Carmen Trattoria

I have lived in the North End for a long time now and still I am never without a different restaurant to try. I love discovering new-to-me-spots just as much as I adore revisiting old favorites. Carmen is one I immediately came to regret not visiting sooner. An small trattoria tucked away in the ever quaint cobblestone lined North Square, Carmen serves memorable Italian cuisine in a intensely dark and extremely cozy brick walled space. The cave like interior with a wine bar nestled in the front is perfect for an intimate date night, while the dimly lit close quarters make for less than ideal photo conditions. (Sorry! I never post without photos, but I'm beginning to realize, exceptions can and should be made.) The cuisine is defined as old country Italian, it remains comforting with a sophisticated touch.

Definitely order the Steamed Wellfleet Clams ($16) with hot homemade mustard, fennel and cream to begin the meal. A heaping bowl of plump briny delicacies come bathing in a tantalizing cream where sliced fennel accompanies grainy mustard pearls. This dish is exquisitely pungent on multiple levels, not only do the clams benefit from an innovative preparation, I was eating the creamy, spicy, mustard laced broth by the spoonful. When I state bluntly that you should order these clams, I mean it. This is probably one of the best appetizers I've ate all year. Maybe ever

For my entree I chose the Orichiette ($25) which came with sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, tomatoes and herbed bread crumbs. The orichiette itself was excellent, cooked to a toothsome al dente, while the the broccoli rabe and the sweet Italian sausage were equally delicious. The dish had one major downfall being that the tomato sauce was severely over-salted. It tasted like the result of an unfortunate kitchen mishap, but I can not say for sure as I have only been here once. The red sauce became more abrasive with every bite, to eventually overpower the well executed ingredients. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, then you know that my palate is pretty easy to please, meaning I rarely complain about and I can definitely handle my salt.

Adam ordered the Pan Seared Duck Breast ($29) in a pomegranate reduction with sauteed kale and sweet potato puree. This was fantastic. Next time, I'd skip the red sauce dishes and head straight for the duck. A tender pan seared breast comes executed to the desired medium rare with a crispy skin in a luscious pomegranate reduction, with a smooth and creamy sweet potato puree and plenty of savory sauteed kale. Red sauce is pretty basic, so I would give Carmen the benefit of the doubt on this one and not hold it against them. Especially since I still liked the components of my dish, and I loved everything else we ate. And I was smitten with the romantic interior and we had great service. Our hostess was welcoming and bubbly and our waitress fit the bill, she was professional yet easy going. It was a lovely date night. I'm so bummed for all that salt!

All things considered, they still get my vote. The next time you are faced with the daunting task of where to eat out in the North End, don't hesitate to consider Carmen at 33 North Street. If you've already been, what's your review?

Barcelona Cuisine | El Rey de la Gamba

Presenting El Rey de la Gamba or as it translates in English, The King of Prawns; the Catalan seafood restaurant which officially wraps Barcelona cuisine week here on III. The open air terrace where rows of white linen table clothes and metal chairs backed by red fabric sit under a large tent is located on Passeig de Joan de Borbó which borders the harbor of Barceloneta. The trip certainly wouldn't have been complete from a culinary perspective if we didn't get ourselves some traditional Seafood Paella! While pretty much every other restaurant on Las Ramblas serves this dish, which embodies a serious mass touristic appeal, we had a couple spots in mind in the Barceloneta neighborhood and were hopeful to get a really good batch!This restaurant ended up being a spontaneous choice. That night we had some minor issues with our map (the road we needed to find was not on it), got lost in a sketchy 'hood (the type of spot we did not want to look lost) before ending up on Barceloneta's main drag, starving and a little defeated. El Rey's location, beckoning neon sign and giant seafood posters indicated a tourist trap, but we decided to go for it. Our disingenuous waiter had a friendliness that felt forced, which might not have been so bad if it was consistent! Other times he seemed to be annoyed by our presence, and his attitude was rather lethargic.That being said, we still managed to get cold beers and hot food in a respectable time frame! The iconic Catalan tapas to begin the meal, Pa amb tomàquet was essential, per usual. The fresh tomato and fruity olive oil punctuates so perfectly each crevice of the hearty bread. Gosh I love this stuff. (Or couldn't you tell?) I've been eating it by the plateful! When in Spain....And then came the piece de resistance, a ginormous pan of Seafood Paella with paprika and saffron infused rice, studded with bright green peas and soft set mini potatoes, dusted in fresh parsley and served with lemon wedges.
The bomba rice was wonderfully flavored and executed to a perfect tenderness. Its liquid absorbing capabilities are what make it ideal for paella, the grains expand substantially to become fluffy without being sticky. The bottom layer becomes slightly toasted, adding a welcome textural contrast. Admittedly, I felt the seafood could have been a little more substantial. The mussels freshness paled in compared to the plate we had at Tapas 24. However, we were still delighted by the pan of food overall. We relished the experience, savoring every tender shrimp, juicy prawn and briny clam.

