Fantastic Food by the (Prairie) Fire

As a former Lineage restaurant regular, I did not think I’d be able to enjoy a meal at 242 Harvard Street again. Its closing left me with a hole in my heart that needed to be filled. That may sound a bit extreme, but I mourned the loss of my favorite restaurant like I did a lost love. I figured the solution was to dislike anything that came into its space. I can confirm now, that was the wrong initial approach. What this really meant was that It took me a while to warm up to the idea (pun intended) of Prairie Fire in 242 Harvard Street. While nothing can fully replace Lineage, I really like and appreciate the warmth, food, atmosphere and people at Prairie Fire and I recommend it highly as a place to try if you’re in Coolidge Corner. Heck, it’s even worth a specific trip to the area especially if you can snag one of the coveted bar seats by the fire.

One of my favorite things about Prairie Fire, as I mentioned, is their bar seats. I love going and connecting with my friends and family and chatting with the chefs Jordy and Brendan or the bartenders. They care so much about creating community and about food bringing people together. I appreciate that they make delicious, local, fresh food that can be enjoyed by anyone, any age. I went with my friend’s 3 year old, and she loved her kids pizza so much she ate the whole thing while doing a happy dance. While I think that their pizza and other tasty dinner items are worth a happy dance, I’m going to focus this post on brunch. There are very few places in Coolidge Corner for a good brunch, and Prairie Fire is a gem in this category as well.

Brunching by the fire

We had just gotten back from Spain and woke up jet lagged and ravenous! We needed a brunch fix quick and close by and had admired the Prairie Fire brunch menu for a while but hadn’t gotten around to trying it despite regularly having dinner, or drinks there.  After my husband and I ordered coffees, full caf for him and decaf for me, we started the great brunch debate-- what to eat. As a New York transplant, I’m a sucker for great pizza and smoked fish. Lucky for me and my fireside and chefside seat, I saw the chef, Jordy, putting together a smoked trout pizza and decided to try it. I am often hesitant to try anything warm that has smoked fish in it because it changes the fish’s consistency. Part of what sold me on trying it over the other tasty dishes was that Jordy managed to mix cold smoked fish with a warm crust.

The pizza had dill creme fresh, capers, greens, and smoked trout atop homemade sourdough crust, and it was an ideal temperature and consistency. In addition to being a huge smoked fish fan, I have been really excited about fried eggs recently over my typical scramble. There is something comforting about a runny yolk in a farm fresh egg with the change of the season, which was the ideal complement to the sourdough pizza crust.

My husband and dining partner ordered the breakfast sandwich and ate it too quick for me to get a picture because he enjoyed it so much. One thing that struck me was that it was vegetarian and that there were carrots on it-- these are two aspects of a meal that don’t usually attract my husband. I tried a bite and I thought it was a great balance of flavor and appreciated that the sandwich was on a homemade English muffin (yum!).

My overall thoughts on brunch at Prairie Fire-- I can’t wait to go back and I think the fire will be a welcome addition to our weekend mornings. I highly recommend that you try it too! 

Why I eat out

Consistency is an interesting word and I used it deliberately. I love going to the places that know me and offer the best homey service accompanying great, creative food. It feels comforting to build relationships with people at restaurants and to be a regular. It adds a level of consistency to a fast paced world and life. Not to worry, I still love trying new places but below is a recap of some of my favorite consistent spots around Boston highlighting some excellent dishes and service. 

During the month of March, once it stopped snowing, I ate at Strip T's at least once a week (maybe more if you ask my boyfriend) and had a bowl of their smoked miso ramen and a small Caesar salad each time. There was something comforting about both of those things and the perfect service. I even have a spot at the bar that I usually sit. They know my voice when I call. That miso ramen is one of the best dishes I have had and coupled with the perfectly cooked noodles it was a nice hearty, flavorful warm dish to get out of the snow zone. The Caesar salad is truly one of a kind. After I eat it, I sweat garlic for 24 hours but it's worth it. Consistently perfection. Also in the month of March and related to Strip T's, I went to the BTG Boston's first series of events where I got to enjoy Tim Maslow's fine Ribelle food paired with some of the best of Boston's sommeliers' wine choices. I loved that it felt like one big giant family style meal-- put together by two of my favorites, Theresa Paopao and Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli.

Smoked Miso Ramen at Strip T's

Over the winter, I went to Lineage for burgers at the bar about once a week. It was nice to go out, get a great glass of wine, a phenomenal burger and speak with Brad, Amy, Matt or even Jeremy, at the bar. Anything Jeremy Sewall does is perfection and I think Lineage is one of his less written about "famous" restaurants, but it is the original and that burger is my "best of Boston." I'm not a big fan of fries generally, so I usually sub out fries for a side salad when I have a burger. When I go to Lineage, I eat the hand cut fries. If I really feel like splurging, I go for dessert with a tea pairing. My favorite of the winter was a brulee'd banana split. What can I say, I'm a sucker for red meat and any dessert that has bananas. I am also a huge fan of Island Creek, Eastern Standard and Row34, but those were a bit more of a trek this winter.

