Kika Tapas, Cambridge, Mass.

My friend and I are still doing our best to conquer Kendall Square as more and more restaurants open in the area. We recently met up for dinner at Kika Tapas, which moved in right next to EVOO. (Kika Tapas is a sister restaurant to Tapeo and Solea.)

We were seated off to the right as you enter the restaurant, and while I was initially disappointed that we weren't right in the middle of things, I was soon grateful that we had been seated off to the side because the bar area was pretty boisterous. We were able to enjoy a quieter dinner and hear each other as we caught up on what was new in our lives.

We started off by trying two of the sangrias on the menu: the berry sangria and the sangria royal. I absolutely loved my drink (the berry sangria) and will be ordering it again. The combination of berry-infused simple syrup, Cava, white wine, and Chambord sounds like it would lead to a very sweet drink, but it was actually very balanced. My friend's drink (the sangria royal, which is a red sangria with Cava and Grand Marnier) was even less sweet and had strong citrusy orange notes. Depending what mood you're in, either drink would be a hit.

In the true fashion of small plates, we ordered a bunch of things to share. We started with some Brazilian cheese breads. These reminded me of gougeres but were a little heavier. I liked them but would probably order something more interesting off the pintxos menu next time -- perhaps the artichoke, goat cheese, and mushroom crostini.

Next we tried the bunuelos (broccoli and cauliflower fritters). The crispy, fried bites filled with bits of broccoli and cauliflower were one of my favorite dishes.

A dish you can't go wrong with is the queso de cabra montanes (baked goat cheese in tomato basil sauce). We slathered the sauce and cheese on fresh bread. It made for a rich, comforting combination (and reminded us of when we were roommates, living about a block away from Dali, where we'd get this small plate often).

The crab-and-mango-stuffed avocado looked and sounded better than it actually was. It's a great concept, but for me the flavor fell short. It needed some sort of sauce or marinade to tie all the components together.

The mussels were pretty standard. They came in a pool of spicy tomato and wine sauce. I always find this sort of dish comforting on a chilly evening.

The last dish wasn't something I've ever noticed at any other tapas restaurant, but it sounded really intriguing. The revuelto de esparragos y camerones is a warm dish of sautéed shrimp, asparagus, scrambled eggs, and fried bread. Had the bread not been a little too fried (i.e., slightly oil soaked), this dish would have been amazing. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and each time I took a bite of one with a sliver of garlic, I was reminded of my most-favorite tapas dish: gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), which I'll be trying when I return to Kika Tapas.

Of course, we couldn't leave without dessert, and the crepe with berries and dulce de leche sounded perfect to both of us. Just look at those thick drizzles of dulce de leche. Inside the crepe were tons of mixed berries including tons of mini blueberries.

Along with dessert, we opted to try two more cocktails. Be warned: These cocktails were strong. My friend tried la movida, which has Woodford Preserve bourbon, sage, cherry preserves, and ginger beer.

I went with la tormenta negra (if you know a little Spanish, you can probably figure out that this is Kika's version of a dark and stormy). This drink is a combination of Bacardi 8, Licor 43, Frangelico, and ginger beer.

Both drinks were very tasty, but you could definitely taste the alcohol in them. They're great for sipping.

What is your favorite tapas dish?

Chocolate-Orange Ricotta Tart

I have a stack of books to review piling up right now. On the top of that stack was Rustic Italian by Domenica Marchetti. I loved her previous book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy, and had high hopes for this next book. I paged through Rustic Italian, which goes beyond pasta to cover Italian dishes and treats ranging from fried sage leaves to pork rib ragu with polenta to poached pears with mascarpone cream. I wanted to make just about everything, but I homed in on the crostata alla ricotta e cioccolata, or ricotta and bittersweet chocolate crostata.

My friend was making braised short ribs and polenta for dinner, so I thought the ricotta crostata would be the perfect finish to the meal.

