La Torre De Pizza | San Sebastian

On a rainy morning in San Sebastian, I awoke with a fuzzy head and a ravenous appetite. I spotted La Torre De Pizza from our hotel balcony and felt better about the day already. Sometimes you just need a pizza. Even on vacation. Even in Spain. Prefaced by a ridiculously fresh pasta salad and washed down with an ice cold Coca-Cola, I decided once I officially moved to town that I would get takeout from this spot on a regular basis. Everyone needs a go to pizza spot. Plus, the laid back and accommodating Basque surfer-dude behind the counter spoke English. That's especially nice when you've been out since 3am. With happy hearts, full stomachs and without a care in the world, it was off to the beach.

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.

Winter Wedge Salad With Roquefort Blue Cheese

 

I know iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap, but I am a huge fan of wedge salads. I like to order them when I go to steakhouses. Something about blue cheese and tomatoes always seems like the perfect precursor to a juicy steak. When I received a sample of Roquefort blue cheese from Ile de France, these flavors came to mind, and a wedge salad was the first thing I wanted to make. (A juicy steak was the second, though I didn't end up making one.)

I started envisioning the combination of crispy bacon, robust Roquefort blue cheese, crunchy iceberg lettuce, and sweet tomatoes -- except here it is in the middle of December, and sweet tomatoes are not so easy to come by. My first thought was to make some slow-roasted tomatoes in the oven, but I wanted my salad ready that same night, and roasting tomatoes for 5 to 6 hours after work was not going to fly. I thought I could start with grape tomatoes, which tend to be sweeter and more resilient than other tomatoes during the winter months, and quickly roast them to release a little more flavor. This worked, not only to brighten the tomato flavor but also to add a warm element to the salad.

I liked the idea of adding some warm components to this winter salad and also fried some shallots (in bacon grease leftover from crisping some bacon for the salad) to throw on top.

I wanted the Roquefort to pop and I didn't want the salad to be too heavy, so in lieu of making a blue cheese dressing, I chopped and tossed the cheese on top of the iceberg lettuce and then drizzled some high-quality balsamic vinegar on top.

Winter Wedge Salad With Roquefort Blue Cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 slices bacon
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 ounce Ile de France Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled or chopped
Balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinaigrette)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss grape tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon.

Reduce heat to medium, and add shallots to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned. Transfer to plate with bacon.

Remove core from lettuce, and cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Distribute the slices among four plates.

Dividing them evenly among the four plates, pile the tomatoes on top of the lettuce slices and sprinkle bacon, shallots, and Roquefort on top.

Drizzle each salad with a little balsamic vinegar, and serve.

Don't forget to enter my Ile de France cheese giveaway!

Do you like wedge salads?

Pear And Roquefort Salad With Cranberry-Dijon Vinaigrette And A Giveaway

When the temperatures drop, we seem to turn to soups, stews, and comfort foods, but it's always good to have some lighter options too, like winter salads. For me, winter salads are not as easy as summer salads. I can't just fill a bag with fresh, ripe produce at the farmer's market, chop it all up, and toss it with some dressing. Winter salads require a bit more thought. To hold my attention, a winter salad needs to be colorful and flavorful and have various textures going on.

The concept for this winter salad started with a wedge of Roquefort blue cheese (sent to me by Ile de France) and some pears (sent to me by USA Pears). The timing of these two deliveries couldn't have been better, as I knew the pears and Roquefort would complement each other. I selected a Bosc pear from the assortment I received because I love its papery skin and honey-sweet flavor. And I thought that sweet flavor would prove the perfect contrast to the creamy, pungent Roquefort. Now I just needed to figure out what else would go with them and fit my need for a flavorful, colorful, textured salad.

Some toasted walnuts seemed obvious, caramelized onions would add a sweet-savory note, and bacon would pitch in a needed crunch and saltiness.

Flavor and texture resolved, my salad still needed a pop of color. So I whipped up a tangy cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette to top it off.

Pear And Roquefort Salad With Cranberry-Dijon Vinaigrette

Use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like to tailor your salad to you and your guests. This is merely a guide. I made myself a dinner-size salad and found a generous handful of greens, 2 tablespoons of walnuts, 1/2 a pear, 2 tablespoons onions, 1 slice of bacon, and 1/2 ounce of Roquefort to be satisfying.

Ingredients

Mesclun greens
Toasted walnuts
Thinly sliced Bosc pear
Caramelized onions
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Ile de France Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled or chopped
Cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preparation

Divide mesclun greens among plates. Scatter walnuts over greens. Layer sliced pear over greens. Toss onions, bacon, and Roquefort on top. Drizzle cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette over each salad.

Cranberry-Dijon Vinaigrette (adapted from Food.com)
Makes about 3/4 cup to 1 cup dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup O Cabernet Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Combine cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing cranberries occasionally, until cranberries start to pop, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer cranberry mixture to bowl of food processor. Add mustard and orange juice, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Slowly stream in oil while food processor is running.

Transfer dressing to small carafe or measuring cup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dressing can be covered and stored in refrigerator for 1 week. (Recipe can easily be doubled.)

And now for the giveaway. Not only were the people at Ile de France kind enough to send me a wedge of their new Roquefort blue cheese to sample, but they're also giving 5 of you the opportunity to win a cheese basket!

To enter, just leave a comment telling me your favorite cheese or what you would do with a wedge of Roquefort. Would you make a Roquefort butter to flavor a steak? Would you simply top a piece of toast with the Roquefort and drizzle some honey on top? Would you make a winter salad like I did? Be sure to check out Ile de France's website for more ideas and for more information about Roquefort blue cheese.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 14, 2011, to enter. Good luck!

I've got another great winter salad using more Roquefort coming up!

Lunch at Russell House Tavern

Believe it or not, I haven't been blogging as much! It might still seems as though I am, but I've been posting 2 to 3 times a week lately as opposed to a whopping 4 to 5. I've skipped out on a lot of potential restaurant reviews; at home I haven't felt much like writing (more like decorating our tree and wrapping Christmas presents!) and when I'm out I haven't always been lugging my camera with me. Oh well. That's what the iPhone camera (and Instagram app) comes in handy for. Anyways, today I'm back with a fun restaurant post!

A solid option for lunching in Cambridge is at Russell House Tavern, this Harvard Square gastropub operated by The Grafton Group (Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Redline) opened a over a year ago with much fanfare, and I still had yet to make my way in. Along with my Mom and sister, we were famished and in serious need of some quality grub to appease our holiday shopping induced appetites. My sister had previously been in for dinner and drinks, and was happy to return to check out the lunch menu. I was excited to finally pay them a visit in general.

We wandered in, shopping bags in tow, down a wide alley/brick patio space off of bustling JFK Street. Crossed electrical wires with exposed light bulbs dangling overhead added a touch of ambiance before we even set foot inside. A hostess greeted us right away at the upstairs entrance (where a smaller bar area resides) and we made our way down a wide black staircase done up in evergreen boughs and white lights to the sprawling, polished basement space. Here, another hostess warmly welcomed and ushered us to a table just as quickly, offering to take our coats along the way. Our amicable waiter met us with waters once we settled in, and impressed us with his knowledge of the menu and swift service for the duration.

I started with a Bloody Mary, this classic brunch standby over a formidable sounding craft cocktail was chosen more out of necessity! (Holiday Stroll + Delux + Beehive = hungover.) Our waiter mentioned that the bartender used to run the cocktail program at Drink - so I didn't doubt his prowess in the mixology department. I decided to forgo the classic BM for the Maria Basilico ($10) (the MB!) made with Basil Infused Sobieski Vodka, Meletti Amaro, RHT Bloody Mix and a cucumber garnish. If you were looking for the typically bold and spicy, this one is not for you. The Meletti Amaro, which is a dry tawny liqueur combining anise and saffron added sweet and herbaceous notes which tempered the typically spicy mix. I appreciated this variation on a classic, it's definitely fun when bartenders try new things and take some risks. We started by slurping two oysters each from the raw bar, it was East coast all the way with local briny Island Creeks ($2.50) for my Mom and sister, while I opted for one of those and one of the West coast varietal, a plump, ultra clean flavored Kushi ($2.50). The oysters came with a duo of equally appeasing sweet pickle mignonette and Old Bay cocktail sauce.

