Do You Wanna Build a Snow Cone Man?
Hello, my name is Hayley, and I am a cold weather snob. After living through 21 Chicago winters, I've felt some chills, shoveled some snow, and spent some nights with spoons under my pillow hoping for snow days. But this nor'easter/ bombogenesis/ BOMB CYCLONE is something else. The white out conditions were so extreme in Boston yesterday that I could barely see out my window. The wind is howling louder than Remus Lupin during a full moon, and there's thunder (feel the thunder), which is a strange twist on a winter storm. And so, as Boston has convinced me of its winter fortitude, its time to honor some of the grub up in the Hub:
Scoop 1: Breakfast - Render Coffee
If you're looking for a hearty way to start the day, a Render breakfast sandwich is the way to go. The Back Bay outpost has a build-your-own model, with a slew of bagel options, two types of frittatas, and a bunch of vegetables, meats, and cheeses. My go-to is a classic tomato, egg, and cheese on a plain bagel, which is pressed so flat it basically turns into a morning panini. Unlike at a lot of places, the eggs and bacon are made to order at Render, so you don't get stuck with something gross and rubbery. Plus, they send tons (we're talking weekly) of discount codes if you give them your email address. Delicious eats at a reasonable price? What a dream.
Scoop 2: Lunch/ Dinner - Hokkaido Santouka Ramen
My first week in Boston, I walked to the Harvard Book Store, got a copy of the book I thought would make me seem smart but wouldn't be horribly academic (Evicted), and ate a bowl of ramen at Hokkaido Santouka. It was, quite simply, the perfect evening alone. The broth was decadently rich and absent of the saltiness that dooms many bowls; the pork was so tender it fell apart in my spoon; and the noodles didn't clog anything up. Santouka has locations all over Asia, the US, and Canada, and you can do yourself a huge favor by paying them a visit.
Scoop 3: Dessert - Toscanini's
Boston, to my great delight, is an ice cream city. It's extraordin-dairy how many scoops there are to sample here, and I visited Toscanini's on the recommendation of one esteemed Boston suburbanite (h/t HF) the day I arrived. The Cambridge staple—frequently named the best ice cream in a city of champions—is a scooptacular powerhouse. The B3 (brown sugar, brown butter, brownies) might be the best flavor I have ever tasted. The ice cream is thick and almost elastic in the way really good mozzarella sticks are. You can taste how high quality the ingredients are in the ice cream, and the base flavor is delightfully subtle. There's not an ounce of artificiality in the scoop, and the fudgy, chocolate brownie provides the perfect wallop of sweetness and textural diversity.
Cherry on top: Three pieces of great journalism worth your time this week
Fifty Years Ago, Protesters Took on the Miss America Pageant and Electrified the Feminist Movement (Roxane Gay // Smithsonian)
How Donald Trump Came Between Mike Pence and Jeff Flake: How one relationship explains the fractured GOP (Tim Alberta // Politico)
Is the Pour-Over Over? Handcrafted coffee, an artisanal icon, is losing ground to automation (Julie Jargon // The Wall Street Journal)
Thanks for joining me this week. I hope your Fri-Yay is filled with joy. Stay warm and dry this weekend! ~sEe yA nExT TiMe~