by Kelly on March 8, 2010
First off, thank you for the tremendously thoughtful comments. They made me smile constantly throughout this big transition. As a point of housekeeping, the contest winner is #27, Joelen. I’ll be sending you an email.
Since my last post, a lot happened. I said goodbye to my co-workers and Boston friends, got my condo ready to be listed and watched the movers cart every last belonging out of my place. I have to say, it’s a really weird feeling to stand in the place you called home for 5 years when it is completely empty. I also started my new job, found an apartment and visited the most beautiful Whole Foods ever. I’m not completely settled in because my stuff won’t turn up for a week and I still have more details to sort out, but I do feel like I can finally catch my breath.
Recipe posts will likely not return until Friday when my kitchen gear arrives, but until then I thought it would be fun to share another restaurant review. When I was in town for my job interview last month I made a point to stop at Bin 36 the night before. Bin 36 is one of those restaurants people had been recommending to me for years so I was excited to finally experience it firsthand. The restaurant is a approachable place that centers on wine and cheese. My intent was to try both.
At the time, Bin 36 was featuring an all-American cheese menu. (It is worth noting that since my visit the restaurant closed for a couple of days for a mini makeover and has returned with a new cheese menu that is international in scope and organized by type not region.) Rather than order specific cheeses I instead asked my server Chris to choose for me based on my likes and dislikes. Generally you pay a premium for cheeses at a restaurant so to make sure I get my money’s worth I make sure I fully take advantage of the staff’s expertise. It’s a great way to push you outside your comfort zone or to get ideas for alternatives to your favorites. I also recommend being as clear as you can about your preferences. Even if you don’t know the lingo, describe your turnoffs and turn-ons as best as you can and when in doubt, give examples. My preferences that night were toward bold, full-flavored cheeses, the runnier and slinkier the better. Chris returned with a fantastic spread (two additional cheeses were later added to the spread as my tasting wore on):
The cheeses included (from right to left):
Nancy’s Camembert, Old Chatham Shepherding Company, New York, sheep
Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix, Roth Kase, Wisconsin, cow
Grayson, Meadow Creek Valley, Virginia, cow
Smoky Blue, Rogue River, Oregon, cow
And…
Burning Nettle Gouda, Holland’s Family, Wisconsin, cow
Sofia, Capriole Farms, Indiana, goat
All of the cheeses were unique from one another providing quite the range of textures, flavors, and smells. I loved the slightly piquant taste of the Burning Nettle Gouda and the richness of Nancy’s Camembert. Sofia was also delicious with its thin line of ash providing an earthy counterpart to the fattiness of the rest of the cheese. The Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix and Grayson were probably my least favorite. Usually I am a tireless supporter of American cheeses, but I think I liked the European versions of these two styles of cheese better (with the styles being Gruyere and Talegio respectively). But my favorite of all that I tasted was the Rogue River Smokey Blue. It’s the only smoked blue I’m aware of and I love how the smoke balances out the sharpness of the mold. Because of the balance and the fact that the cheese is mildly flavored overall I would highly recommend it to someone who is just learning to like blue cheese. However, it’s not just for fromage neophytes as the flavors are perfect enough to win over cheese lovers with varying preferences.
Along with the cheese I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc vs. Chardonnay flight. I love doing smaller pours of many wines rather than a big glass of one because I feel I learn a lot in addition to enjoying the drink. This flight succeeded on both accounts.
Overall it was a fantastic experience from cheese to wine to atmosphere. I know I should make it through more Chicago restaurants before I go back, but I’m already planning my next trip.
For those who have lived in or visited the Chicago area what one restaurant would you say I not miss?
by Kelly on February 23, 2010
Whenever my blog’s gone quiet it’s a good indication that my life offline is anything but. So given that this is my first post in almost two weeks you might assume that something huge is going on, and you’d be right. I usually keep this blog focused on my cooking with only slight appearances from my personal life. I’m a bit of a private person so this approach comes naturally to me. But the funny thing about blogging is that what’s public and private easily blur. Friends become readers, readers become friends. (If nothing else I thought my fellow bloggers deserved to know why I’ve been so bad at commenting lately. I promise I shall return!)
For the past year I’ve been a little restless. I liked my job, but something was missing. I tried to be grateful, to remind myself in this economy that having a job at all is a plus. I found ways outside of work to challenge myself like teaching at my alma mater, taking photography classes and entering recipe contests. I was still a wee bit restless, but content that my life, as it currently stood, was enough.
But then a moment came that changed everything. My boyfriend of nearly four years broke up with me and I had to re-evaluate everything. I took time to regroup, to be selfish and ask myself, for the first time in a long time, what I wanted. I learned I was a million times stronger than I gave myself credit for. I thought about where my future was headed.