I gathered my ingredients and read through the recipe. The thing that was strange to me is that the dessert is called a crostata. I've always envisioned a crostata as a rustic dessert with folded-over dough, but this particular crostata sounded more like a tart. A sweet pastry dough is pressed into a tart pan, parbaked until golden, filled with a creamy ricotta mixture, and topped with rich chocolate ganache. The original recipe calls for a little lemon zest baked into the crust, but I opted to use orange zest instead, and I added some to the filling as well because I love the flavors of orange and chocolate together.

The finished dessert was a perfectly round tart rather than a rustic crostata, but that was okay with me as it made for an elegant presentation. This dessert is just the thing to follow up a hearty Italian dinner.

Chocolate-Orange Ricotta Tart (adapted from Rustic Italian)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 Cara Cara orange
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
2 eggs
1 pound well-drained ricotta
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, chopped or broken
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Preparation

Combine flour, granulated sugar, half of orange zest, baking powder, and salt in food processor, and pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until crumbly. Add eggs and process until dough begins to come together.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and knead briefly.

Divide dough in half, pat one-half into a disk, and wrap in plastic and freeze for another use.

Take remaining dough and roll out into 12-inch round.

Carefully roll dough around rolling pan and unroll over 10 1/2-inch tart pan. Press dough gently into bottom and up sides of pan.

Trim overhanging dough flush with top of pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick tart all over. Bake until edges are just beginning to turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. (I underbaked mine slightly and it was a bit too soft, so definitely make sure you get those golden edges before removing the tart from the oven.) Transfer to rack and let cool.

Combine ricotta, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, remaining orange zest, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in bowl, and stir with rubber spatula until combined.

Spread mixture in tart shell.

Bake until filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool to room temperature.

In large measuring cup, combine chocolate and cocoa powder. Heat remaining 1 cup cream in small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles form around edges. Pour hot cream over chocolate, let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth.

Spread chocolate mixture over ricotta filling, starting at center and stopping just short of crust.

Refrigerate tart until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours. Let sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Then cut into wedges and serve.

I loved this rich tart with its citrusy notes, creamy cheese filling, and thick chocolate topping, and I can't wait to try more recipes from this cookbook.

What are some of your favorite Italian desserts?

80 Thoreau, Concord, Mass.

Some restaurants are worth a couple extra miles, a trek out of the city, exploring beyond one's own neighborhood. 80 Thoreau is one of those restaurants. A progressive fine dining restaurant offering New American Cuisine, 80 Thoreau is set in historic Concord, Mass., at the Concord Train Depot. A small sign is all that marks the entrance. It doesn't look like much on the outside (some of us even thought the building could easily house a doctor's office), but inside is a whole different story.

After following a long hallway and ascending a staircase, one arrives in the bar area, which has a long communal table lined with plush bar stools, a Vermont soapstone bar, and some dining tables off to one side, as well as some intriguing artwork.

A slightly farther walk brings one into the dining room. The white walls, dark wood, stretches of windows and mirrors, and blue decor give a nautical but homey, inviting feel to the space. It's rustic yet contemporary all at once.

From my seat in the dining room, I had a clear view of the hustle and bustle in the open kitchen. Chef Carolyn Johnson, formerly of Rialto, keeps the kitchen running and designs the menu to focus on New England ingredients and traditions with a French flourish. Being in Concord, which is known for having several commercial and family farms, enables her to source ingredients locally and maintain real relationships with the people who grow and supply those ingredients.

The other masterminds behind 80 Thoreau are restaurateur Ian Calhoun and director of service Vincent Vela. Ian and Vincent met in the hospitality program at Cornell and made a plan to open a restaurant together. Ian completed an intensive program in French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu during his junior year at Cornell but then shifted his focus to restaurant management. He grew up in Concord and returned to the area with a vision for 80 Thoreau. Vincent spent some time working at Per Se and Craft (in NYC), where he learned the ins and outs of fine dining. With his commitment to warm, personal fine dining, he ensures that service is attentive, yet relaxed, at 80 Thoreau.

