Coffee Shop Vent

This is a vent for all the coffee shop owners in the world.   I know you didn't ask me to stand up for you, or speak out, but I am going to anyway!

Coffee shop patrons:   Clean up your damn dishes.   Don't assume the coffee shop has someone to do it for you.  Especially if they have visible garbage cans and busing tubs.   Get it together people!    Half the time another patron, especially in a busy shop ends up cleaning up your nasty left over garbage with half drunken lattes, and icky food traces.

If you live like that at home, I don't care!  Don't bring your nasty mess out in public.

Eric and Mary dinner

The Carriage House in Rye, um just look at the pictures and then get your butt there.  It is near the water.  It is total nice without being too formal.  Good date night, double date night, good food night kind of place.   Go here too!   Damn I get to eat a lot of good food.  

The Melt Away Creamery and Sandwichery

Total Random breakfast place we went to with Joe outside of Laconia.  You can tell how old this is because Joe is in a sling.  At least Joe will know how old this is that is.    This place was an icecream place where you could get breakfast and it was damn good.  Go there.

224 Boston Street

224 Boston Street

224 Boston Street

Dorchester MA

617-265-1217

I got a promotion at work a couple weeks ago, and Lou brought me out to celebrate. Who says you have to go into downtown Boston, fight the crowds and pay an arm and a leg to celebrate an event?

Not us, and that is why we found ourselves at 224 Boston Street. The address is the name. You can't forget where this place is, genius.

From the outside this looks like a pretty tiny place, but they use the space wisely Walking into the the front door you end up in the bar. There is a large round table in the center of the room with generous pillar candles on it. There were also a few two tops as well as seats at the bar. To the left of the bar is a short hall leading to the dining area. The dining area is filled with two tops and a few booths. If you read this blog you know I LOVE two tops in a restaurant. You can move them around, push them together. They are the perfect restaurant table.

We started our meal with the "Mini" Lobster Mac&Cheese. As you can see there is nothing really mini about it. I thought presentation was original and the lobster was abundant. It was a great starter.

Mini Lobster Mac & Cheese garnished with Micro Arugula

For dinner I got the Grilled Salmon with Blue Claw Crab & Red Pepper Ravioli, Creamy Pine Nut Pesto and Yellow Pear & Grape Tomato Ensalada. The salmon was a large portion. The sauce was tasty, and I could definitely taste real crab in the ravioli. Honestly there was enough here to have a second meal out of it because the sauce was fairly rich.

Lou got the Pistachio Crusted Chicken Breast with an Orange Marmalade Cream Sauce and
Goat Cheese Ravioli. I wasn't a big fan of this, but it isn't really what I would call from my taste portfolio. I am not a big fan of sweet and savory together, and I thought the chicken was a bit bland, but Lou ate the whole meal, and he isn't one to just eat something he doesn't like.

I didnt' get a picture of our desert but we got the Death by Chocolate Warm Fudge Brownie, Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge and

Whipped Cream.

Another Old post that I never published, the address is the name.  Go there, a lot of fancy food for a good price.

Coconut Cafe, Beacon St. Newton

Wow I found a bunch of posts I started with pictures but never completed, so I am just going to pop them up here.  #1 The Coconut Cafe in Newton.  Cute small Thai place.  Inexpensive, got there.  Enjoy the pics

Eat Boutique, a Christmas Food Story Boston 2012

I'm Back!!!!!!!! and the Holidays are here!

Today was a wonderful day in Boston.   Especially for a hungry girl who had just come from yoga.

So great, it inspired me to write a new blog post.    I've been out of touch for a LONG time!

I read about this Eat Boutique at the Artist's for Humanity spot in South Boston a few weeks ago.  The Eat Boutique is a gathering of food artisan's peddling their yummy edible wares to the masses.   I was really psyched because AFH is right on A street in Southie, but then I realized we were supposed to be away this weekend.   Lately I feel like so many great things are happening in Boston, and when we leave for the weekend, I miss out!   I guess I have the dreaded FOMO (fear of missing out).

Late Thursday, however, we had to cancel our plans because Lou realized he had a class on Saturday for work.  There was no way he could miss it, so the Eat Boutique was back in the plans!

I went to yoga early this morning and was famished by the time I got home.   The event started at noon I got home about 12:30 so I thought "Perfect time for sampling good food", but then we got there and I saw thousands of people with tickets in hand.  OOPS It turned out you have to buy tickets ahead of time...UGH HUGE FAIL for someone who is starving and not thinking straight.  I needed to EAT!!!!   The next available tickets were for the 3 to 5 time frame.   Thankfully I had Lou there to talk me down from the ledge.   He said, "Buy the tickets now, we will go check out KO Pies in Eastie, and we will come back:)" Ah the voice of reason.   We bought the tickets and headed through the Callahan Tunnel to seek out KO.

We will get back to the Eat Boutique, but have I told you about KO pies?  Yes I have,  in an earlier blog post!  That post is about the KO in Southie though.   The one we were headed to is in Eastie on the waterfront.    Sam Jackson, yes that is the Aussie's name, did so well with his first pie place, he opened a second, larger place in the shipyard in Eastie.   The menu is a bit different, there is more seating room, and he has a liquor license at the new place.  They even serve a Sunday Brunch.

The cool thing about KO Pie's in Eastie, is you get there by water taxi and you can catch a water tazi from several spots in the harbor. We didn't do this today.  It was a little cold and we had a time crunch, but I couldn't help but think what a cool thing to do in the warmer months.

KO is in the shipyard in Eastie.   Sam says it is reminiscent of the Sydney Harbor before it became what it is today.  Honestly, the shipyard is pretty cool.   There is art throughout it, and there were plenty of people seeking out KO.  KO has seating inside and out, and today was just warm enough that people were still eating outside.  I think it would be a really cool spot for a small company party.

When we left KO, we still had some time to kill so we checked out the new coffee shop, Barrington Coffee  on Congress St.  It is across from Lucky's and was delightful.   They only do coffee and it is top notch.

The most interesting thing about our trip to KO and the coffee shop was a random event that occurred.   When Lou and I were walking into KO there was a party of 4 in front of us.  2 girls, 2 guys, may have been couples, I don't know, but when we left KO, we wondered around Eastie a bit to check it out and eventually made our way back into Boston.   We contemplated getting coffee at Sorrelle, another great cafe on Congress St. closer to the city, but there was no parking, so we checked out the new spot, Barrington.   When we walked in, there was that party of four from KO Pies!  Seriously!  Lou and one of the guys exchanged cards.

Ok back to the Eat Boutique!!!!   We finally made it back to AFH at 3 pm, and it was completely worth the WAIT!!!   Look at my haul!

I got this amazing log of ginger bread caramel from Suss Sweets out of NH, Pure Maple syrup, the hard stuff at the end of the season from Nutting Farm in Vermont, I got a bunch of Ana Sortun meals made with quinoa, bulger and couscous.   I got a delicious nut blend from Fastachi out of Watertown, Ma, a POUND of fresh honey.  Honey comb and all.  Honey never goes bad did you know that? AND I got Saint Nicholas and Cha Cha cookies from Lark.   Basically you totally want to come to my house this Christmas because I have some killer snacks!  I am so excited you get two pictures!

Our last trip today was to Social Wines, the new wine store at 52 West Broadway in Southie.   The owners Chris and John were smart enough to have one of the employees, Jeremy stand outside the AFH, Eat Boutique and let people know they could go to Social Wines to get some hot cider and buy all the stuff they weren't allowed to buy from the vendors inside the AFH.  ( I guess you can't sell alcohol at a holiday market)

Chris and John were completely welcoming as we walked in the door.    They offered us cider, they were a wealth of knowledge about their products.   Their prices are inexpensive, and their selection is vast.   Not only do they have an amazing wine selection, they have just as big of a beer selection.    What is really cool though is, they are going to get us Jean Leon wine!   When we were in Spain this year, Lou and I went on a vineyard tour with my parents at Jean Leon.   It was a really great day, and we have been searching for the wine ever since.   They are going to get us some just in time for Christmas when my parents get here!!!!!



Happy Holiday eating everyone!!!

All the Pieces the Bits and Pieces

Sharing some of the images from my food life over the past month. This first one is a very cool beer glass, shaped like a can, and a tasty beer at the Channel Cafe. We had an amazing meal there and a very knowledgeable waitress. This is Lisel, loving her after work beer in her cool glass. Ah Illy, I love this coffee. When I see it , I get it, and I have no idea where I had this one, but isn't it pretty? Look at all that sugar! I swear it looks like more than it was.

Don't judge me on the price! I had a coupon! and it was worth it. For the lazy cinnamon toast maker, this allows you to just spread it on in one fell swoop, or spread as the case may be.

This tasty burger was from The Counter, in Times Square. For being in Times Square, it wasn't too expensive, and it is a totally design your own burger type of place. You pick, beef, chicken, veggie, turkey, then the toppings, cheese, bun.... This was Jimmy's creation. The fries can come with parmesan! So delicious!!!!

I realized butternut squash soup has got to be the easiest soup on the planet to make. Onions, stock, butternut squash, blend. Add nutmeg , salt, and pepper, I mean seriously? Let it sit a while to reach full flavor potential. Add some chives of scallions on top for color. What better fun way to eat it than in a Halloween mug!!!!

One of my favorite stores in the city to get unique food items. Cardullo's in Harvard Square. They also have awesome sandwiches, see my earlier post, and wine:)

Cool Vegetarian Diner in Cambridge near Porter Square. Veggie Galaxy! The food was amazing. If only I could figure out how to cook this way.

And this... is my Veggie Galaxy Burger. It was fabulous

Girl's weekend in Orlando took us to Universal Studio's Island's of Adventure and what better way to end the weekend than a hurricane at Pat O'Brien's. The first time I had them was in New Orleans. I remember drinking two and thinking I could drink more. Fast forward 15 years and 3 sips of this one got me nice and tipsy. That is probably a good thing!

What is cooler than homemade cider? Not much... This is my friend's husband's creation. It is very lovely. The funny thing is he doesn't drink it!

These next two are my dinner at Wolfie's! A new eatery in our little town of Southie. The funny thing about this place is Lou has joked for about 5 years that Wolf Gang Puck's friends call him Wolfie. Someone must have heard him. This is no association with Wolf Gang. The Cobb Sald below was a good portion, chopped well, and tasty.

The French onion soup at Wolfie's not quite and good as the Cobb. The cheese looks very melty, but it was melted only on the top, and it was too much. The soup was OK. This place is on L Street where Kelly Landing was previously.

This fun loving group was in NYC to watch Lou run the marathon! Where is Lou you ask? He was resting up for that run while we were out galvanting in the city. This awesome setting was in Bryant Park and OUTSIDE. There was a great view of the ice rink for people watching and a mega heater above our heads. That gi-normous punch bowl in the middle of us was our beverage! $126 but we all had more than enough and it was much cheaper than buying individual drinks. Not to mention we were the first punch bowl of the season!!! Trendsetters:)

The Galley Diner

The Galley Diner

11 P Street

South Boston, Ma 02127

The Galley Diner doesn't have a website. It just has a damn good breakfast! It is sp good, I feel it necessary to bust out of my blogging hiatus and write about it.

I have seen The Galley Diner many times in the 6 years I have lived in Southie, and I always say I am going to go in, but to be honest I forget about it when it comes to deciding on a breakfast place, and then late one night as I turned on the food channel, there it was!

No Reservation's Anthony Bourdain was standing in The Galley Diner telling me their corned beef hash and eggs was the best in town. I had to go, but then I forgot again. What is wrong with me?

The impetus to me finally visiting the diner I can only chalk up to a 10 mile run and telepathy. Saturday afternoon I decided I was going to do what I call the Southie Challenge. Run up and down every lettered street in Southie from the harbor to 1st street, starting at P and ending at my house. When I started down P, there it was again, The Galley Diner, I made mental note one more time, I had to go there, and I continued my run. Two days later on Columbus Day Lou woke up and said, "Let's check out The Galley Diner for breakfast!" It was meant to be.

If you are from out of town and looking for a real South Boston experience, you have go to this place. The diner is aptly named as the inside is about twice the length and width of a galley kitchen. There is a counter of about 10 seats and several 4 top tables. We were greated immediately as we walked in the door by what had to be the owners, Paul Skudris and Colleen Campbell. Everything about this place is family run and operated. There are two tvs going at the end of the counter for your morning news. Memorabilia from early classics such as the Three Stooges, Shirley Temple, and The Little Rascals adorn the walls, along with old pictures of Southie and retro ads.

Paul cooks your breakfast right in front of you behind the counter, so there is no guessing at what he is doing back there. Portions are big and food is delicious. I am a two eggs, toast, hashbrowns, and bacon kind of breakfast girl. I have gotten this in literally hundreds of breakfast places. A simple breakfast that you wouldn't think could vary too much from place to place, but at The Galley Diner, it tasted just a little bit better then all those other places.

Lou's comment was, "Now I know why Terry's ( our old breakfast place in Southie) closed!"

The coffee was great. The atmosphere was Southie through and through. Regular patrons lined the stools.

The prices were ridiculous for the city. We usually can't get breakfast for less than $20 these days. At The Galley Diner our breakfast was $16 with the tip! When we left we were told to come again. We most definitely will.

Looks like Lou and I will have to Trek a little bit further when it snows to get our traditional snow storm breakfast, (see earlier post)but this place is worth it!

Best Excuse for not Posting

There are a lot of reasons I have once again neglected my blog. I got a new job at Avaya and now actually supervise people:) I was away in training for that job. I haven't eaten out that much because of the job, but my best excuse is spending time with my dad during his recent heart surgery. He will probably kill me if he sees I posted this picture, but I am so happy he is doing well. Go Dad! I love you:)

Can a Potato be Creamy? Brunch at Coppa

Coppa

253 Shawmut Ave.

Boston, Ma

http://www.coppaboston.com/

Atmosphere-Casual, Intimate, Enoteca

Food-Small Italian plates, unique wines and drinks, wood fired pizzas, pastas, exceptional ingredients

Kid friendly- We saw kids there for brunch, but there isn't exactly a kids menu. If you kids are world travelers like Brad and Angelina's bring them.

Cost- Dishes are from $5 for small plates to $16 for a pizza or entree. These are not the corner pizza shop's pizza's

Breakfast potatoes, they are so easy to get wrong. At least that is my explanation as to why most places have horrible ones. They are either over cooked and hard, or undercooked and hard. It is rare to find ones that I really like, and usually the only ones I like have been shredded into hash browns. This weekend, however, I found the perfect breakfast potatoes at Coppa!! Should I be surprised? Coppa is an intimate enoteca opened by Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonette. If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know Ken's restaurants are some of my favorite in Boston.

Enoteca is an Italian word which originally was used to describe a wine shop which catered to wine tasting and affordable bottles for its patrons. The word has grown to describe bistro style restaurants which serve wine and small Italian dishes.

Coppa pays homage to both definitions. Courtney Bisonnette the general manager at Coppa has put a drink list together which includes some of the most original bottles I have ever seen. It is no surprise she is a founding member of Ladies United for The Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. Marry her drink list with the menu of small plates at Coppa and the word enoteca is the obvious description.

Back to the potatoes though, I can't take credit for calling them creamy. I wasn't the first to taste them. My friend Stash did, and it was the first thing he said, "Wow, those are creamy".

The potatoes are pictured below in the back right with some of our other small plates. Not the best picture. They were roasted, bliss potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and yes, they tasted unbelievably, savory, light and creamy.

Also pictured below, marinated mushrooms with Eva's herbs, mixed olives with fennel, and marinated cauliflower with shallots, thyme and sea salt. Not pictured dishes we had are the warm salt cod crostini and endive salad with Parmesan anchovy dressing.

Most small plates are $5, antipasti, and brunch dishes $10 and wood fired pizza's $12 to $16
The olives were not really different than any other olives I have had, but what can you really do with whole olives? I love olives so I was happy with the variety that came to the table, Calamata, Gaeta, Sevillano, Calabrese and Manzanilla to name a few. Right now if you are thinking I have in depth olive knowledge, I don't. I have no idea what olives were in that mix sans the Calamata's, I just wanted it to sound good.

The cauliflower was also a nice variety. Nice colorful variety that is. I had no idea until I worked for Rachel Nason at D'Lish Intimate Catering that cauliflower not only came in white, there was also orange, purple, and green. The shallots and thyme gave it a nice flavor. Herbs also gave the the marinated mushrooms a little extra flavor.

The Parmesan anchovy dressing on the endive salad was heavenly.

Honestly, though, I need to go back and order more of a variety of small dishes. I don't think I did justice ordering the small plates because I was starving, and really wanted to get a full meal.

If you look at the menu on Coppa's website, you won't see the egg dishes which are available on Sunday's. I am guessing they were added later. We, Lou, Stash, and I all decided to get the poached eggs, on cheesy polenta with center cut bacon and forgive my ignorance in describing food, but that is a thin piece of toasted buttery Italian bread on the side. If it has a fancy name, I don't care, it was perfect. This dish was perfect. If you don't like thick cut bacon, then you may not think it was perfect, but this bacon is fresh and smoky. It reminded me of the bacon from Maresca's, a butcher shop in Sergeantville where I grew up. The poached eggs were fluffy and the polenta a savory cheesy blend.
If you are a the social networking type and use four square, check in to Coppa your first time there and you can get a $3 glass of Prosecco to toast your arrival.

Some things we didn't try that I need to go back for...the Man Mosa- which is a small bottle of prosecco, and a Pelegrino Aranciata accompanied by a large mug to mix them in, Salumi- cut on the coolest, sleekest, hand cranked meat slicer I have ever seen, I need to try another meal besides the brunch, and I definitely need to try one of their Dopo il Pranzo drinks. Describing a drink as sweet, medicinal and luscious certainly piques my interest.

In my book, Ken Oringer is batting 5 for 5 right now for great restaurants. I still need to try KO Prime, but it's looking very good.

Brunch with the Babas

Grieshaber, it is hard to pronounce. Very few get it right. Maybe that is why we call Jimmy and Gina the Habanero's and the Baba's. The correct way to say it is Grease and then Harbor with a Boston accent. Grease-ha-ba:)

Now you know how to greet them when you show up at their house for brunch on Sunday. I hope they read my blog so they know to expect you!

For as long as I can remember Jimmy and Gina have been making brunch Sunday mornings. My pictures don't do the feast justice. I know that on any given Sunday, I can show up and they will have more than enough to feed me and a small army.

Jimmy makes his giant egg scramble which usually consists of scrambled eggs, peppers, cheese, ham, tomatoes and anything else he feels like putting in that day.

There is also usually turkey sausage or bacon, keeping it healthy, and a huge stack of pancakes, see below. Jimmy doesn't usually look that serious when he is cooking, I don't know if he realized what I was doing.
What is really cool about this brunch is Jimmy works for Starbucks and Gina works for JP Licks so they both know coffee and tea like nobody's business and they have all the tools to make you a latte, cappuccino, or any other fancy drink you can dream up!

We brought Lou's friend Joe over one Sunday morning and 20 minutes later he was asking, " Who are these people?"

You didn't really think I was going to tell you where they live though did you?

Peterboro Diner

Peterborough Diner

10 Depot St.

Peterborough, NH

Atmosphere: Casual, friendly diner food, tight quarters, outside seating in the summer.

Kid Friendly: Sure

Food: Typical Diner food, we were there for breakfast

Cost: It was $18 with tip for breakfast for three of us, I am serious.

Our good friends Eric and Mary helped us kick off a festive holiday season this year by getting married the first weekend in December. They are both artists in every aspect of their lives. Mary is an art teacher, and Eric manages the music portion of Toadstool bookshop, but outside of that their lives are filled with artistic endeavors, and this made for a unique and amazing wedding in the town of Peterborough, NH where Eric and Mary live.

Peterborough is a quaint artistic community in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. There are great gourmet markets, and interesting antique stores, but the morning of the wedding we were early, and nothing was opened. Lou and I needed breakfast! We decided to stop in the Peterboro Diner. Peterboro on the sign, but Peterborough on the website and their mugs. Makes me think they just ran out of space on the sign?

Since Peterborough is a fairly small town, and this by all appearances seemed to be the only place open for breakfast, we made a bet that we would run into someone going to the wedding.
Once inside, Lou and I hopped up to the counter as it looked like these were the only seats left in the place and space was tight. Once we sat down, the only seat open was a stool next to Lou.

I got my regular, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and Lou got the French toast. As we saw the food for other patrons going by we got very excited. The portions looked huge and freshly made, but it started to take a little long for our food to come out.

About 15 minutes into our wait, I turned around to see a familiar face. It was the mother of the maid of honor in the wedding and she was alone. We quickly told her to join as in the open seat next to Lou and in the end, the wait for our food worked out. After she ordered, our food ended up coming out all together, and in the mean time we had some great conversation about how excited we were for the wedding that day.

For an all American, inexpensive, big portion, good tasting, basic breakfast, the Peterborough Diner fits the bill. I heard some mixed reviews about the lunch and dinner at this place, but speaking for breakfast, if you are in Peterborough, check it out.

Thoughts of Summer... Woodman's of Essex

Woodman's of Essex

121 Main Street, Route 33

Essex, Ma 01929

www.woodmans.com

Atmosphere: This is the seafood place by the sea you dream about

Kid Friendly: Absolutely, Family friendly, big party friendly

Menu: Seafood, Seafood and more Seafood

Cost: A lot of food for the price

Since Boston has turned into the Fortress of Solitude, I have been dreaming of summer, and all that comes with it. I know that Woodman's is open all year round, but fried clams and lobster at a picnic table, even if it is inside, screams of summer to me.

Woodman's is a seafood restaurant that has been serving New England for over 90 years. Their claim to fame is the invention of the fried clam, and they make them extremely tasty.

Last year at the beginning of the season Lou and I were lucky enough to get a FREE Woodman's meal. We have a LandRover and the dealership we bought it from did a road rally that ended at Woodman's with clam chowder, fried clams and lobster for all.

It was a great way to welcome in the warmer weather.

Woodman's Fried Clams

The first time I brought Lou to Woodman's, was about a year after we were married. He took one bite of a fried shrimp and gave me a look like, "Woman! You've been holding out!" Yes he does call me woman sometimes. It is usually very funny. I told him I had to make sure he was a keeper before I brought him to a favorite spot;) But seriously, I grew up in Jersey! He should have known about Woodman's!

Woodman's Clam Chowder

If you have room for it, there is an ice cream window at the back of Woodman's and if you travel in extremely large groups, there is a tent in the back for catered events. Hint: Bring some bug spray, we had an especially buggie day the day we ate in the tent, as there are marshes behind the restaurant.

You don't have to wait until summer to enjoy this place, in fact maybe a visit will bring summer just a little bit closer into view..

YAY ME!!!!

I am excited to announce that I will be a contributing food blogger to the very cool, South Boston site, Caughtinsouthie.com

This site is everything you wanted to know about Southie but didn't know who to ask. There is serious news, gossip, and some very funny articles. My favorite article right now is, "What does your spot marker say about you?" I admit it, I am a double bucket girl, which means, according to this article, I am intense or uptight. When it comes to the parking situation in Southie, I guess I am these days.

Who knew Mother Nature was going to dump the North Pole on us this year?

I am getting off topic, probably because of my excitement! I am a contributing food blogger!!!!! I think it is so cool.

Did Somebody Say, "MEAT PIE???"

KO Catering and Pies

87 A Street

South Boston, Ma

kocateringandpies.com

Atmosphere: Casual, Cozy

Food: All Aussie, all the time, meat pies, Vegemite, brekky ...

Kid Friendly: What little kid doesn't love their own little meat pie?

Prices: Great place to grab lunch or a casual take out dinner. Cheap eats

I have been meaning to stop by this place for a while, and this week I realized I have incredibly bad timing. I showed up too late on Sunday, Monday they are always closed, but Tuesday.... Tuesday I struck gold and bought every meat pie on the menu.

Let me back up. KO Catering and Pies opened a few months back in the old St. Alphonso's place on A street just off West Broadway. St. Alphonso's hadn't lasted long, and either had the place before that. I was starting to think it was one of those places that goes from owner to owner until eventually they level it and turn it into a parking lot.

I think I have changed my mind though. KO doesn't have a big sign out front. They usually have a small A frame that simply says, G'Day, it's Aussie food and it beckons passersby to "come on in!"

Really simple, so you may think, "How is this affective", but who doesn't love an Aussie accent? I planned on going into this place just to listen to whoever was behind the counter. I didn't care what they were serving, but then I saw an article in The Improper Bostonian, and a picture of the Aussie meat pies. A visit to KO was a win/win situation!

I have never had the pleasure of going to Australia, but I have a cousin who spent a semester abroad there, and she was visiting me this weekend. I couldn't help but think what better time to go and try KO out? Unfortunately, as I mentioned at the beginning of this, I have bad timing. By the time my Tuesday visit to KO came around, my cousin had gone back to Virginia, and I was left having to taunt her on facebook with my plethora of meat pies.

KO has the classic meat pie (ground beef and pie), the classic with cheese. They have an Irish stew meat pie, and a curried vegetable meat pie, and on that special day they had a steak, onion and mushroom meatpie! I ended up buying every meat pie except the classic with cheese. I also grabbed a sausage roll which my husband aptly described as, "Did you see those croissants with the sausage inside?" Yes I did.

There were plenty of other things on KO's menu that I will have to go back and try like the Chicken Schnitzel Burger or fish and chips. They even have Brekky Australian style for the early morning, Aussie eaters. My visit, however, was all about the meat pies.

I bought my meat pies early in the day and I was greeted by the owner Sam. Sam has cooked all over the world from gourmet kitchens to the galleys of yachts. These days he calls Southie his home and he realized there was an enormous opportunity to bring Aussie food to Boston. Sam won't just be sharing his Aussie creations with Southie, he has also joined in on the food truck revolution and will be going mobile. Of course I loved the accent, and not only was Sam nice, so were his customers who insisted I get the meat pie of the day.

The worst part about going to KO was I went early in the day, and these pies were for dinner! They kept nicely though and I heated them up in a 400 degree oven and they were ready in about 15 minutes.

Each pie is about 5 inch in diameter. One pie is probably good for most people, but we were doing a taste test, so we each had about two pies.. Our favorite was the Irish stew, followed by the steak, onion and mushroom special. I am not a big fan of curry, but the vegetable curry pie was pretty good, and the classic, I can see why they call it the classic. I realized after I ate it I should have read the card that Sam handed me "How to eat a meat pie" because it appears most people put ketchup on the classic, but I thought it was still very delicious on it's own. Lou also was a BIG fan of the Sausage roll.

I think I should warn Sam now. He might want to get ready for the St. Paddy's Parade. If news of that Irish Stew pie gets out, he will need to recruit some more local Aussies to "meat" the demand.

WHOA!!!!

How do 21 days go by and I don't post once?!?! Could it be the holiday season? Those calls I get at 6 pm which last until 6 am for work??? Maybe I am just lazy????

Well It is going to be another few days before I get back to posting, but I have a lot to talk about. So stop by after Christmas to find out about......

My next installment of Diner's Driveins and Dives a.k.a the Peterborough Diner.

Boston's Best, or so they say, Thai restaurant, Montien

and the Big "O" The restaurant at the Opeche Spa in Belmont NH.

and much, much, more!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diners, Driveins and Dives/ Victoria's

I was watching Diner's, Drivein's and Dives over Thanksgiving. Lou and I are waiting for Guy Fieri to drop dead from a heart attack during one of the episodes from all the grease he is eating, but the food does look damn good at these places. I used to think he only ate a few bites of whatever he was eating, but after watching the marathon, he is chowing!

Anyway, this is my own version of Diners, Driveins and Dives!!! or just Diners, or rather Diner...

I have written about Breakfast at Victoria's Diner in Dorchester before, but I have never written about dinner.

Lou and I have come to appreciate Victoria's for more than just the 24 hour breakfast. We now go there for dinner too!

Lou's dinner usually consists of breakfast, but sometimes, like the other night.... He gets something different!

This last time at Victoria's we tried the Eggplant fries. Basically fried eggplant that looks like fries. I am sure this would contribute nicely to Guy Fieri's hardening of the arteries, but they are very tasty, and need no dipping sauce. Although I think marinara or ketchup would be a nice addition as well, we ate them plain. I get it Guy, I am working towards my own heart attack if I keep eating these, but this batch was work the extra cholesterol.
Moving away from the breakfast for dinner theme, Lou got this gigantic Cranberry and Walnut salad with Mandarin oranges above.
I got my equally large standard chef salad which comes with real freshly sliced turkey breast.

All salads also come with Pita bread which I love, love, love. I don't know why when I was growing up in NJ no salads came with pita bread. I didn't see this phenomenon until I moved to Boston. Maybe I just never ate salad back then...

Dinner for two at Victoria's is usually well under $30 and you get more food than most restaurants. The menu is the typically diverse Diner Menu with lots of choices for everyone, and they are open 24/7. Where was this place when I was in my 20's?