When I was in college, a friend of mine had a class in the Agriculture school called Meat Science, and his textbook was a brilliant tome called The Meat We Eat. And for some reason, I couldn’t get that four-word mantra out of my head while traipsing around Dante’s recent Ball Brawl, an al fresco meatball cook-off held on the restaurant’s patio.

Boy, was there meat.

Lots and lots of meat. (more…)

Your Chowder hounds have sniffed down the best culinary events in town. Check back every Friday for your weekly prix-fixe of foodie festivals, cooking classes, wine tastings, and more.

Harvest Pumpkin Dinner
Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m.
Summer Winter, Burlington Mall
You know we love our pumpkin beer, but we also love food that features the orange squash, and not just for pie, either. Summer Winter’s dinner fills our fancy with gourd-laced empanadas, roasted chicken with caramelized onion and roasted pumpkin sauce, and pumpkin beignets.

Home Sweet Home
Nov. 14, 7-11 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Go ahead, skip dinner tonight. You’ve got better things to fill your belly with. Namely, desserts from the best pastry chefs all over town, who will be competing at the dessert tasting to benefit the Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund to help the homeless. Guests will sample delectable treats from Rosie’s Bakery, Zephyr, Burdick Chocolate, Kickass Cupcakes, Toscannini’s, and more. (more…)

Whenever I hear about an exciting new restaurant, I try to remember that, as a professional food editor, it’s important to maintain a critical distance, to stay skeptical, and keep the consumer in mind.

Which is whyI held off for all of four minutes before completely losing my mind at Sportello, Barbara Lynch’s ohmygodit’ssogoodyouguys new Italian lunch counter in Fort Point’s FP3 building.

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When Bob’s Southern Bistro vacated its Columbus Ave. digs in 2007, I’ll admit I mourned the loss. Sure, owner Darryl Settles went on to give us the Beehive, but, having lived around the corner from the former boite, I’d miss Bob’s casual attitude—and its fried chicken.

A year later, the spot’s been resurrected as Circle Plates and Lounge, a spot featuring “fine dining at comfort-food prices,” according to owner Malcolm Aalders. And while it lacks the come-as-you-are vibe of Bob’s, owner Aalders and GM John Williams have ushered in something else: really good food for a pretty low sum.

And with that, I’m coming around. (more…)

Little more than five months after opening Aroa Fine Chocolate, which he often described as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, Alejandro Luna has abruptly left the shop. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t sound like a friendly split. Store manager Brittany Hagan confirmed Luna’s departure, stating, “Alejandro was offered a job and is leaving the country for it.”

“Not really, no,” says Luna, when contacted about Hagan’s statement. “It was a series of unfortunate events. I worked really hard to put the business together and me and my business partners had, I guess you could say a ‘difference of opinion.’ So I decided to part ways.” (more…)

Two good reasons why you should be glad to be living in Boston this week (aside from the fact that it’s been, what, five days since the last thunderstorm?):

1) Yesterday marked the opening of Ana Sortun and Maureen Kilpatrick’s long-awaited bakery/cafe Sofra (the name in both Turkish and Arabic, signifies a picnic or a sort of communal table) on the Cambridge/Belmont/Watertown line.

The concept had us from the start: The same Greek/Turkish/Lebanese flavors of Sortun’s award-winning Oleana (where Kilpatrick—also a repeat winner—is pastry chef), only with a more casual spin. And maybe less trouble nabbing a table?

Fat chance. (more…)

About a month ago I attended a very posh prosecco tasting at the Back Bay restaurant Azure. Included in the small, lunchtime gathering were about half a dozen local wine writers and food editors, who were greeted in the exquisitely appointed private dining room with a chilled flute of Mionetto Sergio Spumante to tide us over until the arrival of our fashionably late host: The winemaker himself, Sergio Mionetto.

A little before noon, Sergio finally breezed in, his charming wife and diligent translator (Sergio studied winemaking, not English, apparently) in tow behind him. For the next three hours, we sampled prosecco after prosecco, each paired with a plate of food from the kitchen, as Sergio (via translator) waxed poetic about his vision for each sparkling star.

Yes, food journalism can be a tedious chore. It was in the middle of the very first course that I became distracted from Sergio’s fascinating tutelage. The salad in front of me, though otherwise well-executed, was underseasoned. (more…)

As if the South End doesn’t already overwhelm diners with tough choices (Chocolee or Aroa? Stella or Rocca? Flour or the Buttery?), Thursday night saw the official opening of the neighborhood’s second trendy tapas spot, Estragon.

And, since the Boston staff has more than a few ardent fans of chef Ken Oringer’s Toro—some of whom can be found there several nights a week—a handful of curious editors were on hand to try out the competition. (more…)

Though the city’s not lacking in the overpriced-beef department, it’s always sad to see a restaurant go. As the Globe unceremoniously reported on Friday, chef Pino Maffeo’s steak-centric Boston Public (formerly Boston Public Meat, formerly Restaurant L), went all Toscanini’s on us, abruptly closing its doors and citing financial difficulties.

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I’ve been spending a lot of time lately logging various awards, nominations, and victories for Boston chefs and restaurants. And today we have even more good news! In last night’s broadcast of Iron Chef America on the Food Network, our own Ken Oringer beat Iron Chef Cat Cora in a head-to-head battle. The secret ingredient? Coffee.

I’m not surprised that Ken won. For one, he’s a terrific talent. And when I saw him last week after dinner at Clio, he did seem pretty darn cheerful (though he was tight-lipped about the show). Congratulations, Ken!

(more…)