Upcoming Events [Boston / New York]

Taste of Park Plaza - August 4th

WHAT:

Enjoy a summer stroll around its historic building block and experience eight of the hotel's premier dining establishments first-hand, and in one night! Each location will feature food samplings that best showcase their establishment. All to benefit The Food Bank! (Participating restaurants include: Bonfire Steakhouse, Swan's Cafe, The Melting Pot - Fondue, McCormick's & Schmicks - Seafood, M.J. O'Connors Irish Pub, Finale Desserterie, Au Bon Pain, and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.)

WHEN:
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm
9:00pm - 10:00pm (VIP After-Party)

WHERE:
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers
Boston, MA

TICKETS:
General Admission: $25 in advance or $30 at the door
VIP: $40 in advance or $50 at the door (This will grant you access to the Taste of Park Plaza, plus the Whiskey After-Party and a swag bag full of gifts from all of the participating restaurants and sponsors!)

To purchase your tickets, please call 1-866-468-7619 or visit www.ticketweb.com.
**This is a 21 year and older event, proper photo ID is required at check-in.

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18th Annual Can & Cash Drive - July 24th and 25th

Red Sox Wives Partner with The Greater Boston Food Bank for 18th Annual Can & Cash Drive at Fenway Park

WHO:
The Boston Red Sox Wives

WHAT:
The Red Sox Wives are gearing up for their 18th annual Can & Cash Drive for the hungry, which will take place during the Red Sox home games against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, July 24th and Saturday, July 25th.

For two hours prior to game time, The Red Sox Wives will give an autographed picture of a Red Sox player (while supplies last) to fans that bring $10 or 10 non-perishable food items. The wives will be greeting fans making donations at Fenway Park’s gates.

The most preferred food donations are canned tuna fish, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, red and brown beans, and juice boxes. All cash and food collected throughout the weekend will be donated to The Greater Boston Food Bank, which serves more than 320,000 people annually through its network of more than 600 hunger-relief agencies in eastern Massachusetts.

WHEN:
Friday July 24th
5:00PM – 7:00 PM

Saturday July 25th
11:30AM – 1:30PM

WHERE:
Fenway Park gates

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One Kendall Square Music Lab - July 15 and August 19

WHAT:
“The One Kendall Square Music Lab” will showcase the menus of The Blue Room, Cambridge Brewing Company, BeanTowne Coffee House, Flat Top Johnny’s, Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, and the recently-opened The Friendly Toast, amidst the live music of prominent local bands. Each restaurant will offer sampler versions of some of their most popular dishes for $5 or less. A portion of the proceeds, which includes raffles for one-of-a-kind “experiences” based on each restaurant’s theme, will be donated to local charity The Kendall Community Group. Popular local bands 3rd Left (7/15), and Audio Underground (8/19) are scheduled to perform.

WHEN:
Wednesdays, July 15, and August 19, 2009
5:30-8:30pm

WHERE:
One Kendall Square is located on the corner of Hampshire Street and Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, and is a short walk from the Red Line. More information can be found at www.onekendallsquare.com.

Delmonico's [New York]

“And we won’t come home until we’ve kissed a girl...”

By: Ethan "Yi-Lin" Shen

As I walked up to the door of Delmonico’s I couldn’t help humming the opening theme to Wall-E.
“We’ll see the shows, at Delmonico’s, and we’ll close the town in a whirl!” Turns out, it’s no coincidence, Delmonico’s is the oldest fine dining restaurant in America and has been open since 1837, more than enough time to earn its honorific place in some song lyrics. But we’re not here for nostalgia, we’re here to be fed.

We started the meal with some fresh bread, Big Eye Tuna Tartare and Lobster Bisque. The tuna was fresh and flavorful with a light touch of wasabi and roe intermingled to add variety to the texture. The bread was quality, but somewhat plain in comparison to everything else that was to come. The star of the opening round was the Lobster Bisque for both its flavor and superb presentation. When my bowl arrived, there was no soup, but instead a substantial pile of lobster chucks stacked neat and tall in the center with a dab of caviar at the top. Then, the waiter serves the bisque from a carafe and, in one swift motion, submerses the lobster, leaving only the caviar peak to hint at the mountain below it. It’s like Hawaii, but delicious. The bisque was rich and creamy and the lobster pieces gave substance to the light lobster flavor.

This was followed by Roast Rack of Lamb and a house specialty, the Lobster Newberg. The lobster was visually stunning to say the least.

The tails were lightly butter and half pulled from their shells while the claws were tender and drizzled with a heavier sauce similar to the bisque served earlier. The sautéed side vegetables served in a small tart provided good variety in texture but could have been a stronger counterpoint for the entrée. The ensemble presented a great mix of light and strong flavors and beautifully provides another avenue to eat shellfish in front of clients with class.

While the Lobster Newberg was fine demonstration of Delmonico’s creativity and finesse, it was the simple technical mastery evidenced in the Roast Rack of Lamb that impressed me most.


Compared to the ostentation of the lobster, these three crossed chops seem almost unremarkable in their understated austerity. That is, until you realize, the extra cutlery they’ve brought you is a butter knife. The flavor is excellent, the lentils and peperonata sauce savory, and the paired vegetables a good balance. But it’s the physics defying tenderness of the meat that that will leave you marveling with every bite at the extraordinary mastery of aging and roasting that must have produced this meal.

We finished with the Baked Alaska, originally created to commemorate Steward’s purchase of our coldest state. A light sponge cake, topped with almond ice cream, and encase in a hardened meringue provided a light and not overly sweet send off to our meal.

Delmonico’s main dining room evokes the same kind of dignified 19th century allure that fits a historic steakhouse of its stature. A particularly pleasant feature is the plethora of big picture windows that give the interior a bright, inviting atmosphere in contrast to the borderline somber mood some steakhouses cast.

In all Delmonico’s presented a fantastic experience combining comfortable surroundings, attentive helpful service and above all, marvelous food. The next time you’re planning a professional meal, a 3rd date, or just feel like soaking up a little piece of New York history, Delmonico’s is sure bet.

Delmonico's
56 Beaver St
New York, NY 10004

Fancy Food Show [New York]

This post comes from Eleonora "Ellie" Herdean. Ellie left her small Midwestern town to pursue her dreams of singing on Broadway. When she is not on casting calls, she enjoys exploring the NYC food and dining scene.

The Fancy Food Show at the Javits Convention Center is massive, filled to the brim with hundreds of thousands of products from all over the world. It was so exciting, I didn't know where to begin!

After drinking a little too much Australian wine, I "stumbled" into the amazing Chocolove booth. Ooh chocolate and wine! How much better can it get? Besides the chocolate being yummy goodness, each of the wrappers included a different poem inscribed by a famous poet. What a great gift to your sweety pie!

Now, sticking to the wine and chocolate theme, I cannot think of a better way to enjoy vanilla ice cream than to top it off with champagne mint chocolate sauce! Whoever came up with this is genius!

I had an amazing time and wish I could have stopped by every booth, but my journey stops here. I wish you all the best wine and chocolate dreams.....

For more highlights, check out my guest post about the Fancy Food Show on Grace's blog, GraceNotesNYC!

And for more pictures, please click here

Taste of Cambridge [Boston]

"Summer days driftin' away, to those summer nights..."

This post comes from our newest guest blogger, Paola “Ka-PAO” Mesadieu. Ka-PAO does not eat to live, she lives to eat. On any given weekend, you’ll find this foodie cooking up Caribbean American fusion cuisines for her friends and family.

On Thursday, June 25th, the rain gods took a break from dousing New England with unrelenting rain showers just in time for the 7th Annual Taste of Cambridge food festival. With cuisines from India to Ireland, the Taste of Cambridge “celebrates the diverse dining scene of one MA’s most historic cities”. Held in the court yard of the classically chic, Charles Hotel, Thursday’s savory food bazaar was jammed packed with food aficionados and curious tasters alike. Proceeds from this event benefited Youth on Fire, a care center for homeless / street-involved youth, and Club Passim’s Culture for Kids/Music Speaks, a free, monthly, multicultural program whose goals are to provide children with exposure to other cultures and peoples.

Starting off with something familiar

I ventured into the festive melee of food, music, and laughter for my first sampling. As the fates would have it, I stumbled upon Koreana, Cambridge’s premier Korean restaurant (and my shameless addiction). I sampled their kimchee (pickled cabbage with spicy seasoning), Gal bi (grilled, marinated beef), and chapchae (stir-fried cellophane noodles). The serving size was just enough to leave me with room to move on to the next food station.

Trying to stay cool

I will admit, the warm weather did play somewhat of a role in my sampling choices. Due to the humidity, I gravitated to any table that offered a cool and refreshing treat. Therefore, I found myself enjoying a creamy summer gazpacho from Small Plates and a flavorful shrimp gazpacho from Legal Seafoods. I topped off my night with a scoop of delicious homemade Black Raspberry ice cream from Lizzy’s Ice Cream.

Want to see some of my highlights for TOC, check out the following clip

Free 12 oz Drink at Borders!

The Finance Foodie knows that in this tough economy, every dollar (or in this case $4.00) counts...

Therefore, for this installment of my "Recession Special"

Free 12 oz Drink at any Borders' Seattle's Best Cafe!





From June 26-July 2nd, with a Borders Card (application is free and easy in stores)