Unfortunately, the Project is just a thread that barely ties Powell’s book together.  She uses the book as a sounding board to share fictionalized stories about her friend’s drunken sexcapades, true stories about her own marriage, and anything else that she feels like talking about – everything from her political leanings to her apartment’s plumbing problems to her laments about her depressing dead-end job.  In between reading e-mails from friends, yelling at her husband, and trying to sleep with another married man, there are some tales of Powell actually cooking some of Child’s recipes.  I wouldn’t even have minded the rest of her stories, but some of them were kind of offensive (and I think I’m usually pretty open-minded)  and most of them weren’t as funny as the book cover would have you believe.  Furthermore, Powell invents a lot of stories about Paul and Julia Child, which seemed unnecessary given the amount of information available on them.  It seems to be a weak attempt to draw parallels between her life and Child’s.

That said, the portions where Powell is actually cooking are interesting.  She places a cooking icon in a modern-day world and we get to see how relevant Child and her recipes are today.  It also causes one to give though to how different food and food television might be if it weren’t for Child.  Some of Powell’s adventures really are amusing - attempting to euthanize a lobster, poaching eggs in red wine and watching them turn blue, or figuring out how to get the bone marrow out of a large animal thigh bone.  The book is a quick read – I probably would have given up on it, but I was able to finish it quickly and move on to other foodie adventures.

Powell’s book is being released as a movie (also titled Julie and Julia)  this August, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep (the movie will purportedly follow Julia and Paul’s lives more truthfully than the book does).  Powell also has another book due in August, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession.

Then, there were many sad, lonely years where Papa was not within a reasonable distance from home.  My husband grew weary of hearing about the Legend of Papa’s.  He claimed to have tried them and not liked them, but I told him that this was impossible (I’m stubborn like that).  Finally, a local branch opened, and we ordered take-out.  It was like introducing him to a long-lost friend, and it was really important to me that they get along.  To my relief, they did – we all did.  Now Papa is a regular guest in our house.  My husband particularly loves the breadsticks, which are great – they are nothing like the limp, fatty breadsticks of rival chain pizza places.  Papa’s isn’t lazy…they don’t take a bare pizza crust, butter it, and bake it.  This dough was born to be in breadsticks – they are thick and they actually taste like good bread, with no butter or fakey herb toppings.  Even better, there are myriad dipping sauces to choose from – ranging from the healthy (pizza tomato sauce) to the artery-clogging (cheese or garlic) - though dipping sauces beyond one token pizza sauce come at an additional cost.  I should mention that Papa John’s also offers flavored breadsticks, but I’m a purist – I like good, basic, doughy bread.

The pizza is nothing to sneeze at, either.  I am shocked and dismayed when people claim that other pizza chains like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, or Papa Gino’s (wrong Papa!) are better – I don’t think that they come close.  Papa’s is generous with the toppings, they taste relatively fresh for having come from a chain/delivery place, the toppings are proportionate to each other (i.e. it’s not all sauce, no cheese) and the crust is almost as delicous as the breadsticks – and equally great with the dipping sauces.  More importantly, Papa’s is consistent – I don’t worry when we order that it will be an “off night” like I do with other pizza places.

At about $18 for an order of breadsticks and a large pizza (together, enough to feed about 4 people) the price is reasonable.

On the down side – I guess there’s always a down side – but it’s relatively minor…there are no gourmet toppings to choose from – no eggplant, no fancy cheeses, just the basics – though Papa’s does have some specialty pizzas available.  Also, my husband seems to run into at least one snafu every time he places a take-out order by phone (we have yet to try their online ordering) and every time he goes to pick up the order…but it doesn’t stop him from craving and retrieving the pizza and breadsticks.  He is now a fellow convert (or addict).  So, call Papa, and enjoy!

