Nick's on Broadway - March 14 2013

Even though it's been less than three weeks, Susie and I and two friends headed over to Nick's the other evening after a stop at Bin 312 for their weekly Thursday wine tasting. Even though it was early in the evening, not long after we sat down the place filled up with friends, couples and everything in between to enjoy warm conversation, great food and pleasant service. And so we did.

A litte amuse buche of pureed beet soup with local creram cheese:

The four of us shared the charcuterie plate as an app. Consisting of a variety of house-made pates, head cheeses, a rilette and condiments it was a thoroughly grand way to kick off a delicious evening:

Andrea had the roasted Narragansett Bay oysters:

Susie had local herb-roasted potatoes with bacon and pea greens (she also had the salad of baby greens lettuces):

I had the Baffoni Farm chicken on a bed of roasted potatoes and pea greens:

And for dessert we had a light sampling of a Spice Cake Truffle and Fruit:

Bin 312 Wine Shop -- Tastings every Thursday!

This was our second experience with the Thursday afternoon wine tastings at Bin 312 and it was another winner.

Last week it was wines from the Veneto, this week wines to go with Corned Beef.

Leading off with a sauvignon blanc from Matanzas Creek in California followed up with a delicious Hugel from the Alsace and then a Pinot from California and lastly a blend from the Languedoc. (We didn't opt for the beer chaser.)

The wines were very nice and the reds went quite well with the app of corned beef with dijon mustard, caramelized onion and a hint of cheese on toast points.

ESCA in NYC

During a day trip to The Big Apple a couple of Sundays back, we ate an early dinner at ESCA near the Port Authority. The front of the house treated us with kindness, were attentive and very helpful with the menu and the wines as well. But the lack of imagination of the food presentation was outmatched by the absence of anything creative in the back of the house.

 Oh, and it's expensive, too.

Burrata with sea anchovies:

Monkfish tail:

Clams with pancetta topped by ritz crackers:

Nick's on Broadway

The other night we returned to Nick's on Broadway.

amuse bouche, choux puff

Joined by friends Andrea, Barbara and John we sat for an early dinner at one of the West Side's favorite eateries; and only four blocks from our house it's certainly one of ours. From chef-owner Derek Wagner down to the bustling service staff, it's hard to find fault with Nick's. The food is delicious -- just check out the photos -- and our server Krissy (or Chrissy or Chrissie?) was pleasantly friendly without being intimate and her knowledge of the wines and their relationship to the menu was truly amazing.

amuse bouche, puree of white bean

And it's a comfort, frankly, to support so many local producers while enjoying such a delectable meal: Point Judith monkfish for Susie, Barbara and John, Point Judith flounder for me and Blackbird Farm beef for Andrea; and several of us had the gnocchi with Blackbird Farm beef ragout.

Derek, like a number of chefs in Providence -- although by no means all -- is a man clearly determined to support local resources; and yet his his prices are really no different, and in some cases better, than many other city restaurants.  Go figure.

Lastly, it's a rare day when Derek is not there behind the counter working in that wonderful open kitchen space. Next time you go just tell him Steve and Susan said hi!

house gnocchi with Blackbird Farm beef ragout

Salad of Baby Greens Farm lettuces with, pickled cranberries, fresh citrus, radishes, Great Hill Dairy blue cheese

Point Judith Funder over mustard greens and potato-fennel cakes

Char-grilled Blackbird Farm beef, creamed lentils, barley, mushrooms, Port wine-peppercorn jus

Point Judith Monkfish over pumpkin-parmesan  risotto

Dinner in Douglas, MA

Can you imagine a Sunday meal any more perfect than potato-leek soup followed by roast beef, twice baked potatoes and green beans?! (And where did Dorothy find such exquisite beans this time of year is beyond me!)

Dorothy's potato-leek soup made with the last of the leeks from last year's garden!

French Tarte on February 23

After two weeks the French Tarte came roarin'back this past Saturday: a full table of goodies at 9am, by noon everything was gone; the croissants and pain au chocolate were gone by 10:15!

caramel nut tart

chausson aux pommes ready for the oven

bouchon, buttermilk cakes rolled in coriander-ginger sugar

apple berry tart

sugar buns

chocolate ganache tart

croissants

lemon madeleines

pear-ginger financier

cocoa hazelnut financier

Alsatian dinner at New Rivers

It's been nearly two months since we've eaten at New Rivers; and in fact, our last outing there was for New Year's Eve, a dinner that the four of us had somewhat mixed feelings about, if you must know.

That aside, we were looking forward to a return engagement and when I discovered on Tuesday last, quite by accident, that they were hosting an Alsatian dinner the next day, we had to snap up that opportunity.

 The party kicked off at 6:30 in the upstairs private dining room. We had no sooner gotten our coats off than we were handed a glass of tasty Cremant d'Alsace. (A "cremant" being any non-Champagne sparkling wine made in the Champagne style, so we were told.) It was a lively and friendly group of about 17 people seated around a u-shaped table. The wines for the evening were all white Alsatian (naturally) from Gerard Metz and presented by the wine rep, Steve Wynn of The Wine Bros. One of the most fascinating aspects of the dinner was the fact that such robust food was matched with white wines, and quite nicely matched, too, I might add.

For starters, matched with a gewurztraminer 2010 (quite dry):

bouchee a la suppepaschete, puff pastry cups with pork, vegetables and cream

bibeleskas, fresh ripened cheese with bacon, potatoes, herbs on toast

Next up, with a pinot blanc 2011 (nearly everyone was amazed at what an incredible wine this was):

flammekueche, thin rich "pizza", topped with bacon, onions and cream

presskopf & spaetzle, crispy lamb shoulder rillettes and spaetzle

For the "entre," and matched with a delicious riesling (lots of residual sugar but very dry nonetheless):

charcroute garni, saurkraut with sausages, smoked pork, potatoes, onions and mustards

For the dessert course, kougelhopf paired with a late-harvest gewurztraminer done in a dry style:

Every now and then Beau Vestal, chef-owner, would drop by and chat about the food. And speaking of the food, it was well-presented, scrumptious and, with the exception of the dessert course, superb. (We thought it odd to offer a traditional breakfast bread for a dessert course, but then the wine served with it  was a bit on the odd side as well, far too dry for a "dessert" wine, in my humble opinion.)

The company was congenial, and, as I said lively. It was a most pleasing couple of hours sharing experiences and ideas about such wonderful food and wines.