This is Meatfest Part 1 Salmon!!!!!!

Every Memorial Day weekend my sister Kira and her husband Chris have the mother of all Memorial Day picnics. It has become affectionately known as Meatfest. For the past few years I have been promising to get down to Alpharetta, Ga, where they live, to join in on the festivities. This year we finally did it. I began taking pictures to document some of Chris's smoking techniques and came away extremely impressed with how much work they put into this party. Approximately 60 to 70 people show up with kids in tow to chow down on a meal Chris and Kira start preparing for over a week in advance. Chris actually has to start cooking at midnight the night before the party so that everything is done on time for the picnic. They really go all out for friends and family. Here is some documentation of the process.

This is Chris washing off Salmon before he marinades it.

If I remember correctly the marinade has apple cider, salt and pepper and some other spices and it sits over night.Salmon is the only thing that Chris cooks on the smoker which cooks quickly, about 45 minutes. Kira adds it to the appetizer table while the other meats still cook.Here is a close up of the finished product. This Salmon is award winning. I almost spoiled my appetite.Kira puts it out with sour cream, capers, tomatoes and onions, all excellent accompaniments.

Just What I Was Looking For, The Style Cafe

Style Cafe

www.stylecafeonline.com

197 8th Street

Charlestown, Ma 02129

Menu: Basic Lunch and Breakfast items with a Brazilian influence, coffee and smoothies available.

Atmosphere: Casual, some outdoor seating under an overhang, near the water

Prices: Most expensive thing on the menu is the panini's at $6.50, pretty good for the city.

Sometimes the decision of where I want to eat is a lot like a kid looking into the full refrigerator and still declaring, "There is nothing to eat!" The real issue is I just can't decide. If I am hungry, I have an even more difficult time picking a place.

With a 180 mile bike ride looming ahead of us in a week, Lou and I have been biking and running a lot to get into shape. On Memorial Day after a 5 mile run, we decided we would try to find a new place to grab lunch. Not only was I hungry, but I was tired and hungry! A perfect storm, making it almost impossible for me to make a decision. All I knew was I wanted a new place. I wanted to be by the water, and I wanted the ability to eat outside.

I had heard of the Tavern on the Water in Charlestown, so we headed over that way. I had no idea there was a whole community back by the Charlestown Navy yard which was a nice surprise. (Sprawling parks, a pool,if you can sneak in, cafe's, and lots of places to stroll)

When I saw Tavern on the Water, it wasn't really what I was looking for. I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, but from afar it looked like if I was going to have a liquid lunch this place would be perfect. It just wasn't what I was looking for that day.

Then I saw it! Under the awning of the building before Tavern on the Water was The Style Cafe. This is the place I had in my mind! Tables out side, a new place, and a solid lunch menu. We went in to check it out.

Inside, it was really cute. Not enormous, but a few tables, also some outside, and a long counter along the window looking out to the harbor where you can sit and enjoy a quick bite. The atmosphere was immediately pleasant, and it was very clean.

The Style Cafe only has breakfast and lunch items on it's menu, but it is open until 7 pm most days and until 6 pm on Sunday. Judging from the amount of items on their breakfast menu, I am guessing they do a pretty good business.

For lunch that day we decided to try their panini's. Lou got the Navy Yard- Smoked Turkey Cheddar, Green Apple and Red Onions.
I got the Style- Smoked Turkey, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Basil and SpinachBoth Panini's were grilled perfectly, and what I liked most is they didn't have a bunch of butter or oil on the bread. I am not sure if they had put anything on the bread before grilling them. All the ingredients were really fresh and flavorful, and they were toasted perfectly.

The lunch menu at The Style Cafe is basic. Simple Sandwiches and Panini's, some salads. They do have Burritos which adds a twist, but ingredients are basic as well. I am not saying basic is bad, in fact this place does basic extremely well.

The Breakfast menu has more of a Brazilian influence with ingredients like smoke Brazilian Sausage, and Brazilian cheese in some of the dishes. Their catering menus also offer some Brazilian flair with Brazilian Croquetes. The owners are obviously Brazilian, and have matched American cuisine with Brazilian influences to create a nice balance and delicious food.