My first Reichl book was Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise (though this is not the first of her books, if you wish to read them chronologically).  The premise of this particular book centers on Reichl’s work as a food editor to the New York times; a job with serious responsibility and serious implications.  Reichl had worked previously as a food editor, but never for such a high profile publication with such power to make or break a restaurant.  After uprooting her family and moving cross-country, Reichl quickly learned that restaurants across New York City were all but stalking her  – her picture and personal information were widely circulated (rather unnerving!) prior to her arrival.  Admirably, Reichl did not let this stop her or affect her ability to garner honest reviews of restaurants of all calibers.

Her inventive solution was to design and don disguises when dining in restaurants that she wished to review.  Reichl often returned to restaurants several times, often in different disguises.  The results are fascinating, and often hysterical.   Her candid revelations shed light on some of the most famous restaurants in the city (and, often, the country) and, in turn, about society.   In the process, Reichl learned a lot about herself and those around her.  Reichl has a way with food, and with words; you can practically taste the food that she describes.  Many of her reviews are reprinted in the book and she shares several recipes as well.  I can’t recommend this book highly enough to anyone with an interest in food or the restaurant world.  Even non-foodies will enjoy her observations.

Reichl is editor-in-chief at Gourmet magazine and has authored three books, with one more due out in April (I can’t wait!).  She has also co-authored and edited several other books.

In no particular order:

-Celeriac, or celery root.  I was confused on this one for a long time, and I’ll admit it – I thought it was actually a part of the more familiar vegetable, but it is an entirely different, though related, vegetable.  I find its taste milder and more pleasant than celery, but sweeter and more flavorful than a potato.  It’s a gnarly looking beast of a vegetable – it looks sort of like a large radish before it is peeled and cooked.  You may see it sneaking up on menus, mashed on its own or mashed with potatoes or other root vegetables like turnips.  It can also be used in soups.  I first tried it mashed sans other veggies at an upscale restaurant in western Massachusetts in early 2008, and didn’t see it again (or think about it) for months.  More recently, I’ve seen celeriac/celery root on other restaurant menus, on a recent Food Network challenge on TV, and in several recipes in a recent issue of the Food Network magazine (clearly, I keep the channel in business!)  I like celeriac and look forward to seeing it more widely avaialble in stores so I can try cooking them, although their barky exterior is a little off-putting and daunting!

-Hot drinks – and I mean this literally.  I love spice, particularly in the cuisines I expect it from like Indian or Asian cuisines.  I’m not sure how I feel about pepper and chili and jalapeno flavors in my cocktails, though – it seems counterintuitive, like using alcohol to try to put out a fire.  I haven’t tried very many of these types of drinks, though, so my verdict is still out on this one.  I can sort of see how spice might complement a margarita…I guess I’m just afraid that the alcohol will make the heat linger longer than I want.  I plan to get more daring with these types of drinks, though.

-While I’m on the topic of cocktails, adding mild teas to mixed drinks seems to be another trend – green tea, even more exotic teas like hibiscus tea.  I like tea once in awhile, but not in my cocktails…seems too virtuous, I guess, to have green tea in my cocktails.

-Molten chocolate cakes.  This one may be on its way out as I see fewer of these listed on high-end restaurant menus, and more and more on chain restaurant menus.  I like them, I can’t complain about chocolate oozing out of the middle of my cake, but it is a little predictable.  I recently tried something called Chocolate Pate at Moonstone’s in Chelmsford, MA, and I’d like to see this become a trend – mmmmm.

-Pomegranate is another trend – I’ve had pomegranate reductions on duck, pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top of food, and pomegranate flavored cocktails (these are sweet enough not to seem too healty or virtuous).  I think pomegranates will stick around as long as people keep talking about what a “super food” it is (it is believed to help prevent myriad problems from Alzheimers’ Disease to cancers).  Acai berries (also high in antioxidants) seem to be the new “super food” on the rise and are being used in some of the same types of applications.  I haven’t had a chance to try many foods/drinks with acai yet.

