Grandma Ethel Needs To Put Down the Crack Pipe

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Grandma Ethel’s Lobster Rolls Rock

A Recipe from Island Creek Oyster Bar

lobster roll!

It all started out innocently enough.  It seemed reasonable when you quickly scanned over Granny’s ingredient list and hey, I can even let a lobster roll that has celery in it ride without calling them out but there it was, looming.  The devil in the details-

PICKLES!!!!!!

Ingredients
4 1¼-pound lobsters, steamed
1 c. mayonnaise
½ c. pickles, diced small
½ c. celery, diced small
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. celery salt
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. white pepper
6 tbsp. butter
8 hot dog buns

She was doing so well.

  • regular hot dog rolls- check
  • butter- check
  • mayo- check

But then the train veers off the tracks

Celery, lemon both no-nos, but the issue which is unforgivable here is glaring- the addition of goddamn pickles to a lobster roll.

Unforgivable.

Once again I will refer to a simply acronym which tells it all- KISS

Keep It Simple Stupid

There is no need to get all crazy just to be different.  You can understand how some bananahead out in California could make this kind of mistake.  But someone from the Northeast?

For shame!

At least it’s not as bad as last week’s debacle from the broads in California who tried to pass off a lobster roll using frozen lobster meat, celery, onions, lemon and jalefuckingpenos.

Or Bucky From Ohio who details a lobster roll made on a French baguette.

Granny must think she has Tiger Blood ala Charlie Sheen if she thinks sneaking such ridiculous ingredients like pickles into a lobster roll is gonna go unnoticed.

Not Here- Not Now Granny.  It’s Lobster Roll  Eatin’ Season and We Ain’t Gonna Let You Lead These Poor Unsuspecting Folks Down  A Lobster Roll Road Paved With Pickles Of All Things!

Here’s how to do it Grannycakes

Leonardo’s Chicken Kabob Sub

Leonardo’s has been quickly climbing up my local sub shop rankings.

So crazy how many great places we have to get sandwiches.

Virgilios, Sclafanis, Destinos and Leonardos sit atop the leader board followed closely by at least 10 other very worthy other sandwich joints.

I think the way they toast their buns gives them a nice touch.

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7th Wave Restaurant Review From A Completely Impartial Kim Smith

Sunday night my husband and I tried a new restaurant (new for us, that is), the 7th Wave in Rockport on Tuna Wharf. Our son Alex is cooking there this summer. The hostess was lovely and Talia, one of the owners, greeted us at the front desk. We had made a reservation for 7:00 and were seated immediately on the upper deck, with the stunning view of Rockport Harbor and beyond.

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The atmosphere is lively, relaxed, and entirely kid-and family-friendly. The waitstaff was hardworking and alot of fun and our food came along very quickly, no waiting for anything, despite the fact that it was a full house.

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Our son was working the grill, so we restricted ourselves to grilled items only. I had the surf (super delicious grilled shrimp) and turf (petite filet, cooked to perfection) and Tom, the fantastic grilled tuna. I am usually more of a chowder and lobster person and can’t wait to go again and try more items on the menu. The lobster rolls and lobster salads passing by our table were heaped high with lobster meat and the chowder looked creamy and hearty. Elaine, mother of Talia, and owner, stopped by our table to say hello and to chat. It’s a family-owned business and the restaurant is named the 7th Wave because of their seven family members. The Kahn family opened their doors in June 2009 and they had their busiest night ever, the Saturday night before we ate dinner there. It was great to hear about their thriving business and we are looking forward to many return visits! The menu and hours of operation are posted on their website. 7th Wave Restaurant, 7 Tuna Wharf, Rockport.

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Looking back toward Bearskin Neck from Tuna Wharf.

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Check Out Kim’s Blog Here

Chickity Check It! Atwood Does The Mackerel Thing In Her GDT Column

July 12, 2011

Mackerel: Local, sustainable and good for us

Food for ThoughtHeather Atwood

In staying true to New England waters, Steve Johnson of Rendezvous Restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge, courageously puts fish on his menu that — oh no! — has bones.

Mackerel. Grilled to a charry crispness, dripping with olive oil, delicate filets lifting off of 8 inches of spiny vertebrae, mackerel.

In Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, just about anywhere but here, a serving of fish means a pile of bones on the plate. Residents of these countries make beloved meals with sardines, anchovies, pike, mackerel and herring.

After the jump you get the rest of the story and a recipe as reward

and when you’re done with that, check out Heather’s Fantastic Blog-

Food For Thought

What Is Wrong With People???? Another Lobster Roll Disaster From Some Broads In California

My buddy Heather Atwood forwarded me this shamockery of a lobster roll recipe.

I honestly don’t know where to begin in a critique.  I could probably do a whole ‘nother blog in addition to GMG with all these recipe’s from people who don’t know how to let perfection alone.

First the a small preview of the mess that  DENISE WOODWARD & LAUDALINO FERREIRA from EAT Boutique display as their lobster roll- (for the full sized picture I suggest you go to their other than the horrible lobster roll post, excellent food blog)-EAT BOUTIQUE!

Now just from the tiny sample of a picture above at EAT BOUTIQUE! you can imagine how any self respecting lobster roll lover would cringe when you see a lobster roll that has more green visible than lobster parts.

Any of you that have been with the blog from the beginning know how I feel about anything green touching a lobster roll.

A quote from my original post from July 3, 2008 as a refresher-

What I found was shocking and disturbing. It seems these mooks up in Maine have found a way to fuck up ruin a perfectly good lobster roll. Listen to me, under no circumstances should the words lettuce, paprika, French baguette, or celery enter the equation when speaking about lobster roll preparation.

So back to the mess in California and the EAT BOUTIQUE! version of a lobster roll.

This quote near the end of her blog post really gives you an idea of how unqualified they are to be writing about lobster rolls-

I like to use a live lobster, but have used frozen lobster tails, when I am in a pinch; both types are as equally delicious.

Really now????   You’re gonna go and say that frozen lobster tails are in any way shape or form equally as delicious as fresh shucked meat?  Oh No You Diin’t

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If stating that frozen lobster tails are just as delicious as fresh shucked lobster meat for your lobster rolls wasn’t enough wait ‘til you see what they use for ingredients-

There isn’t just one strike on their ingredient list, there are five, count ‘em five!

Among the list of ingredients on the Mrs Joey C lobster roll banned ingredients list which the author uses-

  • 1 – 1-1/2 pound live lobster (a frozen tail works as well)
  • 1 lemon, cut into quarters
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, minced
  • 3 green onions, minced
  • 1/8 cup mayo
  • 1/4 fresh lemon, juiced
  • Salt for sprinkling
  • 4 hot dog buns
  • Butter

If you didn’t already know, the highlighted ingredients in her list are all no-nos.

I understand that some strange folk like celery (for the crunch), but jalefuckingpenos?  Jalepenos????  This just strikes me as another food writer’s attempt to differentiate their dish, but what they obviously don’t get is that the beauty of the classic lobster roll is it’s simplicity.

I guess you have to give these poor misguided women a pass with them living in California and all with all those other fruitcakes. 

They  do some things right, like buttering the hot dog rolls and grilling them so they get a 2 on a scale from 1-10.

To do the right job refer to this original post from The Mrs’ recipe-

For the proper way to prepare a lobster roll see this post

Lobster Roll Ingredients

Worls Greatest Lobster Roll

Has to be Cains mayo, and hot dog rolls so you can grill them to a golden brown with the salted butter.

Notice there is no lettuce, paprika, celery or any other filler. If anything else appears in your lobster roll, you have an inferior lobster roll.

steam the lobsters and shuck the meat

tear the meat into 1/2 inch chunks or so and mix with cains mayo

refrigerate

once lobster and mayo is chilled, butter each side of cheap hot dog rolls (the kind you tear apart)

you do not want to use any goddamn baguette or crusty overpowering roll

you want white bread tear apart soft hot dog rolls

once you butter the sides of the hot dog rolls with SALTED butter you pan brown the roll so its warm and golden brown

just barely browned but the roll should still be very soft

then load up your cool lobster/mayo filling into the warm soft buttery roll and you have yourself the perfect lobster roll

note- NO  LETTUCE- NO  CELERY-NO  PAPRIKA- NO FANCY CRUSTY FRENCH ROLL

Virgilios Nor’Easter With Provolone

This is one of the best sandwiches in town.

