Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Why Food Network is Good for You
Tonight on Good Eats, Alton Brown said that egg nog is good for counteracting the acetaldehyde production that results from drinking alcoholic beverages. It's in direct competition with the grease-heavy diner breakfast that has been the usual hangover breakfast of choice. I'll have to try it.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Quick Chicks!!
Remember Quick Chicks? Well, if you're having a craving for the popular college food, hit the McDonald's Dollar Menu. The McChicken Sandwich is a good replacement - breaded, deep fried, mayonnaise, and lettuce. It brings me back to days of Daka and WPI.
the Little Penguin
Location: Austin Liquors, Gold Star Boulevard, Worcester, MAThe Cabernet Sauvignon by the Little Penguin was on sale for $9.99 / 1.5 liter bottle, so I picked up a bottle for Thanksgiving. We found that the red wine actually went pretty well with the traditional Thanksgiving meal. The flavor was mild, light to medium bodied. The wine actually looked like it was watered down, but didn't taste watered down. For a reasonably priced bottle of wine, I'd get it again.
Snack Attack
Store: Christmas Tree Shops, Olde Shrewsbury Village
For a snack attack during the Christmas shopping season, I recommend Utz Cheddar and Sour Cream potato chips. They were a bargain at 69 cents for a 5 oz. bag. These chips are great. The cheddar flavoring is not laid on too heavily, and is consistent across all chips. The grease factor is low and you can taste the potato. You might want to get more than one bag. I wish I had.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Not so Lucky
Location: Lucky's Cafe, Grove Street, Worcester, MA
Meal: Lunch
I've never been to the Blue Cricket on Chandler Street in Worcester. Mom and I tried to go there on a a Monday at about 1:45. It was closed. The door was unlucked, but the sign said "Closed". At 1:45. It seemed a little early to be closing for the day, but we actually don't know if they're even open on Mondays because their hours aren't posted anywhere.
We ended up at Lucky's Cafe, because they still had a half hour left. I'd been there before and remembered it being pretty good. This time, not so good.
I had the special sandwich: 3 cheese pita melt with onions, artichoke, and tomatoes. There was way too much cheese - it was like all melted cheese, which made it hard to choke down. And they forgot the tomatoes.
Mom had the ham, cheese and asparagus wrap (lettuce, tomato) and a tea. The sandwich was way more substantial than mine, and I actually had the leftovers. It was good but I think the asaparagus was a weird touch. The bad part was the tea. The presentation was awful. It came in a tiny cup, without a saucer. It just looked awful sitting there, tea bag string hanging down to the table, a little water foam on top, since the tea hadn't steeped or been stirred yet. So with no saucer, where does the used tea bag go? I guess wrapped up in a napkin. Ick.
They did have some really beautiful photographs displayed, taken by Don Bullens in Key West.
Meal: Lunch
I've never been to the Blue Cricket on Chandler Street in Worcester. Mom and I tried to go there on a a Monday at about 1:45. It was closed. The door was unlucked, but the sign said "Closed". At 1:45. It seemed a little early to be closing for the day, but we actually don't know if they're even open on Mondays because their hours aren't posted anywhere.
We ended up at Lucky's Cafe, because they still had a half hour left. I'd been there before and remembered it being pretty good. This time, not so good.
I had the special sandwich: 3 cheese pita melt with onions, artichoke, and tomatoes. There was way too much cheese - it was like all melted cheese, which made it hard to choke down. And they forgot the tomatoes.
Mom had the ham, cheese and asparagus wrap (lettuce, tomato) and a tea. The sandwich was way more substantial than mine, and I actually had the leftovers. It was good but I think the asaparagus was a weird touch. The bad part was the tea. The presentation was awful. It came in a tiny cup, without a saucer. It just looked awful sitting there, tea bag string hanging down to the table, a little water foam on top, since the tea hadn't steeped or been stirred yet. So with no saucer, where does the used tea bag go? I guess wrapped up in a napkin. Ick.
They did have some really beautiful photographs displayed, taken by Don Bullens in Key West.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Don't Drink the Water
Don’t drink the water at TGI Friday's at the Blackstone Shoppes in Millbury. It is unfiltered Millbury tap and tastes like bleach. Which then leads me to: better not order any soda. Stick to beer.
