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November 2008:
The Foodie Issue

In honor of the wonderful meals many of us are enjoying over this holiday season, this month’s InfoLink features three GSLIS alums who work with food—either directly or indirectly—as part of their professional lives. Even when it’s not a professional pursuit, librarians are passionate about their food. GSLIS Assistant Manager of Information Technology Linnea Johnson has been reviewing restaurants for some time. This month, she shares reviews of five of her favorites.

Linnea isn’t the only one. We also sent a note out to GSLIS students, staff, faculty, and alums, and were thrilled to have a great response. Read this month’s PDF issue and online supplement to see what they’re cooking, reading, and eating.

And although he isn’t a foodie, per se, we are also happy to welcome Richard Gates, GSLIS’ new Student Services Manager, as this month’s Snapshot profile.

Read all about it and then tell us what you think. Please send any feedback to infolink@simmons.edu.

Inside InfoLink Online:

>> Links from our feature article
>> Read the rest of the interview with Rich Gates
>> Check out the rest of Linnea Johnson's restaurant tour
>> Read more GSLIS Foodie Favorites - including more recipes!
>> More links from this month's issue


Foodie Fascinationpage top

From "Hunting for Holiday Treats: Foodie Fascination":

When we decided to write a feature story on food-loving librarians and libraries about food, we didn’t have to look very far. Dean’s Editorial Fellow Katharine Dunn spent time with three epicurean alumni, Rachael Stark ‘06LS, Meg Ragland, ‘01LS, and Marylène Altieri ’84LS, who each mix librarianship with gastronomy in their work.

To read the full article, please download the PDF of the November InfoLink.

Below are links to places and things mentioned in "Foodie Fascination," along with links other food-related museums, libraries, and archives around New England and beyond.

LINKS FROM THE ARTICLE:

Interview with Rich Gates, continuedpage top

This fall, Richard Gates took on a new position at GSLIS: Student Services Manager. The position, created based on student feedback, is part of a general reorganization of the Student Services area. Gates has a long customer-service background and has worked for several businesses and colleges across the country, including Bunker Hill, Wentworth, and Northeastern.

We've posted some of the questions posed to Richard Gates below. To read the full interview with Gates, please download the pdf of the November InfoLink.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
An English teacher.

Have you worked with librarians before?
It’s a totally new world for me. I took a few library science courses in college just because at the last minute I found that I had finished my major sooner and I needed additional credits. That’s been my only exposure.

Do you have a favorite sport?
I like to mix it up: weightlifting, swimming, racquetball, anything that keeps me active.

A book you’re reading right now?
Absolute Power by David Baldacci.

Your most recent purchase?
Plants for my office.

Favorite vacation spot?
Puerto Rico.

Something you do to relax?
Read, watch TV. I also play the piano. I’ve played since I was 12.

Linnea Johnson's Restaurant Tour, continuedpage top

For this month's InfoLink, Linnea shared her reviews of five local restaurants. Three are posted below; to read the other two, please download the PDF of the November InfoLink.

Toro – 1704 Washington Street, Boston

This is a relatively new place for me, but after visiting a handful of times, I can confidently assert that Toro has the best tapas in the city. It is a Ken Oringer [celebrity chef, seen on the Food Network] restaurant in the South End, and the décor really adds to the experience. There are several long high-top tables meant for sharing, lower tables against the back wall, and seats at the bar. The lighting and music give the place an intimate vibe, but the food is what sets it apart. I like tapas because the plates are small enough so that many different foods can be sampled and tasting is encouraged. I highly recommend the foie gras with pear and bacon chutney, or the Medjool dates filled with almonds and blue cheese and wrapped in a dry cured Spanish ham. As for the main plates, I cannot praise the octupus ceviche enough, and the griddled garlic shrimp are a delight. There are more traditional dishes, such as tortilla espanola and empanadas, but please do yourself a favor and do not leave before trying the beef short ribs. They are served in a little black pot with Armagnac soaked prunes and vidalia onion puree. This should be illegal.

Shawarma King – 1383 Beacon Street, Brookline

If you are in the mood for some of the best Middle Eastern food in the city, head over to Coolidge Corner where you will find this gem. In nearly 10 years of dining at Shawarma King, I’ve yet to be disappointed. It is very casual (with counter service only), and it boasts some of the nicest guys you will ever meet on staff. Their enthusiasm about daily specials is contagious. I have never found a fresher hummus and baba ghanouj. My all-time favorite has to be the Shawarma Combo, with tender beef and chicken, served with salad, rice, tahini, pickles, tomatoes, and fresh baked pita. It comes with a garlic sauce that is probably one of the best things I have ever tasted. If you like garlic, this is a must-have. Their desserts, including various puddings and perfect baklava, are wonderful, and the fresh fruit nectar should not be skipped.

