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Taste of the Nation Boston

April 23, 2012 in Cocktails, events, Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 10 comments

Share our Strength once again held its epic food, wine, beer, and cocktail event last week in Boston. Taste of the Nation is one of the best events of the year, and I was fortunate to be invited as press to experience all of the fun with some of my favorite Boston bloggers.

First, and most importantly, there was a message and a pledge for the evening.

I believe that no child in America should go hungry. By pledging today, I add my voice to the national movement of people committed to ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

You can take the pledge here. It’s kind of amazing and horrible, when you stop and think about it for even a second, that with all of the advances we have made in so many areas, we’re still allowing children to go hungry. So many problems start with hunger and lack of access to food, and Share our Strength is doing amazing work to fix these problems. In addition to Taste of the Nation, they have all sorts of other initiatives like Cooking Matters and The Great American Bake Sale.

As soon as the doors opened for the VIP hour, we made our way into the convention hall and started eating. There was just so much good food. Here are a few of the highlights for me:

{Halibut Chorizo from 606 Congress}

{Chef from The Blue Ox whipping up some tuna tartare to go on homemade potato chips with crème fraiche}

{Roast beef sliders with horseradish cream from Del Frisco’s} My post-marathon body was craving red meat, and these certainly did the trick.

{Creamsicle crème brulee from Sandrine’s Bistro}

{Chef Gordon Hammersley cooking up some shrimp}

{Shrimp ceviche from Harvest}

{Beautiful macarons from The Blue Frog Bakery} I had the Nutella-filled macarons, and they were to die for.

{Champagne from Nicholas Feuillate}

{Cake from Athans} I used to live near Athans and love their baklava, but I always found the people who worked there to be incredibly unfriendly. Like to the point that I was afraid to ask a question.

{Narragansett beer to end the night} I enjoyed the Porter immensely. This is great boat beer!

As you can see, Taste of the Nation was delicious. I definitely ate more than pictured, and there were many, many tables I had to skip due to being full. It is an event that is very well run and must take a ton of work to put together. The best of the best in the Boston area all come out and lovingly share some of their favorites all to benefit great kids who really need all of our help.

Do you have a favorite charity event?

Technorati Tags: beer, Boston, champagne, charity, cocktails, events, Food, Share our Strength, wine

Tags: beer, Boston, champagne, charity, cocktails, events, Food, Share our Strength, wine

ArtBar Spring Menu Tasting

April 19, 2012 in Cocktails, events, Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 9 comments

This is not your parents’ hotel restaurant. When I was younger and we traveled, we always avoided the hotel restaurant. It was pretty much a given that you didn’t eat in the hotel . Times have definitely changed, with hotel restaurants doing all sorts of creative, community-focused, delicious things for not just their guests, but for locals.

Last Thursday I had the great opportunity to join a few other bloggers and some of the team at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge for a tasting of the new ArtBar menu. I had been to ArtBar before for drinks with colleagues, a cocktail class, and late night bites, but since I had never eaten dinner there before, I was excited for the full experience.

We definitely received VIP treatment, starting with a private room just for our dinner with Director of Food and Beverage Troy Clarke already mixing up specialty cocktails when I arrived.

Although it was a rainy day, the views across the river from ArtBar were lovely, one of my favorites of Boston. Of course, you can’t quite tell that from this photo. I just thought it was an artsy shot, and well, I was at ArtBar. . .

Pimm’s Cups, either made with homemade bitter lemon or ginger beer, were our welcome drinks. Always a lover of ginger beer, I went with that option, and thoroughly enjoyed the spicy and refreshing drink as I mingled with other dinner guests.

Once we sat down, Troy shared information about ArtBar’s food and beverage with us. The restaurant sources as much as possible from local and sustainable sources including about 25 farms and other suppliers. They are continually striving to be more green and are working on 100% sustainability for their seafood. None of this is easy, especially for a restaurant in a hotel that serves several meals a day and has to appeal to a large and diverse audience, but you could see the obvious passion and excitement behind these initiatives as well as behind the creative and inventive cocktail and food menu.

We kicked dinner off with a spring pea soup with Marcona almonds which gave it both a smooth and crunchy texture and a nice richness to go with the sweet green peas.

Next up, we tried some of the new appetizers on ArtBar’s menu. We were first brought out full servings of each, plated how they would be for diners in those portions, and then we each received our own tasting plate which was really fun. The dining portions were quite substantial!

From left to right we have the pork cheek tacos, grilled calamari bruschetta, and the holy amazing deep fried macaroni and cheese with truffle fondue. Of the three, the mac and cheese definitely wowed me the most. It was fried and crunchy but not greasy in the slightest. Dare I say it was kind of light? It would be the perfect dish for sharing. Dipped in warm, gooey truffle fondue, this was a comfort food I would crave again and again. I enjoyed the other appetizers as well. The bruschetta was an interesting combination plated on top of a Marcona almond puree that I could have licked off my plate. I don’t usually go for bruschetta, not being a huge bread person, but the calamari added another element that changed up the classic dish. The pork cheek tacos were tender and flavorful; I could see these being a nice small entrée.

Our next cocktail was a vodka punch, a French Standard, created by ArtBar’s bartender. ArtBar is delving into old fashioned punch service in a beautiful and fun way using these glass absinthe containers with spouts on either side. The French Standard is a dangerously delicious ix of Ciroc Vodka, Lillet, St. Germain, Lemon, and Grapefruit Bitters. The light citrus flavors went so well with our appetizers, and having the containers served to us definitely made for fun sharing of drinks.

