs vanilla
1 cup dried fruits
1/2 cup Ghirardelli chocolate chips

1) Take 5 cups rolled oats, 2 cups nuts and seeds of choice (I used pecans), 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and tablespoon cinnamon (more or less) and mix altogether .


2) In separate bowl mix 1/3 cup of both brown sugar and pure maple syrup, 1/2 cup canola oil high quality, 1 or 2 tablespoons of vanilla and then pour over oat mixture until completely coated.

3)  Pour out on a baking sheet with wax paper on it and flatten down firmly with a spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes then rotatable in oven and bake 20 more minutes (I would suggest a total of 30/35 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes).

4) Take out and let cool on rack for one hour. Then add dried fruits and chocolate chips (I recommend dried cranberries and ghirardelli chocolate chips).


Banana Oat Pancakes - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

Pancakes seem to be popping up a lot in my life recently. I'm not upset. It's been fun because I'm trying to experiment with healthy varieties because it's easy for pancakes to be easy empty calories. Joan and I decided to have a pancake night and try this recipe for Banana Oat Pancakes I found on a blog called Cookie and Kate. I was too excited to try these babies that I forgot to take a picture, so look at her picture because it's beautiful. One thing that was interesting about these pancakes was that there was no flour in it...well your standard flour I mean. Instead I used oat flour, which is basically just oats that I beat to oblivion in a food processor. Genius! You get the nutritional benefit of oats but get to eat it in pancake form! One tweak I made to this recipe was using my multigrain oat mix instead of strictly oats. As mentioned before, this blend includes oats, barley, wheat and rye. And even though I forgot the lemon juice and honey, these pancakes were so good! They were a little more dense than normal pancakes and broke apart a little bit. Joan and I both agreed they could use a little bit more banana for some extra flavor. Or I think you could just use bananas that are really ripe (mine weren't quite there yet). Also note that these seem to burn a little bit quicker than standard pancakes, so be careful. I'm sure these would be good if you added some peanut butter or chocolate chips to the batter... ooo idea!

Banana Oat Pancakes

3 small bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 small lemon, juiced)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup oat flour (To make oat flour out of old-fashioned oats, simply pour one cup of oats into a food processor and process until it is ground well)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1) Stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil (or butter), lemon juice and honey (or maple syrup).

2) Beat in the eggs. 

3) In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices and add in all wet ingredients. Let the batter sit 10 minutes. Cook as if you would normal pancakes!


I Dream Of Falafel - Chicago, IL
http://www.idreamoffalafel.com/index.php

Such a pretty loaded pocket

     Well... long story short, I've never been so happy to miss a bus in my life. My trip home for my grandma's funeral included flying to Chicago from Boston, and bussing it Chicago to Detroit. However, when your flight gets delayed, catching that bus is hard to do. In which case, you're one lucky gal who gets to find something delicious for dinner! Upon realizing catching this bus wasn't going to happen, I began researching places to eat a cheap meal. I happened on I Dream Of Falafel and it just clicked. It was destiny. I swear I looked like a giddy school girl when I walked in and kind of weird-ed out the workers behind the counter. I ordered their freshly baked laffa bread (which was incredible) stuffed to the gills with the lamb kebab, roasted red pepper hummus, red cabbage slaw, a shredded carrot slaw, cucumbers, and tomatoes topped with their raita sauce, which is apparently a yogurt, cucumber and jalepeno sauce. After packaging it all together, they pressed it in a panini press. I've never ran so quickly to catch a bus so I could sit down and eat. Pinch me. I absolutely could not believe how delicious this little sack of heaven was. The lamb kabab was freshly grilled lamb and beef cooked just for me. It was so hot and was incredible in combination with the raita sauce and the cool veggies
     While I was waiting for them to grill the lamb, the man behind the counter offered me one of their sweet potato falafel balls. It was awesome. Basically tasted like mashed sweet potatoes fried in the shape of a ball. So I had to order two normal falafel balls because... well... you can't go to I Dream Of Falafel and not get falafel. That's like going to The Cheesecake Factory and not ordering a piece of cheesecake for dessert. No... I don't care how full you are. Unacceptable. The falafel balls were just spot on too. They also offered me a half a bowl of their lentil soup with a little squeeze of lemon. I felt like a queen. What service. What customer appreciation! My standard of Mediterranean food has thus been raised.

 World Peace Cookies - Grandma's Kitchen, Clarkston, MI

I prefer to call them hidden chocolate lava cookies

     Grandma asks me to make cookies, I make cookies. There is no arguing. Plus, why would I ever argue that request? I wanted to make these chocolate chocolate chip cookies my roommate makes all the time, and I figured they were another Smitten Kitchen recipe, but as I found out later, it is not. However, at the time, I thought it was and ended up making one of her chocolate cookie recipes called World Peace/Korova Cookies. One thing I found peculiar about this recipe was that it didn't include any eggs. At first I was concerned about how they'd turn out, but let me just say that the crowd went wild. I didn't measure out any of the chocolate but used a mix of semi-sweet morsels and chopped bittersweet chocolate. I was also nervous about the bittersweet chocolate being too bitter but I was so amazed at what it did for the cookie. It brought this rich, elemental chocolate flavor without making the cookie overly sweet.
      These were all gone within 24 hours. HIGHLY recommend it for chocolate lovers out there :]

World Peace Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup + 3 tbs unsalted butter, at room temp
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

1) Mix together the flour, cocoa and baking soda.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer (if you have one) beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. 

3) Pour in the flour mixture and beat until mixed. For best results, avoid working the dough too much. Don't worry if the dough looks crumbly. 

4) Add in the chocolate pieces and mix. 

5) Turn the dough onto a work surface, split in 2, roll into 2 logs that are 1 1/2 inches diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours (or freeze for a shorter period of time). 

6) Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Slice the dough logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. It's best to cut up the cookies in one quick motion with a really sharp knife. If you try to cut each cookie slowly, it may start to crumble. If it does, just push the pieces back together. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and bake the cookies for 12 minutes (add one or two minutes if you've just pulled the cookies out of the freezer). They won't look done, nor will they be firm. Just transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool until just barely warm. 

Quinoa Stuffed Cubano Peppers - Mom's Kitchen, White Lake, MI

Heavenly stuffed peppers

     I like making Mom tasty healthy things when I go home. This time I chose quinoa stuffed cubano peppers. Stuffed with what? Just a little quinoa, black beans, sweet corn, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and feta cheese. These were just deadly! However, the recipe I pulled from a blog called Once Upon A Cutting Board called for goat cheese. Since I seemed to forget that at the store, I opted for feta. I think the goat cheese would've given a more prominent flavor than the feta did. I was kind of bummed about that, but still the whole dish was delishious and super filling! I wanted to experiment with multiple peppers, so I first roasted 3 cubano peppers (even though the recipe called for pablano peppers), a green pepper and a yellow pepper. Then in order to make a sauce to cook them in I roasted a red pepper and a jalapeno and threw it in a blender with a little water, garlic, salt and pepper. It created this really delicious thin sauce that provided a quick burst of heat that quickly vanished. It was odd and unlike anything I can say I've ever tasted before. Try it out!

Quinoa Stuffed Cubano Peppers

5 medium sized peppers (I used cubano peppers and bell peppers)

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup dry quinoa, rinsed

1/3 cup vegetable stock (optional)

1 jalapeno

3 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish

1 small yellow onion

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 roma tomatoes, diced

4 ounces goat cheese or 1/2 cup feta cheese

1) Preheat oven to 475°F.  Rub peppers with two teaspoons of olive oil and place directly on the oven rack.  Roast in the preheated oven until soft and slightly blackened in spots, about 15-20 minutes, flipping once.  Let cool.

2) Meanwhile, bring 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan (If you don’t have any open vegetable stock, you can use 2/3 cup water instead).  Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low to simmer.  Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, then remove lid and fluff with a fork.

3) In a blender, combine the roasted red pepper, roasted jalapeno, garlic, 3/4 cup water, and a dash each of salt and pepper in the blender and blend until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup cilantro and pulse a few times to combine.  Set aside.

4) In a large saucepan or deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add corn, black beans, tomato, and cooked quinoa and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Add 2 ounces goat cheese and stir until it's melted and completely mixed in.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5) Make a small slit down the length of one side of each pepper, being careful not to cut through to the other side.  Carefully remove seeds, leaving stem end intact.  Spoon quinoa mixture into each pepper to fill them.

6) Pour chipotle sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Transfer stuffed peppers to the dish, and dot with remaining 2 ounces goat cheese.  Bake until cheese is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes and serve warm, sprinkled with additional chopped cilantro if desired.

Red Fox - Royal Oak, MI

http://www.redfoxenglishpub.com/

Seriously... look how big that burg is. 

     While I was home for Grandma Dini's funeral, I was very fortunate to get dinner with some of the coolest cats around. After the viewing I met Meagan, Megan and Marc and we headed to Red Fox for dinner. Red Fox is this really chill English Pub above where Memphis Smoke used to be in downtown Royal Oak. It was kind of weird to be there again. Their menu was really unique and full of delicious English sounding things. I was torn between taking advantage of Meatloaf Monday or getting the burger I was craving. I went with the Lord Fox Burger since Marc was getting the open faced meatloaf sandwich that I could try. HO-LE-COW. This burger was the definition of plump. Lord have mercy. A hungry hungry hippo would have difficulty wrapping his jaw around this hunk of hamburger. The burg came topped with lettuce, tomatoes, caramelized onions, gruyere cheese and garlic aioli. Those onion, the cheese, and the garlic aioli were so good. I just learned what garlic aioli is (mayo jazzed up with some garlic and lemon juice) and it's no wonder I liked it so much. I <3 mayo. Either way it had an incredibly unique flavor that took the burger to a whole other level. I wonder if it's an English thing. The lettuce mixed in with the aioli, and boy did I like that. I'm weird. The burger came with this awesome shoe string fries. Win. So perfect.

