A Hotel for All!

This evening, in an atypical suburban married-person moment, T and I went to a mall.
I know, right?
Horror of horrors.

But the thing is, we had a good time.
We went into Williams Sonoma and ate free little bites of Pannetone and Snickerdoodle panini (summary judgement - Pannetone = always good. Snickerdoodle spread = bad idea, way too sweet, slimey, and overwhelming) and spiced cider (good flavor, too sweet, not hot enough). We returned some stuff at The Gap (remember the old commercial? Fall... in..to... the.... Gap? well, I fell in and $60 fell out with me! wahoo!). We wandered a little...

to find...
something rather surprising and good.

Hotel Chocolat.


A British rebuttal against the idea that the UK is incapable of generating actual chocolate, Hotel Chocolat has taken over the previously weird and dank space occupied by Stoddard's (imagine the unabomber's basement, albeit a great place to have your knives sharpened, they do a perfect job!), and rehabbed it into a chic, sleek, temple of chocolate.



Mostly, the wares are displayed as potential gifts - gorgeous themed gift collections and boxes, in the event your holiday hosts have been very, verrrry good.

The single shopkeeper was enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about the brand, and (perhaps more importantly) very liberal with the samples. We tried a small piece of milk chocolate with caramel - I didn't really like it (it had good texture, but, and this often happens for me, I felt the milk chocolate was missing some vital chocogoodness in terms of depth of flavor and the caramel addition yielded a product that was just too sweet and undercomplicated), and was planning to walk out, assuming Hotel Chocolat made British-palate-tuned chocolate (sorry to my English friends, but I find most English sweets to be so overwhelmingly sticky, sweet, and monotone that I have been known to spit them out. Cadbury products (with two small exceptions - any guesses?) give me nightmares of my teeth falling out (no comments from the Freudians, mmm'kay?).)

then I asked the question that changed the melody,
"Do you carry anything combining chocolate with salt?"



This was the magic request, a la "open sesame."

From her top drawer, the lovely and devious chocoteuse produced giant samples of their The Purist 70-something % dark chocolate bar with salt. hurrah. This was delicious. Texture was stiff, glossy, with a distinct and pleasant snap, smooth melt against the palate, and a complex, floral chocolate flavor married (without grit) to a nice dose of the sodium I adore.

I loved it. This was one nice bar of chocolate. T was so impressed, he bought one, plus a 72% Ocumare Valley single origin bar with Chili and Cocoa Nibs. Which we tried last night with a few sips of Washington state cab... one square was all I needed to feel sated. It is delicious.

Summary judgement: Go, Hotel Chocolat, go. I dot know why you have a sort of witless French-inspired name for a British company making a mostly South American product, but I don't care. The shop is chic, the service was friendly, smart, and generous, and most importantly, the chocolate was really really excellent once I found what suits my palate. There are lots of choices, so I'd think there is something for everyone, even the dastardly Cadbury-milk eaters. Not that they should.

each The Purist bar is 75 grams and costs ten bucks. We went to Hotel Chocolat in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Tagine smarts!

So we did eat at Clio for our anniversary, and the food was awesome, as usual. I broke my usual meat-free lifestyle rules for the genius of Ken Oringer, and all I have to say is that everything we ate was nummy! I shared a foie gras app with a friend (no comments about gavage, I don't want to discuss it...) and the flavor combo was fantastic. But the superstar supper-star was the licorice lacquered duck with some kind of parsnip thing and fennel. They seem to blunt-dissect the skin off and crisp, then replace, it. Perfection.

I figure, if I am going to eat meat, I want it delicious.

One down spot: T ordered the chocolate dessert, which I found uninspiring. Pretty, but the test is always in the taste. I found it blah. I am wondering if there is a new pastry chef? If so, I imagine that person needs to step up his game to match the timbre of the rest of the orchestra or get out.

So, while Clio needs no more praise, particularly being that I am not a dessert person, I will state again for the record that noone has beat it yet, in my book. I still think Clio is the best restaurant in Boston, it was a lovely spot for our anniversary dinner.

As for the tagine thing: I got up from the table to the ladies' room shortly after my entree was served. When I returned, a white porcelain tagine had been placed over my dinner to keep it warm. A lovely and intelligent solution! Just another plus to the always fantastic service, I thought it was a classy and chic maneuver.

