Stir Girls

On my daily walks from my apartment to the Ballet, I usually walk along Waltham street. This happens at least twice a day and so I walk past a certain doorway located right behind The Butcher Shop the same number of times.  This little nook on Waltham is actually home to Stir, a cook book shop by day, and a cooking-demonstration dinner space created by Barbara Lynch.  For many years I have been walking past this little spot and for just as many years, I have wanted to check a class/meal out.  It was not until just a few months ago, January 2012 to be exact, that a friend of mine was able to snag a few seats at one of their classes.

The first class I went to was en lieu of the infamous Occupy Wall Street movement and called, wittingly, Occupy Gastronomy.  Every class at Stir, and they hold these 7 evenings a week, has a theme, whether it is a cook book, the chef's inspiration, or seasonal ingredients.  You walk in to find a replica of Barbara Lynch's own kitchen, with a demonstration stove top surrounded by about ten seats for the guests. Stir is run by a small team of chefs and managers, the two main chefs, known as the 'Stir Girls', work together in creating and cooking the different menus.

The Occupy Gastronomy class, just happened to be an ecclectic array of dishes, ranging from Greek tatziki, to Korean Bi Bim Bap and a Vietnamese Bahn Mi - it was all a tribute to different countries coming under occupation...great idea - even greater food:)

And from this class onwards, my friend and I have become hooked...

 

Since that class, I have been to two others and each one has been so drastically diferent I am continually amazed by Chef Kristen and Chef Stephanie's phenomenal talent and diversity, these girls can do practically anything! My all-time favorite dinner was the one inspired off of the Joe Beef cook book...which happens to be one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Montreal - it was an evening of meat...bacon and...well, what else is there?

So what exactly do these two power girls do? On an evening where they are both working, they do all the prep work for the evening's meal throughout the day, Stir classes usually consist of 5 course meals, so there is some preparation involved.  Each course is then put together and explained in front of the class - you get general cooking knowledge, insider tips and they will answer any question you have for them. 

One of the best things at the Stir classes, other than getting to hang out with Kris and Steph, is seeing something go from scracth to a beautiful dish, right in front of your eyes. This herbed chicken breast with carrot puree came from their 'Duck, Duck, Goose' class (which I was at last night...Stir experience # 3:) ). We got to see them go through all the stages and finally get presented with this delicious tasting.

The same goes for each and every course.  Dessert is always interseting at Stir as the chefs try to incorporate their main ingredient even into the final course of the evening.  You can imagine how this might be tricky with a poultry class..again though, the Stir Girls amazed everyone with their Duck Liver Creme Brulee...

Can't imagine how that would taste? Well, neither could I at first, but then I took a spoonful of the freshly bruleed savory 'dessert' and I think my eyes popped out of their sockets. The taste was so decandent, rich and meaty, and yet it had all the texture and subtlety of a true, creme brulee.

There are always surprises to be had at Stir, you learn so much and get to eat a whole lot of fresh, inspired food.  It is a sound idea and something I think people with any interst in either cooking, eating, or socializing would enjoy.

Oh..and here's a tip towards getting into a class...follow them on facebook to get advance notice of when they will be releasing the next batch of classes, then jump on the wagon and reserve yourself a spot to whichever tickles your fancy:)

A work out for you brain and your tummy:)

 When people think of going to a restaurant, they usually think of going out to enjoy a meal, a good chat or serious gossip - but there is so much more that be can done within the framework of a restaurant.  

 Common Ground Bar and Grill in Allston has the right idea, offering a different event every night of the week, from Stump trivia on Mondays to their Millennium party on Saturdays. (Check out their weekly schedule of events here.)

 My friend and I went to check out their Monday night Trivia last week and from about 8-10, the bar was packed with eager trivia gurus...and then some pretty fresh faces..aka, my friend and I:)

Although the trivia certainly helps draw in the crowds, Common Ground also has a recently re-configured menu, drawing on seasonal items, hand-picked and created jointly by Manager Bob Oguin and Chef Jaime Suarez.  Everyday, they set off in search of the freshest ingredients from local markets that incite their inspiration...it makes the world of difference!

 My friend and I arrived a bit before 8 and got started with an array of food...aka brain fuel, because we were ready to give this trivia a real go. On the board above the bar is a list of daily specials, whatever Chef Jaime Suarez and Manager Bob Oguin create from their collaborative morning trips to the markets.  

 We started with some chicken wings with Sweet Asian glaze.  Knowing we were going to have some serious pub fare, we figured we should get some greens...something people don't usually associate with a neighborhood bar.  Again, Common Ground knows what they are doing and serve up a delicious, roasted duck salad, with Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, green apple malt vinaigrette, all on a bed of delicious mixed greens.

 Deviled eggs, an item I usually skip over, came topped with house-cured bacon which sparked our interest.  Turns out the bacon was a delicious crispy pork belly...these little guys did not last long:)

 

  Of their daily specials, and upon Bob's recommendation, we tried their 'Sticky Chicken'.  It was a juicy chicken thigh, covered in a sticky, sweet glaze and on a bed of chopped fennel, carrots and cabbage.  It was similar to the chicken wings, but so much more fun because there was more meat...and consequently - so much more mess:)

 We also (yes there was more:) ), ordered their buffalo mac and cheese which is, understandably, a crowd favorite.  Served in a skillet, the casserole is cheesy and creamy, mixed with the sweet and spicy kick from the buffalo and a traditional sharp cut of Gorgonzola.  It was a fantastic rendition.

Only their fig and prosciutto sandwich disappointed, but it was largely because it was a bit light on the house-made fig jam...the fries however, were prime! (Apparently some people travel from quite a distance just for these fries...and I consider doing the same shortly:) )

We were completely stuffed, and come to think of it, our food coma probably did not help our trivia situation...but I refused to leave without dessert.  Again, as recommended by Bob, we gave their Chocolate Grand Mariana cake a try. It was a glorified molten chocolate lava cake - crispy on the outside, warm and lava-like on the inside.  With the side of whipped cream, I somehow polished off an entire cake...

So what did we learn? Among other things, that 'Mac and Cheese' was apparently a special edition Crayola color introduced in 1993, the LA Lakers were originally from Minneapolis and Oakland is the 4th highest ranked 'place to visit' as stated by The New York Times...We also learned that Trivia takes some practice and although my friend and I had some shining moments...we did not perform as well as we had hoped.  Common Ground seems the perfect place to fine tune our trivia skills - and even if that doesn't end up panning out -  we are sure to have a great meal:)

Beer and Burgers - a match made in heaven

5 Napkin Burger, a Nation-wide chain specializing in the art of the burger, opened it's first location in Boston last March.  Since then, it has taken the concept of 'the burger', redressed it, and presented it as something more than your average pub grub.  

Part of 5 Napkin's mission, includes creating fun, social events around the burger.  One of their more popular dinner series is their Beer Dinner Series.  These dinners, priced at $45 a person, are inspired by a specific brewery that works with the chef to create a four course dinner, with each course expertly paired with a beer.

On the 2nd of April, I was invited to experience the Beer Dinner featuring  dinners, and any excuse to visit 5 Napkin Burger is fine by me:)

The dinner began at 6:30 with a reception and although my rehearsals at Boston Ballet had me running a little late, the team at 5 Napkin were kind enough to bring us a plate of what we had missed out on. Unfortunately, we could not catch up on the socializing part, but I was really happy to see a very large group of beer and burger fans:)

Of the appetizers, my favorite were the cheddar tots - like tater tots but with a creamy cheesy goodness on the inside. I also quite enjoyed the tuna wontons that were light and fresh, with a generous portion of avocado, which can never hurt.

The beer paired with the appetizers was a Levitation Ale and was actually my favorite beer of the night. It was a great way to start off: light and refreshing.

The first course was a small taste of Peel-and-eat Shrimp served in a beer boil with butter sauce.  Again, it was a nice way to begin the meal, especially when you know a burger is coming! The beer paired with this was the IPA (or Indian Pale Ale, for any non-beer drinkers out there). I was not as much of a fan of this beer, but it did work well with the buttery flavors of the dish.

Th piece de resistance was in the next course...aka, the burger. You could choose between their veggie burger or a Mushroom Blue burger. Although I do love their veggie burger, I was going big or going home and went for the Mushroom and Blue.  5 Napkin really knows burgers and they get a 10 oz. hunk of prime ground beef, always juicy and delicious and the bun they use is a perfect compliment. (So many places have too much bread!) The mushrooms were sauteed, adding a slightly sweet component and the whole lot was cut across with the sharp blue.  A strong burger like this was naturally paired with a strong beer, the Arrogant Bastard Ale, which, not surprisingly is known as one of their most aggressive...I admit, I could not drink much of this one...

 

To finish off an already successful meal, we were given a Smores Pie; a layered symphony of graham cracker, chocolate ganache and marshmallow.  I was duly impressed - so many dinner events like these neglect the dessert course, thinking most people will be too full to enjoy much else. Well I beg to differ! The dessert is the last impression! It could easily be the most important part of the meal...at least for me:) The sweet ending of 5 Napkin Burger's Beer Dinner Series really put the bow on top, and left me wanting more...

