Dish Nephew's 3rd Birthday Party

I took on the task of making the food for Dish Nephew's 3rd Birthday party, as our normal caterer-- Dish Mom-- was busy at work this week. Here's what I served!

Mixed olives

Crostini with eggplant caponata (left-- please note the little spreader knife with the eggplants I chose hehe)Crostini with herbed ricotta (store-bought ricotta, and then I added chopped fresh thyme, oregano, parsley, and rosemary).Spicy Pumpkin Seeds (1 cup raw, green pumpkin seeds, tossed w/ 2 Tbsp EVOO, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper-- bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes)
Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with almonds and goat cheese (my all-time favorite fall/winter hors d'oeuvre)
Pigs in a blanket lollipops! These were a big hit with both the kids and the adults. This recipe is a little lighter than the old classic because they're made with puff pastry. Yum! Meatball sliders! This recipe was adapted from The Little Owl restaurant in NYC, courtesy of the amazing Deb at smittenkitchen.com:
Meatball slider, up close and personal...
Apparently I failed to take a photo of the roasted sweet potato and pears as well as the escarole, red leaf, and fennel salad with cider vinaigrette...Dish Gal FAIL. In any case, Dish Mom actually prepared those anyway ;)

And for the grand finale!

He seemed to like the icing the best...
So was the party a success? I'd say so, just based on this huge grin! That's all that mattered to me, at least =)

Italia

First off, I've let an embarrassing amount of time lapse since my last post. No excuses, but here's a glimpse behind my life recently to at least fill in the blank between the Stephi's post and today: workworkwork ITALY workworkwork THE FLU.

Okay, now you're pretty much up to speed.

To make a long story short, Dish Mom and I were given an amazing opportunity to travel to Italy with some family friends. Keep in mind that Dish Mom is 50% Italian by birth and 100% Italian in attitude and demeanor, and had never been to Italy, making this trip a life long dream for her, and a life long dream of mine to visit WITH her.

As I've said in the past, I think vacation blog posts can be kind of boring for readers. So instead of Zzzzing you with photos of all the gelato I had (that'd probably be around 50 photos in 7 days), I'll just quickly recap my favorite meals.

The best meal we had was at a restaurant in Volterra called Ristorante Del Duca. We ate lunch outside in their beautiful garden, and unknowingly stumbled upon what became my favorite meal I've ever eaten in Italy: handmade ricotta & spinach gnocchi with shaved Volterrean truffles.If that photo doesn't make you drool, you're not human.

My other favorite meal/food experience was also in Volterra at an enoteca called La Vena di Vino-- clearly the Volterrean hipster hangout, with polaroids and bras decorating the walls, and Italian rock music playing from a laptop in the corner. I wish I could post the photo of me behind the wine bar with Bruno, one of the vivacious owners, but alas, it would give away my anonymity. And Bruno's.It was at this amazingly charismatic wine bar that I introduced Dish Mom to one of my favorite European past times: drinking wine at 4 p.m. We sampled the "Super Tuscan," a 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, which is apparently very popular in the "wine world" right now (all these facts are straight from my Rick Steves guidebook, so any errors you can take up with him), as well as a Chianti Classico from Greve in Chianti-- the town our villa was located! How cool, I thought, to be drinking wine straight from where I had slept each night before. Finally, we also tried the Brunello di Montalcino, which Bruno touted as his favorite but was our least favorite.When our friend, let's call him DR, came over after visiting the Etruscan Museum (we had opted for wine...oops), he ordered an antipasti plate of cheese and tomatoes. Sounds boring, right? Very wrong. Amazingly soft cheese, like none we'd ever had, paired with crusty Italian bread and tomatoes so fresh Bruno had to run across the street for them-- this was the Italian experience I had been waiting for.Other highlights of the trip: having gelato in Florence at the exact same place Ann and I had enjoyed gelato in 2006:
Ristorante di Lamole, a restaurant perched on the side of one of Italy's highest mountains:
Pappardelle with wild boar:
Pesto in Cinque Terre: Sigh, La Dolce Vita. Is it time to go back yet?

