Healthy Dining at Freshii (Boston, MA)
We tasted samples of quite a few things during dinner including the popular Metaboost Salad (field greens, spinach, kale, mangos, carrots, edamame, almonds, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette)
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: back bay, boston, chili, freshii, frozen yogurt, healthy, quinoa, salad, vegetarian
Max and Leo's is a highly rated coal-fired pizza join in Newton, and lucky for us they've just opened up shop in the Game On! space in Fenway.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 1:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: boston, chili dog, coal fired pizza, fenway, hot dogs, hot wings, max and leos, nachos, pizza
First, let's talk about the name. Brelundi may sound like an Italian word to some, but it actually just refers to "breakfast lunch dinner" - the three meals this Italian cafe in Waltham serves. They actually have quite a unique breakfast offerings. Breakfast, Sicilian style. Brelundi is open from 7am everyday and it's close to the T station, so it's great stop for locals on their way to work.
The unassuming eatery actually has quite a few surprises, like their breakfast arancini ($4 each). If you're not yet familiar with it, arancini is a fried risotto ball and it is said to have originated in Sicily back in the 10th century. They're usually filled with cheese, meat, or vegetable, but Brelundi takes a unique approach with their breakfast versions!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 6:38 PM 0 comments
Labels: arancini, boston, breakfast, brelundi, frittata, iris pastry, italian, sicilian food, sicily, waltham
Using the sous vide method to cook burgers has been done by some higher end restaurants, but at a fast food restaurant? Beta Burger, steps away from the Roxbury Crossing T station, may be the first. While I do think thick patties are the best for sous vide, using this method for the usually thinner fast food style burger still promises a healthier and juicier burger than its counterparts.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:04 AM 0 comments
Labels: beta burger, boston, burger, fast food, marshmallow burger, roxbury, roxbury crossing, sous vide, sous vide burger
I've been on the hunt for good sushi in Boston, but I had put off Cafe Sushi for a bit because someone said the omakase was too expensive. I finally made it there, though, and this Harvard Square sushi joint was packed! As it turns out, you don't have to break the bank to eat here. I didn't get the omakase but you can have good sushi relatively for a relatively affordable price with their samplers.
The first is their Signature Sampler, which gives you chef's selection of five of their signature sushi creations for $15. At $3 per piece, it was a nice value.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:50 AM 1 comments
Labels: boston, cafe sushi, cambridge, harvard square, nigiri, salmon, sushi, sushi bar, sushi roll
Barking Crab is a tourist spot but it's also an institution in Boston's Fort Point. It's a casual seafood spot - in a tent with a view of the water and the city of Boston. With that New England clam shack-like setting and the faux grass in a heated tent, Barking Crab is a meeting place that feels like summer all year long.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 1:59 PM 0 comments
Labels: barking crab, boston, boston cream pie, boston harbor, Crab, lobster roll, seafood, seaport, south boston
Journeyman is a small restaurant hidden in Somerville that only serves tasting menu. They're also one of the few (only?) spot in Boston that uses a ticketing system, and prices for the same menu vary depending on the time of your reservation. If you book a normal reservation, the 9-course tasting menu is $95. If you prepay by buying a ticket, the ticket is $85. But if you want to dine at a non-peak time - say, a Wednesday at 9pm, it's cheaper still at $75.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 6:04 AM 1 comments
Labels: boston, journeyman, prix fixe, somerville, special occasion, tasting menu, union square
When the owner of O Ya, Tim Cushman, opened up Hojoko, everyone was naturally excited about the new izakaya in the Fenway Kenmore neighborhood. The large restaurant is located inside the Verb Hotel and has a cool funky vibe. They also play anime movies on the back screen!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:21 AM 0 comments
Labels: boston, chicken ramen, fenway, hojoko, izakaya, japanese food, kenmore square, okonomiyaki, ramen, tim cushman
I read recently that Clio, one of Ken Oringer's restaurants in the Eliot Hotel in Back Bay will be closing while Uni (also his restaurant) will be expanding into its space. I was a bit bummed by it since I recently tried Clio and enjoyed it. So, I thought I would blog about my experience there before they close, in case you guys would be enticed to go try it out! Plus, it's one of the only photos I took with my new Sony a6000 before it was stolen when my house got broken into the second time ... sigh.
Anyway, I had grabbed a Gilt City deal for a tasting menu at Clio, which was a pretty good deal for this restaurant. Clio has had a number of great bartenders behind the bar and albeit some have moved on to new restaurants, they still had a nice cocktail menu when I went. Being a root beer lover (don't give me that Dr. Pepper nonsense), I obviously went with the Sarsaparilla Flip (sarsaparilla spice rum, root beer reduction, egg white, nutmeg brulee, $14)
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:36 AM 1 comments
Labels: back bay, boston, clio, cocktail, eliot hotel, gilt city deal, ken oringer, mako shark, tasting menu
When out of town family or friends visit me in Boston, they (naturally) ask for seafood, so I end up at Island Creek Oyster Bar quite a few times. Really, the trio of restaurants/bars at Hotel Commonwealth is a trifecta of amazing spots dangerously easy for a food/drink crawl. Starting with dinner (and drinks) at Island Creek Oyster, you can move next door for cocktails at The Hawthorne, and then keep going for late night eats and more cocktails at Eastern Standard.
