pizza, pasta, cake, pie, rolls
fries, can't forget those!
Anything and everything about food! Please use the search bar in the upper left hand corner to find a specific topic/recipe/restaurant. Thank you. :) Please click on Lucy and Ethel below and 'like' me on Facebook! Gracias!
Food is awesome!
Food is awesome! (photos on this blog are borrowed from the interweb, friends, and/or are personal shots)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Because I Heart Carbs!
Wheat, rye, sourdough
pizza, pasta, cake, pie, rolls
fries, can't forget those!
pizza, pasta, cake, pie, rolls
fries, can't forget those!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sweet Cheeks Q, Fenway
The other afternoon, a great friend of mine and I had ourselves a fun, girly day. It was fabulous. We started off at Bloomingdale's in the Chestnut Hill Mall at the Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Department. Sarah, a sweet and talented makeup artist used her magic on our faces. She also gave us some great application advice and had tons of knowledge about the products in general. This was the first time I've had my makeup done by a professional. It was so not as intimidating as I had imagined. It was actually quite nice. The other artists were so down to earth, not pushy to purchase items, and overall cool to be around. Very pleasant experience and we both looked fantastic after.
Feeling pretty, we found ourselves in a late lunch/early dinner predicament We called several restaurants in the area and they were all closed for lunch at 3pm and would not open for dinner until 5pm. What!!! We were starving. Well at least I was. After some serious thought (LOL), we decided to wait it out and head towards Fenway. We ran out of errands to do and it was sooo windy on Boylston Street, we decided to head to Sweet Cheeks Q to hang at the bar until the kitchen re-opened.
The bartender was super cool and friendly but not in an annoying manner. I didn't catch her name, though. She offered mi amiga a sample of a mixed drink to try before ordering. Which was good because my friend did not likey. I decided on a tea/lemonadey, tequila, fresh mint and lemon, maple syrupy with some other alcohol added, kinda concoction. OMG. Strong! But tasty. (Sorry, the Sweet Cheeks website does not list the drink menu as far as I can see and I surely can not remember every ingredient in the cocktails.) My second libation which I enjoyed with my dinner was called a Heartless Jezebel. It was made with Prichard's Cranberry Rum, Sailor Jerry, triple sec, Clear Creek Cranberry liqueur, and orange juice. Thanks to boozieinboston.com for publishing the recipe. Very sweet, fruity and delish. It paired well with my dinner. The bar offers a million kinds of rum, tequila, beer, wine and several awesome sounding drinks.
We sat for dinner right at 5pm and had a freaking awesome waiter named Jeffrey. He was knowledgeable about the menu and put up with our million questions about everything on it while smiling and joking and giving us his honest opinion on the food. I really can't say enough about the service. From the dude pouring water, to the runners, to the waiters, and the bartenders. Terrific.
Right away, we put in order in for the bucket o' biscuits (4) with honey butter. Now as you know I LOVE me some carbs; especially in the form of a buttery, ginormous, warm, crumbly, buttermilk biscuit accompanied by excess sweet butter to lather on. OH MY GOD! My new favorite carbohydrate. Period. So we devoured one heavenly biscuit, each. And it was difficult not to indulge in the second. But I knew the feast I ordered would soon arrive. After hitting the Dolly Parton themed bathroom, I arrived back to my seat to find a brand new Heartless Jezebel. Short story is the bartender misunderstood our server and SCORE I got a free drink.
Our meals soon arrived which consisted of pulled natural chicken, broccoli cheese casserole, farm fresh salad which was crunchy, chopped brussels sprouts and other tasty greens, and halved red grapes in a light vinaigrette dressing, sliced pickles and onions, and a couple of pieces of white bread to make a sangie if you choose to. And one rib for my buddy. My tray option consisted of Pineland Farm short ribs, and two hot scoops, one mac n' cheese and one collard greens. And the thinly sliced pickles which I could have eaten a huge bowl of, pieces of onion, white bread and one extra rib for me, too. For some reason I was blessed with the salad, as well. Bonus. The short ribs were tender, smoky in a good way, but a bit salty. Their signature BBQ sauce was sweet but also had a bit of a tangy kick to it. A hot yellow/green like sauce and vinegar was also at every table All the meat is served dry for the customer to sauce up. The Berkshire pork rib was seasoned just right and came right off the bone. I could not get enough of the Ritz cracker topped mac n' cheese. MMM! The greens were cooked perfectly and oh so yummy. Both were served in cool, little, speckled, blue tin mugs. My pal thoroughly enjoyed her chicken and salad and rib but didn't totally love the broccoli cheese casserole.
