Bostonist: Chefs Collaborative dinner. Want.

Nom-inducing name-drop-a-ganza post from last weekend. I balked at paying $100 for this event (though it's worthy and seemed like a good value), but I did get some small measure of satisfaction from getting the scoop on the ridiculous menu before the attendees did:

[Jamie] Bissonnette will be breaking out some Thai-style ceviche and some of his signature charcuterie, and Kelly will be making "Honey Smoked Hiramasa with Pumpkin Seed Cracker, Pickled Local Squash, and Bloody Mary Tomato Salad with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Rain Organic Vodka Gelee, Horseradish Cream" (yum!). Gilson will be cooking up some venison, and may try to use some chocolate nibs from Taza Chocolate (the local chocolatier is a sponsor of the event). Gilson is also one of four New England chefs who have agreed to include some endangered, hard-to-find food items from Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste, so you may find some of those limited-edition goodies popping up in his dishes.



I loathe horseradish and have no desire to eat venison, but I still feel as though I missed the ball. Where was my organic local rouge vif d'temps carriage?

(Photo credit: Darwin Bell via Flikr Creative Commons)

Bostonist: T-Rex Taqueria takes a bite out of Brookline

I have to give my man (dog) McGruff some props here for the title of my post about tacos, mole, crazy potatoes (!), wrestlers and reptilian action figures.

Bostonist: Ciao Bella says bon giorno to Boston with free ice cream

Yum! This free-ness was a while back, but the gelato is here to stay. Here's where you can get it in our 'hood:

Boston

Whole Foods Market
181 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-723-0004

Brighton

Whole Foods Market
15 Washington St.
Brighton, MA 02135
617-738-8187

Cambridge

Whole Foods Market
340 River Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-876-6990

Harvest Supermarkets
581 Massachusetts Av
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-661-1580

Boston

Whole Foods Market
15 Westland Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-375-1010

Cambridge

Whole Foods Market
115 Prospect St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-0070

Boston, Jamaica Plain

Harvest Market
57 South St
Boston, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-524-1667

Cambridge

Whole Foods Market
200 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-491-0040

Pemberton Farms
2225 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2244

(Photo credit: Ciao Bella)

Bostonist: The Roadhouse is finally open

Kind of fun: this is the "most recommended story" on Bostonist right now. (I'd say that's like being the tallest person at a midget convention, but as a short person I hate midget jokes.) It's popularity is probably due to the fact that everyone and their mom has been waiting for this spot to open, and it's been delayed for weeks. As I noted in my review, Boston doesn't need more beer bars in any aesthetic or cultural sense, but it needs more simply to balance out the supply of craft beer spots and the demand for "good beer", which suddenly everyone and their mom thinks they need.

Don't get me wrong - I love me some Allagash White as much as the next goateed grad student (note: I neither have a goatee nor attend grad school). But I also enjoy drinking crappy Molson Canadian out of a keg while partying in a Buffalo basement, and 3 percent Utah Bud Lights at eight in the morning while reclining in a canoe. It's all about context and havin' a good time.

Anyway, many a Bostonian now fancies him or herself a "beer snob", and all these newly anointed "snobs" need somewhere properly snobbish to drink. And the Publick House has been giving the people what they want - a long-ass beer list with many unpronounceable names and a slightly sadomasochistic staff -- for a while, so the Roadhouse I'm sure will follow suit. Fortunately our bartender on opening night wasn't at all curmudgeonly (probably because he comes from a bar in Cambridge instead of the Publick House, where acting like a jerk seems to be the required schtick), and he allowed us to try several of their American beers on tap before we chose our fancy beers, Baskin-Robbins style. Good times. It's all here on Bostonist, so give it a click if you want a little more of the scoop.

Bostonist: South End Buttery - How does it stack up?

As far as new openings go, the yuppie-tastic dinner menu at the Buttery was not high on my "must try" list (which is getting far too long), but we ended up there after we stumbled away from Final Friday at Space 242 in search of eats, and my beloved Franklin told us we'd have to wait an hour for a table. We had a fun group of five for the dinner, though, so it ended up being quite fun (albeit expensive), and I was able to get a fairly decent photo with the iPhone, so I put the results on Bostonist.