Lucca

A side trip to the charming town of Lucca en route from Florence to San Gimignano!

We had a nice lunch at Trattoria da Leo and went shopping while Camden napped!

Post 390 Picnic Basket

Post 390 Picnic Baskets are where it's at this September. The sun is still shining after you get out of the office, but those sweltering July and August days are well behind. Schedule a basket with an hour lead time to pick up after work - then wander over to Copley Square, the Esplanade or the Public Garden. We headed to our end of the Charles River Esplanade in Brighton. (The light was so insanely beautiful that I decided to channel my inner fashion blogger modeling with my cute little picnic basket!) Here's what's in it: 

/ Salad of Artisan Lettuces / candied pecans, dried cranberries, manchego, white balsamic vinaigrette 

/ Antipasto / prosciutto americano, sweet soppressata, marinated mozzarella, pickles, stout mustard, banana peppers, toasted baguette with sea salt  

/ Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies / soft + chewy 

/ Meyer + Tarragon Sparkling Lemonade / meyer lemon juice, tarragon, black peppercorn

All the food was delicious, however, that lemonade was my favorite! Everything was thoughtfully prepared and securely packaged, which in turn made for convenient unpacking and laying out a lovely spread with ease. The wooden utensils were a thoughtful touch, too. There are a couple different menu options - check them out here and let me know if you try one! 

*This picnic basket was complimentary, all opinions are my own*

Babbo Pizzeria

This past April, Boston warmly welcomed high-profile chef Mario Batalli to the Seaport District's Fan Pier with the opening of Babbo Pizzeria at 11 Fan Pier Boulevard. (The original Babbo resides in Manhattan with a Michelin Star.) Each time I venture across the Fort Point Channel I am wide-eyed in amazement at the changes taking place; shiny new buildings and restaurants are continuing to forever transform the city's waterfront. On a recent Tuesday, The Envoy Hotel's chic roofdeck overlooking the not-forgotten Barking Crab looks like the place to be. Across from a massive construction site, venturing towards what was once the lone Fan Pier Restaurant, Sam's, I locate Babbo. Inside the wide open, bright space, I spot my girlfriends gathered around one of the Carrara marble counter-tops sipping aperitivi from the likes of a classic Aperol Spritz (Flor processo, Aperol, orange), to a Peach Shrub (Zucca Amaro, house made peach shrub, vinegar) and a Summer in the City (Strawberry Rye, Cocchi Rossa, Peychauds). The Peach Shrub is unique and invigorating; I order one for myself. 

Once seated at a round table for six, we start with Verdure (vegetables) Cauliflower alla Sciciliana ($5) and Peas, Mint & Prosciutto ($5) offer delicate little cauldrons with fresh, flavorful components. Joining the mix is everything on the Pesce section ($7 each / $21 all): Tuna Sottolio - sungolds, calabrian chilis, panzanella / Sardines Marinato - Portuguese sardines, cucumber, cherry tomato / Calamari Siciliana - fregola, caperberries, cherry tomatoes / Grappa Cured Salmon - arugula, primo olio. If you have a large group that enjoys seafood, ALL four for $21 is the way to go!

Babbo's pizza is divine. The dough is made daily and pies are wood fired in a 1000 degree brick oven. The result is a Neapolitan style pie where an airy crispness is met with a wonderfully chewy texture. Just the right amount of toppings come together in the Squash & Stracciatella ($14) with thinly sliced summer squash and zucchini, wild boar salami, and chili adding a welcome spicy kick. The thin crust gets slightly overwhelmed by the Guacinale ($14), even so, I still welcome the delicately cured pork, perfectly soft boiled egg, and scallion on my pizza. The Bagna Cauda ($13) ends up being our only red sauce based pie, with escarole, parmigiano and sausage. 


As if three Pizza's weren't enough, we shared from the Fritti Section: Fiore Di Zucca ($16) - local squash blossoms with conch farm goat cheese and lemon aioli and Eggplant Milanese ($14) with stracciatella and tomato jam. And for Pastas: Egg Yolk Ravioli ($15) - brown butter, sage, hazelnut, guanciale and a simple Gnocchi Pomodoro ($15) - cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella di bufala. 
Overall - the pizzas were a home run, outshining the pastas but complimenting nicely the rest of the menu. I loved all the verdue, pesce and fritti that we tried. 


Finally, you'll want to go big with the dolci. Megan had been here before and steered us right the entire evening - ending with the decision to order ALL the Coppettas. A group favorite was the Olive Oil Coppetta ($10) with olive oil gelato, lime curd, strawberries, passionfruit granita and basil syrup.  

The S'More Coppetta ($10) featuring graham cracker gelato, dark chocolate gelato, chocolate crumbs and toasted marshmallow was a very close runner up for me. That gooey torched marshmallow sauce was unreal!

In a hilarious moment, the towering Sweet Corn Coppetta ($10) with blackberries, polenta cake, zabalgione and caramel corn toppled over, jenga style! The waitstaff were quick to clean up the mess and to assure us they would bring another right out. You don't have to think twice about service here, it is flawless.

P.S. A fun article in the Globe: Batali Bursts into Town with Babbo

BaBBo Pizzeria

11 Fan Pier Boulevard
Boston, MA 02210

Tuscan Kitchen | Grand Opening

At the Grand Opening of Tuscan Kitchen and Market the owner, Joe Faro, makes it a point to individually greet the large number of guests as they mingle before dinner. Faro grew up in a traditional Italian household and made his foray into the business at a young age selling his own homemade pasta. The deeply rooted traditions continue at his second location to open in Burlington, MA (the original resides in Salem, NH). In the kitchen, the bread is made from scratch and baked in a stone hearth. The meats and fish are roasted on a wood grill, pizzas are fired in a wood oven and yes, the pastas are still hand rolled. Meanwhile, the market sells delectable Italian goods such as premium olive oils and unique balsamic vinegars with an adjoining café counter offering pastries, gelato and specialty coffee drinks. They are doing a lot in a massive space - in a location adjacent to uniform office parks. The results so far are well-received, and the grand opening party a delicious success.  

Upon arrival we are greeted with glasses of prosecco and Parmigiana Reggiano, sliced fresh from a giant wheel and drizzled in balsamic. As we made our way into the bar and lounge area, antipasti were passed, martinis were poured, and a gorgeous plated appetizer station beckoned. There was everything from homemade burrata, affettati misti: porchetta and prosciutto, fig jam, local truffle honey, roasted vegetables and artesian stone hearth breads. I sipped a refreshing cocktail called The Tuscan made with Stoli, muddled basil, lime juice and sugar.

After everyone was seated for dinner we started with a duo of pastas; Cannelloni di Vitello - thin sheets of rosemary pasta stuffed with slow braised veal breast, spinach and Tuscan bean mista and Truffle Mascarpone Gnocchi with wood roasted mushrooms, fava beans and shaved pecorino tartufo. These pasta creations elicited high praise all around; the Cannelloni was my favorite dish of the evening - and I never like veal!  The secondi course offered our choice of Pan Roasted Cod with an herb leek butter crust and rock shrimp in a sweet pea saffron risotto or the Filetto di Manzo - 10 oz aged wood grilled filet with caramelized garlic, tuffle parmesan fingerlings and a brussels sprout and pancetta slaw. Were these ever some gorgeous, well executed entrees!

Guests were sent off to the market's Caffe Toscano for farewell coffee, pastry and gelato. I got an espresso and a scoop of vanilla with a scoop of tiramisu, a sweet ending to a wonderful evening. Welcome to Burlington, Tuscan Kitchen!

Tuscan Kitchen

 24 New England Executive Park

Burlington, MA 01803

Marco | North End

I lived in the North End for four years and I have been recommending restaurants to friends and strangers ever since. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I started this blog, teemed with the fact that I enjoyed photographing good looking plates of food, just because. (Before it became so trendy that it wasn't - or more likely is I jumped on a bandwagon unknown to me at the time.) I digress. Even though I moved over the bridge to Charlestown, those tourist laden streets of Little Italy still beckon. I miss them. And I'm strangely, fiercely loyal to this neighborhood in all its classic Italian glory. It is a shame that I couldn't recommend Marco, Chef Marc Orfaly's intimate roman trattoria, sooner.

I have known about Marco all the while, it sits quietly unassuming on the busiest section of Hanover Street, perched on the second floor above Caffe Paradiso. As we made our way up the discreet staircase for the first time, entering the cozy nook of a dining room anchored by a working fireplace with elegant hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, antique rustic beams and only a handful of tables, I couldn't believe what I had been missing out on. Our window side table was romantic in its simplicity, set with white lilies in a Sanbitter bottle vase, a flickering tea light, and lending an ideal people watching view.
At a glance their cocktail menu wasn't particularly intriguing. I noted standards (cosmo, bellini, mojito) and decided to stick with a glass of Prosecco ($9). They don't have a full alcohol license but make do with flavored spirits and liquor. Adam ordered their version of an Old Fashioned ($11) (think meets Negroni, with a Cherry flavored Whiskey) which made me think twice about passing one up, it was excellent! The small Italian wine list focuses on family run and boutique wineries. To pair with our entrees I chose the house Nero d'Avola ($26) a great value (about four glasses worth) offered by the carafe. 

After the atmosphere and the first round of drinks impressed, in swoops the bread course, a delightful gesture of bite size rosemary and garlic dusted focaccia squares served with house caponata containing olives, eggplant, onions, peppers and the obligatory side of olive oil for dipping. 

The Antipasto di Marco ($18) is a revelation of handsomely presented, simple delicacies on a heavy wood board. On top of a trio of delectable imported salumi: soppressata, mortadella and salami sits neatly spooned heaps of a chickpea and carrot salad, marinated roasted red peppers, shredded eggplant, mashed tuna and tangy anchovies draped over white beans. Even more perfect bites, hot peppers stuffed with hunks of mozzarella, slices of creamy burrata and grilled bread. Finally, piled in the center is a mash up of cornichons, olives, caperberries and pickled cauliflower. There is a tiny bar across the dining room which is mostly empty. I picture myself returning just to sit there and snack feast on this. 

The pasta dishes are superb - elevated by house made meats. In my Orecchiette Alla Salsica ($25) with peas and favas, there is free form house made sausage, while Adam's Rigatoni alle Polpette di Maile ($25) features Berkshire Pork Meatballs in tomato gravy. We both went with full portions and I took plenty of leftovers home so depending on your appetite, or your next destination, you might consider a half for $14. 

We decided to skip for dessert! I was even feeling too stuffed for a cappuccino and tiramisu, which is so not like me.

Where simple romance is matched with exquisite Italian cuisine, Marco is the true definition of a North End hidden gem. Bravi! 

Marco

253 Hanover St #2

Boston, MA 02113