Giveaway: 'Bobby Flay's Throwdown!' Autographed Cookbook

This coming weekend, I'll be attending the Sun BBQ Fest at Mohegan Sun, a three-day event featuring a rib-eating contest and other barbecue-related dining, demonstrations, and music. In celebration of the event, Mohegan Sun is giving away one autographed copy of Bobby Flay's Throwdown! to a Fork it over, Boston! reader.

The cookbook features more than 100 recipes from Flay's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay show on Food Network, in which he competes to see if he can create a better version of chef's signature dishes. The show has featured several Massachusetts chefs, all of whom defeated Flay:

• Jack and Rocko Collucci of Collucci Brothers' Diner in Hyannis (dish: meatloaf)
• Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery in Boston (dish: sticky buns)
• Marilyn and Sheila Brass, Cambridge-based cookbook authors (dish: pineapple upside-down cake)

Want the cookbook? I'll be doing a random drawing this Thursday morning, May 31, 2012; please get your entries in before 8am on Thursday. You can accumulate entries in any or all of the following ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post - anything relevant to grilling, BBQ, or Bobby Flay (limited to one entry)
2. Tweet about this giveaway: "I want to win a signed Bobby Flay cookbook from @MoheganSun and @blumie. Find out how! http://bit.ly/LCHlQV" You can change the wording around a bit if you'd like, but make sure to include @MoheganSun and @blumie and a link to this post. (unlimited entries - one per tweet - retweets don't count)
3. Post publicly from your Facebook profile and/or page. Please tag Mohegan Sun and Fork it over, Boston!, and include a link to this post. (unlimited entries - one per post)

Good luck! And stay tuned for my coverage of the Sun BBQ Fest!

Disclosure: I am receiving free passes and a hotel room for the Sun BBQ Fest. I was not required to run this giveaway in order to attend the event.  

Will You Be Ready for the Evil Space Dolphin Apocalypse?

This isn't remotely food-related, but what good is keeping a blog if I can't share non-food-related exciting life news now and then?  As some of you know, I play in a band, The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, that can sort of be described as an indie pop ensemble or something along those lines.  We've got girls dressed as librarians, we've got mustaches (well, just one, but it's spectacular), we've got a somewhat odd assortment of instruments, and we've got advanced knowledge of the coming dolphin apocalypse.

I'm so excited to announce that we've just officially released our first music video, in which you can see cartoon versions of my bandmates and me as we find the perfect hero to save the universe from the evil space dolphins (who, I should note, also have spectacular mustaches).

I'd love it if you took a few minutes to check out the video, which I've embedded below.  If you like it, please don't hesitate to hit the thumbs up button and leave a comment on YouTube, share it with your friends, and make sure to alert the world to the danger of evil space dolphins.



The video was made by the immensely talented Dan St. Germain; you should check out his website and hire him to do awesome stuff for you.

Like the song?  The first half of the video features an instrumental version of "Faith in Free Part I," the real version (with vocals) of which is available on our newly released "Faith in Free" EP, and the second half is a song called "Amylee," off of our debut full-length album that we released last year, "Volume One." "Amylee" is probably my favorite song of our repertoire, so I really hope you enjoy it! You can also find these albums (and another one!) on Spotify and iTunes.

Thanks for taking the time to check out a little bit of my non-food life!

Me as a cartoon:

The Painted Burro

This has been a great week for tacos. First, I had a very positive experience at The Taco Truck, a new taco truck (what did you expect?) in Cambridge. Then, last night, I returned to the fairly new Davis Square Mexican hotspot, The Painted Burro, and I was pleased to find that it was much improved from my visit the day after they had opened, particularly in terms of portion size, flavor, and service.

When The Painted Burro first opened, I had just returned from Austin with a newfound love for tacos and mezcal. I knew it was risky to visit in the first few days, but I just couldn't wait. I'm a huge fan of Posto, which is under the same ownership, so I had high hopes. Not surprisingly, there were still a lot of kinks to work out on that first visit. I left disappointed but resolved to return after they'd had a couple months to settle in. I'm pleased to report that nearly all of the problems have now been resolved, and I really enjoyed my meal. (On both visits, however, the bar was almost unreasonably slow, even with the restaurant about halfway full. Fortunately the cocktails were worth the wait, but I wonder how long it'd take to get a drink when the restaurant is packed. I'm referring to sitting at a table for dinner and ordering drinks; I'm not sure if the experience sitting right at the bar and ordering from the bartender is faster.)

They did a fantastic job remodeling the old Gargoyles space; it's much brighter and feels more open now. (If I remember correctly, there was a wall or at least a heavy curtain between the dining room and the bar in the Gargoyles days, but now there is not.) The chairs appear to be made of old window shutters, and the tables are also made of reclaimed wood, or at least that's how they look and feel. The ambiance seems inspired by Dia de los Muertos with a variety of festive skeleton decorations, but it doesn't go overboard. One of my dining companions commented that it looked like a place that could be in Los Angeles, a little bit funky while still classy. On a wall near the bar, there's a gorgeous and large mural of a burro (a painted burro!) and a skeleton with a mini-me skeleton on its shoulder.

As a newly enthusiastic drinker of mezcal, I appreciate the large selection, as well as the tequila and mezcal cocktails. The spicy mango margarita was the biggest hit at my table, but we were all quite happy with our drinks. Mine, El Jefe, was similar to one I've enjoyed at Trina's Starlite Lounge in the past. Xoclotl Mole bitters would probably not please everyone, but they make for a smooth and subtly chocolatey flavor.

Food highlights include the pork loin "cochinita" tacos, the kale and plantain side dish, and the helados (ice cream), particularly the chipotle chocolate and the sweet corn. (Picture creamed corn, take away the actual pieces of corn, and make it into ice cream. That's what this was. It might sound weird, but I assure you that it is actually delicious.)

For a quick and cheap taco fix, I'd head back to a place like The Taco Truck, but for a nice night out with friends, I'd definitely return to The Painted Burro. It gets quite pricey, particularly if you delve into the drink menu, so don't go over there expecting tacos for a couple bucks each. It's closer in cost and feel to a place like Olé. Be sure to try the sweet corn ice cream!

An Evening of Ice Wines and Seasonal Desserts at Finale

When I received an invitation to attend an ice wine and dessert pairing at Finale, I immediately accepted. Ice wine is a guilty pleasure of mine, one in which I rarely indulge due to the relatively high price of even a small bottle. It’s an expensive product due to the process: the grapes used in ice wine are frozen while on the vine, allowing for a much more concentrated sweet wine - but in a much smaller quantity.

At this event, we were given the opportunity to taste a 2006 Jackson Triggs Vidal (Niagara, Canada), a 2009 Renwood Amador Ice Wine (California), a 2006 Selaks Marlborough (New Zealand), a 2009 Cooper Mountain Vin Glace (Willamette Valley, Oregon), and a 2006 Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine (Niagara, Canada). While I found every wine to be exceptionally sweet and delicious, it’s the last one that I pounced on when our table divvied up a missing guest’s glasses.

After living near the Finger Lakes for five years, I was hoping to see a New York wine or two - upstate New York produces some fantastic ice wines - but Niagara is not too far off.

Finale’s Executive Chef Nicole Coady presented each wine and dessert and described how she figured out the pairings. The Jackson Triggs was paired with Finale’s signature cheesecake, and the next three wines were paired with a strawberry frangipane tart, key lime tart, and lemon tart respectively. We ended with a spoonful of a creme brulee with the Inniskillin. While all pairings worked well, the first was probably my favorite; the texture and flavor of the cheesecake was exquisite. (One of the secrets to the flavor is the type of vanilla. Chef Coady launched into an extended discussion of the merits of different types of vanilla, such as Madagascar or Mexican. I might be remembering this incorrectly, in which case my cheesecake will never be this delicious, but I believe it’s Mexican vanilla that she uses in Finale’s cheesecake.)

Each of the tarts was enjoyable, particularly the key lime and lemon, but they seemed a bit redundant. I would have loved to try some non-tart desserts, maybe something chocolate. The final bite, the creme brulee, was the weak spot; the texture was a bit off, and the presentation didn’t allow for the best part of eating creme brulee, breaking the torched sugar crust.

Overall, I found the event to be educational, fun, and most importantly, delicious. Finale puts on similar events several times a year, usually at a cost of $30 per person. The next event will be a craft beer and dessert pairing on May 8th and May 15th. (One of the beers on the docket is Aventinus, a personal favorite of mine.) Visit http://www.finaledesserts.com for more information about this event and other upcoming events.


Disclosure: I received a comped ticket to this event. Nevertheless, all opinions expressed are my own.

The Taco Truck: First Impressions

Have my taco dreams been answered? Quite possibly.

Before going to Austin for SXSW this year, I liked tacos well enough, but I didn't crave tacos. But ever since trying some of Austin's best (The Peached Tortilla, Izzoz, Chi'lantro), I've been wondering where I could find a Boston taco to satisfy my new obsession.

Then, Eater Boston brought good news: The Taco Truck was coming. Today. Originally from New Jersey, The Taco Truck has expanded to a cozy park-side spot on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, with Boston on the way soon. With the sun shining and a morning's worth of hard work behind us, Joel and I felt that this afternoon was the perfect time for a taco expedition.

Normally I wouldn't write about a place on its opening day, but, spoiler alert: I have only good things to say. As we walked down Flagg Street, we saw the bright orange truck from afar, and our stomachs began to growl. We arrived to find a short line - the secret's not out yet - and we placed our orders and were served relatively quickly. The goods: carnitas michoacan tacos for me, pollo asado tacos for Joel, two Mexican cokes (real sugar and a glass bottle? Oh yes.), and totopos (chips and salsa) to share. It all came to just over $20; initially, it seemed pricey, but the tacos are $2.25 - $2.50 each, which is actually quite reasonable, especially considering the focus on local and organic ingredients. (The tacos come in pairs, $4.50 - $5.)

We battled high winds to cross over to the river, take photos, and devour everything, but it was well worth the effort. The tacos were stuffed with just the right amount of ingredients, everything tasted fresh and full of flavor, and the meat was perfectly juicy. The corn tortillas were excellent - and this is coming from someone who greatly prefers flour tortillas.

The chips, while a bit on the greasy side, were very good overall; we were particularly fond of the lime seasoning. (I despise the "hint of lime" flavor of commercial tortilla chips; they have a weird fake lime chemically flavor. These, though, tasted of real lime and no chemicals.) We chose the roasted red salsa to accompany them, and it proved to be a solid choice. There are three other salsa available as well: a green salsa made of tomatillo, avocado, and cilantro; a spicy tomatillo and chipotle; and a spicier jalapeno, habanero, and chile de arbol. (Can you believe it? We actually weren't in the mood for spicy today. That's a rare occurrence for us.)

The Mexican cokes were, of course, refreshing, although Joel said his was a bit on the flat side.

So, it seems that my taco dreams have been answered. These are definitely on par with many of the tacos I enjoyed in Austin and better than any Boston tacos I've had in recent memory. The downside? Rather than satisfying my craving, this has only made me crave tacos even more. I'll be back. Very soon.

Like all good food trucks, The Taco Truck is active on social media, so you'll always know where to find it. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to stay in the loop.