The Quarry | Hingham

 

 

 Introducing my new favorite restaurant! If The Quarry was located in Newton I'd become a regular. We had such a nice dinner experience on our drive home from the Cape one warm July evening. 

The Quarry shines in every aspect of the dining experience. A cozy, casual, atmospheric bar fronts a classy, polished, visually stunning dining room with vaulted ceilings and wall-to-wall windows that look out over the quarry itself. The setting is complimented by equally polished and attentive service. Then there's the scenic, serene, al fresco terrace. I wont call it Waterfront dining - but quarry front - how unique! Most importantly - the food is terrific. 

We each chose a beer from the well rounded selection - a Bad Martha's 508 IPA and the chefs very own draught Pineapple Tikiweizen which he brewed down the street at Barrel House Z. After our perfectly chilled beers arrive, a server sweeps over with a warm basket of bread and tableside olive oil service. He meticulously prepares the oil for dipping by grating fresh garlic and sprinkling in red pepper flakes and dried herbs. 

The small plates section of the menu is stellar with numerous dishes and nearly all sound enticing. The Crispy Pork Belly Bun ($4) was one of the best baos I've had. Simply done with hoisin sauce, cucumber and cilantro, it was an ethereal bite of tender, slightly crisp pork belly. I was equally charmed by a generous serving of Fresh Burrata Caprese ($15) with juicy tomatoes and a luscious duo of balsamic glaze and pesto. Lastly, we couldn't pass up the Roasted Figs ($7) - three candy sweet nuggets stuffed with bleu cheese and proscuitto to add that key punch of sharp, creamy and salty flavors. I'm glad we went with three small plates to start the meal, the portions felt like just enough without overdoing it. 

Entrees also delight at The Quarry. A Pan Roasted Swordfish ($29) comes over a flavorful succotash of house smoked bacon, roasted corn, lobster, chipoltle and roasted potatoes. The Local Lobster Brodetto ($28) offers a 1/2 lobster over generous potions of toothsome scallops, shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels bathing in a savory saffron tomato broth. I'm pretty confident you can't go wrong on this menu. 

We debated over dessert - of course we were full after all this food, but what's a new restaurant experience without it?! We settled on Lavazza Espresso ($4) and the chef sent over our choice of digestif - Limoncello for him, Amaro for her (also the chef's favorite. If you haven't gotten into Amaro yet, please do.) For the divine grand finale a Cider Doughnut Sundae ($8) tops a warm, sugary doughnut with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream chocolate and salted caramel sauce.

The Quarry

415 Whiting Street

Hingham, MA 02043

*This meal was complimentary - thanks so much to The Quarry for hosting us*

Seattle Layover

Happy Monday, friends! I am taking it way back today sharing some photos from my archives of a forgotten evening on the West Coast. On March 1st we were making our way home from Banff, Alberta and Revelstoke, British Columbia, by way of Kelowna thru Seattle. On our extended layover we breezed into the city on the metro, meandered around the Public Market, wandered into Steelhead Diner on a whim and had a terrific dinner, and visited the first Starbucks on Pike Place. It was such a nice way to wind down the week-long Canadian ski trip, that was, until we got back to the airport to find our flight was delayed (mechanical issues) and eventually cancelled (timed out). We spent a miserable night in the Seattle Airport, but, we did receive vouchers from Alaska Airlines for our troubles.

We successfully redeemed the vouchers and head out this week to Portland, Oregon.  We will be road trippin' to the Columbia River Gorge, the Pacific Coast and Willamette Valley. I'm super excited for this adventure and can't wait to share it all when I'm back. 

For now, if you're ever playing tourist in Seattle, the six of us loved everything about our experience at Steelhead Dinner. We ate: Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Tater Tots ($9) with tiger sauce and celery leaf salad / Pike Place Cioppino ($25) with Mediterranean mussels, Manila clams, Fin fish, Torchio pasta, steamed potato, spicy tomato broth and grilled bread / Kasu Marinated Oregon Black Cod ($37) with shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy and carrot-ginger slaw / Salted Caramel Pot De Creme ($10) with vanilla bean Chantilly cream.

Dinners in The French Quarter

With so many different restaurants to choose from and a slew of recommendations passed our way, the toughest decision of vacationing in New Orleans proved choosing where to eat dinner. It seems everyone from co-workers to cab drivers had a must visit spot. Should you ever be faced with similar decisions upon planning a visit, I would highly recommend both Irene’s Cuisine and NOLA, respectively, our Friday and Saturday night dinner destinations.
After the days excursions we would venture back to the Ritz to re-group and freshen up. Dinner was a necessary first stop before the Bourbon Street craze. It was a welcome respite; a time to linger over good food, bottles of wine and lots of laughs in a more relaxed yet formal atmosphere. (Formal in comparison to Hand Grenades and Hurricanes, relaxed in the sense that we are not at a loud, rowdy bar - you catch my drift.)Irene’s offers lust worthy Creole-Italian cuisine in an old warehouse that underwent a transformation into a romantic setting housing multiple dining rooms with an antique aura. It is highly regarded by locals. You have to venture slightly off the beaten path to get here but it is still within the safe confines of the French Quarter at 539 Phillips St. It is definitely worth a trip and worth the wait. They do not take reservations and we were told to show up and hour and a half before we wanted to eat. The wait time (even though upon arrival were told 45 minutes) was closer to the hour and fifteen minute mark. We put our name in and ventured to a neighboring dive bar called Flanagan’s where we enjoyed some pre-dinner brews, a Miller High Life for me! Once we returned we were seated in one of the dimly lit dining rooms at a cozy table amongst the ever bustling scene. With smells of garlicky seafood wafting, a bottle of Pinot Noir already being poured and immediately being served a complementary Bruschetta, I knew we were in for an excellent meal. The bruschetta came just slightly toasted with the warm fluffy bread quality still intact, topped with gooey melted mozzarella cheese and thick slices of tomatoes accented by fresh basil. This proved an exciting bread (if you can even call it that) course, starting the meal of on a high-note after such a long wait. A delightful appetizer came in the form of a Soft Shell Crab, the crustacean was skillfully fried in a light batter beholding an airy crispiness giving way to sweet succulent crab meat. For my entrée I ordered the San Francisco style Cioppino ($23). Upon being served a huge oval bowl beholding shellfish bathing in a most luscious, velvety smooth saffron scented fennel infused tomato broth; I’d just about died and went to heaven.From the plump gulf shrimp to the well-executed mussels, the briny clams to the flaky fish, all of it was just outstanding. Slices of crisp ciabatta bread achieved the perfect texture for dunking without being abrasive.Seriously, this meal was perfect. Dessert saw a luxurious Crème Brulee and a rich Chocolate Hazelnut Torte in a vanilla raspberry cream sauce. The next evening we enjoyed a highly anticipated dinner at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA located in the heart of the French Quarter on 534 St Louis Street. Thankfully NOLA takes reservations and we were seated promptly upon arrival for ours at 8 pm. The celebrity chef is known for his "New" New Orleans style of cooking which is essentially Creole cuisine with contemporary American twists. The décor is in line with the cuisine, emitting touches of historic French Quarter elegance with an upscale modern industrial feel. Weathered brick walls surround high arched windows and dark gray pipes span the ceiling, serving to separate areas of the large refined warehouse space. A brightly lit open kitchen lines the far perimeter. A giant chalkboard menu boasting a list of cocktails in bold colors is tastefully eye catching set against a brick wall in the center of the room. Speaking of cocktails, I couldn't pass up a Sazerac which is a New Orleans specialty, often referred to as the oldest known cocktail in America! Made with cognac, rye whiskey, absinthe and peychaud bitters - the Sazerac is seriously strong and provided an excellent aperitif! With our meal we drank a bottle of Rose wine (the detail escapes me) but unfortunately it didn't impress us. It was lacking depth and did not stand up to the hearty creole cuisine.We shared an appetizer of Wood Oven Roasted Escargot Rockefeller ($12) with herbsaint, parmesan and herb bread crumbs. This was my first time trying Escargot! The chewy morsels were not at all intimidating and very flavorful. I'd eat Rockefeller style snails any day! My entrée of Grilled Atlantic Salmon ($28) came over a bed of black bean and sweet corn succotash mingling in a chimichurri butter sauce with a tomatillo salsa. The succotash is essentially what sold me on the dish over the more traditional orders of Shrimp n Grits or Gumbo. (Which I tasted - and they were excellent.) A unique preparation made this otherwise standard fish truly stand out. The grilled salmon displayed a nice char topped generously with dried onions whose unexpected crunch added a welcome contrast to the soft flaky fish and flavorful succotash. Desserts at NOLA are not to be missed! We enjoyed the Strawberry + Pistachio Bombe ($8) where a unique creamy pistachio ice cream shell encases a pink strawberry sorbet over a thick strawberry compote. It came sprinkled with toasted pistachios. The Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake ($7) with Oreo crumbles, raspberry compote and chocolate drizzle was divine. Our experiences at both these vastly different establishments were superb. From the service with waitstaff who went above and beyond, to the perfectly prepared appetizers and well executed flavorful entrees, to the expertly crafted cocktails and the extensive wine lists, we chose well! NOLA being the more expensive choice and Irene's proving a longer wait, there are certainly options to be weighed when making a decision.  I will fondly remember these dinners in New Orleans not only for the outstanding food that lingers on my mind but also the fantastic company. The nights were still young, even we didn't know how young at the time. And so it goes...

Irene's Cuisine

529 Bienville St

New Orleans, LA 70130

NOLA

534 St Louis Street

New Orleans, LA 70116

updated November 2022: NOLA did not survive the pandemic and is now permanently closed.