Carmelina's

Hi friends! It's confession time! I confess that I haven't been working out. Like at all besides a few runs here and there. I'm not going to make excuses or give false promises. I just wanted to put it out there for full disclosure. I'm definitely in an off period right now. A lot of hectic things have been going on and I just haven't been making it a priority. I know I should, but I just haven't. I don't necessarily know when I will get back into the swing of things, but I will be sure to let you guys know ;)

That may be a future ten things post inspiration right there! Anyhoo, breakfast yestereday was an unpictured muffin. Lemon poppyseed to be exact. An impulse buy of course. That's the problem with being in such close proximity to a cafeteria. Yummy baked goodies. Lunch was my new usual (in Springfield anyway) of a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce and tomato. Once again they were out of pickles so I had to settle for carrots. Carrots are great and all, but when you have the option of carrots or pickles, obviously pickles are the favorite (which is probably why they keep running out of them, but honestly, just buy more pickles). On the side I had a bag of pita chips and a disgusting Kozy Shack vanilla pudding cup. Disgusting. I literally ate three bites of this thing and threw it out. The only reason I even got it was because I went to lunch a little late and all the desserts had been picked over. It was the pudding cup or some sad looking pumpkin pie.

For dinner we went to a little Italian place in Hadley called Carmelina's.

At first glace, the decor was a little cheesy and it was surprisingly bright for an Italian restaurant. The restaurant was not large by any means but was roomy and comfortable. The waitress brought out warm scali bread to start with butter and a side of tepanade that I didn't have the courage to try. In looking over the menu, I was surprised to see that they had gluten free options on the menu, something I would have thought would be particularly rare for an italian restaurant. Bonus points for Carmelina's there.

I wasn't all that hungry and didn't think I would be able to eat a full sized entree, so instead I opted for a salad and an appetizer for my meal. I ordered the Warm Spinach Salad, which is baby spinach tossed with spiced candied walnuts, fresh blue cheese, caramelized pear, grapes, and Gorgonzola peppercorn dressing.

I was not blown away by this salad. The concept is good, but the spinach was way too salty. Some of the spinach was raw and some of it was cooked, giving the salad an inconsistent texture. The grapes and pears were probably the best thing about the salad. I most likely would not get it again. For my "entree" I ordered the appetizer of BuonaBocca, which is mozzarella pillows stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, fried and served with a lemon caper sauce and a side of cranberry relish.

The dish was good, but not great. You would never know there were sun-dried tomatoes in there as I couldn't see them or taste them. The lemon caper sauce felt wrong for the mozzarella (nor were they "pillows," more like square bars) but the cranberry relish was divine. I ate a little with the mozzarella and some just on it's own. Of course I got food envy, as my coworker ordered the chicken marsala which I thought looked fantastic, so I took a photo of that too.

Luckily my coworker cut off some for me to try and I immediately wished I had gotten it. It had a sweet smoky flavor and was delicious. The potatoes were slightly undercooked, but not so much that they weren't still really good. Even the vegetables looked delicious. For dessert, we each ordered a cannoli. Now I am normally not a fan of cannolis, but my coworkers were talking them up from this restaurant, so I figured why not?

Well they were right. As far as cannolis go, this was probably one of the best I've had. The chocolate chips were actually inside the filling and the shell was crunchy and delicious. If I ever went here again, I would definitely get the cannoli again. My other options were the other typical desserts (creme brulee, cheesecake, and tiramisu). All in all, not a bad experience, but not a great one.

What is your favorite Italian dessert?

Lattitude

Howdy from classy Springfield (this is sarcasm, anyone actually from Mass knows how scummy Springfield is). Case in point, there are approximately three stripclubs within two blocks of my hotel. I guess the girls in Springfield gotta get that money. Oh and everything closes before dark. A bunch of us from my company actually had dinner the other night and one of the guys who was not from here mentioned that he went for a run by the river and saw shopping carts floating in it. Yeah that's normal.

