In the past few years, Portland, Maine’s restaurant scene has been getting a lot of national media coverage, and deservedly so. This is one food-rich town (boosters claim Portland is second only to San Francisco in the number of restaurants per capita, but I haven’t seen the data to back that up). What I can say is that the food does resemble that of West Coast hubs like Seattle, Portland (Oregon), and the Bay Area.

There’s the same emphasis on the freshest local ingredients, the French and Italian technique, the slightly rustic quality of the food. But because we’re in Maine, there’s also a nod to New England foodways: chowders, lobster, rustic desserts like crisps and cobblers.

(more…)

When one encounters a hard-to-find ingredient, deciding how to cook it is no small task. The wrong seasoning, the wrong method, and all the hours you’ve spent tracking down that foraged truffle, wild boar, pomelo—or in my case, purple Hawaiian sweet potato—is for naught.

(more…)

If you’ve been following Chowder’s little saga, you’d know that purple Hawaiian sweet potatoes (aka Okinawan sweet potatoes) are, in my humble opinion, the greatest thing since round-trip tickets to Honolulu. Waiting for them to arrive, however, is worse than medieval torture.

After placing our order, (i.e. calling my Hawaii-based mother and pleading for a few measly taters to be sent our way) we waited. Three excruciating days later—okay, it wasn’t that long, but we were seriously hungry by this point—a FedEx box arrived at Chowder HQ containing the coveted—and perhaps illicit—spuds (Hawaiian sweet potato growers are required to quarantine their crop before shipping to the mainland, but we decided not to investigate the matter any further). (more…)

To the despair of friends who feel it’s uncivilized to take Sunday brunch before 2 p.m., I have in recent years become a die-hard morning person. So when a new pocket-sized guide to Boston breakfast spots came across my desk this week, I was on it like date butter on banana-stuffed French toast.

Written by Acton’s Barbara Brown Smith, Rise & Dine: Breakfast in Boston is about as light and fluffy as food writing gets: 50-plus profiles of “the most interesting” destinations for a.m. eats, written in a simple, cheery tone and mixing each restaurant’s history with a bit of atmosphere and some menu highlights.

(more…)

Whenever my carless friends and I rent a Zipcar, we always seem to find ourselves at a chain restaurant. Something about being behind the wheel brings us back to our suburban roots, and we want to pull into a parking lot and wait at the bar with one of those coasters that vibrates when our table is ready.

I’ve recently been on a run of chain Mexican joints and after a day of outlet shopping on Saturday, we decided to hit Margarita’s in Waltham. While we sat at the bar, we had a conversation about which is better: Margarita’s or Border Cafe?

(more…)

We at Chowder know firsthand the effects of climate on our appetites. All winter, I crave hearty roasts, butternut squash, and mac & cheese. (See also: my weird winter rum aversion.) That said, the “cold weather, warm food” principle only holds true to a point. Right now, it’s three degrees with wind chill. My eyelashes freeze when I walk outside. And I’m fantasizing about all things Hawaii (my parents live there, which means I get to visit on occasion): Palm fronds. Coconut suntan lotion. Purple sweet potatoes. (more…)

Just in case you haven’t heard, today is Valentine’s Day. But seriously, if you still haven’t made dinner reservations anywhere, here’s a suggestion: Go out for tapas. Many of the Boston area’s Spanish restaurants do not require reservations, and some don’t take them at all.

If you’re willing to drink a glass of fine Iberian tinto while you wait for your table, trying several small plates in a lively atmosphere is a surefire way to genuinely enjoy a night out with your special someone. And since in Spain, it’s most common to center your meal around the bottle of wine, my choice is Taberna de Haro in Brookline, which has perhaps the most extensive list of Spanish wines around. (more…)

As the day of love draws near, local bars are playing up those clichéd “naughty” cocktails: the Sex on the Beach (boring), the Slippery Nipple (taste disgusting), the Screaming Orgasm (two words far too graphic to ever be said together in public).

And yet, cocktails and Valentine’s Day do kind of go together. So we looked around for some fire-igniting drinks that won’t make you cringe.

(more…)

Chowder’s favorite time of the year is the months-long bingefest between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. But Boston Restaurant Week ranks a close second as our favorite foodie time of year. Reservations are being accepted for the March restaurant week, which actually runs for two weeks (March 9-14 and March 16-21).

After the jump, we give you some tips on how to get the most out of your Restaurant Week reservation.

(more…)

Even as it sat virtually empty last week, the new South End chocolate shop ChocoLee was drawing undisguised lustful glances from passers-by. And no wonder: In the front windows of the Pembroke Street storefront sat two enormous silver bowls, complete with dripping whisks and brimming with what looked like enough chocolate to feed the whole neighborhood.

And though the luscious goo in those bowls is—alas!—just a bit of window-design wizardry, ChocoLee owner Lee Napoli will do her best to satisfy local sweet tooths starting tomorrow, as her shop opens for business. (more…)