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Adam Baffoni

Adam Baffoni

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chefs & restaurantswine & drinks

Julians Vintage Beer Dinner

by Adam Baffoni June 8, 2014
written by Adam Baffoni

Julians

Eat Drink RI contributor Adam Baffoni was a guest of Julians at their Vintage Beer Dinner in April and offers this coverage of the evening. Julians has their next beer dinner, the Fourth Annual Allagash Brewing Company Beer Dinner, coming up on Sunday, June 22. Check our Upcoming Events page for the details on attending that event.

Since opening in 1994, Julians has been a hub for craft beer and creative food, so it only makes sense that they’ve also managed to gain a reputation for being able to pair the two exceptionally well. For years, they’ve been hosting multi-course beer dinners, showcasing some of their favorite craft brews, and serving them alongside a well though out succession of courses designed around each beer. For their Vintage Beer Dinner, they brought out some very special selections from their cellar. The meal was held at a communal table, which was perfect for this type and size of event. There were just over twenty guests, and we ranged in beer knowledge from hardcore craft beer advocates to less experienced beer drinkers who were exploring a new interest in craft beer.

To start the evening, a giant bottle was brought to the table, containing a 2008 St. Feuillien Tripel, which was golden and unfiltered. It was malty without being the least bit heavy, and had a light fruitiness. To accompany this selection was a mussel and caramelized fennel fritter with cultured butter. To me, the link that connected the dish with the beer was the fennel, which shared a sweet, spiced quality. Next was a 2005 Schneider Aventinus Weizenbock paired with a beef wellington topped with a vinaigrette made with a reduction of the beer. This was the oldest beer of the night. With a strong aroma of dates and ripe bananas, this was a rich beer, although it smelled much sweeter than it tasted. Using the beer in the vinaigrette brought out an entirely different malty quality to it.

Next was a 2009 Dogfish Head Black & Blue paired with a baby romaine salad with pheasant and dried cherries that had been rehydrated in the beer. The combination of the pheasant and cherries had a flavor reminiscent of turkey and cranberries on thanksgiving, and the dried fruit created a great link to the beer, which is brewed with black raspberries and blueberries. Next came a 2012 Brooklyn Black Ops, paired with an espresso rubbed pork tenderloin roulade with goat cheese, spinach and honey. The rich flavors of the honey and espresso mirrored the bitter, chocolate-like flavor of the beer.

The final three courses of the evening were each paired with multiple beers, staring with a harissa stewed lamb which was paired with a 2009 and 2012 North Coast Old Stock Ale. We were told that this beer was designed to be aged, and not surprisingly, the 2009 beer was favored over the 2012 by most of the people at the table. Even though the 2009 had a much higher alcohol content, it had a milder flavor because it had time to age and mellow. The lamb took on a pork-like quality due to the smoky flavors of the harissa and long cooking method. I found this to be one of the most creative pairings of the evening. Even though there were no flavors in the dish that directly corresponded with the beer, the smoky undertones of the lamb held up to the strong flavors of the beer, and the Greek yogurt ice cream which it was served with, acted as a great counterpoint.

For the cheese course, we had house-made farmers cheese and port salut with plum jam, lemon jam and cashews. To pair with the cheeses, we had Southern Tier 2008 Cuvee 1 and 2009 Cuvee 2. I found this to be the most interesting beer pairing, simply because of the educational value. Prior to aging, these beers were brewed in the same way. The only difference between the two is that the Cuvee 1 was aged in French oak for six years while the Cuvee 2 was aged in American oak for seven years, yet the flavors and colors of the two beers were completely distinct. This course was a great example of just how much can change about a beer by adjusting tiny variables in the aging process. It was nice to have two cheeses to match the two beers, but my favorite component of the plate was the tart lemon jam which had a recognizable, pure lemon flavor without being unpleasantly sour.

Our final course of the night was a trio of desserts—mascarpone ice cream with coffee mead brittle, porcini mushroom fudge and ladyfingers with apricot preserves—served with a trio of beers from the Firestone Walker Anniversary Series (14, 15 and 16). Each of the beers is a blend of ales, and each was brewed only once for this special edition series. Although each of the beers had a similar dark, rich quality, they each had unique qualities which set them apart. My favorite was the 15, which had notes of spices such as nutmeg and clove. All the desserts were unique and well-paired, especially the porcini fudge which was just sweet enough to match the sweetness of the beers, and equally rich.

Thanks to twenty years of experience, Julians manages to create an experience that you won’t find anywhere else. What impressed me the most wasn’t the beer or the food, but the way that each course was paired in such a creative and meticulously thought out manner. Sitting in on one beer dinner makes it clear that the team at Julians has an exceptional amount of passion and knowledge for great food and drink.

