June 24, 2014 Shiki
Shiki is a small Japanese restaurant located just off of Harvard St. in Coolidge Corner. It has probably been on my “to visit” list for 5 years….glad we finally made it! We arrived at a great time and we were seated right away – there was a bit of a wait as we came close to the tail end of our meal. Shiki offers authentic traditional cuisine – as we look around, we realize we may be the only table that is speaking English tonight.
I order the Inaniwa udon ($13) that comes with shrimp tempura on the side.
The broth is flavorful and it comes with a generous helping of noodles.
We also order some sushi that was fresh and quite tasty – rolls here go for anywhere from $4 to $13. While we order relatively tame/safe options, many of the other patrons are ordering the more traditional tapas style dishes that include things like: octopus, monkfish liver, broiled squid, kimchee and Japanese pickles. The service here is decent – they have two servers for the whole restaurant. As more tables are sat, they seem to get a bit bogged down. Shiki is open Tuesday – Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA
Tags: asian, brookline, casual dining, restaurant, sushi
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June 23, 2014 Wegmans
10 years ago, I was just getting ready to go out at 10pm. These days, at 10pm, I am at Wegman’s trying to avoid traffic on route 9 and the insane crowds at this newly opened location. (Oh how times have changed!) When you pull into the parking lot, you can pull into the front parking lot, but that will only get you to the liquor store. Park in the garage if you don’t want to huff your groceries up stairs.
You immediately walk into the produce and prepared food section. They have a hot bar filled with everything and anything you can imagine. They also have an impressive salad bar and ethnic prepared food items.
They have an extensive cheese selection – you can really wow your friends with your next cheese plate.
Down another aisle you will find a large bulk food area where you can buy things like candy, nuts, seeds or granola.
And while I don’t drink tea, I am impressed with their bulk loose tea selection.
And for those of you with the most discerning taste, you can get truffles for $999 a pound.
Have you been to Wegmans? What is your best buy from the store?
Wegmans
200 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA
Tags: grocery store
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June 23, 2014 The Good Ones: Power Hour 3
This past Tuesday, a group of Boston’s finest (founders, journalists, executives, entertainers, students and creatives among others) donned shorts and blazers for a power hour networking event hosted by The Good Ones. The event took place at Montage on Arlington Street in the Back Bay.
Montage is a family run business that showcases some of the finest contemporary furniture.
The storefront was a great backdrop for the third event in the Power Hour series.
Some amazing brands were at the event – one of my favorites, Motto sparkling matcha green tea. Check out some great recent coverage on them in the Boston Globe.
Evy tea is a premium cold brewed tea that comes in amazing flavors like: Meyer lemon and basil green tea, peach ginger white tea and Earl grey and vanilla black tea. The tea is light, crisp and has so many layers of flavors.
Evy Chen, founder of Evy Tea.
Crop Vodka was mixing up their organic vodka into delicious cocktails – the cucumber vodka with lemonade – so perfect for summer!!
Gregg Renfew, founder of Beauty Counter, is on a mission to revolutionize the cosmetic industry. The personal care industry hasn’t passed laws to regulate ingredients that are used in personal care products since 1938. Beauty Counter has banned over 1,500 ingredients, setting a new health and safety standard. Their line features products for hair, makeup and skin.
Gianne and Jay of Organic Bath Co. were at the event with a variety of their products. Their SubLime organic body scrub is made from Fair Trade Certified sugar and Fair Trade Certified coconut oil, blended with organic shea nut oil.
Sara Gragnolati, founder of Cocomama, was sampling her new product, Crunched Out. Crunched Out will come in two flavors, fudgy chocolate and vanilla cinnamon.
As a fun twist to the night, I asked some of the guests a fun question to get to know them a little better!
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Sara) A craft brewery, I love food and beverage!
Christina Kotseas (Personal Assistant)
Lauren Creedon (Co-Founder and Chief of Staff of Sports Loyalty International)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Lauren) Lulu Lemon. It is positioned as a lifestyle brand – they inspire people to work out, they’ve made workout clothing more mainstream. They have so much future potential, especially with partnerships. I’m passionate about empowering women – their brand , as a consumer product, has a great platform to convey that message. I would partner with brands like Equinox or Red Bull, brands that stand for/represent fitness, living out your passions and taking charge of your day to day happiness. Lulu Lemon can represent a happier healthier lifestyle.
Jennifer Brooke and Carolyn Kim (Co-founders of The Good Ones)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Jennifer) Facebook: Visual knowledge is power. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn says it’s largely because we’re getting less attentive and more anxious: “The average American attention span in 2013 was about 8 seconds. The average attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds. And then get this kicker – the average attention of a goldfish is 9 seconds.”
(Carolyn) MIT – I’d focus on attracting talented professors from leading liberal arts, psychology, and communications schools, and design an uniquely branded undergraduate program around “Business & EQ”.
Matt Moynahan (President, Arbor Networks); Pamela Michelle Paquin (Founder, Petit Mort); Eric Papachristos (Co-Owner, TRADE Restaurant); Liri Kovalski (Real Estate Principal); Christina Kotseas (Personal Assistant)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Christina) Travel and Leisure Magazine, I’d get to travel to fabulous places and see places I wouldn’t ordinarily go to.
Ariana Morris (Practice Lead, Monster.com); Gianne Doherty (Founder, OrganicBath.co); Julia Stewart (Manager, Monster.com)
Jennifer Brooke (Co-Founder, TheGoodOnes.co); Eric Papachristos (Co-Owner, TRADE Restaurant); Kristina Tsipouras (Founder, DrinkZoos.com); Tom Olcott (Co-Founder, DrinkMotto.com); Ruta Laukien (President, Liquid Art House)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Eric) I would be CEO of Google because they do a lot of cool things in a lot of different industries and their philantropic.
(Kristina) Vogue magazine because it’s been my inspiration my whole life. I always come back to it, I love everything about it and what they stand for.
Ruta Laukien (President, Liquid Art House); Elena Kazlas (Global Consultant for Museums); Heloisa Helena Fitzgerald (Design Entrepreneur, Designs for Lives)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Heloisa) I have 3 jewelry companies and I admire Bulgari, they do an unbelievable job in design. Their pieces can be trendy, yet always elegant. Their pieces are classy and elevate everyone’s look.
Kinda Touma (Fashion Designer); Tommy “Hollywood” Severo (Actor/Comedian, Winner of Beauty & The Geek – Season 5)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Tom) Tom’s shoe company because I like the work they are doing in Africa, they are providing quality product.
Janet Wu (Anchor, Channel 7 News); Jennifer Brooke (Co-Founder, TheGoodOnes.co); Carolyn Kim (Co-Founder, TheGoodOnes.co); Kinda Touma (Fashion Designer)
Tom Olcott (Co-Founder, Drinkmotto.com), Devin Thomas (IT Consultant), Jay Weeks (Co-Founder of Organic Bath Co.)
Q: If you could be a CEO of any company, not your own, what would it be and why?
A: (Tom) Uber because they are changing the world, one city at a time. You would have the opportunity see a lot of cool places.
(Devin) Google, because of the money – with that type of money and platform, you could do anything.
(Jay) Apple, also because of the money, and because you could create anything you envision. You would have so many talented people working for you.
Want to join the next Power Hour? It’s on Wednesday, June 25 at Liquid Art House. Request an invitation by emailing Carolyn at Carolyn@thegoodonesboston.com
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June 22, 2014 Moochies Macarons
Thursday afternoon I stopped by to see Nina from Moochie’s Macarons – she was doing a tasting of her delicious macarons at Olives and Grace in the South End.
Nina debuted two new flavors this particular evening!
Moochie’s macarons come in these amazing flavors: pistachio, lavender honey, toasted coconut, Belgian dark chocolate, fig preserves and espresso. Limited edition flavors include: creamed honey cinnamon, maple pecan and picnic in Paris.
This was my first time in the new shop – Sofi, owner of Olives and Grace, moved from her previous location in the South End onto Tremont Street.
The store is so lovely, lots of wonderful products – it’s the kind of place where you go in for one thing and walk out with 10.
The new picnic in Paris flavor is made with Doves & Figs preserves: strawberry conserve with orange and lavender.
The maple pecan flavor is bold, and just the right amount of sweetness – such great flavors. It is made with local maple syrup from Campton, NH. These are mixed with the chocolate hazelnut macarons (pink).
And my favorite, the pistachio, mixed in with the Belgian chocolate ganache.
Check out Olives and Grace frequently as they have some great tasting events. The next event is Big Spoon Roasters on 6/24 from 4:30-7:30pm.
