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Prime Time

24 Feb

If I could eat every single meal — alright, fine, every single dinner — at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, I would be a very happy man.

(I’d probably also be really fat.)

Iceberg wedge salad with lemon basil dressing. (Mmmmmm.)

Filet mignon, medium, served on a sizzling-hot plate, with a dollop of butter to make it extra juicy. (Oh-my-God-beefy-goodness.)

Shoestring potatoes, seasoned just right. (Yum.)

Chocolate explosion cake. (So good.)

I love love love love love this restaurant. Just thinking about my meal Saturday night makes my mouth water.

When can I go back?

Drink Up

22 Feb

It may be the middle of the winter, and we may be bracing for a big storm here in Boston, but hey — why dwell on the negative?

Today, February 22, is National Margarita Day so drink up, y’all!

A recent survey by tequila maker Tequila Don Julio shows that Americans are split nearly even on how they prefer their drink: 51.4% opt for frozen while 48.6% order their cocktail on the rocks.

(That’s essential information you can use at parties this weekend. Thanks to the company’s PR folks for passing it along.)

However you choose to imbibe, and wherever you chooseto do it, I say enjoy.

Quick Thoughts

19 Feb

After the rain stopped, Monday was a really nice day.

Teflon-coated pots are excellent. One of the best inventions ever.

I wish I had given Gossip Girl more of a chance and hadn’t given up on it after the first episode.

We’re negotiating, and I should have a decision on the apartment on Tuesday. I’m now feeling more 65-35 as far as excitement and nervousness go.

Ben & Jerry’s Crème Brûlée ice cream is so so so good.

I’m rooting for a There Will Be Blood Best Picture upset on Sunday.

There’s something about seeing baseball players practicing down in Florida, smiling, happy, with the sun shining, that makes everything all right.

Are you on Facebook? Why not? Sign on and let’s be friends.

Days off would be more enjoyable if there was something good on TV in the morning. At least on Saturdays there’s three hours of repeats of 90210 and two of The O.C.

Which is the more annoying instrument to listen to: violin or the flute?

I don’t think there’s any movie in theaters right now that I haven’t seen that I want to see.

My early American Idol favorites are Amanda Overmyer, a.k.a.: the rocker nurse, and Michael Johns. Kristy Lee Cook is cute, but she won’t get past the top 8. And David Archuleta is overrated. And anyone who sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” will never win, much less make it to the top 12.

Sometimes when scrolling through the names and numbers in my cell phone I’ll come across Bubby and I’ll be tempted to call. I wish I could.

Next week, March 1 to be exact, marks the 11th anniversary of the day I moved to Boston. Still the best decision I’ve ever made.

I own way way way too many books, CDs, and DVDs.

Can’t believe I still haven’t finished The Year of Living Biblically.

Kupels went and raised their prices, and in so doing went from being a great deal to a total rip-off.

When I move, I think I’m going to hire a cleaning person to come regularly.

Some movies I can watch over and over and never get tired of them. The Shawshank Redemption is one of them.

Long weekends are great … until you have to go back to work the next morning.

Take a Break-fast

7 Feb

As an addendum to yesterday’s post about National Pancake Week, I’ve learned today that we are now smack-dab in the middle of National Hot Breakfast Month. (Thanks, Louise, for the tip!) At FoodReference.com, you can get confirmation of this and you can get an entire year’s worth of food-related days. Today, for example, is National Fettucine Alfredo Day. Over at Whole Foods’ Web site (where they also confirm this is a legit observance), you can listen to a podcast and get all kinds of ideas for “making a tasty, toasty breakfast.” (Incidentally, February is also Chocolate Month, National Snack Food Month, and Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month. Who knew?) And on that note, I suppose the only thing to say now is … eat up!

An Amazing Race

6 Feb

Apparently, we’re right in the middle of National Pancake Week. Who knew? I guess the good people at the National Association of Pancake Lovers — if such a group exists — just aren’t as organized as those at the International Ice Cream Association. In fact, a quick Web search produced conflicting results for when this happy occasion is. So I’m sticking with this one, which looks just reputable enough for this kind of occasion and ensures that I still have a few days left to celebrate.

Some history: Pancake Week is actually grounded in ancient tradition. During the Middle Ages, it was common practice to prepare for the austerity of Lent by purging the pantry of foods like eggs, butter, and milk, which were considered a luxury. These ingredients were often used to make big batches of pancakes. To this day, many communities around the world feast on pancakes all the way through Shrove Tuesday — also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras — before the season of moderation begins on Ash Wednesday (which, if you didn’t know, is today). In fact, another name for Fat Tuesday is Pancake Day. (I’m not making this stuff up, folks.)

(Alright, so that last paragraph would seem to imply I’ve missed this happy holiday. Yet another reason to refer to this site as my reference.)

