pt at large

Kitty O'Shea’s Irish Pub

Kitty O'Shea’s Irish Pub
298 Cabot St.
Beverly, MA
978-927-0300

Preface:
As we re-discover in the holiday season, some of the best things come in
small packages. Kitty O'Shea's Irish Pub is a small, unassuming chunk of
the 'ould sod'.

One of the keys to its allure is that it doesnt try too hard. Although
some of the patrons can certainly pitch the blarney, the place isnt
festooned with shamrocks and leprechauns. It carries the look and feel of
a neighborhood pub, a place to shift down, join a gab fest, or ponder the
meaning of it all while staring down a pint of Guinness. Alerted to the
place by a neighbor whose nephew attends nearby Monserrat College of Art,
said neighbor and I drove to Beverly, MA to see if the myth matched the
reality.

The fellow sporting the taupe colored Guinness baseball cap swivels around in his seat at the twinkling twelve-seat L shaped bar crammed with memorabilia, whiskey bottles and eight hefty beer taps. From my perch on one of the banquettes that line the far side of this intimate outpost that looks like it could have been air dropped from Galway onto Cabot Street in Beverly, he’s heard me ask the barkeeper how many years the place has been in business.

Half drained pint of Guinness in his big hand, Frank Quinn takes this as an invitation. He ambles over and squeezes comfortably in a chair at the tiny table. His pre retirement career was as a head lineman for the phone company. These days, he’s the mayor of Kitty O'Shea’s. If Guinness is a restorative beverage, he could well be a daily fixture on his stool for another twenty years. Frank is a teller of tales. He sets out to fill me in on the short sweet history of this hometown pub.

 

“I was the first customer in the door when they opened the place ten years ago,” he says with a disarming smile. “There are three main groups of patrons here. Local workers come in for lunch. Craftsmen, including Irish plasterers, stonemasons are among the regulars between 4 and 6pm. The young crowd, locals and students, make the place look like a Rathskeller after 9pm,” he says.

He surveys the bar and notes fishermen with roots in Donegal and Gloucester and a semi retired RR man sipping at the bar.

Montserrat College, Endicott Junior College, and Salem State are all within minutes of Kitty O’Shea’s. With its unassuming attitude and inexpensive pub food, it’s a natural draw for twenty somethings who thrive on the no cover live music and karaoke nearly every night of the week. And the endless supply of black and tans that flow from those eight hefty beer taps.

Students aren’t the only members of academia who pound down a pint here. Friday afternoons local teachers flock to the bar to unwind after week of lesson plans aimed at tots, teenagers, and collegians. The posters of Synge, Yeats, Wilde, and Beckett and little bookshelves built into the ochre shaded walls distance Kitty's from the chips and Bud bars elsewhere in town.

Frank points to the two plasma TVs. One is dedicated to English Premier League Soccer (DirecTV), which happens to be airing a game as we speak. It’s highly unlikely the oligarchy controlling that console will be viewing ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ anytime soon. The other TV airs sport on this side of the Atlantic, big helpings of Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics.

The aforementioned, of course, is conducive to hydration with hops and barley. You could float a small barge on the nineteen kegs Frank reckons are sucked dry here each week.

I’ve just about picked clean my first introduction to ‘bangers and mash’ (Irish sausage and whipped potatoes) when Frank tells me about the weekly highlight at Kitty’s.

“Saturday afternoons between 4 and 6 pm is the weekly meeting of the AHA Club,” he says, knowing that I’m about to be the straight man and ask, “What the dickens is that?”

“It initially stood for the ‘Abused Husbands Anonymous’ but welcomes any man who can claim ‘abuse’ (in the loosest of terms, mind you) from a wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, auntie, or any other ambassador of the fair sex."

I’ve just been invited to join the current membership of about fifty male members of the AHA Club.

“At about 5:30, my wife Nina and a few other objects of the AHA Club stroll in for their own pint of Guinness. By 6 pm, they herd us out for the night,” he grins.

The young Irish waitresses hold their own with the AHA’s. Saturday afternoon, an urn labeled “Ashes of Problem Customers” is set alongside the one labeled “Ashes of Ex-Wives.”

Kitty O’Shea's just doesn’t seem like a place where “troubles”, whether political, marital, or civil have a chance to run the table. Ten years ago, Al Wayne of Marblehead and Mike Fahey of Melrose via Galway wanted to open a small authentic Irish pub and felt there was a clientele that would ‘get it.’

If one believes the gospel according to Frank Quinn, they achieved it- in spades…well, shamrocks.

To see the pub menu, click http://www.northshoreonline.com/kittyosheaspub/ 

Dinner at The Westporter

The Westporter
1031 Main Road
Westport,  MA
508-636-9000

Dinner hours change occasionally-call first
Thursday - Saturday 5:30 pm -9 pm

First dinner visit Friday, July 6, 2007

Five of the seven tables in the small dining room were already filled when I arrived for my first dinner visit at 7 pm. The waitresses were popping corks and customers were chatting vigorously. I headed for a stool at the tiny bar with a view into the kitchen.

“What are you having?” says the chef from the kitchen doorway.
“Sea bass or salmon,” says I.
“It’ll be salmon, I just prepped up the last of the sea bass,” says he.
“With lemon butter, black bean pineapple salsa or would you like me to do my thing?”  says he with a grin.
“Be my guest,” says I.

After I’d worked my way through most of the warm, moist baguette, out comes a culinary gem. Pan seared salmon, moist, pink in the center, coated with teriyaki glaze, white and black sesame seeds, sliced red peppers, and snow peas, perched atop roasted Red Bliss potatoes. A tiny morsel of sea bass, the last piece left in the kitchen, was nestled onto the pile.

“My son caught a 35-pounder in Newport today. None of it’s going to waste,” says he.

“I’m sitting at the bar next time I come here,” says I to myself.

Business partners Janice Dey and Rita Tartar opened the business in 1992 as a gift shop that morphed into a micro catering business. Over time, they got more adventurous, opened for lunch a few years ago and dinner in April 2006.

The modest 26 seat Westporter is the tip of their culinary empire. The wait staff hauls as many as 600 catered lunches and dinners from the tiny restaurant to local destinations on a summer weekend.

Staff carries catered lunch out the door

But Ms. Dey has more on her plate than producing fine food.

“The new wave in our business is ‘food miles.’" Dey says. "Why buy tomatoes from Tennessee when you can find them within a 50 mile radius? The idea is to support local farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. The true green aspect of finding good food locally is that less energy is used in shipping, refrigeration, and handling.”

There are no shortcuts to preparing great food. Experience, training, intuition, dependable sources for whatever enters your kitchen are givens here. Chef John Harrington scours local markets, farm stands, and docks for what appeals to him then devises a Thursday to Saturday menu. If he sells out of a dish, he finds something else for the next night that rings his bell. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a graduate of The Culinary Institute and has worked with Wolfgang Puck, Julia Child, and Jacques Pepin. 

Second Dinner visit, Saturday, July 14

I bring a house-guest to The Westporter for dinner. She reads cookbooks for pleasure and whips up startlingly tasty gourmet dishes as a way to relax. She has kitchen ‘cred.’

One appetizer and two entrees later, The Westporter had bolstered its reputation. Her pan seared salmon and grilled shrimp is served with a tangy, light tomato-based sauce. The salmon is sautéed to a pink center, the shrimp char-smoky and moist with a slightly lemony marinade. ($15.95 Petite)

The ginger garlic glaze with my Harpooned Swordfish is slightly sweet with a seditious little kick, perhaps chili oil we guess, and served with sour cream mashed potatoes, and a medley of sautéed julienned sweet red pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash. The sauce is layered and subtle, the kind that stops you mid-bite to wonder, “How did he do this and not overpower the fish?” (Entrée $17.95)

The appetizer nearly stole the show. A bed of baby spinach with tiny cubes of tomato, cucumber, red onion, julienned carrots, crumbled goat cheese and grilled shrimp in a light lemon vinaigrette dressing was elegantly simple and wowed us from the get-go.

Next time you head for Horseneck State Beach for the day, find your way to The Westporter for dinner before you head home. If the weather is lousy, drive there anyway. There’s always a little bit of sunshine peeking out of the creative little kitchen there.

Menu July 5-7, 2007

Gazpacho cup $3.50, bowl $4.50

Appetizers
Littlenecks steamed in beer with chourico, tomato and garlic $7.95
House salad with mixed greens, onion, carrots, cucumber and tomato with balsamic vinaigrette  $6.50
Baby spinach sautéed with warm bacon, goat cheese, cucumber, red onion, tomato $8.50

Entrees
Pan seared salmon and grilled shrimp with black bean pineapple salsa
Petite $15.95 Entrée $18.95
Grilled filet mignon with crumbled blue cheese, cracked pepper, cabernet reduction sauce
Petite $18.95 Entrée $22.95
Local Sea Bass (striper) with ginger lime garlic glaze
Petite $15.95 Entrée $18.95
Shrimp Scampi with garlic, basil, olive oil, and white wine sauce
Petite $14.95 Entrée $17.95
Seared Chicken Breast with Italian plum tomato and basil sauce
Petite $13.95 Entrée $16.95

Note: "Petite" servings, especially if you're having an appetizer, are sufficient for most appetites.

