Game Night in Southie

Game Night finally landed in Southie last night, after months and months of me saying I should host it, but never quite following through. It started to become a joke that, if left unrectified, could have forced me off the CC list on the Game Night emails. Alas, I'm in the clear now for a bit.

Instead of a traditional board game, we opted for the Wii, namely Wii Tennis, Boxing, Bowling, and, of course Guitar Hero. The sports games in the Wii Sports package are easy to explain and play, and successfully portray the interactivity and simplicity of playing the Wii.

Guitar Hero, however, is a different story.

If you have never played Guitar Hero before, it's tough to pick up immediately. The basics are easy (hit a button along with the strum bar), but it takes a few plays before eye-hand coordination sinks in.

Not to mention the song choices available - I'm assuming that as time passes, song libraries available will become much more vast. For now, people seem to pick what they know of the list in the game, which usually amounts to hearing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" often (or... technically ...whatever percentage is played successfully before the booing off the stage occurs).

Nonetheless, it's always fun to watch the Wii Boxing. We determined that the black male Mii avatar and the white female Mii avatar represented Kerry Healey and Deval Patrick during the last gubernatorial race. It was fun to watch them assault one another, almost as they did during their campaigns.

I picked a few recipes from Food Network's website, and both were winners (I improvised the salad and mashed potatoes). Spicy Sausage, Chicken, and Bean Pot was a great comfort food dish, and Corrie's Kentucky Pie (as presented by Paula Deen) tasted just like a brownie in a pie shell. The recipe yielded two whole pies, and I decided not to reduce it, in case one of them burned (I tend to do that when baking). Nothing burned, and now I have a whole pie left, which contradicts by attempt at a less decadent lifestyle.

The Melting Pot restaurant

Last night, we ventured outside of the city for dinner, landing at The Melting Pot in Framingham. Good thing we made reservations - the place was PACKED, and tables don't exactly turn over quickly at fondue restaurants.

There were six of us, and we went all out - ordering their deluxe fondue package called The Big Night Out. With drinks, tax, and tip, it wasn't exactly cheap ($85 per person), but it was certainly an interesting experience, fun conversation, and good food.

As part of The Big Night Out, we had two cheese fondues, salad, two entree fondues, and two chocolate fondues.

Without question, the chocolate fondues were the highlight of the meal. Dunking toasted marshmallows, rice krispies treats, cheesecake, and strawberries in a chocolate-peanut butter fondue was just about the best dessert I have eaten in months. I would go back there just for the dessert. The server even asked if we needed any more dessert items for dunking (of course we did....more marshmallows and rice krispies treats!)

The cheese fondues were also excellent. We had the Mediterranean Cheese Fondue (with fontina and gruyere cheeses, garlic, dates, shallots, and truffle oil) and the Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue (being that Ryan was there, and he's a Wisconsinite). Both tasty and great ways to begin the meal.

By the time we were walking out, we had been there for 3 1/2 hours! Nobody rushed us, no pressure to leave, and, therefore, we left a good tip!

Wired Boston

I love surveys and stats.

Although, we don't make the Top 5 in terms of "Most Caffeinated Cities" (which takes into account cola, tea, and energy drinks) we're #2 in terms of most coffee consumption (behind, of course, Seattle), and #1 in "Cities Most Addicted To Caffeine."

Actually, I am already on my second cup of coffee today.

Back on the Sauce

I did something this weekend that I haven't done in quite some time.

I cooked a fresh pot of sauce.

It just felt right today - lazy Sunday, big sports day, a bit chilly outside. The perfect combo for a pot of sauce with meatballs and sausage.

Growing up, Sunday meals almost always included something with homemade tomato sauce (but, like many Italian households, we sometimes called it "gravy"). And every month or so, my parents cooked up a big pot of sauce to be used that evening, but primarily frozen for meals throughout the following few weeks.

During my senior year at college, I had an off-campus apartment with two friends, and we were off meal plan for both semesters. I remember having my mother write up the sauce recipe and fax it to the radio station where I worked (they didn't have email yet). I still have that same exact fax, and although I know the bulk of the recipe, I pulled it out today just to be sure I was all set.

I used to make sauce all the time when I lived in NJ, and when I had roommates in the South End before moving into Southie (where we resurrected big meal Sundays and my roommate Mike and I had an undeclared yet understood ongoing culinary competition).

I think I moved away from the sauce during my many attempts to restrict carbs. After my trip last week, however, I learned that you just can't truly take the macaroni out of the Italians.