FiRE + iCE Date Night!

So we decided on FiRE + iCE as the restaurant for Date Night. BTW this dinner was sponsored by Matt Q's Christmas Present gift card from last year (hey at least not a WHOLE year went by!). We'd never been, but have heard awesome things about this restaurant that's located in Harvard Sq. Its kind of hibachi meets the Peach Pit After Dark. There are a million stations, where you pick all the ingredients that are going to get turned into a huge stir fry. My first thoughts? Why the hell do I have to think so much before eating? Isn't the point of restaurants are that they can do this for me? BUT it turned out amazing, and since you pick all of your favorite things- there's about a 100% chance you are going to LOVE IT!

I ordered a Maui Lava (except I forgot the name and think thats what it was called) which was a Strawberry Daiquiri and a Pina Colada combined. SO GOOD!Here is our food from start to finish. Vegetarians, please close your eyes and keep scrolling!
I got the chicken and Gus had the steak. Although its "all you can eat" we were completely stuffed after the first serving, plus 2 awesome salads included..

We then hit up Charlie's upstairs bar for a Brooklyn Lager (don't worry- Gus had a Sam Adams so it wasn't a complete slap in the face to Beantown) and walking back I saw the best sign EVER.I'm pretty sure all JQ Lounge readers can get a free consultation for contacts at this store!

Yeah so I've totally realized about 100% of the pictures of us together are from this same exact angle (since there's no one ever around to take one for us!)
Oh and during this impromptu photoshoot- i grabbed an upclose picture of my eye. Call it too much information, but I think this deformity is awesome.
While my doctor freaks me out and tells me I should have this so called mole in my eye checked out- I've had it since birth and have 20/20 vision ever since!!

Makes You Want To Grab Some Takeout!!

Men's Health compiled a list of the 20 worst foods in America. I was shocked to see how many calories were in these top picks. Blarf!
When I realized most of these choices were from major chain restaurants in America, the first thing that popped into my head was the Bloomin' Onion, b/c those always just looked like a pile of sexy love handles topped with a delightful dipping sauce! Sure enough, that was ranked as the Worst Appetizer (but Chili's calls it a Awesome Blossom) 2,710 calories & 203 grams before your entree. Awesome! Blossom! During my research, let's just say that Urban Dictionary "went there" while telling us other definitions of an awesome blossom. This blog is PG-13! Hmmm, or maybe like PG-16..

Worst pizza? Uno's Classic Deep Dish Pizza. 2,310 cals.
Best pizza (in my eyes): Frozen Kashi 870 Calories. And they're tasty and you can split them with someone you love!

Panera Terror

After a few errands, Gus and I decided to hit up Panera Bread for some lunch. We both opted for the Half & Half (soup-salad and/or half sandwich). Whenever I'm at Panera, I'm a wacko who likes to guess exactly when my order will be up.. There were only 3 people ahead of me, and after about 7 minutes, Gus smiled and nudged me saying "They're totally putting our stuff in the bag as we speak". The friendly guy behind the counter says "Julie!" and I'm on my way to greatness. All of a sudden, a psycho big sunglassed burberry ugg'in Bentley or Brandeis student takes off like a rocket ship says "I'm Julie", grabs the takeout bag and disappears within seconds. Before I could even say anything to the guy, Gus is like "And there goes our lunch". Giving this girl the benefit of the doubt I wait for another minute, and then the guy holds up a very small sandwich bag and then says "Julie!" again.

"Um, yeah you gave that other Julie our order"

"Hmmm, you sure? Do you have your receipt?"

"Yah. Here you go"

"Ha would you look at that. It'll be just a few more minutes."

5 minutes later. Our lunch is ready. We walk outside and Gus chimes in "Ya know.. I knew that was our order the entire time, but I really just didn't want to talk to that girl, b/c you knew nothing good was going to come out of that exchange of words!" (on her part not ours obvi) And I knew exactly what he meant. She seemed a little uptight just by looking at her. I can only imagine her flipping out when she realizes she grabbed the wrong order. Or- she'll be ecstatic that she got a lot of extra goodies in her bag, including my half chicken salad sandwich!

Still can't figure out the karma aspect in that story..

My Maple Cake Brings all the Boys to the Yard..

