Food Gawker won again…

It has this way of sucking me in. I’m addicted… I can’t help it.

I was on earlier this week — drooling over the food porn and looking for something interesting to cook, when I came upon something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a particularly chilly day, so when my eyes landed on the following scrumptious picture, I HAD to click!

See what I mean? IRRESISTIBLE!

This is Mulligatawny soup, as posted by A Smart Mouth… a food blog I had yet to happen upon. I’m sure glad she posted this picture on Food Gawker, because if not, I may have never found this recipe.

I’ve been dying to make this all week and finally scored some free time yesterday to organize my ingredients and get to work on the task of my “first real Indian dish”. I’ve been a bit daunted by cooking Indian food in the past, as true Indian cuisine often relies on many steps and loads of ingredients — a labor intensive commitment.

I spent about 2 hours chopping, measuring, cooking and such — and the end result was a DELICIOUS meal. Of course, the almost 4-yo walked in the house last night and said “what’s that smell??” (as he made an awful face) and I said “it’s the soup I made for dinner!” His response? “I’m not having soup”. Whatever…

My guess is that (in addition to the house) I smelled pretty pungent myself, from having toasted the spices in the kitchen all afternoon. It was well worth it though. We served the soup on top of a little lime-infused Thai rice and both the Husband and I could not get enough. Thank you Anjuli Ayer (of A Smart Mouth)… your mom’s recipe is fabulous!!! (and yes, my soup actually looked like this picture too!)

Happy Halloween!

These are Martha Stewart’s “Creepcakes“. I made them for my son’s birthday party 2 years ago. I thought I would share the image (from the MS website) b/c they were so much fun to make and everyone loved them!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Blogging By Mail…

Blogging By Mail is a fun event that a fellow food blogger devised last year. Basically, food bloggers from all over the globe provide their name, address, food likes and dislikes and are then given another food blogger’s same info.

Each blogger creates a “care package” — with a food theme — and ships it to the person assigned to them. For this round, the theme was “10 items or less” and I got a participant who lives in Australia… so I wanted to send some real New England favorites.

Here is what I came up with:

1. Marshmallow Fluff (made in Somerville, MA)
2. Real Vermont Maple Syrup
3. Vermont Maple Sugar Candy
4. Pumpkin Bread Mix (from Trader Joe’s)
5. Pumpkin Butter (from Trader Joe’s)
6. Boston Red Sox Pez Dispenser
7. Jelly Belly Candy Corn (hey, it’s Halloween)
8. Trader Joe’s Super Amazing Kitchen Cloth (b/c I love these things)
9. Union Oyster House Cookbook (traditional New England recipes)
10. Maine Wild Blueberry Sauce

I can’t wait to see what I get!

NOTE: You don’t get to know who has your name and it’s not a 1:1 relationship with your recipient.

I heart Myer’s + Chang

During my parent’s visit two weeks ago, we were able to squeeze in two lunches in the city.

The first was on Thursday, when they arrived via train and came into Back Bay Station. I had parked in my “secret parking spot” (off Berkley Street, by the Chandler Inn)… so what better place to chow down than Myer’s + Chang? I had only been once before… and LOVED it… so I was looking for any excuse to go back.

It was a nice walk and a beautiful day — and, we got to take a peek at the Boston community gardens on the way there… trying to guess what the various greens were (both me and my dad are avid gardeners). Some looked just like Elephant Ears. We didn’t realize this was edible… and it seemed like a lot of people were growing it. We seriously doubted it was “just for looks” — especially considering the majority of the garden purveyors are Chinese immigrants. So I decided to look it up and I learned something new. The plant foliage known as Elephant Ear, that we grow as a seasonal ornamental… is actually Taro root!!!! I had NO idea. You learn something new everyday. Now I’m wondering if it’s cheaper to buy the bulbs from a gardening store or to just pick them up at the grocery store??

In any case, we arrived at M + C right when they opened for lunch… 11:30am. We were the first ones there and pretty much had the place to ourselves for most of our visit.

We ordered a few beers ($6 each) and I got an Asian Mojito ($12), which was very good — basically a mojito, but with sake rather than rum. It was a healthy portion, a decent pour and very refreshing.

I also placed one dim sum order — the Edamame and Celery Slaw — with sesame oil & candied lemon ($4). This is one of my favorite things on the menu. It’s light, crunchy, savory, sour and nutty all rolled into one. I love the combination of celery, sesame oil and candied lemon peel… just watch out for the larger pieces of parsley… they can obstruct the simplicity of the dish with an herbal punch.

For lunch, my mom went with Chicken and Rice Soup — with pork dumpling & baby bok choy ($11). She thought it was ‘okay’. It wasn’t what she expected and the portion was small for the price. With no visible pieces of chicken, very little rice and a rather bland broth, this dish was a bit of a disappointment.

My dad went with the Chef’s Daily Special Baby Banh Mi — which was fried oyster ($10). This was a great little lunch box, which included some type of cabbage relish, shrimp chips and a sweet and savory chopped vegetable relish (mostly tomato) with cilantro. My dad thoroughly enjoyed it…

I couldn’t resist getting the same dish as last time — the Vegetarian Wok-charred Udon Noodles — with tofu & baby bok choy ($11 ). I just love this dish. The noodles are smokey, savory, salty and pungent. I love the sauce and the flavor-saturated tofu. I definitely recommend this dish… and it comes in a chicken version as well.

All-in-all, an excellent lunch at very affordable prices. As I probably said last time… if you haven’t been to this place yet — you must go! You’ll love the kitchy-ness of the decor, the background music and the funky staff… not to mention the aromas wafting from the open kitchen. This is definitely a SoWa keeper.

Why you should tip well…

This is from a Craig’s List ad for a popular South End restaurant. This is the hourly rate most of the servers in the Boston area are getting. Please keep this in mind when you tip them. I know so many folks that think tipping is BS. Without tips, these folks are making zippo!!!

Location: South End
Compensation: $2.63 + tips
This is a part-time job.

Townsend’s Economic Relief Fund Program

So as you know, we ate at Townsend’s last weekend and had a great meal. While chatting with the owner, Michael Tallon, I found out that in order to encourage more folks to eat out during these tough economic times — Townsend’s is offering a special “Economic Relief Fund Program” Monday through Friday, from 5pm to 7pm (last seating at 6:45). This special package allows you to dine out, eat great food and still not put a huge dent in your weekly allowance.

The 2-course meal goes for $15 and includes your choice of one appetizer and one entree. For another $15, you can add a bottle of the red or white wine selection of the week. This is a great deal!

Here are the yummy-sounding offerings:

Appetizers

Townsend’s Traditional Mussels

Served with Smithwick’s red ale, sliced garlic, shallots and lemon butter (normally $9)

Fall Greens with Red Beets

Served with a Gorgonzola crouton, candied walnuts and a maple sherry vinaigrette (normally $7)

Soup of the Day
(normally $7)

Dublin Coddle

Served over roasted spuds and topped with a fried egg (normally $8)

Entrees

Irish Style Bolognese

Served with ground lamb, beef and Pancetta over Bucatini (normally $14)

Berkshire Porter and Scallion Battered Fish & Chips
(normally $17)

Wagyu Beef Burger

With aged cheddar, the works and served on grilled focaccia with fries (normally $15)

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

With blue cheese dressing, the works and served on grilled focaccia with fries (not on the normal menu)

This special saves you anywhere between $6 and $11… depending on the combination you pick. That’s like getting the appetizer for free, and then some… and these are all hearty dishes that won’t leave you hungry and may even provide you with a bit of leftovers. Definitely worth the visit…

Careful… Accident on Washington St in Dedham…

Right before Dedham mall heading West Bound. East bound lane blocked off (see photo). Lots of emergency vehicles…

Masa Mia!

