Recent Tasty Bites Around Town: Tapas @ Estragon, Soups & Seafood @ Centre Street Sanctuary, Mussels @ The Ledge Kitchen & Drinks Dorchester

On nights when I'm reviewing new cocktails at Boston's best bars or just out with the girls, small bites are usually in order.  Here are a few of my favorite dishes around town.

Estragon Tapas Bar South End

I arrived at Estragon to sample and review the amazing Sahil Mehta's gin cocktail repertoire (read review, here).  It was my first visit to Estragon so I decided to check out a few tapas as well.  I was pleasantly surprised with the options Chef/Co-Owner Julio de Haro, of Madrid, created and with the food itself.  Lara Egger, the other owner, wrote the cocktail menu reads like a book of poetry.  Lara is a writer who recently received the Arts & Letters 2013 Rumi Prize for Poetry and wrote Estragon's whimsical cocktail menu.  It includes such descriptions as: 

Jack Gilbert: "Feeling bittersweet? This mix of Cava & Aperol gets its edge from our house “Fire-Cider”. Most champagne cocktails are ballet; ours is burlesque."  

OR

Elderflower Sour: "From the Alps to the South End, elderflower’s peachy floral notes are paired with our house citrus blend for a libation that is more balanced than your average unicyclist."

The most amazing tapa of the night?  The Pringá.  A moist, flavorful, tender mixture of beef shank, pork belly, chorizo, and bone marrow spread over grilled Iggy's bread!  The tender beef, salty pork belly, spice of the hearty chorizo, and corpulence of the bone marrow all impart beautiful flavor and texture to the dish.

The Pringá

I really enjoyed the Queso de Cabra con Tomate, warm goat's cheese and tomato on toasted bread.  There was a generous portion of warm, soft cheese spread over bright, thinly sliced tomatoes.  So simple and delicious! 

Queso de Cabra con Tomate

Last, but not the least of the evening, was another simple, yet amazing dish: Setas al Ajillo, sauteed rosemary-garlic mushrooms.  Tender, meaty thick sliced mushrooms were roasted with high quality olive oil, seasoned with finesse with rosemary and garlic.  Pure heaven!

Centre Street Sanctuary Jamaica Plain

I've reviewed Centre Street Sanctuary on a number of occasions now:  dinner review, featured cocktails and more.  I will soon interview their new chef as well!

The Portuguese kale soup was hearty and perfect for the impending fall weather.  It is made with Tuscan kale, chourico, split peas, yellow potatoes, and bread for dipping.  A perfect comfort soup, it tasted like a bit of home.  

Me being the cauliflower fanatic I am, of course I ordered up the cauliflower soup.  It's the warm version to my favorite cold soup in Maryland at The Tasting Room in Frederick only with cheese!  The soup was hot and with a richness that lingers on the palate.  Made with fresh cauliflower and smoked gouda, which I think is quite original, it was topped with roasted cauliflower spears, toasted walnuts, chives, oil, and grated gouda.  So good!

Last night, I sampled the crispy fish and chips.  The dish is made with potato-encrusted, lightly fried hake, tartar sauce, crisp, hand cut fries, and lemon.  Though the potato drench is gluten free, it is a bit heavy and does not adhere to the fish as well.  I find textural issues with most gluten-free substitutes.  Owner Adam and new Chef Tim tell me it was an incidental finding via an improper order. The hake is flaky and humongous!  It's overall a good dish.

Ledge Kitchen & Drinks 

Lower Mills Dorchester

I was pretty disappointed when I realized my favorite mussels in Boston had been taken off the menu at Ledge (read about them, here), but I was pleasantly surprised when the replacement dish was not a total bust.

Spicy chorizo mussels with mushroom, red bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, and potato.  Perfect autumnal dish!

 

'Tis The Season....CRAWFISH!

 

I finally checked out Brother's Crawfish in Dorchester today.

While I was super excited about grabbing in-season crawfish, their 'liquor' left a void for sure.  Even though I ordered the spicy batch (which is unfortunately titled "Asian Fusion - Fire hot Cajun style with Louisiana spice") it was anything but!  
The "liquor/boil" was sweet, not spicy and hardly reminiscent of Louisiana spices in the least bit.

I suppose, real Cajuns or at least REAL Southerners was expected...not so much here, so check you expectations at the door.



