Anniversary Pie & Dinner at T.W. Food

So what you have here is a low-quality picture of the remnants of our "anniversary apple pie" T picked up in celebration our four years of marriage. We both love pie and she similarly picked up a "birthday pie" back in April for me as well (Sorry cake, I'm just not that into you). What can I say, I have an amazing wife!

Luckily, we were able to have a belated anniversary dinner less than a week later, where we left Jacob with a babysitter for the first time ever. It turned out great, and I'm happy to safe we have an option when we want to go out on a date in the future!

Back to the anniversary dinner: I made a reservation at T.W. Food (377 Walden St., Cambridge, MA), a restaurant I've been wanting to check out for awhile. Although restaurant outings have been non-exisitent since the baby came along, the Mrs. and I really enjoy tasting menus, especially for our inaugural visit to a restaurant, where we really get a better idea of the chef's culinary POV. Here's the menu:

Here are the highlights:

• First off, the tasting menu had a great variety of unique flavors, each course left us eagerly awaiting the next
• Some very creative offerings here. T was really impressed with the borscht and how well the salmon roe and bacon served as bursts of flavor in the soup. This is coming from a person who doesn't like cold soups.
• I thoroughly enjoyed the creme brûlée foie gras which came with some delicious toasted brioche. You had to crack the top of the creme brûlée, just like the dessert version!
• The surf & turf had the best scallop T has every tasted. We were both a bit puzzled by how the sauerkraut fit in...but we finished every last bit on the plate.
• Early grey is probably my favorite tea (shout out to all the Next Generation fans out there) and in parfait form, it was a light, refreshing way to finish our meal!

I've also heard good things about the brunch at T.W. Food, and can't wait for our next chance to visit!

Chairman...approves!

Food and Media

I've got to share a few food in media finds I've stumbled upon in the past month:



On the Table w/ Eric Ripert: A series found on YouTube, I really enjoy the banter Ripert has with his guests and as an established chef and food celebrity, he'll have some big name friends show up like Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. The show is typically 22 minutes or so, so keep in mind that its not your normal bite-sized YouTube video.

The Alton Browncast:You guys, I am so happy that this podcast exists. As a big fan of his former show Good Eats, I've really missed Alton Brown's unique and geeky take on all things culinary. Here's a description of the podcast from his webpage:

"TV Host and Foodist Alton Brown reviews recent food news, chats with celebrities about their culinary passions, takes calls from listeners, and basically does whatever he flippin’ wants for 45 minutes."

Seriously though, I eagerly await the new episode each week, check it out if you're the least bit interested.

(Summer) Tuesday's Tunes: Daft Punk

There are certain bands I only listen to in certain seasons. For the summer, nothing beats an upbeat pop song, or a high energy tune to rock out to, especially when combined with an afternoon drive.

It took a week or two to grow on me, but I've been playing Daft Punk's Random Access Memories almost daily during the work week. Since I basically just let the album play from start to finish, I figured I'd share the playlist via Spotify:



Just a great upbeat album for the summer. What's on your summer playlist?

Getting back into video games

Since marriage, I've played way more board games than video games. Since the baby was born, I've played a whole lot of...nothing. With the little guy not needing a feeding every hour, T and I have had more time to watch TV and relax a bit in the evenings, and while we do try and get out of the house on weekends, we rarely plan anything during the actual week.

So it should be no surprise I was bitten by the video game bug after hearing some great recommendations on The Indoor Kids podcast (a recent find) and realized this was something I could definitely fit in on quieter evenings. so the research commenced, I downloaded some new games on my iPad, I located, dusted off, and charged my Nintendo DS, and was ready to dive back into my long dormant hobby.

Here's what stuck:

I installed and enjoying League of Legends, a popular computer game in a genre I had heard a lot about, but had no first hand knowledge of. Although it has a steep learning curve, with the help of some experienced friends, and even some friends to play with, I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. If you play or decide to try it out, feel free to add me as a friend at "IamBluesteel".

Also, I'll be sure to share what other games that really stick out, and it'll probably be a mixed bag of casual games, like Candy Crush, which I have a love/hate relationship with, and more substantial games like the aforementioned League of Legends.