1 dollar oysters at Rialto are back and going fast!

After a brief hiatus, the Rialto team kicked off their famed 1 dollars Oyster Mondays this week with a boat load of over 1,000 oysters from Island Creek Oyster Bar.  Although this may sound like a lot, at a dollar each and combined with the hype of this dynamic team (let's also note that Nantucket Microbrewery Cisco Brewers was a partner for the evening), these babies went FAST!

 Arriving at 6:25, which I thought was an acceptable time, my friend and I only just barely snagged the last dozen. Once they were presented to us, I completely understood why..I have never seen such huge oysters! 

They were plump and delicious and went down an absolute treat with the Grey Lady Ale from Cisco Brewers.  I paired mine with a delicious Falanghina, fruity and medium body, a perfect refreshing accompaniment to our lovely array of oysters.

Rialto also had a trio of mignonettes, my favorite of which was the ginger root and champagne one (in the middle).

Needless to say, when Rialto says come in early...you had better take note because at 1 dollar, these oysters practically get shucked onto your plate...and you will not want to settle for less than a dozen:)

Lucky for us, it looks like Mondays will be 1 $ Oyster Mondays from now on at Rialto!

Lovin' Spoonfuls Ultimate Tailgate Party 2012

On the eve of Hurricane Sandy, 350 enthusiastic and supportive individuals gathered for the second annual Ultimate Tailgate Event.  A fundraiser for Lovin' Spoonfuls, one of Boston's most innovative non-profit organizations, this year's event was an evening dedicated to the incredible team behind the wheels of this organisation.  Without a doubt, it was one of the most special events I have been to in a while. 

The event was held at Sam's at Louis, by the Seaport, but wait! Only a small part of it was held indoors, most of it actually happened outside on the lawn, under cover of a tent.  Being outside on a night like Sunday evening gave the whole thing a very powerful feeling, like we were all there to celebrate something extra special.  The sound of the winds coming in added an element of intrigue but overall, it felt like we were all just a bunch of friends hanging out with good food, wine (courtesy of MS Walker) and all for a good cause. 

Before going any further, I should say a few words about what it is exactly that the team behind Lovin' Spoonfuls does.

In January 2010, Ashley Stanley, Lovin' Spoonfuls founder and executive director, put in motion a team with the intention of redistributing foods that would otherwise be thrown away and wasted, to those in need.  With 40 % of food being wasted each year in America, there is no doubt that much can be done to reverse this trend.  By setting out each day in one of their two trucks, the team behind Lovin' Spoonfuls is able to redistribute some of what restaurants, groceries, bakeries and other wholesale food producers cannot sell to homeless and crisis shelters around the city of Boston.

Lovin' Spoonfuls is now in its second year and they have saved 100,000 lbs of fresh, delicious food.  No doubt an organisation like this needs continued support and the Tailgate event was an excellent excuse to generate awareness, produce some funds and the ultimate goal of the tailgate? Put another truck on the road:)

As I mentioned earlier, part of the evening happened indoors, there was a football themed photo booth and a bar inside.  Most of the excitement however, happened out in the tent, where some of Boston's top chefs had created Tailgate themed dishes for guests to enjoy. 

One of my favorites was the lobster roll by celebrity chef, Steve 'Nookie' Postal.  The chunks of lobster in this deliciously buttered and pan-toasted roll were large and succulent. I am not usually a fan of lobster rolls, but after eating this one, I totally get it!

I must admit however, I started the evening off with an ice cream sandwich from the Flour team.  It was the first table I saw and how could you possibly resist a ginger molasses cookie with pear ice cream!? They also had servings of their delectable sticky bun bread pudding...what a table:)

Throughout the evening it was also a pleasure to see Jamie Bissonnette from Coppa and Toro (for two very meat inspired restaurants, it was ironic to see him serving up a spicy tofu bocadilla:) ), Joanne Change and Christopher Myers as well as Will Gilson and other great  names in Boston's food scene. Again, the support at this event was so genuine, Chef Will actually spent most of his time battling the winds outside as he was shucking his oysters fresh for all guests:)

By the end of the night, amid all the delicious food, good music and entertaining live auction hosted by TV Diner's Jenny Johnson, Lovin' Spoonfuls more than met their goal and with over 80 000 dollars raised, there will be a third truck on the road!
From the day I first heard about Lovin's Spoonfuls, I knew it was something special and participating at an event dedicated to its future development was a real treat for me. I so look forward to keeping in touch with the up and coming pursuits of this organization.
Follow them on Twitter and like them on facebook so that you can be up to date as well!

PS! Lovin' Spoonfuls is having another fundraiser this Sunday at the Seapoint Bar and Grill. No tickets are necessary, but a minimum 20 dollar donation is to be expected...oh and so is as much grilled cheese as you please and wine from 90+ Cellars. Be there:)

Perfect Fuel for perfect energy:)

We made it through our opening week of the 2012-2013 season!!  

The first week of shows is always the hardest because leading up to it we are in the theater all day long doing tedious techs and run-throughs as we get the last minute details in order.  Once we make it to Sunday, we are all hanging on by a thread and T-I-R-E-D!

Thankfully, there are a few little things that can help us along in these moments of exhaustion.  Coco Cafe is one product which can help give that extra boost and in fact, one of my fellow dancers had one by her side throughout the Sunday show:)

 A more recent discovery for me is Perfect Fuel Chocolate.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this product, it is a cube of 74 % raw cacao and ginseng. 

Come again? 

Rephrase: it is a cube of very dark chocolate enriched with a type of perennial plant with proven health benefits..aka ginseng:) 

I had seen these little guys in various stores and marketplaces around town for about a year now and was actually introduced to them by a former dancer of the Boston Ballet who used to eat them during the intermissions of a particularly daunting ballet. (ahem, Don Quixote!)

You can imagine how excited I was when a friend of mine introduced me to one of his training buddies...who happens to be Nicolas Warren, the CEO and founder of Perfect Fuel just last week...a few days before we went into the theater! 

We were at a lovely wine and cheese hosted by Nicolas and his wife and I was able to pick his brain about the fascinating process and benefits derived from his product.  In each Perfect Fuel bar,  there is a serving of enough organic cacao to provide sustained, long lasting energy - just the kind of thing I was looking for:)  Perfect Fuel is also high in antioxidants and has no refined sugar.

 As for the taste, if you like dark chocolate, you will LOVE these bars.  I myself am a huge fan, however, if I don't feel like I can handle the concentrated taste of 74 % dark chocolate, I conveniently have a bag of high energy treats that I can mix it in with.  It just so happens that Perfect Fuel bars are the 'Perfect' addition to any trail mix:)

Whether you are a high level athlete, a performer or just need a boost at some point during the day, Perfect Fuel bars are an excellent option.  They provide a small, tasty and all-natural dose of sustained energy, so you won't get the usual crash that comes after most energy supplements on the market.

I can tell these bars will become an increasingly important part of my diet regimen at the theater and just in time for our performance season too:) 

Lucky for those of you who missed out on our performances this week, we are doing one more weekend of shows starting next Thursday - and you can bet we will have tons of energy:)

Two Chefs and a Microphone - Urban Grape

For those of you who have read my post on the new and exciting opening of the South End's very own Urban Grape, you may recall a mention of popups and other events being held in this great space.

Having been open for just under a month in this location, (The Urban Grape has an original space in Chestnut Hill) TJ and Hadley, the power couple behind this wine store, wasted no time in hosting their christening popup dinner. 

On this particular Sunday, the new store was turned into a conceptual popup dinner, 'Two Chefs and  a Microphone'.  As the title suggests, two of Boston's great chefs were on hand for the evening, Chef Michael Scelfo from Russell House Tavern and the two Seths from The Gallows.  They were given a limited list of ingredients and instructed to go head to head in a battle of old school vs. new school (respectively).  

A five course menu was prepared by each and each course was paired with a wine, beer or whiskey decided on by TJ.

Here is what the two chefs came up with: 

The first dish was centered around the 'oyster'.  Team new school (The Gallows) presented an incredible concoction: Oysters 'Kennedy' with spinach, lobster aioli, Irish Whisky and Cape Cod potato Chips. It was paired with a Pinot Blanc from Napa Valley (Robert Foley)

I could have eaten five of these...easily. It was such an incredible combination of flavors and crunch, without being overwhelming.

Chef Michael, representing the old school, presented us with a classic ICO oyster with wood smoked cocktail sauce, brambly bacon and sea bean mignonette.  It was paired with a nice sparkling Gruner from Australia (Punkt).

Although I usually side with the bacon, team new school won this first course.

Before the second course came out, I meandered around the store and grabbed a peak at the chefs in action just by the check out station. Micheal was busy preparing a delicious cheddar biscuit.

 I loved that the dinner was a mingling event and not a rigid sit down affair...this way, you could make your way around the store, check out the many different wines, beers and sakes and best of all, sample their progressive rating scale at their tasting station:)

For the second course, new school prepared a shot of pumpkin chowder with corn, ham and common crackers, paired with a double pumpkin ale from Sam Adams.  I liked the pairing, and the soup was interesting, but I would have preferred more of a pumpkin taste.

Chef Micheal for his part, presented a delicious torched delicata squash with a clothbound cheddar biscuit.  Anything with a biscuit is fine by me and this one did not disappoint. Paired with  a Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Gris (Alsace), it was a great come back by team old school.

The next course was charcuterie theme; a strength for both restaurants.  The Gallows made a delicious blue fish pate with a fantastic apple-horseradish on brioche toast. This time it was paired with an Ehlers Estate Rose.

Russell House came out with a warm roasted Char belly with bone marrow brioche, red wine and pickled oinion jam. TJ decided to pair this one with what he called an 'industry wine', an Occhipinti 'Il Frappato' Frappoto from Sicily. 

Both courses were outstanding...no surprises there;)

For the main savory course, Chef Micheal presented heaping dishes of duck fat braised pork neck (what a mouthful!) over a bed of herbed white beans and crispy chard leaves...it was served family-style which made me very happy and I will admit that I went back for seconds...and thirds:)

It was paired with Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso, a red from Italy.

Unfortunately, I was somehow duped out of the savory course from the Gallows...I had my hands on one, put it down for a second and it sneaked away from me. Thankfully, Seth noticed and brought me a special plate of their New England baked beans, which were delicious and smokey:) 

For dessert, Team New School did a play on an apple tart with brick cheese and a tiny scoop of ice cream.  It was a bite-sized perfection and I definitely wanted more. It was paired with a Willet 'Pot Still Reserve' Bourbon Whiskey.  I am not quite at the point where I enjoy such strong drinks...but I can understand the appeal on a cold winter's day.

Chef Micheal presented a testament to the old school with a cheese and apple plate with prune and honey jam.  Again, I could have done with a few helpings of this..I just love, love, love cheese!

Also paired with a Whisky, this time a Scotch Whisky, Glenmorangie from Scotland (aged 12 years).

With such a great concept, team and DJ (yes, there was an evening long mash up between old and new), it is no surprise the evening was a smashing success and a preview of many more exciting things to come.  Sign up for The Urban Grape's newsletter or follow them on twitter for upcoming events:)