(from stuffatnight)

In honor of their fifth anniversary, Excelsior will be giving out free hors d’ouevres until midnight and cocktails for five bucks all night.

From stuffatnight:

25 years together will get you a silver gift. And if you can make it to 50, it’s gold. So what denotes the fifth anniversary? Well, if you’re Excelsior, it’s free hors d’ouevres until midnight and $5 classic cocktails all night.

Come raise a glass to their five years of bliss together. And here’s to many more!

RSVP to rsvp@stuffatnight.com to reserve your place.

Cost: Free - $5

Official Site: http://www.excelsiorrestaurant.com

News, Spirits/Wine & Cheese, Food/Recipes | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

This past week a buddy of mine and I got food poisoning at a restaurant that currently shall not be named.  This is a restaurant that has generally been decent but in order for us to have gotten as sick as we did as quickly as we did, the food must have been rife with bacteria.

Should we:

1. Do nothing?
2. Call the restaurant?
3. Call the health department?

Uncategorized | 3 Comments (Click to add your own comment!) »

Here’s a chance to have a cuppa with Jane Goodall and talk coffee and chimps.

DR. JANE GOODALL FINDS COMMON GROUND FOR CHIMPS AND COFFEE

Green Mountain Coffee and the Jane Goodall Institute Create Coffee to Save Chimp Habitat

What: Members of the media are invited to join world-renowned primatologist and humanitarian Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, on Thursday, May 8 to sample a coffee created to help preserve chimp habitat.

Who: Jane Goodall, Founder-the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace

Lindsey Bolger, Director of Coffee Sourcing and Relationships,
Green Mountain Coffee

Where: Campus Center, Third Floor, Bay View Room

University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston
(Use the North Lot for parking)

When: Thursday, May 8 9:15 a.m.

Dr. Goodall will lead a tasting of Tanzanian Gombe Reserve, a coffee developed by
Green Mountain Coffee in cooperation with the Jane Goodall Institute.

The ecosystem around Gombe National Park in Tanzania where Dr. Goodall began her legendary work with primates is in peril due to social and economic pressures. The forests around the park are rapidly being cleared for agricultural use.

To protect the habitat of Gombe’s wild chimpanzees, the Jane Goodall Institute and Green Mountain Coffee are working with members of the Kanyovu Cooperative, a group of small-scale farmers who live near the border of the park. Gombe Reserve coffee beans grow in harmony with one of the chimps’ last remaining habitats, giving farmers an additional incentive to preserve and restore the forest.

Tanzanian Gombe Reserve coffee is the first product in the world to carry Dr. Goodall’s “Good for All” seal of approval.

News, Monkeys | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

WGBH is currently holding its annual auction, and there are many cool restaurant items to bid on from places like Union Oyster House, Blue Ginger, Top of the Hub, Bistro 5, Teatro, and Tasca.

Many of them are gift certificates, so you can do something along the lines of bidding 25 dollars for a $100 gift certificate. There are also tasting menus, cooking classes, and a whole section of “wine dinner” auction items.

Click here for the restaurant section.

Click here for the wine dinner section.

Get your bid in soon!

News | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

I’m a sucker for sake, so I’ll be going to this for sure!

The Second Glass, Boston’s new wine publication, and Pho Republique have partnered to bring you “Silk Road Social” an evening of wine and sake sampling with tasty bites. Come and wet your whistle with samples of exotic spirits and dive into Pho’s tasty $2 Dim Sum menu while chatting it up and swaying to exotic sounds. The Monday, May 12, 2008 event is free to the public from 5:30PM – 7:30PM

The Event is Free but an RSVP is Required. Click here to RSVP.

News | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

The other day I received a very light-hearted email from the people at Brasserie Jo, saying:

You know - we really dig this Blog. Very cool. We’re wondering if the Food Monkey has ever been to our restaurant, Brasserie Jo in the Back Bay.

Looked up all our checks and could not find out that said “Food Monkey”…but we’re celebrating our 10th Anniversary in Boston - and in honor of the fact that you bear a resemblance to a late night talk show host Craig Kilborn - we thought we’d offer you a sneak peek on the Top 10 Reasons to visit Brasserie Jo in May.

In the past I’ve gotten James McAvoy and Josh Charles, but never Craig Kilborn. So in honor of the original Daily Show, way back before Jon Stewart, as well as of the occasion of having a new celebrity doppelgänger, I give you the 10 special reasons to eat at Brasserie Jo this month:

1. Sundays: Brunch for $19.98 per person and a complimentary cupcake station.
2. Mondays: Chef station with complimentary crepes made to order
3. Tuesdays: a selection of 10 desserts for $1.00 each
4. Wednesdays: Complimentary cheese course
5. Thursdays: $1.00 bar menu and $10.00 entrees
6. Select wine list of 10 wines from 1998 to celebrate the year of our opening
7. Friday and Saturdays: special regional pairing menus with wine for $19.98 per person
8. Wear a beret anytime throughout the month and receive a free gift card
9. All martinis are 10 ounces and $10.00 throughout the month of May
10. Enter to win a 3 night stay in Paris – no purchase necessary

These actually seem like decent deals and I’ll have to check out the 1 dollar bar menu and 1 dollar desserts.

News, Thought, Restaurants | 2 Comments (Click to add your own comment!) »

Dear Readers.

The Food Monkey is undertaking secret special projects at the moment and will soon burst forth with mind-blowing content beyond your wildest dreams.

Be patient, keep checking in for events and articles, and prepare for The Food Monkey like you’ve never seen it before

Until then,

Mike

News | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

World of Grains, who make a good whole grain cookie (I like blueberry the best) are holding a spa getaway contest:

Take our survey and enter for a chance to win a trip to the award winning Wentworth by the Sea Marriott Hotel and Spa in New Castle, New Hampshire. Enjoy a tranquil waterfront getaway in this spectacular landmark hotel built in 1874, with postcard-perfect views of Little Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. Prize includes a 4 day, 3 night stay for two with 3 meals per day per person, plus two $250 gift certificates redeemable at the Spa at Wentworth.

You can enter by clicking here and using the code: WOGSTG302

They’re also giving out free samples at the Children’s Museum today from 11-4pm, if you want to give them a try.

News, Baked Goods, Food/Recipes | Click here to Comment! »

(thanks Carrie!)

In honor of Patriot’s Day, get a FREE 3oz serving of ice cream at many Cold Stone Creamery locations!

Near Boston, go to:

Brighton, Charlestown, Fenway, Theater District, Beacon Hill, Prudential Center, Comm Ave/Agganis Arena, Bellingham, Burlington Hingham, Hayannis, Leominster, Mansfield, Medford, Millbury, Newton Centre, Plymouth, Southborough, Westwood

News, Junkfood, Food/Recipes | 1 Comment (Click to add your own comment!) »

Here’s a video from Cooking Up a Story about the intricacies of food photography. Did you know that in addition to the photographer there are Food Stylists?

Techniques, Tools/Gadgets | Click here to Comment! »