Fork it over, Boston!

Pomegranate-Glazed Porgy and Latkes

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:07 PST

This post is belated; we made this during Chanukah, hence the latkes. The porgy (also known as scup) is from our favorite fish market, New Deal, located between Inman Square and Lechmere in Cambridge. We asked for advice on what would go nicely with a pomegranate glaze (other than salmon, which seemed like the most obvious choice, but Joel had had that a restaurant a few days prior and wanted something else). The porgy was recommended to us because in winter, it's a bit fattier than in warmer weather while still marked by a fairly light flavor; it seemed like a good fit in terms of texture and taste.

We grilled it on our cast iron grill pan (an absolutely essential kitchen tool as far as we're concerned). The idea for the pomegranate glaze was two-fold: mainly, I'm just obsessed with pomegranates while they're in season (and I finally learned how to easily remove the arils without making the kitchen look like a murder scene). Also, pomegranates figure prominently into a variety of Jewish traditions, so it seemed like a good way to celebrate Chanukah. (That and presents. And gelt, of course.)

Latkes and sauteed greens went well on the side.

And we finally opened up a Dr. Loosen late harvest riesling we picked up a few months back. It was spectacular and played nicely with the pomegranate.

Happy much-belated Chanukah!

Porter Exchange: Cambridge's Little Japan (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:44:22 PST

Cambridge’s Little Japan – Porter Exchange – is tucked away inside a Lesley University building in Porter Square, quite hidden if you don’t know where to find it. It’s worth finding. The Exchange houses a bookstore, a sporting goods store, and a cluster of Japanese gems: several restaurants, a bakery, a bubble tea counter, and even a gift shop, Tokai, which is full of tea sets, bento boxes, chopsticks, and more. There used to be a Japanese grocery store in the Exchange as well, but Lesley ousted it in 2009 to make room for the bookstore. In fall 2011, however, the original owners of Tokai are opening up a new grocery store, Miso Market, just a few blocks down Mass Ave.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Blogger Dinner at Ceia Kitchen + Bar

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:03 PST

Newburyport seems like a gem of a town, from what I glimpsed of a tiny piece of downtown one evening in November. I joined Kevin (The Mighty Rib), Tara (Wine Me A River), and Lena (Lena on the Beach) for a blogger tasting at Ceia (Portuguese for "supper"), a dark and intimate brick-walled oasis of locally-sourced yet European-inspired dishes. Executive Chef Billy 'Brando' Brandolini created a lovely five-course tasting for us.

We began with a baby beet salad (candied butternut, cabrales blue, hearts on fire, and guanciale vinaigrette) - pleasant overall, but texturally too soft. Something crunchy or crispy - nuts, perhaps - would have taken this to the next level. Nonetheless, it was a nice way to start out, and the blue cheese was sparse enough that I could avoid it after confirming that yes, I still don't like blue cheese.

Next, a pasta course: pappardelle with local pulled rabbit, dijon and veal ragout, rams head fungi, brillat mousse. I panicked a little upon seeing the menu; I've owned pet rabbits, Yeti and Bigfoot, and my current roommate owns a big old one named Jane, so despite my usually carnivorous ways, I can't bring myself to eat rabbit. I'm also not a mushroom fan. Even so, I ended up ignoring my hangups and ate most of this course. Turns out it was pretty tasty, and I haven't been haunted by the ghosts of Yeti and Bigfoot. Just don't tell Jane.

Then, we moved on to the fish course, cod accompanied by garbanzo mash, creamed bright lights chard, and infused EVOO. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had a hangup with this course as well. Garbanzo beans, especially in mashed form, are very unappealing to me, but I gave these a try, and I'll file them under "OK, that wasn't so bad." The cod was delicate and flaky, seared perfectly, and very enjoyable.

The next course was supposed to be suckling pig, but the chef on duty (not 'Brando') wasn't happy with how part of the course turned out. Instead, he whipped up a surf 'n' turf 'n' eggs combo that was delightful. Nothing better than ultra-rare beef.

Dessert was a big hunk of brillat savarin; it was too strong a cheese for me to handle.

The after-dinner drink, however, was outstanding. Now if only I could remember what it was...

The wine served with dinner was also fantastic - Convento San Francisco Temperanillo, Ribera Del Duero 2005.

Worth the long drive from Boston? I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd make a special trip out just for the restaurant. If I happened to be in the area, it'd be worth another visit. Special thanks to Kevin for organizing.

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Dining at the W (Scene Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:19 PST

On the Tremont Street side of the W Hotel, across from the Wilbur, the Wang, and their digital marquees, sits one of the newest outposts of legendary chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Market - not to be confused with his Market in Paris or Spice Market in New York City. His collection of restaurants, which spans from Las Vegas to New York to Shanghai and beyond, has accumulated a number of Michelin stars and other accolades, and one taste of Market makes it clear that his reputation is well deserved.

Read the rest of my article over on Scene Boston.

More photos:

Restaurant Review: Five Horses Tavern (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:51:05 PST

Davis Square is full of great restaurants and bars – and full of people. The sidewalks are often almost unbearably congested, and it’s easy to run into a long wait at every dinner spot on the square or enter a bar so packed you can barely reach the restrooms. I love Davis, but I hate crowds, so I was excited to stumble on a new place set back a little bit from the center of the action. Five Horses Tavern has taken over Sagra’s old space, and from the beer selection alone, I was a fan even before stepping inside.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Late Night Noodles with Guchi's Midnight Ramen

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:02:21 PST

It's 3 A.M. on Tuesday morning and I just got home. My belly is sleepily full of ramen, but my veins are coursing with the epic amounts of caffeine I consumed to ensure I wouldn't fall asleep face-first in a giant ramen bowl at tonight's...er, this morning's...industry preview of Guchi's Midnight Ramen, the latest addition to Boston's batch of pop-up culinary adventures. (Special thanks to my bandmate and blogger friend Holly, who had an extra ticket and invited me along for the ride.)

Guchi's Midnight Ramen (Twitter/Facebook) is brought to us (from heaven, probably) by a couple of O Ya's chefs, Yukihiro Kawaguchi ("Guchi") and Mark O'Leary, along with O Ya alum Tracy Chang, plus (non-O Ya-related) Vilas Dhar, a lawyer interested in food entrepreneurship. O Ya times three? Oh yeah. (Sorry, I had to do it.) Anyways, after my extraordinarily memorable grand omakase experience at O Ya, I'd probably try anything by those people.

Let's see if I can stay awake long enough to recap this morning's festivities, which took place at Bondir, a place I really need to get to under normal circumstances. I've been there once before, for a special prix fixe lunch set up by Maggie of Eat Boutique. I love the ambiance, and Chef Bond's food was fantastic.

First up, the pork belly bun, a soft and squishy and savory preview of the wonderfulness to come.

Meanwhile, Mark and Guchi were hard at work prepping the main course.

The bowls arrived at our table along with a camera, with which we were instructed to photograph each other's first slurps.

And slurp we did. The rich broth became even more complex as we added the side sauce, the "umami oil." When we weren't slurping, we were dissecting the contents of the soup and the sauce. The velvety egg yolk slowly permeated the mixture, and the tender fat-lined pork grew softer as it soaked up the broth. Balancing chopsticks and spoons, we threw dignity aside and nearly dunked our faces in the huge bowls.

The bottom of the bowl was a sad sight, but perhaps a relief. My late night ramen stamina was fading fast. But there was still dessert to come, green tea cookies bursting with melted chocolate.

Late night ramen adventure? Success. I'd do it again. It's the ultimate mix of comfort and spontaneity, and the food is just solidly delicious. What's not to love?

Special thanks to my fun and interesting tablemates: Holly (Nomsense), Meredith (Serious Eats: Slice), and Patrick (Server Not Servant).

Disclosure: This was an industry preview event. All food was complimentary.

Restaurant Review: Blackstrap BBQ (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:40:30 PST

I’m on a mission to find great BBQ in the Boston area. I have no real Southern BBQ experience, so take my opinion with the necessary grain of salt. For context, the BBQ I obsess over is at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (the original two locations in Syracuse and Rochester – forget the newer ones) and Fette Sau in Brooklyn. While I haven’t thoroughly exhausted the options closest to me yet, I’ve been intrigued by the buzz about the newish place in Winthrop, Blackstrap BBQ. My mom lived in Winthrop until she was nine, so last time my parents came into town from the ‘burbs to meet me for dinner, we decided to drive out to Winthrop, see the old house, and give Blackstrap a try.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Austin/Boston Food Love

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:49:45 PST

Last month, the Boston Food Bloggers (BFB) teamed up with our new friends in Texas, the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (AFBA), to do a holiday gift swap. I'll write more about the background (and hopefully future!) of the swap in a recap post over on BostonFoodBloggers.com, but over here, I want to recap my personal swap experience. I worked with Jodi Bart, the AFBA's Communications Chair, to organize the event, and we decided to participate as well by becoming swap partners. (Yep, the AFBA actually has a Board of Directors and everything. Pretty snazzy. Something to think about for BFB?)

Jodi (whose blog is Tasty Touring) and I were both dealing with particularly hectic lives around the swap and never got a chance to talk on the phone (I'm totally phone-awkward anyways!), but we swapped a few emails and learned a little bit about each other. Jody was born up in Ottawa and attended a French immersion kindergarten in Montreal; I'm a total francophile nerd (and minored in French), so I hope we have a chance to parler en français at some point! (Yes, I know "to parler" is redundant, but I'm making up my own Franglish rules here.) Fast-forward to college at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where Jodi studied history. Then, she moved to NYC to do PR for The New Yorker before moving to Austin in 2003.

She's been blogging since 2008 - me too! - and awesomely won a national food blogger video contest through Whole Foods last year, resulting in a fabulous free trip to Europe. Amazing.

From Boston to Austin

Picking out the local goodies to share with Jodi was pretty exciting. There are the obvious choices that came to mind right away, like Taza chocolates and local honey from Follow the Honey; the ones that I came across randomly, having never heard of them before, like Fat Toad caramel and Minnie's Mandelbrot; and everything in between.

Here's what I sent:

Wildflower Honey from Warm Colors Apiary in Deerfield (purchased at Follow the Honey in Cambridge)

Follow the Honey is a newish bee-themed store in Cambridge. I first learned about it from a friend of a friend who worked there, and I went in, tasted a ton of honey, took a ton of photos, and wrote about it for CBS Boston. I was expecting just a store full of honey, but it’s so much more than that. Product-wise, there are bee and honey-themed accessories, beauty products, and honey from all over the world. The staff is also extremely knowledgeable about bees, colony collapse disorder, etc., and many of them are artists, so the store is gorgeous.

