Klunco's Profile
Roche Brothers Catering
I've used both Roche Brothers and Whole Foods for this type of catering (sandwiches/salads). Overall I found whole foods quality head and shoulders above Roche Brothers for what amounted to not that much more money. I think I found WF about 15% more expensive, enough that it is a difference but the food was just so much better. You may want to check out their prices.
Butcher
If you do want to try it yourself (a fun project and a good skill to practice), here's a nice link to Jacques Pepin making it look easy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAekQ5fzfGM&feature=share
Red Wine for a Dr. Loosen Gray Slate Mosel Drinker
In line with the Beaujolais suggestion, the "Beaujolais-Villages" from Louis Jadot (I've attached a photo below) is easy to find at most stores and quite reasonably priced (around $11 in Boston). Pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to slightly chill it.
Cafe Sushi Cambridge
We were going to go but then got caught up and defaulted to Genki Ya Brookline instead (since we live nearby). I have to say Genki Ya was definitely a big miss last Thursday. Maybe I just haven't been there in a while or my standards have changed (since I started making homemade dashi/miso I try to avoid most miso soups because the instant kind just doesn't do it for me) but just in terms of the fish: Two pieces of dry, bland, gummy Salmon nigiri were comically spilling over the rice. The cut was twice as long as the rice (maybe if the customer feels like they are getting a value they won't notice the quality of the fish?) Eel nigiri was poorly cut and chewy with overly sweet sauce. The rice for all of these was dried out and clumpy. The roll we tried was fine, crab with avocado. I always enjoy the little tapioca/red bean ice cream ramekin palate cleanser they give you at the end.
Clearly we are in need of a new sushi place; next time we'll give cafe sushi a try and report back.
Best spots to buy culinary herbs (to grow)
I was just going to suggest Russell's Garden Center as well. I picked up my annual collection of herbs for the porch from there two weekends ago and they are looking great.
What's nice about Russell's is that they have a number of varieties of each herb so you can get more esoteric selections than your average place. The people who work there are very knowledgable as well.
Le Bernardin Report: Dinner, Friday, 5/11 (long)
I always thought the egg was invented at L'Arpege in Paris.
O Ya… Consistency whittled down to the dull art of repetition; or One and Done
This thread has me sold. I've been looking for a new sushi place for a while and this thread definitely has me intrigued.
Looks like it will be another game of try to spot the other CHs in the room.
Victors Felafel
The place on Route 9 in Natick next to the Hess? Wow, if they have survived this long based on the food/service alone I am impressed.
Best Dishes at New Shanghai
In addition to what has been mentioned (Chengdu hot-dry chicken, numbing bamboo shoots, cumin lamb) I've always enjoyed the classic Sichuan green beans.
I've been meaning to try their rendition of dry fried whole fish swimming in red sichuan peppercorns broth. Anyone tried it?
Boston Fish Share
Did either of you find the selection of fish repetitive? What kind of variety did you end up getting or was it only one or two throughout the season? I thought I had read in another thread that it ended up being only one or two species of fish.
chicory
Chicory is naturally caffeine-free so if you buy roasted chicory and blend it with decaf coffee you'll be able to make your own decaf New Orleans style coffee.
chicory
I don't know of any place in Boston that sells roasted chicory, but in the past I've ordered it from www.sweetmarias.com and just combined it with fresh ground coffee for my own blend of New Orleans style coffee. What I like about this approach vs the cans is that you can mix the chicory with a higher quality coffee and with a coffee that isn't totally char-roasted like CdM.
If you're looking for Cafe du Monde cheap, Hong Kong Supermarket (Former Super 88) in Brighton sells the cans cheaper than anywhere else at $5 a can. I think CdM makes some of the best iced coffee around.
Menton, Clio, or Craigie? Tasting menu blow-out for family. Recent expeiences?
I can relate to this. Of all the "higher" end places I've tried in the last six months, the one I keep returning to is ICOB and when I've had important dinners (friends coming in from out of town that I want to make sure have a great time) ICOB just knocks it out of the park and the check ends up being less.
I look forward to hearing about your Clio experience.
bánh xèo, ..anything?..anything?...Bueller??
