Monthly Archives: October 2012

“Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers” Annual Benefit

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On Saturday October 13th WGBH hosted the “Helpings Hands: Monkey Helpers” Food Festivale, sponsored by a dozen Boston restaurants including Mistral, Sorellina, Mooo, Teatro, and L’Andana. This non-profit organization raises and trains capuchin monkeys to provide daily in-home assistance to the mobility impaired. While it costs nearly $40,000 to train and prepare each monkey, they are placed with their recipients free of charge thanks to generous donors and annual fund-raising events. Throughout the process of establishing a healthy relationship between monkey and human, Helpings Hands provides participants with mentoring and supervision so they can monitor the monkey’s behavior, nutrition, and interaction with their human.

Saturday’s event began with a short film documenting 3 recipients and their stories. Home videos showed their daily lives and need for a Helping Hands monkey helper, while personal interviews with the filmmakers allowed viewers to see how the relationship and bond with their monkeys not only provides each human with assistance but also hope and companionship. It was truly uplifting and a great display of how the donations were changing and improving lives.

After the film guests were able to enjoy the evening with live music, a silent auction, raffle prizes, a Grey Goose bar, and treats & small bites from favorite Boston restaurants. Columbus Hospitality Group was represented in full force with each restaurant offering 5-star quality tastings.


L’Andana was among the first tables I stopped at and featured one of my favorite ingredients, fresh figs! Placed on a crostini with a soft cheese, this was a very popular table and my favorite of the evening.

Moving down the line, Mooo’s table featured an army Beef Sirloin Sliders with Mooo Sauce & caramelized onions on a homemade roll. A great representation of Mooo’s quality of beef served over on 15 Beacon Street.

My next visit was to Sorellina which had perfect bite sized Parfait of Hudson Valley foie gras on a toasted brioche and topped with a Concord grape. A small bite packed with major flavor!

Mistral by far offered the most rich and impressive plate: Duck Confit with Wild Mushroom Cous Cous “Risotto”, Parmesan & White Truffle Oil. Serving an almost full appetizer portion, I went back for seconds even though I was stuffed to the brim!

Teatro provided a sweeter option with Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta and fresh berries.

Other vendors included Rialto, Trade, Basho, Eastern Standard, Masa, The Catered Affair, Zocalo, Market, Green Mountain, Konditor Meister, Harpoon and Grey Goose. Uber also offered complimentary transportation to and from the event that evening, providing a convenient and safe way for guests to get home.

For more information about Helping Hands or ways to donate to the organization please visit their website: http://www.monkeyhelpers.org/

L’Andana

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© Studio Nouveau 2010

© Studio Nouveau 2010

Bread: This is easily one of the best breads I’ve ever received at the beginning of a meal. Seasoned, thick slices, perfectly soft with a bit of crunch on the crust, served with a side of EVOO and some kind of tomato paste? Thank goodness there was only 1 piece per person because I could have gone for seconds… or thirds.

Menu: Primi, Pasta, Al Forno, Wood Grilled, Contorni. L’Andana also offers a prix-fixe 3-course menu for $45 (Sunday-Friday) which is a great deal considering the prices on the regular menu. The list of Primi is filled with salads, soup, seafood, and a few surprises (see below), the Pastas provide ½ and full portions, and the famous Wood Grilled section offers a few fish options but mainly different cuts of meat.

Food/Presentation:
Four Cheese Fonduta, roasted garlic & sopressata
Before I go any further I’ll let you know that I work for the restaurant group that L’Andana is a part of (Columbus Hospitality Group), so this review may be a bit biased but it will also be truthful! This evening one of my co-workers was serving and he made it a point to come by and suggest a few dishes, one being this Fonduta which we couldn’t pass up. Essentially a creative cheese fondue, this app was served with chunks of bread for dipping in the warm cheese. Each bite was almost like a pizza sans tomato sauce. Perfect to split among the four of us!

Mussels, steamed out of the shell, tomato & basil crema
I don’t believe I’ve ever had a mussel appetizer where the mussels were out of the shell, which is really quite helpful! The broth was so flavorful I made people dip their leftover Fonduta bread in it. The bread it came with added a deep smoky flavor to the dish. A must try if you enjoy mussels.

Filet Mignon, 8oz center-cut tenderloin, salt baked potato, roasted garlic butter, vin cotta, grilled romaine with gorgonzola (with additional side of Squash Risotto)
My steak was perfectly cooked medium rare and was accompanied by a baked potato and romaine with a bit of somewhat melted gorgonzola. The meat was fantastic and I liked this different side of greens (rather than broccoli or asparagus, both of which you could have gotten as a side).
I couldn’t not try the Squash Risotto which I ordered as a side (and could have easily passed as an app). Topped with a chunk of squash, pumpkin seeds, and sage, this dish was creamy, rich & flavorful. The squash had a surprising sweet component which I loved.

Service: Our server was great, friendly and quite helpful; when my friend Sarah wanted to order the ½ Tortellini as her meal our waitress mentioned that the ½ portion only came with 4 tortellini, so she went with the full. Each course came out in a timely manner, with a nice break in between to digest the apps and prepare for the entrées! We were (un)foruntely too full to order dessert so our server brought out chocolate truffles with the check.

Restroom: 3 automatic sinks, stone counter top  tiled walls and floor, thick L’Andana drying napkins, and a touch of bright orange on the stall doors. I love when even the bathroom has character and style.


Overall: Located in Burlington MA, L’Andana is small town restaurant with big Boston quality food & flavor. Part of Chef Jaime Mammano’s Columbus Hospitality Group (including Teatro, Mooo, Sorellina, and Mistral), L’Andana lives up to the high expectations set by his other popular Boston restaurants. The rustic décor has elements I’ve seen in both Mistral and Sorellina, a consistency which I appreciate. On a Saturday night the bar and lounge area was packed, as was the 210 person dining room. L’Andana won’t disappoint, especially is your looking for a great steak and/or pasta meal. Based on the prices I’ll be heading back for a special occasion 🙂

The Perfect Bite: This is nearly impossible to decide. Out of the dishes I actually ordered (I tried both Matt & Sarah’s pastas which were excellent) I’ll say… the Risotto with a piece of the sweetened squash!

http://landanagrill.com/

For more photos & descriptions of what everyone in my party ate, visit my Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectBiteBoston or find me on Twitter and Instagram!