Some weekends you just need to go out for breakfast, either the fridge is empty or you’re slightly hungover and cooking isn’t on the agenda.  So you go out.  Typically when these occasions arise BF and I will walk up the street and go to either the Deluxe Town Diner or Uncommon Grounds, sipping large cups of coffee and eating more food than we can physically hold.  But we always miss bloody marys and breakfast cocktails at DTD or Uncommon so sometimes we motivate and go further afield – hopping the 71 and riding it into Harvard Square for a dimly lit quiet bar.  We head for these bars with the thought of an iced bloody mary and delicious breakfast food.  So we went, BF and I, into Harvard Square for brunch at Tommy Doyle’s.  We had initially planned to head to Tommy Doyle’s for a late lunch after going on a Tour of the Harpoon Brewery but we were hungry as we left our apartment at 11.  So a quick google search later we learned that Tommy Doyle’s had just rolled out brunch!

We hopped the bus and headed into Harvard for brunch at Tommy Doyle’s.  We walked in and they told us we could sit anywhere.  Immediately a waitress with a lovely irish lilt came over and handed us menus.  BF and I both ordered bloody marys, a jalepeno infused one for him and a cucumber one for me.  The bloody marys were delightful with fresh horseradish flavor.  The cool cucumber bloody mary was perfect for a hot summer mid morning drink and BF’s tasted delightfully of the jalepeno flavors.

After receiving our bloody marys we ordered our brunch entrees.  For BF a traditional Irish Breakfast with over easy eggs and for me an order of Eggs McManus.  We basically inhaled the brunch leaving the plates empty and a bit buzzed.  The Eggs McManus was fantastic with Irish bacon and perfectly poached eggs.

BF’s Irish breakfast offered a wide range of delicious breakfast foods, most of them meat and starch.  While hard to share (because we are just occasionally not very good at that) I loves TOmmy Doyle’s fro brunch, and the best part?  Our bloody marys came FREE with the purchase of a full brunch meal.  We spent $26 and got and amazing brunch fro two people and we’re already planning a return brunch trip 🙂

I don’t write many restaurant reviews here and that’s not because I don’t eat out (I do, more than my bank account would like) but because a restaurant really needs to have a wow factor for me to acknowledge it here.  You don’t want to read about the meal I had where the steak was overcooked and the potatoes pitch perfect – anyone can write that for you, or tell you in 7 words, in real life.  For me to want to take my time to blog something I have to be over the moon about it and in this case I am.  Confession, I have always been a bit over the moon about Wagamama.  I like it as my guilty pleasure comfort food restaurant where the food is consistent and fresh, and like any other “chain” restaurant I can rely on my order, I like that sometimes.

MMM.  Wagamama Glazed Ribs.   Fall off the bone tender.

My first experience with Wagamama was FIVE years ago in Convent Garden London on a warm evening.  I don’t remember my main course but I remember the ice cold Kirin in my hand and the way it commingled with the salty softness of edamame as I popped them one bean at a time from their pods and onto my tongue.  I remember adoring the big communal tables and the raucous rugby team that was sitting next to us (BF, BF’s Aunt and I) as we ate our big bowls of noodles and broth.  It felt right.  We ate at that Wagamama twice over our one week stay in London, twice.  When I came home I longed for the noodles I had had and the edamame.  We went back to our small college town in rural Maine gushing about Japanese noodles from our trip to London, when not six months earlier we had been in Japan (and had not come home gushing about the noodles, possibly I should return).

Suribachi Chicken Wings – Sweet and Spicy, FORTHEWIN

I waited patiently for my return trip to the lovely British city – I wanted more noodles, needed them.  Then on the phone with BF’s Aunt we were told Wagamama had opened a branch in Boston.  I lit up like a Christmas tree and we came down for a visit.  I ate lots of edamame and ginger-scallion noodles, perfect on that cold January afternoon.  Fast-forward a couple years, BF and I have just graduated from college and are looking into moving out of Maine, we chose Boston as it was familiar and we had family here.  Jobs were acquired and as we settled into a routine which included Wagamama, especially in the winter after a long day at work.  It was comforting food that left us full and happy without emptying our wallets or threatening late fees on our student loans.  It felt like an indulgence and wasn’t really.

Chicken Katsu Curry, the Katsu Curry is, hands-down, my favorite thing on the menu.

Now I am here, a blogger and occasionally someone who is lucky enough to get to eat those favorite things of mine for free and with favorite people.  Tonight was one of those times.  And when the hankering for Wagamama hits you just can’t ignore it, you might make those noodles or that curry feel neglected, and that, my friends, would be very sad indeed.

Bloggers Who Rock!  Megan and Amanda.  Aren’t they the cutest?

*Wagamama provided this meal free of charge to me but all opinions based here are strictly my own.

