I had a hankering for some Italian food for lunch so I decided to return to Ristorante Serena in Malden. I had been there previously and had a very good dinner. So I anticipated that I would have another good meal. Plus, I wanted to check out how their lunch selections.
It appears that the chef/owner and his wife were working this afternoon. The chef greeted us as we arrived and then sat us at one of the tables. We were the first ones there for lunch. His wife was our waitress.
The lunch menu is abbreviated from the dinner menu and includes a few items that are not on the dinner menu. The lunch menu still has plenty of choices, including paninis. Entree prices range from $5-12, quite reasonable for lunch.
As we waited for our food, we were brought hot, fresh slices of Italian bread. As I mentioned in my last review, the bread is excellent. It has a great soft inner consistency with a crusty exterior. The bread also went well with our appetizer, the Zuppa Di Cozze ($5.50). These were mussels and I chose a white sauce though I could have had a red sauce. The white sauce had garlic and I believe wine in it and was quite tasty. Perfect for dipping the bread. The appetizer came with a mound of mussels plus some small tomatoes. The mussels were very tasty and tender. Even my mother, who usually does not care for mussels, thoroughly enjoyed these. I would say this was an excellent value considering how many mussels we received.
For entrees, my mother had the home-made lasagna ($7.50) which was a large, thick square of lasagna in red sauce. She very much enjoyed her lunch. I had the Pollo Valdostano ($9.95) which was chicken breast, covered with ham and cheese, in a light cream sauce over ziti. I received a large portion of chicken completely covered with thinly sliced ham and melted cheese. I had thought the cream sauce might be a lighter Alfredo-type of sauce but I was wrong. It was actually closer to a Marsala sauce and there was definitely wine in the sauce. I thought it was very delicious and complemented the chicken well. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The ziti were cooked perfectly too. This was an excellent dish and something I would heartily recommend.
Service was excellent. The chef and his wife were both friendly, gracious and helpful. They seemed genuine and I could detect that passion I seek in them.
When we left, there was only one other table occupied. This surprised me as this is definitely a good find for lunch. Prices are reasonable, food is plentiful and everything tastes good. You should check out Ristorante Serena for lunch or dinner.
Ristorante Serena
18 Lebanon St.
Malden, MA
Phone: (781) 324-3170
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
New French Grape-Marselan
I am always open to tasting wines made from new and unusual grapes. Now there is a new grape that I soon may be able to taste. Wine Spectator has an article describing a new French grape, Marselan, that has now been cleared for import into the U.S. Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. The first Marselan wine was made in 2002 and cuttings have been sold to growers in the U.S. so eventually there may be an American made Marselan wine. Check out the article for more info.
Wine Tasting Liability
Most wine stores hold free wine tastings. They might only have four wines available for tasting or over 100 wines. I enjoy the larger wine tastings as there are so many options, so many different wines that I can try. It is more convenient to taste so many wines at one time rather than attend 10 different wine tastings. I have attended many of these larger tastings.
Yet are wine tastings dangerous, especially the larger ones? Does a wine store open itself up to potential legal liability if one of their patrons drinks too much at their wine tasting?
Today, I spoke to a local wine store that does not hold wine tastings because they are worried about potential liability. In our litigious society, I think this is an issue that all wine stores must consider. Yet do they? Do they simply rely on their liability insurance to take care of any problems? Or do they actively attempt to limit their liability?
In Massachusetts, there is a law (M.G.L. Chapter 138, Section 15) that provides some restrictions on wine tastings. A key limitation is that a wine store may not provide a single serving of wine that exceeds one ounce. Yet I am sure we have all been at wine tastings where the tastings have certainly be more than one ounce. Some stores are very heavy handed in their tasting pours. Besides technically violating the law, this may open up these wine stores to additional liability.
With heavy handed pourers, a patron could become intoxicated. Yet even a wine store that follows the law may not avoid danger. Consider some of the larger tastings where they might be as many as 50 to 100 wines. Even at one ounce tastings, a patron could potentially drink 50 to 100 ounces of wine. That would be roughly equivalent to two to four bottles of wine!
Offhand, I do not know the specific laws of other states on wine tastings though I believe most states have similar restrictions. Plus, similar concerns about liability due to drunken patrons would be applicable in other states. I am sure no wine store wants to be found liable for some multi-million dollar verdict where one of their drunk patrons kills someone in a motor vehicle accident. But how many actually think about that possibility?
Wine stores need to be cognizant of the dangers and should take positive steps to limit potential liability. Maybe they should not have the larger tastings. Maybe they should keep a careful eye on their patrons to ensure no one drinks too much. Maybe they should provide more food at their larger tastings. There are many things wine stores can do. They just need to do them.
If you are a wine store owner, what do you do to limit your potential liability?
Yet are wine tastings dangerous, especially the larger ones? Does a wine store open itself up to potential legal liability if one of their patrons drinks too much at their wine tasting?
Today, I spoke to a local wine store that does not hold wine tastings because they are worried about potential liability. In our litigious society, I think this is an issue that all wine stores must consider. Yet do they? Do they simply rely on their liability insurance to take care of any problems? Or do they actively attempt to limit their liability?
In Massachusetts, there is a law (M.G.L. Chapter 138, Section 15) that provides some restrictions on wine tastings. A key limitation is that a wine store may not provide a single serving of wine that exceeds one ounce. Yet I am sure we have all been at wine tastings where the tastings have certainly be more than one ounce. Some stores are very heavy handed in their tasting pours. Besides technically violating the law, this may open up these wine stores to additional liability.
With heavy handed pourers, a patron could become intoxicated. Yet even a wine store that follows the law may not avoid danger. Consider some of the larger tastings where they might be as many as 50 to 100 wines. Even at one ounce tastings, a patron could potentially drink 50 to 100 ounces of wine. That would be roughly equivalent to two to four bottles of wine!
Offhand, I do not know the specific laws of other states on wine tastings though I believe most states have similar restrictions. Plus, similar concerns about liability due to drunken patrons would be applicable in other states. I am sure no wine store wants to be found liable for some multi-million dollar verdict where one of their drunk patrons kills someone in a motor vehicle accident. But how many actually think about that possibility?
Wine stores need to be cognizant of the dangers and should take positive steps to limit potential liability. Maybe they should not have the larger tastings. Maybe they should keep a careful eye on their patrons to ensure no one drinks too much. Maybe they should provide more food at their larger tastings. There are many things wine stores can do. They just need to do them.
If you are a wine store owner, what do you do to limit your potential liability?
Unagi Sandwich Once Again
Mmmm...the Unagi Sandwich for lunch.
I returned to Kyotoya, this time for lunch. They have a special lunch box menu. You essentially get a choice from four different columns, almost each column having five choices. So, you end up with two appetizers, and entree and rice. Plus, you also get a salad and miso soup. And all that food only costs $6.95.
I had gyoza, tatsuta age (nuggets of boneless fried chicken), General Gao's Chicken and white rice. All of it was very good. This is a great value lunch.
But, I added an unagi sandwich. I just love the sweet potato tempura that sandwiches pieces of cooked eel, and topped with BBQ sauce. So delicious. And also only $6.95. Give it a try!
I returned to Kyotoya, this time for lunch. They have a special lunch box menu. You essentially get a choice from four different columns, almost each column having five choices. So, you end up with two appetizers, and entree and rice. Plus, you also get a salad and miso soup. And all that food only costs $6.95.
I had gyoza, tatsuta age (nuggets of boneless fried chicken), General Gao's Chicken and white rice. All of it was very good. This is a great value lunch.
But, I added an unagi sandwich. I just love the sweet potato tempura that sandwiches pieces of cooked eel, and topped with BBQ sauce. So delicious. And also only $6.95. Give it a try!
Dunkin Donuts: Iced Tea
I recently raved about the blueberry white iced tea at Starbucks. Well, Dunkin Donuts has now jumped on the iced tea bandwagon. They now sell regular iced tea as well as raspberry and peach flavored iced teas. I tried a large regular iced tea this morning. How does it compare to Starbucks?
First, the large Dunkin Donuts iced tea cost $2.40 which is 30 cents more than the $2.10 it costs at Starbucks. The cups seem about the same size.
Second, Starbucks has more appealing flavors to me. They include black, green, white and passion tea, with the addition of some flavored teas like the blueberry white tea.
Third, the Dunkin iced tea was a bit too tannic, as if it sat brewing too long. I can't say yet whether this was just one bad batch or something usual. Besides that, it tasted fine.
So, I probably will still get my iced tea at Starbuckss as it is cheaper and has more flavors that appeal to me.
First, the large Dunkin Donuts iced tea cost $2.40 which is 30 cents more than the $2.10 it costs at Starbucks. The cups seem about the same size.
Second, Starbucks has more appealing flavors to me. They include black, green, white and passion tea, with the addition of some flavored teas like the blueberry white tea.
Third, the Dunkin iced tea was a bit too tannic, as if it sat brewing too long. I can't say yet whether this was just one bad batch or something usual. Besides that, it tasted fine.
So, I probably will still get my iced tea at Starbuckss as it is cheaper and has more flavors that appeal to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)