Brick & Mortar (Cambridge, MA)

Finding a good bar within walking distance from work is always a welcome thing. Enter Brick and Mortar, an upstairs "speakeasy" next to Central Kitchen. The small space gets pretty busy even on weeknights.

The beer menu is pretty small since the focus is on cocktails. For a hot summer night, try tall drinks like the Red Duster Swizzle (Beefeater dry gin, Madeira, Campari, falernum, lime, and bitters). There are also classics like the ginger-y Mamie Taylor. Cocktails run about $12 and up. 
For me personally, though, I wish they had a bigger menu for me to try out on multiple visits!

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Tipple and Brine Brings Excitement to The Valley (Sherman Oaks)

I never would've expected going to a restaurant in the Valley and running into so many friends. What kind of restaurant is drawing such a crowd to the valley? It's the new Tipple and Brine in Sherman Oaks.

Appropriate to the name of the restaurant, one of the most talked about item at Tipple and Brine is the oyster luge.

You can order one of the recommended scotches to go with your oyster, like the Bowmore. Sip the oyster brine, then pour some scotch into the shell and gulp it down with the oyster!

Another popular item is the Sea urchin toast, avocado mousse, radish, scallion ($14)

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A Walking Tour of Santa Monica: The Misfit, Del Frisco's Grille, and The Lobster

by guest blogger Bryan Tsunoda @btsunoda

I’ve participated on walking food tours in cities like Milwaukee and St. Louis and recently had an opportunity to do a local walking tour in downtown Santa Monica. One recent evening, I had an opportunity to visit The Misfit Restaurant and Bar, Del Frisco’s Grille and The Lobster.

The first stop was The Misfit Restaurant and Bar. It resides in the uber cool Clock Tower on the 200 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. It was built in the 1920’s in the Art Déco style and is the third tallest building in Santa Monica. 


 The Misfit Restaurant and Bar has a number of specialty cocktails. We were first introduced to “Good Night Emily”: Fords Gin, grapefruit, mint and Peychaud’s bitters. If you like grapefruit, it’s the perfect cocktail for a warm summer day.
 
A colorful kale salad was brought out.
 
It was comprised of shredded kale, quinoa, sunflower seeds, red grapes, preserved lemon and manchego parmesan with a champagne vinaigrette. The red grapes brought color to the dish and I particularly enjoyed the combination of sunflower seeds with the tasty champagne vinaigrette. This is a great salad to enjoy for lunch.

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