Rincon Limeño: A Bit of Peru in East Boston

For one of my nurse practitioner clinical sites, I am in East Boston. Originally made up of five islands, East Boston was created when Bostonians filled in the spaces between the islands to form one large neighborhood. Eventually the island was connected to the mainland. The area has always been a mecca for immigrants, starting with Russian Jews and Italians, next came SE Asians and more recently, Central and South Americans. As a result, the neighborhood has exploded with Latin American flavor (and I couldn't be happier!) Rincon Limeño is one such restaurant. The owners have created a tiny refuge on Chelsea Street for those seeking tasty Peruvian cuisine.

When I think of Peruvian, gorgeous, juicy chicken comes to mind (no one makes better roasted chicken than they do). Pollo a la brasa is chicken cooked slowly over a charcoal grill or rotisserie, the meat is perfectly moist while the skin is kept nice and crisp.

I had the chance to sample Rincon Limeño's take on Peruvian cuisine recently. As a starter I enjoyed papas a la huancaina, roasted potatoes served atop lettuce in a thick, cheesy sauce. Black olives and a hard-boiled egg complete this dish. I know it sounds a bit odd served in this manner-but somehow, it really works! I like to think of it as Peru's very own, more delicious potato salad (is that sacrilegious to say?). Mine only thought is that I would love to try the potatoes served hot in the sauce. I think that some of the more subtle flavors of the huancaina sauce might become more pronounced if heated.



The chicken was happiness. I cannot think of a better way to put it! Juicy, tender, flavorful chicken is one of life's more simple pleasures. Rincon Limeño serves their's with french fries. I think I would perhaps enjoy it more with a side of yuca or potatoes and huanacaina and aji sauce. And of course, with a Pisco Sour!


We ordered alfajores, dulce de leche sandwiched between two butter cookies and dipped in powdered sugar for dessert. Mmm....guys, if you want to know how to impress your lady, surprise her a box of these, and you will have a very happy woman on your hands!

The best part of the meal was that the papas a la huancaina, 1/2 a roast chicken and side salad, and a box of about 12 alfajores were just 23 dollars, making this tiny Peruvian haven a very affordable dinner option!

After the meal, I popped into a nearby grocery store to check out the food options and picked up a bottle of aji amaraillo paste (yay!), choclo for toasting and a bottle of pisco! So expect a post detailing my adventures in cooking Peruvian cuisine in the nearish future :).

Boston Happy Hours

One of the things that I love about leaving Boston is finding a good happy hour deal. For some reason, back in the day, someone decided that outlawing discounted drinks would keep Bostonians proper (they also made parties hosted by a household of women illegal-too much like a brothel and banned Native Americans from entering the city until a few years ago, but I digress). Anyone who been around Fenway after a good Red Sox game probably noticed that that idea didn't pan out...but the law remains in place.

To make up for the lack in drink specials, restaurants offer cheap eats daily, ranging from deep-fried pub food to freshly shucked oysters. As a graduate student I need to take advantage of the deals, because let's face it, ramen just doesn't cut it anymore. It is also a good way for a family to go out for dinner without having to dip into their 401ks (it can get pricey eating out in Boston). The following list is just the beginning-several deals will be added daily, but I wanted to start with some favorites...check back for updates!

Estragon
700 Harrison Avenue (Washington St. at E. Brookline, Silver Line)
Boston, MA 02118-2631
(617) 266-0443

Estragon offers $1 tapas at the bar from 5:30-7pm Monday-Thursday. I am in love with their braised beef cheeks in Pedro Jimenez...they are falling apart tender..mmm.

KO Prime
90 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108-4101
(617) 772-0202

KO Prime has $5 dollar glasses of wine and martinis from 5-7pm and 9-11pm! During those times bar bites are priced at $2 or $5. They also offer $29.95 all-you-can-eat prime rib on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Now, I don't eat enough to take advantage of this deal, but for those who do, hot damn that's a great deal for steak!

Lineage
242 Harvard Street (Coolidge Corner, or Harvard at Beacon St. on the 66)
Brookline, MA 02446-2904
(617) 232-0065

Lineage has $1 oysters at their bar from 5-7pm Monday-Friday. I believe that the owner's brother is a fisherman-you cannot get much fresher seafood than that! Take your significant oyster-loving other to Lineage for a dozen (or two)!


Minibar
51 Huntington Avenue (Copley)
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: (617) 424 - 8500

Minibar offers $2 mini Kobe burgers from 5-7pm Monday-Thursday.

Noir
1 Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-5707
(617) 661-8010

Noir's 5-4-3-2-1 happy hour menu runs from 5-7pm Monday-Thursday. Flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, snacks and sweets compromise this tasty deal.

Small Plates
JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 441-0056

Sundays and Mondays from 5-6pm and Tuesdays-Saturdays from 4-6pm Small Plates offers a delectable selection of tapas, wines and wine cocktails for $5 each!

Tapeo
268 Newbury Street (Copley T stop)
Boston, MA 02116-2424
(617) 267-4799

Tapeo offers $5 tapas at their bar-a steal for items such as duck confit in a berry sauce or scallops in a saffron cream sauce.

Tremont 647
647 Tremont Street (Arlington T stop)
Boston, MA 02118-1201
(617) 266-4600

$2 tacos are offered Tuesday evenings, the selection changes weekly. The cheap tacos provide the perfect excuse to consume plenty of libations such as their pepper-infused XXX margaritas! (Just be sure to take the T or have a DD-lined up, they can pack a punch!)

Union Bar and Grill
1357 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 423-0555

Free bar bites weekdays 5:30-7 pm, $29.95 for 3 courses with a glass of wine from 5:30-6:30pm daily, a $9.95 prix fixe brunch all day Saturdays and 10-11 a.m. Sundays includes coffee, fresh squeezed juice, coffee cake and your choice of B52 French Toast, Smoked Salmon Scramble of Chef's Choice Omelet. Great deal, great food, great (or okay but very amusing) service. 'Nuff said.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: O Ya: Haute Japanese Cuisine

Some people in life simply eat to live. Others live to eat. Diners at O Ya definitely fit the latter category. Nestled into a former fire station, this Japanese gem has shook up the dining scene in Boston. Frank Bruni's reviewed O Ya as the NYTimes's 2008 Best New Restaurant in the United States, quite an accomplishment for a charming, unassuming restaurant in Boston's Leather District. We arrived for our 9pm reservation a few minutes tardy and were promptly shown to our seats at the chefs' counter.

Like any good foodie, I had spent a few hours pouring over O Ya's menu, as well as reviews on Yelp, Citysearch and numerous publications. Ordering your courses is a significant investment; each course costs between $8 and $38-thus, not a decision to be taken lightly.

The menu is divided up into user-friendly categories; nigiri, sashimi, vegetable, pork, wagyu beef, poulet rouge chicken, truffles & eggs, other stuff, something crunchy in it, salad and soup. Although I would have loved to get items from each category, I couldn't bring myself to order soup&salad at such an inventive place.

Tamago Omelet Roll with Dashi Sauce, Burgundy Truffles, Robiola and Chives


Tamago is a sweet egg omelet. Here, chefs at O Ya prepare it with burgundy truffles, a light and delicate truffle. They are typically served raw and shaved over dishes as a finishing garnish. Dashi is a broth made from bonito flakes-a deep cold water fish, usually skip jack tuna. Robiola cheese is soft, creamy and aromatic. The tamago was a sweet, earthy bite with a savory aftertaste left in your mouth from the dashi.


Shrimp Tempura with a Bacon-Truffle Emulsion, Chive Oil



Tempura is deep fried vegetable or seafood, which is commonly eaten in Japan. An emulsion of truffle and bacon is made by mixing two substances that normally would not go together, such as fat and water, and mixed together until they become viscous, forming an emulsion. The tempura were perfectly crunchy upon biting into them, the bacon-truffle emulsion was delicious-I could eat an entire platter of the tempura, sadly, 2 shrimp were all I experienced.


Peruvian-Style Toro Tuna Tataki with an Aji Panca Sauce and Cilantro Pesto

Toro is an incredibly tender cut from the tuna's belly. In tataki, the outside of the fish is seared (in our case, with a creme brulee torch) for just a few seconds. Aji is a hot chili pepper from Peru. The aji panca sauce was smoky but unfortunately overpowered the fish.

Tea-Brined Fried Pork Ribs with Hot Sesame Oil, Honey, Scallions

The chefs at O YA first brine these ribs in tea, then fry them, resulting in tender, moist and succulent bit of heaven. With a gentle poke of a chopstick the rib meat fell off the bone. Honey enhances the sweetness of the pork fat and spicy sesame oil complements the meat's richness. This was by far my favorite dish of the night. I could have eaten this meat candy all night long. I think my boyfriend caught my longing gazes (at the ribs, not him!) and offered me up some of his...good boyfriend!

