In Incan culture, a tambo was supply and lodging facility conveniently located along busy thoroughfares that were run by locals.

In Chelsea, Tambo 22 is a well-stocked authentic Peruvian restaurant t that is capably manned by Chef Jose Duarte (Taranta) and his talented sidekick Brian Corcoran. Though it is alongside and nearly overpassed by routes 1 and 16, the rich smells alone should be enough to pull you off your route, and when you come inside 9r take a socially-distanced seat in what will hopefully soon again be their parking lot, you are sure to want to stay a while and enjoy!

As you take in the tropical flowers and fresh herbs that encircle the outdoor dining area, upscale Peruvian music wafts along the clouds of aromas that quickly start your mouth watering. To slake the thirst for what is to come, a frothily fresh Peruvian Pisco sour (with or without fresh fruits) or Tambo’s Pisco-swirled sangria are great choices. For those who wish to start with something non-alcoholic, the hand-crafted purple-corn-based chicha moradaor handmade guava and passion fruit soda s are fresh and fun as well. Tambo22 also offers South American and Spanish wines and beers from MA, Me, and Peru.

To start your stomach going, try the daily ceviche or the always fresh and zippy ceviche de tarwi, made with Andean Lupini beans and vegetarian leche de tigre(tiger’s milk). Another authentic favorite is the anticuchos de carne– grilled beef skewers with panca pepper and cumin and a uchucutasauce that grabs you by the salivary glands and makes you beg for more! For a fun twist on a traditional treat, the well-named better than Buffalo wings withaji amarillo(yellow pepper) and Peruvianrocotphot sauce are a sure-FIRE hit. If salad is your thing, Chefs Duarte and Corcoran have crafted another creative take that features hearts of palm, acai vinaigrette and shaved Brazil nuts, as well as a simpler mixed greens topped with guava (both of which can be additionally crowned with salmon).

Speaking of salmon, the main version with raw sugar cane glaze atop fried yucca and topped with pickled cabbage is a well-balanced and beautifully-presented plate, as are the northern Peruvian lamb shank with cilantro and chicha de jJora (corn beer). If the outside air is cool or if you really want to fill up, the super-hearty pulled chicken with creamy Peruvian pepper sauce, olive-roasted pecans, and a “perfect” egg is pretty close to perfect altogether!  The folks at the next table also seemed to love digging into a Tamburguesa(Tambo22’s truly signature burger) made from alpaca and short rib meat topped with huacatay aji(black mint) and Gouda.

{Ed note: As I write this, my mouth is watering again!)

While Chelsea may be facing more than its share of Covid woes, it is good to know that a local chef has set up a true Tambo at which neighbors from near and far can gather to eat and commune (albeit at a distance) and prepare for the journey ahead.  Make sure your journey also includes a stop (or two) at Tambo22!

https://tambo22chelsea.com

– Matt Robinson

As Oscar Wilde once opined, “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody.” Such is the premise behind former Ohio Senator Capri Cafaro’s debut book – United We Eat: 50 great American dishes to bring us ALL together.

Instead of offering a list of favorite foods from either side of the aisle (remember when politics amounted to peanuts v. jelly beans?) the political commentator and talented chef has reached across the aisle and into almost every grocery store aisle to compile a clever collection of Congressional cookery that highlights favorite flavors that can appeal to almost all Americans. From gubernatorial grub like New Mexico’s Susana Martinez’s working woman’s posole(gender emphasis included) and Wyoming’s Mark Gordon’s sourdough bread (an especially popular pick during these challenging times) to national committee cooks like Michael Steele’s Smith Island cake and Donna Brazile’s authentic Louisiana gumbo to presidential candidate favorites like MN Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Taconic tater tot hotdish and Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s Hoosier pie, to a representative roundup of recipes that includes RI Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s pasta e fagioli (you were expecting maybe corned beef and cabbage?),  NY’s Alfonse D’Amato’s lasagna (a recipe that apparently came from his mother, no less!), Mike Huckabee’s Arkansas pork butt (no comment), and Florida Rep. Donna Shalala’s tabbouleh a la Shalala (which just HAS to be healthy, considering the chef’s former role!), the book has flavors from all 50 states and many of their revered representatives. There is even a “bi-partisan” meatloaf that has been donated by a senator (at least at the time this was published) from Maine and former Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s favorite grilled burger recipe. And, unlike in Congress, even the District of Columbia gets equal representation with a baked chicken wings recipe with Mumbo (but no Jumbo) sauce.

So if you are feeling shut in and want to explore at leas the flavors of the other 49 states or if you want to see which party would have the best dinner party, be sure to vote early and often for this great American cookbook!

www.story-farm.com

– Matt Robinson 

It’s summer in America. And yet… 

Where are the fireworks? 

Where are the baseball games? 

Where are the friend Twinkies?!

Though the esplanades, parks, and even fairgrounds may be closed, diehard fans of great American pastimes can get their fill of at last one part of an All-American Summer- and do so without ANY health risks!

In his new book, Fair Foods: The most popular and offbeat recipes from America’s state and county fairs, Cheesecake Bibleauthor George Geary goes WAY beyond the realm of his previous book to offer a compendium of classic carnival cakes, party portions, and festival foods. From fare faves like the caramel kettle corn, “grande” nachos (which can be sized according to the number of eaters and their apettites), and the potentially oxymoronic (but always delicious) “All-American” French Fries to the more outlandish offerings like bacon-wrapped potatoes (sorry- “taters”) with buttermilk dill sauce, maple bacon donuts, and ten-pound cheese buns, the award-winning chef, food educator teaches everyone about how to make some of their fair faves and even branch out into unknown gustatory galaxies, including (of course) an entire section on deep-fried foods that includes such drippy delights as candy bars, cola, and even butter (stick optional for those of you from MN). And these are just the warm-ups! For the “main event,” Geary rattles off recipes for Coney Island chili dogs, coconut-macadamia-crusted shrimp with honey pepper sauce, the deadly doubles of cheeseburger donuts and PB&J cheeseburgers, and the ever-popular BBQ turkey leg. No matter which food(s) you choose to make, what better to wash it all down with than a tall, cool glass of 1890’s lemonade (or “Adult” lemonade, a favorite of many fair fans who partake of the fairs with their families in tow).

And then (if you are still reading and not passed out just from looking at the amazing and authentic images of all the great fare fair), there is dessert! In this final section, Geary again runs the gamut from All-American apple pie (a patriotic summer staple even if you are not at the fair) and funnel cakes to make-at-home snow cones, the world’s gooiest cinnamon rolls, and, in a final proof that the bacon thing is still alive and well, even though some of its fans are not, chocolate-encased (not just covered, mind you!) bacon.

So while we all may miss the heat, crowds, noise, and costs of a realcounty fair (Wait a minute-), Geary’s latest gets us as close as we can without needing to park, pay, or puke (at least not in public).

Thanks for a great taste of summer, George!

(www.santamonicapress.com)

Just because the Government says we have to stay in does not mean that we cannot take any sort of trip!

Case in point- My family and I enjoyed an authentic visit to Mexico the other night thanks to the culinary wizards at Sol Azteca (www.solaztecaboston.com).

While we missed the authentic décor and live music that a real visit to the restaurants in Newton and Boston offer, streaming Mariachi music and having my daughter bring her stuffed Frida Kahlo made it almost as fun.

What mattered most, however, were the delicious foods and the people who made them with authenticity, care, and plenty of nitrile gloves.

Sol Azteca is one of the few places in the Boston area that offers authentic nopales(cactus) and it is a treat every time! Our girls were nice enough to share their chilaquiles (tortilla casserole) – which were the best I have had this side of Tejas– and we all enjoyed Sol Azteca’s fresh and flavorful guacamole, which had just enough onion pepper, cilantro, and jalapeno to complement their crispy, hearty chips.

For mains, my wife had a smoky-sweet moleenchiladas and I had a heaping plate of chiles rellenos(green chilesstuffed with thick, melty cheese and vegetables, raisins, and white wine) from their extensive vegetarian menu.

Speaking of white wine, Sol Azteca also offers amazing beverages, including their signature margaritas (especially their Sol Spicy and Colorful Ghost varieties), specialty cocktails like the rum-based Day of the Dead and gin-y Madame Rivera, as well as homemadesangria, sparkling shelves of tequila,andwines from both sides of the border (all of which can help shut-in parents get a little stronger sense of vacation while they enjoy their meals!). And while the manager had to say “Yes, we have no bananas” when I asked for a dessert plate of plantains in their amazing rum-caramel sauce, the vanilla flanwas equally delicious and made for the perfect finale to our Mexican vacation.

So when you get hungry for some delicious, fresh, authentic food cooked and served by neighbors who are also trying to make it through these difficult days and when you are ready to celebrate a return to normalcy, Sol Azteca is un gran elección.

With the many chains that have added to the overwhelming congestion in the South End Seaport, it is both fitting and welcome that the premiere spot that was once home to the iconic Pier 4 is now home to a home-grown (and home-growing) star like Kristin Canty, who was eventually convinced to bring her spectacular farm-to-table (both of which she owns, by the way) concept from Concord to Boston.

As befits its home, the result- Woods Hill Pier 4 – is nothing short of Revolutionary!

While it is more than possible to get a steak, a cake, a great drink, or anything in between in the Seaport, where else can all of these be enjoyed secure in the knowledge that every ingredient was hand-picked and that most came from the owner’s own farm? That is the magic of Woods Hill Pier 4!

While the location is still the best in the area and overlooks both the ICA and the harbor (as well as many area residents who seem to enjoy letting their dogs run on the harborside lawn that will hopefully yield to patio seating come warmer days and nights), it is the food and locally-sourced service that will surely bring you back to Woods Hill Pier 4. Though the menu changes regularly as the seasons dictate new layers of freshness at Canty’s farm, some of the early favorites that will hopefully linger are the charred broccoli with cheddar and smoked garlic aioli, any of the house-made pasta dishes, the crispy lamb ribs, the dry-aged farm-fresh duck platter for two, and Pier 4 caviar service which makes for a fun and celebratory taste of the classic days of Anthony Athanas. Among the other Athanas Family tributes are Chef Charlie Foster’s new take on lobster Newburg and the timeless popovers that accompany it. There is also an Anthony’s Vesper on an extensive drink menu that is arranged by region and flavor and often includes pictures of the appropriate glassware. Speaking of drinks, while the alcoholic options are plenty, there is also a strong selection of sophisticated sips that make very well due without, like the Coco Fresca, Cucumber Collins, and a Shrubby Temple that is not just for the kiddies.

So while I often sing the praises of suburban places that are worthy of downtown real estate, this script-flipper is perhaps even more welcome as it shows definitively that the Boston area need not look elsewhere for amazing food downtown.

www.woodshillpier4.com