Moochies Macarons
Olives and Grace
623 Tremont Street, Boston, MA (South End)
http://www.olivesandgrace.com/
Tags: macarons, south end, specialty goods
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June 22, 2014 Chefs in Shorts
It was a beautiful night on Friday, a perfect evening for the 14th annual Chef’s in Shorts event.
Guests gathered at the Seaport Hotel for an evening of food from over 50 chefs. The event benefited Future Chefs, a nonprofit school-to-career program focused in culinary arts.
Our first stop was The Lagham Hotel’s table, where Executive Chef, Mark Sapienza was cooking up piri-piri grilled shrimp and sweet corn flan with spring onion, chorizo and vinho Verde.
I’m pretty sure I could have eaten the corn flan for days – it was light with just the right amount of sweetness – the shrimp was tasty and perfectly grilled.
Chef Andreas Edlbauer from the Dining Room, a restaurant within a restaurant (at the Living Room), served grilled cold smoked salmon with roasted cauliflower purée, Norwegian cucumber salad and micro lettuce.
Row 34 had a great smokey, spicy smoked mussel salad with grilled scapes, aleppo and pickled red onion. One of the better dishes of the night. I forgot to take a picture of it because I was too busy enjoying it, but it was delicious, there was spicy and crunchy with a little bit of sweetness – a very well balanced dish!
Tim Pennington, head chef at Earls bar and kitchen, opening soon at Assembly Row in Somerville, served up ribs with warm potato salad. A little messy to eat, but finger licking good!
Skybokx 109 in Natick served up grilled sugarcane skewered shrimp with pineapple salsa and barbeque glaze.
A dish from LTK.
The Blue Ox in Lynn.
Chef Robert Tobin from Tamo, in the Seaport Hotel, made a grilled marinated short rib with picked radish and carrot, Boston lettuce and asian bbq sauce.
Artbar in Cambridge.
How beautiful is that cauliflower?
Grilled flatbread from Flour Bakery.
Abby Park in Milton served up a short rib slider with savory cabbage slaw.
The Back Deck served up grilled hot wings: confit chicken wings tossed in a chipotle lime butter and served with celery sticks and gorgonzola dressing. These were right in their wheelhouse!
Chef Doug Rodrigues from the Tip Tap Room grilled up whole wild striped sea bass.
It was served with mustard greens, picked green tomatoes, and cucumber.
Executive Pastry Chef at the Seaport Hotel, Karen Hodson served up s’mores in a tin.
This dessert was outstanding!
They put ice cream on top and served them warm off the grill – SO good.
Chef de Cuisine Michael Zentner from Gaslight served up a Korean beef dish, similar to bulgogi beef, and wrapped it in lettuce for eating snacking.
Aragosta served up a ceviche with scallops, striped bass and calamari.
Crispy grilled pork belly.
Check out this beautiful dish by the chefs from the Sinclair.
Mark Porcaro, Top of the Hub, was serving up some delicious mahi mahi fish tacos.
Check out the amazing color of the slaw!
The Ashmont Grill served up grilled oysters, mussels and clams with salsa verde and BBQ butter.
Chef Chris Douglas of Ashmont Grill/Tavolo.
Mela served up chicken tikka, chicken marinated in spaices and yogurt and cooked on skewers in tan door, a clay oven.
Parla served up smoked scallop shish kebabs.
Lucca Restaurant and Bar in the North End.
Jason Albus, chef at Fairsted Kitchen in Brookline served up Soutern Pork Hash.
Steve, co-owner of Fairsted couldn’t make it, but was there in spirit with the face of Steve stamp – follow the hashtag #faceofsteve.
Kickass Cupcakes provided a welcome break from all the meat and seafood at the event.
Hoe cute are these?
Chef Andrew Herbert from TRADE was at the event, we chatted about the upcoming Battle of the Burger. Have you voted yet? You have until July 7th – vote here.
Chef Richard Rayment from the Seaport Hotel.
Check out the beautiful purple potato and grilled corn salad from Bravo at the Museum of Fine Arts – it was served with escabeche of local bluefish, aji amarillo and dried herb gremolata.
Pie tarts from King’s.
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June 20, 2014 Meet Your Maker: Churn2
Churn2 is located near the Harvard Science center, it’s a shipping container that is open seasonally, producing delicious ice cream. Owner Ash Chan is on to a great idea.
From their website:
Operating from a fixed location allows a container to be part of the neighborhood, receiving regular deliveries and satisfying cravings without burning fossil fuels every day. The strictly limited interior space inspires novel and efficient foods and preparations while dramatically reducing consumption of power, water, real estate, and natural resources. Without the tires, cab and engine, customers can walk right into the container, engage with the staff, and watch their food being prepared while staying out of the elements. The extra space also facilitates more complex preparations that yield fresher and more creative food. But, the ability to set up or pack up in a day gives just the right amount of portability to accommodate dynamic demands and special events. Maximizing efficiency allows us to serve a better product to the same number of customers as a store several times larger while leaving the land below unscathed for the future.
Churn 2 makes liquid nitrogen ice cream. You can’t help but stop and watch then whip up a batch.
Each ice cream is made to order. They have two flavors per day. Meet Jerry. When I asked him how he decides on the flavors, he said that usually it’s based on a whim. Peppermint patties were on sale today, I picked up some bags and voila, today’s special is chocolate peppermint patty!
Ice cream is Jerry’s passion – he loves what he is doing…and it shows. He takes time to talk with all of the customers and patiently answers questions, all with a smile.
I asked him how he knows the ice cream is ready – and he says, you just feel it. Ice cream whisperer? Maybe.
The final product.
The mango strawberry (right) and chocolate peppermint patty (left). Both were delicious – flavorful and creamy!
Churn 2
1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA – outside of the Harvard University Science Center
Tags: cambridge, food truck, ice cream
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- Posted under Food Trucks
June 19, 2014 Tea at the Four Seasons
What do you get for a little girl who doesn’t really need anything? Tea at the Four Seasons of course! My niece’s birthday was months ago, but due to various commitments we weren’t able to plan a date until now. Four of us met out at the Four Season in our finest tea party attire to celebrate! My niece showed up in a fancy dress and her light up tiara – managing to win the hearts of many that day.
The adults at the table had the royal tea ($40) that comes with: A Glass of Kir Royal, scones and tea bread, strawberry jam, lemon curd and Devonshire cream, selection of tea sandwiches and pastries, served with a pot of brewed tea of choice.
They have a delicious selection of teas:
Black Raspberry – Black Tea Infused with the Delectable Fruitiness of Black Raspberries and Dried Fruit
Blue Flower Earl Grey – Black Tea with Soothing Bergamot Oil and Accented with Blue Cornflower Petals
Crimson Berry – Lively Herbal Tea Made with Elderberries, Grapes, Currants, Bilberries and Hibiscus
Darjeeling – Indian Champagne of Black Teas, Delicate and Flowery with a Golden Colour
English Breakfast – Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Well Balanced and Bright with an Apricot Fruit Flavour
Ginger Lemon – Herbal Tea, Blending Cut Root Ginger, Linden Flower, and Lemongrass
Irish Breakfast – Breakfast-Style Black Tea Noted for its Strength, Body and Colour and a Hearty, Malty Flavour
China Green Jade – Organic Variety of Rolled Chinese Green Tea with a Subtle Sweet Finish
Jasmine – China Green Tea Infused with Jasmine Flowers, Producing a Fragrant, Delicate Cup
Lemon Camomile – Herbal Tea, Blending the Camomile with Lemongrass and Lavender Flowers
Oolong Jade – Famed Green Oolong from Taiwan
Rooibos Vanilla – Organic Red Bush from South Africa Blended with Bourbon Vanilla
Sencha Green – Delicate, Yet Rich, with a Clean Vegetal Flavor and a Distinct Sweet Finish
Wild Mint – Mint Herbal Tea, Very Aromatic, Complex and Refreshing
Decaffeinated English Breakfast-Earl Gray – Decaffeinated Black Tea, Retaining a Maximum of Flavour
The scones were by far our favorite – really light and delicious – good with both the jam and the lemon curd.
I’ve never been a huge fan of tea sandwiches. Included on today’s plate was a shrimp salad sandwich, a chicken salad sandwich and a tomato, mozzarella and basil pesto sandwich.
For dessert there was a boston creme pie puff, a lemon tart and a spice cake of sorts.
Not pictured was the children’s Georgetown cupcake tea ($16):
Each offering is served with hot chocolate or juice.
Lava Fudge Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting, Fudge Star and Rainbow Baubles
Boston Creme Cupcake with Whipped Ganache Frosting and Green Sparkling Sanding Sugar
Lemon Blossom Cupcake with Lemon Frosting, Yellow Fondant Flower
We had a lovely afternoon – certainly a fun thing to do for a special occasion!
Four Seasons Bristol Lounge
200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
http://www.fourseasons.com/boston/dining/afternoon_tea/
Tags: back bay, fine dining, restaurant, special occasion, tea
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June 18, 2014 Shan-a-Punjab
Shan-a-Punjab is located on Harvard Street in a former gas station. The last time I was here, it was B.Good. I never made it to Cognac Bistro, even though I really meant to get there.
Indian music videos play on the tv behind the bar.
We start off with some delicious flatbread crisps that have a nice peppery flavor.
We order the veggie samosas ($3.95) and devour them in an instant. The turnovers are stuffed with potatoes and peas. I could just eat a bunch of these for my meal.
With each dish, they ask how spicy you want it. I’m a lightweight and order my chicken tikka masala with no spice ($12.95). The entrees come with unlimited rice – the chicken is so tender and the tomato cream sauce makes you want to lick the bowl clean.
Of course, no Indian meal would be complete without an order or garlic naan ($3.95). They offer a variety of naan: traditional, aloo – stuffed with potatoes, chicken naan, pershawari – stuffed with raisins, almonds and cashew nuts to name a few.
We also ordered the beef curry ($13.95) which is equally delicious.
Shan-a-punjab offers free delivery within 2.5 miles and you can place your orders online.
What’s your favorite Indian dish?
Shan-a-Punjab
455 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA
http://www.shanapunjabbrookline.com
Tags: brookline, casual dining, delivery, indian, restaurant, take out
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June 18, 2014 Bostonia Public House
Bostonia Public House took over the space that was formerly Kitty O’Shea’s (2 floors) and has been open since April – packing the house both at lunch time and after work.
The restaurant has a really great vibe, and the decor is fabulous – from the dark wood to the mustard colored seats to the amazing bar. HGTV’s Taniya Nayak designed the space. The team and I took Mark out to celebrate his upcoming wedding.
We started with the pickle pot ($5) that was lip puckering good. Love the presentation.
Most of the team had the burger, which did look delicious. I had the housemade ricotta dumplings ($22) that came with shrimp, peas, carrots and a crispy prosciutto cracker. A great dish, really nice bright flavors – very summery. With lunch entrees ranging between $16 and $29, the prices are a bit steep for lunch, but the food was delicious and Mark was happy.
They offer 38 wines by the glass (check out how cool that is!) and live music in the evenings. They are open late night, 11:30am – 2am daily.
Bostonia Public House
131 State Street, Boston, MA
http://bostoniapublichouse.com
Make a reservation with Open Table
Tags: bar, casual dining, financial district, late night, live music, restaurant
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June 17, 2014 Roosters
Roosters is a new barber shop in the South End that has been open a little over two months. I was invited to their official kick off party last week!
Owner Tyson White with the amazing Janet Wu from 7 News.
Roosters is a classic American barbershop that blends modern men’s grooming techniques with classic barbershop elements.
For product, Roosters carries the Aveda men’s line.
Roosters Club Cut: Haircut and Wash with a Hot-Towel $38
Signature 7 Step Facial Shave: Straight-Razor Shave with Hot-Towel $38
Gentlemen’s Choice: Club Cut and Signature 7 Step Facial Shave $65
Professional Hero Cut: Club Cut for Military, Police, Fire and EMS $30
Young Man’s Cut: Club Cut for those 12 and under $30
Headshave: Close, professional head shave $38
Neck Trim: FREE
Beard Trim: Detailed edging and grooming $18
Hi-Lighting: Subtle color treatment $45
Camouflage: Natural-looking color blends grey away $35
Local business owner Pete Dziedzic, of Skoah (South End, Back Bay and Chestnut Hill) won a raffle prize!
CBH Communications intern, Kasjah Scarlett (right) and Mikey Janey (left), freelance photographer and intern at Society Original Products.
The talented Jeremy Kean, of Whisk, was providing light bites for the evening.
Smoked tomato toasts.
Mushroom arancini.
The pork cheek steam buns were amazing!
Peroni beer was at the event, as well as Deep Eddy vodka. Really great party with a fun crowd!
Stop in for a haircut and/or a shave today!
Roosters
518 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
http://www.roostersboston.com/
Tags: barber shop, south end
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- Posted under Events, Services, Stores
