Brazzille in Framingham, MA

When I think Brazilian food, I think of men carrying meat on swords and going from table to table, a la Midwest Grille in Cambridge. While my meal at Brazzille was full of meat, it was at a more reasonable price than Midwest Grille, though I'd argue not quite as tasty.

Parking in the area isn't the greatest, as it's right on 126, but on a Wednesday night, we didn't have a problem. The restaurant was pretty dead, as we were one of three restaurants the whole night, but they were running a post-work special of 10 cent wings to try to boost business. More on the wings later.

I started by ordering a frozen mango juice, which is probably one of my favorite beverages ever. I almost threw up from the first sip. Someone had used SALT instead of SUGAR to make my drink! It tasted like ocean water with a kick of tropical fruit. I brought it to the attention of our waiter, and he quickly remedied it and brought me a new, much more refreshing one. He explained to me that someone had put salt in the sugar jar. How nice.

For appetizers, we tried ten wings, and an order of the Brazilian sausage with chicken and yucca fries. When asked if we wanted the wings spicy or mild, we went for mild. Unbeknownst to us, that meant that there was no sauce on them. I wish we had tried some spicy, but the mild sauceless wings were perfectly crispy and juicy. I will definitely return for 10 cent wing night.

The Brazilian sausage was weirdly deep fried, but tasted good nonetheless. The chicken was deep fried as well, with an awesome garlic kick and the skin still on. Loved it. The yucca fries tasted like pretty much any other yucca fries I've had.

For entrees, I had the shrimp. My meal came with hearts of palm salad, potato salad, chicken salad and rice. The shrimp were beautifully cooked, with a tangy chunky tomato sauce on top. The hearts of palm salad couldn't really be called a salad, as it was just diced hearts of palm with a cured meat. The potato salad was full of potatoes, carrots, peas, corn and raisins, but I did find it had a bit too much mayonnaise. If it pulled back slightly on the mayo, it would've been supreme. The chicken salad was ironically dry, and could've used a little mayo. The rice was well cooked, but I found it oversalted.

For dessert, we had the passion fruit mousse. It was heavenly. I expected it to be a bit thicker, but the mousse was light and fluffy, and much tangier than I had expected. With a dollop of whipped cream on top, it may have been the best part of the meal.

Overall, I did find the food a bit over-salted for my tastes. But the portions are huge (I had lunch the next day, plus a little extra), the service was friendly, and the prices were right. For 2 apps, 2 entrees, a dessert, and two drinks, our bill was around $45 with tax. I can't wait to go back for more 10 cent wings.

Apologies... Oga's!

So, I've been a very, very bad blogger. But I can explain!

I recently began writing for TableCritic.com. It's a site designed to promote restaurants in a review-like format. So most of my time has been spent there.

But it doesn't mean I haven't been eating at restaurants! Oh yes, I have. And the reviews will start coming again, I promise. Starting with Oga's in Framingham!

Since I've moved out here, I've noticed that Oga's is always packed every single time I drove down Route 9. It's not exactly the ideal location, in a plaza with a Blockbuster (I have no idea how those stores stay open and operating) and some cell phone carrier, so I had always been skeptical. I finally decided to give a shot, and boy, was it worth it.

The room is surprisingly beautiful, with dividers and a beautiful sushi bar. The tables were full with a lot of happy people, which is always a good sign.

The fluke ceviche with ponzu was just amazing. With thin slices of fluke garnished with shiitake mushrooms and what I think was chervil, the grapefruit-y juice turned the fluke into this wonderfully tender yet firm ceviche. I could've eaten two more plates. The raw tuna/raw salmon spring roll was delicious as well, with a black bean and garlic sauce dip.

We ordered a two person sushi boat, and ate every single bite. The fish quality is very high, and well cut. While a little on the pricey side, I would absolutely return to Oga's for a special occasion or date night out.

Fantastic BBQ in... Framingham?

So, it's happened. I moved to Metrowest. I've since been exploring the culinary landscape that is Framingham and Natick... yeah, it's not quite Boston, but there still are some great gems around here. I tried Tennessee's BBQ and am HOOKED.

The original location is in Framingham, and several locations have sprung up around Massachusetts. This BBQ joint has garnered a Best of Boston win and my respect after I tried it.

I had the BBQ sampler -- it came with the pulled pork, Memphis ribs and a Dixie chicken, along with cornbread and two sides. I opted for the collard greens and the BBQ beans. The ribs were absolutely heavenly -- the sauce was sweet and tangy and the meat fell right off the bone. These were the true highlight of the meal. The pulled pork was probably the best I've ever had, with a perfect meat/sauce ratio. I'm not a huge fan of chicken as it is, but the Dixie chicken was moist and flavorful.

