restaurants

Stuffed on Steak: Fogo De Chao- Boston, MA

December 14, 2012

Are you looking for a new restaurant to try this weekend? Do you deserve a really great night out? Do you love steak?

If you think that you fulfill any of those things then you need to check out Fogo De Chao, a churrascaria, in Copley Square as soon as you can!!

Last month I attended the grand opening of Fogo de Chao, the new Brazilian Steakhouse located at the Westin Hotel that has your mouth-watering once you walk in the door. The smell of freshly seared steak, chicken, sausage, and lamb was the perfect perfume hanging in the air.

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The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail. I had the pleasure of enjoying the combination of cachaça (a sugar cane rum), sugar, and lime that make up this cocktail. The cocktail goes down easily as it is so sweet so you better watch out that you don’t have too many.

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As soon as we walked in Price and I remarked how amazing the space is. We have been to other Brazilian Barbecue restaurants before but this was the first one that was really stunning. I was quiet enamored with the lights.

Centrally located, the salad bar is packed full of fresh greens, smoked meats, a variety of cheeses, and much, much more. I wish I took more photos of the 30 plus options available but I didn’t want to hold up the line as everyone was dying to dig right in. But I could not miss taking a picture of a bowl full of bacon!

In addition to the salad bar there is an adjacent hot food bar that served things like rice and beans that would pare perfectly with your meal.

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I tried to only select a few things from the salad bar that I would really enjoy so I would not fill up but the options seemed endless. I really enjoyed everything I picked from the fresh mozzarella, steamed asparagus, hot peppers, and prosciutto. My favorite things were the sun-dried tomatoes since they were so flavorful and soft. I had the best intentions of going back to the hot bar to sample the rice and beans there but I ended up getting too full to go back.

As small as they were the pão de queijos were one of my favorite things about the meal. Small puffs of cheesy bread were served to accompany the meal. They were light and airy, with a crunchy exterior, and, of course, packed with cheese. I might have been tempted to throw a few in my purse, but I didn’t. I swear!

The only thing that I didn’t think was stunning were the plate of fried bananas, fried polenta, and mashed potatoes that the servers, which are known as Passadores in Brazil and called meat gauchos at Fogo De Chao, brought to the table. The bananas were delicious but the polenta and mashed potatoes were a little too plain for my preference. Also since we were so distracted by all of the meat available we ignored these for a bit and they all got cold. I just didn’t feel these were necessary to enjoy the meal.

Once we were seated after our trip to the salad bar we were ready for the gauchos to come around and start delivering a variety of different meats to us. The service was top notch and very knowledgeable on all of the different cuts of suculant meats you could enjoy. Fogo De Chao offers different cuts of beef, chicken, and lamb. The signature meat is the Picanha, which is a top sirloin cut of meat that is very popular in the churrascarias of Southern Brazil. This was available in a traditional light seasoning or a garlicky seasoning.

True love. The gauchos would ask you how you would prefer the meat to done and based upon where the meat was located along the skewer you would have a different degree of done-ness. I prefer rare to medium rare so they would rotate the skewer until they had the right piece in front of them to slice off and I would grab it with my little tong to enjoy.

This plate is true love to me.

My favorite cuts were the garlicky Picanha, Filet Mignon, Fraldinha, and Linguica. The Filet was an easy favorite as it was so tender it just about melted in your mouth. I prefered the Fraldinha, the bottom cut of the sirloin, over the Beef Ancho, the rib eye, only because I tend to like less marbled pieces of meat. I loved the Linguica as it was so flavorful and the exterior was very crisp from the rotisserie, which helped seal in the juices.

The only thing I did not get to try that I was looking forward to was the chicken but I think everything else more than makes up for that.

The biggest thing to remember is to pace yourself so use the GO and STOP cards they give you. Flip them over to tell the servers if they should come by the table or not. While it is completely acceptable to stuff yourself silly on all the different delicious meats you should try to save room for dessert. We had to keep reminding ourselves that.

We decided on getting the signature dessert which is the Fogo de Chão Signature Papaya Cream. This is a dish that is made with ripe papayas and ice cream. They use fresh, ripe papayas to blend with ice cream to create a very rich fruity dessert. This was a really good treat as it was so rich.

Of course we had to have some Creme de Cassis on top!

