Saus, The Newest Pommes Frites in Boston

First, I wanted to say I haven’t been posting for about a month now since my computer died and just this past week I got a new one.  Ok, with that out of the way I need to tell you about Saus.  They opened, finally, this past week and on my way to grab the bus home I stopped in to grab some of their pommes frites and I am so glad I did.

Saus is located right on Union St. in Boston close to Faneuil Hall (get off at the Haymarket T stop for the shortest walk).

I really wanted to try everything, but figured I should start simple.  I got the regular sized pommes frites which comes with one dipping sauce of your choice.  There are 11 dipping sauces to choose from along with weekly special sauces.  They offered tasting each of the sauces, which I didn’t opt to do, but I should have.  The two sauces I chose were the Truffle Ketchup & Bacon Parm and both were delicious.  The Bacon Parm sauce was fresh and served warm.  The Truffle Ketchup was beyond delicious, like I only want that for my Ketchup now. 

They serve the fries in a paper cone with a cute little fork for dipping.  I tried using it to be civilized, but quickly put it down and started eating with my hands.

The fries were cooked perfectly.  A nice crunch on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.  They were topped with just the right amount of salt too.

I am already planning my next visit and I want to go with more people so I don’t look like a complete glutton.  I want to try the Poutine, the pommes frites with a deep fried egg on top, and the waffles.  So, I basically want to try everything on my next visit.  Who wants to come with me?

(Steven)

My First McRib

I visited the swanky little restaurant McDonald’s, near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, recently to eat my first McRib.  I was really excited to see what all the hype was about and couldn’t believe I waited all these years to experience it…and it was an experience.

I was surprised by the cost of the McRib meal.  Most of the other meal deals are over $5 and this one just came in at about $4 including tax.  The meal includes french fries and my beverage of choice was Coke.

The McRib is a ‘flavorful pork and tangy barbeque’ sandwich.  It is topped with a few white onions, lazily thrown on my sandwich, and two pickles.  Apparently, all McRib sandwiches have just two pickles which I found very interesting.  There are 500 calories in the McRib so plan accordingly.

I enjoyed the sandwich surprisingly and once a year is definitely more than enough.

The decor of this dual level Mcdonald’s is hip & modern.  Check out those fun blue hanging lights and the view of Faneuil Hall from the second floor is to die for!

I had to rearrange the pickles so I could get more pickle in each bite.  Each bite was an interesting as the bite before.  The sauce was in fact tangy and not too bad, especially since I do not love barbeque sauce in general.  The one complaint is that I wish the bun was a little thicker, but for the cost I can’t really complain. I was, however, expecting to get serious heartburn (or worse!) from this meal, but I didn’t.  Thank goodness!

There is only a limited time each year to get the McRib and your time is running out, December 5th is the last day to get it!  Go for it!

(Steven)

Boston Blogtoberfest 2010

I attended my first Boston Blogtoberfest last night.  This was the fourth anniversary of the meetup.  I always love getting off the computer and meeting other bloggers in real life.  I run Boston Tumblr Meetups (usually) monthly and that is always a fun time.  If you are a tumblr from Boston you should keep an eye out for a meetup soon.

The event last night was held at Ginger Park.  I had never been there before so I was excited to attend.  Ginger Park has been around for about a year, before that it was called Banq (I asked the bartender).

There were complimentary appetizers (Chicken Potstickers pictured below) that were all so good I ate them before taking pictures.  There was a mushroom dumpling that I dreamed about eating all day today.  The servers and bartenders were all so friendly and accommodating.

I wish I got to meet more bloggers and think there should definitely be more events like this so we can do that!

Here I am with, one of my best friends & fellow blogger, Alison from Oldways.  I really wish I took more pictures of everyone else.  I have to be more diligent about that!

I wanted to thank Jenny for putting this all together and for a great night!

(Steven)

Ricotta Griddle Cakes with Blueberry Syrup

A month or so ago I went to meet my friends, Alison & Becca, for an afternoon of shopping and eating at the SOWA Open Market.  I first met them at Rocca where they were just finishing brunch and I, of course, tasted both of their meals.  Top Chef cheftestant, Tiffani Faison, is now the head chef and I have heard great things about the transformation she has made here (I had never been before).  Alison had the sweet ricotta pizzetta which was delicious, but it was Becca’s Ricotta Griddle Cakes with blueberries that were just mouth watering.  I made a mental note of these pancakes/griddle cakes and then we went to the open market.  Oh, and we totally saw Tiffani eating out in the courtyard, it was really exciting.

