Dan (the Husband) booked us for a reservation (through Open Table) at Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain (JP). I have wanted to hit Ten Tables for YEARS. Pretty much since it opened in 2002.

Located at at 597 Centre Street in JP, Ten Tables has been a quaint and popular neighborhood jaunt since it’s inception. We had early reservations… at 6:15pm and had no issues with finding a spot on the street very close by.

Ten tables was originally just that… TEN TABLES. That was it! Then about a year ago, they acquired the space next door and opened TT Bar. You can sit on either side, but the bar side has a menu of it’s own (which is not available on the restaurant side).

The bar itself probably sits about 6 or 8 people…

The main dining room (and the restaurant’s original space and original ten tables) is romantic, cozy and faces the tiny, open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs performing their magic.

The dinner menu is broken out into various drinks, the restaurant’s dinner menu and the bar menu… as well as desserts.

Before we even had a chance to look at the menu, a server arrived with a little sample of the evening’s Rutabaga Soup as an amuse bouche — topped with some type of oil, seasoning and chives. It was tasty! And I loved how it was served in a shot class. Can I just say that I LOVE it when the chef sends out a little amuse bouche? I don’t care how tiny it is, I just think it’s a humble sign of graciousness on chef’s part.

Next to arrive was the crusty bread and the best olive oil I’ve had in a long time…

For drinks, we had such hard time deciding on something off the cocktail menu, because everything looked interesting and sounded delicious, that we opted to go with a Cocktail Tasting ($16 each, for three ‘mini’ cocktails). We also requested that each of us get different ones, so we’d get to try six!

My first drink was The “KK” – Passionfruit and Ginger With Champagne. Definitely my favorite of the evening and their most popular drink. Garnished with a slice of candied ginger, this refreshing cocktail would be perfect on a warm summer night! Dan’s first drink wasn’t on the menu, so we’re not exactly sure what it was… but it was some type of liqueur topped with sparking wine. It had a very fresh, floral flavor… and we both really enjoyed the taste.

We also had a hard time deciding on what to eat and wanted to try several things, so we opted for the Chef’s Daily Tasting ($40/each) for four courses. Sometimes with tastings, you get what you get with no substitutions. While I sort of understand why the chef implements this rule, personally, I hate it! Mostly because I don’t eat red meat… so in those situations, I’m hard pressed to get the tasting in fear of something I can’t eat.

At Ten Tables, the chef is amazingly flexible. As long as everyone at the table is doing the tasting (this is standard), you can request “no” lists and allergy issues. So we ordered our tasting with no red meat… which basically made it a pescatarian tasting.

By the time the first course in our tasting came, I started losing the light… so my pictures from here on out don’t do the food justice — as they came out very dark.

We started with the Pickled Mussels with Frisee, Carrots and Toast (normally $10). This was an unexpected delight. The thought of a “pickled mussel” didn’t do much for me. In other words, I don’t think I would have ordered it off the menu. They were quite good though… reminiscent of other pickled fish I’ve had. I’ve also been on a pickled kick, opting for lots of pickled vegetables lately… so this was a perfect start.

The salad was nicely dressed in an acidic blend of oil and vinegar and the mussels were very tender.

Before we could finish, the second round of drinks arrived. For me, Cachaça muddled with some lemon, lime and a little simple syrup. A PERFECT drink for me. I love Cachaça. Dan’s drink was Bénédictine and spiced rum with a float of port. Both were wonderful.

The first main course to arrive was the Ten Tables’ Bouride – Provencal Stew with Hake, Mussels, Polenta & Kale (normally $24). This tomato-based, savory fish stew was delicious. The fish was super tender and flaky and the fact that it was served on top of a polenta added an interesting texture to the dish.

Our last round of drinks arrived around the same time as our second entrée course. For me, the Jaques Rose – Calvados and House Made Grenadine Served Straight up and for Dan, the Thai Basil Gimlet – Homemade Thai Basil Lime Juice and Gin. Again, great drinks… perfect for each of us. With all three courses, we each liked our drink best (we DID have to swap twice though, hee hee).

