Writing With My Mouth Full

Where to eat in Boston: Centre Street Cafe

It was a little too warm for fall in Boston, so we decided to take our time and walk to Centre Street to eat brunch. We joined the queue outside Centre Street Cafe when we arrived. We probably waited for half an hour, but our coffees from J.P. Licks a few stores down kept us alert and patient. By the time we were seated, we were famished. We also had a wedding to go to in a couple of hours, so despite the appetizing menu, I was able to control myself from ordering a whole plate of bacon and eggs. We split two dishes: an arugula salad with goat cheese and walnuts, and the Amish breakfast which consisted of a poached egg, melted cheese, roasted butternut squash and potatoes. They touted some of their ingredients as organic, and I have to say that we had a satisfying first meal that didn’t weigh us down.

Is the wait worth it during busy brunch times? Perhaps. There were more people waiting behind us. But a girl who waits four hours for a table shouldn’t be dispensing any advice.

Centre Street Cafe is on Centre Street, #669A, in Jamaica Plain, Boston.

Hiking Beacon, New York Without a Car

The three of us met inside the Metro North train after a last-minute plan to get out of the city to welcome the first weekend that felt like autumn had finally arrived. We were in Beacon, New York after a 90-minute ride. A short cab ride brought us to Bob’s convenience store where Tracy picked up our overnight bags. From there, we started the climb up the wooden stairs and then the next four hours to Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Camp.

Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Camp is a hike-in/hike-out campground perfect for city dwellers who long to get out of the concrete jungle and hike the northwestern slopes of the Fishkill Ridge without worrying about the drive, the luggage, and the camp itself. For $70, we reserved what they call a platform site, a tarped balcony-like space sans the walls nestled within the trees. A picnic table with chairs, a tabletop stove and a tent were included. Our mini-kitchen came with pots and pans and a few plates–enough to cook pasta and ramen for dinner and corned beef for breakfast the next day. We had a fire pit we used to serve me my first smores. There is a common building suited with dryers, a few bathroom stalls and hot showers. There are also vending machines for Twix emergencies.

The hike itself was only difficult because we were unfit. It took about four and a half hours to follow the well-marked trails and find our way back when we lost our sense of direction a few times. (We are city people, after all.) The day remained cloudy and somewhat humid, but it was cool enough up in the mountains. At each stop we made, we were rewarded with the view of the Hudson River and the autumnal colors of the east coast.

Daisy May’s BBQ USA

623 Eleventh Avenue corner of 46th Street
212/977.1500
$70 each for a whole pig for 12 people, with two sides, BYOB
â™¥ â™¥

There are a few annoying things about reserving a group table at Daisy May’s:
1. You can only reserve half a pig or a whole pork butt to feed up to six people
2. Your other choice is a whole pig for up to twelve people
3. It’s BYOB–that’s annoying because
4. you only have two hours to eat and drink, from 8pm to 10pm, and
5. you also have to bring your own ice and your own drinking glasses

If you have more than five friends, then you’re forced to do the whole pig, but your group needs to have twelve or else each person pays more to contribute to the bill. You know half a pig is enough for you and your big group of friends, but alas, rules are rules.

When you arrive at Daisy May’s for your Big Pig Gig, however, you forget every annoying thing about the restaurant. Even though I’ve done so many pig roasts in my life, the whole pig is still a sight to behold when served on a large wooden block, halved and then chopped in smaller pieces. The meat is juicy and soft and even better with the accompanying brown sauce. But the skin is disappointingly chewy and inedible. There is no crunchy tail to be found, but our chosen sides, creamed corn and the sweet potato, more than compensated. We barely touched the Texas toast and the coleslaw that come with any of the Big Pig Gig, but the watermelon, although bland, was a good finish.

The staff gave us covered plastic containers when we paid our bill. Most of us were able to take the leftovers home. I took home the head and it was made into Filipino lechon paksiw the next day. Daisy May’s serves the pigs that keep on giving.

Roasted Neck of Lamb with Vegetables

Ah, fall. There were those weird couple of days when the weather turned muggy and humid, but it now feels like Mother Nature is catching up. The leaves are starting to turn and I’m beginning to feel too lazy to get up from my warm and cozy bed. All I want is to drink a full-bodied red wine and eat some lamb. After I start my day, that is.

This was an easy recipe from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries. I’m not at all familiar with him, but the book design was so tempting that I couldn’t leave Strand bookstore without it. I initially wanted to use lamb chops instead of the suggested neck, but when I went to the halal store next door, they only had the neck left. I also picked up three chungus, the African eggplants they always have in stock.

Ingredients:
2 pounds neck of lamb, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, halved
2 baking potatoes, peeled, chopped
1 large eggplant, chopped
1 large red onion, quartered
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
5 sprigs of rosemary
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400Âº. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a shallow roasting pan, toss all the ingredients together, except the lamb, with some oil, salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for thirty minutes.
3. Remove roasting vegetable from the oven, toss gently and add the lamb. Turn the oven heat up to 425Âº and roast for another twenty minutes, or until the lamb is golden brown and slightly pink inside.

Preserved Figs and Frisée Walnut Salad

I can always count on Cameron to introduce me to something simple, yet presentable, in the kitchen. I’ve had figs before, of course, but their taste never jumped off my plate. At least until she served a mixed salad with them one night when I came over for dinner. It was a bright appetizer that started off an equally delicious meat dinner. After a recipe search, I bought my own fresh figs and preserved my own.

Ingredients:
12 pieces of fresh figs, washed, halved
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom, grounded
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

For the salad:
1 head of frisée, torn in smaller pieces
a handful of walnuts, crushed
a large chunk of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine all the spices with the sugar. Add the vinegar and stir until completely mixed. Add more sugar if it’s too sour to your taste, but it should be a perfect balance of tart, spice and sweetness.
2. Put the figs in a sealable glass jar. Pour in spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for a week. To make sure that the figs get equal treatment from the spice mixture, invert the sealed jar every day or so. They should be ready, and preferably consumed, after a week in the fridge.

Related post/s:
I love pickling and preserving