Feast: Franklin Cafe
A good friend has been telling me about the Franklin Cafe for years. “They have The Best mixed drinks and The Best mussels” he raves. They’re also a tiny beat off the beaten path on Shawmut Ave in the South End, which I like, and they don’t even have a real sign outside – just an art deco martini glass emblem. Everything about the Franklin appeals to me on paper, yet it has taken me a decade to get there. And even though I was skeptical of “The Best” mussels, they trump anything I’ve had in a long, long time.
The Franklin isn’t a dive, but it’s not ultra trendy and sleek. The scant booths and tables are a little chipped, but the worn wooden bar is the place to camp out for hours – you can watch the customers squeeze themselves into the tiny unisex bathrooms. Before 7pm the clientele (on a Wednesday night) was primarily women in for an early dinner, but once 7:30 hit the place was packed with hipsters, locals, and the whole rainbow connection. It was awesome.
We started with The Best mixed drinks, Spiced Pear Martini and Cucumber Collins. The Collins tasted a little more like watermelon than cucumber to me, but it was still fantastic – a great drink for a hot summer day. The martini was delicate and not overly sweet, something you could crave in the fall.
The Saigon Style Beef Carpaccio, served with ginger lime sauce, pickled peanuts, and fresh mint, was The Best beef carpaccio I have ever had. I would have called it The Most Unique, but that makes it seem like I appreciate its off-beat nature but didn’t really like it, which is not the case. I would never have described a plate of beef as “refreshing,” before this, but that’s exactly what it was.
And finally, The Best Mussels. The menu describes them as Smokey Skillet Roasted Mussels with warm clarified butter and parsley. I would describe them as shamefully delicious, as I found myself actually licking the shells for every last bit of flavor. They were Amazing.
The Franklin is not ideal for big parties, any more than four for a booth or table just wouldn’t work in its small space – though the bar is another story. I will be back asap for mussels, carpaccio, and anything else I can cram down my gullet. Count this as one of my new favorites.
Frame: Jiro Dreams of Sushi
from the "jiro dreams of sushi" website
The documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi is not about sushi, dreams, or Jiro. It’s about working hard at what you love, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else. For anyone that’s ever fallen in love with food, this concept is not foreign.
It’s rare to meet someone in food who has full use of all ten fingers, and I defy you to find anyone that hasn’t had significant burns or stitches at some point. One of my colleagues tells a story about how (years ago, before we worked at the same company) she cut herself on the kitchen line one night. Her chef asked her to put on a few rubber gloves and keep working, but he knew it was a bad cut. To keep her going, he started feeding her vodka. When she went to the emergency room at 5am the next morning, she was checked in for blood poisoning. “Eh,” she says, “it was a fun night.”
Food retailing, my line of work, is slightly less dangerous but far less understood. Cooking is creative, social, and delicious. Retailing, from the outside (and sometimes the inside), looks like a drag. But food retailers are actually business nerds. We analyze placement, price, seasonality, and consumer habits to death, because we enjoy it. And, we also get to eat a lot of great food. Doesn’t all of that sound fascinating? No? Yeah, I knew you wouldn’t understand.
There is a point in Jiro Dreams of Sushi, among shots of amazing raw fish and apprentices sore from massaging octopus, when Jiro says: “I am ecstatic every day.”
Who could ask for more?
Food: Caprese Soup (Meatless Monday and Feasts Under $5)
A few rainy, chilly days have squeezed their way into this unseasonably warm spring. This soup is a good bridge from warm winter coziness to the spring freshness of Caprese salad. Plus, it’s meatless monday friendly, as well as a Feast Under $5.
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated- pantry staple
12 leaves basil, chopped – $1.99
2 tbsp lemon juice – pantry staple
28 oz Diced Tomatoes: $3.00
32 oz Chicken Broth, preferably College Inn White Wine and Herb: $2.49
Ciligene Mozzarella Balls $3.00
1 lb small pasta (ditalini, shells, etc.): $1.99
Salt, to taste
Optional: Grated parmesan
Total Cost for 4 people: $12.47, $3.11 per servings
Over medium heat and in a large pot, simmer tomatoes with basil, lemon juice and garlic until fragrant and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook pasta, drain. Add to your pot of liquid, and bring soup to the temperature at which you’d like to serve it. Salt to taste. Spoon into bowls, add mozzarella balls as “meatballs.” If desired, top with grated parmesan and more chopped basil. Voila.
Feast: Cafe Deia – No Apologies
dave: "this crepe is so good it was almost worth the wait."
It’s not a great sign when the best thing you can say about a place is “this would be good for take out.” We had high hopes for Cafe Deia in Medford last Sunday, but damning with faint praise was all we could muster by the end of our meal.
Deia is cute, tiny, and clean. You order at the counter, pay, and take a seat to wait for your meal. At which point you have a chance to wonder what you ordered (for two people, for breakfast, in Medford) that cost almost $30. Two crepes -which do not include breakfast potatoes or toast – one iced coffee, and one small freshly squeezed juice. This should not add up to $27.50. I know, fresh juice is expensive, but $6 for a small? Come on.
I could have dealt with the cost if the service had been passable, but it was not. My order of a bacon, egg, and cheese crepe came up quickly, and I sat with it in front of me for five minutes as we waited for Dave’s order to come out. It did not. Ten minutes later, still no sign. Diners came in, placed and received their orders, and left. Still no food for Dave. I peered over the counter and asked the woman behind the stove: “Hey there…do you have an order for an apple crisp crepe?” assuming she’d either say it was on its way or apologize for the mishap and start cooking it.
Wrong.
“No. Check with them.” She practically spat at me as she nodded her head toward the counter staff taking orders. (It’s worth noting that it was not particularly busy at Cafe Deia, and when I asked this question the chef was just standing around.) I walked to the counter, waited while another group placed an order, and said, a little less than patiently, “The kitchen is saying they don’t have our order for an apple crepe. And we have been sitting here for quite some time.”
In case you think you can predict the rest, there was no apology amidst the blank stares and shrugs from the counter staff. Dave had no food, and I was done with mine, but there would be no crepe made until Cafe Deia had painstakingly investigated exactly what had happened with the order, lest I attempt to pull a fast one and get a free breakfast. When Dave’s crepe finally came out (it was delicious, by the way), the chef did manage to throw a “sorry” our way, but I imagine that’s because we’d been verbally writing this review at our table a few feet away. You know, to pass the time.
So, if your idea of a nice weekend breakfast is spending too much and being treated poorly while you eat at a completely different time than your dining partner, Cafe Deia is the place for you. If not, grab your crepes for take out and make some hashbrowns at home.
Food: Chocolate and Peanut Butter
This weekend I made pasta with several lovely ladies who shared this gem with me. The woman behind My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Hart, is so hilarious and endearing that I’m only a little bit annoyed I didn’t think of her idea first.
One thing Hart hates is when bloggers “start with 3 paragraphs about why you should give a f*&^ about the recipe,” so I’m going to try to curb my preambles. She also says she likes pictures (see above). Here’s a recipe I think she would enjoy – yes, it’s simplistic and maybe even gauche, but trust me, you won’t want to stop eating.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter
1 container good quality peanut butter (preferably fresh ground)
1 package chocolate chips (any kind, milk, dark, semi-sweet)
Put as much peanut butter as you’d like to eat in a bowl. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Eat with a spoon. Voila.
Frame: Why You Should Get an Oven Thermometer
When I read the back of my brand new oven thermometer, I thought the warning “It is not uncommon for ovens to be inaccurate over 50 degrees!” was pretty inflammatory. But it turns out that my oven is 45 degrees off. When pre-heated to 350, the thermometer read 305. Yikes.
So good news for anyone who thinks they just can’t bake – for just $5 on Amazon.com, you too can get an oven thermometer and improve your cookies in no time.
Feast Sanibel: Sweet Melissa’s Cafe
The vast majority of eateries on Sanibel Island have the same primary objective – to gouge you for all you’re worth. Mercifully, Sweet Melissa’s hasn’t gotten the memo.
We’ve been to Mel’s twice in the last two years, and the food has been good, though not great. Three quarters of the menu is small plates, with 5 entrees (which can also be served as half portions) offered as well. In the past the menu has seemed scattered, and putting together a coherent meal from the small plates hinted at heartburn. Tonight, we went again and were greeted with not only a more streamlined, sensical menu, but leisurely service and surprisingly low prices.
The grilled romaine salad was great, as was the goat cheese crepe and ravioli with lamb ragu. The corn soup was fantastic, pureed without cream. The half portions of the short ribs and steak were expertly prepared (and could have been full portions), and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus was one diner’s favorite plate of the night. My favorite, however, was the yellowtail sashimi, and not just because an extremely generous portion was only $12. The fish was high quality, served with avocado puree and jalapeño pepper slices.
We did not try dessert, and the reason is my only complaint (if you can call it that) about Sweet Mel’s: the prices are too low. This is only a problem because it leads you to think that the portions will also be small. They are not. Diners beware, if you are very hungry, order two plates per person, but three is overkill. I can only imagine that the full portions of the entrees are actually enormous, but leftover Tamarind Braised Short Ribs never hurt anybody.
