Author Archives: Katherine Swanson

Sweet in Harvard Square

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On Monday I had an awesome brunch at Henrietta’s Table in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square with my college mentor the amazing Theresa Perry. Henrietta’s Table is fantastic! Everyone check it out. Also, it was great to talk with Theresa (or as my family and I call her, Saint Theresa). It reminded me why I went to law school and allowed me to mentally refocus on what is important to me: legal avenues to comprehensive public education reform.

After I met up with Carolyn and she lured me into Sweet in Harvard Square. Actually, I was a willing participant who only needed a little coaxing. And by little coaxing I mean she said, “Oh look, its Sweet!”

Frequent readers know that Sweet is one of my favorite cup cake places. They first opened in Back Bay on Massachusetts Ave. and have now expanded to Harvard Square. I opted for the old favorite the coconut chocolate cupcake.

Oh man do I love Sweet! Light cake deliciousness. The coconut is a temporary thing and I highly recommend it. Sometimes they use too much frosting for some, but this has less frosting and it is so good. Clearly holds its own with cupcake shops of LA.

Food Tour with Carolyn

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I love hanging out with my friend Carolyn because we have the same objectives: treats (in moderation?), good restaurants, barefoot contessa viewing, wine, and frequent bathroom breaks. We also share a love of photographing everything we see. This image of a squirrel pretty much sums up what we did:

Treats! That’s pretty much our main priority! We also saw the Public Garden and the Boston Common.

And then there was a duck photo shoot which might be added at a later date. We had dinner at Figs which is an awesome and affordable restaurant in Beacon Hill. I got to meet Carolyn’s old roommate who just finished law school. She promised that there was a life after 1L. This made me happy.

Our visit wasn’t all treats and photo shoots. We also went on a two miler. Blog confession: my vacation working out has not really been happening. But I’ve been doing a lot of walking and also I kept pace with Carolyn which is awesome because she’s running a 1/2 marathon on Sunday!! WOOOO Carolyn! More specific food posts to follow…

Spending the Day with Shahrin

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Last Saturday and Sunday I spent the “day” with Shahrin. Technically, it was two days but sadly only ended up being a little of 24 hours. We made the most of it though hitting Harvard Square, Sushi, watching numerous TV shows, feasting on her mom and aunts excellent cooking, getting pastries in the North End, and shopping in Faneuil Hall. Whew. Here is a short recap:

First things first, Shahrin gave me back my copy of Unaccustomed Earth and in it she had a spare key from my Boston apartment. Cool, huh? Then we had lunch. First thing you have to know is that the food at Shahrin’s house is always amazing. I had five pieces of fish when I arrived Saturday. On Sunday I had this eggplant:

The sauce is so good! You can always count on flavorful food when you visit Shahrin. We also enjoyed raspberry tea. The tea is loose leaf so Shahrin and I bought “tea balls” for the tea (insert inappropriate joke here).

Then we went to the North End and I took this picture of the Custom House. The last weekend my friends and I were in Boston together we stayed with our friend Catie there.

I remember when the big dig was going on and this whole area was a dirt hole. Now its really pretty with grass, trees, and fountains.

We went to a little cafe in the North End where we could get canolli and tiramisu. There is a lot of talk about Mike’s Pastry and I will be the first to tell you that Mike’s is good. However, Mike’s is also busy and not really any better than any other of the amazing North End cafes. We went to a cafe further down Hanover, the main drag, which was less crowded and has delicious pastries. I had a chocolate covered canolli

Shahrin had a tiramisu and of course we ate off each others plates

and then we had a latte and an espresso

I love the North End, or “Little Italy”. I snapped some pictures on my way to Quincy Market. Here we have Modern Pastry and Paul Revere’s house:

Then we went to Quincy Market where we indulged in a little shopping and we got drinks at Anthem. I really loved their drink selections but the service was a little bit slow. Shahrin had a ginger margarita and I had a sparkler, which is a pear compote with a prosecco.

We also took a photo shoot because we waited about 45 mins for our drinks:

Finally we got drinks!!

While the service left a lot to be desired the drinks were amazing. My sparkler was really light and very summer appropriate. I love a pear cocktail because its fruity but not sweet. I really don’t like overly sweet drinks. Pear is a good fresh flavor without being too much. I also love ginger so the margarita was delicious. Then it was about that time when we had to say good bye and we were sad…

I hate saying goodbye to that face! I really miss Shahrin. I was a little misty eyed on the T after I left. Shahrin is an amazing friend who would literally do anything for me if I wanted her to. She has always been there for me. She really is my hero. After I left Shahrin I went off to Allston to spend more time with Carolyn.

Daedalus

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On Saturday afternoon I met up with Shahrin, one of the “firm”, in Harvard Square. We went to Daedalus in Harvard Square for a drink before dinner. We’ve hit up Daedalus before and I had a Southside the last time I was there.

The major highlight of Daedalus is that they have a roof deck. We opted to enjoy our adult beverages inside.

We were so happy to see each other! Since the last time I saw Shahrin she got engaged! Shahrin and Dan are an awesome couple and I can’t wait for the wedding. Clearly, we had a lot of catching up to do.

Check that blingage.

We both ordered sangrias. I think sangria is the perfect lazy afternoon drink. Not too boozy and there is plenty of fruit (which I consider to be a mild snack). After Sangria we hit up a sushi restaurant in Arlington near where Shahrin and Dan live. We had a great dinner but regrettably no pictures survived. Then Shahrin and I cuddled and watched Glee with Neil Patrick Harris and Grey Anatomy which was really intense. It was an awesome day!

