Ilene Bezahler
Guest Contributor, Edible Boston

For many adults, memories of the metal milk box on the front stoop with glass milk bottles inside still exist. At my house, we would get fresh milk, eggs and other dairy products delivered right to our door every week. When this stopped, I don’t remember.

Today, in the greater Boston area, there are local dairies that have continued or are reviving this wonderful service. Genevieve Rajewski brings you the stories of a few of these dairies in “A Home Run for Local Milk: Delivered Right to Your Door.“

Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School recently published his first book, “The Wine Lover’s Devotional: 365 Days of Knowledge, Advice & Lore for the Ardent Aficionado.”

Now I love wine just as much as the next foodie and a fair share of “wine books” have arrived in my WBUR mailbox.  I must say, this is one of the best and most manageable I’ve seen.  It’s easy to navigate, providing a fantastic amount of information in small tidbits.   I caught up with Jonathon recently to ask about the book–and about his own wine history.

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PRK: How did you get into wine in the first place?

JA: I started life as a corporate speechwriter and out of nowhere, in the midst of sales meetings and trade shows, I was doing a job where the Australian and New Zealand wing of the company decided to host a wine tasting.  I was writing everything else to do with this conference and they told me they needed hand-outs and information on “how to taste wine.”  I loved food, I enjoyed wine but I had never approached it in any technical way. 

Continue reading →

 

LOCAL BITES

Who’s Up for a Shuck-Off?
Get your hands dirty harvesting, shucking and eating oysters at the 10th Annual Wellfleet OysterFest on the Cape October 16th and 17th. There will be boat tours, educational exhibits, live music and, yes, a shuck-off. Check out the (very) full schedule here.

I’ll Just Have a Bite (of Each)
Top pastry chefs from restaurants like Aura, Finale and Harvest will be vying for your love and approval on October 16th at The Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund’s 3rd Annual “Home Sweet Home,” an event benefiting the homeless. They will be whipping up goodies as they compete for the sought after Yummy Awards. The event is from 7-11pm in the Hyatt Regency Cambridge’s President Ballroom. Ticket information here.

Start a Riot!
A Wine Riot that is. Second Glass’s expo-style wine tasting event is getting Boston buzzed October 22nd and 23rd at Boston Center for the Arts in the South End. Try over 250 wines and tasty food samples, and learn a thing or two from the experts at Crash Course Wine Seminars. Tickets available online.

Never Too Early for Candy
It doesn’t have to be October 31st to make Yankee Magazine’s fall treats. Think peanut butter, caramel and apples. Hush, no more talking.

Too Many Options
Some of Boston’s best chefs are serving up samples November 1st from 7-9pm for Boston Magazine’s “Taste” event benefiting the Greater Boston Food Bank. Mosey on over to food stations headed by Colin Lynch of Menton or Tiffani Faison of Rocca and many, many more. VIP and General Admission tickets available now online.

Wine at Your Fingertips
Here’s a familiar scenario: You’re on your way to a party, you don’t know the area and you realize you’ve forgotten to bring a bottle of wine. What do you do? No need to curse, because with Red White Boston’s new iPhone app, all you have to do is whip out your phone. The app locates the closest wine store and which five wines that store recommends. Problem solved.

“Take a Bite Out of Trafficking”
Join North Shore restaurants for a tasting fundraiser in support of Anuradha Koirala, one of CNN’s “Top Ten Heroes of 2010” nominees, November 2nd at the Ipswich Country Club beginning with a chefs’ tasting at 5:45pm. There will be a 7:40pm screening of the Emmy-nominated documentary “The Day My God Died,” produced and narrated by Tim Robbins and Winona Ryder. Then, guests may bid on a variety of items from Red Sox tickets to spa packages. All proceeds go towards Koirala’s non-profit organization, Maiti Nepal, to help combat human trafficking in Nepal. Tickets are $45 presale, $50 at the door, and are available online. Call Kerry Hook at (617) 875-7339 for more information.

NATIONAL TREATS

The End Before the Beginning?
The NY Times reports from Los Angeles that the city’s beloved food trucks are now facing stricter regulations. PRK checked out Boston’s Food Truck Challenge in August, and the lines said it all: there’s a demand here for meals on wheels. Would even tougher regulations impact our city’s already small food truck population?

Saving Grace
Remember how I told you last week about America’s food-wasting abilities? Well, Francis Lam of Salon.com has seven simple tricks to save your food. Mama Nature will thank you.

Something’s Not Right…
Manhattan artist, Sally Davies, bought a McDonald’s Happy Meal back in April and has photographed it everyday since then. But, um, it has yet to decompose. Davies says there is no mold on the standard hamburger and french fries even after six months. OMG…

Anastacia Marx de Salcedo
Guest Contributor, Slow Food Boston

In the world of kitchen appliances, there are the rock stars—attention sluts who demand your all, pre, post and during the act; yes, I’m talking about YOU, food processor—and then there are the librarians—mild-mannered, hardworking and low-maintenance. We’ve all had our dalliances with the Premium Margaritaville Trio Frozen Concoction Maker or the SousVide Supreme Water Oven, but when it comes time to settle down, you know as well as I do. There’s only one machine we couldn’t live without: the toaster oven.

It’s taken me years to appreciate the appliance’s importance in my life. In addition to inducing the Maillard reaction in sliced bread, it performs almost all the oven cooking I ever do: the roasting of vegetables (asparagus, beets, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, okra, onion, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, yam, zucchini); the baking of pizzas, cakes, quick-breads and pies; and even the occasional broiling of a steak or two. And it does that in .5-.75 cubic feet, using 1225 watts per hour, and with a minimum of fuss and clean-up. My toaster, my rock, my kitchen salvation. Continue reading →

One look at the drink list at Brookline’s new Umami restaurant, you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. The restaurant specializes in Asian fusion cuisine and the cocktail list more than keeps pace with the menu.  Take the Brookline, one of Umami’s signature cocktails. It’s their unique take on the classic Manhattan cocktail, which is made using shiitake bitters. With its savory, mushroomy overtones, it is easily the most unusual drink I’ve had in months, but it’s balanced and really works — it also paired really well with the fish sauce in the fantastic, if blazingly hot, bar food.

The woman behind the bar at Unami is Noon Inthasuwam. Continue reading →

When you think of wine, you think of places like France, Italy and Argentina, right? What about Ohio? Michigan? Arkansas? They may not have the same allure, but travel-planning website Away.com recently featured these unlikely locations on their Top 10 list of “off-the-beaten-path” vineyards. And coming in at #3 on that list is our very own Cape Cod.

“Most people tend to associate California with vineyards, forgetting some equally lush yet budget-friendly wineries right in their own backyard,” says Away.com Senior Editor Kate Chandler. “[Our] list of undiscovered spots along America’s wine country highlights its geographic diversity, and their proximity to metropolitan areas makes them an idyllic detour.”

Not knowing the first thing about wine except that it tastes good, I caught up with Kristen Roberts of Truro Vineyards in Cape Cod to learn some more about local wines, how it differs from the better known stuff, and their ‘green’ way of growing. Continue reading →

LOCAL BITES

Better Than Hershey’s
Pastry mistress, Lee Napoli of ChocoLee Chocolates in the South End gives a decadent lesson in gourmet sweets every Saturday from 10am-1pm. Learn how to make truffle, bark and beignet, and take it all home with you! Classes are $80. Call (617) 236-0606 to register.

Democratic Drinking
For the month of October Wine ConneXtion in North Andover will be hosting “S³ (Saturday Sampling Series)” from 1-5pm. It’s not just your average wine tasting: the customer feedback determines which wines make the floor. Nor is the food average. Rather than the typical cheese and fruit platter, restaurants like 15 Walnut and Glory will serve “haute bites” at 2pm. The event is free, but for 21+. For the food demonstration, RSVP to press@wineconnextion.com.

Dine Out to Give Back
Also in North Andover, Orzo Trattoria will donate 15% of food sales every Sunday starting this month to any struggling community-based organization, non-profit or charity for “Community Days.” Guests can allot a day for their organization (e.g. “XYZ High School Soccer Team Community Day”), and diners who come from 12-9:30pm and wish to do so can donate 15% of their bill to that day’s cause. For more information or to get involved, call (978) 686-6921.

Italian Wannabes
I’m Irish, but I’ve always envied the idea of the ‘Italian grandmother’ and her homemade pasta. So, if you’re like me, you can have an Italian nonna for a day, thanks to chef Justin Melnick and author Jessica Theroux. On October 13th, they’ll host a dinner at Tomasso Trattoria for an authentic four-course Italian meal and a discussion of Theroux’s cookbook, Cooking with Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily. Dinner is $65 per person. Call (508) 481-8484 for reservations.

Haven’t Seen the Last of the Cape
Though the weather is cooling off, the Cape is still bustling during Cape Cod Restaurant Week, from October 11th-17th. Peruse a three-course prix fixe menu at one (or more) of 25 participating eateries for just $25 or $35 per person, depending on your dining destination.

Lobstah Pahty
On October 16th from 2:30-4pm in the South End, take a lobster lunch break and throw back a craft beer from one of 15 local breweries at the Boston Lobster Party. Tickets ($35) will go fast, so make it snappy!

Bring Home the Bacon
If you’re a pork lover, listen closely: It’s the 2nd Annual Hogtoberfest at American Seasons on Nantucket October 16th and 17th. Chefs Michael LaScola and Matt Jennings celebrate swine with a head-to-tail carving tutorial, a prix-fixe dinner made entirely of Berkshire Tamworth pig, and tastings of savory pork munchies and “pigtails” (hog-inspired cocktails). Call (508) 228-7111 for details and reservations.

Back to Basics
Chef Antonio Bettencourt of 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar in Salem will begin hosting an ongoing Wednesday night series called “Bread, Salt, Wine” starting October 20th from 5-7pm. Every week, a different wine organization provides a bottle for tasting while Bettencourt serves up free hors d’oeuvres (and those who purchase a bottle get to sample “sputini,” similar to tapas). To RSVP, contact press@62restaurant.com.

“Green” Meat
In the eco sense of the word. The Boston Center for Adult Education and Jacqueline Church will be teaming up October 26th from 6-9pm for “Sustainable Meats 101,” a cooking class that teaches what the best eco-friendly meats are, where to find them, and what to do with them.

Go to Hell
Join other diners for Cuisine en Locale’s 2nd annual O.N.C.E. event “Dante’s Inferno in Ten Courses,” a sinful meal of locally sourced foods with an “epic” performance at the Oberon in Cambridge on October 24th at 6pm. J.J. Gonson and her talented team are at it again! The details you’ll have to see for yourself. BWA-HA-HA.
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NATIONAL TREATS

Waste Not, Want Not
If you’ve got extra ingredients lying around your kitchen, use ‘em, don’t throw them away! According to Baltimore blog, B’More Green, scientists at the University of Texas estimate Americans waste the equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil a year by tossing food or letting it spoil. You’ll help save energy and money by using your culinary imagination.

Green Is the New Black
A third of the 2,000 chefs interviewed by the National Restaurant Association said gardens are the biggest trend of 2010. Many independent restaurants grow their own goods for quality control and customer assurance. And these places aren’t just in the boonies. 60% of the produce used at Bell Book and Candle in Manhatten comes from its sixty hydroponic towers on the building’s rooftop.

Peace of Mind
The New York Times reports the best way to reduce pesticides and other nasties from your food: rinse produce with a vinegar solution, then wash with tap water for at least 30 seconds.

As I watched my son run like the wind and race against himself, up and down a lit alley way, at the Museum of Science yesterday, I reflected on the wide range of activities the Museum offers and the fact that I’d be back this weekend for the launch of an ambitious new initiative called “Let’s Talk About Food.” LATF is a two-year series of seasonal events and public conversations designed to explore our global and local food systems. The MOS is assuming the role of “Big Tent” with this series–in other words, marshaling its resources and reputation to gather the public together with some of the talented, dedicated professionals in the Boston area (also beyond) who think, write, speak about, grow, prepare and serve food for a living, or as their passion. The idea is to foment discussion on how what we eat affects how we and our world thrive and survive. Continue reading →

 

Ilene Bezahler
Guest Contributor, Edible Boston

During mushroom season, when Chef Daniel Bruce is not in the kitchen at the Boston Harbor Hotel, he is out in the woods foraging for mushrooms. His passion began as a youngster in Maine when foraging was as much a necessity as a hobby: his mushrooms helped feed the family.

Today he forages close to 5,000 lbs of mushrooms, which he shares with friends and family. Writer Julie Hatfield tells the story of Chef Daniel Bruce’s obsession, which is as interesting as his cuisine.

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It’s a beautiful, late summer morning in Cutler Park just off Route 128 in Needham. Walkers and joggers are out in force taking in the serenity of the forest and the wildflowers along the Charles River. But I’m not there to bask in the sun and take in the scenery. I’m with a small group of people, who, armed only with wicker baskets and eagle eyes, are looking for something for more than a walk in the park — they are looking for mushrooms. They are all members of the Boston Mycological Club and they are on one of their weekly forays, searching for mushrooms of all shapes, sizes and varieties, in the parks and woods around Boston.

With the summer’s heat and the drought, it has been a lean season for mushrooms. But Ellen Penso, who is the club’s point person for this week’s walk, is cautiously optimistic. There had been a solid, mid-week rain, so conditions were better than they had been in months. As the various foragers returned and emptied the contents of their baskets onto a large table at the edge of the parking lot,  it became clear there had been some successful hunting. There were all sorts of mushrooms from spongy boletes to the aptly named puffballs, a hen of the woods, to a few, quite poisonous, amanitas. Continue reading →