Boston.com / Local Search / Local search / Today in History Tease

Cheap Eats columns

Buck a beer

Rarely do we advocate excess beer drinking, but these are the last few days of the Glynn Hospitality Group's Pitch in a Pint event. For every Guinness you order at a Glynn bar through the end of the year, the company will give a dollar to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Rather than having more than a few Guinnesses yourself, ... (Boston Globe)

Classy dishes, sparkling wine

On New Year's Eve, some restaurants go the foodie route, with course after elaborate course. Others emphasize fun, with DJs and passed hors d'oeuvres. Whether you want to be at the heart of the action in the city or somewhere more mellow savoring something delicious, there's an option here for you. (By Devra First, Globe Staff)

Cooking: Pan-Asian Salmon

Rich and distinctly flavored on its own, salmon lends itself well to a host of tastes and cooking treatments. (By Adam Ried, Boston Globe)

Cravings: Samosas

When it comes to samosas, the potatoes in the filling can make or break the dish. (Boston Globe)

Removing Pin Bones

If you buy a large piece of salmon, you should double-check for and remove pin bones (especially if the salmon is wild) before cutting it into portions. (Boston Globe)

Bowled over

In a supermarket, the breakfast cereal aisle is a football field-long corridor. Some of the most popular cereals are made with toasted oats, which began with Cheerios, and have morphed into many other brands. Recently, nine members of a food and nutrition-oriented 4-H club, ranging in age from 6 to 17, tasted five brands of toasted O's. The young group ... (By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent)

Fresh from an Italian kitchen

If it's Monday, it's chicken Parmesan with pasta. If it's Wednesday, it's sausage, peppers, and onions with roasted potatoes. At Farfalle Italian Market in Concord, there is one selection each week night ($9.95). With it comes a salad of local organic greens from Spencer Brook Farm, also in Concord, and lightly grilled Iggy's bread brushed with garlic olive oil. Farfalle ... (By Rachel Travers, Globe Correspondent)

Cookie break

After weeks of cookies, it's hard to go cold turkey. The sugar rush doesn't have to end, but it should decrease. Immaculate Baking Co. offers ready-to-bake organic cookie dough ($3.50 to $4 for a package that yields 24 cookies). Each little sweet is 80 calories. Flavors include chocolate chunk, vanilla sugar, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and cranberry-oatmeal white chocolate. Immaculate ... (By Emma Rose Johnson, Globe Correspondent)

Vegetarian chili

Serves 4 In the new cookbook from the Mii amo Spa in Sedona, you can imagine yourself dining well on small portions of beautiful food, being pampered in the most austere but refreshing surroundings. This is one of their specialties. Serve it on its own or spoon it into baked halves of small acorn squash. (Boston Globe)

Baked green rice

Serves 6 You can take any old-fashioned dish and add a healthy spin. This baked green rice casserole is adapted from a 1967 edition of "The Joy of Cooking." Instead of the original white rice called for, use brown. In place of parsley, add plenty of fresh spinach. Frozen, thawed spinach works just as well; in either case, thoroughly dry ... (By Allison Boomer, Globe Correspondent)

Shrimp boil

Serves 4 Maine shrimp are sweet and clean and perfect enough to eat raw, right out of the shell. They also make a simple winter boil. Cook the shrimp whole (heads on, if possible) in a big covered pot with beer, potatoes, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and crushed red pepper. For a more substantial dish, add a couple ... (By Jonathan Levitt, Globe Correspondent)

A little effort goes a long way

Health club locker rooms everywhere are bulging with extra bodies ready to start losing a few pounds. Every January, holiday indulgences and the passing of youth seem to converge in the mirror, prompting new resolve at the table and the gym. (By M.E. Malone, Globe Correspondent)

After-work in progress at 606 Congress

Our food hasn't arrived, but already something doesn't taste right. A second bite of bread confirms it: The butter is rancid. On a recent night at 606 Congress, it isn't the only thing that's off. (By Devra First, Globe Staff)

Eat less, add flavor, lose the weight

In 2007, my weight fluctuated between 215 and 225, with a seam-splitting high of 230. (By Michael Saunders, Globe Staff)

Then and now

Jan. '08 Jan. '09 Height 6'2" Calories per day 2,750 2,062 Weight 225 197 Waist size 36-38 34 Slices of pizza per meal 3-4 1-2 Sugar in coffee (20 oz cup) 4-5 packets 0 Ounces of meat per meal 5-8 3-5 Cups of rice per meal 1.5-2 .5-1 Bowls of oatmeal per week 1-2 4-5 Pats of butter per oatmeal ... (By Michael Saunders, Globe Staff)

Tomorrow morning, start here

There is a simple formula you can use to sensibly shed a pound a week. If you eat 3,500 fewer calories than you burn in your weekly routine - that's 500 calories per day - you can lose a pound every seven days. Start with your current menus and exercise and follow the estimates in this chart to save 500 ... (Boston Globe)

Lentil and vegetable soup

Serves 6 Thick and richly flavored, this soup is almost a meal in itself. Simmer the ingredients while you tend to other chores. A 1-cup serving contains 134 calories. (Boston Globe)

Sole and vegetables in parchment

Serves 4 At 230-calories per serving, this main course is a nutritional bargain and an easy meal for a weeknight. Use any firm white fish. (Boston Globe)

Dieting? Don't fear the fat.

If you're watching your weight and hoping it will go down, the best thing to do is not avoid fat. Fats actually help with weight loss because of satiety. (By Allison Boomer, Globe Correspondent)

Dinners with lasting appeal

QUINCY - Ask any parent about the demands of homework, sports, and after-school activities, and you'll hear that the first casualty is the dinner hour. In many cases, that meal is sacrificed to the busy household schedule. (By Jane Dornbusch, Globe Correspondent)

Warm spinach and goat cheese salad

Serves 1 For variety (and only a few more calories), add a small handful of olives or sun-dried tomatoes to this 300-calorie salad. (By M.E. Malone, Globe Correspondent)

Chocolate cereal dessert

Serves 1 Use a high fiber cereal and high-quality chocolate to make this microwaved dessert (a 106-calorie treat). Research shows that people are more likely to over-eat milk chocolate than darker varieties, so bittersweet is called for here. (Boston Globe)

Jamaican curried chicken with rice and peas

Serves 6 Aja Jackson makes this dish with Walkerswood Jamaican curry powder, but you can also use other brands. If you want to add a chili pepper to the dish, put it into the simmering chicken at the beginning of cooking. (Boston Globe)

Cooking with beer is a tradition in Belgium

HOEGAARDEN, Belgium - Belgians are as fanatical about their beers as the French about their wines, and if Belgian cuisine is more North Sea than Mediterranean, that just makes it better suited to winter eating at home. (By David Lyon, Globe Correspondent)

Beer-steamed mussels

Serves 2 The unusual aromatic qualities of Hoegaarden witbier make a significant difference in the flavor of this dish. Other wheat beers can be substituted if you also add a strip of orange rind. (Boston Globe)

Daniel Bruce offers a toast to wine festival's 20th anniversary

What better way to celebrate a big anniversary than with a bottle of fine wine? Better yet, hundreds of fine wines. That's what chef Daniel Bruce is doing to mark the 20th anniversary of the Boston Wine Festival, which he cofounded and which kicked off this week. The nation's oldest wine and food series, the Boston Harbor Hotel's fest has ... (By Bella English, Globe Staff)

From Africa, with love

Let's get this out of the way. You don't go to the African Cuisine for the decor. It's a tired-looking room that could use a new paint job. But if you like African food, this is the place to go. "We're the only Africa restaurant in Boston," says owner Roy Ude. (By Bella English, Globe Staff)

'Cooking With the Seasons' recipes pare the fat, but not the flavor

It's that penitent time of year. With the last of the holiday cookies gone, the ham and beef roasts reduced to a simmering soup, and the other indulgences a distant memory, you're probably thinking that a plate of plain lettuce doesn't sound so bad. (By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent)

Local restaurants serve up menu deals

When the economy started looking bleak, restaurants around town began instituting dining deals. These days you'd be hard pressed to find an establishment that doesn't have one, often named something as subtle as "economic stimulus menu." It's not a good sign for the financial situation, but it does offer diners a few bright spots while attracting business to restaurants that ... (By Devra First, Globe Staff)

Three cheeses in every pot

There's not much a pot of molten cheese can't cure, and that includes bitter New England winters. Beacon Hill Bistro chef Jason Bond is inviting diners seeking shelter on Sunday nights to indulge in a '70s-era throwback dinner and huddle around his fondue Savoyarde ($26), a traditional French-Alpine dish. A trio of Swiss and French cheeses - Abondance, Appenzeller, and ... (By Elizabeth Bomze, Globe Correspondent)

