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!

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!