Food: October 2008 Archives

Remember those DK Eyewitness books from when you were a kid that would explain anything? There was one on animals, stars, dinosaurs… Always lots of colorful pictures and factoids. Well, now the same company has put one out for adults: on beer!

If you haven't yet done the leaf-peeping, apple-picking thing in Mass. this year, you can still try both at the Arnold Arboretum Fall Foliage Festival. This Sunday, from 12-4pm, there will be live music, free tours, lectures on fall gardening and cooking, and most importantly, hot apple cider, cider donuts, and other apple-y goods on sale from Allandale Farm and Slow Food Boston. (Just remember: there's no picnicking in the Arboretum; you have to chow down in designated areas.) For all the info, click here. See Slow Food's notes on their heirloom apples for sale, after the jump.

Let's face it: tapas can be an expensive endeavor. Everyone shares a variety of small plates, each costing anywhere from $6 to $18. It's lots of fun to try tons of different dishes, but the cost of the little plates can add up fast. At Masa in the South End, however, tapas in the bar are a much more economical night out.

Happy Belated Birthday, Redbones!

It appears that the Boston culinary community has a bone to pick with Tim Cushman, chef of the highly praised Leather District sushi restaurant O Ya, who was recently named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2008. The issue? According to Boston Magazine, Cushman may have been pulling a Dane Cook all along, stealing material from seasoned pros to fuel his own stratospheric rise.

First, for those of you who missed the Harpoon Octoberfest, or were just too lazy to stand outside on a beautiful night sipping delicious beer, allow us to give you some solid facts on which to build an image of the gloriousness you missed--other than great Oktoberfestbier

You wouldn't know it from its website, but sources say the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro is hosting a benefit dinner tonight for Verrill Farm, much of which burned down a few weeks ago. Located in Concord, the farm support sustainable agriculture and produces some pretty fine tomatoes. A percentage of the proceeds from tonight's dinner at BHHB will be donated to Verrill Farm. The benefit has two seatings, at 6pm and 8:30pm. Your dining options are Field or Pasture; the start and finish are the same:

Cheap Mexican food is easy to find, but cheap sit-down Mexican is not so forthcoming. Luckily, Fajitas & 'Ritas in Downtown Crossing offers south-of-the-border eats with less cafeteria-style ambiance. Whether you're looking for appetizers and pitchers of margaritas or a full meal, there's plenty on the menu that will satisfy.

Search for “Who invented peanut brittle” on the internet and you’re sure to come up with a slew of answers ranging from an 1890’s housewife who made an error with ingredients to the Nazi’s needing to feed their troops. Regardless of its origin, brittle is a sweet, crunchy treat made of hardened caramel and nuts. Most of the time.

As part of our coverage on the Leather District Gourmet's Teach a Man to Fish Project, we spoke to J.J. Gonson, an expert on sustainable and local cuisine. She offers this advice on shopping for (and eating!) local clams.

Last year, Boston food blogger Jacqueline Church (aka the Leather District Gourmet) decided to collect recipes and tips on eating sustainable seafood. “It's easy to be confused or disheartened when we hear all the bad news about fish populations threatened with extinction, closed salmon runs, unhealthy aquaculture,” she says. So Church decided to “light a candle rather than curse the darkness.”

As the rest of Massachusetts tries to figure out how to pay its heating bill this winter, the chefs at Persephone present this, the $100 sandwich. We hear that the price is so high because the Manchego is actually made from the man milk of Henry Paulson. All hail the deregulation of the dairy industry.

You could eat at Bottega Fiorentina every day for weeks and never have the same thing twice. There are five specials a day (like Tuesday's lasagna with meat and bechamel or Friday's pumpkin tortellini in a butter sage sauce), plus a made-to-order option with your choice of pasta and sauce. The penne with Fedora sauce (tomato, red pepper, garlic, rosemary, and cream), pictured above, is both sweet and spicy, and the pasta is cooked to a perfect al dente. The majority of the pasta dishes are under $10 and are available for dine-in or take-out.