A kickass adventure

My fellow frugal foodies, I come to you today with news of a very worthy adventure. I think you will be pleased to hear that I took my own advice, and trecked it out to Davis Square (which is really not that far...).

As I had predicted, When Pigs Fly was waiting with samples, sweet and savoury, and they managed to stave off our hunger until 5 oclock when the Kickass Cupcake happy hour began. As it turns out, the neighbourhood is aware of this little gem and its once-a-month deal. We were not the only ones milling around...but it's nothing to get in a panic about, the staff are quite well prepared and are armed with many a mini cupcakes.

This month's flavours were the chocol-itini, the peach belini and the pineapple daiquiri. They were all great. My favorite was the pineapple daiquiri, which is surprising because I usually prefer anything with chocolate. The daiquiri cupcake was soaked in rum and pineapple juice and topped with zesty lime frosting...so creamy and delicious! The whole number was garnished with some crystalised sugar and a piece of dried pineapple. Amazing! I could easily take one too many of these shots!

I also ended up purchasing one of their lucky cupcakes, which actually combines the fruity trend with my chocolate addiction. It is a lemon cupcake with white chocolate frosting. On the way home I tried just a taste of the frosting while exercising otherwise great self-restraint and it is really something to experience.

Davis Square was really cute, just a cluster of odd ball restaurants and boutiques amongst a few little streets all meeting around a square. It's perfect for a few hours, especially when a bit of that time is spent in When Pigs Fly and Kickass cupcakes. Unfortunately I will be missing the next Happy Hour, but you should put it down in your phone asap! It will be on the 28th of June. I will of course do my best to remind you, it is something I would hate for you to miss out on again!

Buttery Breakfast

The South End Buttery is the epitomy of a classic weekend morning...you walk by on a Saturday or Sunday and the place is full of south enders with their cute dogs and their usual order: a cup of strong coffee, a latté, a donut muffin or for those with an early sweet tooth, one of their famous cupcakes.

This is how it has been for years and you can tell the regulars are very comfortable with it continuing likewise. About a year ago, something happened that rocked the bakery. The South End Buttery got into the hands of Joe Brenner, the famed culinary director of Todd English's numberous properties. A project was envisioned to add a restaurant facette to the Buttery's menu.

When the restaurant section first opened, there was considerable upset because the café seating was reserved for the in-restaurant brunchers. This did not sit well at all with the regulars. Luckily however, since the opening, much has been fine tuned and revamped and the café remains a separate part from the restaurant, all south enders who want to enjoy their newspaper with their cup of coffee and butterscoth scone may now return to their settled comfort zone. The space has been refurbished with a beautiful wooden bar to the bar with a couple of booths and there is an entire downstairs section with a fireplace to add to the coziness.

As for the restaurant section of the Buttery, I have only experienced their brunch, but it was so good that I am very much inclined to try out its dinner. Served on Saturdays and Sundays from 10-3, the buttery has a great menu with some old school favorites like fried chicken and waffles and eggs in the hole as well as more individual specialties, like their buttery breakfast which comes with two eggs, your choice of sausage or bacon and a choice of pancakes or mini waffles. I got the latter and thoroughly enjoyed it, however my favorite part of the whole meal was the butterscotch scone we started off with. This delicious baked good comes accompagnied with homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream and is priced at five dollars. It brings me back to my childhood in england where they really do things right. By the time I was finished this treat, I wanted to order about five more.

I was very reassured by this brunch at the Buttery, I had indeed tried it out when it first opened and was not impressed. Now that the usual starting kinks have been ironed out the place holds true to its South End comfort and standard.

I am now looking to find a time to try out its dinner menu which sounds equally as appealing...any takers??

Fro-yo hands up in the air!

In the past decade or so, frozen yogurt has made a turn around and become one of society's most fashionable desserts. More particularly, frozen yogurt shops that sell the tart fro-yo with fresh fruit toppings are of increasing popularity. Although this treat is indeed delicious, refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day, all of these places are exactly the same. They all take a fruit and a colour and voilà! They have their name. They are all very simple and modern looking on the inside and offer a limited number of flavours and mostly the same toppings. When you think about it, Pinkberry, Red Cherry and Red Mango are really not that different one from the other...

That is what was so exciting about this fab place we came upon in Coolidge Corner. The name, 'Berry Freeze' maybe leaves something to be desired in terms or originality, but the concept it leads is really top notch and way ahead of the other chains.

The way most of these places work, is you pick your flavor and size, the staff fills up your cup (but almost always leaves a huge gapping whole in the middle of your dessert...cheap!) and then put your choice of toppings on at $.50 a tiny spoonful. This techique fails to get your dessert just the way you like it...too much chocolate sauce and not enough mochi! (delicious cubes of gummy goodness).

At Berry Freeze, they have the custom made dessert route mastered. You walk in, head to the back where you have three different sizes and a frange of flavours. You put as much fro-yo into your cup as you desire, then you proceed to the topping station where you can amuse yourself by putting a little dollop of peanut butter, two pieces of Milky Way, a sprinkle of granola, a random and colourful mixture of fruit and top it off with the entire container of mochi.

When you reach the check out you pay exactly for what you get, no more, no less. The unit price is about $.35 an oz, or 5. 60/lb. It's works out to being cheaper than the other places and this time you are paying for your very own fro-yo master piece.

The place is ingenius, there really is no other word for it. Luckily for me, I don't live right next door, the temptation would be too strong and I would end up spending way too much creativity and money in this place.

But for the odd trip out to Coolidge Corner, this place is an aboslute must...in fact, it would pair really well with some chocolate bread from When Pigs Fly...oo-er.

Mass Markets

A fantastic foodie sent me a tip about all the incredible Farmers Markets that set up shop around Boston this time of year.

It is true that it is a very exciting time, farmers truck in their freshest produce and set up their stalls in whichever market location they are participating in. There is no better way to stock up your fridge or pantry with fresh ingredients, interesting produce and tasty treats...there is also no better way to enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the sun than to stroll around a good farmers market with a fresh baked good.

The most popular ones that I know of are the ones within the Boston area, for example, the Prudential market which runs on Thursdays from May 20th through Oct 28th, this one has great variety and is located by the Pru on Boylston. Copley Square also has a market that goes from now until the end of Oct. This one runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11- 6. On Fridays and saturdays there is no place that offers cheaper produce than the farmers market by Haymarket. Sowa Sundays has started up again and you can go here for the full effect of the South End: delicious bakeries, fresh produce and quaint little boutiques all in one parking lot.

You could practically go to a different farmers market every day of the week, and enjoy your treasures on those days where there isn't one to be had. It's a beautifully managed system and when you buy things from these markets, you are paying the farmers directly, that's an added bonus.

Not many places are so richly endowed with farmers markets, you should therefore make the most of the great opportunities practically on your doorstep. Like I said before, if you don't live especially close to any of these, they make for really great escapes even if they are right in the city!

Please enjoy!

Oh and it is not uncommon to stumble upon a sample or two as you stroll...