Got a hankering for that great blueberry jam you bought on your last trip to Maine or a craving for the pear-flavored Vermont maple syrup your aunt sent you once for Christmas?
That special artisan cheese might be made clear out West in Utah, but now a Framingham mother of four is making it easy to have hard-to-find delicious and interesting regional foods delivered right to your door.
Caragh Whalen and her business partner Marsha Cade recently launched RegionalBest.com, an e-commerce site where you can buy regional and gourmet foods in 16 categories, such as artisan cheese and salami from Utah, crab cakes from Maryland and grass-fed beef from Montana.
All the foods offered on the site are raised, caught or produced by small artisans, farmers, fishermen, ranchers, beekeepers and other small specialty food companies, Whalen said.
RegionalBest.com offers food from small producers who might otherwise go unnoticed by consumers, Whalen said. Whalen and Cade attended several fancy food shows and did their own market research to find companies they thought could benefit from better exposure on the Web.
On the site you'll find Texas pralines, Michigan flowering teas, Idaho grass-fed lamb, Alaskan salmon and more. Some of the products are organic or sold only at farmers markets far away from Massachusetts. And you won't find these items in the Dean & DeLuca catalog, Whalen said.
"The food on our site isn't food you'll find anywhere else," Whalen said. Vendors on the site are charged a percentage of sales, so it's a win-win for RegionalBest.com and the producer.
Customers can shop on the site by product type or region of the country. Click on South and find Blue Smoke salsa from West Virginia; click on New England and purchase coffee from Massachusetts' Barrington Coffee Roasting Co.
In addition to details about the food products and prices, there's a story about each of the merchants.
"We feature great products and we also feature the story of each artisan who produces the product. Each of them has their own page," Whalen said.
Whalen, 38, a Worcester native and graduate of Doherty High School, and Cade, 46, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., met through their previous work as public relations executives. Whalen said the new business fits in well with her life as a busy mother of four children ages 2 to 10.
The foods on the Web site, Whalen said, also reflect her interest in eating quality foods without artificial ingredients and preservatives.
"Being a mom, I really care about what I feed my family," Whalen said.
Here's a few examples from the site I'd like to try:
- Beehive Cheese Co.'s Barely Buzzed cheese from Utah, $20 plus shipping for 1 pound
- Pedro's Pork Tamales from Texas, $49.80 plus shipping for four 1-pound packages
- Loin of Lava Lake Lamb from Idaho, $40, plus shipping for 2 pounds
Go to www.RegionalBest.com to find out more.
Turning Japanese
After watching Hayao Miyazaki's 1995 anime film "Whisper of the Heart" with my daughter recently, I couldn't stop thinking about that wonderful sticky rice they serve at Japanese restaurants.
So after a late night of work on a Monday, I made a beeline for a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Northborough that I'd been wanting to try for some time.
Opened about a year ago, Mikaku, at 290 West Main St., is a gentile haven offering sophisticated Japanese cuisine. Set back in a new shopping plaza, you might miss this little gem if you drive too fast.
Scallop and Shrimp Teriyaki ($23) was a perfectly pan-seared dream, glazed with a delicate and not-too-sweet sauce. With six large shrimp and three good-size scallops, it all came sizzling on a platter with carrots, broccoli, onions, baby corn, water chestnut and pea pods. But first came a lovely, comforting miso soup with tiny pieces of silky tofu, and a crisp salad with miso-ginger dressing that was fresh and cleansing.
The service was quick and pleasant, as it should be with just two other tables occupied when I arrived at 8:30 p.m. Soft jazz played in the background, and the decor was subtle and refined, a calming mix of dark and light with cherry wood tables and window treatments made to look like rice paper screens. All was spotlessly clean on my visit.
Across the room, a table full of women ordered sushi and seemed to be very happy with their orders. Next time, if I am dining with my daughter or a friend, I'll try a sushi platter (starting at $23.50) or try one of their appetizers. Soft Shell Crab with Ponzu Sauce ($9) sounds like a crispy delight to me. Also on the menu are several dishes featuring Kobe beef.
Since I was driving, I drank just tea, no alcohol, so another time I'd like to try one of Mikaku's special sake cocktails like the Ginger Snap ($5.50) with sake, fresh ginger, ginger ale and pineapple juice. Or, I might try the Central Coast Chardonnay from Firestone ($8/$24), a Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., winery where I once had a very pleasant and memorable visit.
I wish I'd tried this place sooner. I'll definitely be eating at Mikaku again soon.
Mikaku, 290 West Main St., Northborough. Call 508-393-5553.