Our next course featured two entrees from the spring menu, game hen stuffed with spring vegetables with a potato cake and pan butter and artic char with beluga lentils and sautéed leeks.

The chicken was good, moist and served with a delicious potato cake. It was a choice that would appeal to many people, including those with less adventurous palates but still done in a way that stands out a bit.

The char was amazing. It was quickly cooked at high heat to crisp the skin to perfection. Soft lentils provided a nice contrast, and the leeks melted in my mouth.

Dinner was served with a Smoked Cherry Fizz: Lepanto Brandy, Amere Nouvelle, Smoked Cherry Phosphate. Troy burnt cherry bark in front of us with a little torch, showing again his creativity and use of all sorts of different ingredients in the restaurant’s cocktails. If you ever get the chance to take one of his classes, definitely do; he is fun to watch!

ArtBar’s Executive Chef Brian Dandro came in to meet with us, despite it being his day off, and he had Chef de Cuisine, Stephen Hamilton and the team in the kitchen serve us up a little extra, scallops they had gotten from the boat the day before. This was one of the most perfect scallops I have ever had. It was seared and caramelized on top and so buttery and tender all the way through, with that sweet fresh scallop flavor. Amazing.

The night ended with a dessert course accompanied by an alcohol-free cocktail, Pressure. ArtBar has a whole menu of non-alcoholic drinks for people who can’t or don’t want to drink alcohol but would like a little something special. The Pressure contained Ginger, Grapefruit Shrub, Agave, Lime, Honeycomb, and CO2. Honeycomb reminds me of my nana, who often had a jar at home. I loved ending the meal with a refreshing drink and not having to worry about a headache the next day.

Two different desserts provided plenty to satisfy our sweet cravings; almond streusel cake with caramel poached pears and “Turtle” panna cotta. I ate every bite of the almond cake which was light and lovely. I found the panna cotta to be a little too sweet for me, but I think it would be a true chocolate-lover’s dream.

ArtBar did a really nice job on their new menu. It really reflects their desire to create an experience that is comforting and sophisticated, and it’s clear that a lot of thought and staff input goes into it. ArtBar’s location makes it perfect for warm weather and evenings with lots of light, and its cocktails, wine, and food make it a great place for all sorts of palates.

As we were guests of ArtBar our dinner was complimentary, but I was truly excited to write about the experience, and I am equally excited to return. Trying ALL of the cocktails on their menu is a challenge I could live up to.

Technorati Tags: blogger events, cambridge, chicken, cocktails, dessert, events, Food, menu, pairings, scallops, tasting events

Tags: blogger events, cambridge, chicken, cocktails, dessert, events, Food, menu, pairings, scallops, tasting events

A Tavola

April 18, 2012 in Food, Restaurants, wine by traveleatlove | 6 comments

An absolute must-visit, A Tavola in Winchester ended up being our Saturday night, pre-marathon date. Initially we had reservations to go out in Boston’s North End and decided to head in to town early to have a drink and wander around.

Crazy town. Between the marathon, the Red Sox, the Bruins, and the beautiful holiday weekend, Boston, and especially the North End, was packed. I was already anxious about being in the sun or on my feet too long, so we picked the first spot that looked opened, had a quick beer and tried to figure out dinner plan B after my husband noted that town would be even crazier after the hockey game let out. I was not in the mood for crowds.

Luckily, I had spoken with Richard at lunch earlier in the week, and he had mentioned A Tavola as a great spot for dinner. I quickly looked them up on my phone, gave them a call to make a reservation, and we were on our way to Winchester.

The quiet town common and quaint streets were a nice change from the swarms of people in Boston. I was nervous, and I needed to be in a calm and cozy place. A Tavola was it.

We were seated right away at a sunny table and went over the menu; the top boxes are Piattini, meant for sharing, while the other options include larger appetizers and entrees.

We also went over A Tavola’s wine list which is comprised solely of Italian wines, many of which are offered by the glass or quartino. Since it felt so summery out, we decided to share a bottle of the Masciarelli Rosato. We have tried and love Masciarelli Trebbiano D’Abruzzo, and we equally loved the Rosato. It was perfect for our Piattini as well as our entrees.

For Piattini, we decided to split the house-made Sopressata with pistachios an pickled vegetables and the ricotta with olive oil and lemon zest. Both were simply heavenly, and based on the options available, you could easily make a meal out of small plates.

I didn’t photograph our entrees, but we enjoyed dishes of fresh, house made pasta. I had the Bigoli al Pomodoro, thick spaghetti with a tomato sauce, while my husband had the Rigatoni Bolognese. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauces were flavorful and rich. The tangy tomatoes and thick ropes of pasta in mine were exactly what I wanted.

We feasted on Piattini and pasta, but I did save room to share two desserts. I had this vanilla gelato with hot fudge and hazelnuts while my husband had the house-made doughnuts. There was, of course, sharing involved. These were SO good.

After our dinner the chef came out of the open kitchen to check on how our meal went. He was delightful, and it was a nice touch.

The service at A Tavola was outstanding, making for a really enjoyable date night that left me dreaming of bowls of homemade pasta. A Tavola definitely requires a return visit.

It’s only my second day of work this week, but I am ready for the weekend. How about you?

Technorati Tags: dessert, dinner, Food, gelato, Restaurants, wine