Panza in the North End

North End residents automatically have a second job: Italian restaurant recommenders. It's usually within the first 10 seconds of someone finding out you live in the NE that they ask which of the dozens of Italian restaurants is your favorite. Now, for Dish Gal, I take this question very seriously. And frankly, it makes me a little stressed-- there are so many North End restaurants I've never been to. That's not because I haven't heard anything good about them, but because I can only have Italian so often, and often I sacrilegiously choose my fave Italian restaurants like Sage and Dante over trying a new one in the North End.

So when I tried new restaurant Panza, I crossed my fingers that it would be delicious so I could recommend it to others. At the risk of giving away the ending of this post, I was not disappointed.

Panza offers one main thing that a lot of other North End places don't--reasonable prices. Pasta and entree dishes very rarely break the $20 mark. The low prices don't mean you have to give anything up, though; the food was tasty, classic, un-fussy Italian fare. I enjoyed the free-form lasagna, made up of black pepper pasta sheets tossed with plum tomatoes, ricotta, chicken, mushrooms, and spinach. The dish was successful, as it differed enough to justify ordering a classic, but didn't change so much that it lost its inherent charm. I thought the chicken was an unnecessary addition, though. True, I notoriously dislike chicken in general (chicken=zzzz to me most of the time), but it seemed to me like an afterthought in this dish, intended to placate those people who would never order a vegetarian dish.

My dining companion was a great friend from Dish Gal's childhood. Back in the day, we enjoyed singing along to "Everybody Dance Now" on her boombox and swimming for hours and hours and hours, stopping only for passing lightning storms or a quick Drumstick ice cream cone from the snack bar.

My friend, let's call her Lynn, ordered the penne amatriciana-- pasta with pancetta, onions, roasted eggplant, fontina cheese, and plum tomato sauce.

Sure, it wasn't her mother's famous bolognese sauce (I still dream of that sauce), but it hit the spot.

I'm not sure if it was the comforting food, the wine, the cozy restaurant, or the great conversation (I'm guessing it was a combination of all of them), but I left this restaurant with a great feeling, and I look back upon my time there with great affection. It gave me that great, indescribable buzz that every North End place should-- that feeling that you can't stop smiling, but also that you'd love to lie down and take a nap ;)

Teatro's White Pizza with Hot Peppers and Sea Salt

My dear readers,

I just had to share with you the awesome pizza I had last night at Teatro (the restaurant I lovingly refer to as "Sorellina-light").

The pizza had a super crispy, thin crust (almost tortilla like, really) and was covered in sharp white cheeses. The best part though? The addition of the hot cherry peppers. And these bad boys were hot. When I ordered this I was nervous that they'd taste just like normal roasted peppers, but thankfully they definitely had a kick. Spicy + salty is quickly becoming a favorite food combination of mine.

Have you enjoyed any yummy dishes recently? Is anyone at work today besides me? I think I could hear a pin drop in my office right now...

Love,
Dish Gal

CAV in Providence

A few weekends ago, Dish Gal found herself in Providence with Michelle visiting Skylar at her new ultra-chic abode. I was excited to try a new restaurant, one that I hadn’t already visited on Thayer Street from my days of dating a Brown student (God I loved that Johnny Rocket’s there though. They ALWAYS sang, and it was amazing.)

I remembered that my coworker Julia always raved about this restaurant CAV, so we decided to check it out. I was determined to not let any Boston elitism sway my views of the restaurant. Yelp reviews were favorable, and everyone raved about the décor. It sounded like it was Dali or Tangerino-esque in its eclectic and exotic artwork. I was excited.

But when we walked in, I wasn’t impressed- maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe it was that it was still light out, but the place seemed old and dated, not necessarily chic and sexy as others had suggested. Plus, the crowd was mostly dressed-down people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Huh?! What time was it, 4:30 p.m.? (Dish Dad is going to relentlessly call me an age-ist for this, but I gotta tell it like it is! ;) However, the food did make up for the lack of a trendy scene. To start we enjoyed goat cheese croquettes with a balsamic glaze that, while WAY smaller than we imagined, were rich and gooey; after eating them, I was glad they were bite-sized.We also really enjoyed the braised lamb shank, accompanied by Israeli cous-cous (which is quickly becoming one of those foods that if it’s offered on a menu, I have to order it) and some sort of “butternut squash flan” as Michelle put it. My only hesitancy with loving this dish was having it in May-- I was hoping for more dishes with asparagus and peas, and less braised meat and butternut squash. I also liked (I think more than the others) a ravioli pasta dish, even though it was SWIMMING in a creamy sauce. But I am totally a sauce girl, so I sopped it up with the bread like the true Italian gal that I am.Though the food at CAV isn’t going to win any James Beard awards soon for innovation or technique, and I'm still kind of confused why everyone's obsessed with the decor, CAV gets points for serving unarguably yummy and rich food at reasonable prices.

BTW, anyone have any other suggestions for Providence spots for Skylar? Leave them in the comments!

Frank Pepe's pizza in CT

Dish Brother, Sister-in-law, and Nephew moved to the 'burbs of NYC about six months ago, and have been living the Connecticut life ever since. Being from Brooklyn, they of course missed the quality pizza on every street corner-- until they stumbled upon Frank Pepe's in Fairfield, CT, that is. . .

This place is famous for its amazing, brick oven pizzas, and that's apparent when we showed up at 5:45 p.m. and were faced with a line winding out the door. However, Dish Bro claimed this wasn't even as long as usual! I'm so glad we waited though...

With all the pizza options, Dish Nephew had a hard time deciding:

Once he ordered, he couldn't contain his excitement-- or control his hunger. He would only be satiated with some freshly grated parmesan, eaten excitedly out of his mother's palm...
But it was worth it! I dare you to not be hungry just looking at these photos.

Dish Nephew's favorite was probably mine as well-- their famous "cheeseless" pizza. At first you'd think huh? No cheese on a pizza!? But somehow it's amazing, especially when you shake on some fresh parmesan.
All in all, Frank Pepe's gets two thumbs up from this North End resident-- pretty high praise if you ask me =)

dante

Living in the North End, I certainly get my fair share of Italian food. Maybe that's why I have never thought to cross the river to get it before, even if the restaurant did win Boston magazine's "Best Italian" award in 2008. However, last weekend Skylar, Michelle, and I were feeling adventurous and decided to try dante in the Royal Sonesta.

The first thing we were surprised by, besides the brevity of the cab ride, was the beautiful and sleek restaurant's decor. This is not your average restaurant in a hotel: The lounge area is sexy, the dining area elegant. Our table was right next to the windows overlooking the Charles and with a gorgeous view of the Boston skyline.

And the food? Even more beautiful than the scenery. We tried quite a lot of different dishes. First, we feasted on some of the restaurant's "sfizi" (small plates): creamy Tuscan chicken liver crostini; smooth burrata cheese; olive oil cured tuna; and sopressata with pecorino.

One of our favorites was the primi dish of Barolo braised boar with a chick pea gnoccho. We also loved the spaghetti "a la chitarra," dante's version of spaghetti carbonara with salty guanciale, organic egg, and hearty Parmagiano Reggiano cheese.

Perhaps our favorite though was the fish special for the evening-- a trout that was similar to an artic char, on celery root puree with an orange sauce (terrible description). It had such unique and fresh flavor; Michelle embraced her inner Italian and sopped up the remainder of the sauce with some fresh bread.

Finally, we finished with three desserts (we were definitely naughty this night): the zambaglione; the lemon panna cotta with sour orange gelee; and the fritelle -- Venetian style fried dough with four different dipping sauces (chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, and caramel). The fried dough was hands down my favorite-- what I wouldn't give for that right now. But the panna cotta was an unexpected winner as well, a refreshing end to a rich meal.

dante has the potential to be pricey, but it also has the potential to be quite affordable. Right now (not for restaurant week, has been like this for awhile), you can get three courses for $35-- or order a la carte from the same menu. No stingy portions, and no same old "salad-hanger steak-chocolate cake" pri-fixe.

All in all, a fabulous restaurant, and a TERRIBLE time to forget my camera =( I know, bad Dish Gal... but something tells me that when the weather starts to warm up, and they open their beautiful outside seating, the ladies and I will be back again...

The scene during warmer months...photo courtesy of bostonmagazine.com

Ristorante Fiore in the North End

For Christmas, Sebastian received a gift certificate to Ristorante Fiore in the North End, and he very graciously invited me to join him there. I suggested waiting until the summer months when they open their famous roof deck, but of course we couldn't hold out, and last week we treated ourselves to a mid-week break.

