In the shadow of the Boston Garden...

Now the Fleet Center (it will always be the Garden to me)...

Some of the RRR's Bryant College gals got together to celebrate their collective March birthdays. Mitch chose Anthem, a "modern American bistro" for our gathering.

We started with a few appetizers for the group: the hummus platter, pulled pork dumplings and chickadee chick Chinese chicken. The hummus had a decent consistency and a nice hint of orange zest; a welcome change from the lemony standard. Crisp pita chips and assorted olives rounded out the platter. It was a fine take on hummus, nothing special but I've definitely have had worse.

The pulled pork dumplings were lager-lime battered and came over an avocado mousse and a green apple-tomatillo relish. I found the relish a bit too tart for the pork and while I certainly appreciate deviating from the culinary norm, this appetizer didn't quite hit the mark for me (and you know how much I love all things swine!).

The chickadee chick Chinese chicken however, really hit the mark. The menu said it was "sweet & spicy soy marinated wings" but in reality, they were meaty drumsticks. The soy and I'm sure sugar gave the chicken a nice crunchy outside and the soy added just enough salty goodness to balance out the sweet. The chicken was juicy and it was hard not to overindulge - but there more to come.

Here's how the entrees rounded out:
RRR: Cubano Sandwich - Anthem added salami to the usual roasted pork, ham and Swiss cheese standard and some chipotle mayo for a bit of heat. Not bad, but once you've had the real deal...

SeeSaw: sirloin burger with applewood smoked bacon, mushrooms, onions, blue cheese and fries. SeeSaw's Orange Julius cocktail was delightful reminding me of one of my favorites a 007 (Stoli O, orange juice and 7-up) - the touch of whipped cream on top was simply adorable! Sorry kiddies, this drink's for Mom!

Rhodey: pepper crusted rare seared tuna salad - Rhodey really enjoyed this dish which she ordered on the recommendation of our server. The sesame-soy dressing added some Asian flair while the mesclun greens, avocado and egg "American-ized" the dish.

O.E: grilled vegetable baguette - this came with a goat cheese spread and some great shoestring sweet potato fries. Oh the sweet potato, so underrated and overshadowed by its less than stellar tuber relatives!

Mr. RRR & Mitch: grilled flat iron steak with mushroom risotto. I told you my bro-in-law was a meat & potatoes man! I had a piece of Mitch's (cause boys don't always share) and it was a nice cut of meat!

Foodie: mighty meatloaf with beef, chorizo & Italian sausage over grilled Texas toast. I wasn't quite sure what Texas toast was but they had me at chorizo. The panko bread crumbs that coated the top of the mashed potatoes were an extra special crunchy treat. And such a great spice to the meat; I will certainly be trying chorizo in my next meatloaf!

For dessert we were intrigued by the fried Twinkie and the molten chocolate cake. The Twinkie was my first in at least twenty years but one bite brought me back to the spongy cake that I loved as a child. The batter was lighter than most I've had and didn't overwhelm the cake which was surrounded with a garnish of assorted berries.

The chocolate was really nice with a molten center and creamy peanut butter ice cream. I believe there was some sort of bourbon sauce but honestly, I'm not quite sure since I was busy concentrating on commandeering as much dessert as possible.

While we are not talking about haute cuisine at this restaurant but if you are looking for a nice, casual, reasonably priced restaurant with a decent menu (before a Bruins game perhaps?) then why not give Anthem a shot?

NOTE: As the over 30 set were walking out, there was a growing college crowd in the bar area so probably not a bad singles scene either!

Hello Hingham! Guess Who's Back?

On Friday afternoon, RRR & I headed up to Boston for her birthday weekend. We met up with Mitch at The Square Cafe in Hingham Center for a cocktail. I went for a repeat performance of the previous posted X-Rated martini, RRR had a delightful pear martini and Mitch had a white cranberry version. All of the drinks were smooth, clean, fresh and absolutely delicious! This is THE place to go for a great cocktail!

We left Square Cafe and met up with Mr. RRR for dinner at Caffe Tosca; a regular stop for the RRR's - her for the pizza, him for the steak. I started with a Caesar salad which is a most unusual choice for me but the description of domestic Asiago, cherry tomatoes and with or without white anchovies and I was sold. I took mine with the anchovies!

