Om Restaurant & Lounge: A Dieter's Friend

By: Finance Foodie

So as many of you know, I am currently on my “Countdown to Fashion Week” detox and revitalize diet plan because:

a) I will probably be drinking most of my calories that weekend
b) I need the stamina to stand around all day in my fabulously gorgeous but terribly painful stilettos
c) I do not want to be called out for my rotund hips this year

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt

Congratulations #63 #40 and #44- purango, sharonjo, and Storm!

Please email financefoodie [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address so I can send your prize! You have three (3) days to claim your prize before it goes to an alternate winner

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…Continued from Part 1 (see previous post)

I received a follow up email from the folks at MyBlogSpark shortly after posting my review on the Yoplait Whips and the Wanchai Ferry frozen meals. Apparently, they were disappointed to hear that the Whips were not to my liking for breakfast, so they remediated this situation by sending me a 4-pack of Yoplait’s new (breakfast appropriate) Fiber One yogurts. Once again, I pushed aside my attempt at learning to cook and agreed (not unhappily) to be the guinea pig for this project.

Wanchai Ferry Frozen Meals / Yoplait Yogurt Whips

Congratulations #8 and #63 - Tricia and K.Rock!

Please email financefoodie [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address and prize choice (Yoplait or Wanchai giftpack) so I can send your prize!*

*In case of the same request from both winners, the one who emails me first with their contact info will claim that prize, the other winner will receive the alternative prize pack. You have three days (72 hours) to contact me before you forfeit your prize to an alternate winner. 

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As many of you know, I love testing new foods and am a huge sucker for cool food products at the grocery store. So I was pretty pumped when the folks at MyBlogSpark offered to sponsor my breakfast and lunch for the day with a few new products that were being introduced to the market. Although this was a detour in my (somewhat futile attempt at) learning to cook, I was excited to see what was in store for me!

For breakfast, I was sent a gift pack with two cups of Yoplait Whips (Yoplait’s new line of fluffy whipped yogurt), a travel cooler, Popsicle molds (?), and a set of 12 color-changing spoons. I was a bit confused on why I received the Popsicle molds but then realized I could freeze the Yoplait Whips in the molds to make a yogurt crème pop! Although I thought the Whips were way too sweet for breakfast, I could see myself enjoying these cups (or pops) as a yummy and healthy snack on a hot summer day.

Cake Batter Battle: Cupcake Cagematch New York

By: Grace Yang 

Hey there, Finance Foodie readers! I just finished a REALLY comprehensive cupcake tour and wanted to tell you guys all about it! I held it on August 1st, in my apartment with my brother, David. How do you do a comprehensive cupcake review, do you wonder? Well, you call all of the bakeries in NYC that sell cupcakes (I counted 25), ask them to donate cupcakes, and have your friends pick them up to review them! We had 25 bakeries (out of the 25 bakeries, only 3 didn't donate!) and I also made Sprinkles Cupcakes (the bakery that is only on the west coast at the moment). Each bakery donated a vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and wildcard cupcake. We did a blind tasting of the cupcakes so the tasting would be fair, and everyone had a really good time figuring out where the best cupcakes in NYC came from. You might be surprised with some of the results!

Culinary Charity: The Taste of Park Plaza Boston

By: Finance Foodie

Last Tuesday, I attended the Taste of Park Plaza at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. This event was held to support the Great Boston Food Bank, one of my favorite non profits in Boston (because food = good, charity=good, charity that helps end hunger=awesome) and of course, for Boston foodies to sample some delicious treats from local restaurants.

Tony Fantastico Does Up Ancora Ristorante New York

By: Ethan Shen

Tony Fantastico greeted us as we walked into Ancora, and yes, that’s his real name. He’s not the host, not a waiter or staff, but instead one of the owners of the restaurant. Every night either he or Elio Albanese is here making customers feel welcome and attended to. The effect isn’t immediately apparently, but as the meal unfolded we’d soon discover that, like the owners, Ancora adheres to more than just passion for great food, but a zealous attentiveness to the ageless and unhurried ritual of eating well.

It started with the table; dining with a lady, we found a name plate inscribed “Princess” placed next to her table setting. Unsurprisingly, this touch was a crowd pleaser, and apparently Ancora regulars even have their own personal nameplates. That same spirit of inclusiveness and winking sense of humor would be the continuous thread of the evening.