Clambake Results

Yesterday, after attending a class on Italian wines, it was time to go to the special Clambake at Savory Tastes Cafe, cohosted with Harpoon Brewery. Like the prior special dinners hosted at Savory Tastes Cafe, this was also an excellent meal. Except for the fact that I dislike beer. I have never acquired a taste for beer so I won't really comment on the beer pairings. For me, the food alone was reason enough to go to the clambake.

We began with the Amuse Bouche, a Grilled Shrimp with Pico de Gallo. This was a tasty shrimp with a bit of spicy sauce. Definitely could have eaten plenty more of the shrimp.

The 1st Course was a Baccala Cake with Remoulade Sauce. This is a salt cod cake, with potatoes. It was thick, with a nice crispy exterior and a soft, tasty interior. An excellent dish and Chef Bell stated it would end up on his fall menu. Glad to hear that.

Next course was Fish and Corn Chowder. This has been on the menu before and is one of my favorite chowders at the restaurant. The chowder is chock full of fish and roasted corn. It is not an overly creamy chowder so it is a lighter dish. Lots of flavor we had a good-sized bowl.

Our salad courses was next, the Salade Fruits de Mer. This consisted of greens topped by Scallops, Countneck Clams, Mussels and Crabmeat. The seafood is obviously fresh and I really enjoyed the smoky Mussels. A nice mix of tastes which pleased everyone at my table.

There was a brief Intermezzo, some Lemon Sorbet. It was a bit tart, as expected, and was a good palate cleanser.

Our fourth course was the Steamed Lobster, Steamed Clams, Corn on the Cob, Potatoes Bravas & Coleslaw. A nice whole lobster with melted butter. The shells were actually fairly soft so it was easy to get at the sweet meat inside. The steamers were tender and tasty. The corn was sweet and the potatoes spicy. This was a large plate of food. Sure it was a bit messy but they provided plenty of napkins and wet-naps.

Finally, dessert was Homemade Bread Pudding. This was a superb dessert, made from croissants. I generally do not like raisins but this was made with yellow raisins which are very different from black ones. They were sweet and complemented the bread pudding. I definitely would like to see this available on this regular menu.

I did have a bottle of wine with my dinner, the 2003 Limerick Lane Zinfandel. I have had this wine before and always enjoyed it. It is a small production wine and definitely an artisan wine. Always a good choice.

Another excellent dinner at Savory Tastes. And I was told that they will be having another special dinner in September. Stay tuned for details!

Savory Tastes Cafe
601 Main St. (Route 28)
Reading, MA
Phone: 781-942-8287