Food: Julia’s Queen of Sheba Cake
Potlucks in the workplace, though delicious, are stressful for me. Nobody wants to be that person who brings the item nobody eats.
One year I made tremendously bad cupcakes (though people still ate a few to be nice). One year I made brownies, which, while crude, were a huge improvement on the cupcakes. This year, in keeping with the potluck theme of “Julia Child,” I made a Reine de Saba (“Queen of Sheba”) cake. True to Julia style, the cake and icing are made with a touch of rum, as well as chocolate that requires a double boiler, almonds that need to be finely ground, and egg whites that are whipped and added in 5 separate batches. For a self-admitted lazy baker, this felt like a lot of work.
However, in keeping with my new year’s resolution, I used a make shift double boiler instead of a microwave to melt the chocolate. I pulverized those almonds in my coffee grinder, and I whipped those egg whites, added salt, whipped again, added sugar, and whipped again. Then I added 1/4 of them, and then 1/3 of the remaining, and then divided the rest into three more portions. It was exhausting, math-laden work.
Fortunately, the result was well worth it. In particular, creating the icing (required the double boiler again, then putting the glass bowl in an ice bath and beating the mixture for 10 minutes) was incredibly satisfying. Just when I thought it was a bust and I’d have to go buy a can of Duncan Hines, the frosting started to firm up. At that moment, I fell in love with Julia, as well as the first cake she ever ate in France.
If you have the patience and a good electric beater, try this recipe. I topped my cake with fresh raspberries, but almonds or chocolate shavings would work just as well.
Feast Chicago: Girl and the Goat
picture taken from girl and the goat website
When Stephanie Izard was on Top Chef, she wasn’t particularly interesting. She was serious, and she always seemed vaguely angry and tired. This is not what you want from a reality show contestant. However, it is what you want from a Top Chef winner who opens her own restaurant and becomes the show’s greatest success story to date. For our last meal in Chicago, we went to Izard’s Girl and The Goat, and enjoyed everything from duck tongues to goat carpaccio.
It’s not easy to get a reservation at Girl and The Goat – calling a month in advance for a Tuesday night, all we could wrangle was 10:45pm. However, they do take walk-ins, and remind you that they serve dinner at the bar or in their small lounge area. Don’t try the bar, far too busy – just getting a glass of wine I bumped into the poor man eating in front of me three times, and I was actively trying not to disturb him. However, the lounge (where we ended up) is great- low couches and tables, plenty of space – we felt like we were having a casual dinner at home. The crowd is mixed – young hipsters chatting, middle-aged couples making out, an older woman in a fur collar and leather pants examining the contents of her wallet for 15 minutes before finally vacating her spot in the lounge.
The Goat does small plates, in several different categories. They suggest two plates per person, but we ordered 3 each plus dessert and were full, but not uncomfortably stuffed. A lot of Yelp diners seem to think The Goat’s food is too salty, but we had a wide range of plates (below) and nothing was improperly seasoned. I think that the Yelp-ers may be mistaking the inherent tang of offal with salt.
Beet bread with goat milk butter and walnut citrus vinaigrette – This was amazing. I wish I could have tasted all of the breads offered that night, but I’m glad I got this one- where else do you get honey wheat bread with beets inside? The goat butter and vinaigrette paired perfectly.
Grilled oysters with bacon and horseradish – The accompaniments were just enough to enhance but not mask the flavor of the oysters. They came to the table burning hot (do not pick up the shells) but delicious.
Goat carpaccio with tongue vinaigrette and olives: Admittedly this didn’t taste all that different from a regular carpaccio. The tongue vinaigrette is nothing to be scared of, it was just a different play on the usual truffled olive oil.
Crispy duck tongues with cara cara oranges and mushrooms: I was worried about this one, especially when the plate of duck tongues looked so much like…tongues. But they tasted like chewy morsels of savory meat. Nothing wrong with that.
Seared diver scallop with Thai basil and “pizza poofs”: This was my absolute favorite. The scallops were seared perfectly and just barely cooked through the middle. The sauce was so full of flavor I wanted to lick the bowl. If it hadn’t been such a trendy restaurant I probably would have.
Hen of the woods mushroom ragout and ravioli: Interestingly, even though we ordered this as our third course, they brought it last. I’m guessing this was on purpose, as it was the heaviest dish and would probably have stuffed us too full to enjoy the rest of our meal. Meaty, earthy mushrooms and a creme fraiche sauce with ravioli. Great, though seemed a tad out of place with the rest of the menu.
