CultureJunkie

USS Constitution Museum

USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown Navy Yard

Girl Scout Cookie Locator

It's Girl Scout Cookie time, and I have it easy: I get my annual Samoas fix through a coworker's enterprising young daughter (she's got a lock on all orders in our office).

But what if you don't know any Girl Scouts (who are in fact the sole distribution channel - selling cookies is part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, so they don't simply sell them online)?

Then the Girl Scout Cookie Locator app is for you! Using your phone's GPS, the app will show you cookie sales nearby, as well as information on flavors and some social media integration.

 

It's currently only available for iPhone (I'm Android, so thank goodness I have my contact!), and is reportedly rather buggy, but I like that the Girls have gone mobile.

 

 

Old Ironsides

The USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"), Charlestown Navy Yard

The Stare

"The Stare"

Taken with the Photobooth Thermal Cam

Boston Wine Expo

We had a fun time at the Boston Wine Expo on Sunday (an alternative way to tailgate before the big Pats game!), and the best part was getting in early with the Trade crowd before doors were open to the general public.

There was a great assortment of wines - some of the more memorable ones were Banfi (Italy), Joseph Carr (California), Muscato di Limnos (Greece), Chateau Ste Michelle (Washington), and an assortment of Chateauneuf du Pape (France).

And let's not forget all the food accompaniments! Among them:

• Serrano ham sliced fresh off the bone (eek)
• 100% grass-fed beef jerky with garlic powder rub and brown sugar glaze from SlantShackJerky.com (YUM)
• Pecorino cheese with white & black truffle oil from TastyTuscan.com (double YUM)
• Brix chocolate (I love the milk chocolate, which pairs well with Port, Sherry, and dessert wines)
• A chocolate whoopie pie from The Whoopie Wagon in the gift bag

Here are some pictures from the event:

 

Scenes from the Gala

The TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala was a fun event. Amazing people watching (e.g., women of a certain age showing lots of skin and sequins), good food, and fun music. But as with most of those events, it was pretty crowded, which meant long lines at the bar and tasting stations, and a need to juggle your food and drink. I'm glad we went, but probably wouldn't do it again.

What amazed me most was the amount of beef on display. Short ribs in particular. I'd say half the food vendors had some version of beef short ribs as their signature dish. Don't know if it's the cold weather, a down-economy (which tends to elevate comfort foods), or just good prices on beef short ribs, but everybody was offering it up. Not a good night for any vegetarians in the house!

But there were also some tasty tuna plates available (surprisingly, my favorite was the Teriyaki Ahi Tuna Wanton from Not Your Average Joe's), a couple of duck options, pork sliders, Caesar salad, pasta, and plenty of desserts (my favorite being Pete & Gerry's Heirloom Egg Custard with maple walnut topping).

You can view the full photo set here (taken with a smartphone so apologies for the bluriness and/or darkness):

 

Next up: the Boston Wine Expo!

TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala

I'm very excited to attend the 5th Annual TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala tonight in the Seaport! The event will feature over 30 area food and drink vendors serving their signature dishes.

Here's a sneak peek from co-hosts Billy Costa and Jenny Johnson of TV Diner:

The Phillips Frog

This frog - another piece by sculptor David Phillips - stands sentinel over the fountain in City Square Park, Charlestown.

A Delicious Year

This email I received recently from restaurant reservation site OpenTable made me chuckle: I sure do eat out a lot! And the funny thing is, it doesn't even include the nights out when I didn't use OpenTable or when someone else made the reservation.

But it's a great tactic on their part, and a great walk down memory lane for me. I didn't realize I'd been using the site for so long - I registered way back in 2002! Back then, it was strictly a web-based solution, but now I primarily use their Android and iPad apps.

And look at all the fantastic places I've dined!

Truly a delicious year decade.

Codfish

A cod adorns the fountain in City Square Park, Charlestown.

David Phillips is the artist responsible for this sculptural piece, as well as all of the other hammered copper and bronze in the park, which harkens back to Charlestown's (and Nw England's) past when cod was the most important food.