Dinner with Mike Foley of JJ Foley’s [Boston]

"He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink..."

JJ Foley’s Bar and Café – opened in 1909 by Jeremiah Foley - is the oldest family owned local bar in Boston. On most nights, you can find the whole Foley family behind the bar, managing the front of house, or chatting with guests – many who have been regulars for decades.

"A Magic Time": Talking To Colin Farrell About Ondine

by: Anne M. Raso

We were lucky enough to catch up with actor Colin Farrell and director Neil Jordan about Ondine, a movie set in a remote coastal town in Ireland, where Farrell plays a local fisherman named Syracuse who catches a beauty in his fishing net. His physically disabled and his on-dialysis young daughter believes the mysterious stranger is a selkie (a mermaid based on Irish folklore). Without doing a total spoiler, it turns out to be a human. The mermaid is played by Farrell's real-life girlfriend, shapely Polish actress Alicja Bachleda, and she told us that she was still able to keep everything on the set completely professional even though her and Farrell are a well publicized "item" and have a nine month old son together.

Colin Farrell and friend/director Neil Jordan on their recent press day at the London NYC for Ondine; the premiere was held as part of the Tribeca Film Festival

Sex and the City 2 On Location Tour: Get "Carried" Away For A Day! [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

Financefoodie.com not only got to go on the Sex & The City Hotspots Tour from On Location Tour, but we got to do it the night before the SATC2 movie was released on May 27th!

Sex and the City 2 Private Screening Party [Boston]

“Empire state of mind…”

Tonight, I was taken back to my high school prom. And at the Loews movie theatre of all places. This evening, a few dozen Boston area Carries, Mirandas, Charlottes, and Samanthas (with a few Stanford Blatchs in tow) all gathered for a screening party of the much anticipated and highly buzzed about Sex and the City 2. The evening started off with pre-movie cocktails at nearby restaurant Teatro, where attendees sipped on Moet bubbly (the sponsor for the event) and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres while teetering on their highest Manolo Bs.

Lunch with Stonyfield Yogurt CE-Yo, Gary Hirshberg @ EVOO [Cambridge]

“World hold on…”

A few days ago, Stonyfield Yogurt’s CE-“Yo” Gary Hirshberg breezed into Boston for a lunch with a group of Boston bloggies to talk about restoring balance in what we eat by looking at how foods are produced. The lunch was held at EVOO in Cambridge – a restaurant know to source locally for the ingredients in its dishes and a highly appropriate choice of venue for this event.

Free Ben and Jerry's - May 27th [Boston]

"You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream..."

On May 27, 2010, a life-sized, interactive pint of Ben & Jerry’s will be in Beantown as part of its cross country trip across the nation. From noon to 2:30pm, the Ben and Jerry's pint will be giving out (keyword) FREE ice cream samples and showcasing some of the company's gnarly digital and social media advancements outside the Prudential Center Courtyard (800 Boylston St. - in the Back Bay)! As a Ben & Jerry's numero uno uber fan (so much that I am putting my "Biggest Loser" diet on hold for the day), I look forward to seeing you all on the 27th for some cool and yummy fun!

Quik Pik: John Paul Gaultier's Le Male Launch @ Barbershop Lounge

 "Sexy can I..."

Last week, John Paul Gaultier's "Le Male" nautical themed cologne sailed into Newbury Street's urban retreat for men, the Barbershop Lounge. At the launch party for this new collaboration, guests got to test drive the Le Male products while nibbling on bite sized sandwiches and tartlets from East Meets West catering.

Well now you too can feel like Sinbad the Sailor (while looking like James Dean)! From now until May 25, all males (sorry ladies) can hop on board this Urban Sailor Dock at the Barbershop Lounge and receive a FREE Le Male inspired grooming service. For more info, check out the Urban Sailor Dock facebook page



photos: Nathan Fried-Lipski

A Night with Queen Latifah [Boston]

“U.N.I.T.Y…”

Last Tuesday evening, the Boston Women’s Fund (BWF), the only Boston-area grant making organization that direct funds to programs that benefit women and girls, hosted a gala honoring Her Majesty, singer/actress/model/superstar Queen Latifah. Now, it’s not everyday that I have the opportunity to be graced by the presence of bona fide Hollywood royalty, so I was pretty pumped to attend this event!

