Merry Christmas!

A quick stop at Modern Pastry in the North End on the way home on Christmas Eve did not turn out as planned.  First, there was a line out the door.  Second, they were out of Lobster Tails by the time it was my turn.  *sniff*  So I had to make do with cannolis - 8 for $20.

What we do for the ones we love...

Merry Christmas to you and the ones you love!

Truck Sighting - Benny's Crepe Cafe

Well, this is new to me!

Hood’s ‘Soup Boutique’ Truck

Visit the Hood 'Soup Boutique' truck on Friday (that's tomorrow!) at Government Center from 11am - 2pm, and sample the soup prepared by Chris Coombs (Deuxave/dBar).  Hood will donate one dollar to The Greater Boston Food Bank for each soup sample distributed up to $10,000.

Source: http://bostinno.com/2012/11/26/free-soup-truck-in-boston-hood-soup-boutique-truck-gives-away-free-soup/#ss__263235_1_0__ss

In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen

"In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen"

a Parker's Restaurant Private Event

Sunday, December 9, 2012, 6:30pm

Menu

Winter Creme Fraiche Baked Potato Soup

Grilled New York Strip Steak with Coupole and Fig Demi-Glaze

Greek Style Feta and Spinach Salad with Cucumber Dressing

Bijou Creme Brulee with Rhubarb Compote

Chateau Roumieu-Lacoste Sauternes 2009

Salted Vermont Cultured Butter

with Parker House Rolls

$49

Reservations Required.
Please call Parker's Restaurant at 617-725-1600.

Pret A Manger Free Lunch

Well, I missed day one, but a friend emailed me last night an article that said that the new Financial District Pret A Manger was giving out free lunches on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  So, I knew what I was having for lunch today!

I headed over a tad early, and as I approached the new restaurant, I realized that there was already a healthy line forming down the block.  At 11:50am, I found myself at the end of the line half way down the block.  But by noon, when the doors opened, the line was down the block and half way back once again.  Chatting with my line mates, I found out that 1,000 freebie lunches were being given out per day.  Pret Teammates cheerfully made their way down the line trying to ellicit enthusiasm among the shivering crowds lined up on the sidewalk on this chilly autumn day.  One gal even offered a flip for a cheer, and gave us her best shot at a cartwheel.

The line moved quickly enough, and when I entered the establishment, I understood why.  Once we where greeted by the manager with a big smile on her face, a short line of other staff members offered us one of a short list of selections and at the end of the line was a fellow with an open bag ready to receive the sandwich we had in our hands.  The bag was handed to me, and off I went with my free bag lunch.

In addition to my selected balsamic chicken and avocado sandwich, my lunch consisted of a sea salt popcorn, a can of Pret A Manager's own natural soda, and a rich little brownie.  Also found in the bag were coupons for a free soup and a free coffee.

My sandwich consisted of a grainy sort of bread stuffed with a layer of (green!) avocado, another layer of thinly sliced dressed white chicken, and a handful of mixed greens.  The inner surface of the bread was moistened due to the contact with the avocado which made for a slightly messy eating.  While the sandwich tasted okay, I was reminded that I prefer toasted sandwiches over the deli sort, or in this case, the pre-made (even though it was made earlier the same day, according to the packaging) sort.

From what I read online and in the materials found with my bag lunch, I get the impression that Pret A Manager prides itself in using fresh, natural ingredients, and while they take their food seriously, they don't take themselves seriously (the use food to create faces, animals, and other fun stuff!).

Unfortunately, I did not manage to snag a take-out menu, and when I went back later, they were out.  So, I have no idea as to their prices.  But the attitude of the Pret Team was pleasant - I hope that continues beyond the Grand Opening tomorrow.

Food Find: October Sun Plum

In Chinatown, not every item in the produce section is labeled.  Or, if it is labeled, if you can't read Chinese, you're out of luck.

