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Tupelo Honey

15 Oct

I’m a fan of any place that demonstrates good customer service, so I thought I’d post something here about my meal last night at Tupelo, a southern food joint in Inman Square. My friend Nina and I ate there for dinner, and to make a long story short, her food was not to her liking (it was too salty and a little overcooked). So even though she had eaten about half of it, she said something to the waiter, and he offered to get her something else. Not only did he bring that something else, but he also brought her a side dish that she had asked about earlier but hadn’t ordered. In addition to being very friendly, the waiter checked on us multiple times to make sure we were alright, and always had a smile on his face.

The kicker to the experience is that when the check came, neither Nina’s original dish, the replacement, or the extra side dish was on it. That showed a commitment to customer satisfaction that’s pretty rare these days, especially at a time when many small businesses are feeling the pinch of a tough economy, and we were really impressed. And for the record, I very much enjoyed my meal. I had the barbecued half chicken; it was prepared well and was delicious.

Tupelo was chosen as the Best Restaurant in Inman Square by Boston magazine earlier this year, and it’s not hard to see why. I’d recommend this place and look forward to going back.

I Wonder What’s in Store

8 Oct

People who know me know I get excited about the silliest or simplest of things.

Like the fact that when I went to get gas last night, the price was just $2.39 a gallon — six cents cheaper than the place I drive by on the way to work every day.

What can I say? I think it’s a good thing that it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Continue reading →

Pie in the Sky, and Other Foods Too

5 Oct

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

It’s a weather forecast that makes my stomach do a dance of joy.

And watching the movie of the same name does something similar to my psyche.

I’m happy to say that Cloudy is just as goofy and just as fun as I hoped it would be.

It features a great voice cast (led by Anna Faris, Mr. T, and SNL‘s Bill Hader), colorful animation, impressive 3D effects that aren’t cheesy (no pun intended), and a wish fulfillment plotline that children of all ages can enjoy: nutty inventor creates a machine that converts water to food, and soon cheeseburgers, ice cream, hot dogs, steaks, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, and yes, meatballs, are raining down on the town. Continue reading →

Baking Up an Activity

30 Aug

I’m a traditional kind of guy, so when I get wind of a big storm approaching the area (no pun intended), I do what any domestic-minded person would do: I seek out a project to keep busy. After all, if I was going to be stuck indoors during a heavy rain and wind storm (as was predicted yesterday), I didn’t want to spend the entire day on my couch watching the funeral and burial of Ted Kennedy.

So what was my project? Well, I came across a new blog this week (new to me, anyway), Beantown Baker, and I decided to make one of the recipes I found there: Cookies-N-Cream Cupcakes. No cake mix involved; this was an actual recipe I had to follow, from scratch. So, after being rescued for the first half of the day (thanks, Kelly!), I got to work later in the afternoon (coincidentally, right as the storm started to subside)…. Aww screw it. Who cares about the story. Let me just cut to the chase: YUM. And, because I’m on a sort-of diet and don’t want to be a pig, I’m bringing most of the cakes in to work to share with my wonderful coworkers. (You’re welcome.)

You might say, as I did, mission accomplished: I avoided most of the funeral and burial, I kept busy with a project, I made good use of my kitchen, and I made something tasty. Actually, it’s kind of cool — between these and my whoopie pies, I’m developing a fun repertoire of snack foods. What will I cook next? All I need is another storm to find out. Stay tuned.

Eat It

19 Aug

I don’t buy this whole diet thing. Oh, sure, you could probably tell by some of the things I post on here that I’m not the healthiest of eaters (exhibit a or exhibit b, anyone?). But in true Gemini style, there’s an opposite side of me that truly does want to lose some weight. And it’s been a constant struggle between the two sides for a long time now. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out which one is winning.

I don’t mind telling you that August was supposed to be the start of Martin Eats Healthy — or at least, Martin Eats Healthier. And I have made some impressive strides in that department (relatively speaking). For example, I rarely eat frozen chicken nuggets for dinner anymore. Now my meals consist more of actual meat — chicken, mostly. And instead of eating pasta as a side dish, I have either eaten corn on the cob, or broccoli, or carrots, or string beans, or some combination of them. For breakfast, I’ve stopped eating chocolate chip muffins, and now I eat a yogurt every day with some fruit (cantaloupe).

