Friday, May 17, 2013

Casa B

On this Blog, I sometimes talk about restaurants I've been to. I don't pretend to be a professional food critic (though that is a career path that I would certainly not object to...) but as a foodie, I am entitled to an opinion and I hope that you, the readers, will find what I have to say about a particular place useful. I want to reiterate that at the end of the day, they are just that- my opinions and that I don't necessarily write to sway you to go or not go. Even if I say something less than positive, I might even dare you to go to see if I've got my judgement right. Here we go!

Casa B
A Spanish tapas bar located at 253 Washington St. in Somerville, MA 02143. If you need to call them, reservations are possible at (617) 764-2180.

This small but cozy retaurant's ambiance was festive, young, and perfect for a group of 4. The night was full of lively chatter. We discussed both personal matters but also what new tapa the server has just placed in the middle of our table. That was always a great jumping off point for conversation. From this angle, I would suggest this as a good date or get-to-know-you spot. You'll never run out of things to talk about with new and interesting ingredients constantly making appearances in the wide array of tapas found in their menu. Luckily, our conversation was not dependent solely on the tapas, but it did help that we were a foodie group.

We started off with cocktails. Their menu is full of Spanish classics like kalimotxo and sangria, and other inspired old-time cocktails. They were strong and well prepared (though, was it just me or was the size of the glass extra small...) It didn't matter too much at the time because it's what's inside that counts, and believe me, the drinks packed a punch ;)

Classic Capirihna. very lime-y... y muy fuerte!


A spicy cocktail!

beautiful! (wish the photo wasn't so dark for you all!)

These stuffed oysters were favorite. Very flavorful, with a hint of heat.

or actually, maybe this tapa was my favorite! Chicken giblets on crusty bread. Amazing!

Now, I must say I was not crazy about this... I didn't actually realize I was eating tortilla (a thick egg and potato omelette) until I asked why he hadn't been served out tortilla yet... my friend kindly pointed out we had already had the tortilla and I was incredulous as I struggled to reconstruct the flavors I had just tasted. It was slightly cold and plantain-infused. Tasty, but confusing to me. 

 Dessert time! Tres Leches cake. This was very good! I can't compare it to my mom's Tres Leches cake, but it put up a good fight. Now you see it.


Now you don't! 
Have you ever had Tres Leches? Quite literally meaning 3 milks. Whole milk or cream, condensed milk and evaporated milk are blended and poured onto the cake slowly so that the mixture soaks into the cake. Delicious! 


Finally, this isn't food, but I thought it was so nifty! Every table gets one and got to choose how we split the bill. So easy. Every restaurant should have one. 


The end. Fin. 
¡Buen provecho!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

what's in season?

Are you ever curious about why that asparagus bunch looks all shrivelled up in November, but long, green and luscious in April...?
It's all about what's in season!

A lot of times, we're so used to popping over to the local supermarket and expecting every single one of the ingredients to "that recipe I just found," to be on display. Well, all those fruits and veggies shouldn't be on full display ALL the time.

More and more, people are advocating the "Local food" movement- and it all starts with identifying what's in season. This will likely guarantee that those strawberries or parsnips have not been shipped thousands of miles or frozen in order to be conserved longer. Because we've all become so used to having EVERYTHING readily available, most of us are not used to thinking or knowing when produce should be in season. Well people, it's time to start learning!

I stumbled upon this extremely useful site, and spent more time that I'd like to admit, exploring Massachusetts' seasonal offerings. I learned a lot.
Take a look here... one of my fave websites of all time :

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

What do you think? Did you already know some of the different vegetables' and fruits' peak seasons?