Just as I had mentioned in my previous post, I have a restaurant review for you guys finally since I can safely take photos of my food in front of the people I work with. After work, my coworkers and I did a little research about decent restaurants in the area (there really aren't many) and came across Lattitude. It got pretty good reviews on Yelp, and after looking over the menu, we decided it was a must eat. Check out the menu and prepare to drool. I apologize in advance for the crummy pictures, I of course forgot to bring my camera charger this week and my camera was out of juice, so these are all phone pictures.

They had a random dog statue outside, which totally didn't fit with the decor inside, but my coworker wanted to pose with it anyway :)

The restaurant inside seems small at first, but there is actually two rooms. The tables are comfortable, not too close together like a lot of restaurants and the decor is modern. I would have taken a picture of the funky ceiling and lighting, but with it being so dark, I would have drawn a lot of attention to myself...which normally I don't mind, but I don't want to embarass or freak out my coworkers before they are used to my antics. I did get a picture of the funky placemats, which I would love to find for my house.

I started out with a Shipyard pumpkin beer (unpictured). Then to start our gluttony, we ordered two appetizers. First up was the Steak and Cheese Flatbread. This was pretty good, although the steak was a tad dry and the pizza itself a little soggy in the middle, but delicious nonetheless. The other appetizer we got was the Fried Brussel Sprouts with sweet chili aioli. Yes you read that right. What better way to eat a vegetable than to fry it? Hands down, best appetizer I have ever eaten. You know an appetizer is good when the waiters are pushing it like they are crack dealers on a street corner. Hey kids you want to get high?? Eat some fried brussel sprouts! These things should seriously be illegal. The brussel sprouts get you hooked, and then you have to keep coming back to get your fix.

For my entree, I went with the Chili and Cumin Dusted Grilled New York Strip. The steak came with house made applewood smoked bacon mac n cheese and sauteed broccoli rabe. On the menu, the steak also comes with a sunny side up egg, but if I'm ordering steak, I don't really need the protein and I hate runny eggs anyway so I just gave it away.

Something I don't believe I've ever addressed on the blog is that I like my beef medium rare. I always ask for it medium in restaurants though because if I ask for it medium rare, it always comes out rare and I am very against sending food back (I've seen the movie Waiting and I used to be a waitress so I NEVER send food back). Even asking for beef medium, I very rarely get it cooked perfectly. This time I did. Oh. My. Yum.

For dessert, I ordered the Chocolate Tempura Battered Fried Twinkie. Oh yes I did. And you know you're jealous. It is served with moose tracks ice cream. There are no words people. The only complaint I have about this dish, is that you can't taste the cream filling at all. I think that Lattitude should eliminate the ice cream and replace it with a dollop of the cream instead. That would make this the best dessert ever.

Obviously the pictures do not do this restaurant justice. If you are ever in the Springfield area, eat here. I am in Springfield until the week before Christmas and I can guarantee you that I will be back several times. They are going to get to know me personally here. I left fat and happy :)

Yardhouse

Ugh Monday came so quick. I'm blogging from the road this week, so we'll see how well I can maintain healthy eating when room service comes into play. In the meantime, I had lunch at Yardhouse in Dedham at Legacy Place this weekend for actually the second time, but I only just took pictures this time, and plus, you guys want me to be SURE I like a place before I recommend it to you right?

The hands down coolest thing about this place is that they have a heated patio. We didn't eat on the patio, but I was extremely impressed about it. The inside has a full wrap around bar, a number of hightops, and regular tables. Having only been for lunch, I would imagine that it gets very busy for dinner or a big game. The first time I went, the service was fantastic...this time however, we waited forever for our food and our waitress was only adequate. I ordered the Avocado Swiss burger with sweet potato fries, which I loved the second time and loved even more this time. It's just that good.

Meg and Jimmy were my dates for this lunch. They both were very happy with their dishes as well. Meg ordered the Avocado Swiss burger as well with a veggie burger instead of the beef. Jimmy ordered some asian fusion dish (this irks me, don't go to a place that specializes in burgers and order a stir fry).

I can definitively say that I am a huge fan of Yardhouse. The food is excellent, they have an extensive selection of beers on tap, and it is a great place to watch a game as there are TVs in every nook and cranny. Plus any place that adds avocado to anything is going to be a huge win in my book.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Wrentham Outlets yet again, on the mission for a suit this time. At first I was having ZERO luck but thank god for the Ann Taylor Factory Store. I was able to find a three piece suit for the bargain price of $167. Not too shabby! Unfortunately I have an odd body shape, so finding suits that fit me is really hard.  Same with bathing suits and jeans!

Is there anything you have a hard time shopping for?

Baan Thai

Sometimes the perfect Saturday night involves some takeout, a carpet picnic, and a great movie...which is exactly what the boy and I did this Saturday night. We have been on the hunt for a good Thai takeout place in Waltham, and this time we decided to give Baan Thai on Main Street a try. We ordered Won Ton soup to start:

This soup was awesome, but then again it's really hard to mess up Wonton soup. For an appetizer we ordered the dumplings:

These were absolutely fantastic. Best part of the meal hands down. They were flavorful and not greasy or heavy at all. I ate them sans sauce, but the boy said the sauce was really good. For our entree we decided to split the Kra-Prao fried rice, which is fried rice in chili paste with minced chicken, chopped string beans, peppers, and sweet basil.

Neither one of us liked this dish. The chili powder didn't translate at all, the dish was completely overpowered by the sweet basil and it was more sweet than spicy. There was a lack of peppers as well. We both agreed we would not get this dish again, but the soup and dumplings were so good that I would definitely go back and just try a different entree next time.

Our movie of choice was Avatar (which I had seen but he had not). I loved Avatar when I saw it at the imax, and I loved it again watching it at home. Surprisingly, the boy didn't like it. Well, I never said he had good taste in movies (one of his favs is the Adventures of Ford Farlaine). All in all, it was a perfect Saturday night just camping out on the floor with our takeout watching a movie.

What's your favorite way to spend a Saturday night?

B. Good Part 2

Howdy friends!

A few weeks ago I reviewed B. Good at Legacy Place in Dedham. Well last night I had an impromptu dinner date with my fabulous friend Meg, and we settled on B. Good again.

I ordered the sweet potato fries the first time which were gross, so I switched over to the regular fries this time. What a difference! The regular fries are a million times better. They are crispy, tasty, and downright mouthwatering. And I actually remembered to take a picture of my burger and fries BEFORE digging in! How unlike me.

Meg ordered the veggie burger, which I snapped a photo of as well just to show you guys. I have never ordered the veggie burger here but I think I will next time as it looked pretty good.

B. Good now gets an A in my book and I will definitely be back.

Breakfast this morning was cereal. I had a run scheduled at the gym, but got 0.4 miles down and started having "tummy trouble" and had to stop. Once I took care of the issue I had lost all desire to run and just went home to catch up on yesterday's episode of General Hospital instead. Yes I watch a soap opera. Don't judge, I've been watching it since I was 7. It's a guilty pleasure.

On the menu for lunch is leftover healthy baked pasta and tonight I am making one of the boy's favorites...chicken enchiladas! I will post the recipe later tonight.

What's your guilty pleasure? Any shows you don't want to admit you watch?

Tuscan Grill

Last night I had dinner plans with my friend Jimmy. Our original plan was to go to Tempo on Moody Street, but apparently they had no open reservations for last night, which I thought was strange for a Monday night, holiday or no. I hate restaurants that only take reservations and give you attitude if you show up without one (Melting Pot, I'm looking at you). So already I am a little soured on Tempo. The backup plan ended up being the Tuscan Grill right across the street, which was also on my list to try. The ambience was lovely, very rustic and intimate. The restaurant itself is on the small side, but they more than make up for that with the decor and the service (not to mention the food).

I was ravenous by the time we sat down to eat so I was VERY excited when I saw a bread basket coming my way...but oh wait. Where's the oil? Or butter? Dipping sauce? None of the above friends. Just bread. I will say the bread was really good, soft and chewy with a nice flavor, but it felt so wrong eating bread without the normal accoutrements (that is my big word for the day). They also give you unpitted kalamata olives, which I thought was strange. Why would they give you a plate of olives with pits? Puzzling.

For my entree I ordered the Wood Grilled Stuffed Chicken (stuffed with pork, herbs, and garlic) with a side of crispy red potatoes and roasted butternut squash. The chicken was amazing. Very juicy and flavorful. I will say that visually it was lacking, as the pork and garlic were the same color as the chicken, so you couldn't really see the "stuffing" so to speak. The potatoes and butternut squash were equally as amazing. The portion size was perfect. I have a huge appreciation for restaurants that don't give you a dinner for four when you order your entree. I apologize for the picture, the lighting was dark in the restaurant so I didn't want to do a retake as I was already drawing a lot of attention to myself taking pictures.

For dessert we ordered the Chocolate Budino, which was the best budino I have ever had. I typically order the chocolate budino for dessert when I go to Bertuccis, but the one at Bertuccis is more of a mousse than a pudding. This one was more like a pudding, but homemade pudding with homemade whipped cream and little homemade sticks of chocolate. The chocolate flavor was rich and deep, you could definitely tell immediately that it was homemade from scratch. I may or may not have moaned a little taking the first bite. I would've licked the bowl clean if we weren't in a very visible part of the restaurant.

I would most certainly eat there again. The great thing about Tuscan Grill is that their menu changes frequently (the menu online did not match the menu we got at the restaurant) so they are always coming up with new dishes to try, so I will definitely be back. If for nothing else than for that budino.

This morning I took a Bodypump class. I drove all the way to the gym this morning and then almost didn't go in. I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. But I made myself go anyway and I'm glad I did because I ended up increasing my squat and back weight!

Warmup: 15lbs

Squats: 25lbs
Chest: 15lbs
Back: 20lbs
Triceps: 10lbs
Biceps: 15lbs
Lunges: 15lbs
Shoulders: 10lbs
Abs: Body weight

Breakfast was a cantaloupe bowl with pineapple chobani and a little granola on top. Snack was a banana. On the agenda tonight is a turkey penne casserole and a 2 mile run with the boy. Today is the restart of his running (he ran track in high school) and I'm excited to see what he's made of (besides milk duds and pizza).

As a side note, I saw this post this morning and just had to share...Red Velvet Cookies. Oh. My. God. These are getting made this weekend. I can hardly wait. I'm thinking about taking the rest of the day as a sick day to go make these. Oh wait, I gave my notice and don't have any more sick time. Damn.

Weekend Recap

Hi bloggies! Sorry I've been MIA since Thursday, it's been a busy couple of weeks!

My workout this morning was spin. Being a holiday there was practically NO ONE at the gym and only a total of 7 people in my class this morning. I really hate having to work holidays when I feel like everyone else in the world is off, but the upside is that there is no one on the road either. Breakfast was pumpkin oats and lunch was a chicken salad sandwich with some raw green beans on the side from a farmers market. Raw fresh green beans always remind me of my grandmother's house. Delicious.

