The Scotty Dog Brings a Taste of Chicago to Beverly

Roadside food fans rejoiced this spring when the former Rondogs hot dog stand in Beverly, which had been closed for over a year, re-opened as The Scotty Dog. We finally got a chance to stop by this week and check it out.

Situated in a small parking lot on Rantoul Street, the tiny stand features car-hop service and several picnic tables and Adirondack chairs where diners relax in the shade.

The Scotty Dog is a Vienna Beef stand, so all of its dogs are Vienna products and its touted menu item is the Chicago Style dog. (For the record, if you are a Vienna Beef fan looking for a fix while traveling, there’s an app for that.)

Despite our epic investigation of North Shore hot dogs two summers ago, this was our first taste of a Chicago Style. For those unfamiliar, this mean it’s served on a poppy-seed roll with mustard, onions,relish, tomatoes, sport peppers, a pickle spear, and a sprinkling of celery salt (small$3.70, large $4.90). Under no circumstances is ketchup allowed to mar this carefully prepared combination.

Clearly not experts on the matter, we can’t say whether the wiener we had was up to Chicago standards, but it was certainly enjoyable. The sport peppers give the whole thing a kick, and we loved the addition of the pickle. The bizarre neon green relish wasn’t to our liking, and the bun was a bit bland and squishy, but that’s likely because we’re die-hard New Englanders and prefer a grilled frankfurter roll.

The Scotty Dog has plenty of toppings available for a build-your-own experience and offers a variety of specialty dogs. We’re thinking next time we may have to try the Juracy Dog, which features corn, potato sticks, and mayo.

We also tried one of the “steak burgers” which come in Toy, (single patty, $2.50) Standard, (double patty, $3.50) and Mastiff (triple patty, $4.50) We opted for the Scotty Patty, which came with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and special sauce. The burger was quite good— it tasted very fresh and had a nice hand ground texture and grilled flavor to it. Our only “beef” (sorry, it’s the heat) was that the server didn’t ask how we wanted it done, and it came out slightly more rare than we would have liked. We suggest making sure you specify doneness when placing your order.

The french fries ($1.75 for small, $2.25 for large) were thin and crisp, and we appreciated the generous shake of black pepper along with the salt, giving them extra zing.

The owners are still finding their groove with the ordering and serving procedure, but everyone was cheerful and helpful, and we love the car hop service, which makes The Scotty Dog a perfect choice when you’re on the way back from a day at the beach with a car full of kids of any age.

The Scotty Dog
437 Rantoul St., Beverly
(978) 969-3487
www.thescottydog.com

Weekend Picks, July 15-17

I’m sure you’ve noticed a lull in the action around here lately, but these things happen when summer (and numerous family events) hit town.  We’re back in action now and have a few quick  ideas to supplement your summer fun this weekend.

Looking to start the thing off right? Head over to Pamplemousse in Salem this evening from 5 -7 pm to help them celebrate 9 years in business. They’ll have cupcakes, wine and treats as well as Magic Hat’s #9 Not So Pale Ale.

If a bit respite from the sun sounds good on Saturday afternoon, Kappy’s in Peabody will be hosting their Taste of New England, which features locally produced spirits, beer and wine. It’ll be a nice opportunity to taste the wares of one of our favorite distilleries, Gloucester’s Ryan & Wood, as well as the brand new Privateer Rum out of Ipswich, MA.

Saturday evening the place to be is Gloucester, for their 2011 Downtown Block Party. Not only will there be live entertainment, street performers and general carousing, many of the local restaurants will be running deals for the evening.Yyou might want to stop in Cape Ann Brewing, where the guys are throwing a pig roast with live music, starting at 6pm.

Did you know that Hawthorne Hotel Chef de Cuisine Jennifer Normant is a contestant on this season’s Hell’s Kitchen? To celebrate, The hotel will be hosting a viewing party in their Grand Ballroom on Monday night at 7pm. Meet the chef, watch the show, and partake of cocktail and hors d’oeuvres special on offer that night.

On a sad note, we were devastated to see that an electrical fire caused severe smoke damage to both 5 Corners Kitchen and Terry’s Ice Cream in Marblehead Wednesday afternoon. Both eateries are closed until further notice for clean up. We wish them a speedy recovery and hope they’ll be open again as soon as possible. If you’re in Marblehead this weekend, show Terry’s your support by stopping by their brand new ice cream truck, which will be parked across the street from the building. We love the idea of one Facebook poster, who suggested that Chef Barry of 5 Corners open an adjacent “pommes frites” truck so local could get their fix of his addictive fries during the clean up. We’d certainly be in line.

