Frame: It Doesn’t Have To Be Good To Be Great
This month’s Saveur has a section entitled “25 Greatest Meals Ever,” detailing memorable culinary experiences of various food personalities, celebrities, and writers. The essays are all different, some discussing childhood favorites, some reminiscing about exotic meals during travel or the “perfect” dish eaten at an upscale restaurant.
These types of meals are certainly enjoyable, but when I really reflect on my own favorite meals, I realize that sometimes the most indelible memories come from when the food was actually not good at all – or at least, not gourmet by any standards- and when circumstances surrounding the meal were anything but perfect or exotic. Sometimes, they were downright ordinary.
For example:
1. Once I ate over 40 shrimp in one sitting, while Brother of SB (BoSB) demurely munched on a gentlemanly portion of crab legs. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but I do remember laughing like a maniac and making up a pretty great song.
it wasn't the best shrimp i've ever eaten, but it was the most, and it was HILARIOUS.
2. FoSB Esme and I made Chosen Family Christmas Dinner one year. She was really worried that her potato mousseline wasn’t stiff enough. Nobody noticed. It was delicious.
3. So many breezy Pittsburgh nights with the Purple Hogs. We were broke and the best thing we ever ate was the Kitchen Sink Sundae at King’s.
i was guitar girl.
4. Not pictured: endless pie eating contests, Little Debbie in the boat before or after crew practice, North Beach pizza ordered in the cab on the way home followed by the 8 millionth viewing of Dazed and Confused, macaroni and cheese and monopoly, Boone’s Farm and wings, tuna and avocado salad at Osushi.
5. Well, ok. This meal was perfect.
My favorite piece in Savuer’s collection, “The Angry Chef” by comic Marc Maron, also reminds us that things don’t have to be perfect- in taste or circumstance- to be memorable, or lasting.
Frame: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
1554 Greenwich Street
When I lived in San Francisco, the weather enraged me. I couldn’t stand that it was the same thing, every day: misty morning, cool and sunny mid afternoon, temperate evening. Every day. I could wear flip flops in the dead of winter in that town, and even though I love my flips, that’s just not natural. I missed the northeast seasons, the weather, the physical acknowledgement that some days are good and some days are bad. But this week, I miss San Francisco.
dogpile on yet another temperate afternoon in our backyard
For the past few days, Boston has been reminding us that she is in charge- not the tides, or the moon, or whatever forces the days to get cooler and the nights to get longer. Boston is laughing in the face of anyone who has already stashed their air conditioner and pulled out their sweaters. She has turned the temperature up to just below boiling, one last time, and added a level of humidity only she can pull off. The only relief has been gale-force winds, and now, the rain. I miss San Francisco.
This morning, after a particularly grueling week (that just. won’t. end.), my Vega Sport has disappeared from the office, and coffee isn’t cutting it. Right this second, not only do I miss the carefree days of bloody marys at Betelnut, ceviche at Fresca, a job I didn’t care about, and never- ending flip flops, I miss Hefeweizen, the drink of choice in SF.
Feast: Burdick’s Cafe- Come For the Hot Chocolate, Then Leave
LA Burdick is known for their single source coffee, decadent hot cocoa, and chocolate mice. They have an extensive website on which you can buy these things, and they also have three cafe locations, one in Harvard Square. Over the years I’ve visited Burdick’s Cafe for some coffee and a place to read or study, as many people do.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a really annoying trend in their Cambridge location. More and more, the cafe is just becoming an extension of their website, and it seems clear they care more about adding retail space than encouraging an extension of the back porch type of atmosphere. Just today as I walked in, employees were putting up a large shelf where several tables used to live, and on the opposite wall there was already a big display case for chocolates and coffee, also in the place of valuable seating.
room for at least 6 two-tops.
Over the past few years I would approximate they’ve taken out at least half of their table space (and the place isn’t that big to begin with), and it appears they will just keep going until they are a specialty store instead of a cafe. Plus, they insist that MA law states that if you aren’t sitting you must get your food and drink in to-go cups, so they certainly aren’t encouraging you to linger in any way. I know the trend these days is to create cafes without tables, but Burdick’s doesn’t even have a bar for you to stay and chat for a minute while you enjoy your drink.
