Food Is Love

BEST HANDHELD CHEAP EATS IN NYC

2006-01-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Papaya King
Upper East - 86th and Lex.
The single best hot dog in the world. There is nothing better. Get it with onion's, which is actually a classic chopped onions in a tomato relish. Get a Tropical BREEZE (not drink) or a Mango juice and your life will change for ever. 2 dogs and a drink is approx. 6 bucks.

Yonah Schimmel's
Lower East -137 Houston
The best Knish's ever made. Anywhere, Ever! Get a Spinach or a Roasted Garlic, buy a Dr. Brown's Cream soda (Cel-ray if your over 50 yrs of age)…and take a seat at the park next door. Life is simple and pure. Knish and Soda approx. 3 dollars

Mamoun's
Washington Square 119 MacDougal St
Mamoun's is a classic NYU area cheap eat. This joint has a line out the door at all hours. The hungry patrons waiting for their Falafel with Hummus or Shwarma. I recommend getting one of each! Grab a seat in Washington Sq. and eat until you’ve got tahini dripping from between you fingers. Falafel w. Hummus and Soda approx 4 bucks

Ming Tsai

2005-11-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

The chef/owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA, Ming Tsai is a talented and versatile character. He was the host of now-defunct FoodTV show East meets West, and now has a PBS show called Simply Ming. His weekly guest stars showcase their skills, but Ming usually ends up cooking circles around each and every one. For all of you that are scared of learning Asian cookery, Check out Ming's Techniques on his show or in any of his cookbooks- He makes it simple and delicious.
This Month's Boston Magazine has a feature on celebrity chef's (Ming Tsai gets the cover) and their favorite places in Beantown. Ming Tsai is truly a local cuisine hero, and here he offers some fantastic tips for out of the way dining. To get the full article you will have to subscribe, but here are some great tips from Mr. Blue Ginger himself:
Where to Shop
Chin Enterprises “This is where serious Chinese cooks shop for Chinese gadgets. You'll find traditional iron woks, giant Chinese cleavers, tongs, spoons, strainers, and steamers, all at half the price they cost elsewhere.” [33 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-423-1725]
Where to Eat
Sapporo Ramen “Order the miso butter noodles. The bowl is twice the size of my head.” [1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-876-4805]
Noodle Alcove “It's unbelievable to watch the noodle guy roll, twist, fold, and pull noodles into long strands. The best way to eat the noodles is in soup, because you want to savor the texture. Chinese noodles are not al dente. They have jing jier , or bounciness. They're not mushy, not hard, not soft, but still tender.” [10 Tyler St., Boston, 617-542-5857]
Chinatown Café “I always stop on the way home from Logan to get a whole red roast duck, pork belly, or the stir-fry noodles for dinner.” [262 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-695-9888]
Silvertone Bar & Grill “This is not a place to ‘be seen.' But on a cold night there's nothing better than a cocktail and a bowl of their phenomenal mac and cheese.” [69 Bromfield St., Boston, 617-338-7887]

Eulogy for a Noodle Shop - Sam's Noodles

2005-10-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

Sam's Noodles
Formerly of 29th Street and 3rd Ave - Home of the "Little Bit of Everything" bowl of soup.

When we lose a family member- we mourn, we grieve. When we lose a dining establishment that we have known and loved, we do not know how to mourn, or how to move on. I have never been taught how this process works.
Ok, maybe I am going overboard but a place we choose to eat over and over again is a place we love. Sam's Noodles was a Noodle Shop among many in New York, and even on it's block. It did not stand out for any specific reason, but on a cold March day nearly 10 years ago, My friend and I happened upon what must have been one of the greatest food bargains in NYC history. The venerable bowl of soup known as the "Little Bit of Everything" was truly that. It's spicy full bodied broth was full of all the flavor that your mouth could handle, or more. The ingredients varied slightly, most likely due to what was left around, but that never bothered me. There was always a broad noodle, but not always the same kind. There was always some seafood, meat and vegetable. The bowl was many quarts, certainly enough to feed a plump 16 year old with enough leftover to fill a quart-sized plastic container 'doggie bag'. There was so much soup in that helmet sized bowl that we occasionally competed to see who could take care of that mass of noodles and soup first. On the night of this great discovery, my friend and I were so entranced with this soup that we attempted to save our leftovers through a 50 block walk uptown to the Beacon Theater, 4 hours of rock concert (Black Crowes!), and a Metro North Train home. I don't remember if the soup made it the whole way, and that doesn't matter. What matters is we tried!
The phone call I received just a few days ago from that same friend, who now lives just a few blocks from the site of our humble noodle sanctuary, was a sad event. "It's gone", he said with equal parts sadness, melancholy and hunger. "There is nothing left"
I wish that quart sized plastic container, full of its mystery, was here with me today. I would rush it over to the bio-engineering lab at MIT or some local biotech and have them do the complete work up, or maybe I would give it to those CSI folks who can figure out everything about everything. Better yet, I would probably take the Orange line to Downtown Crossing, walk to Chinatown, and find a chef who would re-create my "Little Bit of Everything". It would never be the same, but he could try, right?
No, I must face the harsh reality - it is gone. I must move on, and find new soups to tickle my palate at reasonable prices. They are out there I am sure. And now I must journey out to find a worthy successor.

