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Soup Bowl recap: Winners, losers and those who judge
Like a wine tasting, several entries got the shaft immediately. Not naming names here, but it was easy to eliminate. Congrats to Lowell High School Hospitality Academy and their gorgeous scallop, corn, sweet potato chowder with applewood smoked bacon! Co-Judges Augusto Gabriel and Garrett and Nicole Thurston, all of Lowell, made this resto responsibility fun. I even snuck in my pocket cam to capture the painstaking process that goes into picking Lowell's top soups in low-def. See video here
The high school's cooking program, under the expert tutelage of Kevin McGuire, was the big winner. You may remember McGuire as the former chef of Ricardos, the trattoria that nabbed third place for its Italian Divorce Soup (people's choice). A big day for Kev overall. But it was Cobblestone's creamy, buttery and briney clam chowder that Joe public named the bomb. Well deserved, or as the English would say "rightly so."
Things turned geeky in the inner circle when the male judges got into fisticuffs over the nuances between bisque and chowder (something to do with cream), but that's what we are here for. As I made my rounds in the Masonic Temple Saturday I was struck by the many great establishment turning out stellar soups. So what if hospitals and institutions are encroaching on this event? As Augusto pointed out soup is supposed to be medicinal. Let the healing begin. What was your favorite weekend remedy?
Do the banh mi
There are two kinds of foodies -- those who eat anything at anytime and the ones who pretend to be into "all kinds of stuff" but secretly draw the line at squid ink. Peeshaw. Childsplay. I met with the hardest core of the bunch yesterday, Y Sok Woodward. The chef/owner of Rebel Caterers in Lowell took me to Hong Cuc on Dutton Street for "The Sandwich." This Vietnamese classic called banh mi is made with four different kinds of meat (headcheese among them). Let's clear this up right now, I don't know what's in this mystery meat (actually I think it's pig's ears) and I don't want to know. And you shouldn't either if you want to get behind this sandwich. I love the way the flavors and textures coagulate. The crunchy French roll is the closest thing to a baguette I've found in the 978. See those vegetables in the middle? They've been pickled to zesty perfection. Pork, chicken, ham and headcheese (there it is again) are layered on top of a pate and mayo spread -- a genius combo. Cilantro is thrown in for good measure and thank God for that. The herb brings a clean flavor to this ethnic creation. You'll feel like Anthony Bourdain eating the banh mi on the streets of Vietnam. Just don't scrutinize the ingredients and you'll love it. Can you do that? By the way it's a mere $2.50. You've got nothing to loose.
Punk rock winemaker on the loose
I've met my share of bitches, but never a so-called "zin bitch." And never one that looked like Chris Tietje. The bald, inked winemaker of Four Vines in Paso Robles, California turns grapes into righteous juice as Sid Vicious screams about anarchy. Hey, somebody's got to do it. He describes most of his biker-inspired wines as "majorly freaky." Have you ever tried a freaky wine? I did today at the Four Vines table at the Boston Wine Expo and by freaky he means full-bodied and hard as sin. This chef-turned wine maker, who spent summers frying fish in Ogunquit, brings an alternative energy to this labor-intensive craft. With a steely off-beat spirit, he makes wine fun again. The Four Vines Freakshow line (including Heretic made with 100 percent petite syrah pictured above) is a series of headbangers that are bold, powerful and will never be relagated to opening act status. If you ever see these guys at a wine festival ask to see what's under the table. With his private stock he will salute you. Before heading back to the Central Coast, where some of California's best juice is being made today (see Peachy Canyon and Justin ) Tietje visits the Spirited Gourmet Wednesday from 5 to 7 in Winchester. Stop by to try some ass-kicking wine and learn from a guy who won't be wearing a crewneck sweater and smelling of Old Spice.
Got a hot date?
