December 4, 2018 Party with Sweet Cheeks Catering
With our family get togethers, I find that while it might be nice to have a home cooked meal, it’s also nice to be able to spend time with your guests, instead of being banished in the kitchen. It’s hard to think of things that everyone would like, but really, everyone in my family can agree on BBQ.
Really though, I just love the biscuits and honey butter from Sweet Cheeks!
Everyone left with a full belly. Pulled chicken, brisket, pulled pork, a farm salad, Mac and cheese, and some ribs! I’m literally salivating as I’m looking at these pictures!
Are you drooling yet? You can get all of this delivered to your house with Caviar. Now that the Red Sox season is over, head over to Fenway and try some of those biscuits and honey butter if you haven’t already.
Sweet Cheeks
1381 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
www.sweetcheeksq.com
Lunch
MON – FRI 11:30 – 5PM
Dinner
MON – THURS 5-10PM | FRI 5-11PM
SAT 11:30AM – 11PM | SUN 11:30AM – 10PM
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December 3, 2018 1st Birthday
Thought that this week I would share some fun birthday party ideas that we did for the kids. For my son’s first birthday we did a fish theme. Everyone had fun fish hats to wear that we picked up inexpensively from Party City and we had pool toys bouncing around the living room. I bought pre cut wooden letters and customized them with scrapbook paper (just use spray adhesive and cut out openings with an exact knife).
Seating makers and party favors were little fish bowls (bought at Michael’s) filled with goldfish (which is perfect if you have any kiddos with peanut allergies). Cut out circles of scrapbook paper and stuck them on craft sticks to stand up in the bowls.
My good friend made the cake, a little hombre on the side – vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.
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November 29, 2018 Prelude Bakery
After eating lunch over at West Street Tavern, we went back around the corner to check out a bakery I had passed on the drive in. It appeared to be a new spot, but we found out when we went in, that they have been open for about a year. Still new to us! We tried out their honey cake which was just the right amount of sweetness and bought a few other things while we were there. How delicious does that caramel cake look? They also have fresh basked breads, macaroons, and tasty croissants.
Prelude Bakery
140R Adams Street, Newton, MA
MON. WED. THURS. FRI 8am-6pm. SAT. 8am-2pm. SUN 8am-2pm. TUES closed
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November 28, 2018 West Street Tavern
The WDWWW crew went out for a little shopping and lunch – only to find Moldova was closed because of some temporary issues in the kitchen. So after browsing at Green Tail Table, we headed over to West Street Tavern for some lunch. The place is your casual, neighborhood tavern, complete with local regulars. While a little hard to navigate my stroller inside, we made it work. The poutine came with a beautifully done egg on top and the buffalo cauliflower that we ordered for the table was crispy and spicy (thank goodness for blue cheese). I had the chicken, broccoli and ziti that was perfectly acceptable, served with your choice of a garlic white wine sauce or an Alfredo sauce. Service was good, our waitress was very attentive. The menu for the kids offered all their favorites, chicken fingers, hot dog, Mac and cheese, pasta, and cheeseburgers all for $6. (They also offer fish and chips for $9)
West Street Tavern offers brunch both days on the weekend and live entertainment on Saturday nights.
West Street Tavern
7 West Street, Newton, MA
www.weststreettavern.com
Tags: casual dining, restaurant
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November 27, 2018 Redstone American Grill
We met Leah up in Burlington and grabbed a bite to eat at Redstone American Grill. She had been there for a holiday party and we were curious to see what the regular menu had to offer. They are a scratch kitchen and allergy friendly.
We decided to do a lot of appetizers so we could try out a few different things. The crab dip was delicious (yay for Old Bay!), I even had to order extra tortilla chips to get every last bit up. The honey cider Brussels sprouts were crispy and flavorful – served with Sriracha aioli and smoked bacon (you can order a half portion). The chowder was perfect on a chilly day and who could say no to the cast iron skillet baked cornbread that is served with housemade maple butter? I still love honey butter best, but maple butter is close second.
They have a nice menu with something for everyone. Burgers, salads, flatbreads and seafood. Family friendly with plenty of seating (indoor and out) and parking in an attached lot. Shopping and entertainment are close by to easily make a day/night out of it!
Redstone American Grill
20 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA
Tags: allergy friendly, casual dining, family friendly, gluten free, restaurant, scratch kitchen
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November 26, 2018 Oak Barrel Tavern
Everyone was pretty pumped when Oak Barrel Tavern first opened. We went at 5pm and the hostess asked us if we had a reservation…and when we said we didn’t, she proceeded to tell us it would be an hour wait!!! Yikes!
It has since died down a bit, and we have been there a few times. The food is middle of the road, prices are a lot better than the local and there is a little more variety. Personally I’d stick with the burgers, or something simple. The pretzels with beer mustard and and a beer cheese sauce were decent and my husband liked the fish tacos. The truffle mac and cheese tasted suspiciously similar to my son’s kid’s mac and cheese…
Service was so so. I think it’s hit or miss depending on how crowded it is. We sat outside and it took a lot longer than when we were inside and when we were a large party, they were basically clearing our plates before we even finished them. The bar is always hopping, as there are limited other choices in the area now.
