I can’t even begin to tell you how long this post has been sitting in my drafts, but I’m just finally getting to it. I was first introduced to Miam Miam Macaronerie a while back and stopped by their shop (before they moved to Quincy) while I was in the area.

So what are their fall 2018 flavors?

Lemon creme, pumpkin brûlée, rose petal, white chocolate raspberry, apple butter, chai latte, salted caramel, pistachio vanilla, espresso, chocolate beltway, vanilla bean and fun fete. Order a 6 piece box for $13.50 and a 12 piece box for $27.

Did you know that Miam Miam will come to your house and each you how to make French macarons? What do you need? A minimum of 4 people, at $65 per person. You’ll get three hours of prepping, baking and filling macarons, and all the ingredients are included. Such a fun idea for a girls night in!

Miam Miam Macaronerie

145 Water Street, Quincy, MA

www.miammiammac.com

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Sometimes I find our options for restaurants in suburbia limited, we do like The Local every once in a while, even if it is a little on the pricier side. I am a fan of the bowls on their menu, my latest craving is the spicy Hong Kong noodles, but without the spice (yup, spice whimp here). Mixed Asian vegetables, crushed peanuts and for an extra $8 you can add on some grilled shrimp. The crispy sesame chicken is a close second with grilled avocado and crunchy veggies. My husband loves the crispy chicken sandwich that comes with buttermilk battered chicken, house bread and butter pickles, Vermont cheddar, and smoked chili mayo on a brioche roll.

My kiddos love the option of snacks for $3, you can get veggies with ranch, apples and peanut butter, warm potato chips, or a cup of tomato soup. I love that these are out of the box options. For $8 you can have your choice of cheese flatbread, chicken fingers, grilled chicken, fish sticks, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, pasta and pomodoro or Mac and cheese. All the mains come with a side of fries or veggies.

I think I always forget that they are open for brunch both days on the weekend from 10am – 2pm. They are also open for brunch on Monday holidays. And here is the kicker, all brunch mains come with your choice of a mimosa or Bloody Mary.

The Local

400 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA

www.liveeatlocal.com

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We decided to do a lot of appetizers so we could try out a few different things. The crab dip was delicious (yay for Old Bay!), I even had to order extra tortilla chips to get every last bit up. The honey cider Brussels sprouts were crispy and flavorful – served with Sriracha aioli and smoked bacon (you can order a half portion). The chowder was perfect on a chilly day and who could say no to the cast iron skillet baked cornbread that is served with housemade maple butter? I still love honey butter best, but maple butter is close second.

They have a nice menu with something for everyone. Burgers, salads, flatbreads and seafood. Family friendly with plenty of seating (indoor and out) and parking in an attached lot. Shopping and entertainment are close by to easily make a day/night out of it!

Redstone American Grill

20 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA

www.redstonegrill.com

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I am always looking for a new place to try ice cream. Uhlman’s (pronounced yool-mens) is located in Westborough and they make delicious ice cream in small batches. (They are closed for the season, but keep them in mind for next year.) They are open from March to October, 11am – 8pm daily. So what do they have? Hard ice cream, soft ice cream, frozen yogurt, allergy friendly options, and no sugar added flavors.

Flavors like strawberry cheesecake, Milky Way, Oreo, green tea, ginger, coconut, mint Oreo, bubble gum, m&m, Cookie Monster, cake batter, heavenly hash, chocolate peanut butter cup, cherry vanilla, frozen pudding and pumpkin Oreo will be sure to tempt anyone you bring. Allergy friendly flavors include orange, raspberry, pineapple and lemon dole whip that is nut free, dairy free, gluten free and cholesterol free. No sugar added flavors include vanilla, black raspberry and coffee. Frozen yogurt comes in flavors like cappuccino crunch, coffee, Oreo, chocolate chip, mint chip and black raspberry chocolate chip. Strawberry cheesecake is a winner in my book so keep your eyes open for it next season.

They offer ready made and made to order ice cream cakes – YUM!! Looking forward to next summer already.

There are a few picnic tables to eat your ice cream at, as well as some grassy areas for the kids to burn off some energy before getting back in the car. They have some cows on property that are always fun to look at as well. If you go in the afternoon, they have lunch time hot dog specials!

Uhlman’s is a cash only shop, but there is an ATM on site. Their prices are very reasonable and have appropriate sized kids ice creams

Uhlman’s Ice Cream

232 East Main Street, Westborough, MA

https://www.uhlmansicecream.com

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I was excited to be introduced to Ellana’s Kitchen a little while ago. I can’t remember who picked it, but it is definitely a neighborhood gem. I met Leah, Kim and Nancy out with my kids, and late morning we basically had the whole place to ourselves. The restaurant has a handful of two tops and a larger table in the back – just perfect for us!

