April 20, 2019 Rancatore’s
Every time that we go to Belmont, I always like stopping in and grabbing an ice cream cone from Rancatore’s, no matter how cold it is. Rancatore’s was founded in 1985 by Joe Rancatore. You may know Joe’s brother who owns Toscanini’s in Cambridge.
I love their sense of humor – see the “pine cone” on the right in the top photo. The service in Belmont is always top notch.
Flavors are seasonal – you can catch some of your fall favorites now like pumpkin, pumpkin hydrox, autumn spice, and butter pecan in store now.
I don’t think I ever realized it, but they also make ice cream cakes (duh). Two layers with a crumbled cookie crust, with your choice of hot fudge, butterscotch or raspberry puree. They decorate with whipped cream made from scratch in any design you can dream up.
Where is your go to ice cream spot?
Rancatore’s
36 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA
Hours of operation:
School year:
Sunday to Thursday 10 AM – 10 PM
Friday & Saturday 10 AM – 11 PM
Summer:
Every Day 10 AM – 11 PM
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December 31, 2018 Afternoon at Chestnut Hill Farm
I love fall festivals – and we spent a fun day at Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough. The afternoon was filled with tractor rides, great live music, pumpkin carving and painting and of course, lots of good food. The chocolate pie (bottom right) was an exceptional dessert – and I picked it up while the kids were on the hay ride so I didn’t have to share! Made by La Maison a Gateaux, a French woman living in Shrewsbury who makes delicious, organic French crepes and cakes. The cake was rich in flavor but not heavy at all. I should have gone back for two more pieces! Another favorite from the afternoon was a slice of pizza from Anzio’s, a pizza shop located out in Grafton. They offer brick oven thin crust pizza that people go crazy for. Their restaurant offers soups, salads, pasta and calzones – and they offer catering as well. At the Harvest Fest they were offering cheese and pepperoni – we had one of each, and the slices were enormous.
Chestnut Hill Farm is open year round and they have two miles of trails for you to hike. They have chickens and goats on the 131 acres of land that is owned by the Trustees. They have a seasonal farm stand that opens mid May and they offer a CSA.
Anzio’s Pizza
135 Westboro Road, Grafton, MA
http://www.anziosbrickovenpizza.com/
Chestnut Hill Farm
Chestnut Hill Road, Southborough, MA
http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/chestnut-hill-farm.html
Tags: dessert, events, family friendly, farm, pizza
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December 19, 2018 An Evening with Xfinity and Amazon
Sponsored Post: I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
With little kids at home, I’m pretty tired by 9pm. Ok, let’s be honest, I’m tired by 6pm, but I feel like I need to have some time to unwind and decompress in front of the tv. I can’t even remember what life was like before we had a DVR, nor do I want to! Now I can watch the shows I want, without all the commercials, now that is a smart use of my time!
I’ve been binge watching shows on Amazon Prime, so I was pumped when I was invited to the Revere Hotel to attend a viewing party for the kickoff of the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show is the brain child of Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also I known for Gilmore Girls (another cult favorite). The plot revolves around Midge Maisel, a New York housewife, who finds she has a talent for stand up comedy. The show, that takes place in the 1950’s, follows Midge’s personal life (her husband leaves her for his secretary) and how she hones her craft as a stand up comedian. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend looking it up.
Get excited! Comcast just announced that Prime Video will launch on Comcast Xfinity’s X1. You can watch Prime Originals like (my favorites) Bosch and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Watching shows on Xfinity couldn’t be easier, with their voice remote, you just need to say “watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and you’re ready to watch! With the holiday just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to binge watch or catch up on all your favorite shows. Are you traveling for the holiday? With Xfinity apps like Stream you can stream your X1 DVR recordings while you’re on the go, you can also download and watch them anytime (if you don’t have wifi access in places like the car or a plane) which is PERFECT if you have kids!
Are you already a Comcast customer? Did you know that they offer Xfinity mobile to their internet customers for as little as $12 per month? That’s a steal!
