Food Issue 2012

june 19, 2012 - july 2, 2012

www.stuffboston.com

food

plan the hottest summer bbq | a “wicked� cool author | gardening gourmets

june 19, 2012 – july 2, 2012

HOTS 6

GET ...this or that 9 ...seen 10 ...close 12 ...cultured 14 ...pretty 16 ...out 18 STYLE 22

FEATURE

BBQ 101 25 Homegrown and hyper-local 37

FEED

25 Ready to get fired up? Sweet Cheeks’ Tiffani Faison is one of eight local chefs who share their favorite cookout recipes in “BBQ 101” on page 25. Photo: Natasha Moustache

Letter from the Editor

I hope this issue makes you hungry.

Starting with the cover image.

As far as food goes, a rack of ribs and a slice of watermelon are pretty much worlds apart.

One is hot and hearty, a staple at that greatest, most timeless of American summer traditions: <4> 6.19.12

the backyard barbecue. (I’m sure there are cave drawings that show a spear-wielding Neanderthal grilling mastodon in a “Kiss the Cook” apron.) The other is a cool, light, and refreshing treat that’s the edible equivalent of Mother Nature blowing in your ear and giving you a big wet smooch. They’re yin and yang, spicy and sweet.

But both remind me of my favorite part of enjoying good food in the summertime: enjoying it outdoors — whether by grilling over an open flame, plucking some fresh fruits at a farmers’ market, or just pulling up a patio seat at a local restaurant.

So to help you make the most of your meals, we gathered eight barbecue-loving chefs to share some of their favorite recipes in “BBQ 101” on page 25. (And we gathered them on a gorgeous Back Bay roof deck to whip up some

food coma 41 5 courses 42 stuff it 43 liquid 44 RESIDE 46 SEX 48 FLASH 50 gregory maguire’S STUFF 54

examples. ’Cause you know, we selflessly had to try them for you!)

Practice your searing and smoking skills with these, load up your iPod with our recommended playlists of must-have summer songs, and stock up on hot sauce. (We found the best locally produced varieties.)

You’ll be the star of the block-party cookout just in time for the Fourth of July. And because a barbecue is a time to overindulge, we’re not done: visit stuffboston.com to find bonus recipes and barbecue tips from each of the chefs.

If you’d rather let the experts do the cooking for you, check out “Homegrown and Hyper-Local” on page 37. Louisa Kasdon tracked down green-thumbed chefs who grow their own produce in their restaurants’ onsite gardens. (Food doesn’t get more “locally sourced” than that!) She also examined

the green businesses that are sprouting up to help them. Here’s hoping they blossom into a fullfledged industry soon.

Of course, there are plenty of other treats inside. On page 54, we catch up with Gregory Maguire, the local author behind the Oz-inspired Wicked Years series, to get his take on everything from fairy tales to overzealous fans. Fabulous local milliner Marie Galvin lets us into her home — and shows off décor that’s as fashionable as her haute hats — on page 46. And stylist Renato Certo-Ware takes us poolside for some gorgeous swimsuit-tostreetwear looks on page 22.

These pages pack a full plate.

Eat up. It’s tasty, I promise.

Scott Kearnan Editorial Director @TheWriteStuffSK

Editorial Director: Scott Kearnan Senior Managing Editor: Jacqueline Houton Design Manager: Janice Checchio Staff Writer: Miles Howard Food Editor-at-Large: Louisa Kasdon Fashion & Beauty Editor-at-Large: Lauryn Joseph Contributing Writers: Kara Baskin, Marissa Berenson, Renata CertoWare, Cheryl Fenton, Jeannie Greeley, Meghan Kavanaugh, Heather Bouzan McHugh, MC Slim JB, Luke O’Neil, Erin Souza Contributing Photographers: Natalia Boltukhova, Lara Callahan, Kelly Davidson, Michael Diskin, Kim Gray, Tim Gray, Eric Levin, Melissa Ostrow, Chris Padgett, Joel Veak Party Photographers: Derek Kouyoumjian, Erica Magliaro, Natasha Moustache, Michael Young Interns: Luke Milardo, Hilary Milnes Vice President, Sales and Business Development: David Garland Vice President, Print Media Sales: Marc Shepard General Sales Manager: Sean Weymouth Senior Account Executive: Luba Gorelik Account Executives: Nathaniel Andrews, Chris Gibbs, Laura Rodriguez Advertising Operations Manager: Kevin Lawrence Traffic Coordinators: Jonathan Caruso, Colleen McCarthy Director of Marketing and Promotions: Brian Appel Interactive Marketing Manager: Lindsey Mathison Director of Creative Operations: Travis Ritch Advertising Arts Manager: Angelina Berardi Production Artist: Kelly Wight Online Content Coordinator: Maddy Myers Senior Web Developer: Gavin Storey Director of Finance: Scotty Cole Circulation Director: Jim Dorgan Circulation Manager: Michael Johnson STUFF Magazine is published by the Phoenix Media/ Communications Group Chairman and Publisher: Stephen M. Mindich President: Bradley M. Mindich Senior Vice President: A. William Risteen Vice President, Integrated Media Sales: Everett Finkelstein Director, Interactive Media Sales: Brian Russell Senior Account Executive of Integrated Media Sales: Margo Dowlearn For advertising rates, call 617.425.2660. For editorial inquiries, call 617.536.5390.

Subscriptions: Bulk rate $89/year. Bulk-rate postage paid, Boston, MA; allow 10 days for delivery.

Send name and address with check or money order to: Subscription Department, STUFF, 126 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 • Copyright ©2009 Stuff Magazine LLC, 126 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, 617.536.5390.

All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission, by any method whatsoever, is prohibited.

Printed by Cummings Printing, Co.

617. 457. 2626 200 Stuart Street | EmeraldUltraLounge.com 6.19.12 <5>

PIPING HOT SIP

We love having some nice wine before a night at the theater. But it’s a fine line: have one glass, and you’ll be emotionally well-lubricated enough to get the most from the artistic experience. Have one glass too many, and you’re suddenly talking back to the stage like you’re watching an NFL game. (“No, Romeo!

Don’t drink that! She’s just really sleepy!”) So we love that we control the pour portions at Sip Wine Bar & Kitchen (581 Washington Street, Boston, 617.988.8100), opening in July just steps from downtown theaters. The latest venture from the Legendary Restaurant Group (which includes Papagayo and Max & Dylans, among others), Sip will offer 30 wines “by the sip” (two-ounce pours), as a half glass, and as a full glass, along with 150 wines by the bottle and a daily selection of nine glasses for under $9. That’ll leave more cash for munching on the pre- and post-theater menu offerings — which include charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and sushi bowls. And on Sip and See Sundays, guests will be able to purchase movie tickets, validated parking, and dinner for two for a fixed price. Sounds like an ovation-worthy opening.

h o t

DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT

In mid-June, Swedish wunderkind Avicii became the first DJ to headline a concert at Boston’s massive TD Garden. And he brought along a Hub-grown favorite as his supporting act: Morgan Page, a house DJ/producer who cut his teeth at Emerson College’s radio station, WERS. (For interviews with both acts, check out stuffboston .com.) Now Boston-based DJ Joe Bermudez, a popular pick for popstar remixes, has been tapped to open for yet another internationally known act, this time at the DCU Center (50 Foster Street, Worcester, 508.755.6800). On June 22, the state’s second-largest city will score America’s number-one DJ (as designated by DJ Times) when dreamy beat-dropper Kaskade fills the arena with uplifting club hits like “4 AM,” “Dynasty,” and “Eyes.” Find tickets ($47.50) at ticketmaster.com.

But for an entirely different type of club-friendly collaboration, pick up Anthony Paul De Ritis: Devolution, an album released this month by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. It boasts three orchestral pieces by Boston-based composer De Ritis, chair of the Department of Music at Northeastern University. Head to bmop.org to check out clips of the tracks, including the titular concerto featuring DJ Spooky, which marries turntable beats with a symphony orchestra. We bet they make sweet music together.

Joe Bermudez and Kaskade

<6> 6.19.12

IN THE HEAT OF COMPETITION

Boston sports teams aren’t the only place to find fierce players this summer. The June 5 season premiere of NBC’s Love in the Wild (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.), a Survivor-style matchmaking show hosted by Jenny McCarthy, featured Hub guy Darwin Zook in its cast of pretty people. In July, Moksa chef Patricia Yeo sharpens her knives to cut down the competition on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.

(Here’s hoping she fares better on screen than in local kitchens, where the reviews have been mixed.)

And though the cast has yet to be officially announced, local buzz has it that the inaugural season of All Stars: RuPaul’s Drag Race on the Logo network will feature Boston-based performer Jujubee when it premieres in a few months’ time. You (all) better work.

HOT AIR

At some point, most of us have looked to the stars and dreamt of at least one of the following. A: Belting out “My Sharona” before a crowd of thousands. B: Shredding guitar solos worthy of Slash. Or C: Enjoying an hour-long, neighborhood-awakening orgasm.

But what if you lack a decent singing voice, a guitar, and an especially enduring partner?

Easy: get in on the spate of mime-style “air arts” popping up this month. On June 6, Club Café hosted the Queen’s Voice, a lip-syncing showdown. Next comes a regional round of the 2012 US Air Guitar Championships at Brighton Music Hall (158 Brighton Avenue, Allston, 617.779.0140) on June 22. If you long to perform Exorcistworthy spasms to overwrought solos, sign up at usairguitar.com, where you can also snag spectator tickets ($15). And we’re most excited for June 29, when the loud and limber competitors of the Air Sex World Championships (yes, you read that correctly) will mount the Middle East Upstairs (472 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, 617.864.3278) for a night of uproarious undulations. Get tickets ($15) at rockonconcerts.com. top photo by colleen magyar

ALWAYS ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. ©2012 Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A., Stella Artois® Beer, Imported by Import Brands Alliance, St. Louis, MO

GET

SEEN

Close

cultured

GETthis...

Unless you plan to finish your BLT in the ICU, we don’t recommend slathering expired mayo on a sandwich. (Gross.) But the inventive among us are often able to find new uses for old kitchen items. Stale bread? We toast them for croutons. Used coffee grounds? Those fertilize the flowerpot. But repurposing silverware requires a little more artistry. So kudos to crafty California-based designer Diane Markin for creating this silverware clock ($120), available at Joie de Vivre (1792 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617.864.8188).

Markin contorts old forks and spoons, twisting them around a six-inch-wide clock face to fashion an elaborate wall ornament that wouldn’t look out of place at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. But it’ll look even better mounted above your kitchen table — and provide an excellent conversation piece come dinnertime.

or that...

Of course, our kitchens aren’t the only place where old goods find new life: just look at our closets full of thrift-store threads. Or, on the other hand (literally), consider these silverware bracelets ($25 each) handmade from old utensils by Attleboro resident John Atkinson. After leaving the corporate world in 2006, Atkinson started bending spoons and forks around a baseball bat to create cool cuffs that fit any wrist size. He also sells spoon rings, so you’re bound to find a stylish something that’ll drop jaws at your next dinner party. Check out his wares on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the SoWa Open Market (460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 800.403.8305), where Atkinson has a booth every week.

— Meghan Kavanaugh

photos by janice checchio

6.19.12 <9>

GETSEEN …at InterContinental Boston for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Hot Pink Party

Stephanie Ginsberg, founder of Pink Promises Any woman who can wear leopard as a neutral is one we want to know. She met the “touch of hot pink” dress code with a Michael Kors clutch and dress, Stuart Weitzman pumps, and Judith Ripka jewelry.

This combo is a far cry from the gym clothes she usually wears, she says. We say, chic is a great look on you!

Stephanie doesn’t just dress the part: she’s helped raise $1 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through Pink Promises, a Long Island gala benefit. “I like wearing pink as a reminder of why we’re here and why we’re doing this.”

STUFFY:

Melanie Karlberg, vice president of client solutions at F-Squared Investments Melanie paired a Sara Campbell dress and necklace with a Valentino clutch and her mother’s Dolce & Gabbana shoes — a perfectly ladylike look, à la her style icon, Audrey Hepburn.

Her favorite piece in her closet is a floral-printed Marni dress with flattering pleats.

She raved about her “fairy godmother,” personal shopper Louise Passacantilli of Saks Fifth Avenue, who consistently finds classic clothes that fit her aesthetic and figure. Better than a glass slipper, in our opinion.

Kristen Kuliga, sports lawyer at K Sports Like all of Kristen’s outfits, this party-perfect look was thrown together at the last minute. She paired an LBD from Saks with pink heels from Lord & Taylor, a bracelet from Target, and a pink flower pin from Claire’s.

Her job takes her from airport to airport, making comfortable, packable clothes a must. Her travel look consists of flip-flops, T-shirts, and a luxe cashmere wrap.

An integral part of Kristen’s personal style is her signature scent, Azurée Soleil by Tom Ford.

She loves that the perfume is part of the Estée Lauder brand, one near and dear to the BCRF cause.

Alyssa Romano, reporting manager at Arrowstreet Capital Alyssa’s lime-green and hot-pink outfit combined a classically preppy summer palette with contemporary-cool textures, like that of her outrageously beautiful patent-leather pumps. She wore the Brian Atwood shoes with a David Meister dress, a Dior bag, and a necklace from the night’s honoree, Elisha Daniels.

Alyssa grounds her outfits with her favorite accessories: killer shoes. She displays her preferred pairs in a glass case, showcasing the shoes as works of functional art.

“Sometimes I wish I could be the clean-lines kind of girl,” says Alyssa of her personal style. “But I’m much more fun, bright, and whimsical.”

A Work of Artichoke

Some people save up for sensible luxury investments: a classically handsome piece of furniture, perhaps, or a custom-tailored suit that will never go out of style. And then there are the rest of us, those who choose to splurge on truly outlandish objects — the kind of stuff so utterly unnecessary that we must own it now. (That’s how we wound up with that diamond-incrusted portable water bowl for the pedigreed pooch we keep in a monogrammed designer tote.) What’s the latest thing catching our inner impulse buyer’s eye? It’s this artichoke lamp from Hudson (12 Union Park Street, Boston, 617.292.0900), which turns the spiky vegetable into a stylish table topper. The $625 price tag ensures only serious foodies and design snobs need inquire, but all can see that the quirky piece radiates a clear message: “If we can afford to spend our hard-earned money on a wacky lamp, we must be rolling in the green stuff.” (No one needs to know it’s only illuminating the loveseat we stole from our parents.) Available in white, orange, green, and gray, the 30-inch-tall lamps are handmade from recycled materials by Haitian artisans. Delicious décor with a social conscience — who says you can’t buy good taste?

— Meghan Kavanaugh

<10> 6.19.12

GET SEEN PHOTOS BY melissa ostrow; text by erin souza

GETclose ...with DJ/Producer Eric Prydz Back in 2004, a little-known Swedish DJ/ producer named Eric Prydz took a vocal sample from a Steve Winwood song (“Valerie”), laid down some fat beats, and released a floorboardbusting single: “Call on Me.” It ripped through clubs like a torpedo, earning Prydz international recognition among electronic-music lovers.

And its unforgettable music video has garnered more than 35 million views on YouTube, thanks in no small part to its cast of shapely aerobics students in ’80s thong leotards. (As former UK prime minister Tony Blair put it, “The first time it came on, I nearly fell off my rowing machine.”)

Since then, Prydz has become an esteemed regular at festivals across Europe, and he recently finished his long-awaited first artist album, Eric Prydz Presents Pryda, a threedisc set that incorporates both new tracks and previously released wall-bangers. And this summer, he’ll be sweeping the States as the headliner of the 2012 Identity Festival, a multistage EDM throw-down that hits the Comcast Center (885 South Main Street, Mansfield, 508.339.2331) on Thursday, July 26. (For tickets, visit idfestival.com.) We caught up with Prydz to discuss America’s dance scene, music trends, and the road ahead.

How does it feel to headline a show in America, where the EDM scene is so young?

It feels great! I can’t wait to get back to the US. During my last visit in 2008, the EDM scene in America was very underground, so the people who came to the shows knew exactly which DJs were playing and were really excited.

I’ve read that you have a fear of flying. How are you handling all the travel for the tour?

It’s still a big problem for me. I need to be heavily medicated. Luckily, it’s only one flight to North America and then back to Europe. Most of this tour is going to be done by bus.

You just released a proper album, which is a relative rarity in today’s EDM scene. What’s an album that remains an influence on your music? I would say Speak & Spell by Depeche Mode. I must have listened to it at least a few thousand times. I still love the format of the album. It’s not about throwing 10 banging tracks on one disc, but recording a collection that flows as a whole. Each track has to make sense.

Your music has taken you to exotic locales.

What’s one of your favorite places to perform? Location-wise, Ibiza is very cool because you don’t play to a singular type of crowd of people. Not just the Spanish, not just the English, but a great mixed group bound by dance music, which is very special. The whole vibe is very out of the ordinary.

What can festival-goers expect from the Identity tour? We’ve got a new stage and lighting setup, and the lineup is very well-rounded in style and age: Paul van Dyk, Nero, Madeon. I’m really looking forward to it.

How has the EDM scene changed since <12> 6.19.12

you started? The Internet has changed music massively. Back when I released my first records, it was all about vinyl. There was more quality control then. People couldn’t just release new tracks. There was all this red tape: record contracts, distribution, etc. And I think that gave music a longer lifespan, which it no longer has now. After two weeks, a track is considered old, which is just crazy! Look at the difference between physical and digital music releases.

Ninety percent of all music is now downloaded instantly via platforms like iTunes.

When you look at your contemporaries, who do you think rises to the gold standard of EDM? I’m hard to please. [Laughs] I’d say Trentemøller, Daft Punk — anyone who makes

original sounds and doesn’t try to follow trends.

Let’s say someone develops a cool new bass line; everyone jumps on that and tries to make the same track. It’s a bit frustrating. Why should I listen to a Deadmau5 track if I can hear 15 others just like it, with only a few little changes? They’re all chasing what other people are doing.

What’s next, after the tour? After North America, I’ll be heading straight to Ibiza for September, and then I’m taking some time off to relax. Everyday stuff, that’s a luxury for me: going grocery shopping, having dinner with close friends, or just sitting at home and having nothing to do. Maybe I’ll rent a movie or go down to the park. It’s nice not having a schedule!

— Miles Howard

Where

rustic and modern elements mend seamlessly With a spotlight on healthy preparations and locally sourced ingredients.

161 Berkeley Street (at Stuart Street) in Bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Back Bay 617.542.2255 www.grill23.com Brandt prime beef / 7 private dining rooms / 1000+ wine selection

Modern Mexican

11 Springfield St. | Cambridge, MA

35 Stanhope St. | Boston, MA

170 milk street, Boston 617-451-7400 Now Accepting Applications for all Positions. Please Forward your resume to GlynnHospitality@gmail.com

Summer 2012

12 Springfield St. | Cambridge, MA 6 Cypress Street | Brookline, MA

www.olerestaurantgroup.com

GETCULTURED Emerging Talents

Rightly or wrongly, Boston isn’t a city often credited as a cultural provocateur or envelopepusher. (Those associations with our puritanical ancestors are as hard to shake off as tight buckle shoes.) But if you doubt the Hub’s commitment to fantastically funky works of theater, we suggest you immerse yourself in the third annual Emerging America Festival, running from June 21 through June 24. Organized by the American Repertory Theater, the Huntington Theatre Company, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, the four-day showcase is dedicated to spotlighting groundbreaking works by cutting-edge artists. We found a few who particularly pique our interest and whose work, we suspect, will represent the best of the fest. Check them out below, and find the complete schedule and tickets ($5–$25) at emergingamericafestival.com.

John Kuntz

Play wright /Per

former, The Ho

tel Nepenthe

— Miles Howard

Steve Cuiffo

Performer, Steve Cu

iffo Is Lenny Bruce

Redeeming the sins of rabbit-slinging birthda ypar ty magicians everyw here, Cuiffo has marrie d acting and illusions in unique “magical theate r” productions like his lau gh-out-loud Italianmagician character stu dy, The Amazing Russe llo Magic Hour. But Cuiffo ’s greatest trick has got to be his resurrection of Lenny Bruce, a per form ance that re-enacts the late comedian’s legendary taboo-busting monol ogues on drug use, sex ual expression, and obscen ity — down to every pau se and aside. Having ear ned props from the Ne w York Times for his dead-on recreation, Cuiffo will bring Bruce’s still-potent bits to OBERON, splitting sides and skewering hypocr isies for two per formanc es.

s The Hyrapteoscofrite Penzance

Performer s,

Pi

tered e has encoun oan if he or sh in. ag gr ic g Ch bi y a t an Ask ely ge s, and you’ll lik semble has en r the Hypocrite te ea th t e irreveren German Since 1997, th rg Büchner’s hing from Geo d take yt er lle -fi ev et d le pp ck pu ta , to a futuristic ck . Now ze ial oy Tr W e a Th dram classic a’s absurdist ed realization fill hon Franz Kafk ug la , ed ce to ng their laud they’re bringi tes of Penzan Sullivan’s Pira f a soldof h es Fr of Gilber t and s. ce four performan s the comic opera OBERON for the show take n, s it in ru o ag ic out Ch seas and plop hbuckling high y West.

Ke of t ou from the swas ht ig ra schy scene st d ukuleles. a colorful, kit or t-shorts an Bring on the sh

<14> 6.19.12

A veteran of the NYC theater scene, Ku ntz made his mark on Boston as a founding comp any member of the Actors’ Shakes peare Project, pu tting a modern spin on classics like Titus Andronicus . He’s also a prolific scribe wit h 14 plays to his na me, including The Hotel Nepenth e, hitting the BCA ’s Calderwood Pavilion for six pe rformances. The Elliot Norton Award winner assembles a motley crew in and around its titular inn, examinin g how their myste rious back stories interconne ct. Where else ca n you encounter a car crash, a subp lot about a missing baby, and a transvestite fairy in one night? Until they finally make The Hangover Pa rt III, Nepenthe is your best bet.

casteEdrdie Coyle Bill DFroiennd s of

Play wright ,

The

n’t ic affairs does rector of publ di ght ’s ou ity br rs he ive , Lesley Un is past winter s releases. Th the stage to l ve no e just pen pres im cr ins’s famous for two George V. Higg at OBERON; now it’s back n Hub’s ru e ut th -o id ld so am 69 for a ces. Set in 19 an ript rm sc rfo r’s pe te ncas encore underworld, Do ar protagonist, ul Irish-American tit its of e tribulations habit of chronicles th earms have a ster whose fir tionng ac ga an g in ct ag an s. Expe e bank robberie inder that crim m turning up at re g rin be — and a so od began wo lly Ho re packed show fo Boston well be here. ruled much of y police flicks shooting gritt

WHERE TO GO:

The Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.266.0800) The Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100) OBERON (2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, 617.496.8004)

Mikhael Tara Ga rver

Creator, Expe

riment Amer

ica This DC-born graduate of Co lumbia’s direct has taken acto ing program rs and audien ces an 18th-centu ry painting (The behind the scenes of Pool of Bethes squirm-inducin da g first date th e day after 9/11 ), on a Tragic Events ), and into the (Recent lives of 10 mus real rock show ic fans at a (Fornicated by the Beatles), ga numerous ac colades along rnering the way. Now gracing the fe Garver is st with Experim en t America, an night of discov interactive ery at the ICA . Starting at 9: Friday, June 22 30 p.m. on , the museum will be transfo pulsing, DJ-d rmed into a riven dance pa rty filled with and immersiv strange sights e stories, crea ted with help from more than 50 writers and performer s.

GRAND OPENING IN CAMBRIDGE Korean BBQ and Cuisine featuring the ultimate in taste- The BonChon chicken.

Come enjoy our 18 tables complete with their own BBQ grills.

Bonchon BBQ 57 JFK ST • Cambridge, MA 02138 617.868.0981 • www.bonchon.com

This Summer:

pop-up grill nights & irresistible seating in our garden day & night Lunch · Dinner · Brunch • Afternoon Tea 617 864.1933 or upstairsonthesquare.com

GETpretty Orange Crush

It’s not just for Halloween makeup anymore. A handful of designers featured orange-tinged lips and lids on spring 2011 runways, but it was Pantone’s more recent selection of Tangerine Tango as 2012’s “Color of the Year” that truly encouraged the masses to embrace the fresh, juicy hue. Of course, you need to be careful when invoking such a bright, bold color. “All shades of orange are on trend for makeup this season,” explains Jen Opeka of Sarra (840 Summer Street, Boston, 617.269.8999). “You just have to know which shade works best with your skin tone and focus that color on one feature.”

Manda Carco of MandaMonium (mandamonium.net) agrees. She notes that tangerine, which represents the orange-oriented trend in its purest form, might not be ideal for every complexion. “I think darker skin tones can wear the bright oranges a little better than lighter skin tones, but lighter skin tones carry the peach [hues] better,” says Carco. “Coral works for everyone.”

