Also a reminder that there will be a Clambake at Savory Tastes Cafe, cohosted with Harpoon Brewery, on Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18, both nights at 7:00pm.
Here is the Menu:
Amuse Bouche: Grilled Shrimp with Pico de Gallo. Paired with Harpoon Summer Beer.
1st Course: Baccala Cake with Remoulade Sauce Paired with Harpoon Summer Beer
2nd Course: Fish and Corn Chowder Paired with Harpoon Porter
3rd Course: Salade Fruits de Mer (Scallops, Countneck Clams, Mussels and Crabmeat served over Greens with a Tequila Lime VinaigrettePaired with Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen
Intermezzo: Lemon Sorbet
4th Course: Steamed Lobster, Corn on the Cob, Potatoes Bravas & Coleslaw Paired with Harpoon IPA
5th Course: Homemade Bread Pudding Paired with Harpoon Peche
Price is $65 Per Person, Including Tax & Gratuity. Friends of Harpoon receive a 10% discount. This is an event you will need to reserve early as similar events in the past have sold out quickly. Even though I dislike beer, I am still going, just for the meal. Maybe I will see you there!
Savory Tastes Cafe
601 Main St. (Route 28)
Reading, MA
Phone: 781-942-8287
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Event Reminder #1
Just a reminder that there will be a Wine Education class next Saturday, August 18, at 3pm. The topic will be Italian Red Wines. The class will focus on some unique, exceptional red wines from all over Italy. We'll be taking a look at a handful of different regions and showcasing the red wines of that region: i.e. Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, the Veneto, Puglia, to name a few.
This class is another collaboration with OurGlass Wine Co. Brian, one of the owners, was a personable and interesting speaker and will head this class as well. This is a great opportunity to taste some new and different wines and meet other local wine lovers in the area.
The cost is $25 per person, which includes cheese and breads as well as special Tasting discounts. You must call OurGlass to book your reservation. Please do so ASAP as space is very limited. Don't miss it!
OurGlass Wine Co.
124A Broadway (Rt. 1 N)
Saugus, MA
Phone: 781-941-8068
This class is another collaboration with OurGlass Wine Co. Brian, one of the owners, was a personable and interesting speaker and will head this class as well. This is a great opportunity to taste some new and different wines and meet other local wine lovers in the area.
The cost is $25 per person, which includes cheese and breads as well as special Tasting discounts. You must call OurGlass to book your reservation. Please do so ASAP as space is very limited. Don't miss it!
OurGlass Wine Co.
124A Broadway (Rt. 1 N)
Saugus, MA
Phone: 781-941-8068
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sibling Rivalry: Restaurant Week
I visited Sibling Rivalry this evening as part of Restaurant Week. For Restaurant Week, nearly all of the restaurants have special, limited menus available. You often have about three choices for your appetizer and entree. I had previewed the online menu for Sibling Rivalry and they hade four appetizer choices, three entrees and two desserts. The choices intrigued me so I made reservations.
I had visited Sibling Rivalry before, for brunch, and had an enjoyable meal. So, I anticipated that dinner would be good as well.
I was lucky to get a parking spot close to the restaurant. Though they do have valet service available. Our table was immediately available when we arrived. We received the wine list and the menu and were pleasantly surprised when we were told that the Restaurant Week menu was much larger than what I had previously seen. The entire regular menu, or nearly all of it, was available. There were eleven appetizers and eleven entrees available. Looking at their menu online, there are only a couple items that were not there, including the grilled lobster. There were plenty of interesting options available and it took a little time for me to decide what I wanted to order. With all these choices, this makes Sibling Rivalry a great selection.
While waiting for our food, we were given a bread basket with several different choices, including a delicious corn bread and some fruit/grain breads.
I ordered a bottle of wine, the 2004 Trinitas Old Vine Cuvee ($40). This was a California wine, a blend of several varietals, especially Zinfandel, Mataro and Carignane. This was an excellent and flavorful wine with good dark berry flavors as well as a nice spicy finish. Very good choice.
One of our appetizers was the Warm Fig Salad with Pancetta, Grilled Flat Bread, Roquefort Cream and Port Wine Vinaigrette. Presentation was very nice, and everything tasted very good. Our other appetizer was the Pristine Tuna Tartar Served on Warm Sushi Rice, With Sticky Soy Glaze, Pickled Ginger and Spicy Aioli. This was a superb dish with plenty of small cubes of tender tuna. The different sauces were a nice accompaniement. I would definitely order this appetizer again. Again, the presentation was very nice.
