Album Reviews 23/01/12

Heroes and Monsters, Heroes and Monsters (Frontiers Music srl)

You get why this is a stupidly named band, right, like, I don’t have to explain that there’s a really great band called Of Monsters And Men already, and Lana del Rey has a song called “Gods & Monsters,” right? (Am I being pedantic, I’m really trying to change, folks). But belay all that nonsense, because we’re talking about our friends at Frontiers Records, meaning it’s time for our periodic reminder to local Iron Maiden- and Judas Priest-soundalike bands that they’re one of the last companies that might give you an actual record contract if you’re nice, just tell them I sent you. Anyway, the rundown: Canadian supergroup-ish three-piece hard-rock band here (has there ever been a Canadian hard-rock that’s been able to find a fourth guy?): the singer was in Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick’s band, the multi-instrumentalist was in Slash with Myles Kennedy and whatnot, and they sound quite a bit like Skid Row (you remember them, right? No, that was Cinderella. What? No, that was Tigertailz. Sorry? No, that was Poison. Etc.). The tuneage has some Savatage-ish power-metal to it, and the singer has a little Metallica to him. It is definitely OK. B

David Crosby, Live at the Capitol Theatre (BMG Records)

Yes, this founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash is still kicking around, sharing bong hits with random people and doing whatever else he does, if anything. Point of order, the Capitol Theatre in this case is in Port Chester, N.Y., not the movie theater in Arlington, Mass., but I’m not here to tease the 81-year-old alpha hippie. In fact, he’s still a decent enough songwriter, although there aren’t any songs from his last album, 2021’s For Free, in this live package. This one mostly consists of oldies recited by Crosby and the three 20-somethings (known as The Lighthouse Band) he has backing him up these days: “Deja Vu,” “Woodstock” and “Guinnevere” are here, all delivered with that old magic that involved those world-stopping silences in between phrases. He sounds pretty good vocally, and he’s still quite the acoustic guitar picker, but what may be most notable about this is that it’s his first live solo LP. A+

Playlist

• OK, super, we should have plenty of albums to talk about this week, because we’re clear of the holidays, meaning that all the bands and semi-talented “artistes” should be back to making a bunch of tunes so we can all gather around and hold hands and try to keep from laughing at all the awful music-clowns, who’ve been busy as little Santa elves, making albums for our merriment and snark. Now, try to be nice this time, guys, we wouldn’t want to — oh no, there’s barely anything in the current “you should review this” list on Metacritic, just two things coming out on Friday the 13th of January (yep, that’s how this year’s starting out, with a Friday the 13th right off the jump), and one of ’em’s a metal album! Terrific, I should have just stayed in bed until it’s warm out, you know, like, who needs this anyway? OK whatever, the metal album, here it is, it’s the new one from Obituary, called Dying Of Everything, is that edgy or what, folks? This band has been around since 1984, and they are from Tampa, Florida. The test-drive track on the band’s Bandcamp is “The Wrong Time,” and it’s like a cross between Leviathan-era Mastodon and Wasp. Funnily enough, that isn’t the worst combination ever, OK let’s move on.

• Margo Price is an American outlaw-country/Americana singer-songwriter and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, and I know that for a fact because that’s what Google says, pretty much verbatim. The Fader thinks she’s going to be a huge star, whatever; and she was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 2019. Her new album, Strays, is on the way, and hopefully you’ll like it, I guess. Right, so now let’s descend on this nice little innocent album like a pack of Dementors and find every fault with it and mention nothing nice about it, unless I change my mind after a few bars. OK, here’s a single, called “Been To The Mountain,” listen to that, she sounds a little like Cyndi Lauper or Gwen Stefani, I guess, and the tune is kind of Sheryl Crow-ish, straight-ahead bar-band rock. She does a little rap-skit thing in the middle that sounds like Transvision Vamp, if you remember them. Nothing much going on here, but it’s not all that bad.

• Hold it, I found more albums. That’s right, I tied a picnic knapsack full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the end of a hobo stick and departed my Metacritic bubble, and will you look at this, folks, it’s former HIM frontman Ville Valo, more commonly known as VV, with some new record called Neon Noir! We’re back in business, baby, let’s rock our ears and see if my lunch will stay down for a full song from this dude, whattaya say? Wow, the single, “Loveletting,” has a little bit of a She Wants Revenge flavor, but it’s also kind of hooky, like Eric Carmen used to be in the 1970s, and there’s definitely a goth edge to it. I have no problem with this tune at all, seriously. With regard to his 2023 tour, he’ll be appearing at Big Night Live in Boston, but not until April 2.