RRR & Mitch both had a salad with crunchy Romaine hearts, cherry tomatoes, red onions and I believe Feta cheese? All the salads were fresh and delicious and I'm still in shock that I ate a Caesar salad! What a caloric faux pas!

For entrees, Mr. RRR chose the 'Caffe' Hanger Steak with Asiago fries, garlic butter, and watercress. Yes, my bro-in-law is a (well-done) meat & potato man and in this instance he made a great choice. I managed to grab a fry off his plate before it was inhaled and yes I only managed A FRY.

Mrs. RRR chose the pizza (yes neither of the RRR's deviated from their norm) and had the eggplant pizza which arrived tableside on an upside down baking sheet. The thin crispy crust and fresh cheese makes it standout in an area that hasn't shown much of a penchant for making a decent pizza.

Like my choice of Caesar salad, Mitch went against her 'norm' and ordered the chicken parmigiano with aged provolone and a side of ricotta gnocchi in a creamy pink sauce. The chicken was moist and tender on the inside with a rich tomato sauce and this entree exceeded expectations.

I went with the wood seared pork steak on a bed of fig and sage polenta and roasted garlic. The thick boneless chop had a nice sear on the outside was well cooked but too much to be dried out whcih is not such an easy feat with such a thick piece of meat.

The fig and sage polenta was the standout item here; the creamy savory polenta had a hint of herby sage to add a great depth of flavor to the roasted garlic and chewy sweet figs. The balsamic glaze brought this sweet and savory dish together perfectly. Wow! What a gastronomic surprise!

The generous portions had us way too full for dessert and unfortunately for me, I left my leftovers in RRR's refrigerator. My loss is certainly her gain!

Happy Birthday RRR!

Thursday was RRR's birthday and lucky for me she was in NY for the evening. Birthday girl gets the restaurant choice so RRR chose L'Impero on the far east side of midtown in Tudor City.

We were joined by Marcello and after waiting a bit at the host station for our 7:30 reservation; we were seated some time after 8pm. The host decided to make it up to us by seating us at a beautiful table on the "mezzanine" level of the restaurant overlooking the main dining room. I was impressed by the decor. The room was tastefully modern yet romantic with a shiny white ceiling and high votive holders on all the tables in the lower dining room. It was like watching a theater production from the balcony.

We decided to go for the $64 prix fixe menu which included a choice of "susci" or an "appetizer" (two separate sections of the menu), pasta, an entree and a dessert. Quite a bargain in Manhattan and the portions were generous. When Ms. Foodie doesn't clear her plate, you know there's a lot on the plate!

While we were waiting for our first course, we were treated to a lovely selection of bread and plenty of lemony olive oil for dipping.

I began my meal with the fricassee of seasonal Mushrooms with polenta and truffle reduction. The separate baby brass pot contained the brandy sauced mushrooms and there was just a hint of truffle to join the earthy mushroom with the creamy polenta in perfect harmony. Marcello went with Scott Conant's version of susci and had the marinated Pacific Yellowtail with sea salt, olio di zenzero and red onion; one of the few dishes to be completely finished!

And finally the birthday girl had the slow braised short rib of beef with horseradish, vegetable and farro risotto. This short rib was a perfect way to say farewell to braised "winter meat"; it was lean, stringy and fork-tender. The farro was pleasantly light with finely diced baby zucchini and carrots throughout the dish. I can't decide which app was the standout here - they were all fantastic.

Our meal continued at a leisurely pace with the arrival of our pasta course. Marcello may have picked the best one with a creamy homemade noodle with mushrooms and parmigiano. (Sorry the name of the pasta escapes me!). RRR chose the strigoli al nero di seppia with a ragu of calamari, capers and shallot salad. The capers and shallots elevated this dish head & shoulders above your standard Italian squid ink pasta - I think I am forever spoiled...

Finally, I broke my vow not to eat foie gras on U.S. soil and had the duck and foie gras agnolotti with moscato passito di sardegna reduction. The presentation was beautiful, however, I was surprised to find the texture of the duck to be ground; I was expecting stringy pieces of meat. The foie gras was good, but I am not sure it was imported which is what I was told by our server.

Our meal rolled on with the arrival of our entrees. I had the seared skate with rosemary braised chickpeas and caponata. The tartness of the caponata was balanced by the savory earthiness of the rosemary. The skate was perfectly seared and it was a welcome change from the standard skate in brown butter sauce found on most menus.

Marcello had the lamb loin with polenta-speck dumpling, red cabbage and pear-golden raisin puree. At this point, he was pretty over our forks poking around the table so we did not get the opportunity to taste this dish. RRR had the roasted orata rossa with cauliflower, bottarga and caper 'salmoriglio' . Another refreshing take on fish and her dish once again included farro.

A plate of mini cookies were brought to us along with our dessert and I found the mini chocolate chip cookies to be the standout with the mini Linzer tart a close second. My dessert choice was the Meyer lemon torta di ricotta with honey gelato, cranberry compote. The cookie base gave a nice crunch to the tart creaminess of the lemony ricotta custard and was a bit more imaginative than a lot of desserts I've encountered in some time on the NY dining scene.

Marcello had the delightful chocolate caramel mousse with vanilla bavarese and grappa stewed blackberries and was a good enough sport to let our spoons invade his personal space.

And finally, last but certainly not least, RRR had the warm chocolate tart with frangelico gelato and hazelnut brittle. The best part of this dish was the Happy Birthday written in chocolate at the top of the plate.

While L'Impero is a bit off the beaten path, it is certainly worth seeking out if you are looking for innovative high end cooking in a refined yet relaxed atmosphere.

Meatball Madness

If you are not Italian, perhaps you may not understand the heated debate surrounding what makes a great meatball. For last night's very un-scientific tasting we tried to decide whether one should fry, bake or cook your meatballs in your tomato sauce when making "gravy". And who better to tell you what makes a great meatball than the people who grew up eating them? If you think that sauce from a jar is completely and totally unacceptable, then you'll understand...

I assembled a veritable Cosa Nostra for my meatball tasting panel. The group wound up being a bit smaller than anticipated with Peanut D having plans with her Mom, MPV's son having to go to the doctor and my consigliere RRR working late and falling ill - but Monty & the GreenbandEeto were my enthusiastic tasting duo.

I separated my pasta platter into three sections: baked, fried & cooked in the sauce. I asked Monty & BandEeto to determine two things; (one) which one was their favorite and (two) which meatball was baked, fried and cooked.

BandEeto thought the meatballs went fried, cooked then baked and preferred the second one (cooked) although they were all "awesome".

Monty agreed on the awesome-ness but thought the order was fried, baked and cooked in the sauce. He suprisingly preferred the cooked in the sauce because it was "juicier" even though he's grown up on fried.

I was a bit of an impartial judge having eaten meatballs ad nauseam for the two weeks in preparation for last night's tasting but I have to admit they were all pretty close on taste and texture.

The actual order was (from right to left): baked, fried and cooked in the sauce.

The fact that I was able to get the baked version pretty crispy and brown was a bit deceptive to the panel. Judging by look before tasting it; it certainly seemed like this one was fried. What may also have skewed the results a bit were that the baked & fried were made on the same day meaning they had the same combination of ingredients versus the cooked in sauce version that was made at a later date.

I think the upshot of my 'experiment' was that what goes INTO the meatball winds up being just as important as how you cook it. While many of us may have grown up on our parent's & grandparents "calories-be-damned" meatballs, you can get the same crispy outside on a baked meatball with less mess, oil and calories than the splattery fried version without much of a compromise on flavor. And as far a baking in the sauce, I guess it is simply a matter of how much time you have on your hands since it does take a bit longer to make this version.

Or perhaps at the end of the day, there really isn't such a thing as a bad meatball - it's just all in the execution. Actually, I've had plenty of bad meatballs so maybe I should just be patting myself on the back for a meatball well done!

Luckily for a select group of my co-workers, today they get to enjoy the fruits (or meat as the case may be) of my labor.

Any Given Sunday the Redux

After my City Bakery lunch time feast, I got down to the business of making my last batch of tomato sauce for this week's meatball tasting. This final pot of sauce (aka gravy) had meatballs that were cooked IN the sauce versus fried or baked.

