Sandrine's

Alsace is a small region in northeastern France adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the region itself changed hands between France and Germany four times within a 75-year period. It stayed with France until World War II, when Germany again annexed the region. It wasn't until after the war that France got it back.

As a natural result, Alsace is dominated by a mix of German and French influences, which makes for an interesting cuisine as well.

Sandrine's Bistro in Harvard Square is the only Alsatian restaurant of which I am aware in the Boston area. They serve several types of traditional Alsatian dishes, such as the classic tarte flambée (flammekueche) and the choucroute garnie (dressed sauerkraut). It had been three years since we had last visited the place, so we thought it might be a good idea to visit again.

I was tickled to find out (after the fact) that we had ordered almost the exact same dishes three years ago. I guess sometimes people just don't change. Here's an updated summary of our second experience there (this time with photos!).


Tarte Flambée (Flammekueche)
Mushroom Gratinee - caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese ($12)
The traditional tarte flambée is made with creme fraiche, onions, and lardons. Of course, you can get many different variations, such as the one we got, which had mushrooms and Swiss cheese. I really enjoyed this light, thin-crust "pizza." The crust is so thin it's almost like eating off of a cracker. The flavors of the toppings were nice and overall it was a very enjoyable appetizer.

Apple and Gorgonzola Salade
mesclun greens, spicy cashews, Port wine vinaigrette - $12
This salad was solid with the nice classic combination of spinach, gorgonzola, and apple slices. Though it was pretty good, I like the version at Emma's (Fling Salad) better.

Maine Lobster Risotto mushroom & peas, cognac lobster sauce $29
This rich lobster risotto is arguably an Italian dish, but it came highly recommended so I decided to order it. It's quite rich and the amount of lobster that they give you is generous. There was a particular spice in the dish that I did not like, but I cannot pick it out. Bryan really liked it.

Thyme & Rosemary Marinated Rack of Lamb
roasted fingerling potatoes, ratatouille, au jus $27
Bryan's rack of lamb was overcooked the first time he received it (the picture above shows what he got when he ordered his meat "rare"). He sent the dish back and the second one we got was perfect.

Conciliatory Sorbet
The service was excellent despite the kitchen mistake on the lamb. The waiter gave us some complimentary sorbet to make up for the lamb dish. We actually loved the sorbets (mango, raspberry, and pineapple). Each one had bright and very real fruit flavors. What a great way to end the meal.

Thoughts
I like how the owners of Sandrine's really try to express their regional roots in the menu. It's not everyday you get to try authentic Alsatian food right in the middle of New England. The food here is interesting and pretty good. Definitely try a Tarte Flambée (Flammekueche) - they're kind of fun.

The ambiance is warm and inviting and the service is excellent. It's not a bad place to go if you are in the neighborhood.

If you do come, though, I would come to experience it for its unique cuisine, not necessarily for its amazing French food. The food is fine, but for the prices that you'll pay, you may find better French food elsewhere.

Sandrine's Bistro
8 Holyoke St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Milanese Veal Osso Bucco

If I told you I just made a classic Milanese dish that costs $38 at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Boston for only about $5, you'd start listening, right? I was so surprised how easy it was to make a classic Milanese Osso Bucco. Admitted, it does take quite a bit of chopping and a lot of time. The more time, the better, as the long braising period really softens the meat until it truly becomes fall-off-the-bone tender.

Osso bucco in Italian literally means "hollow bone." The bone and its marrow are what makes this dish unique. The shank is cut in a way that the bone marrow is exposed, and thus can permeate the soup, making it extremely flavorful. This relative inexpensive cut of meat (I paid $16 for 4 shanks at Costco) contains quite a bit of connective tissue, which is why it needs to be cooked for long periods of time before it is really enjoyable.

I served this to a group of guests this past week and they loved it. It's a great dish for entertaining on a weeknight because you can make most of it the night before and then just heat it up right before serving. I bet this works great in a crock pot too!

I like how this dish is quite flexible. I've seen recipes use white wine, marsala wine, or brandy. Some recipes will add a splash of balsamic vinaigrette to deepen the flavor. Chopped tomatoes are optional, but I like the flavors that they add to the dish. Traditionally, it's served over saffron risotto, but you don't have to do that. Serve it with pasta, mashed potatoes, or, if you're in a pinch (like I was), over white rice. The sauce is quite flavorful and thus works fine with a variety of carbohydrates. Heck, if you're a real health nut, you can even serve it over wheat berries.