We went on a Tuesday night and it was surprisingly busy. Maybe that was why the fries and burger weren't hot.
We went on a Tuesday night and it was surprisingly busy. Maybe that was why the fries and burger weren't hot.
Monday, November 20, 2006
An eating break
Last week, I was on vacation and had all the time in the world...to shop Peapod online and have my groceries delivered! The ultimate in lazy, practical, or something. I got a lot of good, healthy food - soup, salad fixins, and yogurt. I also ordered a delicious can of Pringles (reduced fat, of course) and a package of double stuff oreos (to make up for the reduced fat Pringles).
With all this eating out and ordering in, I thought it was high time I returned myself to the gym. And wouldn't you know, they have brand new treadmills!! That have TVs!! Personal ones!! This is really awesome. Now I can watch Seinfeld, or whatever crappy sitcom I want, instead of CNN or Fox News, which is always on the big TVs.
No worries - I have plans to go out to eat very soon, and even if I don't, I do plan to eat some prepared food that I'll tell you all about.
P.S. I was not saying Seinfeld is a crappy sitcom. Just other sitcoms.
P.P.S. Maybe Seinfeld was not the best choice of sitcoms, in light of the Michael Richards press.
With all this eating out and ordering in, I thought it was high time I returned myself to the gym. And wouldn't you know, they have brand new treadmills!! That have TVs!! Personal ones!! This is really awesome. Now I can watch Seinfeld, or whatever crappy sitcom I want, instead of CNN or Fox News, which is always on the big TVs.
No worries - I have plans to go out to eat very soon, and even if I don't, I do plan to eat some prepared food that I'll tell you all about.
P.S. I was not saying Seinfeld is a crappy sitcom. Just other sitcoms.
P.P.S. Maybe Seinfeld was not the best choice of sitcoms, in light of the Michael Richards press.
Max Stein's
Restaurant: Max Stein's
Location: 94 Hartwell Ave, Historic Lexington, MA
Meal: Lunch
Day: Friday
A group of six, we drove out to Lexington to celebrate a birthday. We managed to beat the lunch rush by arriving around 12:30, and were seated at a nice table at the end of the room.
Max Stein's has great atmosphere. The lighting is soft, with dark woodwork and light colored walls. There is fairly large bar - it looks like a nice place to go for drinks and apps. We sat in the main room, where the tables were outfitted with white tablecloths, water goblets, and cloth napkins. The chairs, though, were fantastic. Plush leather, rounded, padded backrest and seat. These chairs were the best. Especially after a long drive on little sleep.
We had bread and butter, and here too, Max Stein's was top notch. There were three kinds of bread: french, garlic-infused french, and cranberry. The butter was whipped. Need I say more?
The good:
The fried haddock sandwich was good. The piece of fish was large, and the vegetables on top (LT) were fresh and crisp.
Three layer chocolate cake with whipped cream was decadent. We shared it and it was big enough to go around. Maybe that was because it was for the birthday diner.
The tea came in the cutest round stainless steel pot, with round ball feet.
The bad:
They forgot to put the candied walnuts on RunnerGuy's Goat Cheese Salad. Two other diners had the Caesar salad and they forgot the dressing for both. Not to mention, the chicken on the salad was not as moist as it could be. And only 2 croutons! 2!
The awesome:
The bathroom. Huge, clean, fancy, and paper towels that are practically cloth napkins.
Overall, I'd give it a good review, but might want to test out lunch again before I dropped the cash for dinner.
Location: 94 Hartwell Ave, Historic Lexington, MA
Meal: Lunch
Day: Friday
A group of six, we drove out to Lexington to celebrate a birthday. We managed to beat the lunch rush by arriving around 12:30, and were seated at a nice table at the end of the room.
Max Stein's has great atmosphere. The lighting is soft, with dark woodwork and light colored walls. There is fairly large bar - it looks like a nice place to go for drinks and apps. We sat in the main room, where the tables were outfitted with white tablecloths, water goblets, and cloth napkins. The chairs, though, were fantastic. Plush leather, rounded, padded backrest and seat. These chairs were the best. Especially after a long drive on little sleep.
We had bread and butter, and here too, Max Stein's was top notch. There were three kinds of bread: french, garlic-infused french, and cranberry. The butter was whipped. Need I say more?
The good:
The fried haddock sandwich was good. The piece of fish was large, and the vegetables on top (LT) were fresh and crisp.
Three layer chocolate cake with whipped cream was decadent. We shared it and it was big enough to go around. Maybe that was because it was for the birthday diner.
The tea came in the cutest round stainless steel pot, with round ball feet.
The bad:
They forgot to put the candied walnuts on RunnerGuy's Goat Cheese Salad. Two other diners had the Caesar salad and they forgot the dressing for both. Not to mention, the chicken on the salad was not as moist as it could be. And only 2 croutons! 2!
The awesome:
The bathroom. Huge, clean, fancy, and paper towels that are practically cloth napkins.
Overall, I'd give it a good review, but might want to test out lunch again before I dropped the cash for dinner.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The Mediterranean Cafe
Restaurant: The Mediterranean Cafe
Location: 33 Blackstone River Road, Worcester, MA
Meal: Dinner, Saturday night
Attendees: Diary Queen, Buffalo Girl, and Steak and Potatoes
When you hear "Mediterranean food" the first thing that probably comes to your head is "Oh, that's Greek food. Lamb, gyros, and feta." A visit to The Mediterranean Cafe will set you straight. Mediterranean cuisine is considered the cuisine of the countries who border the Mediterranean Sea, and that includes Italy. Now that that's settled, let's get to the meat of things.
The Mediterranean Cafe is on the former Millbury Street, and is a small building across the street from the White Hen Pantry. They have a light-up sign, so it's easy to find. Parking might be tough during the busy times. We were able to parallel park in the driveway, and there is probably room for 4 or 5 cars. We went around 8, and there seemed to be some empty spots on the street.
The menu here leans heavily towards Italian food, notably pasta. You will also find a lot of Green items, such as Greek salad and chicken and other meat kabobs. They don't have gyros. You can choose from 5 different sauces (red, tomato cream, alfredo, oil and garlic, and ... one more. can't remember.) The main meat options were chicken, seafood, and veal. No steaks or red meat, except for meatballs.
Buffalo Girl and I had the Greek salad. It was delicious. Lemon mint dressing, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, super large pepperoncini (almost 3 inches long and hot!) red onions, and calamata olives. The only flaw we found all night was with the olives - they were flavorless. Steak and Potatoes (a frequent dining companion) had the house salad with good blue cheese dressing.
For entrees, BG and SP had the Chicken and Broccoli with alfredo and penne. They both really liked it. I sampled and it was great. Good alfredo sauce, with plenty of cheese flavor. I had the Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. They make their own marinara sauce, and it was nice and tomatoey, fresh tasting, not too sweet, nor very thick. It's like I'd make it at home. It came with two thin tender breaded chicken breasts, cooked to perfection. We all ate about half of our huge portions, and took the rest to go. My favorite part of to-go: the waitress fit it all into a small container, which takes up less room in the fridge. Today, I'm having leftovers for lunch.
Dessert - Even though we were full, we shared the cream puffs. They were the opposite of how you might think of cream puffs: filled with chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream and white chocolate sauce. Delicious.
Location: 33 Blackstone River Road, Worcester, MA
Meal: Dinner, Saturday night
Attendees: Diary Queen, Buffalo Girl, and Steak and Potatoes
When you hear "Mediterranean food" the first thing that probably comes to your head is "Oh, that's Greek food. Lamb, gyros, and feta." A visit to The Mediterranean Cafe will set you straight. Mediterranean cuisine is considered the cuisine of the countries who border the Mediterranean Sea, and that includes Italy. Now that that's settled, let's get to the meat of things.
The Mediterranean Cafe is on the former Millbury Street, and is a small building across the street from the White Hen Pantry. They have a light-up sign, so it's easy to find. Parking might be tough during the busy times. We were able to parallel park in the driveway, and there is probably room for 4 or 5 cars. We went around 8, and there seemed to be some empty spots on the street.
The menu here leans heavily towards Italian food, notably pasta. You will also find a lot of Green items, such as Greek salad and chicken and other meat kabobs. They don't have gyros. You can choose from 5 different sauces (red, tomato cream, alfredo, oil and garlic, and ... one more. can't remember.) The main meat options were chicken, seafood, and veal. No steaks or red meat, except for meatballs.
Buffalo Girl and I had the Greek salad. It was delicious. Lemon mint dressing, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, super large pepperoncini (almost 3 inches long and hot!) red onions, and calamata olives. The only flaw we found all night was with the olives - they were flavorless. Steak and Potatoes (a frequent dining companion) had the house salad with good blue cheese dressing.
For entrees, BG and SP had the Chicken and Broccoli with alfredo and penne. They both really liked it. I sampled and it was great. Good alfredo sauce, with plenty of cheese flavor. I had the Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. They make their own marinara sauce, and it was nice and tomatoey, fresh tasting, not too sweet, nor very thick. It's like I'd make it at home. It came with two thin tender breaded chicken breasts, cooked to perfection. We all ate about half of our huge portions, and took the rest to go. My favorite part of to-go: the waitress fit it all into a small container, which takes up less room in the fridge. Today, I'm having leftovers for lunch.
Dessert - Even though we were full, we shared the cream puffs. They were the opposite of how you might think of cream puffs: filled with chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream and white chocolate sauce. Delicious.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Fundraiser Chocolates
There aren't too many children in my neighborhood, and I feel like, if they make the effort to climb all 36 steps to ring my bell and ask me to buy something, I'll help out. (steep, huh? The picture cuts off some of the bottom steps.)So, in September, I bought some Kathryn Beich peanut butter cups. They just came last week and boy, are they good! Melt in your mouth chocolate, and great peanut butter filling. Doesn't taste nasty, like those gross Palmer Easter candies.
I also bought some PB Cups and Dulce de Leche Girl Scout candies. They are waiting on the dining room table for me to either eat, in a fit of weakness, or give away, in a fit of generosity. I'm dying to know if they're good, though, so they probably won't last too long. (Oooh, maybe I'll bring them to Thanksgiving.)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Quick Bites: Dunkin, Big Y, and Honey Dew
Dunkin Donuts: I really like the festive fall pumpkin muffins. I got one on Saturday morning and it was really good. I got one on Monday morning and it was a little dry. Both were purchased at Dunkin in Tatnuck. My plan. to avoid overspending, and having to go to DD on the way to work, is to make the Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread on Sunday and eat that all week. It is delicious. Moist and full of pumpkin flavor. I sometimes add nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries.
Big Y: In a pinch, Big Y pizza from the "ready to eat" section does the trick, and for $20 you can get a pizza the size of a poster ("party size")
Honey Dew: I like their hot coffee. I do not recommend the apple fruit stick twisty thing. It's kind of dry. I wonder if it would have been better if I had dunked it in the coffee.
Big Y: In a pinch, Big Y pizza from the "ready to eat" section does the trick, and for $20 you can get a pizza the size of a poster ("party size")
Honey Dew: I like their hot coffee. I do not recommend the apple fruit stick twisty thing. It's kind of dry. I wonder if it would have been better if I had dunked it in the coffee.
My Friend Joe
Trader Joe's is the kind of place I shop at no more than once a month. I do a big stock-up of frozen and non-perishables, and usually pick up a gallon of milk because it's just so darn cheap there. Recently, I bought a bunch of frozen items, and I've been slowly going through them. Here's a roundup of the most memorable items, frozen or otherwise.
Kung Pao Stir Fry: Good. Cooked up in 5 minutes, good peanut sauce, not too sweet. The packaging says 2.5 servings. I'd say more like 1.5 or 2 reasonably sized servings.
Asparagus Risotto: Blah. No flavor.
3 cheese pizza: Okay. Tiny. Better to get a fresh one from the local pizza place.
Blue Corn Jalapeno Corn Bread: So so good. Blue corn bread!! Very moist and not really crumbly like regualr corn bread. And the heat it delivers sneaks up on you - first you swallow a bite. Then about 30 seconds later, you feel the jalapeno in the back of your throat. Not too much, just enough.
Charles Shaw Cab Sauv: Great. Goes down easy. I've had really bad CS, though. It's hit or miss but for $3, who's complaining? Not me.
Green Beans, Frozen: These are the best frozen grean beans. Whole, bright green. A rebuy, definitely.
