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.

Telegraph Hill

Telegraph Hill

289 Dorchester Street
South Boston, MA 02127

Atmosphere: Brand new local bar, GREAT place to watch any game. Not a bad seat

Food: Bar apps, Entrees, Burgers, Salads, New England inspired, New Orleans inspired, even some California inspiration. Something for everyone.

Prices: Lot of good food at a fair price.

Kid Friendly: Come on now, it's a bar.

Unlike most Dear John letters where the guy is being told to get lost because you found somebody new, I want to write a Dear John letter to John Lovett, owner of Telegraph Hill to say, "Please don't go anywhere!!!"

Telegraph Hill is the new bar and restaurant in town and they opened just a few blocks from our house. The block they are on is not the nicest one in Southie. In fact, it is filled with vacant store fronts and run down businesses, but John saw what we all want to see, promise, and he built a beautiful place.

Lou and I stopped by on Halloween to grab a bite to eat. It was an early dinner/ late lunch, around 3 and the bar was empty, so we got to choose where we sat. There were 11 flat screens filling the walls. There isn't a chance you will miss a game no matter where you sit.

Besides the bar, there are hightops scattered throughout which can sit 4 people comfortably. I have to admit, I have never seen a bar without low seats and booths. It isn't too large in here though and I imagine they wanted to be able to pack a bar crowd in, so if that is case, the seating makes sense.After being seated our waitress, Erin greeted us immediately. There was only one other couple in the whole restaurant, but it was that in between time so, I thought that made sense. Lou and I aren't huge drinkers, so we just got water, but Telegraph Hill offers a great selection of draft and bottled beer.

For our in between meal, I got the shepard's pie and Lou got a burger. I took the picture above when our meals first arrived. Both dishes were massive, so I took the two below to try to show some scale.

My shepard's pie was really tasty, with a cheesy, potato crust on the top. They cook it in the same bowl they serve it in, and because of that, it took a while for our food to arrive. At least that is my theory. It was delicious, but I can see the shepard's pie throwing off the kitchen on a busy night.
Lou's burger was really good as well. He loved that they had a California burger with avocado on it. That mound of fries is not only plentiful, but they are fresh. I caught a glimpse of one of the cooks preparing the fries in the kitchen.

The menu at Telegraph Hill is diverse. They have some typical bar food, some with a bit of a twist, like the fried mac and cheese. Most dishes seem like a mixed influence between New England, and New Orleans, with choices like the Southie Po'Boy, Battered Cod, onion strings, house slaw, garlic mayo, serves with the house fries. They have a raw bar, and they also have Sunday Brunch. The most expensive thing on the menu is the Black and Bleu which is a 12 oz sirloin for $19. I would say perfect price points for this neighborhood.
This is Lou after somehow finishing the majority of his giant meal. The reason I really took this picture was the flowers. I loved them. I thought they were original with a nice fall theme. They were fake, but didn't scream fake, but the most interesting part to me was the water. The water was fake too! I like when restaurants come up with an interesting way to keep atmosphere, but make it simple on themselves. Telegraph Hill could have these pre-made vases for every season.

As we neared the end of our meal, the Patriots game started and a few more people began to file into Telegraph Hill. I was a little disappointed to be honest because I expected a bigger crowd. This is a GREAT place to watch the game. There literally is not a bad seat in the place, and the interior is beautiful. The walls are all custom wood panel, and the wall of windows in front can open to the street on warmer days. The bathrooms are newly renovated, and overall it is really clean. I know it's new, but sometimes even new places have signs of uncleanliness. Best of all the service was awesome from the minute we walked in the door. Erin gave us the type of service where she was always available, but in no way pestering us. She even said to Lou at one point as she cleared my plate,"Please don't let me rush you." The whole experience was pleasant.

When we left, I drove past two other bars where people watch the game, Stadium which is around the corner, and Stats which is up the street hoping they had smaller crowds, but both of them were packed. I am hoping it is because Telegraph Hill is new and not too many people know about it yet.

