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