Magners

Cold Irish Cider
extra ice cubes, refreshing
slug it down, enjoy

Porter Cafe, West Roxbury

As quoted in the about section of their website, "The latest addition to West Roxbury, MA, the Porter Cafe, has a relaxed, pub-style atmosphere and a dedication to locally-produced and quality food that makes you happy." 

And I totally agree.  The hubs and I arrived at the Porter Cafe, (http://portercafe.com), a little before 7pm on a Wednesday evening, for a wayyyyy overdue date night.  The restaurant is located at the end of a block of stores on Centre Street, that experienced a horrific fire back on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 which killed two Boston Firefighters, Paul Cahill and Warren Payne.  I will never forget that day for the rest of my life.  Just awful. 

We were greeted immediately at the door by our overly attentive, friendly server and seated right away.  There's a couple of tables out front and inside, there's a small bar of about 10-12 chairs which was fairly full.  But the dining area which holds about 10ish small tables, was dead.  Although when we were heading out after we had our fill, the joint was happening.  They have an open kitchen which you know I likey and a chill dining environment. 

We took a minute to peruse the menu with a selection of a million beers and a fair amount on vino, before ordering.  I went with a Peroni and the hubs got a Harpoon.  The menu is on the smaller side but the selection is diverse and fabulous.  It pretty much covers any sort of craving you may have EXCEPT for dessert but I will get to that. 

The hubs has been dying for fish tacos since he last had them.  And per usual, I always check out a  restaurant's menu on-line to make sure I approve.  LOL!  Like there is a place with FOOD, I would ever turn my nose up at.  But never the less, I like to know what to expect.  That's just how I roll.  So I totally knew they had fish tacos and we sure as heck ordered them.  To me the term, 'fish taco', does not at all sound the least bit appetizing but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste.  Definitely could not make a meal out of them but the combo of the grilled fish, cilantro, salsa, and lime cream on a soft taco was actually quite yummy.  The hubs destroyed them.  In addition, we had a Caprese Salad with super fresh basil leaves, thick slices of creamy mozzarella, and whole cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a fantastic vinaigrette dressing.  MMM.  Just an fyi-the mussels looked amazing and the minestrone soup, as well.  And the short rib and bleu cheese ravioli sounded interesting.  There's always next time. 

For my main entree I was torn between the Steak Frites and the 8oz Prime Chuck Burger.  I love me some red meat!  I decided on the burger and OOMMGG.  It was scrumptious and declared my new favorite burger.  That juicy piece of Heaven with cheddar, red onion relish, served on a lightly toasted, huge bulky roll with fries, was not long for this Earth.  Devoured.  The only thing that could have made the burger any better was a couple slices of bacon which was offered but I forgot to order.  BOO.  That's okay because the what appeared to be hand cut fries were extra crispy and awesome.  The hubs went with the Catch of the Day Special, Sea Bass with peas, capers, and crunchy green beans.  He thoroughly enjoyed it and I liked my wee bite. 

The portions are not huge but for sure hearty.  And as mentioned above, they don't offer dessert.  WHAT!?!  I may have to bake up some of my recent delectable creations and bring them in for them to sample, buy, and serve.  But really!  Wth?  A little brownie sundae, cookies, chocolates, something??  C'mon people, step it up in that area.  

Other than my dessert complaint, I fo sho enjoyed my meal and dining experience at the Porter Cafe.  They also offer delish sounding sides like fried pickles, mac n cheese, etc; and their prices are very reasonable.  Open every day for dinner and the bar is open until 1am.  And they serve a tasty sounding brunch menu on Sundays.  Most definitely, I will be returning.  For our sweet tooth craving, the hubs and I took a stroll down Centre, just like my girls and I fancied back in the day, to iScreamWorks for some chocolate/vanilla swirl soft serve for me and a frappe for him.  Pretty damn good date!

New York City, My Perilla Experience

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to take a vacation with my family to the Big Apple.  My brother and his girlfriend extended an invitation to mi madre and I to join them for Mother's Day Weekend.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt New York in Midtown Manhattan.  It was a relaxing stay in a comfortable room in a funky, modern artsy kind of hotel.  And the best part was that it was attached to Grand Central Station and all it's awesomeness!!

We arrived by Amtrak via Penn Station on Friday afternoon and decided to explore Grand Central Station before we headed out to the West Village for our 7pm supper reservations.  We found ourselves amid the evening commuter crowd and Holy Crap!  The saying "as busy as Grand Central" rang true.  We decided to have a quick couple of drinks at the Oyster Bar and Restaurant.  It was a chill environment and just what the doctor ordered after our four hour commute from South Station.  After chatting for a while, we ventured out into the crowd to check out Grand Central Market.  OMG!  The scents and aromas of the cheeses, meats, veggies, fruit, fish, breads, pastries, and basically anything and everything you can think of to ingest, were  absolutely to die for.  I seriously considered just grabbing a baguette, some cheese, and some deliciously fresh meat and head on back to the room to call it a night.  But thankfully, I did not.

