Photo by Kate Kelley.

The dining industry is used to waiting on the hungover (and grumpy) set on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. (We’re sorry!). Sadly, our city’s hardworking chefs, bartenders, and servers rarely get to enjoy a brunch of their own.

But oh, how the tables have turned. We just got wind of a fun new weekly special: From noon to 4 p.m. on Mondays (which are like Saturdays for weekend-working chefs), Inman Square’s Trina’s Starlite Lounge is serving up its trademark biscuits and gravy, fried chicken and buttermilk waffles along with brunchy beverages. Of course, it wouldn’t be Trina’s without the griddled dogs, and for brunch, they serve ‘em with a fried egg and American cheese on Wonder bread. (more…)

The Hub has seen a rash of new restaurant launches in the last month, headlined by the Back Bay’s Bistro du Midi, Woodward in the Ames hotel, Lord Hobo in the old B-Side space in Cambridge, and the South End’s Coppa, which opened last night (!). Amid all that tasty news, one quiet debut almost went nearly unnoticed: Symphony 8, located right next to the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s home base (and a stone’s throw from Boston magazine HQ). (more…)

There’s a special potluck supper in Hell reserved for food bloggers of the indulgent, navel-gazing variety. Fastidious diarists, they can be counted on to chronicle every single morsel they eat, smell, bake, nuke, ponder…regardless of the interest, even potential, of any sort of audience. These “I Ate a Cheese Sandwich Today” bloggers give food blogging a bad name. It’s almost enough to make Chowder go on a diet.

But Chowder ate an egg sandwich today, and before you click outta here, here’s why you should care: First off, it was fantastic. (more…)

As everyone around me knows, I’ll soon be leaving my current digs in JP and moving across the city. And it’s starting to stress me out a little—not just the idea of packing and hauling all my stuff, but the fact that I still have a lot of eating to do before I go.

While I won’t miss that chicken smell, I’ll be leaving behind plenty of Chowder faves: Canto 6, Ula Cafe, City Feed, Bella Luna (which has a newish chef, Jacob Zachow) the Behan pub, etc.

And, of course, there’s the Alchemist. (more…)

Road trippers, rejoice! The next two months bring arguably the most pleasant driving conditions we get all year in New England (crisp, refreshing temps in the high 50s to low 70s) and, by mid-October, the most stunning visuals anywhere (brilliant-hued, leaf-shaped eye candy).

It’s also just about this time that once a year, every year, the brilliant-hued notion dawns on local foodies to take a gastronomic day trip to some farflung restaurant. Noble plan—if only the target weren’t the same tried-and-true restaurants every time.

To demonstrate that there are journey-worthy culinary destinations beyond the excellent Fore Street in Portland, ME, and Simon Pearce in Queechee, VT, Chowder put pedal to the metal to come up with new and exciting (and appetizing) alternatives that probably aren’t on your radar yet, but should be.

Every Thursday, for the next six weeks, Chowder counts down the best new foodie road trips, starting with No. 6 and working our way up to No. 1—which will be revealed in the November print edition of Boston.

Let the countdown begin. (more…)

With the arrival of The Hen House this summer—the city’s first fried-chicken-and-waffles-centric eatery—I made a happy re-discovery: I really, really, really love eating breakfast foods at night.

Maybe my weird affinity for things like pancakes and sausage in the evening is a vestige of my childhood, a reminder of those nights when Dad was cooking dinner. His culinary repertoire was always heavy on the Bisquick. (more…)

Your Chowder hounds have sniffed down the best Mother’s Day brunches in town. Check back every Thursday for your weekly prix-fixe of foodie feasts, cooking classes, wine tastings, and more.

Mother’s Day Meals

Avenue One
May 11, Reservations will be taken for the following seating times: 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Prices vary
617-422-5560
Even Mom will want to lick the plate clean when she tastes the delectable goodies prepared by Avenue One’s gourmet chefs. She’ll enjoy traditional breakfast favorites, enticing entrees, seasonal salads, and freshly baked desserts. And children will love the Little One’s Buffet with finger-friendly favorites.

Beacon Hill Bistro
May 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
$38 (pre-fixe menu)
617-723-7575
This classy cafe is offering an impressive brunch that will make mom swoon. With a pre-fixe menu that includes cinnamon French toast, fresh omelets, and mouth-watering desserts. (more…)

I love bran muffins. I always have. But all bran muffins are not created equal. Many are too sugary, and most are too dense. So when I moved to the South End and adopted Flour Bakery as my cafeteria a year and a half ago, it was love at first bite between me and their seed-covered bran offerings. They were light but hearty, with raisins inside, and a mix of seeds on top, which lent additional earthiness to the recipe. Even when it was snowing, I woke up early and trekked the four blocks to Flour to get my hands on a lovely bran muffin before they sold out—yes, they were very hot items.

But one day, I arrived at the bakery before 9 a.m., and not a single muffin was in sight. The bran fell off the map, only to be replaced by a cheap, less healthy substitute that tasted more like carrot cake and was called the Morning Glory. For a full year, I asked, I begged, I pleaded to the staff to please bring back the bran.

(more…)