65 Commonwealth Ave #8B Open House and Other Upcoming Open Houses

So far this week, I went to one open house of note. I went to two open houses though. The address is 65 Commonwealth Avenue, Unit 8B. This is a bit of a special unit, in my opinion. It’s on the 8th floor, which is pretty up there for Back Bay. It’s also got windows on 4 sides, to fully take advantage of the altitude. On top of that, it’s on the corner of Clarendon and Commonwealth Ave, so there aren’t any nearby obstructions. It’s surrounded by parks and much lower buildings.

What caught my eye when I walked into the lobby, was the brass doors and door frames. Gorgeous. You walk into this apartment, and it’s obviously been very well maintained. It’s a little outdated, but nothing huge. Everything was in great shape.

Three bedrooms total. Two are by the front door (not very feng shui) and are connected with a bathroom. Both are on the larger side for the area, and one has nice built ins. I had said if this were my place, I’d make one a library and the other not a bedroom.

The living room and dining room were a large room with great views and more built ins. The fireplace looked like it was in working order, but you can never tell. The kitchen was also massive, but a little outdated. Functionally, everything was fine. Off the kitchen was another bathroom and 2 offices. They seemed slightly strange, right next to each other. Whatever, I’d use one as a home office and the other as like a Christmas present wrapping room.

One of my favorite features, aside form the views and square footage of the place, is the storage. There are closets and bookcases everywhere. You enter the master suite, through a hallway of closets and drawers. The bedroom is a corner, with fantastic light. Off to the side is a walk in cedar closet.

Last and least, was the master bathroom. It was a little obvious this place was staged and I asked the listing agent, Debra Sordillo, why it was for sale. She said the owners had died. It all came together. The ADA complaint bathroom made complete sense.

All in all, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, I really liked this place. In my opinion, it was just missing a parking space. Asking $2.484M, $1400/mo condo fee and just under $25000/year in taxes. Heat and water are included in the condo fee.

If I were looking for a 3 bed in the Back Bay, I’d seriously consider this place. The only things I would change, are the master bathroom and updating the kitchen.

For more information, contact:

Debra Sordillo

Coldwell Banker Back Bay

(617) 266-4430

Open Houses Saturday October 27th and Sunday October 28th:

480 Beacon #1, 4 bed, 0 pkg, $5.2M, Saturday and Sunday 1:30-4:30

346 Beacon #4, 2 bed, 2 pkg, $2.6M, Sunday 11:00-12:00

383 Beacon #C, 3 bed, 1 pkg, $2.2M, Sunday 12:30-1:30

180 Beacon #3F, 2 bed, 0 pkg, $1.2M, Sunday 12:30-2:00

119 Marlborough #3, 1 bed, 0 pkg, $775k, Saturday and Sunday 11:00-12:30

Boston Ballet Class

Being social is not one of my strengths, but I’m working on it. In an effort to break out of my shell, I’ve joined several organizations. One of them being, the Young Partners of the Boston Ballet. I was invited as a guest to two performances with receptions at the Ritz Carlton after. Had a great time both times.

Membership comes in varying levels, with the minimum donation of $250 to become a Young Partner. I made the minimum donation a few weeks ago. Then I get an invitation to a ballet class, followed by brunch. Sign me up!

I actually hemmed and hawed before RSVPing. But ultimately, I knew it would be fun. I’ve though about how I would be in such great shape if I were a cavalier. I was the only guy, with a 6 or 7 girls and the instructor, Melissa.

She dove right in, deeper than I had anticipated. She was calling off numbered positions and dropping French left and right. It was fantastic. We did a couple different sequences. I definitely felt the stretch. I appreciate even more what the dancers are able to do with their bodies.

The class was followed by breakfast, where we mingled. It was nice to meet a few other Young Partners, whom I hope to see at future events. All in all, we all had a great time, I think I can safely say. It was a great entry into the Young Partners. I’ll report back about future functions. I don’t have the schedule in front of me, but I know that the Nutcracker and Holiday party are fast approaching!

Camping in Wells, ME

Last weekend, I rented a tent. I love camping. It makes sense that I went to the Gunnery, founded by Frederick Gunn, the founder of recreational camping. Last year, my friends and I went once, and for me it was the first time in a while. I tried rallying the troops this summer, but it was difficult to get everyone on board. I have an affinity for yurts, and was seeing if there were any available for rent within a short drive from Boston. That’s when Google introduced me to Tentrr. It’s like AirBnB for tents. It looks pretty standardized. I got the impression that every site included the same canvas tent, queen bunk beds and wood stove.

