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Our waiter at Scampo sold us on the pasta by insisting that he loved the dish even though he "really didn't like beets." I actually adore beets. Roasted in the oven and topped with olive oil and salt they are a perfect meal. Even for a beet lover, the egg pasta with beets and summer truffles at Scampo were a revelation. The tender noodles were tossed with diced beets, slivers of beets and baby beets, as well as melted butter, lemon and so many slices of earthy truffles. It was topped with roasted seaweed, adding a subtle saltiness to the dish. Together the dish was a sweet and savory delight. It is the dish that would woo me back to Scampo.
That wasn't the only pasta dish that we were still recalling the next day. The simple sounding spaghetti with cracklings was over the top. Little fried cubes of porky goodness were nestled in olive oil and hot peppers. Each smoky, crunchy, chewy bite was heavenly. I would have loved the dish even more with ziti or shells that could easily hold the cracklings.
Another dish hit the mark as well. I had read many positive review about the pork chop. But I was dismissive: how good could a pork chop really be? Well, it was that good: juicy, tender and burnished by the wood grill. I haven't eaten a pork chop in years and this just converted me. It was so huge that it lasted through dinner that night, and lunch the next day. The only downside? The accompanying apple risotto was undercooked, too sweet and reminiscent of breakfast porridge. The dish would have fared far better with a seasonal green, like broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic.
That being said other dishes also offered tasty elements. The green bean tempura was delicious and sweet having been blanched before frying. We also loved the fava bean dip that came with salty, homemade Parmesan bread sticks as we sat down.
While we didn't love the almond milk dressing, the tender fried eggplant was perfect with the sweet homemade mozzarella. This was one of many dishes that you can get from their mozzarella bar.
We also tried the famous lobster pizza. The crust was reminiscent of a simple flatbread and coated with a creamy, sherry infused sauce. On top of that, chunks of sweet lobster. It was good. But, truth be told: I am a lobster purist, craving a steamed lobster or a chilled lobster roll.
Desserts were...fine. The most memorable part? The freeze dried lemon (intended as a garnish to our lemon semifreddo!) that was tart and bitter and contrasted the dinner. The semifreddo itself was too sweet, reminding me of the inside of a chilled key lime pie.
The chocolate dessert was also underwhelming. It consisted of a chocolate mousse coated with a chocolate ganache and chocolate sprinkles. Unfortunately none of the elements were calorie-worthy. However, I couldn't stop spooning up the Guianduja ice cream. Creamy, nutty, not too sweet: it was lovely.
We enjoyed our starter drinks. My companion had the Gara with bourbon, ginger liquer, lemon and mint while I had the Pompelmo with tequila, grapefruit, agave, lime and mint. I loved my glass of red wine, a Supertuscan Querciabella Mongrana, which was tasted of berries.
Scampo is located in the Liberty Hotel. Ultimately the restaurant walks the boundary between the safety of a hotel restaurant and taking leaps of faith in the customers. Tossing chunks of sweet beets on pasta and twirling them with lemon and seaweed was unique. A chocolate mousse....simple.
Will I return? Possibly. The truth is that the pork chop was $36 and the lobster pizza was $26, which, at least in my world, is serious money. I am incredibly grateful to Scampo for treating me and my dining companion to this meal. I could, though, see myself heading to Scampo after a walk on the Boston Common or by the beautiful Charles. I could also envision a stop in for a bowl of the pasta or naan baked fresh in the wood burning oven while sitting at the bar. I would also love to return on a Friday night for more pork as Scampo offers a WHOLE. SUCKLING. PIG!!! While the atmosphere is too boisterous to qualify for a romantic, quiet evening, I will recommend Scampo to friends who want to head out for an evening of good food, an engaging scene and a perfect location. Clearly, Scampo is a popular place for many people. The night we were there I saw a huge range of people, some clearly hotel guests and others locals, stopping in to share in the pasta, pizza and creations of Chef Lydia Shire. So, go, enjoy and save room for the cracklings.
Scampo, 215 Charles Street, at the Liberty Hotel in Boston.
If you are lucky enough to get there soon, you too may be able to pick glorious ruby red strawberries at Verrill Farm. (We picked 6.3 pounds. Pretty impressive for 4 small hands. And only $20!)
Head inside the farm stand and stock up on fresh rhubarb, the sweetest peas possible, vibrant icicle radishes, and their always tender mixed berry scones.