As far as multi-course dinners go, 5 Napkin's is well done and at 45 dollars (all-inclusive) it makes for a fantastic Tuesday evening. The next one is set for the 24th of April...so keep your calendars open!

Diamonds (and chocolate) are a girl's best friend...

Lately, I have been living it up during the weekends - what with great taco adventures, local dance performances and sushi and of course, last weekend's Jazz Brunch at TW Food.  You would think I could do with a weekend off...but when you are loving what you are doing - that's the last thing you want;)

If it is possible, this weekend continued the trend of fun and tasty treats and, as you will see, made me feel very much like a young child again - but who wouldn't with a chocolate bar in the morning and a Grand (diamond themed) Ball in the evening!?

The chocolate bar at Cafe Fleuri in the Langham Hotel, is something I have always wondered about, but which has seemed somewhat surreal to me.  How could you possibly have a brunch of just chocolate? I figured there must be some catch.  When I arrived on Saturday morning to meet a friend, I quickly surveyed the scene and was able to surmise in under 10 seconds, that the team at Cafe Fleuri, had gone and created a paradise of my sweetest delights.  When you walk in and the first thing you see is a beautiful chocolate fountain...things have obviously been done right!

After a first tour around, I quickly realised that I had a challenge on my hands...and it takes a lot to challenge my sweet tooth - so you can imagine my euphoria.  Luckily, my friend had a fantastic idea and we agreed to divide and concur, trying not to get two of anything so as to try the most, and waste the least.

The buffet is organized with stations in the middle going from milk to dark chocolate and then surrounded by specialty stations. Everything is done with care and precision, there is no sloppy buffet display at Cafe Fleuri! Above we have one of their milk chocolate cremeux and if is possible to imagine, it was as delicious as it was pretty...and every piece was presented in like form.

It was impossible to decide where to start.  The create-your-own cupcake station?  Or maybe the coldstone-esque ice cream bar with an array of different toppings folded into your ice cream right in front of you?

Of course you could also go for the sweeter side with their cotton candy station..but I steered clear of that one, my mission was purely chocolate related:)

In the end, we assorted various bits and bobs and ended up with a first collection of goods as picture above. (Just so you know, we made about three more trips of this size...needless to say, I was on quite a sugar high!).  Our favorites from this first batch was without a doubt the flourless chocolate stack (so gooey and rich) and the bourbon and peanut crunch cake (because when do peanuts and chocolate not go together!?) I was not a fan of their chocolate brulee, which, in fairness is difficult to pull off in a buffet where it will be sitting around and lose its crisp, torched topping and the right temperature altogether.

My personal favorites, and indeed, the only thing I went back for seconds of, was their banana, bacon tart.  I know, what in the world is that!? Simply, it is a banana cream with a big chunk of banana, topped with thick meringue and a piece of bacon, all held together in a 64% extra bitter guayaquil shell...ummm yes please! Everything about this little bite was perfect, the salty bacon made well with the sweet meringue and the smooth texture of the banana came together with a crunch from the shell..it was really something:)

My favorite station was definitely the 'chocolate crepe station' - pick your crepe (vanilla or chocolate) and your filling (white, milk or dark chocolate, bananas, coconut, mixed berries or almonds) and then, if you wish, pick your poison (aka liqueur), to have flambée-ed as a finishing touch.  I went with a vanilla crepe, with milk chocolate and mixed berries and a St Germaine flambée. It was expertly put together and the fire from the alcohol (which I tried my best to capture), was spectacular.

By the end of our time there, although I had been drinking copious amounts of water, my head was starting to feel the effects of the sugar, but that did not mean I was incapable of enjoying one of their warm, chocolate bread puddings.  I was absolutely taken away by the quality of this dessert. I got their right as the station had been filled.  The pudding was moist and rich, with the perfect strike between a crisp top and gooey center. I was delighted to finish off my meal with a bite of this. (And then some pretzels for MUCH needed salt...)

 

After this trip to paradise, I had to hydrate quite a lot because I was due to attend Le Bal du Diamant, which is the Boston Ballet's annual Black Tie benefit. I was in one of the performance excerpts that are a tradition for our ball, and some of my friends were modeling a gorgeous line of jewelry and fashion-wear from Tiffany's.  I think we can safely say we were all in a dither:)  After that, we get all dressed up and saunter off into the scene where, after a drink and a mingle, we generally dance the night away.

I felt like a princess the whole day, flitting from chocolate castles to diamond castles.  A day like this is pretty near perfect for a foodista on pointe:)