Most of the local honeys available last time I went in would have put me too close to the budget limit for the swap, but fortunately this local wildflower honey was “on tap” at a reasonable price - they have a rotating selection on tap that you jar yourself. It's from Warm Colors Apiary. (As you'll read a bit further down, Jodi also sent me a local honey!)

I had hoped to include print-outs of recipes from the websites of several of the products I was sending and stores I was visiting, but I unfortunately ran out of time. Warm Colors has a nice collection of honey-based recipes here.

Chocolate from Taza Chocolate in Somerville (purchased at Magpie in Somerville)

Taza is headquartered in Somerville - my home! The chocolate is gritty and intense, not creamy like European-style chocolate. Pretty sure most Boston swap participants included some Taza in their package. I’ve toured the factory twice. Lots of fun! I included one of my favorite flavors, guajillo chili, and one that everyone else seems to love, salted caramel. These are sold all over the place as of the last year or so; I picked these up at a cute gift shop called Magpie in Somerville's Davis Square.

Here's Taza's recipe collection, which makes me drool. A lot.

Italian Plum and Wild Concord Grape Jam from Central Bottle in Cambridge (includes plums from Autumn Hill Farm in Groton)

I’ve never tasted this one, but I love the store, Central Bottle. It’s primarily a wine store - a great one - but they have some other goodies, including a sandwich that I occasionally power-walked 14 minutes from the office to get for lunch when I worked in Kendall Square - goat cheese, arugula, walnuts, pecorino. And amazing bread! Central Bottle jarred the jam, which includes plums from Autumn Hills Orchard in Groton. According to the ingredient list, it also includes chartreuse (which I love) and “tastiness.” Yay! I hope it tastes good!

Mexican Chocolate Cashews from Q's Nuts in Somerville (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market in Boston)

Q’s Nuts makes the rounds at many of the local farmer’s markets, and I stumbled upon this flavor awhile ago and loved it. This bag was bought at a local holiday market organized by Maggie of Eat Boutique, a Boston-based food blog-turned-business that creates awesome food gift boxes that you can subscribe to - or send to friends. Check out the stunning recipe collection on the Eat Boutique website.

Minnie's Mandelbrot in Boston (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market)

And now for something a bit more Chanukah-oriented! I found this cinnamon, raisin, and walnut mandelbrot, made by Minnie's Mandelbrot, at the Eat Boutique holiday market, tried a sample, and thought it’d make a nice addition to the box. Minnie was the baker’s great-grandmother, who brought this recipe over from Belarus more than a century ago. (Never had mandelbrot? It's pretty much a Jewish/Eastern-European version of biscotti.)

Goat's Milk Vanilla Bean Caramel from Fat Toad Farm in Brookfield, VT (purchased at the Eat Boutique holiday market)

Another random purchase from the Eat Boutique holiday market! No special significance - I just tried a sample and thought it was delicious. Fat Toad Farm is a family-run goat dairy in Vermont, which still counts as local, right? Be sure to check out their tasty-looking recipes.

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Bomb Cookies from 3 Little Figs in Somerville

3 Little Figs is my new favorite place! It’s a Greek-inspired cafe that recently opened just five minutes’ walk from my apartment. I’m in love. Everything’s delicious, especially the sandwiches. I’ve never had these cookies, but I’ve had a bunch of other spectacular baked goods from here.

Mayflower Poultry Coaster from Magpie in Somerville

I’ve never been to Mayflower Poultry in Cambridge, but it has been around since the 1930s, and its logo is very well-known around here. They even sell branded thongs on the Mayflower website. This coaster is from Magpie, the aforementioned Somerville gift shop.

2010 Holiday Cookies Issue from America's Test Kitchen in Brookline

Just a whole lot of cookie recipes from Brookline-based America’s Test Kitchen! Yum! America's Test Kitchen, of course, has a ton of recipes on their website.

To describe the items that I sent, I printed out a collection of some of my favorite photos that I've taken around Boston, and I wrote about each item on the back of a photo. I had a great time putting together this collection of goodies and supporting some of my favorite local businesses while discovering new ones.

From Austin to Boston

What's a big event like this without a little drama and mystery?

As other swap participants happily tweeted about the packages that they were receiving, I started feeling a little sad...mine hadn't arrived yet even though I thought Jodi had shipped it a couple days before I had shipped mine. Jodi got worried as well and tracked the package, delivering the devastating news that it had apparently been delivered to my porch a week before. Remembering reading an article about a spate of porch package thefts in my neighborhood that week, I actually called the Somerville police department and left a message about my missing package; one of the articles stated that the thieves had been arrested, and police were working through hundreds of packages found in the thieves' car and apartment to try to return them to the owners, so I wanted to make sure they could contact me easily if mine were to be found.

Then - and I should have done this first - I called FedEx with the tracking number Jodi had given me. When I put in the number online, I could see very limited information - it was delivered to my porch on a specific date - but it turns out FedEx had more details to provide. A very nice lady read through the information, including one very key detail. "Let's see, this says that the package was delivered to your back porch..." Back porch! I have a back porch! I live on the second floor of a triple decker; the back porch is only attached to the first floor tenants' door, so I'd never have a reason to go back there, and no one has ever delivered a package to me at that door before, so I completely forgot it existed. The FedEx lady said that the drivers had been instructed to be extra careful during the holiday season, and many were apparently delivering to side and back doors to try to avoid theft. I hurriedly ran out in the rain to find the package sitting rather forlornly, a little soggy and a week old, on the back porch. Success!

