Town Sees Value of Local Bakery

I found this recent story from the Boston Globe to be an interesting example of how people value locally owned businesses, both for the product they provide as well as the space they provide to connect with their fellow community members.  The town of Colebrook, NH, came together to keep open this bakery, Le Rendez Vous, when its owner couldn't get his Visa renewed initially.  The town had suffered their share of recent economic hardships, with plant closings and the like, but decided to make a stand on behalf of the bakery.  

OK, maybe the local denizens of Colebrook were just savvy foodies that their bread quality would suffer if their baker had to return to France.  But it seems that they were making a statement here not just about the bread but the value of local business and how a place like Le Rendez Vous provides an important gathering place for the community.  Important at any time, but especially during this tough economy, a place to connect with one another, find support literally break bread is invaluable.  So I'm glad to here that this special bakery is staying open thanks to the advocacy of the Colebrook community!

New Wine Club at Cafe Escadrille

Cafe Escadrille recently launched a new Tuesday Night Wine Club, and we couldn't pass up the chance to be at the first dinner.  The promise of a four course meal with excellent wine pairings for just $45 was an easy sell.

Cafe Escadrille is located in Burlington, MA, convenient to the highway and better yet, our home.  They position themselves as providing  options that allow those of us in the northern suburbs to experience fine dining without contending with Boston traffic or parking options.  Adding a regular wine meal like this to the mix--they are running these every other Tuesday night--buttresses their claim to be a premier dining spot in the area.

Shortly after greeting our friends in the bar area, we were warmly greeted by our host for the evening, Wine Director Stephane Colinet.  He proved to be a truly gracious and fun host sharing the passion for wine and food developed in his native France.  Stephane also peppered in colorful stories from his stint at one of LA's top eateries.  In other words, you can get some good stories about Brad Pitt and the like along with sampling some wonderful food. 

Stephane escorted our group of seven over to our table, by a sweeping window that afforded a nice view of a small flower garden.  He explained we'd be sampling wines from St. Supery, a well-regarded producer from the heart of Napa.

The '07 Sauvignon Blanc with the Ahi Tuna that we started with was perhaps my favorite pairing.  The wine had a good balance of New Zealandish grapefruit taste along with minerality more typical of Californian Sauv Blanc.  This combination worked well with the tuna's Asian flavors of sesame and wasabi creme fraiche, and that of the accompanying grilled shrimp.

The '07 Chardonnay did not appeal to me as much as the others we tasted.  It seemed to be made in the naked Chardonnay style, tasting of melon with a slightly bitter finish.  The accompanying soft shelled crab was pretty tasty, deep fried but not too heavy and balanced by the vegetable slaw.

The main course of roasted veal tenderloin was absolutely delicious.  Very tender, cooked just right and served with a red wine glaze that enhanced the meat flavor nicely.  The garlic mashed potatoes side was good too and a very generous portion.  The '02 Merlot paired with this course was a big, full bodied red with a bit of leatheriness along with the fruit.  Defintely not the fruit juice only merlot disparaged in Sideways!  I was surprised it was an '02 as it seemed like it could benefit from more cellaring or decanting, though is certainly enjoyable at this point.

We finished with a cheese course, very savory local Vermont cheeses that paired nicely with the star of the wine lineup, the '02 St. Supery Elu.  This one was primarily cab but also had a bit of merlot and petit verdot in the blend.  Nice structure, balanced fruit and a big long finish.

Well, that finished the official dinner lineup.  But then we decided to share a tasty fallen chocolate souffle along with a bonus glass of St. Supery Moscato that Stephane generously through in.  One more treat in night full of them!  Hmm, Tuesday Night Wine Club, how do we become card carrying members?

A Taste of Sushi Close to Home

I didn't grow up eating seafood, so it has been a gradually acquired taste in adulthood.  I have come to enjoy many types now, salmon and scallops being among my favorites.  Yet I've still been a bit reticent about the raw fish--sorry, sushi--thing.  

I did have my fair share of raw fish during my one trip to Asia a few years ago.  As the honored guest at a few business dinners in Singapore, I sampled quite a few umm, shall we say, interesting preparations straight from the sea.  When we stopped in Japan on the way back, I was ready to have all my food cooked.

