Whether your issue is bad weather or bad traffic or just too much going on, there is nothing like a quick jaunt to Italy to take in the Tuscan sun and all the amazing culture.
Oh, and did we mention the FOOD?!
Fortunately, there is a place right here in our area where you can literally step off one of the busiest, noisiest streets around and escape to a quieter, friendlier community of food lovers who put that love into everything they do.
Right where Brookline meets Boston on the strip of red light madness that is Route 9 is La Morra – a place that, for the past 10 years, has been bringing calm, joy and satisfaction to people in need (and everyone else).
Created by the husband and wife team of Josh and Jen Ziskin (we mentioned the love part, right?), La Morra brings the sights, smells and savored flavors of the place where their love was fed – Tuscany – to the place where it began – Boston. With Josh in the kitchen (at least most of the time, as he is always eager to come into the dining area to share his guests’ smiles and stories) and Jen lovingly hand selecting every glass and bottle of wine (many of which are displayed in gleaming rows around the upstairs dining area and most of which are available through the amazing Coravin system that allows glasses to be poured without uncorking and therefore potentially damaging the wine), the Ziskins make sure that every guest feels like one and ensures that most of them come back time and again.
With its brick walls and wooden tables, La Morra does give off a very rustic, homey vibe that is accented by the gentle wafts of Jazz in the background and lively conversation that is predominantly in English. The Italian posters on the walls combined with the displays of gleaming glassware also bridge the gaps between the Old Country and the new flavors that emerge from the La Morra kitchen each and every day, but in a way that complements without ever clashing; much like the La Morra menu itself.
As the menu is predominantly determined by what is freshly available at the time, La Morra is a place where one can easily return and always find something new to love. As the menu is extensive enough every day, however, guests are more likely to face the dilemma of too many choices than too few. This has been especially true this year, as the Ziskins have brought back many of their favorite offerings from the past 10 years. In fact, La Morra is currently featuring a special menu of 10 cocktails crafted by their creative mixology team at the diner (and everyone else)-friendly downstairs bar; one from each of their celebrated years. From their debut drink the Arancia Rossa, with its orange-infused vodka and fresh-squeezed blood orange juice, to the latest libation, 2013’s famed Bellini with peach puree and Prosecco, this drink list presents a delicious dilemma no matter what else you order – What to have next? And when you add these to the venue’s extensive (and edifyingly regionally-organized) wine menu, which mentions not only the name and vintage, but also the vintner (many of whom are personal friends who save their very best for Jen), as well as a secret set of non-alcoholic options for the “initiated” (i.e., anyone who asks), it may take a moment to even consider the food, but taking your time and enjoying is a great part of what La Morra is all about.
As Jen knows each wine and also knows many of those who make it, she is always happy to recommend and regale diners with her stories of discovery. For those who want to learn even more about wines, La Morra also hosts regular wine specials and pairing dinners (information about which can be found on their website, www.lamorra.com).
One great way to sample a wide array of La Morra’s wonderful wares is by starting off with a selection of their Tuscan tapas known as Cicchetti. Among recent offerings have been fried sage leaves with anchovy, Tuscan meatballs, fried stuffed olives and their impressive assortments of artisanal cured meats and cheeses. As you dip among the smaller plates, friendly, informed servers bring slabs of fresh-baked bread that can itself be dipped into hand-made salted ricotta cheese. Among the antipasti options are crispy frog legs with sunchokes gratin, a hearty barley salad with pickled onions, roasted beets, kumquats and other rare treats, Sicilian shrimp and blood orange salad with fennel, barley salad with pickled pear, and a Tuscan veggie and bread soup that is a meal in itself. You will want to save room for more meal, however, as the primi and secondi courses are star-filled as well. Among the former options (all of which are available in entree sizes yet which already come in generous portions) are artichoke pasta with goat cheese and root veggie chips, housemade pasta with rock crab, clams, carrots and leeks, toasted gnocchi with braised oxtail and dates, and risotto with Tuscan kale and housemade lamb bacon. The latter set includes cornmeal-crusted skate wing with blood orange butter, braised lamb shank with sweet potato puree and braised Brussels sprouts (which Josh was plating even before it became an “in” vegetable), roasted duck with quince marmaletta, wood-grilled haddock with Yukon Gold potatoes, a wood-grilled hangar steak with crispy polenta, and a wood-grilled Cornish hen that is so tender and juicy it does not require any of the aforementioned beverages (but is even better with!). As the Ziskins do anything they can to serve and please their guests, gluten-free and vegan options are always available as well. And for those who want a taste of something new, La Morra offers such sides as farro risotto, sautéed spinach and braised swiss chard with fennel and tomato that complement the meal no matter what is ordered.
After taking some more time to unwind and relax, treat yourself to one of La Morra’s perfectly dolci finishes- Their chocolate fudge tart is decadent and rewarding and their sorbet trio is refreshing and only tastes guilty. Other notable options include the succulent red wine poached pear and the banana gelato timbale with rum raisin vanilla sauce. No matter what you order, complement it with one of La Morra’s dessert wines and/or specialty dessert drinks, such as the espresso’tini with Stoli Vanilla, Frangelico, and Bailey’s.
If you have trouble deciding, La Morra often offers very reasonably priced Prezzo Fisso (i.e., Italian for “prix fixe”) menus that include antipasti, primi, secondi and dolce (i.e., everything!). Each course comes with recommended wine pairings that can be added all together for a small upcharge or enjoyed individually. In either case, it is a great way to get to know the Ziskins and to get to become part of their food-loving family!
If you want to bring Tuscany to you, La Morra also caters and has yet another menu of pre-planned packages for luncheons, dinners, or any other event you may be hosting. The party package menu also includes a long list of hors d’oeuvres and “additional” items to personalize your party to a Tuscan T. They also offer custom-made cakes that are limited in size and shape only by your imagination.
For those who truly want to get away to Italy, Josh and Jen also host wine and food tours of Tuscany and beyond, the next of which will take place in July. Fortunately, a night at La Morra is about as close to the next best thing as one can come and it requires no passport.
So whether you are tired of the traffic or just want to try something new (or go back to a friendly, familiar place where you always know you will get what you want), pull over off Route 9 and enter the family-friendly Italian eatery known as La Morra. From primi to dolci, you will be felice!
La Morra
48 Boylston Street, Brookline
617 739 0007
www.lamorra.com