BostonZest

Real Name:

Penny

Location:

Boston- Back Bay

Blog:

http:// www.bostonzest.com

Best meal I ever ate:

At Fore Street in Portland ME. While I don't remember all the exact preparations I do recall oven roasted mussels with garlic and almonds, grilled halibut and a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

My current drink of choice:

Wine -- Occasionally, a fine whiskey on the rocks. Not a cocktail fan. Cocktails never influence a choice of restaurants but the wine list does weigh heavily.

I really wish I could:

have a remote control for the music in restaurants. There are so many places with good food and bad music. It does limit my choices because I will not put up with music that ruins my dining experience.

My "Go-to" dinner party dish:

Lemon or mushroom risotto depending on the season. Stirring it gives that friend who wants to join you in the kitchen a way to help.

My favorite comfort food:

Potatoes-- mashed, baked, roasted-- must be the Irish in me.

My top 5 favorite restaurants:

REGULAR DINING: Craigie on Main, Rendezvous Central Square, Neptune Oyster Bar, Sel De La Terre, Trattoria Toscana--SPECIAL SPLURGE: LEspalier -- ETHNIC: India Samraat, Island Hopper, Mary Chungs, Lala Rokh--WORTH THE TRIP: Al Forno in Providence; Devon's and Ross' Grill in Provincetown; Fore Street in Portland; Tinto in Philadelphia; Toppers on Nantucket--OLD NEW ENGLAND: Jakes in Hull, Evelyn's in Tiverton, Bob's in Kittery ME

My most tattered cookbooks:

Most of Patricia Wells'