Fro Yo: Sweet Tart

You know what I love about summer? It's acceptable to eat ice cream or frozen yogurt at any hour of the day. Noon? Sure. 3pm? Have to. 6pm? Makes a great, post-beach dinner. 9pm? Best way to end the day.

So imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that a new, swirl your own frozen yogurt place had opened in my hometown of Newton. There I was, driving to my usual dinner spot, when I noticed it - a hot pink and neon green utopia of frozen deliciousness.

Sweet Tart is located next door to Bill's Pizza on Beacon Street. This place is clearly a high school hang out, which is a bit jarring when you're used to adults-only neighborhoods.

I love the high fructose look of the Sweet Tart decor. You get a contact sugar high as soon as you have both feet in the door!

Naturally I zero-ed in on the fuchsia chandelier above the frozen yogurt machines. This is dream, girly decor!

In addition to the multitude of frozen yogurt flavors, Sweet Tart has two entire walls dedicated to candy toppings.

In addition to the candy, Sweet Tart has a separate buffet of fresh fruit. One of the Sweet Tart employees was hard at work furiously chopping the tops off of fresh strawberries while we were perusing the goodies.

In the end, I decided on raspberry frozen yogurt topped with chocolate chips, shredded coconut and gummi bears.

What can I say? I was in my hometown. I regressed.

If you're in the Newton Centre area and you need a sugar fix, I highly recommend Sweet Tart. Sure beats waiting in line with screaming kids at J.P. Licks. 

Where is your favorite frozen yogurt place?

Dining Out: Max & Dylan's

I first heard about Max & Dylan's when they were hosting a mac and cheese competition a few months ago. How could I resist a restaurant that encourages people to duke it out over the best version of the cheesey, delicious, American classic?

I finally made it to Max & Dylan's after work a few weeks ago. The restaurant is located on West Street in Downtown Crossing. You can spot it from the top of the street by its huge flag waving in the wind.

Max & Dylan's has two windows in the front of the restaurant that open to the street. In nice weather, you can practically sit on the window sill.

The first floor of the restaurant has a large, wooden bar that runs the length of the space.

I couldn't help but notice the oblong light fixtures and the patterned, silver ceiling.

We were super lucky and when we walked in, a couple was leaving one of the tables in the front window. We asked if we could have their spot and the hostess walked us right over. Jackpot!

The menus at Max & Dylan's sport a black and white, aerial shot of the city of Boston. Our waiter, who seemed to be a Boston history buff, informed us that the building is over 200 years old and that it used to be Nathaniel Hawthorne's house.

I ordered a glass of white wine sangria hoping it would come with a layer of fruit bobbing at the top, but sadly, the only garnish was a lime.

The sangria was sweet and great for a summer evening, but I now have my eye on two other drinks for my next visits, the blackberry mint margarita or the orange creamsicle martini.

The Max & Dylan's menu is packed with awesome offerings. There were so many items we wanted to try that we decided to order a few plates and share. I also noticed they have rice krispie coated French toast for Sunday brunch. I will certainly be making a return for that!

Our first plate to arrive was the steamed edamame which was dressed with srirachi-soy sauce and topped with pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

 The edamame was delicious and addicting, but super messy. We kept wiping (translation = licking) our fingers from the sticky sauce!

Next up we ordered the waffle fries topped with cheddar cheese and jalapenos. I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I ordered straight up junk food in a public place, but boy was it satisfying! What is it about waffle fries that is so much better than regular fries?

As I mentioned earlier, Max & Dylan's values a great bowl of mac and cheese. As such, we felt we had to try one of their signature varieties. After much deliberation, we gambled on the spinach and artichoke mac and cheese.

The dish was cavatappi pasta with leaves of spinach, full size artichoke hearts and garlic bread crumbs expertly browned in the oven. Overall the dish was great, but the artichoke pieces were way too big. I prefer my artichokes very finely chopped.

Though we'd already eaten enough for an entire football team, we'd seen the dessert choices on the menu and felt we had to indulge. Our initial thought was that we'd order the red velvet cake, but when we saw one of the other options was a plate of three cupcakes, we decided to ask what flavors they were in case they included red velvet. Two birds with one stone!

It turned out the cupcake plate did include red velvet, along with a vanilla bean and a chocolate cupcake. The cupcakes arrived warmed and dusted with confectioner's sugar.

The red velvet cupcake was dry if you took a bite that didn't include frosting.

The chocolate cupcake had a topping much like Magic Shell that you pour over ice cream. The cake had good chocolate flavor, but was also a bit dry.

The vanilla bean cupcake tasted like the yellow cake you buy at supermarkets and the rainbow colored sprinkles on top tasted like teeny, tiny NECCO wafers.

These cupcakes were a B+ at best. Given all the great cupcake bakeries in Boston, I'd recommend skipping these and walking over to Cakeology, which is in the same neighborhood.

Before leaving Max and Dylan's we wanted to explore the rest of the space. We had no idea it was three stories high!

At the back of the bar there is a stairwell that leads to the area they call the mezzanine.

I think the mezzanine is the best part of the restaurant! The skylight lets in so much sun and I love the black and white photos of Boston on the wall.

The top floor feels like a whole other restaurant. It's a totally different vibe than the other two floors. This bar is darker and almost feels like it should be in a basement.

The food at Max and Dylan's is excellent junk food. When you feel like splurging with a group of friends, grab a table in the mezzanine and order up!

On our walk to the Park Street T stop after dinner I couldn't help but snap a picture of how beautiful the State House and the Common looked that night.

Do you have a favorite spot in Downtown Crossing?

Explore: Alex Katz Prints At The Museum Of Fine Arts

Back in February my parents gifted me a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts. For the last two years I had been borrowing their membership card to go to all the exhibits that interested me and finally they decided they'd like me to have my own. Thank you, parents!

Starting in the spring, the museum began advertising their summer exhibit, Alex Katz Prints. The tag line for the marketing campaign is, "MFA Summer. No SPF Required" and that tag line appears with this photo from the exhibit:

This is a genius marketing campaign. I've seen the banners all around downtown Boston and each time I see one, it makes me want to rush to the exhibit. The vibrant colors draw you in and the look of that blue background makes you feel like you could just dip your toe into a pool or an ocean.

This Saturday I went to the museum to see the prints up close and personal. The exhibit is in the gallery beneath the New American Cafe and the Dale Chihuly green icicle.

Alex Katz's prints are mostly portraits, the majority of which are of his wife Ada. Ada is the light of his life and his greatest artistic muse. He loves her so much that he can't help but to continue to try and recreate her. How romantic is that?

I really loved this panoramic style portrait of a woman on a beach wearing a bright red hat and a large pair of sunglasses:

My absolute favorite print was of a woman wearing a black floppy hat and glamorous black sunglasses set against a mustard yellow background. I want this for my place!

In addition to the brightly colored portraits, Alex Katz also has prints inspired by nature. The last two rooms of the exhibit are all prints inspired by time he spent in Maine. There is a specific set of three prints called "Twilight" that was breathtaking.

The next time the temperature skyrockets and you're in search of air conditioning, head to the museum and wander through Alex Katz Prints. The exhibit runs through July 29th.

Have you been to the exhibit? Which piece was your favorite?

*Images courtesy of MFA.org.

Dining Out: Otto Pizza

For over a year now I have been wanting to try Otto Pizza in Harvard Square. Every time I walk by it I am reminded that I need to set aside a time to plan to dine there. Then something magical happened, I read online that Otto was planning to open a location in Coolidge Corner in Brookline!

Just about two weeks after Otto opened its doors in the space formerly occupied by Friendly's on Harvard St, my cousins and I headed there for dinner.

Beneath the arch of bricks, Otto has two cherry red doors welcoming guests. In the front window are pizza boxes with the restaurant's logo.

When taking a picture of the boxes I saw that Otto's was first established in Portland, Maine! I had no idea. I thought the Harvard Square location was their first.

