Over 1,000 delectable wines. Dozens of smooth, buttery cheeses. Pounds of rich, dark chocolate. A gigantic, wine bottle-shaped two-layer cake. Believe it or not, heaven’s not the only place with all of these tasty items in one place. The Boston Wine Expo had them, too.
Last week, I was skimming through my daily deal emails and found one from Groupon for the 2012 Boston Wine Expo at the Seaport World Trade Center. Between the great price and lack of Sunday plans, I figured it’d be the perfect foodie/wine-o outing, and so I enlisted Cecily to join me (I really had to twist her arm) and we left around noon on Sunday to make the trek to the waterfront.
We got there just as the event was getting started, and were given a wine glass, an event booklet, and instructions to enjoy. We spent a solid 4 hours wandering from table to table and vendor to vendor, sipping on a wide variety of wines, tasting all sorts of cheese and chatting with people from around the world. By the time we left, we were both stuffed and content — a perfect Sunday. Here’s a quick list of my favorite wine and food exhibitors.
Oyster Bay. I’m not generally much of a white wine gal, but Jenna recommended I stop by the Oyster Bay table, as they produce some of her favorite wines. The Sauvignon Blanc was excellent, with an incredible citrus-y first taste that gave way to more complex fruity flavors. I’d definitely buy a bottle of this. I was also surprised by how much I liked the Chardonnay, which had a great citrus flavor and crisp green apple freshness. I could see myself sipping this on a warm summer afternoon.
Layer Cake. Although I’ve been a fan of Layer Cake for some time (the Malbec, courtesy of Cecily), I enjoyed trying some of their other varieties. The Primitivo was especially good, as was the Shiraz. Plus, they had a gigantic cake that looked exactly like a bottle of the Shiraz – very impressed.
Luigi Bosca. These Argentinian wines were wonderful. I tried a couple of different Malbecs. I also tried the Finca La Linda Tempranillo, which was full-bodied and had a smooth finish. The Finca La Linda Torrontés (a white wine) was okay, but a bit too floral-scented for me.
Champignon USA. I tried a few incredible cheeses from this vendor. The Rougette Bavarian Red was amazing with a sweet, creamy and buttery consistency. The man I spoke with recommended serving it with fruits such as mangos and strawberries. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms, I enjoyed the Champignon Mushroom cheese, which I paired with whatever full-bodied red I was drinking at that point…
Piantedosi Baking Company. I love bread. I’m talking melt-in-your-mouth, so-fluffly-you-could-die bread. Piantedosi? They’ve got my stamp of approval. They were serving a delicious, somewhat dense cranberry bread along with more of a baguette style bread. Both were heavenly, and paired with a rich olive oil that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Be sure to stop by if you’re even in Malden or Winchester, MA.
Wilson Farm. This local Lexington vendor had incredible chips and dips. I particularly enjoyed their pumpkin hummus (which they sell in their stores), and also their spinach dip.
To Die For Dips. This local Concord vendor also had wonderful dips and spreads. The Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Gouda and Cheddar & Port Wine ones were noteworthy.
Cavedoni Balsamic Vinegar. I’ve never done a balsamic vinegar tasting before, and was very impressed by the offerings from this vendor. I enjoyed the Botte Piccola (aged 8 years) and the Truffle Balsamic Condiment, which cost small fortunes of $58 and $40, respectively.
I’ll leave you with these wise words from one of the Dove Dark Chocolates I snagged:
Engage, embrace, enjoy.
There is nothing better on a cold, blustery day than a piping hot bowl of spicy chili. Inspired by my darling roommate Cecily’s chili, Taste of Home and Eats Well With Others, I decided to throw together some of my favorite ingredients for my own: sweet potatoes, black beans and bell pepper (the red kind, of course). I was pretty pleased how it turned out — the chipotle chili powder and cumin really brought out the natural flavors of the other ingredients, and gave the dish a bit of a kick. Here’s the scoop on how to make it:
Ingredients
- 1.5 T olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2T green chilis (diced & fire-roasted from TJ’s)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large sweet potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 can black beans
- 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted from TJ’s)
- 1/2 T chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 T cumin
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and chilis, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the sweet potatoes, black beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer or 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
- Serves 4-6. Enjoy!
It was the lovely Miss Jenna’s birthday this past weekend, and our entire Likeable Boston office decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. We consulted our resident foodie, Lauren, who insisted that we go to Douzo, a modern Japanese restaurant on Dartmouth Street in Boston.
Since deciding to go vegetarian in May, sushi has been one of the things I miss most. I enjoyed trying and sharing all sorts of rolls with friends to discover new favorites. I enjoyed figuring out the least unattractive way (because let’s be serious, there’s really no attractive way) to get a giant piece of sushi with an absurdly long shrimp lodged in the middle of it into my mouth. I enjoyed everything about the experience.
Needless to say, things have changed for me and the pickings are relatively slim for vegetarians at sushi restaurants. Fortunately, Douzo is known for it’s sweet potato tempura roll, and it did not disappoint. After snacking on some delicious edamame, I enjoyed my delectably sweet sweet potato rolls — heaven in my mouth. I’d recommend them to anyone, carnivorous or veggie-loving. I mean, how could you go wrong with fried sweet potato?
For the non-vegetarians, other popular dishes at our table included the Back Bay Roll and the Crispy Toro Sushi. In terms of ambiance, Douzo was shooting for an edgy, modern feel with its high ceilings, uniquely shaped furniture and soft techno (oxymoron?) bumping in the background. Despite the poor music selection, I’d go back any day.
There is nothing better than spending the Monday of a relaxing long weekend exploring new neighborhoods, which is why my roommate Alana and I decided to cross the Charles River and take Cambridge by storm.
We managed to find metered parking on the street and stopped in Crema Café for some tea and coffee. I ordered a hazelnut latte and Alana ordered a rose scented tea latte, both of which were warm and satisfying.
We snagged a table on the second floor, which had a nice balcony overlooking the main floor of the cafe. We were surrounded by Harvard students of all ages, tourists and locals, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
After spending an hour or so chatting – about food, of course – we decided to do a bit of shopping. We bought some delicious gourmet teas from Cardullo’s, admired the accessories and trinkets from Black Ink, and did some window shopping in Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Ann Taylor. We also stopped by Raven, a well-known used bookstore, to compare textbook prices for one of Alana’s grad school classes.
By the time lunch rolled around, both of us were hungry for some delicious vegetarian fare. We couldn’t help ourselves — we went back to Crema Café to try their delicious sandwiches. After reading phenomenal reviews about the sweet potato sandwich on Yelp, both of us decided to order it. Mine was served with a side of sweet potato chips, while Alana opted for a piping hot bowl of carrot, fennel & quinoa soup. The sandwich was chock-full of sweet potato, avocado, green apple, sprouts, hummus and a caramelized shallot vinaigrette on toasted wheat bread, and it was mind-blowingly delicious. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had dreams about it later.
Here’s to a long weekend filled with culinary delights!
Oatmeal. It’s what’s for breakfast. For the past several months, I’ve been loving my steel cut oats. They’re inexpensive and easy to make, they’re healthy and versatile, and best of all, they’re absolutely delicious! My favorite kind to buy is McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, imported from Ireland straight to my local Trader Joe’s.
I was intimidated by the preparation process at first, but it turns out they’re actually quite easy to make. Here’s the method I’ve been using:
Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Servings: 4
Cooking Time: 5 minutes + 12 minutes
Instructions:
- At night before bed, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of steel cut oats to the boiling water. After 1 minute, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let sit overnight.
- The following morning, cook the oats uncovered over low heat for 10-12 minutes until warm and cooked through. Voilà, overnight steel cut oats!
- This recipe makes about 4 servings, which can be refrigerated for up to one week and reheated in the microwave each morning for approximately 2 minutes.
Steel cut oats can be rather bland on their own, so I like to jazz mine up a bit. I add 2 tablespoons of skim milk, 2 tablespoons of raw, unsalted sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to the top for added flavor. It’s a fortifying, nutritious and delicious breakfast that will keep you full through lunch!
Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about cooking overnight steel cut oats, and I’m curious — what kinds of mix-ins and toppings do you enjoy adding to your oatmeal?