The sides were also excellent. The cornbread was sweet and moist, I didn't even need to spread butter on it. The collard greens were a little spicy and cooked with bacon, so that was pretty much awesome. The green beans were also cooked with bacon. I don't know why I was surprised, this is a Southern place. The candied yams were the only bleh part of the meal. They were canned yams that were dumped out into syrup and tasted too much like marshmallows. I do put marshmallows in my own candied sweet potatoes, but I never let it be a dominating flavor.

The place was reasonably priced, as well. Lunch for two including drinks was about $30, and given the quality of the food, well worth it. I also appreciate any place that will serve a large variety of real soda in an old fashioned bottle.

The easiest sauce for any occasion

I hate dry food. I have a hard time eating white meat on chicken as it's notoriously dry, and I hate any steak above medium. So in order for me to eat chicken, I need to have a great sauce to top it with. This easy sauce, inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe, will jazz up any pork chop or chicken breast in a matter of minutes. I even use the huckleberry preserves for a scallop glaze.

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Worcestershire sauce
Preserves (cherry, huckleberry, blueberry, any kind depending on what fruit you like)
Black pepper
Basil (dried)
Sriracha

Spoon half a jar of preserves into a small pot or pan and put on medium heat. Once it starts to melt and sizzle, add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Use a whisk to smooth it out, then add the pepper and basil. Add sriracha to taste -- I usually add about a pea sized amount. If using blueberry preserves, I substitute basil with thyme. Allow to come to just about a boil, all while whisking every few seconds, then turn off and allow to cool. Spoon over any kind of protein for a tangy sauce with just a little bit of kick.

Pre theater Teatro dinner

I've been the worst blogger ever. I'm sorry I've been so neglectful, but I've been unbelievably busy between work, buying a house, etc. Excuses, I know. But I digress.

I've been to Teatro before and always had a relatively good time. It's not particularly expensive, though it ain't cheap, but it's a good place before a show. While the tour of RENT was in Boston (one of my favorite shows), we decided to go to Teatro before going to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

Sadly, the meal was not all I hoped it would be. Our appetizers were nothing special -- I found the calamari to be overly chewy, though well-seasoned. As for the entrees, my scallops were by far the best dish, though the spinach ravioli was also good. My friend's chicken milanese was dry and came with no sauce, and was pretty disappointing.

The service was slow and the server seemed harried. It took a long time to get our orders in, and even longer to get our drinks. However, as it was right before I show, I understand things get busy and it's hard to manage.

The kicker was when I noticed a lemonade cocktail on the drink list. It was described as a lavender lemonade mixed with stoli and lemon lime soda. I asked for just the lemonade, and was informed by the server that they don't serve virgin cocktails. Excuse me? You don't serve virgin cocktails, at all? So if I ordered a virgin Bloody Mary, I'd be refused? I find the whole policy pretty appalling, personally, as someone who doesn't really drink. I had a soda instead, but from my experience in a restaurant, if we have the goods, we can sell it. I don't understand why I wasn't allowed to have a virgin lemonade, unless it was premixed and I didn't know about it, but why would I be refused ANY virgin cocktail?

Dessert wasn't much better. The mint chocolate ice cream was far too overly minty to eat more than a bite of, though my sorbet was solid.

The whole situation with the virgin cocktails left a really bad taste in my mouth, so I didn't have a great night anyway. I did enjoy my scallops on a bed of potatoes, bacon, corn, and some other summer veggies, though I thought it was a bit heavy on the salt. I will not be rushing back to Teatro, though I will admit that my previous experiences had all been better with friendlier service. If anyone who works at Teatro or understands their policy about the virgin cocktails, please let me know, as I'd love to better understand it. If I weren't rushing to a show after, I probably would have hung around to speak to the manager about it.

Summer Shack...

Summer Shack is one of my favorite restaurants. "Food is love" is a fabulous motto, and I plan to live that way my whole life. But it's expensive and I rarely get to eat there, so when I went on my birthday, I went a little nuts.

The server wasn't the greatest. My friend asked for the Cobb salad, but instead of crab, some other kind of protein. She said they wouldn't let him do it, unless he wanted extra bacon. Now, I find it hard to believe that the chef wouldn't let him put steak tips or chicken of some sort on there. With the kind of chef Jasper White is, I highly doubt he'd be okay with that.

