Two Fat Kids

TFK Does Local: FATBOY Marinade

TFK recently partnered with Somerville-based FATBOY Marinade to try this local favorite, breaking out the grill on a blustery March night. Touted as being “habit-forming,” FATBOY is the brainchild of Karl Dias, a Somerville resident and self-proclaimed grill master. He says FATBOY is great on everything from pork and beef to chicken and steak, with some adventurous fans expanding their repertoire to include “giraffe, yak, and emu.”

You can find a slew of recipes on the FATBOY website for both indoor and outdoor cooking. As for TFK, we took our two bottles and divvied them up between 2 lb. of steak tips (Karl’s personal favorite) and good old fashioned chicken breasts.

As per Karl’s suggestion, we let our meats marinate in the fridge overnight – he also says that the longer you can let everything sit together, the better, because it allows the FATBOY to really get in there and tenderize the meat while imparting its signature flavor.

The sweet, slightly tangy FATBOY really worked well with our grilled chicken – the meat came out nicely tender and had a great char thanks to the sugars at work. Our steak tips, which we purchased from a local butcher who we usually have great success with, were unfortunately pretty tough and chewy – even an overnight soak in the FATBOY wasn’t enough to loosen these little guys up. Next time, we’d purchase our steak tips from The Meat House(who coincidentally sells FATBOY in their Arlington store) – their meat is always top quality and would probably make better use of FATBOY’s honeyed flavor.

Next time you’re ready to fire up the grill or warm up the oven, pick up a couple bottles of FATBOY and try them for yourself. We also heard of folks using it as a sandwich sauce instead of a marinade, so you have lots of options. And if not, there’s always “the ever fabulous FATBOY Martini – 1 tbsp. of FATBOY to every 6 oz. of vodka.” Adventurous!

FATBOY can be found at local markets throughout Massachusetts or from Amazon for around $5 a bottle.

TFK Travel Review: Cafe en Seine, Dublin

Our recent trip to Dublin had us, as many tourists do, looking forward to seeking out some of what you might think of as local Irish cuisine – beef & Guinness pie, corned beef and cabbage, and the like. But that’s not all that Dublin has to offer, as we happily discovered.

We changed our attitude and realized that setting your sights solely on what some might think of as a country’s authentic dishes makes you miss out on the real local scene – the places that plenty of regulars come to unwind, have a unique meal made with fresh ingredients, and experience something that transpires beyond the black pudding and boxties.

Enter Café en Seine.

We came across this gem during some online browsing of some of Dublin’s most popular places and were immediately taken with the chic interior and effortless style. The building itself has a long and varied past starting in the early 20^th century – everything from a bike shop to a piano warehouse – but has now been transformed into a massive see-and-be-seen scene where every room is just a little different and bursting with flashy flair.

The interior is quite something to behold, the product of extensive renovations that lovingly restored two separate buildings on Dawson Street with classic details like vaulted ceilings and Doric columns, and enhanced them with ornate details like walls littered with glittering tiles in peachy oranges and muted greens, enormous gilded mirrors, beyond full-sized bronze statues, soaring glass ceilings, and plenty more glamour that generally makes you feel quite aristocratic.

The three-story atrium farther back, with its ornate gold chandeliers topped with sultry ruched red shades and massive hanging baskets of lush ivy and ferns, is used often as the private party space or dance floor with DJs and bands spilling out tunes for gyrating guests as night slowly slides into day.

As for the food, Café en Seine has recently taken on a new chef, so their menu is going through a bit of adaptation as they incorporate his French heritage into the dishes. You can still find some of those traditional entrees like fish & chips and the aforementioned beef & Guinness pie, but more distinctive dishes are on hand if you want to experience a little more variety.

Some starter standouts for us were the crunchy and flavorful veggie samosas (enrobed in a crispy phyllo-type pastry instead of heavy dough); creamy and dense fish cakes (salmon, whiting, and cod with a potato base); and gravlax, soft salmon cured in juniper instead of the traditional dill and served on slices of sweet Guinness bread.

As for the entrees, the stuffed chicken breast was served atop a bed of ratatouille and dressed with tomato and thyme sauce. The chicken itself was a touch dry, but the vegetables and sauces were well-cooked and well-seasoned and were the heroes of the dish, definitely meriting a second try. The creamy risotto with braised vegetables, shaved Parmesan, and basil pesto was an all-around hit – rich flavors and a great consistency with a healthy portion of mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, carrots, and artichokes.

And of course, let’s not forget the cocktails – you’re going to need something to semi-hydrate with while you’re dancing the night away. The cocktail list includes some standards like mojitos and Bellinis, some shooters if you’re feeling really bold, and some in-house blends like the Red Hot Chili Mango (apple vodka, muddled chilies, mango puree, strawberry puree, and apple juice) with a light fruitiness a mild but noticeable heat that doesn’t linger unpleasantly.

Another tipple we sampled was the Super Split, a throwback to a childhood icepop treat (that’s popsicle here in the States) with a grownup twist – Absolut Vanilla, triple sec, Galliano, orange juice and dash of cream – that reminded us of a tangier version of a Creamsicle.

Café en Seine is an extraordinarily beautiful setting no matter what you’re craving, be it a sophisticated lunch, a romantic dinner, or the chance to experience some of Dublin’s nightlife. Visitors to Ireland would be well served to venture away from the pubs for a night and experience this gem in person.

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TFK Review: Backbar and Saloon

TFK’s latest round-up for Weekly Dig had us checking out two relatively new artisan cocktail spots pouring up classic drinks with some modern twists - Backbar in Union Square and Saloon in Davis Square. Check it out as we explore everything from pear-infused gin to pork belly-infused whiskey and manage to stay sober enough to take photos.

“Somerville has recently become home to two newly opened craft cocktail bars, Backbar in Union Square and Saloon in Davis Square, mixing up unique mélanges of old recipes and modern flair.

You won’t find any bathtub gin here—these speakeasies offer up mindfully blended fusions chockfull of carefully concocted ingredients that show just how much skill is behind these menus.

Backbar

Located right beside Journeyman, Backbar is the craft cocktail concept of Sam Treadway, formerly of Drink. The space is a past garage, which comes out in the chic-industrial vibe—soaring ceilings and white washed walls, plus sable banquettes lounging around table-height wooden blocks.

The cocktail list touches on classic as well as modern interpretations—such as the light Union Mule ($11) with pear-infused gin, St. Germain, citrus, ginger, and spices—as well as daily and weekly specials. We went with one such concoction, the Dutchess ($10), a floral and pleasantly bitter mix of Campari, chartreuse, gin, and Pimm’s. If you’re feeling bold, ask for the bartender’s choice—name a liquor and a fruit and let them go to town.

Food is fairly limited and borrows from Journeyman’s menu. Bar nibbles include the treacherously addictive spicy caramel popcorn ($3) and pigato chips ($4), fried pork cracklings with sweet chili and mustard. Charcuterie and cheese plates are also on hand, as are daily sashimi, foie gras, and hot plate specials. Our serving of lamb rigatoni was tasty, but a little skimpy for $15, so be advised before coming in for potent cocktails on an empty stomach.

Saloon

With nothing more than an illuminated glass lamp with a wee red logo to alert passersby to its presence, Saloon is Davis Square’s sneaky destination for swilling pre-Prohibition era cocktails while surrounded by intricate, salvaged woodwork and bluesy tunes.

Saloon’s cocktail list is king, crafted with love and care by veteran bartenders with an eye toward throwback classics like the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and T.W. Negroni, as well as a significant catalog of brown licka.