I wouldn't peg El Rey de la Gamba as a restaurant you must visit, especially since you can get paella almost anywhere. However, for us, it was simply meant to be! Definitely do some research, have a trustworthy map on hand, and whatever you do, don't miss out on this iconic seafood and rice dish if you travel to Barcelona!

Well my friends, this officially wraps Barcelona cuisine week; what a delicious journey it has been! I plan to incorporate a couple of fun photo montage posts of the city sights before saying goodbye, and then, it's onward to the final destination of the trip, San Sebastian!

A Cape Cod Wedding

Why yes, I am going to dedicate a post to the wedding I attended about a month ago. I've been traveling, you understand. Plus, this was one amazing wedding that could not go un-blogged. Enjoy!

On August 27th at 4:30pm our good friends Mike and Trisha were married at the historic Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA. Narrowly escaping Hurricane Irene - my heart goes out to the couple whose wedding at this very same venue for Sunday, August 28th, was canceled. Can you imagine? (Understanding, the devastation of Irene proved much worse for many, I'm not discounting that fact for a second.) But back to the blissfully happy, incredible fun weekend at hand. Adam and Mike are childhood friends, so since Adam was in the wedding we arrived on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the rehearsal dinner. We checked into our downtown Falmouth hotel - The Inn on the Square, settled into our room,and explored our quaint surroundings on North Main St. Even though I grew up on Cape Cod, the extent of my visits to Falmouth were high school soccer games and track meets. It is a good 30-45 minute drive from my hometown of Yarmouth Port and typically, if I do any additional travel during my visits to Cape Cod, it is to the Lower Cape. (Orleans, Nauset Beach, Wellfleet, Truro, Provincetown.) As you can see, Falmouth is a lovely town, highlighted by a sunny, blue skied afternoon (no doubt, the calm before the storm.) We woke up on Saturday to a thick blanket of fog and impending rainstorms. After a swim in the hotel pool, a hearty breakfast at Persy's Place and few relaxing hours in the room, it was off to Highfield Hall!The ceremony and reception were already moved indoors, where special touches adorned the space, like the bride and groom's initials hanging on the wall above them and a happily ever after banner strung below.The groomsmen kept it casual with tan linen pants, the lightest shade of sea foam green collared shirts and brown reef sandals.
The bridesmaids all wore a different shade of blue and varying styles of strapless dresses. I loved how they all looked unique yet cohesive. And the bride was of course, stunning. The ceremony was personalized and touching. Aww. Happily ever after indeed!Cocktail hour was held on the back wraparound porch.It proved to be a quintessential Cape Cod Wedding through and through. From the tastefully done beach themed table locators and decor, to the raw bars freshly shucked oysters, clams and shrimp cocktail.There was a lobster bake dinner complete with clam chowder and a whole lobster each with all the fixins. Were talking a mesh bag full of briny steamers, plump mussels and fork tender red bliss potatoes with a side of crispy, lightly dressed coleslaw and the sweetest late summer corn on the cob. Plus a slice of bread and lots of warm melted butter. You just cant beat a feast like this one. (The wedding officiator to my right, is allergic to shellfish - so I think that explains the face.)We tied on the traditional plastic lobster bibs and dug in. The rest of the evening was filled with joyous wedding festivities as they go. The bride and groom cake was adorned with golden sprinkles to look like sand, frosting seashells, classic Adirondack beach chairs and a white picket dune fence. Vanilla cupcakes with a citrusy orange frosting topped with gold sprinkles and candy starfish for the guests, were divine. There was a photo booth - one of the most amusing I've ever taken part in.
And of course, dancing. Lots of it.......late into the evening after the reception ended at Liam Maguire's Irish Pub downtown. We had such a blast that night, and the next morning as we dodged falling trees and narrowly escaped the hurricane. Luckily, it seemed everyone had already evacuated or buckled down, as we were one of the few cars on the road proving the quickest ride off Cape all summer.

Where was the last wedding you attended?