Pigna di Pasqua

It's been a tradition in my family since the 1800's to make pigna for Easter. Most of the time, when you hear of Italian pigna, it's a bread with yeast in it. However, when my family makes it, it's a type of cookie, very similar to Greek koulourakia. I'm not quite sure why ours is different, perhaps there is Greek influence in Southern Italy that carried over?

The recipe is quick and easy to make. After making the dough, we braid it into the shape of a crown of thorns and put colored eggs around it (to symbolize life after death). Then we make little cookies to go around the crown in shapes like fish or infinity signs or other shapes that have religious significance. It's a simple cookie, not too sweet and good as a quick bite at breakfast or even to dip into your after dinner coffee. Below is the recipe I use from my Grandmother. It should make 2 crown of thorns and a few trays of cookies, you can half it for one family:

Pigna Di Pasqua

2 ½ lbs flour
2 cups sugar
7/8 cup oil
4 rounded Tbsp baking powder
¼ glass milk
8 eggs

Mix eggs, milk & sugar. Add oil slowly & beat very well. Add flour & knead. Shape and brush with an egg wash. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly brown

Use raw eggs to decorate ---making a fish ( several individual sized ones) or crown of thorns (usually three eggs spaced around it).

Beekman Book Signing

The Beekman Boys will be at the Harvard Coop on April 25th from 7-10pm signing their book, "The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir". Stop by to show your support and pick up a great read!

Bistro du Midi

This past Saturday, we celebrated two of our friend's birthdays at Bistro du Midi located at 272 Boylston Street across from the Public Gardens. Bistro du Midi, (as the name suggests) is a French restaurant that specializes in modern Provençal cuisine. We arrived for dinner at 8:30 and after being cheerfully greeted at the door and checking our coats we were escorted up the stairs to the main dining room. A larger room with an intimate feel, the dining room was chic yet understated, clean lines and white walls, it was an upscale comfortable feel but nothing to distract you from the real reason you are there...the amazing food.

We started our dinner with cocktails. All of the cocktails were good and not your typical gin and tonic fair. The one cocktail that stood out resembled a margarita on the rocks but contained tequila infused with poblano peppers and rimmed with salt/pepper. It was spicy but not too much so and was an amazing combination (note to self: buy peppers and start infusing tequila at home).

For my appetizer, I had the pork caillettes with herb salad and basil oil. I was not sure what a caillette was but the waiter was very good at explaining it to me. Basically, what it boiled down to was a mixture of pork meat and added pork fat and seasoning, mixed together and then fried. The outcome resembled a flat meatball and tasted incredible. Others had the marinated beet salad with Vermont goat cheese from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery (I asked the name and give props to the restaurant for using cheese from VT), the seared foie gras, spicy lamb tartare with quail egg, and the stuffed calamari with lobster Jus just to name a few.

For my main course, I ordered the classic Provençal beef daube with olive oil mashed potatoes. The waiter told us it was one of the first dishes the restaurant chef ever created for the restaurant and it has proven so popular (and delicious) it has stayed on the menu ever since. Needless to say, it was delicious. Resembling a beef stew, the sauce/gravy was dark brown and rich. The beef needed no knife and fell apart on the fork. Combined with the olive oil mashed potatoes (with a layer of melted butter on top) the dish really was incredible. The same accolades were made around the table with everyone else's food. Roasted monkfish, lamb ravioli, and a steak special for two which was probably a pound and half of meat (first presented on a platter and then taken back in the kitchen to be cut up), were other dishes tried and loved.

For dessert, three of us ordered the chocolate souffle which had to be prepped 25 minutes ahead of time. It was the first time I ever had any type of souffle and I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I can't comment on the quality since I have nothing to compare it to but I assume, if we are going by the other parts of the meal, that the souffle was as good as you could get in a Boston restaurant. One item that we passed around the table for everyone to try was a small side item that came with the Chèvre Cheesecake: a basil sorbet. It. was. awesome. Such a unique taste, fresh but sweet and not overly heavy on the basil, it was an unexpected surprise to end the meal.