There were a plethora of options available within a 2 hours drive of the city. This one in Wells, ME peaked my interest because of it’s location, price and dog friendliness. It was about an hour and a half from Boston, and probably 45 minutes to Portland. Not too far from here, but definitely in the woods. The drive was very nice. I thought the proximity to Portland might be nice in case we wanted to dine before returning to the city. We decided to go skeet shooting in New Hampshire instead.

This site was in the middle of a horse farm. I booked the tent through Tentrr, and was connected to Andrea who passed along her husband, Mike’s, phone number. My friend, Jesse, was the only one I could convince to come. Mike met us at the site, and gave us the rundown. We had to bring our own sheets/sleeping bags and food, but pretty much everything else was provided. There were skewers, plates, cups, drinking water, washing water, trash bin, a camp stove. Mike supplied us with wood and cardboard and told us to help ourselves to anything in the woods. We did. Or I should say, Jesse did. Can’t say I gathered too much wood.

When we arrived, it was “spitting,” as my grandmother would put it. Whatever, a little water never hurt anyone. Don’t tell that to anyone on the Titanic. Like Minnie, food is always on my mind, and as a result we had a well stocked camp pantry. After we unpacked and familiarized ourselves with the land and became one with nature, we drove to Hannaford to buy fire wood. We also got a bunch of less-than-healthy snacks like Tate’s cookies.

I don’t know where I was going with this. Rented a tent, had a great time camping. It was so relaxing to get out of the city, even if it was for just a night. No wifi, no sirens. It was a nice change of pace waking up to frost. It was also Minnie’s first time camping. Although I think she was chilly at times, I know she enjoyed the freedom of running through fields without a leash or traffic.

The next morning we went to a breakfast establishment of Jesse’s choosing. I had the eggs florentine. It was very good. The hollandaise was velvety. The hash browns: crunchy. There was something wrong with the waitresses though. I think they were heavily medicated. If our’s smiled any harder, her lips were going to split.

Then we drove to Green Mountain Shooting Preserve, popped off a couple rounds and headed back into the city.

*NOTE: I didn’t take most of these pictures. I wasn’t thinking about blogging at the time. The only photo that I did take, is of the Eggs Florentine. Jesse Greenstein provided the others.

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.

305 Commonwealth Ave, Penthouse and #2

Right now, there are 2 condos in Back Bay on the market for over $10,000,000.00. And both listings are in the same building, 305 Comm Ave. And they’re both Tracy Campion’s (https://www.campionre.com). 2 weeks ago, Campion and Co hosted an open house for the penthouse. How could I say no to that? It’s a top floor duplex, 3 beds, 3 full bathrooms and 2 half baths. The place is nice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great spot, but for $10.99M I’d want something exactly my taste, down to the filtered water and remote wi-fi kill switch. I guess if you’re dropping that much cash on a condo, you can upgrade it how you want. Here’s my perspective. Let me know what you think!

Look at that sweet skylight, with the shade.

Look at all that greenery! And a grill.

Can never get enough outdoor space.

The master bathroom was pretty nice.

This is the master bedroom. There’s a laundry room to the left and office to the right. Off the bedroom is a massive walk in closet that leads to the bathroom above.


End of Penthouse.

On the way out, we saw a group of agents leaving the first floor unit, number 2, so we snuck in. It’s also $10.99M. I thought the apartment itself was much more my style, however it lacked outdoor space. I also prefer being closer to the ground.

For the price, these fireplaces better work.

I hope that’s filtered water over the stove.

Love the hardware.

Open Houses 9/30/2018: 16 Pinckney and 34 Commonwealth

Now that September 1st has passed, I can relax a little. I’ve got more time these days and have been getting back in the habit of attending open houses. I also want to get back into blogging. So here goes both. I’ve decided to do a little write up, along with photos and commentary. Let me know what you think!

Today, September 30, 2019 I tried to attend as many open houses in the neighborhood as I could. I usually just scope out places in close proximity to my own condominium.

