Eastern Standard ▪ Boston, MA

528 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
617.532.9100
website

We had a day and a night planned in Boston.  After quitting the Cape after breakfast (and packing our camping equipment), we checked into our hotel in South Boston in the early afternoon.  We had planned to hit a Triple D Italian 'dive' but decided to have a burger at a pub instead.  As we rested before heading out to Newbury I did some research and found this Boston Burger Blog.

Finding one of the top tens in the neighbourhood where we were heading, we decided to drop in at Eastern Standard.  There were no tables available on OpenTable, but we stopped by to find out if they accepted drop ins and they did. We were informed by the friendly hostess that even at peak hours parties of two never have to wait long.

After some retail therapy, we returned famished and did not wait for a great banquette table.  Eastern Standard is a large American bistro style restaurant. The service was excellent and the menu varied.  The burger was easily the most affordable main on the menu at 13$ but there were plenty of other choices for more discerning diners.

We started with the ceviche of the day which happened to be one of my favourites: scallops. This came with a huge side of chips (crisps not fries) and I quickly asked the waitress to change my side order to a green salad.  The ceviche was perfectly citrusy and delicious.  I would have appreciated some heat from chilis but it was very good.

The Arnold Palmer I ordered came in layers and I thought was pretty enough to include here.

And the burger... The burger was a perfect specimen, juicy and delicous.  I thought the buttery brioche made it very rich and decadent.  But it was quite good.

We finished the meal with a classic bistro dessert of crème brûlée. We both thought the sugar crust was thick enough. It was very good and studded with vanilla pod seeds.

Not far from Fenway Park, this would be the perfect eatery after an afternoon game... as long as you don't indulge too much in park dogs beforehand.

Blackfish ▪ Truro, Cape Cod, MA

17 Truro Center Road
Truro, Massachusetts
508.349.3399

Hubby has been going to Cape Cod every summer with his family for years.  When we started dating I would join the family on this lovely tradition and we really hope to continue it with our own family some day. Three summers ago, he surprised me with a proposal on the beach at sunset.  I accepted, and we decided to have a small wedding on the Cape with close family and friends the following summer.  Needless to say it is a special place for us.

We were not able to fit in a visit last summer but made time to go this summer.  It was the first time we went by ourselves, packed the car, set up the camp site, etc.  We stayed for 3 days and planned a day and a night in Boston.

To celebrate our engagement, we had tried to go to Black Fish but it had been fully booked.  This time I called and made a reservation in advance and we were well rewarded.  The restaurant is really tucked into the brush and has no other sign other than this ironwork black fish.

The service was very attentive. We were brought delicious warm bread with a garlicky hummus.

We started with the seared scallops with Parmesan fondue. The sweet scallops were seared perfectly and paired well with the savoury Parmesan fondue sauce. The crispy tuiles added the perfect textural foil to the soft scallops and velvety sauce.

As a main, Hubby ordered the house specialty of tuna bolognese over papardelle with lemon confit mascarpone. The mascarpone was served cold and I thought it was a successful cold/hot pairing.  The bolognese was delicious but I'm not sure if it's the nest use of tuna (fresh tuna... slow simmered in sauce).  Hubby ate the lemon confit in his first few bites and thought the flavour was a bit strong and would have belonged better with a dessert.

I ordered the butter poached lobster over gnocchi with morels and fava beans in a lobster beurre monté. The dish came topped with pea greens tips that wilted perfectly in the beurre monté (sauce composed of hot butter).  The lobster was perfectly cooked and plentiful, I was sure to have at least a full lobster.  The gnocchi was soft and pillowy and all the elements came together well.  There was a rather strong garlic presence but I would just say to at least add it in the description so it's expected... and also more gnocchi please!  The portion really was perfect given the decadent nature of the dish.

We chose to share a dessert being pretty full and chose the chocolate tartlet in a pretzel crust with hazelnut custard and candied hazelnut. This dessert hit every checkmark I'd give a perfect dessert.  A dark chocolate ganache. Check.  A salty crunchy component. Check.  Toasted hazelnut. Check.  It was an A+++.

What a perfect celebratory meal.

Five Guys ▪ Brossard

8840 Boulevard Leduc
Brossard (Dix30)
450.462.2333
website

As a big fan of burger's, hubby and I had heard a lot about Five Guys and have pretty curious since they started opening shop in Québec.  We love In-n-Out and found the menu and decor very reminiscent of the California chain.  We opted out of the fries due to recent over-indulgences and according to Graceful Glutton's review, they were not worth it.

To be noted, their regular burgers have two patties and the small size has a single patty.  The prices are pretty steep and there are no combos; everything is à la carte.  That said, they offer a lot of free toppings.  The all-dressed combination is pretty good.  The burger was very good and you could definitely tell the ingredients were better than the usual fast food joints.

As we were leaving, we heard a family of four grumbling about prices and leaving to go to Mickey D's.  If you buy four burgers, four fries and four drinks, your bill would be close to 40$.  It is worth mentioning that according to my friend E, the regular size fries (smallest) are quite large and sharable and drinks seem to be bottomless.

We were quite happy with our burgers and would go back.  It's not as fast as Mickey D's but it's worth the little wait for a tailor-made burger...  with real meat.

 

Chocolate Pavlova

I had Elle and her husband D over for dinner at my condo. We had lobster ravioli's (homemade and frozen), and I had to think of an easy dessert. With pints of fresh raspberries in my fridge, I thought a pavlova was the perfect idea. Elle had mentioned having a chocolate pavlova, and  I thought I would try my hand at it since I have gainfully mastered pavlova's in the past.

Chocolate Pavlova.

Chocolate Pavlova (Serves 3-4)
I halved this recipe and adjusted the baking time accordingly.
From Joy of Baking.

Pavlova
* 3 egg whites, room temperature
* ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
* ½ cup sugar
* ½ tsp white vinegar
* ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
* ½ tsp cornstarch
* 1-½ Tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
* 1 ounce semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. 
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 6 inch circle on the parchment paper.
With electric egg beaters or by hand, beat the egg whites until foamy. (The trick here is that the eggs should be at room temperature. Warm the eggs up in a bowl of hot water if you're getting them straight from the fridge. Also, make sure absolutely no yolk has tainted the egg whites. Break the eggs one at a time, transferring successfully separated egg whites to a separate bowl.)
Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks.
Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers).
Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the vinegar and vanilla extract.
In a small strainer, sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with the rubber spatula, fold in.
Lastly, fold in the chopped chocolate. (I chopped it fine but would leave bigger chunks next time to created gooey pieces of chocolate within the pavlova.)
Spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges. (I find what works best to get a nice circle is to put a large spoonful in the middle and work your way out.)
Bake for about 1 hour or until the outside is dry. (The outside of the meringues will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed. There will be cracks and you will see that the inside is soft and moist.)
Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven.
The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.
Just before serving gently place the meringue on a serving plate.

Making the pavlova.

Topping
* ½ cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 Tbsp granulated white sugar
* fresh fruit of your choice - raspberries are lovely with chocolate
* powdered sugar

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. (The trick here is that the cream should be cold and ideally, the bowl too. You can whip the cream over a second bowl of ice water to help.)
Sweeten with the sugar and spread the whipped cream over the meringue.
Arrange the fruit on top of the cream.
Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold and once you add the cream and fruit the meringue will start to break down.
Dust fruit with powdered sugar.

We grabbed 3 spoons and dug into the pavlova without cutting it. It was amazing. The pavlova was crunchy on the outside, but still chewy on the inside. With the whipped cream and the fresh raspberries, it was a heavenly combination! Great results for minimal effort!

Grumman '78 ▪ Montréal

1616 Sainte-Catherine St W
Montréal, Québec
514.290.5125 
website

Elle has been talking about Grumman '78, a food truck that offered food on special occasions (since food trucks are not legal yet in Montréal), for a long while. We were never able to track it down but lucky for her, Grumman '78 opened a brick and mortar location at Le Faubourg's food court. While it's pretty quite at Le Faubourg, the addition of Grumman '78 makes it a good place to stop for affordable and original food. (We haven't written a post but head to Yuki Ramen for hand pulled noodles).

Grumman '78.

After walking around downtown and shopping (what else would we be doing?), we shared a sip-sac of jugo verde ($3), which was made up of celery, pineapple and parsley. Unusual combination of ingredients, but refreshing nonetheless. The juice is served in bags to replicate street food in Asia (or elsewhere); Elle observed with amusement that the juice is poured through a funnel, rather than directly poured in bags by the deft hands of Asian street vendors.

Jugo verde sip-sac.

As a general rule, if there is something deep fried, I will order it so I convinced Elle to share a portion of fried chicken ($4). The chicken drumstick was fried into golden perfection and slathered with truffled honey. Now I love truffle, but I find that not only does it often find itself on a menu unnecessarily, but you can't really taste it, just like this instance. Not sure they truffle was necessary. The drumstick was served with a side of creamy potato salad that both Elle and I also enjoyed very much.

Fried chicken.

Grumman '78 specializes in non-traditional tacos. Having had it on her first visit, Elle highly recommended the pork banh mi ($4). We're Vietnamese so we can't turn down banh mi when opportunity arises! The pork was roasted to a pulled pork consistency, and combined well with the pickled carrots and daikon. You can't go wrong with banh mi inspired food!

Taco Banh Mi.

For our second taco, we ordered the jerk chicken taco, mainly being attracted to the idea of jerk chicken. I should have read the description more carefully because I was surprised to see a cucumber, dill and yogurt garnish. The taco was also stuffed with rice. The taco was good but didn't meet the idea I had of spicy jerk chicken. It seemed a bit more Mediterranean influenced.

Taco Jerk Chicken.

On Elle's previous visit, she also had the Papas Grumman, fried sweet potatoes, which she raved about. I will have to try it next time! Our friend E (who has started her own blog) had a vegetarian taco of red kidney beans and feta. If you want to have tacos with a spin, Grumman '78 offers an affordable menu. I like that each item is well-priced so you get to try different things.

Amaranto ▪ Montréal

5974 Monkland
Montréal, Québec
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
514.510.1225

With no plans for dinner, Elle texted that she craved Mexican and suggested trying out Amaranto. Conveniently, the restaurant is walking distance from my condo so we headed out to try some authentic Mexican fare. Amaranto is located on a less busy part of Monkland Avenue, on the West side.

Elle and I first sat at one of their outside tables but it was rather windy so we went into the basement level restaurant. It's a spacious space with a small number of tables. The kitchen is open so you can see what's cooking. There's also a wall offering specialty Mexican food for sale, such as nopales (cactus) and Mexican herbs.

Amaranto.

I drank half of my hibiscus tea, or agua de jamaica, ($2.75) before I remembered to photograph it. The juice is made of dried hibiscus flower. It had a sweet and tart taste, reminiscent of cranberry juice. Elle liked it so much she bought a pack of hibiscus flowers to make for herself at home.

We were served complimentary tortilla chips with two salsa's. There's no better way to my heart than free food! Even better, when it's fried chips with great salsa's. The green salsa, made with tomatillo and habenero, was my favourite because of its spicy kick but the red tomato and chipotle salsa was also tasty.

Tortilla chips.

Elle and I decided to share a starter and ordered the cazuelita de queso fundido with chorizo ($8.25). When we topped a soft tortilla with the Oaxacan cheese mixture, the cheese was ooey-gooey, stringy and stretched for miles it seemed. The combination of the cheese and chorizo reminded me of pizza topping. How could one go wrong with that?

Cazuelita de queso fundido with chorizo.

Elle was very intrigued by the avocado soup ($4.99). The soup was as delicious as it was unique. Made of chicken stock, the soup had a generous amount of avocado purée in the middle, was dotted with pomegranate seeds and topped with crispy tortilla crisps. The soup was slightly tart from lime juice. The avocado in the soup was a wonderful and unexpected combination. My favourite part was the little pops of flavour that came from the pomegranate seeds. Outstanding soup and so original!

Avocado soup.

We also shared four tacos de pastor ($9.99). The marinated pork tucked in soft corn tortillas was delicious. The tacos were generously topped with coriander and onion, with a side of lime wedges. The tacos were quite satisfying.

Tacos de pastor.

Finally, we were in a mood to try out more new food so we decided to have dessert, and ordered the fried plantains ($3.50). Sour cream and condensed milk were drizzled and cinnamon was sprinkled on top of the plantains. The condensed milk nicely sweetened the plantains while the cinnamon gave the dessert a nice kick.

Fried plantains for dessert.

We were very happy with our meal at Amaranto. It's nice to know that you can find authentic Mexican food in Montréal. If you've never had the pleasure of having authentic Mexican food, Amaranto should be your next destination!

 

Pasta Casareccia ▪ Montréal

5849 Rue Sherbrooke
Montréal, Québec
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
514.483.1588
website

I got back from my BC trip and headed straight to my new condo. I hope to have some before and after posts soon-ish! During the following week, with help from my family, the condo was cleaned and painted. After one of these cleaning sessions, Elle and I went searching for food in my new neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) - also my old neighbourhood as this is where I grew up. We walked down Sherbrooke and went to one of Elle's favourite restaurants for pasta.

Pasta Casareccia has a great reputation for pasta because it makes its own pasta in-house. Not only is it a restaurant, but also offers Italian goods, including fresh homemade pasta to bring home. We sat down at one of the outside tables and admired the herb planters on the tables.

Pasta Casareccia.

Elle and I both started with a Cesar salad ($6) each. The dressing tasted homemade but the anchovies flavour was a tad strong for my taste.

Cesar salad.

The menu offered a few pasta and sauce choices that patrons can combine to their liking. In an attempt to have a light dinner, we decided to share the medaglioni di ricotta ($16) because Elle was intrigued by this unfamiliar pasta. The dish consisted of 4 large medallions that we shared.

Medaglioni di ricotta.

When we sliced into the medallions, we were amazed by the thin layers of pasta alternating with ricotta and spinach filling. We tried to figure out if the pasta was cooked before putting the medallions together, or if the pasta was rolled uncooked and baked. We couldn't figure it out. We also agreed that it would take a lot of skill to spread a very thin layer of filling and roll it into such a nice medallion. We might have to try our hand at medaglioni's! The medallions were topped with tomato sauce.

Delicate layers of pasta.

I am very excited to further explore my new neighbourhood, and Pasta Casareccia was a great start! I can't wait to go back and try other homemade pasta. It's also good to know that I have access to great pasta nearby. This will be very convenient if I ever have to throw an impromptu dinner party.