Hingham's Caffe Tosca

After a lazy Saturday on the South Shore, the RRR's and I headed out to Hingham's Caffe Tosca for dinner.

This was my second trip to Caffe Tosca and one of many visits for RRR and Mr. RRR. Looking back on my previous post, I wasn't too surprised to discover that Mr. RRR ordered the same entree (he likes consistency) and that RRR was torn between ordering her usual eggplant pizza or venturing out into the menu and trying something new.

I began my meal with a lovely cocktail, the pomegranite fizz which was made with Absolut Citron, pomegranite juice and a splash of prosecco.

From there I decided to go for the pasta tasting which was a choice of three pastas from the menu. One of my pasta choices was the cappellini with broccolini, garlic, red pepper flakes and chilis. This simple dish was light, fresh and delicious and offered a nice balance to the richness of my other pasta choices.

On the heavier side, I chose the bucatini with pancetta and chunky tomotoes along with the ravioli with sweet corn and pancetta. Both pastas were the perfect size and the freshness of the ingredients really shown through. And when RRR dips her fork into a plate of pasta more than once, you know it's good!

Speaking of RRR, she went with a pizza offered as a special, with baby arugula, mozzarella and salami. We were a bit surprised (that would be pleasantly surprised for Mr. RRR and myself) to see a pizza with sausage come to the table and unfortunately for the other patron, didn't realize we were given the wrong pizza until it was two slices gone! Oh well! An extra tasting for us!

The pizzas at Caffe Tosca are outstanding. Super thin crust and are served on the back of a baking sheet table side. And in what is becoming my mantra, when you start with quality fresh ingredients you really can't go wrong.

And while I didn't manage to sneak in a bite of Mr. RRR's steak, I did sneak of few of the tasty Asiago fries that came with his dish. Salty, cheesy goodness!

We skipped dessert and headed into Hingham Center to Nona's for some post meal ice cream. I had the Hingham Harbor Sludge, chocolate ice cream with tons of caramel and fudge complete with super thin chocolate sprinkles. Rich, rich, rich! Actually much more caramel and fudge than ice cream but I'll take it! What a way to end a meal!

Lunch at Hull's Kitchen

With a much shorter ride to casa de RRR, I decided to head up for the weekend. It was a beautiful Saturday and we took a walk up to the beach and had lunch at Hull's Kitchen.

Hull's Kitchen opened last summer and is located across the street from the beach. You can sit out on the porch and look out to the ocean. The view is pretty nice and the food isn't half bad either. We shared the fish tacos; fried cod with guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cabbage on a fresh tortilla with limes and a variety of hot sauces (Ms. Foodie recommends the Banana Pepper Hot Sauce!). I've always been a sucker for the baja style tacos so I quite enjoyed these.

We also shared a grilled sandwich of roast beef, pepper and mozzarella with a side of cole slaw. This was an interesting flavor combination and very satisfying. RRR even dipped into the cole slaw and she's normally not a fan.

While the restaurant is quite good what I don't understand is why it was not busier on a warm sunny Saturday. Is the food a bit overpriced for the other options in the area? Did we just get there at a weird time of day?

RRR had said there were days when she's driven by and it was busy and other times it is empty. I sure hope Hull's Kitchen survives in the tough restaurant market... I'm rooting for ya!

Daniel: The Last Supper!

He had me at Bar Boulud.

That being said, for when it came time to chose what could be my last dining experience in New York for some time, Chef MJ treated me to dinner at Daniel, the mothership of fine French dining.

We began our evening in the lounge where I sipped two smooth delicious drinks: a rose martini followed by a bergamont martini. The rose martini was beautiful, complete with a rose petal encased in an orb of ice. The bergamont martini was tart and refreshing with a flourish of a flaming lemon wedge, the perfect cocktail to kick off the summer drinking season.

After saying au revoir to our gracious bartender, we were seated in the balcony area of the dining room. The dining area is grand and formal, complete with a balcony, pool and tent areas. This terminology is all a bit tongue-in-cheek with the exception of the tents since yes, there are actual tents in the corners of the dining room.

Chef MJ asked the sommelier to bring us a wine tasting with each course and we were in his capable hands. I was more than ready to begin my culinary adventure at one of the best French restaurants in the city, if not the country!

The amuse bouche arrived in a three tier serving platter. We began with a taste of briny sea bass and clams with apples that had all the freshness of the sea and followed with bites of the classic combination of lobster and avocado, a crab salad, and finally some beets with walnuts. We enjoyed these tasty treats with a lovely Savignon Blanc from New Zealand; crisp, clean and a perfect compliment to the fresh ingredients in the amuse bouche.

We also enjoyed a few of the fresh breads that were served tableside. The sticky sweet garlic roll was my favorite with the butter roll a close second. I was tempted to push my caloric limitations and go for the rosemary roll but I knew there was a lot of food to come and I needed to be ready!

My decadent appetizer was the mosaic of foie gras and black angus beef cheek with Satur Farms beets, wagyu carpaccio and peppercress; paired with a sweet German wine. This was an interesting wine selection since I wouldn't think a dessert-type wine would compliment an appetizer. This is why I am not a sommelier. The sweetness of the wine was just perfect to cut through the richness of the foie gras. The beef cheek was tasty with just a touch of horseradish and capers. The meal could have happily ended here, but it was only the beginning.

