Fore St: A Review

A few weeks ago I found myself in New Hampshire with my friend Jesse. It was a really hot, sunny Saturday and we went skeet shooting at Green Mountain Shooting Preserve. That’s not the point of the story. We detoured on our way back to Boston, in Portland, ME.

I’ve not spent too much time in Portland, but I’ve been before. It’s got a reputation on the east coast. So we went to dinner. Jesse called his dad to ask for recommendations, who said we had to go to Fore St. Jesse asked for a plan B, his dad said there is no plan B.

So simple, yet perfect. Potentially, the best tomatoes I’ve ever had.

We call to make reservations, but they’re booked. However, it turns out they have an interesting system for seating. The restaurant opens at 5:30, but the bar opens at 5:00. They also save a certain number of tables for walk-ins. So you go at 5:00 and put your name in at the bar.

When we got there, the bar was full, so I put my name down and we moved to the back. At 5:30 pretty much everyone form the bar migrated to the dining room, and Voila! seats appeared.

The beet and carrot salad was amazing. The dressing was, I don’t even remember what. But It was so good. Very herby. The textures were great.

The menu was funny, I thought. It was broken down by classification: “Pan Seared Seafoood, Wood Oven Roasted Seafood, Wood Grilled Meats, Turnspit Roasted Meats” and last, but not least, “Plants and Vegetables.” Plants and vegetables were actually separate categories. “Plants” was for vegetarian entrees, of which there was one, and Vegetables were sides.

So the first thing that stuck out at me, was the bread and butter. They brought over a basket with 4 slices for the two of us. Perfect. What really did it for me was, they gave us enough butter. More than enough. And salt and pepper. Great way to start the meal, if you ask me.

The corn cake entree sounded alright, but not what I was looking for. I opted for a salad and some smaller plates.

Anyway, it was so long ago at this point I don’t think I can accurately describe everything. But here are photos for your viewing pleasure.

The broccoli was cooked to perfection. Al-dente. Just the way I like it, The mustard sauce was phenomenal. I’ve attempted recreation at home several times.

by CHLOE: A Review

by Chloe is a fast food vegan restaurant out of New York, but they recently opened a branch in the Seaport.  It was founded in 2014 by ESquared Hospitality and Chloe Coscarelli, with the goal of bringing healthy food “to the masses.”  I kept hearing good things, so I wanted to try it!  Now I know that just because a restaurant is vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy.  But the chances are greater because it indicates there’s at least some kind of attention put into the ingredients.  They say they use local ingredients, but I think that’s a new, undefined, term when it comes to food.

First off, let me tell you it’s slightly off the beaten path.  The address is 107 Seaport Blvd., but it’s actually on the side of the 101 Seaport Blvd development.  So after parking and walking around for 10 minutes, my friend Taylor and I walk in.  It looks nice, pretty trendy.  The place was probably 1/3 full, but thankfully there was no line.

I went with a pretty simple order, the guac burger and fries and a cookie.  I normally wouldn’t get a cookie, but I was starving and wanted to eat it right then.  You wouldn’t know it was vegan!  Was way better than when I’ve tried to make vegan cookies with flax or chia gel.  It was good, albeit sweet.  Anyway, the fries were good, they were air-fried.  Could’ve been crispier, but still not bad.  The burger was very good.  Black bean, quinoa and sweet potato burger with the fixings.  The beet ketchup and aioli were both great.  You wouldn’t know there wasn’t mayo in the aioli!

The girl that took our order was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.  They took my phone number and texted me when my burger was ready, to be picked up at the counter.  That was easy.  I felt good after eating there, which is usually a good indicator.

All in all, it was a positive experience.  I don’t know if it’s something I’d really seek out, but I know it’s a good fail-safe if I find myself hungry and in the area.  It was priced well too.  I want to say the burger was $11, the fries were $4.  I think the cookie was $2.  

Mike and Patty's: A Review

Mike and Patty’s is a little hidden gem in Bay Village.  You really have to know about it to find it.  It’s not really the kind of place you’d just walk by.  But thanks to me, you have no excuse not to try it now.  Mike and Patty’s can be found at 12 Church St in Bay Village.

The place is small, the menu is slightly bigger.  What I like, is there use of good ingredients.  Now I’m not saying you should make it a daily habit, but it could be worse.  They use local ingredients for the most part.  Iggy’s bread for all their sandwiches, which is all they serve.  Pictured below is The Fancy, without bacon.  Very good.  Two fried eggs, cheddar, avocado, onions and mayo on toasted Iggy’s.  

I’ve also had the classic, which is not as filling but also good.  The Breakfast Torta is the only other sandwich I’ve ordered.  It was also great.  But I’ve been eating a lot of potatoes recently, and we all know what Rudolf Steiner says about white potatoes.  They contribute to materialism!  So The Fancy, it was.

Now this place is small, there are only 4-5 seats at the window-counter.  You can take a chance for a seat there, I’ve never had to wait too long.  Or you can order ahead online or by phone and take your sandwich to go!

Long story short, place is dope.  Try it!

Chocolatree: A Review

As I've said in a previous post, this was my first trip to Sedona.  And it was pretty cool.  Sima and I had been at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, scoping out the scene.  We knew we had to be in Las Vegas for Super Bowl Sunday (LOL), so we thought we'd make an overnight stop in Sedona.

On Friday night we bought moonshine and herbs out of the back of a truck by the train tracks.  Then we went to a guided meditation led by Dr. Dream at the Center.  At like 11:30pm, we ended up at Gem and Jam, which was a music festival I guess.

Long story short, we pulled an all-nighter and left for Sedona at 4:00 in the morning.  By the time we got there, we were both tired and hungry.

We checked into our Bed and Breakfast, the Cozy Cactus, which I highly recommend, freshened up and hit the town.

I insisted we eat first.  Sima took me to Chocolatree and I could not have been happier.  We ordered so much food and it was all so so good.  I wish I wrote this review sooner to my indulging.

We each got a golden latte, which was great.  It was one of the best I've had outside of the house.

Pictured here is our meal.  From the left, goat cheese quiche with an almond-pulp crust, vegan chili, aloo gobi, mashed potatoes, some kind of grain-free wrapper and and a fermented cream.  I don't remember the details.  Those were part of Sima's order.

I got a bunch of chocolates to go, but ate them all before I took photographs!  They were so good.  The Raspberry and Bee Pollen truffles were my favorites.  I wish I got more.  Sima had a bunch of the Raspberry ones, but she wouldn't share!

This restaurant was amazing.  The entire experience was hugely positive.  Oh and how could I forget, the whole place is SPRING WATER FED!  I even filled up my bottle before we left.  They have spigots outside for the public.  The quality of the food was phenomenal.  There's definitely an awareness around food that you won't find anywhere else.  I can't wait to go back and order everything else on the menu.

Mesa Verde: A Review

During my last trip to Los Angeles, my friend Sima (founder House of Citrine) and I drove to Santa Barbara!  The original plan was to go to the Raw Food World’s warehouse in Ojai for some deals and go to this restaurant Sima had been raving about.  Well, I called the Raw Food World several times, no one answered.  We stopped for a quick charge in Burbank, at which point I looked up the restaurant we were heading to.  They were closed!

So we thought, “fuck it, let’s go to Santa Barbara.”  There was no question.  We were going to lunch at Mesa Verde.  I don’t know the details, but I know my friend Chef Greg Arnold is involved.  If I were to guess, he develops the recipes and menu and plating.  It all looks and tastes like his style.  And I know he used to work in the kitchen there.  But I didn’t meet him really until after that.  Greg, if you’re reading this, break it down for us in the comments.

I ordered: 

Polenta Fries.  Caramelized Onion.  Smoked Summer Squash.  Black Olive.  Basil.  Piquillo.  Tomato.  White Bean.  Herbs.

And it was amazing.  The fries were crunchy, the beans were soft.  There was a great variety of textures and flavors in this dish.  There was nothing I’d add or takeaway.  I ate it with my hands.  I also got this beer pictured.  It was good, but pretty sweet.  I would definitely call it a dessert beer.

The experience outside of the food was great too.  The restaurant was quiet, our waiter couldn't have been nicer.  We weren't waiting there for hours.  Dessert looked so good but were were stuffed!  I should note that Mesa Verde is vegan.  But don't let that scare you away!  It's worth it.

