The Tops Seeds: Cantina Italiana vs Villa Roma. Boston Revue crowns it's Champ.

The March Maddness competition has come to a close...

March Maddness was just that.  Lots of food, lots of calories and lots of tough competition.  Maddness!

As you may recall, the initial Final Four were: Cronin's Publick House, Fleming's Steakhouse, Villa Roma and Cantina Italiana.  It was a filling and tasty contest, but there can only be one winner on Boston Revue. 


We already know that Cronin's and Fleming's were bumped.  And we also already know that Cantina Italiana scored and impressive 43 out of 48 points.   



With 43 points to beat, Cantina does stand out!



How will VR rank?  Will it oust Cantina Italiana?

It's definitely a photo finish, 'buds.  The winner was the best by just 1 point!  Both Italian cuisine, friendly service, careful and clean decor and presentation.  While neither are perfect, each experience was worth having.  One far off down the Cape, one right in the heart of the North End.  They could not be further apart but closer in many ways.  As a diner, my 'buds were glad we got to patron both.

I could go on and on forever, trying to sound eloquent, but you know, that doesn't always work for me.  I could go off on a tangent.  That always works.  Instead, let's rip off the band-aid and crown our Champ!

(Insert Dick Vitale's voice here)
The Champ of the 2011 Boston Revue March Maddess is: Cantina Italiana! 

That 43rd point really helped you, because Villa Roma was on your heels with a challenging and respectable 42 points.  To you, the reader who suggested Cantina Italiana, you will become the recipient of our coveted Phantom Gourmet Gift Card!  I will contact you directly.  (Keeping the anonymity, forks.  The interwebs are scary!)

Thank you to all who participated in this.  We had many submissions, but only 4 could be chosen.  If you recall, from my previous blogs, I am planning some summer activities/contests, so keep your eyes peeled for those.  And note, we'll be on a mini hiatus during the end of April, when we'll be DESTINATION Revuing from Aruba.  Jealous?

Another big thank you for reading, participating and enjoying.  Stay tuned for many more blogs.  Just because the contest is over doesn't mean I'm going to stop eating!!!

Villa Roma - Our FINAL Revue for the March Maddness competition!

http://www.villaromaonthecape.com/

Villa Roma
278 Rt. 6
West Harwich, MA

Hey forks!  The final revue is in and March Maddness has come to a close.  Villa Roma was the last venue in our Final Four and in dramatic fashion...

...well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

You might wonder why a blog called Boston Revue would trek down to the Cape for a competition like this.  I will address this by saying that while a current dweller of the city, there is life outside.  Many of us escape to the sandy beaches of Cape Cod during the summer, no?  And we gotta eat, right?  So that pretty much sums that up.

While it's common that most of the older generation flies down to Florida this time of year, many remain on Cape.  We dined with most of them last night at Villa Roma.  We were definitely the youngest people in the restauant.  The music was Big Band era and Rag-time.  I thoroughly enjoyed this.  Roomie did, too.  Did I mention that is who I took?  No?  Ok.  Well, Roomie was loving the older crowd as much as I was.  At one point I shushed him in order to eavesdrop on an Octogenarian telling her friends how she'd met her husband.  It was actually this really romantic story about how they'd sat next to eachother a plane to DC, only to realize that they lived in the same apartment complex!  She invited him to a New Years Eve party at her apartment and the rest was history!  Although he had to go to Italy (pronounced "It-lee", just like my Nettie says) for a time, so they wrote letters back in forth.  When he came back they got married.  Oh god.  Who needs food when you've got the original classic love story over at table 5?

Ok, I'm right on track for getting off track, so let me see if I can regroup.  Roomie and I were actually the 2nd diners of the evening to arrive at Villa Roma, a nice and dark, quaint dining room of booths and tables and a small bar.  It was a very cozy space with dark woods and nice bright white table clothes.  On each table was a bottle of Pelligrino, olive oil and packaged bread sticks.  I loved the table.

Immediately our waitress, who was really nice, as I expected, being on the Cape, brought us over a nice baguette, a cheese spread and marinated mushrooms and olives.  This is what she simply called, "Snacks".  Awesome.  Love snacks.

Roomie had his order ready within seconds, but I needed a bit more time.  The menu is actually very small, just 2 pages, not couting the Specials.  And each Entree comes with a salad, which is really nice, considering the prices were already very affordable. 

We decided on getting an appetizer off the Specials menu, which was the Maryland Crab Cake.  This is just  a serving of 1 cake on top of a bed of mixed greens, capers and roasted tomato.  We did not mind this serving size, as we both had Caeser salads coming.  Sharing the crab cake, we noticed instantly that the cake was all crab.  Minimal fillers, minimal mayo.  The crab was the focal point and it was so good.  The mixed greens were dressed in a super lemony herbed dressing and the tomatoes were sooo hot, right out of the oven or pan, that all combined in one bite was perfect.  Roomie dubbed this the 2nd best crab cake he's ever had.  I would agree.

Standard and tasty Caeser Salads (anchoives optional) came out while I was eavesdropping on our older counterparts in the back, now reciprocating to their friend how they'd met.  Their's was more humerous, as they met on the tennis courts as matter of convenience.  The gentlemen and his friend wanted to play a game of tennis, but the singles sign up was taking too long.  Off in the distance he noticed 2 gals waiting, too, so he suggested to his pal that they snag these girls and sign up for doubles, as there was no wait.  They agreed they didn't have to hit the balls to the gals!  So the pairs were made and a game was played.  Less than a year later, the couple was married.  Dinner and a show, my friends!  Ok, I know, I know, back to the food...

Out came the entrees.  Veal Parm for Roomie and Chicken Piccatta for me.  Portions, huge.  Presentation, eye catching.  Mine was lovely with all the lemons and shallots.  The parm was just a big cheesy, saucy blob.  But I'm not into parms or any sort, so you may find my opinion a little unfair.  Back to my chicken.  The dish was very flavorful with lemon shallots and capers.  For their own personal touch, Villa Roma adds scallion and thyme.  Although Roomie thought this made it untraditional, I thought it was delicious and really pretty in presentation.  I found the pasta to be unflavorful, so when twirling up some to take a bite, I'd twirl it directly on a lemon, which made it taste super good.  Love lemon, 'buds.  Love it.

Veal Parm - What do you think of this?





Chicken Piccatta - YUM



Now, I tried Roomie's Veal Parm and kept an open mind.  I love veal, but again, parms aren't my thing.  I have to be honest when I say, it was not good.  I didn't taste like veal or any other sort of meat.  It just tasted like saucy fried cheese.  And Roomie did not care for it, either.  He'd intentionally ordered it to see how it stood up against other places.  That's just how he orders.  Unlike myself, where I like to mix it up.

Villa Roma no like sharing. No like loud kids!

Check out the link that I posted up top for more menu items and hours.  Villa Roma is open all season long, so don't worry about that!  If you're in the Harwich area this summer, I would definitely suggest going.  I know that when I'm in Dennis this summer, I'll take the short ride over to try some seafood, which I can only imagine will be outstanding.