Can't get much better than soft pretzels and cheese. 

     Oh and I almost forgot! We also got these BOMB soft pretzels with warmed fondue cheese to dip in. I love pretzels. These couldn't have been any better. They had that crisp outside shell and were super fluffy inside. And you can never go wrong with pretzel salt. My favorite.
     Marc's meatloaf sandwich was loaded with potatoes covered in this delicious gravy. The best part though was their balsamic roasted brussel sprouts. Those things were roasted nearly to a crisp and all the little layers toasted up so nicely. They were delicious.





BenjYehuda - Chicago, IL
http://www.benjyehuda.com/

My falafel ball is green inside?

Everything but the kitchen sink

     Once again, I had some spare time on my way back through Chicago, and I got to meet up with the lovely Mary Keegin for lunch! We hopped on over to BenjYehuda for more Mediterranean food. This place was awesome. It's considered an "urban street food" restaurant and gave off a super rugged feel the moment you walked in. A lot of metal, and a lot of worn wood. Well... there was Ball Sac on the menu, so naturally we had to get that. Ball Sac = 6 falafel balls that were far different than any falafel I've ever had. The outside of the ball looked like something rolled in bird seed. And the flavor inside was totally different and I can't pinpoint why. However it was green inside. I'm guessing maybe they used a decent amount of some herb to give it the different flavor and color. Basil perhaps. The outside was deliciously crisp and the inside was cooked to perfection. Really interesting.
     I ordered the chicken shawarma in a pita pocket stuffed with hummus, corn salad, tomato, carrot salad and cabbage salad. Woah buddy those spices that they used on the chicken were something else. They were decent sized hunks of chicken meat with a little sauce/spices. I'm guessing maybe a little curry. No, that wouldn't make sense. I have no idea. It had a little kick to it though. The coolness of all the other veggies balanced it out beautifully.

Roasted Sweet Potato Blood Orange Tacos - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     This was just one of those things I thought about while staring into space at work. I do that a lot. I thought, what could I do with blood oranges? I bet it'd be good with quinoa. I need to use up my sweet potato as pre-pieces fuel for tomorrow. Oh wait... it's perfect. So I took some sweet potato and sliced it up into really skinny strips, coated it in a little oil and roasted it with my homemade taco seasoning on it. Meanwhile I prepared some garbonzo beans and quinoa, sliced up a blood orange and threw it on a flax seed wrap with feta cheese, spinach and my roasted sweet potato. Man oh man. What a combo! I felt like a culinary genius. The sweetness and spice of the taco seasoned sweet potato was such a great compliment to the sweet citrusy and cool blood orange. I must say, however, I think the whole package needs some sort of sauce. Maybe blend some of the orange with honey and lemon juice? I'm not sure. I'll have to experiment. Also maybe a different kind of cheese. I don't think I added enough feta. At least not enough to get a good sense of its presence.

Cornbread Pancakes - Hayley's Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     Another pancake adventure. Don't hate. Iowa Girl Eats is a great blog. I like her style. She had this genius idea to make cornbread pancakes so I had to test it out at a post Saturday practice breakfast with the HPdivas. Well, first of all I used water instead of milk (so that dairy sensitive people could eat them) and I think maybe that took away a little flavor. I also didn't really measure anything. Kind of just threw it all together but holy cow were they good. Especially with a little melted butter and honey. Surprise surprise. They were, however, bricks. REAL dense. Maybe I should've measured things out. If you're a fan of cornbread, try it out. But let's get real... who isn't a fan of cornbread?








Man Pleasing Chicken - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     I won't lie. I'm impressed with how many Pinterest recipes I'm actually making. I found this one from a blog called Witty in the City. I had quite the successful dinner. Wait... who am I kidding. This chicken was mind blowing. Real simple. Mix together dijon mustard, maple syrup and rice vinegar. Slice up an onion (I added this step to the recipe) and mix it in with the sauce in a shallow baking dish. Plop in the chicken and bake. WOAH. I liked every scrape out of that bowl that I could. The mustard lost some of its bite and the maple syrup wasn't overly sweet at all. It all got thicker the longer the chicken baked and the onions caramelized beautifully within the sauce.  I threw it in some lettuce leaves and had some wraps. Now if only I had a man here to please with it.

Man Pleasing Chicken 

(serving for 1) 
1 large chicken breast
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tbs maple syrup
1 medium onion
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
rosemary
salt and pepper

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

2) Mix the maple syrup, mustard, sliced onion and rice vinegar together in a shallow baking dish. 

3) Toss in your chicken breast and coat with the sauce completely. Salt and pepper the entire mix. Top with fresh or dried rosemary. 

4) Bake for 40 minutes, basting the chicken halfway through. 

5) Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Slice chicken and place in lettuce leaves. Top with onions and sauce. Presto!