Category Archives: Dining

SoCo Creamery Lavender Honey Ice Cream

Posted on February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

My latest addiction comes from an ice cream company based in western Massachusetts called SoCo Creamery.

To be specific, I’m in love with their flavor: Lavender Honey.  According to their website they steep lavender flowers overnight in sweet cream. Then blend the lavender infused sweet cream into a light honey base.

The creamery also has other tempting flavors such as, Chai Spice – a spicy black tea blend churned into sweet cream and sprinkled with cardamom and ginger.  Tempted? You can check out their full range of flavors on their website. Locations that sell their tempting ice cream can be found here.

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Olive’s could reopen in days

Posted on February 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Adam over at Universal Hub reported yesterday that Todd English’s restaurant, Olive’s, should be opening any day. The signature restaurant in Charlestown closed back in the spring of 2010.

Let’s hope that Mr. English is correct and the updated restaurant will reclaim its former glory when it opens.  I enjoyed the rustic vibe and have more than a few fond memories of this 50-seat restaurant which first opened in April 1989 in a neighborhood very much in transition.

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Posted in Boston, Dining

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Fogo de Chao to open in Boston

Posted on February 10, 2012 | 4 comments

Que Ligao! Fogo de Chao is an authentic Brazilian steakhouse, which first opened in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The successful steakhouse has grown and now has nearly 20 locations in the US alone.

According to Adam over at Adam’s Hospitality and Tourism blog, the restaurant will soon be adding Boston as their newest location. Fogo de Chao will go into the space previously occupied by The Palm in Copley Square, which recently closed.

Look for an August / September opening.

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Posted in Back Bay, Boston, Dining

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South End Restaurant Gossip

Posted on February 7, 2012 | 3 comments

Changes are brewing in the South End, and for the most part they will appeal to all the Foodies out there.

First, as reported last week, The Aquitaine Group will soon open, Cinquecento, a mid-priced Italian restaurant. The new dining option will be in a completely remodeled space, formerly occupied by Rocca. Fingers crossed that “opening soon” means in the next month. I’ve  heard a March / April opening but maybe that’s just The Aquitaine Group’s way of playing coy.

The Chef and owner of Pops on Tremont Street, Felino Samson, is requesting to change ownership to Chef Scott Herritt, the current chef at the Grotto in Boston. Rumor has it the name of the restaurant will be Smithfield Kitchen.

Residents now know Brian Piccini (owner of Deuxave in the Back Bay and dbar in Dorchester) is opening a new steak house named Boston Chops in the space formerly occupied by banq and Ginger Park on Washington Street.  The 5,000+ square foot restaurant would also like to add a 29 seat patio for patrons to enjoy their dining al fresco. To this I say “Bravo” Brian.

 

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Dinner with Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m currently away celebrating Sergio’s birthday on the Atlantis Caribbean Cruise. While travelling I have no internet connection so I  thought I’d feature some of my favorite and most read posts from the past year. I’ll be back to active blogging when I return in February.

Originally Posted September 2011

Last week I was invited to join my friend at 40-something life blog for a dinner with Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci and France Posener, the winery’s East Coast Sales representative at one of Boston’s premiere restaurants, L’Espalier. I loved the Summer Degustation which we ordered. It included 4 savory courses, followed by their grand fromage, signature sorbet and dessert. All told the 6 plates each accompanied by a different wine took us approximately 5 hours to eat – if you’d like to read in more detail what we ate, please link to my friend Tracey’s blog, here.

However, I would like to write a bit about the dining experience, starting with the exceptional service and attention we received due to Michael Silacci’s presence. The chef and proprietor of L’Espalier, Frank McClelland came over to meet us personally and chatted briefly with France and Michael. After seeing so many raging chefs on these quasi-reality cooking shows, chef McClelland’s calm, polite demeanor was a welcome dose of reality. We were also well tended by the sommelier, Erich Schliebe, who poured a new wine with each course and freely joined in our ongoing dinner repartee. Lastly, the restaurant’s Captain, Daniel Floyd, provided us with the most attentive service I can recall in recent memory. I know this was all for the benefit of the well respected winemaker to my right, but I enjoyed being privy to the opportunity.

One of the reasons Michael and France were in Boston was to premier the Opus One 2008 vintage.  It was pretty cool to be among the first to try this new vintage.  They brought a bottle of the award winning 2007 and the new 2008 and poured both for us to try side-by-side.

Between courses and wine, conversation flowed easily from start to finish. Michael is quite interesting and is equally comfortable talking about subject matter completely unrelated to his areas of interest or expertise. He is an attentive listener and has a dry wit.  One of the things I really enjoyed learning about my dinner companion is that he’s allergic to chocolate – it causes him to sneeze.  He joked the better the chocolate the more he sneezes.  I was able to witness this reaction when dessert was served and it caused all of us to laugh (again).

Dinner was filled with both personal stories from each of us as well as some interesting insights into the Opus One winery. I started my dinner not knowing the two guests who were treating my friend and me to this decadent dinner but left with a deeper appreciation for the work and attention they bring to their wines as well as some interesting insights into what makes them tick.

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Pret a Manger

Posted on January 17, 2012 | 4 comments

If I am able to get out of the office when I’m in NYC I like to grab something that I can bring back with me that is at least moderately healthy.  Fortunately there is a chain in NYC called Pret a Manger, which happens to have a location across from my office and no shortage of healthy choices.

I have to admit that of all the sandwiches I’ve tried my favorite is the brie, basil and tomato baguette. The bread is always fresh and the combination of the creamy brie alongside the tomato and basil is delicious. Listed below are some pictures from my latest visit.  Feel free to click on the images to enlarge.

Something else I like about Pret a Manger is that they donate whatever food doesn’t sell at the end of the day to an area charity to help those who are hungry and to ensure you are only purchasing freshly made items.  If you need something to “grab and go” for breakfast or lunch and you are in NYC, Chicago or DC check out Pret a Manger.

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Posted in Dining, Restaurant Review

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Restaurant review: Metropolis Cafe

Posted on January 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Metropolis Cafe first opened in the South End in 1995 and is the first of what are several successful restaurants all owned and operated by The Aquitaine Group. Dinner for two including a shared appetizer, two main plates and shared dessert (not including drinks and tip) costs approximately $50-$60. Chef William “Billy” Nurse and the loyal and knowledgeable waitstaff provided a pleasurable dining experience.  Since we hadn’t been to Metropolis for dinner in nearly 5 years, we asked for and ordered some of their most popular plates.  We started with their green salad that came with two crispy crostini, toasted walnuts and a delicious Dijon vinaigrette ($7.95) as well as the roasted mushrooms ($7.95).  If you enjoy mushrooms, I really would suggest requesting extra bread, which the restaurant will happily bring to your table, and order the mushrooms.

For dinner we also ordered two of Metropolis’ favorite plates.  The salmon comes with a horseradish crust on the top which is surprisingly light and adds some great texture to the filet that sits on a bed of warm cucumbers and crème fraîche that really makes the dish sing ($18.95).  The chicken (may be the restaurant’s favorite plate) was seasoned and crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked.  The plate sits on a bed of oyster mushrooms and potato purée (19.95). Both dinners were more than satisfying in flavor and portion.Normally we refrain from ordering dessert but for the sake of “research” we opted to share something sweet to end what was a very savory meal.  Below is a photo of the chocolate pudding cake with vanilla ice cream ($7.95), which is served piping hot and best accompanied with a cup of the restaurant’s coffee.Metropolis Cafe 584 Tremont Street (617) 247-2931

Reservations are strongly recommended for this tiny Cafe on Tremont Street

Metropolis Café on Urbanspoon

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New restaurant to open in South End’s SoWa neighborhood

Posted on January 12, 2012 | 1 comment

MCSlimJB a Boston-based restaurant critic, tweeted that the Union Park Neighborhood Association was contacted by Deuxave / dbar owner with plans to open a steakhouse in the old Penny Savings building on Washington Street.

Back in August I listed this as a rumor that had been buzzing through the neighborhood in my post Dishing some South End gossip.  However, I thought Brian Piccini (owner of Deuxave and dbar) was unable to make this happen. There’s no word about what hurdles remain for this to happen or when the unnamed restaurant will open for business, but stay tuned.

Thanks to Adam and his hospitality blog for the tip.

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Posted in Dining, South End, SoWa

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$1 Legal’s Chowdah on January 11th

Posted on January 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Thanks to Adam who writes the Boston Hospitality and Tourism blog for letting us all know that one of Boston’s best known seafood restaurant chains, Legal Seafood’s, will be offering diners a cup of its famous clam chowder for $1 (with the purchase of an entree) tomorrow on January 11th in celebration of national soup month.

Legal’s Chowdah Day will also be celebrated online where on January 11th one can purchase a quart of chowder for $11. Legal Seafood’s award winning clam chowder has been served at every presidential inauguration since 1981.

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South End restaurant gossip: Jamie Bissonnette

Posted on November 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Boston Restaurant Talk blog is adding more fuel to the rumor mill that Columbus Cafe is closing shortly with their recent post from Wednesday, November 23rd.

