Bin 26 Enoteca

A sophisticated and cozy wine bar in Beacon Hill, Bin 26 Enoteca charms in every instance. From the cork coat rack that greets you upon arrival, to the vast decoupaged label wall and stalactite bottle ceilings, it begins but certainly does not end with the atmosphere. There's the eclectic, geeky wine list, a loose leaf binder organized by grape variety with nearly 200 wines by the bottle and 60 by the glass. The tremendous wines are matched by delicately prepared Italian plates and knowledgeable, friendly staff. 

My expert wine tasting companion and sommelier friend Amy put it best when she stated it left us wanting for nothing. [I had originally linked to her post for the outstanding write up on the wines we drank - but alas I believe that her blog no longer exists!]

We enjoyed first some Saffron Risotto Balls ($9) followed by appetizers, a fresh and filling Spring Arugula Salad ($12) with asparagus, snap peas, orange and shaved pecorino and an excellent Octopus Carpaccio ($14) with grilled native baby fennel, fried capers and olives. It is no wonder Bin 26 has prospered with high praise on Charles Street for nearly 5 years now; a night at their wine bar aims to be a good one, I am glad to have paid them a visit. 

Bin 26 Enoteca

26 Charles Street

Boston, MA 02114

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*

Bristol Lounge Burger Bash

It has been a good week around here. Last night 20 of my closest friend and family members gathered at The Four Seasons Bristol Lounge in honor of the burger I created last month being on the menu!Presenting The Daisy Burger! May is National Hamburger Month and to liven things up around The Bristol, Executive Chef Brook Vosika invited myself and some other local bloggers to a burger cooking class back in April; where we created and named original burgers of our own. At class we learned our burgers would be featured on The Bristol Lounge menu for one day only and on that day we were allowed to come in and enjoy our burger and a glass of champagne compliments of the chef. 
It was melted goat cheese-fennel slaw-sautéed mushrooms-and lettuce on a toasted brioche bun burger bash of many introductions, fancy drinks, complimentary appetizers (Buffalo Brussel Sprouts and Avocado Fries for all!) and fantastic company. I even made a speech upon audience request. It meant a lot to me that everyone came out to celebrate. This delightful if I may say so myself plate boasting my burger creation and Parmesan truffle fries awed and impressed. I knew the execution would be spot on.Even those doubting the intense goat cheese and fennel combination cleaned their plates (or took half home for lunch the next day - this burger patty is massive, I couldn't even finish it all!)Table #1 -My fam, Adam's fam, friends Douglas & Ruby.Extra Toppings.Table #2 - My Dad and a whole lot of my favorite people! (Please note Michelle photographing her plate - true to food blogger form!)I took off the tomato, but enjoyed the addition of pickles (always!) and a little onion for some extra crunch!
My sister and my Mom show off their plates. Below with my best friend from Cape Cod, Jen!The fam and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll home through the Public Garden in all its green weeping willow and cherry blossom glory.  A very special thanks to: Our waitress, Trish, who was on top of things and took great care of us all night. Everyone at The Four Seasons for the continued hospitality from my time in the kitchen in April, to the reservation planning, to the special care and consideration at the actual event. And of course my amazing friends and fam who came out to support! I love you guys and hope you all had as much fun as I did!!

Four Seasons Burger Cooking Class

The Four Seasons Hotel Boston invited bloggers and related media writers to an evening of cooking, eating and drinking in their kitchen with Executive Chef Brooke Vosika. This wasn't just any cooking class, it was actually a complimentary burger cooking class in honor of the upcoming month of May being National Hamburger Month.

The Four Seasons Bristol Lounge just so happens to serve up, arguably, one of the best burgers in the city. The Bristol Burger is a two time winner of the Boston Burger Battle and the biggest selling item on the menu. I'd say that's reason enough to celebrate all May long! Several local bloggers and I were given the opportunity on the evening of Tuesday April 5th, to create our very own burger. Here's a look at what went down:

A warm welcome from Chef included a run down of the evenings agenda - surprise! we're creating our very own burgers and a look at what goes into the makings of The Bristol Burger. Wines were filled promptly upon arrival to encourage creativity. Refills were plentiful.

The burgers are made of fresh ground chuck (a ratio of 80% meat to 20% fat.) The patty is coated in olive oil, seasoned with fresh salt, hand ground pepper and grilled to order. Chef Vosika believes strongly in a simple preparation with house made ingredients.

We were given an explanation of the toppings available to us. Cheese galore, bacon, mushroom, onion and house made pickles were among them. Roasted garlic, house made ketchup, mustard, pesto, mayo, balsamic vinegar and fresh vegetables round out the bunch.We were not limited to the ingredients that sat before us, either. The kitchen stressed that they could provide more ingredients upon request and they certainly came through with whatever we needed. In an organized fashion we were each given a number 1-10 (in the order we were standing, I was 10) to choose our toppings wisely and invent our burgers. We were instructed to create one large burger and then chef would replicate mini-burgers for the group to sample and share. So, what did we do in between our turns? We drank more wine, we encouraged burger topping creativity and we ate amazing appetizers like Buffalo Brussel Sprouts which are crispy fried with house-made hot sauce and served with creamy Berkshire Blue Cheese.

Avocado Fries are served with shaved jalapeño, aged cheddar and cilantro dipping sauce. I've basically died and gone to heaven. Fried Brussel Sprouts and Avocado Fries? What incredible transformations to happen to my favorite green vegetable and fruit, respectively. French fries at The Bristol Lounge come in three forms (left to right) BBQ, Sweet Potato and Truffle Parmesan. Outstanding. They might also have the best fries in this city.

Did I forget to mention there were house made salt and pepper chips?

I watched as "sous chefs" (that's what our aprons said!) went to town mixing aioli and requesting more ingredients; topping burgers with everything from prosciutto and tomato, to bacon and avocado, mushroom and onion, jalapeños, house made pickles and even french fries. It was definitely a lot of fun to taste what everyone else created.

Eventually, it was my turn. On an instinctual whim I chose my ingredients: Fennel Slaw, Goat Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms and Lettuce on a Grilled Bun. 
Chef encouraged my choices (maybe he could tell I was a bit hesitant) stating that the goat cheese and fennel will work really well together. When I inquired about the addition of lettuce he responded that the lettuce would balance out the strong fennel taste. Perhaps trusting my instincts paid off so far. Even though the mash up of ingredients sounded good in my head, the chef affirming my choices made me feel confident in my burger.  I put it together, fennel slaw down first as the base, then the patty layered with the melted goat cheese, next the sautéed mushrooms and finally two leaves of lettuce. The verdict? I used a little too much goat cheese, but I did enjoy how well all the ingredients tasted together. So did Adam when I brought the big guy home for him to feast on!

We were delighted to learn that each of our burgers will be featured on the menu for one day in the month of May. My namesake burger will served on Tuesday, May 3rd! (Soo I guess I'll get to dine out and be my own food critic, weird!) Care to join me?

Did I mention the Four Seasons Hotel is a gorgeous Boston landmark situated overlooking the Public Garden and that the Bristol Lounge features elegant living room-esque dining with big couches and floor to ceiling windows? If you come in and order my burger it would also be the perfect excuse to try the avocado fries and the buffalo brussels sprouts.

Thanks so much to The Four Seasons and Chef Vosika for hosting such a memorable and more importantly a super fun evening in the kitchen. Can't wait to see you in May!