Lowren710's Profile
Dog-friendly between Springfield and Lee?
Hello -
My husband and I will be traveling with our dog tomorrow night to New York state. We are leaving Boston a little before 5, so I expect we will be looking for something to eat between Springfield and Lee or Lenox depending on traffic and how long we can hold out for. I am looking for a place that has a patio or outdoor dining that accepts dogs. I don't have any particular cuisine or price range in mind, just something within 20 min of the Mass Pike that is worth getting off the Mass Pike for.
Thanks!
What to do with pizza dough - besides the obvious?
I have some whole wheat pizza dough in the fridge that I wanted to use tonight. My husband just told me that his company is shouting for pizza for lunch. So, besides pizza and calzones, are there other things that you make with pizza dough? To be fair, he would still eat pizza for dinner, but I am interested in other options. Thanks!
bulk candy for an event
Amazon - I just bought 25 lbs of Haribo gummy candy for $80. Also, even though I qualified for free shipping, I opted to pay for faster shipping. It was only 99 cents.
Ice Cream Cake Near Portsmouth, NH
Hello -
My fiance and I are getting married near Portsmouth in about a month. My fiance has decided that not only would he like a groom's cake, he would like it to be an ice cream cake. I know there are probably lots of local ice cream shops in the area, so I am looking for a good recommendation. We will have about 70 guests, but I can't imagine that they will all want ice cream AND wedding cake. Also, smaller cakes are fine as we probably won't even display it before it is served. Thanks!
Durham, NH Area for Rehearsal Dinner
Ryley -
We decided to keep the rehearsal dinner fun and casual. We are having it at the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth. Our guests will tour the brewery and then we are having a BBQ on their patio. My FI loves a BBQ and it will be nice and low-key. Have you decided on a location for the rehearsal dinner?
Restaurant Week... No More
I had a mildly disappointing experience at Lumiere on Tuesday night. There were four of us, and without knowing it, we were all excited to try the pork shoulder that was on the RW website. When we got to Lumiere, no pork shoulder. It had been replaced with meatloaf. BF got the meatloaf and it was good, but meatloaf and mashed potatoes just didn't speak to me. I ended up paying $7 extra to order the hanger steak with frites. The frites were good, but the steak was just ok. I had the corn chowder to start which was very good. Again, I had been looking forward to the ice cream sundae advertised on the RW menu and it had been replaced with mousse. The service was good, but out waiter just didn't seem to like us. Altogether, was $200 for 4 RW meals, two $7 steak add-ons, and two beers - including tax and tip. I could think of lots better chow to spend $200 bucks on!
il Casale in Belmont Center - why no buzz?
I ate there for the second time on Friday night. This time my DC and I brought his family, so there were 6 of us. Four of us got the $45 tasting menu and two ordered entrees. One of the ordered entrees was the naked ravioli, which were excellent. As for the tasting menu - I think in total, I tasted 22 different items - which is a lot for the money. Everything was delicious. I was glad that we got to try some of the meats because on my own, I don't know that I would ever leave the pasta camp. The sirloin was delicious. The roast chicken was so tender. For dessert we tried the panna cotta, the tiramisu, and the fratelle. The fratelle were by far my favorite of the desserts.
il Casale in Belmont Center - why no buzz?
My DC and I went there last Friday night for my birthday. Everything was excellent. For starters we had the pork meatballs, the arrincini, and the burrata. The pork meatballs were great - there was a little cheese inside them and they were in a very interesting sauce. The arranicini were also delicious, tho they tasted very strongly of mushrooms, which are not my favorite. I overlook that for fried cheese and rice. However, the burrata, which I had never had before was the clear winner. It came with candied pistachios and a little olive oil. It dissolved on my tongue as soon as I put it in my mouth. It was outstanding!
For drinks, DC had a beer and I had a margarita. I know it is a weird choice for an Italian restaurant, but it was on the cocktail menu and it was so light and refreshing. It was probably the best margarita I have had and I was glad I ordered it.
