Grilled Salmon with Mint Honey Mustard Sauce

Ahh summer . . .

It's really over, I guess! Although today is still technically summer (tomorrow is the official first day of fall this year), it has felt like autumn here in Boston for several weeks now. I finally pulled out the leather jacket this week and resigned myself to wearing socks.

In some ways, I'm sort of bummed that we moved so late in the summer. Our new place has a little yard in the back as well as a balcony and a deck. It would have been fun to be able to make use of these airy outdoor spaces (something I never had in my midrise condo!) before it got too cold.

Despite the impending cold weather, Bryan still decided to buy a grill. He researched for weeks before finally deciding on this crazy Weber Summit grill. Perhaps someday I'll write a more in-depth post about why he chose it. Needless to say, this grill can get crazy hot and bangs out some beautiful, charred "crusts"!

I digress.

What I meant to share with you today was the inaugural meal with our new grill. True, it was a bit nippy outside, but we put on our jackets and fired up the grill to make this simple, yet delicious Sunday dinner.

I got my last shipment of Copper River Salmon this week. As you know, I have been helping out Alaska's Copper River Salmon Organization sleuth out places in Boston to get this lovely fish. 
Isn't it absolutely beautiful? Alaska actually ran into some horrible storms a few weeks ago. They had to deal with 75 mph gusts as well as 25+ foot seas! In fact, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game even considered closing the season early due to the lower runs of salmon they have had this month.

Thankfully, the weather improved the following week, and the fishermen were able to go out and catch some more fish.

Bryan had told me he preferred his salmon with a sauce versus eating it the simple way I usually prepare it. So, after some internet searching, I combined two elements to form what I thought would be a clear winner for Bryan:

Bobby Flay + mustard/horseradish sauce

Bryan's a HUGE fan of Bobby Flay and never ceases to stop by his restaurant in Vegas. Bryan also loves spicy stuff, especially mustard, horseradish, and wasabi!

I found some wild mint in the front yard of my new home. I took the risk and picked it!! Hope wild mint isn't poisonous like some wild mushrooms!

Stir together all the ingredients and serve over your grilled salmon! How much easier can it be than that? This sauce is a cinch and definitely gives the salmon a lovely kick.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Filet with Honey Mustard Sauce
Bobby Flay

Sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fish
2 pound fillet salmon, skin on
2 tablespoons canola oil

Salad
1 bunch salad greens, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar (or other vinegar you might have on hand)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce
Whisk together the mustards, honey, horseradish, mint, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before using. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated but do not add the mint until just before using. Bring to room temperature before using.

Salmon
Heat the grill to high. Brush the salmon with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down, and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 minutes.

Salad
While the salmon is cooking, place the watercress and onion in a medium bowl, add the vinegar and oil and salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer the salad to a platter, top with the salmon fillet and drizzle each fillet with the mustard sauce.

Disclaimer
The Copper River Coho Salmon was provided by the Copper River Salmon Organization in Alaska

Clover

You just never know what you might do with that MIT degree.

Of course, most of us are boring and end up doing conservative, sensible things with our expensive educations. Bryan and I met at MIT - him a computer science major and me a chemistry major. And, predictably, we are utilizing the skills we learned in college in our day jobs.

However, Ayr Muir, material science major ("Course 3" as MITers like to say) class of 2000 (SM '01), has decided to do something a little different.

After about a decade working a desk job, he decided to take the leap and follow his dreams. He opened up a vegetarian food truck in Kendall Square (right next to MIT). It was a hit.

About a year later, he finally opened up his first brick-and-mortar restaurant. Clover set foot in the ground in Harvard Square just this past year.

Of course, you wouldn't expect any less from an MIT grad than a place that tries to take advantage of the latest technology. Here, orders are taken on iPads right at the door.
The vibe is definitely very organic, natural, and granola. There are herb boxes throughout and even a large herb garden on the second level!
It took a little bit of time to get our food. One of the workers was nice enough to offer Bryan some free fries while he waited.

Many have raved about the rosemary fries ever since the truck opened in Kendall. I thought the fries were  reasonably tasty, though not super crunchy. They did have a nice, natural potato flavor which I liked.

