Box Kitchen

IMG_2515Apart from New York City, one is pressed to find late night eats in the U.S. (clarification: food you want to eat). I found myself in downtown SF starving at 11pm, in need of something more than a “small plate”. Connected to a dive bar is a little hole in the wall serving up eats until 1am, Box Kitchen. I’m immediately skeptical. The drunken early twenties crowd outside would probably eat anything. As usual, hunger takes over, garlic fries are sounding pretty great. I break down…and they are delicious! So delicious that I order another round of fries and a burger. Simple, tasty, open late, and a great draft selection at Tempest Bar. Sorry for judging you twenties crowd, you were right!

Eating Berlin

kaeserieLa Soupe Populaire – tops my list of best restaurants in Berlin. The unique setting enhances the dining experience and the details alone are enough to keep you entertained. Service was as thoughtful as the food, wines were excellent, and if you’re wondering about the cover charge, it’s totally worth it! Menus in German and English.

La Kaeserie – once you’ve entered, you won’t want to leave. If there are free tables, stay for a cheese plate that will not disappoint! I wanted to bring back all the cheese and unpasteurized butter…

Street food Thursday at Markthalle Neun – outstanding street food night!! Bao, jams, fish and chips, New York pastrami sandwiches, smoked fish, Aussie meat pies, wine and cheese plates and I could go on. If you’re around on a Thursday evening in Berlin, this is the place to be.

Aguevo – yummy Mexican spot

Rembrandt Burger – solid burgers and fries

Burger Meister – honestly, I didn’t picture myself waiting for a burger underneath a train station, let alone eating there. I did both. It’s the Berlin version of Shake Shack and yes, it’s tasty.

Brezel Company – because you want a pretzel, because they have pretzels stuffed with cream cheese (genius!).

Coffee:

Silo – super cute cafe, Australian owners, great coffee and deliciously fresh eats.

Five Elephant – good coffee, not many food items, friendly service.

Am Ende der Welt – near Hamburger Bahnof museum, small selection of food.

Beer/Cocktails:

Hopfenreich – craft beer, local and imports, selection rotates often. Drafts are available in different sizes.

Bier Lieb – craft beer store, fun selection!

Die Apotheken Bar – crazy good cocktails (board games too)

Heiden Peters – some of best local beer I had

Hops and Barley – popular local brewery, good stuff, constantly rotating selection

 

Lyndell’s

lyndellsWhen I was a little kid, my mother would take me to Lyndell’s and they would always give me a cookie. Now that I’m older, I just take a number like everyone else. On most days, you won’t need the number, but on any holiday that calls for pastry, you wait until you’re called. My favorite things: honeycomb bread (made with graham flour which is rare around these parts), white mountain bread, snowflake rolls, all the danish, jelly donuts, ricotta pie, hazelnut cookies with chocolate drizzle, and Linzer cookies.

Eat this: Love Grain

lovegrainHappy Sunday and first day of June! Sunday calls for a leisurely breakfast. Today I whipped up a batch of pancakes with Love Grain’s pancake and waffle mix. They are easy to make, cook quickly and evenly, delicious, and local (Somerville, Ma). The mixture is mostly teff which has been popping up everywhere lately. I made the vegan version with almond milk, just lovely! I’ll probably explore more uses for the mix, maybe muffins or cookies, we shall see.

Charleston, SC

larder

Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q – don’t judge me because I got the pulled pork nachos. They were delicious! The White Thai on draft was refreshing and tasted much better than the can.

Edmund’s Oast – they make their own beer and charcuterie! None of their beers were quite what I was feeling that evening, so I went with something else (note: the peanut butter and jelly beer was unique). Oh and they have punch on draft! The charcuterie and cheese plates were nothing but fantastic. The farm lettuce salad was refreshing and a perfect fit for the warm weather. The pickled shrimp wasn’t exactly what I expected and the thick layer of aioli ruined it for me. Overall, the meal was lovely and the space was beautiful, I’d go back for sure!

Tattooed Moose – yep, the place from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives…great dive bar! Maybe next time I’ll try the duck pastrami.

Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer – feels like a college haunt, in a good way. Great coffee (lacking in pastry options though), lots of beers on draft to take out into the courtyard (Evil Twin Hop Flood!), super cute and relaxing.

Two Boroughs Larder – reminds me of Philadelphia (I don’ really have justification for that, it just does). Local, seasonal, simple, and kitschy – we had the hot dog and a scrapple sandwich, both were yummy! I left with a tote bag, that dog Walter is too cute to pass up!

Closed for Business – lots of draft options, retro kitschy decor, pork rinds – you get the drift.

 

Georgia, briefly

peachy

Atlanta:

Paper Plane – go for the cocktails, stay for the steak tartare! The 1960s (Mad Men vibe) decor almost makes you feel like everyone should be smoking cigarettes. Food and beverage menus change often, we happened to be lucky enough to try the panna cotta (divine!).

Brick Store Pub – a short walk from Paper Plane so you don’t have an excuse not to go if you like beer. The list is extensive, bartenders are friendly and happy to let you try something if you’re unsure.

General Muir – Jewish deli in Atlanta, really? Yes and it’s awesome. Melt in your mouth pastrami is a must order if you eat meat!

Wrecking Bar – they brew their own beer here (other options available too). Though I did not eat, I saw some pretty fierce looking charcuterie plates.

Abbatoir – part of the Star Provisions empire. A nice place to stop in for a cocktail and nosh while shopping around the Westside Provisions District.

Miller Union – if you want to experience top notch service and dining, this is the place to go. Menu speaks for itself.

Little Tart and Octane – a match made in heaven, the two share a space in Grant Park. Little Tart serves up the best croissants in Atlanta (and probably beats most other cities too) and Octane shares the same prestige in the coffee world.

Macon:

Mellow Mushroom – reminded me of my favorite pizza joint, Flatbread Company. They are also a chain, but haven’t sprouted up in New England yet. We had the privilege of being served by Michael, their resident beer nerd. Thanks Michael, you are awesome! The pizza is yummy and we couldn’t eat it all so we left with the raddest 70s looking take out box. Oh, and the bathrooms are labeled “brothers” and “sisters”, adorable.

Savannah:

Local 11 Ten – I found this place in a Southern Living article on Savannah and looked forward to reporting back good things. I have nothing good to say. The cocktails were awful, the food didn’t wow me, and the service was the worst I had during my entire trip. We sat at the bar, maybe the table service was better, but I felt unwelcome and there isn’t any excuse for that, EVER.

Coffee Fox – the coffee here is pretty good. I really wanted a pastry for breakfast, but when I looked at their case I was disappointed. Rather than take a chance on kolache, I went to Goose Feathers.

Goose Feathers – people flock to this place, no really, there are lines. I got the sticky bun and now I have cavities in all my teeth. Kidding, but the bun is covered in hard caramel. Once you get through that, it’s golden! Service is fast and friendly.

Brite Space Boston – Donut + Cocktail Pairing with Union Square Donuts + backbar

ebBrite Space Boston is an Eventbrite pop-up space hosting events to engage the Boston community and highlight local makers and businesses. We attended the donut and cocktail pairing with donuts from Union Square Donuts and cocktails from backbar’s Sam Treadway. Josh Danoff and Sam talked briefly about their history; how they ended up in the food and beverage industry, how they found themselves in Union Square, and their plans for the future (a jelly donut for USQ and a new restaurant for Sam). Then, we got to taste, and everything tasted GOOD. Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch donut and orange juice with Amaretto were my two favorites. Thanks to Sara for putting these stellar events together! I hope the success sparks more like it in the future.

Casa B

casabTucked away between storefronts in Union Square, CasaB could easily be overlooked. The restaurant has two levels, a bright white color scheme on the first floor and a dimly lit and cozy basement. I’m partial to the lower level where you can see the kitchen working. They also have a beautiful wall full of plants downstairs (which I thought were fake and was delighted to find out are real). Drink menus are placed on the table to start, when asked about the wines the server just described their color. I wish I was kidding.

After the drink orders are placed, the food menus arrive. We order rollitos de aguacate, seven layer salad (a special that day), and camarones rellenos de yuca. Complimentary plantain chips here are tasty, the dipping sauce isn’t even necessary. Rollitos were good, especially the prune and cilantro dipping sauce. The presentation of the seven layer salad was artfully done. The server sets down a plate with a clear glass bowl (placed upsidedown) in the center. Inside the bowl you can see all the beautiful layers, once the beauty is acknowledged, the server gently lifts off the bowl and all the layers fall to the plate. It tasted pretty great too, a little overdressed to my liking, but I’m a minimalist with dressing. Camarones rellenos de yuca, sounded more exciting than they were. Dessert was the winner, a trio of ice cream sandwiches, homemade ice cream and cookies. I’d go back for that again and again.

Dough

doughDough deserves to have lines out the door. People like to line up for things like doughnuts, but this place is the real deal. The Cafe au Lait doughnut is amazing, amazing, amazing! The filled doughnuts always sell out, if you’re lucky enough to get one, savor it.

Aita

aitaAita was a brunch stop on a recent visit to Brooklyn. It’s a swank little restaurant with chic vintage flair, well-curated, not over adorned. The menu has options for every guest. I chose the montecristo, pretty basic, no minds blown. The dinner menu seems to be their focus, next time I’ll get a pasta dish.