Hurricane Irene Reflections

Sky darkens quickly as Irene approaches

It's been an odd couple of weeks.

I feel the earth move . . .
First there was that weird earthquake in Virginia that could be felt all the way here in Boston. I was sitting in my chair staring intently at my computer when all of a sudden I started to get dizzy.

I hastily took massive gulps of ice cold water, thinking "there's gotta be something wrong with my head." (I'm a hypochondriac in that way)

After about 5 seconds, the dizziness stopped. Moments later, loud utterances of the word "5.8 earthquake!" erupted in the hallway, all of a sudden clarifying everything.

Then there was Irene
Less than a week later, a new natural disaster decided to pay us a visit. First the governor declared a state of emergency. Then the MBTA, our public transportation system, decided to close completely on Sunday. Even church services were canceled.

So what did we do this weekend?

We had family time.

Really, really nice family time.

I invited my mom (who's in town to help my sister with the new baby), my sister, my brother-in-law, and (of course), their new baby, along with a few friends to enjoy a crazy ambitious home-cooked Italian feast.

We began with some house cured gravlax which I had made from Copper River Sockeye salmon from Costco (only $5.99/lb - fabulous deal for such amazing fish!). I love this Thomas Keller recipe - as long as you start with really high quality fish, the end result is addictively delicious.

I love pairing the salty gravlax with a mild creamy cheese (I used farm cheese last time and marscapone this time). We had it with these hazelnut and cranberry "raincoast crisps", just like last time.

Next, we had a lovely Insalata Caprese salad (tomato, basil, and mozzarella), with a twist! We swapped out normal mozzarella with burrata, a decadent, cream-filled mozzarella that I just absolutely love. Nothing beats farm-fresh tomatoes, creamy burrata, and chopped basil leaves tossed with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Absolutely heavenly.

While hanging out in the North End (Boston's Italian district) last weekend, we found a little market selling whole black truffles.  That black truffle was the inspiration behind our next dish: homemade fettuccine tossed with a Parmesan / olive oil sauce and topped with shaved, black truffles.

We followed that with another pasta course of homemade fettuccine (from Capone's in North Cambridge) with artichokes, olives, tomatoes, and salmon.

I can't really take credit for this entree. My food-loving friends Peter & Chia Chi came over and cooked right in my kitchen. I love simple dishes like this, where classic Mediterranean components like garlic, artichokes, olives, and tomatoes come together so synergistically to create a perfect melange of summer flavors.

It was absolute delicious and paired perfectly with the lightly seared Copper River sockeye salmon pieces.

Finally for our main coure we had pork osso bucco topped with gremolata over saffron rice. I typically make this dish with veal. However, I was unable to find veal on such short notice so I substituted with pork shank instead. The flavors are fantastic with pork, although I may try to use a more tender cut of meat next time. Some parts were a bit tough and could have used either a longer cooking time (I stewed for 3 hours) or some sort of tenderizing.

The Whole Italian Feast

It was seriously a crazy feast. All we did that day was chill, eat, hang with family, and watch the heavy downpour outside our windows. It was a quiet reminder of how small and powerless we really are in this world.

Thankfully, we didn't lose power, although many in Boston were not so lucky (700,000 without power at the peak of the storm!). The next morning - more reminders . . .

Hope the rest of you fared OK during the storm.

Though we were inconvenienced, I am thankful that the day turned out to be rather uneventful.

In some ways, crazy weather like this forces us all to slow down, ignore the crazy activities that usually dominates our lives, and just . . . chill, reflect, and relax.

It's refreshing in a lot of ways, and I enjoy the forced break once in awhile (another reason why I love snowstorms).

Alas . . . back to our regularly scheduled, busy lives.

Recipes from this Post
House Cured Gravlax
Veal (or pork) Osso Bucco

"The Best Guacamole Ever"

Unsettled.

That's probably an understatement of how I have felt the last few weeks. We have been waiting for furniture to arrive, which means more waiting before we can unpack everything else. We're still living out of boxes, finding stuff only when we really need it.

