Il Casale | Belmont Center

On Bob's birthday, Wednesday, February 27th, I was 2 days postpartum and still admitted. Baby Camden was in the NICU. I was discharged on the 28th while Camden was not quite ready. We had been visiting our sweet son at NWH and as we said our goodnights we impromptu decided to take advantage of his excellent care and head out for a birthday date night. 

Belmont Center is not too far from NWH. We arrived to Il Casale in a warm and bustling converted fire station and grabbed two seats at the bar. I eyed the martinis next to me thinking how good they looked. Suddenly my face lit up. "I can have a drink. I can actually order one of those!" It had not hit me until this glorious moment. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my 9 months of sobriety but what a moment. My first postpartum drink: the 60 day cask aged Meletti Manhattan made with overholt rye, meletti amaro + amarena cherry.  

The Buratta Salad was a wondrous portion of field greens, speck from Trentino Alto-Adige + fresh figs. All the pasta is made in house - I had a terrific Cream Mushroom Gnocchetti featuring pickled Beachwood mushrooms, charred endive, local carrots + pine nuts. It was our first time to this Il Casale location (I had been to Lexington) and it made for a lovely Friday birthday date night. 

Il Casale

50 Leonard St 

Belmont, MA 02478

Stone Hearth Pizza x Clown Shoes Beer

Everything you need to know about Stone Heath Pizza Co. can be read in this post from a dinner at their Porter Square, Cambridge location last June. Refresher: tasty organic pizzas, fantastic craft beers, killer meatballs, passionate owners and a deep dedication to locally sourcing ingredients and products. (Including - Clown Shoes Beer, Pete & Gerry's Eggs and Firenze Gelato). Last Wednesday Stone Hearth played host to about 20 bloggers at their newest location in a Citgo Gas Station turned modern pizza parlor in Allston. Clown Shoes takes an unpretentious, unabashed approach to brewing beer and they are doing so locally in Ipswich, MA. The Clementine is a zesty Belgian style white ale, it acts as a refreshing aperitif and pairs perfectly with the light, clean salads served ranging from Spinach and Avocado ($6.95) to the Fennel Salad ($6.95) where the shaved anise flavored vegetable accompanies black olives over crispy romaine hearts. Thin strips of garlic olive oil infused Parmesan Flatbread ($3) are served with Melanzana ($4) a sweet roasted eggplant spread.
The India Pale Ale which Clown Shoes describes as "seductive" and "bodacious" is aptly titled Tramp Stamp and the Brown Angel is dubbed "A sexy American interpretation of an old-school brown ale." I love their sense of humor and predict good things for beer this good. I can't wait to see where else they show up around town. Definitely preface some pizzas with the pop-able Cheddar Covered Olives ($5). Cloaked in a cheddar cheese dough these plump green olives stuffed with sun dried tomatoes are baked giving them a light and healthy quality. Speaking of pop-able, you would also be wise to order some house made mozzarella cheese stuffed Meatball Poppers ($.8.50) in either their spicy or signature tomato sauce, or a creamy roasted onion and herb sauce. Oven fired at 600 degrees, the pizza crust embodies an inherent crispiness, with just a little char and a hint of chew. Get your fill of greens in the Divine Goddess a mash up of spinach and broccoli highlighted by local ricotta cheese. The Farm Fresh uses a mozzarella cheese base and packs on worthy vegetables including cherry tomatoes, charred red and yellow peppers, artichoke hearts, Yukon gold potatoes and green olives. The toppings are evenly dispersed over the thin crust so they never seem to weigh the pizzas down. Original creations incorporating some meat include the Bacon & Blue and the Prosciutto & Pineapple. Both are table favorites. We also got to try Firenze's Purple Sweet Potato gelato, wonderfully colored and wildly flavored, this frozen confection company is onto something.

It was great to see lots of friends and eat delicious foods (and catch up over a pitcher of St Germain cocktails after at Russel House Tavern!) Many thanks Stone Hearth for all they do, keep up the admirable and honest work.