We pumped Opeka and Carco for more tips on wearing summer’s hottest shade on lips, eyes, and cheeks. Orange you glad we asked?

— Heather Bouzan McHugh

Lips

Hot Shade: A bold, orangey-red vermillion.

As Seen on: Models walking the spring ’12 runways for Jason Wu and Rick Owens.

Keep It Subtle: “The easiest way to work the trend is on the lips,” says Opeka. If lipstick feels too loud, try a gloss. She recommends Sarra’s Vivid Energy and Bobbi Brown’s Tangerine for a sheer take on the trend.

Go All Out: If you’re feeling bold, Carco suggests MAC’s Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Good to Go, a tangerine shade. “It’s a long-wearing color, but it’s really creamy, so it doesn’t give you that really dry, matte look,” she says. Line lips, fill them in, and then apply the color for a deeply pigmented effect.

Pair It Perfectly: “It’s the same rule all the time,” explains Carco. “Bold lip, more neutral eye. And vice versa.” Opeka elaborates: “A bright, matte lip should be paired with a clean eye and neutral cheeks. . . .

A tangerine-stained lip looks great with a wash of gold shadow on the lids and lots of black mascara. . . .

And a peachy gloss works well with bronzed, smoky eyes.”

<16> 6.19.12

Cheeks

Eyes

Hot Shade: A sheer wash of tangerine.

As Seen on: Models at Richard Chai’s spring ’12 show.

Keep It Subtle: “Stick to sheer washes of guava, peach, and terra cotta on the lid,” suggests Opeka. “Apply black or brown cake eyeliner at the lash roots along with black mascara to intensify the lash line.”

Go All Out: Carco suggests making a statement with a bold orange accented by a heavy application of liner. “MAC has an orange shadow called . . . wait for it . . . ‘Orange.’ Enough said,” says Carco. Complement it with a bold black gel or liquid liner. “I’d probably rim the whole eye and maybe even pop a little bit of that orange shade in the outer, lower lash line.” Then sweep shimmery highlighter under the brow.

Pair It Perfectly: Keep lips and cheeks neutral territory. “Adobe by Sarra and Wild Bouquet by Laura Mercier are two great cheek colors neutral enough to complement orange-based eyes or lips without looking too matchy-matchy,” Opeka explains. For lips, Carco recommends a pale pink, a caramel hue, or a more traditional nude.

Hot Shade: A sporty pop of citrus, layered with a sun-kissed bronze.

As Seen on: Cheekbones at Aquascutum’s and Michael Kors’s spring presentations.

Keep It Subtle: “A blast of tangerine on the cheeks works best for deeper skin tones, while shades of apricot are fairly universal,” says Opeka. Carco suggests layering those hues over a more traditional bronzer for a subtle, sun-kissed look. “You just want to use a really large, fluffy brush so that you’re not putting so much product on; you’re just giving [skin] a light dusting.”

Go All Out: The bold cheek isn’t as prevalent as dramatic looks for eyes or lips, says Carco. But if you’re so inclined, her product pick is Make Up For Ever’s HD Microfinish Blush in First Kiss, a cream blush in a beautiful orange. A heavier application achieves that bolder effect, but you can also soften the formula by mixing it with a bit of moisturizer.

Pair It Perfectly: “I think it’s a really cool look to literally do almost a nude eye, with almost nothing on,” says Carco. “Just fill in your brows and add mascara.” That bold cheek just pops in comparison. And Opeka reiterates, “Just remember not to match cheeks to eyes or lips.

Otherwise, the effect will be too matchymatchy.”

GETOUT old-fashioned summer barbecues.

So the lineup of the 15th annual Chefs in Shorts cookout is already enough to tempt us to the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center (200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, 617.385.5000). Starting at 7 p.m., grill masters from Catalyst, Strega Waterfront, BOND, and many more local restos will serve up an al fresco feast. But your ticket ($70) doesn’t just guarantee one night of good eats; its proceeds will support Future Chefs, a local nonprofit that prepares urban youth for employment and education opportunities in the culinary arts — and helps ensure Boston will dine well for years to come. Get yours at seaportboston.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 Not everything from the ’80s has aged well. (Exhibit A: Alf.) But if you mine inspiration from the era appropriately, you can create something shiny and new. Just look at Destroyer. The Vancouver-based band’s founder and front man, Dan Bejar, dusts off styles and sounds that flooded the airwaves during his youth, particularly flanged guitar strings à la Robin Guthrie, sax solos, and silky Pet Shop Boys vocals. Even Destroyer’s lyrical rhetoric goes retro, addressing everything from Reagan’s evil empire to cocaine-fueled hedonism. You can head back to the future yourself when the band brings numbers like “Kaputt” and “Bay of Pigs” to the Paradise Rock Club (967 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617.562.8800) for an 8 p.m. show. Grab tickets ($15) at ticketmaster.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 19

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

By originating the role of bohemian filmmaker Mark in Rent, Anthony Rapp earned a place in Broadway history and a home in the heart of die-hard “Rent-heads.” But the acclaimed actor only narrowly avoided a long-term career at Starbucks: the then-barista showed up late for the audition where he got his big break and met the show’s creator, Jonathan Larson, who died the day before the musical’s off-Broadway opening. Now, more than 15 years later, Rapp has chronicled his unlikely, tribulation-filled path down the Great White Way in Without You, a musical-memoir stage show.

Backed by a five-piece band, Rapp will rock the Modern Theatre (525 Washington Street, Boston, 617.557.6537) tonight through June 24. Grab tickets ($60) for tonight’s 8 p.m. performance at withoutyoutheshow.com.

The last time we held a birthday block party, the neighbors didn’t speak to us for weeks. (We thought someone said something about “noise ordinances,” but we couldn’t hear them over the speakers.) That won’t stop us from celebrating the 20th birthday of José McIntyre’s (160 Milk Street, Boston, 617.451.9460) at its annual Block Party on Central Street, right behind the bar. From 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., the block will bustle with live music, DJs, and special guests (including a few MTV personalities).

Tickets are $10 at eventbrite.com — but if you ante up $20, you’ll also get access to a 5 p.m. pub crawl that incorporates three other local bars. We’ll think of it as an aroundthe-block party.

<18> 6.19.12

If a spot like The Estate (1 Boylston Place, Boston, 617.351.7000) is going to dub a party “VIP Access Saturday,” we’d better not be served some average, frosty-haired, fadertwiddling DJ. Thankfully, tonight’s guest, Jeffrey Tonnesen, makes for a very important party. The NYC-based turntable wizard has provided scorching soundtracks to innumerable clubs, parties, and runway shows across the globe.

In a typical set, he might sample everything from California disco duo Classixx to house legends Daft Punk, throwing in unlikely licks of Metallica for seamless mixes that play like bento boxes of past decades’ hottest gems. To catch his 10 p.m. set, grab tickets ($15) at theestateboston.com or text “Jeffrey” to 38714 to get in for free before 11 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24 We have a hard time picturing nuns whipping up fabulous cuisine.

(Asceticism seems more likely to yield the flavor-free sustenance of, say, unleavened wafers.) But Mexico’s Poblano cuisine is actually rooted in the fare of 16thcentury Spanish nuns; today it features palate-whetting plates like stuffed Poblano peppers in walnut cream sauce and spicy chocolate mole. Try them tonight when Olé Mexican Grill (11 Springfield Street, Cambridge, 617.492.4495) hosts a 6 p.m. dinner with Puebla chef Ana Elena Martinez. It’s part of a series of special events that brings Olé’s chef Erwin Ramos together with talented toques hailing from different regions of Mexico. (Next up: chef Pilar Cabrera orchestrates an Oaxacan dinner on July 29.) The cost is $40 per person; call ahead to reserve your seat.

MONDAY, JUNE 25 Her Boardwalk Empire character may have wound up on the wrong end of Manny Horvitz’s handgun this fall, but it’s still been a banner year for Aleksa Palladino. The singer/actress and her husband, Devon Church, have won raves for their dream-pop project, Exitmusic, whose reverb-rich piano notes, guitar squalls, and ethereal vocals bring to mind post-rock giants like Sigur Rós and Beach House. Their first fulllength album, Passage, dropped last month, but you can hear the Brooklyn-based duo live when they swing by T.T. the Bear’s Place (10 Brookline Street, Cambridge, continued on p20

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 As you can probably tell from our feature (see page 25), we swoon for

ana elena martinez

Light and crisp. It’s mead, only cooler. Now available throughout New England.

mainemeadworks.com.

MMW-15769 HoneyMaker_StuffMagazine.2012.FR.indd 1

6/5/12 3:18 PM

The Back Bay’s BesT PaTio is oPen 7 Days Per Week It’s THE place to stop by pre and post Sox games!

Friend us on

for details on all our Summer Events!

Dillon’s • 955 Boylston Street, Boston 617.421.1818 • www.glynnhospitalitygroup.com

GETOUT continued FROM p18

617.492.0082) for an 8:30 p.m. show. Find tickets ($10) at ticketweb.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 Anyone who’s enjoyed the emulsion of electro house and hip-hop in recent years has probably encountered the beats and buildups of Afrojack. (Or, as an excited Paul McCartney referred to him at Coachella 2011, “Afrojacks!”) The Dutch DJ and producer first slipped onto the stereo scene with his thumping Eva Simons collaboration, “Take Over Control.” He’s since worked with Snoop Dogg and Pitbull on singles “Last Night” and “Give Me Everything,” and he’s prepping a new album for 2012. Here’s hoping he’ll give a sonic sneak peek at House of Blues (15 Lansdowne Street, Boston, 888.693.2583) during tonight’s 7:30 p.m. show. Grab tickets ($39.50) at livenation.com.

EAT.

They may have dubbed their band Japandroids, but there’s nothing synthetic (or, for that matter, East Asian–influenced) about the sound of Brian King and David Prowse.

Since their 2006 formation, the Vancouver duo have specialized in rollicking rock numbers like “The House That Heaven Built” and “Young Hearts Spark Fire,” instantly recalling both senior alt-rock axe masters like At the Drive-In and more recent rabble-rousers Titus Andronicus. Their second full-length album, Celebration Rock, hit shelves on June 5, so expect Japandroids to road test the new tracks during their 9 p.m. show at Brighton Music Hall (158 Brighton Avenue, Allston, 617.779.0140). Grab tickets ($14) at ticketmaster.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28 When we tackle the slippery topic of love, we often resort to physical

drink.

metaphors: we talk about having crushes and flings, falling head over heels, breaking up and getting hitched. So we bet romance will prove a rich source of inspiration in Threshold, the latest spectacle from the Boston Circus Guild. Set to original live music, the show features aerial artists walking on air, contortionists getting caught in romantic entanglements, and acrobats engaging in emotional balancing acts. The curtain will rise — and jaws will drop — at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow at the Center for Arts at the Armory (191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, 617.718.2191). Get tickets ($15–$25) at brownpapertickets.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 Central Square is the only corner of Cambridge where you can encounter a rock club, a sex shop, a colorful mural, and a cavalcade of even more colorful characters within a single block. So it seems fitting that the reliably hopping ’hood serves as the setting for the 2012 City of Cambridge Dance Party. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., the

sporTs.

BosTon

CAMBridGE

• 12 x 24 projection screen

• Outdoor Patio

• 36 beers on tap

• All-American Grill Menu

• Three private dining rooms

LoCATEd in ThE BosTon MArrioTT CopLEy pLACE 617.927.5304 | ChampionsBoston.com <20> 6.19.12

.

• Validated Parking

LoCATEd in ThE BosTon MArrioTT CAMBridGE 617.252.4444 | ChampionsCambridge.com

GETOUT bursts, separated by several self-imposed hiatuses. But after a triumphant show at this year’s South by Southwest festival, Apple is back with The Idler Wheel…, her fourth studio album. You can catch her performing new cuts like “Valentine” when she plays a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Wang Theatre (270 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.482.9393). Grab tickets ($49.50–$89.50) at citicenter.org.

japandroids

SUNDAY, JULY 1

square will be transformed into an open-air dance floor featuring a wide range of sonic styles and thousands of reveling rumpshakers. The party epicenter will take place in front of Cambridge City Hall (795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge). Admission is free. Check out cambridgema.gov for more details.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Back in 1997, a young Fiona Apple electrified MTV’s adolescent audiences with her music video for “Criminal,” stalking about the aftermath of a party in various states of undress. Since then, the husky-voiced pianist’s dark jazzmeets-alt-rock compositions have come in episodic, impassioned

Now that it’s been a few weeks since we gave our abodes a thorough spring-cleaning reaming, we’re ready to clutter them up with unique finds and funky tchotchkes again. And we can’t think of a better opportunity to stock up than the Davis Flea. Now in its first season, the weekly open-air sale goes down in a 30,000-squarefoot space steps away from the T’s Davis Station (Holland Street and Buena Vista Road, Somerville), offering up an irresistible array of reused, repurposed, and recycled wares from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Think

refurbished furniture from Sand & Petal, sustainable fashions from Sarka’s Collection, and antiques from Geezart, plus artisanal edibles from vendors like Great Cape Baking Company. Find out more at thedavisflea.com.

MONDAY, JULY 2 Thank heavens for boat shows, mall openings, and class reunions — the lifeblood of faded ’80s pop stars in search of a gig. Our limited experiences with such soirees (and their graying headliners) have convinced us, however, that the sweetest tracks of yesteryear often sound better in younger hands.

That’s why we’re growing out our manes for Hall & Oates Tribute Night at Club Passim (47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, 617.492.7679).

This 7 p.m. salute to Philly’s famed yacht rockers will bring together local artists for searing reworks of “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl,” and other classics. Grab tickets ($10) at passim.org.

— Miles Howard

For more event picks, sign up for our email list at stuffboston.com/subscribe.

6.19.12 <21>

tyle

The Cover-Up

There’s not always time for a costume change after a long day on the Cape or in an urban oasis (like, say, a cabana at the Hotel Indigo’s BOKX Pool). So we’ve paired super-chic swimsuits with versatile fashions that will take you from lounge chair to cocktail lounge in no time. Just towel off and throw one on — these are cover-ups with nothing to hide.

— Renata Certo-Ware

Left to right: • DKNY high-neck maillot, $112 at Lord & Taylor; bright orange skinny jeans, $176, and “Sigrid” sandals, $205, both at Rag & Bone; necklace, $12.95, and bracelets, $6.95 and $9.95, all at H&M; pink Chanel sunglasses, $330 at Optical Shop of Aspen • “Sliver” tuxedo jacket, $495 at Rag & Bone; DKNY bralet bikini top, $84, and Melissa rubber sandals, $29, both at Lord & Taylor; Corey Lynn Calter bell-bottoms, $98 at Flock; pink rubber tote, $24.95, and necklace, $9.95, both at H&M; Tom Ford Wayfarers, $490 at Optical Shop of Aspen • Long-sleeved wetsuit, $19.95 at H&M; Kenny wide-legged crepe pants, $205 at Flock; white Prada sunglasses, $245 at Optical Shop of Aspen

<22> 6.19.12

WHERE TO SHOP

Flock, 274 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, 617.391.0222 H&M, 350 Washington Street, Boston, 617.482.7001 Lord & Taylor, 760 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.262.6000 Optical Shop of Aspen, 800 Boylston Street, #147, Boston, 617.375.7978 Rag & Bone, 111 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.536.6700

Photography: Danny Kim of Visceral Photography Hair: Maura D’Arcy and Patrice Lynch of James Joseph Salon Makeup: Elena Kucerova Models: Sarah marie, Lauralee, and Katelyn of Maggie Inc. Shot at: the BOKX Pool at the Hotel Indigo

p l ea s e

hydrate

naturally

BBQ lOl

Want to throw the perfect summer cookout? We tapped area chefs for their favorite barbecue recipes, asked radio personalities for their playlists of all-time-favorite summer jams, and scoured stores for grill-friendly sauces made by locals. All thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s left is for you to send the Evite. Read on and dig in. (And for even more exclusive content, including bonus recipes and grilling tips from the pro chefs featured here, visit stuffboston.com.)

Photos by Natasha Moustache

6.19.12 <25>

Feature

continued FROM p25

12 Must-Have Summer Songs JIM CLERKIN (aka “DJ Gay Jim”)

Music director at KISS 108

Summer Corn Salad Michael Schmid t, chef-owner of The Bearded Pig

<26> 6.19.12

Ingredients 12 ears of sweet corn 2 yellow squashes, julienned 2 zucchini, julienned 1 red onion, diced ½ cup of canola oil 2 tablespoons of white-wine vinegar Salt and pepper Instructions Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch ears of corn for one minute. Shock corn in ice water to stop cooking. When it’s cool to the touch, cut kernels from cobs. Mix corn, squash,

1. Will Smith’s “Summertime” 2. LFO’s “Summer Girls” 3. Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” 4. Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” 5. Kesha’s “Take It Off” 6. Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” 7. Flo Rida’s “Low” 8. Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” 9. Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop” 10. *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” 11. Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” 12. Britney Spears’s “I’m a Slave 4 U”

zucchini, and diced onion in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk oil into vinegar for vinaigrette. Toss corn mixture with vinaigrette and refrigerate.

el’s recipe a h ic M t u o Check s icken t high h c d le il r g for n.com. at stuffbosto

Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients For the rub: 1 cup of brown sugar ½ cup of paprika ½ cup of black pepper ¼ cup of kosher salt

For the mustard sauce: 1 Vidalia onion 1 cup of apple-cider vinegar ½ cup of packed light brown sugar 2 ounces of honey 2 ounces of Crystal hot sauce 2 ounces of soy sauce 2 ounces of Worcestershire 1 ounce of black pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 cup of French’s mustard

Instructions Combine all rub ingredients and rub the seasoning on both sides of the ribs, meat side up. Let sit on ribs for one to four hours.

(Don’t allow to sit overnight, as salt will start to cure the meat and result in tougher ribs.)

Prepare smoker with a mix of woods, such as peach and pecan wood or hickory and teak. Experiment to find a flavor profile you like. The smoker should reach a temperature of 190–200 degrees. Add ribs and close the door. Don’t open the smoker often, and if you do, do so quickly.

After a few hours, start to feel the ribs with your thumb and see how much the meat has browned. Watch to avoid “bone shine” — when too much of the fat is rendered

Jason Heard, chef-owner of East Coast Grill and bone is exposed. This is a sign of overcooking. After four hours, check the ribs with a flip test. When the arching side faces up, the ribs should almost bend in half, but never break. For the mustard sauce, caramelize the Vidalia onion in a sauce pan.

Add remaining ingredients; simmer and reduce for about an hour. Let cool, transfer to blender, and blend on high until ingredients are fully incorporated.

ason’s Check out J eet-potato recipe for sw oston.com. b ff u st t a d sala continued on p28

6.19.12 <27>

Feature

continued FROM p27

Wicke t yle d Good Champion-S IQue BBQ Cooking Team pit boss Chris Hart and Tremont 647 chef-owner Andy Husbands, aut hors of Wicked Good Barbecue

<28> 6.19.12

Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients 1 rack of pork spareribs, trimmed St. Louis style ¾ cup of barbecue dry rub 1 cup of barbecue sauce ½ cup of apple juice ¼ cup of apple-cider vinegar ¼ cup of agave nectar Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Instructions The “3-2-1” method entails three hours in the smoke, two hours in foil to tenderize, and one hour to caramelize the glaze. This is a classic technique used on the competition barbecue trail. Prepare your smoker or grill for slow cooking, targeting a temperature range of 240–250 degrees. We like using fruit woods, such as apple or cherry, for flavor. Have your butcher trim the ribs St. Louis style, or do it yourself: remove the rib tip portion and trim the flap off the back of the ribs. Peel off the membrane on the back of the ribs using a paper towel. Rub the ribs liberally with your favorite barbecue dry rub. Let sit at room temperature for

30 minutes while the smoker heats up. Reserve two tablespoons of the dry rub for finishing seasoning.

Smoke ribs for three hours, meat side up. Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil and return to the smoker for two hours. Mix the barbecue sauce, apple juice, and cider vinegar; warm the mixture in a saucepan. Carefully remove the ribs from the foil and baste with the warm barbecue glaze. Return to the smoker for one hour. Place the ribs on a cutting board, meat side down, and slice. Flip ribs, drizzle with agave nectar, and sprinkle with the reserved two tablespoons of dry rub. Serve immediately.

hris Check out C recipe for and Andy’s dar biscuits bacon-ched n.com. at stuffbosto

Presceia Cooper, chef at Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen

F r ied Chicken Ingredients 10 pounds of chicken

For marinade: 1½ ounces of crushed red pepper 2½ ounces of Cajun seasoning 2 ounces of onion power 2 ounces of garlic powder ½ ounce of cayenne pepper ½ ounce of black pepper ¼ ounce of hickory seasoning ½ gallon of water

For flour dredge: 3 pounds of flour ½ ounce of garlic powder ½ ounce of onion powder Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions Marinate chicken for four to eight hours. Set deep fryer at 360 degrees. Dredge marinated chicken in flour mixture and place in deep fryer. Fry chicken in batches for roughly 18 minutes.

This recipe serves 20 people.

Check out Presceia’s recipe for BBQ ribs l’s wit h Darry at special rub m. stuffboston.co continued on p30

12 Must-Have Summer Songs RAMIRO TORRES

Host of The Ramiro & Pebbles Show on JAM’N 94.5 1. B.o.B.’s “So Good” 2. Wiz Khalifa’s “Work Hard, Play Hard” 3. Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” 4. Kendrick Lamar’s “The Recipe” 5. Coldplay’s “Paradise” 6. Sammy Adams’s “Only One” 7. Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” 8. Demi Lovato’s “Give Your Heart a Break” 9. Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo’s “Let’s Go” 10. Chris Brown’s “Don’t Wake Me Up” 11. 2 Chainz and Drake’s “No Lie” 12. Tyga and Lil Wayne’s “Faded”

6.19.12 <29>

Feature

continued FROM p29

“Summer Sunday” Pulled Pork

Ingredients 5- to 8-pound bone-in pork shoulder (aka Boston butt) Dry rub, store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce For North Carolina vinegar sauce: 2 cups of vinegar 3 tablespoons of ketchup 2 tablespoons of sugar 4 teaspoons of coarse salt 1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce 1 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Supplies Hickory wood chips or chunk wood (available at Brookline Ice & Coal or Home Depot) Natural wood charcoal (available at Home Depot) Instructions On Friday night, season shoulder with dry rub; wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Then late Saturday afternoon, remove shoulder from plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for one to two hours.

Light charcoal and get a good fire going. Place shoulder in smoker/

<30> 6.19.12

Wyet h Lynch, chef-owner of SoulFire

grill fat side up. At 275 degrees, add a healthy amount of wood chunks.

Maintain temperature for the first four hours, and keep adding wood as necessary to maintain a thick smoke. After four to six hours of smoking, remove shoulder from smoker grill and wrap in tinfoil. Place shoulder on a roast rack in a large pan in an oven set to 200 degrees. Continue to cook overnight until the internal temperature is 195 degrees. The shoulder should be very soft; you should be able to stick your finger into the center without any resistance.

On Sunday morning, once the shoulder is fully cooked and falling apart, remove from the oven and carefully remove tinfoil. Pull the shoulder blade out and let the pork sit at room temperature. Allow pork to drop in temperature to at least 145 degrees. Place shoulder in a large bowl and add one-fourth cup of dry rub and all of the North Carolina vinegar sauce. Pull the shoulder and mix in the dry rub and NC sauce until fully combined. Serve on soft white hamburger buns with your favorite BBQ sauce and cole slaw.

pe for i c e r ’s Wyet h t u n.com. o o t s k o c b e f f Ch a t st u w a l s e col

Hot Topic

Every good barbeque requires a bevy of sauces. But don’t line your grill with mass-produced supermarket finds.

We combed the Boston area for a few favorite locally made options.

A Useful Sauce Indeed

Saucy Story: First fashioned in the backyard of Grill 23 executive chef Jay Murray, it was originally dubbed “Otis Street Steak Sauce.”

Flavor Profile: The strong presence of red wine, real butter, tomato, and molasses reminds us of a traditional BBQ glaze, only spicier.

Heat Index: Tame at first, it delivers a mild aftershock that (pleasantly) catches taste buds off guard. This one’s hot enough to make eyebrows wiggle, but it won’t leave your maw begging for mercy.

“Secret” Ingredient: Murray adds a healthy dash of smoked paprika to give the sauce its subtle, surprising kick.

Perfect Mate: Beef, baby.

Slather it on your next cut of black angus or eye round and prepare for the food coma.

Find It: At Grill 23 & Bar (161 Berkeley Street, Boston, 617.542.2255).

Photo by Janice checchio

Alex’s Ugly Sauce

Saucy Story: Made in JP with sustainably grown produce, it’s a favorite at farmers’ markets and local grocers.

