Restaurants

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I wrote the below post before the horrific terrorist attacks on Paris on Friday. I have been thinking about all of those affected  by the attacks all weekend and still, like so many others, have no ability to make sense of what happened or the state our world is in. I spent much of the weekend anxious and sad.

I thought about not posting today, but ultimately, I can sit around and feel sad or I can share my love of life with blog readers, people who have, through technology, become friends over the years. I hope that continuing to share things we love and to keep an eye on one another and to connect can help us to keep the love and light in the world when there are some determined to take it away.

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I’ve mentioned it a few times, but our dining habits lately have been leaning sharply toward Dorchester. We’ve visited Tavolo, Ester, and Ashmont Grill quite frequently, and they are so good and so close that it’s hard not to  pull ourselves away.

Last week after drinks with friends we found ourselves in the Fort Point area of Boston and suddenly starving. We were parked by Bastille Kitchen, so we decided to go in and grab a couple of appetizers.

I instantly fell in love with the space and the buzz of energy and activity. The restaurant was busy but had a nice noise level and lots of smiling patrons.

Domaine Augis "La Rosée"

They had a nice by-the-glass wine selection, and I of course went with pink bubbly, Domaine Augis "La Rosée", which added to the already celebratory Friday mood.

I had started the week off with a terrible 36 hour bug and as a result hadn’t eaten much more than soup all week, but at Bastille Kitchen my appetite came back with a vengeance. Their bread basket is not just bread, but warm, buttery mini croissants, which I basically attacked. They were flaky and heavenly. If I could have a warm basket delivered every morning, I would be all set.

warm croissants

Date night always includes oysters, and we polished these off in no time. Fresh, cold, perfect – I love oysters this time of year!

oysters

Now, the plan was to share some appetizers and then to head home, but my ravenous post-illness body saw the Porterhouse for two, and that was all I could think about.

Sides It came with asparagus, potato gratin, grilled tomatoes, and sauce bordelaise, and we got a bit of horseradish on the side, and it was all simply dreamy. The meat barely needed a knife. It was so tender and flavorful, and all of the vegetables were the perfect accompaniments. We ate every bite; I definitely took the lead on this endeavor!

Porterhouse for Two It felt so good to want to eat after feeling so miserable, so we ordered dessert. Profiteroles, light, fluffy, another pastry win, were stuffed with caramel chip ice cream and had a warm hazelnut chocolate sauce for pouring.

profiteroles

The service at Bastille Kitchen was as exquisite as the food and ambiance. Our server and everyone who cared for us were so pleasant and attentive and smiling all the while. It was just a lovely experience. I can’t wait to return.

Tags: Boston, date night, Dining out, dinner, Food, Restaurants, wine

I think everyone who loves food and travel like I do has restaurants they dream of visiting. Le Bernardin and Chez Panisse are two of mine. One that I recently crossed off my list was Chicago’s Frontera Grill. Our trip to Chicago was full of great food, and Frontera Grill was most definitely a highlight.  I had wanted to visit after watching Rick Bayless on TV for years, so when this Chicago trip was being planned, it was the first place I made reservations.

Frontera Grill We ended up at Frontera Grill for lunch due to their being closed on Sundays and wanting to do an Italian night, carb loading with a running friend, on Saturday. We arrived right in time for opening, and there was a line waiting at the door. There were about 20 people in front of us, and I worried that it would take forever to get up to the podium to check in for our reservation.

There was no need to worry; the staff was so welcoming, warm, and efficient, getting us all inside and out of the chilly, gray fall day. They had several staff members seating people, so it took less than three minutes for us to be swept off to our table.

Frontera Grill Rick Bayless

We took some time to enjoy the bright decor as we settled into our seats. I loved the color and the warm and festive vibe that Frontera had. The staff seemed to be enjoying themselves as they very busily went about taking care of us.

We started off with the must-order guacamole and some cocktails. I had a Champagne Margarita, which combined two of my favorite things. The drink was delicious and went great with salty, hot, crispy chips and homemade guac.

 

Frontera Grill GuacamoleFrontera Grill   As we tend to do, we ordered appetizers to share, two from the Street Food menu.

We had a mix of some of the freshest ceviche ever with chicken taquitos and Mexico City style quesadillas.

 

Frontera Grill

And then there were cute little Mushroom Molote tarts and Sopes Rancheros, little corn masa boats with shredded beef, avocado, and roasted tomato. Yum. Frontera Grill

We were so stuffed that we passed on dessert, though now I am dreaming of it, imagining how good it would have been. Instead we went for a thick, creamy, spicy hot chocolate for the road, the ideal drink for walking around Chicago on a blustery autumn day.

Frontera Grill was everything I hoped it would be, and I hope to visit this restaurant or another of Bayless’s restaurants on a future trip to Chicago.

Do you have a dream restaurant that you would need to travel to get to?

Past posts on dining at the restaurants of celebrity chefs:

Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, CA 

Mario Batali’s Tarry Lodge, Port Chester, NY

Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar, San Francisco, CA

Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, Healdsburg, CA

Tags: Chicago, Food, Restaurants, Travel

Charleston is really just one of the most delicious places I have ever been, and on our last trip to South Carolina, though we didn’t have much time, we made a point of getting in two meals there. The first was lunch at Hominy Grill, which was recommended by several former Charleston residents, and brunch at 82 Queen, which you can read about here.

photo 1

As soon as we landed in Charleston I put Hominy Grill into the GPS, and we were off. It only took about 20 minutes to get there, and we received a warm welcome before being seated in the bustling restaurant. It’s always good to see a place that busy!

Our table had beautiful flowers, and our server was very sweet. We were on a mini vacation, so we started with cocktails. The South makes me think of bourbon so I had an Old Fashioned.

Hominy Grill Charleston Old Fashioned

Complimentary boiled peanuts kept our mouths full until our food came. As we often do, we ordered a few plates to share. I had a mental checklist of the Southern fare I wanted to indulge in, and Hominy Grill helped us to cover many of them.

boiled peanutspimiento cheese platePicnic Sampler pimento cheese, shaved country ham, pickled eggs, okra pickles & garlic toasts

The Picnic Sampler got me the pimiento cheese and okra that I was craving. I can’t get enough pickled okra!

 

fried green tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes with ranch dressing

Fried Green Tomatoes are a favorite; I’ve even made my own healthier version. The tomatoes at Hominy Grill were better.

fried chicken

Fried Chicken Basket with pickles & pepper relish

Fried chicken is another must-have in the South, and this was buttery and flaky and juicy with perfect pickles and a tangy pepper relish.

 

chocolate cake

Because we hadn’t chowed down quite enough, we went for two desserts, the chocolate cake and the buttermilk pie, which is a decadent, buttery, heavenly treat.

buttermilk pieWe left stuffed and delighted with the Southern hospitality and phenomenal food we enjoyed for lunch. If you are visiting Charleston, a visit to Hominy Grill should be on your list.

Tags: Charleston, Dining out, Food, food blog, Restaurants, Travel

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