Stillwater
Sarah Wade is Boston's Queen of Comfort Food.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "Comfort food is what make you happy."
And at her new restaurant Stillwater, she serves plates full of it, along with plenty of 'warm and fuzzies'.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "Comfort food is what gives me warm and fuzzies. It's things that you eat and it gives you a memory, or it brings back a place and a time that made you really happy, and overall comfort food just, it gives you the warm and fuzzies. And that is what we do here at Stillwater."
Brand new to Downtown Boston, Stillwater is a 130 seat spot with a big bar, a big open kitchen, big flavors, and big smiles.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "It's like coming into my house and in spending time with me is how I want the atmosphere to be."
It's only natural Chef Sarah exudes Midwestern hospitality, because that's where she was born and raised, and it's why the restaurant has its name.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "Stillwater is where I'm from in Oklahoma. So there are lots of Okie-esque items on the menu. Things that I just ate in my childhood that I really loved, that you don't often see here in Boston. Those are the kinds of elements that I bring into the menu that are inspired by where I'm from."
A meal here should start with some of what Sarah refers to as 'Sexy Snacks', like Homemade Cheez-Its with creamy Dill Cucumber Dip, Mini Empanadas stuffed with smoked chicken, or a bowl of Everything Bagel Popcorn.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "Warm popcorn that's been seasoned with a whole lot of that everything bagel seasoning, a little warm butter on the popcorn so it sticks, and then there's more warm butter on the side so that you can drizzle to your heart's content."
But the must order snack at Stillwater has to be the Biscuits and Butter with Bleu Cheese and Thyme, which Sarah takes very seriously.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "There is a certain way to make biscuits, and there is a certain way that they should crumble. So we put a lot of effort into making sure that they crumble properly, and they're flaky. See all the layers in there? That's what you're looking for, the layers make it crumbly and delicious. You should get the buttery crust from the biscuit as well as little pockets of blue cheese in the biscuit which are fun to find. You get the smooth creaminess of the butter. You just want to put a big fork in it and just put it all in your mouth."
In true Midwest style, dinner at Stillwater is called 'Supper', and these suppers are super.
Especially the Smoked Pork Mac and Cheese.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "The ultimate comfort food dish here is our Smoked Pork Mac and Cheese. So we take our pork butt put a nice smoke on it in our smoker, and then it goes on top of liquid gold mac and cheese is the best way to describe it. Great twisty pasta and then our cheese sauce is smooth and beautiful and lots of flavors of cheddar and butter and it's awesome."
Other awesome options include Ritz cracker crusted fried chicken thighs, served over whipped potatoes, hand made ricotta dumplings with Amish butter, an Insta-worthy double stacked Burger with melted cheddar and cajun aioli, and an elevated take on Chicken Fried Steak, cooked to order with a thick cut Ribeye.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "This is a play on a traditional chicken fried steak. We take a 10 ounce ribeye, nice and fat, and we grill it off on the grill, and then we put it into a batter and we do a flash deep fry on it. The fun part is it still tastes like a chicken fried steak. But the nice thing is, is that the beef is still medium rare. You get grill flavors, you get crust flavors, you get gravy, it tastes like home on a plate to me."
Midwest meals are all over the menu at Stillwater, like at lunch, with this spin on a Bologna sandwich.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "You gotta have the Italian bologna sandwich. This is such an Oklahoma dish, fried bologna sandwiches are such a thing in the Midwest. And so I did my version of it. It has nice mortadella which is Italian Bologna, which has been crisped up on the griddle, it's on two pieces of Texas toast, and then the cool part about the top of the toast is it's actually an egg in the hole. So we take the Texas toast cut a hole out of it, cook an easy egg in there, and that gets put on top of the Bologna with melted cheddar cheese, cheap yellow mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, and lettuce. You eat this thing with two hands, and a wet nap, and a napkin, and you just go for it, and you eat it all, and you love it, and then you clean up afterwards."
On the weekends, Chef Sarah serves a killer brunch, with Pancake Battered Fried Sausage Patties, and a skillet of tater tots piled high with deliciousness.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "It is Cajun seasoned tater tots with shredded smoked pork, two poached eggs, and a Chipotle Hollandaise sauce. And it is the ultimate bowl after a night out drinking or when you're just ready to fill up on brunch. It tastes like everything you want in your breakfast life in one bite."
And whether you're here for brunch, lunch, or supper, save room for dessert, because you need to experience the PB & J Creme Brûlée.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "This really pulls on like those childhood things that were really delicious that sometimes we forget about as adults. So we do a peanut butter creme brulee, and then we put a strawberry compote on it, with a little bit of peanut brittle. So it literally tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
And what's more comforting than comfort food flavors, from a chef who wants everyone to feel warm and fuzzy all over.
Sarah Wade - Chef/Owner, Stillwater: "I love cooking and making people happy. I love being creative with food. I love people eating things that I've made and absolutely enjoying them. I love taking care of people and making people happy. And I think that's what this business is about. That's why I do this every day."
