Pork Chops & Chicken

Bon Beer Boat Cruise Day 1: Amsterdam 10/22/11

 

 

This day didn't start out too well for old Todd and I. Hungover in the worst possible way, stiff back from passing out on the floor the night before. But we had to get our stuff packed and head down to the docks where our barge was parked. We do our best to meet Europeans on time. After spending time with Germans, it's something we have come to understand well. There is no 5 minutes late. You are on time or you are rude! We got there with time to spare.

Saying barge sounds like it wasn't a nice boat. This wasn't the case. It was a very nice boat with more than accommodating cabins for us travelers. Had our own rooms, bathrooms and showers. The crew was awesome. They stocked the fridges with the kinds of beers they thought we would like and they prepared home cooked meals for us every day. Breakfast was a typical European spread of meats, yogurts, breads, cereals, juice, coffee, and tea. We were rarely on the boat for lunch, but dinners on the boat were awesome! They even prepared a few of their own special beer dinners for us with the food being specially paired to the beers. We couldn't have asked for a better crew. Our only complaint on the tour was that we actually didn't spend more time on the boat. I would have liked to have hung out with the crew late at night too and talked to them for a while during our down time.

So, we dropped our things off got settled in, and then headed off to Langendijk eetcafe. The gang went on a brewery tour and many many beer samples were had. Along the walls inside, is a massive collection of bottles. This one that looked like an Aunt Jemima Syrup bottle caught my eye.

 

We met up with Ron Pattinson and had a few drinks with him where he bestowed upon us a very rare beer. After that we walked back to the boat for our first dinner.

 

 

Dinner: Salad with boiled egg, oven potatoes with mixed veg and curried pineapple chicken.

Dessert: Strawberry fool.

 

 

Very easy day, a few others walked around the city some more. We took it easy and had a night cap in our cabin. Night cap provided by the pervious hotel we stayed at. They told us to do it too. Strangest thing, they thought we waited to long to check in. And because some loser was hassling the front desk trying to wiggle out of half of his hotel bills in front of us, the hotel decided to upgrade us to a huge suite. And naturally I spent the night on the floor! They told us everything was complimentary and to please feel free to take the minibar contents. I have never had that happen before, but I did it anyway. Proved useful at night on the boat.

 

Beer Cruise Day One: Pre-Festivities in Amsterdam 10/21/11

 

I really had no idea what to expect. We took off from Boston heading to Frankfurt, Germany for a quick layover on our way to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is where we begun our epic beer and boat cruise set up by Mike and Ruth Berman of Bon Beer Voyage. This journey would take us from Amsterdam to Bruge via a barge. I have never done any tourist group traveling before. Well, there was one time I did a beer writers trip to Bavaria, but that was so much work. Seven days worth of traveling and it felt like a month's worth. We were a little skeptical that this might turn out to be the same kind of deal with a lot of work to be done and little time for soaking it all in. That was so not the case. 

I think the best way to approach these posts is to do it one day at a time. I used my iPhone for everything. Some pictures came out great and some came out a little blurry. But overall you will get the gist of this trip. It was pretty damn amazing. This is what happened to us for a day or pregaming before the boat cruise.

BeerAdvocate Presents: Things We Love Summer Of Beer @ Toro 8/29/11

 

 

And last but certainly not least, the final Things We Love Summer Of Beer dinner hosted by Toro. 

 

This is how all beer dinners should be hosted. This dinner was quite possibly the best beer dinner we have ever hosted. Toro not only brought it, but they have set a bar that all restaurants should strive to follow or achieve for any beer dinner being hosted. 

Jen Fields, the GM and I got together and sorted out a plan to host the final Things We Love Dinner for the summer. We wanted to go big on this dinner. Price was not an object and the size was to be very limited. I am not going to lie, it was once of our more pricey beer dinners. But once you see what it entailed, it was well worth it. If you have never been into Toro before, it's a very quaint and small restaurant. They have two large high tops in the center of the restaurant and we put them together for a limited 20 person engagement. We wanted it to be exactly what the restaurant is, super casual and super chill with some of the best food in the city being served to you. Again following the mantra of Things We Love, we chose beers and ciders that the everyone in the restaurant agreed on, and Sous Chef Mike Smith, created a wonderful menu to compliment the choices. 

In my evil mind, I wanted people to feel sorry for themselves if they missed this dinner. I wanted them to feel bad about not jumping all over this opportunity. Toro is not only one of the best restaurants in Boston, but they treated this beer dinner so well, you should feel sorry for yourself if you missed it. And let it be a warning to you to never miss a beer event at Toro ever again. 

I don't want to spend too much time hyping this up. I want to get right into this recap and waste no time getting to the glorious food. 

 

 

Welcoming:

Bud Light Lime Margarita with tequila, elderflower, grapefruit, and lime.

B.L.L tempura rock shrimp with lime salt, shrimp mayo, and charred jalapenos. 

 

 

I don't need to get into the controversy that we stirred up by backing Toro's decision to use BLL in a swanky beer dinner. I already did that in way too much detail here. We did it to be cheeky on purpose. We did it because it was a pricey dinner and we were there to have fun.

Needless to say, this is was an awesome choice. The BLL margarita was delicious. The rock shrimp and shrimp mayo were wonderful with slightly spicy charred jalapenos, nice crisp but light batter and creamy mayo. It was on both plate and in drink, sweet and tangy flavors.  

