J.M. Curley's - a new hideout perfect for post-performance libations:)

After a performance, my hunger for artistry and performing is usually filled, but my belly begs for attention.  It is always good to know where you can go for a good meal, drink and general 'detente'. In the theater district, it is sometimes difficult to find a place that offers all three...especially when you are not looking to spend a whole wad of money and when you are nearing that ominous 'kitchen is closed' time.  You can thus image how happy I was when I ventured to JM Curleys after our Opening Night of Simply Sublime and was met with a restaurant/bar with huge post-performance potential.  

Located down the alley of Temple street, JM Curley's is really easy to miss. It has a modest and strictly no frills front. Once you are in, you find your own seat and in not much time at all, someone from the team will come over a greet you.

Greetings at restaurants usually involve a polite hello, some subsequent inquiries and water.  At JM Curley's, you also get a batch of their 'flavor-of-the-day' popcorn.  Upon my first visit (yes, because I have since been back!), it was garlic popcorn and on my return visit just two days later, it was gingerbread. (!!!) It's really fantastic and much needed, because, as I mentioned earlier, after a show, I have a dangerous appetite...and snacks to keep me happy while I wait for my food are essential.

Another key component, is of course the bar, and again, JM Curley's excels not only with its great list of local brews, but also with its craft cocktails.  Bar manger Kevin, has come up with a few excellently made cocktails.  I have tried three thus far and all have since ranked as some of my favorite drinks in Boston.  Above, we have the Hemingway Heat, made with rhum agricole, grapefruit juice, maraschino, lime and jalapeno. My personal favorite is the Dark and Stormy - Dark rum, ginger brew and lime with a sugared rim.  Kevin however, recommended some of his house specialty Gin and (house made) tonic - Plymouth, Yellow Charteuse, Quinine Bark Powder and citrus.  I am not always a fan of Gin and Tonics...but this baby is in a class of its own! All priced at 9 dollars, these cocktails make for perfect libations anytime, any day!

For food, we ordered their baby spinach salad with pralines, charred red onions, goat cheese and candy apple vinaigrette.  I also tried their baby iceberg salad which is a half head of lettuce, topped with croutons, hard-boiled egg, pickled beets, bacon and pop's Russian dressing.  I liked both, but the latter had perhaps a bit too much of dressing.

Of their snacks, we tried their deviled eggs which were creamy and delicious, topped with spring onions and ham. I don't usually love deviled eggs, but again, as with the Gin and Tonic, these are quite different from the usual congealed mounds you get at the buffet salad bar!

Continuing in the trend of delightful snacks were their deep fried pickles, again, another hit! The pickles were sliced just the right width and coated in a very light but very crisp batter. It is so easy to over coat fried pickles and you end up loosing the intended effect.

We also tried their Brussel Sprouts with Duck confit and Gruyere as well as their East-by-dirty-South Yams which come topped with marshmallow and candied pecans.  Although both sides were top in taste and novelty, they did not do so well in the limelight of my camera...so I left those pictures out:) With all the juicy goodness however, we decided an order of house made pretzels was necessary - and they were! 

We tried many things and none disappointed. 

I don't usually see myself as a 'regular', there are so many places to try out! With JM Curleys's, I think that trend may be broken. In the first week of shows, I frequented this spot twice and both times I came out completely happy and satisfied.  The fact that they have a daily PB&J, alcoholic milkshakes and bacon peanut brittle pretty much seals my fate...more visits are to follow.  Perfect timing too, our Spring Season is just getting heated up! Stop by JM Curley's before or after the show:)

Celebrity Chef Series at Stella!

 In the restaurant business, Monday nights are known for being the 'off' night - people are usually still recovering from their weekends, or trying to get their minds around the inevitability that is the rest of the week. Monday nights in restaurants are thus usually quiet and relatively low key.

This is the exact opposite of what has been going on at Stella every Monday since the New Year. For its third year in a row, Stella holds a Celebrity Chef Series in which a different 'Celebrity Chef' from around Boston is invited to come up with a multi-course meal to be served on Mondays.  Chef Evan Deluty really has a fantastic initiative on his hands.  While you can still order from the regular menu, the bonus of experiencing a different chef's culinary style and inspiration every week has really been drawing in the crowds. 

 Last Monday, it was Chef Louis DiBicarri of Storyville who cooked up a  fantastic four course meal.  He certainly had Stella buzzing with South End locals, fans and friends of both Head Chefs and food enthusiasts.

 First course: Guanciale (delicious, crispy bacon), fried brussel leaves and fennel pollen served under a beautifully soft-boiled egg with toasted focaccia.  It was a perfect sample of a dressed up breakfast:)

 Next we had a mushroom and roasted red pepper linguini.  This pasta dish was served almost like a soup (I assume this was intentional), the broth was certainly delicious and the three large mushrooms were plump with the jus. I really enjoyed the colours, they were perfect for winter.

