Tag: restaurant

We’ll Celebrate April 1st with a Bottle of Bollinger Champagne

We think this April 1st monthly toast is a reason to celebrate and raise a glass from a splurge favorite Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. Today is the first milestone on our way to immunity from our vaccinations. We have a ways to go before our level of immunity is high enough to make us begin to feel safe. We also realize that we'll still be wearing masks and keeping our distance from others, because we still could be asymptomatic carriers who could spread the virus.

The big decision of the day is where shall we pick up a take-out order to go with our bottle. Michael Serpa is scheduled to open all three of his restaurants today, Select Oyster, Grand Tour, and Atlantico. We've missed the great food and most of all we've missed the people from these places. While we have not experienced Atlantico yet, we plan to pick up an order this week.

Finally, we'll celebrate in the hope that the warmer weather continues, the local positive case numbers begin to level off or fall, and that the number of our friends who are vaccinated rises quickly. We're starting to make a list of the things we'd like to do when we feel safer going places and doing more than our one walk a day for exercise.

A trip to Provincetown where these photos were taken is high on that list!

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99 last year, when they went out of their way to gather and deliver an order of favorite wines for us.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

April 1, 2021
Food Waste Feast Is Our Friday Link

Today we want to encourage all our food loving readers to click over to Food Waste Feast, the website that helps you, "Cook more creatively, and stop throwing away perfectly good food."

This site comes from Mei and Irene from the Mei Mei food truck, restaurant, and catering company. We have deep admiration for all the wise, generous, and sustainable decisions this family has made as they've found a place for themselves in the competitive food world.

Now they have found a way to help you become more sustainable by using the food you might be tossing out. Earlier this week, we published a post that explained that "Your Most Expensive Food Is the Food You Waste."

The next step is to buy just what you will use and use what you buy.

Recipes by Ingredient!

The Food Waste Feast team is building valuable resources for those of us who no longer feel that wasting food is acceptable. You can find recipes by ingredient for what you have on hand. For example, the photo above is a recipe they call, "Pasta with Wrinkled Cherry Tomatoes."

They say,

"Because sometimes you get super excited about tomato season, and you purchase three large local containers of cherry tomatoes, and then some of them inevitably linger a bit longer than you wanted them to and get all wrinkly and forlorn on the countertop….anyone else ever find themselves in that position? Just me?"

We say,

Irene and Mei you are not alone. We've done that too. But, from now on when that happens, we'll click over to the recipes by ingredient section of Food Waste Feast and find inspiration for a dish to use them.

More Resources!

Food Waste Feast also gives you information about the issues surrounding food waste and tips on how to buy, store, and use up the things you do purchase and, sadly, when to toss them. For example here is the section on "Veggies that are actually fruits" like those tomatoes we're all overbuying right now.

This is a deep treasure trove of useful information. We suggest you make an initial visit and click around to find the areas you need right now. Then bookmark Food Waste Feast on your phone and make that your reading for times when you have to sit around waiting. Penny has been doing that for the past few weeks and has picked up useful information and been inspired to make new dishes by reviewing the recipes.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos and screenshots: courtesy of Food Waste Feast

August 24, 2018
Food Waste Feast Is Our Friday Link

Today we want to encourage all our food loving readers to click over to Food Waste Feast, the website that helps you, "Cook more creatively, and stop throwing away perfectly good food."

This site comes from Mei and Irene from the Mei Mei food truck, restaurant, and catering company. We have deep admiration for all the wise, generous, and sustainable decisions this family has made as they've found a place for themselves in the competitive food world.

Now they have found a way to help you become more sustainable by using the food you might be tossing out. Earlier this week, we published a post that explained that "Your Most Expensive Food Is the Food You Waste."

The next step is to buy just what you will use and use what you buy.

Recipes by Ingredient!

The Food Waste Feast team is building valuable resources for those of us who no longer feel that wasting food is acceptable. You can find recipes by ingredient for what you have on hand. For example, the photo above is a recipe they call, "Pasta with Wrinkled Cherry Tomatoes."

They say,

"Because sometimes you get super excited about tomato season, and you purchase three large local containers of cherry tomatoes, and then some of them inevitably linger a bit longer than you wanted them to and get all wrinkly and forlorn on the countertop….anyone else ever find themselves in that position? Just me?"

We say,

Irene and Mei you are not alone. We've done that too. But, from now on when that happens, we'll click over to the recipes by ingredient section of Food Waste Feast and find inspiration for a dish to use them.

More Resources!

Food Waste Feast also gives you information about the issues surrounding food waste and tips on how to buy, store, and use up the things you do purchase and, sadly, when to toss them. For example here is the section on "Veggies that are actually fruits" like those tomatoes we're all overbuying right now.

This is a deep treasure trove of useful information. We suggest you make an initial visit and click around to find the areas you need right now. Then bookmark Food Waste Feast on your phone and make that your reading for times when you have to sit around waiting. Penny has been doing that for the past few weeks and has picked up useful information and been inspired to make new dishes by reviewing the recipes.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos and screenshots: courtesy of Food Waste Feast

August 24, 2018
North End Waterfront Is “Talking With Paul Deuterio From Galleria Umberto (No, It’s Not Closing)”

We have featured the great site North End Waterfront as a Friday link in the past. Today they win a spot for this great interview with Paul Deuterio From Galleria Umberto.

You know we are fans of this wonderful North End gem of a restaurant. We have covered it before, usually to remind other fans about the restaurant's traditional July vacation. We have shared it with friends who are amazed at the quality and the value.

We are also fans of North End Waterfront because the team there led by Matt Conti keeps us informed on the past, present, and future of this neighborhood. This great interview with lots of background information is one example of why we visit the site and follow their updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 28, 2017
North End Waterfront Is “Talking With Paul Deuterio From Galleria Umberto (No, It’s Not Closing)”

We have featured the great site North End Waterfront as a Friday link in the past. Today they win a spot for this great interview with Paul Deuterio From Galleria Umberto.

You know we are fans of this wonderful North End gem of a restaurant. We have covered it before, usually to remind other fans about the restaurant's traditional July vacation. We have shared it with friends who are amazed at the quality and the value.

We are also fans of North End Waterfront because the team there led by Matt Conti keeps us informed on the past, present, and future of this neighborhood. This great interview with lots of background information is one example of why we visit the site and follow their updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 28, 2017
Going to Provincetown? Reserve a Seat at Ross’ Grill

Thanks to finding a great puppy sitter, we were able to dine out in Provincetown on our recent spring visit. Naturally our first choice for a test run was brunch at Ross' Grill.

We want to put you on alert – grabbing a couple of seats at the bar in-season won't be as easy as it was for us in April. So go to the site and make a reservation before you arrive in town or call them as soon as you land in Ptown.

This is exactly what we recommended to a friend going to Provincetown for Memorial Day weekend. Why not insure an outstanding meal with great hospitality?

A bonus is the great harbor view.

And a wonderful deck where you can relax with a drink while waiting for friends or a table.

These wine specials are in addition to a fabulous and extensive wine list with more than 75 different wines served by the glass.

We actually have a tradition of choosing a pinot noir for our Thanksgiving meal at while sitting and sipping at this bar. Someone has a great taste in pinot and we love to let experts educate us and select the best wine.

Ross' has a history of outstanding bartenders. We asked for a recommendation and knew we were in the hands of a talented server with our first sips. In fact, one of our favorite bartenders over the years, César Gerena, now owns the restaurant.

Ed makes it easy for us to pick a pinot by ordering his favorite "Blackened Tuna Sandwich with Black Olive Tapenade." He loves a good pinot with that dish.

The "Chicken Liver and Pistachio Paté" is the perfect appetizer to share with the table or your dining companion. We both enjoyed this platter of delicious accoutrements that let us make each slice of bread spread with paté slightly different from the last.

Ross' Grill is at the end of Whaler's Wharf on the second floor.

You can check the current menu on line or on this menu board near at the entrance to the wharf complex.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

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May 26, 2017
Going to Provincetown? Reserve a Seat at Ross’ Grill

Thanks to finding a great puppy sitter, we were able to dine out in Provincetown on our recent spring visit. Naturally our first choice for a test run was brunch at Ross' Grill.

We want to put you on alert – grabbing a couple of seats at the bar in-season won't be as easy as it was for us in April. So go to the site and make a reservation before you arrive in town or call them as soon as you land in Ptown.

This is exactly what we recommended to a friend going to Provincetown for Memorial Day weekend. Why not insure an outstanding meal with great hospitality?

A bonus is the great harbor view.

And a wonderful deck where you can relax with a drink while waiting for friends or a table.

These wine specials are in addition to a fabulous and extensive wine list with more than 75 different wines served by the glass.

We actually have a tradition of choosing a pinot noir for our Thanksgiving meal at while sitting and sipping at this bar. Someone has a great taste in pinot and we love to let experts educate us and select the best wine.

Ross' has a history of outstanding bartenders. We asked for a recommendation and knew we were in the hands of a talented server with our first sips. In fact, one of our favorite bartenders over the years, César Gerena, now owns the restaurant.

Ed makes it easy for us to pick a pinot by ordering his favorite "Blackened Tuna Sandwich with Black Olive Tapenade." He loves a good pinot with that dish.

The "Chicken Liver and Pistachio Paté" is the perfect appetizer to share with the table or your dining companion. We both enjoyed this platter of delicious accoutrements that let us make each slice of bread spread with paté slightly different from the last.

Ross' Grill is at the end of Whaler's Wharf on the second floor.

You can check the current menu on line or on this menu board near at the entrance to the wharf complex.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Waiting for Swan Boat Rides on Memorial Day Weekend

What Better Way to Welcome May then with a Paul Chollet Crémant Brut Rosé! – BostonZest

Michael Serpa Selects Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 736 as Our Sparkler for June 2015

May 26, 2017
Monday Is “Pennypackers Porchetta Day” in the Back Bay
Lunch, last Monday, was the famous porchetta sandwich from the PennyPackers food truck. We highly recommend that all our friends and followers in the area join us in making Mondays "Pennypackers Porchetta Day." It can be the Back Bay version of Prince Spaghetti Day with better food.

Last Monday Penny split off on our dog walk to drop a package at the Post Office on Clarendon Street. Her secondary assignment was to pick up lunch along the way home. Imagine her joy as she neared the corner of Clarendon and Boylston (map) and spotted the word "Porchetta" in large letters on the back of a food truck.

The truck was Pennypackers and that sandwich is their specialty.

There it was on the menu, the porchetta sandwich with rhubarb mostarda. After a hurried walk home to have lunch ASAP, we were both savoring the deeply seasoned pork, stuffing, and the lift of the mostarda. (As you may have noticed from past posts, Penny is a big rhubarb fan and was thrilled to see it used in this classic Italian condiment.)

It wasn't until we studied the rest of the menu in the quick photos taken while waiting for the porchetta, that we both wished we had ordered a second or third item to have that night for supper.

Pennypackers posts their daily status and menu on Twitter and Facebook. Like or follow them for updates on where they are and what they are serving.

@pennypackers

PennyPackers Food Truck on Facebook

Spring Menu

Here's a sampling of what they will be serving this spring:
- Pea Shoot Salad: arugula, peas, radish, spring onion, mint + shallot vinaigrette, shaved pecorino
- Bean Salad: white beans, haricot verts, snap peas, hazelnut vinaigrette, arugula + herbs, mixed seeds
- Crushed Fried Potatoes: jalapeno, gorgonzola, extra virgin olive oil
- Mixed Seasonal Pickles
- Grilled Asparagus (side): smoked Russian dressing, chives
- Grilled Asparagus Sandwich: gruyere, pickled red onion, smoked Russian dressing, herb salad
- Vegetarian Pan Bagnat: fava beans, chickpeas, haricot verts, artichoke, red onion, radish, olive, herbs, hard boiled egg
- Fried Chicken Sandwich: shaved smoked ham, rhubarb jalapeno relish, bibb lettuce
- Porchetta Sandwich: daily accompaniment
- Grassfed Beef Ribeye Sandwich: sauteed mushrooms, ramp butter, preserved citrus gremolata
- Daily Sausage Special
Update: (05.16.16) We picked up these items for lunch! (Click on photos for larger images) Left to Right: Crushed Fried Potatoes, Fried Chicken Sandwich, and Ribeye Sandwich. They were all hits – especially the potatoes!

Here's what the porchetta looks like before it becomes a delectable sandwich. (from the Pennypackers facebook page.)

Brick & Mortar Pennypackers

Like a few of the other great food truck families, Pennypackers has opened a brick and mortar restaurant. If the food truck schedule doesn't work for you, visit them at 514C Medford Street, Somerville, MA. (map) Right now that location is open Thursdays through Sundays. The hours are posted here.

Please get out and support our local food trucks. You'll have a better meal than you would from a national chain and you'll be helping a small business grow just the way we see Pennypackers growing.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny Cherubino with porchetta roll from Pennypackers facebook page.

Related articles

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Bun Thit Nuong: A Fresh, Cool Summer Dish from Vietnam

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May 16, 2016
Monday Is “Pennypackers Porchetta Day” in the Back Bay
Lunch, last Monday, was the famous porchetta sandwich from the PennyPackers food truck. We highly recommend that all our friends and followers in the area join us in making Mondays "Pennypackers Porchetta Day." It can be the Back Bay version of Prince Spaghetti Day with better food.

Last Monday Penny split off on our dog walk to drop a package at the Post Office on Clarendon Street. Her secondary assignment was to pick up lunch along the way home. Imagine her joy as she neared the corner of Clarendon and Boylston (map) and spotted the word "Porchetta" in large letters on the back of a food truck.

The truck was Pennypackers and that sandwich is their specialty.

There it was on the menu, the porchetta sandwich with rhubarb mostarda. After a hurried walk home to have lunch ASAP, we were both savoring the deeply seasoned pork, stuffing, and the lift of the mostarda. (As you may have noticed from past posts, Penny is a big rhubarb fan and was thrilled to see it used in this classic Italian condiment.)

It wasn't until we studied the rest of the menu in the quick photos taken while waiting for the porchetta, that we both wished we had ordered a second or third item to have that night for supper.

Pennypackers posts their daily status and menu on Twitter and Facebook. Like or follow them for updates on where they are and what they are serving.

@pennypackers

PennyPackers Food Truck on Facebook

Spring Menu

Here's a sampling of what they will be serving this spring:
- Pea Shoot Salad: arugula, peas, radish, spring onion, mint + shallot vinaigrette, shaved pecorino
- Bean Salad: white beans, haricot verts, snap peas, hazelnut vinaigrette, arugula + herbs, mixed seeds
- Crushed Fried Potatoes: jalapeno, gorgonzola, extra virgin olive oil
- Mixed Seasonal Pickles
- Grilled Asparagus (side): smoked Russian dressing, chives
- Grilled Asparagus Sandwich: gruyere, pickled red onion, smoked Russian dressing, herb salad
- Vegetarian Pan Bagnat: fava beans, chickpeas, haricot verts, artichoke, red onion, radish, olive, herbs, hard boiled egg
- Fried Chicken Sandwich: shaved smoked ham, rhubarb jalapeno relish, bibb lettuce
- Porchetta Sandwich: daily accompaniment
- Grassfed Beef Ribeye Sandwich: sauteed mushrooms, ramp butter, preserved citrus gremolata
- Daily Sausage Special
Update: (05.16.16) We picked up these items for lunch! (Click on photos for larger images) Left to Right: Crushed Fried Potatoes, Fried Chicken Sandwich, and Ribeye Sandwich. They were all hits – especially the potatoes!

Here's what the porchetta looks like before it becomes a delectable sandwich. (from the Pennypackers facebook page.)

Brick & Mortar Pennypackers

Like a few of the other great food truck families, Pennypackers has opened a brick and mortar restaurant. If the food truck schedule doesn't work for you, visit them at 514C Medford Street, Somerville, MA. (map) Right now that location is open Thursdays through Sundays. The hours are posted here.

Please get out and support our local food trucks. You'll have a better meal than you would from a national chain and you'll be helping a small business grow just the way we see Pennypackers growing.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny Cherubino with porchetta roll from Pennypackers facebook page.

Related articles

Healthy Alternatives for July 4th Cookouts, Pot Lucks, or Picnics

Bun Thit Nuong: A Fresh, Cool Summer Dish from Vietnam

A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links
May 16, 2016
Tiger Mama: Our First Lunch

A trip to the Fenway neighborhood to do some errands was the perfect excuse to have lunch at Tiger Mama. We've been neglecting our list of new restaurants to try, and this one was high on that roster.

Lunch for two gave us the opportunity to try the Crispy Braised Pork & Pate Banh Mi that Penny had spotted on the online lunch menu. The description reads, "Garlicky pork spread, banh mi veggies, scallion vinaigrette."

We say, "Yes but you should have mentioned the roll that was a perfect match for this traditional Vietnamese offering." Often Banh Mi sandwiches are made with bread that is too substantial to allow the flavors of the fillings to shine.

We added the Chilled Salmon Chopped Salad. The menu describes it as, "Ginger garlic poached and chilled salmon, spicy greens, avocado, little potatoes, spicy peanut ginger dressing."

The lunch portions are large, as the excellent bartender warned another set of diners at the bar. They had ordered a lot of food to try. We heard and, even with two dishes, took some of the salad home for later snacking.

In this photo from the Tiger Mama website, you see the tables for six with a Lazy Susan to facilitate sharing. We can't wait to come back with four friends to fill that turntable with shareable items from the dinner menu.

Like Sweet Cheeks Q, another favorite of ours from the same team, this place is full of interesting details from a wall of greens …

To a fabulous piece of word art that contains proverbs in three languages. (Ask your server for a translation.)

Tin ceiling panels and wire lamps just seem right in this setting.

We follow the lead of our favorite food scout, MC Slim JB, so Tiger Mama went on our list as soon as this review appeared. Our first visit took far too long but our next one will be soon.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Bun Thit Nuong: A Fresh, Cool Summer Dish from Vietnam

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Julia Child Wisdom: "You don't have to cook fancy …"

May 11, 2016