It’s too bad, but with so many good cafes in Boston, why would I go to one that makes it uncomfortable/impossible for me to stay? Especially since, if I want to buy any of their hot chocolate mixes, coffee, or chocolate, I can just do it online while I’m sitting at a table in 1369. It’s not that I don’t understand the business aspect, I get that someone who buys one coffee and sits at a table for 4 hours is not as lucrative as the three or four packages of chocolate you could sell out of the same space in that amount of time. But I still don’t like it.
Though, I have to admit, the hot chocolate tasted just as good on a bench outside on a nice fall day, and my partner agreed.
a demi and a small
Fluff: Stronger, Faster, Better with Breakfast
Back in the days when I was rowing, we didn’t have things like Vega Sport to help us train. Instead, we ate breakfast. Every day. The team would traipse into the dining hall in all of our spandex-clad finery, effectively emptying the place from other diners (somehow the natural early risers were never very happy to have us disturb their peaceful English Muffin private time in the morning). And oh, we would eat.
Eggs, waffles, sausage, bacon, cereal, cantaloupe, grapefruit, toast, bagels- and I’m talking about the breakfast for just one person. On occasion, I even grabbed some ice cream out of the cooler as dessert from breakfast, to be eaten on the way to my early class. Hey, ice cream is basically just frozen hot chocolate, right?
quads of steel back then- yikes.
That was the thing about crew, and the thing about eating when you are an athlete of any kind- getting up at 4:30am to train, and then training again in the afternoon makes for aching muscles and an incredibly demanding stomach. Not only can you eat a big breakfast, you have to eat a big breakfast. Knowing far more know about good nutrition now than I did then, I definitely eat differently when I’m training for something (less ice cream for breakfast, for one). But I’ll probably never be back in a place where I’m training four hours a day for my sport, and a part of me misses the license to eat with wild, crazy abandon.
However, this year’s alumnae regatta is fast approaching, and I just bet we’ll give ourselves permission to be stronger, faster, and better with breakfast, at least one more time.
ALUMS WIN AGAIN THIS YEAR!
Fluid Food: Don’t Drink Alone
gooooo vega sport!
I don’t normally get behind fancy, expensive powder supplements- I prefer to spend my money on actual food. But for a recent extended athletic endeavor someone recommended Vega Sport, and we had some together. Stronger than coffee, less potent than crack (I assume), this stuff had us laughing like maniacs and gave us a serious second wind.
I tried Vega Sport (lemon lime) again for breakfast today, also with a partner, and again, it has really revived me, this time after a few long days at work. This stuff delivers on its promises:
-Provides immediate and sustaining energy
-Increases endurance and aerobic capacity
-Enhances mental focus
-Replenishes electrolytes
-Reduces inflammation, joint and muscle pain
The powder can be mixed with water or juice and contains- among other delicacies- Devil’s Claw Root. Frankly though, Vega Sport is sort of like a cocktail- it’s not something I see myself just downing in an empty room alone (unlike wine). It’s much more fun to drink with a partner- you can exclaim over how gross it looks and then revel in how giddy it makes you feel.
Or, you could just:
thanks for the note!
Food: Baked Fall Vegetables with Gruyere
I’m entering this recipe in a local contest that I heard about through work, though hopefully under a different name (if I can think of something better). At its core, this recipe comes from MoSB- her Parmesan Potatoes have been requested by my family since she started making them years ago. I added some local ingredients, as well as parsnips, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. I also added the step of soaking the vegetables in the cider and water mixture, instead of just water. The water makes the vegetables more crisp, and the cider brings out their sweetness. The gruyere adds an earthy nuttiness, and the garlic and thyme make your kitchen smell fantastic, especially on a chilly, rainy day. I tried to make an aioli to drizzle over this, but I killed my immersion blender in the process, so screw it. The dish is probably better without the aioli anyway, but I’ll need to get another iblender soon.
