September 12, 2016 Saltwoods
It’s been a busy summer. One of the exciting things that happened a few months ago was that we moved! One of the most fun (and stressful) parts about moving is designing your new space. I always love a good before and after story, so here is what the room looked like when the previous owners were in the space. A little dated. The light fixture would be the first thing to go and I knew I wanted a different paint color, beige just isn’t my speed. The room lets in a ton of light, so I knew that the room could handle a bold, dark shade (that would accent nicely with the white baseboard).
Who uses a formal dining room anymore, right? Well this was the room I was MOST excited about! I knew I wanted a large table for family get togethers and for dinners with good friends. I had looked around at a lot of places for a table – nothing was quite right. I came close to buying one from Pottery Barn, but I didn’t feel like the quality was good enough for the money I was paying. So then I thought I would look for a custom table because the room was so large. I ended up coming across Saltwoods on Instagram and instantly fell in love with their reclaimed wood tables. I headed over to their workshop in Watertown and met with Dan, the owner to discuss my options. There were so many choices: what style leg did I want, what finish did I want on the table, what color should the legs be? Dan couldn’t have been nicer (and the rest of his team is equally great) and was there every step of the way. He is one of those stories you love to hear, left his corporate job of 12 years to do pursue his passion.
Here is the after – the table is AMAZING! It measures 99″ x 50″ and can comfortably seat 10 (six on each side and two at each end), but you could certainly do 12. It’s solid oak, with breadboard ends and has tapered legs in chestnut brown. I posted this photo on my instagram page and I can’t tell you how many people reached out and told me how much they loved the table and asked where they could get one! Saltwoods exceeded my expectations and we couldn’t be happier.
Here’s one of the coolest parts about the table. Each one comes with this disc that gives you the coordinates of where your reclaimed wood came from. Ours came from a barn in Kentucky!
Stay tuned for more before and after photos of our new space! In the meantime, if you’re looking for a table, give Saltwoods a look. You can follow them on Instagram at @saltwoods_boston.
Saltwoods
19D Calvin Road, Watertown, MA
Tags: home, reclaimed wood, watertown
September 8, 2016 Prime 131 Grill
The thing I miss most about living in the city are all the restaurants to choose from. While I am excited to add some new restaurants to my repertoire, there just aren’t as many to choose from out in the ‘burbs. So we headed out to try Prime 131 Grill in nearby Wayland. We are told that Mondays are pretty popular here (read: make sure to get a reservation), it’s burger night where you can get a burger for $5 (but you have to buy a drink with it, so it’s more like $7 if you go with a non alcoholic beverage). Tuesday nights they have $5 off steak entrees and on Wednesdays they have prime rib night for $15.95.
We wander in fairly early and it is crowded but not crazy. By the time our burgers arrive, this place is full on busting at the seams. The classic cheeseburger regularly is priced at $13.49, so this is a bargain. The plate comes out and the presentation leaves something to be desired, it looks a bit sparse and there really aren’t that many fries, but hey, it’s $5. The burger isn’t anything to write home about, but again, it’s $5. Maybe the items on the regular menu are more my speed, we will definitely give this place another try on a non “special” night.
We did however enjoy the mud pie for dessert. The healthy sized portion came out and we devoured it.
Have you been to Prime 131 Grill? What did you get and what did you think?
Prime 131 Grill
131 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA
Tags: burger, casual dining, metrowest, restaurant, suburbia
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September 6, 2016 Chips and Salsa Party with Chica de Galllo
If you’re like me, anytime you go out for Mexican food you just want to order the chips, salsa and guacamole for dinner. (And I’m totally a sucker for table side guacamole) So while I think about salsa and guacamole all year round, it’s especially fun in the summer time when you’re hosting fun parties or a backyard bbq. Leah invited me over to her house for a little chips and salsa party – which I was totally pumped for, chips and salsa for lunch, yup, count me in! I should have known that it wasn’t going to just be a let’s crack open a container and we can eat straight out of them kind of thing (umm…who does that?!? 😉 ), but that Leah was going to put out a full on spread. So yes, there were chips and salsa and guacamole, but there was also pulled pork and creamy dip and warm tortillas (oh and did I mention I can’t get over that Leah makes her own tortillas, I tell everyone I know!).
