Author: Ed

Expand Your Wine Comfort Zone: Sampler Cases

In February, we bought a sampler case of Kermit Lynch wines from Bauer Wine & Spirits. We are long-time fans of both the ledgendary importer and of our neighborhood wine shop where Howie Rubin has been pointing us to great wines for 20 years.

Sampler cases are a good way to expand your wine comfort zone.

When curated by an able wine merchant, sampler cases can be an education about a country, an importer, or a type of wine. If you shop stores that offer these attractive sets of wine, sign up for emails on their offerings.

Bauer offers samplers on a regular schedule. Their customers have explored the Iberian wines (Portugal & Spain), rosés, single vineyards like Montes in Chile, seasonal selections for warm and cold days, and holiday samplers that put the right wines in your rack for a variety of guests.

These selections are often outstanding values because the store can purchase in greater quantity knowing that they will sell this group of wines quickly. The Kermit Lynch case, two bottles each of six wines, was offered at sale price plus an additional 15% discount.

We plan to feature other sampler opportunities in the weeks ahead. If you have a favorite wine shop sampler, let us know in the comments below or send us an email. Some shops do full cases, others offer 6-packs.

And, we have an upcoming post scheduled about one of the wines in this sampler.

Love wine? Join our Our Sparkling Resolution

Check Out: Our wine List

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here's, The Food Lover's Guide to Wine the latest addition to our wine reference shelf. Here's a great interview and review of this book over on Taste of the Past.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

April 18, 2012
Financial District, Milk & Kilby: Where to Find Food Trucks

As these rolling restaurants expand their reach and numbers throughout the Boston area, we’re Food Truck Tracking– checking out some of their favorite nesting spots, and what you’ll find when you get there. -The BostonZest Team!

Financial District, Milk & Kilby

Location: Walk across the street to the traffic island at the intersection of Milk & Kilby and order up. (map)

MBTA LINK: Close to State Street, Downtown Crossing, and Aquarium T-Stops.

More info @ Boston Food Truck Schedule

How many trucks? One or two-at-a-time are scheduled here with different trucks on different days and each day of the week. This spot has trucks Tuesdays through Fridays.

Who's scheduled here? Go Fish!, Cupcakory, Momogoose, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Kick**s Cupcakes, Froyo Truck, Redbones Barbeque, Bon Me

What we had: Fish & Chips, Miso Seared Salmon Rice Paper Wrap with ginger/wasabi dressed Asian Greens, Radish and sesame shiitake mushrooms and lemonade from Go Fish. For dessert, we shared a Lemon and a Salted Caramel Cupcake from the Cupcakory.

Update: Go Fish is no longer servign up food on the Boston Streets.

Hours and dates: No mornings here. This spot has trucks Tuesdays through Fridays.

Tips: Figure out what side of the hulking advertising sign is the order line and which is the waiting-for-pick up line. We almost cut the line by mistake because we approached from the wrong side.

Where to Eat: The wonderful Norman B. Leventhal Park at Post Office Square is just a block away. As the weather warms, they'll have cushions and books you can borrow at lunch time. And, 12:00 Noon – 2:00 PM, June through August they have a summer music program. There's even free WIFI if you want to surf while you eat.

Three blocks to the East is the Greenway with benchs and some tables and chairs. Beyond that is the HarborWalk.

Where to eat inside! The nearest spot on cold or rainy days is South Station, about half a mile from these trucks.

Restrooms: South Station. And, you can always use Universal Hub's Guide to Boston Restrooms to add a few other places if you know of them.

Bonus points for: Making the best use yet of an unattractive traffic island. Now, if one of the nearby businesses whose employees enjoy this food truck spot would add a bit of greenery and maybe a couple of tables, this could be a pocket park!

For more of our Food Truck/Street Food coverage: click here. Or, anytime you visit BostonZest you can click on the "Food Truck/Street Food" tab at the top of the page.

Link: Boston Food Truck Location Map

Did you know you can buy groceries from Amazon? Have them ship what you need and have more time to check out food trucks.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed & Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

April 17, 2012
Visit A Patriot on Patriot’s Day

Just take a walk on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to visit a few patriotic Americans on this day set aside to honor the men and women who have protected our freedoms.

This statue of John Glover stands between Berkeley and Clarendon Streets. But you'll also find Alexander Hamiltion, William Lloyd Garrison, Samuel Eliot Morison, Lucy Stone, and Abigail Adams along the walk.