June 8, 2014 0 comment
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farmsnews

New Urban Farmers in Pawtucket Closes in on Fifth Anniversary

by Adam Baffoni March 9, 2020
written by Adam Baffoni
Bleu Grijalva watering the plants inside one of New Urban Farmers' geodesic domes
Bleu Grijalva watering the plants inside one of New Urban Farmers’ geodesic domes

While walking me through one of the geodesic dome greenhouses at New Urban Farmers in Pawtucket, Bleu Grijalva stopped to look at a stray tomato plant that was growing up the side of a table. “Sometimes when we accidentally drop a seed on the ground, it will grow on its own,” Grijalva said. “I like to let them grow there. It serves as a good reminder that no matter how many hours and sweat we put into growing food and making perfect rows of plants, the food wants to grow on it’s own, and maybe that’s what we need to do sometimes—just go with the flow. Grow where we fall.” That is just one of the life lessons that can be pulled from farm work, and the team at New Urban Farmers have found the perfect audience for these lessons.

Originally started with the intention of becoming a local farm and community garden, the small plot of land situated behind a housing project near the Pawtucket/Central Falls border, has evolved into a “living classroom” for the 500+ children who live here. While the responsibility of watching over children can certainly add to the farm work—especially when they’re being mischievous, as all children are—it’s nothing short of inspiring to see that there is a group of people here to provide these kids with some guidance and structure that they may not have at home. It’s even more inspiring to see that these kids, who could be on the couch watching television or on the streets getting into some very negative situations, are choosing to come to the farm instead.

Emily Jodka, New Urban Farmers co-founder, with some of the neighborhood children
Emily Jodka, New Urban Farmers co-founder, with some of the neighborhood children

Closing in on their five-year anniversary, New Urban Farmers now has four locations throughout Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, all utilizing sustainable growing techniques. When Grijalva walked us past a table with growing plants, one of the kids with us grabbed a fistful of fish food and threw it under the table into a tank of water. Immediately, as the pebbles of food touched the surface of the water, the tank erupted into a tumult of frenzied fish, all racing to grab the first bits. “This is our aquaponics system. It holds over one thousand tilapia,” said Grijalva. Aquaponics is a mix of aquaculture and hydroponics, in which the waste from a fish tank is converted to nitrates by bacteria and is used to feed plants. The plants clean the water, which is then cycled back into the fish tank, creating a sustainable fish farm and vegetable garden.

Along one of the edges of the fenced-in farm, is a row of community garden plots. Although there were some less-than-perfect looking garden plots, it was obvious that some of the gardeners had developed green thumbs, and were learning to grow everything from flowers to vegetables. While they sell most of the plots, they also give some to the older residents in the housing project who are interested in gardening. “We provide then with the seeds and the know-how,” said Grijalva. “It’s really nice to see that some of these people who might not have jobs, or a whole lot of accomplishments, now have something to be proud of. But we’re still looking to find that perfect balance between doing good in the community and making enough money to keep doing good.”

Although the farm has become a classroom for so many, there is no set curriculum. Grijalva emphasized that as we finished our tour. “There are no textbooks here,” he said as he took a bite of a fresh tomato, just picked from another stray plant growing out of a pile of fertilizer. “We just try to teach the kids whatever lessons can be taken from what’s happening in the garden.”

Scroll down for more photos from New Urban Farmers.

Shucked fava bean
Shucked fava bean
Antique David Bradley tractor that farm worker Chris Combs has helped to repair and use at New Urban Farmers
Antique David Bradley tractor that farm worker Chris Combs has helped to repair and use at New Urban Farmers
Freshly harvested garlic drying in a shed
Freshly harvested garlic drying in a shed
New Urban Famers CSA basket with corn, pole beans and favas
New Urban Famers CSA basket with corn, pole beans and favas
New Urban Farmers Pawtucket location
New Urban Farmers Pawtucket location
New Urban Farmers The Garden of Life
New Urban Farmers The Garden of Life
March 9, 2020 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantsnews

birch Restaurant Review

by Adam Baffoni July 9, 2013
written by Adam Baffoni

birchThe past year has brought some great changes into Providence, including some of our best restaurants yet. Among these are new favorites such as north and The Grange. Luckily for us, the list doesn’t end there. Recently, two well-seasoned hospitality professionals, Heidi and Benjamin Sukle, have taken the initiative to fill the space formerly occupied by Tini (200 Washington Street) and open the newest addition to Providence’s upscale dining scene: birch.

Birch is a New England inspired restaurant, focusing on the beauty and natural bounty that comes from the region’s seasonal agriculture. With a menu based around the absolute freshest ingredients, carefully sourced from the very best farmers throughout the region, birch is raising the bar on what it means to eat local.

Upon walking into birch, we were greeted by Heidi Sukle, the co-owner and general manager, who had two seats waiting for our reservation. With only 20 seats to work with, efficiently booking reservations to maximize turn-over while keeping no customer waiting is a difficult feat, but Heidi seemed to have the perfect formula as every seat was filled within 10 minutes of the previous diners leaving.

The look and feel of the dining room is elegant and chic, with one exposed brick wall, and a painted wall which had beautiful pictures of the Rhode Island coast, taken by Chef Benjamin Sukle. They certainly did a good job of making the space their own, changing the décor from Tini’s silver-and-black to wood and soft lighting, which give the room a warm, gentle glow after the sun goes down.

The seating at birch is bar-only, which sounds strange for a high-end restaurant, but birch—with it’s list of well-thought-out and unique cocktails—is more of a half-bar-half-restaurant, and once you’re settled in, the bar seating is actually quite enjoyable. There is always a server right there when you need anything, and the seats are just far enough apart to allow for a somewhat intimate dining experience if you’re coming with a party of two. Due in part to the tiny room and limited seating, but mostly to the experience and skills of the waitstaff, the service throughout our time at birch was wonderful. The staff really knows the food, and can tell you what’s in almost every dish.

birch with Trinity Repertory Company theater across Washington Street

birch with Trinity Repertory Company theater across Washington Street

We made two visits to birch; one on the second day they were open, and one the next week. While the service was very nice on our first visit, there were, inevitably, some aspects that needed to be fine-tuned. On our second trip to birch, however, it was clear that throughout the opening weekend, the staff had pinpointed every tiny kink in the service experience and taken measures to perfect their techniques. The staff was very helpful when ordering, explaining each dish we asked about, and even offering suggestions based on their favorites and the kitchen staff’s favorites.

The kitchen at birch is headed by nationally acclaimed chef and Johnson & Wales University graduate Benjamin Sukle. Benjamin has been the chef at Providence’s The Dorrance and became well known for his beautiful, creative plating and fresh, seasonally inspired cooking style. The seasonings and cooking techniques that are used in this kitchen are completely and utterly unobtrusive to the natural flavors of each ingredient. Ben has spent a long time carefully sourcing these ingredients and treats them gently, making sure that the work put into sourcing them does not go unnoticed.

Among all of the food we ordered at birch, the first plate to come was the pierogies. They were served over a bed of summer onions, garnished with house-made potato chips and mustard flowers, and accompanied by a quenelle of a spicy mustard sauce. When it comes to me and the food at birch it was love at first sight, and in-love at first bite. The filling in the pierogies was velvety and smooth, which was a perfect contrast to the grainy texture of the Kenyon’s Cornmeal Hushpuppies, another of the appetizers we ordered. The hushpuppies were warm and comforting, with a sweet and tangy honey ranch sauce.

My favorite appetizer—and possibly my favorite dish that I ate at birch—was the Shaved Scallop. This was sweet scallops, which tasted like they had been plucked from the sea to order, dressed in a house-made mayonnaise, topped with sliced radishes, avocado, fennel, and toasted sesame. While normally, the idea of dressing beautiful fresh scallops with mayonnaise seems heavy and overpowering, this was no Miracle Whip. The house-made mayonnaise at birch is light and smooth—almost frothy—with gentle flavors of lemon juice and melted butter. The mayonnaise had just enough flavor to bring out the sweetness of the scallops, but not enough to overpower or hide the flavors of any other component. To me, this dish is the perfect example of Benjamin Sukle’s culinary style. He did the perfect thing with each of these ingredients: absolutely nothing. Every single ingredient that went into this plate was left alone and added it’s own flavor-idiosyncrasy to the dish. This was truly simplicity at its finest.

The main courses at birch seem to all be prepared with a similar formula: a very simply prepared, remarkably fresh protein, accompanied by an extremely creative side, usually focused around one specific vegetable, and a lack of starch—or very small starch—which can make the portions a bit small, but it’s a fair trade off for the amount of elegance and simplicity that really make these dishes. The Rhode Island Berkshire Pork is a perfect example, braised and served with an assortment of raw and charred cucumbers, and sofrito (an aromatic mixture of minced vegetables). The pork braise was just right; tender yet textural. All too often, braised pork can become mushy from being left to cook for too long, but this pork had a nice balance of textures.

Another delicious main course was the Pt. Judith Fluke, which was steamed in verbena. The fluke had a mild flavor, which paired well with the floral essence of the verbena. The almond sauce which was served with the fish was creamy, nutty, and slightly earthy, which acted as a nice contrast and added more substance to the small portion. The vegetable that accompanied the fluke was one of my favorites; carrots, prepared three ways. There was a quartered carrot that was charred until one side was black and the entire carrot was cooked through. This brought out a mild butternut squash-esque flavor from the carrot, which was also surrounded with sliced carrots, and dusted with carrot powder. This powder was one of the most creative ways I’ve ever seen a carrot prepared, made from the dehydrated pulp of juiced carrots. Another excellent main course was the Block Island Striped Bass. The bass was seared, and served with wilted escarole and lovage, as well as turnips and a slightly briny sauce made from fermented turnip juice.

We finished off the night with a decadent trio of chocolate puddings (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramelized white chocolate) topped with crumbled oat crisp, and a sweet-and-sour rhubarb sorbet. This creative dessert was an excellent ending to an elegant and innovative meal. The team at birch have obviously put a lot of effort into creating a unique experience, certain to please the adventurous diner in all of us. If you’re looking for something different, then this new Providence food destination is a must.

July 9, 2013 0 comment
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