The second entrée was on the menu that night, but is not listed on the website’s menu… so I don’t remember all the details of the dish! It was pan-seared sea bass served on top of a salad of chickpeas and cauliflower and finished with some type of lemon marmalade on top. It was my favorite… salty, savory and acidic — almost reminiscent of a piccata sauce, but without the capers. The acidity of the lemon really added a nice dynamic to the dish.

The pièce de résistance was the desert. Mine was a Chocolate Terrine – with Thai Basil Ice Cream and Malden Salt (normally $8). SO, SO good… The Thai basil ice cream was A-MAZING. The chocolate terrine was divine. I inhaled it.

Dan loved his Smoked Pistachio Semi-Freddo — with Arnhem Cookie and Orange Compote (normally $8) just as much. We both practically licked the plates clean.

Overall, a wonderful experience and meal. This place is perfect for date night, a night out with friends or just a quick drink. We will definitely go back and next time, I’d like to sit on the bar side to try some of the more casual dishes as well. I would also gladly just go sit at the bar for another chance at those cocktails. The entire evening was great!

For more pictures of Ten Tables, visit their online gallery.

While the picture below is not from Kiku Yama, it is a great representation of what we experienced (silly me forgot to snap a photo during the big fire show). If you’ve never experienced this type of cooking, you must give it a try. It’s a fun evening, kids love it and the food is delicious. And actually, “hibachi” is not the correct term… Teppanyaki is.

In fact, according to wikipedia:

“Hibachi-style” is often confused in the U.S. as a term for Japanese teppanyaki cooking, in which gas-heated hotplates are integrated into tables around which many people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once. The chef performs the cooking in front of the diners, typically with theatrical flair—such as lighting a volcano-shaped stack of raw onion hoops on fire.

First a warning… I did not have my camera with me so the rest of these shots were taken with my iPhone — in a pretty dim lighting — so the quality is sub-par at best.

We arrived at Kiku Yama around 6pm on Saturday and were seated almost immediately. There is a large parking lot behind the building, making for easy access to (what I believe) is the only Teppanyaki place in the area. Tables are communal in this type of restaurant… typically in a “U” shape around the grill.

Once seated, a server takes your drink order and also you food order (when you’re ready). There are many options to choose from and most restaurants also have a sushi menu and some other basic Japanese appetizers and dishes.

First up was a lesson in chopstick usage… thankfully the server returned with a rigged version — with a rubber band and the chopstick wrapper serving as a method of making the chopsticks a bit easier for the boy to use. We didn’t ask for this, she just magically appeared with it — which was a nice surprise and a thoughtful gesture.

Drinks arrived next. I just had a glass of wine, but The Husband tried the Japanese Fizz ($5.95), an interesting blend of fruit juices, egg white and some other type of whiskey. There are lots of traditional tropical drinks to be had… including Scorpion Bowls and other fun concoctions.

The boy (as he always does) opted for the Shirley Temple ($2.00), served with extra cherries (at his request).

We were quite hungry, so we decided to get two appetizers. The boy got the Maguro (tuna) Sashimi ($5.95) –and three, nice-sized, succulent pieces of fish arrived. He obviously loved them. We had a taste as well, and were impressed with the freshness and tender texture.

The Husband and I split an order of the Crazy Maki — spicy tuna and shrimp tempura ($7.95). And, quite honestly, I think it was the best crazy maki I’ve ever had! Rather than the traditional inside out rolls, these were larger rolls wrapped in seaweed and covered in a spicy mayonnaise. Definitely not low fat, but absolutely delicious!

After the apps had been gobbled up, we were served miso soup, a fresh salad with ginger dressing and then our chef arrived. This part of the experience is always so much fun. The chefs generally have great personalities and try to make it a fun time for all. This chef was no exception.

He started out by squirting some kind of flammable liquid on the grill and ignited it… causing a giant burst of flames (exactly like the picture at the top of the post).

All Teppanyaki meals come with miso soup, salad, shrimp fried rice or grilled noodles ($2 extra), vegetables and then your main course (typically a type of meat). The chef starts by making the fried rice. This process beings with him taking an egg and spinning it round and round on the grill… perfectly balanced until he takes a chef’s knife to it and cracks it right open, flipping the shell into the trash with his knife (this process is ALL about the presentation).

