upstairs at upstairs

for a few weeks, carrie and i have been trying to partake of either the bpl's courtyard tea, or the special lobster-and-corn-themed menu at upstairs on the square. as luck would have it, the menu got extended a few days past its stated last day, so we took it as a sign and made a reservation.

i will say, just in passing, that it was much easier than i had expected to get a reservation - we called the night before and were able to get a table for four. then, the following day, when we couldn't find another deuce, we were able to change the reservation from four to two.

in all honesty, for years i've been pretty ambivalent about upstairs on the square - usually the menu is seasonal classics done well with respect to technique. it's one of those places where you would take a look at the menu, and be satisfied, but not particularly excited - a feeling that's a bit strange when considering the whimsical decor. that said, i haven't stayed away just for that reason - you won't find a better butterscotch pudding anywhere, nor can you find a more perfect burger with the right balance of euro (mayo with your fries) and american (...beef, and perfectly crisp bacon).

following this past visit, i can't help but feel that things are on an upswing. we started with an amuse bouche that was a sort of gougere, its interior not unpleasantly on the wet side, with a red wine reduction and a couple shards of parmesan. technically perfect, and the ho-hum nature of the gougere, popularized as an amuse bouche by thomas keller, was definitely upgraded by the red wine reduction. bread was ok, on the salty side, but thankfully no sign of sourdough, and the butter was the consistency of a thick mayo - ie, eminently spreadable.

for starters, i had the wellfleet oysters with asian pear slivers and yuzu ice; carrie had the "native corn three ways" (corn chowder, crispy polenta with a greek salad, sweet corn flan with candied bacon). i've had a bit of a thing for raw oysters ever since i had them for the first time at pearl oyster bar; these oysters were, as far as my slightly insensitive palate goes, quite good. i think they would have been a bit better had they been a little colder, but they tasted fabulous, and the asian pear was a great counterpart. i've never really been able to taste yuzu, but presumably it added some sort of exotic, elusive flavor. carrie's corn trio was quite good as well - the corn chowder could have been called "bacon chowder" instead, so strongly and deliciously did it taste of bacon, despite its complete textural absence. the crispy polenta outdoes pigalle's deep-fried poached egg for perfect crisping, but the centerpiece of this trio is really the flan. the corn sweetens the flan enough, but not too much, and really, as carrie commented, it tastes like a perfect quiche custard, made with the richest ingredients possible, and without any additives - broccoli, etc. and somebody in the kitchen must really love bacon, because the candied bacon was clearly handled with love - perfectly crisp-chewy, with just the right note of sweetness. overall, starters were maybe a 7.5/10?

i would say that entrees trumped starters, no contest. i had grilled lobster (a tail and a claw) with bok choy tempura, spiced butter, and coconut rice. the first time i realized that i liked lobster, as it happens, was also at pearl oyster bar, the same time as the oysters. my memory is like a sieve these days, so i only have the vaguest of memories: that the lobster roll i had was delicious, refreshing, cold, tender, and sweet. you know, all of those things that really good lobster is stereotypically supposed to be. i remember that lobster roll much more fondly than the lobster tail i had at per se; my also-vague memories of the lobster at per se recall concerns over the discernible toughness of the lobster, despite it being poached in butter.

but this is just a long-winded setup to tell you that this lobster dish is possibly the best lobster i've ever had. the lobster was tender without being mushy, and that is saying something. the ample amounts of lobster concealed rice that was savory and strongly imbued, somehow, with coconut flavor and subtle spicing. even the bok choy was better than i had expected - the really leafy bits tasted a bit like kale chips, and the body of the leaves contrasted nicely with the tempura batter. speaking of the batter, it had quite a bit of chew to it, in comparison to most tempura batters, which are soaked with frying oil and almost ephemeral flavor-wise. the crunchy bits of tempura that broke off the bok choy were delicious with the rice and lobster, providing a welcome bit of textural contrast. i'm not sure if that was the intent, but i like to think that it was - that whoever designed this dish thought about what would happen, physically, to the food as it was cut up and consumed.

in other news, carrie had a lobster salad - peppercress (from eva sommaripa's garden!), avocado, citrusy dressing with chunks of lobster. i tried just a bit, and the peppercress was really fabulous, and well taken care of - still crispy and springy. the salad was really the complete opposite of the grilled lobster - the crunchy birkenstock-wearing californian, as opposed to the cold-weather, comfort-food-craving new englander. all in all, quite delicious.

i was disappointed not to see the butterscotch pudding on the dessert menu; we settled on sharing the special dessert - corn ice cream atop a blueberry cobbler. the corn ice cream was really good - again, not too sweet, and it didn't taste of corn, per se. it tasted like somebody made corn sugar out of the corn, in some way that tasted of corn that happened to be sweet
(as opposed to the straight-out sugar sweetness of refined corn syrup). what it reminded me of most was this dessert i had at alinea that had tonka beans in it, really. the ice cream topped a shallow ramekin of blueberry cobbler, which appeared to have equal amounts of topping (with only a smack of oats) and blueberry. somehow this wasn't a problem, because of the shape and size of the serving dish. the shallowness of the dish ensures that there isn't too much blueberry for a given amount of topping, which was in larger crumbly bits than in a normal cobbler.

so, a delicious, relaxing dinner upstairs at upstairs on the square. i hadn't had dinner in the soiree room before, but it proved to be a relaxed respite to the bustle of the larger dining room downstairs. seemed like the downstairs also has more harder surfaces than the upstairs, because the sound echoes there a lot more. just checked the restaurant week menu, and it looks promising.

the real ham king

lindsay: would you like to try some of this?

buster: [tasting] so watery...yet there's a smack of ham to it.

lindsay: ...it's hot ham water!

