Stephi's on Tremont

I joined my husband on the day before Thanksgiving for lunch in the South End. I ordered Corey's French Onion Panini (shaved prime rib, melted swiss cheese, mustard aioli and sherry braised onions on sourdough, served with onion soup dip and french fries) and my husband ordered the Pan Roasted New England Cod over sweet corn and smokey bacon chowder and herb roasted potatoes, topped with buttermilk onion strings.

The food was all good! The prime rib in the sandwich was yummy, the bread was fresh and toasted perfectly and the fries were crispy and fresh.

My husband's sweet corn and smokey bacon chowder was SO perfect. It was think and creamy with just the right touch of smokey bacon. The cod was perfectly cooked over tender roasted potatoes.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was comfortable and relaxed. The service was okay, but my husband would have been happier if his coffee cup had been refilled a little more frequently.

All in all, a lovely date at a lovely little spot.

Visit them at:  http://stephisontremont.com/

Modern Pastry...Yum!!!!!

After an average lunch in the North End of Boston, we stood in line to get into Modern Pastry. This is a Boston institution that's been around for over 70 years. I've been wanting to see what all the buzz was about and this was my chance. I'd heard about their sfagliatelle and their torrone from a few places. Well, my husband and I, after standing in line for about 20 minutes, walked out of there with one torrone, one sfagliatelle, one piece of carrot cake, one piece of tiramisu, one red velvet cupcake, one whoopie pie, one black and white cookie (moon pie) and one gigantic peanut butter cup.

So far, the sfagliatelle, the torrone, the red velvet cupcake and the whoopie pie are all DELICIOUS! Sfagliatelle is this yummy lemon custard surrounded by an amazing concoction of endless layers of paper thin dough...almost like filo. So unusual and delicious.

The first thing I noticed is that their red velvet cupcake is very big. The cream cheese frosting is spot on and the cake is light and moist and everything you want in a cupcake.

The torrone was a surprise to me. Honestly, I didn't think I would like it. I thought it would be hard and gummy, but it's soft and chewy like nougat. It's loaded with almonds and surrounded by chocolate. They come in many flavors, but I got a simple vanilla one with almonds and chocolate. I'll get that again; so sweet and so fabulous!

And I have to admit, they did the whoopie pie proud. The filling is spot on for a perfect whoopie pie....not whipped cream, but the thick, sweet frosting made from shortening that I love. The cake was a little dry, though.

I have more to taste tomorrow so stay tuned!

http://www.modernpastry.com/

Piccola Venezia Boston...just so so....

My husband and I ventured in to Boston's North End this afternoon for a lunch date. We wandered down Hanover Street until we found a place that wasn't expensive, but looked decent. This was Piccola Venezia. The prices were unbeatable with entrees running about $9.00. We started with arancini which were advertised as rice balls with meat and fontina cheese. They were okay. The portions were generous, but they were kind of bland. The crispy coating was too hard for my liking although my husband liked it. The fontina was good, but the meat tasted like nothing really.

My husband had a cappuccino that he really liked. The steamed milk was billowing over the top of the cup like a marshmallow and it had sugar and cocoa sprinkled on top.

For lunch I ordered the gnocchi with meat sauce while my husband had chicken marsala. The portions were huge, but the food was, well, average. The chicken was a little overcooked and the whole plate of marsala with spaghetti was pretty gray. My gnocchi was about as good as you can get from the frozen food department at the grocery store and the sauce was pretty basic. Maybe just a little step about Ragu.

Despite all that, we were very happy. Our location was perfect for people watching because they put us right in the window seat. The day was beautiful and we were happy to be out and about in Boston.

Do I recommend this restaurant for a great meal; absolutely not. Do I recommend this restaurant for anything at all; probably not. But we were looking for a reasonably priced lunch in the North End and we got it.

Visit them at:  http://www.piccolaveneziaboston.com/

Bertucci's lunch...it was okay, but it's a chain so....

Went to Bertucci's with the family for lunch today. It was okay. I suppose that's all I could expect from a chain, but usually I am pretty happy with Bertucci's. The restaurant was very quiet for a Saturday at 12:30. That didn't bode well for our rolls which were cold and hard. Seemed like they were leftover from yesterday. Ugh!

We asked for new ones and those were slightly warmer and slightly more fresh, but still not the piping hot, soft rolls we usually get there. Oh well.

We ordered two appetizers: the Mozzarella Fritta and the Artichoke Fonduta. I have to say that these were both excellent. The mozzarella was hot and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. The Artichoke Fonduta was surprisingly delicious with the tang of the artichoke throughout the dip. The pita crisps that it came with were nice and crunchy and had some sort of seasoning on them that gave them a little kick. By the way, the Fonduta had a little kick in it as well.

We then got salad for the table which came with my husband's lunch. So, needless to say, after eating a roll, some mozzarella, about 3/4's of the Fonduta with pita crisps and a bit of salad, I had not room left for the lasagna that I shouldn't have ordered. In fact, it's in my refrigerator waiting to become my lunch tomorrow.

My daughter loved her Fettuccine Alfredo with asparagus and chicken. My husband had Chicken Piccata and said that his chicken was overcooked and dry. My stepson had the Rigatoni Abruzzi and, well, he didn't say much about it and he did not take home the leftovers. You decide how well he liked it. My other daughter ordered a child's meal, ate the chicken and left the pasta.

So, as I said, it was okay.

The Carnegie Deli...still the Best Cheesecake!

Took my daughter to NYC last weekend to do some sight seeing and spend some time together. We met up with some friends of mine on Saturday evening and had dinner at the iconic Carnegie Deli at 854 7th Avenue at 55th Street.

My daughter and I shared the Prime Brisket of Beef Pot Roast with potato pancake and vegetables. We shared because the meals are HUGE! The pot roast was nice and tender and came with a delicious brown gravy. The potato pancake was thick and dense and, frankly, kind of tasteless and bland. The vegetables were steamed and, well, just vegetables.

My friends shared an equally HUGE Reuben which they said they enjoyed very much. What I saw when their plate arrived was a mountain of corned beef covered by a layer of swiss cheese. Apparently the rest of the components of a Reuben were buried underneath.

The piece de resistance, however, was and always is, the cheesecake. We ordered one simple cheesecake with strawberries. It was also HUGE. Actually, we divided it up among five people and we were all quite satisfied with how much we got. The Carnegie Deli cheesecake is the SMOOTHIEST, CREAMIEST cheesecake on the planet...bar none. The strawberries were sweet and plump and perfect on the top.

I have loved the Carnegie Deli since I first went there back in 1993. They did not disappoint me this time either.

Visit them at: http://www.carnegiedeli.com/home.php

La Boniche in Lowell MA

My husband wanted to try something new today so we dug up La Boniche in Lowell. It turned out to be a great choice! Along a major street in Lowell, it looked rather unassuming and empty when we got there. Not a good sign, right? Well, about 5 minutes after we sat down, at least 3 other parties showed up.....although my husband liked having the whole restaurant to ourselves, I remarked that more people was generally a good indication when it came to restaurants.

I started out with the Spicy Black Bean Soup and my husband had the Kale, Corn and Vegetable soup special. The black bean soup was a nice thick cup of beans with just the right amount of heat. Topped with some sour cream to cut the heat a bit, it was really perfect. My husband's soup was light and summery with a distinct tang that almost seemed vinegary (but in a good way if you can imagine it). The vegetables were all fresh and all at the appropriate done-ness...very important with potatoes.

My entree was the Spicy Coconut Salmon and my hubby opted for the trout special. The salmon was nice and crispy brown on the outside and perfectly cooked through, but not overdone on the inside. It set atop a crispy Risotto Cake that was pretty darn good. The risotto was slightly aldente and the crisp was really a crisp. On top of that was julienne'd vegetables that were also cooked perfectly. The whole thing was surrounded by a mild coconut sauce that had a bit of heat to it. Very mild heat and coconut, but the flavor was there, nonetheless.

My husband's trout came with garlic mushrooms and some potato wedges underneath. He loved his as well.

We shared a dessert of key lime cheesecake with a mango sauce on top. The cheesecake made my mouth pucker as it should with key lines and it was probably the creamiest cheesecake I have EVER had...and I've had many. Really yummy finish to the meal. My husband also remarked that his coffee was super strong just the way he likes it.
Visit them at:  http://www.laboniche.com/

Our waiter was informative and friendly, but not annoying....actually quite perfect.

I was really pleasantly surprised. It's a little tough to find decent restaurants in the suburbs around Boston, but this is a winner. We'll be back for sure!

Queen City Cupcakes...wow!

Queen City Cupcakes, a little known and very new cupcake shop in downtown Manchester, NH, seems to be taking the local area by storm. I hear they've only been open since May 2011 and already their reputation is serving them well.