Sima got the Patatas Bravas Tacos.  I think she made some kind of modification.  I don’t remember what it was.  I’m guessing something related to grain-free, so maybe the shell?  I should ask.  Sima, if you read this and I haven’t corrected it, comment!

All in all, it was a great experience, as usual.  It's the only restaurant I can really recommend in Santa Barbara!  Except AH Juice, but it's a different atmosphere.  It's Nitsa's dad, Alfred's cafe!  I got to meet him briefly, which was great.  I don't have enough info or pictures for a full review on his cafe.  We got there as they were closing up.  I did get a turmeric drink that was ah-mazing.  Also had a chocolate made from juice pulp that was way better than it sounds. And a peanut butter chocolate bar.  Also very good.  I'd have gotten more, but it was the end of the day and they ran out!

Ok, now I can say all in all and mean it.  If you're going to Santa Barbara, check these two places out.

Kippy's!: A Review

Whenever I go to LA, one of the first stops I make is to Kippy’s!.  It's exactly what I want and need after a long flight.  I used to work at Kippy's!, so I know the inner workings.  And I still love Kippy's!  They're ice cream is unparalleled.  It's so simple.  Coconut meat, coconut water and honey.  All raw and processed in-house.  Email me and I'll sell you the ratios.  Just kidding Kippy and Max, I wouldn't do that!  

It is definitely, without question, a matter of fact, the healthiest ice cream.  I think it's so funny they do an ice cream cleanse because it sounds like such an advertising sham, but it's probably one of the best cleanses around.  I can't say there was a time I exclusively ate ice cream, but working at Kippy's! 40 hours a week with free ice cream wasn't bad.  It was free, right?  The chocolate hard shell is amazing.  I don't usually order it on top, because it's in the chocolate chip.  Salted caramel on the other hand, is a must.  Where am I going with this?

This last time I was there, I was so happy to see a golden milk flavor!  I wanted to do that when I was there!  Max and I argued over black pepper.  I said, "you need to have black peppercorn in the golden milk!"  And he said "black peppercorn is irritating to the digestive tract, no!"  I did not pick up any black pepper in this edition.  I should've thought to bring my own when I went back for more.

Everything about Kippy's! is great!  The ice cream, the people, the toppings.  I love going there.  I love eating the ice cream.  If anybody on the East Coast wants to open up a Kippy's, I think they'll match us at $150k.  Does that still stand?

Cinnamon Date on the bottom, Chocolate Chip, Golden Milk and I don't know, maybe that's the Cinnamon on top and there's chocolate on the bottom.  Something like that, with Caramel Sauce on top.

Lulu's Chocolate Lounge: A Review

On my last trip out west, my friend Sima and I drove through Sedona, AZ.  We only spent like half a day there, which was not nearly enough.  Sedona was very cool.  In our time there, we covered a lot of ground though.  We hit up a few restaurants, a shop or two, we also went for a hike and visited with some friends.  It was a packed day.  

In the afternoon, Sima met with her acupuncturist, so I was on my own.  Luckily, I’d noticed we’d passed by LuLu’s Chocolate Lounge on the way.  So I walked over.

The space itself is very cool; whimsical.  Almost as if Mackenzie-Childs had taken a sedative and then went to work.  The tones are purple and brown, which I think are accurate reflections of chocolate.  Ever bite into a cacao bean and notice it’s actually purple?  There’s a bar along the window with stools, and a very cool Rococo Revival purple velvet sofa.

Now the really important stuff, the chocolate.  I don’t know what I was thinking, I didn’t get any!  Just kidding.  I got the Mayan Drinking Chocolate, but I added pine pollen and CBD.  It was exceptional.  So good, so thick.  Spicy, but not too spicy.  I’m also fan that they have so many additions.  I wish I took more photos, but at the time I was so encompassed in the experience I wasn’t thinking about blogging.

Before I left, I also picked up 2 CBD bars.  One for me, and one for my mom.  I ate mine already.  Felt amazing afterwards.  I was surprised though, by the lemon flavor.  No where other than the ingredients is lemon mentioned.  Nothing wrong with the lemon, it was just a surprise.  I wanted to catch the sunset, so I quickly ordered an Apollo Love Tonic.  Oh my God.  It was like an Italian Soda.  Seltzer, coconut cream and I don’t even remember what else.  I want to say chaga and pine pollen tinctures, CBD (at my request) and other stuff too.  At first sip, I thought of getting Italian Sodas at The County Seat in Litchfield, back in the day.  It tasted just like a vanilla soda.

Long story short, if you find yourself in Sedona, it’s definitely worth your while to check Lulu’s Chocolate Lounge out.  The chocolate is great, the drinks are refreshing.  The girls working there were very friendly and made for good conversation.  The sofa was soft. 

The Tasteful Kitchen: A Review

Before I travel anywhere, I look into the food scene.  I like to know what I’m getting myself into.  I was just in Tucson for the Gem and Mineral Show and stumbled into an amazing restaurant, The Tasteful Kitchen.  I actually hadn’t heard of this place before arriving.  My new friend Sunshine took Sima and me there for dinner.  And it was so good we went to nights in a row!  It’s a mostly vegan restaurant that uses the best ingredients.  Two sisters founded and own the restaurant.  And you can tell it’s their passion.  The Tasteful Kitchen is only open for dinner 5 nights a week, and every day before they open, the owners do the grocery shopping.  That speaks to their dedication and also the quality and freshness of the ingredients they’re using.

There's wine in this picture, but it's BYOB

The first night, we ordered a sampling.  We got spring rolls, BBQ cauliflower, a vegetable platter, fried cauliflower steak and finished everything off with chocolate and walnut covered dates.  

While everything was amazing, the spring rolls were my favorite.  They were huge and filled with the freshest ingredients, paired with a great dipping sauce.  The second night we each got our own, but we added avocado.  To die for.

The BBQ cauliflower was perfectly cooked and seasoned, served with a side of house-made kimchi.  I don’t even like BBQ sauce, but these were dope.

Sorry about the image quality, I was hungry!

I had ordered the cauliflower steak.  It came with sweet potatoes and a mushroom gravy.  The flavors were great and the portions were perfect.  I ate it all and was satisfied, but not overly full.

I didn’t even want dessert, but when I saw the dates I couldn’t hold back.  They were so good, stuffed with walnuts.  The second night we got a berry crumble or something like that.  It was very good.  But I preferred the chocolate lava cake.

All in all, our meals at The Tasteful Kitchen were the best meals I’ve had in Tucson.  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you check it out.

Paul: A Review

I'd never heard of this place, Paul, before.  My friend just got back from Paris and said they were all over and worth checking out.  There's one in Downtown Crossing at 210 Washington St.  It looked amazing.  So many options, including many vegetarian.  The quiches all looked great.  There were several other egg dishes and sandwiches.  Tons of pastries and cookies.  Honestly, I didn't get too much.  A water and a croissant.  The croissant was great though.  It was super light, and very flaky.  The ambiance was nice.  It wasn't too noisy even though there were a good number of people in there.

Dugout Cafe: A Review

I’ve walked by this place a few times before and it looked like an interesting spot.  Until I went in, I was convinced it was in a BU building.  Turns out I was wrong, but it is right next to a BU building.  So the other night my friend Jesse mentioned going to Dugout Cafe (to me, The Dugout) and I was like whatever.  It didn't register with me that it was the place I had passed many a time and was curious about.  So when we started walking there and I figured out where we were going, I was pleasantly surprised.

It’s called Dugout Cafe.  It was quaint, warm and welcoming.  The bartender, Jessica, is a BU student.  The other bartender whose name I didn’t catch is so dedicated to working there that he drives in one day a week from Maine.  Long story short, they served Lagunitas, have a couple of sofas and darts.  One thing I always notice is the TV situation.  They had more than I’d like, but because they have Direct TV, all the TVs had to be on the same channel.  There was a semblance of order.  

All in all, it was a little bit farther from my block than I usually travel, but the atmosphere was great.  I want to have a party there.  $7 for mixed drinks and beers on tap.  $4 for PBR and $3 for Rolling Rock.  I'm not recommending you get any of those.  I think Lagunitas is your best bet.

Thmor Da: A Review

While I am pretty cautious about what I eat, I’m usually up to try new restaurants if there’s something interesting about the place.  I like trying new cuisines in new cities, which is what my friends and I did the other day.  My friend, Taylor, found a Cambodian restaurant on Yelp that he thought was worth a try.  Thmor Da in Revere, MA.