Our first entree a Tender Filet of Beef with Tomato Jam, Creamed Onions, and Black Pepper Gnocchi. A wonderful piece of very tender beef, cooked perfectly rare. The gnochhi were also very interesting and delicious, making us desire more of them. The second entree was the Crispy Pressed Half Duck with Grilled Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates, Port Sauce and Watercress Salad. A small part of the duck skin had been a bit overcooked and blackened. Our waitress was quick to offer me a new duck if I wanted but I chose to keep what I had. I did not want to wait for a replacement and it was only a minor issue. But, they earn points for offering to remedy the situation. The duck was a half duck but it certainly was a large half. It had plenty of meat and some nice crispy skin. The meat was tender and juicy, and not greasy at all. And there was almost no fat. The sauce was superb. I very much enjoyed the duck and would order it again.
For dessert, we had three choices though you could also get a cheese plate for an additional cost. We had the Chocolate Mousse Cake with Vanilla Creme Anglaise, Raspberry Coulis and White Chocolate Mousse. A delicious and decadent dessert. We also had a Wild Berry dessert with an Oatmeal drizzle and Vanilla ice cream. This was also a very good dessert with lots of sweet berries.
Service was excellent, attentive without being overbearing.
Overall, this was an excellent dining experience. Especially for Restaurant Week. I would heartily recommend Sibling Rivalry at any time, not just during Restaurant Week. I will definitely return there.
Sibling Rivalry
525 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-338-5338
I had visited Sibling Rivalry before, for brunch, and had an enjoyable meal. So, I anticipated that dinner would be good as well.
I was lucky to get a parking spot close to the restaurant. Though they do have valet service available. Our table was immediately available when we arrived. We received the wine list and the menu and were pleasantly surprised when we were told that the Restaurant Week menu was much larger than what I had previously seen. The entire regular menu, or nearly all of it, was available. There were eleven appetizers and eleven entrees available. Looking at their menu online, there are only a couple items that were not there, including the grilled lobster. There were plenty of interesting options available and it took a little time for me to decide what I wanted to order. With all these choices, this makes Sibling Rivalry a great selection.
While waiting for our food, we were given a bread basket with several different choices, including a delicious corn bread and some fruit/grain breads.
I ordered a bottle of wine, the 2004 Trinitas Old Vine Cuvee ($40). This was a California wine, a blend of several varietals, especially Zinfandel, Mataro and Carignane. This was an excellent and flavorful wine with good dark berry flavors as well as a nice spicy finish. Very good choice.
One of our appetizers was the Warm Fig Salad with Pancetta, Grilled Flat Bread, Roquefort Cream and Port Wine Vinaigrette. Presentation was very nice, and everything tasted very good. Our other appetizer was the Pristine Tuna Tartar Served on Warm Sushi Rice, With Sticky Soy Glaze, Pickled Ginger and Spicy Aioli. This was a superb dish with plenty of small cubes of tender tuna. The different sauces were a nice accompaniement. I would definitely order this appetizer again. Again, the presentation was very nice.
Our first entree a Tender Filet of Beef with Tomato Jam, Creamed Onions, and Black Pepper Gnocchi. A wonderful piece of very tender beef, cooked perfectly rare. The gnochhi were also very interesting and delicious, making us desire more of them. The second entree was the Crispy Pressed Half Duck with Grilled Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates, Port Sauce and Watercress Salad. A small part of the duck skin had been a bit overcooked and blackened. Our waitress was quick to offer me a new duck if I wanted but I chose to keep what I had. I did not want to wait for a replacement and it was only a minor issue. But, they earn points for offering to remedy the situation. The duck was a half duck but it certainly was a large half. It had plenty of meat and some nice crispy skin. The meat was tender and juicy, and not greasy at all. And there was almost no fat. The sauce was superb. I very much enjoyed the duck and would order it again.
For dessert, we had three choices though you could also get a cheese plate for an additional cost. We had the Chocolate Mousse Cake with Vanilla Creme Anglaise, Raspberry Coulis and White Chocolate Mousse. A delicious and decadent dessert. We also had a Wild Berry dessert with an Oatmeal drizzle and Vanilla ice cream. This was also a very good dessert with lots of sweet berries.
Service was excellent, attentive without being overbearing.
Overall, this was an excellent dining experience. Especially for Restaurant Week. I would heartily recommend Sibling Rivalry at any time, not just during Restaurant Week. I will definitely return there.
Sibling Rivalry
525 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-338-5338
Fresh Taste of Asia
For dinner last evening, I stopped at a new place for me, Fresh Taste of Asia in Salem. It is located in the heart of Salem and is a convenient location for those shopping, touring or otherwise in Salem. New Asian restaurants intrigue me, and this place has only been open about a year.
The restaurant is fairly large and even has several tables where you can dine outside. They have a bar with seating as well as a sushi counter. The restaurant was clean and inviting.
The menu is quite extensive with both Chinese and Japanese selections available. You will find much that is familiar as well as some unique dishes. Prices appear average and reasonable for this type of restaurant.
They do have a full bar plus wine and beer. To my pleasure, they also have several sake selections. I ordered a bottle of the Hakushika Junmai Ginjo ($17) which is one of my favorite sakes. The sake was brought in a pail with ice to keep it chilled. A nice touch.
Though so much looked good on the menu, I decided to order a few different items to get a general feel for the restaurant. I started with some sushi, a maguro (tuna-$4.95)) and anago (eel-$5.25). I also ordered the Idaho Maki, a tempura sweet potato ($5.50). The sushi appeared fresh, good sized and was tasty. The Maki contained good sized chunks of sweet potato, actually larger pieces than similar make I have had elsewhere.
I next ordered the Beijing Pavioli, pan fried ($5.95). This consisted of six large ravioli with a pork stuffing. It appeared to contain more meat than veggies. They were cooked well and tasted good.
I then ordered the Crispy Beef With Sesame ($12.95), which is listed on their menu as a “Must try,” plus some steamed white rice. This dish consisted of a large pile of crispy beef pieces in a brown gravy with sesame seeds. The beef had a very crispy exterior and the inside was fairly tender. I could easily cut the beef with a butter knife. I enjoyed the taste of the beef and the gravy. One of the better crispy beef dishes I have had.
Service was very good and attentive.
Overall, this was an enjoyable dinner. I only tasted a few items from their lengthy menu but it was sufficient for me to want to return there. I would recommend that you check them out. When I return, I will report back with more information.
Fresh Taste of Asia
118 Washington Street
Salem, MA
Phone: (978) 825-1388
The restaurant is fairly large and even has several tables where you can dine outside. They have a bar with seating as well as a sushi counter. The restaurant was clean and inviting.
The menu is quite extensive with both Chinese and Japanese selections available. You will find much that is familiar as well as some unique dishes. Prices appear average and reasonable for this type of restaurant.
They do have a full bar plus wine and beer. To my pleasure, they also have several sake selections. I ordered a bottle of the Hakushika Junmai Ginjo ($17) which is one of my favorite sakes. The sake was brought in a pail with ice to keep it chilled. A nice touch.
Though so much looked good on the menu, I decided to order a few different items to get a general feel for the restaurant. I started with some sushi, a maguro (tuna-$4.95)) and anago (eel-$5.25). I also ordered the Idaho Maki, a tempura sweet potato ($5.50). The sushi appeared fresh, good sized and was tasty. The Maki contained good sized chunks of sweet potato, actually larger pieces than similar make I have had elsewhere.
I next ordered the Beijing Pavioli, pan fried ($5.95). This consisted of six large ravioli with a pork stuffing. It appeared to contain more meat than veggies. They were cooked well and tasted good.
I then ordered the Crispy Beef With Sesame ($12.95), which is listed on their menu as a “Must try,” plus some steamed white rice. This dish consisted of a large pile of crispy beef pieces in a brown gravy with sesame seeds. The beef had a very crispy exterior and the inside was fairly tender. I could easily cut the beef with a butter knife. I enjoyed the taste of the beef and the gravy. One of the better crispy beef dishes I have had.
Service was very good and attentive.
Overall, this was an enjoyable dinner. I only tasted a few items from their lengthy menu but it was sufficient for me to want to return there. I would recommend that you check them out. When I return, I will report back with more information.
Fresh Taste of Asia
118 Washington Street
Salem, MA
Phone: (978) 825-1388
Northshore Mall
There is a lot of construction and renovation currently going on at the Northshore Mall in Peabody. Two new restaurants are going in there, though they are chains. The Salem News had a detailed article about these new restaurants, as well as the cost of a liquor license.
First, The Cheesecake Factory will open around October 18. They bought a liquor license for $135,000, which is the highest price ever paid in Peabody for such. Peabody has no unsold licenses available, which sell for $2200. So, any new restaurant has to buy the license from someone who already possesses one, and the market can be quite expensive. The last license sold in Peabody only garnered $80,000.
Second, P.F. Changs will also be opening at the Mall though the date is unknown right now. They too are seeking a liquor license.
First, The Cheesecake Factory will open around October 18. They bought a liquor license for $135,000, which is the highest price ever paid in Peabody for such. Peabody has no unsold licenses available, which sell for $2200. So, any new restaurant has to buy the license from someone who already possesses one, and the market can be quite expensive. The last license sold in Peabody only garnered $80,000.
Second, P.F. Changs will also be opening at the Mall though the date is unknown right now. They too are seeking a liquor license.
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