Foodenator

ShotCakes is a Food Source 3.0 restaurant offering up ice cream injected cupcakes at moderate prices. Located deep in Massachusetts, at the Burlington mall Food Court.

This reviewer was not intimidated by the heavy set people waiting in line to order this mall delicacy. Luckily by the time I made it to the front of the line, there were still a few ShotCakes available. Most of the time, when the over-weight crowd doesn’t get there before you do, there is a large variety of ShotCakes to be eaten, such as the Red Velvet ShotCake or the Golden ShotCake.

A ShotCake client can order any regular cupcake and get it INJECTED with ice cream (Vanilla or Chocolate), which transforms the regular cupcake into a ShotCake.

When I got to the counter, there was one Tiramisu cupcake available, just sitting there begging to be injected with ice cold cream. I said, ‘Gimme the Tiramisu cupcake and inject it with vanilla.’ The woman behind the counter said, ‘you. got. it’, and complied with my demand. She then demanded $3 and some change… close to $4 bucks. Being a Foodenator.com reviewer, I am well off… very well off… so I reached into my expensive alligator wallet and pulled out some cash. It took approx. 1 minute to find some ones amid my twenties, fifties, and tens. She accepted my money and I was off to the other end of the counter to pick up the mall delicacy.

After a less than a minute wait time, I had my ShotCake in my right hand, my spoon in my left, and also a napkin in the right hand as well. I could sense the Cupcake was cold, and the ice cream was saying ‘I am in you’ to the cupcake. Found a table really close by to devour the ShotCake…

Tiramisu ShotCake is not as light as a regular tasty tiramisu cake, but it had a good taste. The tiramisu and its vanilla ice cream companion combination was outstanding… it was almost like… eating cake with a scoop of ice cream. Unusual, but true, I ate the entire ShotCake, and enjoyed doing so. I was tempted to get another, but I held back since the line was filled with people having difficulties making up their mind.

I recommend the ShotCake experience.

******** 1/2 — 8.5 out of a possible 10

More Info:
ShotCakes

Popularity: 60%

One of my favorite pizza places in Boston is Santarpio’s Pizza, located on Chelsea Street in East Boston. Unfortunately for many people, East Boston is a little out of the way unless you are making a trip to the airport. We really wish they would open a more central location!!!

They have been voted to the “Best of Boston” numerous times and have an endorsement from Rachel Ray on their website.

Their pizza reminds us a lot of the flavor that you might find in Regina’s Pizza because the flavors that you get in the pizza indicate it’s top of the line. We really liked their crust, it was a perfect combination of crunchy shell with softer dough on the inside. The cheese is bursting with flavor, we don’t know what kind they use but it is definitely a mix. The staff will drop your pizza down on a warped metal try but they still smile and are friendly to their customers.

We are giving Santarpio’s our first ever FIVE STARS!!! *****

This is worth a trip to East Boston to try this slice of heaven.

Popularity: 14%

This weekend, two of the editors at Foodenator ventured over to the Upper Crust located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.

Although the location is very small and the tables are close together, we were able to squeeze into a corner after ordering a “slice of the day” consisting of Pesto & Chicken and a slice of Cheese.  First let’s examine the traditional cheese.   They use a very thin crust that is cooked to the point where it is crispy but not burnt.  The crust is almost flaky.  For a sauce, they use chunks of tomatoes that are pretty sweet with a nice blend kick of tart seasoning.  They don’t make their slice with a tan of cheese but overall we gave their slice 4 out of 5 stars! ****

We also love that they deliver pizza’s on a bike, way to go green!

Our Second Slice, the Pesto Chicken pizza was also very good.  The crust was exactly the same as the cheese pizza.  We really liked the flavoring that we picked up from the pesto but we wish it was dispersed a little bit more evenly on the pizza.  The chicken was also very good but a little on the dry side.  Probably a result of buying it by the slice and re-heating.  We suggest if you like this type of Pizza to order an entire pie and ask for extra cheese which should help to hold some of the moisture into the chicken.  This slice gets 3 out of 5 stars!  ***

Overall we love this chain which has the feel of an individual restaurant.

Popularity: 35%

This is sandwhich was basically made from random things that I had laying around my kitchen when I couldn’t think of anything else to make for dinner. The sandwich derives its name from the famous James Connolly since it was created during the week of his 28th birthday.

Ingrediants:

1 bagel, any flavor you like

1 avacado

1 Tomato

Italian Blend cheese

*Onions are optional

**Preheat the oven to about 375

First, peel and mash the avocado with a little bit of garlic powder. You can add a tiny bit of lemon juice so that it doesn’t turn brown. Next, toast the bagel on medium so that it is a little crispy. Spread the avocado on the bagel and then layer with slices of tomato. Lay both slices of the bagel on a baking sheet and top off with an Italian blend of cheeses. Bake your sandwich in the oven until the cheeses are melting, about 8-10 minutes depending on the strength of your oven.

Popularity: 27%

What is better on a snow day then the smell of fresh cooked bread in your kitchen?  Try this recipe for a healthy, easy, white pizza with artichokes and tomatoes.   

Ingredients:

1 recipe of bread dough

3 Roma tomatoes

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts

1 onion, optional

Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper & Olive Oil

Cheeses: Fresh Mozzarella & Parmesan.  Can also use a bag of Italian blend. 

First, roll out your bread dough into a circle and fold it inward to make a crust .  Take about a tablespoon of Olive oil and spread it across your pizza crust.  Next, sprinkle your crust with minced garlic and crushed red pepper.  Place sliced Roma tomatoes and artichokes, evenly distributed, across the pie shell.  You can also add slide onions, they are optional.  Take the fresh mozzarella and cut into small slices, scatter them across the pie shell.  Next, top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake at 425 for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Cook less if you like a softer crust and longer if you like the crust crispy.  Cut into slices and serve!

Popularity: 11%

Today, in honor of the late Senator Kennedy, the Foodenator.com staff has posted a recipe for Lobser Salad…a New England tradition.

6 ears corn
4 lbs. lobster meat, cooked, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tomato, large, peeled and seeded
2 avocado, peeled, cubed
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk (or light cream)
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper 

Cook the corn and then scrape off the kernels over a bowl and set aside.

Put the tomatoes, avocado and corn into a bowl and add the lobster meat and toss gently.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, with the milk and mix until smooth.

Sprinkle the lobster mixture with dill, salt and pepper, then add the mayonnaise mixture and stir briefly so the sauce barely holds the rest of the ingredients together.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Popularity: 14%

Many of us suffer cravings for candy. The causes of these cravings can vary widely but do include Adrenal Fatigue, eating disorders, premenstrual syndrom, changes in insulin and serotonin and in my case, unhealthy dieting. 

So how can you stop these cravings? 

Step 1. Go to the grocery store and purchase a variety of candy

Step 2. Fill your desk at work, your purse & your home kitchen with Candy.  See example below, pens are not edible

Popularity: 17%

This is what happens to kids whose parents do not provide sugar cereals as a part of childhood. Now I am a monster… monster mixes:

1/3 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 15 oz. cans of Fruit Cocktail

3 Maraschino Cherries

The monster fills a bowl 1/3 full of ambrosia mixture. Season with Fruity Pebbles to taste. If being served to children under 10, serve with sugar bowl and large spoon.

Popularity: 11%

I am normally a HUGE fan of Dunkin Donuts. They are fairly dependable for a quick coffee or a bagel. Over the last month, I have had a series of unfortunate experiences at various stores throughout the Boston area…

For instance, I went to a Dunkin Donuts in South Boston with a friend and we both placed orders. Mine was completed without error but my friends coffee was made wrong and they forgot to make her sandwich all together. She had to wait for 15 minutes to get her new coffee and food which made us late for work.
The next day I went to a Dunkin Donuts in Brookline and ordered the standard iced coffee. The person working did not understand English and I had to repeat myself 5 times…iced coffe with milk & sugar…. Even then, he made my coffee wrong. Finally, the following day I gave it one last shot at a Dunks close to the Chestnut Hill area. Again, the worker could barely understand what I was talking about and gave me a coffee so overloaded with sugar, it had to be thrown out.

My suggestion, implement touch screens so customers can place their own orders.

Coffee- 3 out of 4 stars ***

Service- 1 out of 4 stars *

Popularity: 17%

After eating at Stella, we are not sure what type of food to categorize Stella’s food as. This may be because they have a variety of foods, mainly it seems Italian. Stella serves food from shellfish to steak and all the way back to halibut. They also offer some specialty drinks such as an adult rasberry lime ricky, sangria, and the trendy dark and stormy.

My choice entree was the Angus Beef (pictured). It sported mashed potatoes and some flavorful asparagus. The angus beef itself tasted like a tasty steak. Another favorite one the table was the Kobe beef on Arugula Salad, one of the two specials. For Desert a Tiramisu accompanied by coffee con baileys was ordered, both were near phenomenal. We did eat outside under the heat lamps which was comfortable. Stella also offered blankets (not snuggies) to the outside diners, that was thoughtful, but not used.

******* 7 (out of 10)

Stella’s Website

Popularity: 1%