Simon Pearce | Vermont

 The best of Vermont eats week - that's a wrap (3/3)!

Simon Pearce | Where: Quechee | exit 1 off I89

When: Brunch on the trip home from Killington

Simon Pearce is a famous glassblower + entrepreneur. The location of the restaurant was an addition to the hydro-powered mill glassblowing facility that defines his empire. Browse the expansive shop filled with stylish and elegant glassware, tableware, lighting and home décor. Watch the artisans at work downstairs, and then enjoy brunch in the airy, light filled dining rooms overlooking the river and covered bridge. 

All your food and drinks are served on / in the handmade wares. Start with an order or two of Crispy Buttermilk Beignets ($9) with maple bourbon caramel and apple butter for an instant crowd pleaser. Follow those up with a cup of savory soup like Carrot Ginger, or Creamy Mushroom, Parsnip and Pear or the Vermont Cheddar ($7). The rich velvety broths and generous flavors sing comfort. With fried eggs, prosciutto, shaved parmesan, local tomatoes, and chive hollandaise over roasted garlic naan, the Ham and Eggs ($17) exceed the brunch norm while Pork Fried Biscuits and Gravy offer a refined take on a southern classic. A homemade eggnog and rum cocktail is served in their elegant goblet stemware.

Simon Pearce Restaurant
1760 Quechee Main Street

Quechee, VT 05059

Great Lakes Brewing Co. | CLE

The Cleveland crew and I kicked off a night of brewery hopping through the Ohio City neighborhood's Market District with award winning craft beer and hearty local fare at Great Lakes Brewing Company.  The evening begins with a pitcher of Dortmunder Gold, a smooth lager that strikes a balance between sweet malts and dry hops. What follows are terrific appetizers including Smoked Chicken Wings, Brewers Barley Pretzels and a Sausage Sampler Plate. The beer sampling continues, I was a fan of both the Burning River Pale Ale with assertive citrusy cascade hops and the Holy Moses White Ale, a limited release Belgian wit spiced with coriander, orange peel and chamomile. 

The Stilton Cheddar Ale Soup made with Dortmunder Gold is thick, smooth and ultra cheesy. It makes for a solid entrée alongside a lighter Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad with bib lettuce, feta, fresh basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The Pretzel Chicken proves an inventive entrée with classic sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, relish and a Burning River Pale Ale Mustard Sauce. For dessert, the warm Raisin Bread Pudding and made-down-the-street small batch ice cream is a sweet ending paired with the Alberta Clipper Porter featuring notes of bittersweet chocolate and fresh raspberry.

We spent the rest the evening just up the street at Market Garden Brewery and later Nano Brew. Local owner and brew-master Sam McNutly leads our behind the scenes crawl, we sample a ton of his excellent beers and it makes for a really fun night out in Cleveland.

Great Lakes Brewing Company

2516 Market Ave

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Bronwyn | Union Square

In Somerville's Union Square, Bronwyn serves a fresh take on the food and drink of Germany and Eastern Europe. The deeply wooded interior is warm and rustic, bedecked with handcrafted treasures from the region, notably a mash up of tall, regal looking wooden chairs. The biergarten is open now that we've reached the warmer months! 

The girls and I put a serious dent in the menu. I was really impressed with everything we ate and drank. It all felt so original, so refreshing and much needed. In order of appearance.....

Giant Haus Bretzel | spicy horseradish mustard 

Pierogi | haus-made ham & cheddar cheese dumplings, sweet pea relish, mint

Thüringia Pickled Eggs | habanero mustard

Spätzle | classic schwabian pasta, spring ramps, red onion marmalade, comte cheese

Sieben | Citadelle Gin, Cocchi Amaretto, Aperol, Grapefruit, Sparkling Riesling

Smokey Bone | Templeton Rye, Creme Yvette, Green Chartreuse, Jerry Thomas Bitters

Schmaltz | chicken & pork fat, cracklin, pickled onion, rye bread

Okocim Premium Pils Bresko Poland | light, well balanced hops, biscuity flavors

Schnitzel à la Holstein | pork schnitzel, soldier bean ragoût, soft boiled egg, white anchovies, capers

Mini Wurst Plate | Cotechino - pig skin, cinnamon, clove / Currywurst - pork, veal, curry / potatoes, sauerkraut, haus mustard 

Reibekuchen (unpictured, but amazing) | horseradish potato pancakes, rhubarb chutney, dill crème fraîche

Bronwyn

255 Washington St

Somerville, MA 02143

Pork-tastic! A Look Back on a 2010 Favorite

As I was writing Best of Boston Eats 2010, I went to award the winners of my favorite pork entrée and things spiraled out of control. From there, an entire post was developed re-living my year in pork dishes.Interestingly enough, Pork is deemed a "Lucky New Years Food" in many cultures. Wealth and prosperity are signified by the high fat content in pork; plus, when rooting for food, pigs push their snouts forward, which represents progress. In honor of the year past and in celebration of the new, I present: 11 Months of Pork.

In late February I celebrated my 26th Birthday with dinner at Craigie On Main. A memorable evening with Adam at this upscale bistro in Central Square, it was here where Chef Tony Maws peaked my interest with his inventive entrée of Vermont Organic Pork Three Ways: Crispy Suckling Confit, Spice-Crusted Rib and Grilled Belly. Accompanying the trio of pork would be red quinoa, autumn olives, pear puree and winter farm vegetables. And after this meal, I started a food blog. 

In March my pork belly craving was satisfied by Chef Barbara Lynch at her modern Italian counter Sportello. A double date night with good company for restaurant week, I had Pork Belly with a delicate fennel and parsnip salad and salsa verde.In April I cooked Lemon Parsley Pork Chops for Adam and I, a re-creation of a hit meal served earlier in the year to some dinner guests. The chops came out juicy and zesty served with roasted fennel and a side of sautéed brussels sprouts with crunchy pecans. In May I was drinking pork themed beers at Kenmore Squares best kept secret (from the Fenway Tourist scene that is) The Lower Depths. Butternuts Porkslap, a Farmhouse Pale Ale. Not even halfway through the year and the pig obsession is in full swing. I eat with friends at Delux on a regular basis even though I don't always photograph my meals here. Luckily, the Citrus-Aciote Braised Pork Tacos I ordered in June did not escape the camera! With pickled red onion, napa slaw and cilantro, this was definitely a Delux summer menu winner. But July, wonderfully hot July lent an all time favorite dish created as a special at Ten Tables in Cambridge by Chef David Punch that very evening. Tender flavorful bites of thinly sliced Berkshire Pork Chop were intensified by a saffron and chipotle butter emulsion. Sitting over of a bed of velvety sweet creamed corn that was not too rich for a summer dish nor too light to hold up to the pork, I do believe it gained a permanent spot on the entrée menu.This dinner holds a special memory above and beyond the pork, for this night was my first ever blog related dinner event. I met local bloggers who were once strangers behind a screen, and from this dinner on I was immersed into a culture related to blogging I didn't fully comprehend existed. From events, to dinners, and even a road trip - I became friends with those dining companions and many more bloggers since. Myers + Chang's Asian inspired Tea Smoked Pork Spare Ribs took things to a whole new level in mid August, at yet another blog related dinner. Fall off the bone tender with a sticky sweet glaze I decided then that I needed to branch out and eat more ribs. Come Labor Day, that's just what I did. The weekend bridging summer to fall and August to September was spent down the Cape where Gretchen's Southern food night featured Sweet and Smokey Spareribs. They were flavored with a rub of smoked paprika, brown sugar, ground clove, ground ginger and chipotle chili powder and slow cooked all afternoon, then accompanied by a meal of peanut lime slaw, white wine braised kale, root beer stove top beans and biscuits! Seriously one of the most impressive meals anyone has ever cooked for me. During the Fall season I was at Lord Hobo for brunch in late September where I tried Pork Belly Hash topped with sunny side up eggs. A particularly hungover morning after a Bachelorette party, I joined the ranks of other had-one-too-many-the-night-before at the first official Boston Brunchers meet-up! During the month of October I attended an event specifically focused around showcasing the pig at Back Bay Social Club. Kielbasa Meat Candy, Ham Crostini, Head Cheese and Pretzel Wrapped Sausages were all featured. I learned I have a strong distaste for head cheese and to this day I recall it as the only food I do not like. While the parts of the pig in October are more diversified than I've typically been focusing on in this post, how could I not include this Citysearch Boston sponsored event in such a recap! 
True to falls theme, pork for breakfast was served East Coast Grill style in the form of Banana Rellena. Tender, smoked, pulled and stuffed into a mushy Banana, then covered in signature Inner Beauty Hot Sauce, this dish brought the heat, the sweet and the savory on a brisk November morning. In December I was treated to Brekky at KO Catering & Pies where Sausage Rolls at 10 am are not uncommon. Delicious even for breakfast, seasoned with herbs and spices and rolled in a flaky puff pastry, who knew the Australians would round out the year full of pork based eats in such fine form. Recap
January: Who knows what I ate, I didn't blog then
February: Craigie On Main | Vermont Organic Pork 3 Ways | rich and decadently indulgent
March: Sportello | Pork Belly w/ Fennel & Parsnip Salad | simple and perfectly executed
April: My kitchen | Lemon Parsley Pork Chops | not bad if I do say so myself
May: The Lower Depths | Butternuts Porkslap Farmhouse Ale | fun can, tasty beer
June: DeLux | Citrus-Aciote Braised Pork Tacos | juicy and flavorful enhanced by pickled onions
July: Ten Tables | Berkshire Pork Chop | saffron chipoltle butter & creamed corn
August: Myers + Chang | Tea Smoked Pork Spare Ribs | fall off the bone sticky & sweet
Labor Day: Gretchen's Cape Cod Kitchen | sweet and smokey spare ribs feast
September: Lord Hobo | Pork Belly Hash | sunny side up eggs
October: Back Bay Social Club | Piggy Wiggy Social | Meat Candy, sausage pretzels, head cheese, oh my!
November: East Coast Grill | Smoked Pork Stuffed Bananas | Muy Caliente!
December: KO Catering & Pies | Sausage Rolls | Australian Brekky
My deepest gratitude to the pig and to all the chefs who cooked it in various beautiful forms. Apparently, 2010 wouldn't have been what it was without it!

Back Bay Social

As she poured me a dirty martini one hot summer evening behind the bar at Delux, Nikki spoke about her days spent in training at Back Bay Social. She told me about the new Lyons group hot spot opening in the old Vinny T's space, and about her shifts muddling fruit and days spent practicing the craft of the specialty cocktail. She sparked all the intrigue and I was certainly anticipating the opening!Meaning to stop in ever since the late summer debut, I was recently invited to attend an event called Pork & Cocktails. Greeted by two friendly hostesses in perfect unison, we all laughed together about the staged, (but not really) greeting. I immediately felt welcome. The hostesses let me know I was the first to arrive. (Odd, that never happens.) All the more time to snap pictures and debate at the bar over the cocktail menu. I quickly learned they were out of the Pumpkin Trace ($12) with buffalo trace bourbon, figs, vanilla, pumpkin puree & spice simple syrup. The bartender remarked this popular drink is in high demand and they can't keep up with supply.Instead I chose the Fall Social ($12) containing laird's applejack apple brandy, rye whiskey, aromatic bitters, fresh lemon juice, averna & simple syrup. It was an intense cocktail with comforting aromas and deep flavors. As the rest of the attendees rolled in we took our seats to sample various dishes compliments of the restaurant. I happily introduced myself to new faces and am excited that I have a host of new-to-me blogs to check out! We began with a comforting bite of House Garlic Sausages ($8). The hoppy beer mustard elevated the warm buttery pretzel encasing tender sausages.Next up was the Meat Candy ($7). This dish of slow roasted Boston Smoke House kielbasa in brandy and cloves paired alongside brown sugar pineapple was inspired by the chef's mother. Chef used to constantly crave bites of candy in the kitchen and so his Mom concocted meat candies for him some years ago! I love charming little stories about how dishes came to be.The fabulous Cheese Board ($14) consisted of Morbier, Great Hill Blue, Pecorino, Capri Goat and Tupelo Honey. It was my first time trying Morbier (front left), an aromatic mild french cows milk cheese. The sticky sweet jam and luscious honey paired nicely with the various types of cheese over crispy grilled toast. The presentation over a heavy wood cutting board was tasteful and artistic. The three plates above were inventive, flavorful and all around delicious bar snacks and appetizers that I would gladly order again. We also sampled some plates not on the official menu. These happened to be my two least favorite dishes of the evening. The Country Ham Crostini with Pop's pepper relish, arugula and pine nuts didn't quite captivate me like the previous three did, though the ham was fresh and the pepper relish was tasty.
I sampled for the first time some Head Cheese with mushroom terrine, arugula and a bacon dressing. Head "Cheese" is meant to be spread over a crostini and topped with the arugula. It is actually not cheese but a meat jelly made with flesh from the head of the pig. Temperature and texture wise (cold and gelatinous) this dish was not for me. As the evening progressed there was quite a bit more imbibing. Michelle ordered a beer that instantly caught my eye (large bottle, pretty packaging) so I gave the Pretty Things Jack D'Or a try. Pretty Things is a beer and ale project based out of Cambridge. They fancy themselves a "Gypsy Brewery" without a permanent home. The amber colored ale was smooth and easy to sip.The table was sent a round of the house signature White Russian ($12) made with vodka, coffee liquor, milk & soda water. This coffee liquor is homemade and oh by the way, 100 proof. An impressive feat made for an impressive White Russian. I happily double-fisted. The chefs wife is the pastry chef, apparently she used to be the executive pastry chef at Radius and then Sportello. Having enjoyed desserts at both of her prior employers I knew we were in for an impressive finale. Our table was treated to one of each on the menu. I had never had a Beignet ($7) - can you believe it?! I loved them especially dipped in the chocolate fudge sauce. The Caramel Apple ($7) with a cider reduction came glistening with sugar crystals, proving a fall evening delight. The Sticky Toffee Pudding ($8) was warm, comforting and filled with raisins. My personal favorite was the Chocolate Ganache Cake ($8).I'm sensing a PB&J dessert trend. (If you see it twice, it counts as a trend, right? I'll be on the lookout for a third.) The smooth creamy peanut butter sauce rocked. Any one of these desserts would be a solid choice to end a meal here.I am so happy I finally got to dine here! Many thanks to the kind and generous staff at Back Bay Social for their hospitality this evening. 

Back Bay Social

867 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02116

*this meal was complimentary, all opinions are my own*