What is GERD you say? Well, it stands for Gastroesophageal reflux disease. I hope none of you need to learn too much about this because that means you will be in the same situation I find myself in right now where my diet is limited.

There is still a sliver of a chance that I am in the wrong line and I can hop out before getting on the bland GERD roller coaster ride, but in the meantime, here are the great restrictions I’m facing with this new diet of mine.

No caffeine (which is fine since I don’t drink coffee anyways), no fried/fatty foods, no minty flavored items, no chocolate. Now those four rules aren’t the greatest for someone who likes to go around to the restaurants in Boston and sample the specialties on their menus. But they are nothing compared to these other restrictions that round out the list – no tomatoes, no onions, no garlic, and no alcohol.

Like seriously, are you trying to send me into a deep depression? NO TOMATOES?!

Whenever someone asks me if there was only one thing I could eat for the rest of my life what would it be, my immediate answer is tomato, mozzarella and basil without batting an eye.

Now I’ve got doctors telling me I need to wean tomatoes out of the old diet and that is too much to handle.

As I type I’m sitting in the waiting room for yet another test that involves chugging a gross flavored “smoothie” so they can see how wonderfully I digest the concoction that reminds me of what cardboard would taste like. Yes, I know you are jealous. And of all of my blog posts the image of this tasty treat is making you drool most of all!

Fingers crossed that they figure out that there is indeed no issue with the absurd GERD and it’s something that can be fixed with a simple antibiotic regimen.

All this to apologize ahead of time for the possibility of lame meal selections in my upcoming posts. Blame this damn esophagus of mine!

In my honor please snack on a tomato today with a little sprinkle of salt. Man, in torturing myself because that I just a heavenly treat!

I’m off to Blandville. Population: Me

Well this post is not one of those gushing posts. I went back to Forum for the first time since my birthday celebration back in October. It was a Saturday night and it was pretty bare inside. Each time I’ve been to Forum the number of diners is usually on the low end, so when my friend and I walked in, I wasn’t too shocked.

We were able to sit immediately and it was my first time eating on the first floor. This option allowed for the choice between two menus – the first floor menu is more towards the bar food scene and the upstairs menu is more fancy. Some items live on both menus.

The best element of the trip was the steak tartare appetizer. It was flavorful and very enjoyable. I love capers (which there were many of) and the texture was a very smooth with the broken egg yolk.

Our drinks were good. I went with one that I’ve had in the past, the Vine Bite. It was so clean and refreshing.

For my meal, I went with the steak frites because I wanted the brussel sprout side and to top it off it was our waiter’s favorite. The brussel sprouts were probably the best part of the dish.

I ordered the steak medium rare, but when it came out it was purple and on the verge of mooing. I tried to politely ask for them to cook it a little more, our waiter grabbed it and said “So how do you want it cooked?” and so I told him medium rare for a second time. My answer induced a bit of a look from the waiter, but he took the plate back and the meat was cooked a bit longer. Unfortunately, when it was finally cooked more, the sauce was overbearing on the plate so it was more the sauce than the steak that I experienced.

To bring it back to the positive, the brussel sprouts were prepared in a way that some of them were crisped up like potato chips and others were more like the familiar brussel sprout treatment. The big bad brussel sprout has become a new cool thing on the Boston food scene and I love it!

I’ve loved brussel sprouts since I was probably 5 years old and all of my friends thought I was a weirdo. So I guess I can say I discovered these little gems before they were trendy! Does that make me a trendsetter? I hope so!

My friend went with the salmon dish with bulger wheat, pomelo (the name of one of my favorite wines), mushrooms, and winter fruit mostarda (made up of white wine, grapes, watermelon and other fruits). He enjoyed his dish, though he wasn’t blown away like I told him I had been in the past with Forum.

One thing I was surprised by was the winter fruit mostarda. Who knew watermelon was a winter fruit? My understanding of watermelon very specifically related summer activities, but perhaps that is incorrect. Another thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the appearance of the pomelo on a plate. I’ve never seen one in real life and I was excited to put an actual fruit to the wine.

This not so wonderful experience won’t trump my past experiences, but I am concerned that because this particular restaurant hasn’t gained as much attention as it has potential to the quality of the experience (food and service) are starting to decline. I hope so much this was a one time thing, I will be back to try and rectify things.