As it turns out, nothing was damaged by the rain, and a detective from the Somerville police department even returned my call. I felt bad wasting his time since it turns out I had the package all along, but he was very nice about it.

So here's what I got:

Austin Publications

I didn't know this at the time, but it turns out I'm actually going to be traveling to Austin in March for SXSW, so these publications have become very good research materials for me! Jodi sent me the December issue of The Austin Chronicle (the gift guide), a "Cooks!" edition of Edible Austin (a sister publication to Edible Boston), and the special food issue of Austin Monthly, which I devoured in order to figure out where to eat during my trip. Turns out Jodi's actually in this issue of Austin Monthly - she is one of the experts consulted to build the "best of" list. Awesome.

Barbecue Sauce from The County Line

I told Jodi that I loved barbecue, so this was a perfect choice! I haven't tried it yet, but I bet it'll be amazing. The County Line's original location apparently opened in 1975 and has since expanded. Since 1990, it has been shipping meats, sauces, and more all around the country. Good to know in case I fall in love with this sauce!

Hot Sauce

As you might already know, I really really really like spicy food, so of course I was excited to find a Texas hot sauce in the package. I can't wait to burn my tongue on this.

Cheddar Jalapeno Pretzel Chips from Fat Belly Bakery

"...for the German heritage," wrote Jodi. I haven't had a chance to try these pretzel chips from Fat Belly yet, but they're next on my list.

Pure Wildflower Honey from Goodflow Honey Co.

This honey comes from Goodflow Honey Co., a family-run Austin business that has been around since 1975.

Pumpkin Seed Cheddar Snackers from Doctor Kracker

Yeah, I pretty much devoured these within days of receiving the package. This Dallas-based company, Doctor Kracker, is carried at a variety of stores across the country...including Cambridge Naturals, which I walk by almost daily. SCORE. I will be getting more of these. Oh yes.

Bearded Brothers Mighty Maca Chocolate Energy Bar

If there's one thing I need more of, it's energy. Bearded Brothers - which, you might guess, is a duo of brothers with beards - produces a variety of energy bars. This one is chocolate. Yum.

Enchanted Rock Soap with Sweet Almond Oil and Red Clay from Austin Natural Soap

This Austin Natural Soap smells absolutely fantastic, and a portion of the proceeds benefit Texas parks and wildlife.

Just What the Dr Ordered Brownie from Lovepuppies Brownies

OMG. I might have to order more of these from Lovepuppies or stock up when I'm town. Obviously, this was the first thing I devoured. Dark chocolate (yes!), Dr Pepper (Texas' state drink and probably my favorite soda), and Texas-grown pecans. And heaven.

Thanks Jodi!

At least from my perspective, the Austin to Boston Food Swap was a huge, exciting success, and I hope we can do it again next year. (More on that in the post that I eventually write for BFB!) I'm also very excited to actually meet Jodi in person when I travel to Austin in a couple months!

Read about Jodi's thoughts on the swap on her blog.

25 Must-Try Dishes in 2012 (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:18:13 PST

Since our public launch in November, we’ve watched eagerly as our “Top Dishes in Boston” page has evolved as a result of new reviews being added to the site. Interestingly enough, Boston’s top 25 dishes can be found not only at some of Boston’s priciest restaurants, such as O ya, Menton, and Radius, but also at some more affordable spots, like Flour Bakery + Café, KO Catering and Pies, and Darwin’s Ltd., and everywhere in between. There are currently 17 different restaurants on the list, with O ya hogging seven spots, and Istanbu’lu and Flour grabbing two spots each. Categorized by price range, here are the restaurants and dishes you should definitely check out in 2012…and if you’re planning a trip to Menton, I know a few people here at Tasted Menu who’d love to tag along. Hint hint.

Read the rest of my post over on the Tasted Menu blog.

Will Blog for Food...or Maybe Not: How Freebies Have Changed the Blogging Landscape (BostInnovation.com)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:17:46 PST

Over the past year, I’ve eaten thousands of dollars’ worth of free food thanks to the increasingly PR-influenced world of food blogging. I promptly forgot about some of it. I wrote about some of it. I raved about some of it. But most of all, I agonized over it. Is this OK? Am I selling out? Can my readers trust me if I’m writing about freebies?

Read the rest of my article over on BostInnovation.com.

Minibite: Lunch at EVOO

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:54:40 PST

I spent the better part of 2011 working in the Cambridge Innovation Center, a hotbed of startups in Kendall Square, and there are a ridiculous amount of restaurants within a few blocks of the building. EVOO's right next door, attached to Za. I had been to the old EVOO location near Dali for a fantastic dinner a few years ago, but I figured it was time to try out the new location.

My mom came into town to meet me for lunch one day, and we both ordered the same dish, the Chinese box of mustard-glazed shrimp, sesame-hoisin braised beef, gingered vegetable-cashew salad, and organic brown rice. It comes served in a Chinese takeout box, but I missed taking a photo as the waiter ceremoniously dumped the food out onto the plate and removed the box from the table.

At $16, it's a pricey lunch, but it's light and delicious for a great once-in-awhile workday treat. (Bonus: EVOO uses a wide variety of local, sustainable, organic ingredients, and the space is LEED Gold Certified.)