We stopped at a bunch of the tents, but the mustache booth was by far our favorite stop of the afternoon.  I think I look pretty good with a red mustache, maybe I will grow one.

Inside the vintage market Alison & Becca found their new looks for the fall.  Always glamorous (just like Fergie sang).

Thinking about what I wanted to make for dinner one night recently I was reminded of my brief tasting of those Ricotta Griddle Cakes from Rocca.  I quickly surveyed my kitchen for everything I needed and luckily I had everything.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 C Ricotta Cheese
• 3/4 C Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 T Sugar
• Pinch Salt
• 3/4 C Milk
• 3 Eggs, divided
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla

Set ricotta in a fine mesh strainer about 30 minutes before you start cooking, to drain off excess liquid. 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

I made a really simple blueberry syrup at the same time I started the next process, it could be made ahead of time and heated up.  I poured about a 1/2 C of Stonewall Kitchen’s Syrup and 1/2 C of fresh Maine blueberries in a small pan and heated it up until it came to a boil.  I set it aside and warmed it up once I was ready to serve. 

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.

Top with warm blueberry syrup and serve immediately.  This is seriously my new favorite way to make pancakes/griddle cakes.  What’s your favorite pancake topping?

(Steven)

Finding the Best Arancini in Boston pt. 3: La Summa

Alison and I are still looking for the best arancini in the Boston area.  Our latest search brought us to La Summa in the North End.  We read good things about it and it obviously served a more traditional arancini.  We met up at Haymarket, where Alison was avoiding zombies (from the Zombie Walk) and solicitations from homeless men when I arrived after sitting on a delayed Red Line train (Surprise! for all of you that live elsewhere there is always a delay somewhere on the T in Boston).  We walked over to Hanover Street in the North End and ventured to our destination.  Neither one of us have been here before so we were excited to see what there was to offer.

We ordered our arancini immediately.  Once it arrived it looked delicious, but unfortunately that’s where it stopped.  The arancini was really dry and just didn’t have that much flavor.  The marinara it was served with was pretty flavorless and watery.  We both stuffed at least two down, but couldn’t muster up the energy to eat the others.

The entrees on the other hand were delicious.  I ordered the Pollo Limone.  I ate almost the entire chicken and the portion size was a little out of control, but i figured it was ok since I didn’t eat that many arancini.

Alison ordered the Gnocchi.  I think we should also be doing a search for the best gnocchi in Boston, because everywhere we go to eat she get that too.  Her meal was delicious and the gnocchi was cooked perfectly.

Our journey is far from over and we are super excited for a few up coming places.  Are there any new restaurants that serve arancini that we must try?

(Steven)

Finding the Best Arancini in Boston pt. 2: Tavolo

There’s a lot of things I don’t like doing without Steven. These things include a) drinking on weeknights b) participating in snarky Gchats c) judging people on OkCupid. It’s like being ripped apart from my Siamese twin – it pains me to go through these activities alone.

Above all else, I really, really, REALLY don’t like eating arancini balls without him, especially when we’ve both pledged TOGETHER to find The Best Arancini in Boston.  I would feel cheated on if I found out through Tumblr gossip that he had gone on a solo adventure without me.

But last Friday night, I suffered a brutal surprise attack when my waiter at Tavolo in Dorchester told me with a glint in his eye that they were featuring – you guessed it – arancini balls on the menu as a special that evening. A few moments of confusion passed. I mean, I never want to be that girl who passes up arancini but I also, like, value my friendship with Steven and didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Soon I started to sweat, my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and my date was wondering what the eff was going on.

But don’t worry, my moral dilemma quickly passed and I ordered the arancini with gusto, but not before texting Steven a picture of them with the caption “OMG OMG LOOK” written over it.

His response: “Omg I’m dying.” It was like he was really there.

My date had never tried an arancini ball before (I know, I know) and he couldn’t have had a better first experience. These were perfectly proportioned, hot, and crispy on the outside with macaroni and cheese-looking rice on the inside and melted mozzarella cheese in the middle.

It honestly doesn’t get much better than this as far as arancini goes. Now, I’m not trying to make Steven feel bad, but these are in the running for my favorite arancini balls in Boston. Tavolo is now basically tied with Teatro and their Arancini with Short Ribs & Truffle Aioli. Big statements, I know, but these were near perfect.

If anyone in Boston hasn’t been to Tavolo, hop on the red line and ride it out to the Ashmont stop ASAP. Yes, it’s a long ride, but it’s so worth it. Plus, the restaurant is right next to the T stop, so I don’t want to hear any bitching about possibly getting shot, ok?

