Baker's Best: St. Patrick's Day

Date: Tue, Mar 9, 2010 Wine Tasting

Corned Beef and Cabbage pizza: shredded corned beef with potato slices, green cabbage, melted mozzarella, and monetary jack cheeses on grilled flatbread ($28 each-36 bite size pieces)
Guinness Lamb Stew “stew to go” served with dumplings on the side. A “stew to go” container serves 8 bowls or 16 cups of a hearty combination of lamb medallions and root vegetables in a rich guinness stew with goat cheese dumplings ($62.50)

Irish Pub Salad: torn romaine and bibb lettuces with watercress, endive, julienned beets, pickled red onions, hard boiled eggs, red cabbage, grape tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese with a malted tarragon vinaigrette ($4.75 per person, with 6 person minimum)
--add flaked poached salmon $8.95 pp

New England Boiled Dinner: red corned beef with green cabbage, boiled potatoes, baby carrots, and corned beef jus ($9.95 per person-6 person minimum)

Horseradish Crusted Salmon: grated potato and fresh horseradish crusted salmon fillet served with dijon cream ($11.95 per person)

“Green Risotto”: arborio rice, spinach, basil and parsley risotto with shaved parmesan cheese ($3.85 per person)

Shepherd’s Pie: seasoned ground beef topped with peas, carrots, corn, and whipped potatoes ($60 ½ pan serves 10-12, $90 ¾ pan serves 16-18, $120 full pan serves 20-24)

Ballymore Potato Ravioli: served with sautéed spinach, grilled zucchini, caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, and sweet peas in a light pesto cream ($9.95 per person)

----From the Bakery

Irish Soda Bread: 8” round with raisins $5.95

Homemade Irish Soda Bread Scones $1.50 each

Sugared Shamrocks $.75 each

White Chocolate Dipped Shamrocks $1.25 each

Shamrock Cheesecake: crème de menthe cheesecake with chocolate crumbs, finished with green chocolate shamrocks
$25 small serves 6-8
$48 small serves 10-12

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Rant: Generosity

Date: Mon, Mar 8, 2010 Wine Tasting

Usually this Monday spot is a rant, my complaints about some issue, whether big or small. Yet today is different, as any complaints I have were swept away by an act of genuine generosity. This act was performed by a sincere individual, a man passionate about wine who also has no compunction about sharing that passion with kindred spirits.

Saturday evening, I attended a blind tasting of Rhone wines at the home of Adam, who writes the WineZag blog. We tasted fourteen wines, and I will post much more about the event later this week. In short though, it was fun and informative. I don't have much experience with blind tasting, but would like to do more. They are certainly very challenging and it is always good to test your limits.

I enjoyed checking out Adam's wine cellar, and saw many interesting bottles. As a generous surprise, Adam offered to open almost any bottle in his cellar. In the end, he opened a 1985 Lynch-Barges, a French Bordeaux, which was a birth year wine for one of the other attendees, Amanda. It was obviously quite an amazing wine yet Adam went a step further, opening another interesting wine, a 1985 Chateau Monetelena, a California Cabernet.

Adam certainly did not need to open either of these wines, let alone both. Our evening would still have been excellent. But he wants his wines to be drunk, shared with people who share his love of wine. He does not want to hoard his wines, to simply watch his collection grow and grow. Plus, he expected nothing in return for sharing this wine. It was done out of the goodness within him, and it impressed me.

His generosity should be emulated by others. Wine that simply sits in your cellar gathering dust does nothing. At its most basic, wine is meant to be imbibed, to be savored and enjoyed. And wine shared with friends and family always tastes so much better. So, if you have been sitting on your wines, then open up your cellar and open some of those bottles. Call over some friends and have a drink, without waiting for any special event.

Cheers and kudos to Adam!

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Avila: Pinchos Competition

Date: Mon, Mar 8, 2010 Wine Tasting

Avila Modern Mediterranean will host its first ever “Pinchos Party” on March 28th, from 1pm-4pm. This “Battle of the Small Plates” will establish which chef has the best “pinchos” in the city. Guests will delight in these popular creations by many names – be it sfizi, meze, piattini or pinchos – and have a chance to mingle with the guest chefs while judging their small bites based on flavor complexity, creativity, presentation and overall taste. The chef with the crowd-favorite pincho creation will receive a grand prize and reign supreme with the title of “Superstar of Small Plates.”

Participating chefs include: Rodney Murillo (Avila Modern Mediterranean); Evan Percoco (BOKX 109 American Prime); Dante de Magistris (Restaurant dante/il Casale); Anthony Caturano (Prezza); Tony Susi (Teatro); Marc Orfaly (Marco/Pigalle); Andy Husbands (Tremont 647); and Evan Deluty (Stella).

Cost: Only $25 per person

Who doesn't love small plates? It is a great way to have a diversity of foods when you go to to a restaurant. Some of my favorite restaurants serve small plates and this event sounds like it will be quite tasty.

Avila Modern Mediterranean
One Charles South
Boston, MA
Phone: 617.267.4810

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What Is Junmai?

Date: Sun, Mar 7, 2010 Wine Tasting

Those who know something about Saké usually understand that a Junmai is made from only rice, water, koji and yeast. There are no other additives, such as distilled alcohol or sugar. But, there is often a misconception on the polishing rate required for a Junmai. You might even see this misconception listed in certain books and articles about Saké, though most such literature tends to be about six or more years old.

Some people believe that a Junmai requires a seimai-buai of 70%, which means at least 30% of the rice must be polished away. That was once true, but it is no longer the case. As of January 1, 2004 the laws in Japan concerning Junmai changed, invalidating some prior information.

Now, any Saké that is made with only rice, water, koji and yeast is considered a Junmai, no matter the polishing rate. The label must simply specify the seimai-buai, the polishing rate, on it. So a Saké with a seimai-buai of only 80% can still be a Junmai. Why was this changed?

Prior to 2004, Saké breweries that produced Junmai that actually did not meet the seimai-buai requirement called it any of several different names, such as kome dake (which means “rice only”). This caused some confusion to consumers, so the new law was partially instituted to rectify that confusion.

Now, practically, you are unlikely to find much Junmai that does not have a seimai-buai of 70%, but it can and does exist. Just something to remember.

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6th Annual A Spoonful of Ginger

Date: Sun, Mar 7, 2010 Wine Tasting

Come participate in the 6th Annual “A Spoonful of Ginger” Food Tasting Event to benefit the Joslin Diabetes Center’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative. This year’s event will honor Lily Apteker, Sally and Larry Ho and the Wing Family, and also will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Joslin Diabetes Center’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative.

This will be a fabulous evening of food tasting and fundraising, bringing together many of Boston's finest chefs to raise money and increase awareness of the growing incidence of diabetes among Asian Americans.

Participating chefs include Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger, Jasper White of Summer Shack and Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery and Myers + Chang, and many others. All told, there will be about 20 different chefs.

For the first time, the event will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts. To celebrate this new home, guests who purchase special “Art Lover” tickets may enjoy an exclusive tour from 5pm-6pm. with a MFA curator of either The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC or The Silk Road and Chinese Art prior to the Ginger event program.

I attended this event last year, and had a great time with plenty of delicious food. It was great to chat with the various events and I do recommend you come to this event, and help a worthy cause.

Date & Time: Monday, April 5, from 6pm-9pm.

Cost: $250 per person. (All proceeds benefit Joslin’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative)

Special “Art Lover” Tour Tickets: $500 each (includes ticket to Ginger and special MFA Curator Tour)

To purchase tickets: Please contact Joslin’s Development Office at 617-732-2531 or ginger@joslin.harvard.edu
For more information visit http://www.joslin.org/giving/spoonful_of_ginger.html

About the Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI): The AADI’s mission is to raise awareness about diabetes and enhance the quality of life and health outcomes of those living with diabetes in the Asian community through research, education, outreach and improved diabetes treatment. Asian Americans are nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes as the general population – more than 10 percent of all Asian Americans have diabetes and even more remain undiagnosed.

