Category Archives: boston

A rather rapid brunch and a cosy Coppa dinner

28 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by in boston, coppa, south end buttery

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The day began with the usual indecision, Mark had recommended we head to Coppa for brunch which is Toro’s sister restaurant as they have a pretty famous hangover pizza. We were torn however- did we want to go there for brunch and therefore rule out going there for dinner (and the promise of chestnut patsa with wild boar ragu)? In the end, no we did not, it just sounded too good, as did the arancini (fried risotto balls).

So we decided as it was such a nice day we would walk just a couple of blocks to a restaurant called South End Buttery on the corner of Shawmut Ave and Union Park St and have brunch there. Their brunch is a lot more similar to what you would normally expect to find on a brunch menu and no less appetising for it.When we arrived it seemed full to bursting which I always think is a good thing- if it’s busy, that probably means it’s good, if i’ve never been somewhere before i always think it’s a pretty good way to judge a place. Nevertheless, they managed to find us a table downstairs almost instantly and whilst we perused the menu we got some drinks underway. I went for an Espresso Martini, always appropriate for brunch i think (sometimes it has a bit of coffee, maybe…) Hayls opted for a Vanilla Chai Martini and Alex did the classic Mimosa. These were a pretty good way to kick off a Sunday but all i would say is STIR, i didn’t for the first couple of mouthfuls and it was pretty much neat booze.

Then came the food, as soon as Hayley and I glimpsed scones on the menu, the decision had been made, there was no way we were letting that pass us by, although we did share one to lessen the guilt. Scones are a big weakness of mine, but i’m pretty specific, i want clotted cream. If you can’t give me that, i’m not interested, these did though, along with some sweet, sticky homemade jam. Now that’s what i’m talking about.

Alex went the healthier route and had buttery winter greens with herbs, pumpkin seeds and a cider vinaigrette, unfortunately though, I was far too preoccupied with my scone to remember to take a photo. Ooops.

Anyway, we moved swiftly, and i do mean swiftly, on, i hadn’t even finished my half a scone before the main courses arrived. Hayls and I both opted for the Huevos Rancheros, 2 scrambly eggs with quesadilla, black beans, guacamole, salsa and bacon, and switched out the home fries for garlic parmesan fries- honestly, who could resist those? Not us that’s for sure. It was good although for my taste needed a lot of salt and pepper. It was also huge, as much as i may have wanted to, i simply could not finish it. Now i’m convinced i took a photo of this but can i find it anywhere? No, i bloody well can’t. Except Hayley just found it, so here it is.

Alex went for one of their Easter brunch specials, similar to Eggs Benedict but with Manchego cheese and Schaaller Weber Black Forest Ham from an old school deli in upstae New York on a buttermilk biscuit. This was a resounding success. Alex is a bit of an Eggs Benedict afficionado, if it’s on a menu, you can pretty much guarantee he’ll order it, so for this to exceed the usual must be something special and i have to say, i tried some and it really was.

I think my only slight complaint would be how quick everything came. Stupid i know but we were all in the mood for a long lazy brunch and whilst we weren’t rushed it all just felt rather fast. Having said that, the staff were very friendly and efficient and would definitely return. They also have a cafe upstairs selling a mouthwatering selection of cakes and pastries, we had declared on the way in that there was no way we were leaving without a cupcake- partly because they look delicious and partly because they had the cutest little chicks and bunnies stuck in them for easter. Sadly however, we were stuffed full to bursting and quite unable to manage it. There are people everywhere in there, many cosied up with a book or a laptop and looking very content, if you’re ever in the area, pop in for a pastry and a coffee and feel like a local.

http://www.southendbuttery.com 

After brunch we walked home the long way round in an attempt to walk it off somewhat, and beacuse Boston is beautiful in the spring

we walked up to the prudential centre, a big shopping and conference centre and spent a lazy hour ambling about Barnes and Noble, me mainly in the cookbook section where Alex succumbed and bought a copy of Heston Blumenthal’s fantastical feasts which i’m pretty excited to delve into. Once we left there we stumbled on the very unexpected sight of some kind of anime/ fantasy/ video game convention as there were people absolutely everywhere dressed in some of the most elaborate costumes i’ve ever seen. It was truly hilarious and pretty impressive.

That evening we headed to Coppa where they specialise in Italian small plates. After the initial disappointment that the menu had changed and we would therefore be deprived of the arancini and chestnut pasta with wild boar ragu we manned up and got down to the ordering. The 1st thing that grabbed my attention was the special of ricotta gnocchi with a pulled pork ragu- yes please. This arrived looking scrumptious but the pork was a little heavy on the fennel for both me and Hayley. The gnocchi were perfect though, little and light with just enough hint of cheese.

One of highlights of the meal for me was the meatballs, perfectly textured, juicy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce and then topped off with a slice of lardo, making the whole thing unctuous and rich and moreish as hell- we practically wiped the bowl clean with bread.

At the same time as the meatballs arrived, so did the pig’s tail. Now this is something I was definitely not such a fan of. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not something i would necessarily choose. It has a very strong taste, and although the texture of the meat is good, the skin is pretty tough. Having said all that, Alex thinks it’s great, he’s had it here before and was the one that wanted to order it, so, each to their own i guess.


Alex’s other must have order was squid ink pasta with calamari, octopus and olives in a tomato sauce, this was good too, although i think Alex was pretty glad that Hayley and i left most of it to him.


There was another special on the menu that night that simply sounded too good to resist, a leg of lamb steak from a lamb that had been butchered in house sat atop a bed of creamy, garlicy, cheesy polenta with a mint salsa verde. This one was a real hit and miss. Flavourwise it was a big hit, the polenta was some of the best i’ve ever had, velvety and utterly scrummy. The big let down was the texture of the lamb itself, whilst it tasted great, and was cooked to perfection, it was tough and that was pretty hard to get past. If the texture had been there it would have been the dish of the night- hands down, so that was pretty frustrating.


One of the other real highlights was the salsiccia pizza, spicy italian pork sausage, red onion, mozarella and chilli oil. Cooked until the base was crisped and just the right amount of charred, the cheese was gooey and the sausage and chilli added just a hint of spice. It was great and to be honest I could have quite happily eaten the whole thing.

Lastly we had a mackerel dish that Chef Jamie very kindly sent over. It wasn’t on the menu yet and all three of us will confess to not being the hugest mackerel fans so were mildly nervous tucking in, we shouldn’t have been. Beautifully cooked mackerel on a bed of jerusalem artichoke puree that complemented it perfectly, a really good way to end the meal.


I say that was the last thing we had but we caved and had a cheese plate too (which we attacked so fast there was but a morsel left by the time i remembered the camera). This was wonderful, we had a Bayley Hazen Blue, a Taleggio and a cheese that for the life of me i can’t remember the name, just that it was our least favourite. The other two we loved and basically fought over though (don’t get me wrong, we ate the 3rd one, it just wasn’t as popular!) especially when the blue was paired with the poached hibiscus flower and the taleggio with a blood orange compote. Heavenly.

All in all Coppa was good, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the whole place runs very smoothly, the people in charge certainly know what they’re doing and as a result you feel welcome, comfortable and relaxed. I think our main problem was having been to Toro first. If you’re planning on going to both, please do Coppa first as it’s so well done, I think we had just been spoiled by Toro and spent the evening comparing the two which was possibly unfair as they’re very different – Toro definitely has my heart though, hands down. It has a great wine selection as well, we ended up getting a carafe of the Valpolicella which was full bodied enough to satisfy but still complemented the food. Also, don’t be an idiot like us and get excited by one particular thing on the menu before you go. One of the great things about this place is that the menu is constantly changing so you can go back again and again.

http://www.coppaboston.com/ 

Boston

24 Sunday Apr 2011

Posted by in boston, parish, toro

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So but the time we eventually left Nassau, all of us were practically chomping at the bit wanting to get off the rock and get our 5 day food fest underway.

We were delayed by about an hour so by the time we got to Marks flat it was pretty late, we pretty much dropped off our bags and headed straight out to a little pub down the road called Anchovies. Hayley and I were both not feeling the greatest so we weren’t origionally thrilled by this idea, however, once we were there and presented with a big basket of truffle parmesan fries and a plate of ‘italian’ nachos we felt considerably better. I’m not entirely sure why these are not more widely done, it’s basically nachos with bolognese, roasted cherry tomatoes and a good dollop of ricotta. Yum.

We woke up the next morning, bright eyed and eager to sample some of the sandwiches from the famous Parish Cafe on the corner of Mass Ave and Tremont St. It’s developed a serious cult following here and for good reason. Its also Mark’s local so it was a definite must do. The majority of the menu is made up of sandwiches, each one created by a prominent Boston chef and it quickly becomes apparent why everyone loves this place. Hayls and i couldn’t decide which one to have (surprise surprise) so we ended up splitting 2, the 1st one that jumped out at me was the mexican meatball sub, juicy coriander filled meatballs on a crusty baguette with red onions, tomatoes and pepper jack cheese, it also came with a delicious chilli dipping sauce. It was one of the most comforting sandwiches i’ve ever eaten, meaty and cheesy and carby, delicious. The second one we went for was a vietnamese chicken baguette with shredded carrots and courgettes and a coriander/mint mayo. I will be recreating these seriously soon, i think they might become a bit of a staple.

www.parishcafe.com

The evening held even more delights in store. Mark is working at Toro, pretty much regarded as Boston’s best restaurant so we decided to go there for dinner and indulge. Which we seriously did. I’m beginning to belive that having friends that are chefs is truly the way to go. Toro don’t take reservations and it’s not unknown to wait 2.5 hours for a table. The best thing is, not one person seems to care about this wait, everyone is more than happy to chat and chill at the bar and try some of the delicious cocktails.

The menu is tapas based but it’s not the standard tapas, there’s a lot of offal – something i’m usually pretty scared of and do my best to avoid but i was told by alex that i had to try it and i must say that it was good, and far exceeded my expectations. Jamie, the head chef is very clever in the way that the offal is presented, it looks pretty, no longer like an organ but a delicious tapa that you can’t wait to try.

The ambience is just what i wanted, dark and cosy with wood floors and tables and exposed brick walls. Most of the tables are communal which makes the feel even more intimate. We were lucky and didn’t really have to wait at all as Mark had put us on the list so we got there in time to be the next table to be seated.

We waited at what they call ‘the bread table’ where we ordered the 1st of many cocktails. Hayls and I got 2 and shared as we couldn’t decide (are you beginning to see a bit of a recurring theme here?) it’s great because we have incredibly similar tastes and are two of the most indecisive people you will ever meet. As a result, the majority of our meals will be shared, it’s so handy. Anyway, we got a Cold River Ricky- potato vodka, lime and raspberry and the Perro Picante- Hendricks gin, grapefruit and chilli. This was hands down the resounding favourite, I’m usually not the biggest fan of cocktails as they’re so sweet that i find that after one or two i need to switch to something else. That was not the case with these, they were perfectly balanced, a little tart and just a touch of chilli. My amazing boyfriend even managed to wrangle the recipe out of the barman so i think it might become my new go to drink. Having said that, i possibly didn’t need to have 10 of them which i’m pretty sure me and hayls had each had by the time we left.

The kitchen sent out some complimentary tapas (see what i mean about being friends with chefs) first came the razor clams with piquillo pepper sauce which were good but probably a little fennelly for my taste.

Then came the charcuterie board including blood sausage and a surprisingly good smoked beef tongue sliced wafer thin

And the dish that, in an evening full of inventive, outstanding food, surprising took the crown. It is in fact the house specialty, something that i was surprised by until I tasted it. Grilled corn with lime, aioli, espelette pepper and aged cheese. Oh My God. Now i’m someone who loves corn anyway but this is unlike any corn i’ve ever tasted before, and seriously, i kind of want to eat it for every meal.

We sat down after this and then came the terrifying sight that was the Parrone. It’s kind of like a beer bong that you fill with wine and then pour in your mouth, trying to get your arm as far away as you can without pouring it all over your face. Now, being as uncoordinated as i am, this wasn’t so successful, by the time we left, i’d poured it everywhere and laughed so many times that i’m pretty sure hayley had a fine spray all over her. Nevertheless it was utterly hilarious. We felt 1 just wasn’t enough, 2 it is.

It was after this that we actually started the ordering, starting with a calamari bruschetta that was so good i couldn’t even get a photo before alex had tucked in

Next up was the beef short ribs, these were last meal good, rich and deep and on some of the best mash i’ve had in a while

Mussel, fennel and garlic toast

One of the surprise delights of the night, the beef heart bruschetta

                                 

Another one i was surprised to enjoy, the veal sweetbreads

Pork belly with clams, smoked potatoes and celery gougeres. Utterly moorish, we were all wishing we’d order another one of these and it tied with the beef shortribs in 2nd place

We deliberated about whether or not this next one would be too filling but we went for it and we were all pretty glad we did. Rabbit and escargot paella.

We then had the one dish of the evening that we didn’t like. I did pretty well with my tackling of the offal, and with most of it i was very pleasantly surprised. I have my limits though. And my limit is tripe, it’s texture is something that i just cannot get on board with, i can only describe it as feeling like a mouthful of chewy fat.

Then we got another freebie, pork loin with broad beans and peas

Lastly we had grilled asparagus with jerusalem artichoke puree

We deliberated for a while about whether to have dessert or not but in the end, the temptation of churros overwhelmed any feelings of fullness we had. And i’m so glad we gave in. They were just what i want in a churro, super crispy on the outside whilst still being fluffy in the middle and then coated in an indulgent amount of cinammon sugar. The sauce was great too as it was nicely bittersweet. I hate getting churros that come with a sweeter chocolate sauce as you want something to cut through all the sugar on the churros themselves. In all, a really great way to end a fantastic meal.

Once we’d finished, we decided to stay continue drinking our out of this world perro picantes at the bar until Mark finished work. It kind of has the feel of a speakeasy, it’s so candlelit and everyone is smiling and having fun that you just want to stay and carry on drinking- the kind of place where you feel like you can get away with anything. This was possibly an error as today was pretty shocking, we all barely moved today, venturing out only in search of food- shocking i know. I was also informed that i won ‘rack of the night’ as voted for by the chefs, many thanks boys, icing on the cake. All in all though it was honestly one of the most fun and most exciting culinary experiences i’ve had in a long time and can’t recommend it highly enough. If you ever find yourself in Boston go, i promise you won’t be sorry.

http://www.toro-restaurant.com/