The Birthday Tour de Sewall

I recently had a big birthday that ended in a zero and the three things I wanted were: brunch at Eastern Standard and dinners at Lineage and Row34. I'll admit, this isn't the first time I've done what I like to call "Tour de Sewall." Each restaurant dazzled with excellent food and service. There's an opportunity to go more in depth on each meal, but I'll start with the highlights version.

Eastern Standard has excellent brunch, and few things bring me more joy than people I love with an excuse to eat a large amount of breakfast food. My two favorite things on the ES menu are their chopped salad with pan friend chicken cutlet served in a wooden bowl and the house smoked salmon platter. I rarely order nova outside of New York, but Eastern Standard is the exception to this rule. On my birthday, I was spoiled and had both. I recommend going with another person so you can do the same. The nova is not too salty and pairs nicely with the tomatoes, capers, bagel and cream cheese.

Luckily, I had a break between brunch and dinner. Row34 is hip and happening with great food. You feel cool just walking in, or at least I do! The shrimp cocktail was the highlight of the excellent meal. They were plump and fresh and the cocktail sauce tasted like it had a hint of ginger. The butterscotch pudding was an excellent ending.

As it turns out, this is the last birthday I'll get to spend at Lineage because it's closing this summer. I've been going to Lineage for almost 9 years and love the simplicity and excellence of the menu. My favorite dinner item, which I'm known to eat as often as once a week, is the burger with hand cut fries. They had a hunch that I'd order a birthday burger and surprised me with a candle. Yes, a burger with a candle was the perfect first to go with my last Lineage birthday.

I highly encourage you to stop by any of the three restaurants that I visited on my Tour de Sewall. My birthday was just an excuse, so you can find one too!

Breakfast and Pastry at Tatte

Ever have a moment where you bite into a dish and you need to close your eyes to have a quiet moment just savoring the beauty and the bite? This happens for me frequently at Tatte. It's the home to the best breakfast, pastry, coffee drinks and warm vibe in the Boston area. I've been going to the Tatte by the St. Mary T stop for a few years now. Recently, I learned that they are doing an 8 week renovation starting January 1, 2016. This means that once we get through winter, we'll be greeted with double sized Tatte!

Once I learned that my favorite local bakery and quick breakfast spot would be closing and renovating, I decided the best thing to do was to eat there as much as humanly possible for its last week. The good news was, I had the week off so it was an achievable goal. 

Avocado Tartine

The first day I stopped by of my Tatte week, I made it up to the counter at 11:27. Thankfully there was still time for me to order breakfast. I was intrigued by the avocado tartine. I learned that this dish is homemade bread with avocado, a fried egg, arugula, dill, tomato and radish. It's a great dish to share with a friend because you get two of these hearty toasts. I think theoretically the open faced sandwich is supposed to be picked up and eaten, but I chose to use a fork and knife and to break the yolk. The combination of the fresh flavors of the veggies, with the avocado, egg and homemade bread made me take a deep breath and smile. 

Pain au Chocolat

I only got through one avocado tartine because it was so filling. I also got a pain au chocolat. These pastries are flaky with semisweet chocolate and they're made with real butter. There is a huge difference to me between a pastry from Tatte that's made fresh daily and a pastry from a grocery store or national chain. I highly recommend any of their homemade pastries! A trick I learned is that they go on sale late in the day, they're less fresh and less money. I think it's worth the whole price to get one early in the day.

Shakshuka

The next day after my avocado tartine and pan au chocolat, I went back to Tatte and it was snowy and rainy and crowded, as it does get. I lucked out though, I won the sat battle and got a seat. I ordered shakshuka which is a very tasty, fresh, hearty and warm breakfast. At Tatte they make theirs with tomatoes, peppers, poached eggs and feta. It's served with Challah toast and is again big enough to share. Since I was by myself and I know how much I like it, I opted to order it without the lamb meatball add-ons but next time I go I may try them.

This dish is also excellent and hearty. The homemade bread complementing the skillet of warm food is a perfect way to start a damp day. But let's be honest, it's also a great way to start a sunny day in the summer outside.

Where to go while you wait for the renovation

The good news is that Tatte has a few locations around the Boston area that we can go to while they renovate and expand their Brookline spot. I have visited one in Kendall Square and it's big, bright and airy with even more food than the Brookline spot. Only a few more weeks...

I recommend that if you enjoy good, fresh food, that you make your way to one of the Tatte locations get yourself a dish or pastry and a latte and close your eyes for a few seconds and enjoy the perfection.

New Year's Resolutions

I am constantly examining how food and technology impact communities. I do aspects of each in my personal and professional life. I think that food brings people together and can create and build community. I initially started this blog to have an outlet to discuss food, friends and fun and I am committed to these discussions happening more frequently in 2016 in a potentially different way.

As we're all talking about resolutions at the beginning of the year, I resolve to write more. Eating and sharing experiences brings me joy as I hope it does for you reading it. This year, I'll be sharing information on restaurants, recipes and great events. I initially started the blog thinking that I'd only write about a restaurant once, but I am going to open myself up to write more if it's a new visit after a while. 

When I initially started this blog, I was in grad school which meant that I had a lot more time. I needed something to divert me from the hundreds of pages of reading a week and as a writing warm up. Now, I'm in a full time demanding job and food is still a huge part of my life as are friends and fun. Again, I need a creative outlet-- a way to share my passion with who wants to read about it. I started this blog completely as a passion project to share my love of food and what I learn about community events with whoever wants to read. I also was curious how different channels brought traffic to the site. Back to technology and its impact on community. Since graduating a lot more of my food life has been happening offline, but not to worry, it's still happening!

Some new year's thoughts

During 2016, I want to think about how to have more fun with the blog and share more. I initially started writing this blog as "Fun Foodie," but I am thinking about sharing more about who I am. Part of why I use the anonymity is for anyone who is reading. I want to share the experience of another diner without any perks that come with being known as a diner to watch who may get different service. However, this means that my personal Instagram posts (which are predominantly food related) are not linked to the blog or when I connect with someone in the food scene, I don't write about it because I'm afraid I'll be identified. This seems counter intuitive as I reflect because there are some great stories about people I've met in the industry who are interesting, kind and who I've built a rapport with. As I continue to evaluate the direction of the blog, please feel free to share what you think. My feeling is it's fun to hear good stories and learn about great places to go and if I can continue to provide that more frequently, that is beneficial to all.

Another reason, I'm thinking about writing more without anonymity is I really love sharing and meeting new people and making recommendations. I often diagnose my friends' and family with the right restaurant for an occasion and price point or organize group dinners. I would love to connect more with people through food and volunteering this year and I think that this can happen more. 

One idea for connection comes from a trip my boyfriend and I took to Canada at the beginning of the summer. We went on two food tours. We had the best time and enjoyed meeting the people. I have been thinking about how these food tours could work in the Boston area.

What about eating in?

Most posts for this blog are focused on food or community events that have food. That is only half of the fun we can have together! I've been cooking and baking a bit and think that some of these recipes and discoveries are worth discussing. Expect more posts about cooking as well as eating out.

And the fun?!

As I discover new opportunities for fun, that will be shared too. This could be a trip to a new market, yoga studio or a vacation.

Expectations for 2016

This year, 2016, is already off to a great start and I think that the new year is a great time to reflect and think about how to be better and how to have more joy and more fun in life! You can expect somewhat of an evolution to FoodFriendsNFun and more-- more posts, more joy, more food and more fun. I want to figure out a way to have more community, so that will happen too. The best way to get up to date information about this evolution is on the blog and on twitter.

Happy New Year to you and I look forward to eating my way through the year with you and having fun while we do!

Why I eat out

Consistency is an interesting word and I used it deliberately. I love going to the places that know me and offer the best homey service accompanying great, creative food. It feels comforting to build relationships with people at restaurants and to be a regular. It adds a level of consistency to a fast paced world and life. Not to worry, I still love trying new places but below is a recap of some of my favorite consistent spots around Boston highlighting some excellent dishes and service. 

During the month of March, once it stopped snowing, I ate at Strip T's at least once a week (maybe more if you ask my boyfriend) and had a bowl of their smoked miso ramen and a small Caesar salad each time. There was something comforting about both of those things and the perfect service. I even have a spot at the bar that I usually sit. They know my voice when I call. That miso ramen is one of the best dishes I have had and coupled with the perfectly cooked noodles it was a nice hearty, flavorful warm dish to get out of the snow zone. The Caesar salad is truly one of a kind. After I eat it, I sweat garlic for 24 hours but it's worth it. Consistently perfection. Also in the month of March and related to Strip T's, I went to the BTG Boston's first series of events where I got to enjoy Tim Maslow's fine Ribelle food paired with some of the best of Boston's sommeliers' wine choices. I loved that it felt like one big giant family style meal-- put together by two of my favorites, Theresa Paopao and Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli.

Smoked Miso Ramen at Strip T's

Over the winter, I went to Lineage for burgers at the bar about once a week. It was nice to go out, get a great glass of wine, a phenomenal burger and speak with Brad, Amy, Matt or even Jeremy, at the bar. Anything Jeremy Sewall does is perfection and I think Lineage is one of his less written about "famous" restaurants, but it is the original and that burger is my "best of Boston." I'm not a big fan of fries generally, so I usually sub out fries for a side salad when I have a burger. When I go to Lineage, I eat the hand cut fries. If I really feel like splurging, I go for dessert with a tea pairing. My favorite of the winter was a brulee'd banana split. What can I say, I'm a sucker for red meat and any dessert that has bananas. I am also a huge fan of Island Creek, Eastern Standard and Row34, but those were a bit more of a trek this winter.

Bruleed Banana Split and Tea at Lineage

Another spot or series of spots I think of when discussing good service is anything Barbara Lynch. I love all of her spots that I've tried. I still have to try B&G, but if I want excellent food with perfect service, I go to any of her spots. My favorite for special occasions is Menton because I feel like I'm at dinner and a show. It's perfect food with the right choreography. I haven't been in a while but after I went to a few Full Plate lunches, I felt that the staff at the whole restaurant group got to know me. As I mentioned in previous posts anything at Drink is a good time-- they take the decision making out of the equation for you and the cocktails are perfect. I feel like my soul is being fed at Sportello-- through tagliatelle and coconut cake and at The Butcher Shop with the charcuterie platter and wine. The service is friendly and consistent at each place. I love the ability to go from formal at Menton to more casual at the other spots in terms of look and feel but to have the same great quality of food and service.