Last week, my dad picked up this small greenish plum during his Chinatown run.  In Chinese, its name is literally "snake egg."  But however odd the name, we were pleased to discover that the fruit itself was really sweet and juicy.  It was such a treat, we finished the bagful in short order, and my dad went seeking it again during a special extra Chinatown trip... this time picking up THREE bags of the luscious fruit.

And this time, I made sure I snapped a picture of the fruit and found a sticker labeling it in English (yippee!) as "October Sun."  Ah, mystery solved!  Now I'll at least know what I'm looking for...

October Sun Plum

Food Truck Throwdown!

It doesn't look like I can't go myself (*sniff*), but the first annual Food Truck Throwdown between Boston and New York is hitting Dewey Square this coming Saturday.

I do wonder how they'll decide who wins though, since as a local, I can hit the Boston trucks anytime I can find them, so I'd most likely choose to spend my precious tummy space trying out a variety of options from the New York trucks, if I made it out there...

From the official site:


1st ANNUAL “FOOD TRUCK THROWDOWN!”

Boston and New York City to go Head to Head on the Rose Kennedy Greenway

WHAT: Food Truck Throwdown,“Boston vs. NYC” – a daylong competition which pits seven food trucks from Boston against seven food trucks from New York City as contestants vie for the title of Best Food Truck. Live music, celebrity judges including Jenny Johnson of NECN’s TV Diner, and tons of great eats = fun for the entire family. Admission is free, enjoying the food (and why wouldn’t you want to?) will require you to bring your wallet.

WHO: Sara Ross, owner of Kickass Cupcakes, is the creative force behind the first annual Food Truck Throwdown,“Boston vs. NYC” along with support from the city of Boston, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and the Boston food truck community.

WHERE: The first annual Food Truck Throwdown,“Boston vs. NYC” will take place in Dewey Square on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston’s hottest food truck location. The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy (www.rosekennedygreenway.org) piloted a food vending program called “Greenway Mobile Eats” in 2010, and the program continues to expand. Today, 16 food vendors operate in seven locations along the Greenway, with the goal of having 12-18 food vendors on the Greenway every season. For more information, visit www.rosekennedygreenway.org.

WHEN:  Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  Free Admission.

Boston Local Food Festival

On Sunday, we headed out to the Greenway by the Aquarium to check out the Boston Local Food Festival.

White tents lined both sides of the sidewalk winding along the Greenway, from the carousel by Fanueil Hall to the Boston Harbor Hotel.  Compost bins shared equal billing with recycle bins and trash bags.  Music filled the air while we made our way through.  Samples were to be had of chocolate, peanut butter, tomatoes, cheese, popcorn, and even whole salads.  Food was also available for purchase from fresh shucked oysters ($2) to plates of Puerto Rican food ($5), of which we most enjoyed the tender chicken satay  ($3) from the Thai Hut and the maple cotton candy (also $3).  It was a nice way to spend our afternoon.

MobileFarmer'sMarket

Boston Fish Pier Seafood Festival

From the Press Release:

Announcing the first annual Boston Fish Pier Seafood Festival on Saturday, October 6.

The Boston Fish Pier Seafood Festival is the official public kickoff of the non-profit, all volunteer Boston Fisheries Foundation, and will be the first all-seafood festival held in Boston. It will be a day of sensational seafood tastings, oyster and lobsters, clambakes and chef demos, educational events, and family fun. The event will be held, rain or shine, at the Bank of America Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave, Boston and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Boston Fisheries Foundation (BFF) is a group of Boston-area “fish guys” who share a passion for healthy, delicious seafood and for supporting the local families whose livelihoods depend on New England seafood. They have come together to create The Boston Fisheries Foundation.  Their goal is ambitious: Sustaining the generations-old fisheries that have operated out of the Boston Fish Pier and up and down the seacoast of New England. The hope is to bring the fishing communities together with the public to create momentum and make sure that the Boston Fish Pier survives for another 100 years.

Tickets are $10, $8 for students.

I wonder what the price of the ticket includes...

