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!)
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!
Location:
545 Washington Street
Boston, MA
I didn't know Salvatore's was all over this city, but I'm excited about this prospect, as I've found some mighty tasty Neapolitan style 'za in Beantown, so that means I can find a it whenever I want.
Lovely and attentive service, and the best eggplant parmesan the three of us have ever had (and that's coming from two parmesan conoisseurs!)
Photo via my Instagram feed.
I'm always up for brunch. Seriously. (Call me.)
So I was really excited when I was invited to join a media brunch at The Cottage at Linden Square.
The trek up to Wellesley was worth it, to say the least.
And it was nice to meet up with several other bloggers (Honest Mom, Boston Fashionista, Suzette from Wellesley Media and of course Beerhogger was also in attendance). We all met Caitlin who organized the brunch.
There was a bevy of magnificent dishes from fried calamari, "Cottage" nachos, ahi tuna nachos, fish tacos, crab melts, stuffed avacadoes to desserts of chocolate cakes, cheese cakes and fruity sorbets.
Afterward, with arms laden with The Cottage's famous granola (a must-try, the crunchy medley is madly addictive!), gift certificates to Sara Campbell, Belle Sante salon and side walk sales taking place all over Linden Square I knew where I was headed to, next!
Beerhogger's review of what we coined "breakfast" beers, is coming soon!
Location:
Perissa Beach, Santorini
The ocean combined with time in the sun never fails to cause the biggest rumbling stomach, wouldn't you agree?
Souvlakis and beers all around, I say!
And while it certainly wasn't the best souvlaki in town, being right by the beach having a cold beer is more than one could ask for.
Location:
Famprika Shopping Center, Fira, Santorini, Greece
Many of the restaurants on the tourist-heavy Fira (in Santorini) were packed with diners trying to get a good "sea-view". We finally settled on "To Ouzeri" minus the view because it wasn't overly crowded. I've often said this is a bad sign but didn't heed my own advice here, as the menu looked interesting.
We wanted to try some of the unique items on the menu, Tomato Fritters, Stuffed Zuchini and the fried Calamari that was full of promise.
The service was really slow as it seemed that only a couple of people were running the whole show, and since we weren't in a rush, this wasn't an issue.
The worst part however, was the taste of the food. The stuffed zuchini looked appealing, however the zuchini itself was soft in the center and even had that spoiled taste. The tomato fritters were bland and greasy, as was the fried calamari (the biggest we'd ever seen). Everything was rather mediocre. They do have a blog with the recipe for the tomato fritters, so I'm going to try making them myself.
Our server even asked us how we enjoyed our meal, to which we had a lacklustre response. She was surprised. And with some rave reviews on TripAdvisor, I'm surprised too.
After seeing the entire Ancient Agora, it was time for lunch! We wanted a cafe that wasn't touristy. Alas, they all were, so in the end, we came back to this one because the view could not be beat.
The name of it? Anyone read Greek? Let me know. The service was quick and efficient and the iced coffee was heavenly after the longest walk. The baklava? Tell me you don't want a bit of that, right now?
Location:
20 Spring Street, New York, NY
We celebrated N's cousin's birthday with her friend at Bread in Soho. Great venue for brunch and, well, bread.
A very cosy spot that was fully jam packed. The service was excellent as were all the dishes. They even threw in a tiramisu cake on the house.
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)
Location:
564 Tremont St, Boston, MA
Everyone talks about the South End, so we made it there this past Sunday - it was cold you guys, and everything was closed! Why do they do that? Made it to Francesca's Cafe in a frozen state and thawed out nicely with a hot chocolate, tea and a tuna melt (apty named for this occasion). Oh, a pretty cupcake made the cut, too.
Location:
26 Park Plaza, Boston, MA
Everyone said to go, so we finally went.
With our fish eating friends from New York.
They know good eats, so it was fun to try a variety from the menu: Oysters, New England Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Signature Crab Cake, Lobster Roll, Fish n' Chips and the Wood Grilled Assortment.
Although it seemed like forever for our food to arrive, reaaaaally forever, when it finally showed up, we were all really happy with each dish. It was totally worth the wait! I even tried a bit of the cream-based soups and marvelled at the scrumptiousness of them. Definitely hands down the BEST sea food I've ever had! And our friends agreed!
With their:
"If it isn't fresh, it isn't legal"
slogan spanning more than 60 years now, Legal means business and they're open for it; I highly recommend giving it a try if you're looking to try sea food or are a sea food fanatic!
Location:
900 Boylston Street
Boston
towneboston.com/
I had a lunch date with fellow Boston Blogger Style'N at Towne earlier this week. I didn't realize until I saw the building again that it was the same place I'd spotted one evening in the myriad of street lights, after shopping at the Prudential and thinking, what is that place, I want to go to there.
Huge and cosy interior. Friendly, unintrusive staff. Really tasty meal.
I had the daily pasta - rock shrimp in a red sauce.
Style'N had the cheese & bacon sandwich with tomato bisque.
After the disaster at Kashmir (review coming soon), this was a welcome change.
Location:
428 Clarence Street, London
www.rajafinedining.ca
Had a family anniversary celebration here. The space is up-scale and elegant and nicely done up for large groups, such as us.
The service on the other hand, could use some tweaking. Although it wasn't busy, our server took a while to come over. Then he failed to correctly explain the lunch specials to us so that when we ended up ordering the lunch specials, thinking they were smaller dinner portions, we were surprised to find they really couldn't be shared at all as there was barely enough for one!
Only then were we told that the lunch specials were "individual" portions not to be shared and that each special came with a side of rice, chick pea curry and salad. Something we wouldn't have ordered had we understood the server. They were also overly intrusive with the "How are you enjoying your meal?", "Can I take this away?" stuff.
As it is, I'm sure you'll agree it's the most annoying thing EVER, to have a server ask how your meal is WHILST your mouth is full of your very FIRST bite, forcing you to respond..."ITSFSFIIEN".
The papad chutneys were beautifully arranged.
The onion bhajis were lovely.
The side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.
I disliked that all the meat dishes were served with side salads, as well. I find it so unappealing when Indian restaurants do that. Pickled carrots and onions are much more appropriate and flavourful when eaten together.
Variety of naans and breads.
The other curries (not part of the lunch special)
Altogether, the flavours were good, but the portions were far too small for the cost of them ($15-20) and the service could be better.