Orinoco Flows

When dining out with friends, I try to not be too pushy about choosing a restaurant. Naturally, I always have a running hit list of places that I want to try, but you never want to be the person who puts up a big stink about where to go. However, when I made plans for a weeknight dinner with my oldest friend, I insisted that we go to Orinoco. First off, I figured that she's (mostly happily) put up with me through twenty years of friendship and that she would forgive me for my one-time foot stomping over where we needed to eat. Secondly, she speaks fluent Spanish and has lived in South America, so, if I needed any guidance navigating the Venezuelan menu at Orinoco, she was my girl.

Orinoco, like Gaslight, is located in the South End. Unlike Gaslight, it doesn't have the unique luxury of a parking lot. So it required three trips around the block to find a spot near the Shawmut Avenue address. Even once I squeezed my car into a tiny spot, I was still not certain that it was a legal space - at that point, I could have cared less. Needless to say, I was a little frazzled by the time I got there. As it turns out, that was not a problem. It seemed that every aspect of Orinoco is geared to put you at ease.

We arrived just as the restaurant was opening at six in the evening and we were given our choice of tables by a very affable young host. The restaurant was tiny and dark, lit only by the red votives dotting the tables and the diffused street lights coming in through the windows. We chose a snug table by the bar and, before I even sat down, I excused myself to go to the ladies room. This offered me a chance to walk through the entire restaurant and spy on the funky art work and distressed antiques that added to the decor, making for a cozy, but hip atmosphere.

As soon as I get back to the table we were greeted by our lovely waitress, who had a thick Spanish accent. She asked if we were ready to order drinks and I knew that I was going to have a glass of wine so I decided to choose quickly. I selected a glass of Torrontes, which is an Argentinian white that you don't often see on menus. The waitress tells me that it's light like pinot gris, which I actually know since I've had it before, but I appreciated that she helped give some orientation on the South American aspects of the menu - this guidance continued when she went through the specials, which is terrific. There is nothing worse than struggling through a menu of unfamiliar cuisine and feeling embarrassed about your ignorance. The staff at Orinoco know that eating Venezuelan is not an every day experience for most Americans and they seem happy to answer questions and encourage experimentation.

My friend and I decided to share both our appetizers and our entrees for the maximum tasting experience. For our first course, we went with the Palmito Ensalada and the Tequenos. The salad included several layers of flavors, including mixed greens, hearts of palm, endive, red onions, and bleu cheese in a tasty vinaigrette. Also dotting the plate are three dates wrapped in bacon, stuffed with a marcona almond - a perfect mouthful of sweet/salty and crunchy/smooth. The only culinary low light of the night was the Tequenos - guayanes cheese wrapped in dough and deep fried served with chipotle ketchup. I know what you are thinking - "fried cheese with spicy sauce, how could that go wrong?" That's pretty much the exact thought process that led me to ordering it, but it was a letdown all the same. The cheese was sort of lost in the bready coating and the ketchup, which I expected to have a homemade, chunky consistency with visual evidence of the peppers, tasted and looked like a cup of Heinz 57 with a dash of hot sauce.

Based on the advice of our waitress, we selected two of the specials for our main course. We decided to share each by eating half way through and then switching, so when they arrived, I randomly chose to start with the beef tenderloin. The meat is tender and well-prepared, but it was not the star of the dish - that honor goes to the crab picadillo. Fresh, creamy, smoky, and spicy... I could have eaten an entire plate of just that. This was served with several giant spears of asparagus - I prefer the small ones, but all the same they were prepared to a perfect degree of tender crispness. This dish was so delicious that I was a little sorry when it came time to switch. That's because I didn't know what I was missing. The other entree was lamb chops crusted in pistachios with a mixed salad. The salad was somewhat similar to the Palmito, so it was a bit overkill at that point, but it did not matter one speck. The lamb, served with a bright green herb sauce, was sensational - earthy, nutty, and unbelievably garlicky. It was so good, I thought about it all the next day.

We finished up by sharing (of course) an order of quesillo, which is traditional Venezuelan flan. I really like flan and this was as tasty as I've had - a little denser and more custard-like than a smooth, creamy Spanish flan, but still excellent. By the time we were scraping the last little smears of flan from our plate, the restaurant had literally filled to the rafters, with diners spilling out the door. Clearly, Orinoco had become a hot spot. Just as I was noticing how many people had poured in, the owner swung by our table to check in and see how we enjoyed our meal. We gushed about what we'd eaten and told him we'd be back. He mentioned that they'd become so popular, that they were opening a second location in Brookline Village. My first thought? Better parking.

I'd give Orinoco at 477 Shawmut Avenue in the South End an A-. Show up early and let your server guide your selections - you'll leave fantasizing about heading out on the next flight to Caracas.

Making A List, Checking It Twice

I am a classic type-A personality. Competitive, impatient, organized. Like any good type-A, I have a strong adoration of lists. I make lists for everything. Lists of things I need to do, lists of places I'd like to visit, lists of songs I want to download from iTunes, lists of wines I want to buy again, lists of artists that I am keeping an eye on, and, oh yes, list of restaurants I want to try. I love lists.

Happily, I am not alone in this passion. It seems like every media outlet on the planet is compelled to do their own restaurant lists. The Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine, and the Phoenix (to name a few) have all recently published their lists of the "must trys" for the year. I figure that, in order to keep my blog's status amongst these fine publications, I probably need to produce my own list. So, here goes...

The Foodie's Guide to Places She is Dying to Try in the Hub in 2008 (You think these list titles should have some kind of word limit? I hope not. Oh yeah, and you know how they say, "in no particular order..."? Typical type-Bs. This list is in order.)

10) Beehive - The Globe called Beehive "the place to be (over 30)." Sigh. I guess at this point that pretty much describes the perfect destination for me. Beehive is probably better known as the South End's newest nightspot to hear a little music and, more importantly, see & be seen. But Boston Magazine promises "tasty, wallet-friendly" fare in addition to the entertainment. Sounds good to me.

9) Petit Robert Bistro - A friend of mine at work brought me a business card from Petit Robert Bistro more than a year ago. She implored me, "you have to check this place out." I never did and I have been sorry ever since. Every time you turn around some other reviewer is writing about this restaurant - and it's always favorable. The owners, who include a member of the venerable Maison Robert family, as well as a cutie-patootie young Frenchman, recently opened a second location in response to a booming business. Apparently, if you want to be mentally transported to the little Parisian bistro you discovered in your semester abroad, this is the place. Oh, and it's also affordable - what's not to like?

8) O Ya - This is the kind of place that makes me want to shut this blog down all together and simply post the following closing message: "I give up. Cool, fabulous, foodie-friendly places are opening in this city faster than Nancy Pelosi blinks. I can not possibly eat at them all, much less blog about them. Thank you for your patronage over these past five months." Ok, I know, O Ya was so June of 2007. I still haven't been! The Asian cuisine is supposed to be so good, the Globe quipped, "who needs Nobu?" Holy crap.

7) La Voile - I walked by the place destined to be La Voile on Newbury Street at least a dozen times while it was under construction. Each time, you could see a little more of this Mediterranean bistro take shape - like a tantalizing present being slowly unwrapped. Finally it's here and it's getting a lot of good buzz. Daily Candy called it "authentic" southern French fare. Having living in Aix-en-Provence, I can't wait to decide for myself.

6) Myers+Chang - I'll keep this simple. One of the owners, Christopher Myers, is also behind Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay. If this place is even a fraction as good as Radius or Great Bay, I am there+there+there.

5) Orinoco - One of my best friends spent several years living in Bolivia, so when she told me that a restaurant offering South American cuisine is one of her new favorites in the city, I paid attention. Not long after that exchange, Boston Magazine recognized Orinoco's chicken arepa one of the 52 best things to eat in Boston. Two recommendations from sources I trust, how can I go wrong?

4) T. W. Food - Oh god... maybe I have worked in Cambridge too long (about ten years, if you add up the different stints). Here's where the list starts getting all, "eat local, love your Mother." I can't help myself... if the menu sources most of its food from within 100 miles of the restaurant, I am like a bee drawn to organic honey. Daily Candy oozed that T.W. Food "emphasiz[es] biodynamic wines, house-made charcuterie, and sustainably raised meats, every meal is kind to both planet and palate." I don't even know what some of those words mean. That makes me want to go even more.

3) Gaslight, Brassarie du Coin - Unlike O Ya, Gaslight is just starting to get noticed and still needs to prove itself a bit. But the early press is promising... Gaslight offers a true French menu that will give Eastern Standard a run for its money. Both the Globe and Boston Magazine promise an atmosphere and decor that is straight from the Latin Quarter.

2) Summer Winter - Ok, now this place better be good. Because if I drive to Burlington and it's a bust, someone is going to hear about it. You gotta figure it's a pretty safe bet - the restaurateurs behind Summer Winter also own Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, considered one of the best dining establishments in the country. And forget about food sourced from a hundred mile radius, Summer Winter grows all its own produce in a greenhouse that is less than a hundred feet from the kitchen.

1) Ten Tables - Yeah, it's all local. Oh, and mostly organic. It's a small business in a grassroots community. I might as well pull out the Birkenstocks and stop shaving my legs. Listen, I like to do my part for the earth, and I like that Ten Tables does its part too, but that's not what makes it my top destination for the year. I love the idea of it... only ten tables in the dining room, making for a cozy, family-style atmosphere, where the staff encourages you to linger all night. And the chefs? Heck, they're only making food for you and nineteen of your newest pals. They can pour all the love and dedication in the world into each beautiful dish (check out the photos on the website). It doesn't hurt that Ten Tables made every list this year. I'll be lucky to get one of those ten precious tables before 2009, but I tell you what - I'm going to do my best. And I will be sure to report back.

Boy, I've got my work cut out for me this year. This is a heady list, but I know I can do it. Type-As are nothing if not committed.