The party was at Tresca, so we decided to eat next door at Bricco. It was my second time having dinner at this Hanover St. hot spot. The first time was with my friend Mackenzie and we were seated upstairs in the most romantic table in the restaurant, which we both thought was hilarious. This time, me and my three friends were upstairs as well. We were in the main dining area upstairs, and just as I had remembered the area was extremely crowded.

During my first visit, my waitress was very sweet, friendly and very helpful with all of our questions. She was also very understanding of the fact that we were two girls chatting so we weren’t always ready for our drink or meal orders because we had gone off on a tangent. This most recent visit brought a very different wait staff experience.

Our waiter was abrupt, aggressive and condescending. He was all over us for our drink orders upon being seated, and when we actually needed to place our food/drink orders we were neglected almost completely. When he brought our drinks, he came uncomfortably close to each of us. When he brought our meals he mocked our requests for salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. As we were eating, he came by and asked to take our food away though we weren’t done. And when we were done, he made a rude comment about the fact that my friend cleaned her plate. And on my way out, he awkwardly called me beautiful and caressed my arm. All-in-all we were very disgusted by his behavior.

Thankfully, outside of his behavior, the experience was great!

The food was amazing. We started with a mushroom appetizer seasonal funghi timbale, organic baby spinach and imported fontina with truffle oil. We gobbled it up almost immediately.

For our meals, we ran the gamut:

• Heidi went with the ravioli special. They were cheese filled ravioli with grilled vegetables, sausage and arugula.
• Cristy went with the GNOCCHETTI SORRENTINA Eugenio’s gnocchi, baked with bufala mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. I had this dish when I went to dinner with Mackenzie and I LOVED it! Cristy was a big fan as well. The gnocchi pillows are the perfect texture and somehow, someway, I describe them as light.
• Meredith went with the “BIG NIGHT” TIMPANO which was drum-shaped stuffed pasta, organic meatballs, slow braised meat ragú. It looked so interesting. The treatment of the pasta rolled in the center of the plate made it look like a present you wanted to unwrap.
• I went with the risotto special. It was a seafood risotto with scallops, calamari, shrimp, asparagus, and tomatoes. I’ve never had calamari that tender before. I was expecting the toothy, chewy texture that usually comes with calamari in a seafood medley dish, but the calamari was smooth and buttery.

By the end of the meal, we were full and ready for a few celebratory glasses next door to honor our amazing friend.

Though our waiter was awful, I’ll go back and probably go for the PAPPARDELLE AL CINGHIALE wild boar braised in red wine with porcini mushrooms. Of course, if Mr. Waiter from Hell pops around the corner to greet me, I will be sure to move my table because there is no need to go through that experience again.

So anyway, enough bathroom talk…we entered the restaurant at around 11AM and it was pretty empty. Granted, I have to say that it is a very large, open space, so most places would have the same number of diners and look full. We were greeted and seated immediately which I loved. We each ordered our beverages for brunch and Meredith and I went with one of the Bloody Mary options. I contemplated doing their shucked oyster option, but I found out it was just a shooter and I was looking for a hearty Bloody Mary experience. Maybe next time…OR I’ll just go during their Happy Hour deals that feature half-off all appetizers and $1 Oysters! Anyone want to join?

Back to the Bloodys. We received our drinks, Meredith’s was just an original Barlow’s Bloody and mine was the spicy version with pepper vodka. Our waiter then encouraged us to head over to their Bloody Mary bar.

Yes, you read that right, a Bloody Mary bar. It was a rectangular table set off to the side of the dining area that was jam-packed with almost every topping possible! There were countless hot sauces to choose from, pickled veggies of all kinds, and olives stuffed with various cheeses and goodies. As you can imagine, I was beside myself. I ran back to the table grabbed my iPhone and started perusing the offerings slowly and meticulously.

One of the waitresses noticed my careful surveying of the items and saw me stop with a slightly discouraged look that the tray for the feta stuffed olives was empty. Within moments, we was by my side refilling the olive tray and my slumped shoulders vanished as my eyes grew wide and a smile covered my face. As you can tell, my facial expressions (and overall demeanor for that matter) are very subtle.

I filled my drink up nicely with a few of my favorite treats – pickles, spicy pickled green beans, pickled carrots and those yummy feta olives. If the glass was a bit larger, I would have gone overboard and it would have pretty much ended up a pickled vegetable salad with a Bloody Mary dressing. Can you blame me?