The fried egg gets mixed into the rice with carrots, peas and seasonings.

The grilled noodles were up next and these include an assortment of vegetables that includes broccoli, bean sprouts and carrots.

As items cook, the chef distributes them to each diners plate. At this point, we all had either fried rice or noodles to nibble on. For the boy, this was his meal. They do have a kids menu with several traditional choices, but our little picky eater prefers the noodles by themselves. For the ultra picky eater, you can also get just order of plain white rice.

At our table, there was an assortment of beef, chicken, scallops, shrimp and monk fish ordered…

The chef went to town grilling everything up… serving items as they were done.

The boy noshed on his single serving of Grilled Noodles ($5.50) while we anxiously waited for our meals to finish. When it came time to cook the veggies, one of the fun things the chefs do is to create a “volcano” by stacking up the rings of sliced onion. They fill the center with something flammable and light it on fire so it looks like an eruption. Lots of fun!

For my meal, I went with the Teppanyaki Shrimp (17.95) and The Husband had the Teppanyaki Monk Fish Fillet( $17.95). Both were outstanding.

According to their website:

Kiku Yama is proud to offer a wide variety of steak, seafood and chicken on our specially designed Teppan Grill, as well as fresh sushi, sashimi, maki and shabu-shabu. Please join us, it will be our pleasure to serve you.

They serve both lunch and dinner (click the links to see each respective menu), seven days a week (hours) and are located at 350 Washington Street in Dedham.

The place was bustling… I think we got there around 11am-ish on Sunday. We were seated immediately and before we could even get settled, the food started coming!

So, what is Dim Sum? According to Wikipedia:

Dim sum is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate.

Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu baau, dumplings and rice noodle rolls (cheong fun), which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and many places offer the customary egg tart. Having a meal in a Chinese teahouse or a dim sum restaurant is known as yum cha (yam cha, 飲茶), literally “drinking tea”, as tea is typically served with dim sum.

Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods. The serving sizes are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style, sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions, people can try a wide variety of food.

Dim sum dishes can be ordered from a menu or sometimes the food is wheeled around on a trolley by servers. Traditionally, the cost of the meal is calculated based on the number, size, and sometimes color of the dishes left on the patron’s table (more below).

As I mentioned, as soon as we sat down the carts started pulling up to the table. These items are not listed on a menu, so I will do my best to give a basic overview of what they were and I’ll give you best guess on what the formal names MIGHT have been.

This is not a picture from our experience, but this is an example of what the food carts look like:

First we picked a fried seafood dumpling. I’m not sure exactly what these were, but their exterior shell was very much like an Indian Samosa.

These were delicious… Savory, crispy on the outside and delicate yet full of flavor on the inside. They definitely had shrimp in them and obviously some kind of green… but other than that, I couldn’t tell you!

Next up were a type of steamed greens with a soy-based sauce. This was REALLY yummy. The sauce was perfectly salty and the greens were crisp yet fully cooked. The large stems were a bit tough to bite through, but worth the messiness of eating them (remember, no knives and forks).

The carnivores at the table (pretty much everyone but me and the boy!) ordered up some pork next. Looked pretty gross and fatty to me, but according to The Husband, once he peeled the fat off it was quite tasty.

Here is the pork with a pork-filled bun… from what I can venture (using Wikipedia) I think the bun was a baked Cha siu bao:

Cha siu bao, also spelled char siu bao, are Cantonese barbecue pork buns (baozi). The buns are filled with barbecue-flavored cha siu pork.

And a basic definition…

Bau (包 bau or 包子 bao zi): Baked or steamed, these fluffy buns made from wheat flour are filled with food items ranging from meat to vegetables to sweet bean pastes.

According to the carnivores, this was good too. The outside of the bun is washed with sugar, lending a sweet and savory taste.

With more meat coming, I wanted to grab some vegetarian things… so I jumped when the cart-lady said “Taro?” Plus, look how gorgeous and delicate these look! These fried taro dumplings are called Wu Gok.

The inside of these Wu Gok had something in them that I couldn’t put my finger on. Good thing I didn’t know what I was eating at the time…

According to a great a little blog I found (Yum Honey!):

Wu Gok are crispy, tender dumplings made by boiling and mashing purple taro root, and then filling each dumpling with a mixture of pork and mushrooms. The wu gok are then deep fried until light and fluffy. Something about biting through the crunchy outside followed by the savory filling is just delicious.

