Chicken Stew

Giada De Laurentiis' Chicken Stew is one my absolute favorite comfort foods. It's simple, but delicious, filling, and warm. It's perfect for a winter night...except that it happened to be a day of record heat here in New England. Who cares?


I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying my new dutch oven. This stew was another example of a dish that was both easier and better tasting when cooked in the correct pot. With this stew, the chicken is cooked on the bone submerged in the stew's broth of diced tomatoes, aromatics, and chicken stock. The chicken breasts cooked much more evenly and quickly than when I'd been preparing the stew in a stock pot. I make only a few adjustments to the recipe - I add a can of chickpeas and use oregano instead of dried thyme. I find the dried thyme too overbearing.

The best way to eat chicken stew is with a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a big hunk of warm, crusty bread. Eat one bowl of this dish and I promise you won't be hungry for quite a while. It also freezes well for an easy future dinner.

Thanksgiving and More

First, Thanksgiving. It was amazing. Perfectly roasted turkey, my grandma's stuffing, Brussels sprouts with bacon and figs, sweet corn pudding, glazed onions, and homemade gravy. Plus berry crisp and pumpkin pie for dessert. Not to mention wonderful company. There were too many pictures to post here, so this is a link to my photo album on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39930838@N06/sets/72157622791866185/

I made sure to take home some leftovers too. I must have at least one turkey sandwich after Thanksgiving. I made some turkey salad on Sunday before football, which I had in a sandwich on wheat toast. I used some diced extra celery from the stuffing and some red onion, then just mayo and a dash of mustard.

For dinner last night, I made another smaller batch of the dish I'd made Thursday - Brussels with bacon and figs. I overbought on sprouts and hadn't needed the entire packages of either bacon or the dried figs. It is utterly delicious and very rich. Bacon, figs, balsamic? Yes, please! I also had one large piece of turkey breast left over, so I decided to make a turkey and bacon melt! I melted swiss cheese over the turkey on a soft roll, then topped it with a couple pieces of bacon. How bad can that be?

Pork Chops and Rice Done Right

I made a great impromptu dinner tonight - grilled mustard pork chops and brown rice with peas and onions. I hadn't made pork chops in ages, but I picked some up on a huge grocery shopping trip last weekend. In anticipation of Thanksgiving and the coming cold month, I grabbed the car my sister and I share in order to do a massive grocery order. I made a list of ingredients for several recipes that could be easily made midweek, and tried to buy a few simple dinner staples like a pack of 4 boneless pork chops and 2 for $5 boxes of brown rice.

I ate out all weekend so I was craving something healthy, light, and homemade. The pork chops were my first idea because of how quickly I knew they would cook. I know mustard goes well with pork, so I decided to whip up a marinade with Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and some thyme that I had left over from my apricot balsamic chicken. I mixed it up in my mini food processor in no time. I covered the pork chops in the rub and let them sit for about 10 minutes. I then grilled them for just a few minutes.

On the side, I decided to whip up some brown rice. That sounded boring, though, so I checked out the fridge and freezer for things I could add to it. I saw half an onion so I chopped that up and sauteed it in some butter and olive oil. Then Ken helped me add the rice, getting it coated in the onion and butter, and water. Toward the end, I threw in some peas. The problem was, as always, I have a rice problem. I can never make it right. It's so simple but I mess it up. At first it was too hard and there wasn't enough liquid. So I added some, but really too much. We saved it by stirring it over high heat to absorb the water. It was a little mushier than anticipated, but it kind of turned into a risotto. It made the whole thing kind of creamy.


Everything was delicious. The meat in particular was fabulous - you could really taste the mustard, the garlic, and particularly the thyme. It was tender but a little crispy on the edge. It was so simple but so good. Even better, it was super-healthy with lean meat, barely any oil, whole grains, and a little bit of veggie. The cost wasn't bad either, in fact, it was downright cheap!

Second Time Around: Apricot Chicken

It is really fun sometimes to make something again. I like figuring out what I can do better on the second time around, and analyzing what I liked and didn't like about a recipe. The second time making a dish is where you perfect it. And luckily, I can go back now and see what I thought before! Tonight I decided to make Apricot Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar. This dish was one of the first recipes I wrote about on The Dinner Blog! I really enjoyed it, but one thing in particular that struck me was that it needed to be cooked in a bigger pot, more appropriate for browning meat and braising. Now I have my dutch oven.


As I expected, the chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of tenderloins, its cheaper and more flavorful) browned much more evenly than it had before. Wider shallow shape allowed for all of the chicken to be braised completely covered in sauce, and that in turn, thickened the sauce more as well. I also used about a 1/4 cup more of balsamic vinegar, remembering that I'd felt the sauce could have been more tart last time. It all worked beautifully and the dish produced this evening was much deeper in flavor. The sauce was so rich and the chicken was tender. I served it again over multigrain pilaf that I get at TJ's, but this would also be good over any sort of rice, couscous, or pasta. My only wish is that I'd had some crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce. Next time...

Eating My Way Through Washington

This weekend I ventured to Washington D.C. to visit my good friend Lauren, a fellow foodie with whom I've been dining for many years now. Among our shared loves are Asian food and Jewish delis. I knew she would take me to some great places.

We started out at Bangkok Joe's in Georgetown. The space is very hip but comfortable, and people seemed to enjoy the bar area too. They're known for their dumpling bar, so we ordered chicken potstickers and pork and crab shu mai. The potstickers were really crispy and the filling actually had flavor, unlike a lot of dumplings you find these days. The pork and crab shu mai

In the morning we hit Luna Grill and Diner in DuPont Circle for brunch. It's a tiny place where you're elbow to elbow with your neighbor. They have a fairly standard menu of breakfast dishes. Lauren had a really yummy-looking bagel and egg sandwich, while I had a huge bowl of very crunch granola with vanilla yogurt and fruit, plus a side of very tasty sausage. It set us up well for a day of shopping!

For dinner, we went to Lauriol Plaza, an absolutely monstrous Mexican restaurant with 3 floors of seating. It was packed with people, and apparently averages a 1 hour wait on any given weekend. It's a fun place, and I could see why D.C.-ers enjoy it so much. Margaritas and sangria flow freely and the atmosphere is bustling. We were magically seated quickly, and ordered up a pitcher of white sangria that was so good. I ate entirely too many chips because I loved the really spicy and smokey salsa that they clearly make in-house. I ordered the enchiladas de mariscos - huge scallops and shrimp and a little cheese stuffed in rolled tortillas with a seafood sauce and avocado. I'd never really thought about seafood in enchiladas but these were so good. The sauce was a thickened seafood stock and very rich. I love Mexican food but I always appreciate a slightly different take on a standard dish.

On my final morning, we had breakfast at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe, also in DuPont. It's a really neat little place - independent bookstore in the front, and cute cafe in the back. The have a great patio, which must be amazing in the summer. I was surprised at how upscale the menu was, featuring some interesting omelets and a cafe-cured salmon that I just had to try. It set me for a long day of traveling so I didn't have to look for food at the airport.

I had a wonderful time and I certainly ate well! Thanks to Lauren for showing me around town - I can't wait to come back! were a softer steamed dumpling with a thicker filling. I think they were my favorite. For entrees, Lauren and I shared Siamese pork noodles (really tender pork over the really skinny rice noodles) and a ginger beef rice bowl. The portions were huge and we enjoyed both dishes, though it was annoying when they charged us $2 to substitute a vegetable.

Perfect Night for a Chili Night

First of all, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you...my new dutch oven! She's a beauty, a 5.5 quart oval Racheal Ray dutch oven in bright orange. Now onto chili...

Yes, I know, I'm swooning over a pot.

Today is November 1st. It was also the first day of daylight savings time, and it was pitch dark in good, old northern Boston by 5:30pm. It felt like the absolutely perfect night to make this pumpkin turkey chili I've been thinking about for weeks now. Pumpkin, in chili, you ask? Yes! Pumpkin puree isn't as sweet as you think of - its not pumpkin pie filling, its real pureed pumpkin with nothing added. The pumpkin thickens the chili and adds a warmth and bit of sweetness to the smoky and spicy flavors of standard chili. In the post about this recipe on the blog Serious Eats, the writer suggested that a dash of cinnamon would be appropriate, so after I seasoned the chili per the initial recipe, I tasted it to see if the spice would add anything. I decided to try it and mixed in two good shakes of cinnamon. The cinnamon, as well as a slightly heavier hand of cayenne, added a deeper flavor at the end of the bite.

The chili is ready to eat

I served up heaping bowls with a good sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a hunk of multi-grain bread (Trader Joe's Peasant Bread). I have to have something to sop up my chili. It felt like fall and football. It eats like a great traditional bowl of chili, with a wonderful underlying flavor that only enhances the dish. We scarfed it up!

Just about to eat it up!

It couldn't have been less labor-intensive, taking me probably 45 minutes in total, from chopping to serving, and 20 of that is just waiting for it to simmer. Plus you only need one pot. It's incredibly healthy - the meat is turkey, the pumpkin has a wealth of vitamins and good stuff, and there's hardly a bit of fat in the entire thing. Finally, it is cheap and big! I spent only about $10 on ingredients and had all of the spices on hand already. Ken and I had huge portions tonight, and there's at least 3 more smaller servings left. I can't wait to try it again tomorrow for lunch with a big slice of bread. I'll bet the flavors will meld even more in the fridge over night!

A One Dish Meal

Tonight I tried out a very simple and easy recipe I bookmarked off The Kitchn a few weeks ago, Chicken and Artichokes in Wine Sauce. With a last stop at the market for a lemon, it was a perfect night for a hearty but not time-consuming meal. The ingredients can be mostly found in your freezer at any time and this whips up in no time. On a slightly high heat, the artichokes brown up in just a few minutes, and don't need much tending to, so you can get the chicken cut and dredged in flour by the time they are done. Again, the chicken cooks up fast and the sauce thickens with just the bit of flour off the meat. All it is is wine and lemon (with a touch of butter I added myself).

A one-pan meal is the best.

The dish is a saute, but the artichokes really fill you up. I can imagine this would be really delicious over some orzo, as its origins are Italian. I recommend a heavy hand with pepper and definitely use a decent wine. There isn't much (or anything really) else in the sauce and you want to be sure to have good flavor. The lemon, added right at the end, provides a wonderful tart bite at the end.

The best part? It took barely 20 minutes to make. And, I can toss a bag of frozen artichokes in my freezer so I can make this almost any night. I'm also pretty sure I could use the same recipe with a different vegetable, and it would be equally good. What a great find!

Chicken and artichokes ready to eat.

Apple Crisp in Photos

Apple crisp is the perfect thing to make when you need to use up a lot of apples...and a lot of apples I have. This apple crisp off AllRecipes.com was excellent. It's not quite as gooey as some crisps can be, which I liked. It was heavy on what you really want in an apple crisp - the crisp part! The sugar-oats-flour-butter mixture gets layered on the bottom and top of the sliced apples. The only change I made was to add about a cup of water. This recipe uses virtually no liquid, just melted butter in the topping, and most of the way through cooking I thought it looked too dry. A little water was all it needed to melt together a bit. On a day where it actually snowed (yes, in October) it was the perfect end to a cold night.

Apple crisp, straight out of the oven.

Look at that crispy goodness.

It was so yummy! It didn't even need vanilla ice cream (though I would have loved to have it, there was just no way I was going out in the snow!).

It's Apple Week at The Dinner Blog

This weekend I took a wonderful apple picking trip to Red Apple Farm in northern Massachusetts. The foliage is beginning to peak and it was an amazingly beautiful trip. We piled into the car and enjoyed the drive out to the country. We arrived, parked, and made our way into the line for an open air barbeque that they do every weekend in the Fall. We had pulled pork sandwiches made with their own sauce and of course, a big cup of fresh made cider. It tasted like pure liquid apple and was so delicious!


After our hearty lunch, we got our apple picking bags and set off into the orchards. It was quite cold and very windy at first, but as the day passed, the sun appeared and warmed things up. The orchard was so beautiful and full of many kinds of apples.


I tend to like tarter apples, so I went mostly for the Macintoshes and Cortlands.


There were also red delicious - the kind of apples you give to your school teacher - and petite golden delicious, which aren't as popular but I like.


