Archive for August, 2010

It was time once again to document the making of Shanghai-style soupy dumplings.

Located in fashionable Boylston Street, near the Prudential Center, is one of Boston’s fancier places to eat, the celebrated L’Espalier. A recent menu details what you might expect.

Prix fixe three course? Degustation? Tasting Journey? Three major routes to take…

I learned about L’Espalier from an article in Cheese Connoisseur magazine, featuring their Maitre d’, fromagère Louis Risoli. Upon seeing the attention to their cheeses and this man’s obvious love of cheese, I thought I had to visit L’Espalier for the entire package when Boston came into travel plans.

The interior was nice for sure, dressy but comfortable, clean lines, metallic tones. The only thing I didn’t care for is the large window looking out to the wall of an adjacent building with the logo for Lord & Taylors, dominating the scene. Careful attention has been placed on lighting, and one wall features wines behind glass.

The breads, from Au Soleil bakery, were delicious. Especially ripe was the pretzel breads, with just enough chewy texture and the crunch of salt. The recipes, meanwhile, are inventive, with a focus on local, fresh ingredients. Meal pacing was excellent. In turn, L’Espalier is not inexpensive, but the service, food, and sparkle all translate to a grand experience.

Some of the things I was able to taste included oyster, escargot, foie gras with pistachio nougatine, and lamb loin. Perhaps the most genius of dishes included an heirloom tomato dish with parma ham, a noodle formed from agar agar, and a special strawberry cocktail with a rather special, sweet yet savory foam. Grand selections of cheese and desserts were in for the ride too.

L’Espalier translates to fine dining, for sure, but the flights of fancy don’t reach the most high peaks. You can find more adventurous cuisine elsewhere, even more traditional. Here, things are progressive and refined. Delicious. But somehow shy of greatness. Yet how many gustatory experiences reach the highest echelons?

Recommended.

I recently had the chance to visit the J. Child exhibit again at the Smithsonian’s American History museum. I also took advantage of the time in D.C. to visit two great places: Zaytinya near the convention center near G and 9th; and a new place for me, Sushi Taro.

“Z” is a tapas or “small plates” type of place, but instead of Spanish food, is centered around Greek and mediterranean fare. Everything we had, from the veal cheek, to the crispy eggplant, to the heirloom salad was great. Bright flavors, well-seasoned, and great service too.

Another delight was their trio of ice creams dessert… they make these in-house, and you can choose three. The strawberry/lemon verbena one was great, but the rich vanilla with phillo and their thyme ice cream were even better. I highly recommend Zaytinya.

Sushi taro was interesting: we opted for a tasting menu. They offered three of these: a “traditional” one, one centered on fish, and a third centered on soft-shelled turtle. We took the sushi route, and we experienced almost twenty different tastes of different seafood. The meal was significant, but not so much that you left feeling uncomfortable. The tastes between different fishes is subtle, but when that next piece is alone on the plate or with two companions, the comparisons become intellectual. Intellectual eating doesn’t sound fun, but I tend to think folks who seek out rare foods or food experiences are considering what they eat in a very intellectual way.

Sushi Taro ended the meal with a mango ice cream that sounded pedestrian. Coupled with green tea, this dessert was quite extraordinary. While new to me, I’d recommend this experience to others who want to experience more traditional Japanese flavors.

There was a request earlier this weekend “for pizza featuring tomatoes.” I’d pictured one of those “pizza margheritas,” but I always like a little more sauce than plain tomatoes.

I started with Hanover tomatoes and roasted them in a 250 degree oven for 2 hours to a) remove the skins, and b) reduce some of the moisture. I also drizzled them with EVOO, black pepper, and some garlic slices.

The pizza crust was made from a mixture of:

• ap flour
• 1 packet yeast, warm water
• milk
• EVOO
• salt

I mixed the dough in the stand mixer and let it rise for 2 hours. Then, it was flattened and shaped with additional flour (I always leave pizza dough moist). The end-product was pretty good for crust, maybe a little too much; the yeast was especially active and rose fast.

The toppings included:

• base of grated parmesan cheese
• tomatoes with garlic
• fresh basil
• fresh mozzarella

That’s it! It wasn’t bad. The salad was a simple one, featuring a delicious heirloom tomato.