Hmmm… looks like me, the non-beef and pork eater, ate PIG. Hurl. But yes, I enjoyed them.

This is the duck. It was covered in fat. The meat eaters chose to peel the skin and fat off. Even though I’ll eat foie gras and sometimes duck confit, I passed on this. The consensus was that it was tasty as well.

I think these dumplings are traditional Har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), but they may have been just plain Gao (see below). These were my favorite of the day… Light, delicate, savory and delicious.

According to wikipedia:

Gao / Jiao (餃子 jiao zi): Jiao zi is a standard in most teahouses. They are made of ingredients wrapped in a translucent rice flour or wheat starch skin, and are different from jiaozi found in other parts of China. Though common, steamed rice-flour skins are quite difficult to make. Thus, it is a good demonstration of the chef’s artistry to make these translucent dumplings. There are also dumplings with vegetarian ingredients, such as tofu and pickled cabbage.

The hot chili paste that was served as a condiment for all the dishes. It was pretty damn hot…

These were called vegetarian spring roles and were served with pickled vegetables. These were not like other traditional spring roles I’ve had though. The wrapper was interesting… it almost had a friend egg texture. Upon further research, I THINK these may have been wrapped in “tofu skin”, aka tofu skin rolls — which can be served steamed or fried.

According to wikipedia:

The fried version is known as (腐皮捲, fu pei gyun). The first character “fu” comes from tofu, though a more accurate description is that the skin is made from the ingredient bean curd. Some Cantonese restaurants serve the fried crispy version at night, often with mayonnaise as dipping sauce. Another name is the (豆腐捲, tofu gyun). Some ingredients include bamboo shoot, small carrots, tofu, scallions, sesame oil, bean sprouts.

This definition sounds exactly like what these were. They were quite heavy and very filling… the inside reminded me a bit of an eggroll… but better.

Definitely the grossest looking dish of the day… these were “pork spare ribs”. That’s all we were told. To me, they don’t look like pork OR ribs! They had a small amount of meat on little cut up chunks of bone. They were obviously steamed (based on the gray color). These were eaten, but I don’t think they were a favorite… purely because of presentation.

The final meat dish was steamed pork meatballs. The Husband wasn’t a huge fan. They were too “meaty” if that’s possible.

According to wikipedia:

Steamed meatball is a Cantonese dim sum dish. It is popular in Hong Kong and most overseas Chinatowns. The meatball is made of beef, and usually has a tofu skin layer in the bottom, garnished with some vegetables like scallions. It is served with the standardized non-Chinese worcestershire sauce worldwide. The sauce in Hong Kong is known as kip zap (喼汁; Yale: gip3jap1), and is entirely optional.

I’m pretty sure they told us these were pork… but they very well could have been beef.

And the last dish we got was steamed glutinous rice with chicken in lotus leaf wrap, also known as Lo Mai Gai.

According to Wikipedia:

Lo mai gai is mostly a southern Chinese food. It contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, scallions and sometimes dried shrimp.[1] The ball of rice is then wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and steamed.[1] In North America, banana, lily, or grape leaves may be used instead.

In Malaysia and Singapore, there are two variants of lo mai gai. The first is the original Cantonese version and the other a takeaway style served at coffee shops and speciality local dim sum shops.

Unfortunately, I did not taste this but would have liked to. By this point, all but one person at the table were too full to eat anything else! It looked pretty good though!

We had three boys with us (ages 3, 6 and 7), so of course we had to let them get dessert. We picked one dish for them to share… a layered gelatin. They loved it and ate it all, so it must have been decent!

It looked a bit suspect to me.

Overall, a GREAT first Dim Sum experience (yes, I’m ashamed to admit this was a first for me). The dishes were good, the staff was right on top of things and the price was right. For all 7 of us the bill came to $70 total. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to give this Chinese brunch tradition a try, I definitely recommend heading to China Pearl… it seems to be a pretty safe bet.

But, as I sit here in Boston… on this miserable winter day, after yet ANOTHER snow day… I knew that I just HAD to share this recipe with you as it is simply amazing.

I’ve been making this chicken stock for ages… the original recipe came from Martha Stewart and you can see it here. I prefer to improvise though… so this is my version. The rest of the soup was inspired by a meal we had our good friend’s house. It was this recipe by Paula Dean. If you told me before this soup that I would actually make and enjoy anything from Paula Dean — the annoying Queen of Fattening Food — I would have laughed it off. However, after trying the original version of this recipe, I just HAD to make it myself. This might actually be the BEST SOUP I EVER HAD. No joke.

Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken — skinned and cut into 8 pieces (I go to Whole Foods for this and have them do it for me. I actually have them toss the innards and the wings. I know, I know… a bit wasteful)
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp whole pepper corns
1 bay leaf

NOTE: I like to sometimes add slices of lemon or chopped lemon grass for a more lemony taste. In addition, I buy the carrots, celery and onion already chopped up from Whole Foods when I buy the chicken. A bit pricier but is saves an immense amount of time.

In a large stockpot, place the chicken and cover it with water. I like to cook my stock for a long time, so it reduces to a nice rich flavor, so I generally add water to about 2 inches below the top of the pot. Add the salt and bring the water to boil.

Boil until the chicken bones release most of the foam. Skim the foam from the top of the stock and then add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. If too much water is evaporating, cover the pot with a lid.

I literally let this simmer for hours. The smell is intoxicating. Whenever I’m ready to start cooking with the stock, I turn off the heat and place a large colander over another stockpot. I pour the soup through the colander, catching all the solids and place the stockpot with the broth back on the stove (with no heat).

NOTE: If too much water has evaporated, I have added as much as 4 or more cups back into the pot without affecting the taste or richness of the stock.

Now you have the most amazing chicken stock!

What to do with the solids? Well, I go through, pick all the chicken out and put it in a bowl. I then generally toss the veggies and pepper corns. They are practically mush by this point.

I use a fork to “pull and shred” all the meat off the chicken breasts. It tends to be a LOT — plenty for the stock. For the dark meat… like the thighs and the legs, I generally reserve all of that in a separate bowl for The Husband to make chicken salad. One, I’m a white breast meat girl and two, I don’t like chicken salad. So this works out well!

Once all the white meat is pulled and shredded, I generally slice it up a little with a knife and fork… just to make the pieces a bit smaller. Normally, this is all I do. We then use the stock to make various renditions of chicken soup… adding back the meat and other condiments (like lime, cilantro, bean sprouts, mung bean threads and Sriracha sauce for a Thai-inspired dinner).

This time, I was dying to try the soup our friends made… so this is MY version of Paula Deen’s soup. It’s less fattening and I adjusted the other ingredients a bit as well (based on what I had on hand):

The Best Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup EVAH

Entire portion of chicken stock from above recipe
Shredded and chopped chicken breast from above recipe
1 – 2 cups chopped carrots
1 – 2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
About 2 cups uncooked egg noodles (I had half a pkg of Trader Joe’s that I used… so it was probably a little less than 2 cups)
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c light cream
1/2 c cooking sherry
2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Crusty bread for serving

Bring the stock back to a boil. Add the carrots, onions and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add the egg noodles, chicken, mushrooms, parsley, rosemary and sherry. Cook for a bit. Add the Parmesan and light cream. At this point, the soup is ready when the egg noodles are cooked and the veggies are tender. I actually let this simmer for hours. The only downside is that if you let it reach a boil, the cream will curdle. Not a big deal… tastes the same, the presentation just isn’t as pretty.

I plated this by sprinkling a little more Parmesan cheese on top, with some fresh ground pepper and some red Hawaiian sea salt.

This week’s CSA share from Red Fire Farm was quite the bounty. I missed picking up my share last week b/c I was heading to NJ… and good thing, b/c otherwise I’d be overflowing with vegetables at this point.

Week 10 CSA

1 head leaf lettuce
1 quart heirloom tomatoes
1.25 lb baby beet greens (red and yellow)
2 lbs red and white potatoes
2 eggplants (pale green baby ones)
1 lb mixed squash (pattypan, zucchini, summer squash)
1 bunch basil
5 ears corn
1 bunch yellow Swiss chard
1 bulb garlic (which I used in the steamed clams I made last night)

When it was time to make some breakfast this morning, I knew immediately that I wanted to use some of this week’s loot.

Some type of egg dish was the clear option… and I decided to go for egg whites, since I’m trying to be SOMEWHAT healthy.

Egg White Scramble with Baby Zucchini, Beet Greens and Heirloom Tomatoes

1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped baby beet greens
4 basil leaves chopped
1 small summer squash, halved and sliced thinly
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the zucchini and tomatoes until partially cooked. I also added a bit of salt here to bring out the tomato’s flavor.

Toss in the beet greens and basil, stir fry for another 30 seconds or so (until wilted).

Evenly distribute the mixture throughout the pan and pour the egg whites over to cover. Top with the shredded Parmesan.

Continue cooking, pushing the mixture around to avoid burning, until eggs are cooked through. Season with fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

It was delicious! I was shocked by how much flavor the baby beet greens added to the dish… it had a very distinct beet flavor at times. I served this with two sliced fresh apricots and a big fat Starbucks Iced Grande, Triple, Skinny, extra caramel, Caramel Macchiato!!!

I love that you can buy grass fed meats, local honey and cheeses and even fresh seafood at farmer’s markets now. The products are as fresh as fresh can be. Plus, you’re supporting the local business man and eating local… reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing your carbon footprint. Perfect!

I hadn’t had steamers in YEARS. They are really popular in NJ where I grew up, but I don’t see them as much around here. Then, a month or two ago I had some Portland, OR while I was visiting and then again at a local restaurant here. I have been craving them ever since. I tried to remember, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever steamed clams before! I’m sure I have… but not for a very, very, long time.

I decided a beer bath would be good. I checked the fridge and was happy to see I had a large variety to choose from. I found the perfect one… Sam Adam’s Summer Ale — a wheat beer with a hint of lemon zest. I winged the rest…

Steamed Little Clams in a Beer, Lemon and Garlic Broth

2 pounds little neck clams (or other small clam)
1 bottle beer (I used Sam Adams Summer Ale)
2 large cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 lemon, sliced into wedges
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Into a large pot, pour beer and add lemon wedges, butter, Old Bay, Salt/Pepper and smashed garlic. Bring to slow boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, add clams, turn up heat to medium-high (I do this for ethical reasons… get it over and done with fast!) and cover.

As the clams begin to cook the shells will open. Clams are done when all the shells are opened wide. If any clams do not open with the others, discard them… this means they are bad.

I served the clams just as is… with a bunch of the “broth” in a bowl (for dipping — no additional butter needed).

FABULOUS… Sweet, briny, buttery, goodness.

Of course I had to include a little bread for sopping up the juices. WAY too good to leave behind…

Since then, we’ve been back multiple times… in fact, at least four or five. Is the food that phenomenal? No. BUT… the Met Fries — served with Parmesan, fried sage and truffle mayo are TO. DIE. FOR.

I am addicted to them. I crave them. I want them. I need them. Now, even the 5-yo is addicted to the earthy truffle mayo (that I could eat with a spoon)… causing us to sometimes require two orders. In fact, when I tell the boy something has mayonnaise in it he’ll ask, “is it truffle mayo?” If I say no, he won’t eat it.

These crispy fries are covered in (sometimes too much) Parmesan cheese, dotted with fried sage and come with the infamous truffle mayo. YUM.

As is the case with most restaurants, I prefer the appetizer menu at the Met Bar over the dinner menu. The few dinners I’ve had have been okay. Like I said earlier, the food is not phenomenal, but the bar has a fun atmosphere, they have a cool burgers-only bar in the back of the restaurant and the decor is about as close as you can get to a “city restaurant” without huffing it into the city.

My only complaint about the menu is that it never changes. It’s always the same… at both restaurants. Kind of annoying. Of the items I’ve tried from the Appetizer menu, the Salmon and Tuna Tartare – served with taro chips ($15) is really good, probably my favorite on the menu. The Buffalo Shrimp – served with ranch peppercorn dressing, shaved asparagus, buffalo sauce, avocado and blue cheese ($13.5) is also quite good, but on the spicy side.

The last time we went (a few weeks ago), I decided to try something new… the Met Crispy Mozzarella — with Cajun spices and a pink marinara sauce ($7.5). This is what arrived:

The mozzarella sticks were HUGE and very crunchy… bordering on being overdone. They were way too big. The sauce was awful… it tasted exactly like the sauce from the Chef Boyardee raviolis I used to love as a kid. D (my husband) tasted it too and agreed. Gross. Yes, I liked this flavor as a kid… but a sauce served in a semi-high end restaurant? No thanks. Very disappointing. I barely choked down ONE of the sticks.

D got a burger this last time and has tried various burgers there (sort of what they are famous for). He’s liked the burgers he’s gotten there, though I think they’re a little pricey for the size. I think this one was the Manhatten – The Works — Swiss cheese, bacon, sauteed onions & mushrooms on a sesame seed bun.

He has also gotten the Vermont – The Farm – Bacon, cheddar & a fried egg… though, I think he got it without the bacon. At least it looks that way:

The cocktails at the Met Bar have always been pretty good. I generally get the Caipirinha, which is sort of my signature drink. Mmmmm…

I’ve even tried their coconut Caipirinha, made with the addition of coconut milk. I wasn’t a big fan — it didn’t really blend well with the flavor of the Cachaca. Also, this past time I was there, they used some cheap-ass Cachaca to make my Caipirinha and it was AWFUL. I swear, it tasted like bandaids smell. Of course I choked it down (I’m nnot one to waste booze), but it was gross.

D has gotten other drinks here as well, including red wine once (which wasn’t very good). We were kind of surprised by the glass they put it in:

That’s just plain weird.

During one other visit I tried one of the dinners… The Cedar Miso Salmon — made with green tea, cucumbers and pickled vegetables. I can’t remember what it cost, and they don’t post prices on their online menu (SOOO annoying)… but it wasn’t uber cheap. And, it wasn’t very good.I love salmon and could barely eat it. I’m not sure if you can tell by the photo, but they put WAAAY too much miso paste on it…  it was sickeningly salty. Inedible. I scraped off what I could and picked around it. The slaw was good… and I see I had a Caipirinha that night too!

Overall, I like this place… but for drinks and apps only. I’m not sold on dinner… I’m always VERY suspicious of a restaurant that never changes their menu. Plus, my bad experience with the mozzarella sticks and the salmon have left me cautious.  Also, now that my last Caipirinha sucked… I’ll be sure to ask what kind of Cachaca they have next time and request a better label.

If you do go, just make sure you definitely get those truffle fries! 

Since I changed things around a little, I decided to rename the drink to the Nantucket Bite… since it has a nice peppery bite to it!

BFW’s Nantucket Bite

3 oz good tequila — I like HerraDura Anejo
2 tbsp superfine sugar
1 lime
3 slices jalapeno pepper, plus 1 for garnish
1 heaping tablespoon frozen, sweetened cranberries

Into a cocktail shaker, use a lime juicer to extract the juice of one lime. Add 2 tbsp sugar to the lime juice. Add the frozen cranberries (which you can get at Trader Joe’s) and the 3 slices of jalapeno pepper. Using a muddler, muddle until the cranberries and jalapenos have been sufficiently pulverized and the sugar has dissolved.

Add 3 oz of tequilla and fill remaing glass with ice. Shake until very cold and well mixed. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass and top off ice. Garnish with a slice of jalapeno and enjoy! You may want to make sure that no seeds came through the strainer… seeds can add a very hot surprise to your drink!

Sounds kind of pornographic, doesn’t it? “Eat creamy white flesh, inch by inch….” Maybe I’m just a perv…

In any case, Monstera Deliciosa is a tropical creeping vine that is native to Mexico and Central America. It can grow up to 20 Meters long and has large, heart shaped leaves. You may know this plant as the split-leaf philodendron — A common houseplant. In ideal conditions, it flowers about three years after it is planted. Flowering is rare when grown indoors. The plant also produces a large, pine cone or ear-of-corn looking looking fruit.

