Going for Gold
A quest for fried transcendence.
Photo Credit: Dan Watkins
|
There’s something about that perfect bite, the crunchy exterior and full aroma that makes even the healthiest eater surrender to the power of the deep fryer. Fat has an undeniable magnetism. But why?
Since a call to the patron saint of fried food, Paula Deen (a woman who once fried butter), wasn’t returned, the best option was an expert with more classical training. Rachel Black, assistant professor and coordinator of the gastronomy program at Boston University, credits our craving for the greased to instinct. “It’s fatty, salty and crunchy,” she says. “We’re biologically programmed to gravitate towards those three things.” Mozzarella sticks are, it seems, in our blood.
Of course, nutritional science has clearly defined the health risks associated with frying, and anyone who’s trying to argue against them probably has stock in the canola oil industry. Sure, a plate of steamed green beans and a piece of salmon might be more vitamin-packed than a bowl of onion strings, but fried food is still comfort food at its most approachable.
And delicious. If you’re going to indulge, spike your cholesterol with one of these delicacies. “Everything in moderation” is sage advice, especially when you remember that “everything” includes moderation itself.
Onion strings certainly aren’t unique to Trina’s Starlite Lounge, but they’re one of the reasons Bostonians make the trek to the Inman Square hotspot. Served overflowing in a bowl just slightly too small, the strings ($4) don’t even require dipping sauce. A simple flour breading coats each super-thin slice of onion, fried into a tangled mess, then salted and seasoned. “The natural accompaniment to fried food is beer,” says co-owner Josh Childs, pairing them with the Powderhouse ($9), a shot of Old Grand-Dad whiskey with a Carling Black Label chaser. The Grand-Dad packs enough heat to put hair on the chest of Justin Bieber, and it stands up to the onions’ grease. “In today’s health-conscious era, people want to break the rules when they go out,” Childs adds. “Sometimes it’s fun to indulge and not take everything so seriously.”
Trina’s Starlite Lounge
3 Beacon St., Somerville | 617-576-0006 | trinastarlitelounge.com
The nose-to-tail cooking trend may have hit its peak, but at Russell House Tavern, the odd parts of a beast remain sacred. With his pig’s head cake, chef Michael Scelfo takes an intimidating cut and turns it into something approachable. “I’m always looking for ways to get people to try new things,” he says. “They’re really buying into this one.” The crab-cake-like patty ($9), filled with moist meat, is deep-fried and topped with a poached egg, then served on a puddle of maple and ginger aioli. Bar manager Aaron Butler created the Alkali Ridge Sunset ($12) to bring out the maple flavors. The cocktail, a mixture of High West “Bourye” whiskey and citrus notes, marries the flavors and helps cut through the thick dressing.
Russell House Tavern
14 JFK St., Cambridge | 617-500-3055 | russellhousecambridge.com
Japanese cuisine might not be the first to spring to mind when you’re craving something fried and fatty, but O Ya’s Tim and Nancy Cushman are masters of the unexpected delight. Their buttermilk- and Parmesan-battered Kumamoto oyster ($14) is just a single morsel, but it explodes with a burst of rich, briny broth and a series of different temperatures and textures, thanks in part to a topping of cold squid-ink bubbles. For a pairing, Nancy reaches for Shichi Hon Yari’s junmai sake ($38) because of its full body. “This is the least refined sake we have in-house, and the oyster has such a strong flavor, it really needs something tough,” she says. Cooler notes of melon counter the heat of the oyster’s chile-citrus laced aioli.
O Ya
9 East St., Boston | 617-654-9900 | oyarestaurantboston.com
When the Québécois created poutine in the late ’50s, it’s unlikely they had Gallows chef Seth Morrison’s updates in mind. His South End gastropub offers a variety of gravy-laden fries, but the most intriguing is the rotating seasonal option ($14). For winter, hand-cut potatoes are topped with vegetarian mushroom gravy and blanketed in root vegetables, roasted until caramelized and sweet. In lieu of the usual curds, ricotta-like cheese adds a bright, lemony creaminess. Bar manager April Wachtel recommends sipping an Abattoir ($9) while snacking. This veal-stock-based cocktail has received a lot of hype, which she credits to the “unusual and incredibly complex” flavor. Any fears of gulping cold beef stew are washed away by its subtle meatiness and a final bite of black pepper.
The Gallows
1395 Washington St., Boston | 617-425-0200 | thegallowsboston.com
Estragon chef Julio de Haro’s fried chickpeas ($5) combine crunch with just the right dosage of grease. “It’s a very simple preparation with delicious results,” he says of this infinitely superior version of bar nuts. “They’re coated with paprika, and that’s a very unique flavor.” Guests can nosh on this popular snack while flipping through co-owner Lara Gavigan’s personal collection of books, or try their hand at the guitar. To temper the garbanzos’ spice without watering it down, bartender Sahil Mehta created the Torrens ($7), a beer-based cocktail using a pale ale with notes of rye and lemon. To bulk up the citrus, he adds brandy that’s been house-infused with caramelized oranges and lemons. The result is a bright, effervescent sip that wipes away any dryness the chickpeas leave on the palate.
Estragon Tapas Bar
700 Harrison Ave., Boston | 617-266-0443 | estragontapas.com
The folks at Met Back Bay have a passion for ham and cheese. Downstairs, pork enthusiasts huddle around a bar dedicated to the duo, where domestic cures and cultures scent the air. Tableside, opt for the ham and cheese bites ($9), a grown-up version of those cheese poppers you find in the freezer section. “They’re the perfect combination of salty and tangy,” chef Todd Winer says. “We took something so simple and made it sophisticated. Ham and cheeses are a part of the American heritage. It’s America at its best.” The raspberry flavor of the Blinker ($13) is a perfect accompaniment, with an underlying taste of rye enhancing the savor. A final flourish of grapefruit cleanses the palate with a bitter snap.
Met Back Bay
279 Dartmouth St., Boston | 617-267-0451 | metbackbay.com
Fried dishes don’t take up much room on chef Jody Adams’ menu at Rialto, a haven for fresh produce and old-school techniques. But the fried olives ($4), a recipe handed down from her father, have topped the bar menu for three years. “They’re crispy, salty and fatty,” she says of the dish’s perennial appeal. “The olives hit all the instincts and have a very extreme flavor.” Stuffed with Pecorino cheese and assorted Italian meats (they change regularly, depending on what’s in-house), the olives are covered in a simple breadcrumb coating and cooked to a dark, nutty brown. Bartender Shannon Guilmet’s Italian take on a Sazerac ($10) is lemony and sharp, with spiced honey syrup and Old Overholt rye. It brings just a touch of heat, burning away the cheese’s remnants of salt.
Rialto
1 Bennett St., Cambridge | 617-661-5050 | rialto-restaurant.com
Those other bivalves made Island Creek the go-to for locally harvested seafood, but the fried clams at its Kenmore Square flagship are perfectly executed summer fare, served year-round. Served on a bed of French fries with a side of coleslaw and a pickle-juice-spiked tartar sauce, the South Shore clams ($15–$27) are beyond plump and meaty. “Throughout the menu everything is about quality,” general manager Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli says. “It’s not that we prepare our oysters all that differently, it’s that we’re using the best possible seafood.” Keeping with the classic motif, he skips the cocktail list and completes the meal with a Narragansett tall boy ($5), adding, “That’s a no brainer. It’s light and local, basically summer waiting to happen.”
Island Creek Oyster Bar
500 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-532-5300 | islandcreekoysterbar.com
It’s hard to make a doughnut more gluttonous, but Will Gilson has found a way. At Garden at the Cellar, the small (and typically jam-packed) restaurant he’s headed since 2007, Gilson’s become a local legend for his use of ultra-fresh herbs and produce, not to mention his ability to give a highbrow interpretation to a decidedly lowbrow dish. His seared foie gras and doughnuts ($13) arrives surrounded by seasonally appropriate accoutrements—say, candied hibiscus, crystallized ginger, cocoa nibs and a bright blood-orange reduction. “I had a lot of trouble selling foie gras in Cambridge, even though it’s been on the menu since we opened,” Gilson says. “I had a joke with my sous chef about pairing it with something ridiculous, and it took off.” To drink, Gilson recommends the Double Black ($10), an herbal mix of Kahlua, Fernet and orange bitters. It’s coffee and doughnuts, refined.
Garden at the Cellar
991 Mass. Ave., Cambridge | 617-230-5880 | gardenatthecellar.com
In this country, fried candy bars are typically reserved for faraway state fairs and theme parks, so many Bostonians have never indulged in the vice. Jason Waddleton, owner of the Haven in Jamaica Plain, considers them a taste of home. A fried Mars bar ($5) is a standard chip-shop dessert in his native Scotland, but he’s improved the dish for local palates. “We sprinkle the batter with salt after it comes out of the oil to really bring out the flavor,” he says. “And we serve it with maple whipped cream, which adds even more decadence.” The maple pairs with the woodsy notes of Williams Brothers Brewery’s Alba Scots Pine Ale ($7), a light, effervescent brew that doesn’t add weight to a dish that already toes the cloying line. Waddleton finds fried foods so popular on his menu that he’s recently added a weekly all-fried night. “They’re smaller portions, so you can have a few without feeling like you’re doing something bad. But when you’re eating fried foods,” he continues, “sometimes that’s half the fun.”
The Haven
2 Perkins St., Jamaica Plain | 617-524-2836 | thehavenjp.com
After you’ve enjoyed all of chef Marco Suarez’s offerings at Canary Square, there’s only one realistic option for dessert. Deep-fried Twinkies ($7), battered and dusted in powdered sugar, are a gluttonous take on the lunchbox standard. One bite into the oozing center will convince you that Twinkie isn’t just a byword for chemical preservatives. Playing to the nostalgia factor, co-owner Michael Moxley recommends sipping a Bourbon Root Beer Float ($9) with the Hostess treat. “We use a lot of local ingredients,” says Moxley, pointing out the J.P. Licks ice cream and the Tower root beer. Knob Creek bourbon rounds out the mix. “The pairing has the flavor profiles of stuff that many adults haven’t enjoyed since they were kids, and they remember how delicious it was.”
Canary Square
435 South Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain | 617-524-2500 | canarysquare.com