And here are a couple of ideas from our pals in the North Shore Bloggers Consortium

Seth is all about what’s happing in Lynn in Lynn Happens.

For Savory Sandwiches and Craft Beer, Stop into Swampscott’s Cup n Board

Since opening last October, The Cup n Board, a new specialty foods market in Swampscott, has been steadily gaining Internet buzz, a new favorite of food and wine bloggers and craft beer devotees.

Located on Burill Street, directly across from the commuter rail station in the former Fiory’s Market space, the spot is both convenient and awkward. Those unfamiliar with the area may find it difficult to navigate, but there is plenty of street parking on the adjacent block, and it’s perfect for commuters.

A small wonderland of local, organic, and fair-trade items, Cup n Board is worth stepping into just to peruse the shelves. Many local favorites are in evidence, along with beautiful baked goods supplied by Christopher’s Café in Lynn, a nice selection of cheeses, fair trade coffee, organic teas, and gelato.

Although the market carries a respectable selection of wines, the real standout is the craft beer case. The impressive array of imported ales and craft brews includes local favorites like Clown Shoes, Cody, and Notch Sessions as well as Pretty Things, Blue Hills, and Mayflower. If you’re hesitant to buy a whole six pack in order to try something new, many are available as mix n’ match, so you can put together a combination to take home.

Cup n Board holds one beer and one wine tasting a month, each accompanied by small bites crafted specifically for the occasion. In July, they’ll have a Notch Session beer tasting with Chris Lohring of Salem on the 8^th and an Argentinean wine tasting with Swampscott’s Michael Lancaster of Global Wines on the 22^nd.

Swampscott resident Susan ‘Suki’ Ellsworth and several neighbors developed the idea of the market together, but when the others backed out of the project, she decided to continue on her own. With a background in catering and food service, a ready smile, and an upbeat manner, Ellsworth seems ready to take on the world, one fabulous sandwich at a time.

And the sandwiches are really that great. At $7.95 a pop, they are large enough to save half for later and stuffed with fresh ingredients. On our first visit we tried the Thai Chicken, which contained chicken, lettuce, carrots, onion, cilantro, spicy sauce, and peanut sauce in a lightly toasted roll. It was crunchy, savory, and delicious. We also tasted the Vietnamese: carrot slaw, cilantro, cucumbers, red onion, siracha, and soy with pork (you can substitute portobello mushroom), which had much more of a kick.

Another night we called ahead an ordered sandwiches so they were ready for pick up after stepping off the train. The Rueben was a lighter, pressed version of the classic, with turkey in lieu of corned beef, and the Mediterranean was a taste revelation. A pressed sandwich with turkey, olive spread, red onion, spinach, and feta cheese, it was tangy and unique and will definitely be making a return to our table.

Ellsworth also offers a variety of salads for $6.95 each, based on what produce is locally available.

The Cup n Board is open from 6:30 am to 7:00 pm during the week and 9:00 to 6:00 on Saturdays so commuters can grab their coffee and muffin heading in and a light dinner and libation on the way home. You can find additional information about daily specials on their Facebook page.

Cup n Board
205 Burill Street, Swampscott
(781) 595-0511
thecupnboard.blogspot.com

Weekend Picks, June 10-12

If you’ve been running around crazy busy for the past few weeks, you’re not alone. We feel your pain and think you might enjoy kicking back and relaxing at some of the great tastings and fun events going on this weekend.

Start things off right by stopping into Cup ‘n Board in Swampcott from 5:00 to 7:00pm for a beer tasting from Blue Hills Brewery. They’ll have tasty treats on hand as well, and an awesome selection of both beer and wine to take home for the weekend.

This weekend marks the beginning of strawberry season and Smolak Farms in North Andover is throwing a kickoff celebration from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm with strawberry picking, free activities for the kids and complimentary wine and prosecco tastings provided by Wine ConneXtion from 1:00 to 2:00pm.

They’ll also be starting pick-your-own season at one of our favorite farms, Cider Hill in Amesbury. And speaking of Cider Hill, they’ll be participating in the Marblehead Farmer’s Market, which opens on Saturday for the season. In a recent newsletter Glenn Cook, owner of Cider Hill said ” This is one of the best markets in the state!” Check it out from 9:00am to noon.

