Brookline Family Restaurant, Brookline Village

I'd heard good things about the Brookline Family Restaurant for a while now, but it was never in the front of my mind when I was in the Brookline Village area. When I think of what kinds of Turkish food are going to be available in a restaurant, I usually don't think much beyond kebabs. And when I picture kebabs, it's in my own backyard with my dad pulling the skewers off the grill. But I was in the area the other day, and it was a toss-up between Turkish or Chinese for lunch, so I decided to give it a try.

The menu is extensive and includes breakfast and lunch sections. There is also a section called "Turkish Pizzas." I even recognized a few dishes from having made the Armenian versions at home, specifically lehmajun and su boreg, so I had to try those two, of course.

The lehmajun was super crispy, more like a giant meat-topped chip. It was served with plenty of fresh parsley and red onions for topping (at home, I roll my softer lehmajun around salad, while my brothers slather it with mayo). The lamb was tasty and not too dry, although it could have used a little more seasoning.


I was very surprised to see su boreg on the menu (and on the breakfast menu at that). It's a labor-intensive dish that involves extremely thin sheets of pasta layered with a cheese and parsley mixture and tons of butter. My mother and I usually make it together because it helps to have four hands working on it. The restaurant's version was very tasty, but it was missing something - salt, perhaps, or enough butter. I would definitely order it again, though, especially when I have a craving, because I rarely have enough time or energy to make it myself.

I would try other dishes the next time I go, but I'll probably just end up ordering the su boreg again :)

I Don't Understand... Kowloon

First off, a big thank you to Kristen at Basegirl for hosting Doug Mirabelli Appreciation Night last Saturday at Kowloon in Saugus. It was a very surreal night, mostly because there was a cut-out of Dougie's head on a stick that managed to make its way around the whole table... and onto the dance floor. To put it simply, it was a blast.

Since this blog is about food, though, I feel the need to comment on the food at Kowloon. Quite frankly, I don't get it. The food is pretty horrible, and yet the 1200-seat place is always packed. It took roughly 3 minutes for our food to arrive after we ordered, and it tasted... generic. It can't be that their prices are good, because they're just as, if not more, pricy as most Chinese places around. Is it the kitsch factor? 'Cause I'm all for kitsch, but even this place is a little too much for me. I mean, as a setting for Mirabelli Night, it was perfect, but for dinner with friends or family on a Saturday night?

Please, someone explain it to me.

And yes, that's Dougie's head on a stick in that picture, wearing a lei and enjoying a plate of chicken fingers.

SNL Mixes the Food Network with the Oscars

Ah, movies and food. Always a good mix. It's not a far cry from the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

And how awesome is Bill Hader?

Difficult but Tasty

I've admitted before, but I'll say it again: I'm a big nerd. So much, in fact, that I enjoy nerdy media from other disciplines than my own. XKCD is "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language," but more often than not, I get lost in the math/programming speak. But a food comic? I'm there.

If you've read anything on this site before, though, you'll know that pomegranates are my favorite fruit, and that I'm not a fan of peaches. Obviously, I have some quibbles with this chart, and I'd move things around if it were my own design. And, although this comic is titled "Fuck Grapefruit," I'm still a big fan. Not saying pomegranates aren't difficult to clean, but they're still tasty.

Where does your favorite fruit fall? Difficult but tasty?

Say It, Frenchy! Say "Chowdah!"

It wasn't until this past year, when I dragged my non-pork-eating roommate to Chowderfest, that I realized that most commercially-produced clam chowders contain bacon. Stupid of me? Probably. But I had my reasons.

Growing up, clams skeeved me out. Fried clams from any of the regional clam shacks were traditionally summer food, but the clam bellies were just gross to me - gritty and weirdly salty and not at all appealing. The only way I would eat them - the only way I would trust them - was in my mom's clam chowder. She only makes her chowder about once a year, usually when the whole family is down the Cape, ready to head off for a day at the beach. My mother, who is of the persuasion that soup is not a meal, thinks that something that contains butter, cream, and milk is a perfect food to consume before laying out in the hot sun.

Fortunately, I've gotten past my abhorance of clams - they're still not my favorite, but I'll eat them. I've come to see clam chowder as a showcase for the shellfish, but my mother's clam chowder is still what I consider Clam Chowder. The recipe quite clearly is lacking any bacon, which is why I'm always so confused by bacon-y chowders.

Anyway, although clam chowder is traditionally a summer food in my family, the cold and snowy weather have gotten me in a mood for warm and hearty meals. This was my first stab at the recipe, and I think it measured up to my childhood memories.

Mom's Clam Chowder

1 stick butter
2 white onions, chopped
2 large potatoes, small cubes
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cans minced clams
1 pint heavy cream
2-3 cups whole milk
salt and pepper

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and potatoes and saute until onions are translucent. Stir in flour until incorporated and cook to form a roux. Add clams (including the juice in the cans), cream, and 2 cups of milk and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes are soft, about an hour. Add extra milk if you like a thinner broth. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with oyster crackers.

*The title of this post? A salute to Massachusetts' own Quimby family.

Only in Boston

Fresh ears of corn and freshly-fallen snow.

Only in Boston.

Three Magic Ingredients, One (Almost) Great Taste

Last May, Vosges, maker of uniquely flavored chocolates, came out with "Mo's Bacon Bar." The bar uses applewood smoked bacon and Alder wood smoked salt, wrapped in deep milk chocolate. Really, all it took to get me to want to try it was the words "bacon," "salt," and "chocolate" together. It's taken me this long to finally find a bar - Whole Foods finally came through - and I can't say that I'm disappointed... or outright pleased.

Overall, it's tasty and not too different than I imagined. The chocolate is a deep, rich, and very smooth - it would be enjoyable even on its own. The bacon, which texture-wise is like Bac-Os, isn't overpoweringly strong, nor is it a mild afterthought. The salt is quieter, enhancing the meatiness of the bacon and the sugar in the chocolate.

My one issue with the confection, though, is the use of smoked salt. Having two components that issue a rather strong, smoky flavor is a bit too much. Not all bites were very smoky, so perhaps I got one chunk of salt that was overly seasoned, but it still detracted from the chocolate bar. I expect that smokiness from the meat, but not from the other ingredients. A less flavorful salt would, I think, balance the entire thing out a little more.

Will I be buying this again? Probably not for the $8 it set me back. It's good, but the overly-smokiness of some bites turned me off. It would be a fun inclusion in a gift to a fellow foodie, or perhaps as an entry into a Yankee swap, but I can't see myself chowing down on one of these after a hard day at the office.