We tried two different sandwiches. Bryan got the chickpea fritter (sort of like their interpretation of a falafel), which is accompanied with pickled onions. I got the soy "BLT". Overall, the sandwiches were fresh, healthy, and pretty good. Of course, the soy BLT has nothing on a real BLT, but it's not horrible. The big, fat slice of heirloom tomato was very nice, and in general all the ingredients were fresh.

Bryan thought the chickpea fritter was only OK. Not being a huge fan of pickled onions, I would probably agree. I personally much prefer a really good traditional falafel.

Nevertheless, I really like the concept of Clover. It's got this funky, modern, cool vibe with an emphasis on organic, local, and sustainable foods. I think it's cool that a vegetarian restaurant can do so well - we need more places that serve healthy food at affordable prices!

Clover
7 Holyoke St
Cambridge, MA
02138

All Star Sandwich Bar Global Street Foods

Bryan and I are polar opposites when it comes to the way we eat.

Bryan never snacks; eats three square meals a day right on time (ahem, that is, if you count a cup of espresso as breakfast); and demands a proper, "real" meal for dinner. No sandwiches for dinner, please.

I'm the complete opposite. I love snacking throughout the day. In fact, my ideal day would consist of little bites every two hours or so. I don't have any such "no sandwiches" rule. In fact, I'm a sucker for casual street foods and love exploring them when I travel.

Imagine my delight when I found out about All Star Sandwich Bar's month long special on street foods.  Each week features a new specials menu full of sandwiches inspired by global street foods. Some menu items are obvious "sandwich-like" options, like banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), whereas other items are more esoteric interpretations, like the tofu pad thai sandwich.

Chicken Schawarma
The owners are Greek brothers, so it's no surprise that they would have a classic Greek sandwich, the chicken schawarma (known as gyros in Greece), on their menu. This particular version has grilled chicken breast, lettuce, mint, feta cheese, citrus yogurt, charred tomato-cucumber relish, and mango tahini sauce.

The pita is nice and thick, very reminiscent of the fresh kind I saw in Greece. Frankly, I think many of the flavors (such as the mango or the citrus), are pretty subtle. This sandwich was reasonably tasty enough, but I couldn't stop thinking about the amazing gyros I had in Greece. These are still a far cry from the best ones I had in Greece, but they are definitely better than a typical Greek gyro you'd find at many local grinders here in Boston.

Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken
The Jamaican Jerk fried chicken sandwich consists of hot sauce-buttermilk fried chicken drizzled with spicy habanero mango pineapple jam, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, watercress, red onions, and coconut ranch dressing on grilled sourdough bread. It was quite flavorful, although a bit too sweet and salty for me. I'm not sure how much I cared for the creamy dressing on the watercress, though it probably helped cut the strong flavors (e.g., spicy, salty, and sweet!) of the sandwich.

Kentucky Hot Brown
What is a Kentucky Hot Brown?
The Hot Brown Sandwich was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926 by Fred K. Schmidt. The original Hot Brown was an open-faced sandwich consisting of oven roasted turkey, bacon, and Parmesan cheese baked with white bread and topped with Mornay sauce (a béchamel sauce with shredded cheese such as Gruyere and/or Parmesan).  At the time, sliced roasted turkey was usually reserved for Thanksgiving, so the idea of using it in a sandwich was quite novel and unique. The Hot Brown became insanely popular and quickly became the top choice for most diners at the hotel (95% of orders!).

Although I've never had a real Hot Brown, I must say that the version at All Star is excellent. It was by far both of our favorites out of the three sandwiches that we tried. We loved the use of French toast for the bread. All Star's version also has thick-cut oven roasted turkey breast, along with arugula, vine-ripen tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon (also thick cut!), sharp cheddar cheese, and herbed Mornay sauce. It's fantastic and we both loved it.

Bryan said, "I would totally order that one again."

From Mr. "No Sandwiches for Dinner" guy? That's quite a compliment!

Like I mentioned before, the Global Street Foods specials change every week. On the one hand, it's fun to keep trying new ones. On the other hand, it's rough to see your favorites go.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Corn
We tried a couple classic sides, such as the grilled cilantro lime corn, which was fine, though the unevenly scattered cheese on top meant that some bites were much more flavorful than others.

