Fork it over, Boston!

ArtBar (2 Dine For Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:00:07 PST

I’m often hesitant to dine at hotel restaurants, both in my own city and when traveling. More often than not, they aren’t a good representation of what the city has to offer…or they’re just not good. On a recent night, though, I had a coupon for a free reservation through Savored.com, which basically amounts to a free 40% off coupon for the food portion of the bill at participating restaurants, so Joel and I scanned the options and settled on ArtBar at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, a fairly easy drive from our part of Somerville. The menu looked enticing as well. I’m always a fan of trying restaurants with seasonal menus that showcase locally sourced ingredients.

I should disclose up front that we received free food at this meal–an appetizer and two ridiculously large desserts. We haven’t experienced this too often, but bringing a camera to a meal can apparently be a magnet for special treatment, even though dining rooms must be overrun by bloggers and Yelpers and other assorted hobbyist photographers at this point. While on one hand, it’s nice to receive freebies now and then, it can easily be overbearing and awkward. Our server was uncomfortably enthusiastic, checking in much too often, and we definitely didn’t have room for two giant desserts. I appreciate the gesture, but what was supposed to be a quiet date night turned into somewhat of a gluttonous farce. I did, however, enjoy most of the food, and ArtBar exceeded my expectations of hotel restaurants.

Read my full "she said" review, along with Joel's "he said" review, at 2 Dine For Boston.

More photos:

Armando's Pizza (2 Dine For Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:00:14 PST

Joel is a pizza snob through and through, as I’m sure he’ll tell you in his own review. This can be frustrating at times, like when I brought him to my childhood favorite pizza spot, Town Spa in Stoughton (Bacon. Extra crispy). Admittedly, it seems to have gone downhill slightly over the years, but he was not at all impressed. You see, Joel refuses to give equal consideration to types of pizza outside of the New York/Connecticut style he grew up eating; I, on the other hand, might be equally satisfied by Italian, Greek, pub, or deep dish pizza, depending on my mood.

As you might imagine, finding a Boston pizza that Joel actually enjoys is an exciting challenge. For a while, the reigning champion was Newtowne Grill, a Porter Square (Cambridge) dive with ridiculously cheap pitcher-and-pizza deals for all of your sports game needs. Now, we’ve found another contender.

Read my full "she said" review, along with Joel's "he said" review, at 2 Dine For Boston.

More photos:

Introducing 2 Dine For Boston

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:46:38 PST

For the last two and a half years, Joel has been a good sport, not only tolerating but really embracing my food blogging. (Perhaps it has something to do with the free food perks that he often enjoys without having to worry about actually writing anything?) Not only does he wait patiently while our food gets cold as I photograph it, but he helps with lighting and styling. And tasting the things that I don't want to eat. And providing feedback ranging from vulgar to sarcastic to legitimately helpful. And doing most of the cooking. He's even written a few guest posts here on Fork it over, Boston!

Back in August, we met a new member of the Boston Food Bloggers community, Kevin (The Mighty Rib), a recent transplant from Houston. We got to know him through a variety of blogger events and get-togethers, and after a few months, he told us about a Houston-based food website called 2 Dine For, where he is the Director of Communication. They were looking for duos in other cities to expand the "he said, she said" restaurant review concept, and Boston was on the short list. We loved the idea and the design of the site, and we jumped onboard.

Fast forward to today, the launch of 2 Dine For Boston. Now Joel gets to join in the fun more than ever as we both get equal say about our favorite (and not-so-favorite) restaurants in and around Boston. We'll be posting new reviews weekly as well as participating in some other features on the site, such as product reviews (fEATures) and event recaps (Around Town). As I do for my other external writing gigs, I'll publish excerpts of new posts here with a link to the full post on 2 Dine For Boston. You can also keep track of us in the following ways:

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS feed
Subscribe to The Weekly Bite

Have a recommendation for a place we should check out? Comments, criticism, etc.? Send an email to our official 2 Dine For email addresses: Rachel and Joel.

(I'll still be blogging over here as well.)

Thanks for following us, and we look forward to sharing our food adventures with you!

Photos by David W. Aquilina.

Restaurant Review: Zoe's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:48:46 PST

I should already be a regular here. Zoe’s is a mere thirteen-minute walk from my door – less if I take the sketchy Fraggle Rock-painted tunnel from Somerville Avenue – and it is fantastic. I can’t believe it took me so long to try it out. I’d heard that Zoe’s serves fairly authentic Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, two types of Chinese food that tend towards the hot and spicy side, my favorite. Due to its proximity and promise of spiciness, I had a good feeling about it.

