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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oleana

James Beard winner Ana Sortun's Oleana has been open near Central Square since 2001 with rave reviews by all that have been. Focusing on "Arabic influenced foods of the Mediterranean with a strong lean towards Turkish", this was right up T's alley, and right up mine by being a prime example of farm-to-table with most of their produce coming right from Sortun's husband's farm in Sudbury, Siena Farms.

In we headed, up the ramp (looking like a ghost), to the dimly-lit restaurant with winding turns and many smaller rooms spread about. 

We sat & enjoyed a chilly glass of wine while 

admiring the table and deciding on our meals.

We decided to split three meze courses and have an entree each. The first 6 meze course on the menu are more of spreads and small snacks, while the rest range from a shared app to a full app. We started with the spicy fideos & chicken peas with green chard and orange aioli.

I love spice, so I was excited, but sadly it wasn't spicy at all, and I also didn't taste any orange in the smear of aioli, but I did enjoy the dish as it was light and a good start.

Next we had the spinach falafel with tahini, yogurt, beets & crinkled cress.

This meze course was both T and my favorite dish of the whole night. Light, fluffy, and not even a bit dry, the spinach falafel was delicious, and especially perfect paired with the beets and the pickles on the side.

Our final meze course was the one I was most excited for. As you may know I love octopus, and feel a need to order it everywhere it is offered to get my fill. This dish seemed so perfect for me, grilled octopus carpaccio with spring pea, pepper & a spicy olive salad.

It was fine. That's it, just fine. I knew I had high hopes, but I was so disappointed. The octopus was not carpaccio, rather they were large chunks. The spring peas were delicious, but the "spicy olive salad" was not even close to a hint of spicy. There was a nicely crisped toast-like cracker under the components, which was a great touch, but the rest of the dish was just fine.

For my entree I went with the flattened lemon chicken with za'atar & a Turkish cheese pancake, one of their most famous dishes.

Oh, you can't see this picture? Me neither, because I couldn't see my food at this point. Right before our entrees the lights went low low low and we had to squint to see our food. Nevertheless, I could feel I was eating on a sort of platter, which made me feel like I was at Medieval Times or in Game of Thrones, which was exciting. The chicken was delicious, and well-prepared. Not overly lemony, a large portion, and a nice combination with the pancake, my only complaint was the fact that the cheese pancake was almost too cheesy, as I felt the cheese of choice overpowered the delicate lemony chicken flavor.

T on the other hand went with the tamarack tunis lamb with Turkish spices, pita & everything green with garlic & yogurt.  

He was in love. The dish was like a deconstructed gyro, with perfectly balanced & prepared components. The lamb was ground and made into a sausage before being grilled, which made it quite moist and "uh-mazing" (in the words of T).

For dessert we opted to split the chocolate hazelnut nightingale's nest with chocolate truffle & a fig leaf ice cream.

Perfectly portioned for our needs, the salt of the hazelnuts played well with the nest and truffle, and was overall a great dessert.

After a quick tea from their expensive coffee and tea menu, we headed out, but not before checking out the neat little bathrooms. With mirrored tiles mixed in with regular tiles, it's a nice surprise!

 

 

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simple weekend recap: edition 25

Friday I found the best bar in all of Boston...yes, it's true, my new go-to with $5 flatbreads and the best cocktails in the world, with refreshing twists, non-sugary juices, and wild bitters tossed in, First Printer in Harvard Square is a quick skip from the T but worlds-away from the scene outside with the high ceilings and huge windows. Guaranteed to see a mixed crowd, the people-watching is fantastic and the drinks are unreal...every single one of them!

 

Saturday was the Bacon & Beer festival, with money going towards Lovin' Spoonfuls, one of my favorite charities in the area that does some amazing hands-on giving multiple times a day. If you follow their twitter, you can see just how much they really are giving, and it's quite inspiring. The three best bacon dishes in my opinion was the bacon & chocolate custard by Trina's Starlight Lounge...

 

...the delicious perfection of 80 Thoreau...and a fantastic smoked piece of bacon 

served in a dulce de leche sauce from (cough cough, I forget)...mmmmm.

After our fill of local beers & plates on plates on plates of bacon, we met up with friends for a lighter dinner out at Union Bar and Grille. We headed in with our casual expectations, but surprise! Turns out it's not that casual, and we forgot our $80k cards at home...well now we'll know to bring them for next time, eh?

 

Although we were a bit thrown off by the seriousness of the atmosphere, we were just there for some tasty cocktails (aloe cocktail, yes please) and quality food (which we found in the deliciously peppery salmon).

 

 

We strolled through the South End by the beautiful row houses to the Beehive, with the best chandelier selection in the city and some consistently tasty bee-drinks (be warned, the tequila drinks are quite strong in the tequila-taste, recommended to stick with other choices!).

 

 

 

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brasstacks one-year anniversary party

Last night I went to the Brasstacks Pop-Up One-Year Anniversary Block Party at Frommagio, in Cambridge. Brasstacks is a secret supper club that hosts lottery-invite-only dinners on a bi-monthly basis around Boston. Comprised of alumni from No.9 Park, Menton & Radius, Brasstacks focuses on locally-sourced seasonal ingredients prepared in basic ways with a few twists thrown in. Upon arrival I was greeted with 2 goats on a spit and an endless supply of beer from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project & wine from Olmstead Wine Co. After receiving the beverages, I began to feast upon the cheese and charcuterie spread (no pictures...too tasty). A bunch of seasonal sides were served along with sections from the whole pig (and later parts of goats were served as well).

 

 

 

As chef Marc Sheehan was dividing up the goats, the dessert was beginning to be plated. After a night of savory tastiness, the dessert of boiled gingerbread & hard cider curd (with seasonal berries) was a nice change of pace! Tickets for this event sold out within hours, so fingers crossed for the facebook-lottery invite-only dinners. Unfortunately for us, their facebook is now up to 1,450 friends trying to get into one of these highly-coveted dinners! Overall, the food and ambiance was superb (and the weather was unbelievably beautiful, to boot)!


Here is a list provided by Brasstacks of all of the sides and mains served:

Whole Roasted Yorkshire Pig

Whole Roasted Kid Goats 

Green Tomato Marmalade, Spicy Plum Chutney, Mokum Carrot Relish, Bean Pot Onions

Grilled Sweet Corn with Goat Butter and Maine Sea Salt

Harvard Beets with Goat Yogurt, Anchovy and Fermented Shallots

Roasted New Potatoes with Mustard Greens, Young Garlic, and Fermented Asparagus

Grilled Radishes with Coppa, Pickled Clams, and Fines Herbes

Marinated Cucumbers, Ginger Vinegar, and Anise Hyssop

Grilled String Beans, Mushroom, Almond, and Egg Yolk

Raw Kale with Piermont, Fermented Sausage, and Pickled Currants

Maine Buckwheat with Grilled Zucchini, Smoked Peppers, and Shad Roe 

Steamed Gingerbread Hard Cider Curd, Grilled Peaches, Summer Berries

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