We ordered our food portion of brunch after we finished our 20 minute visit to the table that was about 10 steps from our table. I went with the pulled pork and root vegetable hash with two over easy eggs on top. Brad went with a western omelette which was not on the menu but they were able to accommodate his special craving – love that! Meredith went with her normal brunch go-to, huevos rancheros, which I always love to try.

Unfortunately, her huevos were dry and boring. They lacked moisture overall. The eggs were scrambled instead of over easy or fried which was a disappointment. The “salsa” was sliced tomatoes without much liquid and the beans were pretty dry as well.

Brad’s omelette must have been good because it came and went quickly. It looked really good and he got the home fries that I got with my meal as well. I really liked the home fries because if, I’m not mistaken, they had a combo of regular and sweet potatoes. I like when the potatoes are cut in different sizes too because you get some crispy ones and other larger more soft ones in the same sitting.

My pulled pork and root veggie hash was good. It too could have use a bit more moisture, but the flavors were nice together. I remember thinking after my first bite of pork that it reminded me of pulled chicken more than pulled pork. I’m not sure now if that was more because of the texture of it or the more mild flavor than I expected. I think it was a combo of both. I’m a sucker for root vegetables and egg yolks so they took over any hesitation I had due to the pork in that first bite. I cleaned my plate and left with a smile.

I plan to go back to Barlow’s because of five reasons:

1. I cannot wait to hit up that Bloody Mary bar again – I may even ask for a small plate to bring additional treats back to my table to supplement the ones I will polish off before the drink is done. I won’t even need brunch after that plan is completed!

2. I want to try their Happy Hour specials

3. They have free parking! There is an outdoor parking area across the street that looks like you have to pay, but there is never anyone in the booth and the gate is always up so you can park for free. And on Sundays the meters are free. Love free parking!

4. They have a live band on Thursday (and maybe Friday) nights.

5. I can’t wait to go back to the patio area in the nice weather – yes, I know it’s February, but a girl can dream!

Let me know if you go and have something worth trying! I will be making my way back there in the near future!

We arrived on a Friday evening and from then until Sunday afternoon, we sampled food and drinks from many different spots around the coast city in Maine.

We started at our hotel bar, The Shipyard Lounge, with the local beer, Shipyard, in its seasonal version of apple. I’ve been a fan of Shipyard Pumpkin in the past, but this was the first time Shipyard Apple crossed my palette. We caught up for a couple of hours during their $3.50/pint happy hour. Oh Massachusetts, why oh why must you keep us from the joys and deals of happy hours?

After our happy hour fun, we went to the Old Port Seagrille because of a recommendation my friends received from a waiter at the restaurant next door, Sebago before I arrived. We checked out the menu on my friend Carolyn’s iPad before heading out to OK that it would cover our cravings for the evening, seafood, American food and good beverages at reasonable prices.

Our hotel had a free shuttle which was key because we had no idea where things were in Portland and in the rain we were not up for roughing it to try to find the spot. Upon arrival, we realized there was a slightly odd smell and there was a very large fish tank in the hostess area. We were seated almost immediately, ordered Bloody Marys and some items from the raw bar. I ordered the local John’s Bay oysters along with the MA variety from Wellfleet. My friends all preferred the Wellfleet oysters because they were more sweet. I preferred the John’s Bay that night because they were more complex and had a better texture. I ordered the clam chowder and the mussels appetizer as well. Can you tell I was itching for seafood?

The clam chowder was very thin and I usually prefer a more creamy broth, but the seafood, potato, and bacon ingredients were great. The mussels were underwhelming. They came in a fennel broth, however, the broth didn’t reflect much of the fennel flavor. The bread that accompanied the mussels was alright, and it was a much better bread option compared to the soggy bread basket we all received early on in the meal. I’ve never experienced a bread basket like that and it was a bit disconcerting.

My friends had oysters as I mentioned above and also sampled other items on the menu: steak tartar, seared scallops and the fried calamari. The consensus was the calamari was their favorite of the three appetizers. Though the seared scallops looked amazing, they didn’t seem to knock anyone off their feet.

After Old Port Seagrille, we walked around to try to find a good spot to go out. We went to Bull Feeney’s because we heard a live band when we were walking by. The bar reminded me of a college dorm party, when we walked inside we were hit with a wall of humidity from the overwhelming body heat from all of the patrons decked out in winter garb. We stayed for a pint or two of Allagash White at $5 each (similar to Boston prices) and then opted for somewhere with a more current and danceable music selection.

