New England Dessert Showcase

Last weekend, I ate dessert for breakfast...and I liked it.

I woke up on Saturday, jumped on the T, and met Melissa at the Westin Waterfront Hotel so we could eat our way through the New England Dessert Showcase. 

Every September, the New England Dessert Showcase brings together incredibly talented dessert designers and their creations for us East Coasters to enjoy. And boy, did we enjoy just about everything we consumed that morning. From iced coffee to gelato to whoopie pies, there were plenty of sweet treats to sample.

Because we sampled so many different desserts, it would be next to impossible to properly recap all of them for you. So instead, I am going to share my top four favorite samples that I tried (and that I think you guys will like too). 

First up: Boston Whoopie.

I tried a red velvet whoopie pie (not pictured). The cookies were pillowy soft and the cream cheese center was sweet, but there was just enough of it sandwiched between the two cookies. As of now, Boston Whoopie doesn't have a storefront, but they can deliver their whoopie pies throughout the Greater Boston area. Just simply place your order by phone (617-718-1782) to get your goodies.

With a tagline like "Legalized Frostitution," how could I not have fallen in love with VCVC Cupcakes?

The women working this table were enthusiastic, funny, and clearly passionate about their product. And after one bite of their mini cupcake (I believe it was a chocolate cake with a salted caramel icing), I was hooked. I'm usually not a fan of sweet icings, but this one had just enough of a buttery flavor and texture (not to mention incredible flavor) to win me over.

I'm sure no one's surprised that another one of my favorites was from a winery. Plymouth Bay Winery, to be specific. The folks from Plymouth Bay were giving out samples of their jams, which are made with their wine.

I tried a variety of flavors, but my favorite was the Raspberry Spice, made with fresh raspberries and habaneros - and red wine! It had just the right amounts of heat and sweet, with a subtle yet apparent taste of the wine. It was unique and delicious.

And, last but not least, this Hot Chocolate Lava Cake from Chart House was my favorite dessert of the day. A rich, molten chocolate cake made with Godiva liqueur, served warm with chocolate sauce, Heath bar crunch, and vanilla ice cream. 

Do I even need to tell you why this was good? I didn't think so.

The event itself seemed really well organized, and I loved how they had accessible trash cans and water stands throughout the room. The space at the Westin Waterfront was also ideal - big enough for people to spread out, avoiding too many long, cramped lines.

All in all, this was a really fun event, and it was fantastic to meet all of the people behind these delicious desserts. I also discovered some new-to-me businesses that I will be sure to keep an eye out for moving forward. Thanks again, Melissa, for inviting me!

What's your all-time favorite dessert?

I attended this event as part of the media, and thus my ticket was complimentary. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Honeymoon in Napa: The Wine and Beer

Most of you know this already, but Napa Valley has a lot to offer in the drink department...beer and wine especially. And being a wine and beer lover who just married a beer guy, you can imagine how much fun we had on this leg of the trip.

Our first stop in Napa - before we even got to our rental - was Beringer Vineyards. Before we left, one of my aunts raved about it, so we decided to check it out. I was really surprised at how gorgeous the grounds were, and how good the wine was. We went on a tour followed by a tasting, and the staff there were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

During our stint in Napa, we set aside one day to check out some smaller wineries that were recommended to us by a woman at Beringer. Our mode of transportation ended up being a tandem bike that we rented from Calistoga Bikeshop (for a day, it ended up being around $65). Riding a tandem bike = a crap ton of fun, especially when you're riding it through gorgeous vineyards.

We took our tandem bike to a small handful of wineries that day, but these two were our favorites:

Summers Estate Wines: This family-owned winery has an amazing view out back, complete with patio seating. We did a tasting at one of the outdoor tables, while simultaneously playing an intense game of bocce ball...on the winery's very own bocce ball court.

Lava Vine: This was by far the smallest winery we visited, but also one of the best. The owner was pouring some of the wines during our tasting, and he was obviously passionate about every bottle he produces. I ended up buying a Petite Sirah for $54...the most expensive bottle of wine I've ever purchased. That's how good their wines are. (Note: not every bottle is that expensive!).

