Del Frisco's, Boston

Wowza.  It has been quite a while since I wrote a blog for all you super people to enjoy.  MY B!  The life of an unemployed housewife ain't easy.  I tell ya.  HA HA!  But for realz, I have been wicked busy.  Took a mini-vacation to one of my best buddy's beautiful log cabin in Maine.  Amazing!  And with this gorgeous weather we have been blessed with so early in the year, the hubs and I have been out and about loving life.

On a random note, several of you have asked me why I don't have many negative reviews on my blog.  And believe me, in general,  I have plenty of complaints on a daily and tend to tell it like it is.  But really, in my entries, I give my honest opinion of what I find to be good, bad, and mediocre about the food, atmosphere, service, etc of the places I sample.  Since I started blogging, I haven't experienced a place so bad that I felt I needed to blast.  So I will continue to give you all MY opinion on what I love most in the world...FOOD.

For mi hermano's BIG 40 birthday dinner, he chose Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House at 250 Northern Avenue in Boston on the waterfront.  (http://delfriscos.com)  Mi madre, bro, his girlfriend, my hubs, and myself arrived promptly at 8pm for our reservation after having our car valeted.  We were greeted immediately by friendly staff and seated right away at a large round table towards the end of the large dining room FILLED with tables and comfy looking booths.  We were seated smack right in front of the occupied private dining room which had thick, swinging glass doors.  Patrons and staff were in and out of the room frequently.  From the moment we sat, our chairs were being bumped on a regular by the plethora of staff and diners.  It made us feel uneasy and it was not a comfortable dining situation.  The atmosphere was LOUD and bustling and the place was jammed.  The dining area is wide open with cool light fixtures, glass walls filled with bottles of wine from floor to ceiling, and ginormous windows overlooking the water.  The view was quite nice.  In addition to the dining room and private function room, there is a huge bar.

Our not so friendly and probably overworked waiter did not attend to us right away which I found annoying at such a high end restaurant.  When he did get to us, we ordered a round of drinks, mostly beer and wine and he didn't offer us glasses to drink from.  Huh?  Just an fyi- the wine list is extensive, to say the least.  We took a while to peruse the dinner menu which is pretty straightforward and features mostly steak and seafood with a la carte sides.  There are a good amount of appetizers and salads to choose from, as well.  We placed our full order while enjoying super soft, warm bread with whipped butter, after the waiter listed off the specials and explained the menu and answered our questions.

To start, we ordered shrimp remoulade which is shrimp cocktail with a horseradish like creamy sauce drizzled on top and two orders of crab cakes (one per order).  As you may know by now, I don't do much seafood.  The fam loved the shrimp and I can vouch for the crab cake.  It was fresh, tasty, and filled with good sized pieces of crab accompanied by a zingy sauce.  YUM.  By this time, we had basically had it with our seating arrangement.  Honestly, we are NOT ones to complain but this was ridic.  The waiter did offer and did move our table about a foot to accommodate us a bit better and for a while it was cool.  All I can say is thank God we all have good sense of humors.  

For dinner, my brother and I ordered the 16 oz prime strip, the hubs got the 24 oz. prime porterhouse,  bro's girlfriend got the 8 oz filet, and mi madre ordered the pan seared scallops.  We decided on potatoes au gratin, asparagus, sauteed shrooms, and one baked potato to share for sides.  The staff appeared to be working as a team with various servers, runners, etc.  But when our food was being delivered, it was an absolute disaster.  The servers didn't know in which order to place our meals down.  And when we tried to explain, it was like talking to a wall.  There were so many people around our table trying to serve and help.  I felt claustrophobic.  It was nuts.  Fine dining should not be this stressful.  OMG!

And to top it off, our new location turned out to be even worse.  As we were about half way through with our meals, a HUGE private party comes marching through to the private function room.  For about two minutes straight, they were bumping us left and right.  I really could not believe that a staff person would think it's a good idea to lead such a large crowd through the center of an overly filled dining room while paying customers are trying to enjoy an expensive supper.  WTF!  So at this point, we asked the down right rude hostess chick to speak with a manager.  Thankfully our waiter realized what a crappy hand we had been dealt and quickly changed his demeanor and decided to have a manager speak to us, too.  And we noticed our drinks started to come a bit faster, as well.  Empty drinks are NOT a sign of good service.

I do have to say that the food was pretty damn good.  The steak was perfectly cooked to everyone's liking and literally melted in your mouth.  The scallops were huge, delish and cooked perfectly.  I did enjoy the potatoes au gratin which were creamy and just cheesy enough.  The asparagus which I love and eat on a regular, was bland and the mushrooms were a bit salty.

The manager arrived shortly after we all had our fill and the table was being cleared.  He was friendly, absolutely amazing and understanding as we explained the negatives.  While he was standing by our table conversing with us, he was being consistently bumped by people passing so he could see where we were coming from.  It was clear that all we wanted was a comfortable and delicious dining experience to celebrate my bro's 40th birthday.  At first, he offered his card with his cell number and a free dinner for all of us upon our next visit.  My bro was the spokesperson and we all agreed that his offer was sufficient.  But, we still couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.  We were even going to skip dessert.  Tragic.  A couple minutes later, the manager returned to tell us that our whole dinner which cost very close to $500 would be on the house.  WHAT!!!!  We were ecstatic that he actually listened to us and for real made it up to us.

In addition to our free supper, the waiter surprised us with an array of homemade desserts perfectly decorated and with candles for my brother to blow out.  The presentation was fantastic. The lemon cake with lemon frosting was to die for.  So moist and just tart enough.  I am not a big bread pudding fan but everyone loved and devoured the large portion served with vanilla ice cream.  The fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries topped with whipped cream were delightful and a very nice touch.  Our least fave of the four desserts was a vanilla and chocolate like mousse.  Beggars can't be choosers.

Because of the professional demeanor of the manager and his accommodating manner, I will return to Del Frisco's at some point to give them a second chance.  It was a horrible dining experience, though the food was good.  Quality not quantity is what they should strive for.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

Eat boiled dinner
sing, laugh, dance, sip on a pint
Guinness or Smithwick's

Feliz Cumpleaños Oreo!!

Chocolate cookie
cream in between crumbly love
just add milk, enjoy.

Seven Star Street Bistro, Roslindale, MA

Gluttony.  Totally on the verge.  But.  Hey!  You only live once.  Correcto?  This past week has been pretty damn good, food wise, as I have been blessed to try two new places, Seven Star Street Bistro in Rozzie and Annabelle's in Hyde Park.  Food is love.

Wednesday evening, after watching Chronicle which is one of my favorite shows ever, the hubs decided that we needed to try Seven Star Street Bistro asap.  This particular episode focused on local eateries.  We text ourselves a list of places to sample.  For breakfast, the Rox Diner on Centre Street in West Roxbury is next our agenda.

We figured there would be a significant wait for dinner take-out at Seven Star the following snowy night, but TWO hours?  Damn.  They were slammed because of their segment on Chronicle.  NICE.  Several friends and others who have commented on my blog have suggested Seven Star in the past but for some reason it kept slipping my mind.  Very happy we finally gave it a try.

The chick who answered the phone was pleasant.  I proceeded to order a fantastic variety of Xiao Chi (small bites), a crispy shrimp and scallops with garlic wok dish, and of course some pork fried rice.  The woman took and read our order back, gave us a total, and time to pick up our food which was 8:06pm!  She asked for our name and number and did end up calling about a half hour early which was cool.

The Asian appetizers and dishes were spectacular.  The bold flavors and super fresh ingredients made each bite even better.  The hot and sour soup was tasty and loaded with chicken.  The crispy chicken wings were tender and totally crispy.  YUM.  The orange soy glazed baby back ribs took the prize.  The meat literally fell right off the bone.  The citrus flavor of the ooey gooey sauce.  OMG!  Savory.  The scallion pancake rolled with sliced beef and Hoisen sauce was a very close second to the half rack of ribs.  The dough  was flaky and the beef thinly sliced and rolled with love.  Fab.  I thoroughly enjoyed the fried rice with little pieces of pork, peas, and other veggies.  It was light and fluffy.  The shrimp and scallop with garlic was a huge hit for the hubs and I even tried a scallop.  Good stuff.

The tiny take-out/delivery joint does have a couple of tables to eat in at and is located on Belgrade Avenue in Roslindale.  The menu has tons of the good old appetizers that we all know and love.  There are several original dishes, as well.  The prices are moderate and the portions just right.  There was plenty left over for lunch the next day.  Keep in mind, they are closed on Mondays.  The only complaint I had was they didn't give us 'duck' sauce or any other additional dipping sauces.  Hmm.  I will have to inquire about that the next time we order.  If you live in and around my hood, you should really order yourself some Seven Star next time you have the hankering for Asian cuisine.  You won't be disappointed.

Because I Heart Carbs!

Wheat, rye, sourdough
pizza, pasta, cake, pie, rolls
fries, can't forget those!

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)

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!!!!