Also from the “who knew?” file: The town of Olney, England, has been holding a Pancake Race every year. Legend has it that the race’s origins stem from a day in 1445 when a housewife was cooking the family’s traditional Shrove Tuesday pancakes. The church bell began to ring, summoning the townspeople to service, and the woman was so anxious to get there on time that she ran outside still holding her skillet — pancakes and all. Each year at the race, contestants line up, skillets in hand, waiting for the “pancake bell” to ring. Then they toss pancakes in the air, catch them in their skillets, and race 415 yards to the church. When they reach the finish line, they must toss their pancakes one more time. After the race, everyone attends church services and then enjoys a community pancake party. Yesterday’s race was won by Web designer Amanda Brear, who ran the course in 1 minute, 9 seconds, beating her 23 other competitors. Amazing stuff. And it’s not without a rivalry: A competing Pancake Race has been run on the same day each year since 1950 in Liberal, Kansas. Yesterday, Amanda Curtis, an 18-year-old high school student, ran the race in just 1 minute, 6.3 seconds — even though she was battling the flu. Over the years, Liberal has won the bi-city competition 33 times and Olney has won 25 times, with one draw in 1980 when the course in Liberal was blocked. Take that, you wacky Brits!

I’m determined not to let this holiday pass by without a little celebration, even if it is belated. Next week, on February 12, IHOP will be celebrating National Pancake Day by giving out free pancakes to all customers. Yum. So even if no one can quite agree on which day or days this holiday is taking place, at least we can all enjoy a free stack of this yummy goodness — no racing necessary.

Trying Some New Places

13 Jan

I guess I’d like to make a belated New Year’s Resolution: to try new things. And specifically, new restaurants and new foods. Already this year I’ve been to two new restaurants. Well, not new, per se, but they’re new to me. Today I went with Sarah, Amy and Sherri to Victoria’s Diner. Way out of nowhere location aside, this was a real nice surprise of a brunch place. The interior is much nicer than the exterior would lead one to believe, and the food was real tasty. I had the Nutella Smothered French Toast. It’s not quite what the menu promises, but yummmmm. Three slices of french toast covered in Nutella, with strawberries (which I didn’t eat). I highly recommend it, and hope to go back and have this again soon.

Last week after the movie, Nina and I decided to have dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury, a place that amazingly, I had never been to before. The Mac ‘n’ Cheese wasn’t as good as the stuff at, say, Silvertone, but it was good and worth going back for. And it’s nice to go somewhere nicer and know there’s something on the menu I can eat. I was also impressed with how big the place was. I mean, not that it looks small from the outside, but I didn’t realize it was so deep inside.

Alright, fine. I know what you’re saying: You went to two new places and you had food you knew you already liked. True. But it’s still good to broaden my horizons beyond the normal places I go. And I hope to do more of that as 2008 continues.

Oy.

5 Dec

Well, at least Shaw’s isn’t this clueless. According to a New York blogger named NancyKay Shapiro, the supermarket Balducci’s is displaying ham as “Delicious for Chanukah.” Next thing you know, they’ll be featuring matzah and saying it’s “Perfect for Easter.”

(Thanks to Farrah for the tip.)

The Panera Era Begins

10 Nov

Panera Bread has finally opened up in the space formerly occupied by Zathmary’s.

Now, I know you’re not supposed to embrace national chain stores opening up in Coolidge Corner, but as these types of places go, I have to say I think Panera makes a great addition to the area. After all, it’s hard to get too upset about a new chain opening when it’s one like Panera and not a new McDonald’s or another coffee place.

Between this and the Citibank and Qdoba next door, they’ve given new life to that chunk of the sidewalk with their clean, modern looks, and I welcome a new food option that actually offers good food, as opposed to the unhealthy Quizno’s or the cramped unworthiness of Finagle-a-Bagel. Continue reading →

Yawn

26 Oct

One big difference between ’04 and ’07 is the fact that I just haven’t been able to stay up to watch the baseball games this week like I could three years ago.

I was falling asleep during game one, and because it was a blowout, I almost called it a night somewhere around the fifth or sixth inning — until I forced myself to stay awake and I got a second wind.

No such luck last night. Despite a close game, I nodded off on the couch late in the game and totally missed most of the eight inning and the top of the ninth. I woke up to the sound of Maria Stephanos’ voice and just went right to bed, without even knowing if we’d won or lost.

And I’d be totally embarrassed to admit that, except that as I walked into the kitchen here at work this morning, it seemed to be a common type of story. Continue reading →

Huh??

7 Oct

I had a weird thing happen last night when I got takeout from Bertucci’s. I ordered the rigatoni, broccoli and chicken, went to Kenmore Square to pick it up, got some fresh and hot rolls, etc. Then I got home, put on my “hanging out in the apartment” attire, poured myself a beverage, set the table, and got out the food. It was then that I discovered I had been given not rigatoni, broccoli and chicken but fettucini, asparagus and chicken. Huh?? Thinking I had just picked up someone else’s order, I called it in, and decided I would go back to pick up what I had actually ordered. When I got there, I asked the hostess if I had picked up someone else’s order. She said no, no one had ordered that. The kitchen was just really busy and they messed up. Now I ask you, dear readers: how busy did the kitchen have to be for them to switch two of the three ingredients in this dish and have no one notice?

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