The restaurant is at the heart of the casino. You can’t miss the giant waterfall. I always wondered if this place was just gimmicky or actually good – the reviews online seemed to go both ways.

We had reservations for 2, with Mohegan Sun covering a portion of our bill. Last minute, when Kyle and Tiffany decided to join us for dinner, we changed the reservations to 4. The restaurant was happy to accommodate all of us, no questions asked. Fantastic! We chose to sit “outside” – it’s definitely a great people watching spot.

It was a bit dark so please forgive my photos. Hopefully the descriptions will do the place more justice. I’ll start by saying that from the moment we walked in, we were all treated like VIPs. Granted, they knew I was a blogger and wanted to make the best impression possible, but it still all felt very special.

Onion bread + olive tapenade and white bean dip to munch on while perusing the menus.

I saw the onion chunks on top so I took the top off and tried the rest since Adam, Kyle and Tiffany were all loving it. I thought the bread was stale (they thought I was crazy) and the olive tapenade was definitely better than the bean dip. We ordered a bottle of wine (it was great, we had 2 with dinner)…

… and this is when our menus were taken away. What? The manager (?) asked if there was anything we liked, didn’t like, etc. I said “no onions” but otherwise we’re flexible. The answer to that was: “We’ll just play around then if that’s ok.” Definitely okay!

We didn’t know what to expect since we never placed any orders. When the first plates came out, we knew this was going to be fun!

The antipasti plate included prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, pecorino romano, spiced nuts, crackers and mustard. Everything was super fresh – the roasted red peppers were definitely the highlight for me with the sharp pecorino romano a close second. That horrible picture on the right (it took me a little while to get used to the lighting, change lenses, etc.) is for one of Tuscany’s signature flatbreads – Tuscan: fontina, gorgonzola, prosciutto, rosemary-fig jam. I think this one really blew everyone away. The crust was perfectly grilled and chewy and the combo of sweet figs and savory cheese and prosciutto is always a winner. Kyle and Tiffany, I believe, said they don’t like figs yet were more than happy to dig in to this beau. They took the rest of it home (our waiter “warned” us that we were about to get a lot of food so it would be smart to pace ourselves).

Next up was our first pasta dish. Yes, first. There were 3. Spaghetti polpettine “Brooklyn” style – handcrafted meatballs, roasted tomato sauce, basil, parmigiano-regianno

Quick side note – you guys know that a few months ago I stopped eating meat that I don’t know the origin of and that I have no certainty came from humanely raised animals. In order to experience what Tuscany had to offer to the fullest (and because I knew that Kyle and Tiffany were not big fish/seafood eaters), I chose to have the chef showcase his favorite dishes, even if they contained meat. I had a little bite of the meat items so that I could review them, but for the most part was more comfortable filling up on the vegetarian and fish items.

Such was the case with the first pasta dish. I tasted the meatball – it was flavorful although a little dry in my opinion. The pasta, however, more accurately the roasted tomato sauce I guess – was amazing. Really amazing. It was deep flavored and fresh. And yes, the pasta itself was perfectly cooked as well. It’s funny how simple pasta with tomato sauce sounds but it really was perfection. I knew we had 2 more pasta dishes coming (I thought that was it though, ha!) so I restrained from polishing this off. The excitement for what was to come next was really building up…

Fettuccini carbonara – guanciale, fried yolk, peas

How cute is this presentation? We were instructed to very carefully break the yolk and mix it all in.

This action shot just brought back the memories of this meal and made my mouth water a bit. I think it’s no surprise that I’m not “fettucini carbonara” kind of girl. Cooking with loads of butter and cream is cheating in my opinion, and I’m not so easily fooled (or at least I’d like to think so). This fettucini carbonara, however, I was all about. It wasn’t heavy or cream laden. Yes it was creamy, but perfectly so. The freshly broken egg yolk coated each noodle perfectly. The peas added a touch of brightness. This was one of the best dishes of the night. No doubt.

Another pasta dish? You got it. Strozzapreti – spinach, lemon zest, toasted almonds, buratta

This was served family-style to us because apparently a fish course and a steak tasting course were coming next. The noodles were delicious. I liked the buratta, but I think this was the least impactful dish of the bunch. A little too mild. Maybe we were just pasta-ed out.

