Sakurabana – Sushi Worth the Wait?

My friends and I ventured over to the Financial District recently to check out a sushi place we’d heard good things about: Sakurabana.

We had a group of 6 and ventured in around 7:30-8pm. The place was decently crowded but there were tables for 2-4 available. They said it would be a few minutes wait….and about 45 minutes later…they got the bright idea to push a couple of tables together to seat us. Hmph – not a great start, but we stuck it out since we had heard the place was good and really wanted sushi at this point.

 Between the 6 of us, we ordered maki rolls, sushi, sashimi, tempura, miso soup…the works. It took them a while to come over and take our order, but once they took it – the food came fast (thank goodness, since we were starving at this point). Also something to note – by this time the restaurant had cleared out a bit, so if you go with a group, maybe make it a late dinner and head over at 8:30-9pm?

Once we had food in front of us, conversation seized and everyone was focused on inhaling the deliciousness in front of us. Everything was good quality and decently priced. Rolls ranged from $4.50-$11 depending on how “fancy” they were; sushi & sashimi platters were $20-24 and came with plenty of food for one person; and the sushi a la carte menu was reasonably priced too. Overall, quality and price seemed on par. 

  

At the end of the meal, the waitress had a lot of trouble sorting out our bill and had to come over multiple times for us to explain. So – I definitely recommend checking this place out, but if I had one suggestion, it would be to go with a group of 2-4 and bring cash so you don’t have to worry about throwing down multiple cards. 


Over and out,
Little B

Oyster Shots Anyone? Barking Crab for Summah Fun!

Hey-o!

So maybe I took a little summer hiatus...can you blame me? It's gorgeous outside! But now I have lots of fun to share...and to start: one of my fave spots in the city in the summer...the Barking Crab.

I recently headed over the little pedestrian bridge down by the waterfront to meet up with KRock, Catch-Up and BGE at this fantastic establishment and had a first-ever experience: oyster shooters. I like to

think of myself as a brave girl, but I wont lie, that sucker stayed in my mouth as little time as p

ossible...so if you're a big baby like me and the oyster and vodka-mixed drink is in your stomach .2 seconds after they touch your lips, you'll be just fine. Or you can pull a KRock and keep it in your mouth entirely too long...and you might have a rough night...but who knows? Maybe you'll love it! Either way, try it just to say you did.

That's not the reason to head over to the Barking Crab though. This place has a unique vibe because it's very casual with its outdoor picnic tables (but only kinda outside - its almost under s

omething like a circus tent?), and on the other hand, it's got somewhat pricey, De-Lish seafood (worth it!).

They don't take reservations, and you'll likely be sharing a picnic table with some strangers, but just be cool hunny bunny, the food is that good! You do have another option - the bar area has a few high top tables and if you hang there long enough, you might just snag one and then you'll have the full menu at your fingertips without the random stranger squeezing lemon juice in your eye instead of on their fish.

Beer prices are pretty average and they have some decent stuff on tap - great place to meet up with a few friends after work. I don't recommend going with a big group though...you never know what kind of crowds you'll be up against and wiggling you're way up to the bar is easier if you've just got a couple others en-tow.

Happy summer kids!

Little B

Books, Gifts, Lunch, Trivia - Trident Booksellers on Newbury Has it All!

Since I couldn't find a marathon of SVU on tv this morning, I decided to venture out to Newbury St. and do a little shopping. Somehow in the midst of thousands of Sox fans heading to the game, Kinsey happened to see me get off the T at the same door she was about to get on. She did a quick 180, and with that I had a shopping buddy!

After a productive stop at Victoria Secret's, we'd both worked up an appetite and headed down to Trident Booksellers & Cafe - one of my favorite hole in the wall gems on Newbury. I first discovered this great little spot for its cheap books and adorable journals, calendars and greeting cards. It didn't take long to realize that their food was equally as fantastic as their store.

