The Table at Season to Taste

At The Table With Will Meyers Menu

2012-03-06T17:46:00.000-05:00

WELCOME BEER

The Audacity of Hops

Belgian Double I.P.A. with 10 different hop varieties and

our proprietary Belgian yeast strain. 8%abv

FIRST

Trio of Raw Seafood

Taylor Bay Scallop Crudo, Pickled Main Shrimp

Chilled Sea Urchin Soup

Bachelor's Buttons

Traditional un-spiced saison-style farmhouse ale with wheat, rye, and barley malts,Spalt, Saaz, Styrian Goldings, and Tettnanger hops. 5.5%abv

SECOND

Molasses Braised Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Sauce

Herb Slaw and Crisp Radish

Sgt. Pepper

Farmhouse ale flavored with black, green, pink, and white peppercorns. 6.0%abv

THIRD

Double Scotch

Classic Scotch Egg with Farm Fresh Egg, House Made Sausage,

Yukon Gold Potato Mash and Cider Glazed Shredded Brussel Sprouts

Bannatyne's Scotch Ale

Rich, malty dark ale with notes of fresh grain,

toasted bread, and a hint of molasses. 9.2%abv

FOURTH

Cerise Cassée Glazed Confit Duck Leg

Pickled Yellow Foot Mushrooms, Garlic and Sesame Seed Seared Spinach

Creamy Parsnip Stuffed Roasted Red Onion

Tripel Threat

Belgian-style strong blonde ale with notes of citrus blossom,

coriander spiciness, and honeyed grain. 10%abv

Cerise Cassée

American sour ale, oak barrel aged up to 8 years in the

world’s first solera system. 9.0%abv

DESSERT

Pear and Almond Tarte Tatin with Porter Wort Ice Cream

Blunderbuss Barleywine

2011 release, aged one year in tawny port and Olorosso sherry barrels. 13.0%abv

Night Cap: Top Secret, All Guests Sworn to Secrecy

At The Table With Jenna Talbot Menu

2012-02-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

— Thursday, March 1, 2012 —

Farm To Table

Angry, Lonely, Bad Smelling Hippy Farm’s Parsnip Soup

New Bedford Scallops Dusted with Herbs from Providence

Basil “Picked by a College Graduate” Pistou

Molecular "Parlor Trick" Cuisine

Deconstructed Pasta Carbonara Surprise

Parmesan Noodle, Butternut Squash Sphere and Bacon Cup

Lips to Assholes Duet

Rabbit and Pork Terrine with Traditional Sides

Rosemary Skewered Balsamic Glazed Chicken Livers on Seared Greens

Knock Knock. Who’s is There? Not the Chef/Owner!

“Philippe Starck’s Ghost Plate”

Gordon Ramsey’s “Go F Yourself” Venison and Chanterelle Wellington

Reduction Sauce, Roasted Root Vegetables And Haricot Vert

Food Network/Paula Deen

“Come to find out, I’ve got type 2 Diabetes”

Deep Fried Cheese Cake with Taza Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream

Chef Robert Harris

Consuming Raw or Undercooked Foods of Animal Origin Increases the Risk of Foodborne Illness

It's Lonely in The Modern World

2012-02-18T22:11:00.001-05:00

Have you ever noticed that all the photos in design/lifestyle magazines are full of sterile, minimalist settings and populated with unsmiling people in unrealistic, contrived poses? If so, then you are going to love “It’s lonely on the Modern World,” written by Molly Jane Quinn and illustrated by Jenna Talbott. It’s an essential guide to understanding self-serious, elitist, sometimes-pretentious designers, architects, artists and the folks that emulate, follow and consume what they produce. A handsome, funny book that is satire at it’s best. It might confuse you at first, because the book appears to be a serious design guide. A Dwell subscriber might even be tempted to buy a copy for the coffee table. Delving in a little further, it becomes clear that there is good information here, with illuminating facts about movers and shakers in the design world. With rye wink, Jenna, Molly and their hilarious captions are in fact, as the British say: “taking the piss” out of arty Dwell photos and high-end toilet comparisons.

As someone who takes his art seriously, and who has been accused of being both elitist and pretentious, encouraging everyone to eat local and to know where our food comes from, I was struck by a realization. At some point in the design process, while pursuing passion, the appeal of the final product is lost in the ego and singular vision of the artist. The good news is that there is a cure for grand egos: The ability to laugh at yourself. While food is not the focus of Quinn and Talbott’s It’s lonely in the Modern World, if you check out the following YouTube clip, you will see I have been taken to task...

Portlandia

Fortunately, I have the ability to laugh at myself and encourage it in other artists and craftsmen. So, after discovering Jenna’s book and blog, http://unhappyhipsters.com/, I was able to track her down through a friend of a friend. As it turns out, her writing partner lives in the epicenter of hipdom, Portland OR, and Jenna lives right here in Boston. Once I explained to Jenna the concept of the “At The Table With…” series, she graciously accepted our invitation to host.

I met with Jenna recently for a cup of coffee at Blue State, near BU, where she works. We discussed the origins of hipsters, the new book, her blog and menu ideas for her dinner.

In 2006 Jenna and her soon to be co-conspirator, Molly, met while working for an off-shoot of the Boston Globe; a magazine called Design New England. The magazine’s mission: to feature New England’s residential design and architecture. As part of their research, Jenna and Molly poured over piles of Shelter/Dwell type magazines. After a few years of looking at one, after another, of the photographs in these magazines, they noticed that most of the people in the images looked sad, aloof and posed; in minimalist, stuffy poses. They soon came up with the idea of re-captioning the photos with funny, satirical phrases and posting them on their Tumbler blog: “Unhappy Hipsters.” Within a week the blog went viral, with thousands of hits daily. Eventually, it even caught the attention of Dwell… Fortunately, they too are able to laugh at themselves, and wrote about the blog as well, drawing more attention to Jenna and Molly’s effort.

