Ivy, Downtown Crossing

My friends and I were headed to see Eddie Izzard last night at the Orpheum and needed a bite to eat beforehand. My go-to for a pre-show dinner is Silvertone, but I wasn't up for the wait or the noise level last night. We ended up at Ivy, just a couple blocks away from the theater, for a mostly good meal.

Ivy is an attempt at Italian tapas. There is only one entree on the menu (why not just size and price it to match everything else?), a few larger dishes for sharing, and a whole bunch of small plates. They recommend ordering 2-3 per person, but if you're ordering pasta, 2 should be plenty.

For my meal, I had the sweet potato bisque with Italian sausage and grilled Tuscan bread and the gnocchi with pistachio pesto. The bisque was delightful, very smooth and creamy. The sausage was left in big chunks, which made it hard to eat, but still very good. Something like a topping of crispy pancetta might have worked better, though, to lend a textural contrast to the soup. The gnocchi was a knock-out. The pasta itself was ok, not terribly heavy but not light either, but the sauce was amazing - lots of crushed pistachios, basil, and tons of garlic, topped off with flakes of parmigiano. I would go back just for this dish... yum!

I also had some of the herbed frites, the arancini with prosciutto, and the steak frites. The fries were very tasty, although they got really soggy by the end of dinner. The portion was huge. The arancini were just fine, but nothing special. The steak, however, was disastrous - charred and crunchy on the outside, completely uncooked in the middle, and smothered in two (count 'em, two!) types of sauce. That one was definitely the loser of the group.

Overall, this place seems better suited for grabbing a drink and a snack. The plates aren't as small as you would think, making it hard to try more than one or two things. Also, if you're not a fan of salt, this restaurant isn't for you. Everything is heavily salted, and this is coming from a woman who thinks salt is its own food group!

Game-Time Peanuts

Using my usual tactics of "just letting tickets fall into my hands," I went to the Red Sox game last night with a very nice invitation from my uncle. They were awesome seats, all the way in the top pavilion level, but sadly, we weren't seated together. Eh, it's a game, I'll take it. And my, was it an exciting one. Ellsbury and Pedroia are HOT! Plus, I found it funny that the woman in front of me kept yelling "Big Popeye!"

Foodwise, I've never been a fan of eating at the park. The food is passable, but I have a hard time paying over $10 for lukewarm chicken fingers. Plus, you can get Fenway Franks at any time at the Lower Depths! No, I grab dinner beforehand (UBurger, in this case) and munch of peanuts during the game.

Most people my age don't go for the peanuts, but for beer. I'm just not a beer drinker. But my peanut habit is something I've picked up from my dad (I think part of it is that he likes being able to throw the shells on the ground without having to worry about cleaning them up). We share a bag of peanuts every time we go to a game, and there are always nuts around when we watch or listen to the games at home. Just opening the bag up smells like summer, enough to make me forget that it was a little chilly last night. I just love the mindless action of getting them out of the shell and the dust that seems to cover everything by the end of a game. Forget those Cracker Jacks! It's just not a trip to Fenway without a bag of peanuts.

What's your must-order for ballpark snacks?

Cheap Eats: Pinocchio's Pizza

Pizza is the quintessential cheap eats. A slice typically only costs a couple of bucks, and it's fast and portable. One slice, however, is often not enough, and you're left wanting more.

At Pinocchio's in Harvard Square, however, one slice is filling, and two slices, for the low price of $3.95, makes a full meal. The Sicilian slices are hefty, especially if you snag a corner piece. The dough is crispy on the bottom and edges, with just a little bit of chew. It's a little hard to cut with the plastic utensils, though, so don't bother sharing your slice (not that you'd want to, anyway).

Pinocchio's has tons of topping choices, and they have quite a few pizzas availble by the slice at any one time. Bostonist tried the pepperoni and the spinach. The pepperoni was a little greasy, but that wasn't much of a surprise. The tomato sauce was on the sweeter side of the spectrum, but this was a nice balance to the salty and oily pepperoni on top. The spinach pizza was even better - sauceless, but with plenty of mozzarella and tons of fresh spinach. It's always good to see veggies handled with a little grace on a pizza, and here, the spinach was allowed to be the focus of the slice. Yum!

Originally posted on Bostonist.

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This day of homework, powered by Athan's apricot and almond streudel. And coffee.

Every time I go into Athan's, I swear I'm going to try something else. And every time, the apricot and almond streudel is sitting in the case, just asking to be ordered. Who am I to disappoint?

The dried apricots are soft and tender, and the frangipane filling is sweet with very few chunks of almond. The slices are huge, too. One piece could happily feed two people (and it's only $3.25!).

Of course, I can't manage to eat a slice without making a mess - the filo flakes end up flying all over the place. Tasty, but messy. I should probably just start bringing it home so I don't embarrass myself eating it in public.

How Old ARE These Eggs??

I was a little surprised to see these eggs at Whole Foods this weekend. Hasn't it been ages since there was a Bread and Circus around? I mean, the eggs tasted fresh, but still...

Cheap Eats: Arrow Street Crepes

When most people think of crepes, they think of the on-the-go snack from France, spread with sugar or Nutella, or the fancier flambéed Crepe Suzette, served for dessert in fine restaurants. But crepes can make an excellent meal, especially when they are stuffed with lots of fresh ingredients, like those at Arrow Street Crepes in Harvard Square.

Arrow Street Crepes is a small place, with the kitchen and the crepe pans right out in the open. There's not much seating, although a small greenhouse-like room off to the side is lovely and bright. The menu is up on the wall and a little difficult to read without getting in someone's way, so make sure to ask for a menu for the cashier.

The long list of savory crepes will find something for everyone. The crepes themselves are crispy and chewy, a wonderful consistancy. The Primavera ($8.75) is filled with cooked spinach, yellow squash, broccoli, tomato, and feta cheese, all topped off with a light Dijon balsamic sauce. There are a lot of veggies in there, and it's quite a hearty meal. The Frenchie ($8.50) is another delicious savory crepe, although it would be delicious as dessert as well. It's filled with green apple slices, brie, walnuts, honey, and a balsamic glaze. Green apples and brie are such an amazing combination, both crisp and creamy, sweet and tart, that Bostonist could eat 2 or 3 of these.

The sweet crepes are also a little heartier than you'll find in France. The Lulu ($8.25) was amazing, stuffed with a plentiful amount of slices strawberries tossed in a lemon syrup. It was like having strawberry lemonade inside a crepe. Don't worry, though; you can still get sugar or Nutella for an on-the-go snack.

Originally posted on Bostonist.

Creamy Polenta

I cleaned out my pantry this weekend and discovered all kinds of good stuff that I had forgotten about. Behind a giant canister of Quaker oats, I found an unopened bag of polenta. I must have bought it in the fall sometime. I've never cooked polenta before (well, besides the preformed slice-and-serve kind), so I was a little hesitant because I thought it would be hard. But having made it now (both creamy and the harder kind, thanks to a misprint in the recipe I was using), I can pleasantly say that this is easy enough for a weeknight meal when I barely feel like cooking. Plus, it's always good to find a new way to eat one of my favorite combos, arugula and pecorino.

Creamy polenta with arugula and bacon

- 5 cups water
- 1 cup polenta
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 4-6 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 large bunch of arugula (about 1/2 pound), well washed and dried
- shredded pecorino romano
- olive oil

In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add polenta in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and add a hefty pinch of salt. Stir frequently to prohibit sticking. The polenta is done when big lava-like bubbles form and the grains are no longer hard. Stir in parmesan and set aside.

In a saute pan, fry bacon on medium heat until the meat is nicely browned. Pour off as much fat as possible, then add arugula and let it wilt. Add a little of the bacon fat back in if it seems too dry.

To serve, heap the polenta on a dish and top with the arugula and bacon mixture. Sprinkle with shredded or shaved pecorino romano and drizzle with olive oil.