March 24, 2016 McDonald’s at Fairsted
Talk about being behind – this was from back in December!! When I think of McDonald’s I have childhood memories of my mom taking me there for dinner. We would drive through the drive through and then eat in the car, a special Monday night treat while my dad was working…even though sometimes it was more than just on Mondays…
While the memories were good, and at the time, the food tasted delicious, I’m pretty sure that we could have made some better, healthier choices. McDonald’s challenged Top Chef Stephanie Cmar to come up with a menu using ingredients only found in the McDonald’s kitchen. Cmar, who you may know from Stacked Doughnuts and Party of Two, rose to the challenge and put together a delicious three course dinner at Fairsted Kitchen (where she was formerly the Executive Chef).
As guests arrived they sipped on a pineapple mango mocktail inspired by McDonald’s McCafe smoothie.
What McDonald’s event would be complete without a fry bar?
The first course was chicken croquettes with cilantro lime sauce, cucumber and peanut salad and wilted Romaine puree. Cmar made these with chicken nuggets, although if she didn’t mention it, you never would have known.
She mentioned that the croquettes tasted/reminded her of corn dogs…(although I’ve never actually had one in real life).
Note that Cmar is no longer with Fairsted Kitchen, she has moved to SRV as a daytime pasta maker, can’t wait to check it out!
Second course was a French fry gnocchi with sausage and beef bolognese. Cmar put the frozen fries through a meat grinder to make the gnocchi and the meat for the bolgnese was from the hamburger and sausage patties.
No dinner with Cmar would be complete without one of her signature doughnuts!
Third course was homemade doughnuts with cranberry and salted caramel – so delicious!
Fairsted Kitchen
1704 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA
Tags: brookline, casual dining, celebrity chef
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March 22, 2016 Kane’s Donuts Pop Up at The Street
I didn’t know I even craved donuts that much until Kane’s Donuts took over the pop up shop at The Street in Chestnut Hill.
As soon as you walk in, not only are you greeted with a smile and a friendly hello, but you are also greeted with a sugar high. The smell of the donuts is intoxicating….and I think I may have gotten a cavity from being in such close proximity 😉 The donuts are on display inside a glass case so you don’t drool on them while you’re making decisions.
They’re open from 7am-3pm, or until the donuts sell out. I recommend heading there in the morning because by 1:30/2pm they are running low on choices.
They are best  known for their honey dip – it’s award winning! They’ve got traditional yeast donuts, cake donuts, donuts dipped in chocolate, filled donuts, even gluten free donuts! Oh and they serve coffee if you need something to help you wash down those delicious donuts!
Other unique flavors include pistachio (bottom left), creme brûlée (bottom right) and blueberry (top left).
Starting at the top left and moving left to right by row: French cruller, turtle, honey lemon, chocolate orgasm, coconut, strawberry, jelly, snickers and an apple fritter. Stop in soon, they are only at The Street until March 26th!
Can’t make it to the pop up? Visit the original location in Saugus or their newest location in the Financial District – see the website for more details.
Kane’s Donuts
3 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA (next to the Star Market)
Tags: breakfast, chestnut hill, dessert, donuts, pop up
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March 18, 2016 Bourbon and Babes at The Quarry
We were invited to The Quarry in Hingham to spend the evening learning about bourbon from Beverage Manager David Danforth. Executive Chef Greg Jordan provided light bites to pair with each drink.
While it was a bit too cool this evening, we are looking forward to warmer weather when they open the patio – check out the great view.
The dining room is open and bright, taking full advantage of the beautiful scenery outside.
People rave about the burger in the main dining room, so I know what I’ll be ordering when I come back. Other delicious option on the main dining room menu include a center cut choice filet mignon, a chive and honey brick chicken, a gnocchi bolognese and a pan roasted swordfish.
We sampled 5 bourbons. We started off with a house made bourbon punch made with passion fruit and citrus. It was slightly sweet and at the same time savory with hints of peach, orange and apple bitters.
Our first drink was the High West American Prairies Bourbon served with cheese gougeres. High West is made from three whiskeys, Seagrams and two other undisclosed distilleries. It is aged in new American oak barrels for at least 2 years. It is a smooth whiskey that is light and has lots of character, making it a great starter whiskey. High West demands to be the star of the show and would be great when making a Manhattan or an old fashioned.
