Tag: Waltham

Today We Celebrate December and 100 Years of Nino Franco with a Bottle of Nino Franco Rustico

We are starting December 2019 with a longtime favorite sparkling wine, Nino Franco Rustico. We have been enjoying, recommending, and writing about this wine for more than a decade. Now wine experts around the world are catching on to a great thing. (More about that below.)

The last time we raised a glass to the wonderful people at Nino Franco, it was with the bottle Silvia Franco was signing in the photo below. Back then we joined them long distance as they celebrated the 30th vintage of their Primo Franco. As they raised their glasses in Valdobbiadene, we opened this bottle and toasted them here in Boston.

After a few years as Internet friends, we were happy to meet Silvia in person on a trip to Boston. It was good to learn that she is as nice, smart, and sharing in person as she is with her social media friends.

Today we'll raise a glass to Silvia Franco and her family as they celebrate 100 years of Nino Franco vintages. Please take a relaxing moment with Silvia and her family as they tell you about the wines and the place they love, protect, and celebrate in the video below.

Not only will we congratulate this family on 100 years of winemaking, but also for their Rustico winning the number one spot on Wine Enthusiast's best-of-the-best list "THE ENTHUSIAST 100 WINES OF 2019" with a rating of 94 out of 100. That is along with many more honors for their other wines.

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for ~$25.00. (A special thank you to our friend Vinnie who supplied the ride to Waltham to renew our supply of this favorite wine.)

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join us in our Sparkling Resolution.

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What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino with a few additions from the Nino Franco site.

December 1, 2019
BostonZest Take on Some 2016 Local Food Trends

In her January 5, 2016, Fresh & Local food column, Penny wrote about some of the food trends we thought we'd see strengthening in our area this year.

Do you remember early bowl pioneer "Jack and the Bean Bowl" back in 2009?

More Food in Bowls!

Bowls filled with ramen, vegetables, grains, noodles, and soups will grow in importance on restaurant, food truck, and take out menus. Part of this trend is due to our growing acceptance of authentic ethnic cuisines. The need for gluten-free (GF) menu items has restaurants offering the GF-safe ingredients from something like a burrito in a bowl rather than a wrap.

Here's one of our favorite bowls of Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil. (More on that dish here.)

In addition, many of these bowls contain warm, filling, comfort foods from the cultures where they originated and we quickly grow to love them for the same reason.

We were thrilled when we saw that the food minds over at the Globe agreed with us by publishing a simultaneous prediction!

Rumanian Pastrami from Sam LaGrassa's (More on this here.)

Good Deli Options

"What the Back Bay needs is a good deli," we hear this from neighbors all the time. We try to explain that the economics of rents in this neighborhood is probably going to prevent that from happening, but we do think we will have more great delicatessens popping up around the area.

And this new version of the old deli features high quality, often house-made meats, and prepared foods. This trend was started in Waltham by Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions. We are thrilled to learn that we will be able to sample their wares from shared space within the new Gordon's Boston store in Downtown Crossing.

While for us a deli sandwich is an occasional treat, we do have a few old favorites. Sam LaGrassa's is always on our list of recommendations for visitors. If we're in Coolidge Corner, we'll pick up sandwiches from Michael's Deli.

Tacos filled with lamb in barbacoa sauce from Tenoch Mexican Taqueria. (More photos here.)

Regional Mexican Food

A second national trend that seems to be slowly appearing in Boston is restaurants offering authentic, regional Mexican cuisines like our much loved Angela’s Cafe in East Boston and the small local Tenoch Mexican Taqueria restaurants and food cart.

In December, we learned that Angela's is opening a second location in Orient Heights much closer to transit. Getting there without a car has limited our visits to the original place.

What are you seeing in the world of local food that makes you smile? Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email and we'll add your suggestions to this post as an update.

We have a few more trends to talk about and will link to that post when it is published.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2009-2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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January 20, 2016
BostonZest Take on Some 2016 Local Food Trends

In her January 5, 2016, Fresh & Local food column, Penny wrote about some of the food trends we thought we'd see strengthening in our area this year.

Do you remember early bowl pioneer "Jack and the Bean Bowl" back in 2009?

More Food in Bowls!

Bowls filled with ramen, vegetables, grains, noodles, and soups will grow in importance on restaurant, food truck, and take out menus. Part of this trend is due to our growing acceptance of authentic ethnic cuisines. The need for gluten-free (GF) menu items has restaurants offering the GF-safe ingredients from something like a burrito in a bowl rather than a wrap.

Here's one of our favorite bowls of Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil. (More on that dish here.)

In addition, many of these bowls contain warm, filling, comfort foods from the cultures where they originated and we quickly grow to love them for the same reason.

We were thrilled when we saw that the food minds over at the Globe agreed with us by publishing a simultaneous prediction!

Rumanian Pastrami from Sam LaGrassa's (More on this here.)

Good Deli Options

"What the Back Bay needs is a good deli," we hear this from neighbors all the time. We try to explain that the economics of rents in this neighborhood is probably going to prevent that from happening, but we do think we will have more great delicatessens popping up around the area.

And this new version of the old deli features high quality, often house-made meats, and prepared foods. This trend was started in Waltham by Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions. We are thrilled to learn that we will be able to sample their wares from shared space within the new Gordon's Boston store in Downtown Crossing.

While for us a deli sandwich is an occasional treat, we do have a few old favorites. Sam LaGrassa's is always on our list of recommendations for visitors. If we're in Coolidge Corner, we'll pick up sandwiches from Michael's Deli.

Tacos filled with lamb in barbacoa sauce from Tenoch Mexican Taqueria. (More photos here.)

Regional Mexican Food

A second national trend that seems to be slowly appearing in Boston is restaurants offering authentic, regional Mexican cuisines like our much loved Angela’s Cafe in East Boston and the small local Tenoch Mexican Taqueria restaurants and food cart.

In December, we learned that Angela's is opening a second location in Orient Heights much closer to transit. Getting there without a car has limited our visits to the original place.

What are you seeing in the world of local food that makes you smile? Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email and we'll add your suggestions to this post as an update.

We have a few more trends to talk about and will link to that post when it is published.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2009-2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Tenoch Mexican Restaurants & Food Truck

Where to Pick Up Great Food for Boston Summer 2014 Events

January 20, 2016
Greeting November with a Special Treat: Champagne H. Billiot Fils Rosé

When is it time for a treat? Well, since it’s officially November and the holiday season is almost here, we were thinking … why not, now?

It’s never too early to prepare for the festive times ahead. And, what better way to get in the mood than by uncorking an exceptional sparkler.

Anytime we think “special wine,” we look to recommendations from people we’ve come to trust. In this case, seeing the name Terry Theise on a bottle of Champagne at the wine shop meant this H. Billiot Fils Brut Rosé was coming home with us.

It should be said that, although Theise is nothing short of a wine savant, we always advise anyone looking for helpful suggestions to make their own list of importers. And, Terry Theise is a great place to start.

He reminds us that, “Billiots are not filtered …” And that, “Billiot lifts you up on a billowing fountain of fruit. Her wines have marvelous stamina and brightness. They’re hedonistic but not sloppy.”

Penny found the first sniff of the Brut Rosé to be “Dry, stern on the nose, but it took a friendlier turn on the tongue.” Ed described, “Vibrant but not overpowering fruit that was balanced and (in the full British sense of the word) lovely!”

We enjoyed the Champagne with goat cheese, onion jam, and Provencal olives. It also matched well with olive oil crackers.

It was also spectacular all by itself as we lingered over every last drop.

We found our bottle of Champagne H. Billiot Fils Champagne Brut Rosé at Gordon’s Fine Wines & Liquors in Waltham ($54.30 after 15% case discount) – a November treat we will likely repeat for the holidays or perhaps even sooner.

Here’s how a New Year’s Toast became “Our Sparkling Resolution”

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

November 1, 2014