Dazzled by Deep Ellum

Clearly a fantastic brunch as a start to Super Bowl Sunday was the right move! It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm thrilled to be back in action and look forward to sharing more eating adventures with you!

Today, my boyfriend and I woke up hungry after a night of dancing. We have been cooking brunch more than we've been eating it out, but today was special since we knew we'd be making food for the Super Bowl. We trudged through the Allston/Brighton slushy streets to Deep Ellum and it was worth the walk. It was obvious from the crowd that Deep Ellum is the spot to be for brunch if you're in that neighborhood. When you walk in the spot is abuzz with good music and happy people eating delicious, creative food and drinks. We were too hungry to wait for a table and lucked out with two seats at the bar.

The bartender was really nice and knowledgeable. When I go out anywhere, I like to ask the server for their advice. I'm a sucker for breakfast food, but was enticed by their lunch menu. I'll have to come back for a recommended rueben. In the end, my New York roots had me go for house cured salmon. My boyfriend got their homemade egg and chorizo sandwich.

While we were waiting for the food to arrive, which was not very long, we enjoyed listening to David Bowie and watching the bar tender mix uniquely delicious looking drinks. I was surprised that they had about 22 beers on tap, but they chose to serve soda out of the bottle. They are serious about their beer! I asked if I could try their Bloody Mary mix because I wasn't ready for a drink but I'd seen the bar tender mix a few. I appreciated that they were willing to pour me a shot. That mix was perfectly spicy and pungent. Next time I go, I'll have a bloody!

The food arrived and it looked bright and as perfect as it tasted. I was excited to see my salmon thickly sliced with fresh tomatoes and arugala. The color and freshness is usually saved for summer tomato season. The nova was served on a bagel with caper cream cheese closed faced. I was excited to see that there was enough nova to turn this bagel sandwich into two open faced bagel sandwiches. I love nova open faced because I get to spread out the experience of eating one of my favorite comfort foods. The cream cheese was a perfect addition to the fresh nova, bagel and tomato. I liked that the capers were mixed in so that they didn't have the chance of rolling off the top of the sandwich. When I finished the sandwich, I was sad because it was so tasty. While the bagel did not taste like it was from New York (a little too soft), the toppings were so good, that it could have been on a saltine and I would have wanted more. I appreciated the flexibility to give me a side salad instead of potatoes. The salad was fresh and excellent: cukes, tomatoes and arugula with some lemon and salt.

I was lucky enough to also get to try my dining partner's chorizo sandwich. The egg was perfectly fried and had quite a bit of pepper on it. It was served on a homemade English muffin and the house chorizo was sliced and crisped perfectly. I was not expecting the homemade English muffin but it made the sandwich that much better. The crunch of the chorizo paired with the homemade English muffin and perfectly cooked egg made my bite absolute perfection.

Not only was the food outstanding, but it was reasonably priced ($25 including tax and tip) and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I will go back to Deep Ellum in a heart beat. Looking forward to having lunch, dinner and drinks! When I do go back for brunch, it will be hard to decide if I will try something new or have that nova that tugs on my nostalgic New York heartstrings.

So I needed chicken fingers after yoga

Last Friday I took an awesome yoga class at Down Under in Brookline. It was relaxing and perfect and completely cleared my mind. Once I returned to reality, all I could think about was fried chicken. I'm a classy lady, so I didn't want to trek to KFC and was afraid to try anything in walking distance of my house. I remembered that feeling of longing I get every time I drive past Raising Cane's and decided that if I was able to find a parking spot, I'd indulge in some "fast food" chicken fingers.

Raising Cane's is right by the Agganis Arena and fits the bill of tasty food on a budget. I can't remember the last time I spent under $8 on a Friday night dinner out and ate 4 chicken fingers, a serving of fries, cole slaw and Texas toast. The chicken fingers were perfection. They were moist on the inside, crispy on the outside. The promise was that nothing was frozen and everything was fresh. It's a risk to do that because you may end up with soggy fingers. This was not the case. The chicken fingers were piping hot and a great texture. The cole slaw was ice cold with finely chopped. The french fries were the kind I used to get at the pool, they were crinkle cut. Something about crinkle cut fries and chicken fingers makes me feel like a kid again.

Raising Cane's is famous for their Cane sauce. I have to say when it comes to chicken fingers, all I want is ketchup, but if you're a fan of ranch and ketchup, that's what the secret sauce tastes a lot like.

Going back to the post-yoga piece, what I was craving was fried chicken and silence. What I got was chicken fingers, sides and entertainment. I sat there inhaling my food while listening to all of the youngins talk about where they were going to party. Turns out Cane's is a meet up spot for undergrads wanting to carb it up before heading out to party. Next time I go back to Raising Cane's, I'll choose a mid-day spot to go after my fried chicken and silence. Maybe next time, I will indulge a little bit more and get more fingers.

please note that the image used for this post is from here. I was so focused on inhaling my chicken, that I forgot to take a picture. All other images on foodfriendsnfun.com are taken by the blogger unless explicitly said otherwise.

Fantastic Pho at LES Allston

My heart and soul became a little warmer at LES Allston after having some delicious chicken pho. Pho is a fancy name for Vietnamese chicken soup. LES is one of my absolute favorite neighborhood spots because sometimes all I want is some warm and relaxing chicken soup. My other half, always wants some hot and spicy flavor, so this is the perfect destination to feed both of our soupy needs.

The restaurant itself is very simple. There are two rooms of booths and a very extensive menu. It is very reasonably priced and the portions are huge (see half eaten above). I ordered a "medium" soup for $6.95, which was big enough to share or have for three meals. The service was outstanding. Our water glasses were always full and they did not rush us out while we sat and chatted. 

I wasn't too hungry, so I just ordered the soup and didn't snazz it up with any of the bazil, sprouts, sauces or lime. However, my partner in crime ordered the fresh rolls (which are delicious) with pork and veggies. He also added to his soup. Can you tell the difference? This is not just to show that opposites attract, but to show that anyone can go to LES and be happy. It's an interactive eating experience where no bowl of soup has to be the same. Some like it hot and others like it spicy, yet all can be happy here!

Can't wait to revisit for a deliciously reasonable treat. I mean how often can two people be served dinner for under $25 including tax and tip? In the meantime, I'm going to go reheat my leftovers.