Baked Fall Vegetables with Thyme, Garlic, and Gruyere (working title)
3/4 cup flour
1 cup Blythedale Farm Vermont Gruyere (grated) – Local (VT)
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped parsley
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 baking potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into half moons – Seasonal
4 parsnips, peeled, cut to same size as potatoes – Seasonal
2 cups Carlson Orchard’s Cider – Local (MA)
4 cups water
1 stick Kate’s Butter – Local (VT)
3 cups (1 large package) white mushrooms
1 package thyme (fresh)
1 garlic bulb, sectioned into cloves
Preheat oven to 350.
Soak potatoes and parsnips in mixture of 2 cups cider, 4 cups water (both cold) for 20 minutes.
cider and water
Drain potatoes and parsnips and dry with a paper towel.
Mix parsley, cheeses, flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl (or in a large plastic bag), then add dried potatoes and parsnips and coat well.
On a baking sheet with sides melt 1 stick of butter in preheated oven.
Once butter is melted add all contents of your bowl (or bag) to the pan. Add mushrooms, garlic (broken into cloves and scattered around pan) and several sprigs of thyme (scattered around pan).
ready to bake!
Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of vegetables), turning once. Voila.
ready to eat!
Feast: Flour Bakery + Cafe, Completing the Trifecta
flour sandwich menu board
Better known (to me at least) as a bakery than a sandwich shop, Flour has been famous for their sticky buns and their South End location for a decade, celebrating their 10 year anniversary this week. I’m not a sticky bun person myself, but I have trekked to the original Flour several times on a Sunday morning with various partners, only to be met with a big “sold out” sign. When their newest location opened near my home in Central Square, I tried again to get ahold of this treat, and in fact the header of this blog is a picture of coffee and sticky buns at Flour.
The public is right, the buns are delicious, even for someone who typically thinks that type of pastry is too sweet. For me, the stickies were a one time thing to see what everyone was talking about, but I am more than happy to make my way through the rest of Flour’s sweet offerings- cookies, scones, croissants, muffins, breads, brioche, and a fantastic breakfast pizza. You’ll need a nap after eating it, but totally worth it on a lazy, decadent weekend.
My favorite, however, is my now beloved vegan chocolate muffin. I’ve been raving about this for months- and I’m not vegan. The muffin is sweet but not sickly, moist, and studded with chocolate pieces, topped with powdered sugar. During my last visit, the most bacon-centric, vegan-skeptical person I know readily admitted that this muffin is phenomenal. Now, if that doesn’t convince die-hard carnivores, nothing will. These muffins are also billed as low-fat, a characterization completely belied by their richness. I hope they really are low-fat, since I’ve been eating them with wild abandon, but all I care about is how good they taste.
low fat vegan chocolate muffin
Sweets aside, Flour is also an excellent sandwich shop. So far, I’ve tried their Curried Tuna Salad, Breakfast Egg Sandwich, and Grilled Portobello Melt – all good- but my favorite is the Roasted Chicken, Avocado, and Jicama. Here is why:
1. The chicken is cut in slender but not wimpy pieces that make it easy to eat. None of this unwieldy whole chicken breast shoved into a roll foolishness.
2. The creaminess of the avocado and the crunchy jicama make for a really satisfying – and unique- mix.
3. The bread is perfect. There is nothing worse than a sandwich with great filling and sub-par bread, and, of course, at Flour Bakery that is never a problem.
Another great part about Flour is her owner, Joanne Chang. Also responsible for Myers + Chang, a restaurant that she opened with her husband, Joanne just seems cool. I’ve seen her walking through the kitchen at the Central Square location, and her staff is always happy to see her. In my own life, I strive to be the boss that everyone smiles at when they see coming, not the one they run from, so I can really appreciate the genuinely happy atmosphere and cheerful employees at her businesses. From following her on Twitter it’s clear that she is committed to giving back to the community (working with Lovin’ Spoonfuls etc.), and that she is passionate and excited about what she does.
And nothing makes a low-fat vegan chocolate muffin taste sweeter than a love for what you do.
Frame: 52 Weekend Getaways
The most current issue of Boston Magazine has a section on weekend getaways, divided into interests: Outdoor Adventures, Sports and Recreation, Arts and Culture, Spas and Relaxation, and -my favorite- Food and Wine. Last fall I went on a food and wine trip to Lenox, MA and discovered new favorites Bizen Sushi and Nudel, (which has since become a bit of a food world darling). This fall, I’m leaving the destination up to someone else who loves food and wine. Some possibilities:
Montreal: Garde Manger, in an opinionated eating town.