That brought us to the Old Port Tavern. They had much cheaper beers and it was much less crowded when we arrived. About 10 minutes after we arrived the bar filled up to a manageable number of people and the music spanned from 90s favorites to today’s best tunes. We had a great time people watching, met a wide variety of people. One of those people was past Celtic legend Antoine Walker. He was in Portland because his current development league team from Idaho was playing against the Portland d-league crew. Of course all of the men in the bar were like little teenage girls gawking at the stars from Twilight.

The next day we sampled the free breakfast from the hotel and headed out around town later in the afternoon. We went to lunch at a townie spot called J’s Oyster that we had discovered on Google Maps and Yelp. When we arrived at around 2PM the place was packed and the clientele went silent and stared at us because we were obviously not the patrons they were used to dining beside. I love finding local hot spots that are really all about the regulars and good food.

The inside of the restaurant hasn’t changed since the 70s and the rectangular bar took up about 75% of the entire space. We perched up at the bar for a round of drinks and began talking to the locals around us to get an idea of a good place for dinner and some fun things to do for the rest of our trip. Before we were able to get to our table for 5, we received a few recommendations for dinner that night and for brunch the next day. We feasted on some seafood treats for lunch: oysters, lobster chowder, crab and lobster rolls, lobster salad and (non-seafood) grilled cheese.

For dinner we went with a sushi restaurant recommendation we received from fellow diners as well as from a local spice and vinegar shop owner. The restaurant was Miyake and it has received a great deal of press as far as things go in Portland. We had some amazing sushi rolls and desserts. The highlights from the meal were:

• The Super Toro roll (I’m still drooling profusely thinking about it) which was a tuna/avocado roll topped w/ diced medium toro, truffle oil, spicy sesame oil, and scallions.
  • I had never had a roll with truffle oil before which blew me away, but I think the quality of the tuna (toro) itself was a big part in the unforgettable food experience.

• The Salmon Lady roll that was a tuna/avocado roll, topped w/ seared yellowtail, toasted almonds, plum paste & radish sprouts.
  • Who knew almonds would be so good in a sushi roll!
  • And I mean c’mon look at that avocado!

• The toasted sesame chocolate cake along with the chocolate rice pudding topped with a salty homemade pop chip.
  • I’m still dreaming about the cookie crust and sesame flavored topping on that cake

After Miyake, we went to Grace, a bar that was created in an old church space and another recommended spot. The space was huge and it was a bit awkward walking in because you felt like you were going to Sunday mass as we trudged up the stairs into the bar area. When we entered, that awkward feeling vanished and was replaced with awe.

The interior was a gutted out church that had been decorated beautifully with a large central bar and tables that were scattered around. When we looked up to the second floor there were additional tables overlooking the main bar and another bar up near where the choir would normally be located. The stained glass windows and the organ were still there, but up where the pulpit would be was an open kitchen where you could see all of the interaction between the wait staff and the chefs.

I’m not sure this is somewhere I’d like to eat, but I would definitely recommend to go when you are in Portland. It’s well worth the minor stress of trying to navigate through the streets of Portland.

For the final morning of our trip we started with our hotel breakfast, packed up and trekked around Portland before our lunch date at a local favorite, Caiola’s. Caiola’s was a bit off the beaten path, at least for tourists like us. We enjoyed an afternoon of good food and Bloody Marys.

We had heard all about how amazing Caiola’s burger was, but we all shied away from it at first when we took our first pass at the menu. But by the time our waitress finally made it to our table, which took a while, all but one of us went with the burger.

I’m so happy we did. It came on toast and the beef itself was buttery and moist in a way I hadn’t thought possible. Their homemade pickles were a great highlight to the meal along with the bacon and sautéed onions. This is a must-go when you make your way up to Maine.

We left Portland full, happy and exhausted. We all agreed that we would go back when the weather was warmer so we could explore more of the city and enjoy the option to sit outside at their restaurants and bars.

Thank goodness for Cristy’s words of excitement about their beers, cuban sandwich (which sadly is no longer on their menu…tear) and their wonderful french fries. I now select Anchovies as a standby for any dinner plans I have where we are hoping for a good meal, not looking to spend too much or to go too fancy. To be honest, I’ve never had anything I didn’t like there. Don’t be fooled, there’s nothing cutting edge or ultra modern about this place. You walk in the door and it feels like a local pub, you walk down the narrow space to the back and you pick your own place to sit – booth or table. And best of all they stick to the classics and execute them really well in their own wonderful way. Boston Magazine agrees as well because they named Anchovies a Best of Boston 2010 Best Neighborhood Restaurant South End.