But back to Island Creek Oyster Bar first, a mecca of fine seafood in the Fenway Kenmore area. It's started by the people behind the Island Creek Oyster farm down in Duxbury, MA, so you know they're getting their Duxbury oysters super fresh directly from the farm.
Bread with honey butter |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: boston, clam chowder, fenway kenmore, honey butter, ico bar, island creek oyster, island creek oyster bar, lobster pasta, oyster, oyster slider, razor clams, seafood
So I recently took WOW Air, the budget airline from Iceland. They currently fly to New York, Boston, and Baltimore (and soon adding Toronto) to Europe via Iceland. They have sales with prices that will make you go "Wow!" including $99 one way to Paris, which is the one I bought.
It's not exactly $99 each way, though. I did get $99 from Boston to Paris, but the return flight is slightly more expensive. Still, on select dates they're still pretty cheap and I ended up paying $309 for a round trip flight from Boston to Paris. Not bad at all!
As with other budget airlines, there are a lot of caveats. First, you only get 1 carry on bag free, up to 5 kg (11 lbs). I was only going to Paris for 3 nights, so I actually managed to carry everything with me.
They don't provide drinks or food on board, you have to buy whatever you need, including water. They cost about the same as water at the airport, so whatever. It's still a $300 ticket to Paris, I'm not complaining.
I think because they're a newer and a budget airline, they usually taxi to a spot not directly connected to the airport buildings. Passengers had to take a shuttle bus from airport to the plane at all three airports I flew into. Just keep that in mind when you pack, because you have to be outside for a brief moment, but Iceland can be cold and raining or snowing. Pretty much all three happened to me.
I like the cheeky touches of WOW Air. The plane itself looks like a character out of Pixar's movie, with a grin on its face, wearing an aviator.
So how's the flight itself? Well, on the first leg from Boston to Reykjavik, I got really lucky! Window exit row seat, baby.
Best seat in the house |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 1:25 PM 2 comments
Labels: airplane, boston, budget airline, flight review, iceland, keflavik airport, paris, the food doctor, travel, wow air
Boston University students are lucky to have Amsterdam Falafelshop close to them in the Fenway Kenmore area. This place is perfect for a quick, cheap, and satisfying lunch (or dinner).
The menu is simple: you get falafels either in a pita or in a bowl, either small or large. There's also fries. But after you order you can go crazy with the toppings.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 4:19 AM 0 comments
Labels: amsterdam falafelshop, boston, cheap eats, falafel, fenway, fenway kenmore, hummus, instagram contest, lunch, pita, sandwich, vegetarian
There aren't that many Mexican restaurants in Boston compared to LA, but Anna's Taqueria has been going strong for 20 years. In fact, they celebrated their 20th anniversary yesterday! Anna's has 6 locations around Boston now including one at the MIT Student Center, right across the street from my office. As you can imagine it gets quite crowded during lunch hours, but the line moves fast.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:16 AM 0 comments
Labels: annas taqueria, boston, burrito, cambridge, carne asada, mexican food, MIT
Posted by gourmetpigs at 4:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: bel ari, boston, french bistro, italian food, leather district, les zygomates, live jazz, ricotta, steak
Del Frisco's Grille recently launched a lunch deal dubbed "Grab a Pair". For $12 you get your choice of : any personal size flat bread, half of a chicken avocado wrap, 2 fish tacos, or half of a banh mi. This will be served with your choice of mixed green salad, caesar salad, or cup of soup.
If you want a flat bread with a kick to it, try the Spicy pork meatball with banana peppers, fresh mozzarella and housemade ricotta.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 12:52 PM 0 comments
Labels: boozy milkshake, boston, chestnut hill, chestnut hill mall, daily special, del frisco's grille, lunch, lunch special prix fixe, newton, ribs, salad, sandwich
I'm glad I got to take advantage of the summer weather this year by checking out various food trucks around Boston! One of my favorite finds was The Bacon Truck. I've seen this truck around and love their design: so many cute bacon strips doing random things like fishing or reading! The perfect truck for Gourmet Pigs, no?
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: bacon truck, boston, boston food truck, cubano, food trucks, lunch, rose kennedy greenway, sandwich, turkey melt
I'm a fan of the meal or recipe kit delivery services (I reviewed a lot of them here), but sometimes I feel like they send too much food/ too many kits at once for my personal schedule (I go out to eat a lot - obviously), or some services don't let you pick what you want, or some days you want to cook but don't have any kit left. That's why I think a concept like the newly opened Pantry in Brookline is a great idea.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 2:12 PM 0 comments
Labels: boston, brookline, cooking made easy, ingredient kit, meal kit, pantry, pantry store, pasta, recipe kit
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