(Off) Street Tacos

Having help moving is near the top of the list of fringe benefits of having younger male friends. A dear friend of mine purchased a sofa and chair set, but was unable to move it on her own, so she enlisted the help of my roommate and I to load and unload the rented U-Haul. In most circumstances, compensation for helping someone move is pizza and beer, along with the promise of reciprocation. However, my friend and I are both foodies, and instead of a large meatlovers, we went to Bartaco in West Hartford center.

The interior of Bartaco is not unlike Chipotle (which happens to be across the street). Wood and metal, along with a slight industrial look is the vibe. On Saturday night, after about 7pm, the crowd starting picking up. Bartaco is easily identified as a locale to “meet people,” as the social lubrication was flowing, and the entire restaurant standing room only. Luckily, we had already gotten a table.

My cocktail was an interesting combination of resposado tequila, lime, muddled herbs, and a chorizo bitters. The cocktail was refreshing and light, yet had a smoky and meaty nose. Even the bartender cautioned that not everyone enjoyed it, but I found it pleasantly differentiated.

We ordered the chef’s tray. I should note that everything comes in small metal trays (jelly roll pans) with a layer of brown paper. Guacamole and tortillas (not chips) came first. The avocado was creamy and perfectly ripe, with just a hint of lime, salt, and cilantro. The three tableside hot sauces tasted equally fresh. The red having a warm chili flavor, the green a tart and slightly lime flavor, the orange bringing the heat and slight bitterness of habaneros.

We sampled a variety of tacos. Each about the size of the palm of your hand, so even light appetites could sample a few. The duck was crispy just slightly gamey (as duck should be). The dark meat was offset by the onion and cilantro, but only slightly, the duck spoke for itself. The baja fish was fried in a light batter, leaving the interior pliant and moist. The fish was laid on a cabbage slaw in the soft tortilla. Last, we tried the wild boar. Dark flavors of mole came through, creating more of a sauce than the duck had. Thick, smokey flavored oozed through each bite, both my friend and I agreeing that it was our favorite.

I have to give accolades to the servers. As a tapas-style restaurant, our courses came as they were ready, and any server passing by was eager to help. Despite the growing crowd, I never felt pressured to move on, order more, or get out. A great night to catch up with a great friend. I can’t wait to help her move again.

Glass Blowing and Bison Burgers

Research shows that spending money on experiences is more psychologically satisfying in the long term than spending money on material things. There are a few reasons for this. One is that possessions become part of your new normal, and their novelty fades because of its persistence. The other is that it is much harder to share. Can you really connect with someone based on the fact that you both have 60” TVs? I am a sucker for novel experiences and once again, Groupon came through. Sunday morning, we drove West to Lorenz studios for a two hour glass blowing lesson.

While this is a blog about food, I believe that the dining experience is more than what is on your plate. Location, mood, dining partners, and more all contribute to one’s perception of the “meal.” In this case, it was a slightly cool spring day, bright and sunny. A friend and I spent the entire morning in front of an 1800⁰ furnace, with molten glass on the end of a metal rod. We created a tear drop by letting liquid glass drip as it cooled. We created a paperweight by folding and twisting a lump of colored glass, then encasing it in another clear layer. Finally, we blew a hollow orb of colored glass and adorned it with a hook. It is an art form of patience, as the glass cools quickly and becomes both brittle and unworkable, needing to be re-heated multiple times. Blues music was the perfect background.

On the way home, we stopped at Whole Foods and acquired some cheeses and ground bison. Taking full advantage of the day, we loaded up the Weber with charcoal and created a cheese plate upon which to nosh, complete with apple, nuts, quince paste, honey comb, and the two cheeses, a truffled sheep’s cheese and a nutty gruyere. We sipped white sangria flavored with peach schnapps and honey whiskey as the briquettes ashed over.

The bison was flavored simply with garlic, salt, pepper, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. We laid the patties over the hottest part of the charcoal while, back in the kitchen, we cut thick slices of fresh hot house tomatoes and sprinkled them with a little kosher salt. We shredded cabbage and carrot, adding lemon pepper, rice wine vinegar, salt, lemon, sriracha, and a little soy sauce to create an Asian inspired slaw. Keeping to that flavor profile, we sautéed some onions in a little bacon fat and soy sauce to top the burgers.

For the first time this year, we sat outside on the tiny patch of grass behind my apartment, lounging in the sun, the remainder of the charcoal smoke occasionally wafting over us. The meal was not fancy or complicated. There were no foodgasms or explosions of flavor, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to have a shared day of relaxation and leisure, and in that we succeeded in spades.

I was expecting so much more

Not a phrase you want to hear, especially about food. However, that was the theme of this month’s Fabulous Foodies meetup. For a long time, I was at a loss of what to do. Were people expecting more quantity, like fine French dining? More quality, like am I supposed to make some kraft macaroni and cheese? I decided to riff off of both of these ideas. My offering was a slice of pepperjack cheese, a slice of apple, and a slice of onion which I had been marinating in beet juice. These were skewered together and platted. Then, I took the beet juice, soy lecithin, salt, and a couple egg whites and frothed with a stick blender. The idea was to create a stable foam so that I could add bright purple clouds over the skewers. Diners would curiously pick out a skewer to find a simple, yet tasty bite, hopefully, expecting so much more.   

