Follow The Honey to Crema!

After a period of worrying about being alone for the Holidays, I ended up with visits from both one of my younger sisters and my mother. It is always so nice to have your family around, especially when you can show them some of your favorite spots, or explore some place new!

On Wednesday, my mother and her friend's last day in Boston, I decided to take them on a little tour of the Harvard part of Cambridge and we got to explore both old and new:)

We first ventured into one of Greater Boston's newest novelty stores, Follow The Honey. And what might this novelty store novel in? Well, ok, so it's obvious, but the sheer range of products, gizmos and treats that are on display in this tiny little ground level store on Mass Ave is remarkable.

 Of course, they have an endless collection of honeys, both local and exotic. Luckily, they also have a tasting bar where you can sample any product you are curious of...which for me was many! I tried some delicious whipped bumbleberry honey, some 'gritty' honey collected from rare killer bees, and of course, I had to sample their pungent truffle oil honey - my mother was not as enthused...but hey, it's an acquired taste!

The way the store is organized is part of what gives this place its quality and charm.  It is organized in a homely, cottage-like way with vintage furniture displaying things from specialty honey, to honey infused spreads, honey beauty products, books and more.  

 

In one cupboard, I found some of their unique honey spreads, from a chocolatey-honey spread (like Nutella...but maybe better!?) and the whipped bumbleberry honey that I sampled. Things like this are so versatile and can be used in teas, on toast, over ice cream...or on their own:)

 

Some of my favorite items were held in a cabinet of cubby holes; honey inspired mints, throat lozenges and simple but genius sticks of honey for a sweet snack on-the-go. And yes, that is a bee-hive inspired tie you spy;)

Other novelties within the novelty would be the self-serve honey tap set up in the back and a little mini fridge with a small but specialized selection of cheeses.

The staff are also just about as sweet as the product they peddle, walking into Follow The Honey is indeed like finding a little pot of sweet gold at the end of...well an avenue:)

After our stint in the hive, I brought my guests into the square where, defeated by the powerfully chilly winds, our ambling brought us to refuge at Cream Cafe, a favorite espresso hub for students and residents of the Square. I have always wanted to try it because it receives rave support from my fellow food bloggers.

On a cold day, it is a busy place, but we were lucky enough to snag three spots at their espresso bar and despite the little slips in the specifications of our order, once we were all set up, it became a great rest stop.

I am always happy to show off parts of Boston to visitors and I am even more happy when I end up finding a new gem.  Follow The Honey will be revisited..and with Harvard Square just round the corner, a nice little excursion is easily justified...with or without out-of-town visitors!

Dazzled at The Bristol Lounge

 Being away from my family and not able to go home for the holidays, I was worried that I may be spending this Christmas on the lonely side.  Fortunately however, I managed to pry one of my sisters away from home in Toronto and she came to spend a solid few days here with me:)

Of course, after boasting about all that Boston had to offer, I could not afford to disappoint! Having a food blog certainly lays on a bit of pressure! Lucky for me, I had just the treat to introduce Rosie to a solid food scene in Boston - The Bristol Lounge located across the Boston Commons in the Four Seasons Hotel.

As it turned out, this was in fact the only meal we ended up eating out - all others were spread out among various different homecooked dinners and holidays parties.

Before heading to the restaurant, we had to make a pit stop at the complimentary beverage station offered by the Hotel...with our faces practically frozen solid, this was much appreciated!

Now before I get started, I must admit that part of what made this Christmas Eve breakfast so special, was that it was a prize I had won earlier this year through a Twitter contest. So the whole thing was orchestrated as though we were VIP and with pricing not being an issue, my sibling was easily impressed:)

I started off with a deliciously creamy soy latte made with freshly ground Illy coffee. It was essential after such a freezing trek over.

As suggested by The Bristol Lounge themselves, (and other guests of the restaurant), we ordered their Lemon Ricotta hot cakes. They come drizzled in a plum sauce with plump blackberries and candied lemon rind as a garnish.

 It is essentially a pancake, but made with ricotta cheese, so apparently it is much healthier than your average pancake. The inside is gooey and delicious with a subtle taste of lemon.

We also ordered a side of fruit and the two together made for a perfectly fresh, zesty and very tasty start.

The next item we ordered was their famous lobster Eggs Benedict. We felt especially spoiled with this entree as it was not listed on their menu...but the Chef made it up special just for us!

And lucky he did too, the lobster meat was succulent and topped with two poached clouds...or I suppose they technically are called eggs.

It was served with a half of an avocado, breakfast potatoes (which I could have done with more of they were so yummy), a roasted tomato and this tangy-sweet corn salsa. The Bristol Lounge managed to make this dish, which, traditionally is quite heavy, go down a treat:)

After our meal, with our bellies and eyes quite satisfied, we couldn't help but ask for a picture in front of their amazing Christmas tree. At first glimpse, I thought it was just a very large, very decorated tree....

But upon closer examination, I found it to be a gigantic tree made of all different sized Teddy bears!

Rumour has it that they even had a Teddy Bear Mascot ramping around a couple days earlier...too bad we missed that!

This first initiation into Boston was a perfect treat for my sister, she was thrilled with everything from the minute we walked in. Being a prize winner certainly helps as we were taken care of with such attention that we felt as though we were the only ones in the whole restaurant! This is no easy feat as the BL is always booked when it comes to Holiday weekends...with the spot on service and food, it is no wonder why!

A Christmas Alert

It is very difficult to get into the 'Holiday Spirit' when it is practically tropical outside.. I realised yesterday that most of my gift shopping is not done and the reason I have felt little to no pressure is largely that Christmas feels at least a month away...surprise! It is the day after tomorrow, making matters even more pressing is the fact that many of my friends are off home for a quick Merry trip home so I need to get them their gifts tomorrow!

At least there are reminders around me in terms of festive culinary specials...Eggnog Lattes from your local coffee shop are always a plus, as are gingerbread truffles conveniently available throughout the holiday season from Godiva...Yumm! (If you have not picked up your free truffle, there is still time this month to sign up as a Rewards member :) ) Oh and the overwhelming presence of gingebread house making kits from Whole Foods  and Trader Joes. (Note to self - must pick one up for Sunday festivities!!)

So there is really no excuse for me to be so behind on my holiday shopping.

I hope most of you have not let the weather keep you in a strange no man's land in terms of seasonal orientation. If it has, let this be a reminder to you! A mayday of sorts to get out and finish up what's left..or at the very least, indulge in some Holiday treats!

And with that, I wish you a very Merry Christmas:)

When blogging and publishing collide

As some of you may know, Boston Brunchers is a group of avid bloggers who get together about once a month to try out different brunching hot spots.  I have been lucky enough to attend quite a few of these brunches and over the past year, it has grown both in number and in reach.  From more traditional brunches like last weekend's excursion to Temple Bar to bottomless brunches like the one we enjoyed at Local 149, the Brunchers have expanded going to see the Boston Ballet, hopping aboard the Odyssey and just last Sunday, a group of us were invited into the headquarters of the Harvard Common Press - a leading publisher of Cookbooks across America.

This was an extra special treat as what goes on within this warehouse on Albany street is not something you can just walk into. For our visit, they had prepared a couple of cocktails, and some great treats from various of their published cookbooks.

Their festive Cranberry Punch from edible Rhody was sweet and delicious...and dangerous:)

A series of baked goods, like their Raspberry-cream cheese coffee cake (A Real American Breakfast) and some delicious spinach and cheese casserole waited for us as well and it was so nice to see the recipes and origins of each item displayed.  

The folks at Harvard Common Press had really done things up for us, they even finished decorating their beautiful workplace with authentic Mexican woven carpets and figures..something which apparently had been a project in the making for a while:)

We all filled our plates and were taken to an adjacent room which actually serves as Bruce's wife's art studio. There was a big group of us, and I got to meet many new blogging faces.

That is another thing I so enjoy about these events, putting faces to blog names and twitter handles...

What was most interesting for me however, was what came next - which was a discussion led by Adam on the future of bloggers in the cookbook, publishing world. There is a huge place for some of these talented and enthusiastic writers and the discussion that followed was on of innovation and inspiration.

As my blog does not focus on recipes (I would never subject anyone to my cooking...), this discussion did not readily apply to me, but it was still interesting to see the inter-connectivity between the publishing world and the work my fellow bloggers put into their sites and creative archives.

After a stimulating morning of yummy treats and intellectual banter, we all went our separate ways. However, I am fairly sure we were all renewed with a sense of community, an appreciation of the family we have found through Boston Brunchers and the potential to really build something special.

I myself am proud to be a part of such a great group and am already looking forward to the great collaborations we are likely to see as the publishing and blogging worlds collide.