I attempted to use the same percentage of beef/pork/veal as I did last time but keep in mind; this isn't a hard core science experiment so the combinations may be off slightly. I mixed the meat with loads of freshly chopped parsley, chopped garlic, five eggs, a few tablespoons of part-skim ricotta and wheat bread moistened in some water.

After mixing until my hands were freezing (the meat was still a bit chilled), I decided to add an additional egg, some more parsley and a bit more cheese. It was then that I got down to the business of browning the meat: pork butt, hot sausage and sweet sausage. As you can see by the picture, I overcrowded the pan a bit... I never claimed to be a patient cook.

I removed the meat from my beloved Le Cruset and added two cans of crushed tomatoes, one can of peeled tomatoes; some chicken stock, a generous helping of tomato paste and two bay leaves. I let the tomatoes cook for about 20 minutes or so, scraping up the browned bits of meat from the bottom of the pot and then carefully placed the meatballs into the simmering sauce.

In order to keep the meatballs in tact, I let this cook for a good 30 - 45 minutes before adding the browned meat back into the pot. I continued to let this simmer away for a few hours, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic powder. The consistency of this sauce (aka gravy) was a bit different than the other two sauces. I am sure that is due to cooking the meat in the sauce. The cheese was allowed to seep out a bit and it seemed to make the sauce lighter in color and consistency.

Too beat to make anything else for dinner, I treated myself to a plate of whole wheat rotelle with a scoop of ricotta. I was pleased with my efforts - I can't wait to see what the panel thinks!

A foodie's weekend journal

What a weekend of eating! It began on Friday evening, when I met up with Chef LaLaLa and Marathon Man at Canyon Road on the Upper East Side. There was quite a bit of a wait for a table, so we bided our time with some chips, salsa and "sangaritas". The sangaritas are frozen margaritas with sangria; pretty good and they certainly pack a punch! During dinner, I had moved on to the cactus pear margarita which was a bit too sweet, explaining my Saturday morning hangover. I've been spoiled by the amazing cactus pear magaritas at Mesa Grill.

For our meal, I ordered the duck burrito in a mole sauce. The duck was smoky and perfectly balanced the savory chocolately mole sauce. There was a bit more mole than I would have preferred and the duck perhaps a tad overcooked but overall a pretty decent dish. There are so many great Mexican restaurants in the city so the bar is raised pretty high - so I would put Canyon Road in the middle of the pack.

On Saturday evening, I joined Piggytails, her neighbor and her neighbor's co-worker at Foodie's perennial favorite, Havana Central in midtown. Piggytails' super was playing there and we were treated to a front row seat to hear some great music over a great meal. We enjoyed two delicious bottles of jammy Tempranillo and I had one of the evening's specials: two garlicky pork chops with spinach. There was a mashed root vegetable of some sort that accompanied the chops but it was a bit loud so I did not hear my waiter. It didn't matter it was creamy & delicious!

Service was a bit spotty however, perhaps because the restaurant was a bit hectic. Our appetizers never arrived but when we saw our massive entrees, we all figured it was for the best.

We finished up our second bottle of wine with a farmer's cheese plate: gouda and manchego cheeses along with guava paste, grapes and bread drizzled with caramel. The perfect blend of salt, savory and sweet. We were also treated to a complimentary bottle of champagne as we were finishing off our cheese - it pays to be with the band!

I spent Sunday morning at the gym, trying to undo some of the caloric damage I did on Friday & Saturday. I eventually made my way to City Bakery to grab some lunch. I just love City Bakery's salad bar! It is expensive but well worth the cost. It took every ounce of strength I had, but I was able to resist the melted chocolate chip cookies and the decadently rich hot chocolate... this time!

NOTE: I'd link to their site but it is kinda annoying - good thing I love their food so much!

What I did wind up with is the seared tofu with chili sauce, sauteed radicchio with chick peas, sauteed broccoli, cilantro chicken, lentil salad, jasmine rice with beans and squash with Asian pears and hazelnuts. I am not sure what they do to their veggies to make them so flavorful, but I am going to guess it's not low-cal. But it did provide me with enough nourishment and energy to tackle making my last batch of tomato sauce for the long awaited meatball tasting happening this week!

I can't stand the excitement for meatball madness, can you?