One of my favorite things about Summer Shack is that they bring you not just bread, but cornbread before every meal. While the cornbread can be pretty dry, a hefty dollop of the sweet creamy butter takes care of that.

I started with a pound of steamers. The steamers were pretty good, steamed with celery, and the little feet came off rather easily. I wasn't blown away by them, mostly because steamers are so standard.

But I also started with the fried chicken. Man, oh man. Summer Shack has some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. It's crispy, juicy, salty, amazing all around.

Nothing could have prepared me for my pan-roasted lobster, however. The chopped lobster was soaking in butter, chives and lobster roe. Provided with a lobster bib and a cracker, I went to town and completely destroyed the lobster as savagely as I possibly could. When I was done, I rolled my corn on the cob in the lobster butter...it was pure unadulterated joy. I will never order my lobster a different way whenever I go to Summer Shack -- but next time, I will get the two pounder. I wasn't nearly full.

Dessert was NY style cheesecake with an oreo crust and bruleed peaches. I think I would have liked it better with a regular graham crust, or without the peaches -- the oreo and the peaches didn't really go together. But all in all, it was another delicious meal thanks to Summer Shack.

Chicken chili casserole

This past weekend, my roommates and I threw a Mexican themed "Adios Analog" party, in honor of TV switching from analog to digital. As part of the theme, I made a chicken chili casserole that people raved over. A few have asked me for the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:
-2 lbs ground chicken
-1-2 large can crushed tomatoes
-can of diced tomatoes
-2 tbsp chopped cilantro
-Half of a red onion, diced
-Green peppers/yellow peppers/orange peppers/red peppers, diced (I used half of each one)
-Cumin
-Chili powder
-Roasted corn, frozen (Trader Joe's has a great one)
-Black beans, canned (optional)
-Jalapenos, canned or fresh, chopped (optional)
-Minced garlic, two cloves
-Adobo
-Tortillas (flour or corn -- try wheat for a healthy alternative)
-Shredded cheese, Mexican four-cheese or fancy blend (mozzarella/cheddar blend)

Start by heating up some oil at the bottom of a large pot on medium high. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic, and sweat out for a minute or two, until they begin to soften (if using fresh jalapenos, you would add at this time). Add a hefty pinch of black pepper.

Add the chicken and let brown. Mix frequently to keep the chicken smooth and prevent chunkage. After most pink has disappeared, add the can of crushed tomatoes. Depending on the size of the can, you may want to add another, but a 32 ounce can should be fine. Add the can of diced tomatoes too. (If you choose to add beans, this is when you should do it, or if you'd like to add some heat, throw in some chopped jalapenos from a jar)

Add half a palmful of cumin, and half a palmful of chili powder. Add a quarter of a palm full of adobo. Stir in, then add the corn (defrosted, though it's fine if it's still a little bit frozen) and cilantro. Stir and let cook for about 15 mins.

Turn the heat down to low, and allow to simmer for another half an hour or so. Taste test every now and then and add adobo or salt/pepper as needed.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large baking pan. Once chili is cooked to your liking, ladle a layer of chili into the pan. Add a layer of cheese over the chili, then a layer of tortillas, then a layer of chili, and repeat. Do this until the pan is full, and make sure the top layer is a thick layer of cheese. Dust the top with black pepper.

Put the casserole in the oven for about 20 mins, or until the cheese fully melts. Take it out and let sit for another 10-15 mins, then dig in! Serve with sour cream and guac for a fully happy experience.

The economy takes its toll on Aujourd'hui and Great Bay

Earlier this week, Aujourd'hui announced its closing. This was a little sad for me, as Aujourd'hui is one of the few truly classy joints left in this city. As the restaurant for the Four Seasons, it catered to the rich and privileged, and not so much for me and my people, but it was still the kind of place where you could show up in a ballgown.

But the truly sad news came just a few minutes ago: Great Bay is closing its doors on Saturday. According to the Herald article, the statement was made today by Michael Schlow and Christopher Myers. This is really heartbreaking for me -- this is the place that spawned my love of real food and wine, and taught me everything I know about food. I made great friends there, and learned a lot about the industry and the difference between good service and excellent service.

While the current economic climate makes it hard to keep a restaurant like Great Bay open, at least it went out on top, as the best seafood restaurant in this city. What's shocking is how sudden it is -- Aujourd'hui is closing at the end of June, whereas Great Bay is closing on May 30. I can't imagine making the phone calls to cancel future reservations. So many good memories in that place.

I wonder if this is the beginning of other well-established restaurants beginning to fall from the economy...

