As promised on the recent
Connoisseurs’
Corner broadcast, here are excerpts of the spots...some may be abbreviated versions of the full reviews previously posted, some may be new and fresh. I am nothing if not fresh!
Chelmsford can
add “gourmet destination” to its community resume.
Moonstones has
an eclectic menu with appetizers, global tapas (small plates) and regular, full
sized entrees. At our table, we tried a
number of things and we started with a few small plate appetizers. We asked our knowledgeable waiter for some
recommendations…how about froze grapes with candied pecans and feta
cheese? How about tuna tataki, served
with 3 different sauces on a Himalayan salt plate? The
waiter bragged about the tataki being an award-winning appetizer, and he was
not lying. My mouth gives it an award
for convincing me that raw fish can be delish!
We rounded out
our meal with a variety of other selections.
I had “Fiery Sweet Korean Wings” and a “Asian BBQ Short Rib” braised with
a five-spice rub. Mrs. Palate had a tofu
dish over bok choy, and another of our dining companions, Critical Lynn, had
salmon and Critical David had Thai noodles.
Despite our general emphasis on Asian flavors, the menu is broad and
varied. All of us were impressed
greatly, and satiated. By the time we
were done, we were already talking about our next time. Certainly a success, especially in my eyes,
where people don’t call me “critical” for nothing.
While I didn’t
have dessert at Moonstones, the added benefit of being in Chelmsford is being
next door to Westford, home of Kimball Farms ice cream, THE favored ice cream
of the Critical Palate, and apparently everyone else on the Route 495 belt,
considering the lines at 9:15pm at night.
For your gastronomic pleasure, I post this picture of a small cup of
Peanut Butter Cup…literally, the smallest size they have!
A fine meal
followed up with fine ice cream…a veritable party in your mouth!
September 20 in
Framingham, a celebration of arts, food and culture will take place at Bowditch
Field, which will be fed by a food truck festival.
§ We’ve talked before about the food
trucks…great options. Some of the
providers will be Bon Me (Vietnamese
sandwiches), Captain Marden’s Cod Squad, Cupcake City, Evan’s NY Style Deli,
Frozen Hoagies (ice cream and froyo sandwiches), Maine-ly Lobstah, Roxy’s
Grilled Cheese, The Happy Taco, Whoo(pie) Wagon
For $5.00
admission, you have access to all these food trucks, plus concerts and artisans
selling their wares, all in celebration of the MW. While each truck has their own charge, this
is a great opportunity to try a variety of delicious items in one area.
3. Cheese guild: Press release from the Cheese Guild reads in
part as follows:
MASSACHUSETTS CHEESE GUILD
CELEBRATES ITS ONE YEAR
ANNIVERSARY
WITH AN AL FRESCO
CHEESE TASTING
AT VERRILL FARM IN CONCORD,
MA
SEPTEMBER 18 FROM 4-7 PM
The
Public May Join as “Enthusiast” Members
Meet
Cheesemakers from Cape Ann to South Coast and from Worcester to the Berkshires
Last fall, the
Massachusetts Cheese Guild
officially launched, with membership available in five categories:
* Artisans: Commercial
cheesemakers certifying use of Massachusetts-produced milk.
* Enthusiasts: The artisan cheese-loving
public can join at the September 18 event, at www.EventBrite.com or online at www.macheeseguild.com
Cheesemakers appearing on September 18:
Appleton
Farms
Ipswich
Berkshire
Blue
Dalton
Crystal Brook
Farm
Spencer
Foxboro Cheese
Company Foxboro
Great Hill
Dairy
Marion
Mozzarella
House
Peabody
Robinson
Farm
Hardwick
Ruggles Hill
Creamery
Hardwick
Shy Brothers
Farm
Westport
Sidehill
Farm
Hawley
Valley View
Farm
Topsfield
Westfield
Farm
Hubbardston
Wolf Meadow
Farm
Amesbury
From the market's website: The
Boston Public Market will be a permanent, year-round, self-sustaining market
featuring fresh locally sourced food brought directly to and from the diverse
people that make up Massachusetts and New England. At the BPM, local farmers,
fishermen, and specialty food producers will come together with the residents
of Boston and Massachusetts to create a new civic institution, a vibrant
marketplace that will let people from all walks of life taste, buy, and
understand their food, from how it is made and sourced, to its nutritional
value, to its impact on our environment, and of course, how to prepare it to
make delicious meals that bring their friends and families together.
Located
at the Dewey Square Plaza along the Greenway, across from South Station. They run twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday)
and currently feature different vendors each day. 11:30am-630pm.
Construction
will begin on a permanent 28,000 square foot building with 325 parking spaces,
at 136 Blackstone Street, at the Haymarket T stop, giving Bostonians a great
place for locally sourced fresh fish, meats and produce year-round. This will be a great addition for foodies in the Boston area.
6. Pickling:
Its that time of year when many
of the backyard gardeners are pulling in the last of their crop, and wondering
what do we do with this. While some
hearty New Englanders are in to canning, you can “pickle” the veggies without
ever boiling mason jars.
You can quickly turn garden
cukes, green beans, cauliflower or any vegetable into a nice pickle in 48
hours. Here’s a simple recipe,
cultivated from several websites:
2
pounds baby cucumbers
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar, if you prefer a bite)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled (2 per jar/container)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar (3/4 teaspoons total)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns per jar (1 1/2 teaspoons total)
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar, if you prefer a bite)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled (2 per jar/container)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar (3/4 teaspoons total)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns per jar (1 1/2 teaspoons total)
Wash
and slice the cucumbers.
In
a large saucepot, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a simmer.
Arrange
jars (or other container with a re-sealable lid) on counter and dole out the
spices to each. Pack the cucumber slices firmly into the jars. You want them
packed tight.
Pour
the brine into the jar, leaving approximately ½ inch headspace.
Apply
lids and let jars cool. When they've returned to room temperature, place jars
in refrigerator. Let them sit for at least 48 hours before eating.
7. No knead bread:
3 cups flour
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon yeast
1¼ teaspoon salt
olive oil (for coating)
extra flour or cornmeal
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon yeast
1¼ teaspoon salt
olive oil (for coating)
extra flour or cornmeal
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30
seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive
oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let
the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).
Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or
twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next,
shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat
bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with
flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room
temperature, until more than doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.”
Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.”
I say, take it
out, put on a cooling rack, and enjoy after cooling, if you can wait that
long. Make sure to have some butter
handy, because nothing tastes better than a hot piece of bread with melted
butter soaked into it
8. Orchards
Massachusetts is
blessed with one of the greatest gifts on earth…apple orchards. Not only do I have fond memories of apple
picking when I was a kid, but we’ve enjoyed family apple picking for many
years. One of my favorite places on
earth is Honey Pot Hill in Stow, Massachusetts.
Honey Pot isn’t
just an orchard, it’s New England! In
addition to “pick your own” (and you can check their web site for what is
available), they have pigs and goats and bunnies and ducks, a hedge maze, hay
rides and a great shop where you can buy pre-picked apples, as well as their
other produce, and cider and cider donuts.
With plenty of parking, you can’t get much more New England that a trip
to Honey Pot, or any of the other great local orchards here in Massachusetts.
I’ve been spending more time on
the North Shore lately, discovering all the delicious offerings I can. After visiting my friends at Chococoa Bakery
in Newburyport a few weeks back, my wife and I walked along the water, and
after being shut-out of most of the sit-down restaurants, we found the most
delightful sandwich shop, the Port City Sandwich Co., winner of the “Best of
North Shore” for sandwiches 2 years in a row!
I was
very impressed. This is a small,
clean, efficient and courteously run shop.
They gentleman taking orders was very accommodating with my wife’s
food allergies, and the service down the line was prompt. We dined al fresco at some picnic tables on
the water, watching the ships and kayakers.
With a variety of made to order salads and sandwiches, some gourmet
choices like Grilled
jerk spiced chicken strips with red peppers, lettuce, tomato and ranch
dressing;
|
|
Southwestern Chicken-Grilled
Cajun spiced chicken strips with lettuce, tomato and sour cream
|
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The Mediterranean-Grilled chicken strips, crisp
romaine lettuce, feta cheese, black olives, tomatoes and Greek dressing
|
I was really pleased to return to
dining on well-prepared and deliciously simple, and simply delicious foods.
10. Grilled Cheese
As we’ve spoken about before, the
classic comfort food, grilled cheese, is experiencing
a renaissance. With food trucks (Roxy’s) and kiosks
(Cheeseboy at South Station and malls), now you can get funked-up grilled
cheese in Providence and Kingston, RI, with UMelt.
With these two locations, and the Providence location serving beer and wine, they are serving some very
funky, and delicious grilled cheese combinations, like the
Vermonster-Cheddar Cheese, Maple Glazed Bacon, Caramelized
Onions, on Marble Rye Bread and The Veggie-Havarti Cheese, Hummus, Roasted Peppers, Zucchini,
Avocado, on Multi Grain Bread, you get the idea that these are
not your mother’s grilled cheese. As
Emmajean Holley of the Brown Daily Herald says, “UMelt might be the
greatest thing since sliced bread.”
11. Penny Candy!
Nothing harkens me back to my
youth quicker than penny candy. Unfortuantely,
most are not just a penny anymore, but seeing the apothecary jars filled with
small, sugary treats takes me right back to the General Store in Centerville,
MA, where I spent many a summer day.
So it was with great delight that
I found myself at the Wayside General Store in Marlborough, MA (on Route 20, on
the Sudbury line).
Not only do they have a great
selection of all the penny candy we remember, but fudge and hand-dipped chocolates,
and it also has a great history. Founded,
owned and operated by Henry Ford in 1929.
For great, fresh penny candy, and to step back in time a little, visit
the Wayside General Store, and check out their website.
