By the time you read this, it'll already be too late. Due to an exceptionally bountiful early season harvest, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Northern Shrimp Section has decided to close Maine shrimp season six weeks early to avoid depleting next year's stock. That's good news for the oceans and bad news for fans of Hungry Mother's shrimp and grits. More
To say that I'm unbiased when it comes to chef Jason Bond's cooking would be more than a bit misleading. I'm a fervent fan of his, and have been ever since working with him about a decade when he was the chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch's No. 9 Park in Boston, and I still didn't even know how to slice a shallot. With Bondir—a cozy spot just outside of Central Square in Cambridge in the old Con Sol digs that opened last November—he's finally got a restaurant of his own, and it's a good one. More
I spent about 10 days in Israel when I was 13, but the only two dishes I remember eating are falafel and turkey schnitzel. (I wasn't the most svelte of teenagers.) At that point, my obsession with food was in relatively nascent stages, so I can't feel too remorseful about all the local delicacies that I missed out on—but the one dish I do regret not trying in the homeland is shakshuka. More
Of all the restaurants that sit on my to-eat list for months or years before I get to them, the one I most regret waiting on is Rendezvous in Central Square. Chef/owner Steve Johnson couldn't be more gracious, and his food hits that remarkable combination of smart, well-executed, totally unpretentious, and just a bit out-of-the-ordinary. More
It's time for another street food profile. This time we chat with Philip "Lefty" Francis of Lefty's Silver Cart at the Harvard University farmers' market, who sells local, organic, fair-trade (and cheerful) soups and sandwiches. More
The Belmont Farmers' Market won "Boston Magazine's Best of Boston Farmers' Market 2009." I agree with the magazine that "picking the best farmers' market is like trying to pick the best heirloom tomato. What's not to love in any of the forms and flavors they take?" Still, I had to pay a visit because they also said that Belmont, "earns bonus points (and a loyal following of chefs) for the bumper crop of other regional goodies it has on hand." I also visited the Harvard University Farmers' Market for some of the area's best strawberries. More
To eat at Craigie on Main is to witness a chef (Tony Maws) at the top of his game. As the waiters recite the composition of each dish, the ingredient lists may seem unlikely (pork heart and sea urchin) or precious (foam, really?) or unfamiliar (yuzu kosho). But on the plate, it all makes sense, every bite; whimsically inventive dishes seem natural and focused. It's like watching a juggler with seven balls in the air—the more that's tossed in, the more difficult it is to keep a rhythm, to present a coherent show. But Maws nails it. More
"What real chefs can do with red-sauce Italian." One could be forgiven for expecting very little from Basta Pasta. It sits on a traffic-heavy Cambridge street lined with bodegas and split-level homes. No waiters--just a walk-up counter whose chalkboard menu reads like the Olive Garden's. There's a refrigerator stocked with Pepsi and Gatorade; a flat-screen TV hangs overhead. The name's a little corny. And the owners aren't even Italian. But with one bite of homemade fusilli, none of this could matter less. MIT grad students, the Cambridge fire department, and Central Square denizens have been holding out on the rest of us--Basta Pasta is no ordinary red-sauce takeout. Order well, and the dishes handed over the counter will be phenomenal.... More
Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents from around the country checks in with what's fresh at the farmstands in a particular region. Today, Penny Cherubino (Boston Zest) drops by from Boston. Steps from Harvard Yard, with historic Memorial Hall as a backdrop, you'll find the Harvard Farmers' Market. It's part of the University's Food Literacy Project, which "cultivates an understanding of food from the ground up." One of the wettest Junes on record has delayed sun-loving summer crops in the Northeast. Farms with greenhouse operations have had an advantage by producing some early broccoli and cauliflower.... More