Next up was the Redemption High Rye Bourbon served with these delicious biscuits topped with country ham and whole grain mustard. The picked red onion was house made giving this bite the right amount of fat and saltiness. Redemption is a rye, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg (making it a little spicy). It has a complex character and the alcohol comes through a little more. You are really able to feel the flavor in your throat. It combines the sweetness or bourbon with the spiciness and dryness of a rye mash.
Next, not pictured, was the Old Forester 1870 Original Batch served with some smoked nuts. The nuts were smoked for 30 minutes and the chips (in the smoker) were soaked in the same bourbon to reinforce the flavor from the bourbon we drank. The bourbon is made in copper pot stills and has a flavor profile that is a blend of citrus fruits: orange, grapefruit and blood orange.
We followed this up with some delicious cashews. The cashews were mixed with the trimmings from The Quarry’s house made bacon and if that wasn’t enough, there is candied bacon added as well! This was served with the Hillrock Estate Solera Aged whiskey. Hill Rock is the only distillery in the US and is located in the Hudson Valley. Solera is a stack of barrels where a small portion of whiskey is taken out and new whiskey is added. The average age is about 20 years. This has a softer, richer, molasses, chocolate covered cherry flavor – it was nutty with an earthy quality to it.
One of the coolest drinks we sampled was the orphan barrel forged oak 15 year old bourbon. It is a single barrel whiskey with notes of brown sugar and molasses. The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Company was started to share barrel of rare whiskey that were lost and forgotten in the back of rickhouses and distilleries. Every bottle is hang bottled in Tullahoma, TN. Foraged Oak was found while foraging the historic Stizel-Weller rickhouses. It spent 15 years in a charred American white oak barrel giving it the flavors of cedar, maple and vanilla bean, cocoa and black pepper.
This whiskey was paired with English Stilton cheese, blood orange marmalade and sour dough croutons. So delicious! Thanks to Chef Greg Jordan for the delicious bites and David Danforth for the lesson in bourbon!
The Quarry
415 Whiting St. Hingham, MA
Tags: casual dining, outdoor seating, restaurant, scratch kicthen, south shore
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March 16, 2016 Boston Flower Show
You would never know that spring is around the corner with the weather being cold and rainy the past two days…but it is. If you can’t wait for spring (it’s only 4 days away!) check out the Boston Flower Show to get your fix. The show opened today and will run through Sunday.
I was able to stop into the Seaport World Trade Center yesterday for a media sneak peek.
In addition to viewing beautiful flowers, the show offers lectures and demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Check out events like “Hort in a Hurry, Succulent Garden Success”, “Urban Beekeeping” with my friends from Best Bees Company, “The Growing and Harvesting of Tea”, and “The Cocktail Hour Garden: Evening Landscapes for Relaxing and Entertaining”.
Bringing your little ones? They have a children’s area at the end of the 1000 aisle. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11am-12pm, and 1-2:30pm, and on the weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 12:45-4pm, they have crafts and gardening activities. On Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-4pm they have paper flower making and face painting as well!
The center of the floor will have all the landscape designs, while the perimeter will have vendors of all kinds. Check out a full list of vendors here.
Ticket Information:
Adults – $20
Seniors (65+) – $17
Children (6-17) – $10
Children Under 6 – Free
*Flower Show After Dark  – $15
(Weds – Sat After 5pm – After Dark tickets must be purchased onsite at the box office
Show Hours:
Wednesday, March 16: 10:00AM-8:00PM
Thursday, March 17: 10:00AM-8:00PM
Friday, March 18: 10:00AM-9:00PM
Saturday, March 19: 10:00AM-9:00PM
Sunday, March 20: 10:00AM-6:00PM
For more information, check out the Boston Flower Show website.
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March 3, 2016 Pure Cold Press
Pure Cold Press is not just a restaurant, it’s a community. A major part of this is because of Haim Cohen, the owner. You may know him as the son of Rami Cohen, owner of Rami’s next door (after all, that is where he learned about the restaurant business). He has an infectious personality – it feels like he is inviting you into his home the minute you step in the door. He greets regulars and knows their orders – and first timers feel like old friends. Business is going well, but Haim has a lot of new ideas and has has been making changes since I was last there in August. For example, stop in on Sundays from 1-4pm for some live jazz.
