Restaurant Week Boston has two important aspects.  1.  Diners are able to sample multi-course meals at great restaurants for fabulous prices.  2.  Through dining, a worthy charity receives financial support.

Dining

Two hundred twenty-eight restaurants in the Greater Boston area are participating in this event.  From Sunday, March 14 through Friday, March 19th, and Sunday, March 21st through Friday, March 26th, diners can enjoy fabulous prix fixes menus.  For those in a rush, there is a two-course lunch available for $15.10.  If you have more time, there is a three-course lunch for $20.10.  If you’re seeking a night out, try the three-course dinner for $33.10.

Of course, with prices such as these, there are several things to consider.  First, you should make reservations.  Many people opt to try new restaurants during this time period, and restaurants become booked.  Second, some restaurants offer these prix fixes menus for a longer period of time, such as for more than the two weeks or adding Saturdays to the schedule.  Third, not all restaurants serve lunch.  To insure that you are able to dine at the restaurant of interest for the meal you desire, you should visit their website and make a reservation.  Now!

In addition to enjoying a fabulous dining experience, Restaurant Week Boston has more perks.  Want to turn dinner into a surprise weekend in Boston for your loved one?  There are discounted hotel packages available for those partaking in Restaurant Week.  Another new addition to this dining celebration is the partnership with ArtsBoston.  Discounted tickets are available for a wide variety of theatre, concert, and performance tickets.  You can learn more about both of these option at the Restaurant Week website.

Helping Others

While dining at one of the two hundred twenty-eight restaurants during these two weeks, you can help St. Francis House, which serves more than eight hundred poor and homeless men and women each day.  Pay for your meal with your American Express card, and AmEx will donate $0.25 per transaction, up to $5,000.  You also can donate, by bidding on restaurant gift certificates at the Restaurant Week Auction website.  Bidding starts on Sunday, March 14th, so bid early and often!

Return to Think Tasty this Friday to learn more about the three fabulous dishes that were served at the kickoff.  All were delicious and would be worth making a reservation to enjoy.

Win #1- The Beverages

With a team of Jared and Joey (among others) behind the bar, you are certain to receive a delicious hand-crafted cocktail.  Not only do they create unique and tasty drinks, they make sure that they look beautiful also, though never too beautiful to drink!  Don’t see exactly what you’re seeking on the drink list?  Tell them what you want, even if it is just a certain flavor, and they can make it.  In addition to this, they have an extensive list of wines and beers.  Your thirst will be quenched.

On our most recent visit to Stella Blu, we spent a couple hours there and were able to enjoy two drinks each.  My first drink was the Cristalino, a delicious pear-flavored cocktail served in a flute and topped with champagne.  My second drink was a raspberry martini (its name escapes me) that had crushed Pop Rocks on the rim of the martini glass- quite fun and flavorful.  My husband’s first cocktail was a Kiwi Strawberry Lime Rickey.  The fruit flavors were refreshing without being overly sweet, a nice first choice.  His second cocktail was the Hat Trick, which included cognac and scotch.  Served in a low-ball glass on the rocks, it was a great drink for my cognac lover.

Win #2- The Food

When you order five dishes, and each one is a delight to all of your senses, you know that you are in the presence of a great chef.  As all of the dishes are small plates, it is a good idea to order a few if this will be your dinner.  If you’re dining with a very hungry husband, it is a good idea to order more than a few, say five or so.  While I don’t have that appetite, I made sure that I had at least a couple bites of each dish.

With the menu divided into regions, we decided to order one dish from each region except the Farmer’s Market, as we had eaten salads for lunch.  This allowed us to sample a variety of flavors from this amazing menu.  Our first dish to arrive was from the Asia Town section, the Duck Rangoons.  Filled with duck confit and served with grilled pineapple salsa and a sweet chili-soy reduction, these could be equated to little packages of food heaven.  Crispy on the outside and an explosion of flavors on the inside, it was a great start.  Fish Tacos, our second dish of the evening was from The Latin Quarter.  A warmed tortilla filled with hot, crispy coated fish, crunchy lettuce, fresh tomato, and a drizzle of spicy mayo, it was the perfect example of how good a fish taco can be.  Dish three came from Main Street, USA- Beer Braised Beef Short Rib, which was served on a bed of silky cauliflower parsnip puree.  The beef was a melt in your mouth adventure that had a rich beef flavor.  Moving on to Little Italy, we had an order of Eggplant Rollatini.  What’s not to love about breaded eggplant that is wrapped around fresh ricotta and parmesan and topped with house marinara and mozzarella?  The marinara had a vibrant tomato flavor that accented the dish nicely, as did the creamy cheese both inside and atop the eggplant.

Although I was nearly full, my husband decided a fifth course would be a nice crowning touch and ordered the Grilled Flatbread Pizza (also from Little Italy).  There were two choices for pizza that night, and my husband opted for the BLT.  I have to admit I had only a few bites of the pizza, but I enjoyed them.  And seeing that my husband ate the rest, my decision must been correct!  Served on a perfectly thin, crisp crust it was topped with a respectable amount of cheese, nicely sized pieces of bacon, and diced tomatoes.  Atop these items were shredded lettuce and a drizzle of the spicy mayo.  Yum!

Win #3- The Service

If you’ve been fortunate enough to eat fabulous food and savor delicious drinks, you already are having a terrific meal.  However, excellent service makes the night complete, and our nights at Stella Blu always have provided that.  With multiple bartenders working during busy times, you never have to wait for a cocktail.  In addition, the waitstaff is prompt in delivering food, clearing dishes, checking on water glasses, etc.  You feel well cared for when you dine at Stella Blu but never pestered.

With my homework assignment complete, it would be wise of you to assign yourself to enjoy an evening at Stella Blu.

This past Saturday was one of those days.  After a late breakfast at a local restaurant, we headed to the mall and shopped for a couple hours.  We found some great buys and fun clothes for each of us.  Then we headed to a favorite grocery store and stocked up on meats, cheeses, and more.  Initially we had planned on cooking a menu of snacks for our dinner, but our shopping took longer than planned.  So, we saved that plan for Sunday evening.

We made three different munchies: barbecued beef on apple chips, tomato bruschetta on garlic crostini, and wrapped & stuffed dates.  While we enjoyed all three dishes, the dates were our favorite.  They had a wonderful combination of sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy.  I think I could have eaten dozens of them.

The one negative aspect to this snack was their appearance.  As they were brown and oval, they didn’t have the most aesthetically pleasing look.  So, I would forewarn you to tell your fellow diners how delicious these are before they see them.  I’m pretty certain if someone saw them without any information, he or she might decide to skip on trying them, and that would be a shame.

Wrapped & Stuffed Dates

3 oz. mature goat cheese (I used Beemster)*

24 California dates, pitted

8 slices pancetta, cut into thirds

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut goat cheese into 24 thin strips, about the size of matchsticks.  Place one cheese strip inside each date.  Wrap pancetta strip around date, and place on baking tray.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until pancetta is crisp.  Place on paper towel covered plate to drain excess grease, and then serve immediately.

*This is a firm goat cheese.  A soft goat cheese will not work well in this recipe.

Reviewing our store of meat in the freezer, I had limited options.  We had ground lamb, veal medallions, and chicken wings.  Chicken wings seemed like a bad choice, and ground meat wasn’t what I was envisioning.  While I could have bought some other meat at the store, I thought I would see what I could make with the veal.

Our kids were on vacation from school and made plans with friends, so dinner would be just for my husband me.  That gave me a broader scope of choices for other ingredients.  Although I encourage our kids to try a variety of foods, it is nice to be able to choose any veggie that we want and not hear, “How many bites do I have to take?”  A hearty amount of mushrooms seemed like the perfect compliment for veal and the perfect addition for a child-free dinner.

After hours of simmering on the stove, our house felt warmer and smelled delicious.  It was the perfect way to counteract the weather outside.

Veal & Mushroom Soup

1 Tb. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/4 lb. veal medallions, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1-1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup port

1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, chopped

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and veal, and sauté until veal is browned.  Add broth, bay leaf, basil, oregano, and port.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer.  (The soup should simmer for at least one hour but can cook for longer.)  A half-hour before serving, add mushrooms.

I had figured that Sam would want something with chocolate, as all four of our kids are chocolate addicts.  However, more than half of our crowd aren’t chocolate lovers.  So, I needed to find a way to make a dessert that would please the birthday girl and her adoring crowd.  Obviously, my first option was to make two cheesecakes, but with a total headcount of nine people, that would be way too much dessert.  My second option was to make a chocolate swirl cheesecake and serve something different to the non-chocolate group, but there still would be a lot of leftovers.  Luckily, option three occurred to me: make individual cheesecakes, some with and some without chocolate swirl.

This idea worked fabulously.  In addition to pleasing all partygoers, it made serving the cheesecake so much easier.  No matter whether I’ve tried using a cold knife, a knife dipped in hot water, a serrated knife, etc., the cutting tool always ends up coated in cheesecake, and the slices look messy.  With individual cheesecakes there was no cutting and a lot less mess.

Single Serving Cheesecakes

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 Tb. sugar

2 Tb. butter, melted

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 300.  Cut parchment paper into twelve 1-inch wide strips, and place one strip into each muffin cup.  (Make the strips long enough to extend over the side, so you can use them as handles to remove the cheesecakes.)

In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter.  Divide evenly among muffin cups, pressing firmly into each.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Scrape sides of the bowl, add one egg, and beat well.  Repeat with second egg.  Add vanilla and sour cream, and mix until combined.  Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake for approximately 18 minutes, or until filling is firm but jiggles slightly in the center.  Allow to cool completely, then remove from pan.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Single Serving Chocolate Cheesecakes

Follow the recipe above, but do not pour batter into the pans.

Divide batter evenly into two bowls.  Using one bowl of plain cheesecake batter, divide evenly among prepared muffin cups.

Add 2 ounces of melted semi-sweet baking chocolate into other bowl of cheesecake batter, and mix well.  Spoon this batter into muffin cups.

Bake, cool, and refrigerate as directed above.

We made our first visit to the Portsmouth location, Agave Mexican Bistro Dos, last July.  Enjoying a couple’s weekend in this coastal city, we spent Saturday evening strolling the downtown.  We discovered Agave accidentally but were very grateful that we did.  Seated at a barside table, we ordered the Queso Fundido and two margaritas on the rocks with salt.

Our second visit was this past weekend in Newburyport, to the original Agave Mexican Bistro.  Spending a warmish (as in 40 degrees) winter afternoon shopping, we decided to stop here for some sustenance.  Again we ordered the Queso Fundido and two margaritas on the rocks with salt.

While we sampled only this appetizer, the Queso Fundido alone is worthy of a review.  Described on their menu as: sizzling Chihuahua cheese and Mexican chorizo cooked in a traditional lava stone, served with fresh flour tortillas, this appetizer is both filling and delicious.

Knowing that it is served in a lava stone, you would assume that it is hot.  Well, it actually arrives at your table while it is bubbling.  Using a fork or spoon to scoop a serving of the queso, the cheese stretches with a wonderful gooey-ness.  The combination of hot, melted cheese and flavorful chorizo is just perfect.  In fact, my husband and I have been searching for a lava stone, so that we can make this dish at home.

The margaritas served at Agave are also top notch.  Too many restaurants serve syrupy concoctions that taste like they were poured straight out of a bottle, no mixing required.  That is not the case at Agave.  Both times we stuck with simple orders of House Margaritas, and both times were pleased with our beverages.  Made with Sauza Gold Tequila, Grand Marnier, and their house margarita mix, they have the perfect combination of sweetness, citrus, and tequila.

If you’re looking for a winning combination of cold drink and hot appetizer, you really should give either of the Agaves a try.

Mondays are busy due to the nature of my job, but this Monday is extra busy.  First, it is February break, which means that I have a 12 and 13 year old hanging around the house, and although they understand that I work from home, there are more interruptions than when they’re at school.  Second, our daughter turned 12 on Saturday, and tonight was deemed the best night to host her party.  So, that means juggling my schedule in order to help facilitate the party.  Not that 12 year olds want to play party games, but my presence is desired when it is time to drive to the bowling alley, purchase pizza, and make the chocolate fondue.

This recipe fits this day well.  It’s a quick recipe to type and also a quick recipe to make.  In fact, it would have been a great choice for tonight, but we just had it last week.  Tonight, once bowling, pizza, and fondue are done, my husband and I will sit down for a simple, yet tasty, dinner of cheeses, crackers, fruit, and sausage.  Enough sustenance to quell any hunger pangs but a dinner that requires almost no work.  Perfect!

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth

2 eggs, beaten

3 scallions, diced

salt & pepper

Heat chicken broth to boiling in a medium pot.  While stirring the broth continuously, add the eggs in a SLOW, steady stream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add scallions, stir, and serve immediately.

*It is important that you stir continuously while adding the eggs, so that you don’t end up with a big egg “blob”.

Deciding what to include in the fried rice was like working with LEGOs.  If you’re creating something new, there are no set colors or placement of blocks; it’s your choice what the final product is.  Rather than using a menu, I considered our likes and dislikes to choose the ingredients.  Peas are not enjoyed by all of us, so they were not included.  Shrimp is popular, so that would be the meat in the rice.  For crunch, bean sprouts are more popular than napa cabbage, so that was another choice.

Working on fried rice can be time consuming.  There are a variety of ingredients to be prepped.  The shrimp need to be shelled, scallions need to be chopped, eggs need to be beaten, ginger needs to be grated.  And, all of this needs to be done before you begin cooking.  Once the cooking begins, you need to be fairly focused on the pan.  Luckily for me, I had the assistance of my 11 and 13 year olds, which reduced the total prep time.

Although fried rice does require a decent amount of ingredients and time, it is well worth the effort, especially if you have assistants.  The fried rice tastes fresh, not stale from having waited in a warming tray for hours.  You can control the amount of sodium and oil in the rice, so it isn’t greasy and salty like a lot of take-out Chinese food. Plus, if you have helpers, you can have good conversation while working.

Shrimp Fried Rice

2 Tb. peanut oil, divided

2 shallots, minced

1 Tb. freshly grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined

3 eggs, beaten

4 cups rice, cooked

3 Tb. low sodium soy sauce

8 oz. bean sprouts

2 scallions, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic to wok, and saute for 1 minute.  Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes or until pink. Transfer to a plate.  Wipe the wok with a dry paper towel.

Return the wok to the heat and coat with 1 tablespoon oil.  Add eggs, scrambling until fully cooked.  Add rice and toss with the egg until combined, making sure to break up all clumps. Add the cooked vegetables and shrimp to the rice and season with soy sauce. Add scallions.  Stir to combine and heat all ingredients.

So. . .after a week and a half of letting others prepare meals and making the simplest of dishes on my own, I was ready to embark on a culinary journey.  With a snowstorm forecast for Tuesday, I gambled on having two assistants while preparing the menu.  Fortunately, school was canceled, which meant the kids’ evening events were also.  Ta-da! Instant help!

Still working at a slightly limited capacity, I put my two foodies-in-training to work.  They made pork filling for dumplings and assembled them.  (They were fabulous!)  They also did most of my chopping and dicing work.  While it took 1-1/2 hours to create our entire, belated Chinese New Year meal, it was worth every second.  We got to spend time working together with minimal bickering (which is a miracle when the kids are 11 and 13) and produce a meal that everyone loved.

Being me, I wanted there to be at least one veggie dish on the menu, so we created Kung Pao Broccoli.  Simply substitute fresh broccoli for meat, and you have a whole new dish.  To keep it healthier, we stir fried the broccoli instead of deep frying it.  Everyone had a serving of it, without being coerced into doing so, and enjoyed it.

Kung Pao Broccoli

1 lb. broccoli florets

1 Tb. water

1 tsp. cornstarch

3 Tb. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tb. red wine vinegar

1 Tb. sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

sesame oil, optional

Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut oil, if desired.  Add broccoli, and saute for 5-6 minutes, or until crisp tender.  While broccoli is cooking combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, and stir well.  Add garlic to broccoli, and saute for 1 minute.  Add soy sauce mixture, and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Top with walnuts and a few drops of sesame oil, if desired.  Serve immediately.

First, we visited all of the wineries that were of interest to us.  Second, we visited food vendors of interest to us.  Third, we went to the cooking demonstrations at the Boston Globe stage.  Fourth, we stayed there.

We didn’t plan on staying for all five demonstrations.  But as we were being served delicious samples of food and wine and it was really crowded in the aisles of the expo, we decided we would stay where we were.  What a great decision that was!

The first demonstration was by Josh Ziskin, chef and owner of La Morra Restaurant in Brookline.  Chef Ziskin prepared an amazing Pork Tenderloin.  Coated in an assortment of fresh herbs, this dish was tender and flavorful.  The combination of chervil, sage, rosemary, and thyme gave an earthy taste to the pork.

The second was provided by Richard Rayment of the Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center.  Mr. Rayment created a wonderful dish that consisted of Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs and Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pudding.  The short ribs were incredibly tender, and the bread pudding was phenomenal.  I have made and eaten several dessert variations of bread pudding, but never before have I had savory.  What a treat for my palate!

Mark Goldberg, executive chef of Woodward, was our third presenter.  For his dish, he served Steamed Mussels with Preserved Lemon, Pickled Garlic, and White Wine.  Chef Goldberg gave a very thorough lesson, showing the audience how to prepare all parts of this recipe:  lemon, garlic, and mussels.  While mussels are not my favorite type of seafood, the combination of tart lemon and salty garlic gave the mussels a fabulous flavor.  My companion found them to be exceedingly delicious and graciously finished half of my serving.

For our fourth demonstration, we were treated to the cooking talents of Jamie Bissonette, executive chef and partner at Coppa.  For this segment, we were treated to some more oysters, served as Ostrica con Prosecco.  These oysters were served raw, having marinated in a combination of Prosecco, cranberries, and vinegar.  Topped with a cranberry verjus, grated apple, chives, pickled mustard seed, and sea salt, they were tender and had a wide assortment of flavors:  sweet from the oysters, tangy from the vinegar and cranberries, savory from the salt and mustard seed. Again, my partner enjoyed half of my serving.

Our final cooking demonstration of the day was courtesy of Jeremy Sewall, executive chef at Eastern Standard.  Rounding out our afternoon with a traditional New England dish with quite a bit of flair, he prepared Maine Lobster with Ricotta Gnocchi and Meyer Lemon.  The gnocchi were delicious and had a wonderful extra bit of flavor, courtesy of the lobster roe that was added to the dough.  Served with a meyer lemon sauce and a hefty garnish of lobster meat, this dish was hearty, tasty, and the perfect end to our afternoon.

For next year’s expo, I plan to attend an afternoon’s worth of cooking demonstrations.  However, I will skip breakfast next year, so I am able to sample all dishes fully!