Don’t mind if do. 

When the boys laid eyes on the menu they actually got giddy. I’ve never seen anything like it! These boys are not foodies, just regular guys that like burgers and steak and burritos and stuff. I love when people get excited about food, so I was thoroughly entertained by the conversion that ensued…

“Dude we are SO getting hush puppies”
“Wait, they have buckets? YES”
“I’m getting the pulled pork, but wanna split the cheese fries, maybe as an app or something?”
“Are you taking pictures of your beer?”

And if it doesn’t go without saying, yes I want to split cheese fries. Personally I would have ordered the Chili Cheese Fries, Hell Fries or Poutine, but I was clearly outnumbered. The fries turned out great, not too soggy and quite a large portion for $4.95.

As for the hush puppies, I thought they were pretty dry, but the boys liked them. I just liked seeing hush puppies on the menu, they don’t get enough love in this city!

This massive pulled pork sandwich was being offered as a special that night. It was  messy, overflowing, impossible to pick up and eat–everything one could ask for in a pulled pork sammy.

My favorite item of the night was the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with cheddar cheese, which was also a special that night. The chicken was juicy, crispy, and overall pretty nomtastic.

So yea, hit up All Star Sandwich bar any time you’re trying to impress a boy, it’s guaranteed to make you look like a down ass bitch, or the best guy friend ever.

1245 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02139

Does your pizza come sizzling out of the oven topped with shiitake mushrooms, potato cream, sweet onion, gruyere, parmesan, white truffle oil and scallions? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Viva la Za!

Za
350 Third St.
Cambridge, MA
617-452-9292

Church of Boston will be hosting the first annual Chili Cook-off in Fenway this Saturday. Come watch your fave spots duke it out for the title of Chili Champ and spend some quality time with me while I help decide who’s got the best slow cooked beef. Tickets are only $8 and you can still get yours here, so don’t wait because their going fast. And if you’re not already salivating on your key board as you scurry to type in your credit card info, just peep the line-up…. Tasty Burger vs. Thornton’s Grill vs. Citizen’s Public House vs. Jerry Remy’s vs. Church vs. Sweet Caroline’s vs. Sweet Cheeks vs. Fenway Park

At the time, I knew nothing about Persian food, and I still don’t know a TON, but if you know the meaning of at least one word in the name Sabzi Chelow Kabab, you’re already half way there. Chelow Kabab is the National food of Iran; It’s essentially a skewered kabab grilled over an open flame served with steamed rice, most commonly steamed basmati saffroned rice. Sign me up!

After a short ride on the red line, followed by another short ride on the 77 bus, we arrived at the adorably small and uniquely decorated Sabzi. It was nice to see familiar faces (Rachel, Kathy and Daisy) as well as one new one (Kevin). We all sat down and started sipping Rioja as we let the owner Cyrus do the ordering for us.

Starting with a few aps like the Salad Shirazi - a simple mix of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and mint tossed in fresh lime juice and olive oil. Like the bruschetta of the Middle East, it was light and full of refreshing flavor. Drizzle it with a little Mast-O-Musir (a Persian yogurt sauce mixed with shallots) and enjoy.

Next up was the Ash-e Reshteh, another popular dish created with traditional Persian flavors, it’s a noodle soup served with spinach, kidney beans, and lots’ o herbs like chives, scallions, and dill weed. On top you’ll find kashk aka whey. So not your mom’s traditional chicken noodle soup — unless you’re mom’s Iranian or course — the noodles (Reshteh) are long and slippery, similar to Udon and it’s made to be eaten as more of a dip. Served with hot pita, it was a total delight. As was the Kashk-e Bademjan, a sautéed eggplant spread with caramelized onions and kashk. If you know the pronunciation of either of these dishes, please don’t hesitate to advise. I have a feeling I’ll be verbally praising and butchering these two words simultaneously, shaming my name amongst Persian friends forever.

Oh man, the next one’s a doozy. Rounding out the last of the appetizers, behold the Seer Torshi…

Gorgeous, I know. I adore her. I adore garlic period, but this was just beyond my comprehension. Whoever thought of pickling garlic, soaking it in balsamic, and serving it whole … marry me? I felt like angels started to cry when I was the first to break into her. Thank god I have this photo to remind me of her beauty, which I can’t help but stare at for more than twenty seconds every time it comes into my line of vision. Perfect for smashing into warm pita, my dream world involves me on a beach surrounded by Seer Torshi. What, yours doesn’t?