Kick the Colonel's Ass...

I have held, for some time now, the idea that Boston is one amazing dining city. For such a geographically small town, we really have some outstanding, "world class" (whatever the hell that means) eats. Particularly after my forays into "fine dining" at every level when I was living elsewhere last year, from apple pie to yogurt to salad to heights of gourmet molecular gastronomy, I appreciate that Boston has really come to offer a stunning array of tasty snacks.

At the top of them all, in all my tries and shared meals and bottles of wine in this city, my absolute favorite has been one singular restaurant: Clio.

Clio is rockin'.

Why so I mention this?
1) I had alluded to it before.
2) I have something new and interesting to share about it.
3) I am going there for dinner (about which I will tell you) tomorrow night.

I will take mental notes and share the deets of tomorrow's dinner then.
In the meantime, perhaps you might like to join me next sunday?

You can buy me a bottle and raise a glass in my general direction for my telling you #2 above:

Fried. Chicken. At Clio. for 35 Buckeroos.
Screw you, Colonel Sanders, 'cuz weezz cun getch real chickie, chickie!

hawwww-yeah!

Check THIS out. HOLY COW. I am definitely going and you should, too.
The high cuisine of Ken Oringer goes comfort-food-recession-chic? This is clearly a must-eat.

more to follow.

Unexpected Good Eats

What I'm packin'

I believe in packing one's own lunch. At least, in theory.
Why? For a number of reasons:

It is probably more eco-friendly (assuming one limits the use of disposable packaging and buys foods that come unpackaged or in multi-serving sizes, and packs reusable guples, I tend to think it should be.)

It is definitely forces one to pre-meditate on the contents of her lunch, thereby encouraging likely better nutritional choices (there is medical evidence that, by planning a meal prior to when one plans to eat it, she is much more statistically likely to stick with a prestated nutritional plan).

It can make you feel smug and superior. (since I only pack lovely, tasty lunches, I enjoy eating my lovely, tasty food when my office mates are eating take-out chicken sandwiches AGAIN).

BUT - is it actually cheaper? If you pack what I just packed, perhaps not.

If one eats a cheap, bad sandwich and little else, then yes, it is cheaper to pack your own lunch.
But...(and I have noticed I almost never pack myself a sandwich), I was shocked to discover recently while using the fun sandwich calculator that my lunches are probably not a huge bargain, financially.

Nonetheless, packing your own lunch can be a weird homemaker-ish source of amusement for me, and now that I have a rockin' lunchbox (mine is a pink Lunchopolis, YMMV), I have even more impetus to pack a grande lunch.

For tomorrow, while my dinner was simmering, I packed:
1/2 cup of Fage total 2% yogurt with a teaspoon of raw, local honey from the JP Farmer's market

a salad, consisting of 1/2 a cucumber and a whole tomato (both brunoise) plus about 1/4 cup of flat-leaf parsley (from my husband's grandmother's garden), and a tablespoon of very finely diced raw red onion dressed with a few drops (circa 1/4 teaspoon) of olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of gray sea salt

a can of Archer Farms sugar free grapefruit energy drink (yay, Target, this is like a good-tasting, but just-as-caffeinated, Red Bull)

a single-serve bag of Almonds (Trader Joe's "just a handful...")

and some snacks that I'll prob leave in the fridge and eat as-needed over the week:
one slice of lowfat cheddar-flavored soy cheese
a berry fruit leather
an Odwalla protein bar (the protein one is the only Odwalla bar that meets my needs, in terms of its being high-protein and lower-sugar, plus all natural and good-tasting!)
a package of Kedem tea biscuits.

do you have any packable lunch ideas that are mostly natural, low-ish in fat (except for nuts, for which I make an exception), mostly free of fleshy animal protein, and low in sugars? bring it. and tell me about it!

Gimme da Bon!

I am unsure if I should be telling you this.

Let's make it our little secret.

You see, I likes da Bon (as we have come to call in my house).
Recently, I have been "Bonned" on a regular basis.
and I like it.

and one of the things I like about da Bon is that it is a hidden jewel. Uncrowded. Unpretentious. Oh, and also good.

