Review of new tapas menu at Stonehedge Inn & Spa

Before I disappear for a few days (Zach and I are headed to Sunday River for a mini vacation), I wanted to share with you all a review I wrote of Stonehedge Inn & Spa's new tapas menu for my other blog, Live Free or Dine. Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at the new menu at this upscale spot in Tyngsboro, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of food you get for the smaller price tags. The quality of the food was also outstanding.

Upon my return Tuesday morning, expect a recipe for chicken sausage and arugula whole wheat pasta - one of my most recent and new favorite make-at-home dinners.

Until then...have a great weekend!

Chocolate: 5.6% abv

I used to think chocolate with peanut butter was the best combination on planet earth. But I have been proven wrong. Chocolate + beer = the new best combo.

Before I met Zach, I thought beer consisted of Bud Light and Coors. I never thought of sitting down and enjoying a nice glass of beer - why would you waste time sipping what tastes like calorie-infused, carbonated water, with a strong yeast aftertaste? But then, I discovered the phenomenon that is microbrews. Now, Z and I are regulars at Cambridge Common, and I still get funny looks from liquor store attendants when I purchase a 6-pack of 9% abv brews...for myself. So when I started to discover chocolate flavored beers, my world turned upside down again, in a good way. I love the Harpoon and Rogue's chocolate stouts, but sometimes, they can be a bit too sweet for me, and I consider them "dessert only" beers. Luckily for me, Watch City Brewing Co. in Waltham has recently released their Chocolate Thunder Porter - a darker, yet still slightly sweet chocolate brew with 5.6% abv.

The geniuses at Watch City base their chocolate beer on the style of an American Robust Porter, and add 50 pounds of TAZA Chocolate (70% cocoa), made right in Somerville, to the recipe. The end result is a smooth ale with a subtle hint of cocoa flavor. I could easily sip this beer while eating a burger, or a brownie. For a chocolate beer, it is pretty versatile.

Are you a fan of chocolate beer? Why or why not? 

Honoring my Irish heritage at Keltic Krust Bakery

Growing up, my mother made sure we knew that we were Irish (although her side of the family was mostly Scottish – my father’s side had most of the Irishness). On Sundays, our New Hampshire cape would be warm with the aromas of pot roast and potatoes baking in the oven, while the sound of the hyperactive cabbage boiled on the stovetop. During most work weeks, a household favorite was also shepherd’s pie – made with instant mashed potatoes, scrambled hamburger, and creamstyle corn from a can. The pot roast wasn’t glamorous, either – it took me years to realize pot roast did not have to be chewed 25 times in order to swallow it safely. And I have still yet to meet a boiled cabbage that I like.

But, I have to give the woman credit for her cooking – my mother did raise four children (one who is mentally disabled – and no, I’m not talking about myself), and she always worked. We were a middle class, Irish and Scottish family in New Hampshire – so what if our staple Irish meals tasted like we were on welfare?

Regardless of the Irish dinners I ate growing up, I have grown to love and cherish my Irish and Scottish heritage, mostly thanks to my mother. So when I stumbled upon Keltic Krust Bakery in West Newton last weekend, I instantly fell in love. Perfectly risen loaves of Irish soda bread, crusty scones, and airy Eccles cakes lined the bakery shelves like hard-to-resist gems. Just walking in there made me feel proud to be an Irish fatty.

For breakfast that morning, I opted for an Eccles cake (a classic British puff pastry tea cake filled with raisins), and a decadent hot cross bun. The Eccles cake was perfectly light and airy, with the moist center and crispy sugary coating that I now crave just about every morning. Keltic Krust also didn’t overdo it on the raisins, which made this cake that much more enjoyable (and less chewy). 

The hot cross bun was downright traditional, but also very tasty. The dough was well spiced, and had just enough raisins to give it flavor and texture, but allowed the dough to be the star of this baked good. The icing on top was also thick and sweet, which complemented the almost-savory bun perfectly.

To wash it all down, I ordered a large iced coffee. The coffee, of course, was nothing special, but it was strong and brewed well – no sign of being watered down at all.

I’m already craving my next visit to Keltic Krust – there is so much left for me to gorge on. My only gripes: The décor and atmosphere were disappointing and bland, and I was confused by the gluten-free, vegan breakfast bars. Great item, but weird to have at an Irish bakery, in my opinion. 

Best deal this week: $18 for three courses in Dorchester

I spent the weekend snowboarding, celebrating, and dominating badminton with some of my favorite people, but amidst all of the fun, I never went grocery shopping. Now I am left choking down a vegetarian hickory smoked turkey sandwich on stale wheat bread, with one-day-too-old avocado. Blech.

Because of the sad, waste of a lunch I'm eating right now, this deal in Dorchester is causing me to salivate more than it probably should. Plus, eating my way through a different region of Italy every Wednesday for $18 would be great practice for my upcoming trip. Tavolo in Dorchester is where this deal exists, and it happens at 6:30 p.m. every week.

 Chef/Owner Chris Douglass and Chef Maxwell Thompson present guests with a 3 course Italian meal of regional specialties (pasta is, of course, a major component). However, be warned: There is only one seating every Wednesday, so reservations are mandatory.

Meals on wheels: The inevitable Dunkin' Donuts

Many people believe the life of a food writer is glamorous. Eating exotic meals at high end restaurants, meeting some of the most esteemed chefs, getting to eat and write about the whole experience for a living. However, the reality is more about having to eat at three restaurants in one evening in order to meet a deadline, praying on a weekly basis that you dodge food poisoning from that sketchy new pub you had to review, and eating non work-related meals in the car because you work at least one to two other jobs. But if you love it - if you live for the luxury of being able to indulge in food (whether good or downright bad) and tell everyone about it in writing - then every chomp, gulp, and trip to the ER is worth it.

So where the hell am I going with this? Case in point: I ate breakfast in my car this morning, and opted for one of the many fast food joints that completely deface what food is meant to be (and taste like): Dunkin' Donuts. I'll admit, I have beef with this place - I worked for a number of years at a Honey Dew Donuts, and immediately discovered how low quality DD's food and coffee are. But the pink and orange king is on every goddamn street corner - some mornings, I just can't avoid it. And this morning, I have to admit I was happy I couldn't.

I really had no interest in trying one of Dunkin's flatbread egg sandwiches, but my roommate and Zach have given them rave reviews - so I caved. I ordered the egg white veggie flatbread, and although it looked like it was ridden over by a Mack truck, the taste was surprisingly vivacious on the tongue - with a subtle kick to it.

The neon orange cheddar cheese was even perfectly melted, and I didn't even mind the microwaved, fluffy eggs and bland flatbread. I found myself (gasp!) enjoying a Dunkin's sandwich. The coffee, however, still tasted like water with cream and sugar; but I'll let that one go for today.

Are you a fan of Dunkin' Donuts? Why or why not?

Spicy black bean & corn quesadillas

I think I have a weird obsession with quesadillas. I make different variations at home all the time, and, sadly, I order them way too often at restaurants (and not just Mexican restaurants). Quesadillas are just so versatile, tasty, and chocked full of one of my favorite things: cheese.

So, the other night, I fed my obsession by purchasing some fixings for a vegetarian-friendly quesadilla - plus used up some items I already had at home. Buying all the goods to make them right in my own kitchen is so much cheaper than ordering them at a restaurant, too - for less than $10, I had enough ingredients for four quesadillas!

Spicy Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
-1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
-2 cups frozen corn
-1.5 cups grape tomatoes, halved
-9-10 jarred jalapeno slices, chopped (less or more depending on your spice preference)
-Pepper jack cheese, shredded
-1 ripe avocado, cut lengthwise
-4 whole wheat tortillas (or white, depending on your preference)
-1 tbsp. jarred minced garlic
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-Chili powder
-Cumin
-Tabasco sauce
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Generous squirt of lime juice

Directions:
Pour beans and corn into a sautee pan with olive oil, and cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add jalapeno slices, and flavor with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce (I never measure spices). After another 1-2 minutes of cooking, add in the tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, and garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds. Add lime juice and cook for a final 30 seconds.

I know you all know how to build a quesadilla, but here's how I layered mine: I placed a generous layer of shredded pepper jack cheese on one side of each of the open tortillas. Then, I added an even amount of the corn and bean mixture to each, and placed 1/4 of the avocado slices on each tortilla. I topped the mixture with some more cheese, then folded the tortilla in half. I then placed it on a frying pan (which has been sprayed with cooking spray), and cooked until golden brown on each side of the tortilla.

The end result was spicy, full of flavor, and extra cheesy, without being too filling. I will definitely be making these again!

Best deal this week: $5 tapas at Rendezvous

$5 tapas. This might just be the best deal ever. Every Monday night from 5 to 10 p.m., Rendezvous in Central Square offers $5 tapas at their bar. The menu changes every week, but tonight Rendezvous is serving up dishes like grilled swordfish with toasted cumin seeds and preserved lemon, baby brussel sprouts with extra virgin olive oil, Merguez sausage with yogurt sauce, quince and pomegranate, and salty head-on shrimp with garlic and chili oil. You could easily split four to five of these tapas amongst two people, and walk out the door with a bill for $25 or less!

I've been to Rendezvous once before (on Valentine's Day), and the food was excellent. You know those restaurants that you can just tell when they're using high quality (and sometimes even local) ingredients? Rendezvous is that kind of restaurant.

Will you be taking advantage of Rendezvous' $5 tapas tonight? Share your review with us if you go!