Comfort Food

There are many nights, certainly, when you want sophistication and complexity, to cook or to eat. Many of the dishes we have made  and restaurants we have reviewed for this blog are aimed precisely at satisfying this impulse--the layering of diverse yet complimentary flavors, the excitement of an unexpected fusion, and the satisfaction of taking a risk and succeeding. These nights are not all nights, however. On some nights, it is getting late, and dark, and the sunshine of the prior weeks has given way to pounding rain and wind that rips thick branches from the trees, and you find yourself alone, and uncertain, and missing someone. Tonight has been that sort of night for me. If I'd had the means of making them, it would have been the kind of night for a grilled cheese sandwich (perhaps according to Anne's excellent ideas for them), some tomato soup, and a Star Trek marathon. Instead, I decided to wander down through the rain to Hops and Vines.

The Williamstown area has several good places to indulge such an urge in fact. In a coming post I'll review two more of them: the Purple Pub, which opened a couple of years ago (replacing an earlier but unrelated place of the same name that burned down)  at the end of Spring Street, the main commercial strip on campus, and The Forge, a local institution about 25 minutes drive away that offers terrific wings and a truly massive selection of interesting beers. Hops and Vines is of particular interest, however, in that it actually aims to satisfy both of the impulses I specified above at once. It inherited a space (from Mezze, which has migrated about 15 minutes drive away, sadly just out of walking distance) with two dining rooms separated by a passageway, and has built this division into its core identity.  On one side is Vines, a brasserie and wine bar, offering dishes such as beet risotto with goat cheese ($16, or $10 for a small portion), Italian eggplant with white bean puree and house-made dolmades ($16), and pan seared diver scallops with fennel, coriander, and orange ($24), as a wide variety of wine and signature cocktails like the Berkshire Apple Rye, composed of Bullet Rye, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, apple cider, and sparkling wine ($8).

Many of these are items I look forward to trying, but on this night I steered straight for the Hops side, a bar with low, sturdy wood tables, two flat screen tv's, and a popcorn machine. The bar side's menu only has four items (though anything from the Vines side menu can be ordered): wings in three varieties ($10), poutine, sliders (with onions, bacon, and cheddar) and fries, and my choice for the evening, Belgian ale macaroni and cheese with a pretzel crust (all $9). It also boasts a fairly large section of craft beers on draught, including several that I very much enjoy: several IPA's including Dogfish Head's classic, well balanced 60 Minute, Sam Adam's crisp Latitude 48, and an intense, intriguing Black IPA  by Otter Creek, as well as a Belgian Abbey-style ale by NY brewery Ommegange, a classic English bitter called Old Speckled Hen, and a coffee porter by the local Berkshire Brewing Company (all between  $5.50 and $7). In an attempt to watch my spending, however, I decided to try the house lager (a very affordable $3.25). When it arrived, I was pleased to discover a crisp, smooth beer with a well-rounded, lightly woody flavor and hints of a honey-like sweetness. The macaroni and cheese similarly did not disappoint; the pasta was al dente, the sauce hot and flavorful, with a mustardy background  and plenty of contribution from the Belgian ale (though a bit on the thin side), while the well-browned crust packed plenty of aged cheese flavor and made surprisingly good use of the substitution of hard pretzel pieces for the standard breadcrumbs. I ate, drank, munched popcorn and watched the Red Sox rack up a few runs (somewhat uncharacteristically for this season), and when I departed, things did not seem nearly so grey as before.


e-mail us: you can send your comments, recipes, or a personal message to Anne and Colin at: everything-tasty@annedesigns.com

Pho Real: Saigon in Williamstown.

I know I've only been doing this a little while, but I've already run into one factor that I've seen be an issue over and over again with reviews of any kind: what is the subject being compared to? If a movie is a schlocky, ludicrous action movie, but executes that genre perfectly, do you give it high marks for precisely hitting it's target, or low ones for not being particularly intellectual or artistic? How do you grade an album by a legendary artist if it is below their usual standards, but would be a great effort coming from someone else? Do you compare a restaurant to all the others of it's "genre" you've been to, the other restaurants in the area, or to some platonic ideal of restaurant-dom, the best of all possible eateries?

This last question was brought home to me when a new Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, opened here in Williamstown, specifically on Spring Street,the only significant commercial drag near campus. For those who haven't been up to this distant corner of Massachusetts, there had previously been only two sit-down restaurants on Spring Street, one Indian and one Thai (a pub has also since opened, which I have yet to try), so I was really eager to have another option, especially as I happen to be rather fond of Vietnamese food.

Within a week of it opening, the posts about it on our student forum began. Most were not kind, and neither was the review in the campus paper. The general consensus seemed to be that the portions were too small, the prices too high, the menu too small and (what got me onto this topic) the quality was low as compared to places they'd been at home. Several posts had variations on "just go to New York for real Vietnamese food."

Sonoran Hot Dogs -something *positive* from my home town

Hot Dog Sonoran-style

Hey all,

I know it's been too long since I've posted--life has been overwhelming, but this is something I aim to change. Anne's posts are, of course, wonderful--but this is a group blog and from here on out I intend to keep it that way.

Anyhow, as most of you know I'm from Tucson. Obviously, right now that's a painful word--for few more so than me; I worked for Gabby Giffords for three months in 2008, and I can safely say that she is among the best human beings I have ever met. Everyone who meets her, regardless of their politics, will come away talking about what an incredibly kind and understanding person she is. I feel very close to her, and I hope you will join me in sending your prayers and positive thoughts her way.

In this moment though, I'm trying to remind myself that Tucson is not solely a city of doom; that I come from a place I long to return to on these long cold Berkshire nights. It's far from perfect, but I know that Gabby is proud to represent us, and that she would tell you herself that it's a city full of kind and talented people, vibrant art, terrific music and--the subject of this blog--great food.

Now, the first association you are likely to make is with Mexican food, and rightly so--from gourmet, experimental restaurants like Cafe Poca Cosa to the dozens of terrific hole-in-the wall taquerias that dot the south side, we certainly do very well in the Mexican food department. Yet, if I'm to be completely honest, it would be hard to say that Tucson is indisputably the American #1 at any particular aspect of Mexican food; we've got stellar Sonoran and Michoacan style places, but they are likely equaled by others in New Mexico, and while there are some delicious exceptions (like terrific local Mexican seafood chain Mariscos Chihuahua), our coverage of non-northern Mexican styles could certainly be better. Yet there is one area of Mexican (or, at least, Mexican-tinged) cuisine where Tucson stands indisputably supreme, offering a rendition unsurpassed anywhere in this country if not on Earth: the Sonoran-Style Hot Dog.

Highland Kitchen Reviewed

Highland Kitchen Reviewed

Last night, I finally had a chance to try Highland Kitchen in Somerville (617) 625-1131 http://www.highlandkitchen.com/,  a restaurant people have been telling me good things about for a very long time.  Folks were right.  Although it's located in a gentrifying, vaguely hipster neighborhood, this isn't just another upscale gastropub.  Instead, Highland aims for half local hangout bar, half s**t-kickin' Southern-inspired dive, and somehow nails this eccentric target dead on.   There's live blues and a bluegrass brunch on Sundays, karaoke night on Wednesdays.  There's seafood gumbo, pulled pork, and deviled eggs on the menu.  There's a wall of sound—equal parts TV, jukebox, and loud, happy patrons—that engulfs you the minute you walk in. 

Shrimp and Girts at Highland Kitchen

There's friendly service, too, and best of all, genuinely terrific food and drink.  Appetizers looked most intriguing, so we tried (and would recommend) the fried green tomato special—a salad presentation with arugula, cherry tomatoes and blue cheese dressing sharing the plate with the crisp, delicious tomato slices.  After pausing for a briny, super-fresh Cape Cod Bay oyster apiece, we moved on to shrimp and grits: sheer heaven, with slow-smoked bacon, mushrooms, and tangy, meaty, perfectly-cooked shrimp.

Improving on a Tucson Original

So, on lunch break with my mother a few weeks back, we went to the Time Market. For those of you who haven’t been, it’s a real Tucson institution and absolutely essential if you visit. For a place as small as it is, it’s got an excellent variety of cheese, chocolate, artisanal cooking oils and the like, an awesome selection of beverages, both alcoholic and soft (Virgil’s Root Beer—mmm), more kinds of interesting chips than you could shake a stick at, as well as some excellent bread they bring in from a local bakery, and some of the best tortillas in town (though they go very quickly). Besides all this, they’ve got a brick oven that turns out great (and cheap) pizza, and the subject of the rest of today’s column—a deli counter with a large and unique selection of sandwiches.

When I’ve gone to lunch there by myself, I’ve mainly gotten the pizza; when I have had sandwiches there, it’s mostly been in the company of my stepmother, who tends to complain when I order something weird, so to placate her I’ve stuck for the most part to the more conventional offerings—tuna salad etc.—which were unfailingly quite good. But each time I’ve gone in, my eye has strayed to one fascinating item: the Green Gringo. This hot sandwich, a mad-scientist melding of American and Mexican tradition, advertises shredded chicken and a green corn tamale on sourdough bread, along with salsa, green olives, and cheddar cheese. And this time, I was going to have it.

We ordered, I grabbed a Mexican grapefruit soda from the cooler, and soon the sandwich arrived. The first thing I noticed was that it had a soft, buttery looking roll instead of the sourdough—so much the better really. I took a picture, picked up the sandwich, took a bite and…

Ogunquit Restaurants: Favorites Featuring The Lobster Shack

I've just returned from a week's vacation in Ogunquit, ME, the idyllic seaside town where I go every year to sample as much lobster-centric New England cuisine as possible while still fitting into my tankini.  

Cove Café

Yes, there are pristine beaches, lush flower gardens, and breathtaking cliffside views to enjoy in Ogunquit too; visit my photo scrapbook to see pictures if you like. But this is a food blog: let's talk tasty.

Irish Benedict at Amore Breakfast

Ogunquit is a breakfast kind of place.

  Wild blueberry pancakes at—where else—Wild Blueberry Café and Bistro shouldn't be missed, likewise all the Benedicts (or pretty much anything else) at Amore Breakfast,

now at 309 Shore Road.  Another favorite is the simple, friendly 

Cove Café, where everything from crab cakes to croissants is homemade, locally-sourced, and delicious. 

Houston Food Review

So if you recall, when I wrote my last blog a ways back I was in Houston visiting my girlfriend Eden. I had a wonderful time, and it was very hard to say goodbye to her at the airport—she’s really quite incredible. Since I got back I’ve been completely absorbed in the stress of getting the reading of my new play put together, but, with that finished (it went pretty well I think), I can finally return my attention to the blog—and I’ll start with a Houston food review.

Dinner at Sofra

Spinach felafel with beet purée on flatbread

I had dinner for the first time this evening at Sofra, a wonderful new-ish café and bakery on the Cambridge/Watertown line, run by the owners of the fabulous, famous (and fairly pricey) restaurant Oleana in Cambridge.