NIght out in the castle

Last night, I went to Smith & Wollensky (the castle in Back Bay) for dinner with my boyfriend. We ordered from the restaurant week menu. I had the salad to start, grilled salmon with pesto and the chocolate cake. My boyfriend ordered the salad, filet mignon and coconut cake. For a side we ordered hashbrown potatoes (it was a large potato pancake) from the regular menu. Smith & Wollenskys serves break away bread in a small dish; the presentation was great but it tasted okay. The salad was okay but a little heavy on the balsamic dressing. I have become a salmon connoisseur since I eat it out quite often and was not blown away by this salmon preparation. The pesto was not a great addition, the flavor seemed a bit off. The side dish was good but be aware it is quite salty and greasy. My boyfriend was extremely pleased by his main dish. The dessert was delicious. The wait staff was okay. They certainly did not rush us which was great. The decor of this restaurant and event the outside is phenomenal! This is an extremely well known steak house for obvious reasons but im not so sure about seafood.

Berrylicious

This morning I made a berry cobbler for a fourth of July BBQ. It was very easy and quick to make.

ingredients for the fruit base:
1 pint of blueberries
1/2 pint of blackberries
1/2 pint of raspberries
2 pounds of strawberries
1 peach - peeled
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour

* wash fruit and pat dry. Cut the strawberries and peach. Place in a large baking pan, then add the sugar and flour, mix.

topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 stick cold butter cubed
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of vanilla

* mix all of the dry ingredients together. Then add the butter, you can use a food processor or combine with your hands. Then add the vanilla. Sprinkle on top of the cobbler.

place in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool and enjoy - add vanilla ice cream if you wish.

Apple pie, the finale to my day

Sunday night I went to finale on Columbus Avenue in Boston for dessert. This was only my second time eating at finale and I love it because the chefs have mirrors so you can watch as they construct the desserts and the food is great. When I arrived, the restaurant was empty but the hostess sat us away from the mirrors and right next to the bathrooms. We asked to move towards the center near the mirrors; she moved our seats but she was not happy about it. I'm not sure why she was bothered considering the restaurant was empty - I'm sure she wouldn't want to sit next to the bathroom when she goes out to eat.

Anyways, now on to the food- I ordered the apple a la mode. It was delicious! They use Macintosh apples so it was sweet (but not too sweet, just right) and the apples were very soft. They also added cranberries to the filling. The crust had a good texture and taste. There is a lavender soaked hazelnut financier on the side - I have never had anything like that before, it was interesting and a little too sweet. I dont think it added to the dish. There was also a large sugar type brittle (without nuts), it was too large and disproportionate in size. I think for a garnish a caramel sauce and fresh thinly sliced apples would suffice. The star of the dish was certainly the apple and cranberry tart.

I highly recommend this place for a dessert. The prices are reasonable for the quality of dessert they serve.


The apple pie is hiding behind the sugar piece. The apple tart was fairly large in size.

Take a trip to mexico without leaving the city

I caught up with two of my girl friends in NYC and we went to café frida, a Mexican restaurant on the upper west side. The atmosphere and décor is fantastic. We sat upstairs and they had an indoor authentic-looking fake roof. It's a very young, fun scene. We had chips and guacamole to start – excellent, you can never go wrong with chips and guac. I had a mojito to begin the night, it's a drink for special occasions, since I usually drink white wine or vodka soda. They add tons of mint leaves, it was a great drink choice! Since I am kosher, I eat vegetarian when I go out. I ordered the chile relleno – roasted poblano pepper stuffed with sweet potato, wild mushrooms, toasted pumpkin seeds, ricotta, fresco and cotija cheese. It sounded delicious but lets just say I was very surprised when they brought my dish out. It was one green pepper stuffed with what looked like pink mush. Much to my dismay, they pureed all of the vegetables. I would have loved for the vegetables to have been chunky and it seemed from the description they would cube the vegetables and cook it together. I would go back to the restaurant but I can guarantee you I will not order that dish again.

