Rachel Leah Blumenthal » words http://www.rachelblumenthal.net Writer, Photographer, Musician Thu, 11 Jul 2013 03:25:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.39 CBS Boston: A Tour of the Taza Chocolate Factory http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/26/cbs-boston-a-tour-of-the-taza-chocolate-factory/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/26/cbs-boston-a-tour-of-the-taza-chocolate-factory/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:17:45 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=354 “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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/26/cbs-boston-a-tour-of-the-taza-chocolate-factory/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Boston’s Best Pizza: Newtowne Grille (Cambridge, MA) http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/19/cbs-boston-bostons-best-pizza-newtowne-grille-cambridge-ma/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/19/cbs-boston-bostons-best-pizza-newtowne-grille-cambridge-ma/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:00:39 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=350 “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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/19/cbs-boston-bostons-best-pizza-newtowne-grille-cambridge-ma/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: The Museum of Bad Art: Even the World’s Worst Artwork Deserves to Be Seen http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/17/cbs-boston-the-museum-of-bad-art-even-the-worlds-worst-artwork-deserves-to-be-seen/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/17/cbs-boston-the-museum-of-bad-art-even-the-worlds-worst-artwork-deserves-to-be-seen/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:00:40 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=347 “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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/17/cbs-boston-the-museum-of-bad-art-even-the-worlds-worst-artwork-deserves-to-be-seen/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Cambridge Common http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/12/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-cambridge-common/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/12/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-cambridge-common/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:19:18 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=341 “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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/12/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-cambridge-common/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Hungry Mother http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/05/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-hungry-mother/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/05/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-hungry-mother/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:00:04 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=313 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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/10/05/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-hungry-mother/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Max Brenner http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/28/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-max-brenner/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/28/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-max-brenner/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:00:35 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=325 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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/28/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-max-brenner/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Floating Rock http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/21/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-floating-rock/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/21/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-floating-rock/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:01 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=329 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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/21/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-floating-rock/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Restaurant Review: Church http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/14/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-church/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/14/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-church/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:00:04 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=332 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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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/14/cbs-boston-restaurant-review-church/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Gallery Review: Voltage Coffee & Art http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/12/cbs-boston-gallery-review-voltage-coffee-art/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/12/cbs-boston-gallery-review-voltage-coffee-art/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:00:13 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=334 It’s not so unusual to find coffee shops decorated with the works of local artists, but at Voltage Coffee & Art, it’s part of the name and part of the mission. Not even a year old, this Cambridge cafe/gallery has already made a name for itself in the bustling tech heart of Kendall Square.

The layout is a maze of white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a mix of high tables and standard tables. Bright light and clean lines make it a perfect home for art exhibits – and not the timid landscapes and skylines you see in many coffee shops.

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]]> http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/12/cbs-boston-gallery-review-voltage-coffee-art/feed/ 0 CBS Boston: Food Truck Review: Momogoose http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/09/cbs-boston-food-truck-review-momogoose/ http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/2011/09/09/cbs-boston-food-truck-review-momogoose/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:00:35 +0000 http://www.rachelblumenthal.net/?p=338 “Momogoose is absurdly fast, cheap, and filling. Don’t let the huge line scare you: within seconds of ordering, you’ll be walking away, food in hands. Momogoose, a pan-Asian food truck, is parked closest to the main street in the mega-row of food trucks near the Kendall Square T station in Cambridge, so it tends to draw the biggest crowd of all the trucks, but they certainly know how to handle the hordes. Food trucks like Momogoose are a fun adventure; items are constantly running out, so you have to be a bit flexible – and keep an eye on the daily specials, as those are often the most exciting choices. If a menu item is covered with tape, it’s out. Quick – pick something else.”

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