Hush Puppies
I loved the hush puppies, which are jalapeno filled fried corn fritters served with a tabasco remoulade. They were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and definitely had a kick from the jalapenos! I'm pretty sure we polished off that entire plate.

7 layer bar
We were offered a 7-layer bar for dessert. I believe the bottom layer is a graham cracker crust (1), which is then topped with condensed milk (2), chocolate chips (3), peanuts (4), white chocolate chips (5), coconut flakes (6), and maybe butterscotch chips?? (7)

It was crazy sweet. I guess I can see why the server kept trying to offer us milk (are you sure you don't want some milk?). If only I had listened. It was OK, but I personally wasn't a huge fan, mostly because of the crazy amounts of sugar!

Epilogue
All in all, we had a fun time trying out the Global Street Food specials. I'm curious to see what sandwiches they come up with next. Supposedly they did a banh mi last week, and will be doing a Big Mac next. I'm sure they've got lots of other globally inspired sandwiches up their sleeve!

Now if only I could convince Bryan to come out with me and have sandwiches again for dinner.

Disclaimer: this meal was paid for by All Star Sandwich Bar

All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 cambridge st
Cambridge, MA

T.W.Food

Somewhere, hidden in a largely residential section of North Cambridge, lies an unexpected gem.

I know - sounds familiar doesn't it? But no, I'm not talking about that famous restaurant (which, incidentally, has since moved from that leafy location). I am, instead, talking about T.W. Food, a cozy little place right on Walden street between Harvard Square and Alewife.

Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann are the owners of T.W. Food, a small, intimate restaurant serving dishes made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.  The menu changes daily depending on what's available that day.  Chef Tim Wiechmann exhibits creativity that's also grounded in solid, classic French training. He's not afraid to experiment and definitely plays around with molecular gastronomy. Don't be surprised if you see some foams (among other interesting things) here.

T.W. Food is inviting right when you walk in -  the exposed brick, tiny bustling kitchen, and small cozy dining space beckon one to sit down and just relax.

The menu is set up in two ways. You can either order the Grand Tasting, which consists of courses and costs $75. Or, you can order from the a la carte menu, which allows you to choose a starter, entree, and dessert for $41. Everything is a fixed price menu here.

For a great deal, you can also try their Tuesday Wine Series, which is a 4-course meal paired with 4 glasses of wine for $55. It's great fun because each week they explore wine from a different region. In the next month or so, they plan on exploring Argentina & Chile, Bordeaux, French Riviera, and Sicily (just to name a few).

We went on a Saturday with Bryan's old co-worker from years past. This is the same co-worker who first introduced us to one of our favorite casual dining spots. Chatting with him is always a pleasure, as he constantly gives us new ideas about cooking, shopping, and eating.

Because it was summer, we started with a beautiful amuse bouche of fresh corn and a creamy, custardy cake. The bite was delightful, and definitely whet our appetites for more.

I decided to start with the smoked fish pate with house pickled cucumber and red onions. The smoked fish was nice, perfectly salted and infused with a beautiful smoky flavor. It went well with the accompaniments.

Bryan ordered one of their signature dishes, the "Fois Gras Creme Brulee".  It's an unusual mixture of savory and sweet - the rich, savory umami of the fois gras is topped with a hard, candy coated shell from the creme brulee.

"Summer Lettuce" is a compilation of seasonal, summer greens, fruit, and other fresh produce.

Whole Wheat Pappardelle 
heirloom tomato, bucheron goat’s cheese, spelt grains, escarole and basil 

Though Bryan does not typically like whole wheat pasta, he was intrigued by the idea of fresh, homemade whole wheat pasta. The verdict? He very much enjoyed the flavor of the sauce, but maintains that whole wheat pasta just does not have the same texture (and thus just isn't as good), as white flour pasta. Having said that, he conceded that the texture of this homemade pasta was quite good, and he was still perfectly happy eating it.

Both of our favorites from the evening? - this lovely summer corn ravioli with house smoked ham. The ravioli itself had amazing pasta texture (much better than Bryan's whole wheat pasta!), and I absolutely loved the intense flavor of corn that dominated each bite. The sweetness and creaminess of the ravioli contrasted perfectly with the salty, smoky ham. The dish was perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious.