Grand Omakase Chef's Tasting at O Ya (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:46:15 PST

Five hours and twenty-two courses after arriving, my dining companions and I staggered through O Ya’s heavy wooden door, already reminiscing about some of the earlier courses that seemed to have been eaten days ago. One of Boston’s most extravagant and exorbitant dining experiences, the Grand Omakase Chef Tasting at O Ya is certainly one of the most memorable as well. It is an endurance exercise of near-epic proportions. While the courses are fairly small – many consisting of a single piece of sushi – it is an intense meal that shows off a selection of O Ya’s standard menu as well as some favorites of the chef that can’t be ordered apart from the Grand Omakase.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Restaurant Review: Blue Inc. (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:42:50 PST

After five years as Executive Chef at Somerville’s now-defunct Gargoyles on the Square, as well as a few months earning a second-place finish on Fox reality cooking show “Hell’s Kitchen,” Jason “Jay” Santos has opened up Blue Inc. in the Financial District, bringing over his signature duck dish and his recognizable bright blue hair. In its early months, Blue Inc. has already gained substantial buzz for its hints of molecular gastronomy – culinary magic tricks – and whimsical menu.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Latkes and Sufganiyot for Chanukah (Tasted Menu)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:36:56 PST

Chanukah began Tuesday. While many celebrants focus on the eight days of gift-giving, food is a meaningful part of the holiday as well. In fact, tradition dictates that fried foods are to be eaten in celebration of part of the Chanukah story in which a tiny amount of oil miraculously kept the special Temple lamp burning for eight days, much longer than expected. It’s a bit of a stretch, I suppose, but hey, it’s a good excuse to chow down on fried food! In celebration of the holiday, we’ve pulled together a list of the highest-rated, Chanukah-related, deep-fried dishes around town.

Read the rest of my blog post over on FOOD=LOVE, the TastedMenu.com blog.

Tasted Menu: Now I can think about food even more often.

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:34:45 PST

I'm very excited to announce that I've somehow finally landed myself a day job that involves food. Now I can ponder Boston's best roast beef sandwich* on the clock, without guilt. Jackpot! I've joined the Tasted Menu team as Community Manager, a position which basically allows me to play on social media all the time and think about food all the time. Needless to say, I'm pretty thrilled.

Tasted Menu is a website that breaks down restaurant reviews to what many would consider the most important piece: the food. You can post reviews, ratings, and photos for individual dishes on current menus. This allows everyone to easily discover the best dishes at a given restaurant as well as the restaurants to get the best ____ in town. Pretty sweet, right?

Let's say, for example, that I want to find the best pizza in Boston. Currently, the top three pizzas are Brussel Sprout Pizza at Posto, Mushroom Pizza in Sonsie, and Sausage and Vidalia Onion Pizza at OTTO. (Disagree? Sign up for an account and start adding your own rankings!)

You know what? I'm actually somewhat of a pizza purist. I generally stick to cheese or a simple meat topping, like pepperoni. I wonder where the best pepperoni pizzas in Boston can be found. Looks like Emma's and OTTO make the cut:

These rankings change constantly, of course, as more people add reviews to the site. Everything is weighted by a super snazzy algorithm, the TM Rank, which takes multiple factors into consideration. I'm a nerd. I love super snazzy algorithms.

The site recently launched publicly in Boston; I actually participated in the private beta earlier this year and built up an embarrassingly large number of site contributions. (You can see in the screenshot above how my reviews of pepperoni pizzas #2 and #3 are included in the ranking.)

There are plenty of other fun features to explore; sign up and give it a try! Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or feedback about the site. Find us on Twitter (@TastedMenu) and Facebook. And you can continue to find me right here; I'll still be blogging.

*As for Boston's best roast beef sandwich, my current vote is for Jimbo's in Union Square, Somerville. Tasted Menu users currently like All-Star Sandwich Bar, Cutty's, and Roast Beast.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Polonia (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:42:50 PST

Snarled Saturday morning traffic on 93S caused us to abandon a plan to visit relatives for lunch in Canton, a disappointment which ended up leading to an amazing food discovery. We exited the highway somewhere in South Boston, and while we were navigating back towards Somerville, I noticed a fork-and-knife icon pop up on the Google map (Ah, the era of smartphones). We were just a street away from Café Polonia, a restaurant I’d heard friends rave about as one of the only places to get good Polish food in Boston. A minute later, we snagged a parking spot right in front of the tiny, signless restaurant and headed inside to find seven tables, most of which were filled. We were seated, but several parties that arrived right after us were turned away. Reservations are apparently a good idea at Café Polonia.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Restaurant Review: Central Kitchen (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:42:50 PST

Central Square’s eclectic, grungy charm makes it a strange environment for pricey restaurants, but a few of them make it work – particularly Central Kitchen, which carves out a narrow and elegant space underneath the Enormous Room on Mass. Ave. The restaurant’s opening thirteen years ago was wrought with difficulties, particularly with the renovation of the space, a former take-out place featuring wings, but since then, it has blossomed into a popular neighborhood gem. The intimate space features dimpled copper tables, dark wooden booths, and sparse decor.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Fractal Broccoli for Miss Lima

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:37:23 PST

Miss Lima taught 10th grade geometry. At least I think it was 10th grade and I think it was geometry, but to be honest, high school memories are starting to get a little hazy. I can't even remember the names of all my teachers anymore. It's strange to think I used to have my entire week's schedule memorized to the minute. In any case, I do remember vague bits of a field trip Miss Lima organized. We went to a day-long fractal conference. A day. Of fractals. It was either at BU or MIT, and my dad was one of the chaperones.