Kinsey and I grabbed a seat outside since the sun was shining to grab a bite to eat. Tables inside and out were full so it took some time to grab some food, but as we weren't in much of a hurry, we didn't mind at all. The waitress was great - she checked on us regularly (but not so often that it was annoying) and apologized for the delay. When the food came, we were shocked to see how huge the portions were - Kinsey ordered the homemade veggie burger ($11) and I had a falafel wrap ($12).

My wrap was stuffed with all the good stuff - feta, hummus, taboulleh and tzatziki sauce. There was lettuce too, but it wasnt half lettuce / half other delicious items like some falafel wraps are. Yummm!

I asked Kinsey how her burger was and she responded with "mmmm...it's moist." Awkward response? Maybe...but if you're a veggie burger lover like we are, you know that a dry one is just icky. Moist = A-Okay in veggie burger world!

Other things to note, Trident offers free wifi, they are open every day from 8am-midnight, and they have trivia on Friday nights at 8pm. Along with a cafe area and outdoor seating, they also have a fully stocked bar!

Happy Reading!

Little B

Quick & Easy Meal for a Night In: Shrimp Cobb Salad

Happy Day-After-Cinco everyone! I trust you are all indulging in a bagel and some gatorade this morning?  In the spirit of recovering from a long night out, I thought I'd share an awesome meal idea for staying in when you need to let your liver recover a bit.


So I know I was just complaining about the frequency of salad in my life, but that was before my date with my roommate the other night. 3fiddy and I are both busy ladies, but thanks to Google calendar sharing, we're occasionally able to spend some quality time at home together. So she took care of the meal, and I was just responsible for bringing the wine (shocking, I know). 

This recipe is so simple and delicious, I felt it needed to be shared with all you for the next night you decide to stay in! Here goes:

Shrimp Cobb Salad (courtesy of myrecipes.com and featured in Cooking Light)

BTW this is suppose to feed 4 people, but I'll be honest, we made pretty much the whole recipe and there wasn't much left over between the two of us....oink oink! :)

Salad Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon 
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt  
  
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad  
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered  
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)  
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed  (canned corn is just fine if that's what you have!)
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

 Dressing Ingredients

• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
  
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard

Preparation

• Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; cut in half crosswise. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
• While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat.
• Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges, and 2 bacon pieces.

The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require a lot of work or time. Just sizzle up the bacon and shrimp, while your dining partner chops up the lettuce and mixes the dressing and you're pretty much ready to go!

And, of course, don't forget the wine! We had a pinot grigio and it was great with this meal.

Enjoy!

Little B

Need a greasy delicious late night snack downtown? Saus is where it's at!

Packie and I were heading home from a bar last week a little after 10pm, and realizing we hadn't eaten dinner, stopped into 3-4 places trying to find one still serving food. No dice in the downtown area! And I don't know about you, but I can only eat so many salads before the fat kid inside me takes over and I just need some grease. Lucky for me there is a new establishment near faneuil hall that feeds this desire - Saus!

Turns out, this little hole-in-the-wall joint on Union St. will do the trick if you're in the market for one of two things: french fries or waffles. Their niche is the awesome array of sauces they offer with each (get it, Saus?).

As Packie is a seasoned Saus enthusiast, I trusted her judgment when it came to ordering the perfect late night snack. We got a lovely cone of fries ($4-$7 depending which size you go for), and a couple dipping sauces (75 cents each) - Saturday Night Chive (haha - this is the kind of humor that does it for me...) and Bacon Parmesan. You can also take advantage of complimentary sauces including homemade mayo, homemade ketchup, and malt vinegar with red pepper flakes.

I know some of you are probably thinking "ew, mayo with fries, that's blasphemous!" but I'm just saying...you may want to reconsider your dedication to ketchup in this situation. Mayo is a traditional condiment to slather on your fries in other parts of the world, and let's be honest here, we're going for a greasy snack and what could possibly clog an artery faster than greasy fries covered in mayo? Don't think about it too hard, just do it!

