Stop & Shop Invites Boston Bloggers to Enjoy a Little Sibling Rivalry

I’m a bit behind on this one, but it was a nice enough event that I still want to share it.

A few weeks’ ago, Stop & Shop invited 15 or so bloggers to a lunch at downtown Boston’s Sibling Rivalry restaurant. The premise of the restaurant is pretty cool. Chefs David and Bob Kinkead (two brothers from a family of 10 children) each prepare a menu based on the same ingredients, but with their own style. Diners can choose to order from either brothers menu as they compete in a culinary version of “sibling rivalry.” The restaurant itself is cozy and intimate with warm colors and enough room for small groups and couples to dine side by side. It also has an open kitchen area, so guests can peek in as their food is being prepared.

Prior to the meal, we were greeted by Chef David Kinkead, who talked to us about making meals that can then serve as versatile leftover fare. His examples, flank steak and roasted chicken, were two of our main course choices so it was fun to learn more about the preparation of the dishes. He

also took some time to answer questions about cutlery, food prep and food storage.

Lunch was fabulous. Prior to sitting down, there was a gorgeous cheese tray with a variety of crackers/breads, cheeses, fruit and nuts. Mmm. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I arrived a bit late and didn’t get to fully enjoy all of the cheeses. I didn’t write down the exact name of the dishes for lunch, but we started with a simple salad of mixed greens with cucumbers, a soft cheese, and I think some peppers. The main course was a choice of the roasted chicken, flank steak and a vegetarian dish. I went with the flank steak and it was sheer heaven. Chef Kinkead had topped with a

salad with fresh croutons and the whole thing was drizzled with an olive oil and red wine vinegar salad dressing/marinade. And then came dessert. We had adorable chocolate and fruit/custard tartlets. Mmmm.

Once the desserts came out, we heard from a few members of the Stop & Shop team, including Andrea Astrachan, VP of Consumer Affairs. Andrea is always one of my favorite parts of the Stop & Shop events. In addition to having an upbeat personality, she shares great tips and some interesting info about shopping trends. This time, Andrea shared that they had heard from moms that the fruit at Stop & Shop is too big. I personally like the larger fruit, since I cut it in half and share it between my kids, but I guess

big apples tend to get wasted in lunch bags/boxes. Anyway, Stop & Shop responded by adding some smaller apples and cucumbers to their offering.

We learned a bit about Stop & Shop’s charitable initiatives. Now, since I wasn’t taking notes (ugh), I can’t recap them all that well, so I’ll refer you to The Coupon Goddess who wrote a fabulous post on the lunch and who takes better pictures than I do. I am hoping that Boston Parent Bloggers can team up with Stop & Shop for a food drive at some point. I’d really like to have a charitable component to the group.

Anyway, the day was lovely and the kids came along, so that was an adventure as well. LadyBug was kind of grouchy, not having had enough sleep, and refused to eat her lunch. When I went to check on her, she fell off her chair and sobbed in my arms for the next few minutes. Good times…