When my boyfriend and I walked in late on a Monday night, it was completely empty, which made us a bit uneasy, but it was an odd time for dinner, after all. The location is fairly hidden as well; Zoe’s takes up residence on the stretch of Beacon St. where you can find Petsi Pies, Pho ‘n Rice, and R.F. O’Sullivan’s, probably the busiest part of the neighborhood but still relatively unknown to outsiders.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

30 Hours in New York City

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:58:22 PST

I try to visit New York City at least a couple times a year. It's a city I love to visit for a few days at a time, although I suspect it'd tire me out if I stayed for much longer. Fortunately, Joel and I have plenty of friends and family in the city, so it's not so hard to make these trips happen.

At the end of December, I unexpectedly found myself with a little bit of free time between the end of one job and the beginning of another, so I ditched Joel and booked a quick trip into the city to spend some girl time with my friend Kim, who lives right in the middle of plenty of fun and delicious things in the East Village. Thanks to the magically cheap and not-too-sketchy BoltBus, I was in and out for a whirlwind 30 hours of...mostly eating.

First, we failed epically at lunching at Eataly, a mega mart of Italian food with several sit-down restaurants in the middle of all the action. It was beyond crowded, and we were very confused as to how to get a table at one of the packed restaurants. When we finally found a hostess stand and put our names down, it turned out we were in line for the vegetarian restaurant. We were seated after a wait and realized that there was absolutely no pasta on that menu, just salads. Sure, salad is great, but we went to Eataly for the pasta. We realized, however, that we were starving and it'd be a very long wait to go through the whole process again for one of the other restaurants, so we resigned ourselves to the greens and planned to get pasta for dinner. (The salads were delicious, by the way.) I'm fairly certain that Eataly resides in a special circle of tourist-filled hell, but it's still worth a trip. Despite the crowds and frustration, it's a pretty neat idea and reminded me of a bigger, fancier version of Bon Marche, a cafeteria-style restaurant that used to exist at the Prudential Center in Boston.

To sate our pasta craving, we chose Porsena for dinner, a spot that several people recommended to me when I put out a Twitter call for not-too-expensive hidden gems around the East Village. We were extremely satisfied; I particularly enjoyed my anneloni con salsiccia e rape, and the wine was fantastic as well.

...and we somehow saved room for dessert at the legendary Momofuku Milk Bar. The red velvet soft serve ice cream was rich and wonderful. I brought home a couple cookies to share with Joel as well.

We ended the night at The Immigrant, a cozy wine bar in Kim's neighborhood, where we enjoyed a number of wines. I don't recall the number...

Kim was occupied the next morning, so I headed over to Brooklyn to have brunch at Egg with Clara, Joel's brother's girlfriend. (She and Joel's brother, Dan, have a fantastic food blog!) Broiled grapefruit? My new favorite thing ever. Candied bacon? Obviously amazing. We walked off the gluttony by browsing around an amazing cheese shop (can't remember the name), a shop full of kitchen goodies (can't remember that name either), and a few other places.

Back in Manhattan, Kim and I did some shopping and then had an early dinner before I headed back to the bus. This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef is adorable, although I do think Boston wins out on the roast beef war. I'd definitely prefer a sandwich from Roast Beast or Jimbo's over this one, which was on the soggy side, but it had potential. And the fries were amazing. Interesting phenomenon, though: I ordered a can of regular Coke, and I reminded the guy that I wanted regular when he asked "Diet?" a few minutes later, and I still ended up with Diet Coke. Yuck. (I didn't realize until we were back at Kim's, unwrapping our sandwiches.) Kim said that places around there aren't used to girls not ordering diet soda. I rarely drink soda, but when I do, it's the real stuff. I'm strongly anti diet soda because (a) it tastes gross, (b) artificial sweeteners are sketchy for a variety of reasons, and (c) there's substantial research that suggests it contributes to worse health in a number of ways. And anecdotally, at least, it seems that many people who drink diet soda drink a lot of it because hey, it's diet. Doesn't mean it's good for you. On the other hand, because I only drink regular soda, I only treat myself to it once in awhile.

Totally stuffed, I headed back to the bus and back to Boston. We squeezed a lot of delicious things into 30 hours! I'm looking forward to my next trip to NYC, which will be in April. My band is playing at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn on April 14th, part of our (second annual!) tour with Neutral Uke Hotel and Golden Bloom. (Wanna come to the show? Tickets are now available!)

Here are some of my other New York favorites that I didn't get to visit this time around:

Amazing BBQ at Fette Sau. (Earlier blog post.)

Gut-busting brunch at Pies 'n' Thighs. (Earlier blog post.)

Late night pierogi at Veselka.

