Summer Friday Adventure ~ Za's

It's another glorious Summer Friday. The sun is shining, the weekend is here and it's time for a new culinary adventure. With growling stomachs, Lisa and I ventured out to Za in Arlington, MA. Although I've lived in Arlington for 4 years and Za has been here for 6, I still haven't stopped by for some pizza, even when they started serving lunch. What a shame because we were in for a pleasant surprise. Za is a pizza and salad joint, just as the sign suggests, but it's pizza and salad taken to the next level. It's upscale pizza and salad at a pretty reasonable price. Za is pretty well-known for their unusual pizza toppings. They have an ever-changing chalkboard specials menu plus a unique regular menu. They focus on using local ingredients and serving local beers. They also have a small network of local farms that they partner with including Verrill Farm in Concord, MA. So why haven't I been here before? Maybe it's my reluctance to try strange pizzas. Maybe it's the close proximity of the restaurant and how easy to take it for granted. Whatever it is, I'm glad I had lunch at Za's.

First we started off with some iced teas. Lisa guessed that it was lightly brewed Early Grey.

Organic Georgia Strawberries with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Walnuts, Basil and EVOO

I was super-brave and ordered a pretty unusual pizza off the chalkboard specials. Usually, I scoff at all the combinations on a pizza menu. There is always one or two toppings that make me cringe. I then end up ordering a boring and safe make-your-own pizza. This time, I wasn't going to chicken out. I got this number and I was pleasantly surprised. The strawberries, goat cheese and walnuts worked well together and the basil and onion made it savory. Win-win.

Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Garlic, Diced Tomatoes, EVOO, and Four Cheeses 

Lisa and I skipped salads and opted for pizzas with fresh and light toppings and to make room for dessert. We traded some slices and Lisa's pizza was delicious. Big chunks of garlic and a great combination of cheese took this pretty basic pizza to the next level. The crust was crispy and sturdy enough to hold up the weight of the ingredients on top. That's pretty unusual to find.

Verrill Farm Rhubarb Panna Cotta with Sliced Strawberries

Now on to dessert. I really wanted the lemon tart with strawberries, but unfortunately they were out. But the Panna Cotta sounded amazing and came recommended by the waiter. The Panna Cotta was sweet and tart and the rhubarb and cream were in perfect balance. The local strawberries were super fresh and the whipped cream was to die for. Perfect!

Shanes's Lavender and Honey Creme Brulee

Lisa had this little beauty. You can taste the lavendar but it wasn't overwhelming. Also perfect.

I wish I could have tried one of Za's salads but alas our budget and our stomachs wouldn't have been able to take, pizza and dessert after one of their salads, even though they were small. It would have been nice if they had inexpensive side salads on the menu for those of us who didn't necessarily want to splurge on calories and money.

The moral of the story: If you live in Arlington, go to Za's. Go now! Don't wait like I did.

Summer Friday Adventure for 2010

It's that time of year. Summer hours have officially started at work which means the office gets out at 1 pm on Fridays. Those few hours make such a difference and an extended weekend, every week makes Summer that much more enjoyable.

If you recall last year, I wrote a bit about Summer Fridays. My coworker and close friend Lisa and I celebrate these Fridays by going out to eat. Since we live in the Boston area, we have plenty of places to chose from.

We kicked off Summer Fridays for this year much like we did last year, with a trip to Falafel King in Boston. What a treat it was. Even the cloudy skies couldn't put a damper on our adventure. As soon as I bit into a hot, crispy and savory falafel, I was in heaven.

There is always a line at Falafel King around lunch time but it moves quickly because they serve their customers super fast. And if you are lucky, you get to eat a falafel dipped in hummus while you are waiting. Chances are you are still eating that falafel when it comes time to pay.

I always get the Falafel sandwhich, which is really a wrap. A few falafels, lettuce, tomato, pickles and sauce wrapped in a pita. It's simply divine.

Stay tuned to this space for more Summer Friday adventures.

Carlos' Salad

Carlos is arguably the girl in our relationship. He has more clothes and shoes than I do, he goes all gooey over sentimental moments he sees on TV or in a movie, and he eats a crazy amount of salad. Some months ago, we went to a Legal Seafood restaurant. I ordered fish and chips and he ordered a Greek salad. The server (not our waitress) served me the salad and Carlos the fish and chips and was quite amused to find out that it was the guy who had ordered the salad. Recently, Carlos described to me his ideal salad. It would have a base of lettuce and contain a healthy amount of celery and cucumbers (his favorite vegetables) and some carrots. No tomatoes! Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing would be a must. He always has at least two bottles on hand for salad emergencies.

So I decided to make a big bowl of this salad for him and I very much enjoyed watching his devour it. I wish I had snapped a picture. A big man, with an oversized bowl between his legs as he shovels salad in his mouth: a priceless moment. ::swoon::

What would your ideal salad be? I'd love to hear your salad combinations!

Ingredients:

Head of Romaine chopped

2 Carrots thinly sliced

3 celery stalks sliced

2 cucumbers sliced

Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

Toss all the vegetables together and add dressing to taste.

Restaurant Review - Salute

On day #3 of my NYC business trip for Book Expo, I was physically exhausted. My burned hand hurt from over use and poor healing, I had two very inconvenient blisters on my thighs and my feet felt like they were going to fall right off my legs. I couldn't catch a cab from the Javits to my hotel so I basically limped across Manhattan. By the time I collapsed on to my hotel bed, I didn't want to leave. However, this was my one opportunity to meet with my good friend Amit.

Amit and I have been friends since 1995! We met online at the AOL Nice People Only chat room and have chatted ever since. We met for the first time in NYC back in 2004 and this was a good time to see him again. I went back and forth between whether I should push my broken body out the door and go to dinner or sleep the night away.

I decided finally to meet Amit (he had traveled all the way from NJ to see me!) and he helped me out by talking to the concierge at the hotel and finding a nice restaurant nearby. In hindsight, I should have just suggested Smorgasbord Cafe which was right next door. I still kick myself for not going there!

The concierge at the Kitano Hotel assumes that everyone who is staying at the hotel wants to eat an expensive restaurant. And she chose a doozy for us.

Salute is a super expensive, high-class Italian restaurant on Madison Avenue. It cost me $10 just to get some sparkling water! Dang. I was terribly hungry when we got there so I decided to pick something on the menu that had some bulk for it's money. Everything was outrageously priced. I completely ignored the page of $40/$50 dishes. While my meal was expensed, I had a $25 limit and I ended up paying $20 more on top of that! Yikes.

Amit got the Ravioli Di Manzo: ravioli stuffed with braised beef and topped with wild mushrooms and cream. It sounded delicious but it looked more like an appetizer than a full meal. Amit seemed to enjoy it.

I got the Aragosta Con Linguine: lobster, clams and mussels served with lemon flavored linguine in a tomato and white wine sauce. It was delicious. I wouldn't say it was worth it's price but it was satisfying and hit the spot.

If you have cash to burn, try Salute. If you are visiting NYC on a dime, skip it!

I hope you enjoyed my NYC restaurant reviews.