Charcuterie and wine at Butcher Shop

Service and consistency matters as does creativity. Sometimes in a super fast paced world, knowing what you're going to get from a service and food quality is all you need for a slice or a plate of happiness.

No 9 Park Night Out

I decided that for Dine Out Boston (what was formally known as Boston Restaurant Week), I'd eat (and Drink) at as many of Barbara Lynch's restaurants as possible via their "unofficial restaurant week". The only two I'm missing over the special two week period will be Sportello and B&G (which I have yet to try). I started my journey at No 9 Park. I'd heard from a friend that it is better than Menton, and I wanted to check it out for myself. It was a total splurge meal, even with the unofficial restaurant menu deal, but I thought it was a great experience. The ambiance was bright and cheery, and the vibe was modern and clean. I went with one of my friends and we decided to do it right and try the five course tasting menu with wine pairings and have a cheese course. The service was excellent as was the food. My only wish was that the pours for the wine pairings were a little larger because those were so tasty.

We were seated at a two top and each got to sit on the booth-cushion on a corner of the table. This small detail made it easier to share food and conversation. The meal started with two pieces of homemade bread. The roll was soft with a perfect sweetness and the slice of Italian bread was a balance of doughy and crusty. Both went nicely with the butter and salt we were given. I resisted the urge to get more bread because I wanted to save room for my dinner.

The first course to arrive was a (crab and) mackerel salad with parsnips tarragon and walnuts. I have a shellfish allergy, so the restaurant was accommodating and gave me mine without the crab and my friend had hers as was. It tasted like a higher end version of white fish salad but without mayo and went nicely on the homemade crackers that came on the plate. The roasted walnuts added a perfect crunch to the dish and the parsnips were roasted and sweet.

The next course was salmon with chicory and lentils. The salmon was moist and flavorful, served with the skin still on and the lentils made me feel like I was eating very healthfully and made the dish more hearty. 

Course three was prune stuffed gnocchi with foie gras and almonds. It was excellent even though I am not a huge foie gras fan (hard to believe, I know). We were told by the waitress that this is Barbara Lynch's signature dish and I'm not surprised. The gnocchi was the consistency of wheat pasta with a sweet and umami flavor. It came with two pieces of sweet, cooked foie gras and more foie gras in the sauce.

By the time the fourth course came, I expected to be full, but I was ready to keep going. This speaks to the excellent job the restaurant did with portions. The fourth course was a hanger steak with artichokes, bone marrow, a layered potato side and green garlic. The plate had my favorite things on it. I love nothing more than a good steak and artichokes-- this exceeded my expectations. The meat was cooked on the rare side and had excellent flavor that did not drown out the sides.

Before the final course we experienced the cheese course. We had a specific person who knew a lot about the cheese walk us through our ten options. It was fun to learn about the cheeses and that about half of the board was from the US. I thought that most high end cheese came from outside the US, so I was happily surprised. They were accommodating of us wanted to save our appetite for dessert so we got two full slices and about three half slices of cheese. We had goat, cow and sheep's milk cheese and the cart was arranged in that order as well. The cheese was accompanied by homemade toasts, honey, walnuts and some fruit. I enjoyed trying all of the parts together. My dining partner was more focused on just the cheese and she and I both enjoyed. We also learned that Formaggio supplies the cheese to No. 9 Park. Can't wait to take a trip to their store out in Cambridge to buy some of what we tried!

Dessert came after the cheese and it was plated beautifully. Of the six courses, I was surprised that dessert was not my favorite. It was a rich dark chocolate rectangular cake with mint ice cream and lemon bourbon mint sauce and compote and a homemade "Oreo" cookie-like cookie on top. I loved the flavor of the chocolate cake and mint chip ice cream with a cookie on top, however I found the lemon and mint compote to be a distraction from the outstanding chocolate cake, ice cream and cookie. 

Overall, the experience was excellent! I would happily go back to No. 9 Park and recommend you save up and try it. The next time I pay them a visit, I'll probably try the bar as I have heard it's a different menu and there are outstanding cocktails. If you are comparing Barbara Lynch restaurants, it's a slightly more casual atmosphere and experience than Menton with the Italian flair of Sportello.

Panza is perfection

It's been a while since posting and I'm definitely looking forward to doing so more! This weekend I had a fantastic girls night out with outstanding food and well priced and tasty wine. If you have not already, I recommend that you go to Panza in the North End. It is some of the best food you can find in Boston.

We waited until the last minute to make a reservation, so we ended up with an 8:30pm one. Lucky for us, the cute restaurant sat us in the window so we could enjoy the warm October night. A little known fact is that Panza is the sister restaurant to the cash only, wait on line, outstanding Giacomo's across the street. Aside from the well priced, tasty food, it is nice to be able to make a reservation and pay with a credit card.

