Rox Diner, West Roxbury

It's been quite a long time since I've written a tasty blog about my flavorful food endeavors.  As I have mentioned before, life sure does get in the way sometimes.  It's not that I haven't enjoyed new restaurants in the past couple of months, I have fo sho.  To name a couple-Napper Tandy's in Roslindale Square (and also in Norwood) and Eugene O'Neill's in JP.  Funny thing, they are owned by the same people so their menus were quite similar.  Good food and a chill environment in both joints.  Napper's is a bit more lively and a good place to catch the game or play some pool.  Full review on one or both to follow, maybe.  :)

Today, the hubs and I decided on a mid-morning Monday date to start our week off in the right kinda way.  We chose Rox Diner (http://www.roxdiner.com/) on Centre Street in West Roxbury, to stuff our faces with everybody's favorite meal-BREAKFAST!  There are two locations, one in West Roxbury which serves breakfast/brunch and the other is in Newtonville which serves breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Upon arrival, we were greeted and seated immediately.  The restaurant is in the same building where Auntie B's was once established.  It is a small diner type setting with a medium sized counter, about six booths along the wall, and some more tables up front.  The service is efficient and super fast.  I highly recommend the fresh squeezed OJ.  Fantastic!

The cordial waitress brought our coffee over to us the minute we sat down and the refills were plentiful.  Our refreshing OJ was delivered right after we placed our full order.  Not ten minutes passed before our A.M. feast was placed before us.  My blueberry pancakes were chocked full of fresh berries and steaming hot, served with real Vermont maple syrup.  Of course my sides of home fries and Irish sausages were a necessity.  Loved the crispy, quarter cut red potatoes.  I wasn't too keen on their brand of Irish sausage.  That was a okay because my awesome hubs, knowing I need meat, gave me most of his Irish bacon and in return I hooked him up with the three sausages, which he enjoyed.  Win/win, in my opinion.  His classic, full Irish Breakfast was not long for this world, per usual.  He enjoyed his double white pudding, Irish bangers and rashers, with fresh tomato, eggs, and toasted bread from Fornax.  Love Fornax.  He opted not to get the beans which puzzled me.

The prices for the portions, the freshness, and the service are right on.  I barely put a dent in my pancakes or home fries.  No worries because the hubs graciously inhaled my leftovers.  Check out either location for your next meal.  You won't be let down.  The menu is huge and hosts all the breakfast favorites.  A quick glance of the lunch and dinner menus for the Newtownville location, looked beyond satisfying. Based on my yummy breakfast, I will definitely be sampling some lunch and/or dinner in the very near future.

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Hi Everyone!!!

The picture above is of some dang tasty ribs I made in the oven a while back.  Finger licking delish!!

Thank you so much for continuing to read my blog!!!  I am sure you can tell by my mouth watering entries that I love me some good food.  Please check me out on Facebook and if you feel compelled, please 'LIKE' my page.  Really appreciate it and I apologize for the lack of postings lately.  Life gets in the way, ya know?  :)  Please stay posted.  There's some reviews in the mixola!


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Happy New Year Haiku! (a little late)

Make resolutions

good riddance to twenty-twelve

cheers to a new year!

Thanksgiving 2012!

Stuffing, mashed, turkey,
chocolate chip and apple
pie, family.  Smile.

Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant, Roslindale

Earlier this week, my good amiga and I ventured out into the brisk evening to enjoy dinner and drinks in my awesome hood of Roslindale.  As I'm sure I have mentioned before, Rozzie and the surrounding areas have some really tasty joints to sample.  My friend and I decided on Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant, located on Washington Street in Roslindale Square.  (http://www.sugarbakingcompany.com)  We both wanted to try something new and after we perused the on-line menu, we were sold.  The hubs and I had gone to Sugar's bakery for a take-out, late and light breakfast way back when.  I had taken a mental note to return for lunch and/or supper and so happy I did.  

The restaurant was dead with only two other people seated in the small dining area on a Thursday at 6pm.  This made me kind of sad because I love to see small area businesses thrive.  So fingers crossed, people  The host was friendly and directed us to sit wherever we'd like. There was a tiny bar and the small dining area to choose from, and the bakery's located in the rear of the building.   I picked a four person table, as I knew we'd be putting a hurting on some tidbits and would need the extra room.  Our waitress (and I assumed part owner by my eavesdropping), was friendly and informative about the wine, the small but diverse menu, and the special of the night, which happened to be some form of duck.  

We put in an order for the crab cakes and each ordered a glass of vino. Other appetizer and salad options included baby octopus, French onion soup, and Vermont goat cheese salad, etc.   I adored the Garnacha - Vina Borgia Campo de Borja and mi amiga really liked the Malbec - Domaine Bousquet Tupungato.  The soft, fresh, and warm bread was delivered right away, accompanied by an olive spread.  Unfortunately, both of us despise olives so we opted for some butter.  No biggie.  When our crab cakes arrived we decided to order our dinner selections.   The cakes could not have been more scrumptious.  The nice sized patties were jam packed with rock crab meat,  nicely blackened and crispy, served with a zingy citrus mayo and homemade potato chips to die for.  Give me a big old plate of those with some onion dip made from scratch and I'd be ecstatic.  Sooo good.  

Not long after we devoured our fabulous seafood selection, our dinner entrees were served.  Mi amiga que buena LOVED her pan seared salmon with baked smoked white bean and chive oil.  And my grilled steak frites with bordelaise sauce was the bomb diggity.  The steak was totally cooked to my liking which is medium well.  Yes.  Medium well.  It was served with crunchy shoestring fries and a light salad.  Delish but way too much for me to eat so the hubs scored big time on the leftovers.  He totally dug the dish.  

Of course we could not leave without getting our fix of chocolate and more spectacular wine.  We both ordered our own chocolate lava cake drizzled with more chocolate and a super delicious raspberry sauce.  OMG.  Decadent fo sho.  

In addition, the dinner menu includes choices such as lobster mac n cheese, veal, burgers, chicken, seafood, pasta dishes, and vegetarian.  Each option looked fantastic and the prices and portions are just right.  They serve some pretty funky, local beers and various wines, too.  And they give each table their very own bottle of water so you can refill at your convenience which I totally likey.  Also note they serve breakfast all day, lunch every day, brunch on the weekends, and dinner every night.  Check out Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant asap!  You will be very happy.  

 (photo borrowed from Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant's website)

Election Day Supper!

Hot roast beef, Bisto
corn, creamy mashed, crescent rolls
tasty leftovers

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza, Saugus

Confession:
Feeling kinda bad for totally slacking on my dope hobby.  I've enjoyed all sorts of food over the summer by my design, or take-out, or dining out, or bbqing, or etc.  And I have totally neglected to share the LOVE of my life with you on a regular.  MY B.  What can I say?  I am a busy girl, blessed with a fantastic family and a fabuloso, close group of friends.  We like to do fun stuff together which of course includes food and a healthy amount of beverages.  :)

Last night, my family and I headed from C-town over the Tobin to Route 1 in Saugus.  Our tasty destination for this spectacular evening out was Angela's Coal Fried Pizza (http://www.angelascfp.com/).  There is one other location in Tyngsboro.  The restaurant came super highly recommended by mi madre who was sitting co-pilot for our short voyage via that rickety old bridge that scares the bejesus out of me.  Our gathering for this particular dinner was to celebrate my bro's awesome girlfriend's birthday.  A wee bit late but that's how we roll.  And score.  They brought me a bottle of red sparkling wine!  We had discovered the red sparkling vino on our trip to New York City in May.  Can't wait to sample a nice big glass of it.  :)

It was on the early side which was cool because we were seated immediately by our soft spoken, attentive, waitress, Jackie.  The staff was friendly, efficient, courteous, and cordial even when the hubs knocked my sangria all over the joint.  HA!  The family owned and run establishment is decorated with black and white family photos and neat vintage artwork of former musicians and actors.  It has an open kitchen which you know I likey.  They cook the pizza and wings on Anthracite coal, a type which burns clean.  There's a medium sized dining room and a small/medium bar, too.  Frank Sinatra and other legends blared from the speakers.  It was such a chill setting.

The menu consists of three food groups:  fresh garden salad, wings to die for, and pick your own topping or signature pizzas cooked perfectly and so dang tasty.  OMG.  That's all they ever need to offer and they know it.  There was a steady crowd in and out to dine there, or for take-out, and I am pretty sure I saw a delivery dude.  They serve good sized pitchers of Sangria served with fresh fruit and it is muy bueno.  We opted for a red and a white to start and they were both yummo and went down quite nice.

Shortly after our drinks were served, our family sized salad arrived.  The Italian vinaigrette style dressing blended in perfectly on the classic, crispy garden salad topped with chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, and olives.  They also offer Caesar salad and you can add chicken to either.  The thinly sliced celery and the fresh Focaccia style bread was my fave part.  While munching on our salads, the wings were served and devoured.  The tasty, dry, oniony/lemony rub was delish and the meat literally fell right off the bones.  Combined with more bread and the caramelized onions...MMM!  And the servers give you plenty of napkins and wet wipes so you don't look like a hot mess while chowing down.  The sangria continued to flow and our pizza was soon delivered.

We ordered a small Pollo Alfredo, homemade creamy Alfredo sauce, chicken, broccoli, mozzarella, and Romano cheese, a small with roasted hot peppers, and a large cheese.  Each sensational slice was addicting.  The hubs and I always forget how much we love white pizza and it was the bomb.  The spicy pepper had a nice kick to it and the cheese was the classic.  The flavorful sauce, crispy thin crust, and the various cheeses rocked.  And we totally had plenty left over including one or two wings which I am about to inhale once this bloggggg is complete.  Their website states that the food is cooked with love.  And it is true in every delicious bite.

There is one complaint.  Only two measly desserts which were not even homemade are offered.  BOO!  But other than that, our food was superb and the prices are very reasonable.  I highly recommend Angela's.

Because we all yearned for a sweetie and some coffee drinks, we cruised down Route 1 to a little Italian joint called Caffe di Calabria that the hubs searched on his phone.  It was a quaint, European, bakery kind of set up.  And besides a friendly, elderly Italian gentleman and the woman who worked there, the five of us were the only ones in the place at first.  The cannolis were grand central and per usual, the fam and I had some good laughs and a great time together.