It had started to snow when I got off the T at Haymarket, which made for the perfect night to enjoy a hearty Italian meal and some red wine. I got to the restaurant a little before Sebastian, and was greeted very warmly at the door. I waited for him at the bar-- small and intimate, a place I could imagine coming and enjoying solo, pondering life over a glass of wine and a basket of bread.

Since it was crummy out, the restaurant was pretty quiet, which meant that Sebastian and I got a prime spot next to the windows overlooking Hanover Street. The dining room was a little dated and cheesy, but at the same time still elegant and homey. Our waiter was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable-- a welcome change from the notorious North End waiters who sometimes try to rush you along. We decided to start with the insalata pomodoro ($10), beefsteak tomatoes with shaved parmiagano, olive oil, fresh basil, pancetta, and gorgonzola. This was kind of blah-- but part of it is my fault for ordering an appetizer that is based around tomatoes in the dead of February.

Luckily, the entrees made up for the less than stellar appetizer. We both chose classic Italian dishes, both of which Fiore presented very elegantly. Sebastian went with the saltimbocca di pollo, pan-seared chicken sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine, topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and sage ($22). This was SO yummy. So savory, so salty, so delicious. I decided to go with my standby parmigiana di melanzane ($19)-- eggplant parmesan. I appreciated the fact that this didn't come smothered in breadcrumbs or dripping with grease. And even though some may complain about having to order a side of pasta to go along with this, in the end I think it's for the best it doesn't come with pasta-- it's substantial enough on its own.Overrall, while Fiore is overpriced (that's typical with the North End though), when you factor in great service and nice overrall ambiance (especially in the summer months!), it is worth it. While there are other places I may recommend before I recommend Fiore, you definitely would be in for a good meal if you choose this spot.

Stella review

Stella...Stelllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I’m sure this popular South End restaurant is sick of this Streetcar Named Desire reference. But in my mind, I always think of this memorable Seinfeld scene, sure to make your Friday a bit more entertaining:


Anyway, Z and I trudged through the snow the other night to Stella, as I had a crazy craving for a savory pasta dish. I’ve been to Stella a few times before, under much different circumstances each time. The first time was with my parents around when it first opened, as my mom had been given a gift certificate there. I remember thinking it was SO chic, so Sex and the City (back when it was still the best show ever, not an awkwardly drawn out movie series). I don’t remember what we ate (shocking! I know.) But I do remember that I was very excited that they featured a cocktail with my favorite beverage ever: Fresca.

The next time, I suggested it to my girlfriends, since I was psyched to show them I had found such a “hidden gem.” I remember I had the honey-glazed salmon that is still on the menu today. For me at the time, the $24 price tag was a lot of money (these were still my Cheesecake Factory days), and I didn't fall head over heels with the dish.

I returned with Z about 6 months ago, late one Friday night as he hadn’t eaten dinner, and it was one of the places I knew had a late night menu. We sat at the bar, as he enjoyed one of the yummiest pizzas I’ve had in awhile (I of course stole some bites). I marveled at all the attractive gay men who kept pouring into the beautiful space.

Sebastian and I returned a few weeks later, but this time, everything seemed a little blurrier, as I enjoyed a few of their delicious dirty martinis. The flamboyant bartender loved when I ordered them.

So back to my pasta dish from this past week. I got the linguini with asparagus cream, truffle, and a poached egg on top ($18). It was spectacularly rich, the exact dish you would want on a night when the snow will not stop falling. We sat at the bar, and the service was spot-on. Water glasses always filled, plates cleared, an attentive but not obnoxious bartender.

As this was an impromptu date night, I didn't have my camera, but here's a blurry photo of my pasta dish:

I swear it was more appetizing looking than this. Check out their website if you don't believe me. Anyway, here's Z's honey-glazed salmon with spaghetti squash:

And he started with some spicy mussels with saffron cream and roasted peppers ($12):

My conclusion about Stella? While it certainly has a fun bar scene, and that pasta dish hit the spot, there's something about it that keeps me from putting it in my "favorites" category. I can't put my finger on it, but while The Franklin makes me want to run around and tell everyone how amazing it is, Stella gets a, "Oh yeah, that place is pretty good," verdict. B+.