For dessert, because I HAVE to get one every time. HA! I decided on the chocolate chip, pecan hand pie. Never again. I should have listened to Jeffrey and ordered the butterscotch pudding but I was so wanting a hint of chocolate. BOO. It stunk! It reminded me of a fancy pop tart. UCK!
But! I totally recommend and will be going back to Sweet Cheeks Q very soon with my man. He is lucky that the portions are on the larger side and that I tend to eat like a little bird. Haha. He gets a lil' nibble before the real thing. Jeffrey packaged everything in separate boxes and even gave me some barbecue sauce to go. He was awesome. Brisket, pork belly, hush puppies, and fried green tomatoes are just some of the other options on the down home Texas style BBQ menu. I will totally be sampling the blackeyed peas next time. The restaurant is wide open with a Lone Star/barn type appeal. Group seating allows for more patrons and the bar is small but fun to chill at. The atmosphere is laid back, loud and busy. And the prices aren't too crazy for the amount of food you are served. It would have been kinda cool to meet Tiffani, the chick from the actual show, Top Chef. Maybe next time. If you enjoy authentic BBQ and the staple fixings, get your butt to Sweet Cheeks Q asap! (photo below courtesy of my amiga que linda)
Feeling pretty, we found ourselves in a late lunch/early dinner predicament We called several restaurants in the area and they were all closed for lunch at 3pm and would not open for dinner until 5pm. What!!! We were starving. Well at least I was. After some serious thought (LOL), we decided to wait it out and head towards Fenway. We ran out of errands to do and it was sooo windy on Boylston Street, we decided to head to Sweet Cheeks Q to hang at the bar until the kitchen re-opened.
The bartender was super cool and friendly but not in an annoying manner. I didn't catch her name, though. She offered mi amiga a sample of a mixed drink to try before ordering. Which was good because my friend did not likey. I decided on a tea/lemonadey, tequila, fresh mint and lemon, maple syrupy with some other alcohol added, kinda concoction. OMG. Strong! But tasty. (Sorry, the Sweet Cheeks website does not list the drink menu as far as I can see and I surely can not remember every ingredient in the cocktails.) My second libation which I enjoyed with my dinner was called a Heartless Jezebel. It was made with Prichard's Cranberry Rum, Sailor Jerry, triple sec, Clear Creek Cranberry liqueur, and orange juice. Thanks to boozieinboston.com for publishing the recipe. Very sweet, fruity and delish. It paired well with my dinner. The bar offers a million kinds of rum, tequila, beer, wine and several awesome sounding drinks.
We sat for dinner right at 5pm and had a freaking awesome waiter named Jeffrey. He was knowledgeable about the menu and put up with our million questions about everything on it while smiling and joking and giving us his honest opinion on the food. I really can't say enough about the service. From the dude pouring water, to the runners, to the waiters, and the bartenders. Terrific.
Right away, we put in order in for the bucket o' biscuits (4) with honey butter. Now as you know I LOVE me some carbs; especially in the form of a buttery, ginormous, warm, crumbly, buttermilk biscuit accompanied by excess sweet butter to lather on. OH MY GOD! My new favorite carbohydrate. Period. So we devoured one heavenly biscuit, each. And it was difficult not to indulge in the second. But I knew the feast I ordered would soon arrive. After hitting the Dolly Parton themed bathroom, I arrived back to my seat to find a brand new Heartless Jezebel. Short story is the bartender misunderstood our server and SCORE I got a free drink.
Our meals soon arrived which consisted of pulled natural chicken, broccoli cheese casserole, farm fresh salad which was crunchy, chopped brussels sprouts and other tasty greens, and halved red grapes in a light vinaigrette dressing, sliced pickles and onions, and a couple of pieces of white bread to make a sangie if you choose to. And one rib for my buddy. My tray option consisted of Pineland Farm short ribs, and two hot scoops, one mac n' cheese and one collard greens. And the thinly sliced pickles which I could have eaten a huge bowl of, pieces of onion, white bread and one extra rib for me, too. For some reason I was blessed with the salad, as well. Bonus. The short ribs were tender, smoky in a good way, but a bit salty. Their signature BBQ sauce was sweet but also had a bit of a tangy kick to it. A hot yellow/green like sauce and vinegar was also at every table All the meat is served dry for the customer to sauce up. The Berkshire pork rib was seasoned just right and came right off the bone. I could not get enough of the Ritz cracker topped mac n' cheese. MMM! The greens were cooked perfectly and oh so yummy. Both were served in cool, little, speckled, blue tin mugs. My pal thoroughly enjoyed her chicken and salad and rib but didn't totally love the broccoli cheese casserole.
For dessert, because I HAVE to get one every time. HA! I decided on the chocolate chip, pecan hand pie. Never again. I should have listened to Jeffrey and ordered the butterscotch pudding but I was so wanting a hint of chocolate. BOO. It stunk! It reminded me of a fancy pop tart. UCK!
But! I totally recommend and will be going back to Sweet Cheeks Q very soon with my man. He is lucky that the portions are on the larger side and that I tend to eat like a little bird. Haha. He gets a lil' nibble before the real thing. Jeffrey packaged everything in separate boxes and even gave me some barbecue sauce to go. He was awesome. Brisket, pork belly, hush puppies, and fried green tomatoes are just some of the other options on the down home Texas style BBQ menu. I will totally be sampling the blackeyed peas next time. The restaurant is wide open with a Lone Star/barn type appeal. Group seating allows for more patrons and the bar is small but fun to chill at. The atmosphere is laid back, loud and busy. And the prices aren't too crazy for the amount of food you are served. It would have been kinda cool to meet Tiffani, the chick from the actual show, Top Chef. Maybe next time. If you enjoy authentic BBQ and the staple fixings, get your butt to Sweet Cheeks Q asap! (photo below courtesy of my amiga que linda)
Friday, February 17, 2012
Cumpleaños de mi Madre!
The other evening, my family and I went to P.F. Chang's at the CambridgeSide Galleria to enjoy a birthday feast in celebration of my mother's birthday. Our (my mother, brother, and my) tradition FOREVER has been that the lucky person celebrating a birthday gets to choose a dinner of their choice. This year, my ma chose PF Chang's.
The restaurant was DEAD so we had a roomy seating arrangement and time to chill while chit chatting. Our servers were friendly and efficient. The team approach to service is the only way to go, in my opinion. It just makes sense. This China Bistro is not one of my faves but it wasn't my birthday. Now was it? I hear tons of comments from my loving family just like the previous. Feel the love? Ha! And it's not like I totally hate the food. It's just not my cup of tea. Chinese cuisine is not at the top of my list. Fo sho. And the hubs and others LOVE it and I am all whatevs.
No worries. I managed to force down a couple chicken lettuce wraps with their signature sauce, a tasty and very messy Chang's spare rib, a couple of spoonfuls of the hubs' sweet and sour soup, YUM! And I devoured a crispy spring roll. All of our starter choices were super fresh and yummy. Sapporo Premium was the beer of choice of the majority for the evening. And that Japanese brew was light, huge, and delish. The first round wasn't the coldest but the second one was freezing. NICE.
We put a pretty good hurting on the appetizers so we decided to order only three main dishes to share. That's how we roll. We always share our dinners with each other no matter where or what the dish may be. My family likes to indulge in various cuisines and so do I. We share the food love.
We ordered Moo Goo Gai Pan which was average. We were surprised to see in addition to the chicken and veggie medley that we are normally used to, baby shrimp was in the mix. Bonus. The Mongolian Beef was just okay, as well. The meat was chewy but the abundance of scallions was great. Love them. To my surprise because I don't fancy seafood, the choice by the hubs was my fave. The Kung Pao Scallops which were stir-fried with peanuts, red chili peppers, and scallions. Superb! To accompany the entrees, I ordered a dish of fried rice with chicken. You always need rice or noodles to fulfill your carb urge! The dinners came with white rice, too. It was all good but absolutely nothing I would write home about.
You all know we did not leave there without nibbling on some desserts and sipping on some boozy drinks. Mi madre decided on the banana spring rolls which are crispy, warm bites of fried banana served with pineapple ice cream drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauces. Very different and fantastic. My bro and I enjoyed a couple of P.F. Chang's frozen mudslides made with lots of booze and deliciousness. OMG! Deadly. The rest of the family had coffee with Bailey's and my madre had Dragon Eye Oolong tea which was served in this cool, heavy, iron teapot. Adorable.
Overall, I do recommend P.F. Chang's China Bistro. For a chain restaurant, it is pretty good. It's just, as I mentioned, I don't love Chinese Cuisine. I think I may have indulged a bit too much growing up and through my twenties and have reached my Chinese food capacity. The menu is big enough with options for all food tastes. And they have a good sized selection of gluten free options which is very hard to find. The portions aren't huge but big enough to share. The ingredients taste fresh and light, unlike other Chinese I have sampled. To sum it up the food was good, the service great, and being with my family and sharing in one of our longest and dearest traditions is priceless. We all had a great time and have made tentative plans for a trip to New York City in the near future. WHOOOP!!!!
The restaurant was DEAD so we had a roomy seating arrangement and time to chill while chit chatting. Our servers were friendly and efficient. The team approach to service is the only way to go, in my opinion. It just makes sense. This China Bistro is not one of my faves but it wasn't my birthday. Now was it? I hear tons of comments from my loving family just like the previous. Feel the love? Ha! And it's not like I totally hate the food. It's just not my cup of tea. Chinese cuisine is not at the top of my list. Fo sho. And the hubs and others LOVE it and I am all whatevs.
No worries. I managed to force down a couple chicken lettuce wraps with their signature sauce, a tasty and very messy Chang's spare rib, a couple of spoonfuls of the hubs' sweet and sour soup, YUM! And I devoured a crispy spring roll. All of our starter choices were super fresh and yummy. Sapporo Premium was the beer of choice of the majority for the evening. And that Japanese brew was light, huge, and delish. The first round wasn't the coldest but the second one was freezing. NICE.
We put a pretty good hurting on the appetizers so we decided to order only three main dishes to share. That's how we roll. We always share our dinners with each other no matter where or what the dish may be. My family likes to indulge in various cuisines and so do I. We share the food love.
We ordered Moo Goo Gai Pan which was average. We were surprised to see in addition to the chicken and veggie medley that we are normally used to, baby shrimp was in the mix. Bonus. The Mongolian Beef was just okay, as well. The meat was chewy but the abundance of scallions was great. Love them. To my surprise because I don't fancy seafood, the choice by the hubs was my fave. The Kung Pao Scallops which were stir-fried with peanuts, red chili peppers, and scallions. Superb! To accompany the entrees, I ordered a dish of fried rice with chicken. You always need rice or noodles to fulfill your carb urge! The dinners came with white rice, too. It was all good but absolutely nothing I would write home about.
You all know we did not leave there without nibbling on some desserts and sipping on some boozy drinks. Mi madre decided on the banana spring rolls which are crispy, warm bites of fried banana served with pineapple ice cream drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauces. Very different and fantastic. My bro and I enjoyed a couple of P.F. Chang's frozen mudslides made with lots of booze and deliciousness. OMG! Deadly. The rest of the family had coffee with Bailey's and my madre had Dragon Eye Oolong tea which was served in this cool, heavy, iron teapot. Adorable.
Overall, I do recommend P.F. Chang's China Bistro. For a chain restaurant, it is pretty good. It's just, as I mentioned, I don't love Chinese Cuisine. I think I may have indulged a bit too much growing up and through my twenties and have reached my Chinese food capacity. The menu is big enough with options for all food tastes. And they have a good sized selection of gluten free options which is very hard to find. The portions aren't huge but big enough to share. The ingredients taste fresh and light, unlike other Chinese I have sampled. To sum it up the food was good, the service great, and being with my family and sharing in one of our longest and dearest traditions is priceless. We all had a great time and have made tentative plans for a trip to New York City in the near future. WHOOOP!!!!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)