Onions, Onions everywhere! French Onion Dip and Onion Jam served with Pork Tenderloin

Over the 4th of July holiday, I was looking for an easy, yet delicious dip to bring to a party. As I had a friend in town that I wanted to keep entertained while I cooked, I didn't want it to be too complex. I decided to make a take on French Onion dip. Through this I realized how satisfying it is to caramelize onions, as you slowly watch them turn from their white, crunchy state into that beautiful brown, soft mass. Though I didn't think to take photos of the dip, it turned out beautifully, a mixture of the onions with a little garlic and thyme, salt and pepper, then mixed with sour cream, with a little fresh lemon zest mixed in to brighten the flavors a bit. Served with lots of fresh veggies, and those very tasty Kettle Chips- it was a nice addition to a party that had all sorts of tasty treats.

Last night I got the idea to make something of an onion jam to be served with a beautiful pork tenderloin I had purchased. To start off, I preheated my oven to 375, and then gently massaged salt, pepper, cinnamon and vegetable oil on the loin. When it was nicely covered, and the oven was pre heated, I placed it in the oven and let it do its thing. Then I set to work on some accompaniments.

First, I whipped up a quick dip using garlic, small white beans, lots of parsley, salt and pepper. After a rough chop of the garlic and parsley, I added them to my food processor with the salt and pepper. I added the beans, turned on the machine, and slowly started adding some olive oil to the mix. Just about a minute later I had a nice bean dip, with tons of flavor. Garlicky and fresh with parsley, it was a lovely healthy dip. I then toasted up some fresh French Bread rounds on my cast iron grill pan, and served them together as a little appetizer.

Then I got to start on my interpretation of Onion Jam. I thinly sliced about a half of a white onion. Looking back now-I probably should have just done the whole thing. Then in a small pan over a very low flame I melted a bit of butter, to add richness, with a little salt and pepper- to draw the water out, and to add some flavor. Once the butter had melted, I added the onions. Caramelizing onions takes time, and patience. The only way I can get them to properly caramelize is to keep them over very low heat, and stir very frequently so that they don't burn- or get at all crispy. As the onions started to cook down, I added in some fresh chopped sage, and then as they turned a light brown, I added chopped dried cranberries. As the cranberries began to break down, I added a few tablespoons of apple juice to the pan and let it absorb into the onions- soon I had a really beautiful combination of the brown onions, the red cranberries, and the beautiful green sage. Just at the end of cooking, I added a quick handful of sliced almonds for texture.

Finally, after about an hour and twenty minutes of cooking, with a few bastings with apple juice (I still love the idea of pork chops and apple sauce), the pork was finished. I quickly sauteed some spinach with garlic, and dinner was complete.

I served slices of the pork dressed with just a little of the onion "jam" on the plates, with a side of spinach. The pork had delicious flavor with the cinnamon rub, though I had left it in the oven a hair too long. The onion jam though- it really brought the meal together. Soft and sweet, the onions mixed beautifully with that wonderfully earthy sage, and the slight tartness of the cranberries. The almonds provided a nice crunch to the dish that without I think it would have been pretty monotone. I found the dish really delicious, an all star had the pork been not quite so well done.

My real praise though? My DC asked for seconds-of all- and doesn't even like onions. I feel as though that is a real accomplishment.

The James Hook & Company, Financial District, Boston

Growing up here in New England, I have been fortunate enough to never be far from fresh seafood. I actually take this for granted pretty regularly, never thinking twice about either purchasing seafood to make at home, or going out for it. To celebrate the 4th, a good friend of mine who resides in Minnesota came to visit. Being the history buff that she is, we ran all over the city exploring the different sites, museums, and tributes to the great part that the city of Boston played in our nation's Independence. While she had many places on her list of "must sees", she had only one real "must eat" and that was seafood. Now, of course, Minnesota is not by any means landlocked, but it doesn't regard eating our critters under the sea with as much excitement as we do here. So I made it a priority, as packed as our days and nights were, to fit in an authentic seafood experience for her.

I found that our best opportunity arrived on Saturday the 4th. It was a beautiful day in Boston, one of the first in about a month, and all I wanted to do was enjoy the sunshine. After stopping by a few museums, and doing some shopping for souvenirs, I realized that at lunch time, we were close to a spot that I had been meaning to check out.

