On the "Coppa" bandwagon and blog renaissance

First thing: It's been a CRAZY past few months. My work in the health care policy world has forced me to give up sleeping, sailing, reading and yes blogging. But with the summer upon us, golf and blogging will commence and tales of food adventures will be told.

Also, I have just purchased a telephoto lens dig camera so I hope to put a lot more recipes on here in the months to come!
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What better way to celebrate the renaissance of "lobster mac and cheese" then to sing the praises of Boston's darling new hot spot, Coppa.

I'm not going to do a complete review of the menu, the "real" reviewers have made their case here, here, and here… and the list goes on. But let me put it this way… I've never been on the Ken Oringer bandwagon.

I find KO Prime to have service with a sarcastic, if not unhelpful attitude and food that leaves you wondering why the bill was so high. Toro seems yet another in a flurry of Boston Spanish tapas restaurants that sells unremarkable food for remarkable prices. Clio isn't enough for me to jump fork first onto the bandwagon, but yes… Coppa is worth the hype.

You've won me over Ken. And I can't ignore the fact that Jamie Bissonnette is yet again Oringer's partner in this newest venture. Very affordable Italian small plates seems to be the long awaited answer to our inner buffet-style cravings, while alleviating our waist-line conscientiousness. The wine list is extensive while not extravagant, the crudo made-to-order with care right behind the bar is a must-have and the charcuterie would make even the most reticent diner forget what organ they are eating. Coppa is worth the wait, worth the crowded space and worth a spot on the bandwagon.

I think if Coppa is the standard by which we can measure new and exciting restaurants, then Boston is in for a food renaissance.

Fish Fridays

These days between the things you can't eat and the things you should eat it's a full time job trying navigate the menu before the server gets to your table. I must admit- I'm "that guy" who usually narrows it down to 2 or 3 things, asks the server what they would pick of the 3, and then usually orders something else... irrespective of any of the aforementioned logic.

However, now that it's Lent and I've decided to abide by the dogmatic- yet habitually nostalgic tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays. Because my peanut butter sandwich days are long over, I'm left with fish as my sole source of protein and satiety. So getting back to my point of what I can and can't eat... I think eating fish and chips for lunch and dinner every Friday is probably going to be a no-go, seeing as my life has turned into a 60-hour sitting session every week. I'm in an anti-salmon phase right now, unless it's Pacific wild salmon (which is another story for another day) so what is a good catholic boy to do?

Then it dawned on me... sushi!! Sushi is obviously free of the saturated fats, oils and carbs that come with the fish and chips and all the taste! I do credit my friend John with coming up with the sashimi diet- if money is no problem. So I guess it's a plan, but there's one concern I still have with sushi.


Just last week we went to Minado, an all you can eat sushi buffet, across from the Natick Collection. As I watched my friend masticate a mini Mt. Kilimanjaro of sashimi- I wondered what's the amount of mercury he just ingested and should I even be worried about it? I don't think eating sushi once or twice a week is something to be concerned about- but then again you hear stories like when the EPA found 20 New York City sushi places with exceedingly dangerous mercury levels. I know a friend who went overseas and had just one sushi diner, got mercury poising and has never been the same.


It's scary to think that just about anything we eat these days could make you obese, give you cancer, etc. etc. One strategy is to say, "well you only live once and there's no point in worrying about everything". I definitely agree that's a tempting philosophy to have and I would say that's my default- especially when I'm making a regularly scheduled trip to Bartley's Burgers for their "viagra burger" (blue cheese and bacon).

But then again, maybe I should be more concerned. After all, it's the same laissez-faire attitude that has turned our food industry into one big chemically enhanced assembly line. There are few if any industries that have had such a dramatic affect on the environment and our health in such a negative way.


If consumers change their behavior and avoid the Toro or other fish because of the mercury levels, maybe that will create downstream pressure to change our fishing, farming and food production practices. Maybe governments will crack down harder on industrial waste and dumping so people can feel safe when they eat certain foods and all the people from the fishermen to the restaurant hostess will have a sustainable livelihood.

Okay, I didn't think I was going to go into a prophetic rant, but sometimes ranting is healthy. Anyway, here's a list I found of average mercury levels found in common sushi from the Natural Resources Defense Council in case anyone wants to start a mini consumer-revolution with me on Fridays.

