BostonChefs.Com: New Design

Are you familiar with BostonChefs.com? If you want to know more about the Boston culinary scene, then you should check out this site, especially now that they have recently launched an expanded and renovated site. I use the site and find much of value there.

When BostonChefs.com originally was created, it was ahead of its time. Back in 1999, the Internet was rarely used for restaurant promotion. But BostonChefs founders Chris Botello and Chris Schiavone saw the potential of the Internet and knew that the local restaurant industry would benefit from a comprehensive website. Thus they created BostonChefs.com which is going ten years strong.

"The concept is simple: to showcase the area's finest eateries in an aesthetically pleasing format that is easy to digest. Each BostonChefs.com member is represented by an online portfolio that includes menus, mouthwatering food photography, and chef bios. In its News and Events section, BostonChefs.com has become a premier source for the scoop on everything from special promotions and wine tastings to cooking classes and charity events. Rounding out the site is the ability to make reservations online, a section of recipes from member chefs, and a handy food glossary."

The BostonChefs.com site was recently updated and expanded. I think it is now an even more useful and better designed site. I often check out the News & Events, looking for what local restaurants are up to, which special dinners and events are upcoming, and more. You can check out specific restaurants and find their menus, pictures of some dishes, information about the chef, and much more. You can also find recipes and culinary job listings. It is a dynamic site that is working to improve itself all the time.

President Paul Schiavone says: "BostonChefs.com is in an incredibly fortunate position and we're really excited about what's to come. In the short term, we'll be rolling out a variety of new features and content on our BostonChefs.com and CapeCodChefs.com sites; making the sites even more robust both in terms of content and functionality. In the longer term, we're looking beyond New England and hoping to bring our unique approach to covering the local dining scene to other metro markets with thriving, chef driven culinary cultures."

I recently attended a media event celebrating the tenth anniversary of BostonChefs.com as well as their new website. I was able to speak a bit with President Paul Schiavone who seemed genuinely interested in feedback concerning the site. He intently listened to comments and suggestions about the site. I felt confident that he truly cared about making the site the best that it could be.

Check out BostonChefs.com and keep updated on the cutting edge of Boston's restaurant scene.

Petit Robert Bistro: Al Fresco

At Petit Robert Bistro, with three locations in greater Boston, dining outdoors is always a seasonal option; service begins on the patio as early as climatically possible.

The original Kenmore Square locale offers the romance of six intimate tables just below the city sidewalk, surrounded by a painted mural of café life on the Seine.

New to the South End location is a windowed wind break and a full awning that not only provides shade but allows sidewalk socializing even in the rain.

In west suburban Needham, the bistro’s capacity is significantly expanded with wrought iron tables out front in the sun for 15-20 people.

New For Spring:

* Jambon de Bayonne and Hearts of Palm Salad
* Asparagus & Red Pepper Pate with Herb Oil and Tomato Concasse
* Native Bluefish with Maine Lobster and Corn Cream Sauce
* Veal Kidney Moutarde
* Mousse au Chocolat with cat's tongue cookie

The Dirty French Chef is back.
Chef-Owner Jacky Robert’s potent spring elixir of pureed rhubarb and dark rum is one of a kind ($9.50), and it joins such uniquely French cocktail traditions as Kir Royale (in a quartet of flavors), half a dozen French beers mixed with sodas and syrups, various pastis-based drinks like the Mauresque and the Perroquet, and classic aperitifs like Campari, Dubonnet and Lillet.

Lest we forget how French food in Boston has evolved
... over the past 30 years, ask us about our Boston Chefs Family Tree, which illustrates how Jacky Robert’s arrival from Normandy, France in the early 1970s started an ever-widening circle of culinary talent in that continues today.

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport”
– Julia Child

Mutineer Magazine: Now on Newstands

Is wine print media dead? Not by a long shot. In fact, another new wine magazine has hit newstands at places such as Barnes & Noble and Borders book stores. The latest issue, their fifth, of Mutineer Magazine (April/May 2009) is now available. Previous issues were only available online. Mutineer Magazine is currently a bimonthly magazine though they have eventual plans to make it monthly. The fifth issue is 82 pages long and has a reasonable cover price of $4.50.

According to their site: "Mutineer Magazine is a fine beverage publication unlike any other you’ve ever read. Founded by Sommelier Alan Kropf and beer expert JJ Bagley, Mutineer Magazine covers all things fine beverage with an emphasis on wine, beer and spirits. As informative as it is approachable, Mutineer Magazine will change the way you read about fine beverages." Like Imbibe magazine, Mutineer covers all beverages, from soda to wine, from coffee to cocktails, and everything in between.

This magazine has received much praise from other wine bloggers. I suspect that a primary reason for this acclaim is that the magazine highlights the efforts of many different bloggers, far more than any other existing wine magazine. Simply put, it is very blog friendly and that will obviously appeal to bloggers. They receive attention that is largely absent from other wine print media.

The magazine has a column, "From the Mutineer Blog," which provides excerpts from their own blog. This issue also had an amusing bit of wine satire written by the HoseMaster, an irreverant wine blogger known for his photos of nude and semi-nude women. There is also an article on the recent 2009 American Wine Blog Awards, with descriptions of all the finalists and winners. But they don't just discuss wine bloggers. The issue even has an interesting survey of spirits bloggers as well as a list of 16 recommended spirits blogs.

This emphasis on blogs can only help spread the word about wine, beer and spirits blogging and likely will increase readership of blogs. Mutineer certainly deserves kudos for their support of blogging. But, as practical matter, for those who are already bloggers and read other blogs, some of the articles in this magazine may be repetitive of what you might have already read. For example, I really gained little from the American Wine Blog Awards article. Plus, as I read the Mutineer blog, the excerpts from their blog in the magazine were repetitive.

As one of the magazine's founders is a beer expert, then you can expect a fair share of beer coverage. This issue has two major articles on beer, one on beer and food pairings and the other is an interview with Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company. Personally, as I dislike beer, these articles did not appeal to me. Though if you like beer, I am sure both articles will appeal to you. They are well written and informative articles.

Some of the other articles you will find include: wine and soup pairings, from chicken soup to beef stew; a restaurant review of Falcon Hollywood; some food and drink recipes for home entertaining; the coffee houses of Seattle; a photo report by Zane Lamprey, host of the television show "Three Sheets"; and a debate on the proposed Oregon excise tax increase on brewers. All in all, a diverse selection of topics and the articles often possess some nice photography. It is a slick, aesthetically pleasing magazine.

Overall, I am a bit conflicted about this magazine. It has some good points, including its promotion of blogs, but then it also feels like I am paying for some information I read for free online. This particular issue also did not have too many articles that really interested me, though that is partially a matter of personal preference. I read plenty of magazines where a particular issue may not appeal to me though overall other issues make up for that. Mutineer Magazine has plenty of potential and I hope that I will enjoy future issues more.

Mutineer Magazine is coming to the Boston area as part of a promotional tour. Alan Kropf, founder and editor, will be at the Boston Wine School on April 14. He will first lead a workshop on beverage writing and publishing. Then, there will be a mini-launch party at 7pm. Tickets cost your age. You pay $21 up front and then the rest at the door, to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank. One of the highlights will be when publisher Alan Kropf stages his Wine Snob Smack Down!

Black Garlic

If you opened a bulb of garlic and the cloves looked like they do above, would you be worried? You can ease your mind as there is nothing wrong with this garlic. It is neither burned, diseased, rotted or spoiled. In fact, it is exactly the color it should be as it is Black Garlic, a hot new ingredient that is just starting to spread across the U.S. It has received plenty of recent attention and has been shown on television shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef. Discussions of this intriguing ingredient have also spread quickly across many food blogs.

I recently received some samples of black garlic from Black Garlic Inc., the only company in the U.S. currently producing it. The black garlic can be purchased online from Mondo Food, either as a 1.26 oz package ($3.30) containing two bulbs, or a 1 pound bag ($20) containing about 16 bulbs. I think this is a reasonable price for what you receive.

Black garlic is regular garlic that has undergone a special fermentation process which turns it a black color. Plus, the garlic becomes sweet with more muted garlic flavors. It seems almost like a soft, jelly-like piece of fruit. It is alleged that black garlic provides special health benefits, though I have been unable to locate any supporting medical evidence. Black garlic is supposed to have nearly twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic. Plus, it contains S-Allycysteine, which is supposed to help cancer prevention and fight cholesterol. Regular garlic does not contain S-Allycysteine.

Scott Kim, the CEO and inventor of Black Garlic Inc., began to create his product in South Korea in 2004. Black garlic is supposed to have a lengthy history in Korea and China. Scott eventually brought into the company John Yi, a longtime garlic producer. As to the secret as how black garlic is made, the company's website is vague, stating only the following: "It’s aged for a month in a special fermentation process under high heat, where it develops its darker color, softer texture, and sweeter taste."

I did a little investigation, seeking more information about the fermentation process. At the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, I uncovered only a single patent application dealing with black garlic though it is unclear whether it involves Black Garlic, Inc. or not. Nonetheless, it provides a look into how black garlic may be created. The inventors are listed as Gyu-Bae Han, Inn-Hwan Song and Ki-Yeol Eom, all from Korea. The method involves aging the garlic with hot air for 14.5 days, then naturally drying the garlic pieces for about 40 hours, and then aging it again with hot air for another 30 to 50 hours. This process may be similar to what is used at Black Garlic, Inc.

So how does black garlic taste? My first foray with black garlic is pictured above. It is a panko-crusted tilapia with a black garlic sauce atop thin egg noodles. The sauce had butter, Sake, olive oil, teriyaki sauce and black garlic. It was quite good, the garlic adding a nice sweetness to the dish, complementing the flavor of the moist, white fish. Though there is an underlying garlic flavor, it is more subtle than what you get with regular garlic. And your breath does not take on the usual garlic smell either.

I also had a black garlic butter, smeared on some French bread which was briefly baked in the oven. Though it looks like it is burnt, it is not. It is just the black color of the garlic. This was not too bad but I think a better recipe for the butter could be created. It did add an interesting sweetness to the bread, though maybe a bit of spice or some herbs could have been added to balance off that sweetness. Plus, it does not look too appealing as is, looking too much like burnt bread.

I think black garlic is a versatile ingredient, which can be used in a wide variety of recipes. It will add a bit of sweetness to your receipes, but still with some garlic flavor. I'll be conducting some more culinary tests with the black garlic, trying different recipes, and I'll report back in the near future. I am initially very pleased with the black garlic and believe it has lots of potential.

Underground Dinners: A Cautionary Tale

Now I understand why there is sometimes opposition to underground dining. Without any regulations, you never know what you might find.

I recently posted about a pleasant experience with underground dining but I have had a second such experience, and matters were a bit different. First, it was a much more covert meal. In fact, it was tougher to gain entrance to this dinner than it would be to obtain a security pass to enter the White House. What most helped me was an excellent reference from someone who had previously been to this secret dinner. To protect this person's identity, I'll just refer to this friend as JAC.

I had to sign a number of confidentiality agreements to attend this dinner, certainly an oddity, but also very intriguing. There was almost an air of irrational paranoia about this event. I could not take any photos or written notes. I could only memorize the details. I was even told of the dinner's location only an hour before the event, causing me to rush to get there on time.

The dinner was held at a private home, though you had to park down the street so as to not bring much attention to the house. All of the shades were pulled down so you could not see inside. Plus, once we entered the house, the door was securely locked from the inside. Everyone had to be frisked, to ensure that no one had any recording devices. This was also the first dinner I ever attended that had two armed, security guards on the premises. I thought this was all over the top, probably intended to heighten excitement about the dinner.

I was told there would be a Polynesian theme to the dinner, including many unique pork dishes created from the unusual "long pig." I was not familiar with this type of porcine creature but figured they would tell us all about this rare beast. The entire long pig was to be prepared and cooked for us, which is usually said to be from snout to tail. Though the chef actually referred to it as nose to butt. There would be some charcuterie, a roast, ribs, bacon, and much more. The meat would be accompanied by some local, fresh vegetables and potatoes.

JAC had previously tantalized me with details of the meal, mainly how delicious the meat was, so much better than even Kurobuta pork or even Wagyu beef. JAC could not get enough of this meat and now did not miss a single one of these underground dining events. I was supposed to be in for a real treat so I was excited to try this new meat. I was told that my entire life would be transformed by this dinner.

The multicourse meal was quite delicious, the long pig being a part of every course, even dessert. It actually was a strange meat, only vaguely reminiscent of pork. It did not remind me of any other type of meat I have ever eaten. Yet it was compelling in its own right. Each dish was amazingly prepared, as good as any you would find at a high end restaurant. My fellow dining companions ravenously attacked their plates, devouring every dish. Even JAC seemed to salivate just by looking at each course.

But I could not understand the reason for all the secrecy. They actually never explained the origin of the long pig. The only thing that came to mind was that the animal was endangered, and eating it was illegal. That did give me reason to pause, but the meat was so scrumptious it overrode my conscience. I vowed though to learn more once I got home.

When I arrived home, I Googled "long pig" and sat stunned for quite some time. My hands shook as I sat there, my eyes locked onto the screen. It could not have been real, they had to have meant something else. But it certainly explained the reason for the over the top security. I wanted to deny the truth but I knew I could not.

If you get invited to a dinner serving long pig, run the other way.

Long pig is a euphemism for human beings, a term used by cannibals.
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April Fool's Day!