 

 

First Course: Cheese, Charcuterie, Condiments

Beer: Oude Geuze Vielle, 6% (Belgium) 

         Isastegi Cidra (Spain)

 

 

 

So much going on here. What we did for this course was highlight the comparison of a Belgian Geuze to this terrific Spanish cider Toro carries that drinks just like a sour ale or a geuze. We were really surprised at how much the cider was like a gueze and how terrific it was. We wanted beer geeks to know that something like this existed. 

When Jen mentioned cheeses and charcuterie for this course, I immediately agreed knowing how acids and sour beers are perfect for cheeses and fatty meats. What I didn't know was that huge trays of meat and cheese would be coming out in bulk portions. Each one of the cheese and meat boards was served to every four people at the table family-style. We had agreed that family-style was the best way to serve this dinner. We have been big fans of this since the Journeyman dinner. But this was impressive.

Now, you will have to forgive me because I did not write down every cheese or bit or charcuterie. There was so much going on with both plates. But I encourage you to click on each picture and enlarge them to see the details on the boards. I was most impressed with the crab apple butter on the meat board. The little pink dollop in the center of the board. It was a well rounded condiment for all the meats. So fun to explore and try the different condiments. 

BeerAdvocate Presents: Things We Love Summer Of Beer @ Aquitaine 8/8/11

This post has been a long time coming. In a way I am kind of glad I waited to post about this dinner. It was over the summer time and with this colder fall season already in full swing, why not revisit a warm period of time with fun summery foods? Let's try to imagine full green trees, open windows, warm temperatures, and this fun summer event. 

Aquitaine is very fun and very well respected bistro in the South End of Boston. Alexis Kimler-Gelburd, the general manager decided it would be a fun idea to expect our offer to partner up for our summer beer dinner series that took place at fine restaurants all over the city, all summer long. 

Although Aquitaine is a wine bar, they love beer too. Their experience bartenders were excited for this dinner as well Chef matt who helped sculpt this delicious menu for us. 

Aquitaine serves one of Todd's favorite burgers in the city. A few BA power meetings have taken place over a beer and a burger at Aquitaine. Not to mention regular dinner service at Aquitaine is insanely good. You can see the proof here. 

Meeting Alexis and realizing how cool she is and how interested she was in hosting a beer event with us, we decided it was a perfect place to host a Summer of Beer Dinner. As some of you know, we stopped hosting themed beer dinners. No more working with rigid guidelines or themes, no one brewer to be featured, just a glimpse of what is seasonal, fresh, and what we love at that moment by way of beer and food. 

**Please forgive the image quality. I left the house without my Nikon and captured the dinner withiPhone images. 

 

Welcoming: Penn Weizen Cocktail

Aquitaine's version of a summer French Shandy. Made with Pennsylvania Brewing Co. Penn Weizen and St. Germain. (Yes, it's in a BBC glass. I will explain later in the post.)

 

 

  

First Course: Island Creek Oysters Two Ways

Malt Beer Batter + Raw With High Life Mignonette

Beer: Narragansett Summer Ale

 

Wonderful fresh Island Creek Oysters nicely fried with a good malt batter. Sweet and perfectly paired with the Summer Ale. The fresh oyster and it's sweet and tangy High Life mignonette was another way the beer balanced. Its vinegary tangy with the creamy texture of the oyster gave the beer a creamy yet fresh and effervescent quality. Oysters and this Summer Ale were made for each other. 

 

 

 

Second Course: Pretzel Crusted Hake

Endive Marmalade and Coriander with a mustard broth. 

Beer: Great Divide Colette Farmhouse Ale

 

Huge portion of fish with this course. Amazing flavors with the mustard broth and pretzel crust. Gorgeous, juicy fresh Hake. And of course a beautiful farmhouse ale from Great Divide. Cloudy, sweet, yeasty and spicy ale that worked well with the fish and coriander that tied it all together. We were all taken back a bit with the size of this course. Aquitaine was not stingy with the food or beer pours. This did mean we were in trouble for the next few courses though. Wide eyes for the rest of the dinner. 

 

 

 

 

Third Course: Boudin Blanc Corn Dog

Corn and pepper relish. 

Beer: Maine Beer Co. Peeper Ale

 

Although this picture may not reflect the size of this Boudin Blanc sausage, it was huge! House-madesausage and battered and deep fried like classic summer carnival fair. Fresh corn and pepper cool relish and Peeper Ale. The Peeper is an unfiltered hoppy pale ale with a little more gusto than a typical pale ale. Full bodied and very hoppy, just what the fatty corn dog needed and a little tanginess and fresh sweet corn to help with some added depth and flavors. This course may not seem like was all that or perhaps lackluster due to the images, but let me assure this was a massive course and perfectly fitting for a summer meal.

Chef Matt really liked stepping outside of the fancy box for a minute to create something fun. Poor Alexis had no idea where to get the red baskets they were served in. It is a French bistro after all, but it sure was fun stepping outside of the box. The diners seemed to really enjoy this course as well. Beer dinners do not need to be stuffy. 

 

 

 

Fourth Course: Cherry BBQ Brisket

Kohlrabi Slaw and Fingerling Salad.

Beer: Cisco Brewing Co. Cherry Woods

 

Obviously this was one I had a hand in choosing based on the beer. I have used Cherry Woods before andPechish Woods at the Journeyman Summer Of Beer dinner. I love this beer and we were fortunate enough to get some of the last bottles of it. Cherry Woods is a lightly sour ale with a huge Cherry Pie filling aroma and beautiful cherry taste. That color is gorgeous too. Chef Matt made some glorious brisket with a cherry bbq sauce and light summer picnic sides to go with it. The acids in the sour Cherry Woods and the fatty brisket were made for each other. 

