Ricotta Desecration
There are some hills I’ll die on. I’m a woman of principle, and though I have a very open mind about most things, for some issues there can be no compromise. Genocide is wrong. Racism is the cause of most problems in this country, and an enabler of unfettered greed, because if you pit the ignorant against the Other, they won’t argue—they will even support you—if they think they’re one of you. The Epstein files should be opened and scooped out like an abscessed hoof. Smoking ricotta is an atrocity.
I have a very lovely daughter-in-law who works for a restaurant named Source. It sits in the center of Harvard Square, yards away from Harvard Yard. It’s decorated in wood and iron, is nicely lit with big, plate glass windows, and features a wood-fired oven for cooking.
The food is pretty good, but the place has a menu problem. There are asterisks over random items for no immediately apparent reason.
If you’re me, you spend more time looking for what the asterisk implies than you do looking at the actual menu items.
So choosing a dish isn’t hard, once you can focus on what that part.
After a careful few minutes you’ll find that the asterisk information is at the TOP OF THE MENU.
I’ve been patient with the younger generations. I’ve educated them on basic historical touchstones, like Isadora Duncan, and movies like A New Leaf so that they can say, “Too much carbon on the valves” when an obnoxiously loud car drives by. Fundamental, essential information that that they’re lacking due to the appalling American education system.
But nobody puts fucking asterisk information at the top.
The rest of that section includes some important allergy information where you’ll never find it, but the worrisome part is “Items are cooked to order & may be served raw or undercooked.” followed by the standard “Consuming raw or undercooked foods may increase your risk of foodborne illness.*”
The warning on its own is likely required by all restaurant insurance companies. The problem lies in the additional sentence before-hand, which seems to imply that, while they’ll try to cook your food as you requested it, for all they know it may arrive raw, or under-cooked.
I get that they’re trying to say they’ll cook it the way you want it but don’t blame them if you die, but that’s what the warning is for.
Moving on.
I’ve eaten at Source twice this week and both times the food was quite good, because neither time did I receive the “smoked ricotta” they’re so proud of.
Smoking caught on during the Paleolithic era after they figured out it preserved otherwise-rotting food. It dehydrates. It deposits phenols and other chemicals that slow or repel bacteria. The smoke flavor hides the “ruh-roh” flavor that, say, fermented shark does not hide.1
Fresh cheeses, meanwhile, are a celebration of season and bounty. They are the opposite of preserved, with a sweetness and lightness that smoked cheese, meats, and fish necessarily lack.
Source smokes their ricotta, though I notice the menu no longer boasts it as smoked. The smoke comes from the wood-fired oven being handled poorly, over-smoking (and sometimes burning the shit out of) the food within. They could do that differently, but they like it and the resulting desecration of their fresh cheese.
This is what you can expect from people who put their asterisk information at the top.
The food I did enjoy was the mis-named B.L.A.T. sandwich on pizza dough—sorry, Panuozzo bread—, a BLT with avocado and egg so obviously a B.L.E.A.T, and a Tuscan pizza made with kale, mushrooms, and hot honey. And of course, the service was excellent. I highly suggest you go there, tip the bartender, and at all costs avoid their ricotta.
* Notice how you knew where to look for this. Also, yes, “undercooked” and “foodborne” are one word each on the menu. I’m sorry.
From this article: My favorite description is that the shark tastes like old cheese with a hint of ammonia. I have heard “Sweet, Nutty and only faintly fishy” and “Smells of urine that has a powerful aftertaste”. But actually, the mild version is not too bad, slightly chewy with a little bit of an aftertaste.
But I have also heard the stronger versions described as “Like chewing a urine-infested mattress”
I think you forgot a footnote. I looked all over the top of the page and can't find it.
I agree that smoked mozzarella is odd and should be avoided at all costs. I remember that the original Bertucci's pizza was invariably lightly smoked. I rather liked the hint of smoke but I have no recollection of there ever being fresh cheese on their pizza.