TV REVIEW - Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations'

2005-08-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

Preserving his sense of humor, sense of adventure and sense of style; the Travel Channel does a great job with 'No Reservations'. Bourdain is a strange food 'celebrity' to be sure, but I think he handles himself as though he were any other adventurous traveler. I feel like so many of the Food TV travel/cooking shows are so contrived, and that Travel is really giving free reign to our chef. When those celeb chefs go film I feel like they are barging into a kitchen and taking over. Bourdain allows the situation to occur and he views, reviews, and makes side comments all at once!

So far I have enjoyed his trips to Malaysia and Vietnam the best, but his musings on France and on his native New Jersey reveal so much of his character, and his quest for the origins of his love of food.

It is tough not to enjoy these adventures vicariously…I whole heartedly recommend Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations'.

ALERT - BOSTON RESTAURANT WEEK

2005-08-14T10:46:00.000-04:00

RESTAURANT WEEK

This is your chance to sample some of the BEST PLACES TO EAT IN BOSTON for 30 bucks a meal... Don't miss this opportunity!

from BostonUSA.com:
"Start Date: 08/22/2005
End Date: 08/26/2005

The 5th Annual, RESTAURANT WEEK ! August 22-26, 2005, is a culinary festival bound to whet your appetite each day as some of the finest restaurants in Boston & Cambridge and beyond offer a special three-course prix-fixe Lunch Menu for just $ 20.05! AND once again, many of the restaurants are offering a special Dinner Menu for $30.05! Over 100 restaurants participate in Restaurant Week - so select your favorites to re-visit or try Boston's NEWEST eateries. American Express cardholders have an exclusive reservation period prior to July 15 to book your table. So, use your card, call, and book your table today."

TEST KITCHEN - Beer Can Chicken

2005-08-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

About 6 months ago I started hearing about the phenomenon of Beer Can Chicken AKA BeerBUTT Chicken. I originally wrote this off as something that was below my culinary standards, forgetting myself for a moment. You see nearly everyone of my favorite foods is a simple comfort food. When did I get so stuck up that the concept of sticking a can of beer in a chicken and putting it on the grill for 2 hours was unexciting. Well, I apologize for being a naysayer! I was wrong and I will repent. I will preach the BeerButt scriptures high and low, because its damn yummy!
The concept is simple and the execution is as well. There are some racks on the market that range in size and ease of use. Mine was a gift purchased for me at CVS by one of the devout Beer Butt fans (Thank you Lolo) but my mother purchased a Vertical Chicken Roaster from William Sonoma for $25 bucks retail (yet my mom found a bargain at a Brick and Mortar for 1/2 price! Go Mom!) Either will work, just be prepared for a bit of run off from the can. I hear you can do it without a rack but I do not know how you would keep the bird standing on end...let me know if you figure it out!
We took an organic Whole Foods market chicken, and a 1/2 full can of Bud, and a combination of spices (Adobo seasoning and some Spicy Steak rub) for the skin. We put some smashed garlic and large diced red onion in the beer and in the bird. The whole thing sat in a grill pan with some potato and onion for about 2 hours.
In the end we had a tender, moist and flavorful bird. It was the same sensation as when you sit down to a Turkey dinner at someone's house you’ve never eaten at before. When that bird comes out of the kitchen, you always wonder if it will moist, or if you will need to choke down every bight with a mouth full of water (or depending on the company a stiff drink). The skin just fell off but of course that didn't keep me from shoving it in my mouth like a caveman. The meat fell of the bones and the whole bird was full cooked and fully flavored.
Do not be a snob -
Be converted and you shall see the light!

Flour Bakery on 7/23

2005-07-26T20:33:00.000-04:00

Flour Bakery+Cafe

Restaurant Review: Flour Bakery + Cafe

2005-07-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

Flour Bakery + Cafe
@ 1595 Washington Street (at Rutland St.), South End, Boston, MA

A sandwich is not a simple thing. The concept is simple enough, but variations on the theme make it anything but. A melting hot cheesy Panini or Cuban sandwich, a Foot Long Submarine piled high with salty Italian meats and cheeses, dripping with oil and vinegar, a hot Phili Cheese Steak sandwich (Steak Bomb in my parts)…or there is the more Homemade nostalgic sandwiches like PB&J and the ubiquitous Grilled Cheese, or maybe you grew up with Mayo-heavy Egg and/or Chicken and/or Tuna Salad. Any which way, you have a memory of brown paper bags from childhood that has more than likely carried over in some way to adulthood. A sandwich from Flour not only dresses up the brown bag version, but maximizes anyone’s idea of a simple sandwich.