  

Others took different detours on their paths to lowered expectations. Simplicity was the name of the game for many. One person made guacamole on site, which is a specialty of hers. Heavy on the cilantro and the shallot, she keeps the pit in as she mixes for additional agitation. Another member brought the fixings for lox sandwiches, just romaine, cream cheese, cured salmon, and tomatoes. To add to the mix, she also brought maple candied bacon for BLTs. A large skirt steak was seasoned with salt and pepper and seared in a cast iron pan over high heat, resulting in a charred outside, yet a medium rare center. Simple and delicious.

On the other hand, size was another factor to play with for the theme. There were two kinds of sliders made, one was ground turkey with lettuce, tomato, and a spicy aioli. The other was a sweet potato, with a maple/apple chutney spread in the bun. Even some of the desserts were sized individually and kept to the theme of simplicity. Chocolate dipped oreos and cream stout beer root beer floats capped off the evening.

Despite the theme, I ended the night with a full stomach. After raucous debate, we voted on next month’s theme, “Tongue Twisters.” To all those in attendance next month, good luck.

Quality All-You-Can-Eat Sushi

One of those words is not like the other. AYCE sushi brings to mind those skeezy Chinese/Japanese/American buffets that offer only California rolls with trace amounts of questionable “fish.” I assure you, Sushi House in Rocky Hill is not like that.

For $20 per person, we sat at the sushi bar, observing the three chefs pump our plate after plate to keep up with demand. The restaurant has a pretty typical Japanese vibe, with manekineko (lucky cat) waving at the cash register and Asahi beer behind the bar. We are given a pair of menus and a pen. The menus are sectioned into appetizers, soups, salads, fried, sashimi, rolls, etc. Each offering has a blank next to it, and we as diners are to write a number next to each denoting how much we want. At the top of each paper we are reminded to not waste food, which isn’t a problem considering that each piece you order is small. While I am a sushi veteran, my dining partner was trying a lot of things for the first time. As one might expect, soups and salad (seaweed and kani) came out quickly, while the plate of sushi took a bit longer. Word to the wise, don’t go to sushi house if you are in a hurry. They artistically plate every piece, and more than one round of sushi can take a while. This is especially true when the entire restaurant was full with a line out the door (yeah, they are that popular).

I checked numerous offerings to create a customized sampling and handed off the menu. Miso soup, mushroom soup, and seaweed salad came quickly. The soups were earthy and had an umami flavor, and the salad was a bright contrast. Chicken skewers and tempura vegetables came next, each tasted like they were made to order. My favorite was the miso eggplant. Order a few, because each is about one bite. The eggplant is soft and is dotted with sesame seeds and a sweet sauce, a tasty combination of sweet, nutty, and savory.

Then our first sushi plate came. I tried to stick to mostly sashimi as to not fill up on rice, but some fish are only offered as maki. We also got a few rolls that have some pretty interesting components including mango and kiwi. My dining partner, who I was guiding through the tasting, enjoyed the roll stuffed with lobster salad and topped with a mango sauce. I was partial to the warm unagi (eel) and liked to add tobiko (fish roe) to the Godzilla roll, already stuffed with maguro (tuna) and sake (salmon). The saba (mackerel) was salty and a little firm and brought an almost Norwegian flavor to the evening. Overall, I was continually and pleasantly surprised at the quality considering the price point.

We ended our evening with red bean and green tea ice cream (also included in the all you can eat price). Very full, we both walked away happy at my friend’s pushing the envelope of her gastronomic comfort zone.

“Max”imizing my Happy Hour

The term “happy hour” has been used all the way back to Shakespeare, where he used the phrase to reference a scheduled period of entertainment. The use continued into the early 1900’s Navy where performers where scheduled on the U.S.S. Arkansas. It morphed during prohibition where drinking before dinner at a speakeasy became commonplace due to the fact that no one could purchase alcohol at a restaurant. Now, as we all know, it means bars, clubs, restaurants, etc offer deals and discounts on food and alcohol and it makes for a great excuse to go out.

Blue Back Square in West Hartford is prime territory for a variety of happy hours. Grant’s, Cuvee, and Fleming’s are just a few, but the other night, a friend and I ventured to Max Oyster Bar. Pretty much everything on the happy hour menu is $5, from wine, to beer, to cocktails and snacks. The menu changes a bit over time. I’ve had a sesame crusted, seared tuna burger and a small plate of roll mops (pickled herring wrapped around a pickle speared with a toothpick) for $3, neither of which are on the current menu.

The raw bar, an ice-filled table, sits in the back of the restaurant, and all of the raw seafood is shucked from there. Clams and oysters from the Atlantic coast are 3 for $5, but I prefer the sour yuzu and lime flavored salmon sashimi, completed with a slice of jalapeno. Even the non-fish options are on point. The steamed buns filled with filled with Asian vegetables or sweet and sour chicken both taste like they came from a Chinese restaurant. The broad brook beef sliders are served on a thick potato bun, are juicy, but mine came well done. The international tour continues on their street tacos, bringing a Californian flare to the blackened fish with a mango relish. The shortrib falls apart in your mouth with the darker umami flavors being complimented with a sour pickled vegetable.

The cocktails carry the same quality and complexity, all for $5. The Max Manhattan is “boozy,” with layers of sweet, wood notes, and leather from the old overholt and orange bitters. The POM margarita is refreshingly not sweet, and the tartness carries through on the El Jimador tequila. The Vertigo, a combination of amaro, ginger beer, and lime, is simple to make, but each addition adds a perspective of flavor while muting some of the stronger notes of another, the ginger taking the bitterness out of the amaro, while the lime takes the edge off the ginger.

Overall, the happy hour is straightforward and quality. Get their early as the bar fills up, and as spring is coming (we hope), get a table outside and people watch the crows of Blue Back Square.