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Blogston Proper is your thrice-weekly roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.
•They say the food will treat you fine on Broadwaaay... [Somerville Blog]
•Apparently, Acton is chock-full of dim sum. Who knew? [dim sum times]
•Craigie Street Bistrot doesn't believe the locavorism haters. [Craigie Street Bistrot]
[Photo: Flickr: Reverend Sam]
Diner's Agenda would like to taste Roslindale and America.
Friday, September 28
•Our childhood hood gets some big excitement tonight at the first annual Taste of Roslindale at the Annunciation Church. $40 gets you a silent raffle, musical entertainment, and tastes from great local restaurants like Geoffrey's and Delfino. Tickets may be purchased at the door. [A Taste of Roslindale]
•Didn't quite make it to this spring's Beard Awards? Make up for it by attending tonight's Taste America event at the Veronique Ballroom sponsored by the James Beard Foundation and featuring star chefs such as Frank McClelland of L'Espalier and Pino Maffeo of Boston Public. The party gets started at 7:00 tonight and tickets, which cost $125, can be reserved by calling (617) 375-9700. [Taste America]
•We must admit to liking Ted Allen better on Queer Eye than on Top Chef, but nonetheless, we rather enjoy him on balance. Meet the funny foodie in person at the Beantown Jazz Festival (buh-guh-whah?) this weekend. He'll be hanging out on Columbus Ave between Burke St and Mass Ave from 6pm-8pm tonight and 1pm-5pm tomorrow, talking about wine pairings. Awesome and free. [Ted Allen]
Saturday, September 29
•On occasion, we sigh and rue the fact that we don't live in Napa. We think we'd hate California, but it would be pretty nice to be able to go on vineyard and winery tours on weekends. It turns out that we're completely dumb and that sort of thing is more than possible in Boston. To find out just how possible, sign up for Boston Uncorked's Third Annual Winery & Vineyard Tour. The tour runs from 9:30am-5pm, but promises to be much more enjoyable than a day at the office. Tickets, which cost $75, may be purchased online. [Boston Uncorked]
•Foodielocks says "Taste America is too big! Taste of Roslindale is too small! Taste of Rhode Island, happening this weekend at the Newport Yachting Center, is just right. Good thing tickets are only $10!" Thanks for that, Foodielocks. [Newport Festivals]
Boston Public: B.
"quintessential Maffeo"
is quite delicious.
Aw, Myers + Chang.
Betrothed chef's restaurant: cute.
It's filling up fast.
Rozzy's Yucatan:
authentic Mayan delights
sound so amazing.
Could there be any more enjoyable junk food than Marshmallow Fluff? We strongly suspect not. Marshmallow Fluff is delicious as part of a whoopie pie, in a fluffernutter, or just spooned out of the tub. Aside from its wonderful, wonderful taste, Marshmallow Fluff is notable and awesome (and also, notably awesome) because it was invented in Somerville! In 1917, a visionary named Archibald Query (which is, by the way, a tremendous name) started peddling the stuff door to door. Union Square is having a massive What the Fluff?! Festival this weekend to celebrate the delightful creme's 90th birthday. We'd like to extend our own happy returns with this excellent instructional video on the making of the perfect fluffernutter. Happy birthday, Marshmallow Fluff!
Marshmallow Creme [Wikipedia]
What The Fluff?! [Union Square Main Streets]
How To Make a Fluffernutter [YouTube: missaligned]
We've been having some serious mid-90s nostalgia all day and what better to revel in the (sort of food related) glories of the era than with our all-time favorite Mentos commercial? We'd be hard pressed to say what makes these thirty seconds so intensely brilliant (is it the overacting? the outfits? the music?), but if we had to name one element, it would probably be the fact that the Mentos woman is popping mints like so many Valium. Delightful!
Mentos Commercial [YouTube: maciek117]
Boston Public: good.
Asian steakhouse vibe works well
but it's best at lunch.
Tom Yum Cafe: yum.
Secretly quite romantic
with super noodles.
New Joshua Tree
sounds pretty mediocre:
"Tonic with sports fans."
Kickass Cupcakes time!
Cali-inspired cupcakes
right in Davis Square.
This month's issue of Gourmet is unusually enjoyable, even by the magazine's high standards. There's a mouth-watering piece about hot-fish sandwiches in Nashville, a very informative article about Spanish molecular gastronomist Angel Leon, and a recipe for one of our favorite restaurant dishes of all time, the pork buns at New York City's Momofuku Ssam Bar. Perhaps most fascinating, however, was the issue's top story: a rundown of America's best farm-to-table restaurants. The article accomplished the unlikely feat of making us desperately want to travel to Oxford, Mississippi and Boulder, Utah. More pertinently, we were very excited to see that two Hub restaurants made the list.
Rendezvous was singled out as one of the best urban farm-to-table restaurants, a "convivial oasis where faculty and students from Harvard and MIT join neighborhood residents and area foodies to swoon over a menu featuring the flavors of Italy, France, Spain, and North Africa." We would also add that it has some of the city's most droolworthy dishes. Henrietta's Table was named as a "local pioneer" for chef Peter Davis's "longtime commitment to New England cooking." Congratulations to chef Davis and Rendezvous chef Steve Johnson!
America's Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants [Gourmet]
Rendezvous [MenuPages]
Rendezvous [Official Site]
Henrietta's Table [MenuPages]
Henrietta's Table [Official Site]
[Photo: International Wisconsin]
Nadeau loves Beehive!
"Throwback" to bohemia
with flavorful food.
Marco Cucina
has some killer salumi.
Mmm, pepperoni.
One of our favorite innovations of the past few years has been the proliferation of online television options. Watching your beloved network and television shows online is super-awesome, but even better are the online-only shows (we're rather fond of Wainy Days, from the genius behind Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten). Yesterday, Slashfood turned us on to a new online-only channel that promises to be almost as addictive as watching YouTube clips of people lip-synching. It's called Chocolate Television and it is awesome. How awesome? See for yourself in the below clip. Feel free to ignore the bizarre joke about foie-ttage (™MP: Chicago).
Mmmm...Chocolate Television! [Slashfood]
Chocolate Television [Official Site]
Blogston Proper is your thrice-weekly roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.
•"The state of sushi in the Village is strong." [Roslindale Ramblings]
•"The Spotted Apron is the cutest little place!" [Anali's First Amendment]
•"Dunkin' Donuts seems to have perfected some kind of Eastern Bloc communist ideal of utilitarian drabness." [Endangered Coffee]
[Photo: Flickr: liamsphotos]
Ooh! Fall Eats and Drinks!
So much to look forward to.
We love you, Boston.
The Savant Project
keeps diners very happy
with stellar small plates.
Picobrouweij
is a "hoppy" "foamer", and
a mouthful to say.
Diner's Agenda is looking forward to watching Top Chef.
Wednesday, September 26
•We're really quite confused about Oktoberfest. Why are most of the festivities in September? Won't someone please explain this to us? Anyways, although the timing is puzzling, 75 Chestnut's Octoberfest sounds like a pretty good time. It starts tonight and runs through October 8 and will be filled with beer and other German goodies (including apple strudel!). [75 Chestnut]
•Seeing as it's a French restaurant, Bouchee won't be celebrating Oktoberfest, but that certainly doesn't mean that they'll be having a dull month. October marks the restaurant's one year anniversary and they'll be celebrating by offering a $25 three course prix fixe lunch from today through October 31. Why are they starting their October promotion in September? Eh, don't worry about it. Just feast on the cheap(er) food. [Bouchee]
•$175 might seem a little steep for tonight's Vineyard 29 wine dinner at Excelsior, but it would probably cost quite a bit more to, say, fly out to Vineyard 29 in St. Helena, CA yourself and that's before a four-course dinner, so really, when you think about it, you can't afford not to go, right? That's what we thought. The dinner starts at 6:30, so call (617) 426-7878 to save your spot. [Excelsior]
Thursday, September 27
•We're fond of eating locally, but do you know what we're even fonder of? Eating locally somewhere else! Have a culinary adventure at the Cape Land and Sea Harvest, which begins on Thursday and runs through the weekend. Feast on special local menus at participating restaurants and go to the super-rocking farmers market. [Cape Land and Sea Harvest]
•Hint to boys trying to impress girls: feminist dudes are sexy. True story. Why not impress that girl you've had your eye on forever by taking her to Men of Boston Cook for Women's Health at the Gala Tent in Dorchester at 6:00? The event features a whole boatload of Boston's most prominent guys cooking up delights while raising money for organizations that work on women's health. Tickets cost $150 and may be purchased online. [Men of Boston]
We're just going to say it: we love New York chef Tom Colicchio. We think his critiques as head judge on Top Chef are eminently fair, we get obsessed with 'wichcraft when we're in New York, and we adore his blog. Given all this, we were very excited to hear yesterday that the chef will be opening a branch of his Craftsteak restaurant (the other two are in New York and Las Vegas) in the forthcoming MGM Grand Casino at Foxwoods. Colicchio is only the latest in a string of exciting chefs partnering with the new MGM Grand: Michael Schlow will open a second branch of his Wellesley restaurant Alta Strada and legendary New York chef David Burke has announced his own plans to open a whopping three new restaurants in the development.
The only thing that could get us more excited at this point would be if Tom Colicchio and Bravo decided to film a season of Top Chef in Boston. While this seems like a bit of a stretch, it isn't necessarily that far-fetched. After all, season two of the series filmed in LA because Colicchio was working on opening a Craft there. Season four has already started filming in Chicago, but we can still hope for season five, right? Right?
[Photo: Foxwoods]
Wow! Talk about "ask and ye shall receive!" Last Tuesday, we issued an impassioned plea for more reality show contestants from Boston. The very next night, the ninth cycle of America's Next Top Model premiered. Among the thirteen finalists who will continue on in the hopes of becoming America's pause Next pause Top pause Model are Boston's own Mila and Sarah, who hails from Heath, which is all the way out in Western Massachusetts, but whatever! We'll take it! Sarah is a delight and we kind of think she might win. Mila is a dumb bunny, but we're going to root for her just a little anyways because she's a Bostonian. In honor of these ladies, and in honor of the fact that we're on a healthy eating kick, we present our picks for the salads that are still in the running toward becoming Boston's Next Top Salad.
•Tyra Banks would quite possibly describe the Moroccan medjool date and orange salad from Cafe D as "fierce." It's packed chock full of delicious ingredients like preserved lemons, red onion, green olives and almonds.
•Noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker would likely call the long-stem marinated artichoke salad from Sandrine's Bistro "quite lovely, actually." The artichokes sit on a glorious bed of mesclun greens, sheep's milk feta, and prosciutto and are dressed with a divine basil balsamic vinaigrette.
•Miss J. Alexander, runway diva extraordinaire, would likely say that Centre Street Cafe makes a salad that's "hot, hot, hot, girl." The Mexicali composed salad is a meal unto itself: heirloom tomatoes, corn, black beans, and romaine, drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing and served with an excellent flour tortilla.
•Fashion icon Twiggy would admit to "quite liking" the house-smoked trout and haricorts vertes salad at Aquitaine. In addition to the superb titular ingredients, it's loaded with rhubarb, frisee, and creme fraiche.
America's Next Top Model [Official Site]
Cafe D [Official Site]
Sandrine's Bistro [Official Site]
Centre Street Cafe [MenuPages]
Aquitaine [Official Site]
[Photo: About]
The fascinating thing about today's openings and closings roundup is that none of the three new restaurants are, strictly speaking, new restaurants. All are new branches or expansions of restaurants that already exist. Once again, we have more openings than closings, but our closing is an exceptionally sad one. Let's jump right on into it all, yes?
Openings
•Boston Condo News continues to be a lesser-known but fantastic source for restaurant info. They report that Tapeo will open a second restaurant in the new Allele condos in Southie, which are slated for a 2008 opening (there's a sentence no one could have imagined twenty years ago!). The new restaurant may well be called Sapeo and will likely feature the same yummy tapas as the Newbury Street location.
•The Dish brings us the exciting news that Stella is expanding into the space next to the restaurant. The newly acquired space will feature numerous amenities (ooh, fireplace!), most notably a cafe that will open at 5am and feature espresso and Italian pastries.
•The Harvard Crimson is reporting that burrito mega-chain Chipotle is poised to make its entrance into Cambridge with a branch on Brattle Street under Eastern Mountain Sports. (Here's how old we are: we heard this and immediately thought "in the Express?") Harvard Square already has four burrito options (Felipe's Taqueria, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Border Cafe, and Boloco). We would say that Chipotle makes a better burrito than at least half of those options, but it also makes a burrito that is a whole lot more expensive. We're fascinated to see how this goes down.
Closings
•Last weeks saw a rumor buzzing around Chowhound that Cha Fahn was closing. We called and indeed, the rumor is true. The doors will close in mid-October, so get your noodle on while you still can!
[Photo: Flickr: thestateofindependence]
The Wall Street Journal recently published a very amusing article about the recent proliferation of cafes in the Milan stores of top clothing designers. Apparently, there are now cafes in the flagships of Robert Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Bulgari and Trossardi. Since Boston (justly or not) is not yet known as a destination for food or style, we don't get to say this too often, but heck yeah! We've already been there and done that. The Armani Cafe may be departed, but it opened a good decade ago.
Hometown pride aside, there's a lot to like in the WSJ article. Did you know that Milan's Armani cafe is a branch of famed sushi restaurant Nobu? Fancy, right? Apparently, however, "prices follow no known logic; a bottle of water was €5, while a salmon roll was €6." Unfortunate!
Other excellent revelations include the fact that Just Cavalli Cafe is immaculately designed but uses paper napkins, Dolce & Gabbana Gold features giant portions, and, with the exception of Bulgari Restaurant, all of the cafes are much less proportionately expensive than the clothing stores housing them. It's great reading and it makes us want to go to Milan right this second. Sigh.
Milan Fashion Icons as Restaurateurs [Wall Street Journal]
Nobu [MenuPages]
Nobu [Official Site]
[Photo: Julia Holden]
Ever since we read food writer Paul Levy's recent piece in Slate, we haven't been able to get it out of our mind. Levy's piece, which is titled "Food, Inglorious Food: My Decision to Opt Out of the Macho Food Writing Movement", alleges that in the thirty years since he burst onto the scene, food writing has increasingly begun to consist of "a bellow of bravado. It's a guy thing, sure, but (with a few honorably hungry exceptions) these scribblers mostly ignore what's on the plate. They view themselves as boy hunters and despise sissy gatherers, thrive on the undertow of violence they detect in the professional kitchen, and like to linger on the unappetizing aspects of food preparation. The gross-out factor trumps tasting good as well as good taste." Levy goes on to contrast his "serious" description of a durian ("Some find the smell excremental, some find it reminiscent of sick") with that of John McPhee's in a recent issue of The New Yorker ("a fruit that smells strongly fecal and tastes like tiramisu"). Throughout, he refers to the new food writing as "macho" and "virile" and to the practitioners of such writing as "Bad Boy chefs."
Even if we politely ignore the fact that "excremental" and "fecal" mean exactly the same thing and are on exactly the same level of technical/euphemistic language, it is difficult not to see Levy's piece as a bit ridiculous and, rather unfortunately, as a case of sour grapes. To start with, why is the pottymouthed new wave of food writing necessarily "macho?" As anyone who has met us in real life can attest, it's not just dudes who have sailor mouthes and while, admittedly, there aren't many women practicing that style of food writing, we'd argue that this has more to do with a depressingly low number of major female food writers, which is another topic altogether, than with the new food writing being an intrinsically male phenomenon.
Our major issue with Levy's piece, however, is the assertion that the type of food writing practiced by folks like Bill Buford and Anthony Bourdain (two of our four favorite food writers, by the by) is lesser than Levy's own measured, heavily intellectual style of writing. For better or worse, Levy comes off as a complainer upset that no one gets his Goethe references. We're as fond of a Dickensian pun as the next girl, but reading a pallid description like Levy's "the meat had dark skin attached to it, was quite fatty and looked like pork … chewy, and had a very strong, though not disagreeable flavor" (about eating dog!) doesn't make us feel hungry or excited or even, truth be told, terribly interested.
We'd argue along with Grub Street that what Levy calls "macho" food writing is simply food writing that appeals to a wider audience. America (and, as we understand it, Great Britain) is in the midst of a food revolution. People are becoming more aware of what they eat and the increasing popularity of food writing has both contributed to and been influenced by this rise of epicurianism. There's still a place for Levy's style of writing (as Slashfood noted, one of the best things about the foodie revolution is the chance to hear lots of different voices in food writing), but the more active, exciting, and accessible style of Mssrs Bourdain, Buford, et al is becoming the norm, and frankly, we're okay with that.
What do you think? Do you enjoy books like Kitchen Confidential and Heat or do you prefer the food writing of yesteryear?
Food, Inglorious Food [Slate]
British Toff Decries The Coarseness of Modern Food Writing [Grub Street]
Is Food Writing Better or Worse Now? [Slashfood]
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly [Amazon]
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany [Amazon]
[Photo: Anthony Bourdain]
BU students feast
on omelets, toast, and burgers
at city diners.
Sushi Teq: "flawless."
So sayeth the BC Heights,
who gives it an A.
Tufts kids love Sound Bites.
Could the new liquor license
make it a good bar?
Ponzu in Waltham:
Asian tapas are tasty
for Brandeisians.
Yesterday, we told you about a dinner at Tremont 647 that included a kir reception. Although we were unable to make last night's dinner, we've spent much of the past 24 hours thinking about what lovely taste a kir reception shows. Kir, for those not in the know, is a French apertif composed of white wine and creme de cassis (a blackcurrant liqueur). There are plenty of variations, including the Kir Royal (creme de cassis and Champagne), and kir with peach or blackberry liqueur. It is more delicious than: a) schadenfreude, b) cookies, and c) pretty much anything ever.
For the frugal drinker, the beauty of kir is that it does not require a top shelf wine. In college, we drank kir with our best friend every Friday evening (okay, it was at 4:00 and we drank it out of margarita glasses with cacti for stems. Don't judge!). We made our kir with $5 bottles of wine and cheap-o creme de cassis. Would the drink have tasted better with a $30 bottle and imported cassis? Eh, probably. Did it taste amazing nonetheless? It sure did.
Although kir is technically an apertif, it pairs well with a variety of foods from steamed fish to pasta bolognaise to a bacon cheeseburger, so go ahead! Swap out your usual cocktail hour choice for a lovely Champagne flute of kir! One warning: creme de cassis is stronger than you might expect, so pace yourself accordingly.
Tremont 647 [MenuPages]
Tremont 647 [Official Site]
[Photo: Wikipedia]
Blogston Proper is your thrice-weekly roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.
•As it turns out, in between the time when we wrote our earlier post on Myers + Chang and the time when it published on the site, a Chowhounder posted a review. So far, the hounds seem to like it. [Chowhound]
•Doyle's just turned 125!!! [Metaboston]
•Goodbye, Minty Choco Chip! We will miss your stellar reviews. [Minty Choco Chip]
[Photo: Flickr: mestes76]
Welcome to The Buzz, a feature where we look at what the Internet is saying about brand new restaurants. It's too early for a review, but when has that ever stopped anyone?
We've been pretty pumped for Myers + Chang for some time now. flour bakery + cafe is one of our all-time favorite Boston restaurants and we certainly enjoy getting drinks at Via Matta, so Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers seem like a bit of a restaurant dream team. Also, they're engaged and how cute is that? Answer: not as cute as this, but seriously adorable nonetheless. Strangely, although there was plenty of pre-opening buzz (a DailyCandy mention and several threads on Chowhound), there have been virtually no firsthand reports since it opened a week ago. Nonetheless, we carry on, so let's take a look at what's out there so far.
The Good: Yelper Julie C. rather enjoyed her meal. "The food is excellent. Wonderful menu selections and cheap, too. I didn't spy anything over $15." In an otherwise unenthusiastic review, Yelp's Brownstone Betty admitted that "the beef chow fun was excellent." While it's obviously far, far, far too early for the Globe to run any type of real review, Dishing's initial post on the restaurant seems fairly positive, as opposed to, say, their early post on Gaslight.
The Bad: Yelper Stephen S. did not much enjoy his meal: "Was really hoping that this was to be the next great South End dining destination....However, unless you prefer hype and trendy over very good food, this may not be the best bet for Chinese/Asian food. And what seems to be an inexpensive menu, actually becomes quite pricey for Chinese food, because the dishes are small and not great for family style Chinese dining and wine and sake prices are up there. Also only wine and beer, and i so want my martini when hanging with the trendy set!" Brownstone Betty keeps it succinct (and polite!) by noting that other than the aforementioned beef chow fun, she simply "didn't care for the food." Finally, even Myers + Chang enthusiast Julie C. had some issues with the Wagamama-esque policy of serving dishes as they're ready: "I was not expecting to get my noodles almost 30 minutes before my date got hers. The staff was apologetic, and maybe they're a little short on kitchen help this being the opening week and all, but it was still a downer to what could have been a 4 or 5 star night."
The...Peculiar: Not one Chowhounder has posted a review yet. Given the near-manic enthusiasm that posters generally have for trying new places ASAP, this seems more than a little strange.
Diner's Agenda wants to be in two places at once, Hermione Granger steez.
Monday, September 24
•Are you ready for the bargain of the week? Tonight at 6:00, Tremont 647 is hosting a dinner to celebrate chef Andy Husbands and Ed Doyle's recent trip to Provence. $39 gets you a kir reception with passed appetizers followed by a four-course sit down dinner. It's a bargain at twice the price, so we'd suggest calling (617) 266-4600 as soon as possible to save your place. [Tremont 647]
•Boston is lousy with Sinatra nights and dinners accompanied by jazz are a dime a dozen. Treat yourself to a truly unique dining experience tonight at Sasso's opera night. Soprano Jonelyn Langenstein will perform from 6pm-10pm. Save your spot by calling (617) 247-2400. [Sasso]
Tuesday, September 25
•We've made no secret of our great affinity for farmers markets. Support Boston's finest markets by attending the Chef's Harvest Dinner at 6:30. Here's how it works: purchase a $200 ticket for any one of the dozens of participating restaurants. Enjoy a multicourse dinner with wine pairings. Think lovingly about all the fruits and veggies you'll enjoy next summer. Call (617) 265-6700 to reserve. [Boston Public Market]
•Are you a wine BSer? Do you nod knowingly whenever someone talks about a good year for Burgundys, hoping no one will detect your cunning ruse? Maybe, just maybe, it's time to stop pretending. Head to Tomasso Trattoria at 7:00 for the first of four sessions about the wines of France. By the end of the series, you'll be chattering on about terroir and nose like a pro. The entire session costs $100, but if that's a bit dear, $30 per session. Call (508) 481-8484 to save your spot. [Tomasso Trattoria]
•We love a good wine and cheese party as much as the next girl, but we would love a wine and chocolate party even more. Learn all about the best pairings at a 6:30 class at the BCAE on wine and chocolate. Together at last! Tickets may be reserved online. [Local Wine Events]
There is a lot to love about living in New England: lobster, foliage, Pilgrim jokes. To our mind, however, one of the best perks of living in the area is visiting farms every fall. Sure, you can probably go on a haunted hayride or pick apples in Wisconsin, but we pretty much guarantee that the foliage won't be quite so gorgeous nor the apples exactly as crisp and sweet. There are few pleasures more pure than taking a road trip out to one of the area's farms and, in that spirit, we present three of our favorites.
•If you don't have too terribly much time to spare (or are living sans automobile), why not take a trip to Allandale Farm, which advertises itself as "Boston's last working farm" even though it's totally in Brookline. Naming issues aside, Allandale Farm is a delight. You can buy products from Allandale and other local farms, get a pumpkin, and, of course, drink some cider. It bears repeating: Allandale Farm is a delight.
