Farewell Tour: The Upper Crust Pizzeria

Today is it…moving day! In some ways, it feels like this entire month flew by. In other ways, it felt like the big move would never get here.  Either way, I'm excited for the new beginnings in our new home!

Last night, we had our last meal together in our old apartment. We decided on something that would be incredibly easy to eat, and something that we were both craving – pizza! We settled on the Upper Crust Pizzeria, even though I’ve boycotted for over a year for ethical reasons. I know, I know, I’m a bit of a hypocrite but I couldn’t leave Beacon Hill without one last pizza from the one place that got me through law school and post-law school life.

Again, ordering was easy because we knew exactly what we wanted - half cheese and half Harvard Street (tomato, mozzarella, basil and garlic). 

We also were both badly craving some greens so we also split a garden salad with chicken.

Again, I'm definitely looking forward to leftover salad and pizza for lunch today!

Well, it has been a whirlwind and I've been loving this farewell tour.  That being said, the blog may be quiet for a bit until we get settled in but I'll be back in action in no time.  Thanks again to everyone for all of the love and support during this big transition!

Upper Crust Pizzeria has multiple locations in Massachusetts and nationwide.  The Beacon Hill location is at 20 Charles Street, Boston, MA.

Farewell Tour: Billy Tse's

My favorite Chinese delivery place is surprisingly in the North End.  My friend Kim first introduced me to Billy Tse's when she used to live in the North End and we used to order it at her apartment.  When I discovered that they delivered to Beacon Hill, Billy Tse's became our regular Chinese take-out spot.  Bret and I often ordered from them on Friday evenings when we'd have a date night in with Chinese food, wine and a movie. 

Last night, Bret and I decided to continue our farewell tour with one last order from Billy Tse's.  Bret and I both had really long days and still had more packing to do.  By the time dinner arrived, we were both ready to take a break for Chinese food for dinner.  The best thing about this meal was that Bret and I didn't even need to consult each other on the order.  Although we've tried a lot of different items on their menu, we have three favorite dishes and we both knew these dishes would be ordered for this "last meal".

First up, the pork fried rice.  While roast pork fried rice isn't exactly the most unique dish, I love that Billy Tse's tastes fresh and is filled with lots of bean sprouts!  Plus, you can actually taste the pork instead of the usual cloyingly sweet chopped boneless spareribs that are usually found in pork fried rice.

Our second dish is always the spicy family-style bean curd.  I credit this dish as finally convincing Bret that tofu is a fantastic ingredient to cook with and eat.  Since then, he has been eating my own tofu creations without a second glance! 

Our final dish is the crispy aromatic Yu-shin chicken.  When we first ordered this dish, I was nervous that it would be too sweet but I love the fried batter and sticky sweet sauce surrounding this chicken.

Of course, the best thing about Chinese food are all the leftovers and we both knew we'd have plenty for lunch (and then some) the next day. 

I'll definitely be missing Billy Tse's once we move, but I'm looking forward to discovering our new go-to Chinese delivery place in our new neighborhood!

Billy Tse's is located at 240 Commercial Street, Boston, MA.

Farewell Tour: Villa Mexico Cafe

As we enter into our final days in Beacon Hill, Bret and I have begun a farewell tour of sorts.  My "clean out the freezer" Korean dukboki was the last meal I'll cook in our apartment as we're planning on relying on take-out and delivery for this final week.  We figured that this would be the easiest thing to do so that we can save time after work as we finish packing, and this will also allow us to pack up our very extensive kitchen!

Bret and I created a list of the local take-out and delivery places that we will miss the most and I jokingly call this our farewell tour.  I know, I'm a bit dramatic.  Nonetheless, we began the farewell tour last night with take-out from Villa Mexico Cafe.

By now, Villa Mexico is one of Beacon Hill's worst-kept secrets.  Strangely located in a tiny gas station, this Mexican take-out restaurant makes what I deem to be the best burritos in town!  Plus, you can't help but love the family behind the counter as everyone is considered a "friend."  Although I walked by this place for years, Bret actually first introduced me to this place soon after we were dating.  Initially, I was skeptical to eat food prepared in a gas station but this unique restaurant is definitely one of my favorite neighborhood spots!

I stopped in at Villa Mexico on Tuesday night to pick up my usual order - carnitas burrito with guacamole and hot salsa.

Bret order the same, except with chicken.  We also split a side of guacamole and tortilla chips.

Per usual, the burrito didn't disappoint.  The slow-cooked pork was so tender and flavorful.  Plus, I love that they grill every burrito as a lot of places don't do this.  The portion sizes are definitely huge but I ate every last bite!  I've heard rumors that the gas station will be torn down for a new building and I'm not sure what the fate is for Villa Mexico.  Knowing this, I'm glad to have picked Villa Mexico for our first stop on our "farewell tour."

Villa Mexico Cafe is located at 296 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA.