My Weekend Food Porn: Boston, MA

Ahhhhhh Boston...how I love thee. I’ve only been a few times and it’s never been for long enough. It’s one of those places I go to and think, “I could totally live here!”. Thankfully the food scene does not disappoint. I have to been honest in that I’ve only gone for weekends at a time so I have a lot more Boston eating to do. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to comment for my next visit!

I was there this past weekend visiting a friend. For my first meal I wanted nothing more than fresh, raw oysters and lots’o chowder. She took me to our first stop...The Barking Crab. They’re sadly doing construction around the restaurant which makes it difficult to get to...but that didn’t stop us. I ordered both the oysters and a bowl of clam chowder. Outstanding. The chowder was the best I’ve ever had and that says a lot. What really made it was the Crab on Fire hot sauce they serve. A little drizzle of that fiery goodness set off the entire dish. Get the chowder. Bonus: This place also serves lobsters and crabs the size of a couch so it’s basically a seafood lovers dream come true. After The Barking Crab we went to a place called Pour House...this is where the drinking up began...

The next day for brunch we wanted copious amounts of food and bloody marys (due in part to our visit to Pour House). Another friend suggested The Living Room. This place was fabulous. There was a dining room but they have a huge lounge with couches and low tables...like a living room! It was so cozy. There was even a fireplace. For sports fans...TV’s galore. They have an amazing cocktail list and the food looked even better. We proceeded to order the following...

Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Basic but good. 

Buffalo Chicken Dumplings: Fantastic. Order them.

A Dozen Oysters: Very fresh and only $1 each!

A few of my friends got the Chicken and Waffles: The fried chicken was pretty amazing. Cooked perfectly and full of flavor. 

I ordered the Breakfast Flatbread: It was huge! Topped with cheese, eggs, Chorizo (I think this was just regular sausage:-() and arugula. It was tasty but I would suggest sharing as an appetizer and it’s quite filling.

Side note: They do 35 cent wings during football football games. Score.

I didn’t think we’d be hungry after our massive brunch but surprise! We made room. Off to Sweet Cheeks we go...Sweet Cheeks is a Texas BBQ joint by Chef Tiffany Faison. It’s good. Like really freaking good. Big portions and even bigger flavors. The biscuits with honey butter are a MUST! And the pork belly is melt in your mouth. The broccoli casserole...oh the cheesy deliciousness. Do NOT do what we did and go after a big brunch. Bad idea. Drink green juice all day and prepare your belly and body for a gut busting meal. Definitely plan to hit the gym the next day. It’ll all be worth it. 

Thank you Boston!

The Barking Crab Chowda with Crab on Fire hot sauce. YUM. 

Crispy Chicken and Waffles from The Living Room.

My cheesy, yet somewhat fresh (thank you arugula) Breakfast Flatbread. 

Homemade Biscuits with HONEY BUTTER!!!

Our tender Pork Belly Tray with pickles, onions, mac and cheese and Sweet Cheeks signature broccoli casserole. 

EAT UP!

Start your day with Super Foods!

I have never been a big fan of green powder. I’ve tried many brands and they always taste like grass (and I love green juice), they can be expensive and often times the powder can have other not-so-great stuff mixed in. You always have to read those labels.

If you’re going to use a green powder, make sure of the following...

1.) It’s organic and non GMO

2.) It’s vegan (there’s no reason for a green powder to have animal products)

3.) It’s raw (again, no reason for it not to be...)

It short, all natural green goodness.

I recently found the mother of all green powders - Amazing Grass Green Superfood. It’s literally amazing. It not only has all of aforementioned qualities but also tastes not horrible and can be purchased on Amazon for only $20. I have to say, I would not recommend mixing with just water. The taste is still pretty off-putting. It is however quite tasty when mixed with juice and even better when in a smoothie. I now put one scoop every morning in my fruit & veggie smoothies. It’s these healthy little tricks that allow me to balance those big dinners out...:-) Drink up!

One of our Best Dining Experiences of 2014...thus far...

In celebration of my 2nd 30th birthday (;-)...we decided to finally try Locanda Verde. Locanda is a New York institution located in Tribeca. It’s been on my list for years. Locanda Chef and co-owner, Andrew Carmellini, is known for his modern, seasonal take on Italian cuisine. The menu is fabulous and we were lucky enough to dine while their epic Trufflepalooza menu was still available. Score.

When we arrived with our friends, we were warmly welcomed. The vibe is very downtown. Lively and fun. I loved it immediately. We reviewed our menus over a refreshing glass of bubbly only to become more and more confused with what to order. Everything on the menu sounded fantastic. We opted to order the following to start...

House Focaccia Bread (this is complimentary): Amazing. It’s so buttery and cheesy. It literally (and oddly) tasted like a white cheddar cheez-it. And believe me, that was a good thing.

Sheep’s Milk Ricotta: The ricotta was beyond fresh. So creamy and the bread was perfect. 

We then ordered a round of appetizers. I had the Burrata and Ryan decided on the Mussels. Both were  very good. We continued to devour the following entrees (I would like to preface, there were 4 of us...) - Truffle Ravioli, Pumpkin Tortelli, Truffle Polenta, The Tuscan Pork Platter and Prosciutto Wrapped Trout. Aren’t you hungry just reading this!?! My favorite dish of the night was the Truffle Ravioli. The Ravioli Uvo I believe they called it. The ravioli was covered in truffles and filled with cheesy, runny eggs. The dish was just divine...rich, but divine. 

For dessert we enjoyed the Almond Torte and Pumpkin Semi-Freddo as well as a tasty sundae they brought out with a candle. Very sweet. The perfect ending to our meal. 

To top off the epic meal, I have to add how amazing the service was. Everyone was just darling and so hospitable. So much so that the entire evening combined was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had this year. Go.

Make reservations and enjoy!

The beginning of a lovely evening...Cheers!

Our decadent Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with crusty, buttery bread. Delish.

Trufflepalooza was back! Truffle Ravioli filled with fresh, runny eggs...OMG.

My Pumpkin Tortelli. Very fall. Very yummy.

More truffles! Polenta with pork sausage. Heavenly.

Happy birthday to me!!!