Scrambled Heaven

Happy Holidays everyone! So now that I'm back after a very short holiday break I decided to put up my first cooking post. ( I want to apologize for the quality of these pics, but I was using my iPhone and also trying to cook at the same time.) This is the time of year when the cornucopia of goodies starts to show as my pants button screams for relief from my expanding waistline. From savory to sweet, it's hard to resist the allure of holiday snacking in between feasts.

Being one to never skip breakfast, I like to keep the "gravy train" going with a rich tasting plate that doesn't match the caloric and carb intake of last night's 5 slices of pie-fest. So for me, just a simple plate of scrambled eggs (done right) with a little bit of toast and perhaps a little leftover champagne with grapefruit or orange juice keeps the holiday spirit going.
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In my humble opinion, there's just about nothing more rich and flavorful than a perfectly cooked egg.... so my education to this point has taught me to simply, "not ruin it!" I don't like to add a lot of stuff; rather, just enough to highlight the flavor already there. As Thomas Keller says, "Take your time. Take a long time. Move slowly and deliberately and with great attention." I think this is especially true when cooking scrambled eggs. I've developed this technique for making scrambled eggs from numerous sources and recipes and I think I'm satisfied that this may be the best way.

Note: I'm just going to explain my technique so cream can always be substituted for milk and cheddar cheese can replace Havarti, etc. Just go low (heat) and slow and whatever you add or subtract should be fine.

Step 1: In a cool nonstick pan crack 2 eggs per person. Place a small pad of butter onto the eggs, this will melt as you start to stir later on and it will add a nice velvety touch. I also like to put a tablespoon (per 2 eggs) of milk or cream in as well. Don't use any oil or butter in the bottom of the pan because you don't want to saute it!!!

Step 2: Turn the heat onto medium-low and slowly stir the eggs using a plastic cake spatula. Be sure to run the spatula against the bottom of the pan so the egg doesn't start to stick to the bottom.

Step 3: Keep stirring until the eggs start to coagulate into little lumps. This is going to take a pretty long time. You may feel that the heat is too low, but don't turn it up and don't stir too fast. Eggs are very high in protein and high heat and high protein aren't good dance partners if you want a soft texture.

Step 4: After a while you will notice that there is very little "liquid" egg left and you are able to push it all to one side of the pan and most of it will generally stay there. This is the point where you are going to season the eggs and add cheese if you want. You want to wait until now to season them because if you do it beforehand, the salt will break down eggs and you wont get the right consistency.

Season with salt (a good sea or kosher salt) and just a little bit of fresh cracked pepper. I also like to put just a little cheese at this point. I like a mild cheese like Havarti or Munster. I find Cheddar a little too sharp for the delicate egg.

Step 5: Keep moving the eggs around so nothing burns. Once you don't see anymore liquid, immediately plate the eggs. You can also put a little sea salt on top at this point and let it melt ever so slightly. I like to serve it with toast and maybe a side of fruit.

Hopefully you'll like this technique for making scrambled eggs as much as I do. Happy holidays!

Hospital Food: A Re-introduction

Okay so it's been far too long since my last post. I apologize but I have several good excuses. One of which is that two very good friends of mine just had their first child!!

So shortly after their beautiful new son was born I went to the hospital to visit and share a meal. When my friend said they were going to order hospital food I was ready to politely decline, but ended up acquiescing. But wow was I surprised! The chicken pot pie had nice chunks of fresh chicken, a flakey crust and just the right amount of creamy to chunky ratio.

Since when does hospital food taste good? Was it because I was at the world renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital? Maybe. After getting back home I decided to do a little research and I found that a lot of people think hospital food (usually the perennial butt of bad food jokes) has been getting better.

It seems hospital food might be getting better beyond the confines of just The Brigham. Chowhound has a message board devoted to hospital food "where you live". Another website entitled, "Hospital Food", recently cropped up- along with a corresponding facebook page of course.

And why shouldn't food at a hospital be tastier? Noone really wants to be in a hospital and bad food probably only adds to the discomfort. Even more, the biochemical benefits of fresh and nutritious food have health effects that are even more important for those receiving treatment for and recovering from illness. There is even a group called Health Care Without Harm that has launched a campaign to implement healthier food options in health care facilities across the nation.

All of this got me thinking (usually a bad thing) that it's interesting how important food can be in our lives. Food can mark a celebration like a wedding or birthday. It can be the catalyst for that first date and the beginning of a special relationship or just a night hanging out with friends. It also can be the trigger to bring back nostalgic memories of holidays at home or favorite vacation spots or trips to the shore. And of course, it's the source of our energy and ability to stay healthy.

