Smokey Bones Tyngsboro, MA

Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill is a fun rib joint up in Tyngsboro, MA. I've been a few times here with my husband and his coworkers. On this visit about a month or so ago, we went with my father-in-law who currently has an obsession with ribs.

Smokey Bones ideal customer is a lustful heterosexual man with an eye for buxom ladies and a stomach growling for a big plate of meat.

That describes my husband to a T:

I love posting goofy pictures of Carlos! I hope he doesn't see this one.

Or this one. Here he is lusting after the model on the Smokey Bones menu.

I started off my dinner with a Blackberry Mojito. This was tasty but so weak. It barely had any alcohol in it. Next time I'll get the Sangria which is just potent enough, very delicious and it comes in it's own individual size pitcher!

The bar area and pretty much the whole restaurant is covered in flat screen TVs. Note that the screen on the right in the picture above is showing The Three Stooges. They have a loop of classic comedy shorts they show. I've also seen Charlie Chaplin screened too.

I got the Double-Trouble which comes with one half rack of Baby Back Ribs and one half rack of Smoked St. Louis Ribs. I got Memphis Dry Rub & Brown Sugar option. The meat was tender and delicious but the seasoning was way too sweet. I got a side of baked beans which just made the whole thing a sugar bomb. Good thing I had a glass of water (I had to repeat my request for a glass several times to the waiter) and some steamed broccoli to balance things out.

Carlos also got the Double-Trouble but he got the Original style and Memphis Dry Rub. His sides were fire-roasted corn and coleslaw. 

If you are looking for a fun low-key rib joint, Smokey Bones is for you! It's a local chain so there are various locations. Just don't expect quick or stellar service or strong cocktails.

Beacon Grille Trip, 2 months later

These pictures are from a trip to Beacon Grille in Woburn, MA we did in early August. Carlos treated me to dinner as a thank you for all the hard work I did with wedding planning. I forgot to blog about it! Oops I hope I remember what I ate.

I always have their Honey Tequila Smash. It's by far my favorite cocktail. I hope Beacon Grille keeps it on their menu forever! 

Carlos had a beer.

Carlos ordered these Steamed Pork Dumplings with Chili Soy Sauce as a starter. They were very delicious and of course I had to help him out with one or two.

I ordered a half dozen fresh Wellsfleet Oysters. Our waiter was an oyster connoisseur and he helped me order the right oysters and talked to us about how to shuck them and even recommended a book on Oysters to us.

Even Carlos had one! And he doesn't eat seafood except for fried calamari, canned tuna and crabcakes.

It's all about the right combination of horseradish, cocktail sauce, red onion and lemon juice. Delicious!

Carlos got a Steak Au Poivre which came with thick slices of tomato, gorgonzola and seasoned fries.

I got the Garlic-Herb Panko-Crusted Flounder that came on a bed of greens and gnocchi in a puttanesca sauce and was topped with a small pile of micro greens. It's not my favorite dish of theirs but it was still tasty.

We ordered one of their House-made Bourbon Milks to share. It's a very tiny drink but wow is it potent! To make it they take bourbon, milk, lemon peel, vanilla and chocolate, strain it then serve it. It's a very delicious after-dinner cocktail. A perfect treat to go with dessert.

We weren't going to get dessert. Then we smelled this waft of chocolate from our neighboring table and looked over to see what they got. It was a Molten chocolate cake in a cup, topped with blackberries and mint. On the side was a scoop of ice cream with some cookie crumbles. It was hot, smooth and decadent. A nice way to round off a very extravagant dinner.

If you live in the Boston area and want to treat your loved one to a very elegant and decadent dinner, take them to Beacon Grille!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

These pancakes are a perfect recipe for a Sunday morning brunch. Serve them up with some sausage patties and hot coffee or tea and you'll have a great meal for a chilly Autumn morning.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp of baking soda
2 tbsps of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon (or more if you like)
1-1/2 tsps of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of buttermilk
1 honeycrisp apple peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

Butter for greasing the griddle

I use 1/4 cup less of flour than of buttermilk to make these pancakes super moist but still fluffy.

Heat up your griddle.

Mix dry in bowl. Then add wet ingredients (vanilla, eggs and buttermilk) and mix either by hand or with a hand mixer on low, until smooth.

Grease up the griddle with some butter. This batter makes six large pancakes so add a big scoop (about a cup) of batter to the griddle. Top with some thinly sliced honeycrisp apples. Once the batter bubbles and those bubbles start to pop, flip it over and cook it for another minute or so.

As I said, this makes 6 large pancakes which is more than enough for two people. Serve up with some scrambled eggs or sausage patties for a delicious breakfast.

La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA

It was the day after my minor surgery and I knew I wouldn't be up for cooking. So Carlos took me to La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA near the Arsenal Mall. My experience with the recently closed Pedro's in Bedford, MA was mixed. But our lunch here at the Watertown location blew me away!

The restaurant is gorgeous. It has a large fake palm tree in the center decorated with lights. The walls are covered with framed Colombian art. There are fish tanks, potted plants, ceramics and lots of decorative pieces.

We started off our meal with a couple of iced teas. Very refreshing!

Check out that Palm Tree candle holder!

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Carlos had a Jalapeno Martini with salt rim. He said it was delicious. I was on medication so I couldn't have any.

My date is very handsome.

Our meal started a plate of Stephanie's Nachos. These multi-colored tortilla chips are topped with shredded chicken and pork, cheese, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and a chipotle sour cream sauce. Yowzah! This was so delicious. Most nacho appetizers are enormous but this was just enough to whet our appetite. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked and the pork was amazing. It was divine!

They gave us a little pot of their special Jalapeno sauce. It as super spicy and really nice on the nachos. I asked for some extra sour cream on the side.

I convinced Carlos to get this as his entree. It's Carne a la Parilla and features shredded beef on top of rice, a side of black beans and sweet plantains. For $1.50 more, you can ask for two fried eggs on top. Needless to say, Carlos devoured that plate.

I got the Tilapa dish which was Tilapia topped with peppers and onions in an orange ginger sauce. It came with fried yuca topped with cilantro sauce, sweet plantains, and black beans and rice. Delicious! The sauce was so-so while everything else just blew me away. The fried yuca was hot and crispy and the sweet plantains were soft and buttery. 

We weren't going to order dessert. The only have two options: flan and cold rice pudding (I'm not big on cold rice pudding). However, they treated us to one of their flans and it didn't disappoint. It was creamy and not too eggy and the perfect balance of smooth and sweet. I think the powdered sugar wasn't necessary. The caramel sauce makes the plate pretty enough.

I would definitely go back to La Casa de Pedro in Watertown!

Muchas gracias to Pedro for treating us to a magnificent lunch!

James Bond Breakfast

Carlos and I were watching From Russia With Love (1963) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films (they started in 1962 with Dr. No). In the film, James Bond is staying in Istanbul, Turkey and he orders a breakfast of Green Figs with Yogurt and Black Coffee. I have never had Green Figs let alone with yogurt so I tried it this morning for brunch.

I quartered fresh green figs and put them on top of a bowl of Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Yogurt.

To give it an extra boost of flavor and decadence (I'm sure James Bond would approve), I drizzled some honey over the figs and added a dash of cinnamon. It was divine! I highly recommend it.