Once we sat down, the bright red stack of bruschetta at the other table caught our eyes. To start we ordered the goat cheese bruschetta  My dining partner ordered Caesar salad. While we waited for our apps to arrive we ordered a bottle of Pino Griggio for only $20 and lined our stomachs with the crusty Italian bread and good olive oil.

 

I am not usually one to order goat cheese, but the bruschetta was creative, light and the goat cheese was a perfect compliment to the smoky, toasted bread, garlicky diced perfectly ripe tomatoes and onion. There were two pieces of bruschetta which was perfect for the three of us to share and still have room for our entrees. My dining partner let me try her Caesar salad. The greens were fresh, crisp and the dressing a perfect balance of creaminess, garlic, cheese and stuck to the greens perfectly.

For dinner I ordered the chicken Marsala over linguine. I do judge an Italian place by it's chicken Marsala and this was excellent. They an abundance of perfectly golden sauteed chicken in a sweet Marsala sauce. There was some pancetta too for added flavor and a lot of fresh mushrooms. This was the best Marsala I've had in a while!

My dining partners ordered butternut squash torteloni and pasta with eggplant. The torteloni was hand made over sized tortellini shaped pasta and tasted like thanksgiving. There were also chunks of squash on the outside. The eggplant pasta dish was described as a healthier eggplant parm.

All in all, it was a great night out. The food was perfect and very reasonably priced for the stellar food quality. Looking forward to visiting Panza again soon. Can't wait to see what their seasonal options will be.

No words to describe

This blog is focused on food friends and fun, and on a Boston day usually centralized around those things, I pause to acknowledge this truly tragic day.

It was so beautiful today. There was positive energy everywhere you turned. A friend of mine equated it to Christmas, running a Marathon with all of his loved ones waiting to cheer for him. The day was beautiful and then took a tragic turn for the surreal.

I hope that all are safe and that Boston and the world eventually find peace.

Drink, Sportello and Girls Night Out

Ever have those nights were money and calories don't count? You just want to eat really well, drink great drinks and have fun with your friends. Saturday night was one of those nights that will go down in history as one of my best nights in Boston from a food, friends, fun and drink perspective. We decided to start the evening at Drink and then work our way upstairs to Sportello. I found out after the fact that if you do the reverse, they can sometimes help you skip the line at Drink, but this is water under the bridge. This post is a bit longer than usual, so I will start with some advice in case you're in a hurry. Run as fast as you can to Drink and Sportello. The food, service and drinks are outstanding. Please share a part of your soul with the mixologist/waiter at drink and then when you are done or on another occasion go upstairs and order the tagliatelle bolognese. I am not innately a pasta person, but I will now dream of Sportello's pasta dishes.

We arrived at 7:30 to get five of us in at Drink. To add some context, Sportello and Drink are both part of the Barbara Lynch restaurant empire and happen to be housed in the same building in the Fort Point area. Drink is on the bottom and Sportello on top. Lucky for us, we only had to wait in the hallway for about 25 minutes before being served at Drink. We had a 9pm reservation at Sportello and they came down to retrieve us when the table was ready (super convenient). Drink is dimly lit with exposed brick and beautiful wooden bars all around. If you are lucky, you get to stand and if you're luckier you get to sit. I will tell you, I don't like standing at a bar for extended periods of time, but for Drink, I feel lucky to be in the room. It has such a positive happy fun vibe. The waitperson comes over to your party and gives you a food menu and then asks what you want to drink. To this you can say something like "I like sweet things" (me) or "I like cucumber" (a friend) or "I feel like something holiday" (my other friend) and they bring out a beautifully constructed tasty cocktail for you. Mine was a champagne with citrus, my friend had some sort of fresh cucumber drink presented in an old school champagne glass and my other friend had a brandy Alexander like drink with frothy foam on top. My first drink was like happiness in a glass. I love champagne and it was a pretty color. The second drink I ordered was perfect given the descriptor I gave, but I forgot to mention that Tequila and I are not friends. The waiter could not have been nicer and took it right out of my hand and off of the bill. Drink has some of the best service I've experienced. The waiter was subtle and kind about exchanging my drink, which I imagine happens so infrequently given how tasty and well constructed the cocktails are there.

It wasn't just drinks at Drink. They have great food, but given that Sportello was in our midst, it was bar cheese and toast for five of us. The toast had a little bit of oil on it and the bar cheese was like chive cream cheese-- the good stuff that you get in New York.

At approximately 9:10, the host from Sportello came down to get us. This was perfect because there was no lingering and waiting upstairs, instead it was a fluid transition from one establishment to the other. Had any glasses still been full they were welcome upstairs! Sportello is the perfect balance with Drink. It is bright and white and relaxed. When you walk in, it looks like a very clean diner. The kitchen area is open and there is a bakery counter lining one wall. We were seated on two sides of a table/bench between the "kitchen" and the bakery counter. Our waitress was awesome! She came over and gave us a heads up that the beef carpaccio and fish special were about to see out, so two of my dining buddies secured their dishes on the spot. Also, she offered a great perspective on the wine. We ordered a bottle of Pino Nior but it was white instead of red. The flavor was smooth and cool.