South American Flan was the real winner to us. Our server told us they make it daily on site and it is one of the top desserts. We thought the texture was light, creamy and very delicate. I could not get over the amount of vanilla specks that were visible in the caramel part of the custard. I would go back just for this.

Fogo De Chao is a special place to go to when you want to really enjoy a unique steakhouse meal. Dinner is $46.50 (Salad Bar Only – $22.50) so this is not a place to go for a casual dinner. A dinner out will cost you at least $60 a person and you will be so stuffed on very rich food you might want this to be for a nice occassion. Be sure to eat light before hand so you can really enjoy everything that is twirled around your table. And be sure to save room for dessert!

Fogo De Chao – Boston

200 Dartmouth St.

Boston, MA 02116

617.585.6300

*While I did recieive a complimentary brunch from Fogo De Chao these opinions are entirely my own.

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Monday Munchies: The Tip Tap Room- Boston, MA

July 23, 2012

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the first and third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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When I heard that Chef Brain Poe was opening a restaurant near my office I was so enthusiastic. I have loved Poe’s cuisine ever since I tried the revamped Rattlesnake menu when he took over as chef there a few years ago. Since then we have celebrated many birthdays and happy events around his food so knowing I could have it much more often was so exciting.

The concept behind The Tip Tap Room is to serve great ‘tips’ while enjoying a refreshing ‘tap’. Steak tips seem to be served in just about every pub in the Boston area, which is what inspired Chef Poe to open a restaurant that focused on innovative tips like steak, swordfish, and various game meats. And to wash it all down there are plenty of taps on hand.

Price and I went on opening day to enjoy lunch there (to celebrate the opening and his arrival back from a long weekend away in Vegas) and we have been back recently for dinner as well. Here are some of the things we’ve had at The Tip Tap Room…

Rock Shrimp- Kataifi & nori fried shrimp, cucumber salad, chile ginger sauce $11.75

This alone is the reason why I would go back again and again. The shredded phylo dough that coats the shrimp stays so crunchy, even as it is in the chile ginger sauce.

Rock Shrimp Salad – Katafi & nori fried shrimp, cucumber salad, chile ginger sauce

As I told Chef Poe during my first visit I think that the Rock Shrimp Appetizer would make a great salad, which is exactly why I had it for dinner. The chile ginger sauce made for a great dressing on the salad. I would have preferred for the cucumber in the appetizer to have been in the salad but it was still a great meal.

Steak Tips- House marinade, horseradish mashed potatoes, cherry pepper & watercress slaw, bordelaise $13.75

The thing I could do without for this dish is the watercress. I don’t like it so it just was pushed aside. Everything else about this is a perfect 10.

Steak Tip Burger – Lettuce, tomato, veal demi, A1 aioli, Russian dressing, brioche bun, served with fries $10.95

Price really enjoyed the Steak Tip Burger for dinner. Instead of having fries with his burger he had a side of creamed corn mashed potatoes. (Our friend has goat cheese mashed potatoes which I snagged a bite of and thought was luscious and addicting.) Price asked for Medium but the burger was way underdone, but was still okay for him since I serve them ‘moo-ing’ at home. We did tell Chef Poe this later on to keep him informed on what is going on in his kitchen when he is not there.

Peach Tip Cobbler –Peaches, cobbler, peach and strawberry ice cream $6.95

shhh don’t tell… I don’t like cobblers like this. I much prefer cobblers with biscuits on top. But Price and I easily shared this since the fresh fruit and ice cream made this a perfect summer time dessert.

I suggest swinging by The Tip Tap Room for a great meal and a refreshing beer. When you go it is must that you sit by the opened garage door style windows to enjoy people watching on the warm summer breeze.

The Tip Tap Room

138 Cambridge Street

Boston, MA 02134

(857) 263-7614

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Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict @ Cafe Mirage, Port Chester NY

June 20, 2012

In the past my mom has ventured up to Boston to spend mother’s day up here but for the most recent one Price and I went back to G-town to spend the weekend there. It was a whirlwind weekend, as per usual, because my nephews were also performing in a local performance of Beauty in the Beast. So Saturday quickly became Sunday and we found ourselves at Cafe Mirage in Port Chester, NY.

I had called all around for Mother’s Day brunch reservations and thankfully we got one at Cafe Mirage. They don’t normally do brunch so I don’t think a lot of people thought of them for the typical M.D. brunch. We were able to get a table for right when they opened. Score! I was so glad that I thought about Cafe Mirage because it is one of my favorite places in the area. We’ve gone there to celebrate my birthday in the past as well as just go out for a great meal.