It’s fish time! Branzino acqua pazza with parsley, carrot and shallot salad and garlicky spinach

Did you guys know that I used to waitress when I first moved to NY after college, while looking for a “real job?” It was at an Italian restaurant that no longer exists (in fact the whole building was taken down and replaced by a fancy hotel). Sometimes we had branzino specials. It’s a beautiful Mediterranean white fish. We used to serve it whole and filled it table-side. I got pretty good at that. Anyways, I tell you this because when I hear branzino, I automatically assume “whole fish” and was ready to see some shocked faces from Kyle and Tiffany. What we got, of course (see above), were beautiful fillets of branzino. It had such delicate flavor, not fishy whatsoever. Just gorgeous. Unfortunately I didn’t try the salad (see in the description – shallots. I don’t do shallots) but I’m sure it added a nice crunch and freshness. The garlicky spinach (and mashed potatoes? Too much food… I’m starting to forget the details now) were delicious. This was also in the running for the winning dish of the night. Fantastic!

Last savory course – steak tasting – hangar, rib-eye and porterhouse steaks over mashed potatoes and broccolini.

The steaks were cooked medium-rare. Definitely more rare than I prefer so just the look of it was a little distracting. With that said, I tried them all and they were very flavorful. The steak are wood-fired at Tuscany and the chef came out later on and told us how proud he is of their steaks. There is a lot to be proud of. Adam said these were possibly better than Mooo – that’s a giant compliment. I really liked the seasoning too – lots of salt and pepper on the outside “crust”. We were pretty stuffed by this point and Adam took most of it home and enjoyed lots of delicious looking steak sandwiches and hearty dinners for lunch and dinner the next 2 days (I ate most of the broccolini – haha).

We’re near the end. No meal of course can be complete without dessert. We were served 4 delicious looking cannoli stuffed with ricotta and choc chips.

I, amazingly enough, paced myself and was ready for dessert. These cannoli, as beautiful as they were, unfortunately were way too heavy and the shell was slightly soggy. We all left dessert mostly untouched. Maybe that’s for the better

Happy customers, happy bellies.

Check out the amount of leftovers we took… don’t they look heavy? They were!

So that was dinner. Seriously one of the most amazing dining experiences we’ve ever had. Obviously being treated pretty much like royalty was really nice but the whole tasting menu experience, with the chef being in control of what was served and not knowing what was coming next was exhilarating. And the chef delivered. Each dish was different and delicious.

Take-aways: 1) We need to do more chef’s tastings. 2) Tuscany is a fantastic dining option at Mohegan Sun – we will definitely be back there on our next visit. Thank you, again, Mohegan Sun and everyone at Tuscany for such a wonderful experience!

Have you ever had a chef’s tasting? What did you think? Did you like letting go of control for a change?

Also, have you ever been to any of Todd English’s restaurants… or any other “celebrity chef” restaurants for that matter?

Can’t wait to hear your answers!

After checking into our hotel room (VIP check-in at Aquai was so smooth and pleasant btw… they even offered us drinks before we went up to our room!) we settled in, I snapped some photos, and we were off to explore…

The room was spacious and clean

I loved the cute little details such as this tea and coffee holder

… and the cute toiletries

The view from our window

Dang, I should have brought my bathing suit (it was 95* out!!)

Big spenduh

Mohegan has a pretty nice gym for hotel guests (I actually used it last time we stayed there 2 years ago). We both brought our gym clothes but were too excited to “waste” time on a treadmill.

We got a little exercise from walking around – the grounds at Mohegan are extensive (it’s the second largest hotel in the US). The decor is so whimsical – don’t the bright colors just make you happy?

[Hotel lobby]

[Shops at Mohegan]

I knew I’d have plenty of time to check out the shops later – lunch was our main priority! There were quite a few restaurants to choose from – it took us awhile to check them all out…

[Birch's - we ate a casual lunch there last time and loved it]

[Bobby Flay burger joint - aka, Adam's favorite burger place.]

There is a whole Asian gambling section (with their special gambling games) – I was *this* close to having lunch in their little food court. I wonder if it’s pretty authentic…

The Dunkin Donuts fit right in… there was a sign in Chinese (?) there after all.

After walking around for ages, we finally settled down on Summer Shack. The owner Jasper White is a seafood legend in New England.

I agree!

I guess I was in full vacation mode because I ordered the fried whole belly Ipswich clams (appetizer) for my lunch, as well as the heirloom tomato salad

The clams were a bit too soft (although tasty) and the salad was definitely of just regular tomatoes and a little too much oil, but I managed to pretty much polish off both plates (Adam helped a bit).

Adam LOVED his fish tacos. I was no longer hungry. Mission (kind of) accomplished. Dessert at Ben & Jerry’s made everything better… Adam kindly modeled it for me

I got scoop shop only flavors – pecan butter (rich buttery ice Cream with roasted pecans) and chocolate therapy (chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies and swirls of chocolate pudding) – both amazing!

Finally Kyle and Tiffany arrived and the boys headed straight for the poker room.

Tiffany and I pretty much went straight to the bar. I had a glass of cabernet which was watery but it was fun to just sit down and people watch.