For example, my elusive cappuccino frother still refuses to surface, which means I've been drinking straight espresso for the last two weeks.

It has also been really hard to cook without a kitchen that's completely set up. It's even harder to blog about cooking, which may very well explain the dearth of cooking posts lately.

Yet I feel like I'm running out of time.

The growing season here in Massachusetts is pretty short and August is one of the best months in which to get fresh produce. Typically, I love perusing farmers markets this time of year.

What? It's almost September??! Where did the summer go?

*sigh*

So even though I'm not fully unpacked; even though I'm not sure where all my jars, cans, and other random foodstuff will eventually go; I resolutely decided that I would use the kitchen tonight and try a new recipe that involved lots of vegetables.

My good friend Livia, a avid blogger herself (though not about food), is a New Mexican native. A self-proclaimed "guacamole snob/evangelist," Livia saw my post about an amazingly chunky and simple guacamole I had tried at a restaurant.

This guacamole was a far cry from the creamy, smooth guacamole that you typically see. Instead, it was almost like an avocado salad, filled with generous chunks of avocados tossed lightly with a splash of lime juice, a few tomatoes, and some aromatics. It was refreshingly delicious.
Livia was quick to point out to me that she approved of this type of guacamole.  In fact, she doesn't really care for the smooth creamy (almost sour) kind that she often sees outside of New Mexico. Chunky style all the way.

I was thrilled when Livia offered to share with me her recipe for guacamole, which, in her humble opinion, is "the best guacamole ever :)".

Though that email from her is now nearly three years old (I know, time flies, but three years is a bit ridiculous), I am so glad I finally decided to make this. It really is super simple and tastes delicious.

You'll never go back to the "processed" creamy stuff again. :)

Thanks Livia!


The Best Guacamole Ever 
Livia Blackburne
Serves 2-4

2 avocados (Hass preferred)
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1/8 red onion, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
juice from 1/2 a lime
cilantro to taste, finely chopped
onion or garlic salt, to taste

With a spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh (medium sized scoops) into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and gently mix the ingredients with a spoon. There is no need to mash the avocados. Instead, as you mix with the spoon, the avocados will become creamy with chunks of avocados mixed throughout.

Enjoy!

Oga

The suburbs in Boston are mostly a mystery to me.

I live in Cambridge, work in Cambridge, and more often than not, eat out in Cambridge. I am very familiar with the restaurants within a 5 mile radius of me. However, if you ask me where to eat out in the burbs, I very well may just give you a blank stare.

A couple weeks ago, we suddenly found ourselves hanging out in the suburbs A LOT.

Why?

Virtually all of the furniture stores in Boston have staked out a spot in the Natick/Framingham area. This area (about 15 miles west of Boston) is really a mecca for furniture shopping.  Since we had several rooms to fill with furniture, we drove out west repeatedly many a summer night.

One day, as we hemmed and hawed about which bed to buy (Crate & Barrel? Jordan's Furniture?), we concluded that perhaps some calories would be most helpful in clearing our minds for this important decision.

After a little bit of research on our phones, we settled on Oga, a pretty well-known Japanese restaurant just 1-2 miles away from all the furniture stores.

Any semblance of furniture on our minds quickly vaporized as we settled into the calm, zen-like atmosphere of the restaurant. The decor and ambiance were lovely, making it very easy to relax. We decided to sit at the sushi bar to get the full, authentic experience. 
Service was excellent, and pretty soon Bryan had a cold, Sapporo reserve in his hand. Moments later, a simple, amuse (compliments of the chef!) arrived. I was pleasantly surprised that Oga would be daring enough to serve free octopus to everyone. I personally really enjoyed this sweet and slightly tart marinated octopus salad. 
Salmon Avocado Salad 鮭アヴォカドサラダ - $11.00
Avocado, crab stick, cucumber, and flying fish roe, mixed with mayo, then wrapped in thinly sliced fresh salmon 

Next came our appetizer, the salmon avocado salad. The mayonnaise-based salad (more like a slaw if you ask me) came creatively wrapped in slices of fresh salmon. It's hard to go wrong (in terms of flavor) when you mix together avocados, crabstick, and flying fish roe.  As expected, the salad was tasty and I enjoyed the salmon on top. Though solid, I didn't think the salad was particularly interesting, so I would probably order something different if I came back.

We were quite impressed with the overall quality of the sushi. The menu had a nice variety of fresh fish choices. We ordered toro (of course!), which was delicious.

The other nigiri we ordered (e.g., yellowtail, among others), were all very good. In general, the prices of sushi here are a bit lower than similar calibre stuff in the city. We were very pleased with all of the nigiri that we had.B-52 Maki $11.00
Yellowtail rolled w/ Crab Stick, Avocado, Cucumber, Scallions & Flying Fish Roe, in a Double Layer Tempura Roll 

We also ordered a few rolls for fun. The menu has huge selection of creative rolls. It reminds me of places in the city like Fugakyu or Ginza. This isn't a surprise, considering that co-owner Toru Oga also co-founded Ginza.Red Eye Maki レッドアイ $10.00
This interesting roll (the Red Eye Maki) consists of tuna, mozzarella cheese, asparagus & garlic chips topped with pickled jalapeno and wispy threads of red pepper. Although the cheese sounded a bit weird, Bryan and I decided to take a leap of faith and try this roll since it sounded so unusual.

Heh, it was the first (and last time) that we tried cheese inside of nigiri. It's just plain weird, and I personally don't care for it. I do like fusion sushi, but in my mind, cheese doesn't work well inside of maki rolls. I will skip this next time I come.
They had various types of uni, including domestic uni and uni from Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese uni was crazy expensive ($15 a piece), and frankly, was decent but still had hints of that stinkiness that I dislike about uni. Super fresh uni should be sweet and creamy, with no hints of stinkiness. I would skip this, especially at these prices!

Delicious Sushi at Reasonable Prices
Overall Bryan and I were very pleased with our experience at Oga and we would go back in a heartbeat if we were (again) shopping for furniture in the area. It definitely is quite comparable to the better sushi places in Boston. Presumably because of its suburban location, it is able to offer excellent sushi at prices that are just a bit lower than what you'd find in the city.

The menu is quite extensive and there are so many things left to try. Oga has quite a few non-sushi dishes as well, such as teppanyaki, donburi, and various noodles. If I lived nearby, this would most definitely become a regular haunt.

Highly recommended.


 Oga
915 Worcester St
Natick, MA 01760

Photobooks

I value memories . . . a lot.

I'm a sentimental sucker who can't let go of anything. With this move, I've gotten all sad about bidding farewell to my old condo, a place filled with so many memories. After all, this was the first home that Bryan and I ever shared together. We have so many memories of good times with friends, family, and each other.

 Similarly, I have a hard time throwing away trinkets and mementos from trips, weddings, and other experiences in my life. While helping me pack for this move, one of my good, practical-minded friends admonished me every time I tried to keep some piece of junk for "memory's sake."

"Take a picture of it and throw it away!"

Sigh - I do love photography, but does a picture always replace the physical memento?

Well, I haven't quite gotten to that level of detachment from all my things. However, the ability to take photos and make scrapbooks has helped ease that pain. Now I tend to put ticket stubs, museum pamphlets, and foreign coins into dedicated scrapbooks for each trip.

But how does that work in the digital age? Does a picture of a ticket stub really replace the actual ticket?




Just a few weeks ago, Kodak partnered with Foodbuzz to give some bloggers an opportunity to try out their photo book-making services. I've never actually made a real-live book from any of my photos before, even though I've always considered it.

So, I decided to try commemorating my China trip with a photo book from Kodak.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderfully simple user interface. The online program is set out to look just like the book. You upload your pictures and then it automatically creates a beautiful book for you.
Of course, you can always go back and customize it, but I like how you have the option of quickly creating a really nice book if you don't want to spend the time painstakingly designing your own book from scratch.