I shared a squash salad with one of my friends to start. While it was delicious and creative, I wished there was more on the plate. Others at the table ordered the spicy tomato soup and the last beef carpaccio in the kitchen (yum).

For dinner I had pasta bolognese. To say this was delicious was an understatement. I would have been happy if someone dumped me in a vat of pasta, bolognese and asked me to eat my way out. It was homemade pasta, which meant the pasta was a perfect smooth consistency. The sauce was full of different kinds of meat. I think there may have been hints of lamb in the sauce that had the perfect balance of tomato, herbs, meat and spices.

Dessert was a combination of cookies, cupcakes and a whoopie pie both to stay and to go. I can't get enough pumpkin especially in cookie form so I was excited about the pumpkin whoopie pie and a bacon cupcake seemed too good to be true, so I got one to go. The chocolate cookie was creatively sweet and salty. The bacon cupcake was really vanilla cake and maple butter cream with bacon on top.

Moral of the story is go to Sportello and Drink. You will not be disappointed. If you're on a budget, go to Sportello for a price fixed lunch.

Eastern Standard Brunchielunch

Eastern Standard is worth all of the hype it gets. I've only had consistently great meals and service there. No matter what I eat, it's satisfying and creative. Since it was a weekend between 10 and 2, I was geared up for some brunch. I define brunch as breakfast, but bigger. Eastern Standard had a part brunch, part lunch menu because it was Saturday and they only serve full brunch on Sunday. The food was awesome, but sitting outside comfortably in late October was the best part.

After pondering the menu for a while, I was set to order eggs. The past few times I dined at ES, I had a pastrami sandwich and since it was missing from the menu, I branched out. My dining partner had settled on the Croque-Madame. When the waiter told us the addition to the menu, I made a quick change and went for the homemade ricotta gnocchi with veggies and lamb sausage. I am a sucker for homemade pasta, and I figured the gnocchi would be the perfect substitute for all the bread I'd eat if I chose a breakfast option. We decided to balance the extreme carbs with a side salad.

After enjoying the fresh bread, butter and good conversation, the meals arrived. I started eating the perfectly cooked gnocchi with fresh almost crisp cauliflower, pea pods and tomatoes  The gnocchi was seared on the outside and right amount of chewiness. I could not find the lamb in my dish. Not to worry though, because the waiter could not have been nicer when adding it. They re-plated my dish with the lamb sausage, so it went from being a gnocchi primavera to a unique combination of gnocchi, lamb and veggies. I hope that in the future they make both the pasta dishes available. While the lamb sausage added a lot of flavor and smokiness to the dish, it was just as good and even a little bit lighter without it.

The side salad was tasty. It was mesclun greens with a garlicky mustard vinaigrette  Given the size of our entrees it was the perfect size to share. Sometimes at Eastern Standard, I find myself having the great salad versus french fry debate. The fries at ES are thin and perfectly crisp with some fresh herbs and the salad has those qualities with the added health benefits. At lunch we had our salad and fries too, because my dining buddy's dish came with fries.

The Croque Madam was beautiful. It was a layer of french toast topped with ham, cheese and a sunny side up egg and french fries. The dish looked to pretty to eat, and it tasted as good as it looked. The combination of sweet and savory was great. If I had to categorize it, I'd pair it with eggs Benedict because it had most of the same components. We joked about how big the dish was, yet it was devoured. I'm glad I got to try it because, had I ordered it, I probably would have been full for 24-hours and I never like skipping meals!

I appreciated that even after I had the waiter put my leftover two bites of pasta in a doggy bag that they still offered us dessert menus. The desserts sounded delicious, and I was tempted, but we opted to get the check for fear that we would be unable to stand if we ate anymore.

Eastern Standard is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. Jeremy Sewall is an artist! Their menu has a large variety of dishes with an array of ingredients and prices. While I have yet to go for dinner, I can vouch for the outstanding breakfasts, lunches and brunchielunches. Maybe next time I go, I'll steal less fries and have room for dessert!

Hawthorne Pot de Awesome

This is a somewhat impromptu post as I expected to just get a few apps when out for my friend's birthday last night at the Hawthorne, but wow, I got so much more. By so much more, I got a very tasty Caesar salad and the chocolate pot de creme for dessert.

The ladies around me had amazing looking drinks and got a few other apps. I decided given my low tolerance and the fact that it was a Monday night, I'd stick to apps and dessert. I tasted the potato skins which were really stuffed full fingerling potatoes. They were perfect and delish with bacon and a hint of mustard and cheese. I also tried the olives. The portion was large and the olives warm. My salad was perfectly chopped and dressed. I even forced myself to eat the anchovies. I think anchovies get a bad rep and are actually quite tasty.

I waited for a while for my dessert. I am notorious for going out and getting just dessert, but I figured I should fill up on something else first. The pot de creme was perfect and fulfilled my chocolate craving. My only wish is that I'd taken a picture. It was like rich chocolate pudding with salt and orange on top and really think rich whipped cream. The consistency was thick and creamy and the salt enhanced the chocolate. I don't usually eat orange rinds, but this dessert had some and they were shaved so finely, that I just ate them with the rest. For the prices I paid, I felt like the dessert was the most reasonable $9. While the salad could have been bigger for the $11. I will think about this dessert often and probably find myself at the Hawthorne bar often in search of it. I hope for the willpower to not visit more than once a week. Looking forward to next time I stop by where I'll pair it with a fancy drink or one of their large glasses of wine.

Next time you go to the Hawthorne for their signature drinks, check out one of the best desserts in Boston too. And if you feel like being nice, get a spoon or two to share it.

Tasty Burger for delicious prices

After my positive experiences at some of the other restaurants in Franklin's restaurant group, I was dying to try Tasty Burger. There is something really fun about a walk to the Fenway area on a Sunday night to go get burgers and fries.

I had initially shied away from Tasty Burger because it looked like a fast food joint and while I'm budget conscious, I try hard to avoid chains when I can eat at more unique concepts. My take on Tasty Burger was that it was a great spot with fast service and super inexpensive prices. Most of there burgers were between 5 and 8 dollars. We chose to sit inside becasue we wanted table service and we found a table near the pool table and bar. It was funny to find myself at a burger place when I didn't actually want burgers. Not to worry, the menu was extensive with hot dog, vegetarian and turkey alternatives to red meat.

Between me and my dining buddy, we ordered a turkey burger-- lettuce tomato and guac and a blue cheese burger with jalopenos. The turkey burger was my favorite turkey burger that I've eaten out. There were pieces of onion and spices in the turkey burger. The bun was light and flluffy and the guacamole was chunky and fresh. I was told that the blue cheese jalopeno burger was great for those who like some heat and blue cheese.

We also ordered a half and half to share. It was fries and onion rings. The fries were good. The onion rings were great. They were the thin stringy kind with perfect amount of breading and crispy! I took the first handful of each before my dining buddy added malt vineager. I loved the fried indulgence with and without the malt.

One of the most exciting parts of the dining experience was the huge amount of condiments. They were all out on the table and offered a ton of free ways to sass up your dish. Next time I go here, I will save room for a coffee milk shake.

Overall, I was impressed by the tasty burgers that Tasty Burger provided and can't wait to go back and add a coffee milk shake to my order! The prices were cheap and I bet the restaurant draws a huge late night crowd. I thought the turkey burger was comparable to any that I've had before and better! My dining buddy enjoyed the burger and put it in a cateogry with In and Out. I think part of the schtick is to serve the food in baskets while wrapped in paper and I appreciate it. However, if they want to differentiate themselves in look from fast food joints they could serve the food in a more formal way if one chooses to sit inside. I would not do this, though at the expense of raising the prices of the burger.

KO Fabulous

There are few things I enjoy as much as good steak. I enjoy good friends, a good price and good service too. All of these came together on a Friday at KO Prime near the Park Street T stop. I know what you are all thinking... good steak at a steak house for a good price, how?! The answer is the bar area!

KO Prime is in the hotel 90 Tremont St. The decor is modern chic. There is a lot of black and white and the bar area has plush couches and chairs. I had been to KO Prime before and knew that they have a fun bar menu. The great thing about the bar is that you have access to both the bar bites menu/drink specials and the regular menu. The reverse is not true in the dining room. We ordered a combination of sides, bar bites and menu items. It was a bountiful, and reasonable. When can you leave a steak house spending less than $25 a piece for dinner.

I went to KO a while ago and spent years dreaming about their beef rib mac and cheese. I didn't think I could tackle it by myself, but one of the girls ordered it and was kind to share. The dish is perfect. It was creamy and thick and there were pieces of meat throughout. The mac and cheese came out in a cast iron skillet with bubbly goodness on top.

One of the others got a mini sandwich, calamari and tater tots off of the bar bites menu. I didn't try the slider because it was small and his, but the tater tots were delicious. it was as if they put bread crumbs on the outside of cheesy mashed potatoes. I bit into a tot and it oozed back at me. I loved the creative take on mashed potatoes and tater tots!

Another meal was shrimp cocktail (photographed below) and mushroom risotto. I tasted the risotto and while it was not the best I've ever had (the bar is high given some homemade risotto I've had), it was stellar restaurant risotto. It was creamy and not too heavy. It tasted like there were hints of truffle oil.  I am allergic to shrimp as well as other shellfish, but the plantain patties that came with the shrimp were delicious. They were like latkes, but sweeter.

My dish was steak frites. The steak was cooked perfectly to medium and it came in an iron skillet with an abundance of salty, truffley french fries. The steak was so good that I wanted more. The dish I ordered was the least expensive steak dish on the menu. The fries were skinny and the steak was petite. I almost wish they charged a few dollars more and gave me more steak and a few less fries. On the plus side though, the fries were enough to share.

Overall the food, service and price at KO prime was perfect. Can't wait to return for some high end eats for a lower end price. Maybe when I return, I will have enough room for dessert which looked outstanding.

Thanks to my dining buddy for taking the pics!

The price is right at Bon Me

Today I went for a run and missed lunch. I know how do such things happen? So, I snarfed a power bar and then had room for an early dinner. I was planning on getting something downtown, but I stumbled upon the Bon Me truck. I asked them what would be lightest and they suggested the rice noodles with vegetables and sesame chicken. As I was about to pay, I saw that they make chocolate rice pudding.

The people in the truck were kind and knowledgeable. The food was delicious. I think that their schtick is a great one, you choose the meat on top of either a roll, rice or noodles. There are additional add ons that you can get like eggs, edamame or additional meat.

I wasn't in the mood for a drink, but had I been, they had a lot of tasty treats. I always want dessert and the rice pudding was the highlight of the meal. It was perfectly creamy with much cocoa and hints of cinnamon. I plan to go back again soon and take some pictures to share!

In the meantime, go find out where Bon Me is hiding out on the Boston Food Truck Tracker Site. While you're at it, use LevelUp to save when you pay.

In summary, I ate like a princess with champagne taste but on a beer budget--only $8.50. Big win!

Meritage with a view on the side

As one of my restaurant week adventures I was beyond excited to try Meritage. I had heard great things about the food and the location. Given that the restaurant would normally be way outside my price range, I could not wait to try it at the restaurant week price.

We made a reservation for Wednesday, and they sat us right away in a beautiful window seat where we overlooked the Boston Harbor. When you have a view like this, no matter what the food tastes like, it's a good night. The only menu to order off of was the restaurant week menu which meant that they were focused on making it memorable.

To start, we each had three rolls and the butter had a piped M in the top. The bread was homemade and outstanding. I especially liked the brown bread which tasted a little bit nutty and wheaty. The butter was soft and spreadable.

For our starter course, we both got the salad which was beautifully presented. We did not even finish our bread before it arrived. The veggies were fresh and wrapped in a cucumber package on top of tomatoes. I was surprised that there were two tomatoes on the bottom because it is not yet tomato season, but they tasted pretty good. The salad was served with minimal dressing to highlight the fresh veggie flavor. While I enjoyed this, my dining partner wished for more dressing. The only other time I had a salad presented like this was at my cousin's wedding at a fancy Philly hotel.

As soon as the salads were cleared our entrees were brought over. Again, we ordered the same thing. I was debating between the fillet and the braised boneless ribs and went for the ribs because they came with better sides--polenta and collard greens. I was happy I ordered this because it was beautifully presented and very rich and tasty. The portion was manageable if not small. I am curious if they made their entree sizes smaller for restaurant week or if they are always that size. The beef was perfectly tender and broke when I touched it with my fork. I could have eaten more.

For dessert I ordered the chocolate sample plate because I love trying many things especially when there is chocolate involved. There was a mini bread pudding, a white chocolate cream cheese eclair and a chocolate nougat tart. Of the three on the plate, the chocolate tart was best. It was rich and almost tasted like a chocolate meringue was on top. The bread pudding was good but not great and the eclair was awesome but I am a dark chocolate fan instead of a white chocolate fan.

My dining buddy ordered the savory dessert dish which was a daring move. It was a crepe filled with leeks, cheddar cheese and fennel. I enjoyed it as did he. It was incredibly creative and a unique way to end the meal.

Overall, Meritage was good but not great. I thought the food was great for what I paid, however, if I had the same restaurant experience while paying full price I would have been unhappy. The service was prompt if not rushed and the entree was small and not completely unique. I was hoping for a much better experience given the other restaurants I tried in its tier during restaurant week. The best thing about the restaurant was the view. It is perfect and beautiful. I am interested, however to see what Meritage would be like on a regular day where they are serving their full menu. As I have appointed myself the queen of brunch, this is a place I would be interested in trying in the brunch category.

Moved by Mooo....

In honor of spring feeling like it sprung and restaurant week, I surprised my beau for a lunch at Mooo.... He had raved about the delicious steak and I love going to steak houses but rarely indulge unless the price is right. A three course meal at Mooo.... was $20.12 each which felt like a steal for the amount of delicious and beautiful food we ate. It is rare (pun intended) to have a lunch date, so we decided to live on the wild side, or at least my dining partner did, and I tried everything on the table!

We were slightly early for our noon reservation and the hostess sat us right away at a very pretty table with horsehair pillows on the booth side of the table. I found the decor to be ornate. The restaurant's menu was so simple and classic, I felt like a queen on a throne with pillows.

To start off we had the most delicious rolls that were sweet and salty with simple butter (not pictured). I ordered a steakhouse salad. It was awesome with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta and that dressing which immediately makes you think of a steakhouse. It's oil vinegar and spices, simple yet perfect. If I was not indulging in three full courses, I would have been happy eating this salad with a piece of protein on top--it was so tasty.

My dining partner won the adventurous game. If you guessed that he ordered steak tartare, you are correct. Neither or us had ever eaten steak tartare before, but his logic was, where else would I try it? Since Mooo.... was such a good restaurant, he decided to live live on the raw side. The steak tartare was delicious, it came with flat breads and the raw meat was mixed with onions, capers and possibly tomato. The best way to describe it's consistency was a meaty fresh salsa. It was really flavorful and tossed with some oil, salt and pepper. 

We realized after the fact that we were ironic by ordering our sirloin steak medium after eating raw meat. The meat was cooked to perfection. The grill lines were perfect and the outside was caramelized while the inside was perfectly pink. The steak was thicker in the middle, so it was slightly rarer where the meat was thicker. In hindsight, I wish I had ordered the meat medium rare because the quality was so high that it would have been that much more delicious. The steak was served on top of a bed of watercress and fingerling potatoes. I am not a stinky cheese fan, so I held the blue cheese, but my dining partner had the meal as it was. The potatoes were simple with some salt and pepper on them and the watercress was simple. I'll be honest, I focused on making sure I ate my steak and potatoes, so by the time I got to the watercress, I was ready for the delicious chocolate dessert.

The dessert was outstanding! I love chocolate dessert anytime, especially after a steak. We had two of the same desserts. It was a brownie with vanilla ice cream and a homemade marshmallow on top. There was caramel sauce on the bottom and it was homemade and perfect. It tasted like toffee that had not hardened yet. The portion was the right size. I wanted more because it was so delicious but I would have had no where to put it because I was so full. The brownie was rich, like a piece of flowerless chocolate cake. It was smooth and not too sweet. The ice cream was homemade as was the marshmallow. I mentioned it before but I think a homemade marshmallow is a great alternative to whipped cream on a chocolate dessert. We both loved this dessert, it was a stack of happiness.

Overall, Mooo.... was outstanding. I walked out into the sunshine feeling satisfied and energized whatever else the day had in store for me. I hope to throw a party in their downstairs cellar room. I'm looking forward to coming back here sometime and trying their American Wagyu  Dumplings and a porterhouse (my favorite cut of steak). Until then, I will think about the perfect meal I had and how daring we were to try steak tartare.

Mistral: You made my heart sing & stomach smile

It is my favorite time of the year and that's not just because the weather is getting nicer, but it's because Boston Restaurant Week is upon us. There are 12 beautifully delicious days of discounted feasting. I had heard rave reviews for Mistral in Back Bay and wanted to know if the rumors were true. In order to orchestrate the event, I booked a table months ago. This is the type of place that I would usually go to once or twice a year for a truly special special occasion. The regular menu is definitely in the fine dining price category, so being able to eat three courses for $33.12 was a steal. I'm not kidding here, the restaurant week menu was less than the cost of one entree usually. Sometimes I shy away from situations like this because part of the beauty of going to such a nice restaurant is the service. In the past I had bad experiences with service on restaurant week, but Mistral showcased excellence.

For the meal, we both ordered Caesar salads to start. I ordered the statler chicken with risotto, asparagus and mushrooms. My sister got a steak with red wine reduction, Gorgonzola butter and potatoes. For dessert I got a devils food cake with ice cream on top and caramel sauce decorating the plate, and she got profiteroles. Prior to our meals, we got to enjoy perfectly baked bread with butter and a garlicky homemade hummus. In order to keep a girlish figure, I am rationing my bread intake during restaurant week to one slice/roll per meal. This was hard to do because the spreads were so delicious. See below for the bread picture.

The Caesar salads were delicious. Last weekend I learned about how important it is to showcase really good cheese and Mistral clearly got the hint. The dressing was light with the perfect amount of seasoning and cheese. They put Parmesan cheese on top. The croutons were homemade and I did not want the salad to end. Luckily once it did, we were greeted with the most beautiful main courses.

For the main courses my sister was dead set on steak. She had been counting down to a good steak and boy was it delicious. The steak was perfectly cooked and the potatoes were a nice compliment to the hearty sirloin. I normally can't stand blue cheese, but I tasted her dish and loved it. One of my favorite things about dining with a close friend or family member is that we can order different dishes but experience them all together.

When it comes to ordering, I want to know the story and what the waiter or waitress thinks. I learned early that if they are enthusiastic, the dish is usually good. I was planning to order the salmon, but I asked Natalie, our waitress about the chicken or the salmon and her face lit up about the chicken, so I went with her recommendation and I am glad I did. Chicken was a staple in my house growing up, so I rarely would choose to have it out, but I have evolved. The chicken was outstanding. The skin was perfectly crisped and the inside was moist. The cut of the chicken was the Statler, so it was white meat. I always thought chicken was simple, but there have been countless times where I've had dry white meat. This chicken was moist and delicious on top of a risotto. The portions were perfectly sized. It was so tasty that I wish I could have eaten more, but I needed to save room for dessert.

I love dessert especially chocolate desserts with ice cream. We both had ice cream filled chocolate desserts. Between the profiteroles and the devils food cake, I think the profiteroles were slightly better than the devils food cake. I say slightly so that if you have to choose between the two you know which is best. I recommend that you order both and just share them. The devils food cake was a perfect chocolate cake with creamy vanilla ice cream and a lace cookie on top. I could not get enough. The profiterole was delicious. The pastry was flaky and the ice cream and chocolate sauce bountiful. We both concluded at the end or the dessert course that it was inappropriate to lick our plates because we were at a fancy restaurant. Had we been at home, the plates would have been licked.

Overall Mistral was outstanding. It deserves all of the praise it gets. The service and food were both outstanding. I feel lucky that we were able to eat like queens and not break the bank. I can't wait to go here again next year for restaurant week or for a celebration. Looking forward to trying brunch. If you are trying to figure out where to go for restaurant week, I would call daily to see if they get cancellations.

Photos all taken as the food was served.