Can a Potato be Creamy? Brunch at Coppa

Coppa

253 Shawmut Ave.

Boston, Ma

http://www.coppaboston.com/

Atmosphere-Casual, Intimate, Enoteca

Food-Small Italian plates, unique wines and drinks, wood fired pizzas, pastas, exceptional ingredients

Kid friendly- We saw kids there for brunch, but there isn't exactly a kids menu. If you kids are world travelers like Brad and Angelina's bring them.

Cost- Dishes are from $5 for small plates to $16 for a pizza or entree. These are not the corner pizza shop's pizza's

Breakfast potatoes, they are so easy to get wrong. At least that is my explanation as to why most places have horrible ones. They are either over cooked and hard, or undercooked and hard. It is rare to find ones that I really like, and usually the only ones I like have been shredded into hash browns. This weekend, however, I found the perfect breakfast potatoes at Coppa!! Should I be surprised? Coppa is an intimate enoteca opened by Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonette. If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know Ken's restaurants are some of my favorite in Boston.

Enoteca is an Italian word which originally was used to describe a wine shop which catered to wine tasting and affordable bottles for its patrons. The word has grown to describe bistro style restaurants which serve wine and small Italian dishes.

Coppa pays homage to both definitions. Courtney Bisonnette the general manager at Coppa has put a drink list together which includes some of the most original bottles I have ever seen. It is no surprise she is a founding member of Ladies United for The Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. Marry her drink list with the menu of small plates at Coppa and the word enoteca is the obvious description.

Back to the potatoes though, I can't take credit for calling them creamy. I wasn't the first to taste them. My friend Stash did, and it was the first thing he said, "Wow, those are creamy".

The potatoes are pictured below in the back right with some of our other small plates. Not the best picture. They were roasted, bliss potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and yes, they tasted unbelievably, savory, light and creamy.

Also pictured below, marinated mushrooms with Eva's herbs, mixed olives with fennel, and marinated cauliflower with shallots, thyme and sea salt. Not pictured dishes we had are the warm salt cod crostini and endive salad with Parmesan anchovy dressing.

Most small plates are $5, antipasti, and brunch dishes $10 and wood fired pizza's $12 to $16
The olives were not really different than any other olives I have had, but what can you really do with whole olives? I love olives so I was happy with the variety that came to the table, Calamata, Gaeta, Sevillano, Calabrese and Manzanilla to name a few. Right now if you are thinking I have in depth olive knowledge, I don't. I have no idea what olives were in that mix sans the Calamata's, I just wanted it to sound good.

The cauliflower was also a nice variety. Nice colorful variety that is. I had no idea until I worked for Rachel Nason at D'Lish Intimate Catering that cauliflower not only came in white, there was also orange, purple, and green. The shallots and thyme gave it a nice flavor. Herbs also gave the the marinated mushrooms a little extra flavor.

The Parmesan anchovy dressing on the endive salad was heavenly.

Honestly, though, I need to go back and order more of a variety of small dishes. I don't think I did justice ordering the small plates because I was starving, and really wanted to get a full meal.

If you look at the menu on Coppa's website, you won't see the egg dishes which are available on Sunday's. I am guessing they were added later. We, Lou, Stash, and I all decided to get the poached eggs, on cheesy polenta with center cut bacon and forgive my ignorance in describing food, but that is a thin piece of toasted buttery Italian bread on the side. If it has a fancy name, I don't care, it was perfect. This dish was perfect. If you don't like thick cut bacon, then you may not think it was perfect, but this bacon is fresh and smoky. It reminded me of the bacon from Maresca's, a butcher shop in Sergeantville where I grew up. The poached eggs were fluffy and the polenta a savory cheesy blend.
If you are a the social networking type and use four square, check in to Coppa your first time there and you can get a $3 glass of Prosecco to toast your arrival.

Some things we didn't try that I need to go back for...the Man Mosa- which is a small bottle of prosecco, and a Pelegrino Aranciata accompanied by a large mug to mix them in, Salumi- cut on the coolest, sleekest, hand cranked meat slicer I have ever seen, I need to try another meal besides the brunch, and I definitely need to try one of their Dopo il Pranzo drinks. Describing a drink as sweet, medicinal and luscious certainly piques my interest.

In my book, Ken Oringer is batting 5 for 5 right now for great restaurants. I still need to try KO Prime, but it's looking very good.

How Does One Family Get All The Talent? Alma Nove

Alma Nove

22 Shipyard Drive

Hingham, Ma 02043

www.almanovehingham.com

Food: Blend of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine

Atmosphere: Upscale, but not stuffy, by the water, open, near a boat launch, outside seating with fire pit

Kid Friendly: Leave the kids at home and go here for a date at night or business meeting during the day

Pricing: Average for a nice dinner out.

I was listening to Mix 98.5 a few weeks ago when I heard the movie "The Other Guys" was having its premier in Hingham. Hingham? Who has a premier in Hingham? It all made sense when Alma Nove was mentioned.

Alma Nove is a restaurant owned by Chef Paul Wahlberg. Have you made the connection yet? If you are in your mid to late 30's I am guessing you have, but let me make it easy. Paul Wahlberg is the brother of Donny and Mark Wahlberg. Mark is in the movie, "The Other Guys", what better way to promote your brother's new restaurant than to have the premier at the movie theater located on it's doorstep?

Alma Nove is named for the Wahlberg matriarch

Alma, and Nove, for her nine children.

This past weekend, while on an adventure, which included our good friend Banks, we made our way over to the Hingham Shipyard, where Alma Nove is located and gave it a try.

We arrived at about 3:30pm and the kitchen was in between lunch and dinner, so the hostess told us we could only sit at the bar and have a limited menu. My initial reaction was disappointment, but then we asked to see the menu, and limited is probably not the right choice of words. There was still a great selection of food to choose from, so we opted to sit down at one of the high tops surrounding the bar.

Being relegated to the bar, could have been a second chance to

disappoint me, but Alma Nove has an open floor plan, with lots of windows. I love natural light and being on the water. The only thing that would have been better is if I were able to sit outside on the patio. I also am not a big fan of the bar high top. Usually I find sitting up that high uncomfortable, but Alma Nove has extremely comfortable leather chairs, and the wall separating the bar from the dining area has a glass sound buffer. This makes the restaurant feel as though it is one big room, and made me feel in no way was I in less desirable seating.

Within a half hour of our arrival, I noticed every high top in the bar was taken as well as all seating around the bar. That is pretty amazing for the in between lunch and dinner time at a restaurant.

For our in between meal,which was really more of an early dinner;), I opted for the Spaghettini, Banks got the Orecchietti, and Lou the Grilled Sirloin Burger.

The Spaghettini came with mizuno pesto, pistachios and wood grilled chicken. The portion was perfect. The blend of the pesto, and pistachios was simple yet so flavorful, and the chicken was moist and tender. I loved it.

Banks let me taste her Orecchietti, and I felt the same way. It was a blend of rapini, panchetta and Romano cheese. This was also a simple dish, but packed with flavor, and the perfect portion.

I think the most telling dish as to whether Alma Nove is a really good restaurant was Lou's burger. The first thing I noticed is it was all about the burger. The bun size to burger size was absolutely perfect. Paul Wahlberg must have grown up on the "Where's the beef?" commercials and vowed to do better. The bun also looked freshly made. I have said it before and will continue to say it, "Good bread, good sandwich, good burger." Lou loved it.

We were so satisfied with lunch, we decided we had to continue on with dessert. Looking at the Alma Nove website, the dessert is different than what they had listed the day we were there, which means they do seasonal desserts. This also means ingredients are fresh, and dessert invokes the atmosphere of the season. I personally love this. It is only a shame I can't credit the pastry chef because I don't see the name on the website. We chose two very seasonal desserts, the pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust, and the

ginger cake with caramel sauce and fresh brandy whipped cream. Hopefully I described those right. I do know I got the brandy whipped cream right. Here's a little secret. Want to spruce up that pie at Thanksgiving? Make fresh whipped cream and add a tablespoon of brandy to it. You will be asking people if the want pie with their whipped cream. It is delicious, and the desserts at Alma Nove were outstanding.

I have to admit, Alma Nove exceeded all my expectations. The service was great, the food was outstanding. The atmosphere was perfect, and I have to say it was aptly name. With all the talent floating around in the Wahlberg family, it's good to see Alma Wahlberg recognized. She sure did something right.

Take me to another place, Take me to another land, Make me forget all that hurts me, Let me understand your plan

Brick's Cafe

2020 Fieldstone Parkway

Suite 200 (next to Publix)

Franklin, TN 37067

Menu: Italian, Southern, Southwestern. Something for everyone

Atmosphere: Nice casual

Kid Friendly: Yes but not exactly Applebee's or a Friday's a bit nicer than that, so don't show up if you let your kids run buck wild.

Price: For the two of us it was about $45 with tip. Not bad for a good meal, leftovers and a decent atmosphere to bring a date before a movie. My sister was my date, and we went to see Avatar later on.

In my last blog, I mentioned visiting my sister, Colleen and her family in Tennessee last weekend. While I was there, Colleen and I went to Brick's Cafe in Franklin. My niece, Corinne is a hostess and food runner there. It was fun to see her work while we had a great meal.

When I was younger, I loved when my family would come visit me at work. Ok, I admit partly because they tipped me really well, but also because it was fun to have them come and support me. It made me proud of the job I was doing because I could tell they were proud.

Brick's Cafe is in a shopping center in the Nashville suburb, Franklin. I have lived in the city so long, it is always strange to me to go to a restaurant in a shopping center. I think I have this preconceived notion a restaurant in a shopping center is not going to be good. I know it is ridiculous, and to be fair on my blog, I need to get over my restaurant stereotyping. At least Brick's went a long way in changing my mind.

When we walked into Brick's I immediately forgot there was a Publix looming outside the door. The setting inside was exposed brick, nice table settings and soft lighting. We were sat quickly probably because Corinne sat us, but hey she seats everyone, so you will probably be sat quickly as well. We were greeted at the table quickly too.

Bricks has a little something for everyone. Their menu has an Italian influence, but it also has a Southern and South Western influence. It seems as though whoever owns Brick's figured they would just put all their favorite foods on the menu and who cares if they don't have a particular theme, as long as the food tastes good, people will come.

If there is one thing my sister and I have in common it is we LOVE to eat. We used to eat so much when we were tweens/teens we would have contests to see who could eat the most. Split a large pizza? No problem 6 to 8 tacos? A breeze. I was really excited to enjoy a good meal with her after all these years, but with the metabolisms of two 40 year old woman, we skipped the eating contest.

During our visit to Bricks we started with the Cajun Bayou Fondue. I ask you, what is better than melted cheese in a bowl? That's right nothing, especially when it is packed with shrimp, bay scallops, crawfish, spinach and baby portabellas. Check out the pic below. I am only sorry I would have looked foolish asking for a to go container for the leftovers. It was so good, I almost forgot to take a picture.

For dinner, I got the Portabellini Chicken, and Colleen when for the Smothered Chicken. The Portabellini Chicken was a grilled chicken breast over red mashed potatoes, smothered in sautéed portabelllini mushrooms in a roasted garlic red wine demi glaze. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. I ate most of it, and this is actually what I got to take home.

The Smothered Chicken was grilled chicken over sauteed spinach and covered with creamy smoked gouda sauce served with steamed vegetables. Here's Colleen enjoying it. She is going to be so happy about this picture. Look how into the food she is!

Both dishes were big enough to eat half and have another full meal to take home. Don't be ashamed to take your leftovers. Sometimes they taste better the next day. Besides restaurant portions tend to be enormous these days, and to be perfectly honest... we needed room for dessert!

We went for the Chocolate Truffle Cake. It was Kona coffee ice cream over a truffle cake, drizzled in Bailey's Irish Cream. Perfect way to end a really yummy meal.

If you happen to be traveling through Tennessee and stop in Franklin to eat at Brick's, say hello to my niece Corinne.

Everybody Has a Hometown Favorite

Maria Rosa's

541 Sergeantsville Rd. (Rte. 523)

Flemington, NJ 08822

908-788-4945

Menu: Pizza, Pasta, Wraps, Sandwiches Salads

Atmosphere: Hometown laid back favorite

Kid Friendly: Absolutely

Prices: Inexpensive way to have an excellent meal out with the family

Every person who lives away from home has a favorite restaurant they hit up when they go home for something they've been craving. For my sister, Kira, and I, that place is Maria Rosa's. The address is Flemington, but it is closer to Sergeantsville where we grew up.

When I visit Maria Rosa's the thought always enters my mind, why wasn't this place here when I was growing up? Maria Rosa's is a Restaurant and Pizzeria run by the Marinelli family. I can't remember when the restaurant actually opened. I know it was after I moved away from the area, but I feel like I have been going there forever. It is the quintessential, hometown place with great food, a laid back atmosphere, an ultra friendly staff, and you're guaranteed to run into someone you know when you are there.

