Location:
81 Charles Street, Boston MA 02114
www.izzyscurlycakes.com
My girlfriends were visiting from Toronto this past weekend. As we toured around Boston and wandered towards Boston Common on Charles St. we came across Curly Cakes. I'd been past it before and have always wanted to visit.
We did.
Gorgeous Little Shop. Gorgeous Little Cakes.
These babies were absolutely delicious. Each one tasting different than the last. We got three different kinds:
Triple Chocolate (Moist buttermilk, chocolate cake with a rich ganache filling, topped with creamy chocolate buttercream and dipped in melted chocolate, dusted with Cocoa PuffTM streusel. $3.95) Yes, THE Cocoa PUFFS!!!
Red Velvet. (A rich Southern Red Velvet Cake that combines classic cocoa and vanilla flavors, topped with velvety cream cheese frosting, dipped in melted white chocolate. $3.95)
Boston Cream - how could you not? (Moist vanilla cake filled with rich vanilla pastry cream, topped
with chocolate buttercream and dipped in dark chocolate. $4.95)
With our lattes and coffees and teas, everything hit the spot. Did I mention it was only lunch time?
TRAVEL: Montreal: Les 3 Brasseurs (3 Brewers )
Location(s):
A. 732 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Montreal
B. 1658, rue Saint-Denis, Montréal
www.les3brasseurs.ca
(All images photohogger)
Let me start with the pros of the restaurant:
Amazing beer-battered poutine. Great atmosphere: loud, bustling, was fun to be there during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Food (pros & cons):
Everything was grease-central (could be a pro for some?). The fish and chips came with overly battered and overly deep fried fish, so much so that the fried shell separates from the fish.
The flatbread pizzas are so thin, which some peopel may prefer, but I say why bother! You practically have to eat the whole thing with a knife and fork which I know some prefer for eating pizza, but I like to pick it up like a pie. Loaded with lots of veggies so it wasn't bad.
My understanding of, and the way I make, a Nicoise salad is with tuna, hard-boiled eggs, beans, tomatoes, olives, optional artichokes, red pepper and anchovies, all on a bed of lettuce. This one came with smoked meat instead of tuna. Since all of us eat mostly only fish, we opted for no smoked meat. It was alright, but would have preferred more of the original style of a nicoise salad.
The beer-battered poutine (that we didn't order) was delish. We ordered regular poutine and thought that what we got was regular poutine, and wondered why it was so greasy. But as far as greasy poutine goes (which it all mostly is, anyway), it was a winner!
The cons of the restaurant:
What is with the section of the restaurant that is also part dish-clearing station/garbage take out? Please get rid of this section! I understand one has to clear the dishes and take out the garbage, but is there not a wall behind which this could be done? We had to sit there and be a witness to a server scraping off the plates into the trash and worse see one of them struggle to pull out the garbage bag from the trash can - minus gloves! Then the trash can fell over with a crash! Not something that you want to see before (or anytime) you get your meal.
Then, we were billed for the beer battered poutine ($8.99) which we ate unknowingly as we thought we'd simply ordered the regular poutine ($5.99). I realize it's only a difference of $3, but it was still the server's mistake which she acknowledged and insisted to correct but the manager then said couldn't be reversed. So our server told us not to tip her instead. How ridiculous is that? Needless to say we DID tip her on top of their mistake. She gave us each $5 gift cards to use back in Toronto. Thanks but you won't see us running over there anytime soon.
Sitting next to the kitchen on visit number two (St. Denis location), we had a clear view of all the cooks in the kitchen, all the orders given, all the plates being served, and all the accidents, such as the dropping of a plate of salad near our end of the table. A hearty dose of salad dressing landed on four of us and what did they do to make up for it? "2 beers on us!" Thanks fellas...we were only a group of fifty! And the group menu they gave us was crap. Four options for dinner included: some flatbread with chicken dish, some sausage and sauerkraut dish, some veg lasagna and some chicken skewer dish with fries. I had the veg lasagna and it was soggy, covered in cheese and tasteless.
Besides that, the restaurant is so cramped (why else would we have been right beside the kitchen?) that our server(s) kept squeezing their ar*** between our two tables to get to another section of the restaurant. This happened all night long and I received several scrapes to my back from their pens! Definitely not a good dining experience.
I don't know who the three brewers are but they need to get their act together. The beer they brew? Not one of them did I fancy...but I'll let Beerhogger review them for you.
Overall, A had slightly better food and service, whilst B is somewhere I never wish to dine again.
One can hope that Toronto's location is better, but I'm not holding my breath.
A.
B.
TRAVEL: Montreal: Nil Bleu
Location:
3706 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC
http://www.nilbleu.ca/
Hands down the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to thus far. But don't ask me, ask my Mom and Mom-in-Law who couldn't stop raving about it. And they know how to cook, if you know what I mean.
The dishes we ordered were:
YETIMATIM SALAD $4.95 (tomatoes, onions, green peppers seasoned with lemon and olive oil dressing)
the VEGETARIAN PLATTER FOR TWO $27.00 (potatoes/cabbage/carrots, lentils, spinach)
and YEASSA TIBBS $14.95 (sole cooked with green peppers ginger).
One thing to note is that the fish came on the same platter as the veggie platter, which may not be good for those who are strictly vegetarian so be sure to make this request when you order!
We also ordered the house wine, which was a Spanish red and quite good.
They gave out damp napkins to wipe our hands with but didn't take them away like one would with hot towels, so we realized we had to keep them, and it made sense later as we ate that it was easier to wipe our fingers with. Be warned that you will leave with turmeric stained fingers nails (even after washing) after dining here, but let me assure you, it's well worth it!
Everything was delicious...and the injera kept coming until we were completely and utterly stuffed.
The exotic decor, which is what I want my home to look like (think animal prints, African sculptures, white leather couches) is beautiful and seems very new.
My hubby who'd eaten at Nil Bleu perhaps 12 years ago didn't remember it looking like this! The fancy bathrooms round up the upgraded look.
The service was a tad slow, but since we weren't in a hurry, it didn't bother us and overall the service was sweet and attentive. Thank you to Chakib & Rahel for making our Moms very happy :)
Great place for dates or groups and has outdoor seating. I've already recommended Nil Bleu to my family and friends who are visiting Montreal next month!
Recipe: Summer Skewers
Here's an easy BBQ recipe for Summer Skewers.
Cut into cubes, desired veggies (like zucchini,eggplant, onions and mushrooms), fruits (like pineapples and/or watermelons). Optional: tofu and/or shrimp (marinated in soy sauce, chilli sauce, black bean sauce)
Skew the cubes onto skewers and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and BBQ.
Enjoy with a nice cold beer (such as London Pride) on a hot summers day.
TRAVEL: Quebec City, Carlo's Pizza
Location:
117, Rte Principale E RR 2, Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham, QC J0X 2W0, 819-456-4545
Not only does Carlo do pizza, and amazingly well (the veggie one we got was chock-full of tasty veggies and not very greasy), he does the best poutine I've ever tasted in Quebec! Mighty squishy curds and a not-too-salty gravy that's just the right consistency. The pan fried tilapia was amazing with the poutine! They don't skimp out on quantity either, check out the amount of cheese on this caesar salad! Now, if only Carlo's was closer....
TRAVEL: Paris: Paul's
Location:
Outside the Louvre.
Paul, the French bakery (since 1889) came highly recommended by our friend A, so when we discovered a kiosk outside the Louvre, we stood right in line!
I must say, eating a chocolate chip baguette and tomato, mozzarella and basil sandwich under the shade of a tree in the Carrousel Gardens was one of the best experiences of the whole trip.
Starbucks 40th Anniversary Deal
Starting today until Saturday, Starbucks will give you a free cake pop or other Petite Pastry if you buy a drink.
TRAVEL: Boston: La Famiglia Giorgio
Location:
112 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113
www.lafamigliagiorgio.com/
There are large portions, and then American super sized portions. La Famiglia super sizes it.
I ain't complaining. I know how to mangi.
The food is tasty, fresh and MASSIVE.
Best bruschetta to date.
If you plan accordingly you can feed your intera grande famiglia here for under $20!
Just kidding.
Not.
Sukhothai
Location:
274 Parliament Street, Toronto
www.sukhothaifood.com
So it's in a shady location, what does it matter when you can get real, authentic Thai food?
Sukhothai, which sounds wonderful when chanted (su-kho-THAI! su-kho-THAI!) as my friend did in anticipation of our visit, is a tiny Thai resto in Corktown.
We got there at a decent hour when most of the tables were free and we could have our pick (so we picked a table for four for two of us), but soon it filled up and there was a massive line-up.
It must be pointed out, that we weren't ever rushed to leave because of the large line. It brought to mind the awful Mildred Pierce in Liberty Village where filling seats was more important than food and service.
It should be pointed out also, that we ordered enough food for six and needed that table for all the dishes!
Since I am pointing things out, I could also point out that I don't like soup, and you would already know this if you're a regular reader of this blog, but if not, I'm telling you that I only partake in soup when a) I am sick b) it's home-made FOR me c) it's the dead of Winter and everyone else is going for soup and I don't have a lunch.
That said, the coconut, chicken soup at Sukothai is to die for. I hate when reviews use words like 'bursting with flavour' but I am at a loss of words to describe it in any other way!
(dish descriptions from Sukhothai website menu)
Tom Kha Gai :
a creamy coconut, chicken soup, overflowing with fresh cut herbs. Galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, coriander, onions and tomatoes. Served with rice (starter portion also available) Coconut soup
We had the starter portion and shared it. Even after trying all the other dishes, we still came back to this one, in awe. It's eye-googling good. I'm coining this the word for when you taste something so good that you look at another person with such incredulity on your face with eyes open wide. Eye-googling. That's how good it is. Something Derek Zoolander would say. Eye-gog-a-ling.
Spring rolls:
Crispy vegetarian rolls with glass noodles, mushrooms, carrots and beansprouts. Served with our home-made, sweet and sour, garlic sauce. Spring Rolls
We pounced on our rolls right away and they were steaming hot. S o much so that we couldn't really taste much after oohing the hot air out of our mouths. Spring Rolls
So the last of the three rolls we left to cool down completely before trying again and then realized it tasted a bit funny. Spoiled or perhaps just a distinct flavour of sourness? Couldn't tell so we left it at that. It didn't ruin the rest of the meal for us that's for bloody sure.
Sukhothai Pad Thai: Our “Sukh’ed up”, Northern Thai version of the Pad Thai is a must to try. You will find a slightly different take on Pad Thai depending on where you are in Thailand. This is a taste of our Chef’s hometown goodness. Extras: made with peanuts, more herbs and a small-town, northern-style, authentic-Thai twist. Sukhothai Pad Thai
Sukhothai Pad Thai
Nyum nyum....didn't blow us out of the water upon first try. At home, as leftovers though, incredible!!
Khao Soi:
Yellow noodles in curry gravy with green onions, coriander and a light, crispy noodle topping. Choice of chicken or beef. A specialty from Northern Thailand, it’s got a lot of texture and even more flavour.
They suggested this would be better with beef, but I don't do beef too much, so chicken it was. We both agreed it was good, but the overpowering curry taste did us in. The crispy noodles on top were perfect with the soft noodles below. I don't like anything to be too gravy-ied so the gravy was a bit much for me. Good with rice as a curry dish, and definitely quite heavy. Great for sharing and as left-overs! Khao Soi
Crispy noodles, Khao Soi
Gaeng Panang:
Panang curry with kaffir lime leaves, basil leaves, red and green pepers and coconut milk. Choice of chicken, beef or tofu and served with rice. Richer than the others and more about the meat. Gaeng Panang: All about the meat, indeed
Gaeng Panang
This was a lovely dish, really fresh ingredients. The kaffir lime leaves - goodness!! Absolutely delightful with rice. I can see this one being a hit with my Moms.
They gave us our dessert on the house. <3!!!
Tapioca with coconut milk:
Tapioca doused in sweet coconut milk. Tapioca with coconut milk
Neither of us are fans of tapioca....especially when it's in bubble tea, but this...was insanely good!
Exceptional service and the dishes are just outstanding!!! If I were to flip a coin between Sukhothai and Flip, Toss and Thai...well, it would have to be a toss-up between these two. Sukhothai might have a bit of a lead because of the actual dining space and ambiance which FTT lacks.
But yes, Sukhothai also has a chili scale..just let 'em know how hot you like it.
Can't wait to go back and take everyone I know with me. Who's in?