stone hearth & clown shoes

Everything you need to know about Stone Heath Pizza Co. can be read in this post from a dinner at their Porter Square, Cambridge location last June. Refresher: tasty organic pizzas, fantastic craft beers, killer meatballs, passionate owners and a deep dedication to locally sourcing ingredients and products. (Including - Clown Shoes Beer, Pete & Gerry's Eggs and Firenze Gelato). Last Wednesday Stone Hearth played host to about 20 bloggers at their newest location in a Citgo Gas Station turned modern pizza parlor in Allston. Clown Shoes takes an unpretentious, unabashed approach to brewing beer and they are doing so locally in Ipswich, MA. The Clementine is a zesty Belgian style white ale, it acts as a refreshing aperitif and pairs perfectly with the light, clean salads served ranging from Spinach and Avocado ($6.95) to the Fennel Salad ($6.95) where the shaved anise flavored vegetable accompanies black olives over crispy romaine hearts.
The India Pale Ale which Clown Shoes describes as "seductive" and "bodacious" is aptly titled Tramp Stamp and the Brown Angel is dubbed "A sexy American interpretation of an old-school brown ale." I love their sense of humor and predict good things for beer this good. I can't wait to see where else they show up around town. These beers pair exceptionally well with the pizzas and additionally the skinny strips of garlic olive oil infused Parmesan Flatbread ($3) served with Melanzana ($4) a sweet roasted eggplant spread. Definitely preface some pizzas with the pop-able Cheddar Covered Olives ($5). Cloaked in a cheddar cheese dough these plump green olives stuffed with sun dried tomatoes are baked giving them a light and healthy quality. Speaking of pop-able, you would also be wise to order some housemade mozzarella cheese stuffed Meatball Poppers ($.8.50) in either their spicy or signature tomato sauce, or a creamy roasted onion and herb sauce. Oven fired at 600 degrees, the pizza crusts embody an inherent crispiness, with just a little char and a hint of chew. Get your fill of greens in the Divine Goddess a mash up of spinach and broccoli highlighted by local ricotta cheese. The Farm Fresh uses a mozzarella cheese base and packs on worthy vegetables including cherry tomatoes, charred red and yellow peppers, artichoke hearts, Yukon gold potatoes and green olives. The toppings are evenly dispersed over the thin crust so they never seem to weigh the pizzas down. Original creations incorporating some meat include the Bacon & Blue and the Prosciutto & Pineapple. Both are table favorites. We also got to try Firenze's Purple Sweet Potato gelato, wonderfully colored and wildly flavored, this frozen confection company is onto something.

It was great to see lots of friends and eat delicious foods (and catch up over a pitcher of St Germain cocktails afterwords at Russel House Tavern!) Many thanks Stone Hearth for all they do, keep up the admirable and honest work.

The Salty Pig

The Facts

The successful duo behind the South End's Coda and Jamaica Plain hot spot Canary Square launched this charcuterie focused eatery in Back Bay in July of 2011. The space at 130 Dartmouth Street was formerly occupied by Firefly and then the short lived Six Burner which closed in October 2010.

The Space

An angular bar sprawls across a stainless steel open kitchen (where a wood-fired oven glows from its perch) fronted by reclaimed wood communal high tops bathed in warm lighting from oversized dome fixtures. The lofty interiors back wall resembles a classroom chalkboard, scrawled with a mash up of geometrical equations infused with nods to the pig.

The Beer

The Salty Pig features an eclectic selection of American Craft Beers such as a the quadruple Pretty Things Baby Tree ($6) and a refreshingly bitter Blatant IPA ($6).The Baby Tree combines vienna, chocolate and oat malts while the Blatant is a hoppy mash up of citrus and pine. I preferred the Baby Tree as I felt it complimented better the meats, but both represent the wide range beer on tap from Craft (both happen to be Massachusetts based) breweries.

The Charcuterie

Perzonalize your own board from a selection of:

1) House cured salty pig parts ($3-$7). Pictured is the wood oven fired Porchetta, where thinly sliced juicy coils of the pork shoulder is heaven on a charcuterie board. 2) Local + European sourced stinky cheeses ($6-$9) Familiar favorites grace the menu like Great Hill Blue from Marion, MA and Moses Sleeper from Greensboro, VT. Intriguing European selections include Silton (cow, strong, blue) from Colton Basset Dairy in Nottinghamshire, England and Chevrot (goat, mold ripened, mild) from Poitou-Charentes, France3) Local + seasonal accoutrements ($1 each) To round out the palate choose from a selection including marinated olives, chianti jelly, clover honey, balsamic onion jam and more. Pictured are the zesty Basque Peppers.Each board comes with house made pickles, dijon mustard and crostini.

