umommy: restaurant

Restaurant Review: Cutty’s (Brookline, MA)

We experienced the most hellacious week two weeks ago. It went like this: youngest one had a bad case of croup (again). Oldest one came down with a high fever and nasty cough. I got hit with a nasty head cold. And to top it off, we got hit with another N’oreaster, making our sickly cabin fever that much worse. By week’s end when we were beginning to feel better, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel – and it was shining on a little sandwich shop in Brookline Village just a few blocks away from the pediatrician's office.

Cutty’s is a small joint with a walk-up counter and seating for about 16 people, including high chairs for wee ones. The simple and clean décor reflects Cutty’s mission: No bells and whistles, no gimmicks, no pretentious fancy-pants silliness, just honest food served quickly. What family wouldn’t want that?

Cutty’s is owned by CIA trained and Cooks Illustrated veteran Charles Kelsey. His menu mainly consists of hand-crafted sandwiches that would make any sandwich snob swoon. We ordered Grilled Cheese ($3.85) and Tomato Soup ($3.65) for the boys to share. Umdaddy got the house specialty – Roast Beef 1000: slow-roasted beef, crispy shallots, 1000 island, cheddar, on brioche ($7.95). I ordered the Eggplant Spuckie: eggplant, hand-pulled mozzarella, olive-carrot salad on ciabatta ($7.25).

It wasn’t long until everything came delivered and thoughtfully split for the boys. The boys devoured their buttery, cheesy grilled cheese sandwiches. I loved watching my oldest dip his sandwich in the velvety tomato soup – something I used to do as a kid. Our youngest had no interest in the soup, which was just okay by us since that meant we would *have* to finish it for him.

The Roast Beef 1000 was, I dare say, the best roast beef sandwich I ever had. And this coming from a loyal Kelly’s Roast Beef patron. The roast beef is cooked to a pink perfection and sliced paper thin. There is just the right balance of buttery brioche, dressing and cheese. The crispy shallots provided the perfect crunch for the sandwich.

The grilled Eggplant Spuckie (Spuckie is an old-school name for Italian subs) was the perfect combo of cheesy goodness, tangy veggies and crispy ciabatta.

I only had two regrets after our dining experience: 1) not ordering the house made chips and 2) not coming on a Saturday, the only day when the Pork Rabe or Pork Fennel sandwiches are available.

I really hope there won’t be any more visits to the pediatrician's office this winter, but if there are, I can bet we will be stopping at Cutty’s as our elixir to whatever ails us.

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5 Kitchen Secrets I Learned from Mom

My sister and I grew up in our family's restaurant, watching my parents work tirelessly to see the family business endure for over 40 years. My dad was the chef and my mom the GM. I watched in admiration as my dad whipped up one dish after another. Needless to say, many of our family meals were staff meals at 'restaurant hours'. But it was in the intimacy of our home kitchen I learned how to cook from my mom.

In honor of mother's day, here are some tips my mom passed on to me that I now share with my boys:

1. Fresh ginger: a little bit of fresh ginger goes a long way in almost every Asian dish. Add it to steamed rice, soups, stir-fry, tea - anything that could use a little spice, mellow sweetness, and warmth.

2. Making perfect rice: growing up in a Asian home, I thought the only way you cooked rice was with a rice cooker (Uncle Ben's was completely foreign to me). Here's how to cook rice in a rice cooker: 1) Measure uncooked rice and pour into cooking pot. 2) Rinse with cold water 2-3 times and tip and drain water. 3) Place pot on flat surface and place your palm down flat on top of the rice. 4) Fill cooker with enough water so that it just about reaches your knuckles. 5) Wipe outside of pot and place in cooker. 6) Press cook and enjoy! BTW - this is for white, long grain rice.

3. Fresh ingredients: only use the freshest ingredients for any dish. My mom will inspect every piece of produce to ensure it hasn't been picked over or sitting around. It really does make a difference in overall taste and quality.

4. The Wok - great multitasker: Woks are more than just for a stir-fry. It can be used as a steamer for many traditional and healthy asian dishes. You can use bamboo steamers or set a platter on a steamer rack. Woks are great for deep frying too. I've also used woks for blanching veggies.

5. Treat yourself to a nice meal: We've all had those days - too tired to prepare a home cooked meal or find yourself in a menu rut. Pizza and takeout are perfectly fine solutions for days like this. But some of my favorite memories are of eating out at good restaurants as a family. Besides eating a delicious dish, there's nothing more satifying than enjoying a really good meal and not have to do a single thing.

So to all moms out there - Happy Mother's Day and here's to a day of not having to do a single thing!