Restaurants

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Moonshine 152

April 6, 2015 in Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 4 comments

Happy Monday! I hope that you had a delicious weekend and enjoyed any holiday celebrations you were part of. We had a lovely weekend with my family in New Jersey, and we were sad to come back to Boston, especially since we encountered SNOW along the way! It’s the winter that will never end!
oysters

This winter hasn’t only meant cold weather, but lots of illness. When I got back from Tanzania, I got knocked down by the worst flu/mysterious illness I have ever had. It lasted for a couple of weeks, and I am still really tired from it. I was sick on my birthday and spent the whole day in bed bummed. I love my birthday, so it wasn’t fun. We decided to celebrate when I felt a little better, and after going through OpenTable. I decided on Moonshine 152 for my night out. I wanted to go somewhere new and sort of close to home, and it ended up being an excellent choice!

As we almost always do, we went with a bunch of small plates to share. Fresh, briny oysters came with a spicy cucumber mignonette, which was heavenly. I could have eaten a couple dozen of these. The Warm Napa Salad had a nice crunch to it, and soft and salty blue cheese added just the right amount of flavor. This salad is a great way to get your veggies!

Napa Cabbage Salad
It was a cold evening, because it is always cold here, so oyster and clam stew was a must-try, and we loved it. I love oyster stew, and this one was full of plump oysters and tender clams.

oyster clam stew

Bacon-wrapped scallops were also a must-have. I love this classic New England appetizer, and these were perfection, served with juicy blood orange and tangy arugula.

bacon wrapped scallops

Our final savory course was the Korean BBQ Tacos with short ribs, pears, and a candied ginger aioli. Yum.

Korean BBQ Tacos

We were pretty full after our feast of small plates, but there’s always room for cocktails and dessert, right? I loved the cocktail list at Moonshine 152; it’s a good mix of classics and creative new offers. I definitely want to sip my way through this list!

cocktail

Our wonderful server Jared recommended the bread pudding, which was salted caramel with the most amazing goat crème fraiche on top. I LOVED the tangy goat crème fraiche as a balance to the sweetness of the caramel. This was one of the best desserts I have had in a long time!

salted caramel bread pudding

Moonshine 152 really impressed us. It’s a comfy neighborhood spot with some really spectacular dishes and cocktails, and it’s on our way home, which makes it likely we will be back again soon.

Tags: Boston, Dining out, Food, Restaurants

Warming up at the Helmand

February 17, 2015 in Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 2 comments

Traffic. Snow. Traffic. Gray. Slush, Repeat.

If you live in the Boston area, that pretty much sums up your life lately. Our regular 30 minute commute has turned into two hours. It’s nearly impossible to walk down a street, to park anywhere, even to see out our first floor windows after all of this snow.

I work in East Cambridge, and for almost two years, I have been wanting to eat at The Helmand.  I heard so many great things, and yet we just never made a point to get there. That is, until last week on one of the days Boston was in total gridlock.

It took my husband almost two hours from Harvard Square to East Cambridge, around four miles. It was cold and slippery, and warm, spiced Afghani food sounded perfect. It was.

The Helmand is bright, beautiful, and cozy. Everyone who works there is welcoming, kind, and knowledgeable.

 

The Helmand

The blue and yellow plates brought a little sunshine to our evening.

The Helmand

We had a really hard time deciding on what to order, so we decided on a few appetizers. Always a pumpkin lover, I had to have the Kaddo.

Sweet baby pumpkin topped with a rich and tangy garlic yogurt was heaven. I feel like this dish is pretty healthy and full of vitamins too, so it wasn’t too much of a splurge, not like the boxes of Cheez-its I have been downing during blizzards, anyway.

pumpkin in garlic sauce

Warm, pillowy bread with a variety of sauces, gave us something to use as a scoop for our yummy pumpkin. sauces at the helmand

Aushak

Aushak, Afghan ravioli filled with leeks and scallions, served on yogurt-mint topped with ground beef sauce, was a hearty plate full of flavor and warmth. I loved that the food at the Helmand was spiced in a way that was warm but not burning off your tongue.

Bowlawni

For my entree I went with Bowlani, brick oven baked twin pastry shells, one filled with leeks and scallions the other filled with spiced potatoes. garnished with yogurt and mint. Again, these were full of warmth and spices, comforting, filling, and just delicious.

The Helmand was an utter delight and a much-needed bright spot in a series of dreary days. We’re trying our best to eat healthy and exercise, but this winter has made that a challenge. I am definitely feeling seasonal blues, and going out a couple of times a week seems to help.

I recommend a visit to the Helmand if you want a taste from afar without getting on a delayed flight. In the meantime, please send us warm weather.

Tags: Afghani food, cambridge, Dining out, Food, Helmand, Restaurants

The Plate, Milton

February 6, 2015 in Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 1 comment

Even though we moved to our new neighborhood a little over a year ago, we are still loving exploring it and trying out new-to-us places. Lower Mills Dorchester/Milton is a GREAT place to live, and we love it. You can read about our earlier Lower Mills adventures here.

Right after we got back from Ireland this December, we found ourselves still having a little wanderlust, and so we planned a little road trip to the Wayside Inn in Sudbury. We needed some sort of to-go breakfast, so we decided to check out The Plate, which is in Milton, not too far from us.

biscuit breakfast sandwiches

The Plate serves “handcrafted comfort food” and from my first bite of my biscuit sandwich, it was easy to see why The Plate is always crowded. It’s an adorable little shop that serves breakfast, lunch, pastries, and classic comfort food dinners-to-go.I have become obsessed with above biscuit sandwich, which comes with artisan cured ham, cheddar cheese, and red pepper jelly. Their egg sandwich comes in a close second, with its roasted tomato and spicy aioli. One I haven’t tried is their bacon, banana, and Nutella sandwich. . . but I really think I might need to soon!

pastries at the Plate Milton 

As you gear up for another cold and snowy Boston weekend (unless of course you are reading from somewhere else, hopefully a warm place), keep The Plate in mind for a satisfying, inexpensive breakfast option. I know we will likely be there one of the weekend days!

Tags: breakfast, comfort food, Food, home, Lower Mills, Lunch, Milton, Restaurants

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