Vegetable: Local summer vegetables
Starch: Garlic roasted potato or Tuscan white beans

Desserts
Strawberry rhubarb crisp with whipped cream $4.50
Assorted fruit sorbet $4.50

Lunch at The Westporter

The Westporter
1031 Main Road
Westport,  MA
508-636-9000
Lunch hours Wednesday- Saturday 11:30 am - 2:30 pm

First Lunch visit July 6, 2007

The Westporter offers a rustic country inn ambience on a teeny scale. The food is made from scratch, often with local ingredients, by one of the proprietors who is a bone fide foodie. This place is worth slowing down for.

Scattered around an imposing fieldstone fireplace are a handful of tiger eye maple tables and black straightback chairs. A bay window facing Main Street splashes light onto pale ochre walls adorned with local artists’ work. A menu scrawled on an easel announces the choices for lunch.

A soup and half sandwich combo was a no-brainer on this exceptionally chilly June afternoon. Incongruously served in a disposable white plastic bowl atop a festive hand painted plate, the soup with generous chunks of chicken with barley and leeks in a satisfyingly aromatic stock was clearly home made.

As I finished my soup,  another pleasant surprise. In the straw basket with my carefully wrapped sandwich was a small cup of potato salad with a mild vinaigrette flavor, a cup of tender cole slaw, and a slice of cantaloupe.

The thick slabs of turkey wedged into my half baguette looked and tasted as if they had been carved from the Thanksgiving bird. Inquiry confirmed the bird had been cooked in the kitchen earlier in the day.  The cranberry sauce, with bits of cranberry throughout, was home made, too.

“I want this to be a place that nurtures conversation, a place to slow down, and enjoy the company of your friends,” co-owner Janice Dey says.

Three women who’ve come from Little Compton rave about their soups and sandwiches. A number of diners come in and hail the owner by name before sitting down to order. Dey’s  concept appears to be working just fine.

The woman sitting with Ms. Dey at the four stool plank bar is spending a half hour figuring out the menu for a garden party she’s throwing the following week. At the appointed hour, Dey will send the food, wait staff, and bus boys to the woman’s home. If the food is the measuring stick, the party will be a roaring success.

A catered lunch goes out the door...

June 16, 2007 Lunch Menu
Soup and Sandwich $6.50
Half sandwich $4.50

Roast turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce $6.50
Ham and cheddar, $6.50
Orange cilantro salad
Sautéed Portobello mushroom with garlic mayonnaise,roasted red peppers $7.50
Smoked salmon with dill mayonnaise $7.50
Bread and baguettes baked on the premises

Soups
Spinach egg drop soup
Chicken leek and barley soup
cup $3.00 bowl $4.00
On hot days -Gazpacho

When I saw that this place served dinner Thursday - Sunday, I vowed to check it out. One of my best ideas in a long time. See Dinner at The Westporter

Waltz into Matilda's

Matilda’s Breakfast, Lunch, and Catering
1 A Crawford Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617.926.0700
Monday - Friday 7 am - 5 pm, Saturday 9 am - 2 pm
http://matildasmenu.com/index.html

You gotta love a tiny out-of-the-way sandwich shop that lines its walls with miniature tin models of stoves, refrigerators, and cupboards circa 1950. With old-fashioned pressed tin covering the ceiling and walls down to the wainscoting, this place practically hollers “Retro!”

Every town needs a little gem like this - a quirky, friendly place with an utter lack of pretense and a conviction to serve good food. ptatlarge has spent the past several days cheerfully working his way through the lunch menu and watching the petite place in action.

Stepping through the door practically guarantees a “How are you today?”(often by name) from one of the smiling faces behind the order counter a few feet away. Once you’ve made your choice from the big menu hanging over the chest high counter, one of several staff gets busy amongst the griddles, gas burners, coolers and bins. “Wait” isn’t on the menu here.

On one of my visits, a group of five strapping guys who looked like they could inhale the contents of an industrial refrigerator squeezed out of a sedan and filed inside. Within ten minutes, they were chowing down on sandwiches and side orders in the yellow, quietly cheerful six-table dining room adjacent to the counter area.

Slick, chrome and recessed lighting eateries abound. Matilda’s is unapologetically low tech. Red and white checked oilcloth covers the tables and no effort is made to hide the worn linoleum floor or glam up the furnishings. It’s easy to find a reason to return to a clean, uncomplicated refuge like this, where the food is more important than the furnishings.  Food is served on unbreakable, probably bulletproof yellow Melamine dishware that was a hallmark of the 1950s and may have a half-life second only to plutonium. In here, it’s charming.

The lunch menu features Specialty Sandwiches ($6.50), Classic Sandwiches ($4.75- $6.75), Burgers and Subs ($5.25-$7.00), Hot Specialty Sandwiches ($5.50- $7.25), and Salads, Soups and Sides.

Bread makes or breaks a sandwich menu. Matilda’s bread, uniformly fresh and chewy, is from Iggy’s or Blue Diamond. With eleven kinds of cheese and ten kinds of bread/baguette/wrap, your mouth will begin to water as you contemplate your options.

My first day’s choice was The Barney: moist chicken salad with golden raisins and cashews, caramelized onions and jack cheese on bulkie roll. The cool chicken salad was set off with a little surprise warmth of the caramelized onions. Sandwiches arrive with a small mound of cole slaw, finely chopped with a hint of sweetness and a crunchy pickle ($6.50)

Day Two - Matilda’s features a small list of sandwiches and soups (stock and ingredients made on the premises) that will be specials for that week. Adventurously, I order the Eastern Standard special: sautéed ginger sesame broccoli, with mushrooms and onions sautéed, grilled chicken or steak, sesame noodles in a tomato wrap ($7.25). I chose the chicken. The effect is like eating Chinese in a wrap. Quite tasty but messy to pick up.  Don’t plan on eating this in a car. A cup of tangy, thick tomato rice soup with a hint of dill goes down easily as an accompaniment.

My lunch companion orders the Abigail: solid white tuna, capers, lettuce, tomato and muenster on bulkie roll ($6.50) and comments he would have liked a more liberal dusting of capers.

Day Three - The carnivore in me takes over. I order The Butch: tender, medium-rare roast beef, marinated red peppers,  boursin cheese and sliced cucumber on a fresh baguette. Delicious.

Potato and ham soup is the special, “Made this morning,” says the friendly woman behind the counter. Three minutes later, I’m sucking down soup with a deliciously smoky ham flavor - small cubes of potato and bits of ham in a milky base of pureed potatoes. A handful of green peas give it a little jolt of color. Perfect for this chilly March day.

“I had to come in for your delicious scones!” a woman exclaims as she sweeps through the door. Placed at eye level at the order counter, the scones, muffins, and cookies practically ambush unsuspecting customers. “How good?” I ask. “The best, they melt in your mouth,” she says with conviction. As if I needed another reason to return here.

In a neighborhood with no other stores, Matilda’s is one of those places you pass when you’re on the way somewhere else. That doesn’t mean it’s remained undiscovered.

“About 40% of our business is catering,” says owner Wesley Finnemore. The black Toyota Scion parked next to the store gets a daily workout delivering platters to nearby businesses. The walk-in clientele includes regulars from office buildings in the next neighborhood and beyond, like the state trooper who always orders the “Shrink.” (Slices of honest to goodness turkey, cornbread stuffing with mushrooms, onions and celery,and cranberry sauce in a whole wheat wrap - exquisite, as I found out in a subsequent visit - one of the best I've ever eaten.)

“I worked for twelve years in many of Boston’s high end restaurants,” say Wesley, who has worked at Lumiere, Radius, and Abe and Louis. He’s owned Matilda’s since August 2005. “The one thing I learned is that hospitality matters, even in a hokey little place like this.” The vibe here feels like your best friend’s kitchen.

By the time I work my way through the breakfast menu, I’ll be on a first name basis with the entire staff.

Whether they know your name or not, you’ll feel welcomed at Matilda’s. And you’ll certainly feel well fed.

The Andros Diner, big plates, small prices

The Andros Diner
“Since 1974, authentic Greek cuisine and Homemade American Favorites”
628 Trapelo Road
Belmont, MA     617-484-7322
M 6am-8pm, T-Sat 6am-9pm, Sun 7am-2pm

Sit here for five minutes any weekday in the early afternoon after the lunch crowd has departed and you’ll get the flavor of this little Greek diner. The waitresses and host are yakking it up in Greek, senior citizens are ordering what will be their lunch and dinner, pairs of women who’ve finished shopping are comparing purchases, and every other person who enters is greeted by name. Welcome to the Andros Diner way out on Trapelo Road in Belmont.

The small eatery is usually packed at meal times with good reason. The prices are reasonable, the portions are huge, and the taste is your-mother’s-kitchen good. (actually, much better than my own mother could cook but that’s another story - sorry, mom).

“You come at the right time,” says the short Greek accented host with a sunny grin as I push open the door.” Sit anywhere you want and have anything you like.” If the food is as homey as the greeting, ptatlarge will like this place. Six oversized booths that would easily hold six people line the walls; several glass topped tables fill in the middle. The terra cotta tiles and exposed beam ceiling add warmth to the room; six large windows allow light to flood in from the Trapelo Road side.

