Catlyst

I'm not usually one to visit restaurants right when they open, but a chance to dine at Catalyst with some fellow bloggers made me think twice.  Why?  Chef/owner William Kovel was aiming to create a modern space where simple, delicious food is made from the best ingredients from local farms and food producers.  Sign me up!

Located in Kendall Square, Catalyst occupies a huge space with a dining room, bar, outdoor patio, fireplace, and even areas for private parties.  A fan of simple, modern design, I thought the space was beautiful.

photo courtesy of Daisy

Elizabeth, Emily, Megan, Bianca, Daisy and Bridget were welcomed by Chef William and treated to a sampling of the menu.  Appetizers and entrees were brought out to share, and then once we were full, individual dessert platters came out to make sure we left sufficiently stuffed!

The rosemary potato foccacia was deliciously salty and I couldn't keep myself from a piece.  Ok, two.  And then the appetizers started coming out...

(L) grilled scallions (R) hiramasa  (courtesy of Daisy & Megan)

The grilled scallions were dressed in a walnut pesto, and were a favorite of the table.  The seared spice crusted hiramasa was served with a cucumber radish salad and an orange-yuzu syrup.  The citrus was a good pairing to the fatty, mild fish.

(L) veggie salad (R) quail  (courtesy of Daisy)

I was a little underwhelmed by the farmer's market vegetable salad with peppercress and crispy onion.  The vegetables were solid, it was just described as pickled vegetables to us and I was left wanting more bite (barely detected vinegar).  I've never tried quail before (at least that I recall), but I did get a small, tasty bite of crispy quail, served with black mission fig, gastique, mizuna and autumn berry jam.

(L) sunchoke soup (R) chicken liver mousse (courtesy of Daisy)

The Jerusalem "Sunchoke" Artichoke Soup we tried was served without the lobster that normally accompanies it, but it was still delicious and creamy.  Not a huge fan of liver, the grainy mustard served with the chicken liver mousse seemed like a great accompaniment to cut the richness of the liver.

(L) garganelli w/chicken oysters (R) mushroom ravioli

We started our pasta tasting with garganelli (a ridged egg pasta) that was served with chicken oysters, bacon and finished with black truffle butter.  The pasta was cooked perfectly and chicken oysters tender and tasty.  The mushroom ravioli were another winner, served with hen of the woods mushrooms and a rich sauce.

While all of the pasta dishes were good, the Georgia candy roaster squash tortellini were my personal favorite.  The only thing I didn't like on the plate was the braised escarole, as it was drowning in butter.  A lighter hand with the butter would've been appreciated so one could actually taste the greens.

Secretly wishing we were done, I quietly let out a sigh as the entrees made their way out to the table.  First up was the chilled pork.  I can't recall all the components here, but there was the smoothest of apple purees underneath some room temperature pork that was perfectly cooked.  On top was an apple cilantro slaw of sorts.  Very well executed, I was happy to take home leftovers!

For the last savory dish of the evening, we tried the lemon sole, served with roasted baby fennel, creamed leeks and lobster vermouth butter.  At this point I mustered a small bite of the sole, which was cooked well and had notes of lemon, but I had to save room for dessert, right?

(clockwise from top L) pear cake, creamsicle ice cream bar, butterscotch pudding, cantaloupe sorbet
(courtesy of Daisy and Megan)

So glad I did  :)  I don't even know where to start...  The cantaloupe sorbet (served with hazelnut butter) was delicious and light, a great palate cleanser.  The one dessert I thought fell short was the ice cream sundae...  the creamsicle ice cream was so mildly flavor it couldn't stand up to the chocolate "magic shell".  I really enjoyed the Bosc pear tart, simple and unassuming.  And then there was the butterscotch pudding.  Rather, butterscotch and passion fruit pudding with a warm pound cake crouton.  Holy heck.  I didnt' think I liked butterscotch pudding, but I cleaned out this little cup!!  Absolutely amazing.

(courtesy of Daisy)

And with that our night at Catalyst ended.  I can envision another visit, perhaps sitting by the fireplace with a bowl of caramelized onion soup!  And pudding, definitely won't be leaving that out :)

Thanks to Elizabeth for organizing, Daisy and Megan for letting me use some of their photos, and for Chef William for the meal!  To see what everyone else thought, be sure to check out their reviews (linked above)!

Disclaimer:  While the meal was complimentary, the opinions are all mine.

Taste of Park Plaza

On Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to attend Taste of Park Plaza, a sold out even to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank! I had never been to the Park Plaza Hotel and didn't quite know how everything was going to be set up, so I was surprised when I got there and realized that all the participating restaurants were actually in the bottom of the Hotel!


I met up with a friend of mine (the owner of the cute dogs i have had the pleasure of sitting) at the hotel, where we received our Passport showing a map of the participating restaurants. The idea was to make our way around the hotel to try signature dishes and drinks.


While we contemplated starting with dessert first, we headed to Bonfire to get the ball rolling. The tastings at Bonfire were delicious-- on the top of the plate was a black garlic empanada, the lower half a surf and turf taco. We met up with Tina, Mal and Mary Kate here, and lingered over a glass of wine before moving to the next destination together.


Next up was the Melting Pot, who was a little ill-prepared for the amount of people that happened to go there at once! We were able to sample both the cheddar cheese and dark chocolate fondue here.


I think this is one type of dish that's hard to do in such large quantities, as the quality was not like my previous experience (different location).


We then meandered across the hallway to McCormick & Schmick's, which was pretty busy as well. After enjoying a glass of wine while looking at empty platters, we were finally able to sample their appetizers-- a Pan Seared Tuna w/Wasabi Dressing and Bruschetta. The wasabi on my piece of tuna was a bit overwhelming, but it finally subsided and I got to enjoy some nice garlicky tomatoes :)


On our way out, we spotted Anna and her sister Meg, who joined us at Swan's Cafe. Here I tried their Tea-Cured Smoked Salmon, which was good, but I didn't taste any tea. I kinda felt like if you were going to go through all the work to infuse the salmon with tea, shouldn't you taste it? They also had some Tea Brined & Spiced Chicken Wings, but I'm not a fan of wings so I passed. We all thought it would be neat to go to a proper afternoon tea here!


I was getting quite full at this point, but I really enjoyed the Shepard's Pie at our next stop, M.J. O'Connor's :) This would be perfect on a crisp fall day! They also offered up a Clam Chowder.


Rounding the corner, we found ourselves at Au Bon Pain where they had plenty of Watermelon Lemonade and BBQ Chicken Sandwiches! I was only thinking of dessert at this point, so I stuck to the delicious cup of


It was then time to make our way to one of the places I'd had my eye on ever since I moved to Boston- finale! Dark chocolate decadence indeed, this was fantastic :) Described as a flourless chocolate cake, I almost thought its texture was more like a dense mousse. Very delicious and gone all too quickly!


Our last stop was Ben & Jerry's, where they had the mini pints available for the event. A few bites of strawberry cheesecake and I was VERY happy to walk to the T!


~phew~ What a night! This was a great way to get introduced to some new restaurants, for them to showcase their food, and to support a good cause! Great food and company, not a bad way to spend your birthday ;)

Ready Healthy Go!

I apologize if you've seen Tina or Lauren's recap, but I wanted to let everyone in the Boston area know about a wonderful opportunity to get healthy, fresh food when you're on the go! A few weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to meet Jeff- the founder and CEO of Ready Healthy Go and try his company's products. Their menu provides many amazing choices, ones that I could totally see myself creating at home. Fresh, convenient, and most importantly tasty-- a great option if you're near The Harvard Coop or their other gym locations.

The sandwiches are made using Iggy's bread, which is reason enough to get one :) But with choices like Roasted Portobello, Chipotle Spiced Chicken and Grilled Asparagus, you'll have trouble picking which one! Asparagus on a sandwich? Loved this idea, as well as the smoky eggplant spread that accompanied it. The sandwiches were all winners, but it was the amazing spreads (sweet pea mockamole and basil white bean puree) that added so much flavor and kept dancing around in my head :) A great way to boost nutrition without adding alot of calories!

(top to bottom: Grilled Asparagus, Chipotle Spiced Chicken, Roasted Portabello)

Next up were the wraps, Vietnamese Tofu, Turkey Green Apple and Just Veggies. These were all fantastic, with the standouts being the Apple Vinaigrette on the Turkey Wrap, Edamame Hummus on the Veggie Wrap, and the texture of the tofu! Luckily Jeff was nice enough to share one of their secrets to their dressings ;) I'll have to give it a try myself... so you'll have to wait!

(l to r: Vietnamese Tofu, Turkey Green Apple, Just Veggies)

And then came the salads. I did not expect to be able to sample so many things, but it was great. Except that I liked everything, and it was hard to stop at just a taste! We got to try the Sesame Glazed Salmon, Herbed Chicken and the Jicama and Citrus Salads. All of these were awesome, there's no way for me to pick a favorite :) All their nutrition info (found online or on the products themselves) includes dressing--if you look at the numbers, you'll understand why I was impressed!!

(top to bottom: Sesame Glazed Salmon, Herbed Chicken, Jicama and Citrus)

Bottom line? Loved it. They cater, too, so I'll have to put in a plug at work! Jeff has done an amazing thing- bring together the people required to make fabulous, healthy, fresh meals available to me when I need to eat on the go!

Thanks to Lauren and Tina for their pictures, as I was sans camera! It was a fabulous night with the girls :)

Elina, Me, Lauren, Tina

My First Taste of Boston

* a break from regularly scheduled programming *

I've gotten a few questions about what I do, so I thought I'd address them a bit today--I hope everyone doesn't mind! Plus I have a TON of leftovers, so no new meal tonight... I'm a science geek, and just defended my dissertation in August. Read: I can now add the letters Ph.D. after my name!!!! Woah, hasn't really set in yet. I've been in school all my life, so to no longer be considered a student is even stranger. Hmm, as to exactly what I do everyday, it's research, loosely filed under the heading "biomedical". My graduate work bridged the gap between immunology (a study of the system responsible for dealing with foreign invaders) and cancer. I moved to Boston for my post-doctoral research, which in science-speak is really just a way to get more experience before you get a real job. What I'll be doing here is more along the lines of examining ways T cells (one of cells of our immune system) interact with other cells in their response to various offenders (like the flu). Have I lost you all yet? Hope not!!

Let's get back to my new digs :) What have I learned so far?

The Charles

1. Boston drivers are CRAZY. I will not ride my bike in the city (boo).
2. The Charles is much prettier than the Schuykill (although I hear it's not any cleaner!)
3. I love walking everywhere. (much better than driving from place to place)
4. Fall is my favorite season. (but i already knew that!! :))

Jamaica Pond

Despite all my craziness in my new kitchen, the second night here I discovered there's an awesome Thai place right around the corner!! Still sooo many things to explore, so any of you Beantown readers in the know... please dish :)

Spice and Time

I stood nervously behind my mother as we visited the nursing home where my grandmother lived in Hawaii. Her room was sunny, the walls pink. My little brother Ben was playing with his Legos on the tiled floor. I had a dog-eared copy of Anne of Green Gables—a much-loved gift for my recent ninth birthday—clutched in my hands.

My grandmother was perched, bird-like, on her hospital bed. In the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, she had been recently transferred to a facility near my aunt's home on the island of Kauai. She looked small and wrinkled. Confused.

I watched the speckled light hitting the floor, listened to the whispering footsteps in the hall and the chatter of nurses coming in and out of the room. It was vacation; my skin was slick with sunscreen. I had recently discovered the joys of coconut milk, the terror of jelly fish, and flowers so lusciously scented it was almost too much to wear them in a lei around my neck. I was very concerned that the purpled-toed plastic sandals (so stylish!) I had seen at a tourist shop would no longer be there when I could finally convince my mom (I need them!) to let me purchase a pair. I couldn't really understand why we were there in the room that smelled of baby powder and lemon juice, salt and old age.

"Karen?" my grandmother said in a soft, shaky voice. She was staring straight at me. Suddenly, I was terrified.

"No, Grandma…" I said. "I'm Molly."

She shook her head slowly.

I looked up at my mother beseechingly.

"Yes, Mom, this is Molly." My mother's voice was calm. "She’s my daughter; remember her? I'm Karen; I am your daughter." She put her hand warmly on my shoulder.

My grandmother was obviously confused. She looked haphazardly around the room; her gaze continued falling back on me.

"This is my daughter Karen," she said quietly, to no one in particular. She was smiling. The room was silent.

I looked up at my mother, somehow expecting her to set the record straight. I had been warned that this would be a tough visit, that my grandmother was not very lucid. But I found it difficult to believe that she thought I was her daughter. I was Molly; my mom was Karen. And this strange, fragile woman on the bed? I had very few memories of her; we had nothing in common. I knew only that her name was Marian. And that visiting her in this home near the ocean made my lips taste vaguely like salt.

My mom, however, said nothing. She looked sad.

**

I went to visit my mother in Boston for Memorial Day weekend this year. And on that Monday evening--after a full couple of days ripe with long walks and shopping trips, errands and visits to old friends--I cooked dinner. We ate outside in the hazy warmth of my mom’s well-manicured garden. It was a relaxing night before my early train ride back to New York the next morning. The fare was simple: cedar-planked salmon on the grill, fresh corn on the cob, arugula salad, and a strawberry-rhubarb pie.

When I had told my mom that morning that I wanted to bake a pie, she immediately went to an old box of recipes she has stored in a cupboard.

“My mom used to make an amazing rhubarb pie,” she said. “Maybe I still have the recipe.”

She handed me a worn index card, stained with spice and time. And in delicate cursive was my grandmother’s recipe for rhubarb pie. I was surprised to find such lovingly detailed directions; it was difficult for me to imagine the confused, deteriorating woman who I last saw in the nursing home fifteen years ago making such a pie.

But my grandmother was a good cook, my mom said. She would often have a loaf of freshly baked bread, warm from the oven, filling the house with its cozy scent for my mom and her sister when they came home from school.

The recipe was written in a very careful hand. Every 'i' was dotted perfectly, each 'y' looped with a graceful curve. It felt very personal, as if I were intruding on a private moment. Like I was holding a wispy thread of her memory - one that had floated just out of reach in the nursing home.

And the pie--sweet with a hint of sour, oozing pink inside a golden butter crust--was delicious.

I tweaked her recipe a bit; I added strawberries, took away some sugar. I used my own, well-practiced crust formula. We ate it in the garden, warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
adapted from my grandmother

Filling:
4 cups cut rhubarb
1 pint strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup flour

Crust:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
large pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
8–9 tablespoons ice water
1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water

1. For the crust, mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add butter and shortening, mixing with a wooden spoon and then, working quickly, combine even further with the tips of your fingers until it looks like cornmeal with pea-sized chunks.
2. Sprinkle all but 2 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture, gently stirring and pressing with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass. If still dry, add the last of the water. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough comes completely together. Divide dough in half, form into balls, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least ½ hour.
3. While dough is chilling, slice rhubarb and strawberries into ½-inch pieces. Combine with sugar, and flour. Stir to coat.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap one of the dough balls and, on a floured surface, roll it out into a circle two or more inches wider than the diameter of your pie pan.
5. Fold the dough circle in half and then in half again to make it easy to transport. Place it in a 9” pie pan, the point of the dough triangle in the center, and unfold to cover the entire pan, with excess hanging over the lip. Gently press the dough down to eliminate air pockets underneath.
6. Put the fruit mixture into the pie pan. Top with pats of butter.
   
7. Roll out the other half of the dough into a large circle. Place on top of the pie. Trim and tuck the excess dough around the pie rim underneath itself to form a lip. Using the tines of a fork, press down the edges of the crust to make indentations and seal in the juices. On the top of the pie, cut four slits to let steam escape while baking.
8. Beat the egg white and water slightly and brush the mixture over the top crust. Sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake 20 minutes (crust will be golden); then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 30–35 minutes. Check every so often, and if the edges appear to be getting too dark, take a long, narrow piece of foil and loosely cover them.