Fried Kumamoto Oysters with Yuzu Kosho Aioli and Squid Ink Bubbles

I have gone through most of my life thinking that I didn't like oysters. Big mistake-turns out, I love fried oysters. The Kumamoto oyster tasted mildly fruity, has a rich, buttery texture and a slight mineral finish. A squid ink foam bubble covered the oyster; below was yuzu kosho-a combination of yuzu, a sour Japanese citrus fruit, and red or green chili peppers and salt, all over nori-wrapped sushi rice. It was a playful bite of crunchy, sweet and salty oyster, foamy squid ink and sour-spicy sauce. It was the kind of bite that makes you go, hmmm, afterwards while your brain deconstructs what just happened.

House Smoked Wagyu with Yuzu Soy

Wagyu refers to several breeds of cattle that are genetically predisposed to yummy-ness-that is, to intense marbling and a high percentage of unsaturated fat (some would argue that actually makes it healthier for you than a typical piece o' meat). It has enhanced tenderness, flavor and juiciness. The smoky beef was velvety, it melted in my mouth like a foie gras. The yuzu soy cut through the fattiness with just a hint of sour. I would definitely come back and try the other wagyu offerings-such as their petit loin with potato confit, sea salt and truffle oil, mmm...

Venison Tataki with Porcini Crema and Ponzu Oil

Venison was thinly sliced and briefly torched, then drizzled with ponzu oil, porcini crema and topped off with microgreens. Ponzu is a sour sauce made of Japanese citrus, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin and dashi. The venison's flavor was mild-not gamey at all, which was my fear, and tender. I felt somewhat underwhelmed, having mentally prepared for a strong flavor; I think that a second try would leave me with a more definitive decision about this dish.

Kyoto Style Enoki Mushrooms with Garlic and Soy

Enoki mushrooms have a mild, delightful flavor and a crunchy texture...and they remind me of spaghetti...or possibly a cute little cuttlefish (now picture a cuttlefish swimming through the ocean....adorable, isn't it?)

Wild Bluefin Maguro Tuna with Soy Braised Garlic and Micro Greens

A mature bluefin tuna can outweigh a pony! That, I certainly did not know before some research. At O Ya, micro is huge. I saw on numerous plates the smallest possible version of a salad I can think of atop various nigiri and sashimi dishes. Supposedly they are much more intensely flavored than normal salad greens-plus they fit much better atop sashimi ;)

Shrimp Sashimi with Golden Caviar...I think!

I didn't eat this dish-it appeared as we were waiting for our last dish, but my what a beauty! I was blown away by the intricate presentation of the dishes at O Ya-every morsel deliberated placed for maximum flavor and visual appeal. Golden caviar garnishes what I believe to be shrimp...anyone out there want to venture a guess at to this little fella's origin?

An hour and a half later, as we finished our meal, not a single table had left, nor had they attempted to acquire their checks. They seemed completely won over by O Ya. After some serious thought, I would declare that I too could fall in love with these small bites with big taste...if I could somehow find a sugar daddy or otherwise wealthy benefactor to pay for the bill (O Ya...oh boy, you are pricey!).

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: One If On Land, Two If In The Sea; Eating My Way Up The Food Chain in Boston

My first introduction to seafood was working as a waitress in Faneuil Hall. I was 20, a vegetarian, and slightly traumatized by the experience of eating anything with tentacles-i thought they belonged in scary stories, definitely NOT in my stomach! However, upon eating fried calamari with spicy peppers and a lemon garlic aioli, I was surprised to find that I in fact loved the flavor (although, to be honest, you can fry just about anything, and I will think it tastes yummy). 6 years has passed since then, and I will eat all creatures, great and small : )

For my Foodbuzz 24-24-24 May event, I decided to eat my way up the food chain in Boston, stopping at historical as well as contemporary seafood restaurants. All sea creatures rely on other sea creatures for food to survive. At the bottom of the food chain are the sea plants and plankton. Many types of fish and animals such as the snail, shrimp, jellyfish, and sea star eat the plankton. The small animals and fish who eat plankton then become food for larger crustaceans, such as lobster or fish such as tuna or mackeral. Octopus prey on lobster (try searching for these oceanic show-downs on you-tube, it is great fun, I promise you!) These fish are then eaten by larger fish and animals, such as the shark and dolphin.

