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A Spicy Meal At Sichuan Garden

SICHUAN GARDEN. 295 Washington St., Brookline, MA 02446 & 2 Alfred St. Woburn, MA 01801

This restaurant is a hidden charm! Located in Brookline Village, Sichuan Garden has been rated as one of Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the United States. ZAGAT has also declared it Boston's best Chinese Restaurant for 8 consecutive years. So you know its got to be good just based on that. Since Sichuan food can be really spicy, its a great idea to ask your waiter for recommendations based on the level of spiciness that you can handle. 

I cannot get enough off the Green Bean Tofu with roasted Chili Vinaigrette ($5.95.) This appetizer is cold and spicy but at the same time refreshing. The "noodles" are made out of tofu and are so soft that they easily break and can be difficult to pick up. I love the crunchy soy beans that are added into the vinaigrette, it adds a totally different texture. 

 This appetizer, OX Meat and Tripe with Roasted Chili Peanut Vinaigrette ($7.95) is also a hit at my house. It's another cold and spicy dish packed with meat. The minced peanuts sprinkled on top adds extra crunch which is really great. 
 The Sichuan Hot Chicken ($14) was the nightly special. The chicken had bones, was fried and super crispy. I loved the array of spicy peppers. The dish had great flavor but I wish there had been a little more chicken.

Paris Creperie YUM

PARIS CREPERIE. 278 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446

Once in a while I get a major craving for crepes and the Paris Creperie is my fix! This cute little spot is conveniently located right off the T in Coolidge Corner so its really easy to get to. The menu is divided by savory and sweet crepes, but I tend to go towards savory. I love the Western Omelet ($6.95) with its red pepper/scallion infused crepe, stuffed with ham, egg, monterey jack and red onions. The Steak & Cheese ($6.95) is gooey and delicious with generous portions of sirloin, american cheese, mushrooms and red onions. The Smoked Salmon ($6.75) is a scallion infused crepe with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers, yum, but would love it even more if there was more salmon. There's really something for everyone and the price is right on.

I can't help but order a smoothie too! The Soy Smoothie (soy milk, strawberries, bananas and honey/16oz for $3.50) is refreshing and has the perfect balance of ingredients, not too sweet and medium thickness. 

Love it! 

 

Coolidge Corner Arts Festival and the Brookline Food Festival

Sorry readers, I haven't posted all week! (I've been super busy with freelance!) Today I am freeing up my schedule to head over to the 32nd Coolidge Corner Arts Festival. Check out their website for a list of participating artists ranging from painting/illustration, photography, ceramics, furniture, fiber and more. I am super excited to check out the pottery and sculpture of artist Linda Huey whose creations are GORGEOUS. Her breathtaking pieces are based on organic form and plants, so beautiful!

Afterwards I will be checking out the Brookline Food Festival and participate in their tastings by local restaurants. The food fest takes place during the hours of 12-4pm and tasting tickets are $2 each. Hope to see you there!

  

BBQ and Beer

THE ROADHOUSE. 1700 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446

With about forty craft beers on tap, the Roadhouse is a great place to meet up with friends for drinks and dinner. Their menu, a mixture of tex mex and southern food, is an intriguing combination. For our appetizers we ordered the popcorn crawfish (awesome, perfectly spiced with cajun seasoning) and the fried pickles (large and thick delicious pieces.) For out entrees we ordered the cajun fried chicken (half of a chicken, smashed potatoes and an enormous square of cornbread) and the blackberry ribs. The meat fell off the bones and was quite satisfying but the blackberry sauce was too sweet. Overall, I plan on coming back here when I have a large group of friends because it's a crowd pleaser.

 

After dinner, you can check out the Public House Provisions (sister to the Roadhouse and the Publick House.)  The retail store has an amazing selection of specialty beers and glasses. With such a wide range of harder to find brews, I picked up a couple to go. 

The Public House Provisions interior

Athan's European Bakery

ATHAN'S EUROPEAN BAKERY. 1621 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446

This charming European bakery is just lovely! The first room is filled with pastries, chocolates, cakes, tarts, gelato and baklava. In the back there is a cafe that's a perfect place to grab lunch with a friend. The interior glows with soft lighting and smells like espresso. I came here to pick up something sweet for a birthday and walked away with four mini mousse tortes. I picked out an Apricot (made with Turkish apricots mousse and chocolate genoise sponge,) a Citron (yellow genoise sponge cake layers of tart lemon curd and light lemon mousse,) a Sarah Bernhardt (heart shaped chocolate genoise with dark chocolate and strawberry mousse and chocolate shavings) and a Deux Couleur (chocolate and vanilla.) They are all delicious but the Citron is heavenly. All of Athan's products are artistically created and make wonderful housewarming presents or to just give as "I love you presents." A great Valentine's Day idea.

  

(the Sara Bernhardt)