If you are one of the lucky few, go down the street, peer into Pete and Jen's Backyard Bird's tiny farm stand and choose from tiny pullet eggs or larger ones. We also snagged some fresh wheat berries but saved cheese and homemade bacon for our next visit.
Then, if you are a big kid or have some of your own, finish up with a picnic at the wonderful playground at the Peter Noyes Elementary School in Sudbury. Go home. Eat more the eggs on top of sautéed radish greens. Nap. Make a salad. Make biscuits. Eat more strawberries. This was our Father's Day. It was pretty perfect.
The intoxicating smell of mint rose up as soon as I tore open the first of three packets. That alone surprised me. Even better, in less than 10 minutes with almost no prep, I was sitting down to eat sautéed shrimp with quinoa, Greek herbs and raisins. I was trying out the new Chef Sets, a collaboration of one of my favorite chefs, Ana Sortun (of Oleana and Sofra) and SetPoint Health in Newton. When I was asked if I would want to sample the new line, I never hesitated. Easy to prepare meals? Vegetarian options? Complex flavors? Sure! As a working single mom I struggle to find ways to get healthy, interesting meals to the table in less than 15 minutes. These kits easily fit that need. Chef Sortun and Set Point Health have created 4 different options. Each set comes with 3 packets, easy directions and a vegetarian option. I tried two with the protein they suggested, and two vegetarian style.
Quinoa with Greek Herbs and Raisins: This was the dish with the wonderful mint. The herb shaped the dish, lifting it up and mixing gently with dried orange. In fact, I could have happily served this at a dinner party. The suggestion which I replicated, is to use shrimp and feta. I always keep Whole Foods' frozen shrimp in my freezer for an inexpensive and easy protein fix. Ironically, though, I loved the broccoli and quinoa the most. In fact, next time I may try pan roasted tofu. I never would have thought (or taken the time) to grate an orange and find good dried mint for a mid-week dish.
Quinoa with Crushed Pistachios and Za'atar Spice: I loved the quinoa preparation which involved mixing it with sautéed onions and peas before adding the spice mixture. In this set, you top the quinoa with salmon and spoonfuls of Za'atar, a mixture of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. My favorite part? The crushed pistachios that added a wonderful contrast to the tender salmon.
Couscous with Moroccan Spices and Almonds: With little in my pantry and exhausted from packing up to move, I reached for this set. And this time I decided to try the vegetarian recipe featured on the Chef Set Meals website. Instead of chicken, I tossed chickpeas in with the sautéed onions and Aromatic packet. I scattered the almonds from the Garnish packet on top of the chickpeas and couscous. I wasn't quite as taken with this set as the others. In retrospect, cooking the couscous with broth would have added much more flavor. This dish was just much more subtle than the others. But I still ate it all. In fact, I loved it the next day, cold and tossed with a bit of olive oil and sherry vinegar for a salad.
Bulgar Pilaf with Turkish Pilaf and Pistachios: This was by far my favorite grain mixture of the Chef Sets. By using Trader Joe's precooked lentils, I was literally able to prepare this set with less than two minutes of prep. And the bulgur pilaf cooks up in 6 minutes. The point? I had a fabulous vegetarian meal together and full of cumin, spearmint, sweet and hot peppers. The pistachios added a lovely crunch while the pepper added warmth and color to the lentils. The cucumber sauce would be just as fantastic of plain burgers or falafel.
I always feel like Alice in an anti-Wonderland at Ikea in Stoughton. Do I want chrome or plated cabinet knobs? Birch veneer or matte white? Do the floor arrows ever end? How many uncomfortable but really cheap couches can one person really sit on? Will any of this even look remotely decent in my new home? Shopping as a single woman means, yes, I get the pleasure of making all the decisions, but it can make Ikea-land even more overwhelming. So, before I moved and actually had to buy Ikea furniture, I went to just do an Ikea-scan. I arrived as they opened at 10, armed with a camera, a notebook and my realtor's floor plan of my new house. 4 hours later (!!!) I felt that I had conquered the whole Swedish mega-store. I came home. I pinned my new finds on Pinterest. Ultimately I did return to buy a towel rack and kitchen shelves and a living room lamp. On that day, though, I spent my money on the more important matters: food. First, despite bringing a fruit, I was starving by 11. So, for lunch I had a not-terrible bowl of pea soup with knackebrod, otherwise known as relatively tasteless crackers. By 12:30, I needed SUGAR and CAFFEINE. For $1.75 I got a gooey, calorie- and sugar-laden and shockingly tasty cinnamon bun and an acceptable cup of coffee. But the best was at the end when I raided the Swedish food mart.