A little recap of my weekend...friday night was nice and quiet with a lovely dinner with the boy of pizza and beer ;) It had been a rough day because of some stupid high school girl drama from a now former friend of mine that I won't get into because she doesn't deserve the mention on my blog, but suffice it to say that the whole thing was completely ridiculous. Saturday morning the boy and I did a nice hike in Blue Hills. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I'm bummed that I left my camera at home :/ No worries though, we will be doing the same hike next Saturday and I will be sure to remember my camera. The rest of the day included some errands and then we had the lovely Danielle's birthday party at Harp in Boston. Does anyone else feel like they are way too old for clubs? Because I do. It was still a lot of fun though! Sunday morning the boy and I did a nice long walk down the trail I usually go running on and talked about a training plan so that he can run a race with me in the spring. Of course he has some unrealistic tough guy goals but I'm hoping to snap him out of that ;)

The highlight of the weekend was a trip to Six Flags Fright Fest. The boy and I went later in the day because our main goal was to take a trip through the Wicked Woods. This year was my third year going and it was by far the worst year. I only had one real scream and one half scream. The first year I went I was screaming every ten feet! It was also extremely packed. The wait times weren't that bad considering how busy it was, but by waiting in line for the third ride I had about had it with standing in line. We breaked for dinner and got the grecian chicken pita they have there that is UNBELIEVABLE. I wish they sold thick pitas like that at my supermarket, I would eat them every day. It's basically grilled chicken, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and onions with italian dressing wrapped in a hot thick pita. Oh. My. God. We also split and order of cheese fries, although it was a pretty uneven split with me only eating a few bites. The problem with cheese fries is that once the fries start to get soggy, they don't taste good to me, and since the pita was so delish, it took me a while to get to the fries.

After the Wicked Woods, we decided to try and see if the lines were a little shorter and try to get in another ride or two in of my favorite ride, Batman. As luck would have it, the wait was only a half hour so we decided to give it a go and hope that we got the front row (I love the front row, it's a whole different ride in the front row than sitting anywhere else). We did not get the front row but decided to do one more rotation through and the line had gotten even shorter, down to 20 minutes! We went through and again didn't get the front row, but decided to try one more time...the wait this time was only ten minutes and as we got closer to the front we were counting the people in front of us to see if we were going to get the front row. To our disappointment, the count would have put us in row 2 as there was a group of 3 in front of us. But then the heavens opened up and brought us two fast-passers (people who pay extra to not wait in the line). They happened to be a group of 2 that wanted the front row so the group of 3 got bumped back to row 2 and we got to share the front row with the fast passers! What a great way to end the night :)

What is your favorite amusement park? Are you a rollercoaster kind of person or a spinny ride kind of person? Or do you hate rides altogether?

Solea and New Friends

Hello blog friends! 


So I just had the most fabulous time at Solea on Moody Street in Waltham. Jimmy was having a case of the blahs today so to cheer him up I decided to forgo our run and go out to dinner instead. I suggested Solea, a tapas bar that I hadn't been to before but had heard great things. Plus Jimmy wasn't feeling that hungry, so I thought a few tapas plates would be good.


When we sat down to dinner, we were seated in close proximity to two other two person tables. I usually hate this type of set up in a restaurant. You are constantly hearing other people's conversations and constantly thinking about them listening to yours. The diningroom itself was extremely loud and actually made conversation difficult. I was surprised that it was so busy for a Tuesday evening, but every table in the diningroom was occupied.


After a while of trying to engage a sullen Jimmy into conversation, we noticed that the table next to us had gotten their first plate, even though we had ordered before them. The other table noticed this as well and made a joke about it, offering us some of theirs. We soon were chatting away with them and naturally they noticed me taking pictures of our food, so I had the opportunity to tell them about my blog (hello Kelly and AJ!) and come to find out that they had met there exactly 8 years earlier to the day and were coming back to celebrate the occasion since they had moved to California and were just visiting for a wedding. Further along in conversation Kelly and AJ told us about their move from Boston to California to begin a wine business. AJ sells over 100 boutique wines and in 2007 began his own label. If you are ever in the area, visit AJ Pearce Wines. AJ and Kelly were fantastic and I'm so glad we met them. It certainly cheered Jimmy up considerably and I love meeting new interesting people. Now on to the food!


We ordered five plates as well as dessert:

Queso de Cabra Montaٌnes, Baked Goat Cheese with Tomato & Basil. I got a little overzealous with this one and dug in before I remembered to take a picture, but I assure you, it was much more delicious than it looks. I used the bread basket for dipping. It was so rich that I didn't end up finishing it, but I really really wanted to!

Chorizo a la Plancha, Grilled Spanish Sausage. Fried to perfection. 

Buٌnuelos de Alcachofas y Espinacas, Artichoke & Spinach Fritters. These were easily my favorite. They were crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. The cheese sauce underneath added just enough to make them unbelievable. 

Pato Braseado, Roasted Duckling with Berry Sauce. I don't love duck, but as far as duck goes, this was quite good. The berry sauce was exquisite.

Solomillo con Chimichurri, Beef Tenderloin with Spicy Herb Sauce. This dish was my second favorite. The beef came on crunchy french bread and though the spicy herb sauce was a little spicier than I had expected, I was pleasantly surprised at just how delicious this relatively simple dish was. It's hard to go wrong with beef tenderloin.

Tarta de Chocolates, Chocolate Almond Cake Fresh Berries & Whipped Cream. I was actually quite disappointed with this dessert. The cake was extremely dry and there was no almond flavor whatsoever. Our new friends actually ordered my original choice (that Jimmy vetoed) of the bananas with butterscotch and pistachios. Kelly was kind enough to save me a bite and every last morsel was heavenly. Dessert regret. I get it often.




In short, the food at Solea gets a 4 out of 5, but the atmosphere gets only a 2 out of 5. I may go there again, but never on a weekend and I may try sitting in the bar area next time just to see if the noise level is any different.


So I am about a week away from finally being able to divulge my really great news and I am just DYING to tell you all (I'm teasing now I know). The only bad part about my news is that it will leave me unable to complete my goal of getting fitness certified, which makes me a little sad :( Instead I just have to focus on being the fittest I can be. Speaking of fit, my ass still really hurts today, so I didn't make it to BodyPump this morning. I will definitely be attending on Thursday morning though, it's such a great workout. For those of you who are lucky enough to have it at your gym, try it out! Then your ass can be sore too!

Lunch & Watch City Brewing Company

Good evening friends! I'm back to bring you my lunch and dinner. I know I said that I was having a salad for lunch, and I did, however, I was actually craving a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, but since I didn't have tomato soup, I decided to stick with the salad but have a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich as well.

I realized that I didn't have any cheese slices so I used shredded cheese instead. A good idea in theory, but the problem with that is when you go to flip the grilled cheese, the cheese falls out all over the place (yes this did happen to me). No fear though! I just added more cheese and waited for it to melt and then enjoyed. MMM cheesy goodness...

On the side as promised was a salad with romaine, radishes, and olives. I saved the best for last of course.

For dessert I had a delicious organic plum that was on sale at Hannaford's last week. It was yummy, but could've used another day or two of ripening as it wasn't quite as juicy and sweet how I had hoped it would be. That's ok because I have another waiting for me!

Just before leaving to go back to work, the mail came, and guess what was in it?? YAY!

I can't wait to browse this guy for some new recipes! Dinner tonight was with the fuzz at the Watch City Brewing Company on Moody Street in Waltham. They have some interesting beers here, but by far my favorite so far is the vanilla ale that they have. Tonight though, it was all about the pumpkin! A pitcher of it to be specific...

For dinner I got the grilled chicken breast sandwich with swiss cheese and honey mustard. I also got sweet potato fries on the side, which were both delicious. Of course, I was halfway finished with it before I remembered to take the picture :(

For your reading pleasure, a Time magazine interview with Jackie Warner here.

In a shameless attempt to garner up some comments/interest in the blog, I welcome any comments! Don't be shy! I would love your feedback...what would you like to see more or less of? Any particular topics you want me to address? Feel free to leave me a comment, shoot me an email, message/follow me on Twitter (@thecookiebattle), etc. For those of who come and lurk but don't want to comment, thanks for reading anyway :)