East Broadway Foodie Crawl

So it seems that the East Somerville Main Streets' 2nd annual East Broadway Foodie Crawl will be hitting a street of Somerville tomorrow evening (after having been rescheduled from the original Sept 18th date due to a 90% chance of rain), and I will be missing it because I have tickets to the Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays game.

For the price of a $20 adult ticket ($21.69 w/service fee), tasting samples are offered at 12 participating restaurants from 6pm - 8pm, with dessert available at the After Party with live music at three different venues from 8pm - 9:30pm.  According to a newspaper article, last year's was attended by 1,200+.

(from their website)

Foodie Crawl Schedule:
5:45pm  Check-In Begins
Check in at 145 Broadway (Mudflat)
OR at 193 Broadway (near Louie's Ice Cream)
*You will receive your event bracelet and guidebook

6:00-8:00pm  Foodie Crawl is On! Visit 10+ participating restaurants taste your way around the world!

8:00-9:30pm  Dessert and After Party with live music at local venues: Vinny's, Casey's and Fasika

Edible Arrangements - Edible To Go

If you've heard of Edible Arrangements, you probably know them for their fresh fruit bouquets, whether you've given them, or received them for one of a variety of joyful or sad occassions.  You can imagine in your mind's eye the pineapple/cantaloupe flowers, the wedge honeydew and cantaloupe leaves, the stacked red grapes, the red strawberries - whether fresh or chocolate dipped.

Lovely Cupcake™ pineapple pop

Well, what led me to the local Edible outlet was a coupon for a free Lovely Cupcake™ pineapple pops that I received after Liking the Edible Arrangements Facebook page.  In fact, there may still be time!  The coupon expires this Sunday, but the page must be liked by tomorrow.

However, my discovery on this visit (other than this new-to-me pop) was that they now have a whole new Edible To Go section consisting of fruity chilly beverages and fresh fruit treats for immediate and on-the-go consumption.  Most enticing-looking to me was the Banana Cream Pie Frusundae™ with sliced bananas, white chocolate sauce and whipped cream with shaved coconut, which I think was either $3.95 or $4.95 for the smallest portion size.

Healthy and tasty?  Sounds good to me!

Freebie: muller Greek corner

My friend called this afternoon - Can you come down?

Sure.

Turns out he found himself passing by a truck in the city of Boston giving away samples of muller Greek corner.  They were rather generous, so he ended up with a bounty of two cartons, and gave one to me.

Each individual serving of Greek yogurt came with a separate section containing a blackberry/raspberry sauce.  The yogurt was thick and tangy.  The fruit sauce was sweet.  Although the seeds did their part to convince me that the sauce was made of real fruit, still I wish it were seedless.

Foodler - Delivery Service

Last week I noticed on a local blog the posting of a referral link for $5 off your first order with the Seamless food delivery service.  Well, I haven’t used Seamless, but I do use Foodler now and again.  Although Foodler does not seem to offer a referral bonus, they have posted on Twitter recently that they’re offering free FoodlerBucks for bloggers to post honest reviews of their business.  So, okay, let’s give this a shot.

Foodler according to Foodler:
Foodler is an online restaurant ordering service that lets you find local restaurants, browse menus, and place orders for delivery or take-out at no extra charge.

The concept is good – review menus online at your convenience, place your order, mark it for delivery or pick up, collect points for every dollar you spend to go towards items such as a Foodler T-shirt, FoodlerBucks, or a gift card from a limited number of businesses (Amazon, Starbucks, Apple), and potentionally receive a variety of discounts such as a percentage off your first order.

As Foodler accepts credit cards and allows you to include the tip when placing your order, you don’t have to worry about not having cash on you with which to tip the delivery person.

You may set up under your account a number of addresses so that Foodler may present to you the restaurants that will deliver to your location of the moment.  I currently have 5 addresses saved, but if there is a maximum, I haven’t hit it yet.  The carry through is pretty good on the whole – I received my delivery in a reasonable time, my take-out orders were always ready and waiting for me, the interactions with delivery person and counter folk were pleasant.

However, I have noticed that sometimes the menus are a bit off.  For example, Boston Kebab House –

I had ordered the Musakka.  Well, Boston Kebab House does not have this entrée on their regular menu – at times they have it on their Meze Bar & Hot Station buffet line, but not on the day I ordered it.  Actually, I’m highly doubtful that any of the beef or chicken entrée options, fish entrée options, pasta entrée options listed on Foodler are actually available, as none of them are listed on the restaurant’s take-out menu.  The From the Grill options are more accurate, however, rather than a choice of 8 sides, Foodler offers the plates with 3 predetermined options (rice pilaf, bulgar, and shepherds salad) – I guess I could use the Special Instructions section to make a different selection, but I haven’t tried that yet.   I really wish that the Foodler menu would let me order the popular Build Your Own Tossed Salad as an individual portion rather than only as a catered order of $52.25 for a small.  Also, when you place an order directly with the restaurant, you can add a soup or a side of fries to your entrée for $2; Foodler lacks this cost saving option.

Service wasn’t always smooth.  My first Foodler delivery placed a couple of years ago arrived with the wrong flavor of gelato.  But when I called to inform them of this, they willingly offered to come back with the correct flavor, so they redeemed themselves quite nicely.

One thing I would love, that I haven’t quite figured out – perhaps because Foodler can’t handle it? Yet? – is how to place an order further in advance (whether the same day or several days earlier) for a scheduled delivery or pick up.  This would be a most helpful option for those of us who know in advance what we want to eat and when, but in the midst of the busy-ness of work, we lose track of time.  So, by the time lunch comes back to mind – most likely when the stomach begins to growl  – we’re already hungry, so instead of taking the time to place an order on Fooder and waiting… we’re more likely to just head on out to the closest take-out lunch spot and pick up something quick.

Basically, however, Foodler does its job well.

Edit 9/18/2012

1) Turns out there is an option to schedule an order on the same screen where you select your payment method! Terrific!

2) I finally received the $15 credit - took a while since the point person was on vacation, but the offer is legit.

3) So, I was asked to refer other bloggers who might be interested in posting an honest review for $15 Foodler credit.  So, if you are interested, please add a comment to this post with a link to your blog and an email address and we'll get you connected.

Fresh Corn from the Farmers' Market

Here in the city of Boston, we are fortunate to have two Farmers' Market options:

1) Dewey Square, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30am - 6:30pm, May 24, 2012 - November 20, 2012

2) City Hall Plaza, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11am - 6pm from May 21, 2012 – November 21, 2012

MacArthur Farms at the City Hall Plaza Farmer's Market

Today, I meandered on over to the Farmer's Market at City Hall Plaza.  Having passed stalls of fresh veggies and baked goods, I arrived at the last (or first, depending upon your direction) - MacArthur Farms - and asked for help to select one nice ear to microwave at work for a snack.  The fellow who came around from behind the tables of produce felt a few ears and selected a firm one for me.  He broke off a bit of the stalk, ripped off a few outer leaves and stuck it in a plastic bag for me.  And for 50 cents, it was mine.

fresh corn!

I mentioned to him that I had heard that corn on the cob could be microwaved.  So, he told me to wrap it up in wet paper towels as is, and to microwave it for about a minute and a half.

Wrapped with wet towels before microwaving

After its visit in the microwave, I set it aside for a bit in order to avoid steam cooking my fingers.

All cooked and unwrapped

Thus, I was awarded with firm kernels that were plenty sweet, and well worth the calories.

No Soup for Me

Larry Thomas, the Soup Nazi of the Seinfield TV series fame, arrived in Boston today along with the Seinfield food truck to greet fans and to give away a variety of Seinfield-themed food and drink.  They were scheduled to be at the Dewey Square location by South Station from 3-4pm, however, I heard that they had arrived late as they had been delayed at the Harvard Square spot (noon - 2pm) due to the wonderful turn-out.

The line was super long when I arrived on the scene shortly after 3:30pm, and those of us at the end of the line were were soon told that we were unlikely to get the chance to meet the Soup Nazi, as they had to shut things down at 4pm on the dot.

So nope, I didn't get to have my picture taken with the Soup Nazi.  I did, however, go home with a keychain, black & white cookie, Twix, and Snickers (the latter two both rather melted), as after the Soup Nazi departed, his henchmen continued to give away the remaining goodies.  But there was no soup for me... as the literal soup had sadly run out early on.

The Charles River Food Truck Festival

Rain was in the forecast today, but it managed to hold off until the late afternoon hours - and then it let go full force- luckily for The Charles River Food Truck Festival at DCR's Artesani Herter Park in Brighton, MA, which was scheduled to take place from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM (ET), and those who went to enjoy it.  


While I know that we were highly recommended to use public transportation (subway then bus) as there are few parking lots near the park, since I was headed over a bit late (arriving in the area shortly before 1:30pm), I decided to risk driving in.  Annoyingly, however, they had blocked the vehicle entrances to the single large parking lot by the Publick Theatre, so I had no chance at parking at one of the handful of vacant spots that I could see... just... over... there...  But I did manage to find myself a parking spot without too much trouble and to make my way across Soldiers Field Road and to the festival that was sprawled across the three smaller parking lots and a couple of fields....


Tickets were available on site at one of the three ticket tents, or could be purchased ahead of time via Eventbrite:
20 Taste Tickets $25 + $2.37 fee
30 Taste Tickets $37 + $3.03
40 Taste Tickets $48 + $3.63

Tickets were also available on site for $13 for 10 tickets.  So, the taste tickets basically ranged in cost (pre-fee) from $1.20-$1.30 apiece.

At the first incarnation of the Food Truck Festival held at UMass Boston, prices were set at $30 for a general admission ticket ($35 day of), which included one serving from each of the participating food trucks.  Yes, I have heard that it was a horrendous experience for many of the attendees, with the super long lines, and many of the trucks running out of food around 2pm.  With the assist of an offer through Groupon, 4,000 tickets were sold and yet each food truck was asked to bring only a minimum of 1,000 portions; I must say that sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.  But still, I couldn't imagine how much it would cost to taste a single item per truck under this new taste ticket system.  Fortunately/Unfortuntely, I wasn't really planning to find out though, given the physical limitations of the human stomach.

As a guest of a sponsor, I was armed with 40 tickets and off I went to see what damage I could do.  The longest line between the first two clusters of trucks I came through was the one for The Taco Truck with its short simple menu of Baja Fish Taco (5 tickets) and soda (2 tickets), and that was perhaps 25 customers long.

Now, remember, with a value of $1.20-$1.30 per ticket, that places the value of a 5 ticket item at $6-$6.50, while the Pescado Taco on The Taco Truck menu is listed at $5.  The Taco Truck wasn't the only truck with such a price differential from their normal prices, but I guess that's what happens when you enact a food ticket method of pricing.

Anyhow, on to the food.  I had the opportunity to try a few items.  Some I didn't particularly care for, as they were not very flavorful...

Go Fish Seafood Fritters Sampler with lobster, crab & grilled corn

Some rather tasty, although I'm not too sure they were worth the rather long wait as the bread griller got caught up with the orders... (although that didn't quite explain the long wait for my fried veggies while I watched my slider sit cooling on the counter)...

Compliments Truck Sirloin Slider & local fried veggie sampler

or tasty, yet filled with mainly claw meat...  at one point, I briefly considered creating myself a little lobster tasting as 3 different trucks offered some variation of lobster rolls or sliders (or both), but I decided against it for the opportunity to try a variety of food instead.

Lobsta Love Lobster Slider

While a complete list of the trucks' offerings and the ticket prices was missing from the ticket tents, volunteers stood around with signs advertising their truck's menus for our convenience.

Volunteer Menu Holder

It was an enjoyable afternoon's repast, filled out with drink samplings from among the variety of business tents.  With my strip of tickets I was managed to try 9 items from 6 trucks.  My one regret was the missed opportunity to expend some energy at the Bounce & Boogie area, but my belly was inconveniently rather full by then, as were my hands.  When I stopped by Gabi's Smoke Shack at 2:45pm, they had unfortunately run out of their pulled pork.  Other than that, the only other menu items I had noticed crossed out was the St. Louis Ribs and pulled pork slider at Red Bones when I had first arrived at the festival.  Not too bad.  And good thing too, since there was still a rather good sized line at the ticket tent when I left at nearly 3pm.

3pm ticket line

Given the inconvenient (public transportation-wise) location, a rather wise transportation alternative was to bike there, as a good number of folks elected to do.  Real smart, I thought...

Bicycle parking area

Truck Sighting - Cookie Monstah

Lookee what I spotted yesterday!

Cookie Monstah Truck - new to me even if not new to you!

Cupcakes for Charity

For a limited time (July 17-22), you can buy a cupcake ("The Green Monstah,"), contribute to a charity (100% of the sales will be donated to Jason Varitek's Pitching in 4 Kids), and beat New York (Georgetown Cupcakes' Sophie LaMontagne is teaming up with Bernie Williams to sell a special New York “Pinstripe Pretzel” cupcake baked with gourmet butterscotch chips and crushed pretzel and topped with a butterscotch-infused buttercream frosting... yeah, that sounds good!) with a single purchase!

Georgetown Cupcakes is open on Newbury Street, at 83 Newbury Street, Boston, MA  02116, 617-927-2250 or go to www.georgetowncupcake.com to order your box of "Green Monstah" cupcakes!

As a special treat however, Jason and Katherine, with the help of his wife and her mom, came out to Faneuil Hall this afternoon to personally hand out free cupcakes to the masses, of which, I was one. :)

Jason Varitek hands out "The Green Monstah," a limited edition Green "Red Velvet" flavored cupcake

Katherine Kallinis of Georgetown Cupcakes and TLC's DC Cupcakes

The goods (ours anyhow) -  "The Green Monstah" and coconut

Ming Tsai at Macy's

Ming Tsai of "East Meets West" fame, chef of Blue Ginger of Wellesley, father of two sons - one of which was diagnosed with a number of food allergies which ignited his interest in allergies and to become a spokesman for FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network), and member of the Macy’s Culinary Council, showed up at Macy's Boston yesterday to take part in Macy’s Great American Chef Tour.

Ming was quite entertaining and engaging as he demonstrate two recipes from his new cookbook, Simply Ming One-Pot Meals: Quick, Healthy & Affordable Recipes - Shrimp, Mango, and Local Herb Summer Rolls and Wok-Stirred Vegetables and Rice Noodles Salad.  Screens were set on either side of him to show us a clear view of his hands in action, and healthy sized delicious samples were made fresh for us from behind the curtain and were carefully handed out to the audience by his black dressed helpers.  It was great!

A lady in the back was super excited when she heard her name called for the drawing for a KitchenAid mixer.  And afterwards, we had the opportunity to buy Ming's new cookbook and to have it signed, or, alternatively, to receive a personally signed photo.

The demo was originally meant to be taped for a brand new cooking show, however, I was told that due to rescheduling, that this was no longer the case.  Well, there goes my 5 minutes of fame.
  

A Week of Food Trucks at Government Center in Photos

Monday (5/21/2012)

Anthony's Gourmet to go

The Dining Car

The Dining Car

Go Fish

Go Fish Specials

Wednesday (5/23/2012)

The Taco Truck

Chubby Chickpea

Staff Meal

Thursday (5/24/2012)

  

Paris Creperie

 

Staff Meal - same menu as the day before

Bon Me

Friday (5/25/2012)

Grilled Cheese Nation

Lobsta Love

Clover

 Tuesday (5/29/2012)

The Froyo Truck

Savory Food

Savory Food

Savory Food

M&M Ribs

9/10/2012 - Lately I've noticed Staff Meal and Paris Creperie at another location when they were previously found at the Government Center Plaza... check out the official City of Boston site for their current locations.