Stone Hearth Pizza

57 Leonard St

Belmont, MA 02478

*edited to note the change in location from Allston to Belmont*

Stone Hearth Pizza

Last Monday night I had the pleasure of being treated to dinner and a beer tasting by the folks of Stone Hearth Pizza Co. With locations in Porter Square, Belmont and Needham they are committed to sourcing sustainable and organic ingredients from over 30+ local farms. Their well rounded selection of beer is all from New England craft breweries. In addition, they offers a variety of Gluten Free items on the menu. Local and sustainable? Buzzwords echoed throughout many restaurants in this city. Gluten Free menu? Not so much! However, both are commitments that deserve praise and speak to the high standards by which the owners hold themselves accountable. I can not remember the last time I was in Porter Square but lets just say it was long enough that I had no recollection of how massive the three levels of escalators in the T station were, and I had no sense of which way the city was once I got outside. I need to get out this way more often! The space at 1782 Mass Ave is charming and modestly decorated. The heartfelt dedication and genuine pride emulating from chef Michael Ehlenfedlt was clear to our table of bloggers from beginning to end. This attitude appeared to translate to the rest of the patrons as smiling faces (and plates of good food) filled every table in the room. The food is best described as casual gourmet - Neapolitan style thin crust pizzas, garden fresh salads, baked pastas and more are served at reasonable prices. (Which are noted, even though I am at a complimentary event.) As we settled in I was offered a beer right away and I chose Cisco Brewers Summer of Lager which was coincidentally the first in a series of tastings presented to us. The craft beer distributor for Stone Hearth lead the beer tasting.A classic Bavarian style larger with citrus notes proves light and refreshing, complimentary to a warm summer evening. The meal started with an excellent Summer Gazpacho ($3 mug / $5 bowl). Right away I noticed the use of red Fiesta Ware (collectible vintage dinnerware) which I thought was an original touch. Michael noted it was no easy feat to collect all those red mugs!Out came the Parmesan Flatbread ($2) made from organic dough which has been oven-fired with garlic infused olive oil, grated parmesan, salt and pepper. It was accompanied by Melanzana ($4) a delightful roasted eggplant dip. The contrast of the cold, refreshing gazpacho with the warm rustic flat bread made for an ideal start to a summer meal. Meatball Poppers ($5 for an order of three) are made with organic locally raised beef, stuffed with fresh mozzarella, sautéed onion and assorted spices. These poppers are a superior meatball indeed, baked and served piping hot; one version bathing in a spicy tomato sauce, the other a creamy onion sauce. The extremely flavorful sauce is also perfect for dipping thick slices of soft Focaccia bread.Meanwhile, the Wachusett Green Monsta IPA was up for sampling. An All-American yeast teams up with Cascade, Amarillo and Centennial for a homerun of hops in every sip. Fantastic!Salads are simple and delicious, offering the freshest vegetables (and fruit) in lightly dressed heaping portions. The blanched asparagus spears in the Spear Me The Details salad were hand picked from the farm that morning, their apparent freshness delighted the table. This blackboard special salad also boasted cashews, radishes and oranges in a honey orange ginger dressing. The Stone Hearth Caesar ($6.95) offers a mix of romaine and radicchio with house made croutons and grated parmesan. This salad satisfies the caesar craving with finesse. The avocado in the Spinach and Avocado salad ($6.95) was perfectly ripe, complimented by shaved red onion. Next we drank a beer called Sweet Action brewed by Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. A golden amber ale, the sweet is from the sugars in the barley malt, the action from the bittering spice in the hops. Finally, the pizza! Their signature thin crust is spectacular, even and perhaps especially the Gluten Free. The Divine Goddess ($12.50) - a white pizza where mozzarella and ricotta cheese mingle with hearty chunks of broccoli and warm leaves of spinach was the recipient of a GF crust. It was easily detectable in the fact that it was a little thicker than the signature paper thin crust, a little more doughy and chewier while remaining crisp around the edges. They chef has worked hard at perfecting this recipe for months and his efforts have paid off. The Bacon & Blue ($12.50) hits just right notes with smoked crumbles of bacon that don't overwhelm. Great Hill Blue as well as provolone cheese melts into julienned zucchini, summer squash and roasted cherry tomatoes. The pie is finished with garlic oil and freshly chopped basil. The third pizza was the Farm Fresh ($12.50) and while appropriately named, you could also call this one the kitchen sink as it contains everything but! Garlic oil, roasted cherry tomatoes, charred red and yellow peppers, Yukon gold potatoes, artichoke hearts, green and black olives and mozzarella are topped with a salad of arugula, red onion and prosciutto. A heck of an ingredient list produces a remarkable pizza that is the epitome of freshness, a true vegetable lovers delight. The last beer we had was Pretty Things Once Upon A Time, the only one of the bunch I have previously tried. I first tasted it over Memorial Day Weekend at Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar where they offered it on draft. I was instantly a fan of the East India Porter for its roasted flavors possessing an easy drinkability. I was glad to try it again and also appreciated that I was exposed to a bunch of new beers over the course of the evening. 

Our visit would not have been complete without a taste of what they offered in the dessert department, which was Local Vanilla Gelato over a Gluten Free Molten Chocolate Cake. Cool vanilla gelato melts into the moist cake cascading with warm chocolate. It is a heavenly combination that has an embraceable lightness to it. As with all the food at Stone Hearth, it feels healthy without being classic health food. It is fresh, local, and organic. It is not your typical greasy pizzeria joint.

Many thanks to Stone Hearth Pizza Co. for their generosity and hospitality, for exposing me to some quality new beers, Gluten free pizza and all around fantastic fresh tasting food. And of course to Elizabeth for organizing the dinner which was also attended by Megan, Bianca and Emily. It is always fun to photograph and enjoy good food with these ladies!

Stone Hearth Pizza

57 Leonard St

Belmont, MA 02478

*edited to note the change in location from Porter Square to Belmont*