On Saturday afternoon there are several opportunities to try new tastes you may want to add to your summer drink list. At 2:00pm Busa Wine and Spirits in Salem is hosting an Iberian Wine Fiesta with summer reds from Bodegas San Valero in Carinena, Spain on offer as well as a handcrafted sangria. They will also be raffling off two $50 in -store gift certificates. The raffle tickets are $5 each and proceeds to go to Northeast Animal Shelter.

At 4:00pm Kappy’s Liquors in Danvers hosts a Grand Beer Tasting, which looks to be a terrific way to sample north shore brews with selections from Cody and Cape Ann Brewing, as well as more esoteric quaffs like Stone Brewery’s Arrogant Bastard Ale and Les Brasseurs’ Amadeus Biere Blanche Witbier.

There are also a couple of fundraisers worth attending on our radar. Salem’s Lobster Shanty hosts the 6th BaldBil YMCA Day. The Shanty will donate 5% of the entire day’s house proceeds to the Y’s financial assistance program in support of kids and families. All bartender tips will go to the Y, as well as what the waitstaff give to the bartender at night’s end. There will also be live music and some very cool items raffled off.

On Monday the 13th, head on over to Victoria Station in Salem. At 7:00pm they are hosting a Fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. When executive chef John Andrews discovered that one of his staff had been diagnosed with MS he stepped up to rally support for her and the Society. There will be food tables by Victoria Station, Finz and The Lobster Shanty, Seaport Cafe and more, as well as raffles, auctions, celebrity bartenders and live music. Tickets are $10 at the door and all proceeds go toward the cause.

And as usual, we’ve got the weekend picks from our pals in the North Shore Blogger’s Consortium:

Seth keeps you up on everything going on in Lynn at Lynn Happens, including the debut of the new Arts After Hours production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by our awesome pal Corey Jackson.

Kim Bingham talks about meeting the Boston Brunchers along with her weekend picks on Lighter and Local.

Author Jane Ward lists her weekend ideas, but we’re even more entranced by her luscious looking curried chicken salad recipe.

Rob and Laura head all over New England for some great ideas at The Two Palaverers.

Topsfield’s Main Street Market Features Local Favorites

For a while, Main Street Market in Topsfield had residents wondering if it would ever open, but it finally opened its doors last October, and we think it was worth the wait.

Owner Terry Lee Carabillo closed the previous incarnation, New Meadows Market, in the fall of 2008 to develop the property and construct a new building for the market. The process took much longer than anticipated due to construction frustrations and setbacks, but that’s now ancient history.

Main Street Market has an welcoming layout reminiscent of an old-fashioned general store, piled high with fresh local goods that read like a list of Dish favorites; milk and ice cream from Richardson’s Dairy, bread from A&J King, Taza chocolate, cookies from Lark Fine Foods, Grillo’s Pickles, Boxford Bakehouse granola, and Topsfield’s own Valley View goat cheese. Select meats, including grass-fed beef, and produce are also on hand in the cold cases.

Toward the back is a counter that offers fresh brewed coffee drinks and teas, salads, and sandwiches made to order from 11:00 to 3:00 daily and ice cream by the scoop. Cookies, muffins, and other house made treats are available as well.

Adjacent to the counter are beautiful stainless vats containing Ariston Select olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can fill your own stoppered glass bottles and return for refills, which lightens the load on both your wallet and your recycling bin.

The market also offers a terrific array of wine and craft beers. Thoughtful selections in a range of prices as well as beers from local brewers such as Ipswich, Cody, and Clown Shoes fill the shelves. Next to the beer and wine, a fun aisle filled with funky gift items lends a festive feeling and rounds out the store.

With inventory like this and genuinely helpful staff, Main Street Market is the sort of place we wish was our local corner market. Their website is minimal, but they do list daily specials and keep current information on their Facebook page.

Main Street Market
17 Main Street, Topsfield
(978) 887-2005
mainstmarket.wordpress.com

We’ve Been Challenged!

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

The bad boys of Gloucester have issued a challenge that we find impossible to refuse. Yes, that’s right, they have challenged us to a “good old-fashioned” blog off. (You didn’t even know such a thing existed, did you?)

