Time is of the essence during the holiday season. Whether you're hosting a party or just cooking for your family, chances are you have a million things to do and very little time to do it. Here are some quick dishes that will impress guests, taste delicious and add some color to your spread.

1. Tomato Mozzarella Basil Toothpicks - If someone says they don't like the combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, they're lying. It's a fact, this combination is welcomed at all times. Putting the ingredients on the toothpick makes it easy to eat and adds a touch of sophistication.

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2. Pretzel M&M Treats - With only three ingredients - m&m's, hershey kisses, pretzels - and only a few minutes in the oven, these are extremely cheap and easy to make. And there's just something about that salty/sweet combination makes them insanely addicting. Recipe here.

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3. Soufflés - Don't worry, I'm not telling you to make a soufflé from scratch, we'll leave that to the experts. Lucky for us, many of the Whole Foods in the Boston area carry Chef Yves' Souffles - frozen pre-made souffles that come in five different sweet and savory varieties. Just pop 'em in oven.

4. Prosciutto Wrapped Anything - Think of it as a modern take on a holiday ham. Melon, cheese, asparagus, it all works. Just head over to any specialty food store (South End Formaggio and American Provisions are personal favorites) and pick up their thin cut Prosciutto di Parma.

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5. Homemade Salsa - salsa is a crowd pleaser at any time of the year, and it looks festive too! I recently discovered The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Restaurant Style Salsa and I make it at least once a week. Soula's Salsa is another great option if you don't have time to cook!

Every year around this time the same thing happens to me, between Thanksgiving and Christmas I find myself eating so many heavy foods and sweets so often, that I start to crave something lighter and healthier. (Last year I turned to Halibut for a holiday detox soluation.) Usually when you get used to eating heavier foods (thanks to all those holiday parties and Christmas cookies) eating a light salad hardly fills you up at all. That's where the beets come in. They add substance to the salad, simultaneously filling you up and working wonders for your digestive system.

I used Montasio cheese because that's what I had in the fridge. Montasio was great because it has this earthy / grassy flavor that paired well with both the arugula and the beets. However, you can use any cheese you like, this recipe is simple enough to replace it with Parmigiano, Pecorino, or even soft goat cheese.

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad
serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch red beets

4 cups arugula

Handful of Montasio cheese shavings, to taste (can be substituted with cheese of choice)

4 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, remove the greens.
2. Toss the beets with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and place in baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until you can easily insert and remove a fork.
3. Once beets cool down, remove the skin from the beets and dice.
4. Combine diced beets with arugula, salt, pepper, cheese, oil and vinegar. You can use any vinaigrette that you like here - but I like to keep it simple with just oil and vinegar.

Enjoy!

Between Cinquecento, Estelle's and BoMA it's hard to keep up with the restaurant openings in the South End these days. The first to open of this bunch was BoMa, which took over the old Pho Republique space on Washington St.

The menu concept is American small plates, which my initial judgement didn't deem too exciting, but after trying a few dishes I was pleasantly surprised--everything was well-prepared, perfectly-portioned and easy to share. The dishes were filling but light enough so we didn't leave feeling too full. They put a huge emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients so everything was really fresh as well.

Here are some highlights from a dinner at BoMA:

BoMA is a very promising addition to the South End. Even though we loved all the dishes we tried, we didn't have as much success with the cocktails. If you go, I recommend going for a beer or glass of wine.

1415 Washington St
Boston, MA
617-536-2662

As a self-proclaimed lover of all things cheese, the cheese selection at Eastern Standard has always been a favorite of mine. The restaurant recently updated it's offerings after hosting a cheese competition where the staff sampled over 40 varieties of cheese before narrowing down their absolute favorites.

Cheeses came from all over the world and were ranked based on qualities like aroma, flavor, visual appearance and texture. In the end, the team was able to narrow it down to the top five, which can be all yours for the tasting for just $25 at Eastern Standard.

(listed in order from left to right)

1. Brebis Haut-Bearn from France (Pyrenees-Atlantique). It's a semi-firm cheese made from raw sheep's milk. You'll find hints of herbs, hay, sweet nuts and cream. Scoop up some for yourself at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge.

2. Twig Farms in West Cornwall, Vermont puts out some of the best goat's milk cheese in the United States, which is where this semi-soft goats milk cheese is from. Known as the "Square" this cheese is aged for 80 days, and formed in a tied cloth that gives it it's square shape, and ultimately it's name. With a flavor profile highlighted by hints of sesame seed, grass and toasted bread, it's no wonder the modest farm is so well known.

3. The Marieke Gouda from Holland's Family Farm in Thorp, Wisconsin is a raw cows milk cheese. Made in traditional Dutch farmhouse style, the farm imports all it's equipment, cultures, herbs and spices from Holland. This style of Gouda, which is classically referred to as "boerenkaas" is firm and offers up flavors of caramel and nut.

4. The Taleggio D.O.P. from Lobardy, Italy is pretty much to die for. Pasteurized cow's milk and a washed rind lend itself to this Italian classic's soft milky interior and earthy exterior.

5. Cambozola Black Label straight out of Allgau, Germany. It's a bloomy rind creamy blue cheese that's all sorts of spicy, savory, buttery and delicious! Made with pasteurized cow/s milk, half the fun is eating the rind off this brie-style blue cheese.

*Note - If you're throwing together a cheeseboard for any holiday event you'd be a fool not to take this information into consideration.

Since there is so much great food to be had in this city, I rarely find myself returning to the same place over and over again. Render has officially changed that. Since trying the Rosemary and Potato Frittata Breakfast Sandwich for the first time, I have a hard time enjoying a breakfast sandwich elsewhere...this one is too perfect.

Render only offers one breakfast sandwich made with a frittata egg patty. This is actually genius for a restaurant that doesn't have a flat top to cook the eggs on; they bake a huge frittata and slice it up to order. You can choose between plain or rosemary and potato frittata (but really, why would you choose plain?), and a bagel or Iggy's 7 grain bread.

The rosemary, along with making Render smell amazing inside, gives the frittata an underlying herbal flavor. The potato adds a nice home fry-like texture. Then it's layered with thick cut bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. As you can see by the above photo, the bread is toasted in a panini machine to the optimal level of crispiness.

Don't even get me started on their pour over coffee.

What's your favorite place to get a breakfast sandwich?

Render Coffee
563 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02119

The Staff Meal truck has been on my radar for almost two years now but I didn't try the food until recently. I would always see the truck at the worst times, like right after I had lunch or something, and if I looked up their location, it never seemed to be in my general area. Then I read "cider doughnut bread pudding" on their twitter feed one day and I decided that convenience no longer mattered and sought out the truck that day.

Staff Meal caters to the adventurous meat eater with creative dishes like beef tongue or pork neck chili, korean marinated beef tendon burrito (appropriately dubbed 'Kim Jong Super Ill"). If the dish isn't centered around meat, it always shows up somewhere, like the chicken fat whipped cream served with the cider doughnut bread pudding, for example.

Chorizo tacos are Staff Meal menu staple. The mix of bright and spicy flavors with crunchy textures strikes a nice balance. The menu is soon changing, so make sure to get these soon!

This is not what I was expecting when I ordered cider doughnut bread pudding. Instead of including the cider doughnut in the bread pudding, Staff Meal decided to make the cider doughnut the bread pudding by infusing a custard glaze into the doughnut using a vacuum seal. It's the perfect portable, seasonal dessert. And the chicken fat whipped cream is surprisingly awesome.

Staff Meal is definitely worth seeking out. I'm excited to see what the new menu has in store.

November is coming in strong with two major food tastings happening in one night. Which means, if you find yourself hungry and bored on Monday, November 12th, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Boston Chef's Ninth Annual, that's right NINTH, Flavors of Fall will be taking over the Regattabar at The Charles Hotel once again for a night filled with food, drinks and fun. Some of your favorite local brewers and chefs from the Cambridge and Somerville area will be on hand serving up seasonally inspired dishes from their fall menus. This year proceeds go to The Possible Project. Click here for details, see who's participating, and to purchase tickets.

Boston's Mandarin Oriental will also be taken over by some of Boston's best yums as Boston Magazine celebrates their November Restaurant issue which recently unveiled the Top 50 Restaurants in Boston. This years third annual Taste event will celebrate the highlighted restaurants success with a dine around featuring the best chefs and mixologists in the area. For additional details, and to purchase tickets, click here.

Decisions, decisions....

There is a new beer, or shall I say brewery, that's totally been blowing my mind this fall and I feel the need to share. Jack's Abby, the family owned craft brewery started by three brothers in Framingham, has been killing it. I can't walk into a bar without immediately tuning my tunnel vision towards one of their offerings. The inspiration for their lagers stems from quality ingredients, mindful labor, community involvement, and remarkable beer. Something I think we can all stand behind.

What I'm sipping now? Smoke & Dagger.

Brewed all year round, this mix between a schwarzbier and smoked porter uses a small percentage of traditional Beechwood smoked malt, adding complexity and balancing out the liberal use of chocolate malt. Made from locally grown unmalted barley, it's full bodied, sweet chocolatey goodness if the perfect treat this Halloween... and for all other necessary beer-drinking purposes for that matter.

There has never been a more necessary day for comfort food. Thanks to Sandy I spent all day cooking and somehow this is what I came up with. When it comes to savory bread pudding, you can use pretty much whatever you have on hand for vegetables and cheese. I'm so glad I had blue cheese though! It turned out to be such a nice contrast to apples, leeks and kale. Cinnamon, clove and nutmeg added a nice spice to the mix as well, making this dish also very seasonally appropriate.

Blue Cheese Bread Pudding with Apples, Kale & Leeks

Ingredients:
- 1 day old loaf of bread (ciabatta, baguette or rustic italian bread), cubed
- 1 bunch of kale, coarsely chopped
- 3 leeks chopped *make sure they are thoroughly washed*
- 2 apples, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 5 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup white wine
- olive oil
- salt & pepper

Directions:
1 - Preheat oven to 400.
3 - Toss kale with a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 10 minutes and set aside. (Keep oven on afterwards.)
3 - In a saute pan melt butter over medium heat. When melted add leeks and garlic. Cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Add apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
4 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, blue cheese, and white wine.
5 - Add bread, kale, and apple mixture to the mixing bowl and toss everything together.
6 - Pour in 9 x 13 baking dish, or two smaller ones. Cover with foil.
7 - Bake for 20 minutes covered, and another 20 uncovered.

Although it's not the most photogenic dish I've made, bread pudding is always satisfying on a day like today. Baking uncovered gives a nice crunch to the top layer, and the inside is gooey and moist.

Enjoy! And stay safe!

There aren't a lot of things that can get me outside of this city's limits on a weeknight, however great food somehow always seems to do the trick. I recently ventured over to Newton to visit the new Farmstead Table and let's just say the small farm-to-table newbie located across the street from Newton Station is killing it with their fresh menu, inviting ambience and incredibly gracious staff. At the helm of which is Chef Chad Burns, who thoughtfully selects every ingredient they use to create a beautifully rustic and seasonal menu. Check out some of our favorite dishes below and don't wait long to reserve a seat, this hidden gem won't stay hidden for long.

Farmstead Table
71 Union Street
Newton, MA
(617) 928-6000

Tis the season! Well for pumpkins and ghosts and goblins that is. It also appears to be the season of food events; there's so many coming up in the next couple of weeks we can hardly keep track.

Harvest Fest 2012: The Fourth Annual Fall festival and fundraiser is upon us. This celebration of food, local beer and live entertainment supports Somerville Local First, a nonprofit network working to build sustainable local economies. Taking place at the Arts at the Amory, this years Harvest Fest is broken down into two sessions and features yums from some of Somerville's favorite restaurants along with beer tastings from local breweries like Clown Shoes, Rascallion, and Blue Hill Brewery. For a full list of participants, details on live entertainment and to purchase tickets click here.
Saturday, October 27; Session 1: 1-5pm, Session 2: 6-10pm
Tickets: $30/Advance, $35/Door

Great Pumpkin Festival: If you love Pumpkin Ales (and we all know you do) then head over to the Cambridge Brewing Company on October 30th for the CBC Great Pumpkin Festival where they'll be featuring over 30 variations of the seasonal brew. They'll also be serving up Oktoberfest inspired cuisine, and you won't want to miss the ceremonial tapping of The Great Pumpkin which will go down at 10pm. For additional details and to purchase tickets click here.
Saturday, October 27; 1pm - 12:30am
Tickets: $10

And now, for one event that's really special. We just caught wind of this but the First Lady of the United States is going to be in the great city of Boston soon! The ticket price may break the bank but an opportunity to meet Mrs. Michelle Obama might just be worth it. Throw in some of our favorite local chefs and we might be sold. For additional details and to register for the event click here.
Tuesday, October 30; 3:30pm
Tickets start at $250

Southie's new one stop shop for all things food and drink is Lincoln, the massive new restaurant that recently opened on West Broadway taking over the former Payless space. The thoughtful design of the space makes it an easy choice for a ton of different occasions, it's a convenient and casual, which is great for a quick weekday bite to eat and it also has an upscale back room which is nice for a date night. Not to mention the option of pre or post dinner drinks at the bar, watching a game, and (my personal favorite) enjoying wood-fired pizza late night. Yeah, they have that too.

The above photo shows the front room, with a huge bar on the right with tons of standing room behind it. (Something tells me they're going to need it.) The booth seating on the left is perfect for casual dining.

Designer Erica Farthing of Assembly Boston worked closely with Cafco Construction and Sousa Design Architects to design and achieve the owners' vision of a classic American Tavern. Inspirations were drawn from classic taverns in the 1930s the original tin ceilings and brick walls of the classic building that was once Gorin's Department store were maintained.

The back room has a more upscale bistro vibe, with a stage for live music. It reminds me of Beehive a little bit. The design of the clock above the entryway kind of gives the space an old train station feel.

And then there's the food. The menu runs the gamut from pizza to comfort food to bar snacks. Here we have a preview of the entrees: buttermilk fried chicken, wood grilled salmon, and peppercorn crusted tuna steak.

I haven't been since the opening week, but I've heard that Lincoln is off to a great start with a ton of people in there and even a line sometimes. Looks like this was just the type of place that West Broadway needed.

All photos by Mike Diskin

Fall is the perfect time to take a drive up to the Burlington area of Vermont. It's only four short hours away from Boston, and has an absolutely killer food scene. Every restaurant puts a ton of emphasis on local ingredients, most of which come from the Burlington area, and none of which is more important than the cheese, Vermont's favorite. The ride up is beautiful too, especially this time of year. The highway weaves through huge tree-covered mountains, you will be staring out the window taking pictures the whole drive up.

In my short 36 hour Burlington trip, I managed to fit in a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and we stayed an adorable inn right outside Burlington. The way we did it, the agenda was so packed with food there wasn't time for much else, although there are tons of events going on the city at any given time. Church St. in Downtown Burlington was packed with people eating and drinking outside, it really puts you in a festive fall mood, and provides to perfect backdrop for the obligatory foliage photos.

Here is my weekend itinerary for anyone looking for a quick one-night getaway to VT:

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Last Saturday I was walking around at the Roslindale Farmer's Market and tried a sample of Soula's Homemade Salsa for the first time. This local salsa producer from Boxford, MA sells three different varieties: regular, hot and black bean & corn. All three were really tasty, but it was the regular tomato salsa that had me pulling out my wallet and making an impromptu purchase. It had the perfect balance of tomato and spice, and even more perfect to serve on Sunday when some people came over to watch football.

You can find Soula's at a bunch of different local farmer's markets (Lexington, Gloucester, Salem, Newburyport, SOWA Boston, Dewey Square Boston, Roslindale, Andover, Middleton, Peabody) as well as some gourmet food shops around MA, mostly in the North Shore area: Joppa Fine Foods (Newburyport, MA), Main Street Market (Topsfield, MA), Coastal Green Grocer (Ipswich, MA), Christopher’s Table (Ipswich, MA), West Village Provisions (Boxford, MA). If none of these places are convenient you can also order online.

October 4th is National Taco Day and to celebrate The Taco Truck will be giving away 2 tacos for every order over $5! All you have to do is say the secret password: "Feliz Dia del Taco."

Thursday the Taco Truck will be parked at Harrison Ave and East Concord St in the South End for lunch and dinner hours.

When friends and family visit Boston they always ask for restaurant recommendations in Back Bay, because that's usually where their hotel is. I have a hard time giving good recs in the Back Bay because many of the restaurants are overpriced, corporate and crowded. Not all of them of course, but it's definitely harder to find a consistently great place that delivers a unique Boston experience than it is in other neighborhoods.

Usually I try to convince them that Fenway and the South End are closer than they think and it's worth the extra $5 in cab fare, but sometimes they only have limited time and they're confined to the Back Bay for one reason or another. So, I am always on the lookout for great places in the Back Bay because even a short list of spots will come in handy pretty frequently. Lately I've been constantly recommending Oak Long Bar + Kitchen and The Salty Pig because of their amazing cheese and charcuterie boards. I guess that's what the Back Bay does really, really well. Even though these spots are best for lunch or a pre dinner bite, the dinner options are great too.

The LBK Board from Oak Long Bar is HUGE and will keep any group of people occupied for hours. Including the whole gamut of cheese and cured meats, it comes with Prosciutto Americano, Organic, La Quercia, Smoked Speck, Salumeria Biellese, Sopressata, Artisan Salame, Fra-Mani, Spicy Coppa, Salumeria Biellese, Porchetta, Berkshire Blue (raw cow cheese, MA), Landaff (cave aged, raw cow cheese, VT), and Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (raw cow cheese, VT).

The a la carte cheese and meat boards from The Salty Pig are completely customizable. On this particular day I decided on Prosciutto and French goat cheese. You can add anything you want but in terms of meat, cheese and homemade condiments (like homemade fig jam pictured below) and the boards come standard with homemade pickles, whole grain mustard, and thinly sliced crostini.

What restaurants do you recommend in the Back Bay?

Belly Wine Bar is the newest concept from the owners of the Blue Room and Central Bottle. Located adjacent to the Blue Room in Kendall Square, Belly is a modern space with a fun wine list and great menu of snacks and small plates to accompany the wine.

The eccentric wine list is curated by Liz Viraldi of Central Bottle. The sections of the wine list aren't organized regions or type of grape but in offbeat categories like oysters I love you, rocks in your mouth, and a wee bit sparkling. Wine is available in four different sizes, so you can get less than a class which makes it easy to try a bunch of different varieties. Or you can get magnum size if just one bottle just won't cut it. Every wine we tried was completely unique, from mineral-y whites to spicy reds, you probably won't see many wines you recognize.

The charcuterie is prepared in house by the Executive Chef of the Blue Room, Robert Grant, and Central Bottle's Cheesemonger Stephanie Santos takes care of the cheese. Her organization of the cheese menu is similar to that of the wine, the menu just lists the qualities rather than the type or origin: fresh, butter, earth, salt, funk, whole, home grown, the blues or Parmigiano-Reggiano. Because it is hands down my favorite cheese, I fully support Parm being in a category of its own. Which is why I had to order this...

They cut the cheese to order straight from an enormous wheel of Parm sitting behind the bar. Served with only fresh honey, it's a very simple dish but the quality of the cheese is so good you don't need anything else to enjoy it.

I'm excited to try the charcuterie and other cheese options. Like most new places in Kendall, it's hard not to love it! Has anyone been yet?

One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139

As of last week I am officially a resident of the South End. I used to be over here all the time when I was a student at Northeastern; if my friends and I ever decided to venture out of our college bubble, more likely than not we would go to the South End. There have been a lot of changes to the area since I graduated like Columbus Cafe closing and Parish Cafe II opening RIGHT after I left (which I am still bitter about), but there are still a ton of classics from college that I'm starting to revisit. First on the list is Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe, my favorite breakfast place in the city.

They have the best omelettes ever. If you know of a better one please let me know so I can try it for myself. First of all, they are HUGE, perfect for a start to busy weekday or a morning after a late night. After they're cooked in the saute pan on the stove, they are transferred into this oven above to finish it off, giving it a very slight golden brown crispiness on the outside.

What are some of your favorite breakfast places in the South End?

Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe
429 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02116

Tomato season is hands down my favorite time of year. Not only do we get perfect, juicy, ripe tomatoes but tomato's best friend basil is also in season. That means that I've been eating caprese really, really often -- as in once a day or more. When the ingredients are fresh there is absolutely nothing better. That's why I was shocked when I finally got sick of caprese last week. I've had more than my fair share this season but I honestly never thought the day would come. I think I just wanted to do something different with tomatoes and basil for a change. That's how my friend and I came up with this recipe, which still incorporates tomato, basil, and of course, cheese.

FULL ENTRY

Things that are normally associated with Chinatown: late night food, sake bombing, soup dumplings, dim sum. Things that are never associated with Chinatown: modern dishes, lounge atmosphere and cocktails - until now. Shojo opened last month and they are looking to switch things up a bit with a creative beverage program and shareable Asian small plates.

Shojo is named after an old Japanese sea spirit (on their wall mural he is depicted as a monkey) in search of a sake river. Sake is the spotlight of the beverage program but they also offer interesting house made infusions and tiki drinks as well.

Get the Reiko Greene! It's refreshing and very cucumber-y, and doesn't get watered down when the ice melts.

The Cold Tea For Two pays homage to the Chinatown tradition of drinking "tea" post 2am on a weekend night. They do a great job of making the tea taste meld with the other flavors in the drink.

As for the food, Shojo is more so the type of place you share a few apps rather than sit down for a full on dinner. The food serves as a great accompaniment to the drinks. The standout dish was the Chicken Cutlet, the tomato chutney on top made the dish almost have a Chicken Tikka Masala taste and the chicken was perfectly tender.

Shojo
(617) 423-7888
9A Tyler St.
Boston, MA 021111

The folks over at Eat Boston have been busy this summer planning two upcoming events featuring two of my favorite things in the entire world: ice cream and BLTs.

First up, take place this Sunday, August 26th we have the BLT Battle at Sea...

At the first ever BLT Battle at Sea, local restaurants will go head to head to create their version of a BLT-related treat, on a boat. Not only will the event take place while sailing around the Boston Harbor, there will be Karaoke as well, courtesy of from The People's Karaoke.

Restaurant participants include Trina's Starlite Lounge, Chez Henri, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, and Staff Meal. The Smuttynose Brewing Company and Clown Shoes Beer will be providing the beer.

Tickets for this event are $40, get them here.

Next is the fourth installment of the Ice Cream Showdown, taking place on Saturday, September 8th on the docks at Community Boating.

Celebrate the great ice cream, gelato and sorbet our local business have to offer. This year's participants include FoMu, JP Licks, Giovanna Gelato e Sorbet, Picco, and Toscanini's. All proceeds will go to Community Servings and Lovin' Spoonfuls to support them in their mission of feeding Boston's hungry residents. And if you want to go on the water, the people at community boating will be there to assist with all boating needs.

Tickets for this event are $8, get them here.

Ever find yourself starved for a taco and a coffee while in Belmont? Problem solved. Cafe Burrito is a hybrid Mexican restaurant (Belmont's first) and coffee shop that took over the former Angelato spot. Now open starting at 6am daily, coffee is served all day and Mexican take out service starts at lunchtime.

The menu, created by local food blogger Dan Whalen of The Food in My Beard (we have actually mentioned his impressive recipes multiple times on this blog - here and here), features some classic Mexican items like tacos and burritos, along with some custom creations like the Quesos a la Plancha pictured below.

What are those beautiful cheesy quesadilla looking things, you ask? It's a hybrid grilled cheese and quesadilla made to order with fresh ingredients. On the left is the Pollo a la Brasa made with pulled BBQ chicken, red onion, cheddar, and jack cheese. On the right is a more basic option, The Angelato with tomato, basil, and jack cheese.

There will be special items available in addition to the normal menu. Pictured above is a homemade peach, habanero and basil salsa, one of their seasonal fruit salsas. Cafe Burrito will also sell Dan's homemade chili powder that he uses in many of his recipes.

The coffee menu features tons of loose teas, frozen coffee drinks, smoothies, and classic coffee options as well. Has anyone been yet?

374 Trapelo Road
Belmont, MA 02478

Head over to the North End this weekend and celebrate St. Anthony's Feast by partying in a Pop Up Beer Garden courtesy of Ducali Pizzeria & Bar.

Friday, August 24 - Sunday, August 26; 11am - 11pm.

40 seat patio

Endicott St. will shit down to

Authentic Puerto Rican cuisine has officially made it's way to Boston's South End, and as a fellow Rican, I could not be more excited. Vejigantes, which opened up just a few weeks ago on West Dedham Street, is already attracting a serious following of Latin food-lovers.

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There's no denying the irresistable taste that comes from fresh homemade pasta. While there's a few places you can snag some in Boston, there are two ladies in particular whose passion for sustainability, organic ingredients, and love for local farms has us hooked on their product. On Tuesday, August 14th, you can learn the secrets to making your own great tasting homemade pasta from Leigh and Rachel of Nella Pasta. The cooking demo, which also includes an exclusive tasting, will be followed by a unique discussion on how the two friends turned their love for food into a full-fledged business. So join in on the conversation and gain some entrepreneurial inspiration while brushing up on your kitchen skills.

Turn Your Passion into a Paycheck will take place at the Boston Center for Adult Education from 6pm - 8pm. Tickets can be purchased for $50, or $42 if you are a BCAE member. Call 617-267-4430 to register.