Fractals are complex shapes made up of self-similar parts, which in turn are also made up of self-similar parts, and so on, theoretically to infinitely small self-similar parts. The Koch snowflake is a common visualization. Fractals occur in nature, but not quite as neatly as the theory dictates, of course. 'Infinitely small' is hardly possible in practical application. A few natural examples: ferns, lightning, blood vessel systems...and Romanesco broccoli (also called Romanesco cauliflower), a member of the broccoli and cauliflower species Brassica oleracea.

Two years ago, I learned that Miss Lima, who had since married and had three children, had died of breast cancer at only 39 years old. This post is dedicated to her. I'm still amazed that she was able to get a whole class full of high schoolers excited about a math field trip. I've hardly encountered fractals in an academic setting since then, but the memory has stayed with me.

I first stumbled across Romanesco broccoli somewhere on the Internet last year, probably in a blog post, and I was intrigued by its approximate fractal beauty. I scoured the farmers markets, but it seemed that I had missed the season. Finally, this weekend, I spotted it at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market. I can't remember the name of the farm - too excited about the find to notice, I guess - but they recommended roasting it with some goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. (They also recounted the story of a passerby who commented that looking at Romanesco broccoli was probably much like what you'd see on acid.)

We stopped by the Foxboro Cheese Co. stand to investigate whether they had goat cheese. They didn't, but we ended up with asiago (my favorite cheese) and a lemon honey fromage blanc, which seemed like a perfect accompaniment to the broccoli (instead of goat cheese). Yes, it was perfect.

Lightly season the broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast it at 425 for about 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add cheese (fromage blanc, goat, or your choice) and balsamic. We used a store-bought balsamic glaze rather than straight balsamic vinegar. Put it back in the oven for another three or four minutes, and then broil for a minute or two. Voila: cheesy roasted Romanesco broccoli with balsamic glaze. The flavor was a perfect mix of broccoli and cauliflower, fairly mild. Delicious, beautiful, and fleeting.

And then it was gone.
Even nature's not infinite, but it does a good job of convincing us otherwise.

Video: Blogger Dinner at the Bokx 109 Chef's Table

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:46:15 PST

On November 2, 2011, Bokx 109 invited a group of bloggers and guests to enjoy a complimentary six-course meal with wine pairings at the Chef's Table. Chef Jarrod Moiles treated us to everything from goat cheese brulee to a dish we dubbed 'inception pork' to cotton candy.

The always-full wine glasses were quite literally as big as my face.

Bokx 109 is located in the Hotel Indigo in Newton, Massachusetts. The menu for the evening:

Amuse
Seared day boat scallop with house-cured pancetta, truffle, wild mushroom, baby Brussels sprout leaves, cranberry gastrique

First Course
Roasted beet timbale with goat cheese brulee, pistachio brittle, and balsamic onion jam

Second Course
Lobster-stuffed Dover sole with braised Swiss chard and roasted shallot cream

Third Course
Homestead farm pork tenderloin, bacon-wrapped, with house-made mostarda, pickled tomato relish, and corn cake (We dubbed this one 'inception pork.')

Fourth Course
Braised beef short rib from Brandt Farm with fall vegetable ragout and bordelaise

Dessert
Triple creme brie panna cotta with caramelized figs and spiced hazelnut praline

Bonus Dessert!
Cotton candy! I also fell in love with this wine pairing, Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui (2010), a sparkling red (bright red!) wine.

A big thanks to Bokx 109, Chef Jarrod Moiles, and Joanna of Regan Communications for invited us to this feast.

Special thanks also to my trusty dining companion Joel Edinberg, who composed and recorded the music for this video. The song, "Fokxy Bokxing," is available for download here.

Disclosure: Joel and I attended this dinner with a group of bloggers for free. By accepting the invitation, we were not obligated to write a blog post or produce a video about the experience. All opinions expressed are our own.

A Tale Of Two Sandwiches: Must-Try Roast Beefs In Boston (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:42:50 PST

Sandwiches are the ultimate nostalgia food. One bite can bring you right back to that daily brown bag lunch packed by your mom, or the squished sandwich pulled out of the cooler on the annual beach trip with the family, or your favorite guilty pleasure greasy food truck sandwich during late night study-a-thons in college.

Nostalgia led me to two of my favorite Boston-area roast beefs.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

Fall Menu Tasting at Brasserie Jo

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:46:15 PST

As life gets busier, it’s harder to keep up with the blog. I’m more interested in creating infrequent videos and in-depth posts, and I’m funneling most of my restaurant reviews to paid freelance assignments. For those gigs, I never write about complimentary meals I’ve received. While I’ve covered a number of free blogger meals here on the blog in the past, in general, I prefer to use events like those as a chance to scout out restaurants for future (anonymous, non-wined-and-dined) coverage. Meanwhile, many of these events have begun to welcome us to bring along a guest, so Joel’s been freeloading off of my freeloading...and understandably loving every minute of it. Time to put him to work - I’ll let him cover some of these events that I’ve been neglecting. In this latest guest post, Joel writes about a fall tasting we attended at Brasserie Jo. You can view his past guest posts here. Without further ado, here’s Joel. ~Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Dating a food blogger definitely has its advantages. Granted, I have to hear about all these awesome events that Rachel goes to and the amazing food that she eats while I'm sitting at home eating store-bought mac and cheese, but occasionally I do get to reap the benefits when I’m allowed to join her for some very fancy and fun meals. Plus, as I now venture into the world of becoming a full-time musician, I’m willing to do a lot of things for a free meal.

A few weeks ago, I was able to join Rachel for a tasting of the fall menu at Brasserie Jo in Back Bay. Having visited France for two weeks one time a few years ago, I would definitely consider myself to be an expert on all things French, including the food and the three or four words that I know in French, so it makes sense that I would write a nice recap and review of our meal. They started off the night by showing off their new collection of martinis as well as some hors d'oeuvres. Because I wasn’t driving, I made sure to get a full taste of most of the drinks they had to offer.

Cucumber Rosemary Cocktail: Effen Cucumber Vodka, Fresh Rosemary, Lime, House-Pressed Cucumbers

The drink that really shined for me was the Cranberry Cobbler, which is made with Bulleit bourbon, cranberry-brown sugar syrup, cranberry juice, and lime. The drink was very well blended and had a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. (I'm a sucker for cranberries and have been a big cranberry juice addict since I was really young, so my opinion might be a bit biased.) At the same time, I’ve never had a kidney stone, and I’m sure this drink will help keep it that way. The hors d’oeuvres were gourmet takes on childhood foods: a peanut butter and jelly finger sandwich with foie gras and peanut brittle, mini ham and cheese sandwiches, and salmon tartare with caviar on a potato chip. The favorite of the group was definitely the chicken and honey skewers, perfectly fried chicken in a sweet sauce. There was no way any of us could resist it when the waiters walked by.

House Baguette

Well, as much as you want to read about all the free drinks and fancy appetizers I got, I’m going to now make you jealous by talking about the meal that I got to eat. It started off with a very flashy appetizer. On top of a special cup that had a blue light shining inside, there was a spoon of pressed lamb belly with olives and riette on top of a bed of seasoned salt. This definitely got everyone’s appetite going; even Rachel liked it, and she usually hates olives. The lamb belly was very soft, and the saltiness from the olives and salt bath really complemented the taste of the lamb well.

Amuse Bouche

The first official course was a seared scallop in a vanilla beurre monté with butternut squash and confit fennel, paired with Francois Villard Viognier. This pairing worked very well; the wine had the right amount of body so that it didn’t overpower the scallop. I’m a huge fan of scallops, and this course didn’t disappoint me. It was cooked just right so that it was really juicy, and the beurre monté had a very warming flavor. I was about to try out this awesome idea of dipping the house baguette in the sauce, but the waiter took away my dish as I was tearing off a piece of bread. It was a very sad moment, and I might have cried about it like a little girl when I got home (well…no, not really), but Rachel said it was really good. I learned a lesson that night: Always take a good opportunity when it’s available. If you miss it, you may never have a chance to make up for it.

Pan-Seared Diver Scallop: Vanilla Beurre Monté, Butternut Squash, Confit Fennel
Wine Pairing: Francois Villard Viognier

Before I shed a tear over that lost sauce, let's move on to the next course: a salad with a poached quail egg, brioche, and wine-glazed lardon. I know what you’re all wondering: a quail egg is just like a small egg. Though nothing else here probably needs to be explained, I should point out that the lardon is awesome. It’s like a really fancy form of bacon. So take really good bacon, keep it thick cut, and make it more awesome. That’s pretty much what it was.

Frisee Salad: Poached Quali Egg, Brioche, Banyuls-Glazed Lardon
Wine Pairing: Louis Boillot Cremant de Bourgogne Rose

We were then served a dish with sablefish (also known as black cod according to the infallible Wikipedia) served in a saffron fumet with mussels and pommes boulangère, which are very similar to scalloped potatoes but cooked with oil instead of butter. The fish was cooked perfectly: light, flaky, and a little bit crispy on the outside. It was paired with Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuisse, which was a very good balance with the light flavors of the sablefish while still carrying through over the saffron sauce. These first four dishes were spectacular, leading to very high expectations for the main dish, beef en croute (beef wellington).

Sablefish: Saffron Fumet, Mussels, Pommes Boulangère
Wine Pairing: Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuisse

These expectations weren’t met. Not to say that it was bad, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been, and the bar had been set pretty high by the other plates. I personally believe that really good quality red meat basically shouldn’t have to be cooked. I love my steaks rare and my duck raw, so I was expecting this dish to be medium rare, maybe medium at most. But it came medium well and was pretty dry as a result. I also would have liked a crispier pastry coating, but this was my first beef en croute so I have nothing for comparison. Luckily the chef provided some sauce in a really cool shot glass type of dish that really saved the beef. Anyways, for the menu price of this dish, it really should not need the sauce. It was served with wild mushrooms, parsnip puree (my favorite), potatoes, and mustard greens, which were a little overpowering. Everything else was done well, especially the parsnip puree, and the wine pairing was spot on. We had a glass of bordeaux (my favorite red wine to have with steak) - Château Greysac. Apart from its inappropriate name, it was great: a little bit of a black pepper flavor along with rich dark berries - without being jam-like. I made sure to finish this glass.

Beef Tenderloin en Croute: Wild Mushroom, Parsnip, Fondant Potato, Mustard Greens, Thyme Jus
Wine Pairing: Château Greysac

The night didn’t end there. After the beef, we had a light cheese course consisting of a bleu d’Auvergne pot de crème, a tomato marmalade, and marinated pear pearls. This was paired with a French riesling (Pierre Sparr). The pears were particularly amazing because each pearl had to be hand-scooped by the sous chef! There were a lot of these pearls in my portion, and there were a lot of us at this dinner. This was by far my favorite part of this course as you could taste the suffering and hard work of the sous chef. I was not as big of a fan of the cheese and tomato marmalade though. These were made well, but for my tastes the marmalade was a bit too sweet and the cheese was too pinching, like a radish. I wasn’t really prepared to have such bold flavors after the main course. I was also not very happy with this wine. I lived in upstate New York for five years, where rieslings are a very popular wine. The Finger Lakes have a similar climate to areas of Germany, where these grapes grow very well, and so I quickly gained a taste for good local and German rieslings. A dry riesling should not be very acidic to balance the lack of sweetness. Similarly, a well-made sweeter riesling should have more acidity to not let the sweetness overpower your palate. They chose to pair this course with a French riesling, and I can only imagine they did so to maintain a French atmosphere, though I think they would have made a much better decision to let the Germans pair up with the cheese plate. This was a dry riesling that was too acidic and didn’t help soften or complement the flavors of the cheese or tomatoes. Still, though, those pear pearls were so good, and I feel bad for the sous chef because he or she will have to make many more of those for everyone I’m telling about Brasserie Jo.

Bleu d'Auvergne Pot de Creme: Tomato Marmalade, Pear
Wine Pairing: Pierre Sparr Riesling

The dessert - a caramelized pumpkin tart with salted caramel ice cream and almond brittle - was a very happy ending to the meal, providing the right climax to the build-up from all the dishes prior to the beef. I’ve recently become obsessed with salt and chocolate, and this gave me a new flavor pairing that I can appreciate for the same reasons. I’ll give you two words to describe this dish: Epic Win. Plus, the wine pairing was spectacular. This was actually the only non-French wine they gave us. It was a muscat from Renwood, a California winery.

Caramelized Pumpkin Tart: Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Almond Brittle
Wine Pairing: Renwood Orange Muscat

Overall I was very happy with this meal. Though I was disappointed that the main course didn’t live up to the standards set by previous dishes, I still think it was a great meal. Also, the wait staff was very friendly and helpful.

Disclosure: As indicated above, this meal was a complimentary tasting held for a large group of bloggers and their guests. I was not obligated to write this review, nor was I monetarily compensated for it, and all opinions are my own.

Pig Party at Pizzeria Posto (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:40:11 PST

On the day of Hurricane Irene, my neighborhood was lucky; we were virtually untouched, aside from a few branches scattered across the road. As dinnertime approached and we contemplated leftovers, I took advantage of still having electricity by killing some time on Facebook, where I noticed the following message pop up on my newsfeed, courtesy of a nearby restaurant that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine:

“TONIGHT! We’ve got a little piggy named IRENE and she is all yours! First 12 people to call Posto and book a spot can help devour her! It will be one large table so come prepared to have fun and meet new peeps! $25pp. Piggy, Salad, Sides and Dessert.”

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

How Sweet It Is: Follow the Honey (CBS Boston)

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:37:17 PST

When I first walked into Follow the Honey, a new bee-themed boutique in Harvard Square, I expected a simple selection of honey and related knick-knacks. What I found was much more than that: plenty of honey and trinkets, yes, but also a staff so full of knowledge and enthusiasm that I left almost wanting to become a beekeeper myself.

Read the rest of my article over on CBS Boston.

More photos:

Photos: The Ultimate Craigie Experience at Craigie on Main

rachelblumenthal625@gmail.com (Rachel Blumenthal) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:44:58 PST

Fork it over, Boston!

Pomegranate-Glazed Porgy and Latkes

Porter Exchange: Cambridge's Little Japan (CBS Boston)

Blogger Dinner at Ceia Kitchen + Bar

Dining at the W (Scene Boston)

Sponsored Post: Help Your Favorite Charity Win $1000 from ableBanking

Restaurant Review: Five Horses Tavern (CBS Boston)

Late Night Noodles with Guchi's Midnight Ramen

Restaurant Review: Blackstrap BBQ (CBS Boston)

Austin/Boston Food Love

25 Must-Try Dishes in 2012 (Tasted Menu)

Will Blog for Food...or Maybe Not: How Freebies Have Changed the Blogging Landscape (BostInnovation.com)

Minibite: Lunch at EVOO

Grand Omakase Chef's Tasting at O Ya (CBS Boston)

Restaurant Review: Blue Inc. (CBS Boston)

Latkes and Sufganiyot for Chanukah (Tasted Menu)

Tasted Menu: Now I can think about food even more often.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Polonia (CBS Boston)

Restaurant Review: Central Kitchen (CBS Boston)

Fractal Broccoli for Miss Lima

Video: Blogger Dinner at the Bokx 109 Chef's Table

A Tale Of Two Sandwiches: Must-Try Roast Beefs In Boston (CBS Boston)

Fall Menu Tasting at Brasserie Jo

Pig Party at Pizzeria Posto (CBS Boston)

How Sweet It Is: Follow the Honey (CBS Boston)

Photos: The Ultimate Craigie Experience at Craigie on Main