Foodie Friday Archives - Page 4 of 6

Foodie Friday: What I Ate (and Drank) This Summer

Over the course of the summer I’ve snapped more than a few dishes (mine and dining companions’) at dinner. While this is by no means representative how I eat every day (my kids will tell you I exist on Greek yogurt, tea, and chocolate), I have had some lovely meals. And even prepared a few too. Some are picturesque enough to share. For more of my life in food, flowers, the beach, kids, and the cat (sorry, I can’t resist), follow StyleCarrot on Instagram.

Tuna tartare with watermelon, Winslow’s Tavern

Pear, apple, hazelnuts, & gorgonzola with mesclun greens
Winslow’s Tavern

Homemade sangria

Cucumber and whitefish hors d’ouevres
at Castle Hill Center for the Arts

Mango margarita, The Juice

Chocolate desserts
at Castle Hill Center for the Arts

Greek pizza, The Juice

Risotto with pancetta & spring peas topped with a fried egg
Ross’ Grill

Grilled filet mignon with baby carrots & haricots verts
Ross’ Grill

Lemon fennel and cucumber salad, Crush Pad

Risotto cakes with tapenade, Crush Pad

Niman Ranch burger with gorgonzola, Crush Pad

Oysters at Castle Hill Center for the Arts

Homemade green salad with local greens

Mango margarita, The Juice

Homemade taco salad

Caesar salad topped with edible flowers, Winslow’s Tavern

Ultimate margarita, Winslow’s Tavern

Winslow’s Tavern

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Foodie Friday: Cape Cod Food Truck Crush Pad

When we were hanging at the bar at Blackfish restaurant in Truro last weekend (a common occurence in summer), co-owner Eric Jansen told us about his newest venture, Crush Pad, a gourmet food truck on Cape Cod, parked at the Truro Vineyards. The dishes are delicious (I’ve been to Crush Pad three times already) and the setting is totally lovely, very park like, with circular picnic tables and Adirondack chairs under big, old trees. The food truck is quite large, with plenty of ovens, burners, and prep space inside, which is good because I suspect they’ll soon be drawing a crowd. In addition to the dishes from the food truck, you can get wine by the glass a few steps away; Truro Vineyards recently got a license to sell individual glasses of wine.

The food truck menu changes daily, though you can get the Niman Ranch burger with goat cheddar or Berkshire bleu cheese and the Kobe beef hot dog anytime (both really yummy; Eric also co-owns Local 186 (check out my blog post from last summer), an upscale burger joint in Ptown). We had the onion strings the first time (never bad), along with tuna sliders with sweet Asian garlic sauce which was totally amazing. The local greens and tomatoes are fresh, as was the cucumber fennel salad. Other items on the menu when we went included fried cauliflower with capers, lemon, and Parmesan, lobster bisque, lobster roll on a brioche, prosciutto soppressata and fresh mozzarella on rustic Italian bread, Arancini (deep-fried risotto balls) with English peas, and eggplant and white bean spread with capers, pine nuts, and raisins. Not bad for a restaurant on wheels.

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Foodie Friday: Chocolate Brunch at The Langham

One of my favorite yearly traditions is gorging myself on the chocolate deliciousness that is the Chocolate Bar at Café Fleuri at The Langham Hotel in Boston. The outrageousness runs Saturdays, September through June, which means you have just three more weekends to indulge. (For Father’s Day, perhaps?) These images are from the most recent display, which I (over)sampled this past September. I also blogged about the experiences (the theme and menu change each year) in 2009 and 2010.

This is the 24^th year of the all-you-can-eat extravaganza, with more than 120 chocolate combinations. The spread features stations with varying levels of chocolate intensity and flavors – from white to dark and plenty in between. There’s a never-ending supply of cupcakes, truffles, brulées, bread pudding, crepes, whoopee pies, all created by Executive Pastry Chef Jed Hackney. There are also rotating items withseasonal ingredients, such as September’s lemon madeline with ivoire cremeax and strawberries, and a caramelized white chocolate torte with banana and sesame. There are nut-free options, and even some vegan ones.

There’s even alcohol. A chocolate cocktail menu features cocoa-infused martinis like the “Chocolate Decadence” with raspberry vodka, dark chocolate Godiva liqueur, and Frangelico, and there’s the “White Coco” with vanilla vodka, dark chocolate Godiva and white crème de cacao with cream. My favorite station, year after year, are the made-to-order crepes. Sinful.

Fleur de sel caramel with dark chocolate cremeax

Orange marmalade varrine

Manjari mousse with creme fraiche and Espelette pepper

Bitter chocolate and cinnamon custard varrine

French almond macaron with dark chocolate buttercream

Izzy, my friend’s daughter, basically in heaven

Peanut brittle

Whoopie pies

Vegan blueberry cobbler

Ice cream sundae bar toppings

Sundae sauces

White chocolate peanut butter bombe

Mint and white chocolate mousse torte

Lemon crunch satine with white chocolate

Le creperie

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Foodie Friday: Flour, Too by Joanne Chang

Pastry chef and Flour Bakery owner Joanne Chang just debuted her second cookbook, Flour, Too (a followup to Flour: A Baker’s Collection of Spectacular Recipes). This time around Chang includes recipes for the cafe’s most popular sweets and savories. I went to the book launch party at Flour’s newest outpost (in my neighborhood!) and sampled all the goodies. Here are my Instagram photos. Now I need to try out the recipes in my own kitchen. I’m hosting a 6th grade graduation brunch for 25 this Sunday, so it’s perfect timing. The problem will be which to choose.

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Foodie Friday: Mother’s Day Lunch by Norman Fine Catering

We don’t really make a big deal out of Mother’s Day, which is fine by me, because it’s actually my birthday too. And, for the record, I do expect some special attention for that. This year my friend Deb invited us to a lovely brunch at our amazing house (she’s an architect who turned a wreck in Davis Square into a simple, contemporary marvel). It was a total treat to spend the early afternoon with friends, not just because the company was engaging the Champagne sublime, but because local chef Norman Fine of Norman Fine Catering cooked the food. I can’t even describe to you how delicious it was. And since I’m not a food writer, I won’t even try. I will just say it was superb. Feast your eyes on my Instagrammies.

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