•If you have a little more time available, do head out to Lincoln for a trip to Drumlin Farm. Drumlin Farm has some of the best hayrides in town, along with lots of exciting wildlife (including the owl pictured above). It's a great place to take kids, but we're not going to lie: it's also pretty fun for grownups.
•Russell Orchards is a little further off the beaten path than Drumlin or Allandale, but trust us: it's well worth the trip. Given the current balmy weather, you could well combine it with a trip to nearby Crane Beach. Russell Orchards has plenty to recommend it: lots of animals (including a pig so fat you have to see it to believe it), beautiful foliage, and most importantly, the world's best cider donuts. We're not being hyperbolic here. These donuts are truly incredible whether eaten on their own or dipped into a cup of the orchard's superlative hot cider. Also, they make really good wine. We can't recommend it strongly enough.
Allandale Farm [Official Site]
Drumlin Farm [Official Site]
Russell Orchards [Official Site]
Crane Beach [Official Site]
We've been staring at this picture of a cannoli from Mike's Pastry for quite some time now. Here's what we can't figure out: is the ricotta studded throughout with chocolate chips or was the cannoli simply dipped in chocolate chips? Either way, we'd very much like to take it home at 3am after a night of heavy drinking for a night of passion and joy. You heard us.
Mike's Pastry [Official Site]
[Photo: Flickr: nchoz]
Blogston Proper is your thrice-weekly roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.
•We are also quite sad that Rozzy Square institution NuVo (nee Gusto) has closed. [Universal Hub]
•Uh oh! Some Harvard students didn't get free beer steins! Sounds like somebody better call the waaambulance! [The Harvard Crimson]
• In praise of dining alone. [Jenny Sais Quoi]
[Photo: Flickr: abrunete]
• Good news: Chicago now has an entire restaurant devoted to Dutch pancakes. Bad news: McDonald's has bad ads.
• Good news: Philadelphia has really good tomato salad. Bad news: It also has feuding chefs.
• Good news: It's possible to survive San Francisco's tourist explosion. Bad news: Some of the city's restaurants are having problems with extortion.
• Good news and bad news: this Elmo pizza doll is both creepy and adorable.
Hmm, Wagamama.
"cafeteria-type" food
earns a C-.
Quincy's China Pearl:
a "mob scene" with great dim sum
and Kam Man next door.
Yom Kippur starts at sunset tomorrow. Those observing will, of course, fast from sundown tomorrow to sundown on Saturday. Personally, we spend the day craving something different every year (last year, it was a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and cinnamon sugar), but most people we know have very set routines every year. Below, our picks for the three most common fast-breaking meals.
Bagels and lox: The G&G at Zaftigs Delicatessen comes with nova, cream cheese, capers, tomato, lettuce and onion. Follow it up with some rugelach to die for.
Pizza: Beauty's makes some of the most underrated pizza in the Hub. The Greek Beauty pizza, topped with garlic, spinach, onions, olives and feta in addition to the usual suspects, will satisfy even the hungriest of fasters.
Chinese Food: Not only does Chau Chow City offer some of the city's best Chinese food, but there is always ample seating, perfect for hungry fasters who don't want to wait.
Zaftigs Delicatessen [Official Site]
Beauty's Pizza [Official Site]
Chau Chow City [MenuPages]
[Photo: J. Levine & Co.]
Coda works it out.
Strong drinks, great food, and well-priced.
What more could you want?
Dot's Lorenz Island:
homestyle Jamaican food
with super desserts.
The Lower Depths: fine.
The food is nothing special
but the beer list rocks.
Pazzo Blog recently reported that Roslindale Square discount emporium Jax Liquidation Outlets is, well, liquidating. We were more than a little sad to hear this news. See, we lived in Roslindale between the ages of two and eleven and then moved to other parts of the city before our mom bought a house in Rozzy when we were nineteen. During the first set of the Roslindale years, the Square was all about places like Jax: cheap, filled with senior citizens, and the polar opposite of trendy. When we moved back, we were shocked! All of the sudden, Rozzy had two bookstores! A wine shop! Bistros! On balance, we're certainly very happy with the new Roslindale Square, but it's very nice to have reminders of the old one and of our childhood. Also, we have been very fond of purchasing $3 shoes at Jax.
Speculation about what will go in the giant Jax space is, as you might imagine, hot. Tom from Pazzo reports that the owner of the space wants the whole thing to be occupied by one tenant. Although Tom speculates that this could leave the Square open to, say, a Staples, we'd certainly prefer something more food oriented to truly cement Roslindale's burgeoning reputation as a foodie destination.
The space is probably too big for a restaurant that isn't a chain (and, as tight as it would be to have a Bertucci's in Rozzy Square, we'd rather see the neighborhood keep its independent character). A supermarket would be redundant, since the space is almost next door to the Village Market (although it is worth noting that the VM could probably benefit from some competition). Really, our dream would be to see the old Jax building developed in the manner of New York's Essex Street Market: a home for different food purveyors of all sorts of delicious goods, maybe with a small cafe in the front.
What about you? What would you like to see in the old Jax space?
The Future of Jax [Pazzo Blog]
[Photo: Citysquares]
All Star Sandwich Bar:
"terrific," "killer" dishes
keep diners happy.
Tempura Snickers:
battered and fried and so great,
a highlight at Pops.
Neighborhood dining:
what's worth the trip? Great small joints.
But why no Rozzy?
Sunday is the first official day of autumn and you know what that means: time to eat your favorite summer foods while you still can. Technically, we suppose that dishes like fried clams or tourist lemonade from the stands on the Common are available year round, but just as you wouldn't wear a gingham halter-necked sundress in October, neither would you chow down on summer shack food as the leaves make their way to the ground. All this is to say that we really think you should schlep out to Kelly's ay ess ay pee, because it's going to be a long time until next summer.
Kelly's Roast Beef [Official Site]
[Photo: Flickr: HawBone]
Blogston Proper is your thrice-weekly roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.
•Myers + Chang is coming! Myers + Chang is coming! Myers + Chang is here! [Dishing]
•We enjoy it when people post photos of their lunches. [Somerville Blog]
•Apparently, last week's Food & Wine Festival at Foxwoods was the "Aspen of the East." [Food Writer's Diary]
[Photo: Flickr: mestes76]
It's a birthday beer
for Sierra Nevada!
It's a little dull.
Hey guys! Over here!
Where's the food section this week?
We really miss it.
Diner's Agenda is excited that Honeycrisp apples are back!
Wednesday, September 19
•It's hard out there for a vegan foodie. Eating well generally requires a lot of home cooking, which has its charms, but still: who doesn't like a nice dinner out? Vegans can get their meat and dairy free groove on tonight at the Harvest Vegan Dinner at UpStairs on the Square. $55 gets you four stellar courses with organic wine parings. Dinner starts at 6:30, so call (617) 864-1933 now to save your place. [UpStairs on the Square]
•We're embarrassed to admit that grappa is still something of a mystery to us, but it doesn't have to be to you! Check out tonight's grappa tasting at Tomasso Trattoria in Southborough. For $35, you can try four grappas paired with gourmet chocolate. Things get underway at 7:00 and tickets may be reserved by calling (508) 481-8484. [Tomasso Trattoria]
Recently, we've noticed an odd trend in the greater Boston dining scene: restaurants holding "Sinatra nights", evenings that feature a Frank Sinatra impersonator covering Old Blue Eyes' songs, drinks, dancing and dinner. Now, we enjoy Sinatra as much as the next girl (we're especially partial to anything off Swing Easy!), but we're a little confused as to why there are so many Sinatra nights. After all, Sinatra was a Jersey boy, so it's not like it's a hometown connection as there would be if we were suddenly seeing a proliferation of, say, James Taylor nights or Jonathan Richman nights (we would totally go to the latter, by the by). And, while the Chairman's music is ideal for dinner and dancing, so are the songs of countless other artists. So why Sinatra?
The answer, it would appear, lies with Michael Dutra. Dutra is a New England based Sinatra impersonator who performs more than 300 nights out of the year. He is at LTK once a week (next Monday and then every Tuesday in October) and Red Sky every Wednesday. He makes a multitude of appearances throughout the suburbs and as far away as Providence. It seems that Dutra has built a career off of founding Sinatra nights at Boston restaurants, so, we suppose, the real question is not why there are so many Sinatra nights in Boston restaurants. The real question is why the monthly Sinatra night at Vinalia doesn't involve Michael Dutra. Will there be a Sinatra impersonator showdown in the Hub's future? Because that would be awesome.
Michael Dutra [Official Site]
LTK [Official Site]
Red Sky [Official Site]
Vinalia [Official Site]
The word on the street is that the Venezuelan government has made the world's largest pot of soup. Personally, if we were the Venezuelan government, we'd first focus on solving the country's food shortage program, but, nevertheless,we are duly impressed, especially since he weather lately has been getting chillier and it's got us craving soup like a fiend. Below, three of the Hub's best bets for our favorite warming food.
•The cremini mushroom soup at Cafe D is topped with a swirl of parmesan cream, airy croutons and a good drizzle of rosemary oil. It manages to be appealingly decadent and magically light at the same time.
•We would not be fit to kiss anyone afterwards, but we could easily subsist on the sopa de ajo from Dali for at least a week. The garlicky treat is hot, creamy, and especially perfect when being soaked up with some lovely crusty bread.
•Lobster bisque is, of course, de rigeur in our crustacean-obsessed city. Don't get us wrong: we adore it, but midway through the summer, it starts to get a touch predictable. Spice things up with the hot and sour lobster soup at Grill 23 & Bar. Lobster wontons and wood ear mushrooms float delicately in the flavorful broth, creating a perfect start to almost any meal.