I had the pleasure of dining at 80 Thoreau with a group of local food bloggers last Tuesday evening. I started off with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. While I'm usually all about reds in the winter, on this particular evening I was craving the crispness of a white.

Sauvignon Blanc, Ch. Nicot, Entre Deux Mers 2010

But I soon heard about and sampled the house made tonic and gin and wished I had ordered that instead. I bypassed the drink even though I love a good gin and tonic because I wasn't in the mood for anything very strong. I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of this drink. It was limey, bubbly, and only lightly spiked with gin. I learned that the drink is made right in the restaurant from quinine powder (from the bark of the cinchona tree), a main ingredient in tonic. That plus some sugar, lime juice, bubbles, and gin made for a truly drinkable G&T.

Tonic and Gin

While we enjoyed our drinks, we sampled some small bites of mixed olives, duck liver pate, and gougeres. The duck liver pate was rich and gamy and the gougeres had light, soft insides with a crisp, cheesy crust.

Duck Liver Pate

Gougeres

Then it was time to try some first courses. Chef Carolyn sent out an array of dishes for us, which we tasted alongside the Moschofilero, Nasiakos, Greece, 2010. While all of the dishes were very good, I most enjoyed the squid salad. The squid was grilled just right, giving it the perfect texture, and the charred notes were balanced by light Meyer lemon and bits of saffron cauliflower. The salad was actually my favorite dish of the night.

Pork Rilletes and Lardo with Pickles, House Mustard, and Toast

Broiled Oysters with Saffron Champagne Sabayon

Grilled Squid Salad with Meyer Lemon, Celery, And Saffron Cauliflower

The wild mushroom consume with its celeriac and Parmesan custard was an incredibly light but boldly flavored dish. The parsley and tarragon really contrasted with the complex broth and added bright notes.

Wild Mushroom Consome with Celeriac and Parmesan Custard and Herb Salad

We each got to choose which main course we wanted to try, and while I know a steak is not necessarily overly exciting, the grilled ribeye with confit potatoes, brussels sprouts, and truffle butter was really calling out to me.

Before our entrees arrived, we switched to red wine. The wine was described as a French Malbec, and it put me right back in step with my love for full-bodied, plum-y reds in winter.

My ribeye came out just as I ordered it: medium-rare. A toppling of brussels sprouts and a generous dollop of butter adorned it while the confit potatoes nestled underneath it. I loved every bite (and yes, I ate the entire thing). The brussels sprouts were nicely charred, exactly how I would have cooked them myself, so I truly enjoyed those too.

Grilled Ribeye with Confit Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Truffle Butter

One of the hardest things after a dinner like this is finding room for dessert. Somehow I always manage to squeeze it in though. And I'm lucky I had room for it that night because Chef Carolyn sent out a number of goodies for us.

Lemon Duet (Icebox Pie, Angel Food, Fool)

Ricotta Cake (Figs, Pistachios, Vanilla Ice Cream)

Chocolate Parfait (Mousse, Cake, Caramel Pastry Cream)

Raspberry Sorbet

Pistachio Toffee

My favorite was the chocolate parfait, but the lemon duet was a close second.

80 Thoreau's philosophy is that "A true neighborhood restaurant should be an extension or your own kitchen table." The personal, welcoming feeling of one's own kitchen table was definitely invoked while dining at 80 Thoreau, though I must say the food was much more elevated than what I might put on my own kitchen table. And that's not a bad thing!

I dined at 80 Thoreau with a group of bloggers. This meal was complimentary, but these opinions are my own. Thank you very much to Martha of Sullivan Communications, Vincent, Ian, and Carolyn for having us in and sharing 80 Thoreau with us.

What is your favorite restaurant that's off the "beaten path" for you?