I just finished my first week at work and I know that I've been absent too long. It's been a crazy, hectic week jumping head first into my new job, but now I'm back!
Today Jake and I headed into Boston thinking we were going on one adventure - going to Quincy market - and ended up going on five adventures! In the next five posts you can find the details of our expanding adventures, plus plenty of pictures.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday at the SoWa Market
Yesterday Jake and I made our first venture into Boston to check out the SoWa market. It was a great hybrid of arts and crafts fair, flea market, farmer's market, and food truck parade. There were tons of neat vintage finds at the flea market and really interesting, modern art (as well as quirky tee shirts) in the craft booths. The farmer's market seemed super fresh and had everything from veggies, to bread, to honey, to eggs and meat. We got a couple peaches to enjoy as the season winds up.
The highlight for me though was the food. I got my first ever bahn mi sandwich at the Bon Me truck. Bahn mi is a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette with roasted pork, pate, mayo, cilantro, and pickled vegetables. We also got truffle fries from the Roxy's Grilled Cheese truck. I absolutely love anything with truffle and these fries were some of the best I've ever had. We chose not to get a grilled cheese because Jake had tried them at an orientation event and found it disappointingly greasy. There was a competing grilled cheese truck at the market with more interesting combos, but our bahn mi sandwiches were more than enough to fill us up.
The highlight for me though was the food. I got my first ever bahn mi sandwich at the Bon Me truck. Bahn mi is a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette with roasted pork, pate, mayo, cilantro, and pickled vegetables. We also got truffle fries from the Roxy's Grilled Cheese truck. I absolutely love anything with truffle and these fries were some of the best I've ever had. We chose not to get a grilled cheese because Jake had tried them at an orientation event and found it disappointingly greasy. There was a competing grilled cheese truck at the market with more interesting combos, but our bahn mi sandwiches were more than enough to fill us up.
You'll notice that the fries come with their own branded Next Great Food Truck Race paper liners. This show, on Food Network Sundays at 9pm, follows food trucks as they travel around the country and compete to sell the most food. For any lovers of street food, this show is really fun and it features Boston's Roxy's Grilled Cheese (as well as my favorites, the Korean tacos from Korilla of NYC).
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Cupcakes Continued
Sweet: Zero Brattle Street, Cambridge
Welcome back to the cupcake wagon! But sadly, not everything can be Georgetown Cupcake or Kickass Cupcakes. Sweet was exactly that. The decor was super sweet, pink and white, and the cupcakes were the same - overly sweet.
I got a Peach Cobbler cupcake, which sounded really promising, but the peach filling was jam and not real peaches so it became extra sticky and extra sweet. I did like the streusel topping on the cupcake though. Anjali got a classic chocolate frosted cupcake. We agreed that Sweet is better on the classics, but it still wasn't exactly my favorite. The frosting was more like chocolate mousse rather than classic frosting. If this is for you it could be a welcome change, but for me I love the frosting so it was sorely missed. Both cupcakes did boat a very moist cake, which was very welcome.
Welcome back to the cupcake wagon! But sadly, not everything can be Georgetown Cupcake or Kickass Cupcakes. Sweet was exactly that. The decor was super sweet, pink and white, and the cupcakes were the same - overly sweet.
I got a Peach Cobbler cupcake, which sounded really promising, but the peach filling was jam and not real peaches so it became extra sticky and extra sweet. I did like the streusel topping on the cupcake though. Anjali got a classic chocolate frosted cupcake. We agreed that Sweet is better on the classics, but it still wasn't exactly my favorite. The frosting was more like chocolate mousse rather than classic frosting. If this is for you it could be a welcome change, but for me I love the frosting so it was sorely missed. Both cupcakes did boat a very moist cake, which was very welcome.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Greatest Music Ever Sold
In his movie, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (see post below), Morgan Spurlock interviews some really cool bands about integrating their music into advertising and even has OK Go write his film's theme song. I've found that lately commercials are featuring more and more interesting music (even if it does tend to bend a little towards the hipster set) and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Fatty Gets a Stylist - Are You Ready?
Kid Cudi - Pursuit of Happiness
Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Fatty Gets a Stylist - Are You Ready?
Kid Cudi - Pursuit of Happiness
Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
This tongue in cheek documentary by the creator of Supersize Me is definitely worth a rental. In The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Morgan Spurlock examines product placement in films while at the same time creating a film financed entirely through product placements. You get to see him approaching skeptical companies to pitch his idea, and a few of the really cools ones actually accept.