Screwdrivers and mimosas

I have been to Isabella's on the upper west side in NYC twice for brunch - once on a Saturday and the other on a Sunday. The only difference is drinks are included on Sunday beginning at noon. Isabella's is in a great location- they have outdoor seating and the decor is rustic. The portions are a good size, the price is right and the food is great. You can't make reservations for brunch but I have not waited more than 15-20 minutes and it is so worth the wait. There is a food market on the next street you can walk around to kill some time. The wait staff is great, they can alter things on the menu an  they certainly do not rush you to finish eating. The first time there, I ordered the French toast stuffed with caramelized bananas; it was fantastic! I can picture it now, two pieces of what seemed like cinnamon raisin bread cooked well done with caramelized bananas in between. It comes with grand mariner strawberries (I asked for fresh) and warm syrup. It was delicious and filling. This past weekend I went back for Brunch and ordered the farmers egg white omelet. I got it without turkey bacon and salsa. It was delicious - the vegetables were cooked perfectly and had a very light and tasty seasoning. It wasn't an omlete per se because the veggies were not cooked in the omelet, it was more like the eggs were a tent over the vegetables. It was a very large portion. I also got well done potatoes - it had a rosemary seasoning - mmhm yum. My only complaint was that the egg were not hot. I also would suggest they try cooking the vegetables in the egg. The way it is now you have I fish under the egg to eat the veggies. Overall though the taste was certainly there and the food was fantastic. Everything looked great as well. I would say 4.25 stars - I highly recommend this restaurant!

Banana Egg Rolls... yumm

Last week I went to PF Changs near chinatown, Boston with a large group of friends. We started the night off at the bar with drinks and lettuce wraps (chicken and vegetarian). The bartenders were great - a white sangria was not on the drink menu but they made it for me anyways and it was delicious! My other friend ordered one too. After we finished our first round of drinks we moved over to a table. I ordered the buddhas feast for dinner - its vegetarian. It was really bland, the vegetables and tofu were steamed with no sauce and the tofu was extremely thin. I don't like a lot of sauce in dishes, a little goes a long way. For dessert, I split an order of the banana egg roll. Its amazing - it comes with coconut ice cream and caramel sauce. Its a must have! Now, if you don't like bananas this will convert you into a banana lover for certain!!

Q Restaurant

Two weekends ago about 5 of my friends and I went to dinner at Q restaurant near chinatown, Boston. The restaurant is known for hot pots - you cook your own meats and vegetables in a boiling broth - meat takes about 30 seconds and vegetables about 2-3 minutes. I got the vegetarian broth and a variety of vegetables (tofu, broccoli and corn). Everything was very fresh but quite bland. They do provide some dipping "sauces" but some were spicy and another was just simply minced garlic. 

Overall, it was a fun experience. The wait staff was great - very attentive and friendly. I would probably not order a hot pot again but I wold certainly return because the atmosphere was great for a group.

MAX BRENNER

I was watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate..." on the Food Network and Max Brenner's chocolate pizza was mentioned. Since I saw that episode over 6 months ago I have been dying to eat at Max Brenner. Lucky for me, a couple of months ago, one opened in Boston on Boylston Street. I finally got to indulge at Max Brenner in Boston 3 weeks ago. They have a very extensive menu - if you are indecisive I recommend looking at the menu online prior to going. I went around 10 or 11pm on a Saturday. It was busy, the bar was packed but the service was fabulous and very quick! I ordered the banana tempura fondue it was amazing!! If you are a banana lover, which of course I am, I highly suggest ordering it. Everyone was extremely happy with their dish as well. I cannot wait to go back and try the chocolate pizza. I highly recommend going to Max Brenner.

My rating is 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars.

Smoothie time

Yesterday, I took the blender out and decided to make a healthful filling smoothie and that I did. This recipe is for banana lovers.

1 large banana 

3/4 cup crushed ice

1 cup almond breeze milk (i use original, 40 calories/ cup)

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

Blend and in no time you have a delicious and very healthful smoothie!

Al Dente

Al Dente is a very small, rustic italian restaurant in the North End. I went for lunch on a Friday with 8 other people. I ordered the grilled fig salad to start. I thought the figs would be hot and cut up but instead it was cold, which was fine, but I would have preferred if the figs were cut more than just in half. I ordered the gnochhi for my entree; it was one of the best I have ever had - no complaints. One person in my party ordered veal parm and another chicken parm and the server mixed up the dishes but by the time they noticed they werent going to swap and neither wanted to return the dish. Another member order penne al vodka but the pepper seasoning was too overpowering. Another, ordered pesto with pasta but it was very oily- it was more like pasta with oil and a little pesto mixed in which was quite disappointing. Although, I had a fantastic pasta dish the rest of my guests were not thrilled which is disappointing since the North End usually never fails.

Modern Pastry, Not So Modern Recipes

Despite the name, modern pastry uses quite old and traditional recipes... thank goodness for that! I have been to Mike's Pastry many times so I wanted to try out Modern. I walked in with friends and family. Modern is much smaller than mikes and also has a much smaller selection. There also wasn't nearly as long of a line that Mike's typically has. I would say not off to a great start. We ordered a linzer tart, well i should say attempted because they dont have those nor knew what I was talking about. I then proceeded to order a rainbow cookie (3 layered cookie red, yellow and green). We also ordered a couple of lace cookies and a canolli (ricotta filling with chocolate chips). Now for the tasting review: I have eaten a fare share of rainbow cookies and these were not good. The lace cookies were okay. However, the canolli was fantastic and I am not one for canollis but there was nothing not to like. 

Side note: I love these cookies and have made them twice; it was quite the undertaking but they came out pretty good. I would also consider myself a rainbow cookie connoisseur. I buy them everywhere I go.

Next time I am in the North end, I will probably go to Mike's Pastry unless I am craving a cannoli and then I am crossing the street and walking into Modern.

Not your mothers Lavagna

Last Saturday evening it was pouring in NYC so My boyfriend and I did not want to venture that far so we went to Lavagna. It is a very small restaurant with a romantic rustic feel. The bread was fresh and the dipping oil had olives in it and was very flavorful.


We had one of the specials of the evening to start - white pizza with asparagus. It was good.


Then I ordered the fedelini fini (type of spaghetti) with toasted garlic and rusted tomato sauce. It was pretty good but a little spicy. The portions are a perfect size; not too big, not too small.


Dinner didn't stop there, for dessert we ordered the apple torte that sat in a pool of the most delicious butterscotch sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream. We ate all the sauce and was on a sugar high later. I have one critique, I didn't taste much apple at all - there was more dough than apple.


I rate this restaurant 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Symphony Sushi

Symphony sushi is the place to go when you are craving some Japanese food.

Salad with their scrumptious ginger dressing is typical of any japanese restaurant - but it never fails to get old. The edamame are also a must!

The sushi is good and fresh. Obviously, cucumber inside out rolls are my go to.

However, my favorite dish there is the brown vegetable fried rice. I have never had it before Symphony Sushi. I order it almost every time I go here. Its amazing, I eat it all up! Its a nice change and a little healthier than the typical white fried rice.

The mochi is really good too! Its a night and light way to end the meal.

Symph Sush is always busy and the service is great; everyone is very friendly and accommodating.


** They also deliver

Would Beethoven approve of Symphony 8?

Symphony 8 Restaurant and Bar is almost 2 years old and has done very well for itself. Before this was an asian restaurant called Tiger Lily.

I've eaten here on numerous occasions, in small and large groups. As for the actual food - they have a good margarita pizza. However, do not get the flatbread veggie pizza. I think they buy pre-made flatbread, sauté veggies and put it on top. This makes the flatbread extremely soggy and practically inedible. I'm not saying they have to make the dough but they can buy pre-made dough and make the veggie pizza the same way they make the margarita pizza. I have had their mac and cheese, its just okay. Nachos are my guilty pleasure and Symphony 8 makes them pretty good. 


The service is absolutely terrible. Once you get a menu you can wait 30 minutes before they take your order, especially if you're in a group. You can then wait another half hour for your meal. Oh and say you may want a lemon or bbq sauce well, you'll have to wait a while.


Despite the bad flatbread and poor service, I would go back for another meal because they have a very extensive menu.


** Symphony 8 is a very popular bar on Thursday - Saturday nights.

Go to HIGHPOINT BISTRO to start your day on a HIGH

If you are looking for a new brunch place in NYC make sure to check out Highpoint Bistro on 7th Ave between 22nd and 23rd street. I've gone in a large group of about 10 people and as small as just me and my boyfriend.

Highpoint truly lives up to its name. Instead of bread or muffins, they serve freshly made donut holes, its the perfect way to start the day!

I've had 2 eggs over medium there which is my typical go to brunch item. It was good but the side dishes proved to be a highlight. The french fries were great. The first time I ordered the mac and cheese it was just scrumptious. I dreamt about it so the second time I went to Highpoint I made sure to order it again but it just wasn't as great. I've also tried their buttermilk pancakes with lemon thyme butter which made them more savory. However, I found their pancakes too dry. If I'm eating pancakes, I'm going all out and I expect fluffy pancakes and I just didn't get that from Highpoint. I've heard their french onion soup is just delicious. All in all, I enjoy going to Highpoint and look forward to their vegetarian split pea soup and stuffed french toast, on separate occasions of course. I may also give the mac and cheese another go.

Its a pretty small place but both times I've gone its been pretty empty. The service is fairly good.


Overall, I rate Highpoint 3.75 stars out of 5 stars. 


* As you can see I am making up my own rating scale. Highpoint was better than a 3.5 but not quite a 4.

And after brunch you can go to the wholefoods close by, go grocery shopping and have some samples.

Bagels and smear but not too much smear

One of my favorite breakfast choices is an egg sandwich but bagels come in as a close second. There really aren't any delis you can go to in Boston for an egg sandwich - that is, a scrambled egg on toast. Although for some that includes cheese and is on a bagel.

On a weekend you can go out to brunch and order eggs with toast but that's about it. So I made it my mission to at least find a decent bagel place.

As a new yorker, not only do I think we have the best pizza but I believe we also have the best bagels. I did however, find a place with pretty good bagels, Espresso Royale Cafe (ERC). There are a few locations- Gainsborough Street, Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue. What I really want to recommend is their veggie tofu cream cream. Even if you are not a lover of tofu, I suggest you give it a go. I love scallion cream cheese and just never took to veggie cream cheese but the tofu veggie cream cheese is so different; its delicious. You must order a whole wheat bagel toasted (scooped out of you wish) with veggie tofu spread.

I don't know if you have had this experience but I hate how places put way too much cream cheese/ butter on bagels - they would never eat that much themselves so don't serve it like that to me. I might as well just put cream cheese on a spoon and eat it. I must embarrass my friends because sometimes when I order a bagel and cream cheese I ask for a 'normal' amount. I know it sounds silly and yes, sometimes they laugh at me but from time to time it works in my favor and other times not so much. I once barely got any cream cheese on my bagel like seriously none. However, I have found this is not a problem with the veggie tofu spread and I think it's because the consistency is a little different.

*also erc is very hipster and their coffee is very hot

Do you want fries with that?

About a month ago my boyfriend and I went to Pommes Frites on Second Avenue in NYC. I'm not sure how to describe it, its kind of like a shack and completely dedicated to selling thick 'authentic belgium' fries with a variety of dipping sauces. It may seem ridiculous to have a food business dedicated to one thing, but in NYC its not crazy there are places that just sell soft baked pretzels and places that specialize in donuts. It also follows the old adage, if you do one thing really well, people will come.


They have a menu with all of their sauces - take a look on their website. The fries are twice fried and made right in front of you, they are so hot and fresh. Not the healthiest option but once in awhile won't kill you. My boyfriend and I ordered regular fries with the dijon mustard sauce. It was delicious. There are three sizes of fries: regular, large and double - the regular was plenty for us to share!

If you are in the area, you must stop by and get some fries. They have very little seating but its easy to eat and walk around with. Its a very European thing to do. When I was in Amsterdam two years ago we ate fries as we roamed the city. 


I want to go back just to try more of their dipping sauces.

Is a cucumber roll sushi?

Two weeks ago I met a few friends at snappy sushi on Newbury street. I ordered a house salad... I love the ginger dressing. I basically licked the bowl. We also ordered an appetizer of edamame, another favorite. I ordered a roll of cucumber sushi inside out. 


My friends say cucumber isn't sushi but I say, if its on the sushi list (which it is) then its considered sushi. I have tried other sushi but its just not for me and I don't eat raw fish. I always order cucumber, its light and fresh. Snappy Sushi only uses brown rice which is fantastic and much healthier and nutritious for you and me!

The sushi was very fresh but not filling at all. I probably should have ordered another roll. This past summer I learned how to make sushi and I'm pretty good at it. Its definitely a process making the rice and peeling/ cutting the cucumbers. Note, you should use long English cucumbers because it has less water so it makes for better sushi.

The service was very friendly and quick. The location is perfect because after dinner you can go to a bar on boylston for a drink or two.

il Cantinori - oh how we butchered the name

I was visiting my friends and boyfriend in NYC a couple of weeks ago. But before I met up with my friends, my boyfriend and I went to dinner at Il Cantinori. Side note, when we actually found out how to pronounce I was quite embarrassed at how badly we butchered the name.

Another thing you should know about me, I have very intense food cravings. I went into this dining experience knowing I was going to order risotto. I have never had it before but felt it should be a side dish; however, that's seldom the case. Close your eyes and picture this: grilled salmon with a side of risotto... Yum. 


Anyways, we stumbled across il cantinori because my boyfriend wanted to find a restaurant that had good risotto because I really wanted to try it. This restaurant can make any type of risotto, you just have to ask.

We started with the insalata tricolore, it was refreshing. I then ordered a wild mushroom risotto and my boyfriend ordered veal. The risotto was very good. I would have preferred if the mushrooms were cut a little smaller. You have to eat risotto fairly quickly because it gets cold fast and once cold, its not great.


For dessert I ordered the bread budding and he ordered a cannoli. I wasn't a fan of either.

The service was fantastic. We got up to leave and everyone was so friendly and said goodbye. After I got my coat from the coat check I realized I left my bag next to my seat, so I had to go back over to our table... this has happened to me once or twice before.

Overall I rate my dining experience 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Night out on the town... 'Sex and the City?'

A couple of weeks ago 3 of my girl friends and I went to Da Vinci for restaurant week. We dressed up and felt like the women in 'Sex and the City' ohh wait, I think that was just me. If you have never been out during restaurant week, you should - its a pre fixe menu of three courses.

We were seated immediately upon arrival. When I sat down I opened my menu and yelped a little bit. Why? Well Da Vinci is very high tech and has a lit menu - when u open it, the light goes on... It provided a little shock factor, I liked it. I ordered arancini con mozzarella - im not sure how to explain it. It looked like a falafel but had cheese in the center and indian spices. The flavors were very bold and I've actually never had indian food before so this was very new to me, it was okay, not my favorite. 


For my entree, I ordered the salmon - it was an amazing presentation, stacked beautifully and cooked to perfection. For dessert, I ordered chocolate soufflé - which is my all time favorite dessert. I would like to make it sometime in the near future but I know this is quite an undertaking so I will probably recruit none other than my boyfriend.


After dinner, the restaurant was pretty quiet which was perfect because my friends and I stayed and chatted for a bit, more like an hour, and no one shooed us out or rushed us. They actually gave us complimentary dessert wine.

I rate this restaurant 4 stars out of 5 stars

* I don't want you to think I'm being overly generous with my ratings, I'm actually quite particular and critique many areas when I go out dining.