In case you haven’t heard… I quit my job about 2 weeks ago. It was time… and things have been going well ever since. However, my “dining out” budget has seriously dwindled (hence the lack of DN’s and GNO’s)… so I am trying to focus on some places where you get the most bang for you buck. Last Tuesday, two fellow food bloggers and myself found such a place: Masa — “Where South West meets the South End”

You see, Masa has been running a special Tapas Menu — offering 10 varieties of tapas for $1 each. Better yet, if you go between 5pm and 7pm (which we did), you can get all 10 tapas for $5! You just can’t beat that… so obviously, we each ordered the Tapas Combo Platter ($5) and what we got was the following:

Starting in the upper-left corner, and working around the plate in a clockwise fashion, we noshed on the following:

• Stuffed Cherry Pepper with Chorizo, Gorgonzola and Seafood
• Tequila -Cured Salmon with Chipotle Cream Cheese
• Orange, Tamarind and Onion Relish served atop a Sweet Potato Chip
• Smoked Mussel on the Half Shell with a Citrus Onion Salsa
• Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Charred Corn and Avocado Salsa
• Ancho Popcorn Shrimp with Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce
• Pulled Pork and Monterrey Jack Springroll with Masa BBQ Sauce
• Queso Fundido Jalapeno Empanada
• Grilled Chorizo with Cranberry Chutney Salsa
• Shredded Chicken Taquito with Ancho Chile Aioli

Neither of my dining pals eats raw tuna… so I had to down three orders of that and in exchange, I passed on the Pulled Pork Springroll and the Grilled Chorizo… but toughed it out with the stuffed cherry pepper (shhh… don’t tell anyone I ate pork).

Starting with the top of the list with the stuffed cherry pepper… the pepper wasn’t as hot as I expected (good thing) and the filling was very savory, bordering on tangy, from the gorgonzola (which was overpowering). While I liked it, I didn’t love it and could barely taste the chorizo and wasn’t able to detect any seafood.

The salmon was nice… I really enjoyed it and especially liked it paired with the chipotle cream cheese.

The orange, tamarind and onion relish was sweet, tangy and tasted great with the sweet potato chip.

The smoked mussel was divine… salty, tart, smokey and fresh.

The tuna was good (and I’m a HUGE tuna ceviche fan), but had a little too much spice for me. I liked it, but my mouth was numb the rest of the evening. Perhaps this was because I had three servings of it?!

The popcorn shrimp were sweet, crunchy and intensely seasoned… a real pick-me-up.

The jalapeno empanada was great… not too much heat and just enough savory goodness.

Last, but not least, the chicken taquito was by far my absolute favorite of the evening. From the crispy exterior to the smokey, savory and spicy interior, this little package of goodness was too small and I basically devoured all of the aioli as well.

All these dishes packed a punch… squeezing as much flavor and intensity into as tiny a package as possible. If you are a person who enjoys bland food, then these tapas are not for you; however, if you are a foodie that drools over food that douses your palate with the intensity of a kicking and screaming banshee, then make your way over to Masa.

After Masa, we decided to walk a block down the street for a sweet ending at Picco. I had the Toasted Gingerbread, served warm, topped with homemade ice cream (I chose Peanut Butter Swirl) and topped with raspberry sauce and whipped cream ($7). Another blogger friend got the same thing, with a different ice cream and the third blogger in our party got the Affagado, ice cream drowned in espresso with hot fudge and whipped cream ($6.5).

I shouldn’t have… but I ate the entire thing. I think we all did. The home made ice cream was so fricken good! And even though it sounded like a weird combo — gingerbread, peanut butter and raspberry — it SO worked! Of course, you can order any type of ice cream with your dessert, but I recommend the PB.

All-in-all, a very inexpensive evening for a bunch of hungry (and poor) bloggers. Know of any other deals and steals? Let me know! Also, to read what my fellow bloggers though… visit Cave Cibum or Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen for their complete reviews.

Chocolate Meme

I just got tagged by The Boston Foodie with a chocolate meme. Don’t know what a meme is? Click here to read one fellow blogger’s explanation.

This meme consists of the following questions (inspired by National Chocolate Week in the UK):

Dark, white or milk?
Absolutely milk chocolate. While I love dark chocolate with red wine, or as a satisfyer while dieting, I really love and crave milk chocolate. White chocolate is okay, but I don’t love it. In fact, as I child I downright disliked it. I’ve learned to tolerate it… and even enjoy it sometimes.

Favourite chocolate dish, sweet or savoury?
Sweet all the way. Hands down. Though, I do like a good Mole, I will take a chocolate dessert any day of the week.

A chocolate memory?
The first time I ever had molten chocolate cake — it was actually the Chocolate Soufflé at Olives in Charlestown… about 10 years ago. Not quite a cake, but my first experience with a soft chocolate center. It was love at first site. Their Vanilla Soufflé is amazing too. While I don’t really go to Olive’s anymore — specifically since Todd English’s head exploded, I still sometimes crave those desserts. I also vividly remember my first Legal Seafood’s Chocolate Pudding Cake…

Favourite chocolate bar?
Not really a bar… but not really not a bar either:

If you could only have one specific chocolate for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmm… this is the toughest question of all. I grew up in NJ and visited Hershey Park many times as a child, so I have a nostalgic link to Hershey Chocolate. Then, obviously, my favorite candy bar is a Cadbury product… so I cannot rule that out either. I also love Lindt truffles or a divine and rich Godiva or Ghirardelli bar; however, all things considered, I was introduced to and fell in love with a UK brand of chocolate a few years ago. Therefore, I have to go with Quality Street Chocolates — I love those damn things!

We are boycotting Thai Spice in W. Roxbury

We love Thai Spice, really… we do. So do most folks in this area, as their portions are always huge, their ingredients fresh and their food is delicious. We love them even more… because the deliver. Alas, it may have been their “delivery skills” that has put the nail in the coffin for us. You see, Thai Spice has historically exaggerated on the amount of time it will take for your meal to be ready. If they say 30 minutes, expect 45 to 60… even if you are picking up rather than getting delivery.

Last night, this continuous form of delivery time estimations was completely abused on their part. We went to a friend’s house in Roslindale and decided to order Thai for dinner. We placed our order at 5:15pm… a time that is quite early by delivery-standards. They quoted us a time of 30 to 45 minutes. Not too bad… we could hopefully keep ourselves and two almost 4-yo’s at bay until the food arrived.

Then… 6pm came and went. 6:15pm came and went — so we called them, they said it was “almost done”. You mean, it hasn’t even left the building yet??? We waited.

6:30 came and went. 6:45 came and went. We called again and were told it was “on the way”. Our friend tried to explain to the woman on the other end of the line how upset he was by this… but he had a very difficult time getting a word in edgewise b/c the woman just kept rambling on and on. Our friend then tried to explain to the woman how this was bad business and is not a good customer service practice. She hung up on him. WTF???

Very frustrating. The food arrived a little after 7pm — almost 2 HOURS after we placed our order! We only had 2 dinners, 1 rice dish and 3 appetizers. The food was good, it was still warm (no piping hot) and the adults survived (barely)… but the kids were in a tizzy and stuffed themselves on Go-gurts before the food even arrived. If you have children, you understand what a 4-yo with low blood sugar, surviving on a sugar-ladened dinner can be like. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

While I typically love their food, this blatant lack of customer service is more than I can handle. I’m done. So what am I going to do? Give my business to Phuket and encourage you to do the same. They are a bit more expensive (for dinners, but have a great and very inexpensive lunch special) and do not deliver… but their food is phenomenal. Pay them a visit… PLEASE. And if you go to Thai Spice, let them know BFW says to stick it where the sun don’t shine.

Picture courteous of Universal Hub.