The first one I tried to attend was at 36 Pinckney St. in Beacon Hill. It’s a single family home for $3.59M. The open house was listed on MLS as 11:30-12:30. I got there just before 12, and the agent turned me away.

16 Pinckney St. Boston, MA 021…

Next up was another single family right up the hill at 16 Pinckney. Michael Harper (http://www.michaelharper.com) has this place listed at $4.25M. It’s brand new. 4 beds, 4.5 bathrooms. It had great light and quiet views. High up on Pinckney, so there’s only really residential traffic, for foot and car. No parking, but what can you expect in Beacon Hill. Maybe put your name down at Brimmer St. I’d take this single family on the hill. It feels like it’s not in a city. I’m imagining the taxes are outrageous though. I wonder if single family home-owners in this area use property managers.

The master bedroom is street-side and includes a walkthrough closet to the bathroom. Not the one pictured below.

My only complaint about this house is in this bathroom. What’s the deal with that shower? I’d re-do that and add a door. It would be so annoying getting out of the shower to a wet floor every day. (Edit: There is a shower door, it hasn’t been installed yet.)

Now this is cool. The master-shower closes, but there’s a vent!

Ok, 2 complaints. Anyone that puts white marble for the entirety of kitchen surfaces, doesn’t use a kitchen. I can’t imagine this homeowner tempering out 14 gallons of chocolate. You can’t cut on it, you can’t spill on it, and it requires regular maintenance. Not worth it in my opinion.

Obsessed with outdoor space though. There’s another patio off the dining room on the ground floor.

End of 16 Pinckney.

34 Commonwealth Ave Apt 2 Boston, MA 02116

I then headed home to Back Bay to check out a condominium at 34 Commonwealth Ave listed by Davant Scarborough (http://www.davantrealty.com). 3 bed, 2.5 bathrooms, $3.25M. Four units total in the building. This place does include a parking space. This is the best location in Back Bay; the first block of Comm Ave. The living room and master bedroom overlook the Comm Ave Mall, and you’re just half a block from the Public Garden. The backside has more of a family room and kitchen. The upstairs was a little strange, but not atypical for this area. The non master bedrooms were narrow, with high ceilings which made it look more dramatic. If this were my place, it would be a one bedroom. Taxes are a whopping $26,000 a year. The condo fee isn’t bad at $840.30.

I’m a fan of the openness.

That open door leads out to small patio.

I spy an electric baseboard.

To the untrained eye, it might seem odd that for $500,000 more you could get a brand new single family. This Comm Ave unit is commanding so much because of the location and the parking space.

Minnie's Christmas Wishlist

Here are all the things Minnie is hoping to find under the tree or in her stocking this Christmas.  She has good taste, so I thought I’d share it.  You can click through any of the links or photos to the product's page.

1. Feed Bin

    It’s a little over the top, but it'll keep her food fresh and looks good.  I like to buy in bulk because it’s cheaper, and Minnie’s preferred kibble does not come in a resealable bag!  I first saw this when someone was giving me a tour of their apartment.  He had bought it to use as a hamper for dirty clothes!

2. Ombré Plaid Dog Bed

    While Minnie is a sophisticated bitch, she also has a wild western side too that she likes to live out in her dreams.  What better place than this bed!  Looks plush, and the colors go well with her fur-tone.

3.  Silver Dog Bowls

    I prefer eating off silver, so why would I expect Minnie to want anything less?  Even better for her, because I clean her stuff less frequently than mine!

4.  Blue Green Algae

    Minnie is faster to suck this stuff down than I am.  But I guess there’s a lot she’d eat that I won’t.  We won’t get into that.  Regardless, variety in the diet is important, and there’s not much healthier out there than algae.

5.  A Boar Bristle Brush

    The only thing that makes Minnie coat softer than a couple doses of E3 Live, is regular brushing.  Right now she has 2 brushes, a metal wiry one that I think scratches her too much, and a comb-like brush known as the “defurminator.”

6.  Acai and Amla Oil Serum

    Minnie loves getting a good rub down with this every night.  She’ll definitely be needing more shortly.

7.  Astragalus and Cordyceps

    Minnie’s a brachycephalic breed.  Her face is too short for her skull.  She can get frustrated breathing after extreme activity or in severe humidity.  So without going into detail, I think she’d do well on astragalus and cordyceps regularly.  The astragalus linked is actually a blend.  

