opinionatedchef's Profile
Zygomates Compared to Aquitaine ?
terrifically helpful and detailed. thx mc. and thx richard for the lunch rec.
Why No Hound Raves for The Salty Pig?
max will respond for himself, but the one that easily gets the most CH and other raving is Coppa.
Clio 15th Anniversary Dinner on 6/5?
bw, creativity and deliciousness, together, are the things I appreciate most in a restnt.
Otto in Coolidge Corner Open
here's the CC menu; strange that you have to go to the portland site to get it!
http://ottoportland.com/menubc.html
Otto in Coolidge Corner Open
thx, nightsky. how bout that new pizza place on comm ave. between harvard st and packards corner- that got alot of recent Globe attention; have you tried it?
Zygomates Compared to Aquitaine ?
We ate here right after they opened and that seems long ago. I don't see it CH discussed. Anyone have recent experiences and/or how does it compare with Aquitaine? We're fans of the room, service and consistently excellent food at Aquitaine and now very curious about Zygomates.The menu looks v good. Also looks like they have a good raw bar , so might be a good suggestion for out of town visitors looking for seafood near the seaport. Thx much.
http://www.winebar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=106
Why No Hound Raves for The Salty Pig?
Didn't know about this palce til I had some amazing cheeses from them the other night at an event. Could find no recent threads on them. Their menu looks v interesting. Smoked mushrooms? Yes, please! Recent experiences, anyone? thx.
http://www.thesaltypig.com/img/saltypig_menu.pdf
Clio 15th Anniversary Dinner on 6/5?
no need for smarminess, bw. if the food had been wonderful, we would have been just thrilled. but the only wonderful thing any of us tasted was the sweet set down with the check.
We all noted that what Clio seemed to be about, for us, was plates of little dabs of rare ingredients, with entrees that none of us found really delicious(i.e. you can't wait to go back and have that again.) So glad you had chef M's great dish; but that's not Clio's food, obviously
And maybe the OP won't have Clio food either and will have amazing food from the visiting team; all the better imo. (And if you have great food at Clio, i'm happy for you.)
Clio 15th Anniversary Dinner on 6/5?
sorry, have no info re this event, but i came on to warn you away from a dinner of Clio's food. Went recently and will never go back. and their dining room is AWFUL. conversation not possible, bad circulation, mediocre service. Can't tell you how disappointed we were (4 of us).
Porter Exchange Japanese Recommendations?
galang, plse tell me about the croquettes and the cold noodles! And have you noticed the change in the adzuki cream at J bakery? thx.
Otto in Coolidge Corner Open
penny, your photos are great; thx so much!(and for the report, of course)
Bits of Info and Food Reporting from Vinny Event
yay; th you!! you know, for some reason, i THOUGHT it was zygomates related but WHY when i even went to the Z website, did i see nothing for Sorriso? gotta check out that place. nice fellow too.
Bits of Info and Food Reporting from Vinny Event
madrid, she said she's email me recipe so, send me yours again and i'll forward it.
opinionatedchefatcomcastdotnet
sooooo many things!
One Dinner Only
ha! a uhockey groupie, eh? Makes perfect sense to me, though following his detailed reports is a full time job!
[Concord] Colonial Inn
thx again; another good detailed review to link for future visitors. Concord is one of New England's prettiest towns, but it is also a bit of a culinary wasteland, though 80 Thoreau is an excellent addition to the dining scene there.
All-Star Pizza: A preview?
o.k. blumie, if My Love ever takes me there again (but he has soured on it as well) we will try the falafel and the chx fingers. thx. ( but i'm not doing that turkey again.and you might want to go into it w/ a little caution next time.just a suggestion.)
Durgin Park
thx harters. recent visitors have reported enjoying it but your report is better detailed and perfect for linking to future people asking about 'quintessential Boston' experiences.( When I first came to Boston in 1971, they used to serve a very good roast duck; too bad that's not on the menu any more!)
[Essex] Woodman's
That's interesting, lyden. i've never heard of the melted butter version as "Ct style". Certainly the mayo vs butter debate has had lots of CH coverage but I've never seen the 'Ct' reference.
