Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/603345
220 Chef Ryan McGovern uses locally sourced ingredients, forages for plants, smokes his own fish, pickles veggies, and makes kimchee in-house. holiday gatherings, dinner has his- torically bogarted the spotlight. And understandably so—it's awash in traditions both cultural and familial, as well as flavors complex and nos- talgic. But then again, so is brunch. Of course, dinner has the advantage of multiple courses, epic propor- tions, and beautiful cocktails. Again, though, so does brunch. And when it comes right down to it, which of the two meals better melds ingredients and dishes both savory and sweet, salty and sour? Hands down—the answer is brunch. And no one does brunch like Ryan McGovern, the clever and me- ticulous chef at Manchester-by-the- Sea's lauded bistro, Foreign Affairs. So when the question arises—at least from now through the holiday season—as to how to throw a re- markably festive brunch that breaks the mold, we turn to McGovern first. His food philosophy is a big part of what makes eating an adventure: No matter what the specific meal is—it will be memorable. "I don't want to give people the norm," he says with no small amount of conviction. "There's so much food out there and it's all around us, but I want to open people's eyes to more than what they're used to." How does that level of excite- ment and commitment translate to the table? This chef smokes his own fish (with varying types of fruit tree wood to create distinctive flavor profiles). He and his team pickle the bistro's own veggies. Whenever they have a free moment, they whip up condiments like homemade beer mustard. They macerate berries ran- domly for the weekly waffle special. And they're constantly doing things like haphazardly making their own kimchee. "Kimchee's so undervalued!" exudes McGovern. "Especially when you're adding it to breakfast and brunch dishes." For instance, the Foreign Affairs' breakfast sand- wich is a carefully constructed pile—within a brioche roll—of an ever-so-subtle yolk explosion from two farm eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon, and house-made kimchee from farm cabbage. "It gives a spicy punch that isn't too overwhelming," explains McGovern. "Not to men- tion a fermented taste that gives the sandwich a kick in the butt." That's the kind of dish he loves making for customers at the restau- rant, but also for family and friends at his home on weekends. Served with an Asian soy salad in soy mizuna dressing, it's superb every single time. But that's nothing compared to when guests sit down and dip into his bluefish pâté. At the restaurant, McGovern and his team get which- ever fish is available from their local monger and smoke it in their kitchen with one of the woods from their backyard—the likes of which include pear wood, plum wood, or apple wood, so it's not your typi- cal hickory smoke. Similarly, with respect to the choice of fish, "We like to use different kinds of fish that aren't on every last menu on the rest of the North Shore," he says. Meanwhile, at home with his family over the holidays, a similar theme prevails. "We all hang out, and we smoke the fish and make a big batch of pâté before the big day," he says. "It becomes a whole family event." Everyone gets involved when McGovern is planning menus, too. With his young daughter, he forages When it comes to