More importantly, as long as you have the basics: veal shanks, mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery), broth, some sort of wine, some herbs (e.g., bay leaf, rosemary, thyme) and long cooking time over low heat, you'll be all set.

I'm really surprised at how flavorful this dish was and how nice it made the house smell! I think the marrow makes a big difference, as it probably gets in the soup and flavors it even more. Make sure to suck out the marrow while you're eating this dish - it's one of best parts!

Milanese Veal Osso Bucco
Adapted from Tyler Florence

4 pieces veal shank with bone, cut 2 inches thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 cup dry Marsala or dry white wine
1 T tomato paste (optional)
2 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover the shanks in the pan)
3 vine-ripen tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (optional)

Gremolata

Make sure to use a saute pan big enough to comfortably fit all the shanks because you will be stewing them in the pan later.

Over medium-high heat sear all sides of the veal shanks in 1 T oil + 1 T butter. Set aside the veal shanks. Add remaining butter and oil and add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley and cook until softened (~5-10 minutes).  Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add wine, turn up the heat, and deglaze the pan. Add the shanks back in, and pour in the chicken broth and the chopped tomatoes. Make sure that the entire shank is covered (or at least mostly covered) in liquid. After bringing the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for at least 2 hours, or until the meat is super soft. Check every so often (I checked once and hour) and baste the shank. You can try flipping it over too, but towards the end it will get so soft that you might risk the shank falling apart if you are not careful.

At the end of the two hours, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes or so to reduce some of the broth.

Serve over risotto, rice, or pasta with gremolata on top.

Enjoy!

Gremolata

Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment that is most commonly accompanied with Milanese Veal Osso Bucco. It's such a simple combination, though, you could really use it with lots of other types of food, such as fish, scallops, mussels, or even chicken. Heck, I've even seen recipes that put in over stew or on top of pizza. The possibilities are endless.




Gremolata
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Combine the zest, finely minced garlic cloves, and parsley in a bowl. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve!

P.S. I did not have an orange, so I tried making it with lemon and lime zest instead. It still worked out great!

(Here I've served it over Milanese Veal Osso Bucco)

Taiwan Cafe

Roast Beef with scallions roll in scallion pancake - $5.95
I'm a sucker for Taiwanese street food. In the end, I think it's what the Taiwanese do best, and I love it. I even tried  cooking a whole Taiwanese street food dinner once, complete with Taiwanese meat balls (bawan), tea eggs (ca ye dan), meat sauce over rice (lo bah bng), and pork and bamboo shoot soup (ba genh). Since I'm Taiwanese, these dishes just hit that comfort happy zone that no other food can hit.

It's gotten better in the last few years, but for a long time, Boston had very few Taiwanese restaurants. As a college student, we basically went to Wisteria House (which used to be on Newbury Street), because that was all we had. Thankfully, in the past decade, several new restaurants serving Taiwanese food have opened, including Jo Jo Taipei in Allston, Shangri-La in Belmont, Chung Shin Yuan in Newton, Mulan in Cambridge, and more recently, Formosa Taipei in Lexington and Unique Dumpling in East Cambridge.

Taiwan Cafe was one of the first of these Taiwanese restaurants to open soon after I graduated from college. Now, after all these years, it's still one of my favorites. The food is excellent, the kitchen is insanely fast, (serious, like 3-5 minutes and your food arrives), and it serves all of my favorite Taiwanese dishes.

I'm sure the entire menu is good, but I like to stick to the super traditional Taiwanese brunch / street food type dishes, which are usually listed in the appetizer section. Here's a sampling of what we got on our last trip and also some of my recommended favorite dishes to order.

We saw the Roast Beef with Scallions Roll in Scallion Pancake (picture above) on someone else's table and we told the waiter:

"We want what they're having."

It was fabulous! Imagine a perfectly crispy and flaky scallion pancake rolled around fragrant steak slices decorated with a splash of hoisin sauce and cilantro. I loved loved loved this. It was probably my favorite dish of this meal.

Oyster Pancake with Gravy - $5.55
Oyster pancakes are a classic Taiwanese street dish and you should definitely get this if you've never had it. Eggs are mixed with potato starch to create this unique one-of-a-kind-texture pancake filled with oysters and spinach. It's topped with a sweet chili sauce that pairs quite well with the pancake.

Beef with Longhorn Peppers - $10.95
This dish can sometimes be very spicy, so consider yourself warned! I love the fragrant hot peppers and how they pair with the thin slices of beef.

Sauteed Pork with Bamboo Tips - $9.95
This is one of my friend's favorite dishes. Fresh bamboo shoots are stir-fried with thinly sliced pieces of pork. It's a great non-spicy option for the table.

Sauteed Chinese Watercress with Garlic - $9.95
I always like to order some sort of stir-fried greens. I guess secretly it makes me feel healthier. There are many ways to order greens, but I like to get mine simply sauteed in garlic and oil. I like how it's not too oily here. Interestingly, Chinese watercress, literally translated as hollow heart greens, are actually considered a "noxious weed" by the USDA. They are Bryan's favorite Chinese vegetable, so we order it a lot.

Mini Steamed Buns with pork & crabmeat (8) - $6.95
The soup dumplings here are pretty good. Bryan likes them better than the ones at Gourmet Dumpling House, though they are still no comparison to my favorite dumplings in the US and my favorite dumplings in the world.

Steamed Pork & Mushroom Sticky Rice with Gravy - $3.50
Another typical Taiwanese dish, this is sticky rice with that same sweet chili sauce used in the oyster pancake.

A Sampling of Authentic Taiwanese Dishes
The menu here is huge, and I have not come close to trying all the dishes. However, I would recommend trying some of the authentic Taiwanese dishes since you can't get those in as many places. Here are some classics.

House Special Pork Chop over Rice Platter ($5.20)
This is a simple, classic Taiwanese dish that consists of a fried pork chop, rice, and other typical Taiwanese sides such as meat sauce over rice, a soy sauce egg, and some pickled vegetables. This is a very common lunch in Taiwan.

Beef Noodle Soup with Spinach ($5.20)
Beef noodle soup is huge in Taiwan, some calling it the national dish of Taiwan. It's been a few years since I've had this dish here, but I'm guessing it's still good. Has anyone had it recently?

Hearty Noodle Soup with Pork-Fish Drop and Mushrooms ($5.20)
This is Bryan's favorite noodle soup. It's hard to find in Boston, so we often order it here. It's thick, has tons of umami, and is a great hearty soup to enjoy in the wintertime. I often make it at home too.

Braised Pork with Peanuts & Sour Mustard Green in Steamed Bun ($3.75)
David Chang's famous Momofuku pork belly buns are based off of this traditional Taiwanese version of the dish. The Taiwanese version uses peanuts and sour mustard greens instead of hoisin sauce and pickled cucumbers. It's a fantastic appetizer. I actually recently tried making it at home for the first time. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about it!

And if you are an adventurous eater . . .

Chilled Spicy Pork Ears ($4.75) - Crunchy and chewy at the same time, I've always loved this authentic Taiwanese appetizer.

Stinky Tofu ($5.95) - If you are really really adventurous, you can try their stinky tofu. Taiwan Cafe is one of the few places in Boston that carries this very authentic Taiwanese street food. This is not for the faint of heart. You are essentially eating tofu that's fermented and basically gone bad. For a more detailed scientific explanation of what stinky tofu, click here.

Simmered Three Essences Duck Tongue in Hot Pot ($15.95)

This grossed me out, so I had a hard time eating it, but my Chinese friend swears by it, and honestly it is tasty if you can get over the fact that you are eating duck tongues!

Even if you are not adventurous, you can still enjoy a great meal here.

Taiwan Cafe has something for everyone. Definitely try to come on a weekend when they have the expanded brunch menu. Then you can try other favorites, such as sweet soy milk with deep fried crullers, salty soy milk, scallion pancakes, and chive pies, just to name a few. The best way to enjoy this restaurant is to go with a group of people (at least four but preferably more) so that you can order a bunch of stuff family-style and share!

Taiwan Cafe
34 Oxford St
Boston, MA 02111

Tiny Urban Tidbits #8

Tiny Urban Tidbits is where I share with you some insights, "tidbits", or just random encounters from the week. I carry my camera with me everywhere I go, and I love capturing photos of interesting things that I discover. These may include new dishes from a restaurant that I've already reviewed, updates on what's going on locally, or encounters I've had in the kitchen. It could even include a beautiful sunset, a funny sign, or just stuff I find amusing. Think of it as snapshots (literally!) of my weekly experiences with food - intertwined with stories, of course.

A Pan That Heats Evenly? Finally!

For someone who write a food blog, I own embarrassingly cheap equipment. Maybe it's the fact that my kitchen is so small. Maybe it's because I decided not to register for any kitchen stuff when I got married. Whatever the case, I have never liked my pans. They heat woefully unevenly, the non-stick quality is not very good, and they are old. I feel like we are still college students, cooking on single burners with cheap pans and sleeping on twin beds.

So, when I was contacted by CSN to pick an item from their site to review, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to review a new pan, since I desperately felt like it was time to finally see what a high quality pan was like.

Stay tuned next week as I discuss my own findings regarding this beautiful pan!

Macarons! Macarons!

A kind friend who was staying at our place over the weekend brought these maracons from a place in New York that I'd never heard of before. Up to this point, I had only tasted macarons from Bouchon, Pierre Hermes, and my own kitchen! These are from Financier Patisserie, a bakery in New York that specializes in traditional and signature French pastries. The macarons were delicious, but they really don't last that long. After about a day or two, they get really dry and crumbly. :( So eat them fast or don't buy too many to take back with you!

Easiest Ever Marinara Sauce

I found this recipe through Smitten Kitchen, although it originally comes from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I was dubious that it would taste good, but after getting approval from my harshest critic (Bryan!), I decided that it was a keeper, especially considering how few ingredients it uses and how little work is involved.

I almost feel like you don't need a recipe. Basically, take 1 onion (cut in half), 5 T unsalted butter (almost a stick!), and a can of whole peeled tomatoes (I used San Marzano tomatoes from Whole Foods). Bring to a medium heat and then simmer for 45 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes occasionally over the course of the cooking time. At the end, remove the onion, salt to taste, and serve! So easy, and Bryan thought it was surprisingly good for such a simple sauce.

Crazy Rain Storms in Boston

We've had some crazy windy rain storms here this past week. On Sunday we saw a bunch of fallen branches and trees all over the place while we were driving home from a wedding.

After the storm, however, the city was a completely different scene. The sun came out. The storm had cooled down everything, and it was actually really really pretty outside.  I was torn between jogging and walking. Finally, I compromised by taking my camera for a walk.

I love puddles and taking pictures of reflections.

The Charles River. I love having these awesome views within walking distance of home and work.

Redbones

Fried Oysters (served with chipotle mayo) $6.99

Redbones has been serving up excellent Southern barbecue in Davis Square since 1987. "Pitmasters" prepare the meat at Redbones using the authentic Southern method of smoking it over an open pitfire.  The restaurant has won countless awards, most notably Best of Boston, Barbecue in 2000, 2002, and 2003. I know, it begs the question, who won all the subsequent years?

The reigning champ (up until 2009) for best barbeque was Blue Ribbon Barbecue in Arlington. But the two places really are quite different beasts and serve different purposes. Blue Ribbon is mainly a take-out place with hardly any seating. Redbones, on the other hand, has two floors of seating, 28 beers on tap, a festive ambiance, plus much more non-BBQ Southern dishes.

We decided to check out Redbones the other day to see if it was really worth the hype. Keep in mind this place often has lines out the door on weekends. Fortunately, we were able to land a table on a Saturday afternoon without any problems. Here's a peek at some of the food we enjoyed.


Sweet Tea in big jars! For some reason, I always feel that a place is much more Southern if it serves its drinks in these huge jars. Other places locally that do that include Hungry Mother and Tupelo.

Top Left: Cornbread Top Right: Fried Okra $3.99 Bottom Left: Succotash (Lima beans, corn, peppers & onions) $3.99 Bottom right: Hushpuppies (fried cornbread, flavored w/ scallions and garlic, served with vinegar sauce) $2.99
All of these were excellent! I especially enjoyed the deep fried okra and my succotash, but honestly, everything here is good!

Pulled Pork Sandwich (Solo $6.49 / Plate $8.99)
Slowly smoked pork, "pulled" & served with cole slaw, onions, pickles & sauce on a toasted roll, by itself, or with beans & potato salad

Fried Catfish Sandwich (Solo $6.49 / Plate $8.99)
Spicy fried catfish on a bun with lettuce, tomato & tartar sauce, comes by itself or with potato salad & cole slaw.

Catfish Combo $16.99 - $18.99
Catfish &amp Pulled Pork (or your choice of any other BBQ) served with Potato Salad & Cole Slaw


Final Thoughts
You can't go wrong coming here for a fun and delicious Southern meal. The BBQ is excellent, and I would highly recommend trying a pulled pork sandwich or anything with fried catfish. The fried appetizers, like the hush puppies, okra, and clams, are also fantastic. Excellent food, low prices, festive atmosphere, 28 draft beers - what's not to like?

I guess everyone has already figured that out, which would explain the endless long lines.

  

Redbones
Davis Square
55 Chester St
Somerville, MA 02144

Olive Oil Ice Cream

To a non-Italian like me, this ice cream flavor initially sounded really strange. I mean, olive oil is almost never served in a sweet capacity, right? We enjoy it dipped in bread, drizzled over fresh mozarella, or poured over a savory soup. But then this past year, I started hearing about other ways in which olive oil could be used in a  sweet dessert.

First, there was the olive oil cake I had in Napa Valley at the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef's Competition Welcome Reception. Then I started seeing tweets from a certain food blogger who was basically obsessing over olive oil ice cream she had just enjoyed at Momofuku. She then somehow managed to procure a few pints (a secret supply that they keep in the back) from my favorite ice cream place in the world. A week later, after getting this exciting message on twitter, I walked, no I ran, down the street to pick up my own secret pint that was hidden in the back for me.

Though at first it took a little getting used to, the ice cream definitely grew on me. By the third night, I was craving the stuff, and would anticipate my bowl of olive oil ice cream every night.

So of course when I ran out, what did I do? I learned how to make it, of course. The recipe is surprisingly simple, and after doing just a tiny bit of research, I realized that this stuff is actually quite common in Italy. The quality of the olive oil matters a lot, so try to get the fruitiest, most floral olive oil you can find.


Heavy cream is not cheap, and I think most people would agree that making ice cream at home is actually not economical. It probably costs just as much as buying a tub in the supermarket.

The cheapest place I've found selling heavy cream, by far, is Costco. You can get a quart for less than $3, which is about half the cost of most places. Half and Half at Costco is really cheap too. As a result, I have optimized most of my ice cream recipes according to ingredients I can easily and inexpensively obtain at Costco.

Definitely don't skimp on the quality of the olive oil, as this recipe is so simple that the quality of every single ingredient matters a lot. This recipe also makes an ice cream that is not super sweet. If you like sweeter ice creams, I would recommend adding more sugar than what I have added. Personally, I think an olive oil ice cream should not be too sweet. Some recipes even recommend pairing the ice cream with a dash of sea salt on top.


Olive Oil Ice Cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
4 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Dissolve sugar, heavy cream, and half and half in a pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar has melted. While stirring the heated mixture with a whisk, add in the beaten egg yolks in a slow but steady stream. Continue stirring until all the egg yolk is incorporated. Continue heating and stirring over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon (~8-10 minutes). Optionally filter the mixture through a sieve to remove any small egg yolk solids. Add the olive oil and stir to combine. You can put the mixture into an ice bath and stir (like I did) to cool it more quickly before putting it in the refrigerator. Cool the mixture overnight.

The next day, you may notice that the cream mixture may have separated from the oil mixture. Stir to re-mix the two different phases and pour into an ice cream maker. Make ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. I personally use a Lello Gelato Pro, which I love because it has its own condenser, which means you can make ice cream anytime of the day on a whim. I've had the unit for years and have never had a problem with it. It is very reliable.

Most ice creams that I make need to be put into the freezer for a few hours before they can be served. This ice cream is so thick, rich, and creamy, you can serve it right out of the ice cream maker!

Enjoy!


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Top Chef Master Mini-Series Part II: Rialto

As Top Chef Masters comes to a close, I thought I would do a tiny-mini-series highlighting the two chefs from my hometown of Cambridge who competed this season. Check out the first post in this series, Oleana, Ana Sortum's Mediterranean restaurant in Cambridge. Ana Sortum was eliminated early in the show. Jody Adams, on the other hand, made the final eight and did not get eliminated until her undercooked goat dish in the "Exotic Surf & Turf" episode.

Rialto is Jody Adams' restaurant and it sits in the Charles Hotel right in the middle of Harvard Square in Cambridge. Known for rustic Italian food with a local, New England flair, Rialto has long been regarded as one of the best modern dining experiences in Boston.

Unlike many chefs who competed in Top Chef Masters, Jody was never formally trained in culinary school. In fact, she graduated with a degree in Anthropology from Brown University (!). She then started by working as a line cook at Seasons restaurant for Lydia Shire, and moved up the ranks, opening Hamersley's Bistro as a sous-chef with Gordon Hamersley and eventually opening up Rialto in 1994. Since then she has won numerous awards, from the James Beard Foundation Award for the Best Chef Award, Northeast to having Rialto named  as one of the best restaurants in the country by Esquire Magazine.

We visited Rialto on a beautiful Friday evening when we were able to book an early reservation for a wonderful seat right next to the window.  The critics are right - the food is fantastic and definitely worth trying. Currently, Jody Adams is featuring foods inspired by Venice, so you'll see some dishes reminiscent of that region.

Parma prosciutto… sweet and sour beets, burrata, candied walnuts $17
I love the simple freshness of this dish. The creamy burrata is heavenly, and the rest of the ingredients work very well together. Having said all that, the preparation of this dish is very simple, and if you bought the same ingredients, you could probably just as easily roast your own beets, buy some high quality burrata (or at least a fantastic local alternative), and make this dish at home.

Pat and Barbara’s perfect grilled littlenecks… andouille, toasted garlic bread  $18
Bryan ordered these clams as his starter and they were very good. The clams are super fresh, simply topped with some chopped parsley and lemon juice. 

Nettle minestrone… morels, tiny pea ravioli, pesto $13
I loved my farm fresh soup full of morel mushrooms, fresh peas, and these tiny pea raviolis, which were just delightful. These tiny handmade pasta pockets have the perfect al dente texture, filled with tiny bursts of peas. I love it. The broth is also very light, yet full of flavor. I love it when a dish is super healthy and incredibly delicious at the same time.

Wavy black ink risotto with New England razor, mahogany and littleneck  16/30
Jody Adams took the classic Venetian dish (squid ink risotto), and gave it a New England flare by adding local clams. The resulting dish is richly full of strong seafood flavors, both from the squid ink and also the countless clams that were cooked to make the broth. There are several types of clams, including the unique longish one (razor clams) you see in the picture. Overall, a deep, dark, rich and savory dish. 

Slow roasted Long Island duck breast… escarole, roasted fingerlings, Sicilian olives 36
This is the most popular dish at Rialto and Jody Adams has been making it the same way for 20 years. Jody even said that whenever she tries to take it off the menu she gets letters of protest. Bryan enjoyed the duck immensely. It was perfectly cooked and had a wonderfully fragrant, slightly sweet flavor.

Pansôti… herb ravioli, nut sauce, farm egg 15/28
Looking to get something a bit lighter, I decided to order a pasta dish instead of a meat dish as my main entree. This simple pansôti, which is like a ravioli of sorts, was delicious. The pansôti, when cut open, explodes with chopped up fragrant herbs mixed with a creamy sauce. The perfectly poached farm egg on top is a delight to break open.

Of course, I happily mixed the egg yolks around and enjoyed it together with the rest of the elements on the plate.

Here is a close up of the pansôti cut open and the egg yolks oozing all over the place!

Pistachio olive oil cake, Toasted almond panna cotta, Chili chocolate sorbet $12
For dessert, we shared a trio of desserts. I thought the dessert was fine, although nothing particularly special. 


Overall Thoughts
Jody Adams clearly has a knack for creating wonderfully flavorful dishes that really bring out an ingredient's natural flavors. I love how she really focuses on local organic farms, to the point where she actually takes her staff to these farms once a month (she calls it "Guerilla Grilling") so they can become better acquainted with those that source the ingredients at Rialto. She is also passionate about a variety of social causes and is a strong supporter of Partners In Health. Currently, all proceeds from vegetable side dishes at Rialto go directly to Partners In Health.

I definitely recommend trying Rialto. You won't be disappointed with the food, and the ambiance and service are fantastic as well. They are currently building an outside deck that should be ready mid to late June. Though the interior space is already gorgeous (recently renovated), I think sitting outside would be such a fun thing to do on a perfect day. You can almost imagine you are in Italy - savoring delicious Italian-inspired dishes made with fresh, local ingredients while sipping on a glass of wine on a warm summer night.

Rialto
Harvard Square (inside the Charles Hotel)
1 Bennett St
Cambridge, MA 02138