A chance meeting with Michael Tallon of Townsend’s

I decided to take a short walk during my lunch break yesterday afternoon. For kicks, I walked down past Townsend’s (81 Fairmount Ave in Hyde Park) to peek into the window of TC’s Coffee Shop (next door). Nope… not open yet. As I walked back, I paused for a moment to read Townsend’s menu. The first thing I noticed was that the kids menu was prominently displayed in the window as well. “Very cool,” I thought “I love it when restaurant owners aren’t afraid to welcome children.” As I perused the menu, I was also very impressed with the diversity of ingredients and the lack of “typical pub grub” that appeared. Everything sounded delicious…

As I turned to walk away, Michael Tallon – owner of both establishments (and previous owner of the Kendall Cafe) – popped his head out and asked if I wanted to come inside. Now I’ve conversed with Michael a few times via email… but he’s never met me, so he had no idea who I was. I introduced myself as I accepted his offer and was pleasantly surprised by his hospitality toward a complete stranger during hours the restaurant isn’t even open.

A Poland Spring’s guy took advantage of the situation and followed me through the front door — pitching his products to Michael as I looked around and took in the atmosphere. The space is great… very open, with rich, earth tone walls and vaulted ceilings, a huge fireplace and intentionally weathered hardwood floors – together creating a very warm and welcoming environment. The place reminded me very much of the Washington Square Tavern (which I love) – just on a grander scale.

When Michael finished up with the sales guy, he spent the good side of 45 minutes giving me an impromptu tour of the entire space, including the kitchen and the very zen-like back patio. After, we walked over to TC’s for a peek of that as well. The entire time, he discussed his ideas and inspiration for the restaurants. It was an extremely pleasant experience – one that left me anxious to return during open hours to feel the vibe and try the food.

There were several aspects of our conversation that really struck me — I wish I could share our entire conversation with you. However, this was an impromptu visit — no notebook and no pen means no notes. I will properly review Townsend’s after I return for a dining experience, but in the meantime, I will try to convey some of Michael’s finer points that I think my readers will find both interesting and enticing.

Michael’s expertise and background is in beer and wine — and it’s apparent by the diverse menus and by his wealth of knowledge in these mediums. The menus are constantly being updated to offer clients a new experience every time they visit. He thrives on making recommendations and offers flights of beer and beer-paired dinners to demonstrate his skills. It is very important to him that his customers are involved in his restaurant and are provided with a very personalized experience.

There aren’t many vegetarian items on the menu; but don’t let this hold you back from a visit. His Executive Chef, Stephen Hoddinott has withheld vegetarian options intentionally. He would rather visit with patrons at their table, listen to their likes and dislikes and then craft a meal made especially for them. No default pasta marinara or fettuccine Alfredo; rather, a custom dish made with the same fresh ingredients and seasonings the other dishes offer.

In fact, all dishes are made to order in a very similar fashion; therefore, if you see a dish you like on the menu — but don’t care for an ingredient or two, the chef is very happy to alter the dish to your liking. The same holds true for the beer and wine varieties. Don’t see something you like? You can either ask Michael for a recommendation based on your flavor preferences or request an addition to the menu.

The hidden back patio has a very different feel than the indoor space. Natural wood paneling, slate tiles and teak-like tables and chairs give the space a very Asian-garden feel. There is also an upstairs space that has a separate bar and can be reserved for private parties and events. While just a candelabra sits in the fireplace right now, the winter brings a roaring fire where you can sit sipping an after dinner aperitif or two. I may seem like I’m going on and on about this place… especially for not having eaten there… but I was very impressed. Impressed with the layout, impressed with the menu and most impressed with Michael.

Though they are not open for lunch as of now, they do offer a brunch menu that includes traditional Irish fare as well as German pancakes and classic Crepes — and a separate bar menu for those of you who want to nosh on a few smaller dishes. I will probably hit them up for dinner first… as there were several dishes calling my name.

The location is kind of off-the-beaten-path… but so was Roslindale Square ten years ago and look at it now. The positive side to the location is that it’s a short walk from two different commuter rail stations and there is plenty of on-street parking. Additionally, Michael and his family live in Hyde Park… so the addition of this space is giving back to the community.

Take my word for it… this place is worth a look-see. I’ll report back as soon as I’ve had a chance to get there for dinner!

Boson’t Best… at least according to the Improper

A few weeks ago, the “Boston’s Best” edition of the Improper Bostonian came out. I was lucky enough to score a copy a couple of days before the real release… but I decided against posting on it. I didn’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction to the awards. Rather, I wanted to read and re-read the winners and carefully mull over which I would comment on. I’m at that point now. What makes my post more interesting, is that I cannot find the results anywhere on line now… so if you missed the original issue, I am your only connection! You are at my mercy! Wah, ha, ha, ha…. (just kidding… not really)

In the 11 years that I have been reading the Improper, the size of the magazine and specifically, the size of the winner’s list has grown exponentially. At this point the list is enormous… including food & drink, bars & clubs, arts & entertainment, sports, people & places, goods & services, fashion, beauty & health, and now… even bridal. What I care about though is the FOOD. I anxiously await this issue every year, hoping to glean as much information from the list as possible… adding to my repartee of what’s hot in Boston (food-wise).

I can say with certain confidence that the list is rarely surprising (if food is your thing)… though, I must add that hidden gems are often revealed in these lists. If you missed the issue this year, the following is a summary of those awards that I either appreciated or I was [pleasantly] surprised about. Don’t see what you are looking for and don’t have a copy of the issue… just email me and I will do my best to get your what you need.

Notable food & drink awards:

Best Suburban: 51 Lincoln — BFW’s review
Best Bar Food: Matt Murphy’s — BFW’s review
Best Bistro: Craigie Street Bistrot — BFW’s review
Best Burrito: Anna’s Taqueria — BFW’s review
Best Chinese New Fave: Myers + Chang — BFW’s review
Best Dinner with Live Music: The Beehive — BFW’s review
Best Indian: Diva Indian Bistro (on my wish list)
Best Lounge: The Liberty Hotel’s Lobby — BFW’s review
Best Margarita: Cactus Club (where I went after Blogtoberfest 2007) — who can forget what happened at Abe & Louie’s the beginning of the night???
Best Mediterranean: Oleana — BFW’s review
Best People Watching: Oishii — BFW’s review
Best Raw Bar: B & G Oyster — BFW’s review
Best Tapas: Toro (another wish list place that I have heard GREAT things about)
Best Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese: Tremont 647 (my friend Andy Husband’s place)
Best Vegetarian: Grezzo — BFW’s review
Best Neighborhood restaurant — Back Bay: Mistral (one of my favorite places–and one of my first restaurant visits when I moved to Boston!)
Beacon Hill: No. 9 Park (another one of my favorites — do the tasting menu)
Fort Point: Persephone — BFW’s review

Biggest disappointment? That the ONLY Boston neighborhoods not included in this list were West Roxbury, Roslindale and Hyde Park — the entire Parkway area! What the hell is that all about??? We are a [large] part of Boston you know…

My picks?

Roslindale: Sophia’s Grotto
West Roxbury: Phuket
Hyde Park: Townsend’s (based on what I’ve heard… not first hand experience)

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Coming soon to the Stop and Shop plaza in Dedham (right next to Chipotle grill). Never heard of it, but clearly it’s a chain. Anybody know anything about this place?? The menu is mostly beef centric, but it looks like they have Kosher dogs and also veggie burgers and grilled cheese. People with peanut allergies be warned though… their French fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil. Kind of lame considering the number of peanut allergies nowadays… but whatever. I do like how they break out all the nutritional info for you though.

On a side note, NYFC (New York Fried Chicken) is now open in Hyde Park. I noticed the “Open” sign was aglow a few weeks ago…

Asian-inspired Deviled Eggs

We had some good friends over Saturday night… to help use up some of the leftover booze from my birthday party and to eat the left over hot appetizers that we never got around to making. Since the hot apps are pretty point-heavy (Weight Watcher’s lingo), I decided to throw together a few cool apps as well… including deviled eggs. I had purchase a bag of pre-cooked deviled eggs a day earlier (yes, this is a convenience I enjoy immensely) and figured it would be pretty easy to be-devil them.

Being in one of my creative moods, I decided to mess around with a traditional deviled eggs recipe and jazz it up a bit some Asian influence. The end result was quite good and I will definitely be making them again.

I started with standard ingredients…6 eggs, 1 tbsp (low fat) mayo, 1/2 tsp mustard (I used garlic aioli mustard), 1/2 tsp wasabi horseradish mustard and 1 tsp of white vinegar (I used sushi). I mashed this all together, added some chopped cilantro and some more wasabi powder, salt and pepper.

I piped the filling into the egg shells (using a small Ziploc sandwich bag with the corner cut off) and then finished them off with a single wasabi-ranch seasoned tortilla strip and a dusting of cumin.

Yummy:

Top Auto Service

Yes, this is not food related… but I felt compelled to write about my experience at Top Auto Service in Dedham (located at 5180 Washington Street — they do not have a website, but here is a link to their location).

