Found: Boston's Best Nachos

@Union - Allston, MA
http://www.unionallston.com/

Carbohyrates please...

     I love being able to say yes to spur of the moment brunch outings. Even when it comes to a $4 glass of fresh squeezed OJ. Seriously... fresh squeezed is the way to go. The other stuff shouldn't even be called orange juice. Anyway, I met Kevin for brunch at @Union one Saturday because I hadn't seen him yet since he moved to Boston. I've heard this place was good and it seemed decently priced and close to home. Right in the heart of hipster Allston, this place boasted big open windows, a bunch of tables, and a bright and colorful atmosphere. Their menu was pretty extensive too and they had a decent selection of specials. I ordered the orange blossom french toast, which was very simple and actually rather light. It didn't have much of an orange flavor other than from the orange wedges I squeezed onto it. However, the mix of the orange and a little syrup was delicious.
     I also ordered their homefries because yelpers said they were awesome. They were right. Nice big hunks of potatoes that were grilled, not fried, with some veggies. All great things.

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Joe's American Grill - Braintree, MA
http://www.joesamerican.com/
   

Spinach and artichoke dip

     Joe's exists many places throughout the city, but I had never been. After some siiiiick F1 racing for David's sister's birthday, we headed over to Joe's for dinner. It kind of had a similar fancy but casual feel to places like Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs. We sat outside on their beautiful patio as the sun mutated my ghostly skin. As an appetizer we ordered their spinach and artichoke dip which was amazing x 1000. Super creamy and salty (in a good way) and cheesy. They served it with tortilla chips and these crisp parmesan cheese chips. So good. I could've eaten just that for dinner. We also got their chips, guac and salsa, but it was pretty standard. The salsa was strange though.

Turkey burger

     For the meal I ordered a turkey burger. Big, fat juicy guy with fresh greens, tomato and onion on a buttery toasted bun. It was super satisfying, as was the salad that came with. The dressing on the salad was stellar too. It was a sort of lemon vinaigrette but was a little sweet.  I wanted some in a to-go bottle.

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Wolfe's Tavern - Wolfeboro, NH
http://www.wolfestavern.com/


 
  I'm going to write about this little place a) because I'll probably never be in this area again, and b)
because this french onion soup was delicious. It was super loaded with cheese that poured off the sides and melted to the edges of the pot. Crispy cheese always wins in my book. That is all.

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Pavlova - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

My pretty pavlova :]

     Frances told me a long time ago that Pavlova was her favorite dessert. So naturally, I wrote it down, lost it, and had to ask Melanie what the name was again when her birthday finally came around. This was my first attempt at a type of meringue and it was incredibly difficult. First of all, I didn't have white wine vinegar, and the only white vinegar that Trader Joe's had what white balsamic, I figured it would do, until I added it to the egg/sugar mixture and the whole thing smelled and tasted strangely like mushrooms. I thought I had ruined the whole thing, but put it in the oven anyway, hoping that the vinegar taste would cook out. 

     The kicker I think was that you're supposed to let it cool over night in the oven WITH the oven door cracked. I didn't know that the oven door was supposed to be cracked, and therefore when I got to my pavlova in the morning it was sticky. I attempted to bake it a little longer, but as you know that baking is all chemistry, that didn't really help me achieve the ideal texture... but I decided it would do. Honestly, it seemed to work out quite well. The sweet, melt-in-your mouth flavor of a meringue was there, and you really couldn't go wrong with the homemade whipped cream and fruit on top. It was a big hit, and Frances loved it. That was all I wanted :]

Pavlova

4 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar (I put mine in a food processor for a few minutes)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whipped
Mixed fruits, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, bananas or whatever your heart desires.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a tall bowl, beat egg whites and salt together until glossy peaks form. With mixer running, add sugar in three additions, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. Sprinkle in cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla. Fold to combine.