Sel de la Terre -- Mandarin Oriental

As a surprise, my boyfriend took me to dinner at the new Sel de la Terre on Boylston Street, in the Mandarin Oriental hotel (how sweet, I know).

I've been to Sel de la Terre before, but only the one on the Waterfront, and this one had a much cooler set up -- hostess greets you on the ground floor, sends you up to the second floor to get seated. The space wasn't anything special, but it was certainly nice. We were seated by the open kitchen, but weren't bothered by noise or heat.

To start, we had the rosemary pommes frites. If you've never had the french fries at Sel de la Terre, you need to go get them right now. They're cut extra thin and dusted with rosemary and salt. They are definitely in my top 3 favorite French fries in the city.

For the main course, I had pan-seared salmon with a fava bean and pancetta succotash, along with lavender honey cornbread. The salmon was perfectly cooked -- I do not like salmon cooked all the way through, and the center was perfectly cool and raw. The skin was crunchy and flavorful, and the fish basically fell apart as soon as I dug my fork in. The succotash didn't really seem to be a succotash. It was a couple of chunks of onion, with a bit of pancetta, in what I guess was a fava bean sauce. I expected REAL Southern succotash, with actual corn and fava beans, not this limp sauce with a few pitiful onions. It tasted good, but wasn't succotash.

The real highlight was the lavender honey cornbread. Oh. my. It was heaven in a cupcake shape. I don't think it necessarily fell under the category of real cornbread, as it was very dense -- it seemed more like a heavy pound cake, and wasn't as bouncy as I like my cornbread. I think the honey may have had something to do with that. But the flavors, combined with the fish, were excellent. I wish the succotash had been better, and it would've felt like a classy Southern set with a perfectly cooked piece of fish.

My boyfriend's red snapper was also delicious. The generous portion of pan seared fish was atop a bed of red peppers, chick peas, pickled onions and olives. The Mediterranean flavors really complemented each other.

The service was generally good. Our server was excellent. As I was draining my glass of the last few drops of ginger ale, she put down another glass, as if she could read my mind and knew I wanted another one. I suppose had I been drinking an alcoholic drink, this wouldn't have happened, but still, that requires a certain level of attention and care on her part. She was also very personable and knowledgeable about the menu.

The only hiccup in service came towards the end of the meal. I had taken a piece of my fish with some of the set and put it on a side plate for my boyfriend to try. He waited until he finished his meal to start in on the side plate. So picture this: two empty entree plates, but he's clearly eating from the side plate. Then the bus boy came by, and he started to clear the empty plates! The server came by and saw him and gave him a dirty look, but because he had already begun to do so, she had no choice but to help.

This may be my biggest pet peeve in nice restaurants. It is EXTREMELY awkward to either be the one who's still eating or the people who are finished if there are no other plates or anything left on the table but the person who is eating. Worse than that, the only plate left on the table was the small side plate! So my boyfriend is eating off of this tiny plate while all silverware, everything, is being picked up around him and the table is empty, save for this tiny plate.

All in all, it was a good night. For the most part, the service was good, minus that one hiccup. The prices were reasonable, entrees are in the high 20s and the quality of the fish was excellent. The pommes frites are infallible, and the location is great. We walked around the Mandarin Oriental after, and it was quite pretty. While I wouldn't say Sel de la Terre is the best restaurant in the neighborhood(being right next to L'Espalier will cancel pretty much anyone out), I would say it's one of the better values compared to the prices and quality at places such as the Palm or Turner Fisheries.

Cilantro! Yeah!

Cilantro is definitely one of the foods I love way more than I should. Cooked, fresh, whatever, you can put it on anything I eat. When I go to the grocery store, I always stop in the produce aisle to sniff the cilantro. There's something about the smell of freshly rubbed cilantro that makes my heart leap. Does anyone know of a cilantro perfume out there?

Anyone who's had my award-winning salsa (seriously, it won a salsa contest) knows that I load my salsa with chopped cilantro, along with other goodies. I'll put the recipe up here someday. I love cooking it with lime juice and onions and adding it to fish tacos. Or in noodle soups, letting it simmer in the broth before diving in. I love adding handfuls of it to guacamole. My favorite is perhaps my mom's use of cilantro -- she stir fries it with beef, so there's an amazing garlicky beefy cilantro gravy in it. Yeah, it's amazing.

I'm a little irked I didn't think of it myself, but there is in fact a blog about how amazing cilantro is, at http://fuckyeahcilantro.tumblr.com/. I could almost smell the tangy sweetness of the cilantro looking at the pictures.

What are some of your favorite uses of cilantro?