Boasting housemade potions like vermouth, chartreuse, and seasonal bitters, these witch’s brews have the power to turn your tongue upside down with blends like the smoky and sweet Ward 44 with pork belly whiskey, lemon, sugar, and grenadine, and the vibrantly green Naysayer, a dangerous wheat whiskey, lemon, wheatgrass, bitters, and ginger beer mix.

The food is traditional, turn-of-the-century (that’d be last century, FYI) Irish dishes like fish and chips, ploughman’s platters, and seasonally rotating meat pies. The devils on horseback (feta-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates, $12) offer a rich sweetness and smolder, while the bubble and squeak ($15) pops snappy sausages atop a delectable mashed root vegetable blend. Dessert was limited to cream puffs and a coarse chocolate pudding crowned with mint leaves, candied orange rind, and toffee bits—but, let’s be honest, you’re going to close out the meal with another cocktail, aren’t you?”

TFK :: A Beer & Chocolate Love Story

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Drink craft beer & Taza chocolate event Somerville Ma

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TFK Review: Casa B

The latest TFK review is up, this time from sexy Casa B in Union Square. Husband and wife team Alberto Cabré and Angelina Jockovich, former architects turned restaurateurs, are the brains, beauty, tastebuds, and everything else behind this neighborhood gem. Take a peek below for our review (originally posted in the Weekly Dig), and check out our gallery of bonus photos as well.

“Casa B is the traditional Spanish tasca that’s been heating things up in Somerville’s Union Square. Husband Alberto Cabré is the wizard of the kitchen, turning out cheeky Latin fusion food, and wife Angelina Jockovich provides the front-of-the-house warmth and panache.

The two-floor space is an architect’s dream—which makes sense, because that’s exactly what the husband-and-wife duo were in their pre-Casa B lives. Their idea for the space was to design it like their own home, giving you the feeling that your cool, interesting neighbors have invited you over for some friendly caipirinhas and tales of their trip to Majorca.

Casa B’s fresh, natural flavors reflect the couples’ shared Spanish, Columbian and Puerto Rican heritage, along with the French and Italian influences Alberto picked up in during his culinary training. The menu is comprised of tablas (a wooden board dotted with snacks), pinchos (open-faced finger sandwiches), cenas (a la carte or prix fixe dinners that rotate monthly) and, of course,  tapas both hot and cold, veggie and non-veggie.

For us, the sandwich de bistec ($9) with tender steak, sweetly sautéed onions, and crispy shallots piled atop griddled bread was a monster hit. The yucca-stuffed shrimp wrapped in perfectly cooked bacon with a cilantro-ginger dipping sauce ($12) offered up an intricate, almost Asian flavor profile. The albóndigas ($9) meatballs were swaddled in a sweet, tangy guava sauce that would have been drunk from the bowl if it hadn’t been fresh from the oven, and the buñuelos (Colombian cheese fritters with a consistency similar to beignets, $7) were served with roasted red pepper aioli for added depth.

Don’t forget about dessert, with well-thought-out sweets ($9-10) like hand-layered meringues with passion fruit curd and chocolate ganache, traditional flan or tres leches cake, and a warm guava cake melting into Taza bittersweet chocolate ganache with a refreshing coconut shake on the side.

The cocktail list features some of the usual suspects—mojitos, daiquiris, and a host of martinis—along with some more unique options like the kalimotxo ($7), a blend of cola and red wine. Our forays included the Café con Naranja ($10), a full-bodied mix of aged cachaça, house-made coffee liqueur, and Italian herbal and orange bitters; as well as the Periodista ($10)—rum, apricot, orange liqueurs and fresh lime, offering up a frothy, Old Fashioned kind of quality.

Casa B gives you sexy, sensual food and drink with an easygoing vibe that lets you know that you might get sauce on your fingers, but you won’t be bothered to care. The intimate style brings to mind the perfect place for the best kind of first date (the kind where you actually really dig the person in advance).”