3. Mound the meringue in the center of a cookie sheet liked with parchment paper. Using a spatula, evenly spread meringue out towards the edges, forming a circle. Transfer baking sheet to oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Turn off oven and let meringue cool completely in oven with the door cracked. When meringue is cool and completely dry (overnight is preferable), top with whipped cream and desired fruits.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

     Hayley mentioned the idea of a roasted butternut squash pasta sauce a long time ago, so when Meagan had extra leftover squash, I offered to make some sauce with it. I found this recipe on a blog called Teeny Tiny Foodie. I was really excited because roasted squash is great, and I could only imagine what would happen when you add in a bunch of herbs and some creamy ricotta cheese. It was just as good as I had expected, and then some! The only thing I would've done differently is I would've added a little bit more of the noodle water to thin it out a bit. It was pretty starchy the first time around. In my second serving though, I added some water to thing it out and it become a little easier to eat. While it may seem a little complicated, this was a great way to use up some butternut squash when you get a big one. Super tasty too. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

½ roasted squash bulb, peeled and cubed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 small onion, diced
1½ cups arugula
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
¾ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 lb pasta of choice
½ cup reserved cooking liquid from the pasta
Olive oil, shaved parmesan or romano cheese and red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Over medium heat, sauté the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt until the onions are golden. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the arugula, another pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

3. In a food processor/blender/with an immersion blender blend the ricotta, squash, onion-arugula mixture, salt and pepper. Process on high for 1 minute or until it is smooth.

4. Add the reserved water from the cooked pasta, ¼ cup at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

5. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, mix and top with grated parmesan or romano cheese and enjo

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21st Amendment - Boston, MA

http://21stboston.com/

I give you Boston's best nachos!

     Knocked another one of Boston's best nacho places off my list! My mom and Jay came to visit a couple weeks ago and I met them downtown to walk around and show them the sights. I'll say... I wasn't upset when they asked if there was a pub around. They were thirsty and hungry, and I was (as always)... hungry. We were up by the state house, so immediately I thought of 21st Amendment and their nachos. IT WAS TIME. The moment had come and I'd get to try them. The inside of the 21st Amendment is very dark and old style pub-y. It reminded me of a place politicians downtown would come to. The local watering hole. The building itself was constructed in 1899, and the pub has been through a few different names, but it was a local hangout for some of the state workers.

Momma and I!

     So for the nachos. These were definitely THE best nachos I've had in Boston. Let me explain... The winning factors here were the mile high piles of guac and sour cream. I kid you not that had to be 3 avocados worth of guacamole and an entire tub of sour cream. It was amazing. The chips were great too. As I learned from a previous experience (I called them a couple years ago to see if they made their own chips), they were hand cut and fried corn tortilla chips. This made all the difference. The chips stayed nice and crisp regardless of the fact that these loaded nachos were piled high with melted cheese, grilled chicken, jalapenos, scallions and another generous helping of their fresh tomato salsa. Sometimes I don't like when salsa is added to nachos because it's generally pretty juicy and put the integrity of the chips at risk. But this salsa wasn't juicy, and had some great fresh flavors adding to the nachos. 5 star nachos. No doubt. 

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Russell House Tavern - Cambridge, MA

http://russellhousecambridge.com/

     Russell House Tavern is one of those restaurants I think about going to every time I think about going out to a restaurant. But then I remember I'm poor, and I choose someplace else. Honestly, Russell House Tavern won't completely break the bank, but I'm on a student budget. It's one of those restaurants you let your parents take you to when they come to visit. So that's exactly what I did. 

     It was too bad it wasn't warmer out because Russell House Tavern has a beautiful patio in an alleyway next to their restaurant. The downstairs definitely has a classy tavern vibe, with a lot of large incandescent light bulbs, bricks, and black and red accents. Very swanky looking place. We were seated upstairs near the bar, which kind of stunk because it was really loud. Either way, I was too excited about the food to care. 

     For an appetizer, we ordered their charcuterie board that had chicken liver pate (my favorite... love liver...so smooth),  smoked pork fillete (came cold under a layer of fat... a little strange), smoked fish rillette (my least favorite... too fishy), a sweet berry jam, and a few of their house-cured meats. All of these came with crispy, thin slices of bread (they have a technical term, but it evades me at the moments). While it was fun to sample all the different cuts of meat, a lot of them seemed to blend together, in that I couldn't tell the difference between them and couldn't recall the descriptions the waiter gave.

Charcuterie Board

     It was national pierogi day, and I was dead set on their wild mushroom pierogi, but they were out. Boo. Instead, I ordered their Smoked Lamb Belly Meatballs. These two precious meatballs came soaking in a roasted tomato sauce and topped with taleggio cheese and crispy sage. I always love the lamb-sage combo. They just compliment one another to well. The meatballs were super juicy, and the taleggio cheese was new to me. It had a mild, but almost fruity tang to it. It was delicious with the savory flavors of the meatballs.

Beet salad on the left, smoked lamb meatballs on the right.

 

     

    

     I also ordered their beet salad, which was another winner. It was very different than I anticipated, in that they had cut up the beets and mixed it with Vermont chevre (goat cheese as a binder) that allowed it to be formed into a patty. It came topped with candied pistachios, sprouts, dried cherries and stringy greens. I love goat cheese and beets together. Add a little sweetness from the cherries, and it's a winning salad. The whole thing was resting in a pool of a clear, bright green sauce, but I can't remember what it was (these are the moments I kick myself for not having written about places like this until weeks after my visit). Oh! They also served some sort of bread basket too and I hate that I can't remember what it was like. I do recall that they offered it with a small cup of what Jay and I swore was truffle oil. But the waiter said it was just garlic olive oil. I don't believe him. It had a different flavor, almost like that of oysters. Super interesting and delicious. I could've drank it (that's a lie). 

     I surprisingly said no to dessert, but I am glad Jay persuaded me out of that silly decision. We got the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, a toffee sauce, and "bruleed fig", which apparently is burnt fig. I can't say I pinpointed that flavor when I was eating it, but I also don't think I was aware of its presence. The toffee pudding was great though. It was served warm, and had a very rich and sweet toffee flavor. I was glad we split it. Great choice  :]

My mom and Jay with our Sticky Toffee Pudding  :]

Hey... It Was My Birthweek

The Rattlesnake Bar and Grill - Boston, MA
http://rattlesnakebarandgrill.com/

Poe's Nachos

     FINALLY… this trip was 3 years in the making. Don’t ask me why it took me so long. I don’t have an answer. I have wanted to try the antelope tacos at the Rattlesnake since I moved here and first discovered them. If you recall, I also went on a run a couple years ago (titled it "Nacho Average Run") and scoped out all the places in the city that apparently had the best nachos. The Rattlesnake is on the list. Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake has a really unique menu and gets great reviews, especially for its roof deck. I had decided well in advance that this was

Jimmy and Catherine on The Rattlesnake's roofdeck

to be my birthday celebration destination. No ifs, ands or buts. Since my birthday was on a Wednesday this year, I wanted to get dinner with some friends the weekend leading up to my birthday. One of the best parts was that my good friend Kelly from MSU Crew just moved to Maine and was able to come down to join us! Meagan, Jimmy, Karl, Dave, Catherine, Joan, Lauren and Zack all made their way out to join, and I was so grateful. We were able to snag a nice big table on the roof and ordered some delicious drinks to start. I ordered the Thai Mojito which was by far the best mojito I’ve ever had. It was the standard rum, lime and soda water mix, but they threw in some lemongrass syrup too. Big fan of the lemongrass addition.
     Since we were all dying of starvation, we ordered Poe’s Nachos. These chips were loaded with

We all wore teal and were pretty excited about it :]

shredded beef, pepper jack cheese sauce, refried beans, lettuce, black beans, asparagus, corn salsa, minted tomatillo salsa, salsa fresca, cotija cheese and sour cream. This was definitely the most unique plate of nachos I’ve ever had. I loved how they did the steak. It was moist and full of a deep, spicy flavor. The cheese sauce was really unique too. It wasn’t at all like the regular processed “cheese sauce” you’d expect on nachos. I could tell that it was clearly a homemade cheese sauce and it easily covered all the chips. The cotija cheese also added such a great flavor. It’s a harder cow’s milk cheese, and since it’s a little bit more powdery and crumbly it blended in nicely with the cheese sauce and juices from the salsas in the bottom of the dish. I know that may sound weird, but it made for some excellent flavor combinations. The three different salsas had their own awesome unique flavors. Some spicy, some sweet. Plus … with the addition of chunks of asparagus and baby greens… this nacho plate was far from average. I did feel a little bad though when I snapped at the waitress who tried to take away the dish when it still had some of the juices left in the bottom.

Antelope Tacos

Birthday brownie with chipotle ice cream

     For my actual meal I ordered the long anticipated antelope tacos. There were three to a plate, and they came in fried corn tortillas. The antelope meat wasn’t as game-y as I had expected, but boy was it good. I had trouble discerning whether or not the incredible flavor was from the antelope meat itself or from the fact that it was infused with duck fat. Also stacked within each taco was smoked fresno chile, Chihuahua cheese, jalapeno, and bacon ranch (not sure what that is). The all-star of the taco was definitely the meat, and they made sure of it by not overloading it with too many other flavors. The Chihuahua cheese, however, did add a mild and slightly sour flavor. By the end of the third taco, I wished there was a fourth… and a fifth, but all good things must come to an end right?
     For dessert, Meagan and Kelly (not so) sneakily told them it was my birthday, and they brought a big fat brownie with a scoop of chipotle ice cream on top. The brownie was nice and toasty warm (and tasted like freezer to Jimmy). The ice cream was really unique and had that smoky ,spicy chipotle flavor. It was pretty odd, and I definitely couldn't sit down and have a bowl of it, but it was fun to try!

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Rangzen Tibetan Restaurant - Cambridge, MA

http://rangzenrestaurant.com/

     My birthday lunch was on my friends in the accounting department at GG, but the choice was up to me. I had been wanting to try Rangzen for a while (ever since I've lived in Cambridge really), and I truthfully had no idea what Tibetan food would be like. They had a lunch buffet, so I was all in.

 


 Rangzen is a tiny little place on Pearl Street next to Pepper Sky's. The inside was so beautifully decorated with tons of fabrics, unique lighting, and art covering the walls. The food was even more beautiful, and therefore I had to try it all. It's nearly impossible to describe everything because I didn't know what half of it was.

     They served chicken curry (Chhasha Curry) that was different than the Indian chicken curry you may be used to. It had potatoes, onions, tomatoes and spices up the wazoo. It was in a slightly thinner sauce that was less creamy and less powerful in terms of the curry. They also had a chickpea curry dish that was a pretty thick mush of chickpeas, curry and lentils maybe? I'm not positive on that one, but it was one of my favorite things of the whole meal. It was delicious alone or wrapped up inside some of their steamed bread (Phaley). The bread they served reminded me of the bread served at Ethiopian restaurants except that it was a tad less spongy and didn't have that slightly sour flavor. Other dishes included their chicken and mushrooms in a teriyaki sauce (Chhasha Shamo) and Shypta which was basically just pan fried shaved beef with hot green peppers. Both of these were tasty, but nothing too fancy. I get bored of teriyaki easily, so I didn't go for seconds of that.

"Kindly, Please Respect the food and
Do not waste it." Amen. 

     They also had dumplings called Tsel Momo that I believe had spinach, cabbage, tofu, ginger and garlic in them. We all agreed that they needed some sort of dipping sauce (maybe there was one), but we weren't sure what half of the things at the buffet were. The noodle dish they served was called Tsel Chow. It had tofu, spinach, cabbage, carrot, red onion, scallion, ginger, garlic and a little soy sauce and cilantro. I loved the noodles that were in it. I'm thinking rice noodles? They were those kind of translucent ones that are bouncy in your mouth.
   
