Wednesday, July 27, 2011

VIP at Del Frisco's

A small collection of nationwide restaurants that embrace the deep rooted American steakhouse tradition, Del Frisco's most definitely knows its prime grade steak and lucky for us New Englanders, a thing or two about seafood. Be that as it may, there's a lot more to the recently opened Boston location than just the food. Hesitant to make the jump from your tried and true upscale steakhouse in favor of the new kid in town? Here is a look at what you can expect! Entering into the first floor off a vibrant section of Northern Avenue known as Liberty Wharf, you continue up a grand staircase into an impressive space housing a swank circular bar with views of the downtown skyline; and an equally as stylish dining room inlaid with plush gray semi-circular booths overlooking a stunning harbor expanse.The media dinner I attended on Thursday evening was held in the appropriately named Harbor Room, housing within its massive wine rack enclosed walls are sweeping red curtains surrounding tables boasting crisp white linens and elegant leather chairs. Commanding attention overhead are two giant chandeliers, the sparkling crystal figures hang to resemble exposed light bulbs. Spectacular, grand, impressive, massive, giant, I'm pulling out all the "go big or go home" esque adjectives; Del Frisco's atmosphere embodies that mantra to a tee.And as the rooms namesake would imply, views of the harbor aren't too shabby either. Not to mention, the coveted outdoor patio space is easily a huge draw to the restaurant in the warm months. The dinner was based on a four course menu and was completely free of charge to attendees.After glancing over the regular menu, everything appears to be fairly expensive. But as usual, I've included the prices in my round up to let you be the judge. At Del Frisco's, you can't go wrong with a signature cocktail. After one a taste of the Absolut Orange Vodka that has been house infused with pineapple and shaken to creamy frothy martini perfection, "The VIP" ($13) will have you feeling just as the namesake touts. The Blackberry Ginger Cocktail ($14) made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, fresh blackberries, fresh lemon juice, mint and a splash of ginger beer, was also a winner. Boasting an extensive wine list (if the glass walled wine racks were any indication) A Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington state was poured to compliment our starter courses. Once we made our way to the steak, a Cabernet Sauvignon made just for the restaurant was also nicely paired. The bread here is worth indulging - a full loaf is served warm, soft baked and studded with sesame seeds, be sure to break off a piece and slather it in some of that whipped butter. An extensive spread of shared appetizers began with the Shrimp Cocktail ($19) and Shrimp Remoulade ($19). I enjoyed the presentation with a vivid cocktail sauce layered over a row of jumbo shrimp on a bed of bright green lettuce. Both sauces were nicely flavored, however, I've had better tasting shrimp. I would skip this in favor of another appetizer, especially considering the price point. I wasn't overly impressed by the Ahi Tuna Tartare ($16). This one paled comparison to some of my Boston favorites, although the toasted bread with balsamic on the side was a nice touch. The appetizer worth splurging on is the Crab Cake ($19) with this one you get all the crab and none of the cake! A glorious mound of exceptionally tender and well seasoned crab meat is served over a creamy cajun lobster sauce. Order it if you are a crab lover for sure.I would also recommend the Prime Beef Carpaccio ($14) served with a creole mustard and dotted with capers, the thin but lengthy slices of raw beef were generously layered on the plate. Given a choice of salads, I opted for the Blue Cheese Lettuce Wedge ($11). With smokey bacon, fresh crisp lettuce and springy cherry tomatoes halves the components were lovely despite an overwhelming presence of blue cheese. The dry cheese crumbles are more than welcome in abundance but all that creamy dressing was too much for the wedge to handle.For the steak course, our waitress explained the degree of cooking runs towards rare, so in essence what is actually ordered medium would be cooked medium rare. (Or something along those lines, fair enough.)The supreme quality of beef was evident with each bite of my 8 oz Filet Mignon ($38) cooked to their ideal medium as desired with a fully pink center, retaining its flavorful juiciness. The fork tender filet was liberally seasoned with black pepper and salt. It was an excellent steak indeed. Vegetable sides run the gamut from simply steamed Broccoli ($10), to lightly blanched Asparagus ($11) with shaved almonds, to Sauteed Mushrooms ($10) bathing in savory pan juices. The Chateau Potatoes ($9) are a perplexing side, I guess because I am not really sure what a "chateau" potato is supposed to be. A dish of heavy waxy mashed potatoes with butter and cracked pepper are good, nothing extraordinary. A tower of the thickest Onion Rings ($10) I've ever seen are sensational, while the Lobster Macaroni and Cheese ($16) would prove more swoon worthy had actual chunks of lobster appeared within the cheesy sprinkled with buttery breadcrumbs sea of elbow pasta. Behold the dessert platter, a sampling of their Lemon Cake, Banana Bread Pudding and Molten Chocolate Cake. Each of these proved something incredible. Usually I can pick a favorite dessert, but this time around, I was at a loss. The Creme Brulee and Berries and Cream offer something lighter compared to a cake or bread pudding. Not that you didn't save plenty of room after all that steak! I am content to recommend any of the five as worthy contenders to end a meal here. The service executed by the waitstaff was friendly, helpful and attentive. The pacing of the meal, however, was considerably slower than expected. I took the opportunity to relish the time, enjoying the company of friends and new faces, appreciating the overall fantastic food and drink.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House located at 250 Northern Avenue on Boston's Liberty Wharf is defined by a spectacular waterfront location where dining in luxury is met with extended hospitality. Come here to celebrate a special occasion, conduct a business meeting over lunch, relax after a long day in the office or have an extravagant night out!
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House on Urbanspoon

Lamb Meatballs

I was looking for something to make for dinner recently and remembered seeing a yummy looking lamb recipe on the The Small Boston Kitchen, so I decided to give it a go. The recipe was actually for Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs, and being a lamb lover, it sounded like a great way to bring this protein into my kitchen.

Lamb Meatballs!
I will say Savenor's came up big on this evening. They did not have ground lamb packaged, so I had to ask the friendly butchers behind the counter for some. At first they went in the back to check, but still nothing. They said that I could buy the whole top roast and grind that up, but that was a lot more money than I wanted or needed to spend. So, just as I was about to start figuring out something else to cook, the butchers checked again and sure enough, they had enough lamb scraps (from the top roast), which they ground up for me - thank you Savenor's!


The Ingredients
The Necessitites...
  • 1 pound ground lamb meat
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic - chopped
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive Oil
Now, you may be wondering where the "Moroccan" comes in. The original recipe called for a 1/2 tablespoon of Ras el hanout, which is a pre-mixed combination of spices. Thought Savenor's has a pretty extensive spice rack, on this particular night it was not available. Instead, I gathered all the Moroccan spices I had in our spice shelf and figured I could make it work. Turns out we had quite a few on hand - chili powder, cumin, turmeric, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander.

Lots of spice!
To begin, I chopped up the onion - it was actually one of the delicious red onions from our CSA, and really more of a red onion/scallion combination.

Chopped Onion
I put the onion in a saute pan with some olive oil and a bit of salt and cooked it until it was tender, at which point I added the chopped garlic. After another couple of minutes, I went ahead and added a dash of all the spices, hoping to land somewhere near the tablespoon called for by the recipe. I allowed it all to cook for another minute or so and then removed it from the heat.

While the onion was cooking, I combined the parsley, mint, molasses and the mustard in a large bowl.

Almost ready for the meat
Next, I added the ground lamb and, using my hands, mixed it all together, making sure not to go too crazy and over-work the meat. Once the onion mixture cooled a bit, I added that to the bowl and mixed again.

Meat Mixture
Once the meat and its components were all mixed up I formed it into balls that were a bit bigger than a tablespoon a piece and placed them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Once ready to go, I put the cookie sheet into a 350 degree over and allowed the meatballs to cook for about a half hour. They probably could have used a little less time in oven, but it was hard to tell!

In the oven
These did produce a lot of oil on the sheet pan - beware! While the meatballs were cooking, I cut up the zucchini and summer squash we had from our CSA and sauteed them in some olive oil until them were just tender for a nice colorful side dish.

Zucchini and Summer Squash
I ended up serving the meatballs "sub style" in a toasted hot dog bun (we had some on hand to use up)...

On A Roll!
But also, I served them just on the plate.

Dinner is served
Either way, the lamb meatballs were really tasty. All the spices and the lamb meat added a really fun flavor to a relatively traditional dish. Even with my crazy combination of spices the dish worked - I could have even added some more! Being a lamb lover, this dish totally worked and you really can make it all your own depending on what you add. Having always been afraid of making lamb at home this was a great first step - a good confidence builder, that's for sure.

Farewell Tour: Villa Mexico Cafe

As we enter into our final days in Beacon Hill, Bret and I have begun a farewell tour of sorts.  My "clean out the freezer" Korean dukboki was the last meal I'll cook in our apartment as we're planning on relying on take-out and delivery for this final week.  We figured that this would be the easiest thing to do so that we can save time after work as we finish packing, and this will also allow us to pack up our very extensive kitchen!

Bret and I created a list of the local take-out and delivery places that we will miss the most and I jokingly call this our farewell tour.  I know, I'm a bit dramatic.  Nonetheless, we began the farewell tour last night with take-out from Villa Mexico Cafe.

By now, Villa Mexico is one of Beacon Hill's worst-kept secrets.  Strangely located in a tiny gas station, this Mexican take-out restaurant makes what I deem to be the best burritos in town!  Plus, you can't help but love the family behind the counter as everyone is considered a "friend."  Although I walked by this place for years, Bret actually first introduced me to this place soon after we were dating.  Initially, I was skeptical to eat food prepared in a gas station but this unique restaurant is definitely one of my favorite neighborhood spots!

I stopped in at Villa Mexico on Tuesday night to pick up my usual order - carnitas burrito with guacamole and hot salsa.



Bret order the same, except with chicken.  We also split a side of guacamole and tortilla chips.




Per usual, the burrito didn't disappoint.  The slow-cooked pork was so tender and flavorful.  Plus, I love that they grill every burrito as a lot of places don't do this.  The portion sizes are definitely huge but I ate every last bite!  I've heard rumors that the gas station will be torn down for a new building and I'm not sure what the fate is for Villa Mexico.  Knowing this, I'm glad to have picked Villa Mexico for our first stop on our "farewell tour."

Villa Mexico Cafe is located at 296 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA.

Villa Mexico Café on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

SLS Part 5: Great Island Beach, Wellfleet

This Friday was not a typical summer lunch series, but if the shoe fits....I was craving some beach time. As much as I adore the city even in the summer, I missed Cape Cod. With record breaking 100 degree temperatures predicted, I followed my instinct to escape Boston and woke up bright and early Friday morning to catch the Plymouth and Brockton bus to Barnstable. My Mom and Aunt Joyce met me at the bus station and we drove 30 minutes or so to one of our favorite Cape towns. Wellfleet!! Our specific destination was Great Island Beach which faces the bay side (as opposed to the Atlantic Ocean side, where the infamous Beachcomber resides.) This spot is a a hidden gem of a beach with tourist free shores that stretch for miles. My mom had packed a cooler with our favorite sandwich components - turkey, cheddar cheese, avocado and tomatoes. We stuffed them into fresh pita pockets and even broke into a bottle of chardonnay. Summer fruits were in abundance from juicy pineapple and watermelon slices to a perfectly ripe peachIt was a scorcher of a day, even the water was exceptionally warm. It was perfect for lengthy swims to cool off in between soaking up the sun and venturing on long walks.
The rocky expanse stretches over a good portion of the sand, not a bad place to search for beach treasures like sea glass, wampum and unique rocks and shells. Besides the gorgeous landscape, this funky lean-to driftwood beach hut called for a photo shoot.It was great to spend one of my Fridays off at the beach - salty, sandy, relaxed and rejuvenated - this is what summer days (make that weekends) are made for!