brasstacks dinner

Monday night was my first Brasstacks dinner. I mentioned Brasstacks about two months ago here and won the lottery last month when I found out I had the chance to go to one of these legendary dinners. On Monday, Brasstacks held their last summer harvest dinner at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, where all items were local and mostly recently foraged by the chefs themselves. I headed over, giddy, grinning, and nervous...I had no idea how many people would be there, how many courses there would be, what should I wear? So many questions, so much excitement. 

T & I headed over to Formaggio Kitchen...it was dark, almost abandoned looking on the outside. We knocked...there was a pause...and then we were greeted and brought into a transformed space exuding warmth, acceptance, excitement, and friendliness (and immediately handed 2 glasses of sparkling wine mmmmm). There were 3 tables with about 10 seats each. Tightly squeezed in to promote conversation & perfectly positioned to see plating and preparing of each dish. We headed up to pick from the charcuterie and stared at everything in amazement, while our pre-meal treats waiting patiently for us.

 

 

The Formaggio Kitchen charcuterie consisted of linguica, chicken liver mousse, duck pate, served with Brasstacks pickles. Next we were introduced to our treats (from back left-right-front in the top picture): grilled cousa squash with sprouted grains, fennel & almond (my favorite); baked hyslop crabapple with chicken liver, cider vinegar & poppy seed; roasted new potato with cultured cream, shad roe & salt pork; and in front, the tomatoes with pickled chilis, elderflower vinegar & mint (T's favorite). Also shown are the tasty snack of the husk cherries roasted in salt pork. All were presented on natural plates of slabs of birch branches and stones.

Next, we moved onto the first course (all of which were paired with a respective wine): soused bluefish with cucumbers, horseradish & pretty nasturtium.

 

Next was my favorite dish of the night, I could really eat a large portion of this every day and never get sick of it: sweet corn samp with Maine crab, bayberry leaf, sea urchin and samphire. Pretty much perfection in a bowl.

Woven between the courses were explanations and derivations of the plates, all drawing inspiration from old New England fare and techniques. Also woven in were the seemingly endless glasses of wine. Next was the matelote of Spanish mackerel with eggplant, barley & tomato relish.

 

The final savory course of the evening was my almost-tied-for-first (and T's favorite) course of silver Cornish chicken roasted in wild juniper with chicken mushroom, fermented broccoli & a bread sauce. Also, it was obviously one of the prettiest dishes.

 

 

The local cheese course was provided by Formaggio Kitchen, and was delicious, because really...who doesn't love cheese? Brebis Blanche, Tarentaise, and Brother's Walk. Obviously not the best picture because I was too excited to get started.

The final course was the Maine chocolate potato cake with sheep milk, wild grapes & black walnut. While being plated, it resembled Saturn and I had no problem finishing this dish whatsoever.

 

 

 

After a long & memorable night, we were stuffed full of wine, tasty food, and new information. We were introduced to many new foraged foods and interesting people. For professional pictures taken of the event check their facebook page... and remember, if you want to be entered into the lottery for a chance to go to one of these amazing dinners, friend Brasstacks Boston on Facebook, you will thank me 2,723 times if you win.

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whisk

Whisk is a unique pop-up comprised of 3 young-20-something chefs.  With some impressive resumés, they courageously decided to head out on their own last year.  I have been meaning to check this pop-up out for a bit now, and I finally had the time to this past weekend. They set up shop at Fazenda Coffee Roasters in Jamaica Plain for the night and dished out a 5-course meal for $55 (+$20 for wine pairings). With all of the courses being delivered in quick succession of surrounding tables, it encouraged feelings of unity and friendliness, while still having plenty of space between tables to create an intimate feeling with those whom you came with.

The first course was T's favorite...rainbow trout, ratatouille & ricotta salata.

Next was my 2nd favorite...deconstructed sweet corn lasagna, heirloom tomato jam & oak tree shiitake.

Followed by my favorite dish of the night (made obvious by the fact that I just had to dig in before any pictures could be taken)...pork belly, cornbread, pickled watermelon & grilled pluot.

The cheese course consisted of semi soft cows cheese, grilled fig & fig preserves.

The sweet ending to the evening was a delicious and complex summer pudding with spun sugar (maybe my 1.5th favorite?).

After enjoying a nice hot (and strong) cup of coffee, we headed home full & happy...and feeling as if we had stolen something; at just $55 pp, this was a deal! As you can tell from my accurate and sensitive rating system, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the food that was presented in an artful way. Their next pop-up is September 28th and is benefit pop-up, find more information here.

I am also a semi-secret jam hoarder. The chefs behind Whisk have recently opened JP Jarring Company. With a list of 8 intricate jams available, you better bet I'm going to add to my collection. More information on their new project here.

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grotto & beacon hill chocolates

Working in Beacon Hill makes it easy to pop into one of my favorite little spots for a quick lunch or dinner. Grotto is located on Bowdoin Street, near North Station, Bowdoin, Government Center, MGH, and Park Street T stops. Two blocks from the Commons, this little gem is nestled underground. The dinners are beyond reasonable, as a 3-course dinner is $36, and the lunch is a steal, with a large lunch pasta portion running at $14 max (check out the menu here). Head down the steps, through the red velvet curtain, to an intimate dining area with mood lighting and a wall of wine bottles amidst walls of brick.

 

For dinner I go here for one reason, and one reason only...the lobster fra diavolo. With homemade linguine, this tasty dish is what dinner-dreams are made of. Buttery lobster tucked into spicy twists of heavenly-light pasta with a bit of a kick. Absolute perfection. I finish my portion without a doubt every single time.

After a quick & tasty early dinner, we strolled through Beacon Hill. Through the hilly cobblestone streets we went, warding off the rain, admiring the beautiful brownstones as we headed towards Beacon Hill Chocolates on Charles Street.

As the rain began to sprinkle, we headed home to tuck ourselves in & enjoy our treats!

My personal favorites were the s'mores bar & the chocolate covered cherries. Good thing this adorable (and delicious) shop is a mere 3 blocks from work...as I will be needing another s'mores bar prettttty soon!

 

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turner fisheries

Friday night date night was spent at Turner Fisheries, a sustainable seafood restaurant near the Prudential and Copley mall. With a hopping bar scene filled with an after-work crowd, Turner had an energetic vibe. Walking down the double stairs into the restaurant, I realized I had been here once before about four years ago. I had liked it then, and I liked it now. Seafood is my favorite cuisine, and I will never be able to be with someone that dislikes seafood...it will just never work out.

I started with the Flirtini (as if that would ever be the name of a drink I would go for...but it had pineapple juice in it!) and moved on to the Jonah Crab Claws.

Although seafood in general is my favorite cuisine, I am partial to crab. I love everything about crab. Period. So I was understandably excited to order the crab claws. I cracked and dunked away into the mayo/ketchup mix until one time I cracked too hard... I knew it wasn't going well. I knew this crack was too hard to be done. But it was too late. I cracked the final crack and a chunk of shell flew towards a neighboring table. I heard a squeal and turned to face my victim. A son was taking his visiting parents out to dinner...and I had hit the father on his glasses. Thankfully for the glasses...the father was able to laugh it off. I apologized profusely and put down the cracker. The claws were done. Next was onto the safer course of the seared diver scallops with a sugarcane rum reduction, crystalized ginger, and a plantain crisp.

The scallops were prepared perfectly and melted in my mouth. The plaintain chip offered a nice textural balance and the microgreens were a nice stabilizer. Overall, a delicious meal with a nice experience to go with it. As we were paying the check, I looked over once again at my victim. I noticed he too had ordered the crab claws. He smiled and proclaimed "now I might get you back". I smiled and rushed out, for my eyes' safety.

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farmstead table

The Newton culinary scene has a new contender. Just 6-weeks old, Farmstead Table is located right across the street from the Newton Centre T stop. The farm-to-table restaurant focuses on a fresh and clean preparation. With simple rustic decor, the restaurant is small to moderately sized and offers both lunch and dinner with an ever-changing menu. As of now, they do not have a website, but they do have a facebook page.

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I started with the house cured salmon lox toast with pickled shallots with dill creme fraiche & baby greens.
 

 At just $11, this appetizer was big enough for 2 to share! Although very tasty & very filling, I could have done with a bit more cracked pepper (but I do LOVE cracked pepper, so maybe that's just me!). I chose the roast free-range chicken with parsnip puree, baby vegetables, and a thyme natural jus as my entree. I like to order chicken at restaurants, as it is a standard easy protein that just asks to be revved up with imagination. In my opinion, a good restaurant is dependent on how they are able to execute the smallest and simplest things, like chicken!

The parsnip puree was soft and delicious, while the vegetables remained crisp and fresh. The chicken was moist, but traditional. My dinner date had the special Eggplant Napolean which she reported was tasty. The best part of the evening was the dessert, almond cake with plum compote & vanilla ice cream.

 

 

 Nestled into mildly tight-corridors, we enjoyed a pleasant evening surrounded by simple farm decor of flowers and books about soil, plants, and farming techniques, reminded of the simple preparation of fresh food.

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