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FoMu NOW Offers Ice Cream Cake!!

I know a lot of happy people right about now! FoMu just announced their new line of ice cream cakes. If you don't know what/who FoMu is, I will tell you. They are a super-duper delicious alternative ice cream cafe!!! Raise your hands for some dairy free love!!!

What is the [FoMu] ice cream base?
Our signature hard ice cream is made with a coconut base. Our nut-based flavors are made with an almond and cashew blend. Our soft ice cream flavors are made with a soy base.

Why Coconut?
Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a "functional food" because of its health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut cream is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary fat and is extensively used in traditional medicine. Coconut has antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.Its allergenic properties are lower than that of many other dairy substitutes. Coconuts are technically considered a tree-nut. They usually, however, do not affect those with traditional tree nut allergies.

Is [FoMu] ice cream organic?
We use organic ingredients wherever possible, but not all ingredients are certified organic.

Are all [FoMu] products dairy free?
All of our products, toppings, and condiments are non-dairy.

Is [FoMu] ice cream Gluten Free?
Many of our ice creams and toppings are gluten free. We also carry gluten free cones, Bonnieville Cookies and Taza Chocolates

Does [FoMu] ice cream contain refined sugars?
Our signature hard ice cream contains no refined sugars- It is sweetened with unrefined organic cane sugar and agave.

What is agave?
A naturally low glycemic, unrefined sweet nectar found in the Agave cactus plant.

Where is [FoMu] ice cream made?
Our kitchen is located in Watertown, MA

Where can I find ingredient and allergy information?
Ingredient and allergy information available upon request in store, or email FoMuicecream@gmail.com

COMING SOON: NEW LOCATION
617 CENTRE STREET
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA 
02130

MORE ON FOMU:
"Life is full of disappointments. Anybody who knows me well enough, knows that I have evolved beyond the need for dairy. As in it poisons me with all the cunning of a beautiful assassin."
  http://www.massbytes.com/2012/07/massbytes-dex-mf-ters-trip-to-fomu.html

MassBytes Food Quickie with Herbz

MassBytes Food Quickie with Joe and Dave from BJP

MassBytes Food Quickie with Tony Gemba from BJP

MassBytes Food Quickie with Trevor from Flatout Jones

Lady Date at Bella Luna in Jamaica Plain (by Jackie Soriano)

As an active member of the LGBT community, I often find myself exploring all kinds of LGBT friendly locations.

Knowing this, and also knowing my love for food, the lovely Miss Sarah Sparks decided to travel directly to my heart through my stomach. Smart move.

She asked me if I'd be interested in joining her for dinner at one of her favorite local restaurants, Bella Luna in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

For anyone who might not know, Jamaica Plain (also known as JP) is well known for being a very openly gay and gay friendly community. The location alone would have been enough to spark my queer interest, but the promise of food completely sealed the deal. Knowing Sarah and her love for food, I was prepared to be impressed.

Bella Luna is located in Jamaica Plain at 284 Amory St. It is located in the same complex as the Sam Adams Brewery, which adds a nice touch of true Boston spirit to the experience as a whole. Attached to the restaurant is one of Jamaica Plain's most hip venues, the Milky Way Lounge.

Bella Luna has a beautiful outdoor patio with seating available for customers who enjoy dining outside. Upon walking in, we were greeted by a smiling hostess and glowing plasma globe. The glowing plasma globe was definitely a highlight in the experience... I touched it both on the way in AND on the way out, and during dinner, I saw several others touch the glowy ball of goodness. I think I need one.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant is laid back and classy. Bella Luna has a very modern, friendly feel inside, along with a very welcoming wait staff. The star shaped light fixtures hanging from the ceiling lit the room perfectly, creating a warm and relaxed environment that is perfect for winding down after work with dinner and drinks.

Sarah and I, being the strange women we are, both have specific diets to adhere to, myself being type two diabetic and her currently practicing a vegan lifestyle.

Luckily for us, Bella Luna was able to accommodate both of our needs with the contents of their menu!

To start off our food date we order some appetizers. It was difficult to choose, but we finally decided on the Strawberry Fields Salad and Bruschetta.

This was my first time ordering a salad with fruit in it, and to be honest I was skeptical about the idea at first. With the first bite I was quickly relieved of my worries. The Strawberry Fields Salad consisted of arugula lettuce, sliced strawberries, and a balsamic vinaigrette topped with Manchego cheese. The contrast of the tangy vinaigrette and sweet strawberries made for a truly original salad experience, and the Manchego cheese added the perfect amount of sharpness to the taste.

Our second appetizer was the Springtime Bruschetta. Myself being of Italian decent, I have always loved bruschetta, and I really enjoyed the twist that Bella Luna added to make it theirs. Their rendition of Springtime Bruschetta was composed of grilled asparagus, goat cheese spread over a toasted crostini slice, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. The substitution of grilled asparagus was a decadent and refreshing addition to an Italian tradition.

