It's not every night you get to experience a traditional Nova Scotia Kitchen Party with a gourmet menu, cocktails with blue noses on them, fiddle music and square dancing under a tent on the Charles River with a sunset viewof the Boston skyline.
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
Miami: Fontainbleau Hotel: Hakkasan
Location:
4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach
http://www.hakkasan.com/miami/
You know when you're sunburned and so relaxed, that even though you want to get dressed up and go out, you really don't want to go too far?
That's when dining in one of the hotel's restaurants is the best idea, ever.
Hakkasan fit the bill. Although they were fully booked, they were gracious and got us a table after a short wait.
The dumplings were the highlight for sure. Incredibly moist, and with abundant flavor and texture, we held that as the standard. Alas the fish dish was not up to par. Am not a fan of bland steamed fish with sauce poured over it. The eggplant didn't have too much oomph and the fried rice was forgettable.
Redemption came in the form of chocolate (naturally) and won us over again. If you're staying at the Fontainbleau Hotel, I highly recommend dining there. If you're not, I wouldn't bother with the trek.
Miami: 5 Napkin Burger
Location:
455 Lincoln Road
Miami , FL 33139
http://5napkinburger.com/locations-menus/
Have you been to a 5 Napkin Burger? New York has the most number of them, and there's one in Boston's Back Bay, which I haven't visited, yet.
The one in Miami is stellar especially when you're looking for fish tacos in Miami and you'd think it would be easy to find. Not on Lincoln Road, it's not. So who woulda thought a joint with 'burger' in the title would serve fish tacos?
Well they do, and they do it well!
The only thing they don't do as well is their brownie sundae. Athough exceptional in size, the brownie bits were hard and not as moist and gooey as should be in a sundae.
Overall, a good meal. And next time I'll go for a burger!
Cambridge: Helmand
Location:
143 1st Street Cambridge, MA
Finally! Something tasty in this city!
I've never tried Afghan cuisine, but it certainly has very distinct flavours. Mint to coriander to pumpkin to cardamom. Curries and rices but crispy pastries and soft breads.
We ordered Bowlawni, the pastries filled with veggies, the Qoremay Ma-He, sea bass that's pan fried and sauteed, and served with rice. Absolutely delicious! The vegetarian special which includes baked pumpkin (out of this world!) eggplant, spinach, okra, and rice.
The cardamom cake (called "our cake" on their menu) is a must try. I make a cardamom cake, too, although this was much more moist and soaked in the essence. Mine is more of a tea cake (also a must try!)
It was also fairly busy even on a weeknight, but the service was still attentive and beyond wonderful.
I can't recommend this place more!
Boston: Union Oyster House
Location:
41 Union Street Boston, MA 02108
Yes, it's America's OLDEST restaurant (in terms of being open for continuous service), and was established in 1826.
1826!!
The recipes possibly date back as far as then, too. To a time when perhaps seasoning wasn't available, for the blandest of bland meals can be eaten here.
Good clam chowder, if the simple ingredients of cream, potatoes and bits of clam, could possibly be screwed up.
Potatoes tasted like dirt.
The asparagus and beans weren't cooked fully.
The biscuit barely saved my meal from being a total disaster. I even overheard someone complaining that his daughter ran out with an upset stomach from the scallops.
Shame on us for taking guests from out of town there.
Greece: Mykonos, Catari
Location:
Aghia Anna | Old Port, Mykonos Town 84600, Greece
What a delightful and delicious find! After our sunset meal, and some window shopping and exploring of the island, we searched for dinner. Coming upon Catari and it's adorable outdoor seating and pretty lights made it an easy choice for a pizza dinner. Enough of gyros and fries, I say. As everything else in Greece, it was pricey, but the service, atmosphere and chilli flakes from home-grown chillis on a delicious pizza pie made for a wonderful evening.
Greece: Athens, Petros Grill House
Location:
28 Kidathineon, Athens, Greece
After a long day of exploring first the Acropolis, then the Ancient Agora, then the theatre of Dionysus, it was time for: SOUVLAKI!!! YEAAAAH!!!
And beer. Bonus!
Greece: Athens, Tzitzikas kai Mermigas
Location:
Mitropoleos 12, Athens 10563, Greece
As soon as we arrived in Athens, we were starving and decided to check out the Plaka district. We asked a group of cops at the corner (we did wonder why there were cops hanging around in that area) for a recommendation of tasty and authentic fare that would be casual but not "fast food". They directed us around the corner and down a street. We were skeptical, and unsure if we'd know where it was, but then we found it easily as it was the only restaurant on a side street that had light spilling out onto the street, cheerful patrons and the delicious smell of seafood.
The BEST. I finally found the name and map to the restaurant, with a little bit of sleuthing on Google Maps! I don't know how to pronounce it, but if you're ever in the Syntagma Square area of Athens, GO THERE!
We had red wine, Mythos greek beer, a giant Greek Tzitzikas (just found out that it means salad) which is my favourite type of salad and a giant fried seafood basket.
Amazing service, and INCREDIBLE food!! Sigh..to eat those olives once again.
New York City: Dos Caminos
Location:
825 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Came highly recommended. Didn't know it was a chain. And for someone who spent more than 8 hours at the Met without eating anything, I was, to say the least, starving. The service was top knotch, and because we said we were incredibly hungry they brought out everything in literally 10 minutes.
The rice and beans were unlimited, and we (mostly me) had about 5-6 refills.
The fish dish was spicy just as I ordered, just wonderful. Ah, to have it once more.
MA: Priya Indian Cuisine
Location:
1270 Westford Street, Lowell, MA
Looking for amazing Indian food in Massachusetts? Look no further than Priya's.
Authentic north and south indian fare that's well priced and so delicious. We ordered half the things on the menu (some not pictured) and everything was excellent. Service, although friendly, is a bit slow. One of the tables beside us pre-ordered on the phone prior to coming in, which seemed like a good idea as they sat down after us but were eating well before us.
Still, a great place for indian food and big enough to host parties and functions. (Photos via underwater camera)
Provincetown, MA: Fanizzi's
Location:
539 Commercial Street Provincetown, MA
For the MLK long weekend, we decided to check out Cape Cod for the day. Yes, it was freezing, and yes, everything, save for a few shops, was closed. However, we were recommended Fanizzi's by the water and decided to grab dinner there before heading back.
We scored the best seat of the house, overlooking the water and the sunset.
The service was lovely and the place filled up quickly as the sun began to set.
We chose a dish of sea scallops n' pasta in marinara sauce and fish n' chips, both downed with beers. The coleslaw that came with the fish n' chips was to die for. It must have had some green apple or something, as it was both sweet and perfectly coleslaw-y. The bread basket arrived piping hot which is always welcome. We also had coffees and the molten lava chocolate cake, which took me well over my sugar quota for the day, but was totally worth it.
I can't recommend this place, enough. We'll be back this summer!
Boston: Border Cafe
Location:
32 Church St., Cambridge, MA
Appearing as though it's the red light district of Harvard Square, this Border Cafe in Cambridge is loud, crowded and welcoming.
The margaritas were STRONG, the nachos crispy and the Cajun/Mexican mains absolutely delicious. Each of us in our party of five enjoyed our round-table meal.
I even spilled a drink on my brother in law.
If you can't have a good time here, there is no hope for thou.
Boston: Temazcal Cantina
Location:
250 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA
www.temazcalcantina.com
We went to Temazcal to celebrate my BIL's birthday.
It was one of those early Fall September days, so the rain was coming down, and it was a Friday so we did get caught in rush-hour traffic.
On top of this, a few things to note:
Temazcal doesn't take reservations.
They have valet parking which is $20 (!) but you get it validated by the restaurant so it's actually $16 (!). (There will be much usage of exclamation points in this post).
We had to wait at the bar for our table, which was to be about a 45 minute wait. (!)
We had a round of cocktails - the mojitos were served in these giant glasses, with the thick rim, you know the kind, when the rim of the glass fills your whole mouth as though you won't be able to get a sip to drink? And the entire drink had far too much ice for enjoyment.
Then we were seated and given iPAD menus!
My BIL mentioned how unhygienic something like that would be to use - but then again, so are paper/laminated menus as well. They say menus are the filthiest of all.
But I digress.
The light emanating from the iPads were incredible - all of our faces were highlighted in a blue glow, but as soon as we'd all ordered and the iPads were taken away, it was as if someone had turned off a light. We were left to make conversation with ourselves, without the entertainment of swiping through the menu.
The view from the restaurant is quite lovely, and I must say the interior is really nice. Watch out for the slippery floors though - not a friend of a lady and her heels!
Beside us, a table was served with an ENTIRE PIG (LECHON ASADO)! Gross to the vegetarians of the table (and although I don't eat chicken anymore, but do eat bacon - don't ask - I was also not happy to catch the visual).
For the table we ordered the "GUACOMOLE DE LA MIXETA" which doesn't come with chips by the by. Is this not weird to anyone? We then had to order a couple of chip plates.
The guac was AMAH-ZING. And very filling.
I ordered the HUACHINANGO A LA VERACRUZANA (red snapper with plantain mash). It was incredible; the portion was huge and the entire thing was absolutely delicious.
My Mom got the POLLA A LA PERILLA MEXICANA which she loved (surprising, as she's very hard to please)!
Unfortunately those were the only dishes at the table that were good.
This is also largely due to the fact that 98% of the menu is non-veg, and although on the phone they said they'd be able to make any dish veg, our server didn't think so. Thus, the only real veg option was the ENCHILADAS VERDES, which was not a huge hit; the BIL especially did not like it.
The QUESADILLA BOLILlOS (chicken) were average.
The MOLE PABLANO (chicken mole) was served alone without any side of rice or anything. Hard to eat that much mexican chocolate without any carbs, you know what I mean?
Our server, however, was good, and tried his best to accommodate our dietary restrictions as much as he could.
Still, most of the group, aside from me and my happy red snapper, felt like their meals were a huge rip-off in the end. Fancy Mexican is apparently not for this family. Maybe we're just happy with our version of Mexican dinners, with our Uncle Bens Spanish rice and refried beans.
OLE!