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

www.liveeatlocal.com

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New to the Seaport  is Mastro’s Ocean Club, a steakhouse chain with locations in AZ, CA, FL, IL, NV, NY, and TX. We decided to go out with two other couples that I have known since high school. Just a fun excuse to get a little dressed up and out of the house with no kids! We arrive a bit early and wait at their enormous bar in the front of the restaurant. The tables are beautifully set and the room is one open floor plan with a separate private dining space in the back. I like steak as much as the next person, but feel like steak houses are where you might go if you wanted to impress a client for work. For the money, I think I could get a better meal elsewhere – but again, just my opinion. Appetizers are in the $20 range, while steaks will run anywhere from $45-$62. Sides are in the $12 range with a few more expensive options such as the lobster mashed potatoes and the Alaskan King Crab black truffle gnocchi.

We started with a half dozen oysters – lovely presentation, but a bit too sandy for our taste and for the price.  Other appetizer options on the menu include: shrimp cocktail,  lobster cocktail, king crab claws, caviar, smoked salmon, fried calamari and sautéed sea scallops. They also have a sushi selection – we ordered the jalapeño tuna sashimi, beautifully presented – almost like a layer cake.

Service was definitely attentive, we had one head server and a handful of others that were always close by for anything we might need. We had a good laugh at a the table when my friend was asking about the steaks. Our server mentioned that it was grass fed beef and she thought he had said it was breast fed beef (she couldn’t imagine how that worked…) – guess you had to be there

I ordered the huge 22oz bone in rib eye which was cooked perfectly. The steaks were brought to the table and the servers helped serve the sides. I just feel like for over $50 for my entree, my plate should be wiped before it comes out – it just looked sloppy for the restaurant.  For sides we ordered the gnocchi, the Brussels sprouts, and the sugar snap peas. The gnocchi was rich and carbs were definitely needed for this meal. My favorite were the sugar snap peas, crisp as can be!

Even though I felt stuffed from the enormous amount of meat we just consumed (I even brought some home), of course we had to get some dessert. Mastro’s is known for their signature warm butter cake – and let me tell you, it’s magical. I found this recipe online for a copycat recipe from Savvy in the Kitchen and can’t wait to see how it compares! Let me tell you, with one bite you can just tell that there is a ton of butter in this cake – it is so rich in flavor!

We also ordered the key lime pie – an enormous slice with that delicious crumb crust – tart and sweet, perfectly balanced and a great way to end the meal.

We had a reservation at 6pm and stayed until about 8 – our waiter asked us politely if he could help us with our valet tickets (hint, hint). The restaurant at 8pm was definitely bustling – if you want a peak time reservation, it would be in your best interest to make reservations in advance.

Mastro’s Ocean Club

25 Fan Pier Boulevard, at 22 Liberty Boston, Boston, MA

www.mastrosrestaurants.com

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My friend, and fellow blogger, Niri told me about this place Nzuko a while back and I had been meaning to get there for some time. You would probably drive right past it if you didn’t know about it, it’s in a strip mall, sandwiched between a pizza place and a bagel shop. Nzuko brings influences from the Mediterranean and Carribean and uses super fresh ingredients.

They offer a bunch of vegan options (that my friend Nancy’s daughter would be a fan of) as well as a nice selection of kebab options, fresh salads and wraps. Many choices are organic or gluten free. I was debating about the chicken options (see below), but ultimately went with the vegetable stir fry option (topped with an egg of course). How super healthy of me – who dis?

Nzuko

341 Cochituate Road, Framingham, MA

www.nzukorestaurant.com

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This freezing weather has me wishing for warmer weather. Wanted to get this post out there, it’s from a while back, but the food was just too good not to share. For our anniversary, my parents treated us to a dinner out at C Salt, a local restaurant in Falmouth. The trendy restaurant and wine bar is cozy inside, I’d definitely recommend making a reservation if you want to try it out.

We started the evening with a few appetizers – I picked the poke style tuna tartar ($15). The diced tuna had sesame, lime, soy, togarashi, and avocado served on top of a bed of seaweed salad and a side of wonton chips. Perfectly salty and delicious, balanced by the creaminess of the avocado – this dish was a winner.

While the crab meat appetizer from the raw bar was tasty, the tuna was the clear winner of the evening.

I had a seafood paella that was light and had a generous helping of shellfish.

My husband was excited about the lemon grilled swordfish chop served over a bed of broccolini ($34). I loved the presentation – such a statement dish that you say ‘wow’ about when it comes to the table.

I really wanted to try the caramelized onion gruyere mac and cheese even though it didn’t really ‘go’ with anything we ordered. Very creamy and very tasty, not too heavy as mac and cheese can be sometimes.

Even though we were stuffed to the brim, we decided to get some dessert – because hey, why not. They were tasty but the seafood is what really shines at the restaurant. We went out early in the evening and the restaurant slowly became filled – service was consistent even as the night got busier. We really enjoyed our meal here and look forward to going back once the weather is a little warmer.