Eventually it was time for dinner. We had reservations at Todd English’s Tuscany. This dinner was one of the best (if not THE best) dinner experiences of my life (and Adam’s… and probably Kyle and Tiffany’s). I was originally going to just do 1 recap post for our trip but this dinner definitely deserves its own post (coming tomorrow!).

After dinner, with full bellies, we went… dancing.

Haha, there was NO WAY we were going to be able to shake it after a nearly 3-hour 8+ course meal (yup). Instead, the boys went back to gambling… and the girls went shopping! I was going to just window shop but somehow ended up with a little make over at Bare Escentuals (Tiffany, you are bad influence! ).

Now I was ready for dancing. Ha! Instead we went back to find the boys; Kyle and Tiffany drove back home, Adam went back to gambling (the boy had a ridiculous amount of energy – he stayed up until 3am!!)… and I went to sleep. It was glorious. I was so so happy we didn’t have to drive back home. Staying overnight is definitely the way to go.

Is it time for breakfast, already?

How do you all feel about pizza for breakfast? Hey, it was like 11:30 by then. Let’s call it brunch.

My dad RAVES about Frank Pepe pizza (they stop by the original shop every time on their way to NY). I think he’ll be proud of our choice of… brunch. Yes, I’m sticking with that.

Original tomato pie with mozzarella and roasted red peppers

Pepe’s specialty white clam pizza

The original pizza needed a bit more seasoning but nothing that extra garlic powder and salt didn’t fix. The white clam pizza was fishy at the first bite but after the second bite, the cheese, garlic and herbs really stood out. We got 2 small pizzas and only ate 1/2 of each. At the end we really loved them and the leftovers made for great car snacks and dinner.

Adam ended up gambling after brunch. I made some good dice rolls at the craps table for him. And then, at some point at the black jack table, the guy sitting next to him just gave him 2 chips of $25 and said: “It’s just money, have fun!” I’ve never seen anything like that – it was so exciting. Adam’s luck totally turned around then and he ended up winning his money back (he was down before) and then some. It was amazing. What a trip!!

Do you gamble? Do you like casinos? I don’t gamble but I love nice casinos for some reason (they have to be nice though). Aside from a few sad people you see (that you know are gambling away their life savings) and the smoke, the energy is just so fun. I love hearing the cheering from the craps table, seeing the ridiculously corny slot machines and just everything about being transformed to a space where time doesn’t matter. Thank you again, Michelle and Mohegan, for hosting us. This was absolutely the most amazing end to a birthday week and I am certain that among others, we will not forget the dinner at Tuscany for a long time.

It was pretty dark in there, but I managed to snap a few decent photos; they may not be raiser sharp but I think they look more intimate (and natural) this way. Hello, birthday boy! <3

We decided a long time ago that we are not knowledgeable enough about wine to spend too much money on it; I’d rather spend a little extra on the meal. I let Adam choose a bottle for us and he ordered the cheapest one – Rock & Vine cabernet blend. It was a little sweet, kind of like table wine. Very drinkable but not exactly refined. The price was right though.

As much as Adam loves steak houses, the two things he couldn’t stop talking about after our last trip to Mooo were lobster bisque and Mooo’s bread rolls. I believe these are brioche buns – so buttery, soft and warm. Yum!

Adam ordered just that for his appetizer. I chose a lighter starter – arugula, lemon, parmesan, and oven cured tomato salad

I enjoyed the freshness of the salad – it was very lightly dressed, letting the peppery arugula and sharp parmesan stand out. The oven cured tomato was basically a sun-dried tomato made in the oven (I know, a very technical description but I bet you know exactly what it tasted like now, right?). I didn’t care for the bread sticks – they were tasteless and stale. No worries, I was happy to eat my 2 little brioche buns.

It’s funny how certain places can send you straight back to a different time in your life. Adam said the second he stepped in Mooo, he immediately was transformed to our lives 3 years ago – we just recently got engaged and moved to Boston. It was all good memories. We really enjoyed just relaxing and reminiscing, while waiting for our entrees.

I didn’t order steak. I had every intention of doing so but the scallops “spoke” to me and Adam assured me that it was ok (I thought maybe it was a bit lame not to order steak at a steak house). Seared sea scallops, Georgia corn, chanterelles, whipped potato

Scallops, mushrooms and corn are a fabulous combo. This dish was (by-the-book) perfectly executed – the scallops were moist on the inside and perfectly seared on the inside. They were lovely, really. Unfortunately the dish overall was not particularly exciting. I like a little twist to the traditional – a little heat, or maybe a fresh pop of something? I didn’t get that here (although I did take over half of it home and gave the leftovers another life, my style, the next day – details to come in a different post ).