I almost didn’t write this review, because I didn’t enjoy the food.  But Jesse and Taylor did.  It could’ve been my poor ordering skills.  I’d never had Cambodian food before, so I asked the waiter about vegetarian options.  He made a few recommendations and I chose spring rolls and Chow Foo.

The spring rolls were alright.  Rice wrapper, bean sprouts ice berg, shredded carrots.  There was a dipping sauce that was good.  Chow Foo was vegetables, eggs, noodles and a sauce.  The sauce is what turned me off.  It was an almost gelatinous viscous goo.  If you've ever tried to juice a cactus with a Norwalk Press, that's what it was like.  It didn’t look appetizing and I questioned the ingredients.  What I did eat of it wasn't too flavorful.  Jesse took it with him.  If he writes a review, I’ll link to it.  Same with Taylor.

I don’t know Cambodian food, but got the sense that this place was authentic.  The restaurant was small, but clean.  Hot sauces on the table so you can customize your spiciness level.  The menu was pretty big and the waiter was very helpful in describing the dishes.  I didn’t use the bathroom, so I can’t comment on that.  Parking was a breeze.  Plenty of street parking right out front.  Aside from the food, it was a positive experience. 

Cucchiello's Bakery: The End of an Era

Let me warn you, this is a slightly sad post.  It’s a review of a place that’s going out of business.  It’s this bakery in East Boston called Cucchiello’s Bakery (356 Bennington St, East Boston, MA 02128).  My friend scoped this place out while on a run and wanted to check it out.  So we did!  We walk in and it’s essentially just a big kitchen.  A big, super Italian, kitchen.  

So many cookies and pastries and bread.  I wasn’t going to get anything, but the kid working there started telling us that they’re closing!  Apparently, the building was sold and the new owner would rather have a Dunkin’ Donuts in there.  The opposite of gentrification, if you ask me.  When we checked out Terminal J next door, the waitress told us Cucchiello’s had been there for 70 years!  She said they supply bread to most of the restaurants, and that their closing is posing a problem!

I got a cider donut for 50 cents.  How could I not.  And it was good!  They had pizzelles too, but they were only sold in quantities greater than I wanted.  Remember, every dollar spent is a vote cast.  Support this family owned local business as long as you can, and skip D&D.

Solaniki: A Review

Tonight my friends and I wanted to catch up.  Since we’re all foodies, we decided why not go out to dinner?  We talked about a few different places but settled on Solaniki.  It’s a relatively new Greek restaurant in Fenway.  It was very good!  I could easily see it being a competitor of sweet green.  Although they’re not as transparent about their ingredients.  I got zucchini and can’t confirm it was non gmo! But it as I said, it was really good.

I got the Despena.  It was their own pita bread with zucchini fritters, garlic yogurt, chips and accoutrements including tapenade, tomatoes, onions and pickles.  Of course there was also feta.  I was very happy with it.  The chips were sold as fries, but were definitely chips, as you can see.  My friend, Taylor, picked up a side of fries which I happily devoured.  They were not what I was expecting for fries.  I said they were good, Taylor said not so much.  We decided every third was pretty good.  Essentially, they weren’t all crunchy, not really a big deal.  Aside from that the only other thing that really caught my attention was the zucchini fritters.  They also weren’t very crunchy.  The flavor was good, but the texture was off.  To wash this all down, I got their own beer and a spindrift lemon seltzer.  They did also offer white and red wine and Harpoon IPA.  

You walk in and order at a counter and your food is made right in front of you.  There’s virtually no wait time.  You grab your food and take it to an open seat.  The place is pretty spacious.  There was more room than I was expecting.  There were a good number of people there, but we had no issue finding secluded seats.  The music was a little loud, but what’re you going to do.

The whole thing set me back about $18 which I didn’t think was too bad.  Overall, I was pleased.  I can definitely see myself going back!  I would say thumbs up and it's worth a try!

Quick Lunch/Review at Bulletproof Cafe in Santa Monica, CA (video)

An oldy but a goody!  I uploaded this a while ago, and realized I didn't post it on here!

Inn of the Seventh Ray - A Video Review

My friend Sima Morrison of House of Citrine invited me to brunch at Inn of the Seventh Ray!  It was great.