I've always been sort of fascinated with advertising. To me, its an intersection between two things I like: art and convincing people of things. I almost always watch the commercials during shows, and like most people, and especially most females, I tune into the Super Bowl for one reason and one reason only: the commercials (okay and possibly also as an excuse to eat nachos). There is good advertising and bad advertising of course, maybe even responsible and irresponsible advertising, but I don't think advertising is evil.
Like I said, I sort of enjoy being advertised to. As you know from almost all my other entries, I used to live in New York City. New York City is probably the capital of advertisements - hello Times Square. But there are also advertisements in bus shelters, plastered on construction sites, on taxi cabs, even entire subway cars refinished on the outside and inside as advertisements. We're such a big market we get commercials tailored to us, we get movie releases other parts of the country don't get, we even get product giveaways on street corners! That's my favorite. I've gotten Stacy's pita chips, Sabra hummus, Coca Cola, and Simply Orange orange juice.
The movie is really funny, but also thought provoking and interesting. A brand personality company even notes that Morgan's brand is "mindful and playful" which sounds like a great combination for a Friday night rental to me. Pick it up to find out what "neuro-advertising" is and then come back and decide whether you disagree with me about advertising being evil.
I've always been sort of fascinated with advertising. To me, its an intersection between two things I like: art and convincing people of things. I almost always watch the commercials during shows, and like most people, and especially most females, I tune into the Super Bowl for one reason and one reason only: the commercials (okay and possibly also as an excuse to eat nachos). There is good advertising and bad advertising of course, maybe even responsible and irresponsible advertising, but I don't think advertising is evil.
Like I said, I sort of enjoy being advertised to. As you know from almost all my other entries, I used to live in New York City. New York City is probably the capital of advertisements - hello Times Square. But there are also advertisements in bus shelters, plastered on construction sites, on taxi cabs, even entire subway cars refinished on the outside and inside as advertisements. We're such a big market we get commercials tailored to us, we get movie releases other parts of the country don't get, we even get product giveaways on street corners! That's my favorite. I've gotten Stacy's pita chips, Sabra hummus, Coca Cola, and Simply Orange orange juice.
The movie is really funny, but also thought provoking and interesting. A brand personality company even notes that Morgan's brand is "mindful and playful" which sounds like a great combination for a Friday night rental to me. Pick it up to find out what "neuro-advertising" is and then come back and decide whether you disagree with me about advertising being evil.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
How to Skip the Line at Georgetown Cupcake
I admit it; I have hopped on the cupcake bandwagon. They're the personal pizza of cakes. They adhere to the 'everything small is cute' law (Have you seen baby shoes lately? C'mon). You can mix and match or order a dozen of the same. You can whip them up at home and feel like Martha Stewart. Cupcakes are amazing and cupcakeries (cupcake bakeries) are popping up everywhere, see my previous post for example.
Georgetown Cupcake is one of the most famous cupcake bakeries around; they even have their own show on TLC called DC Cupcakes. But anyone even remotely familiar with the bakery knows about the line. Frequently a block long, the line moves relatively quickly but can still be daunting. Georgetown Cupcakes has become more than a great local bakery; it's now a tourist destination.
So how do you skip the line at Georgetown Cupcake? Simple, just skip it. Literally, skip the line and go around the block to Baked and Wired instead. This place sells mostly cupcakes but also has a coffee house vibe that's much more relaxed than Georgetown Cupcake. And if size matters to you, these cupcakes are much bigger than the offerings at their more famous competitor.
I got a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, which is a favorite combo of mine; a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, a staple that I think can show a bakery's chops; a lemon cupcake with a raspberry creamcheese frosting; and an almond cupcake with peach frosting. Yum!
The honest truth is that they aren't as good as Georgetown Cupcakes, at least in my opinion. With the larger cupcake the cake to frosting ratio is a little off for me. But overall they are great cupcakes and you won't have to wait in line for them. Georgetown is impossibly cute and if you only have a limited amount of time you'll want to take a stroll, not stand in line.
Georgetown Cupcake is one of the most famous cupcake bakeries around; they even have their own show on TLC called DC Cupcakes. But anyone even remotely familiar with the bakery knows about the line. Frequently a block long, the line moves relatively quickly but can still be daunting. Georgetown Cupcakes has become more than a great local bakery; it's now a tourist destination.
So how do you skip the line at Georgetown Cupcake? Simple, just skip it. Literally, skip the line and go around the block to Baked and Wired instead. This place sells mostly cupcakes but also has a coffee house vibe that's much more relaxed than Georgetown Cupcake. And if size matters to you, these cupcakes are much bigger than the offerings at their more famous competitor.
I got a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, which is a favorite combo of mine; a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, a staple that I think can show a bakery's chops; a lemon cupcake with a raspberry creamcheese frosting; and an almond cupcake with peach frosting. Yum!
The honest truth is that they aren't as good as Georgetown Cupcakes, at least in my opinion. With the larger cupcake the cake to frosting ratio is a little off for me. But overall they are great cupcakes and you won't have to wait in line for them. Georgetown is impossibly cute and if you only have a limited amount of time you'll want to take a stroll, not stand in line.
Best Bakeries in Davis Square
Yesterday I went on a walk to Davis Square as I use my last week of vacation to explore my new neighborhood. It's a very cute area with plenty of restaurants and a movie theater that serves wine and beer. Tucked on Highland Avenue are two amazing, but very different bakeries. I sampled them both.
When Pigs Fly
378b Highland Avenue, Somerville MA
http://www.sendbread.com/home.php
You may have seen When Pigs Fly bread in your local Whole Foods. They also have several bakery locations in New England including this one in Davis Square.
You won't find any cookies or cakes here - just bread. But don't let that fool you into thinking there isn't a lot of variety, because there is. They have sweet and savory breads, the basics and new twists. I've tried their Raspberry Lemonade bread which has a nice sugary crust and a light citrus flavor with real fruit in it. They have offerings as exotic as Mango Pineapple Raisin Bread with Toasted Sesame and Ginger right on down to your good old New York Rye. I purchased the Rosemary Olive bread and got a discount on my Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding. They both made excellent additions to that night's dinner. And this place wins for cutest bags.
Kickass Cupcakes
378 Highland Avenue, Somerville MA
http://www.kickasscupcakes.com/
Here you won't find anything but cupcakes, but you'll find them in super creative flavors. I got the Pink Lemonade and the Mojito.
They don't post descriptions of the cupcakes, which is sad because when I looked them up online they sounded really interesting, but I'm sure the friendly people inside would have been happy to let me know if I had asked. The Mojito cupcake had a lime frosting with a garnish of mint and a vanilla cupcake with a hint of rum. When I bit into the Pink Lemonade cupcake I was pleasantly surprised to find real strawberries inside of a lemon cupcake with strawberry frosting. Both were really delicious with just the right amount of frosting that wasn't overly sweet.
They also boast really unique flavors like the Lotus Blossom, which has a sake soaked pear center and a lychee frosting. And then there's the Boston-centric Green Monster, which is a chocolate cupcake with a beer ganache center and a Sam Adams Cream Stout frosting, dyed green of course. At $3 a pop, these relatively small cupcakes are as or more expensive than better known competitors, but well worth the creative flavor options and great taste.
When Pigs Fly
378b Highland Avenue, Somerville MA
http://www.sendbread.com/home.php
You may have seen When Pigs Fly bread in your local Whole Foods. They also have several bakery locations in New England including this one in Davis Square.
You won't find any cookies or cakes here - just bread. But don't let that fool you into thinking there isn't a lot of variety, because there is. They have sweet and savory breads, the basics and new twists. I've tried their Raspberry Lemonade bread which has a nice sugary crust and a light citrus flavor with real fruit in it. They have offerings as exotic as Mango Pineapple Raisin Bread with Toasted Sesame and Ginger right on down to your good old New York Rye. I purchased the Rosemary Olive bread and got a discount on my Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding. They both made excellent additions to that night's dinner. And this place wins for cutest bags.
Kickass Cupcakes
378 Highland Avenue, Somerville MA
http://www.kickasscupcakes.com/
Here you won't find anything but cupcakes, but you'll find them in super creative flavors. I got the Pink Lemonade and the Mojito.
They don't post descriptions of the cupcakes, which is sad because when I looked them up online they sounded really interesting, but I'm sure the friendly people inside would have been happy to let me know if I had asked. The Mojito cupcake had a lime frosting with a garnish of mint and a vanilla cupcake with a hint of rum. When I bit into the Pink Lemonade cupcake I was pleasantly surprised to find real strawberries inside of a lemon cupcake with strawberry frosting. Both were really delicious with just the right amount of frosting that wasn't overly sweet.
They also boast really unique flavors like the Lotus Blossom, which has a sake soaked pear center and a lychee frosting. And then there's the Boston-centric Green Monster, which is a chocolate cupcake with a beer ganache center and a Sam Adams Cream Stout frosting, dyed green of course. At $3 a pop, these relatively small cupcakes are as or more expensive than better known competitors, but well worth the creative flavor options and great taste.
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