Caffe Tosca in Hingham

Caffe Tosca is a Rustic Italian food restaurant located in Hingham off of route 3A. The restaurant is owned by Eat Well, which also owns two other restaurants in the area, Stars and Tosca. Caffe Tosca's food is delicious and the ambiance of the restaurant is very cozy and comfortable, with the smell of the wood stove in the whole restaurant.

When I went I had the antipasti; a daily mix of seasonal foods and the shaved yellow tomato pizza. The antipasti had crostinis, cold Italian meats, a selection of cheeses, peppadews stuffed with goat cheese, and a Italian couscous salad. It was absolutely delicious and was just the right amount. The shaved yellow tomato pizza had sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and balsamic. The pizza was cooked on a wood grill and had an absolutely delicious taste to it.

The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive, checking in on us but not overwhelming us while we ate. The bar was very cozy and the bartender was very friendly, starting up conversation with us. I had a very great experience at Caffe Tosca and recommend people to go and try it out, you won't be disappointed. Go to eatwellinc.com and click on the Caffe Tosca link to have a look at their menu!

The Daily Dig

Wiskey's Smokehouse has 0.15 cent wings all day today! They are also serving half price appetizers from 4-7pm.

885 Boylston Street
Boston, Ma

Beacon Street Tavern

One of my girlfriends and I went to Beacon Street Tavern last night and had a great experience. We had cocktails and shared two delicious appetizers.

The grilled flat bread "provencal" was prepared with goat cheese and ratatouille which is a mixture of roasted eggplant and peppers. We also shared a crab fondue served with a fresh banquette. To be honest, the crab fondue looked terrible, however to our amazement tasted great.

Service was outstanding. Both the hostess and our server were extremely friendly and very hospitable.

My favorite part about Beacon Street Tavern was the atmosphere. It's a small bar/restaurant located on Beacon Street in Brookline. It has kind of a bohemian decor. Its dimly lit and decorated in dark shades of red with small twinkling lights hanging in the front. There are a couple photos on their website, however the pictures really do the bar no justice. Their website in general does not do the bar any justice. You really have to go there to get the full experience.

The Daily Dig

Can't decide what to do tonight?? Check out Urban Owls "Daily Dig" for great specials happening today in the Boston area!

Today's Daily Dig - Fenway Cantina. Tonight they're shellin out $1 Taco's and servin up $3 Coronas!! Plus you can catch the C's game, can't beat it!!

1260 Boylston Street Boston

www.fenwaycantina.com

Saporito's Florence Club Cafe

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There is an establishment in the seaside town of Hull that brings Boston's Italian North End style home. I swear I didn't take the commuter boat into town, but Saporito's Florence Club Cafe truly emulates the refined taste and atmosphere that the north end is known for. Head chefs Annemarie
and Erik Stenfor offer an eclectic seasonal menu with a Mediterranean flair.

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The atmosphere is quaint. The ceiling is low. The small booths can be difficult if you are tall. The floor creaks when the servers walk by, but the experience is authentic. The intimate setting is coupled by the interesting service technique. Each table has a server, but the hostess came by to tell us the specials. The bartender dropped off our martinis. This unusual approach was enjoyable. I felt welcomed from everyone in the front of the house.

The cocktails were delicious. Gorgonzola stuffed olives came with the dirty Grey Goose vodka martini. The cranberry concoction was tart and tasty. The cocktails were a bit on the smaller size, but they are definitely going for quality not quantity. Beef carpaccio was sliced super thin. Topped with capers and a horseradish aioli. Don't be afraid of the raw beef. It's a home run. Dinner was a butter poached lazy-man lobster over Sardinian couscous with sliced asparagus, roasted mushrooms and white truffle oil. The lobster wasn't drowned in butter and cooked perfectly. I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms with seafood, but it really worked well.
I will return soon.

