Zaftigs Delicatessen

Zaftigs big claim to fame is that it’s “not your grandmother’s deli.”  They sure got that right.  If you’re looking for a traditional Jewish delicatessen, or a greasy spoon type place, then keep walking.  However if you want unique food combinations, friendly service, and a hip environment, this is the deli for you.  Located at 335 Harvard Street, Zaftigs is the type of place you will always leave satisfied.

Food

When you first sit down you’re presented with bagel chips and schmear to munch on while checking out your options.  But don’t fill up on them, or you’ll regret it!  While Zaftigs has a large menu with plenty of options for lunch or dinner, I would recommend sticking with the breakfast menu, which is unparalleled.

Empire Eggs is, without a doubt, my favorite thing on the menu and one of the best meals I’ve ever had.  While the combination may sound a bit unorthodox, it’s absolutely worth trying.  The base is a crisp potato pancake, with a thick piece of smoked salmon on top.  Then on top of that is leafy spinach and two perfectly poached eggs.  If that weren’t enough, it’s then covered with Hollandaise sauce.  Clearly this item is not diet friendly, but I guarantee you won’t care.

If you’re looking for something a bit more decadent I would suggest any of the three French toast options.  The chocolate French toast comes with raspberry sauce, perfect for someone who really loves sweets.  The challah French toast is thick and fresh.  However the best of the three is the banana stuffed French toast.  It’s the perfect amount of sweetness since it’s cooked a delicious bourbon-vanilla batter.

Two omelettes were suggestted to me by the wait staff, but I would only recommend one of them.  They were the Macintosh Apple and Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese Omelette and the Tomato, Scallion, and Cream Cheese Omelette.  They were dead on with the apple and cheese one, the sweetness and sharpness contrasted nicely.  However the other omelette had far too much cream cheese, essentially taking over the flavors of the tomato and scallion.  If you’re looking for a non-traditional omelette, then definitely go for the apple and cheese one!

Complaints

If you want to go on a weekend either make a reservation a few days in advance, or don’t go hungry.  On any given Saturday or Sunday morning you’re looking at an hour to two hour wait, maybe more.  There’s a reason it’s so popular in Brookline, but that makes for extremely long waits.

My other problem with Zaftigs is they have no liquor license.  So while they can serve beer, wine and champagne, they can’t serve any hard liquor.  That might be ok if you’re looking for a mimosa, however you’re out of luck if you’re craving a bloody mary.

Rating:

3.5 out of 4 forks

If you’re looking for a break from the typical eggs and bacon breakfast joint, this is place for you.  Just don’t forget to bring your appetite (as long as you made a reservation)!

Parish Café

Parish Café claims to be the place to find “sandwiches of the chefs,” and it doesn’t disappoint.  Located at 361 Boylston Street, Parish took a simple concept and made a menu out of it.  It is primarily a collection of sandwiches created by famous local chefs.  The result is a restaurant serving unique, high quality, filling sandwiches for a reasonable price.

Food

The two most popular sandwiches are The Zuni Roll and Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich.  Both of these come with a choice of potato salad or cole slaw.  I’d get the potato salad unless you are a true mayonnaise lover.

 The Zuni Roll is basically Thanksgiving dinner leftovers in a wrap.  But trust me; it’s like no leftovers you have ever made before.  The turkey is moist, the havarti cheese is just strong enough, and the cranberry-chipotle sauce is served on the side for dipping.  It’s one of the only wraps I’ve ever had that stays neat and together the entire time you’re eating it, so none of it ends up on your lap or all over your face.

 Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich on the other hand is a huge mess, but the most delicious mess possible.  It’s a piece of breaded, baked chicken, smothered with melted swiss and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, tomato, and apple wood smoked bacon.  The best part of this dish however is the homemade chipotle aioli.  It’s creamy, spicy and full of flavor.  So if you’re not counting calories, I suggest getting it on the sandwich AND an additional side of it to dip your potato salad in (yes, it’s that good).