There's only one photo of this product, and this is it.

Love Life Alive

This past week, Life Alive was kind enough to invite me to try a few new additions to the menu.  And I was not disaapointed.  I’ve always been a fan of Live Alive.  Been going since ’08.  I even worked as a dishwasher for a short while, before being fired.  No hard feelings.  Still love the place.

While I love the consistency and pretty much always know what I’m going to get, it’s nice to have a few new additions.  I was actually have lunch at Life Alive, when I received the invitation to try the new menu items.  I was chowing down on the newly added Devil Eggs with Cashew Aioli.

So the tasting started out with the Life Alive Tonic.  I think it’s their signature juice.  I loved it.  It was a pineapple base with flavorful herbs like mint and cilantro.  I love cilantro and pineapple, it’s a great combination.  The spice from the jalapeño wasn’t overly stimulating and balanced the drink out nicely.  Finished off with a hint of green apple.  Leah instructed us to savor it, and notice how the flavor changes as the ice melts and as we acclimate to the spice.  

Next up were the Devil Eggs.  I love eggs.  I thought these were funny because they’re eggs, with vegan spiced cashew aioli.  I don’t think you’d know it though.  The flavors were all there, and topped with a pickled pepper, smoked paprika and sea salt.  Perfect appetizer.

The eggs were followed by the Aphrodite Hummus Bowl.  What stood out for me in this dish was variety.  There was salty, there was sour, there was sweet.  Creamy, crunchy and tender.  Sliced pickled carrots scattered throughout also added a nice little bite and digestif.  Marinated cauliflower was "piled" atop smooth hummus with tomato, radish, cucumber olive, the aforementioned carrots, covered in a spicy lemon vinaigrette.  Topped with zucchini chips that added a really nice touch (crunch) and facilitated faster hummus consumption.

Street corn is all the rage.  It's trending, at least in Boston.  However, most of the time it’s at a restaurant, I’m assuming the corn is genetically modified, it’s probably burned and carcinogenic and then loaded with cheese that has a spray-like consistency.  

Not the case here.  The corn was perfectly tender.  The nutritional yeast gave all the cheese flavor that was necessary and had a nice smokey aspect.  And there was more aioli, although this time lemon garlic.

The last real dish was  tofu peanut satay.  It was amazing.  And I don’t even really tofu.  The peanut sauce was perfect, and paired really well with the sprouted nut and seed mix.  There was something velvety about the tofu too.  I'm not sure if it was specific to the tofu or the marinade or both.  Along with the peanut-marinated tofu was a sesame ginger vinaigrette, which perfectly balanced the salty-sweet of the tofu.

All of this was followed by a raw cacao truffle.  I ate it before I took a photo.  But honestly, it looked like a regular truffle.  You don't really know how good and smooth and uplifting it is until you eat it.  It was just a simple, truffle made with high quality ingredients so you can't really go wrong.  Mine was dusted in coconut flakes, however I've gotten goji in the past and believe there are other options as well.

Just so you know, I ate everything.  I love all the sprouts and sprouted seed and pickle additions.  "The details are not the details, they're the design." and that's exemplified here.  Everything is so intentional, that it has to be good!  From sourcing local and organic ingredients, to perfectly balancing meals with a great variety of ingredients.  Let me know when you want to go!  They gave me a gift card. :)

An Ode to George

In the wise words of Ronald Reagan, who my grandfather once told me was the best president the country ever had, "each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation." We have been left quite a broad set of shoulders to stand on. I hope it's not too cliche to say my grandfather laid a rock solid foundation. He was clear and straight forward with everything he did. He always knew where he was going to dinner, and always knew exactly what he'd have. From what I hear, growing up with him as a father was not always the easiest. He was stern and demanding. Although the stories I'm told about what went on at 20 Green Acres warrant such characteristics. My mom still has a business card that he used to give out that reads "do something wrong, and I'll find out."  While I can't describe him as a father, I know he was the best grandfather I could've asked for. I don't like Patsy Kline, and I don't like the Olive Garden, but somehow those two things combined with my grandfather made for the best memories. His overwhelming love and sense of humor made up our difference in culinary and musical tastes.