     As far as side dishes go, they had a lot of really unique salads and steamed veggies like bok choy. One of the salads had mango, green apple, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime. I can't say I was a huge fan, but it was totally worth a try. Lots of different flavors that didn't really go together well. They also had a cucumber and yogurt salad, and a bunch of different slaws and pickled dishes, some spicy and some sweet. Everything was very unique and nothing was described well (which is totally fine), so you really had to be up for some experimentation at this buffet. All around I was very please, left full, and got a taste (literally) of what real Tibetan food is like. I love eating in Boston :]

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Bisuteki Tokyo - Cambridge, MA

http://www.bisutekicambridge.com/

All the goods... and an onion volcano.

     Sometimes I'm too cheap for my own good. But other times, I'm pretty excellent at seeking out

and taking advantage of free food when I can. After crawling the interwebz in search of free birthday meals, I found the perfect one. Bisuteki Tokyo is literally directly across the street from Riverside, and it always smells incredible. I've had this big idea to just walk over there one day after practice and get dinner, but it's one of those "maybe tomorrow" kind of deals. Well... apparently you can go on your birthday, and you get a free entree. So that's exactly what I did. I met Meagan there after my workout, and we sat at a table overlooking the river. If you're unfamiliar, this place is one of those Japanese Steakhouses where they cook everything on a flat topped grill called a teppanyaki grill in front of you. Generally you choose an entree consisting of some sort of meat, and it comes with a salad, soup, appetizer, and veggies. 

      I absolutely love the salads they serve at these types of restaurants as well as sushi places. It's some sort of bright orange ginger dressing. I don't know what makes it orange, but it's got such a light and refreshing flavor and is a great way to prepare your palette for your meal. The soup is generally a miso soup, and I really enjoyed this one because it came with large fresh mushroom slices in it. 

      After we finished up our soup and salad, our chef wheeled his little cart over to the grill and started with his fancy knife work. He clinked them, he clanked them, and he made weird noises with his mouth. He built a volcano out of onions, poured oil in the middle, lit it on fire and had a toy boy "pee" on it. He wasn't enthused. I was. Mission accomplished. It was all a show, but it was more hilarious than impressive. Because the entree was supposed to be free, at first I thought I must be slightly confused. I mean...some of the entrees were $30. I thought that there would be no way you could get a lobster, filet minon, and scallop entree for free. No way. But... you could in fact choose any entree you'd like. I wanted the filet minon and scallops. Great choice. He cooked the filet nice and rare like I requested, and the scallops were perfect too. The appetizer

that came with our entrees was a couple shrimp which the chef cooked on the grill with some soy sauce and teryikai. We topped a bed of sticky rice with the meats and a bunch of grilled squashes, sprouts, carrots, and onions. Everything had a slight soy flavor and was super simple. I'd love if I could whip up a meal that quick and perfectly with such minimal clean up. Next Christmas, grandma, I'd like to have a teppanyaki grill installed in my apartment. Thanks!

     As a party of two (and someone who is receiving a free meal), I think our waitress was fairly unamused, as was our chef man. No one squirted Saki in my mouth like they did for Zack. No one banged a gong or sang when they delivered my free birthday cheesecake at the end of the meal. I'd say I was upset, but I wasn't. It had been a great day with lots of good food and great company. I couldn't have asked for anything more :]

    

     

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The Glenville Stops - Allston, MA
http://www.glenvillestops.com/

     Malcolm is a great dude. And not only because he likes good food. He couldn't make my birthday gig at
The Rattlesnake, so we decided to head over to one of his favorites called The Glenville Stops over in Allston. The original building had been around as a bunch of small stores since 1922 until a fire took it out of commission in 2012. After some renovations, it reopened this year and is quickly building quite the name for itself. Something I learned that I thought was really neat is that in their basement they've preserved a ledge of boulders that date back 10,000 years. I don't believe the public is aloud to go down into their cellar, but I still respect the efforts.

