For Beef Lovers: Bryan's Fine Foods, Corte Madera, California (NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THERE!)

Bryan’s Fine Foods (http://www.bryansfinefoods.com/index.php) is a wonderful location to shop on line for products that are shipped overnight, to any location in the continental USA. For my Canadian readers, if you are fortunate to rent or own a residence in the United States for a time, and love to cook, Bryan’s is for you!!

Here, you will find, what I believe are among the "best of their kind" meat products available anywhere – as in anywhere. Bryan is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about every item offered. He is serious to the point of compulsion. I will try to describe some of the products that he offers, to show you what I mean. The products I have selected below to describe, are selected principally from the products I typically order.

In regards to shipping, at the end of each shipping day, they individually package and freeze their products because, as they say, when they ship, “they are at the peak of perfection and trying to keep them fresh for a day or two will add nothing to them. Freezing on the other hand will not hurt them but rather stop them in time when they are perfect. It allows us the ability to manage inventory and be able to ship multiple units on the spur of the moment.” From my perspective, I have not found the freezing of their product detrimental.

Mid-western prime and also California small producer’s prime beef ( "California Reserve"), all dry aged for a minimum of 30 and up to 50 days, depending on the cuts. Each California Reserve prime piece (but not the mid western prime) are eyeballed and hand selected to be the best of what it should be. The mid-western prime is not because Bryan is not at those plants to eyeball and hand select the items he buys. But, he does review everything that he receives and downgrades anything the he feels is not exactly prime grade.

Bryan supplies Northern California raised lamb. dry aged anywhere from 7 to 20 days, depending on the cut. Now, NOONE in Toronto or vicinity, to my knowledge, dry ages lamb, and trust me, this process separates good flavour to great, from extraordinary! I have discussed dry aging lamb with my 2 principal butchers, but neither one has done this, they had not considered it and it seems a good deal of pushing would be required to get them to do this except on a personal basis.

And, FOR YOU TRUE BEEF LOVERS,  Bryan supplies the “deckle” (my very favourite cut of beef and the one I personally request to present large on all of the rib steaks that I order from my Toronto butchers). Bryan butchers and ties it in the shape of a long roll (WOW.....a great big piece for deckle lovers!!), which he refers to as “mid-western rib cap” . This little known cut will amaze you for it’s wonderful strong beefy flavour, juicyness and tender texture and for me, must be cooked medium rare to rare (warm centre). This is a very unique piece of meat, and very difficult to obtain on it's own. It is not available in your butchers meat counter. Even a special request from your butcher might elicit a raised brow. This cut contains the absolute maximum amount of flavor that will physically fit into a piece of steak! The rib cap is not a very common cut, and sometimes difficult to explain. Think of prime rib steak and picture how a steak cut from the upper end of the rib will have two distinct sections, an inner one and an outer (crescent-shaped) one. The outer section many times will also be a slightly darker color than the inside as well as have a more intense flavor. This outer section on the rib eye is a slice of rib cap.

To produce this cut Bryan’s starts with their Midwest beef, dry ages it and then removes the entire cap by following the natural seams of the rib. Once removed, you have a piece that looks very much like a flank steak in width, length and thickness. Now while it would be perfectly fine to cook it in this form; to improve the presentation when plated, they roll the cap widthwise and tie it to create what resembles in form a center cut of filet mignon.  

I also love his California boneless, prime short ribs, which make for a very tasty, juicy, tender, steak!

NOW, this next section if for real burger lovers and in this, Bryan’s Fine Foods may be unique!! His web site features the “burger builder” (direct link: http://www.bryansfinefoods.com/burgerBuilder.php) making available 26 possible ingredients from which you can select and build your own custom burger. My personal selection is:  25% usda prime hanger steak; 25% usda prime skirt teak; 25% usda prime short ribs; 25% dry aged steak ends. But, look at the available ingredients from which you van build your burger (minimum order 4 pounds, each pound separately shrink wrapped):  choice chuck, prime chuck, wagyu chuck,  prime sirloin, prime top round, choice short ribs, choice tri-tip,, prime skirt steak, prime hanger steak, punta de anca ( an argentine cut, made from a piece sometimes referred to as the coulotte, part of the top sirloin near the area from which the chateaubriand is produced Bryan's marinates this cut in chimichurri sauce for 3 days); prime short ribs, wagyu short ribs; prime brisket; choice filet tail; prime filet tail; pork should; mild Italian sausage; applewood bacon; foie gras blend; beef suet blend; prime brisket fat blend; prime beef cap fat blend; hot Italian sausage blend; wagyu fat blend; dry aged steak ends. WHEEEEEWWW!! TOUGH CHOICE!!

Bryan's also offers very good pork and chicken, but for me, it is the beef and lamb that is truly worth shipping across the USA to my short term vacation residence in Florida. I rarely speak about producers but this one deserves accolades.

Lunch at Didier Restaurant

Every Christmas I get together with some friends to drink fine wine and enjoy the good food of Didier Leroy. Didier's and fine wine, are a match!


My favourite starter, Didier's renown beef tartar......couldn't wait....so, there is a chunk missing from this photo.

My big surprise, Didier's own cassoulet, my first experience at Didier's, one of my favourite dishes to enjoy in France. A surprise, because I have never enjoyed a credible version in Toronto, let alone rarely in North America......but, this dish was wonderful with great flavour, perfectly cooked beans that well absorbed the flavours of the garlic sausage, duck leg and Toulouse sausage. What a great dish and such a perfect match for a 1990 Cotes Rotie La Moulin by Marcel Guigal. 

Splendido Restaurant's Grand Steak Event

A special event was arranged by chef Victor Barry, a tasting (blind) of some exceptional steaks. But this was also a festive event so we began with 2 kinds of oysters, poached spot prawns, cured steelhead trout, scallop ceviche and dungeness crab, all on a tiered platter service. What a grand beginning! 

Caesar salad with croutons, anchovy and pork belly with a parmesan crisp.

On the plate, 80 day, dry aged, USDA prime rib steak; 80 day, dry aged Cumbrae Farms "prime" rib steak, 70 day, dry aged, Cheese Boutique, grass fed, striploin and a "ringer". A great idea to do a blind tasting, but the presentation was inappropriate to properly compare the various steaks. Note the plate, 3 pieces of "ends" and one centre slice. The charred ends were just that, and that charred flavour created a taste conflict. Also, the central slice was perfectly cooked and the ends cooked well past rare. In a steak tasting, each piece should be cooked to the same doneness. Each piece should be cut away from the edge. Each piece should be roughly the same size and thickness. So, frankly, I really could not taste compare the pieces to properly distinguish between the various steaks. However, all the steaks were very tasty and the ringer, although less well aged, still tasted very good. The distinguishing taste of well aged steaks, a nuttiness with layers of beefy flavour, was highly pleasing for me. The texture of the steaks was good, but again, the texture that I would typically use to judge this feature was completely masked by the  well charred edges. All of the steaks were juicy, but, again, this feature was muted, eating the well charred edge. Don't get me wrong, the edge pieces were very good and we were eating very enjoyable, great steak. But, edge pieces make it difficult to do a "steak tasting" comparison.

After the tasting, we were served great side dishes of truffled mac and cheese, mini baked potatoes liberally sprinkled with shaved white truffles, terrific crispy french fries, wonderfully crispy onion rings, and, perhaps the best creamed spinach that I have enjoyed at any restaurant, so good, despite being quite full, we asked for seconds.


Northern spy apple tart tatin, a beautiful presentation, served with creme anglais and vanilla ice cream. Certainly one of the best versions of tart tatin that I have tasted in Toronto.

We had the opportunity to enjoy some fine wines brought by the members of our group.

New Pizzeria Libretto on the Danforth.

This is a resto awaited with much anticipation not only for the location, convenient for those who live in the centre or eastern part of Toronto, but also, as it is the only Pizza Libretto that takes reservations. I like the topping varieties that set Pizza Libretto apart. However, I found the nicely blistered crust at this location a bit too doughy/chewy. I much prefer a crispier crust which has a bit of a flake when one bights into it.


Anchovy crostino: marinated fresh anchovies, eggplant, roasted red pepper, confit tomato, bufala ricotta. Terrific!

Anchovy, tomato, mozzarella di bufala, preserved chili and roasted garlic.

Funghi: panna, rosemary, mozzarella, hen of the woods, king and abalone mushrooms.

Ontario prosciutto, arugula, garlic, tomato, oregano, shaved grana padano cheese.

Pork belly with smoked tomato ragu, mozzarella, bomba, caramelized onion and lemon thyme. This topping resulted in a tasty, but too much of an oily surface.

BOOK REVIEW: HESTON BLUMENTHAL AT HOME by Heston Blumenthal

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook reigns as one of the most impressive and intimidating cookbooks of all time. Cooks would turn the pages in awe and envy over the recipes and technical prowess of Chef Heston Blumenthal’s food, the likes of which earned him the distinction of #1 on San Pellegrino’s list of the Top 50 Restaurants in the World in 2005. Since the release of The Big Fat Duck Cookbook in 2008, chefs the world over have been infatuated with what was essentially 3 books in one; Blumenthal’s telling autobiography, the recipes from The Fat Duck and numerous essays and primers describing the unending research and theories that are constantly circulating through the remarkably small kitchen in Bray, UK. Unfortunately the culinary ambitions of the home cook seemed to fall to the way side; most weren’t equipped with the likes of immersion circulators, liquid nitrogen and pantries of hydrocolloids, all of which are required possessions when attempting most, if not all, of Blumenthal’s recipes.

    Well wait no longer, home cooks. Your patience has not been in vain.   Not by a long shot.

    When word dropped at The Cookbook Store that Heston Blumenthal was writing a cookbook titled Heston Blumenthal at Home, skepticism abounded with visions of Blumenthal’s home being more like the flight deck of the Starship Enterprise and less like the humble fridge/sink/stove setup us mere mortals possess. It seems the folks in Bray anticipated this and designed the cover of the book featuring a pajama-clad Blumenthal mid-way through his nighttime refrigerator raid in a cheeky parody of Nigella Lawson’s notorious habit of slinking downstairs in her nightgown to drag a spoon through cold, refrigerated food for midnight snacking.

    Moving past the cover, one discovers that, once again, Blumenthal has exceeded the expectations of the average cookbook. In addition to recipes (we’ll get to those later), chapters are preceded by comprehensive sections explaining cooking principles from the role of each ingredient in a classic stock to the most detailed walkthrough of risotto preparation I’ve ever read. Of course, to please the ambitious students, a short chapter on sous-vide cookery is included, accompanied by a brief, yet concise notation on the benefits of the technique and its proper utilization.

    Closer inspection of recipes reveals the use of grams as opposed to the more common (and inaccurate) cups, tablespoons and the like. Followers of my reviews know my position on these matters, so a cookbook that works in weights already falls under my good graces (consequentially, cooking temperatures are listed in Celsius, and thus require a simple conversion to understand). Where the Fat Duck Cookbook offered recipes for Snail Porridge and Flaming Sorbet, Heston Blumenthal at Home is noticeably tuned down with dishes such as Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy, Rosemary and Garlic; and Liquid Centre Chocolate Pudding filling the pages. Blumenthal also “recycles” recipes from his first book by removing excess technical procedure in favour of simplified execution. The iconic Scrambled Egg Ice Cream with Bacon and Pain Perdu is one such participant.

    To remind us of his limitless creativity and child-like cheekiness, Blumenthal draws on childhood heavily with recipes for Cheese Toasties (Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches on this side of the pond) where a sponge is inserted between the bread for pre-grilling to set the shape of the bread and prevent that annoying and unpleasant sensation of scalding hot cheese squishing out the far side of an over-stuffed sandwich and into one’s hands and/or lap.

      For those turned off by the inherent simplicity of the latest Blumenthal book, I encourage you to at least consider the information provided on cooking principles, where culinary experts such as Harold McGee are referenced. They are impressively prolific with short notes on technique that are sure to enrich even the most experienced of professionals. The pastry chapter alone outlines the proper procedure for using dry ice at home and explains the scientific side of gelatine’s usage. Whether at home or the restaurant, it’s impossible to suppress Blumenthal’s thirst for knowledge, and as a result even seasoned cooks are sure to turn the last page smarter and more informed than when they first opened the cover.

      In a year where many of the world’s greatest chefs have written homey, simplified cookbooks to appease the non-professional masses, Heston at Home stands out as the most ambitious of them all. Not pleased with just offering short recipes, Blumenthal pushes the reader to embrace the natural curiosity of the human mind and engage themselves with each recipe. Ideally, the reader gains the confidence to deviate slightly from instruction, and perhaps insert a favorite ingredient here or there to appease their unique palates, thereby expanding their culinary horizons one taste at a time. Once again, Blumenthal overachieves with his work; where The Big Fat Duck Cookbook stood as an icon of innovation, ambition and finesse, Heston at Home exemplifies simplicity, purity and technical foundation in cuisine.

Heston Blumenthal at Home by Heston Blumenthal

Hardcover,  400pp, $69

Reviewed by Kevin Jeung

Where To Eat in Boulder, Colorado

Ras Kassa's Ethiopian

Kossta sauteed spinach with garlic, ginger and mild traditional butter; highland vegetable tibs with green beans and carrots all sauteed; mild butternut squash stew with carrots, ginger and garlic; spicy sweet potato stew with peppers; yellow split pea stew with tumeric sauce; spiced farmer's cheese made locally; lamb tibs with onions, peppers and herbs; mild lamb stew with garlic and tumeric; kitfo, beef tartar with traditional butter; lots of injera (the traditional pancake thin, flat bread, rolled up). This restaurant offers pretty tatsy Ethiopian food. To provide contrast, I prefer the renditions offered by Addis Ababa in Toronto.

Boulder Cork

On the left, an 8 oz beef burger, cooked to medium rare with sauteed onions; on the right, a buffalo burger cooked to medium rare. Both burgers were good (not great); tasty but a bit on the fatty side.

The Kitchen

A night of "apps", Cure Farm broccoli soup with Long Farm bacon, rosemary and garlic croutons. There was a slightly alkaline aspect to the flavour which I tasted at the back of my tongue, that gave the soup an unpleasant element.

Quick-fried Alaskan spot prawns, with a very light dusting of flour. Perfectly crisp skin and perfectly cooked prawns, accompanied by a delicious kohlrabi slaw and smoked paprika aioli.

Wonderful garlic frites, highly garlicy, a hit for garlic lovers.

Rabbit and chestnut sausage with braised cabbage, onions, Ela Farm apples, bacon and dijon mustard. A wonderful sausage with very good texture; a delicious dish.

Pan fried lamb's liver with caramelized onions, Cure Farms Swiss chard and sherry jus. A terrific dish for lamb lovers.

Daddy Bruce's BBQ

Everything looked so promising but was very disappointing. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the flavours of this bbq. The beans were mediocre and although the ribs were meaty, they were on the dry side. The sauce was unpleasantly vinegary and the ribs had hardly any smoke flavour. Slaw was also mediocre. The beef brisket was buried in the unpleasantly, highly acidic sauce, a sauce with no complexity. Eating this brisket was like eating beef drenched in pure vinegar, with a tomato flavour! They did give me a great knife, when I asked for one as only forks are provided.

KT's Real Good BBQ

Now, some of KT's offerings were really good BBQ! The bbq beans had very good flavour and a very good sauce with a mild bight. The ribs were great, juicy, smokey, fall off the bone beauties with a very good sauce with a mild bight and hauntingly good flavour. Make sure you get the bbq sauce added at the counter as the table version is a pale version of that. The brisket and the chicken was on the dry side with hardly any smoke, so skip them and stay with the ribs and beans!!

The Kitchen, Next Door

Here for drinks and snacks.


Kale chips

"Garlic smashers". For the garlic  lover, smashed small potatoes redolent of garlic!

Flagstaff House

Spectacular view from the low mountains surrounding Boulder. The menu is very ambitious and speaks of rich crafted cuisine.

Good butter was served, but the house made breads were a travesty for a resto with these kinds of vaunted ambitions, frankly, quite mediocre.

Chanterelle mushrooms were roasted whole and served with russet potato gnocchi and listed on the menu with Burgundy sourced, black truffles. I requested Alba whites instead, which they had, as I do not find the flavour of any of the Burgundy sourced blacks, adequate. The gnocchi was also accompanied by fava beans and parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, although the components of this dish were good, the dish lacked any binding element.

Intermezzo of a good house made peach sorbet.

Vintage Farms ribeye cap was accompanied by the ubiquitous Yukon gold potato as a puree, braised greens, turnips and garlic sauce. Good beef, properly cooked, but on the whole, not a "wow" dish.

Dessert was a very good Valrhona chocolate marquise, with pistachio ice cream, which looked so good, I plunged into it before taking this photo. 

In house, hand made chocolate candies followed.

Basta Pizza

This wood burning oven pizza place (which uses scrub oak for the fire), is really hard to find, but well worth the journey in finding it. It was my favourite place in Boulder to enjoy pizza. It's address is located in a condo complex with it's store front in the inner court that is away from the street view. Pizzas are made using the Vera Pizza Napolitana method for the crust, but the resto is not certified.

I began with a salad of roasted, sweet red pepper strips, beets and arugula. The salad was very good, with pleasing textures and flavours. I expected some of the flavours of the wood burning oven as the menu advised that some of the elements were prepared there. That was the only disappointment with this dish.

My favourite pizza in Boulder. I enjoyed the "sauce pizza" which had crushed tomato, sliced garlic, local oregano, Maldon salt and olive oil. The thin crust was very tasty, the texture crispy at the edge and not at all doughy, the sauce was very sweet and had a concentrated tomato flavour redolent of wonderful oregano. In all, very good pizza experience.

Jax

The fish menu of this "fish house" had a reasonable variety of fish offered, but the list was of limited interest to me. So, I went with the oyster po-boy. This was a wonderful sandwich and if I return to Boulder, this sandwich is on my "must" list. The sandwich arrived with a spicy remoulade sauce , cole slaw, sliced onion and sliced tomato. The oysters were perfectly slightly undercooked inside but had a beautifully crispy skin.

j

Clams with white wine and garlic arrived with a side of charred lime and garlic aioli. The clams were very fresh and properly cooked. The broth had a very good flavour and the aioli was a nice complement.

Pizza Locale

Polpettine, veal meatballs came with walnut pesto and was sprinkled with parmesan cheese . This was a good dish. The meatballs were relatively light and had a very pleasant texture. The sauce was very tasty.

A dish of pepperoni and tuna with roasted red pepper and capers was very good.

The pizza marguerita arrived with mozzarella di bufala, San Marzano tomatoes, basil and garlic. The crust was just adequate. The flavour of the crust wasn't great and the texture was too doughy/chewy. Further, the sauce was a bit watery without adequate flavour and that made for a slightly soggy pizza crust, in the middle.

I also tried the "bianca" which arrived with mozzarella di bufala, garlic rapini, pecorino cheese and sausage. Same comments regarding the crust, as above, except it was greasy this time and not soggy, I suspect from the sausage.

Pizza Da Lupo

Pizza with marinara sauce, tomato, garlic and oregano with fennel, roasted red peppers and sausage. The sausage was much too greasy and lacked a hand made texture. However, the crust was good, not doughy and had a good flavour. The sauce was flavourful and concentrated. This was my #2 pizza place in Boulder.

Mediterranean

This is a noisy gathering place for a crowd that is mostly 19 to 45.

Ordinary babaganouj which lacked adequate smokiness. 

Good meatballs.

Adequate felafel. 

Good roasted artichoke.

A very tasty paella.

Good pizza, crust fairly crispy at the edges but no obvious good crust flavour. Adequate sauce.

BOOK REVIEW: Rustic Italian Food by Marc Vetri with David Joachim

  Marc Vetri’s Il Viaggio di Vetri is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, and absolutely the best Italian cookbook I’ve ever owned. However, the average home cook may find a large chunk of the recipes in that book nigh un-executable (the pear mostarda recipe takes almost 3 days to prepare!). To answer those calls, Chef Vetri (he owns and helms several restaurants in Philadelphia including Osteria and Vetri) has produced a follow-up cookbook of simpler recipes that take his fine dining expertise and spin it upon classic, home-style Italian favorites.

  Whilst perusing the book, I tried out the Napoletana pizza dough recipe. Possibly the most complicated recipe in the book, the only prior preparation required is a simplified starter to be prepared the night prior. The pizza sauce recipe in the book is riduclously simple; load up a 1L plastic container with drained, canned tomatoes, salt, olive oil and fresh basil. Insert stick blender and go to town. Takes an easy breezy 5 minutes (pending can opener proficiency) to whip up while my oven preheats. The pizza (Margherita, obviously) came out perfect, or as perfect as one can get in a home convection oven (and I don’t think Mr. Vetri will be including wood-fired hearths with subsequent books to remedy this); puffy, chewy crust, drooping ever so slightly when picked up (I ate with knife and fork at first, but the distance from plate to mouth was just too great for me to await the next mouthful of pizza).

  Marc Vetri is known most for his exquisite pasta dishes. In fact, many notable chefs in the industry regard his restaurants as some of the best pasta spots in North America. While most of his more advanced pasta recipes are to be found in his previous book (this is, after all, called Rustic Italian Food), classic Italian dishes like Bucatini Alla Matriciana and Cacio e Pepe are given their dues in authentic, true-to-the-source methods. While some may find pasta from scratch intimidating, the sauces and accompaniments themselves take almost no time at all to prepare, and taste almost as good on store-bought dried pasta.

   Charcuterie has become somewhat of a “thing” these days. It seems everyone and their mother is hanging a fat, cured salumi in their basement, cellar or attic. Not to say that I’m not happy to see people undertaking such ambitious projects on their own; in fact, I’m extremely impressed when I hear of some home-rigged curing rooms that involve all kinds of gadgets from dehumidifiers to wet towels and burning candles. In an effort to inspire the skeptical and unsure in favor of the home-cured arts, Chef Vetri includes a stunning and expansive chapter on classic Italian salumeria techniques and recipes. From the common pancetta and soppressata to the more complex lamb mortadella, Vetri demonstrates simple and comprehensive recipes along with important tips on sanitation, sausage press technique and other bits of advice that aim to make your journey from ground pork to salumi nirvana as stress-free as possible. Naturally, a short chapter on pickles follows thereafter, including the aforementioned mostarda recipe (absolutely worth the time investment; make a huge batch and jar it or give it away to friends!). Vetri provides the recipes for all the necessary components to create a bangin’ charcuterie board to impress friends and family, or maybe just to nosh on with a glass of wine (he provides wine pairings too!).

   Pick up Chef Vetri’s latest book if you were a fan of his first book Il Viaggio di Vetri, and also if you’re in the market for a solid, authentic Italian cookbook that functions both as a simple, everyday cookbook as well as something you can whip out for the occasional dinner party. Vetri’s reputation and prowess as one of the best Italian chefs in North America is easily justified through his words of wisdom and technique. Italian food is synonymous with love and family and it’s easy to see how this cuisine developed that reputation through the recipes, stories and tips that compile this wonderful addition to the ever-growing catalogue of excellent Italian cookbooks.

Rustic Italian Food by Marc Vetri with David Joachim

Hardcover,  304pp, $40

Reviewed by Kevin Jeung

         

               

Boston Restaurants: Clio; Uni; Rialto; Sportello; Barking Crab; Durgin Park

Clio

Clio is the main restaurant owned by very talented chef Ken Orringer. For me, this was by far, the best restaurant in Boston that I visited this trip. It may be their best resto, period!

Great, house made cocktails and mixed drinks. Enjoyed a "JRT", diplomatico rum, allspice dram, burnt cinnamon syrup, lime, mace and fresh nutmeg. There are so many enticing choices, the drinks menu was worth asking for and keeping. You could spend the night at the bar!

Great bread and great butter was presented, for me, a sign of a truly discerning chef.

Amuse: blue cheese financiere. Slightly sweet and crunchy.

Hay roasted heirloom carrots, guanciale, pickled radish pods, rye. Rich carrot flavour, very sweet and slightly smokey and soft textured accompanied by the contrast of crunchy toasted rye. A superb dish reminiscent of one I enjoyed at the wonderful Willow Inn on Lummi Island, Washington.

Fricassee of burgundy escargots, puree of carrots and argan oil, kuzu kosho, green ginger gremolata and wild rice. Wonderful textures and earthy flavours with citrus highlights.

Cassolette of sea urchin and lobster, foamed parsnip milk, crispy shallots, candied lemon, chopped chives. What a harmonious melding of flavours with a touch of heat!

Roast suckling pig, confit of porcelet belly and loin, fresh corn grits, morcilla (blood sausage), whisky jam, burnt peach, honjameji mushroom, crispy crackling, integrated with some sweet corn kernels.

Duet of beef, grilled, rare Meyer skirt steak, root beer braised short rib, hearts of palm brulee, charred cippolini onion and lemon balm "diable". Loved the liquorice flavours in the dish

Raspberry confetti, verveine sorbet, thai basil, waffle cone crunch. What a refreshing dessert.

Uni

Uni is the “next door” sister restaurant of Clio, and owned by chef Orringer and his group. It is in the same space as Clio but at one end of the resto and down the stairs. For a resto that is not "prime" Japanese, the fish was remarkably fresh. For a Japanese style fish resto, the desserts were incredibly good and come from the sister restaurant Clio. Overall, this is a resto not to be missed.

Awake (Australian green lip abalone) steamed in sweet kelp with cauliflower, lime, garlic (no photo).

Vegetable tempura arrived crispy but over-battered.

Maine sea urchin, pickled mustard seeds, ume (plum) vinegar and citrus rice.

Shishito, fried Japanese peppers with sesame, kabayaki glazed tuna flakes.

Hamachi toro, warm olive oil, pickled ramps, spicy shallot condiment.

Itoyoridai (threadfin bream) candied fennel, mandarin kosho, puffed rice.

Sake (salmon) toro, shiso, pickled peaches, sesame, cilantro.

Hamachi collar, soy, warm olive oil.

Rooibos poached quince, caramelized white chocolate, chicory, horchata ice cream.

Passion fruit tart, litchi sorbet, matcha tea, aloe ice cream cubes, coffee crumble. A wonderfully refreshing dessert.

Miso dark chocolate cremeux, banana ice cream, golden miso, cashew butter. A wonderful dish for chocolate lovers.

Chocolate coulant, inspired by Michel Bra, coconut cocoa nib ice cream, coconut butter in the middle.

Rialto

Roasted stuffed squid, pork sausage, spicy greens and squid ink. A balance of sweetness and spice, nicely offset with cilantro.

Grilled clams, andouille and toasted garlic bread. Andouille: wonderful coarse textured, garlic sausage.

Fisherman's soup with rouille, basil oil and gruyere. A properly executed, full flavoured soup.

Orchietti, spicy greens, pecorino and house made sausage. Good pasta, but the whole dish was lightly too salty.

Brown sugar lamb rack with slow cooked shoulder, orange, black olives, rosemary all accompanied by a potato stack, arugula and shaved fennel. The the rack was cooked perfectly but shoulder was dry.

Roast pork, kale, polenta and chanterelles, topped with crispy bacon. Polenta and mushrooms inedibly salty. This kitchen has a heavy hand with salt.

Caramelized autumn fruit tart, maple cream candied lemon zest. Overly syruped.

Brandied hazelnut semifreddo, poached quince with pumpkin zabalione. Very good semi- freddo.

Sportello

Owned by Boston chef Barbara Lynch. This is a terrific place for breakfast.

Smoked duck hash, slow scrambled eggs, root vegetables and potato, served with crisp thin toasts. A great savory breakfast dish. Cooking the scrambled eggs this way was one of the best examples of scrambled eggs that I have experienced. 

Winter turnip soup, pig trotters, apple mostarda, turnip pesto....chunks of trotter. A truly great soup, maybe not for breakfast, but, for any other time (no photo).

Sausage... earthy, coarse, well herbed "country" sausage as good as you can want with breakfast, or any other time.

Great pancakes (no photo), etc. For brunch, this is a resto worth going out of your way. 

Barking Crab

Barking crab cakes with red pepper aioli.  Very tasty but a little too finely chopped resulting in less appealing texture.

Stuffies, Rhode Island chopped quahog with chorico and Portuguese sweet bread stuffing. A bit too much bread, too much sausage and not enough clam.

Fried, breaded, whole bellied, Ipswich clams with tartar sauce and lemon. Batter a bit too heavy and greasy and not crispy enough to be pleasing.

Lobster salad BLT. French fries are crispy, but greasy. Lobster filling non-descript flavours. I prefer steamed or boiled lobster anyhow.

Lobster roll sandwich with fries. Fries were nice and crispy and the lobster roll tasty....but, i still prefer my lobster steamed and whole.

Durgin Park

One of the 2 oldest restaurants in the United States and still going strong. For years, when I would come to boston, I was always committed to at least one meal at Durgin Park and would always start with the steamed clams (no photo), then have the biggest rare piece of roast beef. Both dishes are still terrific and the perfectly cooked roast beef sensational.....tender and tasty!

Great, incredibly crispy (I bet you can't eat just one) onion rings.