As 2007 comes to a close…

I’ve been reflecting on how my year measured up as it applied to the foodie part of my life. It’s been a pretty cool year!

• I started this blog in mid-August and have had almost 3500 visitors, from 48 different countries
• My husband and I began our bi-weekly “Date Night” ritual
• I was added as a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher
• I got invited to several PR events for food related businesses
• I was invited to the Insider’s Table at the Cheesecake Factory
• My blog made it onto Boston.com’s “Local Blog List” (something I am very proud of!)
• AND… I met some interesting, talented and fellow Boston bloggers

Not too bad for just a few months of blogging, if I do say so myself! Additionally, and most importantly, I had the pleasure of eating at many great and some not-so-great restaurants… having everything from amazing to mediocre meals along the way.

I noticed in the most recent issue of The Improper Bostonian, that a regular columnist detailed what made his “best of the year” list. Things like the best book he read and best movie he saw (to name a few); but what caught my eye was his “best meal of the year”. For 2007, the best meal he had was the Hamersley’s Bistro Curried Swordfish with Preserved Lemons. It’s no longer on the menu… I checked… so I guess we missed out. However, this got me thinking… what was the best meal I had all year???

This was not an easy thing to decide… or remember for that matter! Maybe it’s age (after all, I am almost 40) or maybe it’s because I have a 3 year old that fries my brain and leaves it in tatters every day. In either case, I can barely remember where our last date night was, let alone what my favorite meal of the year was! I realized that I would need to fall back on my blog entries to help me “remember”… so forget about anything I may have eaten before August of this year!

The best overall “meal” (food, experience, ambiance, service, etc.) was hands down our first (and hopefully not last) visit to Oleana. This place is amazing, and if you have not been yet, you need to go, and… you need to order the Vegetarian Tasting Menu (which is what we had). Of the entire tasting we experienced, my favorite dish was a special of the night… an Heirloom Tomato Napoleon layered w/ Whipped Spiced Feta on top of a Pistachio Crumb Crust ($13).

One other memorable dish was actually from a restaurant that is over-hyped and that I wouldn’t go back to nor recommend… the Craigie Street Bistrot. Even though our entire meal was so-so at best, the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnocchi, served atop a sweet beet and butter reduction was to die for.

Even though I am certain we had many other meals and dishes that were just as good — and to someone with better short- and long-term memory — quite memorable, these two dishes stick out in my mind.

To wrap up this year… I vow to make three food blog resolutions. One, I will continue to try new places on our bi-weekly date night and report back to you in a candid and [hopefully somewhat] humorous way.Two, we will try to bring our son out to eat more… so we can provide you parents –who lack babysitters — with tasty and kid-friendly options as well. Lastly, I will strive to post a minimum of one time a week… but more like two or three!

Have a safe, healthy and Happy New Year and look for my next post on the holiday meal I cooked on Christmas Day and the smorgasbord of holiday appetizer’s and fingers foods I whipped together for our Annual Holiday Soiree (held in our home). Bon Appetit!

As 2007 comes to a close…

I’ve been reflecting on how my year measured up as it applied to the foodie part of my life. It’s been a pretty cool year!

• I started this blog in mid-August and have had almost 3500 visitors, from 48 different countries
• My husband and I began our bi-weekly “Date Night” ritual
• I was added as a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher
• I got invited to several PR events for food related businesses
• I was invited to the Insider’s Table at the Cheesecake Factory
• My blog made it onto Boston.com’s “Local Blog List” (something I am very proud of!)
• AND… I met some interesting, talented and fellow Boston bloggers

Not too bad for just a few months of blogging, if I do say so myself! Additionally, and most importantly, I had the pleasure of eating at many great and some not-so-great restaurants… having everything from amazing to mediocre meals along the way.

I noticed in the most recent issue of The Improper Bostonian, that a regular columnist detailed what made his “best of the year” list. Things like the best book he read and best movie he saw (to name a few); but what caught my eye was his “best meal of the year”. For 2007, the best meal he had was the Hamersley’s Bistro Curried Swordfish with Preserved Lemons. It’s no longer on the menu… I checked… so I guess we missed out. However, this got me thinking… what was the best meal I had all year???

This was not an easy thing to decide… or remember for that matter! Maybe it’s age (after all, I am almost 40) or maybe it’s because I have a 3 year old that fries my brain and leaves it in tatters every day. In either case, I can barely remember where our last date night was, let alone what my favorite meal of the year was! I realized that I would need to fall back on my blog entries to help me “remember”… so forget about anything I may have eaten before August of this year!

The best overall “meal” (food, experience, ambiance, service, etc.) was hands down our first (and hopefully not last) visit to Oleana. This place is amazing, and if you have not been yet, you need to go, and… you need to order the Vegetarian Tasting Menu (which is what we had). Of the entire tasting we experienced, my favorite dish was a special of the night… an Heirloom Tomato Napoleon layered w/ Whipped Spiced Feta on top of a Pistachio Crumb Crust ($13).

One other memorable dish was actually from a restaurant that is over-hyped and that I wouldn’t go back to nor recommend… the Craigie Street Bistrot. Even though our entire meal was so-so at best, the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnocchi, served atop a sweet beet and butter reduction was to die for.