The James Hook and Company has been distributing their lobsters to the restaurants of Boston since 1925. As the years went on they started selling to individuals as well, and, according to their website, today they are shipping over 50,000 pounds of lobsters all over the country, every day! That's a lot of crustaceans! This remains, even after a devastating fire last year that destroyed the building of their original location. Today, during rebuild, they have set up shop next to their old digs, and operate quite a business out of there. Prepared products such as crab cakes, fish cakes, lobster rolls, de shelled lobster meat, and many other raw fish products are for sale to the public. As tempting as all of those are, Saturday I had a mission- we were there for their lobster rolls.

We ordered our rolls, which were pre-made for display, and then wrapped in tinfoil once sold, watched the massive lobster tanks for a moment, and then headed down to the waterfront to eat looking out on the harbor. James Hook does have several picnic tables on their property, but the view just wasn't what I was looking for. Finally seated on a bench, we unwrapped out lobster rolls. Hot dog rolls stuffed full of fresh claw and knuckle meat, just a hint of mayo holding it together, without anything else distracting from the flavor of the lobster- it was perfection. My Minnesotan friend after getting over her shock of a hot dog bun that actually stayed in one piece (Minnesota- I don't get it- why don't you have good hot dog buns??), decreed it delicious as well- a real piece of Boston cuisine.

I truly believe that. For as many nice restaurants that Boston has, many with wonderful food, beautiful decor, and outstanding ambiance, is there anything better, or more Bostonian, then chowing down on a lobster roll while looking out over Boston harbor (the best ambiance possible), a place where our Independence was fought for and gained? If there is, let me know...I'd love to check it out.

Bernard's, Chestnut Hill

Finding good, quality Chinese food is sometimes difficult when heading into Chinatown is not an option. Often you find meals that are just swimming in grease, un flavorful, and all around unappetizing. So when you find a spot that serves above average Chinese food- its a real treat.

Saturday evening we were looking for a easy, convenient spot for dinner in the Brookline area. I had a craving for something spicy, but my dining companion just wasn't in the mood for Thai-my original suggestion. Then we remembered having a really delicious meal years ago at a Chinese restaurant inside the Chestnut Hill Mall. A quick look on line brought us to Bernard's. Though we couldn't find their website, we did find their menu on menupages.com (every helpful for compiling all of the menus in the greater Boston area) and thought it all sounded great. Reservation made, we were excited to re-visit.

The restaurant was packed when we arrived, and we were very grateful that we had made reservations. Once seated, we looked again at the menu-though we had done some homework before arriving and had already picked out a few interesting sounding items. We decided to start with their Pan Seared Spinach Vegetarian Ravioli. They arrived with the traditional accompaniments for Peking Ravioli, that spicy mustard that I am slightly obsessed with, and a nice soy sauce. I had been anticipating that the raviolis would be similar to the general Peking Raviolis I am used to but with a spinach/veggie filling in place of the usual pork. I was very mistaken. When they arrived, the raviolis themselves were made from a spinach dough, and stuffed with a cabbage based filling. The filling unfortunately had the exact same flavors that are found in Spring Rolls, which are not my favorite. They were not bad, by any means, but I had definitely been hoping for a different type of filling. Either way, the order included 8 small raviolis, and they were a perfect starter.

We chose Shrimp with Avocado in a Plum Sake sauce as one of our entrees for sharing, and Sauteed Beef with a Mandarin BBQ sauce as our second. Both were served with a helping of white rice. The shrimp were really fantastic. Over sized shrimp served with lots of avocado chunks, tomato wedges and pieces of onion, all topped with a sweet plum sauce-made for a delicious combination. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and really nicely offset by the creamy avocado. Tomatoes added some acid to a dish that was other wise rather sweet, and the raw onion provided great contrast of textures. I didn't detect a lot of sake in the sauce, and would have liked to have sensed a bit more, but otherwise I thought that this was more than a delicious dish.

We had chosen the Beef with Mandarin BBQ sauce as the menu had noted that it was a spicy dish, and I was hoping for it to satisfy my earlier craving. The meat was nice and tender, well cooked, and the sauce was tasty -perfectly complimenting that great "meaty" taste of the steak, but it wasn't at all spicy. Perhaps I should have requested extra spicy, or perhaps just have inquired to the level, but I was disappointed. However, the taste of the dish was very good, and the fried noodles (?) that were served underneath the beef were very fun as well.

At the end of the meal we were treated to some nice pineapple chunks and the customary fortune cookies. As an aside- what is the deal with Fortune Cookies lately? I remember years ago they told your future "beware of falling rocks", "you will have a good financial year" etc-now they are just words of wisdom which really isn't what I'm looking for. So I have to wonder- in this law suit happy society we live in- did the Fortune Cookie manufacturers have to stop predicting the future??

But I digress....the service at Bernard's, is friendly and efficient, giving off the feeling that they know their customer base well, and aim to keep them happy.

Bernard's is a great alternative in the Chestnut Hill area to heading in to Chinatown. While it may not be as authentic as many of those restaurants are, it delivers high quality, flavorful and inventive dishes.

Abe & Louie's, Dinner, Boston

After a couple of weeks of summer craziness- birthdays, weddings and business travel, I am finally finding some time to blog again! Good thing too- cause I've been enjoying some delicious meals lately.

Friday evening I was treated to a nice celebratory dinner at Abe and Louie's in Boston's Back Bay. As you may recall I had a less than stellar brunch there a year or so ago, but knowing that brunch really isn't a good indicator of a restaurant, especially a steak house, I was really excited to give it a go.

We arrived about fifteen minutes before our reservation time, but were seated immediately. Our water filled, bread delivered, we were left to peruse the menu. Steakhouses are forever confusing to me- I always go in wanting steak, then wavering when I read their seafood offerings, and this time wavered again at their lamb chops. But knowing that I was there for true steak, I finally chose their Tuscan dry aged prime sirloin. My dining companion decided on their Filet Mignon, and we chose sauteed fresh spinach and hash browns as our sides. For a started, we selected their crab cake.

I have to say, their crab cake was one of the best Ive had. Served with a fruit salsa and a tartar sauce, the cake was full of fresh, sweet crab, without any real discernible fillers. I am always so disappointed when crab cakes are all bread crumbs and stuffers, and you can barely even find the crab meat. This was just perfect- large chunks, sweetly flavored. The fruit salsa had just a little kick to it, and its natural sweetness and simple spice really played into the crab and made it just perfect. Tarter sauce was good-though nothing to write home about.

My steak arrived with a side of roasted vegetables, and a Cabernet demi glace. This was my first experience with dry aged beef, and I am shocked at the difference in flavor. Still moist in texture, the steak had very concentrated flavors, which really brought through a strong "beef" flavor. I found it to be strong, and almost bitter, but 100% different than a wet aged beef. It was cooked to a beautiful medium rare as requested. The side of roasted vegetables were pretty basic, and rather indiscernible. They appeared to be potatoes and red peppers, though it was difficult to see what was what until you were actually tasting it.

The spinach was light, and nicely prepared. I felt as though it had been sauteed with very little, if any real grease, and so the true flavor of the leaves them selves show through. The potatoes had been grated into long strips and pan fried into one big patty of hash brown good ness. Soft on the inside and crispy on the outside- a really nice take on "meat and potatoes".

I have to take a moment to point out that while everything was delicious (especially my DC's Filet) I very consciously noticed the lack of salt present in each dish we were served. Far too often I find that I walk away from restaurants feeling as though I just had a big block of salt for dinner, and so it is always a treat when that doesn't occur. Kudos to the A&L chef for monitoring his salt use.

In honor of the occasion, we decided to have some dessert. We selected their hot fudge sundae from the list, though were very tempted by their fresh baked cookie offering. We were not disappointed in our decision. Extra creamy vanilla ice cream was served on top of a pond of hot fudge sauce, garnished with slivered almonds and nice large chocolate dipped strawberry. On the side we were given another small boat of hot fudge for pouring, presented with a warming dish to keep it fluid. For it being "just" a hot fudge sundae, and neither of us being super big ice cream fans, it was out of this world. The fudge was rich and decadent, and the ice cream was better than any other ice cream I've had. We only had a quarter of it, if that, but felt as though our sweet tooth was completely satisfied- and in the best way possible.

After dinner was over, I noticed, via the table next to us that they had a wine by the glass from my favorite vineyard. I was introduced to the Silverado Vineyard last year, and since I have searched for it in restaurants all over Boston-this was the first time I saw it by the glass. So we wrapped up dinner at the bar enjoying a nice glass of wine.

After my poor experience last year at Abe and Louie's, I was not anticipating such a delightful meal. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, though a bit absent at times, though that didn't interfere on our wonderful experience. I can confidently recount my displeasure, and would be happy to return.

Sebastian's, Locations throughout Boston

As I enjoyed my lunch earlier, I thought that for as long as I have worked in down town Boston, Sebastian's has always been my go to for a "treat" lunch. Normally I bring my lunch daily, knowing that economically, and health wise-I'm doing myself a big favor. Soup, or the occasional salad, maybe a wrap, and several pieces of fruit make up my normal noon time meal, but when I'm feeling like I deserve a little treat, I head down to Sebastian's. With four cafe's in Boston, and one in Cambridge, they do well in satisfying the cravings of a hungry lunch crowd.
Set up similarly to a cafeteria, with different stations for hot entrees, fresh made sandwiches, a large made to order salad bar, and plenty of spots for pre packaged goodies, they are an easy spot. I normally find myself at the salad bar, where a host of efficient salad makers walk you through their expansive list of options for your salad. Behind them are big display cases of different greens mixtures- Mixed greens including Arugula, Spinach, Radicchio etc, Sebastian's blend which walks on the wild side with some Fri see mixed in, and then simple Romaine as well. You choose your type of greens, and then pick out what other ingredients you want to add to your salad from the display case that separates you from the staff. The options are fantastic- ranging from "typical salad ingredients" such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, to a fun corn salad, to many different options of beans, sprouts, broccoli, and beets. Several different types of cheese can be added, along with croutons, sesame seeds, chow mein noodles, etc. As you point out each ingredient, their salad chefs add as much or as little as you want. After you choose your dressing from a list of nine, they mix it together for you, for even distribution of course, and then seal in a nice box for you to take with you back to your office, or sit in their small sized cafe- if you can find a seat! The best part of their salad bar is that it isn't weighed, you can add as much or as little as you want, and still pay the same rate.
Protein additions such as chicken, salmon, tuna, hard boiled eggs are an additional cost, but as someone who has gotten burned at other salad bars for putting in too many pieces of broccoli, or carrot slices, I feel that this is a fairly good system-though definitely pricey.
Though I haven't had anything other than a salad from them in recent years, I remember being very pleased with their sandwich offerings as well.
Another fun fact about Sebastian's- you can order your salad (the way you like it!) on line and then just head over to pick it up and avoid the crowds! Fantastic! Also...they cater :-)

Pazzo, Newbury Street, Boston

It was an absolutely gorgeous in Boston this weekend- blue skies, birds chirping, temperatures up into the 80's. It was a picture perfect early summer weekend. A great weekend to take in Boston by foot. Of course this also builds up a bit of an appetite as well, so when hunger set in my beautiful Saturday companion and I popped into a new Newbury Street restaurant Pazzo to check out its fare.
Pazzo opened about a month or two ago in the space formerly held by Croma, which was a fairly average upscale pizza place. Pazzo, under the guide of chef Bill Bradley promised a more comprehensive Italian themed menu, a nice turn around from its sister restaurant Tapeo, a Mediterranean tapas restaurant also located on Newbury Street.
As we had worked up our appetites rather substantially, we opted to sit at the first available table, as opposed to waiting for a table on their patio. We were sat immediately inside. Our waitress, who was doubling as the bartender as well, immediately brought us bread for the table, served with a delicious white bean puree. This was surely a sign of good things to come. The bread was wonderfully fresh, and had a nice eggy texture, and the puree had just a hint of garlic, and the luxury of olive oil. We ordered drinks and then set to the menu.
We chose to start with the Aranice Telephono, billed as Saffron Risotto balls stuffed with Mozzarella cheese. The delicate little balls were fried golden brown and served on top of a Marinara sauce with a little fresh parsley over the top. Arancine are one of those appetizers I cannot get enough of- and these did not disappoint. The risotto was nicely prepared on the inside and glowed that beautiful yellow that Saffron brings to the table. The Mozzarella inside was a wonderful little addition, melted and stringy. The star though I thought was the Marinara sauce-as just an aside to the meal I found it was a bit of a show stealer! Really nice subtle flavors-a good Marinara.
I settled on their Salmon salad as my main. Billed as grilled Salmon served with asparagus, feta, white beans, feta, pesto, and mint, it really sounded light and delicious. Unfortunately- it was not as light as I had originally hoped. Served was a generous portion of perfectly cooked Salmon. Grilled and charred on the outside-beautifully pink on the inside. The salmon was wonderful. The asparagus was nicely al dente still, and the rest of the "salad" flowed nicely with the different tastes and flavors. However, it was literally drenched in feta cheese and oil. I had felt that the pesto would be enough of a dressing, however they had then added another 1/4 of a cup or so of just plain oil to the dish, that while it looked pretty, was rather unnecessary to the meal. The feta was tasty, but was again, just too heavy handed. Honestly I found it a shame, the flavors were so light an beautiful- mint with pesto, bright asparagus, the buttery nature of the beans...it all just got a little lost under the oil and cheese.
My companion selected on of their pizzas- roasted garlic, Cambozola cheese and olive tapenade which sounded delicious, but sadly fell flat. As I had to look it up myself- Cambozola Cheese is a cows based cheese-a combination of a French triple cream and a Gorgonzola. I would have anticipated the pungent Gorgonzola to shine through, and be nicely complimented with the salty olive tapenade. Unfortunately I feel that they used too much cheese and it rather drowned out the rest of the ingredients. Again, a shame for a dish with promise.
Overall, I think that Pazzo has good things in store. They have a good concept, the dishes sound fantastic, and their location is fantastic. If they are able to ease up on the heavy hand, I think that they could have a really nice addition to Newbury in store- a real step up from its predecessor.
As an aside- their cocktail menu featured some fantastic sounding concoctions and we both really enjoyed the drinks that we got-though their names escape me.

Cafe Vittoria, North End, Boston

As some of you may know, my Italian Pastry world was turned up side down last June as I revolted against Mike’s Pastry after a truly horrible experience. I vowed to never return to Mikes, but that has put me into a quandary- where do I go now to get my Italian Pastry fix? Who do I turn to?

I have been going to The Modern since June (my trips aren’t that frequent for the record), and I’ve been doing so quite happily. Fresh Sfogliatelle (a pastry I never even LIKED from Mikes I now love from Modern), delightfully fresh Cannoli, delicious Ricotta Pie-everything is just wonderful. The down fall of course- is that it’s a tourist attraction- long lines, limited seating, crunched ordering-not exactly a relaxing experience.

A friend of mine has been telling me about how she and her boyfriend always make sure to go to Café Vittoria whenever they are in the North End for dessert, an experience that I got to share with them recently. Café Vittoria is surprisingly large for its Hanover Street location, featuring several different sitting areas where patrons can relax with dessert and coffee. Styled very much like an old world café, the surroundings were beautiful, though a little loud.

My friend and her boyfriend settled on their usual, a slice of Ricotta Pie, and my dc and I split a cannoli. The shell of the Cannoli was light and crisp with a delicate flavor, and the filling was smooth and creamy, with just that hint of Ricotta flavor, it was the perfect ying and yang of dessert textures.

As a special birthday surprise the table shared and additional piece of Tiramisu. I have to say-this was the most delicious Tiramisu I’ve had. A thick layer of their Mascarpone mixture over a single layer of soaked lady fingers, all sprinkled generously with cocoa powder. This was just the most decadent dessert I’ve had in quite some time- thankfully four of us were sharing so I didn’t inhale the entire plate on my own.

I am quite satisfied now to enjoy a relaxing experience at Café Vittoria, but continue to head to The Modern when I’m just looking for a quick fix. I have to say…everyday I am thankful that the North End exists.