FinnFPM's Profile
The real cost of food [moved from Boston board]
I'm really not trying to start a fight here, but you have to understand, the price of a pint of cheap ice cream is NOT honest. It is supported primarily by two things: government subsidies to corn and soy producers, and exploitation of third-world land and labor.
The $13 pint of ice cream is what it costs to buy land in America without a tax break from the government, and to pay American laborers. This isn't about xenophobia, or cultural elitism.
Honestly, it's primarily the government and big businesses that are creating these divides. It does no one ANY good to allow them to make this a "precious ice cream producers" versus "honest hard-working carnitas vendors" issue. We're all in the same boat. Please, please don't make this that kind of fight.
You're absolutely right that for some people, the opportunity to start a sustainable operation does not exist, because that requires start-up capital that many of the poor simply do not have. 99% of the world can't afford this food because of the way that the global economy is set up, NOT because of an arbitrary premium on the price.
I have NOTHING against the producers of those carnitas, and they're a much better option than a number of other food choices people could be making. But, if nothing else, please, from the bottom of my heart, don't set this up as a fight between them and other Americans who are also trying to start businesses. This is probably going to sound stupid and paranoid, but that is EXACTLY what big businesses want you to think.
The real cost of food [moved from Boston board]
You're right. It doesn't make them taste better. You have successfully defeated your own straw man argument.
My argument is that food is about more than simply the way it "tastes." Per your "Chowhound" argument, that isn't really an argument at all; "chowhound" isn't some word with a specific meaning, it's the name of a website, and it means whatever its users decide that it means. You think one thing. I think another thing. That's fine, but I'm not the one telling others that their definition of what this site means is wrong.
Here's what Jim Leff, who founded Chowhound, wrote of why he started the site in 1997: "New York's so amazing; you can save plane fare by simply getting on the subway and eating a meal as authentic and soulful as you'd have Over There."
If only you could have been there back then to tell him that he was wrong about the soulful part. You can't taste soulfulness, Jim! Take that crap somewhere else!
The real cost of food [moved from Boston board]
I respectfully and entirely disagree with you.
If you want to simplify -- and, clearly, you do -- food is about energy content. We eat because we need to use the energy content from the foods we consume in order to survive. "Taste" is the chemical reception which allows us to differentiate between different foods, ideally permitting us to select what's best for us and avoid what could hurt us.
I don't deny that our relationship with our food has evolved far beyond this. But it's just arbitrary to define food as being "about the taste." For many, many reasons, this is simply not true.
Stone Hearth Pizza - Needham location
Went here tonight. I was a little underwhelmed overall, but mostly because of the crust, which was disappointingly flimsy. I had "The Bean," and the garlic and white bean flavors really worked; the spinach and pesto were delicious as well, but as floppy as the crust was, I had to form the slices into little envelopes for holding the spinach leaves if I wanted to eat the whole thing together. A more robust crust probably would've contributed to a slightly more substantive meal. As it was, there aren't a lot of local pizza joints who focus primarily on local and/or gluten-free pizzas, and I think that this place is well worth supporting.
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Stone Hearth Pizza
974 Great Plain Ave, Needham, MA 02492
The real cost of food [moved from Boston board]
I'd never argue that it's not a matter of what your "primary purpose" (to use your term) is, as far as your purchases are concerned -- you are the consumer, and these are your dollars, so it's certainly 100% about what you want to spend your money on. But the prices are set at least partially based on the inputs, so it's worthwhile to say that in instances like this, that $13 pint is not entirely based on propping up Jeni's as an elite brand.
It's your definition of "enjoy" that is probably too simple here. When I buy ice cream, my primary purpose is absolutely to enjoy that ice cream. But for some people -- and this is what you might be ignoring -- "enjoyment" goes beyond flavor and your short-term dollar value. If I didn't really want the ice cream, and mostly wanted to support the farm, I'd be better off writing a check. You're correct. But I can also do both: support small farms, and enjoy ice cream. I can't enjoy my ice cream, then, if I know that small farmers -- and cows -- are getting screwed so that I can eat that ice cream for cheaper.
I'm not saying what you should or shouldn't do. But this turned into a conversation about the cost of Jeni's versus the cost of other ice cream options, and I felt that the determinants of that cost were being largely ignored.
The real cost of food [moved from Boston board]
[We've moved this discussion, which began as a response to http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/702241#5618513 from the Boston board. -- THE CHOWHOUND TEAM]
Again, this isn't simple a matter of flavors, it's a matter of where your money is going. When you buy Jeni's, you're supporting many players in the Ohio sustainable agriculture scene, and you are voting for grass-fed, free-range dairy. When you go to Toscanini's (for example), you are supporting H.P. Hood. You're also supporting the people that make the ice cream, but your money trail -- and impact trail -- is significantly longer than that. I'm not sure why everyone is ignoring this aspect of the money question.
Cafe Latino Gov't Center is the Real Deal - Serious Roast Pork
Did you specifically get a beans and rice dish, and would you describe that dish as extremely good? Or was it a side of beans that were really good? I've spent years downtown and I've never even heard of this place. My interest is definitely piqued.
Jeni's Ice Cream -- now at Formaggio Kitchen
There's one major part of this discussion missing, which is how the actual dairy in the ice cream is sourced. This obviously means different things to different people, but the dairy industry is essentially a gigantic machine; if you're at all concerned with where your meat comes from, you should be just as concerned with where your dairy comes from.
Jeni's sources all of its dairy from a single, 100% grass-fed herd in Ohio -- Snowville Creamery, to be specific. This very much increases the price of their product, but it also increases the quality, and supports sustainable, local (to Ohioans) dairy, to say nothing of their other ingredients, of which almost all are local to Ohio.
Toscanini's, on the other hand, sources their dairy from H.P. Hood, and most or all of their non-dairy food ingredients from Perkins Foodservice. Don't get me wrong: Hood and Perkins are both headquartered locally and provide jobs to thousands, which is great, but sustainability is not part of their model or their ethos. It's worth noting that Hood has been actively dropping its contracts with local organic milk providers, in order to keep up with the rising cost of organic labeling and production. This is partially the USDA's fault.
It's about what you want to support, really: sustainable or local. I'm not going to try and say that one is better than the other, but let's not compare the two based purely on dollars. To do so does a disservice to food in general. Though I'm enjoying the metaphor, there's much more going on here than "foodie butterfly collecting."
Morel mushroom hunting
Mushroom hunters are, in this country and others, extremely secretive. No one's going to give up any information on this. Your best luck is to try and find someone who does it, befriend them, butter them up, and ask them to take you out and show you the ropes.
Bertucci's -- "Certified" Authentic Neapolitan?
I know y'all are pizza-heads on here, so confirm/deny this rumor for me:
I've heard it said and seen it written multiple times that Bertucci's is among the only places in America that you can get "certified" Neapolitan-style pizza -- http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org/ -- per the standards of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.
None of those sources, however, are either the Bertucci's website, or the website of the "certification board." Certifying foods as authentic can be either totally silly or pretty legitimate, and I'm not sure where this particular designation falls, but... though the certification board itself is real, the Bertucci's thing is just something someone made up, right?
(FYI -- According to the site, MA lacks a certified authentic Neapolitan pizzeria.)
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Bertuccis Restaurant
6 Plaza Way, Plymouth, MA 02360
fiddleheads 2010
I've never washed or trimmed or otherwise cleaned any fiddleheads I've ever bought, either from WFM or from Formaggio Kitchen. I find that when they're thrown in a roasting pan with some canola oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, they come out ridiculously good and (watch them!) perfectly cooked. Nothing dry/slimy/gritty to speak of.
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Formaggio Kitchen
244 Huron Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
Hungry birthday girl seeks tasty carrot cake
Whole Foods actually does a really solid carrot cake, if you're into supporting them.
Mass Chicken in Central Sq
They took over the Hot Off The Press spot at least a year ago.
I have never been, but am comfortable saying that no, it is not a worthy spot.
Did anyone go to the Beer and Bacon fest?
The event was also done entirely for charity. Nobody involved in the planning/execution made any money off this.
Not at all surprised to see the Chowhounds responding in such a reasonable fashion. I think that the main complaints to those ends have mostly been that it was a little too zoo-ish. There was a lot of learning that happened this year, and there'll be plenty of planning to ensure that it's more manageable for next year's event, which will most likely be a bigger, badder, beer-and-bacon-er two-day throwdown.
If anyone else has any thoughts/complains/concerns/suggestions/praises, by all means, let them be known here.
Anywhere to get a banneton/brotform for baking?
I've seen some professional bakers say that a cheap wicker basket (like the type restaurants serve dinner rolls in) works just fine. Peter Reinhart endorses this. I might switch my strategy to dollar stores!
Anywhere to get a banneton/brotform for baking?
Question for the bread bakers among us -- anyone know where I can pick up a nice wood banneton in the area? I could certainly order one from Amazon.com or something, but the selections tend to be limited, and I'd much prefer to get one locally, without needing to have it boxed up and shipped from who knows where.
Are there people crafting wooden baking supplies in the area? Local artisans, anything like that? Or, failing that, maybe just a baking supply shop that already has this sort of thing in stock?
Roly Poly in Boston
I actually used to really enjoy eating in at Dino's. It's like someone dug out a restaurant in the ground, and had to snake around big rock deposits. It's bigger than it looks down there. Oddly charming.
Anyone Been to Menton? Any Opinions?
I agree -- this is all the more reason to actually ask questions about it.
Anyone Been to Menton? Any Opinions?
I sort of feel that the question should be asked by diners all the time, regardless of where they're eating. It's just too important, for a great number of reasons, to make assumptions about. Some focus on high-quality, some focus on local, some focus on both. I'm just trying to flesh out the specific attitudes behind Menton.