Belgian Sized Frite with a Deep Fried Egg

Dear Fries –
You and I go way back.  I’ve loved you since those first homemade fries that my mom made came out of the fry daddy – soft, tender, and tasting of fresh potato; you were delicious.  So I did what any sane person who is terrified of hot oil would do; I started to hunt for THE PERFECT FRY.  I thought that it was a hopeless venture, perpetually leading me to fries that were overcooked or soggy.  I wrote emails to my sister extolling the virtues and failures of fries ranging from mediocre, to unpalatable, to acceptable. Then in January, there was hope.  I saw a tweet from @saus_boston; there was a Belgian frites shop opening three blocks from my office.  I started to dream of the fries I ate in Europe – delicious morsels cooked in good quality lard and covered by at least five different toppings, all of which seemed to involve some sort of curry flavor.  This was what I had been searching for all along.

Saus – From the Top: Cheddar Duvel, Bleu Cheese (special), The Bost-onion

I waited patiently for the storefront to open, scouring local blogs and publications for an opening date and longing for fries that I could eat forever.  I waited and waited until, finally, an opening date was set – a menu was hung on the website (eatfrites.com), and there were rumors of Saus opening in March.  Then it was there.  A tweet said the elusive shop was open and I made plans with BF, Amanda, and her hubs to go for fries.  We started with some soda – root beer and cherry cream soda from Virgil’s, chose an exorbitant number of sauces (I think six) and gorged on a dinner of frites.  These were perfect fries – crispy on the outside and fluffy within.  They were hot without burning my tongue, and with every dip of fry in unique saus, whether it be the Cheddar Duvel or the humble homemade mayo, I was in heaven.  I don’t think we spoke for ten minutes while fries were consumed.  We were in states of pure bliss.  Fries, gourmet sauces, and to top it all off, a crisp root beer.  I wanted to move in.

Belgian Waffle with: Lemon Creme, Berry, Salted Caramel, and Nutella Saus

Then we realized there were Belgian-style waffles. Allow me to reiterate that: BELGIAN-STYLE WAFFLES.  It was June after college graduation, and BF and I were running around Brussels looking for just one late-night waffle shop that would serve us.  And there, in front of Manneken Pis, was one such place, an open window being run by a couple teenage girls just ready to close up shop for the night.  We asked for one waffle with dark chocolate and tipped them one euro for being open and willing to hold off closing for us (and we got extra chocolate).  As I ate my waffle, I fantasized about eating more and was sad that it was our last night in this town of publicly urinating statues.  Now we were home, and finally after three years of longing for good waffles, there were some nearby.  And they fit the criteria – crunchy, fluffy, saus-y and all around swoon-worthy (seriously, you should probably just get the Nutella saus to drink, or bathe in, as one friend suggested).  I left Saus that night in a dreamy state of full, telling BF that we will be going back – sooner rather than later, when the cheese curds were in (they hadn’t gotten their delivery yet) and we could try the poutine.

Love, Kathy and BF

Now the fun part!  You have read through my review of Saus and have drooled over my pictures right?  Of course you have.  After my most recent visit to Saus I stopped and asked one of the owners, Renee, if they wanted to team up with me to give one of my readers some frites.  She loved it!  So we hashed out some details.  I’m giving away a $15 gift certificate so that one of my lucky readers can go there and try the frites and waffles themselves! Yum!  You can enter three ways, leave me a comment telling me for each entry:

1) Go to the Saus website and leave me a comment saying which dip you would most like to try, you can also check their twitter feed for a rotating dip, or two. (Mandatory)
2) Go to Facebook and like Kathy Can Cook and Saus and leave a comment (optional)
3) Follow @kathycancook and @saus_boston on twitter and tweet
“I want to try frites and waffles thanks to @saus_boston and @kathycancook! #eatfrites” and leave me a comment that you did (optional)

All entries must be received by Monday June 6 at 12 Noon.  The winner will be announced by 5 pm that day!

If you read other Boston based food blogs you will have noticed a flurry of blog recaps of a dinner at UFood Grill, a couple of weeks ago.  I was there that night.  These are my favorite things that I tried.  Even now, weeks later I still want one of those smoothies.  Enjoy.

The bistro salad was DIVINE.

The UFood Unfries – they were fantastic and not FRIED. Go UFOOD!

Steak tips – tender, delicious and paired with  simply whipped sweet potatoes.  Bliss.

The UFood Turkey Burger – Moist and delicious in ways I was not expecting.  Eat This!

YUM.  Smoothie. This is the “Berrylicious”

Yum More Smoothie, this time Passionate Peach

Wildberry Tart Frozen Yogurt – So Good! I wanted it to be warmer out just so I could justify seconds A couple of notes about UFood: they make a concerted effort to be health conscious in everything they make, most of the food is fantastic, they are accommodating, and they try to serve locally-sourced products!  I love that.  They were fabulous hosts, and even set out extra entrees that were full-sized for us to photograph.  They are a locally owned company that makes delicious “un-fries” on the go. What more do you want out of your fast food?  Now go UFood it up, have a smoothie and a turkey burger.  Bring me with you.