Talking trash and calling us the “second best blog around,” Good Morning Gloucester published a post this morning outlining the challenge, which involves both teams reviewing an as-yet-unnamed restaurant. The piece that receives the most comments will be the winner.

Although these guys garner more page views with their goofy captions on seagull photos and bizarre lobster stories, we think we’ve got more loyal readers across the North Shore. Food or follies? Serious or silly? You decide.

While Northshore Magazine doesn’t include a blog category in their Best of the North Shore awards, we’re game to find out if Joey and Patrick can live up to their boasts. May the best blog win.

Stay tuned for more details!

Café Polonia Serves Up Savory Comfort

We were looking for a bit of comfort last week, our spirits sagging from the cold and rain, and decided to stop into Café Polonia for lunch one day. It was definitely the right decision. The bright, welcoming atmosphere and hearty warming food were just what we needed.

Cafe Polonia is the second location of the Dorchester restaurant known for its traditional Polish fare. The Salem location, which opened in October, not only features Polish foods, but German, Hungarian and Eastern European specialties as well.

We settled in with a Tyskie (a Polish lager, $5 for 500ml bottle) and ordered the potato pancake sampler for two ($8) to start. This plate could easily have been our entire meal, with four huge potato pancakes served with sides of sour cream, a chunky apple sauce, and a bowl of Hungarian goulash. The pancakes were fresh and crispy, and the goulash was delicious: rich and hearty with hunks of tender brisket and vegetables in a savory gravy. We ended up ladling the goulash over the pancakes and eating them together—comfort food heaven.

We didn’t really need another bite, but we soldiered on as we had already ordered the Polish plate and the Pyzy dumplings. The Polish plate ($14) was a sampler of traditional tastes, and once again, enough food for several people. The pierogies were lovely, delicate and crisp on the outside and stuffed with savory filling. We tried the meat, potato, and cheese and the cabbage and mushroom, all very satisfying. The kielbasa was excellent, and the hunter’s stew, made from various sausage, pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut was interesting, almost Alsatian in taste. The stuffed cabbage was quite respectable as well.

The Pyzy dumplings ($14) are meat-filled potato dumplings served with caramelized onions. The dumplings steamed rather than fried, so the thick jacket of potatoes can feel a bit gummy, but the filling of ground pork and spices made a tasty counterpoint.

There was so much food that we ended up with a meal’s worth to bring home, and there was no way we had room for dessert. We’ll have to try the apple crisp or the chocolate babka next time around.

Café Polonia
118 Washington Street, Salem
(978) 745-0045
www.cafepolonia.com

Lunch in Lynn: Exploring Central American Flavors at Casa Antigua

We had a couple of opportunities to lunch at Casa Antigua in the past few weeks. A Central American restaurant that opened about six months ago a few doors down from the Blue Ox, Casa Antigua serves up three meals a day with an extensive traditional menu.

On our first visit, we started with the cheese and pork pupusa ($1.75), which was excellent: crispy, cheesy, and wonderful. We moved on to a steak burrito ($7) and the tipico montanero plate ($11.50). The burrito was rich and savory, and the plentiful steak had great flavor. We liked that the whole thing was grilled a bit after having been rolled up, which melted the cheese and added to the texture.

The tipico montenero (Columbian typical dish) consisted of grilled steak, chicharron, rice, beans, fried plantain, and a fried egg. It’s served with corn tortillas and a side salad. Quite a big portion, there was no way it was all going to be eaten in one sitting. After having tasted the carne asada in the burrito, the steak was our least favorite part of the meal. While it had good flavor, it seemed dry and a little chewy. The chicharron, which the menu translates as pork rinds, is fabulous if thick chewy bacon is up your alley. The corn tortillas are fresh and hand-made, but thick and lack the flavor we are used to.

On our second visit, we were joined by Corey Jackson from Downtown Lynn, Emily O’Brien from the Urban Wine Project and Exposed Urban, and Brian Knowles of The Gringo Chapin.

We discussed our choices while munching on the addictive freshly made tortilla chips. Brian was intrigued by the tacos de lengua, as he had recently eaten beef tongue elsewhere. He ordered the tacos combination ($8.50), served with rice, beans, and fresh avocado and enjoyed it so much he was inspired to buy lengua later that week to prepare at home. Never having tried tongue, we tasted it and found the meat surprisingly tender and tasty.

