I (Heart)ford: Salute

I've been in the throes of a summer cold the past couple days, making it hard to sleep and leaving me without much of an appetite (horror of horrors!) Therefore, writing about food has felt a little odd. But. Must. Blog.

As I've mentioned before I recently moved back to Connecticut. On my first night back after a long, sweaty move James and I headed to downtown Hartford for dinner. We decided to try Salute, recently voted the best new restaurant by The Hartford Advocate and it did not disappoint. They have a lovely outdoor seating area which is quite large, especially for downtown. First, there was this:


Salute's "Almost Famous" garlic bread. If you're at all familiar with the Hartford restaurant scene (I just rolled my own eyes, but stay with me) you may recognize this from the old Hot Tomatoes menu. Several of Salute's owners left Hot Tomatoes to open this place but brought along this customer favorite. When I was a kid they used to sell a frozen version of it in a couple of local specialty food stores in the area (R.I.P Cheese and Stuff) and I distinctly remember that back before my father remarried his nearly empty fridge always seemed to have a loaf of this in the freezer.

The point is, whatever you do, order this garlic bread. Order it as a side, order it as your dinner, I don't care. Just. Get it.

Of course, there is a full menu of delicious Italian-inspired fare as well as chop house-style dinners. I went with the Shrimp Piccata pictured below which was made with leeks, onions, tomatoes, and capers in a white wine butter sauce.

James had the Pomodoro, which was a simpler dish of tomato sauce with garlic, basil, and mozzerella cheese over rigatoni. It was better than mine and a good example of how simple dishes made with super fresh ingredients can be great, especially when good basil is involved.

For dessert we went with the classic tiramisu, which they described as being in 'the traditional style.' It had a thicker texture and a richer taste than other tiramisus I've had--similar to a cheesecake. All in all it was a great meal in a lovely setting and made me feel a little better about leaving Boston for Hartford.



I should also mention that on Mondays their happy hour goes until the restaurant closes, so get down there and have a few then listen to free jazz in July and August across the street at Bushnell Park. Who says there's nothing to do downtown?

Postcard From Vacationland: I Heart Portland (and some other stuff too)

I'm baaaack! Well, technically I got back on Friday but I've been busy unpacking, not fitting into a bridesmaid dress thanks to my lax vacation eating/drinking, and seeing Soundgarden rock out in Mansfield, MA. But, back to Maine.

James and I spent a day in Portland right at the beginning of our trip and we had a great time. I love Portland. It's the city I wish Hartford could be. Not too big, but not too small with tons of restaurants, bars, and small businesses to keep things interesting. Unlike Hartford, people actually live in downtown Portland. Imagine: Strolling down cobblestone streets amid historical buildings while breathing in the salt air....sigh. Anyways, we started the day at the landmark Becky's Diner on the advice of my friend Elizabeth's mother, both of whom are Maine natives.


The food is standard diner fare, nothing fancy. But it's done right and the ingredients are fresh. What more can you ask for?

Egg Sandwich with Tomato and Homefries

I also kept seeing this sign of the lobster and the Guinness everywhere. I couldn't help but think "That lobster's never going to enjoy that pint because I'm gonna eat him first." Nature is cruel.

Around mid-afternoon we popped into a cafe called Mornings In Paris. Cheesy as that name is, it caught my eye as well as a magazine clip taped to the window with a picture of Martha Stewart claiming "These are the best whoopie pies I've ever had!" Oh really? They also had a Nutella latte that I really wanted to get, but my pants told me no. I regret that decision.

The comforting glow of the display case

The whoopie pies are made by Cranberry Island Kitchen out of Portland and they are indeed, the best whoopie pies I've ever had. (Omg...on their website they have whoopie pie cakes! *ahem* Sorry. Cake makes me excited.)

Here's a picture of some espresso chip and chocolate ones we picked up at a gourmet food store in Raymond later on in the week:

After whoopie pie mania we had dinner down by the docks at Ri Ra, an irish pub/restaurant chain with a distinct foodie slant. This deconstructed goat cheese and roasted vegetable tart with spicy tomato jam is definitely a contender for an at home recreation.

And of course, no summer evening is complete without some ice cream. We decided to get our fix at Mt. Desert Island ice cream which had some lovely signage out front:

When Food and Wine Magazine tells you something, you listen up ok?

I had salted caramel and James had coffee oreo. This ain't your momma's ice cream. Flavors there are intense and feature the traditional (cookies and cream) alongside the experimental (Sherry Catalana).

After a day of gorging ourselves, we headed further into the wilds of Maine to my family's vacation home in Raymond. We didn't do too much, which was perfect.

We enjoyed some wild strawberries...

Went on a pretty, yet buggy evening walk...

Ate outside...(the food was still on the grill. Unless baked potatoes with lemon is your idea of a good meal...)

And made the trip out to The Lobster Shack at Two Lights.

Mmmm shore dinner.

If you go, get ready to stand in line.

But with views like this it's worth the wait.

Bye Bye Boston. It's Been Real.