Generally, it’s alright. I have actually become somewhat addicted to corn on the cob this summer (much to the dismay of my teeth). But the yogurts? I have tried a few different flavors, and a couple different brands, but they all basically have the same tart taste, no matter what the flavor supposedly is. I’ve even been to that new place, Chill, in Cleveland Circle, and had the tart yogurt — but I have to say, it wasn’t great (I mean, compared to real ice cream, anyway). I’ve had salad for lunch, but it’s just not filling enough, and nor is a yogurt in the morning. A couple hours later and I’m hungry again.

Of course, I haven’t cut out bad foods entirely (still a few of those), but yeah, at least I’m trying. Eventually I’ll get it through my skull that eating better (relatively speaking) is only half the puzzle, and the other half is I need to exercise more. But that’ll happen in due time. Maybe if I start to see some actual results, it’ll encourage me to do more. But until then, I’m just not sure I’m cut out for this whole diet thing.

The Joy of Cooking

5 Aug

A word of warning: Do not go to see Julie & Julia on an empty stomach. By the time the movie’s over, you’ll feel downright famished. (That’s meant as a compliment, just in case it isn’t clear.) And that’s not just because there’s a lot of food in this movie, and it’s not just because the food looks really good. It’s because the movie is such a treat that you’ll just want to eat it up.

Julie & Julia is based on the book of the same name by the real-life Julie Powell (played here by Amy Adams), who decided to kick-start her life in 2002 by spending a year cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and blogging about it (before blog was a household word). The movie doesn’t just make Julia Child an inspiration, it also makes her a character, by weaving in the story of Child’s own life in Paris during the 1950s (this part is based on My Life in France, Child’s autobiography). The movie shows how these two women found more than a hobby in food, and how their passion for cooking transformed their lives.

As Child, Meryl Streep is nothing short of a total pleasure to watch. She plays this woman with so much joie de vivre that it’s no wonder Child had so many fans. Nailing the chef’s sing-songy accent and walking around with a perpetual smile on her face, Streep is goofy, great fun, and just delightful. You almost wish the entire movie was about her (and it probably could have been). Thankfully, Adams and the other members of the cast (including Streep’s Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci) are all enjoyable as well, and the jumping back and forth between the two stories is handled smoothly.

If anything, the meal is a bit over-cooked; writer/director Nora Ephron could probably have trimmed about 10 minutes and it would have been fine. But like Child herself would probably say, it’s alright to make a mistake or two when the end result is so tasty. I’m giving Julie & Julia a B+ and wishing you a hearty bon appetit!

The Coolest Month of the Year

6 Jul

If you didn’t already know, July is National Ice Cream Month. According to the International Dairy Foods Association and the International Ice Cream Association, we can thank Ronald Reagan for the distinction. (Seriously.) And, if you’re marking your calendar, July 19 (the third Sunday of July) is National Ice Cream Day. So go out and get yourself a cone of your favorite flavor. And before you do, check out this classic NSFW Eddie Murphy skit.

Chocolate Goodness

13 Jun

There’s a certain freedom that comes from knowing that as much as I may want to lose weight, it’s more fun to not even try.

So that’s why when I saw on the Travel Channel or the Food Network or some other channel earlier this year that there was a Chocolate Bar at the Langham Hotel here in Boston, I knew I’d get there sooner or later. Thankfully, Nina felt the same way I did, so we went with her husband today to celebrate my birthday, his birthday, and their anniversary in gluttonous style. Continue reading →

I’m Gonna Go to Friendly’s

3 Jun

What better way to spend my upcoming birthday weekend (psssst … the big day is Sunday) than by enjoying some free ice cream at Friendly’s? Woo hoo! So consider this your heads up. From noon to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Friendly’s is giving out free scoops of ice cream. I’ll be there. Will you?

The Remix Gets Iced

2 Jun

I’m not one to complain about getting something for free, especially when it comes to ice cream. In fact, there are few things I get excited for more than free ice cream. So you have to assume that when the good folks at Cold Stone Creamery emailed me Sunday with a coupon for a free ice cream in honor of my birthday (which, ahem, is this Sunday), I was quite excited. That is, I was excited until I saw the coupon itself: good for a free small size original creation of my choice, i.e.: ice cream and one mix-in. One. You’d think that Cold Stone, which features a Signature Creation called Birthday Cake Remix (yum), would offer you a free cup or cone of that flavor — or at least a creation with enough mix-ins so you can make it yourself — on your birthday. Nope. Not that this is going to stop me from claiming my gift between now and June 14, when the coupon expires, but I just thought it deserved a comment.

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