june recap

I've been bad at keeping in touch, I know, but I promise I'll make it up to you. For now I'll do a speedy catch up of the past month. Earlier in the month, T & I went home to New York to celebrate my father's retirement! Erin enjoyed the lake...

 

 

...and attempted the hammock...

 

...before calling it a day and napping in the grass.

 

While the pup napped I made sugar cookies...

 

...and looked through old photos (most of which are far too embarrassing to share).

We enjoyed some celebratory champagne before heading out to our life-long favorite restaurant.

 

That Sunday we headed home, driving through more sunsets, before restarting our driving the following weekend, when we headed to Philly to celebrate T's cousin's bat mitzvah.

 

the professional dog-walker

 

When we got home later that weekend we picked up some beautiful pink peonies (I really am convinced that Trader Joe's has some of the best long-lasting reasonable day-to-day flowers)....

 

...before making some lavender-vanilla sugar cookies to bring to my final week at my job.

 

This week T & I went to a Brasstacks dinner, knowing it would be recorded for Canada's Travel+Escape channel's new series "Illegal Eater", premiering this fall. According to the IMDB page, the series follows Barenaked Ladies' front man, Steven Page "as he embarks on a journey to uncover some of the tastiest, creative, illegal food in a city's unlicensed - secret - underground venues. It's in these places where the food is always fresh, local, and the experience is completely authentic." We arrived to the dinner, which was set at Bondir, and were shocked to see we were two of only twelve seats set. It was truly a delicious & personal dinner, per usual for Brasstacks, and we were lucky enough to be seated at a table of six with Bondir's chef/owner Jason Bond. 

  

The next day was July 4th (woohoo!), so I made some delicious potato salad, which I will share the recipe for on Tuesday...

 

 

...along with a red, white & blue sangria made with white wine, club soda, a splash of cranberry juice, a splash of vodka and grand marnier, lime juice, strawberries and blueberries.

 

 

After a feast of grilled chicken, cheeseburgers, and the potato salad, we played some croquet with the antique set we picked up at Brimfield last summer.

 

 

As the sun began to set, but the heat was just as intense, we had to find some alternative cooling strategies...

 

 

...before celebrating with sparklers!

 

My last day of my job was yesterday, so now I'll have the whole summer off before heading back to school for my MSW this fall, so I promise I'll be better about checking in with you, okay? Tomorrow I'll finally post the recipe for the tortilla espanola I tempted you with a few weeks ago, and Tuesday you'll be able to see the best potato salad recipe, to use for the rest of the summer.

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puritan & company

To continue our support of the Gilson family, T & I went to Puritan & Company on Saturday night. Opening in 2012 in Inman Square of Cambridge, Puritan & Company has already been nominated for a James Beard award for Best New Restaurant. Will Gilson creates an ever-changing menu with local & seasonal ingredients, resulting in deliciously clean dishes being swept out of the kitchen. On our way to dinner, I checked their website to peruse the menu and found Marc Sheehan, of Brasstacks, was the sous chef! Shocked, we stepped on the gas pedal with a sense of urgency and hustled to our reservation. With high expectations we were a bit nervous, but I can honestly say that both T & I loved each and every dish we had, and Puritan & Company has shot up to being somewhere in our top 2 favorite spots (and we already have made another reservation for July).

 

 

 

Having eaten at Gilson's family's Herb Lyceum the evening before, we couldn't help but draw parallels between the two spots. With the cool neutral colors with the trim of white, cabinets, and rustic tables, we felt as though we were visiting a friend in their old study of their old home. A warmth radiated in every corner of this little gem. With many small tables, 7 seats at a prep station near the kitchen, and one long table where multiple groups were placed (like the evening prior at the Herb Lyceum), there was a constant buzz of energy.

 

T started with one of their many beers on tap and was fascinated by the glass which looked just like a beer can.

 

Although we were given (two) servings of the rolls, we also ordered the gougeres with rosemary and a clothbound cheddar mornay, because I can't say no to cheese and pastry dough.

We started with the swordfish pastrami. Yes, swordfish pastrami. It was thinly sliced and wrapped around the clean components including pumpernickel, mustard, and pickles. And is that samphire I spy, again?

Next T had ordered the lamb belly with eggplant, orange, and moxie. I was raised not eating veal, lamb, or any other baby animal, and I'm sorry, Mom, but I have to admit that this was delicious. Crispy on top and tender on the inside, lean, and packed with flavor, this is a dish I could actually order myself...and not really feel too badly about it.

 

To start I ordered the local vegetables, which I imaged to be some sort of a roasted vegetable dish with potatoes, carrots, and hearty veggies, but was pleasantly surprised to see a local salad of sunchokes, peas, pickled carrots, farmer's cheese and a delicious slew of mystery veggies. I hate salads, and I could probably eat this every day it was the perfect combination of veggies.

 

The moment I saw chicken on the menu, I obviously had to give it a shot, since my rule is if a restaurant has chicken on the menu, it better be the best chicken I've ever had and a chicken that I couldn't make myself at home. Yep, this was my favorite chicken I've encountered. I love this chicken, and I've had a lot of chicken. A dish full of free-range chicken, fingerlings, and a few browned brussel sprouts, I was in heaven. With crisp skin, succulent chicken, and the best fingerlings I've ever had, I was a happy customer.

 

T went with a massive portion of wagyu steak with pommes ana, a browned brussel sprout, delicately caramelized carrots, and an egg sauce. Between happy "oh man"s, I was able to sneak a carrot, a piece of steak, and a bit of the potatoes. Everything was prepared perfectly, and T was especially impressed with the potatoes which he compared to a crisped hashbrown.

Pleasantly full we wound down with some coffee and tea. Sadly there was no mint tea of the menu (my favorite after-dinner flavor), so I settled with a nutty green, which was still nice.

 

At this point we were full, but never too full for dessert. We ordered a dessert which I can't remember the specifics of (sorry, but true) but it was lemon curd with bites of pistachio and earthly flowery flavors along with an ice of sorts. Nevertheless, I whole-heartedly recommend this light refreshing palate-cleansing finale. With the texture and taste of the lemon reminiscent of a key lime pie (despite the fact that it looks like deviled-egg fillings), we weren't pushed over the too-full-level, and were able to leave happy as clams with stomachs full of delicious combinations. 

 

 

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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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