The foliage was out of this world. Some of the colors were so vivid. Mother nature at her best.


After picking more than enough apples, we headed over to the farmstand. Ken and I each bought a jug of apple cider. I got a big jar of apple butter, which I haven't eaten in years, and I can't wait to make apple butter and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch this week! And of course, I had to have some cider donuts. They were so delicious. There is something about cider that makes the donughts so moist and these were covered with cinamon and sugar. Just to die for. In the same veign, the first recipe I can't wait to make with my apples are these fabulous-looking apple cider muffins! They use cider in the batter and shredded apple in the muffins. They sound like a great breakfast.

I ended up with almost 40 apples! I am looking for ways to use them up, beyond obviously eating a lot of them plain or with a scoop of peanut butter! Sweet or savory? Ideas are welcome and I will certainly be posting up the results.


Orchard photos courtesy of Ken - thanks!

You Can Help - Teaching the Next Generations of Foodies

I wanted to post this great fundraising campaign called the Serious Eats Brown Bag Challenge. Via the website DonorsChoose.org, they are asking you to brown bag your lunch, and donate the money you save to one of these fabulous food and health education programs. You can decide which project to fund, and the money will be directly delivered to the school's hands to get what they need. Cooking teaches incredibly valuable skills and I think, helps to open the minds of young people to different things. Plus, it isn't hard to see how hard obescity hurts a child, so teaching healthy eating at a young age is imperative. We need a new generation of contestants for Top Chef!

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/10/serious-eats-donors-choose-brown-bag-challenge.html

A Spicy Weeknight Supper

I decided it was time to make another batch of chipotle pork burgers since they were so successful last time. I bought most of the ingredients almost a week ago, but for some reason, I couldn't find ground pork anywhere. Three different stores didn't have it in stock so I finally caved and decided to try the recipe out with ground turkey. Luckily, it worked beautifully. My burgers grilled up juicy and with a wonderful crust on the outside. Again, I couldn't get over how well the chipotle flavor meshes with the grilled meat.

Burgers cooking away

To go with the burgers, I found the perfect recipe by Mark Bittman in last Sunday's New York Times. It was one of those recipes that I didn't even have to read through to know I would like it. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chili Dressing would undoubtedly compliment the burgers fabulously. Once more, Mark Bittman did not let me down. I never would have thought to mix the ingredients that are in this salad - roasted sweet potatoes, bell pepper, black beans, cilantro, and a dressing made with jalapeno - but they tasted like they were made for each other. The dressing was particularly delicious and had a great heat. In fact, I still have a bit of burn in the back of my throat.

A colorful and healthy salad!

All in all, the meal was a huge success! Filling, but not too heavy, and still healthy. It was so good that Ken did all the dishes!

The complete meal

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese

I can't seem to adjust to my new football watching schedule after so many years of starting the day at 10am on the West Coast. So, football tends to make me crave breakfast food. Very often my friends and I used to get a dozen bagels and a box of coffee, or make breakfast egg sandwiches. Having a couple pieces of the really delicious bacon we'd used for BLTs earlier in the week left over, they seemed to be screaming to be put into an egg sandwich.

And egg sandwiches we made. Big toasted English muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon and muenster cheese. They really hit the spot!

Photo courtesy Ken's I-Phone

Later I snacked on these amazing black grapes. I thought they were so pretty they warranted a picture.

Mmmm Bacon

BLTs for dinner tonight. Good whole wheat bread, romaine lettuce, surprisingly ripe tomatoes, and thick-cut apple smoked bacon. Yum!

Review: Dorado Tacos & Cemitas

One of the things I miss the most about California is authentic Mexican food. While there are a fair amount of places in Boston to get a good burrito, there are few true taquerias in the area. Luckily, I've found one in Dorado Tacos & Cemitas. I'd heard only good things about the small restaurant that just opened in the JFK Crossing area of Brookline, so tonight seemed like a good night to take a walk and try it out.

Dorado doesn't have burritos on their menu, just a wide array of different tacos. The best deal is to get the taco plate, which includes any two tacos with a side of decent rice and very spicy black beans. I went with their housemade chorizo and the Ensenada - a more traditional take on the fish taco. The chorizo was well-spiced and sort of sweet, and best of all, not too oily. It came with pico de gallo and obviously fresh-made guacamole. The Ensenada was delicious as well, with a big piece of lightly fried fish, crispy cabbage, pico de gallo, and a very light crema. The fish was delicious and not oily either. The batter reminded me of a tempura. All of the flavors meshed so well, and nothing overtook the other. The whole meal was wonderful, inexpensive, and not heavy like some Mexican can be.

Chorizo taco with rice and beans
(Thanks to Ken and his trusty I-Phone for the photo!)

I'm excited to go back and try a few other taco combinations. I noticed someones shrimp tacos looking really good and Ken loved the swordfish taco as well. Dorado also makes cemitas - which are a type of Mexican sandwich. The ingredients sound similar to the tortas I ate constantly in Los Angeles and miss desperately, so I can't wait to give one a try. I highly recommend Dorado!

Dorado Tacos & Cemitas
401 Harvard St.
Brookline, MA
617-566-2100

Garlicky Shrimp

I bought some frozen shrimp at TJ's last week and it felt like I better get to using them. I decided to go with pasta and based on what I had in the pantry, whip up a sort of faux-scampi, which in my mind basically just meant use a lot of garlic. While the pasta cooked, I chopped up a massive clove of garlic, then placed it in a skillet with about a half cup of olive oil and some red chili flakes. I started it cold, then brought the heat up slowly, to infuse the oil with flavor.

Meanwhile, I defrosted the shrimp by just running some water over them for a few minutes. To my dismay, I'd accidentally bought unpeeled shrimp but it didn't take too long to peel them. When the pasta was almost done, and the garlic was beginning to brown, I added the shrimp and sauteed them until they were just cooked through. I had a random jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the pantry (bought with a recipe in mind that I'm yet to get to and didn't have the ingredients for), so I mixed in a good helping of those. When the pasta was al dente, I tossed it directly into the skillet, adding a small pat of butter and some salt and pepper. A little parm finished it off.

The result was gloriously garlicky and very tasty. The frozen shrimp isn't anything special, but it is a nice change of pace to chicken or tofu. I have to admit I am getting pretty good at making up dishes on the fly. I used to make pasta often but I always felt like it would end up bland. I am really learning how to make my dishes have a lot of flavor and punch. Here's the recipe as I made it. Enjoy!


Garlicky Penne with Shrimp and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 2

1/2 pound penne pasta
8-10 medium shrimp, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 jar sliced sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top (optional)

Cook pasta is salted boiling water until al dente. Place olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes into a large cold skillet and turn heat on medium-low. Allow oil to lightly bubble and cook garlic until golden brown. Add butter and then shrimp, salt and pepper, sauteing until just cooked through. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes to heat through, then add drained pasta, and salt and pepper if needed. Toss together and add Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Monday Night is Right for Baking

I was really bored today (leave it to me to have a really busy weekend and get a holiday off and still be bored) so I was looking for a project. Baking seemed like a great project! It didn't take much to persuade Ken to join me in a baking adventure, and we settled on Blueberry Boy Bait from Smitten Kitchen. Smitten Kitchen is one of the most impressive home cooking blog out there, and her photography blows me away. I'd seen this recipe for a fluffy blueberry cake (Smitten Kitchen's Deb shares the story of the original name of the cake) and been instantly drawn to it. It reminded me of one big blueberry muffin! The cake was quite easy to prepare, and it sure doesn't hold back on the butter. I knew it would be good, though! I actually pulled a little of the butter out and added a slightly larger amount of milk. We also realized that I'd only purchased a 6 ounce container of blueberries instead of the 12 ounces that the recipe needed, so instead, we added some raspberries I had on hand. What could be bad about more berries? It smelled delicious and looked perfect!

Oh delicious blueberry cake!

This cake is SO GOOD. I can't say one bad thing about it. It is so moist and fluffy that we actually weren't sure if it had cooked all of the way through while cutting into it, even though we'd tested it before taking it out of the oven. The cinnamon and sugar topping caramelized and made a little bit of a crispy top, and the berries were sweet and tart. I could have eaten the whole pan in one sitting. It would be good with almost any light fruit - thinly sliced apples, peaches, or strawberries - just nothing too heavy or chunky because it would fall straight through the cake. I cannot wait to make this again. I'll be eating it for breakfast all week!

Review: Gaslight Brasserie du Coin, South End

I visited Gaslight Brasserie this weekend with a group of friends to celebrate two of my dearest friends' birthdays. The French bistro-style food was quite delicious, though I would have appreciated a bit better service and accessibility. Gaslight is in the South End, but all of the way down almost to Boston Medical Center. It isn't very close to any T station, which doesn't make it very easy to reach.

I loved the styling and atmosphere of the restaurant. There is a large bar and then a separate dining room, where we sat at a long dark wood table. It is quite dark inside, but I think it set the mood. I can imagine it would be a good place to go for a romantic date. I was happy to find that their wine list was reasonably priced, but it sure took a while to get it. We did have a couple members of our party arrive slightly late, but our waitress took very long time to take our drink orders, and oddly, didn't take them all at the same time. For the entire time we were there, she seems very disengaged and uninterested. It did look like they were possibly understaffed, but the waitress seemed to avoid us at times. My vegetarian friend asked her very early on about what the chef could make for her, and the waitress didn't really answer her. From reading a few other reviews on Yelp, it seems as though the service has been a constant issue. But, we were having fun on our own, and luckily weren't in a hurry, so we could mostly ignore the bothersome service.

The food, on the other hand, was wonderfully French. We started with cheese plates for the table, and I am such a sucker for bread and cheese. The plates featured a brie, a goat cheese, and an incredibly creamy blue cheese, with both an apricot and fig spread. They gave us 3 warm, fresh baguettes wrapped in paper, just like you would get on the street in France. There is little better than fresh crusty bread with goat cheese and fig.

Almost everyone at our table ordered steak frites - either the traditional with Bearnaise sauce, or what I chose - the bar steak. The bar steak was a strip steak covered with caramelized shallots and a mustard cream sauce, served with delicious skinny french fries. The sauce was incredible and not too rich or thick with cream. I haven't always been a big steak eater but I am happy to be introducing it back into my life more. Turns out you just need to eat properly cooked and seasoned meat. Everyone was pleased with their meals, it seemed, even the vegetarian, who made an easy meal of side dishes, including some really delicious roasted parsnips that I tasted.

We were pretty full for dessert but they did bring us a couple dishes with candles so we could wish our friends a happy birthday. The chocolate lava cake was just fine for me, but the cherry clafoutis was much richer. I would go back to Gaslight again, but probably not with a big group. I would much prefer dinner at the wine bar.

Gaslight Brasserie du Coin
560 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02228

Orange Braised Chicken

After a weekend full of guests and many meals out, when Sunday night rolled around (all too quickly, might I add) I was in the mood to cook. It had to be very easy, though, I was too tired for anything more. I took a look through my Bookmarked Recipe folder to find a dish that fit the bill, and to knock something off of my never ending list of recipes to attempt. Orange Braised Chicken Thighs with Green Olives sounded perfect. The ingredients would be easy to find and inexpensive, and it didn't require much effort.

Though the recipe calls for skin-on thighs, I went with the boneless, skinless variety because I find they still brown well and you save some calories. I browned up the chicken, then the onions and garlic, and left it to braise in the orange and lemon juices. The only change I made was to add in a smidgen of cayenne pepper because I like spice. The recipe recommended serving the dish over yellow rice, so I bought a box of Goya. I didn't have to use too many tools or dishes and after the initial set-up, I only had to sit and wait for it to be done.

The result was a wonderful comfort food-type meal. The rice cooked up perfectly and the chicken had a ton of citrus flavor. The sauce was a little thin but really tasty and the green olives provided a salty bite through the sweet citrus. Ken had the brilliant idea to throw a little hot sauce over the rice, and it was a perfect finish. I might also increase the amount of spices used next time - I think the sauce could have benefited from a bit of smokiness and some heat. Overall, the dish was hearty but not heavy, and was exactly the type of meal I wanted to eat on a tired Sunday.

Burmese Food - Who Knew?

A few fellow foodie friends and I (say that five times fast) recently started up a dinner club and last Saturday was our first outing. The idea is for the group of us to go out to eat once a month at an interesting restaurant. We want to experiment and try new types of cuisine. With that in mind, I suggested YoMa, a Burmese restaurant in the Allston area of Boston, for our inaugural meal. I found YoMa via one of my favorite websites, Yelp, and was sold by the endless list of fabulous reviews.

What I experienced at YoMa was no less than one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The restaurant is tucked away in a neighborhood off the T lines, and you would never guess the quality of food inside this little place. Burmese food is sort of a mix of the cuisines that surround it - Chinese, Indian, and Thai/Southeast Asian. There is lemongrass, chili, curry, and coconut. The menu at YoMa is huge and it was pretty difficult to choose a dish because everything sounded so darn good! It was a mix of curry and stir fry style dishes, noodles, and salads.

I decided fairly quickly on the Pumpkin Shrimp (here's a photo via the restaurant's website) and was quite impressed by it. The pumpkin was utilized in a savory was like a true squash - stewed in big chunks. It had a potato-like texture but more of a squash taste. The shrimp were large and very well cooked. The pumpkin and shrimp were cooked in a light sauce of crushed tomato, ginger, lemongrass, and cilantro. The dish came with a large plate of coconut rice (jasmine rice is standard but upon recommendation, I ordered the coconut rice for $2 extra and it was well worth it). The rice was sweet but not too sweet, and light coconut flavor melded well with the tomato and pumpkin. One of the particularly Burmese parts of the meal is that every dish comes with a small bowl of toasted spices - garlic, chili flakes, dried shrimp, and probably a whole bunch of other things that I can't identify. The topping adds a an extra crunchy layer of flavor and heat.

Our meal was just wonderful and everyone loved their dishes. I tried a bite of Ken's beef and potato curry and was amazed by the size of the chunks of beef. The service was also good - our waters were constantly refilled and when we arrived, we noticed that one of the staff had drawn a little name card for our reserved table. Talk about a personal touch! I definitely plan to return to YoMa for the pure fact that there were so many menu items that looked delicious and I need to try more things! The food was simple, fresh, and well-prepared, and importantly - cheap!

YoMa
5 N Beacon St
(between Brighton Ave & Cambridge St)
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 783-1372

yomaburmeseboston.com

Farmer's Market Dinner

First of all, I wish everyone a happy football season, as the Patriots played their first preseason game tonight. It's an important day.

Thursday is also the Mission Hill Farmer's Market, or what is better known as two random farmers setting up stands in Brigham Circle. I always forget that it's there until I walk in that direction leaving my office and spot it. Today everything looked amazing. It really is peak season and their vegetables were bright and hearty. I spent a good 10 minutes pacing around trying to decide what, if anything, to buy, then noticed the barrels of "just dug" red potatoes. Truly fresh potatoes are incredibly delicious and much more tasty than store-bought ones. I was also drawn to the huge bunches of bright orange carrots, with big bushy Bugs Bunny-like tops. I bought a bunch of those as well. My total was $5.45 for the carrots and about a pound of red potatoes - what a great deal.

Bugs Bunny would be jealous!

My initial plan was to throw the potatoes and carrots together in the oven and roast them until crispy, but my mind ran with ideas on the bus ride home. I decided to do two recipes - plain roasted carrots, and Barefoot Contessa's French Potato Salad, since I also had dill and scallions leftover needing to be used. The potato salad I'll be doing on Sunday, and the carrots became part of my meal tonight. I peeled them, cut them on the diagonal, and tossed them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. They went into the oven for about 30 minutes on 400 degrees. With the carrots, I decided to cook up one of the extra ears of corn I bought for my couscous salad this week. I roasted it in the husks on the same tray as the carrots in the oven. It was a cool way to cook the corn but unfortunately, the corn itself turned out to be a dud.

The carrots, though, were incredibly tasty. There is such a deep flavor in freshly picked vegetables - it's like you've never really known what carrots taste like. They don't need much added - the little olive oil to brown them up and simple salt and pepper are enough by far. Last minute, I decided to make a mini cheese quesadilla to top it off. All in all a fine evening of weeknight cooking.

Summer Food

Last week, my office hosted a very nice luncheon to celebrate the end of a summer student program that we sponsor, and surprisingly, the food was delicious. Normally we are forced into using the in-house caterers at the hospital I work for, but since we had this lunch off-site, we could pick whoever we wanted. We used Rebecca, founder of the small Boston chain Rebecca's Cafe (though she no longer owns it), and she told us upon ordering that she would be choosing some of the menu based off what she found that week at the farmer's market. We had poached salmon with mustard sauce, green beans in a light vinaigrette, and this amazing rice salad. The salad was so delicious, very light and using fresh ingredients, including one of my ultimate favorite summer items - fresh corn. As I ate the leftovers that Rebecca very nicely packed up for us after the event, I tried to figure out what was in it. She'd also added radishes, cornichons, and a good heaping of dill. It was exactly what I like to eat.

Fast forward to Monday night, when I decided to use up the box of whole wheat couscous I'd had for a while as a bed for some stir fry in lieu of rice. I made what I thought was a 2 person serving, but actually it was a 4 person serving. I had quite a lot leftover. That's when I got the idea to make my own version of Rebecca's rice salad with the couscous instead - brilliant! Of course, it was just my inspiration, and I added my own twists. Fresh corn was a requirement though, and I cut the kernels off an entire ear for the salad. Then I added chopped scallions (also in Rebecca's), halved grape tomatoes, fresh dill, and some feta cheese. A little salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil was all the dressing it needed.

The result was actually somewhat similar to what I'd had last week but definitely my own. I always forget how much I like dill until I use it in something. The corn and tomatoes are at the peak of their seasons and were perfectly ripe. Today was hot and very muggy, and this light meal was the perfect end to a summer workday. I can't wait to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow! And, I topped off my night with a "healthy sundae" - Greek yogurt, strawberries, and Midnight Moo!