We had the salad with grappa raisins and it was quite good. Next time I would get the salad with burrata, simply so I could have more of it!
For entrees, I had the squash ravioli, and my DC had the carbonara. The raviolis were super thin and super fresh. The filling was light and sweet and the half size was just right amount. I think it was six large raviolis. The carbonara was also good, but I only had a small bite of it.
For dessert we had the panna cotta, which was excellent. It was light and not too sweet and came with strawberries that may have had some balsamic on them.
The service was outstanding - our server could not have been nicer or more helpful. We had crumb service and new flatware with each course, which always scores high marks with my DC, esp considering that Is Casale is not crazy expensive. For all of the food and 4 drinks, the bill was still under $80, which I consider a good deal.
I really enjoyed it and I cannot wait to go back!
How is Emiliano'z mexican grill in medford?
We went there for dinner on Friday night. Nothing too unusual, but really good and really fresh. I had the chicken tortilla soup, which had lots of good cilantro flavor. The refried black beans that came with the fajitas and tacos were tasty. Overall, it was a very good.
Durham, NH Area for Rehearsal Dinner
Thanks, Jack. We will all be staying at the Inn on Friday night, so where would you recommend in Portland?
Durham, NH Area for Rehearsal Dinner
We are getting married at the Three Chimneys Inn, which is why I said Durham area. Portsmouth is fine, where would you recommend?
Durham, NH Area for Rehearsal Dinner
Hello -
My fiance and I are getting married in Durham, NH on the first Saturday in October and I am looking for a place for the rehearsal dinner the Friday night before. I am not certain on the size of the group quite yet, but let's say 40-50. All price ranges will be considered, but the food is the most important. The groom's family own an upscale restaurant near Philadelphia, so the restaurant or hotel or wherever will need to be delicious! Thanks!!
ISO a Tagine
Thanks for all of your tips and suggestions! I went to the Syrian Grocery after work - called first to make sure they were open. The gentleman was extremely helpful and I bought a tagine, as well as preserved lemons, the spice mix, harissa and several other tasty items. That store is really interesting. I went to Formaggio next store and bought some chorizo. All in all, a very successful trip and I never would have known about it without your help.
ISO a Tagine
I wanted to buy the Tagine Gift Set from Sur La Table, but the speedy shipping was too expensive. I called the store at the Chestnut Hill Mall but they are out!
ISO a Tagine
Hello -
I would like to get my fiance a tagine for Christmas and wanted ideas on where to go to get one - the more traditional the better. I would like to be able to include maybe a recipe book and spices. I would order one online, but we are leaving on the 22nd and I don't want it sitting on our front porch for a week. Anywhere withing an hour of Boston is fine. Thanks!
That chicken joint south of Boston - help?
When my siblings and I were young, my grandmother used to take us to the restaurant that was all about chicken. It was a long car ride, I think on 495 from Canton. The place was very large, looked like a big country home and they sold candy in the front. The chicken was good (at least I think so 15 years later). I mostly ordered fried chicken. They always have these rolls - they were stuck together in a slab of four, like hamburger rolls and they were toasted and VERY buttered. They were soft and delicious and I think we mostly went to stuff ourselves with those. Maybe it was in Middleboro? My sister and I were talking about it today and I have no idea what it was called or even if it still exists. Help!
Food you buy online [Moved from Home Cooking board]
Thanks - that website is so reasonable and the spices look so interesting. I just placed an order.
Food you buy online [Moved from Home Cooking board]
I am curious about what kinds of foods people buy online - I recently saw an posting about buying tamales in Texas and having them shipped anywhere in the country. What is worth the effort, S&H, and the wait? I am not talking about websites where you order dinner from a local place and it is delivered - I mean things you can't live without and can't find locally. I am also curious about buying spices online. Any good online spice retailers? Thanks.
Anyone been to Azure?
I went for RW a year or so ago and found it so-so. I don't recall a lot of the specifics, but that the menu at the restaurant was different than the posted menu online. The food was hit or miss but some things were really good. It had a much hipper vibe than I usually enjoy, so I think that set me off as well. I don't mean to rag on a place that I don't recall very well, I would say B, maybe B+.
Rec for business dinner for 10
Hi - I am looking for a recommendation for a business dinner for 10 people. It does not need to be a private room, but someplace where they can all sit together and it is kind of quiet. The location is Copley/Financial District/Faneuil Hall - price is not really a consideration, only that we do not want to be perceived as showing off - so probably not someplace like Meritage. We had a reservation at Union Oyster House but the group got too big. Thanks.
Asian supermarket H Mart coming to Burlington
Kiyah - H Mart is awesome! I have been to the one in Cherry Hill. It is like - Super 88 meets the cleanest, most well stocked, but cheap supermarket ever. They have awesome sushi and a fresh bakery. They give out samples like Trader Joe's and they have everything. Well, they had everything I was looking for. It was great!
Mac & Cheese Disaster!
Thanks, I shredded the cheese myself, but you are right, I definitely tried to solve the problem by jacking up the heat.
Mac & Cheese Disaster!
Ok, so I am something of a mac & cheese fiend and am always up for making this at home. Fortunately, my BF is more health conscious than I am so we are trying to find a recipe that is more low-fat than your typical recipe. We made the recipe from Cooks Illustrated a few months ago and it was delicious. It was NOT low-fat. The new issue of Cooking Light has a recipe that has ham and peas in it and we thought we would try it out. It called for skim milk and reduced fat cheddar and swiss. When I brought the milk mixture to a simmer, I added all the cheese, as instructed. The cheese never melted! It turned into this nasty curd-y mess. Any idea what went wrong? I trying to up the heat, I tried to beat the cheese mixture with beaters, I tried adding flour to thicken it and nothing worked. We were left with this hot milk with nasty cheese bits in it. We bailed and added tomato sauce to the already cooked elbows, pancetta and peas. Was is simply a matter of low-fat means no melting? Any recommendations on how to do it right? Anyone want to share a "low-fat" recipe for mac & cheese? Thanks!
Best Bagels and lox - Somerville and Cambridge?
I am co-hosting a baby shower brunch this Sunday and have been tasked with picking up bagels and lox. The shower is right in Union Square so I am looking for a place in either Cambridge or Somerville. Does Sherman's have bagels? Whenever I go, I focus solely on the scones. Thanks.
Restaurant for little brother?
That's a great suggestion! In fact, that's where we went for his birthday a few weeks ago. The meal was great, but I can't suggest it again so soon.
Restaurant for little brother?
My younger brother is taking his girlfriend out for a belated Valentine's Day dinner this weekend and asked me for a recommendation. They are both 21 and live around Porter Square. Here are the constraints: T-friendly, more fun than fancy, entrees around $20 max (they are both poor college students), and they are not particularly adventurous when it comes to food. I would normally recommend Addis Red Sea as a fun and inexpensive place, but I don't think they would like it. . .so something more American. Maybe Cambridge One? Thanks!
Question about Rosemary's
Hello - My BF and I are going to Las Vegas this weekend - this will be the first time for both of us. After reading reviews on this Board, I made a reservation for us at Rosemary's for Saturday night. I have been looking at maps and it seems quite far from the Strip (I live in Boston and 8 miles in a cab is an eternity and a small fortune!). I was wondering if people would recommend taking a cab and what that would cost vs. driving. Is there valet or a parking lot? We will have a rental car on Monday and maybe that would be easier? BF and I have no problem paying for good food, but expensive cab rides drive him crazy! Thanks for any advice or tips you might have. Maybe the answer is to just suck it up and realize that everything in Las Vegas is outrageously expensive.
Gift Certificate Deals
Hi - I was wondering if anyone knows of any Boston/Camb/Somerville restaurants that offer gift certificate deals. For example, last year we gave my dad a gift certificate to Maggiano's and for every $25 you spend they kick in another $5, so it was really $120. We would like to get him another restaurant gift certificate for Christmas because he took the whole family last year (obviously we spent more than the $125) but we had a really good time. Any ideas?