[FYI: Most tastings we did during our trip cost anywhere from $10-$25 per person].

When it comes to beer, we were able to find quite a bit of locally made brews that were delicious. I mentioned Calistoga Inn & Brewery yesterday (I highly recommend trying their Calistoga Porter), but Downtown Joes in Napa is also fantastic. Downtown Joes is nothing fancy, but that's part of the place's charm - and "Big John" behind the bar will take care of you, if you're friendly. (Example: He let us order our beer through him vs. our waiter so we could get the happy hour prices, even though we were sitting at a table outside). I highly recommend trying the Old Magnolia Oatmeal Stout, if they have it - like most breweries, their beers rotate often.

Next week, I'll share with you guys the places we stayed and sights worth checking out in San Francisco and Napa Valley. I hope you're enjoying these recaps as much as I am enjoying sharing them!

Honeymoon in Napa: The Food

Ohhh, what I would give to go back to Napa.

We stayed at a cottage in Calistoga (more on that later), and every minute of our time there was just blissful. Calistoga is an adorable town that's not overrun with tourists. We were only there for four days, but we were able to eat a few bites of delicious food in that timeframe. Here are some of my top picks from our trip:

Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery: This restaurant and brewery reopened a week before our arrival, after being closed for a year due to a fire. Locals seemed to still know the staff, who they hadn't seen in 12 months. This was a great neighborhood spot that boasts brand new everything, plus their very own beer on tap - and the beer is good. The food is, too - Z and I split the Bruschetta ($13), which came with local heirloom tomatoes, basil, and creamy Burrata. For my entree, I had the Fungi pizza ($15), which was topped with wild mushrooms, fontina, roasted garlic, and truffle oil. Their pizza dough is also made with spent grain and wort reduction from the brewery.

Market, St. Helena: The couple we rented our cottage from recommended Market to us, so after visiting a few wineries in St. Helena, we decided to check it out. Market is a little more upscale, but ideal for a special evening out. Market doesn't have too many vegetarian options, but on this particular evening, they had two vegetarian soup specials (corn and pea) that we took advantage of. We also shared an order of their buttery Cheddar-Jalapeno Cornbread ($6) and Bowtie Vegetable Pasta ($21). The pasta was tossed with asparagus, tomatoes, fennel, peas, pickled cipolinis, mozzarella, and basil pesto butter.

Hydro Bar & Grill: This place is anything but fancy, but it came highly recommended from a few locals, as well as a slew of online review sites. Hydro also has a great beer list, so we decided to check it out one evening. I hadn't had a burger in quite some time at this point, so I went for the Veggie Burger. My burger was clearly homemade, which I always appreciate, and the accompanying sweet potato fries - which came with a bomb dot com aioli - were delightfully salty and crispy without being too greasy.

In addition to eating, we also did quite a bit of wine and beer sampling while in Napa - mostly at "hidden gem"-type places. More on that tomorrow!

Eventbrite Boston Blogger Review

Over the past three months, I've had the pleasure of being an Eventbrite Boston Blogger. As part of this partnership, I was able to attend five food and/or wine events of my choosing - and then share my experience about each one with you.

Here's a quick recap of the events I attended:

• Grape Expectations: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Smuttynose Beer and Local Cheese Pairing
• Central Bottle Miscellany Wine Club
• Summer Entertaining with Formaggio Kitchen
• CSA Cooking School at Clover

I really enjoyed working with Eventbrite because it gave me the opportunity to try out different classes and events that I normally wouldn't have signed up for - most likely due to being stuck in my own social ways and not wanting to branch out too often. However, having the opportunity to learn new cooking skills, taste new (to me) wines, and discover food and wine (and beer!) pairings I may have never discovered otherwise was pretty darn cool. And, it was nice to branch out and step out of my comfort zone, all while meeting some new people.

It's also been a lot of fun getting to know Evenbrite Boston's Marketing Manager, Sara. Sara is clearly very passionate about this city, and it's obvious she loves bringing people together to learn something new and just have a good time.

All in all, working with Eventbrite over these past few months has been a really rewarding experience. I hope you guys enjoyed my posts, and are able to try out some of Eventbrite's events for yourself soon! (Like this one. Just sayin'.)