On my walk by Columbus Cafe this morning to the South End’s newest coffee shop, Render Coffee, I saw the Columbus Cafe filled with brunch patrons.  While I would welcome another restaurant by Jamie Bissonnette (this would be his third in the South End neighborhood). I would be sorry to see Columbus Cafe — a solid cheap eats, casual restaurant — close its doors.

From Boston Restaurant Talk
“We had written about an upcoming breakfast and lunch spot from the chef and one of the owners of Coppa on Shawmut Avenue and Toro on Washington Street (both of which are in the South End), but have not been able to confirm where exactly the eatery may open. It was mentioned on the chat that the space where the Columbus Cafe currently resides might be where it opens, but no definitive word on whether this Columbus Avenue restaurant is even closing for sure (we had also written about their possible closure awhile back).”

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Addicted to MEM Tea Co. “Rose Scented” tea

Posted on October 29, 2011 | 1 comment

The South End Buttery first turned me on to a local tea company called MEM Tea Imports. I’m no connoisseur, but I do enjoy tea in the evening.  MEM specializes in high quality loose leaf teas for the food service industry, but Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe in Harvard Square sells their tea.

Last weekend when I went to watch some of the Head of the Charles Regatta down by Harvard, I made a quick stop in this gourmet shoppe and purchased MEM Tea Imports: Rose Scented blend which is one of MEM’s scented black teas.  I’ve been including wildflower honey with the tea which only enhances the smooth taste and heightens the fragrance.  If you’re not a tea drinker, I understand that this is probably of little interest, but if you enjoy tea, give this local company a try either at The South End Buttery or online at Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe and let me know what you think.

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Columbus Cafe future in question

Posted on October 25, 2011 | 1 comment

Rumors that Columbus Cafe was sold and would be closing at the end of November in recent months have been so pervasive that one could hear candid (albeit hushed conversations) every time you walked into the restaurant and bar so earlier this month I wrote about the pending close, bemoaning the loss of another great cheap eats in my October 14th post, Columbus Cafe to Close in November.

Imagine my surprise when I see Columbus Cafe issuing a GroupOn valid through early next year! Was the talk of a sale a gimmick? Did the sale fall through or has the place been sold and the new owners plan to retain the name of the popular neighborhood restaurant?

UPDATE: The riff between the owners of Columbus Cafe has escalated and without going into details my source maintains the property has been sold.

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Posted in Dining, South End

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Pops restaurant closes

Posted on October 18, 2011 | 2 comments

Boston Restaurant Talk is reporting the South End restaurant Pops on Tremont Street closed its doors over the weekend.

According to a source within the Boston media, Pops Restaurant on Tremont Street shut its doors over the weekend. A call placed to the eatery yesterday evening could not go through as no one was answering, and OpenTable is no longer taking reservations for the place.

I’m sorry to see the restaurant close it’s doors even if I’d stopped going. Earlier this year I wrote about my frustration with Pops in my post, Pops continues to lack consistency.  Hopefully the space will not remain vacant for long.

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Posted in Dining, South End

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Columbus Cafe to close in November

Posted on October 14, 2011 | 8 comments

Earlier this spring the South End Patch and local blogs reported that the Columbus Cafe had been put up for sale.  Although, I’ve not had a chance to talk to Jim Contreras, I learned this week that the unpretentious cheap eats restaurant, which has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can recall will close at the end of November.

I’ll be sorry to speak of Columbus Cafe in the past tense, as I’ve been a long time fan of the affordable comfort food and casual dining experience that this place has come to perfect.  The space will not remain vacant for long as I’ve been told a new owner will be opening a restaurant, presumably under a new name and with a new menu shortly after Columbus Cafe closes.

Want to check out Columbus Cafe before it closes its doors? You can find the restaurant in the South End at 535 Columbus Avenue – no reservations required.

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Posted in Dining, South End

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All about Pizza

Posted on October 8, 2011 | 3 comments

I felt compelled to write about The Boston Globe’s article, Boston’s best pizza eateries.   If I was only allowed to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would probably be pizza. Its basic ingredients – bread, cheese and tomatoes are some of my favorite foods.

The photo above I would classify as food porn.  Its a cheese pizza from Pizzeria Regina in the North End.  However, one of the things I absolutely love about pizza is its variety.  Chef and owner of Scampo at the Liberty hotel, Lydia Shire, makes a lobster pizza which is delicious (note: for some reason they cannot perfect this same pizza at her restaurant towne).   If you are interested in what aficionados have to say about the local pizza scene, check out The Boston Globe article.

What is your favorite place to order a pizza?  I don’t care where you live. I’ve eaten pizza everywhere; on the streets of Rome, Paris, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Sydney and Melbourne and many places in between.

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Posted in Boston, Dining

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