Reading the directions about 30 times, introducing myself to a mixer, and a quick run to the store by Gus, because I thought I could substitute butter with Country Crock = my Chocolate Glazed Maple Spice Cake was successfully created.
Rocco was a very helpful Sous Chef. Except he got a little excited when it called for Confection Sugar!Dine & Dish posted the recipe. And might I suggest some Champagne/Riesling Punch to go with! Here's how you make it, thank you mom!Debbie Q's Cham-pag-nan-yay Punch
-6 oranges, sliced thin
-1 cup finely granulated sugar
-two bottles Riesling
-1 large block of ice
-3 bottles champagne

1. sliced oranges in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar
2. pour one bottle of Riesling over fruit and let sit for 1 hour
3. pour mixture over block of ice in punch bowl
4. add remaining Riesling and champagne

Thanksgiving RBC Style was very fun. RBC stands for the Rochester Boston Coalition. And we even have sweaters made that say that. So you know its legit..Must get Lauren's approval before I post any kareoke videos that I shot throughout the evening!

Vending Machine Smarts

Here is some useless information (in the form of a quiz) that I bet one always wonders about when you find yourself standing in front of a vending machine at your work b/c you forgot your lunch or pms'ing or whatever.. Hint: ALWAYS go for the Lifesavers to curb a sweet tooth craving.

Havin' my cake

Darcy from Martha Stewart's Wedding Blog wrote about this awesome baker named Elisa Stauss. Elisa makes THE COOLEST cakes ever. Looking at her website, I had to do double takes to see if some of them were the real thing or not! To see all of the pretty cakes, check out her website. Here are a few favorites from there.She also came out with a tres cute book, so you can make some beautiful cakes yourself! (Although I'm not sure mine would look the same as some of these!)

McD's froths the competition

Starbucks can't be too happy with Ronald McDonald right now. Starbucks shares are down 24% and McDonald's same store sales have climbed 8.1%. A big reason? McDonalds now offers lattes, cappuccinos, and iced brews. Starbucks you can get a 20-oz latte for $4.48, where as McDonald's offers the same size for $3.31. Plus McDonald's has the convenient drive-thru..

I myself am a loyal coffee drinker to the local hip coffee shop down the street, but hey, more money saved on coffee means more trips to The Natick Collection!

Lunch at Your Desk In Style

Saw this Vessel Workplace Dish Set in a Daily Candy email. So perfect!

Workplace is a personal plate, bowl, cup and utensils, all snugly wrapped together in a desktop placemat. This set of dishes expands your good-design sense to the office, and stands with upright readiness next to a desk or in the communal kitchen cupboard. Vessel.com, $29

Hmm my Lean Cuisines will look so much yummier in this!

Restaurant Week Starts Sunday!

For all you Bostonians, Summer '07 Restaurant Week starts this Sunday, August 5! For 2 weeks you have the opportunity to try out all the wicked classy (and very tasty!) restaurants around the city.

For lunch, you pay $20.07 for a 3-course meal.

For dinner, its $33.07.

Make your reservations soon, b/c this phenomenon has everyone around town booking the hot spots. Guys what a great way to impress a first date!

Rocco should be a Flavor!

Some of my favorite blogs are a few fabulous ladies who live in Southern Cali, and every time they mention a cute dessert shop, I feel like there aren't too many bakeries around here. After reading this week's Improper Bostonian, they mentioned a place in the South End called South End Buttery. Their 3 signature cupcakes are: Madison (vanilla), Simon (devil's food) and Harriet (carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting) ALL the names of the owners' three dogs. Come to find out, a portion of all the cupcake sales goes to local animal shelters. Awww Factor!

You Know You Do It..

First off- its JQ Lounge's 500th post! Woo hoo. Type type type. But this post is not all about the JQ Lounge. This post is all about something that EVERYONE does a lot more then people used to do in the past. And that my friends, is dining out.

Compliments of dreamy Matt Lauer and the Today Show

Now personally, I remember growing up how much of a treat it was to go out to dinner, because my mom is a very good cook and loved cooking for our family. My dad was a good cook too, but that came out like every other month when he would take a day to make a Italian hearty meal, with an excellent tomato sauce. Anyways- I always thought it was the coolest thing in the world to go out to a Restaurant. Then comes college, where it seems like you're eating out all the time because its the freshman cafe that doesn't consist of your kitchen from home. Factor in the Freshman 15 because damnit, you can eat Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard if you want to for dinner. (And I'm sure alcohol always adds to those 15 fun lbs as well). Now fast forward into your twenties. You're living on your own and damnit (notice this rebellious 'damnit' i keep mentioning), you don't have to cook if you don't want to! (that just reminds me of Big Daddy, where he says "Frankenstein you can wear whatever you want!)

