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A Good Taste of Portugal at Trackside Bar & Grill

November 13, 2010 by David Crowley

During a number of chats about our mutual interest in learning more about different cuisines, Fel Medeiros had sprinkled in tidbits about the food from his native Portugal. My curiosity was definitely piqued, so I eagerly accepted Fel's invitation to join him for lunch at one of his favorite local Portuguese restaurants.
 
The name Trackside Bar & Grill doesn't suggest authentic Portuguese food, but once you come into this Peabody, MA, restaurant you get a sense its the real deal. Fel was warmly greeted as we arrived, and chatted with the chef about what was fresh. He mentioned lobsters, and I saw the evidence of one poking out of a pan along with an interesting concoction of other ingredients. Combining seafood and other items seems to be popular in Portuguese cuisine from what I can tell.

As we settled into our table and perused the menu, our server presented us with a flaming linguiça. Definitely a dramatic start! The traditional sausage is doused with grain alcohol, then ignited. The flame burned for a couple minutes, making the outside of the linguiça nice and crispy. The sausage was nicely spiced with just enough kick.


I definitely wanted to go with one of the classic Portuguese dishes Fel had described on our way to the restaurant, and the Carne Alentejana sounded like a good one to try. In this dish (photo above), pieces of pork are simmered along with potatoes and little neck clams. The broth was flavored with cumin (the chef confirmed my guess was correct) and black olives. The dish gets its name from the Alentejo region of south central Portugal,
 
Fel ordered another traditional dish, Bife com molho a casa (photo below). He gave me a sample of this tasty steak, served in a creamy mustard sauce and topped with a fried egg. The meat itself was tender and nicely enhanced by the flavorful sauce.
 

I was pretty satisfied after the entree, but was "convinced" to top things off with a "little piece" of flan.
 
We had a chance to sample some Portuguese wine as well. We tried the 2008 Adega de Borba, a light bodied red from the Alentejo region, a blend of traditional grapes. I didn't realize when choosing this that the wine was from the same region as the dish I ordered--pairing a wine and cuisine that hail from the same region is almost always a winning combination! I tasted blackberry fruit and a bit of white pepper. The body and touch of spice made it a nice food wine.
 
After this meal, the thought crossed my mind that it would be interesting to visit Portugal some time. But for now, I know there is a good taste of Portugal in nearby Peabody!
 

Taipei Tokyo Cafe Review

October 26, 2009 by David Crowley

In another nod to the changing times, sushi and Chinese cuisine are now enjoyed where Woburnites once enjoyed a slice from the old Woburn House of Pizza. It's taken me two visits to get a chance to write up this fairly new addition to Downtown Woburn; I think I was really just looking for an excuse for a return visit to sample their tasty fare and chat with Woburnite.com's founder Fel Medeiros.

Both of our visits to the Taipei Tokyo Cafe were during lunch time.  Chinese food is not new to Woburn, of course, but this new spot is clearly aiming to distinguish themselves from standard Chinese fare.  Their luncheon buffet is beautifully presented, with each dish carefully displayed on stylish, small square white plates.  In fact, Fel was hesitant to dive into this arrangement during our last visit, so I quickly broke the ice.

I was in the mood for something lighter, and there plenty of healthy and tasty options to choose from.  I focused on chicken with mixed vegetables, beef with broccoli, and a stir fried baby bok choy that nicely cleansed the palate.  In addition to such traditional Chinese offerings, there is also a sushi bar.  While I'm new to sushi, the California roles I sampled were fresh and tasty; I was sure to heap on plenty of the good wasabi and ginger.

In addition to the very good food quality, I was very impressed with the job they did renovating the former pizza joint.  Large windows afford a nice view of Woburn Square, an increasingly pleasing site these days.  The interior is tastefully decorated with dark wood trim, and just the right touch of Asian decor.  All in all, Taipei Tokyo Cafe is a great place to grab a relaxing lunch in Woburn Square (I'll have to get back and try dinner soon!).

Taipei Tokyo Cafe
318 Main St.
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel. 781-933-6699

Thank you, Mr. Grill!

July 25, 2009 by David Crowley

Toward the end of last summer, my grill quit on me.  I thought it might just need a fresh tank of propane, but that didn't do the trick.  Have had it nearly 3 years, so thought perhaps a more thorough cleaning than what I was able to do might do the track.  There wasn't too much incentive to deal with it during the rainy June we had, but some real grilling weather finally rolled in and I wanted to do something about it.
I remembered my brother-in-law had raved about the services provided by Watertown-based "Mr. Grill" and gave him a call.  Mr. Grill was very responsive and professional, came with a good supply of power tools and set to work doing a thorough cleaning and tune-up.  Sure enough, the grill looked and worked like it did when new.  I think his rates are very reasonable for the services provided--it would have taken me half a day to get anywhere near the results he did in less than an hour.  I highly recommend for your grill service and cleaning needs!
So the grills been back online just over a week, and already we've enjoyed chicken, steak, salmon and pork off the grill.  Thinking swordish tonight perhaps--glad to have the option to grill again!
BTW, Mr. Grill also makes a rub and a sample is heading my way, will let you know how it is.

New Wine Club at Cafe Escadrille

June 6, 2009 by David Crowley

Cafe Escadrille recently launched a new Tuesday Night Wine Club, and we couldn't pass up the chance to be at the first dinner.  The promise of a four course meal with excellent wine pairings for just $45 was an easy sell.
 
Cafe Escadrille is located in Burlington, MA, convenient to the highway and better yet, our home.  They position themselves as providing  options that allow those of us in the northern suburbs to experience fine dining without contending with Boston traffic or parking options.  Adding a regular wine meal like this to the mix--they are running these every other Tuesday night--buttresses their claim to be a premier dining spot in the area.
 
Shortly after greeting our friends in the bar area, we were warmly greeted by our host for the evening, Wine Director Stephane Colinet.  He proved to be a truly gracious and fun host sharing the passion for wine and food developed in his native France.  Stephane also peppered in colorful stories from his stint at one of LA's top eateries.  In other words, you can get some good stories about Brad Pitt and the like along with sampling some wonderful food. 
 

Stephane escorted our group of seven over to our table, by a sweeping window that afforded a nice view of a small flower garden.  He explained we'd be sampling wines from St. Supery, a well-regarded producer from the heart of Napa.

 
The '07 Sauvignon Blanc with the Ahi Tuna that we started with was perhaps my favorite pairing.  The wine had a good balance of New Zealandish grapefruit taste along with minerality more typical of Californian Sauv Blanc.  This combination worked well with the tuna's Asian flavors of sesame and wasabi creme fraiche, and that of the accompanying grilled shrimp.
 
The '07 Chardonnay did not appeal to me as much as the others we tasted.  It seemed to be made in the naked Chardonnay style, tasting of melon with a slightly bitter finish.  The accompanying soft shelled crab was pretty tasty, deep fried but not too heavy and balanced by the vegetable slaw.
 
The main course of roasted veal tenderloin was absolutely delicious.  Very tender, cooked just right and served with a red wine glaze that enhanced the meat flavor nicely.  The garlic mashed potatoes side was good too and a very generous portion.  The '02 Merlot paired with this course was a big, full bodied red with a bit of leatheriness along with the fruit.  Defintely not the fruit juice only merlot disparaged in Sideways!  I was surprised it was an '02 as it seemed like it could benefit from more cellaring or decanting, though is certainly enjoyable at this point.
 
We finished with a cheese course, very savory local Vermont cheeses that paired nicely with the star of the wine lineup, the '02 St. Supery Elu.  This one was primarily cab but also had a bit of merlot and petit verdot in the blend.  Nice structure, balanced fruit and a big long finish.
 
Well, that finished the official dinner lineup.  But then we decided to share a tasty fallen chocolate souffle along with a bonus glass of St. Supery Moscato that Stephane generously through in.  One more treat in night full of them!  Hmm, Tuesday Night Wine Club, how do we become card carrying members?
 

Town Sees Value of Local Bakery

May 30, 2009 by David Crowley

I found this recent story from the Boston Globe to be an interesting example of how people value locally owned businesses, both for the product they provide as well as the space they provide to connect with their fellow community members.  The town of Colebrook, NH, came together to keep open this bakery, Le Rendez Vous, when its owner couldn't get his Visa renewed initially.  The town had suffered their share of recent economic hardships, with plant closings and the like, but decided to make a stand on behalf of the bakery.  
OK, maybe the local denizens of Colebrook were just savvy foodies that their bread quality would suffer if their baker had to return to France.  But it seems that they were making a statement here not just about the bread but the value of local business and how a place like Le Rendez Vous provides an important gathering place for the community.  Important at any time, but especially during this tough economy, a place to connect with one another, find support literally break bread is invaluable.  So I'm glad to here that this special bakery is staying open thanks to the advocacy of the Colebrook community!
Also posted on http://socialcapitalinc.org, an organization David founded to encourage more local connections and participation.  Food & local business both play a key role in the development of social capital!

Sushi Cafe - Woburn

May 23, 2009 by David Crowley

 I didn't grow up eating seafood, so it has been a gradually acquired taste in adulthood.  I have come to enjoy many types now, salmon and scallops being among my favorites.  Yet I've still been a bit reticent about the raw fish--sorry, sushi--thing.  

 I did have my fair share of raw fish during my one trip to Asia a few years ago.  As the honored guest at a few business dinners in Singapore, I sampled quite a few umm, shall we say, interesting preparations straight from the sea.  When we stopped in Japan on the way back, I was ready to have all my food cooked.
 
So I have perhaps come full circle to have really enjoyed sushi for the first time in the heart of Woburn, where I grew up eating meat, potatoes and pasta.  I'd heard some good things about the Sushi Cafe in Woburn's Busy Bend, so when Fel suggested we meet there for lunch I quickly seized it as a good chance to expand my food horizons.
 

We settled into a window seat at Sushi Cafe, which affords a sweeping view of Downtown Woburn.  Both novices to sushi, we conferred with the owner on our selections.  He was very helpful and friendly, and steered us in the direction of a combination of the sushi deluxe combination, which gives a sampling of 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, and then we ordered a few pieces of the maki sushi rolls a la carte. 

We started with a cup of miso soup.  A light broth with bits of scallions and seaweed, the soup had a fresh, clean taste that made for a good beginning.  We then shared an order of pork gyoza, the Japanese version of the ubiqitous dumpling appetizer.  It was flavorful with its ginger soy sauce and just a bit of crispiness on the outside.

 Then we delved into the sushi.  The nigiri sush has the slice of fish served over a bit of rice, while the maki sushi are the rolls where the fish is wrapped in rice and seaweed.  I was surprised to find that I liked the eel nigiri best, not something that sounds intuitively appealing but I thought it was very flavorful.  I also really liked the delicate fresh taste of the salmon and tuna.  And I've always loved the heat of wasabi paste, so that combined with a bit of soy and fresh ginger is a great flavor combination.

 I'm glad I ventured into the world of sushi and that there is a good option for it close to home.  Being new to sushi, I'm not in position to compare Sushi Cafe to others, but would definitely recommend giving it a try.  Oh yes, this was a weekday lunch meeting so no wine or sake pairings!

***In addition to writing about local food here on Woburnite.com, David Crowley writes a blog "Cooking Chat" at http://cookingchat.blogspot.com.  By day, he is the President of Social Capital Inc., learn more about SCI and there community building work in Woburn at http://sciwoburn.org.

Lanna Thai Diner - Woburn

May 5, 2009 by David Crowley

From the outside, the silver metal cylinder looks like a classic diner.  Opening the door, though, the fresh aromatic curry smell quickly tells me this is not my father's diner.

 Lanna Thai Diner is another great example that Woburn has an increasingly diverse array of restaurants to choose form.  And it is definitely one of my favorite Thai places in the area.  It's located conveniently to my office, which combined with its good lunch menu makes it a good day destination.
  
The last couple of visits to the diner were for lunch, accompanied by friend and Woburnite.com founder Fel Medeiros.  My favorite dishes here are probably the Pad See-Ew, wide egg noodles stir fried with chicken, egg & broccoli and salty-sweet sauce; and the Massaman curry, a peanut flavored curry typically with a bit of spice, typically served with potatoes and other vegetables.
 
Last time there I decided to get a bit more adventurous and tried the Choo Chee Curry.  There wasn't much explanation as to what this curry was, hence the adventure.  It definitely was a hotter curry than some other Thai dishes that are moderated by coconut or peanut flavors; I enjoyed it for a change of paste.  It reminded me of some of the hot curry dishes I had when visiting Singapore a few years back.  I found a simple explanation of this curry on in my tiny kitchen--it's basically a red curry heated until it makes a sound something like "choo chee".  Now you know!
 
Perhaps some of the other folks I've exposed to Thai Diner would like to elaborate on some of their favorites; for now, I'll sign off by simply recommending that it's definitely worth trying for Thai food if you are in the Woburn area.

Masa Southwest Bar and Grill Review - Woburn

February 15, 2009 by David Crowley

Earlier this winter we visited and enjoyed the new Masa Southwest Bar and Grill in Woburn.  Somehow this review was the victim of a very busy stretch at work and remained stuck in draft format.  But I was back for lunch yesterday and that reminded me to post this!  It's a nice spot for lunch as well as dinner, in fact.  For about $7, I had a bowl of Southwest Onion Soup and a sampling of 5 tapas, a good way to get a variety of tastes.
 
***
Our visit started with with the Herbed Crepes Stuffed with Fire Roasted Chicken.  This was a good introduction to the spicy and sweet taste contrasts featured prominently at Masa.  Well-spiced chicken was nestled in savory crepes, topped by a pineapple BBQ sauce.   An enjoyable start to the meal.
 
A basket of corn bread with three spreads to choose from arrived along with the appetizer.  The chipotle and white bean spread was definitely our favorite, with nice zest to flavor the bread.
 
Most of the entrees all looked pretty enticing to me, with beef, pork and fish dishes that mainstays of the menu.  I opted for the Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs, which was served with an apricot mole and warm shitaki mushroom salsa, and savory side of sweet corn truffled mashed potatoes.  The beef was fork tender and quite tasty with the rich mole sauce.  I would perhaps like to have seen the beef cooked a bit longer, in more of the sauce, for even more flavor; but that is a mild critique of a pleasing entree.
 
Jodi ordered the Southwestern Steak Frites, a zesty take on the French classic.  The steak was cooked nicely medium rare and just enough of that Southwestern kick was there to say Southwestern rather than French cuisine was being sampled.
 

The tequila list was the same length as the wine list, but I gravitated toward the latter...at least initially.  My first inclination was to order a Malbec, as they had several choices on their South American leaning list.  But I wound up going with the 2006 Clos de los Siete ($55 restaurant price) blend, which is comprised of malbec (45%), merlot (35%), cabernet sauvignon 10% and syrah (10%).  As I suspected, it provided both a bit of spice, along with some soft fruitiness which picked up the spicy and sweet elements of the cuisine pretty well.  The cab and syrah did not noticeably influence the taste, as I picked up mostly the malbec and merlot influences.  Not necessarily an impressive wine, but quite pleasant.

 
We also had a wonderful dessert (sorry, no notes on that) paired with a well-aged tequila...we were steered in that direction when asking about dessert wine options.
 
I learned after our visit that they also offer a tapas menu in the bar area, which at $1/tapas plate seems like a great way to sample some of their food for a modest price.

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