If you do want to customize it, you can resize and move photos around pretty intuitively by dragging and dropping here and there.  think I spent about 10-15 minutes whipping up this book. I did some minor tweaks and readjusting after auto-generating a book. I uploaded my photos from my computer, but you can upload automatically from facebook as well, which could convenient for some.

I was really really pleased when I received my book in the mail yesterday! The shipping was super fast - I received the book three days after I submitted it.
The pages are thick, the colors are spot on, and overall the book just feels like it's really high quality. In hindsight, I think I would have picked hardcover instead of softcover. There's something about hardcover that just makes a photobook seem that much more professional.
Nevertheless, I was quite pleased with the outcome. I've been carrying the book around with me everywhere because I love showing it to people. My particular book (which had close to 40 photos) cost around $50 to make, so it's not by any means cheap. However, you can always make smaller books or books with less pages to bring the cost down. Additionally, they often have discounts, so you can probably get away with making one for a lot less than full price.

 In fact, Kodak and Foodbuzz have partnered to give readers a 40% discount off a medium hardcover or a large Photo Book. Just click here to redeem. Offer expires August 31, 2011.

Epilogue
I'm still keeping some of my sentimental mementos around.  However, I'm also willing to let go and throw away more stuff. It's a learning process, but a good one to exercise every once in awhile. There's nothing like a move to force one to reconsider the importance of every piece of "stuff"!

Will I stop making physical scrapbooks? Probably not, but I still love the ability to make gorgeous photobooks for friends and family. I think they make fantastic gifts. :)

Disclaimer: I got a $40 discount on my book through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program

Daedalus

Our summers here in Boston are so short, I am always on the lookout for great outdoor dining options during these precious few months. Ideally, the outdoor space would be away from loud cars & buses; the restaurant would be conveniently close by; and (of course!) the food would be excellent.

It's a slight bummer that I did not really discover Daedalus until I moved to the other side of Harvard Square. The rooftop patio, great vibe, and good food clearly demonstrate why this place won Best of Boston - Neighborhood Restaurant in 2010.

Bryan and I decided to try Daedalus recently while shuttling back and forth between our new place and our old place. The weather was gorgeous that day, and I had heard about the amazing rooftop deck, so we decided to check it out.
According to Bryan, they have a pretty nice selection of beers on tap. Bryan ordered this Oregon beer called Drifters, which we both really liked! It appeared quite popular, as everyone around us seemed to also have a Drifters glass in hand!

Soup du jour - $3.95

Since it was a hot day, I started with a cold gazpacho, which was pretty good. I think I still like the one I had at East Coast Grill the best (I still dream about that gazpacho!). Nevertheless, this one was chunky and flavorful, though possibly just a tad salty for my tastes (I am a bit salt-sensitive!)  
Artichoke Hearts | 9.95
Panko-crusted artichoke hearts tossed with parmesan cheese served with horseradish cream sauce

This interesting appetizer was new to both of us - panko crusted fried artichokes!

These were really good! Nice and crunchy on the outside yet hot and juicy on the inside. I loved the umami boost that the Parmesan added. Of course Bryan loved the peppery horseradish sauce that accompanied the appetizer.
 
Cajun Fried Calamari 13.95
With roasted corn salsa, baby greens, parmesan cheese + citrus vinaigrette

The Cajun calamari salad was perfecty fine - no rocket science here, but everything was very well executed.We definitely thought the portion was quite generous.
 
Blackened Haddock Fillet | 17.95
Topped with cucumber, red onion, cilantro + mango salsa served with black beans, rice + chorizo

Similarly, the blackened haddock dish was also fine. It was a jambalaya of sorts topped with a haddock fillet and mango salsa. I had ordered it because I was still dreaming about an amazing cod dish I had enjoyed at Bergamot a few nights ago. This doesn't compare with that one, but it's still OK - perfectly fine for a casual weeknight meal, especially at this price point.
 
Chocolate Explosion | 7.95
Warm flourless chocolate cake with crème anglaise, chocolate sauce + vanilla bean ice-cream

The server told us that the Chocolate Explosion was the most popular dessert, so we went with that one. This one is classic - your basic flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Again - not the most unique or creative dessert, but it was well executed and quite tasty.

Concluding Thoughts
This is a great place for very reasonably priced, solidly executed food. The restaurant has two stories plus a rooftop deck, so I would imagine that there is plenty of seating available. I wouldn't necessarily call it a destination restaurant, but it's a fantastic neighborhood option with great beer, enjoyable food, and one of the best rooftop decks I've ever seen.

Daedalus
45 1/2 Mount Auburn St
Cambridge, MA
02138

Ten Tables (Cambridge) Bar Menu

Nuts, Olives, and Pickles

I'm still a long way away from being completely unpacked. Thankfully, my new place is starting to look like a real home, not just a storage facility for boxes.

It's surprisingly different living here.

Our old place faced a major road. We had completely gotten used to the background roar of subways, constant hum of city buses, and occasional shouts from the slightly inebriated spilling out of nearby bars.  It gave the neighborhood character; in some ways, we never felt alone.

Our new place is on a leafy residential street which is super quiet.  I couldn't get over the eerie silence that first night. It felt like I was camping in the woods, even though I was less than a 10-minute walk away from Harvard Square.

Another difference? We have less restaurants close by. Whereas before we could walk just one minute to our favorite local haunt, now we have no restaurants on our residential street.  Help! What to do?

Why hello, Ten Tables!  I didn't see you tucked inside that residential complex right on Craigie Street.

I'm so glad you decided just recently to add a bar and also a bar menu. The timing could not be more perfect for our move into the neighborhood.

Equinox Farm Baby Dandelion Greens with Crispy House-smoked Pork Belly, Hazelnuts & Pickled Ramp Vinaigrette

I first met David Punch at (of all places) the bar at Bergamot. David Punch is the co-owner and executive chef at Ten Tables Cambridge. The day we visited, he had just opened up the new bar and was introducing the bar menu in the form of a fun little six-course tasting menu. Of course we were curious to see what it had.

We began with a nice assortment of classic bar treats with an upscale twist (pictured at topb of post). The olives were delicious (I loved the variety), and both the seasoned nuts and pickles were house-made. The second course - pork belly dandelion greens salad (pictured above) - was also fantastic. The pork belly was cooked perfectly, and I really enjoyed the textural interplay between the crisp greens, crunchy hazelnuts, and juicy charred pork belly.

Blue Crab Beignets with Spicy Remoulade Sauce & Lemon
These little beignets were Dave's creative interpretation of a crab cake, and we both liked it a lot.

Prosciutto wrapper melon
Dave sent these out as a free mezzo - a sort of palate cleanser that came in between courses.

Vermont Rabbit Meatballs with Fava Beans, Ricotta Dumplings, Garlic Chives & Pistachio
These meatballs were hearty and flavorful, with a deep, meaty sauce that went perfectly with the house-made ricotta dumplings.

Artisanal Cheese Board with Cherry Jam & Toast 
The cheese board was fun, and later we found out that Dave got some of these at Formaggio Kitchen, the famous cheese shop that Julia Child loved (and which is also now in my hood!)

Sticky Apricot Pudding with Vanilla Creme Fraiche 
We absolutely fell in love with this dessert. It was dense, rich, and had a wonderful deep, caramelized flavor. It was a perfect way to end such a great meal.

I am definitely looking forward to visiting this place more now that it's a quick stroll from my new home. The food is excellent, and the prices are not too bad. It's a popular place though, so don't be surprised if you are unable to get a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night. It's pretty hard to find parking in the surrounding neighborhoods (it's all residential permit parking), although they do have a small parking lot right in front.

I will always miss my old haunt (which was so convenient and so close).  However, I am thrilled there is such an excellent place that's still so close. 

Ten Tables

5 Craigie Circle

Cambridge, MA 02138