tavern road

I finally made it to Tavern Road this week, the newest addition to the Fort Point neighborhood by the DiBiccari brothers. Featuring house-cured meats, a beautiful open space with an expansive bar scene near open doors to the sidewalk & an open-kitchen, and so many delicious sides to choose from, I'll definitely be back.

 

 

We started with cheese-rolls & cocktails, Heaven on Her Lips to be specific, with gin, lime juice, strawberry & basil leaves, perfectly balanced, crisp, and bright for a spring evening.

I started with my go-to appetizer at all restaurants, grilled octopus. I have to be honest when I say that this....was the best grilled octopus I have ever had. Grilled octopus was mixed in with farro, cured meats, preserved lemon, and raisins & it was unbelievably delicious! 

For our main dish I went with the red curry rubbed sirloin served on the rare side of medium rare. Of note, all of their main dishes are served just as the proteins, so definitely get a large smattering of sides to compliment your meat.

 

We split three sides: fried potato with rosemary; potato gnocchi, fava leaves, brussel sprouts & currants (which as our favorite side of all), and the baby beets with dates, cauliflower, and horseradish.

Although the food was delicious, especially the gnocchi side & the octopus, and the drinks were tasty, I would especially return for the ambiance. The open space showcases a side-ful of a mural, simple decorations, a plethora of pendant lights, and some bumpin' 90's hip-hop/rap beats to set the mood to perfect. It's really the little things in restaurants that get me giddy, and the bathroom was my ideal bathroom, just sayin'. With an overwhelming clean but not artificial scent, and meticulously tiled floors, with soothing colors and even louder beats bumpin', I couldn't help but smile. 

 

All in all, I whole-heartedly recommend this new spot for the Spring and Summer months with the open doors, great cocktails, inventive dishes, and welcoming ambiance. Tips: get a cocktail, get the octopus, and get as many sides as you can handle...oh, and visit the bathroom.

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easy healthy halibut

Halibut is a delicate white fish with a great source of high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids for cardiovascular health, magnesium for increased blood, oxygen, and nutrient flow throughout the body, and vitamin B. Pretty much it's a light delicate fish with a bushels-worth of benefits. With a delicate fish it's mostly important to let it shine and not overpower it. A quick & easy vinaigrette of lemon & olive oil brushed over the halibut kicks it up a simple notch.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 lb halibut
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs and 1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, mix in a large pinch of each salt & pepper.  

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay halibut skin-down and sprinkle with a bit more salt & pepper. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette mixture over the fish evenly. Pop in preheated oven for 14 minutes.
 

 

 

3. Remove from oven when flaky and done. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over the fish. Serve with rice pilaf and red pepper flake green beans for a bit of a kick.

 

 

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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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asta

The newest addition to the thriving Back Bay dining scene is Asta, a tasting-menu-only spot with a casual feel and extraordinary offerings. Asta is the first restaurant of L'Espalier's former sous-chef Alex Crabb. With an open layout with an open kitchen, minimalist decor, and welcoming staff, the place immediately feels like you're over to a friend's place for a dinner, but a friend that can actually cook...really well.

 

 

The menu is divided into 3 choices, 3-, 5-, or 8-courses with optional wine pairings. A nice change from the usual is the fact that not everyone at the table has to get the same option. I went with the 5 and T went with the 8.
 

 

My first course was the carrot licorice mustard oil "risotto". A warm carrot with a hint of licorice, cut to look like rice.

T started with the oyster "smoked and raw" with a cold, crisp brine, with a splash celery juice served on a bed of salt.

Next T had the essex greens with soft egg and a tasty tasty anchovy cracker, a take on a deconstructed caesar salad.

My second course was "after the storm" with seaweed, salmon roe & mussels. To me, this actually just tasted like the ocean, I wasn't a big fan, but luckily it worked out because it was one of T's favorites, so we swapped...

I swapped with T and enjoyed the peas & fava beans with sheep's milk cheese and mushrooms...one of my favorites, I wish I could make this for myself every day.

T had the poached arctic char with ramps & cherries, and a sprinkling of honey and granola, perhaps his favorite combination of all.

Next was my second favorite course of all, the quail stuffed with escargot, green garlic & fava leaves, topped with a branch of a fortune cookie-like texture.

 

For T's 5th course, they gave him my favorite of the whole meal...the grilled scallop woth farro, blueberries, and coriander. The combination of these ingredients were out of this world, my favorite course hands-down, even if the rest of the meal was terrible I would return for this one dish.
 

My final savory course was the ridiculously lean & tender lamb with chopped herbs & spinach along with foraged mushrooms swimming in a puree of sorts. With no trace of a gamey flavor, neither T nor I had tasted a piece of lamb quite like this one.

 

T's final savory course was the duck breast with beets & scallions. The duck was perfectly evenly cooked with crispy skin with the beets being sweet despite being very thinly sliced.

T's 7th course was the campari stewed rhubarb with ricotta, pink peppercorns, and dehydrated grapefruit. I have never disagreed with T more over a dish than I did on this one...I absolutely did not understand this dish and was overwhelmed with the grapefruit slices. On the other hand, T almost licked the plate he was so in love with it.

My dessert was the swiss roll with chocolate, a passion fruit filling, and a sprinkling of tobacco. Light, refreshing, and bright, it was a nice conclusion to the meal.

T's dessert was an almond and apricot cake with rosemary milk. I was only given a nibble of this, as he was very protective over his favorite dish.

We ended with some tea & coffee, along with a variety of petit-fours. By the end of the meal, with the large portions it was getting difficult to eat more, but we pushed on as the dishes got surprisingly better dish by dish. Each time we were blown away, and had to share our glorious dish with the other, trying to decide who won. In the end the splitting and switching of the dishes worked out perfectly and we both left stuffed to the brim with great wine & even better food.

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