My mom and I both ordered the Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict that Chef Dave Haggerty created for the brunch. As soon as I saw that as an option I knew I would have to have it!!! (Price had the Chicken and Waffles and loved it.) And I was so happy that I made that decision when it was brought out to us. The pieces of filet mignon sat on toasted cutouts of hearty multi-grain toast and on that set two perfectly poached eggs and a spicy hollandaise sauce. The eggs has to have been so fresh since the yolks were so bright. The hollandaise was also very bright, but it was studded with fresh peppers and tiny piece of vibrant green chives.

Hello lover…

Each steak medallion was rather large and carefully seasoned. But in general the steak really spoke for itself, which I really appreciated. I had ordered it medium-rare and it came out medium but it was still so very good. I guess it was good that it came out medium anyway as the foundation of the eggs benedict was a piece of toasted multi-grain bread. It was nicely toasted and tasted really good. I would have enjoyed it more on a sandwich (oh my gawd thinking about a chicken salad on that… drool!) more than the eggs benedict. I just think that it did not stand up to the steak juices and hollandaise very well, but that is just me.

The eggs benedict did not come with a side but the meal itself was more than enough. Hello!?! Steak!!! But that made me even more glad that I did order a bloody mary. Our waitress told us that co-owner Katy is a pro at making bloody mary’s and that were in luck that she was there to make it for us. Thankfully it did live up to the hype! Plenty of horseradish and lemon, and just a tiny bit of pepper.

Rating

Multi Grain Toast– 12 pts

Filet Mignon– 18 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25 pts

Bloody Mary– 9 points

Total: 89/100

While Cafe Mirage does not always serve brunch you should still give them a try for lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite dishes are the Bangkok Mussels, Old School Chopped Salad, and Coconut Curry Shrimp. They have a great selection of dishes you can try out. Give them a call when the next holiday approaches and see what they have up their sleeve for brunch.

Cafe Mirage

531 North Main St

Port Chester, New York 10573

914.937.3497

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Hash Benedict @ Deluxe Station Diner, Newton MA

May 5, 2012

Recently, Price and I went to Deluxe Station Dinner in Newton, MA for an early morning weekend breakfast. We had been to their sister restaurant, Deluxe Town Diner, in Watertown, MA more times than we can remember. And we would always pass by Deluxe Station as we took the train everyday so we finally made plans to stop in one day for breakfast.

The diner is located at the Newton Centre T stop on the D-line (Green Line). The building is charming inside and out. The diner is located inside the old train station. It is filled with fun accents and interesting artwork.

We settled into a booth together as a friendly waitress gave us some menus. We had checked out the breakfast menu before going so we knew what we were getting but it was nice to take a peak again. We enjoyed some coffee before placing our orders. Price ordered the Deluxe Colossal Hungry Person Special and I ordered the Hash Benedict, natch.

Hash Benedict – Two Poached Eggs and Homemade Corned Beef Hash over English Muffin with Hollandaise Sauce and Homefries or Salad… $12.50

My love of Eggs Benedict was satisfied during our visit. The large plate it barely visible with the combination of Hash Benedict and home fries piled high. The eggs are layered with English Muffin, Corned Beef, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. They use the hearty English Muffins from Wolferman’s so the stand up well to the flavors stacked up high on there. I was so excited for this when it was placed down in front of me. I was eager to dive right in.

I loved the combination of each bite. The Hollandaise was very good as it was light, lemony, and very buttery. The color is always so inviting. The Hollandaise was a little lumpy so it was a bit disappointing.

The corned beef hash was flavorful, tender, and piled high. I would have prefered it to have been on the griddle a bit longer as I love crunchy edges on corned beef.

The eggs were cooked perfectly. The poached eggs were neatly trimmed, the whites were set, and the yolk was warm and runny. Once you pierce the egg the yolk cascades down the corned beef and onto the English Muffin.

A generious portion of home fries were plated along side the eggs benedict. The home fries are simple without adornment with veggies (onions, peppers), but are seasoned well with are fresh herbs.