So, as a one-time-only deal, since noone reads this anyway, I will tell you.
But don't you go and tell anyone else, mmmm'kay?

Bon Savor in Jamaica Plain.
You must go.
Just not when I am waiting for a table, mmmm'kay?

Here's the scoop:
Bon Savor, located at the corner of Centre and Pond Streets in Jamaica Plain has seemingly changed kitchen hands recently, and this is for the better. I was a bit bummed when they stopped serving breakfast daily, since I had enjoyed the upscale omelets, crepes, and fresh veggies. But now, with Bon Savor's being gently reincarnated as a French-Latin-fusion bistro, I don't miss those eggs one iota. In fact, better to enjoy the wares of the poached chef (Marco Suarez, formerly of Eastern Standard) than similarly prepared chicken ova any day. (If you can't stand it, remember that they still serve brunch of the weekends.)

In the past few visits to this sweet little space I have tasted, sniffed, tested... all up to snuff. Amazing, nummy and light ceviche (I have ordered this twice in a row, it is that good) with a little bread and wine is a meal in itself. I broke fown and tried the house-made pate terrine with crusty bread - this was paired with a strawberry mustard, a perfect bit of vegetable pickle, and a smile. I liked it so much I ate the leftovers for lunch with some frisee. The lovely, rich, and satisfying Coq au Vin appetizer had a gorgeous nutmeg note and was perfectly cooked. French Onion soup was adequate, but not great - hearty, though, and a more generous serving than T could finish, which is really saying something.

and more.

fairly priced wine list, and very pleasant, capable, and not-at-all-overbearing service. Actually, I love the chilled-out Euro-style service here, which, admittedly, may not be for everyone.

Luckily, neither is this review. So no sharin'

If you plan to go to Bon Savor, call me first. I'll join you.

and yes, you CAN do it yourself

I made a yummy sauce tonight that I thought I'd share, lest you imagine that I am all talk.
I walk the walk, too, kids.

So, my adoring and carb-enabling husband made pizza dough this afternoon (as well as a monsterous loaf of superseeded rye bread, but I digress...). It was happily rising at home when he told me about this. Immediately, I was considering what to put on it... and, using my superpower (I can remember what is in the fridge right now! because the answer is close-to-nothing), took intellectual stock of the cool chest and pantry.

dried mushrooms! aha! umame time!

a huge plastic jug of them.

from Costco. go figure.

so, I asked him to soak some. I didn't realize that this would be for too long in too much water.

When I got home, the mushrooms were rehydrated all right - into a strange, squishy, dilutely-flavored stew floating in a brown, dirt-infused broth.

But for some reason, I decided to try to make them into something. I imagined that their dark, earthy, savory, glutamic goodness was still in that bowl amongst all that water! I probably should have trashed them. But I am enormously glad that I didn't. And now, you will know what to do when this happens to you:

Rich mushroom pizza or whatever sauce a.k.a. everything in the pantry sauce (this would be great in place of a Bolognese sauce or over meaty-flavored items):

about one cup of dried mushrooms (don't bother to cut them or anything)
1.5 cu water
1/2 can tomato paste (lots of glutamate... mine was Trader Joe's organic tomato paste)
1/2 cup of good, dry red wine (I used RedTree Pinot Noir) (more here, too...)
1/3 cup sugar (do not substitute this, it is needed for caramelization and thickening of sauce - like a jam)
a few shakes of paprika
a shake of nutmeg (ONE shake of the cheap dry preground stuff, less if yours is better)
salt to taste (more than you might think)
a little garlic powder (to taste, I used maybe 1/2 tsp of the cheap stuff)
a shake of dried oregano

how to:
soak the mushrooms in the water until way rehydrated
into a large skillet over high heat, dump the following, in order:
1) the mushrooms and ALL of the liquid. allow it to come to a boil and reduce a little
2) the tomato paste, stir it in well.
3) the spices, stir.
keep reducing.
4) when reduced by 1/2, add the wine and somewhat lower the heat to a happy steady bubble.
stir.
5) continue to let reduce a bit, then add the sugar and stir very well.

turn the heat back up, keep stirring until desired thickness and yummy, scraping the caramelizing thick goodness from the edges and bottom of pan back into the sauce.
taste (let it cool a sec first, ok?)
and add salt as/if needed.

let cool slightly (it will thicken further) and serve.
this is so good. and free of fats and animal protein. but it has a very rich meaty earthy flavor.

I added some vegan sausage bits and parmesan as a topping over homemade pizza dough and cooked at 500 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. huzzah!

if you cook it, ymmv, since I never measure anything. give me your feedback, eh?

Wakey Wakey!

SOooooooSSSSOOOOO....
sorry.
I meant to tell you all about Ghazal and then I got sidetracked with my real life.
Which has been busy, but good. Thanks for asking.

The short take on Ghazal on Centre St. in Jamaica Plain: It was good. Better than its neighbor which also serves Indian food. Which is a double-edged sword: on one hand, I used to really enjoy Bukhara - but then, recently, it got a heinously bad report from the Boston health commision (reinspection was better, tho, to be fair...).

SO, then I was bummed out about Bukhara. But I am not about to eat there anytime soon. Then, along came Ghazal to save the day.

We had Naan. We also devoured a delectable but not-too-sweet Peshawari Naan, after a super tasty, crispy, spicy Bhel (I am kind of obsessed with chaat, so finidng a place in Boston that will serve it is a sheer joy) for an appetizer. The chutneys were good, although I was craving something... stronger. For mains we enjoyed classics I often order: a Saag, a Paneer Korma, and some spicy ground lamb. All tasty, piping hot, and served with a smile.

The service we enjoyed at Ghazal was exceptionally good - the waiter was pleasant, not overbearing, not overly stiff, and didn't rush us.

My take on Ghazal in JP: the food seemed less fatty, with generous protein portions, and a cleaner bill of health than other Indian food in the area. The service was super pleasant. And they serve chaat dishes as apps! A winner. Not expensive. You should go. Prob amongst the best Indian food I have had in Boston, the more I think about it.

Boston reviewed: Ghazal

I had heard there was a new kid on the JP restaurant scene, and when I heard it was another Indian place, taking over the seemingly cursed prior locations of News Cafe (the news part being that it was both overpriced and lousy, a scandal, I know...) and Arbor (which I had liked) I kinda thought, "maybe third time's a charm?"

But, then again, new kid Ghazal on JP's Centre St. is just doors down from longtime local Punjab-style stalwart, Bhukara. So, imagine my surprise as I exited Ghazal, able to inhale the gorgeous smell of Bhukara on the street, and still think aloud,"I would rather eat at Ghazal."

Enjoy the eye candy, full review to follow. Short version: Ghazal brings cleaner crisper Indian flavors, generous portions, fresh ingredients, and very pleasant capable waitstaff to JP. Nummy!

Tom Yummy!

Just needed to tell you about mg new snack discovery. Not an alternanut, but actual nuts (you are what you eat, indeed).

Way to go, Trader Joe's, cuz the Tom Yum chewy crisp cashews are addictively good. The flavor is savory, sweet, and complex, which for me constitutes a deeply satisfying snack.

All nuts do contain fat, and unfortunately cashews aren't the heathiest of nuts, with 25% of the fat coming atcha in the saturated (extra artery clogging) format. But these are all natural, vegan, and contain no trans fat (the evilest shit invented), and I think the benefits of a nice blend of vegan protein, mostly healthy fats, and complex carbs at killing between meal munchies outweigh the downsides.






Grab a handful (ONE handful) and enjoy. The natural lemongrass, chili, and touch of garlic makes this amazing!

Trader Joe's Tom Yum cashews, 2.8 oz, will run ya only 99 cents for 2.5 servings, a bahhhgin!

Eew, bad!

I kinda imagine that over time, I'll make this a series, since I find a lot of things that I wind up smelling or tasting to be yucky.

So, dear friends, as my first installatin of "Eew, bad!" I will share with you something I purchased, full of hope for my omega-3-rich future: organic olive oil from Trader Joe's. This looked so promising: little bottle (which kinda implied this is for eating/garnishing and not for high-temp cooking, in my thinking), certified USDA organic, modest-but-not-too-cheap pricepoint, product of Spain.

But it tastes...
Eew, bad!

I first sampled a drop of this elixer straight, from the palm of my hand. Bland with a vague bananaish note and distinct mid-throat peppery aftertaste. So I added a few grains of salt, which brought out a teensy bit of olivey flavor, but nothing rich, nothing complex, nothing fruity.




So I put a few drops on a piece of plain hearty bread. With the addition of food, all I could taste was a kinda greasy vegetal note on the palate, and a peppery sensation in the throat. Flat, bland, (and I know this sounds dumb since I am talking about OIL, but go with me here), oily-tasting.

I'll be returning this. Still on the search for a deeply flavorful 100% olive oil, not for cooking but for eating. And no banana flavors! Eew, bad.

Trader Joe's organic olive oil is $6.49 for 500 ml

AlternaNuts!

I love nuts. You are what you eat, right?

They are easy to toss in my purse, stash in my glovebox, and shove in my pie-hole (actually, I am not such a fan of pie, but perhaps we'll discuss E's dessert laws another day? and Cheeto-hole lacks a certain ring, no?) on the go. They don't melt in the heat, they're not artificial, and they're not hard to procure in an unprocessed fashion. Nuts pack a nice wallop of nutrition, trace elements, and protein. Trouble is, all those benefits have a price - and that would be fat (most of it "good" but it is still fat...) and calories.

Typically I conquer this with portion control. But a 100-cal pack is not always satisfying, plus having some nut alternatives is useful culinary armamentation in the war against boredom and bad foods - be they bad tasting, bad for me, or bad for the environment.

So let's talk about alternanuts.

Recently, I tried making asparagus crisps, as described by the genius FoodplayerLinda over at her fabuluscious blog, Playing with Fire and Water. Linda is a real chef, and I strongly suspect she is a genius (see above comment). I had to modify her recipe a little (go read it, silly) , as I wound up salting the asparagus while it dried in the oven (salting the water only left them too bland once dried) and the dehydration oven time for mine was much longer (about 2 hours to her 30 minutes) - I suspect both of these are due to the fact that I was unable to just use a vegetable peeler to strip the asparagus down (I have an OXO GoodGrips veggie peeler, one size, that's all) and just used a knife and some patience...

BUT, once I made these light, tasty little snacks (mine turned out kinda the thickness of 70's potato stix, with an 'x', like the kind that came in a can), I found them to be amazingly addictive.

that, and they kinda taste a lot like pistachios.

all that without adding any fat.

so go try it. like right now. one tip, though - asparagus is mostly water. so once you remove the water, you may be surprised to see just how little mass is left. These really reduce down to nearly nothing. BUT that nothing is crisp and flavorful and mysteriously lacking the sometimes-present sulfur-y note that some people dislike in asparagus.

a day later, if they get a little limp, just flash 'em in the microwave again for like 14 seconds.
crispiness returns!

I am considering trying the same method with leeks, scallions, maybe kaffir leaves... and pre-sliced mushrooms. Crispy, gentle, tasty veggie-snacks are a winner.

Did you try it? How might you serve it?
I'm planning to powder 'em and encrust stuff, as well as serve over soups, salads, in a sushi roll, you name it. and by the handful, in place of nuts!

Welcome (again) to the Machine

After sort of abandoning my Pittsburgh blog (since I rarely had that much nice to say, honestly), I have moved back to my hometown of Boston (thus the Beantown theme, to say little also of my increasing vegan tendencies), and continue my search for good, local, mostly (?) healthful and tasty food - at home, as well as out and about town. I have long alleged that Boston is a great culinary town, and I hope to prove it to you. I also claim that making great (and fast) food at home can be easy, and I hope to try to prove that one, too.

So this blog will be broader but food-themed. Boston-based but global in cuisines (since I like to try it all).

I am not a chef. I am a doctor. But I know that basics of how to make some stuff, and I know what I like - the rest is an adventure. Which is not to say that I forget who I am when I get home at the end of the day, and lately my home-cooking is focused mostly on a high protein, lower fat, lower carb, flexitarian diet. Lots of folks don't know what to do with tempeh when they get it home, and thus avoid it altogether - I have been buying it (and other stuff) and will try to share with your my successes (and gloss over the failures, but I digress...) That said, I care a lot of about healthy cooking, and healthy eating. But I am not too rigid about it, since I don't think that is good for me.

I hope you will share your discoveries and I will try to do the same.