On Christmas Eve of this past year, I was in the Stop and Shop parking lot in Dedham when I got into a fender bender… essentially messing up the front-left corner of my bumper and successfully crushing the housing that holds in the fog light — leaving the light dangling. It sucked and it was unfortunately my fault. Enough said…

Seeing how we have a $1000 deductible on our policy, I was in no hurry to get this mess fixed… especially after I received the payment from our insurance company… I total of $45 and change. No joke. However, the husband had different ideas… this was my fault and thus, my problem… and I needed to get it fixed sooner rather than later. Needless to say, I let things go for a bit longer than I should have and then here we were, in July, with a car that was still unfixed and an inspection sticker that expired at the end of May. I knew it wouldn’t pass inspection, so why bother???

Then, while driving back (ironically) from the Dedham Mall, I noticed Top Auto Center… which did Mass State inspections and body work. I figured, I’d go and get the car inspected — knowing it would fail — and while I was there, get an estimate on the damage. I stopped by the next week and wound up being there for over an hour.

Karim, the owner of the shop, inspected my car and warned me that it would fail. I told him it was okay, that I needed to get it fixed anyway and that I was hoping to get an estimate on the damage. He explained that he likes to warn people when a car will fail, because some folks essentially flip out on him even though he has no control over the laws that govern inspection. I thought this was very respectful of him… and a good first impression of his honesty.

After the inspection, he went to work looking at my car. He thoroughly inspected all angles and aspects of the damage — including looking at the damage from the inside (through the engine compartment) — which the insurance inspector never did. We went back inside and he wrote down all the parts I needed — carefully explaining why each part was necessary and started calling around to get prices. After, he tallied everything up, added what he thought the total labor would be (less than $300) and told me he could get one of the parts “reconditioned” which would save me several hundred dollars. In the end, his quote was for about $1100… right in line with how much the insurance agency estimated (this in itself was highly uncharacteristic of past experiences with reimbursement vs. estimate values). I was happy.

We continued chatting for a bit… and he told me about how he fled Iran in the mid-80’s with his children and came to America. He had received his undergraduate degree here and then went back and completed his graduate work at MIT (his degree is in Mechanical Engineering). He worked in his field for many years, mostly on government and federal contracts. He eventually reached a point where he wanted to pursue his passion… which was auto body work. His friends and family thought he was nuts because he had spent so much time, effort and money on his education… but to him, it was time to focus on his love of cars.

He opened Top Auto Center a little over 20 years ago and has been in the same location the entire time. As he walked me out to my car, he noticed that the headlight looked a little off balance on the side the accident occurred. He asked me to pop my trunk again and basically climbed up on the car in order to see deeper into the engine compartment. Sure enough, he found a bracket that holds the head light in place had snapped and would need to be replaced. We went back in, looked up the pricing and added it to the list. He explained that he would need to remove the entire headlight housing in order to fix the bracket and would make the job a bit more difficult… (here’s the kicker), but since he quoted me the labor already (literally, he just jotted a number down on a piece of scrap paper 15 minutes earlier), he would still complete the work for the price he gave me. Incredible…. but it gets better.

He took down all my insurance info and told me he would call the inspector and have him come back and reassess the car — with the bumper off so he could see all the damage. To make a long story short, I dropped my car off one morning, his mechanic brought me to work, the inspector never showed, so he had the same mechanic (Jose — who is a lovely man and was great company despite a huge communication gap) come get me at work.

He asked if I could bring the car back the next day — when the inspector would come back. I showed up again the next day, Jose brought me to work and the inspector finally showed up around 3pm. When I spoke to Karim at the end of the day, he told me he got me an additional $500 toward my repair… and, since he had the parts in anyway, he decided to just start fixing the car (he originally told me he was booked out by a few weeks) — the bumper had already been painted!

Jose brought me home and I caught a ride to work the next day (day 3). At the end of the day, Jose was there again to get me and brought me back to a 100% finished car. The paint job looked great, the body work was perfect and the total cost never changed from the original $1100. I don’t know how he did it, I can only assume he didn’t make much money off me. And my car sported a brand new PASSED inspection sticker.

I cannot speak highly enough of the integrity of Karim’s business or of the generosity of he and his staff. If you need body work, an inspection or just an oil change… this is the place to go. Tell them Tammy with the Honda Pilot sent you!

3-Point Salad

It’s not easy being a food lover on Weight Watchers… but I’m doing well (down 8.6 pounds as of last Friday), so it’s worth it for me to stick to my buns… I mean guns.

I’ve been trying to come up with “creative” dishes that satisfy my need for both good food and low points (so I can have a glass of wine or two from time to time) and came up with the following tasty (and easy) salad.