For more information about Xfinity X1, check out their website.
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December 19, 2018 Pokeworks
Poke was having a hot moment a little while ago. I love Manoa and PokeCity, but tried Pokeworks a while back to see how they compared. The fast casual concept should be a familiar one – pick your base, pick your proteins, pick you r mix ins, add some sauce, toppings and a little crunch.
Try a bowl or a salad, or if you’re feeling adventurous, try a burrito! Protein options include ahi tuna, albacore tuna, salmon, scallops, shrimp or or those of you non seafood fans, chicken. Mix in things like mango, edamame, ogo seaweed, kale or shiso. Sauces are spicy ginger, sweet chili, ponzu, Sriracha aioli and umami to name a few. To that you can add avocado, green onion, seaweed salad, sesame seeds or wasabi tobiko. To add a little crunch, try shredded nori, wonton crisps, macadamia nuts or some lotus chips.
Trying to pick your own seem a bit daunting? They have some signature poke items to help you out:
The Hawaiian Classic: ahi tuna – green and sweet onion – ogo seaweed – cucumber – chili flakes – sesame seeds – roasted sesame oil – hawaiian salt – pokeworks classic sauce
The Umami Classic – ahi tuna – green and sweet onion – hijiki seaweed – cucumber – sesame seeds – umami shoyu sauce
Shiso Salmon – atlantic salmon – green and sweet onion – edamame – cucumber – sesame seeds – fresh shiso – ponzu fresh sauce
Wasabi Shrimp and Scallops – shrimp – scallops – green and sweet onion – cucumber – masago – sesame seeds – wasabi aioli
Pokeworks
261 Elm Street, Somerville, MA
They have a second location in Harvard Square!
Tags: casual dining, poke, restaurants, seafood
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December 18, 2018 Miam Miam
I can’t even begin to tell you how long this post has been sitting in my drafts, but I’m just finally getting to it. I was first introduced to Miam Miam Macaronerie a while back and stopped by their shop (before they moved to Quincy) while I was in the area.
So what are their fall 2018 flavors?
Lemon creme, pumpkin brûlée, rose petal, white chocolate raspberry, apple butter, chai latte, salted caramel, pistachio vanilla, espresso, chocolate beltway, vanilla bean and fun fete. Order a 6 piece box for $13.50 and a 12 piece box for $27.
Did you know that Miam Miam will come to your house and each you how to make French macarons? What do you need? A minimum of 4 people, at $65 per person. You’ll get three hours of prepping, baking and filling macarons, and all the ingredients are included. Such a fun idea for a girls night in!
Miam Miam Macaronerie
145 Water Street, Quincy, MA
Tags: dairy free, dessert, gluten free, macarons
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December 17, 2018 Rail Stop Restaurant
You might come for the food, but stay a while for the cocktails. We went to Rail Stop for an event and I grabbed a few things from the menu to take home because everything sounded delicious.
The cocktails are their “reinterpretation” of Golden Age cocktails. They have house made bitters, cordials and syrups. How amazing does their bar look? Make sure to say hello to Eli, the beverage director, he’s pretty darn talented.
The white clam bucatini was served with littleneck clams, leaf spinach, red pepper, white wine and two pieces of grilled crostini ($24). Even as take out, this traveled well and still tasted delicious.
The crispy wings ($13) are on the bar menu, served with sweet chili and soy. I think my husband wishes I had brought home two orders!
This place is great when the weather is nice, you can eat outside or go for a stroll afterwards. It’s located right in Boston Landing, next to the Warrior Ice Arena.
Rail Stop Restaurant and Bar
96 Guest Street, Brighton, MA
www.railstopboston.com
Parking is available on street at meters or in the Warrior Ice Arena garage (make sure to get validated).
