Happy Birthday to me!!!

Yes, it was my birthday this past weekend...and I bet you can guess what I asked for! Food to start, some more food, some food on the side, an extra helping of food and desserts at regular intervals!
Lucky for me, my friends saw this coming and had therefore anticipated my over enthusiastic state of being when we entered my chosen spot, the Friendly Toast.
Located in Kendall Square in a little corner off the beaten path, this old-time diner is probably my favorite brunch spot in all of Boston.  I have blogged about it once before, but that was before I had tried them out for an actual meal...and a birthday meal at that!
The planets must have been aligned especially for me, because our party of ten, which is pretty ambitious for a Sunday afternoon, were seated within fifteen minutes of our arrival at the restaurant.  We used this time diligently by going over their mouth watering menu.  This of course had me completely hyped up, our waiter (as well as the other diners at the time) must have been wondering why one frizzy haired individual was bounding around the restaurant with poorly contained glee.
Once seated we got right to business, one of my friends and I ordered a few different items, we got their Drunkard's french toast (FT soaked in grand marnier with raspberry coulis), pumpkin pancakes (with raisinettes cooked in the middle) and their New Hampshire's finest (goat cheese, asparagus, scallion and BACON omelette) with homefries and their homemade apple jack bread.  It was all so good, I don't think any words could do them justice. Luckily, I have pictures for a visual!

Also of note are their sweet potato fries, perfect for sharing, although you might get antsy and try to smuggle them all onto your plate.. (well...it was my birthday!) Their breakfast burrito and their huevos rancheros are also great choices.

You can't really go wrong, everything is incredible, the people a re very friendly, the food is of a superb quality and the price is just right.

I will be going back to visit my new found friend very soon, I hope you will be able to experience this place at some point...it is worth a trip from any distance!

Reminder!!!

This is just a quickie...I want to remind everyone of the vegetarian food festival coming up this weekend. It will be this coming Saturday and Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center on tremont street.
On Saturday the hours are 10-6 and on Sunday 10-4.
There will be all things vegetarian and most of them free, so why not start off your Halloween day with some good, healthy habits?
http://bostonveg.org/foodfest/index.html

A tribute to spontaneity

There is nothing more thrilling than a night out on the town guided by nothing more than the seat of your pants...you know, those nights where you just go with the flow, no itinerary, no expectations.
A couple of nights ago, a good friend of mine and I did just this.  Shortly after a social event we attended at the Back Bay Hotel, we found ourselves milling about with no particular plan other than our general feeling of not turning in for the night. As the designated foodie, I usually feel somewhat responsible for getting us to the next drink/nourishment spot.  Lucky for me, all I had to do was look up and there, shinning like a beacon of hope, was the sign for FLASH's Cocktails, a bar I had always wanted to go to, especially seeing as it was the home of a secret beverage made with...bacon! http://www.flashscocktails.com/
Before we knew it we were in Flash's with menus ordering our first round...it's hard to start right off the bat with a cocktail that involves molasses, bacon and maple syrup!
They are famous for their inspired and original cocktails and after tasting their fiesty princess which was a vamped up margarita, thair bloody mary type martini and their chambord featured lesbian fizz, this was clear. Before too long though, it was time to get down to business and out came the Pigshake - vanilla ice cream, molasses, maple syrup, Captain Morgan Rum, bacon fat and bacon all blended together to make a surprisingly delicious cocktail.
We split it four ways, because by this time, out little party had grown by an unsuspecting other.
He was a great sport, not many would willingly join a group of people armed with pigshake, but I think that he, like us, knew that the night was destined for over-average adventures. I don't think you could really justify a bacon cocktail any other way.

Vegetarians unite!

For all you vegetarians out there, I have great news for this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, (30thrd and 31st) a whole food festival is set to be dedicated solely to the vegetarian movement. The Reggie Lewis State Athletic Track in ROxbury Crossing will be hosting the 15th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival.
This event is free admission, and boasts of food demos, food samplings and other vegey related lectures and promotions. I am no vegetarian, but I do like my veggies and hopefully, rehearsals for Boston Ballet's La Bayadère, I will be able to make it!
In case you are luckier than I, all the information you will need can be found at the following site:
http://www.bostonveg.org/foodfest/index.html

New England in its prime

Around this time of year, when the leaves start to change colour, it's really time for a trip outside of the city. Although Boston is reputed as a relatively tree-y city, only once you are on the roads towards a more remote part of the state can you truly behold the beauty of fall in new England.
Just yesterday, the Sunday of a beautiful autumn weekend, my friends and I packed into a car and went off to Stow, MA, home of Shelburne Farm.  I am sure you can guess what was to be found on this farm...apples, apples and more apples...oh, pumpkins, cider donuts and a hay ride of course!
We were smart to get out there early, because by around 1 oclock the place was quite busy.  What I was most impressed with was the variety of apple species available.  There were cortland, empire and macintosh, all your ordinary apple picking varietals, but then there were jonagold, mutsu (my favorite!) and northern spies. They also had their stock of antique apples, but I didn't try any of those. 
We chose to go for the large bag of apples which holds about 40 on average, but when you are really good, you can squeeze in a few more, and that doesn't count the number of apples you eat while you are picking...:) At 25 dollars for the large bag, we ended up each paying 4 dollars, not bad considering the size of some of these apples, especially the mustus, was considerable.
Now my fridge is stocked with delicious hand picked, sun-kissed apples for eating, or being more creative with...I may decide to bake an apple crumble, or make some apple sauce...who knows!?
Regardless of what I do with them, the beautiful views on the way down, the pumpkin fudge and the fun with friends made the trip invaluable!
http://www.shelburnefarm.com/

Fig-in' fabulous pizza on Charles

Ever walked along Charles Street on a beautiful, cool autumn evening? The shops are all lit up with halloween decorations, restaurants are packed with buzzing crowds of happy looking people with delicious looking plates of food in front of them...it's quite the scene.
Last night my friends and I were walking along this very street and we experienced this very atmosphere, it's truly charming and makes you envy all those lucky people who live on the Hill.
We seldom make the trek out there, but this Friday night we decided we should do something a little different to celebrate the end of the week and the begining of the weekend. We had our eyes and tummies set on Figs, the famous pizza and pasta restaurant on Charles, owned and operated by Todd English. I had never been inside this place, but have had the occassion to try out their signature pizza and pasta twice before. So I knew going into it that we were in for a treat.
Of course, I also figured it would be a bit of a stretch to hope to get all of us girls into this place on a Friday at 8 pm...I also knew that they do take out and that finding a place to sit and enjoy our meal would not be hard to come by.
As I guessed, when we got there, we were told there were to be no openings until about 9 30, so we nixed the sit down plan and opted for take out.
After a brief purusal of their menu, we decided on their signature fig and prosciutto pizza and another split half and half with their crunchy eggplant and their pulled chicken pizza.
About twenty minutes and a stroll around Charles street later, we were on our way to our friend's place with two large, warm and excrutiatingly fragrant pizzas.
Let me spare you the details and simply say that it's been far too long that really amazing pizza, with complimentary toppings and perfect crust have filled me up. The two large pizzas were just the right amount of food for us famished post-work girls and paired off with some vino, it really hit the spot. And the best part? It cost ten dollars a person.
How is that for upscale frugal comfort?
Next time you are in the Charles street area, don't feel intimidated by the flux of antique stores and expensive boutiques...stop by Figs for a delicious treat, and that doesn't just go for its pizzas, by the look of things, their other menu items are just as hot!
Check out the place on Todd English's website : http://www.toddenglish.com/

Movin' up!

That's right everyone! The Frugal Foodista is proud to be moving up in the world of food blogs! It is tough competition out there, but my blog is going to be featured on http://www.foodista.com/, a great foodie website that touches on an impressive amount of food related findings.
They have a special section on their website for 'featured food blogs' and on Oct. 13th, this very blog will be featured!
They even gave me a little badge to put on my blog, you can see it just below and I have placed it proudly in the lower side bar of my page. Isn't it pretty!?
Thanks for all of your support and interest! I hope to continue to provide you all with a great place to find out about frugal food events, restaurant reviews...and any other little tib bites of info!

Happy belated October!

It is now October 3rd, I hope most of you don't find it as strange as I do that September has already up and gone! The weather today certainly dictactes fall turnover mind you: gusty winds, overcast skies with intermittent peaks of sunlight...its all in the cards! But don't fret, autumn is a great season, especially in New England where it means the arrival of some very exciting activities and festivities!
As always, Godiva is ready to receive rewards members with open arms and a free truffle, fall flavours are to 'fall' over for (hahah pun intended!).http://godivarewardsevent.com/
Apple picking is a must and I hear that this years crop is absolutely delicious, juicy and big apples ready to be twisted off into our tote bags. Here are some orchards you can check out: http://www.applepickingboston.com/
Of course, the next festivity needs no introduction for it is the single most looked forward to celebration of anyone with a sweet tooth...Halloween! Walking through the grocery store or the pharmacy is enough to send me into a complete dither spaz of excitement as I take in all the halloween treats...candy corn!!!!

I intend on going trick or treating and from my experience, Beacon Hill is a great place to hit up!
There are many other interesting things going on around town, produce markets are still on the go, so please take advantage as for many of them this is their last month.
For all you legal age-ers, October is wine month and Oktoberfest! You know what that means...you will have ample opportunities to get your drinking game on...one way or another!
There are of course many other events going on, but I won't overwhelm you, suffice it to say the October is one of my favorite months...just wait until you see what else it has in store for you!