Kung Pao Stir Fry: Good. Cooked up in 5 minutes, good peanut sauce, not too sweet. The packaging says 2.5 servings. I'd say more like 1.5 or 2 reasonably sized servings.
Asparagus Risotto: Blah. No flavor.
3 cheese pizza: Okay. Tiny. Better to get a fresh one from the local pizza place.
Blue Corn Jalapeno Corn Bread: So so good. Blue corn bread!! Very moist and not really crumbly like regualr corn bread. And the heat it delivers sneaks up on you - first you swallow a bite. Then about 30 seconds later, you feel the jalapeno in the back of your throat. Not too much, just enough.
Charles Shaw Cab Sauv: Great. Goes down easy. I've had really bad CS, though. It's hit or miss but for $3, who's complaining? Not me.
Green Beans, Frozen: These are the best frozen grean beans. Whole, bright green. A rebuy, definitely.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Perfect Cookie
A few days ago a wrote about the Blue Hydrangea Bake Shop. And last month, I visited Sweet Melissa's bakery in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. I like the idea of independent bakeries with pretty pastries, and unique desserts. What I don't like is that these kinds of businesses think that, because they are independent, they can charge an outrageous price for something that you can make just as easily yourself with a box mix from the grocery store and it might even taste as good. As Buffalo Girl said, "I'll stick with Widoff's."
Widoff's is the best bakery in the city, in my opinion. They have awesome bulkies, with and without seeds. A holiday in my family would not be the same without some fresh-that-day Widoff's "bookies". Their bread is delicious. They have a rainbow of colors of butter cookies. But the thing that pulls me to Widoff's more often than not is the chocolate chip cookie. This cookie is thick, buttery, and full of chocolate chips. It's about 4 inches in diameter, and the last batch I got was about 1/2" thick. I ate the whole thing on an empty stomach (Yes, dessert before dinner. It's okay, I'm a grownup.) and didn't get sick.
I know that Buffalo Girl's favorite cookie is the Widoff's Black and White. This is not your usual, New York Style black and white cookie. To us, that's just an imposter. This is a butter cookie, also about 4 inches in diameter, half chocolate, half vanilla. Crumbly, sweet. Unbelievable.
Best part about these cookies: $0.60 each. Not no dollar fifty for a cookie the size of a sand dollar.
Widoff's is the best bakery in the city, in my opinion. They have awesome bulkies, with and without seeds. A holiday in my family would not be the same without some fresh-that-day Widoff's "bookies". Their bread is delicious. They have a rainbow of colors of butter cookies. But the thing that pulls me to Widoff's more often than not is the chocolate chip cookie. This cookie is thick, buttery, and full of chocolate chips. It's about 4 inches in diameter, and the last batch I got was about 1/2" thick. I ate the whole thing on an empty stomach (Yes, dessert before dinner. It's okay, I'm a grownup.) and didn't get sick.
I know that Buffalo Girl's favorite cookie is the Widoff's Black and White. This is not your usual, New York Style black and white cookie. To us, that's just an imposter. This is a butter cookie, also about 4 inches in diameter, half chocolate, half vanilla. Crumbly, sweet. Unbelievable.
Best part about these cookies: $0.60 each. Not no dollar fifty for a cookie the size of a sand dollar.
Burritos, Tacos, and Beans, Oh my!
It seems that Mexican food is good to get on the run. And surprisingly, the Worcester area has more than the pond scum that is Taco Bell.
Buffalo Girl and I needed to get a quick dinner before going to see The Departed last Tuesday night. (It was $5 movie night at Showcase North.) We decided on takeout from Tortilla Sam's - 2 spinach and chicken burritos with black beans and rice, and a Vitamin Water came to just over $10. Scrap the Vitamin Water and it was about $8.50. The burritos were delicious. Fresh tortillas, stuffed full of chicken, spinach, and rice. The sour cream was a nice addition. They're not too hot (spice-wise), but the seasonings are very flavorful. One burrito and half of the beans/rice side was plenty for one. The beans/rice side was wrapped separately, in a covered plastic tub, and it was still piping hot after a 10 minute ride to the movie theater. $10 a person = Bargain Tuesday Night.