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Homemade Mozzarella

For our first foray into cheese-making, we decided to go small and stay home with a simple mozzarella recipe. Unfortunately for us, our freshly purchased copy of Artisan Cheese Making At Home had other ideas in mind. Its Traditional Mozzarella recipe was booted out of the beginner’s chapter and into the intermediate level, using words like “thermophilic starter culture,” which scared our chubby hearts.

And so… to the Internet!

We settled upon this relatively easy-sounding recipe - all we needed was:

• Whole fat milk: We used store-bought (just make sure you don’t buy ultra-pasteurized), though we have heard tale that local is even better.
• Citric acid: Weirdly, already on-hand by Fat Kid #1, photographer by trade. If you are not a shutterbug, you can usually find it at health food stores or specialty shops for beer or cheese-making.
• Rennet: Also found in cheese-making shops and possibly in the bakery aisle at the grocery store; we used tablets, though for small batches we may switch to liquid (more on that later).
• Bottle of water
• Cheesecloth
• Thermometer
• Stainless steel pot
• Large bowl
• Cheese press: Optional (we do not have one)
• Salt

Much of this stuff is probably already found in most foodie kitchens, making the task seem less daunting.

Because the instructions from the recipe we used are a little confusingly written, let’s paraphrase.

1. Gently heat the milk in your stainless steel pot, stirring constantly and not allowing the milk to rise above 80°F.
2. Add the citric acid (about a teaspoon per half-gallon of milk) and heat the milk to 90°F - as you continue to stir, the milk will start to curdle slightly and stick to the spoon. Do not panic, but rejoice, because this means you haven’t messed up yet.
3. Add the rennet by mixing it with the bottled water, following the package instructions on your tablets or drops to achieve the right balance. (Note: This may be where we messed up, so be judicious with your rennet.)
4. Mix thoroughly, turn off the heat, and walk away for 20 minutes. We spent this time drinking Pale Moon and watching “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.”
5. After 20 minutes, come back and check for a clean break by dipping your finger into the milk and seeing if it comes back clean, much like testing a cake’s doneness. Do yourself a favor and check out the photos that accompany this step on the original recipe - it looks like a baby’s arm jammed into a lump of cheese the size of a bathtub.
6. Cut the curds in a criss-cross pattern (jump! jump!) and cook for 10 minutes, stirring until the curds and whey separate pretty cleanly.
7. With your cheesecloth, strain the whey into your bowl - keep it for later.
8. Using your hands, press out the whey from your ball of cheese curds. There are also ways to do this using the microwave, but that seemed not “Little House on the Prairie” for us, so we went old school.
9. Roughly chop and salt your curds - we didn’t want to go overboard with the salt, but our end product was a little on the bland side. Most recipes we’ve seen call for about a 1/2 teaspoon per 1/2 gallon of milk, but you may want to go for the gusto.
10. Add the curds back into the whey (still contained in your cheesecloth so you don’t have to fish them out again) in your stainless steel pot and cook until they become stretchable at about 160-165°F.
11. When they reach the proper temperature, begin kneading the flaming hot cheese curds with your hands. Note: THIS PART HURTS. We even used gloves and it was still not fun. Be careful.
12. Knead and stretch your curds until they form a tight, shiny ball. If you find your curds are too firm and won’t stretch like taffy, they need to be reheated in the whey to regain some resiliency.
13. You made cheese! Store in the fridge (as you might guess).

So how was our first adventure into cheese-making? So-so. It tasted exactly right, if a little bland like we mentioned earlier. To combat this, we stored ours in a mixture of olive oil, pesto, and red pepper flakes to impart a bit more flavor.

Our larger concern was that it was a bit too firm. We are wondering if perhaps we added too much rennet (we used the tablets, which are difficult to measure precisely), though it is possible that by letting the curds cool and not enduring second degrees burns, we allowed them to become too stiff. Maybe silicon gloves are the answer.

We’ll keep you posted on how our cheese-making prowess improves as the weeks roll on.

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