Sunday Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues

When I originally saw ads for the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, I thought it was a kind of a lame, half-hearted marketing attempt to distinguish their brunch from every other brunch in town. However, when J.Scrib invited me to join her there this weekend, my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to join her—and I’m glad I did, because my initial doubts were allayed.

At first I wondered if anyone would be at this thing—who eats brunch on Landsdowne Street!?—but when I approached the HOB that Sunday morning at 11:30 (when the “first seating” began), passing the Phish trucks unloading at Fenway, I saw a large group of people milling around—not waiting to glimpse Trey Anastasio, but rather to be let into the House of Blues. When we collected our tickets from will-call, a sign read “Gospel Brunch—sold out.” Wow, more people than I thought!

At around 11:40, they started letting people in to the main, venue part of the HOB. The tables were set up “family style” – long tables with white tablecloths—and the food was set up buffet style—long tables, with TONS of food.

We threw our stuff down and headed to said buffet, which was predominantly Southern-style brunch items, with more traditional foods thrown in. As you can see, I pretty much helped myself to everything!!! (Don't judge, it was all for journalistic integrity...hehe)

Clockwise from top left: cinnamon bagel, scrambled eggs, belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, fried chicken, "dirty" rice, cheesy grits, shredded homefries. While the eggs were cold (a common problem at buffet lines), everything else was delicious. I especially loved those homefries!

After eating came some entertainment-- our "spiritual leader" entered through the back of the hall, dramatically playing a trombone to announce his entrance. He goofed around with the little kids there, pretend playing into their ear, standing on tables, etc. He was fun, and I felt a little bit like I was in Disney World. This Disney theme continued throughout the morning/afternoon.On stage, he introduced the band (which of course I'm blanking on the name-- J.Scrib, help me out?!?) a soulful trio singing some gospel tunes.

Before the performance was over, we of course had to stop by the dessert station (I know, more food!?). Clockwise from top left: chocolate croissant, banana bread bread pudding, fresh strawberries and melon.

Now I usually am a sucker for a chocolate croissant, but this banana bread bread pudding was SO, SO good that I barely even touched the croissant! Hands down, best part of the brunch.

For the music side of things, I'm sure J.Scrib will have a more accurate account of the afternoon, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was just good, honest, feel-like-a-kid-again FUN. Our "spiritual leader" had us all clapping along, singing, dancing, and generally "feeling the joy" in the room. This was the closest Dish Gal has been to church in a long time! ;)

I'd definitely recommend the brunch for anyone with kids-- it's definitely a great family affair, good for old and young alike. Little kids danced in the aisles, kids-at-heart sang along.

I would not recommend this brunch if you are "too cool for school." You know who you are...

But really, go for the banana bread bread pudding. Because that's definitely something to praise the Lord about ;)

Andy Husbands is gonna be piiiissed...

As you may or may not have heard, Chef Andy Husbands's restaurant Tremont 647 has been offering $2 tacos on Tuesdays, presumably to attract budget-minded customers who also have a penchant for Mexican fare. Fellow blogger Cave Cibum reports on the experience here.

So I was surprised to read this morning in my Boston edition of Thrillist that Ken Oringer is now offering $1 tacos at his restaurant, La Verdad, on Tuesdays as well! It seems a little coincidental, does it not? Is it just me?

It seems like KO might not care all that much about what other Beantown chefs think of him, as evidenced in this article from Boston magazine in which he claims Tim Cushman of O Ya stole his ideas: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/the_knives_come_out/.

Couldn't we all just get along, in the hopes of having not one but TWO discounted taco days!?

Night at Fenway Park

I know this is very un-Boston of me, but Dish Gal's relationship with the Sox is quite limited, and usually consists of having to share the green line with drunken fans. But this past week, I was lucky enough to score tickets to the Sox v. Indians game, and I took Z with me, who had NEVER been to a game! Seeing the whole thing through a newbie's eyes made it all the more fun.

But Dish Gal knows the best part of any sporting event: the food! And I wouldn't be a foodie if I didn't write about our food experience. On our way to the game, we stopped by UBurger, fast-food with a twist. UBurger prides itself on its fresh ingredients, setting itself apart from frozen beef patties at other fast-food mainstays like McDonalds by using freshly ground chuck formed by hand on premeses.

Of course, it's still a cheeseburger...but this Dish Gal was crrraving some red meat. And quality ingredients aside, this cheeseburger sat-is-fied! I had their standard Ucheeseburger ($4.29), with "secret sauce". The burger definitely tasted fresher than other fast-food places, and the soft and fluffy bun melted in your mouth. The secret sauce was tangy. Z tried the "Boom Burger" with Chipotle sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and fried jalapenos. Deeelicious. But I think I almost preferred the plain cheeseburger.

Once in the park, I told Z he just HAD to have a Fenway Frank. At first I could tell he was hesitant-- didn't we just eat??-- but once the girls next to us ordered them, and the young and energetic concessions lad stopped by, he knew what I was talking about. Down came the container from its perch atop the concession guy's head, and as he grabbed one for the girls next to us, steam bellowed out with the intoxicating Fenway scent that only one who has been to a game can understand. Z quickly said, "I'll have two please!" Nice.

Post Holidays Rundown

Quick Holiday Musings:

1) had a GREAT dinner at Gaslight pre-Christmas with my favorite ladies. My favorite part about that restaurant is that you don't have to give up anything for its deliciously low and affordable prices. The ambiance is nice (dim but not too dark lighting, Parisian zinc bar, small intimate tables), the food is decadent yet restrained, and the service is prompt. Of course, only me and my friends could ring up quite the tab at such a restaurant-- we enjoyed appetizers (beet & roquefort salad, cheese "foundue"), entrees (duck confit, salmon, rabbit), a nice bottle of red wine, some very interesting cocktails, and a dessert. We ended the night by going over to Lucky's and dancing away the calories to a great DJ (this same DJ later in the night asked my friend for her number; my friend, however, was not interested. she gave him her brother's phone number (as is her standard fake number) and needless to say her brother called her at 3 in the morning asking who DJ ______ was and why was he calling him... haha pretty funny). Lucky's is one of my favorite bars in Boston- an older crowd with a younger attitude. Massive shots too!

2) also had a great dining experience at Eastern Standard. A friend of mine is a waitress there, and she hooooked us up! She had us try their divine lobster crepes, as well as profiteroles that were to die for. Their cocktails were fresh and inventive, and, as always, the raclette is a MUST (I pretty much scraped the bottom of it).

3) sadly too much fun during New Years eve weekend meant a week of being sick. Most people when they are sick lose their appetites; however, I am not most people. I do lose my appetite for normal food, but comfort food I crave. The night I was the most sick, I left work, bundled up, and stumbled across the street to comfort food paradise: Boston Market. I can't lie-- their mashed potatoes will always have a special place in my heart!! Don't hate if you've never tried them... they are phenomenol.

Well that's my highlights of a foodies' holiday season =)

Love,

Dish Gal