Foodie Fridays: Food Truck Adventures (Part I)

Boston always seems to be a few years behind most trends, and the food truck craze is no exception. However, from my recent experiences, the wait was worth it. During the past month or so, I've noticed a lot more food trucks around, with offerings ranging from Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches to cupcakes to fried chicken. While my food truck adventures are ongoing (I haven't come close to eating at all of the city's food trucks or even hit up the majority of them), here are my experiences so far:

Kick*ss Cupcakes - I love a good cupcake, but I've found them frustratingly hard to find. Many of the cupcake places I've tried tend to be overpriced, dry, and too sweet. One of my favorite places in Boston for cupcakes is Kick*ss in Davis Square. However, there isn't an easy way for me to get to Somerville, so my cupcake cravings often went unanswered. Then the cupcake place got a truck and started coming into the city. Now I've gone to the truck an embarrassing number of times and managed to try a number of cupcakes. While the vanilla, chocolate, and Super Chocolate ($3.00 each) are all safe bets, my personal favorite is the Boston Cream Cupcake-A-Go-Go. It is basically a Boston cream cake parfait, with yellow cake layered with chocolate, custard, and whipped cream. At $4.00, it is a decadent and very satisfying treat.

Staff Meal Food Truck - The staff meal is a tradition at some restaurants, where the cooks prepare a meal for the restaurant's staff (hence the name). The Staff Meal truck is based on this idea, and it features what seems to be a rotating menu with creative takes on classic recipes. When I visited the truck, I asked the guys running it for a suggestion, and they recommended the "BlLT," which is basically a BLT with bacon loaf instead of regular strips of bacon. The bread is grilled and crisp, which results in a variety of textures and temperatures in the sandwich. With the bacon loaf (the cooks take bacon, throw it in a meat grinder, and form it into a loaf shape), the sandwich is tasty but very rich and makes for a filling meal.

Bon Me - Bon Me specializes in Vietnamese-inspired food and serves noodle salads, rice bowls (both white and brown rice), and sandwiches. You get to pick a protein (chicken, tofu, or barbecue pork), and it is served with the carbs of your choice along with greens and veggies. Their rice bowls are very good (I love the brown rice); the pork provides a salty and savory counter-note to the rice and greens. My only (tiny) quibble is that the pork can sometimes be a bit too salty. However, I'm looking forward to trying the chicken rice bowl.

Bon Me also has excellent chocolate rice pudding. I was never a huge rice pudding fan before, but this was enough to convert me. Be certain to show up early if you want the pudding - it sometimes sells out!

M&M Ribs - I must admit that the M&M Ribs' truck is a little hard to find, but it does seem to make regular appearances at the SOWA Sunday market. I came across it when I was having a serious craving for fried chicken, which is hard to find in Boston. Despite my initial hesitance when I came across the truck (who would think of buying fried chicken from a food truck), my cravings won out and I purchased some wings and fries. When I first got my food, I thought my fears were confirmed. The fries were on the pale side, and the chicken didn't have much of a coating. However, the food was good. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, and the thin outer coat was crisp (if not as crunchy as I would like), and the fries were surprisingly tasty in their greasiness. While I don't know when I'll make it back to SOWA (Sundays are usually reserved for work), I definitely want to try to the rest of M&M's menu.

Next up on the food truck front, I'm hoping to try Roxy's Grilled Cheese, the Redbones truck, and The Cupcakory. If there are other trucks you'd like to recommend, please let me know here or on my personal twitter account (@sweeks1980).

Foodie Friday: Three of My Favorite Food Spots in Boston

One of my biggest downfalls is eating out. Even though I love cooking, it isn't very fulfilling to cook for one. Add to that my erratic schedule and the fact that the closest grocery store is can be kindly described as basic, and it is a perfect storm, at least for my budget. That said, there are a few restaurants and shops that I've found in Boston that are affordable, fun, and a little eclectic. Here they are, in no particular order:

After months of anticipation, Saus opened earlier this month near Faneuil Hall. It is a small cafe dedicated to serving Belgian street food, which translates to frites and liege waffles. While this might not sound super-exciting at first, I really like this restaurant. The service is super-friendly, and the frites and waffles are both very good. The frites have a crisp exterior without being greasy, and they are served showered with a sprinkling of flaky salt.  The waffles, which use pearl sugar, are also delicious. While a meal of frites and waffles is not terribly nutritious (or figure-friendly), you should definitely stop by this cafe before wandering around the Quincy Market/aquarium/North End area.

On the other end of spectrum is Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand. This little store, which specializes in gourmet food and produce, is a great alternative to the produce aisle in the supermarket. In the summer and fall, the store has local produce, and it also carries local products, such as ice cream and breads, all year round. However, avoid this place during Red Sox games (or anything else that is happening in the Fenway area) if traffic and seas of pedestrians make you crazy.

I don't typically like sandwiches, but Cutty's in Brookline is the exception to this rule. This tiny sandwich shop offers a glimpse of sandwich nirvana. While others rave about the pork rabe and pork fennel (both available only on Saturdays), my personal favorite is the roast beef 1000, a sandwich that combines crispy shallots, 1000 island dressing, cheddar and roast beef.

Wendy Cope's "The Ted Williams Villanelle"

Tomorrow, Boston gets to celebrate two religious events. Not only is it Easter, but it is also opening day for the Red Sox. While comparing the two might seem sacrilegious, if you know any Red Sox fans, then you are also aware that baseball is like a religion to those people. To add to the general insanity of opening day, the Sox are playing the Yankees, so things are bound to get a little crazy in Fenway tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I don't really like sports; I can tolerate most of them, but baseball and football leave me completely perplexed. When you add in the increased traffic and noise, baseball season is enough to make me wish for the silent chill of winter.

On a brighter note, the start of baseball season did remind me of Wendy Cope's brilliant "The Ted Williams Villanelle." Besides being in one of my favorite poetry styles, the poem offers a wonderful example of extended metaphor (or conceit, for you English majors) that is understandable and relatable.

Although it is about baseball, its ideas apply to most facets of life. In many ways, this poem is a strange but wondrous mix of "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and Rudyard Kipling's "If-". Even as it urges us to ignore the negative influences around us, it also encourages us to enjoy life while we can.

Enjoy, and "don't let anybody mess with your swing"!

The Ted Williams Villanelle
"Don't let anybody mess with your swing."
- Ted Williams, baseball player

Watch the ball and do your thing.
This is the moment. Here's your chance.
Don't let anybody mess with your swing.

Its time to shine. You're in the ring.
Step forward, adopt a winning stance,
Watch the ball and do your thing,

And while the ball is taking wing,
Run without a backward glance.
Don't let anybody mess with your swing.

Don't let envious bastards bring
You down. Ignore the sneers, the can'ts.
watch the ball and do your thing.

Sing out, if you want to sing.
Jump up, when you long to dance.
Don't let anybody mess with your swing.

Enjoy your talents. Have your fling.
The seasons change. The years advance.
Watch the ball and do your thing,
And don't let anybody mess with your swing.

(C)Wendy Cope (1945-)
(for Ari Badaines)

Instant Snow

When I lived in Tennessee, snow was a novelty, and even experiencing several winters in Boston hasn't completely killed my love of snow. However, despite a random flurry at the beginning of October, the weather has seemed unusually warm for Boston in November.

To get an instant snow fix and to get mentally in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, I strongly recommend the SnowDays site, where you can create your own snowflakes and comment on other people's creations. It is an addictive way to kill some time, but be warned: you can lose hours making snowflakes (especially if you decide to get really intricate and try the hints and tricks found on Mister X's site).

Sites to Help You Survive Without Wheels in Beantown

As I near my anniversary of my move to Boston three years ago, I've been thinking of all of the services I have found that have made things a little easier. Here are a few services and sites that can help you get things done if you are carless in Boston:

• RunMyErrand - I did an earlier post about this site, and while I still think that using it all of the time can get rather pricey, it is a great concept. Plus it has wonderful customer service (I actually had someone who worked for the site call me to get my feedback), and the runners I have used have all been very prompt and professional. If you need a little help getting things in the city, I highly recommend using this!
  
• Zipcar - Despite my fear of driving in Boston, Zipcars can be very helpful. You rent cars for a set amount of time (anywhere from an hour to a day), and gas, parking, and insurance are all included! Also, the cars are located throughout the city, so it is pretty easy to locate one close to you.
  
• Hopstop.com and MBTA.com - Public transportation in Boston can be a little unpredictable, but it is still the cheapest way to get around the city. Both of these sites have tools that let you plan out your trip using the bus, subway, and commuter rail. Just be certain to check out the Red Sox schedule if you want to avoid insanity on the Green Line.
  
• Roche Bros Grocery Delivery - For a long time, I was convinced that Peapod was the only delivery grocery company in town. However, I found Roche Brothers and am now a complete convert. Besides having a bigger selection of items that Peapod, the delivery people are very courteous and the entire company seems very concerned with the customer. I also recommend their stores, which a friend of mine described as "Whole Foods quality with Shaw's prices."
• Foodler and GrubHub - Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking. However, food delivery is just a few mouse clicks away. Both of these sites show various restaurants that deliver in the Boston area. When you enter your address, they will only show the restaurants delivering to your area. It doesn't get much more simple than that!

RunMyErrand: Making Life in Boston a Little Easier (for a Price)

Although I have lived in Boston for several years now and enjoy the fact that I don't have to deal with car ownership (no insurance, no parking woes, no paying for gas), there are times when having a car would be very helpful. Despite my ZipCar membership, I am a little skittish about driving in Boston, particularly areas that I do not know very well. Consequently, that can make life a little difficult.

However, through the magic that is the ZipCar newsletter, I found out about RunMyErrand.com, a website that allows people to sign up and post errands, such as picking up dry cleaning or dropping off a package. The runners who do the errands are then paid in credits the senders have purchased through the website. So far I've used the service twice and have had a positive experience both times.

Of course, this convenience comes with a price. According to the site, most errands go for 10 to 15 credits (each credit equals $1.00). The price is determined by level of difficulty, location, and the time it will take to complete the errand. You set your price, but you can also make it negotiable in order to entice runners to sign up for your errand. When you purchase credits through the site, there is an additional fee added. However, the upside to all of this is that you don't need to have cash on hand to pay your runner, and you can even pay the runner for unpaid purchases they pick up using the credits.

While this isn't something that I will use frequently since it can get a little pricey, it does make a great alternative to using a ZipCar to run a simple errand. As an added bonus, RunMyErrand is currently offering the first errand ($10.00 or under) for free. If you are carless in Boston or just need an occasional hand running errands, RunMyErrand might be the answer to some of your problems.

The Museum of Science, Boston (aka An Affective Method of Birth Control)

My sister was visiting me in Boston this week, so I had a chance to go out and do a number of touristy things in town. Besides visiting the MFA (which is in the process of being remodeled and looks fantastic) and Harvard Square (which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the ubiquitous scent of urine), we also went to Boston's Museum of Science. Although neither of us are particularly science-oriented (much to our mother's chagrin), we thought it might be a lot of fun to check out the butterfly garden and the other exhibits.

While we had a lot of fun wandering around the museum for a couple of hours, the trip solidified several things in my mind. Besides confirming my aversion to crowds, my visit to the MOS made me realize that spending time there might be a very affective method of birth control. I have nothing against children, but being surrounded by hundreds of 5 - 11 year olds who are running around and screaming is enough to convince almost anyone that waiting to have kids may be a very good idea. Taking teenagers and young adults there would also be more cost-effective and less humiliating than having them participate in NBC's controversial reality show The Baby Borrowers.

Strangely, when visiting other children-oriented sites like the New England Aquarium, I wasn't aware of the complete chaos that I found at the MOS. Either I have become less tolerant of children or the MOS crowd tends to be rowdier because of the amount of interactive things children can do there. However, I am not planning on attempting to find the answer to this anytime soon. Despite the edifying trip to the MOS, I have an exam coming up, and the quiet in the library will be a welcome respite (at least in theory).