OpenTable.com

http://www.opentable.com/

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your...reservation?

Sure, you can call in a reservation to a restaurant..."Excuse me? What's that? HOW many people?". Why not just hop online, since you're already there perusing your restaurant's online menu, and make your reservations at OpenTable.com. And the fun part? For every reservation you make, you earn points on your account towards earning a free gift certificate! I haven't earned on yet, so I can't say where the gift certificate applies. I am fairly certain that it is for the restaurant of your choosing.

It's free, it's easy and I love it. Another cool feature is that it is a Nation-wide service. So if you're on vacation in San Fransisco, you can book your reservation 2 months in advance online from home! It's great.

Just a little tip from me and my "buds". Happy face-stuffing!

Fat Cat? Fat AWESOME!

Location: Fat Cat in Quincy

Meal: Din Din

I dined with these cats: L and SJ

Cost: $70.00 for 2 apps, 3 meals and 3 cocktails

Meeee-ow, did we eat well tonight! And so did half of Quincy, let me tell you. Was the entire town there on a Tuesday night? I think so! You'd have thought it was the weekend. When SJ and I walked up, there was a crowd outside standing around, there was a line for the hostess stand...every table was slammed. But there was room at the bar, so we mosied on over to wait for L and have a cocktail.

Well, the night almost took a drastic turn at the bar, as I almost clawed out the eyes of a tom cat, trying to deny me a seat at the bar. This is not reflection on the establishment itself. You can't screen your customers...but if it were possible, the radar for douchbag would have been off the charts for that particular patron. Luckily, I'm awesome at doing what I want and I got my seat. And then I proceeded to order the Red Wine Sangria...sad...Wish I hadn't. It tasted like cinnamon juice. But I drank the entire thing.

Sometime between the douche patron almost losing his eyes and the sangria debacle, L showed up and we were seated. We kats immediately batted around the cocktail menu like a ball of yarn. I got an Alley Cat, which basically tasted like a Cosmo. And that is a good thing, so I was pleased. L got a Margarita, which is only served on the rocks, just like she hoped. SJ got the Hello Kitty because it was a pineapple drink...We all purred with delight. Good drinks.

To start we ordered the Fried Dill Pickle slices (thanks for the suggestion Christine Mc!) and the Hand Cut Fries in the Garlic & Parsley seasoning with BBQ Sauce. The Pickles were fun! Not as crispy as I expected. Different, for sure. The dipping sauce was amazing. It was a mixture of Cajun spices, mayo and sour cream. It was so good that I dipped the fries in it, too. The Fries, themselves, were meowlicious. Prrrrrrrr! I want to eat them everyday. They were covered in chopped, raw garlic that made my socks curl. And I wasn't even wearing socks!!!

For dinner, L got the Pulled Pork sandwich with a side of Mac and Cheese. It looked and tasted phenomenal, covered with Onion Strings. SJ and I shared a Ceaser Salad and the Mac N Cheese with Hot Dogs. And let me tell you, there was a lot of bark in every bite! If I had a voice, I would have been singing "Thank you Jesus" at the top of my lungs. First of all this dish was the size of a plasma television - there was so much pasta that SJ and I could not finish it. We had enough left to split the leftovers evenly, which was enough to each be eating for a week! In addition to the cheese and hot doggy goodness, I liked the garnish of the tomato slices, as well. It brought a nice fresh flavor to the meal.

After dinner we had no room for dessert...although we should have made room, considering we were celebrating SJ's bday...sorry SJ, guess we pussied out on that one. But we love you, we love Fat Cat and we loved the bread...have I mentioned the bread yet??? Um...yum. Crusty bread AND corn bread. Love combos.

Final Verdict: Fat Cat receives 9 lives from this feline. Despite the douchy guy at the bar, it was an extremely Delicious and exciting Tuesday.

Location: Accapulco's Norwood

Meal: Cena

Dining Companion: Mi Hermana

Cost of 2 Meals & 2 Margaritas: $36.00

La comeda es muy buena @ Accapulco's! And according to mi hermana, the Norwood location beat out the Franklin and Weymouth locations in regards to layout and decor. I agree that I liked this location a lot because it was not as dark inside as the Franklin location. I didn't feel like I was in a cave. Plus, we sat at a high top bar table, so we were where the action was, which as you know, is good for me because I enjoy the over stimulation.