Haggis at The Haven (and Other Scottish Treats)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:12:32 PST

Last night, we had Kathy and Jon over for our third and final sponsored lamb feast. (I posted a video about the first one here. The second video is still in the works.) In between devouring large amounts of lamb and facing Kathy's enormous dessert, an insane six-layer cake, we played a food trivia game that my parents had given me for Chanukah. A question came up about haggis, which reminded me that I haven't yet posted about the fantastic dinner I had at The Haven back in December.

Joel and I had been eyeing The Haven since it opened, but getting up the motivation to get out to Jamaica Plain is fairly rare. We did try brunch back in August and loved it, but we still hadn't made it over there for dinner when I received a blogger dinner invitation for early December. Sorry Joel. You'll have to try it some other time. (As noted in my August brunch post, Joel is still mourning the loss of the live music at Matt Murphy's, a program that flourished under bartender and music booker Jason, now the owner of The Haven.)

With Cristy and Kevin, I sampled a wide array of The Haven's Scottish menu, including haggis, a dish we were all hesitant to taste...but we knew we had to give it a shot. For the uninitiated, head over to Wikipedia's page on haggis to learn all about it. The general consensus at the table was that none of us are haggis fans, but The Haven's preparation of it appears to be one that would certainly please those who do like haggis. I don't know how to describe it other than "earthy." Very earthy.

I enjoyed nearly everything else immensely, especially my entree, a fantastic rendition of fish and chips. Bonus: it was served in a fish-shaped plate. Adorable. I wasn't a huge fan of the mushy peas due to the, well, mushy texture, but the flavor was great. (I'm also not into hummus and other similarly textured items, so if you are, you'll probably love the peas!)

Other notes: the ambiance at The Haven is extremely inviting, both during the day and at night. The beer list is fantastic (and features lots of Scottish selections). I haven't experienced any of these yet, but there are weekly trivia, music, and movie nights which are probably worth checking out. If I lived in JP, I'd be here all the time.

Special thanks to Jason for hosting us!

More photos (brunch, then dinner):

Disclosure: While this meal was offered free of charge as part of a blogger dinner, all opinions in this post are my own.

Two Desserts for the Price of One: Shareable Treats Around Boston (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:32:28 PST

I'm not really into making a huge deal out of Valentine's Day; Joel and I will be making a nice home-cooked meal in our makeshift sous vide, and I'll probably send a couple delightfully obscene e-cards via someecards.com, so I haven't bothered to post any Valentine's Day restaurant recommendations here.

I did, however, just put up a post on the Tasted Menu blog about some tasty shareable desserts around town, so if you're looking for a romantic dessert-based date...or if you want to eat a huge amount of dessert by yourself (hey, I'm definitely not judging...I had a double dessert day multiple times this week!)...check out:

Two Desserts for the Price of One: Shareable Treats Around Boston

Restaurant Review: Catalyst (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:06:32 PST

As someone who spends more than forty hours a week in Kendall Square, I’m always on the lookout for new places to eat in the area. I’ve got my lunches covered by the food trucks, but for the occasional night out after work, the list is growing longer. Shiny new Catalyst has been on my mind since construction began, so it was the perfect choice for a friends’ night out on a recent weekday evening.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Top Eats in the North End and Faneuil Hall (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:20:27 PST

Unseasonably warm winter days in Boston are perhaps the best times to check out notoriously tourist-heavy areas like Faneuil Hall and the North End. The crowds are much diminished in the winter, so we can enjoy some rare peace and quiet while exploring our own city. Food, of course, is a highlight of this exploration. Let’s look at some of the top dishes to be found in this area.

Read the rest of my article over on the Tasted Menu blog.

The Ultimate Craigie Experience at Craigie on Main (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:35:39 PST

In 2008, the six-year-old nationally renowned Craigie Street Bistrot relocated from a cozy basement near Harvard Square to a larger space – with a much larger kitchen – on Main St. in Central Square. The restaurant’s name changed accordingly to Craigie on Main. Over the past three years, chef/proprietor Tony Maws has continued to please diners, particularly carnivores, with his intense focus on local, seasonal, and organic ingredients and French-influenced dishes. Offerings change daily to reflect the best that can be found at the market, and Maws is a firm believer in the ‘nose-to-tail’ philosophy of using every part of an animal whenever possible. Indeed, Food & Wine even named Craigie to its list of the 10 best restaurants for carnivores in the world, and Craigie is the sole representative of the United States on the list.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

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Pomegranate-Glazed Porgy and Latkes

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:07 PST

This post is belated; we made this during Chanukah, hence the latkes. The porgy (also known as scup) is from our favorite fish market, New Deal, located between Inman Square and Lechmere in Cambridge. We asked for advice on what would go nicely with a pomegranate glaze (other than salmon, which seemed like the most obvious choice, but Joel had had that a restaurant a few days prior and wanted something else). The porgy was recommended to us because in winter, it's a bit fattier than in warmer weather while still marked by a fairly light flavor; it seemed like a good fit in terms of texture and taste.

We grilled it on our cast iron grill pan (an absolutely essential kitchen tool as far as we're concerned). The idea for the pomegranate glaze was two-fold: mainly, I'm just obsessed with pomegranates while they're in season (and I finally learned how to easily remove the arils without making the kitchen look like a murder scene). Also, pomegranates figure prominently into a variety of Jewish traditions, so it seemed like a good way to celebrate Chanukah. (That and presents. And gelt, of course.)

Latkes and sauteed greens went well on the side.

And we finally opened up a Dr. Loosen late harvest riesling we picked up a few months back. It was spectacular and played nicely with the pomegranate.

Happy much-belated Chanukah!

Porter Exchange: Cambridge's Little Japan (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:26:31 PST

Cambridge’s Little Japan – Porter Exchange – is tucked away inside a Lesley University building in Porter Square, quite hidden if you don’t know where to find it. It’s worth finding. The Exchange houses a bookstore, a sporting goods store, and a cluster of Japanese gems: several restaurants, a bakery, a bubble tea counter, and even a gift shop, Tokai, which is full of tea sets, bento boxes, chopsticks, and more. There used to be a Japanese grocery store in the Exchange as well, but Lesley ousted it in 2009 to make room for the bookstore. In fall 2011, however, the original owners of Tokai are opening up a new grocery store, Miso Market, just a few blocks down Mass Ave.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

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Blogger Dinner at Ceia Kitchen + Bar

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:03 PST

Newburyport seems like a gem of a town, from what I glimpsed of a tiny piece of downtown one evening in November. I joined Kevin (The Mighty Rib), Tara (Wine Me A River), and Lena (Lena on the Beach) for a blogger tasting at Ceia (Portuguese for "supper"), a dark and intimate brick-walled oasis of locally-sourced yet European-inspired dishes. Executive Chef Billy 'Brando' Brandolini created a lovely five-course tasting for us.

We began with a baby beet salad (candied butternut, cabrales blue, hearts on fire, and guanciale vinaigrette) - pleasant overall, but texturally too soft. Something crunchy or crispy - nuts, perhaps - would have taken this to the next level. Nonetheless, it was a nice way to start out, and the blue cheese was sparse enough that I could avoid it after confirming that yes, I still don't like blue cheese.

Next, a pasta course: pappardelle with local pulled rabbit, dijon and veal ragout, rams head fungi, brillat mousse. I panicked a little upon seeing the menu; I've owned pet rabbits, Yeti and Bigfoot, and my current roommate owns a big old one named Jane, so despite my usually carnivorous ways, I can't bring myself to eat rabbit. I'm also not a mushroom fan. Even so, I ended up ignoring my hangups and ate most of this course. Turns out it was pretty tasty, and I haven't been haunted by the ghosts of Yeti and Bigfoot. Just don't tell Jane.

Then, we moved on to the fish course, cod accompanied by garbanzo mash, creamed bright lights chard, and infused EVOO. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had a hangup with this course as well. Garbanzo beans, especially in mashed form, are very unappealing to me, but I gave these a try, and I'll file them under "OK, that wasn't so bad." The cod was delicate and flaky, seared perfectly, and very enjoyable.

The next course was supposed to be suckling pig, but the chef on duty (not 'Brando') wasn't happy with how part of the course turned out. Instead, he whipped up a surf 'n' turf 'n' eggs combo that was delightful. Nothing better than ultra-rare beef.

Dessert was a big hunk of brillat savarin; it was too strong a cheese for me to handle.

The after-dinner drink, however, was outstanding. Now if only I could remember what it was...

The wine served with dinner was also fantastic - Convento San Francisco Temperanillo, Ribera Del Duero 2005.

Worth the long drive from Boston? I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd make a special trip out just for the restaurant. If I happened to be in the area, it'd be worth another visit. Special thanks to Kevin for organizing.

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Dining at the W (Scene Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:19 PST

On the Tremont Street side of the W Hotel, across from the Wilbur, the Wang, and their digital marquees, sits one of the newest outposts of legendary chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Market - not to be confused with his Market in Paris or Spice Market in New York City. His collection of restaurants, which spans from Las Vegas to New York to Shanghai and beyond, has accumulated a number of Michelin stars and other accolades, and one taste of Market makes it clear that his reputation is well deserved.

Read the rest of my article over on Scene Boston.

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Restaurant Review: Five Horses Tavern (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:51:05 PST

Davis Square is full of great restaurants and bars – and full of people. The sidewalks are often almost unbearably congested, and it’s easy to run into a long wait at every dinner spot on the square or enter a bar so packed you can barely reach the restrooms. I love Davis, but I hate crowds, so I was excited to stumble on a new place set back a little bit from the center of the action. Five Horses Tavern has taken over Sagra’s old space, and from the beer selection alone, I was a fan even before stepping inside.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

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Late Night Noodles with Guchi's Midnight Ramen

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:02:21 PST

It's 3 A.M. on Tuesday morning and I just got home. My belly is sleepily full of ramen, but my veins are coursing with the epic amounts of caffeine I consumed to ensure I wouldn't fall asleep face-first in a giant ramen bowl at tonight's...er, this morning's...industry preview of Guchi's Midnight Ramen, the latest addition to Boston's batch of pop-up culinary adventures. (Special thanks to my bandmate and blogger friend Holly, who had an extra ticket and invited me along for the ride.)

Guchi's Midnight Ramen (Twitter/Facebook) is brought to us (from heaven, probably) by a couple of O Ya's chefs, Yukihiro Kawaguchi ("Guchi") and Mark O'Leary, along with O Ya alum Tracy Chang, plus (non-O Ya-related) Vilas Dhar, a lawyer interested in food entrepreneurship. O Ya times three? Oh yeah. (Sorry, I had to do it.) Anyways, after my extraordinarily memorable grand omakase experience at O Ya, I'd probably try anything by those people.

Let's see if I can stay awake long enough to recap this morning's festivities, which took place at Bondir, a place I really need to get to under normal circumstances. I've been there once before, for a special prix fixe lunch set up by Maggie of Eat Boutique. I love the ambiance, and Chef Bond's food was fantastic.

First up, the pork belly bun, a soft and squishy and savory preview of the wonderfulness to come.

Meanwhile, Mark and Guchi were hard at work prepping the main course.

The bowls arrived at our table along with a camera, with which we were instructed to photograph each other's first slurps.

And slurp we did. The rich broth became even more complex as we added the side sauce, the "umami oil." When we weren't slurping, we were dissecting the contents of the soup and the sauce. The velvety egg yolk slowly permeated the mixture, and the tender fat-lined pork grew softer as it soaked up the broth. Balancing chopsticks and spoons, we threw dignity aside and nearly dunked our faces in the huge bowls.

The bottom of the bowl was a sad sight, but perhaps a relief. My late night ramen stamina was fading fast. But there was still dessert to come, green tea cookies bursting with melted chocolate.

Late night ramen adventure? Success. I'd do it again. It's the ultimate mix of comfort and spontaneity, and the food is just solidly delicious. What's not to love?

Special thanks to my fun and interesting tablemates: Holly (Nomsense), Meredith (Serious Eats: Slice), and Patrick (Server Not Servant).

Disclosure: This was an industry preview event. All food was complimentary.

Restaurant Review: Blackstrap BBQ (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:40:30 PST

I’m on a mission to find great BBQ in the Boston area. I have no real Southern BBQ experience, so take my opinion with the necessary grain of salt. For context, the BBQ I obsess over is at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (the original two locations in Syracuse and Rochester – forget the newer ones) and Fette Sau in Brooklyn. While I haven’t thoroughly exhausted the options closest to me yet, I’ve been intrigued by the buzz about the newish place in Winthrop, Blackstrap BBQ. My mom lived in Winthrop until she was nine, so last time my parents came into town from the ‘burbs to meet me for dinner, we decided to drive out to Winthrop, see the old house, and give Blackstrap a try.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

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Austin/Boston Food Love

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:49:45 PST

Last month, the Boston Food Bloggers (BFB) teamed up with our new friends in Texas, the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (AFBA), to do a holiday gift swap. I'll write more about the background (and hopefully future!) of the swap in a recap post over on BostonFoodBloggers.com, but over here, I want to recap my personal swap experience. I worked with Jodi Bart, the AFBA's Communications Chair, to organize the event, and we decided to participate as well by becoming swap partners. (Yep, the AFBA actually has a Board of Directors and everything. Pretty snazzy. Something to think about for BFB?)

Jodi (whose blog is Tasty Touring) and I were both dealing with particularly hectic lives around the swap and never got a chance to talk on the phone (I'm totally phone-awkward anyways!), but we swapped a few emails and learned a little bit about each other. Jody was born up in Ottawa and attended a French immersion kindergarten in Montreal; I'm a total francophile nerd (and minored in French), so I hope we have a chance to parler en français at some point! (Yes, I know "to parler" is redundant, but I'm making up my own Franglish rules here.) Fast-forward to college at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where Jodi studied history. Then, she moved to NYC to do PR for The New Yorker before moving to Austin in 2003.

