1 Freelance Friday: Boston's Bacon and Beer Festival

Last Saturday was the 2010 Boston Bacon and Beer Festival. With a name like that, the event clearly sold out weeks ahead of time and when we arrived 15 minutes before starting time there was already a line. When we got to the door they handed us a spork and a plastic cup... which was all we needed for this massive exercise in gluttony.

Hundreds of people packed in to the SoWa Market's old brick power station to sample from dozens of local brewers featuring their ales and restaurants featuring their bacon-related dishes.

There were traditional options like pork belly sandwiches, surprisingly delicious concoctions like bacon cupcakes, and some shockingly intense bites like this goat-cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped fig:

It was a star-studded event. Seriously, recognize this Top Chef Season 1 contestant doling out bacon chips?

We can't wait for next year.

*Thanks to Heidi Mitchell and Evan Carlson for their photo skills (and good company!)

1 Freelance Friday: Boston's Ten Tables

We are in the midst of a family bonanza: we have seven out of town relatives visiting at various points over the course of two weeks. Last weekend it was my dad and stepmom, who love trying out new restaurants. When they suggested the highly reviewed Ten Tables we were delighted; this restaurant had been on our "to go to" list for ages.

The original Ten Tables is located in Jamaica Plain at a tiny establishment that fits--get this--ten tables. Since its acclaimed success had led to far in advance reservations being required, they opened a second location in Cambridge. From everything we'd read the quality remains the same at the new outpost, and because reservations in J.P. were once again impossible to get, we headed across the river to Harvard Square for a Sunday night dinner.

Ten Tables Cambridge has significantly more than ten tables (more like twenty) but it still has an intimate and cozy but elegant atmosphere. The only reservation we could get even at this location was for 5:00, so we were the first to arrive for their Sunday night, three-course supper, a weekly prix-fixe affair that costs $33.

But before I get to any of the food, a note about the wine. Since our wine-tasting adventures in Argentina and South Africa, we know a little bit more about wine and certainly appreciate it more, but we are way intimidated when it comes to the extensive wine list of a nice restaurant. Even more intimidated by the prospect of discussing wine with a sommelier. My dad, however, not so, and not only did he request to speak with the sommelier but then proceeded to have a ten minute discussion with him about our tastes, pairing with food, and his recommendations. The result was something delicious that went really well with our food, but as the whole transaction was so above my head I don't remember the name. But the point is their sommelier is really good (and patient).

So for our first course we were all delivered significantly portioned plates: I got the merguez with quinoa and tomatillo sauce. The sausage was spicy and delicious but what surprised me was how yummy the quinoa was! I've made quinoa before as a healthy experiment (did you know it's one of the only starches to be a complete protein on its own?) but it tasted nothing like this wonderfully light, almost popcorn-like dish before me. And Patrick's cavatelli wasn't too shabby either. The ricotta-dough pasta was paired with a light cream sauce with an essence of fresh peas. I chomped down about half his plate in addition to my own. Oops.

But I didn't even touch Patrick's main course because I was so enamored with my own. I got the mussels, which I love, but restaurants so often just throw them in with some garlic and wine and call it a day. This was incredible. I swear each mussel was hand-picked they were so huge and juicy! They were cooked up in a spicy chorizo cream sauce that I slurped down like a soup. I let Patrick have all my fries to make up for the first course. Everyone else at the table got steak, all requested at a different done-ness, and each one came out perfectly to order.

My chocolate terrine with Thai basil ice cream dessert was as interesting as it sounds. I'm a huge ice cream aficionado but had never tasted anything like this--it was kind of like a sweet, non-garlicky frozen pesto. Um, but that sounds kind of scary. Really it was way delicious. And the super rich terrine would make any chocoholic swoon. Patrick's creme caramel was OK but rather uninteresting, which made it the most disappointing part of the meal. My dad's bread pudding, however, was a great brioche concoction that was moist even without being drenched in creme anglaise and sweetened with dry fruit. Yummy, but I'd still go with the basil ice cream again.

We all left Ten Tables full-bellied and utterly impressed. It's definitely the best prix fixe menu I've had in Boston. OK, OK...Cambridge isn't actually Boston, but it is connected by the T and the original is in Jamaica Plain, which technically IS Boston, so I'm claiming this restaurant for Bean Town.