At the time, there were a number of blogs that had parlayed their on-line success into a book, like “Stuff White People Like,” and “Ideas in Food.” To Jenna and Molly’s surprise, an agent approached them, asking to hash out a book deal. They agreed.

While reviewing the concept, they realized that they needed to flesh the book out with more than just captioned photos, so they set out to create a book that is not only funny, but informative about designers, architects, style and products. San Francisco based Chronicle Publishing, a neighbor of Dwell, liked the book proposal and contracted it to be written. 16 months later, in October of 2011, the book was released. Not everyone is gifted with the ability to laugh at oneself and, as such, there has been some backlash to the satire, especially for the use of the word “hipster”. (The urban dictionary defines hipsters as: “ a composite of individuals with a certain bohemian life situation and lifestyle. He or she rejects ‘mainstream’ culture and embraces and contributes to independent culture, and prides him/herself on this.”)

While the subjects of the photos in the book and blog might not depict actual hipsters, the point that Jenna and Molly intend is that someone that has all the attributes of a hipster: an apathetic, self indulgent dude with an indie attitude, not to mention Buddy Holly glasses, skinny jeans, vintage flannel shirt and ironic John Deer hat is, in fact, following a trend. This type of thinking, where people base their decisions on what to wear, buy and consume on what the crowd around them is buying and consuming, creates an environment where the true value of an object is clouded by the perceived value that has been inflated by the trend. This is why hipsters come across as pretentious. While they cling to an indie culture that looks down on the main stream, they are in fact following an anti-trend.

While discussing the fact that the people she satires in her book are just people following a trend, and not necessarily hipsters with Jenna, I suggested that she should have called the blog “Unhappy Trendster”, but she demurred, and is sticking with the original title.

Following a trend can come in many forms. In the design world, well-healed trendsters will line up for something based entirely on who designed it, not taking in to account aesthetic comforts or real value. For example, Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair. It’s made of polycarbonate, looks like something you would see on a patio at a beach house in the pan handle of Florida and is as comfortable as the bench that you sit on while waiting for a bus.

Here is how it is described in an online catalogue: “the playful Louis Ghost Armchair (2002) is a postmodern triumph of technical innovation and historical style. Translating the varied lines and formal geometry of its predecessor into a single form of translucent or opaque black or white injection-molded polycarbonate, it is a robust chair with not a single weak point.”

We are talking about a plastic chair that costs $400. I could go on and on. But before opening the can of worms of Apple or Whole Foods, I suggest that you all check out Jenna’s book for design-specific things. The question is: how do we apply this concept of poking fun at trends to a five-course dinner. The answer: Pick five of our favorite food trends and then create matching courses for each trend. We came up with the following:

1.Over the top sourcing/farm to table cuisine. As a mea culpa, yes, Season To Taste is guilty as charged. But really the blame lies with the French. As I was trained classically, grounded in Europe and had always looked towards Alice Waters as the vanguard for modern American cuisine, I learned to let ingredients dictate technique when planning menus. Seven years ago, no other full service caterer offered menus with a focus on eating in season/local sourcing. I sensed a gap in the market where we could make our mark and hopefully be a leader in the Boston area for this movement. Reading The Omnivores Dilemma sealed the deal, and STT was born. Of course the West Coast is well ahead of us on this, but local sourcing is a much easier decision when you have access to world class produce year round.

2.Molecular Gastronomy. All hail the kings of technique-based cuisine with their emersion circulators, calcium chloride spherification, emulsifiers and anti-grills. Ferran Adria, Grant Achatz, Wylie Dufresne and José Andrés are masterful magicians using industrial inspired techniques and ingredients to transform the freshest ingredients from all over the world into jaw-dropping, theatrical food art. Despite my intuition that creating a menu based on parlor trick techniques before ingredients is putting the cart before the horse, the kings are grounded in classic technique and are insanely talented, they make it all work. What about all the pretenders following the trend? Chef six-pack at the local bistro with visions of grandeur can sear then encase a chicken breast in plastic, let it hang out in a warm water bath for several hours, cool, re-heat to order, cut it out of the plastic, slice, and finally serve with maltodextrin-infused brown butter powder. That might be good on an airplane, but not in a restaurant. I’d rather eat a dirty water hot dog from a food cart, or a properly roasted, crispy skinned and juicy chicken breast with real brown butter.

3. Knock Knock? Who is there? Not the celebrity, multiple-restaurant-owning chef with a tv show and eponymous cookware. Look, I get it. A chef works in a hell-scape of sharp objects, interminable heat, repetitive motions, and endless hours of back breaking work for basically subsistence money, sacrificing any chance for familial relations, all for the chance for a shot at one day owning their own restaurant that has a 76% chance of failing in two years. If, by some chance, a chef’s restaurant is a success, the profit margin on a successful restaurant ranges between 5% and 15%. So, for example, if you own a million dollar restaurant that is run well, you walk away with $150,000, which after taxes is $100,000. Now this is a good chunk of change, and if you live frugally and don’t have culinary school debt, you can have nice place to live, pay for your kid’s school, take a vacation once a year, and hopefully have enough to retire. But wouldn’t it be tempting to open more restaurants? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could walk away from the fryer or broiler to get paid a pile of money to fly around the world to promote your awesome restaurants/brand? The only thing you have to sacrifice is your integrity, values and dignity. A Faustian bargain for sure, but where does that leave the customer?

