Bob's Clam Hut

          I've always loved going to Kittery Maine for outlet shopping, but I only recently learned about Bob's Clam Hut - an iconic restaurant just a short walk from the shops. Of course I had to try them out, and highly recommend you do the same!

 About Bob's

          Since 1956, Bob’s Clam Hut has been serving up fresh, classic fried seafood with straightforward, award-winning simplicity as a beloved and long-standing spot for locals and travelers alike. This iconic roadside stand continues to preserve its history and charm while elevating the clam shack experience with quality seafood, original recipes and a welcoming atmosphere. A true Maine landmark open year-round, Bob’s employees often hear from guests that no trip to the area is complete without a meal at the clam hut. With a standout menu of New England shore classics, Bob’s carries out its mission of wowing guests with consistently great food and fast, friendly service.

 My Visit

          I had the chance to talk with the Manager Tim, and tried several of his recommendations including the clam chowder, lobster stew, lobster roll, clams fried two ways, and fried seafood platter.

Clam Chowder

Lobster Stew

Lobster Roll

Clams Two Ways

Fried Seafood Platter

          Everything was delicious, and it was hard to pick a favorite (or even a couple of favorites). The lobster roll was lightly dressed without a lot of mayo (exactly how I like it), the lobster stew had plenty of claw meat, and the clam chowder wasn't too heavy. All of the fried seafood was fresh and simply done; after talking with Tim I learned that one of their secrets is constantly rotating the oil (generally 6-7 times during a busy day) to keep it light, fresh, and tasting great.


          I enjoyed trying the clams two ways; the original Bob's recipe is fried with just flour while Lillian's are dipped in egg wash first. I never would've thought the egg would make such a difference, but eating them side by side I definitely noticed that Lillian's version had more batter and were a bit crispier. Lillian was an employee at Bob's who was so popular that customers would wait in line just to order from her. Though she recently passed away, her memory is honored by this window:

            The company's new bakery in Kittery is also named after Lil, and though I haven't tried it yet I hope to make it in for a cruller soon!
         

          After the huge lunch we were way too stuffed for a full sized dessert, but we did sample a few of the most popular flavors from Mount Desert Island Ice Cream including:

• Belgian Chocolate
• Salted Caramel
• Madagascar Vanilla Bean
• Toasted Coconut

          My favorites were the vanilla bean and salted caramel, but I don't think you could go wrong with any of this ice cream!



          After eating I had a chance to tour the kitchen and see the operations at one of the busiest times - Saturday lunch hour. I was amazed by how many people they were able to fit in the double line, and how quickly and smoothly they were able to get the food out!

 

          The owners of Bob's also have a sit down restaurant across the street called Robert's Maine Grill, which I definitely want to check out next time I'm in the area!

Fiorella's

          I recently had the opportunity to try Fiorella's in Newton for Sunday supper with Blog and Tweet Boston.  I'd been hearing great things about Fiorella's for a long time, so I was especially excited to try it with a group of bloggers I knew would eat everything!

          While there definitely was eating, we started first with this beautiful cocktail - a house specialty called the Blueberry Smash which included blueberry simply syrup, bourbon, and mint. Yes, it was as good as it looks. 

 

          

          Instead of bread, Fiorella's serves these garlic breadsticks which they're known for by regulars. They were amazing dipped in some of the home made marina sauce, which is also available by the jar.

           We shared several apps and flatbreads including an antipasto platter and mixed plate of some of the house signature appetizers before deciding on entrees.

Arancini:A large crisp risotto ball stuffed with mozzarella cheese & served with signature marinara sauce

Antipasto board with Salami, pepperoni, parmacotto~ham, imported prosciutto, provolone cheese, marinated long stem artichoke hearts & mixed kalamata olives

Sampler with fried calamari, toasted ravioli, and stuffed pepper parmigiana

Flatbread with marinated eggplant, goat cheese, grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts & fontina cheese

Flatbread with crimini mushroom blend, imported prosciutto & fontina cheese drizzled with truffle oil

          I enjoyed everything, but my favorites were definitely the mushroom and truffle flatbread and the Stuffed Peppers Parmigiana: Red peppers stuffed with DePasquale’s hot Italian sausage, pepperoni, risotto, a blend of ricotta, parmesan & pecorino romano cheese, topped with marinara sauce & melted mozzarella.

          Since the peppers were so good, I decided to try the veal parmigiana as my main course. I substituted the fresh pasta with this dish, and I highly recommend ordering it this way! It was a huge portion, and I ended up taking half of this to go which made for an excellent lunch the next day as well!

          This is the seafood fettucini, which I was tempted to order. It was a very popular dish at the table, and everyone for ordered it seemed to enjoy it.

          We had two choices for dessert, a chocolate chip cannoli or tiramisu. I chose the cannoli which was delicious, but both desserts were a big hit!

          Fiorella’s Restaurant is celebrating its 15th anniversary throughout the month of August and customers are encouraged to join in the celebration via a special anniversary menu with a variety of dishes for only $15. The $15 anniversary menu will include rotating selections including Lobster Ravioli Florentine, Chicken Lemoncello, Pork Chop Madeira and more.

          For those that want to celebrate at a later date, Fiorella’s is offering guests an additional $15 gift card for every $100 gift certificate that is purchased during the month of August 2015.

 

A Night With Niche at Bocado Wellesley

          I loved Bocado in Wellesley the first time I tried it,  so when I saw the facebook contest I had to enter... and I won! Last night I not only enjoyed another amazing meal at Bocado, but I also got to tour the restaurant, meet several of the incredibly talented staff members, and learn all about the concept from Owner Mike Covino. What struck me most was Mike's energy and passion for the business, serving delicious authentic food and creating a culture of hospitality at all of his restaurants (there are currently three different Bocado locations, as well as six additional concepts through Worcester, Leominster, and Providence). Before starting the tour, I enjoyed a glass of cava and some marcona almonds at the gorgeous bar.

           Next I got a full tour of the space including the bar, dining room, patio, wine room / private dining area, and kitchen. They design the space and  shelving / storage units themselves so everything is highly functional and helps to keep operations running smoothly.

          They even have an in house artists who designs all of the artwork for each property, as well as the chalkboard art.

          The kitchen was impressive, and included a Spanish charcoal grill - everything that came out of that grill looked and smelled amazing!

          The best part may have been watching all of the dishes come out - at first I thought this would make it easier to decide what to order but it only made it more challenging. Everything looked so good!

Meat and cheese board

Fried goat cheese with honey & almonds

Mozzarella stuffed crispy rice balls with basil allioli

Battered manzanilla, kalamata & black olives, saffron allioli

Sautéed shrimp with garlic, parsley and olive oil

Grilled lollipop lamb chops with rosemary mustard oil

Mussels tossed with garlic, sun dried tomato, basil, cracked black pepper, white wine and cream

Paella Clasica with saffron rice, chicken, calamari, shrimp, chorizo,  mussels, little necks, peas, tomato

          I ended up trying the meat paella, duck leg, scallops wrapped in bacon, stuffed clams, stuffed piquillo peppers, stuffed eggplant, and a sampler of several different types of ham.

Piquillo peppers stuffed with veal and manchego

Clams stuffed with chorizo, kale, and cape cod potato chips

Slow roasted duck leg with apricot-pistachio glaze

Scallops in bacon with truffle honey

           They were all delicious and I would definitely order everything again, but the dishes that really stood out were the paella, stuffed piquillo pepper, and iberico ham. The paella was loaded with chicken, chorizo, veal, and duck confit tossed with perfectly cooked rice that was just a little crispy. The iberico ham was some of the most tender and flavorful I've ever had, and the peppers were stuffed with veal and mahon cheese.

          Not pictured here are the desserts, specifically the brownie sundae and churros -  both were amazing and chocolate-y (my only real requirement for dessert). You can't go wrong with either, but for the more authentic experience, I would go with the churros!

          I've dined at Bocado and enjoyed it before, but being able to see all of the effort and attention to detail that goes on behind the scenes really made the experience special. If you ever have the opportunity to tour the kitchen or chat with the owner of one of your favorite restaurants, I highly recommend you take them up on it!

 

Ceraldi

          Ceraldi is a restaurant that opened last summer in Wellfleet, and it's completely unlike anything on the Cape, or even Boston for that matter. They offer two seatings a night for a $70 seven course menu that is generally fixed (although they do accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions), with optional wine pairings (standard for $30 or reserve for $80). All of the ingredients are sourced from local farms, and they literally decide the menu each night when they see what they've been able to get in that day. Because there are so few cattle farms on the cape, the menu mostly consists of vegetables and seafood - but we happened to try them on a night when they'd just received some amazing beef short ribs!

          Before each meal, the Chef and waitstaff come out to personally greet each guest and talk about the meal and the wine options. Some of the courses are plated (or even prepared) at the bar in front of you.

          We ordered the seven course meal with reserve wine pairings, and I had some substitutions with no dairy. All of the courses are pictured below, except for the short ribs because my pics just didn't turn out well once it got dark.

Wellfleet oyster with garden horseradish whip, nasturtium blossom puree

Cucumber soup with garden peppers and paprika oil

Malfatti Organic red beets and greens, ricotta, and brown butter

Arancini with tomato and basil

Misticanza: Mixed greens, red and green tomatoes, garden bronze fennel vinaigrette

Lasagnette: Summer squash, zucchini, roasted garlic bechamel, thyme, parmigianno reggiano

Pasta with Summer squash, and pine nuts

Wild Beach Rose Panna cotta with mullberry

Macerated berries with lime

      Overall the meal was fantastic, and if I could I would eat at Ceraldi at least once a week. The dishes and concept inspired me to go shopping at some of the local farmers markets in Boston and attempt to create similar (although not nearly as amazing) dishes using fresh, seasonal produce. I've heard rumors that they're considering a popup in Boston during the winter, and I really hope they do!