posted by Savanah on Jul 12
A visit to Boston should include a meal at Legal Sea Foods, located at 255 State Street, convenient to many of the 5 star Boston hotels popular with all the tourists. Legal Sea Foods – Long Wharf is a fun place to eat, especially at their food bar, where you’ll see what’s cooking in their open kitchen.
During the summer months, eating out on the patio is a perfect setting to dine on the Legal’s signature dish, the freshest seafood and fish, then eating it while breathing in the fresh night air; there’s nothing better. Inside the restaurant, the aquarium and the lobster tank will keep you children entertained throughout the entire meal.
Legal Sea Foods has long proven that a consistent, high quality dining experience never goes out of style, plus serving over 40 varieties of fresh fish along with an award-winning wine list, is the reason why this establishment receives accolades on a continuous basis. In addition, it was voted the ‘Most Popular Boston Restaurant’ by Zagat for 2010, the ‘Best Seafood Restaurant’ by the Improper Bostonian and the Boston Phoenix in 2009. To top that off, they have had the honor of serving their legendary New England clam chowder at every presidential inauguration since 1981! Do you need any more reasons to check out Legal Sea Foods – Long Wharf?
posted by Savanah on Feb 8
One of my favorite ways to get to know a new city, is by walking through it. I spent hours one night walking around the city of Chicago with a friend who had grown up there. He told of the history of certain sites, such as the “alley”–which is now a building, of the famous Al Capone Valentine’s Day Massacre, the Biograph Movie House where John Dillinger was turned in by the woman in the red dress, and the histories of the Drake Hotel and the Chicago Tribune building.
My first trip to New York, I was alone, and wanted to take a walk, but I wanted to be informed about the sights that I was seeing, and while I do not usually like big guided group tours, I signed up for a the Food and Culture Walking Tour of Greenwich Village. The guide for the tour was extremely knowledgeable and as it turned out, very well known around the Village, so not only did we get his stories, but many of the stories of local restaurant and shop owners as well. I love cities and I love their stories and so this was perfect. The tour cost forty two dollars, but this included tastings at many of the restaurants in the Village, timed just right throughout the three hour walk.
This is an area where not only do the people have a history, but the buildings do as well, from the pubs and the taverns of the beat poets, to the unique hotels of NYC, to the restaurants that have been family owned and operated for many years. The tour is offered year round, so should you find yourself taking this same tour, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather of the moment. And while the tour is taken at a comfortable pace, it is a two mile walk, so very comfortable shoes are a must. I love the tour of Greenwich Village, the food and the coffee along the way was incredible, and when we had finished I found that I had gained a lot of knowledge about this small corner of New York City.
posted by Savanah on Jan 25
Is it true that you can get great cheese steak in Philadelphia? Peter was determined to answer that question when he and his good friend Bob visited the city last summer. Bob had fallen in love with a girl named Tina who he had met six months prior while she and her family were visiting Tucson, Arizona where both Bob and Peter were going to school. Bob had convinced Peter to go with him and even offered to pay for their accommodations in one of the nice Philadelphia hotels. With that final offer on the table Peter figured he had nothing to lose and agreed to go with his friend on his quest to reclaim love.
So, on their first afternoon in Philadelphia Bob was scheduled to meet Tina at a the Last Drop coffee shop and Peter decided he would pursue his own quest to find a delicious cheese steak sandwich. They were to meet back at the hotel at five o’clock and make plans to either hook back up with Tina or go out on their own that night. Well, as it turned out Peter had no luck finding the perfect cheese steak because he was hesitant to just start sampling them. He didn’t have a lot of time and wanted to go straight for the best but he started looking around at all the people he could possibly ask and he couldn’t decide who he would trust with the best opinion. At four thirty he realized that he could poll people and make a decision based on the most popular place he heard mentioned.
However, it was too late to begin all that and he needed to return to the hotel and meet Bob, who had enjoyed a much better time that day on his own pursuit. Peter had to listen to the great conversation Bob and Tina had as well as the rest of the great time they shared. This was it, Bob felt he was truly in love. Meanwhile, Peter told him that was great, but he needed to find a cheese steak. Just then the phone rang and it was Tina. She was able to hang out with the two of them that night. Peter suddenly realized he could ask Tina about the cheese steaks, which he promptly did when they picked her up. Hands down and without a doubt, Tina was sure that the best cheese steak in Philly could only be found at Jakes. The next day Peter found out for himself and was content that both he and Bob found true love in Philadelphia.
posted by Savanah on Dec 28
The seasons are changing in many cities throughout the United States. Not only does this bring the amazing sights on the hillsides filled with trees and the impending holidays, in the Maryland city of Baltimore this brings differences on the menus of many of the restaurants. Chefs are taking advantage of the autumnal differences being offered in the fresh produce at the various farmers markets. Many appetizers are being offered that utilize of course, the pumpkin as well as many other varieties of squash.