Well, I didn't get through the bucket list but I did manage to make some headway. Plus, I'll be back in Beantown for various reasons over the next few months anyways. Can't stay away. Boston gets in your bloooood.

On Saturday I had a pretty epic last night out in Cambridge with some friends. We hit up ZuZu and recreated this scene from Animal House with a bunch of hipsters, but sadly no togas. Consequently, the walk home looked something like this:


When I eventually woke up on Sunday James and I went to Zaftig's in Coolidge Corner, since he's never been. Normally going there on a weekend automatically means a 2 hour wait. But it was past 3 pm so we were seated right away. Magic! I had some Gravlax to celebrate:



After lunch we drove over to lovely Jamaica Pond:



James and I had a baseball catch (I won) and then we headed up to Cambridge for ice cream at Toscanini's, which has the best ice cream I've ever had ever. Then we walked back to Boston via the Harvard bridge, which I would recommend both for the lovely views and the calorie-burning potential.

The next day I loaded a bunch of stuff into my dad's van and drove back to CT, which wasn't very interesting.

Anyways, I'm going to be traveling quite a bit over the next couple of weeks. First we're heading up to Portland on Saturday to hang out with some friends and then we're going even deeper into the wilds of Maine to spend some time at my family's camp (or vacation home for you non-Mainers.) I'm then going to go to Rhode Island because apparently my life is all about New England-based travel right now. Tough, I know. But I'll be back sometime next month with more posts about food I like to eat, restaurants I like to visit, and things I need to complain about.

Working Through The Bucket List: Grendel's, a Greek festival, and Cutty's

Ever have one of those days (weeks, months, whatever) where you can't get motivated to do anything? Sadly, I have lots of things to do and very little drive to actually do any of them. For instance: it's taken me three days just to write up to this sentence.

Anyways, I'm still working through the bucket list while simultaneously trying to savor what's left of my time in Boston.

Sure, it's fun to go to the Fenway or ride on the Duck tour boats but it's the little things, the ones that come with living in a place for a while, that I'll miss the most--like a moment of unexpected beauty during an afternoon walk to the T stop:

I'll also miss hanging out at a bar where everybody knows my name. Well, most of them. Ok, maybe just a couple of the bartenders. And maybe they don't actually remember my name. But, they know I've been there before. And that's what counts.

Where was I going with this? Oh, Grendel's brunch. Right.


I've written about Grendel's Den in Harvard Square several times before. I mean, it should really have it's own label at this point. When I lived in Cambridge I'd go in at least weekly with my friend Elizabeth. But once I moved across the river and she moved to NYC my visits became fewer and far between. When I found out Elizabeth was coming to town last weekend we decided we had to go to Grendel's and we had to go for brunch. I'm proud to say that we accomplished both those goals with flying colors.

Note: If you're going to spend a Saturday night at a bar and then go back there for brunch the next morning, make sure you don't sit on the same stool the whole time. Try a booth or a chair. Mix it up a bit. Your back will thank you.

As you can see above, I got eggs Florentine. I was told the hollandaise was 'banging' and indeed it was. Also 'banging'? This epic side of bacon for $2:

James ended up joining us for brunch but he forbade me from posting the photo of him enjoying a Reuben. He did allow me to say that it is 'James Approved.'

Later that day, after emerging from the dark confines of Grendel's, we got wind of a Greek festival being held in Central Square. I had missed Hartford's Greek festival while I was in NYC and had been jonesing for a gyro ever since (yes, that can happen.) Luckily these guys were on hand to help me get my fix:

'Hello young lady. You want gyro?'

Just give James a tray of gyros and hang the Greek flag in his eye line and he is one happy camper:

Me on the other hand? A bowl of warm loukoumades, please:


The next day we stopped by Cutty's, a little sandwich shop in Brookline.

I got the eggplant spukie topped with hand-pulled mozzarella and their olive-carrot salad.


While James got a turkey sandwich. Boooring.

Come on. If you'd rather text than eat your food, you've ordered the wrong thing. James.

Working Through The Bucket List: Chihuly and Toro

Can I just say that I am probably the laziest person you will ever meet? Really. Don't let the Masters degree or the semi-regular blogging fool you.

Yesterday I told myself I was going to go to Chihuly because the MFA is free (or rather, they ask for a donation) on Wednesdays. But, my day was long. And it was getting hot outside. And the MFA just seemed so far. Ugh. However, even though I can be incredibly lazy, I am also really good at guilting myself:

'You'll regret it if you don't go,' I said.
'But, I'm tired....And maybe it's lame,' I replied.
'However bad you feel now, you'll feel worse in the end if you don't do it,' I countered.
'But it's a far walk and I'm not really sure how to get there and th--'
'Dammit, Emily! Just go!'
'Alright. Jeez.'

So, I went. I walked over from work and though it was long and kind of hot it was, yes, worth it in the end.

First off, I got to see these ducks while walking through the park:

So cute! That alone made the trip worth it. Besides, it's always nice to walk around parts of the Emerald Necklace, even if it did make my walk longer.