I've found Xinh Xinh's version, Le's (Harvard Square), Lemongrass, and Pho Pasteur's all okay but nothing special and definitely not worth going out of the way for.
Recently though we had a great rendition at Le's (Allston), although the caveat being everything we had that night was much much better than any time in the past. I'm not sure if it was a new chef, or an old chef or the time we went (9pm on a Wednesday) but everything was super fresh and cooked with care. The crepe was much better than the other places, very eggy and rich yet tender. It was completely filled with mounds of herbs, sprouts, etc, and the shrimp were decently sized shrimp as opposed to the super tiny (penny sized) shrimp that are used at Xinh Xinh.
I wonder how the places in Dorchester would do with this dish. They might be worth investigating.
LIst of Wine Bars
I was surprised to not to find a thread about Boston wine bars when searching, but that may be because there really aren't that many traditionally speaking. Help me fill out this list and find what I'm missing. Basically looking for a place with interesting/unique/abundant wine offerings by the glass with light food options available.
-Bin 26 Enoteca
-Les Zygomates
-Troquet (Downstairs)
-Coppa
I've also really enjoyed and would recommend Central Bottle's Thursday night wine bars. They offer a flight of 4 wines for around $10-$15 and have a small menu of snacks.
Anywhere else you like to go for great wine and a light meal?
Standardisation in bottle sizes and shapes?
Occasionally you can still find Provencal Rosés in their traditional bottles, which is quite different than the big three. There are two different shapes that I can think of that I've attached pictures of.
Hemingway Daiquiris
This is a great point and one that I hadn't thought of at all. I've been eating ruby red grapefruits all season and that's exactly why I thought the drink would be too sweet. With the tartness of white grapefruit though, the Meehan recipe makes a lot more sense.
Hemingway Daiquiris
I've always enjoyed this tart, refreshing cocktail in the summer but have yet to make it at home. I picked up a bottle of Luxardo and flor de cana white rum and am looking to make a large batch of these for a party this weekend. The trouble is, the amount of maraschino seems to vary wildly in recipes.
While I like a touch of maraschino and know that it adds a necessary sweetness to balance the drink as well as a nice background note, I find it one of those ingredients that easily overwhelms everything else.
The two recipes I'm looking at are almost identical: 2 oz rum, 3/4 oz lime, 1/2 oz grapefruit, but one specifies 1/2 oz maraschino while the other uses 1 tsp and adds sugar. I trust Jim Meehan's expertise, but 1/2 ounce sounds like a lot. I would prefer not to use simple syrup. Which seems closer to a balanced, refreshing drink?
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hemingway-daiquiri-cocktails-2009
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/08/cocktail_hemingway_daiquiri.html
Also for batching, if I mix everything in a large punch bowl and add a large block of ice (frozen in a loaf pan) and let it sit for 30 minutes and then serve it over crushed ice, will that be enough dilution or should I add some water up-front (ie. 25% of final volume) to make up for not shaking the drink?
Thanks hounds!
Menton, Clio, or Craigie? Tasting menu blow-out for family. Recent expeiences?
Possibly, but as a 26 year old who enjoys the formality of very high end restaurants and getting dressed up for them accordingly, I don't know if it is always a generational thing. I enjoy formality because it makes the experience feel all that much more special. If I'm paying a lot for a dinner, I want it to feel like a different atmosphere than the neighborhood restaurant. On the other hand, I love Strip T's which is no-frills atmosphere and fantastic food. For me it depends on what I'm in the mood for but I do love both. I have friends though like you mkfisher, who despise formal restaurants either based on a bad experience or just on the fact that they don't like them.
I think the biggest challenge is that how welcoming, warm, and friendly the service at a restaurant is is separated from how formal it is, but people often think, or have an anecdotal experience based on a bad server, that they are correlated. I've had a lot of fun and laughs at Le Bernadin with a staff that was engaged and responded to the mood we were in (and I would consider that a very formal and often cited as a "stuffy" restaurant). On the other side I've had very unwelcoming service at much more modest restaurants or mid-high tier restaurants who somehow think snobbery equates with formality which is a shame. With the downward trend of formal high end eats and the upward trend of high end yet casual restaurants, it's clear though that somewhere along the way the idea of "service" was lost and turned off people and that's too bad.
