Free YoCrunch Yogurt Giveaway

When we get a product sample to try out it's pretty rare that we like it the instant we try it. That was the case, however, with these new yogurt parfaits called YoCrunch from Breyer's. A thick layer of fruit is topped with creamy vanilla low fat yogurt and, in a separated section, a layer of crunchy granola you can mix in. It comes in three flavors: Peach, Strawberry and Blueberry.

So, when we try a products and love it we like to share it with our readers. Breyer's has agreed to provide two coupons (each one good for a free four pack of yogurt) to five of our lucky readers. You know the drill: simply send us an email or post a comment saying you'd like to be entered by midnight on Friday, September 3rd, 2010, to be eligible. Five random names will be drawn and the winners announced next week. The coupons will be mailed directly to you. Good luck everybody!

Galápagos San Cristóbal

We like exclusives. We also like the fact that Boston is now recognized as the coffee-loving town it is. We rank right up there with Seattle and that's why Starbucks pays special attention to us. They recently announced the launch of Starbucks Reserve, a line of ultra-premium, single origin coffees available only in select areas. I am liking the new logo for this line.


We were invited to the launch party this week in Boston for the first coffee in the line: Galápagos San Cristóbal. Who knew that Galápagos had coffee? It's a rare, limited run single-origin coffee.


We also got to meet Anthony Carroll, A Starbucks coffee taster. This is the guy who tastes coffee for a living and helps choose the beans that will be featured in the Reserve line. It was great to meet someone so into the craft of coffee, so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. So how does it taste? I found the aroma to be very strong but the taste surprisingly smooth, with a noticeably lower acidity than most coffees. After tasting again at home I also noticed what I can only describe as a "slightly greenish" almost herbal taste. It's subtle, as is a cocoa flavor, but it's there. Take a sip of it black and see if you don't agree.


The coffee will be featured by the glass in only 100 stores in the world. The locations that use the Clover patented brewing system will be the included and select other locations will use the pour over system pictured above. The line launches tomorrow and I know that the South End and Newbury Street locations are included. If you are a true coffee aficionado don't miss out.

For more in-depth information on locations and availability (remember this is only available until the limited supply runs out) click here: Starbucks Reserve. And keep on lingering over those morning fresh brews.

South Street Diner

You know it. You love it. Or, you may vaguely recall being there one very early morning during your college days. It's the South Street Diner. The Leather District mainstay is famous for being open 24 hours a day as well as their hearty fare. And they sure know how to take care of their customers!


Yesterday was Customer Appreciation Day and they served up all the free hamburgers and hot dogs one could eat, along with sides of potato salad and cole slaw and drinks.


If that wasn't enough they had an ice cream truck, again free, and all kinds of activities for families and children including pony rides.


Way to go guys! What a spectacular way to show your all of your customers that they are truly valued!



South Street Diner
178 Kneeland Street
Boston, MA 02111
Telephone: 1.617.350.0028
OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY

The Big Hammock Project

Boston boasts a slew of unique historical sites, fantastic cultural events and venues and world class dining. Approximately 15 million people visit our fair city each year. Now, however, we have what is reported to be the largest hammock in the world for your resting pleasure.

For a food and travel blogger this is just the kind of quirky story that makes all of the work sheer pleasure. The hammock was installed on The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway on August 15, 2010 and has become an instant hit. It is free and open to public use from 12 Noon to 8:00 PM daily, weather permitting.


Sturdy yet cozy, The Big Hammock seems like it would hold at least eight adults quite comfortably.

The brainchild of Architect Hansy Better Barraza, who brought together an entire volunteer team, it has drawn people of all ages, backgrounds, walks of life and, yes, even countries and invited them to spend a few moments quietly relaxing together in peace and harmony. And it's really restful!


The Big Hammock has been hugely popular since it hit The Greenway on August 15th.

The genesis of the project is a fascinating story of creativity and collaboration. You can read all about here on the project's website: The Big Hammock Project.


TBF with Design Professor and Architect Hansy Better Barraza, creator of the project.

As of now the installation is scheduled to stay through September 4th but it has created such buzz and enthusiasm we are very hopeful that the date will be extended and hopefully will become a permanent fixture. In fact, we are quite sure the project will be copied in cities across the world. (Remember, the First Night Celebration began in Boston, too). So, if you're one of the 15 million who make your way to Boston this year come on over and have a little snooze on us.


Particularly popular with kids (of all ages) The Big Hammock Project will begin hosting a Kid's Storytime at 3:00 PM on August 22nd. Bring your blankies!