Both the sauces I had were really good and I'm looking forward to going back to check out the waffle situation (which I hear is equally scrumptious). If you go, let me know what you think! Waffles go for just $3.50 a pop and sauce choices include homemade nutella, berry berry, salted caramel, and lemon cream. My mouth is watering...

Have a great week, my friends!

Little B

Tequila Snow Cones For The Win!!

As per usual, I spent a recent Sunday on my couch recovering from Saturday night festivities....and as you may know, if you wake up before the SVU marathons start, there isn't much on television unless you happen to be a foodie. In that case, you can take your pick between Man vs. Food, World's Worst Cook, and what I went with this particular Sunday - Phantom Gourmet. If you're not familiar, PG reviews restaurants, bakeries and the like throughout the Boston area (and out in the burbs from time to time).

As you know, I'm intrigued by any and all mention of mexican food, so when they started discussing a new mexican place near South Station, my ears perked up. Guacamole made tableside? Tequila snow cones?! Sign me up!!

I'd say a week later I had a date with Packie, Jensky and DD to try out this new place - name of Papagayo. From south station, just walk over the summer st. bridge toward southie and you'll be there in 5 minutes. I always get a little angsty about suggesting a new restaurant to friends when I haven't yet tried it myself - but when I saw the fantastic decor and crowded tables, I knew we were headed in a good direction.

Jensky and DD were already sitting at the bar sipping their first margaritas when Packie and I arrived. Huge margaritas. Fast service, good prices ($9) and delicious (/strong), too! We chit chatted for 10-15 minutes and then the hostess showed us to our table.

Shortly after that, a server pulled up a cart with all the mixings for guacamole and asked how we liked it. We didnt request anything in particular and he whipped up a good sized portion of really good quality guac in no time. We all ordered burritos, and since the first round of margs was so strong, the conversation was lively as we all dug into the guac.

Food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was definitely tasty. However, I will say that when I order a burrito, I prefer to get something I can pick up. This was more along the lines of an enchilada, and definitely had an enchilada-type sauce on it. It was yummy, just not exactly what I was expecting.

Finally, we ordered our tequila snow cones. The anticipation was killing me! The flavors were unique to say the least - watermelon, orange, pineapple and prickly pear. The tequila was not overpowering, which was my biggest concern...before long we'd each established a favorite and they were demolished.

I would highly recommend this place for a group dinner. Excellent service, great drinks, and really reasonable prices. They have tons of space and the decor is really fun. I'll definitely be heading back soon!

¡Arriba!

Little B

Update: Snappy Sushi is Bigger & Better!

Great News! I just checked out the newly opened Snappy Sushi location on Newbury (a block up from the hole in the wall spot they had before), and it's fantastic! KRock and I made a gametime decision to swing by last night for a healthy dinner, and we were uber impressed with the new digs.
 
They bumped up the level of class significantly, without upping the prices. The main floor has a great little reception area and is adorned with orchids. There are a few tables up there, but the larger seating area is downstairs. Though it was dinner time and I know from experience this place gets packed, the new location offers at least 4x as many tables and a huge bar.

Two other exciting new features:
1. the bathrooms are no longer sketch, they are really nice actually
2. snappy now serves alcohol!! granted its just beer, wine and sake - but this girls LOVES a good sapporo so you wont see me complaining about that

Long story short, snappy got bigger and better, and Im one happy camper.

Happy trails!
Little B

Good food and good music in Salem? Yes, please! Check out In a Pig's Eye

A few friends went out in Salem recently and we decided to check out the local bar scene. We cruised the streets and stumbled upon In a Pig’s Eye, a classic hole-in-the-wall bar with brick walls and dim lighting. This is the kind of place you head to in a sweatshirt and jeans with every intention of staying for 1 or 2 beers, and end up stumbling home at 1am.

We walked in around 7pm and were lucky to snag the last spot big enough for our group. The waitress came over right away and we had beers in hand within 5 minutes of sitting down. They had some interesting brews on tap, and also offered $2 PBRs for those who aren’t picky.




My perfectly cooked scallops and
butter-drenched veggies and rice!

 

We told them we needed a couple minutes to decide what to eat, and with that we lost sight of the waitress for a good 20 minutes. I finally flagged her down and we placed our order. I asked for the Boston Baked Scallops ($13), and the waitress told me the dish had gone up 2 bucks because scallops are expensive right now (scratch that, $15). Fine…at that point, I was just hungry. They also ran out of marble rye bread (which they told us 10 minutes later), so J had to pick a substitution. At this point, I was a little discouraged and remember thinking “this food better be really good.”



Nett's amazingly delicious BBQ Pork sandwich



Lucky for In a Pig’s Eye (and me)…their food is AWESOME. Conversation ceased for a good 15 minutes as we all inhaled our delicious entrees. My scallops were tender and cooked perfectly, which – if you’re a scallops fan you know – is no easy feat. J got the Cubano ($8), and even without the marble rye, he said it was delicious. According to Nett and Blizzard, the BBQ Pork sandwich ($7.25) and the Vegetarian ($8) were amazing as well.

At this point any bad feeling about the amount of time we waited to eat had melted away, to be replaced with contented faces and full tummies.

Another cool thing about this place is they have live music from local bands on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9-11pm. Their website says they have jazz players on Sundays from 6-9pm as well. Sadly we had to take off before the band got going, but I can still vouch for the quality of the music as I’ve seen one of the musicians before. The Ross Livermore Band is top notch – very chill, very entertaining. They play in the City regularly so I highly recommend checking them out (in fact, they'll be at Copperfields April 1st)!

Overall, In a Pig’s Eye is a great little spot to kick back and have a couple beers, while listening to some good tunes – just don’t go if you’re in a hurry!

Happy St. Patty's weekend!

Little B

Make Your Own Pizza Night - a cheap and easy party idea

As a Bostonian, I pride myself on recognizing a good happy hour special, a restaurant with exceptionally fresh seafood, and the best place to shake it on a Friday night. That being said, what local doesn't enjoy a night in with friends and a 6-pack of Sam from time to time? Then, of course, the question becomes - what's for dinner?

Well I did a little experiment last night, and it was such a success, I feel the need to share this great find. I invited J and Packie over - we cranked up the "pop hits" station on TV, cracked a few beers, and created 4 beautiful pizza pies.

I've always been afraid to try making my own pizza for a couple reasons -
1) I don't have a pizza stone - turns out this is not a problem at all!
2) I've had so many delicious pizzas in this city - could I really create one delicious enough to choose this option over takeout?!

Turns out the answer is yes!! It was simple, cheap and delicious. And the best part is - my friends had a blast making their own pizzas!


Here's what we bought and how we used it:

• 2 bags pizza dough (just ask where they keep it in the supermarket or you'll be walking around for days)
• 1 jar plain marinara sauce
• a huge bag of mozzerella cheese
• mushrooms, green peppers, onion
• pepperoni
• 1 can minced clams 
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 package of basil

The beauty of this is that you can get any toppings you want, no one has to compromise. You can mix n' match, experiment, or just create your favorite pizza and tell everyone else to buzz off. Our groceries came to $25 total (not including beer). ;)

We started out with the oven at 400 degrees - turns out this is too hot for my particular oven...but you'll have to assess based on yours. You know your pizza is done based on two things: 1) when you lift it up with a spatula and the bottom is firm and 2) the cheese is melted. If these two things don't happen at once, you may need to adjust the heat...we turned ours down to 350 to give the cheese more time to melt.

Spread some flour on a baking sheet and roll out your dough (we used half a ball of dough per pizza - 1 pizza of this size can feed 1 person). Turns out I don't have a rolling pin - no worries, throw some flour on a small bottle and you've got yourself just the right tool. When you've made it the size you want, roll up the edges a little to make a crust, then decorate! I recommend using only a little sauce so you dont end up with a soggy pizza. We did all our toppings then covered them up with cheese - Santarpio style!

