THE DISH – the buzz on boston’s foodie scene
i don’t know about you guys, but i’m a dedicated tremont 647 lover. i mean dedicated. my guy and i are both what you might call ‘beginner foodies’ when it comes to the boston restaurant scene, but one thing we know for sure …. we can’t stop going back to tremont 647.
i recently found a great little q&a with tremont’s chef and owner, andy husbands, by stuff @ night’s heather bouzan. she reveals where in boston they get the ingredients for their killer menu. if only i wasn’t kitchen-illiterate. humpf.
Meat/poultry: “John Kinnealey. Good price, and really good, high-quality stuff. They do our grass-fed burger; they do Giannones, which is a free-range chicken, hormone-free.”
Produce: “A. Russo and Sons [Russo’s]. I’ve done business with them for, jeez, maybe 15 years now. They have a lot of local stuff, good quality, and just a good variety. Also, they’re kind of a grocer, so they have great cheeses if you need them. Also, we use Nesenkeag Farms. I talk to the farmers twice a week. We’re using what they have, what’s fresh.”
Bread: “We make most of our own, but Iggy’s rocks. We buy our bagels from there for brunch. Sometimes we buy their focaccia, because it’s just awesome. Like anything, you’ve got to start with good ingredients. And they’re a great company; they’re good people.”
Cheese/dairy: “Formaggio Kitchen, of course. That’s the cheese place, as far as I’m concerned, in Boston. Selection, quality, and just overall good people. I like to do business with people that I enjoy.”
Herbs/spices: “Herbs is Nesenkeag Farm. Also Eva’s Garden. Good, local, fresh. [For spices], Christina’s. We also use Paul Marks, Accardi. They’re awesome. Those are more wholesale, where Christina’s is wholesale and retail. [And] sometimes you’ve got to run down to Chinatown when you’re looking for something really goofy.”
Exotic items: “Accardi and Sons, they’ll get us a lot of stuff. When you’re looking for some good snails, they’re going to be carrying [them].”
Other: “Pat the clam guy. They’re Wellfleet clams, and Pat Woodbury is his name. I’m also a big fan of Louisiana shrimp, so there’s this woman, Kay, I deal with out of Louisiana. Kay Brandhurst sends me an e-mail pretty much every week about what they’re catching. They also have great crab meat. These things are caught this morning and we’ll get them the next day, and they are just fresh and awesome.”
thanks for the kind words!!!! please say hi next time you’re in.
check my blog at http://www.andyhusbands.com and soom you’ll find out why no one should use truffle oil…..
be well,
ANDY