• Lastly, it’s Gaz Coombes, the frontman for Supergrass, with a new solo album called Turn the Car Around! Wow, this guy’s into the cabaret stuff, it looks like; he probably really digs Dresden Dolls and all that stuff, at least to go by the single “Don’t Say It’s Over.” There’s Austin Powers-style organ in there, and he favors disposable mid-Aughts hipster-pop vocals a la Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr. The song would be OK without the stupid organ, but on a scale of 1 to 10 in horribleness, it’s only around a 3, which improves on most of the music put out between 2002 and 2010, so bravo.

If you’re in a local band, now’s a great time to let me know about your EP, your single, whatever’s on your mind. Let me know how you’re holding yourself together without being able to play shows or jam with your homies. Send a recipe for keema matar. Message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Port — a winter favorite

Warm up with the flavors of Portugal

Planning on doing a little cross-country skiing — that is, once we really have a little snow? Or how about a little pond skating once it gets cold enough to freeze the water? Staying indoors? Why not curl up with a good book? These are all great wintertime activities, whether you’re huddled around a fire in the backyard pit after skiing or skating, or curled up under a comforter, when enjoyed with a glass of port.

What is port? It is a fortified wine that originated in Portugal and emerged into a worldwide market with an ever-growing complexity of wine varietals, growing regions and environments, all contributing to a vast array of color, noses and tastes.

According to publications by Taylor Fladgate, a respected port wine house, Portuguese port is made from grapes grown along the Douro River, where they have been cultivated since the Roman conquest of the third century B.C. These grapes produced enough wine for an export market. The Portuguese discovered that adding a small amount of grape spirit, or brandy, after fermentation not only increased its strength but kept it from spoiling. This technique evolved into the addition of the brandy during fermentation, keeping the wine’s sweetness and adding to its robust qualities.

In the early 18th century, the business of trading wines emerged, and with a long history of trading alliances between Portugal and England, the British merchants dominated the market. During this time the shape of the wine bottle changed from the short bulbous form to a long, uniform cylindrical shape, allowing the wine to age in the bottle to become even more complex in nose and taste. Port pioneered aging vintage productions.

The six most widely used grapes for red port wine are touriga franca, tinta roriz, tinta barroca, touriga nacional, tinto cão and tinta amarela. Port is a blended wine and therefore the blend is subject to change with each vintage. These grapes are principally Portuguese, unique to the Iberian Peninsula.

Our first port is Taylor Fladgate 2016 Late Bottled Vintage Port (available at the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets at $22.99, reduced to $18.99). Produced from wines from a single harvest, it has a complex rich fruity character. The color is a deep and opaque ruby red, befitting its moniker, “ruby port.” There is an elegant light floral nose along with dark cherries and cassis. On the palate the fruit continues, joined by notes of dark chocolate along with a touch of leather, with reserved tannins.

Our second port, Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Porto (available at the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets at $27.99, reduced to $22.99), is a rich tawny port that is fully matured in seasoned oak casks for 10 years, with each cask holding 630 liters (about 150 gallons) of wine. Aging in barrels brings delicate wood notes to combine with mature fruit. It is bottled for immediate drinking. It has a deep brick color. Its nose is of ripe dried fruit with a slight nuttiness and chocolate secondary notes. It is smooth and silky with rich jammy flavors with a long finish.

These two distinctly different ports, made by the same family-owned company since 1692, are readily approachable and very affordable. One note: Once these bottles have been opened, they should be stored in a wine fridge or standard refrigerator. Ruby port can be stored for four to six weeks without any trouble; tawny port can last for up to three months. But by all means, enjoy them this winter!

Cinnamon marbled quick bread

What better way to spend a chilly weekend morning than making homemade bread? Since this is a quick bread recipe, you won’t have to wait through cycles of rising, punching down and more rising. Just mix, bake, and cool for a few minutes.

This bread recipe more than likely includes ingredients you already have on hand, if you bake, even on an infrequent basis. Even though the recipe specifies whole milk, which adds a little bit to the texture of the bread, you definitely could replace it with skim milk, oatmilk, almond milk or whatever you have on hand.

The hardest part of this recipe most likely is the waiting. You need to wait 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then you probably should give it another 10 to 15 minutes to cool before slicing. Sure, you could slice it right away, but the loaf won’t slice nicely. Let it cool just a bit more, then top those warm slices with some butter, and you have a delicious start to the day.

Cinnamon marbled quick bread
Makes 12 slices

1 cup whole milk
1 egg
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2½ teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9”×5” loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil and vanilla.
Add 1 cup sugar and stir to combine.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine remaining ⅓ cup sugar and cinnamon.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle half of the sugar-cinnamon mixture on the batter.
Repeat layers with remaining batter and cinnamon-sugar.
Swirl a knife through the batter to marble.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.*
Cool for 10 minutes, and transfer to a cooling rack.
Cool slightly before slicing.
*If the edges are darkening but the middle is not cooked, cover with foil until baking is done.

Featured Photo: Cinnamon marbled quick bread. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Laura Spinney

Laura and Michaela Spinney of Hooksett are the mother-daughter team behind Michaela’s Sweets (857-444-8877, michaelassweets.com, and on Facebook and Instagram, a homestead bakery they launched last summer that specializes in a variety of custom gluten-free treats made to order, like cupcakes, brownie bites, whoopie pies and doughnuts. The duo’s journey began back in 2012, when they found out they both had Celiac disease and started experimenting with different allergen-friendly recipes. “Our goal has always been to create a product that nobody would be able to tell is missing anything,” Laura Spinney said. “It has taken off far more than I had anticipated it would from the get-go, and it’s been a wonderful experience so far.” All of their treats are produced in their Celiac-friendly home kitchen — you can order by filling out a form online through the website or requesting items via phone. A 48-hour ordering notice is appreciated, and local pickups and deliveries are available.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Our KitchenAid mixer, hands down. That is our lifeline.

What would you have for your last meal?

My answer would be sushi, any kind. I asked Michaela these questions too — hers is chicken tenders.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

[New England’s] Tap House Grille in Hooksett. I love that place. … My favorite are their pulled pork nachos with the white cheese sauce.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your baked treats?

I went with Michaela’s answer, because she instantly said Taylor Swift.

What is your favorite item that you offer?

For me, that would be the strawberry shortcake cupcakes. … Michaela’s favorite, and this was her idea that we just recently developed, is her Oreo cookies and cream brownie bites.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

What I’ve noticed is a thing, just in the baking world, is whoopie pies. I have fun doing those. … You name it, we can pretty much do it. We do red velvet, apple cider, salted caramel, gingerbread. … Whatever sounded good to us, we’d put in our menu.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

For myself and my husband, our stuffed eggplant.

Gluten- and dairy-free fudgy chocolate chip brownies
From the kitchen of Laura and Michaela Spinney of Michaela’s Sweets in Hooksett

½ cup dairy-free butter
1 cup white sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour of choice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅓ cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan, or spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder. Stir until fully combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir. Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder and mix until fully combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix. Spread into a greased pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes (or for 20 to 22 minutes if using a muffin tin). Do not overcook.


Featured photo: Laura Spinney (right) with her daughter, Michaela. Courtesy photo.

Falafel-y delicious

Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro coming to Salem

Boldness, intimacy, virtue and excellence — these are the four core values Jocelyn Maroun said she is taking to heart as she gets ready to launch her newest restaurant venture.

Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro, on track to open soon inside Salem’s 97 Shops Plaza, gets its name by combining Maroun’s last name with that of Kelvin Severino, owner of the national demolition company ADEP Group and Maroun’s business partner. The eatery promises traditional Mediterranean appetizers, entrees, salads and other items with a modernized twist, along with a full bar, a Sunday brunch menu, catering options and more.

It’s a new concept for the space, although Maroun said it doesn’t really feel that way. That’s because the very same storefront was once home to Salem Kabob — owned first by her father, and later by her cousins — dating back to 2001. For more than a decade, Maroun herself also ran Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Martini Lounge on Route 28 with her partner.

“The community knows Jocelyn’s and Salem Kabob and it feels good that it has that good reputation,” Maroun said, “and so I want people to know that it’s going to be the same quality, if not better. It’s delicious, and it’s going to be friendly and inviting. I plan on being here every open hour to greet every customer that walks in, and I just want it to be a happy place.”

Returning to the site of Maroun’s father’s former restaurant, she and Severino have been hard at work the last few months gutting out the space, adding everything from a marble top bar to new slate floors and light fixtures to give it a uniquely hip bistro-like vibe. They’ve even added an old British telephone booth they bought that had to be delivered by a crane.

Much of Sevmar’s menu contains some of the same family recipes going back more than two decades to Maroun’s father’s tenure as owner of Salem Kabob. Additionally, Maroun and Severino have recruited longtime chef Sayde Elkhoury, who has more than 25 years of restaurant experience and who, like both of Maroun’s own parents, was born and raised in Lebanon.

But unlike Salem Kabob, which was takeout only, Sevmar offers dine-in service with about 42 seats, although Maroun said that online reservations through OpenTable will be recommended.

You’ll find many of the traditional items here that Maroun’s family has been known for over the years, from the hummus and the taboule to the falafel, stuffed grape leaves, spanakopita and baked kibbe, plus additional options like fried cauliflower served with a tahini sauce, and halloumi, or a mild cheese that’s grilled and served with olives, mint, tomatoes and pita bread.

Larger, entree-sized items include beef and chicken shawarma, and custom-grilled haddock and salmon. You’ll also find something on the menu called Gaby’s grilled chicken (named after Maroun’s father) — that’s marinated in olive oil, vinegar, lemon and fresh garlic.

“When we were kids, my father would make that chicken that was to die for … and we used to joke about one day selling it,” she said. “It’s the same recipe that we have now at Sevmar.”

Other options include various wraps — which come with french fries and with the option to add feta cheese or a garlic spread — and bowls that are served over rice pilaf. Choose a specialty option like a beef or chicken shawarma bowl or a vegan bowl with taboule and hummus, or build your own by picking a protein (chicken, beef, lamb, salmon or falafel), a sauce (tzatziki, tahini or house dressing) and other toppings (lettuce, cucumber, tomato or pickled onion).

“It’s food with delicious and healthy, organic, from-scratch ingredients,” Maroun said.

Brunch will soon be available on Sundays, she added, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“When I say ‘brunch’ it’s not just, like, eggs and grits. It’s a brunch party, Miami-style,” she said. “I started doing brunch at Jocelyn’s before I left there, and there was tropical music, people would dress up, [and] they drank Champagne. It was a vibe.”

As for the space directly next door to the restaurant, Maroun said plans are in the works to soon make it home to a cocktail lounge and event room, which they are calling Identity by Sevmar.

“The concepts are going to overlap in the sense that … Sevmar will be a place where you might come early with your kids to have dinner, or on a date and it’s very intimate, and then Identity will be a little bit more upscale,” she said.

Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro
An opening date is expected to be announced soon. Visit the website, call or follow them on social media for updates.
Where: 401 Main St., Unit 108, Salem
Anticipated hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday brunch is also coming soon.
More info: Visit sevmarbistronh.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @sevmarbistro or call 870-0018

Featured photo: Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro. Courtesy photo.

Coffee break

Cool Beans Cafe to open soon in Manchester

A new shop coming soon to Manchester is inviting coffee lovers to make it their new favorite spot, with a full lineup of espresso-based drinks using locally roasted beans, in addition to a food menu of breakfast and lunch wraps and sandwiches, soups, grab-and-go pastries and more.

It’s called Cool Beans Cafe, and it’s the brainchild of owner Kris Gabbard, whose 8-year-old daughter Madilyn picked the name. Last March, Gabbard took over the Queen City storefront — the former home of the Siberia Food Market, a stone’s throw away from the fork between Willow and Pine streets — and he’s been hard at work ever since getting it ready, painting the walls, building his own sitting tables and renovating the kitchen and bathroom. An avid traveler, he has decked out the space with his colorful license plate collection along the walls.

Originally from eastern Kentucky, Gabbard came to New Hampshire to be with family members. He and his brother Jeff managed the Black Bear Cafe of Ossipee for a short time.

“I had always wanted to open some kind of restaurant,” Gabbard said. “The cafe my brother and I had, that was already established. It was already up and running when we went in. … The guy that owned it was an investor, and he ended up selling the property when we left.”

Coffees served at Cool Beans Cafe are made with beans sourced through Mill City Roasting Co. of Londonderry, which is providing Gabbard with his own house blend. He’s also bringing in a variety of handcrafted loose-leaf teas and will have other drink options, like Italian sodas with the option to choose from several flavored premium syrups as add-ins. Bagged coffee beans by the pound or half-pound, both whole-bean and ground, will also be available.

For food items, Gabbard is focusing on breakfast and lunch sandwiches, with options like Italian grilled chicken, a cranberry walnut chicken salad wrap and a rustic grilled cheese, featuring cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato and honey mustard on a ciabatta roll. A refrigerated case at the counter will be where you’ll find some grab-and-go items — he’s thinking fruit and yogurt parfaits with granola, as well as some flavors of cakes and cake bars. Other pastries and baked goods like muffins, scones, cookies and cinnamon rolls round out the food menu.

“Right across the parking lot, I have an office over there that also has a full kitchen,” Gabbard said. “So I’ll do the baking over there, and I have storage over there as well. … The idea is that, where it’s a small space, I’ll have one of everything in that case that’s already dressed up, and then I have the fridge back there that I’ll pull from and serve.”

Down the line, Gabbard said he hopes to add to his menu with new items like smoothies, and he has plans to allow visitors of the cafe to utilize it as a community space.

“I want to be able to rent it out after hours or weekends, if someone wants to have a baby shower or a function or something like that,” he said. “Then, in the evenings, I want to do a paint night here once a month, and I’m just trying to fill some nights with some other activities and things that I can do.”

Cool Beans Cafe
An opening date is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Visit their website or follow them on social media for updates.
Where: 100 Willow St., Unit 1, Manchester
Anticipated hours: Wednesday through Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays (hours may be subject to change).
More info: Visit coolbeanscafe603.com, find them on Facebook or call 206-5924

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

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