The Andros is in the lineage of scores, maybe hundreds, of Greek restaurants and diners that dot the greater Boston area. Open seven days a week, they develop a loyal clientele by serving good food, predictable and generous portions. Come around often enough and you feel like part of the family. The owners are usually behind the counter or, on this day at Andros, “downstairs making dressings and sauces from scratch,” according to my waitress.

The bouquet of red roses next to the cash register? A welcome back token to a waitress who’s just returned after a year’s absence. From a customer, of course. One of my waitresses has worked here for ten years, and she’s not the senior girl by a long shot. Like a good soup stock, this place has been put together from scratch: an owner’s desire to feed a neighborhood - and thereby his own family, friendly waitresses, a menu for value-oriented patrons, and fresh ingredients with which to cook it.

The menu, several pages long, indeed covers Greek standards and American favorites. The pages range from Appetizers, Specials (5.00-12.00), Vegetarian (5.75-6.95), Seafood (10.50-14.50), Fried Foods (8.40-13.90), Cold Plates (5.95-6.30), Sandwiches (2.25-5.95), Shish Kabob (10.50-13.65), Souvlaki (7.95-10.85), Gyros (6.95-7.65), Sausage (6.95-7.85), and a Children’s Menu (all $4.95 with a soft drink and ice cream).

ptatlarge orders a homemade Chicken Orzo soup and settles on a special - Char broiled Pork Souvlaki over a “melody”(maybe the spirit of Zorba the Greek was singing in the kitchen when the typist created the menu) vegetables stir fried in a touch of oil, garlic, and soy sauce.

What arrives is a 12 inch plate half of which is covered with a huge mound of stir fried broccoli, carrots, zucchini, onions, green beans, the other half with a pile of rice with mild tomato sauce and six large char-broiled pinkish-in-the-middle chunks of tender pork. The half that remained after I stuffed myself went home with me in a take home container. Nearly everyone left with a ‘doggie bag’, attesting to the generous portions. The cup of lightly creamy chicken orzo soup was perfect for the chilly afternoon and had the fullness of taste resulting from hours of simmering.

So if you’re ever in the neighborhood, say shopping at Yolanda’s or Party Needs or Shaw’s or working out at Waverly Oaks Sports Club, the Andros Diner would be a fine place to refuel and practice your Greek language skills.

 

Laid back at the Way Back Eddy

Way Back Eddy
9 Bridge Road
Westport, MA
508-636-9055

Open Tuesday - Sunday
Boatyard Breakfast 9 am - 11 am
The Rest of the Day 11 am - 6 pm

“no shirt, no shoes, no problem….”_
The six words resonate well and truly with salty refugees from Horseneck Beach, a mile down the road in Westport, MA. The motto of this self-described "beach shack" is printed prominently on the tri-fold paper menu and T-shirts that sell for 20 bucks and are the uniform of the staff.

While the state beach can accommodate 20,000 sun worshippers during a steamy summer weekend, the Way Back Eddy, across the street from its big brother, The Back Eddy, can squeeze about twenty wayfarers at the informal tables and chairs inside. Another twenty on the adjacent patio and front veranda have a view of the harborside Back Eddy, the parking lot, and a sliver of Westport Harbor.

You didn’t come here for the view, though, You came for inexpensive provender that happens to be prepared with the same premium quality ingredients that come out of the renowned kitchen across the street.

Push open the flimsy screen door, and bam, you’re looking at a huge chalkboard listing the day’s specials and menu. You’re also treading on a cement floor, flanked by honeydew hued cement walls, a chest high order counter, and the smiling faces of wait people behind it who seem to be having a dandy time chatting with regulars and first timers. Think retro. The rectangular one story place has the ambiance of a friendly filling station.

The menu is blessedly simple: soup and salads; sides; boatyard breakfast; the rest of the day; thirsty; sweet stuff. Specials… see the chalkboard or ask.

‘Boatyard Breakfasts’ won’t make your tummy feel like a load of ballast. Bagels, scones and muffins, fresh fruit plate, yogurt and croissants could hold most till lunchtime. An egg burrito is a good idea if you plan to walk up and down the two-mile stretch of Horseneck Beach instead of reading that trashy beach novel in your bag. The fact that none of these selections costs more than 4 bucks casts a ray of sunshine on your wallet.

The clam and corn chowder has a rich smoky flavor and is loaded with quartered red bliss potatoes, corn, copious bits of clam, served bowl or cup garnished with a wedge of lemon and sprig of parsley.

A “special” Mediterranean tuna panini or wrap is chunks of white tuna, chopped red onion, black olives, and parsley, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. The mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil panini ($7 for any panini) on griddle branded buttery white country bread is a mouthful of summer. The ‘rest of the day” menu… 7 oz hand formed burgers ($8), 1/4 pound hot dogs ($5), pulled pork sandwiches ($8), fried fish sandwich ($9), peanut butter and jelly ($5). How can you go wrong?

pt at large says, "Reel in the fish sandwich!": 12 inch tortilla wrap of delicate fried fish, chopped tomato and jalapeno, scallions, lettuce, pickled cabbage, sauced with combo of Inner Beauty and tartar sauce. A great catch.

Local green salads ($5) are country produce, as fresh as it gets. Fancy salad? Try the Eddy Salad with arugula blue cheese and local Noquochoke apples ($6). Side dishes of cornbread, eddy slaw, baked beans, sweet potato fries, steak fries, grilled chicken, 3 grilled shrimp range from 3 to 4 bucks. Small servings, big taste.

Nantucket Nectars, sodas, Jim’s organic coffee, espresso/lattes - if you can’t shake your big city java jones - and coastal roasters tea range from $2 to $3. pt at large loves these screen door prices.

For those in need of a sugar smack, check out the smoothies, milk shakes ($5), ice cream, and home-made (did you expect otherwise?) brownies and cookies ($1.50).

The little place is an upscale, “come as you are” Dairy Queen, as unpretentious and casual as a back yard barbecue, where you can eat well and feel laid back, way back.

Café on the Common, relax in retro atmosphere

Café on the Common
677 Main Street, corner of Moody Street and Main
Waltham, MA
781-647-2456
Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Some guys will do anything for a really good cup of coffee. Like open their own café that would serve a brew that embodies their own definition of “good”.

When Stephen Kimberk’s first forays into downtown Waltham for his morning jolt of caffeine ended with disappointment, he attempted to lure well-known franchises to occupy a prime space at the corner of Main and Moody in Waltham. After they demurred, and another developer started to build a café there then abandoned the job mid-perk, Kimberk’s own ambition came to a rolling boil. An architect and building restorer by profession, his office just happens to be on the second floor of the building. He decided that his coffee commute would be a one minute walk down one flight of stairs.

The result is his spacious slightly retro Café on the Common. With its polished granite floors, high ceilings, art deco lighting fixtures, and wooden wainscoting, all in muted shades of dove gray, the establishment has a decidedly 1920s look to it. Informal, certainly, but thrown together nonchalantly, no, The brown and gray granite round tabletops on the claw foot pedestals match the mocha and gray wicker chairs. Once settled, the hungry or thirsty pilgrim can witness the bustle and traffic outside through plate glass windows on the front and side walls.

A large table strewn with the daily papers just inside the front door is practically a “C’mon in and take a load off” shout to the first-time visitor. During pt at large’s lunch visit, one fellow finished reading three sections of the Boston Globe plus the sports section of the Boston Herald. There’s no sense of urgency inside this little island of tranquility. That in and of itself is a reason to visit this little time-warp of a place.

One patron I chatted up praised the homemade soups - “Fabulous!” - and salads - “ “They’re up to the second fresh, made on the spot with all the stuff I love. If I’ve got to let it sit when I get to my office two blocks away, it still tastes fresh an hour later!”

Ahh, yes, I did go there with a friend who knows Waltham and recognized a good oasis when she sees one, The sandwiches are served on “Iggy’s Bread of the World.” The selection of Iggy’s croissants, sticky buns, and bagels looked appealing. The soup of the day ($4.25) was Swiss chard with potato and lentil, the quiche of the day ($3.50) Broccoli, both made on the premises.

The sandwich menu includes sandwiches ($6.25) of turkey, ham, or chicken with choice of toppings, spreads, and cheeses. Rollups feature wraps of white, whole wheat, pesto, tomato, and spinach. A Caesar wrap goes for $5.25, a chicken wrap $6.25, a veggie wrap $6.25. pt’s choice today was a chicken panini, with provolone tomato, mesclin, and pesto spread. The panini’s outside, bearing the browned geometric marks of the griddle press, was crunchy while the inside coalesced into one warm. moist, taste sensation. I just love a good panini. That one qualifies. My lunch companion had chicken salad on a chewy French roll, which she declared was “tasty, fresh.”

Being a fussy guy, Mr. Kimberk wasn’t going to settle for his coffee. After trying several suppliers, the man with the yen for a good cuppa java settled on Dean’s Beans, a socially conscious, organic fair-trade coffee roasting company. Good choice.

All it takes to make pt at large happy is coffee with full body, emitting that utterly swoony just-brewed aroma, with a little light cream and one sugar. The Moka Sumatra medium body blend was just that. The Birdwatchers Blend and the Ring of Fire Blend are the two ends of the power spectrum, you can probably figure out which one you’d want when you need a Herculean jolt. The café’s coffee choices include fresh ground java in mild, medium, and dark roast blends and standard espresso, latte, and cappuccino.

So there you have it. The place is worth the trip for coffee, tea (many choices), and light fare to slake thirsts and appetites.

Recently, Mr. Kimberk got a hankering for a really good ice cream - and didn’t feel like walking too far to find it. Yep, you guessed it. Coming next week, right next door to Café on the Common, Sebastian’s Home Made Ice Cream and Real Fruit Sorbet.

Vicki Lee’s Café, Superb food on a small scale

Vicki Lee’s Café, bakeshop, catering service, and takeaway service
105 Trapelo Road
Belmont, MA 02478
617-489-5007
Open Tuesday - Saturday 8:00 am - 7 pm, Sunday 9 am - 3pm,  Closed Mondays
http://www.vickilees.com

A visit to Vicki Lee’s Café in Belmont transforms eating into a religious experience. There are no candles, religious icons, or stained glass windows in sight but plenty of hosannas can be heard coming from the lips of the diners. Vicki Lee Boyajian was put on earth to bless foodies and even subsistence grazers like ptatlarge with the metaphorical incense and myrrh of the food kingdom. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a star visible in the west pointing the way for food pilgrims to find her newest shop in Cushing Square on Trapelo Road.

In over 20 years that she’s operated her specialty stores, Boyajian has been on a peripatetic pilgrimage to find the finest ingredients on the planet and then infuse them into her offerings. Her newest café, open from 8 am till 7 pm serves light breakfasts and lunches, and the pastries, tortes, muffins, cakes, and croissants that have earned her a reputation as a perfectionist who can deliver on the promise.

Some signature pastries are served only Thursdays through Sundays because it takes time to achieve perfection. Case in point - croissants. One day before croissants sit temptingly at eye level at the order counter on Thursday, they’ve been started from scratch in the spotless stainless steel and glass open kitchen visible from the front. They’re hand rolled and punched down twice in 24 hours, placed in a climate controlled proof box,  then baked to a light and finely textured perfection. This process continues till Saturday, when Sunday’s croissants are being created. The Danish pastries are made in similar fashion. The café is closed Mondays.

The breakfast menu is rather continental, offering pastries, the aforementioned croissants in plain, almond and chocolate varieties. A substantial plain croissant filled with Black Forest ham and cheese should tide most patrons over till lunch. A slick coffee machine can steam or condense coffee the way you like it. The house coffee is Intelligensia Coffee, which Vicki sniffed out in Chicago and has ground to her specs and delivered aromatically fresh.  “Better than across the street,” said a patron, nodding to a nearby Starbucks. The tea menu is quite muscular and features black, green, white, herbal, and chai varieties.

Lunch, served between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm, marries familiar food with Vicki Lee originals and has choices of salads, sandwiches, and daily specials. Even the bowls and dishes in which they’re served give a visual lift to food that’s artfully presented. The goldenrod napkins match the awnings that shade the café ‘s nearly floor to ceiling windows that flood the café with light. The seating is limited and there can be a wait to sit at the noon hour, although the take out business is brisk. The interior design is filled with clean lines and imaginative curves, but it can be a bit clattery. “We’re working on softening the acoustics,” Vicki says. She needs to work out the service line as well, since patience can wear thin even when waiting for high quality food.

The soups change daily. A shrimp and corn chowder in a creamy fish stock had a slightly spicy accent. The white bean and pancetta soup, carefully balancing the gentle tastes of both, was just right on a recent rainy day. The roasted tomato soup laden with bits of tomato and onion with fresh basil and mint made one think of the promise of tastes to come in the summer.

On any given day, there are about four choices of pressed and traditional sandwiches. The Aram sandwich (display case, lower right) is a Vicki Lee original. Long rectangular pieces of dry Armenian cracker bread are covered with a moist towel to soften them. Then herbed cream cheese, romaine lettuce, plum tomato and fillings are laid on. The whole piece is then rolled and sliced. Fillings include roast beef, turkey, Black Forest ham, Norwegian smoked salmon, and BLT with applewood bacon, basil mayo, tomato and bib lettuce. You could buy a whole Aram yielding from 16 to 18 slices for between $32 and $35 or buy an individual roll-up from the case for $3.50. The  Aram I devoured recently was filled with melt-in-your-mouth tender roast beef and served with Vicki’s tasty “Trapelo Slaw,” jeeped up with fennel, lime juice, and spicy jalapeno bits.

The pressed sandwiches include “Nora’s Cubano” on a ciabatta roll. Filled with tender center cut pork, chipotle mayo, layers of fontina cheese and tiny spicy cornichons, it was gently pressed and browned. The bread had good ‘tooth”, was not dry or crumbly, and held up till the last bite. A chicken piccata sandwich was divine. Sliced skinless chicken breast that had been cooked with an egg lemon batter and drizzled with lemon garlic butter and parsley was served on a chewy baguette with lemon aioli and arugula. All sandwiches are served on Iggy’s bread and are accompanied by a small mesclin or arugula salad drizzled with lemon and lime juice, mustard, and olive oil.

Vicki Lee does a major take out and catering business. One look at the pastry counter with her specialty tortes and cakes is all you need to know about the care with which these rich creations have been produced. The same goes for the companion case filled with hors d’oeuvres, salads, pastas, and specially cooked chicken, lamb, and fish dishes sold by the pound. It’s pricey and worth it.

Over all of this, Vicki Lee is a presence. If you dine there, chances are the energetic, intense entrepreneur who strives for perfection will ask you if everything is done to your satisfaction. Ask her about the food and be ready for a passionate response about the provenance of the ingredients on your plate and why it belongs there. Rest assured it’s the best Boyajian could find.

MC Restaurant, a gem on the ocean

MC Restaurant
Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine
207-646-6263

When you’re a tourist, you just love a good ‘find’. If you’re a tourist ‘foodie’, this 'find' was  a pot of gold.

Wedged near the end of the road into Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine is a restaurant that’s a light year removed from the bakeries, coffee shops, and breakfast nooks dotting the landscape like so many lobster pots floating in the bay outside this precious seacoast tourist mecca.

Unimposing from the street, the modestly sized place morphs into a two-story refuge. After a day’s wanderings through a diaspora of tiny shops selling jewelry, gifts, and clothing from casual to chic, the traveler is ready to enjoy the ambiance of this smartly designed restaurant.

Three steps past the threshold, this meticulous little place seems to shout "Ahoy there!"

A short walk on polished red oak floors past the well appointed ten seat bar and into a dining room reveals a view from the rocky shore just outside to the silhouette of the coastline all the way to Wells, Maine. The diner may sigh with relief to see no kitschy marine artifacts on the walls, just copper-topped tables, comfortable strait backed chairs with padded seats, track lighting, exposed beam cathedral ceilings and a boatload of windows  revealing surf and sky. One short flight of stairs up is a cozy bar/dining room the size of a trawler’s wheelhouse, with a view to match.

You’ve arrived MC, no doubt standing for the first initials of chef/owners Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier. The menu starts with offerings from “The Oyster Bar”, followed by Starters,  Salads, Maines (entrées),  Grilled Maines, Sauces, Evil Carbos, and Virtuous Vegetables.

We decided to order two starters and share a Maine. The tuna carpaccio was raw Yellowfin tuna pounded out and topped with shallots, capers, fresh picked garden greens tossed in champagne vinaigrette, red sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil. And it was divine. As were the steamed mussels with garlic, herbs, and grilled onion focaccia. The greens are picked from the restaurant’s own garden. A true fact.

Let me stop right here. You can see the entire menu with prices on the MC web site at http://mcperkinscove.com/menu_dinner.cfm.  What you can’t appreciate is how damn good these guys cook.

The plank roasted catch on the list of Maines was a filet of cod, cooked just so, topped with greens. The plank-roasted selections are cooked on round half-inch thick cedar medallions, the cedar imbuing the fish with an ever so delicate flavor. The kitchen plated the fish separately so we could each enjoy a different sauce. To call these concoctions sauces is like calling Winslow Homer a watercolorist. The  ‘tarragon mustard sauce’ was evoo, puréed tarragon, whole grain mustard and Dijon mustard. ‘Mom’s sauce’ was Worcestershire, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, oregano, whole grain mustard, and Dijon mustard. The taste buds in my mouth were jubilant.

We passed on the Virtuous Vegetables and from the ‘Evil Carbos’ list we chose the Yam and Potato gratin. The contrast of the sweet yams with the gratin potatoes was noticeable and tasty.

Nice touches: gently squared plates for appetizers, oversized plates for entrees; tall curvy water glasses, tiny gas lamps on copper topped tables, a Bar Menu for more casual dining, a sign on the menu saying, “Please refrain from cell phone use in the dining room.”

Another pleasant surprise. It wasn’t till I visited the MC web site that I saw “Clark Frasier & Mark Gaier, Nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Best Chefs of the Northeast March, 2006” These guys own also own the Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, voted one of America’s top 50 restaurants by Gourmet Magazine in 2001.

Need I say that this place, about an hour and a half from Boston, is worth the ride?

Photos courtesy of MC website: http://mcperkinscove.com

Basta Pasta Trattoria

Basta Pasta Trattoria
319 Western Avenue, Cambridge, MA 671-576-6672
Open daily, 11 AM - Midnight
“Good food, honestly prepared”

From the street the storefront looks like one of the hundreds of pizza joints sprinkled like tomato colored confetti over the Boston landscape. The terra cotta and yellow floor tiles, the three small square tables and four booths lining the walls, and the sturdy steel-door pizza oven fired up just behind the chest high order counter add to the generic template.

