Archive for the “eating” Category

Lunch with agile marketer Tangyslice and his buddy @JonBornstein at the Porter Exchange.  If you haven’t been to the Porter Exchange, you’re missing out.  It’s an old art deco Sears turned into a mall with a corridor of very authentic little Japanese restaurants inside.  We chose Ittyo more or less at random.

Six for $5?  How could we go wrong?  I hadn’t had takoyaki in a long time.

As promised, piping hot, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside and crunchy inside that.  The octopus chunks were a pleasing shade of purple.  For the main, I had saba donburi, and the guys chose nabeyaki udon.

Very satisfying.  For extra points, check out the new gallery opened by the Art Institute of Boston inside the Porter Exchange.  Two exhibitions by Luba Lukova are on view now.

I found out, at the last minute as per usual, that the final performance of Harborwalk Sounds at the ICA was last night.  I quickly diverted prior plans with J (sorry, Toro, we’ll be back) and took the other side of the silver line to the ICA.  Harborwalk Sounds puts Berklee Jazz musicians on stage on the deck behind (in front of?) the ICA.  We heard bassist and vocalist Katie Thiroux in a trio format with so far as I can tell uncredited horns and drums.  They cooked, although I could tell that the harbor breeze was hard on their fingers.

It was windy and a bit chilly, at least it felt that way relative to recent weather, but I was out on a deck watching the sunset, so a cocktail was definitely in order.  And Wolfgang Puck’s Water Cafe was looking tempting, so we ordered up the Kobe sliders and crabcakes with corn bisque.

The sliders were hot and fresh, at least until the wind got to them.  A little cheese and mayo and some onion marmalade under the toasted bun helped make them stand out over the average little burger.  The crabcakes came perches on top of tube-like shot glasses of corn bisque with drops of different oils.  The bisque was tastier than the crabcakes, but the strange glassware made it hard to drink it.  Dunking was impossible, too.  I love small plates, but I guess it’s possible to be a little too precious.

Shivering lightly and listening to the music as the dusk turned to night, I thought about the imminent change of season.  Plans for weekend canoeing are starting to seem ill-advised.  It’s almost time to un-mothball the winter clothes, to switch from iced coffee to hot, from gin to vodka.  The five or six perfect days of New England Autumn are on their way.  I hope I don’t miss them.

This weekend I was hanging out at the Hudson Street Gallery in chinatown and popped in to Hing Shing Pastry for a snack.  They were out of their delicious peanut butter buns, but they did have this peculiarly detailed pig-shaped item in an equally pig-shaped plastic container.

At $2.50, it was more expensive than anything I’ve ever bought at Hing Shing short of their moon cakes, so I figured there must be something exotic in there.  Preliminary unboxing revealed that the pig is sitting on top of a plastic tray with a packet of silica gel beneath to keep it fresh.

The detail, from the beady eyes to the pinhole nostrils was quite impressive.  It was hard to cut into it, but nobody was willing to take a bite sight unseen.  The filling appeared to be lotus seed paste, like that found in the traditional moon cakes.

Flavor and texture were maybe not for everyone.  If you like mooncake, you’ll like pig cake.  If not, maybe you should try something else.  For another view of Hing Shing Pastry, check out this photo by Lee Cullivan, also on view - and for sale - at Hudson Street Gallery.

I visited Sherman Cafe (257 Washington Street) in Somerville’s second square, Union Square, this weekend and had an excellent BLT.  I’ve been an occasional Sherman customer since they opened, and I’ve seen them at their best and not so best, but over the past few months, the place has really pulled it together, especially in the sandwich department.  I was a little worried when Bloc 11 hit the scene that Sherman might suffer, but they’re still a serious contender in the neighborhood.  And an hour of free wifi doesn’t hurt.

The BLT features thick bacon, heirloomy summer tomatoes, and some creamy avocado.  I sampled it with and without the mayo.  Bread was some kind of multigrain.  A light toasting of the bread might be the only thing holding this sandwich back from perfection.

To quote the back of the menu, “Sherman Cafe uses all fresh ingredients, makes most of our menu from scratch, buys local when possible, and tries to keep chemicals off of your plate. We use all natural meats from McKenzie’s of Vermont, milk with no BGH, and our bread is delivered fresh from Clear Flour Bakery every day.”

Other interesting sandwiches on Sherman’s menu include bacon cheedar and green apple (grilled on sourdough) and vermont cheddar with greens, housemade pickles and tomatoes.  And their baked goods are far more kick-ass than those fancy cupcakes you can get not far away.  During the Union Square Fluff Festival, Sherman served up some fluff-enhanced sandwiches, too.  The 2008 Fluff-Off is coming up on September 27th.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Seeking to avoid getting chugged in Davis Square and looking for a new lunch spot, @tangyslice and I stopped at Dave’s Fresh Pasta for lunch yesterday.  Dave’s is a great source for all kinds of gourmet goodies, from wine and cheese to as you might expect, fresh pasta.  They also carry fresh bread, olive oils, sauces and all manner of imported and artisanal goodies.  And they make pretty impressive sandwiches, including rustic sandwiches, panini, wraps and, our choice, the Cubano.

The Cubano is a classic sandwich with many local incarnations, including those from Chez Henri, Sam Lagrassa, Izzy’s Sub Shop, and Lexx.  Julia found a Cubano at Bukowski’s and also offers up a recipe for Chez Henri’s version.

Dave’s fresh Cubano was delicious and generous in size.  We shared one and were pretty satisfied.  The pickles were large and crunchy, possibly house-made.  The meats were tender, and the cheese engaging without being overpowering.  The sauce, wasn’t tangy enough for Sir Slice but suited me just fine, even though a big glob of it oozed through a large air bubble in the excellent bread.

Tangy opines that Sam Lagrassa’s example is the pinnacle of the art, and that if Sam’s is a 10, Dave served up an 8.5.  I haven’t tried Sam’s but am very willing to do the necessary primary research.