So I have perhaps come full circle to have really enjoyed sushi for the first time in the heart of Woburn, where I grew up eating meat, potatoes and pasta.  I'd heard some good things about the Sushi Cafe in Woburn's Busy Bend, so when Fel suggested we meet there for lunch I quickly seized it as a good chance to expand my food horizons.

We settled into a window seat at Sushi Cafe, which affords a sweeping view of Downtown Woburn.  Both novices to sushi, we conferred with the owner on our selections.  He was very helpful and friendly, and steered us in the direction of a combination of the sushi deluxe combination, which gives a sampling of 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, and then we ordered a few pieces of the maki sushi rolls a la carte.

We started with a cup of miso soup.  A light broth with bits of scallions and seaweed, the soup had a fresh, clean taste that made for a good beginning.  We then shared an order of pork gyoza, the Japanese version of the ubiqitous dumpling appetizer.  It was flavorful with its ginger soy sauce and just a bit of crispiness on the outside.

Then we delved into the sushi.  The nigiri sush has the slice of fish served over a bit of rice, while the maki sushi are the rolls where the fish is wrapped in rice and seaweed.  I was surprised to find that I liked the eel nigiri best, not something that sounds intuitively appealing but I thought it was very flavorful.  I also really liked the delicate fresh taste of the salmon and tuna.  And I've always loved the heat of wasabi paste, so that combined with a bit of soy and fresh ginger is a great flavor combination.

I'm glad I ventured into the world of sushi and that there is a good option for it close to home.  Being new to sushi, I'm not in position to compare Sushi Cafe to others, but would definitely recommend giving it a try.  Oh yes, this was a weekday lunch meeting so no wine or sake pairings!

Also published on http://Woburnite.com, where David write a local food column.

Shiraz & Spice Rub Pairing

I first tasted the 2002 Larrikin Shiraz ($22) from Australia's Barossa Valley this fall, and thought the big fruit forward wine would improve with a bit of time in the cellar.  On Saturday I noted sirloin steak was on sale, which I find comes out the best with a flavorful rub.  So I decided to try this Moroccan Spice Rub recipe from Food & Wine, and break out the Shiraz to go with it.  To top the sauce I also made the yogurt sauce with garlic, hot pepper and scallions called for in the original 2006 version of the recipe, though I couldn't find this part on the website.

The Shiraz's bouquet conjured up violets and a whiff of chocolate.  The first taste had big berry fruit but had a bit of alcoholic bite in the finish.  But after about an hour in the decanter, the wine smoothed out nicely, showing good structure, blackberry taste and a fairly long finish.  There was just enough spice to pick up the zesty flavor of the rub and yogurt sauce and the taste was big enough for the beef.  A good pairing!

There wound up being ample steak and yogurt sauce leftover, so I converted that yesterday into a couscous dish with extra red bell peppers, garlic and some greens to go along with the leftover over steak.  A quick but tasty Mother's Day meal!

Lanna Thai Diner Review

From the outside, the silver metal cylinder looks like a classic diner.  Opening the door, though, the fresh aromatic curry smell quickly tells me this is not my father's diner.

Lanna Thai Diner is another great example that Woburn has an increasingly diverse array of restaurants to choose form.  And it is definitely one of my favorite Thai places in the area.  It's located conveniently to my office, which combined with its good lunch menu makes it a good day destination.

The last couple of visits to the diner were for lunch, accompanied by friend and Woburnite.com founder Fel Medeiros.  My favorite dishes here are probably the Pad See-Ew, wide egg noodles stir fried with chicken, egg & broccoli and salty-sweet sauce; and the Massaman curry, a peanut flavored curry typically with a bit of spice, typically served with potatoes and other vegetables.

Last time there I decided to get a bit more adventurous and tried the Choo Chee Curry.  There wasn't much explanation as to what this curry was, hence the adventure.  It definitely was a hotter curry than some other Thai dishes that are moderated by coconut or peanut flavors; I enjoyed it for a change of paste.  It reminded me of some of the hot curry dishes I had when visiting Singapore a few years back.  I found a simple explanation of this curry on in my tiny kitchen--it's basically a red curry heated until it makes a sound something like "choo chee".  Now you know!

Perhaps some of the other folks I've exposed to Thai Diner would like to elaborate on some of their favorites; for now, I'll sign off by simply recommending that it's definitely worth trying for Thai food if you are in the Woburn area.