--

in warren, john and i drove by a place called "ham king II." unfortunately for our curiosity, but more fortunately for our stomachs, we satisfied ourselves with a slow driveby of the fairly dilapidated storefront - plastic tarp for windows, dinginess abounded. we also passed "ham cafe," which we also graced with a driveby, but no economic patronage.

instead, star market got my economic patronage when i returned from warren, interested in making a ham (not just for my own curiosity, but also for keith, whom i imagine subconsciously pining for ham over any other form of pork save bacon). well, just you try getting a ham in july. they're not so much in demand in cambridge, at whole foods, harvest, or star market. i had intended to do a ham for july 4, but ended up doing barbecued ribs instead because i couldn't find a ham. a week later, i still couldn't find a true, thanksgiving-style ham, so i settled for a bone-in smoked pork butt from star market.

the ham that keith always mentions is one i made for lmf diner de noel back in maybe sophomore year: a traditional spiral-cut ham, baked with slices of pineapple applied liberally. i didn't quite want to do just a pineapple ham, despite some great comments in pineapple-based ham recipes on epicurious: "my son even asked for more pineapple because it was fruit that tasted like ham!" and it's been a while since i've made a ham, so i felt a little like i should match my ham recipe to my oh so sophisticated adult life that i lead nowadays. i still went with epicurious - a honey-thyme glazed baked ham, which called for steaming it for a while, then glazing it for a while. i felt like the ham should still have some pineapple in it somewhere, so i steamed the ham in a couple of small cans of pineapple juice, then later used the pineapple-infused pan juices with the leftover glaze to make a gravy/jus of sorts.

the final product was pretty good. i wish it had been a bit more tender - somehow the exterior wasn't that tender, despite the steaming it got, probably due to the lack of fat layer over the top of the ham. the glaze was good - not too sweet, and not too thyme-y. i think i would add more cider vinegar, though, to balance out the honey flavor a bit more. the smoked flavor of the ham was also a good balance for the sweetness of the glaze, i think. i would have to try it again with a more traditional ham to know the effect of the smoked pork butt for sure. we had enough ham for six people, plus leftovers for a couple days.

i often overdo dinner when i have people over, but this time i seem to have calculated more effectively, adding simple accompaniments to balance out the ham. for drinks, aviators on request (or rather, to inflict on test subjects) and peach iced tea (harney + sons from last season, lightly sweetened and lemon-ed). for sides, mashed potatoes (california white - i like using the waxy potatoes for mashing) and creamed peas that i started in a bit of bacon fat and finished with shredded basil. all in all, an excellent success - the sides + ham were a more harmonious trio than i usually manage, and not overwrought at all. for the peas, i mixed frozen petite peas with some real english peas, partly for novelty and the hope that fresh peas make a difference flavor-wise, and partly because i really enjoy shelling peas. i would normally do dessert, but haven't had the endurance to do it in addition to dinner for a while, so mary brought an excellent blueberry-plum buckle.

honey-thyme glazed ham

16 oz pineapple juice

1 smoked pork butt, approximately 6-10 lbs, preferably bone-in; or get a spiral-cut ham

4 1/2 T butter

3T chopped thyme

1/2c cider vinegar

3/4c mild honey

2t worcestershire sauce

1. preheat the oven to 325F, positioning the rack in the bottom third. peel off rind or skin from ham, leaving a quarter inch of fat on the ham, at most (there was not cap of fat on the pork butt i bought; if this is the case for you, just pull off excessive fat). score a diamond crosshatch pattern into the fat without cutting into the meat. put ham on a rack in a large roasting pan, pour the pineapple juice into the pan. put a piece of parchment paper on top of the ham, then cover the ham + pan with foil so it's one closed entity. bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

2. while the ham is baking, make the glaze. melt the butter and thyme in a small saucepan and let foam for about 10-15 minutes. boil the cider vinegar in another saucepan until it's reduced to a couple tablespoons. remove from heat and whisk in the honey, worcestershire sauce, and thyme butter. you might have to whisk it for a bit to get the whole thing to emulsify together. let glaze stand while the ham finishes baking.

3. when the ham is done steaming, remove from oven (keep the oven on though) and discard foil and parchment paper. brush the glaze on the ham and return to oven, reducing temperature to 300F. bake for another hour, re-glazing every 10 minutes or so. after the hour is up, remove ham from oven and move the ham to a serving platter; let stand at least 15 minutes before carving. pour all pineapple liquids and glaze drippings to a saucepan and reduce until it reaches a syrupy consistency. skim the jus and serve in a bowl with the ham.

[serves 6]

creamed peas

4 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut in half

4-5 cups petite peas, frozen or fresh

a handful of fresh basil leaves

1/3c to 1/2c light cream

1. put the bacon in a skillet and turn to medium heat. cook the bacon until crispy and fat is rendered, about 15-20 minutes. leave the fat in the skillet. pat the bacon dry with paper towels or napkins and eat it. go ahead, eat the bacon. you deserve it.

2. add the peas. cook until the peas are almost all cooked through, about 10 minutes or so. add the basil and cook a few more minutes. add the cream and cook until the cream reduces a bit, about 10-15 minutes, but watch it to make sure your peas don't get mushy. the idea is to add enough cream to coat the peas, but not so much that they're swimming in it. then the basil, cream and peas all meld together with some smoky, bacony overtones; the cream will also make the peas stick to each other a bit, making them easier to eat.

3. you can keep the peas on low to keep them warm for up to a half hour.

[serves 6]