Sandwiches: There are about a dozen or so sandwiches to choose from including the daily specials and the regular menu. They all sound great, look great and…taste even better! While we stood in line debating our options we told the guy behind us to skip right ahead. He thanked us and then proclaimed: "Don't worry, anything you get will be excellent!" As he waited to order, our decisions were quickly made and an outdoor table was procured.

Roasted lamb, tomato chutney & goat cheese: The greatest surprise in here was the moist and pink Roasted Lamb. I am certain this meat had been cooked the same day, allowed to cool and carved on site. The chutney was strong and tangy, and made me think of a cross between a regular pickle relish and the tomato and onion mixture you get with Nan at an Indian restaurant. The goat cheese just added a little mellowing to the tangy chutney, and the bread was toasted from a very crusty white loaf. The crunch, the juicy meat, the tang of the chutney and the mellow cheese…it was a perfectly balanced meal between two slices of warm bread.

Oven-roasted veggies & goat cheese: A mound of freshly roasted veggies tasted fresh and sweet, most assuredly roasted that day. Zucchini, squash, portabellos and red peppers were sweet and salty in their own natural goodness, mellowed by the same creamy goat cheese from the lamb sandwich. The red peppers were the most deliciously perfect marinated and roasted version of this. Not oily at all, they tasted as fresh as my grandmothers homemade peppers used in antipasto! The bread was the most perfect part of this sandwich. Its outward crustiness and inner softness reminded me of the Tuscan-style breads that are baked with cornmeal, to assure the crustiest of crusts! There were no runny juices from the veggies to destroy the perfect texture and handling of this superb sandwich.

A side note: if you like seltzer or a tart soda, Flour makes its own Raspberry Seltzer…give it a try, its very refreshing on a summer day!

Dessert: A Peanut Butter 'Oreo' cookie sandwich was inventive and familiar all at once. The two midnight black cookies the texture of Nilla Wafers and flavor of semi-sweet chocolate sandwiched a soft and smooth peanut butter filling. It did not crunch like an oreo, but it was a great twist on the concept. I still believe that the greatest thing in the world for dessert is any chocolate with any peanut butter, so I was not a partial judge. It was rich and filling, and the price, $1.50, was more than justified.

Price: The sandwiches were $6.95 to $7.95, the pastries were $1 - $3 bucks. Its basically the same cost as a Au Bon Pain/Panera-ish place, but HIGH Quality and fresh as can be.

Overall: As a sandwich shop, a pastry shop, a place to get a cup of coffee…this is the kind of small local food establishment that people should put their money into to help us keep the Mom and Pop places alive. Next time you are near the South end and need a fresh sandwich or something to satisfy the sweet tooth - the only answer is Flour Bakery + Cafe.

JRB and LMT reporting

Anthony Bourdain's new show

2005-07-24T12:20:00.000-04:00

Anthony Bourdain's new show

Starting this monday night. July 25th at 10pm on the Travel Channel

Description from the Travel Channel:

Don't miss the premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Monday, July 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT!

Best-selling author, reluctant food celebrity guy, culinary adventurer, drinker, smoker, hedonist ... the list of descriptors could go on and on. But one thing is certain: In this food-obsessed world, Anthony Bourdain has carved out a distinct place as a gastronomic Indiana Jones. His quest for the perfect dining experience was smartly documented in his television series and book, A Cook's Tour. And now Bourdain's journey is shifting to the next course.

In Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, his journey takes him to people and places far beyond the realm of food. Following his wanderlust will take the audience to far-out and familiar places, from Iceland to New Zealand and Paris to New Jersey.

Anthony Bourdain is and has been a professional chef and writer for more than three decades, and his point of view will always reflect that experience. But in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, this anti-celebrity chef is out of the kitchen ... on the road ... no holds barred.

Bourdain travels the world seeking the authentic experiences and food that flavor the world's cultures. Join him on his journey. Tune in for No Reservations, his new series on the Travel Channel.

Vinny's at Night - Restaurant Review

2005-05-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

There are things in this life you can count on. There are incontestable, irrefutable laws in this universe that you must trust, like the existence of gravity, that you will lose one of your socks in the dryer, and that the best Italian food in the world is at Mom and Pop restaurants named after a man or a woman.
In Somerville, within site of the towering Scraffts building, stands a small, unassuming supermarket called Vinny's Superette. A yellow sign that proclaims 'Vinny's' was still lit at 9:30pm and the only real evidence that inside this dim store front was culinary greatness. With the steal door gate still left open, we approached with caution, and after opening the door we found not just a jewel but a treasure chest. I COMPLETELY credit the Phantom Gourmet TV show for this most excellent tip. Vinny's at Night is a true testament to the fact that good food and a loyal dining public can lead to success. In this closed convenience mart or 'superette' was some of the most sumptuous Italian food we had ever had. The backroom at Vinny's is a small OLD SCHOOL restaurant, long and thin, and full of fantastic smells and tastes.

App:
Antipasto Salad: Mmmmmmmmmmm...Is there anything you cant pickle? The antipasto was a delicious assortment of artichoke, yellow and red roasted tomatoes, red and orange peppers, mozzarella in herbs, prosciutto, and small onions that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar. The crusty bread was great for sopping up the left over oils and vinegars sliding around the big platter. For the money, it would be tough to find such a high quality appetizer for two people in any North End establishment I know of.

Entree:
Pork Sausage with Rabi on Homemade Fusilli- I chose to have the tomato and basil sauce on this dish. The hardy homemade sausage tasted the way fresh sausage always should, bold with spice and meat flavors. I love a good Italian sausage, and I mean love it. I usually prefer it hot, but this dish didn't need it. The broccoli rabe was tart and bitter, still crunchy and it was such a great contrast to the fresh fusilli. Al dente, yet tender, the fusilli was fresh and held the thin sauce around its coils. It filled me up AND left enough for an entire 2nd meal in leftovers!

Beef Bracciola on Homemade Fusilli - Every once in a while I will take a bite of food, and I will simply forget about everything in the world. It may sound cheesy, but its the damn truth. Good food transcends everything and leaves you happy and fulfilled.
You didn't have to chew the meat, merely allow it to melt in your mouth and let the flavors take over your taste buds. This slow cooked beef was almost impossibly tender. The Marinara was hearty and fresh and its flavors came through in the beef. This was the best Bracciola (pronounced Bra-jgol) we had ever had...and I have to say that I was jealous of my lovely date's meal. I liked my sausage dish very much, but the Bracciola was the kind of signature dish that you suggest along with the restaurant.

Price:
Vinny's at Night was totally reasonable for two people. The Entrees were from 11 to 18 dollars. All told, tax and tip, bottle of wine, appetizer and two entrees cost less than $40 a head.

OVERALL - This is the best 'out of the way' restaurant I have ever found in Boston. If I thought anyone actually read this blog, i wouldn't even tell you what it was really called...but since you all seem to be my nearest and dearest I am happy to let you in on this one.

Like minded eateries:
Pomodoro, North End, Boston

Carlo's Cucina, Brighton, MA

New Orleans: Fried, Spiced and Sauced!

2005-05-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

In the city they call 'Nawlins', I have had Crawfish, Red fish, Oysters, Crabs, Shrimp, Cajun Style, Creole Style, Blackened Style, Gumbos, Jambalayas, Muffalattas, Beingets, Etouffees, Bisques and all manner and style of rub, seasoning and sauce. And the verdict is...I love the food in New Orleans. I love Jacques-Imo's, with its upbeat, offbeat, never missing a beat cuisine! I love Beignets in all there doughy and sugary glory, from Café du Monde or further afield. I love K-Paul's, with it's simple elegance and fantastic flavors, created by Chef Paul (Prudhomme), one of the true Masters of modern Nawlins cookin'.

Rather than give a single review, I simply wanted to share with you a few dishes, all along the same vein, that impressed the HELL out of me in the last year on three separate visits to New Orleans:

Snug Harbor: Crawfish Etouffee - A thick stew of crawfish, corn and potatoes that had a Saffron color. It was smooth and fluffy, almost an ethereal texture. It was hardy without being heavy. The flavor was similar to that of a bisque, and less like a gumbo.

K-Paul's: Crab and Corn Bisque - Much heavier than either of these other dishes, but very worth while. This dish is a perfect mixture of heavy cream and crab, with the corn filling out the flavor. Small pieces of crab meat at the bottom and on top balanced it out to make it the perfect dish.

Brigtsen's: Butternut Shrimp Bisque - While I did not order this for myself, I tasted it and it made such an impression that over a year later I can still taste the sweet tang of squash and the shrimp all mixed up in my mouth. Brigtsen's created something here that seems both complex and elemental. A true signature dish, and a must try on you next trip to the Big Easy.

Confessions of a Lobster-holic

2005-04-28T10:59:00.000-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I will let you know that I am a lobster-holic. This is a condition I was born with. I have tried every other form of crustacean and mollusk, but I am hooked.
Something you must know about me is that I eat a lobster with no butter, and I do not waver on this rule. If I order a lobster I like to get a Maine lobster that is approximately 2 pounds. I generally only eat lobster that I know is very fresh (rarely will I eat a lobster from a restaurant that isn't walking distance from the ocean). This is a luxury I get because of living in Boston.
Now for those of you that get a pre-cracked, meat extracted, lazy man's lobster, I do understand. It's messy and if you are on a date or with semi respectable people, you don't want to be splashing and pounding and slurping at the damn thing. For me the only real way is to get the real deal and: pick it, boil it, crack it and enjoy. My family and I generally go to a few select establishments, but any good lobster shack at the height of summer will do. We tend to choose Newick's in Merrick, NH or the Qgunquit Lobster Pound in Ogunquit, ME. Both have plenty of space to sit, but Newick's is more of a lobster shack atmosphere in a big restaurant, where as the Qgunquit Lobster Pound feels more like a nice restaurant.
I am a claws and arms first, tail second, dig meat out of the body last. Do you eat the Green? If you are a lobster eater, you know what that means. The green is actually the lobsters liver (I have been told), which actually has a similar taste to a very loose pate. It that sounds awful to you, then just steer clear and pass it over.
To sit and watch me consume a lobster would most likely be an awful thing. Whatever table manners I have get left in my car when I hit a lobster place. I twist and crack and snap and splatter. I am not delicate with a lobster but that does not mean I do not respect them. These little guys go through a lot to become my dinner, and when I hold up the now emptied torso with its strange alien-looking head and talk in my 'Sorry I just ate you Mr. Lobster" voice, its out of remorse (and my childish sense of humor).
A friend of mine once told me that in the early 1900's, prisoners in the Maine prison system were fed lobster 6 days a week. Eventually these prisoners battled the state to give them more varied food choices and won. How strange that 100 years later a lobster dinner costs 10 to 20 dollars a pound.

I'll end my rant now by saying this: If I only had one meal left on this planet it would be:
(1) bucket of steamers
(1) 2 1/2 lb. Lobster
(2) fresh ears of corn.

J.R.B.'s Current Favorite Books on Food

2005-04-20T16:52:00.000-04:00

Non Cookbooks:

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

If you like food but love crazy people, you have to read this book. If you are in the know, you have already read this or just ignored it, but please make sure to give this one a chance. Anthony Bourdain is part rock star and part addict...filling the pages with the gore of his youthful experiments, and then eventually his triumphs. His writing style and his general angst at the state of food these days (If you also think you might shoot you TV the next time you hear Emeril's signature 'BAM', you have found a comrade) will grab you immediately.

The Man who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

You have to be a real geek to enjoy every chapter in this book by food humorist/enthusiest/Iron Chef America Panelist Steingarten. It has an assortment of BIZARRE food facts, experiments (trying to create the perfect glass of potable watter, cooking everything you can think of with Olean) and some memorable food journeys to France, Italy and Japan.

Cookbooks:

Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji

Rao's Recipes from the Neighborhood by Frank Pellegrino

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook by (duh) Anthony Bourdain

Magnolia Bakery by L.S.P.

2005-04-20T10:52:00.000-04:00

When you first come upon The Magnolia Bakery, you are wondering why there is a bouncer at the door of a Bakery. There is a good reason for this. He is protecting a highly craved commodity- the buttercream cupcake. You are allowed to buy only one dozen cupcakes per customer and someone has to keep order (I suppose?). If it were up to me, 2 dozen (6 boxes, that is) would be allowed!

The Magnolia Bakery is located at 401 Bleecker Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. I started going there in 1998 where I would stand, half-tired, half-drunk, but always fully-eager, awaiting my 1-2 cupcake binge. On a line usually wrapped around the corner, we would stand behind people of all ages who are also waiting for just one taste of the luscious cupcake. I have known young mothers to wait for the cupcakes on the eve of their child's birthday party. I have known quite a few people who cheat and buy a dozen, hand them off, and wait on the line again. But more commonly - what is a better New York evening than grabbing a slice at John's and then getting your cupcake fix a few blocks away?

The anticipation of waiting in line lends time to consider a few important things, such as: Will I have milk with my cupcake tonight? Wait- maybe coffee? Will I have pink, white, yellow, blue, green or lavender frosting? How many will I buy? Will I share them with friends and family? Don't fret! You will figure it all out. Beware of one thing though. Try not to lose focus once the bouncer allows you to enter. You may be tempted to head to your Right, where the bakery counter is located, along with everything but the cupcakes. That is where all pies, cakes, cookies, etc. are displayed. YOU want to stay to your Left, where the cupcakes are nestled in all of their delicious charm on silver baking sheets and tiered trays. They are right there - on the windowsills! Finally, you think to yourself, I am HERE, and everyone still waiting on line, is OUT THERE. Once you have your heavenly little cakes (vanilla only), you should head to your Right, where you will get on line to pay. While on line, choose your beverage, which by now I hope is decided, and you are done with the process of picking and purchasing.

Now, you must stand outside with everyone else and gobble the cupcake down in no more than 3 bites, enjoying every morsel! This cupcake is blended in perfect combination. No one likes something so sweet that it hurts your teeth on every bite. This cupcake makes no such mistake. The subtle coupling of the sweet buttercream frosting with the not-very-sweet soft cake inside will tame all that you yearn for in a dessert. The cake (I later discovered after purchasing their first cookbook) contains only 2 cups of sugar. I believe that is the key to the success of this cupcake. They call it the "vanilla vanilla": the vanilla cupcake w/ vanilla frosting is the most widely sold cupcake at the Bakery. The buttercream frosting is a rich, sweet slather of creamy heaven on your tongue. It is like no other taste in the world. When the frosting first hits your lips, delicate sprinkles graze your chin, and all you want next is the soft, homey, old-fashioned grandma-just-baked-a-cake taste that follows.

Magnolia delivers and never disappoints. Each cupcake I have had there has embodied the same heavenly mixture of soft cake and sweet frosting that brings on all the wonderful things of one's childhood. If a piece of food can be an oasis, then dip your toe in the technicolored frosting and indulge. I have never eaten a chocolate cupcake, and probably never will. I have never tried their other world famous confections like pies, puddings, cakes, muffins, and cookies. There is no need for that! -when the cupcake is all there is in my world.

Autocrat Coffee Milk

2005-04-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

All adults have the things that turn them immediately back into children, whether it be a song, a movie, or a delicious treat. While I may have a few more of these than a rational and emotionally stable adult, I decided that Coffee Milk was the one I would share with you today. Coffee Milk is the combination of Coffee Syrup and Milk, very similar to Chocolate syrup with coffee flavor. This seems odd to many people from outside New England, but I find Rhode Island and Massachusetts residents less bewildered by the idea of a child drinking coffee extract with their breakfast.
As a child in Rhode Island, this was the only way I would drink a glass of milk, and to this day it still is. When I moved to Connecticut, you could not buy the Autocrat Brand of Coffee Milk. This meant that when visiting my grandparents, cases of the sweet nectar had to be carted across state lines back to CT. Yeah, I was that into it. It appears I was not the only one, as the state legislature of Rhode Island made Autocrat Coffee Milk the state drink in 1993. This distinction validated my love of Coffee Milk and forever set a special place in my heart for the 'Biggest Little State in the Union'.
The flavor is much lighter than chocolate milk. It has a sweetness of coffee flavoring without the bitter coffee after taste. I swear that Starbucks stole whatever the secrets of Liquid Coffee are, and used it for their own diabolical plot in their frappacino. The creamy milk is not overpowered by the coffee flavor, but rather complemented. This childhood obsession has made me susceptible to all coffee flavored products, but is that really a bad thing. Anyhow, this regional specialty is a treat, and to anyone who loves a Thai Iced Coffee or those Starbucks monstrosities…you don’t know what you’re missing.

Skordalia - The greatest dip in the World!

2005-04-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

It was just a few months ago that L.S.P. took me too Lefteris Gyro in Tarrytown, NY for the the first time. Up until then, I had enjoyed Greek food. Gyro has gone from a favorite lunch to a serviceable option in my book, simply because I couldn't find great Gyro. To be perfectly honest, I haven't had a reason to try and find Greek food for awhile...until Lefteris, and more specifically, the Skordalia. For the uninitiated, this dip is a combination of boiled and whipped potatoes and garlic, Oh Heavenly Garlic!
Skordalia is among those foods that may look heavy, but are too light to be believed. Its texture is smoother and creamier than hummus, and lighter than mashed potatoes. WARNING: If you fear smelling of garlic, do not attempt to eat this dish. If you have to eat it alone to deal with the garlic aroma that it (and soon you) reek of, then pull the sheets over your head, or sit indian style in the closet...just give it a try, I implore you.
In summation, Skordalia is the food of the Greek gods that somehow was spirited off to this earthly plane by some Dionysian character who knew that food belonged to us lowly earth dwellers as well. Or...if you love garlicy Greek food, please don't deprive yourself of this experience!

J.R.B.’s Favorite Coffee Ice Cream - Boston Area

2005-04-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this is an OBSCURE topic, I know, but it is very close to my heart. Now that it is spring my Ice Cream intake will go from reasonable to unfathomable. My favorite kind of ice cream is Coffee (it’s also my favorite kind of yogurt, milk flavoring, and hard candy laid out at my Nana’s house).

Third Place – Christina’s Cambridge, MA: ‘Mocha Explosion’
Christina’s makes truly original Ice Cream and I would highly recommend trying as many as you can here. The Mocha has yummy bits of chocolate and really feels like an explosion of flavor (as cheesy as that sounds).

Second Place – Cabot’s Newton, MA: ‘Mocha Chip’
This is a consistently great ice cream at a truly Classic Ice Cream establishment. Have a seat, order a doubleheader (two scoops) and watch yourself turn into a 7 year old as the gigantic dish arrives. Please go support a great local business that understands how to serve its customers and it community.

First Place - J.P. Licks, Boston Area: ‘White Coffee’
This is a seasonal ice cream as far as I know. They actually brew coffee with milk instead of water, and use that to make this extraordinarily rich and smooth coffee ice cream. Rich, Refreshing, with a massive burst of caffeine, this wins my ‘Best of’: for Boston’s Best Small Mom & Pop produced Coffee Ice Cream. It is the true crème de la café crème!!!

East Coast Grill - Restaurant Review

2005-04-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

East Coast Grill,
Cambridge, MA

East Coast Grill in Inman Square is a fun and lively place with an informal vibe. East Coast has two sides to its personality that merge well- New BBQ and Ultra Fresh Fish. My favorite place for a fresh piece of fish in Boston is the Village Fish, but East Coast is a different beast.

Its dishes have an artistry that far surpass its décor (a sort of Miami Vice vintage neon lighting theme), and its flavors seemed unpretentious but full of life. This is NOT a quiet place, so be prepared for some Rock Concert decibel levels. So many restaurants tempt me with dishes that feature fancy mixes of ingredients that are from the "Ingredient-name dropping school." You know these places that offer too many black truffle oil infused and wasabi drizzled dishes. Don't get me wrong, some of the restaurants that offer these flairs deliver in a big way (Ariadne in Newton, MA, Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA), but many fall flat. East Coast's Menu had some of those tendencies, but all the flavors they chose worked well together. Our waitress was friendly, enthusiastic and best of all knowledgeable about the things we all know best about ourselves: the dishes & flavors we love! She shared with us her favorite appetizer as being “her favorite thing on the menu and what she ALWAYS eats,” and we were convinced.
App:
The Black 'n' Blue Tuna Taco which was nearly excellent. The thing that stood out was the uniqueness of this dish. The small tortilla (spinach I believe) had avocado slices, a collection of herbs and a generous amount of fresh thin slices of seared tuna. The dressing was the most delicate orange chipotle glaze that perfectly complemented everything underneath it. Fish taco is not a new idea, but this concoction was just like the restaurant itself, full of life and flavor, but grounded in solid ingredients. I would recommend this appetizer to anyone.
Entree:
The Dishes we had were: Half of a Roasted Duck with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Greens ($18) and a Braised Short Rib with Blue Cheese Polenta ($16 or $17) and Greens. Both of these entrees were delicious. My duck was immense! A truly huge dish with more food than even I could finish. The mashed sweet potatoes were a great complement. If I had to call this dish any one style, I'd say New Soul Food. It reminded me of a fried turkey leg, full of flavor but a bit drier. I had a few beers with the meal, and I tend to get India Pale Ales that are very hoppy like Sierra Nevada with such flavorful food. The Braised Short Rib packed some serious heat. It was tender and moist, with a huge amount of Flavor. Hot Chili and Bourbon were the predominant flavors. The rich serving bed of Blue Cheese Polenta was expertly prepared to help put the fire out! While it was worth the burn, the intensity of the flavors was a bit overbearing.
Price: The price range was a bit high but understandable because of the excellent quality of the food. I will always pay the extra cash for a meal I consider well prepared. I would simply say economize here, and be careful to watch your cash to alcohol ratio!
I highly recommend the East Coast Grill for its service and its flavors!!! Try it if you have a reasonably flexible budget and some fun dining partners. I will be back for more meals, and when I do I will fill you in…

Prelude to a 'Food is Love' Restaurant Review

2005-04-06T16:42:00.000-04:00

I wish I could give you as in-depth a review of a restaurant as a larger publication, but alas I am usually not able to afford multiple dishes. As often as possible, I will eat with friends and loved ones and try their dishes and I will have them let you know what they thought of these places too. Please know that I am going to put most of my effort into giving reviews to the places I really enjoy, but when it is warranted the gloves will come off.

I love food and I love restaurants that show you how much they care about the food they make.

I will not have a rating system…not yet at least, but hopefully my reviews will offer more thoughtful reviews than 3 1/2 forks or stars or tins of foie gras would.

Oishii - Restaurant Review

2005-04-05T09:10:00.000-04:00

OISHII
Chestnut Hill, MA

There is something magical about sushi. Sushi has such rich and delicate flavors and when done right, can affect you like a great painting or song or movie. I don’t entirely understand how, but after leaving Oishii in Chestnut Hill, I was a little drunk. Maybe euphoric is a better word than drunk, but you've probably got my meaning.

Oishii (there are two locations, the other is in Sudbury, MA) is tiny. A sushi counter that seats 12, at most, and just one single table. Zagat's Boston guide lists this as the ONLY 29 for food in Boston, but the décor gets a 13. On a Sunday afternoon, the place was pretty full. Three sushi chefs and two servers worked diligently and in perfect rhythm. Our seats at the end of the sushi bar afforded us an excellent view, and we sat like wide eyed children waiting to see what tempting creation would roll off the fingers of the sushi chef next. The menu is extensive, and I can barely remember what our ordering process consisted of but it involved lots of low moans and exhilarated readings. When we found a menu item that sounded good, its ingredients were read aloud as though we were reading to one another a nostalgic children's story. We were hooked before the first bite.

App:
It may not be fair to call our first two rolls appetizers, but this is how our meal progressed. We had a Shrimp Tempura Maki (rice on the outside) and an Unagi and Avocado maki. I have had the Tempura Maki before, but it usually seems excessive. By that I mean that it seems that good tempura, lightly battered and just the littlest bit of crunch, should stand on its own as a good dish. To me the tempura maki always seemed like a TurDucken…or as Moe says at a fancy Springfield Restaurant "Bring me the best dish you have stuffed with the second best dish you have." Consequently, they end up with lobster stuffed with tacos. Oishii changed my mind on this front (not about lobster stuffed with taco's though), and I loved the Shrimp Tempura Maki as much as any roll I have ever tasted. It was just the right amount of salty and crunchy, the shrimp was fresh and the tastes worked perfectly. The Unagi roll was very good, but overshadowed by the true greatness of the other roll. Unagi (Eel) is a wonderful thing, and I implore you to try it if you haven't taken the leap. Generally it is cooked in a sweet sauce and its tastes are really much different than other sushi.

Dinner:
For dinner we decided to get the most bang for our buck by getting the Regular Sushi Dinner for two. It gave us two pieces of 6 or 7 different kinds of Nigiri, and two rolls. The assortment of fish was excellent, and I didn't even make my normal request for no octopus. I have never gotten used to the toughness of octopus, but I figured I would take another shot since everything was so fresh here. Now, I am a sushi lover. I like to have it as often as I can afford it, and rarely does it surprise me. The Shrimp Tempura Maki was surprise number one, but the second surprise came in an unexpected form: Yellowtail. I like yellowtail a lot but if it sits around too long it gets too fishy. The yellowtail (my mouth actually is watering right now) melted in my mouth. I cant say for certain if I chewed at all, but I know it just melted away. Honestly, I felt privileged to have eaten it. I felt a better man for having experienced it. That’s how good this meal was.

Price:
Oishii was not that expensive for some of the best sushi I have had anywhere. 60 bucks fed two of us with drinks (non-alcoholic) and tip. I would say these prices were on par with any respectable sushi restaurant in Boston.

Overall:
This may be one of the best sushi meals I have ever eaten. If you enjoy sushi and live with an hour of Boston, make it you business to go to Oishii.

Food is Love: The Inaugural Post

2005-03-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is the inaugural post of Food is Love. This site will be dedicated to all things food: reviews of restaurants and cookbooks, but closer to my heart are great recipes, great food stories, and great moments in food. Please be patient with my better-than-bad writing style and my constant references to The Simpson's, The Coen Brother's films, and the song lyrics of clinically depressed, often stoned, enormously wealthy musicians."

I am here because I love food more than most rational people. I love food enough to design my itineraries around it. My family jokes that if we are sitting around having a meal, we are probably talking about the next two. I love food because as my Rabbi says "Food is Love."

On a recent trip to Ft. Lauderdale, my grandmother fed me my absolute favorite home cooked dish: Stuffed Cabbage. My Grandmother's Stuffed Cabbage is tart and the tiniest bit sweet, unlike the kind you would buy in a N.Y. Deli or Kosher Restaurant. This food is from generations ago, its roots are my roots and its tastes are in my genes like brown hair and brown eyes. I don't know that I will ever post this recipe here, as it is my inheritance, but let me assure you that its sour over sweet flavor, its rich red gravy, and its dark green cabbage wrapping contain more than can be put into measurements and index cards.

There are foods in this world that make me twitch with anticipation. A basket of steamers and a boiled Maine lobster (NO butter for me), and maybe a baked potato or a fresh ear of corn (if you can find one fresh enough) on the side. Its that simple. Fresh. Give me the freshest ingredients over a Soy/Wasabi Drizzle or Flavored Foam any day.

That’s where it all starts: tradition and freshness and …an appetite.

Restuarant reviews to come, Boston, MA

2005-03-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

Restuarant reviews to come, Boston, MA

East Coast Grill in Cambridge, MA
Bamboo in Allston, MA
Oishii in Chestnut Hill, MA