So it’s the third week of the new year . . . how’re you doing on those resolutions?

One of my professional biggies for ’11 is to network more.  Since launching Semi-Sweet in August of ’09, I’ve read and admired so many fellow bloggers, many of them in Boston . . . but have I met any? Like, “in real life” (as L. would say)? Not until last night.

That’s right.  Mama hired herself a sitter, braved the chill, and made for Boston’s South End, where The Gallows welcomed a crowd for what can best be described as the hugely successful launch of the Boston Food Bloggers group.  The Gallows is a cool room – dimly lit, funkily decorated, great big bar . . . but bad for photogs.  So let me paint the picture for you – 150 or so enthusiastic, vibrant and literate folks crammed into a small space, clamoring for delicious vittles cheerfully supplied by The Gallows (poutine?! crazy bacon caramel Chex mix?!), Geoff & Drew’s Cookies, SoCo Creamery and more . . . and all so freakin’ friendly!

This old lady had to wear specs just to make out familiar faces gleaned from teeny Twitter avatars . . . so exciting to finally meet people in person – to hear the “out loud” voices of all these writers and personalities I’d been communicating with for the past 18 months.

And oh yeah, there was swag.  Each blogger went home with a big fat UrbanSpoon tote, full of goodies provided by Whole Foods Legacy Place (Um, hello? a jar of my favorite fig spread? Squee!), b.good, Aquitaine Dedham, the Yard House at Legacy Place, Wicked Pizza, National Amusements cinema de lux, Union Bar and Grille, Island Creek Oyster Bar, Treat Cupcake Bar, Chocolee Chocolates (another fav, discovered on the fabu South End Chocolate Tour last spring), Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps (suitably addicting), Biscotti Babies (betcha can’t eat just one!) and more . . . lots of new inspiration for snacking and dining here.

As I sit here and type this up, joyfully munching on my Geoff & Drew’s chocolate chip brownie cookie I’m excited I’m already on my way to fulfilling at least one new year’s resolution (the slimming down a bit resolution, not so much).  Thanks so much to Rachel Blumenthal (you can check out her fun blog here) and Christine Liu of UrbanSpoon (it’s no joke – she is “mighty in media”!) for putting this on.  This housewife enjoyed getting out of her kitchen and into the mix!

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Favorite Spots In Boston’s Chinatown
2. Grub Street, Boston’s Fall Preview

This spring and summer, I have the pleasure of being part of the Picadilly Farm CSA.  Each week, I get to pick up a box of goodies, grown organically in New Hampshire.  This past Wednesday was my first pickup, and the box was packed with salad greens, radishes, hakurei turnips, cilantro, bok choy, pea tendrils and some lovely red Russian kale. 

I started getting creative from day one – I love the challenge of being presented with ingredients and having to dream up recipes.  I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and so we had whole wheat rollups with lettuce, cilantro, chicken, grated sharp cheddar and enchilada sauce.  The next night was steamed tofu with bok choy and pea tendrils over rice, with a sauce made from low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tabasco and chopped cilantro.  It was tasty, and it was pretty:

Saturday night, I sauteed the kale and added spicy Italian chicken sausages, tomatoes and garlic and served that over whole wheat penne with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  Delicious comfort food – and the kale was tender and sweet.

And last night, it was giant salads.  Red leaf lettuce topped with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes and salad turnips.  I added some buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s (pretty good and heat ‘n’ eat to boot!) and this delicious ranch dressing, inspired by a recipe in Eating Well magazine:

Combine all those in a jar and shake it up – preferably a little bit before dinner so that the flavors have some time to mesh . . . it’s creamy, tangy and a great compliment to the spicy meatballs and crisp lettuce.  Here’s what the final creation looked like:

 So hearty, and healthy . . . and once you start making your own ranch dressing, you’ll never long to go lookin’ for that hidden valley again!

Eating veggies this fresh spoils a girl . . . even for premium produce the likes of Whole Foods’.  There is just no substitute.  I’ll keep filling you in on what I’m doing, and for even more inspiration, check out this great blog, A Bushel of What? 

Do you belong to a CSA?  What’re you whipping up from your spring share?

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. More Good-For-You Greens: Kale
2. Caribbean Kale & Sweet Potato Soup
3. Greek Chicken & Kale

D. and I had dinner at Phillip Tang’s newish place, East By Northeast on Saturday night, and it was superb.  Another small place, though, so timing is everything (I’d say strive for 6:00 if you don’t want to wait) – although the crowd waiting to be seated isn’t as big as it is at Coppa.  But you know what?  It should be. 

