Amish chicken
For diners worried about overly processed chicken, the label ``Amish" may set them at ease by bringing to mind the bucolic setting of Pennylvania farmland. At least that's what chef Anthony Dawodu is hoping with the Amish chicken on the menu at 33 Restaurant & Lounge. ``It's very hard to sell chicken in restaurants," Dawodu says. ``So I just wanted to do something to tell people that chicken's not as bad as it seems."
He gets the chicken from Savenor's Market, which also supplies birds to UpStairs on the Square, Armani Cafe, all the Aquitaine Group restaurants, and others. Owner Ron Savenor says the chicken isn't free-range but is minimally processed and eats feed that has been steamed to remove impurities. Perhaps just as important, it comes fresh to Savenor's, where it is processed daily. ``It's just a quality bird," tender and moist, he says. ``It's as good as it gets, really."
Dawodu cooks the chicken in rustic style, braising the breast meat with chicken stock and herbs, then chopping up the leg meat and using it to make a mini-pot pie, combined with roasted vegetables and topped with filo dough. As for the Amish label, he doubts his diners know what it even means; he himself isn't entirely clear on that. He knows he likes the taste, though, and ``I just thought it would sound good." 33 Restaurant & Lounge, 33 Stanhope St., 617-572-3311, www.33restaurant.com. -- JOE YONAN 