Butternut squash malasadas: Malasadas are little doughnuts, these filled with butternut squash and topped with ice cream. They weren’t overly sweet, but a nice finish to the evening.
If I had one complaint about Girl and the Goat, it would be that the lighting was too dim for pictures – all of mine came out looking like a mess. Thus, I stole the photo above from their website. Whatever that is looks pretty good, too.
Food: St. Patrick’s Day Avocado Dip
If a traditional boiled dinner seems like too much to tackle this St. Patrick’s Day, try something a little lighter. This dip is healthy, simple, and dressed in holiday green. Spice it up with whatever flavors you like.
Avocado Dip
6 oz fat free greek yogurt
1 avocado
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup parsley or cilantro
optional: 1 tsp cumin, curry powder, turmeric (whatever you prefer, or use none)
Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, carrots, etc.
Feast Chicago: Gino’s East
Born and raised in Pittsburgh with New England leanings, my pizza preference usually falls on the thin crust side of the spectrum. But when in Chicago, you eat deep dish. Of the many pizza joints in town, Gino’s East had nostalgia value for Dave, so we walked in for our second lunch of the day and were told immediately (and by three people) that deep dish pizzas take 45 minutes, thin crust 30. It seemed sad that the staff felt the need to really drive this home, you could tell they were used to being berated by hungry customers and cranky tourists.
The walls at Gino’s East are covered with signatures, black and white photos, and a lot of “mark+ karen 4eva!” declarations. It’s exuberant to say the least. The pizza, dripping in cheese, was just as lively.
If you don’t already know, deep dish pizza was invented in Chicago in 1943. The biggest difference is the crust – a heavy thick dough made of olive oil and cornmeal, very different from the flour and water crust I’m used to. The crust is pressed into a heavy, deep pan and pulled up the sides, then filled in with cheese, toppings, and sauce. You have to eat deep dish with a knife and fork – there’s no folding a slice over, and this is not a quick meal. But, Chicago-style can easily accommodate extra cheese and toppings. With normal, thin crust pizza, more than two toppings is a soggy mess, and extra cheese inevitably ends up sliding onto one side of the pie.
Gino’s pies also had excellent mozzarella – it actually had flavor, unlike a lot of bland pizza cheese. If you go, a small pizza is plenty for two people (especially if it’s your second lunch), and remember to bring your own sharpie to write on the wall.
Feast Chicago: XOCO
The food at XOCO makes me angry that I live in Boston and can’t eat there more often. Typically restaurants where you order at a counter and find your own seats don’t have much to offer, and live in that “grab lunch to eat at your desk” realm, but XOCO breaks the mold. Specializing in Tortas – Mexican Sandwiches – Rick Bayless’ breakfast and lunch joint is friendly and focused on local ingredients.
We started with guacamole and house-made Limonata, a drink that tastes like the best version of a non-alcoholic Margarita. The guacamole, salsa, and salsa verde were great, but most notable were the chips. House-made chips can be dripping with grease, and you can always tell if they’ve been hanging around too long. These were still warm, not greasy, and had a distinct nutty flavor.
It was excruciating to choose just one sandwich, so Dave and I went halfsies on the Milanesa (Crispy Gunthorp chicken, black beans, artisan Jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, tomatillo-avocado salsa) and the Cochinita (Wood-roasted suckling pig with achiote, black beans, pickled onion, habanero). While both were great, the Cochinita edged out the win with its nod to the traditional steak sandwich. A Mexican pig bomb? Yes please.
It was all we could do to keep from ordering one of the amazing desserts (it was only 11am after all), which I now regret. If I’m ever back in Chicago, you can bet I’ll be gorging on Mexican chocolate soft serve with caramel sauce.
Feast Chicago: Gilt Bar
Gilt Bar in Chicago is a modern day speak-easy. Wooden floors and tables, leather couches in a conversation pit in the middle of the room, and lighting so dim its like walking through smoke. At 11pm on a Wednesday night, a jazz band plays just loud enough to be lively, but doesn’t completely overpower conversation. The crowd is trendy Chicago hipsters, and the food borders on decadent.
Steak tartare with a soft-boiled egg and sriracha was excellent – I never want a raw egg with tartare again. The hot sauce was a great complement, really bringing out the flavor of the beef. Pork belly with lentils was fork-tender and juicy. Short rib pasta with horseradish cream sauce was unique and well-balanced, though after a few bites you start breathing hard and need to take a break from the richness.