Now we move into the entrée’s, the real Chelow Kabab, the star of the supper. We ended up trying a slew of combo platters that included steamed saffroned basmati rice with a variety of skewered meats and veggies. Each platter came accompanied by sides of tangy pickled cabbage and tender roasted tomatoes.

 Above is my favorite, the Kabab-e Jujeh, a skewer of saffron and citrus marinated cornish hen. Earlier on we’d asked our server Angelica what the best dish was and without hesitation she’d replied ”cornish hen, definitely.” I would have to 100% agree with that statement. So tender and juicy, we ate it right off the bone. If they want to start hosting buffalo cornish hen drumstick nights I’m totally there.

Additional skewers included select cuts of meat and ground beef seasoned with sumac, onion and a homemade blend. Grilled over an open flame and cooked to perfection, everything was juicy and tender. Prepared similarly to the hen, the Kebab-e Jujeh Barg included saffron and citrus marinated medallions of chicken breast. Another crowd pleaser was the Sabzi Kabab, a vegetarian friendly skewer stocked with peppers, onions, squash and zucchini.

With just enough room for dessert, we sipped hot tea and indulged in small bites of homemade baklava. Love that sweet, rich, crunchy, flakey goodness YUM! As I left Sabzi, rolling myself out the front door, I felt beyond satisfied and totally elated that I’d ventured out to Arlington for such a great dinner. An entirely different experience from anything I’d tried before, thanks so much to Sabzi for introducing me to the wonderful world of Persian food, the warmth and hospitality was greatly appreciated  

Sabzi
352A Massachusetts Ave.
Arlington, MA
781-753-0150

For anyone who knows what it’s like to party hard on a Friday and wake up on a Saturday morning to find yourself hating everything, you know very well that the idea of waiting for your coffee + water + oj + bloody mary is a terrifying time. The idea of waiting for your food — out of the question. That’s why my weekend brunch always comes with an appetizer.

Basket Full of Baked Goodies

Clearly this wasn’t my first rodeo; I’ve been to the bakery at Area Four plenty of times and know that their pastries are dank. As soon as I saw the words “baked goodies” it was coming out of my mouth as a direct order. Lucky for us, Katie at Area Four makes some of the best baked goods in Kendall. Scratch that, the city. The cranberry and chocolate scone was the first to disappear, followed by coffee bread and a cider-donut muffin soon after. Our entree’s arrived and we were still picking at the pastries.

The Hot Veggie Mess

A skillet stocked with cheddar-cheesy home fries, mushrooms, baby spinach and caramelized onions topped with scallions, pickled banana pepper relish and two sunny side up eggs. If for nothing else, order this dish for the relish, the pickled banana pepper relish. It’s what made it a stand out amidst the other 300 + brunch options I’ve divided and conquered throughout my 6 year stint living in this city. The skillet itself isn’t huge, so you won’t feel like a total disgrace when you devour the whole thing, which you undoubtedly will.

And because I do eat meat, and have had the luxury of trying the A4 homemade brakfast sausage before, there was no way I could make it through the meal without it.

A4 Sausage Patty

Call it a baby pork burger or a sausage patty on steroids, whatever it is, you’ll never look at breakfast sausage the same again.

Brioche French Toast with
Bananas Foster Compote, Candied Nuts and Chantilly Creme Fraiche

Don’t speak, just look and admire. If I wasn’t crazy impatient, and it was closer to Friday, this totally would have been this week’s food porn, but keeping this to myself for another few days would just be selfish. 

And for those of you who veer away from breakfast items and go straight for lunch, there’s a few good options to satisfy your more savory cravings.

Arugula Salad with Cremini Mushrooms, Shaved Fennel, Pecorino, Peppered Almonds and Lemon Vinaigrette

It definitely won’t do your hangover any favors but you’ll tots feel super skinny and pretty after eating it. Fresh, light, and perfect for that New Years resolution you’re sure to be giving up on within the next week or two.

Mac n’ Cheese topped with croissant crumbs

Or within the next minute, which is probably when you’ll start inhaling this. Just Add Cheese already has a boyfriend, even if he doesnt know it, and his name is Cheese Boy. But if things were for to whatever reason to fall apart, she’d totally rebound with this guy. After I finished my veg hot mess, I immediately reached over and stole a few bites of this from my friend and at no point did I feel bad about it.

ANNNND suddenly my current breakfast of granola and strawberries just doesn’t seem as appealing as it did 5 minutes ago. Sigh. Is it Saturday yet?!

Area Four
500 Technology Sq.
Cambridge, MA
617-758-4444

Casa Romero is old school, it’s been going strong for 37 years–which says something for a space located in a back alley with minimal signage. The hidden location makes you forget you’re in the touristy Back Bay and makes for a classic intimate experience. The menu doesn’t change much, so don’t expect any revelations in modern Mexican cuisine, but they do the classics really well. 

Sitting at the bar is great for a quick in-and-out experience, no need for planning or reservations. It’s great because who can plan for a craving of Mexican food? Usually it comes out of nowhere and we, as human beings, are powerless against it. Plus, at the bar you get to hang with the beverage manager, Herman, who is super nice and makes the best margs–that NEVER involve sour mix.

Above we have Sangria, which is made with warm cinnamon flavors, but finished with soda water to lighten it up, the Perfect Margarita, the Mango Margarita, and the Spicy Margarita. Usually I don’t like frozen drinks, but their blender is on steroids, so the frozen drinks are way smoother than others I’ve had, there are no massive chunks of ice that take away from the flavor of the drink.

The appetizers we tried on the last visit were the Chicken Flautas and Chile Relleno, which were both simple and well done. The Chile Relleno is stuffed with cheese only and the outer egg white batter fried layer comes out perfectly crispy. And the cheese is all like “oh hayyy”

I took these pictures of enchiladas back in January 2011 and never used them on JAC. I’m sure the presentation is still very similar, but compared to the photos from my last visit, they have definitely upgraded their plates (which does wonders for food pics).

On the left and the bottom right are the Enchiladas Rellenas de Nopalitos (vegetarian Enchiladas Stuffed with Cactus and topped with a Red Chile Sauce, Marinated Onions and Farmer’s Cheese) which are close to my heart because of the cactus; it’s rare that you see cactus on Boston menus. It tastes like a mix between green peppers and green beans, and makes for a filling meat substitute in an enchilada. On the top right – Enchiladas Poblanas (Enchiladas with Pulled Chicken, Mole Poblano Sauce, Cheese and Mexican Creme Fraiche). This is a much richer option, the mole sauce is dark and chocolaty, to which the creme fraiche offers a nice balance.

Torn between cactus and mole sauce? Of course you are, it happens to me all the time. Until my most recent visit to Casa Romero, I didn’t realize that you can have BOTH in one dish – Medallones de Pollo Rellenos de Nopalitos en Mole Poblano (Chicken Medallions Stuffed with Cactus and Cheese served with a Mole Poblano Sauce, Roasted Chayotes and Plantains). It’s a good size dish that isn’t too heavy on the carbs, perfect to eat before a night out!

Usually when I see ‘Early Bird Special’ I think of a crowded buffet-style restaurant in Central Florida that is packed with seniors pre 5pm, but Casa Romero’s Early Bird Special is a great deal. If you’re out by 7pm, you can enjoy a prix fixe menu for only $21.95 that includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert.

30 Gloucester Street
Boston, MA 02115

Her name is Seer Torshi and you can find her at Sabzi. She’s gorgeous and she knows it, oozing with sophisticated sex appeal, if it’s even possible for a food item to possess such a thing. When it comes to porn, she’d never be caught dead spread across a Playboy mag, she’s more of a scantily clad goddess gracing the pages of a controversial spread in W or Vogue. You can’t help but stare, admiring her elegance and jaw-dropping beauty. You feel guilty breaking off one of her cloves, but pickled garlic soaked in balsamic tastes great spread over a hot piece of pita and you can’t help yourself. A glance and a bite and you’re hooked. Nothing else matters.

Sabzi
352A Massachusetts Ave.
Arlington, MA
781-753-0150

Top Chef vet Tiffani Faison must have gotten the memo from her friends over at Bravo that this year it’s all about Texas. After an unfortunate run at South End’s Rocca, she decided to ditch the fancy food stuff to focus on what she’s best at — home-cooked comfort food inspired by our favorite southern state. Or at least my favorite southern state, that is. Peep my pics below from the lunch I enjoyed there last week, and if you want to know what they are, I guess you’ll just have to click here —> ALL ABOUT Q!

* I also have to thank my waiter Taylor, who totally pointed me in all the right directions when it came time to order and made the overall dining experience that much better. Don’t you just love great service?

Sweet Cheeks Q
1381 Boylston St.
Boston, MA
617-266-1300

Not a bad way to wake up, huh?

Neptune’s Net: Our first food stop brought us to famed fish shack Neptune’s Net where we got our fill of fresh sea food. Located along the PCH highway in Malibu, overlooking the ocean, it’s notorious for being a local favorite to beach bums and celebs alike. The massive crowding and traffic cop signaling cars out front would be indicative of its popularity. Aside from an overwhelmingly long list of restaurant offerings, they also have a full-on fish market where they’ll cook anything you see swimming in the large tanks lining the counter. They’ve also got a beer fridge big enough to rival the one at your liquor store, stocked with all kinds of stuff I never knew existed, like 22 oz Bud Light Limes.While there we noshed on (clockwise from left) shrimp, crab cake sandwich, onion rings, clam chowder, and fish tacos served with avocado, lime and tomato salsa. Of course they claim the clam chowder is World famous New England style, which is apparently the case of every Clam Chowder. Can you remember the last time you saw clam chowder listed somewhere that didn’t claim it was famous? Who’s dishing out these awards anyway? How can every clam chowder be famous and what’s the criteria? I want to know! I’d say it was good, but not famous. I loved the onion rings but probably could have passed on the tacos. We all know Dorado’s has made me a total taco snob and no challenger has fared the same since. In my opinion, the food was definitely satisfying but nothing special. If I learned anything during my lunch there it’s that people are more impressed by the name and come for the great people watching,  it’s certainly not for the quick service or the exceptionally good seafood, but def worth a visit. 

Neptune’s Net
42505 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA
310-457-3095

Veggie Grill: Our next notable food venture brought us to Veggie Grill in Santa Monica. It’s no secret we love veggies. We love them almost as much as we love cheese, and hey, when you’re eating some of the stuff that we do you have to balance it out with some greens if you want to survive. Ya dig?  Craving a light lunch the next afternoon, we made our way over to this vegan oasis. To be frank, the place is amazing. So good even your biggest meat-lovers will enjoy it. I am personally not a fan of fake meat; I’d rather stick to the real stuff. I mean whats the point of not eating meat if you’re just going to eat a somewhat sketchy mediocre tasting version of it — beats me. But, in the case of the Veggie Grill, I loved their protein-rich chillin’ chicken which comes in a number of dishes. Like the Grillin Chickin’ Wrap…Which also included avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro pesto, and chipotle ranch served in a wheat wrap. It also comes on top of the Thai Chickin’ Salad made with romaine, red & green cabbage, roasted corn salsa, green onion, mandarin oranges, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and wontons, with spicy Thai dressing (below).I split both of these dishes with a friend and they were exactly what I’d been looking for – tangy, light, crunchy, fresh and flavorful. It’s the kind of food that will convince even the biggest non-believers that vegetarians are not completely out of their minds. There were even a few of our friends who went back to the Veg Grill a second and third time before the week was over. Yeah, it’s that good.  Additional favorites included the Papa’s Portobello (above), a Grilled portobello mushroom sandwich topped with chopped tomato, basil & garlic pomodoro, caramelized onion, pesto, lettuce, tomato, red onion and chipotle ranch; along with sides of Nachos served with vegan-friendly cheese and Buffalo Tenders made from crunchy Chillin’ chickin’ strips.It was easily one of the best meals I had while eating in LA, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t quite a few of those.

Veggie Grill
2025 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
310-829-1155

Miceli’s: During our touristy morning in Hollyhood Hollywood we decided to dine at one of the areas oldest Italian restaurants — Miceli’s! My friend who is from the area warned me that the place was a little kitschy, but that it was a Hollywood staple that serves some great Italian food.  I’ll admit, we went on a slow day and service was not on point. We were constantly flagging down our server for silverware, water, condiments, you name it; whatever we needed was never on the table. However, there were a  few dishes that held their own. Clockwise from top left, the entrance to Miceli’s followed by Caprese Salad, Rigatoni Della Casa and Mozzarella Marinara. We also decided to try one of their pizzas since apparently they’ve been famous for over 50 years (here we go again with the fame claims). The pizza, however, was not a win. The dough was bland and the sauce underseasoned; I would have to advise against it. Thankfully, the rigatoni was beyond irresistible topped with homemade marinara, romano cheese, and buttah. So rich, so good. YUM.

Miceli’s
1646 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Hollywood, CA
323-466-3438

Crumbs: Just moments before stuffing ourselves at Miceli’s my friend took me by Crumbs Bake Shop. Located on Hollywodd Blvd. amidst all the cemented celebrity handprints and character impersonators, Crumbs is an adorable sweet shop with tons of cupcakes, and I mean TONS. I got a headache just reading all the names – Coconut, Cookies n’ Cream, Carrot, Oreo, Lemon, German Chocolate, Turtle, Vanilla, GAH! Knowing I would be eating an Italian meal in mere moments, there was no way I was committing to eating an entire cupcake bigger than my fist but I decided to dabble in a few bites of the Cookie Dough cupcake. ZOMG so effing good! Definitely one of the better cupcakes I’ve ever tried, putting some of Boston’s best to shame (Sweet, cough; Izzy’s, cough cough; Kick Ass — you stand a chance). The thing was so dense and rich three of us couldn’t even finish it. I wish they came in mini or else there’s absolutely no way to try every flavor without going up at least two dress sizes, ughh.

Crumbs
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323-462-1300

 Geoffrey’s Malibu: A place I’d been meaning to stop by all week, I finally made my way there on our last day. Conveniently enough, it was also the most beautiful day weather-wise. Sitting on a cliff, overlooking clear blue waters, Geoffrey’s Malibu is another restaurant located along the PCH highway. I literally drove by the place at least 4 times a day, wondering what it was like inside and why so so many cars seemed to be parked out front all the time. We originally showed up under the impression we’d just have a drink or two while appreciating the view, but once we looked at the menu we realizing not ordering food was simply not an option.

The Golden Beet Salad (above) was delicious, served with herbed goat cheese, micro greens and a tangerine walnut vinaigrette. We also tried a few other dishes (pictured below) including the Ahi Tuna Tartar with avocado, scallions, ginger, red onions, topped with tobieko caviar and served with wonton crisps; Tahitian Sweet Corn Chowder garnished with fresh lump crab meat and Geoffrey’s Kobe Burger topped with horseradish cheddar cheese, smokey bacon and roasted shallot Aioli.  Everything was excellent, as we’d hoped it would be given the hefty price tag.  The service was impeccable and the view really was spectacular. We sat on the outdoor patio overlooking the beach, pristine white umbrellas scattered about. None of the menu items were out of the ordinary, but every dish they did they did it well, and corn chowder is easily becoming one of my favorite soups this season. I still dream about the one I had at Bondir not too long ago. Sigh.

Geoffrey’s Malibu
27400 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA
310-457-1519

There were also a few other places we ate that are not photographed in this post including Nobu for undeniably exquisite sushi, Howdy’s Taqueria for a quick Mexican fix, Cholada to satisfy our cravings for Thai and then Lares on our last night, deemed the most authentic Mexican in Santa Monica by my more-than-accomodating hosts.  In case you haven’t already guessed, I ate really well on my vacation in Cali. There wasn’t a single meal I wouldn’t eat again, or a restaurant I wouldn’t recommend. Hopefully some of you have been to these places, heard of these places, or plan on going some time in the future. 

Oh, and don’t forget to stop by In & Out before you head back from the west coast. It’s literally right next to the airport. It would be stupid of you not to. 

As if there were words that could do this mini montage justice, these in-your-face, over-indulgent, cheese-drenched dishes come courtesy of the Flying Goose in New London, NH (a place you’ll be hearing more about soon!)  In the meantime, here’s a little taste. Only after looking at the photos from that meal did I realize that the Flying Goose was subconsiously trying to seduce me with it’s excessive use of cheese. I may have been having a great night, but apparently cheese was having an even better one — bubbling over the top of my french onion soup, rounding out the flavors and textures of my uber-rich risotto, uncontrollably oozing over the side of a veggie burger like hot lava and sitting in the middle of a giant pot of chili, if there was ever an ad for clogged arteries this may be it. And while any self respecting human being can’t eat like this on a daily basis, sometimes it just feels good to be bad. Don’t you agree?

FLying Goose Brew Pub
40 Andover Rd.
New London, NH 03257