52 Books - Owned!

I know, I know. You guys already know that I blew my 2010 goal out of the water but come on, don't I deserve a few moments of self fulfillment here? (Especially since I fell short on the other goals?)

55 Books

17, 769 Pages

Average Star: 3.78 stars

*Curtsies*

Books 52-55: Recap

I'm not even trying to pretend I'm remotely on time recapping my 2010 "Year of Reading" but... finally, here is the end of 2010!

Book 52 - Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch

Finishing out the year with some moderately fluffy Kindle reading. Katie Crouch's novel didn't break any literary barriers or blow my mind but it was a solidly good read. I identified with the characters and was interested in the plot, I wanted to find out what happen. And I did. And then I forgot. Sorry Katie, it was a nice book.

(288 pages; 3.25 stars)

Book 53 - Waking Up in the Land of Glitter: A Crafty Chica Novel by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Oye, this book. For those of you who aren't aware, I'm a bit of a crafty girl myself. I craft and sew and DYI and most importantly, I obsessively follow quite a few craft blogs - which is where I heard about this "crafty" novel. I admit it, I was intrigued. And, in the end, it wasn't a bad book exactly but I say again, Oye. The characters were less than one-dimensional, the plot was incredibly see-through... it just wasn't great. I almost stopped reading a quarter of the way through (and for the record, that's saying something - I've only stopped reading two or three books). It got better after that but still, not something I would ever recommend.

(335 pages; 2.75 stars)

Book 54 - Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga

I LOVED Aviga's first novel (White Tiger) and so, was excited that there was a new one. Between the Assassinations is very much in the style of the first novel, which I dug, and it's clearly another book in the same vein. I liked the book, but I have to admit, not as much as the first one. I got confused by what was happening and when (it skips around a bit) but that's probably on me and not the book.

(339 pages; 3.50 stars)

Book 55 - Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine

What better way to end the year than with an easily-read, graphic novel? Oh, maybe reading one that isn't supremely depressing and makes you question all human relationships. Happy New Year. Okay, okay, I'm over-reacting, it wasn't that bad, but the characters in Tomine's novel are pretty unlikeable and the plot is dismal. Tomine's work in the book (you know, art... writing... etc.) are great though and I'm hoping that his next book is a bit more encouraging.

(104 pages; 3.50 stars)

Boston Burger Battle - Results!

I know, the burger battle was ages ago! Okay, not ages, but... weeks at least.

Turns out that while KO Prime excels at putting on top notch events centered around burgers and donating to a good cause. What they do NOT excel at is posting the results for said burger-centered event.

I have been googling and I've been finding a bunch of local food blogs who have weighed in but figured KO had to be updating themselves right? If they are, I haven't found it and I google for a living. The facebook page is silent, the official website equally so.

Fine, I give. I can't wait any longer KO Prime - I need to update my readers!

Without further ado, the winners:

1. Bristol Lounge (agreed!)
2. Sel de la Terre
3. Island Creek Oyster Bar

I will say that all of these burgers were delicious but I just had different opinions here. I do have to wonder... how do they pick these winners? What if people don't try all the burgers? Etc.

I'm not trying to say the voting is flawed... but...

Many questions.

Boston Burger Battle - I Need a Nap

Oh dear readers... are you ready for a new era of Quitsville here? I haven't written about food much in the past, which strikes me as pretty odd given the amount of time I spend thinking about, reading about, and making food (not to mention eating!). Well, those days are over.

I love food. I love cooking and canning and drying and smoking and grilling and eating, definitely eating. I spend a lot of time and energy on trying new foods, new restaurants, and new techniques - so it only seems fitting that I spend some of my precious blog time on one of my past times.

This evening I attended KO Prime's 2nd annual Boston Burger Battle - an epic competition of Boston area chefs to create the best burger in the city (as vote upon by yours truly... and you know, hundreds of other eager carnivores). I knew this was going to be a big night, don't get me wrong, but I'm not entirely sure I knew exactly what I was getting into.

The Burger Battle is a fundraiser for Autism Speaks, an organization founded around raising autism awareness, and is a veritable mecca for burger lovers. 13 local chefs (correction - 12 chefs - Craigie on Main sadly dropped out at the last moment) compete with sliders or quartered burgers for the title and its pretty amazing.

Nate and I kept our excitement in check throughout the day - not knowing entirely what to expect - but when we arrived it was time for full on glee. We checked in, got our wristbands and proceeded to the 2nd and 3rd floors where burgers were spread before us like a heavenly banquet! I grabbed a glass of wine but a word to the wise - you don't need it, it only hampers the shoveling that can be accomplished with two hands.

In the end, I did manage to get at least a bite of every burger on offer: the onion-ring topped delight from The Bristol Lounge, the fried oyster topped burger from Island Creek Oyster Bar, the veal burger with cinnamon sugar pork rinds from Trina's Starlite Lounge, the biscuit burger with cheese sauce from Garden at the Cellar... all of them. And oh heaven were they amazing. Each one was like its own little experience with different flavors, different buns and sauces, different toppings. Amazing.

In the end, my favorites were the burgers brought to you by KO Prime (yes, the host but OMG that meat, it was like eating an amazing little steak on a bun), Bambara (a classy take on an In-and-Out style burger), and Blue Ginger (burger purists will disagree but Ming Tsai's sloppy joe had just the right combination of flavors and textures). Honorable mention for The Gallows for their homemade pickles!

As I'm writing this post the Burger Battle hasn't even wrapped up so we'll have to wait and see who the winners are! For those of you who are interested, watch out for next year's Burger Battle!