Tidbit: The Perfect Picnic

Archive for the ‘Service’ Category

TIDBIT: THE PERFECT PICNIC

Posted by Erin Byers Murray on 8/4/2011 at 10:00AM | No Comments

Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes; courtesy of Butters Cafe

Enamored as we are of the idea of eating on a stretch of grass with a gourmet basket of goodies at our fingertips, rarely do we have the forethought (or frankly, the energy) to produce a stellar line up of picnic snacks ready to go the moment the sun breaks free. But this year, we’ve found no need to go to all that trouble since a few of our favorite haunts are doing the prep work for us – with delicious results.

Sam’s at Louis
With precious, and spacious, real estate along the waterway, Sam’s is the perfect spot for a low-key weekend afternoon. Cob a squat with up to 12 friends and nosh on a selection of sandwiches, cold salads, desserts and non-alcoholic bevvies, as well as a blanket provided by the resto. ($15 per person; samsatlouis.com.)

Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro
No patio? No problem. BHHB will set you up with an entire meal packaged to go – all you have to do is find a spot to park. Order off either the lunch or dinner menu (available online) and they’ll pack it up along with a blanket for your journey (our pick is the Public Garden, a few steps away). Booze is not included, sadly, but you can grab a drink at the bar while you wait. (Picnic service is free aside from the cost of the meal. All items must be returned after dining; beaconhillhotel.com.)

Butter Cafe & Bakery
Get out of town with Butter’s “Backyard Bites,” a smorgasbord of house-made classics, from potato salad and pickles to corn-fried chicken and strawberry rhubarb cupcakes. They’ll “deluxe” that with steak tips, veggies, a s’mores kit, and your very own disposable grill. Both boxes are packed up with a disposable table cloths – meaning you can pick it up from their Walpole location before hitting up any of your favorite summer spots. (Regular box is $13 per person, deluxe is $29 per person; buttercafeandbakery.com.)

WIN/FAIL FRIDAY: YAY FOR SCAMPO, NAY FOR DEL FRISCO’S

Posted by Donna Garlough on 6/3/2011 at 11:20AM | 1 Comment

Scampo owner Lydia Shire with executive team

This week’s WIN: Gluten-free dining at Scampo
While I love that plenty of restaurants around town now offer gluten-free menus — Nebo, Franklin Cafe, and Legal Sea Foods spring to mind — it’s nice when it feels like your server really, really cares that you’re getting exactly what you’ve asked for. My mother-in-law has a wheat sensitivity, and I took her to brunch at Scampo knowing that they can make gluten-free versions of most of their pasta dishes and many of their appetizers. While our server assured us that the Nicoise salad was perfectly safe, she noted the gluten-free request anyway, just to be sure there wasn’t any cross-contamination. Such requests are flagged by the kitchen and plates marked with a toothpick, she said, so the staff knows to take extra precautions and ensure that no one inadvertently gets the wrong plate.

This week’s FAIL: Sexed-up sides at Del Frisco’s
I get that steakhouses are, stereotypically, the restaurant equivalent of a Man Cave. You’ve got big hunks of meat, big shiny knives, fruit-bomb Cabernets served in gigantic glasses, and martinis galore. But the new Del Frisco’s on Liberty Wharf takes the testosterone surge to a whole other level. Order sides with your steak and they are delivered to your table by a bevvy of mostly blonde beauties in short black skirts, all cooing and bending and spooning creamed spinach and “chateau potatoes” onto your plate. This appears to be their only responsibility, as white-clad waiters and busboys were the ones to deliver all the rest of our food and drink on a recent visit. It’s all very strange, and hardly necessary. The noisy table of bachelors a few feet away seemed to appreciate the, er, service, but really: If I wanted to see a rack, I’d have ordered the lamb.

Stay tuned for next week’s Win/Fail!

MOTHER’S DAY: TIME TO MAKE THOSE PLANS

Posted by Maggie Brooks on 5/4/2011 at 4:00PM | No Comments

Yes. It’s Mother’s Day. It comes around every year, but like snowfall does the MBTA, somehow the holiday always catches us by surprise. If you’re really on the ball, you already have your bouquet/chocolate/brunch combo lined up. If not, you’re probably starting to sweat. Not to worry: just click through our roundup of all things Mother’s Day: From brunch options to duckling parades, we’ve got you covered.

