Bricco….Suave

Choo-Chew headed into the North End a couple weekends back and had one of the most amazing dinners at Bricco!

We took the train in from our respective stations and walked over to the North End for a few apéritifs and antipasto at good, old stand-by Bacco.  Dinner at Bacco is great, but they also have a perfect bar for grabbing a quick drink before jetting off to another delicious North End eatery.

Bricco, located on Hanover, was packed when we showed up around 8pm and we were glad we made a reservation. Bon Appetit magazine votes Bricco one of the top 10 restaurants in the US. Bricco has also received an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. Restaurateur Frank De Pasquale makes a statement in boutique Italian cuisine here and we were not disappointed. 

I started with the brightest bellini I’ve ever had and Jaime tried the Italian Lemonade. We knew from the first sips that we were in for a wonderful culinary experience.

To begin I had the Zucchini Flowers – stuffed with truffle ricotta cheese and tempura of grilled vegetables. They were simply amazing. The rich tastes had me planning my next French truffle hunting vacation. Jaime had a salad with the freshest mozzarella I’ve ever seen (and tasted – I stole a few bites!). Andy had an eggplant terrine of sorts with mouth-watering marinara. Matt of course had Ceasar salad, but the twist was the yummy, crispy ricotta polpette.

We found a little room for our entrees. I had the Pumpkin Tortelli with amaretti & truffle honey, sage butter, glazed root vegetables topped with ricotta salata. Simply amazing. I’m going to try and replicate this some night at home, but I’m sure I will not do it justice. Jaime enjoyed the pan seared salmon. Andy had the most elaborate-looking entrée – Cestini, which were beautiful, hand-crafted pasta “baskets” with sausage and radicchio filling, truffle fondue, with walnuts and apple. Matt – meat of course – Prime Beef Tenderloin with roast butternut squash and foie gras mash and sautéed organic spinach.

Sadly, we left zero room for dessert and had to roll ourselves back to North Station.

For me, Bricco is one of the Italian restaurants that has set the bar to which I will compare every other.

Salute!

15 Walnut, oh how I've missed you!

After 7 hours at the Wrentham Outlets my bestie (and sister-in-law) Sarah and I headed home to unload our loot, have a drink and pick up Matt before heading out to Hamilton for the evening. After a private showing of all our goodies (Matt was thrilled), we hopped in the car and took off for 15 Walnut – my absolute favorite North Shore restaurant.

For those of you taking to the rail, there are a number of great restaurants in Hamilton within a stone’s throw from the train stop – 15 Walnut and Black Cow just to name a few.

15 Walnut (or as locals call it “The Nut”) recently reopened after a brief hiatus while they expanded and I was anxious to see the renovation and share the experience with our first Guest Diner - Sarah! Reservations are a must as it seems everyone is in the loop with just how fantastic this restaurant is and locals fill it up quickly.

I often ask myself - what feeds my 15 Walnut obsession? I think there are 3 reasons – the food, service and ambiance. I guess they have hit the trifecta.

The food – Their mantra is simple – “Everything on our menu is cooked from scratch with the best of what’s available each season.” 15 Walnut has won many accolades including North Shore Magazine’s 2010 Best New Restaurant and Best Burger. They pride themselves on many local ingredients fresh to the season. The farm-to-table model is quite popular as of late, but truly nothing tastes better than local cheeses, fresh Gloucester fish and just-picked produce. Being a vegetarian, 15 Walnut always has many delicious options that aren’t run of the mill. Chef Sam Hunt is totally my idol and this review definitely will not do justice to the amazing menu he puts together each season. You must taste it for yourself!

This night we enjoyed some great dishes. I always start with the 15 Walnut Salad which is red oak leaf lettuce, candied walnuts, local goat cheese, 30 day house made vinaigrette and fried shallots. Matt enjoys starting with the Caesar Salad (notice a trend). The order usually doesn’t even pass his lips as most of the servers know his dinner line-up. I had the Winter Potage soup (thick puree of winter vegetables finished with truffle butter, yum!) and Matt had his stand-by Roasted Bell & Evans Chicken. Sarah had the Eggplant Bolognese with pillowy gnocci topped with goat cheese that was to die for. Dessert was a sampling of Poached Fig Crème Brulee and Baked Pear Crisp with Maple Walnut Ice Cream. All that being said – my favorite part of the meal was the bottle (and additional glasses) of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.

The service – warm, friendly and on top of their game (i.e. knowing when to remove plates from the table – über important to me). What more could you ask?

The ambiance – warm, open kitchen – big cozy booths – gorgeous bar – comfortable high tops and a large, center farm table – ideal for an outing with friends and family. Which leads me to the expansion. We had different views at our table. I loved the coziness of the original layout and find the new section to be pretty run-of-the mill. The transition from gorgeous granite bar to wood leaves little to be desired. The addition appears not thought-out and rather rushed. Matt and Sarah weren’t as turned off. It definitely won’t stop me from going again and again, but the homey neighborhood restaurant feel is definitely not the same.

The Nut is a must if you have never been. End of story.