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Menton
354 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
Anyone Been to Menton? Any Opinions?
I wouldn't expect the menu to "focus" on sustainability by any means -- I understand that's not what's being promoted here. I do, however, believe that when you're paying that much for food, the quality of the actual ingredients should (and generally do... I hope) match the talent of the chefs in question.
Anyone Been to Menton? Any Opinions?
When you go to a marquee spot like Menton is angling to be (and, I assume, will be), where does the food generally come from? I'm really not sure how menus at these places are decided upon, or how often they change, and so forth.
I'm becoming very big into sustainability and/or agricultural responsibility, and the blind menu aspect of a place like Menton has me slightly nervous. Am I right to assume that, for the prices you're paying and the quality of food you're expecting to receive, you are going to be eating something more akin to beef raised in a local farmer's back fields, as opposed to some grain-fed factory cow from the midwest? Or fish caught with a pole on a dinghy off the Cape, as opposed to something trawled up off Indonesia?
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Menton
354 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
Chacho's, Mission Hill: thoughts?
To get back to the original topic, I've spent a lot of time in Mission Hill, and Chacho's ultimately isn't anything special. The empanadas are very well constructed, but the fillings tend to call to mind the cheapest sorts of meat you can find: hard, gummy bits of god-knows-what are not an uncommon find. It's a very cheap spot, though, and popular with the locals and college kids alike.
What they do best, I've vexingly found, is a barbeque chicken sub. Long after having partaken in my last visit here (and sworn off meat of unknown origin), I still dream about this thing. The rolls they use are rich and hold up very well to the sauce, which is a) abundant b) very sweet c) EXCELLENT. The chicken pieces they've got for those things are unfailingly white and juicy.
(And the pizza sucks. But you're not going for that.)
Anyone know/remember Zydeco Grille in Southie?
I was walking down Dorchester St the other day in Southie when I came across an old restaurant space that had some fresh new "B" permits on the window. The work was relatively minor, but included some demo and ceiling work, and the phrase "to prep for new layout," which piqued my curiosity. The name of owner was listed as "Zydeco Grille."
Curious, I did a little googling and came across this "Dining Out" article from March, 1998:
http://bostonphoenix.com/archive/food/98/03/12/ZYDECO_GRILLE.html
Any old Boston Chowhounds know anything about what happened to this place, or even better, has anyone sniffed out what might be happening to this space?
Looking for South Boston favorites Broadway/Dorcester area
Southie isn't that great for restaurants. It's a bit of a stagnant area, especially as you move further from Fort Point, though it does have some bright spots.
Terrie's Place is not to be missed; it's on Broadway, by I street, and is an excellent and very local place to get breakfast or lunch (expect a crowd on weekends).
There are a lot of ho-hum pizza and sandwich joints along Broadway. Ignore pretty much all of them, including the fancier-looking places, like Shenanigans, Boston Beer Garden, and The Playwright. This especially goes for Salsa's, on the corner of Broadway and Dorchester, which masquerades as a Mexican restaurant. They fool many a local. Don't let yourself be one of them.
Someone mentioned Cafe Arpeggio, between E and F on Broadway: they're alright, and have a nice little space there, but the atmosphere is ahead of the food itself. Sweet Tooth is a decent little spot, but you might miss it if you're not looking for it.
Blue Marble Chocolate Cafe is supposed to be opening soon on Broadway, between C and D street. Could be an interesting addition, could be terrible, could never open.
I've Been Waiting All My Life for This
I might be most excited about the prospect of a pig butchery demonstration. I've never seen anything like that, and know next to nothing about it, but am extremely into the idea of being able to find out more. While being surrounded by bacon, of course.
Any decent breakfast places in the Copley Square area?
Pour House is docked at least a star for their abhorrent coffee. I suppose that sort of thing is easily changed, but I've never had anything but watery garbage there. If you can see the bottom of the mug, something is very, very wrong.
Anyone doing bbq with local meat?
This is generally my assumption on issues like this. If a restaurant is doing local meat, they're going to be constantly reminding the customers, because a) it's ethically and morally appealing, and b) they can justify higher prices.
Anyone doing bbq with local meat?
That's a weird falafel.
I've never been out to Bedford to eat, and I guess it's telling that this topic dropped like a rock when I posted it. No one in Boston is doing this? Has it not extended beyond burgers and/or charcuterie?
Any decent breakfast places in the Copley Square area?
Thornton's Restaurant is RIGHT down the street at 150 Huntington Ave, and is a fine place to grab a straightforward breakfast. Brasserie JO is right next door to them and does breakfast as well.
anyplace to get good fresh bread downtown?
I figured I'd be a jerk if I said "wait for the farmers markets," but seeing that the first two responders also made that note... wait for the farmers markets! The Government Center market is actually pretty decent as well. Big Sky Bakery sells their, and I tend to really enjoy their bread.
