Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Numero One! Lunch at Uno’s Chicago Grill

By: Finance Foodie

What do I usually think of when I hear the restaurant chain Uno’s Chicago Grill mentioned? Answer: good old Chicago deep dish pizza. But on a recent visit to famed pizza place, I discovered that there was much more to this resto than Chicago deep dish – that there were items to really satisfy every appetite (even the health concisions!). Check out some of the highlights from my visit – after the jump!
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Second Time’s a Charm -- A Revisit to Om Restaurant and Lounge!

By: Finance Foodie

This past February, famed Chef Patricia Yeo took the helm at Om Restaurant and Lounge's kitchens and rehauled the menus. Having been a fan of Patricia’s since her days in NYC at Sapa (where I was a regular due to yummy seafood dishes, unpretentious atmosphere, and its close proximity to my apartment), I was excited to see what she could bring to the table when I revisited Om last week during a media luncheon to showcase its new offerings.

Shaking it Up with Crystal Light's Mocktails!

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Call it a cooler, colada, spritzer, blitz, julep or non-tini, the “mocktail,” a non-alcoholic cocktail bursting with flavor is shaking things up! Now Crystal Light is giving women a new reason to love summer with new, limited-edition Mocktails in three fun flavors - Margarita, Mojito and Appletini!

Monday, June 27, 2011

A Review Of Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible 2: Yes, It’s Incredible!

By: Anne M. Raso

It's embarrassing to admit that in this time of hand-held devices that do everything but blow dry your hair and walk your dog, I am lucky that I can even figure out how to use the exclamation point key on the keypad or even enter a new contact! The new HTC Droid Incredible 2 makes all the basics (as well as the harder stuff like uploading multiple photos of your trip to Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp) easy for the tech-challenged user such as myself!

Celebrate Wimbledon with Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate!

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It’s the time of year when leading tennis players from all over the world travel to play in the prestigious tournament, Wimbledon. The majority of tennis fans will be very excited about this week, especially those with tickets for centre court! Eating strawberries and cream is one of Wimbledon’s popular traditions and over 28,000 kilos of strawberries are served during the tennis tournament. We’ve come up with our own way of being part of the action, by eating strawberries dipped in chocolate!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sweet Eats and New Treats in New Brunswick Canada!

By: Finance Foodie

(Continued from Part One: Nova Scotia Canada)

Part Two of my Canada trip had our group ferrying across the Bay of Fundy into the New Brunswick province. From sightseeing at the Hopewell Rocks to the never ending seafood meals, the last leg of the trip was also jam packed with interesting and yummy places to visit! So without further ado, check out some of the highlights from my last three days in Canada, after the jump.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Fun Eats and Cool Treats in Nova Scotia Canada!

By: Finance Foodie

During my 5 plus years of living in the East Coast, I had been to Canada a grand total of…..zero times. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always wondered what mysteries were contained in our great big Northern neighbor, but somehow life (and maybe a bit of poor planning) always seemed to get in the way of actually crossing that proverbial border bridge. That is until last week.
Photo Source: wikimedia commons

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

It’s A Small World: Kickin’ It Old School In Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

By: Anne M. Raso

Sure, they are always trying to add upgraded and trendsetting attractions at Disney World but old-school fans who were kids and teens when the park first opened up some 40 years ago seem to mainly think of Magic Kingdom and the original Disney magic that was created there with rides on the mild side.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Cafe Boulud at The Brazilian Court, Palm Beach: Casual Elegance For Afternoon Indulgence!

By: Anne M. Raso

Having checked out Cafe Boulud in Manhattan several times over the years (it opened up on the Upper East Side in 1998), I was naturally anxious to take up an offer to check out its sister restaurant in Palm Beach's historic Brazilian Court Hotel. The yellow walls were inviting--not to mention the hundreds of palm trees and other exotic Florida foliage just outside the huge windows of the main dining room, as well as the lounge which takes up most of the main corridor and entrance to the white-canopied luxury hotel.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

UPrinting.com Giveaway!

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UPrinting.com, a leading socially responsible online printing, marketing and technology firm, has established itself as a major player in the industry with its distinct vision and clear approach to helping small businesses grow. It serves thousands of on-demand four-color printing orders online daily, using high-quality printing presses and a robust yet simple and easy-to-use online ordering system, resulting in high-end, full color prints and reliable color printing at discount printing costs.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

On Location In Brooklyn: From Mickey Blue Eyes To Moonstruck!

By: Anne M. Raso

On Location Tours gives the most fun TV and movie tours in the New York City area and we have recently reported about their Sex & The City Hotspots Tour (where we got to hang with star Willie Garson at a SATC 2 private premiere) as well the Classic New York TV & Movie Sites Tour (where Joyce Randolph of Honeymooners fame accompanied us for a special Valentine’s Day edition).

Monday, June 13, 2011

Ignite the Night with P.F. Chang’s Frozen Meals!

“Hotter than the A list…”

A few weeks back, I was contacted by the makers of P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Meals to see if I wanted to “ignite my night” with their new meals for two. I must admit I was skeptical at first – the adult movie sounding tag line wasn’t really convincing me to switch out my usual dinners from the Whole Foods salad bar – but then I thought, “Why not? It’s time to mix it up a bit (and maybe, as PF Chang would say, ignite the night ;)!”

Friday, June 10, 2011

Brunching in Style at the Four Seasons Boston’s Bristol Lounge

By: Finance Foodie

I distinctly remember the first time I became acquainted with the Four Seasons Boston — the Tour de Champagne. I was just starting out as a food blogger then, but the dish that the Four Seasons prepared (a wonton hiramasa yuzo with cucumber and orange beurre blanc) at the tasting knocked my socks off! Perhaps it was all the champagne flowing in my blood vessels, but I boldly asked the chef de cuisine (Will Kovel of the late Aujourd’hui) if he would be interested in doing an interview for my site since I was so impressed by his dish. And surprisingly, he said yes! I was struck by how nice he was — here was an accomplished chef for a well-established restaurant agreeing to sit down with an unknown newbie food blogger for a meal and conversation. This experience itself forever left a positive impress of the Four Season Boston in my mind.
RIP Aujourd'hui!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Tela Design Studio’s BLOW OUT!: The 411 on Hair Straightening Products with a Special BravoTV Millionaire Matchmaker Model!

By: Anne M. Raso

We were lucky enough to score an invite to the Tela Design Studio’s BLOW OUT! Breakfast at the Tela Studio in Manhattan’s famous Meatpacking District. Philip Pelusi, CEO and founder of Tela Beauty Organics (and, of course, the Tela Design Studio) demonstrated BLOW OUT!, the world's first 85% USDA Certified Organic Keratin smoothing treatment. Phillip, a 46-year veteran of the hair salon business, tells us, “BLOW OUT! contains no formaldehyde, no aldehydes, no harsh chemicals, no irritating fumes or odors, and is sulfate and paraben-free with an allergen-free fragrance.” He adds that the product would have been 100 percent organic if it was not for the preserver that had to be added to give the product a good shelf life.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Sodastream!

By: Anne M. Raso

We love Sodastream here at financefoodie.com--not only does it save a busy New Yorker time and energy lugging home bottle of soda and club soda from the supermarket but each bottle of flavoring makes about 40 thirty-two ounce bottles of soda. While you can purchase all different styles of Sodastream in the price range from $80 to $200 (basic plastic models are in stores like Target while the fancier metal ones are sold in upscale markets like Dean & DeLuca), we find that all the styles do the job of fizzing up water equally well. The basic premise is that you buy a Sodastream machine, purchase one of their refillable O2 tanks (aka "carbonators") for about $20, depending on size (the Sodastream people will come pick up empties for you and bring you new ones wherever you live and most New Yorkers just leave them with their doorman).

Monday, June 6, 2011

Nubar Cambridge: Big Eats with One of Kind Treats!

By: Jessica Cickay

There really isn’t much you can do when multiple courses of delicious food are placed in front of you. You kind of just have to eat them – and eat them all, so much so that your server gets teary-eyed and tells you that she wants to hug you. Had the food, drinks, service and value at Nubar – the recently opened restaurant and lounge in the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Harvard Square – not been so on point, this interaction could have gotten a little awkward. But instead, the love and excitement that was easily evident in Nubar’s fare transferred over to my well-fed body, and all I could say was “Hug away!”

Friday, June 3, 2011

Rasputin: Flash, Fun And Russian-Inspired Grub!

By: Anne M. Raso

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn is the home to the swanky Rasputin Restaurant and Entertainment Center and to be honest, at $75 to $145 for their prix fixe dinners (which include an extravagant floor show complete with gypsy dancers), the facility seems to be used mainly for special occasions like weddings and birthday parties. We recently stopped in on a Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised at how opulent (in a classy, modern way) the surroundings were--kind of if P. Diddy opened up a supper club in a Russian “nabe”!