A Week of Restaurants : Part One

Last week was the first half of a wonderful time in Boston, called Restaurant Week. I've spoken of it before, but if you are new to the blog, I'll explain it again. Many restaurants in the Boston area participate in a two-week period where they offer special three-course meals, for the great (and low) prices of $20 for lunch, and $33 for dinner. My husband and I love to take advantage of these offers so little cooking is done during this time. It's also hectic because of the reservations we have to make in advance, to get in at the best places on the list. The calendar fills up fast, and leaves little time for blog posts! For that reason, I like to consolidate my favorite finds into two separate posts - one for the first week, and one for the second week. Here we go!

I kicked off Restaurant Week 2012 with a visit to Clink, housed in the Liberty Hotel. This is a very cool space because it was once a jail! Some of the original bars are still on the windows, but the dining room at Clink is bright and lovely. As an appetizer, I opted for the Seafood Chowder with Brown Bread Croutons. For my main course, I chose the Black Pasta with Local Clams, Saffron Butter and Green Garlic. Finally, for my dessert, I ordered the Taza Chocolate Ice Cream Float. My favorite part of this meal, and the reason I chose Clink as my first visit during Restaurant Week, was the pasta main course. Black pasta is made by using squid ink as a natural food coloring. Squid ink is the only part of a squid I can stand, and I really enjoy black pasta. The sauce on this dish was salty and garlicky and delicious, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. It really was the perfect size and the clams were juicy and cooked to perfection!

Moving on to the second lunch of the week, I visited Smith and Wollensky with a co-worker and friend of mine. I started with Wollensky's Famous Split Pea Soup with Croutons, followed by Wollensky's Butcher Burger, topped with aged cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and the restaurant's own famous steak sauce mayonnaise. I polished the meal off with a giant piece of Coconut Cake, with Passion Fruit Sauce (which I had them package up for later - I was full!) They cook their meat very specifically to order, so when I said I would like my burger cooked Medium Rare, it was spot on. Most places don't get it as spot-on as Smith and Wollensky! The burger was so huge, I could hardly finish half of it, and the cole slaw that came on the side was perfectly seasoned!

The first dinner of the week, with a group of friends that we always meet up with at least twice for Restaurant Week, was at Asana. I was not as impressed with my meal here, unfortunately. There were a few highlights, and I will tell you about them, of course...but I'll gloss over the rest. I hate to say anything negative. I ordered the Chicken Consomme, Roasted Statler Chicken, and Cherries and Lemon Whipped Cream. The highlight of this meal for me was the dessert, and I don't say that very often. The pastry chef at this restaurant is brilliant, and should have their own space, I believe. I would certainly frequent a dessert shop if this was the caliber of options I was given! The Cherries and Lemon Whipped Cream were garnished with Lemon Juniper (Gin) foam, Almond Sponge Cake, and Vanilla White Chocolate Sorbet. The presentation of this plate was incredible, and I'm sorry that my picture does not do it justice. My favorite part: the cherry sauce was applied in the shape of an actual cherry, and then topped in a small piece of gold leaf, leaving the impression that it was an actual cherry on my plate, not just a glob of cherry sauce. The chocolate curly-cue on top sealed the deal for me!

My final meal of the first week of Restaurant Week was my friend's choice. Ladali is moving in a few days so we had to make her last Restaurant Week here in Boston a special one! She chose to try the Marliave, a place that has a GREAT selection when it comes to Restaurant Week! I started with Henry's Soup, a classic French Onion soup topped with Gruyere, with a twist: short ribs! This was a tasty, and satisfying soup with a beautiful sheen to it. It was thicker than most French Onion soups, and somehow heartier - so hearty, in fact, that I couldn't finish my main course! Moving on to the Scrambled, which is scrambled eggs, farmhouse cheeses, black truffle butter, house cut fries and toasted bread. This was a rich dish, and one that I really could not finish. It was so tasty though...it really hit the spot! I didn't feel like a rich dessert after what I had already ordered, so I opted for the Three Cheese - a platter of three cheeses, walnuts, lavender honey and toasted brioche. The platter came with a delicious Gorgonzola, and two others that I can no longer remember, but everything on the plate melded so well together, and it was the perfect end to a delicious lunch!

Now, do you see how there was little time for blog posts? My goodness, I was busy! I always make the effort to try new places when Restaurant Week is upon us, and this time is no different! Stay tuned next weekend for the second part of this post - I've got a week to go! I'm also going to try to get to the next lesson in The Professional Chef at some point this week! I'll get back on track soon, I promise, dear readers!

