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Northeastern, Forsyth and Hemenway: 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!

Fenway- Northeastern- Forsyth and Hemenway Streets

Location: The intersection of Forsyth and Hemenway Streets. (map)

MBTA Link: Take a Green Line E train and get off at the Northeastern stop.

More info @: Boston's Food Truck Page, Hub Food trucks, or on the Street Food Boston app.

How many trucks: One truck at a time.

Who's here: The schedule calls for Mei Mei Street Kitchen, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Frozen Hoagies and Boston Speed Dog. (Update: May 3, 2012: Check the latest feeds from these trucks. Steve at Hub Food trucks tells us there have been some changes to the schedule.)



(Click on any photo for a larger version.)

What we had: The opening day of Mei Mei drew us out to this spot. Our lunch was "Beef & Cheese Dumplings," "Porky Mac & Cheese," "Supah Spicy Magic Brownies," and "Crimson Berry Iced Tea."

Hours and dates: So far, some Tuesday through Friday lunch and dinner slots are filled here.

Tips: If you crave shade on a summer afternoon, the open space east of the building where the truck parks is a nice strip of shady grass that everyone seems to use for sitting and walking between streets.

And, if you are visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, a visit to a food truck might be just the break you need in a long day of viewing treasures.



(Click on any photo for a larger version.)

Where to Eat: There are benches up towards the museum, grassy lawns for picnic style dining, stone seating on Forsyth Street and a few tables in front of a Northeastern building on the corner.

Where to eat inside: We'll leave this one to you. Let us know if you have a good idea for a place to dine inside in the winter.

Restrooms: You could check in the Northeastern campus buildings where the public is allowed. If you're a member of the Museum of Fine Arts, you can use your free admission to access their facilities. If you know of a spot or two, add them to the Universal Hub Wicked Good Guide to Boston Restrooms so the rest of us can find them.

Bonus points for: A super friendly crowd of food truck lovers! The line was filled with happy, fun folks.

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.

Details:

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.

May 2, 2012
Toasting May with Thierry Triolet Champagne at the Beach!

While enjoying a bottle of Thierry Triolet Champagne Brut is a treat in itself, popping the cork at a beach in Provincetown elevates the entire experience to the level of “unforgettable.”

As we faithfully carry out Our Sparkling Resolution (raising a glass of bubbly to greet each new month) we’re always open to pushing the boundaries of our pledge.

We found this special sparkler at Perry’s Wine & Liquors in Provincetown where Scott O’Connor described Thierry Triolet Champagne Brut as creamy and a great value at $36.

Penny remembered the wine from a tweet by Gretchen (@MoralBeast) who called it, “… a remarkable Champagne! Dry but not too dry. It's a wonderful balance [with] an explosion of flavor!" Her brand new website is Urban Wine Dweller.

Despite our preference for pinot-forward sparkling wines, this beauty’s 60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier held our attention from the first sip. The winemaker puts it simply and best, “… pale yellow with hints of amber is expressed on fresh and fruity notes.”

Our bottle didn’t last long. It was so good, we couldn’t resist sharing with our neighbors at the beach.

Thierry Triolet, a small grower who supplies grapes to major Champagne houses, also has been making his own wine for more than 25 years– which means we have a lot of catching up to do.

If this Champagne Brut is any indication of Thierry Triolet’s passion and expertise, we can’t wait to try his other vintages. Back in Boston, we followed Gretchen's trail to TerraVino Wines in Brookline and happily found another bottle to enjoy today.

Update: Sadly TerraVino Wines is no longer in business.

Check Out: Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

More about Our Sparkling Resolution

Finally, more of our Provincetown Posts!

We have a new favorite wine book that we are not only recommending to our readers, but buying as a gift for wine-loving friends. It's 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.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

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

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

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

May 1, 2012
Dot by Dot: Recent Work by Artist Bob Oppenheim

Tonight, a show of recent work by our friend, Bob Oppenheim opens at the Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons College. This is a great opportuntiy to not only see some of Bob's work but also to add another venue for exploring art to your leisure time list. The gallery exhibits the work of professional artists and has a yearly exhibition of student work.

Dot by Dot

April 30-June1, 2012

Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m

Gallery reception, Tuesday May 1, 5pm-7pm

Closed May 18th

Trustman Art Gallery
Main College Building, Fourth Floor
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898 (map)

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

Details:

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 30, 2012
Sunday Dog, Ginger Has a New Home!

Ginger is a very lucky Sheltie, she’s found a new home in Boston. Actually, this four year old beauty told us that the finding part was done by her new person with the help of New England Sheltie Rescue. Ginger admitted, “I never made it to the available page [of the website] … I had a perfect applicant waiting for me!”

As soon as we saw this pair, it was obvious they were a match that was meant to be.

Ginger had only been in town for a week (when these photos were taken), but already seemed comfortable with the neighborhood. She came right up to us to say hello and get pats. Her new pal told us, “She goes up to every dog, no matter how big, and they don’t growl at her. She’s not afraid. She’s so friendly.”

More formally known as a Shetland Sheepdog this Scottish breed is extremely loyal, loves to please, and is very good at taking direction. In fact, when it comes to brain power, Shelties are ranked sixth in Stanley Coren’s “The Intelligence of Dogs.”

After spending some quality time together, we left Ginger to keep an eye out for more new friends. She’ll undoubtedly develop a big following. I wonder if she has a facebook page, yet? See ya, girl.

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

Would you like to adopt a beautiful companion like Ginger? There are some resources to help you make your decision and get your life together off to a great start. This book from PetFinder, Petfinder.com The Adopted Dog Bible: Your One-Stop Resource for Choosing, Training, and Caring for Your Sheltered or Rescued Dog is one of our favorites.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 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 do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

April 29, 2012
Completed and Stunning: The Provincetown Library

After watching the progress of its renewal for years, it was a great pleasure to see the Provincetown Library completed and totally beautiful on a recent visit.

Here's a bit about the history of the library and the building.

Related Posts:

Clams Card, Don't Go To Cape Cod Without it!

Our Provincetown Post Collection: We just love this place!

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

Details:
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 28, 2012
Jazz Week 2012, April 27 to May 6: Our Friday Link

The sound of Jazz will be in the air around Greater Boston for the next ten days as we celebrate Jazz Week 2012. In addition to many ticketed events, you'll find lots of opportunites to enjoy free or low cost events.

Boston resident and Jazz musican David Bond on sax (above) says, “Boston is such a vibrant community because of the students, and because of the concerts, and Jazz Week is a perfect way of promoting it."

JazzBoston says, "In observance of UNESCO's November 10 decision to proclaim April 30 of each year as International Jazz Day, JazzBoston has adopted an international theme for its 6th annual presentation of Jazz Week throughout the Greater Boston area this spring. For 10 days from April 27 to May 6, Jazz Week '12 International will put the spotlight on the cultural diversity that gives the Greater Boston jazz scene its unique flavor. Hundreds of talented musicians, both home grown and from around the world, will perform in over 90 venues in and around the city, and special cross-cultural collaborations will highlight the power of jazz to create unity from diversity."

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

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: courtesy of David Bond
Screen Shot: courtesy of JazzBoston

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 27, 2012
Mother’s Day Dining in Boston 2012

Time to make reservations, if you plan to treat Mom to a meal out on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012.

This is an outdated post, click here for our Mother's Day Dining 2014, Reserve Now for May 11th

Keep in mind that in Boston, this "treat Mom to a great meal day" falls at the beginning of graduation season in Boston with Emmanuel College, Boston Conservatory, Fisher College, Emerson College, and Berklee College of Music holding commencements that weekend. (Here's the full list of Spring 2012 Commencement Dates for planning purposes.)

If your budget is tight, take Mom out for breakfast or treat her to breakfast in bed!

For Mother's Day dining ideas, here are three excellent lists of restaurants with special menus and hours for May 13, 2012.

Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when people may book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can make the restaurant turn away other potential customers, so a guarantee may be needed to reserve.

OpenTable always does a great job guiding you to the right reservation. What's more, you can just click through and reserve from this list.

Boston Chefs has a list of specials for the day from list from their members.

Gayot lists favorite brunches.

Our picks

With a gathering of family members with different food preferences, it's great to know about a place like Eastern Standard where they can please the cocktail lover, the meat and taters brother, and the family epicure.

Sometimes, family meals can use a bit of entertainment mixed in with the food. The Top of the Hub is perfect for this. They'll have prix fixe, 4-course brunch and dinner menus on Mother's Day with live jazz in the lounge for both meals. You'll also receive complementary passes to the Skywalk Observatory above the restaurant on the 50th floor. That will give part of your day a 360 degree view of Boston and the surrounding area.

If Mom is a seafood lover, call now to secure a table at Island Creek Oyster Bar. This Kenmore Square restaurant has established itself as the best fine dining seafood restaurant in Boston. Your family will enjoy the best in seafood, in a big comfortable room, with reservations, and service that will make Mom feel spoiled.

And, for the best gift, let her choose something from her wish list. Get an Amazon gift card! You can send it by email or print it out to tuck into a greeting card.

Details:
Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: istockphoto.com

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 26, 2012
Artu’s Roasted Lamb & Eggplant Sandwich: A Boston Essential

The "Agnello Arrosto" or rotisserie leg of lamb with marinated eggplant sandwich at Artu in the North End and on Beacon Hill is one of those menu items that you really should try if you want to understand the range of Boston food options.

"Agnello Arrosto" or rotisserie leg of lamb with marinated eggplant sandwich at Artu

After some sandwich chatter on Chowhound, we stopped by the bar at Artu on Prince Street and ordered this Boston classic. It's one of those old favorites that slipped off our mental menu list.

This side of the sandwich showed the lamb better.

This experience gave us the idea of changing our Food: Best Bites category to Food: Best Bites & Boston Essentials. We'll be covering more area classics, like this, in the months ahead. It will give us a perfect excuse to forgo the new and visit old favorites.

If you are new to Artu, you should know that they have a reputation for making customers happy by letting them customize their food when possible. The Chowhounds have added things like provolone, roasted pepper, and broccoli rabe to their Artu selections.

What you get if you go for the straight-off-the-menu version is a soft grinder-style roll, filled with a pile of thinly sliced lamb off the rotisserie, moistened with a bit of au jus, and covered with strips of slightly spicy, marinated eggplant.

Add a nice big pour of a Primitivo or Chianti and you have a great meal.

Related posts: More of our Food: Best Bites & Boston Essentials.

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

Details:

Artu (North End)

6 Prince Street, Boston, MA 02113 (map & reviews)

(617) 742-4336

Artu (Beacon Hill)

89 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114 (map & reviews)

(617) 227-9023

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 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 25, 2012
Don’t Wait for Lilac Sunday, Plan an Arboretum Visit This Week

Walking around the city last weekend, we noticed the scent of lilacs in the air. We enjoyed seeing some wonderful, old bushes at Titus Sparrow Park. And, a recent post by A Proper Bostonian also featured lilacs.

If you look forward to Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum each year, we suggest you schedule two visits this spring. One this week or weekend to see the lilacs, and one on May 13th to enjoy the events planned for Lilac Sunday– also the only day of the year when you can have a picnic at the Arboretum.

Related Posts:

Lilac Sunday- So Many Good Reasons for An Arboretum Visit

Lilac Weekend at the Arboretum

Here's a link to a book on Boston's Gardens and Greenspaces from one of our favorite publishers, Union Park Press. Plus, The First Fifty Years of the Arnold Arboretum.

Details:
Arnold Arboretum

125 Arborway, Boston, MA‎ (map & reviews)

617-524-1718‎

www.arboretum.harvard.edu

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2010 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 do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

April 24, 2012
Mei Mei Street Kitchen: Food Truck Tracking

As these rolling restaurants expand their reach and numbers throughout the Boston area, we’re Food Truck Tracking– here's a profile of one of the newest additions to the food truck scene. -The BostonZest Team!

Name: Mei Mei Street Kitchen

Do you want to be the first kid on the block to try a new food truck? We do, so we were on hand for their first lunch service! Tell us what you think when you try the food from this team.

Truck Description: Bright White Truck with Yellow and Blue Graphics

Founding Team: Mei, Andy & Irene Li. (click on a photo for a larger version)

What’s on the Menu: They call it, "…Creative Chinese-American cuisine made from locally sourced, sustainable ingredients."

Drinks: Bottled water or Crimson Berry Iced Tea

Known for/must try/signature dish: It's early days, but we're betting they will have a problem taking the Beef and Cheese Dumplings w/soy-vinegar sauce off the menu. We returned for seconds.

They say: "We pride ourselves on serving humanely raised meat and some of the most creatively delicious street food out there. Handmade braised beef dumplings with red wine and cheese, yes please! Mac & cheese with Chinese spiced pork, enough said. Steamed pork belly bun with crispy crackling, seasonal pickles, sesame chili aioli and local apple hoisin sauce? Yup, we’ll treat you right. "

Nice Touch: They'll try to have something vegetarian on the menu every day. We noticed their careful attention to the needs of those with restricted diets. The counter has liquid sweetener to mix into your iced tea. And, there's a big bottle of Sriracha for those who want a bit more heat.

Philosophy/Mission: "Grow well, eat well, be well: It’s what we want for ourselves, our family, our business, and our guests." Here's what they are doing to back up these words.

History: They tell us, "We’ve taken food we have eaten and loved as children in the past, added modern elements and experiences of the present, and also incorporated practices that fit with our vision of how to do business for a sustainable future. With Andy’s many years in fine dining management, Mei’s experience as a successful entrepreneur and MBA, Irene’s time living on a farm and working as a line chef and our combined love of good times and great eats, we have crafted a deeply personal venture that we hope you’ll enjoy as much as we do."

Here's Steve Leibowitz ready to order another round.

Regulars say: We ran into Steve Leibowitz from www.hubfoodtrucks.com who works at Northeastern and was all smiles after his first Mei Mei meal. "I think it's fantastic!" he said. "I had the Beef & Cheese Dumplings and they were great." A friend of his, who had the same thing, offered the perfect description, "It’s like prime rib in a dumpling!”

And, a customer named Lisa went up to the truck and ordered, "One of Everything!"

Did you know? "Mei Mei" is Chinese for "little sister" and the founders are Andy and his Mei Meis.

They were treating customers to some wonderful French green tea macarons.

Order and Pick up routine: Step up near the back of the truck, next to the menu board, to order and pay. Pick up is on the other side of the window near the front door. They'll call your name when your food is ready.

Payment: Cash, Major Credit Cards, and LevelUp

Website: www.meimeiboston.com

Twitter: @meimeifoodtruck

Facebook: Meimeisk

Pinterest: Mei Mei Street Kitchen

Since the city food truck schedule is not up-to-date, right now, here's where to find Mei Mei!

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

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

Details:
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 23, 2012