I’m all about using prepared food whenever I can to make life easier… as long as the prepared food is actually good. For this recipe, I used Honey Jalapeno shrimp that I purchased at BJ’s, Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips that I purchased at Shaws and low fat Cilantro Salad Dressing that I got from the refrigerator section in Trader Joe’s.

Basically, all I did was pour a bunch of pre-chopped romaine lettuce into a large bowl. I added 3oz of the frozen shrimp — which I thawed, partially heated and pulled the tails off of, and 2 tbsp of the corn tortillas.

I added a little salt, a little fresh ground pepper, some chopped tomatoes and 2 tbsp of the Cilantro Dressing and Viola… a 3-point salad that tastes good and is filling!

I have made this salad a total of 3 times and it has been just as good each time. You could easily substitute rotisserie chicken if you don’t eat shrimp or some other prepared meat or tofu. The downside is that this shrimp has a really nice flavor to it. I’m sure you could easily copy it with your own concoction of honey, jalapeno and some south west seasoning. I have also added a little shredded low fat cheddar to this with good results as well.

When Bloggers Collide

After saying we should do it for way too long, some fellow food bloggers and myself finally got together for some shared noshing Thursday night at the Savant Project in Mission Hill. My partners in crime were MTFM (Mike, The Food Monkey, POCC (Pam of Cave Cibum and LVS (Lily Von Schtoop of Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen). It was a fun night and great to finally meet these infamous Boston Bloggers.

We talked food, we talked restaurants, we talked local chefs, we talked neuroscience and we talked about Internet stalkers (you all know who you are). What more could you ask for in a night out with friends???

We chose the Savant Project because it was one of the few places that none of us had been to yet (not an easy feat) and because it was participating in Boston’s first annual Cocktail Week. For this special tasting event, the Savant Project was offering a Prix Fix menu for $20.08, which included a signature cocktail, your choice of (one of four) tapas and a pre-selected dessert (infused with alcohol). Keeping with the theme of our backgrounds, we all chose the tasting and each selected one of the four tapas so we could share.

The cocktails arrived first… Wildberry Mojitos made from house-infused wildberry rum and the standard ingredients. In fact, infusions are their shtick… the menu is riddled with various herb and fruit concoctions. We all liked them and seemed to have no issues with throwing them back, though a few of us thought the drink was a tad too sweet (a common thread through out the rest of the evening).

Next, the four tapas arrived. The first one we tried was the Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls — there were four pieces, so it was easy to split! The these were crunchy and had a nicely flavored filling. Probably cabbage, carrots and maybe onions?

Next, MTFM carefully split the the Scallop and Shrimp Ceviche on Crostini Spoons (normally $9) for us. Two of us got the shrimp, two of us got the scallops. To be honest, at the time I didn’t notice which one I got! I think the shrimp… In any case, I liked this. It wasn’t to die for, but the ingredients were fresh and acidity of the dressing wasn’t overpowering.

Since he did such a good job with the crostini, we had MTFM divvy up the Spicy, Grilled, Tamarind Gulf Shrimp (normally $8.50) as well. This dish was okay… nothing great. The presentation was nice (you can see an even better picture on POCC’s website), but the overall flavor of the dish was lacking. The tamarind was not a stand-out in the dish, which was a disappointment. Note, you can see the Wildberry Mojito in this picture as well.

Last was the Tuna Sashimi in a Lime, Sesame and Soy Marinade (normally $9.50). It was at this point that both LVS and POCC told us they don’t eat sushi! What’s up with that girls? But they were very good sports and had a little taste.

Unfortunately, this dish wasn’t very good at all, so I felt bad that they were rewarded for their bravery with a very bad example of what raw tuna actually tastes like. The dish was overpowered by the way-too-strong soy sauce-based marinade. I’m not sure there were any other ingredients in this aside from just the soy. Yuck. The tuna itself was okay, but definitely not a great cut. Several of the pieces were riddled with sinew and were not as tender as they could be. Even the presentations didn’t leave much to be desired.

Needless to say, our appetites weren’t overly satisfied after these dishes. They were very light and I’m not so sure the prix fix menu was worth the cost. We decided to grab another menu and order a few more things.

POCC and I split the House Made Veggie Burger ($12.50) served with house made red pepper hummus, goat cheese and and spicy onion rings. The burger was quite good. I didn’t eat the bun (damn weight watchers), but the flavors in the burger were very satisfying — having an almost slight Indian spice to them. Both dishes we ordered were served with a side of seasoned fries. The fries were a mix of both regular and sweet potatoes, covered in an almost gritty, Parmesan cheese and spicy mixture. The fries were okay… they were very soggy and the seasoning had the texture of Cheetos dust and the flavor of BBQ chips or something similar.

LVS and MTFM split the Great Hill Blue Cheese Stuffed Angus Burger, served with spicy onion rings with applewood smoked bacon ($13). They seemed to enjoy it.

Throughout dinner, we all got second rounds of drinks — trying some of the other cocktail options. POCC got the Master Splinter — gin infused with lychee and dried cherries, MTFM got the Cougar Martini — a concoction of pear and St. Germain (which was a little too sweet for his liking), LVS got the Pama Punch (I think), a martini-like drink made with pomegranate juice and I got the Sakito – a mojito made with sake and Midori. I like my drink, though the fluorescent green color was a bit off-putting.

Since MTFM wasn’t a huge fan of his drink, he decided to try the Weildin‘ Pistols – tequila infused with pineapple and lavender. Unfortunately, that drink proved to be a bit to “soapy” for him (it’s tough to pull off a good-tasting lavender drink). POCC and I had no problem finishing it for him though. Our server finally satisfied him with the final drink she brought to the table…. but unfortunately I have no idea what it was!

Our night ended with dessert — the Sake drunken berry cup, served with a fresh lime whip cream and topped with a fried mint leaf (normally $7). It wasn’t bad… but nothing special. The whip cream had a nice flavor to it and the berries were fresh and saturated in sake. The fried mint leaf was not even reminiscent of mint — the frying process must remove all flavor.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the overall meal. The company was great and the outdoor patio was cute… but the food was only mediocre at best and the drinks were okay. I didn’t see a ton of additional items on the menu that interested me, so I doubt I will be going back. That said, the place is probably a fun night for drinks and to catch some live music… be forewarned though, the inside was HOT AS HELL and it was much cooler on the patio (despite the 90 degree weather outside).

Okay… where shall we go next foodies?

Fifth Annual Hyde Park ArtScene

This Saturday, July 19, 2008, 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm Fairmount Ave @ Logan Square, Hyde Park

Come enjoy Hyde Park’s very own summer evening arts festival and outdoor cafe! Hyde Park Art Initiative’s ArtScene features dozens of local artists, dance troupes, and musicians. Spend a warm summer evening with neighbors and friends strolling along Fairmount Avenue browsing the many arts and crafts booths while stopping to sample local food and drink in an outdoor cafe setting. The atmosphere of music, motion and visual splendor includes creative activities for the kids and summer fun for everyone!

Click here for a complete listing of 2008 artisans, performing artists and participating eateries.

Also, rumor has it that TC’s Coffee House (next to and part of Townsend’s) will be open for the big event!

Boston Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week begins August 10th. In case you need a refresher… this is an event that occurs in Boston two times a year, where restaurants offer 3-course lunches for $20.08 and 3-course dinners for $33.08. It’s a great opportunity to try new restaurants for those on a tighter budget.

Click here for a full listing and to make reservations using OpenTable.

Quickly scanning the list, my initial recommendations include:

DaVinci in the South End
Dante in Cambridge
Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square
Gaslight in the South End
Grotto in Beacon Hill
Icarus in the South End
La Morra in Brookline
Lumiere in West Newton
Masa in the South End
Metropolis Cafe in the South End
Pigalle in the Theater District
Quince in Needham
Stix in Back Bay
Tangierino in Charlestown
The Beehive in the South End
Vlora in Back Bay

Just to be clear… I am NOT saying that the other restaurants are not worth visiting. They ALL look great! This is just my knee-jerk reaction to an initial scan of the list (based on places I’ve been to and love and places I’ve been wanting to try… and, I tried to include several different areas in around the city.

Also… THIS WEEK is Stuff at Night’s annual Cocktail Week Boston (it began on Monday). It’s not too late to hit up for your favorite bars for some special cocktails either!

Have fun!

Starbucks Vivanno is here today

So I walked into the West Roxbury Starbucks today and saw that they have formally began serving the new Vivanno drinks. These “smoothie-like” concoctions are touted as “nourishing blends”.

There are two flavors:

Orange Mango Banana — a whole banana, blended with whey protein powder, 2% milk and real fruit juice

Banana Chocolate — a whole banana, blended with whey protein powder, fiber powder, 2% milk and bittersweet chocolate

You can add a shot of espresso to either. Serious Eatshas a some more information on them as well. Here’s what Starbucks has to say about the new drinks. I snagged a coupon off the register for a free Vivanno at a future visit. I can only assume all local SB’s are doing the same… so keep your eyes peeled for one.

The woman in line after me tasted the Banana Chocolate one, grimaced and chucked it in the garbage. Hmmm, not a very good first impression!