The admonition not to play with your food is but a distant childhood memory; now we celebrate fun at the dinner table in many ways. One of the most fun involves dips. For French fries, veggies and chips of every hue, there is hummus, salsa, aioli, melted cheese and many more dipping delights. Foods with dip are social, festive and can get a little messy, which is always a bit of naughty fun. Here are some yummy local dippers.
BC SUSHI ROLL
Akita Sushi and Hibachi
Pour a pool of soy sauce into a small dish, mix in some sinus-clearing wasabi paste according to your preference, and bam, you’ve made the classic dipper for sushi. Akita offers a tantalizing array of creative sushi rolls; the BC roll is relatively simple, made with salmon, avocado, cucumber and tobiko, a neon-hued flying fish roe. But here’s where things can get tricky because a little dip goes a long way, and it’s easy to oversaturate the rice. Go slowly, lest you stifle the subtle flavor of the ocean-kissed fish, cool cucumber and creamy avocado. The tobiko adds plenty of salt. $6.
(Akita’s mouth-watering BC sushi roll.)
HUMMUS AND PITA CHIPS
Ze’s Diner
Remember when hummus, the Middle Eastern dip made from pureed chickpeas, was something exotic and hard to find? Now it’s everywhere, and what a blessing it is, full of protein and fiber and tasty as all get-out. Ze’s Diner serves a satisfying starter using roasted garlic, which is mellower and sweeter than the usual raw jolt; fresh lemon juice contributes a hint of brightness. Served with crispy pita triangles. $5.75.
BARBECUE CHIPS
Tamarack Tap Room
Woodbury was obviously ready for this sort of taproom because the joint is jumping. There are more than 70 beers on tap, a long list of creative burgers on the menu, and tons of dippables. Try the housemade barbecue potato chips: smoky, salty and a dream come true when slathered with the kitchen’s excellent onion dip. It’s a dipper’s paradise here; for an extra buck you can try one of many other enticing sauces. Cilantro sour cream is cooling and herbaceous; smoked blueberry ketchup is intriguingly sweet. The jalapeno cheddar dip is fantastic with the barbecue chips, as is the decadent bacon Fontina cheese sauce. If you’re in the mood for aioli, i.e., trendy mayonnaise, choose from hot ghost pepper or earthy roasted tomato. $3.95.
FRENCH DIP SANDWICH
O’Malley’s Irish Pub
It may be called a French dip, but this sandwich is so popular you can find it everywhere, including in a venerable Irish pub like O’Malley’s. It’s the simplest of configurations: thinly sliced steak and grilled onion on a fluffy white hoagie roll; the key element is the “au jus”—basically beef stock from the steak. Douse and dip to your heart’s content: the fluffy bread soaks up the juice like a sponge. You can add cheese ($1 extra), sautéed red peppers or mushrooms (50 cents extra), but all you really need is that luscious jus. $10.99.
CHIPS AND QUESO
Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon
Wild Bill’s has a section of the menu titled poker snacks and with a title like that, you know it’s full of fun stuff to dip. And indeed, the queso is delirium-inducing. Queso means cheese; basically we are looking at a vat of melted cheese. Seasoned with Southwestern spices such as chili and cumin, it’s served with warm tortilla chips. You will feel compelled to shovel it up, which requires strategic positioning if you are sharing. $6.49; $4 during happy hour.
MEDITERRANEAN ARTICHOKE DIP
Sole Mio Ristorante
Dips make great appetizers; one of the loveliest is at Sole Mio, a sunny riff on the ever-popular warm artichoke dip. Here it’s full of Mediterranean flavor and color, a kaleidoscope of sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and red and green bell peppers. This mosaic is baked into a creamy cheese dip; scoop it up with piadina, a thin flatbread from the northeast region of Italy. $9.99.
PAPADUM WITH MANGO CHUNTNEY AND RAITA
India Palace
Papadum are thin, lacy wafers made from lentils and spices; they are a frequent snack before an Indian meal. Indian cuisine is full of sauces and dips; we love sweet, orange mango chutney on the savory wafers. Another delicious option is a dish of cooling raita, yogurt with cucumbers and tomatoes. Get both and enjoy the contrast of sweet, hot, cool and crunchy. Find under the “accompaniments” section of the menu. $4.95.
FONDUE PLATTER
Lakes Tavern and Grill
Fondue is back from the 1970s and more irresistible than ever with its vat-of melted-cheese factor. Lakes’ version is creamy and mildly tangy; dunk fresh apple slices, mini heirloom tomatoes and chunks of warm, pillowy ciabatta bread. Fondue is a hoot with a crowd; take bets on who is the first one to lose a chunk of apple in the cheese. $11.
MUHAMMARA
Trader Joe’s
This fun market is full of interesting culinary treasures. Muhammara is a Middle Eastern dip, a delicious contender for the next hummus. The word means “something red,” which makes sense since roasted red peppers form the basis of this hearty dip. The peppers are pureed with walnuts, adding rich body and mellow nuttiness; the surprise element is the sweetness and tang of pomegranate juice. This trio of ingredients creates more than a sum of its parts, is addictive on crackers and an especially nice dip for raw veggies. $2.99 for an eight-ounce tub.