Located just around the corner from Centre Street, Ellana’s Kitchen offers Venezuelan and Mediterranean cuisine. Let me just say that everything on the menu looked delicious, and we tried to sample everything they had. Their most popular breakfast (breakfast is served all day!!) is the Perico breakfast ($8) that includes two eggs served perico style (sautéed onions and tomatoes), served with an arepa, quest blanco (Latin American mild tasting white cheese) and turkey bacon (bottom left). Eat in or grab it to go!

Other items on the menu include a variety of arepas. pastelito de queso (baked puff pastry with ricotta and queso blanco), tequenos, empanadas, and a falafel plate. There is something for everyone – my kids even found things they liked!

Service was excellent and friendly. Parking is located at meters out front or nearby.

Ellana’s Kitchen

19 Pelham Street, Newton, MA

www.elanaskitchen.com

Closed Mondays. Tues – Fri 8am – 4pm, Sat + Sun 9-3.

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I love Leonard Street in Belmont – there are so many cute shops to visit. I’ve been twice in the last few months, a great place to grab a quick bite – and super easy to do with kids. Their $9 kids menu includes a 9″ cheese pizza, a 9″ pepperoni pizza, a cheeseburger, mac and cheese or plain pasta. It comes with a drink and your choice of dessert: two cookies, one brownie or a scoop of gelato. My kids, however, can finish a large pizza on their own – which I’m not sure if I should be impressed by their good appetites or horrified.

I love the sausage pepper and onion pizza, with provolone cheese and caramelized onions. Pizzas come in three sizes, 9″, 12″ or 16″. You have your choice of crust: white, whole wheat, multi grain or gluten free. Choose from their signature pizzas or create your own. I’m also a big fan of the strombolis.

The Belmont location currently only offers pick up (no delivery) but their other location in Allston offers delivery. Head over to their website, and click on the menu to get a coupon for a free cheese 12″ pizza or 10% off your order of $30 or more (takeout only).

Stone Hearth Pizza

57 Leonard Street, Belmont

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Mom Nonmi is Chef Chris Chung’s latest venture in Cambridge. You may know him from his time at Clio and Uni, or even his most recent (now closed) restaurant, AKA Bistro in Lincoln. Momi Nonmi is a modern Izakaya and features lots of gluten free options. Leah, Fiona and I decided to meet for lunch one day and we wanted to try one of everything on the menu! Above is the shokado bento ($29) that is a sampling of 9 different creations. It changes daily, sometimes hourly, depending on what is fresh. How beautiful is the presentation?

The wagyu dumplings were as delicious as can be. Sukiyaki consume, mushroom and daikon.

The deconstructed oyako dip was amazing (bottom in the middle). The chicken was fried perfection and it was served with a poached egg and onion.

Momi Nonmi is open for lunch on Fridays and for brunch on both days of the weekend. Late night service is offered Thursday – Saturday. Parking is on the street at meters. The restaurant is on the smaller side, reservations for peak times would probably be a good idea.

Momi Nonmi

1128 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

www.mominonmi.com

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I’ve been on a poke kick lately. We decided to venture over to Manoa in Somerville to try out their bowls. I have to say that this place felt the most authentic out of all the places we have been to thus far. Poke is a raw fish salad that is generally served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. The fish is generally dressed with soy sauce or sesame oil.

Manoa is a small shop with a few seats, the line is out the door when we arrive but it moves at a decent pace – clearly a good sign that so many people are eating here.

A small poke bowl with one scoop of poke and your choice of base will run you $7.95. The regular that comes with two scoops of poke, your choice of base and your choice of a side is $11.95. If you’re feeling particularly hungry, try the big bowl with three scoops of poke and two sides for $15.95. So what kind of poke do they have? Ahi shoyu (tuna in sesame soy marinade with pickled onions and macadamia), Kilauea (spice tuna in kim chee aioli with house made furikake), soy boy (braised tofu in a teriyaki marinade with edamame and avocado), salmon shoyu (salmon in a sesame soy marinade with pickled onions and macadamia), and kelaguen (raw catch of the day in coconut milk and citrus marinade with crispy rice).

Not in the mood for raw fish? No problem. They have you covered with a chili bowl, a fried chicken plate and kalua pig. They offer some delicious sides as well, the kim chee cucumber is not to be missed. They also have a mac salad, rainbow slaw, chorizo slaw, edamame and a veggie special.  Those “kaboom legumes” you see above are also not to be missed, they are spicy roast chickpeas! If you’re like us and want a little bit of everything, go for the poke flight that is a tasting platter of ahi shoyu, salmon shoyu and kilauea and kelaguen with your choice of brown or white rice and two sides all for $19.95.

