BostonZest

Bonjour from Sunday Dog, Maki

We never know who we’ll run into during a Boston summer, and that’s half the fun. But, even I was surprised to hear “bonjour” coming from a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog who was on a tour of the city.

Maki, Sporting Her Gentle Leader

It wasn’t what she said, but rather her alluring accent that grabbed my attention. She told us she goes by the name of Maki (as in sushi roll), but that she prefers crunchies.

She and her family are visiting from Quebec and were taking a lunch break and a lie-down on the Comm Ave Mall. Maki explained that she was drawn to this area because, “the Mall's 32 acres were designed in the French boulevard style.” Wow! Obviously, not just a pretty face. No surprise, though.



"Berners" are known for their intelligence, and for being loving, loyal, and willing to please. Maki’s only nine months old, but already displays an amazing amount of poise and wisdom.

Enjoy your stay in Boston, Maki. Adieu!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

We used a Premier Pet Gentle Leader Headcollar with our first Westie Girl, and we've recommended them for difficult walkers. Another great version of this type of head collar is Coastal Holt Dog Walking Collar .



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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Not All Back Bay Residents Are Transient!

 

Thanks to everyone who begins their Amazon Shopping at BostonZest!

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Fun & Fearless Farewell Tour, Our Friday Link

Today is moving day for one of Boston's Great Fun Bloggers, Michelle from Fun & Fearless in Beantown.

She packed up her kitchen a few days ago and has been on a farewell tour of favorite places for dinner and take-out. Before that, she shared recipes as she cleaned out her pantry, donated a lot of clothes to Boomerangs, and updated her 30 things-to-do by age 30 list. 

We hope she'll keep blogging from her new home town, or add to Fun & Fearless with her impressions of Boston from a distance. 

Michelle, we wish you much happiness in your new home and highly recommend you meet up with the women of NorthShoreDish for the inside scoop on what's delicious along the coast north of the city.

What places would be on "your" farewell tour of Boston? Restaurants? Favorite take-out places? What would you miss most if you moved? 

Thanks to everyone who supports BostonZest by starting all their Amazon shopping from one of the links or features on our site!

This link will take you to the Amazon homepage.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Fastachi Almonds Roasted in Their Shells

Earlier this month, we purchased a bag of Fastachi Roasted Almonds in their shells at the Copley Farmers' Market. We had been chatting with Fastachi owner, Souren Etyemezian about the pleasure of sitting and shelling nuts as we eat them. This is one of the reasons we love his pastachios. He wanted our opinion about selling walnuts and almonds roasted in the shells at farmers' markets. 

We say, go for it! And, if you see bags of these wonderful, soft-shelled almonds at the Fastachi stands, grab one before they disappear. These are not like any almonds you have ever tried. They had just the right hint of salt and are very easy to shell. The flavor is best described as intense. And, they are not oily. This is more of a dry roast flavor. 

We put out a bowl of them at our July 4th gathering, and everyone was asking us where to find them. 

Are you a nut lover? Here are some Amazon items that might interest you!

THE NUT GOURMET: Delicious Plant-based Recipes

OXO Good Grips Slim Nut/Seafood Cracker

Nambe Eclipe Nut Bowl with Nutcracker 

   

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Fastachi

598 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472 (map)

www.fastachi.com

Click here for Farmers' Market locations.

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Building the Boot

 
This Boston Transportation Department worker is building a parking boot destined to spoil someone's day.

Here's what you need to know if you find your car immobilized. Before you can claim your car you must:

1. Pay all outstanding parking violations.
2. Pay the boot removal fee (currently $90).
3. Pay all storage fees, if your car was towed.
4. Pay with cash, cashiers check, money order, debit, or credit card (Mastercard and Visa only).
5. Do it all before 4:30 pm, if you want the car back that day.
6. Wait up to 90 minutes after payment to have the boot removed.

It all makes paying parking tickets or avoiding them seem like a good idea.

With automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) systems, cities will scan more cars per hour and instantly find those eligible to be booted. Here's more information about these systems.

Our solution to this problem? We don't have a car. We spend a bit more on good shoes and walk!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Learning to Speak “Food Truck” at Bon Me

Learning to speak “Food Truck” is easy, just say, “Feed Me!” This technique works especially well, when you’re sampling the Vietnamese-inspired offerings from Bon Me. But, if you’d like some advice, you only have to speak up.



Chef Ali is always willing to help you select from her fresh menu that she says speaks with a "local flair." We caught up with the “Bonmobile” last Saturday around noon on the Boylston Street side of the Boston Public Library.



A hungry lunch line was already forming as the crew inside worked their magic. We wasted little time putting in our order for two banh mi sandwiches. My spice-rubbed all natural chicken (not all of which lasted for the photo shoot, sorry)...



...had pickled carrot & daikon, cucumbers, cilantro, red onion, and spicy mayo (with just the right amount of heat) plus paté– both house-made.



And, Penny’s barbecued, locally-sourced, pork featured everything but the mayo (her choice, you can have them slather on all you want). Outstanding!



We added the minty edged, ginger-tinged Thai-Basil Limeade– nicely balanced and perfect to help us fend off the steamy afternoon sun.

We'll definitely be back to try the noodle salad and rice bowl.

For a schedule and more about this impressive truck, go to the Bon Me Website.

Related Posts: We've added a new catagory for Food Trucks/Street Food. Now that we have more of them to cover, we'll send more details on this great food option your way.

And, here's our piece on the Boston Food Truck Map.

Do you want to find the great food trucks in any city? Here's a start, Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels. Just heard a great interview with the author, and we'll review the book, in full, as soon as our copy arrives.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Rewrite This Sign

We're sure the Public Works department gave a lot of thought to creating a sign to tell drivers that they have removed a layer of asphalt from the street, and the manhole covers, utility lines, and so on are now raised. But, in a city where many drivers speak English as a second language, we're also sure there are better ways to communicate this message.

Ed says with all the movies in town someone might think this is an audition location for extras. 

Penny googled "raised castings" and their were only 1,130 results. That's an extremely low number making this a very uncommon phrase. In most results, the term was being used by city public works officials. 

How would you warn drivers? What would your sign say?

Know someone new to driving in Boston? Here's the perfect gift.

The Boston Driver's Handbook: Wild in the Streets

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino