Nespresso Dinner Hosted By Ted Allen

Last Wednesday night I had the incredible opportunity to attend a dinner at the Nespresso boutique on Newbury Street, hosted by Ted Allen (of Food Network fame) and Nespresso coffee expert Mark Uhlemann.

Meghan and I met after work and ran into Bridget on our way into the event. When we got in, we were welcomed and shown around the shop. There were displays of Nespresso espresso machines and walls of coffee capsules, as well as a bar and dining table set up for the night's festivities.

We learned about the different Nespresso machines, ranging from the Pixie to the new Latissima+.

Before settling in at the table, we had time to mingle and browse the store. I love how the colorful coffee capsules are used to decorate the space.

Over at the bar, we found some espresso-based drinks. We had a choice of an espresso martini or an espresso mojito. Even though it sounded like it could be really strange, I went with the mojito. The mixture of white rum, mint, lime juice, a hint of sugar, and an espresso floater was actually very tasty -- like black coffee with a little zing from the lime juice.

Coffee-inspired appetizers were passed around to complement our espresso drinks, including espresso-crusted pork tenderloin on a golden beet chip with smoked apple and pecan compote; seared lamb loin with pear-currant relish and espresso yogurt on a pita square; a corn-fried oyster served with stilton creme on a spoon; and spinach and golden raisin malfatti (sort of like gnocchi) with brown butter, sage, and pine nuts. The lamb was my favorite.

After cocktails, appetizers, and mingling, we were ushered to the table to begin dinner.  Ted and Mike chatted with us about the Nespresso brand and products. They played well off of each other, making jokes and adding sarcasm, to keep the informative parts of dinner light and upbeat.

Having seen the machines at Williams-Sonoma before, I was vaguely familiar with Nespresso but really didn't know anything about the brand. That night I learned that Nespresso is just the thing for people who like to savor their coffee, who think of it as an experience, and who value taste. Nespresso offers 16 Grand Crus as well as limited edition seasonal flavors. The high-quality coffees offer the ultimate coffee experience that you don't find in a styrofoam cup.

Meeting and dining with Ted Allen was not as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be (he was very easy to chat with and very down-to-earth), but having cameras rolling and flashing constantly definitely made me feel as though I needed to be perfectly poised at all times.

Each course consisted of a wine and espresso pairing. For our first course of a sweet potato cup with parsnip puree whip and coffee caviar, we were instructed to sip the sparkling wine first, then try the amuse, and then finish with the espresso. The Livanto Grand Cru espresso had similar caramel notes to those in the sweet potato.

Argyle 2000 "Extended Triage" Brut Sparkling Wine from Willamette Valley, Oregon

Livanto Grand Cru

The coffee caviar was the most intriguing part of the amuse-bouche. I couldn't believe how much coffee flavor the little pearls packed.

Sweet Potato Cup with Parsnip Puree Whip And Coffee Caviar

Our entree, a sirloin club roast with a silky and rich veal demi ketchup, was paired with a glass of Merlot and the limited edition Dhjana espresso, which was my favorite espresso of the evening. It's full-bodied, velvety, and smooth, with a hint of fruit.

Pahlmeyer 2004 Merlot from Napa Valley, California

2011 Fall Limited Edition "Dhjana"

Grilled Sirloin Club Steak with Veal Demi Ketchup over Chive-Roasted Fingerling Fries
and Fried Crab Cake with Lemon-Caper Aioli over Escarole

The dessert course easily beat out the other courses. A stunning trio of mini desserts was served alongside the Decaffeinato Intenso and a glass of port. Mike mentioned that there was really no way to go wrong with this pairing, and I have to agree. Coffee, chocolate, and port all work well together in my book. I was happy to be onto decaf espresso at this point, as we were all buzzing and giddy from the caffeine.

Niepoort 10-Year-Old Tawny Port

The chocolate pearls and chocolate straw took the mocha frappe from simple to elegant. (Don't put it past me to start buying little glasses like that to make desserts in now.)

Mini Mocha Frappe with Nespresso Chocolate Pearls and Chocolate Straw

A pot de cream with hazelnut crema was smooth and rich.

Nespresso Pot de Creme and Hazelnet Crema

And the vanilla affogato with homemade biscotti was sweet but balanced and my absolute favorite of all the dishes we had that night.

Vanilla Affogato with Homemade Coffee Biscotti

Before heading out, we stopped to thank Ted and gathered for a group picture.

Jaime, Elizabeth, me, Ted, Bridget, Fiona, Meghan, and Tina
Photo courtesy of Tina

I really enjoyed this event, from the high-quality espresso to the great company. Thank you so much to Nespresso for hosting us! (This event was complimentary, but as always, you're getting my opinions here.)

Oh, and Nespresso sent us all home with some very generous gifts: our very own Latissima+ Nespresso machines! I can't wait to try mine out.

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And that reminds me... I was recently visited by the Fairy Hobmother after I left a comment on Megan's Cookin'. The Fairy Hobmother is actually Ian from Appliances Online, which is currently promoting the Bosch Logixx line of appliances.

The Fairy Hobmother sent me a $30 Amazon.com gift card just for leaving a comment on Megan's post. I am hoping to use the gift card to buy some little espresso cups to go with my new Nespresso Latissima+! You could also get a visit from the Fairy Hobmother just for leaving a comment on my post. Good luck!

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Have you ever heard of Nespresso?

Catalyst, A New Addition To Kendall Square

On Monday evening, the final fleeting hours of my long weekend before me, I met up with some of my favorite bloggers at Catalyst, a new restaurant in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass. I used to work in the building adjacent to the one Catalyst is in and would keep up with its progress, regularly walking around the closed-off space where its patio would soon be. I've since left that job (and my old company moved anyways), but even though I no longer work right there, I still followed Catalyst's Facebook and twitter updates. I was so excited when Catalyst opened recently and couldn't wait to try it out. I live within walking distance of the restaurant, and I knew it had the potential to be a new go-to spot.

The man behind Catalyst is Chef William Kovel, formerly of Aujourd'hui, where I enjoyed one fabulous brunch before it closed. Chef William has a passion for "simple, delicious food delivered with warm service in a comfortable, modern environment." I have a passion for that very same thing. I knew from that brunch and from other things I'd heard about Chef William that we were in for a treat that night.

Once we had all gathered at our table and those who wanted drinks had received them, Chef William came over to introduce himself and to tell us his plan for the dinner. He basically said he was going to send out a bunch of dishes family-style, clear them, send out more dishes, clear them, send out more dishes, clear them, and then send out dessert. We all prepared ourselves for a lot of food.

After nibbling on some focaccia and potato breads with pleasantly salty, soft, spreadable butter, we were presented with some of the starters and a side of grilled scallions.

The seared spice-crusted hiramasa with orange-yuzu syrup and cucumber-radish salad was light and interesting. Hiramasa has a sweet, rich flavor, and I didn't find it at all fishy. The citrus flavors perked up this creative dish.

The other salad we tried was the farmer's market vegetable salad with peppercress and crispy onions. Chef William described this as having pickled vegetables, but I didn't taste any strong pickled flavors, just some vinegar. I can always appreciate a salad with lots of veggies and crispy onions though.

I almost wasn't going to try the chicken liver mousse because I've never liked chicken liver, but I'm almost always willing to try something again to see if I might like it prepared differently. So I scooped up a little of the mousse on some grilled bread, topped it with mustard, and gave it a try. I either sufficiently drowned out the chicken liver flavor with mustard or this mousse was more mild than others I've had. I found it unoffensive... and those who enjoy chicken liver will likely love it.



The crispy quail came accompanied by a Black Mission fig gastrique, mizuna, and autumn berry jam. The sweet accents made perfect pairings for the gamey quail.



The side of grilled scallions, while simple, was packed with flavor with the addition of an almond pesto.

I had high hopes that we'd get to sample the onion soup, but Chef William sent over a couple bowls of the Jerusalem "sunchoke" artichoke soup. The soup typically comes with lobster, but we had someone in our group who doesn't eat it, so we tried it without. I found the soup slightly smoky, and it just wasn't my thing (maybe because of the addition of curry oil?). But I could tell others at the table enjoyed it because those bowls were quickly emptied. (I plan to go back and order the onion soup one chilly evening soon.)

Then we moved onto the pasta courses. To my delight, we tried every one on the menu! First up was the garganelli with chicken oysters, bacon, and black truffle butter. The fresh, house made pasta was perfectly cooked, and the luscious black truffle butter coated every bit of it. That plus the cheese melted on top and the bits of bacon took this dish over the top.

Oh, and about that chicken oyster. It's not actually an oyster but a tender piece of chicken from the thigh that resembles an oyster. (All I can think about when I hear chicken oyster is the controversy on Top Chef when Mike Isabella stole Richard Blais' chicken oyster idea from his notebook and broke "chef law." This definitely came up at the table that night.)

The next pasta dish was not only my favorite pasta dish but also my favorite dish of the night: Georgia Candy Roaster Squash tortellini with braised escarole and Parmesan. This sweet and savory dish came cloaked in a rich sauce and adorned with adorable carrot pearls. I asked Chef William how they make the carrots like that, and he admitted they use a pearler and joked that the prep staff doesn't like him very much because of that. I think it's totally worth it. Carrot coins just wouldn't have the same effect.

The last pasta dish was the mushroom ravioli with Hen of the Woods mushrooms. You have to be a mushroom lover to love this dish because the mushrooms are both in and outside of the ravioli. The ravioli, like the rest of the pasta, was nicely cooked and was full of earthy flavor from the mushrooms.

For our last savory bites, we tried two entrees, the lemon sole, which is on the menu, and a chilled pork dish, which is not.

The chilled pork was moist and tender and full of flavor from a spice rub and the accompanying apple slaw, cilantro, and balsamic. I wish it was on the menu because I'd definitely order it on a return visit.

The lemon sole was crisp and flaky and hid succulent chunks of lobster and creamy leeks that took on flavor from lobster stock and vermouth butter.

We ate as much as we could and had leftovers packed up to go, but thankfully, there is always room for dessert. Dessert came impressively served as a sampler platter for each of us, and Catalyst's pastry chef came out to explain what we were having.

A coconut cake sandwiching creamsicle ice cream and topped with chocolate ganache reminded me in appearance of the Boston cream pie at Flour, but the taste and texture was obviously much different. The creamsicle flavor of the ice cream was very faint, but if you tasted knowing what it was, you could pick it up. The combination was very interesting.

A moist Bosc pear cake sitting on creme anglaise was good but simple.

Cantaloupe sorbet with hazelnut brittle was the perfect palate cleanser and a lighter dessert option.

The butterscotch and passionfruit pudding with grilled poundcake is something I would have skipped right over if I was ordering off the menu. Luckily, it was served to me, so I didn't miss out on this incredible combination. Who knew passionfruit and butterscotch would go so well together? And I loved having the grilled poundcake to dip into the pudding.

I'm looking forward to returning to Catalyst to try some more of Chef William's dishes, especially the pasta dishes. The menu is constantly changing based on what's in season, so there's sure to be something new to try all the time -- which is a good thing considering I live so close by and could end up dining there often.

Emily, Elizabeth, Bridget, Bianca, Daisy, and Shannon were the perfect dinner dates. Be sure to check out their reviews too!

A huge thank you to Chef William and the staff at Catalyst for inviting us in and to Elizabeth for putting this dinner together.

Dinner was complimentary, but as always, my opinions are my own.

Have you been to Catalyst yet? Or if you don't live around here, are there any new restaurants opening up near you that you're dying to check out?

"The Time Is Ripe For Pears" Dinner At Rialto

USA Pears hosted a dinner at Rialto last Tuesday night, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance. Rialto, located in Cambridge, Mass., is helmed by Chef Jody Adams. Jody and her team of talented chefs worked with USA Pears to put together a four-course pear dinner, using a different kind of pear in each course.

