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A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

“A lifestyle blog with a focus on my food adventures”

June 1, 2017 Monument Restaurant and Tavern

As we were driving through Charlestown to get to Monument, I was telling my friend about this great little Italian place my husband and I used to love coming to, but how it had been ages since we had been there. As we pull up, I felt like the place had a familiar feel to it.

Turns out that the old Italian place, Paolo’s has since gone out of business, and Monument took over the space (and the laundromat that used to be next to it). Apparently this place gets pretty packed – but we lucked out and were able to score a high top table in the back.

Move over honey butter, my former love, whipped ricotta and honey is my new beau. They serve it with fresh rolls, and like guacamole, I could eat just this as my dinner.

Sometimes I like to be a grown up, so I order real food. We start with the Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts ($11). I’ve recently taking a shining to Brussels Sprouts, given that you top them with bacon and throw on some delicious sauce. These come topped with szechuan peppercorns, shishito peppers, honey roasted peanuts, and sweet chili sauce. Just the right amount of heat and I was totally digging the crunch from the peanuts, it was something a little different.

Next we had the pork and spring onion dumplings, seared ($12) that also came topped with that sweet chili sauce I loved from the Brussels Sprouts dish.

Everything on the menu sounded so delicious, it was hard to choose. Sorry in advance about the lighting, the restaurant was a little dark and I was THAT person in the back trying to light my dishes quickly before the annoying glares started. So I went with the lobster gnocchi (market price), the dumplings were hand rolled and the Maine lobster was topped with Newborn sauce and pea tendrils. Very light, the pasta and the sauce, and the lobster was sweet. A+ for this entree.

How amazing does the roasted pork chop ($21) look? Brined pork with fresh thyme and butter, bacon braised kale, confit heirloom carrots and crispy snap peas, spring onion and bacon marmalade with a perfectly beautiful sunny side up heirloom egg.

Dessert was a butterscotch pudding that we dove into so quickly I didn’t remember to get a picture beforehand. It had vanilla whipped cream and some espresso brittle, YUM!!!

Service was top notch.

Monument Restaurant and Tavern

251 Main Street, Charlestown, MA

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monument restaurant and tavern Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 31, 2017 VERTS

I recently had the opportunity to try out VERTS Mediterranean Grill with my girls from Go Local Boston. They have two locations in Boston, the Financial District down on Summer Street and the location we visited in the Back Bay on Boylston at Clarendon. They are also planning on opening a location at Washington and School soon.

VERTS is a fast casual concept restaurant where you can make your own meal- most of them are under 600 calories.

Did you know that if you download the VERTS app you can get a FREE entree?? In addition, you can get $10 for every $100 you spend and a $2 reward for every friend that you refer.

First, pick you base: pita, salad, baby kale blend, rice bowl or quinoa bowl. Then pick your protein: beef and lamb, chicken, falafel, turkey and mushroom meatballs or slow cooked pork.

VERTS has a large selection of toppings to choose from: things like red cabbage slaw, cucumber and tomato mix, sumac onions, spiced chickpeas, carrot slaw, picked onions, picked jalapeños, marinated green olives, feta cheese, grilled beets and more.

They have 8 sauces to choose from: herb vinaigrette, roasted red pepper, spicy green whipped feta, eggplant dip, tzatziki, hummus, spicy cilantro and hot harisa. Sides include things like delicious sweet potato fries or a pita and hummus plate. VERTS has found just the right balance between quick and friendly service. While the lunch time rush does have a line, it moves quickly. Even better, order ahead on your app and you don’t have to wait!

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of VERTS to sample their menu. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

VERTS Mediterranean Grill

545 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

http://eatverts.com/

VERTS Mediterranean Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 30, 2017 Honeycomb Creamery

It’s ice cream season, are you ready? I recently headed over to Honeycomb Creamery to taste it for myself. I had really been dying to try the rosé gummy bears, but they are seasonal, so I had lime instead.

Flavors available that day included: burnt vanilla bean, cinnamon dulce de leche, honey lavender, brown butter oatmeal cookie, cold brew coffee chip, matcha pistachio and chocolate toasted coconut. They offer vegan ice cream in the following flavors: horchata, spirumint chip and chocolate caramel swirl.

I went with a scoop of vanilla bean and a scoop of brown butter oatmeal cookie. YUM! Really nice texture and flavor.

For toppings, I chose lime gummy bears and house made peanut butter cup pieces. They probably don’t go together, but they sure were tasty.

Leah said that the waffle cone was not to be missed (add $1), and they now have matcha waffle cones too. We both want to go back for the flight of ice cream – pick 4 flavors for $8 and they serve them with waffle cone chips. They also offer hand packed pints, 1/2 pints for $6 and pints for $10. Make sure to bring your coolers and ice packs, because you are going to want to bring some home for later, trust me!

Honeycomb Creamery

1702 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA

http://www.honeycombcreamery.com

honeycomb creamery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 29, 2017 Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.

Do you ever wonder why bagels in New York taste so much better than anywhere else? Some people think it’s the water, The Brooklyn Water Bagel Company sure thinks so. They have a proprietary water treatment system call the Brooklyn Water Works. They say it replicates the natural composition of the water that flows from the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York into the homes of Brooklyn residents.

I’m all about a great breakfast sandwich, so I switched up my morning routine to stop over at the Framingham location. For $5.49, I ordered the sausage egg and cheese. It sort of felt like I was ordering breakfast at McDonald’s. I also wished that my yellow American cheese would have been melted on the sandwich instead of just thrown on as what seemed an afterthought.

Bagels are $1.29 each, 6 for $6.49 and thirteen for $12.99. They have sandwiches, baninis (bagel paninis), and a variety of breakfast bagel sandwiches.

Service was meh. There’s plenty of seating and there were a lot of families with children here.

Brooklyn Water Bagel Company

341 Cochituate Road, Suite 5, Framingham, MA

http://www.brooklynwaterbagel.com/

Brooklyn Water Bagels Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 26, 2017 The Table at Season to Taste

I had been dying to try The Table at Season to Taste in Cambridge for some time now. All my friends who have been said that it was the best meal of their lives. Here’s the thing though, the menu changes seasonally, so get in there quickly!

The 20 seat restaurant feels like you are a guest in Chef Dooley’s home. If you are lucky enough, you can grab a counter seat and watch Chef Dooley create your meal! They’ve also just opened their patio for the season!!

The prix fixe menu is $69 per person wit two choices per course, and they even have a vegetarian menu available. We were celebrating my sister in law’s birthday, so we decided to order the whole menu and share. I have to say that I probably wouldn’t order any of these things if they were on a larger menu, but I’m glad that I tried them because each and every one was better than the next.

First course was a house-cured Scottish sea trout with marinated cucumbers, lemon yogurt and crispy pita. Not fishy at all – really light and fresh.

Option two for the first course was the Vietnamese style beef tartare with grilled kimbe carrots, nuoc cham and roasted peanuts. Not what I envision when I think of steak tartare, but I loved this. Flavorful and light with some nice crunch for texture.

Second course, whole wheat ramen noodles and chicken broth with cockscombs, ramps, bonito flakes and sesame oil. Probably my favorite dish of the night. Just something warm and comforting about this.

The second option was the glazed California asparagus and house cured bacon with black pepper, manchego, and lemon bread crumbs. This is totally a way to get me to eat my veggies – just throw some bacon and cheese on it!!

Third course was a roasted pork and shrimp sausage with red curry, snap peas and spiced cashews. I love this combination – wondering why I never thought about this before. The dish was so wonderful in its simplicity.

The braised veal short rib and morel mushrooms was served with English peas, toasted almonds and vin jaune. The meat was so tender it just melted in your mouth.

The palate cleanser.

Dessert was a chocolate meringue with white chocolate pretzels, chocolate pastry cream and malt ice cream. I LOVE the presentation of this dish and love that while it was a chocolate dish, it wasn’t heavy.

The tres leeches cake was served with passion fruit sorbet, caramelized coconut crisps and chile mango. I love tres leches cake, the flavor, the texture, the sweetness, basically everything about it. This had a little sweetness, a little spice, and a little crunch, making this dessert hit all the right notes.

After dessert, they brought over some complimentary sweet bites.

And some house made granola bars to take home! We really had a great evening, the food was outstanding and the service was excellent. I highly recommend a trip over to The Table at Season to Taste if you have a chance.

The Table at Season to Taste

2447 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA

http://www.cambridgetable.com/

Table at Season To Taste Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 25, 2017 Fuji at Assembly

I headed over to Assembly Row recently to meet the girls for lunch. We settled on Fuji, and I was excited to try it out. You may have been to one of their other restaurants, they have a few: Fuji at WOC, B Cafe, Shabu, Fuji at Kendall, Bistro Chi, Kama Lounge, Sabu and Mein, Fuji at Inkblock or Yocha. Reservations can be made on Reserve.

They have a great space – very open and plenty of seating. Service was good and our food came out quickly.

They have a nice selection of sushi, traditional entrees and noodles. They offer hand made dim sum dumplings which sounded delicious – next time! I’ve already bought a Groupon and am planning my next trip!

Fuji has a good kids menu (I’d like to order off of it)- for $10 you can have a grilled chicken, a chicken cutlet or a grilled salmon(add $2) meal that comes with white rice, sweet potato tempura fries, steamed broccoli and a choice of milk or juice box.

The hot and sour soup ($5) hit the spot, made in the classic Sichuan style with tofu, bamboo shoots, wood ears and mushrooms.

Fuji offers some great lunch specials. From 11am-3pm every day, they offer bento boxes for $16. This whole tray above is what you’ll get. So it is served with white rice, miso soup, salad, spicy edamame, 2 pieces of pork gyoza, 2 pieces of shumai, sweet potato and zucchini tempura, and some spicy tuna maki. For your main dish in the bento you have your choice of chicken, salmon or eel teriyaki, stir fried cumin beef, general gao’s chicken or kung pao chicken. I had enough here for two meals! They also offer deluxe bento boxes for $22 and sushi lunch sets staring at $12. The food was tasty – I plan on trying the sushi next. Stay tuned!

Fuji at Assembly

320 Canal Street, Somerville, MA

http://www.fujiatassembly.com

Fuji at Assembly Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 24, 2017 Totto Ramen at Assembly

I had been to the Totto Ramen in Allston, so I was excited to try the one that is located in Assembly Row. What are the differences? Well for one, you can get takeout here. SCORE. Also, you can pay with a card. DOUBLE SCORE! Oh, and there’s totally better parking at Assembly. They open at noon and we were right there when they opened their doors. Good thing too, because it filled up pretty quickly and by 12:30 there was a wait. The seating is a little tight, probably best to leave strollers in the car if you have one. We started with the fried chicken bun which was DELICIOUS. This is what late night snack dreams are made of.

They have a few different choices for ramen:

Chicken Paitan:
Original straight noodles in house made Chicken Paitan Soup topped with scallions, onions, nori, *char siu and kikurage.  *Choice of pork or chicken.
Spicy Paitan:
Chicken Paitan topped with house made spicy sesame oil, scallions, bean sprouts, nori and *char siu.  *Choice of pork or chicken.
Miso Paitan:
Original wavy noodles in our Chicken Paitan topped with finest Koji Miso and ground pork, half boiled egg, scallions, bean sprouts, onions and *char siu.  *Choice of pork or chicken.
Vegetable Ramen:
Original straight noodles in seaweed and shiitake mushroom base soup topped with seasonal vegetables and Yuzu paste.

You can customize your bowl of ramen with things like extra chicken or pork, boiled egg, poached egg, kikurage mushroom, wake seaweed, corn, seasoned avocado, spicy bamboo shoots or rays (a spicy sesame oil) to name just a few.

The helpings were generous and pictured above is the chicken paitan. I wish that for $5 we went with the mega patina (a larger portion) because it was so good the next day at home!! The broth was just delicious.

Totto Ramen

463 Artisan Way, Somerville, MA

http://tottoramen.com/

Totto Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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May 19, 2017 Move Over Hoodsie Cup: There’s New Game in Town

Remember when you used to go to birthday parties and you’d get a Hoodsie cup for dessert? I always ate the vanilla side first and then reluctantly ate the chocolate. And those wooden ‘spoons’? Yeah. Well, good news, there’s some new players in town that will make you say Hoodsie who? Ok, so maybe still get some for the little kids, but step it up a notch for the adults who are going to be there.

Little G Ice Cream is the product of Grace Connor, a 17 year old (yeah, just think about what YOU were doing at 17…). She makes “super premium” ice cream in small batches that are inspired by classic desserts. Oh, and Oprah’s a big fan. So what are her flavors (well they change, but there are always a ton of flavors to choose from)

  • Hot Chocolate creamy chocolate ice cream + homemade marshmallow fluff swirl
  • Triple Cookie Dough Vanilla bean ice cream + chocolate chip cookie dough chunks + double chocolate chip cookie dough chunks + sugar cookie dough chunks
  • Snack Attack vanilla ice cream +a caramelized mixture of pretzels, potato chips, and Ritz crackesr + M&Ms + Peanut Butter Cups
  • Chocolate Milk and Cookies chocolate ice cream + chocolate chip cookie dough chunks + chocolate sandwich cookie pieces
  • Marshmallow Crispy Treat vanilla bean ice cream + homemade marshmallow crispy cereal treat chunks
  • Coffee Toffee Caramel coffee ice cream + chocolate covered toffee chunks + salted caramel swirl
  • Confetti Birthday Cake vanilla ice cream + yellow funfetti cake pieces + pink vanilla buttercream frosting swirl
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup chocolate ice cream + peanut butter caramel swirl + peanut butter cups
  • Movie Night buttered popcorn ice cream with a mixture of the best chocolate, peanut butter, nougat and caramel candies
  • Cowboy Cookie – brown butter brown sugar ice cream with oatmeal cookie dough, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, and peanut butter swirl
  • Peanut Butter Cup Marshmallow – peanut butter ice cream with homemade marshmallow swirl and mini peanut butter cups
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly – Peanut Butter ice cream with homemade raspberry jam swirl and honey roasted peanuts
  • Maple Oatmeal Cookie Dough – maple ice cream with oatmeal cookie dough and candied walnuts

Let me tell you, there is no skimping on toppings here. You almost forget that you’re eating ice cream it is so jammed packed with goodies. You can order Little G online and have it shipped to your house or pick some up at places like Whole Foods, Brothers Marketplace, Brookline Grown, Formaggio Kitchen or Fells Market.

Next up, Vice Cream. Founder Dan Schorr, a cancer survivor, decided to pour himself into things that made him happy and worked on perfecting his new ice cream. These cleverly named ice creams are creamy and delicious. I love “afternoon delight” because to has all of my favorite goodies in it – cookie dough, caramel, and truffles! Good news, you can find Vice at most Star Markets. Not at your local shop, head over to their website and check out their “where to buy” section. Here are some of the flavors:

  • MINTED
    YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A BALLER TO ENJOY OUR NEWEST FLAVOR. FEATURING STACKS ON STACKS OF MINT-CHOCOLATE COINS AND COOKIE CRUMBLES DECADENTLY MIXED WITH CREAMY MINT ICE CREAM. IT’S A WISE INVESTMENT
  • TOFFEE WIFE
    RICH PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM MIXED WITH CHOPPED TOFFEE BARS, PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH AND A TOFFEE RIPPLE.  OUR TOFFEE WIFE IS AS SWEET AS CAN BE, BUT MORE THAN A LITTLE NUTTY.
  • L’ORANGE A TROIS
    BORED WITH YOUR TIRED, OLD VANILLA?  TRY EXPERIMENTING WITH A LITTLE L’ORANGE A TROIS.  RICH, CREAMY VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH ORANGE RIPPLE AND A HEDONISTIC THREE-WAY OF DARK, WHITE AND MILK CHOCOLATE CHUNKS. NO JUDGMENTS.
  • AFTERNOON DELIGHT
    CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE FOR ULTRA-CREAMY VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH CHUNKS OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH, SALTED CARAMEL TRUFFLES, AND THICK SWIRLS OF CHOCOLATE FUDGE AND CARAMEL. IT’S WHAT “DO NOT DISTURB” SIGNS WERE MEANT FOR.
  • HIGHER GROUNDS
    DARK ROAST COFFEE ICE CREAM INTERLACED WITH SWIRLS OF MOCHA FUDGE, CRUNCHY CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUMBLES AND PILLOWS OF SWEET ESPRESSO. OH, AND IT’S CURRENTLY LEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES.
  • BOURBON MASH
    OUR BOURBON MASH IS AN INTOXICATING BLEND OF ULTRA-CREAMY VANILLA ICE CREAM AND HEARTY CHUNKS OF CHOCOLATE, ALL TOPPED OFF WITH A HEAVY POUR OF BOURBON-CARAMEL SAUCE. NOT ALL BOURBON HAS TO BE NEAT.
  • CHOC OF SHAME
    RICH CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM WITH MOUTHFULS OF CHEWY BROWNIE DOUGH GENEROUSLY FLECKED WITH DARK CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS.  IT’S REALLY MORE OF A CHOCOLATE STRIDE OF PRIDE, BUT THAT NAME WOULDN’T FIT ON THE CONTAINER.
  • BREAKFAST IN BED
    SAY GOOD MORNING TO SWEET MAPLE ICE CREAM WITH GENEROUS CHUNKS OF STICKY BUN DOUGH, PECAN PRALINE AND JUST A TOUCH OF CREAM CHEESE. JUST TRY NOT TO GET ANY ON THE SHEETS.

Love your local ice cream shop? Have them hand pack a pint for you. New City Microcreamery in Hudson is one of my favorite spots. They use liquid nitrogen to make their ice cream and their flavors rotate. So when I find a flavor that I love, I have them pack me a pint so I can keep the love affair going at home. Currently on my list of favorites is baklava and blackberry.

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May 17, 2017 Party Favors: La Doce

Let’s be honest, 1 year olds don’t need party favors, but it is nice to have guests leave a party with a little something. La Doce is Boston’s first online boutique to offer Brazilian birgadeiros. They say they are a cross between a truffle and a caramel – these confections just melt in your mouth!

Each box is made to order in Westborough, MA and they are hand delivered in the metro Boston area next day! They can also be shipped if you aren’t in the area. Husband and wife team Bruno and Laura Alves are the brains behind La Doce. Laura started making brigadeiros for school events and soon people we requesting them for events. Using a family recipe, Laura and Bruno are bringing these delicious Brazilian treats to the masses!

Boxes come in two sizes, the 4 piece (perfect for party favors) for $10 and a 12 piece size (pictured above) for $25.

La Doce brigadeiros come in five flavors: Milk Chocolate with Milk Chocolate Sprinkles, Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs, Dark Chocolate with Sliced Almonds, Pistachio with Chopped Pistachios and Coconut with Shredded Coconut. 

For more information, or to order, check out their website: www.byladoce.com

Disclaimer: I was given a sample of La Doce brigadeiros for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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May 16, 2017 Party Favors: Spindler Confections

Located in Cambridge, a short walk from the Davis Square T station, is Spindler Confections, a local artisan candy shop.

They have a nice selection of chocolates, salted caramels, nut caramels, pate de fruits and brittles.

Did you know that they have classes? Class 1 is called Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! and you learn the basics of tempering chocolate, making fillings and capping molds. You get to take home the chocolates that you helped create! The second class they offer is called Crazy for Caramel where you learn how to make caramel from scratch. For safety purposes, the cooking portion is strictly a demo, but you’ll go home with about $25 worth of caramel! The caramel class is $50 per person and the chocolate class is $75 per person.

Now, about the subject at hand – party favors. Spindler offers customizable party favors – prices start at $2.25 for a 2 piece box.

I love the caramel pretzels but decided to try something new this time. I went with the six piece milk and dark assortment of nut butter cups.

Not pictured, I also picked up two white chocolate pistachio nut butter cups. I may or may not have eaten them so quickly I forgot to take a photo. These would be an excellent choice for a party favor, for a birthday party, wedding, or your next big event.

Spindler Confections

2257 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA

http://spindlerconfections.com

Closed Mondays

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