I highly suggest visiting the Deluxe Station Diner when you crave a great breakfast. If you love corned beef hash or eggs benny as much as I do then you should really order this. You might want to take a nap afterwards but it will be worth it. 🙂

Rating

English muffin– 20 pts

Corned Beef Hash– 20 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 15 pts

Side– 9 points

Total: 89/100

Deluxe Station Diner

70 Union Street

Newton, MA 02459

617. 244.2550

@dluxstation

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Maximo’s with Boston Brunchers

March 21, 2012

When a place says they are a family run restaurant I will wonder how they compare to the crew that runs Maximo’s in Watertown, MA. This is a TRUE family restaurant. While Maximo’s is run by husband wife team, Phil and Betsy, it is a big family affair with their kids and parents’ help. Don’t be surprised if you order take out and Phil delivers it to you! That is hand’s on service.

For a recent Boston Brunchers outing, things were changed up a bit and we went to a dinner. I enjoyed the change of pace from our ‘typical’ brunches to have a dinner out together. Plus, I don’t typically go to Watertown for dinner from work in Boston since it takes so long to get back home without a car (1 hr 40 min trip back home thankyouverymuch) so it was nice to learn about a new place. I’ll just have to drive next time! (And bring my camera & camera SD card, as I just used my iphone for these shots- please don’t judge too harshly.)

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta: This was a fantastic start to our meal. The crostini were toasted providing a crisp surface for the moist bruschetta that did not get soggy as we prepared the and photographed these little beauties. The bruschetta itself was very oniony and garlicy, which I love (says the girl who sweats garlic) but someone else could think it is a little strong. I think the fact that the tomatoes were roasted was what really sets this dish apart from other restaurants.

Betsy, one half of the power couple, sat with us while we dined and explained the story behind she and Phil and the creation of Maximo’s. The name comes from the family’s kids- Max and Mo. Of course Mo is ticked that everyone thinks that the places is named after Max only, but that is to be expected from teenagers 🙂 Betsy explained that the menu is still in development and will be trying new things out for the season. In all honesty, the menu is a bit of a mash up of things, but it is a reflection of what they like to eat. And I think that makes perfect sense.

Mediterranean Turkey Burger: Turkey burgers are such a hard thing to make well. They are typically too dry and bland but these turkey burgers are none of that. The burger is so flavorful from the spice mix that is added to it as well as the tabbouleh that is mixed in. The tabbouleh makes the burger moist as well.

The roasted potatoes that were served with the turkey burger were also really good. I could see enjoying these with the Slamin’ BLT (more on the later!).

Steak and Onion Salad: I loved this salad! The combination of the greens, cheese, steak, and chimichurri sauce was harmonious. The grilled steak was very tender, almost-melt-in-your-mouth tender. The chimichurri sauce on it was incredible. I would like to have a bottle of that at home. Overall, I highly recommend this salad, but I think it would have been even more fantastic with a very light vinaigrette on the salad. Just my 2cents.

I loved the salad so much that I even had to Instagram it to brag about that I was enjoying.

When each dish was served, Phil came out to explain what we were about to enjoy. I could clearly understand his passion in what he does when he came out to present each dish with us. Betsy has explained to us Phil’s background and how he has lived all over the world. I really could taste how his world travels has really left a lasting imprint on his culinary point of view.

Slamin’ BLT:

This Slamin’ BLT sandwich would be a perfect hangover cure, but of course enjoyable at any hour of the day. The BLT has a fried egg and slice of cheddar cheese on it that takes it to the next level and sets it apart from other BLT’s. The grill marks make this so inviting to dive into. I love details like that.

The sandwich was served with roasted corn and black bean soup. This pops up on the specials menu so be sure to look for it. Perfect soup and sandwich combination.

Go ahead… take another look at that sandwich…

Oooo that is an nice runny egg!

Cilantro Lime Grilled Tuna: I have to admit that this was the dish that I liked the least. It was perfectly fine, more than fine actually, but it did not appeal to me. I felt the tuna was seasoned and cooked nicely but I didn’t like the sides that were served with it. I liked the kale but I always prefer my wilted greens with butter, oil, or lemon. I felt it was a little flat for my palate. I liked the quinoa side but I would have preferred if it had a citrus based dressing tying it together.

Besides Betsy and Phil, we met Max and Phil’s parents, who explained that they are enjoying seeing their son’s dream come to life and are enjoying helping out as well. Getting to see toddler Max running around and stealing bites of Betsy’s meal was just too cute.

*While I did receive this complimentary meal from Maximo’s these opinions are entirely my own.

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