-Cured meats, otherwise known as salumi (that’s not a typo – I’ve recently learned that salami is a type of salumi, though).  I’ve seen these promoted as a new trend, but I’m not sure I’m buying them as a trend.  I think cured meats like prosciutto and pancetta are becoming more widely available and people love smoked meats – some of these meats are basically gourmet bacon – and smoking familiar meats like turkey certainly adds new, complex flavors.  But I think salumi is only going to increase in popularity as it finds its way to supermarkets everywhere, and I don’t see these foods going away…so I’m not sure it’s truly a trend.  My husband and I hope to visit Seattle over the next year, and I would like to visit the Salumi store, owned by Mario Batali’s dad, Armandino Batali…he’s probably most responsible for introducing Americans to the term salumi.

-Comfort foods – this is a whole entry onto itself – so, stay tuned and enjoy lots of trendy foods! 

Grafton Street has clearly found success in Harvard Square; we made reservations nearly a week before and time slots were already limited.  We arrived to find a bustling, trendy restaurant and bar within walking distance from the Harvard T stop (on the red line).  The crowd in Grafton Street was an eclectic mix ranging from young couples on early dates to groups of middle-aged friends catching up.  I enjoyed the atmosphere, although the proximity of the bar to the restaurant area was a little distracting, mostly because of the TVs.

Given that we were celebrating, there were no-holds barred in ordering up several courses of food, and, of course, fun cocktails to wash the food down with.  Grafton Street has a nice list of beers on draft,  a decent wine list, and several unique cocktails.  I ordered a drink that I now unfortunatly forget the name of (and cocktails aren’t listed on the website); I can say that it was a mix of sparkling wine, fresh raspberries and some other fun libations.  It was served in a small champagne flute, but other than the portion being smaller than hoped for, it was good.  It was less sweet than expected - actually pleasingly tart.  My husband ordered a sangria which had nice, complex flavors of fruit and wine.

We started our meal with Roasted Pear Salad and One Magnificent Cheese.  The Roasted Pear Salad had an excellent dressing and the pears were cooked to perfection.  The generous slice of Great Hill Blue Cheese didn’t hurt, either.  One Magnificent Cheese was as advertised – magnificent!  It was a large wedge of Lamb Chopper sheeps’ milk cheese served with honey, candied walnuts, and grilled bread.  The cheese was slightly dry to bite the way that a good parmesan is, but was much creamier in the mouth with a slightly sharp consistency that paired perfectly with the sweet honey and nuts.  (Can you tell that I love a good cheese?)  My cheese reverie was interrupted by our dinner entrees arriving earlier than anticipated, leading us to feel a bit rushed.

For the main course, I had Pan-Roasted Duck Breast which was cooked in a pomegranate reduction and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  On the side was a sweet-potato and confit hash mixed with spinach (I had expected the spinach to be a separate side from the hash, but it worked together).   My entree included three perfectly cooked medium-rare slices of tender duck breast, and one leg (another surprise).  The duck had the perfect amount of fat to flavor it but it wasn’t overly fatty and it had a wonderful flavor.  The pomegranate seeds added a nice texture that popped in the mouth.  The sweet potato-spinach hash was alright but not evenly seasoned – some bites were very salty, and some lacked seasoning altogether.  I also split a side of mushroom risotto (it was a gluttonous meal) with my husband and it had the same inconsistent seasoning – some bites of the risotto were offensively salty and altogether it wasn’t a very good side dish.  The risotto wasn’t creamy or soft enough and it was overwhelmed by a very heavy gravy-like sauce. 

My husband was perhaps smarter than me on this evening and ordered a lighter meal of a Cuban sandwich with fries.  The fries were downright disappointing – not crisp enough on the outside, and rather mealy on the inside.  My husband liked his Cuban but found the aioli was not spread evenly leading him to feel like each segment of his sandwich was of a different variety.  The mustard-seed aioli and pickles alternatingly overwhelmed the rest of the sandwich to me, but I’m not a Cuban aficionado like my husband (who would have preferred less of the spicy aioli). 

This meal would not have been complete to me without dessert.  We split the flourless chocolate cake.  The menu stated that it was served with coffee ice cream and a coffee-white chocolate chip cookie, but our cake came – without warning – with mint chip ice cream and a cookie that was more like a shortbread sandwich with chocolate filling.  All three elements were delicious, but they did not complement one another.  The mint was too sweet to pair with the cake and the shortbread just introduced a buttery element that didn’t work.  However, the cake was wonderful, it was rich like a typical flourless chocolate cake but slightly less dense and creamier.  I really enjoyed the soft texture and dark chocolate flavor.

Service was good and our meal came to approximately $100 after tax and tip.  While Grafton Street fell short on a few items, I would definitely make a return trip to this Harvard Square establishment.  Next time, I look forward to trying the pub fare with a good draft beer.

I particularly enjoy Starbucks’ specialty drinks.  Their regular coffee is simply too bitter for me.  Every once in awhile I give it another try, I ask them to leave me a lot of extra room for milk or cream, but I still end up dumping half of the coffee in the trash so that I can mask the bitterness with milk/cream and sugar.  Palates differ greatly, though - my husband can drink (and enjoy) their coffee black.

On this visit to Starbucks I was hoping for a new seasonal coffee drink; I love the seasonal concoctions – Pumpkin Lattes, Eggnog Lattes, and possibly my all-time favorite, the Leprechaun Lattes.  When I want less caffeine and more comfort, I love the new Signature Hot Chocolates.  In the summer, I drink light Frappucinos.  So, I was surprised to walk into Starbucks after several weeks of Starbucks withdrawal to find that not only were there no new specialty coffee drinks but that the coffee menu had been taken over by (gasp!) teas.

Don’t get me wrong – I like tea.  But it’s generally not why I go to Starbucks.  I do occasionally order a chai tea latte, but like their coffee, it tastes as if it was overbrewed and the strong black tea flavor overwhelms the spices that make chai special.  The new menu at Starbucks features several Tazo tea latte drinks and tea infusions.  I will probably try one of these at some point, but I’m hugely disappointed to see tea taking over the menu.

Several hours after my Starbucks excursion I discovered that Starbucks is facing financial troubles and may be closing as many as 300 more locations (they closed several in 2008 already).  Which leads me to think…perhaps Starbucks should stick to what they do best?

So, tonight, I rectified the situation.  After a simple online order, Domino’s was at my door in less than 30 minutes with their trademark boxes.  We took advantage of a special that included three small pizzas with one topping each, for four dollars each.  We also took advanatage of ordering breadsticks, just because.  For just over $20 including tip, we have dinner for two nights.

The breadsticks weren’t actually breadsticks, although my husband tells me they used to look like true breadsticks years ago.  The breadsticks were actually a half a pizza dough, a semi-circle of baked dough that was an unappetizing yellow color.  One bite explained the yellow hue; the breadsticks were buttersticks.  They tasted like cheap pastry with a smattering of herbs on top.  The marinara dipping sauce wasn’t much better.  It was far too acidic and didn’t have a nice flavor.

The pizzas were a big improvement over the breadsticks.  We ordered a pepperoni, a mushroom, and a feta.  None of them were well endowed with toppings or cheese, and the texture was a bit oily/greasy, but overall, I enjoyed the pizzas.  The crust was thick and bready, the pepperoni was just crispy and spicy enough, and the mushrooms added a fresh flavor.  Unfortunately, I could barely discern the feta, although I could see small crumbles of it here and there on the pizza.  I haven’t tried the pizza in its day-old state yet, but I worry about the oiliness after reheating.

Domino’s satisfied my pizza craving, but there are better pizza options out there.  I can’t say Domino’s won’t be at my door again, though.

One reason that I avoided Chili’s was the seemingly unavoidable noise, even on a weeknight.  My husband and I returned to Chili’s on a weeknight, and while it wasn’t quiet, I was pleased that we could hear each other easily.  The noise certainly didn’t detract from our meal.

Our waiter was warm, friendly, and attentive.   He was quick to take our drink order and to deliver them.  I ordered a Chambord 1800, a margarita on the rocks  with a kick of Chambord.  My husband ordered a Long Island Iced Tea.  Both drinks were sweet and enjoyable, if a little too full of ice.

For dinner,  I had the chicken tacos with sides of rice and black beans.  My husband had steak and portobello fajitas with rice.  My tacos were good but I found the chicken filling somewhat sparse and the cheese almost non-existent – the filling was predominantly iceberg lettuce and tomatoes.  I was surprised that I needed to eat all three tacos to feel full (I was looking forward to left-overs!).   The soft taco shell/tortilla was soft and just bready enough to be satisfying.  The rice, on the other hand, was so salty it was nearly inedible.  Interestingly, my husband had what appeared to be the same rice but we both found his appropriately seasoned and agreed that mine tasted like a salt shaker.  The black beans were cooked appropriately and were decent.  My husband also enjoyed his fajitas but the portabello mushrooms were very few and far between, and he also complained of the lack of cheese.

For dessert, we split a gargantuan order of chocolate chip cookie molten cake.  It was a warm, moist white cake full of chocolate chips and topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.  There were two chocolate sauces on the dessert - an enjoyable chocolate shell that ensconced the ice cream, and a soft chocolate sauce that surrounded the cake.  It was decadent.

Our bill came to just over $50 including tip, a fairly reasonable price.  I recommend Chili’s for their fun drinks and desserts, but entrees can be inconsistent.  Regardless, I think Chili’ls has redeemed itself enough to be removed from my list.

Our server was quick to arrive and greet us, but clearly perturbed that we weren’t going to eat and run.  After a few hasty attempts to take our order before we’d read the menu, she abandoned us for a long while before returning (which was preferable to the table-stalking).  Luckily, she left us with Joe’s addictive focaccia bread served with a dipping sauce of olive oil, parmesan and red pepper.  I could easily have eaten just bread and oil for lunch.

My friend and I each decided on the soup and 1/2 sandwich combination offered on the lunch menu.  Oddly, the soup selections weren’t on the lunch menu (I have noted them on the dinner menu in the past).  After inquiring about the soup options, we each chose the Tuscan sandwich and I added a sweet potato soup to my order, while my friend ordered the chicken noodle.  I also ordered a hot coffee.

The Cup of Joe was not average, it was in fact quite a good cup of coffee, especially on a cold day.  My sweet potato soup was creamy, but not too rich, with a nice sweet potato flavor.  However, the finish was overpowering due to too much black pepper which quickly overwhelmed all of the other flavors in the soup.  I was also surprised to find chunks of meat in my soup, which my server had not mentioned.  I couldn’t be sure what the meat was, but my best guess was that it was ham.  It didn’t add anything to the soup, nor did the unidentifiable white chunk which may have been a flavorless piece of mozzarella.  The soup would have been wonderful had they not tampered with it so much and masked the nice sweet potato flavor in the soup.  My friend’s soup was also chock-full of black pepper, including peppered wide noodles.  My Tuscan Chicken sandwich was decent, although it could have used more pesto.  The chicken was tender and the sun-dried tomatoes added a nice flavor.  Overall, it was an average lunch that I could have gotten cheaper at a deli or coffee shop (the combination was about $9, not including my coffee).

Lunch was good, but probably not worth the nearly $30 it came to (including the tip).  I would recommend Joe’s for dinner when the prices are more justifiable, or for lunch when in the mood for a full entree (an order of Crab Cakes or Not Your Average Chicken Oscar is only a few dollars more, if even).  Joe’s also offers many specials including a fixed price couples’ menu including wine on Wednesdays (Winesdays), Happy Hour food specials, and an “insiders” e-mail listing that includes coupons on your birthday.  All in all, Joe’s may not be average, but it is a mixed bag.