Craigie on Main – 8 Course Tasting Menu

The one and only Woo Bear, my favorite NYPD PoPo/Detective/Bodyguard/Bestie came to visit me in Boston and being so busy with work lately we FINALLY got a chance to meet up, rant, chat, laugh and just have a jolly awesome time.  I picked him up from his hotel and even though we got there early they had a table for us already set for us.

Woo Bear & Peep Peep unite!!!!!

AKA

He’s the Gru to my Agnes

I told him we had to go to Craigie on Main.. it’s farm to table and seasonal and just one of my favorite places MUST GO TO EAT AT places in Boston… well it’s in Cambridge but same difference. I adore their open kitchen. And everyone there is SO friendly and awesome. PLUS every time you get the tasting menu you get different and new things it’s NEVER the same.

After careful, not so careful thinking we decided to order the everything 8 course tasting menu.  We started off with a champagne for me and a “manly” scotch drink for him. I think the waitress said it was a scotch rimmed with absinthe?!… I thought it was delicious!!!!

We also ordered a bomb ass bottle of French Burgundy Pinot Noir – mad $$ but soooo worth it

I asked for them to write out the menu for us so I could have it when I went home… obviously so I could blog!!!

And then it began….. as we sipped our yummy drinks, the food started flowing….

Trio of Amuse Bouche

Citrus Cured Striped Bass, Avocado, Red Onion, Pickled Pine Nuts

This was Woo Bear’s favorite… mainly cuz of the avocado he said.  It was good and reminded me of tuna tartare, I think mainly cuz of the color, would’ve never thought it was striped bass – but I guess it was cuz of the citrus cure.  You couldn’t really taste the citrus but it was a good bite.

Razor Clams, Uni Vinaigrette

Texturally wise, this was my favorite of the three. It was obviously clams… and I LOOOOOVE razor clams.. I’ve never had it sliced before and it was amazing.  Need to start taking my razor clams not whole on a shell… hehe…

Smoked Bluefish Rillettes, Hackleback Roe

Taste-wise this was y favorite. It was a beautifully soaked fish… and with the caviar and everything it was pretty divine.

The waitress loved that I had a champagne glass tattooed on me haha..

Sea Trout Pastrami
Winter Chicories, Blood Orange, Pistachio Vinaigrette

I actually expected a smokier tasting salmon, from the looks of it, but the taste was impeccable.  The texture of the salmon was of smoked salmon but it definitely had that “pastrami” kick to it.  With the added crunch of the chicory and pistachio it was heaven in each bite.  It actually would’ve been an amazing salad with more chicory and pistachios but deeeeeelish!!!!!!!

Roasted Sturgeon à la Poêle
Camargue Red Rice, Red Onion Soubise, Beurre Rouge

When the last dish came out we finally finished our first drinks and got to get into the the wine, which paired PERFECTLY, as waitress said it would, with the food… It was salty was soooooo gooooood.  Not sure what the greens were but the rice was just barely el dente and chewy and amazing, I almost thought it was wheat berries…the surgeon [this was the first time Woo Bear ever had it, but I have] was soooo buttery and beautifully cooked.  Like I said, it was salty but it still tasted awesome….

Delicious wine with an amazing friend!!!

Spice-Crusted Striped Bass Kama

Wait. What? KAMA? UM, I LOVE YOU CRAIGIE.   I love Fish Collar Bone [aka Kama]

Even the waitress told me to make sure to take a pic – I think she saw me taking pictures before… and probably assumed since I was asian HAHA

It’s all about this:
the Tuscan Olive Oil, Citrus Vinaigrette

And cuz we were “her friends” she poured it on for us. AWWWWW I felt so loved….!!!! She even said “Of course Tiff, you’re my friend” hahahaha… maybe she remembers me from my past eatings there…. LOLOLOL… I always eat SO much here

This was my piece… Woo Bear and me both picked our pieces CLEAN!!!!!… We ASIAN YO.  We waste NOTHING!!!

House-Made Red Beet Conchiglie Pasta
Boudin Noir Ragoût, Fava Leaves

This was beautiful. Fucking beautiful. BEET PASTA? It’s like taking a veggie I love with a pasta I love and combining the two.  When I first looked at it, I was like UHHH.. meat? blah? WHAT? But it was delicious.   The sauce didn’t overwhelm the beet taste in the pasta and the lava leaves added a nice green freshness to it.   Will definitely try to make a beet pasta in the future… altho I’ll probably make pappardelle or gnocchi.

Slow-Roasted Veal Sweetbreads
Wild Mushrooms, Farm-Fresh Egg, Chorizo Sauce

This may have been my favorite dish of the night, minus the bone marrow later, but I can never not LOVEEEEEEEEEE and orgasm with bone marrow.  But the poached egg was SOOOO beautiful.  The sauce, the mushrooms and of course SWEETBREADS.  I really need to find a place that sells sweetbreads so I can start cooking them.  They’re one of my favorite delicacies.. even more than bone marrow and foie gras cuz I can never find them to cook them myself… and because of that, I ALWAYS ALWAYS have to order sweetbreads when it’s on the menu.. well I guess the same with the other two but still….

And then when we thought it was all over….

Axis Venison Two Ways: Spice-Crusted Leg, Crepinette
Mustard Spaetzle, Hakurei Turnips, Red Cabbage Purée

And obviously we got it with the BONE MARROW!!!!

Can you believe they asked us if we would rather have duck fat roasted carrots OR bone marrow? UMMM… we didn’t even look at each other and Woo Bear and I both screamed BONE MARROW!!!

It was all so freaking delicious….  the crepinette was SOOOOOOOO delicious. It was a yummy venison meatball!!!… and the venison leg, sliced and cooked rare was just SOOO tender and delicious.  I ended up eating the marrow on toast and then the rest of the marrow all over my veal dish and licking it up. The spaetzle was crunchy and divine and while it was from “mustard” it had almost a delicate “cheese” taste to it.  Definitely some of the yummiest spaetzle I’ve had.  The turnips were great.. I thought it was daikon – which I guess is basically a turnip/carrot – and just all of the items combined was ORGASMIC. We had SOOOOOO much bone marrow it could feed a family of 10.

Palate Cleanser
House-made Lime Frozen Yogurt
Basil Seeds

Delicious. Refreshing. YUM.

We got this amazing Bourbon:
Michter’s 20yr Cask Strength Single Barrel 114.2°

At 67$ a glass it better be fucking amazing and it was… smelled like caramel and was soooooo tasty. Yeah disgustingly expensive but also disgustingly delicious.

Dessssert time.. so it was definitely more than just 8 courses….

Moroccan ‘Upside Down’ Carrot Cake
Goat Cheese Sorbet, Dates, Caramelized Almonds

I told them no goat cheese but they gave me some anyways.  I ate it anyways.  But the cake was super dry, even though I loved the look/concept of the cake.  Next time I make carrot cake I’ll have a beautiful slice of carrot on top.  It didn’t go with the goat cheese even tho I tried it together to make it “wetter” and neither did the sauce.  It was kinda sad to see such a fantastic meal end so badly.

Chocolate-Fernet Branca Crémeux
Roasted Lemon Puree, Tarragon Ice Cream

I don’t really think that was what we got… it tasted like mint ice cream on chocolate mousse and crunchy sticks hahahaha…. it was good but didn’t feel like a FULL dessert, like a side to a dessert…

BUT AT LEAST THIS SAVED THE NIGHT

We had a special complimentary Hot Cocoa to warm us up… there was definitely some chilies and cardamum in it <3

Everything was talked about, we definitely spent a good few hours there… and in the end we realized:

Love you Woo Bear. Can’t wait to play again soon!!!!! Miss you dearly already!!!!

The Spotted Pig

So ya’ll know about the book… WHICH IS AMAZING, I got it as soon as it got out. GET IT.

Now let’s talk about her food.. it was a beautiful Saturday so after walking all the way from the edge of FiDi…. all the way to almost Times Sq..

First by the waters… and then we decided to walk on the HighLine since I’ve never been…. We walked all the way to the end… and then went down to Gastro Market for a few beers. Ahhh beergardens.

I don’t remember what they were except they were in caskets and red ales.

We ended up walking to the The Spotted Pig RIGHT before the big dinner rush. Phew. Last two seats at the bar. Booyeah!

I was surprised at how little pork items were actually ON the menu. Come on.. Spotted Pig? We need a full on all out pigged out menu….

Pork Rillette with Pickles & Mustard

What could go wrong with pork topped off with lardo?!.. You don’t even need the grainy mustard on the side….. just a huge scoop of the lardo and pork from the rillette on top of the perfectly grilled crostini… toasty fresh… and you’re good.  The pickled gherkins and pearl onions were a nice touch…

Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad with Lemon Caper Dressing

This was the first thing I saw on the menu and I KNEW I had to get it.  I was surprised that it was a whole pig’s ear… unless it’s connected to the head still, I’m used to eating it cut into thin strips.  The pig’s ear was crispy, not greasy at all, and paired lovely with the refreshing salad of mixed greens, endive and italian parsley underneath.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Roasted Beets & Horseradish Cream

J shared this with me. AMAZING horseradish butter and simple braised beets and beet greens. Delicious. We weren’t asked how we wanted it to be cooked but it was cooked to a beautiful medium rare, on the rare side. YUM. Buttery meat.

Prosciutto & Ricotta Tart with Marjoram

This was an appetizer but I got it as my main to share with J.  A flakey crisp tart topped with prosciutto, risotto, greens and shavings of parm. DELICIOUS.

And of course, a very much needed – and always necessary side dish

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

These literally melted in your mouth.  Most definitely NOT good for you but sooooo delicious.

I kinda wish we got the burger as well, it’s supposed to be awesome and I saw a TON of people order it.

Afterwards we ended up at Proletariat for beers….. and PRETZEL BREAD

The stout cheese dip was meh….. it was all about the curry mustard sauce!!!!

Met up with a few friends and ended up at Dive Bar Lucy’s..

Great times.

Today…… and last week’s breakfast

I had the most shitty day.

And then I had the best ending to the night…. my bf gave me frownies that looked so cartoonish and comical… I couldn’t stop giggling… I fell over in giggles……

It’s insane and ridic to explain the whole thing that happened tonight… today…. yesterday…. but ok I admit it’s been a shitty few days since my crash.  I’m still not done figuring out my insurance/police reports and my anxiety/panic attack medication……. my psychiatrist is on VACA. WTF. Part of the reason I had the crash WAS cuz of it, I’m sure.

BUT… I wanna say, I got a lot of stuff done the past two days… and I had full support from friends and mostly my wonderful bf J.

Thanks for your cute little frownie faces that make me giggle and laugh like crazy.  See you soon.

You are just another blessing in my life. Thank you. Love you.

And I’m glad you loved the food I made the last time you visited me……….

BLACK Truffle… this thing was worth like over 90$

Dinner… Rose Champagne and Wine [brought by J]

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Swiss Chard, Habaneros, Celery, Carrots and Onion…. 

a WHOLE Fresh Black Truffle Whipped Cauliflower with white truffle salt and oil…. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mixed Mushrooms…. 

My first plate….. of many…

And then we decided I should get this… we had a glass of wine and then……. DID IT…

Didi was jealous cuz J was in her spot

The next morning J made me food… I helped with peeling bacon and mixing eggs…

So much bacon and so much bacon fat….. we fried the WHOLE packet!!!!!!

And then we scrambled like 8 eggs in the bacon fat…. just added some pepper to it… thiS WAS AMAZING…

Obviously I made the mimosas and some black coffee… and we had fresh pineapple to gnaw on…..

BEST. BREAKFAST.

Fishtail, Top Chef Ed Cotton. Fellow Masshole. Perfection.

I have been anticipating eating Chef Cotton’s food again sooooo bad… SO happy to be in NYC again.. one of these days we’ll both be in Boston at the same time to chill

Me and J have been avoiding seafood since I was SUPER SUPER looking forward to eating at Ed’s new gig. SOOOO…. after work I got all did up and obviously over underdressed for the occasion.

All black.. with red shoes. <3

AHHHH… FINALLY <3 FISHTAIL

Bread. and Butter. SOOO GOOD we got more… no really, we did… you’ll see soon.

We got a Brut Cava, YUM…. and was ready to eat.

I went to pee [TMI] and saw Ed along the way so he waited for me to bring us back the Amuse Bouche.

FUCKING AMAZING.

And then came our oysters. Half East Coast, Half West Coast.  I got the third East and J got the third West. AHHH we fit together so perfect.  Nothing but a little lemon. SO HAPPY.

Cheers Babe <3

Moooooooore… yummy dishes from Ed.

Avocado. Yes. Yumminess. Yes. Happy. Yes.

I think this was when I tweeted about how orgasmic his food was so far.

And then came this:

Baked stuffed clams with house made sweet Chinese duck sausage and baby cilantro

LIFE. FUCKING. CHANGING.

Haha yep, Chef instagrammed it and it went into our bellies. SO. FUCKING. GOOD. PUT IT ON THE MENU NOW. I think we said that to Ed after dinner too.

More cornbread!!! told ya we got more… FUCKING LOVE THE CRUST

We shared a Roasted Monkfish Tail… which was a good idea since we both didn’t realize how big it would be.

They split it up for us and gave us a foursome of sauces:

Ok I don’t remember EXACTLY what they were per-say I know there was a Curry and a Wasabi…. buttttt….. anyways they were delicious HAHHAHA – I’m guessing

WASABI-YUZU VINAIGRETTE

TANGY TOMATO GINGER

BROWN BUTTER HOLLANDAISE

RED CURRY-COCONUT

AND Chef sent out some sides for us…

we got sides of Mushrooms

And Spinach

Yep we licked the plates clean..

AND THEN…. came dessert.. we were super full but we couldn’t resist trying the Warm Apple Tart
vanilla bean ice cream / salted caramel sauce / apple chip and they surprised us with some cheesecake pops.. a David Burke speciality.

Warm Apple Tart. soooo GOOD.

Cheesecake Pops with Bubblegum Whipped Cream

We are happy and full.

Thanks Chef. Do the FOB SIGN WiTH ME DAMMIT!!!!

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY Chef Fobbed with me :] Love you and see you soon Ed. Thanks for another ammmmmmmmaaaaazing meal. So memorable and fantastic. J and I went home and promptly passed out from food coma [for once not from booze] and it was all we could talk about the next day [the food]

Quality over Quantity… Bone Marrow Orgasms

Last night I was in the mood for Bone Marrow. just bone marrow… and while I originally wanted scrambled eggs with my bone marrow and toast…just to make it sound more complete, like a real meal, I just had my two giant bone marrows on toasted whole wheat bread…. sprinkled each bite with truffle salt – AMAZING!

Seared all sides and then roasted it in the oven til gooey with sage, rosemary, paprika, s&p NOM!

And like I said, an extra sprinkling of truffle salt when placed on the toast points – FABBBBBULOUS!

SOOOO decadent and satisfying.  Life is complete.  Usually I have a glass of red wine but I was a good girl… and waited til later that night to have some of my homemade faux sangria LOL…

FINALLY got Top Chef Isabella’s Pepperoni Sauce in me – Graffiato

All dressed up and definitely know where I wanna go tonight… It’s been a long fun day of food and play… but I’ve been craving something….

*SQUEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL*

FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLY got to eat at Graffiato, Top Chef Mike Isabella’s babyyy!!!!

Remember I met him back at Eat + Pray + Heal Japan in NYC last year?!  I’ve always been a HUUUUGE fan of him on both of his seasons of Top Chef and wanted him to win All Stars SO bad. Yep. I want his pepperoni sauce in me.  And OH EM GEE, he remembered meeeeeee :D WOOHOOO!!! SOOOO psyched to finally eat here, been wanting to since the huge hype of Graffiato before it even opened!!!! *dance dance*

Yep. This guy.

Awww what a cutie :D He was smilie and talkative just as I remembered :]  I always get so chef-struck #fattienerd

Ok, back to the food MMMM, check out the menu…

We got seated so that I had the PERFECT view of the open kitchen… I couldn’t stop staring….. it was like a chef’s table without the fancy price tag

Do you see the pepperoni sauce?

Close up!!! It’s blurry and bright but yes it’s in that tub of red <3 YAYYYYYY

My champagne flute was flowing with bubbles from the Prosecco tap. YES PROSECCO ON TAP!!!!! [at least that’s what W told me, blame him if it’s not true hahaha jk] – I need to get this installed in my house!

First up?! W knew what I REALLLLLLY wanted… Isabella’s sauce…. *cough*

Flat Bread & Pepperoni Sauce

SOOOO excited to dip my bread in the sauce…

Up close of the Pepperoni Sauce *orgasm*

It was like liquified pepperoni… HOLY MOLY this was just as amazing as I thought it would be. I can finally check this off of my dreamlist of things I must eat.  I could dip my leather shoe in this sauce and eat it up. WOW, I’ve never used that and always wanted to LOL…

W hiding from my picture taking again… I left my digicam back in my other jacket so everything tonight was from iPhone…. HAHA good thing I’m photo ninja and caught him in the act of covering his face…

Delicious Meat Plate <#

That *points* was my favorite. You’ll just have to try them all to figure out which one I’m pointing at!

Burrata

Honey Glazed Onions, Nigella

This jumped straight out at me on the menu. I. LOVE. BURRATA.  Creamy happy deliciousness melting on my tongue and down the back of my throat.  Delicious with the tangy sweet onions, scallions and just HAPPINESS.  This was amazing and I could eat a tub of this.  Swim thru and just inhale into my lungs.  I. LOVE. BURRATA.

Broccolini

Spicy Pepper Relish, Walnut, Feta

I also love broccolini, I eat it a couple of times a week… and I love feta and walnuts SOOOOOO why not?! The only downside to this dish was that it was cold – I expected it to be hot; It kinda thru me off a bit…

Glazed Pork Cheeks

Sweet Potatoes, Pecans

Tender, juicy, meaty and just melted in my mouth.  SOOOO delicious with the silky sweet potato mash and the crunch of the pecans. LOOOOOVE pecans. MMMMM I should re-create this for a thanksgiving dish this year! SOOOO HAPPPY in my mouth!!

Roasted Cauliflower

Pecorino, Mint

“We’re gonna be farting all night” – W

HAHAHA.. these were yummy..  a little bit overcooked for me but I LOOOOVE cauliflower – YUM!  And no, no farting… hahahaha.. there was a bit of tang to it, definitely

Marinated Octopus

Romesco, Olives, Almonds

Soft, slow cooked, long cooked… Most of the time I eat my octopus with a bit of bite and chew to it… but this was creamy and had delicious flavors…. I missed the chew but adored the flavors that came with it… PLUS.. I’m a sucker for tentacles.. I’m such a texture whore…

Crispy Potato Gnocchi

Wild Mushrooms, Stracciatella

AMAZING!  Toasted and creamy.. MMMMMM I’ve had good gnocchi but mostly BAD GNOCCHI..  These were delicious…. Scrumptious mushrooms… creamy creamy melty and drippy Stracciatella OMG happiness… have you noticed the theme lately? Happiness and happy is being used a lot.

Porky’s Revenge

Sopressata, Pepperoni, Sausage, Tomato, Stracciatella

OMG look at that gooey deliciousness!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAMZING. Meaty, juicy, CREAAAAAAMY ooey gooey sexy cheese… the crust was just as amazing as the toppings – SUCH a great way to end a huge dinner – I can never eat too mucuh pizza. LOOK AT THAT.  I was trying to figure out what was Porky’s revenge – the fact that we were EATING porky OR that we would probably have a fun time on the toilet after eating this. THAT decadent and amazing BUT SO SO SO WORTH it!

W was full and even tho I PICKED the dessert, he didn’t wanna share.. again.. hahahaha

Just kidding :] I ended up eating most of these…

ZeppolesAutumn Spices, Pumpkin Caramel

SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. Tasted like autumn and Thanksgiving.  I smothered EACH BITE with the marscapone – SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!! SOOO DECADENT – I’m an indulger… MMMMM…. Creamy happy orgasm…

Thanks Chef for exceeding my already super super super high expectations for your delicious food! I’ll be back soon :] #stalk!