Mare

Whenever friends and family come to town, we almost always take them to the North End. Even more predictably, we always visit either Prezza, Mamma Maria, or Monica's. Of course, after dinner we invariably stop by Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry for cannolis and cappuccinos.

Admittedly, we are biased in how we choose Italian restaurants in the North End. Bryan loves fresh pasta and has become a sort of super-snob when it comes to pasta. He just won't enjoy it nearly as much if a restaurant uses dried pasta. In fact, we often will walk up to a place, check out the menu, and if they don't have homemade pasta, we move on.

Which is why I was almost a bit surprised when Bryan sent me an instant message telling me he had made a reservation at Mare for dinner. It was not until later that I found out he got 1000 Open Table points for it, which is pretty cool, considering 5000 points gets you a $50 gift certificate to use at any participating restaurant.

Well, I'm always thrilled to go to the North End, especially when the weather fantastic. Mare calls itself a "coastal Italian restaurant." It's definitely a higher-end restaurant, with prices more similar to Prezza and Mamma Maria than Giacomo's or Pizzeria Regina. What makes them unique is that virtually all of their seafood is organic and sustainable, their beef is hormone free, and their pasta is homemade!!!

Sold. We were definitely curious about this place.

Tasting Menus
Bryan has a thing for tasting menus. If there's one on the menu, he can't help but have to order it. He figures that, if it's our first time at a place, it's the best way to try out the chef's best offerings. I guess he has a point - I mean, I tend to be a grazer and I also get bored of one dish after a few bites. But tasting menus are usually 2-3x more expensive than ordering normal stuff on the menu.

"But it's better for the blog. You try more dishes, and you can write about more dishes."

Sigh. I guess he's right. So, I agreed to get the tasting menu. Here it goes . . .

The fun thing about the tasting menu is that if you go with another person, the chef actually will give you two different things for most of the courses. You essentially get to try twice as many dishes if you try each other's plates. The only other place where I've seen this done is Daniel, but at a much higher price.

*note - The tasting menu is $95 a person and has 7-courses. You can also try the 5-course for $75. It consists of dishes that are off the regular menu and is a "chef's whim" type of tasting, although you can tell him about allergies, preferences, etc. I have written the regular menu prices for these dishes, but keep in mind that portions for the tasting menu are likely smaller than the portions of the regular menu item.

Local Oysters on the Half Shell limoncello ice $16
Bryan got this as his first course. He said it was light, refreshing, and flavorful.

Salmon Crudo frisee and apple salad, garlic chips, lemon oil $14
This was my first course. I love raw salmon, so it's not hard to please me in this arena. I thought the garlic chips added an extra dimension, both in terms of flavor and texture to this dish.

Grilled Octopus Genovese pesto, potato mousse $15

This was Bryan's next dish, and it was very good. The grilled octopus  had a beautiful, smoky flavor. It was borderline chewy, and still does not compare to the grilled octopus at Craigie on Main, which is probably the best I've ever had. Mare still does a great job, and this dish was solid.

Truffle Crusted Tuna seared rare, eggplant ravioli, wilted spinach, sweet baby peppers $32

This was my next dish, and I thought it was OK, but not particularly exciting. The truffle flavors weren't that strong, though the olive filled baby peppers had quite a briny flavor. I was bored of this dish by the end, even though it's not that big.

Deep Fried Soft Shelled Crab
This was one of their specials for the day, so they included it into the tasting menu. We actually each got one of these. Bryan thought it was pretty good. The meat was sweet, and the flavors of the dish overall were pretty good. I actually don't love soft-shelled crab, so my opinion is going to be a bit biased. I thought the breading was too thick, and, in general, I don't really like eating the shell of a soft-shelled crab - It feels like I'm eating shrimp shells, so I don't love it.

Papardelle, chestnut and black pepper pasta, wild boar, charred leeks, ricotta salata $23

The next dish was the pasta dish, and Bryan's was quite interesting. For some reason the chestnut pasta reminded me of the chestnut tortilla we had at Bina Osteria. The dish was pretty good, but in the end, the texture of chestnut pasta just cannot compare to normal pasta. This pasta tasted like whole wheat pasta - it was a bit grainy and not nearly as supple or chewy. Nevertheless, the sauce had a nice, robust flavor and overall the dish was still enjoyable.

Wild Mushroom Spaghetti Alla Chitarra black truffles and spinach

My pasta dish was FANTASTIC! The texture of the homemade pasta was wonderfully chewy, really a perfect al dente. The mushrooms sauce was earthy, creamy, and just all around immensely enjoyable. I would not hesitate to order this dish again if I came back. Bryan and I both liked my pasta better than his chestnut pasta.

Halibut pine nut and golden raisin agrodolce sauce $16
Bryan's next dish was Mediterranean in flavors. Although it was solidly prepared, neither of us loved the inherent ingredients in this dish, so it was hard to love it. Bryan doesn't love Mediterranean flavors, and I frankly don't like raisins in my food (except for this one amazing rendition by a particular Michelin starred restaurant).

Halibut asparagus puree, mushrooms
My halibut dish, on the other hand, was GREAT! Both Bryan and I liked this one better as well. The asparagus puree was light yet richly flavorful. The fish was nice and soft on the inside yet crispy on the outside. I think this may have been a special, because I did not see it on the regular menu.

Surf & Turf: Rack of Lamb edamame ragu with morel mushrooms, oven roasted baby tomatoes and Grilled Langoustine

Have you ever had langoustine? I had no idea what it was, and (sheesh, I'm embarrassed to admit this), but when I saw it on the menu I thought it was a mangosteen (tropical fruit). Anyway, a langoustine most definitely is not in any way related to the mangosteen.

Also known as the Norway Lobster, the langoustine looks like a small lobster, or a very large prawn. The meat is delicious - sweeter than lobster or shrimp -and quite delicate. It's really a very unique item that I've never had before, and I highly recommend it.

I also absolutely loved the morel mushrooms that came with this dish. I have no idea how they flavored it, but this dish alone elevated morel mushrooms to one of my favorite mushrooms of all times (maybe right below the white truffle!). The edamame and grilled tomatoes were also delicious.

We ended the meal with a nice custard topped with burnt caramel sauce, which was solid.

Bryan got the dark chocolate pudding, which he enjoyed.

Overall Impressions
Overall, the food at Mare is excellent. I like their focus on organic and sustainable seafood, although it definitely does come at a price. The prices in general are on the higher side - think of this as one of the more upscale Italian restaurants in the North End. Although the tasting menu was a great way to experience the best the chef has to offer, I probably would not get it again. Honestly, for just a bit more, you could order an incredible tasting menu at Craigie on Main or Clio and see much more inventive dishes cooked at a much higher level. Here, I would consider saving some money and just ordering a la carte, getting either the Wild Mushroom Spaghetti Alla Chitarra, Halibut with Asparagus Puree, or the Grilled Langoustine. Of course, I would look for those morel mushrooms - YUM!

Bryan still likes Prezza, Mamma Maria, and Monica's better than this place, but he agrees that the food is quite good here.

Mare
135 Richmond St
Boston, MA 02109

Tiny Urban Tidbits #5 - My Astronaut Husband

There's a term in Chinese used to describe businessmen whose families live in the US but who have businesses in Asia, and thus are always flying back and forth. Tai kong ren is a play on words because it sounds both like the word for "astronaut" but also sounds like the words for "No wife" man.

I sometimes feel like I'm married to one of those "astronauts." Bryan travels a lot for work, and most of it involves airplanes.  In fact, my astronaut reached a big milestone last week.


That's right. He became a million miler on American Airlines. No, he did not get to talk to the pilot, nor did he receive a special black card with his name on it.  They did, however, announce it during the monumental flight.

There are some perks to "being yoked to Executive Platinum" (as my friend likes to put it). He has so many miles that you can both fly to Asia for free, First Class.

In First Class you get 2 seats: one for you, one for your Totoro.

But of course, you pay the price by having him away from home, a lot.

I've decided to dedicate this post to Bryan in celebration of his Million Miles.

Bryan often will take food photos for me on his many trips. Join me as we take a brief culinary tour around the world, experiencing all different kinds of cuisines from the various continents that Bryan has visited.

An assortment of desserts from Israel.

Peking Duck from Beijing, China.

Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) from Shanghai, China.

A fiery hot Sichuan meal from China.

A Chinese Family Style FEAST from Taipei, Taiwan.

Fresh sushi from Tokyo, Japan.

Korean BBQ from Seoul, Korea.

A hot bowl of ramen from Hong Kong.

Ham, bacon, and a poached egg on top of toast from Sydney, Australia.

A burger from Gourmet Burger Kitchen in London, UK. [heh, I actually took this picture because I went with him to London during his business trip]

Momofuku Pork Belly Bun from New York City, USA.

The World Traveler himself.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. Someday I may post more pictures and write detailed posts for some of them. Until then, enjoy these pictures! Have a great weekend.

The Plough and Stars

"Where everybody knows your name . . ."

If you were to ask me to name my favorite pub in Cambridge, I would have a really hard time. Some places have really interesting beers, others have a unique ambiances, and yet others have fantastic food. But if I had to choose, it would come down to either my favorite nerdy pub or this place, The Plough and Stars.

"The Plough," as it is sometimes affectionately called, is located in a slightly more residential area between Harvard Square and Central Square on Mass Ave. Because of that, it definitely has the feel of a neighborhood bar.

In fact, whenever I'm in there, I swear everybody knows everybody else in that bar. It really reminds me of Cheers. Sometimes I even wish that I went more often so that they would know my name too.

So what makes The Plough so great?

Good Drinks & Great Music
The Plough has a nice selection of beers on tap (see photo above for a few examples). They even have a flight of Irish whiskeys you can try! Furthermore, they have live music every night, and sometimes even during the afternoon on a weekend! We once heard a fantastic folk/country band play on a weekend afternoon while we were having brunch. It was really enjoyable.

Food Is Important Too . . .
Of course, we don't just come for the drinks. They actually serve pretty good food too. My favorite is actually the Tuscan Vegetable Soup ($7 - sorry, no photo!). Chock full of white beans and vegetables, this soup is light, flavorful, and has wonderful aromas of truffle oil and Romano cheese. Brunch is also a great time to go. They have all sort of traditional Irish breakfast foods, like bangers & mash, Irish bacon, and black and white pudding (aka blood sausage). Of course, they also have tons of traditional brunch foods, like eggs, bacon, smoked salmon with a bagel, etc. All the food is great, and it's fun to try the Irish stuff, even if you have to be a bit adventurous!

Here are some pics from a recent dinner we had there.

Fried Mac & Cheese - $7.50
This is such an interesting dish. It's basically cubes of mac & cheese that have been lightly battered and deep fried. It sort of reminds me of the deep fried cheddar grits at Tupelo.

Here's a closer look of what it looks like inside! This was pretty good, but expectedly a bit greasy! It comes with a marinara dipping sauce.

Poached Pear and Arugula Salad blue cheese and toasted pecans - $8
The salad was generous and full of quality ingredients.

Gumbo
This "stew" had a deep, rich flavor that probably came from the many spices that were used to flavor the dish. It's generously filled with chunks of chicken, sausage, and various vegetables. I personally felt that it was on the salty side, and I wished for more rice! Bryan thought the salt levels were fine.

Tempura Battered Asparagus
These were delicious. The tempura batter gave the asparagus a unique crunch that I really enjoyed.

Of course, you can't go to an Irish pub and not get a Guinness, right?

I like The Plough and Stars because of its authentic Irish pub-like atmosphere. I also love how everyone inside seems to know each other - it's like the perfect neighborhood bar! Best yet, it serves good, solid food at really reasonable prices. I've been there for lunch, brunch, and dinner, and I like them all.

A few things - It's not a huge place and it can definitely get crowded, so be prepared to possibly wait for a table at really busy times. Also, it can be loud, since it's so small and all those people who know each others' names can get quite chatty. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is festive, and it's fun!

The Plough and Stars
912 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

Spicy Minced Pork with Sour String Beans

One of our favorite Chinese restaurants to visit whenever we are in New York City is Grand Sichuan International on 9th Ave. I know, I know, there's much better Taiwanese food in Flushing, and probably some amazing Cantonese food in Chinatown as well. The problem is, we almost always stay in the Upper West Side with my aunt. Call it laziness, or hunger, or whatever, but typically by the time we're hungry, we're not in the mood to trek all the way out to Flushing or down to Chinatown for a good bite to eat. Plus, this is the best Sichuan restaurant I know of in Manhattan.

One of the dishes we almost always order is the spicy minced pork with sour string beans.

Sour string beans? Having grown up with mostly Taiwanese food, I had never heard of this dish either until my coworker told me about it. The first time we tried it, we fell in love with the dish. Spicy, sour, crunchy, and fragrant - it's a bold dish that goes perfectly with a nice, hot bowl of rice!  It's now become one of our staples at Grand Sichuan International.

I recently discovered a recipe for this dish in a book titled Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop. Fuchsia Dunlop was the first foreigner to study Sichuanese cooking at the acclaimed Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, China. Because I have yet to find a restaurant in Boston that makes this dish, I knew the only way to enjoy it was to try making it at home.


Spicy Minced Pork with Sour String Beans
adapted from Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop

This recipe has two parts, the pickling of the string beans and the actual stir frying part.  The pickling takes several days, so definitely plan ahead if you want to make this dish.

Part I: Pickling the String Beans

Pickling Solution
2 1/4 C water
1/4 C rock or sea salt
4 dried chiles
1/2 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
2 tsp strong rice wine or vodka
1/2 of a star anise
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, unpeeled
a good piece of cassia bark or 1/3 of a cinnamon stick

Sterilize the jar (Boil in water or heat in the oven for a few minutes)

Bring water to a boil with the salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Once completely dissolved, set aside and let cool. Once cool, pour the salt water into the sterilized jar. Add the remaining brine ingredients and stir.

Wash and trim beans and then dry them throughly. Immerse them in the pickling solution, seal, and store in the refrigerator or a cool place for 1 - 3 days.



Spicy Minced Pork with Sour String Beans(rou mo jiang dou)

1/2 lb string beans
Pickling Solution
1/4 lb ground lean pork
1/2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine or medium dry sherry
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
salt
peanut oil for cooking
3 - 4 Sichuanese dried chiles, snipped in half, seeds discarded
1/2 tsp whole Sichuan pepper

Shortly before cooking, place the pork in a bowl with Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, and 3 generous pinches of salt. Set aside.

Remove the beans from the brining solution and rinse well. Chop the beans into 1/8 inch slices to complement the small grains of the ground pork.

Season wok, then add 1 Tbs peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. Add the pork and stir-fry until it is dry and a little crispy. Remove pork from the wok and set aside.

Add 1Tbs of fresh oil to the hot wok. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant, taking care not to let them burn. Throw in the beans and pork and stir-fry for another minute or two until the beans are hot and fragrant.

Enjoy!


My Thoughts
I veered from this recipe in two ways: I pickled the string beans for 1 week (versus 1-3 days) and I replaced the cinnamon stick with 5-spice powder. Although the string bean recipe said to brine for 1-3 days, the general pickling solution recipe mentioned that vegetables taste best after being pickled for one week. I took the risk and let my string beans sit in the pickling solution for a week.

I had a hint that something was non-ideal when I observed the following:

1. The book says the jar should fizz when you open it. My jar did not fizz.
2. My string beans were really salty, but not that sour.

How to pickle?
 I am still not sure how to get pickling to occur. Did I use a wrong type of jar? Do I need to add vinegar? Is something missing from the recipe? This dish had hints of the same flavors as the version at Grand Sichuan International, but something fell really short. I guess I still need to experiment with the pickling process. My guess is that I did not use a proper pickling container (I just used a random old jar), which might have resulted in gases escaping. Furthermore, brining for a week was way too long, and that alone probably accounts for the over-salted nature of the dish. I am confident that this recipe does work when followed exactly. Sometimes shortcuts are OK. In this case, I think I took too many!

Despite the possible mishap with the brining time, I could tell that the rest of the dish was still pretty good. The fragrant spiciness from the Sichuan peppercorns and the dry hot peppers definitely comes through. The pickled beans have a really nice crunchy texture, and the pork adds a nice complement. Unfortunately, the over-salted flavor of the beans was slightly distracting, but with a lot of rice, the dish was still enjoyable.

Cafe Luna

I love neighborhood cafes with excellent sandwiches, great ambiance, and other cool surprises, like mini cupcakes, pretzel bread, or the most awesome vanilla loaf ever.  Cafe Luna is not too far from my work place, and I just can't believe it's taken me this long to finally try out this place.

The City of Cambridge finally recently renovated the sidewalk in front of Cafe Luna, which means now there's tons of outdoor seating, which is a relief, as the cafe is super tiny inside.

I came here on one of those strange April afternoons when the weather hit close to ninety degrees.  It was awesome - the entire city of Boston seemed to be outside, desperately trying to soak in as much sunshine as possible in between our crazy rainfalls that we have been getting.

Cafe Luna offers a great assortment of sandwiches.  You can make your own, or choose from a huge list of pre-designed sandwiches.  This place is very vegetarian friendly, and there are several tasty and unique vegetarian sandwich options.  Most items on the menu cost between $7.95 and $8.95, and include either a side salad or chips.

This is the sandwich I got - an artichoke, sundried tomato, pesto, and fresh mozarella. Vegetarian, healthy, and delicious!

They use fresh baked bread from Iggy's, and they also offer a variety of pastries.  Apparently, the brunch is amazing, so I'll have to try that next time!  For now, I'm super pleased that I have a place like this walking distance from my workplace!

Cafe Luna
403 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139