Even after all of this goodness, the winner of the evening was the “deli style” lemon meringue pie. The filling was rich and tart- not the bland, overly sugared filling from grocery store pie. The meringue seemed to be crossed with whipped cream, less sticky and most dense than usual. One piece was huge, but we managed to finish it.
Gilt Bar is a must visit restaurant in Chicago. Voila.
Fluid: Finger Lakes Wine Tour
photo credit: kath l'heureux
Last weekend I went on a wine tour to celebrate the impending wedding of my two best friends. The group had an ambitious agenda and I’ll admit, I didn’t do any research on Finger Lakes wineries before the trip. Due to this oversight, I was disappointed to see that the tasting menu at our second stop was very long on Riesling. I’ve never liked Riesling, and I said as much.
My friend Kath, the featured photographer in this post, could not hide her gentle annoyance. “What? That’s what this region is KNOWN for.” Oops! It’s ok Kath, I’d be annoyed with me, too. Aren’t I supposed to know at least a little bit about wine?
Fortunately, I learned quickly that I don’t hate Riesling, I’ve just never had a good one. I thought they were all too sweet for my taste, but in fact they range from quite dry to dessert wine sweet. I prefer the dry end of the scale, and my favorite of the day was from Wiemer Vineyards. In general, there was a big focus on local at every place we visited – local cheeses, jams, and vegetables were for sale, and if we hadn’t been so focused on fun and friends we might have even tried them. A highlight reel of the vineyards we visited, in the order we visited them, follows below.
Billsboro Winery: My overall favorite winery (though could be because it was the first and our palates were fresh). The sommelier, Ethan, was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Billsboro also had the best reds of the trip, and the bottle labels are very cool.
Fox Run Vineyards: Not our favorite, but I think Fox Run was having a bad day. A clown car of fraternity men with fake moustaches and fake IDs had pulled in right ahead of us, and it was all the staff could do to handle them. They did have a great German Shepherd roaming around, and some local pickled garlic scapes to snack on.
Anthony Road Wine Company: Wins the award for weirdest decor (LOTS of stenciling), but had a great semi-dry Riesling.
Wiemer Vineyard: The most refined winery that we visited, Wiemer was serious without being too full of itself. Large groups get their own tasting room and we got to walk behind the scenes past wooden and metal wine barrels. While it looks like a barn from the outside, the inside of this winery was the most impressive by far.
Damiani Wine Cellars: My personal favorite wine of the trip, I purchased a bottle of Damiani’s 2010 Gewürztraminer (rose petals and peach flavor, really nice). They also had some cool wine barrel furniture for sale.
Red Newt Cellars: Wins the award for coolest logo, with little newts stenciled on their glasses. Knowledgeable staff and good wine, but unfortunately Red Newt is the last stop for many wine tours, and the clientele was noticeably intoxicated. As we watched several women being propped up by their friends and escorted to their waiting limos, my friends and I silently thanked our twenties for being long gone.
Penguin Bay Winery: Unfortunately, as this was the last winery we visited, I have nothing of merit to say about it. Sorry, Penguin Bay, I’m sure you’re quite good.
photo credit: kath l'heureux
Feast Under $5: White Wine Pasta
The current issue of Cook’s Illustrated includes a recipe for Spaghetti al Vino Bianco, their take on a traditional pasta simmered in wine. I was able to turn it into a Feast Under $5 with just one substitution – the ingredient costs are below and the video recipe is here:
White Wine Pasta
1 lb pasta (spaghetti or linguine): $1.79
4 oz pancetta: $5.49
1 bottle white wine: Yes, you can use a $3.99 bottle for this
1 cup parmesan cheese: $2.00
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted: $1.00 (check your grocer’s bulk bins)
1 5 oz container arugula: $3.99
1/3 cup heavy cream: $2.49
red pepper flakes (pantry staple)
garlic (pantry staple)
olive oil (pantry staple)
sugar (pantry staple)
Total Cost: $20.75
Per Person Cost (4): $5.18
Recipe Notes:
-This recipe calls for pine nuts, which are ridiculously expensive. I substituted slivered almonds, which you can find in the bulk bins at your grocery store – this saves you money because you can buy only what you need, plus almonds are just a lot cheaper. (Don’t use whole almonds, you don’t want big chunks of nuts in this, just a bit here and there). You could omit the nuts altogether, but they do provide a nice texture balance.
-I did not need to add sugar to my sauce, it will really depend on what type of white wine you use.
– The recipe calls for Romano cheese, but I substituted Parmesan for personal taste, not cost reasons. Your call.
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread 