Deli dreams

One of the best things about eating, or even life, is coming across hidden gems when you least expect it. I definitely wasn't looking for anything spectacular when I hopped off the silver line and found myself in the most stunningly majestic area of the city I've ever seen – Northern Avenue, right by the harbor. 

This was one of those moments where I snapped out of the daze I basically live in to find myself somewhere I’ve never been before doing something I’ve never done before. Like I said, wasn’t really looking for anything great, wasn’t even really that hungry. I was, however, about 45 minutes early for an event I had to attend for work, and in need of a way to kill time before I had to photograph commencement for the school that I work at.

For those of you who've never had the pleasure of being in that area, let me enlighten you. It’s a busy area, home to the outdoor Bank of America Pavilion (where commencement was taking place), a brand new, three-floor Legal Seafoods complete with a roof deck that overlooks the harbor, and, on that day, an enormous influx of Wentworth parents, friends, and family members crowding up the street and searching for each other in a panic. All this was kind of insane, but what really blew my mind was how somehow, despite the seemingly intense level of activity, the area still managed to appear strangely quiet — it has the kind of stunning majesty associated with the financial district and the brooding, concrete buildings that make up Washington, DC. I was both amazed a little intimidated, and felt like a little ant leaving the anthill for the first time, but rather than scurry away in fear at the intensity of it all, I wanted to curl up into a little ball and make it my home. It was weirdly comforting. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the only thing to the north of the Pavilion is the water itself, the knowing that if you dare “mess” with the area and try to move any further, you’ll find yourself in the Atlantic. I felt like the area was my parent, protecting me from any jerks who might challenge its authority. 

Ok, maybe I sound nuts, but it was really cool, ok? Haters can go suck on some eggs. 

The only thing on this side of town besides the aforementioned huge restaurants and the Pavilion itself was an intriguing looking deli/convenience store called J. Pace and Sons. One glance at the place and I could tell by both the number of customers in there and by the assertive attitude of the workers that it’s famous in that part of the city. It was really busy – although the line circulated the entire deli counter and continued into the racks of wine, it still managed to move very quickly. Clearly, they don't mess around. They seem to be established, know what they want their business to be, and stick to it – at least that's the feeling I got. Like I said, I had nowhere to be for about 45 minutes (and there was nowhere else to sit) so I got in line and ordered a "Big Dig," a huge sandwich with prosciutto, mozzarella, basil, and red peppers. Couldn't have come up with a better combination myself. 

As you can see, I was already well into the sandwich by the time it occurred to me to take a picture. When it comes to sandwiches, it doesn't really take too much to please me. Every Friday, I go to the same Au Bon Pain in Cambridge and order a turkey, swiss, lettuce, and mustard sandwich, and nothing can make me happier in that moment than one of those sandwiches. But hold your horses, I can still appreciate an out of this world sandwich such as this one, I'm Italian, remember? 

I watched the guy at the deli counter take a fresh ball of mozzarella and slice it perfectly for my sandwich, so that of course was wonderful (you all know how I feel about cheese). Watching him slice that cheese ball was a very tempting, almost religious experience ... I felt like it was something I'd been waiting to see my whole life.  He put a lot of fresh basil on it too, something that's always kind of an afterthought to me, but it really does make quite the difference. And the peppers, eh, I'm not a huge fan of red peppers unless they're grilled and served with steak, but they definitely added a nice touch. And what kind of Italian would I be if I didn't go coo coo for prosciutto? (How do you even spell "coo coo?" I don't know). Point is, I love prosciutto a lot, and I put it on a lot of things I cook – especially flatbread pizza! Yum. 

Anyway, if you're ever up in the motherland (Northern Avenue will henceforth be referred to as "the motherland,") check out this great deli. They also have a mini grocery area, where you can pick up essentials as needed. I just googled the place and it turns out they have several locations! Check them out. Trust me, they're the best.

Disney dining dreams (two months later)

As you all know, I am a disgusting human being. Mostly because I have failed to keep you, my sweet readers, informed on the deliciousness that’s been going on in my mouth for the past (almost) month and a half. It’s been crazy times, let me tell you. I think I was burnt out from writing. The last time I posted was the end of June, right before my vacation and my co-op started. Since the only thing I did on vacation was freak out about the fact I had no sources for a story due the day after I came back, you can imagine the last thing I wanted to do to relax was write MORE. Well, enough about me. Let’s get back to deliciousness!

One thing I will say about my vacation (other than all I could think while there was OH MY GOD I’M GONNA DIE), is the quality of the food was hit or miss. I went to Disney World. Those of you who’ve been there can definitely back me up on this. Disney is one of those places where there are several amazingly delicious restaurants run by celebrity chefs and of course attended by some of the world’s most beloved characters. However, it’s also home to McDonaldses disguised as Dinosaur adventure restaurants, bad imitation French food and what is arguably the saddest attempt at beef teriyaki I’ve ever seen. Point is, you gotta know where to go, and once you know where to go, you’ve gotta figure out how you’re going to pay for quality food.