Za – 138 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington

The concept of Za is simple: they serve pizza and salad. But this is far from your average pizza parlor. They take two very uncomplicated foods and make them incredible. A favorite salad would have to be the beet, orange, goat cheese, toasted hazelnut, and red onion paired with a citrus vinaigrette. It is hard to choose just one pizza. Since their ingredients are from local farms, some toppings are seasonal. In the summer, I adore the bing cherry, goat cheese, toasted walnut, and basil; in the winter months, the pumpkin pizza is the ideal comfort food, topped with apple butter, diced sweet onions, sage, cranberries, and both cheddar and parmesan cheeses. The owner is one of the friendliest guys in the greater Boston area, and he always makes it a point to stop at every table to make sure his dining guests are happy. I don’t usually have room for dessert, but I have tried and loved the goat cheese panna cotta with blackberries.

GSLIS Foodie Favorites, continuedpage top

For this issue of InfoLink we asked GSLIS students, faculty, staff, and alumni to share their favorite recipes, restaurants, and winter treats. Some of what they shared is in the PDF of the November issue -- with the majority on page 5 as well as other tidbits sprinkled throughout. For the rest, please see below.

Erin Martin’s Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

My favorite holiday recipe is a recipe for Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce. I love making this not only because it’s simple and easy, but also because it has flavors in it that remind me of the holidays: vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar. I know that Bread Pudding doesn’t sound like much of a dessert, but I have an insatiable sweet tooth and find this dessert both sweet and light. Everyone in my family loves it, too!

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread cubes in buttered 9-inch square baking pan.

In large bowl, beat eggs and cinnamon; add remaining ingredients except Butter Rum Sauce. Pour evenly over bread, moistening completely.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Serve warm with Butter Rum Sauce. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Instructions for Butter Rum sauce:

In saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine; add 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Boil 8 to 10 minutes, but stir constantly so that sauce doesn’t burn. Add 1 teaspoon rum flavoring or 1 oz. of spiced rum during the last minute. Serve warm. Makes about 1 cup.

Tip: For a softer, more custard-like bread pudding, decrease bread cubes to 3 cups.

Lauren Hruska, GSLIS Admission Assistant

Do you have any holiday dishes you particularly like to prepare?
On Christmas, the best dish in the house is Mom’s Sticky Cinnamon Rolls. Why? Because mom makes them!

Are there restaurants/cafes you love because you can sit and read or work on your laptop for hours, undisturbed, in a comfy chair?
If I told you, everyone would go there, too! Actually, my favorite café is the chair-less Blue Frog Bakery in JP because I can’t hang out there (eating cookies) all day and so I get my coffee and spend time outside (once in a while, anyway).

Favorite cookbook/s and why?
The Cook’s Illustrated cookbook has fabulous “what’s the best esoteric ingredient for your below-sea-level altitude” product and recipe tests (and others of the same ilk) that are great to geek-out on. It’s like the MythBusters of the cooking world.

Laura Krier, Systems Library Assistant

Do you have any holiday dishes you particularly like to prepare?
Hm, the above seems to answer that question. I’ve also made the 60s housewife style Green Bean Casserole with homemade cream of mushroom soup and fresh green beans (hard to perfect those fried onions at home, though). I also love to make cream-braised brussel sprouts, which are so decadent you should really only eat them on special holiday occasions.

Comfort food you like to cook during Beantown’s awfully long winters? Or your favorite restaurants to buy said food?
Mac and cheese, mac and cheese, mac and cheese. And tonight (despite the fact that it doesn’t feel quite wintery yet) I’m making my Grandpa’s Seven Layer Dinner. I’m also a sucker for tuna casseroles and red beans and rice.

Are there restaurants/cafes you love because you can sit and read or work on your laptop for hours, undisturbed, in a comfy chair?
In my six years in Boston I have yet to find such a place. But in my college town, Santa Cruz, there was a fantastic coffee shop called Pergolesi where I spent many, many hours. They had a gorgeous outdoor patio and lots of little, quiet rooms inside. And they served beer and food as well as coffee, so when you finished your homework you could put it away and switch to having drinks without having to go anywhere.

Pam Aghababian, GSLIS Student

I have lots of favorite recipes, so it’s always hard to narrow it down. I am always happy to make my mom’s clam chowder because it is so evocative of a summer day at the beach. And although I consider it a summer food, it really is perfect for the nasty Boston winters — and it’s ridiculously easy to make!

When it comes to local restaurants, I’m a big fan of the New England Soup Factory for a wide array of fresh and healthy soups — I had an excellent vegetarian split pea and spinach soup this weekend before spending an afternoon in the Brookline library. I also love sitting upstairs in the Algiers Cafe in Harvard Square — it has a great bohemian feeling, and I always feel smarter just sitting there.

In addition to Pam Aghababian's blog, Cave Cibum, and Linnea Johnson's blogs, we were happy to learn of the food-related web presences of several other GSLIS students and alums. Please also check out:

For questions or comments on InfoLink, contact the editorial staff at infolink@simmons.edu. For technical problems with this page, such as broken links, please contact the GSLIS webmaster at gslisweb@simmons.edu.

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