Other plates at the table included churrasco, a traditional dish of steak, rice, and beans ($11) and the plato alla Antigua ($14) which featured grilled chicken and shrimp  with accompanying vegetables. The shrimp were tender and highly flavored ($11). In fact, while we really enjoy the salty seasonings used in quite a bit of Casa Antigua’s food, those looking to reduce their sodium intake should consider themselves forewarned.

The star of the afternoon was Emily’s pescado frito. We had all expected the fried tilapia ($10.50) to be standard fillets, so were delighted when a whole fish was placed on the table. Despite its wonderfully crusty exterior, the interior was tender and flakey.

If you’re looking to move beyond the same old lunch places, add Casa Antigua to your short list. It looks a bit dark from the outside, and the music is quirky (both times we visited, the TV, piped music, and juke box all randomly fought for airspace), but the food is hearty and appealing, the prices are reasonable, and the staff is efficient and cheerful.

Casa Antigua
129 Oxford St, Lynn
(781) 584-8240

Pączki Day at Coffee Time Bake Shop

Whether you are of Polish heritage or just want to indulge in deep fried taste treats, Fat Tuesday offers a great excuse to ditch your diet, as it’s the traditional day for Polish Americans to partake of pączki.

For the uninitiated, pączki (pronounced pooch-key or poonch-key) are balls of fried dough, similar to jelly doughnuts but denser and more eggy. They can be served plain with sugar, glazed, or filled with fruit or cream. Traditionally, making pączki just before Lent was a way to use up items like eggs and lard, which would be abstained from during the pre-Easter season.

Salem’s Coffee Time Bake Shop has a reputation for making the rich pastries, and this morning while suffering the hell that is the Bridge Street construction, we spotted their sign reminding us that today is pączki day. Seizing the chance to duck the traffic, we popped in and purchased a few.

The coffee shop produces plain and several stuffed varieties, priced from $1.89 to $3.50 each. The decadent cream- and strawberry-filled option was tasty, and the whipped cream was fresh, but it was overwhelming. A bite and a half was plenty. The raspberry fruit-filled was very good, but our favorite was the unfilled glazed. The glaze provided just enough sweetness, and the flavor of the dough was still discernible.

Coffee Time makes fresh, hand-rolled pączki daily at this time of year and will have them available now through Easter Sunday. The pastries are more of a bread dough than a doughnut, so we advise purchasing them early in the morning. The ones we tried were terrific, but I can imagine they dry out pretty quickly.

They offer a huge array of baked goods, doughnuts, and cookies and has other seasonal baked goods, including king cake for Mardi Gras and Irish soda bread. So if you find yourself waiting to be waved on by one of the endless police details lining the street, a pastry break might just be in order.

Coffee Time Bake Shop
96 Bridge Street, Salem
(978) 744-0995
www.coffeetimebakeshop.net

Tasty Thai at Wakefield’s New Red Sugar Café

Although Wakefield is a bit outside our usual stomping ground, last week I had an appointment there and decided to do lunch beforehand. Not sure where to eat, I shook the Twitter Magic Eight Ball to see what would come up. Several people suggested Red Sugar Café, a Thai place that has only been open a few months, and I took the hint.

A friend who works in Lynnfield met me at the small storefront, and we were seated at one of the eight tables and given a steaming mug of tea to warm us as we perused the menu.

All of Red Sugar’s prices are very reasonable, but their lunches are particularly so, accompanied by seaweed soup, an appetizer, and steamed rice.

I chose the chicken mango curry with gyoza as the starter ($8). The small, tender dumplings were savory and excellent, and the ginger dipping sauce was divine. The curry was beautiful, with lots of crisp-tender veggies, including red pepper and broccoli, in addition to the chunks of chicken and tangy mango. The sauce was hot and lush but not overwhelming. It was one of those meals I couldn’t stop eating, even though half of it would have been sufficient; it was just too delicious.

My companion opted for the drunken noodle dish and the Thai crab rangoon appetizer ($9). The rangoons were tasty, and the sweet apple dipping sauce was unusual. The hefty portion of pan-fried wide noodles mixed with chicken veggies and basil leaves was another winner—spicy and satisfying.

It is clear that the lunch menu just scratches the surface of what Red Sugar offers, and a return for dinner is in order to experience the full range of dishes. Given the great prices, exceptional service, and delicious food, Red Sugar should be on everyone’s must-try list.

Red Sugar Café
24 Vernon Street, Wakefield
(781) 587-0348
www.redsugarcafe.com