Luckily, my companions on this trip were none other than my wonderful (heee) family. My dad’s the kind of guy who would rather drop $100 for a cab than have to suck it up and deal with public transportation, so, as you may imagine, he has expensive taste. I definitely partially owe the fact I’m obsessed with good quality food to this dude, because he exposed me to fine dining at a very young age. Anyway, while on Mickey’s side of the tracks, we ate at several super fancy restaurants.

Ever heard of the Flying Fish Café? Probably not, but I bet you wish you had. It’s this great restaurant on Disney’s Boardwalk I can never get enough of. It’s probably because of the extremely positive experience I had the first time I ever went there. I don’t remember what the occasion was, but my mom and I were left alone to decide what to do for dinner that night, so, on a whim, we made reservations to sit at the bar for dinner about an hour before we actually showed up. I must have been 16. I just remember sitting down and being greeted by the bartender, a fifty-something New York transplant with short blonde hair arranged in a way that reminded me of the sun…but somehow, not obnoxiously so. Before even handing us a menu, she asked us what we were in the mood for. I mentioned I was a vegetarian (which, as you all know, has since changed), and the next thing I knew, the chef was standing right next to us, asking us how we felt about risotto and grilled veggies, and I’m thinking to myself, “um, I really don’t see why that’s even a question…” They were there for us every step of the way, right down to our after-dinner lattes. That was probably the most fun I as a teenage girl ever had with my mom, the angsty little fuck I was.  

Anyway, even though my dad, brother and sister will never fully understand the awesomeness of the Flying Fish, they still like to go there every time we make the trip down to Disney. Risotto and veggies aside, the place has really great seafood. Whenever I’m at a seafood place with my family, I usually take the opportunity to order lobster, because a) it’s delicious and b) I can’t afford to eat it unless they’re paying for it, but this time, I went crazy and got the scallops. THE SCALLOPS.

They were really good. I remember still being full from lunch so I couldn’t finish them, but they were bomb. And let me tell you, they were BEAUTIFUL with a nice glass of white wine…that belonged to my mother. Sigh. Being underage sucks.

Also, there was a cheese plate, something I'll never object to.

Those little grape things were bomb.

Anyway, I’m getting really hungry just thinking about those scallops…smeared in butter, covered with grilled veggies, cooked to perfection….aaahhh I’m killing myself! And crème brulee for dessert! But we won’t talk about that now, I’ve already decided I’m going to dedicate a post solely to crème brulee.

Another Disney restaurant I became obsessed with on my trip is Blue Zoo, a fabulously trendy seafood (see the trend here?) spot created by none other than celebrity chef Todd English. Ever heard of him? Wow, ignorant. JK I hadn’t heard of him either. Never met him, but based on the look and feel of his restaurant, dude is a Grade-A badass. Everything, from the teriyaki melo I ordered as my entrée to the gold-crusted dessert we shared to my sister’s appetizer flatbread pizza, was high class. I’m sure it’s expensive (but I wouldn’t know, thanks Dad!) so if you’re in the area and looking to splurge, you should check it out.

See that little thing covered in green? That's a risotto cake. It was so moist and delicious, absolutely perfect paired with the fish and its sauces.

Wow.

So I hate myself for not posting anything in a whole freaking MONTH but I promise I'll post more yumminess later today. And I promise I have been eating. I just started my first co-op so I have been very tired and all written out by the end of the day. I know those excuses are sad and pathetic but I PROMISE I'll post later. I hope we can still be friends.

The chronicles of my food adventures (Part 1)

Like I said, I've kinda been slacking on this whole blogging thing, so in the interest of keeping my lovely devoted readers happy, I will provide shorter, annotated versions of my recent dishes. Enjoy =]

Cobb salad, Towne restaurant, Boston, MA. Can we just talk about how a restaurant that is not only located on Boylston Street but is also extremely fancy and well set-up on the inside should definitely be expected to be good? Good. Well, I was disappointed. Look how pretty this salad is! It should be delicious, right? Unfortunately, the best part about it was that big puff of god knows what in the left hand corner, which leads me to this next one:

Thoroughly unsatisfying, kind of bland roast beef sandwich from the same place on the same day. There's a fancy name for it but I don't remember what that is. The fries were good though, and seriously, A+ for presentation!

Orange chicken, Brownstone restaurant, South End, Boston, MA
Deeeelicious. This entree was ordered by the one and only Julia Weinbaum, a fellow blogger and a dear friend of mine. Girl has good taste. This chicken was SOO good, better than variations of the same dish I've had at Asian fusion places. I had a glass of sangria while sampling this, so it was just one big fruit party in my mouth. Definitely the best party I've ever hosted!

Italian sub with sweet potato fries and diet coke, Big A Deli, Allston, MA
Oh. My. GOD. Do I really even need to tell you this was good? I mean, just look at it! Salami, prosciutto, provolone, lettuce, peppers, oil and vinegar, salt...holy pancakes Batman. So. Good. Talk about a diamond in the rough, too! Sarah, Craig and I were on our way to a place in Allston where Sarah and I regularly get feathers in our hair, and since we were a little early (and more than a little hungry) we ended up going for a walk down the street in search of a place to eat. I feel like Allston in itself is full of a lot of really good, very inconspicuous places, and this is probably just one of many. But I was really impressed with the sandwich, and the sweet potato fries were great too =]

Brownie Sundae, Papa Razzi restaurant, Boston, MA
Oh maann. First, it should be noted that the lovely individual in the photo is the aforementioned Miss Julia Weinbaum, who wanted to be in the picture (she's just as excited about food and pretty pictures of it as I am). Second, this brownie sundae was really, really good. I feel like you can't really go wrong combining brownies and ice cream, especially when you add hot fudge into the equation. It's like the perfect threesome...so fabulous and just so necessary that how can you really say no when your husband/boyfriend asks you for it for his birthday. It would probably be a sin to do so. Anyway, Papa Razzi was an overall fantastic experience. A little pricey, but I mean what else do I ever want to spend my money on? Unfortunately, I was so hungry I devoured my steak before I could snap a photo, but no worries my pretties, as Ahhnold says, I'll be back...

Speaking of I'll be back, gmail (which I usually love) is being a bit slow right now and not sending my other pictures from my phone to my computer, so I will have to continue my various adventures in a different post some other time. For now, good night and try not to salivate too much at these yummy photos =]

Tapas are terrific!

Dear Readers,
I'm sorry I'm such a terrible blogger. I just looked at my most recent post and it was on June 15. That's just despicable. After this post, I'm going to do a really long one mostly of photos and captions of deliciousness that deserved a post but that I have failed to talk about.
Anyway, today was my first day back home in Connecticut. After sitting in traffic for a good majority of the day, needless to say, I was quite cranky and of course, hungry. I originally had plans to hit up Buffalo Wild Wings with three of my dearest friends, but we had to reschedule because they all suck. Well, only one of them, but it's because of him we had to reschedule. Anyway, my dad really wanted to take me to this cool tapas place that my brother now washes dishes at. It's called Cadiz and it's right next to the movie theater in Bethel, a small town right next to mine. I'm always down for tapas, so I didn't protest.
We got there and the waitress told us to order two or three entrees each (as if I didn't already know how tapas worked....ha!) so of course my dad ordered like four entrees and I got two. I also made him order me a glass of wine (Spanish of course, gotta keep with the theme!)

Whaddup shrimp gumbo deliciousness! The dish on the right was made up of cold shrimp and scallops and topped off with a delicious fresh salsa. Oh MAN was it good. I'm a big fan of salsa, and I'll never object when scallops are part of the equation. On the right is an artistic array of chips and hummus. Nothing too fancy, but they sure made it look that way! And the hummus was very good.

This little beauty of a dish is artichoke chicken. The chicken was cooked to absolute perfection and smothered in juicy artichoke sauce. The veggies were very good as well. This, you see, is an example of artichokes used the right way. Not that there's ever a wrong way now that I think about it...anyone ever tried spinach and artichoke dip? Bomb.
Anyway, I ordered the beet salad, because let's be real, who can resist a good beet dish? Beets are nice and sweet and they're also fun to manj on because they have an interesting texture. Plus, they're supposed to be good for you or something like that.

You all KNOW how much I love cheese. See those little balls of goat cheese? They really give the beets an extra kick. Also, gotta love the toasted almonds. I put one on top of a piece of my beet I had just stabbed with my fork and was like, "Look Dad, it's wearing a hat!" He thinks I have problems.
Of course, since the portions are so small at a tapas restaurant, there's always room for dessert (or at least that's what I tell myself). I got really excited when I saw flan on the menu, and my dad got really excited when he saw chocolate mousse on the menu (and let's be real, so did I) so we went crazy and got both.

Flan is delicious AND squishy, making it pretty much the most fun thing to eat ever. I wish I knew how to make it myself! Maybe that's what I'll do while I'm home-go on a baking extravaganza and learn how to make flan. And mousse. I feel like that is both a valuable and relevant skill. Relevant to what, you ask? Life, duh. That's what. And then I'll become tremendously popular and a real hit at cocktail parties. That is all.

Getting in touch with my roots

Since I go to Northeastern and live on Mission Hill, it's rare that I make the journey to the North End. I know my grandfather would probably tear up at the mere thought that I don't make regular visits to the neighborhood of our people in the city I now live in, but c'mon Papa, it's not exactly on my side of the tracks. But really, it is sort of a crying shame that I don't go up there all the time, since a) I am super obnoxious about the fact that I am Italian and b) it's just a really awesome place to go. There are dozens of Italian restaurants, pastry shops, cafes and knick knack stores all over the span of just a couple of tiny one-way streets. It's a beautiful place, and, although it does get a lot of tourists, it has so much character. I really should make more trips up there and take pictures just of the area for those of you who have never been there. I know it's not food related, but I feel like it's still necessary for this blog because that way, all of you glorious readers (all 500,000 of you) will get a sneak peak into what warms my heart the most (besides food and...other things).
I've always kind of wanted to live there. If journalism doesn't work out, plan b is to move to the North End and work at a pastry shop or a restaurant where I can brew espresso, recommend wine pairings and mix all kinds of thick, creamy fillings together all day to make the perfect desserts. I'll probably end up doing this anyway when I'm old and gray and officially over the hill and will literally have to stop being a journalist at the risk of going into cardiac arrest.
Anyway, I went there on Friday and decided I would go all out. I figured I might as well, considering it was a treat to go there (although my dad, who supplies my spending money, probably isn't too happy about that...sorry Dad, I start co-op soon...)
We went to a restaurant called Cafe Pompeii, which in all honesty we picked just because it was there and the prices seemed reasonable. I don't remember what my dish was called, but I do remember that I ordered it because it said "chicken" and "prosciutto" in the same sentence.

I'm reading Yelp reviews of this place now, and they're all pretty bad. But I was very happy with this dish. The sauce (wish I knew what it was) was very creamy. The chicken was cooked to perfection and, of course, the prosciutto was amazing. Those little potato-like things over to the left of the plate were crispy, which I appreciated. I don't think they eat things like that in Italy, but hey, I'm not complaining. And the veggies were very good. So Yelp can suck it.
Anyway, after dinner, we went to one of my favorite dessert spots in the North End called Cafe Vittoria. I'm looking at their website right now and learning that this place was actually the first Italian cafe in Boston, which I guess makes them pretty legit. I would definitely say they are, in fact, legit, because their desserts are out of this world.

As you lovely readers know, I'm a big fan of cannolis, so obviously I had to get one. My friend Heidi got that good-looking cappuccino, which was just as scrumptious as it looks. And, of course, the chocolate martini my other friend ordered was out of this world. Chocolate and alcohol are great by themselves, but who could possibly resist the combination of the two?
This place is located right next to Mike's Pastry, which most Bostonians (and tourists) will recognize is arguably the most popular cannoli spot in town. While Mike's' cannolis are very, very good, there usually isn't anywhere to sit, and the shop lacks the intimacy and hospitality Cafe Vittoria offers. For one thing, Cafe has sit-down table service while at Mike's, you have to walk up to the counter and stand around and wait for a table (which you can usually only swipe if you're lucky). I feel like when the line is really long at Mike's, people spill over to Cafe Vittoria as a back-up, which is a shame because their desserts are just as good, if not better than the one's at Mike's. So y'all should definitely check this place out. It's awesome. But watch out, because the prices aren't on the menu, so you may soon find yourself fat and broke if you're not careful :)

5 Napkins...and a fork, and a knife...

Ever since I was a youngin growing up in the rolling hills (but not really) of Connecticut, I've always loved cheeseburgers. It all started with a trip to Applebees. I remember being kind of scared of the idea of burgers, thinking that all that meat on a bun was a terrible idea. But I got over it, and pretty soon I was ordering a cheeseburger at every burger and fry joint across the country (or really just the town I grew up in). 

Since I'm all grown up now and I have such a sophisticated palette (ha), my burger taste has also become more refined (that's actually a total lie...I still love McDonalds as much as I ever have). Anyway, the point is I can now appreciate a burger with something more than just a slice of cheddar cheese and a huge blob of ketchup on top. That's why I'm a big fan of this new burger place that just opened up in the Prudential Center, which isn't too far from my house. It's called 5 Napkin Burger. It's kind of a mini-chain of sorts–they started out in Manhattan and have since expanded to Queens, Atlanta, Miami and most importantly, Boston. They even have a burger called "the beantown burger" that has baked beans on it, which I ordered on a trip there last week with my dear old dad. 

 See that yellowy thing under the beans? That's gouda. Yeah, that's right. Gouda. What is gouda? I'm both offended by that question and glad you asked. It's the greatest cheese ever. Rich, creamy, and with just the right amount of kick. And it tastes great with red wine, which is always a plus in my book. As you can see, it was melted on my burger, and I can't think of a single instance in my life where I have been opposed to melted cheese. Soo good. 

Also, I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture, but 5 Napkin Burger's burgers are HUGE! So it's almost necessary to use a fork and a knife when eating one of them. My friend Craig is currently in town for the weekend and we just went to dinner there tonight. When he tried to pick up his burger, he got the juice all over his lap. I'll chalk that up partially to Craig being clumsy and partially to the fact that the burgers are enormous. 

This is mine and Craig's meal from this evening. One of the problems with 5 Napkin Burger is that they charge you extra for fries, so we just split them. It's really not necessary to order your own fries because the burgers are so huge.  Anyway, I got the original 5 Napkin Burger, which has carmelized onions and gruyere cheese on it. Can you say mouth watering? (If you can't then I'm very sorry for you). Craig ordered the bacon cheddar burger, which, despite the fact that it attacked him, was also apparently very good. So thumbs up for 5 Napkin Burger. There are a lot of great burger places in Boston, but as far as I know, this is the only gourmet burger location. It's kind of the best of both worlds–I still get to be a little kid and order a cheeseburger, but I also get to feel fancy because it's "gourmet." Ooh la la. Pinkies up!

RIP Green tea fro-yo

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to say goodbye to our dear friend, green tea frozen yogurt. Although he only lived for a short while, his impact on the clientele of popular frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry was unequivocal. Not only did he look great covered in strawberries, saturated with honey and dressed up with beautiful little chocolate crunch balls, he also was so handsome all by himself in a little baby sized cup. I remember the first time we met like it was yesterday. Actually, it was just last week. I was in line at the new Pinkberry stand in the Prudential Center about to order the usual original flavor when something unusual caught my eye. Green tea flavor, limited time only!
Green tea, you say?! Hmm. Well, in my experience, going down that road would be similar to a little something I like to call "taking a risk," which, as anyone with any kind of life experience knows, that could either go really badly, or really well. Should I dare? I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. It brought me right back to that time that I ordered foie gras at the most stinkin' fancy French restaurant I've ever been to in my life. It's fancy, it's cool, it's different, (not to mention trendy, and you know how I feel about trendy) so why shouldn't I try it? I'll tell you why, because it was GE-ROSS. Nasty. The texture reminded me of a sponge, and I would really prefer that my dinners not grace my tongue in the way a sponge would.
However, this little devil was a bit different. Okay, maybe I was being a wee bit dramatic comparing fro-yo to foie gras, but STILL. The point is, it was a risk. But, because I'm oh so adventurous, I ordered it. And I was NOT disappointed. It tasted sooo good covered with my usual toppings, which, at the risk of repeating myself, are strawberries and crunchy chocolate bits (they didn't have honey, womp womp). But okay. For serious, it was SOO good. So, you'll imagine my disappointment when the nice cashier told me that day was the last day for the green tea fro-yo. I was so sad, but, I was also so broke, so I couldn't make it back for another bowl by the end of the day. The cashier, sensing my despair, tried to console me. "Don't worry–tomorrow we'll have watermelon!"
You can see why I'm still upset about this.
Anyway, I wanted to write this post because I felt as if the green tea fro-yo deserved a proper goodbye. Hopefully, he's like Jesus and will resurrect someday soon (it would make sense, I feel like green tea is a summer-y flavor). Otherwise, maybe I'll be creative and make my own. However, nothing can fill the gaping hole in my heart that one I once loved has left me with.

This is him, in happier times:

=[ </3 Wahh.

Another post about brunch. It was really good, I swear

The other night, Sarah and I went out to this awesome club and had an amazing time dancing our asses off and fending off creepy advances from guys. I don't know about you people, but to me, the only thing that can top off an amazing night out is a fantastic meal, (preferably brunch) the next day. And that's exactly what we did! After somehow making it home, we set our alarms for 11:30 a.m., and when that lovely hour rolled around, headed down the street towards Thornton's, an awesome breakfast/lunch restaurant across from the Prudential Center.
In case you lovely readers (assuming you actually exist) haven't noticed by now, I have a thing for eggs benedict. To me, it's the perfect choice for brunch-just extravagant enough to make me feel like I'm eating an exotic meal when I'm really not. Maybe it's the hollandaise, I don't know. Anyway, naturally, that's what I ordered.

Doesn't it just look wonderful? I must say, it was pretty good. Not as good as the dish I had at Rickyl's, but for $7.45, who's complaining, right? Totally worth every penny. Anyway, I promise next time I post about brunch I'll order something other than eggs benedict, just to keep things interesting. In fact, to spice things up a little, I'll post a picture of Sarah's "eggs thornton."

Very similar to my own dish, however, this little beast had turkey and sauteed asparagus (great hangover remedy by the way, who knew). She said it was really good, however, I could definitely do without the turkey. I'm not a big turkey fan.
Oh, and I should mention that I had an awesome iced coffee from Thornton's. It was served in a huge glass, so huge that I had to get a to-go cup. No complaints here.

Homemade Asian goodness

Hey guys, sorry I suck and I haven't posted in forrrreverrr, I've been super busy. I wrote this post the other day but it was really late and I didn't think it was a good idea to post it at the time....anyway, here it is now:

Let me start off by saying that my roommate Sarah is a truly fantastic person. She's hilarious, down-to-earth, creative and motivated (I swear I'm not in love with her). Right now, she's drawing a tattoo for me. It's funny because when I asked her if she would, she got all excited and was all, "Oh my god I've been WAITING for you to ask me!" How sweet!