Flavor Profile: The violent zing of hot-pepper seeds is somewhat tempered by raw honey from treatmentfree Arizona bees (which gives the sauce a misleadingly benignlooking amber color).

Heat Index: Careful — too many dabs of this fiery fixin’ could leave you with Godzilla breath.

“Secret” Ingredient: Organic beets provide refreshing robustness and heft.

Perfect Mate: It will add a nice singe to any burger, but we’d be curious to see dishes like split-pea soup, stir fry, or even popcorn enlivened with a few drops.

Find It: At City Feed and Supply (672 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.1700).

Blue Ribbon Carolina BBQ Sauce

Saucy Story: Blue Ribbon owner Geoff Janowski and Co. drew on multiple recipes from eastern North Carolina for this succulent sauce, made with only natural ingredients.

Flavor Profile: A classically styled BBQ sauce, it bursts with accents of fresh tomato, onion, and pepper.

Your granddaddy would approve.

Heat Index: A generous dose of vinegar lends welcome bite, but it’s not exceedingly explosive.

“Secret” Ingredient: Unlike mass-produced, ketchup-based barbeque sauces, this one adheres to Carolina culinary history and incorporates notes of spicy mustard.

Perfect Mate: Pulled pork.

It’s great for chopped brisket or chicken wings, but there’s nothing like a heaping platter of smoky pig doused in the stuff.

Find It: At Blue Ribbon BBQ (908 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, 781.648.7427; 1375 Washington Street, West Newton, 617.332.2583).

Gypsy Juice

Saucy Story: Gypsy Juice comes from a legendary hot-sauce hound: Lisa Lamme, owner of Quincy’s Gypsy Kitchen and founder of Faneuil Hall’s bygone Le Saucier, often cited as the country’s first hot-sauce store.

Flavor Profile: With a serious pepper quota and the added flare of garlic, it’s the perfect roof-ofthe-mouth burner.

Heat Index: Sure to ignite your incisors, it can be overwhelming in liberal doses — so take it slow.

“Secret” Ingredient: Jalapeños feed the flames, but habanero chilies lend the memorable smokiness.

Perfect Mate: Marinate your meats of choice in Gypsy Juice. And to give your cookout some south-of-the-border flair, add a few splashes to homemade guacamole.

Find It: At Gypsy Kitchen (1241 Hancock Street, Quincy, 617.847.1846).

Mad Dog Ghost Ultra Hot BBQ Sauce

Saucy Story: It’s crafted

by David Ashley, a Sudbury restaurant vet with 18-plus years of sauce-making under his belt.

Flavor Profile: A traditional tomato and molasses base gives it the look and texture of your standard steak condiment, but a merciless heat wave awaits within.

Heat Index: This is it. The Big One. Only experienced fire blowers are advised to take on this sauce.

“Secret” Ingredient: The Vesuvian heat comes from two key components: bhut jolokia chilies (aka the “ghost pepper”) and piri piri peppers. Both are among the spiciest specimens on earth.

Perfect Mate: Paint a pulled-chicken sandwich with this. Keep a glass of milk handy.

Find It: At Marty’s Fine Wines (675 Washington Street, Newtonville, 617.332.1230).

Cormier’s Gold Double Garlic

Saucy Story: Stoneham resident and veteran line cook Glenn A. Cormier began conducting culinary experiments in his own kitchen nearly 30 years ago, seeking the perfect sauce. Now his creations stuff shelves in New England markets.

Flavor Profile: The Double Garlic has one foot in Italy and the other in East Asia.

Both zesty and sweet, its strong flavors are balanced by molasses and ginger.

Heat Index: It’s a tangy but decidedly docile sauce, perfect for those who avoid more masochistic marinades.

“Secret” Ingredient: As the name implies, there’s enough garlic to neutralize Nosferatu. Delicious, but don’t pop the cap before a date.

Perfect Mate: Soak steaks or seafood fillets for a few hours before grilling.

Find It: At Whole Foods Market locations throughout Greater Boston. continued on p32

6.19.12 <31>

Feature

continued FROM p31

Tiffani Faison, chef-owner of Sweet Cheeks

Cucumb

Ingredients 3 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin half-moons ½ red onion, thinly sliced 2 cups of ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced into small wedges 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon of chopped dill 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 tablespoon of red-wine vinegar 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce 1 teaspoon of hot chili oil 1 tablespoon of lime juice 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds 1 tablespoon of sugar Salt and pepper to taste

er-Tomato Salad

Instructions Mix vinaigrette using olive oil, red-wine vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, sugar, and lime juice. Toss with herbs and vegetables and top with sesame seeds.

iffani’s Check out T urried recipe for c ken at yogurt chic m. stuffboston.co

12 Must-Have Summer Songs PAUL DRISCOLL

Program director at WFNX 101.7 1. Blur’s “There’s No Other Way” 2. The Strokes’ “Hard to Explain” 3. Bombay Bicycle Club’s “Shuffle” 4. Supergrass’s “Alright” 5. MGMT’s “Electric Feel” 6. The Vaccines’ “If You Wanna” 7. Weezer’s “Surf Wax America” 8. The Cribs’ “Men’s Needs” 9. The Drums’ “Money” 10. Oasis’s “She’s Electric” 11. Vampire Weekend’s “Giving Up the Gun” 12. Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”

<32> 6.19.12

Beer & Ginger

Early -Su

s p i T k m m er S t ea

Ingredients 3 pounds of chuck flat meat in 1-inch cubes For marinade: 2 bottles of IPA beer ¼ cup of minced ginger 1 teaspoon of garlic ½ diced red onion 2 chopped jalapeños ½ cup of quality olive oil ½ cup of chiffonade fresh basil leaves ¼ cup of dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds 1 cup of ketchup 1 teaspoon of soy sauce 1 teaspoon of coriander 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

For grilled-peach salsa: 8 peaches, cut in half (pits removed), brushed with butter, lightly grilled, and then diced ½ cup of diced jalapeños ½ cup of basil 1 teaspoon of fresh minced ginger ½ diced red onion ¼ cup of quality olive oil 2 ounces of rice-wine vinegar ¼ cup of brown sugar ¼ cup of tequila Salt and pepper Instructions For salsa, combine all ingredients and reserve.

For marinade, combine all ingredients and pour over meat. Marinate for up to one day. On

Brian Poe, chefowner of The Tip Tap Room and executive chef at The Rattlesnake

a very hot grill, grill the steak tips to desired temperature while basting with marinade and seasoning with salt and pepper. When the desired temperature is reached, remove from grill and place on platter. Top with salsa.

rian’s Check out B ild-boar recipe for w hive bacon and c e-tatoes” mashed “Po n.com. at stuffbosto continued on p34

6.19.12 <33>

Feature

continued FROM p33

Redb i l i h C ones Texas Ingredients 7 pounds of brisket, trimmed of fat and cut in 1½-inch cubes 6 medium onions, sliced 1 cup of tomato paste 2 teaspoons of paprika 6 bay leaves 1 teaspoon of black pepper 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon of red crushed pepper 1 tablespoon of minced garlic Salt to taste

Robert Gregory, chef-owner of Redbones

Instructions Put the cubed brisket in a casserole, cover with water, and simmer on top of the stove until half done (about one hour). Add all the other ingredients and cook for another 45 minutes on medium heat until meat is tender. Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese (a combination of cheddar and mozzarella) and chopped scallions. This recipe serves 10 people.

m

r rt ’s recipe fo e b o R t u o m.

Check stuffboston.co t a se e e h c acaroni and

BBQ Cheat Sheet

Rather eat from the experts’ kitchens?

Here’s where to find the chefs — and where to call about catering for your crowd.

The Bearded Pig (201 Somerville Avenue, Somerville, 617.996.9080) Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen (604 Columbus Avenue, Boston, 617.536.1100) East Coast Grill (1271 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, 617.491.6568) Redbones (55 Chester Street, Somerville, 617.628.2200) SoulFire (182 Harvard Avenue, Allston, 617.787.3003) Sweet Cheeks (1381 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.266.1300) The Tip Tap Room (138 Cambridge Street, Boston, 857.350.3344) Tremont 647 (647 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.266.4600)

<34> 6.19.12

The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Join Miller lite tonight at:

Recreational Cooking Classes for the Food Enthusiast!

New Summer Cooking Classes! � �

Get down to the Pour House and TAP into a Frosty 22oz Mug of Ice Cold Miller Lite!

For only $5 Bucks!

Vote POUR HOUSE for “Best Bar Bites” in Boston on boston.cityvoter.com

� �

�

NEW Cooking Couples Classes Teen Cooking Classes Techniques of Cooking & Baking Pastry Classes with Master Pastry Chef Delphin Gomes NEW Food Writing Workshop *Use coupon code “Stuff” and receive a 20% discount!

Give the Gift of Cooking!

Mind Body Soul

YOUR

FEED FEED FEED

Call or Click to Register! www.cambridgeculinary.com Pour House • 909 Boylston St, Boston • 617.236.1767 www.pourhouseboston.com

617.354.2020 2020 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140

Homegrown and

Hyper-Local

Urban agriculture is taking root in restaur ant roof tops and alle y ways. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nex t?

Chickens in the l adiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; room?

By Louisa Kasdon photos By natalia boltukhova

6.19.12 <37>

feature

continued FROM p37

Jessie banhazl at B.Good’s garden

Up on the roof at Dorchester’s Ledge Kitchen & Drinks, tomato plants are popping buds, and the Japanese eggplants are cautiously beginning to elongate, like skinny purple balloons inflating in slow motion. The tarragon is back from last year, and the thyme and rosemary are thriving; lavender is the new kid on the block. Ledge’s rooftop isn’t a place for you and your buddies to have a few rounds of mango mojitos. It’s a productive kitchen garden, the largest in the city, built by structural engineers from Recover Green Roofs, maintained by professional farmers from Green City Growers, and joyfully harvested by chefs, managers, and servers who hover lovingly over each tomato.

(They should — the home-grown green tomatoes are the central ingredient in their yummy Garden Goblet cocktail.)

This year, the garden’s third, will be the “best yet,” says assistant general manager John Comeau.

“We started with too many varieties — watermelon, squash, beans — but now we’ve figured out what’s functional and what is just exotic,” he says with the surety of a sunburned farmer, an unusual attitude for a guy who spends his days and nights worrying more about tables turning than seasons. Like a potent pinch

<38> 6.19.12

of a fresh herb, urban agriculture is infusing its way into Boston’s culinary scene.

Urban ag, the concept that every horizontal surface with any reasonable amount of sun exposure could and should be a source of sustenance, is suddenly hotter than a summer Sunday afternoon. Rooftops, parking lots, planters, and pots are the newest professional kitchen accessories. It’s the latest sign of an astonishing transformation in the way we think about food. Just two deep breaths ago, the objects of maximal culinary lust were edibles zapped in from far-flung locales; in summer 2012, the most swoon-worthy foodstuffs travel 10 yards or less from the garden to your fork. Okay, it’s only herbs and habaneros in restaurant gardens today, but we are guessing it will be chickens and baby goats in the parking lots tomorrow, if trend incubators like Brooklyn and Portland are any indication.

It’s the next logical step of locavorism: the idea that not only are chefs supposed to buy from local farmers, but that a good, responsible chef needs to become a farmer, too.

That every restaurant could and should have its own kitchen garden, stocked with edibles so fresh that the rosemary sprigs and bronze fennel

can practically hop into the pan. The concept of getting that close to the source is like catnip for a sustainably oriented chef.

Take chef-owner Steve Johnson of Rendezvous in Cambridge; he was on the vanguard, snipping chives on his rooftop before anyone else knew how to spell Perlite. Now he has more company. Chef-owner Erwin Ramos of Inman Square’s Olé Mexican Grill is in year two of his garden, tucked into a sunny alleyway next to the restaurant. Last year, Ramos planted 20 varieties of vegetables in his alleyway farm. “We tried everything — tomatoes, eggplants, herbs. But we learned that we weren’t able to grow enough of anything to make a difference,” says Ramos. “So this summer we are planting things we can really use, items that would cost us a lot more if we shipped them from California. Just a few varieties: epazote, an herb that is essential for the Mexican kitchen, cilantro, habanero and jalapeño peppers, and a certain variety of tomatoes.” The epazote crop is so potent that Ramos can freeze the harvest and supply his restaurant for the entire year.

Executive chef Richard Rayment of the Seaport Hotel got his garden up and running years ago, working with an outside farm — but

it was only when he found Green City Growers, one of several new businesses devoted to urban-garden installation, that he started growing on site. Like Ramos, Rayment tried many varieties before settling on a handful of reliable crops that could make a difference in his cooking.