I set out upon this odyssey with my boyfriend. Our first stop was Skipjack's Seafood Restaurant located near the Copley Church. We shared a sesame-seaweed salad with salmon roe. I had a Sapporo-a delicious if not extremely large Japanese beer.

Haymarket occurs every Friday and Saturday between Faneuil Hall and the North End, Boston's Little Italy. For 1 dollar, you could purchase clams on the half shell in the market. Fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and meats can be found for great prices. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to eating raw fish...more so when it's sold on the street, but others were slurping away, enjoying their clams and then tossing the shells into a bucket next to the stand.

Our next stop was at Union Oyster House, America's oldest restaurant. It opened in 1826 and served many famous Bostonians, such as Daniel Webster, as stated in the sign below.

Our seafood platter was comprised of oysters, shrimp and clams, slightly higher on the totem pole than roe and seaweed. Horseradish, lemon and cocktail sauce were served alongside. Sitting at the oyster bar is a very no-nonsense experience, full of the famous Boston charm...I say this with a wry grin. Bostonians are known for being less-than-friendly, but once you get to know them, most are incredibly generous-you just have to get through the tough, protective exterior (much like the oysters our servers were shucking) before you can truly appreciate their personalities.

For local oyster lovers, the ninth annual Wellfleet OysterFest takes place the weekend after Columbus Day in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass. This two-day street party celebrates the town's famous oysters, clams and shellfishing traditions and brings together locals and visitors alike for a weekend full of hometown flavor and big time fun. More information can be found at:

http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/

Our next stop was at Ned Devine's, an Irish restaurant in Faneuil Hall. Ned Devine's serves consistently good pub fare and local seafood. We shared a lobster roll BLT...it was my first lobster salad (I am ashamed to say) and is a classic Boston sandwich, chunks of lobster meat, mayo, perhaps some mustard or lemon. Served with lettuce, tomato and crispy bacon kicked it up a notch, adding texture and flavor.

Our last stop was at Tapeo Restaurant, a Spanish tapas spot on Newbury Street. There we ordered octopus, served in a fiery paprika and olive oil sauce. Although it appears small on the plate, the octopus can take out more sea creatures that it'd care to admit (if it could speak). On the plate, the meat was tender, not chewy and a light ending to our many meals.

At the top of the seafood chain is the shark. And who eats the shark? Apparently not us that night! Try as we might, shark evaded us that evening. Perhaps due to overfishing, perhaps due to its intelligence and fierce teeth, we may never know the reason that shark was lacking on every menu Saturday night. Having had mako shark in Chile, I assure you, it is delicious! And, really, I have no qualms about eating any creature that also could make a meal out of me. Look out sharks! Next time you shall not be so lucky. Rather you will be sauteed and served with a lovely sauce, perhaps a spicy razor clam sauce, a la Santiago. I will find you, and I will eat you.

Atasca

Last Saturday the BF&I decided to have dinner at Atasca. Upon entering, I noticed the typical "we have pretty plates on our walls" decor, nice, but nothing outstanding. We were seated in the back at a table for two, which I liked. Tables near the entrance, kitchen or in the middle of the dining room have traffic that detracts from the dining experience.

We decided to start with a typical Portuguese white, Vinho Verde. Vinho verde is typically light, slightly sweet and effervescent. It's mild and a crowd pleaser; even better, it is very cheap, running between 5-10 at a liquor store, and in our case $21 dollars for the bottle at Atasca.

We started with an appetizer of fresh cheese with tomatoes. It was served in the style of a caprese salad, with parsley instead of basil and lots of sauteed onions and olive oil. The tomatoes were surprisingly tasty for the winter. Bread was served with olive oil and roasted cloves of garlic. I decided to combine the bread, garlic, cheese and tomatoes and found the combination pretty good, about a 7 out of 10.

We also ordered scallops to share. They came with a wedge of fried/sauteed polenta, and, no surprise, more onions. The polenta had a rich smokey taste but the scallops did not stand out.

We shared the typical dish of pork and clams as an entree. It came in (I believe) a white wine, garlic and butter sauce. I asked for lemon wedges to squeeze over the dish. The combination sounds odd, but works surprisingly well. And the portion was huge-for under $20 it easily serves 2 people.

While the experience did not blow me away, I would go back to Atasca. Plus they are on restaurant.com, which would make a weeknight experience very affordable and thus very desirable.