The Baltimore Farmers Market and Bazaar which takes place every Sunday is one of the favorites of the local chefs for finding a plethora of ideas for new and creative dishes. On these Sundays, chefs will bring their skills to the market, team up with a particular farmer, and offer demonstrations, cooking tips and advice, and the most important of all tastings. This showcases not only the splendid dishes they will offer at their restaurants in Baltimore, but gives kudos to the individual farmers as well.
This is a great learning experience for all those in attendance, not only in the learning of the recipes and the various delicious new dishes, but in the learning about the vendors themselves, the food that they grow and sell, and they will learn how to make choices that are based on the growing seasons of the various produce. This is the new way of eating green, to buy locally and to buy was is in season.
They will also be introduced to the world of herbs, and to bring home a potted starter garden to use in their own kitchens at home. And for those wishing to take care of some Christmas shopping during the day, the Bazaar has been newly added to the Baltimore Market on Sundays. This section offers a variety of hand made creations by some of Baltimore’s finest crafts people, unique gift ideas that fit into every one’s budget. The changing of the seasons, a great time to be in Baltimore and to experience everything that this city has to offer.
posted by Savanah on Nov 3
Nick could eat a lot of food. His mother loved to cook and he developed this skill from her, which made him a real catch for many women. And being a good Italian boy he loved to cook for others. Another thing Nick loved to do was go out to eat. This was his third favorite activity following eating his mothers cooking and cooking food himself. However, sometimes it was just nice to go in and sit down and have someone else do all of the work and all of the clean up. That was his least favorite activity, though his mother firmly instilled the philosophy that every mess must be cleaned, whether it was in the kitchen or life. Nick’s mother also believed in the value of the lessons that could be learned from messes, though she insisted that the learning came through the cleaning up process. So, she reasoned that if you never cleaned your messes you would walk through life being completely ignorant. And she would not stand for her little Nicky to walk through life being ignorant.
And Nick learned well, he always cleaned up his messy and he always made quite a few. He actually reasoned that this was a positive thing and must meant that he was pretty wise for all the lessons he learned cleaning them up. However, on that particular Tuesday night, Nick was not in the mood for cleaning or learning so he went to one of his favorite Italian restaurants with a few buddies of his and had a nice meal. Nick’s favorite dish, or at least one of them, was shrimp scampi with a side of pasta. He loved garlic, he loved butter, he loved shrimp and he loved pasta and he especially loved them mixed together. He would often cook scampi on the grill in his backyard for small get-togethers with friends. Nick also had a policy about taking dates to restaurants. He loved to treat his date to a nice meal, but before he would he insisted on making her a candle lit dinner himself.
posted by Savanah on Sep 8
In Phoenix, people celebrate the end of summer. In many cities and towns, the summer time is the out door grilling time. And in Phoenix, many people do grill outside during the hot months, just to keep their houses from heating up, but it is not so enjoyable to actually eat outside in the extreme weather. So when summer comes to an end we head out side. The outdoor kitchen will finally be fired up.
When one is ready to add a kitchen in their back yard, there are a few things to consider. It is best to start with a general idea of what you would want as far as the style of the island as this will be the starting point for the design. And take notes on each item or appliance you would prefer as this will help one to narrow down the many options they will be dealing with. There are usually three different designs, just the standard grill, sink, and counter-top, the L shaped design, and the U shaped design.
The last two will offer more space for preparation of food and the cooking of it, as well as space for people to hang out in. Finding the perfect bbq grills on sale, will be the next step. These too range from just the simple grill, to gourmet gas grills with side burners. One can create this backyard kitchen even if one’s budget is not expansive. Many of the simpler styles are inexpensive but still perfect for the outdoor parties. One should consider just how much they will be using their kitchens and how many people they will be entertaining on a regular basis. This will also help in the decision making process as to just how big of a kitchen they will actually need. Back yard parties are always fun, and in the winter in Phoenix, most days are just perfect for them.