The evening started with mingling with representatives from USA Pears and other attendees (including Elizabeth, Renee, Cara, Aimee, and Rachel), sipping pear cocktails, and talking about pears.

Did you know there are more than 3,000 varieties of pears? I had no idea. I am most familiar with Anjou, Bosc, and Bartlett pears. The dishes we had that night incorporated Concorde, Bartlett, Forelle, and Seckel pears. We may also have cut up the Starkrimson pear sitting on our table so we could sample this sweet, juicy variety.

Before we were served dinner, Jody came out to talk to all of us and to tell us her thought process behind the different dishes we were about to eat, including which pears she chose for which dishes and how the pears were prepared.

After Jody headed back to the kitchen, our servers placed bread baskets and small dishes of oil and salt on our tables, and we happily dug into these while anticipating the first course. We also sipped on wine. I tried the white, which instantly became one of my new favorites: Michele Chiarlo, Le marne Gavi 2009. I found it very smooth, almost creamy, if you could call a wine creamy.

The first course was an autumn Concorde pear salad with crinkle cress, Baylee Hazen Blue, walnuts, fennel, and Moscato dressing. What looks like parsley in the dish is actually the crinkle cress. The fennel was mild, the blue cheese creamy and nutty, and the pears definitely stole the show. They were thinly sliced, nicely ripened, and added a sweet crunch.

Our second course, which is actually on Rialto's regular menu now, was a crispy mackerel escabeche with pickled Bartlett pear puree, currant, pomegranate, and mizuna. The mackerel was very lightly fried and had a strong but balanced flavor and a flaky texture. The pickled pear puree was the perfect complement in this traditionally sweet and sour dish, and the tiny pomegranate seeds made for a beautiful presentation.

For the main course, we had roasted breast and braised leg of chicken, with smoked bacon, roasted Forelle pears, scorched brussels sprouts, and mustard seeds. I loved how the pears had been scooped with a melon baller. The crisp, tangy pear bites soaked in the broth around the chicken and were delicious eaten with bites of moist chicken. The brussels sprouts hiding underneath the chicken and studded with smoked bacon were one of my favorite parts of the dish and the first of many brussels sprouts I plan to eat this season.

When I say they saved the best for last, I'm not quoting a cliche. They really did save the best for last. I was beyond impressed by this seemingly simple dessert of ginger-spiced Seckel pears perched atop a Vin Santo chocolate tart. The chocolate tart not only had a chocolate filling but also a chocolate crust and was so rich and decadent. The spicy ginger-poached pears cut some of the sweetness and added their own strong flavors. But even the littlest touch added so much to this dish. On the plate itself were crumbled bits of candied ginger that added a pop of flavor when scooped up with the tart and pears. I am already thinking about how to recreate this dish at home. It was amazing, and I wish it was on Rialto's regular menu because I'd try to go back every night to eat it.

We ended the pear dinner, tummies full, knowing so much more about pears -- the different varieties, the flavors, the ways to cook with them, and so on. We learned that the best way to tell if a pear is ripe is to check the neck because pears ripen from the inside out. Even if you're like me and love to eat your pears when they're still crunchy, it's good to know this little trick. Also, unlike apples, pears do most of their ripening after they've been picked.

The lovely representatives from USA Pears gave us all what I've dubbed "pear-aphernalia" as we headed out, which included a pear in a pear packer (to keep our pears safe when we tote them to work), a water bottle, pear and pear cocktail recipes, and a little stuffed pear. I thought Gunner might like to hang with the little pear, so I gave it to him when I got home.

A huge thank you to everyone at USA Pears and Rialto for hosting such a fabulous dinner. (This dinner was complimentary, but as always my opinions are my own.)

I usually just eat pears plain, but this dinner has inspired me to incorporate them into my cooking and baking. I'm so excited to make some pear things now!

What pear dishes have you had or made?