Tupelo

We're always on the hunt for some good Southern food. We love Blue Ribbon for its barbecue and really enjoy the more upscale Hungry Mother for it's French/Southern fusion but last week, we decided to try out Tupelo because it served more than just Southern barbecue and it seemed authentic; plus it got good reviews on by a few bloggers.

The atmosphere of Tupelo's is friendly. It has a bar up front as you walk in and then a dozen or so tables. We arrived pretty early (around 6pm) because they don't take reservations. Judging on the crowd I don't think you'd have a problem finding a seat before 7:00 on a Friday. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly and excited about the menu (which is always a good sign). We decided to start off with some pimento cheese and saltine crackers, a classic southern dish, which was good but I've had better.

For our entrees I had the daub of beef brisket ($19). The portion was decent and the beef came nice and tender with a very flavorful gravy and horseradish cream. I actually would have liked more sauce because after I gobbled up the gravy on the first half of the meat, the remaining beef could have used some more to dip in it to add that extra flavor and juiceness. My dish came with mashed potatoes; again, they were good although nothing much to write home about. At this point, I think it's probably best to disclose that I am married to a southerner, have had multiple southern meals, home cooked and out at restaurants down South so I may be more critical than a typical Northerner.

B had the fried chicken. He said it was very good and flavorful and that the breading was seasoned very well and the meat seemed that way too. The chicken came with mac and cheese spiced with jalapeño pepper. B liked it and enjoyed the extra kick that the pepper provided. The collards that the dish came with were cooked well but a bit too vinegary and seasoned a bit strangely to B (a Southerner himself), almost like there was Chinese five-spice in it. B is all for exciting but was in the mood for some traditional collards.

J got the North Carolina pulled pork plate. He writes: "Overall, I was not a huge fan of the North Caroline bbq plate. I was hoping for more of a sauce, regardless of whether it was more vinegar or ketchup-based, and I felt the meat's juiciness was more because it was fatty. The "grilled smoky sausage" on top was somewhat excessive and didn't really fit in my opinion. Meemaw's red beans were well...red beans and not much else. I'd honestly have to say my favorite part was the pickles, especially the pickled cauliflower. All the pickles were somewhat unique in the heavy use of ginger. Regardless, it's hard to turn down a big plate of meat, so I didn't have too much trouble polishing most of it off. I guess I was just hoping for more." J also mentioned that he was very pleased with the beer on tap. It was ale you normally don't see on tap at other places.


C got the pulled pork slider for an appetizer ($3). It was a nice size and tasted very good. For an entree C got the rib special which he felt was a bit too greasy. He wished he had gotten more sliders instead. He did really enjoy the pumpkin beer (Pumpking) saying it was the best one he's ever had.
For dessert we all shared the brown butter pecan pie. It was made by Petsi Pies just down the street. It was sweet and gooey and amazing. The crust was buttery and flaky and excellent. A fantastic way to finish off the meal.

Overall, I think we were all generally pleased with our meals at Tupelo but thought that for the price (most entrees were around $18) the food should have been more spectacular than it was. It's decent southern food though and if you haven't ever tried real southern cooking, Tupelo might be a good place to start.

L.A. Burdick: Handmade Chocolates

Waiting for some friends in Harvard Square today, we came across a small chocolatier called L.A. Burdick. I had never heard of them before, but a few people in our group had--apparently, they are pretty well known, and so we decided to go in and try a few select pieces.



L.A. Burdick is probably most well known for it's two "signature" items: chocolate penguins and chocolate mice. Both signature items are whimsical and very cute. The penguin is dark whipped lemon ganache with almond arms, dressed in dark and white chocolate. The mice come in three varieties: dark, milk, and white chocolate. Burdick also offers a variety of other hand-made chocolates, everything from almond chamomile to honey caramel truffles. At over $50 a pound, each piece ends up being about a buck. The mice and penguins are more expensive at $2.5 and $3.5 a piece respectively.


We decided to get a dark chocolate mouse (chocolate ganache with freshly squeezed orange juice, covered in dark chocolate), a Richelieu (a milk and dark chocolate interior with cherry liquor, cherries and cumin seeds), a fig (milk and dark chocolate interior with a balanced flavor of fig and port wine), an Orinoco (dark-milk interior, Caribbean spices, run and coca nibs, covered in chocolate and sprinkled with nibs), a lemon spice (whipped rum and lemon ganache, enrobed in milk chocolate and topped with grated Trinidadian spices), and an almond chamomile (roasted almond and chamomile tea, dark chocolate enrobed).


All of the chocolates were very good. However, we were disappointed in the intensity of the flavors. For example, in the Orinoco we expected a burst of Caribbean spices and yet, we tasted none. Upon further reading of our little chocolate pamphlet, I discovered that for L.A. Burdick their main goal is to give center stage to the world-class chocolates that they use in their recipes:

"We are careful not to mask their (the chocolates) complex flavor with the complimenting ingredients. If the spices, herbs, fruits, coffee and teas are too strong, you can't taste the variety of chocolates we cook with."

Ah-ha! That makes perfect sense then. The other ingredients are there as subtle hints to bring out the flavor of the chocolate, quite like when certain foods are paired with wines...the wine, not the food, is the star attraction. I must admit though, even after this explanation, I would have preferred that the other ingredients still be a bit stronger...I mean, why else label something chamomile is you can't even taste a hint of it? You might as well add the ingredients but not list what they are and people would think it was just wonderful dark chocolate. That's just my two cents.

Overall, we thought L.A. Burdick's chocolate was good, but it didn't blow us away. It was delicious chocolate but nothing truly unique. For the price, I would prefer Choco-Lee's in the South End. As for the signature mice? Besides the cute factor, they're not worth the hefty price tag...I've had better chocolate in Paris for cheaper.

John Harvard's Brew House

Yesterday, Bryan and I took his parents to Harvard Square for some site seeing and shopping. It was a beautiful day and we worked up an appetite pretty quickly. Putzing around the streets, we happened upon John Harvard's Brew House and decided to try it out. I've been in Boston for almost ten years now and after our experience at John Harvard's, I am so annoyed at myself that I didn't go there sooner. John Harvard's serves traditional pub food along with a changing seasonal menu. John Harvard's beers are brewed naturally and are all unfiltered. I'm not sure if they are brewed on the premise or not but there is some brew equipment in the house, whether it's functional or not is another story.

We started our meal off with a seasonal beer that just screamed Boston/Cambridge. The Charles River 10 is a Belgian Saison beer that was: brewed with 10 provincial botanicals from the Charles River Watershed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Charles River Watershed Association's annual cleanup of the Charles River. The botanicals lend notes of Juniper and Rose Hips to the aroma and a sweet floral finish to this golden ale. The beer was fantastic. It was light and a bit sweet/floral tasting and definitely worth ordering. I only wish they served it year-round!

The meal started off with complimentary focaccia bread baked right on the premise with a pesto infused olive oil. The bread was light and so flavorful and just fantastic with the olive oil. We all agreed that it was some of the best focaccia bread we've ever had.

For our entrees: Bryan ordered the daily half-sandwich combo which consisted of half of a roast beef sandwich and salad or soup or fries. Bryan said it was good but I don't think it was anything totally incredible (not sure how much you can you do with a roast beef sandwich....).

I ordered a seasonal sandwich which had grilled chicken breast, Fuji apples, lettuce, onions, an infused mayonnaise sauce, and blue cheese on a homemade multi-grain bread. I think it was the best sandwich I have had in Boston. Much better than anything I've ever gotten at Parrish Cafe and the bread (again, homemade) was amazing. Another seasonal specialty I wished they served year round.

Russell got the fish and chips which came out as one big fish piece. Russell said it was delicious, the fish was nice and tender but was better with the malt vinegar than with the tarter sauce. Ellen got the curry chicken wrap which was a chicken curry salad with grapes. Another special of the day, Ellen thought it was great and would order it again.

The breads we had at John Harvard's seemed to really stick out in our minds as being of excellent quality and some of the brightest stars of our meal. The food, although simple sounding was extremely satisfying, had great flavor, and was of good value (most sandwiches were around $8). If you're in the area, swing by John Harvard's for lunch and a beer. I don't think you'll be disappointed.