July 4th Dinner Cruise with Odyssey

Screw the Hurricane… Odyssey Cruises

Pre-gaming at Copley Square Hotel FER FREEEE… they had beers, and burgers and hot dogs… NOM

Was craving burgers.. so had a cute little slider.. NOM NOM.. usually the hotel has free wine happy hour but since it was July 4th they had specials!

All dressed up and ready to party

Yea I ordered like 3 bottles of wine/champagne… oops

Creamy salty butter… NOM

Cheese tray… prob a little too much

Cuz I also added on an extra shrimp cocktail/ceviche

Watermelon Salad
Arugula, Romaine, Goat Cheese, Watermelon, Sugared Pecans, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Screw Hurricane Arthur… still got my modeling on, on deck

Gorgeous View, even in the stormy weather

Roasted Chicken
Heirloom Potatoes, Thyme Demi-Glace, Fried Leeks

And of course I got the

Odyssey Short Ribs
Fontina Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Carrots & Squash, Cabernet Demi-Glace

Desert was some of everything…

Bread Pudding, Chocolate Cake, Berry Galette and Sorbet… with more bubbly

Actually ended up taking short ribs and cheese home.. OK FINE I ordered too much… but it was delicious, fun and amazing. Probably don’t wanna spend that much on a July 4th again tho… hahahha – and we didn’t even get fireworks. BOOOOO…

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!!!!

Italian Date Night….

I know I know it’s bad when I go on a date. But I did go on one recently… to an Italian place, super hidden away, called Marcellino’s…

Leaving….

He doesn’t even like wine but he ordered a bottle and share it with me… UMMM… kinda really awesome

Carpaccio – Sliced Beef Filet, Arugula, Fennel, Parmesan, Lemon Vinaigrette, Capers

His VEAL Saltimbocca – Prosciutto, Sage, Mozzarella, Demi Glaze which he gave me a taste and it was YUMMMMM apparently it’s his always go – to.

And the waiter recommended to me the
Fruitti Di Mare – Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels & Linguine in a spicy red sauce —- which I asked for to be extra spicy… but it wasn’t :T But it was still super yummy so I had the leftovers the day after… there was SO MUCH FREAKING PASTA

We headed to a bar after… tried this Rebel IPA which was yummy

But we ended up having some Whiskey…FUCK! I got sauce on me…

:[

Ending 2013 with a Bang, starting at Les Zygomates

I know, I know, you’re thinking WHERE have you been? Posts of song lyrics/music videos/etc is just lame – so let’s speak FOOD….!!! That’s what you guys come here for, right? I hope you still do.  I’ve been super busy with, LIFE.  And happiness and just living the dream.

It was super last minute and the day before but we, B & I settled on commiting to Les Zygomates.  So after getting dolled up listening to some good music and drinking some bubbles we headed out into the freezing night for a good time.  Dinner at Les Zygomates + Estate.

It was pretty funny because I asked them if we could order off the regular menu and they said NO, if we sat at a table we HAD to get the Prix Fixe and we could only order off the regular menu if we sat at the bar.

And yes I made that face.
I think I made that noise too….

Their New Year’s Eve Menu

First Course (choice of one)

Lobster Bisque, Puff Pastry, Oloroso Sherry

Endive & Chicory Salad Cider Vinaigrette, Roquefort Cheese, Spiced Filberts, Shaved Heirloom Apple

Onion Soup Gratinee

Torchon of Foie Gras, Chocolate Brioche, Dried Figs & Port ($12 supplement)

Second Course (choice of one)

Thatch Island Oysters, Mignonette

Seared Pork Belly, Lentils de Puy, Sherry-Honey Emulsion

Escargot, Braised Black Garlic, Fresh Fettuccine, Roasted Tomato & Thyme, Cumin Scented Marcona Almonds

Tuna Tartar, Sesame Soy Vinaigrette, Hearts of Palm, Winter Melon, Cucumber & Lotus Root

Third Course (choice of one)

Pan Roasted Giannone Chicken Breast, Braised Escarole, Lardons, Sweet & Sour Cherry Gastrique

Grilled Painted Hills Sirloin, Kennebec Potato Gratin, Maitake Mushrooms, Green-Peppercorn Red Wine Sauce

Seared Diver Sea Scallops, Black Truffle-Parsnip Puree, Chestnut Veloute, Fried Kale

Lightly Roasted Berkshire Pork Chop, Roasted Butternut Squash, Braised Apples, Calvados Glazed Onions

Grilled Faroe Island Salmon, Whole Grain Mustard Whipped Potatoes, Braised Lentils, Brussels Sprout Leaves

Dessert (choice of one)

Creme Brulee Tartlett

L’opera Cake  with Pistachio and Pomegranate

Assorted Ice Cream & Sorbet

Ok so knowing me, you guys should know what I wanna do with this. B was a true sport and we picked the dishes out together.  He actually pointed out today how funny and ‘food critic’ of me that I made the comment “Nothing in the third course really pops out at me… can I just order one of each second course?” We got a decent bottle of Rosé….  and then later on each had a different glass of wine… I liked B’s better so he switched with me :] HEE HEE HEE

Yes I have issues, you have to ask B why he puts up with it :] Rawr rawr rawr purr purr purr…..

First Course
Torchon of Foie Gras
Chocolate Brioche, Dried Figs & Port

This was DIVINE.. of course, a huge delicious piece of foie perfectly cooked and amaaaaazing with the slightly re-hydrated dried figs.  The chocolate brioche wasn’t sweet but had a nice bitter chocolate, very mellow, taste, that had a perfect fit to the fatty foie.

