So, where did we eat this weekend on the Cape?

The Cape.

It feels so unnatural to me to say Cape Cod. It’s so formal, like something that someone who hadn’t ever been there would say. But I’ve been there many times. As a child, my family would make a yearly pilgrimage to the Cape for our massive annual family reunion. There would be volleyball and lobster. My grandmother would convene with her cousins, the ones that she’d spent summers playing on beaches and swimming with. Meanwhile, I would search the crowds (yes, crowds) for my generation of cousins … the ones who, although older, would build sandcastles on the beach with me.

I have a great family.

This past weekend was the first time that my children visited the Cape. While I doubt they will ever connect the concept of visiting the Cape with huge family gatherings like I do, I certainly hope that they do associate it would good times and good friends. I have great friends too.

Alright, enough musings … onto the food. Read the rest of this entry…

Some foods are ubiquitous to areas. Philadelphia has its cheesesteaks. The south has its BBQ. New York has its cheesecake. Boston has its baked beans. But for every well-known regional food, there are dozens of lesser known ones that are just as wonderful — if not more so.

When it comes to greater Boston, one of those foods is the Roast Beef Sandwich. An area favorite, particularly north of Boston, it’s popularity extends across the New Hampshire line and down into Rhode Island too.

Let me introduce you to this glorious sandwich … The Roast Beef Sandwich is typically served on an onion roll, which is a soft sandwich roll that’s dotted with sweet bits of caramelized onions. My husband opts for a regular sesame roll, but you have to ask for that (and unless you are a total onion hater like him, I don’t suggest you do so). Onto that roll goes an eye-popping quantity of thinly sliced roast beef deli meat, which has been warmed on the grill. It’s doused with a spicy, loose barbecue sauce and served hot. The contrast between the sweet onions and the bite of the sauce is amazing.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my lips … this is an amazing sandwich. Read the rest of this entry…

Cate and I were planning the Cucina Bella invasion of Sweetnicks for weeks. We talked about all the things we were planning to do (and we did most of them!) and the food we’d eat. But then one day she hit me with something unexpected: a suggestion to get pasties.

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that one. I mean, we’re friends and all. But aren’t pasties sort of a … private thing? And would that really be appropriate for the kids? And why exactly did we need to get them?

Well, as it turns out, while pasties (read:paste-ees) mean one thing to me, pasties (read: past-ees) mean something entirely else to her. Go figure. Must be a Jersey thing.

So, shortly after arriving, we headed off to Rocky’s Pasties in Wharton, NJ. The small take-out joint is situated in a block of row houses. There’s no room for sitting, so you go in, order and take your food and go. In and out in minutes, it’s a great place to stop if you want a hearty bite fast.

As for the past-ees? This is what they look like:

The pasties are sort of a cross between a souped-up Hot Pocket and a pot pie. Filled with a hearty portion of meat (chicken, sausage or beef) and veggies , these babies will fill you up. Really, I don’t know what was better: the flakey crust or the incredibly flavorful fillings.

They also reheat really well. We each bought several, and I’ve been eating mine over the last few days for lunches. Delish. If you happen to be in the area, give them a try. But then again, if you are a native you probably already have.

Loved it.

What do you think of when I say pasty?

My children love chocolate. (Okay, so do I!) They really, really love chocolate.

So, naturally, when we left Stepping Stones the other day, my friends, kids and I headed to nearby Chocopologie, the chocolate-themed cafe of chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt. We just had to go there. Ever since I saw Fritz on Throwdown with Bobby Flay a few years back, I have been coveting his (rather pricey) chocolates. Shawn has been kind enough to buy me some for special occasions … and I can’t say that I have done much in the way of sharing them. They are simply too good for politeness. (I know, I am BAD!)

When we arrived, we were surprised to walk right into this tight space where a kid’s birthday party was going on . . . Oh my. When I say tight, I mean if it weren’t for my friends being there, I might have turned around and left. It was crowded with tables that left little room to scoot by. There was no clear place to go to get a table (like, maybe a desk? Or a clear stretch of counter?) and no straight path to the display where the chocolates were. Where was I supposed to go?

Read the rest of this entry…

Sunday was a glorious day here in Connecticut. The sun was warm and bright, though the air was still a bit brisk (as can be expected from an April day in New England). Everything is starting to awake from the winter deep-freeze. Buds are starting to appear on the early bloomers of spring, lending to the hope that we might soon escape the chills and rain showers that have been a near-constant lately. Even the every present and unwanted groundhogs are back. I cannot wait until the air is warm again and we can shed winter’s layers of fleece and wool.

But it wasn’t just the weather that was wonderful on Sunday, it was the company we had and the outing we took.

The kids and I headed to Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk where we met two of my wonderful friends. (It brought a huge smile to my face when my very wonderful friend researched and proposed that we take the kids to the museum. Love it. Such a sweet and thoughtful idea. My friends are the best.) The kid-centered museum has sections dedicated to building, the rain forest, healthy bodies and water play. We lounged in the gorilla sleeping area where you can become one with the jungle and watched Will ride a bike where a skeleton on a bike next to you mimics the movements so you can see how bones really move. Will loved that one, but was a little annoyed that he couldn’t ride the skeleton’s bike.  There is also a light-board that shows how hydration moves through the body. It was nearly impossible to pull Paige away from that one. And then there is the water area … oh, my little water babies could have stayed there all day. Read the rest of this entry…

Cost of 2 movie tickets for Friday night: $22
Cost of 2 sodas, one popcorn and one nachos at the movies: $21
Total cost of my husband and my first night out alone in nearly a year: $43

Seriously. I mean seriously. WHY DOES IT COST SO MUCH TO GO TO THE MOVIES?!?

I thought the ticket prices were awful when I bought them online (truth be told, I could have saved $2 by buying them at the theatre, but since it was the opening night I wanted to be sure we got them for the time we wanted).

But the food. Oh, the food. Once upon a time, movie theatre food cost a fraction of the price and was made on the premises. You would get hot nacho cheese, just popped popcorn, etc, etc. These days, everything comes out of bags and plastic containers. In fact, they don’t even put the butter on the popcorn for you anymore. Geesh. We are paying for less quality, less work by the workers and convenience. It’s a scam.

How to save money at the movies:

1) Bring your own food. Nachos and cheese? No problem. Ortega sells these handy little tubs of nacho cheese in four packs (check the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store) for about $3. Take one, and a baggy of tortilla chips and hide in your large purse. For drinks, bring your favorites – water, flavored waters, even sodas – in your purse. But wait till the lights dim to whip them out. Even popcorn can be popped at home and brought with you.

2) Go to the matinee. Yea, it’s fun to see movies at night. But it’s more fun to not spend an arm and a leg doing it so save a few dollars and go in the afternoon on a rainy day. Your wallet will thank you.

3) Only see what you can’t wait for. Don’t go to the movies just to go to the movies. Go when it’s a movie you are dying to see that you cannot wait for. Otherwise, save the money and wait for it to come out on video – you can either spend about $5 and rent it or spend $15 and own it. Both cases are less than the cost of two movie tickets.

When I realized I wouldn’t be getting home until late tonight, I decided that takeout was the best route to go. Although I had defrosted meat, I just couldn’t stomach slaving over the stove at 8 p.m. So I conspired with the husband and had him call in a deliciously sinful pizza.

Why sinful? Because I am working hard on my healthy eating habits to shed the marriage weight (the baby weight is thankfully already gone. But, being the good dieter I am, I already know I had enough spare calories in my daily budget for a few slices…

And boy were they good.

But let me rewind for a moment.

Penance.

Yes, penance. And I paid penance before even picking up the deliciously sinful pizza.

The pizza place, which had the nicest staff and a wonderful pie, didn’t take debit or credit…which meant I had to do the bank sprint down to the nearest branch. I. Had. To. Walk. To. The. Bank. For. Money. To. Get. My. Pizza.

Ahhh, but the exercise was totally worth it.

Ok, so, I need to complain.

I went to the Friendly’s in Danbury, Conn., with my husband and son (just over a year old) today for lunch. Figuring that it’s a good, family friendly restaurant, I thought it would be a good place for a treat for my boy. He’s been such a trooper about going to daycare for the first time over the past month that I feel like he deserves it.

Anyway, back to the rant.

We were seated right away (yay!) but by the bathroom (boo! but someone has to sit there, and it really doesn’t bother me that much). We weren’t given a children’s menu (boo! toddlers eat too) until about 15 minutes later when our waiter decided to finally greet us.

Yes. It took 15 minutes to greet us.

Now, I understand that they were busy. And I can appreciate that it might have taken him that long to take our order, but he’d been within feet of our table at least twice without saying anything.

Finally we got to order…another 5 or 10 minutes later. Ugh. Cheesy mac and franks for Will, a barbecue beef sandwich for me (hold the ranch!), and honey barbecue chicken fingers for my husband (and the waiter asked if he wanted double fries instead of coleslaw, which Shawn was very happy about).

Another 10 or 15 minutes go by and our food finally comes. (Are you seeing the time issue here?!?) Despite the fact that it was the waiter’s idea, Shawn’s plate came with coleslaw and fries instead of the double fries. Despite my very clear request, there was a big squirt of ranch dressing on my sandwich. And poor Will, for whom this treat was all about, got a plate of mac and cheese that looked like it was at least a day old.

I sent mine back, and Will just ate the franks…he wasn’t into the mac and cheese at all. Frankly, I cannot blame him. Shawn sucked it up. Their fries aren’t that good anyway.

The food was otherwise a mediocre ok, though Shawn’s honey barbecue tenders looked NOTHING like the photo in the menu (ahhhh, false advertising?).

What else bugged me? The fact that despite my name clearly being embossed on the debit card, the waiter handed my husband the receipt to sign, for one. The fact that my son’s food was so awful. The fact that the children’s portions are WAY too big and we weren’t even ASKED if we wanted to take it home. The fact that the options were devoid of vegetables. The fact that I practically had to beg for a refill on my drink.

Oh, and most of all. Friendly’s has raised their prices. They are now on par with other chains like Chili’s, Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday’s. Well, if I am going to spend money on food like that, I would rather have something a slot above mediocre.

Rant ended.

Mexicali Rose in Newtown doesn’t look like much from the outside – just another storefront eatery with a clever sign. Located on Route 25, you can’t let the location fool you though. This isn’t just some hole in the wall.

When you walk in, you are met with a cute assortment of vintage tables and vinyl chairs and interesting decorations on the walls. You order from a small counter at the rear of Mexicali Rose, where a wall menu, chalkboard with specials and a rack with fresh tortilla chips are crammed together.

The authentic Mexican food from the Yucatan Peninsula is freshly prepared and masterfully seasoned. If you like your food authentically hot, then let them know. Mexicali Rose offers simple but delicious dishes served up fast.

The beef fajitas contain well-seasoned and tender meat and crisp-tender peppers and onions. The very fresh salsa is slightly sweet (from the tomatoes) and just a little spicy. And the homemade tortillas practically melt in your mouth. All the flavors come together in a glorious harmony. Mexicali Rose also offers fajitas with chicken or pork.

Mexicali Rose’s guacamole is awesome, definitely get a small container of it to go with whatever you choose.

The soft tacos come on homemade corn tortillas, which aren’t my favorite in general. However Mexicali Rose does their corn tortillas well, so even I liked them. The shredded chicken is moist, which is always a plus.

If you are a cheese lover like me, pay close attention to what you order. Many things on the Mexicali Rose menu come sans cheese including the fajitas and soft tacos. Hard tacos feature cheese though, as do some of the burritos and all of the quesadillas (well, that should go without saying…it is a QUESAdilla, after all).

The prices at Mexicali Rose are average – Most items are around $6. Tacos are the exception, coming in at an inexpensive $1.95. Portions are a good size too, you’ll definitely be full after eating.

If you are planning on take out, they prepare things pretty quickly (our order took about 8 minutes) so it’s okay to just drop in. Tables are available for eating there as well. Next time I’ll be calling ahead though, since there really isn’t much room to wait.

Mexicali Rose is family owned and operated, which is always nice in these days of fast, fast, faster and the ever growing chain restaurant. They are closed Mondays.