IN THE KITCHEN A large staff in a small restaurant signals a restaurant wanting to please its guests. On busy nights, Vico Ristorante Italiano’s owner-chef, Vincenzo Loffredo, has two cooks with him in the kitchen while four waiters, a busgirl, and his wife, Maria Loffredo, … [Read more...]
Four Square Restaurant and Bar
IN THE KITCHEN The kitchen at Four Square Restaurant and Bar is a workman’s space: stainless, solid, and perfectly equipped for turning out the everyday food a neighborhood runs on. Tucked in the rear of the long, narrow pub, the kitchen is co-owner/chef Marko Piro Fani’s … [Read more...]
Hot and Fast: Coal-fired Pizza
IN THE KITCHEN Twin coal-fired ovens situated like eyes in the face of Angelo’s open kitchen never sleep. For service, from 11 to 11, they’re fully stoked and large piles of glowing coals can be seen pushed to the side of the ovens' floors. By morning, the fires have burned low, … [Read more...]
Vodka pie crust, shaken not stirred (repost)
So a cold wind blew in last week, and like a dumb blonde turns toward the nearest guy, it made me want to make apple pie. I'm not much of a baker, but I have a few confections in my repertoire, and apple pie is what I make this time of year. I've been using the same, … [Read more...]
Revisiting honey bees in Miami
There are some things in life I can't fathom. For instance, how can honey bees do all they do? I mean, consider the half-pound of honey on my kitchen counter here in my new house in Miami and ponder this: One bee, in her life, contributes a total of only about an eighth of … [Read more...]
A Monkfish Tale
VENICE, Italy – It’s an early August afternoon at the restaurant Antica Locanda Montin and owner Luca Carrettin is extremely animated as he talks about monkfish. Even if you don’t speak Italian, some of the words he uses are understandable, like brutta (ugly), which he calls the … [Read more...]
Summer places: clam shacks mix fried fare and memories
As Chef Art D’Allessandro lowers a piece of cod into hot oil at Arthur & Pat’s in Brant Rock, he’s doing the same thing cooks have been doing at this Marshfield institution since his parents opened it almost 40 years ago. Not much changes in the world of the South Shore … [Read more...]
Waterside dining in urban spot
To spear a full sliver of garlic from the broth of some good mussels, you have to trust the chef: Undercooked and it’ll ruin your night; cooked well, it’ll half make it. When faced with the choice at 88 Wharf last month, I took the plunge knowing that Josh Ziskin had recently … [Read more...]
For Jacques Pepin cooking is about creating pleasure
As Jacques Pépin made the rounds of the 120 guests attending the celebrity chef dinner at Hingham’s Summer Shack last Monday, guest after guest embraced the legendary chef - metaphorically or literally. “We just love you!’’ said a woman as she held Pépin’s hand in both her … [Read more...]
Wahlberg brothers open Wahlburgers
News of the recent opening of Hingham’s new burger joint exploded this summer in a Hollywood-powered media blitz that was hard to miss. Even before the TV segments, newspaper, US and People magazine blurbs, there was lots of local talk: a deal for a reality show on the place had … [Read more...]