Day Boat Scallops

Mushroom Baguette

     This place is also unique because it sits on Glenville Ave in the middle of a completely residential street and has no sign on the outside. It says the name on the door, but it's barely visible, and a passer-by would never guess there's a restaurant inside. As a family run establishment, the Glenville Stops boasts a great atmosphere and a pleasant, polite and polished wait staff. Everything was simple, clean and elegant yet casual.
     Malcolm and I were both starving, and we like to try new things, so we started with a few small plates. The first dish we got was called Day Boat Scallops, and it was two scallops in a mole chocolate sauce with jicama salsa (mexican yam) and grilled mango. You could taste a subtle hint of chocolate, and the sauce was pretty thin with a rich roasted pepper flavor. The scallops were cooked perfectly and had those brown crispy edges you aim for. We also ordered the mushroom baguette with cold seared oyster mushrooms. The oyster mushrooms were so much more dense and chewier than regular button mushrooms. On the base of the baguette was a delicious lemon aioli and basil. So creamy. The dish would've been completely different without it. They threw on some fresh purple sprouts for a little flair.
     They also served a couple slices of soft bread with crunchy exterior. It came with a type of hummus that had a rich and heavy olive oil taste but no bite like that of tahini. I absolutely could've eaten it with a spoon... and I did.

Lamb Meatballs

Roasted Beets

     For the main dish, my first choice was the lamb meatballs. They were simple and juicy like a sponge. The juices would ooze out when you pressed the meatball with a fork. They sat in a bed of tzatziki that was thinner than most, making it taste a little lighter. I liked that much better because the flavor took a back seat to the lamb flavor. Baby greens and sliced mini cucumbers were thrown on top with toasted bulgur. The menu says harissa oil was used, but I can't say I noticed that. Maybe I wouldn't notice? Harissa oil is chillies and rose water, and I'm sure I have no idea what that would taste like.
     Per Malcolm's recommendation I wanted to try the roasted beets too. These were red and yellow beets on a bed of a whipped feta and surrounded by a light dill dressing. The feta had a somewhat smoky flavor, but I couldn't pin it. I wonder if they added some smoked peppers to give it the red color and flavor. It was so smooth and creamy. Everything was topped with small pieces of fried shoestring potatoes and celery leaves. So many textures in this one dish.
     Malcolm ordered the sticky pork riblets which were small 1-3 inch rib pieces served covered in a chunky sweet, peach sauce. This was a delicious alternative to standard barbeque. They were served with hunks of roasted almonds and shishito peppers that weren't hot but gave the brown dish a burst of bright green color. The pork was perfectly tender and took no effort to pry from the bone. The edges of the meat were crispy while the inside was still juicy. Oh the magic of slow cooking.

Sticky pork riblets in a peach sauce.

     Don't judge us. We also ordered the mussels which were soaking in an awesome and unique lemongrass coconut broth. The sauce was so fresh tasting yet rich because of the coconut. Slices of pink pickled ginger were tossed on top along with some green and purple sprouts. The mussels came with two big slices of sourdough bread toasted with what seemed like a form of pesto. The olive oil and herb mix had soaked into the bread like a sponge and crisped up on the edges. That bread was to die for. I'll take the whole loaf please and thank you. The way the oils and herbs separated from the bread once in your mouth was great. So much flavor.

Bar Harbor Mussels

     We almost got out of there without dessert, but then we spotted the drunken goat cheese plate. This came with two huge hunks of a very unique goat cheese. It was different because it is made in a wheel and was much harder than normal goat cheese. It had less of a bite and had been soaked in some sort of wine (hence the drunkeness).  They topped it with roasted almonds and honey and served it with crostini bread (just little crisp slices of olive oil soaked bread) and slices of mango. The perfect arrangement was the crostini with a little piece of cheese and a wedge of mango on top. It was delicious. The savory olive oil taste from the crostini, the mildly sharp flavor of the goat cheese, and the sweetness of the mango was a combination from heaven.

Drunken Goat Cheese

     I love when you can go to a place like The Glenville Stops and try new things that someone has clearly spent so much time experimenting with and inventing. It's truely art, and I enjoy eating things that get my creative juices flowing too.