Part Three : Chapter Ten : Fish and Shellfish Identification

Fish and shellfish were once plentiful and affordable, but with increased popularity and more complicated fishing techniques, the prices of these delicious morsels have skyrocketed. Because of the high demand for these ingredients, many countries have passed laws and regulations regarding the times and methods of legal fishing. Each type of fish, and shellfish, must be cooked in a specific fashion and chefs, both professional and home, must know what those methods are to bring out the best flavors. 

When purchasing seafood, the person helping you should be able to answer any questions you may have about the freshness or origin of each item. I make it a rule to avoid fish departments that have any sort of smell emanating from them, as fresh fish should have little to no odor whatsoever. If a fish department smells a bit off, it's best to avoid it altogether as one bad piece could contaminate many more!

While storing fish in the correct temperatures allows it to keep for several days, it's best to use what you purchase within a day or two to assure it's freshness. If the fish takes on a "fishy" smell, or becomes soft, and doesn't respond to light pressure, you should probably avoid using it. If you are going to use frozen fish, be wary of white frost around the edges, as this is an indicator of freezer burn, and proof that the fish was improperly packaged.

Here's something I didn't know: "The more a fish swims, the darker its flesh will be. Darker fleshed fish have a higher oil content and, therefore, a stronger flavor." I found that extremely interesting! Considering the oil content of a fish before cooking is imperative to deciding on the best course of method to take.

In contrast to fish, shellfish are sold live, shucked, as tails, claws, and legs. When purchasing shellfish that is still alive, you want to see movement when choosing your ingredients. If you are looking at clams, mussels and oysters, you want to see tightly closed shells, and if they are open a bit, they should snap shut upon contact. Something else I learned in this chapter: "Do not allow fresh water to come into direct contact with lobsters and crabs, as it will kill them." That's the last time I put my lobsters in the sink and run a little water over them while they are awaiting dinner preparation.

This chapter spurned quite the conversation between my husband and I. We tend to eat a lot of seafood in general, but the way in which we've cared for shellfish has been wrong to date. I'm glad I have a new guide for tending to these delicate ingredients. I won't be icing my mussels, clams and oysters any longer...and now I know that if I'm to submerge lobsters in water before cooking, it should be salt water, or nothing at all! 

Holy Ingredients, Aquaman!

Well, tonight I decided to make the Seafood Risotto since I picked up some mussels, clams and shrimp at Whole Foods yesterday. This recipe was extremely prep-heavy so this one was a bit time-consuming, I have to say. Although, I think it was worth it, because this was a really refreshing meal! There were so many ingredients, and a lot of twists and turns, so I'm going to summarize here. If you are interested in a more in depth list, with measurements, shoot me an email and I will send it along. Since I've made risotto before, I won't bore you with a step-by-step here!



For this version of the risotto, the recipe called for either making a homemade seafood stock, or using a store-bought one. I bought one, but went the extra mile and simmered it with all the fixings that would have gone into the homemade one, without any of the seafood. I added 3 squished tomatoes, a bay leaf, a parsley sprig and some chopped carrots. I strained the mixture before I started scooping it into the risotto.



Meanwhile, I heated up some oil and butter in a large pan and added chopped celery, onion and garlic (a soffritto, the Italian version of a mire poix) and to that I added chopped fennel, fennel seeds, chili powder and some saffron. From now on, the more I stir the mixture, the more yellow in tint it will become, and that's because of the saffron. While it's red in color, it turns anything you add it to a bright, fresh yellow color.



Once the soffritto was softened, I added the Arborio rice and allowed it to fry a little bit, until the granules had a nice translucent outer coating.



Now, I'm going to skip a bit here - because you know how to make risotto already! It takes patience, many ladles of stock (seafood, in this case) and lots of stirring! But once the risotto was about done, I added a handful of parmesan and seasoned it up with some salt and pepper. The recipe actually calls for leaving the parmesan out (Italians don't think that seafood and cheese mix), but the nutty, salty flavor of the cheese is better than any salt...so I added a little anyway...but definitely not as much as a normal risotto recipe would call for. Once it was all stirred together, I threw in my mussels, clams and shrimp and covered the pot to allow the shellfish to steam.



As the shellfish started to open and the shrimp were turning pink, I added some globs of butter to finish off the risotto and stirred it all up to heat everything through. I also took some of the mussels out of their shells and stirred it directly into the risotto. This eliminated the mess of a bunch of shells at the dinner table, but also got the mussel juice mixed into the risotto adding a bit more briny flavor to the mix...something I love! I also poured some lemon juice and olive oil on top to add to that freshness.



Once plated, I garnished with fennel fronds and some chopped parsley. This was a delicious, comforting meal for a rainy Monday night! The mussels and shrimp were cooked to perfection...but the clams could have used a few more minutes. Next time, I'll throw the clams in first, and follow with the rest as they seem to need a few less minutes to steam.

Stir: A Book Report

I've talked about Barbara Lynch's cookbook, Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition, but I've never actually reviewed it, and since it's my favorite cookbook (I think, I mean, that's a hard thing to commit to) I thought I'd give it a proper review, or book report, dare I say. (It's been a slow few days in the cooking department - we need groceries, we need them BADLY!)


When this cookbook was released, I was very excited to run out to the store and purchase it. Since buying it for myself, I've recommended it to numerous people, and also bought it for a few people as gifts as well. The recipes are not what I would consider easy, but they also aren't difficult, if that makes any sense. It can be daunting to open a book and see a recipe that spans three pages, but once the recipe is started, the instructions read quite fluently and are pretty easy to follow. There are time-consuming recipes as well as quick and easy weeknight dinner options in this fantastic tome.

The chapters are divided by course, which is the way I prefer a cookbook. It makes it easy for me to flip to the part of the book that I need when planning my menu...whether I'm looking for a salad, a chicken dish, or something meat-related. There's quite a few portions of this book that also touch on special techniques, and basic recipes that can be used for an entire section, such as her basic pasta recipe. Every recipe in the "A Passion for Pasta" section of this book can be fashioned after making her basic pasta recipe (which is one of my favorite concoctions for pasta dough, actually!).

I enjoyed reading the introduction, which really explains where Barbara Lynch comes from as a person, and as a chef. It's inspiring to read about how far she's come from her upbringing in a South Boston housing project, to find herself with celebrity chef stature in the Boston area today. She is a creative chef and a brilliant business woman.

From theinsidesource

I highly recommend purchasing this book. I've made more than 50% of the recipes already and every single one of them has been amazingly delicious. I haven't had a mess-up yet! For those of you who decide to purchase this book, or even just want a taste of what's included, I thought I'd mention a few of my favorite recipes from each section of the book!

In the "Starters and Small Bites" section, try the Slow-Roasted Clams with Spicy Tomato Sauce. I actually made this as a meal with some crusty bread one night, and it took 25 minutes, total. I came home from work, threw it in the oven, put some pj's on, checked my email and voila....dinner! Highly recommended!

My favorite recipe in the entire book, and probably the simplest, can be found in the "Salads with Substance" section. The Mixed Greens with Herbs is a deliciously flavorful salad that adds something spectacular to ANY meal. It is my go-to side dish for company, as well as weeknight meals where I need a quick salad to go with a protein. The home-made dressing is delicious, and the herbs add something so special to plain mixed greens. I promise you'll get nothing but compliments on this one!

From Flickr - by betterbrownies

Moving on to the "Satisfying Soups" section of the book, my favorite of the recipes I've recreated so far would definitely be the Spicy Tomato Soup with Crispy Grilled Cheese. This one is a dish served at Sportello, and I can tell you it's delicious in the restaurant as well as at home. Aside from the fresh pasta recipe in the "A Passion for Pasta," I think I truly love the Torn Pasta Fagioli with Shrimp Polpettini. The torn ribbons of fresh pasta mixed with delicious white beans and succulent shrimp meatballs is just an amazing combination.

Another quick, week night meal can be found in the "From The Sea" section of this book. The Spicy Clam Stew is a hearty dish that takes no more than 20 minutes to make, but yet it tastes like hours toiled over a hot stove. YUM! The Cornish Game Hen Cacciatore, located in the "Chicken, Duck and Goose" section is a wonderful comfort food, served over a Creamy Mascarpone Polenta which is just to die for. (I didn't say that all of her dishes are totally healthy ... but a little mascarpone polenta, in moderation, is a wonderful thing!) I haven't attacked the "From the Butcher: Beef, Pork, and Lamb" section as effectively as I'd like, as of yet, but moving on to the "On The Side" chapter, I have to make special note of the Turnip Puree here. Like the parsnip puree that I've raved about in the past, it's just turnips, salt, pepper, some butter and heavy cream (but you could use milk instead to health it up a bit!). It's delicious...so delicious in fact, that not only did it get a checkmark after I made it, but it also got a little "yum" with a smiley face. The recipes that receive this rating are few and far between! As for the last chapter, "Sweet Treats," I haven't tackled it...because...well...i'm not a baker! I will though...it's on my to-do list.

From Flickr - by oysters4me

All in all, I highly recommend this cookbook as a wonderful addition to any budding chef's collection. She'll challenge you, and teach you, and you'll come out of your kitchen with some delicious, restaurant-quality meals that you'll be proud to share with company!