brasstacks dairy cow pop-up

You may already know how big of a fan I am of Brasstacks, if not, check here and here.  Last night they had an open-to-all dinner focused on an 8-year-old dairy cow that has been being prepared since October at Washington Square Tavern in Brookline! Tickets were not dependent on their usual lottery, rather they were made available to anyone and everyone (a nice chance for some people to be introduced to Brasstacks, and a nice chance for others to try another of their dinners). This dinner revolved around all parts of the cow, and was prepared by both Marc Sheehan and Chris Cronin (of Washington Square Tavern). 

Assigned seats had us at a table of pharma men and 12-year self-made wine distributors, resulting in a whole evening of wine-talk. While we enjoyed our inventive long meal (by candlelight- apologies for terrible pictures, but I had to share), we learned of all different types of wine, pairings, and regions (Oregon merlots what?!--delicious that's what). We started with charcuterie of blood sausage (my favorite), pâté en croûte, wild game terrine, black truffle crépinette, and coppa along with delicious bread with house made cow's milk butter.

The first course was the raw beef shoulder & cured heart with persimmon, egg yolk, and bitter greens (one of T's favorites).

Second was my and T's favorite course, hands-down. Unbelievably delicious, perfectly executed, and precisely balanced...the Fisherman's Brewis. Cod head, cow's milk, dried beef and a few small potatoes strewn about...all served on my favorite black plates. Mmmm.

Next, was the 3rd shared course. A massive cabbage brought out on a large platter stuffed to the brim with tongue served with a sugar beet chutney, mushroom ketchup (please serve me this everyday of my life), and an anchovy jam.

Already feeling a bit full, we pushed on. Next was T's other favorite, the bone marrow bratwurst with brown bread, fermented turnip & a cider must (squint and you may be able to see the dish in the picture below). This dish had the deepest richest flavor, and I could have finished it, if I wasn't saving room for the next two courses. This dish was also served with my new FAVORITE beer: Kölsch! Light but flavorful served chilly in a small little glass, perfect for small hands!

 

The final savory course was the heavy-hitter: a 90-day dry aged ribeye and corned brisket with wild oyster, stout, and crispy kale (again, squint and guess in this picture). I can honestly say that the corned brisket was one of the top 5 best things I have ever tasted in my life. The ribeye was also delicious, but I'm a baby when it comes to rare meat, and it was a touch too rare for my liking. But do not fret, I was already more than full at this point. 

Already stuffed, we took a few breaths and prepared ourselves for dessert.  We were greeted with a house-made hard cider along with our dessert (which I won't even lie and I say I remember what it was). Something along the lines of apple, caramel, and a pudding of some sort, the texture was that of mascarpone.

 

With each of the dishes being paired with a wine or beer, we rolled ourselves home, stuffed full, giddy, and happy once again. It seems like every Brasstacks event ends in this combination, so as always I would highly recommend Brasstacks to any and everyone. I will reluctantly provide you with the tip of being invited (your chances go up of being invited, while mine goes down with you liking them...but I guess I'll share...just this once): like their facebook page, located here. Welcome to the team of 1,632 people trying to nudge their way into the next Brasstacks dinner.

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brave the caves

I first heard of Formaggio Kitchen at the Brasstacks anniversary party, and knew I would have to visit their shop, as they specialize in artisinal jams and cheese (the best two edible bits in the world in my opinion). Sunday night, we headed over to the Brave the Caves class, aka cheese spelunking. We had front-row seats to the oldest man-made cheese cave of it's kind in the US (unfortunately there aren't any natural caves in Cambridge, MA...)...with Julia Child even being at the opening of the older cave!

 

 

 

For $55 per ticket, we learned all about the cave, aging cheese & caring for the cheese. We also enjoyed plates of charcuterie, jam, and cheese paired with wine & beer...all while learning! We saw the oldest compte in the US and were able to test some of the strangest looking cheeses before they were sealed back up with butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mmmm cheese. After the educational part of the class, we were able to mosey around the store and pick up some supplies. I found my two newest obsessions, an onion confit and a pear marmalade from this company. Obsessed. This jam of the month club is now number one on my Christmas list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
With the mother-store located in Cambridge, and the younger store in the South End, Boston is one lucky city. There is also a branch in NYC, but if you're not nearby, you can also order supplies online! Happy stocking shopping!

 

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little palm island

One of the final nights with my family was spent wining and dining at my favorite restaurant on Little Palm Island. The island is gorgeous and so calming: no children allowed and no cell phones. If you don't have your own yacht you can take the island's 15-20 minute boat-ride to your dinner (or your stay). More information on the island can be found here.

After our initial tropical cocktails of watermelon mojitos and mango-strawberry rum smoothies, the key deer began to come out. At first they are cute but they were on a mission to lick all of the salt shakers on the island. They would not take no for an answer. Cute...but pushy...knocking glasses and anything else over in their path they did not care about anything but the SALT! The evening was filled with kobe beef sliders, bottles of Sancerre, lobster risotto, and saffron cheesecake (on my part at least!). As the night went on and the sun set, the tiki torches and candles were the only light sources.

 

As the night came to a close, the cocktails and wine made for terribly blurry photographs.  I was forced to put my camera away and enjoy the warmth of the fire pit on the beach and the soothing sounds of the pianist, guitarist, and vocalist before laying on the dock on the plush foam chairs staring at the stars.

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