When I first moved to Sergeantsville, I was 9 years old. I remember in the first month my father decided we were going on an adventure! He said we would seek out the best cheese steak in the area. We had moved up from outside of Philly, and so there were big shoes to fill, but we were determined. We went to about 5 different places that day, and struck out. We thought there was just no way a place in Central Jersey would know how to make a good cheesesteak, but then along came the Marinelli's at Maria Rosa's and their award winning cheesesteak. The steak is shaved, the cheese it melted perfectly, there is marinara sauce on top, onions, peppers and mushrooms if you want them... It is Cheesesteak perfection. If you look on Yelp today there is a review from someone who says, "O MY GOD! That was the best Cheese Steak Sub I ever had and I used to live in Philadelphia"

Besides the cheesesteak, the rest of the food at Maria Rosa's is just as good. The pizza is great, and of course they have traditional Italian pasta dishes like Chicken and Eggplant Parm, Stuffed Rigatoni Pesto, and the house specialty Penne Maria Rosa. Salads come with every entree and are always fresh and crisp. My mom love's Mike's homemade vinagrette. Maria Rosa's also has wraps on the menu, Ralph's Chicken is delicious and a healthy option.One of the best parts about Maria Rosa's is the Marinelli's. They know everyone. It is truely a family run business. Brothers Ralph and Mike are almost always behind the counter, Mike cooking and Ralph greeting everyone as they come and go. Mr. and Mrs. Marinelli used to run the business full time, and will often still be in greeting customers and helping to deliver food. Long time waitress Donna, is always pleasant and quick to serve. I don't think I have ever been to Maria Rosa's where one of the Marinelli's or Donna didn't stop by the table to ask how our family was doing, and at Christmas time, they often give out wine as gifts to their regular customers.

If you are in the Flemington area and you are looking for that hometown place with great food and great service. try Maria Rosa's.

Melt for Melt

Melt Grill

2805 Center Valley Parkway

Center Valley, PA 18034

610-798-9000

Menu: Italian food with a modern twist

Atmosphere: Upscale, laid back, club on third floor of restaurant

Kid Friendly: Get a Sitter

Prices: Not too bad for an upscale place, dinner for 4 was $130 without alcohol

While Lou and I were home in NJ we met up with our good friends Dana and Brian to have dinner near their home in Emmaus, PA. When I say, good friend, Dana and I grew up across the street from one another since we were 12 years old.

There is a new Sands casino in Bethlehem, PA which was built in the old Bethlehem Steel building. Originally we were going to eat at Emeril's Grill at the casino, but it was booked so we opted for a favorite, Melt.

Melt is located in an outdoor shopping mall, The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. They describe their own menu as a modern twist on traditional Italian cuisine, but I wouldn't classify this as an Italian restaurant. I see it more as an upscale grill with an Italian influence.

The decor in Melt is beautiful. The pictures are a nice representation of the main dining room, but whoever designed melt made the mistake of making the middle of the main floor the focal point complete with a large floor to ceiling fireplace. I imagine most people, who have been to Melt before, ask to be sat on the main floor, but there are only about 40 seats in that area.
Another strange design choice is the bathrooms. They are on the second floor. A lot of restaurants have their restrooms on the second floor, this is true, but the second floor of Melt is up a staircase which reaches a span of 2-3 regular stories. The ceilings are very high. There is an elevator that can be used to reach the restrooms as well, but in general, unless you are sitting on the second floor, it is a bit inconvenient.

Each time we have been to Melt, I been happy with my meal. This time I went for the Penne Pasta Bosciala and a Caesar Salad. Something about me which may become apparent as I continue with this blog, is there are certain items I like to try at different places. One of those items is the Caesar Salad. I love it when it is made correctly. This one was perfect. The parmesan was shaved in large pieces across the top. The dressing was not too heavy, and it had the signature anchovies on top. A slight twist to Melt's version were 3 small, soft breadsticks on the side instead of croutons.

I was also very happy with the Penne Bosciala. It was diced chicken with wild mushrooms, zucchini and sage in a light cream sauce. The combination was outstanding. The cream sauce was light so the dish was not uncomfortably filling like a lot of cream sauce pastas.

This dinner I actually got some wine! Dana and I tried the Sketchbook Pinot Noir. It was a good wine suggested by the server, but I got the impression the server didn't know much about the wine list except a few choice bottles. I don't think this is entirely out of character for a place like Melt. It is probably one of the nicest restaurants in the area, but it is in a Mall, and I don't imagine it draws a professional wait staff with extensive wine knowledge.

For dessert, Brian and I shared the Pistachio Cake with white chocolate icecream. It was two generous pieces of cake. The taste was similar to pound cake with a pistachio flavor and nuts throughout. It was very good.

On a whole our experience at Melt was excellent. Everyone enjoyed their meal choices. Our server was fun. We harassed him consistently through the meal, but he took it in stride. There was one late arrival of a Caprese Salad which Brian ordered, but it was corrected quickly. If traveling through the Allentown area, Melt is worth a trip.