Menton, Clio, or Craigie? Tasting menu blow-out for family. Recent expeiences?
I concur with your assessment ScotchandSirloin. I would not send an out of towner looking for a meal in the same league as the ones the OP mentioned to Troquet. Yes, it's a great wine list, but it's not like L'Espalier, Menton, Clio, Craigie only serve Charles Shaw by the carafe. The OP is a sommelier and I'm sure can make a great pick regardless of which of these restaurants they are at.
The service and dining room at Troquet is not at the level of the others. I can't imagine TFL, Coi, Fleur de Lys, Manresa or other high end American restaurants seating you at a banquet (Yes, obviously this is a different story in Europe). Further, the service at Troquet is not at the same level as Menton/L'Espalier. Troquet is a great restaurant but it is definitely not top top tier and considering that our top top tier restaurants (Menton, L'Espalier, Craigie, Clio) already are a notch below the best of New York or San Fran (in my opinion, and anyone is free to disagree with me) I wouldn't recommend dropping two notches to a level like Troquet for a blow-out dinner.
Considering your past experiences at Craigie and the fact that its dining room is less formal than the other three, and considering that your guests will be organic gardeners and may appreciate more classical preparations of quality vegetables to modernist techniques (Clio), I'd say that either Menton or L'Espalier would be your best bets.
As an aside, I ate at Salts last week and really enjoyed it. The place is very influenced by Keller and TFL and the food was wonderful. Classic French techniques fused with the tiniest bit of modernist techniques that never distracted from the beautiful refined simplicity of many of the dishes. My only complaint was the wine list was over-priced and had only a single bottle (a rosé) below $55 which I find inconsiderate for a service-oriented restaurant. I remember eating at Del Posto last year and being floored that their list had 50 bottles under $50 and a number of them under $30. If I had my way of course I would be spending $200 a bottle every time I go out to dinner, but some restaurants need to be realistic that many of us love wine but aren't on expense accounts.
Russell House Tavern...everyone's favorite small plates there?
Interesting to hear that you found a lot of the food under-seasoned. On my last few visits, the last of which was about two months ago, I found the food way over-seasoned with a few of the fryer items almost inedibly salty.
I know several people who felt the same way, so I wonder if the under-seasoning is a recalibration of the kitchen or just inconsistency.
Fried Chicken- Strip T's and Highland Kitchen
Haha, sorry OC, but yes Strip T's fried chicken yum! Also that burger is definitely in my future.
What can I do with these dried Juniper Berries I got from Penzeys? Any syrup, tincture, or liqueur recipes/ ideas?
Depending on what other spices you have you could make a "mock" gin. I made Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe a couple years ago and it was a fun experiment. I'm not about to stop buying quality gin, but it's fun to try it out. Here's a link:
http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2007/how-to-make-your-own-gin-without-a-still/
There is also this recipe from Gourmet which I've never tried but may be worth a shot:
http://www.gourmet.com/winespiritsbeer/2008/10/homemade-gin
What are your favorite new gins?
I tried the "Greylock" gin and was underwhelmed for the price. I found it too light for my tastes.
Has anyone tried or seen any of the St. George gins in the Boston area? I've heard great things about them and the blends sound interesting.
Castelluccio or le puy lentils
I've been wondering recently myself where to pick up some AOC Le Puy lentils. I thought I remember one thread mentioning a shop in the north end that had a huge selection of dried beans but I've never been. I also wonder if a place like Cardullo's in Harvard Square might.
Speaking of this, does anywhere in Boston sell Rancho Gordo beans?
Strip T's increasing funkiness
Most hyped and totally justified restaurant I've been to in a long time. I feel bad I haven't written; the meal we had was just so delicious and satisfying and everyone was so nice. We went two weeks ago and I am counting the days till we can go back. This is one place (especially thanks to the high quality of food and reasonable prices) that I can see becoming a regular.