*Photo courtesy of Grub Street Boston

1 Freelance Friday: Boston's Best Cheese

I open the door and the sweetest of aromas envelops me. It's warm and cozy inside on this winter day, and there are charming artisanal products all around. Red onion jelly, pastel pink petit fours, imported Italian pastas. And taking up the entire back half of the store, the glorious display case from which the perfume emanates, where hundreds of beautiful cheeses strut their stuff for the drooling customers.

I am slightly obsessed with the South End Formaggio. Everything about it is so delicious! It's always packed with customers who are deeply interested in the product, the staff of cheese mongers can find you the perfect match for any event, taste, or whim, and their case is filled with cheese you can't find anywhere else in town.

As someone who has a serious weakness for cheese (I may hold the record for youngest person alive to test for such high cholesterol I needed to be put on a cheese-restrictive diet as a toddler) I can drop a lot of cash at South End Formaggio. My personal favorite at the moment is Stichelton, an English blue made from unpasteurized milk whose importation is a bit restricted in this country, that goes for $30/pound. This is not the type of thing you

sprinkle on a salad. I typically don't even dumb it down with a cracker, just slice off bite size pieces to melt on my tongue. I was going to take a picture of the block I'm eating right now to share with you, but oops! It's all gone.

Get to South End Formaggio by taking the Silver Line to the East Berkeley stop and walk a block down to Shawmut, and two blocks west until you see the sign or smell cheese. While you're in the neighborhood, walk a few blocks further to get to Flour Bakery for dessert. Their sour cream coffee cake merits a whole post of its own...

Send questions for the mailbag to patrinadoestheglobe@gmail.com

1 West Coast

We have enjoyed our recent trips to the left coast so much that we decided to plan an action-packed Memorial Day getaway out west. Accompanying us for the trip was Patrick's brother, Riley "Carl" Foster, for his first visit out west since the time he prowled Disneyland in a stroller. Much to the delight of the brothers they were able to catch all of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals en route thanks to Jet Blue's 34 channel's of Direct TV (yes we are a walking Jet Blue ad). Much to their dismay however, the Celts lost their first home game of the playoffs. Upon arrival at the Days Hotel in Oakland late that night we were checked in by a large man wearing a sky blue Days Inn polo, suspenders, and a mickey mouse timepiece around his neck. A more welcoming sight I cannot imagine.

The next morning we took a stroll along the highway to get to the Oakland BART station. We obviously looked a bit lost upon walking in to the station as we were immediately approached by a friendly Oaklander looking to help. He asked where we were going, showed us exactly how much fare we needed, and helped us purchase our tickets. As we very gratefully thanked him, he pointed to a destination where he was going, and showed us exactly how much he needed to get there. While it was clear he wasn't going anywhere, we very happily provided him the fare. Our conclusion: the beggars in Boston have much to learn from their helpful West Coast counterparts.

We rode the BART to the Mission District, San Francisco's Latin Quarter, to begin our day of exploring the city. The streets of the Mission District are colorful, lined with fabulous murals, cafes, and markets displaying fresh produce. Dolores Park, a sprawling greenspace located in the heart of the Mission District, provided fantastic views of the city skyline. After a few hours of wandering around we refueled with a strawberry soda from a local shop and hopped a bus to the other side of town. No first trip to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Lombard Street and that was our next stop. This is the crookedest street in the world--tourists' cars line up to take a turn to wind their way down the hill, dodging people who jump into the street to take pictures (like us).

It has long been a Bergmann family tradition to visit Ghiradelli Square when in San Francisco. The chocolate shop offers free samples as well as every flavor, shape and gift basket they make. The adjoining ice cream parlor makes phenomenal sundaes, including a gigantic creation called "The Earthquake". The 10-scoop, fully-loaded treat taunted us, and we decided to take on the

challenge. The first bite was delicious, but as we worked our way through the task grew more arduous, the process messier. Eighteen minutes later, we finally took the last bite. Victory! As Riley and Katrina hobbled outside holding their stomachs, Patrick boldly declared that he was hungry, and the two looked on as Patrick downed an In-N-Out burger and fries. Once Patrick finished stuffing his face, we walked along Fisherman's Wharf to work off our mid-afternoon gluttony. We passed by street artists, musicians, and the infamous Bushman who jumps from his leafy disguise to scare tourists for tips. When comparing notes with Bay Area natives later we found out that this guy has been working the Wharf for years.

