Hungry Travelers - Page 6 of 82 - Bringing the tastes of travel back home

Chicago-style Italian beef springs up near Boston

Posted on August 5, 2023August 5, 2023 by Pat and David

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

Posted on July 21, 2023July 21, 2023 by Pat and David

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

Posted on July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by Pat and David

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

Posted on July 8, 2023July 8, 2023 by Pat and David

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

Beard-honored chef draws on deep roots

Posted on June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 by Pat and David

Chef Sherry Pocknett broke new ground when she was named the 2023 Best Chef Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. Pocknett is the first Indigenous chef to win the honor. A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, she got her start in the restaurant industry years ago at the Flume in Mashpee, Massachusetts. Her uncle Earl Mills, who championed Native foods at the Flume, was famous for his shad roe preparations. She spent many years catering powwows and special events. She also served as food and beverage manager at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center adjacent to the Foxwoods casino. Her current restaurant is a small spot on the side of Rhode Island's Route 2 with overflow seating at outdoor picnic tables. It's casual...Read More

Bar Enza’s breezy fare summons Italian summer

Posted on June 20, 2023June 17, 2023 by Pat and David

We explain the title of this website with the subtitle ‶Bringing the tastes of travel back home.″ Sometimes, though, tastes close to home can be transporting in themselves. It's the middle of June and we're already pining for summer on the Italian coast. But in our case, we can get a dose of that sublime experience by going to Bar Enza (Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St.; 617-661-5050; bar-enza.com) in Harvard Square. It's nice that the food and wines of the Cinqueterre, the Amalfi Coast, or the beach at Capri are a 10-minute walk from our home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We have chef Tony Susi to thank for that. Since he took over the helm at Bar Enza in April, he's crafted menus that embody the...Read More

Gavi is Italian for vibrant Piemontese white wine

Posted on June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 by Pat and David

Talk about terroir! Chiara Soldati (above) sums up her family's attitude about the Cortese grape and the village of Gavi. ‶I believe in the native grapes,″ she said at a luncheon at Lola 42 (lola42.com) in the Boston Seaport. ‶In Italy, we are caretakers of so many local flavors. By drinking wine, you understand more about the country.″ Since establishing La Scolca (lascolca.net/en) in 1919, the Soldati family has proven that the Cortese grape can make serious white wines. And they've done it in Italy's Piemonte region, famous for its reds made from Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. This is the district of Barolo and Barbaresco — big reds that rival their counterparts in France's Bordeaux and Burgundy regions. Working with the Cortese grape, the Soldati...Read More

Green chile’s culinary apotheosis at Bishop’s Lodge

Posted on May 26, 2023May 15, 2023 by Pat and David

It might be a relative newcomer to the Santa Fe scene, but Bishop's Lodge (1297 Bishops Lodge Road, Santa Fe, 505-390-323; aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge) became one of our go-to spots in the city. Established in 2021, the resort is just four miles north of the Santa Fe Plaza, yet feels like a stylish oasis in the mountain desert. Lit by late-day sun and backed up by the Sangre de Cristo mountains and the impressive cumulus clouds that coalesce above them, the resort projects an iconic presence at the crest of a small hill. We found ourselves gravitating to the resort's lounge and restaurant, SkyFire, for its tranquility and for its striking sunset views. During our stay in Santa Fe, the great Nacha Mendez (nachamendez.com/events) was playing the...Read More

Green chile rules at Santa Fe’s Inn & Spa at Loretto

Posted on May 22, 2023May 11, 2023 by Pat and David

Santa Fe is laced with hiking trails, particularly on the outskirts of the historic downtown. It's less well endowed with walking trails — paths that require no special shoes, walking sticks, or other gear. The best of the downtown routes is the Santa Fe River Trail. It quickly became our go-to light exercise route. The paved sidewalk along Alameda Street skirts the downtown in favor of scenic plantings of flowering trees and public art installations along the riverbanks. Much of the route includes a packed-dirt path along the opposite bank, with periodic bridges so you can switch back and forth. Another reason it became one of our favorites is the proximity to the Inn and Spa at Loretto (211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe;...Read More

Brazen Cowgirl pulls no punches with True West BBQ

Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 by Pat and David

You might have caught a hint of praise in our last post for the artfully subtle use of green chile in Sage Bakehouse's compound butter (hungrytravelers.com/from-the-capitols-art-to-sages-artisanry/). Well, we also like a wholehearted embrace of big flavors. Few eateries in Santa Fe employ green chile so potently as Cowgirl BBQ (319 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM; 505-982-2565; cowgirlsantafe.com). Cowgirl is one of the city's most beloved culinary hangouts. Unlike any other barbecue house we know, the kitchen offers a broad vegan menu to supplement the usual carnivore's delights. Established in 1993 as a New Mexico scion of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame Restaurant in New York's West Village, Cowgirl quickly became an anchor of Santa Fe's Guadalupe district. By virtue of its proximity to the...Read More