The palate party continued with an extra course of fennel-basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion, baja shrimp, cuttlefish, broccoli rabe, and chorizo. This dish was super rich and the small portion was perfect. The chorizo and saffron brought a zesty richness to the plate and the ravoli were al dente. This plate was paired with an absolutely exquisite white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The drinks were getting the best of me at this point, but there was no way in hell I was leaving a drop of this amazing wine.

For my main dish, I chose one of Daniel's signature dishes; paupiette of black sea bass in a crisp potato shell with tender leeks and a syrah sauce. The fish was so moist and flavorful that it made the wine sauce simply an added yet unnecessary bonus. One of my favorite things is when a simple technique (like wrapping a piece of fish in thinly sliced potato) is well-executed and elevates a dish to a new level. I was equally impressed with the Santa Maria pinot noir that was paired with the fish. The earthiness of this wine was more reminiscent of a French pinot than a California pinot.

After cleaning our plates, we were treated to a visit by the man himself! Chef MJ saw Daniel on her way back from a trip to the lounge and brought him by for an introduction. Holy Merde! I have been in awe of this culinary god of terrines for some time, but managed to keep my cool and we chatted about coming to Daniel for my last great meal in New York for awhile. I did joke that he needs to expand the Boulud empire to Hartford and I think he didn't realize that I was totally serious. All from a completely selfish perspective of course!

We decided to pass on what could only be an extensive cheese course and head right for dessert. Hopefully you can follow the extensive list: raspberry-lemon vacherin with Thai basil meringue and raspberry marshmallows, a tasting of mango with roasted sesame ginger marinated coulis with cilantro, sorbet with kalamansi hazelnut mousse with Gianduja biscuit, milk chocolate salted caramel ice cream with bittersweet chocolate-praliné, crémeux Amer cocoa sponge cake with Caraïbe ice cream.

This all came with an additional plate of petit fours. Oh my! Extravagant even for a sugar fiend like me! The salted caramel ice cream and the hazelnut mousse were my favorites, although I quite enjoyed the originality and lip smacking tartness of the raspberry and meringue dessert. The only and I repeat only miss was the mango dessert; most likely due to it similarity to sushi than poor execution. (NOTE: Ms. Foodie is not a fan of sushi)

I managed to find a bit of room for a lemon meringue tart and a dainty smores-type stack of treats while I polished off the rest of my dessert wine. Then it was time for a tour of the kitchen!

By the time we got back there, most of the staff had gone for the evening and I stopped dead in my tracks to marvel at the size of the kitchen, a rarity in New York City restaurants. After all, less room in the kitchen means more room for paying customers. The tour also included a stop at the prep kitchen and I stopped to get a whiff of two large pots of stock bubbling away. After making our way through the prep kitchen we made a stop in the chocolate room where one of the members of the staff was prepping some chocolaty confections for the next day's service.

Speaking of service, let's just say outstanding would be an understatement. While I'm sure we were given the red carpet treatment due to Chef MJ's association with the company, I did notice how the staff treated the diners around us. I even watched as two members of the staff were asked to take photos of the same couple at the table next to us and in both cases, they graciously obliged. So whether you are a tourist, VIP or just regular Joe I'm pretty sure you will receive the same white glove service that I can only assume Daniel demands. And rightly so.

The bar has been set for Ms. Foodie's next NYC dining adventure. And it's been set pretty high.

Fired up over Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen and Bar

I made a return trip to the latest addition to West Hartford's dining scene, Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen and Bar, located in the trendy brand-spankin' new Blue Back Square area. RRR and I had a delightful lunch there on our pre-move scout trip so I figured what better place to kick back on a Friday night?

Settling in at the salumi prep station I found myself eye to eye with a large round of mortadella fresh off the slicer. This meal was certainly starting off right!

"HELLLLLOOOOOOO LOOOOVVVVAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The restaurant was jam packed and there were groups of people seated around the Otto-style communal tables and lobbying for space at the marble topped bar. The noise level was a bit high, most likely due to the modern decor and high ceilings. More attention was paid to making this look like many New York wine bars/trattorias than to dining room acoustics.

I started my meal with the carpaccio of beef tenderloin with baby arugula. The dish was finished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a drizzle of olive oil. The beef was so thin it melted in my mouth with only the peppery bite of the arugula as a reminder.

For a main course, I just had to revisit the meatballs that RRR and I were so impressed with on our lunchtime visit, so I chose the meatballs with the house made fusilli. Now, I am not so convinced the fusilli was house made (as advertised) but it was perfectly cooked and the marinara sauce that accompanied it was so fresh, chunky and light. Quite pleasing to the palate!

As you know, I am a harsh critic of meatballs, and while the three large meatballs that came with my pasta weren't quite as good as the ones RRR and I had on our previous visit, they were still much better than I've had in most restaurants. They were finely ground with only the slightest hit of garlic.

And while I was busy people watching (as one often does when dining solo) I noticed the woman seated next to me had the "market fish" with large spears of grilled asparagus. I was tempted to ask her for a taste (all in the name of research of course) but I refrained. I also refrained from trying one of the many delightful looking desserts I saw coming out of the prep area. Next visit, I'll plan out my meal a little better to leave some room for dessert.

Overall, this was a quite impressive experience, especially when noting that this restaurant has been open for only about two and a half months. Service seemed to be fairly smooth and the dishes that I saw leave the kitchen were quite impressive. Atmosphere, quality food, good service and gentle prices? Sign me up!

NOTE: I took two meatballs home and had a hearty meal of a toasted meatball sandwich with a side of mesculn greens, beets and goat cheese. Nothing like having a great meal twice!