With all that said as I look back, maybe the quality of the hospital food wasn't necessarily better... but the sharing of a meal with friends and family in the presence of a beautiful new life- can make even the most drab of foods... taste divine.

Coffee addicts celebrate!!!

An article in the December 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine conducted a meta-analysis which found that high intakes of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea are associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes.

The meta-analysis covered 18 studies, enrolling a total of 457,922 participants, reporting on the association between coffee consumption and diabetes. Of these, 6 (N = 225,516) also reported estimates of the association between decaffeinated coffee with diabetes, and 7 studies (N = 286,701) also reported estimates of the association between tea and diabetes.

As a self-professed "generation 'bucks-er", I think any legitimate reason to not give up my morning cup of joe is all the reason I need. Huzzah!

Farmer's Market: Marshall's Fenway Farmstand

Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand had it's grand opening today! It's located at 1345 Boylston St. and open 7 days a week, 9am-7pm Sun - Thurs / 9am-8pm on Fri & Sat.

For those who live in the Fenway neighborhood, their only alternative is Shaws and it goes without saying that the Fenway Shaws severely lacks in the fresh produce department. I really do think that most people would love to eat fruit and vegetables if it was fresh, accessible and affordable. When it comes to trying to eat healthy and cut out everything hydrogenated... Marshall's is a welcome sight.

They had some fruits, vegetables, breads and deserts and a pretty nice frozen food section with meats and pastas. The price point is similar to Whole Foods, but I was told that only a few of the items were organic or even from a farm. Either way, the competition is a welcome sight and a good use for the empty garage where Goodyear used to be.

Oh and they do have monkey bread which combined with a glass of apple cider, is my quintessential new england snack.

Good luck Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand!

1st up: Lansdowne Pub

Last night I met up with a friend after work for a late night meal at the newest local watering hole in the Fenway neighborhood, Lansdowne Pub, right off of Lansdowne Street. In a city where Irish Pubs outnumber McDonalds, it takes a lot to stand out.

I've been here a couple times before and I have to say: it's probably the best Irish Pub in Boston. As soon as you walk in out of the shadow of Fenway Park, you notice something right off the bat: the furniture! So I was told by our waitress that all the furniture was shipped directly from Ireland and I believe it. Rich dark wood with plush red velvet chairs and a very good sized bar area.

The beer selection is pretty good and they have the usual suspects on draft, Guinness, Smithwicks, etc. They also carry Anchor Steam, which is one of my favorite beers and haven't seen it too much on tap around here, so for that reason alone, Lansdowne is worth it.

The Shepard's Pie is definitely quality but I wouldn't say the best I've ever had. Every time I go there, the server swears by the crisps (potato chips) that are hand made and come with a Gruyere cheese dipping sauce. For some reason, it just doesn't do it for me. The cheese sauce is really runny and ends up falling off the crisp so you barely get any cheese. Is a good cheese to crisp ratio important? Maybe I'm being too picky.

In any case, my go-to is the Pork Chops in an apple cider glaze. It comes with a blue cheese disk, which is like an oval mozzarella stick- but with much more flavor. The chips (fries) are also amazing and you can get anything from cheese to curry to mushy peas as a topping. The only thing I would change about the chips is that they put all the "toppings" in side ramekins and don't quite get the mountain of cheese fries effect. I dunno maybe it's nostalgia or the carnie in me, but I prefer my cheese fries piled high underneath gobs of good stuff.

So last night I decided to try something I had never gotten before (mostly because I was always so full after the fries and pork chops). The Guinness Float is a pint of Guinness with two scoops of creamy vanilla ice cream..... yeah it's good. It's hard to beat a great Irish Pub and Lansdowne sets the benchmark for me, especially because it's only a couple blocks from my apartment.

The only negatives are that they are really focused on live "music" and they don't serve Irish Breakfasts for dinner. On most week nights they have local bands or live band karaoke. I find that having to yell at your server so they can hear you can be a little annoying, and it's hard to have a real conversation with anybody so I don't think I'll be taking any first dates there. And yeah I admit it, I'm a breakfast guy. If I could have breakfast for every meal of the day, I wouldn't complain so it's a little disappointing that they don't serve Brinner (breakfast for dinner).

In this case, location and convenience will trump the northeastern university electronic funk sensation and lack of Brinner so I give Lansdowne a pretty solid lobster mac 'n' cheese rating.