Hungry Mother

Despite continuously hearing the rave reviews of Hungry Mother, for some reason I only got there for the first time a few weekends ago. I wanted to go and be like "Ehh, it's okay..." but Dish Gal cannot tell a lie-- it was outstanding. Let me say it again, for emphasis: Hungry Mother--Barry Maiden's Southern comfort food meets French technique restaurant in Kendall Square-- is OUTSTANDING.

I'm so glad I did wait to go so that I could go with the perfect dining companion-- Dish Brother. Dish Bro knows great food, having spent nearly 20 years eating all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. So, his claim that Hungry Mother was "one of the greatest meals of his life" really holds a LOT of weight.

Dish Bro was also the perfect companion because he's not a "let's just split an appetizer" type dinner guest. When Dish Bro and Sis eat at these kind of restaurants, we're not messing around. I want to taste as much as humanly possible. Thank God we did.

We started with two selections from the "To Tide You Over" section of the menu: the boiled Virgina peanuts ($3) and Allon Benton's Country Ham with angel biscuits and pepper jelly ($4). Who knew peanuts could be so delightful? And the biscuits were ridiculously good, in that how-did-they-do-that!!? way. I've been a fan of pepper jelly since Dish Mom first spread some on a cracker with cream cheese as an after-school snack for me, but I've never seen it utilized in a restaurant-- which seems like a shame. I couldn't get a good photo of this dish, and was too excited about eating it to care.Next we split the mixed greens salad ($8). Now, that sounds like a boring choice, but with kumquats, goat cheese, pecans, and an elegant vinaigrette, it was the farthest you could get from boring. A few weeks later, I was reminiscing on my meal at HM with a food-loving friend of mine, and we both couldn't stop talking about our love of this salad, if that gives you any idea how memorable it is.For our mains, Dish Bro went with their famous cornmeal-crusted catfish with andouille sausage and green tomato relish ($18).I chose the French gnocchi, possibly the fluffiest gnocchi I've ever had. This came in a creamy parmiagano-reggiano sauce with summer squashes, peas, and pancetta.We also split (I told you, we weren't messing around) the baked grits with cheddar and ham ($4). Thank God I had made a dent in my meal before trying this, because I ate one bite and instantly was full. This crazy-rich little pot of heaven is not for the faint of heart-- or those apt to have an actual heart attack.We were too stuffed to have dessert, but perhaps that will be my reason to return to Hungry Mother. Not that I need another reason-- I'm already plotting my return visit. Anyone wanna join? ;)

Sunday Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues

When I originally saw ads for the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, I thought it was a kind of a lame, half-hearted marketing attempt to distinguish their brunch from every other brunch in town. However, when J.Scrib invited me to join her there this weekend, my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to join her—and I’m glad I did, because my initial doubts were allayed.

At first I wondered if anyone would be at this thing—who eats brunch on Landsdowne Street!?—but when I approached the HOB that Sunday morning at 11:30 (when the “first seating” began), passing the Phish trucks unloading at Fenway, I saw a large group of people milling around—not waiting to glimpse Trey Anastasio, but rather to be let into the House of Blues. When we collected our tickets from will-call, a sign read “Gospel Brunch—sold out.” Wow, more people than I thought!

At around 11:40, they started letting people in to the main, venue part of the HOB. The tables were set up “family style” – long tables with white tablecloths—and the food was set up buffet style—long tables, with TONS of food.

We threw our stuff down and headed to said buffet, which was predominantly Southern-style brunch items, with more traditional foods thrown in. As you can see, I pretty much helped myself to everything!!! (Don't judge, it was all for journalistic integrity...hehe)

Clockwise from top left: cinnamon bagel, scrambled eggs, belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, fried chicken, "dirty" rice, cheesy grits, shredded homefries. While the eggs were cold (a common problem at buffet lines), everything else was delicious. I especially loved those homefries!

