The Return of Chef Louie

If you missed out on making your Restaurant Week reservations and you're still looking for some good eats this Thursday, head down to the Joshua Tree (formerly Tonic) at 1316 Commonwealth Ave in Brighton around 7 p.m. for the return of Chef Louie Night (formerly Iron Chef Louie).

It's the first Chef Louie Night in 2 years and is the last before Chef Louie Dibicarri takes the helm at the new Sel Del La Terre restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Here's how it works: vote at http://www.cheflouienight.com/ on a preselected list of themes and ingredients, none of which Chef Louie and his staff find out about until hours before the event goes down. $20 gets you in the door, drinking a complementary Level Vodka cocktail, and all you can eat at Chef Louie's buffet dinner of whatever was voted most popular.

Chef Louie started these little soirees in his Brookline apartment 7 years ago and grew them to fabulous dinner parties in some of Boston's finest bars and nightclubs.

Vote, RVSP and buy tickets at http://www.cheflouienight.com./

Fabulous Feasting,

The Diva.

Make Your Reservations!

As promised, dear readers, I deliver. Open Table is now accepting reservations for Boston's 2008 Summer Restaurant Week participants.

Go. Now! Make your reservations! I'm way ahead of you with 5, so go!

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Restaurant Week Boston, Summer 2008

Boston's summertime Restaurant Week stint is on the calendar, though detailed information is still forthcoming. It will run two weeks in August, from the 10th - 15th and then again from the 17th - 22nd.

Per usual, 3-course lunches and dinners at more than 200 of the Boston-area's best restaurants will be priced $20.08 and $33.08 respectively.

Stay tuned to The Diva for additional details, or visit the Restaurant Week Boston site for more information. Don't forget, reservations are through Open Table and fill up fast!

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

The Diva Dines in San Francisco

Who says business travel can't be fun? I recently took in the sights of San Francisco, quite possibly the hilliest, food-filled city in the nation. When not working the trade show floor, it was time to hit the streets in search of two quintessential cuisines San Francisco is known for: sushi and mexican.

After a six-hour plane ride and the harrowing experience of San Francisco rush-hour traffic at the mercy of an unintelligible speed-demon of a cabbie, I entered Barracuda on Market Street in the Castro District. Barracuda offers "Japanese cuisine with influences from Peru and Brazil" enveloped in a swanky and modern bar/lounge atmosphere.

My dining companion and I started the meal with an order of Gyoza, Japanese dumplings filled with a pork mixture and deep fried (yes, we got deep fried dumplings at a sushi restaurant. Just deal.). The dumplings were perfect two-bite portions and suprisingly not greasy, despite being fried.

Naturally, they were gone fast. Real fast. And then it was on to the sushi!

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why the hell would you eat sushi on a business trip? Horrible images of raw fish-induced food poisoning and vomiting all over your client must be flashing through your mind. Don't get me wrong, it flashed through mine...and then I downed some spicy tuna, thanking God for my iron-lined stomach.

The night's sushi was nothing wacky or out of left field: spicy tuna rolls, California rolls and vegetable tempura rolls for a change of pace. Can you really go wrong with battered and fried veggies wrapped in sushi rice? It's like a healthy heart attack. At least, thats what I keep telling myself. The fish in both rolls was unbelievably fresh, and I often wonders why the sushi in Boston doesn't ever come close despite the city's close proximity to the ocean.

The following night it was off to the border to El Farolito in the Mission District, where I single-handedly ate a burrito that was bigger than my head. El Faolito is the kind of place that, if there were one in Boston, you'd find me there at 3 a.m. eating a giant burrito after a long night of drinking.

It's a place where the guys behind the counter don't speak English, you order by number or by pointing to the menu board, its cheap, yummy and you sure as hell don't want to think about what the kitchen looks like. But the food is good. My "con pollo" burrito was top notch and better than anything I've had outside of el Tejas.

Even better, they have three different types of salsa available for the taking, the epitome of which is the green salsa. I have no idea what's in it, but I ate it on chips, my burrito and licked it off my fingers. If the place weren't so busy I probably would have tried to make off with the vat.

Bottom line: best burrito ever. EVER.

Now I'm practically drooling on my keyboard.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

The wonders of thin crust pizza

After watching the season 4 premiere of Top Chef: Chicago, where our colorful contestants tackled deep dish pizza (what else in the Windy City, right?), I find it necessary to express my outright disdain at all things chewy and doughy and loaded with with cheese.

Behold: thin crust pizza.

Hands down the best on the planet can be found on the Jersey Shore at a little place called Pete & Elda's in Neptune City. Wafer thin crispy crust is the norm and if you manage to eat an extra large pie all on your own, you get a free t-shirt. I have yet to attempt the challenge (perhaps this summer?) however my boyfriend has upwards of 15 shirts, go figure.

Locally, the best thin crust I've had is at Stone Hearth Pizza, with locations in Belmont, Needham and Sudbury. A little more upscale casual then divey Pete and Elda's, but well worth the few extra $$'s for a pie. Plus, they use all local ingredients and have the option of regular dough or whole wheat, for those of you watching your figure! One suggestion, if you like your thin crust crisp, make sure you ask for yours well-done, or you might find yourself with a soft bottom crust. If you're doing takeout, a quick reheat in a 500 degree oven right on the rack (or if you have a pizza stone) will crisp everything up nicely.

For those of you brave enough to do thin crust at home, and with Spring upon us, try making thin crust pizza on the grill. Delish. Just hit the grate with a good amount of Pam and toss the rolled out dough directly onto the grate. Once one side gets nicely marked, flip it over, lower the heat to low and give it a drizzle of olive oil. Then add on all your toppings (I recommend freshly sliced tomatoes, carmelized onions and crumbled goat cheese); once the cheese starts to get soft, jack the heat back up to high to crisp up the bottom. Perfect warm-weather pizza without dropping the cash on take-out or heating up your kitchen.

Bet you want to go get yourself a slice right about now...

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

NYC breakfast spots

My fabulous New York friend Rachel recommended two great breakfast spots for our latest trip to the Big Apple.

Kitchenette (Upper West Side & Tribeca locations): Southern country style breakfast, complete with biscuits and cheese grits. Super-cute decor (tables are pieces of crazy painted doors covered with glass and windows and shutters decorate the walls). I had the goat cheese and herb omelette which was surprisingly light, clean and refreshing for the pallet. As with any breakfast place in NY, get there early to beat the brunch rush.

Georgio's Country Grill (9th Ave at 53rd St): Menu is typical diner food infused with healthy fare and some twists on the old norm. Can't forget to mention the selection of smoothies and the fresh squeezed orange juice - delish. I ordered the eggs benedict and was pleasantly surprised. Portions are great and the prices are reasonable. The menu is huge, so be ready for some reading before you decide!

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Do you fondue?

While in Myrtle Beach this week I had fondue at the Melting Pot for the first time. Now, I've had your regular old chocolate fondue at the Vieve's famous wine and fondue parties, but had never experienced something quite like this before. Pomp and circumstance with the waiters and three huge courses of dip-able lunacy.

The verdict? Take it or leave it. Dessert (truffle chocolate) was fantastic, and I've discovered a new love for chocolate dipped rice krispy treats, but I'd like more to my dinner than 2 bites of meat every 2 minutes.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.