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Virgilios, in the heart of Gloucester’s Beautiful West End.

click for the interactive map-

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The Burnham’s Field Gardener Series- Todd Bowser and Liz Alexander

Burnham’s Field is the largest green space in central Gloucester. Recently there’s been a resurgence of pride in Burnham’s Field, including a new 20-plot garden. GoodMorningGloucester is now running a series of video profiles of the Burnham’s Field Community Gardeners. Here are their stories.

By John McElhenny

Burnham’s Field Gardeners – Todd Bowser and Liz Alexander

Warning: this video might make you hungry. Todd Bowser and Liz Alexander talk about the sautéed vegetables, pesto and Liz’s amazing red sauce that they plan to create from their garden harvest. And Todd reveals the secret to why his face looks so familiar.

Alchemy $15 for $30 Deal

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The Skinny

  • Voucher 10/3/11
  • Limit two vouchers per person
  • Reservations required
  • Limit one voucher per table
  • Valid Sunday-Thursday for lunch and dinner only
  • Not valid for alcohol
  • Full deal value must be used in one transaction
  • Voucher not valid for gratuity
  • No cash back
  • Cannot be combined with other offers or special promotions
  • Voucher valid 24 hours after purchase

Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Cookbook Available Now

AVAILABLE NOW!

IMG_0659A Beautiful Book
A most inspirational cookbook. Delicious local recipes. Wonderful stories from all the wives.  Beautiful photography of Gloucester and our community.
Please contact Daphne Congelosi at 978 985 3933 to purchase at quantity discount or wholesale.
Or a list of retail shops -The Bookstore, Cape Ann Museum, BC Harbor Loop Gifts

THANK YOU
BUON APPETITO !

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Do Fiesta Old School With The Semanse Seeds and Gallia

When we were kids our entire family- Grandparents right down to Grandchildren would sit in the chairs down at the Fiesta and listen to the Italian music.  Even though we were only 7 years old our parents would send us to the nut vendor who had all the different kinds of cashews and semanse and gallia. 

I’m not sure what year the nut vendor went away, but you can still get the semanse seeds at Virgilio’s and celebrate Fiesta Old School like we did in the 70’s.

Sista Felicia got some today.

$1.50 a bag.  how can you go wrong? Tradition- Fiesta- that’s What I’m Talkin About!

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Savour Wine and Cheese Opens its Doors to the Cape Ann Community June 30th

Savour Wine and Cheese announced today that they will open their doors at 24 Washington Street in Gloucester, Massachusetts on June 30, at 10A.M., just in time for the Fourth of July weekend. The company’s highly-trained staff helps the customer navigate through a sea of wine and cheese options, insuring the “perfect fit” for everyone.

Savour has 20 different wines on five state-of-the-art wine dispensing kiosks from Napa Technology that “allow the customers to try before they buy,” says owner and operator Robert Morgan. Each is controlled by smart cards that allow customers up to 10 half-ounce tastes. “These machines are the only ones on the North Shore,” says Morgan, “and allow the customer to compare different styles in a range of prices.”

Kathleen Erickson, “The Wine PhD,” is the co-owner and resident wine expert. “Our goal is to introduce the community to an extensive variety of hard to find, unique, small-production wines at a great value,” Erickson says. She is certified sommelier with a highly educated palate allowing her to relate easily to a wide variety of wine preferences. “A good sommelier is like a coach,” says Erickson, “she has to be able to scout out good wines and match them with the buyer’s individual taste.”

Krista Julian is Savour’s “Cheese Wiz.” Julian is a trained chef who interned at the highly respected Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Julian concentrates on specialty cheeses and meats, complimenting the wine expertise at Savour.

Savour invites the community to come in and try the new sampling kiosks and our unique selection of wines, cheeses, and specialty foods such as Trupiano sausage and homemade pastas. Savour is open seven days a week allowing everyone to try before you buy.

Savour Wine and Cheese was founded in 2010 as a family business. It is our goal to enrich the wine-buyers experience with education and personal attention. Savour is on the forefront of the wine industry on the North Shore of Massachusetts with a knowledgeable staff, wine-tasting machines, and a unique variety of wines. Try before you buy!