It’s the “Daily Special” sign the gets my attention: Spicy zucchini, crushed black olives, fresh basil and grape tomatoes over linguine. That’s a far cry from a meatball sub or a pepperoni and mushroom pizza with extra sauce. Priced at $7.95, why not take a chance? The budget prices here sing out to the adventurous diner.

As I sat down to wait, a mailman, two Cambridge police officers, a couple of neighborhood kids and a young couple ordered from the crammed chalkboard menu listing panini ($5.95), burgers ($5.95), risotto ($7.95), pasta ($6.95-$9.95), pizza ($8.95-$10.95), salads with home made dressings ($4.25-$6.25), appetizers ($1.99-$5.95), and a kid’s menu.

Deep behind the order counter, a mini commercial kitchen galley was being tended by a dark haired fellow in a white chef’s coat. The curtain had risen for lunchtime and Reno Hoxallari was performing a culinary minuet, deftly shirring ingredients in long handled sauté pans atop cast iron gas burners, turning meat on a compact grill, and reaching for olive oil, spices, plates, or anything else he needed on racks within easy reach of an outstretched hand. It’s performance art suffused with the pungent aroma of garlic and oil, the economy of movement of Marcel Marceau, and the relaxed smile of a man who loves his work.

Watching Hoxallari at work gives a customer a glimpse into the line cooking techniques he learned at several highly regarded Boston restaurants including Bambara and Via Matta. When the East Cambridge storefront became available, Hoxallari jumped at the chance to graduate to the head of the line and brought his brother, front man Altin, along with him. “We had to rebuild the kitchen so we could fit our stoves and grills inside. Some of it’s better than the bigger places I’ve worked at before,” says Hoxallari with pride.

The daily specials, minus starched napkins, baskets of focaccia, and linen table cloths, would be right at home in upscale restaurants. Today’s was served on a stylish square plate and sprinkled with chopped basil. Red pepper flakes added to the zucchini provided the kick on a generous mound of pasta.

For the next week, I returned for more, inviting a few friends to discover this little gem. Chicken piccata served on a large oval platter: firm al dente home made fusilli, white wine sauce, four hunks of chicken breast, sliced mushrooms, chopped parsley, capers was savory. The chicken was slightly dry but the lemony tang of white wine sauce was divine.

The Putanesca pasta dish ($6.95) lives up to its heritage of being a robust combination of ingredients that don’t require daily stops to the produce market (what hard working prostitute in Naples had time for shopping?). The anchovies, capers, olives, chili peppers, diced tomatoes, and fresh oregano were steeped in a light tomato sauce that lightly coated the homemade pasta. Hoxallari believes in allowing the ingredients to be seen and tasted individually rather than be drowned in tomato sauce.The Italiano Pollo panini was served inside a warm, fragrant rosemary flatbread. The moist slices of roast chicken, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and home made pesto sauce made a wonderful marriage of tastes and was hailed by each of our party of diners.

The hamburger, which seems oddly out of place with the rest of the menu, arrived medium rare as ordered but the French fries were a disappointment, too greasy and soggy. The ground sirloin contained enough ground chuck to keep it moist and was served on a fresh ciabatta roll. Considering the menu, only die-hard meat and potatoes diners are likely to make the tasty burger choice.

Just about everything is made from scratch here. On one visit I watched Altin Hoxllari insert two huge trays of chicken into the pizza oven. “We roast the chicken, then cook it down in a pot to make our own stock,” he says. Lilly’s of Everett makes some of the fancy pasta, but other round pastas are made right on the premises.

“This April will be our first anniversary,” Hoxallari said with satisfaction. The two Albanian immigrants are turning out savory food seven days a week. They’re feasting on success with the same gusto that customers devour the food they put on the tables.

Sweet Finnish Bakery

Sweet Finnish
761 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA 617-522-5200

For once, I was disappointed. Some dining companions have said that I’m too forgiving and easy to please but the buck finally rolled to a stop at Sweet Finnish. The mile long stretch from Perkins Street to Eliot Street on the Centre Street section of Jamaica Plain is loaded with food establishments ranging from funky to upscale. I had high hopes that Sweet Finnish would land comfortably somewhere in between.

The conceit of the bakery’s name (one owner is from Finland) and the fresh looking storefront piqued my curiosity. Somehow all the new furniture, display cases, and fresh painted white and blue interior, produced a vaguely antiseptic ambiance. The new straight back, unpadded oak chairs with matching tables look sleek but form trumps function after five minutes of fanny time. The art on the walls was sparse and haphazardly hung. The florescent lighting fixtures made me think more of an operating room than a coffee house.

The lower shelves of the display case at the order counter displayed several rich looking cakes. The upper case was sparsely filled with one tray of scones and several other trays of uninspiring looking fruit squares and tarts. Usually at a bakery, it takes time to whittle down choices as salivary glands go into overdrive and you try not to drool as you figure out which of the choices to gobble up. It took several scans before I decided a pie shaped wedge of currant scone. The scone turned out to be dry and flavorless. Puzzling, considering the imposing, modern stainless steel machinery visible behind the counter. The coffee was disappointingly institutional in taste, which seemed unforgivable since a free standing Dunkin’ Donuts franchise is right next door.

The assets of Sweet Finnish may have more in common with culture than calories. The clerk spoke of considerable interest in the Spanish lessons that are held Tuesdays and Thursdays in a conference room in back of the store, which is quite spacious. Several moms with strollers had made camp at tables and were exchanging news while their kids made nice with one another. Irish born actor and JP resident Bill Meleadi was meeting with a friend to discuss his next career move. A man and woman seemed to be discussing a business deal while another man sat at the only comfortable looking spot, a sofa in front of the street window, his laptop light glowing as he made use of the WI FI advertised in the window. Maybe there’s more to a bakery’s success than what’s inside the display cases.

I suppose another trip to this bakery would be in order before I decide to “Finnish” my patronage there.

The Hidden Kitchen

The Hidden Kitchen
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA
Open Monday - Friday 6 A.M. - 2:30 P.M.
617-426-1544

This little slice of a diner will never become a "destination" stop for breakfast or lunch for the rest of us but for the workforce in and around 535 Albany Street, it's friendly confines are a kitchen away from home. I've been in walk in closets that are larger, but none of them serve home made chicken soup loaded with noodles, chunks of white meat, celery, carrots and a spice that I can't identify but has been permanently imprinted on my taste buds.

If a film crew ventured to Boston in search of a hole-in-the-wall eatery with ethnic overtones and an authentic neighborhood feeling, they'd stop in their tracks when they entered The Hidden Kitchen. The enterprise’s first owner was Lebanese; for the past 14 years it's been a Greek husband and wife operation five days a week for Maria and Nick Koufos. Maria does the talking, Nick makes those home made soups and slings the hash. Maria greets customers by name and even Nick, barely visible behind a cabinet of rolls and pastries, chimes in on the friendly bantering.

To call the place unpretentious would be an overstatement. Every square foot of the place is has a function. Three tiny tables and rickety stools and a tall case for cold beverages take up the front half and the order counter, cooking surfaces, and supply shelves fastened to the olive drab-colored walls in a sort of homey disorder take up the rest. A menu listing about 40 items including breakfasts, salads, hot and cold sandwiches, and side dishes takes up the only wall not occupied by storage shelves.

With the exception of the hearty soups, the food is what it is - good old American diner food. If you ever do find this place, I'd recommend the soup of the day (see below) or one or the daily specials. With prices like $1.65 for a fried egg sandwich to $8.50 for a daily special, you don't need a trip to an ATM to finance your meal. Today's special was Steak tips, rice, and salad for $8.50. I heard that their Friday fish and chips is a big hit. Anyone care to join me some Friday?

This little kitchen is in a nook of a small lobby of a relic of Boston architecture on the corner of Albany and Wareham Streets. Situated on the eastern frontier of the South End, it was built in 1888 as a cold storage building that now houses the usual beehive of creative businesses in the arty district: graphic designers, architects, printing presses, interior designers, upholster shops, multimedia creators and last but not least, the nationally recognized Fiandaca Fashion Studio. If I hadn't been looking for an exhibit at the AA/B Gallery (www.artadvisoryboston.com) on the third floor of the building, I would have never discovered it.

The Hidden Kitchen is an elegy to the kinds of places our grand parents knew well, a kind of eatery that filled a customer's basic needs for comfort and connection: like having a meal in a neighbor's kitchen.
Scores of modern franchises feature reliably fine food and chic interiors that are welcoming and may even have "personality". When it comes to "character", though, The Hidden Kitchen serves it up five days a week.

Soups on…
Monday: Chicken noodle
Tuesday: Minestrone
Wednesday: Corn chowder
Thursday: Beef orzo
Friday: Clam chowder

M.J. O’Connor’s Irish

M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub at the Boston Park Plaza
27 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 (617) 482-2255
Hours of Operation: Sunday through Saturday 11am-2am

December 16, 2005

I’ll admit it. I was expecting something formulaic when I entered M. J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub at Park Plaza. Shamrocks, leprechauns in bowler hats, and a motif awash in green. But, Faith and Begorrah, I was pleasantly surprised to enter a welcoming, warmly wood-burnished pub. Instead of turning on my heels, I made a beeline for the L shaped bar to contemplate the lunch menu and enjoy the compelling features that drew me over the threshold.

The ambiance inside practically shouted “Guinness!” Worn down to the bare wood at its rounded edges, the smooth L shaped walnut stained bar showed the effects of years of elbows and jars of beer and ale being plunked, perhaps pounded, upon it. The stand of seven beer and ale taps on each side of the L stood like tall sentinels ready to return your salute after you’d ordered one of them.

The rich color scheme was the biggest surprise. In the softly lit place was a mélange of rich ochre and pale rose, both rag rolled onto the walls and ceilings. Opposite the bar side of the pub, varnished wooden tables and chairs configured for four, six, eight patrons were arranged under the exposed timber ceiling and occupied by a business suit to flannel wearing clientele that filled the place for lunch. The mix of colors on the walls and furnishings had a surprisingly inviting effect and seemed to whisper, “Come in and take a load off.”

Having walked inside after a brisk thirty minute stroll around Park Square in 20 degree weather, it took me all of ten seconds to decide on the Guinness Beef Stew, garden salad lunch. While waiting for my stew to arrive, I studied the menu and noticed the brogues of the bartender and a couple of the wait staff. To my utter amazement, hardly anyone was watching the three video monitors in the pub. They were actually talking to one another in real time. I realize the Irish are said to be blessed with the “gift of gab” and on this day the entire clientele behaved as if they came from the same gene pool.

Today’s lunch menu listed appetizers ($6-$10), soups ($3- $4.50), salads ($5-$10), sandwiches ($8-$12), entrées ($10-$12). The daily specials included choices not usually associated with Dublin: Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich $8, Steak Boxty $10, Grilled salmon wrap $8, Chicken Stir Fry $9, and Chicken Marsala $9.

My beef stew arrived in a hot stoneware ramekin topped with a swirl of whipped potatoes. The artfully arranged mesclin salad strewn with cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber topped with julienned carrots was covered with just enough balsamic dressing to add taste without drowning the delicate mesclin. Being the peasant I am, I would have appreciated a hunk of crusty bread to set upon the oblong plate on which the whole business was served.

My bones needed thawing and the sturdy chunks of beef, potato, and carrot in a “rich stout reduction” under the whipped potato did the trick efficiently but were not memorable otherwise. The sharp balsamic dressing was a surprisingly good counterpoint to the mellow taste of the stew.

The pt at large sparkling service award made its debut here today. Just as I was wondering how I was going to sop up the beef stew’s juice with only the knife and fork that came with the meal, a voice over my shoulder said, “Here you are, you might need this to finish your stew.” and a waiter placed a large soup spoon beside my platter. That gesture made me forget about the bread and remember to try the place again in the near future. pt at large rates M.J. O’Connor’s as a good bet for solid pub grub and a comfortable, reasonably priced way station while you’re shopping or touring the town.

Head’s Up: to sign up for January’s “Cabin Fever: A Winter Beer Dinner to Warm Your Cockles”, and for menus and a photo tour of the pub, log on to http://www.mjoconnorsboston.com/mjoconnors/

KnowFat Lifestyle Grill

KnowFat Lifestyle Grill
Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA
September 9, 2005
http://www.knowfat.com/home.htm

“I’ll have one of those,” I hear myself blurt out. “Those “ were a plate of a 1/3 lb. sirloin burger topped with American cheese, turkey bacon (I thought it was the real deal but it looked soooo good), lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles on a multi grain bun and a side of “air fries”. I intended to order a pretty authentic hunk of lean cuisine at the KnowFat! Lifestyle Grill and assumed that I’d fallen off the low-fat wagon.

To my amazement, the 591 calorie burger plate was only 88 calories more than the Sirloin Fajita Wrap (beef sirloin, refried beans, tomato, steamed peppers and onions, fat free sour cream, cheddar jack cheese in a whole wheat tortilla) that I intended to order after reviewing the easy to read menu over the wide ordering counter.

The menu here makes it impossible not to take responsibility for your choices. Under each item are listed calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fat, and sodium. Knowledge does not always lead to sound choices but today, any choice I made here would have been healthy.

The business began in its storefront location on Arsenal Street in Watertown five years ago. Two thirds restaurant, one third health food emporium, it’s a pure play life style business. With successful small cafes in Woburn and Shrewsbury, the owners intend to launch it, under the name Get Low, this summer.

The menu ranges from Grilled Protein Plates between $9.99 and $10.99; Better Burgers (ground sirloin, turkey, bison, and veggie, from $5.49 to $7.99); Signature Wraps, hot and cold, between $5.49 and $6.99; and Smoothies and ProLattas, pretty awesome looking affairs made with protein powder, $4.79 for Smoothies, $5.79 for ProLattas; Breakfast Wraps from $4.99 to $6.99, served all day; and a Kid’s Menu from $4.99 to $6.99; Plenty of vegetarian choices populate the menu.

The average body mass index of today’s customers seems to be in the range of a college cross-country team. From the suits to the workout crowd, there’s nary a flabby belly to be seen. Take-out business is brisk, whether for multi taskers or those who might enjoy a quieter setting. The place sounds like an old Hayes Bickford on steroids. The clatter of plates being set up or piled into the bus trays (no paper here, thank you) and an exhaust fan that could compete with a 727 engine idling on the tarmac are prominent. The color scheme is cheerfully loud as well. A bright yellow ceiling and accents of lime green, burnt orange, and mauve splashed liberally around the room give one the sense of eating inside huge fruit bowl. A dozen yellow “deuces”, a long black granite counter facing the street, and a small ante room between the restaurant and the health food store accommodate the diners.

Photo taken a month after visit

As busy as the place got, at no time did it remind you of the line from Hell, tormenting you with smells and sights of delectable food, your stomach doing flips while you practice the children’s game of Statue. There were 8 people behind the counter, four taking orders, and four facing the huge stainless steel backsplash who were furiously preparing food.

The Air Fries served here deserve crisp paragraph. As a helpful server informed me, “They come pre-cut and pre-cooked specially for us. We put them in a convection oven and blast them with hot air at about 500 degrees. They’re not greasy and you’ll love’em.” He was right.

As healthy as this burger was, I prefer the juicier versions made with ground chuck mixed with sirloin, the kind that squirt red down to your elbows when you take the first bite. And I had to eat my scrumptious air fries quickly so they wouldn’t chill out under the whirring overhead fans. A return visit is definitely in the cards to sample a ProLatta and perhaps even try that Fajita Wrap I ditched today.

The calorie counts may be low but expectations are high for this little eatery. “We intend to put them in every nook and cranny in the United States,” vows entrepreneur George Nadaff. The good news for locals is that one of the new locations will be an expanded version of the present storefront down the street.

2nd Street Cafe, Cambridge, MA

Tuesday, August 30, 2005
2nd Street Cafe
89 Second Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, 617-661-1311
Mon - Fri 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

This little cafe is a bracing retro throwback to a less frenetic era, one in which “buzz” and “glitz” weren’t yet invented, and service and damn good cafe food was the rule rather than the exception. One step inside and your internal gyroscope stabilizes as if you stepped into a time warp. Not a square inch of plastic or blinking neon or polished granite in sight.

Cheerful goldenrod walls and walnut wainscoting all around, stained and filigreed old oak book cases filled with crockery, chips. juice drinks and bottled water, line the rear wall. Several small round cafe tables each with two wrought iron teetery chairs and a stretch of four stools at a window counter facing Second Street take up the space for diners. The chest high order counter and compact kitchen, from which the aroma of seasonings and warm bread emanate are three steps inside the front door. And overhead looms a colorful chalkboard on which are inscribed the day’s specials and nearly the whole menu. The place can’t be much more than thirty by twenty. Every square inch smacks of authenticity.

“You’ll love it!” I was confidently assured by the young lady when she learned The Adventurer had driven from Watertown with the cafe’s vaunted Cubano sandwich on my mind. I sat back and basked in the old world charm of the place and had just begun writing my observations, when it arrived at my table. The pressed sub roll, into which roast pork loin, ham, swiss, mustard, mayo, relish, and hot pepper relish were intimately layered, disappeared faster than the upper class in Havana after Fidel took power. It was 2 p.m., long past The Adventurer’s customary lunch time.

Other special sandwiches ($6.95/$4.00) on the regular menu include grilled chicken with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella; grilled Reuben; roast beef with arugula, boursin, and horseradish mayo; Mom’s meatball grinder with provalone; vegetarian sandwich with humus, tomato, red onion, cucumber, and sprouts. And about ten home made soups ($3.50/$4.50), salads ($6.75/$5.75), and home cooked gourmet specials with salad ($7.95).

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed two women being served a Moroccan chicken dish, one of the specials, that made me believe that the chefs don’t toss around the word “gourmet” lightly.

As The Adventurer licked his fingers, he finished reading the part of the menu stating “All our food is made with the freshest ingredients available.” As if on cue, owner Jonathan Adelson picked up his phone and called four vendors for tomorrow’s meat, cheese, vegetables, and bread. I just might return then to sample one of those specials.

To see the daily menu, go to http://www.2ndstcafe.com

Iruna Restaurant, Cambridge, MA

Iruna Restaurant
56 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA
May 26, 2005

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. The rain in New England stays with us like an uninvited guest. (Ben Franklin once said that “After three days, men grow weary of a wench, a guest, and rainy weather,” but I won’t go there!). Needing comfort food after a week of gunmetal skies and incessant rain, The Adventurer drove over to Cambridge for a noontime repast that would take his mind off a weather forecast of several more days of precipitation. I found respite in the tiny Iruna Restaurant, a few steps down a short alley at 56 JFK Street just outside Harvard Square.

This place is irresistibly retro, with creaky, straight-backed wooden chairs, dark stained wooden floors, and glass-topped tables for two or four. The décor consists of two or three hanging plants, a couple of posters and the wooden wainscoting that’s probably been there since the eatery opened forty years ago. The two dining rooms are small, with tables at close quarters. Since I was dining solo, I eavesdropped on several conversations, deducing that the clientele this day hailed from academia - a collection of students and their parents, and professors telling war stories. (Note: this would not be a good spot for a tryst.)

The special of the day was breaded veal topped with a dollop of butter infused with lemon, garlic, and parsley. It was served with white rice and accompanied by either white bean soup or gazpacho, and a garden salad. The veal arrived in short order, pan-fried with a crusty bread crumb coating, savory but a bit too chewy. The piping hot soup contained a good handful of whole white beans and was served up in a tomato base. Small morsels of ham gave it a smoky taste, altogether restorative on such a dreary day. The rice had a slightly buttery taste and the salad, dressed with oil, vinegar and a hint of something nutty that I couldn’t identify (should I admit that?) was the most tender iceberg lettuce salad I’ve had in years.

The lunch menu offers Tortillas, Bocadillos (sandwiches), Ensaladas (salads), Hot and Cold Tapas, Postres (pastries, as if you couldn’t tell that one), and Bebidas (beverages, including white and red Sangria).

The spare furnishings of the Iruna Restaurant might not remind one of the Costa del Sol but the food will. And the prices are enough to make a diner shout “Olé!” My dinner came to $7.49 including tax.

Now, assuming you’ll forgive me for citing bawdy Ben, I hereby invite you to call me up if you’d like to join me for a Spanish lunch anytime soon.

21 Nichols Grille and Tap

21 Nichols Grille and Tap, 21 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA
March 14, 2005

Like other taverns in the area, 21 Nichols Grille and Tap is gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day. Plenty ‘o green is in evidence as my lunch companion and I enter for lunch on a sun splashed mid March afternoon. The green lights and Guiness streamers are festooned around the oak bar lining one side of the deep, narrow pub and the tables and benches to the right. 21 Nichols has pushed back their opening schedule from 3 PM to 11:30 AM. Every Monday through Friday from opening till 3 PM, 21 Nichols is offering $4 and $5 lunch specials and a beer and a burger for $7. This certainly gets the attention of this Adventurer, who thinks the idea will be a good catch for local lunch goers intent on good grub at great prices.

Today’s specials include a, a BLT wrap for $4, a pesto chicken wrap, and a mussels, scallops and pasta dish for $5. We opt for the pesto chicken and mussels specials. While waiting for our order, we comment about the welcome sunlight streaming into the place through the greenhouse-like sloped glass ceiling. Glancing through the plate glass windows that line one side of the bar, we see a real Pullman railroad car that’s been sidetracked ten feet away and is part of the restaurant. The bartender informs us that it’s been made into a lounge and invites us to take a look. Sure enough, a short walk through a breezeway brings us into the car, in which couches, easy chairs and tables have been set about, surrounded by green velvet drapes that give it a cozy feeling. A walk to the far end of the car reveals the establishment’s kitchen, where we chat with the cooks who will engineer our lunch selections.

We decide on the chicken wrap and the pasta special and admire what my companion calls “the warm atmosphere”, the exposed brick and glass interior, and the 5 plasma TVs that show us men in uniforms running on impossibly green lawns after a small white ball. Spring is near.

Our orders arrive with our food arranged artfully on blue platters. The scallops and mussels are a bit too drenched in red sauce but tender, moist, and tasty nevertheless. The pasta is al dente but somehow one patch is cool while the rest is piping hot. Much too hungry to send back to those engineers, I mix it together for a better average temperature. When I admit this fact to the waiter who’s asked about the meal, he tells me how he thought it had been prepared to ensure proper temperature and says he’ll speak to the cook. The garlic bread, served in wedges, is perfect. Crusty on the bottom, tasty with garlic, butter, and cheese on top, it disappears long before the rest of the meal is consumed. The wrap brings compliments from my food-wise companion. She gives me a blow by blow description of the tender and tasty bite sized chicken breast pieces that are mixed with fresh mozzarella cheese, basil loaded pesto sauce, and crunchy, sundried tomatoes in a warm, soft white flour tortilla. The wrap is accompanied by deep-fried thick onion rings that taste good even after the batter has cooled.

Just as spring training means the the baseball season will soon be underway, it seems that these inexpensive lunch specials are harbingers of a good lunch season for 21 Nichols. This Adventurer is sure to return for extra innings.

Uncommon Grounds Restaurant

Lunch at Uncommon Grounds, Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA
February 7, 2005

The Uncommon Grounds Restaurant is one of those small “we can do a little bit of everything” restaurants that help anchor a neighborhood. Open from 7 AM till 3 PM, this family owned business is right on the edge of East Watertown’s Coolidge Square area, populated by ethnic stores, fruit and vegetable stands, and the venerable Coolidge Hardware Store.

Breakfast lovers have infinite choices of any-way-you-want’em eggs, the usual sides, plus Belgian waffles, French toast, and buttermilk pancakes, as well as smoked salmon bagel sandwiches. The Breakfast Burritos choices include a veggie version for adventurous vegetarians who may wander into the place. And it’s served any time of day. While your reviewer was making his 1 PM decision, a lad who sat one of the counter’s six seats ordered the broccoli and cheese omelet that arrived with home fries and buttered toast.

Since ptatlarge was on one of his lunch review missions, he ordered the $5.95 Knockwurst Special. In due time, two fat, grilled knockwurst were served, accompanied by baked beans and sour kraut. The tangy sour kraut was an appealing match to the slightly sweet flavor of the baked beans (secret recipe courtesy of the owner’s sister in law) and the mildly spicy sour kraut. pt at large felt like a kid as he made a circuit route spearing knockwurst, sour kraut, beans, knockwurst, sour kraut, beans, and letting his taste buds get a work out.

Others in the ten-tabled restaurant were in the midst of devouring generously filled wraps, home made soups, and salads. Want a club sandwich, a Reuben, maybe, or a sub? No problem. Hamburgers, too. And if you’re feeling oceanic, haddock or shrimp dinners are waiting to be dropped into the fryer.

Nothing on the menu is priced over two digits, which could have been a draw for the father/daughter pair, of the young mother with pre kindergartener, or the two college kids sitting in the corner. The Adventurer supposes its Zagat rating doesn’t hurt, either.

With a name like Uncommon Grounds, it is no surprise that two chalkboards were filled with titles of exotic cappuccino, latte, and espresso drinks. Although colorfully painted walls and drop panel recessed lighting is appealing, The Adventurer wouldn’t come here for an intimate tete a tete or a candid conversation with his accountant as one is fairly privy to the conversations of fellow diners.

With a name like Uncommon Grounds, it is no surprise that two chalkboards were filled with titles of exotic cappuccino, latte, and espresso drinks. Although colorfully painted walls and drop panel recessed lighting is appealing, The Adventurer wouldn’t come here for an intimate tete a tete or a candid conversation with his accountant as one is fairly privy to the conversations of fellow diners.

If you look hard enough, you can see the shape of the corner gas station that was the previous incarnation of Uncommon Grounds. For the past seven years this family operation has been in the business of offering fuel to the neighborhood, by the plate, not the gallon. With the prices of the food here, customers can afford to fill up with food and have enough change left over for a few gallons of gasoline.

Donohue’s Bar and Grill

Donohue’s Bar and Grill
87 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown, MA

January 27, 2005

Ok, sports fans, you want a working class, no nonsense bar and grill with heaping portions of TV pixels, pub grub, and thirteen varieties of draft beer on tap? Aim your Hummer for 87 Bigelow Avenue in Watertown. If your hunger for sport TV and draft beer isn't slaked after a visit to Donohue's Bar and Grill, you just don't have sports cred with this reviewer.

After pushing open the door to the saloon on a sunny high noon, it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust from the Arctic white of the snow banks deposited by the Blizzard of ‘05 to dimly lit interior. The first glow that comes into focus is a 100-inch plasma TV showing sports highlights from the far corner of the room. I make my way through the bar and booths filled with men on their lunch hour to the adjacent room, a mirror image of the first but admitting enough light for me to see the ruby colored walls, more booths, and the long bar filling the far side of the room. The flags of Ireland and USA hang larger than life from the black painted ceilings, as do two giant speaker systems. I wont need a flashlight to read the menu as I take up residence at the bar.

A one page spread in the Watertown TAB advertising daily and weekly specials, one of which is a hamburg and fries for $4.95, seems like just the trick to satisfy my appetite, which has been hyperactive after shoveling snow for the past five days. With only three other guys at the bar, the bartender takes my order in less time than a commercial break during a Patriots game. In the next thirty minutes, I will hear enough ESPN Super Bowl gossip to keep me conversant for the next several days in the men's locker room at my gym. With the brilliant array of twelve TVs bracketed to the upper reaches of the walls, I can twirl a 360 in my barstool and not miss one glorious moment of a replay of a Tom Brady spiral pass down the field.

But I digress. The full-length bar seats about twenty. More booths, some big enough for a family (given the reasonable prices, a family could dine here without sacrificing the milk money) and open doors leading to the kitchen in the rear, complete the interior.

Then there's the booze. Thirteen spigots of draft beer dominate the bar, ready to spout rich brown Guinness, honey toned Bass Ale, Sam Adams Winter Lagers, IPA, light beers, and assorted brews in between. Parked beside the beer taps are enough bottles of the hard stuff to get a patron in the mood to get down in a three-point stance on the line of scrimmage.

My burger arrives, branded with the cross hatched marks from the char-grill, and a generous pile of fries. The 8 ounce burger, medium rare as ordered, is pub grub average. The fries, although hot and plentiful, are rather bland. As I scan the menu, I see there's a Saturday/Sunday All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet for $6.99 adults, $3.99 kids, as well as a Kid's Menu. Appetizers run from chicken fingers, wings, and nachos to cheese sticks, and are in the $5 range. Today's entrees included swordfish, chicken, shrimp, and pasta dishes priced at $11 to $14. There are inexpensive lunch specials every day of the week, my burger and fries come to a total of $5.21. No wonder the place has survived since it opened six years ago.

By the time I leave, I've been fortified enough to tackle that last pile of snow in my driveway.

Oriental de Cuba

pt at large. January 25, 2005
Lunch at Oriental de Cuba, 465 Centre Street, Hyde Square, Jamaica Plain, MA

Advertised on the menu as “a little piece of Cuba in Jamaica Plain”, the Oriental de Cuba lives up to its name. Once inside, those little pieces are showered on a hungry visitor as if released from a pinata.Dozens of framed photos of Cuba’s urban, rural, and seaside allures adorn the linen white walls. The aromas of choriso (Spanish sausage) and simmering soup stock fill the nostrils as the visitor walks past the chest high ordering counter, behind which stand huge gas ranges, and over which is a ten foot long map of Cuba. Once seated, it wouldn't be unusual for you and your party to be the only English speaking patrons. The menu, written in Spanish and English, stretches from breakfast to dinner, with stops at sandwiches, rice specials, side orders, soups, tropical shakes, and desserts.

On this January day, the clean, glass topped wooden tables lining the restaurant are occupied by men in work boots and children in snow suits. In the aftermath of the Blizzard of ‘05, school had been canceled for a second day, and parents, many of them still snowed out of their own work, seemed eager to set foot outdoors and enjoy the luxury of being served, rather than serving. The giggles of bilingual children at tables and Spanish ballads and instrumental music from the sound system are more reasons to believe one is sitting in Havana rather than Hyde Square.

Daylight pours in through the bay windows lining the side and front of the narrow restaurant, backlighting our waitress Adriana’s brown hair as she promptly comes to take our orders and gently laughs as we ask gringo questions about names we don't recognize.

After considering the ropa vieja (shredded beef) and tilapia (white fish fried in batter), I chose the classic Cubano sandwich (roast pork, swiss cheese, ham, spicy sauce, mustard, and pickles layered between sides of crusty bread). My lunch companion orders home made chicken soup, fried yucca, and a side of rice and beans. My sandwich, although tasty, has a bit too much fat on the pork for my taste, and could have been pressed on the grill a bit longer to give it more warmth. My companion’s chicken soup is hearty, full of tomato, noodles, peppers, and chicken. The fried yucca, a starchy product, is the day's surprise for me. Perfectly fried and served with a topping of fried onion, its delicate flavor is enlivened by a gently seasoned batter. Its thick, french fry shaped morsels disappear quickly, as do the moderately spicy beans which we've spooned over white rice.

The entire bill comes to sixteen dollars and we’ve had our fill. As we leave, I notice complimentary reviews from the Phantom Gourmet and the Boston Globe’s ‘Cheap Eats’ section, and see that this tiny gem is also listed in the 2005 Zagat Survey. To which, I will add my own “Olé”.

Harry’s Bar and Grill, Brighton,MA

Harry’s Bar and Grill, 1430 Commonwealth Ave. Brighton, MA
January 14, 2005
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Special quote of the day, uttered by the bartender at Harry’s.
“It’s easier to apologize than to ask permission.”
Although this gem was in reference to explaining his TV football watching habits to his wife, I imagine his philosophy might ring true to some readers for other reasons.
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Harry’s Bar and Grill is a wonderful neighborhood bar. Daylight streams in from the windows on the street side. The split-level interior atmosphere is warmly lit on this January afternoon, the cozy feel of a glowing hearth without the logs.

Small enough to survey the entire clientele with a lingering glance, large enough to have an intimate conversation at one of the small tables, the place feels inviting and welcoming. A long bar extends to the rear wall, exposed brick walls on two sides, Tiffany lamps hanging from the ceiling, old time black and white photos on the walls, are pure neighborhood touches. The large screen TVs in each corner (the pictures only, without the blare), honey colored bar, tables, and chairs, and a huge mirror behind the bar, framed with shelves of popular alcoholic beverages, offer several reasons for the neighbors to visit.

And they serve lunch, which is why I’m sitting there, drooling over the menu today. The categories include Appetizers (wraps, dips, quesadillas), Soups and salads, Tacos and more, Entrees, and Dessert.

Fried haddock with fries gets the nod today. Comes out flaky, tasty brown light batter, with, surprise, curly Q french fries. Never seen anything like them, gently seasoned, cooked perfectly throughout, with a bit of salt they go down fast. "Before we opened in December, 2003, the owner tried about 20 kinds of fries and chose these," says the bartender.

A bonus, especially to the retiree bent on lunching at every lunch spot in Boston, from five star to pub grub, is that only one of the menu items tops two digits in price. Good enough for a return visit, certainly. The bartender’s suggestion about the Carne Assada, Central American grilled beef with rice and the chef’s special refried black beans, beckons for the next visit, as does the tender tuna sandwich with homemade chipotle sauce.

Anyone free for lunch?

A walk on the Wild Willy side

pt at large
Wild Willy’s Burgers
46 Arsenal St., Watertown; 617-926-9700
Burgers, sandwiches, sides $5.75 - $7.75
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat-Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Credit Cards: Visa and Mastercard
Handicap access: Wheelchair accessible.
January 12, 2005

A walk on the Wild Willy side

As square, red, and uninspiring as a barn, Wild Willy’s is located in a corral at 46 Arsenal Street, a short canter east of Watertown Square. Just inside the double doors, it’s a short lariat throw to the food prep and grill area straight ahead. Spacious and lit with hospital white fluorescence, it’s crawling with food wranglers who are obviously enjoying their work. No Benihana of Tokyo fancy chopping but smooth efficiency prevails. Under a big “Order Here” sign, I went with a Willy Burger, the basic lettuce tomato mayo choice. “Find a place to sit, your order will be ready in about 13 minutes,” said the waitress.

About 12 minutes later, my “made by hand every morning fresh 100% certified Angus beef ground chuck” burger arrived on a red plastic tray with a side of hand cut fries. As I was halfway through my burger, a thunderous noise that sounded like a cowboy boot being tossed into a garbage disposal came from the prep area. I looked over to see a bag of whole Maine potatoes being tossed into a stainless steel grinder. With the license of political candidates, they unabashedly call these ‘hand cut’. The golden brown fries were tasty - slightly salted, soft inside but a bit limp. My “small” order was a generous serving.

The place is basically a box with a creative color scheme and a life-sized chuck wagon tethered between the counter seats and the booths. Pale yellow walls, complementary royal blue ceilings with beams and air ducts exposed, and at the far end a 30 foot wall mural with a sense of irony: a lone cowboy herding Angus beef cattle single file across the prairie under a halcyon blue sky. Little do these cattle know where the trail ends.

Wooden tables and booths are scattered about and an L angled white oak counter gives the counter customer a view of the huge grill and militarily organized prep sections, close enough to eavesdrop on the banter between the preppers. Aside from two lone chicken choices, burgers rule. Side orders of onion rings, fries, and steak chili are offered. Ice cream and Cowboy Cobblers can follow your grub, which you can wash down with home made root beer, sasparilla, and more common beverages.

“We’ve been pretty busy since we opened November 10 (2005) ”, says a waitress. “We haven’t advertised but the reviews in the Globe and the Phantom Gourmet have really helped.” The wait staff is uniformly pleasant. “Do you need catsup with that to go order?”, “Enjoy the lunch,” as they set it in front of you.

And I must admit, the review in the Globe Calendar section got me to saddle up and visit. The burger wasn’t as tasty and moist as one at, say, Bartley’s Burger Cottage down the street in Cambridge, but the smoky taste reminded me of backyard summer barbeques that seemed stuck in a time warp on this brisk January early afternoon.

UPDATE 3/20/2006
Items added since first visit:
Fried haddock sandwich on toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce $6.25
Trail Boss Steak Sandwiches $7.75
Chicken Tenders, small, large $4.95, $6.95
The Stampede Burger with steak chili arrived perfectly matched my medium rare request. When I commented to the server, she said, “We just