Featured Recipe: Sweet Basil's Seafood Chowder

This is the third, and final, recipe from Chef Dave Becker of Sweet Basil located in Needham, MA. 

Taken right from Stewed, Chef Dave's newest cookbook, today's featured recipe is Seafood Chowder. The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever type of seafood you prefer! Don't like mussels? No problem, double up on the shrimp.

Get creative and mix and match according to your taste preferences!

Thanks to Chef Dave and the team at Sweet Basil for all of the great information and beautiful photos. It was so fun sharing this information with everyone. Don't hesitate and check out Sweet Basil today - you will be very happy you did :)

Photo Credit: Nina Gallant 

Sweet Basil's Seafood Chowder:

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting the clams
• 2 cups Spanish onions, ¼” dice
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ¼ cup celery, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, ¼” dice
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup sherry
• 1 ½ quarts Fish Stock (page 93 of Stewed)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ pound fresh mussels, scrubbed
• ½ pound Maine baby shrimp
• ½ pound squid, tentacles and rings cut
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ pound whole clams, scrubbed

Garnish

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400º.

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. When the butter melts, slowly whisk in the flour. Allow the roux to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture turns brown.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and thyme. Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes or until the ingredients begin to caramelize. Add the potatoes, corn, and sherry. Continue cooking for 1 minute or until the liquid is reduced. Add the Fish Stock, bring to a boil, and then add the boiling soup to the roux, maintaining the medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the cream, and then add the mussels, shrimp, and squid. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mussels open, and remove from the heat. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, arrange the whole clams on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a few pinches of kosher salt and drizzle with a few splashes of olive oil. Roast in the oven until the clamshells open.

Ladle the soup into bowls, evenly distributing the roasted clams. Garnish with the parsley and basil, and serve.

Sweet Basil is located at 942 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 02492.

If you are interested in purchasing Chef Dave's newest cookbook, Stewed, or any of his cookbooks, you can find them here: www.sweetbasilneedham.com/cookbook

Tavern Road Opens in Boston's Fort Point Channel

There is a new restaurant open in what is being called Boston's "Innovation District".

Tavern Road, opened Monday, February 25th, is owned by Chef Louis DiBiccari and his brother Michael DiBiccari. Recipes are inspired by family history and the local community and cooked in a large, open kitchen. Design comes from their Uncle Adio DiBiccari, an American master sculptor, who opened an art studio in 1952 on Tavern Road by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You can also find work from local artists from Fort Point Channel-based artists Project Super Friends. 

If you don't know Chef Louie check out Chef Louie Night. Also known as "Iron Chef Nights", guests of these events vote on the ingredients ahead of time. The morning of the event Chef Louie and his crew find what the secret ingredients are and scramble around to come up with anything from one dish to a multi-course menu in only a few hours time. Check out the website to learn more about these events here.

The menu is "designed to be read in the way it should be consumed" starting your meal with small plates for the table, to shared entrees, and finished with an array of desserts. The menu will rotate seasonally with a few consistent signature dishes year round. 

Another fun menu feature is "Today's Animal" where each week, Tavern Road spotlights a locally-raised, whole animal. The featured animal will be served in appetizers and entrees to utilize every part they can. 

Don't worry, Tavern Road has a vegetarian menu as well!

You can even get food late-night from 11:00pm - 1:00am. A special menu of bar snacks including charcuterie, oysters, panini sandwiches and the Louis burger will be available.

You know with this type of food you are going to get some amazing drinks. Beverage Director and No. 9 Park Alum Ryan McGrale is hand-crafting seasonal cocktails in small batches. Using locally-sourced spirits he is breaking the cocktail menu into 3 parts (taken straight from their fact sheet):

1. “Libations” – a gathering of classic cocktail recipes from pre and post-

prohibition era alongside house-created cocktails from the Tavern Road bar

staff.

2. “Cocktail Flights” – weekly-changing selection of three 1.5oz cocktail samples

with varying themes (martinis, daiquiris, tiki drinks, aperitifs…)

3. “Cocktails from Friends” – four times a year this section will feature cocktails

created and donated to Tavern Road's drink menu, by some of the best in the

business. Without traveling to San Fransisco or Seattle, you can have that city’s

top bartender’s creation in front of you at Tavern Road. Contributors represent

Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club NYC, Death & Co., Jasper’s and many more.

Beers are hand-picked from craft breweries and served by the bottle (there are no taps) and the wine list is spearheaded by Boston's Second Glass and with at least 50 bottles to choose from.

If you thought it couldn't get any better you are wrong. I haven't even told you about TR Street Foods yet. 

TR Street Foods is just that - Chef Louis's version of street food from his travels all over the world. Fast and casual with free Wi-fi and the ability to takeout, the menu will change daily and feature salads, sandwiches, snacks, fresh juices, kebabs, calzones and more. Using locally sourced ingredients of course.

I know where I will be heading this weekend!

Tavern Road is located at 343 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210

Phone: (617) 790 - 0808

Open 7 days a week:

Dinner                                 5:00pm – 11:00pm, seven days a week

Bar                                     4:30pm – 2:00am, seven days a week

Late Night                           11:00pm – 12:00am, Sun-Wed

                                         11:00pm – 1:00am, Thurs-Sat

Seating:

Total Capacity         120

Main Dining Room     85

Bar/High Top           25

TR Street Foods       10

Good news: 

They take OpenTable: Boston Restaurants reservations and there is a parking lot across the street!

A Visit to Sweet Cupcakes

I was recently invited to pop into Sweet and check out some of their new winter flavor cupcakes. Poor me right?

Sweet has a few Boston locations but I work downtown so during my lunch break I walked over to their 11 School St. location. 

Their shop is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen! With a prime spot on Boston's famous Freedom Trail, their bright and airy shop draws you in with the smell of freshly baked cupcakes wafting through the air.

Their cases are full of every flavor of cupcake you could dream up with tons of bright, eye-catching colors. I have got to try the Mocha Mint Chip my next visit!

How cute are these Celtics and Bruin's cupcakes? They would be a great addition if you were having people over to watch the game!

If you don't want in indulge in a full size cupcake Sweet offers miniature versions of some of their famous flavors. This is another great option for a party or to bring to an office celebration because it gives you so much variety.

If you thought the creativity stopped at the mini's you are wrong! Sweet is known to have possibly the best cupcake frosting in Boston and you can taste test for yourself with one of Sweet's frosting shots. Genius!

Here are a few photos of the rest of their shop including the current flavors and pricing. They even deliver!

I love the simplicity of their packaging.

As I mentioned before I was given the new winter flavors to try and not only were they tasty but so beautiful to look at at as well!

Top row left to right: Blueberry Pancake, Bananas Foster, Macaroon

Bottom row left to right: Cookie Dough, Hot Cocoa, Key Lime

While all were really good my absolute favorite had to be the Hot Cocoa. Adorable with the red stirrer sticking out of it and made with a dark chocolate cake, chocolate mousse inside and whipped cream dusted with cocoa.

The runner up was the Blueberry Pancake which was a buttermilk cake, stuffed with blueberry preserves and topped with maple frosting. It tasted JUST like a blueberry pancake.

If you are into chocolate chip cookies check out the Cookie Dough cupcake which has a chocolate chip cookie baked right on the bottom of the cupcake. If bananas are your thing grab a Bananas Foster made with vanilla bean cake filled with fresh banana cream and topped with a caramel drizzle and a dusting of cinnamon and sugar.

Want to tele-port down to Key West in these cold winter months? Take a bite out of the Key Lime cupcake with vanilla cake filled with fresh Key lime filling, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with crushed graham crackers. Or go coconut with the Macaroon cupcake made of vanilla bean cake with coconut baked right in and a crisp macaroon cookie-like top, dipped in Callebaut chocolate ganache.

I hope you get a chance to check out one of Sweet's boston locations and try these out for yourself!

You can find Sweet at these locations:

Back Bay: 49 Massachusetts Ave.

Newbury Street: 225 Newbury St.

Harvard Square: Zero Brattle Street

Downton: 11 School Street

TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala

Last weekend I was lucky enough to score 2 tickets to the TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala. This was an event I have wanted to attend over the past few years so I was really excited to have the opportunity to check it out. I called up my sister and off we went!

First stop was the bar of course! They had one station for wine and beer and another for cocktails. 

My sister got white wine while I chose Skyy Blood Orange Vodka with soda water. It was light and refreshing. 

The event was put on by Tillinger's Hospitality Company.

One of the major parts of the night was a charity auction for Horizons for Homeless Children where they auctioned off great prizes such as tickets to Boston sporting events as well as luxury booth tickets to see Justin Bieber.

Horizons for Homeless Children is a fantastic charity that improves the lives of young homeless children in Massachusetts. They help their families succeed by providing high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family support services.

Billy Costa (one of the  TV Diner hosts) and Matt Siegel of Kiss 108 MC'd the auction which was really cool - we grew up listening to them!

I would say we tried about a 1/4 of the food offered but that is only because there were SO many great options to choose from we had to narrow it down somehow.

Our favorite was a hand made pasta with pulled duck and peas from Andiamo. It was so good we are both desperately wanting to take the drive to Newburyport to have dinner there!

Next was beef sliders from Mooo.... I liked this different take on a slider and the buns on these were so tasty!

The guys from Turner Fisheries we very busy searing scallops which they served with a vegetable chip and micro greens. The scallop was seared perfectly.

And here are just a few more images of delicious food...

Gnocchi bolognese

Steak skewers with potato

Tuna Tartare and Chicken and Waffles from Local 149

Tasty Burger

The TV Diner Platinum Plate Gala cake

TV Diner puts on a great event and you could tell everyone who attended was having a great time! I love how enthusiastic the different chefs and restaurants were and the band was great - they had a packed dance floor as soon as the auction ended! 

I really hope to have the opportunity to attend this event again next year!

Dinner at Scampo in Boston's Liberty Hotel

Scampo has been on my list of Boston restaurants to visit for some time now.

When I got invited to try out their new winter menu I literally jumped out of my seat at the opportunity! A chance to taste Lydia Shire's Italian-inspired dishes? YES PLEASE.

Before I try a new restaurant I love to read about the chefs background and how they got to the current place in their career. I knew that Lydia was a Boston native, a James Beard Foundation honoree, and very good, personal, friends of Julia Child. However, the more I read about Lydia, the more I was intrigued. 

Working her way from a salad girl to the chef of Boston's Maison Robert, to opening an array of her own successful restaurants, Lydia cooks food straight from the heart. She is now inspiring her son Alex, one of the chef's at Scampo, to give it his all every day on the job. My favorite advice she has given Alex is, "If you don't have a pit in your stomach almost every day, it means you're relaxing too much. You know, how can you stay in that tip-top form, shape, without that little pit in your stomach? I think it's important."

I visited Scampo with Jaime and although the meal was on the restaurant, all of the photographs and opinions are my own. I apologize in advance for some of the pictures being such poor quality but I always feel bad using my flash when people are trying to enjoy their dinner!

The meal started off with a Fava bean puree with basil oil and toasted pine nuts served with house made bread sticks. The Fava beans had a similar taste to pesto and were delicious!

As we chatted with our AMAZING waiter Michael (Seriously, he was amazing!! So friendly and knowledgeable about the menu), we ordered Lydia's famous Lobster Pizza. It was a thin crust, my favorite, with ton's of lobster meat.

One of the selections on the menu was a house made mozzarella bar. This came highly recommended by Michael. We chose to go with the mozzarella with avocado, king crab and mustard oil. This dish was light and refreshing the the pieces of crab meat were huge. 

Another recommendation from Michael was to try a small plate of pasta. Jaime and I chose the 'Spaghetti with Cracklings and Hot Pepper'. It was everything we hoped it would be! Tender spaghetti with crispy pork on top, dusted with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

By the time the main courses came we were already stuffed. But we knew there was no turning back now - it was too good! 

Placed on our table was a veal osso buco with ricotta gnocchi, butter pomodoro and cavolo nero pesto. The meat was so tender it could be cut with a spoon. 

This next picture makes me sad. I'm not sure how I didn't realized it was SO blurry at the time.  #awfuliphonephotographer

If you can't tell through my blurry lens this plate was of a perfectly cooked piece of chilean sea bass over sweet cabbage lobster risotto topped with crisped shaved brussel sprout leaves. 

I don't usually choose sea bass when it's on a menu but I might start now. Light and full of flavor I could eat this every night.

Last, dessert. Somehow there is always room for dessert.

Jaime and I have quite the track record for unbelievable desserts featuring bananas (check out our other two favorite banana desserts here and here). Scampo's winter dessert menu was just launched that day I am happy to say it did not disappoint.

On the left is a banana brown butter tart with fleur de sel caramel, macadamia nut crunch, and coconut ice cream. On the right, Lydia's tiramisu with Tia Maria liqueur and espresso caramel.

Both desserts were extremely tasty but that banana tart was definitely my favorite of the two. How can you ever go wrong with brown butter? You can't. It was unlike any other dessert I have tried thus far and left me wanting to go back to enjoy again.

We visited Scampo on a Tuesday night and let me tell you, it was PACKED! 

While we were enjoying our meal we noticed Lydia standing in the dining room talking with a group of people. Chef's are celebrities to me and I thought it was so cool that she was taking the time to be out in the dining room.

Next thing I know Lydia was walking up to our table. She personally introduced herself to us and spoke with us a little bit about our meal. It was one of my all time coolest culinary moments. IT"S LYDIA SHIRE!!

I can't thank Lydia, Michael, and the team at Scampo enough for such a memorable experience. The experience will not be soon forgotten!