After eating came some entertainment-- our "spiritual leader" entered through the back of the hall, dramatically playing a trombone to announce his entrance. He goofed around with the little kids there, pretend playing into their ear, standing on tables, etc. He was fun, and I felt a little bit like I was in Disney World. This Disney theme continued throughout the morning/afternoon.On stage, he introduced the band (which of course I'm blanking on the name-- J.Scrib, help me out?!?) a soulful trio singing some gospel tunes.

Before the performance was over, we of course had to stop by the dessert station (I know, more food!?). Clockwise from top left: chocolate croissant, banana bread bread pudding, fresh strawberries and melon.

Now I usually am a sucker for a chocolate croissant, but this banana bread bread pudding was SO, SO good that I barely even touched the croissant! Hands down, best part of the brunch.

For the music side of things, I'm sure J.Scrib will have a more accurate account of the afternoon, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was just good, honest, feel-like-a-kid-again FUN. Our "spiritual leader" had us all clapping along, singing, dancing, and generally "feeling the joy" in the room. This was the closest Dish Gal has been to church in a long time! ;)

I'd definitely recommend the brunch for anyone with kids-- it's definitely a great family affair, good for old and young alike. Little kids danced in the aisles, kids-at-heart sang along.

I would not recommend this brunch if you are "too cool for school." You know who you are...

But really, go for the banana bread bread pudding. Because that's definitely something to praise the Lord about ;)

Tupelo in Inman Square, Cambridge

It's funny that I am writing about Tupelo, a new restaurant in Inman Square, right after I wrote about Clink., because they are such different dining experiences. Dining at Tupelo is almost exactly the opposite of a dining experience at The Liberty: Tupelo is welcoming, cozy, super-reasonably priced, and neighborhood-y. But the two places have one thing in common: awesome food.

Tupelo, named after Elvis's birthplace (they even played some Elvis tunes while we were there), serves Southern comfort food in an unfussy, yet cute dining room. Our waitress brought over sliced bread and pimento cheese spread to start us off- a tart and yummy way to start the meal.
(After everyone had cleared out of the dining room-- I always feel weird taking photos with people in them!)

We ordered a special to share as an appetizer- the fried grits ("So it's healthy, right?" - Dish Dad, to waitress), which were like less crunchy tater tots. I LOVED that our waitress also brought over a bottle of Frank's Red Hot to accompany them. These little pillowy bites were dangerously delicious.For my main meal, I went with the BBQ chicken ($14)- so un-Dish Gal like, I know! But I couldn't resist the description of the Bourbon-BBQ sauce, and the accompaniment of cheddar grits and sweet onions (with an awesome surprise of cornbread, too!). I loved the lime garnish, too.In general, I shy away from foods labeled "comfort food" for fear of that feeling afterwards, like there is a cannonball in your stomach. But I LOVED how Tupelo countered heavier fare (grits) with lighter fare (a tossed salad). It was Southern, but with an elegant- yet not pretentious-twist.

Dish Mom & Dad both got the daube of beef ($15)-- beef braised in red wine with hominy mashed potatoes, slow cooked greens, and Creole horseradish cream. This was luscious, each bite more comforting than the next. And love the meat + horseradish combo.
Finally, I forced the rents to order dessert-- brown butter pecan pie with Toscanini's special Tupelo honey ice cream ($7). But boy were they glad I suggested this! This was AWESOME, so much better than any pecan pie I've ever tasted. You actually tasted the nuts instead of the usual overly sugary and processed taste of other pies. And with the honey ice cream? To die for.(Aaaand now I'm drooling at my computer.)

I must also mention our awesome server, Mona. She rocked! She was so helpful in our choices, was genuine in her recommendations, and even went along with Dish Dad's teasing.

All in all, I highly recommend Tupelo. It's definitely earning a "favorites" tag, and is more than Dish Gal-approved. Get over there before it's impossible to get a table-- and with entrees not exceeding $15, that will be very soon!