Come on people of Southie! Get out there and check out Telegraph Hill!

Let's be honest, John Lovett did a great thing by opening this beautiful place in a less desirable block. I hope people realize it is there, that it has great food, service and atmosphere and frequent it. I also hope it inspires other future business owners to invest in Southie as well.

Dear John,

Please don't leave!

I've gotten behind....

Cheesecake at Finale

Writing a blog has been much harder than I anticipated when I started. (Case and point, I started this entry a week ago, and I am just getting around to finishing it.) I began gungho posting every couple days determined to be the best food blogger in the universe, but then I realized a few things. Not every restaurant I go to has a wow factor, or great story. Sometimes I forget my camera and think without out the pictures the post will be lame. Sometimes I am too busy to post, and sometimes I would just rather play Farmville. I admit it, I am a Farmville addict.

With all this in mind, I thought I would sum up a few places into one entry. As Abraham Lincoln once said, and I take poetic justice on this, forgive me if it gets too long, I don't have time to write a shorter entry.

Best pizza we have found in Southie, and friendliest staff and delivery guys. Alfredo's 243 Dorchester Street. Closest I have found to NYC pizza in Boston, and every time I call in an order the guy affectionately calls me sweetie.

Applebee's. I know NOT ANOTHER CHAIN, how dare I? but it is a great place to meet for a quick lunch and they have a damn good Oriental Chicken salad with a grilled teriyaki chicken on top.

City Feed- 672 Centre Street, Local, Fresh, Organic, in JP. This place is hipper than hip and oh so green. They try to buy only from local vendors and support free trade. You country folks living in the city, don't let the outside fool you. I totally thought it was some kind of garden store, animal feed store, or grain storage. I know that sounds ridiculous being it's in the middle of JP, but I can't be the only one! Anyway, try the vegetarian egg sandwich here. You meat eaters won't think those Vegan's are so nuts anymore. You may want to go across the street to JP Licks for your coffee though.

Douzo- Swankiesh sushi 121 Dartmouth street. This is the place I most wish I had my camera at as I ate mini Octopus topped with a sesame oil. Oh how I wish I had lined them up like little soldiers for my blog. Alas, I forgot the camera. Douzo is good, a little expensive and I think you can get just as good sushi somewhere else cheaper, but it is a nice setting, and we were with nice friends, so we had a good time. Service wasn't the best, but we had been there before and the same guy was much better. I think it was just a bad night.

Finale- In the Park Plaza hotel. Want to impress someone over dessert or have dessert for dinner? Bring them here. They have combination desserts that cost as much as $25 but are big enough to share. The dessert bar craze may be all the rage, but these guys were first in the game. They do have some dinner items on the menu, but don't go for those. Live a little! Have your dessert first! or skip dinner all together. The Valrona hot chocolate with butterscotch schnapp's is the perfect warmer after a day of shopping on Newbury street in the winter. The Molten Chocolate cake is a house special. They do it better than anyone. Also outstanding are their creme brulee, and fruit tarts.

JP Hanlon's- This place is in Ayer and outside the city, get out and explore! It's an Irish bar, with Irish type food, and the best damn dipping sauce for sweet potato fries you will ever come across. Honey mustard and horseradish mixed together make up this tasty concoction. Sure you can make it at home, but everything tastes better when someone else makes it.

So there you have it, I am caught up. It's been a tough March and speaking to friends, I think we are all about as busy, but I promise to keep up with the blogging going forward.

Our Breakfast Tradition, Terrie's Place

Lou and I have a tradition when it snows in Southie on the weekend. In the morning, before we dig out, we head up to Terrie's Place for breakfast. Usually it is still snowing, and barely anyone has dug out, so it can be a good workout. When I think back on all the times we have done this, it makes me think it must never snow during the week in Southie.

Terrie's Place is on East Broadway on the corner of K street. It is a small place with seating for about 40 people tops. There are several booths, a counter, and some free standing high tops available. The seating is seat yourself when it's open, and slightly more organized when it is busy. Since there isn't a lot of space to sit down, there really isn't a lot of space to stand and wait, so often when it starts to get busy in Terrie's you see the staff doing the ultimate shuffle routine to move people around so they are not in the way.

There is a girl in Terrie's who is always in there, and I am guessing she is Terrie. It is obvious she is in charge and she is always cheerful and quick to offer some hot chocolate or coffee when you come in from the cold. Sometimes I wish I could ask her what her end game is with this place.

As it is today, Terrie's has a nice breakfast. They have the typical two eggs, toast and hash browns, or the make your own omelet type dishes, but they also offer some unique dishes like Banana bread French toast, and eggs benedict done 10 different ways. This isn't 5 star dining, but it a neighborhood place. It is cheap, and it is consistent. It is also open for lunch, which I have never tried, but closes for dinner.

The only problem with Terrie's is I think it could be so much better. The location is prime, but the space needs to be used differently. The booths seem to be on their last leg, the curtains are old, and the set up is inefficient. This place is in major need of a makeover! I find myself sitting in there wondering why Terrie hasn't changed things. I know it can be financially draining, but there are small things she could do to fix this place up.

First of all the place needs a major detailed cleaning. Do this alone and it would look 10 times better. Service areas are clean, and I don't feel like the place is unsanitary to eat it in, but the baseboards could be scrubbed or a new coat of paint could be added to the walls to brighten it up. Those things don't take too much time or money.

If I was really going to overhaul Terrie's, I would rip out the booths and add two tops. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Small places need two tops!!!!!! You can move them around. You can fit all sizes of parties. Two tops optimize seating in small places! I would also get rid of the Odwalla fridge which is against one of the walls. I can't imagine that many people are coming into Terrie's for their Odwalla fix. If they still wanted to sell Odwalla, they could keep it in a cooler behind the counter. Most importantly though, I would spruce up the wait staff. The only nice person when you go into Terrie's is Terrie herself. Everyone else has the. "it's a job" mentality. It's not that the staff is rude, but they do seem to be going through the motions.

For a neighborhood breakfast place, Terrie's is the old standby. Each time it snows we will make our traditional trek, but I think I will always quietly hope Terrie realizes the potential of her place.

Damn the Torpedos! Full Speed Ahead!

Farragut House

149 P Street

South Boston, Ma 02127

617-268-6348

Menu: Irish/American fare

Atmosphere: Casual neighborhood bar

Kid Friendly: For lunch and dinner sure, probably should leave late night to the veteren drinkers

Prices: Average prices decent portions

Since I started writing this blog, I realized there are a lot of places I go to which I think are cool, but I don't know a whole lot about the history of them. Take The Farragut House located in the heart of South Boston off Farragut Road.

The Farragut House is a great Irish bar, but I had no idea who David Glasgow Farragut, the man the bar was named after, was. Here is his story.

During the Civil War, Farragut was the U.S. Navy's first admiral. During his attack on the Confederate Fleet in Mobil Bay, he decisy advanced his ships through an abundant string of aquatic mines known as torpedoes. He pushed froward in spite of the danger of the mines and rebel cannon fire, issuing the most famous orders in U.S. Naval History. "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" and you thought Tom Petty said it...

Last night, Lou and I had some good friends, Eric and Mary, visiting from Petersborough, NH. We started our night off at the Farragut House. Lou and I love this place. When you enter the restaurant there is a large square bar in the center of the restaurant surrounded on the outside by tables and booths. The atmosphere in the Farragut house is always warm and welcoming. Dress code is casual, and the food is consistently outstanding. It is an Irish pub with hundreds of mugs and pictures representing Ireland hanging from every piece of empty wall space and even the ceiling.

The Menu is a mix of basic Irish dishes like Bangers and Mash and Shepards pie, to more mainstream choices like buffalo chicken wrap, and Paddy the greek's salad.

I've tried a lot of dishes at The Farragut House but my favorite is the Broiled Haddock. It's about a 4 oz piece of Haddock with light breading on top broiled with mixed vegatables and mashed potatoes. It's an Irish restaurant, so of course the potatoes are good, but the vegatables are what I really like. Most places over cook their vegatables or have a terrible selection, but here they are perfectly steamed al dente and are made up of fresh broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Lou usually gets the crab cake burger with a dill mayo on top, but last night he flipped the script and got the fish and chips. Sandwiches are usually served with steak fries, but Mary requested a garden salad with her Buffalo Chicken Wrap last night and they gladly did the substitute. Eric a self proclaimed picky eater opted for the steak sandwich, and was very satisfied.

I don't know what my favorite part of the Farragut House is. The warm atmosphere, the friendly neighborhood vibe, the fact they can poor a perfect Guiness, or the free Tootsie Pops they have at the end of the bar, but I do know, as long as we live in Southie, it will be one of our favorite places to go.

Flour

My first post.

Flour URL: http://www.flourbakery.com/
Menu: Pastries, Sandwiches, Soups Salads
Kid Friendly: Yes High chairs and Kid's menu
Price: Average for the city and neighborhood, dinner is a bit pricey for premade items.
Atmosphere: Hip, artsy, friendly staff, trendy

This is not a new restaurant for me. I have been going there for about a year or so with Lou. My biggest regret about the restaurant is I didn't find it myself, and it is so close! I pride myself in finding good places to eat, but somehow this one slipped by. Flour has two locations one in South Boston on Farnsworth St. and one in the South End on Washington Street. It is owned by Joanne Chang who also owns Myers and Chang, another great place I will have to write about. Flour is first and foremost a bakery. From homemade oreos, to a variety of brioche, to breakfast pizza, to mini tartelettes, to the best stickie buns outside of Philly, their pastries selection is without peer, at least to my knowledge, feel free to prove me wrong. All pastries are made on premises. You can often see the bakers in the back creating new sensations. Flour also bakes their own bread for sandwiches on premise. When I think of Flour I usually think breakfast or lunch. They have a delicious breakfast sandwich which includes a fresh cooked egg, your choice of ham or bacon, greens, a roasted tomato, and some special sauce on a fresh cooked bun. They also offer a daily quiche, the breakfast pizza, which I mentioned earlier, and of course their delicious pastries! For lunch their is a large selection of sandwiches available, daily soups and salads. The Sandwiches are always on fresh baked bread, with unique ingredients like the Roasted Lamb, tomato chutney, and goat cheese, or the curried tuna with apples, golden raisins and carrots, and my husband's favorite, the smoked turkey with Vermont cheddar and cranberry chutney. Every item we've had at Flour is delicious and made with quality ingredients. Flour does offer dinner items as well. The items differ by week and are sent out via a mailing list for those interested. Lou and I have tried their dinners a few times. The food is tasty and comes in good portions, but I find their dinner items to be a bit overpriced for take out items. You can choose to have them heat dinner items up and eat on premise, but for self service, again, they are a bit overpriced. Both Flour locations are usually packed at breakfast and at lunch. The Farnsworth location is larger and has more available seating inside and out while the Washington street location is smaller. Seating is very limited. To be fair, I have only been to Washington street in the winter so do not know if they have outside seating available in the warmer months. The staff at Flour is always friendly and helpful. My impression is they are hip, creative, and concerned with the environment, Flour was just officially green certified. They also seem to be tight knit team, and updates on family and accomplishments are often posted in e-mails and on their website. Flour is definitely a trendy restaurant in many aspects, starting with the name, the creativity in the food they serve, their support of the arts, and their green rating. If Flour falls short in any place it is their operations. The line is managed unconventionally. When it is busy, it is hard to view the pastries before having to order, and they are probably doing themselves a disservice by not by not examining their order flow and making it more efficient and upsell friendly. I don't want to end my first blog entry on a negative. I chose Flour to write about first because it is a favorite of mine, it is close by, I love to bring friends their, I am never dissappointed with what I order, and the staff is really friendly. Come back often for more recommendations!