C Salt serves dinner 6 nights a week, they are closed on Tuesdays. Many of the options on the menu are available to carry out – you can call the restaurant to place your order. There is plenty of parking in the lot attached to the restaurant.

C Salt

75 Davis Straights, Route 28, Falmouth, MA

www.csaltfalmouth.com

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I almost don’t want to tell you about Villatoro, it’s just that good. This cute little diner is located in Marlborough and has about 4 booths and maybe a dozen counter seats. You might miss it if you were just driving along the main road, but it is not to be missed.

We arrived before 8:30 on a Sunday morning and sat in a booth – they have a great coloring placemat for kids and it kept mine occupied until our food came. While space is tight, they do have high chairs and are very family friendly.

My husband decided to go with the egg and cheese sandwich which he really liked – one of the best he has had he said.

The kids split a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries with toast. Portions were generous and we even had some to take home for later.

It was hard for me to decide if I should go with a sweet or savory breakfast – I was going back and forth between the huevos rancheros and the tres leches pancakes, but ultimately went for the pancakes. I figured that I would be back soon enough and could try the huevos rancheros then. The pancakes were delicious – and not as sweet as I had expected them to be – a pleasant surprise.

Villatoro is open 7 days a week, Monday 7-3, Tuesday – Saturday 7-9 and Sunday 7-5. For lunch and dinner they have something for everyone – make sure to check out their Facebook page and their Instagram to follow the daily specials. One of these days I am going to make it in for Taco Tuesday and the brisket on Thursdays – people are RAVING about the brisket.

Have you been to Villatoro? What’s your favorite dish?

Villatoro

353 Lincoln Street, Marlborough

Check out their Facebook page here.

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When we showed up there was no one else in the dining room. Most of the patrons were sitting in the bar playing keno, so it was nice to have the place to ourselves. China Rose does a big takeout business as well.

Make sure to go to their website to get a 15% off coupon. They also print coupons on the back of the local Stop and Shop receipts.

Lunch specials come in at a good price, all under $10. They’re served daily from 11:30-3:30. You can have your choice of pork fried rice or steamed rice and one choice of the following appetizer: egg roll, spring roll, chicken teriyaki, 6 boneless spareribs, 3 chicken fingers, 3 crab rangoon, chicken wing or a beef teriyaki. I’m usually a General Tso kind of girl, but they have lo mein, beef and broccoli, shrimp and mixed vegetables and sweet and sour chicken to name a few other options.

They have a good variety of sushi on their menu with special rolls like an alligator maki, a red dragon maki, a super spider maki and a volcano maki to name a few. Special rolls will run you about $12-$15. Regular maki rolls will run you anywhere from $5-$10. Pictured above is the shrimp tempura maki.

China Rose also offers dinner specials, similar to the lunch specials but coming in at around $12.95.

Service was friendly and attentive. Parking is available in a private lot out front.

China Rose

15 East Plain Street, Wayland

www.chinarosecuisine.com

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After a morning filled with all things sweet and delicious, my body was craving something savory. Leah and I popped into the Prudential Mall (because it was the closest thing and it was freezing outside) and grabbed some food from Dig Inn. This fast casual restaurant serves up mostly vegetables that will satisfy even this meat eater.

Choose your protein base and add on your sides from there. Choose from herb roasted chicken, charred chicken, herb grilled steak, grilled tofu or Atlantic salmon. Pick sides like broccoli three ways with sesame crunch, autumn kale and beet salad, maple cauliflower with chickpea crumble, upstate mac and cheese, charred Brussels sprouts or roasted kale with acorn squash. Try a sauce with your dish, maybe the tarragon mustard, pesto, a rosemary vinaigrette or perhaps something as simple as a lemon wedge. In a rush? You can order online and pick up at the nearest location.

The portion was generous and I even had some left over for lunch the next day. Would definitely come back for another meal here. Seating is available just outside the restaurant near Pinkberry. Perhaps next time I’m there I will try their breakfast options.

Have you been to Dig Inn? What’s your favorite combination?

Dig Inn

800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

www.diginn.com

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Sumiao Hunan Kitchen brings an updated version of Hunan cuisine to Boston (well, Cambridge). A group of us decided to pop over and check it out after an event one night. Best to go with a group and get a bunch of dishes to share.

Love the bold decor and bright pops of color. We sat in a high top table out of the way near the bar and devoured everything we ordered.

What did we get? What didn’t we get…

The avocado meatballs: ground pork, egg, tofu, spicy mayo

Sumiao pickles: daikon radish, cabbage, carrot, sweet potato, celery

Changsha shumai: sticky rice, mushroom, pork fat, soy sauce

Scallion twisty roll

Scallion flavored noodles: lard, cucumber, chili bean sauce

Yellow River beef: thin-sliced fatty beef, white beech mushroom, pickled cabbage, duo jiao, banana pepper

The offered us white, brown or black rice as options. I had never heard of black rice, but apparently it is an ancient grain that has antioxidants. It’s higher in protein and fiber than its other counterparts, and is a good source of iron.

The pickles I think we my favorite part of the meal. Just perfect in every way – just the right amount of tang. The meatballs were interesting – consistency and flavor wise. We ordered the yellow river beef not spicy but it was still spicy!! You can order any level of heat – maybe go lower than what you would normally go with on this dish! The sauce that was in this dish was delicious, you just want to drink it all up. We even went so far as to dip our scallion twisty roll in it! The scallion twisty rolls are beautiful to look at. I almost wish that they were stuffed with something savory as they were enormous! Kim loved the noodles the best, and the dumplings were a hit! Would love to go back and try some of the other dishes on the menu, there were so many delicious things to choose from it was hard to just pick a few!

Have you been to Sumiao Hunan Kitchen? What do you recommend ordering?

Sumiao Hunan Kitchen

270 Third Street, Cambridge, MA

https://www.sumiaohunan.com

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I bet that you never want to look at another pot after just cooking that AMAZING Thanksgiving meal. Am I right? Well here’s a great option if you just want to whip up something quick and easy. Just Add Cooking. There are a ton of meal delivery options out there, so why choose Just Add Cooking? I know Amanda Mayo from her days at Pantry. I liked making those meals, and making these meals felt similar (easy to follow recipes and not a lot of cook time).

So how does it work? You pick what size box works for you, cooking for two or cooking for 4. You pick the recipes you want to create for the week. We picked with Polish Potato and Sausage Stew, the Beef Teriyaki and the West African Peanut Stew. Order by Wednesday and your meals are delivered on Sunday. They drop off your meals and send you a text that they have been dropped off (just in case you’re not home). Just Add Cooking works really hard to support local farmers and producers – my box came with organic cabbage from Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, orange potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, Kielbasa from New England Charcuterie in Waltham, and organic sweet potatoes from Next Barn Over Farm in Hadley.

All the ingredients are pre measured, so you don’t have to think about a thing. The recipes all come with a level of difficulty, cooking time and caloric information. I found that the beef teriyaki, which was marked medium, was actually super easy to make. So my welcome packet gave me a suggested order to cook things in. I started off with the Polish Potato and Sausage Stew. The brown paper bag has all I need to make the recipe, so I don’t have to worry that I’ll leave something out or mix up the ingredients with something from another recipe. There was very limited prep that i needed to do. Wash the potatoes, cut the kielbasa and onions and that was about it. Now granted, I rarely cook these days, so mine did not come out looking like the beautiful picture on the recipe, and you know what, that’s ok. What matters is that it was easy to make on a weeknight, it tasted good, and even my picky eater tried some and liked it.

They give you a copy of the recipe so you can make it again at home if you liked it. If you want to see how I made this recipe, check out the recipe on the Just Add Cooking website.

My second recipe I tried was the beef teriyaki. To be honest, I had to look up what mirin was, it’s not an ingredient I ever use in cooking. In case you don’t know either, it’s a staple in Japanese cooking, a type of rice wine with a lower alcohol content and a higher sugar content. You can find it in your local grocery store near the soy sauce. I had to admit that this was the easiest thing that I made. And it was AMAZING! I’ve already made it again on my own and people RAVED about it. Something about that sauce (the mirin probably!). Check out the recipe here. My other confession is that when I made it, I was contemplating not sharing it and eating all four portions myself. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe, oh and wait, it’s gluten free if that’s your thing. They have a whole bunch of gluten free meal options available.

Want to try Just Add Cooking for yourself? You can use my special code: Debbie30 for $30 off your first box. Head over to the Just Add Cooking website today.

Disclaimer: I was invited to try Just Add Cooking for this post. My box was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

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When we are at the Cape, we rarely go out to eat, but when we do, I always like to try new places. We decided to take the family to Falmouth Raw Bar, located right by the Island Queen. The deck looks out over the harbor and they have a DJ or live music playing most nights. When we went for dinner, there was a live duo playing music from the 90’s – the music was a bit loud, so we opted to sit outside on the deck. It’s a great place for a casual bite or to hang out at the bar and watch “the game” on one of 5 large screen televisions.

I’m all about seafood in the summer, and everything fried, so I had the shrimp plate with fries. Prefer raw bars? They have littlenecks, oysters, peel and eat shrimp, poke ahi tuna, and ceviche. Just looking for some apps while watching the game or waiting for your ferry? They’ve got you covered with mussels, steamers, crab cakes, fried pickles, stuffed quahogs and chicken wings. What can you expect for entrees? Grilled chicken sandwiches , lobster rolls, clam bakes, fried clam rolls and more. We ordered the slider trio, a lobster salad, a chicken salad and a tuna salad sandwich. It was just ok, I think I would stick to the fried food or the raw bar.

Service was on par with summers on the Cape. Don’t feel like dining in? They do take out. Parking is right out front, but during peak times, you will have to park in the nearby lot.

Where’s your favorite place on the Cape to get fried seafood?

Falmouth Raw Bar

56 Scranton Ave., Falmouth, MA

www.falmouthrawbar.com

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