 For the third course, Chef Louis came out with a White Sweet potato soup topped with pomegranate seeds that added a surprising burst of tang and creme fraiche to balance it all out.

 The piece de resistance came next, it was a sizable cut of Veal Osso Bucco with saffron potatoes and escarole.  I don't often eat veal, but Chef Louis' meat was really prime, I thought it was cooked to a lovely reddish brown, it fell apart at the slightest pressure and you were left with the bone which - to further my delight, was filled with bone marrow!

I really enjoyed this dish...and somehow finished every last bit of it!

As a sweet ending, I thought Chef Louis was very brave in baking up batches of half-baked chocolate chip cookies.  Although this sounds pretty juvenile, I happen to think that baking a good chocolate chip cookie is quite a challenge. It can be too hard, too crunchy, not enough chocolate, not the right contrast between chocolate and batter....etc. Chef Louis' cookies were beautiful. He managed to nail the crispy outer rim with ooey-gooey goodness on the inside. The bitter-sweet chocolate chips married perfectly with the sweet batter.  My friend and I asked for a scoop of vanilla gelato to top it off which I really think is a necessity.

I enjoyed the entire meal; it was different, delicious and there was certainly no pretension.  Dishes were honest and delightful.  When chefs are let loose and free, you really get to try something fun.. priced at 40 dollars this series is a definite win both for restaurants and their patrons.

I can't think of a better way to start off my week - and lucky for us all, this Monday Chef Will Gilson is up and rumour has it...be is going for 6 courses!

Burritos at their fiercest!

With the Patriots' loss at the Super Bowl on Sunday evening, it made for a bit of a sad ending to an otherwise great weekend. Monday, a hard day by any stretch, becomes that much more difficult when you know your team came so close to winning that shiny trophy....however, it would be an even bigger shame to let this bump in the road overshadow a different kind of Super Bowl that was in fact, a tremendous success this very same weekend.

On Saturday, at Poe's Rattlesnake Kitchen and Bar, the Burrito Bowl was held for the second year in a row.  This event is thrown in honor of the Super Bowl, bringing together some of Boston's finest chefs and their own renditions of the infamous 'burrito'.  With good food, friendly faces and some fierce culinary competition, this is the kind of Super Bowl I can really get behind!

The competitive spirit started early as I raced to get in line before the doors opened to the public.  The event had sold out a couple of days prior...so I knew I had to be on my A game;)

  Luckily, Justin, a kindred food blogger, was in line just behind me, it was a nice opportunity to catch up without being distracted by endless burritos:)

Once the doors did open, I wasted no time trying to get a few good shots in before the rest of the crowds filtered in. 

The Boloco team had prime real estate, with their station set up right up front and center. Jason Hutchison had prepared a 'Chorizo con papas' burrito, served with tortillas and some very spicy salsa. It was a great way to kick off:)

The way the Burrito Bowl is set up, each Chef has their station where they prepare their concoction and hand out sample-sized portions (although some of the 'sample' sizes are incredibly generous...not that I am complaining!).  Guests are given a voting card and just before the end, all votes are tallied to determine the winner and esteemed Burrito Bowl Champion.

Although everyone performed well, a couple of Chefs really stood out and made my final decision difficult. Chef Jon Gilman of Church made a mean 7-layer dip burrito. It was a seven layer goblet of intrigue that came garnished with a spinach tortilla chip and a piece of pork belly. I really loved this number, the pulled pork at the bottom was absolutely delicious. I think it would have been much stronger if it was somehow easier to get all the flavors at once... 

Chef Marc Orfaly from Pigalle made a really delicious and subtle Kimchi burrito.  The kimchi made for a delicious hint of tangy spice and the spicy mayo on the side was the perfect 'moist maker'.  I would have preferred it if the rice was more flavorful...it seemed to be a bit of a bland filler that took away from the killer kimchi.

Chef Erwin Ramos of Ole was busy firing up some of the world's most complicated burrito bowls. I can't actually remember what all went into them. I can recall a layer of rice and black beans, two different kinds of meat, (pork I think...), fried plantains (boy am I a sucker for those!), jicama slaw....some very delicious corn lasagna and various salsas...

Although some elements of this bowl were really fantastic (plantains and corn lasagna), there was a bit too much going on for it to be truly effective...

The Chef I was most impressed with turned out to be the Crowd favorite. (The judge's award went to Andy Husbands of  Brian Roche of Lolita somehow managed to create a bowl that kept me coming back for seconds...and maybe even a third;)

On a bed of truffle risotto, we had sauteed mushrooms, a beautifully cooked beef (I don't know how they managed to cook this meat just so at such a big event!) drizzled with a sweet sauce.  Here and there you would find a crunch from crispy fried pork rinds and yes...that dusting on top is a cluster of gold specks.

This dish was really top notch, the flavors were different and creative and worked together to bring about a wondrous ensemble.

Chef Roche managed to circumvent all the challenges that are inherent in such off-site competitions - his bowls were all presented in the same, consistent manner, each was treated and garnished individually, each produced the same high level quality and taste.

At events like these, I always come out feeling completely full - but not just from the food, but also from new, fresh takes on some of my favorite restaurants in Boston. I am also always filled with new spots to check out. Freshly added to the Foodista Archives are restaurants Church and Ole. Repeat visits are also in order for Pigalle and Lolita:)
So even though one Super Bowl did not turn out quite right, I can get on with my week in peace knowing that at least Burritos are properly attended to:)

Congratulations and thank you to all participants of the Burrito Bowl II, it was a fantastic event and I cannot wait until next year! A special thanks to Brian Poe for hosting:)

The Heart of the Honey

On Thursday, 2nd of February, Upstairs on the Square collaborated with Follow the Honey to create a four course dinner inspired by the incredibly versatile condiment. When one first thinks about a 'Honey dinner', one might be inclined to think it would be an overly sweet experience...I myself was a bit curious as to how it would all play out. I can tell you right off the bat however, that this dinner, put together by Chef Susan Regis and Mary Canning (owner of Follow the Honey), was exquisite, using different species of honey to bring about attributes and flavors in each dish.

Before we delve into the different courses, (featured in the menu above), let me just comment briefly on the novelty of the evening for me.  For one thing, it was my first time at Upstairs on the Square, (embarassing...I know!) and for another, well, it would be my first time really exploring the culinary versatily to be found 'honey'.

As soon as I walked into the place, I knew it was something quite different. I would probably best describe it as walking into Alice's Wonderland - there are fun and quirky decorations coming out of the walls, warped mirrors here and there, and the colours are just fantastic! It gives everything a very whimsical feel - once you step in here, Harvard Square falls into thin air - you are transported! 

 The meal, which began with some Mead and a trio of cheeses with different accompanying honeys, was on the third floor and was arranged in group tables. My friend and I were at a table with a young couple who actually keep two bee hives (another first for me!) and some recently retired high school teachers. I always love meals of this kind, you get to meet and connect with some very interesting people!

The first course, pictured above, was a Popover with Organic White Volcano Honey, a light mix of greens, sliced radish and a roasted chestnut.  The cheese trio had already got my taste buds going and this dish continued the trend. The crispy popover was light and warm, and in the middle (very like a volcano:) ), there was a pool of warm volcano honey. The two came together in holy matrimony. I was enthralled! 

 

 The next dish was probably the highlight for me, and my friend, a huge fan of anything containing pork belly, agrees. This dish combined two of my favorite things: scallops and pork belly. The P Town Scallops were Honeycomb topped and amidst a Green River ambrosia mead.  The different tastes and textures in this dish were a salute to the cunning of using two different kinds of honey. The pork belly itself was probably some of the best I have had. The top was perfectly crispy, the belly was almost liquid it melted so readily in your mouth and the meaty part was tender and sweet. I could have had five of these dishes no problem.

 The main course was a duo of Clementine Dusted Duckling. It was served atop a huge and juicy caramelized endive and honey dragee almonds. It came with a honeyed brioche filled with soft, sweet honey butter. This dish was very nicely compiled (even though I did not manage to get a good picture...), the duck was well cooked and the reduction was not too sweet. I reveled in the honey dragee almonds which added a surprising crunch. My favorite part of this dish however was the endive, which was bursting with flavor.  

To finish everything off, Chef Regis was very clever to end with a Panna Cotta - which is Italian for 'cooked cream'. It would have been a mistake to make something too sweet, but this White Gold Panna Cotta was refreshingly creamy, topped with a perfect crunch from honey caramel corn and a spicy peanut mix.

The whole meal was sublime. It was all tied together at the end with a little honey caramel truffle.

My only reservation was with regards to the wine and cocktail pairing. Apart from the very first pairing - the Bee's Knees - a cocktail with Gin, Honey and Lemon, all the others fell a little flat. It was most likely because the meals themselves were so outstanding.

All in all though, this adventure was very special.  Mary, owner of Follow the Honey has a fantastic approach to her passion. Just with the opening of Follow the Honey, she has already gotten people thinking differently about an ingredient many just think of as a sweetener for tea. With this new found partnership, Mary and Susan have begun to pave the way towards a very sweet, but very substantial future:)

I also can't wait to go back to Upstairs on the Square for some of their fun Events:)