I have not had a meal out like this one in awhile. Maybe it was the company I was keeping but my whole meal was just such an enjoyable experience, from the drinks, to the waiter, to the food, it was a non-stop class-act. I would definitely recommend Bistro du Midi to anyone who is looking for an outstanding restaurant in Boston.

Metropolis Café

This past weekend after an afternoon at the theatre we headed down Tremont to settle into an early dinner reservation at Metropolis Café. At around 5pm the restaurant was warm and bright from the late afternoon sun shining in, and although it was empty, we were lucky to have had a reservation given it was booked for the entire evening. We were immediately seated at a table for four and presented with the day´s specials. Though the space is rather tight, the closeness of the tables and the fun counter bar give Metropolis a very neighborhood feel and don't at all leave one feeling cramped.

After enjoying fresh bread with olive oil we decided to skip appetizers and go straight for the main course. Were I to have indulged, a number of items caught my eye, including the Lobster, Goat Cheese and Leek Tarte with Petite Frissee Salade, the Lobster, Scallop and Haddock Chowder with Yukon Potatoes, Bacon and Snipped Chives, and the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with Duck Confit, Roasted Chestnuts, Gorgonzola, and Porcini Cream - next time!

I often can't resist nice-sounding scallops on the menu, so I went with one of that day's specials - the caramelized sea scallops with roasted tomato and pine nut fregola, basil pesto, and wild arugula. The scallops were wonderfully cooked and of course slightly caramelized, and the fregola, a Sardinian pasta akin to Israeli cous cous, was just enough to fill the belly.

Someone else enjoyed one of the other daily specials, the roasted squash risotto with herb roasted chicken, baby portabella mushrooms and a fried carrot garnish. Though a little overly rosemary-tasting for me, the risotto was nicely cooked and the chicken was tasty - nothing extraordinary, though. Also ordered were the Gloucester Haddock with Andouille Sausage Haricot Vert Ragout, Pommes Puree, and Roasted Carrot Nage. I must admit I was unfamiliar with what a "nage" was, but it turned out to be little more than a flavoured liquid used for poaching delicate foods, typically seafood, which is then reduced and thickened with cream and/or butter. Lastly was the Metropolis Chicken with Oyster Mushrooms, Haricot Vert, Potato Purée and Savory Pan Drippings. Both were very nicely done, though again, nothing out of this world. With our meals we enjoyed two great bottles of wine, a French grenache and and a Pinot Gris.

In addition to this experience, we've also been for weekend brunch, which, typical of the area, is a great bargain and an overall nice meal. The standard breakfast with two farm fresh eggs with Metropolis homefries and grain toast is less than $7, and other options, like the 3-stack of Maine Blueberry, Banana or Belgian Chocolate pancakes with blended Vermont Maple Syrup, are also fairly inexpensive. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the eggs benedict only because I felt it was on the small side and lacking in ample hollandaise, but it was certainly tasty enough.

Overall Metropolis Café is a solid choice for a good meal, whether dinner or brunch, while in the South End. I would certainly return for another meal, particularly the nightly $29.95 prix-fixe dinner from 5:30-6:30, which includes an appetizer, main course, dessert, and glass of wine!

The Gallows

To celebrate a recent success I was surprised to be taken to The Gallows, one of the South End´s newer culinary endeavors. Describing itself as "an extension of your own kitchen, only better", the Gallows offers reasonably-priced hearty fair from local cheeses and meats to poutine, burgers, and chicken and dumplings.

