Classic BLT

Was watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate - With Bacon" last night when I was having trouble sleeping and had the urge to make a BLT all day. As many of you know bacon is one of my all time favorite things and I love making anything with bacon as an ingredient. Recipe is painfully straight forward and simple, I tried to make it a little more healthy though!


Ingredients
-Bacon
-Light Mayonnaise
-Lettuce
-Tomatoes
-Whole grain German dark wheat bread

Instructions
1) Put the bacon in the pan first because while the bacon is cooking you can slice up the tomatoes and wash the lettuce and when you are done with that the bacon should be perfect! I used 3 pieces.

2) Break the lettuce into manageable pieces and give them a quick rinse before drying them off on paper towels. I tried to put a lot of lettuce to make this healthier, approx. 3-4 large leaves

3) Slice the tomatoes into very thin slices. This will help with layering the tomatoes later, when they are too thick they tend to slip out when you take a big bite.

4) Spread one slice of bread with the Light Mayo. I looove mayonnaise.

5) Layer the tomato slices over the mayo.

little slices of sunshine 

6) Add the lettuce and the bacon. Add top layer piece of bread. Voila!

Enjoy!

Nom.

Il Capriccio

Although located in Waltham, Il Capriccio has long been known to be one of the top italian restaurants in Boston, topping the lists of various websites for "Best Italian Food", beating out even some restaurants in the North End. I took advantage of the fact that it was Restaurant Week and made a dinner reservation on Friday. The restaurant had a classic and simple decor and was rather maze like with many hallways. The Restaurant Week set menu had a lot of decent choices and my housemate and I decided to order all different things and share everything so we could try out as many things as possible.

Tuna Tartare with Avocado and House Chips
The tuna tartare was very fresh and the hint of onions gave the dish the perfect amount of kick. The avocado was creamy and wrapped the entire dish together. The crispiness of the chips balanced out the soft creamy texture of the tartare.

Seared Foie Gras, Balsamic Onions, Reduced Apple Cider and Pear
Foie Gras is one of my all time favorite foods. This was actually quite a disappointment. The foie gras was overcooked and did not have that silky melt in your mouth fattiness that I am so fond of. The flavor was also lacking, it almost tasted like chicken liver. The balsamic onions and pear was done well but the star of the dish was not impressive. 

Vermont Quail with Sweetbread Stuffing, Marsala, Roast Potatoes and Trumpet Mushrooms
This dish was very flavorful and was enjoyable. The quail was tender and the sweet bread stuffing was complemented the quail very nicely with its rich taste. A decent but not mind blowing dish.

Pan Roasted Giannone Chicken "Schnitzel", Fried Egg, White Wine, Cipolline, and Potato Tart
Chicken was well done and the skin was very crispy. Once again, decent taste but not amazing. I also felt that the side dishes on both the first Secondi and this one was the same: carrots, cauliflower, and some other greens. This could be because of restaurant therefore the restaurants are not as detailed as usual but I believe that a truly good restaurant should ensure their dishes are exquisite and top notch regardless of what promotional period it is. 

Lemon Creme Brulee
The dessert was expertly prepared. The touch of lemon flavor was genius and made the already creamy and luscious creme brulee even more delicious. 

Warm Chocolate Budino with Whipped Cream
Delicious chocolate cake that ended the meal perfectly. Cake was smooth and rich with a bold chocolate flavor.  

Overall food was fine but it was not something that blew me away. Service was excellent and very attentive. Wine list was also very comprehensive and impressive. The food was prepared well yet there wasn't any particular dish that made me think "I must return here again for this". In terms of Italian food in the area I definitely thought La Campania was better. Still a enjoyable evening though for I am always happy to try new restaurants.

Neptune Oyster

After hearing and talking about this place for YEARS I finally step foot into the famous Neptune Oyster in the North End neighborhood of Boston. Seeing as I adore oysters and seafood its ridiculous that it has taken me this long to try out this place. It is said that this place serves the #1 lobster roll in Boston. It was an absolute disaster looking for parking and my friend and I circled around for the longest time trying to find a spot. Finally the gods smiled down upon us and we found a great spot right outside the restaurant. The restaurant was packed and we had to wait for around an hour for a table. They do not take reservations so it is a good idea to get there early. They had a special menu with all the oysters and clams available and specified the size of the oyster, the salt level, and the aftertaste. 

The restaurant was dimly lit and the bar table took up at least half the restaurant. It was very charming with specials written on the mirrored walls and vintage tiled walls and lights. 

Decisions, decisions.

Failed to note down the names of the oysters but we picked ones that were medium-large in size, high salt level, and with a fruity and sweet finish. 

The oysters were very fresh, you could taste the brininess of sea water. The oyster were very juicy and adequately sized. I felt that the condiments were not up to par with the quality of the oysters and did not complement them as well as they could have. 

Ricci Di Mare - Santa Barbara Sea Urchin Pork Butter Toast
This was absolutely phenomenal, the urchin was creamy buttery glory served on top of a crispy crusty piece of toast. My only complaint was that it was so small. I could eat this all day. My best friend needs to visit me to take a bite of this!

Main Lobster Roll Hot with Butter
The infamous lobster roll. Absolutely amazing. The lobster chunks were huge and drenched in buttery goodness. The warm toasty roll soaked up all the flavors perfectly. Was a little bit of a messy affair but that made it all the more delicious. I also loved those rustic fries that were fried exquisitely. It was a very rich and succulent dish yet it did not leave you feeling heavy and unwell. 

Because everyone loves a close up 

We ordered a bottle of white wine and some bellinis to go with our meal. The wine list is very decent and has a good range of prices. The had 3 mouth watering bellini flavors: peach, blood orange, and pomegranate. We tried the blood orange and pomegranate and both were very delicious. Service was decent and quick. A must try if you are in Boston!

Papa Razzi Trattoria

Stumbled upon this restaurant while shopping. Food was actually very good and satisfying. Service was attentive and the atmosphere of the restaurant was cozy and clean. Love it when you are looking for a quick casual meal and it ends up being very enjoyable! Was a great day overall, good food and good shopping with my housemate.

Started off the meal with calamari, one of my favorite foods. The calamari was fried perfectly, the batter wasn't too thick and it came piping hot. One odd thing was that there were various other fried bits in the dish that was not calamari such as peppers and other vegetable bits. The marinara sauce was tangy and complemented the calamari perfectly. 

Lobster and ricotta ravioli in a lobster cream sauce
The ravioli was delicious. The pasta was cooked to al dente perfection and the cream sauce was rich and flavorful. The serving was also quite generous.

We also ordered a eggplant, mozzarella, and basil panini that I didn't get a picture of. Very good lunch.

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes the simplest things can turn out so delicious. This is a quick and simple dish that you can whip up anytime. Honestly, what can go wrong when it's wrapped in bacon?

Made a lot of other dishes for this meal but did not take photos! Will make a post dedicated to some recipes later :)

Toro

I absolutely love tapas, I love the idea of having small plates of food to share with your table, allowing each person to try various different dishes at once. So happy to finally try out Toro. Have been hearing incredibly positive reviews about this place from many people. There are no reservations taken at this restaurant so it is wise to come early around 5 or 5:30 to avoid waiting for hours for a table. I got here at 5:30 and shared a pitcher of sangria with my good friend and had a seat at the bar while we waited for our table. The sangria was delicious, sweet and fruity with still a strong hint of the red wine. We initially asked for the white wine sangria but was told that was only served during summer. The atmosphere was laid back and cozy, dark wood tables with a long communal table in the middle of the restaurant. I felt that the restaurant was a little bit too dim and that the ventilation system could be improved because it was rather smokey and the aromas of the food became a little overwhelming. The food was excellent though and I will go through them under the captions of each dish. 

A view of the bar table 

Red wine sangria 

Roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade.
Bone marrow was rich and very fatty. The flavor was perfect and the oxtail toast was delectable. Salad was a little bit too sour with the lime slices. Still highly recommended. 

Mini Kobe burgers with smoked tomatoes, alioli, and pickled red onions.
The burger patty was juicy and meaty, all the elements worked well together and the small size of the burger left you satisfied yet not too full to try out other dishes. The pickled onions was a nice tangy touch that wrapped up the entire dish. 

Crispy pork belly with sunchoke and fried potato bites in a cream sauce.
The pork belly was perfectly fatty but not overwhelmingly so. The skin was thin and crispy and worked perfectly with the succulent meat underneath. The cream sauce along with the lightly fried potato pieces all came together into the perfect bite. A must try!

Grilled corn with alioli, lime, espellete pepper,  and aged cheese.
One of toro'st most famous and popular dishes. The corn was sweet and roasted to perfection. The lime gave the entire dish a kick and the creamy cheese smothered over the delicious kernels of corn was absolute heaven.

Rabbit and escargot Paella
The paella was a little more watery than I would have liked yet the flavoring and texture of the rice was well done. The rabbit was cooked well and was tender. Was definitely not the best paella I have had but since I have been to Barcelona this does not mean that it was not a decent one. I would recommend trying their tapas over their paella though.

Other dishes that we ordered and are not pictured are as follows:
Foie gras with pear chutney on toast: so so, typical foie gras nothing special I thought. Very small portion.
Pressed Uni sandwich with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds: DELICIOUS. I adore uni and this sandwich was rich creamy and everything glorious about uni. Only wished the piece was a little larger!
Brussel sprouts: Typical buttery brussel sprouts. Not bad yet not something I would specially try out here since there are so many delicious options.

Overall the food was delicious and the dinner was very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend coming here and I will be back again very soon!

Izakaya by Katsuya

I have heard a lot about Katsuya - the hotspot for celebrities to enjoy contemporary Japanese food. I wanted to try out Katsuya during my stay in LA but my good friend suggested Izakaya by Katsuya, a more casual setting with a menu offering many of the same delicious bites from Katsuya. I definitely want to try out Katsuya another time but Izakaya was definitely worth visiting. The restaurant was in West LA and was small and cozy. Izakaya means a place for people to drink and have quality food in Japan, one level above bars and lounges in terms of food servings. It was definitely more of a restaurant setting than a drinking establishment in terms of Izakaya by Katsuya. Getting a reservation is a must because the restaurant was bustling on a Tuesday night and people were continually entering and waiting for tables throughout my meal.

Seared albacore with crispy onions

Creamy rock shrimp tempura on spicy tuna roll

Spicy tuna on crispy rice 

El Tepeyak!

Man vs. Food is another one of my guilty pleasures. Every time I watch that show I always think that I could finish whatever he was trying to eat. On one of the episodes Adam Richman went to a mexican restaurant in LA called El Tepeyak to try and devour "Manny's Special": a 5 pound burrito. I did not risk my life and attempt that challenge and instead ordered a normal sized burrito. The line was pretty long but it was well worth the wait. Once we got to the front we were greeted by Manny who is the owner of this amazing restaurant. He was absolutely precious and very talkative. He gave us some tequila shots (just like he did on the show!) and showed us to our table. 

I was absolutely famished by the time I sat down. I don't remember exactly what I got but I believe I got the Okie De Machaca which is a huge burrito stuffed with shredded beef, sauteed onions, tomatoes, japapenos, eggs, melted cheese, rice, beans, and cheddar cheese topped with a red enchilada sauce. There were also avocado slices in there. Heavenly. We also got a huge plate of nachos. The servings are HUGE so definitely remember that when you are ordering!

I never really liked Mexican food but El Tepeyak changed my mind about that!

shot shots shots shots shots!  

AMAZING

:) 

Mastro's Steakhouse

Love love love love love steak. I could never ever be a vegetarian. I love eating my veggies and tofu but I also could never live without a nice juicy steak. Have been dying to try out Mastro's since my best friend Christine told me about it the last time she was in LA. Have been drooling over her photos of the food at Mastro's ever since. Finally it was my own turn to try out the deliciousness and I was not disappointed. The  food totally lived up to its hype.

The menu of glorious choices 

Started off with some oysters. Very spicy horse radish  

Lobster bisque. Excellent. 

20 oz bone in rib eye. Medium rare. Absolute perfection.

Colossal onion rings. One was already quite filling but I just wanted to eat more.

Lobster mashed potatoes

Extremely full but of course we had to get the signature butter cake!

extra butter, extra cream. 

The center was gooey and pure buttery heaven. The ice cream didn't hurt either

May have been the best steak I have ever had. Botero in Vegas was pretty great too. Definitely slept very well that night.