Sarah's main course was the Farmer's Market Vegan Pizza, which looked SO delicious that I just HAD to try a piece. The pizza was covered in soy cheese and fresh garden veggies (onions, peppers, garlic & tomatoes with light seasoning). This was my first experience with soy cheese, and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I'm not 100% sure I LIKED it, but I am glad to have tasted it. All in all, the pizza was delicious.

As a diabetic, it is important for me to maintain a relatively healthy and balanced diet consisting of mainly protein and carbohydrates. Chicken is my favorite source of protein so I decided to try Bella Luna's Chicken Saltimbocca. Their version of the dish was a slice of prosciutto on top of a juicy chicken breast sauteed with sage and Marsala, topped with melted Fontina over buttered farfalle and served with a side of sauteed spinach. The prosciutto was a little intense for my liking, but I am weird about certain meats and don't generally consume pork products (besides bacon, but bacon is like candy). The spinach could have used a little more flavor to liven it up a bit. The meal as a whole was scrumptious! The chicken was tender and juicy, and the seasonings really gave it a chance to stand out in contrast to the pasta and spinach. The buttered pasta was a perfect side to accompany the chicken, and it was also nice to have some greens in the meal to aid in digestion.

This entire meal was already amazing, and the dessert menu was nothing short of the icing on our fat-kid-lady-date cake!

One of my FAVORITE things in the whole world is strawberry shortcake. Sarah and I had originally planned to seek out Boston's best strawberry shortcake for our MassBytes adventure, but came up unsuccessful in our search. After deciding on desert at the last moment, we knew it was meant to be when the first item on the dessert menu was STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!

Bella Luna's strawberry shortcake was TO DIE FOR! The biscuit arrived STILL WARM with juicy sliced strawberries and a heap of their decadent home made whipped cream on top. I was in strawberry shortcake HEAVEN.

I loved every minute of our adventure to Jamaica Plain, and I will most definitely recommend Bella Luna to everyone looking to try a really fun and comfortable local restaurant, ESPECIALLY my LGBT brothers and sisters! Much love and thanks to everyone at Bella Luna Restaurant and the Milky Way Lounge for your hospitality and providing a safe & welcoming atmosphere, I had a great time!

(Submitted by Jackie Soriano, Three Strange Women, Unregular Radio, Mondays 3pm - 4pm.)

For More Information about Three Strange Women: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-Strange-Women/119049134849481
For More Information about Bella Luna: http://www.milkywayjp.com/ 

Food Thoughts with Squallie from The Old Edison

MMMM TASTY

During a fire alarm at the Midway Cafe, Squallie and friends were stopped to give their Food Thoughts. He was sad to miss out on Tasty Burger. Check this out: http://www.massbytes.com/p/massbytes-tv.html

Listen to some of The Old Edison: http://theoldedison.bandcamp.com/ 
While you look at Tasty Burger's Menu (droolz): http://www.tastyburger.com/

Food Thoughts: Camille & HookerClops

We talked Fried Chicken

During a fire alarm at the Midway Cafe, Camille (MassBytes' Blogger) and HookerClops (A Rock 'n' Rollin' Band) were stopped to give their Food Thoughts. Read Camille's post, it's her birthday soon. Balls!

http://www.massbytes.com/2012/05/chicken-meatball-soup-and-brush-with.html

Midway Cafe: http://www.midwaycafe.com/
HookerClops: http://hookerclops.com/

Why does HookerClops love The Cretins so much?

Assembled 1995 to combat the spread of lame music, The Cretins were very much a part of the pop punk revolution that infected the 1990′s. The Boston-based band developed their own sound early on but always managed to stay true to some of the best parts of the genre exemplified by bands like Green Day, The Descendants and Screeching Weasel. During that time Murf, AJ and the boys grew their fan base by opening for bands such as The Queers, MTX and the Groovie Ghoulies. Murf even filled in as the second guitarist for The Queers for a spell.

In the fall of ’96, the band released their first CD, “I Feel Better Already,” on the now defunct Melted Records and followed it up with several U.S. tours. Their sophomore CD, “We’re Gonna Get So Laid,” also on Melted, was released in the spring of ’98. Several more U.S. tours would follow but the band would call it quits sometime in the year 2000.

Now, after almost a ten year hiatus, the boys are back with a new CD on Insubordination Records entitled “More Stoopider.” One listen and you’ll understand that a little growing up can be a good thing. The Cretins

Metal Murf – Vocals and Guitar
AJ Cretin – Drums and Vocals
Mr. Altman – Guitar and Vocals
Gardner Crimewave – Bass

http://www.thecretinsboston.com/

Twenty-Four Hours in Jamaica Plain

24 HOURS

I would write out more, but I am tired. Click the food link you feel so connected with. Happy Valentine's Day, you sorry pieces of love. :D

Valentine's Day Cookies: Who's your friend? Click.

Sandwich Time: Roast Beef was my friends choice. I usually get the Turkey.

Cool.

Soup of the Day: Potato Bacon Chowder

Avocado & Crab

Steak Mendoza

Packed Friday Nights

Dessert from the Corner Store

One word: Chorizo