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First Annual North End Restaurant Week

Date: Sat, Mar 6, 2010 Wine Tasting

Celebrating its fine Italian culinary establishments, Boston’s Little Italy will host its First Annual North End Restaurant Week offering diners economically priced three-course prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus through the weeks of March 28th – April 2nd and April 4th – April 9th . The neighborhood restaurant week menus are priced at $33.10 for dinner and $20.10 for lunch. This event, sponsored by the North End Chamber of Commerce, is a way to stimulate the economy getting local food enthusiasts excited about dining out again.

Long-time Boston restaurateur and North End Chamber Chairman, Frank DePasquale, proposed the idea to the neighborhood restaurant community in order to stimulate neighborhood business as well as the economy during the winter months. “As restaurateurs, my colleagues and I feel a responsibility to stimulate business in the neighborhood, as well as in Boston,” said DePasquale. “Working together by serving great food, we hope to accomplish this for our friends and neighbors.”

A list of some of the neighborhood’s restaurants who already signed up to participate include: Bricco, Ricardo's Ristorante, Strega, Cantina Italiana, Ristorante Fiore, Mare, Tresca, Nico, Trattoria Il Panino, Florentine Café, La Famiglia Spagnuolo, North Street Grille, Ristorante Damiano, Ristorante Limoncello, Gennaro’s 5 North Square and Café Graffiti.

For more information, as well as copies of some of the Restaurant Week menus, check out the North End Chamber of Commerce website.

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Spirited Gourmet in Winchester is Sold

Date: Fri, Mar 5, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Spirited Gourmet wine store in Winchester is being sold by the current owners, Elena and Chris Benoit. They will continue to own and operate the Belmont location of The Spirited Gourmet.

The store is being sold to Ray and Lori Schaefer, longtime customers, who will rename the store Pairings, Exploring Food and Wine. They will continue to conduct weekly wine but will add samples of food with the wines. Recipes for the food and some of the ingredients will be available at the tasting.

Prior to their takeover, Chris and Elena will offer a 15% discount on all of their wines, including single bottle purchases, from Saturday, March 6th, through March 13th.

I wish Chris and Elena much luck in their future endeavors, as well as luck to Ray and Lori their new wine and food store.

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Coppa: Worth the Wait?

Date: Fri, Mar 5, 2010 Wine Tasting

Coppa is extremely popular right now, and a wait of 2-3 hours on the weekend seems common. Is it worth the wait, or should you dine elsewhere?

Coppa, which has only been open for a couple months, is a joint venture between the well-known Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette. You may be familiar with Toro, the Spanish tapas restaurant where both men worked together. Chef Bissonnette certainly did an excellent job there, creating some incredible dishes, and he has also garnered fame for his snout to tail cooking. He is very talented so prior to Coppa opening, there were high expectations.

The restaurant is small, only seating about 40 people, and the cuisine is Italian, including small plates, pasta, wood-fired pizza, antipasto, and salumi. Nothing on the menu costs more than $15, so it is fairly affordable. They only have a wine, beer and cordials license. The Italian wine list includes some less common choices, and there are about 16 wines available by the glass, priced $5-$12. There are numerous bottles under $40, so even the wine list is relatively affordable. Despite their limitations, they make numerous inventive cocktails, generally priced at $8 each.

With my friend Dale, we stopped by on a Monday evening, around 6:30pm, and were able to get a table, though the restaurant was nearly full. Throughout the evening, it does not appear that anyone had to wait long, if at all, for a table. So, if you don't want to wait 2-3 hours on the weekend, you might want to stop by on a weeknight when the restaurant is not so crowded.

The menu is very intriguing, and it was difficult to choose which items to order as so many sounded good. You'll find some more unusual items on the menu, including offal, and you should not shy away from such items. Chef Bissonnette can work magic with such ingredients and you might be surprised at how much you enjoy those dishes. The menu also changes frequently, especially due to what is freshly available.

We selected a bottle of wine (about $35) made from the Gaglioppo grape, and it was quite good, an easy-drinking, light red wine. Before our food came, we also received some fresh, rustic bread with oil. This is a good bread for later during your meal if you want to sop up any of the sauces.

The first dish to arrive at our table was the Coda del Porco ($11), a pig's tail with a mostarda glaze. There was plenty of tender meat and the sweet mostarda complemented the flavorful pork. A tasty dish, and even if the idea of a pig's tail makes you squeamish you should try this item. You won't even realize it is a tail.

I should note that as many of the items on the menu are small plates, they are best enjoyed by a single person or shared by two people. If more than two people share the same dish, they might only have a single bite. Thus, if you have 3-4 people who all want to eat the same dish, I would recommend ordering two of them so you all can best enjoy it.

I do love Arancini ($5) so had to order them here. They were good, with a nice crunchy exterior, a creamier interior and a slightly sweet red sauce. But, they were also rather ordinary. Based on much of the rest of the menu, you might have expected these arancini to have been more unique. Yes, they are tasty but they might have been better with some type of twist.

The Fettucine di Castagne con Bruno ($12) is a chestnut pasta with a wild boar ragu. This hearty dish really impressed me, with its nutty fettucine and plenty of tender meat in a rich, flavorful sauce. It was an earthier dish and went very well with our wine. The pasta was cooked just right and I could have easily devoured a large bowl of this dish. Highly recommended.

The Spaghetti alla Carbonara ($12) contains smoked pancetta, farm egg, scallions and sea urchin! This was a creamier dish than the other pasta, though with a touch of smokiness and some briny notes from the sea urchin. The pasta was once again cooked just right, and it was a tasty and enjoyable dish.

Back to another rich and earthy dish, the Saltimbocca ($11), a sweetbread saltimbocca with mushrooms, pancetta, and sage. Lots of delicious flavors and textures that melded together into a harmonious whole. The crispy sweetbreads were heavenly, the salty prosciutto being an excellent wrapper. Definitely recommended.

Our final dish, and my favorite of the evening, was the Blue Ribbon Pizza ($15) with the addition of Blood-Sausage Pepperoni ($4). This pizza has mozzarella, tomato, braised oxtail, bone marrow and horseradish. The restaurant has a wood-burning oven, which had been there from the previous restaurant, Dish. This lightly charred pizza was fantastic! The multitude of flavors tantalized my palate, especially the pepperoni. The thinly sliced pepperoni burst with spicy taste. I also enjoyed the crispy crust and it was plenty large enough for two people. Another dish I highly recommend! I think it will be hard for me to return to Coppa and not order this again.

Service was excellent, though I do note that the dishes came out rather quickly. They did not try to rush us, to free up the table, but rather the kitchen is just on top of the orders and gets them out quickly. I might have liked a bit more time between some of the courses, and would ask for that the next time I dined here. Our server was personable, pleasant and accomodating.

Even though it was a Monday night, Chef Bissonnette was hard at work in the kitchen. I am always pleased to see a working chef, one who is often in the kitchen of his restaurant. Such chefs deserve much respect. The food at Coppa is very strong, and I understand why there are large crowds on the weekends. It is food that is worth the wait, though I recommend going on weeknights to avoid much of the wait. I like the small plates concept, always have, and think it works well here. I will definitely be returning here, to try more of the menu, and maybe getting that pizza again.

Lingering thought: Blood sausage pepperoni!

Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 391-0902

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The Beehive: St. Patrick's Day

Date: Fri, Mar 5, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Beehive in Boston has partnered with the Boston Irish Tourism Association for some St. Patrick’s Day dining & entertainment. The Beehive presents their 3rd annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 17 from 5pm-2am. St. Patrick’s Day at The Beehive means an evening of authentic entertainment including: step dancers, musical acts, and Irish inspired à la carte food & drink specials.

The claim from inside the ‘hive’ is that while there will be plenty of surprises, this will not be your typical Irish fest. “No green beer…but what we are planning is a sophisticated evening of amazing Irish comfort food and authentic, world-class, Irish entertainment for a mature audience,” said Co-Owner, Jack Bardy. And “Authentic” is the key word! The Beehive has landed the stamp of approval again for this year’s event from the Boston Irish Tourism Association. “We’ve been more than happy to get involved with The Beehive and their annual St. Patrick’s day festivities, and we’re looking forward to the amazing food and festivities planned!” said Michael Quinlin, President and founder of the Boston Irish Tourism Association.

One of the many St. Patrick’s Day surprises at The Beehive will be a special performance by “Tri” (Pronounced “tree”), ”Tri” is translated from the number three in ancient Gaelic and consists of three of New England’s most sought after traditional Celtic musicians including: award-winning bagpiper Matthew Phelps, fiddler Doug Lamey, and guitarist Cliff McGann.

Tri specializes in foot tapping Celtic folk music, excelling at the music, song and dance of Nova Scotia. Nimbly handling fiddle duties is Doug Lamey. Doug, grandson of Boston fiddling legend Bill Lamey, is one of the area's most sought after Celtic fiddlers. Doug has studied with some of the greats from the Cape Breton tradition (Buddy MacMaster) and Irish scene (Tommy Peoples). With the addition of award winning bagpiper Matthew Phelps, the band's musical horizons have expanded in countless ways. Cliff McGann, the band's MC, plays guitar, tin whistle and sings in both English and Scottish Gaelic. He has a Masters degree in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Tri is blessed with two of the best stepdancers in the New England area, Pamela Campbell and Christine Morrison. Dancing together for 16 years, they have shared the stage with some of the biggest names on the Celtic scene today including Natalie MacMaster, Beolach and Ashley MacIsaac.

Dinner reservations recommended, no cover charge, both the upstairs and downstairs bars will be open for service.

In addition to serving the regular Beehive menu, Chef Rebecca Newell has created several à la carte specials including: Corned Beef & "Cabbage" Flatbread with Sauerkraut & Cheese, Finaan Haddie Smoked Fish & Chips with Malt Vinegar Aioli & Slaw and Grilled Lamb Chops with Colcannon Mashed Potatoes just to name a few.

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Revisiting Prezza: Equally as Delicious

Date: Thu, Mar 4, 2010 Wine Tasting

I was going to attend a wine tasting in the North End, so I pondered where to eat afterwards. There are so many choices but one restaurant was at the forefront of my mind, Prezza. I had recently attended the Vietti wine dinner at Prezza and was thoroughly impressed. So I now wanted to check out their regular menu, to see what Chef Anthony Caturano usually prepared.

A wine dinner is often a special meal, a time when a chef puts forth his best efforts to impress his guests. It is not always indicative of what you will find on the regular menu. So I was eager to put Chef Caturano to the test. Though he could not be present on the evening I dined there, Chef Caturano arranged for me and my good friend Dale to have a tasting menu. Dale had never dined at Prezza before and he too was excited for the meal.

Their menu has about 11 Appetizers ($15-$16), 4 Salads & Soups ($12-$15), 5 Pastas ($10-$36, in either appetizer or entree size), 12 Entrees ($25-$44) and 5 Sides ($8). There is a good diversity in the dishes, and everyone should be able to find something that appeals to them. It is a bit pricey, but based on my experiences, I think you receive delicious, high-quality food and I feel the prices are justified.

Their wine list is quite extensive, including plenty of intriguing choices. Prices are not too bad, often around twice the usual retail. And some of the higher end wines seem to have the lowest mark-up. We ordered the 2005 Isole e Olena Cepparello ($120), one of my favorite wines from an excellent producer. It usually retails for about $60.

Our dinner began with a basket of warm, rustic bread with a dish of olives in olive oil with herbs. This was similar to the prior wine dinner, and an excellent way to begin any meal. Good wine and bread! I was already in a very pleasant mood before the first course had arrived.

We began with a couple of appetizers, one being the Crispy Shrimp with Italian slaw and cherry pepper aioli. Each large shrimp was wrapped in crisp filo, and the shrimp was tender and juicy. The filo added a nice crunch to the dish and the aioli added a slight spiciness. I liked the filo covering better than many other batter-fried shrimps, and could have easily eaten several of these.

We also tried the Tuna Tar-Tare mixed with citrus vinaigrette, and accompanied by a crispy oyster and herb salad. Silky smooth tuna, with hints of citrus, was quite tasty and the crispy oyster added a different texture and flavor. I have always enjoyed fried oysters and this was very good.

Next up, the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with a lobster pancake and horseradish sour cream was sublime! The short rib was incredibly tender, and my fork alone broke it apart. It was moist and flavorful, the rich, savory red wine sauce delighting my palate. The short ribs alone would have pleased me, so the lobster pancake sent me over the top. There was plenty of lobster meat in the crisp pancake, and it actually went well with the wine sauce. This was also a perfect pairing with our Cepparello. A killer dish that succeeded on every level. I could probably dine at Prezza and just have appetizers.

The “Ravioli di Ouvo,” a ravioli stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk tossed with butter and sage is another dish with a compelling sauce, rich and flavorful. The large ravioli, made from perfectly cooked pasta, was filled with creamy ricotta and a gooey egg yolk that added to the dish. As I usually enjoy my eggs over easy, with gooey yolks, this was a dish that really appealed to me. This was also a fine sauce for dipping bread.

The Veal Ravioli “al Plin” had a similar brown butter and sage sauce. Al Plin means a "pinch," referring to how you seal up the pasta. The ravioli were like little half moons, filled with savory veal, which went well with the sauce. I am also a big veal fan so these ravioli very much appealed to me.

For our final savory course, we had the Angus Sirloin with chunky-mashed golden Yukon potato and grilled asparagus. The sirloin was tender, with almost no fat, and the sauce once again complemented well the food. Chef Caturano's sauces are impressive. Quality beef, cooked just right. I also very much enjoyed the creamy potatoes, with only tiny chunky bits. I was fairly well stuffed by this point, extremely happy with everything I had eaten so far.

Yet dessert did come, and I had to at least make an effort to taste them. The Chocolate Flourless Cake with vanilla ice-cream and raspberry puree was excellent, a rich chocolate cake with melted chocolate inside of it. A good-sized dessert, it could easily feed two people.

This lemon dessert was also delicious, even though I am usually not a big fan of lemony desserts. It was creamy and the lemon flavors did not overwhelm. I think I waddled out of the restaurant after all of this food.

Service was top-notch, and Chef Caturano showed that his regular menu is just as fine as his special wine dinners. The food is excellent, with fantastic rich and flavorful sauces enhancing the dishes. I left, very sated, and knowing that I would return. Prezza warrants my highest recommendation. Make sure to order the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with lobster pancake!

Prezza
24 Fleet St.
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-227-1577

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SwissBäkers: First Anniversary

Date: Thu, Mar 4, 2010 Wine Tasting

SwissBäkers is celebrating the First Anniversary of their SwissBäke Express. One year ago, 1200 people visited their opening celebration. On Monday March 8, from 5:30am-4pm, they would like to say thank you to everyone who made their first year such a success.

Here are some of the special guests that will be at the anniversary party.

Early Morning before 9AM
Peter Hechenbleikner, town manager
Stephen Goldy, Selectman
Emil Wyss, Deputy Consul of Switzerland
Jerry O'hare, from Coffee company George Howell

Starting at 9AM
Ned Paul from Lindt with the famous Lindt chocolate and maybe with the Easter Bunny Smart
Adrian from Hollistic drinks

Some Items You Can Get:
Raffle mini quizes, pins, booklets, CD's, Pedometers and----
A lot of beverages and food samples

Raffle prizes include:
---One Week For Two People in the Hotel Eiger in Grindelwald. (See the mountains on their mural in the store)(You do have to pay for your flight.)
---2 Bruins of Celtic Tickets (Your choice)
---The Original Raclette Oeffeli (including a recipe booklet)

This bakery is one of my favorites, and they make so many delectable treats. If you have never been there, you definitely should stop by. I will likely stop by for their Anniversary, and I sincerely hope they are around for many more years to come.

SwissBäkers
32 Lincoln Street
Reading, MA
Phone: 781-354-1155

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Cheese Connoisseur: A Cheese Magazine

Date: Wed, Mar 3, 2010 Wine Tasting

I still support the magazine industry, buying a fair share of them each month, and always on the look-out for new magazines. Recently at Barnes & Noble, I found a cheese magazine, Cheese Connoisseur, that was new to me, though the magazine was actually launched in December 2008. I think B&N just started carrying the magazine as I am sure I would have seen it before.

Now, I believe that Culture: The Word on Cheese has set the standard for cheese magazines. Culture has really impressed me and it was my favorite new magazine of 2009. So any other cheese magazines will obviously get compared to Culture. Can Cheese Connoisseur compete?

Like Culture, it is a slightly over-sized magazine but it is less expensive, costing $5.95. That does not make it a better value though because it is a significantly smaller magazine, having only 68 pages, which is at least 30 pages less than Culture. It is also a quarterly magazine.

Cheese Connoisseur is supposed to be a "lifestyle publication providing sophisticated, well-educated foodies and industry professionals" with information on cheese and related topics. Its readers are supposed to be upscale and affluent. Its website is a bit out of date, listing only the articles from their Winter 08/09 issue, which might have been their first issue. There is only online access to a single article. Culture's website is substantially better, with lots of accessible information and articles. And they keep their website very much up to date.

As for the magazine's articles, here is some of what is included: a profile of a Dallas cheesemaker; a brief profile of a Portland, Oregon cheese store as well as another cheese/wine/food shop; article on Champagne, including cheese pairing recommendations; a list of some of the publisher's favorite cheeses; a travel article on Parma, Italy with information on Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; articles about bacon, raw-milk cheese and olives; article on blue cheese dressing with a recipe; and an article on chocolate & cheese.

In general, the articles are well written, informative and interesting. There is a good variety of different topics, though I sometimes wanted the articles to be longer. The photography was ok, but not as compelling as that found within Culture. Overall, though I enjoyed the magazine, it did not overly impress me. It is a lesser sibling to Culture and may be a little pretentious at times. Cheese Connoisseur maybe should not take itself so serious and try to be more fun.

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Stoneham Sun: Want to Make Dumplings?

Date: Wed, Mar 3, 2010 Wine Tasting

My new column of "A Passionate Foodie" can be found in the March 3 issue of the Stoneham Sun newspaper. This is a weekly column that concentrates on reviews of local restaurants though it also sometimes touches on other food and wine topics.

The new column has been published today and will be available online soon. The new article discusses the new cooking classes at Myers+Chang, an Asian restaurant in the South End of Boston. I attended their inaugaral class, and learned how to make scallion pancakes, papaya slaw and Mama Chang's pork & chive dumplings. The classes are lots of fun, informative and delicious.
If you have any questions or comments about my column, feel free to add them here.

Dine with passion.

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Grafton Street: St. Patrick's Day

Date: Wed, Mar 3, 2010 Wine Tasting

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