Certainly kid friendly and there is plenty of parking in the attached lot.
Oak Barrel Tavern
528 A Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA
http://www.oakbarreltavernworcester.com
Tags: bar, burgers, casual dining, family friendly, restaurant
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November 23, 2018 Bear in Boots
Every time I am down in Falmouth, I like to try to get to Bear in Boots right on Main Street. They have a scratch kitchen and everything they put out is consistently delicious. We started with the fried cheese (pictured top left): Beer battered Vermont cheddar cheese curds with dill seed crema. My daughter loves cheeseburgers, so we ordered her one – loved that they offered it with sides of asparagus and green apple. She proceeded to inhale it as soon as it reached the table. The gnocchi did not disappoint, with delicious flavor and the perfect consistency. And how do you come here and NOT get the table pretzel? The salty goodness comes with a side of stone ground mustard and a cheddar jalapeño sauce.
Other things to look out for on the menu: the ramen, the bolognese and the stout marinated steak tips.
Bear in Boots
285 Main Street, Falmouth, MA
Hours of operation:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:- CLOSED
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 5:00 pm-9:00 pm (Kitchen Hours) Bar Open Until 12:00 am
Parking is available on street.
Tags: casual dining, family friendly, restaurant, scratch kitchen
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November 22, 2018 Happy Thanksgiving
There are so many things to be thankful for this year – good health, a roof over our heads, food on the table and good friendships. I am most thankful for my family. While I am not hosting this year, I am still doing quite a bit of baking and cooking. I was trying to finish off all the apples we had left over, so I made apple crisps and home made apple sauce. Every time I make anything with apples, I am reminded of my great uncle Sol (who has since passed away). He was one of my favorite (great) uncles, with great stories and a husky laugh. When I was younger, I was always in awe that he could peel apples in just one peel. In my eyes, that was just one of the things that made him larger than life. I see that same sense of wonder in my son’s eyes when he is doing just about anything with my dad.
I hope you are spending this holiday surrounded by people you love. May your hearts (and stomachs) be full, and may you never lose your sense of wonder. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: holiday
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November 21, 2018 Picking Fruit at Tougas Farm
Another place we liked to pick our own fruit this season was Tougas Farm in Northborough. We did strawberries and cherries here this season, but this time of year they do have apple picking available. The first time we went was when the baby was fairly new – so here I am with three kids in the car and as soon as we pull into the lot, it starts to rain. But we drove all the way here, so I make the kids get out and put on coats. So I have one strapped into the baby carrier, I’m holding two by the hands and have an umbrella on my arm and I’m trying to get them up the stairs onto the tractor to go out to the fields. I figure it’ll be great, strawberries are low to the ground so the kids won’t need a lot of help and they can have a fun afternoon. Wrong. After picking two berries, my son says, “Mama, I’m all done.” Ummm, no. Then, “How about you pick them and hand them to me and I will put them in the basket?” So here I am bending down with the baby basically parallel to the ground picking strawberries, soaking wet, picking two enormous cartons of strawberries by myself. And when we are done, I’m holding two full containers, so I have no hands to help the kids up onto the tractor ride. Why do I even do this to myself?! But we make it and the kids had a good time, we even were able to squeeze in some lunch. They have a nice little picnic area outside to eat at – we had grilled cheeses and the kids were happy!
With cherry picking I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, so we all went as a family. This way at least I would have one hand free. The kids love the tractor ride to and from the orchards and they really love the big playground area. They do have goats and some birds that are roaming about the picnic area. Their farm store has lots of delicious seasonal treats (pies, cider, donuts, fresh picked fruits), jams, maple products, beverages, and more.
Apple picking is a 10lb peck for $30 and a 20lb half bushel is $40. You can pick your own pumpkins for $0.75 per pound. Make sure to check their Facebook page to see what they are currently picking and what the current prices are (sometimes they run specials).
Where do you like to pick your own fruit?
Tougas Farm
234 Ball Street, Northborough, MA
Pick your own fruit Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm. Closed Mondays.
Tags: family friendly, farm, pick your own, trips
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November 20, 2018 Rail Trail Flatbread Company
Kim and I met out for lunch at Rail Trail Flatbread Co. to try out their Breads and Spreads. Cute little toasts with some seriously tasty toppings. Pick three for $7 – totally great deal if you’re looking for a light lunch.
Here are the current options (they have changed the menu a bit since we were there):
spinach & artichoke baked spinach & artichoke dip, asiago, chive
avocado (pictured top right) crushed avocado, cucumber, roasted seed on toast
sweet potato spiced sweet potato puree, torched fluff, sage
pimento prosciutto (pictured middle right) pimento cheese, 7-minute egg, crispy prosciutto, chive on toast
honey chevre (pictured left and top right) whipped goat cheese, local honey, black cardamom almond on toast
And while were were there, we were excited to try some of their mocktails out, which are really top notch. I love the madras fizz which is grenadine, lemon, orange and soda water (pictured right). Kind went with the Edgar Lucia (pictured left) which was luxardo cherry, maple syrup and soda water.
Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
33 Main Street, Hudson, MA
https://railtrailflatbread.com/
Tags: casual dining, family friendly, pizza
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