Saturday: Union Market to start the day..of course.
Next, Harvest Fest 2010. This was one kickass event! The place had tons of people, but the cap on attendance made it easy to maneuver from station to station picking on the bites of food provided by the 10 local restaurants. The selection was mostly vegetarian friendly so I was able to taste many of the offerings. First: Traina's Starlight Lounge's squash tart topped with apple slaw and toasted pecans..amazing! Probably my favorite of the bunch and far from a bite (it was rather large!)..plus the guy did not even check my card and told me to come back for more..that is good business sense because it makes me want to go and eat a full on meal..good food, nice people. Next Pizzeria Posto who was offering not 1 but 2 bites! One was a crostini with fresh local goat cheese and local golden beets topped with balsamic the other a cannoli..both left your mouth watering and you wanting more (see where we went for dinner later!). My non-veg friend hit up Red Bones and was loving the tenderness and flavor of the ribs they had..the smell was delectable! She also liked the rice and chicken dish provided by Ronnarong Thai Tapas. Our final stop for food was The Independent...acorn squash topped with mushroom risotto. This was by far the least favorite. Acorn squash was dry and the mushroom risotto was nothing more than cream of mushroom over rice. You can do better than that guys!
The food was along the perimeter while the beer was in the center (as was the crowd). One of my favorite brewers Rapscallion was there so I hit them up twice..the Rapscallion Honey (Extra Pale Ale) was on tap and fantastic. They are super local by the way, based in Holyoke MA and one of the owners was there filling the cups..really down to earth and friendly guy!
I went to another brewer but my memory is not as good with beer as it is with food so I do not remember the name...I should have hit up more places, but I rather eat than drink my calories!
OK, time to move down to Davis and check out some HONK! The streets were lined with peeps listening and dancing..perfect Fall weather and a promise of a good time really helped! We wandered Davis and some my favorite local shops such as Magpie and Davis Squared..Got a hot cocoa from Diesel and a Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon cupcake from Kickass Cupcakes (which was eaten much later as my second dessert of the day!) We wandered for a long while and built our appetites back up...luckily Pizzeria Posto was right there! Pumpkin Arrancini, Fresh Mushroom and cheese pizza and Pumpkin Risotto...all of which we split and loved. Everything came to us piping hot..the arrancini was crispy on the outside but gooey and filled with ricey/pumpkin goodness on the inside all topped with their delicious tomato sauce. The mozzarella on the pizza is made in house (can't get more local!) with fresh wild mushrooms...yum! Finally the pumpkin risotto...seasoned wonderfully and perfectly cooked. Risotto was not mushy or too hard...perfect creamy bite to it with chucks of pumpkin. I have yet to have a bad meal here..if you have not tried it..go soon.
Once I got home I enjoyed the cupcake..which was crazy good. Moist, cinnamon-y and the perfect pumpkin ending to a fun day!
Sunday: Harvard Square for more HONK! and Oktoberfest...and a lot of walking around to work off the two desserts. Here is am going to plug my cousin's local artist company Organic Imagination. They are young and extremely talented. I bought 2 pieces and got a 3rd free (family discounts are great). I was really impressed with the sophistication and meaning behind some the works. Other pieces were just down right beautiful and fun..like the surprised money print I bought..looking at it now and it totally make me smile. Check them out on facebook and click LIKE to get information on where they will be selling next!
Monday: Went to see the Town..even my movie choices are local! I loved this film, but for sure there is one scene in the North End that made the whole movie for me..if you just watch this part, it is worth the price of the film. Affleck's Boston accent has improved greatly since Good Will Hunting..that was a bonus!
Tuesday: The Foundry on Elm..finally! Tuesday night and this place was packed at 8 when we showed up. No wait though, so that was a plus! The host was unbelievably welcoming..he may have been the owner, but not sure. Either way he most definitely made me feel like I made the right choice for dinner.. The menu is small but there is something for everyone. I believe small menu tells one that there is a focus on quality over quantity...with all the fresh local ingredients listed and the yumminess of our pasta I think I am right.
We both got the penne with eggplant, tomato and goat cheese. The pasta was el dante, which is how I prefer pasta and the flavoring was spot on. The service was prompt and the waitress knswledgable. She forgot my friends hush puppies and when asked she quickly returned to tell us that they stayed in the fryer for too long and were burned. A new dish would be right out and they would be on the house...exactly how it should be. Sadly, she did not like the spice in the puppies..I was not to crazy about them either, but that had more too do with them being a fried ball of corn than the flavor (which I liked).
Wednesday: Local Lisa took a break from stuffing her face to attend her first meeting with a fantastic group of local community workers. We are starting a large project that will hopefully benefit many people in Somerville. More about that as it develops, but good things are happening and I am so happy and proud to be included!
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