Day 48 Dinner at Society on High Street in Boston's financial district

 peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream 

 

• Roast Chicken Statler Breast

  $24
  Smoky Bacon, Baby Purple Artichokes, Roasted Fingerlings, Goat Cheese

• Grilled 14 ounce Rib-Eye

  $26
  White Asparagus, Potato Gratin, Sauce Perigord

Tonights dinner was a special dinner, it was the 42nd wedding anniversary of my folks (Mike and Mary). I must confess i was a little nervous trying somewhere i had never been for such a special evening,  but my nerves were calmed rather quickly. The waitstaff at Society was very polite and friendly. I asked a few questions and i found their answered clear and helpful.

The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and i think if it was warmer it would have sat outside, but the indoor area was comfortable and had a nice warm feeling to it. The bar is quite large and but from what i observed it was well staffed.  The bar served several lovely beers from some local breweries. I enjoyed a nice brew from tropical Framingham. 

Mike and I got the exact same meal, the grilled Rib Eye. What a lovely hunk of piece, cooked perfectly with a nice seared crust. It had some fat, but just the right amount you want for flavor. The sauce perigord was a beautiful addition to the meat, it was so well seasoned it required no additional salt or pepper. The side dish was something i never had before, white asparagus. I enjoyed this very much, it went well with the au gratin spuds. Not too cheesy but super flavor, and the perfect portion.

Mary broke from tradition and got the Roast Chicken Statler (she almost alwas gets fish when we go out). She loved it, great flavor combinations with the goat cheese, the artichokes and the bacon. Its quite rare for my mother to finish a meal but she enjoyed every bite of tonights dinner. The portion was great, a full plate but not so much food that you are overwhelmed ( i don't know about you, but seeing a plate where the food is spilling over onto the plate is a bit of a turn off, it looks glutinous to me).

We then decided we were too full to each get a dessert, but were so impressed by the meal so far that we felt it would be a shame to not split at least 1 dessert on such a special occasion. So before our waitress could finish saying peach cobbler we all decided that was the 1 for us. A very good decision by the Boyle family. It had a moist cakey filling with a generous portion of peaches on top, served with a scoop of their creamy homemade vanilla ice cream….ala mode = all a good. ;-)

For 3 entrees , a few cocktails and a dessert i was impressed we could get such a fabulous meal for such a reasonable price. 

I would highly recommend going to Society on High street, and since i work just down the road, feel free to give me a call and i'll join you.  

have a great night and a great meal.

Kevin B.

http://societyboston.com

Day 47 Lunch (Brunch) at the Rustic Kitchen in Hingham, Derby street mall

cup of lobster bisque

 SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE PIZZA tomato sauce, aged provolone, mozzarella & peperonata...13

 

 the omlette of the day, avocado ,chives,  tomatoes and cheddar cheese

 GRILLED CHICKEN CLUB aged cheddar cheese, avocado, Applewood smoked bacon, Bibb lettuce,

sliced tomato & avocado aioli…12


I am a huge fan of the mall at Derby Street in Hingham,  loads of great restaurants (Burtons, Legal C, Bertucci's, ) and 1 of the best bakeries i have ever been to in my life, White's bakery. 
In this particular day we decided to have brunch at the Rustic Kitchen and i really must say it was a beautiful experience all around.  

The staff was very attentive and accommodating ( we were a bit fussy, moving tables…twice) , after finally finding the 3rd table to be just right (insert a goldilocks reference if you wish). We ordered a round of cocktails , their beer and wine selection is quite extensive and i enjoyed a lovely lager that sadly i can't recall but its from a local micro brewery i had never heard of.

I had a cup of lobster bisque, my 2nd favorite soup and when i see it on a menu i feel compelled to order it, as not every restaurant offers it as an option. It was lovely, cream and rich. Generous portion of lobster meat, and it was cut of nicely not just 1 big chunk sitting in the bottom.  They served a nice bread selection at the table, but i must confess i wasn't a fan of the hummus spread they served instead of oil or butter.

The grilled chicken club was good, not quite a club as it was served with just 2 pieces of bread and not the traditional 3 slices of bread. Nevertheless it was a tasty chicken sandwich. Not deli chicken but a good sized chicken breast. The side dish was 1 of the best pasta salads i ever had…this was a problem as the chicken club was not my meal, so i was doing the mortal sin of stealing the side dish of another person's entree. Oh well, it was worth it, i can't wait to go back and order something that has that pasta salad on the side.

My dish was the omelet of the day, how do i say this…I didn;t like it.  BUT having said that, i am not holding this against the Rustic Kitchen, i was apprehensive when i ordered this omlette but i said to myself " Thor, why not try something outside of your comfort zone??"  While i do like avocado , something about an avocado omelet gave me reservations and i should have listened to myself. 

Now the pizza, holy mackerel that is a damn good pizza. Perfect amount of sauce , cheese and sausage. The sausage was cooked perfectly, and super flavorful. This is a large single serving meal, definitely enough to bring home for leftovers.  The oven they use to cook the pizzas in, gives the pizza crust a nice crunch and texture.

I would definitely go back to the Rustic Kitchen and i totally recommend the pizza or something that offers that amazing pasta salad as a side dish.

have a great night and a great meal.

Kevin

http://www.rustickitchen.biz/locations/hingham/lunch.cfm

Day 46 Dinner at the Freeport Tavern in Dorchester, MA

French Onion Soup $6

                                                                   “Classic Style” baked with croutons and a three cheese blend 

 Tavern Burger $12 *

One-half pound of ground sirloin, served with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a soft toasted roll with your choice of cheese 

 Grilled Ribeye Extravaganza $24

Topped with sautéed bell peppers, Spanish onions, mushrooms and a Marsala demiglaze 

 pop-ovah(i'm from Boston thats how we say it)

 Famous “Certified Angus” Steak tips  $18 1/2 pound * Melt in your mouth-100% Choice Certified Angus beef, marinated in our own secret recipe

 

I must have gone past the Freeport Tavern 100 times over the years and never once thought of going in for a meal. I now realize what a mistake that was. We went in and sat at the spacious bar, the friendly staff was polite and informed when i asked some questions about what was on tap (I am on a bit of a cider/ale kick lately and seek them out where i may go). The bar is comfortable,  but with enough TVs if you are interested in watching a ball game, but not so many that you will be distracted from your dining companions.

The waitstaff in the dining area was also very friendly and informative when asking for opinions on dining options. Some may argue a burger is just a burger, i would slap those people. A burger can be as exquisite as any 4 star meal, or prepared so poorly i wouldn't serve it to someone on death row. This i am VERY pleased to say was a 4 star hamburger, i could not have enjoyed it more. Cooked perfectly, just the right amount of cheese and seasoning, the brioche bun was a nice accompaniment.  I can't say i was in love with the french fries, they were fine but didn't knock me off my feet. But the burger was the show stopper on my plate that night. Prior to my entree i had the french onion soup, sadly disappointing  but i don't condone a restaurant based on an appetizer ( or an App as some would say).

I don't know about you, but i think Prime Rib is totally hit or miss. Amazing in certain places and horribly regrettable at others. This prime rib was beautifully cooked, a generous size, but not a glutton-ish size like sooooo many places serve. It came with a popover , and i have a soft place is in my heart for these little pastries. My mother is a 5 star chef (she is the cook at a church rectory but in my opinion the best chef i ever met) and when i was a boy she would always make popovers for when she served beef at large dinners she cooked for, and she always brought me 1. When done right they are so light and buttery and go so well with prime rib, this one was done just lovely.

Another item that i find hit or miss are steak tips, i know historically restaurants don't use the best quality meat for steak tips, so they can be tough in some establishments. These were good but not exceptional, not tough but not cooked perfectly either. For the price , which i must say in my opinion was high for steak tips i would have expected better quality.

But besides my small critiques , i would definitely go back to the Freeport Tavern and i would recommend it to anyone in the Dorchester area. Feel free to give me a ring and i'll join you, I'm always in the mood for a great burger.

have a great night and a great meal.

Kevin B.

http://www.freeporttavern.com/tl_files/freeport/documents/POCHMENUSpring2014.pdf