Sunday Treats, Then Healthy Eats

I took a weekend trip up to Gloucester, MA with some pals and had my first experience at Woodman's, a seafood legend in New England. I'd requested some good, old fashioned fresh fried seafood and this was truly the place to go. They are well-known for their fried clams and other goodies, not to mention the pick-your-own lobster set-up out front. I'm not actually big on clams so I decided to go with the fried sea scallops. I couldn't believe the size of my "fried plate!" Each plate comes with both fries and some of the best onion rings I've ever had (why have to choose, I ask you?) and what must have been 20 huge scallops. As hard as I tried, I couldn't come close to eating it all. But combined with that sea air and the beautiful blue sky, it was an amazing meal that was quintessentially New England.

When Sunday rolled around, I certainly wasn't craving anything heavy. I decided to try my Penne with Chicken, Lemon, and Feta recipe again to see if I could improve it. I made the same recipe but added shallots along with the garlic, and mixed in some shreds of basil at the end. As I expected, the new ingredients added that extra umph and it was yet again quite delicious. Tonight as well felt like a light food night, so I went incredibly simple. I bought one random zucchini at the grocery store, thinking I might put it in the pasta, but I'd decided against that so I needed to use it up. Squash is so summer and I had craved it. I just sauteed some sliced zucchini with garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper, then added some chopped basil. I ate it over some Multigrain Pilaf from Trader Joe's, which is made from soybeans and pearl millet, flavored with a slightly Indian flavor. I never knew what millet was until I looked it up tonight - it is basically an ancient grain used mostly in Africa and India, which explains why it goes so well with turmeric and similar spices. I also use it as a rice substitute under stir fry, and that will be the leftover's job tomorrow!

Tonight I hosted my parents at my apartment for our very first Boston dinner! It's been quite busy around here so I had to come up with a menu that I could make easily after work and didn't need a lot of prep work. It also needed to be light - no one wants to eat heavy when the air is heavy - and of course, take advantage of the fresh fruits and vegetables that have finally come into season in New England. I am eating as much of it as I possibly can!

The menu I settled on was Chili-Rubbed Steak Tacos with Tomato and Peach Salad. Yum! I used the spice rub from this Food Network recipe on a large steak I'd been storing since buying a double pack a few weeks ago (see Steak Night). I let the rub settle into the steak for about 30 minutes before grilling it. It took no time at all. The salad recipe came from Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Season, an article he wrote for the New York Times last week. If you haven't read this yet, read it now. If you have a picnic to go to or you just want to use up the items you bought at the Farmer's Market, you will surely be able to find something delicious in Bittman's list. Tomatoes and peaches are among my favorite summer fruits (yes, tomatoes are fruits) but I'd never thought of pairing them. With the cilantro, lime, and onion, this salad sounded like a perfect companion for tacos, and it really was.

I went family style and let everyone make their own tacos. I wish I'd taken some pictures but there was just too much going on. I put most of the taco fixings on one big platter - thinly sliced steak, red onions, cilantro, shredded cabbage, and lime wedges. These are all of the traditional Mexican toppings like I always ordered in the LA taquerias. I also had some salsa verde and hot sauce. You can't have tacos without hot sauce! I learned from my last experience in grilling steak and the meat was the level of doneness I desired - rare but not bloody. The salad was absolutely delicious, and luckily the peaches and tomatoes were very ripe. With a light Chilean white wine, it was a great summer night meal and my parents were quite happy.

Penne with Chicken, Lemon, and Feta

After I came home from the gym tonight, I was starving and wanted something hearty but not heavy. But, after a busy weekend I had not had a moment to go grocery shopping, and didn't have much to work with. In my fridge, I noted a single lemon and a hardly used chunk of light feta cheese. Feta and lemon is a quintessentially Mediterranean combination that is hard not to like. I was also craving meat, probably for protein after a good work out, and luckily Ken had just restocked our freezer with boneless skinless chicken breasts.

I made up this quick sauce of lemon and garlic, similar to a piccata, and it worked very well. The sauteed chicken added the heartiness I desired, and the juice of a whole lemon made the sauce just tart enough over penne pasta. I only wish I'd had some sort of herb available - a dusting of basil or parsley would be just the finish the dish needs. I used a bit of pasta water, which helped the sauce thicken up once the pasta was added. I also think this sauce would be just as tasty with Parmesan cheese instead of feta - whatever your personal tastes are.

Penne with Chicken, Lemon, and Feta
(serves 2)

1/2 lb. penne pasta
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Cook pasta in lots of boiling, salted water until al dente. Heat olive oil to medium and add garlic. Cook garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and saute until chicken is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. When chicken is just starting to brown, add juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water. Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 minutes. Add pasta, feta, basil, and toss with sauce, allowing pasta to sit in the pan with burner turned off for about 2 minutes. Serve warm in shallow bowls.

Review: La Morra, Brookline Village

I had a fabulous girls weekend this week and happily, it involved amazing food. I am lucky to have some good friends who share my love of food and are always excited to try new places. On the recommendation of my friend Jessica, we ate at La Morra, an Italian bistro in Brookline on Saturday night.

The atmosphere was much cozier than most restaurants can attain - it felt like eating in someone's home. It's candlelit and woody, and we sat in a really lovely table with a bench on one side. When we sat down, our hostess offered us a menu of chinchetti - small tapas-like dishes often served in bars in Italy. We ordered wine (a very crisp Pinot Grigio for me) and the fried risotto balls, which might have been my favorite dish of the night. Risotto is stuffed with cheese and a shredded beef that was smokey and tasted like it had cooked all day, then lightly fried. They were decadent and delicious. I also ate one too many pieces of fresh, warm bread just to have more of the fresh ricotta topped with olive oil, salt, and pepper that was in the middle of our table.

Everyone debated long and hard over what to order as an entree because so many items looked so good! I eventually landed on their lasagna at the recommendation of the waitress. It was a great decision. It was vegetarian - layers of homemade pasta, braised kale, fresh local mushrooms, and ricotta cheese. On top was a sprinkling of garlic breadcrumbs. The flavors were so deep - everything here seemed slow-cooked, which I just love. The mushrooms were incredibly fresh and not overcooked and mushy. I tried a bite of my friend Lauren's tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, and also loved it. You can't get better than homemade pasta and real large chunks of meat.

I didn't have room for dessert but two friends ordered a strawberry-rhubarb compote, saying it was delicious. The service was quite good, though they definitely believe in long, lingering meals at La Morra. Our waitress answered all of our questions and gave us good recommendations. She offered tastes of wines and also poured me a half glass when I couldn't decide if I wanted another one. We just had a wonderful time. It's a great places to take visitors and I would certainly return Village, and enjoyed it immensely.

La Morra
48 Boylston St.
Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 739-0007

www.lamorra.com

The Perfect Summer Dinner

Supposedly, it's summer. We're almost a month in, technically, but I don't think Boston got the message. June and early July have felt far more like April and it's rained probably 75% of the time, so when the sun actually peeks out, I feel the need to take advantage of it. Today was one of those days. It wasn't exactly the warmest day, but considering yesterday I wore boots to work, it was warm enough. I decided to walk home and spotted the small farmer's market that runs every Thursday across from my office. The weather has certainly affected the New England crops this year because the few times I've been able to actually get to a farmer's market, there was little stock and what they had was expensive. Finally, today I saw some great, inexpensive produce. I wished I could buy more, but I have a busy weekend ahead and know I won't have time to cook much. I settled on just two beautifully ripe tomatoes, and walked home.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with these tomatoes for dinner, but I knew that I wanted something simple, easy, and that would let the taste of the tomato come out. I thought about just cutting them up and eating them with just salt and pepper, but that didn't seem too exciting. I opened my fridge and magically, there was 5 leaves worth of basil in the drawer, still good! Then I opened my cabinet and spotted spaghetti - sold! Pasta with fresh tomato sauce it is!

I could have easily thrown this together on my own but while I waited for the water to boil I did a quick recipe search on Food Network and found this Bobby Flay recipe for Penne with Summer Tomato Sauce. I happened to have all the ingredients except the fresh mozzarella in my pantry. This recipe has all of the flavors I love with tomatoes and is completely no-cook. I mixed the tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl, poured my cooked spaghetti on top, and gave it a good mix. The just-drained pasta heats the sauce through and allows it to meld together. Finally, I found the small block of cheese left over from last weekend's pasta salad, and tossed that into my dish in place of the mozzarella. The final product was delicious! Fresh, light, garlicky, and slightly sweet from the balsamic vinegar. It was exactly what I wanted. I love when that happens!

July 4th and Food Go Hand in Hand

What an amazing July 4th weekend I have had! I credit Boston - they really know how to do this holiday right. After spending a lot of Saturday shopping and mastering my black bean burgers, early Sunday was again spent mostly in the kitchen, preparing a picnic for myself, my roomie Ken, my sister and her roommate. We started with sweets, taking on a cookie recipe that looked and sounded so good that I'd decided literally 30 seconds after reading it last week that I'd soon be making them - CANNOLI COOKIES. I discovered the recipe on The Kitchn and absolutely could not resist them. I love cannolis! The cookie recipe is a sugar cookie darkened with brown sugar and flavored with cinnamon, orange zest, and chopped pistachios - all flavors you find in a cannoli shell. You freeze the dough in rolls so that you can easily slice them into thin rounds, then create little sandwiches with a basic cannoli filling of sweetened ricotta and mascarpone cheese. If that isn't enough, we drizzled (ok, tried to drizzle, it really became more of a smear) melted chocolate on top of them. These cookies are a little labor-intensive because there are a lot of steps - making the dough, letting it freeze, making the cookies, the filling, the chocolate - but they are SO worth it.

Just prior to getting their chocolate smears

We brought the cookies and a fresh fruit salad to our picnic, along with a couple bottles of crisp white wine. My sister made an awesome potato salad (actually the same one my mom made a few weeks ago) and her roommate Brittany took on a very impressive strawberry shortcake. Needless to say we kind of had dessert for dinner. Hey, its a holiday! We found a great little spot in the area called the BU Beach, near the river behind Boston University where there is a footbridge to the riverside. We sat and laughed and ate and drank while the sun set. Around 10pm we packed up and crossed over to the river's edge where we had the most incredible view of the fireworks. Amazing, incredible fireworks like I had never seen. The entire city comes out to see them, crowding the Charles River banks and cheering at the display of colors and lights above them. I have never felt so happy to live here.

To cap off the weekend, we went to Chowderfest! People keep telling me its "Chowda" but that's not it's real name, I checked. You go down to the City Plaza and for $10 you get entrance to the festival and includes all you can eat chowder samples. There were about 8 restaurants featured and each passed out small cups of their signature clam chowder with oyster crackers. You try all of them and then you can vote for your favorite. By the time you've tried each one you've basically had a bowl of soup. I had forgotten how awesome good clam chowder really is. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. I voted for the Algonquin Club as best chowder - it was very rich and creamy, with a good amount of clams, and a mild bacon flavor in the background. Most of the other selections were very good with the exception of the House of Blues, not surprisingly. House of Blues is basically an overpriced chain restaurant - good for concerts, not for meals. Their chowder was overly herby and didn't actually taste like clam chowder at all.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, particularly for food! Tonight, though, I'm ordering takeout!

A Vegetarian Early July 4th Barbeque

I had the day off from work yesterday, obviously because of July 4th, and days off are great for cooking! Independence Day is synonymous with burgers, but rather than make another beef or turkey burger, I decided to try my hand at something different - a veggie burger! Blame California, but I love veggie burgers, though admittedly it can be hard to find really good ones. They have reputation for being dry and tasteless, and I can see why. Often veggie burgers are made with little actual vegetables and use grains as filler. But recently I've noticed more and more restaurants serving their own housemade veggie burgers with ingredients like beans, portobello mushrooms, and zucchini. A couple weeks ago, I had a great portobello and black bean burger at a pub near the Sam Adams Brewery, and it inspired me to try making my own. I found this great recipe on the Epicurious Favorite Burgers list for Black-Bean Burgers with a slight Latin flavor.

The first big plus for this recipe was the cheapness of the ingredients! Beans are such a great deal - really inexpensive but incredibly healthy and filling. I already had cumin and oregano in the pantry, and I was happy to have an excuse to buy some cayenne. This meal was also so easy to prepare. Everything goes into the food processor. My only trouble was that I have a small food processor, and I probably should have blended the bean mixture in two batches. The processor was so full and the mixture was so thick that the blade was getting stuck. A little shaking and mixing with a spoon took care of it, though. The burgers cooked up very quickly in the pan (don't try to grill these - they need a completely flat surface) and I had no problem with them staying together or flipping. The recipe suggested serving them with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa, but that didn't really appeal to me. Mexican food is a whole other animal. Instead, I made a garlic and chive mayo - mayonnaise mixed with pasted garlic, chives left over from my tortellini salad, and some lemon juice.


The mayo turned out to be all the burgers needed because they had great flavor. The cumin provides a great smoky background flavor to the beans, and I actually loved the cilantro. Yes, I liked something with cilantro in it. The only complaint I had was that the burgers were a little mushy. Although I managed to get a good crust on the outside, the burgers did sort of squish when you bit into them. I'll have to look into how to make them a little firmer. But overall, I loved the flavor and really enjoyed trying something totally new! Ken had never really had a real veggie burger and he fell in love with them. They have already gone on the "Make Again" list.


For a side dish, I made a great pasta salad based on Giada DeLaurentiis' Antipasto Salad. Her salad has meat in it, which was a little heavy for what I wanted, so I just cut that out and put in some cucumbers instead for crunch. The basil dressing was delicious! And we will be eating it for days...I made quite a bit. It was a great meal, and a fun day of cooking! A rare day of baking is coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Spring in a Bowl

According to plan, I made Tortellini and Spring Vegetable Salad tonight, and totally loved it. It couldn't be any easier. Unlike other salads, this recipe didn't even require a large amount of chopping - only asparagus, chives, and some red onion that I substituted for radishes. I hate radishes! The asparagus and peas blanch in the water along with tortellini, and using the fresh pasta ups the speediness as well. Heck, you don't even have to pre-mix the dressing - just toss the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper straight into the salad. I also used chopped walnuts instead of pine nuts, and regular goat cheese crumbles instead of the herb and garlic.

It really is spring in a bowl!

Once it is all mixed up, the goat cheese starts to coat all of the salad and melds with the tart red wine vinegar. The group of vegetables really do taste springy. Asparagus, peas, spinach, plus the pesto filling of the pasta makes the salad taste incredibly fresh. It really doesn't feel like you are eating pasta salad, it is salad with pasta. Plus, the recipe is HUGE. I had a small dish for dinner tonight, then packed up 3 separate plastic container's worth of salad. I can't wait to try it tomorrow for lunch when the salad has marinaded longer in its dressing.

Plans for the Week

There was no actual cooking this week to report, but I thought I'd share some upcoming recipes. I began a new job last week and as you might guess, my focus has been on that and not on cooking. I didn't find much time to plan or grocery shop, except for one quick stop where I bought macaroni and cheese, strawberries, and yogurt. Those items have essentially gotten me through to the weekend. How sad!

I really noticed not having home cooked meals for dinner and not having leftovers or any freshly made food for lunch. Only a little while ago, I virtually lived on Lean Cuisines - my work friends and I regularly discussed which ones were the best. But since I began cooking so much more and making a concerted effort to cut out pre-made food from my diet, I hadn't had a Leanie in quite a while. In my hurry this week I bought some and found them so uninspiring and bland. It felt fake and unsatisfying. It was enough to get me running to the grocery store this weekend!

On the docket:

• The Kitchn's Tortellini and Spring Vegetable Salad, made and stored in individual servings, purely for lunch. I've had my eye on this incredibly fresh-sounding salad for weeks now. It is perfect to last a few days in the fridge and hopefully only get better.
• Black-Bean Burgers discovered while trolling Epicurious' Best Burgers list. I had a black bean burger at a restaurant last weekend and really enjoyed it. These sound simple and delicious. The trick will be keeping them together while they cook. I'm also planning a garlic mayo and maybe some tomato slices for a topping - the Mexican theme on a bun doesn't thrill me. I'd rather go a little Mediterranean. This will be a dinner for me and Ken one night this week, with 2 patties left over for subsequent lunches.

Check back in a few days for the results of my trials!

An Ode to Brookline Spa

Friday nights I don't cook. It's a rule of mine. It's my night to really relax and that's how I like it. Ken and I usually order from one of our standard delivery or take out places; this isn't a night where we experiment too often, it's all about comfort. That's where the Brookline Spa comes in. It's a pizza and sub shop right down the road from me, and it is most often where we order Friday night dinner. I decided it was the night to finally try the Spa's Ranch Pizza. Yes, that's right, ranch pizza. I have an unabashed love of ranch dressing, but I have had to almost fully eliminate it in my diet so I don't turn massive. If I have it, I'll use it on everything. It is what it sounds like - basically a white pizza with ranch dressing as the sauce. It is then topped with mozzarella, bacon, tomatoes, and diced chicken cutlet. The crust managed to be both chewy and crispy at the same time. It might be the best pizza I've ever had.

This pizza is a definite once in a while thing - I cringe to think of how many calories I just inhaled. It was completely worth it. It has also affirmed something I have thought for a while now - the Brookline Spa in my neighborhood of Brookline Village is truly one of the best pizza and sub shops I've ever come across. I have sampled a myriad of items from their menu and not one has ever disappointed me. Some highlights include:

• The Furio - grilled chicken, spinach, fresh mozzarella, and roasted red peppers with a pesto sauce, all on a soft foccasia - heavenly
• Eggplant Parm - HUGE and incredibly comforting - my sister's personal favorite, I have once brought it all of the way to Cambridge to her
• Club Sub - literally all of the things on a club sandwich on a really good sub roll - so simple yet so good. It's amazing what really fresh ingredients do to a sandwich.
• Bumpy Wrap - my current obsession - grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, melted American cheese, light bit of ranch dressing - I probably rate this the top thing I've had at the Spa

I live a 5 minute walk from the Spa and it has become the go-to place for me and Ken. Sometimes I wish I didn't live so close to it! If you ever find yourself in the area, stop by. There's no real seating but it's not that kind of place. It would be great picnic food. The only problem is that they are closed on Sundays! When Ken and I first got to Boston and football was still on, we always wanted to get sandwiches and would go to look at the menu and realize, oh no, its closed! They could make a good buck!

Brookline Spa
75 Harvard St.
Brookline, MA
617-566-9446