Food & Drink

Lobster, fresh lemon juice, and the taste of clarified butter: foods for me that conjure up summertime memories of when I was 7 or 8, and our family used to make yearly car-ride pilgrimages to Arcadia, Maine, for a taste of the outdoors that suburban New Jersey couldn’t provide.  Rather then playing the “Am I There Yet” game with my brother, I spent the 8-10 hour drive to Maine sleeping.  But I always knew when we were getting close to our destination when my dad pulled into the nearest, decent open-air, roadside seafood joint advertising LOBSTERS in capital letters.

Our whole family would sit down to a fresh lunch (or dinner) of a few, simply steamed lobsters with sides of lemon and melted butter, as we dug into their nooks and crannies, seeking out the fresh, sweet meat.  My dad was always the best and fastest at digging, always offering us the choicest, largest morsels, something he still does today whenever we eat shellfish.  I was always amazed when he could crack a lobster claw, and remove the entire thing intact, like extracting a puzzle piece.

Coming to Mary’s Fish Camp, made me feel like I wasn’t on Charles Street anymore, but exiting onto the highway off a family trip from Maine into one of those roadside seafood joints.  Perched on the corner, Mary’s Fish Camp is a small open-window corner restaurant with walls lined with faded old-time nautical ads  and ’70s rock playing overhead  (when I was there, it seemed like the entire Virgin Suicides Soundtrack was on rotation).   One of their famed Lobster Rolls can be seen on practically every one of their ten tables and along the smooth metal counter. (more…)

This holiday weekend (or whenever you are preparing to throw a summer party) consider one of the coolest new launches from Godiva. Their new Ice Cream Truffle is exactly as it sounds- a chocolate truffle filled with a delicious ice cream center. Their limited edition flavors are all inspired by the classics, among them: mint chocolate chip, pecan caramel sundae, neapolitan, and oranges and cream. After having been lucky to taste test all of them, I have to say that my favorite is mint chocolate chip, a cool refreshing truffle that brings back childhood memories of licking on the cone, but now with a decidedly grown up feel. The tuffles are perfect for summer parties because they are so low maintenance (just pick them up from your local store) yet look and taste so luxurious. Each box comes with 4 truffles and you can mix or match for a colorful, festive display.

Back in April, EFFEN Vodka hosted a fun event at the ROOF at theWit, focusing on meaningful and sustainable design. What’s the connection between EFFEN and design? EFFEN chooses to be different from other vodkas by design, featuring all natural ingredients. Its bottle was also designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional–the patented rubber sleeve that it is encased in provides insulation to keep the vodka chilled longer, as well as easier handling.

I asked one of my girlfriends to come to the event with me and we loved enjoying the amazing views at ROOF, the lounge on the roof of theWit Hotel. We met a lot of Chicago foodies and bloggers, like Better With Butter and the Local Tourist, and heard about Chicago architecture and sustainability from Jonathan Boyer. We also got to enjoy some delicious cocktails by mixologist Jonny Abens (featuring EFFEN, of course). Now that summer’s in full swing, I wanted to share these drink recipes with you so that you can bust them out at your next warm weather get-together!

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A few weekends ago, one of my lovely girlfriends got married in San Francisco and had an amazingly beautiful wedding. (Congratulations, Emily!) She was the first of in our group of gals to get hitched, so we all planned for an unforgettable weekend in California. That included a side trip to Sonoma for wine tasting, which I was, of course, super excited for! We gathered recommendations from friends and did some research of our own to start planning our wine country tour. Although not all the ladies could make it, with our group size, it turned out to be only slightly more expensive to book a private limo than to do a shuttle bus tour. The flexibility to choose wineries and schedules was definitely worth it for us, and armed with a list of wineries we wanted to check out, we began our trip… (more…)

Am I reaching? Nah. In fact, I’m willing to bet my next meal that there isn’t a cookie lover out there who would turn down the Brown Butter Cookie Company’s Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies. The hand-rolled, sugar-salt-butter combo is so simple, so small, so innocent-looking … and so ridiculously GOOD.

For birthdays, holidays and other special occasions (hint: Mothers Day is coming up!), I always hunt for these at my local gourmet goodie store, The Oaks Gourmet Market in Hollywood. A small bag is about $5 and makes a welcome gift (when it’s in stock), especially paired with a bottle of wine or box of tea. For those of you who are getting hitched soon, these also make impressive favors or mini dessert options. (Picture them piled onto little tiered serving trays — so cute!)

See if they are (or can be) stocked at your local gourmet market, or order a freshly baked batch online from the Brown Butter Cookie Company, located in Cayucos, Calif.