4.Tail to Snout or should I say lips to assholes (pun intended)? I understand the logic of serving seared blood sausage topped with crispy lamb brains, stuffed in a pig’s colon. When you take the life of an animal, by knocking it unconscious then slitting its throat and letting it bleed to death, one must honor the animal’s sacrifice by treating the meat it produces with great care and respect. Not a single bit of the dispatched should be wasted, including all the good bits such as the muscles, organs, bones, lips and of course, assholes. If you think about it, does it make sense that we prefer to eat the muscles of an animal and not the organs? Americans prefer muscle tissue, due to that fact that most of us are raised in an industrial society that grinds all the tails and snouts into an emulsified hot dog, bologna, cheeseburger, or peperoni that is then packaged and sold in a fashion that makes it indistinguishable from muscles. I guess I’m a prisoner of the cultural mime that formed my palate, but I get a little grossed out eating lamb brain and think that some chefs just go too far with the trend. I worked for a chef who served fried duck testicle and braised cockscomb. Yes, they were prepared correctly and tasted delicious, but when you bite in to a duck nut there is a popping sensation in your mouth, which is entirely unappetizing and makes me want to cross my legs. Grind and emulsify it, stuff it into a bun and drown it in ketchup... I’m all over it.

5.The Food Network/Food Reality Shows. Anthony Bourdain pretty much owns this gripe and has written extensively about the dumbing down and mainstreaming of the Food Network. So I’m not going to go in to too many details about this. I will say that as much as food and kitchen life is part of the a common narrative across all cultures, it frustrates me that television shows and movies have done such a poor job of capturing the essence of cooking, and of enjoying a great meal in a great restaurant. When will the pirate life of a restaurant be portrayed in a tv show or movie correctly? A movie resplendent with incredible food, homeless dishwashers, transvestite waiters, substance-abusing line cooks, cheating,lying owners, the crazy wealthy regular customer, and finally, the horror of working Sunday brunch service. We all just want something that is real and not “reality”.

Just as Jenna has managed to be creative and still sassy, these five food trends we have mentioned will make there way into a delicious and comical five-course dinner at The Table. Please stay tuned, for our menu will be posted shortly. We look forward to having you join us for an eventful, and as always, satisfying dinner.

Menu for At The Table With Nick Fazah

2012-02-01T17:29:00.001-05:00

At The Table with Nick Fazah

— Thursday, February 9, 2012 —

The Island of Maldives

Bajiyaa

Maldivian Samosa stuffed with Smoked Tuna with Coconut Curry

Sharm el Sheikh/Red Sea, Egypt

Ful Medames

Mashed Fava Beans with Olive Oil, Parsley Onion, Garlic and Lemon Juice with Flatbread and Hard Boiled Egg

Leicester England

Melton Mowbray Pork Pie with Stilton and Grainy Mustard

The Island of Malta

Fenkata Duet

Rabbit Stew in Duck Fat Roasted Potato with Herb Crusted Loin

Braised Greens and Pickled Red Onion

Gloucester, MA

Crispy Pizzelle Stuffed with Hazelnut and Maple Mascarpone

Interview with Nick Fazah

2012-01-31T19:59:00.002-05:00

Paul Adler (current owner of East Coast Divers)
with Dive Instructor/manager Nick Fazah (on the right)

When we created the concept of At The Table With…. there was a realization that the idea of sharing an intimate dinner with 12 people opens the door to subjects and hosts that reaches beyond the typical wine/beer pairing that one sees at a more traditional restaurant. We started thinking about new and different hosts. Why not an artist or an author or a teacher? Based on my previous experience as a certified diver it occurred to me that my dive instructor Nick Fazah (manager and soon to be co-owner of East Coast Divers) would be a great host for a dinner. For potential guests that are in to diving, this dinner is a great venue to share war stories and learn about new equipment/dive sites. For those that are dive curious, this is a great forum to explore the possibilities of taking the plunge (pun intended) and becoming certified. With all this in mind we scheduled a dinner with Nick. I recently met with Nick to learn more about him and to collaborate with him on a menu.

How long have you been diving?

Since I was 13.

Was that in the UK?

Yes, I was actually born in North Dakota, but raised in England. I have dual nationality. My mother is English and my father is American.

What was the moment when you realized that you want to teach diving for the rest of your life?

It was when I did my instructor training down in the Keys (Florida). Earlier when I was in England I kind of realized that I wanted to be a teacher. I was teaching rock climbing and archery, then I kind of got in to teaching snorkeling. Being in the water and combining that with teaching had this massive draw. At that point I realized, “I want to do this everywhere”. A light bulb went off and in August 2004 I moved to Florida. I did not look back.

If you did not do this then what would you be doing?

God knows. I have no idea. Maybe advertising or teaching high school PE, something that did not involve a cubical. I would shoot myself if that happened.

What is the scariest moment that you have had diving?

I have not had a scary moment, for myself. I have had a few whoa moments, that stopped me in my tracks, but never to a moment of panic.

Do you attribute this to your training or are you naturally a calm person?

I am definitely not a naturally calm person, but my training and my natural comfort in the water, more than anything prevents panic. I have always been able to find solutions with gear underwater. Being underwater does not make me nervous. Other than the free diving aspect (diving with no tanks) being at 200 feet is certainly the most intense moment. Well actually that was not so bad either…

Would you rather be free diving or scuba diving?

I can’t pick. They are both very different. Free diving is done with very minimalist equipment with a focus on finesse and perfecting one’s technique. Scuba is done with a lot of equipment with a goal or different facets of the game that you have to understand. Technicalities and stuff like that. I’m huge gear head and I love gear, diving with new equipment, checking out new sites. But on the flip side of that coin

The mental and psychological game and perfection of my own psyche with free diving is a different roll.. but I love them both.

