Legal Sea Foods is Boston Strong

We have always been big fans of Legal Sea Foods. We found their recent commercial in support of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing to be particularly powerful. Now we are bigger fans.

Bagel Land of Winchester is Boston Strong

I've been amazed at the outpouring of support for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.The owner of Bagel Land in Winchester has pledged all of the proceeds of his retail shop to The One Fund until, according to his sign, "the last victim comes home!" Gail and I got bagels there this morning in solidarity with his effort.

We were glad to find that these are really great bagels. As it turns out, we just picked up our cheese share from Formaggio Kitchen. It included a fresh goat cheese from Bedford Blueberry Goat Farm. We also had another fresh goat cheese from the Concord Cheese Shop: Petit Billy from Triballat Noyal in the Loire
Valley of France. Both these cheeses were a nice alternative to cream cheese.

The Bedford Blueberry was much lighter and milder than the Petit Billy. The Petit Billy's flavor was milky with slight goat and grass flavors. It stood nicely on it's own. We found the Bedford to be a little too mild, but it was beautifully packaged. Later in the day, we added a little balsamic vinegar, which worked nicely with the mild flavors. We expect to get it again to serve it with balsamic and oil on a cheese board.

The bagels were light with a great chewy texture. These are the bagels we look for, but never actually find, when we visit New York City. We've found our bagel shop.

Vegan Treats from Sprouted Raw Foods

Our daughter Noele has been introducing us to vegetarian and vegan foods, so I had to stop at the vegan treats booth we saw at the Mahoney's Farmer's Market. I find vegan food oddly wonderful, and the treats from Sprouted Raw Foods were no exception. Don't let "raw" and "vegan" scare you away. These restrictions push their proponents to make the food with extra care.

Sprouted Raw Foods has both sweet and savory lines. We came home with a kale and onion crisp that was striped with green kale. It was rich, slightly salty and featured the kale flavors well. It paired nicely with a cheese plate, but don't tell the vegans we used them that way. We also got a cranberry citrus nut cluster. It was a bright and slightly tart granola; a great cookie replacement.

Do take the chance to visit them. Besides the good food they are helpful and friendly. I took my picture moments after spilling my coffee all over the booth (sorry). See, still a smile.

Pretty Things Saint Botolph's Town

Another strong showing from Pretty Things. This beer is a delicious Belgian-flavored brown ale that reminds me of St. Bernardus Abt 12. It has a full, slightly sweet flavor without a touch of hops taste. It is perfect for a winter night.

Night Shift Taza Stout

Our whole family loves Taza Chocolate, so I couldn't pass up this stout made with Taza chocolate. The flavors in this stout were more coffee-like than chocolaty, but I did get a hint of the chocolate flavor. Taza aside, the beer itself was beautify crafted and clean. I'll be heading back to the Night Shift well.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

This was my favorite Christmas beer this season. Although, how could it not be. The regular St. Bernardus Abt 12 is a truly amazing beer with full, chewy malt flavors but not a lot of hops. The Christmas beer has fuller flavors with spicy notes. And look at the beautiful head.

Special thanks to Gail for my new beer glass.

Cheese Log: Ascutney Mountain - Cobb Hill Cheese

Name: Ascutney Mountain
Maker: Cobb Hill Cheese
Milk: Cow

Description:
Strong aged cheddar flavors with a Gouda texture.

Sample Information:
January 6, 2013, $7.00 (0.27lb@$25.95/lb)- Formaggio Kitchen