Pizzeria Posto's Whole Hog!

For those of you who don't know, Tuesday was the 29th anniversary of my birth, otherwise known as my 29th birthday. I am a big fan of my birthday (and really, everyone's birthday) and this year, I decided to celebrate with a few of my favorite things - a big dinner with my nearest and dearest, a dinner sourced from local, well-treated (and well-cooked) ingredients, some good wine, and just a splash of adventure.

Luckily for me, Davis Square is home to the much hallowed Pizzeria Posto, a delightful wood-fired pizzeria that bases its changing menu on what's in season and super fresh and has some pretty delicious options. Nate and I recently tried Pizzeria Posto for the first tmie and enjoyed a delightful meal (and an awesome basil gimlet) with Fireman Ben. It was during this dinner that we devised the perfect meal for celebrating a 29th birthday.

Pizzeria Posto, in line with a number of other Boston are eateries, offers its diner the chance to experience a pretty unique food offering in the form of an entire pig. They ask for 2 weeks notice and at least 10 guests and in return, the pick out a local pig for you, brine it for over a day, and cook it for hours. They pair it with some delicious sides and, if you're the birthday girl, they give you an amazing tiramisu.

Pizzeria Posto's Famiglia Dinner appealed to me for a number of reasons - one, it's the kind of meal that is an event in itself and pairing it with my birthday made it really feel like a holiday, everything is super fresh and local (and yummy) and Posto really wants to make you feel loved. They treat the meal as an event for them too, explaining all of the steps to you and encouraging the ambitious to try something new (pig brain anyone?).

It was a delicious meal with delightful friends and I didn't even have to figure out the check - thanks Nate! I was pretty darn full afterward but what a fantastic way to usher in the last year of my 20s.

For the record, I did try brain (as well as cheek, neck, and toe!) and I didn't love it. It was more of a texture than a taste but thanks to Sanjay, Ben, and Steve for diving in with me.

P.S. Posto wraps everything up for you (no, we did take the brain) and I've made some yummy ragu from the sausage filling and some spicy green chili & pork tacos with the tenderloin. The meal keeps on giving!

Bob's Sandwich Challenge... Thwarted Again!

Alright, alright... I know. Here I am, talking about this weekly sandwich challenge and really, I'm only eating sandwiches every other week. Well, you have a point there... but to be honest, there's a lot of food out there and it's not all in sandwich form. Some of it comes in funfetti cake, some of it comes in the form of an entire pig (more on that later), and some of it comes... in beautiful, foil-wrapped packages of brisket.

That's right ladies and gentlemen. I said brisket. Nate decided it was time to give the ole smoker another turn on the dance floor and decided that this time, he'd give brisket a try. He's only used the smoker once to date (last fall - ribs) but I know he's been eager to break it out again. We picked up an 11 pound mother of a brisket at the Meat House in Arlington (an amazing meat shoppe BTW) which he trimmed and rubbed yesterday. Today, we started bright and early and after a few hiccups (i.e. starting the smoker on the 3rd floor porch only to have to move it downstairs) we were off to the races... you know, metaphorically.

Even with the hiccups, Nate did an amazing job with the brisket. It was succulent but crispy - amazing. I'm pretty sure I can't say it better than:

For the record, I wasn't sitting on my laurels while Nate was smoking the beef. I did some serious yardwork and pulled together some yummy sides (if I don't say so myself) for our impromptu BBQ - watermelon & strawberry salad, sweet & spicy coleslaw, baked beans, corn muffins, and rice krispy treats.

Nom.

Boston Burger Battle - Results!

I know, the burger battle was ages ago! Okay, not ages, but... weeks at least.

Turns out that while KO Prime excels at putting on top notch events centered around burgers and donating to a good cause. What they do NOT excel at is posting the results for said burger-centered event.

I have been googling and I've been finding a bunch of local food blogs who have weighed in but figured KO had to be updating themselves right? If they are, I haven't found it and I google for a living. The facebook page is silent, the official website equally so.

Fine, I give. I can't wait any longer KO Prime - I need to update my readers!

Without further ado, the winners:

1. Bristol Lounge (agreed!)
2. Sel de la Terre
3. Island Creek Oyster Bar

I will say that all of these burgers were delicious but I just had different opinions here. I do have to wonder... how do they pick these winners? What if people don't try all the burgers? Etc.

I'm not trying to say the voting is flawed... but...

Many questions.

Boston Burger Battle - I Need a Nap

Oh dear readers... are you ready for a new era of Quitsville here? I haven't written about food much in the past, which strikes me as pretty odd given the amount of time I spend thinking about, reading about, and making food (not to mention eating!). Well, those days are over.

I love food. I love cooking and canning and drying and smoking and grilling and eating, definitely eating. I spend a lot of time and energy on trying new foods, new restaurants, and new techniques - so it only seems fitting that I spend some of my precious blog time on one of my past times.

This evening I attended KO Prime's 2nd annual Boston Burger Battle - an epic competition of Boston area chefs to create the best burger in the city (as vote upon by yours truly... and you know, hundreds of other eager carnivores). I knew this was going to be a big night, don't get me wrong, but I'm not entirely sure I knew exactly what I was getting into.

The Burger Battle is a fundraiser for Autism Speaks, an organization founded around raising autism awareness, and is a veritable mecca for burger lovers. 13 local chefs (correction - 12 chefs - Craigie on Main sadly dropped out at the last moment) compete with sliders or quartered burgers for the title and its pretty amazing.

Nate and I kept our excitement in check throughout the day - not knowing entirely what to expect - but when we arrived it was time for full on glee. We checked in, got our wristbands and proceeded to the 2nd and 3rd floors where burgers were spread before us like a heavenly banquet! I grabbed a glass of wine but a word to the wise - you don't need it, it only hampers the shoveling that can be accomplished with two hands.

In the end, I did manage to get at least a bite of every burger on offer: the onion-ring topped delight from The Bristol Lounge, the fried oyster topped burger from Island Creek Oyster Bar, the veal burger with cinnamon sugar pork rinds from Trina's Starlite Lounge, the biscuit burger with cheese sauce from Garden at the Cellar... all of them. And oh heaven were they amazing. Each one was like its own little experience with different flavors, different buns and sauces, different toppings. Amazing.

In the end, my favorites were the burgers brought to you by KO Prime (yes, the host but OMG that meat, it was like eating an amazing little steak on a bun), Bambara (a classy take on an In-and-Out style burger), and Blue Ginger (burger purists will disagree but Ming Tsai's sloppy joe had just the right combination of flavors and textures). Honorable mention for The Gallows for their homemade pickles!

As I'm writing this post the Burger Battle hasn't even wrapped up so we'll have to wait and see who the winners are! For those of you who are interested, watch out for next year's Burger Battle!