All Star Chef Classic: March 11-14, 2015

There are a ton of food events and festivals in Los Angeles, but the All Star Chef Classic plays it a bit different? Ever wanted to watch a cooking show or competition in real life? You can with their events at the Restaurant Stadium, built just for this 4-day affair.

There are a total of six events where you can watch master chefs cook and compete in the stadium - while enjoying some great food, of course.

At the Master Dinners (they are holding French, British, and American Master Dinners) you'll watch the chefs prepare your multi-course meal that you will then enjoy paired with wines. At some of the other events like Grill & Chill, 20 chefs will prepare bites that you can enjoy in the "Tasting Arena".

Last year's cabbage with crispy chicken skin from Paul Qui

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HelloFresh Meal Kit Delivery Review

I've written about Plated's meal kit delivery service before, but lately I've been using HelloFresh more. The reason is simple: it's cheaper. Plated runs about $12 per meal while HelloFresh runs about $10.75 per meal (both of those prices include shipping). Plus, you can get $40 off your first box when you use this link.
With these snowstorms in Boston, it's always a relief to you know you've still got plenty of food to cook at home!

Just like Plated, you can choose the exact menu items you want from that week's selection. The only difference is while you can order 2 meals for 2 people at Plated, with HelloFresh you need to order 3 meals with 2 people. That might be how they can charge a cheaper price.

I've ordered three times now and tried quite a few things, but I always try to order the simpler recipes like this beef and brussel sprouts stir fry.

Teriyaki meatballs with carrot and pea salad. This was my first time making meatballs! I had to roll up the ground beef by hand, but hey, I did pretty well if I do say so myself ..

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$1 Tapas Blitz at Estragon (Boston, MA)

Did I tell you how bummed I was when I found out there's no happy hour in Boston? Yeah, happy hour deals on alcohol is illegal here. Sucks! But on the other hand, some of the restaurants here have great happy hour food deals. One such place is Estragon, a Spanish restaurant in the South End. On Mondays-Thursdays from 5-7pm is Tapas Blitz, where you can get tapas starting from $1 if you sit at the bar.

Among the $1 selections, the best choice is the Solomillo de cerdo (Seared Pork Tenderloin, Caramelized Onions, Mojo Picon)

This is a really tender pork tenderloin on toast, and the mojo picon sauce is quite flavorful as well. For $1? I'll have three.

There are also selections of $3 and $5 tapas. The $3 ones include two jamon croquettes or a bowl of Fried pork belly ($3)

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