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! 

Dazzled by Deep Ellum

Clearly a fantastic brunch as a start to Super Bowl Sunday was the right move! It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm thrilled to be back in action and look forward to sharing more eating adventures with you!

Today, my boyfriend and I woke up hungry after a night of dancing. We have been cooking brunch more than we've been eating it out, but today was special since we knew we'd be making food for the Super Bowl. We trudged through the Allston/Brighton slushy streets to Deep Ellum and it was worth the walk. It was obvious from the crowd that Deep Ellum is the spot to be for brunch if you're in that neighborhood. When you walk in the spot is abuzz with good music and happy people eating delicious, creative food and drinks. We were too hungry to wait for a table and lucked out with two seats at the bar.

The bartender was really nice and knowledgeable. When I go out anywhere, I like to ask the server for their advice. I'm a sucker for breakfast food, but was enticed by their lunch menu. I'll have to come back for a recommended rueben. In the end, my New York roots had me go for house cured salmon. My boyfriend got their homemade egg and chorizo sandwich.

While we were waiting for the food to arrive, which was not very long, we enjoyed listening to David Bowie and watching the bar tender mix uniquely delicious looking drinks. I was surprised that they had about 22 beers on tap, but they chose to serve soda out of the bottle. They are serious about their beer! I asked if I could try their Bloody Mary mix because I wasn't ready for a drink but I'd seen the bar tender mix a few. I appreciated that they were willing to pour me a shot. That mix was perfectly spicy and pungent. Next time I go, I'll have a bloody!

The food arrived and it looked bright and as perfect as it tasted. I was excited to see my salmon thickly sliced with fresh tomatoes and arugala. The color and freshness is usually saved for summer tomato season. The nova was served on a bagel with caper cream cheese closed faced. I was excited to see that there was enough nova to turn this bagel sandwich into two open faced bagel sandwiches. I love nova open faced because I get to spread out the experience of eating one of my favorite comfort foods. The cream cheese was a perfect addition to the fresh nova, bagel and tomato. I liked that the capers were mixed in so that they didn't have the chance of rolling off the top of the sandwich. When I finished the sandwich, I was sad because it was so tasty. While the bagel did not taste like it was from New York (a little too soft), the toppings were so good, that it could have been on a saltine and I would have wanted more. I appreciated the flexibility to give me a side salad instead of potatoes. The salad was fresh and excellent: cukes, tomatoes and arugula with some lemon and salt.

I was lucky enough to also get to try my dining partner's chorizo sandwich. The egg was perfectly fried and had quite a bit of pepper on it. It was served on a homemade English muffin and the house chorizo was sliced and crisped perfectly. I was not expecting the homemade English muffin but it made the sandwich that much better. The crunch of the chorizo paired with the homemade English muffin and perfectly cooked egg made my bite absolute perfection.

Not only was the food outstanding, but it was reasonably priced ($25 including tax and tip) and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I will go back to Deep Ellum in a heart beat. Looking forward to having lunch, dinner and drinks! When I do go back for brunch, it will be hard to decide if I will try something new or have that nova that tugs on my nostalgic New York heartstrings.

Eastern Standard Brunchielunch

Eastern Standard is worth all of the hype it gets. I've only had consistently great meals and service there. No matter what I eat, it's satisfying and creative. Since it was a weekend between 10 and 2, I was geared up for some brunch. I define brunch as breakfast, but bigger. Eastern Standard had a part brunch, part lunch menu because it was Saturday and they only serve full brunch on Sunday. The food was awesome, but sitting outside comfortably in late October was the best part.

After pondering the menu for a while, I was set to order eggs. The past few times I dined at ES, I had a pastrami sandwich and since it was missing from the menu, I branched out. My dining partner had settled on the Croque-Madame. When the waiter told us the addition to the menu, I made a quick change and went for the homemade ricotta gnocchi with veggies and lamb sausage. I am a sucker for homemade pasta, and I figured the gnocchi would be the perfect substitute for all the bread I'd eat if I chose a breakfast option. We decided to balance the extreme carbs with a side salad.

After enjoying the fresh bread, butter and good conversation, the meals arrived. I started eating the perfectly cooked gnocchi with fresh almost crisp cauliflower, pea pods and tomatoes  The gnocchi was seared on the outside and right amount of chewiness. I could not find the lamb in my dish. Not to worry though, because the waiter could not have been nicer when adding it. They re-plated my dish with the lamb sausage, so it went from being a gnocchi primavera to a unique combination of gnocchi, lamb and veggies. I hope that in the future they make both the pasta dishes available. While the lamb sausage added a lot of flavor and smokiness to the dish, it was just as good and even a little bit lighter without it.

The side salad was tasty. It was mesclun greens with a garlicky mustard vinaigrette  Given the size of our entrees it was the perfect size to share. Sometimes at Eastern Standard, I find myself having the great salad versus french fry debate. The fries at ES are thin and perfectly crisp with some fresh herbs and the salad has those qualities with the added health benefits. At lunch we had our salad and fries too, because my dining buddy's dish came with fries.

The Croque Madam was beautiful. It was a layer of french toast topped with ham, cheese and a sunny side up egg and french fries. The dish looked to pretty to eat, and it tasted as good as it looked. The combination of sweet and savory was great. If I had to categorize it, I'd pair it with eggs Benedict because it had most of the same components. We joked about how big the dish was, yet it was devoured. I'm glad I got to try it because, had I ordered it, I probably would have been full for 24-hours and I never like skipping meals!

I appreciated that even after I had the waiter put my leftover two bites of pasta in a doggy bag that they still offered us dessert menus. The desserts sounded delicious, and I was tempted, but we opted to get the check for fear that we would be unable to stand if we ate anymore.

Eastern Standard is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. Jeremy Sewall is an artist! Their menu has a large variety of dishes with an array of ingredients and prices. While I have yet to go for dinner, I can vouch for the outstanding breakfasts, lunches and brunchielunches. Maybe next time I go, I'll steal less fries and have room for dessert!

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.