What I've Been Eating...

Hello lovely people!

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get a post to you.  Being on the road isn't exactly conducive to blogging.  But it is conducive to unplugging, enjoying a beautiful drive, eating delicious food, and of course doing some major exploring.

All of which I've been taking full advantage of.

Especially the whole eating delicious food thing.  Big surprise right?

Which is why I thought I should share with you some of my favorites so far!  I will go ahead and warn you that these are not my prettiest pictures.  But hey.  When you're trying to be sneaky in a restaurant while using an iPhone in a horribly lit space...you do what you can.

The food was delicious.  So who cares?

daddy's bread in wakefield, ri

Okay seriously?  This place operates on the HONOR SYSTEM.  Guided by some friends in the know, we pulled up to a seemingly abandoned house down a small road in Rhode Island.  We walked in to find a fairly picked over selection of homemade breads and refrigerated drinks.  The muffins had all been taken as it was quite late in the afternoon.  But none of that mattered.  I grabbed a loaf of the 14 Grain while my (in the know) friends grabbed some sort of Apple Cinnamon Raisin.  After we dropped our dues in the money box we all ran to the car to dig in.  OH MY GOD.  This bread.  Above and beyond.  If you're in RI...go find this place.  It's carbohydrate heaven.

o'rourke's diner in middletown, ct

Once again guided by a in the know friend, the clan pulled in to what seemed like your typical cute little diner in downtown Middletown, CT.  After receiving menus and generous pours of coffee we were brought some delicious homemade sweet bread bites.  Poppyseed and some sort of Blueberry Crumble I believe.  My mouth told me this place was going to be a winner.  I ordered the Portabella Delight, a marinated portabella with egg whites and spinach.  Sounds boring?  WRONG.  That portabella was unbelievable.  I have no idea what it was marinated in but I can only assume it was unicorn tears...or something of that nature.  Go get some breakfast.

triumph brewery in new hope, pa

As much as I wanted to eat at Triumph, the time was far too close to breakfast to allow an entire meal into my stomach.  So, I went the appetizer sharing route with this cheese board.  Are you ready for this description?  It's intense.  "Valley Shepherd Creamery Pepato, Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese, Cherry Grove Farm Rosedale, Terhune Orchards Apple, Paradise Hill Cranberry Jam, Truffled Bob's Buzzy Bees Honey, Terhune Orchards Apple Jelly, and Raw Almond."  Uhhh...yeah.  Local, sustainable, unbelievable.

village whiskey in philadelphia, pa

I hate to pick favorites here.  But I may have to.  I may be biased because it's still so fresh in my mind or I may be biased because of the sheer volume of things I was able to try.  Either way.  I'm biased.  I loved the look and feel of the restaurant itself and the drink list was incredibly impressive but...the food is more important.  So here it goes.  The table had:

deviled eggs
duck fat french fries with sly-fox cheddar sauce
herb cherry tomatoes with ricotta, olive tapenade, and grilled sourdough
the village burger-sesame roll, tomato, boston bibb, house made thousand island, and a fried egg
the veggie burger-black bean & lentil, guacamole, and pickled red cabbage
the kentucky hot brown-sliced turkey, toasted brioche, smoked bacon, and mornay sauce

As I sit trying to pick favorites now, I just can't.  It was all so darn good.  The pickled tomatoes were life changing.  But the duck fat french fries?  Not far behind.  The veggie burger was one of the best I've had.  And the kentucky hot brown was so deliciously indulgent.  If you're in Philly and haven't been here...do yourself a favor.  And get there early, rumor has it this place gets PACKED.  Can't imagine why.

July New Eatery: BonMe's Pop Up Picnic

Did you know that I'm obsessed with Food Trucks?  Did you also know that I want to start my own one day?

Well, both are true.  Which explains why 2 out of my 7 "new eatery" posts are centered around food trucks.  But don't worry, it's only a casual obsession.

Back in May I posted about the Greenway Food Truck Festival (which you can read about {here}) but this month is a little different...and yes that's how I'm justifying two food truck posts.  It's all about the justification my friends.  Even if it's not a good one.

This month's post is going to be all about the Pop Up Picnic hosted by BonMe and North by Northeast this past Wednesday on the Greenway.  I originally found out about the event from a new acquaintance who I was supposed to meet there to enjoy the picnic and some lovely conversation about Boston food.  Unfortunately, she became ill and had to pass her ticket on.   Upon learning that I needed a new pal to join my picnic blanket I immediately contacted Ashley from The Uniqueness of Being, knowing that she's always game for a good picnic and some delicious food.

Around 6 Ashley and I began to mosey our way down the gorgeous Rose Kennedy Greenway taking in the beautiful weather and the mouthwatering smells that were undoubtedly coming from the BonMe Food Truck.  As those smells hit our nostrils our stroll became a little less leisurely and something more like a sprint (just kidding, we don't *sprint*).  Upon arriving at the Rings Fountain we were immediately given a picnic blanket and then we anxiously jumped in line to receive our bag of goodies.

Faced with quite the crowd (the best kind of problem to have), the people of BonMe were fast and incredibly friendly!  They've obviously served to the masses a time or two.

While waiting for our picnic *bag* we were given our soup shooters to sip on.

Let the feast begin...

First up the soup shooter.  This thing was screaming summer.  A chilled cucumber watermelon soup with chunks of watermelon, topped with black sesame seeds, and possibly a hint of ginger.

Pleasantly surprised.

The watermelon chunks hiding in the bottom were easily our favorite part.

Next up, the corn.  The corn was chilled and served with some sort of creamy (lime?) sauce, possibly topped with basil, and served over greens.  I should have been able to pick out the distinct flavors but I think the explosion of flavor confused my taste buds.

It was fabulous.  Also, Ashley loves when I take awkward photos of her eating.

Next up, the famous Bahn Mi.  Ashley's Bahn Mi was stuffed with pork from North by Northeast, pickled vegetables, and special sauce.

I had the vegetarian version of Ashley's sandwich.  Switching out the pork for tofu.  And it was delicious.  I've mentioned I love tofu right?

Ashley, this picture is just for you.  You're welcome.  Adorable right?

Taking a moment for the food to settle before moving on to dessert...

 

 And finally the dessert.  BonMe took an already delicious blondie bar and added some crunch with black sesame seeds, which I adored.  It was light, flavorful, and a perfect way to end the picnic.

Overall?  One of the best picnics I've ever had.  Rumor has it this is the first of many Pop Up Picnics to come so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for the next one so you can join in on the fun!

Also, check out BonMe's website for their schedule, blog, menu, and events!

http://www.bonmetruck.com/

Curtis BBQ -- New Eatery of June

Fun fact...I didn't write about a new eatery in June.

Oops.

But since I was gone for three weeks of the month I think I get a pass for being 4 days late.  Or at least I'm giving myself one.

When I decided to write about this place I realized that there would be no better day than today to post it.  After visiting their website I came to the conclusion that there might be no other place more American than this.  PLEASE look at the website now by clicking {here} to understand what I mean. 

There are waving flags for goodness sake!

Anyways, we encountered this place as we were on our way to Burlington, VT and had just pulled off the highway to fill the tank.  Our bellies were rumbling but we assumed we would have to wait until we got to a bigger city.  Wrong we were.  This place was next to the gas station and calling our names.  The food was unbelievable.  The ambiance even better.  Red.  White.  And Blue.  Orders were taken from a bus.  An older gentleman was cooking everything on an outdoor grill with his potbelly pig hanging around.  There were bikers everywhere enjoying a rib or two.  And picnic tables filled with happy customers.  Everything that BBQ was ever meant to be.

This my friends was the last meat filled meal we all had before returning to Boston and getting back on the pescatarian kick.  Kaston and Nick both had the pork stuffed baked potato with all the fixins' and I had the chicken breast smothered in their homemade sauce and a cucumber salad.  My mouth just started watering at the memory of our last "meaty" meal.

Check out the pictures, clean up your drool, and have a great 4th of July!

 

May New Eatery: Boston Food Trucks!

I'm going to do something a little out of the ordinary here...

Are you ready for it?

I'm going to tell you about May's new eatery(ies) before the 31st.  Crazy right?  This almost makes it seem like I'm on top of things this month.  And while that might be somewhat true, the real reason is that I have something else planned for the 31st.  But I can't tell you about that quite yet.  So, you'll have to be patient.

Have I ever told you what I want to do when I get out of college?

I haven't?

Shoot.  Well, I want to open a food truck.  Plain and simple.  I don't know where.  I don't know what kind of food.  I just know that it's my plan.  And I'm pretty excited about it.

Can we make a pact that you'll come eat there someday?  That would be wonderful.

Considering my love for food trucks, it only seemed practical to do this month's new eatery post about the Greenway Food Truck Festival we attended at the beginning of the month.

We strolled along the Greenway from the North End and were abruptly hit with the intoxicating smell of food.  Our tummies were rumbling and it took some major dedication to be able to make a decision on where to eat.  There were probably 15-20 trucks serving up yummy goodness, along with live music, and fun outdoor games (that we would have played had the ominous rainclouds not been dancing above us.).

I would love to tell you about all of the food trucks that were there but that would just take way too long.  I also would have loved to sample something from all of the trucks that were there...but that probably wouldn't be okay either.  *sigh*

Instead, I'll tell you about where we ate.  And then you can look at all of the photos I took of the guys eating.  It'll be fun.  I promise.

Let's start here.  Kaston and I both decided on Go Fish.  I think we were lured in by the incredibly bright shiny truck.

I had the....*takes big breath*...Chilled Miso Seared Salmon Rice Paper Wrap with Ginger/Wasabi dressed Asian Greens, Radish, and Sesame Shiitake Mushrooms...

Whew.  That's a mouthful.  Um..anyways.  This wrap was unreal.  Like really really good.  I highly encourage you to try it if 1) you live in Boston 2) you see the big bright shiny Go Fish truck

Kaston had The Ultimate Fried Haddock Sandwich with a Roasted Red Pepper along with some fries and iced tea.

Keep scrolling and you'll see how much he approved.

Nick had this massive hot dog thingy from Firedog (I think).

Please note that it's larger than his face.

Now it's time to look at all the pictures of the boys devouring their food.

This is Blake.  I can't for the life of me remember what he got (sort of looks like a hot dog?).  Probably because I didn't take a picture of it.  Oops.  He's obviously enjoying it.

I should have counted the number of bites it took Nick to take that giant hot dog down.  Because it was a surprisingly low number.

By the way ladies...he's totally single.

See...I told you he liked it...a lot.

After we finished up round 1 we headed down to the other end where Roxy's, Bon Me, and Kickass Cupcakes were parked.

I've never had Kickass Cupcakes, but I can only assume that they are kickass?

Nick made the ultimate sacrifice and...got more food.  This is a short rib grilled cheese (uh, yeah.) from Roxy's.  And it's {take it home to your momma} good.  Thanks Nick.

Those almost look like three real smiles yeah?  Must've been all of the yummy food.

These are all of the upcoming Food Truck Festivals in close proximity to Boston so get yourself to one of them!