10.09.2010

Kickass Cupcakes

Guess where we went and guess what I got...




PB & J
Cookie Dough







My favorite of the two was the PB&J because, let's face it, I love peanut buttery anything.

Story: Kickass Cupcakes is located in Davis Square and they have something called the Kickass Dairy Bar where they sell gelato. I sampled their "Kickass" flavor that has bits of cupcakes in it and teeny tiny fudge chocolate chips. Super delicious!

They bake from scratch daily in "small batches, and use only the best all natural ingredients - no hydrogenated oils, no trans fats, no artificial flavors or preservatives."

Also... Kickass Cupcakes supports a couple of nonprofit organizations & schools in Boston and across the country.

378 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02124

Open Mon-Wed 11am-7pm; Thu 11am-8pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 12pm-6pm

10.07.2010

Lou Lou's Griddle in the Middle

Yesterday, October 6th, was Sarah's birthday. Because I was flying from SJ to Boston later that night, we decided to go to breakfast together.


After a Yelp search we settled on Lou Lou's Griddle in the Middle (LLGM). This quaint little place is located on the calm, less-traveled, Municipal Wharf.


There are 4 booths inside, 4 tables outside, an a handful of bar stools. Each table has a unique set of salt n pepper shakers. Take a long look around this place and you'll notice a lot of unique items... "don't be humble"...


We were handed the breakfast menu (they will not serve you lunch until 11:30 I think). Too many interesting choices! One thing you'll notice is the heading "crazy waitresses" on the menu. Um, understatement!


Our waitress definitely made this an abnormal breakfast experience. She sat down next to us and took our order, offering up some great additions. When she heard it was Sarah's 22nd, she offered a celebratory mimosa. They were out of OJ so she brought out this glass of Chardonnay. Props for improvising.


She also brought out these two desserts, which were originally going to be gifts for one of the cooks' sweetheart. (She never showed up to breakfast, as promised.)


I liked their exposed kitchen.... We were able to interact with the cooks - they've got a good sense of humor. Plus, they made us a freaking amazing breakfast spread:


Sarah's seafood omelet with a side of their acclaimed breakfast potatoes.


My roomates! :)


My order: oatmeal brûlée style. WOW oh WOW. Okay, it's settled. I reeeeally need a kitchen blowtorch!


My other order: 1 crab cake. Definitely tasty.... Mik ordered the crab cake and eggs which came with toast... Kinda.


We had these farm and grain silo salt n pepper shakers. Hey mom, remember how we used to collect salt n pepper shakers? Why did we stop doing that? (Oh wait, you don't read this....)


Me and the birthday girl! ps: I really liked LLGM and I definitely recommend the oatmeal brûlée style!


View from the wharf, such a nice day out! ...then I went back to work for the day.

BOSTON!

After a red-eye flight from San Jose to NYC and then an early flight to Boston, I'm here! Can't wait to spend time with Katie doing all sorts of east coast things :)



Now I just need to find out why this baggage carousel isn't spinning around? Could it be because I spent 10 minutes waiting for:



DUNKIN DONUTS!!! America runs on Dunkin, apparently, and as an American runner (uh...) I am saddened by the fact that there are no DD's near me!

Large coffee and a pumpkin old-fashioned (not overwhelmingly pumpkiny, tear)....

Location:Boston,United States

10.02.2010

Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co.

"Coffee Lovers Appreciate The Difference..."


A little less than a month ago I purchased a Groupon for $8 that gave me $20 worth of locally roasted Fair-Trade coffee (and more!) from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company. I really wish that Monterey had Groupons, but I'm glad that Santa Cruz started featuring daily deals!

Today I got a chance to drive to San Jose and I figured why not take Highway 1, the coastal route, through Santa Cruz to pick up my coffee? The drive is a lot prettier than Highway 101 and it takes only about 10 minutes longer (because the cars go no faster than 65 mph)



The Groupon could be applied to any of their three locations:

1330 Pacific Ave. (Coffee Learning Center location)
Santa Cruz, California 95060

19 Rancho Del Mar, # A
Aptos, California 95003

920 Pacific Ave. (Brew Bar location)
Santa Cruz, California 95060


The Groupon writers are brilliant at summing up what SCCRC does best so here you go, straight from the source:

Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company provides caffeine devotees with bulk portions and single-serving sips of delicious, locally roasted beans. Its signature BrewBar allows the baristas to brew a single cup of made-to-order coffee according to drinkers’ discerning taste buds for $1.85. (You can also get a fast cup for $1.65 if the brew bar is too slow.)

SCCRC sells bluk beans, about $9.95/lb. They have an array of other products too:


Triple chocolate truffles ($2 each) or cinnamon rolls ($2 each) help jittery stomachs absorb caffeine kicks like a delicious bulletproof vest. Customers who are handcuffed to their computers in a wacky romantic-comedy scenario can go online to order beans to their door, including the two-roast-toned BluesBreaker ($9.95 per pound) and the insomnia-enkindling Zooom Brew ($9.95 per pound).

Groupon continues: The staff at Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company has focused on bringing its customers fair-trade, singularly tasty java since the Reagan administration assumed control of Jimmy Carter’s White House and demolished his prized Oval Office ball pit. Offering everything from inventive organic and classic blends, single origins, and flavored coffees to the accessories needed to grind and brew them into a steaming, screaming cup, Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company is the perfect pit stop for persons in need of boldly roasted human fuel.


I ordered 1 pound of Brazilian Hazelnut (I LOVE HAZELNUT EVERYTHING) and a half pound of Sumatra Dark, which I might just roast and incorporate into an adventure-inspired cupcake.... hmm....

I also got a cup of their drip coffee. I chose the Santa Cruz Full City, which is described by SCCRC as a cup with fragrance notes of sweet vanilla-nut and warm spices [that] unfold in this blend of South American and high-grown Central American coffees from rich volcanic soils. Flavors reminiscent of chocolate and oranges emerge in the cup. Roasted to the point where the first delicate oils burst to the surface, this coffee has bright acidity, rich mouthfeel, and a fruity finish.

To round out my $20 Groupon I also grabbed a Peanut Butter Fudge Collision cookie which actually looked better than it tasted. I mean, of course it was good, but I was hoping to bite into a cookie that tasted more like a peanut butter cup.

Do you want to know how to brew the perfect cup of coffee? Here are some of Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company's tips:

- Use fresh, cold natural water (coffee is 98 - 99% water ya know)
- Do NOT use distilled water
- Use 1 tablespoon of coffee to 5 ouces of water
- Do not brew coffee with water that reaches a temperature greater than 205 degrees F! It will damage the flavor.
- Do not brew coffee with water that has a temperature less than 195 degrees F... it won't extract the coffee flavors properly