Ayn rand tells us, "Achieving life is not the equivalent of avoiding death." I think we can all agree everyone is here today because the fountain of youth is yet to be found, and death was no longer avoided. But we can also agree that my grandfather could not have achieved any more life in the 87 years he was here. What I'm trying to say is, in those 87 years, he managed to fit nearly 120. That is plenty of time for numerous valuable lessons to be learned, and passed on. My grandfather taught as all the masters before him have: by example. I can recall a story that tells a lot about his character and nature. One of the most important lessons he taught me was to never accept an answer you don't like, if you can help it.

When I was younger, spending hot summer days driving around from job site to quarry to job site was common. One specific day still sticks with me. Partly because as a 6 year old, I jumped on the opportunity to re tell the obscenity laden story. One staple that was almost always guaranteed in my grandparents fridge was Dad's Root Beer. It was cheap at Costco, when bought by the pallet as my grandfather often did. Somewhere between my indulgence and the prospective job site, nature called. Over the blasting air conditioning, 1080am and the radio I asked

"Grandpa can we stop I have to go to the bathroom?"
"Whadda ya mean. You gotta piss?"
At times he had a knack for asking the obvious. We pull in to this gas station in watertown, We walk inside, I ask where their bathroom is.
"Sorry we don't have a bathroom"
"Whadda ya mean you don't have a bathroom? You don't go to the bathroom?"
"Well we don't have a public bathroom"
"Let the god damn kid use the fucking bathroom or he's going to piss on the damn floor."

Not a moment sooner was I in the bathroom that also doubled as a janitors closet. No bathroom was not an acceptable answer, and he did what he had to do to get an acceptable answer. In fact today I'm putting this lesson to use. Initially I was told I wouldn't be allowed to speak here today, yet here I am.

"Safety first" was not only O&Gs motto, but my grandfathers as well. I remember getting in his blue Lincoln town car held together with duct tape. "buckle up for safety buckle up!" he would sing. If a preemptive jingle didn't do the job, some forceful words after the fact would suffice. On another similar summer day a few years later, my grandfather and I were heading north on rte 8 in the signature, now red, town car. We came upon a company car, a suburban, traveling in the right lane. All of a sudden we began to speed up. Faster and faster and faster. We must've hit 70! So he gets up close on their tail, starts flashing his lights and honking his horn. The suburban pulls over, along with us behind it. The driver gets out, approaches the town car, bending over towards the open window

"Is there a problem, Mr. Oneglia?"
"Is there a problem? Do you know how fast you were going?"
"Oh yes, 65, not more than 70"
"That's right! And do you know what 65 is? That's the speed limit. You shouldn't be going any faster than 5 miles an hour below the limit."
The driver apologized and said he'd keep that in mind. We followed the suburban until it turned into the yard. While this does seem absurd, he was only looking out for every one. Safety of the people, of the car. He knew that efficiency for efficiencys sake was not worthwhile.

Many of you may not know, but my grandfather was a religious man. In any adversity, he would call to the lord for help with various combinations of three syllables. For example, once I got my license, and he allowed me the rare opportunity to drive, he frequently hollered "Jesus christ, you got a heavy foot!" then we would arrive wherever we were going. "but grandpa, the sign says no parking," "Christ almighty park here goddamn it!"

I'm going to miss surprise trips to the Venetian, reminders to only buy stocks that pay dividends, going to get gas when his car had only 3/4 of a tank and his swearing. In fact I already do. But what i miss the most is his presence. As recently as last Monday we went for a drive around town. It was a short drive, and we spoke very little. But we didn't have to. It was enough to be in his same red car, driving the same streets as when I was 6. While in those 16 years both of us had changed, the time we spent together did not. We had just as much fun. Maybe even more because he didn't notice as frequently when I got close or even at times exceeded the speed limit. Grandpa, I love you and miss you and want to thank you for everything you did for our family. 

Grain-Free Vegetable Lasagna

So this is an older recipe, kind of.  It’s one Matthew Kenney made up one night for dinner.  While I’ve made it several times, I haven’t recently.  But I did at one point document some of the production and thought I might as well share it with you, because it is good!  The last time I made this actually was for a small dinner party.

Here's the secret.  It's a lasagna, but the pasta is slices of butternut squash!  The layers include king oyster mushrooms, pistachio pesto, manchego.  The greens initially were broccoli rabe, but I later switched to broccolini.