Being a celebratory occasion we started out with cocktails. A dirty martini drinker I couldn't resist the "Mother's Ruin", which consisted of gin, cocchi, house-made pickle juice, dill, and lemon essence - yum! Also sampled was the "Tar & Feather"consisting of vodka, cherry heering, black tea, ginger - also really tasty. At $9 they weren't obscenely priced, and I'd definitely be interested in returning for the "Abbatoir" (French for "slaughterhouse") - batavia arrack, veal stock, caramelized onions, lillet, and port! As for an amuse-bouche we split a hefty Scotch Egg - I mean, how can you go wrong with a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage mixture, coated with breadcrumbs, and deep fried? Other options of interest included a trout and bacon pâté, citrus sunchokes, and marinated mushrooms - next time!

We decided to skip a first plate, but some of the options sounded delicious like the smoked scallops with braised lettuce, pearl onions, peas, warm carrot dressings, and the "hangtown fry" - a fried egg, fried oysters, house smoked bacon, and red watercress. For my main meal I had a taste for a burger and chose the "Carpetburger", which came topped with fried oysters, american cheese, and remoulade. I had ordered it medium rare but the waiter, a medium-rare burger guy himself, suggested I get it done medium since the beef used at The Gallows lent itself more toward longer cooking. I wasn't disappointed. Also ordered was the "Wicked Early Spring Veg Shepherd´s Pie" with a potato-horseradish crust, mushrooms, barley, peas, pearl onions. Both dishes were great. The burger was nice and juicy with a satisfying amount of fried oysters in remoulade on top. The shepherd´s pie was pretty standard, though the nice surprise of plump, juicy pearl onions in every other bite really added to it. Along with my main dish I had also ordered a "red beer", which appeared on the draft menu. I had anticipated a red ale of some sort, but it turned out to be their version of the Latin American michelada, PBR with tomato juice, lemon, and spices, a purported hangover cure. I wasn't hungover, but sure! It ended up going quite nicely with the burger, actually.

After all of that we were ready to be rolled out of there. For unpresumptuous but delicious and satisfying comfort food, I'd definitely recommend a stop by The Gallows. Though it wasn't crowded on a Tuesday night, they only take reservations for 6 or more, and on the weekends I've seen it with a line out the door, so get there early if you can!

Saus | frietjes, gaufres, and poutine; oh my!

It was a beautiful day, and we thought a nice stroll and brunch of deep-fat-fried goodies would be perfect. So, to Saus it was. We had been particularly excited when we heard Saus was opening up: I mean a joint devoted to fries and waffles; how bad can that be?!

Once we figured out what to order, it wasn't too long before our hot treats were ready. First out were the waffles. I have to say, they were really delicious. Not at all like the waffles mom makes. Mom's are delicious; don't get me wrong. But these... Yum. The waffles at Saus were golden and crispy--an attribute made possible by the caramelization of the 'pearl sugar' that they use. As you might have guessed, Saus also offers a number of different sauces to go on their waffles. We tried the "homemade 'nutella'" (pictured) and the "lemon cream." Both were very good, but we thought the lemon cream was exceptional. (By the way, we all also really loved the dishes they were served in. I think they are local, but I can't remember from where. Nantucket? If anybody knows, please send us a note!) A few comments from P about his waffle: "I enjoyed the pearl-sugar crunch, and the waffles--although small--were delicious. The homemade nutella was not as hazlenutty as the name brand, but I liked that it was more of a sauce than a spread. The lemon cream was light and delicious, but I do wish there had been a bit more on it since it was so good." 

Soon after we devoured the waffles, they called us to the counter to get our frites. J got a fried egg on top of his, while the rest of us did not. Of course, Saus offers a number of creative condiments to dip your fries in: we chose truffle ketchup (fantastic!) and the chipotle mayo. After I'd already picked up my order, I noticed a few sauce specials on a side chalkboard: the sauce called "Green Monster" sounded great, and I'll definitely be getting that next time. (A recent update on their blog indicates that "Green Monster" will be joining the permanent menu of sauces, replacing their pesto.) We loved the way the fries were served in paper cones, which brought back memories of ketchup-and-mayo-smeared faces during afternoon walks in Brugge. The fries were fresh and good, fried well, and nicely salted. We were still hungry, though. We decided that while we were at it, we might as well get poutine as well.

Now, I never would associate poutine with Belgium; but, hey, everybody's doing fusion nowadays, so why not Belgo-Québécois?! In short, the poutine was great. We all had some and left full. We already knew the fries were good, the sauce brune was very nice, and the curds had begun to melt just enough to where they were creamy yet still held their shape. I only wish there had been more curds to go around. P adds some comments: "The poutine was great and the gravy was not as heavy as some gravy on poutine can be. It will fill you up without making you stuffed."

Along with the food, we were very happy with the friendly staff. They were very attentive and checked to make sure everything was to our liking. The décor was also very cute. Seating is limited, but hopefully that won't be a problem come summer as folks are more inclined to get a cone of fries to go.

We left happy and satisfied, talking about what we'd order the next time...

Pomodoro! A History of the Tomato in Italy

About a year ago, I was feasting on some pasta when a thought popped into my head. What did Italian people eat before 1492? Since the tomato is a "New World" fruit (yes, it is a fruit), there were centuries of Italian cooking before it was introduced to Europe. Well, as a Christmas gift this year, I received a book that explains just that. Pomodoro! A History of the Tomato in Italy, by David Gentilcore, traces the tomato from its humble written introduction into Italy on October 31, 1548 (it was viewed as a strange and horrible thing) all the way up to present day. While the book can be a bit dry in parts, overall it is quite fascinating. I learned a lot of interesting tidbits. For example, tomatoes didn't get consumed by the masses in Italy until around the 1700's and it wasn't until the mid 1800's that tomato sauce was married to pasta and became the popular dish it is today. Strangely, the tomato really only started to catch on in Italy right when Italy was becoming unified, so technically, Italians always used tomatoes in their cuisine (by that same logic though, you could say Italian cuisine is less than 200 years old). If you are Italian or just love Italian food (the book includes some recipes) and history, Pomodoro! is definitely worth a read.

Max Brenner

For months now I've been fascinated with the opening of Max Brenner since the giant blow-up rat appeared on Boylston street in protest of the chain's apparent use of non-union construction workers. Elsewhere around the world the chain has been boycotted for its connections to Israel. When it opened last week scores of union workers stood outside handing out pamphlets and discouraging people from entering. This was a place I was interested in checking out.

Walking into the restaurant it's clear that the theme is centered around "Max Brenner Chocolate Culture" as the entire place smells like chocolate. To the left is what would best be described as a gift shop with various chocolate products, to the right is a long bar, and ahead is the main dining area. The atmosphere reminded me of Cheesecake Factory given the warm browns, oranges, and reds throughout.

The menu is huge, with everything from white chocolate cheesecake crêpes to the chubby smoked turkey club. There is a wide variety of chocolate-based beverages like hot chocolate, chocolate chai tea, and a mocha frappé using cocoa from all over the world. Since it was brunch time we decided to go with something sweet and something savory and split them.

I opted for the "illegal chocolate chocolate chocolate pancakes" with 60% dark chocolate truffle cream, pure milk chocolate shavings, spiced pecans, caramelized bananas. This arrived very nicely arranged with two cute beakers of white and dark chocolate sauces. The 3 pancakes were tasty enough, and it was an overall very chocolatey experience. At around 15 dollars I would have to say they were overpriced, but I was by no means disappointed.

Our other dish was the "Sliced & Diced Steak “Pillow” Panini" -char-grilled & thin sliced skirt steak tossed with
diced caramelized onions on a bed of asiago cheese crisps, baby spinach, roasted tomatoes, red pepper aioli. Underwhelming. For as much good stuff as there was in there it should have tasted better - more salt? Nonetheless the bread was nice and crisp and light, and the beef was good as well. The best part was the waffle fries dusted with chili and cocoa powder. Though I didn't get much of the chili and cocoa powder, it's hard to make a bad-tasting waffle fry, especially dipped in the red pepper aioli served alongside the panini. At about 16 this dish, too, was overpriced for what it was.

