Central Square is known for its cultural diversity and this has long been reflected in the food scene. From Chinese and Irish to Indian and Tibetan, if you long or a taste of home, this is the square to get it.
Recently, a new home has been established by the husband and wife team of Chris and Pam Willis and it brings all of their combined culinary and hospitality experience in way that will make your family feel right at home too!
Though I try to be on top of the scene and have apparently inspired other writers and reviewers in town to check out many of the places and products that we have been loving for some time, it appears that I may have made a few moves prematurely.
Thanks to my growing twins, I had to leave Southie just as the food boom was settling in. And while I do not get back as often as I like, I am loving what has developed there.
My latest discovery is Fat Baby, which is in the Dorchester Street spot that used to be Salsa’s Mexican and that is now run by Loco Taqueria’s Mike Shaw.
With its dark woods and dim lighting (and, I am happy to say, NO flatscreens), Fat Baby is a great place to focus on good friends and good food. Centered around a copper-topped rectangular bar that dispenses delicious Mai Tais and Singapore Slings and more original creations like the 8PM Taco (as well as customizable mocktails like a tasty tea and ginger beer creation I enjoyed on my first visit), the dinner-only restaurant allows floor to ceiling windows on Southie’s growing bustle and a peek into Chef Danielle Dorcil’s wonderful workshop, from which emerges sweet and melty Korean fried chicken, richly satisfying crispy rice cakes with tuna and ponzu, a shaved brussel sprout salad that brings the healthy with almonds and ginger, and a sushi list that can be ordered from the menu or on a handy a la carte sushi card that encourages experimentation and offers 15- and 30-piece chef’s choice combos as well. No matter what you order for apps and mains, be sure to ask about the off-menu desserts and do not be shy about overordering as the helpful staff is happy to box stuff up while you eat so you can try more (which I highly recommend).
So while I miss Southie, I am happy to say that there are many reasons to go back, including one scale-tipping toddler that makes everyone smile.
Central Square is known for its cultural diversity and this has long been reflected in the food scene. From Chinese and Irish to Indian and Tibetan, if you long or a taste of home, this is the square to get it.
Recently, a new home has been established by the husband and wife team of Chris and Pam Willis and it brings all of their combined culinary and hospitality experience in way that will make your family feel right at home too!
Though Lanes & Games and Sacco’s in Davis Square may be memories, bowling seems to be making a resurgence in the land of the candlepin. For proof, look no further than the burgeoning development Boston Landing, home of WGBH, New Balance, the Bruins, Celtics, and the biggest hockey stick this side of Paul Bunyan, which is now also the home of the latest Flatbread Company. pizzeria (www.flatbreadcompany.com), an organic eatery with many locations that also features bowing in the Brighton base.
Every day, thousands of people pass under the two lone buildings that tunnel the Mass Turnpike. One is a supermarket; the other a hotel. And while the former may have more options, the latter is surely a more pleasant place to dine, especially now that Chef Justin Rexroad has come to town!
A finalist in the recent Culinary Fight Club event that took place at another deservedly popular hotel restaurant (i.e., Bokx 109 a the Hotel Indigo), Chef Rexroad is now commuting from Portsmouth, NH (home of the locally legendary Clipper Tavern) to Newton to bring a new flavor and vibe to Social Restaurant and Bar (www.socialrestaurantandbar.com), the dining establishment that is tucked into the Crown Plaza Hotel in Newton. In so doing, he has transformed the room service kitchen into a place worth driving too, even if it means enduring the backup on Exit 17!
While the legendary George Carlin (who I quote openly and often) once poked fun at the questionable taste of charity events that offer free food as a way to encourage donations for the hungry, there was no question regarding the good taste of Boston Magazine’s latest Taste event, which raised funds for the Greater Boston Food Bank (www.gbfb.org) through an all-night smorgasbord of Boston’s best bites that took place November 14 at the Children’s Museum.
From apps to desserts to beverages, Taste offered charitably minded diners a little bit of everything and all they could eat of their favorites. Among the participating purveyors were such local legends as Michael’s Deli, Top of the Hub, Bistro Du Midi, Chris Coombs’ Boston Chops, Jason Santos’ Buttermilk and Bourbon (which will soon be paired with Citrus and Salt), Jeremy Sewell’s Les Sablons, and Andy Husbands’ The Smoke Shop (which will soon be opening its first satellite across the street from the Museum). There was also a wide array of rising stars, including Frenchie (the subterranean South End bistro which is helmed by part of the team from Jackie Robert’s well-established empire), Pabu Izikaya, Benedetto (which has more than filled the space left by Jody Adams’ Rialto at the Charles Hotel), and Mario Batali’s dynamic duo of Babbo Pizzeria and Terra at Eataly Boston. To ash it all down, there were offerings from Stella Artois, Bombay Sapphire, Ketel One, Dark Knight wine, Virginia Distillery, and a provocative pairing featuring our own Polar Beverages and Blue Fire Coffee, who released their new Holiday Blend at the event to rave reviews. And while many of these offerings were of the adult variety, the venue kept the kid inside alive as guests played with bubbles and dinosaur bones as they drank bubbly and dug into ribs.
As DJ Ryan Brown spun reminiscent tunes, generous ticket holders could also try on the latest releases from Cadillac, participating in an interactive display that encouraged them to envision themselves living the highlife even more completely while enjoying the best of what American labor can provide. Speaking of providing, the beneficiary of the night provides meals for millions in Eastern MA and is always looking for more support. That is why events like Taste are so important and why they remain so popular among the cooking and dining sets alike.
In her new book, Food Around the World (which is part of BookLIfe’s Around the World series for early readers and their families), British author Joanna Brundle takes readers on a delicious voyage to see how people in many other countries and cultures eat.
After explaining why we eat by likening an energy source like food to “petrol,” she presents a menu of traditional favorites that range from her native fish and chips to Asian noodles and sushi, Italian gelato, Russian borscht, and Indian curry before introducing the “Big Three” crops that make up most of the international diet- corn (“maize”), rice, and wheat. After setting the table, Brundle takes time to look at special times on the cultural calendar and the foods that are often related to them, such as Christmas pudding and post-Ramadan fast foods. She then shows how various peoples procure their foods, offering beautiful images of African fruit markets and Sri Lankan fishermen balancing on poles in the water while they attempt to spear fish with long poles.
Before saying “bon appetit,” Brundle takes a moment to note how many people do not have enough food and to encourage readers to participate at food banks and to do what they can to share their bounty. Such generosity is a message that is truly universal and nutritious.
(www.ipgbook.com)
As the Boston Seaport continues to be (over)developed, the range of available eateries continues to astound. And while many of these allow guests to enjoy seafood pulled right from the water while sitting by the water, none can offer the immersive experience of the recently-renovated Odyssey (www.odysseycruises.com/boston).
And the Winner REALLY Is…: The definitive ranking of the greatest actors and actresses in Oscar history
By Ken Grout
Lemon Yellow Books
While my readers and listeners may wonder why a review of a book about the Academy Awards is on my food-related blog, older fans will remember that, before I was talking about food with Jordan Rich as part of “Connoisseur’s Corner” (weekdays at 11:55 AM on WBZ AM 1030), I was a film reviewer for multiple publications and have always been a fan. Also, in addition to the fact that the publisher of this book is LEMON Yellow Books, it is just a DARN FINE BOOK- so there!
As an actor, teacher, and bon vivant, Ken Grout knows how to communicate ideas and engage audiences. And that is proven in this book as much as it is in any of his classes or performances. While there still may be uncomfortable giggles about the “La La Land” / “Moonlight” fiasco, Grout uses his encyclopedic knowledge of film along with a tiebreaking scheme that is the stuff of “Good Will Hunting” or “A Beautiful Mind” to establish a series of lists that serve as the mic-dropping ends to the “who is better?” conversations all film fans have.
Whether you want to know who has the most nominations in which categories 9and so “rank” higher in Grout’s impressive and comprehensive system), the gender, last name, or even the first initial of the most winners, or who dominated the silver screen decade by decade, Grout’s slim and bright (inside and out) volume has the answers. In addition to providing this information (in a way that admittedly hearkens to “Rain Man”), the book is also a great way to find out more about favorite stars and films and also to discover new ones, compete with recommendations for “must see” roles for each winner. There is even a section on film stars who crossed over to TV (and vice versa). So whether you like the big or small screen (or waiting for big screen pics to be available on the small one), this Lemon Yellow Book is absolutely sweet!
While we wait the triumphant return of Boston-based Chef Rachel Klein, it is good to know that she has landed so well…and so close!
Only a 20-minute ride on the Commuter Rail (who wants to drive 95?), the dynamic duo of Red Stripe restaurants (http://redstriperestaurants.com) in Providence and East Greenwich are perfect places for a family meal (including Parents’ Weekend at Brown or RISD), a special night out, or anything else you can think of. Continue reading