Pasta:

Slices butternut squash into rectangles, about 1/4" thick.  At the time, they were coated in olive oil, however today, I'd use ghee.  Bake them in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.  Until they're soft, but not mushy.  Finish with salt and black pepper.

Broccolini:

You know, adjust your quantities to how many your serving.  I'm just giving you a basic run down so you can create your own version.  I blanched it, then dressed it in a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Pesto:

Simple pesto.  I Cuisinarted basil, pistachios, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt until I got something that tasted good and had a nice consistency.

Mushrooms:

I sliced them in half, and marinated them in sesame oil, salt and a little lemon juice.  Then sautéed them to soften them up.

Once you have all the individual layers, assemble!  I also added a little manchego to the layering.  It keeps pretty well.  Usually I would leave them like this, and then Matthew would bake them when he was ready.  I'm guessing 350 for like 20-25 minutes or something like that.

I'm a big fan of this dish.  It's a great option for anyone wanting maintain a strong plant based diet.  It tastes great even for those who aren't!

Tatte Bakery: A Review

Any of you Bostoners remember Cafe Vanille?  I still can’t believe they closed.  There croissants were great!  I never got anything else, other than water.  But they were always busy, and had 2 locations!  And the ew tenant, is the same kind of thing, a bakery.  I never heard of Tatte until they moved in on Charles.  Over the years, I’ve been a few times.  The croissants are decent but I got the impression they used shitty ingredients.  Hood milk and Domino sugar could be spotted behind the counter.  So I never really went unless someone else wanted to.  I don’t get it, the place looks nice, is in a great area and has strong branding.  Why not use better ingredients?

I found myself there for breakfast with a friend the other day, and ordered my first entree.  I thought I’d give it a shot.  Shakshuka sounded good, and I’d never had it before.  It’s pretty much poached eggs in tomato sauce.  It tasted great.  But I’m still skeptical about the ingredients.  It was served with Challah that looked like hydrogenated-oil filled Texas toast.  I’m just imagining someone in the kitchen making this with eggs from paper-thin shells.  Am I being too critical?

The place isn’t cheap, it’s popular and they taught themselves as “upscale,” why aren’t they providingg better quality food?  And here’s the kicker, Tatte’s majority shareholder is Panera!

“Panera Bread has made an investment in Tatte Bakery & Cafe, a five-unit, upscale bakery-café concept offering breakfast and lunch in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline, Massachusetts. Tatte appeals to high-end consumers with its artisanal pastries, homemade breads, salads and sandwiches.  We believe that this bakery-cafe concept has unique growth potential in markets that are complementary to Panera and want to help support that growth. Tatte will continue to operate as an independent company under its founder’s leadership, with access to select Panera resources.”

— Statement from Panera, February 2016

Ron, I urge you to give taste access to your better quality distributors!  Ron Shaich is a Boston local.  He’s the founder of Au Bon Pain and Panera, and currently the CEO of Panera Breads.  He’s into food.  He’s behind Panera improving the quality of their food.

The Time I Made Grilled Cheese and Took 106 Photos of It

Comfort food is always the right answer, most of the time.  Especially when it includes cheese.  I make grilled cheese all the time.  It’s quick, it’s easy, and depending on what you do it can be medicinal.  That’s right, Medicinal Grilled Cheese.  If you use a good sourdough, with a good pesto and maybe some mustard.  You’re getting good fat, among other things, from cheese.  Some strong flavors from the mustard and pesto.  Potentially protein from the bread.  Sourdough is a fermented food, so I give it some leeway.

Except last night.  It was like 10:00pm and I was hungry.  I had gotten stuff to make cauliflower pizza, which has never worked great for me.  It’s been good and I always eat it, but it’s never been a crust substitute.  Then yesterday, I saw someone shared a video on Facebook of making grilled cheese with cauliflower bread.  So I had to do it.  I googled and found a recipe HERE.  And it worked out great.  I guarantee I will make it again.  Soon.

You’ll need:

Crust:

1 bag of organic frozen riced cauliflower

1/2 cup grass fed buffalo mozzarella

1 egg

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

Grilled Cheese:

1 tsp ghee

2 slices “bread”

a bunch of cheddar cheese.  I used to much

You'll need to:

So we can break this into 3 major steps

1. Cauliflower Prep
   1. Preheat the oven to 450F.  
   2. Thaw the cauliflower.  I don’t like shocking it.  In a pan with a little ghee, warm up the cauliflower on medium heat.  You just want to evaporate some of the water.  I kept stirring it around for like 8 minutes and then just turned the stove off and let it cool.  
   3. When it’s cool to the touch, put it in a cloth, wringing it tight.  Get all the water out. I squeezed out at least a cup of water.  I could've gotten more with a better cloth I think.  The drier the better
2. Make the Bread
   1. Mix the dried riced cauliflower with a beaten egg, shredded cheese, microplaned garlic, salt and some pepper.
   2. Form into 4 slices on a lined baking sheet.  Mine were about 1/4” thick.  Bake for 16-17 minutes.  I took mine out at 16 but I think they could’ve gone a tad longer.  Let them cool to the touch.
3. Grill the Cheese
   1. Butter up the outside of each slice with ghee.  As you can see, the down side was much browner than the upside after baking.  I made 2 grilled cheeses.  One with the brown-out, the other yellow-out.  My recommendation is yellow-out.  It was a more even cook and held together much butter.  I mean better.
   2. Assemble
   3. Grill on high-medium-high.  I flipped each one twice.  The brown-out grilled cheese went on a little bit before the other, but they came off at the same time.  As you can see, it has taken on a new form.  I think there was too much cheese, too.  I cut the fat before I ate it.

At the end of the day, I’d say this was a positive experience.  Everything held together well.  Felt good after eating it.  All grass fed cheeses and ghee, pastured eggs and cauliflower.  Not too bad.  Don’t forget, dry the cauliflower rice as much as you can.

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.  

Breguet: Keeping Us On Time Since 1775

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  I think that must be Breguet’s motto.  People say all the time, “all you need for success is consistency.”  Well, Breguet has been consistent since 1775, when it was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet.  It’s one of the oldest watchmakers still around, and also happens to the first company to make a wristwatch!  It’s currently a Swatch company.

You know how they say behind every great man is a great woman?  Well, Abraham owes his business to his wife.  He funded it through her dowery!  The story goes, that it was an instant success.  Next think you know, Marie Antoinette and Lots XIV are placing orders.

Case in 18k white gold with delicately fluted caseband. Sapphire-crystal caseback. 40mm diameter. Welded lugs with screw bars. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30m).
Dial in “Grand Feu” enamel. Signed Breguet. Hours chapter with Arabic Breguet numerals. Small seconds offset at 5 o’clock. Breguet open-tipped hands in blued steel.
Self-winding movement, Cal. 502.3SD. Numbered and signed Breguet. Extra-thin (2.4mm). 12 lignes. 35 jewels. 45-hour power reserve. Inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon pallets. Balance spring in silicon. Balance frequency 3Hz. Adjusted in 6 positions.
Alligator leather strap with gold pin buckle.

BioBiscotti or, Biodynamic Biscotti

This is the first and only time I’ve ever made biscotti.  Naturally, I wanted to use the highest quality ingredients.  At the time, I was able to find Isis Biodynamic Stone Ground Wheat Flour at Whole Foods, but no more.  I also used biodynamic can sugar.  The ghee isn’t certified, but I believe that it comes from a farm that follows most of the practices.  

I didn’t know this, the trick to biscotti is the double baking.  That’s what makes it super crunchy.  I’m not usually a biscotti fan, in fact before having this one I was never a biscotti fan.  But my boss at the time wanted biscotti, so he got it.  And so did I.  And it was good.  Happy baking!

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups biodynamic wheat flour

1 1/2 cups pistachios

1 cup biodynamic sugar

1/2 cup biodynamic ghee

3 eggs (Apricot Lane Farms) 

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Turn pistachios into pistachios bits.  I was joking with the mandolin, I just chopped.
3. In a stand mixer, cream butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
4. Mix in dry ingredients to form a thick dough, then fold in pistachios.  Split in half and form to flattish loaves on the baking sheet.
5. Bake fro 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove the biscotti and let it cool to the touch.  Cut into strips, separate and place the biscotti back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
7. Voila!

