December 30, 2014 Chez Pascal
For a cute little place off the beaten path, you wouldn’t think that it is the kind of place that was reviewed by the New York Times. My foodie friend and I headed over to Chez Pascal after attending the Taste Trekkers conference in Providence.
You know the place is going to be great when you hear that the owners met while working on the opposite sides of the house at the now closed Hamersly’s Bistro. Kristin and Matt Gennuso started with a mobile hot dog cart and moved into a food truck selling sausages and cured meats. Now Wurst Kitchen can be found inside Chez Pascal! We will be back for the sausage and cured meats, but this time we opted for the dining room.
The special tomato salad was one of the best salads I’ve had. Thick cut tomatoes topped with a corn and bean salad – it hit the spot and was large enough for us to split and both be satisfied.
We also ordered the mussels with garlic, parsley, mirepoix & aïoli ($14) which were equally delicious. Those pieces of toast were perfect for getting all of the broth in the bottom of the dish!
We both ordered the grilled skirt steak with creamy spaetzle, broccoli, sweet potatoes & bacon ($28). The meat was really tender and flavorful and the spaetzle gave the dish a nice dose of carbohydrates without making the dish feel heavy.
For dessert we split the vanilla custard bread pudding with carmelo, peanut butter and white chocolate mousse with toasted oats & peanut crunch ($10). I’m generally not a bread pudding kind of gal, but this was exceptional. The “mousse” was an oxymoron, while it was indeed light as air, it was more of a pudding like consistency – AMAZING!!
And as a little extra special treat, our waiter brought out a bite of warm chocolate cake topped with salted caramel which was also out of this world.
Even though the tables were a little too close together, the meal was excellent and the service was outstanding. Looking forward to my next trip back to Providence so I can try out what the Wurst Kitchen has to offer
What’s your go to dish at Wurst Kitchen?
Chez Pascal
960 Hope St, Providence, RI 02906
(401) 421-4422
Tags: fine dining, providence, restaurant
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December 29, 2014 Cookie Swap Favorites
Last week we had a cookie swap at work and while they were all great, here are some of my top picks! These reindeer cookies definitely got the “cutest cookie” award!
I generally bake for the cookie swap, but this year it just got away from me. So I decided to do my very popular chocolate covered oreos, which were a big hit. Melt chocolate in a double boiler on the stove (I use a saucepot with about 2 inches of water with a heat safe bowl on top). Heat up on low and stir frequently to make sure that the chocolate is smooth. When the chocolate is melted begin to dip your oreos. When the cookies are completely covered in chocolate, place on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper to let cook. Decorate with any sprinkles you like.
And another classic and favorite in the office was the peanut butter balls:
Peanut Butter Balls
13 oz. Peanut Butter
1 stick of butter, softened
1 lb. of confectioners’ sugar (I add in to taste preference and consistency – just need it to form balls)
16 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
Mix peanut butter and butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined. Roll one inch balls and set on a nonstick baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate in a small bowl. Using a spoon drop one ball in at a time to coat then place back on baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened. Keep refrigerated until serving.
What’s your favorite cookie recipe?
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- Posted under Recipes
December 28, 2014 La Maison du Macaron
Our last stop on the NY macaron tour is La Maison du Macaron. You are immediately drawn in by all the bright colors of the macarons in the case! They come in delicious flavors like: pistachio, cranberry, lemon and raspberry. 6 macarons will cost you $17.
Other interesting flavors include: lime, nougat lavender, mango licorice, cassis and apricot champagne. La Maison du Macaron has created over 150 different flavors of macarons, at least 20 flavors are in the case daily. These are delicious, light and airy, they melt in your mouth.
What is your go to flavor for macarons?
La Maison du Macaron
132 W 23rd St., New York, NY
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- Posted under Stores, Trips
December 27, 2014 The Breslin at the Ace Hotel
On my last day in New York we decided to head out to the Ace Hotel for breakfast at the Breslin. The wait was about 45 minutes, so we make our way out to the lobby to grab a cup of coffee at Stumptown coffee. It’s hard to find a seat in the lobby, as we are surrounded by hipsters and tourists lounging on the couches and using the free wifi.
I had the raspberry & cornmeal pancakes with raspberry butter ($17). The pancakes were tasty, but for $17, I expected a little more.
We also had the fried peanut butter & banana sandwich with bourbon & vanilla ($11) which was the favorite of the day – something a little different!
What’s your favorite dish at The Breslin?
The Breslin
16 W 29th Street, New York, NY
Tags: brunch, casual dining, new york, restaurant
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- Posted under Restaurants, Trips
December 26, 2014 4 Ladies I Can’t Live Without
Have you heard of a new site called Dunwello? It’s a great site where you can review professionals – from your hairdresser to your yoga instructor. Here are 4 ladies in the Boston area that I can’t live without:
I have been seeing Katie for over a decade for massage. I started seeing her when she had a private practice and she has since moved over to Corbu Spa in Harvard Square. See my full review here.
I have two ladies here, Tam for the best pedi around and Rikki for waxing – both are located out of Miniluxe’s Newton location. See my full review on Tam here. See my full review of Rikki here.
And last but certainly not least, Ingrid at Jean Pierre on Newbury Street. See my full review here.
Tags: services
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December 25, 2014 Happy Holidays!
Wishing you all a happy holiday season!
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- Posted under Uncategorized
December 24, 2014 Market
Another buried post from the past. Market is located in the financial district tucked away in a corner on Broad Street. We stopped over one night for a company happy hour.
They have a great back room with a lot of open space – perfect for the size group we had. While the weeknight after work crowd stuck mainly to the front room, we had the back to ourselves.
This was a great option for casual after work drinks – the decor has a rustic charm to it with bits of modern flair thrown in.
Where’s your go to after work bar?
Market
21 Broad Street, Boston, MA
Tags: bar, financial district, restaurant
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December 23, 2014 Park
Now that the year is coming to a close, I am looking through all of my old drafts that I never got around to writing/posting. I had originally written about Park and decided to wait on this post because it was too soon to write about it again…and then it got buried under a mountain of other posts. So bear with me, I’ll try to remember as best I can.
How do you pass up a dish called “bacon 3 way”? ($12) This app features pork belly with black pepper and piperade; roasted garlic, bacn jam, and pickled shimeji mushrooms; and brown sugar bacon, Buffalo brussels and local blue cheese.
The crab cake I think, which is no longer on the menu.
The gnocchi, also not on the current menu, was delicious – I loved the dumplings but found myself eating around the veggies. The winter veggies were good, but the dumplings were the star of the dish for me!
We also ordered the brisket (not on the current menu) ($19) served with white bean cassoulet, and caramelized vegetables. The meat was tender and the winter vegetables were a nice, healthy addition to the meal.
The salmon with Brussels sprouts was a light and healthy option. I’m just not a salmon kind of gal 🙂
Apple Upside-down Cake ($7) served with apple butter and cinnamon ice cream for us all to split – I couldn’t get enough of this dessert!
Park
59 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tags: casual dining, harvard square, restaurant
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December 22, 2014 Cafe de Boston
I had been to Cafe de Boston last year (see my previous review here) but barely recognized it when I went back last week. I honestly thought this was a different location. In my holiday induced (overwhelmed) haze, I had come in a different entrance and the place looked so much bigger and brighter. Cafe de Boston has taken over the space next door and made it a great seating area. Every seat at the bar has an outlet under the counter so that you can recharge while you eat lunch. In the main room there’s a great signpost directing you to your lunch of choice.
Some recent new additions to the space include an amazing Mediterranean yogurt bar where you can design your own Greek yogurt parfait. Add fruit, cereal, even hot sauce if that strikes your fancy.
The thing that really caught my eye was the create your own smoothie. Choose your frozen yogurt, choose your fruit and/or veggies, and choose your juice – bring it to the cashier and they blend you up your custom smoothie. $7.95 gets you 24oz.
What else can you find at Cafe de Boston? Pizza (over 10 choices), a pasta station, a crepe station, kebabs, a salad bar and a hot food bar. If you come in after 2:30, anything left at the hot bar is discounted. And did you know that in the morning they have a breakfast bar? Not only can you get a breakfast sandwich and your first (or second) cup of coffee, but you can also grab some scrambled eggs and bacon from the buffet.
Their dessert case has over a dozen choices, and if you like the cakes, you can buy them by the slice or pick up a whole cake for that office birthday. Owner Levent Berksan has done a great job with the space, there really is something for everything.
Here’s another thing you might not know about Cafe de Boston: they have a conference room available upstairs. You can order lunch ahead of time or have people pick out their lunch when they get there. The room is available for an hour to up to the whole day. Feel like just having them cater to your office? Give Joseph a call and he will take good care of you!
Disclaimer: I was invited to Cafe de Boston and they provided me with a complimentary lunch. All opinions are my own.
Cafe de Boston
75 Federal Street, Boston, MA
Tags: casual dining, catering, financial district, restaurant, take out
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December 19, 2014 Reserve and General Assembly Party at WeWork
Guests gathered together on Monday night at the WeWork in Fort Point at an event sponsored by General Assembly and Reserve.
Light bites were provided as guests stopped down into the Dugout.
Charcuterie provided by Tavern Road.
Travis Kirk Lowry, restaurant operations manager at Reserve, was recently recognized by Zagat in their 30 under 30 rockstar roundup.
Special guest bartender Tenzin from Trade mixing up some specialty cocktails.
Welcome Winter Toast
1 oz of GrandTen Wireworks gin.
1 oz cranberry orange syrup
.5 oz Elder flower Liquor
.5 oz lime
Topped with bubbles
Hawaiian shirt #tiki:
1.5 oz Privateer Silver reserve rum
.75 oz Hibiscus liqueur
1 oz Pineapple
.5 oz pom juice
6 mint leaves
A drop of Bittermens Boston
Guests included fellow WeWork members, friends of Reserve and friends of General Assembly.
Haven’t heard of Reserve yet? It’s your new personal dining concierge brought to you by the people who brought you Uber. Here’s the low down: download the app from iTunes (it’s only available for the iPhone at the moment). You add in your credit card information and your desired tip and you are ready to start booking! It’s so easy to use!
Check out my dining experience at Liquid Art House with Reserve here.
Center, Devin of popular Twitter handle OnlyinBOS
Maddie showing guests how to download the Reserve app.
Tea Break : Black Tea infused whiskey cocktail
1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Fourroses Bourbon
.5 oz Campari
.5 oz Elder Flower liquor
Recent Zagat 30 under 30 winner Jeff Gabel of Kitchen Kibbitz
Nolan DeCoster of Reserve.
General Assembly is located at 51 Melcher Street in the WeWork building. They offer full and part time courses, classes and workshops.
Have an Android? Bummed that Reserve is only for iPhone users at the moment? Don’t sweat it, add your name to the waiting list and be the first to hear when it becomes available here.
Maddie Bergier, Marketing Manager at Reserve.
For more information about General Assembly, Reserve or WeWork, click the links below.
https://generalassemb.ly/
https://www.wework.com/locations/boston/fort-point/
Tags: events, fort point, wework
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- Posted under Events