The kalua pig is a slow cooked heritage pork shoulder that comes with rice or a Portuguese sweet roll and is topped with crispy crackling and served with a side of chorizo slaw. SO GOOD!

While not poke, the fried chicken stole my heart. It’s a mochiko battered thigh served with rice and drizzled with a spiced honey.

There is something for everyone here, and they use tamari sauce so all of their fish poke can be made gluten free.

Where is your favorite poke spot?

Manoa Poke Shop

300 Beacon Street, Somerville, MA

https://manoa.fish

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I bet that you never want to look at another pot after just cooking that AMAZING Thanksgiving meal. Am I right? Well here’s a great option if you just want to whip up something quick and easy. Just Add Cooking. There are a ton of meal delivery options out there, so why choose Just Add Cooking? I know Amanda Mayo from her days at Pantry. I liked making those meals, and making these meals felt similar (easy to follow recipes and not a lot of cook time).

So how does it work? You pick what size box works for you, cooking for two or cooking for 4. You pick the recipes you want to create for the week. We picked with Polish Potato and Sausage Stew, the Beef Teriyaki and the West African Peanut Stew. Order by Wednesday and your meals are delivered on Sunday. They drop off your meals and send you a text that they have been dropped off (just in case you’re not home). Just Add Cooking works really hard to support local farmers and producers – my box came with organic cabbage from Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, orange potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, Kielbasa from New England Charcuterie in Waltham, and organic sweet potatoes from Next Barn Over Farm in Hadley.

All the ingredients are pre measured, so you don’t have to think about a thing. The recipes all come with a level of difficulty, cooking time and caloric information. I found that the beef teriyaki, which was marked medium, was actually super easy to make. So my welcome packet gave me a suggested order to cook things in. I started off with the Polish Potato and Sausage Stew. The brown paper bag has all I need to make the recipe, so I don’t have to worry that I’ll leave something out or mix up the ingredients with something from another recipe. There was very limited prep that i needed to do. Wash the potatoes, cut the kielbasa and onions and that was about it. Now granted, I rarely cook these days, so mine did not come out looking like the beautiful picture on the recipe, and you know what, that’s ok. What matters is that it was easy to make on a weeknight, it tasted good, and even my picky eater tried some and liked it.

They give you a copy of the recipe so you can make it again at home if you liked it. If you want to see how I made this recipe, check out the recipe on the Just Add Cooking website.

My second recipe I tried was the beef teriyaki. To be honest, I had to look up what mirin was, it’s not an ingredient I ever use in cooking. In case you don’t know either, it’s a staple in Japanese cooking, a type of rice wine with a lower alcohol content and a higher sugar content. You can find it in your local grocery store near the soy sauce. I had to admit that this was the easiest thing that I made. And it was AMAZING! I’ve already made it again on my own and people RAVED about it. Something about that sauce (the mirin probably!). Check out the recipe here. My other confession is that when I made it, I was contemplating not sharing it and eating all four portions myself. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe, oh and wait, it’s gluten free if that’s your thing. They have a whole bunch of gluten free meal options available.

Want to try Just Add Cooking for yourself? You can use my special code: Debbie30 for $30 off your first box. Head over to the Just Add Cooking website today.

Disclaimer: I was invited to try Just Add Cooking for this post. My box was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

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While shopping back in my old neighborhood, Coolidge Corner, we stopped into The Upper Crust Pizzeria for a quick and easy lunch with the kids. We had the place to ourselves! Panera would have been my go to place for lunch, but they have since closed. The chain is one of three pizza places in Coolidge Corner, and I think that they have some tough competition with Oath Craft Pizza and Otto. These two new spots make The Upper Crust seem a little outdated. The Upper Crust, that first opened in 2001 in Beacon Hill, has had some negative press, but regardless, their pizza is still pretty good.

The pizza is Neopolitan style, with a super thin rolled crust. You can watch them make it in their open kitchen. They have a large selection of pizzas, but we opt for quick slices of cheese. They even cut the kid’s slices into smaller pieces (thanks!!). The pizza was good, certainly fresh, and didn’t taste like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours on end. There was nice ratio of cheese and sauce and the crust was just enough chew and had just the right amount of crisp bite to it. Cheese slices are large, a 1/4 of a pizza, and are $3.49. Eat in or take out, they have free delivery and offer catering at all locations.

Parking is at meters out on Harvard Street or two nearby pay lots.

The Upper Crust

286 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA

www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com

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