The space is so different than anything in Brookline – there is so much natural light in here (a blogger’s dream!). It has a laid back California vibe to it – and I knew I wanted to hang out here all day when I heard Dispatch playing on the sound system. The restaurant feels like a cross between Jugos and sweetgreen – Cohen said that he took a lot of his inspiration from his travels to California. I get a quick tour of the space and the kitchen – you would never know that this space used to be a beauty supply store – they did a complete renovation and the kitchen is spotless.
I got to meet their sandwich guy (yup, for consistency, the same guy is making your sandwich all the time) and the gentleman who makes sure that everything in kosher. Pictured above is the avocado smash – avocado with lettuce and tomato on challah bread. All items are kosher and vegetarian – and Pure Cold Press is almost completely vegan as well.
Haim tells me that he has a great staff that knows their juice and he learns from his customers every day. Pure Cold Press opens at 8:30Â am and offers some delicious breakfast options. For lunch you can grab a salad, a sandwich or a cup of soup. Cold pressed juices are ready made in the case but you can customize a freshly pressed juice (there are more health benefits to getting a cold pressed juice), order a smoothie or get one of their delicious acai bowls.
The bottles are one of the things that have changed since my last visit – they’re much sleeker. Stay tuned for new bottles that will be available in 4 sizes!
The day that I stop in I grab some salads to go and they are delicious. Above is the beet salad. Did you know that Pure Cold Press also offers catering?
The caprese salad was a delicious light bite.
Disclaimer: I was invited to Pure Cold Press as a guest. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.
Pure Cold Press
326 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA
Tags: breakfast, brookline, juice, kosher, restaurant, take out, vegan, vegetarian
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March 1, 2016 Brilliant Earth
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. This lucky lady got to spend an afternoon picking out a new ring doing some research. Located on Newbury Street, Brilliant Earth sells beyond conflict free diamonds. The company was founded by two friends, Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg, in 2005. At Brilliant Earth, they are dedicated to sourcing environmentally and socially responsible diamonds. In addition, they only used recycled gold in their rings in order to reduce dirty gold mining. Each piece is hand crafted in San Francisco and you can have your engagement ring in as little as two weeks!
The showroom is up on the 6th floor. It’s best to make an appointment, but they can accept walk ins if there is availability. The back room is divided into two sides, both mirror images of each other. At your appointment, they walk you down the case and you choose which ring(s) catch your eye and you narrow it down from there. From simple to ornate, there is something for everyone. I personally love the twisted vine collection and their nature inspired line. The shop is all about over the top customer service. Buying an engagement ring is one of the largest purchases of your life – you want to feel good about the company that you are giving your money to.
Don’t see anything that you love? They have a lovely selection of vintage rings or you can even design your own. Thinking of something sentimental? Bring your old gold and have it melted down and made into a new ring (you will be given a store credit for the gold). The only thing they can’t do is use your own stones.
Already engaged or married? No problem! They have a lovely selection of anniversary bands with a price point that makes them perfect for any occasion.
Looking for a perfect way to propose? Shaun Velez, Pastry Chef at Deuxave, makes an incredible sugar sphere to showcase the special ring you’ve chosen. See my review here. Photo courtesy of Deuxave
Brilliant Earth
38 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Appointment times are Wednesday – Saturday 10am -7pm
http://www.brilliantearth.com/
Tags: back bay, jewelry. diamonds
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February 25, 2016 Banyan
After a fun evening in the South End, we decided to grab a quick bite at Banyan in the South End. Soaked all the way through, I should have learned my lesson the last time I got caught out in the rain that my North Face jacket isn’t waterproof. We seek refuge in the back of the restaurant and hope that we can dry off before we have to head outside again. Not starving, we order a few light bites to share. We start off with the fried chicken bun with sesame mustard aioli, celery root and apple slaw, cilantro ($8). Different enough to stand out but not too different to make the dish weird. I loved the fried chicken bun!
Next up, the warm lobster on toasted house bun, honey miso butter and pickled sea beans ($15). The bread is different than what came with the fried chicken bun, but it works with the lobster. It was light and bright, another really good choice!
Lastly, we ordered the rice bowl with smoked shiitakes, egg, brussels sprout kimchi, sunflower sprouts and topped with fermented plum hot sauce ($16). I  like how you can see every ingredient in the dish. When we get our hands on it, we break the egg and mix it all up. This was a really tasty dish with some bold and unexpected flavors.
