Tuesday, August 30, 2016

CHOCOLATE POKEMON POPS AT COCOA BEAN OF VERMONT

JOE Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Chocolate Pikachu pop

In this age of Amazon and Etsy, a simple chalkboard sign still does the trick. I was walking around State Street in Montpelier, Vermont when I saw the sign in from of Cocoa Bean chocolates advertising "Pokemon Pops" inside. I had to check it out. In the midst of all of this Pokemon Go craziness, they are selling chocolate Pokemon pops. I enjoyed a milk chocolate Pikachu pop. I also devoured one of their white chocolate sprinkled Oreos.

cocoabeanofvermont.com ,

Sunday, August 28, 2016

ST. ANTHONY'S FEAST 2016

JOE Sunday, August 28, 2016
The streets were packed in the North End of Boston this weekend for the annual St. Anthony's Feast. I stuffed myself with an arancini, pizza, fresh-squeezed lemonade and a homemade cannoli by the fella you see above. The St. Anthony's Feast is by far Eat Up New England's favorite food festival all year. Mangia! , , , ,

Saturday, August 27, 2016

CHILEAN INSPIRED TAPAS AT COMEDOR

JOE Saturday, August 27, 2016
Every meal starts with these amazing sweet rolls and butter.
Scallop empanadas
Mini Chilean BBQ Plate
Papas Fritas
Half a Pint of Pickles
Comedor is one of the most buzzed about restaurants in the metro Boston area because of it's fusion of American and Chilean fare. The Newton Centre tapas restaurant is owned by Jakob and Fernanda White, who met while studying culinary arts at Boston University. They both worked for 51 Lincoln in Newton, but their dream was to open their own place. They did it with Comedor.

I was surprised to discover they had Von Trapp beer from the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont on tap, so I had to order myself a glass. they also have many beers by the bottle and wine. Comedor's menu is made up of meat, seafood and vegetarian tapas. My fiancee is a vegetarian, so she ordered the papas fritas, half a pint of pickles and spiced cauliflower tacos. The eggplant serves as the taco for those little delights. I enjoyed their "Mini Chilean BBQ Plate," a mix of chicken, chorizo and potatoes. I also sampled their "Scallop Empanadas." The crust on the empanadas was so good. You may think that the fontina cheese stuffed inside of the empanadas with the scallops wouldn't work, but they complemented each other quite nicely.

Comedor is open for dinner Tuesdays-Sundays. They also serve brunch on Sundays, where they offer mouth-watering creations like a strawberry glazed donut, blueberry pancakes and their "Open-faced Sammy", two eggs served on Texas toast with whipped avocado.

 comedornewton.com
@ComedorNewton ,

Friday, August 26, 2016

PUMPKIN SEASON BEGINS NEXT WEEK AT DUNKIN DONUTS!

JOE Friday, August 26, 2016
 Enjoy the last weekend of summer because as soon as it's over, Dunkin Donuts will usher in pumpkin season. On Monday, August 29, the donut chain will be going wild for pumpkin. Pumpkin-flavored iced coffees and lattes will be available at all of their stores. They will also be selling pumpkin K-cups. Pumpkin munchkins, donuts and muffins will also be available. Does all this mean it's okay to pop open a pumpkin beer? , ,

Thursday, August 25, 2016

BOSTON RESTAURANTS MAY SOON HAVE LETTER GRADES

JOE Thursday, August 25, 2016
If you've ever dined out in New York City, you've probably noticed letter in the windows of every restaurant. Every restaurant in the Big Apple gets a grade - A, B, C - based on the number and severity of violations found during safety inspections. Last night, the Boston City Council approved a proposal that would bring the letter grades to Boston. All it needs is the approval of Mayor Marty Walsh. If approved, restaurants must post their letter grade or face fines.







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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

DELICIOUS DISH: BREAKFAST SANDWICHES AT THE TRAPP FAMILY LODGE

JOE Wednesday, August 24, 2016
The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont is a beautiful destination, with breath-taking mountain views and cozy rooms. They are also known for their homemade English muffin breakfast sandwiches. The muffins are made from scratch each day at their DeliBakery. The eggs are fresh from their farm and their cheese is local, Vermont's Cabot cheddar. Choose from bacon or sausage to fill the sandwich. Enjoy it on their back patio, which offers an incredible view of the mountains. Breakfast outdoors at The Trapp Family Lodge. It doesn't get much more Vermont than this. , ,

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

THE DOUGHNUT DUDE

JOE Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The smell of fresh apple cider donuts fills a small corner of downtown Montpellier, Vermont. That delicious aroma comes from The Doughnut Dude! This small food cart specializes in small, crunchy apple cider donuts. Watch The Doughnut Dude make the donuts fresh. Order as many as you want. He'll fill up a bag for you and then top them off with cinnamon.  

These donuts are hard to refuse because the first donut is free. Once you have one, you'll want more! Look for The Doughnut Dude in downtown Montpellier and at fairs across Vermont. , ,

Thursday, August 18, 2016

THE BOATHOUSE IN HARVARD SQUARE

JOE Thursday, August 18, 2016
The Boathouse in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts is just steps away from the Charles River, making it the perfect place to grab dinner and drink. The Boathouse prides itself as a pub and grille, mixing a long list of beers, rums and cocktails with a tavern-style menu.

 I tried one of my favorite new American pale ales, Harpoon Camp Wannamango, at the Boathouse for the first time. What a perfect summer beer. It goes down like water!

We started off our meal with their calamari with marinara sauce. It was crisp and there was plenty to share with our table of five. Other apps include Parmesan truffle fries, mussels, fish tacos and popcorn chicken. I ordered their chicken sandwich for dinner. It's a panko crusted chicken breast drizzled with ranch dressing and served with fries. It was so good. They also have burgers, a steak sandwich, a veggie burger, and a hot Italian sausage sandwich. Other entrees include steak tips, mac & cheese and Shepard's pie.

 The Boathouse's bar is open until 1 am every night. They also serve brunch on the weekend.

 T: @theboathousepub
theboathouseharvardsquare.com , ,

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

FREE BURGERS AT SHAKE SHACK...BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY TOO LATE!

JOE Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Shake Shack was handing out free burgers at all of their locations today, but customers had to act quick. They were only free for the first 100 customers. Shake Shack is celebrating their 100th location in Boston's Seaport, so everyone gets a burger! I got this cheeseburger at their Dedham location this morning. I think it's the first time I've enjoyed a burger in the morning. ,

Friday, August 12, 2016

IT'S PRIME BLUEBERRY PICKIN' TIME AT WILDWOOD BERRY FARM IN VERMONT

JOE Friday, August 12, 2016
It's blueberry harvest time all around New England. For the first time, Eat Up New England stopped by Wildwood Berry Farm in East Dorest, Vermont. This place is nestled in the woods. You'll know your there when you see their big wooden bears guarding the crop.

 Wildwood Berry Farm is owned by a former newspaper man named Rick and his wife, Brenda. They tend to the countless blueberry bushes themselves and welcome visitors to their property every summer. The Vermont mountain air makes for optimal growing conditions for their high bush blueberries. There were still tons of blueberry last weekend, but Rick told be they only have a couple of more weeks to go this season. 

 Wildwood also has their own tasty homemade berry popsicles, jams, honey, honey straws and syrups in their country store. They also make several Vermont and blueberry-themed shirts. I bought one with a blueberry Bernie Sanders that says, "Feel The Blue."

wildwoodberryfarm.com ,

Saturday, August 06, 2016

BOOZY CUPCAKES AT NORA CUPCAKE COMPANY IN CONNECTICUT

JOE Saturday, August 06, 2016
NoRA Cupcake Company prides itself on being "not your mother's cupcake company." One look at their cupcakes and you'll understand what they mean by that. Their cupcakes are HUGE. Eat Up New England stopped by 4th of July weekend and ordered the patriotic chocolate cupcake pictured above. It was so large that I saved half for later.