First of all, when the waiter asked us if we wanted complimentary chips and salsa, Hermana and I looked at him as if to say, "Does Rose Kennedy own a black dress?". Um, Si, papi, we need el chip-os. Mucho, grande...give us the chips! ...We needed a second round after about ocho minutes.

It took forever to order, not any fault of the staff, but because Hermana had to run to the car...then, oh, she had to run to the bathroom. When hungry, I do not like to be kept waiting...actually I do not like to be kept waiting, period. No bueno. But finally we got around to ordering traditional Margaritias, on the rocks with salt. Yes, I got a margarita. And guess what? I liked it. It was super delicioso. Oh, and we got some dinner, too! Hermana ordered the Chicken Avocado salad, at my suggestion. And I ordered the Fajita Quesadillas with steak (you could choose between steak and chicken).

Chicken Avocado Salad: A large salad of lettuce, diced tomatoes and cheese in a taco shell bowl, covered in breaded chicken and avocado, sour cream on the side. I had thrown out this suggestion to Hermana because I'd had it a couple years back and loved it because it was covered in avocado, one of my favorite things. This time, however, the salad had Dos, count 'em, Dos slices of avocado. Very disproportionate to the 758 pieces of chicken on the salad. So that was sad. Hermana aslo wondered where the salad dressing was? But I am pretty sure that this is not the type of salad you douse in Ken's Italian dressing. So she took some salsa and poured it all over, which I think was the right move. The chicken was delicious, however, the meal was not a hit for mi hermana. She was mucho disappointed. But she ate the whole thing.

Fajita Quesadillas (steak): 6 big quesadilla slices filled with steak, cheese and caramelized onions and peppers, sour cream and guacamole on the side. First thing is first. I have to get this off my chest...Why was the guacamole watery? Que? Maybe I'm used to my own recipe, which is on the chunky side and mucho garlicy? Hmmm. This was a pickle, which no, was not served on the side of my dish. The Quesadilla itself was great, although I wish it had come with a side of rice or something. Hermana did not like my meal because she is not into steak. I, however, am very into steak. And cheese. And onion and peppers. And, like I just said 30 seconds ago, it was great. So filling, too. I could only finish 3 slices. I brought the rest home to mi padre. Knowing him, he took the mexican left overs and dumped marinara sauce and mustard all over it. He's got weird taste buds...and I'm drifting away from my point...Which was what?

Did I mention that staff called us Senoritas all night? We both thought that was unnecessary. It was seemed forced and awkward, like it's written into their work agreements. "If you work at this mexican restaurant, you must address all customers as Senorita or Senor.". No bueno.

Final Verdict: I give Accapulco's Dos Maricahis. Not bad, but not great. I would go there again, if someone else suggested it. But it's not my first choice.

A Lack Luxester Meal

Locaction: Showcase Cinema in Randolph

Meal: "Dinner"

Hot Date: Boyfriend

Well folks, put your forks away because for this meal all we needed were our hands. The Luxe Level didn't turn out to be a worth while expense, so we opted for the Mid-level snack bar.

We had our choice of lovely Nathan's products, which sounds good, right? I mean, c'mon. We're at a movie theater. We know that this ain't no gourmet joint! And Nathan's hotdogs are fabulous!!! There were burgers, fries, combo plates, chicken tenders...You name the fried product, they had it. Did you guess Fried Dough? Becauase yes, they had it.

Boyfriend and I love food and love to eat, as you know. But we didn't really go as overboard as I feared. We each ordered a "dinner" and shared an appetizer. To specify: Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, Hot Dog and Onion Rings. Mmmm...or should I say, "Mmmm, cough, hack, gross, it sucked". Oh my, bless me.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls: Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Buffalo chicken? I'm a fan. Egg Rolls? Delicious! Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls? Sounds Brilliant (hey, I watched Harry Potter last night, ok?)! Turns out, it was the complete opposite of Brilliant. I'd like to call the person who made them a Tosser! To be honest, the "roll" tasted like corn dog batter. It was soft and squishy. I could only manage to eat half of one before I turned to Boyfriend, smiling and saying in my most peppy voice, "You can finish it.". And yes, Boyfriend didn't care much for them, either. But he did eat them all. Don't judge him. Just don't. It's wouldn't be fair.

Hot Dog: This will hopefully be the only time I say this: That Nathan's hot dog sucked. The bun was a brick and the dog was, too. Bricky? Not awesome. But I ate the whole thing. I just...I just can't even go into anymore detail about this. It was that bad.

Onion Rings: Ah, I thought these would be my saving grace, to make my Buds (tastebuds) happy. Alas, like so many things in life, including all of Madonna's albums after Like A Prayer, they were a major dissapointment. They were flavorless. They were the most boring onion rings I've ever consumed...And I ate every last one.

I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking. "Um...duh, it's movie theater food.". Ya, ya, I know. But you just never know where you're going to find a diamond fried product in the rough. And sure, we failed miserably this time around, but I guarantee you that it won't stop us. We will not eat quietly!

Final Verdict: No forks awarded. No napkins, either. Not even a moist towelette. Thank god we had a movie on to distract us from the awful food.

(I won't bore you with my thoughts on Harry Potter, by the way. I'll leave that to those more qualified. Hey! Speaking of which, check out the blogs I follow on the bottom right hand side. They're written by people who are definitely qualified to give you insight about books and movies!)

"That's repetitive." "And redundant"

When you're bored at night and need some noise in the background b/c you're the worst sleeper known to man, you tend to watch a lot of Gilmore Girls. Am I right or am I right? It's especially easy when you own every Season on DVD. 7 seasons in all. And the more I watch and re watch I notice many, many pop culture topics, phrases and "zingers" are used repetitively throughout the seasons. Below is a list of all things repetitive in the world of the Gilmore Girls, whose main stars are Lorelai and her daughter Lorelai...

(Side note: On the show, Lorelai and Rory are huge eaters w/ appetites that should be studied at MIT by men in white coats. If they were real people, I think they'd dig my blog.)

-Hemingway. I can think of 2 episodes in season 4 where is Ernest is brought up for one reason or another.

-Madeline Albright. Not only is her name tossed around in season 5, but she also makes a guest appearance in season 6.

-Hitler and Stalin. YES. Both of these gents are mentioned so frequently, I would go as far as to say that you'll hear these monikers at least once per season. At least!

-Helmut Newton. "Leave the whips and chains at home."

-Side Cars and Rob Roys. These cocktails are thrown around a lot.

-Bowie. Several references. Ground control to major tom. Suffragette City. Talks about Bowie dressed up like a Spaceman, NOT a pirate.

-Suffragette. The city, the sister. You name it, the Gilmores get it in there.

-The Sound of Music. Season 2, Season 4 and Season 7...off the top of my head.

-Bono. Lorelai's Ryan Adams, if you will.

-Elvis Costello. I've never heard his name on the show. However, I've seen his poster in a dorm room in season 4 and heard his song in seasons 1 and 2.

-Proust. Someone always has their nose in their Proust.

-"Stella!". Season 2 and Season 3.

-Judy Garland. Comparisons, watching A Star is Born, talking about Seconal. Wizard of Oz is thrown in, too, but never in regards to Judy.

-Juddisim. Although the Gilmores are not Jewish, they sure know a lot about the culture and use the jargon. They also own a dancing rabbi.

-The Bee Gees. Someone always looks like the 4th Bee Gee or someone is dancing to Shadow Dancing.

-Wilco. Several songs are featured throughout the show, including a cover of Big Star's Thirteen.

-"Let's shall". A common Lorelai witticism.

-Marion Ross. She plays 2 characters. Gran and Aunt Marilyn.

-Sherrilyn Finn. She plays Jess' dad's girlfriend in season 3 and Luke's baby daddy in season 6 and 7.

-Samantha Shelton. In season 1 she plays a debutante at a Coming Out gala and in season 6 she plays a drunken bridesmaid. Not the same character.

-Sweety. On multiple occasions this name is used for the name of a friend in a story or for someone checking into the Inn.

-Nico. The off key beauty is mentioned at length.

-Elizabeth Taylor. She is always referenced, especially when the gals are talking about man troubles!

-"That's going on your tombstone.". Lorelai always manages to say something clever that Rory reminds her will go on her headstone.

-The Monkees. Last Train to Clarksville, dialogue about the opening credits of the Monkees TV show. Not to mention Carole King is on the show and she wrote their hit, Pleasant Valley Sunday, which is featured on the show.

-Neil Young. Season 1 and Season 6.

-Martha Stewart. Every season?

-Sonic Youth. They Even make an appearance on the show in season 6.

-Mary Lynn Rajskub. She makes an appearance in season 2 and season 6.

-Ab Fab! A shout out on several occasions to the British TV show!

-The Algonquin. And old watering hole for many literati such as Dorothy Parker!

-Dorothy Parker. The production company is even called: Dorothy Parker Drank Here.

-Cher. I think...every season?

-"Danger Will Robinson!". Lost in Space reference.

-Emily Post and Ms. Manners. Often compared to Emily Gilmore and her obsession with perfection.

-Hummel. There is lots of talk of these porcelain figurines...Boy with Toothache!

-Star Trek. Sulu, Spock, trekkies...they're all mentioned throughout the seasons.

-Jodie Foster. Think Panic Room and that whole pesky fiasco with President Reagan and a man with a gun. Nell, too.

-Deenie by Judy Blume. Season 3 and 6.

-Annie Hall. All the freaking time.

-Footloose. Twice in season 3. Jump back!

-Ed Wood. Twice in season 3. What is up?

-Korn. Season 3 and season 6.

-The Godfather. Constantly. Every season.

-Annie Sullivan. Helen Keller's teacher...not sure why she's got so much street cred...

-Lord of the Rings. There's even a theme party in season 4.

-Cole Porter...Every season?

-"Clandestine". The word is used a LOT.

There are many more to add to the list. If you know some, share them! But it's late and I'm hitting the bricks. And by bricks, I do not mean the awesome band that just recently rocked NH, but I mean Goodnight!

A Mini Martini Sampler Vs. Sangria

Vs.

http://www.joesamerican.com/ http://www.skylinemarinabay.com/



A Spontaneous Battle of Booze
Locations: Skyline @ Marina Bay - Outdoors / Joe's American Bar & Grill - Indoors
Climate: 80s, sunny, beautiful / Drizzly rain
Partner in Crime: Iesha, drummer/singer of The Bricks

On one of the first days that felt like summer this entire...uh, summer, I experienced an afternoon of spontaneity that cannot be topped.


I started off my day at the beach, totally stunned at how hot it got and thankful that there wasn't a red flag up signally oceanic bacteria on the lifeguard stand. When this got old I gave Iesha a call, who suggested we hang out...Cocktails seemed like the natural choice. It was the weekend, afterall.


First bar: Skyline at Marina Bay. I felt so fancy. The only other time I'd ever been to Marina Bay was for a rehearsal dinner. So imagine my excitement at the thought of eating outdoors, in my bathing suit and flip flops! No sooner were we seated did we notice the gals next to us had a Mini Martini Sampler: 4 Mini Martinis on a tray in 4 different flavors. Again, it just seemed natural that we order it, as well! And we did.


The 4 flavors were: Blue Eyed Blonde, Pomegranite, Melon and Grapefruit. I initially had high hopes for the Grapefruit, but sadly it tasted like burning acid being poured down my throat. Not that I didn't finish it. The Pomegranite and Melon were oddly similar and had bitter after tastes. The Blue Eyed Blonde, however, was as pleasing to the 'buds (tastebuds) as it was the eye. It was blue and yellow and delicious. In the end, Iesha and I ended up ordering a full size Blue Eyed Blonde each. Or was it 2 more each? Hard to say.


Later we moved on to do some shopping. The mall just happened to have a Joe's American Bar & Grill, whose Sangria came highly regarded by Iesha. I'd heard her mention it in the past and we decided that there was no time like the present. There was plenty of room at the bar for us to mosey up and hunker down.

I was expecting the bartender to take 2 glasses of ice and walk over to a premade pitcher of Sangria and pour. Instead the bartender took two large high ball glasses of ice and walked right over to the booze and began to create each cocktail from scratch. And after taking one sip, you'd never tell that someone hadn't slaved all day over the wine allowing fruits and flavors to ferment. No. This shit was whipped up in no time and sucked down in no time, might I add. Delicious. We even got the recipe from the bartender, who enjoyed talking to us, which I always enjoy. Enjoyable.