I guess one should be leery of "Asian Fusion" or "Oriental Express" (sauteed in garlic-onion-butter & scallion) when dealing with crawfish advertised as Southern-style, but I didn't think it would be too much of a disaster.  Maybe going with the "Cajun Calm" (Original southern Cajun flavor with special dippin sauce) would have been more authentically "Southern", though I very much doubt it. 

Now that I am in a crawfish state of mind, I suppose I will be on a mission for the next month and a half for something real, even if I have to head down to the Gulf Coast (New Orleans, of course, being a favorite) on my quest.  You guys know that's not outside of my realm of possibility.  Any excuse to travel and eat!  :0)

Great Bite One-liners: The Ledge Kitchen & Drinks,Lower Mills, Dorchester, MA

In the past, I have not offered the best reviews for the food game at The Ledge in Lower Mills.  I do, however, believe that The Ledge elevated/introduced the bar scene on that particular block where the most notable dining options are one Soul Food and one Italian take-out joint.  Their patio during the warmer months is pretty spectacular and serves as an "out-of-city" experience.

I came in for a couple of post Oishii dinner flutes of bubbly and to do some people watching, which The Ledge almost always provides, and was moved beyond comprehension by the steamed mussels!

The One-Liner:

"Tender, fresh, perfectly prepared, littoral mussels expose and surrender their mildly briny flesh, reminiscent of cool, Autumn, beachside afternoons to a superbly rich, creamy, aromatic coconut curry sauce that is just heavy enough to bathe bright, sierra-toned carrots and emerald green asparagus and lends itself to amalgamate with splendid offerings of char-grilled baguette to culminate the lovely affair conducted between the diner and the remaining luscious, vibrant sauce!"

Try 'em! And let me know what you think!

Ledge Kitchen & Drinks

2261 Dorchester Avenue

Dorchester, MA 02124

Sunday Brunch @ dbar, 1236 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA

http://www.gotime.com/boston/places/45943-Dbar-North-Dorchester-Boston

dbar & Deuxave have been on my shortlist of places to check out for a few months.

I've had the pleasure of sampling a few of Chef Chris Coombs' delicious creations at various charity events, namely:

• Chefs for Obama where one of my favorite dishes of the evening was showcased by Chef Chris.

• A lovely duck liver mousse at Cooking for a Cause and 

• A simple pretzel roll at Movers & Shakers 

These three brief but gratifying encounters solidified my determination to visit both establishments in the near future.  

First up, dbar...

I gladly welcomed a carbs and pork-laden brunch after I hosted a 12+ hour Mint Julep Crawl across the Back Bay the day before.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when we arrived at the restaurant, which is perfect when trying to experience the true heart of a place and its service sans the hustle and bustle of a loud dining room.

The decor was sleek and trendy (in a good way)...from the dim indoor lighting, taking advantage of natural light peeping through the windows, to the dark wood bar and booths.


Our service was fantastic, thanks to Craig and the management team.

Hair of the dog:

I enjoyed both the Mango Mosa and the Grand Mimosa (because who seriously could dislike Grand Marnier in your mimosa).
I can't wait to try the creative, more savory Bloody Mary cocktails, like the Bloody Wasab with Japanese horseradish, the Black & Blue with blue cheese and pepper, or the Roasted Garlic Bloody with fire-roasted garlic!


dbrunch (as they titled it):

The generous portion of buttery brioche french toast was good, served with fresh fruit and a berry coulis.

I loved my omelet filled with garlicky duck confit, sauteed spinach, gruyere cheese and topped with chopped chives.  The seasoned home fries and side of bacon were wonderful.  You'll love the potatoes if you enjoy rosemary even half as much as I do.


The Virginia Country Ham Croque Monsieur  (a "Hot brown" sandwich with ham) was a treat.  The buttery, grilled pain de mie was fantastic as was the homemade mustard and gruyere.  The Sauce Mornay was light (almost whipped?) and simply delicious.  The greens with vinaigrette was bright and super fresh.


Overall, our food was fantastic and I look forward to trying more, especially since the menu is ever changing!  dbar apparently knows how to keep things new and fresh!


Next stop...Deuxave...I'm already internet stalking the menu :0)





http://dbarboston.com/