Four of us had a chowdown of:
Japanese sweet potato wedges: Creamy inside, crunchy outside, served with a tangy miso sauce that played off the sweetness of potatoes.
Cauliflower dish: This was actually a miss for us. The cauliflower was limp and overcooked/overfried and lacked crunch inside from proper cooking or crunch from frying. Sauces with it were lost in the slightly burnt taste of the cauliflower.
Eggplant Bahn-Mi: Exceptional! Tender eggplant, crunchy tofu, great bread. If I worked near Strip T's I would be getting this for lunch often. Heck I'll have a hard time ordering it for dinner. Great execution.
Steamed PEI mussels: The description on the menu does nothing for these. This was our favorite dish of the night. Perfectly cooked mussels on a bed of mashed potatoes and a slightly spicy creamy sauce that I wanted to lick off the plate. Definitely order this!
Charred baby octopus: Perfectly cooked and charred. Great flavor and nice light dish.
Seared Pork and Provolone sausage: I only had a bite of this. The sausage was undercooked but the rest of the dish was good.
Fried Chicken: Just when we thought we were full. They brought this out for us to try. Fried chicken was perfectly crispy with a well seasoned and flavorful crust. Meat was some of the juiciest I've had. They told us they brined it for 3 days. Greens were cloying with a sauce that tasted to me like "duck sauce." Grits were good.
The service was fantastic and so so friendly. A $24 bottle of wine rounded it all out and was tasty and perfect for a casual dinner. We all loved the cooking; yes, a few things fell flat or felt like they were still getting kinks worked out, but the originality of many dishes, interesting flavors, and overall deliciousness coupled with reasonable prices and super friendly service will keep us coming back.
Fresh chick peas
Funny, I do feel that fresh peas really do make a difference, but I think the biggest variable here is when the fresh beans are picked. If you picked them up from a farm where they were picked that day, they really do taste different, but bought from a supermarket where they've been hanging out for a week ehh, especially after all that work. It's basically like corn. Don't the sugars start to convert to starch within 24 hours once picked?
Now, when it comes to your excellent brandied cherries recipe Striper, I still prefer pitting the cherries. Totally worth it for me, but then again I don't normally polish off 40 brandied cherries in a sitting while chickpeas or peas...
Let us know katzzz how they are, it might warrant a trip to Arax.
Fresh chick peas
I eat a lot of chickpeas but have often found fresh ones a lot of work for a taste that isn't much better than dry chickpeas. It's the shucking of them that kills me!
Nevertheless fresh ones do feel like a treat because they're fresh. I like to do things with them that highlight their flavor rather than drown them in a curry or thick sauce. They're wonderful sauteed with some evoo, garlic, lemon, and dandelion greens, or quickly boiled and then tossed in a salad.
Another recipe we love for fresh chickpeas (or dried) comes from Bittman. Once you cook the chickpeas (we boil them) Sautee red onions in evoo in a large saucepan. When the onions soften add cumin and garlic. Add the chickpeas and toss everything around to coat. Turn off heat, add in TBSP honey, red wine vinegar and a boatload of fresh arugula. Toss this all together so the arugula wilts a little. Season well and serve. We like to add a fried egg on top for a complete meal.
Edit: Found this link. The only difference is we prefer to sautee and soften the onions.
http://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-warm-chickpea-salad-with
What is the superlative taco and where to find it in the Boston area?
As far as Anna's, that makes sense to me, thanks Luther.
But I was actually asking about Dorado which I thought is who Nechushtan is referring to as "worst taco's I've ever had."
Fried Chicken- Strip T's and Highland Kitchen
When we went to Strip T's recently for a chowdown they generously gave us a plate of fried chicken to try (I think because we were talking about it but didn't order it.) Although I found the greens a bit sweet (reminded me of old school "duck sauce), the chicken itself was fantastic. It had a good medium crust, not too thick not too thin), and the crust was crackly crisp.
The meat though was the real star. It was so tender and juicy it almost reminded me of slow cooked pork. They told us they brined it for three days. The grits were well done as well.
I haven't tried the Highland Kitchen version, but they are on my radar for a visit. Definitely check out Strip T's though. Great restaurant, great food, and friendly people.