We arrived at Perilla a bit early and situated ourselves at the bar for a quick libation and munched on one of the nightly specials which happened to be fresh popcorn popped in duck fat.  YUM!  The dude who worked the bar was ironically from Roslindale which I found hilarious.  Such a small world and what a nice guy.  Shout out to Tommy O'Malley!  And I don't think that A&N has better pizza than the Pleasant but we can agree to disagree.  HA!

Perilla is so quaint and adorable, (http://perillanyc.com/) and is co-owned by the winner of the first season of the popular show, 'Top Chef.'  Harold Dieterle is the senior chef of the Seasonal American cuisine, neighborhood type joint, 18 table, restaurant, with a tiny bar, located on Jones Street in NEW YORK CITY.  BABY!  Just an fyi-Perilla is an herb and relative of mint and basil with a strong anise-like flavor.  The staff, from the bartender, to the runners, to the wine connoisseur/manager, to our waitress, to the bus boys, were magnificent.  So accommodating and down to earth.  The dining experience was absolutely amazing.  And to top it off, Mr. Dieterle sent out signed dinner menus to us from the kitchen, as we enjoyed our last course.  Bonus.

Since I have yet to experience the luxury of dining on a six course tasting menu with a wine pairing, I decided, HEY!  Why the heck not?  You only live once.  To tell you the truth, I was sort of nervous because as you all know, I am not a huge seafood fan and you never know what the chef will decide to serve up.  But I decided to be a trooper and go all in.  And I am super glad I did.  No.  I did not love all of the samples, but I kept an open mind and totally tried each and every option that was placed in front of me.  And please keep in mind and don't get annoyed, I can't remember every little detail of this fine dining experience.  I blame it on the six glasses of wine.  There are some details that I may not recall, especially the brands and types of the wines that were served. But, I do know that the vino selections totally enhanced our dining experience.

After our Cava Brut sparkling white wine was poured and our crusty bread was delivered with some tasty olive oil, our first course arrived.  Bigeye Tuna Carpaccio- "Vitello Tonnato", veal bone marrow crostini, chia seeds, and spicy almond sauce.  Sounds like something I would never order but the combo of the ingredients was yummo.

The same sparkling white wine accompanied our second course which was the Spring Vegetable Salad, rover radish, Greek yogurt, pumpernickel and liberty farm greens.  So fresh and tasty.  Love.  Our third course was the Crispy Soft Shell Crab, roasted vine tomatoes, spicy giardiniera, and grilled bread.  Again, not something that I would normally order but I was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness of the crab meat and the weirdness of being able to eat the shell.  Totally don't remember the wine option by this point but I do recall it was yummy.

The fourth course happened to be one of the specials of the evening which included snails mixed with housemade linguine tossed in a thick, rich sauce.  The linguine was the bomb but I just couldn't get my head around eating snails.  Call me crazy but I just couldn't!  The texture was chewy and it tasted much like a crumbled, spicy, Italian sausage.   And those lil' bastards are trying to destroy our garden so I am kinda not loving their general existence.  Don't even bother asking what kind of wine was served at this point of the evening.  I am thinking it was the nice sparkling red one.  Hmm.

Our fifth course and entree was a sliver of duck breast cooked medium rare and a spicy duck meatball, mint cavatellli, spinach, and quail egg, well known as being one of the Chef Dieterle's specialties.  The ball was delightful but I did not care at all for the rare piece of duck breast.  That's just me.  I tend to appreciate things that I am going to put into my mouth to at least appear to be cooked.

Our final and most delectable course was the Dark Chocolate Souffle, with coffee creme anglaise and almond-hazelnut biscotti.  So freaking delish.  And because none of us really care for dessert wine, the waitress let us choose our fave vino of the evening to accompany our sixth course .  I went with the sparkling red option which was previously served with either the snail sample or duck entree.  It was fabulous and even more bombastic was discovering a RED sparkling wine, Lambrusco di Modena, Opera 2002, (pictured below)!  Our waitress was so sweet and offered to throw in cappuccinos and/or tea with homemade snickerdoodles to boot.

Keep in mind, the menu isn't huge but the options are diverse.  Our entire night at Perilla is one I will cherish forever.  It was great being able to hang with my family and to treat ourselves to such an amazing meal in New York.     (photo above is of the South Reflecting Pool at the 9/11 Memorial)

Orinoco, Brookline

When you hear me say I am truly blessed,  believe it.  It may be that I recently turned another year younger, or you can call it wisdom or whatevs.  But I try to live every day by the rule that we should be thankful for what we have.  Too often I hear people complaining and wishing their life away.  We all need a reminder to take a step back and a gander at ourselves and just say thank you.  :)

My birthday falls during the last week of April and as you may have guessed, food was a major priority in my celebration planning.  It was so awesome to receive tons of birthday wishes from my fabulous family and fantastic friends.  Whether it was in the form of a text, Facebook message, email, phone call, card, gift, homemade dinner, or outing, I sincerely appreciate all of you.  THANK YOU!

As you may know and if you have been following my bloggggggg, my family and I share a birthday dinner tradition.  Orinoco, A Latin Kitchen, (http://www.orinocokitchen.com), in Brookline was this year's choice for my comida de cumpleaños.  And damn!  I am good.  The joint was spectacular.  There are two additional locations in the South End and in Cambridge.  The cuisine is South American with a Venezuelan focus.  And just an fyi and according to the back flap of their menu, the Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America.

The hubs and I decided to head to the restaurant a bit early to grab a drink and reserve a table.  When we arrived around six, the place was pretty dead so we grabbed a seat at the bar where we were greeted immediately by the server/host.  He was super friendly, informative, and chill.  Two other dudes who turned out to be runners/servers were also really nice.  The chick bartender was cool and kinda all business but WOW does she know her mixology.  I loved the sweet and refreshing Sangria with a hint of nutmeg and the hubs enjoyed a Presidente.  All the wine, beer, and cocktails are of Latino decent.  While downing our beverages, we glanced at the menu and around at the funky artwork and decor.  The restaurant itself is not that big.  There are about five or six booths along one wall, a huge family-style dining table in the center, some seats at the bar, and ten more smaller tables along the wall.  Cute and cozy.

For our second libation, we each decided on a Mojito.  OMG.  This was my first experience having an authentic one.  Freaking delish.  The hubs and I can vouch for the Orinoco (Myer's, mint jelly), the Autentico (Pampero rum), and the Cojito (Parrot Bay and shaved coconut), all variations of this classic drink.  Totally recommend.

Right before seven, mi madre, my bro, and his girlfriend walked in just before a huge deluge of people starting pouring in.  Since I had told the dude beforehand, he had our table ready to go.  They don't take reservations for parties smaller than six.  We were seated at the gigantic table in front of the open kitchen in which other patrons shared with us.  It wasn't annoying though.  At this point the place was happening and lively.  Spanish music streamed through the speakers, food was sizzling, conversations were brewing and the feasting was about to go down.

Right away, because we were famished, we ordered our starters and another round of drinks.  This time a pitcher of Sangria, another Mojito for the hubs, and a Pacifico for mi madre and water for everyone.  Oysters Rodriquez (oysters with fufu, horseradish cream, and saute manchego spinach), Datiles (bacon wrapped, almond-filled dates), one Arepa de Pelua (corn pocket filled with Venezuelan-style shredded, stewed, beef with edam yellow cheese, and lastly, two Empanadas (corn flour turnover patties).  One with Venezuelan-style shredded beef and one with shredded pork, served with fresh green salad, tossed with queso blanco and a sherry vinaigrette.  Que rico!!  All of it was spectacular.  Fresh, tasty, different, devoured.

For my main course, I went with one of the specials and of course a red meat option.  Lomito Guayanes, beef tenderloin served with guayanes cheese, over a cabrales viniagrette arugula salad and panela asado veloute.  Savory, tender,  and sensational are three words that come to mind.  The combo of the meat, cheese, and salad was the bomb.  And I added, out of of principle, an order of Arroz con Caraotas (white rice and beans) to share.  MMM!  The hubs went with and inhaled one of the other specials, the Panela Salmon.  Panela marinated salmon, cooked medium, served over Aji Amarillo creamed quinoa with jicama/arugula salad and broken olive vinaigrette.  My bro got the Churrasquito, a seven ounce beef tenderloin cut churrasco style, char-grilled, with crab picadillo, grilled asparagus, and salsa chimi.  He thouroughly enjoyed his dish.  My bro's girlfriend went with the Pollo Adobo, adobo criollo marinated-halved chicken with oregano oil and grilled scallions with malanga gnocchi, which she really liked.  Lastly, mi madre had an Orinoko salad, grilled chicken breast, spring mix, jicama, green grapes, sherry vinaigrette, tossed with feta and toasted almonds.  Totally up her alley.  Per usual, we sampled each others meals (which were sizable and reasonably priced) and I can say fo sho, all of our dinner choices were yummy.  And the menu lists various other traditional Venezuelan delicacies and dishes.  I could have ordered one of everything!

You know I could not leave, although stuffed to the gills, without appreciating some sort of sweet treat and/or Postres.  We ordered two of each, along with more drinkies, homemade Quesillo, traditional Venezuelan flan with caramel and homemade Torta Fluida, molten chocolate cake made with 100% Venezuelan dark chocolate.  I am not a huge flan/custard fan but the fam was pleased with it and I loved the warm and delectable cake.  YUM!!

As we chatted, laughed, leisurely ate and drank, the evening flew by and before we knew it, it was almost 9:30.  My birthday gathering was outstanding.  The hubs and I have already made plans to return for apps and drinks in the very near future.  Highly recommend Orinoco.

Drumsticks Diablo Recipe!

From http://www.cdkitchen.com and revised by yours truly! :)

16 drumsticks
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound crushed tomatoes (can)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 chopped onion (because everything is better with onions!)
hot sauce and red pepper flakes to taste

Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and the pepper. Brown in olive oil  in a large frying pan.  Remove. 

Stir tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, dry mustard, garlic, onion, red pepper seasoning and sauce into pan drippings; bring to a boil. 

Combine drumsticks and sauce in slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours, 6 hours on medium, or 4 hours on high, or obviously until chicken is tender. Serve with spaghetti.  

This dish is SPICY!!!!  Enjoy!!  :)