Anyway, to toot Sarah's horn even more, she and her friend made a very spontaneous decision to make sushi today. While I was curled up in bed wasting my life away with mindless Facebook stalking and re-runs of The Office, Sarah was in the kitchen with three of her friends, cooking rice, chopping up veggies and hot dogs, and mixing sauces to make the perfect sushi. Technically, what they made is called "gimbap," which is the Korean form of sushi (because sushi is Japanese, duh). The main difference between gimbap and sushi is gimbap uses canned tuna, minced beef or cooked fish rather than the raw fish associated with eating sushi. Let's just say it was really freaking good.

There are even little hot dogs in there. Sarah told me that when she was little, her mom would make gimbap with hot dogs in it to make it more "americanized," and also because little Sarah really liked hot dogs (haha). As you can see, some of them may look a bit redder than others. That's because the chefs tried the first batch and decided they were too bland, so they made a second batch saturated with sauce. I mean, I thought they all tasted pretty good, but maybe that's because I like to douse everything with a good helping of soy sauce.

One of the girls who helped make the sushi also made bubble tea. I know I haven't posted about this glorious concoction yet, however, let it be known now that I love bubble tea. However, this was the first time I'd ever had hot bubble tea. Usually when I drink it, it's in smoothie form. But this was really good, too.

Not to be cheesy and quote my own blog title, but, yum yum yum nom. Nom.

Max Brenner bummer

Guys, I'm not happy. I just got back from Max Brenner's, which, as all of you faithful readers know, is a restaurant known for its chocolate. The chocolate was fine. It was the dinner that was abysmal.

I ordered the fish tacos, which, I'll admit, is always a risk, especially at a place known for its dessert rather than its regular cuisine. Nevertheless, I felt like ordering the Brenner Burger again would just be redundant, since I'm pretty sure that's what I've ordered as my entree the only other three times I've been to a Max Brenner's. It was definitely time for a change. Anyway, my tacos came, and at first, I was really impressed with the presentation. I'm a little grossed out now but I'll post the picture anyway:

First of all, how on god's green earth is one supposed to successfully eat these tacos without dropping their contents all over one's lap? I mean, really, dressing-coated veggies are spilling out of these things, not to mention the fact that they're served on a slab of wood that leaves absolutely no room for a mess, let alone a fork and a knife.
It would also be nice if these fish tacos contained more than four or five popper-sized pieces of fish each. I literally had to dig through the sea of stringed onions, peppers and chunks of avocado in order to get to the damn fish. It should not be that difficult to find fish in a fish taco. So, that was also frustrating. But I think the most frustrating thing of all was that the tacos literally tasted like they had been taken out of the freezer minutes before, wrapped up in a paper towel and heated up for three and a half to five minutes. Which they probably were. But oh, my, god. The tortillas were so thin they couldn't have supported a damn feather. Like, for $12.95? Not worth it.
At least the dessert was good :)

See that chocolate pizza? That's right, that's a mountain of marshmallows and a sea of peanut butter. Look at it. Smell it. Oh, I'm sorry, you can't? That's because you didn't get to eat it. Wah.

The usual a.m. extravagance

If you ask someone who loves food as much as I do what their favorite meal of the day is, you'll probably get a very jumbled-up answer. How can I talk about a juicy steak smothered in A1 sauce for dinner as if it is even in the same category as a huge stack of fluffy pancakes? That's why I prefer the question of what my favorite weekly meal is. The answer is simple. BRUNCH!

Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, muffins, french toast and fresh fruit, all combined with the addition of a fruity alcoholic beverage as something deemed socially acceptable at an early hour make for what I think is the perfect way to cap off a stressful week. There are so many good brunch places in Boston, and I really can't wait to try out more of them. The only thing is, eating out in the city can get really expensive, especially for us unemployed student types. That's why I was so excited when my dad told us we were going out to brunch at Rickyl's, a restaurant not too far from my house in Brookfield, Ct, for Mother's Day, right before I had to return to school. Awesome, it's brunch AND it's free!

I figured, since I'm with the fam, I might as well go all out. I started off by ordering my usual morning array of drinks - water, cranberry juice AND coffee (the ladder of which I guzzled through like it was my last cup EVER - had to get about four refills). The waitress brought over our beverages, and I thought it was cute how the waters were served in jug-like glasses. Too cute to not photograph:

I was amused by the variety of colors in front of me for quite a few minutes. I'm often amused by pretty, shiny and colorful things. That's why when my eggs benedict arrived, it took me a couple of minutes to break in just because of their sheer beauty:

If you know me at all (or if you've gotten the feeling by reading my blog so far), you know that in order to please me, food needs to be more than just pretty (but I prefer when it's both pretty and delicious). These lovelies definitely brought their A-game. The hollandaise was very good-as creamy and flavorful as it should be. The potatoes were firm but totally still cooked, and seasoned to perfection. The eggs were good as well, although I wished they were a little less runny. I like my eggs firmer, but that's just me. Overall, quite satisfied. I will definitely have a post on my favorite brunch places sometime in the very near future. 

There is Hope!

I'm sitting at my kitchen table eating Nutella with a spoon. Forget the fact that I have dinner reservations at Max Brenner's in two hours for my roommate's birthday, I need my fix and nothing will stop me from getting it. Nutella has been quite a hot item in my life recently, especially these past few days. Two of my roommates, Sarah (the birthday girl) and Hope, each have their own jar. We demolished Sarah's jar on Sunday night after a delicious (if I do say so myself) dinner of chicken teriyaki stir-fry - we literally just passed it around in a circle and then all dug out gobs of chocolate hazelnut goodness with our respective spoons. Jordan, our other roommate who, ironically enough, is also president of the food club at our school, gave me the idea of mixing it with Greek yogurt. The result was tangy, chocolate-y goodness.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no better comfort snack than Nutella. It's pure, thick, creamy chocolate - honestly, how much better can it get? There's something soothing about its presence. When a group of girls is in possession of a jar of Nutella, it somehow bonds them together. It's similar, in a way, to being on the same cycle. We can all laugh about how fat we're being and the utter ridiculousness and childishness of licking chocolate off of a spoon. We don't care about sharing saliva or germs - we just want the damn chocolate.

And who (or what) else is going to be there for you in your last moment of desperation? Picture this: you're in class from 8 a.m. till 1 p.m. You then go to your after school job at a homeless shelter till around 4 p.m. Immediately after, you go to your supplementary job at a local bar from around 5 p.m. till 3 a.m. Sound crazy? This is the almost daily life of my roommate Hope. Girl's crazy, I'm not so sure when she has time to do her homework! Anyway, what's better than coming home at 3 in the morning to a jar of Nutella, a loaf a bread, and a note saying something like "you're crazy, take a break and have some Nutella!"? Probably nothing. So, Sarah, being the kind-hearted individual that she is, did this for Hope, who was more than thrilled to be greeted by this lovely sight after a night of getting hit on and chased down by crazy old men.

When no one else is there for you, Nutella always will be :) I bet if I continue living by that philosophy, I'll be doomed to a very lonely life plagued by obesity and diabetes. See you at the clinic!

This is what happens when you put the Finaldis at a dinner table

I think one of the reasons I love food so much is because when I was growing up, there was always so much of it. The question "will I sit down with my family for dinner tonight?" never crossed my mind as a kid. Every night, my mother would have some kind of huge meal prepared for us. She's a really good cook who made even brussels sprouts appealing at one point in my childhood. She would even cook us breakfast before school and read off the calendar of school cafeteria lunch offerings the night before. She was also really strict and a bit overbearing at times, but that's besides the point here. 

Point is, my family can really appreciate a good meal. That's why my father insisted on taking all of us to Max's Oyster Bar for mother's day dinner. Located in the downtown area of West Hartford, Max's is known for its awesome seafood dishes and raw bar, so, naturally, I ordered the steak (c'mon people, you know how it is...it was calling my name), but not before my dad put in an order for a clam pizza appetizer.

My 14 year old sister, who doesn't like clams, was all about this pizza. It was so delicious. The crust was the perfect consistency-not too fluffy, not too firm. It was topped with delicious cheese, tomatoes, herbs and of course chopped up clams. A classier version of Red Lobster's seafood pizza. 

I also ordered a bowl of lobster bisque (I had the choice of soup or salad with my steak). This bisque was alright. It tasted a little burnt-nothing like the rich, creamy bisque served at the Chatham Squire up on the Cape (I'm sure there will be a post about that to follow), but still pretty good. 

My steak came, and although I was already getting full thanks to all the appetizers, I plowed through it so quickly I didn't even take a picture of it. The presentation wasn't too pretty anyway, but the steak was phenomenal. Whenever we go out to a fancy dinner, I just have this need to order a steak. It's like I become some kind of ravenous velociraptor whose irrational desires can only be fulfilled through a piece of big, juicy steak. The only better steak I've had in my life is the steak at CQ's restaurant (also a seafood place, ironically) in Hilton Head, South Carolina. THAT steak cut like butter and melted in my mouth like an ice cube of deliciousness. The day I find a better steak than that one, I may go to church.

Anyway, more on Max's. No Finaldi holiday dinner would be complete without dessert, so we each ordered our own. My brother, who himself is a huge food snob, usually orders creme brulee, but this time he went for a rich chocolate cake that tasted and looked heavenly:

We did a swap, you see, because usually I'm the one who orders chocolate and he orders something fancy. But I ordered the creme brulee. Creme brulee is both delicious and fun to eat. The layer on top is so fragile and crystal-like-I almost don't want to break it. Plus, it looks like art. And the creme itself is always so buttery and yummy. This particular dish included two pretzels that had just been half-dipped in chocolate.

Isn't it beautiful? I had to savor every single little morsel of that mouth-watering dish. Of course, savoring can't last forever...

......my work here is done.

Might as well go all out

I recently went to visit a friend for her spring weekend at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Although it's an adorable town, Geneva isn't exactly known for its cuisine. We spent most of the weekend eating bread and cheese from a nearby grocery store called Wegmans, which I've only seen in Geneva and Allentown, Pennsylvania. On our last night there, we made a trip to the nearby Cold Stone, which shared a building with Tim Horton's. Since I was already on bread/cheese/tortilla chips/salsa overload, I figured I'd top off the world's most unhealthy weekend with the biggest, most satisfying treat Cold Stone could muster. You know what they say, the diet always starts tomorrow!

This lovely creation was a limited edition fried dough ice cream concoction that took eight minutes to bake (four to preheat the oven, four to cook...so much for "fried" dough). Although it looks awfully pretty, the strawberries were obviously thawed and still kind of frozen, and the whipped cream was cool whip. However, you can't go wrong with a giant scoop of Cold Stone's French vanilla ice cream on top of a piece of fried dough. It makes sense that my very unhealthy weekend ended with this average dessert. It sure looks pretty though, doesn't it?

My cannoli complex

Cannolis are probably my favorite pastry in the entire world. My grandfather would make a special trip to a bakery in downtown Waterbury just to pick them up for me pretty much every time we got together (which was a lot). Living in Boston has really opened my eyes to the different kinds of cannolis the world has to offer. Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street has everything from yellow cream to the standard ricotta to chocolate dipped shells, and yes I have tried them all. Mike's is probably the most famous pastry shop in the North End - there's always a huge line outside - but it's not my favorite. I'm actually a big fan of Cafe Vittoria, a little hole in the wall cafe that's right next to Mike's. The cannoli filling is much thicker, and their coffee is much better. Plus, you can usually get a table, something the huge crowd at Mike's usually doesn't allow for.

These little beauties weren't whipped up in any famous pastry shop, but that doesn't make them any less wonderful. I love all of my cannolis just the same. Well, that's a lie, but if it's in front of me, I'm certainly not going to say no. These were made in the bakery of Stew Leonards, a grocery store five minutes down the road from my parent's house in Connecticut. However, I've found that grocery store cannolis can actually be very satisfying. My ex-girlfriend was an exceptionally picky eater who would go through phases with food (wonder why that didn't last). She was hooked on cannolis for a whole two weeks, so we used to go to the grocery store that she worked at and pick up a couple at a time. Then she stopped liking them, so we didn't go anymore. (lawl) Those cannolis were really good. The cream was much thicker than the cream in Mike's cannolis, and the ricotta taste was more prominent. Still, I'd prefer a fresh-made pastry over one that's been sitting in a cooler for hours.

Fiesta in my mouth

What is there not to like about Mexican food? As far as I'm concerned, the combination of cheese, avocado, salsa, sour cream, beans or rice sounds like something I would like to be waiting for me as  I pass through the gates of heaven (ha). Top all that deliciousness off with a margarita and I am more than good to go. Awful for the waistline, good for the soul.

I was so excited when my roommate/best friend told me about the Border Cafe, a Tex Mex restaurant in Harvard Square. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but I feel like when it comes to Mexican food in Boston, pickings are slim. You can get a good burger or bowl of clam chowder pretty much anywhere, but let's face it, New England isn't exactly known for it's south of the border cuisine. The Border Cafe, however, was fantastic. I have pretty high standards for my food, especially Mexican food, which can be pretty hit or miss. I ordered the cheese enchiladas, which were too pretty to not take a picture of:

My enchiladas appear to be drowning in cheese, and I have no plans to rescue them. 

Also, there's nothing I love more than a good scoop of fresh guacamole. You can tell when something has been sitting in a refrigerator for days versus when it has just been made, and there was no question in my mind that this was legit. Absolutely delicious. And the best part was, it was my birthday, so my meal was free! (They don't give out free meals when it's your birthday...I just have really awesome friends). 

S'mores salvation!

I don't know why, but pretty food has quite an impact on me. Actually, it probably goes back to the fact that I'm really amused by pretty, shiny things. This dessert was no exception. It's called the "s'mores concoction" and I got it at Max Brenner's restaurant in Boston. I was there with my friend Craig, who has a tendency to order extravagant things like white chocolate waffles as his entree at lunchtime. However, this time, Craig's dessert wasn't as pretty as mine. Ha ha. 

The glass in the middle is a layer of chocolate mousse sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs and topped off with a whisk of whipped cream. Combine that with a tiny little berry bowl (because we have to keep it healthy, come on people), a graham cracker topped with chocolate and marshmallows and a shot of warm chocolate sauce and I was good for the next two days or so. Seriously, I was still full the next day. 

I enjoyed going to Max Brenner's, but I'm not sure if it's the kind of place I'll be going a lot. For one thing, there was an awful lot of hype surrounding the restaurant's opening, and when I went inside I was a bit disappointed. Maybe it's because I've been to the one in Union Square near NYU, which looks like something straight out of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The Boston location wasn't really anything special in terms of design. Also, the food was way overpriced - Craig and I ended up paying something like $40 each. Insane! But I had a good experience. I'm sure I'll go back at some point, but until then, I'm going to keep looking around the city for cheaper options.