It’s pretty much summertime here in Southern Califa and that means BBQ’s and tacos. Casey was in town for a few days and I didn’t think it would be right to send him back to the East Coast without spending a day by the pool drinking some cheves and eating various marinated meats.
I was walking to a temp job in Berkeley and needed to grab some breakfast between the BART station and the job. Thanks to the old iPhone I was able to choose between a few options and when I saw the name Alice Waters connected to Café Fanny, I knew I was in for something truly special.
Jen and I hadn’t seen each other in about 4 weeks and a date was in order. Since Jen was still recovering from hand surgery I thought of a great restaurant where the food is not only great tasting, but they put on a fancy show, AND they cut all your food into bite size pieces for you.
Just to show all of you that the Festivus G doesn’t shy away from the hot topics of the day, I’m going to go ahead and chime in on one of the great questions facing eating persons everywhere: which starch is superior: Tortillas or Bread.
So it was restaurant week in Boston where everything is $33 for a 3-course meal. Not exactly eating cheap, but veritable bargain basement prices for the goodness of the Metropolis Café. Thank jebus for the restaurant week!
Well my friends, I’m back. I of course must start with an apology for neglecting you all for so very long. I assure you that things have been busy and that the dear Festivus G has been on my mind at all times, or at least mealtimes, since my last post one year ago.
I am compelled to begin again today, not just because of the mounting pile of pictures of food on my hard drive, but because I realize that the Festivus Gastronomicus has a higher purpose.
I was coming home from opera rehearsal this afternoon and venting to friends that a good critic serves both the community and the artists by raising standards. If all critics were more than just PR, the public would be enlightened and artists would be challenged to push their boundaries. After all, it is a great pleasure to sing for a knowledgeable audience.
Quite separate from this conversation, I went into one of my favorite restaurants in Boston and realized that things were amiss and that I could help. The Festivus Gastronomicus, a modest voice for enlightened palates, could deliver a helpful message and bring deliciousness to the people and succor to the proprietors of the tastiest place in Boston.
So here we are. I’ll probably go through a huge backlog before getting to any ‘new’ reviews. Hope you enjoy.
We’ve all come to grips with the myriad “hot or not” and “rate my . . .” sites on the Internet. Some lost our jobs or friends because of the sick addiction. What’s the harm with rating one more picture?
Now, I’ve unwittingly become part of the problem, but I’m proud of it.
Someone posted a picture of my homemade pizza on a “hot or not” site devoted to pizzas.
http://hotlists.hotornot.com/Style-g34266545-Pizza-Pie.html
(UPDATE: link removed because they swapped out my picture with a new one)
Please take minute out of your busy day and vote for my pie.
Boston Beerworks is the best burger in Boston. Sure you might be able to get a better tasting gourmet burger at some crazy five-star place, but Beerworks does regular burgers way better than regular.
Jen and I had a gaggle of friends and family staying with us last week for my master’s recital. At some point someone pointed to the June Bug Cafe around the corner and asked how it was. It’s crappy. I’m going to write about it here on the Festivus G so that next time people come visit I can avoid having a flashback of eating there.
“I can’t believe you’re letting me eat this.” This is what Jen said when we first tried B. Lo’s amazing recipe for sausage cheese cornbread. Now this isn’t the most high-brow recipe I’ll ever put up here, but it is guaranteed to knock your friggin’ socks off.
Festivus Gastronomicus