We returned to the Days Hotel in Oakland to get ready for that night's Sox-A's game at McAfee Coliseum. To prepare for the game we decided to indulge ourselves with some of the prominent local fare- Jack in the Box and 40's of Budweiser. After many ounces of Bud we were ready to be loud, rowdy, and represent. Unfortunately the Sox weren't quite as prepared and fell to the local nine 8-3. After the game the suddenly cocky hometown fans decided to verbally berate our red and blue clad crew. Patrick was more than up to the task and the walk back to our hotel was heated to say the least.

Before anyone came looking for the loud Sox fan in the number 24 shirt, we got out of town the next morning. We swung back by the airport to pick up our rental car for the day, Black Beauty, and set off northward for Seattle. The first few hours of the trip were rainy and quiet as people caught up on sleep but all were quickly roused by the promise of a visit to the northernmost In-N-Out burger in Redding. The next leg of the drive was truly scenic with vistas ranging from Mt. Shasta in northern California to the rolling, fir tree speckled terrain of Oregon. We were able to squeeze in a short visit to Portland, Oregon and were impressed by the green downtown and the local Thai food. That Saturday was a busy one as in the span of 5 minutes we came across two weddings and a prom (obvious Hugh Grant joke omitted here). The last miles of our day long drive were highlighted by a Celtics victory over Detroit with an assist from XM radio and a stunning setting sun to the west. After a 3 minute stand off between Patrick and traffic spikes at the entrance to the Rental Car Return, we finally reached our destination...at 10PM on the dot which was Black Beauty's curfew that Saturday night.

It was early to bed that night and late to rise the next morning as we continued our adjustment to PDT. Once the crew, now including Katrina's family, was assembled we set off for Tiger Mountain for a hike in the Washington woods. Tiger Mountain is well-known as a take off point for local paragliders and we were treated to quite the aerial show at both the top and base of the mountain.

Dinner that evening was at the heralded (at least by us) La Cocina y Cantina in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. There are two musts when you visit La Cocina, the massive La Cocina Burrito and an equally massive Margarita. Impressively, more burritos were finished than not, a rare feat that will undoubtedly live in lore for decades if not centuries to come. Jump-started by the aforementioned margaritas a night of game playing and imbibing ensued that lingered into the morning hours.

The next morning we slept in even later, but determined not to let our next to last day slip away. We rallied and headed to Pike Place Market, Seattle's famous destination for all things commerce (and tourist). There we scoured the sizeable selection of scaly seafood, contributed to the impressive yet disgusting gum wall, and received a singing fortune from Elvis. Next we skipped crosstown to the International District for a delicious dinner at Shangai Garden featuring Katrina's favorite--hand shaven green barley noodles.

From the the International District, Safeco Field is a short walk. Another baseball game you ask? You know it! The Olde Towne Team was facing off against the Mariners and this time the outcome (and ballpark) was much more to our liking. Thankfully following the 5-3 victory the post-game shouting matches were limited to deciding who was going to sit on who's lap as the six of us wedged into a Honda Civic. The loser was Katrina.

The majority of the final day of our trip was spent at the Museum of Flight housed at Seattle's captain of industry's Boeing Field. To say this museum is a must-visit is an under statement. Think Air and Space Museum times ten. We first toured a British Airways Concorde and then an Air Force One that made many historic flights and was in use from the Eisenhower to Clinton administrations. Other highlights included an entire wing on World War I and II history, an exhibit on flight attendants featuring the risque past of airline advertising, and enough interactive simulators to occupy Patrick for hours. The 4 hours we spent there was not nearly enough and we will probably go back to see what we missed the first time.

We were sent off in style that night with a gourmet home BBQ. Armed with a belly full of food to fight off hunger and induce sleep, we boarded our red-eye flight back to Boston. Though we once again had the luxury of our Direct TV there really isn't much on at 3AM. We aren't ashamed to say that a mini marathon of "The X Effect" did help pass the time. Morning greeted us at Logan and we bid goodbye to Riley as we hopped the T for work. Vacation days are a precious commodity and we certainly weren't going to waste one sleeping.