The Pit, Raleigh

The Pit might be the area’s most famous barbeque place.  The chef, Ed Mitchell, is an ambassador for this southern food specialty with appearances on the Bobby Flay’s Throwdown (he won), the Today show and numerous articles in the likes of the New York Times and Gourmet.  He is also an advocate for traditional methods and process with his work through the Southern Foodways Alliance.  As is often the case with celebrity chefs, there is disagreement on how good the food is.  Some argue that The Pit is the best barbeque in the area.  Others argue that it is not authentic and too catered to the tourist.  With all of this controversy and press we just had to try it.

Settling in

Well, what can I say… we settle into our busy routines quite quickly!  While we did move to Chapel Hill, NC at the end of August we have already been to Boston three times, have taken a trip to the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway for leaf peeping and had some family visit.  With all of this we haven’t had too much time to try new restaurants but we have tried a few and explored some of the wonderful Farmer’s Markets and gourmet food stores around the area.  There is a great food culture in this area with many activities and a huge range of local produce and meat.  I have also discovered a vibrant local food blogging community and have linked to some of my favorites on this site.

O Ya, Boston

Rarely does a restaurant live up to the hype generated by the media but in this case it certainly did.  Since being named the number one ‘Coast to Coast, Restaurants that Count’ 2008 by the New York Times’ Frank Bruni, O Ya has been on my radar.  We had wanted to try it for quite sometime however, given the expense felt we needed an occasion.  We decided it would be a perfect place to celebrate our 8 years in Boston and the last night in town before we flew down south.

Farewell Tour

Over the eight years that we have lived in Cambridge, we have developed so many favorite places and in some cases specific dishes.  During the last couple of months in town we tried to enjoy as many of these locations and dishes as our stomachs (and waistlines!) could handle.  Instead of going into detail, below I list the places we returned to our favorite dish that we visited for in particular (in no specific order).

Teranga, South End

Our final NRT gathering was held at Teranga in the South End in July.  It was bittersweet to be ending such a fun tradition.  Teranga is a small Senegalese restaurant with a warm and simple décor with exposed brick and simple African artifacts.  I had called ahead and told them our group was coming even though they only take reservations for large parties.  The owner was quite generous on the phone and said if there was any problem she would call me back.  We arrived at our usual 7pm and the tables were set up for two large groups and our only seating option was the bar.  This was a bit frustrating but we decided to stay and sit at the bar.  After about 15 minutes they broke up the tables and asked us if we wanted to take one, apparently the large party was not coming on time.  This was much more comfortable as it was difficult to hear each other across the bar.

The menu is quite heavy with fish and meat.  We started with a couple of fish appetizers; the fayata (pastry filled with fish) and poisson croquettes.  Both were similar in flavor and served with the same sauce which was disappointing.  There was an extremely long lag as we waited for our main dishes.  The waitress apologized and gave us another appetizer.  The large party, which they had originally saved the table for finally arrived, and were ordering which created the delay.

We finally received our main dishes, which were a bit disappointing.  I ordered the national dish of fish and vegetables and barley wheat.  The fish itself was overcooked and quite chewy.  The barley wheat and the vegetables were tasty and quite satisfying with cassava, eggplant, and carrots among others.  The rest of the group had ordered a chicken dish, another fish dish, and a lamb dish.  While the others enjoyed their dishes more than me none of them were wowed by them.  The combination of flavors and ingredients were quite interesting demonstrating the French and Portuguese influences.

The two large groups that evening lead to an overall disappointing experience for us.  The restaurant was extremely loud, the kitchen and staff were not able to handle the food orders leading to long waits and tired diners.  I believe that the food could have been much better if not hurried.  I do believe this could be a much better experience on a less crowded evening.

Teranga
www.terangaboston.com
1746 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02118
617-266-0003

Silence explained

I have owed a post for quite some time.  To be honest, what I thought would be an easy post to write became cripplingly difficult; when should I post, what should I say, how should I say it?  Instead I just got wrapped up in planning, organizing and to-do lists and avoided posting all together.  As a result, it has been months and difficult for me to get back into the blogging world.  Now that we are settled and comfortable, I feel that I have time and energy to get back into the blogging.

So to make a long story short, G and I have moved to the Chapel Hill, NC.  In May I completed my PhD and received an offer for a post doctoral position.  Career wise it is a great opportunity for me.  But, we also thought it would be a chance to explore another region of the country and a whole new food culture.  We are trading in lobster rolls for fried chicken.

We moved a few weeks ago and as G says, “We have been setting up base camp, and haven’t yet ventured into the wilderness.”  Before we left the Boston area we did enjoy a final NRT, visited some of our favorites haunts, and had a celebratory meal marking our time in Boston.  So, stay tuned for a few more posts on the Boston area before I transition to posts on the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh).  We are feeling somewhat settled now and are looking forward to some great food adventures!

Kitchen on the Common, Belmont

A few weeks ago G and I met some friends for dinner at Kitchen on the Common in Belmont.  It is in Cushing Square with a simple storefront.  Inside the décor is extremely plain with basic wooden tables without any embellishments.  The chef and owner uses all local ingredients so the menu is seasonal and changes frequently.  Two of us started with the haddock chowder which had potatoes and leeks.  It was a rich and creamy chowder with large pieces of fish.  G got the chicken dish for his entrée which he liked but found that the meat was a little dry.  I had the bavette steak which was delicious and well prepared.  We also shared a side of macaroni and cheese which was simple and satisfying.  Our dining companions tried the farfalle and the artic char which they enjoyed thoroughly.  All of the entrées were priced below $17 which is quite reasonable and the sides are $4.  They don’t have a pastry chef on staff so they offer a selection of cookies for dessert which is a fun treat.  The restaurant does not have a liquor license so they allow you to bring your own wine and they provide stemware without a corking fee.  There only seemed to be a couple of staff doing everything so the service was a bit slow.  Overall, the food is well prepared however none of the dishes wowed us.  Given the price, ability to bring your own wine, and relaxed atmosphere I would return.

Kitchen on the Common
http://www.kitchenoncommon.com
442 Common Street
Belmont, MA 02478
617-484-4328