Until the next (non-solo) arancini adventure,

(Guest Blogger Alison)

Finding the Best Arancini in Boston pt. 1: Stella

I have talked about my obsession with arancini before, but I have decided to take it to an all new level.  My friend Alison & I have compiled an amazing list of restaurants that serve arancini in the Boston area (some outside of Boston…road trip!).  We plan on eating our way through that list to determine where to get the best arancini.  It is going to be a hard thing to do, but we are determined to struggle through this one restaurant at a time.

The first restaurant we went to was Stella.  Stella is a chic Italian restaurant in the South End neighborhood of Boston.  I had never been here before, but Alison had and recommended this as our first stop. 

We started the night out with some drinks.  Alison drank a few glasses of Malbec & I had some Pomegranate Martinis.  We also quickly ate all the bread.

The first appetizer we ate was the Crispy Fried Artichoke Hearts with a country mustard remoulade.  These were perfectly fried and so light.  The country mustard remoulade was a perfect compliment and the best part was the inclusion of capers. 

Next came the arancini, the reason for going out in the first place.  They were a Parmesan Arancini with buffalo mozzarella served on top of a spicy pomodoro fondue.  We may have let them sit a few minutes too long while we were scraping the remoulade off the fried artichoke plate & the bottoms got a little soft.  The top of the arancini was crispy and the inside was soft & delicious.  We devoured them in a matter of minutes.  Only then to reflect on them:

Alison: We should have just ordered arancini.

Me: I know right?

Of course we didn’t just order appetizers.  I order the scallop special which was delicious and Alison had gnocchi (I tried hers and they were so good).  The older couple sitting very close to us got a pizza and it looked like something sent from heaven.  I need to go back and try one of those immediately.

We are debating over which restaurant should be our next stop on the quest for the best arancini, but what we are not debating about is that this might have been our best idea ever. 

Where in the Boston area would you go to get the best arancini?

(Steven)

Lunch at Addy’s Sandwich Bar

Justin and I have committed to stop being such punks and start to explore the many many food carts Portland has to offer.  When we had dinner at Beast, one of our table mates told us about the Duck Confit sandwich at Addy’s, and since then it’s been on our minds.  Monday was a gorgeous sunny day in Portland, and after we each had our own mornings, we met up at Addy’s for lunch.

We took a stroll around the block to check out some other carts, and after a bit of wait in line, sidled up to the window.  We decided to split the Duck Confit and Country Pate sandwiches, though the Chocolate, Sea Salt & Olive Oil was definitely hard to pass up.

We sat in the sunshine and REALLY enjoyed the sandwiches.  The Duck Confit was served with cranberry relish and shredded cabbage, which added a nice tartness and crunch to the smooth confit. 

The Country Pate was served with mini gherkins and some spicy mustard - it wasn’t as offal-y as other pate I’ve had, but still had some rich meatiness, and the mustard added a nice strong spice to it, while the pickles gave it a sweet tang. 

We kept going back and forth on which sandwich was our favorite, and pretty much gave up since they were both so good.  A frozen yogurt cart guy gave us some free samples and with that, we had a lovely meal for under $12 for the two of us.

The really great thing about Portland is its abundance of food carts - we’ve decided that Monday is going to be food cart day, and we already have a list of carts we want to hit up.  A lot of carts are on twitter and offer up specials for their followers or tweet their location. 

Speaking of which, you should probably start following us on twitter.  Maybe we’ll give away some free soup or something!

(meg)

Dinner at Bubur Cha Cha

Dustin & I were in Chinatown the other night and we were going to go to Penang (one of our favorite places), but on our way we passed by Bubur Cha Cha and Dustin recommend we try it.  I am always up for trying something new so in we went.  The decor was a little over the top, but fun & bright.  I kind of felt like I was in Epcot Center.  They also had a few flat screen televisions which was great, because the Patriots game was on.

(picture via Bubur Cha Cha)

We got two appetizers.  The summer rolls, steamed roll filled with jicama yam and bean sprouts, with a spicy sauce on top.  I love these, they may not be as good a Penang’s rolls, but definitely worth getting.  We also got the Penang Satay Beef Skewer and those were perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and every bite was juicy.The only thing weird about them was the sauce that accompanied them; it was a mysterious flavor and chunky.  We skipped that.

Dustin got the Mango chicken, a sautéed chicken with shredded mango in sweet and spicy mango sauce.

I got the Sesame Chicken for my entree.  The chicken was sautéed with sesame seeds in a rich brown soy sauce.  The portions here were enormous.  I had this for lunch for two days!  The service was decent and attentive.  I would probably go back here, but if I had to choose would probably go to Penang first.

(Steven)