 Last but not least is the Mexican Meatball Sub.  This sandwich is not for the faint of heart or faint of taste buds; this meatball sub has some serious heat to it.  It has three huge meatballs, infused with cilantro, covered with spicy pepper jack cheese.  It’s also served with a delicious chipotle and jalapeño au jus on the side.  If you are a spicy food enthusiast then this is the dish for you.

Complaints

While there are plenty of choices for vegetarians, there are almost no gluten-free options.  I know it’s hard to do a gluten-free sandwich, but even all of the entrée’s and desserts have gluten in them.  Out of the entire menu only one appetizer out of five is gluten free and a mere two of the six salads are gluten free.

 It’s also in a popular location, so be prepared to wait for a table if you’re going for dinner.  There’s an outdoor patio on the smaller side, and the restaurant on the inside isn’t huge either.  I would suggest making a reservation because the bar is also small, so having a drink while waiting isn’t as easy as it sounds.  If you do get a bar seat then you will be treated to a large list of beers (over 100) and impressive house martinis.

 Rating:

3 out of 4 forks

 If you are in Boston, you like sandwiches, and you like them on the creative and decadent side, you’ll love Parish Café.

At a recent cooking class I was surrounded by fourteen beautiful ladies who were interested in creating some new recipes for themselves or friends. We had a fabulous time as I demonstrated “how to” apply a recipe and use it to make a new favorite. I know you must have tried this in the past as I do on a regular basis. Tell us a favorite you like and what you have done to make it more satisfying? With our Roasted Pork Tenderloin we substituted Breast of Chicken and it turned out great…

Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Shallot, Apple and Goat Cheese filling

Ingredients Serves 4

1 piece pork tenderloin

Olive oil, to taste + sear

2 each shallots thin sliced

1 cup fresh green apples sliced thin

4 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only)

1/2 cup sliced goat cheese

Salt and ground black pepper

String for tying

Directions

Preheat oven to 325^o

1. Butterfly tenderloin, season with salt and pepper.
2. Sauté the shallots in 1 T olive oil for 2 mins, add the apple and continue to stir and cook for 1 min. Add the thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Cool the filling slightly then spread over the tenderloin, place the goat cheese down the center.
4. Fold in the ends and roll the meat to secure the filling. Secure the tenderloin by tying the meat with butchers twine in 5 spots.
5. Preheat a pan add 1 T, oil and sear pork on all sides at 2 minute intervals, adjust temp as needed. Transfer to a roasting pan and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

To the roasting pan add 1 cup of white wine, and reduce by half in volume stirring the pan to loosen any cooked particles, add 1 T. butter to finish and create a sauce!

Thanks and enjoy!

Ciao Bernard Kinsella

Today my old pal John Cena called in to plug his movie “Legendary”, which comes out this Friday (9/10/10) in select theatres.

John is always great to talk to and even with all his success, he never forgets where he came from. He was asked some questions that listeners left on our facebook page, talked about the movie, his future projects and agreed to grab some Popeyes with me soon. How can you not like him?

Here is a link to the interview for your listening pleasure: http://www2.937mikefm.com/listen/wwe-superstar-john-cena-0

And here is the movie trailer for “Legendary”:

Today my son starts High School. Yup, my 14 year old who knows everything is a freshman. The cool thing is that he is attending the same high school that I went to in Townsend called North Middlesex Regional. I’ve waited for this moment for many years. There is something calming about the fact I live in a small town and my son is attending a school that I know and love. While most of the teachers have changed, there are still a few there from my days and I enjoy the fact he is walking the same halls I once did. One of my favorite teachers back in the day was Jim Solka in Room 3. He retired 2 years ago and I always hoped Tyler would get to have him at least once, but I digress as Jim Solka Room 3 is a whole different entertaining story from my High School days!

