Met Burgers

There's nothing like a Met burger.

This one is the Paris. It's a burger with caramelized onions, brie and a fried egg.
There's just something about a friend egg on a burger...

There are so many different combination's of burgers at this place that you can come up with just about anything!

We had some Met fries on the side. These fries have sage and Parmesan on them with some truffle mayo on the side. They're pretty damn good.



This is the best burger west of Boston. If you are reading this, go there now!

Restaurant Week Review: 29 Newbury

For Restaurant Week, Erin and I decided to try 29 Newbury.

I started the meal with a delicious Bombay Sapphire martini made with lillet.

My first course was the tuna tartar. It was good, but not the best tuna I had ever had.
It was loaded with avocado, which I loved!

Next came the entree, we both chose the mushroom ravioli with a jalapeno mascarpone sauce.

It was good but the raviolis seemed to have too much filling. And the sauce didn't have the jalapeno kick I thought it would.
And then course #3 arrived and things went downhill. Fast.
My dessert was a Belgian waffle (!!!) with berries and (was it?) whipped cream. Such a sad, sad picture. I'm melting....
The other dessert was (a very dry and bland) tiramisu.We didn't even eat dessert! I can't say that I've done that very often. That's how bad it was.

Needless to say we were extremely disappointed. Especially since the check was $102!!! The waiter was nice and service was fine but extremely slow - we waited a long time for our food and in between courses. I think we just expected more from 29 Newbury, I don't think I will go back. Ever.

Blueberry Lemon Breeze Cocktail

Fitness Magazine usually has some really great recipes and this one definitely interested me.



Recipe:
10 blueberries
3/4 ounce light agave nectar, such as Wholesome Sweeteners, available at Whole Foods or other natural foods stores
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
Splash of champagne (about 1 ounce)
In a shaker, muddle together blueberries and agave. Add the gin and lemon juice, then shake vigorously. Strain contents of shaker into a martini glass and then top with champagne. Garnish with 3 blueberries on a cocktail stick.
Calories: 205

I especially like this recipe because most "lite" cocktails are something like crystal light and vodka or they recommend splenda. gross and gross. PF Chang's makes a margarita (Patron, lime juice and agave nectar) that's delicious and also very lite. Unless you drink five of them. Not that I would know.

Guacamole

I love avocados. Love. In everything..salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and of course, guacamole.

I've made guacamole so many times that I don't use a recipe. I use basic (fresh) ingredients like avocados (of course!), lime juice, red onion, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt and pepper. I'll add cilantro or jalapenos, when I have them.

Ingredients.


Very ripe avocados.


Chopped tomatoes.


Chopped red onion.


To make my guac, I mash avocados, add red onion, tomatoes, lime juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir. Add more salt, pepper, hot sauce or lime juice to taste.


Final product, YUM!

Best part of this is, you don't even need a recipe - just mix until it tastes right!

Grillin'

Today was the perfect day for a grilled dinner, especially since the weather was so great!

The Menu
grilled artichokes with aioli
grilled corn
burgers with cheddar

I made an aioli from The Spanish Table cookbook.

Recipe:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tsp lemon juice (fresh)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 egg yolks
salt

Add garlic, lemon juice and egg to blender. Mix ~1 min. Slowly add the oil, pouring while blender is running. Remove from blender, season with salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour until serving.So easy and so delicious!


The grilled artichokes came out really well.


And were fantastic with the aioli.


Of course, you can't grill outside in the summer without a beer. I enjoyed a UFO.


I love these glasses. I bought them for J ages ago for Christmas from Red Envelope. They came in a set of four and each has a different Irish Blessing on it. My glass says, May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. Love it!



The burgers look so good!!


Corn. Hmmph. I have corn issues (as in I didn't eat it until recently) but it was good, I'll give it that.


Dinner!!


Wonderful summer meal.

Sunday Snacktime and Shopping

Tonight I had the perfect snack while I waited for my show to start (show that may or may not be Kendra on E!)

First, a Trader Joe's 100 calorie dark chocolate. Saw these over on Elina's blog and I knew I needed to try them. Delicious and perfect for portion control!




Had a glass of this Zinfandel with the chocolate. While I love this wine, I think it would have gone better with something like a steak salad with crumbled blue cheese and balsamic onions (Barefoot Contessa Style). Still, we had this wine in the house so it worked.



And while I sip my delicious wine I am drooling over these fabulous new arrivals at J. Crew.

Silk Frances Cami.

Textured jersey ribboned-rose tee.

Anton sweater.

I want, I want! But I really need to prioritize my money, especially because of my upcoming trip. We'll see...

A Stonewall and Starbucks Saturday

This morning I made pancakes using a mix from Stonewall Kitchen.

For the mix just add egg, milk and butter. I substituted olive oil for butter and think they came out great. They were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside - just how I like them!



This blueberry syrup is delicious and really complimented the pancakes. It had a nice blueberry flavor that wasn't too sweet.



My breakfast - Blueberry pancakes, watermelon and iced coffee - yum! This was the perfect breakfast to refuel after my run.


I love my bowl of fake lemons (from Target) in the background!