Bruleed Banana Split and Tea at Lineage

Another spot or series of spots I think of when discussing good service is anything Barbara Lynch. I love all of her spots that I've tried. I still have to try B&G, but if I want excellent food with perfect service, I go to any of her spots. My favorite for special occasions is Menton because I feel like I'm at dinner and a show. It's perfect food with the right choreography. I haven't been in a while but after I went to a few Full Plate lunches, I felt that the staff at the whole restaurant group got to know me. As I mentioned in previous posts anything at Drink is a good time-- they take the decision making out of the equation for you and the cocktails are perfect. I feel like my soul is being fed at Sportello-- through tagliatelle and coconut cake and at The Butcher Shop with the charcuterie platter and wine. The service is friendly and consistent at each place. I love the ability to go from formal at Menton to more casual at the other spots in terms of look and feel but to have the same great quality of food and service.

Charcuterie and wine at Butcher Shop

Service and consistency matters as does creativity. Sometimes in a super fast paced world, knowing what you're going to get from a service and food quality is all you need for a slice or a plate of happiness.

Ribelle me fantastic

To start, I'm aware that "Ribelle me fantastic" is not a sentence that makes sense, but if you visit Ribelle, you will understand. Much like Tim Maslow's other restaurant, Strip T's this restaurant is a gem to behold. The quaint, modern, bright Ribelle is in Washington Square featuring small plates with big flavor and fresh ingredients. As soon as you walk in you notice the large communal table made of beautiful wood. The bar is also wood and fully stashed. The kitchen is open promoting a feeling of modern and airy. The light fixtures look like large sequins and geometric shapes. One of the highlights of the trip was the pre-meal. I stood at the communal high top table by the kitchen sipping on a beat, citrus and gin cocktail after speaking with the chef. This cocktail was of the best I'd ever had and I was surprised. The beets were refreshing combined with the gin and lime and tasted like fall. It was such a great cocktail that four out of the five people eating and drinking in our group ordered it.

We sat down at the communal table at the end. I was expecting to feel cramped but it felt like we were having our own party not a part of our neighbors' dining experience. There were five of us in the party and we were there as a part of a monthly dining group. We all partook in their $30 price fixed menu because it was before 6:30pm. I wouldn't be surprised if they do away with this. The restaurant is so hot right now, they don't really need to do anything from a price standpoint to draw a crowd. The price fixed menu was full of great options, probably 3/4 of the regular menu. I was so excited about the bolognese and the mushroom lasagne that I ordered two pasta dishes. When I was last at Ribelle, I ordered duckfat garlic knots. Wow, they were fantastic, so I ordered them again. Needless to say, my meal was very carb full and I probably could have ordered one less small plate, but it was just so much fun. My dining buddies ordered squid, kale and pasta with squash. The best part of the large dining group was getting to experience lots of dishes.

When deciding what to order, I decided against to kholrabi because it had veal tongue in it. The manager was so sweet and sent over this dish so that we could try it. The veggie portion, a mixture of kholrabi, beans and spices was awesome. I even liked the flavor of the veal tongue, however the consistency was pretty fatty and rubbery. If I were to order it again, I'd ask for just the veggies. For those who haven't tried it, kholrabi is a bulb that can be shredded, it's in the broccoli and cauliflower family.

The duckfat garlic knots came out first. They were moist with oil, salt, herbs and garlic. They came with a zesty tomato sauce that paired nicely with the rich rolls. I could have made a dinner of just these rolls and sauce, they were that good and that filling.

The mushroom lasagne had meaty mushrooms with homemade vinegared ricotta cheese. The pasta tasted homemade and perfect.

The pappardelle bolognese was rich with different kinds of meat. The tomato was not overpowering, it was all about the meat. It was topped with fried pork skins and fried baby greens. When I had the pork skin on its own the flavor and consistency was not great, but the combination of this in the dish was outstanding and added a little crunch to an already flavorful dish.

Another highlight was the truffled toast one of my dining partners ordered. Remember the eggs in a frame that your mom made you when you were sick? Maybe that was just my mom. This was one piece of thick toast covered in truffle oil, cheese, egg and little peppers. The dish was comfort on a plate.

Overall, Ribelle is worth the hype and I recommend that you go and try it. The beet cocktail was outstanding. I can't wait to go back and try some new dishes. While the pastas are fantastic, I recommend mixing them in with more veggie dishes or protein than what I did. Maybe that way there will be room for dessert. Looking forward to going back and trying the ever changing menu.

Michael's Deli, Delicious Sandwiches and Steve

Boston does many things well but a really thick juicy sandwich is a commodity in these parts. Whenever I'm missing a New York style sandwich I find myself wondering over to Michael's Deli in Coolidge Corner. This no frills joint is on the Trader Joe's side of Beacon Street on Harvard. The deli is delicious and often crowded and while being notorious for great food, they've also been notorious for rushed, slightly rude service. I will tell you though, that the food makes up for the fact that it's cash only and the service is inconsistent.

Sunday after a night out and discussions of favorite sandwiches the night before, we found ourselves in our favorite cash only local deli. I was debating between a sandwich with a pound of meat or nova, cream cheese and a bagel. In a game time ordering decision where I expected nova and cream cheese to be my lunch, my stomach guided my mouth towards ordering a sandwich with: turkey, pastrami, roast beef, lettuce, tomato and Russian dressing on challah. I was as surprised as my dining buddy when I was done placing my order. My dining buddy got a Jacob's Choice which was turkey, roast beef, Swiss and Russian dressing on rye. We got two sides of cole slaw and a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips.

The sandwiches were brought over by Misha, my favorite Michael's employee with tons of slaw and two full pickles! From the time that the sandwich arrived to when I had a quarter left, I don't remember what happened. I turned into a carnivorous silent animal who could only be fed with store roasted meats and really fatty pastrami. By the time I came up for air, without even tasting the other sandwich (very unlike me), I looked around and noticed that Michael was no where to be found. Usually he's at the front taking orders or running around bring up more salads or soup, but he was no where. There was this other guy there who looked like a younger Michael-- I thought for a second maybe his younger brother?

I asked this man where Michael was and he responded that Michael was off. Sunday strikes me as a big day for sandwiches so I was puzzled that the boss would be gone. Then Steve mentioned that he bought Michael's. My dining buddy and I were incredulous. The Corned Beef King left the building?! Not to worry though, Michael is working part time this summer to bring Steve up to speed with how to continue to make some of the greatest deli from here to NY.

While I am sad to see Michael phase out, I hope that he made a huge penny selling the place and is able to retire happily and have someone else make sandwiches for him while he lies back on the beach and drinks or splashes or does whatever he has missed out on from all of the summer Sunday sandwiches. Steve is really enthusiastic and seems to have given the store new energy. As we left and thanked Steve and Misha for a delicious lunch, we started fantasizing about all of the new possibilities like credit cards, more hot food items and dinner. As long as Michael's keeps the Corned Beef King's classic sandwiches, I think the possibilities are endless. Looking forward to watching an old classic take on a new life.

Osaka is on fire

In a fun outing to Osaka, it was about the show! Hibachi holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it delicious but it's entertainment. For anyone who has not visited Osaka on Green St in Coolidge Corner, I recommend it. The place is modern and open with lots of light and beautiful stone walls. The menu is extensive with many options to have hibachi or just sushi. I say just because I think the big draw is watching people swirl utensils, make a rice heart beat and create an onion volcano.

They are extremely accommodating of food allergies and the food is tasty. The best part was the fried rice with half a container of soy sauce, a slab of butter and eggs. The chicken that I had was tasty with sake on top. My dining buddies enjoyed their scallops and shrimp. While the meal is not cheap, if you see it as dinner and entertainment, it is reasonably priced.

Next time I go, I will need to try a scorpion bowl. It looks like they have a great private space for a party below.

Ode to Eggs Benedict

Ever read the book The Tipping Point? It's one of my favorites because it talks about the various roles people play in life. I like to think that I'm a connector among my friends and that I'm a maven when it comes to restaurants. I love giving out restaurant recommendations especially when I get to go on and on about one of my favorite brunch places, Lineage. Recently at a party word got out that I wrote a piece on Lineage and their Eggs Benedict and bread basket. Let's start this blog off right! 

My favorite thing to do is to eat my way through life. I pride myself on finding the most interesting and delicious foods in all price ranges. My favorite Brookline restaurant is Lineage for its outstanding service, creative and consistently stellar menu and promise to provide fresh and local food. Jeremy Sewall, one of the co-founders and best known chefs in Boston, has his “Lineage” roots in Brookline, hence the restaurant’s name. There’s something magical about the bright and cheery atmosphere paired with the simple and fresh food.

The first time I went to Lineage was for a birthday brunch. Part of why I love brunch at Lineage is that I can afford it without thinking twice. Their dinners are for special occasions because they are expensive and exquisite. When you walk through the door, you’re greeted by a friendly host and a daily menu that reflects the freshest local ingredients available. The tables are in two rooms, one with a bar and a hearth oven and the other with a window to the outside. 

Chef Jeremy purchases local ingredients and will only put tomatoes on burgers if they are in season. Brunch starts with delicious fresh scones, muffins and breads paired with homemade maple butter and jam, which is like having dessert for an appetizer. The hot apple cider comes with an orange and a cinnamon stick. I am an Eggs Benedict connoisseur, and Lineage makes the best. The dish is surprisingly light, and full of flavor. The hollandaise sauce is a glaze, not the focus of the meal. The dish gets better before the knife hits the plate. Eggs Benedict, traditionally made on an English muffin, is instead atop an open brioche, which I have been known to dream about. The homemade brioche is warm, flaky, buttery and the perfect size for the eggs, ham and spinach on top.

The truth is that I have yet to order dessert at Lineage’s brunch because I always fill up on the well-worth-it bread basket and outstanding Eggs Benedict. When I go for dinner, I save room for dessert, with the most memorable being corn Crème brûlée. I applaud the use of a savory ingredient in dessert, since it is a creative use of what is freshest on the farm. Lineage is one of the best restaurants in Boston and is a leader of the “local food” movement, and I always feel happy and satisfied when I eat there.