A night of Mexican food and good friends

http://www.anejomexicanbistro.com/

Anejo:

Tequila aged in oak barrels for more than a year, the process resulting in a golden amber color with a soft, smooth, and complex finish.

Who: Me & my friends, the Apples: LMac & KMac
Why: Because LMac did some research on hot spots in Falmouth center
Dinero: $$ - $$$ (house specials/entrees can spike it up)

Initially, Sunday was going to consist of me and LMac hitting the mean streets of Falmouth in fun outfits for a girl's night out.  Anejo was always part of the plan.  But when Sunday morning rolled around, the plan changed a bit. 

Turns out my girl, LMac was not feeling too well.  Truth be told, neither was I.  But we were so committed to hanging out and catching up, that we rallied and edited our plans to ensure an evening of togetherness...and fully bellies.

I put on my best sweats and made the nice drive to Falmouth, MA.  I love driving to the Cape.  It's one of my most favorite places to be.  And instead of going out on the town w/ our sore throats and runny noses, we had a nice night in, with the entire Apple Family, including the little MACs: NannyMac and LittleGuyMac.

After lots of visiting, ring-a-round the rosie sessions and pirate cartoons, we decided to order out from Anejo to get our dinner fix.  KMac even ran out to get us some cervesas (maybe some Jagger, too...).  I believe we called in our order around 6pm and were given about a 25 minute wait for pick up.  Not too bad, considering it was a long weekend and probably a busy night.  The way we ordered was to get things that everyone might like so we could all share.  Sharing is caring.

LMac and I went to pick up the food.  While I waited patiently in the car, I tried like a crazy person to get a look at what the restaurant looked like.  I eyed 1 really pretty mosaic tile piece of artwork and one portrait.  It was dimly lit and looked very nice inside, from what I could see.  When LMac ran back out with the food she said the place was so nice inside, super busy and really fun.  She even spotted a server making homemade guacamole at a table for some diners.  We immediately decided we'd be back to eat in - and we hadn't even tried our food yet.

On the menu for us that evening: the starter salsa trio, 3 sides guacamole w/ chips, the Classic Burrito w/ steak & salsa verde, the Pescado baja battered cod tacos and the Chicken Tostada.  (Everything we ordered was off of the Taqueria section of the menu, with exception to the starters/sides.)

The Fresh Salsa Trio was a nice little treat, since not all our meals came with salsa.  It was a consensus that of the 3, we all liked the pico de gallo and the salsa verde.  We weren't too interested in the fire roasted chipotle salsa.  Not to say it's not good.  It just wasn't our cup of ...salsa.  The Guacamole, on the other hand, was pleasing to everyone.  It was delicious.  My side was gone in seconds.

Of the meals we ordered, our least favorite was the Chicken Tostada.  It was a layered dish: a thin, crunchy tostada topped with shredded chicken and loooooooots of lettuce.  There was said to be some beans and some dressing, according to the menu.  But I don't remember any of that.  It was quite boring.  Not bad or inedible.   Just boring. 

Our favorite dish: the Pescado, aka, Fish Tacos. Baja battered cod with spicy baja sauce that was incredible. Thank god the portion was 2, so LMac and I could both have one. I think we wished we had ordered dos orders of the Pescado. Incredible. I talked about them all the next day to Roomie.

The Classic Burrito was really good too. It was gigantico and topped with sour cream and lettuce. It was a site to see. The steak inside was soo delicious and perfectly cooked. I would definitely order this next time, or recommend it to someone.

Oh, and we can't forget what else was on the menu: Perdue chicken nuggets and corn. NannyMac ate dinner with us in her big girl chair...I may have stolen some of her corn. I would say Nanny gave her dinner 2 thumbs up.

We really enjoyed our meal and the company, no matter what setting we were in.  It was fun to be with friends and enjoy good food and some laughs.  I know we'll definitely make the venture to eat in at Anejo in the future and for that, I cannot wait.  I believe I will order one of the entree dishes when I eat there to get a totally different idea of what they're all about.

Between myself and the Apples, I'd say we give Anejo 3 tequila sunrises! 

(Side Note - be sure to check out the "about" section on Anejo's website.  Their story is nice.  I was really interested to find out the artwork they display is from a local Cape Codder, which is so fitting with the Cape Cod way of life.  Cape Cod Pride & Loyalty!  Love it.)