Teatro Review

Last Friday night, finally approaching recovery from being sick, my appetite came back with a vengeance. So it was good timing that Maeve, Sky, and I had made plans to go out to dinner. After what seemed like 400 emails of back and forth, trying to figure out where to go, we finally settled on Teatro. Somehow I always forget about this place, even thought it’s by the Mistral group, i.e. from the same amazing people who brought me food-heaven i.e. Sorellina.

We got a reservation quite easily for a Friday night, but when we walked in it was definitely crowded. The scene was perfect for a girls’ night out: the space chic, the atmosphere buzzy. Loud conversations bounced off the vaulted ceiling. It seemed like everyone was out celebrating something or other. Maybe just the end of a long and brutal week.We decided to take advantage of their extensive small plates selection, and just split a lot of dishes. We started with eggplant caponata with parmesan toasts ($4). While this was probably the least exciting sounding dish, I think in retrospect it was my favorite. Tart, complex, yet refreshing, it lit up my taste buds without being heavy or overwhelming. The parmesan toasts were crunchy and the perfect complement to the soft, chewy eggplant.

We also ordered the lemon parmesan arancini ($6) – four perfectly-cooked rice balls with a highly-satisfying crunch upon biting into them. Definitely heavy on the lemon flavor, but I love anything citrus-y, so I enjoyed them.Next up we went for the lamb “osso bucco” with polenta and a red wine reduction (around $9 I think...). This was savory and very comforting. It was like a mini-entrée, and I can’t really imagine ordering this as an appetizer before a substantial meal. But on its own, it was Top Chef-style—one or two bites of strong, intense flavors.We also went for the arugula salad with lemon, olive oil, and parmesan ($14). What a great palate cleanser for all these different tastes we were having, or a perfect beginning to a large meal. The bitter greens were peppery and light, scented in a lovely lemon flavor.
Finally, our waitress recommended the meatballs in marsala and sage ($7.50). While the meatballs themselves weren’t my all-time favorite, I loved the sauce they came in! I couldn’t help but sop it up with the delicious, salted pieces of bread they brought over. It’s the Italian in me.Overrall, I LOVED my experience at Teatro. Great environment, super-central location, delicious food, and the best part? For a glass of wine and all this food, PLUS tip, I ended up paying around $26. What a bargain!

While I now lovingly call Teatro “Sorellina Light”, this restaurant definitely stands on its own.

Trattoria di Monica in the North End

Ann's arrival in the North End occurred around the same time as the snow's. I had made big plans for our Boston weekend together though, and a little (okay, a lot) of snow wasn't going to slow us down! Luckily, living in the North End means you are only steps from cozy restaurants. So I decided to take a gamble on a new spot, Trattoria di Monica. I was sure other North End-ers would be out and about, too. So we even made a reservation.

When we walked in to the restaurant, I realized the reservation was not only unnecessary, it was silly. There was only one other couple in the whole place! I was blown away-- a North End restaurant, on a Friday, at 8:00 p.m., pretty much empty. This snow really was a more intense force than I thought. . .

The restaurant has great decor-- chic, but still has that cozyness of the North End.
Ann started off with some bubbly prosecco; I opted to warm up with a glass of chianti. We both shared a special appetizer for the evening-- a bruschetta with burrata mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic. Trattoria di Monica has a sister store that sells meats and cheeses across the street (Monica's)-- Z and I used their delicious mozzarella for our butternut squash lasagna-- so I had a good feeling about this appetizer.

And boy was my inkling correct. What a decadent starter! Creamy, sweet mozzarella like I've never tasted before. Like clouds from heaven.

The cold and snowy night inspired hearty dishes for our entree choices. I went with the handmade spinach and ricotta gnocchi with a pork ragu ($18) while Ann went with veal stuffed with cheese, wrapped in proscuitto over fettucine ($24). Here's my dish:Both were excellent, and perfect for such a night. Another plus for this restaurant? Very few entrees are more than $20. Which is a lot to say in the North End!

I know where my new "go-to" North End spot will be from now on!