P.S. They also come in chocolate!

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but too often, breakfast is ignored because “I’m not hungry” or “I’m going to eat a big dinner tonight and need to save my calories.” I’m always looking for new products to make breakfasts more fun, healthy, and give my body a morning kick-start with energy and nutrients it craves, so when I discovered Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus at a local market, I sampled, died, came back to live, and bought every single flavor they make! So when I tell you this product is one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long, long time, you’re reading the advice of a true dessert-hummus expert!

Crazy Camel comes in six different flavors, including: Caramel Apple, Chocolate Mousse, Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Pie, and Toasted Almond. These products have roughly half the fat of regular hummus with just as much healthy fat, protein, and fiber of the traditional variety! Every single flavor I tried was absolutely delicious, but seeing I’m a big pumpkin and almond fan, the Pumpkin Pie and Toasted Almond were my absolute favorites! I experimented and tried all sorts of breakfast-related recipes with the hummus, including adding it to my oatmeal or yogurt, using it as an ingredient in no-bake breakfast cookies, and simply using it as a topping for my toast or bagel. The options are endless!

Crazy Camel is available at select stores in the Northeast, but my suggestion is to order off their website and freeze what you don’t use. My suggestion is the “You Pick it Six Pack” for $25. The hummus is free of artificial preservatives, so it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for three weeks. Otherwise, you can freeze them for up to six months. But honestly, you’ll be lucky if they last that long.

Okay, it’s February 11th–are you still looking for a Valentine’s Day gift?! I’ve got some quick ideas for you that any Valentine would love, no matter what your budget is! First up, l’Âge de Thé’s Love Blend loose leaf tea costs only $6 and would be a super sweet way to send your love to someone. It’s a black tea with strawberry, chocolate, and just a pinch of rose petals. And it tastes delicious!

Linda & Harriett put together a Limited Edition Goody Bag that contains a note pad, a box of note cards, a pencil, and a cute little reusable heart bag (tied with a handwritten gift tag!). Of course, the paper goods are the top-notch quality you would come to expect from L&H, and you can choose from a set of designs. The Goody Bag is $26 and would make a thoughtful Valentine, don’t you think?

Lastly, check out Elemis’ Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt. The name is a mouthful, but it’s so worth it. At $48, it’s the most expensive on this list, but oh so luxurious. Monoi is made in Polynesia by soaking frangipangi flowers in coconut oil, and the result is a silky, moisturizing oil that is a treat for your skin. It would be perfect to use for a sensual massage and is nicely fragrant, so I’m sure your Valentine would loooove it. Have a happy Valentine’s Day!

One week ago from today, I was navigating the snow filled streets in the wintry wonderland that is Berlin in January. Not a usual winter tourist destination (and for good reason), Berlin in January is prone to gray days, mounds of unshoveled snow and a bitter wind that makes even the toughest nose run. With conditions like that, warmth takes precedence over style. Luckily, the city of Berlin has its own style to distract from your lack!

I traveled to Berlin on a NYU sponsored trip to study the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall. With this theme in mind I visited the legendary Checkpoint Charlie, A Stasi prison facility, the East Berlin Wall Gallery, Berlin’s Underground bunker system, and Livadia Palace in Potsdam where the Yalta Convention was held.  Obviously, the history buff would not be hurting for hot spots to visit in Berlin, and I highly recommend all of the above mentioned sights. However, for those less interested in the Cold War here are my recommendations. With a city as fascinating culturally, historically, and artistically, you really can’t go wrong! (more…)

Flavored waters aren’t new to the market, but most of the time they seem to be carbonated and for some reason, I just never got on board.  However, I recently was introduced to twist, a non-carbonated brand, and was happy to try a few of their flavors. Well, apparently, after trying… I can now say that I do like some flavored waters.

Overall, the packaging for twist is fun, but still upscale and chic. The water itself has no artificial ingredients or preservatives; also each bottle is only 9 calories. (You’d be surprised by how much sugar and calories can be in flavored waters.) One of my favorites is the Mandarin White Tea, which has a hint of citrus, and just honestly is so yummy. (In fact…wish I had case of this flavor at my apartment now!) The other one that I’m favoring is the West Indies Lime, which makes me feel like I’m at a spa — you know, with their fabulous lemon/lime water they serve post-treatment. If you like flavored waters, this is definitely a must-try…and if you’re not, maybe twist will convert you!

The twist brand is not available in all markets yet, but visit www.drinktwist.com for your nearest locations and for future distribution.