This was another course that the pictures are not doing it justice. It's brisket, man! It was delicious and a nice curveball to the diners with a lightly sour ale for the main course. 

 

 

Dessert: Frozen Boilermaker

Irish Whiskey Ice Cream with a malt caramel swirl.

Beer: Berkshire Brewing Co. Drayman's Porter

 

This was an Alexis course. She is from the Berkshires and loves BBC beers. She keeps them on the menu at Aquitaine. Her favorite beer and a perfect way to end the night. Their take on a beer float but going the extra mile with a delicious house-made ice cream. A lot of the people in attendance at this dinner were not BeerAdvocate's. We like it when this happens because things like a beer float really blow some minds. It's very simple and very easy to make and yet it seems to make a good statement every time. We love that Aquitaine really hooked this up too with the Irish Whiskey ice cream. The boozy sweet cream and the dry roasted porter added enough contrast to actually bring out the ice creams rich flavors and the deep rich and dry flavors of the porter. 

 

One thing to note about this dinner was the speed in which everything was presented. The dinner began at 7pm and we were done by 9 or 9:30. We were not rushed by any means, but this was a beer dinner that just flowed nicely. Often times you end up with weird lag time between courses. Sometimes it can't be helped with the size of certain kitchens. But this dinner flowed with ease. 

The portions of this dinner were big and the size of the beer pours were full. One thing people hate about beer dinners is high price tags and stingy portions. Aquitaine did not hold back and they made sure we all need wheelbarrows to take ourselves home with.

A fantastic dinner. Aquitaine really rose to the occasion with this beer dinner. I hope you were all able to get the gist of this dinner with my iPhone pics. It was such a good time. 

 

The Beer Cocktail Controversy

 

 

On Monday, we hosted our final dinner in the summer series, Things We Love Summer of Beer at Toro restaurant in the South End of Boston. Things We Love is a beer dinner concept that was designed to shed beer dinner images. No longer do we work with one sole brewer and only their profile. We work with what we love at that moment and what we love to eat, fresh and seasonal. The idea is to gain a better inclusion of the restaurant staff, and a better idea of the restaurant itself. So many times, people leave beer dinners talking only about the terrific beer they just had. We want people walking out of our events thinking in new ways about beer and food together.

We wanted to shed themes and concepts to elevate the beer novices and foodies, and also bring down the beer nerd who demands the finest foods, rarest beers, but won't pay more than $45. The idea is to have fun and not work with impossible people or parameters. These our dinners, our favorites and our idea of fun. This can also include a wine pairing with the dinner, a battle of beer versus something, a beer cocktail... No limits anymore, but one rule, the main focus is the beer. You are being welcomed to sit at OUR table. To add any restrictions or rules about how it should be done changes the concept completely.

When I sat down with Jen Fields, the General Manager at Toro, we talked about our past histories in the restaurant world of Boston. Jen and I both used to work a crummy, yet popular hipster dive bar in Cambridge. We know our bartenders in this town. Boston has become quite the town for craft cocktails and craft beer. One thing that has never changed, is the need for cheap beer and shots of bourbon or fernet after a long day.

At Toro, head chef Jamie Bissonnette loves Bud Light Lime. So does a lot of the kitchen staff. If you are a beer nerd, this is probably cringe worthy to you. But this is burden of true Beer Advocate. It's not our place to tell anyone who they are or what they can and can't drink. It is a beer in their hands after all.  It's obvious we advocate for better beer and will always do so, but the hardened beer geek must realize we are BeerAdvocate and not Craft Beer Advocate. This doesn't mean that we are in the pockets of Budweiser because we don't shamelessly rip them apart every chance we get. The arguments against them are stale, old and tired and no one is really saying anything new about the big bad beast that is Anheuser-Busch. Having said that, we would still defend and support a craft brewer long before the corporate beasts if problems arise. And at the end of a hard day in a hot kitchen, you want slamming back beers. And if BLL is their choice, so be it. They have earned the right to drink whatever they fancy.

When I sat down with Jen to discuss the menu for our beer dinner, I asked her what is everyone in here drinking right now, what do they love right now. And she mentioned Jamie's BLL affinity. This made sense to me, because at his other restaurant Coppa, also in the South End, he features awesome Shandy's on his cocktail list using stouts and 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. It's called the Merman, with the wheat beer, and it's delicious and hilarious with the name proving there is a time and a place for every beer. Beer cocktails are fantastic. We even featured a French Shandy at the Aquitaine TWL dinner.

We got a consensus of what everyone wanted to drink. And Jen thought it would be funny and awesome to make Bud Light Lime Margarita as a welcoming drink since we told her that we LOVE beer cocktails and that they should feature one. She thought this would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone. Get Jamie's choice in there, make a beer cocktail, and be completely cheeky about it without having any pretensions at this dinner. One, Toro makes slamming cocktails with Andy McNees behind the bar. It's only right to have something fun. Jen, was also a bartender in this town and knows how to make a good drink, this was all her idea. Two, it's in line with our idea of featuring what we love with beer cocktails. Three, we made it into a cocktail and enhanced it.

 

 

Bud Light Lime Margarita; tequila, elderflower liquor, grapefruit and lime, with lime salt. We paired it with tempura rock shrimp that used BLL in the batter, lime salt again, shrimp mayo and charred jalapenos.

One person saw the dinner being advertised on their blackboard, and asked how much Bud was paying us and the restaurant to use their beer. Another person, a member of our website, actually turned it away at the dinner. Rude and silly if you ask me, but then again I tell no one who they are and what they can and can't like. Not to mention random tweets from judmental dickheads who weren't even there to to try it, but saw Todd's tweets about it. I find it ridiculous, all the kerfuffle one beer cocktail has spurned. Not to mention it tasted fantastic, made the beer quite enjoyable, and worked amazingly well with the pairing. His loss, not mine.

We are not in Anheuser-Busch's pockets, it's ridiculous to even have to say that. We have not, nor have we ever or will ever, sell out to AB. It was Jen's idea to highlight one of the most respected Chef's in Boston, Jamie Bissonnett's favorite, as well the the staff favorite. For the love of fuck it wasn't a big deal, but it had enough people's panties in a bunch that I felt like I had to say something about it.

The dinner was a huge success. We had so much food and beers, it was well worth it. And the next time we do a dinner like this or a tasting social, I will have no problem featuring a macro product if the timing and idea behind it, is right.

Once we, hosted an Aztec-themed beer dinner at Upstairs on the Square. We featured and incredible ceviche on a bed of avocado with Negra Modelo. There was an historic aspect to the beer, the style, and it worked out so well. In a Russian-themed beer dinner, Budweiser, sent me Bud made in Russia for the dinner. You see, beer is the number two drink in Russia behind tea. And Budweiser did this for us with no questions asked, no favors exchanged. It tasted very different from our Budweiser and it was really good and more malty. It was paired with corn belini's, boiled eggs, caviar, and creme fraiche. It was amazing to be honest. And you'd never know if you had such a deep snobbery, it prevented you from being adventurous.

I am not asking anyone to roll the way we do. You can do whatever you like, pair how ever you see fit. But we're having mad fun and keeping it real with what our friends and restaurants we like. When you see the pictures from the dinner, which I will blog about very soon, you will be jealous you missed an event like this. Hang your heads in shame if one light hearted beer cocktail prevented you from coming to this dinner.

Edited: I forgot to mention how when we started Things We Love with Hungry Mother in Cambridge, we featured a battle of the cheap beers at that dinner. 10 courses and one was a fried chicken course served in a paper basket with watermelon and cole slaw. We featured their shitty beer of choice which was Genny Cream Ale vs. our choice of Narragansett. We served it in paper cups to be cheeky that an upscale southern restaurant could stay true to it's down and dirty roots. Everyone had so much fun popping open the cans and hearing the simultaneous cracking from the cans. It was awesome, Narragansett won, and a whole room full of diners had fun. All done with "shitty" beers.

We also did our second TWL with Hungry Mother for a Valentine's day, and that time we featured a beer cocktail with Miller High Life. We had 40's of HL on the bar and made and awesome cocktail with Vida Mezcal, grapefruit 'concentrate,' beer syrup, Miller High Life, salt. It was awesome.

No one complained once during those dinners that cheap macro beers were being used. They served a purpose and ended being awesome and people loved it. They were fun, they tasted good, and they fit with our theme of having fun the way we like it.

Dinner @ Aquitaine Boston

 

[Image via Bosguy.blogspot.com]

 

After talking to the awesome staff at Aquitaine for a small Q&A and tasting with beer, Todd and I stayed for dinner. We were invited to do a small tasting and talk to the staff about beer to help answer any questions the staff had in preparation for the Things We Love Summer Of Beer dinner series being hosted at Aquitaine. Life is so hard drinking beer and talking about it with awesome people. We worked up quite an appetite.

** I chose this image in doing a search for Aquitaine's logo. This is an awesome picture due to the fact that not only does Aquitaine support the community in the South End of Boston, but because that flag is still up.

 

Appetizers:

Summer corn and clam chowder.

Rich and divine summer corn chowder with fresh locally sourced corn and clams. Fantastic and filling. Good balance of cream and wine. And as you can see, meaty clams.

 

Toro and Coppa, Boston

            

Visiting with Toro recently, it was my first time eating there. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get over there. We're working with Toro on an upcoming beer dinner. This was organized between me and Jen Fields, the general manager. We're old pals in the restaurant industry from back in the Charlie's Kitchen days. Awesome chick who loves beer and asked us to come in, try the food, and hopefully do a beer dinner with them. I contacted her later on with an idea I had about filling the summer with a series of beer dinners hosted all over the city.

BeerAdvocate presents Things We Love: Summer of Beer @ Toro

So, now that it is happening, time to put the food to the test. These are Ken Oringer restaurants, so we knew they would be phenomenal. But what we didn't know, was just how laid back and cool these places are. So relaxed and inviting, you could just hang out there all day drinking and eating small plates.

We stopped by Toro last week for a quick bite to eat first. Please forgive my iPhone pics in a dark restaurant.

Coppa (pigs neck charcuterie) and house made liverwurst. Locally sourced meats with head-to-tail philosophy.

 

That coppa tasted so amazing. And the liverwurst was super fresh and delicious. Simple foods, no fluff to to them, but insanely delicious.

 

Pork wrapped dates stuffed with Marcona almonds and salt cod fritters with fried lemon peel and squid ink aoili.

 

 

Braised short rib and Spanish-style grilled corn elote with garlic aoili and cheese and lime.

 

The dates seem simple, bacon wrapped dates is not entirely original but it's the quality of the pork and dates. Not to mention Marcona almonds. It's the perfect bite. The salt cod fritters were excellent. I love salt cod. The lemon peel looks like an onion ring. It ads the right amount of lemon and sweetness of all tings, from the rind once it's been fried. The squid ink aoili was nice, but a little bit much. I only say that because I am a hot mess and end up wearing it versus eating it. I escaped this time time, but my table wasn't so lucky.

Short ribs are one my favorite things on Earth. If you can nail that knife-not-required softness of the meat, then you are winning. This is was super rich and flavorful. It was also a nice sized portion of meat rather than a huge hulking piece. You don't need massive portions in a restaurant like this. Especially with the corn!

Aye aye aye! That corn was amazing. Super garlicky, zesty, and fattening with all that aoili and cheese on top. It was so amazing, and my stupid iPhone just didn't do it any justice by way of pictures. Pair this corn with their Spanish cider that drinks exactly like a sour lambic or gueze and you have an unbelievable combo.

 

Two days later, we headed back to Toro for lunch and power meeting about the upcoming beer dinner. More coppa, more dates, and now a chicken sandwich and white bean gazpacho.

Milanesa Bocadillo: Fried chicken sandwich with Oaxaca cheese, avocados, chipotle mayo, and refried black beans.

Chilled white bean puree with lots of garlic, cumin, and olive oil, sprinkled with some edible flowers.

 

 

Later that day, we stopped by Coppa for a quick drink. we had time to kill before meeting some fellow chocolate lovers for a drink at Max Brenner. But before that we must go back.

Two days before we had dinner at Toro. We were then told to go to Eastern Standard for Jamie Bissonnette's birthday drunk-a-thon. I call it that now because that's what happened to every single one of us who attended this. I brought Todd to come meet Jamie, thinking these two would get along famously since they are both homegrown Boston punks who are the top of their games professionally. Turns out they already knew each other from a long time ago. This is where the trouble began though. Catching up on old times and slamming back expensive shots of bourbon and Narragansett's, Todd and Jamie got tanked. Jamie was walked out by two friends and left speaking a whole other language and Todd left speaking his famed Toddinese. That's an unintelligible form of drunk speak, Blurb, glarg, nahhhhrrrrr, that I have to try and decipher while putting his ass in a cab.

The Toro people just laughed at us when we came in. But when we went into Coppa, Jamie looked like he was still hurting. So this is how he paid us back. "Oh you guys just had a bit of lunch at Toro? You're kind of full? Well, here's some whipped lardo, and some summer pasta. Load up kids, you don't want that going to waste." Damn you, Jamie! Damn you!

 

First thing's first. Walking down to Coppa, we ran into our buddy Phil, who works at the South End Formaggio Kitchen. SEFK is directly across from Coppa. He told us to swing down and get a Merman. A summer Italian-style shandy with Hell or High Watermelon wheat from 21st. Amendment. It's all about the glass and this quote from Zoolander:

Larry Zoolander: I just thank the Lord she didn't live to see her son as a mermaid. Derek Zoolander : Mer-man! [high-pitched cough]  Mer-man!

 

 

Testa, pig's head terrine with tomato tapenade. Baccala, salt cod crostini.

 

Effing fantastic. Look at all that fish on the salt cod crostini. And best of all it's pretty cheap. Both at Toro and Coppa, everything was reasonably priced. These two small plates could have easily gone for $15 or higher. And it's so good people would pay it.

 

"Hey guys, thanks for getting me so wasted at ES, have a little Whipped Lardo. I will be back in the kitchen while your heart begins to beat slower and gets clogged."

Whipped Lardo with pickled gooseberries and Coda di maiale, wood oven-roasted pigs tails with mostarda glaze.

 

Yummy, greasy, sweet, fatty, salty pigs tails. Pick them up and eat them with your hands. Deliciousness in all ways. That whipped lardo though, this is what the restaurant refers to as "meat butter." It's whipped up pork fat and balanced with a tart, vinegary, pickled gooseberries and served with rosemary crostinis. We may have thought Jamie wanted to kill us, but then we tasted it and we fully understand how delicious it really was even if we did begin to feel our hearts beating at a much slower pace.

And then as if our pant buttons weren't about to pop off at any second, this gets sent our way. Maybe he really did want to kill us. Death by expanded bellies... i.e. Big Trouble in Little China.

Oricchiette con Verdure, house made pasta with blistered cherry tomatoes, zucchini, escarole, and garum.

For me, this was all about the garum and the zucchini. Garum is a fish sauce or condiment used to flavor dishes like this. Such a simple, yet so rich and such a hugely flavorful dish. I am in love with it.

 

Todd and I both, can't believe it took us this long to venture over to these two awesome places, but now they won't be able to get rid of us. And the upcoming beer dinner at Toro is going to be EPIC!!! Spanish food and beer. It doesn't get any better than that.

 

BeerAdvocate Presents Things We Love: Summer of Beer @ Journeyman 6/13/11

 

 

Journeyman in Union Sq. Somerville, helped kick off BeerAdvocate's "Things We Love: Summer Of Beer beer dinner series being hosted through out Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville all summer long.

What an epic dinner to kick things off. Working with Meg Grady-Troia was an absolute joy. Her excitement and love of beer was clearly evident. They were just as excited to work with us as we were to work with them.

Chef's Diana Kudjarova and Tsi Wei Lim really came through for this dinner too with some excellent pairings. The food worked so well with the beers. This dinner was all about comfort foods. Rich, delicious, and remarkably simple dishes.

 

 

 

 

Pork Skin Cracklings for the table.

 

 

First Course: White gazpacho, spring greens, and ricotta cheese.

Beer: Sixpoint Brewery "Sweet Action" 5.2% abv

 

 

The cream ale and the creamy cool soup. Delicious peas and pea tendrils with a ricotta cheese foam. Just the right balance.There was quite a lot going on with this course, not only was the ale creamy and delicious but the soup also had a lovely lemony flavor to it. Fresh earthy greens and sweet pes with the malty beer were wonderful together.

 

 

Second Course: Pig's Head Torchon with condiments and white beans.

Beer: Russian River "Pliny the Elder" 8% abv, and Stone Brewing Co. "Ruination" 7.7% abv.

 

 

Oh delicious course, how I loved thee. A special treat sent courtesy of Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing co. A special favor asked for and received just to make this beer dinner that much more epic. We pitted against some very fresh Ruination from Stone Brewing co. Quite a battle indeed since the Pliny was sent to us the day it was bottled. 10 days old and amazing!

We called this our fatty course. Fats verses hops. Alpha acids in super hopped Double IPA's and grapefruit flavors of the Pliny with slightly stickier malts on the Ruination verses fatty pigs head torchon and white beans. The condiments were a spicy celery salad, kimchi mayonnaise, and a divine miso-butterscotch paste.

To be honest, as epic as the torchon was, the best flavors for the pairing were the Pliny and the white beans. The cleaner, more crisp flavors of the plny and the delicate flavors of the beans were a match made in heaven, while the sweeter and maltier Ruination was better with the spicier kimchi and spicy celery. They both worked well with the miso-butterscotch paste.

 

Third Course: Fried blue fish with allium and potato.

Beer: Cisco "Pechish Woods" 4.9%

 

 

Fats versus acids again. Lovely fatty blue fish with a lightly tart, wild peach ale. Allium is the proper name for the onion genus. It's fancy for spring onions in this case. The sweet onion flavors added the right balance for the lightly tart peach ale, and the salty, fatty blue fish.

The real winner on this plate though, was not the fish, not the beer, not the onions. It was the potatoes. Thin mandolin sliced potatoes, layered and cooked in lard. Yes, lard! Crispy cooked, soaked in delicious lard. It tasted like scalloped potatoes.They look like potato chunks on the plate, but they are sliced out of a pan like a lasagne and layered.

The Pechish Woods is exactly how I like sour beers. Lightly funky, lightly sour. I know most beer nerds want the harsh sour and super funky beers, but that is not enjoyable to me. I don't enjoy having my throat burned out by super tart acid in sour beers. I don't enjoy beers so infected with funk, that one sip makes you bloated to the point you look like the guy who blew up in Big Trouble in Little China.

No, this beer is perfect for me. Like the Cherry Woods, it's lightly effervescent, and flavored just beautifully. The tart was just strong enough to work through the fats, and just smooth enough to feel like you have had your throat ripped out by Patrick Swazye on Road House.

 

Fourth Course: Beef Wellington with curry and braised greens.

Beer: Pretty Things "December 6, 1855 East India Porter" 6% abv

 

 

 
 

Fantastic family-style Beef Wellington with Chinese 5 spice, curried potatoes, braised greens, and rice. A nice fusion of English and Indian that compliments the style of the thick beer, East India Porter from Pretty Things. A recipe for an English porter recreated by Dann Paquette, emulating the style of English beers being drunk in India in the 1800's.

This beer was a lot more full than I had remembered from the first time I tried it. It went perfectly with the curried potatoes and the rich meat inside the Wellington. The braised greens added a good layer of earthiness and the rice tied everything together. The beer had rich coffee notes, and roasted malts and just the right amount of bitterness.Rich, hearty, filling, and completely satisfying.

And if this wasn't enough to send us all over the edge, dessert comes out.

 

Dessert: Treacle Tart and Shoofly Pie with Elderflower Whipped Cream

Beer: Schlenkerla "Helles", 4.3 abv

 

 

 

 

These may not look like the fanciest of desserts, but they didn't need to look fancy with the way they tasted. Treacle tart is a basic short crust with a lemon juice, golden syrup (treacle), lots of butter and bread crumbs. It's like a pecan pie in a way, but with all butter. It was so rich and divine. A very classic English dessert.

Shoofly pie is classic Dutch-Amish, American classic pie made of molasses and brown sugar. Again, super rich, filling, and so delicious. Paired with the Helles, a smoked lager beer from Germany, the house favorite of Journeyman, the smokey flavors that taste like bacon with the warm molasses and warm buttery treacle were just a miracle of a food combination. The crisp lager cut through the richness while the smokiness played with the butters and sweet flavors of the pie and tart. Unbelievable finish to an amazing dinner.

 

And just to make sure we were fully pushed over the edge, macaroons filled with black treacle ice cream.

 

 

And that's how Journeyman rolls. Things We Love was quite a success. Full bellies and big smiles on everyone's face as the left.

 

It's taken me a while to put this post together getting sidetracked with other projects. I think it was a good thing that I waited. Journeyman recently suffered an unfortunate accident with a vehicle that crashed into the front of their building causing the restaurant to close while they fixed the structural damage. Now they that they are open again, this post is exactly what you need to see to whet the appetite and drag your butts over there to support an amazing local gem. They will not disappoint you.

Tomato Pie

 

 

Fellow food blogger Claudia Lamascolo of the blog What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine, once posted on her Facebook page, a simple picture of a take-out tomato pie. A classic New York, and New Jersey style pizza with Sicilian roots.

She later whipped up her own version here.

Having everything here that I needed to make this pie, I decided to give it a try. I had the herbs and tomatoes and a little bit of Parmesan and Romano cheese for it as well.

Most tomato pie recipes show only tomato sauce pizzas. I wanted to make mine a bit heartier. I don't know how traditional this makes my pie or not, but it ended up being wonderful. Sicilian sauce pie verses covered pie.

 

Crust:

Linda Larsen's Thick Pizza Crust

This has been my go-to pizza crust recipe forever now. I love it. It's simple, and it works really well especially for recipes like this that call for a thick, foccacia like pizza crust.

• 2 pkgs. active dry yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup warm water

In large bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and warm water in a bowl and mix well. Cover and place in warm, draft-free place; let rise for 30 minutes. Stir down batter. Add 2 cups flour, salt, and 1 cup warm water and beat well. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn down onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and roll to 16" round. Place in greased 14" round deep dish pizza pan and form a raised edge. Let dough rise for 30 minutes. Then top with desired toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes until crust is deep golden brown.

**I used a 10.5 X 15.5 jelly roll pan. You will have some left over dough which I will show you what I did with mine later on.

 

Toppings:

8-10 tomatoes (4 or 5 plum tomatoes and 4 or 5 medium sized beefsteak tomatoes)
1/3 to 1/2 jar of seasoned tomato/pasta sauce
4 or 5 cloves freshly minced garlic
Dried Italian seasonings
Fresh Basil
Grated Romano
Grated Parmsean

 

Slice each tomato thinly to be used as a row of tomatoes on your pie. Cover the raised dough with a genrous layer of tomato sauce. Then spinkle a light amount of the dried Italian herbs all over the tomato sauce. Next take the minced garlic and distribute evenly over the herbs and tomato sauce.

Now take one of the sliced beefsteak tomatoes and layer it on top of the sauce, herbs, and garlic. Layer it along the short side of the jelly roll pan. Then take one of the plum tomatoes and layer it slightly on top of the beefsteak tomatoes forming your next row. Continue the pattern all the way down.

 

Take the fresh basil and rip them into small spices and toss over the top of the layered tomatoes. You can roll the leaves and dice it too if you prefer. Sprinkle more Italian herbs on top. And then sprinkle a light amount of the Parmsean and Romano on top.

Bake according to the pizza crust directions. 25-30 minutes. Slice in squares and serve. Can be served cold the next day as leftovers and it's still awesome.

 

 

For that left over bit of dough, I made pizza pot pies. I copied this idea from the famous Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. I have been fascinated with this idea of baking a pizza backwards and serving it up really simply in a bread bowl crust. So I had enough dough to try it and a couple of medium sized ramekins or souffle dishes just perfect for this idea. It was real simple to be honest and it tasted amazing. With cheese pizza, the only difference would be stacking cheese at the bottom and then building your pizza backwards with sauce on top and then the dough. I believe you would want to used sliced cheese and not shredded cheese.

Form a thick round and cover the top of your ramekin. Make sure there is enough dough for a 1 inch lip or so to hang over the sides. Press the dough tightly around the sides but make sure it's not indented with finger lines. Place on a baking sheet and stick in the oven. When the they are done baking (same amount of time and temp as the pizza) let them cool for about 2-5 minutes and then using a knife, edge it around the dough and the ramekin to loosen it up. Flip it over on a plate and remove the ramekin. It should all fall out into the crust bowl. Viola! Pizza Pot Pie.

 

 

Make sure you drink a nice fresh Czech Pilsner with this pizza. Tomatoes and pilsners are made for each other.

 

 

Journeyman ~ Wine Stains: Highs & Lows with Mr. Hill 04-25-11

 

 

A financier, a Chocolate Advocate, an opera singer, a doctor, and a BeerAdvocate walk into a restaurant.....

 

Seth Hill, the beverage director for Journeyman in Union Sq. Somerville, Ma., invited us to a small wine tasting on a quite little Monday evening. Me being a wine lover, I was absolutely interested in going. Dragging Todd out to expland his horizons on wine a bit, wasn't as hard of a push as I thought it was going to be. He was thinking the same thing I was. The last time we had dinner at Journeyman's it was unbelievable. And wine or not, we just knew this was going to be good. We were so right.

Seth had us sit at a communal table with some nice people Neil, Neil, and Tania. The doctor, the financier, and the opera singer. Made for a fantastic evening of good and widespread conversations.

Click to enlarge the pictures.

 

Flight of Vermouths

Sutton Cellars Brown Label Vermouth, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, and Cocchi Americano.

Paired with cured fish and a white bean salad.

 

 

This was the most surprising course for me. I know next to nothing about vermouths. I didn't even know they were wines. I thought it was a liqueur of some sort added to cocktails and martinis. Being able to sit back and taste them, get a better understanding of them was great for me. The men at the table seemed to like the more herbal, earthy one which had a lot of Fernet Branca qualities about it. It is the last one pictured, the Cocchi Americano, but I liked the Dolin Blanc the best. The one pictured int he center. It was soft, subtle, and floral. Really delicate and delicious.

They all worked really well with the white beans and the cured mackerel. There was also some cured ham on the plate that added some smokiness that really brought out those herbal notes on the Cocchi Americano. It went in the right succession. The white beans for the Sutton Cellars, the fish for the Dolin, and the smoked meats for the cocchi.

 

Sour-style Beers

Panil "Bariquee Riserva" and Cantillon "Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru"

Paired with Wheatberry risotto, bone marrow, herb, and pea tendril salad.

Fats and acids. Fatty bone marrow and acidity from two sour beers. The buttery broth, and earthy wheatberry risotto, creamy and butter-like bone marrow with just enough sear on it to make it have crispy edges, with bright green and fresh tasting pea tendrils paired with the more fruity and acidic Panil Bariquee, and the much more mild and softer Cantillon.

I felt like the bone marrow was best paired with the Panil based on the deep fruit character of the beer and the acidity, while the Cantillon balanced the wheatberry and pea tendrils. Deliciously rich, but not overbearing. A perfect pairing and a delicious way to highlight contrasts in these sours.

It was also nice to feature this beer pairing in the center of a wine tasting. The folks at our table who were not that familiar with these kinds of beers, really liked it. For us, it felt like home.

 

 
Category-Foiling Wines

Heidi Schröck "Furmint" and Frères Grosjean "Premetta"

Paired with Spanish Mackerel, potato and tarragon.

 

 

Mackerel has been slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite sea food dishes as of late. I hadn't really been that familiar with it before going to Belgium. I love it. This again was a fats vs. acid course. Fatty fish oils versus bright wine acidity.

This was one of the first times white wine worked for me. My palate maybe changing, or maybe I am finding the right kinds of white wines to drink lately, but normally they are not for me. I cant usually drink too many white wines as they give me a headache very quickly and easily, and they tend to have an off taste to me that I have yet to understand what the cause might be. But not this time. The Furmint worked exceptionally well with the potatoes and tarragon and the light taste of the fish under all the oils.

The Premetta, was excellent in it's ability to work with the fish and it's salty skin. Seth described this as being a sort of Hamburger wine. It had remarkable light qualities to it but also a big enough, fruity balance for the oily and salty fish. And the tarragon potatoes also worked well here as tarragon tends to be sweeter and worked with the brightness of the Premetta.

 

Cabernet Francs from the Loire

Domaine de la Pepiere "La Pepie" and Clos Rougeard "Les Poyeux" Saumer-Champigny

Paired with Pork Knuckles, parsnips, radish, and greens.

 

 

Let us bow our heads and give thanks to the 380 pound pig that gave it's humongous life so that we could be the happiest gluttons in town. The oldest pig on the farm sourced from about 40 miles away. This pig gave us this huge pork knuckle, the smoked, cured meat on the first tasting, and even bits of ham in the parsnips.

Neil the doctor, took the reigns and cut this bad boy up. So many different tastes of pork in this huge monstrosity. Light meat surrounded by thick and flavorful fat, and then gorgeous dark meat from the bones. But there were different tastes on that dark meat depending on where Neil hunted it down. He found the most delectable pieces of meat that most might have ignored. The sides came to the table, and thinking the the pork was in the parsnips, we didn't expect to see this giant bone in pork knuckle come to the table like being presented with a massive ham at Christmas dinner. But family-style servings of this beast was the perfect way to go.

The La Pepie was my favorite to drink and sip on. It was very light bodied. It worked with the parsnips and the light meat cut of pork. While the more oak-y Les Poyeux, it was almost like it was taylor-made for the darker cuts of meat. Big, rich oak flavors and sweet ham. The greens worked with both wines wonderfully based on the garlicky and earthy flavors, while the surprise was the radish dish. It was sweet and fresh but also savory at the same time giving us a little high and low on it's own.

 

Lesser-known Sparklers

Camillo Donati "Malvasia Dolce" and Patrick Bottex "Bugey-Cerdon"

Paired with Pistachio cake, black treacle ice cream, and raspberry.

 

 

This course was all over the place and yet it worked so well. I think we all decided the black treacle was the best part of the desert while the pistachio cake was unexpected and fabulous. Very much like my first experience with Journeyman, where you might expect a big chocolate dessert but when you get treated to a nut cake and it ends up completely changing your thinking on how desserts should finish your night. Our first time, we had the most delicious pear cider with a nutty semolina cake. It was fantastic.

I thought that the Bugey-Cerdon was the best paring for the dessert. It just balanced so perfectly. But I think the table was most fascinated with Malvasia Dolce. It smelled like a Gueze and had this interesting aroma of peppercorns with an underlying stone fruit aroma. These aromas weren't gradual they were literally stacked on top of one and other. But it tasted nothing like that. It was very, very soft and subtle. It worked wonderfully with the pistachio cake.

 

Treats of Madeleines and chocolate cookies with a taste of Cappellano Barolo Chinato.

 

That Barolo Chinato was pure joy. Cinnamon and cloves aroma with a dry and earthy rich tobacco leaf taste. It was unreal.

Fantastic evening once again at Journeyman and most impressive was all of this for $85. This easily could have gone for way more. It was a comfortable evening with nice people that felt like old friends by the end of it. The pairings were spot on and really taught me a few things about wine.

If my two posts about Journeyman, haven't been able to convince you that they are indeed the best new restaurant in the Boston area, then you must be one of those people who simply can't be pleased. Get over there soon for dinner. You won't be left unsatisfied. Ask for one of their awesome cocktail creations too. Seth is always sending out messages on Facebook about testing, creating, trying new cocktails.