Tonight is date-night at the urbane Summer Winter in suburban Burlington. Relax singletons, you don't have to be coupled or a smug married to dig this deal. The buzzy bistro inside the Marriott throws down a three-course themed meal for $35 every Friday of 2010. Augmented with veggies and herbs from their greenhouse, it's our favorite deal of the moment. Tonight's theme is Southern Lovin'. Black-eyed pea soup, smoked ham and hush puppies get things going. Choose between spicy fried chicken (I'm liking this), country mashed potatoes, pickled watermelon rind with mustard barbecue sauce or blackened steelhead trout with collard greens and creamy grits. Hot Damn! Dessert means cherry-pecan cobble and peach ice cream. You can fit it in. If you eat too much, or get caught up in amore, you can always get a room.
Any other good dining deals out there? It's restaurant week somewhere.
Need a boost?
I am not a late-night partier. I have never been to a rave. But if I did, I'd tuck a few sleeves of EBoost into my pack before slapping on the Day-glow. I love discovering a new food product with verve. Coffee, as good as it is, was created so long ago (ditto wine, beer and pick-your-stimulant) it's low on wow power. So when I stumbled across this all-natural energy lifter yesterday I was ready. Looks hip and the orange packaging is cheerful. But its brilliance really shines when water comes into play. Frothing up into a creamsicle martini in two seconds, this Tang on steroids is hard to put down. A few sips in you feel as perky as Reese Witherspoon in Election. In a few hours you've accomplished so much, curious question will arise ... Why did I wave off that second cup of coffee? Why was I up all night? And why is this "lifestyle enhancer" targeted to jet-setters, drummers and system analysts? Green tea extract, potassium, zinc and enough Vitamin C to quell a Floridian are the main ingredients. So you see, it's all safe, all good and worth every nickel. I ordered up a slew online and have since discovered that some bloggers (DailyMakeover.com) equate EBoost to crack. I don't know about that, but this is one product worth throwing your Monavie (and maybe even your Grey Goose) away forever.
Coffeehouses in Lowell: A Five-Second History
In 1920, there were 28 coffee shops in Lowell. And we think competition today is stiff. Toiling in the mills for 14 hours at a stretch, Greek immigrants needed a place to refuel that felt like home. See these guys? They are drinking java on Market Street in the Acre, where many of the city's earliest coffeehouses thrived. Looks like the now-defunct Olive that and More.
Minerva, Messinia, Smyrna, and Arcadia were the names of these seminal cafés. According to the Lowell Hellenic Heritage Association, a typical cafe had "plenty of tables and chairs, and served a great deal of Turkish coffee and baklava." Sounds good to me.
Here's how one patron, whose identity slipped through the cracks of history, described it: "In the barren rooms of tables and chairs with basil plants lining the window sills and calendars of pretty women and pictures of grizzled Greek patriots on the wall, the men sipped Turkish coffee, read Greek newspapers, smoked the many‑tu nargile, played cards, and talked for hours. For amusement, the customers might dance, sing village songs, and listen to a bouzouki, or mandolin."
So you see it's no different from the coffeehouses of today, minus the marijuana smoking (no wonder these blokes look so stoic). WiFi has replaced much conversation, but open mics and music still fill the air. To wit: The Space has an open mic on Jan. 29 and Brew'd Awakening kicks out the jams Thursday. Do your part to keep this cultural facet of the city's history alive and visit a local cafe today.
We suggest The Coffee Mill for flavors like sticky bun and the best-prices around — $1.05 for a short. Across town by the University, the EggRoll Cafe serves Illy Coffee. Worth the trip.
Haitian Relief hits home
I've always liked Burtons Grill. Now I know why. They've got the mind of a well-oiled chain and the heart of a family franchise. Tonight all three locations (North Andover, Boston and Hingham) will donate 15 percent of the day's proceeds to Bill Clinton's Haitian relief fund.
Regardless of what you think of Slick Willy, at least his fund is not fake. I can't think of a better reason to schlep outside on a classic January day, a Monday no less. Think thick, juicy burgers and helping out a decimated population in one fell swoop. On Sunday La Boniche in Lowell does its part to spread the hope. The uptown French bistro goes tropical with an Afro-Cuban/Caribbean buffet, live music and education from 3 to 5 p.m. For $20, or $30 (per deuce) you can splurge and imbibe with pride. Any other restaurants following in George Clooney's footsteps this week?
Dining Scene in Andover Picks Up
It wasn't too long ago that this tweedy New England town, home of Phillips Academy (enter stuffy cough here) resembled a restaurant wasteland. The cupcake shop, Serene, The Andover Inn and charming French bistro Cassis pulled out in a puff. Over the summer, Starbucks and the Andover Gift Shop looked like the only viable businesses on Main Street. Fast forward to early 2010 and things have perked up like a grande macchiato. In March, Casa Blanca (the Mexican hotspot with locales in Billerica and No. Andover) will move into Serene's second floor hideaway. Yella, a Lebanese bistro, has opened in Cassis' space in romantic Post Office Square. The Andover Inn has new owners and is under repair and Mawby's, the gourmet grocer on Barnard Street, is now La Rosa, an Italian bakery/takeout spot. So you see closings are not always a reason to throw a pity party. These eclectic options are sure to put a positive spin on this quaint downtown that we here in Lowell are lucky to call our neighbor. I will be reviewing these spots over the next few weeks, if you beat me to it, submit your's below.
There Will Be Wine
Hit refresh tomorrow night at the Wine Society's monthly book club and wine tasting. Swirl and sip as you sniff out the juicy narrative in George Taber's To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science and the Battle for the Wine Bottle. The former Time Magazine scribe dissects the best wine closures and spills a few trade secrets in this lively read. But (and this is the best part), instead of discussing the literary nuances over brownies and burnt coffee, you're quaffing back tasty vintages with your friends and neighbors. Haven't read the book? Stop by anyway. We won't tell. Each month the society selects a new wine-forward read. Thursday 6:30- 8 p.m. Wine Society, Pond View Place, Tyngsboro. $25.
Any wino worth her sulphites knows that the biggest wine event of the winter descends next weekend. Boston Wine Expo, Jan. 23- 24, turns the Seaport World Trade Center into grape zero, as hundreds (nay thousands) of wine makers, connoisseurs and happy people with purple lips fan out across this hangar-like space to fist-bump Bacchus.
This year's celeb guests Kevin Zraly (Windows on the World Wine School
and Gary Vaynerchuck (Wine Library TV) will keep you highly entertained. See ya in the Grand Cru Lounge!If you can't make that, you have one more chance. The Granite State keeps the oenophilia flowing at the end of the month with Winter Wine Spectacular. That's in ManchVegas baby!
Some reservations
The culinary bad boy of food TV took a bite out of his contemporaries at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Saturday night. Anthony Bourdain, the edgy host of No Reservations used Guy Fieri, who performed on the same stage in November, as his first target.
"You're 45 years-old, take the douche bag shades off the back of your head," he deadpanned as the crowd ate up the vitriol and asked for more.
The chef-turned-heroin-addict-turned-Travel Channel-star did show some love for Ina Garten and Mario Batali. He hates the Iron Chef, loves Gordon Ramsay (no surprise there) and singled out the British version of Kitchen Nightmares as a reality fave. He also stuck up for Bobby Flay, or showed pity for the most picked-on celeb. chef saying: "I'd hate to be him."
This stand-up show felt like a meeting of the Bourdain fan club. As a marginal No Reservations watcher, I wonder why this guy has blown up. Sure he had a funny bit taking on fast food giants "The Colonel, the King and the Clown," but that's low-hanging fruit. His travel tips — street food in foreign countries yes, concierge recommendations no — had some merit. Although one of my favorite lunch experiences ever came from a concierge assist at the Affinia Hotel in Chicago.
What really bothered me was his off-the-cuff answer to this question from the audience:
"How do you pick your locations?"
AB: "The crew sits around drinking and someone will say 'I saw Apocalypse Now last night. Dude we should go to Vietnam.'"
I felt it disrespected us, or maybe it's because I've never sat in on a meeting like that and I want to!
But really does he have to make his success seem like such a fluke? I'm sure he's worked hard to get where he is and it would've been nice if he shared that with us. He is a contradiction too. "The only thing I don't like about the show is that I'm on it." Right.