food

Getting Your Falafel Fix In Boston: Pita

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Picture of the front door, signage and street of Pita, a restaurant located in the South End area of Boston, that sells falafel.I love falafel far more than it loves me. Hummus is one of my favorite things to spread on a sandwich or use as a dip for a chip.

Chickpeas can do a number on my stomach, but I can’t resist them or foods made with them. So I have to eat them in moderation. Considering the health benefits and my love for them, it’s a shame that I cannot eat chickpeas to my heart’s content. But alas, it cannot be so.

So when I decide to treat myself to some falafel and more, I have found a place that gets it right every time: Pita.

While working in the Financial District, I used to go just around the corner from my building to Pita on Summer Street.

This week, I was meeting someone for lunch and she suggested we go to Pita on Albany Street in the South End. It’s right on the corner of Union Park Street and there is a cute little park across the street.

You can sit and look at the nice plants and flowers, while enjoying eating your meal outdoors in this lovely summer weather.

Colorful close up picture of daisies growing outside, from the park where I ate my falafel.There is metered parking in the area, if you are driving. So bring a few quarters. But be careful. I drove down Albany Street from Mass. Ave. and was not sure of the exact location.

If you are driving in that direction, turn around before you get to the corner of Union Park. If you don’t, you can get swept up in traffic.

I should have taken the left at the light to make the loop around to get back on Albany. Instead I ended up back on the Expressway! Not fun! At least I didn’t end up on the Pike!

Anyway, the food at Pita is delicious and reasonably priced. For lunch, I ordered a small side of tabouli, which is a very generous portion. I added two falafel to that and I was all set for my meal.

The one down side was the Moroccan mint tea, which was just okay. Not sure that I’d order it again. Other places where I have ordered it, you get a vary large portion and it is very minty and sweet. This was neither.

I tried taking a picture of my meal, but it was so sunny and there was such a glare that I couldn’t even see to take it. Anyway, I highly recommend Pita and know that I’ll be going again!

So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Desserts: A Taste Test

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So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen DessertsSoooo, this taste test. It wasn’t planned. But I found myself trying several flavors of So Delicious Dairy Free frozen desserts over the weekend and decided to blog it. Because why not?

I visited a few stores and kept noticing an ever expanding array of So Delicious Dairy Free products. I had no idea this brand included so many varieties of frozen treats! I definitely plan to try more. Especially with the weather heating up over the past few days. It hit 90 degrees in the Boston area for the first time this summer!

A few years ago, I had eliminated a great deal of dairy from my diet. First eliminating milk, then trying dairy free cheeses and making my own dairy free ice cream.

Since yesterday was National Ice Cream Day, I had ice cream on my mind. But recently I’ve realized that I’ve added a lot of dairy back into my diet. I love it, but feel like I need to dial it back a bit.

Since I don’t eat most meat, much of my protein comes from cheese and yogurt. I bought some dairy free cultured, but haven’t tried it yet. So let’s get to the taste test.

The first of the frozen desserts that I tried was the Creamy Cashew Cashew Milk. Hands down it was my favorite. Cashews are one of my favorite nuts. The texture and taste were perfect. I will definitely buy this again and try more of the cashew milk products.

Next up, the Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk. The texture wasn’t as creamy as I would like and the flavor was kind of bland. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

The last that I tried was the Vanilla Almond Milk. The texture was very good, but again, the flavor was kind of bland. I think I’d try this product line again, but in a different flavor. The butter pecan looks like a good one.

So there you have it! If you’re looking for some dairy free frozen treats, you can definitely find one that you like. Just sample a few.

Happy Monday to you and stay cool!

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Tatte Bakery and Cafe: A Favorite Place

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Tatte bakery signFive years ago, I blogged about finding one of the best bakeries in the world.

Since then, Tzurit Or, the founder and owner of Tatte has expanded to five locations, including the newest space on Charles Street on Beacon Hill.

Tatte Bakery nutboxes

Being at Tatte Bakery is like stepping into a little piece of heaven. If heaven has a bakery. Everything is pleasing to the eye and the palate.

I had never seen anything like a nut box before. Aren’t they beautiful?

That high level of detail and perfection flows through each location and even the Instagram feed. While baked goods and desserts are the specialty, you can also buy food to eat in or take out. Tatte Bakery also caters. I’d like that for an event!

Tatte Bakery rows of nutboxesI told two co-workers about Tatte Bakery and we visited one day after work. Sitting outside in the warm summer air and enjoying the beauty of Beacon Hill is a perfect way to wind down.

Beacon Hill There are so many choices of what to eat, but I decided on a cherry clafoutis. It was so good, I gasped out loud. Not exaggerating here.

cherry clafoutis at Tatte BakeryI’d like to try and make a cherry clafoutis at home. I’ve been buying a lot of cherries recently and now have a recipe, so maybe it will happen. For now, I will savor the memory.

Burke’s Seafood – Quincy, MA

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Burke's Seafood sign and seafood platterWhen I attended Seafood Expo North America (SENA) last year, I learned so much about how we Americans consume seafood. Did you know that up to 90% of the seafood consumed in this country is imported?

According to NOAA FishWatch, “a significant portion of this imported seafood is caught by American fishermen, exported overseas for processing, and then reimported to the United States.”

That is shocking to me. It made me a lot pickier about my seafood and I started focusing on higher quality. A local place called Burke’s Seafood is a great find. Not only can you find fresh seafood, they also prepare it.

Last week, I bought a full dinner for my father’s birthday that fed four people and was under $45.00. We all loved it. Plus, there were leftovers!

You can call ahead and order your food to go or stay and eat there. I highly recommend Burke’s. There are usually a few people waiting, but not for too long.

Burke’s Seafood is located in North Quincy just off Hancock Street on Billings Road. From their website, it looks like they are closed on Mondays. But they have long hours on all the other days, so it’s easy to get a chance to stop by.

Also, they have a monthly newsletter called Fish Tales that you can subscribe to and learn about other things they sell, like beer and wine. You can receive coupons and find out their specials that month. I’ve already sent a few people over there, so I figured I’d share with you too. Hopefully when you get a craving for seafood, you’ll check them out!