CSN and Blumie's Tip

Just because I'm on holiday doesn't mean I can't work! CSN, as you may know, is THE website for all your cookware needs and much more. They are supplying the blogosphere with lots of products for bloggers to try. They feature such quality lines as le creuset and just about everything else one could need in the kitchen. We are definitely looking forward to trying those Henckl knives! Stay tuned for a full product review and check out their site (free shipping on many items) for some awesome foodie shopping.


So, you're a food blogger. You love to photograph your food when dining in restaurants to capture that amazing presentation. As most bloggers know this often presents a challenge. Most restaurants have extremely low lighting. Using a flash close up tends to bleach out the pic and ruin all those amazing colors. Well.....Blumie to the rescue!


During our last dinner together our fellow blogger Rachel of Fork It Over Boston!showed us this great little iphone app that turns the camera lens on your phone into a mini LED flashlight, providing just enough fill in light to help you capture those gourmet shots with your digital camera. Presto! Works perfectly. Thanks Blumie! In addition to her excellent blog you can also follow Rachel on Twitter. Her handle is @blumie.

Gone Fishin

... on Summer holidays.

Wine Of The Week

The Wine Of The Week this week is Morrow Bay Split Oaks Estate Sauvignon Blanc "Sur Lie" 2009. The winemakers employ reductive wine making to draw out and finesse the characteristics of this varietal and and the wine is held "sur lie" or literally "on the lees." The lees settle to the bottom and then are lifted and stirred into the wine a minimum of every other week. Most wineries do not use this method because it is labor intensive, taking six months to achieve the desired effect on the wine. The process, however is not as important as the end result.


The winemaker's notes tell us that grapefruit, citrus and melon notes highlight this 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Hints of juniper and gooseberry add a fresh note to the signature bright aromas and crispy fruit flavors. The finish is distinct and long lasting. We never really get those esoteric juniper and gooseberry notes but the wine is unmistakably well-balanced, not overly fruity with a pleasant finish. Great for a summer get together with friends.

Grape Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol Content: 13.5%

All of these wines should be available at our local wine merchant Grapevine Travelers in Medford, which also holds weekly wine tastings every Saturday afternoon. Special thanks to Pasternak Wine Imports for providing beverages included in our Wine Of The Week series.

Loving The Peaches

We've got to hand it to those crazy kids over at Boston's Weekly Dig for running a recipe last week that actually employed the use of liquid nitrogen. As readers know, we do like molecular gastronomy and heartily welcome Ferran Adria to the hallowed halls of Harvard this Fall but we'll be offering a simpler option this week, one not requiring ingredients that, in the hands of an amateur could permanently disfigure you. Congratulations, though, to Ben Whelan for the mere mention of Jiho Kim, Pastry Chef at L'Espalier, who we've covered before as another one of the unsung heroes of Bostonecular gastronomy. We like WD a lot. Just because they drop F bombs does not mean that they don't hit the right notes, intellectual and otherwise. Now just bring back the Police Blotter. THAT was a triumph of journalism!



In any case, the beauty of being a veteran blogger in Boston is the catalog you build up. Peaches are in season now and one of our favorite dishes is our Peach Salad. The quirky combination of sweet and salty tastes makes it a thing of beauty and we anticipate this time of year just to create it. Plus, it's easy. (That's effing easy in WD speak). If you're going to do it please be sure you make the dressing and use real Pecorino. The fresh shallots are the key for the whole amazing taste experience. Happy Summer!

Summer Salad with Peaches and Pecorino Romano Cheese

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:
1 small shallot, finely diced
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon honey, optional
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk until emulsified.

Salad:
2 peaches, peeled if desired
1/2 pound fresh salad greens
1/2 cup shaved Pecorino Romano cheese

Toss greens with sliced peaches and just enough vinaigrette to coat. Shave cheese with vegetable peeler and garnish.

Mobile Blogging Test

Wow it works. This is just a test but I figured I might as well read this, finally, with all of the attention it's getting lately. Pic looks good, taken with iphone.

Bina Alimentari Part 2

"Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them." Buckmister Fuller

Cheese. Tasting those baby onions drenched in balsamic vinegar, far sweeter than you could ever imagine. The cutaway of the lemon stuffed roasted chicken. Buttermilk pancakes. Authentic aged balsamic vinegar from Modena (you can always tell by the paper seal). Pure honey from Mario Bianco. And then, the gelato. I tasted every flavor, strawberry is most popular, made fresh on the premises every day as are the pastries. The wines of Alsace. This place is genius.


Fine cheeses imported from all over the world.


Specialty foods you could build an entire meal around.


The baby onions drenched in balsamic vinegar.


The onions were amazingly mild and sweet. The imported salami was one of the best we've tasted.