Have you ever attended an Eventbrite event before? If yes, what was the event?

CSA Cooking School at Clover in Harvard Square

Clover Food Lab is one of my all-time favorite eateries in Cambridge. I live for their Chickpea Fritter sandwich. It's amazing.

So, when I heard that Clover's Harvard Square location had started offering a CSA Cooking School (the HUB location also has a class coming up in September), I jumped at the chance to attend one of their classes as part of my partnership with Eventbrite Boston. The first class was also perfect for summer: it was all about soda syrups, agua fresca, and lemonades.

The class kicked off with a complimentary beer. 

The class, which was held in Clover's intimately-sized kitchen, was taught by Vincenzo. The class was held in the small space while regular business was going on, but there were surprisingly few distractions during the hour-long demonstration.

During the class, we learned how to make rhubarb agua fresca with fresh rhubarb, strawberry soda, and basil lemonade. The rhubarb and strawberries were both from Four Town Farm in Seekonk.

Strawberry soda.

Basil lemonade.

Each drink we tried was incredibly refreshing and delightfully complex in flavor. My favorite was the strawberry soda, which was basically just strawberry puree (strawberries + sugar) mixed with soda water. All class attendees got sent home with some of the puree, and Z and I used it in several amazing cocktails afterwards.

Besides imbibing for an hour, Vincenzo also taught us some great tips, including knife skills, best use of a blender, and proper shelf life for the ingredients used. One tip I took away was that rhubarb tends to be sweeter (read: better) later in the summer, and you should always look for rhubarb that is firm and red/pink in color.

All in all, this was a really fun, informative, and unique class. I look forward to checking out more of Clover's CSA Cooking School in the future!

This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Eventbrite Boston. Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. It's also a destination for people to discover awesome events going on in THEIR city! Whatever your desires, hobbies, or interests - from photography workshops and wine classes to food festival and industry conferences, there's an event on Eventbrite for you to attend! Keep up on the goings-on in Beantown by following Eventbrite Boston on Twitter, or liking them on Facebook! Planning an event? Go ahead and create an account to get started. 

Summer Entertaining with Formaggio Kitchen

Last week, I attended yet another class at Formaggio Kitchen - but this time, we learned all about summer entertaining.

The two-hour class included a variety of sips and nibbles prepared by Julia and Jessica (our instructors for the evening). Each drink and bite we tried were all simple yet elegant items that can easily be put together for a summer shindig - and require little heat to prepare.

First up: a Cocchi Americano Cocktail paired with apricots with Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese and honey, as well as roasted red grapes with thyme and buffalo mozzarella.

This was one of my favorite pairings of the evening thanks to the simply prepared but wildly fresh apricots. The sweet apricots paired with the tangy, stinky blue cheese was an incredible combination, and the refreshing cocktail happily washed each bite down.

The second pairing of the night included Rose Sangria with fresh berries and June Taylor Blackberry Fennel Syrup, served alongside a goat cheese tart with tomato jam and cherry tomato confit.

Haven't I said enough with "rose sangria"? In case I haven't, this beverage was way too easy to drink, and it complemented the rich, buttery tart beautifully.

The third pairing of the evening included a variety of cheeses, paired with a Cantine Cincinnato "Castore," 2012. 

The cheeses included a goat's milk, two sheep's milk, and a cow's milk, all paired with a different condiment.

My favorite cheese and condiment pairing was the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar with the Fieschi Mostarda di Cremona (candied fruits). The sweet, syrupy fruits paired with the salty cheddar was a divine combination - and the white wine they were paired with didn't hurt, either.

The final course of the evening was a Poderi Cellario Moscato d'Asti, 2012 (not pictured) served with honeyed ricotta, which was topped with macerated strawberries and extra aged balsamic drizzle.

I'm usually not a fan of moscato - it's typically too sweet for me - but this one was surprisingly dry and crisp. The dryness of the wine also helped to balance the sweetness of the dessert, which was decadent and dangerous (let's just say I ate the entire thing in about 30 seconds).

Formaggio Kitchen's Summer Entertaining class was informative, fun, and incredibly delicious. We even got sent home with recipes for the dishes we sampled during the class! I highly recommend taking one of their classes, if you haven't already.