The Pizza

The Salty Pig Pizza ($14) features a daily selection of (what else) but salty pig parts sliced to a pristine thinness layered over parmigano oil, topped with fresh arugula and an inventive pale ale viniagrette. While certain bites delivered on the intensely salty front as advertised, the pizza is far from one note. In the next taste a fascinatingly sweet slice of meat, after that a pronounced spiciness charges the palate. Its not a bad idea to forgo the wooden board all together and have your charcuterie over a thin crust wood-fired pizza. It might seem much less exotic than its predecessor, but the Mushroom Pizza ($12) is still an enticing option with herbs, tomato, mozzarella and a farm egg.

The pizza crust is more soft than it is crispy, but still well baked. These are the kind of pies you can eat four or five pieces easily without feeling stuffed. I admired this quality about them.

The Bottom Line

With a fun concept that is well executed start to finish and attentive friendly service to match, I would definitely recommend indulging in some salty pig parts at this casual Back Bay establishment.

Red Hook Brewery | Portsmouth

An hour north of Boston on the New Hampshire seacoast lies the quaint city of Portsmouth, established in 1623 and home to roughly 21,000 people. Situated near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, the downtown area offers picturesque waterfront views and throughout winding streets and brick sidewalks exists a mecca of fantastic local shops, restaurants, bars and more. I've documented my visits here on multiple occasions, traveling up often to visit college friends. My Alma matter (University of New Hampshire) campus is located 15 minutes west in the tiny town of Durham, so I've got a definite connection to the area, as do some of my Boston blogger girlfriends. We decided a day trip was in order and with others in tow who had never been (!!) we headed up last Saturday where our adventures commenced with lunch at Red Hook Brewery. I had not been to the brewery since the summer of graduating (2006) and spent lots of time here in college (my 21st birthday dinner, among other blurry occasions!) Red Hook is the quintessential craft beer of the region, not to mention the breweries Cataqua Public House serves up some seriously tasty pub style food. The ten of us gals shared a plethora of appetizers starting with a Basket of Sweet Potato Fries ($7) and a Baked Jumbo Pretzel ($4) with homemade honey mustard dressing. A definite favorite were the Fried Artichoke Hearts ($8) dusted in seasoned flour and deep fried, served with a caper aioli. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($10) and the Hook Pilsner Infused Hummus ($7) are both delicious with grilled pita points, carrots and celery.We also noshed on oven baked Potato Skins ($9) loaded with Monterey Jack cheese and crumbled bacon, and Grilled Buffalo Chicken Strips ($10). All of it was even better than I remembered, from the superb food, to the clean tastefully decorated space, to the buttery brown couches, I was definitely re-living some great memories and had a blast making new ones.
The majority of us ordered our beer in the form of a Sampler Tray ($7); this is a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy the range of styles offered. A generous pour of ESB, Pilsner, IPA, Copperhook, Blackhook and Winterhook come on the sampler's circular platter with the color underneath corresponding to the menu description. We embarked on a brewery tour after lunch, I had somehow never been on one despite all my visits here. After all these years, it was finally meant to be! Tours cost $1 and run at various times on the hour, lead by a spirited guide, followed up with pitchers for sampling a number of varieties. My college girlfriends and I were always big fans of the Blonde Ale, a refreshing and thirst quenching blend of lightly roasted barley and a touch of wheat. The Longhammer IPA (India Pale Ale) is bold and meduim bodied, with a distinct bitterness as a result of adding hops both in the beginning and end of the fermentation process. Strong aromas and flavors of pine and citrus are prevalent. The Winterhook is a festive dark brew with rich malts and spicy hops. Roasted chocolate notes impart smoothness and finesse. This beer has been released for 27 seasons, the recipe changing slightly each year. I also really enjoy their ESB (Extra Special Bitter) a traditional British style amber beer that has been brewed since 1987. It balances sweet caramel malts with spicy and citrusy hops. I purchased two six packs (IPA and ESB) at the gift shop - I forgot how much I miss drinking this beer! Red Hook is not widely available in Boston, so I'm thrilled to have a small supply on hand. The Portsmouth blogger tour didn't end here, an afternoon shopping and wandering downtown was followed up by a fantastic meal at Black Trumpet Bistro, stay tuned for my review!