Dealing their oats

The granola at The Cottage in Wellesley travels far beyond the Sunday brunch table. California brides hand out bagfuls as party favors. Friends give it to each other for gifts. Mail orders come from as far away as England. This addictive mix of oats, dried cranberries, coconut, and pecans, whose recipe is a secret, was first served 12 years ago ... (By Clara Silverstein, Globe Correspondent)

Hail to the sweets

Here's the perfect Inauguration Day gift for the cookie monster in your life: Party Pride Cookies, which are hand-iced in red, white, and blue ($16 for four cookies in a box, plus shipping). If your friend is a Democrat, order two large donkey-shaped confections plus a star and a flag. (Or you could be cute and send him a Republican ... (By Bella English, Globe Staff)

Pears poached in red wine

Serves 6 With their elegant contoured shape, pears are an attractive dessert. Make a poaching liquid from red wine, which lends the flesh of the fruit its deep ruby color, and add orange rind, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, a whole clove, and a star anise for more aroma. After poaching, leave the pears in the liquid overnight (or for a ... (By Beatrice Peltre, Globe Correspondent)

Creamy lima bean soup

Serves 6 1 cup small dried lima beans, soaked overnight and drained 6 cups vegetable stock 2 teaspoons salt 2 whole cloves 1 medium onion 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 3 scallions (green parts only), chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 1/2 cups fresh Swiss chard, spinach, or kale, stemmed and shredded 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley ... (Boston Globe)

Polenta gratin with greens and goat cheese

Serves 6 Make the polenta up to half a day in advance. (Boston Globe)

Carol McManus brings enthusiasm to the table

EDGARTOWN - Carol McManus raised five children, had an early career teaching and running a childcare center, and later opened a popular cafe. Still, she made dinner every night. She says that if she could do it, anyone can. (By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent)

Veggie burgers

Makes 8 2 scallions, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped 3 cups canned chickpeas (from two 15-ounce cans), drained and rinsed 1/4 cup tahini 3 eggs 1 medium carrot, chopped 1/4 cup feta cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Black pepper, to taste 1 1/2 cups dry ... (Boston Globe)

Meatloaf with spinach

Serves 6 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, excess water squeezed out 2 pounds ground beef 2 eggs 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Black pepper, to taste 1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand ... (Boston Globe)

Mercato del Mare catches interest in the North End

A few doors down from Polcari's Coffee, next to True Value Hardware in the North End, a bright blue awning greets customers of Mercato del Mare, a seafood market slightly below street level. Since it opened in May, the inviting little Mercato has become a regular stop for shoppers looking for top quality fish. And if you buy something, you're ... (By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent)

Fruit-filled scones

Makes 12 This beaming batch of scented scones, rich in fruit, their tops crunchy from a light drape of sugar, would be welcome on any breakfast or brunch table. The dough is easy and supple, filled with warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice), and a nice mix of sweet and tart dried fruits (golden raisins, apricots, and cranberries). Begin ... (By Lisa Yockelson, Globe Correspondent)

Spicy drumsticks

Serves 6 Drumsticks, the lower part of the chicken leg, often come in large value packs at the supermarket. The moist, dark meat can stand up to a spicy-sweet sauce. Here, hot chili sauce (Sriracha brand has pleasant heat) is mixed with honey, a little oil, lime juice, and garlic and tossed with the chicken. Marinate for a few minutes ... (By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent)

Panko-crusted salmon with honey-mustard glaze

Serves 4 Canola oil (for the dish) 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless salmon, cut into 4 pieces 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup honey 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1. Set the oven to 425 degrees. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet; lightly oil the sheet. (Boston Globe)

Curried sweet potato soup

Serves 4 3 medium sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 stalks celery, diced 1 large carrot, diced Salt and pepper, to taste 1 shallot, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 tablespoon curry powder 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste 1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Pierce the ... (Boston Globe)

Silver Moon Creperie adds a touch of New England

DOVER, N.H. - At Silver Moon Creperie, a crepe may come to you folded into a triangle or looking like two little heated blankets with an assortment of blended, melted, and sweetened ingredients carefully tucked in. Either way there's no filling spared. (By Rachel Ellner, Globe Correspondent)

