brunch

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When it comes to food, Dorchester has it going on. While we may not have the restaurants per square mile that downtown Boston or Cambridge boast, we have some really great, genuine foodie paradises with chefs passionate about local food and drink and the tight-knit community.

As I mentioned in my last post, we giddily completed the paperwork for the purchase of our first boat on Saturday, and to celebrate we decided to head back to Dorchester for brunch at Savin Bar and Kitchen. While we had eaten dinner there on its opening night, this was our first brunch, and now I can easily say that two my of favorite places to brunch in Boston are in Dorchester. My other favorite brunch is dbar, hands down.

Champagne Brunch

Savin Bar and Kitchen is bright and airy, with all of the windows on one side open to the street. Unfortunately, it wasn’t full at all when we arrived; maybe people have missed the memo on how good it is?

There were a bunch of brunch options that looked drool-worthy, and we finally decided, as we often do at brunch, to share something sweet and something salty.

huevos rancheros burrito

For him, the huevos rancheros burrito with avocado and home fries, and for me stuffed French toast. The French toast comes with a cream cheese filling, and you have your choice of add-ins. I opted for raspberries, but chocolate chips, blueberries, and strawberries were also available.

french toast

The French toast came stacked high in a pool of warm maple syrup, with a side of cinnamon honey butter for spreading.

french toast

Divine. In case you were wondering, Champagne and French toast are excellent friends and make for a luxurious, leisurely brunch.

What would you put in your stuffed French toast?

The prices at Savin Bar and Kitchen are incredibly reasonable, they have lots of great beers, wines, and cocktails, and the service is the friendly and welcoming kind you expect from a neighborhood restaurant.

I am looking forward to many weekend open-air brunches at Savin Bar and Kitchen this summer!

Savin Bar and Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Savin Bar and Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Tags: Boston, brunch, champagne

What are you doing for Mother’s Day? Do you have any special plans? I am not sure yet; since I was home in NJ this past weekend for my nephew’s christening, I won’t be able to spend the day with my own mom. There’s a slight chance the boat that we are getting will be in the water by the weekend; if it is, I will be on it!

If I was making a Mother’s Day brunch, I would definitely include one of my favorite potato dishes, this cheesy and garlicky baked potato casserole. I made this dish on a chilly evening recently, and everything about it, the smells, tastes, and comforting texture, make it a winning dish.

red potato

I started with five large potatoes, skin on. I almost didn’t want to cut up this heart-shaped potato! Smile But I sliced the potatoes into thin rounds and added them to a pot of salted, boiling water. or this dish, you don’t want the potatoes to get mushy, so boil just until fork-tender, then drain and set aside.

While the potatoes boiled, I finely chopped five large cloves of garlic and added the garlic to about a cup each of shredded skim mozzarella and grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese.

cheese and garlic

To the garlic and cheese, I added about two cups of whole milk, swapped in where cream would be. It’s all about the moderation.

mozzarella and garlic

To the milk/garlic/cheese mix, I added fresh ground black pepper and a bit of grated nutmeg. I have said it before, but I absolutely love the addition of nutmeg to creamy sauces.

Once the sauce was ready and the potatoes drained, I layered slices of potato in a casserole dish, covering each layer with a mix of cheese, milk, and garlic

 

image

Once all of my layers were in place, I popped the dish into the oven at 400 for 25 minutes. Every so often, I turned on the oven light to check out the bubbly, browning cheese.

image

Caution. . . this dish is not only REALLY hot at first, it is also completely addictive! If I was serving these cheesy potatoes with brunch, I would balance it with an egg white frittata, fruit salad, and mimosas made with various types of juice, orange, mango, pomegranate.

If you are cooking for Mother’s Day, what are you making? If you aren’t cooking, do you have other fun plans?

Tags: breakfast, brunch, cheese, Food, potatoes, recipe, side dish

Happy Marathon Monday! Tis the season for long walks outdoors and unplanned Sundays. Yesterday was one of those blissful days where we left the house for a walk which ended up being about 10 miles. We made our way through South Boston, to Flour Bakery for a large iced coffee and then to the Boston waterfront where we decided we were hungry. Eating at Sam’s at Louis has been at the top of my list for some time now, and with it being smack on the waterfront, it was an obvious choice for a gorgeous, sunny spring day.

If you are a fellow Bostonian, you might remember the Louis Boston building being part of the Volvo Ocean Race where it was a Puma store. I had the opportunity to participate in Volvo Ocean Race festivities both in Boston, where I saw an old friend visiting from the Netherlands, and in Galway Ireland, and I loved it. The ocean race is returning (to Galway, not Boston) in 2012, and I can’t wait. But in the meantime, the Boston waterfront has grown, and I am excited to see Sam’s as a new addition.

Sam's at Louis Boston

Sam’s is the upstairs restaurant at Louis Boston, and it is a modern, comfortable space. We walked in and saw that there was no host or hostess, but one of the wait staff told us we could have a table that was being cleaned right then. Score!

Louis Boston

There was a little confusion when we arrived about getting a table. It turns out there were people waiting in front of us, and some of the staff didn’t know. I learned later that the owners are doing everything from managing the restaurant to seating guests on their own, and since the place was buzzing with people, there was just a minor misunderstanding. The rest of the service more than made up for it.  After sitting at the bar, we realized the outdoor seats were empty and asked the bartender if we could sit there. He was super friendly and brought us outside with menus.

Sam's at Louis

The sun was just coming out, and strong, and our friendly server soon brought us water and our Jonnie Law’s Jumbo Bloody Marys. I love me a spicy Bloody Mary, and these had quite a bit of black pepper and horseradish blended in making them perfectly spicy.

bloody mary

Sam’s menu had a mix of sweet brunch items and lunch items. It was well past 1:00, and I decided on the club sandwich with fries, while the husband had the oyster po’ boy with warm potato salad.

BLT

My sandwich was fabulous, with crispy bacon, thick slices of turkey, ripe tomato, and buttery, fresh bread. My husband’s potato salad was something I want to recreate, warm potatoes with a mustard dressing, paired with a French roll, topped with plump oysters and spicy sauce.

oyster po boy

The views were as blissful as the food. We stayed for quite a long time, turning our winter-weary faces to the sun and watching boats and planes while talking about our own future boat. To be continued. . .

Sams at Louis Boston

Because I didn’t want to leave, I ordered a shot of espresso and more water and sipped away for a few more minutes.

espresso at Sams at Louis

We were absolutely delighted with our experience, minus the hostess snafu, and would return to Sam’s at Louis again soon. The views are probably some of the best in Boston, and it was laid back yet still a very cool place to be.

*Edited to add that following this post, I received a very sincere apology from Sam’s regarding the initial confusion about the wait list, a very nice touch and a sign that they really do care about customers’ experience. I appreciate when businesses do this!

We followed our brunch with a walk home via the Harbor Walk, past some new businesses including DelFrisco’s Steakhouse, Legal Harborside, and the new Jerry Remy’s. FINALLY Boston is using its waterfront for the people.

Louis Boston

Are we turning into San Francisco? I hope a little bit. . . I feel like it has been a long time coming for this city of ours to use our natural beauty to our business advantage.

Louis Boston

Do you have a favorite city? San Francisco is definitely mine, with Boston in the mix, but I also love Halifax, Nova Scotia for the way they use their gorgeous waterfront for the people.

Sam's on Urbanspoon

Tags: Boston, brunch, restaurant, Sam's at Louis

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