The cross-section of the stuffed, roasted chickens available for your picnic.


All kinds of imported condiments and ingredients of the very best quality. Owner Babak Bina truly beleives in smaller, artisinal food sources and takes the time to find them.


Only the best, the mention of Modena says it all.


Again, quality products from small, lesser-known sources for delicious meals at any time of the day.


Imported wines from smaller vineyards such as this one in the Alsace area of France. Bina also carries four of their very own wine labels.


Did I mention the house-made fresh gelato? Like being in Italy! The most popular is the strawberry. We tried every flavor and liked them all.

Bina Alimentari
571 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Telephone: 617.357.0888

Happy Thursday!

Ever have one of those days? This was mine: traffic nightmares of the decade, soaring heat and major technology meltdown. But, as always, we are here for our readers. Due to circumstances beyond our control we are publishing this mini post to announce the final two winners of our contest. It's been a banner week at TBF: the first time we have given away awesome prizes to our readers all week long. So we accept the Ying Yang. Basically, my precious laptop was stolen and I am not sure when I can replace it. Until then I hope you enjoy reading through some of our many, interesting past posts. Our final two winners are Victoria Gillet and Luis Mejias. Congratulations all! (Don't forget to email your shipping addresses.) To those who did not win: we have more contests coming up. Stay tuned. I value each and every one of our readers and truly enjoyed hearing from you.

Latest Contest Winner

Today's winner of the Girard's Premium Salad Dressing prize package is Heather Groat, who writes: "I love the blog and read it religiously." We bet you'll be loving the Peach Mimosa Vinaigrette, too, Heather! Don't forget to email us the address you'd like your gift sent to and thanks for being a TBF follower. It pays off sometimes!

Bina Alimentari Part I

TBF recently had a private, exclusive tasting tour of Bina Alimenteri and Osteria with legendary Boston restaurateur Babak Bina, who also owns Lala Rokh and Bin 26 Enoteca. We discussed everything from space design to sources on this unique tour I think foodies, visitors, Chefs and friends will all enjoy. Babak, who also finds time to serve as the President of The Beacon Hill Civic Association, was a fascinating wealth of information and is a true connoisseur of fine food and drink. The Osteria and Alimentari are located in the Downtown Crossing area, very close to the Theater District which makes for a nice dining option before a show.


As a big fan of design, lets start there. I just loved the sleek design of this very long bar which extends out into the dining section, covering nearly the entire length of the restaurant. It offers a great street scene view. The material is flecked with mica, which shines brilliantly under the soft lighting. There are also 80 outdoor seats for alfresco dining on these fine summer nights.


The light, airy design presented some challenges. Support columns needed to be worked around and the team did an excellent job with these whimsical ceiling canopies that accentuate the height of the room. From this view you can see all the way back into the adjacent Alimentari. Take special note of that wall of frosted glass panels at the far end.


The very same glass panels, when viewed from an angle, are completely clear.

This was a really impressive and unique architectural element I had never seen before. When viewed from an angle the glass panels appear completely clear. When viewed directly, they are frosted, affording the diners the privacy of a magically transformed curtain.


The interesting, unique glass partitions that appear frosted when viewed straight on.


Bina Alimentari carries a variety of freshly made sandwiches with ingredients that are the height of quality as well as prepared foods.


Floor to ceiling shelves and racks feature unusual, smaller varieties and imported brands.


The typically Italian stand of produce and freshly baked breads and rolls.


A mere few of the many fine, imported cheeses.

If anyone has had the great luck to visit Italy and shop in any of the smaller, quality food shops this is the closest experience to that I have found in Boston and a true antidote to those huge, mass market, food warehouses that, frankly, I am one to avoid at all costs. In Part Two we'll take a look at some of the products and tastes available but rest assured that it's the sort of place you go to find one quality ingredient you can then build a plate around. My kind of food heaven.

Bina Alimentari
571 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Telephone: 617.357.0888

Today's winner of the Girard's Premium Salad Dressing contest is Anne Tanguay of Maine, who writes that she really enjoys our posts and photos about food and dining in and around the Ogunquit area. Congratulations Anne! Hopefully you'll enjoy your salads on picnics along the beautiful Maine coast. Don't forget to email us the address to ship your delicious food prize package to.

Contest Winner

Today's winner of our Girard's Gourmet Salad Dressing giveaway is Sean Haire. Sean is a Boston Chef, an avid TBF reader and now holds the dubious distinction of being the very first reader to have won two prizes from our foodie vaults. Congratulations Sean! Don't forget to email us with the address to ship your prize package to. A new winner will be announced every day through Friday and thanks to the many readers who entered. It was great hearing from you.