I’ve come up with a scheme for a menu for our At The Table With… dinner. A five-course dinner based on your five favorite dive sites, with ingredients sourced locally. What is your top five list of dive sites?

The place that I did my open water certifications is Stony Cove near Leicester England so this would be my first choice.

Then we would have to do a Gloucester course.

My favorite dive in Gloucester is Cathedral Rocks.

What about the Caribbean?

I think a better choice would be the Maldives. It’s in the Indian Ocean. I recently finished a ten-day live aboard dive trip and it was absolutely amazing. Four dives a day with Nitrox, and every one of the dives is 100 feet deep, working up walls.

Cool, we can sneak an Indian food course. What is you next choice?

The Red Sea, at Sharm el Sheikh is unbelievable.

Awesome, this course will be inspired by Middle Eastern Food. So what is the last site?

It’s a toss up between the Bahamas and Bonair. Bahamas is where I did my free dive and was one the most beautiful blue holes the world. It’s basically a drop off from the shore form 15 feet to 600. Bonair is great, but now that I think about it a more unusual choice would be Malta.

Where is Malta?

It’s an Island off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean. It’s basically a dessert, with lots of World War Two wrecks to dive off the coast.

Sounds good. I’ll do some research and work up menu. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

No worries and look forward to a great dinner!

So there you have it folks. The menu will consist of five courses, each one inspired by each one of these dive sites:

1. Leicester, UK,

2. Gloucester/MA,

3. The Island of Maldives,

4. Sharm el Sheikh/Red Sea, Egypt

5. The Island of Malta

I’ll be posting the menu shortly so stay tuned!

ATW Chris Edelman Menu

2012-01-17T18:41:00.002-05:00

Amuse-Bouches at The Counter

Huittres Duet

“Nature” Raw, Apple Cider Mignotte and Toasted Brown Bread Point

“Villeroy” Poached, Chilled, dipped in Villeroy Sauce,

Breaded and Fried, topped with Lemon and Fried Parsley

First Course

Soupe de Poisson Provencale

Fisherman’s Soup with Crouton Rouille and Fiddle Head Tomme

Second Course

Timbal debrochet aux crevettes en a la laneth

Wall Eye Pike Timbal with Main Shrimp in Dill Sauce

Third Course

Sole Bonne Femme

Poached Filet of Sole with Glacage of Oyster Mushroom

Haricot Vert and Three Turned Vegetables

Fourth Course

Homarde a la Edelman Modern

Butter Poached Lobster on Caviar Beurre Blanc

Ginger Carrot Reduction, Saffron Turnip and Japanese Eggplant Pearls Petit Pommes Anna, Chervil Salad

Dessert

Souvenir des choses du passé

Madeline with Balsamic Caramel, Hot Taza Chocolate and Sea Salt

Hurricane Edelman

2012-01-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

Chef Paul and Chris Edelman at the scallop sorting table

Four years ago when we began our search for a commercial Fishmonger, we had a number of concerns that we needed to address. Beyond the obvious questions of freshness, consistency and quality, we also needed to be assured that the fish we source is caught in a sustainable fashion, preferably from small boats. While this might seem fairly straightforward; download the Monterey Bay Aquarium watch list, pick fish accordingly and then call fishmonger, as it turns out fishmongers are notorious scoundrels that have many tricks up their sleeve to unload their product on unsuspecting chefs and then consumers.

I can understand the difficulties that are presented to a fishmonger. They are tasked with buying an expensive, highly perishable product and then selling it to super picky chefs that demand the lowest price possible, coupled with the tempting fact that a fish filet that’s been freshly rinsed with special chemicals, or frozen is relatively hard to distinguish from fresh caught fish and nearly impossible to determine source of origin. In other words, a credible fishmonger is an individual with an intense pride/passion for the fish business and a high moral fiber that is interested in fostering a relationship based on trust. We trust our fishmonger to delivery the freshest, highest quality seafood that’s sustainably sourced and in turn we order consistently, pay our bills on time and help grow their business by telling other chefs and consumers about our experience. We are proud to say that we have found that fishmonger. His name is Chris Edelman and his company is Seafood Specialties.

Before we get to Chris, you might ask, how did you come to know and trust Chris? When we began the search for a fishmonger, a chef friend of mine recommended that I give Chris a call. When it comes to trust, I put my trust in an individual based on the things they say, the things they do, and on the recommendation of someone whose opinion I value. From my first conversation with Chris I could tell that he is passionate about what he does, is a no bullshit straight shooter and was someone that I could potentially look to supply us. So, we gave him a shot. We immediately noticed that all of the seafood we received from him is packed and cut with meticulous detail. Initially we ordered whole fish, so that we could check the eyes and gills, and then moved to filets, because it suited our kitchen set up. After four years of ordering from Seafood Specialties, I have never sent stuff back and whenever I order seafood; they always direct me to the most sustainable, wild caught option. As far as recommendations from a trusted source goes, as I found out later Chris also supplies Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, as well as many local chefs including Jody Adams and Dante De Magistrist.

Although I have been ordering from Chris for years, both of our busy schedules precluded us from meeting in person. When we put the schedule for At The Table With... together for the upcoming season, inviting Chris to The Table was an easy choice and fortunately he accepted the invite. As part of the ATW process we always conduct an interview/tour so that we can learn more about the host and to collaborate with them to build a custom menu. Chris was eager to meet and show off his operation, so Chef Paul, George and I headed down to the fish pier on a rainy, windy, freezing cold day last Thursday. Little did we know that the actually storm that we were about to encounter was inside and it’s what I have come to know as “Hurricane Edelman”...a whirling dervish of energy, swirling with fish knowledge, well placed profanity, classic French technique and a passion for his business.

As we walked in to his shop, located halfway down the fish pier, two doors down from the No Name Restaurant, we came upon him quality controlling Nantucket Bay Scallops and Gulf of Maine Scallops.

He quickly directed us to the office, gave us hard hats and thus began our tour. The first thing that I noticed as I stepped out of the office and in to the shop was the smell, which is to say, there was no smell at all. You would think that a roughly 40ft by 60ft room that cuts thousand of pounds of fish on a regular basis would have a fishy smell. Not the case with Seafood Specialties. Chris receives fresh deliveries from the Gloucester fish auction based on the day’s orders and therefore he keeps very little inventory. At the end of each shift his team completely scrubs, power sprays and sanitizes the entire space.

Chris began the tour by showing us the expeditor system by which he keeps all of his orders organized. As with any classically trained chef, he has organized his shop by breaking it down in to various custom designed fish cutting stations with redundancy or “back-ups” built in to the system. Chris has good reason to have back-ups. A few years back he lost the whole operation to a fire and had to start over.

As we walked through his shop, checking out various species Chris, shows us the bin of perfect 1lb fish bound for Alinea in Chicago via Fed Ex, then as we go down the line of newly received fish species he explains how his receiving system works, with various kernels of wisdom. When asked about farm raised salmon, he explains that he does not source Wild Pacific Salmon, because he believes that the “cruise ships” in the Pacific are not a sustainable choice and that salmon fed organic feed, not kept in small pens from Canada is a great choice. We ask about Tilapia he calls it “shit eating shit fish”, which I totally agree with. The more time I spend with this guy and his no non-sense approach the more I respect his operation.

One of the many fish species in line to be cut

The second part of the tour is next door at his soon to be completed state of the art shop. It’s his new baby and after a six-figure investment, many months of planning and construction, he should be moving in by February. He takes us upstairs, to his new office. We can’t help but notice and ask about a full drum kit set up next to his desk. “That’s for stress relief” is the answer.

Chef Paul, George and Chris taking in the view

At the end of the tour we gather in a section of the second floor of the new shop, where the custom, low energy refrigeration equipment that powers his walk-in is mounted. He opens two doors that face out to the harbor with an incredible view of two “Perfect Storm” fishing boats are tied to the fish pier. We talk about the completion of his new dream shop and then start chatting about the menu for the dinner. Chris drops his idea: ”The French Evolution”. An all French menu that starts out simple, country style rustic style then ends with a dish inspired by the grand master of Modern French Cuisine, Joel Robuchon. At first the idea is terrifying, how dare we emulate a master, but at the end of the day, the whole point of the Table is to get out of our comfort zone, learn new techniques and share it with our guests. We hope the folks attending enjoy our insanity and experiencing for a moment eye of the storm known as Hurricane Edelman.

Martin Langer Wine Dinner Menu

2012-01-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks, hot off the digital press:

First Course

Trio of Seafood

Salt Cod Beignet with Squid Ink

Grilled Oyster with Grapefruit Sabayon

Chilled Lobster and Deviled Egg

Second Course

Seared Squab Breast with Red Wine Sauce

Roasted Garlic and Black Truffle Custard

Frissee with Walnut Vinaigrette

Third Course

Deconstructed Cassoulet

Crispy Duck Confit and Seared Foie Gras

Garlicky Pork Sausage White Bean Cake

Seared Spinach and Armagnac Plumped Prunes

Fourth

New England Cheese Board with House Made Jams

And Whole Wheat Crisps

Dessert

Dried Cherry Clafouti with Roasted Pear and Whipped Cream

Martin Langer Dinner:Decoding French Wine Labels

2012-01-08T16:23:00.006-05:00

For some strange reason the French have been stereotyped as being snooty, pretentious and obtuse. Having traveled in France my experience has been quite contrary. A simple "Good Morning" or "I am sorry I don't speak French, can you help me" spoken in French was enough to break the ice. With this in mind, I began formatting the wine list that Martin sent over and at first glance, it's kind of intimidating. One might argue that some of the labels present as snooty pretentious and obtuse. But again, after some initial digging I came to understand that there is a rhyme and reason to the labels and with a new understanding. Check out the list:

Aperitif at the Counter: Cotes de Gascogne

Domaine Menard – 2010- "Haut Marin Blanc"

Ugni Blanc/Colombard/Gros Manseng

First Course: Jurancon

Clos Lapeyre -2010 - Jurancon sec

Clos Lapeyre-2007- Jurancon Vitage Vielh

Gros Manseng/Petite Manseng

Second Course: Gaillac

Domaine Rotier-2008- Gaillac rouge "les gravels"

Duras/Bracoul/syrah/Cabernet sauvignon

Third Course: Irouleguy

Domaine Illaria-2008-

Tannat/Cabernet Franc

Fourth Course: Cotes du Marmandais

Elian da Ros – 2009- "ce vin est une fete"

Abouriou, Cabernet Franc, Merlot

Elaiin de Rosa - 2008 - Chante Coucou Rouge

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec

Dessert:Fronton

Flambant du Château Montauriol- 2010

Negrette

Most likely, the list above is confusing and worry not, what follows is a bit of info to help you decode the list.