My sister and I both chose from the array of sandwiches, accompanying them are your choice of fries, greens, or half portions of each. Pleasantly surprised by this option, once we got our plates we noted the halved french fry and salad portions could have easily been a full serving! The greens were fresh and lightly dressed, the brown crispy fries nicely seasoned and served with ketchup and a really tasty garlic infused mayo.
Leah enjoyed her Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($11) with melted talleggio, pickled red onions, local tomatoes and arugula while I chose the Hickory Smoked Pork Loin Sandwich ($11) with melted sharp cheddar, crispy onions, sweet apples and a ginger maple aioli. This sandwich was flawless in every way, exploding with comforting flavors and piled high with well executed ingredients, which still managed to stay nicely contained by the soft bread. The thinly sliced pork, tender and juicy took to the crispy onions like bread to butter while the red apples added contrast, imparting the perfect touch of sweetness. The ginger maple aioli was inventive and delicious, and the melted sharp cheddar played its part to seal the deal.

The Dirty Caesar ($8) with Chicken ($5) ordered by my Mom proved a well rounded salad. Spicy anchovy croutons were a major highlight laced within a nicely dressed bed of crisp lettuce and grilled chicken strips.

Executive Chef Michael Scelfo's locally sourced and seasonally focused American fare is crowd pleasingly classic with a contemporary edge. The reputation that precedes this trendy tavern is well justified, with a warm welcoming staff and a clean, comfortable space; for lunch this afternoon I was nothing short of impressed.

Portsmouth Restaurant Week | Black Trumpet

Along a brick sidewalk that weaves down a quaint New England street bordering a historic port studded with industrial fishing boats, sits a mustard yellow barn door with thin black metal hinges, adorned with a handsome slate sign. Complimentary elements come together to create an inviting facade along a brick back drop - a giant circular sign touting gold lettering swings overhead, black windowpanes form a focal point where plants still bloom in the garden boxes beneath, and a gold striped awning above the door frame is the finishing touch. Located here at 29 Ceres Street is the family owned Black Trumpet Bistro, serving seasonally inspired, widely influenced American cuisine. A staple in the Portsmouth fine dining scene, I had heard plenty of rave reviews but this evening marked my first time in. Up a creaky narrow staircase the intimate wine bar overlooks the Piscataqua River. A cozy cave like dining room defined by heavy wood beam ceilings, exposed brick walls and shiny copper table tops is situated on the first floor. Both of these spaces embody a rustic elegance, fit for a romantic duo or a convivial group of 10.The ladies and I, after solid day at Red Hook Brewery and exploring downtown Portsmouth, cozied up at the wine bar just as it was opening at 5pm. We shared pitchers of the fall inspired Harvest Sangria, made with white wine, lemon, brandy and autumnal spices, before settling into our table downstairs for our 5:30 reservation.We started with a bread bowl of thinly sliced ciabatta and the restaurants signature bread, a crumbly loaf studded with black trumpets and dates. Accompanying them was a creamy butter laced with orange, this unique pairing sparked intrigue and made fans all around the table. I opted to partake in the restaurant week menu, three courses for $29 is certainly a good deal! I started with the delicately prepared Salt Cod Salad made with heirloom squash, pancetta and brussels sprouts, served warm in a sherry apple vinaigrette. The cod was not overly salty nor overly fishy, and as a result of pairing it with classic fall ingredients, the salad struck just the right balance of flavors and texture. You've got a nice sweetness from the heirloom squash, a bitter crunch from the brussels, and a firm bite of saltiness from the pancetta. The sherry vinegar and crisp apple dressing adds depth while tying everything together. For my main course, the Coq au Vin with porcini-cocoa pappardelle, cob smoked bacon and mushrooms was excellent. The chicken was perfectly braised, this traditionally rustic french preparation is clearly something the chef excels at. The pappardelle added a unique flair to the dish, it was a welcome addition to the earthy mushrooms, smokey bacon and savory chicken. Dessert was less exciting in comparison to its predecessors, but still a job well done. I had a few bites of the German Chocolate Beet Brownie with milk chocolate frosting, beet whip and candied orange peel. I wasn't a huge fan of the brownie itself, but that fluffy beet whip topping was pretty awesome. For my Indian Pudding with whipped vanilla custard and golden raisin sauce, I actually expected it would come at a warmer temperature. With a soft set consistency, the pudding still manages to comfort, covered by a blanket of silky vanilla custard over a pool of golden raisins bathing in sweet syrupy goodness. If you find yourself in the city of Portsmouth, you'll be in good company at Black Trumpet. It's definitely worth checking out, both the bistro and wine bar, on separate occasions or all at once. The place was packed as the girls and I made our way out. I was so not ready to leave New Hampshire and head back to Boston, I love it up there!!