P.F. Chang’s Vineyard 518 Launch and Wine Pairing Dinner

"Chickity China the Chinese chicken..."

Last night (May 18), the P.F. Chang’s restaurant group celebrated the launch of Vineyard 518, their new in-house wine, with a nationwide toast at….5:18pm. The Vinyard 518 label, which currently comes in a Sauvignon Blanc and a Syrah blend, is stored in eco-friendly recyclable packaging to reduce its carbon footprint during shipment (environmentalists take note: now you can feel EXTRA good while you imbibe)!

The Biggest Loser Challenge

“The spotlight is on you, you better work work work…”

Summer is creeping around the corner and you know what that means: swimsuit season! I usually look upon this with dread, as me and restrictive diets…well…we are like oil and water. Plus as someone who lives for trying new foods and the next exciting meal – its uber depressing to think about a steady stream of oatmeal, salads, and steamed chicken breasts for the next few months.

Housing Works' Design On A Dime [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

The Housing Works charitable organization provides shelter, medical attention, legal help, and meals for thousands of homeless people inflicted by AIDS, so any event they have is well worth attending and supporting. This year's Design On A Dime took place at Chelsea's Metropolitan Pavillion and had huge sponsors including KMart and Traditional Home Magazine. Top decorators from the metro area were given secondhand furniture, art, and bric-a-brac (all donated) to design dozens of fabulous rooms for the Housing Works' numerous thrift shops. Then, attendees at the opening night reception could buy these items for, ahem, a dime (or maybe a little more).

Quik Pik: Style Fixx Girls’ Night Out Shopping Party: The Swag Bag [Boston]

Welcome to Finance Foodie's Quik Pik series - because sometimes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words!

Last night was the Style Fixx Boston’s shopping party at the Boston Center for the Arts. For five hours, attendees shopped (and drank) till they dropped at this Etsy-offline marketplace that was brimming with one-of-a-kind clothes, jewelries, and services.

The whole event was uber cute and was made even better by the fulsome and heavy swag bag we received at the end of the night (thanks to my high rolling friend Simone’s VIP passes).  The items in the bag were quite varied, and ranged from foodie friendly (corn cakes, gift cards to Finale Bakery and Mumbai Chopstix) to grooming practical (a JUMBO sized bottle of Yes to Carrots conditioner, Veet depilatory lotion) to somewhat questionable (Barbara Streisand-like fake nails, garishly-neon nail paint).  All and all, a funtastic and fashionable night for the Finance Foodie!

Eat, Drink, & Be Social / P.F. Chang's Hosts a Toast [Boston]

Hey Boston area Food Loooovers~

Here a two upcoming events that are foodie friendly! And for more events, check out my new events calendar here!

The Book of Tapas Launch Party [New York]

by: Wela "The Patriotic Canadian" Quan / Ethan "Yi-Lin" Shen

Having just reviewed Alta, one of New York’s premier tapas restaurants, I was thrilled when Ethan and I were invited to attend a book launch event for: tapas! The Book of Tapas is a new book of recipes written by Simone Ortega and her daughter Inés Ortega featuring over 250 tapas dishes published by Phaidon Press. Phaidon, known for being a leading publisher in the world of visual arts hosted the book launch event at their store in SoHo with about 40 or so writers, bloggers and foodies in attendance.

Quik Pik: Eggland's Best Breakfast for Dinner @ Stella [Boston]

Congrats #146! - Lori

"I love a spinach and feta cheese omelette"

Please email financefoodie [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address so I can send your prize! You have 2 days (48 hours) to respond or the prize goes to alternate winners

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Welcome to Finance Foodie's Quik Pik series - because sometimes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words! 

Last week, I had breakfast for dinner at Stella to celebrate all things egg. Sponsored by Kitchenbelle.com and Eggland's Best, over 30 bloggers (alert: foodies overtaking Stella!) dined on "egg"cellent dishes - such as duck confit omelet, french toast, linguini carbonara, and grilled steak & eggs. Reps from Eggland's Best - including their own in-house PhD! - chatted about eggs, chickens, and what came first (kidding on the last part). Overall an "egg"ceptional evening! 

Housing Works Taste of Home Benefit, hosted by Top Chef's Gail Simmons! [New York]

Congrats #3! - Marketing Consultant

"I like the March of Dimes"

Please email financefoodie [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address so I can send your prize! You have 2 days (48 hours) to respond or the prize goes to alternate winner

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"Hands down...this is the best day I can ever remember..."

As many of you might already know, the team here at Finance Foodie has always been a big supporter community involvement.  As a locally-based "all things cool and yummy" site, one of our main missions is to continually bridge the gap between the culinary world and charity world in order to bring them together for exciting events that help develop and strengthen the society in where we live, play, eat, and work.

Therefore, we got really excited and jumped at the chance to support Housing Works, a New York based non profit that is committed to ending AIDS and homelessness, for their A Taste of Home party. We encourage all of FF readers to attend this awesome event (if anything just to party with the super nice and gorgeous Gail Simmons)!

Half Price Starbucks Frappuccinos! May 7-16th

That's right coffee addicts! From May 7-16, 2010 visit any participating Starbucks between 3p.m and 5 p.m., and enjoy a half-price Frappuccino® blended beverage! You can choose from one of three flavors: Soy Strawberries & Crème, the Extra Coffee Caramel, or the Mocha Light. Or, you can completely create your own using your favorite ingredients.

To find your nearest Starbucks, click here

Balthazar [New York]

by: Wela Quan

It may seem strange to a lot of people that a girl who grew up in the land of cowboys (Alberta, Canada) would be a self proclaimed ‘Francophile’. While cowboy culture is known for its down to earth style, the French are known for…well anything but! Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of going to Paris. I learned French, something very rare for Albertans and I watched all the popular French movies. You can imagine the sheer excitement for me when I finally booked my trip to France this past January. I was not only counting the days, but the minutes till I could finally see France for myself.

And then a volcano erupted.

I decided that the only way I could comfort myself was through eating and more particularly eating French food. Though I never fully appreciated French food during my childhood in Alberta, 3 years of living in Montréal (Québec, Canada) opened up a world of French cuisine to me. From the hard baked French breads to the fatty but mouth-watering foie gras, I took to French food like a kid in a candy store.

Since Ethan had also taken to French food, he recommended going to Balthazar, a popular French restaurant in SoHo. He had gone at least twice before, but both times he was there, he only had the Seafood Tower (plateaux de fruits de mer) so this time he wanted to try something new.

Alta [New York]

by: Wela Quan

My love of Spanish tapas started when I first moved to Montreal about three years ago. After the end of first year law school, me and my friend Mae decided that instead of going to the end of year law school party (a.k.a. drunken debauchery), we would instead go and try out a tapas restaurant. That was probably the best decision I have ever made because the restaurant we went to was so amazing that till this day it is mine and Mae’s favourite restaurant in the world. Now that’s a bold claim for two bona fide foodies! While this review is not about my favourite restaurant Pintxo’s and Basque tapas, it is about Ethan’s favourite restaurant: Alta, which serves Spanish tapas.

Quik Pik: You Be the Fudge Tasting at the W Hotel Boston

Welcome to Finance Foodie's Quik Pik series - because sometimes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words! 

Last night, I stopped by the W Hotel Boston for the You Be the Fudge party, where I got to fudge judge which brownie the W's Bliss Spa should serve in their famed Brownie Bar. The food blogger attendees sipped on wine (an excellent palate cleanser in between bites!) and sampled chocolaty treats from the three contenders: South End Buttery, Rosie's Bakery, and Flour Bakery.  I voted for Flour - whose moist, rich, and fudgey offering won me over - but the race was tighter than Heidi Montag's new face - so I guess I'll have to wait till June (when the spa officially opens) to find out who came out on top!

Journalists Simone, Megan, and I feeling "bliss"ful after a choco indulgence!

Longwood Symphony Orchestra / ATASK Event, honoring Dr. Howard Koh [Boston]

“I’m gonna take you out tonight…”

Last Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending a concert by the Longwood Symphony Orchestra as part of their Healing Art of Music community outreach program. Since Financefoodie.com is not only about good food and products, but also good causes, I was uber excited as I trotted over to the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in anticipation for a night filled with beautiful music and sweet charity.