BostonZest

Two Great Lists for Food Lovers

If you want to know who was naughty or nice in the world of Boston food, you have to read MC Slim JB's end of the year "2009 Devil's Dining Awards." The photo above is of Speed's grilled pastrami which MC gave his "Best doubling of menu options" award. 

To get the most flavor for your dining dollars you need his year-end summary of the best places he covered in his "On the Cheap" column for the Boston Phoenix.

Those who follow the local food scene in print and on the internet, have learned that the by-line MC Slim JB leads to wonderful places that they add to their regular dining rotation.

If you don't know MC, you're in for a treat. And, you can consider these links your holiday gift from BostonZest.

Here's MC Slim JB's "Official Intro"

"MC Slim JB is a food/drinks writer who has eaten and drunk his way through most of Boston’s restaurants and bars, from the hoity-toity to the humble, and written about them for travel website Gayot.com, Maxim Magazine, Boston Magazine, and Boston’s Weekly Dig. A world traveler (80+ countries so far), former server and bartender, and amateur cook, MC is notable for starting the world’s 10 billionth food blog, http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ .

His hobbies include collecting vintage barware, lampooning the Phantom Gourmet, and posting on Chowhound.com, where Stuff Magazine discovered him and gave him his first professional food-writing gig in 2005. He now writes Stuff's bi-weekly Food Coma column on fine-dining restaurants, occasional cover features, and its annual Dining Awards, as well as the weekly On the Cheap column for The Boston Phoenix on budget-priced restaurants. A New England native, he lives as he has most of his life in Boston."

It's never too late to get an Amazon gift certificate. You can send it by email from from your computer or print it to hand to someone in person.

Details:

Photo: © 2009 Penny Cherubino

Here's the link to the Devil's Dining Award:

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/2009/12/2009-devils-dining-awards.html

Here's a link to his year-end summary of the best places he covered in his "On the Cheap" column for the Boston Phoenix.

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Food/94946-2009-The-year-in-cheap-eats/

Gran Gusto - "First Look"

While many of our "first looks" involve new restaurants, it's not the case with Gran Gusto.

 

This little piece of Italy in North Cambridge has been around for a couple of years and gotten some high praise, especially for its pizza.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been our experience that the true test of any restaurant is how it prepares the fundamentals of its cuisine. For a French bistro that might include roast chicken, steak frites and mussels. At Gran Gusto with its wood oven, pizza and pasta seemed right.
 

 

 

 

So, when we stopped by for a casual lunch last week, we tried the Pizza Margherita. It doesn't get any simpler than tomato sauce, bufala mozzarella and fresh basil. And, in this case, it doesn't get any better. Gran Gusto's promise of fresh ingredients shines brightly in a light, thin, perfectly baked pie. Even Penny gobbled-up her crust, which she usually leaves for me. 

 

 

 

 

The bread also was a key part of the Piadina di speck with prosciutto, speck smoked mozzarella, and sliced tomato. So light and so-o-o good. Penny was absolutely fascinated by the Piadina, so I'm sure you'll hear more about it in future posts. Maybe she'll learn how to make it.

 

 

  

 

Our final test had to be a pasta selection. But, would there be room for the Fettucine Bolognese? One taste and we immediately became obsessed with detecting all the individual flavors coming through in each fork full. "Do you taste the wine in it?" "What mix of meats did the chef use?" Finishing it was no problem. The pasta disappeared, and every spec of sauce was mopped up with bread.

Service was another plus. Everyone around us was well cared for by our server - from the guys holding a business meeting in a corner, to the regular customer who didn't need a menu to order. When Penny asked for coffee, the server offered to turn-up the heat, if she was cold. When a couple ordered one salad, she asked whether they'd like the kitchen to split it on two plates.

 

All this, including a good tip for great service, came in just under $45- a testament to Chef and part owner, Giuseppe Castellano's pledge to stress quality and price.

 

  

 

Other things you should know...  

 

• Beer and Wine available - we didn't indulge, but other reviewers have said positive things about the list
• Opt for espresso over coffee
• Wait for the food- don't judge this place by the decor or the piped-in radio station chatter in the background.
• 2-rooms, with indoor as well as outdoor seating
• While daytime parking is limited, their website touts free parking behind the restaurant after 6 p.m. daily.

