Rockport, MA: Roy Moore Lobster Co.

Location:

39 Bearskin Neck, Rockport, MA 01966

A recent trip to Rockport immediately made me crave lobster rolls, which, in the past in Boston has been good but not as exciting as I would have anticipated.

So, as we walked by Roy Moore's in Rockport, the staff was tossing some fresh lobster meat to a couple of friendly dogs who were being walked by their owners and I literally wanted a piece of that action.

At $15 for a small lobster roll, the off-season prices are perhaps quite steep, but the experience of sitting outside (they even put down some paper on the bench) in the slight drizzle, eating a delicious, fresh lobster roll in March was priceless.

Cambridge: Beat Hotel

Location:

13 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA (below The Gap in Harvard Square)

It takes a certain type of restaurant to get me out on a weeknight after work in this city. The Beat Hotel is that type of restaurant. A grand opening party at a bohemian American brasserie inspired by the Beat generation of the 50s Paris, with live music and cockails named "Electric Sidecar"? Well, the food was just the icing on the cake at that point.

The restaurant features live music e'ry night with jazz, blues and world adding to the bohemian vibe. This night we were treated to Kate McGarry along with Steve Santoro and the Tim Ray trio.

Throughout the evening, our host and co-owner Bertil Jean-Chronberg suggested a variety of American artisanal wines and craft beers to complement the items on the menu. 

Serving a very eclectic menu of seasonal dishes to tempt both the carnivorous palate as well as the herbavore, our table covered the entire spectrum.

We began the evening with flavorful craft cocktails; my favorite was the American Breed, complete with Maker's Mark and St. Edler's elderflower liqueur and apple cider...it felt like the perfect drink for an Autumn evening.

We started with a slew of appetizers, spanning the entire table. A must-try dish is the Hamachi (yellowtail) Sashimi, served on avocado, sambal and black olives...literally melts in your mouth.

There was crispy calamari and tempura veggies, crispy tuna spring rolls, a bohemian platter of hummus, cheese, veggies, pickles, enough for everyone to share.

If that wasn't filling enough, we moved onto our mains, I decided on the 1/2 roasted natural chicken with frites, mustard jus and pickes, generous in portion and robust in flavor.

The Tandoori spiced halibut with lentils and cucumber raita was a tasty alternative to the chicken, and the Earth Bowls (options vary from vegan, shrimp, chicken, steak and salmon) are yet another satisfying choice.

Don't get me started on the desserts...the bread pudding is to die for.

It's the best when you can share in a food experience with food lovers, and amongst these, at my table it was great to meet Tiffany and see Elizabeth who I hung out with in Miami!

If you're looking for a lively spot to wine and dine with live music every night, be sure to check out the calendar at The Beat Hotel.

Thank you to The Beat Hotel for treating us to an incredible evening in Harvard Square.

All photographs ©Hogger & Co., processed with VSCO Film 04

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Celebrate with tacos and margaritas!

Here's a round up of my fave taco places:

5 Napkin Burger (Miami), who knew a burger place could do fish tacos so well?

Linden Square's The Cottage in Wellesley, MA does a mean mahi taco

Border Cafe in Harvard Square, Boston

Dos Cominos in NYC

Atwoods Tavern, Boston, does a good fish taco!

And if you, like me, enjoy taco night at home, try this tilapia recipe for creating delish fish tacos!!

Miami: Fontainbleau Hotel: Hakkasan

Location:

4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach

http://www.hakkasan.com/miami/

You know when you're sunburned and so relaxed, that even though you want to get dressed up and go out, you really don't want to go too far?

That's when dining in one of the hotel's restaurants is the best idea, ever.

Hakkasan fit the bill. Although they were fully booked, they were gracious and got us a table after a short wait.

The dumplings were the highlight for sure. Incredibly moist, and with abundant flavor and texture, we held that as the standard. Alas the fish dish was not up to par. Am not a fan of bland steamed fish with sauce poured over it. The eggplant didn't have too much oomph and the fried rice was forgettable.

Redemption came in the form of chocolate (naturally) and won us over again. If you're staying at the Fontainbleau Hotel, I highly recommend dining there. If you're not, I wouldn't bother with the trek.

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Cambridge: REI Camp Cooking Challenge

On July 28, 3 local area chefs battled it out on a grassy hill-top using only 1 local (and secret) ingredient.

The 3rd annual Camp Cooking Challenge was sponsered by REI and the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, hosted by Dane Tullock, Outreach Specialist, REI Boston and videographed by Jeremy from Studio603films.

Using REI's camping gear and fresh produce from The Food Project the chefs were challenged to serve two dishes to the judges using the red fish as their master ingredient. The judges were DAR commissioner Greg Watson, Editor of Northeast Flavor Magazine, Jean Kerr (whose current issue features Julia Child), Founder and President of Chop-Chop Magazine, Sally Sampson and Director of Food Initiatives , Edith Murnane.

The winners were Chefs Chris Douglass and Nuno Alves from Tavalo for their seafood risotto (I tried it, it was delicious!)

Coming in second was Chef Jay Murray from Grill 23 with Chef Patricia Yeo (from tv's Top Chef Masters fame and Moksa) coming in third. (I'm a huge fan of Top Chef so it was a pleasure to meet Chef Patricia Yeo).

Here, some highlights (my interview by Dane made it to my Instagram feed!)

Happy Birthday Julia Child!

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