If the world was going to end tomorrow, what would your last meal be? Mine would be a bottle (or two) of wine, cheese, and crusty bread.

This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Eventbrite Boston. Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. It's also a destination for people to discover awesome events going on in THEIR city! Whatever your desires, hobbies, or interests - from photography workshops and wine classes to food festival and industry conferences, there's an event on Eventbrite for you to attend! Keep up on the goings-on in Beantown by following Eventbrite Boston on Twitter, or liking them on Facebook! Planning an event? Go ahead and create an account to get started. 

Mystery Meet Dinner at Temple Bar

On Tuesday evening, I hosted Boston's 20th Mystery Meet Dinner at Temple Bar in Porter Square.

I've always been a big fan of Temple Bar (and their patio). Although Temple Bar is not a "vegetarian restaurant," I've always found them to make delicious vegetarian-friendly food (and cocktails).

The price of your Mystery Meet Dinner ticket covers your meal, tax, and gratuity - the only thing you have to pay for separately are drinks, if desired. Never one to pass up a drink, I enjoyed a Pretty Things Baby Tree (or two) over the course of the evening. 

Our meal started with two "on the house" Vegetarian Boards, which consisted of Parmesan-crusted amaranth cakes, romesco, white bean salad, spicy eggplant caviar, pickled mushrooms, and pita chips.

I sampled a little bit of everything on the board, and each element was well-flavored. It was like a charcuterie board for vegetarians - very creative!

While we all enjoyed our drinks and first appetizer, the group mingled. Over the course of the night, there were a lot of laughs, stories shared, and talks about trips to Iceland (several people at the table have trips to Iceland planned - what are the odds of that?). 

A short time passed before we were served our salad course: the Spring Vegetable Salad.

Made with English peas, baby turnips, chickpeas, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, pea greens, frisse, and Thai basil, served with a carrot-rosemary puree and fig vinaigrette, there was a lot going on in this salad. Somehow, though, it all worked. I loved all of the fresh, seasonal flavors in this dish.

For our entree, we were served the Panko-crusted Lentil Cake. 

The heavily spiced cake was served with cumin-spiced carrots, sesame-seeded spinach, harissa yogurt, and lemon-tahini sauce. Again, everything worked well together in this dish, and many diners (myself included) appreciated how satiating the protein-packed lentil cake was.

Although it is pretty standard to have at least three courses at a Mystery Meet Dinner, we unfortunately were not served a third course by Temple Bar (the Vegetable Board was complimentary, and wasn't included in the ticket price). Dessert was not included to help make the ticket price more affordable, but I could tell that some of my fellow diners were disappointed that some kind of third course wasn't prepared, especially considering Temple's typical Vegetarian Tasting menu includes three courses, at a lower price.

Thankfully, though, the great conversation, good drinks, and tasty food helped to make this night a successful one. Mystery Meet Dinners provide a great way to meet new people, try different restaurants (they never go to the same restaurant twice), and just enjoy a fun evening out. 

Thanks again to Mystery Meet for giving me the opportunity to host this dinner!

Have you ever been to a Mystery Meet Dinner before?

Beer and Local Cheese Pairing at Formaggio Kitchen

Beer and cheese are two of my favorite things. While I've eaten the two together before, I've never stopped to contemplate how they can complement one another. Thankfully, Formaggio Kitchen did the work for me last week at their Beer & Local Cheese Pairing with Smuttynose Brewing Co.

I attended this event as a part of my partnership with Eventbrite, and I have to say - despite a few unorganized details (i.e. no pens for note-taking) - this was one of the most informative pairings I've ever been to.

The pairing was led by Formaggio's domestic cheese buyer, Sarah, as well as Smuttynose's head brewer (he's been their head brewer since 2001). The event was held at Formaggio Kitchen's Classroom Annex, and the classroom setting provided an ideal atmosphere for enjoying six flights of beer with six different kinds of cheeses. Here is the line-up of what we tried:

Flight #1: Opus 42 (cow's milk) from Rockport, ME with Vunderbar Pilsner (Czech-style pilsner)

Flight #2: Cabot (cow's milk) from Greensboro, VT with Finest Kind IPA (American IPA)

Flight #3: Reading (cow's milk) from Reading, VT with Wheat Wine Ale (hybrid beer)

Flight #4: Coupole (goat's milk) from Vermont with Bloom (Belgium-style pale ale)

Flight #5: Bayley Hazen (cow's milk) from Greensboro, VT with Gravitation (quadrupel)

Flight #6: Boston Post Dairy Tres Bonne (goat's milk) from Enosburg Falls, VT with Robust Porter (American porter)

Although I thought all of the pairings worked, my favorite of the evening was #4. Smuttynose's Bloom is a beer they brewed with the chef from Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, N.H. The head brewer and the chef actually went out and foraged flowers in order to make this brew. The beer had a wonderful, almost earthy smell and flavor, and it paired beautifully with the tangy goat's milk cheese.

All in all, this was a really fun and informative event. I highly recommend attending a Formaggio Kitchen class - especially if you're a cheese fiend like me.

Have you been to any fun food events lately?

This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Eventbrite Boston. Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. It's also a destination for people to discover awesome events going on in THEIR city! Whatever your desires, hobbies, or interests - from photography workshops and wine classes to food festival and industry conferences, there's an event on Eventbrite for you to attend! Keep up on the goings-on in Beantown by following Eventbrite Boston on Twitter or liking them on Facebook! Planning an event? Go ahead and create an account to get started.

Eventbrite Partnership + Wine Tasting at Boston Wine School

I have some exciting news for you guys: The EE has partnered with Eventbrite Boston to bring YOU recaps of some fun food and beverage events throughout Boston. Through June 30th, I have my pick of five events to attend that I think you guys would like to know about - especially considering most of these events are recurring. Eventbrite gave me a budget of $250, which covers the cost of tickets for all five events.

Earlier this week, I attended my first event as part of this exciting partnership. The event was called Grape Expectations: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and it was held at the Boston Wine School in Allston.

If you've never been to the Boston Wine School, it's a really cool space. Exposed brick walls, a giant chalkboard filled with wine facts, and a small kitchen area make it an ideal setting for a tasting. 

The tasting table.

Owner (and teacher) Jonathon Alsop had quite the spread of food out for us as everyone arrived. A wide variety of breads, cheeses, olives, and other small bites were prepared for us to enjoy. One notable favorite: Labne, a Lebanese cream cheese, served with crispy slices of baguette.

The goal of the tasting was to show the similarities between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - two wines I used to think (before this class) had nothing in common. However, these two wines are from the same region in France (Burgundy, to be exact), and they both sit in the middle of the wine spectrum. To put it in very simple terms, Chardonnay is the white grape of Burgundy, and Pinot Noir is the red grape of Burgundy.

Over the course of the two-hour class, we tasted eight wines - four Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs, and one blend. Before we started sampling, Jonathon taught us the "Seven S" system of wine tasting: see, sniff, swirl, smell, sip, swish, spit. Although the spitting part was not my favorite, Jonathon assured us that, during a big tasting like this one, spitting helps your palate better grasp the flavors in all of the wines you're trying. 

1980 Acacia Chardonnay and 2011 90+ Cellars "Lot 82" Chardonnay Reserve

The progression of wines worked very well, as we started with a sparkling NV Jacob's Creek Chardonnay - Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee, then worked our way through the Chardonnays before hitting the Pinot Noirs. I loved all of the wines we tasted (who's surprised?), but my favorites were the Jacob's Creek blend and the 2011 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir. 

Overall, it was a fun, interactive, and extremely informative class. I would definitely go back to the Boston Wine School for another event soon. To see a full listing of their upcoming events, click here.

Are you a fan of spitting at wine tastings? Do you think it's necessary? 

This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Eventbrite Boston. Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. It's also a destination for people to discover awesome events going on in THEIR city! Whatever your desires, hobbies, or interests - from photography workshops and wine classes to food festival and industry conferences, there's an event on Eventbrite for you to attend! Keep up on the goings-on in Beantown by following Eventbrite Boston on Twitter or liking them on Facebook! Planning an event? Go ahead and create an account to get started.