Urban Hearth in Cambridge

Gail and I went for a celebratory dinner this weekend at Urban Hearth on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge. What a delight. They do a supper club on Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week. That's their way of turning the traditional sit down meal into something closer to a visit to the chef's home.

It's a little more traditional than described on the web site. We were seated right away at a private table. I wonder if the communal dining concept was difficult to implement with each party arriving at a different time.

After greeting us, our host went off to create a welcome cocktail for us. She brought back a Cava and rosewater cocktail with dried rose petals. It was lovely and elegant. What followed was dish after dish of wonderful flavors and textures, punctuated by pleasant descriptive interludes by the team of four in this intimate, storefront setting. The team included our host, the chef-owner Erin Miller, the sous-chef, and a helper/dishwasher.

The menu is prix fixe with either three or five courses. For the two of us, the five course menu let us have one of everything, and gave us an opportunity to honestly say, "We'll 'ave the lot." Our host got it.

I added the wine pairing, which was equally delightful. The owner seems to search out special and small batch wine selections. Each was nicely paired with our dishes. Since we were sharing each dish, we made the per-course pairing more difficult, but we watched the host and owner consulting over each course to find a match that worked with each pair of dishes on the table at each course. I was never disappointed, and particularly enjoyed the white vermouth pairing with dessert. That would have never occurred to me, and it was excellent.

Our first course was the duck and the halibut. The halibut was clearly not Gail's thing with both raw-ish fish and roe, but it was outstanding for me. It set a tone that we would be enjoying not just good flavors, but excellent textures with each tiny egg bursting with light saltiness. The duck was also quite tasty and topped with a treat of small cracklins of duck skin.





Next was the delicata squash and the stewed eggplant. The squash was excellent and also included perfect greens and dabs of goat cheese, cranberry, and a humous-like mixture, which went best when mixed together. The eggplant dish had dollops of parsley crema, but really starred the katailfi egg. There is a certain mastery in getting the egg cooked so perfectly while not burning the coating and delivering it to the table still perfect. Again, the texture contrasts enhanced the joy.

Between the courses, the sous-chef brought over some roasted peppers. He warned us that they were usually mild, but once in a while one would have a little heat. We didn't notice any heat. Look how perfectly seared they were.






The next course was beautiful bass and shrimp dish coupled with an equally beautiful ramen dish. Each was perfectly cooked to bring out different tastes and textures with each bite. We were starting to get full at this point, and some of the ramen came home with us for later.

The final savory course included "the best vegan dish we have ever had" and a wonderful pork and Brussel sprouts dish. The peanut butter-like smear was cashew and miso butter, and it was amazing. It  was specked by a crispy quinoa that played up the flavor and texture theme more than anything that preceded it. It was simply amazing. It made it hard to appreciate the wonderful pork sitting next to it. Of course, roasted sprouts are always delicious, but Brussel sprouts coleslaw was a surprising and delicious addition.

Before dessert, the chef brought over a small snack plate with a young manchego cheese, roasted pecans and some unusual grapes and offered us some coffee. Gail thought even the decaf coffee was remarkably good. The standouts with dessert were the fresh figs and the apple mille feuille, which tasted like the yummy goo along the edges of an apple pie.



Overall, this was an excellent meal in a lovely place, prepared and served by people who made us feel very welcome and cared for. We will be back.

Four-M Chicken

Gail and I saw someone selling pre-made Three-M Chicken that sounded so good, we had to try it. We remembered it as mushrooms, mascarpone and Marsala wine. Looking it up on-line we found all the recipes were for mustard instead of mushrooms. We decided on Four-M Chicken adapted from a recipe on foodnetwork.com and came up with something rich and wonderful. You can't see the beautiful sear on the chicken in the picture. It tasted delicious, but the chicken could just as well be left out of the dish for a vegetarian version.

The side dish of rainbow chard blended perfectly with the Four-M sauce.  The acidity and sweetness of the Austrian Huber Wines Gruner Veltliner 2010 Hugo nicely cut through the thick sauce. The wine was wonderfully crisp. This was my second gruner veltliner and I think I will seek out this varietal as a character filled alternative to savignon blanc.

Four-M Chicken, with Mushrooms, Marsala, Mascarpone and Mustard
Serves 2

4 t olive oil, divided
½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 t butter
¼ c chopped onion
⅓ lb cremini mushrooms
4 t minced garlic
4 oz tri-color fettucini
1 bunch Swiss chard
⅓ c dry Marsala wine
⅓ c mascarpone cheese
2 t Dijon mustard
2 t chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish

1. Heat half of oil in large heavy skillet over high heat; season chicken with salt and pepper while oil heats. Cook chicken just until brown, about 2 min per side for thighs and 4 min per side for breasts; remove from skillet; tent with foil.
2. While chicken cooks, chop onion and mushrooms.
3. When chicken is out of pan, reduce heat to med-high; melt butter in same skillet. Saute onion until tender, 2 min. Add mushrooms and half of garlic; sauté until tender and juices evaporate, 12 min.
4. While mushrooms cook, boil water for pasta; cook according to package directions. Rinse and chop chard across bunch into 1”-thick slices; pat dry; heat remaining oil with remaining garlic in second skillet over med-low heat.
5. When mushrooms are tender, add wine; simmer until reduced by half, 2 min. Meanwhile, increase heat of second skillet to med-high; saute chard.
6. When wine is reduced in mushroom mixture, stir in mascarpone and mustard.
7. Cut chicken pieces crosswise into ⅓”-thick slices. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to mushroom skillet; simmer, uncovered, over med-low heat until chicken is just cooked through and sauce thickens slightly, about 2 min.
8. Stir in chopped parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain pasta.
9. To serve: place sautéed chard on one half of plate and pasta on the other. Top with chicken, mushrooms and sauce.

Fromaggio Kitchen has the Best Cheese

If you are in the area and want good cheese, there is no better place than Fromaggio Kitchen in Cambridge. Every time we go in we are overwhelmed with the selection. Thankfully, the staff is amazingly good at helping you find what you like, giving you all the tastings you need. Today we left with half a pyramid of goat cheese, a gooey sheep cheese, and a semi-hard Swiss cow with a crystal-crunch texture.

Beyond cheese, they have an equally amazing selection of pasta, oils, cured meats, wine & beer, honey, chocolates, pastries, fruits and vegetables. They have everything indulgent a foodie might love. Don't miss it.

Hi-Rise Bread Company Sandwiches

Gail and I just had sandwiches with Noele and her roommate Emmy. Sandwiches from the Hi-Rise Bread Company in Cambridge rank among the best things I've eaten. Today I had Dan's Havana Heaven and Gail had Linda's Swinging Single. I included the Nat Queen Cool in the picture because it is the best sandwich I have ever had. Dan's was a close second.

I'm looking at the menu I posted, and I think you'll get the wrong impression of Hi-Rise. They are mostly more healthy than these pulled pork delights. Noele and Emmy split a pesto and hummus sandwich called Grace's Newest Nanny along with a spinach salad with a huge hunk of Gorgonzola cheese. But they are also eclectic with a great selection of wine. I got more of the Venti Morales I blogged on earlier.

Domaine Pinnacle 2008 Ice Cider

Our friend Martha brought Gail and I a bottle of 2008 Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider for us to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Martha always brings us the best treasures from Canada. Domaine Pinnacle is from Frelighsburg, Quebec.

I wasn't familiar with ice cider, but from the bottle and name, it is clear this should be compared to an ice wine. The color is a golden honey, with the same syrupy legs as an ice wine. The apple notes are strong both in the smell and the taste. Many grape ice wines have such apple notes, but more subtly. Those apple notes can be prized in an ice wine. The strength of the apple in this wine is delightful, but doesn't make you think apple cider. I think this wine could stand up in a tasting alongside a grape ice wine.

Most import is the taste. Mmmm, yummy is a good description. Apple is a perfect fit for an ice wine. Apples bring a richness to the wine, while the style holds back the tartness of apple cider. Thank you, Martha.

Food Pictures from Europe

I'm excited about this new blog. And, I've got a backlog of things I want to share. As part of clearing that backlog, here are some food pictures from our summer trip.

First, the London pub. This one was around the corner from our hotel, but London is dotted with pubs just like this one. You can look down almost any London street and see a storefront bedecked with plants. Those are the pubs. If you don't see one down the street you are on, just look down the next cross street: It's there.

Gail and I got the best cup of coffee in the Orrery Epicerie in London. We also got some nice chocolates.

Wine glasses to go in London's St. Pancras train station. Because, if you are going to drink wine on the train, you need the right glass.

This loaf was in a high-end bakery in Paris. It was Father's Day, if that wasn't clear.

Paris had lots of little shops like this that each sold a portion of what you might want for dinner: cheese shops, produce markets, meat shops, bakeries, wine shops, fishmongers, etc.  It looks like people would stop by two or three of these on the way home from work.

We saw a number of small cheese shops, each with an amazing array of options. Given that, we were surprised by these little Eiffel Tower cheeses. Who buys these?

After a morning at the Musée d'Orsay, Gail and I stopped for some lunch at a sidewalk cafe. Here is my tapas plate. Somehow, sidewalk cafes in Paris have a relaxing and dynamic feel that I can't find a duplicate for. At the same time, you are in the flow of passers-by while separate from them.

This is me sipping champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Anna, Noele and I split a glass.

We toured the Veuve Clicquot champagne cellars in Reims. The cellars were carved directly out of the chalk. Veuve Clicquot is my favorite champagne ... so far.

Why all Germans are not giant fat people, I can't figure out.

This is Noele in front of the home of speculoos, Maison J. Dandoy in Brussels. Noele is a speculoos nut. We were sitting in a restaurant in the Grand Place and the waiter brought over a speculoos cookie.  Noele showed her excitement and the waiter told her that they were invented right around the corner. That was one extra treat for our trip. 

This is the window of a little sausage shop in Brussels.

Back in London at the end of our trip, we came across this pastry shop. My wife is Gail.

The window of Gail's.

That's all for now. I still have a few more posts to catch up from our trip. More to come.

Venta Morales from Hi-Rise Bread Company

It is somewhat incongruous that Hi-Rise Bread Company in Cambridge also sells wine. But it is little wonder, with the quality of their bread and sandwiches, that the wine they sell is delightful. Last night with friends I opened a bottle of Venta Morales 2010 Tempranillo that we bought there as part of a mixed case. This was one of the nicest, everyday reds I've had.

I know almost nothing about Spanish wines, but this one makes me want to know more. Tempranillo is a Spanish grape variety that is the base for Rioja wines. This red is full bodied but without the heavy tannin of other full-bodied reds. Despite this, it has all the character of its bigger brothers, with a smooth balance of dry and fruity flavors. It would go nicely with spicy foods, but not overpower lighter foods. And, at under $10, what a bargain.