When I finally got to the MFA I was happy to learn that photography was allowed. Sadly, I only had my camera phone on me. I apologize in advance. Also, as you can see it was pretty crowded. Everyone is as cheap as me.


Obviously my camera phone pictures don't do the exhibit justice and while you really need to be in person to get the full experience, I just wanted to share a few things:


While I was staring at this giant boat filled with blown glass I realized I had seen it before. When I was in D.C. babysitting for my cousin Maeve the apartment we stayed in had a poster of this. Note: babies loooove Chihuly.

This is one of his famous 'chandeliers'. I've definitely seen a few of these around. I'm pretty sure he did the one in the Bushnell (remember Kimmy?) and maybe even the one at Mohegan Sun. Now you can tell your friends 'It's a Chihuly' and they'll be impressed.

This room was cool. I loved that there were people just chilling out.

This made me lol. Does that make me a bad person? I don't care. Someone get this for me.


Afterwards, I met up with my cousin Katie and her fiance Keith at Toro, a tapas place in the South End. Katie wanted me to mention that she was FIRST to do something with me off the bucket list. She'll probably be second too. Maybe even third.

Toro was too dark for me to take even moderately good camera phone photos. However, a quick image search reveals all you need to see. The corn, my God. The corn! Who knew that grilling it and dousing it with aioli, cheese, and lime would be so delicious? Actually, I'm pretty sure Toro's motto is 'just put some aioli on it'. I mean, it's good stuff but I definitely woke up smelling like aioli this morning. Anyways...yeah, get the corn. Everything we had was pretty good but the corn made it a 'must visit' for me.

A Boston Bucket List (Of Sorts)

Farewell, partial view of The Prudential Center...

I feel like I've been in a funk for the past couple of weeks. Granted, I've spent a large chunk of that time traveling between Boston, CT, and NYC. (It's a well-known fact that for every hour you spend on a Peter Pan bus, you lose one week of your life.) Then, when I actually have been home, I'm either exhausted from doing other peoples' chores all day or it's a furnace outside. So much so that the only thing I've felt like doing lately is watching succeeding episodes of Party Down on Netflix. But, I need to snap out of it because it's getting down to the wire re: my last day in Boston. In fact, I'm roughly two weeks away from moving day.

So, in honor of my departure from Beantown (and as a way to get me out of the house) I've compiled a Bucket List of sorts. No, I'm not dying, but I do believe that living in a city is a far different experience from visiting one. Hence, this isn't a 'Best of Boston' list, but more of a 'Things I never got around to doing over the past three years/Revisiting Old Favorites' list.

Cultural

The Chihuly exhibit at the MFA (They had me at glass-blown flowers)
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (preferrably on a First Thursday)
The ICA

Outdoors/Historical

Arnold Arboretum
Mt. Auburn Cemetery
JFK Library /Birthplace (Probably would have made sense to go to the library at some point during the two years I went to UMB. But, I was too preoccupied with thinking about my thinking)
Jamaica Pond

Food & Bev

Trina's Starlite Lounge (Any home of the High Life is a home to me!)
Grendel's for brunch
Sullivan's Tap (or really, any place on this list)
Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe
Oleana or Sofra
Dali or Toro
New Paris Bakery
Cutty's

Crap that's a long list. I better get moving. Check out my twitter to see where I go!

Postcard from NYC: A Photo Essay

I'm back in The Bean and mostly recovered from last week's massive sleep deprivation. I didn't go to any of the places on my list and I didn't take a ton of photos because most of the time I was in my pjs trying to coherce my cousin into taking a nap. Note: 'Because I said so' doesn't really work on a two year-old. Neither does frustrated crying.

But! I'll be back in NYC sometime next month for an 'adults only' visit. I now submit to you with minimal comments my trip:

Their apartment is across the street from The Daily Show and no Mom, I didn't see Jon Stewart. Ever. One time I saw a guy cleaning the windows though. That was pretty cool.


While out with Elizabeth on 9th Ave (aka Restaurant Row) we decided to grab some Thai at a place called Chanpen. I had the Shrimp Pad Thai after the menu declared 'You've tried the rest, now try the best!' I mean, it was good and all but not as good as Hot Basil's in West Hartford.

The Chang beer on the other hand exceeded my expectations. Perhaps because they were so low to begin with...Also, many thanks to E for the photobomb

Looks like someone had a crazy night involving Skyy Pineapple Vodka!! (I thought this was hilarious when I took it. Thank you, sleep deprived brain.)

Perfect latte from Bergamont. My aunt and uncle swear it's the best French bakery in NYC. They used to live there, so I'm gonna go with them on this one.

Ah, the Croque Madame! Take one classic French Croque Monsieur (toasted brioche, ham, swiss, bechamel) and top it with an egg. Voila!

Hudson River Park. If you've never been, do yourself a favor and change that.


Plus then you can have yummy Belgian Waffles from the Waffles and Dingles truck!


The pier to nowhere...


Actually, it's a part of this.

And this.

I call this one 'Lost Ducky'

The End. (Told you it was short)

Next up: My Boston Bucket List.