Rachel Leah Blumenthal

CBS Boston: A Tour of the Taza Chocolate Factory

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:17:45 +0000

“The commute to a high school job had me driving by Mansfield’s century-old ADM Cocoa factory several times a week for a few years awhile back. What a heavenly smell, right? Wrong. I quickly came to believe that the production of chocolate is pretty foul smelling. Imagine my surprise, then, when I arrived at Somerville’s own Taza Chocolate factory recently, and the aroma was simply amazing. Not bitter and burnt like ADM or cloyingly sweet like at the Hershey theme park in Pennsylvania – no, this was something on another level: subtle floral notes, hints of spices, appetizing odors all around.”

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Photos: The Olson Pingrey Quartet

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:19:54 +0000

Way back in May 2010, I was asked to take some promo shots of Mighty Groove, a Boston wedding and event band.

Recently, the trombonist from Mighty Groove, Randy, asked if I could take photos of his jazz group, The Olson Pingrey Quartet. Here are some posed and live shots from their CD release at The Lilypad in Cambridge, MA on October 23, 2011.

I had a bit of fun with some of the individual portraits and put them together into a collage:

CBS Boston: Boston’s Best Pizza: Newtowne Grille (Cambridge, MA)

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:00:39 +0000

“It can be tough dating a pizza snob. There’s that time I brought him to one of my old favorites from childhood – Town Spa in Stoughton – and he was less than impressed by my beloved bacon pizza, extra crispy. Or that time he made me wait in line for two hours – and then at the table for another two hours – to try Sally’s Apizza in New Haven. (I’ll admit that that one was out of this world, but I’d never wait that long for pizza again.)”

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CBS Boston: The Museum of Bad Art: Even the World’s Worst Artwork Deserves to Be Seen

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:00:40 +0000

“One generally assumes that museums house collections of art, artifacts, or other objects that have some value, be it intellectual, aesthetic, or perhaps even controversial. The Museum of Bad Art, however, meets none of these standards. In spite of – or more likely because of – this, MOBA is a must-see attraction in Somerville, Dedham, or Brookline (or all three if you have high stamina for bad taste). Exactly as the name suggests, it features art – fantastically horrendous, unabashedly tacky, gloriously ugly art.”

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CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Cambridge Common

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:19:18 +0000

“There are three main reasons to check out Cambridge Common, a restaurant and bar sitting between Porter Square and Harvard Square on Mass. Ave: a fantastic beer selection, addictive tater tots, and an intimate live music venue.”

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CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Hungry Mother

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:00:04 +0000

I’ve noticed a fairly common unwillingness in this region to pay a high price for Southern cuisine. Grits, ham, sorghum, catfish: these words seem to trigger immediate outrage when paired with fine dining costs. Somewhere along the line, we’ve managed to box Southern food into a small container of cheapness and deep frying. Fortunately, there are several Boston-area spots that destroy this stereotype, offering up high quality Southern food to packed houses night after night; once people are willing to take the plunge, they’re hooked. Kendall Square’s gem, Hungry Mother, is one of these places.

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CBS Boston: Photos: 6th Annual HONK! Festival

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:00:48 +0000

CBS Boston posted a gallery of some of my photos from this year’s HONK! Festival.
View it here.

My complete set is below:

CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Max Brenner

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:00:35 +0000

I feel like I should be led into Max Brenner by an eccentric man in a purple coat, swinging a cane and singing about imagination. There is no chocolate lake here, but there might as well be. It’s chocolate, chocolate everywhere, and all of it to drink and eat and slather on as body lotion. Max Brenner — “chocolate by the bald man” — is a rich, sweet heaven for chocoholics (and hell for dieters). Dine in, buy gifts, or just stare in awe. There’s something for every sweet tooth.

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CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Floating Rock

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:01 +0000

When I was in grad school, there was a nearby cheap pan-Asian noodle place where we’d often grab lunch between classes. It was fast, inexpensive, and… mediocre. One dish, though, became an addiction for me: something called Cambodian-style sweet lime soup. A sweet and sour broth with pineapple, tomato, shrimp, and fried bits of garlic on top, it was a perfect pick-me-up between long lectures, and I’d never seen it elsewhere. I don’t get out to that neighborhood much anymore, but I still think of that soup. Now, two years later, I’ve finally found it, and it’s closer to home and tastier than the one I remember. It’s at Floating Rock in Central Square, the new Cambridge location of an old Revere gem.

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CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Church

Rachel Leah Blumenthal — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:00:04 +0000

Where can you find strong cocktails, pool tables, rock ‘n’ roll, and gargoyles? Church. Yes, really. Not exactly the most religious of places, Church is a combination restaurant and music club in the Fenway area, tucked just far enough away to avoid being part of the cluster of loud, packed sports bars.

The gargoyles are part of the slightly medieval ambiance. Heavy red velvet curtains and candles help round out the theme. Large windows let in the sun during the day, and at night Church becomes moody and romantic.

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