Even though I am certain we had many other meals and dishes that were just as good — and to someone with better short- and long-term memory — quite memorable, these two dishes stick out in my mind.

To wrap up this year… I vow to make three food blog resolutions. One, I will continue to try new places on our bi-weekly date night and report back to you in a candid and [hopefully somewhat] humorous way.Two, we will try to bring our son out to eat more… so we can provide you parents –who lack babysitters — with tasty and kid-friendly options as well. Lastly, I will strive to post a minimum of one time a week… but more like two or three!

Have a safe, healthy and Happy New Year and look for my next post on the holiday meal I cooked on Christmas Day and the smorgasbord of holiday appetizer’s and fingers foods I whipped together for our Annual Holiday Soiree (held in our home). Bon Appetit!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Are you a Trader Joe’s fan?

I sure am! So I was very excited when I received an email from the Trader Joe’s Fan website, announcing the exciting news that they have launched the first ever Trader Joe’s cookbook… Cooking with Trader Joe’s! The book is available exclusively on their site, and you can read the entire press release for more information. I took a quick peek at the details and it appears to be very cool. All the recipes use 100% Trader Joe’s ingredients and there is a color picture for every recipe. FYI… this site is not affiliated with Trader Joe’s at all.. these women have just taken it upon themselves to research and create this fun site and book. Enjoy!

Are you a Trader Joe’s fan?

I sure am! So I was very excited when I received an email from the Trader Joe’s Fan website, announcing the exciting news that they have launched the first ever Trader Joe’s cookbook… Cooking with Trader Joe’s! The book is available exclusively on their site, and you can read the entire press release for more information. I took a quick peek at the details and it appears to be very cool. All the recipes use 100% Trader Joe’s ingredients and there is a color picture for every recipe. FYI… this site is not affiliated with Trader Joe’s at all.. these women have just taken it upon themselves to research and create this fun site and book. Enjoy!

An "Insider’s" view of the Cheesecake Factory

I’ve been invited to participate in the Cheesecake Factory’s new progrram the “Insider’s Table”, an online forum for food lovers who want to share and receive information about Cheesecake Factory news. You also recieve in-store perks such as occassional food tastings and free coupons for menu items. The goal of the site is to educate foodie bloggers, who will in turn, educate their blog readers.

If you are interested in participating, it is currently invitation only… however, you can apply and hopefully get approved at: https://www.insiderstable.com/

I need a Byte of something good

I received an email from the CEO of a new website called FoodieBytes, where you can enter the actual dish that you are craving, as well as any dietary restrictions you have (such as gluten free), and recieve a list of all restaurants in the area matching your criteria. It’s really quite cool. They also have a database that allows you to view the entire menu for all searchable restaurants.

This site just launched in Boston and is available in other areas of the country. They are looking for feedback on the site, so try them out and let them know what you think.

What’s the Buzz all about?

Notice something different? I have changed the look and feel of my blog a bit. Let me know what you think. You might also notice the new widget on the right side of the page. The advertisements listed here are powered by FoodBuzz, a new and really cool foodie website… where I am a Featured Publisher! Check it out… I’m sure you’ll dig it!

Need a favor? How about a cake?

Try Party Favors in Coolidge Corner (Brookline), they’ll make your cake (or cupcakes) and provide you with a large selection of party favors and goodies. My son’s third birthday party was this past weekend and I wanted something other than your typical grocery store, trans fat-laden, disgustingly sweet, birthday cake. Friends of ours had their wedding cake made by Party Favors and it was delicious! I decided to give them a try for Chance’s party.

First off, I made the mistake of ordering his cake only a week before the party. This place is crazy-busy, and if you do not order in advance, you are given a very limited set of options to choose from. Sure, you can pick any cake and icing type, but your odds of getting one of their unbelievably creative designs is slim to null! This place specializes in making kid’s (and adult’s) cake dreams come true. They can pretty much bake and decorate a cake in any shape, size, color, theme and/or character you want. It’s quite amazing. You can browse their one-of-many cake catalogs (such as these children’s birthday cake options), or come up with your own idea.

Chance wanted a pirate party. I wanted a pirate cake… but due to the short notice, the best they could do was a rectangular cake, decorated in the icing colors of my choice, with room left for me to place some pirate toys and objects on top. If I had actually been responsible and ordered in advance, I could have had a treasure chest, pirate ship or ocean scene cake. Oh well! Our cake still came out very cute — after I added some Playmobile pirates, a boat, treasure chest and additional pirate-themed accessories!

The cake itself was chocolate with a banana and custard filling. The icing was very sweet, but not disgustingly so. We did a tan background with brown, red and black trim and writing. The brown icing used on the trim was actually chocolate flavored… not just colored brown. The filling was delicious and the cake was good… though a little dry on the edges. We received many compliments on it. I will try to post a picture or two of it later…

Worth the $77 price tag attached to the cake (which did serve 45 to 50 guests)? Yep… it was good, tasted homemade and was plenty big. Next time I will definitely order in advance and take advantage of the cake decorator’s exceptional talent!