Ok...so you want to know.  You want to know how Villa Roma scored out on the Final Four March Maddness ranking system.  You want to know if Villa Roma topped Cantina Italiana's whopping 43 points.  There were lots of things to consider when ranking Villa Roma.  An older crowd, a lovely dining space and beautiful table, one great entree and one mediocre, a delicious appetizer...there's only one thing to do but wrap up this competition and tell the readers who has won.

So check back in a few for the announcement and see if Villa Roma bested Cantina Italiana!

Wicked good Sangria, but don't ask to "hold' anything on the menu @ Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza.

http://www.wickedrestaurant.com/gourmet-artisan-pizza-dedham.asp

A night of catching up with old gal pals is always fun.  Of course there is going to be a lot of chatter, snacking and cocktailing.  It's nights like this that make it really hard to order because you get distracted with stories and memories and "Oh ya, whatever happened to...", etc, etc. 

Another thing that makes it hard to order?  The fact that at Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza you're encouraged, outright, not to make any changes or substitutions to any menu items.  While I respect a chef's creativity and the right to suggest, if you tell me not to do something, I'm going to want to.  Damn that hot burner on the stove!

Luckily one thing that we could order with no hesitations was the Sangria!  Tasty and inventive in presentation.  Each order is served to you in a glass with a personal decanter that spins on the table like a top.  It's impressive. 

So want to know more?  Stay tuned, forks & 'buds!  The full Revue of Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza will be up 3/28!

Teasers?  Truffled fries, burgers and liquid desserts...

3/29 - The Full Revue!  (A date later than I originally promised.)

Well, we left off at the impressive Sangria, if I remember correctly.  And I do, because I just scrolled up to make sure.  Yes, it was delicious and the presentation was something special.  The personalized decanters twirled and twirled and twirled...mostly because I kept messing with them.  Nothing broke, so it's ok.

Remember, I was with some gal pals, so we did a lot of chatting.  Somewhere between the gab fest, I managed to put in an order of Reggiano Parmesan Cheese Fries w/ Truffle Oil.  I've said it before, but yes, these are a huge craze right now and I am totally sucked in.  They're just good.  You know?  Of course they were good.  Fries, sprinkled cheese, truffle...it all works, it's all good.  Moving on.

Entrees were a little harder to settle on, as we found many things we liked, but were put off by the 1 ingredient that we'd normally ask to omit.  Not allowed to a Wicked.  No, no.  But I would like to point out that my meal contained chicken that is Hormone free.  Great.  Really.  I am thankful.  But you don't want to put it right there in the description, do you?  Maybe a blurb on the front page of the menu as a general statement that your shit is clean?  How about that?  I'm an idea person, what can I say.

The gals, Kate & Steph, both opted to order the Apple-Wood Bacon and Cheddar Burger and I opted for the Miso Chicken and Soba Noodle Salad.

So my hormone free chicken dish (See?  Now I can't focus on the real name.) was interesting.  The best part was the noodles and the crispy wonton garnish.  I did not touch the mixed greens or the chicken.  I mean, I did try bites, but there was a whole lot of food left on the plate.  I did not eat the whole thing.  Unsatisfying.

The burgers seemed to be a mild success.  Kate and Steph got through 1/2 each and took the rest home.  They were not the best burgers ever consumed, but good enough.

Dessert may have the best part of the meal: More drinks!  Yes, after a disappointing meal, we decided the correct thing to do was drink our dessert.  Between the 3 of us, we got 3 martinis: The Creamsicle, The Chocolate Milk and the Lemon Drop.  All were so good and if any of us were sick, we definitely caught some germs that night.  Lots of sharing the drinks.  They're all self explanatory by their names.  The one the stood out the most was the Chocolate Milk.  As a lover of real life chocolate milk, this martini was tops.  Dangerous, for sure, as it is hard to tell that it is laced with Kahlua!  "Give me a milk...chocolate.".

Ahhh...writing this blog was not as exciting for me, as Wicked is not exciting for me.  If you do go, I'd suggest sticking to pizza.  The basics, too.  Avoid the fancy, shmancy ones.  The outcome is not predicted to be favorable.

I should point out this was my 2nd outing to Wicked, and the first one was not a success, either.  There was a Tuna Steak Sandwich gone all wrong.  I can't even write about it.

Now I'm depressed.  And hungry. 

A tasty guest blog from the North Shore. It's Joe Fish!

http://www.joefish.net/

Hey 'buds!  We've reached over 1,000 hits on Boston Revue, which is very exciting.  But even more so, we've got our 2nd guest blogger!!!  Joe Fish's Revue blog is being brought to you by someone you may have read about on Boston Revue before: Dreama.  I'm very excited to share this with you all. 

So without further ado, enjoy!!!

I have to start by saying that I am so excited and honored to be a guest blogger. I have never blogged before so we'll see how it goes.

I am submitting a revue of Joe Fish in Andover MA. It is not Boston, but maybe some of your readers live in that area and will want to check it out. If you like seafood or fish- as the name says- this is a great place.


We started out the night at the bar as we had a 30-40 minute wait. It was cool though because we were waiting for our 3rd diner to arrive from work. Also, we anticipated this wait because it was a Friday night (and during Lent season where some people only eat fish on Friday). So we got some sweet seats at the bar when a nice couple left and gave us their seats (they were nice). We had ordered a drink, boring Bud and Vodka Tonic, and then our 3rd party member arrived. It was soon after she ordered her drink, Fin Juice(vodka, Malibu and pineapple martini), that our little lobster shaped buzzer went off and our table was ready.


Once we sat in a nice booth, our waitress came over. I don't think she even introduced herself and she was not very memorable...kinda boring, didn't laugh or smile really. Not mean or a bad waitress, just not memorable. Anyway, we quickly glanced at the menu and knew what we would get right away, we really like this place and go there a lot. But I decided to change it up and order something different. We opted to skip the app. portion as it was late and we were all hungry and just wanted a meal.


Jojo-not to be confused with Joe Fish, his name is really Joe-decided on a pound of steamers and clam chowda...but he spiced it up a little bit (literally) by getting the Portuguese Clam Chowda. For those of you that have not had Portuguese style clam chowda, it is served in a red broth, not the thick white broth, and there are vegetables and sausage-I think linguisa in it. It was a little brothy and a little more spicy than I like, but Jojo gave it a ten. The pound of streamers was pretty standard, not really much to say about them....but I did notice that the clams looked pretty big, so that's always nice.


Jojo did not get anything exciting in the drink department, just Bud.


Joe Fish, in addition to having a raw bar and nice fish selection, has delicious drinks! Homemade drinks like the Fin Juice and the Cosmo Joe, which was my second drink.


My meal consisted of grilled swordfish steak and mixed vegetables. However, the swordfish steak was not quite a steak, it was pretty thin, but still tasty with a lemon-pepper dressing of some sort used to grill it. The mixed veggies, however should have been described as mixed carrots since that was pretty much the only veggie in there.


Our 3rd diner, Iesha, opted for her fave the Blue Cheese Haddock also with the mixed veggies, I mean the mixed carrots. The Blue Cheese Haddock never disappoints, it is haddock topped blue cheese and sliced tomatoes. Iesha is also a fan of Sangria, that was her 2nd drink. There was no room for dessert at our table, plus our boring waitress was ready for us to leave since most of the dining room had emptied out. One of us also started getting a real bad case of the hiccups so we made our exit.


I do have to recommend Joe Fish. It is reasonably priced for seafood these days, which can be expensive. The decor is also very warm. There is a nice big fire place in main dining room and lobster traps hanging from the ceilings. There is a downstairs with a bar as well, which I have been told you can spot a certain Patriots coach down there often. So all in all it is a good fish place to check out if you are ever in the area...peace out Boston Revue, thanks for letting me guest blog!!
 
Thank you Dreama for writing a very entertaining, detailed and informative Revue of Joe Fish!  Pointing out that this is a great place for Lent-friendly meals is very important right now.  I can't wait to get up to the North Shore to dine here w/ you in the future!
 
Hope you enjoyed this one, 'buds!  And please, take after Dreama and send your revues in!

"What do you mean you don't eat no meat? That's ok, I make lamb."

http://tavolopizza.com/

Tavolo
1918 Dorchester Ave
Dorchester, MA

While you were all at home sleeping it off on Saturday, I was out cruising the sunny streets of Dorchester, headed to Tavolo for an early afternoon demonstration and tasting.

Together with Mayflower Brewing Company, Tavolo provided an opportunity to learn, dine and drink for the reasonable price of $45/person.  This fee encompassed a tutorial/demonstration on the anatomy and butchery of a Lamb, a 3 course meal, Mayflower beer pairings for each course, a cute take home guide, measurement magnet (which we should all have) and a key chain bottle opener.  I love goodies. 

This event was full of groups, couples and families.  Me?  I was flying solo.  It was a bit of a bummer not to have anyone to chat with, especially when I saw the chefs carry out a full lamb on their shoulders and plop it down on the demo table.  I would like to have had someone there I could have made an inappropriate joke to or something!  The demo itself was fascinating.  I feared it might be too overwhelming for my threshold, but it was tasteful, clean and unobtrusive.  I learned a lot and felt educated about what I eat, where it comes from and the hows/whys/whats I never would have considered asking.  This may seem odd to you, but I really like food and it's interesting to me.

One thing I learned is that Lamb is pretty pricey for restaurants to buy.  Over the years it has gone up in price quite considerably because it's such a premium meat.  And unlike other meats, you're not going to be cooking anything in lamb's fats.  Lamb stock/fats, apparently, are not desirably for cooking, the way, say, duck fat is.

To be honest with you, I'd never really eaten a lot of lamb.  It was never served in my house and it has never occurred to me to order it out at restaurants when/if I've seen it.  The 3 course meal they served was very exciting for me.

1st course: Braised  Lamb ribs w/ citrus slaw, balsamic glaze, spicy nuts

Pairing: Mayflower Spring Ale

Another thing I never really eat: ribs.  I have to say, these were delicious.  Initially I began using my fork to eat the meat off the bone, but after I while I just thought, "Screw 'em, Angus" and used my hands.  Looking around me, everyone else was, too.  The seasoning had a nice little kick which was offset by the slaw.  The group of guys next to me loved the kick. 

2nd course: Lamb shoulder ravioli w/ fava puree, sheep's milk ricotta, shard and pecorrino
Pairing: Mayflower Pale Ale

If this could be an every day menu item, I would eat at Tavolo every night.  Fava bean puree?  I'm going to be in my kitchen for a week trying to replicate this.  Maybe longer, a week is giving me too much credit.  The ravioli itself was perfect and addictive.  I really like the shard and the cheese together with the lamb.  I can't get over how good this was.

3rd course: Lamb Rib Chop w/ sunflower seeds, farro salad, olives, arugula
Pairing: Mayflower IPA

This is the dish that made me laugh out loud.  Not because it was funny, but because it was so good, I couldn't believe I was experiencing this on my own.  In particular, I thought of Roomie, who was missing out on an incredible ending to an incredible experience.  There was not too much going on with the lamb, other than the fact that it was cooked perfectly and tasted so fresh.  The farro salad was amazing and hearty.  I even ate the olives because I was so happy!

In regards to the beers that we tasted, I have to say that my favorite was the Pale Ale.  The only times I really talked was to the nice group of gentlemen who were kind enough to include me in the conversations comparing each beer.  There was much debate. 

The experience at Tavolo was rewarding in many ways, so hopefully I can snag some partners in crime the next time I go!  Aside from that, I will definitely be frequenting Tavolo for regular dining occasions and you should, too.

The March Maddness continues with my revue of Cronin's Publick House in Quincy!

http://www.steaktips.com/

Cronin's Publick House
23 Desmoines Road
Quincy, MA

They have Keno at Cronin's...won $2.50.  No big deal.

What else do they have at Cronin's?  Windows?  No.  Nope.  That's not it.  Haddock?  Well, not sure because I ordered it and never got it.  They do have scallops, though.  And fries.  The steak fries are pretty good.  Ok, I'm delaying the inveitable.

Let's get this right out in the open.  Cronin's scored a 29 out of 48 possible points.  There.  Now you know. Cronin's did not succeed Cantina Italiana in the March Maddness competition.  I used the ranking system, which you all know about by now,  I am sure.  Here's the deal...

If I were going out for a night of sports, beers and Keno, Cronin's would be ideal.  But I have to say, I wouldn't seek this place out for my next date. 

The food we had was standard sports bar food: Turkey Tips and The Surf & Turf.  One of our pals had the Clam Chowder, which was simply described as, "ok".  The Turkey Tips were served with a side salad that was standard, no problem and mashed potatoes.  The entire dish was fine.  As for the Surf & Turf, the Steak Tips, served with corn and steak fries, were hard to cut, considering I was only given a butter knife.  Even with the steak knife I eventually got, I only had the patience to eat a couple.  The Surf portion of the meal was Haddock, broiled or fried.  You could also opt to subsitute Scallops.  I opted for the Haddock broiled, but was served Scallops.  They were very good, but not what I ordered.  Facts are facts.  We soon realized that the corn that arrived with the Turkey Tips was actually meant for the Surf & Turf dish.  Not the biggest deal, but again, just another fact.

My favorite part about the meal was the steak fries.  They were really good.  If I eat there in the future, I will be inclined to try their Signature Shepard's Pie.  That will be a true test.  And while I recognize that this isn't the most positive revue we've posted on Boston Revue, I have to say, I can't entirely rule out Cronin's.  It was picked at random for this contest against some really tough competition.  But that's the beauty of March Maddness.

Cronin's - add it to your next Quincy pub crawl list.

Take a break from celebrating St. Patrick's to revue Cantina Italiana - the 2nd restaurant revued for my March Maddness challenge!

http://www.cantinaitaliana.com/index.php

Ciao lads & bonnie lasses!  Assuming you're having a pint or bangers and mash, today, it can't hurt to take a few minutes to find about another one of my adventures in the North End!

Granted, we're all Irish today, but I still have to get this post out.  It's the 2nd restaurant I've now revued for my March Maddness Challenge (see prev blogs) and I know you're dying to see what Cantina Italiana scored!  Did this Italian haunt knock Fleming's out of the competition, or are did the steakhouse stay alive?

(You might want to famliarize yourself w/ the ranking system, by the way!)

Wednesday was a nice and crisp evening in the North End.  My third time marching around there in under a week.  I think I'm starting to fit in as a native because last night I got asked where Paul Revere's house was.  And I knew!  You're welcome, tourist.  Don't forget your Mike's cannoli on the way out!

Do you judge books by their cover?  How about people by their clothes?  Well I judged Cantina Italiana from their glowing neon sign.  Tacky?  No way.  Vintage, cultural, fitting.  Love it.  Made me want to rush inside and see the rest of the place.

Inside my date and I (Iesha, shocker) found that this restaurant probably had the most square footage of any other place in the North End.  There was a lot of space between tables and booths, unlike the likes of Giacamo's or the top floor of my beloved Trattoria Il Panino.  It was nice to have a little privacy!

We were immediately greeted by a super friendly bartender gal who liked my sweater.  Points!!!  Very shrewd, bartender.  Very shrewd.  In the booth behind us was a little family who's little daughter was the cutiest thing, giving out stickers.  Although, I never got one, so...eh.  (Insert winking emoticon here.)

Our waiter was very friendly and extremely attenttive.  If only I could remember the gentleman's name.  He had a lot of recommendations, knowledge of the menu and was just chatty in general, which is preferred.  We like to make friends.

There was a lot of menu perusing.  We couldn't decide on if we should do Restaurant week or the regular menu.  I mean, right off the bat we knew we wanted the pitcher of Sangria (who love pitchers, people?) so that kept us distracted for a bit.  Finalllllly we opted for the regular menu, and I'm glad we did.  This way, we got a true sense of what daily dining is like here.

To start we got the Rucola ("Arugala, it's a veg-it-a-ble!") and the Caeser salads.  The Rucola had a very grapey balsamic dressing with pine nuts and parmesean cheese.  The menu actually listed this salad to have walnuts, so that was a little dissapointing.  I wish the salad was a little smaller or included a few other types of  like mixed greens.  But in the end, it was good and I took home leftovers.  The Caeser salad was incredible.  Perfect amount of dressing, nice crunchy croutons and a nice peppery aftertaste.  Good one.

For dinner Iesha got the Gnocchi con Crema di Gorgonzola, which was served in a hot baking dish on top of a dinner plate.  I liked that.  And the portion size was nice, too.  Even more exciting than that was eating the damn thing.  Holy smokes, was it good.  The sauce was rich, but not too heavy and the kick of the sharp cheese was a nice enhacement.  If you're not into a strong gorgonzola, you might not be able to handle it.  The gnocchi themselves were...let's see, I need to think of way to put this that does not sound dirty.  I will jsut say that they were the most perfect dumplings I've ever had.  Perfect.  Exactly what Padma would want on Top Chef!  I mean it.  Yowza.

My entree was the Linguine con Gamberi e Limone.  I keep simplifying it to people as a scampi.  The sauce was a white wine cream sauce, very light on the cream, and full of nice fresh lemon and garlic.  Now I know you know that I don't do shrimp.  But this "scampi" style sauce is one of my all time favs, so I ain't afraid of a few shellfish.  I did give in to one shrimp and it was good.  I just can never get past one.  Iesha had more than one and gave her seal of approval.  As much as I loved the perfectly cooked pasta and the sauce, I was kind enough to save some for leftovers for Roomie, who I knew would be all over it.  It was hard to stop eating.

Our kind waiter encouraged us to try dessert, but we honestly couldn't manage.  Their entire dessert menu looked fabulous, but our bellies said, "Ya right.".  So we politely declined.

It was a very nice dining experience and I am thankful we ordered off the regular menu.  Their daily offerings are clearly made with a lot of skill and good taste.  So how did Cantina Italiana rank out over Flemings??? 

(Again, if you're a new reader, you may want to refresh yourself w/ older blogs to find out what the March Maddness contest is and how the Ranking System works)

Cantina Italiana scored a whopping 43 points out of a possible 48!  Now that is tough competition, 'buds, and unfortuantely knocks Fleming's out of the competition.  Thanks for playing, Fleming's!!! 

So, next up this week will be Cronin's Pub in Quincy and Villa Roma, our final 2 contests in the challenge.  Can either of these restaurants top a score of 43???  Who will win that $25 Phantom Gourmet Gift card???

...it's the little things that excite me. 

Have a safe and FUN St. Patty's day!  Be sure to have your hangover cures prepped in advance!

Part II - Trattoria Il Panino, The Final Course

http://www.trattoriailpanino.com/content/menu.html

Finally!!!  I am no longer full from my dinner on Monday night @ Trattoria Il Panino.  It took forever to get my appetite back and I mean that as the highest compliment.

So after a little research, I still couldn't come up with the copy of the exact menu we ordered from.  But what I did realize is that they were normal, everyday menu items.  Lucky us!

To recap Part I, we had already had the bottle of wine, appetizer and Primi (pasta course).  It's hard to believe we could possibly find the room in our bellies for Secondi.  Thankfully, the portions served are nice demur and humble in size, but not in flavor.

I opted for the swordfish dish, Pesce Spada, with fresh mint and balsamic on the side.  The fish itself was lightly coated in olive oil, little salt and flaked apart like Salmon.  I loved the side of beets, which were nice and cold.  They tasted so fresh and potatoey.  Simple, small and excellent.  It was a great finale for me.  For the table we also finished with the Vitello Saltimbocca and a fabulous Chicken Dish, still undetermined.  The Veal Saltimbocca was standard: sage, fontina, prosciutto.  Normally I really enjoy this veal dish, but that night it was too salty for my 'buds.  The parents, however, pinned this as their winner.  The plate was spotless, ready for someone else to use. 

The mystery Chicken, which we cannot locate, was absolutely incredible.  The chicken was pounded super thing and served with a light brown broth and mushrooms.  It wasn't a brandy or a Marsala, but it was very familiar.  Without the menu I am going to be pulling my hair out trying to remember what it was.  What I can confirm, that is was delicious.  ***I'll be in the North End tonight, so I can pop over and track this down like the good food stalker that I am.  Then I'll be able to sleep at night.

Dessert - ha!  We went down swinging, but dessert got the best of us.  We could not finish our Chocolate Creme Brulee, topped with strawberries, but did we ever try.  I would like to point out that I've never had a cholocate brulee, but it was the first time I ever enjoyed the combo of strawberries and chocolate.  It was very rich and I could hardly manage one bite.  All those courses....yikes!  Thank you, but that is a lot of food.

I highly suggest a visit in the near future for you all.  Trattoria Il Panino is still my #1 all time fav, even if they did try to kill me.

Ciao!

Restaurant Week @ my favorite spot: Trattoria Il Panino

Trattoria Il Panino

I am always pleased when people take my advice on where to eat.  It's even more pleasing when they invite me along!

Yes, last night I joined my dear parents on a nice date to my favorite restaurant in the North End...and on Earth.  I should mention that.  It's my favorite restaurant of all time.

Monday was a surprisingly popular night there!  Although we got seated early for our reservation, it quickly filled up!  I had been hoping we'd get seated in the basement, which looks like old wine cellar, but we were seated on the newer, enclosed patio.  It was really nice out there with the heaters and the view of the people on Prince street.  That will make for a nice dining experience in the warmer weather.

Going out for Restaurant week is best in multiples, so you can try everything.  And best to go with allies who don't mind you eating off their plates.  Iron that out beforehand.

What is special about T's prix fixed menu is that it consisted of 4 courses.  Usually you're only presented with 3.  Lots of fist pumping from my family.  Deciding our menu was a bit of a challenge because we didn't want to overlap, as usual.  What I can tell you is, we got one of everything on the menu EXCEPT the App of Proscuitto san Daniele because there were no figs. 

***check out this link to see the menu - note, the 3rd course (Secondi) is not listed here.  in person the menu has Apps, Primi, Secondi and dessert.***
http://www.restaurantweekboston.com/?neighborhood=north-end&meal=any&page=2

Being good Irish-Italian-Americans, we ordered a nice bottle of wine and proceeded to finish it before the appetizer course.  That may be hard to believe for you, but what was hard for me to believe was the size of my appetizer!

The Pepata di Cozze is sauteed mussels in a spicy garlic, tomato and white wine broth.  The presentation was a site to behold and I marveled at how gigantic the mussels were.  They were definitely not our little Cape Cod mussels!  These are mussels on steroids.  It was a shame to ruin such a pretty plate, but I demolished that appetizer.  The broth was amazing no matter if you soaked it up with bread or just ate it by the spoonful.  Yes, I did this.

While my parents looked on in shock, they ate their humble, but delicious Caprese salads, which were served on long white plates with lots of balsamic and oil.  The "bufala" mozzarella was homemade and fantastic.  I didn't even bother trying a tomato.  Pfft.

We soon realized we had to pace ourselves, as there were 2 more dinner courses coming and a dessert.  This meal was a marathon, my friends.  An Italian, carb-tastic marathon.

 The first entree (Primi) that came out was the Raviloi, which were stuffed with radicchio and asiago in a very light grape tomato sauce, garnished with peas, radicchio, Parmesan & cripsy prosciutto.  Easily the best dish of the night.  I'm not going to draw it out for you.  The ravioli were thin and light and the asiago filling was airy, which is nice because ravioli can be so heavy.  In the meantime, we were also served the Risotto and the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, which was your standard dumplings in a tomato basil cheesy sauce.  It was fantastic and met every expectation one would have for it.  The Risotto, on the other hand, was fighting for top billing over the ravioli.  This rice dish had chopped scallop, peas, asparagus and sweet corn in a light Parmesan broth.  I couldn't get enough of it.  The portion size was perfect and we loved the surprise of corn.  Visually, the meal was very eye catching with the greens and yellow.  I could have this again right now, actually...

Now onto Secondi, which is not on their Restaurantweek.com menu.  Without the menu, I can't give you the exact names, but to sum up...

...to sum up, check back later for the Part II!!!

Sauced at Sidebar, Pom Frites & Waffles at Saus

http://www.eatfrites.com/   http://www.sidebarboston.com/

Are you going to be in the Fanuiel Hall area anytime soon? If you are, go to Saus and see the fun for yourself. I had been planning my trip there for a few days and wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop me from getting my frites and waffles on. I wasn't even going to let 3 pitchers and 2 tequila shots at Sidebar stop me!


Let's back up. The night started at an annual St. Patty's day shindig thrown by my friends. It was my 3rd year in a row heading to SideBar with a charitable donation in hand and a thirst for lots of beers.  Sidebar is a nice little, unassuming baaaah with 2 bars in 2 long seperate rooms, potty in the basement.  Lots of video game machines in the first room with bench style seating along the walls.  Nice place for after work drinks.  And a nice place to offer up their space to a couple of guys looking to host a St. Patty's day celebration with a $10 cover going to the charity of their choice.  Happy to be there and happy to donate. 

What I like most about Sidebar is the pitcher.  Love the pitcher of beer.  Can more places bring back the pitchers, please???  To be honest, the best thing about being at Sidebar is the friends and the camaraderie.  And they don't kick you out for singing off key karaoke...so score!

So that pretty much sums up Sidebar!  Yup!  It's an ok spot but with the right amount of friends, you can have a blast anywhere!

Let's move back to the beginning then and talk about this hip little place Saus, which thankfully is open until 2am on Saturday nights.  Of course my pals and I were there for the late night, soak up the booze type of snacking.  But you should be going here for breakfast, for lunch, for mid day snacking during a shopping trip. 

I'm often told that I set my expectations way too high and get overly excited about mundane things.  Well screw they nay-sayers because this time I was dead on.  The frites and waffles came through and then some. 

Saus

Boston's 1st Belgian Street Food!!!

33 Union St  Boston MA

Mon-Thurs 11am-midnight  Fri & Sat 11am-2am  Sun 12pm-9pm

To see what Saus has to offer aside from frites and waffles, check out the link that I listed up top.  But to see what me and my cohorts chomped on, keep on reading, 'buds!  (Pay close attention to the dipping sauce names on the website, btw.  I love the detail of this!  You'll see.)

I had it in my head that we shouldn't all order tons of waffles, but that we should pick our favorites and share - no duplicating.  The frites?  I said every man for themselves on that one.  I can frite like no other.  So we ended up with:

The Salted Carmel waffle, the Nutella waffle and the Lemon waffle.  And of course we had the frites with the Vampire Slayer dipping sauce (garlic of course).

Each base waffle was made from the same dough, not batter.  They were extremely crunchy on the outside and super soft on the inside.  Perfect.  Each one had just enough sauce so it wasn't drowning.

My favorite waffle was the Nutella covered waffle.  It tasted like a fried dough sundae, minus the ice cream.  The Salty Carmel was 2nd in line in placing.  I loved the sweet and salty combo-so good.  And the caramel was nice and soft - no broken teeth.  The only one I wasn't over the moon for was the Lemon sauce.  It was a bit too sour for me and my 'buds. 

The frites were insanely good and I looked like a crazy person stuffing them in my face.  The Vampire Slayer dipping sauce was perfect and I can't be any clearer on how I feel.  GOOD stuff.

I am dying to go back and try the Poutine, so another trip is order.  I also plan to try the Mixed Berry waffles and other dipping sauces for my frites. 

Hoping people like this place and go back often because I do not want it go anywhere. 

Great chow @ Great Chow

http://www.great-chow.com/

I could just keep this blog simple and drive my point home with one word: Great!  But simple is too easy.  I'd actually like to get into why I really like Great Chow and what makes it so.

A long, long time ago (no, Don Maclean was not there) a couple friends made Roomie and I aware of the awesomeness that is GC.  We were introduced to the location in Abington on Rt 16.  I had heard nothing but raves from these friends and from family.  To be honest, I was slightly jealous that I hadn't heard about it sooner in life. 

After one visit, I was hooked.  I constantly try to get back but heading to Abington take some planning and forethought.  We all know how much this blogger digs her spontenaity.  So imagine my excitement when I learned that there was a Quincy location that offered take-out!  Hallelujah buddah!

When it comes to location vs. location, I am more partial to the Abington venue.  It's bigger and feels really exciting inside.  It is hopin'!  The Quincy haunt is more relaxed, casual, quiet.  Almost somber.  I remember in being in Abington and sitting right near a very large bar with a dane floor, live karaoke and a nice view of the hibatchi grill.  Lots of action.  The food, however, is great at either location.

This weekend we got take out.  We got a couple standards and a couple 1st time choices.  Let's do our list:

Scallion Pankcakes
A very generous serving accompanied by an amazing dipping sauce.  The cakes are so large that I struggle to get through 2, for fear of not getting to my meal. Now we order a small to keep everything at an even keel.  (The dipping sauce can be used for other things, too.  We dumped it all over our fried rice...what fried, you ask?)

Great Chow Fried Rice
One of 1st time orders, the house fried rice has shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, veggies, the kitchen sink...It's got it all.  The color of the rice is a little confusing.  You except to see the rice in a shade of brown, from all the soy sauce.  For this dish, the rice is really still very white and it is excellent.  I love fried rice a lot and there was nothing to dissapoint here.  It did not need the dipping sauce that we added to it.  That's just a personal preference.  And it reheats very nicely.  There is nothing like fried rice leftovers.

Pad Thai - Veggies
Our other 1st time order.  And another dish that made us do a double take at first sight.  The noodles were wider than we'd seen other places and they were also very yellow.  For some reason it made me think of chicken noodle soup, without the broth.  It did not look bad, just surprising.  The taste?  Great!  It is extremely spicey.  I think they should mark the menu with 2 of their little peppers rather than just 1.  But we like spice and consumed many spoonfuls.

Orange Flavored Beef
I don't know if I am going to make it through this part without having to stop and run home to get my leftovers.  This dish is so unbelievably, crazy good I don't even understand it.  I cannot believe there is not a line out the door every single night of crazed foodies trying to get their 'buds on this meal.  The orange flavored beef is not your standard beef and brocolli special.  It is thin beef which has been lightly floured and fried in a delicious soy, teriakyi orange sauce.  It tastes like...like...candy.  Like beef candy.  I kid you not.  It is so sweet with just the littlest tang and saltiness.  I can't even handle this.  Just go get it. 

Just so I don't sound like my head is completely in the clouds and oblivious in life, I want to give you a heads-up on something not to order.  Let's call this the "Because I care" segement of the blog.

Because I care: Do not order the lemon chicken.  The portion is one-size-fits-all and I have to tell you, it's so wasteful because it is NOT good.  The chicken is breaded and fried very sadly and the lemon flavoring tastes like sour jelly.  And visually, it looks like they erratically squeezed lemon jelly all over fried chicken.  It was so depressing.

A hopin' night, a casual dinner or take out for two.  Great Chow is just that, so long as you steer clear of the dish that shall be named no more. 

Chow!

Culture, education, Steel Rails and Milkbones

http://pugsbarandgrill.com/

http://www.mos.org/exhibits_shows/planetarium

It's good to get out and learn and expand your mind.  And then it's good to throw it all to the wayside for a couple of pints. 
 
Girls nights usually consist of dinner and drinks or meeting up for a movie and gossip.  This weekend we opted for a little educatin' before our debaucheratin'.  The Museum of Science's Planetarium provided us with a giggle-filled exploration of the night sky.  Interaction is encouraged, but know-it-alls should be banned.  We realize the proximity of the MOS to MIT.  We get it, you're smart.  Just let us regular folks enjoy! 
 
There were lots of planets and constellations for us to map out in the 45 minutes show.  We learned about Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, Saturn, Orion's belt and sword (where the giggles came into play).  Our moderator was very knowledgeable and heavily into the Harry Potter connections to the stars.  We left the MOS more aware of the sky above.
 
And we left Pug's more aware that we like to drink and talk to strangers!  A short drive down Cambridge Street is the long-standing bar Pugliese, or Pug's.  The entire front of the bar faces Cambridge St with big glass, unobstructed windows.  We found seats at a corner along the window and had the perfect view of everything outside as well as everything inside.  To the dismay of our bellies, Pug's was not serving food anymore.  They're between some things and are drinks only right now.  I learned this from the very friendly bartender who ended up being our best friend by the end of the night.  He and everyone else in the place.  I never felt more like I was at a townie bar than I have in my own hometown.  It was great to be accepted and share great beers (Steel Rail, PBR, Stella, Smuttynose, etc, etc) and free shots with these people.  Lots of stories be passed, connections being made, jokes being told.  A great night at a casual bar that had a dog bed and Milkbones by the door.  To the dog who belongs to these things, I apologize that your Milkbones are gone.  I'd check under the stools and behind the bar, though.  I'm sure there are remnants of them around. 

 
If I lived in Cambridge, Pug's is definitely a bar I would keep in my steady rotation for the down home feel and the local flavor. And the MOS will be seeing this revuer again in the future, checking out other exhibits.

Treat yourself! I always do. An amends with Piccola Venezia.

http://www.piccolaveneziaboston.com/

You have a half day of work, live in the city and are cursed with a huge appetite.  Lunch in the North End?  YUP!

But you have some errands to do and take a nice leisurely stroll from the Back Bay, so it's more like an early dinner @ 4pm.  Either way, great idea. 

The early Friday dinner was one of complete spontaneity, which I try never to deny myself.  The beauty of this was, I was on my own so I didn't have to compromise on where to go.  I got my pick of all the lovely restaurants that the North End had to offer.  I decided to hit Piccola Venezia.  Many years back we had a bit of a disagreement with a dissapointing dining experience and I thought I would concede it give it a second chance. 

When I arrived on the scene around 4, PV was just switching over to their dinner menu.  There was 1 large table of high school kiddies that the waiter kindly seated me as way from as possible.  Sorry teenagers, you're loud.  I got a nice corner table and felt very cozy with Julia Child looking down on me from a photo on the wall.  Across the dining room I noticed there was one other party here.  This table was much more pleasing.  It was a group of little Nonas having coffee and dessert.  I imagine they must have had their lunch, too. 

The waiter brought me water and asked if I was alone.  Proudly, I confirmed.  And to drive the independency home, I put in an immediate order of Arancini for an appetizer.  Just for me.  By the time they came out, the teenagers left and peace was restored.  I could then happily eavesdrop on the little nonas, gossiping with a waitress, who clearly knew these woman very well.

The Aranci was a serving of three and very large in size.  The filling was made up of rice, beef, provolone and peas.  Along side was a red pepper aioli and it was a great compliment.  I really liked everything about the Arancini filling, but I do wish they went heavier on the peas because I am a huge fan.  And because they were so filling, I only had 1 and took the others home.  Note - they do not reheat well, so bring enough people to eat them all.

There was a shift change and the dinner staff started to roll in.  Almost every staffer that came in waltzed right over to the table of nonas and said hello and gave hugs and kisses.  I wished I was friends with these little ladies.  They were clearly very popular.

For dinner I decided to go for the Risotto Primavera. I had a visual of what I thought the dish would look like and it couldn't have been more different.  I imagined a small plate with finely diced veggies incorporated into the rice and a pretty garnish of parsley.  What I was served was nothing short of a entire veggie garden.  Every veggie you could think of was in this dish in large slices.  Mushrooms, peppers, onion, broccoli, water chestnuts, peas, tomato, oh my!  It looked like a homemade dish from the kitchen of a loving Italian.  No pretense, no beating around the bush.  Lots of creamy risotto and a lot of fresh roasted veggies.  It was wonderful.  And also very filling.  I didn't even make a dent.  This I took home as well and it reheated very nicely.

And the dining solo did not stop there.  I treated myself, further, to a cannoli and limoncello.  No complaints about either, as you can imagine.  I've never met a cannoli I didn't conquer.

It was nice to make amends with PV and put a successful dining experience between us.  I was very pleased all around and enjoyed taking myself on a date here.  I felt a lot of authenticity and home in there.  PV is definitely redeemed in this blogger's tastebuds.
 
*Please note and commend me on not making one inappropriate and/or immature comment about the Arancini.  (See Solstice blog)

Where's the beef? No, seriously. Where can a Bostonian get a good steak?

Friends, Bostonians, citymen...lend me your steak knives!  And a tip on where to get the best steak in town.

After the word got out that I'd eaten at Fleming's (see previous blog post) many of my friends and family were interested in discussing the merits of such a steakhouse.  And true, my general feeling of underwhelmed could not be masked, I found many of my peers agreed in the general "eh"-ness. 

Some were quick to say, "a steak is a steak", some were of the opinion that there is no difference between a Capital Grille and a Longhorn's.  But the general concensus I noticed was that steaks are highly overpriced and quality has certainly decreased.

What are your thoughts?  Do you love to get dressed up and eat a fillet at the Oak Room?  Do you drive over to the local strip mall and chow down on tips at the Texas Roadhouse?  Do you frequest Ruth's Chris, trying figure out who Ruth and Chris are while chomping on a NY strip?  Or do you prefer the nonassuming sort of places like Pigalle or an Italian spot in the North End? 

What's the best steak you've ever had in Boston?

Fleming's Steakhouse, Restaurant week & my self inflicted Final Four contest...How'd the Steakhouse measure up?

http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/locations/ma/boston?gclid=CJ_w98GUxKcCFZFoKgodU27dFQ

Good Morning 'buds!  Want to talk about steak at 10:30am?  Because I'd rather talk about Walnut Turtle Pie, want to talk about that?  Let's shall.  Unto the breach....well, revue.

So as you may already know, I imposed a little contest on myself.  Based on your suggestions, 4 restaurants were picked at random to compete in my Final Four competition.  Fleming's is the first of the four that I've patroned.  (See previous blogs for more details and full list of restaurants competing.)

As you know, I am subjecting each venue to a ranking system.  How did Fleming's rank?

Well, let's just talk it out, before I give you the final score.  I had a lovely dining companion last night.  My dear friend, let's call her Wafa, was kind enough to take on Fleming's with me and see if this steakhouse chain was all it's cracked up to be.  We had high but hesitant hopes.  I say that because we understood that there are lots and lots of Fleming's in the country.  Lots.  Have you checked out their website?  I think there are 18 in Arizona alone.  Maybe that's an exaggeration.  Wouldn't be the first time.

Our initial hesitancy also involved the debate: "To steak or not to steak".  Wafa and I both love menus, we love the pre-dining research, so we wondered, "Do we have to get steak when it's predetermined that they have great steak?".  From a blogger's perspective, what would I be telling you that you didn't already know?  It's a Steakhouse!  We discussed this at length, while we sat at the crowded bar, with a great view of the dining area. 

Upon being seated, we looked through the regular menu, just for kicks.  3 pages of wine, 2 pages of food.  Steaks were $30+ on a regular basis, as I expected.  Our busboy immediately brought us bread and water.  The bread was a really good baguette and was accompanied by 2 butters.  1 was garlicy, herbed butter that was really potent.  The other was, what we determined, a sun dried tomato spread.  That was my favorite.  And what I really enjoyed about the bread was that it was sliced in small hunks, so you could eat a few pieces and not feel too guilty.  Very smart.

Our waiter was a very nice gentlemen who took one look at us and knew we were doing the prix fixe Restaurant Week menu.  How'd he know?  Do they have table microphones that they listen to in the back???  So he handed us these sheik little paper menus that offered 3 appetizer choices, 4 entree choices and 2 dessert choices.  Wafa and I put a plan into motion to ensure we did not double order anything.  Let's get right down to it.

My order: The Lobster Bisque, The Petite Fillet Mignon and the Walnut Turtle Pie

Wafa's order: Seared Ahi Tuna, Marinated Breast of Chicken baked in a white wine, mushroom, shallot thyme sauce, Cheesecake with blueberries

Now, let's break it down by course...

The appetizers came out and we both sort of giggled at the Ahi Tuna plate that was placed in front of

Wafa.  The presentation was very pretty...but there sure was a lot of white plate.  Let's just say it looked like tiny food.  Almost cartoonish, because of how small the portion was.  Wafa shrewdly noted that this felt like one of those dishes you see in commercials, bashing tiny portions.  Super little.  I mean, there were about 6 slices of tuna, but it must have been a little baby tuna.  It tasted a lot bigger than it looked, happily!  The outside crust was very peppery and gave a nice spicy contrast to the cool fish.  There was also a marinated carrot slaw on the side and a big drizzle of spicy mustard.  As for the Lobster Bisque, I've never ordered this in my entire life and I'm not too fond of lobster.  But as you may know from my previous blogs, I really enjoy trying things outside my pallet's comfort zone.  This cup of bisque was very rich and buttery, with small hunks of lobster meat.  I wasn't sure if what I was trying was good or not, having no prior experience.  Wafa assured me, it was...in fact, we had this nice polite act going where we let each other try our appetizers and slowly but surely, our dishes did complete 180s and we ended up trading.  I liked the spicy tuna with mustard and she liked the bisque.  What a great date I had with me, right?

Entree time!  Yes, I ordered the Petite Fillet Mignon.  It was between that or the salmon and I just decided to go for the filet.  I really love steak.  I'm not going to lie.  To my vegetarian friends, I am sorry...but that shit's good.  Wafa ordered the Chicken Breast, as I mentioned earlier.  Let's start with the chicken.  It was a double breast, skin on, bones in.  It looked really nice sitting in the complex sauce.  We thought maybe the mushrooms would be more abundant on this dish, but they were diced up finely in the sauce.  It was a very thymey sauce.  We both really liked the chicken.  In fact, I was really jealous...because my fillet was not so hot.  I asked for it medium, but the outside looked really charred on the edges and the piece was really fatty.  The closer I got to the center was, of course, the best part.  But overall, I was underwhelmed.  What I did appreciate was that it was just steak.  No glazes, no frills.  Just the natural flavor.  I like fancy steaks, but you do have appreciate it au natural.  

What I didn't mention earlier is that the menu said that each entree comes with a side of Green Beans and Fleming's potatoes.  We only got 1 order of each.  I'm not quite sure what the disconnect was, but in the end we didn't really care.  So let's knock off the sides real quick.  Trust me, it'll be quick.  The Fleming's Potatoes turned out to be my arch Nemesis, scalloped potatoes.  And we weren't sure at first.  I looked at the side dish and asked, "Is this a white lasagna?".  Then I lifted up the yellowy-orange cheese, that looked like cheez-whiz, and saw the dreaded scalloped taters.  Of course we tried them.  I don't think we came to a final conclusion on them because we didn't really eat them...so maybe we did.  The green beans, on the other hand were fantastic.  Visually, the were the brightest green I've ever seen and tasted fresh and crispy.  They had a little sea salt on them, too, which was really good.

Moving on to desserts, I have to say it.  This was our hands-down favorite course.  The Walnut Turtle Pie was absolutely unlike anything I have ever had before...because I've never had it before.  The cake tasted like unfinished, gooey chocolate batter and the caramel and walnuts made this entire dessert over the top.  The Cheesecake with Blueberrys, simple right?  No muss no fuss, you could say, but the more you took, the more you were all over it and the next thing we knew, it was gone.  I'm talking plate CLEANED.  We tried to clean the plate on the turtle pie, but the last piece became a sort of rock that formed itself to the plate.  We tried with all our mite to extract it, but to no avail.  I can't believe we had to leave that bite behind. Desserts = amazing.

Based on my rating system (see previous blogs), Fleming's scored a 37 out of 48 possible points.  Not a bad score.  Remember, the atmosphere, service and presentation all weigh into the scoring, not just the food.  And Fleming's was a really pleasing to the eye, but very standard.  I did enjoy the fact that could see into the kitchen.  I think that decreases the "stuffy" factor.  Makes you feel a little more relaxed.

Check back next week to see how Fleming's score holds up to Cantina Italiana and Cronin's Pub!

The (South) Shore Part III

http://ortarestaurant.com/

To answer your question, I did do a lot more than eat this weekend. I walked a dog, I cleaned up after a teenager, I elevated my ankle that is banged up from a soccer injury. Caught up on a couple movies and the most recent episode of the Jersey Shore, played some Cityville. But Sunday was my last night in the DUX, so I had to make sure I had one more really good meal.

I was lucky enough to be joined by Sister & Iesha for one final south shore dinner at Orta in Pembroke. This place comes highly recommended by MA, the ScanClan Matriarch. It is one of her favorite local spots.

The interior is so nice and dark. They have the most beautiful candelabra over the main dining room that I have ever seen. I mean, I'm just there for the food, but it really stood out. There are also 2 bars. One in the front, one in the back. We were seated in one of the alcoves on the side, which was really nice. Felt like we had our own little private party. I think we thought we were our own private party because the rum & cokes and processecos were going down nice!
 
But let's get down to business, shall we?  It's great that the place is pretty and the drinks were good.  But we mostly care about the food.  And let me tell you, there was lots of it. 
 
To start we had the Gorgonzola Crostini (a small plate) and the Eggplant Millefoglie (Antipasti).  Both were the prefect size to split amongst 3 of us.  The crostini came out in serving of 2, with honey drizzled all over the plate.  We all agreed that the ratio of cheese to bread was not equal.  The slice of cheese was much too thick, but the more honey you added the crostini, the milder the cheese became.  It was definitely an enjoyable snack once that was all worked out.  I never would think to incorporate honey with cheese.  Looks like I will be from now on, though.  It was so good.
 
The eggplant dish was basically a slice of noodless lasagna.  Slices of baked eggplant were layered with mozzerella and baked with marinara sauce.  It was great.  Familiar.  Definitely tasted like there was a little Italian grandmother in the kitchen whipping this up.  I think it's safe to say that this was our favorite starter.
 
There was a lot to consider for the entrees.  I was definitely thrown off when I heard one of the specials was my beloved butternut squash ravioli - and I LOVE specials.  But I figured I should try a dish on their menu, since it was my first time at Orta.  What I ended up ordering was phenomenal!  The Wild Mushroom Ravioli in a Mascarpone, Parmesan, Herb sauce.  Holy smokes, it was insane.  This is where cream sauces belong (not on haddock - see Part II)!!!  Everyone one of us gals loved it.  Yes, there was lots of taste testing going on.  I think the herb that stood out most in the sauce was the basil.  Perfect.  It would be hard not to order this again.
 
Iesha opted for the Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina in a Tomato, Mozz, Basil cream sauce.  This  was definitely a huge hit with us all.  The gnocchi were perfect, not too heavy and the sauce was delicious.  I even liked the hunks of roasted tomato, which added texture.  There was definitely a lot of, "Do you mind if I just try one more bite?" going on between Sister and myself.  The dish was very pretty to look at, too.  The sauce was a very appetizing orangey-pink and just looking at it, you knew it was going to be crazy good.
 
Sister went a little low key and got the traditional Margherita Pizza.  I think she may have thought it would be a bar style size, but it was more realistically like a medium size pizza.  I don't know how, but I found room to have a slice and I liked it.  It was thin crusted and the fresh basil was very pleasing.  I think it would make a great lunch.  There was leftover,s though, so we brought that home for young Ryan, which he demolished.  So it also gets the seal of approval from a growing boy.
 
I was really glad I convinced Sister and Iesha to take this final journey with me on a Sunday night, knowing work was just hours away.  Whatever sleep we missed, I'd say that it was worth it.  Our 'buds definitely didn't mind!
 
...jeez...I haven't even gotten to dessert yet, have I???  My belly feels full just typing this.  But the blog must go on.  For dessert we ordered the Cannolis, which was a serving of 2, dipped in chocolate chips.  Totally winning, people.  I love the chocolate chip factor.  Poor Sister opted out of the cannoli portion of the evening, which she later regretted.  That's life, Sister.  That's life.  Gotta take the opportunities when they present themselves, otherwise, you're gonna be left behind and cannoli-less.  Hey, I'm older and wiser.  I know you don't turn down the cannoli.  You never turn down the cannoli.  Let's consider this a life lesson.
 
I give Orta my #1 rank out of all the South Shore dining I did this weekend.  I cannot wait to go back and have some more insane pasta and small plates.  Next time a bottle of wine is in order, as well.  This feels like the type of place where you just have to.  And I don't always feel like this.
 
Ok!  Thanks for checking my 3 part revue, 'buds.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, even though I actually got to do the eating and you just do the reading, which now doesn't seem fair.  I should erase this paragraph and start over...
 
PS - I'm going to Fleming's this week, as part of my Final Four contest.  Check back by Thursday evening to catch that Revue and see how it scored!!!