 

Other Opinions:

The Chowhounds say...
http://search.chow.com/search?query=gran+gusto&search_board_id=12&search_boardgroup_id=6&sort_mode=newest&type=Topic&from_date=1+year+ago

Here's the yelp....
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gran-gusto-cambridge

 

Details:
Writer: Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2009 Penny Cherubino

 

Gran Gusto

90 Sherman Street, Cambridge, MA 01240 (map)

617-441-0400
www.grangustocambridge.com

What is open in Boston for New Year's and MBTA schedules 2009 - 2010

Here's a run-down of what is open in Boston on New Year's Day and the MBTA schedules for New Year's Eve December 31, 2009 and New Year's Day, January 1, 2010.

This is an outdated post. Click the link below for the latest information:

What's Open in Boston New Year's Eve and Day & MBTA Schedules 2015 - 2016 plus Parking, Trash & More

 

Some businesses close early on New Year's Eve but with the crowds expected for First Night others, especially those in the hospitality business stay open. Call before you leave if you plan to visit a business on the 31st.

 

Here is what we've learned about January 1st, 2010- New Year's Day

Restaurants, bars: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Here's a link to our article on restaurants that are open for the celebration.

http://www.bostonzest.com/2009/12/where-to-dine-on-new-years-eve-2009-in-boston.html

Convenience stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Supermarkets: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Liquor stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered).  Only emergency services are available.

More after the ad...

Make your own holiday wish come true. Find the gift you really want on Amazon! And, by starting from here, you'll be supporting BostonZest and keeping the information flowing your way.

Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

Boston Trash Collection: The announcement from Public Works from the Sanitation Holiday Page.

New Year's Day

"Friday, January 1, 2010 Delay trash and recycling pickup one day ONLY IF your pickup day is Friday AND you live in Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, Roslindale, West Roxbury, or South Boston. *if you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up two times per week, do not delay."

MBTA Schedule changes for New Year's Day- Updated 12/23/09

 The MBTA released the following statement on 12/23/09

"The MBTA is providing extra transit services on New Year's Eve including FREE service after 8:00 p.m.   Extra MBTA Police will patrol the system to assist with crowd control and safety.  Visit the MBTA website for more information.  Schedule highlights: 

Thursday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve

• Normal Weekday Schedule: Blue, Orange, Green and Red Line trains, buses, Silver Line, Commuter Rail, Inner Harbor Ferry, and Quincy and Hull Commuter Boat service to Logan Airport and Long Wharf.
• Evening Service: Additional trains will operate and provide rush–hour service levels throughout the evening.  Service will be extended until approximately 2:00 a.m. Commuter Rail Service On New Year’s Eve will operate on a Weekday schedule with additional train service including one or two trains leaving after midnight on each line for customers from Boston’s First Night Celebration.

Friday, January 1st– New Year’s Day

• Sunday Schedule: Blue, Orange, Green and Red Line trains, buses, trackless trolleys, Commuter rail trains, and the RIDE.
• Please Note:  Fairmount Line, Needham Line and Stoughton Line, Inner Harbor Ferry and Commuter Boat services will not operate.

For more information call the T’s Customer Information Center at 617-222-3200 (TDD 617-222-5146) or visit the MBTA website."

First Boot Day of the Season for The Dogs

This was a boot day. Not only for us but also for our dog, Maggie Mae.

She's shown above modeling the Neo-Paws boots that keep her little feet free of the salt and chemicals that cover the roads and sidewalks in Boston winters.

People are always amazed to see her trotting along with all four boots in place. They tell us their dog won't wear boots or that the boots come off.

We tell them that Maggie Mae has had these boots for years and never lost one, because if you put them on properly, they don't come off easily without a human to assist.

In the years since we purchased these, more companies have come up with good boots, so if you have a local dog shop that you trust, ask them for a recommendation.

You can see videos of Maggie's boots in action on the Neo-Paws site.

We highly recommend them. It's important that they fit right, so if you have any question call the phone number on the site and get some expert help. They even sell them in pairs so you can buy different sizes for a dog's front and back feet. 

Back to the human feet! If you walk as much as we do, it may be time to check the quality of, and wear on, your winter boots. Penny had to upgrade hers this year to be sure she could walk for miles in them without hurting her feet and knees.

Amazon has it's own shoe store called Endless. We highly recommend it. They have free overnight shipping and free return shipping. And, it comes with the service and security of buying from Amazon.

Details:

Writers Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photo: © 2008 Penny Cherubino

Neo-Paws international
www.neo-paws.com

Five Favorite Holiday Gifts From Our Friends at Pawsh

One of the nicest things that happened to us this year was turning Maggie Mae's grooming over to Pawsh Dog Boutique and Grooming Salon. We asked Balki, the Pawsh official greeter, product tester and director of quality control, to choose five of his favorite holiday gifts from around the shop. Put those paws to the keyboard Balki and take it away!

My Top Five Favorite Holiday Gifts at Pawsh

by Balki

1) No holiday wish list is complete without toys. Gotta give #1 to the plush replica of my favorite jolly human, Santa (see above for my photo with St. Nick!) The Santa toys from Plush Puppies are pretty durable too (comes in large and small).

2) And, no dog's wish list should leave out treats...the pupcakes at Pawsh with red and green sprinkles are festive and delicious!


3) For all you short-hairs, I strongly recommend adding a warm coat to your list. The gray ones with a red stripe from Millie are quite handsome.

4) Need a get-up for your human's holiday party? Try a Santa hat made just for dogs! (Ok, not exactly my favorite since I look VERY sad when Mom and Dad put it on me, but they like it, and I aim to please.)

5) Speaking of that holiday party...don't forget to make sure your human primps you before you head out. I hear the rotating-toothed comb from Bamboo is fabulous. (If I had long hair I'd surely run away from it, but would be happy to look so well-groomed in the end.)

Need a gift for your dogwalker, doorman, groomer or other friend of your pup. Support BostonZest and give the gift that's right for everyone with an Amazon gift certificate or gift card.

Details:
Pawsh Dog Boutique and Salon
31 Gloucester Street, Boston MA (map)
617-391-0880
www.pawshboston.com

Writer: Balki, The very Pawsh Boston Terrier
Photo of Balki with Santa by Fred Levy. You can see more of this photographer's work here: www.fredlevyart.com.
Product photos by Penny Cherubino

What You Need To Know In A Boston Snow Emergency 2009 - 2010

Here is the winter of 2009 - 2010 information on what you need to know during a snow emergency in Boston. We'll update this article with news items as we receive them throughout the season. Subscribe to the comment feed for this post or follow us on Twitter to be notified when we do updates to this information.

This 2009 post contains out of date links. We have created a new Snow Emergency post.

What You Need to Know in a Boston Snow Emergency on a Single Page

 

Here's the general information you need to know about any snow emergency.

Winter storms have an impact on our lives and the city distributed "Winter Weather Facts 2009-2010" brochures to households last month to help us learn what to do.

Before The Storm

Great Bostonians will locate and note the landmarks to find their nearest fire hydrant and work with their neighbors to dig around it and keep it clear for the entire winter season. This community action can save lives and homes.

If the storm drain near your home is blocked with leaves and debris, you can clear it to prevent flooding when the snow melts.

Find your winter boots, shovels, windshield scrapers, sand, salt and ice melt. (For the sake of dogs who walk barefoot on sidewalks, please choose a "Paw Safe" option when buying de-icing products.)

And, if you have a car, you may want to park it somewhere that is not signed as a "Snow Emergency Route." Here is a list of the major arteries for the Downtown Boston area with parking restrictions.

Snow Emergency Parking in Boston Neighborhoods
www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking 
With a warning that parking regulations will be strictly enforced, the city asks of residents:

• "Don't park within 20 feet of an intersection, or further than one foot from the curb."
• "During a snow emergency, don't park on streets with signs declaring "Emergency Snow Artery" or "Tow Zone- Snow Emergency"."
• "Disabled cars blocking the roadway must be removed as soon as possible."
• "Cars parked in driveways must not extend to the sidewalk or street."
• "Resident parking stickers must be visible within 24 hours after the end of a snowstorm."
• "Any spacesavers® left in on-street parking spaces that have been shoveled out must be removed 48 hours after a snow emergency has ended."
• "After exceptional storms (snowfall exceeds two feet), the mayor may prohibit parking on the odd side of secondary roads and only allow parking on the even side, until crews can clear the snow. This is rare and has not happened since 2003."

There are off street parking spaces available to residents during the storm. 

Go to the bottom of the parking page, www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking, choose your neighborhood and you'll see a list of available parking lots and garages and what they charge under this program. Prices in private garages range from $1 to $12.50 for 24 hours. In some sections of the city municipal lots are free for those with resident stickers. All of these are on a first come, first serve basis.

Once you are on your neighborhood page, you can download a PDF map of the major arteries with special parking regulations in your area. It can be hard to see the link. It's at the top of the page. We've circled it in red on the screen-grab above. Clicking on the word, "map" will download a PDF map of the snow emergency arteries in that neighborhood.

Digging Out
Once snow falls, you see how seldom some cars in Boston are moved. We walk by cars that sit, snow-covered, for weeks on end. If you do dig your car out, you are not supposed to put the snow onto the street or a cleared sidewalk. That adds to the fun of the job.

If you live in a section of the city with a tradition of space savers, the city says those must be and will be removed 48 hours after a snow emergency has been lifted. For those new to this game "space savers" are chairs, trash cans, and other objects that are placed in cleared and empty parking spaces to save the spot for the person who shoveled it.

Once snow, slush or ice is on the ground someone has to remove it from sidewalks.
In the city of Boston and most surrounding communities that someone is you or the people you hire to do it for you.

In Boston the rules can be downloaded on this page from the sidebar headline that says, "An Ordinance Regarding The Prompt and Complete

Removal of Snow and Ice From Sidewalks and Abutting Curb Ramps":
Between sunrise and sunset, if your building has six or fewer units, you have six hours to remove snow.

If your building has more than six units, you only have three hours.

And the degree to which you remove the snow, slush or ice is laid out in the city ordinance.

"Removal of any slush or snow should be conducted along the full paved width of such sidewalk and in a manner that ensures the orderly flow and safety of pedestrian traffic upon such sidewalks. Removal of any slush or snow shall be conducted in a manner that clears the full paved path or a minimum of forty-two (42) inches wide.

 

In the case of ice, it says:

"Removal of any ice shall be in a manner consistent with the requirements of the preceding sub-section, except that any such owner, manager, or tenant shall be deemed to be in compliance with this paragraph if such ice is made level and completely covered with sand, sawdust, or other appropriate material to prevent slipping."

As to where you put the snow from your own stairs and walkways, that gets tricky because the ordinance says:

"No person shall remove slush, snow, or ice from privately-owned real property and place it upon any sidewalk or street."

French Toast Alert System
If you're new to the area or haven't been paying attention, you may not know this term. French Toast Alert comes from the rush to grocery stores for basic provisions (milk, bread and eggs) when storms are predicted.

 

 

Here's a link to the master page of the official French Toast Alert system for this area.

http://www.universalhub.com/french-toast

 

Keep information like this coming your way by supporting BostonZest when you shop at Amazon. Click on any link to Amazon on this site and shop for what you want. BostonZest will receive credit for your purchase. That's what keeps the sites like this up and running.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photos: © 2009 Penny Cherubino

Here's the place to start for winter storm information from the city: 

http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/

Subscribe to Snow Emergency Alerts by text, voice or email:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/alerts/

Snow Emergency phone numbers in Boston:

Main number: 617.635.3050

Full list of contact numbers is here:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/emergencyphone.asp

Historic New England- Our Friday Link

This week we visited Historic New England's traveling exhibition, Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England, at the Boston University Art Gallery. We were on hand for the gallery talk by Historic New England's, Lorna Condon.

She brought the exhibit to life and reminded us of the incredible resource we have in this organization. There is so much to tell about Historic New England that this will be the first in a series of posts about them over the next year.

Today we'll recommend that if you're looking for things to do and places to go during the next few weeks, that you begin by exploring the Historic New England website.

They offer:

• Historic properties to visit, some open year round
• Extensive collections to fascinate young and old alike.
• Special events and exhibitions like the one we attended
• A Special Year of the Kitchen celebration for the food lovers among us.

This list could be pages long. This is a treasure trove that can educate, enthrall, and act as a resource for all of us.

On a more general note, we recommend attending gallery talks whenever you can fit one into your schedule. Most are interactive, with opportunities for questions that personalize the experience. We live in a city abundant in brilliant minds filled with valuable knowledge. The amazing part is that these minds are often made available to us for free or a for a pittance.

Looking for a book as a gift for a history or architecture lover? An Amazon gift card or gift certificate will let them choose the right one for their collection.

Details:
Historic New England
Headquarters
141 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114
(617) 227-3956
http://www.historicnewengland.org/

Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England
Through January 17, 2010
Boston University Art Gallery
Stone Gallery
855 Commonwealth Avenue. Boston, MA 02215
(617)353-3329
http://www.bu.edu/art/webPages/mainPage.html