So ultimately the challenge boils down to this: An outdoor setting with 3 bad martinis, and one that was exceptional versus an indoor chain restaurant with fun staff and delicious sangria that tasted like biting into a plum and an apple simultaneously.


Winner: Joe's Sangria. This concoction gets 3 Cheers from me! I highly suggest it, but cannot share the recipe. You'll have to go there and get your own chatty bartender. Hey, we put in good work to get this info.

Lunch @ Piattini

Piattini

http://www.piattini.com/

Meal: Lunch

Seating: Outdoors

Time/Climate: Sunday afternoon, 80s, sunny, low humidity

Dining Companion: Sister

I have eaten at Piattini many times, but always for dinner. Never lunch. This particular Sunday was absolutely beautiful and I was craving a certain dish. Lunch had to be at this venue. And outside!

Lucky for me, Sister was free and easy to convince into taking this spontaneous trip into Boston with me. Lucky for both of us we got the last open table outside upon our arrival. We were seated immediately.

As I said, I've eaten there numerous times (As much as I subscribe to the philosophy of always being open to try new things, I also believe that "if something works, I stick with it.", to quote John Candy from Splash.). However, lunch would be a first!

What I knew going into this restaurant is that they're a self proclaimed wine bar with a solid base of Italian cuisine. To be precise, they're known for their Tapas! Traditionally, Tapas are Spainish, small portions and ordered in multiples, designed to share and create an open atmosphere. More and more, trendy restaurants are serving their own versions of Tapas in any and all walks of cuisine. Piattini's got the Italian version down.

Immediately I knew that I wanted 2 Tapas, hoping Sister would choose something else from the lunch menu that she'd be willing to share. We ordered the following from the Lunch Menu: Caprese Salad, 1 order of Beef Carpaccio, 1 order of Veal Ravioli and the Vegetarian Wrap.

Caprese Salad:

Large beef steak tomatoes and thick slices of buffalo mozzerella dressed in a light pesto served over mixed greens with balsamic dressing. Aboslutely delicious. I've had plenty of Caprese Salads but the surprise of the pesto made me quite happy. Pesto...you can never go wrong with it.

Vegetarian Wrap:

A wheat wrap filled with red peppers, artichokes, mushrooms and goat cheese. I thought this sounded great! Of all the wraps and panninis on their lunch menu, this one looked the best. I, however, was underwhelmed. And I didn't taste any goat cheese...and I love goat cheese. I could write a song about goat cheese. I really wanted the goat cheese. Sister, however, loved the wrap and was very pleased. Therefore, I consider that order a success. It was served with a side of mixed greens salad. This led my sister to ask me if it would be rude to inquire as to where her french fries were...I thought it might be best that she leave the jokes alone. After all, we were on Newbury street...I was afraid we would be banished. The Sweeneys are not exactly hip enough for Newburey street, but that would never stop us from eating there!

Veal Ravioli:

True Tapas. 4 cheese and veal filled ravioli in a brandied marsala with mushrooms. How can I put this without sounding like a complete moron...These ravioli are like soft pillows of heaven floating on top of a sauce that angels must have made...how was that? These were the best 3 raviloi I have ever eaten, minus the one Sister had and sort of shrugged off. Blasphamey. I get this dish every single time I eat here and have never once been dissapointed. The chesee and the veal are the perfect ratio, so there is no over powering and I really appreciate that.

Beef Carpaccio:

Another Tapas item, one I always have to have. Carpaccio is essentially raw beef sliced so thin that it's almost translucent, drizzled in olive oil served on a bed of arugala and capers. I always avoid the capers and get right down to business. The beef is so perfectly pink and the olive oil all over it is so simple that you'll be astouned by how much flavor you find. I love this dish. It never fails me.

In addition to the amazing food and beautiful weather, the service was very attentive. Any time my water glass looke empty, someone was right there to refill. Our waitress timed the delivery of each order perfectly, so we weren't rushing to make room for more plates. All in all the meal was exactly what I expected. Tastebuds satisfied!

Piattini - I rate this restaurant: 4 Forks. Hell, I give them the entire flatware set, including the ladels and tongs.