Today it really hit me though. My son has grown up really fast. It seems like it was only a few years ago I was picking him up at pre-school…waking him from his nap on his cot to take him to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. And then his early years of school in his little uniform at St. Stephens in Worcester. He was a cute little kid with a semi Harry Potter hair cut! I remember when he came to live with me when he was 7 and how happy I was to have my son with me every day. Now, he is really a young man and in a few years will be off to college! Where did the time go?

Me & The Kids When They Were Younger Playing "My Little Pony"

When he was little, I would play Madden Football all the time. He would watch me and want to play. Since I would’ve easily defeated a 4 year old, I would set the game to play against the computer and tell him he was the team that I really was…that way he thought he was beating me when in reality I was beating the computer! Now that he is older, he gives me a good run for my money. He was actually beating me for the past year by a pretty good margin…until I found out he was changing the settings so he was on easy status and I was on the hardest. Now that we’ve fixed that little issue, I rule Madden!
I guess I really am not looking forward to having him grow up anymore than he has. The day will come soon where he will be off to college and then off living on his own. He won’t need me anymore to drive him around or be home to play games with. He will be off doing his thing and I guess I will miss these days. Like I said, time went by way too fast!

Tyler getting ready for practice

I am enjoying watching him play sports though. He just started Freshmen Football and looks pretty good out there. He is now 6”1 (210 lbs) and playing the line on both offense and defense. He had his 1st scrimmage last week and did well. He also plays (and loves) basketball and lacrosse. I guess I will just have to sit back and enjoy watching him play over the next 4 years and absorb as much of it as I can. I’m happy he turned out to be a great, good looking kid. I love being a father and wouldn’t trade it in for anything.

Libbie (right side) & her friend Eleni "posing" for the camera

My daughter is 8 and going into 3rd grade so I have plenty of time to watch her grow before I have to go through this all over again! Even though she is only 8, she has the personality (and attitude) at times of an 18 year old! She likes to watch Seinfeld and The Office with me even though she probably shouldn’t! I don’t even think she really likes it, she just likes laying with me and laughing….and I can’t complain about that.
So there it is. That is my back-to-school story. I guess I better practice up on my Madden because soon it will be just me and the computer again and the computer has seemed to improve over the years…unless I can teach my daughter how to play!

Is anyone else having a bad “1st day back to school” day? Feel free to share here so I know I’m not the only one!

**** On a side note…. here is a picture of Tyler and his pal Francis enjoying a nice 1,000 ounce Big Gulp last weekend. Francis would be upset if he was left out of this and complain to me for a week so I thought I would give him some space in my blog! Both of them are happy to know that 7-11 is opening in Pepperell so they will be well hydrated moving forward.

Tyler & Francis enjoying a Big Gulp

Many of us will be planning the “end of summer party” and if you are, consider this healthy dessert. The presentation looks great and one way to encourage yourself or friends to think better eating habits can start with dessert! A misconception is to eliminate certain meal times and then make up for them later, and then we choose a larger serving. Remember the key to eating better is knowledge of what we should be eating (ask an expert), how often to eat specific ingredients and change’s to our diets.

There just some tips, but it’s a good start. Our recipe incorporates fresh fruit, cake and zesty yogurt. If your changing eating habits, tell us how you’re doing that and if you want to share some favorite recipes for any season please do….thanks and enjoy this winner! Ciao….Bernard Kinsella

Wild Berry Trifle

Ingredients

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices

2 pint raspberries

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Lemon Yogurt:

1 quart plain yogurt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 (11-ounce) jar lemon curd

1 store bought angel food cake, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Directions

1. Place the berries into a large bowl and sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Lightly toss.
2. Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and remaining lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as is cools.
3. In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the sugar and blend to combine. Add the lemon curd & stir to combine.
4. To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon yogurt sauce into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of angel food cake, breaking the slices into pieces that fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 more layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh fruit (un cooked) and some garden mint.