East Cambridge Rib Fest!

When I was invited back to judge the East Cambridge Business Association's "Smoke This" Rib Fest, I immediately agreed. After having such an amazing afternoon last year, I was eager to see what the chefs brought out this year. The goal again this year was to taste and photograph ALL of the rib offerings and try not to get sauce all over me. Once again it was a beautiful afternoon for this event, the streets were packed with people and the air was filled with sweet and smokey smell of BBQ.

Cambridge Street

Dali - Authentic Spanish Tapas

My mother-in-law came up for a visit over Labor Day and when we were deciding where to go for dinner, she requested Dali, an authentic Spanish restaurant in Cambridge. Nick and I were all-in as it had been quite some time since we had been to Dali and we were due for a return trip.

Small Pitcher of Cava Sangria

Napa Valley with Visits to Cliff Lede and Behrens Family Winery

I was so excited to tell you all about our amazing lunch at Jordan Winery that I skipped ahead in our latest trip to California's wine country. Going back a bit, we actually left Boston at 7:30AM so that we were in San Francisco before noon on a Friday. After meeting our friends who were flying in from Chicago, we were off to Napa Valley for the first of many tastings. I still am so surprised that in only about an hour and a half from San Francisco, you can be tasting amazing wines in the middle of some beautiful surroundings.

We were so anxious to get started, I forgot my camera! source - Cliff Lede

Our first stop was Cliff Lede. Located in Yountville, the vineyard is surrounded completely by their own vines. I love when you can see where the grapes of the wine you are drinking are grown. Each vineyard is named for different classic rock songs - a love of the owner. Since it was so beautiful out, we got our first glasses in our tastings and went out on the beautiful patio to enjoy the sunshine and views of "Bohemian Rhapsody." This was a lovely first stop and really helped us settle into the wine tasting to come!

From Cliff Lede we headed towards St. Helena and climbed Spring Mountain Road, winding through the mountain until we found Behrens Family Winery. The winery is tucked back into the mountainside, which makes for spectacular views down into Napa Valley and across to Howell Mountain.

Views from Behrens Family Winery

Journeyman

This post has been a long time in the making! Journeyman is a small tasting menu-only restaurant in Somerville's Union Square (seriously, that neighborhood is blowing up!). The restaurant had been on our list for quite some time, but the menu set-up - a $75 tasting with an optional wine pairing for an additional $55 - made it a perfect indulgent birthday celebration location. If you are looking at this post and thinking about when food is freshest, you will notice that this meal is indeed from this past spring (whoops!). Journeyman changes their menu based on what is in season, making each dinner a new experience.

Oyster Amuse Bouche!

Lets Talk About Food Competition!

If there is one thing I LOVE to talk about it's food.  I mean, I started a blog so that Nick and the dogs didn't get too sick of me talking about food all the time! So when I was contacted by a group called Let's Talk About Food, I was hooked. The goal of Let's Talk About Food is to start a food revolution by simply talking about it. Since then, the group has become a citywide umbrella organization that presents educational events in partnership with all sorts of organizations and non-profits.

The Winning Dish! Officer Matt Brown's Ginger Glazed Salmon 

Harvest Lunch at Jordan Winery

If you follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram, you know that I recently spent some time in Napa and Sonoma Valleys. After an amazing trip to Napa Valley last year I was eager to go back, so when one of Nick's college friends suggested a trip with a third couple, we were all in. Something about this trip makes it so easy to relax. From the moment I land in San Francisco, I am able to just shut off work and enjoy - there is no winding down necessary.

Needless to say, I will have a bunch of posts coming in the next few weeks on the vineyards we visited. We decided to split up the trip so that each couple was responsible for one day of planning, including which vineyards to visit and where to eat - don't worry, there was a Google document so that there was no overlap! Since there were 6 of us, we rented a house in Glen Ellen, which was a fantastic way to spend a long weekend. That, and we spent evenings soaking in the hot tub and eating home cooked meals on the outdoor patio. While there will be no big restaurant reviews from this trip, we did have some fun lunches on Sonoma Square and at the Oxbow Public Market.