“The early years, we grew lots of different vegetables. We had these great, luscious tomatoes. And that was wonderful — for the one night we served them before the harvest was gone. We’ve learned that herbs work really well for us — thyme, purple basil, bronze fennel, mint, parsley, oregano, sage . . . our garlic chives are in their 10th year.” Why does a 500-seat hotel venue bother with a little herb garden? “It matters to the chefs,” explains Rayment. “It’s a good education to have chefs get their hands dirty. We have good cooks who think herbs and vegetables grow in plastic bags. A garden that we use daily keeps all of us in the kitchen connected to the value of food.” Robert Tobin, the new chef at the hotel’s Aura restaurant and TAMO bar, agrees. “Think of the difference between picking an apple off a tree in October versus getting one from the grocery store,” he says. “I love our garden; you go out and pick the herbs, and they are still warm from

the summer day.”

Such fans are feeding a new mini-industry populated by entrepreneurial young men and women like 28-year-old Jessie Banhazl, arguably the queen of Boston’s urban-ag visionaries. She started Green City Growers four years ago after an unsatisfying stint in reality-TV production. “I was working on all these shows, and I realized that I didn’t want to put my heart and soul into something so irrelevant as reality TV,” says Banhazl. Like many recent grads, the Smith alum was living “in poverty” in a food desert, so she decided to move home to Boston.

But first she paid a visit to a friend in California who was planting fruit trees, becoming a backyard farmer.

She said to herself, “I want to do this.”

Within months, Banhazl had developed a viable business model for Green City Growers, built a website, and signed up her first clients for residential and commercial edible gardens. One of her first big projects was for Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare; she helped the insurance company build an employee-tended garden in the parking lot, where all the food produced would be donated to people in need. Banhazl was all of 24. She went on to work with eldercare facilities, hospitals, churches and synagogues, camps, Boys & Girls Clubs, and schools, encouraging her clients to stop using green space for “ornamental purposes” and dedicate significant portions of “pointless grass lawns” to edible acreage.

Banhazl now has a full-time staff of five, plus interns and seasonal contractors. And she’s collaborated with Brendan Shea of Recover Green Roofs, an engineering and structural specialty company, to take her street-level farming concept up a few stories. “In the Boston area, we have significant space limitations; our urban footprint is small,” Banhazl explains. “But we also have a lot of older buildings with flat roofs with great access to sunlight and terrific potential for growing things we can eat. Brendan understands the challenge of weight and irrigation.”

And there are a lot of other logistical considerations for those looking to go green. Banhazl estimates that the cost of installing an edible garden on a rooftop is $25 per square foot.

She says that chefs should have at least 100 square feet of sunny space, on the ground or on the roof, to really make it worthwhile. And a new, thoughtfully designed space works best. “The best way for urban ag to grow is, plan for edible gardens

into all new construction,” Banhazl says. “We could feed ourselves if we decided to.”

John Stoddard has a different model for urban ag. He and his partner at Higher Ground Farm, Courtney Hennessey, have been working for almost two years on a concept for a decentralized urban farm, spread across several locations in Boston. Hennessey, a restaurant vet and the former CSA manager of the Food Project in Lincoln, brings plenty of growing knowhow; Stoddard studied models for sustainable farming at Tufts and wrote his thesis on how young entrepreneurs in Detroit are reinventing industrial space for food production. “We can do this here in Boston. If I were the president of a

Coppa, but they haven’t hired an engineer, raised any real cash, or signed a space, though they may be close to a deal for a spot in South Boston.

The reality is this: there’s no money in urban agriculture yet.

Not for the gardening and farming entrepreneurs, not for the chefs. The $64 tomato is no joke, and at best a thriving urban restaurant can address only a small fraction of its total produce needs with four-by-four-foot container beds and tomato plants in plastic kiddy pools. As of now, only fistfuls of restaurants — like Abigail’s, b.good, Ula Café, the Lenox Hotel, and the aforementioned Rendezvous, Olé, Aura, and Ledge –– have actually built an on-premises kitchen garden.

But there is still something

Rialto, has launched Sky Vegetables, a wholesale hydroponic-farming company. His enclosed rooftop farm in Brockton is slated to go operational later this year, supplying vegetables from farm to plate in under 48 hours.

From his research farm in Amherst, Brackett is already selling wholehead artisanal lettuces and tomatoes to restaurants like Legal Harborside, Radius, and Davio’s.

All these urban-agriculture trailblazers are in love with the idea of playing in the dirt — and they have high hopes for hitting pay dirt in the process. It may seem like a pipe dream now, but there are reasons for optimism. Green City Growers is rumored to have signed a deal with Whole Foods Market to plant a 10,000-square-foot-plus garden on

richard rayment and robert tobin at the seaport hotel’s garden

local university, I would be looking at how we can transform our cities by using vacant space as a way to answer food-security issues,” Stoddard says.

The Higher Ground partners are seeking unconventional spaces for farming — rooftops, back alleys, vacant lots, and even storage containers, where they will grow hydroponically. The idea is that Higher Ground will pay rent to owners, produce year-round, and sell directly to chefs, retailers, CSAs, and farmers’ markets. “We see it as a green business that will also be financially viable,” says Stoddard.

So far, the pair have a business plan and restaurant partners in Toro and

seductive about the idea that, even in a dense city like Boston, we can bring forth the tiny miracle of food in the middle of bricks and cinder blocks. And when a magical idea begins to percolate, the bubbles start small, but they don’t stop.

Veteran food visionaries are getting involved, like Dancing Deer Baking Co. cofounder Trish Karter, who is raising money for her LightEffect Farms venture and has an active bid to turn the roof of the Boston Globe building on Morrissey Boulevard into a commercial, year-round indoor farm for salad micro-greens. Former server and restaurant executive Richard Brackett, an alum of the Capital Grille, Towne Stove & Spirits, and

the roof of the new Lynnfield store planned for 2013. They hope to grow more than 12,000 pounds of produce from that site alone. A major new development in Kendall Square is drawing up hush-hush plans for a large rooftop garden that will support several planned new restaurants. And the City of Boston, personified by the green-minded (if not green-thumbed) Mayah Menino and his director of food initiatives, Edith Murnane, are supportive of urban-agriculture ventures.

It’s true that today urban agriculture is still an idea, a mission, not yet a business model. But in the right climate, there’s plenty of room to grow.

6.19.12 <39>

r e s ta u r a n t s

hot fun in the summer!

locations in bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seaport & theater districts! casually elegant dining with classic italian favorites express dining & late night bar menu available validated & discount parking

In our 18th year!

88 Sleeper Street Boston, MA 02210 online reservations at

WWW.BARKINGCRAB.COM Phone (617) 426-2722

225 northern ave.

boston seaport 617.737.5454

545 washington st. bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater district 617.737.5555

to view menus, hours & make reservations online: salvatoresrestaurants.com

feed

5 COURSES

STUFF IT

liquid

foodcoma Celtic Salad at Tonic

The restaurant business is tough and unforgiving, and it doesn’t always reward pioneers or innovators. Locals complain that their neighborhood’s restaurants and bars are too much alike, yet a newcomer essaying something different doesn’t always gain their support: folks too readily fall back onto old reliables. Thus one has to credit the owners of Tonic (3698 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.522.4131) for going out on a limb. In the Forest Hills corner of JP, the usuals tend to be modest American places serving burgers, pizza, and wings and traditional, often gritty Irish-American pubs. Against this backdrop, a small, modern bar/restaurant in the mode of the South End’s Franklin Café seems downright daring.

The modish décor is eye-popping by local standards: a sleek 16-seat bar with chartreuse pendant lights, a 30-seat dining room with chrome and mirror finishes everywhere, fiery-red snakeskin-pleather banquettes, walls and upholstery in pumpkin and maize. No ballgame plays on the flat-screens; they’re dark on weeknights when the music runs to Sinatra, flashing music videos on weekends when the soundtrack is loud, thumping house.

Grazers can order from eight small bar plates ($5) like chicken satay or tuna tartare. The dinner menu offers fine first courses like a parsnip chowder ($8), which complements its milky, parsnip-scented broth with PHOTO BY joel veak

terrific tempura clams, thin slices of candied bacon, fried little cubes of potato, and fresh chervil. Tempura-fried pork belly ($12) starts with a clever idea — deep-frying slabs of pork belly in a light batter makes them nicely lean — but serving the hot protein on top of a cold pickled bean-sprout salad quickly makes both elements lukewarm.

Also original but more successful is penne pasta ($14) with bacon, lemon, pepper, and underdone leaves of Brussels sprouts, all topped with a soft-poached egg. It works like a deconstructed carbonara: hearty and delicious. Molasses-brined double-thick pork chops ($18) are another attractive, value-priced main, served with good sweet-potato fries, though cooked a bit past the requested medium-rare. But the Celtic salad ($14) manages to hit on all cylinders, offering a generous, meal-sized fricassee of crisp yet tender spring vegetables — green and white asparagus, broccoli, green beans, fresh peas — served on a foundation of toasted bread crumbs and topped with another poached egg. Once the kitchen hits its consistency stride, Tonic may garner a fan base that uses the Forest Hills MBTA hub across the street to come from all over, regardless of whether its neighbors ever get on board with its globetrotting menu and shiny in-town ambiance.

— MC Slim JB

6.19.12 <41>

feed

Come and enjoy $5 appetizers!

5:30 pm

5

COURSES with:

Dave Andelman of Phantom Gourmet

You can’t escape him, or his tan.

Andelman is everywhere — flashing that purple cape on TV38’s Phantom Gourmet alongside his co-host brothers, chatting about chow on WTKK 96.9’s Saturday Phantom Gourmet radio show, and running food-focused events like May’s Hot Dog Safari and the annual BBQ Beach Party on City Hall Plaza, this year scheduled for June 22–24. (Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate.)

Some love to hate him, but such fests are so outrageously fun that many would rather stow away their inner snob and join the happy hordes. (If chef Lydia Shire can have fun participating in a hot-dog festival, why can’t we?) The brand’s CEO is a very public personality, but Andelman is also busy behind the scenes: the MBA/JD founded the Restaurant and Business Alliance (RABA), a lobbying and media-relations initiative that advocates for the more than 300,000 Massachusetts residents who work in the hospitality business.

What’s the idea behind the RABA? When the power went out in Boston last winter, who was screaming for the servers? We are the ultimate advocates for the restaurant community. Over the years, I’ve had maybe 10,000 meetings with people in the business — a tough business,­­but it accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in Massachusetts! Do our politicians realize that? Of our 160 state reps and 40 state senators, I’m guessing less than 10 percent have ever worked in the hospitality business. We decided that the only way to make a difference was to form a membership organization and hire a full-time lobbyist to work directly for the RABA members, and in the process we are benefiting the huge number of people who work in and depend on a healthy hospitality industry to meet their basic bills.

So, what sort of things do you lobby for? One of our first successes was the Restaurant Rejuvenation Act so you could serve alcohol, a mimosa or bloody Mary, with Sunday brunch. Not only was it [the prior ban] annoying to the diners, but it cost the restaurant industry significant dollars in lost sales. Six days a week you can drink before noon — but not on Sunday?

Seems so obvious, but people told me it would take years to get it passed.

It took us weeks.

What’s your top legislative priority right now? Repealing House Bill 1507, the ban on educational dinners for doctors. Right now, we are the only state in the country where you cannot take a doctor out for a meal.

As a result, the estimate is that the state has lost revenues of $60 million in sales from conventions that won’t come to the state, pharmaceutical and medical companies that won’t do business in Massachusetts. It’s a huge issue for restaurants.

And after that? Several things, including a six-day meals-tax holiday and revising the happy-hour policy to a two-day minimum instead of a sevenday minimum. Here’s a question: why is there a meals tax but not a grocery tax? The meals tax is a holdover from the time when only rich people went out to eat. Now everyone goes out to eat, and between the meals tax and the credit-card fee, restaurants are losing 10 percent on every sale before they even begin.

How do you manage going out for every single meal? And eating all those fries and gooey desserts? I am in my element at a bar. I am not into the cooking thing. Knives and fire scare me. I took up boxing because if I didn’t do it, I would gain eight pounds in a week.

— Louisa Kasdon

Louisa Kasdon can be reached at louisa@louisakasdon.com. <42> 6.19.12

photo by janice checchio

feed

STUFFIT

Of all the trends that have caught fire over the last few years, nu-1960s design is among our favorites.

At this point, the Mad Men Effect is pretty welldocumented, from the resurrection of polka-dot pencil skirts to the outcropping of leather-bound cocktail dens, like the Hawthorne, where Don Draper would gladly kick back with a stiff drink. But

unlike other fads (cough — cupcakes! — cough), the Swinging Sixties sensibility is one we’re not tiring of. And evidently neither is the Grafton Group, the hospitality team behind Cambridge’s Grafton Street, Russell House Tavern, and Temple Bar. Hence the group’s latest venture, PARK (59 JFK Street, Cambridge, 617.491.9851), opened this

spring in the subterranean space that was formerly home to Redline.

With its artfully stacked bookshelves, comfy plaid armchairs, and ample vintage curios, the atmospheric bar and eatery is replete with decorative details fit for your dapper grandfather’s study. Both he and far younger whippersnappers could happily dig into its dishes, largely classic comfort food spruced up with welcome twists that keep plates from feeling too traditional. Take the crispy mussels ($8), for instance. The fried sea fritters come nice and crunchy, presented in an old-fashioned New England clam box. But these morsels are infused with tangy preserved lemon and accompanied by a creamy horseradish dipping sauce — hardly standard boardwalk fare.

We also pillaged our way through the bar steak ($20), a juicy, optimally seared cattle cut topped with shallot butter and served with sumptuous creamed spinach and a heaping pile of savory Gruyère- and bacon-topped potatoes. And we practically inhaled the meat pie ($16), a rotating daily special that packs crunchy puff pastry with piping-hot veggies, gravy, and meats. (Ours housed a beefy, pepper-laden steak bomb.) Wash down such hearty fare with a strong cocktail like the rum-centric Thelonious Monk ($9), soak up the oldschool atmosphere, and you’ll soon forget you’re lounging beneath a parking garage.

— Miles Howard PHOTO BY joel veak

622 Cambridge Street | Cambridge, MA 02141 (617) 876-8227 www.newdealfishmarket.com

Boston’s #1 Fish Market 207 Endicot t St Bo sto n Nort h End, MA

6 1 7- 5 2 3 - 5 9 5 9 w w w. m a s s i m i n o s b o s t o n . c o m

Try Us Once & You’ll Get Hooked!

Check us out on Facebook.com: New Deal Fish Market Inc. 6.19.12 <43>

liquid Boxed In

Over the last few years, you may have noticed people extolling the virtues of wine in a box.

Surprising, since it was once the tacky pariah of the beverage scene. But it has since caught on and become, to use the technical term, “a total thing.”

“The boxed wine of today isn’t the Franzia that your aunt used to keep right next to the Tupperware tray of deviled eggs on the top shelf of the fridge. It’s not all bulk wine of dubious varietals,” says L’Espalier sommelier Erich Schliebe. He says better wine is being produced across the board, and that extends to the boxed realm. Besides, similar stigmas have evaporated, right? “Screw-cap-finished wines were scoffed at 10 years ago, and now some serious producers are forgoing corks altogether,” says Schliebe. “Boxed wines will follow the same acceptance arc.”

In fact, all the wine experts we spoke to shared enthusiasm for one box or another. (Um, you know what I mean.) Here are their picks for the best of what’s boxed, each with pairing suggestions. This is the Food issue, after all — plus, we’re fancy like that.

— Luke O’Neil

Got an idea for Liquid?

Email lukeoneil47@gmail.com.

• Erich Schliebe, beverage director at L’Espalier Bota Box Pinot Grigio “It’s clean and crisp, and not overly sweet,” says Schliebe. He suggests pairing it with a yellowtomato salad or some grilled shrimp marinated in lemon, olive oil, garlic, and basil at your next dinner party.

• Liz Vilardi, co-owner of Central Bottle and the Blue Room Domaine la Guintrandy Côtes du Rhône Red A quality Côtes du Rhône in a box? Sounds crazy, but Vilardi vouches for it — and sells it at Central Bottle (196 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617.225.0400). She says the drieddark-fruit flavors pair well with a charcuterie board or roasted veggies and simple cheeses.

“A French picnic, if you will,” says Vilardi. I think I will.

• Allan Tidd, wine director at Harvest Yellow+Blue Malbec While this line of organic and green wines technically comes in eco-friendly “Tetra Paks,” not boxes, we’ll let it slide. (They’re cartons.

Close enough.) Tidd says the light fruit and spice of this Mendoza malbec matches well with barbecue and burgers on the grill.

• Lynn Bennett, assistant general manager at KO Prime French Rabbit Pinot Noir Another Tetra Pak option, it’s affordable with a great balance and a smooth finish. It pairs well <44> 6.19.12

Tom TeLlier with most anything, says Bennett, but she would have it with spicy clams and pasta in a red sauce.

flavors of the sauce by adding a fruity element to the overall taste,” he explains.

• Tom Tellier, beverage director at Restaurant dante and il Casale

• Rob Macey, beverage director at Area Four

Black Box Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Tellier praises this medium-bodied 2006 vintage for its aroma of mild, oaky berries with a hint of cocoa. Once you sip, he says, you’ll find “wellstructured tannins with tastes of plums and currants.” He served it last week with a roasted pork loin that he slow-cooked for 12 hours with onions, red-wine vinegar, sugar, ketchup, white and black pepper, hot sauce, soy sauce, and fresh garlic before pouring it into fresh ciabatta with shaved cheddar. “The wine enhanced the

Domaine la Guintrandy Saint-Léger Served on tap at the bar at Area Four (500 Technology Square, Cambridge, 617.758.4444), this red favorite is a 50-50 blend of grenache and syrah. “It’s best with our BBQ beef plate, pizzas with a red-sauce base, and our daily gyro,” says Macey, who also shared his thoughts on the next big thing in wine (literally): kegs. “If people are willing to purchase a small keg of beer for their backyard BBQ, it would seem feasible for them to buy a keg of wine as well.” First boxes, then kegs.

Why not? photo by joel veak

Choose the Absolut top bArtender for june Your Your Vote Vote Counts Counts -- Log Log On On Today Today STUFFBOSTON.COM/BARTENDERS THEPHOENIX.COM/BARTENDERS

dominique Frazier

Lindsey Heymann

e want onth w This m from YOU! to hear tell us what ant IN & WRITE rtender YOU w !

Ba zine Boston in Stuff Maga to see og Onto: ders L /barten m o .c n sto Stuffbo And find the der” arten ate a B “Nomin section!

The Absolut der Sweet Surren

lut Citron 3 parts Abso Schnapps 1 part Peach ve Nectar Dash of Aga cus Syrup is 1.5 parts Hib t & a Splash in M d Add Muddle e cola of Lemon/Lim ower is a Hib cus Fl Garnish with ge ed w n and Lemo

Absolut’s Su nset on the Marin a

Equal parts A bso Vanilia & Man lut drin 1.5 parts Sod a Water 3/4 part Ora nge Ju Dash of Grena ice dine Garnish with a Lemon and an Orange w edge

Congratulations to Carolyn Gearin our Absolut Top Bartender for May! Try her Absolut Berri Pama tonight in the Seaport! So who will be the Best Bartender from the Marina? You decide!

Go to Stuffboston.com/bartenders today and Cast Your Vote!

ENJOY WITH ABSOLUT RESPONSIBILITY, ® PRODUCT OF SWEDEN. 40% ALC./VOL. © 2012 IMPORTED BY THE ABSOLUT SPIRITS CO., NEW YORK, NY.

reside C.

F. E.

A.

B. D.

At Home with Marie Galvin We tip our hat to the local milliner’s stylish décor

Long before the royal wedding made headwear hot, Marie Galvin’s couture hats and fascinators were turning heads (and adorning them) on runways and in her South End showroom, GALVIN-ized Headwear (450 Harrison Avenue, Studio #67, Boston, 617.426.4885).

But the award-winning milliner also shows off serious style in her Fort Point home. We pulled up a seat in the vivacious artist’s dining area to chew the fat about her top-notch talent for design.

— Scott Kearnan

<46> 6.19.12

A. We love the bright cherry-red pop of Galvin’s kitchen area. The lacquered cabinets and stool seating bring a touch of mid-century style to the industrial loft, and Galvin emphasizes its shiny sleekness by keeping the area free of clutter. Besides, she needs plenty of free space to craft her concoctions — though not those of the edible variety. Galvin admits she hardly ever cooks at home. (“Takeout sushi is as close as I come,” she laughs.) Rather, the large kitchen island doubles as the designer’s four-by-eight-foot worktable.

B. Naturally, nods to the fashion world are found throughout the designer’s home. We loved the eye-catching print of this ikat rug. The gorgeous dyed patterns, especially prevalent in Indonesian textiles, are “continuing to pop up everywhere” in fashion, says Galvin. She found this rug, along with the handsome Indian dining table atop it, in the international inventory at Mohr & McPherson (460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617.210.7900).

C. “Accessorize your home like your body: know when enough is enough,” advises Galvin. She lets her décor speak for itself against a backdrop of monochromatic gray walls. They gradually darken in tone from the right to the left, a nice touch that adds interest but is subtler than a bright accent wall.

D. As a Boston-based designer, Galvin is naturally eager to support other local artists — and their pieces are found throughout her home. We were especially taken with this cool ceramic piece by Hub sculptor Steve Murphy (bostonpottery.com), an instructor at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum whose work is often inspired by monsters, sea creatures, and dinosaurs. “I love the spiky, sci-fi feel,” says Galvin. So do we.

E. Galvin makes Boston beautiful one decorated dome at a time, but she doesn’t just sell her creations.

“Sometimes I’ll trade my hats for pieces,” explains the crafty designer. That’s how she wound up with this lovely lamp from The ModHaus (28 Damrell Street, South Boston, 617.822.9183), one of Galvin’s favorite spots for home finds. (That’s also where she found the credenza and kitchen vases.) The 4,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom is a massive repository of mid-century furnishings and décor. It’s open by appointment only, but virtual window shoppers can browse its unique inventory at modhaus.com.

F. This painting by artist Stephen Coyle, Galvin’s friend and former flat mate, is a sentimental reminder of a Leather District loft she once shared with other young artists. “That was our ‘Sunday hangover couch.’ The rest of us would be lying there while Stephen fed us pancakes,” laughs Galvin. The neighborhood was different then, she says, recalling fond memories of hitting punk-filled loft parties and colorful club dance floors. (“From the way we were dressed, sometimes they thought we were the entertainers!” she says.) And her profession recently gave her a chance to relive those party-hopping days: she just designed a headpiece for legendary NYC “club kid” Richie Rich, who wore it in a May photo shoot for WestEast magazine. Knowing Galvin’s talent, we’re sure to rave over the result. phoTos by melissa ostrow

Boston’s Best Women’s Haircut 2012 – The Boston Phoenix 118 NEWBURY STREET, 2FL BOSTON, MA 02116 617.262.8118 WWW.SALONEVAMICHELLE.COM

The GreaTer BosTon BeveraGe socieTy PresenTs… BosTon Bar sTars hall of fame Brought to you by the Greater Boston Beverage Society, the Boston Bar Stars Hall of Fame highlights Boston’s own homegrown mixological talent! One of the GBBS’s main goals is to preserve and promote Boston’s cocktail and hospitality culture and history. What better way is there to do that than by getting up close and personal the city’s finest?

In October of 2012 the Greater Boston Beverage Society with hold the first ever Boston Cocktail Summit a three-day celebration of Greater Boston’s cocktail culture designed to highlight the city’s fascinating history of mixology, New England’s breweries, wineries, and distilleries, and raise funds to help local charities. The Boston Cocktail Summit will celebrate the culture of the cocktail with three days of events, parties, educational seminars, and an opening gala with proceeds benefitting the newly established Greater Boston Beverage Society. For more information visit www. bostoncocktailsummit.com.

Meet Patrick Maguire, Manager at JM Curley in Downtown Crossing. Patrick has been a restaurant rat/junkie in Boston for almost 30 years. He’s known as an advocate to the restaurant community because of his nationally-recognized blog and forthcoming book, I’m Your Server, Not Your Servant, A Voice for Service Industry Workers Everywhere. His blog has been featured in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Consumerist, Chowhound, Open Table, Grub Street, and was the winner of best local blog in the 2010 Boston Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards.

• Patrick’s irst bar job in Boston?

Bartender at the exchange (now the vault) on Water street in the Financial district in the mid-80’s.

• What he’s drinking: during my shift it’s a schlitz “tall Boy” but on Pay day i go for a Pappy van Winkle Manhattan • Most exciting up & coming trend in Mixology? remembering the importance of hospitality. i respect what all of the “top Gun” mixologists are doing, but converting guests to ambassadors for your establishment requires authentic engagement. Great hospitality is a mindset, an awareness, and a culture focused on making meaningful and memorable connections with guests.

• What you’re most looking forward to about the Boston Cocktail Summit?

Breaking bread with brothers and sisters from the Boston restaurant industry! the camaraderie, spirit and generosity of Boston’s restaurant community is awesome! People really care about and support each other. We recently raised over 60K at an industry benefit for vinny sapochetti, a neptune oyster server recovering from a terrible car accident. that’s stunning.

CHEERS! SEE you at tHE Summit! this is an advertorial

<48> 6.19.12

sex

Bullied into Babies If 2012 is the year of the dragon, then 2011 must have been the year of the sperm.

This occurs to me as the invitations to first birthday parties, baptisms, and baby showers come pouring in. And with this influx of infants comes the ever-present question from giddy new parents: “Do you guys want kids?”

After I finish my dramatic throat-slitting gestures (while my girlfriend and I avoid eye contact), I issue this terse admonition: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

The reactions are a mixed bag of stunned silence, confused stares, and annoyingly invasive inquisitions that leave me feeling like the next stage of this assault must be waterboarding.

When I was single and expressed my lack of desire to have children, it was apparently a lesser offense. But add one baby-crazed girlfriend to the mix, and suddenly it’s a catastrophic crime. While my girlfriend spends awkward amounts of time cooing at strangers’ children, I treat the random baby like a germ-wielding terrorist — and our polar parental desires have become all too apparent to our mutual friends.

Now, suddenly, it isn’t just about my “selfish” choices, but about compromising someone else’s future.

“You are robbing her of her dreams!” accused one new mom.

“Motherhood might just melt your cold little heart,” mused another.

And one expectant mom surveyed the situation a bit more practically by asking, “Who’s gonna wipe your ass when you’re old?”

Ask the average woman, and she’ll likely have a similar tale of female baby bullying. One friend recently admitted that she was told, “That uterus of yours shouldn’t be empty.” And many of us have rolled our eyes at the insulting statement, “Well, you’re not getting any younger.”

For the record, I’m thrilled for all of you who have chosen the enlightened path to insomnia, episiotomies, and breast pumping.

But that doesn’t allow you to take some maternal moral high ground and cast me as a selfish and heartless monster. And it certainly doesn’t allow you to browbeat me into defending my position on procreation.

I’ve heard of fretful men being bullied into becoming fiancés, and I’ve even known a bride or two who felt rushed to the altar.

But I’d never imagined such overt pressures around procreation.

And, interestingly enough, they rarely come from my partner, but almost exclusively from outside sources who shouldn’t be party to such private subjects. However, this perpetual prodding eventually leaves my girlfriend and me mired in a conversation that I’m perfectly content to keep avoiding. Instead, I’m forced to confront the subject and suggest that she raise a communal baby with friends — or adopt one who’s at least 21 so that I’ll have a new drinking buddy.

But seriously, why do women feel they have the right to pry into other women’s reproductive choices? It’s not as if you’ll be the only pregnant woman stalking the earth like a bloated dinosaur if little ole me decides not to get artificially inseminated. Certainly none of you took my advice when I lobbied for getting your tubes tied when you were 20-year-old sorority sluts. So do me a favor, and on the rare occasion when I choose to be private and silent on a subject, don’t create such a damn uproar.

— Jeannie Greeley

Jeannie Greeley is a freelance writer who won’t cave to procreation peer pressure.

She can be reached at jeannieg@comcast.net.

75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116 617.357.4810 â&#x20AC;˘ www.davios.com

flash

for more photos, go to stuffboston.com/flash

1

2

6

7

10

3

Boston arm wrestling dames at radio

1. Katie Holm and Tina Dalton; 2. Cville Knievel, Sam Betts, and Gina Heeren; 3. Steve Lee and Courtney Baur; 4. Andrea DeLucia and Meghan Lacoche; 5. Kristen Schaer and Zac Marconi; 6. Megan Lickley, John Quattrochi, and Justin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hagan; 7. Dorothy Moerlein, Sarah Lael Wertheim, and Courtney Swink; 8. John Bigelow and Jennifer Lopez; 9. Rod Lopez and Shuli Bigelow; 10. Karen Lilla, Kelley Kokoros, Daisy Dukes, and Diane Ryan; 11. Mark Zacchilli, Amanda Zacchilli, and Porter Byrne.

4

5

8

9

11

photos by michael young

BINGO - TRIVIA THEMED WITH A LOT OF FUN ACTION GOING ON

EVERY TUESDAY 8PM-10PM STARTING IN JUNE!!!

WIN

2

TICKETS TO

THE RED SOX GIFT CARDS &

ENJOY

A CHANCE OF UP TO

$1,000,000 CA$H*

$10 PITCHERS GREAT FOOD & GREAT FUN

222 Friend Street | Boston MA

northstarboston.com | 617.723.3222

WHAT EXACTLY IS TRIVINGO? EMAIL jhammel@northstarboston.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFO

<50> 6.19.12

flash

for more photos, go to stuffboston.com/flash

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

margarita mania at lolita cocina & tequila bar

8

9

10

1. Josh Jamison; 2. Charna Simon, Rachel Perlmutter, and Courtney Collins; 3. Colin Lynch and Josh Papelbon; 4. Cassandra Anderson and Peter Ketchum; 5. Ryan Paugh and Caitlin McCabe; 6. Jared Collier, Margaret Doyle, and AJ Scarano; 7. Suzanne Turnbull, Tiffany Canetta, and Diana Pilarski; 8. Jay Spahr and Clara Gaudinier; 9. Kyle Wright, Jenny Johnson, and Dan McCarthy; 10. Jordan and Ben Cogswell, Peter Boyd, and Brittany Mendibles; 11. Alisa Keefe, Erika Small, Colleen Marinelli, Sam Bonanno, and Leah Dubois.

11

photos by erica magliaro

Enjoy summer in the city without leaving the Living Room

kitchen open ‘til midnight daily full menu ‘til 1am fri and sat DJ thurs-sat ’til 2am

OUR PATIO IS OPEN!

101 atlantic avenue • 617.723.5101 • thelivingroomboston.com 6.19.12 <51>

flash

for more photos, go to stuffboston.com/flash

1

2

6

7

10

3

taste of the north end 1. Billy Costa and Mayor Thomas Menino; 2. Aimee Veness and Adam Veness; 3. Amy and John Marchesano; 4. Courtney Bartlett and Ryan Doyle; 5. Ashley and Rachel Bronson; 6. Chris Regan and Nessa Rodgers; 7. Chris Pike, Brian Bernhard, and Morgan Bernhard; 8. Courtney Laflamme and Shelby Hunter; 9. Andrew and Ava Ference; 10. Lon Breedlove, Billy Costa, and Jose Duarte; 11. Leslee Parker-Sproul, Samantha Webb, and Denise Hannon.

4

5

8

9

11

photos by melissa ostrow

<52> 6.19.12

flash

for more photos, go to stuffboston.com/flash

1

2

6

7

10

3

United way emerging leaders mad men gala at artists for humanity

1. Luna LiVolsi, Chris Mecca, and Lauren Cuozzo; 2. Sammy Muthiah, Melissa Rick, and Sam White; 3. Lauren Mastrocola, Rob Pape, and Amy Pape; 4. Trisha Spillane, Marissa Hart, and Ilaria Lanzoni; 5. Amir Hasson, NaEun Park, and Sam White; 6. Maggie Burns and Dave Krauss; 7. Asal Naraghi and Gina Petrone; 8. Dave Krauss, Lauren Brown, and Kierstan Bell; 9. David Safaii and Jo-Ellen Petrone; 10. Matt Goulding, Johanna Ferguson, Francis Bevilacqua, Dan Wilkins, and Colleen Wilkins; 11. Grandy Meyer, Paul DeBassio, Carrie Weatherbee Cunningham, Howard Kang, Bret Carr, Emily Horsford, Natasha Noel, and Erin Sunderland.

Join Coors Light and

4

5

8

9

11

PHOTOS BY derek kouyoumjian

at ON BOyLSTON STREET

It’s a Pre-Game Party on

Friday June 22 from 5 – 7PM!

Come down and enter to win GREAT Baseball Merchandise!

Jerry Remy’s is THE place to watch all of your favorite sports!

With Two MONSTER TV’s (6.5’ x 11’ to be exact!)

Plus you can enjoy Ice Cold Coors Light all summer long on Remy’s Roof Deck!

Jerry Remy’s • 1265 Boylston St, Boston 617.236.7369 • www.jerryremys.com 6.19.12 <53>

Gregory Maguire’s STUFF In his most famous novel, Wicked, best-selling author Gregory Maguire explored the universe of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books from the perspective of the Wicked Witch, turning the green-skinned villainess into a flawed but sympathetic antihero. The book birthed a series of sequels, inspired the Tony-winning musical, and earned legions of devoted fans. (When we spoke, Maguire had just been a celebrated guest at June’s annual Oz-Stravaganza in Baum’s hometown. It’s basically the Star Trek convention of Munchkin fanatics.)

But Wicked is just one of Maguire’s more than two dozen books for children and adults. That range is reflected in this collection of character figurines kept in the study of his home outside of Boston. Gifts from friends and fans, most lead back to that yellow brick road. But many nod to classic fairy tales that have inspired Maguire and other non-Oz affiliations: for instance, the doll of Max from Where the Wild Things Are is a reminder of Maguire’s longtime friendship with the late writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Maguire’s most recent novel, the aptly titled Out of Oz, is intended to close the Wicked-related chapter of his life. So we asked the author about that phenomenon and his forthcoming work, his colorful cast of characters, and the growing murmurs that Wicked may become a movie.

What’s that strange little jarred skeleton? A fan made that for me. It’s supposed to be the skeleton of a fairy in a pickling jar, as if from a 19th-century etymologist. There is a little tiny skeleton out of hardened Plasticine, I think.

Hardened and affixed to it is a pair of what I suppose are genuine butterfly wings. It looks like someone caught it with chloroform for scientific purposes and it wound up at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1867. It’s so weird. Rather morbid and cruel. But there’s something magical about it.

Are you ever surprised by the fandom your books have inspired? Oh yes!

Sometimes people come [to appearances], and they’ll lean down and ask me intimate questions about some of the sex scenes in the books. . . . Then I inch away and press the buzzer for the guards. [Chuckles] Other times — well, for example, in the years after Hurricane Katrina, some came with sodden books, books bloated to twice their size, like sandwiches left out in a summer thunderstorm. And they would say, “I managed to save this as I was fleeing my <54> 6.19.12

house.” That kind of stuff is extremely moving.

Has it been hard to make people see that your work extends beyond Wicked? It’s been impossible. It’s as if they couldn’t even imagine that the person who wrote Wicked could really write a sophisticated historical novel for children — as if they think Oz is so capsizing in its totality that anyone who gets involved in it can do nothing else. I suppose that in some way, Out of Oz was also daring myself. It’s a challenge to my muse: “All right, girl. What more do you have?”

So what’s your next book? The book is called Egg and Spoon. It will be set 10 years before the Russian Revolution. It’s a princess-and-pauperess kind of story. It’s also a magic story: there are crowned heads of state and also a firebird. That’s all I’ll say right now.

Where are you finding inspiration? I’ve been listening to Tchaikovsky and looking at the drawings by Russian illustrator and stage designer Bilibin. The Russian fairy tales have the strongest attraction, because they have magic and yet murderous poverty at the same time.

On the subject of a Wicked movie: in a dream world, whom would you cast as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch? In a dream world, I’d bring back [singersongwriter] Laura Nyro from the dead. She was one of my inspirations when I wrote Elphaba. I was inspired by Laura Nyro, Emily Dickinson, and Virginia Woolf. Actually, when I was writing the book I cast it in my head so I could keep the characters straight, because I had never written a book with so many characters before. The person I cast as Elphaba was K.D. Lang. At the time, she was about 32 and very lean. She was beautiful and spiky, brave and different and out there. And she could sing, and I knew that Elphaba could sing long before Broadway got hold of her.

The Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tin Man a heart. What would you ask the Wizard for? I would ask for the power to think faster. I think slowly, and that’s why I’m a writer. I think that what I think is valuable, but if I could think fast I could be in public policy or politics. And maybe I could do even more good than in art.

— Scott Kearnan

PHOTO BY michael diskin

Head to stuffboston.com/2012/players to check out more photos!

Photo Credits: MiChael Young, natasha MoustaChe

Special ThankS To our SponSorS

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AVE NTURE LANGUEDOC JOIN THE ADVENTURE!