Alice's Tea Cup, Chapter II, 156 E 64th St, Manhattan, NY 10065
Rockport, MA: Roy Moore Lobster Co.
A recent trip to Rockport immediately made me crave lobster rolls, which, in the past in Boston has been good but not as exciting as I would have anticipated.
Recipe: French Toast Two Ways
Savannah: Paris Market Cafe
Savannah is one of those places that has incredibly delicious food, the most friendly of locals and lots of lovely quaint shops. I'd never heard about The Paris Market before, so visiting the shop was a special treat. I think I might have spent a good afternoon perusing the beautiful merchandise and sipping tea (and of course, a cookie) at the lovely little cafe....
Savannah: Back in the Day Bakery
Location:
2403 Bull Street
Savannah, GA
31401
One thing at the very top of my Savannah list of places to visit was the Back in the Day Bakery. I'd seen it on Jamie Beck's blog and she highly recommended it on the list of must-sees she gave me.
On a rainy day it was an amazing, indulging breakfast pit stop.
I mean, biscuits and jam? I could have those every day.
(Also, who knew that I could have been sitting so close to one of my Instagram connections - wow, small world!)
Boston: Pauli's
Location:
65 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
The North End of Boston is one of my favorite parts of this city, it's great for photoshoots and of course, for the food. So, I couldn't believe I had never been to Pauli's before.
Guys, it really is WICKED fresh and CRAZY GOOD!!
The lobster grilled cheese sandwich was not only massive, it was chockful of fresh and huge chunks of LOBSTAH and lots of melted cheesy-goodness (don't worry, I Lactaid-ed myself out).
The catchy "Pauli-tician" sandwich caught my eye, for it's name and for its ingredients (chicken cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Those are my must-haves for literally everything, plus, it's approved by Paul himself! I could eat it again, right now.
Another not to be missed sandwich is the Vito. Why? Because it was created by the "Vito" from The Sopranos.
That's right.
Looking for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Pauli and his team have got you covered. If that's not enough, they also have a full catering menu, as well. Want to order online for delivery? They've got you covered there, as well. I knew the battery powered bikes were there for a reason!
And the team there? They're awesome!
Thank you Paul and the team for treating us to an incredible dinner!
Cambridge: Beat Hotel
Location:
13 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA (below The Gap in Harvard Square)
It takes a certain type of restaurant to get me out on a weeknight after work in this city. The Beat Hotel is that type of restaurant. A grand opening party at a bohemian American brasserie inspired by the Beat generation of the 50s Paris, with live music and cockails named "Electric Sidecar"? Well, the food was just the icing on the cake at that point.
The restaurant features live music e'ry night with jazz, blues and world adding to the bohemian vibe. This night we were treated to Kate McGarry along with Steve Santoro and the Tim Ray trio.
Throughout the evening, our host and co-owner Bertil Jean-Chronberg suggested a variety of American artisanal wines and craft beers to complement the items on the menu.
Serving a very eclectic menu of seasonal dishes to tempt both the carnivorous palate as well as the herbavore, our table covered the entire spectrum.
We began the evening with flavorful craft cocktails; my favorite was the American Breed, complete with Maker's Mark and St. Edler's elderflower liqueur and apple cider...it felt like the perfect drink for an Autumn evening.
We started with a slew of appetizers, spanning the entire table. A must-try dish is the Hamachi (yellowtail) Sashimi, served on avocado, sambal and black olives...literally melts in your mouth.
There was crispy calamari and tempura veggies, crispy tuna spring rolls, a bohemian platter of hummus, cheese, veggies, pickles, enough for everyone to share.
If that wasn't filling enough, we moved onto our mains, I decided on the 1/2 roasted natural chicken with frites, mustard jus and pickes, generous in portion and robust in flavor.
The Tandoori spiced halibut with lentils and cucumber raita was a tasty alternative to the chicken, and the Earth Bowls (options vary from vegan, shrimp, chicken, steak and salmon) are yet another satisfying choice.
Don't get me started on the desserts...the bread pudding is to die for.
It's the best when you can share in a food experience with food lovers, and amongst these, at my table it was great to meet Tiffany and see Elizabeth who I hung out with in Miami!
If you're looking for a lively spot to wine and dine with live music every night, be sure to check out the calendar at The Beat Hotel.
Thank you to The Beat Hotel for treating us to an incredible evening in Harvard Square.
All photographs ©Hogger & Co., processed with VSCO Film 04
Product: TILDA Basmati Rice
We have this joke about how I love me some rice. There's normal portions of rice and then my portion of rice (imagine, if you will, a pyramid).
It's ridiculous because it's TRUE.
And Tilda's Basmati is rice royalty. Fluffy, long-grained, and non-sticky.
I was ecstatic to collaborate with Tilda on their latest two minute rice packets.
I opened this one up right way and literally two minutes later, pilau (indian masala-spiced rice) was standing up to the other indian dishes on my plate, dishes that took way longer than two minutes, mind you!
If you've ever cooked rice on the stove or in a rice cooker, you know it doesn't take two minutes. And this is no Uncle Ben's two minute rice, this is gourmet, fluffy, long-grained, no-preservatives, BASMATI rice.
It's portioned to serve two (one, if you're talking about me).
I can't even tell you how pumped I am about this product. The other packets didn't last long enough to even try various recipes, I was just happy eating them as is.
And excellent addition to the pantry, well worth having, and so tasty, you may just start eating rice like me.
Recipes to try with Tilda's Steamed Rice Pilau: Tilapia Curry and Indian Style Beets.
TEA WITH: Ana + Alaina at Tatte
Location:
318 3rd St, Cambridge, MAI had the pleasure of having tea with these two lovelies recently, after a wonderful afternoon at this place.
Here we are at Tatte Bakery, one of the cutest bakeries in Kendall Square. A bakery that is not new to my Instagram feed!
As part of a new series, here I am having tea withAna and Alaina.
Vancouver: Nuba
Location:
207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
When Melanie recommends something (like best poutine in Montreal), she's right on the money. Nuba was no different.
Scrumptious down to the last swipe of hummus and I guarantee you, there was a final sweep of that hummus!
You can create your own juice combo from Orange, Lime, Apple, Beet, Ginger, Carrot, Celery or Grapefruit. Ours consisted of Apple, Ginger and Celery and was deeeelicious. I'm always a little wary of what is claimed to be "fresh juice" especially when it involves ginger which as you know, aids in digestion, sometimes a little too well, if you get my drift?
I digress.
Everything was fresh, the meat is halal, there are vegetarian options and vegan options, making the food a healthy alternative while still being incredibly filling and satisfying.
Yikes, my mouth is watering. Again.
Vancouver: Granville Island's Public Market
I love a good market. Vancouver's Granville Island's Public Market is ah.mah.zing. The only snag, not being able to buy fresh produce that I could actually take home. Hmm...although, I did buy the most insanely divine Ice Wine Chocolates from Rogers' Chocolates and beer from Granville Island Brewing Company (so my priorities may be questionable) BUT I must say, the beer served us well during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the public market....where the selection is vast and the freshness, out of bounds.
For lunch, I had fish and chips (obviously) from Celine's and I had to make a stop at the famous Lee's Donuts (as seen on tv) after which I parked myself at the Granville Island Tea Company with a pot of Earl Grey admist a crowd of market goers.
Come with me to smell the peonies, maneuver pyramids of fruit while oogling the abundance of fresh fish...
The Taj is fit for a Queen (aka Mother's Day)
By Queen, I mean, of course, MOM.
Although our reason for Afternoon Tea at the Taj recently were for a reason other than Mother's Day, I'm recommending this age-old custom to those of you looking for a Mother's Day outing.
Afternoon Tea has never been more elegant than at the French Room at the Taj in Boston. Located at the corner of Newbury St. and Arlington St, the Taj overlooks the beautiful (and especially lush at this time of the year) Boston Public Garden.
Once seated, service is gracious and attentive with beautiful live music wafting through the elegant high and chandeliered ceiling.
The Taj Royal is $38 and comes with finger sandwiches, canapes, tarts, scones, dipped strawberries, with clotted cream and lemon curd.
The tea selection ranges from white, green, black, oolong, herbal and chai, so there's definitely one for everyone. Reservations are recommended and be sure to wear your most floral clothes. We sure did.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Chicago: Giodarno's Deep Dish Pizza
Location:
730 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Pizza is definitely a weakness for me...I could eat it all day, son. All. day.
A deep dish pizza, I've never had though, and it's obviously the thing to do in Chicago.
While asking around for the BEST deep dish pizza joint, we were referred to Giordarno's FAMOUS deep dish.
Kate of
said that a deep dish 'za is like eating a lasagna...and she was correct.
This was LIGHT cheese, you guys.
LIGHT cheese.
Deep dish pizza is not for me, but I'm glad I tried it....see the left over cheese?
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Celebrate with tacos and margaritas!
Here's a round up of my fave taco places:
5 Napkin Burger (Miami), who knew a burger place could do fish tacos so well?
Linden Square's The Cottage in Wellesley, MA does a mean mahi taco
Border Cafe in Harvard Square, Boston
Dos Cominos in NYC
Atwoods Tavern, Boston, does a good fish taco!
And if you, like me, enjoy taco night at home, try this tilapia recipe for creating delish fish tacos!!
NEW: Little Nicky's Coffee
Location:
375 Queen St. W. Toronto
Open only 4 weeks now, Little Nicky's already seems to have a cult following of donut lovers.
Mini donuts, that is.
Made on a cute little mini assembly line.
Old-fashioned, little, powdery-sugar-and-cinnamon-covered deep fried goodness.
We love the retro, dinery vibe, and with Ray Charles playing in the background, "A.Mat" said it reminded her of The Cosby episode where the family performs Ray Charles' "Night Time is the Right Time". See video here.
One thing they might want to add to their menu however, is Earl Grey tea. Orange Pekoe (from Tealish) just won't cut it, even if IS loose-leaf and IS quite delish!
Still, with lovely iced lattes and happy little donuts Little Nicky's is already becoming a definite favourite at work this hot summer.