Elizabeth Clauser

I was watching Alton Brown's new series, Feasting on Waves, this weekend and he went to someplace (in St. Kitts, I think) where a woman was selling homemade flavored rums - passion fruit, hibiscus, etc. She didn't share her process with him, but he thought that for the passion fruit, she would have steeped the fruit in sugar syrup, added it to the bottle, and topped with rum. He wasn't sure if the process would be the same with hibiscus. My question is, does anyone here have any experience with these - either making or partaking? I'm very intrigued. They look delicious and lot more fun the pineapple or coconut stuff they sell at the store.

Daniel, Those pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing. I've been thinking about tackling charcuterie and your pictures have pushed me over the edge. Is ginger a standard ingredient or a personal tweak?

I definitely echo the call for Burlington. A lot of great food in the area that I'm sure there are numerous threads about. Also a great vibe. We go up every year to visit a friend and if it wasn't for the cold and snow, would consider relocating to. Richmond, a ten-minute drive south, is also wonderful. A couple of good restaurants - the Kitchen Table for hihg-end and the Bridge which looks like a dive but has great breakfast and wonderful little butcher shop.

In the Cambridge area, Hi-Rise Bread Company for baking, Upper Crust ( a local pizza chain), and Hungry Mother are all good. Atasca for Portuguese also good and maybe an ethnic cuisine you don't see a lot of other places. Dali - tapas - is really good food and wicked fun vibe. In Boston, if you can get a reservation, O Ya (sushi, but really, you have to try) is great. Flour in the South End (bakery), Number 9 Park (high end), B& G Oysters (expensive but fabulous lobster rolls - and oysters) are also good choices. If you can get out of the city, Blue Ginger in Wellesley is a solid choice.

It is indeed the same gentlemen who own / operate Arrows in Ogunquit. I haven't been yet, but it is definitely on my list. I really enjoy Arrows and I'm hoping this will be someplace to tide me over between trips to Maine.

When you break the flower heads off of the basil- do NOT toss them. I like to barely poach them in olive oil, strain. The resulting oil is a lovely dip for bread. ←

It's possible we'll grab a mellow dinner here in a couple of days. If so, I'll report back.

Does anyone have any experience eating here?

Blue Ginger is still a very solid, consistently good restaurant. It's one of the few places in the city that has never disappointed me.

The Butcher Shop and B&G Oysters are both owned by Barbara Lynch - the Beehive isn't affiliated in any way.

This looks amazing - I can't wait to read and see the details!

I would have to agree with you on this. I like Hammersley's well enough, but I fail to understand it's reputation as a great or must-experience dining destination.

The Franklin and Alchemy downtown are both good; if it is still open, Mad Fish out in Rocky Neck is on the water and quite good. Not sure about grocery stores, but you may want to check this out: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/200...ts_get_to_shop/

Babbo, and don't forget drinks at Pegu Club.

My husband and I will be flying in to Miami and would like to take the opportunity to have a meal there before driving down to the Keys. I've seen the thread regarding Michy's (and have made a reservation there if nothing else seems right), but they don't open until 6:00. We were hoping to eat a little earlier, so I'm wondering if anyone else has opinions about where to eat for a great meal in Miami. It doesn't have to be fancy, either; if you know of a place that is outstanding in terms of food, but not a high-rollin' kind of restaurant, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

My husband and I are going up to Ogunquit for Labor Day weekend. We've been up once before a couple of years ago, and were planning on hitting our favorites from that trip. We already have a reservation at Arrows, but I've heard Joe Allen's is closed. I'm willing to fill in the open dinner with MC Perkins, but am interested to see if anyone has any other dinner options to recommend. Also, any good bars?

My dad is also interested in trying Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger - is it worth it? Blue Ginger is very worth it. It is very good and in hasn't disappointed on any level in the 7 years I've been going. Highly recommended. If you want to do the seafood thing, B&G Oysters in the South End has the best lobster roll in town, although far from the cheapest. East Coast Grill in Inman Square Cambridge is very good, and one of my other perennial favorites is Dali, not far from Inman Square just over the Somerville line. It has a really fun and funky atmosphere and excellent tapas.