And finally I have an answer… at least for the short term.
Next Monday I officially move to Chicago. I’ll still be working in marketing, so it is not an entire overhaul. But for a girl who has lived in Boston since 2001 it is still a big adventure. There will be new friends, new restaurants, new experiences, and hopefully new cheeses. 
You’ll have to bear with me for the next couple of weeks. My kitchen is in boxes and I have no idea exactly where I’ll be living so I’m not sure how much cooking I’ll be doing, and that any of what I do make will be post-worthy. However, I’m planning to fill those weeks with restaurant reviews and best of post so hopefully the blog will be more active than it has been. I’d also love some guest posters so if you’re interested email me.
To thank you, my readers, for all your support since I first started my blog almost two years ago I figured it was time for a giveaway. Since cheese is such a passion for me it had to be…
This book is an unbelievable resource whether you consider yourselves a cheese enthusiast or just like the occasional slice of cheddar. It’s thorough and approachable, everything a good cheese resource should be and I’d like to give a copy to you.
To enter, leave a comment telling me what your favorite cheese is, be it artisan or Kraft Singles. (I won’t judge!)
For more entries*:
1. Tweet about this giveaway (I am @cupcakeartist).
2. Follow me on twitter.
3. Mention this giveaway on your blog.
4. Add me to your blogroll.
*Please be sure to come back here and leave another comment for each additional entry telling me what you did. (i.e. If you tweet about this and add me to your blogroll, come back and add a separate comment for each.)
The contest will end Monday, March 1 at 12 AM Eastern time. It is open to anyone anywhere in the US.
by Kelly on February 10, 2010
I don’t often write restaurant reviews on this blog. I’m not sure why. I don’t have a good reason, or any reason for that matter. However, a recent meal out was so good I had to mention it. I went with a friend for dinner at Grezzo, a raw vegan restaurant located in Boston’s North End.
I know for many people raw vegan food doesn’t conjure up the most mouthwatering thoughts. Maybe you imagine a feast entirely of sprouts or fake foods intended to emulate a decidedly un-raw, meat-laden dish. Or perhaps you envision food designed purely for sustenance, but not enjoyment. If either of these descriptions fit you, I don’t blame you. I consider myself pretty open minded when it comes to my food choices and what I’m willing to try, but I first started looking into the raw food movement a couple of years ago I found a lot of the cookbooks lacking. I went so far as to buying a dehydrator, but a lot of the dishes I made with it were pure yuck.
I was still optimistic that good things could be done without formal cooking, but forgot about raw foods for a while. That was until a vegetarian friend, who had pleasant experiences with raw food dining out at Karyn’s Raw in Chicago suggested we try Grezzo. I was game.
Thankfully, from the moment we walked in the door everything signaled this was a good decision. My nose was bombarded with pleasant scents; fellow diners looked happy and satisfied; plates were full and beautiful.
We started off our meal with a round of drinks, which we split. These included Lynchburg Lemonade (apple vanilla “bourbon”, fresh lemon, mint and thyme) and a virgin Raspberry-Thyme Sparkler with a Kombucha base. They were crisp, multidimensional, and light, the perfect opening to a delicious meal.
There were several appetizers that piqued my curiosity but my waitress sold me on the avocado skins, which apparently were close to selling out. Good choice. Rich and creamy, they had a pleasantly spiced exterior from seasoned almond flour that was well complemented by a vegan macadamia sour cream, broccoli and some eggplant bacon. The bacon was in my opinion, the star of the dish. Smokey and crisp it would have been addictive all on its own for snacking.
For my main dish I did the lobster mushroom fettuccine with a saffron cream sauce. Rich and addictive, this plate made it difficult to put my fork down. I especially loved zucchini as a stand-in for the pasta. It added a pleasant freshness and lighter balance to the rich sauce and earthy mushrooms. The shaved Brazil nuts on top also provided the perfect salty alternative to Parmesan. My only slight complaint was that although there were a lot of mushrooms in the dish, none of them seemed to be lobster mushrooms. It didn’t detract from how much I loved eating this, but was worth noting.
My friend had the star anise crusted papaya steak, which looked like a dead ringer for salmon. The marinade did an amazing job of giving the sweet fruit a savory edge and it was perfectly paired with creamy dill vermicelli and a marinaded cucumber salad.
Overall it was an amazing meal although I will say my friend and I ended it by picking up decidedly not vegan or raw (but amazing none the less) cannoli at Mike’s Pastry. Melissa of Crunches for Cupcakes also recently dined at Grezzo as well, so if you’re still hungry check out her post for her take.
