Foodie Friday

This is the start of what I hope will become a new weekly post here at Kensington Gold, in which I share snaps of gorgeous food that was seen or had during the week, in a sort of Instagramish roundup.  What better way to end the week than with a little food porn?  I can't devote entire posts to all of these treats, but I still want to share the goodness and tell you how to track it down on your own.  Hopefully it won't make you too hungry......enjoy and let me know what you think!

 Scallops with wild mushroom and truffle oil risotto and seared greens from West Side Lounge (yes, I went back again)

 Passionfruit mojito from The Painted Burro.  Ammmmaaaazzzing.  But it made me want to be lounging on a beach even more than the cold weather already has.

Tropical Egg Scramble (will post recipe next week)

Happy Weekend!

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Tequila Sunrise

S's birthday was last weekend, and to celebrate, we went out for dinner at Lolita, a cocina and tequila bar right off of Newbury Street in Boston.  It doesn't look like much from the street, but once you go in the door and down the stairs, you find yourself in what looks like a funky Gothic crypt, flooded in red light.

We settled into our table and our waiter arrived, bearing a mysterious bowl shrouded in mist.  He explained that it was tequila granita and was meant to be cleanse the palate before our meal.  He had us at "tequila granita" and we dug right in.

After that delightfully icy starter, we each ordered a different cocktail and then passed them around the table so that we could try a bit of everything.
I went for the spicy cucumber margarita with don julio blanco, serrano chiles, combier liqueur, and muddled cucumber.  So refreshing, with just the tiniest amount of heat.  Went down like water...very dangerous.

 

The birthday girl went for the diablo margarita:  lunazul rep, combier, serrano chiles, blood oranges, pineapple & strawberry.  Also good, but I preferred the cucumber, although I was a bit jealous of the sparkly red rim.
Along with the granita, Lolita also gives you complementary tortilla chips and a trio of sauces with your meal (roasted tomato salsa, spicy queso, and tomatillo salsa).

We decided to go all out and ordered the guacamole sampler for the chips as well.
Picante (avocado, tomato, serrano, onion, and cilantro), Especial (crab, lobster, and garlic-wine butter drizzle), and Bacon (applewood smoked bacon, adobo chile, and pico de gallo).  The bacon guac was demolished immediately, followed closely by the Especial.  Luckily, our mains soon arrived to make up for the loss.

I went for the ancho chicken quesadilla with pulled chicken, black beans, fire roasted  corn, applewood smoked bacon and Mexican cheese.

S got the blackened mahi mahi tacos with cabbage slaw, chipotle crema, guacamole, and pepitas.  I didn't actually think that the mains were that impressive....sadly, they weren't as flavorful and exciting as I had expected, but we also got these delicious little buggers, which more than made up for it:

 

Crispy spiced potatoes with caramelized onions and cotija cheese.   We ordered them for the entire table to share, but I'm pretty sure that S and I polished off most of them.

After another round of drinks, we were too stuffed to order dessert (a tragedy, I know), but Lolita had one more surprise in store for us.  Our waiter whisked away our plates and then brought us a huge spool of cotton candy.

Random?  Definitely, but also really fun.  I've never been a big cotton candy person....not into the texture.  But I found that I couldn't stop eating this.  It had a nice, watermelon flavor and the sweetness was soothing after all the spiciness.  And they even added a candle in honor of our birthday girl.

When we were ready to hit the road, our waiter dropped off our check, along with Lolita tattoos.  The fun freebies just kept coming!  Already in touch with our inner five-year-olds after eating too much cotton candy, S and I couldn't resist putting them on immediately.

Overall, I really liked Lolita.  As I said, I wasn't too impressed by the main dishes, but I would definitely go back for the cool atmosphere, fun extras (free cotton candy, tequila granita, and a Goodbye-thanks-for-coming-tattoo?  How can you pass that up?), margaritas, and guacamole.  I think that next time, I would just order a few of the apps or sides and maybe get that dessert.  If you want to go for dinner, make a reservation here, especially if you go on the weekend.  

After leaving Lolita, we had more than a few calories to burn, so we headed over to The Estate to dance the night away. I think that the bouncers could tell that we were a ridiculously fun group (or that we had had too much sugar and tequila) because they showered us with glowstick necklaces and batons.

It felt a bit like being at a rave in the 90s, but we went with it. 

We danced into the early hours of the morning and then headed off into the night.  And slept through the rest of the weekend.  These birthdays are starting to take their toll....

  

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West Side Story

I have a confession to make.  As someone who craves variety, I feel a bit guilty in admitting that I've eaten at West Side Lounge twice in the past week.  It's not because I've fallen into a diet rut or that I've gotten lazy and don't want to leave Cambridge in search of food farther afield.  No, the reason is much more exciting than that.  Just in time for Valentine's Day, I've fallen in love.  What's he like, you ask?  Well, he isn't tall, dark, and handsome, as you might expect.  Instead, he's actually a bit short and round......but he's also very hot and a little spicy too.  Take a look and just see if you don't swoon.....

 

Allow me to introduce my new love:  one of West Side Lounge's seasonal offerings:  hot mulled wine (please excuse the slightly blurry shot.  My eyes were tearing up with happiness).  A wonderful mix of mulled red wine, fruit, spices, vodka, and brandy.  Velvety smooth, deliciously sweet, and warms you up from the inside out.   Can you blame me for falling for him?  

But anyway, let me tell you about the food as well, which is also pretty darn good.  My first meal of the week here was had with E, in a belated celebration of her birthday.  We chose West Side for its fun, artsy vibe and eclectic food menu as well as its extensive and fun cocktail offerings.

In a fun touch (I'm guessing for Valentine's Day), the ceiling had been strung with roses.

 

However, our attention was soon stolen away from the ceiling by the arrival of this bucket of glory.

 

Parmesan truffle fries.  They started out good and then got more truffle-y and delicious as you went down. We made short work of them and then, as if on cue, our mains arrived.   For me, it was "Our Favorite Chicken Ever" (gotta love a name like that).

Pan seared chicken nestled on top of whipped goat cheese mashed potatoes, with artichoke and a wild mushroom sauce.  The chicken itself wasn't mind blowing but I would like to personally thank the person who thought of adding goat cheese to mashed potatoes.  Comfort food at its finest.  And the combination of the artichoke and mushroom sauce was an interesting and really tasty complement.  E ordered two appetizers in place of a main:  the blackened shrimp tacos and one of the night's specials:  dates stuffed with chorizo and goat cheese with a spicy sauce.

Once those plates had been cleared away, we were rather stuffed, but since it was a birthday celebration (and since we're professionals), we decided that we could find room for dessert.  West Side Lounge always has a creme brulee of the day and on that day, the flavor was caramel, which we thought sounded promising.

We were right, as it was delightfully sweet and caramelly with an easily cracked crust and a perfect creamy texture.  It was the just the right way to end the meal.  We got up to leave but I knew in my heart that I would have to return soon to my newly found love......I couldn't stay away for long.  So, with tales of a mysterious beverage that would wrap you in a warm embrace on a cold winter's day and melt even the coldest of hearts, I convinced GK to go to brunch over the weekend.  However, the mulled wine was playing a bit hard to get, so we started with a more civilized, bubbly brunch cocktail:  the pomimosa---basically a mimosa with the addition of pomegranate juice.

Being a big eggs benedict fan, I was excited to see that there were three options for the dish on the menu:  one featured prosciutto, another was heavier on the veggies, and the third included smoked salmon.  I was feeling adventurous and went for the smoked salmon.

 

I was so glad that I did.  The smoked salmon added a deliciously rich layer between the English muffin and the perfectly poached eggs, while the hollandaise sauce was wonderfully flavorful and zesty.

I was pretty focused on these babies, but I did manage to tear myself away for a moment in order to taste GK's California omelet, which had avocado, tomato, feta, and scallions.

I love me some avocado in an omelet, but surprisingly, the scallions were what gave this one an intriguing flavor snap that held your attention and tied all the other flavors together.  By the time we finished our eggs and our bubbles, the lovely bartender was heating up the mulled wine and, at long last, we were reunited.  Cue the romantical music.

 We gazed at each other and everyone else in the restaurant seemed to fade away......

until GK intentionally coughed and ruined the moment.  I think that she was getting a bit jealous because she seemed to quickly become besotted as well.

 

Thank goodness that there was enough to go around for the both of us.  And, while I usually don't like to share, I'm willing to spread the love to you as well.  If you'd like to go for dinner or brunch, I'd recommend making a reservation through West Side's website, because they seem to fill up quickly and it's not a large place.  I'd also try to get there soon, before winter turns to spring and they change their seasonal cocktail menu and take away the gorgeous man in red.  Just remember to take things slow.  Or you could end up like me and find yourself, in the immortal words of Beyonce, drunk in love.

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Romancing the Cupcake

I'll admit it, I'm something of a cupcake snob.  Or maybe it's not that I'm a snob, it's just that I have very high standards.  Of course, it's not hard to find one that's easy on the eyes; they seem to be waiting around every corner.  You know what I'm talking about....an artistically formed pile of frosting crowning the top of a nice, cutesy round cake.  But, more often than not, after I've decided to take it home, I just end up being disappointed.  It has the good looks, yes, but lacks the substance that I'm looking for.  Usually the cake is too dry and the icing overly sweet and artificial-tasting. For years, I've lamented the fact that the perfect cupcake just might not exist.  Luckily, I was proven wrong when I found this recipe for banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting in a February 2010 issue of Glamour .  I'm sure that you're already aware of what a great pairing banana and peanut butter makes and, in this recipe, it becomes a match made in cupcake heaven.  The banana helps the cupcake stay moist while the frosting provides the perfect sweet and salty  complement.  Just look at a close up of these beauties:

In order to whip up your own batch,, you will need:

For the cupcakes:
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
1 1/4 cups ripe banana, mashed

For the frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp. milk

To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put your cupcake papers in your muffin pan.  Then combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Next, remove the peels from your bananas and mash them with a fork.  As an added bonus, this is a great way to take out your frustration over all those years of bad cupcakes.

I usually need about 2 1/2 or 3 large bananas to make 1 1/4 cups of mash.  Once you've filled your measuring cups, set aside, and then cream your butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Then add your eggs and your vanilla.

 Once the eggs and vanilla are mixed in, grab your bowl of dry ingredients and mix it in in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk.

Mix on low for 2 minutes and soon you should have something that looks like this:
Once you do, it's time to fold in the mashed banana.

At this point, you're ready to pour your batter into your cupcake wrappers.  I fill 'em up about 3/4 of the way full.  This should make at least 18 cupcakes, or even more if you don't fill them quite as high.

Pop them in the oven and bake for 25ish minutes.  While you wait, pour yourself a glass of wine (you've earned it), sit back, relax and enjoy the aroma of baking banana.  When you've finished your glass (and perhaps one more), yank your pans out of the oven and admire your handiwork.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting (the best part).  Start by creaming together the powdered sugar, the butter, and the vanilla.

Then add your peanut butter (the original recipe called for creamy peanut butter but I've always been a crunchy girl myself, so that's what I used.  Plus the crunchy kind gives you nice chunks of peanuts swirled throughout your icing, upping your texture game.) and your milk and mix until you have a nice, smooth frosting.

 Go ahead and stick your finger in it and have a taste.  I won't tell and it's just too good to resist.

Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, top them off with a generous slathering of the icing.

I chose shiny red cupcake papers in honor of Valentine's Day, but try not to get too hung up on what your cupcakes are wearing.  After all, it's what's on the inside that counts.

I hope this recipe makes you find true cupcake love.  It worked for me and now, I can't imagine my life without it.

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