So about the food, Chica de Gallo is a local company based out of Jamaica Plain. They make ghost pepper salsa, a mild salsa fresca, a medium salsa fresca, a mango pineapple salsa and guacamole. Now let me tell you my beef with store bought salsa and guacamole: the salsas can sometimes be watery (ick) and the guacamole can be this weird consistency (I know you know what I mean). But I was really pleasantly surprised by the Chica de Gallo line. I make my own guacamole when I can, but in a pinch, I would totally buy theirs. The guacamole has a great texture, a little chunky and is filled with tomatoes, peppers and onions. The salsas were not watery at all and they had great texture and flavor. The salsa has a mix of tomatoes, onions and peppers (the medium salsa has some jalapeño peppers in it to spice things up). I was a little concerned about how hot the ghost pepper salsa was going to be, but was pleasantly surprised that I could still feel the inside of my mouth after sampling it. The salsa starts off fruity and then hits you with that slow burn in the back of your mouth.
Chica de Gallo is available at your local Whole Foods Market. You can also find them at the Copley Farmers Market on Fridays (until November 24th), SOWA on Sundays (until October 30th), Dewey Square on Tuesdays (until November 24th), Kendall Square on Wednesdays (until October 28th) and Roslindale on Saturdays (until October 31st).
Disclaimer: Leah was provided samples of the salsa and guacamole for review. I just showed up and ate. All opinions are my own.
Chica de Gallo
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September 1, 2016 Danish Pastry House
I had mentioned to a friend that I was going to Watertown to look at dining room tables. When I told her where it was, she asked me if I was going to the Danish Pastry House. I had seen the Danish Pastry House selling their sweet treats at local farmers markets, but didn’t know that they had a brick and mortar shop (they have 2!). So, it’s down a small industrial alley and you might not know where to look – you might even miss it, but keep looking, it’s worth it! Here’s just a sampling of what they have at the shop – top right are my favorite, their version of 7 layer bars. How cute are the kaj frogs (pictured lower left)? They’re made with marzipan. That piece in the bottom right hand corner, just under the chocolate shell is the lightest, fluffiest marshmallow you’ve ever sunk your teeth into…I’m salivating now just thinking about it.
They everything from traditional Danish pastries such as kringle, to freshly baked breads to custom designed cakes. So stop in and treat yourself!
Danish Pastry House
205 Arlington Street, Watertown, MA
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August 29, 2016 Centerville Pie Company
My family and I had spent the day in Hyannis and decided to stop in to Centerville Pie Company on the way home. Sound familiar? Yup, they’re Oprah famous! In 2009, co-owners Laurie and Kristin opened the 18 seat bakeshop. That summer, Kristin heard that Gayle and Oprah were in town, so she boxed up one of her chicken pies and drove it over to their hotel. Oprah fell in love, and Centerville Pie Company went from selling 20 pies a week to 200! The chicken pies are made with hand pulled chicken – and there are no vegetables, just chicken and gravy here! You can buy the pies at your local market, but if you want extra of that delicious gravy, you have to stop by the shop!
So if Oprah loves them, I had to try them! I never say no to pie. Centerville Pie Company sells both sweet and savory pies, but my first love, of course, are the sweet pies. Shown above is the peach pie. Just look at that lattice crust! (Mine never come out that pretty!)
My favorite pie is apple. I was doing my best not to drool while I was taking these photos! The pie shop is open Monday – Saturday 8am – 6pm and Sundays from 9am – 4pm. I mentioned before that they have a restaurant, located right next door, that is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch from 7am – 3pm.
While I was at the shop taking some photos, I met Kristin, one of the owners. Kristin moved to the Cape as a teenager and has lived here ever since. She went to school at Johnson and Whales where she received her degree. Kristin might be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She has an outgoing personality and makes you feel like you are old friends from the minute you walk in the door. While I was in the shop, a family came in with gifts for Kristin. I thought they were friends, turns out they met only the day before, while they were in for breakfast. Kristin said she took the kids in back and they helped her bake pies while the grownups were eating – talk about cool!
So what else makes you feel good about buying pies from Centerville Pie Company (besides the fact that they taste delicious and their owner is a doll)? They partnered with Cape Abilities, a non profit organization that supports people with disabilities on Cape Cod. The pie company handles most of its pie making operations at the Cape Abilities location and they employ over 50 disable adults. All.the.feels.
While they might be known for their chicken pie, the Shepherd’s Pie might have been my favorite. The pie is made with seasoned ground beef sautéed with onions, topped with corn, and mashed potatoes. We took home a small pie, pictured above, but we wished we picked up a large one because it was crave worthy!
I generally find that most pies places that do sweet and savory pies do one better than the other – it’s all in the crust…but Centerville Pie Company does both really well. I loved every pie I tried more than the next.
Pictured above is the Cape Cod Crunch pie that the ladies told me just flies off the shelves. A chocolate pudding pie with Heath Bar and whipped cream, topped with a healthy drizzle of chocolate sauce. My grandmother used to make chocolate pudding pies for all of our family get togethers – so I have a special place in my heart for pudding pies (although hers had a graham cracker crust). The Cape Cod Crunch kicks pudding pie up to a whole new level for me!
As I mentioned before, you can buy Centerville Pie Company’s chicken pies in your local grocery store’s frozen food aisle (Roche Bros., Stop and Shop and Market Basket). As of this past March, you can find their Shepherd’s Pie along side of the chicken pies. So now you can enjoy an 8″ pie, which can easily feed a family of four (or just you – I won’t tell), for $12.99. That’s a steal!
So if you’re in the neighborhood (or if you’re not, make a special trip) stop in to check out Centerville Pie Company where they have a little something for everyone!
Disclaimer: I was a guest at Centerville Pie Company. I was provided with one large chicken pie, a small Shepherd’s pie and an apple pie. All opinions are my own.
Centerville Pie Company
1671 Falmouth Road (Route 28), Centerville, MA
Tags: bakery, cape, casual dining, dessert, restaurant
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August 28, 2016 Gather Chocolate by Harbor Sweets
Harbor Sweets makes my favorite candy of all time, sweet sloops, almond buttercrunch toffee covered in white chocolate, dipped in dark chocolate and pecans. So I was excited to try out their new line that will be making its debut on September 6th. Gather chocolates are handmade and each package contains 6 honey infused chocolates. The collection is a mission driven chocolate inspired by the plight of the honeybees and a portion of the sales will be donated to the Pollinator Partnership. Did you know that in just one year there was a 44% loss of honeybee colonization? For more information about bees, check out my friend Noah’s company’s website, Best Bees. (And you can see my post about them here).
I love the packaging for these chocolates! You can pick up a 6 piece assortment for $12.50 and a 12 piece assortment for $18.50.
Starting at the bottom left and working our way clockwise: the sesame crunch, the sour cherry, the coconut cluster, the pomegranate molasses and the cashew caramel with the caramelized honey truffle in the center. All the chocolates were delicious and in the blink of an eye they were gone…yup, polished these off in one sitting (for research purposes of course!) Here are my thoughts:
- I loved the texture of the sesame crunch
- I wasn’t sure I was going to like the sour cherry, as I am not really a fruit and chocolate kind of gal, but you tasted the honey up front and the cherry flavor came second – it was very subtle
- The coconut cluster had the added coconut on the outside which made the flavor bright and bold
- Again, pleasantly surprised with the pomegranate molasses which was bold in flavor and really smooth
- The cashew caramel was my favorite of the lot, I loved the texture and the flavor
- The caramelized honey truffle was delicious and really showcased the honey flavor up front with a smooth dark chocolate finish at the end
So if you are ever in Salem, stop by and check them out (I have yet to go!), they even give tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If not, you can head over to their website and have the chocolate sent right to you! If you haven’t already, make sure to try those sweet sloops too!
Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Gather chocolate to sample for this review. All opinions are my own.
Harbor Sweets
Palmer Cove – 85 Leavitt Street
Salem, MA
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August 26, 2016 Chicken Salad from Willow Tree Farm
The summer is winding down but we will grill well into the fall because it’s so easy for us to entertain this way. So of course we do burgers, hot dogs and chicken, but what about apps? Sure you can do chips and salsa or a cheese board, but this last bbq we switched it up and made chicken salad sliders. It was a HUGE success. I couldn’t make enough of them!
Willow Tree Farm, a family run business located in Attleboro just came out with two new chicken salads, an avocado chicken salad and a sriracha chicken salad. You can find the chicken salad at your local grocery store or you can pick some up at their retail shop in Attleboro.
Check out how delicious that looks!
The sriracha has some heat to it, so watch out. But for this gal, bring it on!
I love avocado, so I wondered why it took me so long to realize that it would be great with chicken salad. The white meat chicken salad is made with Avèyo, a new avocado-based mayo alternative made with Hass avocado, white vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and lime juice. Here’s an added perk, it has 70% less fat and 50% fewer calories than other chicken salads – taste great and is better for you – SCORE!
We served the chicken salad as sliders, but it would be equally great as a sandwich or a wrap, on top of a salad or served on top of crackers/toast.
Disclaimer: I was sent complimentary samples of Willow Tree Farm chicken salad for review. All opinions are my own.
Willow Tree Farm
997 South Main Street, Attleboro, MA
Tags: chicken salad, products
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August 25, 2016 Southern Kin Cookhouse
I had never been to Assembly Row until just recently. Leah, Kim and I decided to meet up for lunch at Southern Kin Cookhouse, a new restaurant featuring, you guessed it, good southern cuisine. We were there when they opened, so you can just see how far behind I am with posting this summer! Everyone was new, so service was attentive, to say the least. I think I took one sip of my water before someone was there to refill it.
So you can’t have southern food without trying their biscuits. The buttermilk biscuits come with honey butter and seasonal jam ($7). Let me let you in on a little secret: they have a biscuit lady…kind of like a Christmas elf, she comes in early in the morning to make the biscuits (and the pie)…. I’m currently trying to figure out how I can meet said biscuit lady.
Normally I’d steer clear of deviled eggs…but Souther Kin Cookhouse’s version are cayenne and truffle stuffed, topped with trout pearls, pickled shallot and Benton’s country ham ($9). The creole mustard gives it that extra kick (not like it needed it!). The presentation alone says, these aren’t your Aunt Sally’s deviled eggs.
The fried okra is lightly battered in cornmeal and dusted with a little pink peppercorn ($8), served with a black pepper parmesan buttermilk dressing.
I love the presentation of the small plates here, the mismatched dishes are so in right now. The pimento cheese fritters ($7) are house made pimento cheese with smoked tomato jalapeño marmalade and green onion sauce. Simple food, executed extremely well.
It was a toss up between the chicken sandwich (I’ll be back for you!) and the Dixon burger. I went with the burger because…well….pork belly. So the burger is topped with bbq glazed pork belly, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and a fried egg. Perfection. The potato wedges were perfect (cause you know that most places get them to the table and they’re soggy in the middle).
Leah had the chicken n’ waffles ($21), southern fried chicken over cheddar chive waffle, with fresno pepper-maple syrup (it has a kick) and Louisiana honey hot pepper sauce. I gained 10 lbs just looking at this photo again!
While I was stuffed, I felt obligated, for research purposes of course, to try their pie. I mean, they have a pie lady, and I’d probably be offending her if I didn’t at least TRY a slice. And it was a pretty hard choice, they have so many delicious flavors. You can get a slice for $7 or the whole pie for $36. Add a scoop of Bart’s homemade ice cream (they’re from Greenfield, MA) for $3, and yes, it’s worth it. Ice cream comes in: malted vanilla, maple cream, sea salt caramel swirl and mud pie. Pie flavors are: buttermilk, mud pie, peach crumble pie, key lime pie, coconut cream pie and brown butter bourbon pecan pie. We tried the brown butter bourbon pecan pie (say that 3 times fast) that was topped with chocolate ganache sauce and had it a la mode with the malted vanilla ice cream. I almost stabbed Leah and Kim with my fork because it was so delicious…
When we were there in June the patio hadn’t opened as of yet, but they were supposed to open it up shortly thereafter. I assume that it’s open now!
Southern Kin Cookhouse
Assembly Row – 500 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA
Tags: assembly row, casual dining, outdoor seating, restaurant, somerville, southern
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August 22, 2016 Extend Summer at the Cape Codder
Summer is coming to an end, Labor day is just around the corner and you’re getting the kids ready to go back to school. But after Labor day is the best time to be on the Cape (well, I think it is!) because all the tourists are gone, you can drive through town without the ferry backup, and you can actually get into your favorite restaurants. Another great way to hold on to those summer days? Head over to the Cape Codder, where they have just recently opened up a 30,000 square foot indoor water park. How does that extend summer? On days where the weather is nice, they open the retractable roof, and it’s just like being outside.
I recently had a chance to check the park out with my family. The park has 4 tube slides: 2 in the wave pool area (50 feet and 80 feet) and two high speed water slides in main room that are 160 feet each! The main area (above) has a “stormy river”, their interpretation of a lazy river, with sections of both calm and choppy water and plenty of places for you to get sprayed by water jets.
The wave pool is 10,00 square feet and has waves that are up to 2 feet! There is a 24 person hot tub and two saunas in this room as well.
For those of you with smaller children, they have a kiddie area – complete with a small pirate ship and small kiddie sized slides.
They have a snack bar in the pool area or you can head over to the Hearth n’ Kettle for a bite. The large menu offers something for everyone – and a great thing for us was that they serve breakfast all day! Pictured above, left to right: bacon cheese burger ($11.97), breakfast sandwich ($8.19), kid’s mac and cheese and chicken fingers ($7.99).
Day passes are available on a limited basis for $40 per person ($30 per child under 48″). Admission to the park is included if you are staying at the hotel. So now that I’ve told you about the water park, you’re thinking, ok, but where is the Cape Codder? It’s conveniently located right off the highway (Route 6) in Hyannis. If you decide to stay overnight, there are tons of things to do after you’ve spent the day at the water park: take the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, bike along the bike path, spend the morning on a whale watch or browse local artists in the shops in downtown Hyannis. Speaking of local artists, the Cape Codder likes to support local artisans – check out the chandelier in the lobby, made by McDermott Glass Studio, located in Sandwich. It’s made up of 400 hand blown glass pieces, including fish, shells and that large whelk shell hanging on the bottom.
The hotel has 266 rooms, including some great family suites (shown above). There are plenty of activities for the kids, including bonfires and s’mores, movie night, live animal shows and daily arts and crafts.
The family suites are great if you’re traveling with grandparents or kids – they sleep 6, two in the master bedroom, two on a sleeper sofa, and two on a Murphy bed that folds up in the daytime to be a kitchen table. The suites offer two large bathrooms and a kitchenette.
Looking for something a little more luxurious? Try the 2 or 3 bedroom residences that are part of the Cape Codder Residence Club.
To circle back with the year round theme, I’ll leave you with an image of the hotel’s year round outdoor pool – yup, you heard that right – it’s a salt water heated pool! Swoon!
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to visit the Cape Codder water park. Admission for my family to the park as well as lunch were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.
Cape Codder Resort and Spa
1225 Iyannough Road, Hyannis, MA
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- Posted under Trips
August 9, 2016 The Godfrey Hotel
The Godfrey Hotel opened in Boston earlier this year in February. I was fortunate enough to get a first look – and now that George Howell Coffee is finally open, I’ll certainly be back. The coffee shop opened in June, and is open from 6:30am – 8pm. They have baked goods from one of my favorite bakeries, Praline, in Belmont. In addition to the cafe, they offer a full retail section where you can purchase an extensive range of coffee beans.
The historic hotel is located right in the heart of downtown crossing, steps away from shopping and popular tourist attractions – you couldn’t ask for a better location!
The boutique hotel has about 240 rooms that have amenities like Frette linens, 55″ TVs and Bose bluetooth speakers.
They have meeting spaces available as well – with fast wifi and all the tech amenities you need to make your meetings run smoothly.
The rooms feel enormous due to their high ceilings. Floor to ceiling windows allow for tons of natural light to flood in. One cool feature is they have smart phone room entry – you can unlock your door with your phone or with a bracelet that you are provided with (should you want to stop at the front desk). The TV’s are like your virtual concierge, allowing you to do anything from looking up tourist attractions, to giving you restaurant suggestions, or to stream your HBO or Netflix movies from your phone directly onto the TV.
The bathrooms feel spacious as well, with glass enclosed showers and well lit mirrors. If you’re visiting Boston, or even if you are just taking a staycation, I highly suggest checking out the Godfrey Hotel.
Disclaimer: I was invited to a media preview/tour of the hotel. All opinions are my own.
Tags: coffee, downtown crossing, hotel
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- Posted under Restaurants
