Caliterra Bar & Grille Boston
89 BROAD ST
BOSTON, MA 02110
(617) 556-0006
BOSTON, MA 02110
(617) 556-0006
Caliterra Bar & Grille Boston
Restaurants
URL:
www.wyndham.com
Green Tags: automatic soap dispenser, dim lighting, divers scallops, fresh, knowledgeable, Non-local or seasonal ingredients, reusable dishes
Good Tags: artistic, atmosphere, friendly, hotel, Imaginative dishes, interesting presentation, mango sorbet, moderately tasty for the price, scallops, seafood
I had restaurant week lunch fare at a swankier than usual restaurant, Caliterra (located in the Hilton). Although the food was fresh, delicious, and creative, my favorite part of the experience was the plates. Yes, the plates. Let me explain: Each dish had a different plate, and I'm not just talking circle, square, triangle. I'm talking 3D sculpture. One was shaped like an upside down volcano, one like a mod stool (no really...I would have sat in it were my butt smaller), one like a giant spoon. It was awesome. But, as we were playing the "IzzitGreen?" game, my friend and I wondered "do funky plate sizes make washing less efficient, because you can't pack them as tightly into the dishwasher?" So, we asked our happy-go-lucky waiter, who got very excited that we loved the plates. He said that the plates are tres expensive, so he cringes every time one breaks. He also said that because they are a hotel, they have a VERY big dishwasher, so they just stack the plates in and its not a problem. Which brings me to another point about green-ness: the fact that this restaurant is part hotel means they can probably wash everything, (table clothes, napkins) not just the plates, in a very efficient manner.
But, enough about the plates. Now that I've scared everyone away, let's talk about the food. I had smoked salmon (not sure where it was from, but I'm guessing Scotland) served with "Peruvian potatoes" (they were blue! blue potatoes!) and creme fresh to start. For my entre, I had scallops (so moist and tasty!) served with blood oranges. And for dessert, I had mango sorbet that was so flavorful it was like picking fruit straight from a grove. So, the food was good. Not just good, but good good good good. The scallop dish was one of the best entres I've had all year, and that's no small claim for a seafood fanatic like myself. But...IzzitGreen? I had to know!
First, they had reusable everything (dishes, silverware, napkins, table clothes, glasses), so that makes them semi green by default. But pretty much every upscale restaurant does this, so it isn't anything special. I'm rating them against the standards of other high end restaurants, not against the standards of fast food. So, this is kind of a given. As for the ingredients in their food, they came from all over the world. The mangoes they used to make the sorbet, while delicious, were definitely not harvested in Western Mass. I asked the waiter where the scallops were from, and he said they were "diver's scallops" from Maryland. That means that someone actually has to don SCUBA gear to go get them. Well, not knowing much about the scallop harvesting industry, I did some quick Wikipedia-ing and found out that "According to Seafood Watch, scallops from the Mid-atlantic are currently on the list of fish that American consumers who are sustainability-minded should avoid." Nooooooo! I love scallops! But wait...scallops are traditionally harvested by sea-floor dredging, so isn't diving a bit more sea-friendly?
A few other things: Most of the lights were conventional incandescent bulbs, although that bathroom had some straight up fluorescents. The bathrooms also had automatic soap squirters, which I am going to claim are green because they regulate the amount of soap a person takes, and limit soap waste. The restaurant had super-high ceilings (with attractive wood beams), which means it probably takes a lot to heat and cool the place. Walking time from the Government Center T-stop (State Street is closer, but I was coming on the Green Line) was 8:41, including navigating slow-moving crowds in the station. So, the final verdict is that the food is amazing (but the restaurant only gets 4 out of 5 stars for good because, well, 5 is perfect, and when I ordered a Sam Adams they brought me a different beer), and the restaurant isn't making an effort to be green, but has potential!
Caliterra, a Cal-Ital restaurant located in the Financial District serves up solid, beautifully presented food. However, some of the dishes were a bit disappointing and contained unnecessary elements. We're there for Boston restaurant week, so we choose from a few appetizers and a few entrees for the priced fixed 3-course lunch. Our lunch begins on a high note with an assortment of perfectly warm bread served with an island of sun-dried tomato pesto in a dish of olive oil. The first course, Prince Edward mussels in a white wine saffron sauce is alright. The mussels are tasty, but the sauce leaves something to be desired and the accompanying toasted ciabatta is a little over-charred. I also wonder if the restaurant could obtain more local mussels to up the greenness level. The second course is much more exciting and contains an interesting interplay of tastes: seared scallops with blood orange sauce served in a bibb lettuce cup over minted rice. The presentation is lovely, as is the combination of the tangy citrus with the scallops. However, the rice is awkward with the scallops and sauce, which could be accompanied more appropriately with a root vegetable puree. In addition, the fan of snap peas (which once again looks beautiful) does not go with the rest of the dish, and are not even that tasty. The final course ends the meal on another high note. I order a Meyer Lemon Crème Brulee which fortunately comes in a very shallow dish, maximizing the caramelized sugar to custard ratio. Although it is very delicious, the custard has a strange runny texture which is a bit unsettling. And as much as I love meyer lemons, I cannot imagine they (or blood oranges) are grown locally, especially in March. Overall, it was a beautiful and delicious meal at a fantastic restaurant week price ($20). However, I have had much better meals at other restaurants in the same price bracket.
Restaurants
Big Picture
When you go out to a restaurant for your food, it's easy to assume that restaurateurs care about the food they are giving you – where it comes from, what’s been added to it, and how far it had to travel to get to you. But what's going on behind the scenes? It’s time to explore the art of dining out and being green – not so easy in Boston, but getting easier. The more questions we ask, the more we will inspire change.
Factoids n' Stuff
- Your average cheeseburger accounts for approximately 6.3 - 6.8 lbs of carbon emissions. (Jamais Cascio, "The Cheeseburger Footprint" January 2007)
- Reusing a glass jar 5 times at home can save about half of the energy a commercial packager consumes to make 5 disposable containers. (Pimentel, David, and Marcia Pimentel. Energy use in food processing for nutrition and development, accessed September 1, 2006.)
- In 2005, American farmers used more than 22 million tons of chemical fertilizers, turning agriculture into a leading source of water pollution in the U.S. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,"U.S. Fertilizer Use and Price. September 25, 2006, accessed October 13, 2006.)
- Approximately 80% of U.S. ammonia emissions come from livestock manure on factory farms. (Doorn, Michael R.J., et al. Review of Emissions Factors and Methodologies to Estimate Ammonia Emissions from Animal Waste Handling, Research Triangle Park (NC): Environmental Protection Agency, 2002: ii.)
- Herbicide tolerant GE (genetically engineered) crops have created weed resistance, causing pesticide use to increase by 70 million lbs between 1997 and 2003. (SustainableTable.org)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, found in Teflon (a chemical used to make nonstick pots and pans) and paper plates, has been found to cause cancer in animals. Once released into the environment, PFOA does not break down and remains there indefinitely. (Environmental Working Group "Is There an Extra Ingredient in Nonstick Pans?" July 2005)
What Goes In?
Where does the food come from? What kinds of chemicals or drugs are already in the food? Are there steroids, antibiotics, or hormones in the meat? Is the food fresh or did it come from a can? How is the food prepared? What kinds of pots and pans are being used?
What Comes Out?
Does the food taste good? Are the portions too big? How much food is wasted? What do they do with that wasted food? Throw it away? How is the food being served – are they served on plastic, paper, or real dishes? Do they use paper or linens for tablecloths, napkins, and place mats? Do they recycle? Are they encouraging you to recycle?
How's it Run?
Do the employees seem happy and healthy? Do they take the time to explain what you are getting – i.e., do they know where the food comes from and are they happy to tell you about it? Do they have a genuine care for quality rather than quantity? What is their dishwashing process? How do they clean the restaurant? What do they use to wipe down the tables/bar? How do they wash their linens?
What They Care About
Do they understand the interest in organic and local foods and do they know why that’s important? Have they researched local suppliers and do they think about meeting the farmers or fishermen who provide them with food? Are they thinking of ways to offer more natural choices, or do they just care about making a buck?
What to Ask
- What’s been added to my food?
- Where does my food come from?
- Is this food local, organic, or both?
- Does this meat come from a factory farm, or was it naturally raised?
- How far did my food have to travel to get to my mouth?
- How was my food prepared?
- What do you do with the leftover food? Do you compost it?
- What kinds of chemicals do you use to wash dishes and clean the restaurant?
- What are you doing to help the negative impact that the mainstream food supply currently has on the environment?
- Do you know what your carbon footprint is (given all the different foods you are providing) and what are you doing to offset your carbon footprint?
- What are you doing to conserve the energy, water, and resources your restaurant uses?
What to Do
- Buy local – find out what on the menu is local and choose that!
- Choose organic items from the menu.
- Eat a little less animal protein, and get high quality naturally raised meat – you saw the stats above – you CAN make a difference.
- Ask a lot of questions – you’ll know what’s up by how your questions are answered and it’s the only way to make the restaurant aware that their customers are paying attention.
- Take your own bag or container for leftovers – pretty self explanatory but this makes a huge difference.
- Split your meal – most restaurants provide us with out of control serving sizes – split more and waste less!
- Get an appetizer instead of an entrée – saves you money and the serving sizes are smaller so there is less wasted.
- Look for restaurants that use cast iron or stainless steel pots and pans.
