Making ME- Into a Food Critic, Vox Populi style

I am happy to report that I have successfully completed my first restaurant review! On a wimb I answered a blog about becoming a guest blogger and within minutes I had a response, I was so overwhelmed and excited that I didn't know what to do. I will be featured as a guest blogger on traveleatlove.com, so stayed tuned. Below is my very long adventure into the restaurant review world and here's to putting my future Gastronomy degree to work.


What I learned:

1.) Put yourself out there, having the courage to be accepted/rejected is half the battle .

2.) Answer an ad that you would like to do and see where it takes you

3.) Continue networking and making connections with people you NEED to know

Featured NOW on traveleatlove.com

There is nothing more refreshing than family, food and fun and with the upcoming Fourth of July weekend I was going to get my fill of all three. My sister planned to be in town with her new beau and I could hardly wait to see the new couple. My mind was already racing where my boyfriend and I would take the new couple and politely grill him about his interest in my big sister, however with only one meeting under my belt I had to rely on my sisters two loves, Martini’s and her little sister. With one love already in the bag, it was off to a Martini bar that could hold its vodka and cointreau. My boyfriend and I finally decided on VOX Populi, a Martini bar known for its smooth Brazilian Blue, Hot and Dirty, and sophisticated bistro like setting. As I entered the restaurant it was apparent that already VOX was holding up to its reputation, with slightly lit candles and a warm welcome from the hostess I could hardly wait to dive into the menu. Our waiter, a twenty something guy quickly greeted my party and before he had a chance to pour our water he was screaming….GOAL!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO, I knew immediately how to diagnose him, he had come down with the 2 month fever called World Cup. I have seen a few of my dearest friends overcome by it some taking a few days of rest at home while they watch their favorite team, I mean try and recover. Needless to say our waiter patiently waited on us while keeping a watchful eye on the Paraguay vs. Spain game, clearly he was a going for Spain and being the sport that I am I played along yelling and screaming at every potential goal.

Between screams from the bar and from our table I politely asked what the popular martini was and our waiter quickly rattled off a few until one peaked my interest. I decided on the Brazilian Blue and for my entrée the Vox Chicken, a pan roasted marinated startler chicken breast with herb risotto and parmesan spinach and pan jus, and my boyfriend decided on the southwest chicken sandwich on a hearty role with corn relish and red pepper mayo. At first sip my martini was blissful, it was cold had a crisp bite and you could taste the vodka and even the cointreau. It was in essence exactly what a martini should be and VOX had won me over with the perfect drink.


As we waited for our food to arrive to my surprise 3 more people became stricken with World Cup fever, and slowly but surely it spread through the restaurant many even taking to the bar to sit closer to the tv hanging from the wall, hoping to get a closer glimpse of the game. As the “fever” spread through the restaurant I couldn’t help looking around and people watching (a favorite pass time of mine) and enjoying the ambiance there was something really home like about this World Cup thing (or Fifa as I began to call it), it was bringing so many people across the country including Boston together in the most extraordinary of ways and there seemed to be a sense of pride in rooting for your country.

While I was starting to finally embrace the World cup frenzy our food was a welcomed distraction to the game and the tasting began. I eagerly dove into my startler chicken breast and risotto and nearly fell over, I asked my sister to try a bite and with one glance we said the same thing “NELL”, the risotto was reminiscent of something that was cooked in our southern home by our grandmother who we affectionately refer to as Nell and closely resembled her macaroni and cheese combination. The risotto was perfectly cooked and had exactly the right blend of cheeses to keep me wanting more. The chicken was cooked to absolute perfection and while it was incredibly moist was adorned with a crispy crunch of skin, again a favorite with my southern taste buds and the spinach and pan jus was simply icing already on the perfectly adorned cake. My taste buds were in heaven! I can say with cooking like this VOX has a new loyal guest. I’m certain my next visit will be with a group of girlfriends AFTER the World Cup.