Endive & Chicory Salad
Cider Vinaigrette, Roquefort Cheese, Spiced Filberts, Shaved Heirloom Apple

This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t super amazing – I think it was overdressed and just so-so.  I mean a simple salad is a simple salad. Yeah we didn’t finish this, BUT it was refreshing after DEVOURING the foie.  Definitely a good palate cleanser…[esp from the cider vinaigrette]

Second Course
Thatch Island Oysters
Mignonette

We were actually gonna just order like a half dozen oysters but they were on the menu, so WHY NOT?! They were huge briney and delicious. So just to let you know, Thatch Island Oysters are from Branstable Harbor, Cape Cod so they’re pretty local, I also LOVE LOVE LOVE and PREFER East Coast to West Coast Oysters, so YAYYYY.. happy little me.

Seared Pork Belly
Lentils de Puy, Sherry-Honey Emulsion

Not gonna lie, Pork Belly is never bad, but the lentils to pork belly is kinda like… UHHHHH…. yeah. It was nothing special though.. I guess there’s only so much people do with pork belly now? Yay for Asians who are more creative…. but overall a solid dish, I kinda wish we went for escargot…. I was thinking of it but I always figured Oysters CHECK, Pork Belly CHECK – Maybe I went wrong this time?!

Third Course
Pan Roasted Giannone Chicken Breast
Braised Escarole, Lardons, Sweet & Sour Cherry Gastrique

Ok I blame myself for ordering this, but it was the most interesting on the list [other than scallops, which we also ordered] While the lardons and the flavoring was great the chicken was sooooo dryyyyyy I kinda was dying….

Seared Diver Sea Scallops
Black Truffle-Parsnip Puree, Chestnut Veloute, Fried Kale

These were absolutely amazing and totally B’s call.  In fact, since I didn’t like the chicken he was so sweet to trade with me and actually eat a lot of the chicken. HOW IS B NOT THE BEST THING EVER? He let me eat the scallops <3

Dessert
They had four different ice creams, all of them were the usual except for this one, it was like some boozy  kind of a sort.

But the reason why he’s THAT awesome is that he ordered espresso to pour over the ice cream and made it into an affogato – yeah I think he knows the way to my heart.

Creme Brulee Tartlett

This was good, but no ice cream with espresso.. hahaha, my bad. By this time I was just happy and my tummy was happy and I was just loving the  affogato – so NO, this dessert did not fail… I was just distracted by my talented partner in crime’s idea :]

SO Happy New Years from US TWO… May everyone have the most amazing 2014… cuz I just ended 2013 in a FUCKING AWESOME WAY and it’s definitely off to a darn good start with this guy around ;]

Best. New Years. EVER.

Sel de la Terre: Wine Tuesday “South America”

I haven’t been to one in ages.  Or maybe it was with Kelly? I keep wanting to but end up being busy or away.  They still know me tho.. so this Tuesday I had my usual corner table waiting for me.

South America, a favorite of mine for wines… MMMMM Argentinian and Chilean wines!!!

Amuse Bouche
Smoked Salmon Crostini with Chive Creme Fraiche

Delicious bite.  I ate this in a few bites so I wished that the smoked salmon was in smaller pieces so I didn’t have to use my finger to help bite off bits of it.  It could’ve used a bit of caper and onion tho. :]  I’m OG like that.

There were only two other tables and our wine pourer remembered me so we got BIG BIG pours :D

First Course
ASF Vegetables, Jonah Crab, Citrus Vinaigrette
Paired with 2010 Torrentes, Crios de Susana Balbo, Salta, Argentina

This was delightful.  I tend to get dressings on the side so my salad doesn’t wilt or is overly dressed and soggy but this was fantastical.  A nice slightly ocean-y crab taste on top of  a nice variety of fresh greens, tomato and thin radish. YUM

Second Course
Roasted Garlic and Herb Sole, ASF Heirloom Tomatoes, Braised ASF Greens
Paired with 2010 Erraszuriz, “Wild Ferment”, Chardonnay, Chile

Pan Fried and stuffed with… stuffing? Some sort of sop. it was good, a bit salty so I ended up picking some of it out.  The Sole filet was folded over so the stuffing was cooked inside, and then set atop of raw heirloom tomatoes.  Which was nice, refreshing, but also surprising, I expected cooking tomato.  Under the tomato was braised greens, that tasted super asian-y YUM.. I’m guessing sweet potato grees?!… Anyways back t the sole: The outside was crisp and the inner was fluffy and flaked away. YUM.

Main Course
BBQ Braised Pork, Sweet Corn Relish, Apple Gastrique
Paired with 2009 Malbec, Alfredo Roca, Mendoza, Argentina

The pork was super tender and I loved the mixture of corn and apples.  It seemed like the perfect, end to Summer. hello to Autumn dish. BUT it was SO overly sweet… And the fact that I was already full on the dishes before and a ton of wine

Fromage Course
Bayley Hazen
Paired with 2006 Concha y Toro, “Lourdes Vineyard”, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley, Chile

This was a nice moldy not too stinky blue cheese… I’ve been trying not to eat too much dairy products lately since W suggested that my tummyaches may be a result of eating them.  Seems like he may be right.I still have some cheese, just not in overabundance like I usually do ;D  The plate was also filled with fruit preserves, chopped up dried figs, pecans, almond slices, pistachios, halved grapes, slices apple and some truffle honey. SOOO good.  All the contrasting textures and flavors with the fruits, nuts, cheeses were amazing, you didn’t even need the crostini.  I had my cheese with some honey on apple slices MMMMM….

Another amazing meal.  Thanks SDLT see you next time when I’m back in town!