After lunch we each decided to try some iced lattes. The espresso machine is the real deal, and not the automated machines you see in a lot of places these days. The coffee was flavorful, and the entire staff during our visit was very friendly.

I only wish this place was closer to our house so we didn't have to drive to it.

Dutch Monkey, that Funky Monkey

Dutch Monkey Doughnuts

3075 Ronald Reagan Blvd.

Cumming GA 30041

Food: Doughnuts, doughnuts and more doughnuts, but not just any doughnuts, the best doughnuts you will ever taste

Forget the cupcake craze! Step into Dutch Monkey Doughnuts and you will swear off cupcakes forever and replace them with DOUGHNUTS!!!

This place is the real deal. Two pastry chefs from NYC who have worked under the famous Bobby Flay, and been the pastry chefs at places like the Metropolitan Opera House, have moved to GA and opened a REAL doughnut shop. Ingredients are fresh and flavorful. Real fruit filling, Valrhona chocolate, and Tahitian vanilla are just a few of the things that set these doughnuts apart.

Next time you want to bring a little something extra to the party, think Dutch Monkey!

Our selection of Doughnuts. Boston Cream, Red velvet glazed, and chocolate cream

Want to bring a special someone something sweet? These togo boxes are perfect for a one doughnut gift.

We didn't try these passion fruit filled doughnuts, but they looked too good not to take a picture of.

A close up of our red velvet glazed doughnut

These were peanut butter cream filled doughnuts. If only we had stayed in GA a few more days we could have tried more doughnuts!

Queen of the Theme

My Godson Jimmy made his First Communion this weekend. His mom is one of my best friend's in the world, and she made a beautiful cake for him. I was going to post a picture of he and I, and post a picture of the cake, and then I started to sort through my photos. I realized I had many pictures of cakes and parties Gina has done over the past 6 years. ( Only 6 years because that is when I got my camera:) Gina and her husband Jimmy LOVE a good theme party, and more than that, they LOVE to THROW a good theme party.

I compiled all the pictures I have of some of their work into this blog entry, and I dub Gina the Queen of the Theme.

Need help with a theme party you're having? I would gladly pimp my friend out for a reasonable fee!

I will start off with one of Gina's more subtle themes. I asked her to make a cake for Lou's and my house warming.

For Little Jimmy's 5th birthday he was into Rescue Heroes. Jimmy and Gina made t-shirts for themselves and the kids and had them do an obstacle course turning them each into rescue heroes themselves.

This is the cake from the Rescue Heroes party, not my best picture, but it was an avalanche with rescue vehicles on the scene to save people.

This is a picture from an 80's theme party. Jimmy is wearing his actual gear from back in the day. This party included neon drapes, and dancing Michael Jackson's Thriller

This is Gina and I at a 40's themed party. In the back ground, you can see some period posters.

Cupcakes were on the menu for the 40's themed party complete with homemade chocolates with American Flags.

A running joke since Little Jimmy's 2nd birthday party, is Lou's parents didn't love him and never threw him a party like the ones Gina and Jimmy throw for little Jimmy. They made up for it with a Halloween themed party for Lou's 27th birthday. Complete with haunted cake below.

Jimmy's 3rd birthday was all about pirates. This pirate ship was one of the more ambitious cakes Gina and Jimmy created.

For Jeanette's shower, this cake below was created. Leila is now 5 years old. Time flies.

Here is Jimmy! The lucky boy who lives in this fun filled, themed household. I got him right before he changed out of his communion outfit. What a handsome boy!

This is the communion cake. Classy simple, and delicious, like all the cakes Gina makes!

King Kone!

If your in the Westchester/Katonah area of New York, check out King Kone! A roadside ice cream stand with hard and soft treats. Portions are large so order accordingly. Plenty of picnic tables to sit at and enjoy your cones.

Catering Pictures

I may have mentioned before that I am a chronic moonlighter. I am also pretty sure I have mentioned I work for a good friend Rachel, for her catering business. D'Lish Intimate Catering

http://www.dlishintimatecatering.com/ Check out her website, and them come back in a month. She is in the process of redoing it with all new content.

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have Rachel trust my culinary skills and make dinner for one of her clients.

Here are some of the items I made. None of these are my recipes, they are all D'Lish and the name says it all. Rachel is an amazing chef.

This is a mixture of Fiddlehead Ferns, Chard and Ramps which were the bed upon which a seared piece of Haddock was placed for dinner.

These are Scallion and Sushi Rice Cakes which were a side on the dish.

These are Aranciata or Mushroom Risotto balls stuffed with a date and gorgonzola cheese. We made these for a future meal this client would be having.

Another view of my Fiddlehead Ferns

The Barking Crab

The Barking Crab

88 Sleeper Street

Boston, Ma

Atmosphere: Casual seafood dining in the open air, under a tent near the water. Music on the weekends

Kid Friendly: Sure but earlier in the night

Price: Reasonable for a tourist filled place by the water.

What does biking have to do with the Barking Crab? Not a lot, but I did build up an appetite.

Lou and I went on a 33 mile bike ride yesterday through Beverly, Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield and Ipswich Ma. The first 11 miles were beautiful, and then Lou got a flat:( I admit it, we were unprepared without a spare and one cell phone. Luckily Lou had a lot of water and some snacks. Weighing our options, I took the phone and headed back to the car, and Lou waited on the side of the road until I was able to come pick him and his bike up.

In the end, I went on a 25 mile bike ride, and Lou went on an 11 mile bike ride. At least we learned our lesson and we won't head out again without a spare.

When we got home, our good friend Kat was in town for work, so we all decided to go out and eat. Kat has a recently discovered gluten intolerance so we decided to head out for seafood.

Yankee Lobster was our first choice, which I will definitely write about in the future, but it was closed this day, so we opted for the Barking Crab. Both restaurants are off of Northern Ave in the Seaport District.

If you have a lot of extroverted friends, you love eating outside by the water, and you want good food, but a casual environment, The Barking Crab is for you.

There are two parts to the restaurant, a tent dining area which is opened to the elements, and a closed dining area. Both areas are divided by the kitchen.

The trend these days for a wait in a restaurant is to give the diner an object, usually a large coaster, which buzzes when their table is ready. At the Barking Crab, they give you a lobster. It's cute and all, but a bit of a pain to lug around with you. We took our lobster and headed to the bar. One thing to note is if you put yourself on the wait in the tent at the Barking Crab, that is where you will be sat. If you want to sit inside, you need to put yourself on that wait. They treat the areas as if they are separate restaurants.

The tent area is made up of a bunch of picnic tables and no matter where you sit, unless you have a VERY large party, you will most likely be sharing your table with strangers. These are our strangers.

On the tables are plastic utensils, paper towels( these are your napkins) and large rocks to smash your lobsters, crab legs, or anything else you have to bust open to eat. In general, this is a very casual place.

This is our friend Kat waiting for her dinner.

We ended up sitting in the middle of the tent this night. We started our meal with the lobster and crab dip. It is a warm lobster, crab, and cheese dip served with tortilla chips. The portion was probably good for 5 to share, but we were starving so we devoured the whole thing. For dinner, Lou got the barking crab cake sandwich, I got the wedge salad with a side of two crab cakes, and Kat got a burger no bun (remember the gluten intolerance)

Lou liked his sandwich but I never did ask him if it was a good as the Farragut House Crab Sandwich. (See my past post on the Farragut House) My salad with the crab cakes hit the spot. The crab cakes were about a 3 inch diameter, and the salad was plentiful and fresh.

The Barking Crab is the quintessential, laid back seafood place on the water. Don't go here if you are looking for a relaxing or quiet dinner. The entire time we were eating, the guys next to us were smashing their lobster with the rocks. I guarantee any given night in the summer at least 20 to 30% of the Barking Crab guests are over served. Given their location by the water, it is surprising they haven't lost any patrons to the channel. Having a casual company outing? This is probably the place you want to be. Rowdy friends in town? The Barking Crab is for you!

It's a fun, laid back, beer swilling, decent food having kind of place.