James Hook on the waterfront near the Boston hotel is very good for lobster, crab, and shellfish.

Hi-Rise Bread Company on Brattle Street makes great sandwiches, as does Darwin's on Mount Auburn. Cardullo's on Brattle might also be a good choice. A Harvard Square landmark is Bartley's Burgers - many, many burger choices with fun/funny names available as beef, turkey or veggie and AWESOME shakes and rickeys.

Probably the best choice within walking distance is No. 9 Park. If you want something really fancy with a high end wine list, you could also look at The Federalist. Finally, for a little bit of old world Boston mixed with good food, there is Locke-Ober. All are within reasonable walks of the Ritz. If you don't want to leave the building, you can also get a pretty good meal at Blu.

I worked for WF for over 10 years (full disclosure - two and half as a dept manager and the rest only part time for the discount). In any case, unless things have radically changed, the company has baseline standards for the foods they will and will not sell. Beyond that, each region may have higher standards for some products or offerings. Here is Boston, I can attest that our deli offers both pre-packaged and fresh cut domestic and imported prosciutto.

Chris, This looks fantastic and I can't wait to get there! We live in Boston, but spend our summer weekends in RI. We'll definitely be checking you out!

As a born and bred New Englander, I have to argue for cranberry anything, but sauce especially (homemade, although I know some like their can-molded, either way, it is delicious). Other items I consider typical of New England cuisine? Many of those already indicated: apple pies, crumbles, betties, grunts, etc; clam chowder; corn bread; succotash; lobster; brown bread; baked beans. Fried clams are reputed to have started on Cape Ann. You may not count it as cuisine, but the dark and stormy (a mixture of rum and ginger beer) is the official drink of Newport left over from their days as the largest rum port in the country. I come from an area with a long, long history of Portuguese immigrants and couldn't begin to think of a cuisine that didn't include linguica (especially on pizza, yum), or jag (a delicious rice dish), or potato kale soup. There are a lot of purveyors of bad New England cuisine, trapping tourists and the unsuspecting with promises of traditional this or that. But that is true of every cuisine. We may not have always had the most interesting products to base our cuisine around, but I think New Englanders have done very well with what they had. It's honest, and when made with care, very good food.

Skip Olives. It's gone way down hill and for the price there are much better options. For my money, the best lobster roll in town is at B&G Oysters in the South End (they also, obviously, have a great oyster selection) - this is owned by Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park and is outstanding. If you are in the North End, Lucca, Bricco and Prezza are all very good, or for more casual, the original Pizzeria Regina. In the South End, there is an embarrasement of riches, but my favorites are the new Tapas place by Ken Oringer - Toro, where you can have really good food relatively cheaply, although the wait can be daunting; Tremont 647; Aquitaine for steak frites; and Jae's - a pan-Asian restaurant that's been popular for many years. If you leave Boston proper, Blue Ginger (Ming Tsai) in Wellesley never disappoints; Dali (more Tapas, but in a better setting) on the Somerville/Cambridge line is an amazingly sexy and yummy experience; and East Coast Grill in Cambridge. For more casual food, the Barking Crab can be fun, especially in the warmer weather. Decent seafood, right on the water, with an open air (but covered) seating area. For lunch, it can be fun to stroll through the Quincy Market food court (at Fanueil Hall) at least once, or if you are shopping on Newbury Street, walk the couple of blocks over to the Parish Cafe (they have an impressive sandwich menu in which each sandwich has been designed by other chefs around town). To be honest, Boston doesn't do breakfast very well. If you are staying downtown, there is a nice bakery/cafe at the end of Charles Street (I think it's called Panifico, or something like that). There are decent neighborhood places, but they tend to be out of the convenience factor for most visitors. For brunch, Tremont 647 (and many, many other places in the South End) do a good job.

Thank you, everyone! I knew the egulleters wouldn't let me down!