Dessert was really really interesting. We ordered beignets with tobacco infused chocolate sauce. The tobacco flavor was subtle but it was definitely there. It added an interesting smoky element to the chocolate sauce.

What a nice touch!  We ended with some complimentary mignardises that wrapped up the meal nicely.

General Thoughts
I had a fantastic time at T.W. Food trying the various dishes. Everything is executed with precision and lots of care. The ingredients are top notch and the menu is creative.

Unlike most French-inspired upscale restaurants, T.W. Food serves rather generous portions. We actually took quite a bit of food home, which we didn't mind at all. The leftovers were still very, very enjoyable!

I would love to stop by on a Tuesday and try their wine series. I tried their grand tasting several years ago but frankly, it was so long ago I don't remember it that well. Maybe it's time to go back and try that as well!

All in all, I'm enjoying the interesting dishes at T.W. Food and I will definitely be back.

T.W. Food
377 Walden St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Blue Asia Cafe

You haven't really tried classic, Taiwanese casual cuisine until you've had either the pork chop over rice (pai gu fan 排骨飯) or the salt and pepper basil fried chicken (sometimes referred to as popcorn chicken).

OK, perhaps I exaggerate, but these are very traditional, classic Taiwanese "bento" dishes that are very common throughout Taiwan. There's often a cult following for the places that make the best ones, and quality varies, a lot.

A traditional Taiwanese pork chop over rice consists of a deep fried pork chop, rice, Taiwanese meat sauce, and pickled mustard greens. Sometimes the vegetable may vary and you may get a soy sauce egg (or tea egg!), all-in-all, though, the basic premise is the same.

Simple, quick, convenient, and very very delicious.

I was thrilled to discover yet another Taiwanese casual place that has just opened up in Allston not too long ago. It looked promising full of all sort of classic Taiwanese dishes such as various boba teas, shaved ice, Taiwanese maki rolls, and, of course, the beloved pork chop over rice.

My mom was in town helping out with my sister's new baby. My brother-in-law was oh-so-kind to offer to watch the baby while my mom, sister, and I snuck out for a quick girls lunch.

The decor of Blue Asia Cafe really reminds me of Taiwan. It's bright, colorful, and one wall is filled with anime books. They are both a cafe and a restaurant, serving a strong assortment of boba tea, shaved ice, and other sweets while also offering classic, casual Taiwanese dishes.

For some reason, I always get sooo excited when I see an authentic Taiwanese menu. I have trouble deciding between all the fun dishes to try. This menu was pretty Taiwanese, although there were some weird fusion stuff thrown in there, like maki rolls made with hot dog, eggs and cheese (???), as well as popular dishes from other cuisines (bi bim bop or General Gau's chicken, anyone?). All in all, though, I was pleased to see dishes that reminded me of Taiwan.

We started out with an order of scallion pancakes, which were fine although nothing special. My mom kept saying they really reminded her of i-Mei (a well known Taiwanese packaged food brand) frozen pancakes (which,mind you, are quite good for frozen . . .). They were fine, but I wouldn't order them again. Many other places in Boston make a much better scallion pancake.
I was slightly tickled (and partly mortified) at the creative spin Blue Asia had taken on the humble make roll. Sure, we all know that the classic Taiwanese maki roll is very different from the Japanese type. Taiwanese people love to put pork sung (pork floss) in their maki rolls, as well as pickled vegetables, egg, and other cooked things. Honestly, it's quite flavorful and quite good, though different from any Japanese-style roll. However, I couldn't imagine how hot dogs and cheese would taste in a roll.

Anyway, no one at our table wanted to take that risk, so instead we took the conservative approach and went with the pork chop Taiwanese style roll.

This one, called the "Typhoon Rice Roll" had pork chop, fried egg, lettuce, pork sung, and some pickled gourd. It was pretty good and reminded me of the classic Taiwanese maki (although my mom never made it with pork chop! Just pork sung).

We ordered another classic - the salt and pepper chicken with basil over rice. This is a classic street dish in Taiwan that is often not served in a dish like this. Instead, you might get the fried chicken in a bag and you eat it with skewers. In fact, I believe Lollicup in Allston serves it this way and they call it popcorn chicken.

The pepper flavor was very distinctive, having hints of 5-spice (though I could not distinguish which one it was). We asked the server (or perhaps she was the owner?), who told us that they import the spice mix from Taiwan and it's the best one there. I can't remember the name, but it sounded something like "A-1" or something.

Like every classic Taiwanese rice dish, this one also came with the classic meat sauce, which is poured over the rice (and originally hidden under the egg!). The side of tofu (similar to mapo tofu) was unusual, but not bad at all.

The pork chop (pictured above), was also pretty good, but I think the one at Taiwan Cafe is still my favorite in Boston.

My sister was craving boba, so she tried a Thai iced tea. I actually thought it was pretty good, though (again), it may not be my favorite in Boston.


All-in-all, I had a fun time at Blue Asia Cafe. The fun, slightly schizophrenic menu is still very Taiwanese at its core and they deliver decently on all of their dishes. I wouldn't say they have the best of any particular dish (there are places in Boston that still do Taiwanese food better). However, they do an admirable job on most things, and I personally love the casual, very Taiwanese ambiance.

Bottom line is, it's a fun, casual place to visit that won't break your wallet.

 Blue Asia Cafe
113 Brighton Ave
Allston, MA 02134

Scampo

There are at least two reasons to visit the Scampo if you're in Boston.

First, it's housed in the storied Liberty Hotel, a former prison that's rich with all sorts of history. The former Charles Street Jail housed prisoners from 1851 to 1990. The US district court ruled in 1973 that the jail violated the constitutional rights of the prisoners because of terrible overcrowding.

Massachusetts General Hospital now owns the property and opened a luxury hotel in the space in 2007. They have maintained some of the original architecture, so it's quite fascinating to see the former jail decked out in luxury finishes.

Of course, architecture and history alone would not be enough reason to visit a restaurant. The second reason to visit Scampo is that it's another restaurant by Lydia Shire, probably one of the most well known chefs in Boston. A driven woman who worked her way to the top during a time when male chefs dominated the industry, Lydia Shire continues to wow us with her current empire, which includes the venerated classic Locke-Ober, the trendy Towne Stove & Spirits (opened this past year), and Scampo - the ever so popular restaurant inside the Liberty Hotel.

It's hard not to be impressed by your surroundings right when you enter the Liberty Hotel. The high ceilings of the former jail fill you with a sense of wonder and fascination at the same time. Scampo is in the lower level of the Liberty Hotel, which also houses the new American restaurant Clink.

The space at Scampo is trendy, lively, yet cozy and warm at the same time. A huge open kitchen sits at the center of the restaurant. You can watch chefs preparing pizzas in the brick oven or baking their homemade naan.

The restaurant is decidedly Italian, although it draw influences from both the Mediterranean region as well as the Middle East.

For example, we enjoyed an interesting edamame (? or was it pea?) puree with Italian breadsticks. Naan-like bread is also cooked in tandoori ovens.
We started with this lovely lobster appetizer that came with fresh avocados, thinly sliced radishes, and a fried plantain chip on top.

Razor claims with house made gnocchi, potato chips, and basil were sweet, fresh, and perfectly seasoned.

Roasted Suckling Pig
A special only available on Fridays, the generous portion of the "roasted suckling pork" was juicy and had perfect crispy skin (not unlike Peking duck!). It was served with fresh handmade pasta (Bryan's favorite!) and asparagus.

For dessert we tried the "house made cookie plate - chef's whim" and the tiramisu. The cookies are great because you can easily take them home if you can't finish them. 
We definitely enjoyed our meal at Scampo. In fact, we could definitely see the resemblance between Scampo and Lydia Shire's other restaurant that we've tried, Towne Stove & Spirits. Everything we tried was solidly executed and had great flavors. Ingredients were top notch, and overall the meal was quite enjoyable.

The menu is quite interesting, and there are still so many things we haven't tried. For example, they have a mozzarella bar full of their house made mozzarellas. You can even try a mozzarella tasting where you sample burrata, buffalo, house made, and quark mozzarella. I'm so curious to try that. There are also many types of pizzas, including Lydia Shire's famous lobster pizza (named best pizza in Massachusetts by the Food Network).

All in all, Scampo has excellent food and a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to my next visit, hopefully soon!

Scampo
215 Charles St
Boston, MA 02114