The Cynical Cook

La Boulangerie - New Orleans

2012-01-25T21:23:00.003-06:00

Whenever I make the slow drive down Magazine Street towards River Bend, I’ll often find myself lost in the sea of passing buildings. Being New Orleans, every building seems to be in a state of what some would call disrepair; I prefer to think of them as buildings with character. Regardless of your opinion, there’s one building that’s hard to miss on Magazine Street. Cloaked in a brilliant blue with gold and white accents, La Boulangerie has been hailed as New Orleans’ own little slice of Paris, complete with quality pastries and vaguely snobbish attitudes.

Although I’ve stopped at La Boulangerie on many prior visits, most recently my 2011 king cake run, this time it was for breakfast. Naturally the hardest decision one must make at any bakery is deciding what to order and La Boulangerie is no exception. Between the varieties of croissants, Danishes, and other butter and flour creations, there didn’t seem to be a wrong answer.

I decided to go for the dual threat and ordered a chocolate almond croissant. Armed with a pastry-laden plate and a cup of steeping tea, it was time to inspect my purchase.

Maybe it’s a misconception, but I expect croissants to be relatively light. This croissant was quite the opposite. Heavy for its size, I imagined there was more to this pastry than met the eye.

Topped with sliced almonds and a healthy dose of confectioner’s sugar, I imagined that would be the extent of the almonds in this almond croissant.

A quick cut with a knife revealed the truth. This croissant was stuffed to the gills with frangipan and two seams of chocolate. It was a delightful juxtaposition; a light, flaky, and buttery pastry filled with rich chocolate and a double dose of almond.

Wonderful as it was, it was simply too much. These are the sort of problems I have at La Boulangerie. Their products are simply too good, too rich, and too filling, but I can hardly resist them; it’s a fantastic predicament to be in.

La Boulangerie Address & Information

4600 Magazine St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115 // 504.269.3777

Le Foret - New Orleans

2012-01-19T23:52:00.006-06:00

I love the pomp and circumstance of fine dining. There are few things more enjoyable than donning your Sunday best and sitting down to an evening of well-crafted cuisine. Throwing caution thrown to the wind with a tasting menu including four courses of foie gras and two with caviar? Bring it on. A table lit by candlelight, covered in pristine white linens, and manned by a wait staff that seems to be near clairvoyant, why not? If the kitchen is headed by a certified Master Chef like Jimmy Corwell, it’s all the better. Combine those expectations with a handsome review by Blackened Out and I was ready to step into Le Foret and enjoy some of the best that New Orleans had to offer.

To start, while it may be a subject I don’t particularly enjoy dwelling upon, it’s hard to forget the ambiance at Le Foret. Some might call it intimate. I would simply call it dark. Looking in through the windows on Common Street, if it hadn’t been the one or two occupied table, I would have thought the restaurant was closed. Once seated, even with acclimated eyes, reading the menu became the primary challenge.

After finding a way to read the menu, it was a matter of either choosing dishes from the standard sections or the five-course tasting menu. Normally this wouldn't be up for discussion. I've come to think of a testing menu as a chance for the chef to show his skill and creativity. For some reason, this time was different. Even though the tasting menu had an enticing dish with butter poached lobster, I decided a few options from the “something to start”, “something in between”, and “entrees” sections were the superior choices.

One major downside to the lighting situation at Le Foret was the poor quality of the pictures. I’ve still included the pictures but with the warning that there was some adjustment to the exposure compensation. With that out of the way, the first dish on the table was a small amuse bouche of tomato bisque and sweet cookies with rabbit pate.

The cookies, true to their description, were sweet, crispy, and delicate. Easy to miss, the rabbit pate was small in quantity but rich and meaty. As for the tomato bisque, it was thick and condensed tomato goodness.

Working on the idea of one dish per section, the choice from “something to start” was the eternal classic, gulf oysters – Rockefeller Style.

Consisting of five of the gulf’s finest with spinach and celery fondue and a pernod glacage gratinee, these oysters were just cooked and featured a pleasant, but not overpowering anise flavor.

Intrigued by the name, I picked Le Foret Champignons as the “something in between” representative.

Instead of a simple plate of confit mushrooms, pickled onions, pate de foie gras, sultanas, hazlenuts, and watercress, this dish took a whimsical approach.

A trio of shitake topped, foie gras pate stuffed pastries formed the mushroom forest with the watercress, sultantas, hazlenuts, and pickled onions making up the forest floor.

Aesthetics aside, the highlight of this dish was the textural contrast of crispy pastry and smooth, rich pate. While the mushrooms did provide an extra touch of velvety meatiness, this plate was truly all about the pate.

Call it gluttony or call it being a glutton for punishment, I needed more confit. This time the confit came in the form of a spiced duck confit pasta terrine. Sitting beneath a Moulard duck breast and joined by sous vide radish and baby beets, crookneck squash, duck cracklings, and buttered duck jus, this entrée was billed as a duck tour de force.

Cooked medium rare, this duck breast had a salty and crispy, almost burn skin.

Beneath the skin was a duck that was very chewy with small, medium-rare center. As for the rest of the dish, the buttered duck jus was as rich as expected while the other components, the pasta terrine, radish and baby beets, cracklings, and squash seemed to do little more than simply round out the dish.

Although the duck had been an underwhelming end to the meal, I can’t help but feel that the whole Le Foret experience was a bit anticlimactic. Let me explain; there was nothing wrong with the amuse bouche or the oysters Rockefeller; they were perfectly suitable, above average dishes. The Le Foret Champignons, again a very nice dish and a delightful play on words, was nothing exceptional. If there was a true downside to the meal, it was undoubtedly the duck breast. Once again, this was a passable dish but hardly class leading. Concerning service, while I respect Blackened Out’s opinions, in my experience, Le Foret provided nothing equal to or striving towards three star levels. This was a pleasant dinner but sadly not the standard setting meal that I was expecting. Le Foret may be one of the few outlets in New Orleans striving towards world class excellence but I believe there are better meals to be had in the city.

Le Foret Address & Information

129 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 // 504.553.6738 // Le Foret Website // Le Foret Menu // Le Foret Reservations

Crabby Jack's - New Orleans

2012-01-15T21:35:00.003-06:00

It had been far too long since I last set foot in New Orleans. In fact, the last time was during the ice storm last February. The roads may have been perilous, my windshield may have had a solid sheet of ice on the edges, but I was determined to return to Jackson with king cakes and I did. Fortunately, the weather in October was much more accommodating. The lingering heat of the summer had finally moved on and it was that glorious time of year where you can stand outside and not turn into a wrinkly, sweating mess. Aside from enjoying the weather, I had made an early break from Jackson to ensure I’d hit New Orleans in time for lunch, but not just any lunch; after months, maybe years of procrastinating, I was finally heading to Jefferson Highway for a taste of Crabby Jack’s.

I say months and years because I’ve been relying on the recommendations of a few Jackson and New Orleans residents for my past po-boy pursuits, namely Nola Maven and the good people at Blackened Out. I’ve been slowly making the rounds of some more well-known po-boy vendors but the suggestion of Crabby Jack’s would always gnaw at the back of my mind. Well, enough was enough. With an empty stomach and a camera in hand, I was determined to see if Crabby Jack’s was worth the wait and effort.

As with most po-boy restaurants, I had to make a decision. Do I try some of my favorites, my litmus tests or do I strike out and sample a house specialty? This time, the later won out as the roast beef po-boy and oyster po-boys went unordered. What did appear was a duck po-boy.

The first of three for lunch, I had barely undone the tape when the full-bodied aroma of well-cooked duck hit me.

There it was, a po-boy overflowing with moist, thinly sliced duck.

From the first bite, I kicked myself for not eating here soon. Each mouthful was brimming with silky duck, the briny snap of pickles, and gravy with just a touch of pepper.

It was a staggering amount of duck for $9, and it was so rich and succulent that I was initially convinced I had been given pork by accident.

This would hardly be a po-boy outing without a little bit of fried food, luckily a helping of fried shrimp on Leidenheimer bread filled that void.

At first glance, it was echoes of Parkway Bakery. The shrimp were on the smallish side but plentiful enough to overflow from the loaf with the slightest touch.

Quantity aside, the quality of these shrimp was equally impressive. Each shrimp tail carried a satisfying crunch with a salty crust and an ever so slightly briny meat.

Topped with a few shots of hot sauce, this shrimp po-boy became a loaf of fried seafood bliss.

Never one to be easily satisfied, I decided to overindulge and round out my trio of po-boys with a little bit of cochon de lait.

Since I started writing this blog, I’ve had my fair share of excellent and flat out terrible pork. I’m afraid that this po-boy puts damn near everything else to shame.

Between the soggy slices of po-boy bread lay a small mountain of ethereal pork. Silky and unctuous with a slight spice of a rub; there was no real smokiness, just the vinegary crunch of pickles to help cut through the pure pork flavor, fat, and sweetness.

It’s not often that you encounter a dish that makes you reevaluate your take on food, but hyperbole aside, it’s hard to imagine a higher pinnacle for the humble suckling pig.

Conquered by a trio of po-boys, I could only ponder why I had procrastinated so much in coming to Crabby Jack’s. In retrospect, what was really unfair about the whole venture was the shrimp po-boy. It’s a perfectly fine sandwich, certainly above average, but it didn’t stand a chance in comparing to the cochon de lait and duck po-boys.

Later while wandering through the rest of New Orleans, I was told all the excellent po-boys I had missed on the Crabby Jack’s menu. Undoubtedly, Crabby Jack’s deserves multiple visits. It’s a shame that so many visitors to New Orleans will never make it here, but true po-boy fans will hire a taxi, rent a car, or walk to get these po-boys. They truly are that spectacular.

Crabby Jack’s Address & Information

428 Jefferson Hwy, Jefferson, LA 70121 // 504.833.2722

Gu's Bistro - Atlanta

2012-01-08T21:34:00.003-06:00

Even though I had just enjoyed a bit of fine Sichuan cuisine while I was in Boston, when Jennifer suggested trying a relatively new Sichuan restaurant in Atlanta, I was all for it. Situated just north of 285 in the former Chonq Qing Hot Pot location, Gu’s Bistro has been open since early 2011 and in that time, Yiquan Gu and his restaurant have garnered a fair amount of favorable reviews: Gene Lee with the AJC and The Blissful Glutton weighed in with their opinions while Food Near Snellville took part in a massive 27 person meal. Always eager to try something new with favorable reviews and the potential for spiciness, Jennifer and I made the trek down Buford Highway for a late lunch.

Once seated, it was time to face the eternal question of where to start. Fortunate or unfortunate, Gu’s Bisto does not make that an easy take. The appetizer section alone has more than 20 choices with several items, specifically the ha ha green jelly, causing even more confusion.

After several minutes of patience by our waiter, we placed an order for appetizers and soon the first dish arrived, crispy beef jerky with chili sauce. Who can turn down the idea of dried beef in a spicy sauce?

While the components, beef and chili oil, were familiar, the extra shredded texture was new.

Shredded finely and dried fried until crunchy, this beef was oily with a lingering heat and nuttiness. Eaten plain or over rice, it was hard to stop grabbing another pinch of beef.

Nigh impossible to resist, it was inevitable that an order of Dan Dan noodles would make it to the table.

With big, thick, and chewy egg noodles, this was an interesting take on one of my favorite noodle dishes.

When mixed, the sparse amount of meat quickly disappeared, but the manageably spicy sauce soon dominated. There wasn’t an overwhelming sensation of ma la to this bowl, just pleasant noodles with enough heat to keep things interesting.

Since the two of us can never get enough dumplings, an order of Chengdu wontons was the next item from the Szechuan Style Dim Sum section of the menu.

Somewhere beneath that greenery is a healthy dose of wontons, broth, and chili oil.

Big flowing wings with a small ball of pork in the middle, these were classic, succulent wontons. Accompanying the wontons was a sauce laced with plenty of chili oil, a satisfying touch of heat to accompany the pork and dough.

Knowing that two orders of dumplings is always better than one, the Zhong style dumplings were next to arrive.

Simply folded and featuring likely the same filling as the Chengdu wontons, these dumplings had a sweet sauce that was lightly balanced with a smattering of chili oil. I didn’t taste the same bitterness as Zyman did in her encounter, but the Zhong style dumplings were a fine choice either way.

Whenever a menu uses a system to denote spiciness, I can’t help but see it as a challenge. In the case of Gu’s Bistro, they use a system of one to four chilis to mark the spice level. With four being the highest, it was interesting that there were only three four chili dishes on the entire Chinese menu. Since I was still skeptical about the ha ha green jelly and wasn’t in the mood to pick at pork feet, the sautéed chicken with chili peppers was the only logical choice.

Topped with dried chilies, teeming with sliced, fresh chilies, and swimming in a pool of chili oil red sauce, I thought I might have gotten in over my head with this chicken.

With the first bite, a definitive heat began building at the corners of my mouth but the full burning onslaught never really came. Instead, this was a plate of incredibly juicy, well-cooked chicken that was utterly delicious. Sure it was a little spicy, but it wasn’t overwhelming and the sweetness of the chicken had plenty of opportunity to shine through.

Looking to a Sichuan favorite, an order of ma po tofu began winding down the meal.

Silky tofu in a vinegary sauce, there was the unmistakable dusty, citrus flavor and crunch of ground Sichuan peppercorns.

Finishing up, cumin lamb was the last plate on the table.

There was no shortage of tender lamb on this plate and each piece was teeming with the dusty flavor of cumin and a well-rounded heat. Texture wise, this lamb was fork tender and a little fatty but in a good way.

Normally, this would have been the end of my review of Gu’s Bistro, but I was so far behind on writing that I actually had the opportunity to visit again. This time, we had Aaron in tow, so a few different dishes made an appearance.

Besides a few repeat appearances by the Chengdu wontons and Dan Dan noodles, the appetizer that truly stuck out was the Ha Ha Green Jelly.

Even after reassuring our waiter that we liked spicy food, he was hesitant to bring this dish to our table.

I’m still not quite sure how to describe the odd green jelly that was on the bottom of the bowl, but the rest was a goldmine of ma la and chilies. To put it mildly, I was infatuated with the chili mix and questioned the waiter why this wasn’t used on the Dan Dan noodles. The answer was something about different chilies for that dish, but I was too busy enjoying the jelly topping to really pay much attention.

Dialing down the chili level to a simple 2 chili rating, we tried an order of the ma la beef with tofu.

Topped with peanuts, plenty of ground Sichuan peppercorns, and sliced scallions, Gu’s Bistro again proved that they don’t skimp on the protein.