The Find

Why toss all of those plastic sandwich bags when you can slide the goods into something a whole lot greener. (By Molly Jane Quinn, Boston Globe)

18 money-saving ways to enjoy the arts

In this economy, it's hard to justify slapping down $219 for a Van Morrison ticket. But don't feel as if you're stuck with Michael Flatley's "Superstars of Dance''(and expanding face) on the boob tube. Now more than ever we need an inspiring artistic getaway. And the arts need you. Endowments are down, as are ticket sales for many organizations and ... (By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff)

Prime time

Concord Prime & Fish opened recently and offers quality hand-cut meats and fresh fish. The family-run business also owns Sunny's Seafood, a high-end wholesaler on Boston's Fish Pier. Concord Prime gets fish deliveries twice a day; meat comes from Brandt Farm in California, and will be more local once the owners find humanely raised animals in this region. You'll find ... (By Rachel Travers, Globe Correspondent)

Less is more

An eggless challah sounds like an oxymoron: How can egg bread be made without eggs? Quite easily, it turns out, for the folks at Blacker's Bakeshop in Newton. They have come up with an egg-free version of the traditional Jewish bread ($5) that's a welcome treat for egg-allergy sufferers and ovo-eaters alike. The dough is similar to white bread, but ... (By Elizabeth Navisky, Globe Correspondent)

Claws and effect

Lobsters abound and prices are way down. At all Market Basket locations, select lobsters are a bargain at $4.99 per pound. They're coming in from Maine and Canada in mixed sizes, some with missing claws; you take what the store gives you. You can order specific sizes, in which case the price could jump to $7.99 per pound, buy that's ... (By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent)

Bakery helps community spirit rise

Dick and Lee Drugan chatted last week over mugs of steaming coffee, at a table tucked in a corner of the Blue Blinds Bakery at the top of Plymouth's historic North Street. (By Christine Legere, Globe Correspondent)

In a glass by itself

Champagne producer Moet & Chandon's prestige label is Cuvee Dom Perignon. Dom - as it is familiarly known - is a vintage Champagne, which means it's made only in exceptional years. Launched in the midst of a worldwide depression in 1936, the super-luxe, super-pricey sparkler was nonetheless an instant hit and showed the way for other elite Champagne brands. These ... (By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent)

Cheap Eats

When we walk into Atlantic Beer Garden, for a moment it seems like we've wandered into a sports fan's fantasy: The scene inside looks like a Super Bowl party in the TV department at Best Buy . (By Denise Taylor, Globe Correspondent)

Asia, France come together at Asana

If nothing else, it is a sign of yoga's mainstream ascent that heading into 2009 a restaurant named Asana is not a collectively run vegan cafe doling out dulse and brown rice, but rather a luxury hotel-operated expanse of exotic wood and hand-carved limestone, offering stylish French/Asian food, a Mahabharata-length cocktail list, and selections from a glass cheese cave, with ... (By Devra First, Globe Staff)

A toast to our favorite things

Like many other people passionate about food, we glom onto certain things and pull them out of the pantry week after week. Our friends are probably sick of hearing about these items and certainly they're tired of eating them. But we aren't. The rotation changes each year, pushing something like Hungarian paprika farther back on the spice rack in favor ... (Globe Staff)

A toast to our favorite things

Drink For cocktail geeks, this new basement bar from Barbara Lynch is one of the best places in town to imbibe. With an A-team of bartenders, no cocktail list, and a panoply of obscure spirits and herbs, Drink may provide you with the best-ever version of your go-to order, or something invented for you on the spot. Bartenders offer interesting ... (Globe Staff)

Festive yet affordable

New Year's Eve is the time to pull out all the stops. But caviar and truffles will have to wait for another year. You can get the look and feel of luxury with smoked salmon, creamy soup, a pork roast, and individual lemon custards. A menu for four fits neatly into a $50 budget and you'll have a fine, festive ... (By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent)

Seasonal sparkle

If an intellectual is someone who can listen to the "William Tell Overture" and not think of the Lone Ranger, then it may be that a genuine aficionado of sparkling wine is someone who can sip some small-potatoes bubbly while not thinking of Champagne. (By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent)

Roast pork loin with fennel and carrots

Serves 6 The thin layer of fat on top of pork loin adds flavor and juiciness to the roast. Sear it and give the vegetables a preliminary roast up to 1 hour ahead. Serve with the remaining baguette from the pate. (By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent)

Lemon pots de creme

Serves 6 Make these little lemon-infused creamy custards early in the day so they have time to set in the refrigerator. (By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent)

Cauliflower soup with crisp pancetta

Serves 6 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 pound thickly sliced pancetta or bacon, cut in 1/4-inch dice 1 large leek, finely diced, soaked in cold water, and patted dry 2 carrots, cut in 1/4-inch dice Salt and pepper, to taste 4 cups chicken stock 1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into florets 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 ... (By Tony Rosenfeld, Boston Globe)

Smoked salmon pate with herb toasts

Serves 6 PATE (By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent)

Baked eggs

Serves 6 Called en cocotte in French or shirred eggs, these baked eggs are cooked in individual dishes. Add a little flavorful ham or salami to the bottom of each, goat cheese to the top. (By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff)

Fava bean soup with braised chicory

Serves 4 In Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, fava beans and chicory is on nearly every menu. Dried favas are simmered and pureed into a thick soup (favas are available at Polcari's, 617-227-0786; Sevan Bakery, 617-924-9843; or go to www.kalustyans.com). You can use any dried or fresh shell bean; the dish is always served with braised chicory and toasted ... (By Jill Santopietro, Globe Correspondent)

Miami Beach restaurant has fun with food

MIAMI BEACH - So much about South Beach is over the top. Fancily (and scantily) clad women and snazzily dressed men drive luxury cars, frequent flashy clubs, and sleep at posh hotels in this pastel-painted, Art Deco wonderland. Expensive restaurants are par for the course, but few offer the theatrics of Barton G. (By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent)

Spicy dipping sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups Barton G. serves this spicy-sweet sauce with popcorn shrimp, but it can also accompany broiled or grilled shrimp, chicken, or pork. (By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent)

Cooking: Bulk Buying

Bulk buying saves money but demands savvy kitchen tactics. (By Sally Sampson, Boston Globe)

Cravings: Hot Chocolate

Indulge with a steamy, creamy cup of hot chocolate. (Boston Globe)

Kitchen Aide: Price Club Buying

The first time I went to a price club, I was cautious. The second time I was less guarded, and by the third outing, I bought everything I could lay my hands on. (Boston Globe)

Heavenly vegan, and burgers too

Divine Cafe & Grille 50 Lincoln St., Exeter, N.H. Telephone: 603-773-2233 www.divinecafe.org Hours: Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Accessible to the handicapped, but call ahead to make sure ramp is free of snow No liquor license; BYOB (Boston Globe)

Spice and easy

Just as the menu at the French-Indian restaurant Mantra is a fusion of cultures, so too is the atmosphere. A mix of old and modern, East and West, the restaurant's a converted bank from the 1800s with the original Italian marble floors and walls. Flourishes like an ornate wooden hookah den, a glowing Buddha statue, a luminescent waterfall, and luxurious, ... (Boston Globe)

Weighty issues

Ed Levine, 56, has battled weight his whole life. He founded newyork.seriouseats.com a few years ago, and today also writes hamburgertoday.com, sliceny .com (about pizza), and seriouseats.com, where he posts weekly progress on his regime. The job comes with lots of samples, and maybe an afternoon spent tasting bakery items. Today Levine eats things he likes, but much less. We ... (By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff)

Tow yourself in

A visit to Scup's in the Harbor in East Boston's marina is an adventure. First there's the getting there - drive or walk and you must stop at the shipyard gatehouse and tell the guard you're going to Scup's, or take City Water Taxi from the Aquarium or Long Wharf ($10 round trip if you say you're going to the ... (By Ann Luisa Cortissoz, Globe Staff)

Calorie counts

Consumers who have resolved to read food labels more carefully in 2009 will be happy to learn that "Eat This, Not That!" by David Zinczenko (editor in chief of Men's Health) with Matt Goulding (food and nutrition editor of Men's Health) has done some of the heavy lifting for you. The slender paperback offers thousands of choices, many in graphic ... (By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff)

From tame to exotic, Sichuan dishes delight

Sichuan Palace 7 Summer St., Chelmsford Telephone: 978-256-8545 www.sichuanpalace.net Open Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. ,Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.- 10:30 p.m. All major credit cards accepted for purchases of $15 or more 5 percent discount available on all orders paid by cash Handicapped accessible Takeout available (Boston Globe)