When you have little ones at home, sometimes it’s hard to rally and do simple things like get out to the mall. The holiday season snuck up on me this year. I cringed when I saw the Christmas decorations going up in October and then BAM, Thanksgiving, Christmas, oh wait, it’s NYE! I was behind on my shopping and needed to get out to the mall and pick up a few things. Cue rockstar girlfriends who help you at the mall with your kids and then go out to lunch so you an feel like you have rejoined civilization! We headed over to the Chestnut Hill mall and decided to try out Daikanyama, the sushi restaurant in Bloomingdales. There were so many of us that we were able to sit in this cute little room in the front of the restaurant and close the doors so as not to bother other customers dining there.

The gyoza ($7) were a little well done for me personally, but the filling was still tasty. We loved the shrimp shumai ($6) that we ordered for the table. All the sushi was fresh and delicious – plated perfectly. Daikanyama offers specialty rolls such as the sunny maki with pumpkin tempura, avocado, yuzu tobikko, chef’s special yuzu sauce and raspberries ($8.25), the green dragon with spicy yellowtail topped with avocado ($8.95) and the autumn maki with shrimp tempura and enoki mushrooms topped with torched white fish and mango finished with a spicy teriyaki sauce ($13.95).

There are other options if you aren’t interested in sushi: delicious salads: seaweed, tofu and tomato, friend calamari or a lobster avocado option; soups: miso, robin sushi, spicy lobster miso or akadashi; udon, tempura or katsu. They have delicious specialty drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Service was friendly and attentive.

Daikanyama

225 Boylston Street, Newton, MA

Check out the menu here.

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I’ve been dining at department stores lately. Recently we had a girl’s day out at 40 Carrots in Bloomingdale’s in the Chestnut Hill Mall. A cute little upscale cafe, perfect for a quick bite before heading out for round 2 of shopping.

Kim had to get the boxed water…

They have a well rounded menu, with a little something for everyone: wraps, salads, lasagna, burgers etc. Pictured above is the Laguna wrap ($15): grilled chicken, avocado, Apline lace low fat swiss cheese, dried figs, dried cranberries, roasted walnuts, and a roasted red pepper aioli, served in a warm tortilla. Super tasty with a lot of protein. There are a lot of things going on in this wrap but they all blend together nicely – a little sweet, a little crunchy, and some smooth avocado to bring it all together!

The Astoria spinach pie ($15) is served with a delicious Greek salad. I loved the crunch from the pie and the saltiness of the Greek salad.

And of course, you can’t leave without trying their signature yogurt. They have a small size that you can get for $3, a regular size for $5 and a large for $7. If you’re not in the mood for a little sundae, grab the yogurt in a delicious smoothie. I topped my yogurt with strawberries and peanut butter cup chunks. Can’t have a completely healthy lunch

The service was good, our server was attentive. They also offer a kids menu if you have little ones with you for $10 and the meal comes with a frozen yogurt. You have your choice of a grilled cheese, tuna salad on a pretzel roll, a kid’s omelet, mac and cheese or baked chicken fingers.

Where do you grab lunch when you are shopping?

40 Carrots

Bloomingdale’s – 225 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

Check out their menu here.

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Sometimes, well for me these days it’s a lot of the time, I just don’t feel like cooking. So a great place to stop and pick up dinner is Comella’s in Chestnut Hill. They make these family size pasta “messes” that will be sure to satisfy your family. Just you? Don’t worry, their messes come in a variety of sizes: single, 1/2 bucket for 3-4, bucket for 6-8 and a double bucket for 20-25. This would be great if you’re feeding a sports team or have a school event to go to. Some of their messes include:

• Ma’s mess: vegetarian base
• Grandma’s Mess: with onion, mushroom and pepper
• Plane’s Mess: with eggplant
• Brother’s Mess: with chicken
• Nephew’s Mess: with eggplant, meatball or sausage

They also have a variety of hot sandwiches that I’m a fan of. Pictured above is the meatball sandwich. Other choices include:

• eggplant parmigiana
• chicken parmigiana
• buffalo chicken
• steak and cheese
• chicken
• culo grande

What’s your favorite mess?

Comella’s

1 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

http://www.comellasrestaurants.com/

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The Dougie (middle left): mozzarella, roasted potato, smoked bacon, ranch drizzle and scallion

Mexican Meatball (middle right): cilantro garlic sauce, mozzarella, meatball, rose pickled red onion, jalapeno relish, parmesan

Muffled Mushroom (bottom middle – top half): truffle sauce, mozzarella, roasted ‘shrooms, ricotta, parmesan

They even make dessert pizzas, a “triple chocolate cookie” pizza (bottom left) with chocolate chip cookie dough, ricotta and powdered sugar and the “Sweet Melissa” (top left) with New York style cheesecake, ricotta, strawberry drizzle and powdered sugar.

The crust is thin and light, almost flaky like a croissant and crispy.

The restaurant has Stubborn soda on tap, along with my favorite, Izze soda. Stubborn soda comes in unique flavors like agave vanilla cream soda, classic root beer, lemon berry acai, black cherry with tarragon and orange hibiscus. Oath Craft Pizza just started serving breakfast, which I will definitely go back to try. They have egg and cheese flatbreads that you can customize as well as things like a french toast pizza (YUM!!!)

What would you put on your customized pizza?

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to sample pizzas at Oath Craft Pizza. I was provided complimentary slices. All opinions are my own.

Oath Craft Pizza

210 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

www.oathpizza.com

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Ever want to get up close and personal with a James Beard award winning chef? Now you can. Chef Ron Suhanosky just opened Ronsky’s at the Pop Up at The Street in Chestnut Hill. He will be there until the end of the year, serving up gourmet sandwiches and pastries.

Suhanosky previously owned Sfoglia, which had a Manhattan and Nantucket location. He has written two cookbooks, one, Pasta  Sfoglia won a James Beard award.

Known for his authentic Italian cooking, Suhanosky’s menu at the pop up features breakfast sandwiches, paninis, and delicious desserts made from family recipes.

The restaurant is open 7 days a week, from 7am – 7pm.

The intimate space features a small communal table from his great grandmother’s kitchen. There are a few bar seats and if the weather is nice, you can sit outside at one of three patio tables.

I started with dessert first, lemon espresso bread. The glaze added just the right amount of sweetness.

Cannolis were filled to order with a ricotta filling.

Auntie Kris’s banana nutella bread did not disappoint. I loved the twist on the classic.

Nonna’s zeppoli, a ricotta donut, is made from a recipe passed down from Suhanosky’s grandmother. 5 words for you: GIVE.ME.ALL.THE.DONUTS! They are so delicious, especially if you can get them warm! They are light as air with just the right amount of sweetness.

The avocado toast ($9.50) was tasty, such a nice way to start the day. The creamy avocado was brightened up with the lemon juice – it was just as good as it looks.

All paninis are made to order, on bread from Concord’s Slow Rise Bakery. All the herbs in the sandwiches are sourced from the Green City Growers’ farm beds at The Street, located just outside Ronsky’s door. We picked out a few paninis to share, pictured above is the eggplant parm ($14) served with fresh mozzarella, tomato and a delicious pesto.

The spicy nduja with burrata ($15) was indeed a bit spicy, but oh so good. The burrata balanced out the spiciness nicely.

My favorite was probably the roasted cauliflower panini with fig and goat cheese – such great flavors!

Follow Chef Suhanosky on Instagram at @chefronskys

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Pepe’s is one of the oldest pizzerias in the US. The chain opened in New Haven, CT and has locations in CT and NY. If you’re from New Haven, you’re either a Sally’s or a Pepe’s (there are strong feelings about this!) and it’s all about the white clam pie.

Foxon Park sodas have been served at Pepe’s since 1925! It comes in flavors like kola, diet kola, sassosa (Italian Lemon flavor), white birch beer, root beer, cream soda and ginger ale.

Pizzas come in three sizes (12″, 16″, 18″) and can range from $7 for a small tomato pie to $28 for a large clam pie. The New Haven style, thin crust pizza is cooked in an oven with coal, which leaves those lovely char marks.

The famous white clam pie – if you could have only smelled the garlic!! YUM!

So are you a Sally’s or a Pepe’s?

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria

199 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

http://www.pepespizzeria.com

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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)

http://www.kanesdonuts.com/

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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.  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

www.shakeshack.com

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Did you know that Pinkberry serves breakfast? I was pumped to try it out since Pinkberry is my favorite yogurt place.

I ordered the acai bowl with granola and raspberries and a Barrington coffee. The coffee prep was impressive, the girl behind the counter made if with a French press.

The acai bowl on the other hand was a little disappointing. I expected it to look as beautiful as it did in the pictures I had seen advertising the new breakfast, but it honestly looked unappetizing. I wasn’t sure what the consistency of the acai bowl was supposed to be, I thought it would be a little firmer, but it was more like a juice in a bowl – my granola was a little soggy and the berries sunk to the bottom.

So I ordered a smoothie to make up for the acai bowl, which ended up being pretty tasty, but again, I would have enjoyed a thicker consistency. Don’t worry Pinkberry, you are still my favorite place for yogurt!

Disclaimer: I was invited to visit Pinkberry for a complimentary coffee and power bowl. I paid for my smoothie. All opinions are my own.

Pinkberry

49 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

www.pinkberry.com 

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We headed over to the Chestnut Hill mall to get some gelato at Morano Gelato. Morano is a New England based company that makes gelato in small batches.

There’s a large window where, if you’re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of them making the gelato.

What is gelato? It’s Italian ice cream that has much lower butterfat than American ice cream (making the flavors bolder), is denser than American ice cream (making it a higher quality product) and is served at a warmer temperature (to ensure maximum creamy texture and bold flavor).

The prices are a bit on the pricey side, but the quality and flavor selection make it totally worth the trip!

What’s your favorite flavor of gelato??

Morano Gelato

199 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

http://www.moranogelato.com

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