The Greatly Anticipated Savvor Restaurant & Lounge to Open February 8, 2014

Chef Carey Dobies will be amongst the next chefs featured on my Chef Interview Series! Interview is set for Super Bowl Sunday! 

Chef Carey will lead the kitchen at the brand new Savvor Restaurant and Lounge, a Caribbean+Southern flare spot in the Leather District, slated to officially open next week!
Stay tuned!

Weekend Brunch @ Estelle's Southern Cuisine in the South End (Boston)

One gloom morning plagued with a light drizzle, I awoke with a hankering for Brunch.  I wanted eggs, potatoes, meat, and bread.

Then I remembered a proclamation I read in one of the bazillion food/restaurant newsletters I subscribe to: "Check Out Estelle's Brunch Menu".  This came on the heels of opening night at the new South End Southern Cuisine establishment. I quickly called up a brunch date (my friend Meghan) and obliged.

Thank goodness for Uber car service.  Somehow, riding around cloudy, damp Boston feels better in a plush Cadillac with complimentary bottled water and the kindest, most professional drivers around.  Sometimes grumpy taxi drivers can turn a dreary day that much so.

During the ride over, as Meghan and I caught up on the haps in each other's live (she just finished a major assignment for The Boston Globe), I recalled opening night's dinner at Estelle's just a couple of weeks back and shared my excitement about the brunch menu.  We both needed the girl talk and sustenance.

Most of the patrons were seated at the tables.  I coaxed Meghan into sitting at the bar with me to dine.  I like the view from the bar in most establishments.  You can check out the scene without staring directly into the plate of your neighbor's table and I enjoyed the bar staff very much on my first visit.  Once again, they provided great service.

We start with a split of champagne for me and a South End Screwdriver (made with organic vodka...of course) for Megs.

We looked over the menu (which I've internet stalked several time prior to arriving- as is my modus operandi) and my favorite part (besides eating) commenced: I spewed off my order like a shopping list and immediately became embarrassed as I always feel like a total glutton afterwards when the person taking my order attempts to figure out how to pace it.











Of course I ordered the spicy, smoked chicken liver deviled eggs that rocked my world at dinner service.

Spicy, Smoked Chicken Liver Deviled Eggs

We enjoyed flaky buttermilk biscuits smothered in sausage gravy.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

A few sides (1/5/13):

"Hot as Hell" Scotch Bonnet Sausage:

Cheesy grits with pecan relish:

  
Molasses grilled banana:

  
Crisp fried chicken livers were partnered with sweet, brightly flavored, sticky orange marmalade drizzled atop fried tobacco onion, served atop garlic seared greens.

A perfect bite!

 
I could eat Chef Gburski's "Monte Cristo Style" stuffed french toast daily!  With it's savory stuffing of smoked turkey, tasso ham, and gruyere cheese, this is one delicious dish.  The crispy spiced fries  were wonderful and the toast cooked to a perfect buttery crisp.

What's brunch without a magnificent hash?  Gburski served up tender, fall-apart braised brisket scrambled with tender sweet potato, onions, and peppers coupled with medium-bodied, creamy, cheesy scrambled eggs, buttery toast and house marmalade.  I'd claim this rich dish as an absolute favorite and two neighborhood guys who are clearly fans totally agreed.

Brisket and Sweet Potato Hash

 Dare I say, no respectable Southern Cuisine title-toting restaurant should omit chicken and waffles from their menu?

Estelle's does it right with their "Wings over Waffles".  The same lovely fried chicken from dinner service were served over cornmeal Belgian waffles but, instead of sausage gravy, a sweet and sour dried cranberry gastrique graced the plate.  Syrup?  What's that?  The gastrique should honestly be bottled and labeled: "Estelle's Cranberry "No Syrup Necessary" Gastrique.  You can thank me later Chefs Eric and Brian.

 

Estelle's: The New Kid on the Block Will Make Friends Quickly!

All smiles and ready to sample Chef Gburski's creations

Opening night at Estelle's was a success!  East Coast Grill alum, Chef Eric Gburski and Chef Brian Poe opened to a full house.  The energy was tangible as Chef Poe worked the front of the house spreading his Southern charm amongst us.  Chef Gburski worked diligently at the open kitchen in the back.  Later in the evening Chef Poe was sure to introduce Chef Gburski to us and others throughout the dining room.  This dynamic duo seems to be a match made in culinary heaven, charm and talent goes a very long way.

Chef Gburski and Kitchen Staff hard at work!

We decided to sit at the bar with a view of most of the dining room space.  We had tons of fun with the knowledgeable staff.  Dan and Hailey even introduced me (a non-beer drinker) to one beer I may actually order again- Sweaty Betty: a blond beer with banana and baking spice undertones.  Estelle's also has Heineken on tap, which I hear is a rarity.  In preparation for what was sure to be a hefty meal, I ordered a glass of smoky, dark cherry-laden Kaiken Malbec and settled into my stool to scope the scene and enjoy dinner.

The Bar, boasting Poe's signature impressive selection of beers on tap

With a great deal of Gulf Coast faves which transported me back to my 9 years in Southeast Alabama and surrounding areas,  I found it difficult to choose a simple meal....so we tried several!

Starters:
 
We started off strong with the spicy smoked chicken liver deviled eggs sprinkled with cayenne pepper.

  
They were like no other deviled egg I've had before.  These little guys packed some serious heat!  The richness and smoky flavor imparted by the chicken liver really elevated what we traditionally think of deviled eggs.   

To keep our friendship intact, instead of fighting over or even splitting the third and final egg, we ordered up another round!

Hailey (our bartender) asks:  "Like your mama's deviled eggs?"  We responded: "Absolutely not!"
 

Spicy smoked chicken liver deviled eggs

The hushpuppies, unfortunately did not have the same mesmerizing effect.  I found them to be slightly more dense with a more coarse meal than I'd like, making for a dry puppy, but I thought the bacon was a nice touch.  The orange-chile honey was beautiful and the creamy chive butter, interesting.

Bacon hush puppies with orange-chile honey, and chive butter

Traditional andouille sausage & smoked chicken gumbo

The gumbo has a nice nutty roux and good flavor.  It was long on content with perfectly cooked veg and meat, but short on heat..  The rice was slightly underdone, but not worries there...we were ready to dive into a few fabulous entrees.

Plates:

Note:  I don't usually order fried chicken when out, but I trust these gents a bit so I went for it and was not the least bit disappointed.

Buttermilk fried chicken with sausage gravy, bacon mac n' cheese, and greens

Chef's buttermilk fried chicken was served with bacon mac n' cheese and sauteed greens. The crispy chicken was smothered in a well-seasoned sausage gravy.  Absolutely delicious!  

The mac n' cheese was creamy with tender pasta and a crisp topping.  It was full of savory bacon lardons.
I loved the bitterness of the greens, not lost to boiling. 
 

Braised duck leg and fried oyster etouffee over white rice

Way lighter etouffee than I've had in and outside of N'awlins, this dish was an interesting mix of Classic French and French Creole/Southern with a show of tender braised duck leg and plump fried oysters.  The Sauce Creole was delicious and added nice acidity to this solid dish with its sliced tomato, onion, and chopped herbs.

Cajun cornmeal crusted catfish with pecan-parsley relish, garlic seared greens & red beans n’ rice

The cornmeal coated fried catfish had a crisp, golden coat over fresh, flaky, light and moist fish within.  
The greens were topped with a very interesting pecan-parsley relish made delicately spicy with chopped purple onion.  The relish was one of the most intriguing flavor combinations I've experienced in a garnish lately and I struggled to find a familiar flavor profile in my taste memory box.  There was a flicker of a faded memory of such a condiment but with coconut.  I still can't place it, but I enjoyed it very much.

Amazing, smoky-sweet, tender grilled jumbo gulf white shrimp were served with a point of seared jalapeño grit cake in New Orleans BBQ sauce and sprinkled with crunchy, spiced corn nuts (which were a pleasant textural surprise).

 
The BBQ sauce was a perfect symphony of savory, spicy, peppery notes- not so powerful as to draw attention away from the succulent shrimp, but definitely making its presence known.

I'm excited about the arrival of Estelle's and glad that Chef Gburski will be spending some time with us on this side of the river.

Po' boys and the newly announced weekend brunch are next on my list of must tries at Estelle's and maybe I can be coaxed into trying more beer.

Estelle's Southern Cuisine
782 Tremont Street at Mass Ave
Boston (South End)   

 **Interview with Chef Brian Poe**

THE Soul Food Burger...Need I say more??? @ JM Curley, Boston, MA

One fateful evening on Twitter I came upon a mouthwatering twit pic of Chef Sam Monsour's interesting creation: "The Soul Food Burger"!  I immediately tweeted my commitment to check it out.

I love when I find inspiration for writing about a food experience in the most random of situations.  I was packing for Barbados' Food+Wine+Rum Festival, when I came across a maxi dress and a vintage dress, both of which triggered by memory of the Soul Food Burger.

   Here's are a few pics of the dresses:

The two on the right are from Derby Day during the Mint Julep Crawl I hosted May 2012

This was my first visit to JM Curley and certainly will not be my last.  I've read much about the burgers, but I was also impressed with the mac & cheese, partly because mac & cheese is one of those hit or miss dishes on restaurant menus.

Upon arrival, we had the pleasure of being seated by the iconic Patrick Maguire, author of the blog "Server Not Servant".  It's always fun to meet bloggers/industry folks who's work you admire.

We had several servers working in sync taking good care of the section.  The atmosphere was dim and mellow with quiet chatter from surrounding tables and the bar area.  The menu design was simple and its contents laced with comfort food and entertaining quirky/snarky rules on proper behavior within the establishment with which I absolutely agree!  I was just glad to see that the phrase "No Food Photography" did not make the list.

Seated next to us was a group of people whom Chef Monsour apparently knew.  He came out to speak to the group, but didn't fail to acknowledge and greet us and others in the dining area...a real class act.

The bar offered two of my favorite cocktail classics of which I had a couple:  The Manhattan and a Classic Champagne Cocktail (Called "Mister Bubbles" @JM Curley).

So, this Soul Food Burger was EVERYTHING!  I've never been one to order burgers at a full service restaurant, but with this one, I very much identified with Richard Chudy (of Boston Burger Blog) and his perpetual search for the perfect burger.  

The Soul Food Burger was well-seasoned and juicy, served on a buttery, toasted sesame seed bun and layered with  tender collard greens, pimento cheese sauce, and candied yam crema! It was spicy... it was savory... it was simply wonderful...

...and what a beauty:

Sorry KFC, THIS is finger-lickin' good!

The Soul Food Burger!

The presentation of the squash hush puppies was Thanksgiving dinner on a bread and butter plate!  The hush puppies were served with turkey neck gravy, cranberry cinnamon butter,  and pop’s stuffing spice.  They were moist on the inside and crisp on the outside.  Though I am a fan of marrying sweet and savory, I enjoyed the cranberry-cinnamon butter best.

Squash hush puppies

We really enjoyed the cast iron mac & cheese made with Cottrell Old Yankee ale and Grafton maple smoked cheddar.  The consistency was perfect, not watery, not dry- which is important to me.  Remarkable flavors came through over tender pasta.

The smoked trout rillettes potato skins were topped with charred leeks, sour cream, parsley, smoked trout and bacon.

Smoked Trout Rillettes Potato Skin

Neither my friend nor I were moved by the Beer and Cheese soup (made with Ellie's brown ale, Vermont cheddar, and Texas Pete hot sauce), but perhaps Tabasco sauce (which my friend didn't request) or more Texas Pete could have been helpful.  I'll try again.

The braised beef cheek gorditas were apparently so great the kitchen ran out by the time of my visit.  I'll be back for those amongst other eye-catching items on the menu.

JM Curley:  Consider me a new fan!

Haley House Event: Gospel Jamboree & Jerk Chicken Cook-Off! August 18, 2012 3-7 pm

Come out and feed your belly and your soul on August 18^th, 2012 from 3-7 pm!

Photo credit: haleyhouse.org

Haley House will be hosting, Dudley Square’s Common Thread Coalition’s First Annual SummerFeast, a Gospel Jamboree & Jerk Chicken Cook-off Contest in the parking lot of Haley House.

Tickets are only $5.00 and can be purchased at A Nubian Notion (146 Dudley Street, Roxbury – ticket hotline: 617 442 4425), Haley House Bakery Café (12 Dade Street, Roxbury), and Vaughn Fish & Chips (1 Erie Street, Dorchester).  NOTE: some locations may charge a small service fee.

Tickets can also be purchased online, here.

SummerFeast kicks off the monthly series: “Roxbury Night Lights” featuring affordable, family-friendly events to promote Dudley Square!

Stanley Porter, a local, talented singer-songwriter, and artist from Revere, MA will be featured at the Gospel Jamboree.

Local chefs will participate in the jerk chicken challenge.  Attendees will vote for the “People’s Choice” and chosen judges will decide upon the overall winner of the title: “Best Jerk Chicken”!

Confirmed Judges: Felix Arroyo, Rose Arruda, Kalila Barnett, Kelley Chunn, Rep. Gloria Fox, Councilor Tito Jackson, Derek Lumpkins, Sibu Malaba, Darryl Settles, Joyce Stanley, Mary Tuitt, Darnell Williams, Nicola Williams, and Pat Williams.

Participants include: Haley House Bakery & Café, Pepperpot, Country Kitchen, Irie, Preparations, Perry’s Gourmet, Shawn Jenkins, Evereth Stephens, and Audley Mills.

MASSART’s Sparcmobile will provide creative opportunities for the young and young at heart – along with other activities.

For more information, contact Bing Broderick at Haley House Bakery Café: 617.822.3941

Common Thread Partners include:
Black Ministerial Alliance
Boston Police Department, District B-2
Haley House Bakery Café
Historic Boston Incorporated
Gallery Basquiat
Madison Park Development Corporation
Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation
TenPoint Coalition

Mobilize & Enjoy!