As tender as the cumin lamb before, this beef was almost as silky and fork tender as the tofu.

This dish was a beautiful combination of beef, tofu, chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorns, hard to stop eating and excellent over rice.

The last dish was Aaron’s choice and something a little different, deboned tea smoked duck with scallions and ginger.

True to its name, this dish was full of scallions and ginger not to mention a bounty of sliced bell peppers and smoky duck. Yes, the duck was a little on the dry side, but the jasmine smoke flavor provided a smoky backdrop to every bite.

Even though these two meals barely scratched the surface of Gu’s copious menu, nearly every dish made me wish I could visit Gu’s Bistro more often. However, I suppose that’s the least important part of this review. I imagine the main question is how does it stack up to the other Atlanta bastion of Sichuan cuisine, the infamous Peter Chang’s? As is the case with so many comparisons, each restaurant has its own strengths and weaknesses. For sheer heat and ma la numbing, Gu’s Bistro couldn’t touch my first few times at Peter Chang’s, especially comparing Peter Chang’s Three Pepper Chicken to Gu’s sautéed chicken with chili peppers. If forced to choose between the two, I simply can’t. Isn’t it enough that Atlanta has two excellent Sichuan restaurants? It just helps that Gu’s is a little closer to Buckhead.

Gu’s Bistro Address & Information

5750-A Buford Hwy, Doraville, GA 30340 // 770.451.8118 // Gu’s Bistro Website // Gu’s Bistro Menu

Grant's Kitchen - Flowood

2012-01-03T21:28:00.005-06:00

For years Grant Nooe has been a staple in Jackson’s culinary scene. With past projects including Brick Oven Café and Pan-Asia, Nooe has left an indelible mark on the Capital city. However, early in 2011, Nooe sold his shares in Fresh Market Café and Pan-Asia and opened a new restaurant on Lakeland. Centered on the idea of “quick cuisine”, Grant’s Kitchen is Nooe’s take on the classic Southern meat and three. While I may not have been too complimentary towards his Asian efforts, I was curious to see what Nooe could do to improve Flowood’s lunch offerings. So over the course of three separate Styrofoam packaged meals, Grant’s Kitchen showed its true colors.

Since Tony’s Tamales moved to their Ridgeland location and retired chicken and dumplings from their menu, I’ve been searching for a quality replacement. Knowing Nooe’s background, I had high hopes for my first excursion to the former Pizza Hut location.

If congress approved pizza as a vegetable, then I can count macaroni and cheese as a vegetable too.

From the first bite, there was something different about these chicken and dumplings. The sauce was velvety, thick and gelatinous; the dumplings were pillow soft, and the chicken, amazingly moist, especially for white meat.

Accompanying the chicken and dumplings was an order of butter beans.

Overcooked and a little chalky, these butterbeans had a few token flecks of pork and made for a halfway decent side.

Along with the butterbeans was the second vegetable, macaroni and cheese.

This was your garden-variety mac and cheese, served from a disher and one dimensional.

Rounding out the plate was an order of cornbread, and I have to commend Grant’s kitchen for their preparation. Every order of cornbread is cooked in a small, cast iron skillet. It’s a time consuming method, but it makes for a stellar crust.

Well, stellar might be a bit much for this batch of cornbread, but it’s still a step above the average Jackson cornbread.

As for the taste, it’s another middle of the road offering from Grant’s Kitchen. Not too salty nor too sweet, it’s just sort of there.

Hoping to find the same success, the next takeout from Grant’s Kitchen featured another homestyle favorite, the pot roast.

I figured it was time to have two real vegetables for sides, so goodbye mac & cheese.

While the people behind the cafeteria line at Grant’s Kitchen certainly didn’t skimp on the portion size, no amount of beef would make this plate worth eating.

There may have been plenty of lightly shredded beef, a few errant carrots, and even a few ladles of au jus, but nothing could cover up the sheer dryness and stringiness of this beef.

It is refreshing to see a meat and three restaurant try and branch out with vegetable selection, and the side of stir-fried vegetables certainly made an effort.

Say hello to the flavors of soy and rice vinegar dished over onions, cabbage, squash, huge broccoli florets, and red bell peppers. Sadly, however adventurous this might seem to the average meat and three patron, this greasy, overcooked side dish barely belonged on a cheap Chinese buffet.

As for the black eyed peas,

If you like chalky and insipid, then these are the peas for you.

At this point, it was a several month hiatus before I decided that Grant’s Kitchen needed at least one more chance to show up. I suppose I’m a glutton for punishment, but after the turnaround between my second and third visits to Fusion, I held out hope for Grant’s Kitchen.

When I arrived, I was happy to see a special for that day, tamales.

Served three to an order, it made for an austere presentation in its takeout box.

Unwrapping the first tamale, things looked fine.

However the first prod with a fork revealed gummy corn dough with an equally gummy meat filling. Texture aside, these tamales had an initially pleasant heat that lingered with just a touch of burnt and acrid flavors, but even if the flavors had been golden, the texture was simply too poor to continue.

Moving past the tamales, it was time to see how Grant’s Kitchen could handle a little seafood with their shrimp étouffée.

I don’t often see étouffée with such an orange color.

The texture was equally odd, very thick and velvety but it was the initial taste that really caught me off guard. It had the taste of a pumpkin or winter squash soup.

As for the shrimp, there was a fair amount and of a good size, but, like so many other steamer tray victims, they were overcooked.

On the whole, this wasn’t a particularly spicy étouffée and the flavor was odd but likeable.

The last thing on the plate was a wedge of Mexican cornbread.

Featuring the same slightly above average crust as the regular cornbread, this Mexican cornbread was chock full of peppers and corn. Spicy and not too sweet, this was one of the takeout highlights.

Despite a few decent showings, the chicken & dumplings , Mexican cornbread, and maybe the étouffée, Grant’s Kitchen ended up as little more than a well dressed Picadilly. The setting may be appealing and there may be Sriracha in the condiment station, but it seems that even Nooe can’t escape the dark grasp of the steamer tray. I’m sure some people will enjoy the variety of overcooked, underseasoned vegetables and meats, but I’ll keep looking for something better.

Grant’s Kitchen Address & Information

2847 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, MS 39232 // 601.665.4764 // Grant’s Kitchen Website // Grant’s Kitchen Menu

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage - Cambridge

2011-12-15T22:04:00.003-06:00

Still fuming over the terrible burger from Grendel’s Den, I started walking down Massachusetts Ave towards a more reputable hamburger vendor, Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage. In retrospect, this is what I should have done in the first place as no matter where I looked, chowhound, blogs, or Urbanspoon the praise was endless; even Hamburger America by George Motz praised Bartley’s burgers as “unbelievable”. So, it should come as no surprise that even at 1 on a Tuesday afternoon, there was a still a line out of the door.

After a quick wait and a chance to peruse the humorous menu, I was shown to a table amidst the chaos. It’s hard to know where to start at Bartley’s, everywhere I looked people were chowing down on a near endless variety of burgers. Although I was tempted to choose by name alone, I wanted a taste of a Bartley’s bacon cheeseburger. So, regardless of my opinion on the man, it was one Scott Brown for my table.

A short while later, the senator’s namesake touched down.

Served with a mountain of fries, this 7 ounce patty was ordered medium rare and topped with bacon, American cheese, grilled onions, and jalapenos.

The fries, while well fried, crispy on the outside and fluffy within, were in need of a little salt, but that was easy to correct.

Like Grendel’s Den, I have to fault Bartley’s for a poor burger to bun ratio.

I do prefer when the jalapenos are incorporated into the patty, but there’s a charm to the thrown together look of this burger.

However, any grumblings about presentation were forgotten when I took a bite of this freshly ground patty. A thick, well seared crust, a beautifully medium rare middle, this cheeseburger was big, beefy, and unbelievably juicy. Any taste of bacon was lost in a sea of well-cooked beef patty and cheese but this was burger simplicity attaining its near perfect form.

Leaving behind little more than a small pile of fries and a grease spot where my burger used to be, I was able to snap a picture of what helps make Bartley’s burgers so great.

A well seasoned griddle, 600 degrees, and a little bit of weight, it’s the stuff burger dreams are made of, and the pile of sautéing onions isn’t bad either. Needless to say, any ill will I hade built up towards Grendel’s Den was vanished by the sublime products of Bartley’s Burger Cottage. I only wish I had eaten at Bartley’s first if only to try more than one of their burgers and maybe one of their shakes. Regardless, the next time I’m in Boston, the first and last thing I will do is pay a visit to Bartley’s, just to get a taste of burger nirvana.

Bartley’s Burger Cottage Address & Information
1246 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 // 617.354.6559 // Bartley’s Burger Cottage Website // Bartley’s Burger Cottage Menu

Grendel's Den - Cambridge

2011-12-13T23:22:00.003-06:00

It’s amazing what sticks out in my mind. While I was planning my trip to Boston, I was doing the usual bit of research when I remembered a Food Network segment on a Cambridge pub named Grendel’s Den. I don’t recall the pub being anything special, I think it stuck with me because of the name. Regardless of its origins, nearly six years after seeing it on TV, I was going to make sure and pay Grendel’s Den a visit before I left Boston.

Taking a seat outside, you couldn’t have asked for a better fall day. 60 degrees, sunny, the leaves had begun to change, and there was even a pretty decent guitarist playing in the small, adjacent park. However, disappointment soon reared its ugly head as I found out that Grendel’s Den was out of Cambridge Ale and their season special appetizer, Bavarian pretzels, was mysterious unavailable. No matter, an order of sambal chicken skewers would work just fine.

Expecting a few paltry strips of white meat chicken on a stick, imagine my surprise when I saw my order of sambal chicken skewers.

Consisting of few huge strips of white meat, I’ve never had an order of grilled chicken this juicy and well cooked.

Flavor wise, it tasted a lot like buffalo sauce with a touch of lime and Asian flavor. As for the side of ranch and celery, the chicken was damn good with the ranch but it only served to reinforce the idea of buffalo sauce. I only wish that all buffalo wings would be this juicy.

I expected the same oversized but well cooked portions would carry over to my Alpine Burger entrée, but that was not the case.

That’s a pretty poor patty to bun ratio.

Parts of the slice of raclette cheese were nicely melted but the rest looked as slapped on as the mushrooms.

When it comes to burgers, looks are not always the most important part of the equation but biting into the Alpine burger, every other component fell flat as well. This burger was little more than two odd patties with no discernible taste. There was no seasoning, no beefy flavor, and they were cooked to death. This wasn’t even worth eating.

Six years and how did it end? Well, outside of some pretty good chicken skewers, pretty poorly. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting from Grendel’s Den, but the results were not inspiring. From the looks of other sites, the spinach pie was the thing to order, but that’s a mistake I’ll just have to live with. However the story did not end here. Having barely touched my burger, I decided to look up another Cambridge institution, Bartley’s Burger Cottage, but that will come later.

Grendel’s Den Address & Information

89 Winthrop St. Cambridge, MA 02138 // 617.491.1160 // Grendel’s Den Website // Grendel’s Den Menu

Neptune Oyster - Boston

2011-12-08T22:47:00.003-06:00

You would think that at eight on a Monday it would be a pretty easy to find a seat at a restaurant. At least, that’s what I thought as I put my name down for a spot at Neptune Oyster. I imagined that it would be a fifteen-minute wait, my number would be called and I would soon be dining on freshly shucked oysters and lobster rolls to my heart’s content. Sadly that was not the case. After an hour of waiting and wandering through the North End, I walked back to Neptune Oyster to find that a table for one still wasn’t available. Eventually, a sympathetic hostess made some room at the bar and I was able to plot my course on a journey through Neptune Oyster’s menu.

After watching the shucker behind the bar work her magic, my platter of cold seafood was set in front of me.

Four shrimp, two Johah crab claws, and eight oysters may seem like a lot for one person, but after waiting for an hour, I was amazed that I didn’t order more.

Shrimp cocktail, in my opinion, when done well, is one of the best appetizers available and Neptune Oyster does shrimp cocktail very well. The shrimp were large, juicy with a touch of lemon flavor, and carried an ever-satisfying snap with each bite.

The Kusshi oysters were smaller and brinier than the kumamotos, but just as buttery.

Kumamoto oysters, tied with Apalachicolas for my favorite, were small and buttery as always. I realize that neither of these are Massachusetts oysters, shame on me, delicious shame.

The Jonah crab, sweet and perfectly complimented by the mustard sauce, was an excellent way to round out the cold portion of this meal. If there was one downside to the plate it was the mignonette, there was nothing particularly wrong with it, it just paled in comparison to the heavy horseradish flavor of the cocktail sauce.

If there was a disappointing section of the meal, it came in the form of the clam chowder.

Thinner than I was expecting, this chowder came with a healthy dusting of chives.

The variety of textures particularly the crunchy celery and well-cooked potatoes were welcome features but the star of the dish was a let down.

Instead of clams with every bite, this bowl was populated with a few big, chewy strips of clam meat. Far from the worst bowl of clam chowder I've had, I was expecting more from Neptune Oyster.

Saving the best, or at least the richest for last, the Maine lobster roll finished out the meal.

When ordering, I had the choice of served hot with butter or cold with mayo, and who would choose mayo over butter?

At first this was possibly the most glorious sandwich I had ever seen. The roll was toasted from the grill and was simply overflowing with butter drenched lobster.

With the first bite, I came to know the true definition of excess. The lobster was moist and sublime, the butter rich and ever so lightly toasted, and the roll provided just enough crunch to hold it all together.

However, it became readily apparent that this was not a sandwich to linger over and savor. The roll, soaked from the river of butter, became soggy and quickly started falling apart in my hands. I did my best to keep it together, but there was too much butter, too much lobster and too little time.

As for the fries, they were all well salted and quite tasty but it was an odd mix of textures. There wasn’t any particular uniformity, some were small and crisp, other large and limp. Regardless of their size and texture, they played a distant second fiddle to the lobster.

Several hours after I set out from my hotel, I had to wonder if the walk to and wait at Neptune Oyster was worth it. Yes it was. From the cold plate of oysters, shrimp, and crab to the monumental lobster roll it was all divine, even the lackluster clam chowder had its charms. If I’m looking for a negative to this meal, it reads like a list of first world problems. My clam chowder wasn’t meaty enough. My lobster roll has too much lobster and butter. These are the problems that I love to have. I can only hope that Neptune Oyster hasn't forever spoiled me on lobster rolls.