My daughters and I went this morning (a Saturday in August). Actually, I had to drag my daughters out the door because I had the last minute idea of trying to get a cupcake from Queen City before they ran out (which they do every day in very short time). They open at 11:30 and stay open until they're out which can be anywhere from 1.5 hours to 4 or so hours.

When we got there, the line was out the door, down the block and around the corner. I wasn't sure what our chances would be of getting anything, but there were still plenty when we got in.

Their flavors change each day and today we had 10 choices (which I think is pretty standard): Pink Lemonade, Mounds, M&M, Vanilla Bean, Black and White, Chocolate, PB Cup, White Rocky Road, Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake and Drumstick (their version of the frozen treat).

Well, we had to take one of each and then we grabbed another Vanilla Bean and another Pink Lemonade to make a dozen. The only one we've tried so far is the Pink Lemonade, but I would call it a success.

The cake is moist and tangy and the frosting is really yummy...just the right mix of sweet and citrus to make your mouth pucker a little. The frosting is creamy and smooth. My daughters and I shared two of these and we were very full!

Our task for this evening is to split up some of the others and try them after dinner. Since they only use fresh ingredients and no preservatives, we'll have to figure out how to eat the other 10 pretty quickly.

One caution: they are not shy about their prices with each cupcake running $3.50 and a dozen costing $37.50. My husband is probably going to shoot me when he finds out I spent that much on cupcakes, but I figured it was a rare occasion so I went for it.

I see this place getting more busy and harder to get into as time goes by. Glad I had the chance to get in there at least once.

I heard they sold out in an hour and 15 minutes this morning. That's crazy! And, by the way, my daughters really enjoyed themselves. Very cool experience for us all.

Visit them at:  http://www.qccupcakes.com/

Pizzeria Regina - A Boston area institution!

Now I know what you're thinking; a food blogger is going to write about Pizzeria Regina? Well, I'm here to tell you that Pizzeria Regina has the best New York Style pizza around the Boston area. They've been around since 1926 and they're still going strong.

After a day of shopping at the mall, a bite of that thin crust with just the right amount of cheese and sauce really hits the spot. I LOVE their cheese pizza and I love their sausage pizza. There is so much sausage on the sausage pizza that you an barely see the cheese underneath. The sausage is chunky rather than sliced which I love too. And the slices are ENORMOUS!!!

In my opinion they're better than Pizzeria Uno, Sal's, Pizza Hut, Sbarro, Domino's, Papa John's or any other pizza chain around here....that is if you like the thin crust of a NY style pizza.

Chihuly, Masa and more

Went to see the Dale Chihuly exhibit at MFA in Boston last Saturday with my hubby, mom and stepdad. I love Chihuly...have loved him ever since I lived out in the Northwest. I was thrilled to hear that his stuff would be in Boston. We went the last weekend of the show which has been going since April. The place was MOBBED first thing on Saturday morning, but we got in pretty quickly thanks to my mom and stepdad's memberships.

I liked the exhibit even better than I liked the Chihuly museum in Tacoma and that's saying something. The only disappointment besides the crowds was the fact that much of the glass was covered with dust...makes sense, but definitely detracted from the brightness of the pieces.

Then took mom and Don to eat brunch at Masa in the South End. The plaintain empanada was SO GOOD! Imagine biting into a nicely fried empanada (the dough was orange and I still need to find out what made the dough orange) and tasting thick, starchy, sweet yet tangy plaintain. It was SOOO good!

Then I had an Eggs Benedict like no other Eggs Benedict I've ever had. The Hollandaise had some heat in it, but it wasn't overpowering...just right. Instead of bacon under the eggs, there was guacamole!!! Can you believe it? What a nice creamy taste to bite into after tasting the heat from the Hollandaise sauce. And then, instead of English Muffins, there were flaky, buttery biscuits under it all. So good!!!! I am in love with that Eggs Benedict...so much so that I doubt I'll be able to eat it the traditional way ever again. Thank you Masa for giving me so many punchy, sauces, layers of heat, and amazing flavors.

The weather was perfect, the museum was lovely. Our company and our brunch were a perfect way to top off the day which was, by the way, a long overdue Christmas present for my mom and stepdad. We decided that we should make Christmas in August an annual event from here forward.

Visit them at:  http://www.masarestaurant.com/boston/index.html