Boston

You are currently browsing articles tagged Boston.

Brunch at Sensing

August 31, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 10 comments

Brunch is one of the best meals of the week, and this past Sunday, after waking up late and lolling around the house, we decided to eat at Sensing at the Fairmont Battery Wharf. We had only eaten at Sensing once before, for lunch last 4th of July, and after a great lunch experience, I was looking forward to brunch by the bay.

For a city that has so much water, Boston severely lacks in waterfront dining options, don’t you think?

Sensing’s outdoor patio has a great view of the harbor, and we were gratefully seated in the shade so that we were able to enjoy the beautiful day without baking in the sun. The restaurant manager seated us and served us for most of the meal; the service was absolute perfection.

I started with an extra spicy Bloody Mary, just how I like them. See all that horseradish floating around? Yum!

While we were sipping our drinks, we also nibbled on flaky scones topped with apple butter.

I took this photo of the condiments because they looked so perfect. . . and they are usually a pretty big part of my meal!

And then my brunch arrived, the Coast Guard Omelet, with brie, asparagus, and lobster, oh my. With a stuffed tomato, home fries, carrots, and asparagus on the side, it was a completely indulgent breakfast but still with a lot of nutrition.

The lobster was perfectly cooked, not a chewy bit, and the brie was ooey-gooey and melty.

My husband had the lobster roll which we shared at our last meal at Sensing, and once again it was perfect. The brioche roll makes it extra delicious.

Stuffed, we left to wander down along the waterfront and through the St. Anthony Feast going on in the North End. Other than getting yelled at for taking a photo (of something I was going to buy!) by a child working in the chocolate dipped fruit booth, the feast was enjoyable but a little too crowded for a day that was in the high 80’s. I didn’t buy the chocolate covered apple after the boy yelled at me. Hmph to him.

As a blogger, have you ever gotten yelled at for taking a photo? I was yelled at once before in Lush of all places.

Technorati Tags: Boston, brunch, Dining out, Food, lobster

Tags: Boston, brunch, Dining out, Food, lobster

Dinner at Union Boston

August 30, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 16 comments

As I write this post, I am contentedly full from a delicious dinner at Union Bar and Grille in Boston’s South End. A day of wandering the North End in the heat and wishing I owned the dogs in the South End dog park, we found relief from this late summer heat in Union’s cool, comfortable dining room.

We have been to Union’s bar a few times, once to eat brunch, and a few other times for drinks, but never for dinner. They have a great wine list and are one of the restaurants in Boston that has ventured outside of the traditional wine regions of the world to offer Austrian Gruner Veltliner, a huge plus in my opinion. They also offer reasonably priced wine by the glass from places like Washington, New Zealand, and Argentina.

Since we had never eaten in the dining room, it was a nice surprise to be seated in the very comfortable black banquette lit by some great natural light. The decor is dark, cool, and sleek, very comfortable but really chic.

We were greeted by the restaurant’s manager, Justin, seated, and given a complimentary glass of bubbly to mark the end of Boston Restaurant Week. It was a very nice touch

Fresh, hot cornbread preceded our meals, and while I decided to save room for my three course dinner, my husband thought it was perfect, especially with some creamy, lightly salted butter.

For my wine, I decided on the Neapolitan flight which started with a glass of Graham Beck Brut Rosé. As you may know from other posts (wine tasting at Morton’s, Vino Voyage, and my friend’s graduation dinner). Graham Beck unfortunately recently passed away, but his delicious wine certainly lives on and gives us reason to celebrate.

My first course was a fresh, light, and summery soup, Chilled local peach and golden tomato gazpacho, that took advantage of the best local produce at the moment, tomatoes and peaches. I don’t know why I never thought to pair tomatoes and peaches before (but Chef Robin White does in an incredible salad) but it is a magical pairing, the sweetness of ripe peaches accentuating the sweetness and slight acidity of the tomatoes. It was the perfect starter for such a hot evening. The only thing that I personally would have left out was the drizzle of oil on top; it was a little distracting. Otherwise, I could and would eat bowl after bowl of this gazpacho.