Overall I'd have to say I was disappointed. The food was okay, the prices were too high, and the atmosphere was non-descript. I will say, however, that some of their sweets like the "chocolate chunks pizza" and the "deep fudge chocolate cake & shake" do sound delicious, so if I were to find myself with a sweet craving I would consider coming back.

Restaurant Week at Erbaluce

Being restaurant week we decided to finally pop into Erbaluce, a somewhat hidden Italian restaurant on the border of Bay Village and Back Bay. Though I can't say I've ever really noticed anyone coming in or out of it, at 6:30 on a Friday evening it was hopping. We were by far the youngest people there by perhaps 30 years, but we took the fact that the restaurant was full of well-to-do-looking older men and women as a sign that it must be good ;-) We were immediately seated at a table for two in the dimly-lit main dining room. I must say I was underwhelmed by the ambiance - it was quite dark, the walls were mostly bare, and the tables were non-descript looking, but it was by no means uncomfortable or unwelcoming.

We were first served a delicious white bean pureed with a number of herbs, nutmeg, and cinnamon, along with freshly baked bread. This was outstanding, and we could have sworn there was heavy cream or something rich and creamy in it, but this was not the case, and it was quite healthy. Bottles of wine were on the pricey side and all from Italy, so we decided to just order a glass each, both of which were very nice. To start I had the orange and rosemary cured organic salmon with a chicory salad and pink peppercorn dressing. The pink peppercorns, actually small tart berries, were very interesting and contrasted nicely with the sweet orange flavor and the saltiness of the salmon. For me you can never go wrong with cured fish or any sort. Chris had the
white cornmeal polenta with marinated tomatoes and gorgonzola dolce, a simple but tasty take on polenta.

For my main dish I went with the whole steamed Jonah crab with crab and celery risotto. I always feel a little bit strange hacking away at a shellfish carcass while in a nice restaurant, but I couldn't resist. The risotto was very good and had a strong celery flavor to it, but I was disappointed with the amount of crabmeat that was both in the risotto and in the crab claws and legs, themselves. Chris' pan-roasted Newport steak with a lemon, thyme, and white pepper sauce, on the other hand, was very satisfying and perfectly cooked.

We ended up waiting quite some time before our desserts came out, but eventually our chocolate and tart cherry bread pudding
and tortella of local apples with almond cream arrived. The tortella was essentially deep fried dough but very light and airy, and the almond cream was very nice. The chocolate and tart cherry bread pudding was simple but good, though I could have used a bit more of the dark cherry flavor. Finally, as we waited for the check, we were served some complimentary homemade truffles, which was a nice touch.

Overall I can't say I was in love with Erbaluce but I would definitely give it a second try when it isn't restaurant week. The special for the night, a braised rabbit stuffed with liver and truffle something or other sounded absolutely divine, and a number of the other menu items sounded quite enticing.

Snappy Sushi

Having a craving for sushi but not wanting to spend an arm and a leg we decided to check out Snappy Sushi, a sushi joint recently having relocated to 108 Newbury from further up the street. Known for having only koshikari brown rice, Snappy offers a healthier alternative to the more traditional brown rice. The restaurant´s interior is two leveled, with the top floor having a small seating area and the downstairs offering both sushi bar seating and a number of tables.

I was pleased to see that the menu items were very reasonably priced, as sushi can obviously get quite expensive. The fancy rolls average about $10 for 6 pieces, while the more traditional rolls, both standard and "inside-out" averaged at about 5. Pieces of nigiri were either $1 or $2, and there are a number of salads and other plates averaging around $12. We decided to keep it simple and order a few pieces of nigiri as well as a few rolls.

The best roll was the crispy eel roll, which had eel, avocado, cucumber, and flying fish roe topped with mayo and crunchy tempura bits, drizzled with eel sauce. The yellowtail and salmon rolls were standard, and the inside-out spicy tuna was also very good and had a nice sprinkling of sesame seeds on the outside. The fact that all of the rolls came with brown rice was undetectable in all but the spicy tuna roll given that it had the most rice. While I must admit I do prefer the white rice, the brown was certainly nothing to complain about, especially with it being healthier. For nigiri we had the saba (mackerel), tamago (sweet egg omelet), ika (squid), and ikura (salmon roe), all of which were delicious.

I would certainly return for another round of sushi, perhaps sampling one of their very reasonable lunch specials. Other fancy rolls of future interest include the Boston Lobster Roll, which has avocado, cucumber, and green leaf rolled together, and dressed with chopped lobster meat mixed with red onion and flying fish roe in wasabi-butter sauce, and the Roasted Garlic Scallop roll, which is an avocado and cucumber roll dressed with chopped scallops and onion in Snappy Sushi's sweet garlic sauce, topped with garlic mayo and black flying fish roe.

Amazing kimchee-beef dumplings!

Dumpling truck in South Pasadena, CA

http://dumplingstation.com/

Dim Sum at Myers + Chang

After living in the area for a few months we finally made it a few blocks over to Myers & Chang, where Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese flavors combine in an array of fun dishes and drinks to be had. Being a weekend morning we decided to go in for Dim Sum, order a few items, and see how their Dim Sum compared to the more "traditional" offerings in Chinatown.

First to come out were the tamarind glazed peel-and-eat prawns. The glaze was sweet and delicious, as were the 7 or 8 nice, plump prawns.

Next were the fried oysters with fermented black beans and pickled bean sprouts - I wish there were more than two per order, as the combination of textures and sweet, salty, and savory flavors was excellent!

The fried egg banh mi with sweet soy glazed bacon was by far the messiest item, both for splitting among diners or just to eat on its own. Its components were all very good, though I feel they could have done a lot more with the Vietnamese-ness of the dish, as it was more or less just an open-faced sandwich with a fried egg and bacon.
The cantonese bbq pork bao was also nice enough, but I might have expected something more substantial for $4 - it was perhaps two bites and couldn't really be split among more than 2 people.

The coal-black chicken wings with housemade sriracha were next and shouldn't be missed for any lover of chicken wings - the charred, smoky flavor was delicious, and the sriracha added a really nice bite to the plate. We also had two orders of dumplings, one with shiitake mushroom and Chinese greens and the other being "Mama Chang's pork dumplings" - Both were fairly standard dumplings, but the soy-based dipping sauce was particularly tasty.
Finally were the crispy spring rolls, your standard vegetable spring rolls fried to a nice crisp and filled with fresh veggies. Along with our Dim Sum came a choice of brown or white rice, but given there were four of us I was expecting a bit more than just one small bowl - oh well!

Price-wise Myers & Chang's Dim Sum is a little on the higher end compared with the more traditional joints, but you can definitely detect the greater freshness of ingredients and the greater thought that goes into each of their plates when compared with the larger establishments in Chinatown. Most items are 5 or 6 dollars, though there are a couple of smaller "snacks" for $3. Overall it is a very nice Saturday or Sunday morning experience if you're looking for dim sum, but something a little more fresh and different. I look forward to returning and sampling some of the other items like spicy kimchee pancakes and sweet potato fritters with Chinese sausage!

Also worth mentioning...

Dim Sum isn't all Myers & Chang has to offer - on Sunday nights they have a wonderful $1 Oyster and $1 PBR tall boy special known as "Oyster Oblivion", which is a MUST. The oysters come with a standard mignonette or an outstanding Asian mignonette with lemon grass. Unfortunately you can only order 12, but self-control isn't always a bad thing, I suppose!

The Wholy Grain

This afternoon we ventured over to The Wholy Grain on Shawmut Ave in the South End to try it out. The Wholy Grain opened last Friday and is located ont the street level of a traditional brownstone. The inside is light and airy with yellow walls, chalkboard menus, and white marble countertops and tables. Although somewhat reminiscent of the South End Buttery, the Wholy Grain maintains a charm of its own. There are baked goods to choose from on the counter ranging from the traditional croissants to muffins to breakfast stromboli. There is also a glass case which--as of today--only had a strawberry cream cake and brownies in it; but, eventually, it should be filled with cakes and other pastries, we can only assume. We ordered a few items to try, a chocolate croissant/pain au chocolat, a blueberry muffin, a bacon-avocado-chicken wrap, a spicy-chicken and blue cheese sandwich, and a raspberry-almond cream croissant. Although it is unclear, we think the croissants and bread are made off-site while the muffins and tarts seem to be made in-house.

The chocolate croissant was light and flaky; overall very good. We were impressed with the raspberry almond cream croissant; on looks alone it could have won us over but the taste was just as impressive--it was fantastic. The bacon avocado chicken wrap was decent. The avocado wasn't quite ripe enough and the wrap itself was a bit bland but the bacon and chicken tasted good. The wrap sold for $6.95, so a bit over 7 bucks after taxes--a bit too high a price I think but typical for the area. The blueberry muffin was jam-packed with blueberries, after unwrapping it and breaking off a piece you could see a ton of blueberries inside. The spicy chicken sandwich looked and tasted very good, too.

The Wholy Grain was quite busy when we got there, but we didn't mind the wait. We enjoyed the friendly service and the comfortable atmosphere. This is a good alternative to the Buttery. My hope is, as the weeks go on, there will be more take-away baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and different types of bread available for purchase. Overall, there are a few kinks the Wholy Grain needs to work out but it will make a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. We are certainly excited for the outdoor seating come warmer weather!

South End Bakery

The South End finally gets a real bakery, The Wholey Grain. We'll try to visit this weekend to fill everyone in!

Tico

For a last minute Valentine's Day dinner I decided that it was right about time to try one of Boston's newest restaurants, Tico. I had heard a few things about this place - that it was Latin American, Central American, Mexican, Small Plate/Tapas, and Nuevo Latino, so I had to go check it out for myself. Lucky for us we were able to get a table for two at 6:45.

We were seated without issue and put right in front on St. James at a table for two - thankfully it would give me enough light to take some food pictures, as the place overall is rather dim. After we ordered a very nice bottle of Garnacha, our server was kind enough to fill us in as to plate sizes and whatnot so we wouldn´t order too much or too little food. Basically the menu is divided into 4 sections. There are a number of tacos, each serving two and costing between 8 and 12 and consisting of two small tacos. Then there are the "a la plancha" or grilled selections, ranging from around 5 to 12. Thirdly are the "small plates", a large selection of dishes for sharing ranging from around 7 to 12. Finally are maybe 5 or 6 full-size entrees for a main course. We figured it best to get a variety of things to try, and as our server suggested we split our selections among the first three varieties. We ended up with 1 set of tacos, 2 from the grilled, and then 5 of the small plates, one of which was added on at the end...plus dessert ;-) While we waited we enjoyed freshly baked bread with olive oil - nothing special but definitely delicious. The first dish to come out was the fried calamari with ancho-lime aioli. It was your standard calamari - the deep fried lime wedges were a nice touch and the aioli was as tasty as any mayonnaise-based dip can be. Next came the chicken "a la plancha" with spicy pomegranate served on little skewers. The chicken was moist and had a really delicious seared flavor, and while the pomegranate sauce wasn't overly spicey, I was a big fan.

Next came the sweetbreads with blood orange, endive, hazelnuts and masa harissa. While the mystery still remains as to which part of what animal I was served, the sweetbreads were very mild and nicely enhanced with the harissa and blood oranges. Luckily by this point we were not even halfway through! The next three dishes came in succession, starting with the tacos with tender pork with spicy cucumber. The pork was wonderfully moist and flavorful, and the cucumbers were at that nice halfway pickled stage providing a nice crunch to the soft tortilla taco. Next was the risotto - while it was flavorful enough and the rice was nicely cooked, there was hardly any chorizo, and at it tasted like the chorizo I buy at Stop & Shop - not at all bad, but I was hoping for something more. Finally came the meatballs with smoky tomato. The meatballs had a nice crisp outer layer and were perfectly cooked, but the "smoky tomato" sauce that accompanied it was non-descript.

At this point we were feeling satisfied, but I still wished I had ordered the mushroom and cheese quesadilla with black truffle salsa. Done. Within minutes our light and crisp tortilla arrived - the mushrooms were great, though I wish the cheese had been something like chihuahua, not American-esque like I tasted. The little dollop of truffle salsa was really nice, but could definitely have been amplified. Dessert? Why not?! It was Valentine's Day after all. Our dessert had a long name, the "chocolate gelatto-peanut butter mousse over-the-top caramelized banana split" with Mexican chocolate and crushed peanuts. The hyphens were confusing. What came out was a three-scoop serving of chocolate gelatto sitting in a bit of peanut butter sauce (mousse) alongside a caramalized banana with everything sprinkled in peanuts and then a side of Mexican chocolate. This was legitimate, particularly the chocolate sauce with just enough cayenne to really enhance the dish overall. The gelatto was excellent and the whole dish was perfectly-sized to be split between two.

All in all we left satisfied with Tico and would consider returning, but we could certainly think of some improvements. First of all was the music. I'm not quite sure if Tico has decided what it wants to be - swanky Latin lounge and restaurant, yuppy south-of-the-border hangout, or what, but the music leaves something to be desired and didn't quite match with the atmosphere. As mentioned before it was very dim, but at least warm-colored. For how big the place is, though, I'm not sure if this works. Price-wise the food was decent, though to compete with other local tapas-type restaurants like Masa it should consider some time with reduced price menu items as what I got wasn´t necessarily what I thought I was paying for. Regardless, the place has been open for only a week, and if it doing this well so far it definitely deserves future patronage, and I´m looking forward to coming back and sitting at the bar for something from its extensive selection of tequilas and some nibbles at the bar.

Cœur à la crème! A perfect Valentine's day dessert -- or any day for that matter!

It's truffle day!

That is a LARGE club sandwich! At The Beehive!

Boston Olive Oil Company

Strolling down Newbury this afternoon we couldn't help but be drawn into the Boston Olive Oil Company. Though it has been there since the fall of 2010 and we had heard good things about it, only now did we finally take the time check it out!

Walking in you see that this place means business - the entire store is lined with rows of handsome stainless steel fusti with spigots for tasting the over 40 varieties of extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We were immediately greeted by one of the owners who was happy to educate us a bit about her products. Their Olive Oils are 100% Extra Virgin, unfiltered and settled, and come from both the northern and southern hemispheres. There are the varietals, which are unadulterated oils like the manzanillo and ascalano, and then a large selection of fused/infused oils. The Balsamic vinegars, on the other hand, are harvested in Modena, Italy and imported to the store and bottled on the premises. They range from the traditional balsamic to more interesting varieties like pomegranate and pumpkin.

All of the products are available to be tasted right there in little paper cups and with small pieces of bread. The owner was kind enough to suggest a number of combinations, like the herbs de provence oil with mandarin balsamic and the tuscan herb oil with pomegranate balsamic, the latter of which we ended up purchasing. Another great combination we enjoyed was the harissa olive oil, which is infused with smoked chili peppers, garlic, caraway coriander, cumin, with the tahitian vanilla balsamic vinegar. We could have spent an hour in there guzzling all kinds of delicious oils and vinegars! I must say it was a lovely way to spend a quarter of an hour or so and inspired a delicious antipasto lunch drizzled in our new oil and vinegar combination! I look forward to returning to sample and purchase some more in the near future!

Bottles for purchase are directly underneath the fusti and average at about 18 dollars for 375 ml. You can find the Boston Olive Oil Company at 262 Newbury Street and online at their website, on facebook, and on twitter!