Adam’s steak with red wine sauce was very good. The truffle fries were even better. I had a few. I loooooove truffle fries.

For dessert, I ordered the chocolate stout cake (dark chocolate cake, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream) to share. The server set up a little special surprise for Adam. He was so surprised in fact, that he forgot to make a wish before blowing the candle. I made him make a wish later – all is well.

The cake was… meh. Kind of cold, hard, and not particularly fresh. Tasted like supermarket cake to me. Adam also said the ice cream was icy (I didn’t even touch it). We both picked at the cake for a minute and left the rest. The bus boy was shocked we didn’t want to take the rest home. Sorry, this cake isn’t worth it.

Chocolate covered marshmallows came with the check. We each took a tiny bite and again left the rest. It was nothing special.

Overall, the dinner was lovely. We enjoyed the atmosphere, our waiter was very attentive without being overly eager and annoying and the food (except dessert) was solid (although in my opinion not particularly inventive). We will likely be back… in a few years (for Adam’s birthday?). This is the best steak house in Boston in our experience when you combine quality of food, service and the overall vibe.

How do you feel about steak houses in general? My thesis is that it’s a “guy thing.”

We’re off to continue birthday celebrations at Mohegan Sun!! Adam is like a little kid on Christmas morning right now.

***

For other restaurant reviews, check out my Restaurant Reviews page.

I treat myself to a special food item every so often (if the grocery budget allows it that months) – it always involves small businesses. I love supporting them! So when a few weeks ago I saw a sale on Gilt for Rick’s Picks for all sorts of crazy combos of pickled goodies, I couldn’t control myself. I stocked up. Today these babies arrived. Oh, it was a good day!

The pickled veggies couldn’t contain themselves inside. They wanted to come out and play in the yard (after all, our crazy rains stopped). Wheeeee

So much goodness - smoked pickled okra, pickled green beans, sweet pickles, spicy pickles, wasabi green beans, even pickled beets.

Wowza

The water can piggie wants a taste too.

Are you a pickle lover? What would you do with this loot?

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the real topic at hand….

Last week I found myself with lots of seasonal fruit and a desire to take it easy on the sweets. Obviously, sweet seasonal fruit can replace traditional dessert and trust me, I’ve been snacking on peaches like it’s my job for the past month or so. I can’t get enough. It’s always a sad day when I go to a farmers market and they’re out… for the year. Thankfully, we have a bit of time until then so this past week I decided to turn my favorite fruits into some savory dishes… inspired by a few bloggers’ posts and a few cookbooks.

Since we already got on the topic of peaches, let’s start with a dinner I made last week. Adam was out playing poker with his buddies and that meant that I could whip up whatever I felt like. Nothing was off limits! This was going to be fun….

So I decided to make peach gazbacho, after seeing Sues’ post about it. She was in love with this undeniably refreshing and slightly sweet soup. And it sure looked pretty.

My peaches came from the farmers market and were incredibly juicy and sweet. I tasted the soup while it was still in the blender and then started playing with the flavors. I didn’t really want dessert for dinner (at least not in soup form) so some acidity and spice were a must. I added some lemon juice, then a mango habanero sauce… still not spicy. Then a whole bunch of hot sauce. Much much better. Dinner was served.

The crunchy fresh pepper and creamy/fatty avocado were great garnishes. A Dr. Kracker flatbread was also a yummy “side.”

Overall – I didn’t love this. I think it still wasn’t balanced enough. I expected more. It sure was fun to play though.

Next up I got up the nerve to make some peanut butter eggs…. kinda. I’m not going to lie, I actually enjoyed this breakfast yet this combo still sounds a little gross to me. And then again, I kind of want to make it time and time again. It’s like I can’t get over my own preconceptions. Let’s see what you think about it…

I made these egg, peanut butter and blueberry tacos last Friday, “inspired” by Cara’s recipe. And by “inspired” I mean scared yet intrigued because Jen also swears by the PB&J omelets. It was time.

I fried 1 egg + 2 egg whites, slathered them with some natural pb and stuffed them in these crunchy blue corn tortillas with fresh blueberries.

It’s hard to describe how this tasted. I think the corn tortillas were a bit too forward. That was kind of what threw me off at first, but then the whole thing grew on me as I was eating and I was full for HOURS. Like nearly 5 hours and the only reason I finally ate was because I had a lunch date. This never happens. Go protein and fats is all I can say. How do you feel about this combo?

Now that I thoroughly scared you with my “offbeat” dishes, here is something finally a little more “normal.” Corn muffins. Except with blueberries. Yes, this really works!