They have a set menu that covers the basics – apps, subs, salads, pasta, sandwiches, etc. To accompany this menu they have a daily specials menu that usually includes an app option and about four dinner options on one side and on the other, there are beer specials showcased. I usually try to get at least one thing on this menu. The prices are extremely affordable for the amount you get.

I went last night and after an extremely windy and cold 15 minute walk from work, I opted for their homemade chicken soup to start along with a special pale ale. I was with my Anchovies inspiration, Cristy, and she mentioned that soup and beer didn’t go so well together which I had never noticed, but I agree now that I sampled the combination.

The soup itself was great (and only $5), it was a wonderful consistency that wasn’t watery or thick. There was rice, carrots, celery and tender chicken in the hearty broth. I was very pleased with the decision to go with soup to start. It came with garlic bread, but I’m not a huge garlic bread fan (gasp, I know!). Cristy went with their house salad at $3.50. Though she didn’t go with it, their unique pesto salad dressing is amazing. They have a chicken and artichoke salad that is topped with that dressing and though it sounds odd, I got it once and it was an amazing surprise.

We both went with the same sandwich, the Holyoke Panini, for our meals. I was starving since I hadn’t eaten lunch so I was chomping at the bit to dig into that sandwich. The Holyoke is made with Portobello mushroom, fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper & spinach with fresh basil & evoo on ciabatta bread and of course is paired with their matchstick french fries that are the perfect mix of crunchy and salty.

In the past, I’ve had their meatballs which come as a side, but they are three massive rounds of ground meat with a perfect tomato sauce on top served on a simple oval-shaped plate. If you have a craving for meatballs, definitely try it, but make sure you have a friend to help you polish them off if you plan to eat anything else. Also, I’ve had their fried ravioli, they are good, but nothing unique about them really. Though I haven’t tried their truffled french fries, the last few times I’ve been there the waiters walk by me with them and I can tell you the scent of the fries grab my noses attention to the extent my head whips around to keep that smell in my nostrils as long as possible.

As far as their specials go, they do a great job, I did a lobster ravioli a few visits ago with an asparagus cream sauce (YUM) and my friend Meredith got their gnocchi that night and love love loved it.

One other element that I always forget about, but when it comes I love it, is their bread with olive oil. The olive oil has dried hot pepper flakes and parmesan cheese mixed in and is served with a very plain but absorbent log of bread. My advice would be to be careful not to get too addicted to this bread and oil early on because you won’t have room for the meal you got excited about when you chose your entrée.

So I think you get what I’m trying to say, I really like this place because it brings you back to the basics you loved growing up, but I still haven’t gotten to my absolute favorite part of this place. No not their late night hours, no not their mood lighting, no not their seasonal martinis posted on the blackboard in the back…my favorite element of Anchovies in the South End is their waitstaff.

They have all different types of people who are around to support you during your meal. There are those who are very chill and leave you to make your experience whatever you would like it to be. There are those you are extremely friendly and on top of clearing your table when you are done. And also, there are those who are willing and able to provide recommendations if asked.

Though I know food, flavor, atmosphere are important, but I truly believe that customer service will take a good spot and make it a great, amazing, favorite spot. Even if something goes wrong, you can rely on a place with good customer service to ensure all issues are resolved and you are happy by the time you leave. Anchovies is that kind of place.

Do you know of any other restaurants like this in Boston? Please share, I want to go!

So when another brunch spot becomes available, some would think oh well just add it to the list, it’ll be just like all the others. But I like to think that from the experience I had at The Brahmin‘s second ever brunch service, they might be trying to tackle the brunch space differently.

My group of 6 arrived for our 11:30 reservation to find the restaurant empty. Well the wait staff, DJ and bartenders were in sight, but no other diners. To cut them slack, the brunch service itself opens at 11:30, and I’m assuming a lot of people were moving slowly that Sunday morning.

Our waitress came over and was very thankful that we arrived on time. We went on to order their very cheap beverage options – $3 mimosas, $5 bloody marys, etc. I had the bloody mary and it was extremely tasty, though it seemed like it was missing horseradish. My friends who ordered the mimosa were pleased with the outcome as well. Can’t go wrong with $3, but to have it taste good, it’s quite a deal.

There was a decent selection on the brunch menu, there were omelette options, french toast, biscuits and gravy, various sides and a myriad of sandwiches.

Since it was only the second weekend they served brunch, the manager came over to us to check in early on and take our picture. He was very excited for the brunch service to begin and was so happy that we had heard about it. The answer, Facebook. As I’ve mentioned in the past, Facebook is a great way for restaurants to get the word out there especially for something brand new like this. People love to feel like they are in the know and Facebook is similar to having a friend tell you the inside scoop. The Brahmin has also been utilizing other local event sites to get the word out. Looks like the next brunch service is on the 29th!

The vibe of the brunch service was more like a continuation of the party you had the night before. There was a DJ mixing beats at a high volume, there were people sporting Snooki like sunglasses, and the bartenders were churning out beverages.

I think this approach has a great deal of potential. During our meal we experienced some of the growing pains of a new service wave being added to a new restaurants offering. The speed of the service initially was great, but as the dining room filled up, the service came to a screeching halt. We ordered various elements on the menu – omelettes, french toast, burgers and biscuits and gravy. The food was great! The main issue was that the details of the order were missed amidst the hubbub that the brunch service became. One of my fellow diners wasn’t able to eat wheat or cheese and they brought out his omelette meal twice over a very long period of time and both times it had bread and cheese on it. When he received his meal, we had already all finished our dishes and we had to specifically ask if the home fries contained bread.

At the end of the day, this inconvenience was muted slightly by the cheap drinks that we had flowing and the football game that was on right in front of our table on the flat screen TV that looked as though it was built into the wall.

I ordered the biscuits and gravy and was very pleased with the outcome. I sopped up every last drop of gravy with my biscuits and was very sad when my plate was clean. The biscuits came with bacon and I ordered home fries. The home fries resembled the flavors of stuffing (which I love) so that was a nice little treat! I will definitely go back to try that again or perhaps try something a little different depending on my mood and beverage selection.

My friends that ordered the omelettes loved them. Even after the long wait, my new found friend was very pleased with the final product. The kitchen definitely redeemed itself.

I will be going back to try the other offerings on the menu and to sample some more of their discounted beverages. Who wants to join me?

The Oxo hand-held mandoline slicer is the best thing that has happened to me since my tomato knife made its appearance in my kitchen.

I’ve seen mandoline’s on Iron Chef America and Top Chef and every cooking show, but I just figured it was for those who cook all the time for a large number of people. Since I’m usually cooking for yours truly, I never considered the mandoline until I started to make a very basic zucchini, lemon juice, ricotta salata and salt and pepper salad for myself regularly. Slicing the zucchini became too much of a chore so I asked for a mandoline from Santa.

I purchased one for myself from Oneida but it was more of a hassle than anything.

When I unwrapped the new hand-held mandoline from my mom, I was excited to try it. Now about a month later, I can tell you this mandoline has changed my world.

If you are looking to treat yourself to a little culinary love or to brighten the day for a loved one or friend who is in the kitchen a lot, get this!

For the new year, most people resolve not to eat as much or go out as much, but for me it’s the opposite. I hope that 2012 brings me more wonderful food experiences of all kinds. The best way to get set up for the good things coming this year is to reflect on the best of last year.

Thinking back on the six months of blogging under my belt in 2011, I wanted to pull out 11 of the top experiences I had in no particular order:

1. Finding Forum
2. Getting my lazy self to Sportello finally
3. Discovering the Blue Glass Cafe in the Hancock Tower
4. Experiencing Pinkberry for the first time
5. Getting the VIP treatment with Johnny Oyster of East Dennis Oysters
6. Sticking with old faithful Erbaluce
7. Merengueing through Miami’s caliente food scene, especially The YardBird
8. Gobbling up my first farm dinner at Blake Vineyards in South Windsor, CT
9. Tasting the chef’s selections at Via Matta and Oleana
10. Making Anchovies a regular spot
11. Welcoming food trucks to Boston

What were your favorite food moments of 2011? 

Any suggestions for 2012?

We were seated in a private dining section, but the walls were glass so we could see into the overall dining space. It was great because it wasn’t loud so we could hear one another but we still were able to experience the lively atmosphere of the restaurant.

They had their normal menu available, and three items on their NYE special menu. I went with all three specials to really experience their NYE celebration for the evening. Take a look at the photos of our night of food below: