Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking? Me too!

1. What is the name of your blog? Just Add Cheese

2. Could you describe your blog in one sentence? It’s a lighthearted look inside our food-obsessed lives.

3. How did you get into food blogging? By the time we finished our five-year stint at Northeastern we had enjoyed more than a few of Boston’s best restaurants, with the help of our well-deserved co-op cash of course. We knew we wanted to start a blog together after graduation and our shared love of food became the natural subject. Thus, Just Add Cheese was born.

4. What’s the toughest part of writing about food? Jacki: Sometimes I have to remember I can’t just say ”holy shit, I love it!” for every third dish I post on the blog. After a while it can be hard coming up with different adjectives to describe the sensation one gets from eating something truly amazing. Meesh: It’s also difficult being critical sometimes. Cooking is a craft and I’m no Devra First or Jody Adams, so I feel almost under qualified to give negative feedback. That’s why we tend to focus on positive experiences. We like to find what’s good and spread the word rather than focus on the flaws.

Oleana's Baked Alaska

5. What’s been your favorite food moment? Jacki: David Burke invited us to dine at Fishtail the other day. That was pretty awesome. Meesh: Eating at Volt in Frederick, Maryland was one of my all-time favorite dining experiences. As far as Boston goes, one of my favorite food memories is dining at Oleana on the outdoor patio with friends. Jacki: Agreed, that was a great night. MmmMmm Baked Alaska.

6. Do you have a top restaurant? If so, what’s the name and is there an item you generally order? Meesh: Eastern Standard’s cheese plate. Actually, I love everything at Eastern Standard. Oh, and Symphony Sushi and I just had our 7 year anniversary. Jacki: Oh man this is tough. Toro and Coppa are definitely at the top of the list. My breakfast hero will always be Friendly Toast (but NEVER on a Sunday) and the one food item I can’t live without is Mike & Patty’s Bacon & Egg Fancy. Every other breakfast sandwich wants to be it, but no one can compare.

Eastern Standard's Cheese Plate

7. What’s one U.S. city you’d travel to just for the food? Austin! We went once for Austin City Limits and spent most of our time there at the music festival. We didn’t really get a chance to try all the great food trucks and authentic Mexican we hoped to, and have been dying to go back ever since. We still can’t comprehend the idea of meat in a cone, but Mighty Cone really is the best thing ever.

8. Is there a food you absolutely despise? Meesh: Chicken! I mean I’ll eat chicken, and there is good chicken. I had some today. But for the most part, it’s just dry and flavorless. The fact that you can’t eat it raw is kind of sketchy, no? Jacki: I’m personally not a big fan of oysters. I’ve been trying to acquire a taste for like 3 years now, and I know everyone else loves them but it just doesn’t work for me. Cold, slimy, salty, BLAH. Unless it’s fried, I can work with that.

Food Porn Friday Burger

9. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten? Jacki: When living in Thailand I ate a whole assortment of insects; they were usually cooked and seasoned and sold on the street, and most commonly consumed when I was drunkenly persuaded to do so. Meesh: Eating Pig Trotters at Craigie on Main was a crazy experience. I was literally peeling the skin off the pig’s knuckles, but it tasted absolutely delicious.

10. Are you more likely to stick with what you know, or do you try something new each time? A little bit of both; if a restaurant is known for a specific dish or something totally unfamiliar we’ll usually go for that but at the same time we can’t resist our favorites. If we see French onion soup or Bolognese on the menu, there’s no way we’re not ordering it. That’s why we like to go out in groups so we can try everything.

* We also like food porn. We post in on Fridays.
**All images provided by Just Add Cheese.

Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking? Me too!

1. What is the name of your blog? The Passionate Foodie

2. Could you describe your blog in one sentence? I share my passion for food, wine, sake and spirits, an eclectic mix of posts from Rants to Restaurant Reviews.

3. How did you get into food blogging? About 7 years ago, I started hanging out weekly with a new group of friends, getting together to play cards and other games. I brought wine with me to these gatherings and eventually others started bringing wine to, until everyone would bring a bottle. We decided to create a blog for our wine reviews and I decided to add restaurant reviews to the blog as well. After a year or so, the rest of my friends were tired of the work of blogging, but I continued to love it. Thus, we closed down our joint blog and I started The Passionate Foodie on my own, about 4 1/2 years ago. From the beginning, it has always covered both food and wine.

4. What’s the toughest part of writing about food? Trying to write a post that is original and interesting, something different from what every other food blogger is writing. With thousands of food blogs out there, trying to make yourself stand out and be distinctive can be very difficult. I don’t want to seem like all the other food blogs out there.

5. Which is more difficult, writing about food or drinks? In general, I would say drinks because there is often much more research involved in writing wine and alcohol posts. But, I have written plenty of food posts that required plentiful research as well.

6. What’s been your favorite food moment? A couple years ago I had a birthday dinner hosted by The Dining Alternative, a private chef service which also holds chef table dinners at their home. I had a hand in selecting the menu as well as getting to choose the 11 other guests who dined with me. The dinner ended up as about a 10 course meal, with wine pairings, which was sublime, one of the best meals I have ever experienced. A perfect combination of friends, food and wine. Chef Peter Ungar is one of the top Boston area chefs, yet still remains very much under the radar.

Rotisserie Duck from Momfuku Ssam Bar (NYC)

7. Do you have a top restaurant? If so, what’s the name and is there an item you generally order? For 2011, my top favorite restaurant was Bergamot in Somerville. Great food, killer wine and cocktails, and very professional service. As the menu changes often, there is no regular item I order all the time. Their Pork Belly Ravioli though were superb.

8. What’s one U.S. city you’d travel to just for the food? There are plenty that I would do that, such as New York City, Portland (OR), San Francisco, and Seattle.

9. Is there a food you absolutely despise? In general, I really dislike bitter green vegetables, like broccoli and brussel sprouts.

10. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten? I am fairly adventurous when it comes to meat, so have eaten animals including zebra, lion, and llama. I have also eaten offal, from pig’s brains to chicken hearts.

11. Are you more likely to stick with what you know, or do you try something new each time? I usually try something new most every time, even if part of my order is a regular choice for me. But, it will depend on the restaurant too, as certain places are best for a specific item and there is little reason to not order it each time I go there.

12. What is your all-time favorite wine? This is a very tough question as I love all types of wines, from sparkling to still, reds to whites, dry to dessert wines. I really don’t have an all-time favorite, and my wine choice will vary as to the circumstances. I do love though trying more unusual and unique wines, from strange grapes or lesser known wine regions. With so many thousands of different wines available, I prefer to experience as much as I can and not be restricted to any specific wine. Great wine is made all over the world so I encourage everyone to experiment and taste all that they can.

13. What’s a great example of a Boston restaurant who really knows their wine? One of the top Boston restaurants for wine is Troquet. The owner Chris Campbell really knows his wines, and offers an excellent selection at reasonable prices. Their menu also offers suggested wine pairings for their specific dishes, and I cannot fail to mention that their food is also quite delicious.

*Images provided by The Passiotnate Foodie

Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking? Me too!

1. What is the name of your blog? Fearless Homemaker

2. Could you describe your blog in one sentence? My blog chronicles my journey navigating the world of homemaking – mostly cooking and baking, with a little entertaining, crafting, and cocktailing thrown in for fun.

3. How did you get into food blogging? I’ve cooked and baked quite a bit for the past 5 years or so, and would post lots of pictures on facebook of my creations. I got so many requests for details and recipes that it finally made more sense to start a food blog to put all the pictures and recipes in one place!

4. What’s the toughest part of writing about food? Trying to convey as much as possible about every aspect of a dish, so much so that my readers feel like they can taste the food just by reading about it. I think that a picture isn’t enough to win over a reader’s appetite — you need details about the taste, texture, and aroma to really convey a dish.

5. What has been your favorite food moment? One of my most vivid food moments is when I first ate meat (bacon, to be precise), after being a vegetarian for 7 years. You think bacon tastes good on an average day? Imagine how amazing it tastes after years + years without it!

6. Do you have a top restaurant? If so, what’s the name and is there an item you generally order? My favorite local restaurant is Marche in East Nashville, a European-style cafe specializing in dishes with local, seasonal, fresh ingredients. The brunch menu changes every week and the dinner menu changes every month, so there is always something new and wonderful to try. They frequently pair with our local wine shop for special prix fixe three-course wine dinners, which are amazing! And on a nice day, we can walk there from home (major plus!)

7. What’s one U.S. city you’d travel to just for the food? It’s a tie between New Orleans and the Napa Valley region. Napa Valley cuisine I love because of the accent on fresh and local ingredients, while New Orleans simply has some of the best restaurants I’ve ever experienced and such a wide variety of food and flavors.

8. Is there a food you absolutely despise? Honestly, not really. I think I’ve yet to try a food that I simply hate. In fact, a lot of foods that people dislike — brussels sprouts, sauerkraut and incredibly spicy chile peppers, to name a few — I love!

9. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten? When I was traveling in Spain, I ordered fish at a restaurant + it came out on a plate, curled in a circle, its teeth biting its own tail. That was a bit odd (yet tasty)! Also, growing up, I loved beef tongue – not exactly what the average kid requests for dinner, but I always dug it!

10. Are you more likely to stick with what you know, or do you try something new each time? Many of the restaurants I frequent have menus that change weekly, or even daily, depending on what’s in season locally. I love that, because it means I constantly get to sample new things! For restaurants with fixed menus, there are a rare few where I get the same thing every time, although I’m much more likely to try something new.

*Images provided by Fearless Homemaker

Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking? Me too!

1. What is the name of your blog? The Small Boston Kitchen & The Skinny Beet

2. Could you describe your blog in one sentence? The Small Boston Kitchen is my outlet for creating, writing and photographing my recipes created in my small city kitchen. The Skinny Beet is my blog for my personal chef/catering business.

3. How did you get into food blogging? In December of 2009, I was working in a corporate job and not happy about it. I just had this feeling that I belonged in the kitchen and I knew I wanted to make a career out of my love for food, but I wanted to learn more first. My blog gave me an outlet to learn more and get creative with food, on my own terms. It also got me connected with others which got me even thinking further about what the right fit for me would be. In January 2010, I started culinary school and haven’t looked back.

4. What’s the toughest part of writing about food? Agonizing over the editing! I’ll write something and then erase it because I’ll think I’ve come up with a better way of describing things. This has been known to happen hours after a post is already published, sometimes even days later.

5. What’s been your favorite food moment? I met and fell in love with my boyfriend/business partner over a series of weekly burger lunch dates and because of it, the humble burger holds a special place in my heart. I like to think that this is proof that food really can bring people together.

6. Do you have a top restaurant? If so, what’s the name and is there an item you generally order? I’ve lately been obsessed with Garlic ‘n Lemons in Allston. The flavors are all so bright and fresh and they have such a great variety of items that I love. When I’m there, I usually gravitate towards the spicy chicken or a vegetarian platter. No matter what I get, I always have their Baba Ganoush. It’s addictingly rich and smoky.

7. What’s one U.S. city you’d travel to just for the food? I’d really love to try out some hot southern BBQ cities – Memphis being at the top of my list.

8. Is there a food you absolutely despise? I’m a New Englander and do not like seafood. And yes, all seafood. I’ve tried it time and again, different varieties and I just can’t get into it. I also hate mayonnaise. There’s just something about it that is so off-putting to me.

9. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten? This past summer I had camel, kangaroo and beef heart tartare. The camel wasn’t my favorite, it was sort of tough and gristly. I liked the kangaroo, it was lean and had sort of a beef-like taste, but with a subtle sweetness to it. Beef heart was delicious and not unlike regular beef tartar, just a little softer and more refined.

10. Are you more likely to stick with what you know, or do you try something new each time? I love trying new things but I still have my favorite standbys too. I’m also a huge fan of splitting things when I go out to eat, especially when I’m at a new restaurant. That way I get to try a couple things from one place.