Each course has been broken in to a specific location in the wine region of South West France, a relatively unknown region with a fraction of the prestige of it's close neighbor Bordeaux. This is good news for us because wines that are good enough to make it our shores are judged based more on their merit rather than their name..and at a much lower price. Below I have copied the second course and then given a definition to follow:

Second Course: Gaillac = Course Number:Location/town of wine producer

Domaine Rotier-2008- Gaillac rouge "les gravelles" = Producer---Vintage---Name of Wine

Duras/Bracoul/syrah/Cabernet sauvignon =Grape Varietals found in the wine

To give a comparison this is how wine is typically listed in this country:

Cabernet Savignon, Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley, 2010

As you can see we are accustomed to ordering wine by the grape varietal (type of predominant grape in the wine). For example, most folks in the states will say "I'll have the Savignon Blanc" when ordering wine. For the French they have a concept known as terrior (roughly pronounced tear war) which means: a group of vineyards from a specific region that share the same soil, weather, grape varietals, and wine making style that all contribute to the personality and flavor profile of the wine. So when the French organize their labels and menus, they focus on the wines origin (and usually the more specific the origin the more expensive the wine is). For example in France if you would like to order a Pino Noir, then you would look for a wine from Burgundy, or if you want a Cabernet Savignon then you would order a wine from the region of Bordeux.

Hopefully this bit of info has been helpful and if it peaks your interest, there is are still three seats left.

On a side note one of the cool things about this dinner is that for course one and four we will be tasting two different wines from the same producer.

As always you can email us if you have any further questions. Of course Martin will also be breaking down the differences between "Domaine" and "Appelation" if you so wish at the dinner. Menu to follow and we look forward to seeing you all at The Table

Wines from Sud-Ouest

2011-12-29T16:37:00.000-05:00

We just received the wine list for the At The Table With Martin Dinner and he has picked some gems from the South West of France. Now that we have wines picked the next move is to write the menu. The menu will feature locally sourced ingredients with courses inspired by and paired with each wine of a specific region. Confit..foie gras and deconstructed cassoulet will all be in play. 4 seats remain.

At The Table With... Andy and Gus Menu

2011-12-26T17:21:00.001-05:00

At The Table With….

Gus Hanson and Andy Carbone

First Course

Nantucket Bay Scallop and Crunchy Pickled Beets Crudo

With Crispy Parsnips on the Half Shell

Second Course

Crystal Clear Beef Consume with Roasted Marrow Bone

Oyster Mushroom and Quail Egg Ravioli

Third Course

Hanson Farm Beef Duet

Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Horseradish Gremolata

Horseradish and Herbed Stuffed Rib Eye with Red Onion Jam
Seasonal Farm Fresh Vegetables and Pommes Anna

Fourth Course

New England Cheese Board with House-made Jams and Crisps

Dessert

Sauterne and Cinnamon Poached Pear Stuffed with

Highlawn Farm Creamy Ricotta and Candied Hazelnuts

The Skinny on Andy Carbone and Gus Hanson

2011-12-26T17:15:00.001-05:00

Six years ago, when I first read about the horror of confined feed lot beef in the Omnivore's Dilemma, my first instinct as a chef and empathetic human being was to either drop it from the menu or find a source for humanly treated cows, raised on grass pasture, as close to Season To Taste as possible. Initially, I reached out to beef farmers at my local farmer's markets and also learned of Chestnut Farms meat CSA. The problem with these sources is that they had a hard time keeping up with our demand during busy season. As fate would have it, Andy Carbone a neighbor of mine heard about my search for beef and at the time was exploring the possibility of starting a company that focuses on sourcing from a network of local farmers that raise grass fed "happy" (as I like to call it) cows. We met and after the initial discussion realized that his connections with local beef farmers, and my high level of demand meshed perfectly and I became his first customer.
Initially Andy sourced Double J Farm's beef, raised by Jim Talby. Jim, a former dairy farmer, who after many years of dealing with the helpless dairy market, began raising an heirloom breed of cows known as the Roto-Devon, with a grant from the USDA. Jim's heard is relatively small, so after the initial six months we temporarily exhausted his supply. Fortunately, Andy brought a new farmer on-line, Gus Hanson. He is our current farmer and going forward we will be rotating between Gus, Jim and a few other new farmers that Andy is working on.
On a side note, The Roto-Devon cow is from breeding line that almost ended, due to that fact that the cow is bread to mature and fatten on a grass diet and the use of corn made the cows sick. A resourceful farmer in New Zealand resuscitated the line and started selling it to farmers like Jim Talby.
We love the fact that we know the names, and have shaken the hand of the farmers that are raising the cows for our beef. We think that all of our customer should do the same, hence the reason for,
At The Table With...Gus Hanson and Andy Carbone. For this dinner not only will we feature
Gus Hanson's beef, Andy is also able to source Nantucket Bay Scallops and local produce. The menu is written and will be posted momentarily.
I'm heading out to the farm this Friday and will be updating the blog with pictures and a few words. There are only six spots left so please give us a call for a reservation/gift certificate.

Martin Langer Wine Dinner Update

2011-12-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Martin Langer stopped by today and brought his usual bag of tricks for us to taste. For those of you not in the know, Martin is our wines sales rep from Oz Wines. Although we source as many of our ingredients as locally as possible , we are still struggling to find wines grown in New England that can stand up to our menus. Well, let me re-phrase that, we have yet to find any local regional red wines that work for us. This is where Martin and Oz Wines come in. They are a company that specializes in sourcing wines from small European producers, with an emphasis on obscure varietals and unlikely appellations, and a focus on food- friendly, delicious wines. Once a month we taste Martin's newest selections and update our wine list with our favorites. Therefore, whenever you join us at The Table, you too will enjoy a new and different wine that is an escape from the usual suspects of your standard wine list.
During our tasting, Martin and I came up with the theme for his upcoming wine dinner: South-West France, a region that's home to cassoulet, fois gras and confit duck. Over the next week, Martin will be sending me his wine selections for the dinner and then we will work up a menu that focuses on cuisine from each region of origin for each wine. Also, for each food course we will be tasting two different wines from each producer.
On a side you note, you might wonder why we choose wines from Europe rather than California. The reasons why are two fold: First, based on our research on Source Map, European wines shipped on a container ship produce a lower carbon foot print than wines trucked from California. Secondly, we have found that for the most part wines from Europe, that are typically grown in the cooler higher latitudes have a higher acid content and more subtle flavor quality that delivers a bottle that pairs better with food than California wines. Don't get me wrong, we also love West Coast Wines, but they tend to be more of a meal in glass that pairs better with a simple cheese course. Of course there are always exceptions, this is just generally speaking. No disrespect...just saying.

Keep your eyes posted for the menu and there are 7 seats for this event.

Highland Drifters' Menu

2011-12-07T18:13:00.002-05:00

Jimmy Hank Williams of the Highland Drifters stopped by the other day and we worked up the menu below. Pairing food to music is a fun and a natural combo. The menu flowed easily based on the Drifters song choices. Cooking in a professional kitchen and performing music have very interesting similarities and will be part of the discussion at the dinner. As well as, the history of Blue Grass, regional food favorites, and craft beer to match. Just 4 seats remain so give us a holler!

At The Table With The Highland Drifters

Thursday, December 15, 2011

First Course

Old Time Virginia

Cream of Peanut Soup and Welsh Rarebit

Carter Family – The Cannonball,

Clarence Ashley (& later Doc Watson) The Cookoo

Second Course

Old School New Orleans

WellFleet Oyster Po' Boys, Remoulade Sauce

Yukon Gold Potato Chips

Lizzie Miles and Bob Scobey - Eh La Bas

Third Course

Sweet Home German Chicago

Beer Braised Pork Butt and House-Made Sausage

Grilled Peppers and Onions

Herbed Spaetzle and Roasted Root Vegetables

Monroe Brothers – New River Train

Fourth Course

Big Sky San Antonio Texas

Caramelized Apple Flan and Mexican Hot Taza Chocolate

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose

Lights, Camera...Dinner

2011-12-05T14:04:00.001-05:00

Since we started hosting At The Table With...., we have learned many things, collaborated with super creative, amazing people and have heard insightful, interesting and generally cool conversations with our guests. As it turns out, sharing a dinner with a friend or stranger is a great way in this hectic world of go- go-go, to actually stop, listen, enjoy and learn. In an effort to share this process with the folks that can't be one of the 12 people at The Table, we are going to start recording three videos for each dinner:

1. An interview/field trip for each guest host
2. Cooking and plating of the dishes
3. Highlights of dinner conversations

We hope that folks will get a window in to our world and that our guests will be active participants in capturing the moment, without spoiling the natural progression of the dinner. If you are camera shy, or would prefer to not be in our videos, please let us know.

At The Table with Toscanini's

2011-10-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

After an epic menu planning session with Mimi and Andy of Tocanini's, a menu is born. Let me tell you folks, incorporating ice cream in to a six course dinner is very challenging...alas we have tempted fate and we think the results will be extraordinary. Check out the menu below:

Amuse Duet

Wellfleet Oyster, Vermont Cider Mignonette Granita

Pulled Pork Sandwich, Coleslaw Ice Cream

Grappa Bloody Mary, Celery Sorbet Straw, Dixie Cup

Just Beet it

Roasted Golden Beet

Red Beet and Goat Cheese, and Thyme Ice Cream

Seared beet tops and Candy stem

Three

Butter Poached Lobster, Red Carrot Foam

Eva’s Tempura Edible Flower, Locally foraged Mushrooms

Four

Roasted Cavendish Quail Brulee, Sunny Side up Egg,

African Blue Basil Mascarpone Farcir

Country Pate Stuffed Delacata Squash Ring

Burnt Caramel Sauce Seared Bronze Fennel

Five

House Brined Lamb Ham, Butternut Puree Sauce, Seared Brussels Sprout Leaves

Mint and Pine Nut Pesto Sorbet, Garlic Dust

Dessert

Cheddar and Honey Crisp Apple Soufflé with

Ice Wine Disk, Dried Apple Chip

Breaking News for Eva's dinner

2011-10-20T13:37:00.000-04:00

We are excited to announce that cook book arthor, Didi Emmonds will also be joining us At The Table With...Eva on Thursday the 27th. More information about Didi's new collaborative book with Eva, Wild Flavors can be found here: Wild Flavors

At The Table With...Eva's Vegetarian Menu

2011-10-15T13:25:00.004-04:00

Calling all vegetarians and veggie loving carnivores!

2011-02-01T16:26:00.003-05:00

We are staring to write the menu for our vegetarian special event and want suggestions from you all. Here is the deal: the dinner is seven courses featuring our favorite vegetarian dish from each continent. It's going to be tough to choose just one dish from each, but keep in mind that we can only feature ingredients that we can source locally, so this should limit the choices. For now we have Antartica covered... Maple Syrup Snow Cone! On this snow-covered day, take a moment to post your suggestion!

Hot off the Digital Press: CBC Beer Dinner Menu

2011-02-01T14:37:00.000-05:00

We have finalized the menu and beers for the upcoming epic CBC dinner. This will be an event not to be missed, with very special selections out of the CBC cellar matched up with our ingredient-driven, locally sourced, slow food. Currently there are 6 seats available, so be sure to give us a shout before they all go!!