This is another small plates concept – and I’ll go on record here as saying I’m thrilled that this concept is taking off.  One, the portion sizes at some places are monster – just too much food for one person to handle, and two, I love trying lots of different things on a menu.  Whether it’s my first time at a restaurant or my twenty-first, I dig variety.

Tang creates Chinese-influenced plates using locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients.  And it works.  These are traditional Chinese recipes prepared with a fresh perspective.  The flavors are clean and the combinations original – pork and fennel dumplings with tender wrappers were topped with a tangy herby vinaigrette and placed atop a puree of onion and fennel that made me want to lick the plate.  Hand-rolled rice noodles, chicken and shitake mushrooms were tossed with house made XO sauce and finished with what Tang refers to as “fried crack” – finely cut garlic (maybe grated?) which is baked to sweeten it first, then fried so that it becomes crunchy and, well, like something you can’t stop eating.  Tang’s sweet potato chips were cruchy, a little spicy, a little saucy, and not at all greasy.  And his “baobao” sticky rice was amazing – tender rice filled with 8 (an auspicious number in China) different little bits of tasty things.  The scallion pancake here is thicker than you’re probably used to – but wonderfully crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside.  It comes accompanied by a sauce that was faintly mustardy but which still had the tang of soy.  The sautéed kale came along with spiced rutabaga relish, lemon and garlic and was tender and very tasty.

East By Northeast has a funky selection beers, (really, how can you resist a name like “Butternuts Porkslap Ale?” Especially when the can features two smiling swine bumping bellies!?) a few cocktails and wines to choose from, and some delicious house made sodas.  I had the lime/cilantro soda and it was outstanding – sweet and herby and refreshing.  It’d be perfect on a hot summer day.

The service was awesome – the people who work with Tang believe in the product, they’re friendly, unassuming, and helpful.  They hustle.  The place was hopping and yet we never felt like we were waiting for a need to be met.  This is a place we’ll come back to, again and again – because the menu changes often, there’ll always be some tasty surprise awaiting us.  We’re sure of it.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Review: Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant
2. Review: Tory Row
3. Review: Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica

On Saturday morning, I headed out in the chilly rain to gather some appetizers to take to our friends’ house that evening.  In old-world-style, I made a couple of stops – collecting my favorites from Sevan Bakery(Watertown) and Eastern Lamejun (Belmont).  At Sevan, I got some hummus (theirs is the only purchased hummus L. will deign to eat), some whipped feta spread (really, you’ve GOT to try this – whipped feta and red peppers – so yummy I want to put my face in it), and some muhammara (Aleppo pepper, walnuts, pomegranate molasses – rich and a deep rich flavor unlike any other – great as a dip or slather it on baked chicken or fish). At Eastern Lamejun, I bought ½ dozen meat lamejunwith garlic and a bunch of house-made pita chips. 

Have you ever had lamejun?  They’re delicious – a piece of very thin round dough is covered in minced meat (lamb, beef, and E.L. makes them with chicken, too) and spices.  You heat ‘em and eat ‘em.  They even freeze well.  By the way, keep this idea in your back pocket, because they’re a great summer convenience food – think 2 or so per person and whip up a nice fresh salad – stuff salad inside the lamejun, roll and eat.  Dinner, done!

Anyway – this is all a long lead-in to today’s recipe.  Because I had a minute to browse at Sevan, I sought dried bean inspiration.  I came away with a big bag of dried chickpeas, just like mama used to make.  As you know, I’m trying to eat fewer canned foods, and one of my canned-goods staples is chickpeas.  I came home and cooked up ½ the bag to use later in a recipe.  Now be forewarned – should you get bold and try to cook these at home, they take a super long time to cook – something on the order of 2 hours!  Not for the faint of heart . . . but you’ll be richly rewarded for your efforts.  Freshly cooked chickpeas are firmer and more flavorful than their canned cousins.  And much, much cheaper.

This easy Armenian recipe is not only tasty, but it’s a nutrient blast – chard, chickpeas, lycopene from the tomato paste and a little olive oil to help you absorb all the nutrients . . . do yourself a favor and serve it over brown rice, at least, to keep up the momentum!

Chard ‘n’ Chickpeas (adapted from this recipe at The Armenian Kitchen)

Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until they’re translucent.  Add the chard and sauté until it is wilted.  Add the chick peas, tomato paste, broth and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until the chard is tender, about 20-30 minutes.  If you have any Aleppo pepper on hand, it’d be awesome in this dish.  I sadly forgot to pick some up that day!

Serve over brown rice pilaf.

Serves 4.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Chickpeas With Chard & Moroccan Spices
2. Eat More Chickpeas: Easy Chana Dal
3. Slow-Cooker Curried Veggie & Chickpea Stew

Later that evening, I attended a great event at the New Art Center in Newton called “The Art of Making Food Beautiful.”  The evening was divided into two halves, a sweet and a savory (my kinda event!); mine started with sweet.

John Pergantis, the owner of Party Favors, demonstrated cake decorating technique.  Party Favors is well-loved around Boston for its fanciful decorations and tasty cakes.  They can create pretty much anything your heart desires in terms of cakes – in fact, they did a 3-D Tigger cake for L’s first birthday that was truly amazing.  While I don’t have the patience to do any serious cake decorating (if my cakes have 2 layers, well, that’s somethin’), it was interesting to see how these famous goodies are frosted.  And did you know that Party Favors’ delicious butter cream frosting is made from only butter and powdered sugar?  (I always add a bit of milk or cream to mine.)  They apparently beat it forever to get all the air out.

This is what their finished product looked like.  I love the monkeys! 

 Next, each of the attendees got to try her hand at cake decorating.  Party Favors provided us all with white-frosted chocolate or vanilla cupcakes and set us to work with various icing tips and colored frostings.  Here’s the creative and energetic D.H., hard at work on her masterpiece, which she promptly devoured.  I didn’t even bother with the formalities, I just dug in.  It was, of course, delicious – moist and flavorful and the frosting was to die for.

In the next half of the evening, Jeff Founier, the chef and owner of 51 Lincolnin Newton Highlands, talked about his food and art.  Like many local chefs, Fournier is focused on fresh, local food, served simply.  Fournier also spoke about translating his love of clean, bright color and simplicity from canvas to food.  He had some great examples on hand – the vibrant colors in his paintings were picked up in squeeze bottles of bright purees  (think pinky/purply beets and brilliant yellow bell peppers) and made for stunning stripes of color on plates of über-fresh ceviche and carpaccio. 

The food was tasty and his tips helpful.  When asked what “mere mortals” can do in the home kitchen to jazz-up food, Fournier brought up vinaigrettes.  He said flat out that no one should be buying salad dressings – they’re so easy to make (sound familiar?) and gave a few off-the-cuff recipes like a citrus vinaigrette with OJ, shallot, champagne vinegar and canola oil; an easy bleu cheese dressing with buttermilk, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, bleu cheese and white vinegar; and a “smoked strawberry” one with grilled strawberries.

And his advice for a great way to get your dinner guests’ attention? Contrast – either in flavor or in temperature.  So think bursts of intense flavor layered with more subtle ones, or something cold or hot added to a dish of the opposite temperature. 

 It’s always interesting to hear chefs talk about where they find their inspiration and I definitely would like to try 51 Lincoln – the menu changes based on the season, the chef’s whim and the availability of ingredients – sure to make it a fun and interesting dining destination.

I happily waddled home that night, visions of paté, charcuterie and cupcakes dancing in my head! 

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Thursday Night Recap
2. Coppa Is Worth The Wait
3. Gearing Up For Back To School – Packed Lunch Ideas

Happy Friday, everyone! Some of you saw this post from mid-day the other day, but for some reason, my feed burner didn’t pick it up to let all the feed subscribers in on the action.  Would you take two minutes today to fill out my little survey?  Let me know if you’d like to participate in a Semi-Sweet Supper Club.

We could try new restaurants, cuisines, explore a new neighborhood, etc.  I’ve drafted a very short survey to get a read on your interest and availability.  Click below to let me know what you think – even if you’re not interested, I want to hear that, too!

[polldaddy survey="408BEA53B396B205" link_text="Take my survey"]

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. What Is “Green”? “Natural”? “Organic”?
2. Hotlinks
3. Shocking Nutritionals, For Sure!

Happy Friday, friends.  Been another loooong week at chez Semi-Sweet.  More sickness and misery, this time me.  Better weather and a spring cleaning slated for this weekend and I am full of hope that next week our luck will turn around.  Cross your fingers for us, will you!?

But now it’s almost the weekend, and my thoughts turn to dining out.  I’m still thinking about dinner at Coppa  two weeks ago.  It was that enjoyable. While we sat stuffing our faces, D. and I agreed that it was one of our more memorable meals in recent history.  And we eat a lot.

We’d heard good things about Coppa, Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette’s newish South End enoteca, but it’s a small place (40 seats inside) and we’d heard that the wait was crazy (2+ hours, easy) . . . until later at night (read: 11 p.m. or so).  We’re waaaay beyond the going out anywhere at 11 p.m. phase of our lives, so we knew that we’d have to show up on the front-side to get a table at this hot spot.  Cue the sitter at 4:30 – we parked and walked over, arriving at 5:10 p.m. (Coppa opens at 5:30).  We were the third party in line.  The line eventually stretched around the corner, and not everyone made it in for the 5:30 open.  You’re hereby forewarned.

So, Coppa’s an “enoteca,” which is technically a wine bar, or a place where the wine comes first, food second.  But let me assure you, this coming from a virtual teetotaller, the food does not come second at Coppa.  These small plates of luscious Italian treats will be a highlight of your visit, for sure.  And even better, you’re encouraged by the very friendly staff to linger as long as you like – you can place an order for a few plates and drinks, then order more as you go along. Food is cooked to order and is served as it comes up, so if you need things in a particular order you need to let your server know.

D. and I ordered a boat-load of food, and ate all of it: 

• Meatballs al Forno – rich, super-flavorful meaty tidbits, moist with house-made lardo;
• Arancini– delightfully crispy on the outside, gooey with fontina cheese on the inside;
• Ricotta Stuzzi, crisp bread with fresh warm ricotta on top, a standout; 
• The Bruschetta de Cannelloni, was very good, but not as stellar as the other things we tried;
• The Brussels sprouts with pancetta, pecorino, and horseradish were so outstanding, even D., an admitted B.S.-hater said they were delicious.  For anyone who enjoys Brussels sprouts, they were pure heaven;
• The sautéed broccoli raabe with garlic, chili flake and golden raisins was so good I could’ve made a meal off it alone;
• The Arrosto di Peppe, (roasted sweet peppers with Turkish spices, feta, and aged balsamic) was good, but the flavors were flatter and less exciting; and
• Cavatelli di Pollo, a seemingly ordinary dish, elevated to outstanding.  The combo of house-made cavatelli, chicken sausage, slow-cooked broccoli and oregano with the teeniest bit of tomato sauce had amazing depth of flavor.

Coppa has only a beer/wine/cordial license, but they do such a good job with what they’ve got to work with.  D. had a couple of nice reds by the glass, and I enjoyed the “Italian in Vermont” cocktail (prosecco, maple syrup, blueberries) which was creative, fresh and delicious.

We didn’t even venture into the great-looking wood-fired pizzas or Bissonette’s house-made salumi (selection varies weekly).  Nor did we have room for dessert.  But N.B., South End Buttery is across the street, so you could score some sweets for later and walk-off a little bloat before tucking in for more . . . .

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

No related posts.

Happy Thursday, folks!  As most of you know, I bought into a great winter CSA this year – the Shared Harvest CSA.  I’ve also already bought a share in the Picadilly Farm CSA for this summer.  It’ll be my first year with them, but I’ve heard great things and the produce they contributed to the Shared Harvest haul was outstanding.  If you’re interested in joining a CSA for the upcoming season, now’s the time to sign up.  Shares are going fast. 

But what’s that you say?  You don’t know where to go?  I have two resources for you.  One’s for anyone, anywhere – LocalHarvestprovides a searchable database so you can locate a CSA that’s near you (most have weekly pickup, so location is essential . . . don’t wanna schlep too far for those veggies, do we?).  The second is geared toward folks in the Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge and Lexington, MA zone -  a CSA Share Fair that’s taking place next month in Arlington – organized by the intrepid Gretta Anderson, the brains and brawn behind the Shared Harvest CSA.  See details below, and here’s to dreamin’ ‘bout all those “above-ground” veggies coming our way in just a few months!

What:  A CSA Farm Share Fair in Arlington!  CSA farmers will be on hand to tell you how their CSA works, what they are growing this year and how you can get a share of their harvest.

When:  Thursday, February 25, 6:00 PM

Where:  50 Paul Revere Road, Arlington, MA at the Park Avenue Congregational Church in Arlington Heights, the Parish Hall.

Who:  Farms that distribute CSA shares in Arlington, N. Cambridge, Lexington, Belmont, and nearby towns have been invited to participate, as have several local community farms.

Why:  If you haven’t lined up your CSA share yet, the Farm Share Fair is a great place to learn about what’s available. You will be able to sign up for summer and winter CSA shares at the Fair. For those of you who have already purchased your 2010 CSA share, this is a great opportunity to say hello to your farmer. We are also inviting farmers to bring and sell their produce to the Fair, so you may want to bring your shopping bags!

Want to help? Gretta’s looking for volunteers who want to help make this Fair a success. Contact her directly if you’d like to help in any way:  GrettaAnderson@earthlink.net, or 781.507.6602.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Hotlinks
2. CSA Love and Easy Garlicky Lentil Soup
3. Veggie Abundance!

We all have those nights – they happen more now that school’s in, I think.  The day gets away from you and you’re sitting at your desk (or in your car, mid-schlep) at 4:30 and you’re suddenly caught up short.  “What are we going to have for dinner?”  The easy choice is takeout or fast food, but the angel on your right shoulder says “You should be feeding your family something healthier.”  And face it, are you really going to be able to get to the market before you have to sling hash?  Probably not.

Enter Healthy Habits Kitchen of Wellesley.  I discovered Healthy Habits Kitchen last spring – I was Googling meal assembly places (a la Dream Dinners) nearby, and the HHK site showed up.  I put them on my to-try list and never got around to it.  Then the Foodie Mommy favorably reviewed HHK in early September.  Her review incentivized me to finally check it out. 

HHK offers “meal assembly” services - you step into their kitchen and HHK’s staff has everything you need to prepare multiple meals for multiple mouths: ready-to-assemble, homemade food that can be popped into the oven or heated on the stovetop when you need it.  You schedule an assembly session, pick meals from the rotating menu, stop in and the HHK kitchen becomes your kitchen. HHK does the shopping, chopping and measuring . . . . and even better, they do the clean-up. Another option is to raid HHK’s refrigerator and freezer – for $1 more per meal, you can pick and choose from meals that are already prepared.

So what makes HHK different from all the other meal assembly places?  Susan Schochet, the owner of HHK, is committed to quality, whole, healthful ingredients.  HHK recipes include only natural seasonings, juices, extracts and herbs, and HHK strives to offer fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. And here’s what got me:  All HHK meals are 400 calories or less, 30% fat or less, and 800mg of sodium or less.  For most of us, this is as close as we’ll ever get to having a health-conscious personal chef in our kitchen.

I visited HHK in September and bought a half portion (serves 2-3) of the Chicken Marbella for $19.99 and popped in my freezer.  I whipped it up for dinner last Tuesday night – D. was pretty much gone for the month of September, and I wanted him to try this out, too. 

We were wowed. 

First off, the preparation couldn’t have been easier.  All the meal components come packaged in a small box that fits easily into your freezer (or fridge, if you’re going to cook the meal within a day).  I took it out the night before, and put it in the fridge to defrost.  The next night, I took it out, followed the easy-to-follow instructions to the letter, and 40 minutes later I put a meal on the table that I’d even serve to company.  All I added on my own were steamed green beans.  The chicken breast pieces were tasty and moist, and a glaze of brown sugar made them pretty to boot.  The sauce had a wonderful sweet-savory thing going on with big dried plums, giant capers, green olives, lots of garlic and oregano – even white wine (included in the kit in a cute little plastic container) to bring it all together.  You serve this over some ziti that’s also included with the half portion, and you have yourself a super-tasty AND healthful meal in practically no time.

The HHK menu changes monthly – you can check out the current options on their site.  Nutritional and ingredient information is listed with each entree.  HHK also offers an assortment of side dishes and desserts, if you’re interested.

You can also arrange private parties at HHK – get a group of friends together to catch up and assemble meals . . . HHK will provide the munchies.  Or, do what I did and for only $1 more per meal, take the lazy-woman’s route (hey, it’s supposed to be convenience food, right?) and go pick and choose out of Sue’s refrigerator and freezer.

Bon appetit!

P.S. Please note well that I am no one’s paid rep here – I visited HHK of my own accord, and while I chatted up Sue a bit (ask L. about my “chatting habit”), I paid for my meal and am under no obligation to give a favorable review.

© 2009 – 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

No related posts.

D. and I had a sitter on Saturday night, and we didn’t have a plan.  We were in the mood for a delicious dinner, and hadn’t been to Scampo in a while, so at 5:30 I gave them a call – their tables were booked ’til 10:30, but the Mozzarella Bar was wide open, and the seating there is first-come, first-served.  We were in!

We had a fabulous meal, there at that bar.  It’s a fun place to sit if you haven’t before – lots of theater behind the little glass screen.  This is where all the breads, pizzas and the mozzarella dishes are prepared.  That’s a lot of food being readied in a small space, and it’s fun to watch the various players do their thing.

We both love to sample lots of things, so we went the small plates route.   We started out with an order of the flaky puffed pan bread with zataar & lemon labneh.  Our bread came, all puffy and warm, in its own little pan.  The lemon labneh was drizzled over the top and the zataar was sprinkled over the top.  The bread was delicate and just a little crunchy and delightfully messy, the labneh was subtly lemony and provided just the right amount of coolness and creamy richness. 

Then came the mozzarella with prosciutto, napoleon of crisped pear and potato and handmade quince preserve.  The prosciutto was super flavorful and expertly sliced into wafer-thin pieces.  The mozzarella was delicious and the crisped potatoes were spectacular – crispy and just a tiny bit greasy and super salty.  The pear chips were interesting – hard to distinguish by looks alone from the potato chip, but not on taste.  They were a bit chewy and super sweet.  The quince preserve was delicious, but I felt that it overpowered the delicate tastes of the prosciutto and mozzarella – but the sweet was a nice counterpoint to the prosciutto.  I think I’m just a prosciutto-purist.  Love the stuff.

Next out was a choice of mine – the pizza with whipped bacala, romesco and soft egg – definitely like no pizza I’ve ever had before.  It was so delicious.  Delicate, crunchy and flavorful crust, topped with fluffy, creamy whipped bacala – no overt saltiness here, only a nice brininess.  The romesco was delicious, but overly abundant.  That’s my only criticism of this dish – the romesco overpowered the thing.  The eggs . . . oh those eggs . . . broke those open and let the warm yokes run all over the mess – they added a great richness to the pizza and were a perfect foil for the peppery romesco.  I look forward to ordering this again – next time I might make this and a simple salad my entire meal. 

But of course, there was more.  We took it over the top by ordering half portions of two pasta dishes:  Alicia Winn’s chickpea flour pappardelle with crisped Brussels sprout leaves and roasted butternut squash; and the handmade sausage and broccoli rabe orecchiette with ricotta salada.  These weren’t as exciting to me, but part of the problem was probably that I was relatively stuffed at this point. 

I wasn’t wowed by the pappardelle.  The roasted squash didn’t have that much flavor, and while the Brussels sprout leaves were pretty and fairly tasty, they were tiny and didn’t add that much to the dish.  It wasn’t a bad dish, just not a standout.  The sausage dish was better – the sausages (there were two small sausages on the plate, this was a half portion) were spectacular – so flavorful and juicy.  I could’ve made a meal on those and I think Lydia Shire should incorporate those into a small plate somehow.  The broccoli rabe was deliciously prepared, but I’m beginning to wonder if I’m ever going to be converted into a rabe fan – I can’t seem to get over the bitterness.  Everything else on the dish was superb, and I think I would’ve enjoyed it even more had I not made a pig of myself prior.

For dessert, D. chose the small cookie plate, which had five of the chef’s choices for cookies:  chocolate chip; a biscotti of some sort; and amaretti cookie; a coconut macaroon; and some sort of gingery-spice cookie.  I nibbled a bit of each, and the amaretti cookie was the standout here – amazingly tender on the inside with strong almond flavor and a teensy-bit-crisped crust around the whole thing – it provided just the littlest bit of resistance to get into that sumptuous interior.  The spice cookie was number two on my favorites – very spicy, good with the pot of rooibos tea I ordered.  The others were solid, but not over-the-top great, with the macaroon being a bit dry.

If you haven’t been, you need to know that Scampo’s not cheap.  I do think it’s terrific and interesting and worth the money.  The room is fun too – so save it for a time when you want to splurge a little bit and go hungry.  They also have a nice wine list and make great cocktails . . . so buckle in for a night of indulgence.

© 2009 – 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Print This!

You might also enjoy:

1. Review: La Casa de Pedro
2. Review: Tory Row
3. Review: Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant