Shepard

Hay Roasted Oysters ($18) | cultured sorrel butter

Monte Grappa ($12) | Rittenhouse Rye, Punt e Mes, allspice, nutmeg
Fluke Head ($10) | parsley butter, carrot + cabbage slaw

 Old Fashioned ($13) | High West Double Rye, Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon, bitters, sugar

Crab Head Custard ($11) | ham, cabbage, calabrian chili

Whole Wheat Gnocchi ($16) | sea urchin, chive, lemon zest cream

Cappellachi ($17) | countneck clams, ramps, swiss chard

bathroom paper towel holder (loved this, how creative!)

Apple Butter Cremeux ($10) | hazelnut shortbread, black walnut ice cream

 Campfire Sundae ($9) | torched marshmallow, chocolate ice cream, candied peanuts
bathroom mirror selfie + loving the bathroom light sconce

I had a wonderful dining experience the other weekend at Shepard! 
On cozy a residential street between Cambridge's Harvard and Porter Squares, Shepard serves thoughtful, unique French-meets-New England inspired dishes in a clean, stylish ambiance.  

We were celebrating 4 years together and they greeted us with glasses of sparkling Rosé! Such a special touch. 

Shepard

1 Shepard Street

 Cambridge, MA 02138 

Tempo | Waltham

It was such a pleasant surprise dining at Tempo on a casual Tuesday night; I had never heard of this restaurant and they were absolutely terrific. Located on the always popular and bustling Moody Street in Waltham, Tempo offers new American fare in a revamped (after 10 years!) space featuring a gorgeous elongated bar, new acoustics, swanky décor points and comfortable seating. The restaurant is enveloped in warm chocolate brown tones with pops of color from the beautiful under the sea themed artwork. 

The menu items we were treated to this evening thanks to owner Erin Barnacle and chef/owner Nathan Sigel were in collaboration with Drink Maple - water made from the raw maple sap tapped from trees in Vermont. Chef Sigel commented that it was challenging to incorporate what is typically a fall ingredient with the summer season produce, however, he managed to flawlessly integrate Drink Maple into these dishes and more! 

We started the feast with a cup of Watermelon Gazpacho ($7). This chilled, velvety soup was a lovely prelude of sweet summer fruits, Amaretto and Drink Maple foam. Beholding a tower of fresh greens, shaved red and yellow beets, radishes, waffle carrots and wisps of manchego cheese over a swipe of roasted beet puree with a Drink Maple dressing, the Local Farm Salad was a work of art. Quite possibly one of the most beautiful summer salads I've had this season. The dressing was light and allowed the natural flavors of the vegetables to shine. Following the soup and salad we were presented with Grilled Shrimp + Corn Bruschetta over ricotta cheese. The toasts were easy to bite into with just a hint of crisp, and the ripe summer tomatoes and corn were bursting with freshness. 
A very special signature cocktail Tap the Maple ($10) was inspired by the owner Erin's love of Blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup. Made with bourbon, muddled blueberries, lemon, Drink Maple infused simple syrup, a dash of blueberry bitters and Drink Maple ice cubes; this was a very balanced and refreshing warm weather beverage. They also concocted a Summer Sap ($10) which combines Drink Maple with tequila, pomegranate juice, fresh lemon and lime. 

Tempo offers an excellent wine program. Worth noting: You won't find any overpriced bottles of wine here! All of their wine pricing represents just ten dollars over normal retail (that said, some prices are even below the standard liquor store price.) What you will find is an Enomatic wine dispenser which allows guests a chance to taste some of their finer wines at a perfect temperature and reasonable price. Intrigued, we each chose a glass from the dispenser. The Wild Horse 'Cheval Sauvage' Pinot Noir (half $11 / full $20) 2008 vintage was just the right amount of chilled. You can read some spot on tasting notes here.

I always have to sample a restaurants Fried Brussels Sprouts ($10) and with smoked bacon, lemon vinaigrette and bleu cheese crumbles, Tempo's rendition is an A+. 

The Tuna Tartare ($12) presents a delicate cube with avocado, sesame sriracha, and a sweet soy drizzle topped with potato crisps. It is excellent.

At this point we were very full. We took most of the Grilled Hanger Steak ($27) and Grilled Salmon ($26) home with us. Both were a welcome leftovers dinner the next evening! The steak is all natural angus beef in a coffee and mesquite dry rub with au gratin potatoes, asparagus and a bourbon Drink Maple cream.
The Wester Ross Organic Salmon was brined in Drink Maple, served over a ricotta-walnut agnolotti with a smoked corn and maple cream.
But what we were not too full for was dessert! Erin assured us they were small - which they indeed were. Not too small, but not overwhelming either. 

After our Drink Maple inspired feast the Passion Fruit Rice Pudding and the Nutella S'mores hit.the.spot.

I was so impressed with everything Tempo brought to the table. The seasonal menu plus the chefs Drink Maple Water dishes were creative and inspired. With a lively welcoming atmosphere, Tempo proves itself to be a Waltham neighborhood gem!

Tempo Kitchen & Cocktails

474 Moody St

Waltham, MA 02453

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

5 Napkin Burger

5 Napkin Burger opened in Boston in March of 2011 - see my first post here. This Back Bay neighborhood spot had fallen off my radar. It was great to pay them a visit this winter at a media tasting and try some of the new menu items along with revisiting some of the classics. 

Edamame Hummus ($9.50) | miso tahini, sunflower seeds, sprouts & warm flatbread

Crispy Calamari | spicy peppers, marinara sauce

Pesto Flatbread | oven dried tomatoes

Bacon-Cheddar Burger ($15.75) | 8 oz. fresh ground beef, black label bacon, sharp cheddar, raw onion, lettuce, tomato, sesame brioche bun
Stack of Thick Cut Panko Onion Rings ($7.50) | asiago fondu

Chicken & Waffles | This was my entrée - I'm a sucker for this dish. The chicken was nicely seasoned and crispy, but there was an overwhelming amount of it. I'll happily take leftovers, but I found it hard to make my way to the waffle. Conceptually, I prefer when the chicken and waffles can strike a balance. The bourbon maple syrup was excellent and nicely tied the dish together.

Milkshakes! | We sampled: S'mores, Cookies n Cream and Salted Caramel. Do not leave 5 Napkin without trying one. These milkshakes are creamy, frothy and decadent. 

Read my friend Molly's recap of our evening on Pop.Bop.Shop.
And my friend Fiona's on A Boston Food Diary.

5 Napkin Burger
105 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

The Gallows | South End Favorite

A spontaneous double date night brought Adam and I and our friends to The Gallows where between the four of us we made quite a dent in the cocktail (and beer) menu, I finally got to try the Scotch Egg, our entrees were top notch, and I completely fell in love with their signature dessert. It was one of those meals that kept making its way back into our conversations all weekend long (how good everything was, how much fun we had) and not unlike the last time we were there, left us eagerly anticipating our next visit. 

The waitress recommended a couple great cocktails; I let her favorites dictate my choices and started out with The Healer ($10) which is one of their original originals with rye, mead, bitters and lemon. Also pictured is the Fortune's Find ($10) made with kumquat, gin, lemon and simple syrup. I adore the cocktail names - where they spark intrigue, they also make sense when you think about it! The Healer was soothing and comforting, yet strong, and the Fortune's Find felt like just that, a real gem. 

We shared a number of snack plates beginning with the remarkable Scotch Egg ($6). It is soft boiled with a just-runny-enough yolk, cradled by a gentle layer of sausage, enveloped in a crispy fried breading. Still something of a novelty to me, this dish impressively captures the essence of breakfast in a neatly packaged bite. The Pulled Pork Corn Muffins ($6) have me convinced that all corn muffins should come stuffed with flavorful, meaty hunks of pulled pork and topped with perfectly ripe slices of avocado. The Fava and Soppressata Crostini ($6) layered thin strands of the dry Italian salami over a mash up of fava beans meets fava puree. This was an interesting pair, it didn't have me swooning quite as much as the pulled pork meets corn muffin, but it was a bite that honored the bright, springy fava bean and one worth ordering of you are a fan of either ingredient. 

The "Brontosaurus" Short Rib  is literally a bone the size of the quoted prehistoric dinosaur. Adam and Derek remark that it is difficult to cut off the bone, which isn't to say there's anything wrong with the meat, there's just a lot of it. As short ribs often imply fall off the bone, The Gallows version strays from that notion but still delivers tender, tasty meat. Both agreed it was very good. I tasted a bite which permeated with Asian flavors, a sweet and sour glaze and nuoc cham. Served alongside is a spicy green papaya salad.

My Udon Primavera ($25) comes with the plumpest, freshest, most vibrantly colored green peas, asparagus spears and fava beans, as well sharp radishes, beckoning from within slippery coils of Japanese noodles. Bathing in a deep earthy mushroom dashi, the cream of the primavera (in Italian, that means springtime!) crop of vegetables are simply radiant. The poached egg on top absolutely seals the deal.

We were stuffed, but I'm so glad we ordered dessert. Rum soaked bananas come buried among the smoothest, creamiest peanut butter and chocolate in the Bananas Foster Chocolate Peanut Butter Fluffernutter Brulee ($7). Enhancing the decadence is a perfectly torched layer of thick, gooey marshmallow fluff. My friend (who has had this before) still thinks that it needs something else, something crispy or crunchy, something to offset the creamy texture, but, I think it is just perfect. It swiftly joins the ranks as one of my favorite desserts in Boston, right up there with Oleana's Baked Alaska.
And same goes for The Gallows overall. I can't get enough of this place!

*Special thanks to Gretchen and Derek for their iPhone lighting skills. My pictures in the dark space would have been nothing without their efforts!*

The Gallows

1395 Washington St

Boston, MA 02118