Inside the restaurant the first thing you see is the take out counter. Otto has several specialty pies ready and waiting for you to order a slice or two. Normally pizza joints only have one or two flavors available by the slice, but Otto has at least eight!

On the left side of the restaurant is a bar, which seemed to be popular for parties of two who didn't want to wait for a table.

Behind the bar is a large group table and counter seating in the window that overlooks Harvard St. That is definitely the prime people watching spot!

The right side of the restaurant is the main dining room which has an industrial feel to it. As you can see, the night we went the sun was shining brightly and illuminating the whole room.

After a twenty five minute wait we were escorted to our table, which was at the far end of the dining room beneath this very fun, 1950s style portrait of a women making dinner. 

Each table was numbered and ours was apparently number six! A very bubbly waitress popped over to deliver us menus.

The Otto menu is 99% pizza with a few salads. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the small pizzas ranged in price from $9 - $12. Very affordable!

Since it was our first time at Otto, we decided to try a few different flavors of pizza. Between the three of us, there are strongly varying preferences, so we wound up with a wide range of pies.

We eventually decided on the four cheese, the butternut squash with cranberry and ricotta, and the three cheese tortellini.

I was most excited to try the three cheese tortellini which was a cheese pizza topped with pasta! I've only seen pasta topped pizza in New York City (sometime around 4:00am) and I was dying to try it.

This pie was fantastic! In addition to the tortellini (which are delicious on their own, but even more delicious on top of pizza), this pie had juicy tomatoes and a perfectly crisped crust.

The four cheese pizza was underwhelming. Despite the medley of cheese, it tasted bland and in this case, desperately needed tomato sauce.

Our third pie was the butternut squash, cranberry and ricotta. I had high hopes for this one, but was disappointed. The squash was pureed instead of cubed, which made the texture of the pizza too mushy. The cranberries were great as was the herbed ricotta cheese, but overall, the pizza was too sweet.

Two days later I had the butternut squash pizza leftovers for lunch and honestly, it was better on day three!

I was so happy to finally make it to Otto and I am now madly in love with the tortellini pizza. Before we even left I was already thinking about when I could go back to have it again.

I will say, if you're planning to eat dinner at Otto, prepare to wait for a table. Also be advised that this location is crowded with families and as such, children are running around in between tables and in and out of the front door all night. Lastly, don't get attached to the first waiter or waitress who visits your table, as Otto seems to have a zone defense going on and you'll eventually make contact with the entire team.

Have you been to any of the Otto Pizza locations? What was your favorite pie?

Explore: Swirl And Slice Specialty Foods Market

Whatever your plans are tonight, cancel them. Cancel your plans for this Thursday and every Thursday this summer so that you can attend the Swirl and Slice Specialty Foods Market in Union Square in Somerville.

What is this market you ask? It's an outdoor market, much like a farmer's market, but instead of produce and flowers, this market showcases wine, cheese and everything delicious you can pair with them!

Interested? The market is every Thursday from 5:00pm - 8:00pm in Union Square from this Thursday through Thursday September 20th. Learn more on the market's website.

Have you been to the Swirl and Slice? What was your best find?

*Images courtesy of Union Square Main Streets.

Shop: AHeirloom State Shaped Cutting Boards

Once of my favorite blogs is Cup of Jo, written by Joanna Goddard. While catching up on her blog last week I read a post about one of the cutest gifts I have ever seen! The husband and wife team at AHeirloom make cutting boards in the shape of the U.S. states! Honestly, I think this is one of the best engagement, wedding or housewarming gifts that has ever been conceived. Here is the example of their state of Massachusetts board:

I also love the one for Texas:

The best part is, you can take the gift one step further by personalizing it. You can add a heart in the location of your favorite city, county or region. You can also add initials or dates.

Can you imagine giving this to a couple with a heart in the place where they met? Or where they got married? Or where they just bought their first house?

I'm sorry, but this is the best wedding or housewarming gift ever. It just is. Shop the whole country on AHeirloom's website.

*Images courtesy of AHeirloom.