Mich Cardin

Archive for the ‘Newbie Eats’ Category

Destination: NYC

In Newbie Eats, Travels on April 25, 2011 at 9:03 pm

The LES  is still hot. Which is a bit of a miracle since they were hot last year and NYC hoods can get overplayed in a matter of weeks. 

But maybe their scorch tab is under a new genre  (please burn the speakeasy tab) – newbie eateries that are part concept – part just damn good.

Meet The Fat Radish.  The place to go when your party includes broke-brilliant entrepreneurs, a few vegetarians, low-key trendsters, and lazy folk ready to drink one block after eating.

Opened only a few months ago, this exposed brick sanctuary is designed after the Covent Garden marketplace in London. (perfectly themed for that upcoming Royal wedding thing)  Add some indoor shrubbery, au naturale seating and Mandarin wall graffiti (borders Chinatown) and you have yourself an LES gem, that’s finally not trying too hard. They even have a window-front  cafe’ bar, which exudes an initial feeling of Euro-chill.

The veggie dishes were as superb as their meat. The roasted Brussel sprouts and duck were my favorites. And ending with chocolate -beet cake kicked in enough happy sedation to endure any bar line.

There was much waiting going on however, before, during……but this is NYC on a Saturday night, a holiday weekend.

I’m lucky OpenTable didn’t blackball me.

Dear Belgium

In Newbie Eats on March 14, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Thanks for mastering the perfect food for another lethargic Sunday…..

A cold evening T ride brought me to  the edge of Faneuil Hall and Saus – Boston’s new waffle and frites den.

Drunk off carbs, sugar and…..gravy –  I attempted to translate the French comics that laced the wall.

A success, no doubt, in its simplicity – for sweet and salty addicts alike.

Fitness junkies will curse the place but they’ve never really lived - so who cares?

Still, offering cardiac pamphlets may not be a bad idea.

Red Carpet Sunday

In Hood Event, Newbie Eats on February 28, 2011 at 3:50 pm

What’s up with Oscar galas in Boston? Last time I checked the Oscars were on the West coast, Damon and Affleck were our only claim to fame and floor-length gowns were not rational snow-storm attire.

We all like a little five-star treatment once in a while and it doesn’t take much to achieve it. I kicked off my Oscar Sunday at L’espalier’s Fantasy Tea along with Boston food writer, Bianca Garcia.

After being escorted up an elevator to our table by the window – we were presented with three courses of finger sandwiches, a cheese plate and of course the essential swan-shaped pastries - yes, even the chef knew that Portman would win for Black Swan.

Our waiter explained each item – and even went into the history of French cheese. (Perhaps because we leaked Bianca’s identity)

Ahhh catching up with a friend, sipping Earl Grey, dressed in nothing better than black sweats – while being treated like royalty.

Because luxury and pretension are two very different things.

Top Chef, Stripped Down

In Newbie Eats on July 26, 2010 at 9:27 pm

What kind of  mo-mo wears stilettos to the neighborhood Italian joint? (yup, I do)

But this is Ken Oringer’s new dig, the former Iron Chef Champion who has more awards and accolades than Stevie Wonder. He’s the guy behind Clio and Uni, the upscale French and Sushi spots in the Eliot Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue. And Toro - a wedge of Barcelona in the trendy South End, where fans line up for hours just to get a table.  Then came KO Prime in Boston’s marble-drenched boutique haunt, Hotel Nine Zero. So why dress down?

Enter Coppa - on narrow Shawmut street in the gentrified, but still quiet section of the South End.  It’s lined with trees and locals catching up on the steps of their brownstones. There’s the camouflaged Franklin Cafe and a dress-em-up doggie shop that closes early. Not a single passing car and barely any foot traffic. You can hear a cyclist change his gears – and it’s Saturday night.

The sight of plaid Bermuda shorts, flat sandals, straw sun hats, and a beagle peak beneath the orange umbrellas of outdoor tables. It appears you have been invited to your neighbors private patio party. Swing open a screened porch door to a small space of wood tables and place mat menus. It’s humid and bustling like a novelty beach resort eatery. Order a Bella Fiore (Prosecco, Hibiscus, rhubarb) to cool down.

“We inherited the brick oven from the former space……so with that we wanted an Italian neighborhood feel,” says GM, Courtney Bissonette, wife of partner and chef, Jaime Bissonette.

Italian tapas start accumulating – sea-urchin bruschetta, gnocchi with lamb ragu, ravioli with calves brains, duck prosciutto, fried risotto balls, and tripe baked with mozzarella – followed by homemade strawberry and blueberry sorbet.

No, this is not fish-n-chips vacation food. It’s Mr. Oringer’s pad – minus the “be-seen” scene.

Coppa will be honoring Restaurant week (August 15-20 & 22-27) by offering a bucket of beer and a gourmet pizza for $10.10 from 11pm-12:45 am nightly.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.