We cooked them one at a time - and ate, drank and danced in between! There's no set time for how long the pizzas will need to cook - just look for the signs of done-ness. Ours took about 10 minutes each.

Check out our masterpieces!!! We made the following pizzas:

• Pepperoni, green pepper, basil, red sauce, cheese
• Clams, olive oil, basil, garlic, cheese 
• Mushroom, green pepper, basil, onion, red sauce, cheese
• Pepperoni, green pepper, mushroom, onion, basil, red sauce, cheesse

Fantastico!
Little B

PS - does anyone have suggestions for making a homemade pizza even better? Secret ingredients? Special technique? Please share!

Parish Cafe for the Best Lunch You've Had in Months...

I've spent my share of summer days in line at Parish Cafe (on Boylston St) waiting for an outdoor table to bask in the sun while enjoying some amazing food. I've been pleasantly surprised to find that the chilly winter air has made getting a table at one of my favorite Beantown lunch spots a little quicker!

After doing some research, I believe I've discovered the reason for their extremely high standard of quality. The concept behind Parish Cafe was to ask all the best local chefs to create one amazing sandwich each. The menu items are named for the chefs or their restaurants. This unique concept allows each dish to stand on its own as a star. I, for one, have never been disappointed.

A recent visit with EDubs and the Captain was no exception. We started off with the vegetarian corn cakes ($9.75). This dish is simply amazing. Seared/baked corn cakes with sliced avo and some pico in a tasty sauce. The whole thing is piled on a delectable salad - it was a perfect way to start our lunch date, leaving all three of us excited for what was to come.

I'll be honest, I fell in love with the first thing I ever ordered at Parish and often have trouble ordering anything else - the Zuni Roll ($12). Described by the Captain as "Thanksgiving in a wrap", this amazing treat consists of smoked turkey, bacon, dill havarti cheese, and cranberry chipotle sauce, all wrapped perfectly in a flour tortilla. The creamy textures of the dill havarti, with the tang of the cranberry is heavenly. Also, Im not normally a fan of cole slaw or potato salad, but either choice is a delicious side. Every bite of this meal reminds you of the time and dedication Parish puts into a fresh, quality meal.

I could go on and on about other amazing dishes, but I know you won't be disappointed with anything you try!

Other tidbits to mention - Parish has a full bar and turns into a great casual spot to meet up with a friend for a drink and a quick bite later in the evening. They serve their full menu until 1AM, with last call at 2AM so there's plenty of opportunity day or night to try one of their mouth-watering treats!

And I made myself hungry thinking about this place...so there's nothing left to say except see you there!!

Little B

6B for an Epic Monday Evening...

My plan for last night was to go to the gym and go grocery shopping, but sometimes life just calls for martinis and trivia instead. I admit, it was a little early in the week to indulge (and Im paying the price now with a nice little headache)– but if you ever find yourself in need of a Monday night out – I suggest heading to 6B.

Packie and I hadn’t seen each other in what felt like forever, so we did a little research for a classy-ish place downtown to catch up with a happy hour special on Monday night (a tall order, I know).

Turns out, 6B (located at 6 Beacon St – thus the name) offers a pretty fantastic deal: Dinner for 2, including a bottle of wine…for just $35!!! (no, not $35 each, $35 TOTAL). Considering you generally can’t get any bottle of wine at a restaurant for under $25, we figured this was a steal even if dinner turned out to be some chicken nuggets and potato chips.

Lucky for us, dinner turned out to be salmon, rice pilaf, and broccoli – not too shabby! The food wasn’t anything out of this world, but it certainly wasn’t bad and the portions were generous. You can check out their website for a list of other meal options they offer – all looking equally yummy. Wine options were pretty basic – shiraz, chardonnay, merlot, or pinot grigio. We went with the pinot and our very Irish waitress (awesome!) brought out a bottle of Cavit – nothing fancy, but it was good and we had no trouble polishing it off.

After dinner (around 8pm), the trivia hosts set up right behind us. Normally, Packie and I wouldn’t attempt trivia without assistance from our more worldly friends, but we were assured that “comedy points” would be counted (and fortunately, we’re very funny people…modest, too), and with that in mind, we ordered a couple martinis (ranging $8-$10) and decided to play. We each tried 2 different cocktails over the course of the evening – all of which were delicious!

Trivia turned out to be lots of fun – it wasn’t Stump Trivia like a lot of bars in Boston have – it was a little more laid back, though the rules/categories were similar. We were given ample hints and help by the trivia hosts (since it was clear there was no way we would win) and as promised, we were given comedy points for our creative, hilarious responses (i.e. we didn’t know who the president of Egypt was, but we still got points for “President Tut”). What can I say? These things just come to us after a bottle of wine and a couple cocktails…

Trivia wrapped up a little after 10pm and we asked for the check. Total bill with tip came to $80 – which included 2 full meals, a bottle of wine, and 4 cocktails. Not too shabby!

So for those of you who’d like to pretend you don’t need to go to the gym and you can last another day with no groceries – 6B on a Monday night is the place for you!!

Now to find a bottle of Excedrin…
Little B

Caffe Nuovo for Breakfast with an Italian Twist!

I don’t know about you, but when I go out for “girls night” it often leads to memory lapse, lost items, unexplainable bruises, and a very achy morning after. Last Friday was no exception.

I can see you all reading this now…judging me…asking “why would you do that? That sounds miserable.” Well, I do it for a few reasons:
1 – my girls know how to have fun and it’s worth the confusion and pain in the morning.
2 – the memories we eventually piece together are some of the most hilarious we make – and we relive them years later.
3 – nothing beats a good breakfast when you have a hangover.

This entry will be mostly about the breakfast…but to give you some background – here’s a little info about the night before. Since Packie lives downtown, we often congregate at her place to start our evenings. After a few mixed drinks consisting of whatever she had in the apartment, Packie, DD, and Jensky made our way to Bell in Hand in the Faneuil Hall area.

The cover was $5 and there was a live band playing. Our only photo documentation of the evening is one picture of 4 drinks being held up – so I’ll just tell you about it. Bell in Hand offers a free coat check (awesome when you’re bundled up to fight the winter weather) and we found a spot at the bar right in front of the band. They played songs that everyone knows the words to, but that no one would soberly dance to. As you can imagine, the dance floor slowly filled up as the hours passed… All in all, I’d say it was worth it for $5 to get in. The rest of the night was one disaster after another…I’ll be honest, it still hurts to go up stairs. BUT the next morning we found comfort in breakfast food.

Caffe Nuovo is a snazzy, new establishment on Salem St. in the North End. They are open 7am – 2pm daily for brunch. We were fortunate to get there before the rest of the hungover crowd (try to show up before 11am), and got a table right away. The menu has all your favorites – various types of eggs, waffles, french toast…and everything was awesome. My waffle ($7) was gone in about 40 seconds. Don’t pretend like you’re not impressed.

Though we all opted for comfort food due to our condition, I’m looking forward to trying Caffee Nuovo again for some of its more innovative dishes. Some of the most unique brunch combos include: mozzarella caprese salad with basil pesto and scrambled eggs ($12); spaghetti carbonara with egg yolks, parmesan cheese and black pepper ($13); and milanese style veal or chicken cutlets topped with 2 eggs any style ($11).

Though I haven’t tried any of these interesting selections yet, I’d be willing to bet they are delicious. Based on the quality of the food and the prime location this restaurant snagged in the North End, I’m thinking about taking the family out for brunch here next time they visit. I’ll let you know how it goes!!

A presto,
Little B