Rant: Dining Out Despite The Snow

I'm sick of all this snow! By the end of today, we''ll probably have gotten another foot of snow during the last few days. Today will probably be another day of no travel, of staying home and shoveling snow, creating even greater mounds of snow. I feel like my house is surrounded by vast walls of snow. There's been too many days like this during the last several weeks. It's been difficult to drive, to peer past the huge snow mounds, and parking's been an obstacle as well. Walking has also been tough, meaning that many people have just remained home rather than venture out.

Many businesses have had to  close for at least a few days due to the significant snowfalls, and I suspect many will close today due to the snow. January and February can be slow months for businesses, and it has been even slower than usual due to all this damn snow. These businesses have suffered financially, and will continue to do so as long as we keep having these large snow events. One of the hardest hit sectors has been the restaurant industry.

When a restaurant has to close for a snow day, they lose money and it's not easy to make up for that loss. Even if they don't close, they probably won't have many customers as it will be tough for people to get to the restaurant. For days after the snow event, many potential customers will prefer to remain home than battling with limited parking and snow covered roads and walkways. Thus, restaurants continue to lose money for days after a snowstorm. This will put stress on even the best of restaurants, so something needs to be done to help them.

My advice is simple: Dine out more.

Despite the snow, despite the obstacles, people need to patronize more restaurants at this time, giving them your support and money. Don't go out if it is dangerous to do so, but don't stay in just because it is only inconvenient. If you can, walk to nearby restaurants. If possible, drive a short distance to other restaurants. Take public transportation if possible. Order takeout or get delivery. In New England, we are used to snow so it shouldn't be as much of a barrier as it might be elsewhere. Today, as we get maybe 6 inches of snow or more, you probably won't be able to go out, but tomorrow is another day, and you have a better chance of being able to travel.

If you don't give some added support to restaurants at this time, then don't be surprised if your favorite places have to shut down. For many restaurants, especially the smaller ones, their profit margins can be small so that the lack of business during these snowy months can be devastating. And there is little they can do if people stay away because of the snow. You need to patronize these restaurants now, to assist them in weathering these problems.

Consider all the restaurant workers as well, including the servers who rely on tips. Without sufficient business, they won't be able to earn as much money, causing them to endure financial hardship. You can help them by dining out, and tipping properly. And if you order delivery during these snow events, I'd suggest you tip them extra, to compensate them for the difficult of driving in this weather.

Dine out more. Give restaurants your support during these difficult times. Don't let snow lock you into your house for days on end.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.. **********************************************************
1) Pastry Chef Jessica Pelletier of Menotomy Grill & Tavern believes that innovation is the way to make diners sit up and take notice. Her Smoked S’Mores in a Jar, which recently debuted, is something she’s betting you haven’t seen before.

Smoked S’Mores in a Jar layers a brown butter brownie, housemade marshmallow, graham cracker mousse and Heath Bar shards in a mini-Mason jar. Hot wood-chip smoke is then introduced and sealed in, producing a magical molten mess. Arriving at table, the smoke in the jar wafts out, thrilling diners with its faint campfire-y aroma. Alchemy in action – and more than enough for two -- just $7.

Pelletier changes her dessert menu at this all-American tavern often, and customers look forward to tasty choices like Orange-Cranberry Bread Pudding, Mocha Crème Brulee, Coffee Cheesecake and German Chocolate Cake. With a ten year career that began at the Ritz Carlton Boston and includes two years with Finale and four years with The Grafton Group, Pelletier is a seasoned pro who watches for trends, new ideas and firsts in desserts all over New England, and is given free rein at Menotomy Grill to try out whatever suits her fancy.

2) This Saturday, February 7, from 10am-2pm, it is the 5th Annual Massachusetts Farm Wineries Day at the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market, which is located at the Russell's Garden Center.. At the Market, you'll find lots of vendors, from fresh produce to baked goods, pickles to meats, and so much more. It is an excellent winter market, and they also run numerous special events.

For Farm Wineries Day, there will be at least 8 local wineries in attendance, offering samples of their wines. The following wineries will attend:
Artisan Beverage Cooperative
Carr’s Ciderhouse
Coastal Vineyards
Mill River Winery
Still River Winery
Turtle Creek Winery
Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery
Zoll Cellars Winery

I've been to this market before on Farm Wineries Day and it is an excellent way to experience local wines, and understand what is being produced in our own backyard. Check it out.

3) The Boston Police Foundation will host its first annual Operation Dine Out on Tuesday, February 24. Restaurants throughout the city are teaming up to “Back Up Boston’s Finest” by providing a percentage of their sales as a donation to the Foundation that supports the Boston Police Department. The goal of “Operation Dine Out” is to raise awareness and provide funding for the Boston Police Foundation and its marquee programs including “Crime Stoppers,” “Text a Tip,” “Crime Watch” and “Officer Wellness and Safety” which focuses on suicide prevention as well as health and stress management programs for Boston police officers. Financial support of these vital programs, equipment and technology supports the brave men and women of the Boston Police Department and improves the quality and safety of the department and the extended Boston community.

This year’s “Operation Dine Out” participating restaurants include the following:
· Alma Nove: 22 Shipyard Drive - Hingham
· Carmenlina’s: North End, 307 Hanover St. - Boston
· Cask ‘n Flagon: 62 Brookline Ave. - Boston
· Church Boston: 69 Kilmarnock St. - Boston
· El Pelon Taqueria: 92 Peterborough St. - Boston
· Longhorn Steakhouse: 401 Park Drive - Boston
· M.C. Spiedo: 606 Congress St. - Boston
· Michael’s Deli: 256 Harvard Street - Brookline
· Parish Café: 361 Boylston Street - Boston
· P.F. Chang’s: 8 Park Plaza Space D-6 - Boston
· Shake Shack: 92 Winthrip St. - Cambridge
· Russell House Tavern: 14 JFK Street - Cambridge
· South Street Diner: 178 Kneeland St. - Boston
· Stella Boston: 1525 Washington St. - Boston
· TAMO Bistro & Bar: 1 Seaport Lane - Boston
· Vintage: 72 Broad Street - Boston
· Vito’s Tavern: 54 Salem Street - Boston
· Wahlburger’s: 19 Shipyard Drive - Hingham
· Warehouse Bar & Grille: 40 Broad Street - Boston

4) Bringing Scotch outside the realm of Ron Burgundy, Eastern Standard’s Bar Manager Naomi Levy and Chef Matt Garland will take guests on a journey to greener pastures with the restaurant’s take on a Scottish Supper paired with a selection of the country’s finest spirits. Naomi will lead guests through four courses of Scottish fare paired with its namesake spirit and a brief history lesson on the more unique Scotches ES has to offer.

The menu includes:
Amuse
Snail Porridge
First Course
Kippers on Toast with Soft Scrambled Egg
Second Course
Haggis en Croute with Neeps and Tatties, Cumberland Sauce
Third Course
Scottish Blue Cheese
Fourth Course
Hogmanay Cake with Fig, Clotted Cream

Guests will start the evening with a Scotch-based welcome punch before moving into the night’s featured Scotches, which include the 1985 Bowmore, Highland Park, and Cask Strength Ledaig, followed by a special Atholl Brose Milk Punch. The event will give guests the opportunity to tip their hats to the land of Whisky (without an "e") in a night full of fun and camaraderie, and perhaps a few old Scottish drinking songs.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 17, 7pm
TICKETS: $89/person, gratuity not included. Visit http://easternstandardscotchdinner.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets.
Additionally, Eastern Standard has partnered with Reserve to offer $25 toward a booking for the Scotch Dinner. Reserve is guests’dining concierge. Book a table and pay effortlessly. Download here, apply promo code standardscotch, and reserve today. Promotion valid for first-time users only. All bookings cancelled within 48 hours of the event will be charged in full.

Far From The Tree Hard Cider: Joe Frogger Spice

A hard cider reminiscent of a 200+ year old cookie? Sounds intriguing.

Last November, I raved about the hard ciders from Far From The Tree, a new cidery located in Salem, Massachusetts. Owned by Al & Denise Snape, they craft ciders using local ingredients, traditional methods and want their ciders to reflect history. These are dry ciders, actually closer to bone-dry, and that appeals to my preferences. From November to March, they are producing a winter seasonal cider, their "Joe Frogger" Spiced Cider, which was inspired by a 200+ year old cookie recipe.

If you're from Massachusetts, you might have heard of the Joe Frogger cookie, as they are still available in some locations and the cookie recipe can be found in many different sources. Joseph Brown, aka Old Black Joe or just Black Joe, was a freed slave and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Around 1791, he and his wife, Lucretia aka Aunt Crease, opened a tavern in Marblehead next to a pond.

Lucretia was the cook for the tavern and created a cookie, which contained molasses, rum and seawater, and was eventually named Joe Frogger, a nod to the frogs in the pond. The cookies may also have originally been lily pad-shaped rather than their now common, round shape. The pond was also eventually named Frogger Pond, a nod to the cookie. Because of the ingredients, these cookies traveled well, remaining soft and chewy even on a long sea voyage. As such, they became very popular with sailors

The Joe Frogger Spiced Cider is made with apples, maple syrup, molasses, fresh ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and sea salt from the Marblehead Salt Co. All of the spices in this cider can also be found in the Joe Frogger cookies, and the sea salt reflects the old use of seawater in the cookie recipe. These ingredients and spices are commonly used in other winter recipes, from cookies to cocktails, so they work well as a seasonal product.

This cider is available, along with the Roots and Rind, at Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose, and that is where I bought a bottle. As the cider is unfiltered, it will be a little cloudy in your glass. The aroma of this cider has a dominant ginger smell, with the other spices and a hint of apple beneath the ginger. On the palate, and despite the maple syrup and molasses, it is bone-dry and the ginger remains the most prominent taste, but with a pleasant underlying melange of spice and fresh apple. Another winner from Far From The Tree, and it would be interesting to substitute this cider for ginger beer in a Dark n' Stormy cocktail.

Johnny's Luncheonette:Sustainable, Local Seafood

Eat More Seafood, Especially Local.

For years, I've been exhorting my readers to eat more sustainable seafood, especially domestic seafood. Sustainability is needed to protect seafood species and preserve the health of our oceans. Seafood tastes great but is also healthy, and can reduce your chance of heart disease by one-third. The U.S. imports about 91% of our seafood, and that is a shame and needs to be changed, to support our local and domestic fishermen. There is plenty of excellent, sustainable seafood found in U.S. waters, and our local fishermen need and deserve our support.

We also need to support those restaurants which sell sustainable, local seafood. I recently dined at an intriguing spot that impressed me with their commitment in this regard. I received a media invite to attend a talk, Dishing About Fishing: What It Takes To Get New England Seafood Onto Our Local Tables, led by Jared Auerbach of Red's Best (which I will write about in the near future). The talk took place at Johnny's Luncheonette, a diner-like restaurant in Newton, and we got to sample some of their fare.

Johnny’s Luncheonette was first opened over twenty years ago by John Furst and Neal Solomon, who wanted to create a traditional Jewish deli, Last March, the restaurant was sold to Karen and Kevin Masterson, who have about 30 years of experience in restaurants and most recently owned Nourish in Lexington. During the past year, the Mastersons have remained true to the roots of Johnny's, while introducing changes which they feel will make it even better. I met and spoke with Karen, a woman of sincerity, passion and realism.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 7am-9pm, except for Sundays when they are open from 8am--8pm. Breakfast is served all day, including such items as Crunchy French Toast, Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins, Pastrami Scramble, Matzoh & Eggs, and more. Most breakfast items are less than $10. For Lunch, there are a variety of sandwiches, from Reubens to Meatloaf, and burgers, again most items costing less than $10. There are also Dinner Appetizers and Entrees, from Macaroni & Cheese to Neal's Homemade Chopped Liver. They also serve Beer & Wine (and are currently working on improving the selections), $4 Mimosas, as well as tasty Mini Milkshakes.

All of these options are enhanced by the fact that the Mastersons are using plenty of local ingredients and seasonal produce. For example, some of their breads come from Iggy’s while the beef for their burgers comes from a small ranch in Maine. Karen's family in Alberta once owned a farm, so her concern for sourcing local fresh ingredients extends back many years. She also still grows some of her own fruit and vegetables. Besides the previous examples, Johnny's also sources much of their seafood from Red's Best, purchasing sustainable, local seafood. Though they only use about fifteen pounds of seafood each week, they hope to soon double this amount.

On their menu, you'll find seafood selections including Fried Fish Sandwich ($8.25), Fish & Chips ($12.95), Fish Tacos ($13.95), and Fresh Catch (1/2 pound of fish for $12.95). If you check the menu, you'll find that none of these seafood dishes mention the type of fish that will be served. That is an intentional omission because of their philosophy on the issue. Johnny's purchases whatever seafood is fresh and available from Red's Best, so their selection will vary each time. Johnny's is flexible in which seafood they will buy, which helps keep the prices down, and also supports local fishermen whose catch may vary. This is an excellent way to source one's seafood, one that more restaurants should follow.

This is not always an easy sell for customers, but presents an educational opportunity, a chance to expose their customers to different seafood, which tastes just as good as familiar seafood. Customers might want cod or haddock but only pollock is available, and most people would enjoy it just as much. Fortunately, this hasn't been a significant problem at Johnny's, whose customers are usually willing to try whatever seafood is available. Karen stated that Johnny's is not perfect in their sustainability, but she is realistic about the matters and sees it as a constant evolution, working towards becoming better all the time.

It is also very important to Karen that their food prices remain reasonable. She wants the fishermen and other food suppliers to be able to afford to dine at her restaurant. As you can see, their seafood dishes are very reasonably priced, and that makes it accessible to all of their customers. High-priced seafood is sometimes an obstacle to seafood consumption, but at Johnny's, they have kept the costs at a very manageable level, in part due to their flexibility in which species they purchase. Customers thus has plenty of reason to opt for seafood at Johnny's.

I got to taste several different items, from Portuguese Fish Stew to Fish Tacos, with seafood including monkfish, scup and pollock. The fish stew was delicious, with a delicious blend of spices and flavors, and tender pieces of monkfish. The breading on the fried seafood, such as in the fish tacos, was light and clean-tasting, and the fish itself was moist and tender. Both the scup and pollock were tasty, and would appeal to almost any consumer. I  didn't hear any complaints about the food from any of my dining companions. And I definitely want to return to Johnny's, to sample more of their selections.

Johnny's Luncheonette isn't trying to be a role model for other restaurants, but is simply doing what they believe is the best. They want to provide delicious and affordable food, much of it locally sourced, including sustainable seafood. However, other restaurants should take a lesson from Johnny's, especially concerning their approach to seafood. Sustainable seafood  doesn't have to be expensive, and people should be more flexible about the types of fish they are willing to eat. Check out Johnny's Luncheonette and enjoy one of their seafood dishes.

Rant: More Local Wineries

Local wine continues to grow and grow, a positive sign that Americans are embracing more local wineries. Delicious wine is being produced all across the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico. I've long been advocating for local wine and I'm glad to see the latest statistics, showing significant growth. Let us hope that trend continues.

Wines & Vines recently posted an article citing the new statistics on winery growth across North America. In 2014, almost 600 new wineries opened in North America, with 525 in the U.S., a much higher growth rate than in 2013. The total number of wineries in North America is now 8,990, with 8,287 in the U.S. and the rest in Canada and Mexico. California remains the largest home for wineries, with 3,913 wineries, almost 50% of all wineries. There are now 15 U.S. states and Canadian provinces which have 100+ wineries, including states like Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina.

You should be exploring the wineries located in your own state, and I bet you'll be surprised by the quality your find. There are over 30 wineries in Massachusetts, from Travessia Urban Winery to Westport Rivers Winery, and you'll find even more wineries in the rest of New England. With the new Direct Wine Shipment law in Massachusetts, you will also be able to order wines from other states, to try more of the intriguing wines being made across our great country. Over at the Welllesley Wine Press, Robert Dwyer has provided an excellent list of the U.S. wineries which can currently ship to Massachusetts.

Though the list is dominated by California wineries, there is some interesting diversity as well. Some of the other wineries are from states including New York, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Oregon and Washington. Curiously, one of the license holders appears to be Nimrod Wines, which imports Hungarian wines, so I'm not sure how they qualified for a license. There are some excellent wineries on the list, and more wineries will be added in the future. I'm especially excited to see Abacela Veinyards on the list, an Oregon winery I've visited that uses numerous Spanish grapes, such as Tempranillo, I've already made my plea to MA wine lovers about what they can do to support the new shipment law. They need to contact their favorite wineries and ask them to get a license to ship to Massachusetts.

Wine lovers have much to be happy about, and let's hope it continues.