The next trip, I was on my own. I was in desperate need of nourishment, after a trip back from Boston in the rain, and before a visit to Babies R Us for a baby shower gift. The Blackstone Shoppes don't have a lot of options for takeout, so I ran into Qdoba, hoping it was a cut above the Bell. I was pleasantly surprised by a tasty beef soft taco. The salsa verde was hot but not painfully so, and the filling was tasty. I also got a chicken soft taco, which was good, but not as good as the Tortilla Sam's chicken. It was almost $5, which I thought was a little high, but I didin't feel sick after so it was worth it.
Buffalo Girl and I needed to get a quick dinner before going to see The Departed last Tuesday night. (It was $5 movie night at Showcase North.) We decided on takeout from Tortilla Sam's - 2 spinach and chicken burritos with black beans and rice, and a Vitamin Water came to just over $10. Scrap the Vitamin Water and it was about $8.50. The burritos were delicious. Fresh tortillas, stuffed full of chicken, spinach, and rice. The sour cream was a nice addition. They're not too hot (spice-wise), but the seasonings are very flavorful. One burrito and half of the beans/rice side was plenty for one. The beans/rice side was wrapped separately, in a covered plastic tub, and it was still piping hot after a 10 minute ride to the movie theater. $10 a person = Bargain Tuesday Night.
The next trip, I was on my own. I was in desperate need of nourishment, after a trip back from Boston in the rain, and before a visit to Babies R Us for a baby shower gift. The Blackstone Shoppes don't have a lot of options for takeout, so I ran into Qdoba, hoping it was a cut above the Bell. I was pleasantly surprised by a tasty beef soft taco. The salsa verde was hot but not painfully so, and the filling was tasty. I also got a chicken soft taco, which was good, but not as good as the Tortilla Sam's chicken. It was almost $5, which I thought was a little high, but I didin't feel sick after so it was worth it.
Delux - Love it!
Location: Delux
100 Chandler Street, Boston, MA
Meal: Dinner, Saturday night
My friend M and I went out for dinner on Saturday night. We had plans for a couple of weeks and I was excited to get together with her as it had been a while, and I always enjoy going out in Boston. We knew we wanted to go somewhere casual, and on the reasonably-priced side, so I did some research on Boston.com/Cheap Eats. Delux sounded pretty good. The South End is getting to be more of a destination, and the scenery in some sections is nice, lots of trees and brownstones.
The restaurant is on the corner of a street, and is a long, fairly narrow room. The front has about 10 tables, and the bar runs along the left side, back half of the room. We waited only about 5 minutes for a seat, and ended up sitting at that table for about 4 hours! And nobody hassled us to leave. It was great.
Atmosphere: dark lighting, lots of Elvis memorabilia, record album covers paper the walls. Casual, fun, funky. I hear they have outdoor seating in the nice weather.
Food: Delicious. M and I split the special app salad: Pear, arugula, endive, in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was really good. The arugula was a little stemmy, but still, tasted good. Plenty to share. For my entree, I got the grilled cheese with portabella mushrooms, red peppers, and cheese on sourdough. It also came with coleslaw. The crust on the grilled cheese was unbelievably crispy - not soggy at all, definitely made by an experienced chef. The cole slaw was delicious, and seemed to be obviously freshly made. There was the standard cabbage, but there was also red onion, which added a nice tang.
M got pumpkin ravioli with a nutmeggy cream sauce. She ate the entire plateful, with the exception of the one ravioli she gave me. I loved it. There was plenty of pumpkin filling, the pasta was very tender, and the sauce was a perfect complement.
Beer: They have 3 beers on tap: Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, and Tremont ale. I started with a Tremont ale. It was nice and cold, but I moved to Pilsner after one, because I didn't want to fill up on beer. I've never had it - it was good - sweet flavor that I was not expecting.
Overall, this was a great place for dinner. I think that there are probably times where you have to wait a while for a table, but we got there kind of late, around 9, so we must have missed the crowds. The menu changes every 6 weeks, so we plan to go back!
100 Chandler Street, Boston, MA
Meal: Dinner, Saturday night
My friend M and I went out for dinner on Saturday night. We had plans for a couple of weeks and I was excited to get together with her as it had been a while, and I always enjoy going out in Boston. We knew we wanted to go somewhere casual, and on the reasonably-priced side, so I did some research on Boston.com/Cheap Eats. Delux sounded pretty good. The South End is getting to be more of a destination, and the scenery in some sections is nice, lots of trees and brownstones.
The restaurant is on the corner of a street, and is a long, fairly narrow room. The front has about 10 tables, and the bar runs along the left side, back half of the room. We waited only about 5 minutes for a seat, and ended up sitting at that table for about 4 hours! And nobody hassled us to leave. It was great.
Atmosphere: dark lighting, lots of Elvis memorabilia, record album covers paper the walls. Casual, fun, funky. I hear they have outdoor seating in the nice weather.
Food: Delicious. M and I split the special app salad: Pear, arugula, endive, in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was really good. The arugula was a little stemmy, but still, tasted good. Plenty to share. For my entree, I got the grilled cheese with portabella mushrooms, red peppers, and cheese on sourdough. It also came with coleslaw. The crust on the grilled cheese was unbelievably crispy - not soggy at all, definitely made by an experienced chef. The cole slaw was delicious, and seemed to be obviously freshly made. There was the standard cabbage, but there was also red onion, which added a nice tang.
M got pumpkin ravioli with a nutmeggy cream sauce. She ate the entire plateful, with the exception of the one ravioli she gave me. I loved it. There was plenty of pumpkin filling, the pasta was very tender, and the sauce was a perfect complement.
Beer: They have 3 beers on tap: Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, and Tremont ale. I started with a Tremont ale. It was nice and cold, but I moved to Pilsner after one, because I didn't want to fill up on beer. I've never had it - it was good - sweet flavor that I was not expecting.
Overall, this was a great place for dinner. I think that there are probably times where you have to wait a while for a table, but we got there kind of late, around 9, so we must have missed the crowds. The menu changes every 6 weeks, so we plan to go back!
A lovely spot for some lunch
Location: SpecialTeas
10 Church St, Northboro, MA
Meal: Lunch
Three of us at work have been working together for about six years now. It's hard to believe it's been that long. We used to all sit within 5 feet of each other but over the years, we've become farther apart. Now, we try to get together for either lunch or dinner at least once every couple of months. Last week, we went to SpecialTeas. This place is great!! It's in an old Victorian house right in the center of town. They have a limited menu- mainly, soups, pressed sandwiches, salads, and at least 30 kinds of tea.
One of my friends got the special soup of the day, butternut squash and curry soup, a melt, and hot chai tea. She said: "I loved my meal, from the melt, to the soup, to the chai!!" The other friend got the tomato soup, a melt, and hot chai tea. She was also impressed. The girls got the special: soup and half a melt, and said it was very filling.
I ordered the special sandwich, basically a grilled cheese and ham on sourdough, with coleslaw. When our meals came, they'd gotten my order wrong and had made an omelet. While it looked delicious, I did not want eggs. Of course, the waitress was very apologetic and had my real meal out very quickly. In the meantime, though, she offered me a bowl of soup. I opted for the curry. It was delicious!! Not too heavy, just the right amount of spice. I also got the homemade lemonade, which was great. Sweetened, not overly.
The atmosphere is really nice and comfortable. The only thing is, you might want to allow more than an hour. There were a lot of people there (pretty much all women!) and the kitchen is pretty small.
Next time, I might like to go for tea and dessert. They had several options of what looked like homemade desserts, and the hot tea comes in a cool clear glass teapot that is kept warm by being seated above a tealight.
Prices are reasonable - sandwiches are around $8.
10 Church St, Northboro, MA
Meal: Lunch
Three of us at work have been working together for about six years now. It's hard to believe it's been that long. We used to all sit within 5 feet of each other but over the years, we've become farther apart. Now, we try to get together for either lunch or dinner at least once every couple of months. Last week, we went to SpecialTeas. This place is great!! It's in an old Victorian house right in the center of town. They have a limited menu- mainly, soups, pressed sandwiches, salads, and at least 30 kinds of tea.
One of my friends got the special soup of the day, butternut squash and curry soup, a melt, and hot chai tea. She said: "I loved my meal, from the melt, to the soup, to the chai!!" The other friend got the tomato soup, a melt, and hot chai tea. She was also impressed. The girls got the special: soup and half a melt, and said it was very filling.
I ordered the special sandwich, basically a grilled cheese and ham on sourdough, with coleslaw. When our meals came, they'd gotten my order wrong and had made an omelet. While it looked delicious, I did not want eggs. Of course, the waitress was very apologetic and had my real meal out very quickly. In the meantime, though, she offered me a bowl of soup. I opted for the curry. It was delicious!! Not too heavy, just the right amount of spice. I also got the homemade lemonade, which was great. Sweetened, not overly.
The atmosphere is really nice and comfortable. The only thing is, you might want to allow more than an hour. There were a lot of people there (pretty much all women!) and the kitchen is pretty small.
Next time, I might like to go for tea and dessert. They had several options of what looked like homemade desserts, and the hot tea comes in a cool clear glass teapot that is kept warm by being seated above a tealight.
Prices are reasonable - sandwiches are around $8.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Blue Hydrangea Bake Shop
Blue Hydrangea Bake Shop
June Street, Worcester, MA
Meal: Indulgent Snack after Hassling Morning Getting Lost in Boston
There's a new bakery in Worcester, in the plaza next to Nancy Chang's. I think it's in the old Indigo Bistro, or maybe next door. Anyone remember that place? They had great fresh squeezed juices.
I like to support the local business owner, so I stopped in on the way home yesterday and bought two items: a small Pear, Apple, Cranberry tart and a Peanut Butter Truffle Brownie.
Tart: I just ate this and it was great. Small, about the size of a piece of pie. It had a good pie crust, plenty of fresh filling, and the top was all crumbly. Granted, I could have shared it and still have been satisfied, given the slightly sick feeling I have, after downing all that sugar. Price: $4. (overpriced, but homemade and good for every once in a while)
Brownie: This I ate yesterday. The brownie was about an inch think and had a quarter inch layer of PB truffle topping, then chocolate over that. It was good, but I think the truffle was a little too sweet. I would have preferred it swirled throughout rather than spread thickly on top. Price: $2.50. is that overpriced? Not if you're used to buying pastries at Rosie's. Yes if you're used to buying a mix for $1.00 on sale and getting a whole tray for about $2.00 total.
I like the place though - it's very wide open and you can see all the ingredients they use. I'd like to try their cakes sometime.
June Street, Worcester, MA
Meal: Indulgent Snack after Hassling Morning Getting Lost in Boston
There's a new bakery in Worcester, in the plaza next to Nancy Chang's. I think it's in the old Indigo Bistro, or maybe next door. Anyone remember that place? They had great fresh squeezed juices.
I like to support the local business owner, so I stopped in on the way home yesterday and bought two items: a small Pear, Apple, Cranberry tart and a Peanut Butter Truffle Brownie.
Tart: I just ate this and it was great. Small, about the size of a piece of pie. It had a good pie crust, plenty of fresh filling, and the top was all crumbly. Granted, I could have shared it and still have been satisfied, given the slightly sick feeling I have, after downing all that sugar. Price: $4. (overpriced, but homemade and good for every once in a while)
Brownie: This I ate yesterday. The brownie was about an inch think and had a quarter inch layer of PB truffle topping, then chocolate over that. It was good, but I think the truffle was a little too sweet. I would have preferred it swirled throughout rather than spread thickly on top. Price: $2.50. is that overpriced? Not if you're used to buying pastries at Rosie's. Yes if you're used to buying a mix for $1.00 on sale and getting a whole tray for about $2.00 total.
I like the place though - it's very wide open and you can see all the ingredients they use. I'd like to try their cakes sometime.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Apricot Wheat Beer
I've just discovered Ithaca Beer Co. Apricot Wheat. It is delicious! Light, fruity, great apricot smell, and not too sweet. Have you tried the Wachusett Blueberry Beer? It's similar to the Apricot Wheat, but I could actually drink a few of the Apricots and not get sick of the fruity flavor. This sentiment was seconded by Buffalo Girl and a dinner guest, and I believe RunnerGuy also enjoyed his 12 oz. bottle. (Purchased at Austin Liquors, where Buffalo Girl likes to do all of her Christmas shopping.)
Tonight, I'm using it to wash down some Wheat Thins Toasted Chips - by far better than the originals.
Tonight, I'm using it to wash down some Wheat Thins Toasted Chips - by far better than the originals.
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