Tuesday, December 30, 2014

CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS AT COUNTRY DESSERTS

JOE Tuesday, December 30, 2014
You've gotta love an old-fashioned bakery. One of my favorites is Country Desserts in Newton, MA. This small shop has big, delicious cupcakes, which have recently been all decorated for Christmas. For breakfast, they're known for their huge and flavorful muffins. I'd recommend the lemon poppy seed. Country Desserts also has apple and blueberry turnovers on the menu for breakfast. Don't forget lunch! They have different dishes everyday like soups and pizza.  ,

Monday, December 22, 2014

APPLE PIE CHEESE

JOE Monday, December 22, 2014
There are now a million flavors of beer and the flavoring trend is making its way into the cheese world. Grafton Village Cheese in Brattleboro, Vermont is one of my favorite cheese shops in New England. When I was visiting over the weekend, one of the cheeses they were sampling was this apple pie cheese. It certainly does taste like apple! If you're looking for a unique last minute Christmas gift, why not surprise the foodie in your life with some apple pie cheese?! , ,

Friday, December 19, 2014

THE CAKE BOSS IS COMING TO MOHEGAN SUN!

JOE Friday, December 19, 2014
The Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro is opening his first bakery in New England. Carlo's Bakery will open in the Casino of the Earth at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in late February. Buddy once made the casino a cake to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Carlo's Bakery has several locations across the country including the Cake Boss Cafe in New York City. Besides cakes, you'll find all sorts of sweet treats including cookies, pies and cannolis. There's also plenty of Cake Boss merch at his shops. ,

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

DELICIOUS DISH: ITALIAN MEAT & CHEESE CALZONE

JOE Wednesday, December 17, 2014
My favorite deli in all of Massachusetts is the North End Deli in Plainville. Everything on the menu is perfect and this Italian meat and cheese calzone is my favorite. It's stuffed with salami, peppers and mozzarella. The bread is so soft and full of flavor. You can eat it cold or hot with sauce on the side, but for some reason I prefer it cold.  They make one huge calzone and you they'll cut off as much as you'd like. If you're lucky, they'll be giving out samples during your visit. The North End Deli has a bunch of other types of calzones including sausage & cheese and spinach & cheese, but go for the Italian meat calzone. , ,

Thursday, December 11, 2014

CELEBRATING THE SEASON WITH "OUR SPECIAL ALE"

JOE Thursday, December 11, 2014
Every Christmas season, I look forward to drinking some of Anchor Brewing's "Our Special Ale." The San Fransisco brewery releases this beer in November each year and it's sold through mid-January. Each year, the recipe is different along with the Christmas tree on the front of the bottle. The same artist has been drawing the trees for Anchor Brewing since 1975. It's tough to describe the taste, so I'd say it's kind of like Christmas in a bottle. You can find this special craft beer right now at Paddy's Pub in Newton, Massachusetts.

Monday, December 08, 2014

(Closed) BREAKFAST AT FIRST & LAST BAKERY CAFE

JOE Monday, December 08, 2014
Spinach quiche with fruit

UPDATE: Sadly, First & Last bakery closed in 2020.

One of my favorite restaurants is the First & Last Tavern in Hartford, Connecticut. Across the street, you'll find their sister restaurant, First & Last Bakery Cafe. I've been here many times for lunch. They offer so may delicious sandwiches, but this weekend we stopped by for breakfast for the first time. We were wowed!

The Bakery is was packed with people on Saturday morning. We were lucky to find a table! I ordered the "morning scrambler," which is a scramble of eggs, cheese and sausage. It's served with roasted potatoes and a small muffin. It was so good and so filling! I also grabbed two cups of their peppermint stick coffee, which they are serving for the Christmas season. Delicious!

Other breakfast options include an omelet of the day, French toast and corned beef hash. Sides include bacon, fruit, hash and sausage patties. They also have a bunch of breakfast sandwiches including fried egg & cheese and bacon, egg and cheese. First & Last Bakery Cafe also has a huge display of pastries like croissants, muffins, sticky buns and cookies.

We've been looking for a new breakfast place since Mortensen's closed last Christmas and now we've found one!

www.firstandlastbakery.com
Open for breakfast and lunch  , , ,
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