I followed this recipe (from Baking with Agave Nectar cookbook) for quinoa corn blueberry muffins and absolutely loved the addition of blueberries to this typically savory muffin. Actually, these guys are still quite savory with just a touch of natural sweetness from the blueberries and mild agave nectar, but they did work wonderfully with sweet spreads like almonds butter and preserves. I’ve been enjoying two at time for breakfast with a giant mug of coffee. Breakfast of champions!

One more comment on this particular recipe – I could taste baking soda in these muffins. I think I’m very sensitive to this as Adam couldn’t detect this. I’m in love with the blueberry/corn muffin combo but will either scale back on the baking soda slightly next time I make these or may even try a different recipe.

PS – I bought a new popover pan to make muffins. I like how they look like little bricks (popover muffin on left, regular muffin pan on right). Such cuties.

Have you ever used fruit in savory applications? Any success, or was it a bust?

I went to see a personal trainer (got a great deal through BuyWithMe) at BodyScapes. It was my first time at that establishment so of course I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork. After filling out my name, address, etc we got to the “goals” section. You know which box was one of the first ones to check, don’t you? Why are you here? Among others, the options included the following: to lose weight, gain strength, overall health, work on flexibility… and I said nothing about weight loss. Nothing. I always check the weight loss box. What motivates you to continue working on your goals? My answer: I enjoy working out and it helps me maintain my health. What prevents you from reaching your goals? Nothing! This is how it went down.

I DO want to lose weight but I’m not at the gym for that. Yes, it plays a role in achieving this outcome but watching my diet is truly what’s going to make or break it. Working out has truly become a part of my life. I have some rough days sometimes but overall, I need to work out – it keeps me sane, healthy, strong and happy. That is why I’m there.

By the way, my session was fun. Instead of talking to me about how I can lose a few pounds (the inevitable conversation if I checked that box), we talked about how to make me the most fit that I can be. I exuded confidence and rocked all the fitness tests. I hope he makes up a hard routine for our next session (it’s coming up on Thursday). And so results will follow. I’m sure of it.

Why do you work out?

PS – Thank you all for entering the Near East couscous giveaway. I used random.org and the winner is #54 – Lizzie. Congrats! Please email me your address to elina@healthyandsane.com

PPS – My lovely husband and technology guru finally added the subscribe by email option (check it out on the right hand side bar). I know many of you asked for it, so please let me know if there is a problem. Also, if there are any other things that you’d like me to improve on (from the technical standpoint or otherwise), please let me know! Thanks!!

Next up – a recipe post.

I’ve heard a lot about Sibling Rivalry – mostly good things although I’ve also heard it’s hit or miss there sometimes. Of course, I was excited to see for myself especially since lunch was on Stop & Shop’s tab

Stop & Shop had a few gorgeous plates of cheese, fruit and crackers for us to snack on while all the bloggers arrived. I was starving so I was all about the cheese (ok, let’s be honest, when am I not all about the cheese. )

The brie rounds were the coolest – so convenient for entertaining! (this product is coming to Stop & Shop soon)

Why hello, blog friends Lauren, Jen and Fiona

Meghan, Tina and I

We mingled for a bit and then were directed to the dining room for the special presentation by Chef David Kinkead who described the preparation of the meals we were about to enjoy and then showed us how we may use the leftover meat (if we were to make this at home) for lunch the next day. What a fun concept for an event!

The entrees:

Random chopped veggies you may have in your house to be used in lunch:

The chef was quite nervous giving the presentation but that made him even more approachable/relatable in my mind. He showed us how to cut up a whole roasted chicken and then used some of the meat in a delicious looking chicken salad (he used a touch of mayo to bring it together and utilized some of the veggies shown above; other variations he mentioned included grapes and nuts – a combo I know I love. I also love using greek yogurt to bulk up the mayo – definitely a figure friendlier option ). The steak “leftovers” were made into a steak and cheese panini – he added a nice piece of brie (melts nicely) and a slice of a beautiful heirloom tomato but of course the possibilities are endless with paninis. Paninis are definitely an easy “meal” to make.

While listening to the presentation, I couldn’t help but snap a few photos of the stunning flowers on my table. I just love the bright colors!!

… and I also enjoyed a salad of gala lettuce, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and roquefort.

It was lightly dressed and more delicious than the simple ingredient list makes it out to be. I could eat at least 5 times that amount though.

For my entree, since I didn’t know the origin of the meat offered, I chose the vegetarian option which the chefs whipped up for the few of us who asked for it. What we got was an artichoke, steamed spinach, mini carrots, grape tomato and avocado over sweet potato puree

The presentation was so lovely – delicate and elegant.

The sweet potato purree was to-die-for. Lots of butter was involved in the making of this gem. I didn’t complain about that. The only thing I was a little disappointed about was that there was no “protein” in this dish. As delicious as the vegetables were, I was still very hungry after finishing this (as you can see, we got about 2 mini carrots, 2 mini avocado slices, 1/2 grape tomato… you get the point). Vegetarians need more than a few pieces of veggies to call it lunch. Just saying.

Luckily, there was one more course – dessert. Fresh fruit, lemon curd and chocolate mini tartlets. How adorable are these little babies?

I had these 2 guys and then went back for another chocolate one (and they tried really hard not to continue eating). Fantastic!!

As we were nibbling on our mini tarts, Andrea told us a little bit about the new products they recently started carrying at Stop & Shop.

It was really interesting to hear how large of an impact customer feedback has on products offered. For example, they recently started carrying smaller fruit and veggies because moms complained their kids could never finish giant fruit that Stop & Shop’s produce guys were so proudly displaying (see the 2 apples and cucumbers they have for comparison there?). Very interesting. Stop & Shop also took note of moms requests for healthier snacks for their kids so Stop & Shop continued to expand their Nature’s Promise line of products (all organic). I’m going to admit that I usually shop at TJ’s and WF for my organic produce and other convenience foods because I found that “regular” supermarkets charge more for such products. Andrea did a few price comparisons between traditional brands like Annie’s and similar products by Nature’s Promise and it looks like choosing the store brand may be more economical (I don’t know how that still compares against TJ’s and WF). Hopefully more demand will help create more supply and bring the prices down even further. I’m all for it!

We received a little goodie bag at the end of lunch (which included a $25 gift card to Stop & Shop) so I’m looking forward to stopping by there and doing a little more pricing research and of course finding new delicious products (I usually don’t shop at Stop & Shop so I’m sure they have cool products I’ve never had before). I’m excited! The food at Sibling Rivalry was pretty amazing as well and I can now say with certainty that would not hesitate to go back there. The chefs focus on cooking with seasonal ingredients and those are the kind of restaurants that are dear to my heart. Thank you again, Stop & Shop and Sibling Rivalry for hosting such an interesting (and delicious!) event!!

Question for you guys: where do you do most of your shopping? I buy most produce at farmers markets during the summer/fall months, our meat is from our meat CSA and then we usually go to TJ’s (cheaper) and then Whole Foods for the rest.

Bistro du Midi was one of them. It’s a relatively new modern French restaurant, replacing the old timer Excelsior (which had a much higher price point and closed when the economy tanked). The location is unbelievable, right across from the Public Gardens – boasting gorgeous views of Boston. We had six people for dinner so we were seated in a much more formal dining room upstairs, which had very traditional old French decor. It’s not completely my style (I love modern spaces) but it was tastefully done and certainly screamed “fancy.”

My dining companions:

(Kyle was trying to look a little weird )

Adam and I (sorry, I switched to a faster zoom lens later in the night – thus the crazy closeup)

We had a large table which was almost in a semi-private room (there was a sheer curtain separating it from the rest of the dining room) which was very cool. We were able to be goofy, take photos, etc. while still not feeling completely isolated from the rest of the place. But of course at the end of the day, it’s more about food and service, isn’t it? So how was it?

Well, let’s just say that right after meeting our waiter, I knew this was going to be a great dinner. He welcomed us to the restaurant and said he hoped he could make our meal a memorable experience. So often during restaurant week the waiters seem annoyed that they’re working these shifts (as meals are typically discounted, obviously impacting their tips) but at Bistro du Midi they treated their customers just like they would on any other night – with respect and professionalism (actually our waiter even cracked a few jokes at some point, feeding off our goofiness, so it wasn’t “stuffy professional”). We got 2 bottles of wine to share (I had a sip of the white, sorry I don’t remember what Adam ordered) and enjoyed the Perducci red for the rest of the night.

The bread basket was unbelievable!! We devoured it in minutes – fucaccia with fresh oregano and super buttery bread sticks (is that how you refer to those guys? They were crunchy). The olive oil seemed particularly nutty too. Amazing start!

A few people (like Adam) ordered off their a la carte menu; I went with the restaurant week selections. Every single item sounded amazing but I chose the vegetarian items since it was my meatless Monday.

Eggplant & tomato dip with grilled fougasse

Yes, flash I know. I temporarily gave up on trying to take decent photos without it. It was dark in there. Better news – the appetizer was delicious! The eggplant was marinaded – something I didn’t expect but enjoyed nonetheless. This tasted almost smokey. Slightly too oily for my taste but I still polished off about half of it. Kyle got the same appetizer and raved about how amazing it was (and apparently he doesn’t even really like eggplant). Well done, BDM!

More bread – sweet.

For my entree, I ordered the goat cheese gnocchi, haricots verts and pistou

The name implied that the gnocchi was made of goat cheese (or at least included goat cheese) but it appeared that the goat cheese was just sprinkled on top. Our waiter clarified this previously so I wasn’t surprised about this, although I do believe the description is still misleading.

With that said, this was a wonderful dish. The pesto (or pestou in French ) was very fresh and light. You can’t tell from these photos but it was a very vibrant green which means that there was a high proportion of basil in the recipe (and I believe it was nutless/cheeseless – just basil, EVOO and garlic). The gnocchi themselves were also delicious – not too sticky, as often happens.  This dish tasted like comfort food yet wasn’t too heavy. I definitely ate more than half, trying to be mindful of another course coming. I would order this again in a heartbeat!

Last course – you knew that was coming – palette of Gianduja with hazelnut ice cream

Giaduja is a chocolate containing hazelnut paste and the dessert highlighted it in a mousse cake of sorts. It was ridiculously light and fluffy and to be honest I wasn’t a fan at the first bite (although my girlfriends – who all ordered the same dessert – were gushing over this). The hazelnut ice cream, however, I was in love with. It was super creamy with lots of crunchy hazelnut chunks. I ate the entire scoop first and then went back to the cake. I don’t like wasting cake for no reason. Surprisingly (or maybe not) after a few bites, it “grew” on me. I think it’s a solid dessert, I just typically prefer my chocolate desserts to be more intense which this was not.

Last little thing – complements of the chef – pistachio marzipan.

I had a tiny bite and didn’t finish it. It was obviously fresh but it’s just not my cup of tea.

Overall, we had a blast. Everyone really enjoyed their meals and the service was great. Bistro du Midi always focuses on local ingredients so the menu changes with the seasons. I think it’s well priced for the location and the quality of food and I can’t wait to go back there already!

PS – for more restaurant reviews, check out my Restaurant Reviews page. Also, don’t forget to enter the Near East giveaway, if you haven’t already. Just a few days left to enter!!

Near East parmesan couscous was delicious on it’s own, but I decided to play around a bit with the second box I hand on hand (I received 2 boxes from the company). I went straight to the Near East website for inspiration where 5 different couscous dishes were featured, each inspired by different cuisine  – all part of NE’s Around the World in 5 minutes initiative (you can even enter their sweepstakes and win a Mediterranean trip for 2!). We just got some lamb from our meat CSA and I decided to give Chef Peter Bowen’s recipe of peppered lamb chops with roasted red pepper & feta couscous a go. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Dinner came together super fast (I love fast yet balanced weeknight meals!)

I am actually still not sure about lamb but I’m trying to like it since Adam LOVES it and well, we now get it through the meat CSA. My first few bites were ok but then I got that gamy flavor and gave Adam the rest. The couscous, however, I could eat a whole package of. Man, it was good! I used Parmesan couscous (not garlic and EVOO as per recipe) and subbed grape tomatoes for roasted red peppers, since that’s what I had on hand. The result was creamy and cheesy couscous with sharp feta bites and a fresh pop from the grape tomatoes. A-mazing!

I was a good girl, though. I ate a reasonable amount and put the rest away. I had “plans” for the leftovers. The plans looked something like this:

Basically I took the leftovers, mixed them with 1 egg, and then with a spoon placed little blobs of it (flattening a bit with a spoon) on a preheated skillet (1t EVOO, on medium high). I was delighted when I successfully was able to flip the couscous cakes with a spatula and noticed a beautiful crust forming. Yay for improvisation!

The 2 couscous cakes (I made 4) were served with some random Russian bites from dinner we had at my parents’ yesterday (my mom always sends us off with plenty of food).

‘Twas a good lunch.

Good news for you guys. Near East will send one lucky Healthy and Sane reader FIVE boxes of couscous (one of each flavor featured in Chef Bowen’s recipes). Pretty awesome, right? Here are the giveaway rules:

1) Leave a comment on this post – tell me something fun – are you a couscous lover, lamb lover – maybe your favorite recipes with these? (Seriously, I am still on the fence about lamb – I need a recipe that will “convert” me Anything goes, though. Just don’t leave a comment like “comment” – yeah, I’ve seen that too. Not gonna fly.

2) If you have a blog, let others know about the giveaway and link back to this post.  If you don’t have a blog, tell someone about this giveaway and let me know that you’ve done so (after they enter the giveaway by commenting). You can also tweet about this giveaway (my twitter name must be included to qualify – that’s @healthyandsane fyi ) *Either one earns you a bonus point*

3) If you have a blog, add Healthy and Sane to your blogroll or follow me on Twitter (if I’m already on your blogroll, let me know – it counts!).  If you don’t, shoot me an email and give me some feedback on my blog. *This also earns you a bonus point*

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. I will randomly choose a winner using random.org and announce the winner next Monday, August 23. Good luck!

For this post, I decided to group all of my recent favorite meatless meals. Really, that’s the majority of my cooking these days. We signed up for a meat CSA and get 5lbs of meat per month, and I’m trying to limit any additional meat purchasing. So far so good. I’m sure my vegetarian readers will appreciate the links to some of the recipes I’ll share below (you really should try them!!) but to my omnivore friends (or those with hardcore omnivore significant others), I want to tell you that these were all Adam approved. These meals were not only meatless but also incredibly satisfying. A winning combo in my book. Without further adieu, let’s get to it!

ELOTE + TOMATO BASIL TOPPED GRILLED AVOCADO

I have been seriously obsessed with fresh corn lately and could be happy eating it every day of the week this summer (prepared different ways of course… variety is the spice of life ). With that said, this first recipe was inspired by our brunch at Toro a few weeks back. Adam LOVED their maiz asado (claiming this was the best corn on the cob of his life!) so when I saw Chels post a recipe for elote (which looked very similar to it) I couldn’t take it off my mind until I finally recreated it. Feast your eyes on this beauty:

I used nonfat greek yogurt instead of sour cream and scaled down a bit on the mayo so as you can see my corn is not completely covered in the cheese mixture. I enjoyed the creaminess of the mayo/yogurt, the mild bite of the cotija cheese (if you’ve never had it, it tastes similar to ricotta salada if you’re familiar with that… or a much milder feta) and of course the sweetness of the corn. Oh corn. <3 Adam said it wasn’t quite as good as Toro’s (I’m sure copious amounts of butter were involved there) but satisfied his craving for it nonetheless. I’ll take it!

Since corn (even cheesy corn) does not make dinner, we also grilled some avocado on the side. For that, just brush the halves with a bit of EVOO and brown them on the grill. Easy!

To cut the creaminess, I topped these with some leftover tomato/basil bruschetta topping, which was a fabulous move. The tomatoes added so much freshness to this dish! Let’s get closer…

Mmm. Great dinner!

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TOFU WRAPS

I subscribe to Cooking Light and love browsing through the magazines I receive in the mail on a monthly basis. I always mark the recipes that sound good… and then promptly forget about most of them. What a shame! Last July (that’s July 2009!) I was feeling particularly organized and input all the names of the marked recipes into a spreadsheet with their respective page numbers. For some reason the past few weeks I’ve decided to finally take a stab at going through that list. It’s been a great move because otherwise I’d never taste the amazingness (is that a word?) of the phyllo pizza with tomatoes, feta and basil or the next 2 dishes. Let’s start with this recipe for grilled eggplant pita sandwiches with yogurt-garlic spread. I decided to convert it into a wrap, replace the onions with tomatoes and added some zaatar rubbed pan fried tofu for some staying power (and deliciousness!). Here are the wrap insides:

Quick side note – I still get quite a few questions about pressing tofu so I took some photos for you. Here is what the process looks like…

Slice the tofu block down the side so you get 2-3 thinner blocks. Lay them flat over some paper towels.

Top with another layer of paper towels and a protective layer (I use another cutting board).

Top with something heavy, like a cast iron grilling pan (a few heavy books or cans of beans works too).

Let it do its thing for at least 30 minutes. Your paper towels will be soaking wet by the end and the tofu should be a lot more dry (great for getting that nice crust on the outside!). As mentioned, I rubbed mine with some zaatar thereafter and pan fried it with maybe 1t of EVOO. Enjoy in your favorite sandwich. This wrap was pretty awesome (the garlic yogurt spread was fantastic – cool, creamy, very flavorful).

SPINACH, RICOTTA, TOMATO PIZZA

This was another gem from the same July 2009 issue (recipe here).  both Adam and I agreed it was out of this world. I’ve been a fan of ricotta in my pizza for a while but this was the recipe that finally made Adam a convert too. I used TJ’s pizza dough (I always use 2/3 of it and freeze the rest), 4oz of organic skim mozzarella but whole milk ricotta instead of part-skim – the two cheeses worked so beautifully together. The mozzarella melted into the crust while the ricotta added that creamy feel. I prebaked the crust before adding the toppings for a few minutes, then baked the pie with the cheeses for another 8 minutes or so and finally topped the pizza with the tomatoes and let them bake into the cheese for a few more minutes. The result:

That’s a meatless meal my husband will never complain about! (He said to give this recipe an “unlimited number of smiley faces” lol)

I had some lightly dressed greens with pine nuts on the side for some brightness and bulk.

So much good stuff, I want to have all these again this week. What are your favorite meatless meals?