ATCQ - Excursions

I always attributed the Tribe with coining the term "Fake News" but apparently what they're really saying is "fake moves"

I think it makes just as much sense:

If you fake moves (Fake News), don't fix your mouth to word it
Get in the zone of positivity, not negativity
Cos we gotta strive for longevity

Why I'm DuckDuckGone

To put it simply, I don’t have problems.  My biggest “problems” right now are:

1. I don’t have my own plane.
2. I have to mail-order many of the health-food products I want
3. I’m using DuckDuckGo instead of Google.

Here, I will tackle number 3, right in front of your very eyes.  If you’re not familiar with DuckDuckGo, it’s a search engine.  The advantage is, that they don’t track you.  But as a search engine, it sucks.  I thought I’d try something new, and set DuckDuckGo as my default search engine.  I was even going to write a post recommending it.  But I didn’t give it enough time.  I find myself now typing in google.com and then searching and comparing the results.  No more.  I’m switching back to Google.

I don’t like the idea that Google has so much information about me.  Probably more than I’m consciously aware of.  But boy do they know how to bring me that for which I’m searching.  Trying not to end my sentences in prepositions.  Run-ons, I don’t care.  I don’t really believe in privacy though, with remote viewing and all.  There’s no reason not to be yourself or be afraid of being yourself.  Although, I will not even begin to tell you the lengths I go to, to protect my privacy.  I try as hard as I can, but I know that if I’m putting myself out there, there’s no guarantee.  Plus I post mad shit on the internet anyway.  As much as I believe in being myself, I wouldn’t do anything on the internet that I wouldn’t want everyone to know.

Anyway, if you’ve got a search engine recommendation, drop it in the comments!

Range Rover Sentinel "Beauty. Even when things get ugly"

Maybe you saw my previous post about the MacNeillie Discreetly Armoured Range Rover.  The short of it is, it's a Classic Range Rover, and it's armored.  Best of both worlds.  But where there's give, there's take.  While it's probably not too hackable, it probably won't protect you from much modern weaponry.  They should've made the whole thing into a faraday cage, but 20/20 hindsight.

If you find yourself wanting protection from more advanced threats, don't worry.  There's the Range Rover Sentinel, produced by the Special Vehicle Operations division of Land Rover.  This baby can hold its own against armor piercing incendiary targets and grenade explosions from all sides.  The gas tank is sealed, the tires are run-flat and it has a secret exit incase the doors are blocked.  It's loaded with 2 batteries, but that's really not a big deal.  There's also a fire suppression system in the cabin and engine compartment.

But to the unsuspecting eye, this looks like your basic Autobiography.  It'll run you a little more at $450,000.  But you get more than just a car.  The price also includes a driving course.  Land Rover says it's not offered in the United States, but I'll bet you there are a couple around.

What's Going On This Weekend

Some Cool things to do this weekend.  Maybe I'll see you there!  I don't know what I'm doing yet.

Broga-Yoga for Brewery Bros. Sunday, April 2, 10:45-12:00pm

It’s just want it sounds like, yoga for dudes at a brewery followed by a beer and some socializing.  Must be 21, must preregister, $30, includes beer.

Grand Wine Tasting at the Boston Public Market Sunday, April 2, 12:00-1:30pm or 1:30-3:00pm

A collaboration between the Trustees, Boston Public Market, The Kitchen and The Massachusetts Wine Shop, offer 10+ wines from Massachusetts vineyards.  $10 general entree, $5 for Trustee members.

15th Annual Taste of South Boston Sunday, April 2, 6:00-9:00pm

A sampling of local restaurants and cocktails supporting The South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation.  $70 per person in advance, limited tickets available at the door for $75.  Located in the Plaza Ballroom at the Seaport Hotel

Shaolin Warriors, Kung Fu Kings Saturday, April 1, 8:00pm

Maybe it’s cool, maybe it’s a joke.  I want to go and find out.

Girls Who Code Club Saturday, April 1, 10:00am

Open to girls in 6-12th grade who are interested in computer science.  Registration required, but it’s free.

Starting your own seeds for a pollinator garden Saturday, April 1, 2017, 10:30-12:00pm

Michelle de Lima of the Trustees of Reservations will conduct a workshop on starting your own seeds for a pollinator garden. Attract bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators to your garden. Come a bit early for some light refreshments. Space is limited. Please RSVP at 617-782-6705 or at the Circulation Desk or by emailing dkeller@bpl.org.

Where

Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library

419 Faneuil Street

Brighton, MA 02135

and it’s free!

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!