Blood Red Whoopie Pie; Ming Tsai's Mushroom Coffee

WELLESLEY - The best part of waking up is... fungi? Chef and Iron Chef contestant Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger knows that you just love mushroom coffee, which is why Tsai's online store is selling locally roasted Rao's Coffee infused with maitake mushrooms. "The result is a richness and depth of flavor that is unique, delicious and good for you," claims the site. Could a 'shroomy cuppa joe each morning be Tsai's secret? [Official Site]

NORTH END - Boston Restaurant Talk festoons its review of Bova's Bakery with an image of a whoopie pie so alarmingly red that it seems to have rolled off the set of Dexter. BRT concludes that "service at Bova's was friendly and quick, and prices were pretty reasonable" but concedes that the whoopie pie was a li'l dry. Still, props are doled out for this being one of Boston's few 24hr food stops. [Boston Restaurant Talk]

SOUTH END - Boston Magazine's blog Chowder discusses how to eat cheaply at the upscale sushi restaurant Oishii, which is better known for rolls like the Toro Truffle Maki than for its bargains. The secret? "Try the $20 "Kaiseki" lunch menu, which includes: grilled miso black cod, seaweed salad, agidashi tofu, soba noodles, spicy tuna tempura maki, shrimp and asparagus tempura, and steamed broccolini with sesame dressing." [Chowder]