Boston Revue's mother revues Mother Anna's



Ba-da-bing! Eh!  It's Mother Anna's

Who: Mother & Steve-o

When: Valentine's Day xoxoxoxo

Why: Because I told them to

Where: 211 Hanover St, Boston MA

Thanks to Mother for being my first guest blogger!  Her revue is short, sweet and to the point.  No fuss, no muss.  Check it out:

I was pleasantly surprised. From the outside, it did not look like anything special. Inside not much better, dated and a bit tacky. But sitting there for a few minutes you could see people were regulars and it was full. We got a table right away. The menu looked good. I was trying to do a no carb dinner, which I thought would be tough, but I found something right away. 

I had an Eggplant dish that was basically Lasagna. But instead of noodles, they layered the ricotta and eggplant.  It was a huge portion and very good. The sauce was homemade.  I had the option of pasta or a salad with it.

(Steve-o) got the Veal Margarita, which was recommended by (Roomie). Basically a veal cutlet with prosciutto and cheese.  Sooo good!
 
Thanks Mother!  If I could impose a little, I'd like to add my 2 cents...(I'm just being polite.  It's my blog.  I can impose infinity.)
 
I've been to Mother Anna's during the summertime and got to sit outside on the Patio.  The patio is so nice, especially if you enjoy seeing the hustle and bustle of people walking by.  A great people watching site.  Roomie and I went there with our friends Bernie and N-G.  It was really nice to sit outside with friends and eat and have some drinks.  I can't remember what anyone else ordered, but I remember my dish perfectly. 
 
I ordered what may have been a special.  It was a linguine pasta dish that was covered in a garlicy wine sauce and covered in sauteed mushrooms, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes.  It was killer.  I've replicated it it a few times and been really happy.  I've actually substituted the linguine and mushrooms for ravioli stuffed with mushrooms. 
 
I believe it's safe to say that Mother Anna's gets the family seal of approval!  Check it out for yourselves!

March Madness Points & Ranking System

MARCH MADNESS is only 13 days away, so keep sending your Restaurant Suggestions to Boston Revue's NEW Facebook page or to BostonRevue@gmail.com.

On March 1st I will randomly select 4 submissions to compete in a Final Four Challenge, which we'll document for you all, so you can see the picking was fair and square.  Like I always say, Fair is fair and not is not.  I will go out to eat at the all Four restaurants that are chosen.  The restaurants will then be subject to a points system.  The restaurant that accumulates the most points will win a $25 Phantom Gourmet Gift Card from yours truly!!!

Points System:
1 - 6 pts per category. 1 = worst, 6 = best

Restaurant
Cleanliness: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(table, general dining room area, bathroom)
Atmosphere: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(temperature, other diners, mood, lighting, music, volume)
Service: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(promptness, accuracy, approachability, attitude, includes host/hostess/busers)
Table Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(all diningwares provided, bread on table, water service, napkins provided, table clutter)
Affordability: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(prices are reasonable based on location, demographic, portion sizes, time of dining)

Food
Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(temperature, plating, portion size, creativity)
Appetizer Taste: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(based on general tastes of what is ordered compared to what one would expect)

Entree Taste #1: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(based on general tastes of what is ordered compared to what one would expect - if soup/salad come with Entree, that is factored into these points)
Entree Taste #2: 1 2 3 4 5 6
(I will be dining with a companion and try their entree.  Same points ranking applies as Entree#1)


A possible 48 points in all.

***Tie breaker (if needed), the dining companion will have been allowed to rank the experience on their own, using the above system.  IF a tie occurs, I will then combine the scores I've tallied with the scores that my companion has tallied.  Then the restaurant with the highest combined score will win.***

Keep your restaurant entries coming on FB or via email. On March 1st, find out which restaurants compete in the Final Four - it could be yours!!!

Boston Revue's March Madness!!!

Hey 'buds! Welcome to Boston Revue March Madness!!!
Here we go! Starting tonight, I need your help to get March Madness underway. I need your suggestions of places to dine out in March. If I take your selection, you will automatically be entered into the rankings to win the NCAA…wait…to win a $25 Phantom Gourmet Giftcard!

Let me detail this thing out for you:
1. Please start bombarding our FB Inbox with legitimate suggestions (McDonalds and any places outside MA or RI won't be considered)
2. At Random, I will pick the Final Four and annouce these top 4 ranked restaurants on March 1st.
3. Throughout March I will keep you aware of my dining experiences and let you know about the date I will announce the winner of the $25 Gift Card.

So let your 'buds be your (er, my) guide and send me your suggestions starting NOW!

PS - Coming soon to a Facebook near you - Boston Revue joins the social network!!!

PPS - If you win, you have to be comfortable giving me your address so I can mail you the card. I will post a photo of the gift card purchase receipt onto my website & FB so all can see, too.

A spot that is creeping up in the realm of All Time Favorites: The Franklin

http://www.franklincafe.com/

(Photo to come...Blogger is being a sour apple)


Where: 152 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston

When: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
$$$ = Worth every penny
Frequent co-eaters at this establishment: Sister, Iesha, Dreama, Roomie
Brought into my life by: James, to whom I bow down as if he were Ice Cube
Recent Dishes consumed: Handcut Fries, Korean Barbecue Tacos, Sweet Chili Glazed-make you want to die it's so good-Eggplant.

Carole King, did you write a song about this place...because The Franklin is a hit every single season;  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall! (Insert your snarky eye-rolling, here, please.)  And yes, it is good to know you've got a friend.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank James (not Taylor); a friend who showed me the light. When I was just a poor lonely gal living at home with parents, he knew just where to take me.

Every since our dinner a couple years back, I've done my civic duty and forced people to go here again and again and again.  I quite often take Sister hostage.  She's a pretty big fan by now.  It's the first place she ever laid ears on Florence + the Machine, I might add.  Always a plus, having your ears enjoy the establishment as well as your 'buds.

I've also graced the Franklin w/ Iesha and Dreama, who were lovely dates.  Our date was during the Summer season and we got to sit out on the back patio at night.  It was really nice.  We also had the pleasure of ordering their summer cocktails.  The Cucumber Collins is probably one of the greatest mixed drinks I've ever had.  It's very subtle on the cucumber, heavy on the bubbles and I think I always taste a little lime in there.  Lime is always good.

My most recent trek here was just a few weekends ago, with Sister.  Sure it's cold, but it's only steps from the Broadway T stop, so who cares?  We arrived around 7:30ish.  Maybe closer to 8.  The place was pretty packed, including the bar area.  However, there was this one lonely table right by the hostess stand that people kept turning down.  But guess who didn't?  These Sweeneys.  Sorry suckers!  We're not seriously pretentious enough to turn down a table, just cause it's not in the back and we might get whacked with a cannoli.  We were hungry, we had to be at a concert before 10, we're not picky, give us the food.  To be honest, I think people were intimidated by the proximity to the door and possibility of catching a draft when it opened.  Never happened.

Before dinner, we were served their standard bread and rolls with hummus spread.  Very good and very addicting.  I love this trend of serving hummus rather than butter.  I'm not a big fan of bread and butter.  And when I say "not a big fan", I mean, not a fan at all.  Drinks were a beer for sister and a vodka & seltzer for me.  Nothing too fancy.  In the past we've ordered Proseco, wine.  They've got fun options for it all.

For starters we ordered the Hand Cut Fries, which were definitely seasoned with garlic and truffle oil.  A delicious trend that I've seen taking over the starches.  And I'm not complaining.  (I just had a Gilmore Girls moment...do you think people out there really consider French Fries the Devil's starchy fingers?)

Dinner was quite Asian, if I do say so myself.  Sister got the Korean BBQ Tacos, which are actually an appetizer.  I got the Sweet Chili Glazed Eggplant over Kimchi Fried Rice. 

I know the Korean BBQ Tacos are good because I've had them with Roomie in the past.  They're very delicious.  The portion is 2 flat shell tacos, that are piled with meat and julienned veggies, best eaten with a fork and knife.  They're quite kick ass.  And of course the Eggplant dish was amazing because, say it with me now, it was Sweet and Spicy!!!  Bapbabadah!  (That's my typographical impression of a trumpet sounding.)  The eggplant was presented on the rice in 2 long strips, which I thought looked really pretty.  I like pretty food.  The ratio of the sauce to the food was just right.  I don't like when the sauce out numbers the food. 

Another fun little perk about the Franklin is that with the exception of 1 dining experience, I've always been served by Sal, a nice guy who always recognizes me and is very good at suggesting an entree or a bottle of wine.  He's always smiling and attentive.  Sometimes I want to hug Sal, and I'm very awkward about hugging.

We didn't get dessert this time around.  In the past, Sister and I have had the Creme Brulee, which is pretty good.  It's one of Sister's favorite desserts, so her approval means something.  I like it enough to share.  I couldn't eat an entire portion on my own.  But that is anywhere and should not directly reflect anything specific about the Franklin's.

I also enjoy the darkness of the restaurant and, again, the really good music.  The outdoor space is so nice when the weather permits and their ever rotating menus are really exciting.  And to add to this rave, they also have a Gluten Free and Vegetarian menu.  Their specials are always really exciting, too.

The next time I go back, I'm getting Tempura Fried Artichokes.  I give this place a 4 Seasons rating with an Indian Summer, to boot.  Go there.  Take me with you.

Where were my WiseMen when I needed them? A Review of the North Star on Friend Street



It sucked.