This vine is the only edible fruit-producing member of the philodendron family. This fruit is available between June and September and is hard to come by. It’s very unusual… it can be up to a foot long, is green, sort of shaped like a cucumber and is covered in hexagonal “tiles”. 

The unripe fruit contains Oxalic Acid in a form that, if eaten, causes immediate and painful irritation, swelling, blistering and loss of voice — or in very rare cases, death! It takes 12 to 18 MONTHS to ripen enough to become safe to eat…

The fruit must only be eaten mature — when the outer green sections fall off on their own accord to reveal a white interior flesh on a hard core. I left my monstera sitting on the counter on Tuesday… by Friday, the scales started lifting:

For some reason, this REALLY GROSSED ME OUT. I don’t know why, maybe because it kind of reminded me of scales peeling away from an iguana’s body or something! Totally gave me the heebie jeebies.

According to this website:

The fruit can be picked after about a year and will start to ripen several days later. As the fruit ripens from the bottom up, segments of the inedible outer peel fall off. The inner segments can then be eaten and are similar to a combination of pineapple and banana. The black flecks in the fruit are floral remnants and can be eaten. Eat in moderation when ripe.

A few inches of the scales easily lifted away from my fruit. We didn’t force any off, as didn’t want to poison ourselves! Once we lifted the tiles away, we used a sharp knife to slice off the exposed white flesh.

The flesh clings to a hard core and is very similar to kernels of corn… except it’s sort of mushy and slimy.

It definitely reminded me of pineapple in that it was fibrous like that, but more tender. The taste is also very similar to pineapple… and is said to be a cross between pineapple, banana and mango… also reminiscent of jackfruit.

You can see how large the fruit was and how we only peeled off the tiles that lifted easily. This picture also gives you a good idea regarding the the gooey/sliminess of it… which lingers on the tongue and in the mouth after you eat it.

As I bit off the kernals surrounding the core, I definitely thought of pineapple with a little banana. It was very fragrant, sweet and delicious. I loved it.

HOWEVER… shortly after eating it, my lips, cheeks and mouth started to tingle! Then I got itchy and it spread from my face, to my hair and then to my arms and hands! The fruit was definitely ripe, but I guess my body wasn’t a huge fan of the Oxalic Acid.

What’s interesing, is that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I read that Oxalic Acid can affect patients who are immuno-compromised with a disease like this. I wonder if that was why I had a reaction?? As D (the husband) didn’t have a reaction. He also wasn’t a huge fan of the fruit. I really liked it though. 

These were the remnants of the core when we were done. Kind of cool looking…

So today (Monday) more of the tiles started peeling off…

I peeled the ripe tiles off and ate the exposed fruit… curious to see if I would have the same “reaction” that I had on Friday. And yes I did… but I ate it anyway! In fact, I ate the fruit about 6 hours ago and I am STILL itchy!!!

This is a very cool, delcious and interesting fruit… if you can deal with the itchy throat, lips and mouth… it’s well worth a try!

On an interesting side note, the Russo’s packaging actually had the nutritional information printed about these eggs. Each egg only has 14 calories (plus 1g of fat and 1g of protein). I found this kinda funny!

But what to do with them? I thought about this on the drive home. I was sorta hungry, so I would definitely need to make a few of them. Then it hit me… a simple solution would be quail eggs in a basket. Eggs in a basket are made by cutting a hole or a shape into toast, a waffle or using a bagel hole. You then place the bread in a fry pan and break the egg directly into the hole — “frying it into place”.

I knew the holes I made would need to be small… because these eggs are TEENY. I decided to use the lid to a spice jar, and cut two holes per slice of bread… figuring 4 eggs should do it for me.

This image gives you a better idea re: the size of the babies. They are really little. I looked at this and wondered if the egg would even fill THAT hole. I wasn’t sure…

The answer? NO. These eggs are so little, that they didn’t even take up the space made by the lid. I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to flip them without destroying them… as two of the eggs weren’t even touch the side of the bread.

I tried… with varied success. One egg in each piece of toast made it; one egg didn’t. It was very clear that next time I need to use one piece of bread and place two eggs in each hole. That will be perfect.

I seasoned them with a little salt and pepper and served them with a black velvet apricot sliced up (also from Russo’s) which was divine.