Neptune Oyster Address & Information

63 Salem Street, Boston, MA 02113 // 617.742.3474 // Neptune Oyster Website // Neptune Oyster Menu

New Shanghai - Boston

2011-12-07T22:51:00.004-06:00

Day three in Boston, and after the gastronomical delights of Hungry Mother and Craigie on Main, it was time to delve back into my Chinese roots with another visit to Chinatown. While dimsum at Hei La Moon had passed muster, I had arrived in Boston with a taste for the numbing heat of Sichuan cuisine. Normally, I wouldn’t have associated this Yankee pot roast part of New England with quality Sichuan food but I suppose that was the point of a year old Serious Eats article. Aptly named “8 Cities and The Dishes They’re Not Known For (But Should Be)”, this slideshow cites culinary goldmines such as Detrot’s burgers, San Francisco’s ice cream, Portland’s pizzas, but most relevant to my interests was Boston and their Sichuan food.

Sadly most of the listed restaurants were mostly out of reach. Zoe’s in Cambridge, Chili Garden in Medford, FuLoon in Malden, and Sichuan Garden II in Brookline all sounded delicious but I decided to make the best of my situation and head to the one Chinatown restaurant on the list, New Shanghai.

Taking a seat at one of New Shanghai’s hot pot tables, it was hard to know where to begin. With more than 200 items on their menu including hot pot, Sichuan appetizers, and Peking snacks, I could have been quite to content to plan my next month of meals here, but I took a page from Fuschia Dunlop and started with a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles.

Beneath the virginal white of the noodles lay a pool of chili infused oil that was ready to turn this beef, noodle and green laden bowl into a mess of ma la goodness.

Well, that was the hope as I mixed the noodles. Actually the flavors were pretty subtle and frankly a bit bland at first but with each bite, the oily, tender noodles gained more of that dusty Sichuan peppercorn taste.

Not content with noodles, an order of Sichuan wontons with red chili sauce was next on my table.

These wontons were the best of both worlds; a sesame tinged chili oil whose heat only compounded with each bite and just a touch of sweetness to bring you down to earth.

Putzing around with noodles and wontons is all well and good but it was time to step up to the big leagues and prepare for a full on prickly ash assault. This would be the ideal time to swan dive into a bowl of mapo tofu, but I had beef on my mind and boiled beef fillet with red pepper and bean sprouts seemed like a fine choice.

Dusted with ground Sichuan peppercorns and minced raw garlic, would this bowl finally be the numbing knockout punch I was looking for?

The answer came with my first bite of beef. Almost immediately, a wave of vinegar laden chili melded with the tender filet to form the big, bold flavors I was hoping for.

The strips of celery and bok choy played the welcome role of textural contrast and much needed greenery, but the highlight of this boiled beef was the lip numbing excellence of well made Sichuan food. I came to New Shanghai looking for quality Sichuan cuisine and, if this boiled beef is any indication, I found it.

Needless to say, I was very happy with the three dishes I tried. Yes, three out of 200+ is hardly fair to judge a restaurant, but, in this case, it works. Maybe next time I’m in Boston, I’ll have a bigger appetite or company to try more of the favorites like mapo tofu, cumin lamb or Chengdu chicken, but that will have to wait. However, if there is one fiddly detail that bothers me, it’s that New Shanghai charges for their white rice. Charging for good fried rice I can understand, but if you’re going to serve me excellent Sichuan food that begs for rice and then make me fork over an extra $1.25 for the privilege, I’ll do it, but I will complain about it.

New Shanghai Address & Information

21 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111 // 617.338.6688 // New Shanghai Website // New Shanghai Menu

Craigie on Main - Cambridge

2011-11-30T22:57:00.004-06:00

There’s something to be said for dining alone. It’s a chance to collect your thoughts, focus on the food, and usually catch up on a little reading. However, light reading was the least of my concerns when I was seated at a high top in the bar of Craigie on Main. I was there for a tasting menu and to see the brilliance that had garnered Chef Tony Maws the title of Boston’s Best Chef and one of America’s Best New Chefs from Food and Wine, but first a little background. Prior to arriving in Massachusetts, I had never heard of Tony Maws or Craigie on Main, but after an adamant recommendation from Mr. Gaertner, I made the first reservation possible. Now you know why I was perched on a bar chair at 5:30 on a Sunday evening.

To ease the pain of such an early dinner, I tried to take full advantage of the well reviewed bar at Craigie on Main.

The Merchant’s Wife was a cocktail made with watermelon shrub, ethereal, dolin dry, angostura, and basil. Watermelon may seem like an odd choice for early October, but it was perfect for the last throes of an Indian summer.

Before I could finish my drink a trio of amuse preparations was brought to my table.

According to my menu, this plate consisted of squid noodles, house-cured Portuguese sardine, and a smoked bluefish rillette.

Starting with the squid, these tender, chilled noodles were coated with sweet nuoc cham and toasted garlic. While I was hoping for a touch of chili heat from the nuoc cham, I could have eaten an entire bowl of these squid noodles.

Moving to the cured sardine, it was evident that the kitchen at Craigie on Main can cure fish with the best of them. This sardine was just salty enough and the buttermilk dressing at the bottom of the bowl played a nice tangy foil.

Not for the faint of heart, the smoked bluefish rillette had a thick, fishy taste that was only accentuated by the hackleback caviar. This was big, bold, pungent and eaten with great satisfaction.

The second course kept in the same fish centric vein with a plate of black bass sashimi.

Served with apple, watermelon radish, and jalapeno, this black bass was tender and meaty with just a subtle oiliness.

Although the slightly sweet sauce was a nice addition, the real highlight was the textural contrast of black bass and the crunch of the apple.

It was with the third course that Craigie on Main began to show why they chose a pig for their logo.

House-cured guanciale wrapped harpooned swordfish with fresh rock shrimp, barley couscous, fingerling potatoes, and salt cod-daikon broth. Despite looking like a busy plate, all the components worked quite well together. While the swordfish may have bore a resemblance to a slice of pork loin, it had a meaty, unique flavor that, compared to the black bass and bluefish, did taste more like pork than fish.

The couscous and rock shrimp were just as well prepared as the swordfish albeit with a slightly salty tail. Aside from the porky swordfish, what didn’t make sense to me was the role of the daikon. I realize it was a part of the broth, but the two daikon rolls seemed tacked on.

The lone soup on the tasting menu came in the form of a soup of Long Island Cheese pumpkin.

On its own, this soup was buttery rich and creamy that, for some reason, reminded me of chicken tikka masala.

However, the real star of the bowl was a small grilled cheese sandwich. Modeled after Chef Maws’ favorite London market grilled cheese, this two cheese and pork belly sandwich was a decadent monstrosity. When the buttered, toasted bread was combined with the soup and the two cheeses, I think the pork belly was overkill. It was all delicious, but still too much.

Playing the role of a pasta course was a plate of house-made pumpkin macaroni.

Rounding out the plate component’s was kid goat confit, charred tomato, and sweet potato.

I rarely see pumpkin pasta, but this was exceedingly tender with a subtle, earthy sweetness.

As rare as pumpkin pasta, goat is a personal favorite and this meltingly tender goat confit was a sterling example of the meat. I wouldn’t have imagined that goat and sweet potato work together so well, but they were a dynamic duo in this dish.

Apparently the guanciale from the swordfish and pork belly from the pumpkin soup was too little pork as the next course was a plate of grilled pork belly.

This plate was a feast for the senses, the grill marks, the heady pork aroma, and the taste. Actually, while the pork was quite well seasoned, the belly was dry and overcooked.

Even with the ample maitake mushroom, pork broth, and pears, the dryness of the pork still shone through with every bite.

Outside of the pork belly, the rest of the dish was sweet and very reminiscent of sugar cured country ham, especially the broth.

The last of the savory plates arrived in the form of a spice-crusted venison leg.

Back in perfectly cooked form, this venison was achingly tender with just a touch of cinnamon with each bite.

Complimenting the slight gaminess of the venison were the earthy flavors of venison sausage, autumn olive coulis, and matsutake mushrooms.

Before diving headfirst into the sweetness of the dessert course, I was eased in with a plate of celery and green apple sorbet.

Stracciatella cheese and candied celery are not what I would consider dessert ingredients,

but this plate of tart and salty ingredients made me reconsider my definition of dessert flavors.

Taking my tastebuds for a whirlwind conclusion, my waitress next arrived with a plate of sassafras poached pears.

Surrounded by concord grapes, graham cracker, chevre ice cream, and raspberry syrup, this was akin to a deconstructed pie.

The pears, full of rich sassafras, when combined with the raspberry syrup and a bit of graham cracker made for a beautiful four note chord of flavors.

Finishing the meal was a palette cleansing yogurt foam with carrot granite.

Rich as mascarpone cheese, the foam was the perfect vehicle for the bright taste of ginger and the biggest carrot flavor I’ve ever tasted.

At this point, I was ready to roll out of my chair and find a cab to take me back to Boston, but there was one more tiny plate to come.

Caramel macaroons, they were as well made and delicious as they looked. Each bit size piece began with a flush of chocolate and ended with just a touch of salinity, magic.

If there’s one thing I take from each tasting menu, degustation, chef’s menu, etc, that I try, it’s what I was told by my good friend and current CIA student, Frank told me; "Always get the tasting menu, you put yourself in the chef’s hands." I may have distorted the wording over the years, but the idea remains the same, a tasting menu is a chance for a chef to showcase his talents and for the diner to be taken on a gustatory thrill ride. After my experience with Tony Maw’s tasting menu at Craigie on Main, I can understand why he has earned so much acclaim. Outside of an overcooked pork belly, each dish was artfully prepared and composed. I still think that the pork belly in the soup’s cheese sandwich was unnecessary but it was damn tasty. To think, were it not for Bill’s suggestion, I would have aimlessly wandering Boston’s culinary landscape; it pays to have friends who appreciate good food.

Craigie on Main Address & Information

853 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139 // 617.497.5511 // Craigie on Main Website // Craigie on Main Menu // Craigie on Main Reservations

Hei La Moon - Boston

2011-11-29T21:36:00.006-06:00

Given enough time, I will almost always end up in the Chinese part of town. This most recent trip to Boston was no exception. After dinner at Hungry Mother and a late night at a popular but appalling sports bar turn disco on the water, I was up the next morning and looking for something to eat. I had hoped to join Alex and Sarah for brunch before they headed back to New York but they left earlier than I expected. So I was on my own. Following my natural instincts, I did a quick google search and then hailed a cab for a ride to Chinatown for dim sum at Hei La Moon.

Conspicuously seated at my table for one, I sat waiting for the first of the carts to roll my way. Hungry and impatient, I ordered the first thing off the first cart.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Ha Cheung Fun (or Shrimp Crepe, or Rice Noodle Roll, whatever you call it). The noodles are wide, slick, and mess waiting to happen. These rolls were no exception with extra sticky dough. The shrimp were overdone but the sweet soy topping helped make it a satisfying start.

Next was a fried take on one of my favorite dim sum ingredients, bean curd skin.

Deep-fried and stuffed with finely ground shrimp, it’s a departure from my usual steamed version.

Oddly dry and oily on the outside, there was plenty of shrimp inside with a few peas and a bit of crunchy celery for textural contrast.

A constant fixture at any dim sum meal, an order of pai guat or steamed pork spareribs was a necessity.

While these spareribs were quite meaty and well cooked, the sweet flavor caught me off guard.

I did miss the usual pepper and black bean seasonings, but this odd sweetness had its own charm.

My current dim sum dish favorite was next, seen juk guen or bean curd rolls.

Dried out and oily on top with a fully congealed sauce beneath, these rolls were full of pork and shrimp but missing the crunch of vegetables that I’ve come to love.

Despite the meaty filling, these rolls had a neutral flavor, not that bad but not that great either.

Siumai, the dimsum staple was bound to make an appearance.

Fresh from the cart, these dumplings had a pleasant greasiness that coated your lips. The texture was rougher than I expected, a departure from the smooth, almost pureed pork that you usually see.

Even though I was dining alone, I simply couldn’t pass up an order of fung jao.

Like the bean curd rolls, these chicken feet were anchored in a gelatinous sauce that only added compounded the sweetness of the feet. Much like the pork spare ribs, I was waiting for just a tiny touch of pepper heat to break the sweetness but it never came.

Saving the most important for last, the ultimate dim sum litmus test of har gao was the final dish.

From an especially thick wrapper to an extremely starchy filling, these har gao were like most dishes I tried at Hei La Moon, different but good.

Much like the suimai filling, the shrimp and bamboo shoots were roughly chopped but well cooked.

With the har gao, this dim sum lunch came to an end. After paying my bill, I had ample time to wander to a museum and reflect on my experience at Hei La Moon. Being one person, I did the best I could to try a variety of dishes but there were many stones left unturned, but from what I did try, I was quite satisfied with the results. There did seem to be a trend of extra sweetness with many of the dishes and the usual additions of black beans and jalapeno peppers were conspicuously absent. Even with that omission, the somewhat rustic textures of the dumplings and rolls were appealing and, outside of a few dry rolls and one or two overcooked shrimp, it was another successful dim sum lunch. I don’t think that Hei La Moon will rival anything I’ve had at Fung’s Kitchen, but it’s still a fine choice for a Sunday morning in Boston.

Hei La Moon Address & Information

88 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111 // 617.338.8813

Hungry Mother - Boston

2011-11-20T22:05:00.004-06:00

For better or for worse, I am a child of the south. Right away that carries enough connotations to fill a book, but I’ll stick to the more familiar context of food. As most people know, food in this part of the country is a way of life. From the slave tended barbeque pits of the antebellum south to the modern day country buffet, there’s a good chance that any conversation here will likely touch on the topic of food. While this obsession, when compounded by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, does carry the ever-growing side effect of an ever-growing waistline, it also creates burnt out taste buds. For as much the idea of a quality home-style southern meal appeals to me, the glut of mediocre to poor southern buffet and home-style restaurants has left me searching for anything and everything but the food of my home state and region. With that in mind, it’s no small amount of irony that after travelling some 1500 miles from Jackson to Boston, I had caught a cab to Cambridge to sit at the bar at Hungry Mother.

Why Hungry Mother? Why did I come all the way to Boston to eat high end southern cuisine? One reason is that the good people of Chowhound raved about it, another reason is that my buddy Tom, a spokesman for and proponent of Boston if I ever saw one, recommended it to me, and the last and maybe the most important is that it was the first restaurant that took my reservation on that Saturday afternoon.

Having made reservations for four, I thought it would be best to arrive early and wait for Alex, Sarah, and Ben at the bar. Normally this would be time to catch up on twitter but a tidy selection of inventive cocktails constructed with house made ingredients kept that to a minimum. I was already two cocktail masterpieces deep when Alex and Sarah arrived with the news that Ben had bailed for dinner; no worries, it was more for the three of us.