Athan's in Brookline, sadly meh
no one needs to feel disappointed by Athan's choc croissants. Tr Joe's has really super frozen ones that you proof and then bake- beautifully layered, light, crunchy, all-butter, top quality dark chocolate (2 bars). Perfecto!
Otto in Coolidge Corner Open
Otto is a Portland Maine company (2 locations there, iirc) that now has 2 Boston locations.dre, I think it's really healthy to include Maine in our definition of 'local'. We're not the biggest region of the U.S.( by far!) and we need to stick together and celebrate our affinities! I've really enjoyed Otto's amazing crust in Harv Sq. and I'm so looking forward to trying this new spot. Am hoping they have expanded their variety of toppings a bit.
Bits of Info and Food Reporting from Vinny Event
Ate a lot of great food and talked w/ a number of chefs tonight (Monday) at a fundraiser for Vinny, the ebullient Neptune Oyster waiter who had a horrific car accident last month.
Isl Creek Oyster Bar donated the space, tables,linens etc. and chefs and beverage companies donated their product and themselves.Great to see the Boston food community come together to help such a great guy.
It was interesting to try food from restnts I have both visited and never visited; talented chefs never cease to amaze and everyone gladly donated their food and presence to the cause. Vinny has worked in the industry a long time and many chefs know him from the past as well as the present. There were maybe 15 food stations . The #1 thing i tasted (Madrid, you will not be surprised by this) was the amazing grains/vegetable/chevre salad from Oleana’s chef, Cassie Kyriakedes. It had prob 25 ingredients and was a textural Pandora’s box. ‘Smoked Green Wheat’ or Freekeh, was the ingredient of the hour for me. (Sometime soon, off to Watertown to find it!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freekeh
Behind this salad was Charles Dragghi’s Parmesan Crisp topped with Prosciutto and Fruit Mostarda and ?’s Cheese Gougere filled with Smoked Pork and Celery Remoulade. I cannot remember the restnt name- it started with an S but i don’t think it was sorellina or sportello and i thought it had a second 's' in it, but darned if i can remember... tall friendly chef w/ shaved head> what a talent! sorry.......I even looked through all opentable's S restnts and tried google. sigh.Maybe another CH was present ( w/ a brain that works?)
Hey, what about The Salty Pig? How come no CH buzz about them? I found a few comments but no recent dedicated thread for them. The very enthusiastic chef(owner?) Josh Smith served some absolutely beautiful cheeses from VT- Fuzzy Wheel, Conundrum, and La Petite Tomme, all from 3 different producers.
http://www.thesaltypig.com/img/saltypig_menu.pdf
Island Creek was there with their beauty babies. Will Gershon did a BLT in a rice paper wrapper. He said he’s hoping to open his new place by August (Another name with 'Bridge’ in it> sicr-sorryicantremember. ) It will be in Inman Sq’s former Bosphorus space and the decor will be ‘urban farmhouse’.I’m guessing that it is going to be a big success, locating in a good area for his former Garden in the Cellar fans. I’m really looking forward to it. Strip T’s Tim and Sean were there with Lettuce wrapped Pickled Mussels over Cattail kimchee. Kimchee was in Jamie Bissonette’s Italian Sub wedges as well. Lots of restaurants and other vendors donated great things to a silent and live auction, and the evening, organized by Michael Serpa, Neptune’s Exec Chef, and other NO staff , was deemed a big success- for the goal of helping Vinny.
Changes at La Verdad Taqueria
(Not here to tell you again that my fav carne asada and pescado tacos are at La V.) but wanted to mention a few changes there. The talented chef, Darren Carbone, who was brought up from Phila. to be the Exec Chef at La V- left in Dec. (and is now the Ex Chef at Rosa Margarita>> check out his aMAZing Burnt Orange Scallop Ceviche there.) and one of the existing Mexican chefs was promoted to head chef at La V. The cafe menu changed a bit. No more duck tacos. New menu additions available in the Cafe are: Pork Belly tacos w/ pineapple, and garlic crema; Ancho Short Rib tacos; and Huarachas (same torta toppings but on a thick masa 'sandle' instead of a bun.) The 2 new tacos were good to excellent, but I'm sticking w/ my previous joneses. The carne asada huaracha was super delic; def will get that in the future. Fillings abundant, as usual, on all 3 of these new dishes.
Sorry I can't report on changes on the dining room menu; we never eat in there.I do know that they've stopped doing Lunch altogether- in the Dining Room (though the taqueria cafe is open lunches for takeout).
As to tables in the cafe part, there are only 2 now, set out after 4pm.
[Portland] Five Fifty Five
so glad you liked it there. we live in boston but when we're lucky enough to be in portland, we try to eat at 555 as well as Bresca (sorry you missed that one; lovely artisinal food.)
All-Star Pizza: A preview?
we are waiting for things to settle down here, as so far, reports have varied quite a bit. A lot of our hesitation is due to the fact that we used to really like All Star Sandwich Bar, and we still do like the sides alot- onion rings, hushpuppies, fries.....but we stopped going because the sandwiches were just too too over the top messy (both physically and taste-wise.)Even when i tried going 'simple', the roast turkey was dry and forgettable. And such a shame that they got lazy? distracted? about doing a daily soup. It seems to always be chili now.
Porter Exchange Japanese Recommendations?
maillard, i know just what you mean about the heat; it is easier when you're REALLY hungry!
thx for the ittyo recs.
Boston to Sharon to Providence to New Haven
Jodie, don't know if you are staying in Boston a few days? or what time of day you are departing Boston, but the CH raved Neptune Oyster in the North End- has a pretty famous lobster roll. Some CHs have talked about getting lobster rolls to go at J Hook(seafood store) on the waterfront near So. Station. Island Creek Oyster Bar and Neptune Oyster are the 2 seafood spots most consistently raved on this board. I like both of them very much, though they are opposite experiences. Do a search and many threads will come up.
Don't know when your trip is, but soft shell crabs are on a lot of menus here; they are quite a delicacy if you haven't had them before.
This is a great spot for another part of your trip:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/791130
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/798995
Porter Exchange Japanese Recommendations?
Strip T's chef/owner, Tim, told us that Sapporo Ramen is his fav Boston place for ramen, so we've really enjoyed a few ramen meals there the last few weeks. Our fav is the Curry pork ramen with extra pork and extra tofu and corn (though i must remark that charging $1 for 5 kernels of corn is a pretty steep deal, esp. when another $1 gets you a LOT of tofu.) Anyway, there have been past threads about the Super 88 food court in allston and the HMart food court in Burlington, but I didn't find a recent Porter Exchange thread, so thought I'd start one.
I'll just mention that the Adzuki Creams at Cafe Japonaise have been a passion of mine for years, but it seems that they have changed their recipe for the puff, for the worse, and the units are maybe 25% smaller than they used to be. So i've weaned myself off them boo hoo.
Anyone have comments on the fried chicken and fried pork dishes at Sapporo? And how about fav dishes at the other stalls in the Exchange? Thx much.
Biryani Park - Sri Lankan in Malden
We had a new item for us when we had lunch here last week:
22. Pancharatna Dosa
Thin & crispy Rava and rice crepe layered with potato masala, 3 kind of nuts, mixed vegetables, , pacharatna dal and our special dosa podi – Served with tomato chutney, coconut chutney and sambar.
Easiest way to explain it is - a large dosa filled with many types of dal +things listed above ,and folded over a few times and cut in sections, so it ended up being kind of like a lasagna, with the dosa serving as the pasta sheets. Really terrific and unusual.
Also, in case anyone loves mushrooms and fried things and sweet and sour, the 'Chili Mushrooms' are delicious but badly named. They are basically just like their indo-chinese cauliflower dish, deep fried mushroom wedges in a sweet and sour sauce ( chili flakes are in it but it is not hot at all.)
The utthapum was still first rate with its sour tangy chewy crispiness.
