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.

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.

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.

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!