A work out for you brain and your tummy:)

 When people think of going to a restaurant, they usually think of going out to enjoy a meal, a good chat or serious gossip - but there is so much more that be can done within the framework of a restaurant.  

 Common Ground Bar and Grill in Allston has the right idea, offering a different event every night of the week, from Stump trivia on Mondays to their Millennium party on Saturdays. (Check out their weekly schedule of events here.)

 My friend and I went to check out their Monday night Trivia last week and from about 8-10, the bar was packed with eager trivia gurus...and then some pretty fresh faces..aka, my friend and I:)

Although the trivia certainly helps draw in the crowds, Common Ground also has a recently re-configured menu, drawing on seasonal items, hand-picked and created jointly by Manager Bob Oguin and Chef Jaime Suarez.  Everyday, they set off in search of the freshest ingredients from local markets that incite their inspiration...it makes the world of difference!

 My friend and I arrived a bit before 8 and got started with an array of food...aka brain fuel, because we were ready to give this trivia a real go. On the board above the bar is a list of daily specials, whatever Chef Jaime Suarez and Manager Bob Oguin create from their collaborative morning trips to the markets.  

 We started with some chicken wings with Sweet Asian glaze.  Knowing we were going to have some serious pub fare, we figured we should get some greens...something people don't usually associate with a neighborhood bar.  Again, Common Ground knows what they are doing and serve up a delicious, roasted duck salad, with Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, green apple malt vinaigrette, all on a bed of delicious mixed greens.

 Deviled eggs, an item I usually skip over, came topped with house-cured bacon which sparked our interest.  Turns out the bacon was a delicious crispy pork belly...these little guys did not last long:)

 

  Of their daily specials, and upon Bob's recommendation, we tried their 'Sticky Chicken'.  It was a juicy chicken thigh, covered in a sticky, sweet glaze and on a bed of chopped fennel, carrots and cabbage.  It was similar to the chicken wings, but so much more fun because there was more meat...and consequently - so much more mess:)

 We also (yes there was more:) ), ordered their buffalo mac and cheese which is, understandably, a crowd favorite.  Served in a skillet, the casserole is cheesy and creamy, mixed with the sweet and spicy kick from the buffalo and a traditional sharp cut of Gorgonzola.  It was a fantastic rendition.

Only their fig and prosciutto sandwich disappointed, but it was largely because it was a bit light on the house-made fig jam...the fries however, were prime! (Apparently some people travel from quite a distance just for these fries...and I consider doing the same shortly:) )

We were completely stuffed, and come to think of it, our food coma probably did not help our trivia situation...but I refused to leave without dessert.  Again, as recommended by Bob, we gave their Chocolate Grand Mariana cake a try. It was a glorified molten chocolate lava cake - crispy on the outside, warm and lava-like on the inside.  With the side of whipped cream, I somehow polished off an entire cake...

So what did we learn? Among other things, that 'Mac and Cheese' was apparently a special edition Crayola color introduced in 1993, the LA Lakers were originally from Minneapolis and Oakland is the 4th highest ranked 'place to visit' as stated by The New York Times...We also learned that Trivia takes some practice and although my friend and I had some shining moments...we did not perform as well as we had hoped.  Common Ground seems the perfect place to fine tune our trivia skills - and even if that doesn't end up panning out -  we are sure to have a great meal:)

Secret Secret:)

There is something undeniably thrilling about being in on a secret. Perhaps it's the exclusivity of it, the 'hush-hush' of it all or maybe just the thought that if people are not begging you to let them in on it...it's probably because they don't even know what they are missing out on.

One of my most recent favorite 'secret' has in fact been around for a while.  It won't surprise many of you that I am referring to a 'secret dinner' of sorts people refer to as 'pop-up dinners'.  As with many secrets, pop-ups are not on display and it's not until you start looking out for them that you realize just how rich and lush the Greater Boston's pop-up scene really is.

Most people ask: what exactly is a 'Pop-up'? There are many answers. It is a term which can be used to describe an individual or group that throws a dinner party in a given location for one night.  It can be in a restaurant (like the Celebrity Chef series at Stella or Guchi's Midnight Ramen), a person's home, or an entirely different location, like a retail store. Pop-ups can also be businesses which sprout up in unused locations for a limited time, like Dore Creperie.
Different as they may be, all pop-ups share two things - first, they are always shrouded in some kind of secrecy to heighten anticipation and novelty and second, they always end up bringing together a mix of people from all walks of life. Without fail, attending a pop-up is an interesting and enlightening experience!

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to check out a pop-up dinner in a series that has just been launched.  Unfortunately, I cannot give away the location, that is part of the puzzle leading up to your invitation to dinner. I can say however, that its concept is vegan, Afro-Cuban street food....and lots of Bubbles:)

I was especially excited about this dinner as it was a super secret pop-up, aka, it was the rehearsal for the actual launching of the series called, Barrio Pop-up Dinner. Keep reading and you will find the email that will get you one step closer to getting in on the next one!

The dinner began at 8 30 and I was very happy to see some familiar food blogger faces waiting just as eagerly as I for the door to open. Once inside, a glass of delicious Champagne was handed to us and shortly thereafter we were taken to the dinner room.  The space is small but comfortably fits about twelve people and has been made specifically for pop-up events.  It even has a demonstration kitchen and funky art work to boot!

To our surprise and many people's delight, we were soon instructed to get chopping. A large assortment of fruits and vegetables were placed in front of us and we were told to help chop the ingredients for our salad.  (I keenly steered far away from the pineapple and settled for a much less intimidating bunch of carrots).

The fruits of our labor (pun intended) were not wasted and we saw our fine skills placed on top of a bed of mixed greens constituting the first course.  Jicama, carrots, tomatoes, mango and pineapple all piled high on our plate made for a tasty and colorful medley. We were also given a skewer with grilled corn coated in crumbly cheese with a nice kick.  It was delicious! (I surreptitiously managed to procure a second skewer:) )

 

Another surprise was delivered once our salad plates had been cleared, this one came in the form of two scoops of Wild Blueberry and goat cheese ice cream. Talk about a stroke of genius! It served simultaneously as a palate cleanser and a hot topic of conversation. This got my table going on a tangent that veered towards the wonders of pairing chocolate and cheese...yumm:)

A ratatouille of sorts was served next with eggplant, zucchini and roasted peppers.  I am not sure it was supposed to be served cold, but the spicy salsa verde certainly helped heat it up again:)

For the main course, we were given a plate piled high with traditional Cuban street food - rice and beans, collard greens and fried plantains (which they thankfully brought out extra of.  Two soft tacos were filled with vegan chicken and green apple curry.  I was curious about how you make vegan chicken, but the big boss aka... Ice T, would not let me in on that secret...but I suppose some must be kept:)

It was pretty tasty, however I was not too crazy about the texture.

Unfortunately, the dessert, which was one of the best parts of the meal for me, cannot be disclosed here...it would give too much away! 

All I can say is that after all of this delicious food and magical champagne flutes that somehow managed to refill themselves throughout, room must be left for the real treat that ends the meal.

Barrio Pop-up Dinner is going to be a great hit.  Once people get it on their radar they will be bombarding the correspondent to get a spot. 

Boston's food scene is always evolving, with pop-ups sprouting up here and there, there is always something new and exciting to look forward to. As for me, I am still looking to get in on a Guchi Midnigt Ramen pop-up and a couple of others...I am also looking forward to discovering more Pop-ups in and around Boston!
As promised, here is the email you should contact to get a spot at the next Barrio Pop-up Dinner (March 8th):

Barrio pop-up dinner

3 Scoops - Innovation at its creamiest!

What I love most about my antics as a frugal foodista, are the little adventures that take me way out of my usual niche and into a world of innovation and creativity.  I experienced one such adventure on Tuesday evening at the hands of 3 Scoops Ice Cream Café, a little gem of a creamerie in Brighton.

After a few confused hops on and off the same bus (good thing I had a bus pass!) I was dropped off right in front of the ice cream café where my love for ice cream was about to be nurtured.

3 Scoops, which has been around for about 6 years now, is your quintessential mom and pops ice cream store; cardboard boxes filled with ice cream both very different and very traditional, hand written menus show the days featured flavours and any specials, a large tub offers little candy treats for 25 cents.

I was fortunate enough to meet with Raul, one of the ice cream makers in chief (he partners with Mark Cooper) who not only comes up with some of the most far out combinations of ice cream, but is also at the forefront of the fight against corporate monsters who try to gobble places like 3 Scoops right up and out of business.

I spent a lot of time asking questions about Raul's ice cream philosophy while trying out pretty much every flavour in the store...in addition to some secret batches kept in the back freezer. 

To make his ice cream and sorbets, Raul makes everything from scratch using only local ingredients to support farmers in the area.  He told me he is a stickler for knowing what goes into the ice cream they sell and any single taste will justify the extra effort.

For instance, in their famed 'Coffee and Donuts' ice cream, he makes and grinds his own coffee based ice cream to which he adds apple fritter donuts which again, he makes himself.  The end result is an entire experience, it's more than a combination of flavours, its a revelation! I felt like I was sitting in a cop car at a stake out!

Of all the flavours that I tried, my favorite was...ok, so that's not going to work because each flavour was such a testimony to its name that I loved every one...apart from the coconut sorbet, which he admitted was a little off an ingredient.  I was most impressed however with his cucumber goat cheese ice cream...yes you read it right!

Raul also takes requests from customers who have a flavour they would like to see behind counter.  I have been thinking about what I would like since the moment I left the store....so far I have St. Andre cheese, with cinamon and pear...what do you think?

If I could, I would give this place a six dancer rating, I was so impressed by the product, the pricing and the integrity.  If only there were more places like this and less of the generic corporate  replicas we can't seem to get away from!