PREZO GRILLE

Prezo Grille is located in Milford, Ma which is just minutes off of highway 495. It is a casual yet elegant restaurant that offers Italian cuisine and a sushi bar. Sounds like an odd mix, but their menu has a little something for everyone. Prezo Grille also has an extensive wine list, featuring over 50 different types of wine. They are also known for the variety of craft beers they carry on tap and bottle. They have several different rooms where you can sit and enjoy your dinner but their main room is the bar and lounge. The bar is a horseshoe bar with several high top tables all around, which is where we sat. They also feature plasma TVs around the room which is great if there is a sports game on. The sushi bar is also featured in this room. The sushi bar use to be only open certain days of the week but now it is open every day.

The service here was great. Our waitress was very attentive and constantly visible in case we needed her. We sat at a high table around the bar and it was a very friendly atmosphere. The prices were mostly average and the restaurant was very attractive and clean. This room was full but it did not seem crowded since the tables are not on top of each other. We went in at dinner time and watched people filing in but it never seemed filled. The restaurant can hold a lot of people. It is also a very popular place to order food to go since we also watched many people come in and pick up food, which appeared to be mostly pizzas. I never have had the pizza there but based on how many people I watched pick it up to go it appears to be quite popular and something I am interested in trying.

For our dinner, we started with a small order of the Spicy Tuna Maki. I am one who is very picky on where I get sushi but my boyfriend insisted on trying the sushi and I must say it was very delicious. The next thing we ordered was our main meals which was Chicken Sinatra, which was a chicken breast topped with eggplant, mushrooms, melted provolone cheese and a marinara sauce in a white wine butter sauce. It can be served with pasta or potatoes and vegetables. The other meal we ordered was the Crispy Fontina Chicken, which was a crispy breaded chicken cutlets topped with prosciutto, fontina, and asiago cheese, sauced with a roasted garlic and lemon cream sauce. This dish was served with pasta.

Overall, the food, service, and atmosphere were great. The restaurant is very nicely set up with several different rooms all off of each other that it did not seem overwhelming or packed, despite the full parking lot. It is a great place to check out because they have a little bit of something for everyone in a casual, yet elegant restaurant.

check out their website!

http://www.prezogrille.com/



Spicy Tuna Maki



Crispy Fontina Chicken

Chicken Sinatra

Il Casale in Belmont

Tagliatelle-tradition meat sauce "alla Bolognese"

Filetto al Vermouth- Sole filet, sweet vermouth, baby spinach

Ignudi- naked ravioli, spinach, ricotta, Grana Padano, tomato sugo

Cannoli and assorted Italian cookies

Berry tart

Tiramisu

Chocolate hazelnut tart

Il Casale is an authentic Italian restaurant located in Belmont center. The food, the service and the atmosphere are all AMAZING. I went here with my family to celebrate my sisters birthday and we could not have had a better experience. The building is either an old garage or firehouse that has been beautifully renovated. There is exposed brick, floor to ceiling windows in the front, and gorgeous chandlers and light fixtures,dimly lit, that hang through the dinning room and bar area.

The menu is partially in Italian which can make it slightly challenging to read through and understand, however our server was extremely knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The portions are slightly smaller than most Italian restaurants so it's a good idea to start with one of their antipasti's which are single serving appetizers, or one of their salads. We started with cocktails and then got a bottle of wine with dinner, all of which were perfect. We ordered our food and snacked on fresh bread that is served beforehand. Our food came out with ample time in between each course. This was really nice because you didn't feel like you were being rushed. It gave you time to relax, talk, and slowly enjoy your food. There was not a single dish that one of us did not enjoy, everything tasted delicious.

After dinner we each ordered a dessert and limocello. At this point the manager came to our table with a complimentary tasting of three after dinner drinks. One was similar to limocello, another a port wine, and the third was similar to prosecco. I thought this gesture was extremely thoughtful. Our server also brought out some gelato with a lit candle for my sister. Each of the desserts were beautiful and tasted incredible. The experience at Il Casale was impeccable. The prices are a little on the higher side however the combination of atmosphere, service and cuisine make it well worth it.

Fat Cat: American Cuisine

The Fat Cat is located in Quincy Center right off of Hancock Street. It is a small reasturant with about 12 tables in the dinning room and about 20 seats at the bar. If you are looking for comfort food this is the place to go. All of their food is classic meals you had growing up. They are well known for their lobster mac n cheese. It is a very big portion with big chunks of lobster. They have about four other kinds of mac n cheese, chicken, steak, hot dog, and crab. If you go ask about the Fat Cat challenge. The challenge consists of all the different kind of mac n cheese put together and if you can finish the whole thing you get your name on the wall of fame and a fat cat t-shirt. There have only been a few people that have completed the challenge since they have been open. They also have a wide selection of chicken wings, from buffalo to honey mustard they have something for everyone to enjoy. Those also seem to be another customer favorite. The drink menu is really good as well. They have a wide range of martinis from sweet to tart. They infuse most of there own vodka which makes the martinins taste more authentic. My favorite is the Purple Purr. It is a grape martini with grape vodka, grape puckers, lemoncello and splash of sweet and sour mix, Yum! Their beer selection is really good too. They have about 12 beers on tap and they are always changing with the seasons. The staff is very pleasant and make you feel like you are right at home. Ask for the bartender Jimmy, he is sure to make you laugh the whole night and give you a great experience to remember. The owner Neil is very pleasant and a great guy. There isnt anything he doesnt do at the reasturant. You will see him clean tables, run food and make drinks. You can tell that the Neil and his staff are all about team work.

My experiece there is always a good one. If you go late night you are sure to find a bar seat and have a good time. If you go during their dinner rush which is about 7-9:30 you are looking at about an hour to two hour wait. Because they are such a small reasturant they do not take reservations over the phone so make sure if you go during their busy hours you get there early!

Shabu: Hot Pot in North Quincy

Shabu is a Japanese style hot pot restaurant on Hancock Street in North Quincy. Hot pot style restaurants are when you have a pot of broth on a hot plate placed on your table and you order vegetables, meats, seafood, and other types of food that you cook yourself. The staff is very friendly and helpful, especially if it is your first time there; they explain the whole process to you. There are different types of broths you can choose from like, tonkotsu (pork based), kim chi, tomato and beef, regular, and other different options. Since it is Japanese hot pot, the flavors are a little bit lighter in comparison to Mongolian hot pot. You can also get combination plates that include a variety of vegetables (napa, spinach, watercress, mushrooms, taro root, a tomato, and a small piece of corn) on a plate with your choice of noodles or rice and your choice of meat or seafood. When you sit down they give you a dish of soy sauce with a choice of garlic, chopped scallions, hot peppers, and Chinese barbeque sauce that you can mix together. I highly recommend putting all the ingredients together; it makes an awesome dipping sauce! There are many different kinds of meat that they offer including lamb, prime rib eye, sirloin, chicken, and pork. The meat is sliced extremely thin so that it has a quick cooking time, around 30 seconds. The vegetables take a little bit longer to cook than the meat, but it’s at the most a minute or so. Shabu is a small restaurant with around 6 tables and a bar area with around 10 seats. During the summer time they have 3 tables outside that they set up so you can enjoy your food and the nice weather. At the Bar you can have your own individual pot, this isn’t actually a bar with a bartender, you have a waitress and order your food with him or her. At the tables there is a big pot for the table that has a divider so you have a “ying and yang”, having 2 different broths. They have a beer and wine license, so no hard alcohol, but they do offer a variety of Asian beers like Kirin and Sapporo. You wouldn’t really go to Shabu for a night of drinking, its main attraction is the whole experience of hot pot. My favorite thing to get when I go to Shabu is the prime rib eye combo and I also get sesame sauce to dip the meat in and it’s absolutely delicious! They also offer desert, they have friend ice cream and ice cream coated in a thin sugary substance that is quite tasty. Shabu is one of my favorite restaurants and I highly recommend everyone to go and try it out!

This is a picture at the bar with the tomato and beef broth, some vegetables, and the sirloin.

This is the Tonkotsu broth and the mixed soy sauce.

Here are all the different kinds of vegetables you can get. The vegetable combo is on the top right and other delicious options!

Kama Lounge in Quincy

Kama Lounge is a new spot in Quincy Center. It is a unique lounge that offers Asian Fusion style. The décor is like something I have never seen anywhere in Quincy. There are about 15 chandeliers that are hung from the ceiling. They are black with blood red crystals and vary in all sizes. They have big black lounge chairs and small black tables and a black couch with a big table and small awnings that are placed around the tables. They can accommodate any size party, whether it is a table for 2 or table for 10 or more. The bar has 15 seats and the bar top is acrylic. The bar seats are black as well and are very comfortable. There is a lowered ceiling above the bar itself and it is a shimmering gold with hanging gold lights that are hung directly over the bar. It makes for a very intimate and fun atmosphere. You feel like you are in the Boston nightlife but you are not paying the prices you would in Boston.

Their menu consists of Tapas or small plates and they have about 20 items. The prices range from $4 to $12. The portions are a perfect size to get a few items and have a couple cocktails with friends. I ordered the duck and the hummus. The duck was cooked to perfection and melted right off the bone. The raspberry preserve that accompanied it was the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The hummus was delicious as well. It was light and creamy and was served with fresh baked pita chips with a five spice mixture on top. To drink, I had their specialty cocktail which was called the Kama. It was passion fruit rum, pomegranate liquor, muddled mango and orange juice. It was very refreshing but too sweet for me. Next I tried the Royal Fizzy martini which is their specialty martini. It is vodka, pomegranate liquor, a splash or pineapple juice and topped off with champagne. This was my favorite it was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. There specialty cocktails were reasonable priced ranging from $8 to $9. Well worth the price!

The service was outstanding. The bartenders were very helpful and guided me into making the right choices. They were very personable and made my experience very enjoyable. They were fun, outgoing and made me feel like I could just enjoy the experience Kama had to offer instead of worrying about little things like what to order and what to get to drink. They had options already waiting for me and made my ordering very care free.

They have weekly entertainment and specialty events every month. Every Wednesday they have Karaoke that starts at 9:30 and ends at 12:30 and there is no cover charge. On Thursday nights they have live music ranging from many different solo performers. The live music is from 8 to 12 pm and again there is no cover charge. Kama also does a lot of special events with different promotions companies. They can have anywhere from 3 to 4 different events going on a month. The last event was The VIP Paparazzi group where they threw a fashion event. You can check out the YouTube video by clicking on the link below to get a feel of what goes on at Kama Lounge. A good tip for you is if you add yourself to the email list you get updates on all the events that will be taking place and you don’t want to miss out.

Overall my experience was great. I would definitely go back with my friends and recommend this place to anybody. It has something to offer to everybody. It is a perfect spot for a girl’s night out, first date or a fun place to hangout with your friends and family. You don’t have to travel far to get the upscale feel.

Showcase Cinema de Lux

A few days ago I went to Showcase Cinema de Lux at Patriot Place in Foxboro, Ma. I was given free tickets to see the movie, “The Town,” at the Lux Level, so my boyfriend and I went. The lux level is very nice with balcony seating along with spacious reclining leather seats, a small table, and a waitress at a click of a button. To sit in this luxury, the tickets would have cost us $22.00 each, but it also includes a $5 food voucher per ticket, which is great. They serve a full menu, but their full menu is very limited but had average food prices. We ordered boneless Buffalo wings at about $8 and a personal bbq chicken pizza at $9. They also served alcohol and advertised margaritas starting at $12 while all beer, bottled or draught was $5.

The whole atmosphere was enjoyable. The movie theatre is new and provides the traditional movie theatre experience with the option to upgrade to the Lux level. You need to be 21 or older to sit in this level. Outside the theatre was a lounge area, a bar, and lots of flat screen TVs. We went on a Monday night so there was only one other couple sitting in the same seating area as us in the same movie. We walked into the theatre behind them, and they were forcing themselves into conversations asking each other where they work and what the like to do. They did not order anything from the waitress, and the girl kept commenting on how they should have just sat in the regular seats. They did not get cozy with each other, and one of the luxury of these leather seats, you can lift up the middle arm and snuggle up next to your date. But they made sure to sit very distant. I guess it’s not a bad place to take your date if you don’t have much to say to them.

It was amusing watching them, but other than that this place was great. It was very quiet, but the ushers said the weekends are busy and packed. I never go to the movies anymore and would much rather wait till the movie is out on DVD. It was nice to go to the movies in this style. You don’t need to worry about annoying younger kids sitting around you, you have comfortable seats, and can order right from your seat so need to get up and get some snacks. It’s not something I would want to do all the time, but definitely something worth doing once in a while. Especially on a weekend because there are many other bars and restaurants in Patriot Place that are great for going out after the movie.

The website for Showcase Cinema de Lux is:
http://www.patriot-place.com/cinemadelux.aspx

Scupper Jack’s, Acton Ma

As if a blind date could not be any more uncomfortable, I chose the absolute worst place for two young singles to meet on a Saturday night, Scupper Jack’s. My date and I met at the bar, which sat about 20 people. There were only two seats open and the rest were occupied by MUCH older men and women. There wasn’t a young soul in sight, including the staff. We sat down and waited patiently for the bartender to notice us. He greeted us about five minutes after we sat then waited another five minutes before taking our drink order. This seemed brutally long considering the bar was not busy at all. After getting our drinks and soaking in the lack of atmosphere for a few seconds, my new friend and I decided it would be best to immediately go somewhere else. We sucked down our drinks and again, patiently waited for the bartender to notice our empty glasses. At this point I look to my left and the older man sitting next to me at the bar had completely disregarded the general public and its opinion of him. He was sitting about two feet back from the bar and had some sort of suitcase on his lap. On top of this suitcase was his entree. He was slouched over, shoveling food from his plate into his mouth. He must have decided the bar was no longer an adequate surface to rest his food on. I felt embarrassed and also a little sad. It was time to go. Unfortunately we weren’t there long enough to eat so I can’t say whether or not the food is good but I doubt I will return to find out. The only way I might recommend this restaurant to a friend is if they are looking for somewhere to take their grandparents for dinner.

Asian Fusion in Hingham Shipyard

Typhoon is an Asian fusion restaurant in Hingham at The Shipyard; there is also another Typhoon in Boston on Boylston Street. The Shipyard is a newly developed area on the water in Hingham that has different kinds of shops and restaurants. I went to go eat there the other night and had a really good meal, but our waiter wasn’t the best. The waiter messed up the drink orders and I think he forgot about us because it took a really long time to get anything, but I have gone there other times and had great service. This was the first time that I sat at the hibachi table, where they cook the food in front of you, and had a really great time. It was like watching a show and the chef was really funny. The chef threw the eggs in the air and cracked them on his spatula before he put them on the griddle. He also made a volcano out of the onions, which was really cool, he put the onion slices on top of each other and put some kind of liquid in them and then lights it on fire and it looks like a volcano exploding. He also made the rice in the shape of a heart and put his spatula under it and made it look like it was thumping. He did some other really cool things that made the meal much more enjoyable. The food is a bit pricey for the hibachi, 45 for filet mignon and 28 for chicken, but you get a miso soup, salad, rice, vegetables, meat/seafood, and desert for those prices. There are only two hibachi tables that seat 8 people, so if you’re going to eat the hibachi you need to make a reservation. You also should make a reservation for the main dining room if you’re going to go on a weekend night because it is really busy. You can also go to Typhoon and eat in the main dining room and they have all different kinds of Asian food including sushi and Chinese food. Their food is very good, but overall it is expensive, but the ambience is very nice and there is a very big bar that seems to have a good amount of people at it usually. Their drinks are good; they have different types of tropical drinks and have a lot of options for wine and beer. Typhoon is a great new place that has a diverse age group and great food! Typhoon's website is typhoonboston.com.