Brunch at Lineage

          Lineage in Brookline has been on my list to try for awhile, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to experience their brunch tasting menu style with the Boston Brunchers! We tried a selection of their most popular dishes, which left me wondering why I'd waited so long to check this place out!

          We started with a bloody mary, which was spicy just how I like it.

          Next was a fresh baked apricot scone with ginger glaze, it was the lightest scone I've ever had, perfectly moist and flaky!

          We shared a couple of orders of lobster tacos for the group. These were delicious, tiny crunchy corn shells filled with lobster, mango, salsa, and avocado mousse.

          We also shared an order of ricotta pancakes topped with fresh cherries and strawberries, and french toast with white peaches. They were both amazing, and even better with the smoked maple syrup!

          We finished with a savory course, the huevos rancheros with a poached egg, flat iron steak, cotija cheese, black beans, and corn tortillas. These were fantastic, the egg and steak cooked perfectly, and the cotija cheese sprinkled on top gave it a great flavor.

          I really enjoyed everything I tried, and can't wait to return for dinner! Thanks to Lineage and Boston Brunchers for hosting such a great event!

 

Although was provided free of charge to complete this review, the opinions are my own.

Blog and Tweet Boston's Meet the Makers Event

          Earlier this week Blog and Tweet Boston teamed up with Olives and Grace and Gifted, two adorable shops in the South End for a fun event where we were able to learn about and sample products from local artisan vendors including:

           Porcelain and Stone by Kimberly Huestis: Handmade jewelry crafted from porcelain in Cambridge, MA. Many of her pieces have a nautical theme, which is fun and perfect for summer!

            Moody Beauty by Amy Fleischer features luxurious and nutrient filled skin oil hand produced in small batches in Newburyport, MA, which leaves your skin feeling soft and healthy.

           Moochie's Macarons by Nina DiBona Pauk  Authentic French macarons named after her dog, Moochie. There were a variety of flavors available to try, but my favorite was the lavender honey.

 

           Tea Cuvee by Evy Chen Is a delicious cold brewed tea with unique flavors like rosemary orange. It's a great alternative to coffee, and more natural and healthy without all the caffeine!

 

           Confabulous Cases by Ali are fun, customizable, and affordable cases for your iphone. At $5 each, these two piece cases with interchangeable backgrounds make it easy to be versatile and stylish!

           Travessia Winery is a micro-winery based in New Bedford, that produces wines from locally sourced grapes in MA. We sampled a Chardonnay, which was dry and oaked six months, the Vidal Blanc, which recently won the best overall wine at Boston's Wine Riot, and my favorite a Rose made from Pinot Noir grapes. 

           Round House Jewelry by Lisa Roy Sachs features gorgeous  handmade jewelry of unusual components all made from clay, produced in Boston, MA.

            Yuthica by Chinku Mahindra Soy based candles which last longer and smell amazing. We were also able to try some of the new skincare products which have not yet been released including body butter and creams.

            Luke Adams Glass, Luke Adams and Laurie Landerholm This was one of my favorites of the night, Laurie demonstrated the entire process of creating glass beads. It was amazing to watch, and the finished product was beautiful!

       Blog and Tweet Boston is a group I co-founded with Jen that connects bloggers and local businesses through fun events. We have more fun events coming up at Sweet Caroline's on 7/6 and Delete Tattoo on 7/10. If you have a business and are interested in holding a blogger event, email us to get in touch.

Blog and Tweet Boston Event at Sweet Caroline's

          Join Blog and Tweet Boston Saturday June 6th at 12PM for a delicious meal at Sweet Caroline's in Fenway!

          Sweet Caroline's serves up a menu full of American comfort classics in an impressive 4,000 square foot multi-level space with reclaimed barn wood and rich, earthy tones.The lower level dining room features floor to ceiling windows overlooking a patio and Boston's largest live, vertical garden complete with irrigation system!

Interested Bloggers should request an invitation in one of the following ways :


          1 Follow @BlogAndTweetBos on Twitter and DM us your email address

          2 Join our Facebook group and leave a comment sharing your email address

          When you share your email address requesting an invitation, you are agreeing to join the Blog and Tweet Boston email list, where we'll periodically alert you of new events. Blog and Tweet Boston is a group I co-founded with Jen that connects bloggers and local businesses through fun events. If you have a business and are interested in holding a blogger event email us to get in touch.

Blog and Tweet Boston Event: Olives & Grace and Gifted

          Join us for our next Blog and Tweet Boston event in the South End! Boston's South End includes some fantastic local shops who showcase independent artisans and makers. We've partnered with two of these stores,  Olives and Grace and Gifted to bring you a taste of what each has to offer!

Enjoy snacks and wine, while learning about makers including:

• Porcelain and Stone
• Moody Beauty
• Moochie's Macarons
• Tea Cuvee
• Rund House Jewelry
• Ali
• Chinku Mahindra
• Tanya Ara
• Farrell

          The event will take place 6/27 at 6pm at Gifted (2 Dartmouth Street at the corner of Tremont). Interested Bloggers should request an invitation in one of the following ways :


          1 Follow @BlogAndTweetBos on Twitter and DM us your email address

          2 Join our Facebook group and leave a comment sharing your email address

          When you share your email address requesting an invitation, you are agreeing to join the Blog and Tweet Boston email list, where we'll periodically alert you of new events. Blog and Tweet Boston is a group I co-founded with Jen that connects bloggers and local businesses through fun events. If you have a business and are interested in holding a blogger event email us to get in touch.

Bronwyn

          As a huge fan of TW Food, I've been dying to try Bronwyn the Chef / Owner's new German style restaurant which opened recently in Somerville's Union Square. I finally made it in tonight with the bf, sampled a huge portion of the menu, and had an amazing meal! We weren't sure where to start, so we let our server Cory do the choosing for us and he crafted what felt like a tasting menu for us (though they were full portions) with beer pairings that complemented the food perfectly.

          We started with the giant haus bretzel, a giant soft pretzel served with an apple horseradish mustard. It was definitely the best pretzel I've ever had, and the sauce added both a sweet and spicy contrast to the pretzel's saltiness.

          I enjoyed the pretzel with a glass of Michael Plank Heller Weissbock, which was delicious and so rich I sipped it slowly throughout most of the meal.

           Next were a few dishes from the small plates menu including the Pierogi with smoked kale and egg remoulade, the knodel: a bacon bread dumpling served with white peaches and peach puree, and the Rebekuchen: a horseradish potato pancake topped with garlic scapes and housemade applesauce. They were all delicious, but my favorite was the knodel.

  

          Next was the wurst platter, which included one of each of the sausages from the menu:

• Spicy Bierwurst - pork, egg, paprika, cucumber bacon sauce
• Knocker - smoked beef and pork, souerkraut
• Kielbasa - cream poached, coriander, garlic, marjoram, farm greens
• Currywurst - chicken, pork, grilled apple, curry
• Lemon Weisswurst - veal, pork, herbs, grilled candied lemons
• Zungenblutwurst - blood, tonuge, pork, sweet and sour cherries

This was such a huge portion, we ended up taking most of it home. I tried a bite of each except for the zungenblutwurst, since I'm not a fan of blood sausage. My favorites were the kielbasa (completely unlike any I've ever had) and the currywurst, which was a really unique and different flavor.

          For our main course we shared the spatzle with comte cheese, carmelized onions, asparagus, and mint with a side of gurkensalat (a cucumber salad with fresh dill). The spatzle was possibly my favorite dish of the night, but we ended up wrapping up most of it so we'd have room for dessert! Our server recommended a beer to go with it that tasted like pure honey, and really brought out the flavors of the comte.

           We finished with the berliner for dessert, lemon and raspberry filled doughnuts with a side of chocolate sauce. These were so good on their own, they didn't need the sauce (although it was a nice touch)!

          I enjoyed everything I tried at Bronwyn, and the service was outstanding. I will definitely be back.

Blog and Tweet Boston Event at Cocoanuts

          Did you attend our Blog and Tweet Boston event at Cocoanuts earlier this year? If you missed it, you're in luck because they're hosting fun event for bloggers Thursday June 20th from 6-7pm!

          Join us to sample delicious artisan treats from local producers. Here's a taste of some of the makers who will be there:

•Shira Melen will be featuring her macarons. She has an assortment of unique of flavors      including pistachio and passion fruit.

•The makers of Lark Fine Foods of Essex, MA whose specialty is cookies for grownups. Fun varieties include rosemary, burnt sugar, and more.

•Nicole Coady of Fixx Chocolates will also be there sampling her gourmet chocolate bars. I had a chance to taste them at the Chef's for a Cure event earlier this year, and they were amazing!

         

          Cocoanuts is located at 28 Parmenter Street, Boston, MA 02113. Validated parking is available  at the Parcel 7 Garage on Blackstone Street ($3.00 for 3 hours).  

Interested Bloggers should request an invitation in one of the following ways :

          1 Follow @BlogAndTweetBos on Twitter and DM us your email address

          2 Join our Facebook group and leave a comment sharing your email address

          When you share your email address requesting an invitation, you are agreeing to join the Blog and Tweet Boston email list, where we'll periodically alert you of new events. Blog and Tweet Boston is a group I co-founded with Jen that connects bloggers and local businesses through fun events. If you have a business and are interested in holding a blogger event email us to get in touch.

Frank Pepe's

          Frank Pepe's is a bit of a legend, and one of the very first pizzeria's to open in the US. I try to make it a point to stop at the original New Haven, CT location as part of my semi-annual trips to NYC and it's about the only place I'll wait in line for anything! The lines get crazy long, but the best strategy is to get there 15-20 minutes before they open. They move fast, and once you're in the service is quick!

          They are known for their original tomato pie and white clam pizza, but my favorite is the grilled chicken. It comes loaded with tons of marinated white meat, and even the small is big enough for two to share!

          This recent trip wasn't planned, but the bf and recently spent a couple of days in CT for a Memorial Day party and we realized when we got to the hotel that we were staying directly across the street from the Danbury location!

          The Danbury location was newer, and felt more like a traditional pizza parlor than the historic New Haven location. But, the wide open kitchen and brick oven in the back served as a reminder that this wasn't just any pizza place!

          The bf and I decided to share a medium, half bacon and chicken for me (trying something new) and half onion and pepperoni for him. Despite our best efforts, we weren't able to finish the whole thing!

          In case the picture above doesn't show just quite how big it was, here is a picture of one smaller slice in comparison to the plate!

          Although the Danbury location wasn't quite as good as the original in New Haven, the NY - Italian style thin crust pie was still some of the best pizza I've ever had!

Buick Discovery Tour

          I recently had the opportunity to attend the Buick Discovery Tour at the Waltham Westin. It was a great event themed around discovering new food, wine, and the new 2014 Buick line up!

          I went with my friend Michelle, and when we arrived we were greeted and given more information about the event. We'd start with some hors d'ouvres and then break out into smaller groups where we would get to test drive the cars, attend cooking demos, and taste wine!

          We started with the test drive, and both Michelle and I decided to try the Turbo Verano, Buick's fastest and most sporty model.

          It was a lot of fun, and having never driven a Buick before we were both impressed by the smooth ride, luxurious leather seats, and touch screen navigation system. The model we drove including sun roof, leather, and navigation was surprisingly affordable in the low 30Ks. I would definitely consider it next time I'm shopping for a car!

          The rest of the day was centered around food and wine, and we started with dessert first at a cooking demo by Pastry Chef Hedy Goldsmith. Chef Goldsmith works at the award winning restaurant Michael's Geunine in Miami, and recently published her first book Baking Out Loud.

 

          She demonstrated a delicious panna cotta with fresh basil and berries, which we were able to try afterward. The flavors were incredibly rich, but the dish was still relatively light for a dessert. After watching the demo, I felt like this was simple enough to make I could even try it at home!

 

          Our second demonstration was by a local Boston Chef, Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother. I tried Hungry Mother once several years ago when it first opened, and was impressed by the creative Southern Style cooking. 

 

          Chef Maiden demonstrated a corn meal crusted catfish, fried and topped with a made from scratch crawfish remoulade. It was delicious, and made me want to try Hungry Mother again soon!

          After the mini sessions, the entire group came together for a wine tasting with Michael Green. He taught us some basics about pairing food with wine, and how the right dish can completely change the flavors of the wine (making it even better). I enjoyed the wine, but it was his personality that really made this one of the most memorable and entertaining demonstrations of the evening!

          The last session was with Chef Michael Psilakis, the first chef to win a Michelin star for a Greek restaurant. He gave a truly inspiring talk on Greek cooking and what motivates him, and prepared a delicious Gryo inspired beef slider for us to try.

          The slider was delicious, and I especially loved the flavors of the yogurt sauce and cornichon on top.

          Chef Psilakis was generous enough to give away signed copies of his cookbook to all attendees, the perfect ending to a fantastic evening!


*Food / Chef photos courtesy of Intersport, Vehicle photos courtesy of General Motors

EventBrite Event at Shojo

          I recently attended an event at Shojo in Chinatown, hosted by Eventbrite an online Event registration and ticketing system with a mobile app for your smart phone (perfect if you're like me and always forget to print your tickets)! Eventbrite makes it easy to organize and spread the word about your events, and is how we coordinate all of the sign ups for our Blog and Tweet Boston events. 

          The event was part networking, part informational and part fundraising (the event was free, but attendees could choose to donate to Small Can Be Big an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of small donations to have a big impact on families facing a one time need. 100% of every donation goes to a specific expense for a family in need. The funds raised at this event went to a family affected by the Marathon Bombings.

          The event was a lot of fun, and I was so excited it was at Shojo, which I've wanted to try for awhile! We were able to sample several delicious dishes from the appetizer / small plates menu.

BLT with Proscuitto

Chilled Corn Soup with Candied Walnuts

Almond Encrusted Shrimp Balls with Mint Dipping Sauce

          There were also some creative and tasty orange cocktails! My favorite was this take on a Moscow Mule.

          For dessert there was a candy buffet with takeout containers to bring it home with you, and the event would have been complete without the Eventbrite - themed fortune cookies (it was after all in Chinatown)!

          It was a great time! Not only can Eventbrite help with your party, but they sure know how to throw one!