She's been blogging since 2008 - me too! - and awesomely won a national food blogger video contest through Whole Foods last year, resulting in a fabulous free trip to Europe. Amazing.

From Boston to Austin

Picking out the local goodies to share with Jodi was pretty exciting. There are the obvious choices that came to mind right away, like Taza chocolates and local honey from Follow the Honey; the ones that I came across randomly, having never heard of them before, like Fat Toad caramel and Minnie's Mandelbrot; and everything in between.

Here's what I sent:

Wildflower Honey from Warm Colors Apiary in Deerfield (purchased at Follow the Honey in Cambridge)

Follow the Honey is a newish bee-themed store in Cambridge. I first learned about it from a friend of a friend who worked there, and I went in, tasted a ton of honey, took a ton of photos, and wrote about it for CBS Boston. I was expecting just a store full of honey, but it’s so much more than that. Product-wise, there are bee and honey-themed accessories, beauty products, and honey from all over the world. The staff is also extremely knowledgeable about bees, colony collapse disorder, etc., and many of them are artists, so the store is gorgeous.

Most of the local honeys available last time I went in would have put me too close to the budget limit for the swap, but fortunately this local wildflower honey was “on tap” at a reasonable price - they have a rotating selection on tap that you jar yourself. It's from Warm Colors Apiary. (As you'll read a bit further down, Jodi also sent me a local honey!)

I had hoped to include print-outs of recipes from the websites of several of the products I was sending and stores I was visiting, but I unfortunately ran out of time. Warm Colors has a nice collection of honey-based recipes here.

Chocolate from Taza Chocolate in Somerville (purchased at Magpie in Somerville)

Taza is headquartered in Somerville - my home! The chocolate is gritty and intense, not creamy like European-style chocolate. Pretty sure most Boston swap participants included some Taza in their package. I’ve toured the factory twice. Lots of fun! I included one of my favorite flavors, guajillo chili, and one that everyone else seems to love, salted caramel. These are sold all over the place as of the last year or so; I picked these up at a cute gift shop called Magpie in Somerville's Davis Square.

Here's Taza's recipe collection, which makes me drool. A lot.

Italian Plum and Wild Concord Grape Jam from Central Bottle in Cambridge (includes plums from Autumn Hill Farm in Groton)

I’ve never tasted this one, but I love the store, Central Bottle. It’s primarily a wine store - a great one - but they have some other goodies, including a sandwich that I occasionally power-walked 14 minutes from the office to get for lunch when I worked in Kendall Square - goat cheese, arugula, walnuts, pecorino. And amazing bread! Central Bottle jarred the jam, which includes plums from Autumn Hills Orchard in Groton. According to the ingredient list, it also includes chartreuse (which I love) and “tastiness.” Yay! I hope it tastes good!

Mexican Chocolate Cashews from Q's Nuts in Somerville (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market in Boston)

Q’s Nuts makes the rounds at many of the local farmer’s markets, and I stumbled upon this flavor awhile ago and loved it. This bag was bought at a local holiday market organized by Maggie of Eat Boutique, a Boston-based food blog-turned-business that creates awesome food gift boxes that you can subscribe to - or send to friends. Check out the stunning recipe collection on the Eat Boutique website.

Minnie's Mandelbrot in Boston (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market)

And now for something a bit more Chanukah-oriented! I found this cinnamon, raisin, and walnut mandelbrot, made by Minnie's Mandelbrot, at the Eat Boutique holiday market, tried a sample, and thought it’d make a nice addition to the box. Minnie was the baker’s great-grandmother, who brought this recipe over from Belarus more than a century ago. (Never had mandelbrot? It's pretty much a Jewish/Eastern-European version of biscotti.)

Goat's Milk Vanilla Bean Caramel from Fat Toad Farm in Brookfield, VT (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market)

Another random purchase from the Eat Boutique holiday market! No special significance - I just tried a sample and thought it was delicious. Fat Toad Farm is a family-run goat dairy in Vermont, which still counts as local, right? Be sure to check out their tasty-looking recipes.

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Bomb Cookies from 3 Little Figs in Somerville

3 Little Figs is my new favorite place! It’s a Greek-inspired cafe that recently opened just five minutes’ walk from my apartment. I’m in love. Everything’s delicious, especially the sandwiches. I’ve never had these cookies, but I’ve had a bunch of other spectacular baked goods from here.

Mayflower Poultry Coaster from Magpie in Somerville

I’ve never been to Mayflower Poultry in Cambridge, but it has been around since the 1930s, and its logo is very well-known around here. They even sell branded thongs on the Mayflower website. This coaster is from Magpie, the aforementioned Somerville gift shop.

2010 Holiday Cookies Issue from America's Test Kitchen in Brookline

Just a whole lot of cookie recipes from Brookline-based America’s Test Kitchen! Yum! America's Test Kitchen, of course, has a ton of recipes on their website.

To describe the items that I sent, I printed out a collection of some of my favorite photos that I've taken around Boston, and I wrote about each item on the back of a photo. I had a great time putting together this collection of goodies and supporting some of my favorite local businesses while discovering new ones.

From Austin to Boston

What's a big event like this without a little drama and mystery?

As other swap participants happily tweeted about the packages that they were receiving, I started feeling a little sad...mine hadn't arrived yet even though I thought Jodi had shipped it a couple days before I had shipped mine. Jodi got worried as well and tracked the package, delivering the devastating news that it had apparently been delivered to my porch a week before. Remembering reading an article about a spate of porch package thefts in my neighborhood that week, I actually called the Somerville police department and left a message about my missing package; one of the articles stated that the thieves had been arrested, and police were working through hundreds of packages found in the thieves' car and apartment to try to return them to the owners, so I wanted to make sure they could contact me easily if mine were to be found.

Then - and I should have done this first - I called FedEx with the tracking number Jodi had given me. When I put in the number online, I could see very limited information - it was delivered to my porch on a specific date - but it turns out FedEx had more details to provide. A very nice lady read through the information, including one very key detail. "Let's see, this says that the package was delivered to your back porch..." Back porch! I have a back porch! I live on the second floor of a triple decker; the back porch is only attached to the first floor tenants' door, so I'd never have a reason to go back there, and no one has ever delivered a package to me at that door before, so I completely forgot it existed. The FedEx lady said that the drivers had been instructed to be extra careful during the holiday season, and many were apparently delivering to side and back doors to try to avoid theft. I hurriedly ran out in the rain to find the package sitting rather forlornly, a little soggy and a week old, on the back porch. Success!

As it turns out, nothing was damaged by the rain, and a detective from the Somerville police department even returned my call. I felt bad wasting his time since it turns out I had the package all along, but he was very nice about it.

So here's what I got:

Austin Publications

I didn't know this at the time, but it turns out I'm actually going to be traveling to Austin in March for SXSW, so these publications have become very good research materials for me! Jodi sent me the December issue of The Austin Chronicle (the gift guide), a "Cooks!" edition of Edible Austin (a sister publication to Edible Boston), and the special food issue of Austin Monthly, which I devoured in order to figure out where to eat during my trip. Turns out Jodi's actually in this issue of Austin Monthly - she is one of the experts consulted to build the "best of" list. Awesome.

Barbecue Sauce from The County Line

I told Jodi that I loved barbecue, so this was a perfect choice! I haven't tried it yet, but I bet it'll be amazing. The County Line's original location apparently opened in 1975 and has since expanded. Since 1990, it has been shipping meats, sauces, and more all around the country. Good to know in case I fall in love with this sauce!

Hot Sauce

As you might already know, I really really really like spicy food, so of course I was excited to find a Texas hot sauce in the package. I can't wait to burn my tongue on this.

Cheddar Jalapeno Pretzel Chips from Fat Belly Bakery

"...for the German heritage," wrote Jodi. I haven't had a chance to try these pretzel chips from Fat Belly yet, but they're next on my list.

Pure Wildflower Honey from Goodflow Honey Co.

This honey comes from Goodflow Honey Co., a family-run Austin business that has been around since 1975.

Pumpkin Seed Cheddar Snackers from Doctor Kracker

Yeah, I pretty much devoured these within days of receiving the package. This Dallas-based company, Doctor Kracker, is carried at a variety of stores across the country...including Cambridge Naturals, which I walk by almost daily. SCORE. I will be getting more of these. Oh yes.

Bearded Brothers Mighty Maca Chocolate Energy Bar

If there's one thing I need more of, it's energy. Bearded Brothers - which, you might guess, is a duo of brothers with beards - produces a variety of energy bars. This one is chocolate. Yum.

Enchanted Rock Soap with Sweet Almond Oil and Red Clay from Austin Natural Soap

This Austin Natural Soap smells absolutely fantastic, and a portion of the proceeds benefit Texas parks and wildlife.

Just What the Dr Ordered Brownie from Lovepuppies Brownies

OMG. I might have to order more of these from Lovepuppies or stock up when I'm town. Obviously, this was the first thing I devoured. Dark chocolate (yes!), Dr Pepper (Texas' state drink and probably my favorite soda), and Texas-grown pecans. And heaven.

Thanks Jodi!

At least from my perspective, the Austin to Boston Food Swap was a huge, exciting success, and I hope we can do it again next year. (More on that in the post that I eventually write for BFB!) I'm also very excited to actually meet Jodi in person when I travel to Austin in a couple months!

Read about Jodi's thoughts on the swap on her blog.

25 Must-Try Dishes in 2012 (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:18:13 PST

Since our public launch in November, we’ve watched eagerly as our “Top Dishes in Boston” page has evolved as a result of new reviews being added to the site. Interestingly enough, Boston’s top 25 dishes can be found not only at some of Boston’s priciest restaurants, such as O ya, Menton, and Radius, but also at some more affordable spots, like Flour Bakery + Café, KO Catering and Pies, and Darwin’s Ltd., and everywhere in between. There are currently 17 different restaurants on the list, with O ya hogging seven spots, and Istanbu’lu and Flour grabbing two spots each. Categorized by price range, here are the restaurants and dishes you should definitely check out in 2012…and if you’re planning a trip to Menton, I know a few people here at Tasted Menu who’d love to tag along. Hint hint.

Read the rest of my post over on the Tasted Menu blog.

Will Blog for Food...or Maybe Not: How Freebies Have Changed the Blogging Landscape (BostInnovation.com)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:17:46 PST

Over the past year, I’ve eaten thousands of dollars’ worth of free food thanks to the increasingly PR-influenced world of food blogging. I promptly forgot about some of it. I wrote about some of it. I raved about some of it. But most of all, I agonized over it. Is this OK? Am I selling out? Can my readers trust me if I’m writing about freebies?

Read the rest of my article over on BostInnovation.com.

Minibite: Lunch at EVOO

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:20:09 PST

I spent the better part of 2011 working in the Cambridge Innovation Center, a hotbed of startups in Kendall Square, and there are a ridiculous amount of restaurants within a few blocks of the building. EVOO's right next door, attached to Za. I had been to the old EVOO location near Dali for a fantastic dinner a few years ago, but I figured it was time to try out the new location.

My mom came into town to meet me for lunch one day, and we both ordered the same dish, the Chinese box of mustard-glazed shrimp, sesame-hoisin braised beef, gingered vegetable-cashew salad, and organic brown rice. It comes served in a Chinese takeout box, but I missed taking a photo as the waiter ceremoniously dumped the food out onto the plate and removed the box from the table.

At $16, it's a pricey lunch, but it's light and delicious for a great once-in-awhile workday treat. (Bonus: EVOO uses a wide variety of local, sustainable, organic ingredients, and the space is LEED Gold Certified.)

Grand Omakase Chef's Tasting at O Ya (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:46:15 PST

Five hours and twenty-two courses after arriving, my dining companions and I staggered through O Ya’s heavy wooden door, already reminiscing about some of the earlier courses that seemed to have been eaten days ago. One of Boston’s most extravagant and exorbitant dining experiences, the Grand Omakase Chef Tasting at O Ya is certainly one of the most memorable as well. It is an endurance exercise of near-epic proportions. While the courses are fairly small – many consisting of a single piece of sushi – it is an intense meal that shows off a selection of O Ya’s standard menu as well as some favorites of the chef that can’t be ordered apart from the Grand Omakase.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Restaurant Review: Blue Inc. (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:42:50 PST

After five years as Executive Chef at Somerville’s now-defunct Gargoyles on the Square, as well as a few months earning a second-place finish on Fox reality cooking show “Hell’s Kitchen,” Jason “Jay” Santos has opened up Blue Inc. in the Financial District, bringing over his signature duck dish and his recognizable bright blue hair. In its early months, Blue Inc. has already gained substantial buzz for its hints of molecular gastronomy – culinary magic tricks – and whimsical menu.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Latkes and Sufganiyot for Chanukah (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:36:56 PST

Chanukah began Tuesday. While many celebrants focus on the eight days of gift-giving, food is a meaningful part of the holiday as well. In fact, tradition dictates that fried foods are to be eaten in celebration of part of the Chanukah story in which a tiny amount of oil miraculously kept the special Temple lamp burning for eight days, much longer than expected. It’s a bit of a stretch, I suppose, but hey, it’s a good excuse to chow down on fried food! In celebration of the holiday, we’ve pulled together a list of the highest-rated, Chanukah-related, deep-fried dishes around town.

Read the rest of my blog post over on FOOD=LOVE, the TastedMenu.com blog.