Tags: casual dining, cocktails, restaurant, scratch kitchen
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December 14, 2018 La Tapatia
You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a good burrito in suburbia. I find myself missing the city quite a bit when we try and go out for Mexican. We had heard from my husband’s co-worker that La Tapatia was a good option. The setting is pretty basic but people say that the food is the most authentic in this area. Prices are very affordable and the space is family friendly. The kids loved watching the food being prepared in the open kitchen and gobbled up their food like it was their job. The burrito was meh, but the tacos were tasty and the tamale (bottom right) was good.
Where do you go for authentic Mexican in the Metro West area?
La Tapatia
388 Boston Post Road, Marlborough, MA
Open 11:30 am – 9pm
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December 13, 2018 The Local
Sometimes I find our options for restaurants in suburbia limited, we do like The Local every once in a while, even if it is a little on the pricier side. I am a fan of the bowls on their menu, my latest craving is the spicy Hong Kong noodles, but without the spice (yup, spice whimp here). Mixed Asian vegetables, crushed peanuts and for an extra $8 you can add on some grilled shrimp. The crispy sesame chicken is a close second with grilled avocado and crunchy veggies. My husband loves the crispy chicken sandwich that comes with buttermilk battered chicken, house bread and butter pickles, Vermont cheddar, and smoked chili mayo on a brioche roll.
My kiddos love the option of snacks for $3, you can get veggies with ranch, apples and peanut butter, warm potato chips, or a cup of tomato soup. I love that these are out of the box options. For $8 you can have your choice of cheese flatbread, chicken fingers, grilled chicken, fish sticks, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, pasta and pomodoro or Mac and cheese. All the mains come with a side of fries or veggies.
I think I always forget that they are open for brunch both days on the weekend from 10am – 2pm. They are also open for brunch on Monday holidays. And here is the kicker, all brunch mains come with your choice of a mimosa or Bloody Mary.
The Local
400 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA
Tags: brunch, casual dining, dinner, family friendly, gluten free, lunch, restaurant
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December 12, 2018 Shabu and Mein
You know when a bunch of food bloggers go out to dinner together, the spread is going to be epic. After an event in Cambridge, Kim, Leah, Fiona and I went out for an all you can eat hot pot dinner at Shabu and Mein. Side note, they also have an all you can eat buffet for lunch from 11am- 4pm for $35.95. So you pick your soup base and then you pick everything you want to add in, from meat to dumplings, veggies and noodles. Not in the mood for hot pot, no worries, they have bento boxes, ramen and small plates also available.
I love hot pot, it’s such a social way to have a meal. Have you ever done hot pot?
Shabu and Mein
148 1st Street, Cambridge, MA
Open Sunday – Thursday 11am – 9:45pm
Friday – Saturday 11am – 10:45pm
Tags: asian, casual dining, hot pot, restaurant
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December 11, 2018 A Chocolate Dream
Belmont has so many cute shops to discover. I stopped in to A Chocolate Dream to pick up some gifts and was pleasantly surprised by their selection. The cute little shop on Leonard street has been in business for over 20 years. Can’t make it to Belmont, don’t worry, they ship.
What I thought was a great idea is that they post birthday parties for children 4 years and older. Something different than your average birthday party. You can do things like decorate cookies, make candy necklaces, make candy sushi, or even go on a fun filled scavenger hunt. Parties are 90 minutes long and you can customize your party of choose from one of their packages.
A Chocolate Dream
68 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA
Parking is limited – on street at meters.
Other fun ideas for birthday parties:
Whimsy – Arts and Crafts
Acton Bowladrome – Bowling
Panera – Bakers in Training Class
Kidcasso – Art
Playtown Express – Bounce houses/Gym
Trombetta’s Farm – Indoor mini golf
Duck Soup – Cooking Classes
Roller Kingdom – Roller skating
Barn Babies – Traveling petting zoo
Chocolate Therapy – Chocolate birthday parties
Curious Creatures – Traveling live animal parties
Game Truck Party – mobile video game parties
Honey Pot Hill Orchards – Pick your own fruit parties
Tags: birthday, chocolate dessert, parties
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