Taza Chocolate Dinner Menu

2011-01-25T17:15:00.000-05:00

We just finished writing the menu for our Taza Chocolate dinner and wow...it's a real challenge to compose six courses paired with chocolate!! We are tempting fate and feel like Icarus, and our wings are attached with chocolate. Our hearts are pure and will is strong, so please join us to see if we plumet to the sea or soar with the winds to freedom!

Cambridge Brewing Company Dinner...Will Meyers is a benevolent beer god!!!

2011-01-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

We recently met with Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Company to taste a wonderful selection of beers for our upcoming CBC Beer Dinner on Friday February 18. At first we thought that we would pair our food with selections that CBC feature on a daily basis, but Will had other ideas... He suggested that since this is a small dinner for ten people, we should dig deep into his cellar to pull out super special beers that he has been setting aside for just such an occasion. We could only agree to this amazing offer. As you can imagine, after sampling over 18 amazing beers, we settled on an extraordinary list of beers to feature at our dinner.

Sam and Will bonding over the sweet labors of Will's Genius

As a teaser, we have posted the menu below. Will is confirming his selection of beers and we will post the list along with descriptions shortly.

Taza Chocolate Valentine's Dinner

2011-01-14T15:14:00.001-05:00

Alex Whitmore, owner of Taza Chocolate will be joining us for a six course dinner featuring their organic, sustainably produced chocolate, that's made right here in Somerville. Join us at The Table for new and interesting pairings with Taza's distinct stone ground chocolate. We will be touring their factory and creating the menu next week, so stay tuned!

Wine Dinner a Success!!!

2011-01-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

Our Wine Dinner Special Event was a rip-roaring success! It was great to catch up with Maureen of Central Bottle, a fellow East Coast Grill Alum from way back in the day. Per her recommendation we hooked up with Martin Langer from Oz Wines. Martin did a great job of presenting ridiculously good wines from small producers in California and Europe, which we paired with our award winning farm-to-table cuisine. We had such a good time that another dinner is in the works in the not-too-distant future...so don't be sad if you missed this one. There is always next time!!

Wine Dinner Menu

2011-01-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

Our Wine Dinner Menu is hot off the presses and posted below. We are also excited to announce that Maureen Rubino from Central Bottle, an amazing wine store in Central Square, will be joining us at The Table. It's going to be a fun night of tasty wine and awesome food. We still have a few spots available, so please give us a shout if you would like to join us!

Lost Art of Braising Dinner

2010-12-29T14:09:00.019-05:00

Our braising instructional dinner in January was such a success that we offering another night of chef demonstrations, six courses of our farm to table cuisine and Oz Wines. We will be posting recipes for the instructional bit shortly and as always you can email us if you have any questions or would like to

place a reservation.

Wine Dinner with Martin Langer of Oz Wine Update

2010-12-23T14:52:00.001-05:00

We just met with Martin Langer of Oz Wine Company, to choose the bottles to be served at our January 13 wine dinner. The dinner will feature six courses of our locally sourced, farm to table cuisine paired with bottles from small vineyards that produce small batch, hand crafted, and sometimes organic wines, from both Europe and California. Martin will be joining our guests at the table to share a dinner and to talk about the wines.

As usual the selection of intensely flavored, aromatic wines were spot on awesome. The following is a list of wines that we will be featuring along with tasting notes:

Amuse at the Counter

Thurnhof Goldmuskateller 09 Muscat Alto Adige, Italy

Very dry, lemon and hint of apple with floral finish

First Course

Domaine de Colette Morgon 09 Gamay Beaujolais

A jammy, full bodied real deal Beaujolais that puts the De Beauf to shame

Second Course

Domaine de la Bergie Savennieres 06 Chenin Blanc Loire Vally France

Amazing bouquet of anise with bone dry finish

Third Course

Mas d'Agalis "Yo no Puedo mas" Southern France

Insanely good and hard to categorize, opts out of appellation and labels in Spanish

Cheese Course

Renaissance 2000 Cabernet Savignon Sierra Foothills California

Very Organic form one of the highest elevations in Cali

Dessert

Scagliola-Promobacio Moscato d'Asti 09

Sweet with a light fizz, low alcohol with nice fruit flavor

Our approach with a wine dinner is for the flavor profiles of the wine along with what is fresh and in season to dictate the menu. Now that the wines are all set, we will be writing the menu this weekend and will post it early next week.

We still have four seats left, so be sure to give us a call to reserve a spot!

Didrik's Dinner Series Sunday, December 12, 2010 Recap

2010-12-20T16:26:00.001-05:00

The good folks at Didriks joined us for a Dinner Series at The Table last Sunday. It was a lovely night of tasty food and awesome wine, all served with Didriks' amazing tableware, glassware and linens. Be sure to check out Didriks' Dinner Series Blog for photos and a detailed description of the night!

Didrik's Dinner Series Sunday, December 12, 2010

2010-12-10T22:43:00.005-05:00

Our friends at Didriks, a lovely shop located on Concord Ave. in Cambridge, invited us to cook for one of their dinner series events held last month at European Country Antiques. The evening of food, wine and great conversation was such a success that, we decided to host another event—this time at our table. The night will feature four courses of our award-winning Farm-to-Table Cuisine paired with wines from Oz Wine Cellars and a selection of Didriks' finest table settings including Match Pewter Convivio dinnerware, Gabriella flatware, Brisbane tablecloth, Tribeca napkins, and Simon Pierce Cavendish stemware.

$150 per person (includes food, wine, gratuity and tax)

Lobster and Chanterelle Mushroom Salad on Quail Egg Stuffed Brioche with Sauce Choron