 NoRA offers an impressively long list of flavors that differ from day to day. There's the "Adult Twinkie," a yellow cupcake filled with whipped cream filling. The "Time to Make the Donuts" cupcake is coffee cake, cream filling with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  Or try the Pan-Cup-Cake Bacon," a maple cupcake top with cream cheese frosting, candied bacon and toasted walnuts. The list goes on and on. 
  
NoRA also has a long list of cupcakes based on drinks. They call them "Dranks." There's the Irish Car Bomb made with chocolate Guinness cake. There's a Blackberry Margarita cupcake made with vanilla margarita cake mix with blackberries. There's a hot cocoa cupcake. An espresso cupcake. A White Russian. A strawberry peach lemonade cupcake. A root beer float cupcake. See why they say they're "not your mother's cupcake company." I've never seen a cupcake shop with so many different and unique flavors. It's truly impressive.

NoRA has two locations in Connecticut: West Hardford and Middletown.

NoRA tweets out their menu everyday. Follow them @NoRACupcakeCo.

www.noracupcake.com , ,

BLUE ROCK RESTAURANT IN SHELBOURNE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS

JOE Saturday, August 06, 2016
The Blue Rock Restaurant and Bar is just steps away from the famous Bridge of Flowers in Shelbourne Falls, Massachusetts. If you visit in the summer, I highly recommend dining al fresco on their porch. Step inside to check out their spacious dining room and their beautiful, modern bar that's stocked with many local beers.

 This new American restaurant prides itself on fresh local foods. Just look at the fish special I order. It was served in a parchment paper. The carrot looked like it was just pulled right out of the ground! Very delicious and very healthy. At the time of this post, other entrees include sea scallops, grilled cauliflower steak and vegetable & peanut curry. (Check their menu online as it's always changing.) They also have several sandwiches and burgers like their PB & jam burger, which is topped with home made peanut butter and onion jam. 

 www.thebluerockrestaurant.com

Thursday, August 04, 2016

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AT BRANCH LINE IN WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS

JOE Thursday, August 04, 2016
 
Branch Line in Watertown, Massachusetts specializes in delicious rotisserie chicken and fine drinks. Eat Up New England recently stopped by for lunch and loved their chopped salad. It's topped with their chicken and mixed with avocado, feta and ranch dressing. I enjoyed a couple of glasses of their fresh-squeezed lemonade with it. It was so refreshing on a hot summer day.

Branch Line is also open for dinner. Entrees include a half or full chicken, rotisserie cauliflower, seared salmon, fontina baked zita and pork & sausage. Apps include Maine mussels, lemon chicken soup, arugula salad, sugar snap pea salad and grilled squid. Everyone gets rolls, but for an extra $5 they'll give you a side of rotisserie drippings and garlic for dipping. Branch Line also has a lovely, long bar with 20 specialty cocktails, wine and bottles & cans of beer.

Rotisserie chicken plus an ultra modern atmosphere make Branch Line the place to be in Watertown.

www.branchlinearsenal.com ,

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

DELICIOUS DISH: MODERN NACHOS AT MET BURGER BAR

JOE Tuesday, August 02, 2016
Eat Up New England loves a good plate of nachos, especially with a beer or two to wash them down. One of best plates of nachos can be found at the Met Bar & Grill. These aren't your average nachos with chips, salsa, beans, tomatoes and olives. Their "Modern Nachos" kick it up a notch with pork shoulder, truffled cotija and pepper jack cheeses, fresh avocado and pico de gallo. One of their margaritas is the perfect complement to this perfect plate of modern nachos.

The Met Bar & Grill has four locations in Massachusetts. One at Legacy Place in Dedham, along with Boston's Back Bay, Natick and Nantucket.

metbarandgrill.com

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