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.