Venezuela Makes World's Largest Pot of Soup [ABC News]
Cafe D [Official Site]
Dali [Official Site]
Grill 23 & Bar [Official Site]
Coffee coffee buzzed buzzed buzzed into our city this week with no less than three coffee shops opening. Once again, this week held plenty of openings, but no closings, which we're always inclined to take as a good sign for the health of our fair city's dining scene. Let's look a little more closely at how everything is shaking out.
Openings
•The Hubster, always a reliable source for Eastie news, let us know that the 303 Cafe has opened its doors on Sumner Street. The cafe will offer coffee, breakfast, and lunch. We'll place the chance of the restaurant offering a selection of paninis at 98%.
•We don't get out to Charlestown too terribly much, so Zume's Coffee House flew under our radar even though it opened about a month ago. A great coffeehouse seems like a stellar addition to Main Street, so we wish it the best of luck.
•Holla! The Ball Square Breakfast Battle has been escalated with the official opening of the Ball Square Cafe, helmed by a man who is, depending on who you believe, either "the original chef" of Sound Bites or a former dishwasher.
•Zagat has come out with their fall restaurant preview. We've already reported on most of the openings, but we did learn of one intriguing new spot: Jonnies on the Side, which will open in the old Anthem space near the Garden. Bizarrely, it is apparently a "sports-entertainment concept" that serves "seasonal New England fare." Huh. Interesting combination, no?
•Finally, the Parkway Blog brings the news that Westie mainstay Auntie B's Place will hold a grand reopening this Saturday with free coffee for all comers.
[Photo: Flickr: war2d2]
Sunday's Globe Magazine contained a truly fascinating article by Scott Haas about the rising prices of entrees in certain Boston restaurants. Foodie luminaries from Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl (who contributed this post's titular quote) to Anthony Bourdain opined on the reasons why main courses are passing the $40 mark with increasing regularity. The conclusion seems to be that there's a sucker born every minute and many of them seem to be living in our fair city. Bourdain thinks that restaurateurs are charging these astronomical prices "because they can." Reichl opines that "You need great diners to hold the chefs to really high standards, people who want really good food, but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars." Tim Zagat (of the guidebooks, obvs) concurs, claiming that anyone who would order, say, the Wagyu beef from KO Prime "doesn't know what they're doing."
Bourdain and Daniel Bouloud (Barbara Lynch's cooking idol) have been getting some flack for their statements unfavorably comparing the Boston restaurant scene to that of New York, but we happen to agree that while the Boston restaurant scene is full of delights, New York is in a class of its own. That being said, there were a few pieces of the article to which we take some umbrage. Firstly, Haas's example of an overpriced dish is the grilled Wolfe's Neck sirloin at Rialto. As we mentioned way back on our very first day of blogging, this just so happens to be one of our two favorite Hub meals. Do the ingredients necessarily justify the dish's $43 price tag? No. Does the taste? Yes. Admittedly, we've never been to Rialto while footing our own bill (hi Grandpa!), but if we had $43 to throw down for dinner, we certainly would.
The larger issue with the piece, however, is that it doesn't address a corresponding trend, namely, the proliferation of high end yet reasonably priced restaurants. Petit Robert Bistro (which was briefly mentioned by Haas) and Beehive won't break the bank, and this summer has seen the openings of Gaslight and Rocca. The main dishes at Myers + Chang, which started serving dinner last night, top out at $15. It seems to us that Boston's evolution as a foodie city is visible in the intersection of these two trends: on the one hand, a rise of luxury restaurants, but on the other, an ever-increasing amount of fine dining that won't break the bank.
What do you think? Why do entrees cost so damn much money?
Raw Deal [Boston Globe]
[Photo: Australian Atlas of Mineral Resources, Mines & Processing Centres]
We're not going to lie to you. We watch quite a bit of television. While we're watching, there are certain questions we ponder, over and over: Why do all the best shows have four primary characters? Why are so many "poor" characters dressed in Marc Jacobs? Most importantly, why are there so few characters from Boston on both scripted and reality shows? Obviously, there's Boston Rob from Survivor and the entire David E. Kelley ouevre (speaking of which: hey Emmy Awards: James Spader over James Gandolfini, really? REALLY?), but generally speaking, when we turn on the television, our Bostonian options are limited to the ATF agent with the worst accent we've ever heard on Big Love, American Idol auditions, and showings of The Departed and Good Will Hunting.
Basically, we think that Bostonians need to be representing a lot harder on the small screen, which is why we firmly believe that you should audition for The Next Food Network Star. Sure, last season featured Methuen's own Tommy Grella, but we can get closer to Boston proper, right? So get organized, telegenic foodies! If you can't make it to one of the remaining open calls in Vegas (9/25) or Minneapolis (10/9), create an audition video or send in an application. Represent!