TIDBITS: NOT YOUR MOTHER’S COOKIE

Posted by Erin Byers Murray on 4/28/2011 at 10:00AM | No Comments

To bake or not to bake for Mom in honor of Mother’s Day? My own mom and my husband’s mom are both going to be in town for the holiday next week which means I might actually have time to pull off a fresh-from-the-oven gift for them both. But while I’d love to give them something homemade and from the heart (especially since my mom has handed down about a million great cookie recipes), when baking, laziness usually prevails and I resort to whatever instructions I find on the back of the chocolate chip bag (sorry, Mom).

And then, just this week, I stumbled upon Cow & Crumb, a fantastic little mail-order cookie business based in Cambridge. Founder Hilary Koloski and her intern-turned partner Megan Elias met through the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (both are alumnae). Hilary, who has been working on her chocolate chip recipe since the age of 14, honed her baking skills at Sofra; Megan left the world of finance to go to culinary school and is now helping Hilary out both in the kitchen and with the books. Their tiny operation, which officially launched in 2008 and expanded when Megan joined Hilary this past fall, is hoping to move into a new facility this spring — they’ve outgrown two already. (Check out their entertaining video blog for the full story.)

As for the cookies themselves, I’m happy to report that they’re far better — and more heartfelt — than anything I’ve made from a bag. The Peanut Butter Pretzel Heaven is a pile of sweet, chewy goodness stuffed with real pretzel bits while the Spice Girl (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger), covered with sparkly bits of raw sugar, puts other ginger snaps to shame. As for that chocolate chip, Hilary has absolutely nailed it: soft, decadently rich, and just a touch underdone to give each cookie that melty, right-out-of-the-oven bite.

They sell sampler packs as well as minis (1.5 inch morsels) and their packaging is downright adorable. A sweet little mother’s day gift that tastes divine and requires no wrapping paper or clean up? Now that’s a treat.

Order online by May 1st in time for Mother’s Day at cowandcrumb.com.

TABLE TALK ONLINE + THIS WEEK’S EDIBLE EVENTS

Posted by Erin Byers Murray on 4/25/2011 at 9:00AM | No Comments

Zagat‘s 2011/2012 Boston Restaurant survey dropped last week and with it some interesting news about the Boston dining scene. We were interested to hear that the average price of a meal in Boston went down very slightly. (Ok, it was only about eight cents… but still.) Tim Zagat pointed out that fact during an award’s breakfast last week before handing out plaques to this year’s most highly rated restaurants (more on those below). He said the average check decrease was “likely due to the number of new restaurants opening with lower menu prices. They’re holding down the price on average around town.” Do we have affordable spots like Citizen Public House and American Craft to thank for that? Whatever the reason, we’re big fans of scoring great dining deals (see our May issue on stands this week) so we welcomed the news.

He also noted that service is still Boston’s number one pet peeve with about 65% of customers here complaining about it when they dine out. His recommendation? The industry needs to follow the lead of the culinary school trend and start creating more professional front-of-house training programs. While service training programs do currently exist, he says there aren’t nearly enough to produce or match the talent that is currently coming out of culinary schools.

But back to those well-rated restaurants.
READ MORE

FIELD REPORT: JOHN CROW FARM’S MEAT CSA

Posted by Erin Byers Murray on 4/22/2011 at 10:30AM | 4 Comments

I’ve been on the hunt for a subscription to a good meat CSA and in my scouring came across a new one through John Crow Farm in Groton. I’ve tried meat CSAs in the past and love the concept: just like the veggie version, for a small fee you get a monthly subscription of locally raised beef, pork, chicken and lamb direct from the farm. The portions are frozen so they’ll keep for the entire month or longer — and you’re supporting a tiny but well-deserving local business. After speaking to John Crow farm owner, Robert Varisco, I think I’ve found my match.

Varisco started farming about 2 years ago — shortly after his job in information systems was eliminated. The 40-something told me that he wishes his story was “more poetic” but the hard reality was that he needed to find a new gig, pronto. He started by farming the small bit of land he owned but then last fall, found an 80+ acre property in Groton that he was able to lease. There, he and his partner have set themselves up to pasture raise several Scottish Highland cattle, a few types of sheep, some goats, and a few “mutt” pigs (cross breeds that are actually very smart) as well as chickens, ducks, partridge, quail, and rabbit. As Varisco says, “whatever people want to eat it, I’d like to raise it.”

The former process analyst doesn’t even mind that he’s given up working on a laptop in his pajamas. The 14 hours-per-day of hard labor are entirely worth it. “I hope this is what I get to do for the rest of my life,” he says.

John Crow started its CSA in January but another run begins in June (subscriptions are six months long). Subscribers can sign up to receive from 5 to 25 pounds of meat each month and will receive a little bit of everything: ground beef, pork chops, lamb tenderloin and maybe a whole chicken. There’s a poultry subscription, too. Pick ups take place monthly in Cambridge, Jamaica Plain, Somerville, or in some cases, delivered by Metro Pedal Power.

If you’re up that way, Varisco tells me their farm stand will have its soft opening next Friday, April 29. It’ll have more official hours after the grand opening on June 2. Until then, sign up for the CSA and keep an eye on the calendar for your first pick up.

DRINK UP: URBAN GRAPE WINE SHOP

Posted by Tanya Pai on 3/1/2011 at 8:12AM | No Comments

By: Lindsay Tucker

If you’re in the market for wine but can’t possibly stomach another trip to Blanchard’s or the ever-teeming Trader Joe’s, Chestnut Hill’s Urban Grape has your back. The owners, husband-and-wife team T.J. and Hadley Douglas, have created a unique wine-buying experience by combining customer service with a focus on getting the community enthused about wine.
READ MORE

SLIDESHOW: TASTY LITTLE TREATS

Posted by A. J. Downey on 8/4/2010 at 10:15AM | No Comments

By Meagan Walker
Photos by Morgan I. Yeager

From crunchy carrots to chewy nougat – chefs around the city are surprising their diners with tasty extras with meals. Whether it’s a treat with your check or a nibble while you wait, click here to view the delicious goodies that are showing up at restaurants around town.

FIRST BITE: TEA SERVICE AT THE BPL

Posted by admin on 9/23/2009 at 6:18AM | 3 Comments

Tea When we’re in the Back Bay and looking for a place to chow down, the Boston Public Library doesn’t really jump to mind. This past spring, however, The Catered Affair took over culinary operations for the library’s two restaurants. The more-casual MapRoom Cafe offers quick breakfasts and sandwiches to-go from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and its formal restaurant, The Courtyard, offers lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and tea service ($20 per person) Wednesday through Friday from 2-4 p.m.

Sounds lovely, but we had our doubts. The BPL? A caterer? But craving a spot of tea on a recent afternoon, we dropped in and found that—fancy that!—the food and service were both spot-on.

In the Courtyard, tea is served indoors, but French doors open up into the library’s famously stunning Venetian courtyard with great views of the towering fountain. And the tables are outfitted just as you’d expect for a proper high tea: crisp white cloths, real china, and shiny flatware, along with servers who’ll actually pull out chairs for you. We half-expected to see ladies in big hats and white gloves. (There was none of that, but we did hear a British accent or two, which we took as a good sign.)
READ MORE

FLUBBERGASTED!

Posted by Donna Garlough on 9/1/2009 at 9:30AM | 1 Comment

waiter Dining out as frequently as we do—for me, it’s three to five nights a week—it’s inevitable that my fellow staffers and I eat our share of unhappy meals.

Usually, it’s just crummy food we have to deal with. But what do you do when it’s a service glitch threatening to ruin your meal? When a restaurant flubs and knows it, what’s the appropriate course of action? Not everyone seems to agree. Consider these recent incidents:

Flub #1: The Faux Fix
With a 9:00 reservation at a North End restaurant known for its cozy ambience and neighborhood appeal, we showed up on time and were told our table wasn’t yet cleared. No worries, we said; we’re in no rush.

But 9:00 became 9:10, and then 9:30. Noticing our irritation—or maybe hearing our stomachs growling—the hostess apologized. “I am sooo sorry,” she gushed. “Your table will be up soon. Can we offer you a glass of wine while you wait?” she asked, handing us a wine list and ushering us to a bench outside. “I can bring it out to you. Again, we’re so sorry about this.” READ MORE

Archive for the ‘Service’ Category