My second wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from Groth Vineyards in the Napa Valley. It ended up being the perfect choice to pair with the spice of my entree

Oven roasted cape bluefish
with spicy watermelon pickle charred sweet onions,
grilled summer corn and basmati rice pilaf

The spicy watermelon was just luscious and unexpected, complementing the meaty bluefish well. I even enjoyed the sweet summer corn and rice, and I am not usually a fan of rice. Everyone finds it strange that I don’t like rice, but I really rarely enjoy it. Last night was one of those nights.

The Restaurant Week menu included a dessert course, and we were completely spoiled for dessert as we were brought out the house special, a maple bread pudding, in addition to the desserts we ordered:

Raspberry spiked chocolate brownies
with pistachio ice cream

Bread and butter pudding
with roasted peaches and vanilla bean ice cream

That’s a lot of dessert for two people! But we managed, with two glasses of Port, to put quite a dent in them, each delicious and decadent in their own way. Justin was completely correct when he said that the maple bread pudding was life changing, and I can see it being a big time autumn craving.

Union is a great neighborhood restaurant for just about any meal or casual snacks at the bar, which I find to be one of my favorite bar settings in Boston. They provided us with above and beyond hospitality, and we will definitely return. Thanks so much, Justin!

So, it’s Monday again and a pretty busy week leading up to our holiday weekend in the Berkshires. . . and a fall season for lots of travel and fun events. I can’t wait, but it’s also a little bit daunting. One day at a time I guess!

Even though we work until 2:00 on Friday, I am telling myself it is a short week. Ask me again on Thursday how I feel about that!

It was a quiet weekend on the blog traffic front, so in case you missed them, don’t forget to check out summer farmers market roundup, a wine tasting at home, and another cod recipe. Also, I am in the process of updating the Sites I love page. More to come!

Did you eat anything particularly delicious this weekend?

Technorati Tags: Boston, Dining out, dinner, Food, gazpacho, restaurant, Union, wine

Tags: Boston, Dining out, dinner, Food, gazpacho, restaurant, Union, wine

Farmers Markets Week

August 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 16 comments

As summer grudgingly comes to an end, we celebrate all of the great things that Massachusetts Farmers Markets brought to us this year. I for one feel as though each week is made better x 100 by my many visits to the Copley Square market, and if you have been reading my blog for the past few months, you know that I can’t help myself but post weekly photos of the market and all of the local produce I enjoy.

It all started back in the spring, the market sparse with things like fiddleheads, the colors and life of the market a welcome relief from a cold winter and a gray, rainy spring.

And rhubarb, perfect for making an easy, warm rhubarb compote for yogurt and ice cream . . .

Colorful root vegetables like Easter egg radishes and beets popped up, making some incredible, crunchy salad additions. I discovered my love for raw radishes topped with tiny slivers of Kerrygold butter.

The greens and herbs were plentiful throughout the summer, my favorite being dinosaur kale and of course, basil for intensely flavored pesto.

Fresh, local varieties of squash started appearing, bright yellows and greens painting Copley Square with color and providing the perfect tools for kitchen adventures like zucchini pancakes and pattypan squash with a Greek twist.

And then finally there were the heirloom tomatoes. I wait all summer for these beauties, inspiration for new recipes like heirloom tomato panzanella, cod with tomatoes, and the base for a fabulous multi-course tomato dinner.

The farmers of Massachusetts should be commended for all of the hard work they do. Each year I have lived in Boston, I see more and more people buying food from local farmers, and I hope that will continue. As we see with mass produced food situations, such as the current egg crisis, it is best to know exactly where your food comes from, even down to the person who picks it and brings it to market. We are pretty lucky here in Boston to have such great markets just about every day of the week!

One of the greatest parts of blogging is that it is a living, growing, diary. In the dark, depths of winter, I will be able to look back to see all of the beautiful local foods I ate this summer. . . and to to look forward to making them even more a part of my diet next summer!

But summer isn’t over yet, and the markets go on for a few more months so be sure to check them out for the gorgeousness of fall, pumpkins, apples, honey, cider, and more!

And maybe someday soon we will have our year round public market in Boston!

As I mentioned above, this post is part of the Celebrating the Flavors of Massachusetts blogathon, hosted by In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens. If you love local food, why not donate to Mass Farmers Markets?!

~~~~~~~~~~~

I had a dream the other night I was on a tour bus with Mick Jagger and Mark Bittman. This may have to do with my obsession with being in the cast of Spain on the Road again. . . not sure exactly what it means, but I woke up really happy!

Have you had any weird dreams lately?

Technorati Tags: Boston, Farmers Markets Week, Food, vegetables

Tags: Boston, Farmers Markets Week, Food, vegetables

Upstairs on the Square

August 26, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 15 comments

Five Boston food bloggers, a four course heirloom tomato dinner, and three wine pairings makes for a fabulous Wednesday night!

It didn’t start out as such. I made my way over to Harvard Square in the rain, received some disappointing news, and since it was the one year anniversary of Ted Kennedy’s death, decided to walk down by the river and through JFK Park in Cambridge for a little bit of thinking (ahem, crying) time.

Due to a hot summer and days of rain, everything was lush, green, and beautiful. The park was empty and peaceful, just what I needed for a little alone time after work.

I liked this quote from then President-elect Kennedy in 1961:

“The enduring qualities of Massachusetts–the common threads woven by the Pilgrim and the Puritan, the fisherman and the farmer, the Yankee and the immigrant–will not be and could not be forgotten in this nation’s executive mansion.” Yay Massachusetts!

After I was sufficiently rained on, I wandered back toward Harvard Square where I browsed boots, books, and clothes, and ended up at Cardullo’s ogling gourmet food products.

They have giant jars of Branston pickle, an Irish/English relish that is incredible on cheese sandwiches.

In addition to tons of coffee, chocolate, tea, cheese, crackers, biscuits, sauces, candy, juices, sodas, you name it, from around the world. Le sigh.

Soon enough it was time to head to dinner at Upstairs on the Square. Along the way I met two of my dining companions, Alicia and Michelle.

And once inside, we found Megan, looking like the queen of the castle on the high-backed purple chair.

Soon after we were joined by the lovely Daisy, and all decided on having the wine pairing with Upstairs on the Square’s “The Perfect August Repast; A Tomato Feast!”

We started with an amuse bouche, a shooter of summer gazpacho, served with a Ca’ del Solo Albarino from Bonny Doon Vineyard. Bonny Doon’s wines always impress me, and this Albarino was no different. Refreshing, bright, and citrusy, it went exceedingly well with both the gazpacho and our next course, the Classic Native Heirloom Tomato Salad with Fresh Market Raspberry Vinegar, Vermont Goat Cheese, and Thai Basil.

The Albarino had great citrus – but not acidic- flavors that paired very well with the slight acidity of the tomatoes. Creamy goat cheese and sweet raspberries brought it all together.

The next course was a Parsley & Lemon Crusted Hake with Lightly Crushed Yukon Golds & Lemongrass Tomato Water. Hearty and light at the same time with a delicious kiss of lemon flavor, this was my favorite savory course. With our hake, we sipped a Domaine Caillot Mersault from Burgundy. It had a delightful oaky flavor that really brought out the lemon flavor in the fish but also went well with the potatoes. I discovered that potatoes and wine with a hint of woodiness go well together!

The next course was a beef course, Wood-Grilled New York Strip Steak with a Tomato a la Provencale and Slow Roasted Garlic. While I am not a beef eater, I still loved this course for the fresh stuffed tomato seasoned with garlic and what I think were tarragon and fennel, paired with a spectacular 2006 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap. The nose of the wine was pure Napa Valley, some nice dark fruits, a bit of dark chocolate, and that earthy, woody smell that just immediately transfers me across the country to the place I would to be most.

The final course, our dessert, was simply spectacular, delicious, unique, creative, magnifique! Sweet Tomato Sorbet Coupe with Olive Oil Ice Cream, Candied Pine Nuts and Lemon Thyme Shortbread. I can’t even put into words the layers of flavors and textures. The sorbet truly tasted like tomatoes, but in a sweet, light sort of way. The olive oil ice cream was creamy, rich, decadent, and the pine nuts were crunchy, sweet, and light. Top top it off, buttery, lemony shortbread with a savory hint of thyme.

We spent the evening eating, drinking, and catching up. It is so much fun to be with such a smart, funny group of women with the same interests AND people who not only understand the need to photograph every morsel, but join you in doing it! We were probably quite the sight, but we had a great time and I can’t wait to get together again.

Before I forget, the winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is. . . Kristy! Kristy, please email me with your contact info so I can get your gift card to you!

Tomorrow I am planning a special local food/farmers’ market blog post, but I DO need foodies to feature in the coming weeks, so let me know if you would like to be featured!

Random question of the day: What is the nicest thing someone has said to you recently?

A very old friend who I haven’t seen in over 12 years left a very kind comment on my Facebook page the other day and made my day, and I would love to hear what people are saying to make you happy!

Technorati Tags: bloggers, Boston, cambridge, Food, heirloom tomatoes, tomato dinner, Upstairs on the Square, wine

Tags: bloggers, Boston, cambridge, Food, heirloom tomatoes, tomato dinner, Upstairs on the Square, wine

Bloodypalooza at Turner Fisheries

August 22, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 14 comments

Blogging in Boston has opened so many doors for me and most importantly has allowed me to meet some really great people. Part of all of that is the ability to attend events and try things I may have never encountered in life pre-blogging. I had the pleasure yesterday morning of attending Bloodypalooza at Turner Fisheries in downtown Boston. The fabulous Christine from Citysearch organized the event which was full of delicious food and of course, spicy Bloody Marys.

Turner Fisheries has a fun, swanky design and layout AND offers lots of great light for food photos. The important things we bloggers have to think of!

When we arrived at Bloodypalooza, were given an overview of what was available for the make your own Bloody Mary bar. Pickled string beans, jumbo shrimp, lobster, crab claws, seared tuna, and oysters were on ice, and containers of regular olives, blue cheese stuffed olives, and citrus were available for garnishing.

To get us started, our hosts provided shots of their clear Bloody Mary mix which is made by juicing tomatoes through cheesecloth to get the color out. As a result, you get more of a tomato broth. This was mixed with lobster juice, and while I am glad I tried it, I will stick to the more traditional mix. Other available bases included Bloody Caesar mix and clamato juice.

For my drink, I opted for a jumbo shrimp and olives in a classic Bloody Mary. The homemade mix was perfectly spicy with lots of horseradish and black pepper.

Alongside these delicious drinks, we were served a few of Turners’ food specialties. I didn’t try it, but this chicken top a Bloody Mary risotto looked delicious, and my husband loved it.

There were also lobster tacos and these sandwiches, upstate New York specialties called spiedies. Apparently, spiedies are a big deal; there is even a festival to celebrate them!

It was great to spend some time on a beautiful Saturday sampling great food, sipping one of my favorite spicy drinks and seeing some blogger/Twitter favorites like Michelle and her fiance, Bret, and Justin and his wife, Leah. Here Michelle and I are posing for our high school yearbook photos with the over the shoulder smile

Many thanks to Citysearch and Turner Fisheries for hosting such a fun event. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon!

Do you like Bloody Marys? Which combo would you have chosen?

Technorati Tags: bloggers, Boston, brunch, cocktails, events, Food, restaurant, Turner Fisheries

Tags: bloggers, Boston, brunch, cocktails, events, Food, restaurant, Turner Fisheries

Villa Francesca Blogger Dinner

August 17, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 10 comments

I love my Boston blogger friends. There’s nothing quite like a night out eating and drinking with them, and when you add in a delicious, hospitable North End restaurant like Villa Francesca, you have the best Monday night ever.

I left work on a very humid, cloudy evening and wandered over to the North End in what ended up being our first rainy evening in quite awhile. As a result, I was early for the event, just to get out of the rain. I ran into Alicia and Michelle at the bar which was a perfect way to kick off the night.

Kristen soon came up to meet us, and as organizer of the event, she was a fantastic hostess. The downstairs setup was pretty sweet with oysters and Prosecco waiting for us. Two of my favorite things!

I ate several deliciously briny oysters washed down by a glass and a half of Prosecco, all while checking out Villa Francesca’s beautiful wine cellar. It’s quite wonderful to find such a wine cellar in Boston. . . it looks like it should be in a Tuscan villa.

After mingling with some of my favorite bloggies like Katie, Megan, Daisy, Lara, Renee, and Twitter friend Justin, we sat down for a dinner of never ending delicious food and wine.

I had started upstairs with a Nero D’avola and kept sipping that downstairs while also trying a sample of the white which was a pale in color, grapefruit-y delight whose name I can’t remember.

We all shared a family style antipasto, and the spicy salami was the perfect counterpart for salty cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil. The vegetarian in me looks away when antipasto is served. . .;)

I thought we were all set with appetizers when we were EACH served this Fettucine con Gamberi, homemade pasta with shrimp in a light, flavorful tomato cream sauce. I could have been done eating here, satisfied with delicious homemade pasta. . .

But there was more! Sole served with some of the best potatoes and escarole I have ever eaten. Everything tasted so delicious and delicately flavored. I was stuffed by the time my plate was taken away. . .

But homemade, filled to order cannolis were next. And who am I to say no to a cannoli? Especially one made to order. I had mine with ricotta, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar, filled by the owner of Villa Francesca himself.

I loved meeting Bill, Villa Francesca’s owner, and hearing about the restaurant’s quality, homemade ingredients. Dining in the North End can be overwhelming with so many choices, so being able to try out a new restaurant at last night’s event was pretty amazing. I for one can not wait to explore their wine cellar more and to eat their food again. It was a delicious evening that I was privileged to be part of.

Grazie to Kristen for inviting me and to Bill for hosting us!

If you live in Boston, do you have a favorite North End restaurant?

Don’t forget to enter my CSN Stores giveaway contest. I can’t wait to hear how you all get ready for fall!

Technorati Tags: Boston, cannoli, Dining out, Nero D'avola, North End, oysters, pasta, prosecco, Restaurants, Villa Francesca, wine

Tags: Boston, cannoli, Dining out, Nero D'avola, North End, oysters, pasta, prosecco, Restaurants, Villa Francesca, wine

FFF: Tiny Urban Kitchen

August 13, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Happy Friday! Today’s foodie feature is Jen from Tiny Urban Kitchen, one of my favorite Boston bloggers and one I had the great pleasure of meeting at the Stonyfield lunch. We share some of the same favorite restaurants in the Boston area (Craigie on Main and Mamma Maria), and I lived vicariously through her as she went on the Napa Valley adventure of a lifetime with Foodbuzz and S. Pellegrino. If you haven’t read her blog, I am certain you will want to by the end of this post. And if you haven’t been featured yet and would like to, let me know!

Interview with Jen
I write the blog Tiny Urban Kitchen, which is so named because, like Meghan, I am also a city-girl and live in a tiny urban condo with a tiny urban kitchen in Cambridge, MA. I’ve been blogging on and off since 2007, but did not really get more serious about it until last summer when I renamed the blog “Tiny Urban Kitchen” and signed on with Foodbuzz. Throughout this past year, I have enjoyed blogging tremendously. I love meeting so many like-minded food lovers around the world, and it has provided me with many many amazing food opportunities as well.

What has surprised you most about food blogging?
I think everyone says the same thing, and I have to agree. The community is AWESOME. Most people start food blogging to share recipes with friends and family, or to keep a record of all the restaurants they’ve visited – at least that’s why I started my blog. You never really realize how food blogging can connect you to so many like-minded people around the world. I’ve had the great privilege to “meet” people from Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and, of course, all over the US. Things like the Foodbuzz Festival are great ways to connect with other food lovers. I never would have thought that starting a food blog would open the door to so many other friendships, opportunities, and experiences.

What has been the most amazing food opportunity that you’ve had as a result of food blogging?
No question it was my trip to the Napa Valley earlier this year to blog about the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. Foodbuzz and S. Pellegrino had hosted a contest to send one person there. The trip really opened my eyes to what the food industry is like. The food industry, especially the restaurant industry, is grueling, and it takes a ton of hard work and perseverance to make it. I was so privileged to be able to see this up close. It really gave me a new perspective and added respect for those who choose to follow this career path. Of course, Napa Valley is also beautiful, and I had a fabulous time there just checking out the vineyards and trying some amazing restaurants!

Which posts did you have the most fun making?
That’s easy – it would have to be my first 24, 24, 24 post titled “Kyaraben on Steroids.” I spent the day making sushi and other foods in the shapes of my favorite Japanese anime characters. It was a ton of work and took all day, but to this day I still love looking at the pictures of the cute Hello Kitty, Domokuns, Totoros, and Keroppis that I made for this post.

I also love playing with my food and photographing them in different angles, and therefore some posts whose photography I really enjoyed creating are the ones about dragon fruit, meyer lemons, ratatouille, and fiddleheads.

What are you favorite restaurants in Boston?
My favorite neighborhood restaurant is definitely Garden at the Cellar. The truffle fries alone are the best I’ve ever had, and the rest of the menu is excellent and pricedvery veryreasonably. I hope it never moves away! Bergamot is also another excellent restaurant that just recently opened. For fancy dining, Craigie on Main, formerly Craigie Street Bistrot, is fantastic – some of the best food I’ve had in Boston. Bryan is also partial to O Ya, although I think I need to try it again before making my final conclusion (my first experience was disappointing).

Muqueca (Brazilian coastal food) is one of my favorite little ethnic family restaurants, while Mamma Maria or Prezza just might be my favorite North End restaurants (of course you can’t forget Mike’s Pastry!). Outside of the North End, we just love Basta Pasta, both the original Cambridge location and the new Quincy location.

As for Asian food, because I’m Taiwanese, that cuisine tends to be my favorite, which is why I love going to Taiwan Cafe, Gourmet Dumpling House, and Shangri-La. I also love the hot pots at Little Q (more recently moved to Arlington). I think Fugakyu has one of the best sushi lunch specials around, and Cafe Sushi has one of the best Sunday evening sushi dinner specials.

Hi Rise Bakery is one of my favorite bakeries (love love love their vanilla loaf. My favorite ice cream is from Toscanini’s and my favorite pizza is from Emma’s. My favorite burgers are from Bartley’s, although Capital Grille and Smith & Wollensky are a close second.

What have been some of your favorite dining experience ever? In the world?
One of my all time favorite dining experiences in the world was at Kyubey in Tokyo. It’s this sushi place right down the street from Tsukiji Fish Market. We got the omakase and essentially had our personal sushi chef for most of the meal, creating interesting bites for us. As a seafood lover, my favorite restaurant in terms of food is probably Le Bernardin in New York City. One of my favorite dining experiences is probably at Daniel. The service, food, everything was so impeccable, it really made for an unforgettable experience. I also love dumplings, and therefore Din Tai fung in Taiwan is also one of my favorite dining places in the world.

Final Thoughts?
I love interacting with my readers through comments the blog. I like to think of the blog as a forum for communication about food. Although I offer lots of information on the blog, I have also learned a lot of things from my readers. The communication totally goes both ways, and I love it that way!

Thanks so much Meghan for a chance to be featured on your blog!

Random Friday Question: If you are a blogger, what has been your best blog-related experience? If you are a blog reader, what is the best thing that has come out of it?

P.S. If you are in San Francisco this weekend (lucky!), check out the SF Chefs 2010 event: http://www.sfchefsfoodwine.com/ It looks fabulous, and I wish I could go!

Technorati Tags: Boston, Food, foodie, Guest Blogger

Tags: Boston, Food, foodie, Guest Blogger

Sibling Rivalry

August 12, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 11 comments

Yesterday afternoon, Stop & Shop held a “Back to Reality” luncheon and cooking demo at Sibling Rivalry in the South End. The event brought together bloggers of all sorts to learn about some great cooking tips and Stop & Shop products to help us ease from summer back into fall.

The concept behind the restaurant Sibling Rivalry truly is a sibling rivalry of sorts. Here is what their website has to say:

Sibling Rivalry combines the simple elegance of classical cooking with the rich, bold flavors of Modern American cuisine. Chef’s David and Bob Kinkead created a ‘dueling’ menu that showcases their talents with different interpretations of seasonal ingredients. The Kinkead brothers’ philosophy of providing fresh, straight-forward cuisine is at the core of their menu.

I arrived and was greeted by the PR reps that were hosting the event with Stop & Shop. The clean and modern space was decorated simply with summery flowers.

Brightly colored gift boxes containing great coupons, brownie mix, recipes, and a $25 Stop & Shop gift card also decorated the space. Everything felt bright and festive!

While we all mingled before lunch, we snacked on delicious mozzarella and brie cheese, fruit, and crostini.

There was a LOT of cheese!

I also had to check out Sibling Rivalry’s wine collection, of course. Very nice!

I caught up with some familiar bloggers, Elina and Tina and also met some new ones, one of my favorite parts of these types of events.

As we got settled in for lunch, we were treated to a cooking demo by Chef David Kinkead who talked about making a delicious skirt steak salad and a roast chicken. He then demonstrated how to use the leftovers from those meals in two completely different meals, a skirt steak sandwich and chicken salad. It is always fun to have some new dinner into lunch ideas!

Chef Kinkead also answered some audience questions including one about knives. I have been meaning to get some new knives, and it was helpful to hear from such a seasoned chef.

The first course was a salad with a delicious dollop of roquefort cheese.

For my entree, I requested the vegetarian option, and it was a beautiful medley of veggies atop a delectable sweet potato puree.

I loved the avocados, onions, and sweet potato the most, but everything was so fresh and flavorful. I liked that this was an outside the box vegetarian meal. I have eaten waaaay too many plates of pasta primavera in my lifetime!

I unfortunately had to duck out early to drive to NJ, so I missed dessert and a presentation by Stop & Shop. But I did learn from some of the other bloggers how Stop & Shop does all sorts of fun stuff for moms, and I would definitely be interested in attending another one of their events in the future.

Thanks to Stop & Shop and to Sibling Rivalry for hosting us! I look forward to returning for dinner someday soon.

I’ll be in NJ helping my mom out the next couple of days before I return to Boston for a champagne and boating bachelorette party.

Any fun weekend plans for you all?

Also, are any of you going to BlogHer Food? I have a ticket, but am wondering if I will be able to go to San Francisco for that AND FoodBuzz Festival a month apart.

Technorati Tags: blogger lunch, Boston, chef, cooking demo, Food, Sibling Rivalry, Stop & Shop

Tags: blogger lunch, Boston, chef, cooking demo, Food, Sibling Rivalry, Stop & Shop

Bloggers!

August 11, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 13 comments

What do you get when you mix a bunch of Boston bloggers, Healthworks, Whole Foods, Joos, Mix Bakery cupcakes, and a beautiful summer evening?

A fabulous blogger picnic, of course!

The great people at Healthworks organized another fun blogger event for all of us food and fitness bloggers to get together to enjoy some healthy food and conversation. The group first met up at Healthworks for a Bosu class which I unfortunately missed due to a meeting. (But don’t worry, I did my workout at lunch, and it saved me from a horrific day. It’s amazing how even the smell of Healthworks calms me down!)

Then we grabbed bagged picnic dinners provided by Whole Foods Market and headed out to Copley Square. We learned a little bit about Whole Foods’ Health Starts Here initiative to help people move toward a plant-strong, nutrient dense, whole food diet with healthy fats.

I dove into a delicious avocado sandwich on sprouted grain bread. It was so hearty and filling! I also had some quinoa salad with cranberries and oranges and a bowl of fruit salad, another reminder how delicious whole, real food is. It was so nice to eat in the grass, it really felt like summer!

While we were eating, Laurie and Marisa from Joos passed out samples of their fresh and vital juice. You may remember I tried this at the CRAVE Boston event awhile back and loved it. I need more veggie juice in my life! I may even be thinking about a Joos cleanse. . . stay tuned.

Some of my favorite bloggers were in attendance, We are not Martha, Healthy and Sane, The Daily Craic, Fitarella, and Crunches for Cupcakes (and lots of other wonderful bloggers, once the list is emailed I will update!).

After dinner and Joos, there was the piece de resistance, Mix Bakery Cupcakes. If you read about my Boston Wine Exchange wine tasting or about my early summer Cape trip, you will know I am a Mix Bakery devotee. I am not exaggerating when I say these are the best cupcakes I have ever had. They bring the perfect ratio of frosting to cake, and the frosting is not too sweet at all. Last night Kelly brought peanut butter cup cupcakes and naked carrot cake, no raisins or nuts, just the way I like it.

These are so perfectly flavored and high quality that 2 mini cupcakes were enough to make my sweet tooth happy without making me feel too full. I love mini cupcakes!

A summer picnic with a bunch of wonderful women eating delicious food, does it get any better? Thanks so much to Whole Foods, Joos, Mix Bakery, and of course, Judith and Hannah from Healthworks for making my day a million times better. What a great community!

Random question: what would your dream cupcake combination be?

Don’t forget to enter my Athenos giveaway yet? It ends Friday!

Technorati Tags: bloggers, Boston, Healthworks, Joos, Mix Bakery, Whole Foods

Tags: bloggers, Boston, Healthworks, Joos, Mix Bakery, Whole Foods

A Monday Giveaway

August 9, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 35 comments

Boston’s first Food Truck Festival was certainly a meaty affair! The South End Open Markets made room for a caravan of food trucks serving, for the most part, a meat-lover’s dream. There were many vendors including Speed’s Hot Dogs, M & M Ribs, the Sausage Guy, and another hot dog truck. The lines for all of these were enormously long. Luckily, the line at Grillo’s Pickles was short, short enough for me to return twice for their spicy, crispy pickles.

These pickles are pretty amazing, though I would love it if they served whole pickles, deli-style.

The line was also short at another favorite of mine, Equal Exchange Cafe. Their nutty, buttery roast is always delicious and always doing good. So my day started off with pickles and coffee, the breakfast of champions!

The Food Truck festival was a great idea in theory, it is an event that might have been better saved for cooler weather and laid out a little better so to avoid maddening, crisscrossing lines. More veggie options would have been nice too. I think I went into the event expecting it to be like the FoodBuzz Festival street food event, which was a little off. At any rate, I was hungry, so we headed over to the market part of the open markets.

I admired some of the jewelry and other wares for sale, including these dog bowls made out of old wine boxes. You know that I will have one of these for my someday dog.

I spent some time drooling over Marie Galvin’s stunning hats and fascinators wishing I had an occasion to wear one to.

And then we got down to food business. You can always count on The Herb Lyceum at Gilson’s to have fresh, amazing food. We shared the Herbal Spring Roll, a crunchy fresh roll that feature’s Gilson’s fresh herbs and comes with a flavorful peanutty sauce.

We also shared their BLT which paired salty bacon with chewy focaccia, perfect summer tomatoes, lettuce, and a bit of mayo.

The South End Open Markets always start the day off right. After, we did some Trader Joe’s shopping for the week, especially to get the hubby well stocked since I am going to be working from my mom’s in NJ later in the week while she recovers from surgery. Prior to that I have a Healthworks blogger event, a lunch at Sibling Rivalry, and lots of work to do. . . it’s going to be a busy one!

Now for the giveaway! I know many of you have been reading blogs that were participating in the Athenos “Change for the Feta” month in July and loving all of the feta creations. Athenos has offered one lucky reader a coupon for free feta plus a neat little salad pod for taking salads on the go. All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know your favorite or most unique way to use feta. If you are on Twitter and not following me, please go ahead and follow. And if you have a blog, please link back to this post. And if you haven’t “Liked” Travel, Wine, and Dine on Facebook, I would love it if you would, thank you!

I would add feta to my recent tomato pie. I made it with blue cheese, but I definitely have friends who would prefer feta, and this would be a perfect dish for entertaining.

The giveaway winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck everyone!

Technorati Tags: Athenos, Boston, food truck festival, giveaway, pickles, South End, SoWa Markets, The Herb Lyceum