Well the Average American Family spends about 48% of their food budget on restaurants.

And these restaurants are taking clear advantage of that fun fact. Did you know that restaurants typically mention their highest prices towards the center of the menu because they know thats where your eyes drift?

And then there's wine. This article says that after the movie Sideways, Pinot Noir soared as the wine'o'choice in restaurants (by 18%) and Merlot took a beating. (Remember the infamous "I am NOT drinking any F*C#iNg Merlot!!!)

As for desert, now they have "bite sized" servings which is a sham because its pretty much the same amount of calories.

May the next 500 posts be as extravagant as the restaurants you dine in.

These Cupcakes have their own publicist

I read this cute article in the New York Times on Platinum Blonde life about the Cupcake Bakery craze going on across the country.

It is a sweet read, check it out!

And let me know if you want to start a bakery with me and be awesome (aka Maggie G in Stranger Than Fiction)!

10 Tips for Good Ass Ice Coffee

Saw THIS on the Today Show website when I was researching the Treehouses (next post down)

Let's Start It Up..
1. Begin with good tasting water. Use bottled water if you usually do not drink your tap water.

2. Buy small quantities of whole beans and store airtight at room temperature. Buy just enough for 1 week from a store that has high turnover.

3. Use French roast beans for a very dark-colored and rich-flavored brew. Try a lighter roast and bean, such as Sumatran, for a lighter color and mellower flavor.

4. Grind what you need right before you use it. Once ground, coffee loses its flavor quickly.

5. Make sure you use the right grind for your machine. Check manufacturer's instructions for details.

6. Drip machines make excellent coffee. For a heartier brew, try a French press machine.

7. Use 2 tablespoons of grounds per 6 ounces of water for every cup. Adjust to taste from there.

8. Chill your coffee well before pouring over ice. Do not pour hot coffee over ice and do not use leftover coffee for iced coffee either, especially if it has been sitting on a warmer for hours.

9. Pour some coffee into ice cube tray to make coffee ice cubes so as not to dilute your beverage.

10. Make sugar syrup by simmering equal parts sugar and water. Cool and serve alongside your iced coffee drinks. It dissolves instantly.

Granted I'll still go to Dunkin Donuts for my Ice Coffee fix, but we got a sweet Coffee maker for the Bridal Shower that I can't wait to open as soon as we get to the new place!!

Zero Calorie Chocolates!

So today at work, we get this Holiday present sent to the office from Santa himself. Its beautifully wrapped boxes stacked on top of each other. Chocolates, trail mix, cheese, crackers, and pears consist of all the great nooks and crannies found inside these boxes. Jaclyn tries one of the chocolates, and as she's eating it, Alyssa goes "Ohhh there's no fat in those chocolates", we didn't believe it so we checked out the nutrition sheet that came with the present. Low and behold, these magical chocolates do not have ANY calories, or fat, or anything. And it even lists the ingredients! Where as the pears are just ridiculous, I dont know how anyone can eat those things after looking at the picture I posted... Its a Christmas Miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or some pissed off fat elf playing a trick on the world)

Would you like some cheese with that Wino?

Last night, Jaclyn, Lauren, Jenny and I became adventurous. We decided to check out the Rochester Winos, a wine club that gathers once a month at different restaurants downtown. For $30, you get to go out to a restaurant, taste about 7 different types of wine, and listen to some live frank sinatra wedding singer. So we arrived around 6:45 and got a 4-person table with the comfy sofa chairs around it. The music started, the wine started, and the h'ordeurves started. Since this was our first event we had no clue what to expect. First round went smoothly. We started filling out our score sheets, light fun conversation about wine. Then our glasses were empty. We look around the room and everyone's glass looked like they hadn't even sampled it yet! So then the convo turned into if we had an alchohol abuse problem... What seemed like 2 hours later, the next round of wine started up. We finally learned to drink in moderation (haha who are we kidding). The food was really good, they'd bring out small servings of steak, chicken, and other stuff (whatever food went well with the wine we were drinking) and then there was desert!

As you can tell in the picture right here, some drank a little more hardcore then others. haha. Oh, and did I mention there was about 40 women at this event? Haha I believe there was one husband who got dragged to it. Your welcome Gus for saying you didn't have to go! So overall, very good time, a lot of drunk funny laughs, and I have a feeling we'll be making our own Rochester Wine club soon enough. Check back at the blog for details!!