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

April 16, 2012
Sunday Dog, Odis “Loves Everyone!”

We always look forward to seeing Odis– this Sunday Dog loves everyone! He always has a way of making you feel special, as if you’re the only one in the room.

Odis was catching some spring rays in the park, the other day, and didn’t see us approach. As soon as he realized he had company, this spunky little guy grabbed his toy and rushed over to greet us.

While Odis loves toys, his favorite is “anything new.” His person explained that he gets a new toy every couple of weeks. Like so many of us, he loves presents, and even knows the word!

Did somebody say, "Present?"

Odis also loves cheese, doesn’t like skateboards, treasures walks, and always wants the bed to himself, “He’s a Dachshund, so he likes to burrow.” And, “he messes up the bed pretty well.”

Odis will turn six in June, so we’re guessing that’ll mean another present…

Uh-h-h, sorry boy… But, June isn’t all that far away. Happy Birthday, Odis!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

What's on your Sunday Dog's shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

April 15, 2012
From the River to the Dome

Springtime view across the parkland,

From the Charles River Esplanade,

To the Massachusetts Statehouse,

Sunlit like a Beacon on the Hill.

What's on your Spring shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

April 14, 2012
The Freedom Trail: Our Patriots’ Day Friday Link

Have you ever walked The Freedom Trail? I know that I walked parts of it years ago, but I've never walked the entire length. If you're looking for a nice, long tramp some lovely spring weekend, follow the red line and explore that route that brings visitors to Boston.

The Freedom Trail Foundation has every type of tour you might want from maps and self-guided walking tours to ticketed guided tours.

What's on your Boston History shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

April 13, 2012
Routes for Visiting Runners – Boston Marathon Weekend 2012

Whether you're coming to run or watch the 2012 Boston Marathon, or just want to log some miles, it's an exciting time to visit the city.

UPDATE: Routes for Visiting Runners – Boston Marathon Weekend 2016

Exiting the Mass Ave Tunnel – Less Than a Mile to Go!

I remember my first Boston Marathon– as a spectator, I've yet to put in the training needed to actually compete. Penny and I booked a hotel room for the weekend and left the car parked. We took in the runners' expo, pasta supper and other pre-race activities, then watched a spectacular Boylston Street finish.

As an out-of-state runner staying near Faneuil Hall, I still wanted to get in a run or two, but wasn't sure where to head.

Now, as a Boston resident, I can recommend a couple of my favorite routes.

Charles River Run

If you're a visiting runner staying anywhere near the finish line, you can't beat a daytime run along the Charles River. It offers great views and a more open course without having to constantly cross roadways. This multi-use path is shared by bikes, blades, skate boards, dogs and walkers. It can get congested as the day wears on, but who knows, you may find yourself sharing the trail with some famous elite runners. It's easy to make any number of loops between the Boston and Cambridge sides of the river by using the many bridges along the way.

From Back Bay you can access the Charles River Esplanade from Massachusetts Avenue, Fairfield, Dartmouth and Arlington Streets. If you head West from the Massachusetts Avenue ramp you can also use the parcourse workout station that's located just up-river. Click here for photos and details including a map to find it.

Almost There! It's a Great Feeling!

Parks in the Heart of the City

For a tree-lined route, try the Commonwealth Avenue Mall– not a shopping center, but a park that runs down the center of this residential street. At Commonwealth and Arlington you can enter the pristine Public Garden for a slower pace. Moving through the center of the Garden will lead you across Charles Street to the Boston Common.

Inside tip: Localisms-

Mass Ave = Massachusetts Avenue
Comm Ave = Commonwealth Avenue
And, it's Boston Common – singular, not Boston Commons

Related Posts:

Tracking a Boston Marathon Runner 2012

Parking Your Car for Boston Marathon Weekend 2012

What’s Open in Boston on Patriots’ Day 2012

How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston

Here are some Photos from past Boston Marathons

The View from Hereford Street

Marathon Kisses

Just Hangin on Hereford Street

Other Resources:
Here's a great site. You'll find dozens of local running routes, including along the Charles River.

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Writer: Ed Cherubino
Photos: From the 2008 Boston Marathon © Penny Cherubino

April 12, 2012
Marathon Food Truck Move

Yesterday, we found The Dining Car, a food truck that is usually in front of the Library on Boylston Street, nosed into the pod of trucks around the block on Stuart Street near Dartmouth.

On Tuesday, The Dining Car joined Staff Meal and newcomer Chubby Chickpea over in back of the Hancock Tower. This move clears the Food Truck space on Boylston Street for the Boston Marathon finish line, grandstands, and photobridge.

Lunch seekers seemed really happy to have a cluster of choices.

What's on your summer holiday shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

April 11, 2012
The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine: Book Review
With our sparkler of the month on March 1st, we mentioned that we had put The Food Lover's Guide to Wine on our book wish list. That afternoon, we received an email from the authors Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg saying they would love to send us a review copy.

It arrived a few days later and hasn't made it to a bookshelf yet. It has spent a few nights beside the bed as Penny's relaxation reading, we've used it explore a couple of new wines, and we're planning to feature some recommended producers as our Sparkler of the Month.

Learn in various ways from a collection of great wine lovers.
- If you were hanging outside our door, you might have heard us reading quotes from the book to one another. It has the greatest collection of quotes from wine lovers and wine experts you can imagine. Boston's own Cat Silirie is often cited.
- Ed loves the pronunciation guide in the core listing of wines, grapes, and wine topics.
- The system used to emphasize the importance of wine grapes, characteristics, and producers (by using bold and all caps in lists) is brillant and intuitive to use.
- The end chapters on matching wines with foods, cuisines, and courses will have us exploring new options.
- We love the gold boxes with great asides on topics. A few are already marked with page tabs.
- Since these writers believe that the wine you like is the right wine for you, they've prepared a series of recommendations based on your own taste. If you like a flavor, for example almonds, they give you a list of wines to try. If you like a particular wine, they give you others with similar flavor profiles.
A Great Interview Grabbed Our Attention

We first hear about The Food Lover's Guide to Wine on the Heritage Radio Network show, A Taste of the Past. Penny listens to podcasts of food shows while she cooks, and this one was good enough for a shared listen during an afternoon of crab-cracking and conversation.

Host Linda Pelaccio began by covering the history of American Wine (the book contains a timeline) and then a discussion of the book that really gave us an insight to the authors' points of view and how this book would fit into our collection. Here's a link to that show.

Meet the authors and hear what some experts say about this book.

We are not only recommending this book to our readers, we'll be buying copies as gifts for wine-loving friends. It is a treasure and we expect it to look a bit worn and well-used pretty quickly. It may even suffer a few wine stains but we doubt that Karen and Andrew will mind.

Here are more books from this team:

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water – Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers

Becoming a Chef

and of course

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
April 10, 2012
Trade, Our First Look & Listen
A mid-day meeting in the building next door gave us the opportunity to try Trade on Atlantic Avenue at an off hour, when we hoped the sound level would allow conversation.

Flatbread with lamb sausage with eggplant, Manchego, peppers, and garlic yogurt

Every report we had heard on this new venture for long-time Boston Chef Jodie Adams had been filled with warnings about the noise level. A deal-breaker for us. But, we had also heard that the small plates and flatbreads were worth a try.

Pomegranate glazed eggplant with capers, olives and pine nuts

Our post-lunch, pre-dinner meal was delicious. We followed the recommendations of the crew over at Chowhound, and especially outstanding food scout MC Slim JB, and ordered the eggplant small plate and the lamb flatbread. Both were outstanding with deep, rich flavor profiles. We both love sheep's milk cheese and were happy with the flavor the Manchego lent to the flatbread.

Head-on shrimp with piri piri sauce.

We went off on our own to add the head-on shrimp that were new to the menu, according to our server. Penny loves head-on shrimp. In this case, the sauce overwhelmed the shrimp. It was a good sauce but didn't allow the shrimp to shine.
(Click a thumbnail above to see other views of Trade.)

As you can see, we had the place pretty much to ourselves. But, even with an empty room, the music was not to our taste and didn't add a positive note to our meal. But, we could converse easily.

Will we return? We may, when we happen to be in this part of town, about this time of day. There were more items on the menu we wanted to try. And, if we stop and just have one or two small plates and a glass of wine, we can be gone before the whiny vocals drive us to the street.

Hey Trade, how about a quiet night once in a while with some soft instrumental jazz? It could open up a whole new group of customers for this (and other) loud restaurants.

Related Posts: More Food & Drink from BostonZest

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
April 9, 2012