Northampton: Beers and/or music Dirty Truth and Iron Horse
Ogunquit: Mussels at 98 Provence
Newport: Forty 1 North luxury
Amherst: Cheese and Cider tasting at Franklin County’s Cider Days
The Anti-Hubris
I did not create this, but I like it a lot.
Frame: it never rains but it pours
If I wasn’t already obligated to an all day event (that I am looking forward to) on October 16th, I would totally be going to this. In fact, I may try to go anyway.
Bill Bryson, Tyler Florence, Joshua Ferris, Nick Flynn, Joyce Carol Oates, and Michael Porter all in the same place? How could I resist?
Frame: How I Read the Sunday Paper
Much like flip flops, the beach, weekend trips, and bookstores, I love the Sunday edition of the New York Times. But if you’re going to be my Sunday Paper Partner (SPPoSB), you should know a few things.
1. I will need coffee.
2. I like to spread out the pages in a somewhat messy fashion.
3. I know there is some good hard news in the Sunday times, and I know that news is important. But that paper is such a fat, delicious feast that I always start with the juiciest sections, which, to me, are Book Review, Arts and Leisure, Travel, and Magazine (where the food is). I will rifle through and steal these sections, leaving you with the gristle: Business, International, Editorials, etc. Don’t worry, I’ll let you switch with me when I’m done- I want to read the tough sections too. It’s just that I’d rather ease in with recipes, foreign destinations, and savory reviews of words and art.
This Sunday, what I feel are the tastiest morsels:
Book Review: Obsession– About crime writer James Ellroy.
Arts and Leisure: Festivals Grow Up, Even as Screens Grow Small.
Travel: In Sicily, a Step Back in Time
Magazine: Recipe Redux: Saratoga Potatoes, 1904
Magazine: Consumed: Carrot Talk
Sunday Business: Can We Build a Brighter Shade of Green?
Fluid: The Best Bloody Mary
Brunch is a religion in San Francisco, where I lived for two years. SF locals fervently attend their favorite Sunday morning spot the way most of Middle America goes to church. They get up early(ish), dress in their finery, and march obediently to their holy place of worship to confess their weekend sins…over drinks. In San Francisco, you can order a Mimosa, sure. But you aren’t a true brunch devotee unless you get a Bloody Mary. No matter where you are- the Fillmore, Noe Valley, the Castro- the Bloody Mary is the reigning queen, and is sure to jump-start any lagging constitution before noon.
When I moved back to Boston I tried to continue this tradition, but despite my best efforts over the last six years, the champion title for Best Bloody Mary is still held by Betelnut. Located in the Marina district of San Franciso, Betelnut is a Pan-Asian restaurant just blocks from my beloved California apartment*, and their Thai influenced Bloody Mary provided solace on many a Sunday morning.
Alas, I don’t know the exact ingredients in Betelnut’s Bloody Mary, but from what I can tell, this recipe from Jean-Georges Vongerichten should be a pretty good substitute. Go ahead and have your own religious experience this Sunday.
*Oh 1554 Greenwich Street, scene of so many Bloody Mary inducing Saturdays. Pictures suppressed to protect the guilty and now gainfully employed.
Frame: The “T” Word
“Trend” is a dirty word.
I ran across this article in the New York Times today, in which Daniel Patterson bemoans boring food trends in both New York and, from an older article referenced in the piece, California. In particular, he believes tuna tartare, bacon, and fried chicken are far too prevalent in New York, and that while California thinks very highly of herself, she isn’t actually all that innovative. Citing the major restaurant players in both cities, he points to the tediousness of forced (un)originality. Trend fatigue, if you will.
But, like any place, if you just go to the Slanted Door’s and Zuni Cafe’s (or, in Boston, the Rialto’s and the L’Espalier’s), you’re only listening to the top twenty market. Ever wonder why radio in a big city is so bad, playing the same popular songs over and over? In a top twenty town, radio stations play the big hits ad nauseum because of the ad revenue they’re getting due to the amount of people they reach. And the biggest dollars come from the trendy, flashy, flavors of the week. In a smaller city (say my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA) the radio stations are different because nobody cares what they play, so they can actually highlight new or underground artists. The monetary incentive to follow the trends just isn’t there. Similarly, in a bigger city, at big name restaurants, you will inevitably get the food that the people in the “Seen” section want to eat. In a lesser market, actual originality can surface from true creativity.
Last month, in New York Times Magazine, Amanda Hesser wrote: “Most trends arise not from inspiration but from indignation.” I would argue- most original ideas arise from indignation, but most trends arise from oversized, egocentric renditions of the pilot concept. Real innovation is small change progressing over time, a murmuring that leads to a gradual unfolding.
To that end, here is a short list of some of the quietly inspired venues on my list to visit or re-visit in the near future. These places are just out there doing their own thing, concerned with their own flavors, not with being flavor of the week.
Feast and Fluid: Island Creek Oysters at Central Bottle
awesome island creek team, shucking to order
Last night I went back to Central Bottle for their Thursday night Wine Bar, with the extra added bonus of Island Creek Oysters for just $1 each. The place with packed, and I got to chat with Maureen and meet Nick, another treat. My companion last night commented that “this place has gotten really popular” which is definitely true, but I love that it still doesn’t feel cramped- lively and energetic as it is, there always seems to be room for two more at the bar.
The wine pairings last night were great, starting with a Prosecco and ending with a Gewurztraminer. The sommelier’s recommendation was to test the nose of each wine and then work your way from #1 to #4, trying an oyster with each. Who am I to challenge this excellent plan?
The first, Adami Prosecco ($20/bottle), was probably my favorite, but I love bubbly anyway so that’s a bit of a bias on my part. Number 2 was a Felluga Friulano ($17), with a mix of minerals and acid that paired extremely well with the oysters. Number 3, La Valentina Pecorino ($18) was my partner’s favorite, but I preferred number 4, the Lageder Gewurtraminer. An unconventional choice with the oysters, it was so smooth, with a clean nose and floral notes, I was not complaining.
One more word about the extremely fresh oysters- they were really phenomenal. The Island Creek team was shucking them to order, and they were the best I’ve ever tasted.
i heart oysters
More food options at Central Bottle Wine Bar nights are a cheese plate or charcuterie board, among others. Frankly, I could make a meal out of just the antipasti there and never have to go out to actual dinner- I just can’t get enough of pretending I’m back in Italy. Last night we went back for a full glass of our favorites from the tasting flight (mine was #2) and chatted the night away.
Oh Central Bottle, I just love you.
The next thing I want to try? Some of Stacey Daley’s food.
Frame: Food Network Halloween Party
I ran across a few magazines yesterday that reminded me Halloween is just around the corner. For anyone that’s been wondering what cocktail, table-scape, or costume Sandra Lee will be rocking for this year’s Food Network Halloween Party:
Martha and Sandra
Ok I know, Sandra’s outfit is anti-climactic after that buildup, but Martha’s insanity totally makes up for it, right? And you know that pumpkin Sandra is clutching is made out of hot dog buns, onion soup mix, and three pounds of packaged icing bound together with vodka.
Rachael is going as a farmer, apparently.
30 second halloween costume
She carried those overalls, that belt, that shirt, those pumpkins, that hay, AND whatever shoes she’s wearing from the closet to her bathroom in JUST ONE TRIP. But she did tip over her garbage bowl while doing so. Holy cat!
Paula is going as her favorite food.
Paula "butter" Deen
Guy Fieri is going as himself.
Michael Chiarello is going as a vampire.
It just seems fitting, somehow.
I can't stop laughing at this.
Bobby Flay doesn’t wear Halloween costumes. He’s too busy grilling, or standing in the corner at the party telling you he could make a better Halloween costume than you, but he needs his two assistants, a week of practice, and a camera crew with unlimited resources.
not so tough without your army ARE YOU?!
Tyler, on the other hand, doesn’t HAVE to wear a costume. He gets to go as Hot Guy, every year.
every year, the same thing with this guy.
And Giada is going as…
Really Giada? Really?
I just can’t wait for the Christmas Party this year, can you?
Wondering where I got some of these pictures? Check out this site.
Need a laugh? Thank you for this.
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread 