Pat and David

Savoring summer’s sweet end at iconic clam shack

Savoring summer’s sweet end at iconic clam shack

As the days suddenly grow shorter and the weather cools, we find our tastes turning to the foods of fall and winter. Squash and pumpkin instead of tomatoes and peppers. Sage and rosemary instead of basil. But we couldn't let summer pass without one final visit to Woodman's of Essex (119 Main St., Essex, Mass.; 978-768-6451; woodmans.com). Located on the marshes next to the causeway over the Essex River, Woodman's is iconic. The establishment claims to have invented the fried clam. Many people dispute that. But no one disputes that since the first batch cooked up in 1914, Woodman's has pretty much nailed the art of the perfect fried clam. The restaurant's success has lifted it from the ranks of mere clam shack. For one...Read More
Atlántico knows how to salute National Lobster Day

Atlántico knows how to salute National Lobster Day

Someone, somewhere named September 25 as National Lobster Day this year, but the crustacean commemoration mostly flew under the radar. A few restaurants, however, marked the occasion. We were pretty thrilled to celebrate with the lobster bocadillo at Atlántico (600 Harrison Ave., Boston; 857-233-1898; atlanticoboston.com) in Boston's South End. This third of chef-owner Michael Serpa's restaurants focuses on the seafood traditions of Spain and Portugal. We'll vouch for that. The menu echoes much of what we've eaten in Cádiz, A Coruna, San Sebastian, or Barcelona — but with a New England twist. Tourists to Boston might argue that every day is Lobster Day. It's the dish they've been anticipating and they seem to order it with abandon. Those of us who live here indulge less...Read More
Green chile chowder an all-season pleaser

Green chile chowder an all-season pleaser

During our sojourn in Santa Fe last spring, we took ample advantage of green chile — even though the vegetable was out of season. Every supermarket stocked at least a few brands of frozen green chile. The peppers were invariably fire-roasted, peeled, and chopped. While frozen green chile doesn't seem to have made it to our Boston-area markets, seeing local chiles at the farmers markets reminded us of a favorite dish we made in Santa Fe. That would be green chile corn chowder, amped up with diced roasted chicken and simmered with potato cubes. The potato cubes are a New England thing, we suspect. But with corn, potatos, and some green chiles in the local markets, we revived the dish for the sudden chill of...Read More
A New Mexican take on The Bear’s omelet

A New Mexican take on The Bear’s omelet

Like many food-obsessed fans of Hulu's The Bear, we had to replicate the omelet that Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) makes in episode 9 of the final season as a gesture of love and comfort for a pregnant Natalie (Abby Elliott). Assuming you have a decent non-stick pan, it's an easy dish. But a few key elements set it apart from the standard omelet. For starters, Sydney whisks three eggs together and then forces them through a medium sieve. We'd never heard to sieving your eggs for an omelet, but it does break down the egg whites so they blend more cleanly with the yolks. That eliminates streaky white sections in the omelet. Sydney also uses three tablespoons of butter in the omelet pan. Pretty much anything...Read More
Pizza by the square, just like in Rome

Pizza by the square, just like in Rome

The tavola calda at Panetteria Romana e Spaccio di Paste includes delicious pizzas topped with fresh vegetables. When we admit to people that we are food and travel writers, their eyes tend to get wide as they imagine that we sit down to multi-course gourmet meals every day on the road. But the truth is that we really like to find some local comestible that makes a handy light lunch or supper. In Rome, that's often a square of pan pizza (pizza al taglio) from one of the bakeries. We've read that more than 5,000 establishments in Rome offer pizza al taglio. Romans eat those slices for lunch and all through the afternoon as a pick-me-up snack. The crust for Roman pizza more resembles focaccia...Read More
Summer bounty summons taste memories

Summer bounty summons taste memories

Unlike many Americans, we decided to stay home this summer rather than crowd the plazas of Europe. We've been enjoying the farmers market and garden bounty of a warm and wet stateside year. The rolling harvest reminds us of some of our favorite dishes we ate overseas. They taste as good at home, even if the ambiance is different. Cherries from the Pacific Northwest have been incredible. They are sweet, large, firm, and more inexpensive than we've seen in years. When we have a lot of cherries, we can't help but think of making clafoutis, a rustic dish we associate with French country inns (like the one above). Most of the recipes we've encountered were geared to rather large baking dishes and made enough clafoutis...Read More
Chicago-style Italian beef springs up near Boston

Chicago-style Italian beef springs up near Boston

Like many food-crazed Americans, we were mesmerized by the Hulu TV show, The Bear. We even recreated the act-of-love boursin omelet in episode 9 of season 2. (The critical element, we learned, is not putting the beaten eggs through a sieve. Crumbling sour-cream-and-onion crinkle-cut potato chips on top makes all the difference.) Okay. We could do that. And did. And even made our own boursin substitute with goat cheese, Greek yogurt, grated garlic, and chopped chives. It was every bit as good as the original. But there was no way that we were going to experience the show's Italian-American Chicago beef sandwich without an expensive road trip. Or so we thought, until Devra First in the Boston Globe tipped us off to Culinary Delights (229...Read More
Summer in the City means party by the harbor

Summer in the City means party by the harbor

The public right to waterfront access has been enshrined in Massachusetts law since the days of the Puritans. Nowhere has that right been so vigorously asserted as along the wharves of Boston Harbor. When Rowes Wharf was developed in 1987-88, it set a template for public access. What does this have to do with travel and food? Everything. The hotel on the wharf, the Boston Harbor Hotel (617-439-7000, bostonharborhotel.com), has been a model host. And not just to the clientele for its luxury rooms and associated condos. For the 24th year, Boston Harbor Hotel is putting on a series of weeknight programs called ‶Summer in the City.″ On Tuesday through Friday nights through August 25, a live band plays from a floating barge stage. Artists...Read More
A Pinot Noir that turns expectations sideways

A Pinot Noir that turns expectations sideways

We confess to being skeptical when we first heard about Crossbarn 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Need a summer red for fish? Check. Need a summer red for spicy cold salads? Check. Need a wine that plays well with burgers or steak? Check. Need a summer red to sip on the back porch as the sun sets and the fireflies come out to do their darting dance? Check. That would be a red that seems too good to be true. So we got our hands on some of this alleged miracle wine and put it to the test. (Spoiler alert: It passed.) Roughly 20 years ago, the wine-soaked, bittersweet buddy movie Sideways nearly wrecked California Pinot Noir. On one hand, hordes of moviegoers began drinking...Read More
Going to the source for dinnerware design

Going to the source for dinnerware design

Regular followers of HungryTravelers might have noticed that most of the food we present is served on the same set of dishes. Those of you who haunt flea markets and shops that traffic in collectibles might even recognize them. They're all ‶Iroquois Casual China by Russel Wright,″ launched in 1946. The dinnerware was meant to make modern design accessible to the masses. A teacher or a cab driver could afford the dishes. Decades later, so could freelance writers. Antiques malls and flea markets yielded our collection of Iroquois Casual in four colors: Sugar White, Charcoal, Oyster, and what we think is probably Chartreuse. True to the original advertising, they've proven surprisingly durable. Wright has been a fixture in our home for years. When we learned...Read More