Like so many southern meals, this one began with a little bit of pimento cheese.

Working to improve the usual mix of grated cheddar, mayonnaise, and canned pimentos, this pimento cheese was made with smoked cheddar and chevre and it had the tartness and smokiness to prove it.

Having been spoiled by my favorite local pimento cheese, I was a little disappointed to find Hungry Mother’s version missing any porcine goodness but the exceptionally juicy pimentos buoyed my spirits.

Taking another shot at the “To Tide You Over” section of the menu, the smoked beef tongue canapé was next.

When cooked well, tongue is one of the most tender and beefiest cuts of the cow and this canapé was a fine example of the breed.

Served with Dijon and Robinson Family Swiss on a baguette, this sweet and moist mini sandwich was a tease. I can only imagine what sort of sensory overload a full size example would be.

Ever since I put my name on a pig from La Quercia, I’ve had a mild obsession with trying all their products. The small plate of prosciutto Americano was no exception.

Basically a plate of cured ham, preserves, and crackers, this plate was the perfect way to introduce Alex & Sarah to La Quercia.

I’m still not quite sure which preserves were served on this plate. The menu said peach but the waitress said apple.

Regardless of which fruit it was, the preserves complimented the nutty prosciutto and everyone happily cleared the plate.

At this point, everyone’s main course arrived along with a duo of side dishes. First was the Anson grits with Hungry Mother tasso and cheddar.

Ever toothsome, these Anson grits were a true ambassador for the south and while the tasso may not have had the smokiness of Donald Link tasso, they still made for a fine blend of grits, pork, and cheese.

Biting my tongue in worry and anticipation, I held my breath when the skillet cornbread was introduced to the table.

With the first bite my fears melted away. The cornbread had a thick crust you can only get from a ripping hot skillet and the taste was just a bit salty. When combined with the sweetness of the sorghum butter, it was homespun magic. In retrospect, I really wish I had ordered a side of collard greens too.

Since orders of pimento cheese, grits, and cornbread had already been brought to the table, it seemed only natural that my entrée would be an order of the smoked bbq pork shoulder.

At this point you would expect a rant about how only southerners know true bbq, but I’m sorry to disappoint. Once a person realizes that bbq does not mean hotdogs and hamburgers on a grill, the sky is the limit and the people at Hungry Mother have enjoyed that epiphany.

I’ve enjoyed my fair share of good, bad and terrible bbq, but this pulled pork was something else. Far from the half brown plates I found in North Carolina, this pork was light on the smoke but heavy on the richness. The exterior had a delightfully desiccated crunch that was replaced by the unctuous texture of well-cooked pork shoulder.

As for the slaw and hushpuppies, this Lexington slaw was red, crispy, and spicy while its sauce was a dynamite compliment to the pork. Taking a different approach than the cornbread, the hushpuppies were crisp yet tender, sweet yet spicy, a delightful duo of dichotomies.

In the end, the three of us were devastated. We did our best to finish it all but we came up short. Shortly after, while entertaining the idea of dessert and more cocktails, I couldn’t help but wonder. Is this what it takes? After so much subpar kitschy southern shit at home, when I have a pining for high quality southern fare, do I really need to book a flight to Boston? Have the Yankees beaten the south at its own game? The answer, I think, is no. I don’t believe Hungry Mother beats out the best that the south has to offer, but it comes alarmingly close. I have to admit I had my doubts about Hungry Mother and southern cuisine in Boston but after one night, I’m a true believer. Hungry Mother may not be the best, but they’re giving the south a run for its money. In the end, I’m just happy to see my home cuisine done so well and that even this far north, people can appreciate and get a taste of real southern cooking.

Hungry Mother Address & Information

233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge, MA 02141 // 617.499.0090 // Hungry Mother Website // Hungry Mother Menu // Hungry Mother Reservations

The Student Prince - Springfield

2011-11-17T22:07:00.002-06:00

It was October, a new month and time for another wedding. For these nuptials, instead of the hills of Charlottesville, Virginia, I had flown to Boston and braved the Massachusetts turnpike to make it to the hub of western civilization that is known as western Mass. That may be misconstrued as a factious remark, but for years I’ve been told by a few of my friends, I’m looking at you, McD and Lisa, that all that is good and great in this world begins in the western half of their home state. So, nearly seven years after the first mention, I had made it.

Of course, now that I was actually in Springfield, it had to figure out what to do with myself. Like any well equipped wedding planners, Mike and Katie had included a few suggested restaurants and points of interests for their guests. While I did take advantage of the basketball hall of fame, the Norman Rockwell museum was too far so I figured lunch was the next best thing. This leads back to my pre-trip research where it seemed that, no matter which website, blog, or messageboard I checked, the center of Springfield was The Student Prince.

After a rehearsal dinner the night before and a tour of the hall of fame the next morning, Bill and I left the hotel and made our way to Fort Street and The Student Prince. A few cups of coffee, a missed turn, one parking job and one entry into the wrong restaurant later, we were seated at the bar with a mug of beer and a menu in front of each of us.

While taking in the variety of German knickknacks and kitsch in The Student Prince, the first dish arrived.

Per our waitress, the weisswurst was the best homemade sausage at The Student Prince, and with a silky smooth, green onion speckled filling, it was a precocious start.

To compliment the weisswurst, there was a helping of tart, crunchy sauerkraut. In fact, the only disappointing part about this sausage was the mustard. It seems odd that The Student Prince would take the time to make the sausage but spoil it with plain grey poupon mustard.

Hoping for a taste of German home and hearth, an order of “famous” sauerbraten seemed like a fair choice

Three slices of marinated and braised beef with a rounded scoop of potato and plenty of cabbage.

The sauerbraten was fall apart tender, but it had a very dry texture that was only saved by the liberal application of the sweet and sour sauce.

If you’re looking for stick to your ribs density, look no further than the potato dumpling that accompanied the sauerbraten.

Covered in sauce, it shimmered in the light.

Seriously, this dumpling was unbelievably thick and relatively flavorless on its own but not too bad when combined with the sauerbraten and its sauce.

There you have it, a whirlwind, two stop tour of The Student Prince menu, and what’s the verdict? If this is the best that Springfield has to offer, I’m much underwhelmed. Yes, the weisswurst was a nice touch, but the sauerbraten and its dryness left a lot to be desired. I suppose if I do make it back to Springfield and to The Student Prince, I’ll stick to the sausage and beer, but please….hold the mustard.

The Student Prince Address & Information

8 Fort St, Springfield, MA 01103 // 413.734.7475 // The Student Prince Website // The Student Prince Menu

Planet Thai - Natchez

2011-11-16T23:34:00.003-06:00

Natchez, Mississippi is a land of antebellum mansions, ageless oaks, and the Mississippi river, a true jewel in the Southern Crown. It’s for reasons like these that most people visit Natchez, but not me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the homes and history of Natchez. I’ll never forget my history professor’s comment about his visit to the city. Teaching civil war history for a living, he wanted to see the southern battlegrounds firsthand. When it came time to see Natchez, he swears that the owner of his bed and breakfast was old enough to have seen the civil war firsthand, but I digress. I was in Natchez for an interview, but first on the agenda was lunch. That meant I was skipping the southern country cooking and heading straight to Planet Thailand, Natchez’s only Thai restaurant.

Like so many other Thai meals, this one began with a bowl of Tom Kha Gai.

I love the description, “An exotic coconut soup with mushrooms, baby corns, onions, galangal, chili, lime leaves, and cilantro”, if only for the word exotic.

This tom kha gai was unique due to a heavy kaffir lime flavor and not much in the way of coconut milk. The onion, baby corn, and mushrooms from a can were there as promised and there was a fair amount of overcooked chicken as well.

Hoping to add an extra shot of flavor to the tom kha gai and the subsequent dish, I asked for some prik nam pla.

Apparently fish sauce is very hard to come by in Natchez.

Thai chilies must be a rarity as well, but even with the small amount of punch, this little bit of prik nam pla did add a pleasant sour and spicy note to the soup.

It’s hard to go wrong with a bowl of Thai curry; at least that was my reasoning behind an order of red shrimp curry.

Right off the bat, this was a rich, well rounded, but grainy curry.

I’m not sure what they did with the curry paste to make this so grainy, thankfully the shrimp were plump, juicy, and well cooked.

Even with liberal application of prik nam pla, I kept wishing for a spicier flavor to balance the richness of this curry.

I suppose that’s how I would summarize my visit to Planet Thailand. Each dish left me wanting. Looking back, I’m at a loss with the variety of “too spicy” comments on Urbanspoon. Is Natchezian cuisine that mild by comparison? Regardless of spice, in the end, Planet Thailand is the best Thai food that Natchez has to offer. It’s the king of the hill and the only game in town. So if you’re at the end of the Trace and looking for Thai flavors and sushi, you’re in luck but be prepared to compromise.

Planet Thailand Address & Information

116 North Commerce Street, Natchez, MS 39120 // 601.442.4220

Lee's Bakery - Atlanta

2011-11-14T22:36:00.003-06:00

Heading south from Charlotte, I made it to the Atlanta city limits just in time for lunch and it seemed as good a time as any to finally give Lee’s Bakery a try. One of the multitude of pho restaurants on Buford Highway, I really first noticed Lee’s Bakery when I was trekking to El Senor Taco, but it was a passing mention in a New York Times article that cemented it in my radar.

Walking into Lee's, you're quickly reminded that this is a bakery first and restaurant second. After eying the various baked goods, I had a seat and took a look at the menu. While full of the usual suspects, it was the daily special of soup and sandwich that caught my eye. $6.5 for a half banh mi and small soup? It certainly blows the pedestrian grilled cheese and tomato soup out of the water.

First to the table was my half dac biet banh mi.

Stuffed into a housemade loaf, this banh mi was overflowing with greenery.

Each bite carried the hearty crunch of French bread and the spice of pickled jalapenos, but I was surprised at just how much the flavor of the pickled carrots, onions, and peppers, dominated the sandwich.

While there was a small, but noticeable amount of oddly sweet ham and pate, they played a definite second fiddle to the vegetables.

Although it wasn’t called pho dac biet, the pho with rare steak, well-done flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe certainly fit the profile of a pho dac biet.

Despite an overload of sliced onion and green onion on top, it was the extra chewiness of the beef that really stood out.

Aside from the beef, the broth was hard to describe. There wasn’t a particular flavor of anise, onion, or even beef, it was just a solid broth.

Enhancing the chewy texture of the pho, the tripe was served in big, poorly cut slices. Instead of blending in and providing a touch of texture to each spoonful, this tripe was front and center.

Even with the textural issues of the tripe, Lee’s Bakery offered up another solidly average contribution to the pho landscape of Buford Highway. On the other hand, the banh mis were less than impressive and certainly paled in comparison to my experiences at Quoc Huong. That being said, it’s hard to beat the pho and banh mi combo. With that as a daily special, I could learn to love Lee Bakery’s banh mis and pho.

Lee’s Bakery Address & Information

4005 Buford Highway NE, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30345 // 404.728.1008

The Liberty - Charlotte

2011-11-13T21:59:00.004-06:00

After a short day of driving, I was back in Charlotte and soaking up the second wave of football on opening weekend. In between the 10 year 9/11 anniversary memorials and touchdowns, I was doing my best to find something interesting for dinner in Charlotte. I had my eye on a few fine dining establishments I had read about on Chowhound, but it seemed like every one was either closed on Sunday, not answering their phone, or booked solid. I decided to try the other end of the spectrum, not $5 bowl of pho cheap, but something in between. That’s when I ran across The Liberty. A self-proclaimed gastropub, The Liberty carried a fine selection of beers and the apparent title of Charlotte’s best burger. That's all I needed to here and I was soon on my way to see the best burger that Charlotte had to offer.

While the Sunday night game between the Jets and the Cowboys was getting ready for the kickoff, I started the search for a perfect beer companion.

Covered in sea salt, the house made fresh pretzel was a fine first choice. A silky dough and the crunch of ideally sized salt crystals meant sauces were unnecessary but The Liberty provided a few anyway.

Faced with a choice of cheddar fondue and spicy house mustard, I quickly found that the creamy cheddar fondue only elevated an already well done pretzel. The house mustard was no slouch either, but lacking any real punch, it quickly faded when put side by side with the fondue.

As if a big pretzel wasn’t enough, it was soon joined by an order of the bbq pork rinds.

Pretzel and pork rinds? Doesn’t that seem excessive? Yes, it does, but who’s going to turn down the sheen of homemade pork rinds?

They arrived at the table still crackling with just the taste of pork and bbq seasoning spice & smokiness. What really surprised me was the texture. These were the lightest pork rinds I’ve ever eaten, a porcine cloud with an ethereal crunch.

Before I had a chance to completely stuff myself with pretzel and pork skin, the Painted Hills’ pub burger was brought to my table.

A bacon cheeseburger with fries while drinking a domestic craft beer and watching football, it makes you proud to be an American.

Initially, I was disappointed that a medium-rare burger wasn’t allowed, but the first bite of juicy beef and thick, smoky bacon left my medium temperature qualms behind.

If there was one oddity to this burger besides the temperature, it was the greasiness of the lettuce, but when you’re dealing with Sweetgrass cheddar, bacon, herb aioli, and caramelized onions, it’s an acceptable side effect. Somehow, even with all these ingredients and prominent flavors, the beef is never overshadowed, just complimented. I don’t know what sort of voodoo The Liberty uses on their burgers, but they’ve got a masterpiece of a pub burger on their hands.

Playing second fiddle to the pub burger was an order of fries.

While crispy and covered in parmesan cheese, there was nothing special about these fries.

At this point, I was ready to finish my beer and head back to the hotel, but the bartender was an excellent salesman and I was soon face to face with a caramel dessert.

When I was told there would be oreo in the dessert, I was expecting a crunch when the spoon punched through, no such luck.

The caramel dessert ticked all the rich boxes, it was salty, rich, decadent, and frankly too much for one person especially after the pub burger.

I came to The Liberty to see just what constituted Charlotte’s best burger and after meeting the Painted Hills pub burger face to face; I believe it is a worthy contender for that title. It’s a burger like this and these pork rinds that make me love a good gastropub. The menu at The Liberty may not be filled with food worthy of multiple Michelin stars, but it’s well-crafted, relatively simple, and immensely satisfying and when coupled with a tidy selection of craft beers, it’s magic.

The Liberty Address & Information

1812 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203 // 704.332.8830 // The Liberty Website // The Liberty Menu // The Liberty Reservations