Wicked Awesome

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I love Boston. Can I just admit, I like LA. I like warm weather, the beach, the laid back demeanor. Boston is awesome through. I love being able to walk everywhere. I love the food. I love the intellectual preppy. I love the bars. I love the friends I get to see. Here are some of the things I’ve seen.

my old, fenway, apartment!

"SIMMONS!"

coffee shop/ delicious cafe Trident, home to the best pancakes in Boston

Flashback to my going away dinner

I love this city. More specific updates and food pictures to come…

Sticky Bun at Flour

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My first morning in Boston I woke up and went directly to Flour for a sticky bun. I have mentioned here many times at the sticky buns at Flour are the food of the gods. If it was my last meal I would want a sticky bun and an ice tea from Flour. Luckily Brea lives in the South End, very close to Flour.

But first… observe the beauty of the South End brown stones. I really want one.

After a short walk (I love being able to walk!) we arrived at the promised land…

I love Flour, but it can be a bit hard getting a table. Probably because the food is so amazing. We took the bounty back to Brea’s where we ate it while watching Gossip Girl.

Tell me that doesn’t look delicious! I dare you! I will be picking several up before I leave town. The bun is soft, the nuts are yummy and the caramel on top melts in your mouth. There is NO better way to start the day!

Finish off the Fridge

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Today I am blogging to you from the living room of Carolyn’s house. Boston has been so awesome, but I haven’t had that much blogging time, so here come a TON of updates.

The night before I left I knew that I had to eat any perishable food in my fridge. However, I was up to the challenge. Dinner was…

an entire red pepper with hummus AND…

a fistful of roasted brussel sprouts AND

Buffalo mozzarella with roasted tomato and basil. It was so good. Everyone here knows how I feel about roasting and home grown basil. Plus, how can you not love buffalo mozzarella? You can’t.

Then I packed and got ready to jet off to Boston… Izzy knew I was leaving and was not happy about it.

See the look of disgust? And then, I was gone…

2010 Food and Wine Classic Give Away

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Hey readers! There is a chance for you to win two tickets to the 2010 Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, plus a $500 gift card. The event is taking place is Aspen, Colorado from June 18th – June 20th and will feature cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and wine tastings. This event looks amazing! The cooking demonstrations feature caviar (a favorite leftcoastcontessa luxury) and Giada De Laurentiis. Also, wine tastings! Who doesn’t like a wine tasting!

In order to enter go to Plastics Make it PossibleSM and comment on the page by answering the question: How do you use plastics to create your favorite foods or memorable parties?

If you can also answer the question on Left Coast Contessa. I’m interested to see people’s answers. Make sure to be creative, it would be awesome if people included videos and pictures.

The contest runs until 11:59 p.m. MT on June 3. The winner will be announced on June 4 at www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/2010/05/aspen-challenge. Please see the contest rules and restrictions here for more details.

Also, you can find more information about Plastics Make it Possible on Twitter and Facebook!

Good luck everyone!!

The Happiest Place on Earth

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Today, David and I went to Disneyland. I went to Disneyland on my birthday last August (because I was able to get in for free) and I had been to Disneyland and Disney World on several occasions. David hadn’t been to Disneyland since 1995!

After a long trip on the freeway we arrived!!! Monday at Disneyland + it was overcast. There was almost no one there. Literally we walked right onto Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion with no wait. We also went to the pirate island (which was Swiss Family Robinson at one time- sadly no more). We only had to wait for 10 mins to get on the runaway train, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, It’s a Small World, and we waited 20 for the Matterhorn and  Space Mountain. After a few rides we got lunch. We ate at the Orleans Cafe, a lovely recommendation from Ms. Catie Shea who is a Disneyland aficionado.

My goal for this trip was to be healthy. There was a ton of walking all day which was good. I had ratatouille for lunch:

I could have made a worse choice. Disneyland has HUGE portions, but this was corn, tomato, asparagus and a mixture or zucchini, squash, eggplant and onion. There was a bit of cheese on top, and of course, whatever they cook this in adds calories. Overall, it was pretty good. David had a three cheese Monti Cristo, which is where healthy eating kinda died. I had a solid portion of his which was more desserty than anything. Luckily, I let it go and enjoyed the park. Sometimes, you eat unhealthy things. Crap happens. We enjoyed the park:

And then I snacked on pineapple “whip” from the tiki room fruit stand, which was the only snack I had in park!

Tomorrow David goes home to Chicago, and I will go to yoga. I ran on Saturday (2.5 ish miles with stair running). I’ve had two full days off minus some serious walking. Every day for the past three my feet have killed me after walking. I am excited to go to yoga and then Boston on Wednesday, which we all know will include some serious walking and health, right Carolyn?

Buffalo Mozzarella

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I am having a love affair with Buffalo Mozzarella. Who says a 22 year old grad student can’t indulge? I picked some up at the Cheese Store of Silverlake on Sunday.

mmmm. Buffalo Mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk and is generally creamier tasting then regular mozzarella. I got a small ball because I have to consume it before I travel to Boston on Wednesday.

I used it Sunday to make tomato basil pasta with basil. This is a recipe I made a lot last summer because its easy and also basil, mozzarella and tomatoes are so flavorful and summery together.

So I roasted cherry tomatoes, cut up some basil and mozzarella. I cooked brown pasta and then combined all the ingredients with a little EVO.

mmmm always gooooood.

This was a perfect dinner to cap off a day of site seeing with Joe and David. We had brunch at Local in Silverlake and then saw the Hollywood sign:

And then we got SUPER touristy and went to the Madame Tussauds to look at the celebs:

Shenanigans.