Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/209310
THIS ISSUE: CELEBRATIONS Acid Trip ECLECTIC AMERICAN BISTRO FARE ARRIVES IN MEDFIELD WITH ZEBRA'S BISTRO AND WINE BAR. BY VICTORIA ABBOTT RICCARDI PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDY RYAN A t the age of 15, Chelmsford-born Brendan Pelley had an "aha" moment that would change his life. "I was making bagel sandwiches at [the now defunct] Café Aroma in Chelmsford, and for the first time, I realized that I could make people happy with food." Fast-forward 19 years and Pelley is still doing that, only now as executive chef of Zebra's Bistro and Wine Bar, which was packed to the gills on a recent Friday night. The expansive bar area brims with young couples eating burgers with beer, parents on dates sipping wine and snacking on cheese, and groups of friends laughing over cocktails. The elegant cream-colored dining room, also full, provides a quieter spot for couples and families lingering over Pelley's "new American bistro food," which he defines as "using whatever techniques I want to make local ingredients taste awesome," including jacking up dishes with salt, umami, heat, and acid. Yes, acid. "My go-to ingredients are soy, miso, and Aleppo peppers, along with vinegar or citrus," says Pelley. "Soy and miso deepen a dish's flavors, particularly when paired with an acid, while the pepper adds a nice little touch of mysterious heat." You can taste what he means beginning with the raw bar offerings, like the smoky bluefish pâté on crostini garnished with lemon zest, spicy radish, and tangy cornichon, as well as the silky cured striped bass sashimi with zingy horseradish crème fraîche, lemon zest, and dill. His charcuterie offerings include a succulent duck breast pastrami and a juicy pork and shiitake mushroom terrine invigorated with Chinese five-spice, ginger, and garlic. While Pelley never went to cooking school, he honed his kitchen skills working at restaurants like Clio and Summer Winter in Burlington, during which he learned "to read and research about food as much as possible, taste everything constantly, and not be afraid to try new things and push yourself." Pelley makes everything from scratch, save for the bread and butter. Many of Zebra's vegetables hail from his garden in Bedford Zebra's Executive Chef Brendan and that of the restaurant's owner, Pelley turns out sophisticated dishes with bold flavors. continued on page 90 88 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 088-090_BC_ST_SMD_Holiday_13.indd 88 11/1/13 12:44 PM