Banyan
553 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Tags: casual dining, late night, restaurant, south end
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February 23, 2016 Kimchi Kitchen
After reading about Kimchi Kitchen, Leah and I decided that we just HAD to go. The restaurant, located in Cambridge, opened in 2015 and has been making delicious Korean sould food ever since. The small 16 seat restaurant leaves a little to be desired in the decor department, but we are here for the food. Order and pay at the counter and they bring out the food as it is ready. We started off with the dumplings ($8) that were filled with veggies – pretty delicious but I wish they offered a meat variety as well.
I had the Japchae ($10) that are clear sweet potato noodles season with vegetables and beef bulgogi. Two of my favorite things in one dish, bulgogi and noodles. The dish was enough for lunch with some left over – I wish that there had been a little more bulgogi because it was so delicious.
Usually I can’t do rice cake noodles when they come like this (I like them when they are cut into discs) – weird, I know. The dduk bokki ($8) are chewy soft rice cakes and odeng, smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce. It doesn’t seem spicy upon first bite, ant then it hits you like a truck. Delicious, just be prepared 😉
Another favorite Korean specialty is the bibimbap ($8) seasoned vegetables over rice, served with a fried egg and chicken bulgogi. The best part about this dish is breaking the egg and mixing the dish up, mixing up those crunchy bits of rice at the bottom of the bowl. At $8, this is a great cheap, yet filling eat!
Leah had the kimchi jigae ($10) that had homemade kimchi simmered with tofu and pork shoulder. This came with a side of rice and really hit the spot on that snowy afternoon.
Dine in, call for take out or have Caviar deliver right to your door.
Kimchi Kitchen
847 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA
http://www.kimchicambridge.com
Tags: asian, cambridge, casual dining, restaurant
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February 18, 2016 Shake Shack
A couple of friends and I met up at Shake Shack in Chestnut Hill to check out their new chicken sandwich. The “chick’n shack” ($6.95) is 100% all natural cage free chicken served on a non GMO bun. Â It’s crisped up and served with lettuce, pickles and a buttermilk herb mayo. Mayo isn’t my thing, so I skip that part – and you know what? The sandwich tastes delicious without it! The chicken is well seasoned with black pepper and the texture is just right, perfectly juicy on the inside and light and crisp on the outside. Pair the sandwich with fries and a lemonade (or a shake) for the perfect meal!
If you’re planning on dining in, I suggest coming here at off peak times (or during the week) to avoid waiting (hovering) for a table. We were there at 11:30 and it was starting to pick up.
Shake Shack
49 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA
Tags: casual dining, chestnut hill, chicken, restaurant, takeout
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February 16, 2016 Little Big Diner
If you’re headed to Little Big Diner for lunch, I highly suggest you get there early. They open at 11:30. I showed up at 11:15 and by 11:20 there were people starting to get in line, so I jumped out of my car and got in line – good thing too, because by 11:30 the line was about 20 people deep. I was one of the last people to get a table and since I was the only on there in my party of four, you can imagine the dirty looks I got from the people who didn’t get a table.
The shop has a handful of seats and a few spots at the counter –Â it’s run by Dave Punch, who owns the nearby restaurant Sycamore.
The menu ranges from little plates to sample a little of everything to big plates if you’re feeling like a full meal.
The steamed cabbage and pork dumplings ($9) with black vinegar, chile crisp, and scallions. The vinegar was so delicious we wanted to lick every last bit of it off the plate!
We all split the cauliflower bahn mi sandwich which was delicious. The key to the perfect bahn me is the bread – not too crunchy not too soft. The filling has to be flavorful, and this did not disappoint.
The shrimp buns were tasty as well, with  pressed cucumbers, lime, and mayo – a perfect three bite treat!
I had the shio chicken ramen ($15) Â with grilled thigh, ajitama egg, shaved cabbage, funny daikon, and schmaltz. The perfect thing on a chilly day!
Next time, I definitely want to try the forest mushroom ramen ($14) that my friend had, heiwa tofu, watercress, sesame and marinated shiitakes – it smelled delicious!! Ramen not your thing? Don’t worry, they have brown and white rice bowls and some tasty sounding small plates!
Little Big Diner
1247 Centre Street, Newton, MA
http://www.littlebigdiner.com/
Tags: asian, newton, noodles, restaurant
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